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Development of Tiny Thorium Reactors Could Wean the World Off Oil In Just Five Years

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

An abundant metal with vast energy potential could quickly wean the world off oil, if only Western political leaders would muster the will to do it, a UK newspaper says today. The Telegraph makes the case for thorium reactors as the key to a fossil-fuel-free world within five years, and puts the ball firmly in President Barack Obama's court. Thorium, named for the Norse god of thunder, is much more abundant than uranium and has 200 times that metal's energy potential. Thorium is also a more efficient fuel source — unlike natural uranium, which must be highly refined before it can be used in nuclear reactors, all thorium is potentially usable as fuel. The Telegraph says thorium could be used as an energy amplifier in next-generation nuclear power plants, an idea conceived by Nobel laureate Carlo Rubbia, former director of CERN. Known as an accelerator-driven system, it would use a particle accelerator to produce a proton beam and aim it at lump of heavy metal, producing excess neutrons. Thorium is a good choice because it has a high neutron yield per neutron absorbed. Thorium nuclei would absorb the excess neutrons, resulting in uranium-233, a fissile isotope that is not found in nature. Moderated neutrons would produce fissioned U-233, which releases enough energy to power the particle accelerator, plus an excess that can drive a power plant. Rubbia says a fistful of thorium could light up London for a week. The idea needs refining, but is so promising that at least one private firm is getting involved. The Norwegian firm Aker Solutions bought Rubbia's patent for this thorium fuel cycle, and is working on his design for a proton accelerator. The Telegraph says this $1.8 billion (

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Rick Sanchez Apologizes After Labeling Obama the ‘Cotton-Picking President’

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

CNN’s Rick Sanchez quickly apologized on his Rick’s List program on Monday after inadvertently labeling Barack Obama the ” cotton-picking president of the United States .” Sanchez used the racially-tinged term in response to the President recently addressing the significant percentage of American population who believe he is Muslim or was born outside the U.S. The anchor raised President Obama’s recent comment about his birth certificate with correspondent Jessica Yellin 21 minutes into the 3 pm Eastern hour. Yellin explained that “this is the first time he’s talked about it since the polls showing how many Americans believe him to be Muslim came out” and that “you get the sense that he’s been sort of through this. He wants to set the record straight, but he really does seem to accept that he’s not going to convince everyone, and he’s not going to spend a lot of time and energy on something that’s not going to change.” Sanchez replied to Yellin full of frustration: ” I’m just sitting here just shaking my head. He is the cotton-picking president of the United States! ” He continued with another slighter gaffe: ” If the president of the United States doesn’t have enough of a bully pulpit to convince people of a lie- that a lie is a lie, I should say, then- you know, where are we? What kind of planet are we living on? What the hell is going on here? ” To her credit, the CNN correspondent brought up the many people on the left who refused to believe Obama’s predecessor: “The assumption is there are a certain number of people that just don’t buy it. You know, there are people who didn’t think George Bush was telling the truth. You know, there are all those bumper stickers that said, ‘George W. Bush is a liar.’ ” Even with this, Sanchez continued with his frustration: “Here’s the point. I can understand 5%. I can maybe understand 10%. I can maybe understand 15%. We’re talking about- what was the latest number? A third of the American people or more?” Moments later, after taking a commercial break, Sanchez came back with an apology, crediting his Twitter followers for spotting his error: SANCHEZ: This is great. This is what works about having a conversation with my viewers throughout this newscast, because you know that I’m here on Twitter and I read what you write during the commercial breaks. And many of you are pointing out a fault that I just- a faux pas that I just made, and I want to apologize for it, because I obviously didn’t mean any disrespect or anything when I said that . But I was having that conversation with Jessica Yellin, and I think I said something to the effect- it’s so frustrating that people are lying about the president of the United States, that people are saying these things and it seems like he is defenseless to try and deal with it- although this weekend, the President came out and defended himself . And we had a very ample conversation about what it is that the President did, what he didn’t do, what his detractors say about him and what he can or can’t do. In the middle of that conversation, at one point, I said, why can’t the president of the United States seem to figure this out? After all, he is the cotton-picking president of the United States. Well, soon after I said that, I started getting some Tweets from some of you, saying, you just said ‘cotton-picking president of the United States’ about the first black president of the United States? Without even realizing it? I’ve was just saying ‘cotton picking’ because it’s a term that I’ve used because I grew up in the South. It’s a point that’s often used to illustrate frustration- not in any way shown to use- used to show any kind of disrespect. However, I apologize nonetheless for using it, in case it was taken by anyone as an act of disrespect . So, there you go. And, by the way, thank you! I got about ten Tweets right away from people on Twitter saying- hey, be careful using comments like that. So I do, and I apologize for it. This isn’t the first time Sanchez had to apologize for something he said on the air. On October 16, 2009, the CNN anchor gave an on-air apology for running an unconfirmed quote attributed to Rush Limbaugh earlier that week . As for other on-air gaffes, just during the course of 2010, Sanchez wasn’t sure who was protesting at the annual March for Life , misidentified the Galapagos Islands as Hawaii , “joked” that it was “too cold” in Iceland “to have a volcano there,” and incorrectly guessed that the Nixon/Kennedy debate took place in 1962 . The transcript of the relevant portion of the segment from Monday’s Rick’s List: SANCHEZ: Take us now through what is being described as the President becoming defensive this weekend in that interview with NBC. I mean, not only did he talk about- look, what do I have to do? Go around with my birth certificate on my fore- pinned to my forehead, to get people to stop believing that I’m a Muslim? JESSICA YELLIN: Right- SANCHEZ: And then he also addressed the Glenn Beck rally- YELLIN: Right. SANCHEZ: This group of people who got together for Glenn Beck up in Washington. What did he say about that? YELLIN: Well, first of all, on the Muslim question, this is the first time he’s talked about it since the polls showing how many Americans believe him to be Muslim came out. And so, these are the first comments from him. He is right. It came up a lot during the campaign. I was covering him and there were endless e-mails voters were getting from- you know, a friend who was e-mailing something that another friend had sent, saying that he’s Muslim, and people would come up to me and ask me about it on the trail. So you get the sense that he’s been sort of through this. He wants to set the record straight, but he really does seem to accept that he’s not going to convince everyone, and he’s not going to spend a lot of time and energy on something that’s not going to change- SANCHEZ: But that- you know that- YELLIN: There’s a certain amount of the American public that’s going to believe- go ahead. SANCHEZ: I’m just sitting here just shaking my head. He is the cotton-picking president of the United States- YELLIN: Right- SANCHEZ: If the president of the United States doesn’t have enough of a bully pulpit to convince people of a lie- that a lie is a lie, I should say, then- you know, where are we? What kind of planet are we living on? What the hell is going on here? YELLIN: Well, there will be a certain, I suppose- the assumption is there are a certain number of people that just don’t buy it. You know, there are people who didn’t think George Bush was telling the truth. You know, there are all those bumper stickers that said, ‘George W. Bush is a liar.’ SANCHEZ: Yeah. YELLIN: So maybe there’s a certain amount of the population- they accept- that just, you’re never going to reach them and that’s how it is. SANCHEZ: But- you know, but- but here’s the point. I can understand 5%. I can maybe understand 10%. I can maybe understand 15%. We’re talking about- what was the latest number? A third of the American people or more? YELLIN: I think- there’s- it depends who you ask. I think our polling had 18%. Look, we keep reporting- he keeps saying, it’s something that you’ve got to just sort of accept at some point is, and move on. We tell the facts. We’ll continue to tell the facts like they are. SANCHEZ: Yeah, yeah. Well and- look, it’s- as much as it is our job, it’s also the White House’s job, right? I mean- I guess it comes down to this question, and this is just a matter, I suppose, of common sense that people can figure out. I don’t know. I’ve never been the president of the United States. (Yellin laughs) I know what it’s like to be lied about. People lie about me every single day, and it just comes with being a public figure. But if I was the president of the United States and someone was just making a bald-faced lie like that one about me, would my impetus be to have a news conference to stand on top of the highest mountain, as my Mom and Dad always used to say, and just tell the truth? And it’s frustrating- as Americans, as we look at all of these things, whether it’s a lie about a Republican or a Democrat or whoever the heck this is going on about, it’s difficult to look at it and say what a shame that it can’t be remedied, that it can’t be fixed. You get my drift? YELLIN: I do. I do. You know, they blame us for talking about it so much. So go figure. (laughs)

