121 QuickLinks
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Anti-war protest shakes up holiday shopping
Anti-war street theater in Seattle.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Is Belief in God Hurting America?
(3 comments)
In a paper posted recently on the online journal Evolutionary Psychology, independent researcher Gregory S. Paul reports a strong correlation within First World democracies between socioeconomic well-being and secularity. In short, prosperity is highest in societies where religion is practiced least.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Conyers Derides White House Strategy on Health Care
Conyers blasts Obama for not leading on health care.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Senators have tough questions for Holder - USATODAY.com
Holder is facing criticism about the Fort Hood suspect Hasan, as well as about his plan to hold civilian trials for alleged 9/11 suspects.
Maybe Holder deserves the boot for failing to prosecute Bush Adminstration criminals.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
How the US Funds the Taliban
(1 comments)
US military officials in Kabul estimate that a minimum of 10 percent of the Pentagon's logistics contracts--hundreds of millions of dollars--consists of payments to insurgents.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Where are the real deficit hawks?
David Sirota exposes the hypocrisy of conservatives who complain about the supposed high costs of health care reform.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Big Insurance Kills
Petition to oppose the health care pirates: insurance companies that kill.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Andrew Marvell: To his Coy Mistress. "Had we but world enough and time." (Cavalier poem, Carpe Diem)
In this poem by Andrew Marvell (1621–1678), a passionate young man begs a young woman to stop playing hard to get.
Friday, November 13, 2009
FACT CHECK - Palin's Book Goes Rogue on Some Facts
Palin stretches the truth, and it shows to go you that the Dems shouldn't let the GOP get away with blaming the Dems for problems like the deficit and the bailouts.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Professor Happiness
(3 comments)
Can money buy happiness? Sort of. That is, a little more money can buy the poor a lot of happiness, but only a lot more money can buy the rich even a little happiness. Material wealth has, as Gilbert says, “very diminishing returns.” A far more reliable indicator of a person's happiness is his or her wealth of personal relationships.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Dede Scozzafava: GOP not based on 'substance'
Defeated GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava accuses the GOP of being extremist.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Ten (Conservative) Commandments
Thou shalt not ...
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Obama discusses final options for troop increase in Afghanistan
More indication that President Obama plans to escalate in Afghanistan.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Many Still Believe That Saddam Hussein Was Behind 9/11, and Now We Have Some Idea Why | | AlterNet
(2 comments)
On the persistence of false beliefs, despite contrary evidence.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend on Abortion and Catholics
A Catholic argues not to let abortion politics stand in the way of affordable coverage for all.
Monday, November 9, 2009
United Against Afghanistan Escalation
The title says it all.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Can We Talk About Religion, Please? - The Moral of the Story Blog
Should society be more accepting of criticisms of religious institutions? Why do religions get special treatment.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Dog's eco-footprint a Hummer, study says
(1 comments)
Dogs have a huge eco-footprint. What can be done?
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
A Court Decision That Reflects What Type of Country the US Is | CommonDreams.org
Glenn Greenwald reports that an American court rules to defend torturers, despite clear evidence of misbehavior.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
t r u t h o u t | What Obama Is Up Against
(3 comments)
So Barack Obama is boxed in [by the CIA and the military establishment]. But so are the American people, and so, really, is democracy itself. Bringing this inconvenient truth out in the open is the essential first step toward taking back control of our government - and our future.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Dede Scozzafava, Republican, Abandons Congressional Race in Upstate New York - NYTimes.com
Under pressure from the hard right, a moderate Republican withdrew her candidacy. This sets a model for the sort of thing progressive need to do: oppose centrist Democrats. Indeed, groups like DFA and MoveOn often support progressive Dems in primaries.
Friday, October 30, 2009
How to Save the News
(2 comments)
"The amount the government now sets aside for public broadcast media is about what it costs the military to occupy Iraq for two and a half days."
Friday, October 30, 2009
The Defining Moment - Paul Krugman
Paul Krugman summarizes the choices centrists and progressives need to make about the health care reform bills being considered by Congress. He says that they bills aren't perfect but they're better than they might have been.
