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George Stephanopoulos Derides John Boehner’s ‘Deep Tan,’ Wonders If He Will ‘Overcome’ It

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday quizzed House Minority Leader John Boehner about his tan, dismissing, “…I have to note that if you do win and you do become Speaker, you will probably have the deepest tan of any Speaker in American history.” He also wondered if this was something the Republican would have to “overcome.” The former Democratic operative turned journalist cited PPP , a Democratic polling firm, that queried voters about Boehner’s tan: “And there’s actually been a poll out in your state of Ohio, saying 30 percent of the voters think you spend too much time on your tan. And 27 percent don’t like it. Is this something you have to overcome?” [MP3 audio here .] However, when World News’ Claire Shipman interviewed Nancy Pelosi on October 26, 2006 , just prior to the Democratic take over of the House, the reporter mused, “Do you let yourself think, for example, maybe before you go to sleep at night, ‘Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi?” Stephanopoulos on Wednesday asked the same question, but minus the flowery language: “Mr. Leader, how confident are you that you’re going to be Speaker of the House next year?” The host also pressed Boehner to condemn Terry Jones, a pastor in Florida who will be burning Korans on 9/11: “What is your message to Pastor Jones?” Boehner responded by asserting that just because someone can do something, doesn’t mean they should. That, apparently, wasn’t enough for Stephanopoulos. He challenged, “So, you’re telling him not to do it? Sir? Are you telling him not to do it?” Yet, on the August 4 GMA , Stephanopoulos declared to conservative Laura Ingraham, “This is a country founded on the notion of religious freedom. What better way to say they [the terrorists] haven’t won?” A transcript of the September 8 segment, which aired at 7:11am EDT, follows: 7:11 GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: As we said, the President will deliver what he hopes will be a tide-turning speech on the economy in Cleveland. And he is taking direct aim again at our next guest, top House Republican John Boehner. BARACK OBAMA: And the Republican who thinks he’s going to take over as Speaker- [Audience boos.] I’m just saying, that’s his opinion. He’s entitled to his opinion. But, but when he was asked about this, he dismissed those jobs, as government jobs that weren’t worth saving. STEPHANOPOULOS: And House Republican leader John Boehner, joins us now. Thank you, sir, for coming in this morning. You seem to be the President’s new punching bag. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER JOHN BOEHNER: Well, George, I think it just shows how out of touch the White House is. You know, the American people are asking the question, where are the jobs? And yet, here’s the White House worrying about what I’ve got to say instead of working together to get our economy going again and to get jobs back in America. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, the President is outlining proposals that Republicans have supported in the past. This permanent extension of the Research and Development Tax Credit. This expensing proposal, the small business tax cut of about $100 billion. Those are proposals Republicans have supported in the past. Will you support them now? BOEHNER: George, I’m open to the President’s ideas. But I think the President’s missing the bigger point here. And that is, with all of the spending in Washington, and all the uncertainty facing small businesses, including the coming tax hikes on January the first, until this uncertainty and spending is under control, I don’t think these are going to have much impact. And, so, today, what I’d like to do is work on a bipartisan basis to do two things: First, instead of waiting until after the election to put together some big omnibus spending bill, with a bunch of wasteful spending, why wouldn’t we do this? Why don’t we pass a bill this month at 2008 spending levels. You know, before the TARP, before the bailout, before the stimulus. And let’s put some certainty in the economy. That in and of itself would save about $100 billion this year alone. And then, secondly, why wouldn’t we work together to make it clear that all current tax rates will be extended for the next two years? What that will do- STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you’re open- BOEHNER: What that will do is help small businesses who have no clue what the coming tax rates are going to be, gives them some certainty. And if we’re able to do this together, I think we’ll show the American people that we understand what’s going on in the country. And we’ll be able to get our economy moving again and get jobs growing in America. STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you’re open to the President’s ideas. You’re also making these two proposals of your own for the President. You talked about the two year extension of the Bush tax cuts. As you know, the President is against, right now, the extension for the wealthy. But his former budget director, Peter Orszag, made a similar proposal about the two year extension. But he said, but they have to expire in two years so we can reduce the deficit. Are you open to that part of it as well? BOEHNER: George, we can’t deal with the deficit until we’re willing to get our arms around spending and have a strong economy. And you can’t have a strong economy if you’re raising taxes on the very people you expect to invest in our economy to begin hiring people again. STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. Leader, how confident are you that you’re going to be Speaker of the House next year? BOEHNER: Well, certainly, George, it’s possible. We’ve got a steep hill to climb. We have got a lot of work to do. But when I travel the country and I travel my district, I’ve never seen the American people more engaged in this election and any election in my lifetime. And, so, we’ve got a lot of work to do. That’s our goal, though. To earn back the majority so we can renew our efforts to drive for a smaller, lest-costly and more accountable government in Washington, D.C. STEPHANOPOULOS: If you win, you will be third in line for the White House. Obviously, the eyes of the world will be on you. I wanted you to weigh in on an issue of national security implications, as well. We’ve seen this Pastor Terry Jones down in Florida, threatening to burn the Koran this weekend. This weekend, General Petraeus has spoken out against it. Secretary of State Clinton has spoken out against it. What is your message to Pastor Jones? BOEHNER: To Pastor Jones and those who want to build a mosque, just because you have a right to do something in America, does not mean it is the right thing to do. We’re a nation of religious freedom. We’re also a nation of tolerance. And I think, in the name of tolerance, people ought to really think about the kind of actions they’re taking. STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you’re telling him not to do it? Sir? Are you telling him not to do it? BOEHNER: Well, listen. I just think that it’s not wise to do this in the face of what our country really represents. And over some, you know, 234 years. STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay. Before you go, I have to note that if you do win and you do become Speaker, you will probably have the deepest tan of any Speaker in American history. And there’s actually been a poll out in your state of Ohio, saying 30 percent of the voters think you spend too much time on your tan. And 27 percent don’t like it. Is this something you have to overcome? BOEHNER: Well, hey probably weren’t there yesterday, when I was out cutting my grass or when I was out riding my mountain bike. All right? STEPHANOPOULOS: So, no worries there? BOEHNER: Thanks, George. STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay. Thank you, Mr. Leader. No comment at all.

