Commentary
Sh*t Homophobic People Say: no spoofing necessary, 100% real commentary by antigay public figures. Some, many, masquerading as Christians.
Lambda Legal fights for the rights of LGBT people and people with HIV.
Wow.
On the Liberal Front
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The True Spirit of Thanksgiving (Video)
Thanksgiving.
Enjoy.
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Holy Sh*t: Pakistan Arrests C.I.A. Informants Who Aided Bin Laden Raid
The lede for this one goes to the New York Times, from the caption used for the picture above:
Instead of going after those who helped Osama bin Laden to live in this Abbottabad compound, Pakistan arrested those who assisted in the raid that killed him.
Oh, shit.
Pakistan’s top military spy agency has arrested some of the Pakistani informants who fed information to the Central Intelligence Agency in the months leading up to the raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden, according to American officials.
Pakistan’s detention of five C.I.A. informants, including a Pakistani Army major who officials said copied the license plates of cars visiting Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in the weeks before the raid, is the latest evidence of the fractured relationship between the United States and Pakistan. It comes at a time when the Obama administration is seeking Pakistan’s support in brokering an endgame in the war in neighboring Afghanistan.
At a closed briefing last week, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee asked Michael J. Morell, the deputy C.I.A. director, to rate Pakistan’s cooperation with the United States on counterterrorism operations, on a scale of 1 to 10.
“Three,” Mr. Morell replied, according to officials familiar with the exchange.
The fate of the C.I.A. informants arrested in Pakistan is unclear, but American officials said that the C.I.A. director, Leon E. Panetta, raised the issue when he travelled to Islamabad last week to meet with Pakistani military and intelligence officers.
Pakistan is no ally of the United States of America.
More.
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‘Rogues’ Gallery’ Report Profiles Far-Right Senate Candidates
Help keep crazy people out of Congress.
People For the American Way today released "The Rogues’ Gallery," profiling 15 far-right Republican nominees for Congress. From pledges to radically restrict reproductive choice to demands that the EPA and the Department of Education be abolished, the report makes clear that the Republican slate of nominees is everything the Tea Party or the Religious Right could want. Included in the report are:
- Joe Miller of Alaska who says that the Department of Education should be eliminated because it’s not in the Constitution.
- Carly Fiorina of California who pledges that she would "absolutely" vote to overturn Roe v. Wade if given the opportunity.
- Ken Buck of Colorado who says he "doesn’t know" whether Social Security is constitutional, but calls it a "horrible policy."
- Sharron Angle of Nevada who says government assistance to the poor is a form of idolatry that violates the first of the Ten Commandments.
- Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire who says same-sex couples should not have the right to adopt children.
- Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania who thinks abortion should be illegal and doctors who perform abortions should be jailed.
"After years of tracking the Right, it’s clear that this batch of Republicans is the most extreme slate yet," said Michael B. Keegan of People For the American Way. "These candidates aren’t interested in addressing the serious problems we face; they’re interested in exploiting serious problems to impose their rigid, ideological agenda on all of us. Voters should go to the polls with their eyes open, and that means understanding the kind of extremism these candidates represent."
In addition to the candidates above, the report profiles Christine O’Donnell (DE), Marco Rubio (FL), Rand Paul (KY), Roy Blunt (MO), Richard Burr (NC), Rob Portman (OH), Mike Lee (UT), Ron Johnson (WI) and Dino Rossi (WA).
You can read the report and view a slideshow of right-wing candidates here.
People For the American Way is dedicated to making the promise of America real for every American: Equality. Freedom of speech. Freedom of religion. The right to seek justice in a court of law. The right to cast a vote that counts. The American Way. Our vision is a vibrantly diverse democratic society in which everyone is treated equally under the law, given the freedom and opportunity to pursue their dreams, and encouraged to participate in our nation’s civic and political life. Our America respects diversity, nurtures creativity and combats hatred and bigotry.