Friday, October 30, 2009
French Ideal of Bicycle-Sharing Meets Reality - NYTimes.com
Many people lack community spirit. The thugs and delinquents who destroy Paris' communal bikes remind me of conservatives in America who hate government programs.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Tide Is Turning on Healthcare Reform
According to this article in the Nation, Obama and the Dems may finally be standing up to the insurance companies.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Obama Signs $680 Billion Military Bill, a Victory Over Lobbyists - NYTimes.com
Another glimmer of hope: Obama cuts some unnecessary military programs.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Swine flu vaccines are safe and time-tested, experts assert -- chicagotribune.com
(1 comments)
The title says it all: Swine flu vaccines are safe and time-tested, experts assert.
Monday, October 19, 2009
YouTube - Republicans in Congress
In Congress there's a Republican for every need.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Memo to the media: Fox News is now the Opposition Party | Media Matters for America
MediaMatters reports on a campaign to treat Fox News not as a legitimate news organization, but instead as a partisan wing of the Republican Party.
Friday, October 16, 2009
“We Shall Overcharge” : Billionaires for Wealthcare
Billionaires for Wealthcare made this song to the tune of "We shall Overcome".
Friday, October 16, 2009
Tea-Party Activists Complicate Republican Comeback Strategy - WSJ.com
The Republican Party faces similar problems as the Democratic Party. Just as the Democratic leadership often supports centrist candidates whom progressives view as too corrupt and compromising, so too the Republican leadership is struggling against Tea Party activists and religious conservatives who are unhappy with the candidates selected by GOP leaders.
Friday, October 16, 2009
MSM Reporting as Propaganda (No One Minds Our New Financial Masters Edition) - naked capitalism
NakedCapitalism.com is new to me. This article seems useful.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Fewer Genital Warts Thanks to HPV Vaccine Program - US News and World Report
Not that this has ever been an issue for me....
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Obama signs $7.5bn Pakistan aid bill into law | World news | guardian.co.uk
[[toilet]]
Thursday, October 15, 2009
David Horsey political cartoon about insurance greed
Another effective David Horsey cartoon, this one critical of the insurance companies.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Goldman Sachs 2009 bonuses to double 2008's; $23 billion could send 460,000 to Harvard, buy insurance for 1.7 million fa
Wow! An acquaintance recently emailed me to tell me that he got a job at Goldman Sachs. Smart guy! Or is he greedy?
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Brave New Films: Rethink Afghanistan videos available online
(1 comments)
Robert Greenwald and others have released these great, professionally produced videos about Afghanistan.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
DNC slams 'Cheneys' - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com
The Cheneys are starting a group critical of Obama's foreign policy.
But it's the Dems' failure to pursue prosecution that's enabling these war-mongering extremists and torturers to continue their mischief. It's as if the Dems have battered wife syndrome and want to lose, as suggested in a recent OpEdNews article by Robert Parry.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Millions will starve as rich nations cut food aid funding, warns UN | Environment | The Observer
(1 comments)
Our government spends untold trillions of dollars on useless wars and on bailouts for rich corporations. But we're cutting funding for food aid and can't pay for health care.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Swine Flu Deaths Among Youths Rise as Epidemic Spreads -- We Need Vaccines!!!
(4 comments)
This is more reason to doubt the anti-vaccine crusaders. I think it's extremely dangerous to follow the advice of anti-vaccine crusaders who question the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. A recent article ("Ineffectiveness and Dangers of Flu Shots") made the absurd claim: "All Vaccines Are Ineffective and Unsafe." Vaccines have saved countless lives.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Petition to Harry Reid: Punish senators who support filibuster
"Any Democratic senators who support a Republican attempt to block a vote on health care reform should be stripped of their leadership titles. Americans deserve a clean up-or-down vote on health care."
Over 61,000 people have signed -- can we break 75,000 before we deliver signatures to Harry Reid?
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
An ACORN Amendment for Pfizer
In response to Congressional efforts to defund ACORN, the the "Against Corporations Organizing to Rip-off the Nation Act of 2009" targets corporations that engage in fraud. Such corporations are plentiful amidst the military, insurance, drug, and hospital industries.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Margaret Mead meets Morgan Stanley
The crash is the natural result of a Wall Street culture in which the self-proclaimed smartest people in the world came to believe that high share prices trumped all other corporate values and, in doing so, imposed their ethos of live-for-today risk-taking on the economy at large.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Patrick Moore's Cartoon about Top Tax Rates over the years
Clever image about top tax rates over the years.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
GRITtv with Laura Flanders: Jeremy Scahill and Glenn Greenwald on the Media's Wars
(1 comments)
Great, professionally produced interviews with Jeremy Scahill and Glenn Greenwald. They discuss the failures of traditional media and the challenges of the new progressive media.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Mobilization for Health Care for All | Down with Death Panels!