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Rick Sanchez Apologizes After Labeling Obama the ‘Cotton-Picking President’

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A Civics Lesson for America the Ignorant

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

3 Terms that people throw around and don't know the meaning of: 1) Constitution – A very simple document that outlines the fundamentals of United States Doctrine. The Constitution’s main purpose is to protect the people from unlawful treatment by the Government. Simply stating that something is Unconstitutional is an easy accusation to make. To prove it usually leads to troubles with the user of the statement. There are only 26 Amendments to the original constitution so labeling so many things as Unconstitutional pretty much statistically makes most of the accusations false. For instance the freedom of speech only guarantees you freedom of persecution by the Government, and only the government. You can't say whatever you want to a private individual and not expect a backlash. You also can't make threats and false accusation. Those are superseded by the Justice System. 2) Socialism – Is a governmental system. Not economic. It has nothing to do with Free Trade or how a person can make money within their own country. Close to every modem nation in the world operates in a Socialist way today. Many people accuse the United States of becoming Socialist but they are either ignorant of the meaning or denying the last century. The United States is a Socialist country already. In fact the Public Education system is one of the largest and most successful Socialist programs in the history of civilization. Medicare is another example. Social Security is another one. Municipal road work. The Interstate System. The list goes on and on. Pretty much anything that the Government does for you with your tax dollars is Socialism. If you want to protest this stop drinking your town water. Stop driving on paved roads. Plow your own Interstate. Teach your own kids K-12. Socialism is meant so that you pay your Government in Taxes and they give you services in return. Nazis and Soviets weren't Socialist. They called themselves this for Propaganda because it's a “caring system”. They were in fact Totalitarian Fascist and Dictators. I'm not going to explain the meaning of the last two because if you can't understand that the US doesn't operate like that you can't understand the meaning's of these words. 3) Communism – This is purely an economic system. It has nothing to with the way the government governs the people. Communism is a flawed system in that it relies all on trust of the Government. In Communism the totaled income of the country is divided evenly amount the Citizens. There are no social classes, no tax brackets, and property is distributed among the people not bought and sold by individuals. It's great in theory but no Government seems to be able to handle the burden and trust needed to implement it. The Soviets butchered the system into punishing the people and reaping the benefits of the private sector's loss income. The United States will never be a Communist society. Financial regulations do not constitute communism. If pick pocketing wasn't a crime and the government suddenly enacted laws banning it would you cry Communism? No, the free trade system still exists you just have to change the way you make money. You can't steal it anymore. There are a plethora of other issues sparking across the nation today. But most are too stupid to even address. Hatred is strong in the nation today and it's disgusting. If we did have a Black Muslim Socialist President what exactly is wrong with that? Ask yourself that. Pull the words apart. Black = Skin Color Muslim = Branch of Judaism just like Christianity Socialist = Last 10 President fit in that realm President = Elected by the people. added by: PrivateBurke