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George Stephanopoulos Derides John Boehner’s ‘Deep Tan,’ Wonders If He Will ‘Overcome’ It

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Santorum’s Google Trouble a Warning to Conservatives in Internet Age

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Here’s a delightful little story from the Sept./Oct. issue of Mother Jones, the far-left political magazine. It’s called “Rick Santorum’s Anal Sex Problem,” and, with its helpful creative artwork, it’s not something you want to read over lunch. Thanks to the efforts of a vindictive liberal writer, anyone Googling conservative former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is fairly likely to get an unpleasant surprise. Among the top three results will probably be a nauseatingly offensive website based on making “Santorum” a “sexual neologism,” according to Mother Jones’ Stephanie Mencimer. Back in 2003, Santorum expressed a traditional Catholic view on the issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Then talking in general about “orientations” always excluded from understandings of marriage, he included pedophilia and bestiality along with homosexuality. “The ensuing controversy,” wrote Mencimer, “prompted syndicated sex columnist Dan Savage, who’s gay, to start a contest, soliciting reader suggestions for slang terms to “memorialize the scandal.” Having selected the nastiest entry, “Savage launched a website, and a meme was born.” Once launched, the smear site “eventually it eclipsed Santorum’s own campaign site in search results; some observers even suggested it may have contributed to Santorum’s crushing 18-point defeat in his 2006 campaign against Bob Casey,” Mencimer wrote. Whether that’s the case or not, the damaging site remains, and remains a problem for Santorum’s future political aspirations. The site “hasn’t been updated for years,” but it still comes up high in the Google results. It’s been linked to over 13,000 times “compared with only 5,000 for Santorum’s own, real site, America’s Foundation,” according to the article. Mencimer talked to Internet PR and search engine experts who called the site “devastating” and said Santorum should “consider buying paid search results for his name.’ The article claims that Santorum “would very much like to be president.” If so, Savage, not content to let his website do its passive work, threatens to “‘sic my flying monkeys on him’ – in other words, mobilize bloggers to start posting and linking to his site again.” Mencimer explained that “Savage has not forgiven Santorum for his seven-year-old comments: ‘Rick would have prevented me and my partner from being able to adopt my son,’ he points out.” And that would be a shame, not to raise a child in an environment where differing opinions are met with vitriolic and gross scatological personal attacks. Why, he might not grow up to be a tolerant liberal.