Mobilization for Health Care for All is launching a national campaign of "Patients Not Profit" sit-ins at insurance company offices to demand an end to a system that profits by denying people care. We want the real "public option": Medicare for All, a single payer plan that cuts out the profit and puts patients first.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change
Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will be the largest-ever social change event on the web. One day. One issue. Thousands of voices.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Afghanistan like Vietnam? "Obama at the Precipice " by Frank Rich
(1 comments)
NY Times columnist Frank Rich describes the choices facing President Obama in Afghanistan and suggests that Obama should avoid the same mistake America made nearly 50 years ago in Vietnam.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Republican: Insurers need to give up some profits - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
"Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) departed from GOP talking points last night when he said insurance companies might need to give up some profits in order to improve the healthcare system."
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Casey Gane-McCalla: Stand Up For ACORN, Cut Blackwater And Halliburton
If the government decides to cut funding of organizations due to the actions of low level employees, they must apply the same rules to the GOP's favorite government-funded organizations.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Obama dislikes blogs
(1 comments)
Obama says: "I am concerned that if the direction of the news is all blogosphere, all opinions, with no serious fact-checking, no serious attempts to put stories in context, that what you will end up getting is people shouting at each other across the void but not a lot of mutual understanding."
Friday, September 18, 2009
Tikkun Magazine - Has President Obama Abandoned You and His Own Vision of the Caring Society?
Who's to blame for Obama's conservatism? Him or us?
Monday, September 14, 2009
6 Groups Sue Pittsburgh for Protest Permits - NYTimes.com
Six groups that want to demonstrate during the Group of 20 summit meeting here on Sept. 24-25 filed a federal lawsuit Friday claiming they were being denied the right to protest.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Toxic Waters - Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering - Series - NYTimes.com
Documents clean water violations in West Virginia and other states, and the efforts of environmentalists to get the EPA and state officials to prosecute.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Be Afraid and Jealous: A Year After a Cataclysm, Little Change on Wall Street
(1 comments)
More reason to despair. Wall Street is continuing its old, irresponsible ways, and Congress doesn't have the will to force them to stop.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
YouTube - We're Number 37 (On America's ailing health care mess)
A music video about America's ailing health care mess.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
YouTube: Kucinich Responds To Obama's Address To Congress (Video) - Politics
In this video Kucinich says Obamacare is mostly just a giveaway to Big Insurance and Big Pharma.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Newsweek's populist outlash against Wall Street and banks: A Year After the Financial Crash by Niall Ferguson
Today Newsweek published this populist-sounding criticism of big banks and Wall Street.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Call to Action! Resistance & Recovery Week of Action (against banks)
In response to the unfair bailout of banks and the banks' stranglehold on Congress, Jobs With Justice is holding a Week of Action to Demand a Real Economic Recovery for Working People, September 24-October 1, 2009.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Paul Krugman: How Did Economists Get It So Wrong?
Nobel Economist Paul Krugman explains why neoclassical economists like Milton Friedman of the Chicago school got it wrong. "When it comes to the all-too-human problem of recessions and depressions, economists need to abandon the neat but wrong solution of assuming that everyone is rational and markets work perfectly."
This 8 page article is an overview of controversies among competing economic theorists.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Our Ailing Health Care
Great, professionally made video about our ailing health care system.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Yes We Still Can: PCCC and ActBlue ask Obama to be strong
Progressive Change Campaign Committee and ActBlue have made an ad asking Obama to push for a strong public option and to avoid giving in to the insurance companies. They made a webtite YesWeStillCan.org
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Raw Story: Spain to proceed with torture prosecution of Bush lawyers: Report
A Spanish judge has decided to go ahead with the prosecution of six Bush administration lawyers — including former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales — who were the architects of the legal framework for President George W. Bush “enhanced interrogation” program, according to a report in the Spanish newspaper Publico.
I wonder how the right wing and the White House will react to this news?