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MSNBC Suggests Palin & Bachmann Encouraged Shooting Minorities, Ignores Obama’s ‘We Bring a Gun’ to Fight GOP

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

On Thursday’s The Ed Show on MSNBC, substitute host Cenk Uygur — also of the Young Turks — blamed conservative opposition to the Ground Zero mosque for acts of violence against Muslims, and charged that the Republican party is the “party of hate.” He soon added: “Then there`s the vitriolic fight against immigrants, undocumented ones and in Arizona just people who happen to look undocumented. And, of course, there`s the grand daddy of all prejudice, fear and hatred stoked up against Muslims in this country. Now, it`s gotten so bad that a young man stabbed a cabbie in the neck and face Tuesday after finding out that he was Muslim.” He eventually asked: “What black person, gay guy or girl, immigrant or Muslim-American in their right mind would vote for the Republican party? They might as well hang a sign around their neck saying I hate myself.” Uygur also recited a list of violent incidents from the past couple of years, while also running clips of conservatives like Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Bill O’Reilly in an attempt to prove that they were responsible for inciting specific violent incidents. At one point, he even used edited clips of Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann in such a way as to suggest that they had encouraged people to shoot Muslims or other minorities. After recounting recent incidents of violence against Muslims, he tied in Palin and Bachmann: CENK UYGUR: If the manufactured rage against minorities and Muslims in particular was not bad enough, Republicans across the country have added an element of violent imagery to top it off. SARAH PALIN, AT PODIUM, UNDATED: It`s not a time to retreat. It`s a time to reload. REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN) AUDIO DATED MARCH 2009: I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue. Palin first used this phrase after the passage of ObamaCare, while the clip in question comes from an event in Nevada from March 27 of this year. And Bachmann’s quote was in reference to the Democratic energy plan. The MSNBC host did not mention that President Barack Obama himself once made a much more direct metaphor about using a gun to fight political opposition as he reassured attendees of a fund-raiser in Philadelphia in June 2008: “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun. Because from what I understand, folks in Philly like a good brawl. I’ve seen Eagles fans.” More of the context of Palin’s words from the March 27 event, in which she clarified that her words were meant to inspire people to peacefully vote and take part in politics: If we stick to our principles, we’re going to be just fine. Now, when I talk about it’s not a time to retreat it’s a time to reload , what I’m talking about, now, media, try to get this right, okay? That’s not inciting violence. What that is doing is trying to inspire people to get involved in their local elections and these upcoming federal elections. It’s telling people that their arms are their vote. It’s not inciting violence. It’s telling people, don’t ever let anybody tell you to sit down and shut up, Americans. You stand up and you stand tall. And we’re just going to be fine. And more of the context of Bachmann’s statement : “And I’m going to have materials for people when they leave. I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us, having a revolution every now and then is a good thing.” Uygur also never relayed to viewers that the suspect in the stabbing case, Michael Enright, was involved with a liberal, pro-Muslim organization that supports building a mosque near Ground Zero, or that, according to Wednesday’s World News on ABC, anti-Muslim hate crimes are “not on the rise.” ABC News correspondent Jeremy Hubbard: “most recent FBI crime stats show in 2008, there were 123 anti-Islam bias crimes nationwide a number that paled in comparison to at least one other religion [1,055 against Jews]. And even in New York, police say crimes against Muslims are not on the rise.” Instead of informing MSNBC viewers of any holes in his anti-conservative theory, Uygur brought in Mark Potok of the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center to agree with his indictment of Ground Zero mosque opponents. Potok: “I think it`s about as clear as it could be that this comes right out of the really rancid debate around the whole Ground Zero Islamic Center.” Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Thursday, August 26, The Ed Show on MSNBC, with critical portions in bold : CENK UYGUR, ANCHOR: Good evening, everybody and welcome to “The Ed Show.” I`m Cenk Uygur in for Ed Schultz. These stories are hot tonight. The right wing has spent weeks stoking hate on the Muslim community center near Ground Zero. Now that hate-filled rhetoric is turning into real violence and they pretend to be surprised. My commentary on that in just a moment. … Tonight, we start with the party of hate. The Republican Party in this country has been running on hate and division for the last 50 years. First, it was the southern strategy meant to discriminate against African-Americans in order to gain white southern votes. That worked in capturing the south for a generation or more, but they lost the entire African-American vote for even longer. That`s what happens when you slap someone across the face. Then, once that well started to run dry, they apologized. In 2005, Republican Chairman Ken Mehlman told the NAACP he was sorry: Quote, “Some Republicans gave up on winning the African-American vote looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization. I`m here today as the Republican chairman to tell you we were wrong.” And then they unapologetically picked their next target, gay Americans. They ran campaigns all across America, premised on taking away rights from gays in this country. Now, one of the architects of that plan, Ken Mehlman, who ran George W. Bush`s campaign in `04 and was the RNC chair in `06, has come out and said he`s gay. Again, our bad, our mistake, not that they`re stopping attacks on that front, I`ll have more on that later. Then there`s the vitriolic fight against immigrants, undocumented ones and in Arizona just people who happen to look undocumented. And, of course, there`s the grand daddy of all prejudice, fear and hatred stoked up against Muslims in this country. Now, it`s gotten so bad that a young man stabbed a cabbie in the neck and face Tuesday after finding out that he was Muslim. He yelled, “Asalaam Alaikum, this is your checkpoint.” Ironically, “Asalaam Alaikum,” means peace be with you. But Islam has been so twisted by conservative demagogues here that a peaceful greeting has been misinterpreted as a war cry and then used against Muslims. Then a man yesterday walked into a mosque in Queens and urinated all over their prayer rugs while yelling that all Muslims were terrorists. Gee, I wonder where he got that idea? NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: Nazis don`t have the right to put up a sign next to the holocaust museum in Washington. We would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor. There`s no reason for to us accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center. UYGUR: If the manufactured rage against