June 24, 2010 archive

Jun 24 2010

On Being Philistines



Pelican Gate

Some of you have been following along with a local story I have been following for quite some time (last October):  the proposed destruction of an old-growth forest in West Orange, NJ by the administrators of Seton Hall Prep and the Archdiocese of Newark, as abetted…or in some cases just ignored…by the West Orange Zoning Board and elected officials.

Originally this was a story of people who had no concern for the environment or the value of old trees.  Then it became the story of the destruction of the habitat for an endangered species.  It progressed to being a story of civil irresponsibility when workers for Seton Hall Prep were instructed to demolish some 90 year old Japanese yew trees in favor of what were called “test pits.”  Exactly what was being tested was unclear.

But that report also moved us into the area of saving our history, which was continued in the fourth report.

Jun 24 2010

Those poor oiled birds, and….the troops

Cross-posted at Dkos http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

We’ve all seen the photos of the wildlife stricken by the oil spill, and I expect most who’ve seen them have been saddened and outraged.

I’ve been plenty horrified and outraged myself.

The following photos are upsetting.

.      .

oil bird 5

.     .

Gulf Oil Spill

Jun 24 2010

Human Rights Campaign Healthcare Equality Index 2010

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Jun 24 2010

WTF on that General thingy.

So in record breaking time, Moveon.org exposed themselves as incredible partisan hacks as they have scrubbed the BeTrayUs ad off their website.

Remember this?

http://littlepic.com/images/pe…

Yeah, that was the flavor!

So basically, the corpocrats have convinced their fanatical followers that:

Petraeus+Bush+wars=Evil

Petraeus+Obama+wars=Awesome

Awesome!

And while we are on the subject of awesomeness, to reaffirm civilian control of the military, which is why mcchrystal got walked, we put the dude who lied to the civilian congress about the war in charge?

Really? AWESOME!

The best part is to watch all the minions of the corpocrats cheer this move like they were Bushities of 2005.

If Bush had done this, there would have been a chorus of boos and a never ending stream of strongly worded letters.

Now Obama is doing the exact same thing, it is the way forward!

AWESOME!

The only who has gained anything out of this, because it definitely isn’t the troops in Afghanistan, it is Kagan.

Now her confirmation hearings will pass by the media like a ship in the night.

Not saying Obama would swap a general for a judge, but you damn sure know Rahm would.

Because the Rolling Stone article has been out on the ethers for weeks now, why did they pull the trigger on the planned meta outrage this week?

And why are pwoggressives and corpocrats cheering the failed Bush policies of four years ago?

Oh yeah, their wrestler has the championship belt now, I keep forgetting.  

Jun 24 2010

Open Diamonds

diamonds

Jun 24 2010

News at Noon

From Reuters

Wall Street reform bill goes into final hours

by Andy Sullivan

June 24, 2010

(Reuters) – With the historic overhaul of U.S. financial rules nearly complete, lawmakers have waited until the final, frantic hours to sort out the most controversial provisions in the bill.

Democrats in charge of the process appear likely to retain tough restrictions on banks’ trading and investment activities that could crimp profits for the foreseeable future.

But with a self-imposed deadline of Thursday evening, last-minute dealmaking could lead to exemptions for mutual funds, manufacturers and other business interests.

Jun 24 2010

Those Were The Days Open Thread

Jun 24 2010

EPA will hold 4 meetings on hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking)…where will you be?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting four public information meetings on the proposed study of the relationship between hydraulic fracturing and its potential impacts on drinking water…The meetings will provide public information about the proposed study scope and design. EPA will solicit public comments on the draft study plan.

The public meetings will be held on:

   * July 8 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. CDT at the Hilton Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas

   * July 13 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. MDT at the Marriot Tech Center’s Rocky Mountain Events Center in Denver, Colo.

   * July 22 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT at the Hilton Garden Inn in Canonsburg, Pa.

   * August 12 at the Anderson Performing Arts Center at Binghamton University in Binghamton, N.Y. for 3 sessions – 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT

Go below the fold for more essential information.

Jun 24 2010

“Americans Don’t Flinch” – They Duck!

By Kathy Kelly and Dan Pearson

June 24, 2010

Yesterday, accepting General McChrystal’s resignation, President Obama said that McChrystal’s departure represented a change in personnel, not a change in policy. “Americans don’t flinch in the face of difficult truths or difficult tasks.” he stated, “We persist and we persevere.”

Yet, President Obama and the U.S. people don’t face up to the ugly truth that, in Afghanistan, the U.S. has routinely committed atrocities against innocent civilians. By ducking that truth, the U.S. reinforces a sense of exceptionalism, which, in other parts of the world, causes resentment and antagonism.  

Jun 24 2010

Republicans Intervene In Traffic Accident, Call Settlement “Shakedown”

Brighton, Colorado (FNS)-Attorneys from the Republican Study Group (RSG) descended upon the 17th Judicial District courtroom of Judge John T Bryan today to present an amicus brief and associated oral arguments in order to prevent a settlement in a lawsuit related to an automobile accident in this Colorado city.

The intervening attorneys claim the settlement reached between the two parties to the accident is a “shakedown” because the plaintiff had not yet exhausted all possible legal remedies when the agreement was finalized, and because the agreement was executed in the presence of the plaintiff’s brother, a well-known local attorney.

They hope Judge Bryan will decline to approve the settlement in today’s hearing, and that he will order the parties to move forward to trial.

“What we have is government transferring property from one party, an admittedly unattractive one, to others, not based on preexisting laws but on decisions by one man, a car czar”, said Crush Mimbaugh, attorney for the RSG, “and we are here today to protect all Americans from this legally sanctioned rape of an innocent driver.”

Jun 24 2010

Docudharma Times Thursday June 24




Thursday’s Headlines:

A rapid-fire chain of events led to Gen. McChrystal’s downfall

Kabaddi seeks to move into international arena

USA

Debate Over Industry Role in Educating Doctors

Apparent suicide by fishing boat captain underlines oil spill’s emotional toll

Europe

Picasso, Manet and Matisse – auctions revel in Europe’s richest art sales

Merkel rejects Obama warnings that cuts will damage global recovery

Middle East

Robert Fisk: Ghosts from the past: Syria’s 30 years of fear

UN chief says East Jerusalem demolition plan ‘illegal’

Asia

Australia’s gets new PM in British-born Julia Gillard as Rudd steps down

Japanese most holiday-deprived nation

Africa

Burundi election lacks critical ingredient: presidential candidates

Latin America

El Salvador president under fire

Jun 24 2010

Muse in the Morning

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Muse in the Morning

Dharma upholds both this-worldly and the other-worldly affairs

–Krishna, the Mahābhārata

Phenomena I: inhaling


Lurking

Blueprint

A notion

and intention

initially

Ideas congeal

words emerge

slide into place

some locked

some fit

to be tumbled

pliantly capable

of movement

until unity forms

Structural collapse

conceptual disintegration

and verbal desertion

are neighbors

skulking

on the other side

of walls too thin

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–March 18, 2008

Load more