Today's edition of quick hits:
* Brutal tornadoes slice across Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee.
* Syria: "The Syrian authorities on Friday blocked without explanation an officially sanctioned Red Cross convoy laden with food and medical supplies from entering a devastated neighborhood in the central city of Homs, one day after the army overwhelmed the main rebel stronghold there following a brutal month-long siege."
* Afghanistan: "Military investigators have concluded that five soldiers were involved in the incineration of a pile of Korans in Afghanistan last week, according to U.S. military officials who have been briefed on the inquiry."
* At of this afternoon, four of Rush Limbaugh's sponsors have pulled their ads.
* GM: "General Motors has told 1,300 employees at its Detroit Hamtramck that they will be temporarily laid off for five weeks as the company halts production of the Chevrolet Volt and its European counterpart."
* Don't miss Jeffrey Goldberg's must-read interview with President Obama on Iran and Israel.
* Compare Mitt Romney's 2002 rhetoric about DC to his 2012 rhetoric. (Hint: they're not similar.)
* Why should Republicans drop their pointless opposition to the Dream Act? Because of amazing kids like Daniela Palaez.
* R.I.P, James Q. Wilson.
* And Romney loves the trees in Michigan, and not just for their height.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
Leave a Comment:
RIP James Q. Wilson? B.S.! Burn in hell, you fascist pig.
Brutal tornadoes slice across Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee.
Tornadoes are "God's will" right? God must sure hate red states (with good reason).
AHEM... Indiana went blue in the last Presidential election my dear... and in any event, it hardly seems fitting to rub salt in the wounds of people who are, no doubt, trying to figure out how to recover and rebuild.
Plus, even for those states that went red, who's to say how individual victims' households voted?
Here is what I would like to ad :
Please sign the petitions to get Rush Limbaugh off the air :
http://dccc.org/pages/waronwomen
http://www.dccc.org/pages/denounce-rush
Please participate in the boycott of Clear Channel and the sponsors/advertisers of Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show :
http://www.topplebush.com/boycott_rush.shtml
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002369972
http://www.takebackthemedia.com/rushbusted.html
Hear is an example of how boycotting really works It is a letter I received within hours of sending an email to this company regarding Rush Limbaugh :
A Message from Carbonite CEO, David Friend :
Hello,
Over the past two days we have received a tremendous amount of feedback on Rush Limbaugh's recent comments. I too am offended and very concerned about his comments. Limbaugh's remarks have us rethinking our future use of talk radio.
We use more than 40 talk show hosts to help get the Carbonite message out to the public. The nature of talk radio is that from time to time listeners are offended by a host and ask that we pull our advertising. This goes for conservatives like Limbaugh and progressives like Stephanie Miller and Ed Shultz. We even get customers who demand that we pull the plug on NPR. As an advertiser, we do not have control over a show's editorial content or what they say on air. Carbonite does not endorse the opinions of the shows or their hosts.
However, the outcry over Limbaugh is the worst we've ever seen.
I have scheduled a face-to-face meeting next week with Limbaugh during which I will impress upon him that his comments were offensive to many of our customers and employees alike.
Please know your voice has been heard and that we are taking this matter very seriously.
Regards,
Dave
The face-to-face meeting needs to include the fact that you will no longer pay for his diatribes against women. What did you plan to do - smack him on his hand with a ruler? This man has stated "on air" the fact that he wants to see pornography??? Come on.
He has gone over the top! As we all know he would one of these days.
I find your decision to meet with Rush and express your dismay to be ludicrous, and from a PR perspective inadvisable.
If I were your PR Director, you would have cut this man off 2 days ago.
What are you thinking?? You will reform him?
Regards, Linda Wiley
You are welcome to take the initiative to email this company yourself and to let them know how you feel. ( david.friend@carbonite.com ) I was on my computer most of the morning and afternoon yesterday researching all of the email addresses for Rush Limbaugh's Radio Broadcasting Company, Clear Channel, and as many of his advertisers and sponsors as possible as well, and then emailing them all.
I posted this email I received within hours of contacting them as an encouragement to people who feel that one voice at a time may not make a difference. Boycotting and writing emails one person at a time does make a difference. And beginning the dialog with corporations that need to start listening to us is a good place to begin making change. Thank you for understanding this.
A few Republicans have now been either mildly critical of Limbaugh or have actually been critical. In the past, Republicans who criticize Limbaugh have subsequently been seen crawling to him for forgiveness. Maybe that won't happen this time, at least not universally. It's easy for Rush to pound wayward Republicans into submission when they stray one at a time. Not sure how he'll do when he has to read off a long list of names before he can get to the attack.
Did you know: not once in Fluke's testimony does she admit to being sexually active. Of all the cases she mentions, the only people needing a prescription to prevent pregnancy are a rape victim and married student - all others were medical. Not once does she say women need it for premarital sex.
How we go from there to "having so much sex, they can't afford birth control," I don't know.
I know... but here's a thought. In a NY Times article (at http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/boehner-condemns-limbaughs-comments/?hp ) Limbaugh was quoted as saying, “I will buy all of the women at Georgetown University as much aspirin to put between their knees as they want,”
Maybe they ought to start a campaign to do just that... call him on his bs, and make him shell out money to pay for what he has said. Yes, literally... make him send them aspirin, however he chooses to do it (by the bottle or individually if he wants). It might backfire, as then he'd insist that all these women want sex, but then again, making someone like him pay money to send all those aspirin to DC might be fun.
With Rush Limbaugh essentially saying that any American woman who's ever taken the contraceptive pill is a slut and a prostitute, he not only slandered Sandra Fluke but all women taking contraceptives, including birth-control-using Republican women, calling them sluts and prostitutes, too.
The silence, therefore, of Republicans, especially Republican women, over what Rush said is deafening, just as Clear Channel's silence, with every indication being that this is how all Republicans, even Republican women on the pill, view American women who use contraceptives, for whatever reason, they're all a bunch of sluts and prostitutes (as per the arch-conservative religious viewpoint).
And what about female members of the U.S. military, those serving currently overseas in a war zone, or veterans, female military personnel who've used or are using contraceptives, Rush called them all sluts and prostitutes, too. IOW, what Rush said goes far beyond Sandra Fluke, encompassing all American women, mothers, daughters and sisters, Republican, Democratic or Independent.
Rush believes the more sex you have the more birth control costs. Science continues to be the GOP's enemy. I am so tempted to call him names but I think I will pity his ignorance instead.
I am a 69 year old man who raised two professional daughters. Rush Limbaugh has lower the level of civility and decency to the lowest point of society. Clear Channel Communication and any of there affiliates will never have my business.
I also see that Sears is an advertiser on the Rush Show. I have been a old customer of Sears and Lands End. If Sears or any of there affiliates continue, I will never be a customer and will cancel all of my accounts.
I believe that we as citizens of the world have a responsibility to bring civility and decency to all people that we come in touch. We need to stand up against all of the Rush types in the public arena. This includes our politicians who should lead our country in decency and civility. Neither of which is mainstream. May God Bless all those who join this fight for civility and decency in the world.