Clipmarks | cptenaud's clips

House Votes 220 to 215 to Pass Health-Care Reform Bill

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:03:06 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: When Boner spoke. He thought he was intelligent. The black guy proved him wrong.

How many more insane speeches will the Republicans be making. To prove they are ignorant?

Clip Source: www.care2.com

In a rare weekend legislative session the House has voted to pass the health-care overhaul bill, voting 220 to 215 in favor.

The Washington Post reported early Saturday that the 177 House Republicans had decided to unanimously vote against the reform bill - only one Republican, Rep. Joseph Chao of Louisiana's 2nd District, broke that vow.

A Republican version of the health care bill was rejected on a vote of 176-258.

President Obama arranged a special meeting with House Democrats early Saturday

He later gave the following address:

[Video]

Sen. Olympia Snow (R-Maine) has indicated that she may vote to pass the Senate version of the health-care reform bill, although she is known to support a less robust version of reform than what many Democrats have been pushing for.

Tags: healthcare, bout, time

The Record is Clear' - Dick Cheney is Not Credible

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:56:40 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: For certain, Cheney is not the only one pressing Obama to hurry his Afghanistan strategy. The Neo-Conservatives have taken to every media outlet that will have them; and, if they're not talking about Afghanistan, they're second guessing the president's diplomacy with Iran, Russia, etc...

For reasons I find incomprehensible, media outlets -- and not just Fox News, mind you -- treat them as if their credibility isn't completely lacking when it comes to matters of national security. That ship sailed months, if not years before Obama's election.

Consider the scathing rebuke of Cheney issued by Gen. Paul Eaton (Ret.), senior adviser for the National Security Network:

Clip Source: www.care2.com

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, following his acceptance of The Center for Security Policy's (no joke) "Keeper of the Flame" award, gave a speech that can only be described as a full on assault on the Obama administration's foreign policy.

Cheney said before an exceedingly friendly audience. "The White House must stop dithering while America's armed forces are in danger."

Cheney said the Obama administration seems to be pulling back and blaming others for its own failure to implement the strategy it had embraced earlier in the year.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, when asked about Cheney's remarks, responded, "I think it's interesting that what the vice president is suggesting the president isn't acting on is what the previous administration didn't act on."

[Video]

Vice President Joe Biden was right on when he responded to questioning about Cheney's remarks. “I think what the administration is doing is exactly what we said it would do,

Tags: neocon, nutjob

Droves of recruits to ease burden on troops

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:31:20 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: How wonderful is this. We have so many out of work people needing to survive. So they join up in an occupation that may take their lives. Doesn't it just make you proud to be an American.

Maybe this was the Bush plan all along. Tank the economy and you will have an endless number of unemployed signing up for your illegal war.

Clip Source: washingtontimes.com

The U.S. military Tuesday reported the biggest surge in recruits since the end of the draft - an increase that likely will relieve pressure on troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan by allowing them to spend more time at home between overseas deployments.

The U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force sent about 169,000 new recruits for training in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. The Pentagon said this was the highest figure since 1973, the first year of the modern all-volunteer force. The numbers also exceed the Pentagon's goal for the year of 164,000 new service members.

Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan said the larger-than-expected recruitment numbers - which were boosted by rising unemployment elsewhere in the economy - likely would reduce some of the burdens on soldiers serving overseas.

Tags: thats, the, plan

Weapons failed US troops during Afghan firefight

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:09:34 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: A week ago, eight U.S. troops were killed at a base near Kamdesh, a town near Wanat. There's no immediate evidence of weapons failures at Kamdesh, but the circumstances were eerily similar to the Wanat battle: insurgents stormed an isolated stronghold manned by American forces stretched thin by the demands of war.

Army Col. Wayne Shanks, a military spokesman in Afghanistan, said a review of the battle at Kamdesh is under way. "It is too early to make any assumptions regarding what did or didn't work correctly," he said.

Complaints about the weapons the troops carry, especially the M4, aren't new. Army officials say that when properly cleaned and maintained, the M4 is a quality weapon that can pump out more than 3,000 rounds before any failures occur.