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Santorum’s Google Trouble a Warning to Conservatives in Internet Age

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Pressure rises on pastor who wants to burn Quran

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

PLEASE WATCH ! could not embed video. http://video.ap.org/?f=AP&pid= {releasePID} GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The government turned up the pressure Tuesday on the head of a small Florida church who plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11, warning him that doing so could endanger U.S. troops and Americans everywhere. But the Rev. Terry Jones insisted he would go ahead with his plans, despite criticism from the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, the White House and the State Department, as well as a host of religious leaders. Jones, who is known for posting signs proclaiming that Islam is the devil's religion, says the Constitution gives him the right to publicly set fire to the book that Muslims consider the word of God. Gen. David Petraeus warned Tuesday in an e-mail to The Associated Press that “images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan – and around the world – to inflame public opinion and incite violence.” It was a rare example of a military commander taking a position on a domestic political matter. Jones responded that he is also concerned but is “wondering, 'When do we stop?'” He refused to cancel the protest set for Saturday at his Dove World Outreach Center, a church that espouses an anti-Islam philosophy. “How much do we back down? How many times do we back down?” Jones told the AP. “Instead of us backing down, maybe it's to time to stand up. Maybe it's time to send a message to radical Islam that we will not tolerate their behavior.” Still, Jones said he will pray about his decision. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the administration hoped Americans would stand up and condemn the church's plan. “We think that these are provocative acts,” Crowley said. “We would like to see more Americans stand up and say that this is inconsistent with our American values; in fact, these actions themselves are un-American.” Meeting Tuesday with religious leaders to discuss recent attacks on Muslims and mosques around the U.S., Attorney General Eric Holder called the planned burning both idiotic and dangerous, according to a Justice Department official. The official requested anonymity because the meeting was private. Crowley said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton may address the controversy at a dinner Tuesday evening in observance of Iftar, the breaking of the daily fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. At the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs echoed the concerns raised by Petraeus. “Any type of activity like that that puts our troops in harm's way would be a concern to this administration,” Gibbs told reporters. Jones said he has received more than 100 death threats and has started wearing a .40-caliber pistol strapped to his hip. The 58-year-old minister said the death threats started not long after he proclaimed in July that he would stage “International Burn-a-Quran Day.” Supporters have been mailing copies of the Islamic holy text to his church to be incinerated in a bonfire. Jones, who has about 50 followers, gained some local notoriety last year when he posted signs in front of his small church declaring “Islam is of the Devil.” But his Quran-burning scheme attracted wider attention. It drew rebukes from Muslim nations and an avalanche of media interview requests just as an emotional debate was taking shape over the proposed Islamic center near the ground zero site of the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York. The Quran, according to Jones, is “evil” because it espouses something other than biblical truth and incites radical, violent behavior among Muslims. “It's hard for people to believe, but we actually feel this is a message that we have been called to bring forth,” he said last week. “And because of that, we do not feel like we can back down.” Muslims consider the Quran to be the word of God and insist it be treated with the utmost respect, along with any printed material containing its verses or the name of Allah or the Prophet Muhammad. Any intentional damage or show of disrespect to the Quran is deeply offensive. Jones' Dove Outreach Center is independent of any denomination. The church follows the Pentecostal tradition, which teaches that the Holy Spirit can manifest itself in the modern day. Pentecostals often view themselves as engaged in spiritual warfare against satanic forces. At first glance, the church looks like a warehouse rather than a place of worship. A stone facade and a large lighted cross adorn the front of the beige steel building, which stands on 20 acres in Gainesville's leafy northern suburbs. Jones and his wife, Sylvia, live on the property and also use part of it to store furniture that they sell on eBay. A broad coalition of religious leaders from evangelical, Roman Catholic, Jewish and Muslim organizations met in Washington on Tuesday and condemned the plan to burn the Quran as a violation of American values. “This is not the America that we all have grown to love and care about,” said Rabbi Steve Gutow of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. “We have to stand up for our Muslim brothers and sisters and say, “This is not OK.'” FBI agents have visited with Jones to discuss concern for his safety. Multiple Facebook pages with thousands of members have popped up hailing him as a hero or blasting him as a dangerous pariah. The world's leading Sunni Muslim institution of learning, Al-Azhar University in Egypt, accused the church of stirring up hate and discrimination, and called on other American churches speak out against it. Last month, Indonesian Muslims demonstrated outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, threatening violence if Jones goes through with it. In this progressive Florida city of 125,000 anchored by the sprawling University of Florida campus, the lanky preacher with the bushy white mustache is mostly seen as a fringe character who doesn't deserve special attention. At least two dozen Christian churches, Jewish temples and Muslim organizations in Gainesville have mobilized to plan inclusive events – some will read from the Quran at their own weekend services – to counter what Jones is doing. A student group is organizing a protest across the street from the church on Sept. 11. Gainesville's new mayor, Craig Lowe, who during his campaign became the target of a Jones-led protest because he is openly gay, has declared Sept. 11 Interfaith Solidarity Day in the city. Jones dismisses the response of the other churches as “cowardly.” He said even if they think burning Qurans is extreme, Christian ministers should be standing with him in denouncing the principles of Islam. All the attention has caused other problems for Jones, too. He believes it's the reason his mortgage lender has demanded full payment of the $140,000 still owed on the church property. He's seeking donations to cover it, but recently listed the property for sale with plans to eventually move the church away from Gainesville. The fire department has denied Jones a required burn permit for Sept. 11, but he said lawyers have told him his right to burn Qurans is protected by the First Amendment, with or without the city's permission. The same would hold true, he said, if Muslims wanted to burn Bibles in the front yard of a mosque. “Of course, I would not like it,” Jones said. But “I definitely would not threaten to kill them, as we have been threatened.' http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/Q/QURAN_BURNING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&am… video link: http://video.ap.org/?f=AP&pid= {releasePID} added by: onemalefla