minorities and Muslims in particular was not bad enough, Republicans across the country have added an element of violent imagery to top it off. SARAH PALIN, AT PODIUM: It`s not a time to retreat. It`s a time to reload. REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN) AUDIO DATED MARCH 2009: I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue. UYGUR: And it hasn`t been just Muslim-Americans who`ve been on the receiving end of this violence. There was Scott Roeder who killed abortion provider Dr. Tiller after hearing provocation like this: BILL O`REILLY, FNC HOST: No matter what you think about the abortion issue, you should be very disturbed by what continues to happen in Kansas. This man, Dr. George Tiller – known as Tiller, the baby killer – is performing late-term abortions without defining the specific medical reasons why. UYGUR: Then there was the guy in Pittsburgh who killed three police officers because he was convinced they were coming for his guns. Gee, I wonder where he got that idea. GLENN BECK, FNC HOST: He will slowly but surely take away your gun or take away your ability to shoot a gun, carry a gun. He will make them more expensive. He`ll tax them out of existence. He will because he has said he would. He will tax your gun or take your gun away one way or another. UYGUR: Then there was the man in Tennessee who shot people inside what he considered a, quote, “liberal church.” He was reading O`Reilly and Hannity`s books on how terrible liberals are, and might have heard a rant like this. BECK: I beg you, look for the words social justice or economic justice on your church website. If you find it, run as fast as you can. UYGUR: Look, this is destructive to our country. It rips us all apart. The demagoguery especially based on race or religion is also destructive to the idea of America. That we are all created equal, and are all equally American. But it`s also destructive to the Republican Party. What black person, gay guy or girl, immigrant or Muslim American in their right mind would vote for the Republican Party? They might as well hang a sign around their neck saying I hate myself. So, in the end, the GOP will be left holding a shrinking part of the U.S. population screaming about how they hate everyone else. That`s a terrible political strategy. Don`t get me wrong. Demagoguing does work in the short run. That`s why they do it. They`ve been doing it since McCarthy because it gives them a temporary leg up in the next election, but in the long run, it kills your own brand. You`re not going to get a majority of even the white voters you think you`re going for by being the party of hate. They`re much better than that. They`re Americans. So after a couple more Muslims and others get attacked and the passion has died down, America realizes again that there`s no bogeyman coming to get them, the Sharia law is not about to be imposed in Des Moines or Sacramento, they will reject this politics of hate. Then where will the Republican Party be with even less voters, even more marginalized and probably even more angry? We`re witnessing the death pangs of a once great party, the party of Lincoln. That is no more. If they keep going this way, they`re going to go from the Grand Old Party to the sad little party and they`ll only have themselves to blame. Now, tell me what you think in our telephone survey the number to dial is 877-ed-msnbc. My question tonight is, do you think the GOP strategy of hate and fear will backfire? Press one for yes, press two for no. I`ll bring you the results later in the show. Now joining me is Mark Potok, one of America`s foremost experts on hate crimes. He`s the intelligence project director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. Mark, let`s look at what happened today with the cabbie or I should say yesterday getting stabbed. Do you think that`s just, oh, random coincidence that a Muslim cabbie happened to get stabbed yesterday or is this related to all the demagoguery about the so-called mosque near Ground Zero? MARK POTOK, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: Well, I think it`s about as clear as it could be that this comes right out of the really rancid debate around the whole Ground Zero Islamic Center. I mean, you named some of the villains. No doubt about it, Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin and so on, but we also have major outfits like the National Republican Trust Political Action Committee claiming that the Islamic center will be a celebration of the murder of 3,000 people. You know, that kind of language is not only grotesquely false, but it is obviously demonizing. And that kind of demonization, as you`ve suggested, is precisely what`s leading to what seems to be a real spike in anti-Muslim hate crimes. UYGUR: Mark, that leads to the obvious next question of what can we do about it because, I mean, you see it. They say, oh, the baby killer, “What are you going to do about it?” they`re asking their audience, and then, all of a sudden, somebody kills Dr. Tiller. You know, you see it with the liberal churches. You just saw the whole list. Now they`re doing it with Muslims, but they have First Amendment rights, so what can you do about it? POTOK: Well, one hopes that one can shame some of these political leaders into saying something a little more responsible. You know, you`re speaking about the Republican Party. It`s probably worth remembering that one of the very decent things that President Bush did was immediately after, actually nine days after 9/11, he gave a very important speech in which he talked about Muslims were not our enemies, Arabs were not our enemies. A very specific network of terrorists was our enemy. And I think that Bush actually had the effect of tamping down what could have been an absolutely amazing backlash against Muslims and perceived Muslims. It`s worth remembering immediately after 9/11, there was a 1700 percent rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes. But, by the beginning of the next year, 2002, that had dropped by more than two-thirds. So I think that when political leaders like Bush speak out responsibly, it works. It`s helpful. UYGUR: No, and you do have to give credit to Bush on that, there`s no question about that. What didn`t help is him randomly attacking another Muslim country that didn`t have anything to do with 9/11. That didn`t really help the situation. POTOK: Of course. UYGUR: And it seems the Republicans have gone the more radical since Bush. But one final question for you: What`s happened since Obama took office? Has there been a rise in hate crimes, etc.? POTOK: Well, there has definitely been a rise in threats towards the president, in domestic terrorism aimed at the president and at hate speech essentially revolving around the idea that we have a black man and his black family in the White House. So that`s undeniable. I mean, we`ve seen skin head assassination plots, a guy who wanted to set off a dirty bomb at the inauguration and a whole long list. Many of the cases you mentioned like the man who murdered three officers in Pittsburgh were also influenced by this anti-Obama atmosphere a nd the idea that whites are losing their majority in this country. So this seems to be we`re seeing right now a kind of another spasm of the same kind of hate directed against people who do not look like the white majority. UYGUR: All right, thank you, Mark. We appreciate you coming in.