The M4 is a shorter, lighter version of the M16, which made its debut during the Vietnam war. Roughly 500,000 M4s are in service, making it the rifle troops on the front lines trust with their lives.

Clip Source: www.google.com

WASHINGTON — In the chaos of an early morning assault on a remote U.S. outpost in eastern Afghanistan, Staff Sgt. Erich Phillips' M4 carbine quit firing as militant forces surrounded the base. The machine gun he grabbed after tossing the rifle aside didn't work either.

When the battle in the small village of Wanat ended, nine U.S. soldiers lay dead and 27 more were wounded. A detailed study of the attack by a military historian found that weapons failed repeatedly at a "critical moment" during the firefight on July 13, 2008, putting the outnumbered American troops at risk of being overrun by nearly 200 insurgents.

Which raises the question: Eight years into the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, do U.S. armed forces have the best guns money can buy?

Despite the military's insistence that they do, a small but vocal number of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq has complained that the standard-issue M4 rifles need too much maintenance and jam at the worst possible times.

Tags: troops, expendable

The Wrong People Are Being Blamed

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:02:36 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: Hard to put blame on people you cant see, because they live in gated communities. Play golf at a club you cant attend. And eat at restaurants you cant afford.

Clip Source: www.care2.com

Corporate America is trying to pin the blame for our empty pocketbooks on President Barack Obama and the phantom socialist menace, and cable news pundits are taking the bait.

As David Korten explains in a blog post for Yes!

As Greg Kaufmann details for The Nation, recent economic history isn’t stopping Wall Street’s favorite lawmakers from pushing against the CFPA. Kaufmann highlights some of the most outrageous comments from a hearing on the CFPA last week.

These are not serious arguments. They are intentional distractions designed to kill an obviously productive policy. Kaufmann’s headline says it all: “Do They Take us for Schmucks?”

As I emphasize in a piece for AlterNet, with outsized Democratic majorities in both chambers of commerce, conservative, pro-Wall Street Democrats pose just as great a threat to our economic security as loony Republicans.

If you think that sounds pessimistic, consider Ralph Nader, who Matthew Rothschild profiles in The Progressive.

Times, David Moberg

Tags: blame, where, due

America's Olympic Loss

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:48:36 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: The Republicans are just childish brats That have never served in the arm forces , yet wave the flag of patriotism as though they earned it.

Nothing but cowards and liars. And they disgust Any real American who actually fought for this country.

Clip Source: www.care2.com

I was taken aback by some celebratory displays following news of Rio's selection. Particularly stunning were those which didn't come from Rio. Take Rush Limbaugh's reaction to the October 2 news of America's loss:

[Video]

Wow! I can't stomach him, myself, but I know enough about the pundit to know he fancies himself a patriot. How a patriot could allow the derivation of elation from such a national disappointment?…Well, it's just too bad that mental gymnastics isn't an Olympic event.

I imagine that Limbaugh and his imitators are enjoying America's Olympic letdown as if they've finally taken an Obama pitch, yard. Their revelry, I predict, will be short lived. This episode will fade quickly from the majority of Americans' memories, save one truth: The "Proof," as Jon Stewart said during his October 5 broadcast, "proof that conservatives hate Obama more than they love America."

David Brooks, "Talk jocks' fury signifies nothing," The Detroit News, 6 October 2009.

(9:12) aired 5 October 2009.

Tags: childish, republican, rant

Irony of Obama's Opposition

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:18:46 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: And now, as President, Mr. Obama consistently speaks of solving problems by using "what works" rather than employing ideological approaches. This too is reasoning and judgment, rather than resort to theory without consideration for the facts on the ground. It does not mean that the President will not consider free-market economics, on the one hand, or government intervention, on the other, but he looks for solutions that take into account the myriad of consequences rather than simply going with a principle, results be damned.

What is ironic, although maybe karmicly inevitable, is that this king of reason is being confronted with logic's nemises -- emotion, belief and intentional deception.

Take, for example, Mr. Obama's first acts as President. The economy was diving into a deeper recession. The financial industry was frozen. The President supported a huge rescue program.