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Katy Perry To Perform On ‘SNL’ Season Premiere

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘California Gurls’ singer tweets about performing on September 25 episode. By Kara Warner Katy Perry Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/ WireImage She had two singles battling it out for the summer jam of 2010, tackled hosting duties for the Teen Choice Awards, is vying for two VMAs (her “California Gurls” is up for Best Female Video and Best Pop Video) and now America’s current pop sweetheart Katy Perry can add “SNL” performer to her ever-expanding resume. Perry’s more astute fans might have been able to guess the news before the singer made it official, given Perry’s somewhat cryptic Tweet directed at “SNL” alum and the 36th season premiere host, Amy Poehler: “Dear Amy Poehler can I please be your braced faced neighbor friend that hangs out with you & RICKKKKK!” We assume that comment is referring to Poehler’s “Kaitlin” character — the precocious, excitable and extremely loud 10-year-old who appeared in a series of sketches alongside “Rick!” (played by Horatio Sanz). Shortly thereafter, Perry followed her Poehler-themed Tweet with the official announcement: “OKAY! My BIG surprise is I’m opening the season of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE on Sept 25 W/SNL Alum Amy Poehler!!!” she wrote, followed by a link to her official website with the announcement. MTV News tracked down a representative from “SNL” to confirm Perry’s appearance, though whether the pop star will be included in any of the cast’s sketches remains to be seen. Given Perry’s plucky performance at the — during which she impersonated a series of stereotypical high school characters with her co-hosts (the guys from “Glee”) — she seems a shoe-in for inclusion in at least one of the show’s many vignettes. What do you think of Katy Perry performing on ‘SNL’? Should Poehler and the rest of the cast involve her in some improv? Related Photos The Evolution Of: Katy Perry Related Artists Katy Perry