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MSNBC Suggests Palin & Bachmann Encouraged Shooting Minorities, Ignores Obama’s ‘We Bring a Gun’ to Fight GOP

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ABC’s Claiborne Presses MLK Niece to ‘Understand, At Least, How Some’ See Beck Rally as ‘Affront’ to Civil Rights Movement

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

On Saturday’s Good Morning America on ABC, during an interview with Dr. Alveda King – a niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. known for her pro-life activism – substitute host Ron Claiborne challenged her to defend her participation in conservative talker Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally in two out of the three questions he posed to her. The ABC host asked if she was “comfortable aligning yourself” with Beck – considered “inflammatory and divisive” by “many people.” After failing to get Dr. King to criticize the conservative talker, Claiborne seemed to appeal to her to “understand at least” why some agree with Democratic Congressman John Lewis’s assessment of the Beck rally as an “affront” to the Civil Rights Movement. Claiborne’s second and third questions: Many people call Glenn Beck’s political views and style inflammatory and divisive. Are you comfortable, are you comfortable aligning yourself with someone who once called President Obama a racist? Well, Congressman John Lewis, who, of course, stood beside your uncle 47 years ago and marched many times for civil rights, has said that Beck’s rally is an affront to what the Civil Rights Movement stood for. When you hear that kind of talk, can you understand, at least, how some people could interpret it that way? The interview with Dr. King came right after a report filed by correspondent Claire Shipman which, similarly to her report from Friday’s GMA , assigned such labels at “right-wing” and “controversial” to Beck, while the Reverend Al Sharpton’s own controversial history was not mentioned, nor was his liberal ideology. Below are complete transcripts of Shipman’s report and Claiborne’s interview with Dr. King from the Saturday, August 28, Good Morning America on ABC, with critical portions in bold : RON CLAIBORNE, IN OPENING TEASER : And rally uproar: Glenn Beck holds his controversial rally on the Washington Mall this morning. And there will be counterprotests by those who say he’s trying to hijack the legacy of Martin Luther King. … BIANNA GOLODRYGA: Turning to Washington, D.C., now, Glenn Beck says tens of thousands of people are going to join him at the Lincoln Memorial in just a few hours for his “Restoring Honor” rally. It’s already stirring up emotion and controversy on this anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Claire Shipman is in Washington, D.C., with more. Good morning, Claire. CLAIRE SHIPMAN: Good morning, Bianna. You know, the crowd here is already enormous, and a lot of the people have been here for hours. Some of them camped out overnight so they could get closer to the heart of Glenn Beck’s message today. But, as you mentioned, the debate over who should control, honor, mark this anniversary has been intense. The buses have been pulling out for days, from all over the country. Tea Party activists and Glenn Beck supporters are on their way to Washington, well aware that the day has multiple meanings. UNIDENTIFIED MAN: There’s a lot of us that have a dream now. And the dream is that government gets off our backs. SHIPMAN: Forty-seven years ago today, same place, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King delivered the words still buried in our psyche. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I have a dream. SHIPMAN: But this year is Glenn Beck’s rally for America’s honor, and it will feature Sarah Palin. And it’s meant to support American troops. CLIP OF AD: It’s time to restore America. GLENN BECK, FNC HOST: I believe in divine providence. SHIPMAN: The right-wing radio show host insists the timing was an oversight, but he seized on the King legacy as compatible with his message. BECK: We reclaim the Civil Rights Movement. REVEREND AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Sharpton, keeping it real. SHIPMAN: The Reverend Al Sharpton, among others, worries that their day and King’s legacy has been hijacked. SHARPTON, TO PODIUM: They’re having an anti-government march on a day that King came to appeal to government. You can’t have it both ways. SHIPMAN: He is planning a countermarch today. Beck himself seems intent on making it a day of toned-down rhetoric, suggesting to one reporter that he made a mistake when he made this controversial statement last year: BECK: This President has a deep-seeded hatred for white people or the white culture. SHIPMAN: He insists he intends to honor the memory of Dr. King. As one King follower put it, if all sides can channel Dr. King today, it will keep this commemoration at least in the spirit of the original. And so far, it does seem that everybody here this morning wants to honor that legacy, Ron. RON CLAIBORNE: All right. Thank you very much, Claire Shipman reporting from Washington. And joining me now, from just outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., is Dr. Alveda King. She is the, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,’s niece. She’ll be speaking at the Glenn Beck rally that is starting later today. Welcome to the show. DR. ALVEDA KING, NIECE OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: Well, thank you. Good morning. CLAIBORNE: Okay, good morning to you. Dr. King, why are you attending this rally, the Glenn Beck rally there in D.C. today? KING: I am attending this rally to help reclaim America. You know, when Glenn said he’s reclaiming the civil rights movement, I don’t need to be reclaimed. I am the civil rights movement. And so I’m joining Glenn to talk about faith, hope, charity, honor. Those are things that America needs to reclaim. Our children need to remember how to love each other, how to honor each other, their parents, God and their neighbors. So I agree with Glenn on all those principles. And for me, it’s principle over politics. And that’s why I’m here. My uncle talked about love. My uncle talked about faith, hope and charity. My uncle talked about honor. And I’m expecting to honor my uncle today. My daddy, Reverend A.D. King, my grandaddy, Martin Luther King, Sr., we’re a family of faith, hope and love. And that’s why I’m here today. CLAIBORNE: And Dr. Martin Luther King, as you said, also talked about bringing people together, healing racial divisions. Many people call Glenn Beck’s political views and style inflammatory and divisive. Are you comfortable, are you comfortable aligning yourself with someone who once called President Obama a racist? KING: Well, I’ve never called President Obama a racist. I love President Obama. I pray for him all the time. God loves President Obama. God loves Glenn. God loves you. And God loves me. And that’s the message I’m here for. And for me, it’s principle over politics. I talk to Glenn about that all the time. When Glenn says that there’s one human race, I agree with him. So we’re not here to divide. I’m about unity. And really, that’s why I’m here. And I want to honor my uncle today. CLAIBORNE: Well, Congressman John Lewis, who, of course, stood beside your uncle 47 years ago and marched many times for civil rights, has said that Beck’s rally is an affront to what the Civil Rights Movement stood for. When you hear that kind of talk, can you understand, at least, how some people could interpret it that way? KING: You know, my daddy, A. D. King, was on the Edmund Pettus Bridge with John Lewis. I marched and went to jail. I believe Congressman Lewis remembers that. My home in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed. And so, I really remember that history. But right in the middle of that history, I remember my family talking about faith, hope, love. And we’ve got to honor each other. So I’m calling on the Congressman, Reverend Sharpton, I talked to him about that last night. I’m calling for everybody to remember that my uncle talked about bringing everybody together, not dividing. I tell Glenn that all the time. And we’re talking about the one human race that needs to be loved and honored. And we’re loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. CLAIBORNE: Okay. KING: That’s really what Glenn and I talk about. CLAIBORNE: Thank you very much, Alveda King, for joining us this morning. You’ll be at that rally, the Glenn Beck rally, later today. Bianna? GOLODRYDA: A lot of different voices there. CLAIBORNE: A lot of controversy. GOLODRYGA: Controversy. CLAIBORNE: Dueling rallies taking place there. GOLODRYGA: In the nation’s capital.