Clip Source: www.care2.com

By my calculation, we elected in Barack Obama, a leader who is expert in reasoning. He distinguished himself academically to get into Harvard law school, and there, he competed in talking and writing about law and society to become editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review.

He went on to teach others to learn, analyze and debate at the University of Chicago Law School, a critical-thinker’s heaven.

More recently, his presidential campaign included a vision of bringing more reasoning to governance: Rules against conflicts of interest and restrictions on lobbying aimed to insulate decisionmaking-by-reasoning from special-interest influence.

Tags: common, sense.politics

Grayson, Political Apologies

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:39:13 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud

Clip Source: www.care2.com

When I heard that Republicans were demanding an apology from Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) for the congressman's critique of Republican health care proposals, I couldn't help but giggle. My laughter wasn't a result of the demand, itself. I would expect nothing less from the GOP. Rather, the apology request of Rep. Grayson reminded me of scene from the 1988 comedy, A Fish Called Wanda. If you haven't seen it, I'll explain below.

In case you missed Rep. Grayson's floor speech, here's what all the fuss is about:

[Video]

As this pertains to Grayson, I found humor in that --"Are you, totally, deranged?" -- would have been an apt response to a GOP apology demand. Incidentally, the congressman's Sept. 30 response struck a similar tone

[Video]

Take Action:

Sign the petition - GOP: Stop Spewing Health Care Lies

Tags: democratic, backbone

Evolution Fossils, Genes and Mousetraps 1-9

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:59:57 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: Nine sections too look at. He is very easy to understand. And makes you think.

Something Americans find hard to do.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) 2006

Lecture features Kenneth R. Miller, an Evolutionary Biology Professor at Brown University. Miller obtained his Ph.D in Biology from the University of Colorado in 1974, is a contributing author to a series of Pretince Hall Biology textbooks, and the author of the following books dealing with finding common ground and reconciling evolution and religion in today's society.

In this lecture Ken Miller discusses the controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution, presents compelling evidence for evolution and reasons why "intelligent design" is not scientific.

Finding Darwin's God -- Ken Miller

http://www.findingdarwinsgod.com/

Miller's Personal website

http://www.millerandlevine.com/km/

Tags: education

Silly people of America. Unite?

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:13:46 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: The Republicans have comedy on their side.
And they are all a bunch of clowns.

Clip Source: www.funnyordie.com

[Video]

Clip Source: www.funnyordie.com

[Video]

Tags: satire, bordering, on, truth

Will Ferrell stands up for the real health care victims

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:45:56 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud

Clip Source: pol.moveon.org

Protect Insurance Companies PSA

Tags: satire

Obama Makes Moral Case for Health Care Reform

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:56:47 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: Obama did four key things in the speech.

* He made the moral case for health care reform, referencing Senator Ted Kennedy many times throughout (read the Kennedy's letter to the president here), saying:

"We are the only advanced democracy on Earth – the only wealthy nation – that allows such hardships for millions of its people. There are now more than thirty million American citizens who cannot get coverage. In just a two year period, one in every three Americans goes without health care coverage at some point. And every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage. In other words, it can happen to anyone."

He made the reasonable case for bipartisanship

He demonstrated that he will no longer suffer fools:

And he provided the Congressional Progressive Caucus the cover it needs to pass a plan with a strong public option:

Clip Source: www.care2.com

Tonight's health care reform speech by President Obama in front of a joint session of Congress will be remembered for two things:

The President made a clear moral case for health care reform with a strong appeal of bipartisan action.
Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina behaved like an ass, yelling out "lie" as the president disputed claims that his plan would provide coverage to illegal immigrants.

The look of shock and disbelief on Nancy Pelosi's face expresses how most members of congress probably felt about Wilson's behavior.

UPDATE: Joe Wilson has apologized but you can still call his office to express your displeasure with his behavior.

Thanks, now we can move on to health care reform and reaction to Obama's speech.

The reaction to the speech from around the blogosphere and news media was very positive. CNN is reporting that 2/3 of watchers favor Obama's proposals-- a very positive reaction indeed.

