He calls them out on doing the insurance company's bidding and how they consider the Mariana Islands to be state in their bill. He mentions Jack Abramoff's ties lobbying for the islands and their sweatshops etc.
Something about this poem haunts me tonight. -WB (mods, he's a friend of mine, it's cool that I posted the whole thing, plus it's in full at the link provided as well)
Adrian C. Louis
Valentine from Indian Country
On these plains the plows
and drums wrestle for centuries
and marry into resignation.
The old songs scratch the earth
attempting to release the ancestors.
Digging deeper, John Deere tractors
unleash the Ghost Dance
but nobody remembers the steps.
Cattle and deer graze togethe...
What a small, petty man. I always say that about him because it's true. -WB
Hey Reporters??? It Might Be Worth Pointing Out Lieberman Is Stupid or Lying…
By: emptywheel Tuesday October 27, 2009 11:21 am
As news outlets are reporting everywhere, Joe Lieberman is threatening to join a GOP filibuster of heath care reform. Brian Beutler reports the news without much elaboration on Lieberman’s stated justification for doing so. (See below for Beutler’s follow-up.)
I told Senator Reid that...
One of my good friends just sent this message out on FB with a request to forward it, so I am posting it here for you all. Thanks!
Nick Pezzillo To all: My Uncle is currently in a coma after having an aggressive tumor removed earlier this week. I've been thinking a lot about the power of people and the possibilities of 'mind over matter'. With this thought in mind, at 2PM PST TODAY, Oct. 23, please spend a moment to pray, meditate, or just think positively about his recovery. Forward this if y...
Behind the Scenes: Still Wounded
Aaron Huey arrived on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota at the start of a self-assigned photographic road trip to document poverty in America.
The poverty he found on the reservation stopped him cold.
“Pine Ridge is the scariest place I’ve ever been — more so than in a Taliban ambush,” Mr. Huey said. “It was emotionally devastating. I‘d call my wife late at night crying.”
Overwhelmed by the poverty — and at the same time by scenes of people trying t...
More info here:
Interview: Joe Berlinger
Foreign Policy speaks with director Joe Berlinger about his latest film, Crude, which follows the story of the "Amazon Chernobyl" case.
(Link)
Did Rush Limbaugh Actually Say These Things?
Vanity Fair has a feature on the king of talk radio that includes a companion piece with these quotes:
1. “There is no conclusive proof that nicotine’s addictive… And the same thing with cigarettes causing emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease.”
2. “Columbus saved the Indians from themselves.”
3. “He is exaggerating the effects of the disease. He’s moving all around and shaking and it’s purely an act… This is really shameless of Michael J...
Today former Vice President, Dick Cheney called for a full scale invasion of the moon.
"The martians were in their last throes when I was Presiden..Vice President" he growled.
In an interview today with some guy from some place, Cheney railed about how a nuclear powered moon was an "existential threat" to the world's security and that Obama was "naive" in expecting to close Guantanamo Bay's facilities.
"Where the hell does he expect us to interrogate martians? He wants to release them in U...
It's a way of saying the United States is back. After 8 years of arrogance and foolishness, Obama stands for something different. It wasn't just hell for us here, it was bad for the rest of the world too. In a short time, Obama has changed the climate of international relations for the better. Last spring, he personally stepped in and moderated a heated argument between Hu Jintao and Nicolas Sarkozy. He doesn't just inspire with his speeches, this is a guy with a personal touch. The world knows ...
Source: USA Today
Senate approves apology to American Indians
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has approved a resolution apologizing to American Indians for years of "ill-conceived policies" and acts of violence by U.S. citizens.
Lawmakers said the resolution, included in a defense spending bill approved late Tuesday, was a symbolic gesture meant to promote a renewed commitment to tribal communities. The resolution was introduced by Republican Sam Brownback of Kansas and Democrat Byron Dorgan of N...
Those guys rock. It's been good to have those two on our side during the health care debate. There are a few others too, of course, but I think they both really came into their own recently.
Source: McClatchy News
GENEVA — Iran agreed in principle at high-level talks here to ship most of its enriched uranium to Russia, where it would be refined for exclusively peaceful uses, in what Western diplomats called a significant, but interim measure, to ease concerns over its nuclear development.
The agreement was announced after more than seven hours of talks here between Iran and six other nations, which also featured the highest-level official U.S.-Iranian encounter in three decade...
OMG, just watch the video at the link. It's hilarious. He's joking but he really hits a few daggers on some people, like Ben Nelson and Sarah Palin. Well worth watching. -WB
Goolsbee Takes The Prize
White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee took home the top prize in the 16th annual "D.C.'s Funniest Celebrity" contest on Wednesday evening, and he did so in a very unconventional way. Instead of adopting a traditional comedic routine of joke buildup and punchline, Goolsbee peppered an otherwi...