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6 Alternative Uses for LEGO Bricks

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The Lego Company is based out of Denmark, and the word Lego comes from the Danish word Leg Godt which means “play well”. 7 LEGO sets are being sold by retailers every second around the world, and more than 400 billion LEGO bricks have been already produced since 1949. Stacked on top of each other, this is enough to connect the Earth and the Moon ten times over! The number of combinations you can build are practically endless. With just six 8-stud LEGO bricks you can build over 102 million combinations! Multiply it by different possible LEGO uses and you get unlimited possibilities! It is also estimated that there are about 50-60 Lego bricks for every person on the planet, and children around the world spend 5 billion hours a year playing with LEGO bricks. Bored Panda did some investigation too, and found these 5 Cool Alternative Uses of LEGO. Enjoy, share and comment! http://www.boredpanda.com/alternative-uses-for-lego-bricks/ added by: atomiclegion

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Tea Party president jokes about murdering GLBTQ people

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

A Facebook exchange: Dennis Scranton: “I think fruits are decorative. Hang up where they can be seen and appreciated. Call Wyoming for display instructions.” Tim Ravndal: “@Kieth, OOPS I forgot this aint(sic) America no more! @ Dennis, Where can I get that Wyoming printed instruction manual?” (A reference to the torture and murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming in 1998). Randval has apologized. But the organization has not yet met demands to remove himl from office. What's it going to be, Tea Party and sympathizers? Are you going to have the guy who thinks murdering gays is hilarious as your president? Any official denunciation of violence coming our way anytime soon? I was in college and had just come out when Matthew Shepard was murdered. His death was such a horrifying and unexpected tragedy that it left its mark on everyone I knew, even though none of us had ever met him. To read the exchange between Scranton and Ravndal makes me wince as if from a physical blow. Matthew was my age – he'd be almost 34 now. Is the world now, no better than the world that he left? Is this truly where Tea Party and other anti-gay types want us to be? Because this is where the road of homophobia and discrimination against GLBTQ people ends. This is where the fractured discourse, alarmist propaganda, and fearmongering ends. In violence and death. It's not funny to me. Is it funny to you, Tea Party? added by: putdownmypants

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Petraeus "Planned Burning of Qur’ans Could Endanger Troops"

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

KABUL—The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said the planned burning of Qurans on Sept. 11 by a small Florida church could put the lives of American troops in danger and damage the war effort. Gen. David Petraeus said the Taliban would exploit the demonstration for propaganda purposes, drumming up anger toward the U.S. and making it harder for allied troops to carry out their mission of protecting Afghan civilians. “It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort,” Gen. Petraeus said in an interview. “It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community.” Hundreds of Afghans attended a demonstration in Kabul on Monday to protest the plans of Florida pastor Terry Jones, who has said he will burn copies of Islam's holy book to mark the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Afghan protesters chanted “death to America,” and speakers called on the U.S. to withdraw its troops. Some protesters threw rocks at a passing military convoy. Military officials fear the protests will likely spread to other Afghan cities, especially if the event is broadcast or ends up on Internet video. Mr. Jones, head of the 50-member Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., said in a statement that “We understand the General's concerns. We are sure that his concerns are legitimate.” Nonetheless, he added, “We must send a clear message to the radical element of Islam. We will no longer be controlled and dominated by their fears and threats.” Mr. Jones has been denied a permit for the demonstration, but has said he plans to go forward with the protest. Rev. Stephanie Sapp, spokeswoman for the center, said no one from the Pentagon or other federal agencies had expressed concern or asked that the event be canceled. She did say that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had discussed security measures. Pentagon officials said they were not aware that any Defense officials have reached out directly to Mr. Jones. But military officers said they hoped that Gen. Petraeus's statement—an unusual move since military commanders rarely get involved in politics—would convince Mr. Jones to change his plans. Gen. Petraeus declined to elaborate on the nature of the threats or violence that could occur, but westerners in Afghanistan have been warned away from restaurants and other public places amid the rising tensions. Other senior military leaders echoed Gen. Petraeus commentsMonday. Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, who oversees the effort to train Afghan security forces said he was informed of the planned Florida protests several days ago by a senior minister in the Afghan government. (more at link) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703713504575475500753093116.html?m… added by: existentialist