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ABC’s Claiborne Presses MLK Niece to ‘Understand, At Least, How Some’ See Beck Rally as ‘Affront’ to Civil Rights Movement

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AP Outrageously Asserts that Beck ‘Borrowed’ Obama’s Lines

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

It would appear that the development of persuasive rhetoric began and ended during the 2007-2008 presidential campaign of now-President Barack Obama. That’s the nearly inevitable conclusion one must reach based on a breathtakingly absurd contention in a (I can’t believe I’m typing this) “Breaking News Update” that appeared at the Associated Press at 3:40 p.m. yesterday. When Glenn Beck spoke yesterday at his “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington, he told his audience: “One man can change the world. That man or woman is you. You make the difference.” The AP’s reaction was to assert that “Beck is borrowing some lines from President Barack Obama.” By using the word “borrowing,” AP in essence arrogantly, ignorantly and insultingly contended that Beck couldn’t possibly have come up with those sixteen words on his own, and that Barack Obama is the only historical repository of such profundity. From here, it looks like the wire service might be accusing Beck of plagiarism. My goodness, “The Essential Global News Network” should be thoroughly embarrassed. When you take a look at the full AP item, you further realize that whoever prepared the unbylined story didn’t even bother to try to prove that Barack Obama has ever used the words Beck allegedly “borrowed”: Contrary to the story’s barely disguised contention, there are plenty of other people who have previously strung together the three sentences Beck used. Putting aside the likely countless references one could compile if all the religious sermons, meeting orations, political speeches, and mealtime discussions in human history were assembled, Google Web searches on the three exact sentences the AP quoted return the following results: “One man can change the world” — about 65,600 results . “That man or woman is you” — about 184,000 . “You make the difference” — about 32,800 . As hard as it may be for the AP to believe, I can confidently contend that not every one of the results cited originated from the mind of Barack Obama. Though readers will have to forgive me for not being in the mood to go through the over 280,000 results found to prove it, the possibility exists that that Barack Obama has rarely if ever exactly said any of them. AP’s rendition of Obama’s thought pattern, if one is to believe it, is vastly different from that of Beck, whose message is far more empowering. Under Obama’s logic as AP has laid it out, one person can’t make a difference on their own. They need a room to be able to change a city. One room on its own can’t change a state; only a city can. A city can’t change a country; only  a state can. The logic is that of the collective; one person really can’t make a big difference without a host of others assembled into ever larger formally organized entities. Beck skips all of the intermediate steps. One person, by himself or herself, can change the world. Sure, people can and do work together in groups to make change happen, but unlike what is strongly implied in Obama’s logic, they don’t have to submit themselves to the will of a collective entity to accomplish great things. The difference between Obama as AP explains him and Beck in his own words could not be more profound. Finally, a Google Web search on this exact phrase — “One man can change the world. That man or woman is you. You make the difference.” — returns 51 results without “similar” ones . Beck is the source of all 51. P.S. Yes, I also noticed the complete-crock reference to a crowd of “tens of thousands.” Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com .