Monday, September 7, 2009
Conservative George Will calls for withdrawal from Afghanistan
Conservative George Will calls for withdrawal from Afghanistan
Monday, September 7, 2009
The New Blasphemy Law in Ireland
(1 comments)
The Irish Parliament has passed a medieval anti-blasphemy law.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
David Brooks sounding like a progressive
(2 comments)
David Brooks has a reputation as a conservative, but in this editorial he sounds progressive: "Several months ago, President Obama made a promise: People with health insurance would be able to keep exactly what they have...He wanted to mollify the industries that have a vested interest in the status quo....Instead of true reform we got a series of bills that essentially cement the present system in place."
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Disgusting, hypocritical GOP attack on Van Jones
How hypocritical of the Republicans to demand an investigation and resignation of White House efficiency guru Van Jones, who signed a petition about Bush Administration culpability for 9/11. I'm not a 9/11 truther, but it's crazy that Van Jones might be held accountable while Bush, Cheney and others get off the hook. And it's stupid for the Obama Administration to put up with this nonsense and not prosecute Bush and Cheney.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Wall Street Journal still defends the war in Iraq and Bush's post-9/11 policies
(1 comments)
In this editorial the Wall Street Journal defends the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: "...given the Republican Party's strong (and we believe admirable) support for President Bush's post-9/11 policies..."
Amazing that they're still supportive of the disastrous and immoral war in Iraq!
The editorial was a response to conservative George Will's stated opposition to the war in Afghanistan.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Reuters: Pfizer Whistleblower's Ordeal Reaps Big Rewards
(2 comments)
Pfizer caught in criminal activity.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Cheney Calls Interrogation Inquiry ‘Political' - NYTimes.com
(1 comments)
Cheney calls Holder's preliminary investigations politically motivated. But isn't it Cheney whose opposition to investigations is politically motivated? He and his allies in Congress are afraid of the truth and its consequences.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
T.R. Reid explains how health care works overseas
(1 comments)
NPR columnist Terry Gross interviews T.R. Reid about health care overseas. Lots of interesting facts. For example, for-profit health insurance is illegal in many countries.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
PolitiFact | Sorting out the truth in politics
This cool website tracks lies by politicians. It documents distortions and has an Obamaeter to gauge which campaign promises Obama has and hasn't lived up to.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
YouTube - Sen Coburn Tells Women Crying Over Health Care "Govt Is Not The Answer"
Heartless Republicans humiliated.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Attorney General Eric Holder opens CIA abuse investigation -- chicagotribune.com
Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday opened a preliminary investigation into whether some CIA operatives broke the law in their coercive interrogations of suspected terrorists in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks -- presenting President Barack Obama with the prospect of a long, distracting battle over policies and actions carried out under his predecessor.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Socialized Medicine? Not Quite | CommonDreams.org
Intelligent, novel summary of how American health care compares to overseas health care.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Squandered Opportunity (more criticism of Obama)
Another critique of Obama's "centrism" on health care.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Afghan conflict serious, 'deteriorating'-Mullen | Reuters
Afghanistan deteriorates. Will Obama escalate?
Saturday, August 22, 2009
The Nation: The Power of Online Politics
This video covers a few ideas that came up at the recent Netroots conference in Pittsburgh, especially regarding online fundraising for and against candidates.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Obama's Trust Problem - NYTimes
Paul Krugman discusses the question of whether Obama has betrayed his progressive base.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
AP sources: Report shows CIA interrogation methods
More harsh interrogation techniques revealed.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Competition lacking among private health insurers
Studies show that competition is lacking among private health insurers. Even some Republicans admit this!
"A study by the Urban Institute public policy center estimated that a public plan could save taxpayers from $224 billion to $400 billion over 10 years by lowering the cost of proposed subsidies for the uninsured, while preserving private coverage for most people."
Friday, August 21, 2009
BillionairesForWealthcare
Brilliant parody! Noisy street theater. Clever slogans.
Friday, August 21, 2009
YouTube - Barney Frank Confronts Woman At Townhall Comparing Obama To Hitler
Barney Frank puts a right wing nut in her place.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Support Governor Don Siegelman : Learn, Give, Act
Tell the White House: Fire Rove's Prosecutors!
For eight long years, the Bush-Cheney Administration politicized the Department of Justice and pursued politically-motivated prosecutions all across the country.