Source: commondreams.org
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Obama Sidesteps Senate Fight: Taps Elizabeth Warren to Launch Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
From Lynn Sweet at the Chicago Sun-Times:
President Obama found a way Wednesday night to sidestep a Senate confirmation blockade and install Elizabeth Warren to launch the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Warren was the first to suggest that consumers needed a government watchdog to prevent financial institutions from exploiting and tricking their customers. HOPE SHE WORKS ON TRANSLATING the small print INTO PLAIN ENGLISH.
Thank you, President Obama!
And Lynn Sweet better add ENEWSPF as one of her Sweet Links after this post!
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G.O.P. Denounces Ground Zero Community Center, Silent on Strip Club
Ground Zero is sacred ground.
You better believe it is.
So where is the voice of the G.O.P. shouting a unanimous and bombasitic, “NO!!!!!!” regarding the Ground Zero Strip Club?
The G.O.P. wants us to believe that it is wrong for a religious group to openen a community center close to Ground Zero. The religious group should locate elsewhere, not so close to Sacred Ground.
Did the G.O.P. happen to miss the Cordoba House complex at 45-51 Park Place, a mere two blocks away from the World Trade Center site?
As yet, I haven’t heard anyone wonder why our political class is silent as the sex industry operates on sacred ground. It would be a bizarre complaint: It’s Manhattan, where you can find anything mere blocks from a given location. The closest strip club to Ground Zero happens to be two blocks away, a fact that has nothing to do with our reverence for the place where so many Americans were killed by terrorists. As you’ve probably noticed, it doesn’t even make sense to call it The Ground Zero Strip Club.
But it makes no less sense than naming an Islamic community center “The Ground Zero Mosque”–as much of the media have done–because it’s going to be located a couple blocks away. Even worse, opponents of the project are opportunistically invoking the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, even going so far as to appropriate their imagery. “Join the fight to kill The Ground Zero Mosque,” intones a video advertisement released by a group called National Republican Trust PAC. “A mosque at Ground Zero must not stand. The political class says nothing. The politicians are doing nothing to stop it. But we Americans will be heard. ”
As an American in good standing, I’d like to be heard–and to make sure that James Madison, a colleague of mine in citizenship, is heard too. The fourth president of the U.S. once wrote, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” It’s a line that National Republican Trust neglects to remember. Perhaps “the political class” isn’t doing anything to stop the construction of an Islamic community center because the Constitution forbids it. Even worse, the advertisement I’ve mentioned engages in just the sort of religious bigotry that the First Amendment is meant to guard against. “On Sept. 11 they declared war against us,” the narrator says. “And to celebrate that murder of 3,000 Americans they want to build a monstrous 13-story mosque at ground zero.”
“They” declared war against us? Who is this ambiguous “they?”
A radical group of al Qaeda radicals led by Osama bin Laden attacked the United States on September 11, 2001.
Who are “they” who wish to open the community center?
“They” are an Islamic group that has long run a mosque in the area for New York City Muslims. On 9/11, “they” found their community under attack, too. It is slander to assert that they’ve declared war against us, or that their motive in building a community center is celebrating the murder of Americans.
“They” who wish to open this community center are peace-loving Americans. That’s it.
This is a non-issue, and the G.O.P. should be ashamed.
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Roger Ebert Defends the Rights of Muslims to Open a Community Center
As some chant "Death to America," what a mighty message we send if we support the mosque. THAT is the meaning of Freedom.
Also, another Tweet from Roger:
The NYC mosque exposes many on the right who don’t have a clue about the Constitution.
I can’t believe the weird right is protesting this community center.
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President Obama Insists Muslims Have Same Rights as Anyone Else
Doing another post on this because I’m, frankly, delighted that the President has issued such an unequivocal statement on this issue.
Finally breaking his administration’s official silence on the matter, President Obama today insisted that he supports the so-called Ground Zero mosque, insisting that Muslims have “the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws,” adding that he believes they have the same rights as anyone else.