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NPR Compares Palin, Gingrich to Historic Anti-Semites, Sympathizes with Former CAIR Publicist

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

National Public Radio is strongly urging America to get over its apparently rabid case of Islamophobia. On Sunday night’s All Things Considered  newscast, anchor  Guy Raz played audio clips of Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin opposing the Ground Zero Mosque, and then launched into how much this resembles historic anti-Semitism: In his column today, New York Times writer Nicholas Kristof points out that in 1940, 17 percent of the population considered Jews to be a menace to America. Almost every ethnic group in this country has gone through a period of transition when they had to fight to prove that, indeed, they were Americans. Rabiah Ahmed and a group of Muslim leaders thought their community had to do the same today. So this week, they launched an online video campaign called “My Faith, My Voice.” What Raz does not point out is that Rabiah Ahmed is a former publicist and prominent national spokesperson for the Council for Islamic-American Relations (CAIR), a group named as an un-indicted co-conspirator in a terrorist funding case. Raz didn’t so much conduct a news interview with Rabiah Ahmed as much as he joined her in condemning the sad and bigoted state of America today:    RAZ: Rabiah, how did it get to this point, you know, where, in a sense, you’re stating what should be painfully obvious, that people who practice the Muslim faith in America are Americans just like anyone else ? Ms. AHMED: You know, it is sad that it has to be said, but it’s necessary nonetheless because this rhetoric, these anti-Muslim feelings, they’re not just coming from the usual right-wing or agenda-driven circles. Polls indicate that these fears are widespread. They’re in the hearts of average Americans, moderate Americans. And that’s what’s so concerning about this. In the post-9/11 climate, there was anti-Muslim backlash, but it wasn’t so open. It wasn’t so hostile, and it wasn’t so widespread. And whatever the Muslim community has been doing in the past 10 years, it’s been a good effort, but for some reason, it’s not achieving its goal. RAZ: Do you think, as a society, we’re in the midst of maybe a passing storm, you know, something that we will look back on in 10 or 20 years from now and wonder how it ever came to this ? Ms. AHMED: I hope so. I hope it is a passing storm. I hope that it’s just a matter of time where Muslims are seen as part and parcel of the society. You know, if we look back at our history, other communities have faced this kind of discrimination or these kinds of feelings, and they’ve been able to overcome. But it’s not going to happen by itself. The Muslim community is going to really have to reach out in different ways, you know, through interfaith relations, through public service announcements, through whatever way that people can contribute and try to address these issues because if it’s not done, then there’s a potential of it just getting worse. RAZ: That’s Rabiah Ahmed. She’s one of the people behind a new online video campaign called “My Faith, My Voice.”  Rabiah Ahmed, thank you so much. Ms. AHMED: Thank you for having me. The “My Faith, My Voice” organizers claimed they are absolutely unaffiliated. But is Ahmed or her Mirza Public Relations firm being paid, and if so, by whom? NPR’s anchor didn’t care enough to ask, at least not for the public. Before this sympathetic exchange, Raz explained “In a few moments, we’ll find out why Muslims in one grassroots movement have decided to remind their fellow Americans that, well, they’re Americans too.” But first, he found some American Muslims who found the current rhetorical environment is endangering their safety: HUSSEIN NAGAMEA(ph): My name is Hussein Nagamea. I have no time since my immigration to the United States felt that I was unsafe in this country until now, recently. BARBARA KHANDAKAR: I am careful about who I talk to in public, not so much just talking to them, but other Muslims that I greet, I don’t automatically go say, hi, assalamu alaikum, because I don’t want to draw attention to myself that I’m Muslim or that they’re Muslim, just in case someone out there might be crazy. ZIYA NASIR: You kind of feel afraid that everyone thinks that way, you know, everyone who’s not Muslim believes that. That is probably the most frightening out of everything. So this is how it works at taxpayer-supported radio. If you’re non-Muslim and think Muslims are endangering your safety, you’re a bigot. If you’re Muslim and you think non-Muslims are endangering your safety, you’re handed a microphone and a pat on the back.