It infused the Justice Department with Rove-anointed, Bush-appointed officials who put politics ahead of the law "" including many of the 93 U.S. Attorneys.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Whole Foods health-care boycott gathers momentum (The Boston Phoenix)
The Whole Foods boycott builds momentum, and some conservatives promise to patronize the store.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Great Marijuana Book Bomb - August 20, 2009
(2 comments)
Weed is safer than booze, so why does America encourage drinking?
Monday, August 17, 2009
Democrats Push for Keeping Public Insurance Option - NYTimes.com
Several Administration officials insist that Obama hasn't given up on a public option. Let's hope so, and let's hope it's a strong public option.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Man carries assault rifle to Obama protest -- and it's legal - CNN.com
(2 comments)
America's lack of gun regulations is totally absurd. Congress cowers before the NRA.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
White House appears ready to drop 'public option' - Yahoo! News
(3 comments)
Bad news. White House caves in again. Big time.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Daily Kos: State of the Nation
(1 comments)
Boycott Whole Foods, because the CEO opposes health care reform.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Blue Dog Daze
A defense of progressives criticism of Obama's health care compromises.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
TheHill.com - Former exec: Insurers fomenting town hall chaos
(2 comments)
Turns out that insurance companies may be bankrolling lots of the right wing protesters at town halls.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Atlantic Wire: Spoiling for a Bush-Cheney Fight
Cheney's kiss-and-tell story about Bush. Could be fun, in a perverse sort of way.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Danny Westneat | Media, pols see shouts, not debate | Seattle Times Newspaper
Interesting perspective. The journalist suggests that the conservatives who are disrupting the Town Hall meetings may end up hurting their cause more than they help. When pro-impeachment protesters disrupted Town Hall meetings during the Bush years, congressmen were often turned off. So maybe shouting isn't the best approach. But can peaceful protest still be useful? How can minorities make get heard?
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
McDermott on health care reform: 'This is war'
(1 comments)
Supporters of health care reform greatly outnumbered and out-voiced opponents at this town hall meeting.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Dead by Mistake: Within health care hides massive, avoidable death toll by CATHLEEN F. CROWLEY AND ERIC NALDER
Experts estimate that a staggering 98,000 people die from preventable medical errors each year. More Americans die each month of preventable medical injuries than died in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
White House Affirms Deal with Big Pharma
(6 comments)
The Obama Administration has affirmed that it cut a deal with Big Pharma, which agreed to support Obama's (weak) public option and to give cuts of $80 billion over 10 (ten!) years. In return, Obama promised not to demand further concessions. For example, Obama agreed to prevent importation of cheaper drugs from Canada.
Basically, this looks like a big sell-out to Big Pharma.
Click View Article above.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Change.org - Stop Opponents of Health Care Reform from Distorting the Truth
Republicans have cited statistics from the Lewin Group (an allegedly "independent, nonpartisan" think tank) to argue against health care reform. But it turns out that the Lewin Group is part of a subsidiary of UnitedHealth, a health insurance company.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Teabagger's RECESS RALLY: Nationwide Rally against Socialized Medicine
Here's a link to the conservative website of the "teabaggers" planning to disrupt townhall meetings. They're organized!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
PolitiFact | The Obameter: Tracking Barack Obama's Campaign Promises
This website, by the St. Petersburg Times, tracks Obama's record on living up to his campaign promises. The site seems to be professionally managed, and it seems unbiased. Lots of useful information collected by professional journalists.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Health care reform: Liberal Democrats blast public option deal with moderates -- chicagotribune.com
This Chicago Tribune article says liberals are "furious" about the Senate health care compromise that eliminates any public option. Their anger sent the White House "scrambling."