Tags: real, reform

Unremarkable - Rep. Boustany and the GOP Response

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:27:42 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: Frankly, Rep. Boustany had no business being in the health care spotlight, despite his status as a heart surgeon. The Louisiana Republican mimicked the same tired & misleading arguments the GOP has made in the past related to the costs of the anticipated legislation. Most misleading, though, was Boustany's assertion that the proposals supported by Democrats amounts to, "Replacing your family’s current health care with government-run health care..." But, nobody's talking about doing that.

His general message was that we can't afford reform and that we should approach it from another angle, but this is disingenuous. It was a passive-aggressive and cynical message, suggesting an awareness of the need for reform, but in a different way and at a different time. As Boustany put it, "we need to start over." Don't believe it.

Clip Source: www.care2.com

If you enjoy political theatre, this was your night. If you are a Republican politician, however, you'll be anxious to forget it. President Obama was in prime form during his Sept. 9 speech before a joint session of Congress, eloquently making a moral case for health care reform. That was bad enough for the GOP, but when Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) blurted out, "You Lie," at the President of the United States, Wilson personally sank his party to a new low. However, if there was a bright side for the minority party tonight, it was Charles Boustany (R-LA) and his Republican response to the president.

If you caught Boustany's brief response, I imagine you've already declared me insane, but hear me out. Boustany was entirely unremarkable, but for Republicans, on this occasion, being unremarkable was a good thing.

Tags: do, nothings

Francis Scott Key Emerges from Grave, Demands His Poem Back

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:47:02 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: "I need to get something off my chest, and I'd like you to write it down," he said.

"Certainly, Mr. Key. Pleased to make your acquaintance," I told him, having decided to humor the guy. I was bored, and I was stuck on a train for the next hour, at least. He was dressed like a dandy and appeared to be harmless.

"I assume you know who I am, and that I died long ago," he began. I nodded, and he continued, "You should know that we watch the living. We see everything."

He proceeded to describe the present political drama in America with particular emphasis on the irrational fear of Barack Obama, "displayed in disparate, but decidedly loud segments of America's politically motivated," as he put it. He spoke of his observances like someone describing "Reality TV" to a person who had no idea what a television was.

Clip Source: www.care2.com

This day, September 4, 2009, has been, without doubt, the strangest day of my life. I was sitting on a train, head buried in my laptop, minding my own business when an oddly dressed man burst in from the next car. Nobody else seemed to take notice, which was peculiar because he appeared to be wearing an early nineteenth century costume as if he were some kind of museum tour guide. The man looked about the train car, eventually focusing his gaze directly upon me! He glanced down at my computer, then at me again. He sat in the empty seat next to me and said, "My name is Francis Scott Key, are you a journalist?"

Of course my initial reaction was incredulous. The absurdity of it: Key, author of the poem that eventually became the "Star Spangled Banner," National Anthem of the U.S., was long dead. Unsure what to make of this character, I proceeded to lie, telling him that I was a journalist. He could have asked me if I was an astronaut, and I would have done the same.

Tags: america, lost

Closed Minds Shout Down Disabled Woman in Wheelchair

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:15:48 GMT

clipped by: cptenaud
clipper's remarks: As witness and reporter Brian Donohue said, "There was no discussion, no one listened to anyone."

Visit NJ.com to read the report and view the video here: Health Care Reform Town Hall: no room for a centrist by Brian Donohue/The Star-Ledger

Clip Source: www.care2.com

You really have to see it to believe it. At a town hall meeting in New Jersey, a woman in a wheelchair is shouted at while she tries to tell her story. The costs associated with her two incurable autoimmune diseases are threatening her ability to pay for her medications, and she fears losing her home. She speaks, but the hecklers never let up, never listen.

Just why she is being shouted down and heckled is clear. Closed minds and closed hearts.

"It’s your fault!" they yell at another woman who spoke of her developmentally disabled daughter being dropped from her blind husband’s insurance plan.

There’s not an ounce of compassion for a fellow human being in trouble. Not even the pretense of giving a damn.

The woman in the wheelchair did what I’m not sure I could do. She kept talking. She kept trying, despite the venom aimed in her direction. She was the strongest person in that room.

Others present chose not to hear her. But I heard her. And if you view the video you will hear her.

Tags: ugly, america