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Politicizing Labor Day: DOL’s Solis Uses Holiday Address As Propaganda and Attack Vehicle

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Obama administration Labor Secretary Hilda Solis (pictured at right with what I would guess is her ideal car of the future) shamelessly used Labor Day weekend as an opportunity to score political points. In a presentation that was more a political stump speech than an informative presentation, Solis recited a litany of alleged accomplishments. Many of them have no relationship to what her department does, while some are also objectively wrong. Second, she set up a host of straw men in the form of “those who woulds” and “to those who want tos” to make her department and the administration where she works appear as if they and they alone are the bulwark against rapacious employers and their political allies. The YouTube video is present at this DOL page (direct YouTube link here ). What follows are selected transcribed excerpts, with specific critiques: Excerpts: (3:10 – 4:30) You can be certain that like the president, I will not stop working until every American is back on their feet and we have fulfilled our mission to provide good and safe jobs for everyone. We’re making important inroads towards that goal. So let me tell you, briefly, what we have done so far to get there. First and foremost, we have reversed the dangerous trend of job loss in our country. Because, just over a year ago, we were losing almost 700,000 jobs per month. We were on the verge of another Great Depression. We took immediate action to stop the bleeding and create jobs. Now, instead of losing jobs, we’ve actually added them in the private sector every month. We’ve averaged about 90,000 jobs for the last seven months. But something else too, and this is important, our efforts, most notably the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, saved millions of American jobs in the auto manufacturing industry. [1] These efforts have also kept health care workers in clinics and community hospitals. They’ve kept hundreds of thousands of teachers in classrooms, and police and firefighters on the beat where they should be. (4:50 – 4:58) Now we are making it possible for American entrepreneurs to create and grow businesses that will put people to work. [2] (5:10 – 5:50) As a result of our quick and bold actions, millions of people are at work, building and rebuilding America’s roads, bridges, ports, and high-speed rail. [3] And we’re also investing in a new American foundation, and a whole new American industry and employer, and that’s clean energy. We look at that investment two ways. Advances in biofuels, wind, and solar power will reduce our dependence on foreign energy, and reenergize American manufacturing. I’ve long believed that green jobs can be great jobs, and jobs that every American can take advantage of. (6:12) I am pleased that this administration is making student loans more affordable and available. (6:40) Now, as we’ve done all that, we’ve also strengthened the safety net for American workers. We’ve expanded unemployment insurance programs in nearly 40 states so more people can receive benefits. And after decades of failing to rein in the out-of-control health care system, our reforms will control costs, improve care, minimize fraud, and provide security for millions of American families. (7:23) In the weeks and months ahead, policymakers will be debating what should come next. There are some who will suggest that, when times are tough, it’s time to get tough on working people. [4] They’ll suggest that we cut back on worker training, to cut back on worker safety, and to cut back on giving workers a voice in their workplace. I totally disagree. To those who say we can no longer afford to train, retool and educate our workforce, I say we can’t afford not to. To those who want to cut corners and disregard safety in the workplace, I say keeping workers safe matters far more than saving a few cents. And to those who want to deny workers a voice in the workplace, let me be clear: This Secretary of Labor recognizes, respects, and celebrates a worker’s right to organize and bargain collectively. As individuals and as a nation, we have very important choices to make. And each one merits careful and informed discussion. So in the weeks and months ahead, I hope we can continue this conversation. Each and every one of us has something at stake. And we simply cannot afford to make the wrong choices. Here are three obvious errors in Solis’s presentation: [1] – The “auto manufacturing industry,” even at is most broadly defined (which would include all transportation equipment, all motor vehicle and parts dealers, has only three million employees. The Labor Secretary is essentially claiming that there would be no industry without the stimulus plan. Other than to point out that Government/General Motors and Chrysler proactively killed tens of thousands of jobs at auto dealers, this claim is so utterly ridiculous as to require no further comment. [2] – Even ignoring individual initiative, it’s as if this administration is the first in recorded human history to “mak(e) it possible for American entrepreneurs to create and grow businesses that will put people to work.” She’s kidding, right? [3] – The total number of employees in “Heavy and civil engineering construction” was 888,000 in August (not seasonally adjusted). Even if you try to include a healthy percentage of the 2.1 million employed in the “Nonresidential specialty trade contractors” sector, many of whom obviously have nothing to do with infrastructure, there’s no way you get to “millions” of infrastructure workers, period, let alone “millions” who are working solely because of the administration’s “quick and bold actions.” [4] – Seriously now, who has suggested this, or any of the other conveniently created straw men that follow? Yes, Bush administration Labor Secretary Elaine Chao did give Labor Day addresses such as this one in 2002 . But if she had created something as blatant as this video, the press would have been all over her for playing politics during the entire Labor Day weekend. As it is, I doubt we’ll see much if any criticism of Solis from the establishment press. In a separate action, DOL removed the following opening paragraph from a web page on the history of Labor Day (original preserved at archive.org ; revised ) that had contained the same text for at least eight years: “Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country,” said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. “All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man’s prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day…is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation.” More on why I believe that removal of Gompers’s statement occurred can be found here . Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com .