The mosque had been backed by New York Mayor Bloomberg, but angrily opposed by a number of people who insist that the community center just blocks away from the site of the 9/11 attack is a violation of “sacred” ground.
Efforts by opponents of the site to get an existing building, a former Burlington Coat Factory covered in graffiti, declared a “landmark” have failed so far, but have sparked further protests and lawsuits.
Mr. President, it’s fun to be Liberal, and we actually make more sense.
Be yourself, and reclaim America for us all, liberals and conservatives.
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Illinois’ National Disgrace Almost At At End: Blago Case Finally To Go To Jury
Our national disgrace is almost over, Chicagoland. Illinois. Blago’s case is finally going to the jury.
The prosecution finishes its rebuttal and Judge Zagel adjourns court for the day.
‘Members of the jury, you’ve heard all the evidence and the arguments,” he tells them.
He tells the jury it is especially important now that they avoid news reports and not talk about the case, and asks them to return in the morning for jury instructions.
The Sun-Times’ Blago Blog is really spectacular, providing the best coverage of the trial.
Except for my friend Cait, who actually went to the court today, and said Rod “had the most miserable depressed look ever on his face” when she saw him in the cafeteria.
Yes, Cait and a friend went to Chicago today to see Blago. And the Sox.
Enjoyed the Sox more.
Sorry, Rod.
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Mad Tea Party Kicks Out Mark Williams (Video and Commentary)
I was so disgusted by this I just wanted to stay away. Plus, I don’t trust early news reports that attempt to sensationalize stories. Then, I read more, and finally forced myself to read Mark Williams’ letter to Abraham Lincoln, where he reveals his incredible lack of depth on race in America. To say the least.
I didn’t want to give Williams at press. He sounded juvenile, and, to tell the truth, this is the first I’ve heard of him, although apparently he has been riding the Tea Party tidal wave for a while, even perceived by some as a leader in the movement.
But all waves, tidal or otherwise, come to an end. And, while many in the Tea Party may in fact laugh secretly at his callow contribution to the national dialogue on race, they must disown Williams as the new face of the G.O.P. slouches forward with ever-vanishing credibility.
So, for posterity, here is Mark Williams’ attempt to enter the national debate on race in America, a letter to Abraham Lincoln:
Dear Mr. Lincoln
We Coloreds have taken a vote and decided that we don’t cotton to that whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards. That is just far too much to ask of us Colored People and we demand that it stop!
In fact we held a big meeting and took a vote in Kansas City this week. We voted to condemn a political revival of that old abolitionist spirit called the ‘tea party movement’.
The tea party position to “end the bailouts” for example is just silly. Bailouts are just big money welfare and isn’t that what we want all Coloreds to strive for? What kind of racist would want to end big money welfare? What they need to do is start handing the bail outs directly to us coloreds! Of course, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the only responsible party that should be granted the right to disperse the funds.
And the ridiculous idea of “reduce[ing] the size and intrusiveness of government.” What kind of massa would ever not want to control my life? As Coloreds we must have somebody care for us otherwise we would be on our own, have to think for ourselves and make decisions!
The racist tea parties also demand that the government “stop the out of control spending.” Again, they directly target coloreds. That means we Coloreds would have to compete for jobs like everybody else and that is just not right.
Perhaps the most racist point of all in the tea parties is their demand that government “stop raising our taxes.” That is outrageous! How will we coloreds ever get a wide screen TV in every room if non-coloreds get to keep what they earn? Totally racist! The tea party expects coloreds to be productive members of society?
Mr. Lincoln, you were the greatest racist ever. We had a great gig. Three squares, room and board, all our decisions made by the massa in the house. Please repeal the 13th and 14th Amendments and let us get back to where we belong.
Sincerely
Precious Ben Jealous, Tom’s Nephew NAACP Head Colored Person
The Tea Party, the group that purports to finally represent all Americans, finally expelled Williams, if that means anything.
Nowhere to go but up for Williams now, if that’s possible.