Friday, July 31, 2009
Matthew Filipowicz: Health Insurance Industry Releases Ad Thanking Max Baucus For Screwing Over The American People
Clever, satirical ad from the Health Insurance Industry thanking Senator Baucus for Screwing over the American People.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Ben Nelson On Ads Run Against Him: They Could Kill Health Care Reform
(1 comments)
Centrist Democrat Ben Nelson responded angrily to ads by liberal groups critical of his conservative stance on health care reform. He vowed revenge. The liberal groups vow not to back down.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Dean Slams Senate Finance Committee
Howard Dean criticizes Max Baucus and the Senate Finance Committee for not including a public option.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Paul Krugman: An Incoherent Truth (on the naughty Blue Dogs)
Paul Krugman describes how the Blue Dog Democrats are aiding the Republicans in obstructing health care reform. Krugman relates some interesting history about the Blue Dog's shady past.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Health Policy Now Carved Out at a More Centrist Table - NYTimes.com
The health care plan under consideration by a bipartisan group of Senators doesn't include a public option. That's worse than doing nothing.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Funny and Horrible Prank on Torture Lawyer Yoo | AfterDowningStreet.org
John Yoo, a former deputy assistant attorney general who has faced intense criticism for authoring constitutionally-questionable memos justifying torture and the government's warrantless wiretapping program, was confronted last week during a lecture he was giving on international law at Chapman University School of Law, a private school in Southern California
Friday, July 24, 2009
Skeptical about global warming skeptics
Right wingers hold a conference to debunk global warming theory, but scientists and commentator Joel Connelly fight back.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Howard Dean: "This Is Ridiculous. We're 60 Years Behind the Times" on Fixing Health Care
(2 comments)
In this long interview with AlterNet editor Joshua Holland, DFA chair Howard Dean advocates for real health care reform. But Dean faces some tough questioning about why he isn't pushing harder for single-payer.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Health care: the view from Canada and hope for single payer | Seattle Times Newspaper
(1 comments)
A spirited defense of single-payer from the point of view of a Canadian happy with their single-payer system. This debunks conservative propaganda about supposed long waits, low quality, and lack of choice.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wash Post: CBO Chief Criticizes Democrats' Health Reform Measures Director Says Proposed Changes Would Weaken Economy
The Congressional Budget Office director says the current health reform plan being pushed by the Dems doesn't sufficiently reduce health care costs. The CBO is supposed to be "nonpartisan". Given all the misinformation and spin in the media, it's difficult to know what and whom to believe.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Nicholas Skala: Why only single-payer will work, why the public option will fail
(1 comments)
An impassioned argument for single-payer and against the "pragmatic" public option. Skala argues persuasively that anything short of single-payer is doomed to fail.
Friday, July 10, 2009
AssGate - Media Matters' Frisch Debunks Obama G8 Photo Smear On MSNBC
Conservatives misuse a still image from a video to imply that President Obama was leering at a young woman's behind. Media Matters debunks the conservative spin.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Reid to Baucus: Stop Chasing GOP Votes on Health Care - Roll Call
Finally! It looks like the Senate Democratic leadership is doing the right thing on health care.
Senator Harry Reid has allegedly asked Baucus to stop chasing GOP votes on health care reform. Baucus had been weakening the health care reform bill by calling for taxes on benefits and by failing to include a strong public option.
Let's hope the Democratic leadership continues disciplining Dem lawmakers over this issue.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Political cartoonist David Horsey is great
Political cartoonist David Horsey is strongly progressive, and he always hits the mark when he uses humor to ridicule conservatives. This one too is good: http://www.seattlepi.com/horsey/viewbydate.asp?id=1955
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Minnesota Supreme Count: seat Al Franken as a US Senator
Hurray! Al Franken will soon be a US Senator.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Krugman: conservatives treasonous on climate change
Paul Krugman accuses conservatives of treason due to their unwillingness to face the facts about climate change. Scientists now say that climate change is happening even faster than their earlier worse-case predictions. But conservatives imagine a conspiracy in which scientists are perpetrating a hoax.
It's as if conservatives are living in a fantasy world. Not just on climate change, but on numerous issues.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Project Censored - Media Democracy in Action
A friend pointed me to this website that tracks "The News that Didn't Make the News."
There's a list of the "Top 25 Censored Stories for 2009."
The site has versions in Spanish and Japanese -- which is impressive.
The Project been around since 1976 and is affiliated with Sonoma State University.
It seems like something that should be of interest to OpEdNewsters.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Arianna Huffington: Lobbyists on a Roll: Gutting Reform on Banking, Energy, and Health Care
Corrupt D.C. lawmakers sellout to lobbyists.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
House Democrats push health care reform plan
Liberal Democrats battle Republicans, conservative Democrats, and the medical/insurance lobby. Aw, the poor insurance industry. They're afraid of competition from the public plan.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Krugman on Health Care Showdown Between Dems
(5 comments)
NY Times columnist Paul Krugman fears that "centrist" Democrats may join Republicans in torpedoing real health care reform.
