News & Current Events

[BayCityJohn]

SNIFF SWIG PUFF - BEA ARTHUR & ROCK HUDSON

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3VbSfQ3nAM

[Ennis Del Mark]

I was out of town for my nephew's graduation, came home and collapsed (still have the bronchitis), then woke up an hour ago and saw the sad news of Bea's death.  Yet another star that I never got to tell how much I adored and how much they meant to me.  What a loss, though her work lives on.  Ironically, I was telling someone today how I wished life could be like THE GOLDEN GIRLS.

Dear Bea--you were an original.  Love and misses,

Mark

[graylockV]

I thought Andrew Sullivan was on point today re: letting Bush torture go unpunished:

"The precedent of a torturing American president must be reversed. That means it cannot be allowed to stand.

There is no way the American experiment can continue while legal and historical precedent gives the president the inherent authority to torture. It is the undoing of the core idea of the founding - protection against arbitrary, lawless, cruel and despotic rule. And the impact on the entire world of America allowing this to stand would be profound. The world looks here for moral leadership. Those who endure real political oppression, imprisonment, torture and abuse at the hands of despots look to America for leadership, for guidance, for hope. If America - America - discovers that its own president has illegally tortured and decides that it simply won't do anything about it, that it doesn't matter, that it's too polarizing to restore the rule of law ... then what hope do those people have? To whom will they look when they fight far more pervasive tyranny, buttressed by the same absolute power to coerce the truth and break the human soul?

We don't want vengeance.  We want America back. And we are going to fight on and on until we get it back."

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/04/mr-broder-wants-us-to-move-on.html

[brokebacktom]

The Swine Flu out break. So, when will the GOP blame Obama for this one. I wonder if people are over reacting, especially the EU.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/27/swine-flu-world-govts-rac_n_191665.html

[BayCityJohn]

The Swine Flu out break. So, when will the GOP blame Obama for this one. I wonder if people are over reacting, especially the EU.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/27/swine-flu-world-govts-rac_n_191665.html

I'd blame President Ford.

The Flawed 1976 National “Swine Flu” Influenza Immunization Program

Then President Ford, on the same March 24, 1976, only one day after his surprise loss to Ronald Reagan in the North Carolina Republican presidential primary, announced on national television his recommendation to the American public for a crash nation-wide influenza vaccination program to include “every man, woman and child.” Congress responded promptly to the president’s call for funds (appropriations were voted by the Senate April 9, by the House April 12, and signed into law April 15, 1976). Vaccine was produced, field tested, and evaluated in April, May and June. There were problems with producing the vaccine. Nevertheless, between October 1 and December 16, 1976, the U.S. Public Health Service, through state and local public health department “public sector providers,” rapidly spread out among the citizenry to successfully vaccinate 85% of 40 million voluntary vaccinees in 10 weeks (the other 15% of the 40 million voluntary vaccinees received their vaccinations from “private sector providers”). There was great variation among states in vaccinating their citizenry. For example, a skeptical New York City held off on vaccinations, preferring to wait for a shred of evidence that a pandemic was materializing, whereas always dutiful Minnesota immunized two-thirds of eligible adults.

Then, on November 21, 1976, a “Minnesota physician reported to his local health authorities a patient who had contracted an ascending paralysis, called Guillain-Barré syndrome, following swine flu immunization. The physician said he had just learned of this possible side-effect from a cassette-tape discussion of flu vaccination prepared for the continuing education of family practitioners by a California specialist. The Minnesota immunization program officer, Denton R. Peterson, dutifully called CDC and spoke to one of the surveillance physicians there. The latter expressed no interest in the single case, but Peterson was sufficiently bothered to conduct a literature search and did indeed discover previous case reports. “We felt we were sitting on a bomb,” he told investigators. Within a week three more cases, one fatal were reported to Peterson. Two came from a single neurologist who remarked that he had observed this complication of flu vaccine during his residency training. More anxious than ever, Peterson again called the CDC, where the surveillance center was just being told by phone of three more cases in Alabama. The next day they learned of an additional case in New Jersey. By then the CDC was taking the problem seriously.” (** pp. 24-25) Still, Sender was not impressed.

http://www.semp.us/publications/biot_reader.php?BiotID=177

[CellarDweller115]

The Swine Flu out break. So, when will the GOP blame Obama for this one. I wonder if people are over reacting, especially the EU.

Actually, there are members of the GOP saying that Obama administration is overreacting.  There was a report about it on CNN.

[fritzkep]

Of course, he'll never do exactly what is right.

[CellarDweller115]

Originally posted in "Le Bar Slash" by Jenny.