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AP Outrageously Asserts that Beck ‘Borrowed’ Obama’s Lines

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Over 500,000 Attend Beck Rally, Yet the left Wing Press is Mum!

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Conservative commentator Glenn Beck on Saturday drew a sea of activists to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where he championed a religious brand of patriotism and called on the nation to recommit itself to traditional values he said were hallmarks of its exceptional past. King's niece Alveda King, an anti-abortion activist, addressed Beck's rally with a plea for prayer “in the public squares of America and in our schools.” Referencing her “Uncle Martin,” King called for national unity by repeatedly declaring “I have a dream.” On the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech, steps away from where it was delivered, Beck and fellow “tea party” icon Sarah Palin staked a claim to King's legacy and to that of the Founding Fathers. They urged a crowd that stretched to the Washington Monument to concentrate on the nation's accomplishments rather than on its psychological scars. Rachel and Ray Thompson, both 29, drove with their four kids from Indiana. Both are fans of Glenn Beck and criticized President Obama for fanning the divisions in this nation. “He does have an awesome power to do something about it, but he is not. He is just sitting back,” said Rachel, a massage therapist. Neither was troubled by the timing of the rally — on the anniversary of King's “I Have a Dream” speech. They said the speech King's niece Alveda King gave was the most uplifting of the day. “There are a lot of divisive issues in this country that need to be addressed in the way Dr. King addressed them and [Obama] has failed to do that,” Ray Thompson, an electrician, said. “From a multi-racial family, I say shame on him.” (Ray is white; Rachel is African American.) added by: congoboy

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Joe Klein & Matthews Link Anti-Muslim ‘Attitude’ to ‘Deranged Muslim’ Violence, Small-Town Whites Miss ‘Ethnic Purity’ of Past

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

On Sunday’s syndicated Chris Matthews show, during a discussion of a poll reporting that a majority of self-described Republicans expressed a negative view of Islam, as Time magazine’s Joe Klein recounted incidents of recent violence in America by Muslim extremists, host Matthews asked if “this [anti-Muslim] attitude against them” was to blame for “stirring them up,” leading Klein to agree that anti-Muslim attitudes played a role: JOE KLEIN, TIME MAGAZINE: You’ve had over the last year, two or three major incidents of deranged Muslims, the Army doctor down at Fort Hood, the Times Square bomber, who were Americans, American citizens. CHRIS MATTHEWS: And what’s stirring them up? This attitude against them? KLEIN: Yeah. But I also think that there’s a small minority of Muslims in the world who believe this extremist philosophy. After Matthews questioned whether opposition to the Ground Zero mosque and “apocalyptic talk by people like Glenn Beck” exist because the President is black, Klein painted small-town white Americans as resentful that modern America no longer has the “ethnic purity” of the past, with Matthews responding, “Well said.”: KLEIN: A good part of the anxiety that’s going on in small-town white America isn’t just the plain old black and white stuff of the past. It’s the fact that South Asians are moving in and running the local motel or … there are a lot of Latinos about who are moving into these areas, that their grandchildren are coming out as gay or intermarrying. The purity of, the “ethnic purity,” to coin a phrase, that they grew up with no longer exists, and I think that that in addition to the economic – real, real, economic problems… MATTHEWS: Well said. I think that is the change, the whole change in the world they live in is something. Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Sunday, August 29, syndicated Chris Matthews Show: CHRIS MATTHEWS: Let’s talk about the mosque in New York. We’ve got a poll out here, an amazing poll that came out this week: 54 percent of Republicans say they have an unfavorable view of Islam – the religion, not Arab politics, not terrorists, no subset, the billion Islamic people in the world, they don’t like. Serious business here. KATTY KAY, BBC: I think that this has gone beyond the mosque. MATTHEWS: These are Republicans. KAY: That this is now, the conversation that has followed the mosque has almost become a bigger problem in and of itself, and the tone of that conversation. One of the advantages that America has always had is that you have one of the most assimilated, moderate Muslim populations in the Western world, and that has played to your advantage. The risk here is that incidents like a taxi driver, a Muslim taxi driver getting stabbed in New York- MATTHEWS: By a probably deranged person. Let’s be fair. KAY: It is deranged people in Holland who shoot Muslims, you know, in the streets. That is (INAUDIBLE) JOE KLEIN, TIME MAGAZINE: Yeah, but there are, but, you know, you’ve had over the last year, two or three major incidents of deranged Muslims, the Army doctor down at Fort Hood, the Times Square bomber, who were Americans, American citizens. MATTHEWS: And what’s stirring them up? KLEIN: Well, I think that- MATTHEWS: This attitude against them? KLEIN: Yeah. But I also think that there’s a small minority of Muslims in the world who believe this extremist philosophy. KAY: But the risk for America is if you start putting all of those extremists in with all of Muslims. And that’s what’s being blurred here. … MATTHEWS: Is it based on the fact that we have an African-American President? If we had a President- KLEIN: No. MATTHEWS: -like Hillary Clinton right now, would we have the same level of apocalyptic talk by people like Glenn Beck, the same attitude towards this mosque which is a couple blocks away from the World Trade Center on a row of buildings? KLEIN: First of all, we have a mixed race President who has a middle name “Hussein.” And a good part of the anxiety that’s going on in small-town white America isn’t just the plain old black and white stuff of the past. It’s the fact that South Asians are moving in and running the local motel or, you know, I don’t want to deal in those sorts of cliches, but there are a lot of Latinos about who are moving into these areas that their grandchildren are coming out as gay or intermarrying. The purity of, the “ethnic purity,” to coin a phrase, that they grew up with no longer exists, and I think that that in addition to the economic – real, real, economic problems – (INAUDIBLE) MATTHEWS: Well said. I think that is the change, the whole change in the world they live in is something.