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Politicizing Labor Day: DOL’s Solis Uses Holiday Address As Propaganda and Attack Vehicle

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Kurtz Asks TIME Editor Why He Doesn’t Have Any Conservative Columnists

Posted on September 5, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Howard Kurtz on Sunday asked the editor of Time magazine why he doesn’t have any conservative columnists.  “Rick [Stengel], you’ve just hired Fareed Zakaria, whose “GPS” program on CNN precedes mine,” said Kurtz on CNN’s “Reliable Sources. “And you have, of course, Joe Klein, well-known liberal writer and columnist,” continued Kurtz. “Now, with all the hiring that you’ve done, how have you not managed to find a conservative columnist?” Most humorously, after giving what he must have thought was a cute answer, Stengel quickly contradicted himself (video follows with transcript and commentary):  HOWARD KURTZ, HOST: Rick, you’ve just hired Fareed Zakaria, whose “GPS” program on CNN precedes mine. And you have, of course, Joe Klein, well-known liberal writer and columnist. Now, with all the hiring that you’ve done, how have you not managed to find a conservative columnist? RICHARD STENGEL, TIME EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: I would love to find one. So I’m talking — if you’re listening and you’re a fantastic conservative columnist, and you want to write for “TIME,” give me a call. Cute answer, but pretty pathetic when you think about it. After all, there are many conservative writers out there. If Stengel wanted to hire one, it wouldn’t be too difficult. Unfortunately, Kurtz gave him a pass on this and moved on:  KURTZ: And you know, you have Nancy Gibbs writing the back page column, but at times I look at “TIME” magazine and it seems like a bit of a boys club. You have a lot of prominent male writers. Is that an area you need to work on as well? Here comes the truly delicious contradiction:  STENGEL: Of course it’s an area we need to work on. I mean, we do a lot of stories that actually are focused on a female audience and female readers. You know, I do think that just the way “TIME” in many ways is actually a snapshot, a mirror of America — you know, we’re red and blue, we’re in the center of the country, we’re on the coasts — I mean, we should also mirror the way America is too in terms of diversity, gender, all of that. How can a magazine be “red” without one  conservative contributor? Doesn’t make much sense, does it? Sadly, Kurtz gave him a pass on this as well. 

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Kurtz Asks TIME Editor Why He Doesn’t Have Any Conservative Columnists

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