I hope this isn't inappropriate here, but I wanted to be sure all USA Brokies are aware that the Matthew Shepard act (H.R. 1913) comes up for a vote in the house tomorrow. Please call your congressperson before 5 pm today and ask them to vote 'yes' on the hate crimes bill. Go to this URL to get the office phone #:
 http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/phone_numbers.tt?show=hill_phone

An intern will answer. You're calling to urge the Rep. to vote 'yes'. You might want to mention that one out of six hate crimes is because of the victim's sexual orientation, that the act targets only violent acts, not speech, and doesn't tell any clergyperson what they may preach. Mention that the Rep.'s vote on this bill will affect your future support. Please call even if you have called or e-mailed before, even if you're sure your Rep. will (or won't) vote for the bill.

IMO, this bill is particularly significant to us as Brokies. Matthew was murdered in Wyoming. We need to stand up and be counted as supporting a bill that will help prevent the kind of fear that came between Ennis and Jack (and all the real couples whose story is their story.) 

[jack]

i feel so ashamed of myself... i have been watching this story break for hours, and only just thought of posting it here.

sen. arlen spector announced this afternoon that he will run for his senate seat next term as a democrat, which, once franken is seated, will give the democrats the filibuster proof majority in the senate.

it isn't iron clad, but it is there when it counts.

this is BIG political news.

[CellarDweller115]

sen. arlen spector announced this afternoon that he will run for his senate seat next term as a democrat, which, once franken is seated, will give the democrats the filibuster proof majority in the senate.

How long will it be before Franken gets seated?

[fritzkep]

The Republicans will fight it to the end, and they realize they can't be seen in any worse light than they are now for taking it all the way to the Supreme Court, if it comes to that.

They're in no hurry.

[doodler]

So here's my question... how can you change parties while you are serving a term? I don't care if we're talking about President or dog catcher... the person ran on a particular ticket as a member of a particular party, got their support FROM that party and made promises TO that party. Seems to me if Mr. Spector... or ANYBODY... wants to change parties, he shouldn't be able to do it while in office.

And second, how trustworthy could this guy be? He flat out said he was changing because he couldn't get reelected by the same party the next time around. He didn't say he fould himself in overall agreement with the Dems or even that he had serious issues with the Reps EXCEPT the Rep voters in his state would not reelect him again.

[jack]

So here's my question... how can you change parties while you are serving a term? I don't care if we're talking about President or dog catcher... the person ran on a particular ticket as a member of a particular party, got their support FROM that party and made promises TO that party. Seems to me if Mr. Spector... or ANYBODY... wants to change parties, he shouldn't be able to do it while in office.

And second, how trustworthy could this guy be? He flat out said he was changing because he couldn't get reelected by the same party the next time around. He didn't say he fould himself in overall agreement with the Dems or even that he had serious issues with the Reps EXCEPT the Rep voters in his state would not reelect him again.

you are missing several points.  and have a few good ones.  anyone can change party affiliation at any time.  it may be frowned on, and it may well be deemed less than ethical, but on the same hand, it can easily be read as an act of conscience, by those so inclined

it is not at all true that he couldn't WIN an election as a republican, but that he couldn't get NOMINATED as a republican  see joe liebowitz, who chose a different tactic to remain a senator.

as much as i have disagreed with spector over some issues, he has, in the main voted his conscience.  he is, however, every bit as beholden as most in the US legislature, and as such, isn't really all that ethically untainted. 

as a long time politician, he has chips he can cash, and he will lend cover to blue dog democrats to vote either with or against party leadership.

and, as we discovered when jeffords defected from the gop to independent, committee leadership and legislature leadership is determined by pure headcount. not as critical when there is a big lead, but big with split congress and when approaching magic filibuster proof actions.

others can add additional rationales.

[WhenPigsFly]

 
as much as i have disagreed with spector over some issues, he has, in the main voted his conscience.  

You'll get  argument from some on that, Jack. Among them,  Glenn Greenwald who said today: 

"Arlen Specter is one of the worst, most soul-less, most belief-free individuals in politics.  The moment most vividly illustrating what Specter is:  prior to the vote on the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (suspending habeas corpus), he went to the floor of the Senate and said what the bill "seeks to do is set back basic rights by some 900 years" and is "patently unconstitutional on its face."  He then proceeded to vote YES on the bill's passage."

As for me, I've distrusted  the man ever since he "questioned" Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearing. 

[brokebacktom]

The Republicans will fight it to the end, and they realize they can't be seen in any worse light than they are now for taking it all the way to the Supreme Court, if it comes to that.

They're in no hurry.

So true. Coleman will bring this up to the supreme court. So, it will take at least rest of the year. Frankin will be seated by next year.