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Joe Klein & Matthews Link Anti-Muslim ‘Attitude’ to ‘Deranged Muslim’ Violence, Small-Town Whites Miss ‘Ethnic Purity’ of Past

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Open Thread: Hurricane Katrina Five Years Later

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Five year ago today, Hurricane Katrina slammed Louisiana and Mississippi forever changing America. In the midst of unthinkable devastation, the media coverage of this natural disaster was disgraceful. Despite almost immoral bungling by New Orleans’ mayor and Louisiana’s governor, as well as decades of corruption that left this city’s levee system in a state of shameful disrepair, President George W. Bush was made the culprit for the damage, the suffering, and the loss. Katrina largely signaled the end of the Bush presidency just eight months into his second term, and America’s press were largely to blame. How do you see this disaster five years later and how the media handled it? Was it an ominous precursor to the absolutely abysmal job so-called journalists did in covering the 2008 presidential election? What have we learned from this event about the power of the press, and what can be done about it?

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Open Thread: Hurricane Katrina Five Years Later

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How to Speak "Palinese"

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Thanks to Debbye… There's a new dialect that can be witnessed in mainstream media news and talk radio. It's called “Palinese.” Here's how you too, can speak it… Recent examples of Palinese: language of the double standard: If you're a minority and you're selected for a job over more qualified candidates you're a 'token hire.' If you're a conservative and you're selected for a job over more qualified candidates you're a 'game changer.' Black teen pregnancies? A 'crisis' in black America. White teen pregnancies? A 'blessed event.' If you grow up in Hawaii you're 'exotic.' Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you're the quintessential 'American story.' Similarly, if you name your kid Barack you're 'unpatriotic.' Name your kid Track, you're 'colorful.' If you're a Democrat and you make a VP pick without fully vetting the individual you're 'reckless.' A Republican who doesn't fully vet is a 'maverick.' If you spend 3 years as a community organizer growing your organization from a staff of 1 to 13 and your budget from $70,000 to $400,000, then become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review,create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new African Amerian voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor,then spend nearly 8 more years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, becoming chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, then spend nearly 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of nearly 13 million people, sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you are woefully inexperienced. If you spend 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, then spend 20 months as the governor of a state with 650,000 people, you've got the most executive experience of anyone on either ticket, are the Commander in Chief of the Alaska military and are well qualified to lead the nation should you be called upon to do so because your state is the closest state to Russia. If you are a Democratic male candidate who is popular with millions of people you are an 'arrogant celebrity'. If you are a popular republican female candidate you are 'energizing the base'. If you are a younger male candidate who thinks for himself and makes his own decisions you are 'presumptuous'. if you are an older male candidate who makes last minute decisions you refuse to explain, you are a 'shoot from the hip' maverick. If you are a candidate with a Harvard law degree you are 'an elitist 'out of touch' with the real America. if you are a legacy (dad and granddad were admirals) graduate of Annapolis, with multiple disciplinary infractions you are a hero. If you manage a multi-million dollar nationwide campaign, you are an 'empty suit'.If you are a part time mayor of a town of 7000 people, you are an 'experienced executive'. If you go to a south side Chicago church, your beliefs are 'extremist'. If you believe in creationism and don't believe global warming is man made, you are 'strongly principled'. If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian. If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years with whom you are raising 2 beautiful daughters you're 'risky'. If you're a black single mother of 4 who waits for 22 hours after her water breaks to seek medical attention, you're an irresponsible parent, endangering the life of your unborn child. But if you're a white married mother who waits 22 hours, you're spunky. If you're a 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton, the right-wing press calls you 'First dog.' If you're a 17-year old pregnant unwed daughter of a Republican, the right-wing press calls you 'beautiful' and 'courageous.' If you kill an endangered species, you're an excellent hunter. If you have an abortion you're not a christian, you're a murderer (forget about if it happens while being date raped) If you teach abstinence only in sex education, you get teen parents. If you teach responsible age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society. added by: EthicalVegan

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