Today's edition of quick hits:
* Syria: "The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly denounced Syria's crackdown on dissent Friday in a symbolic effort meant to push the deadlocked Security Council and the world at large into action on stopping the country's civil war."
* Oh, austerity, when will you ever learn: "The Spanish government has unveiled a savings package worth [$125 billion] over three years as it tries to restore confidence in its public sector finances."
* The contempt vote wasn't enough; House Republicans now intend to sue Attorney General Eric Holder.
* President Obama responded to the new jobs report this morning, and pressed congressional Republicans on tax policy.
* Voting rights in Texas: "A federal judge in Galveston on Thursday partially blocked new Texas registration laws that critics say amount to vote suppression because they prevent large voter registration drives. U.S. District Judge Gregg Costa blocked the state from enforcing five provisions of the laws that its defenders say are aimed at preventing voter fraud."
* Cass Sunstein, who led a sweeping Obama administration review of existing federal regulations, is returning to Harvard Law School after three years at the White House.
* Congress is addressing the STOCK Act's loophole after an embarrassing CNN report aired this week.
* Does Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) regret equating contraception access to 9/11 and the bombing of Pearl Harbor? Apparently not.
* I'm actually looking forward to this: "NASA's next Mars rover is due to land in just a few days, and the huge robot's handlers can hardly wait."
* And Rick "Kiss My Ass" Gorka's time away from the campaign trail apparently won't last long -- he'll be back speaking on Mitt Romney's behalf next week.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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Yeah I know it's a belated birthday but the boat The African Queen (from the movie of the same name) turned 100 years old this year.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/30/showbiz/african-queen-bogart/index.html
A nice couple gave the old girl some TLC and know she's back in business. Happy Birthday African Queen!
If there is a civil suit against Holder, then I think the most meaningful information to come out will be about lax Arizona gun laws and a paranoid NRA.
I read on Yahoo news where they compare suing for documents after evoking executive privilege to Nixon and Watergate, who did the same thing and only surrendered when he was forced by the Supreme Court.
Right or wrong, how effective is an Attorney General under this type of scrutiny?
Three Nasa women are tweeting the Rover's status in first person as @MarsCuriosity .
I hope the landing goes well. It will be stunning if the bores and chemistry results conclusively prove there was once life on Mars. It will be wonderful if it has as glorious and long lived science collection journey as Spirit and Opportunity rovers.
If you havn't seen the animation of the landing sequencing using the SkyCrane you must see it.
I thought it was a joke when I saw, really I did not believe how crazy the idea seemed.
Here is a link to the video which is pretty normal but about at a minute the crazy starts:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/9449218/Nasa-animation-shows-Curiosity-rover-landing-on-Mars.html
Best Wishes for Curiosity!
The video producer for the JPL segment for the Spirit/Opportunity rovers did a way way cooler job IMHO. If you think MSL's touchdown was weird, the way MER rovers worked was they inflated balls around the lander and the huge bouncing contraption ping ponged around on the surface until it came to rest.
I am not making this up.
You Must see this video "Six minutes of Terror" especially after 2:55. BTW- the facts on the capsule entry are much the same on Curiosity up to the point the heat shield is jettisoned. The capsule is just bigger. (Despite this being JPL animation, the sound effects in space are bogus/ artistic license.)
BTW, I overstated the maximal results possible regarding evidence of life. Conclusive proof of life is improbable. The goal is to collect information that would dramatically impact the probability that life possibly evolved there in the past. Two tests they are doing will substantially increase the likelihood: Existence of chemical signatures of biological activity will be tested by 4 different spectrometers, and evidence of previous Martian atmospheric conditions will be collected.
Why would you think Romney would knock these corrupt Republicans, when he has been one of the rich people paying off these Republicans to do manipulation and rigging the laws. Romney is all for lining his pockets more at the cost of everybody else. Romney is no different than any of these corrupt rich people or Republicans. The only unfortunate thing about it there is too many people that fall for the Republican lies and deceiving.
Let's review:
1. The Republicans goal was to prevent President Obama from getting his policies passed.
2. The Republicans congratulate themselves for having been successful in blocking President Obama from getting his policies passed.
3. The Republicans congratulate themselves for forcing some of their policies through - particularly budget cuts and tax cuts for the wealthy.
4. The Republicans blame the slow job growth and sluggish economy on President Obama's policies.
So..............what is wrong with this..............one of these (4) does not fit with the others.
President Obama had 2 yrs. of Democratic controlled House and Senate. Republican Congress cut Obama a $6T blank check, what did we get out of it? NOTHING. Maybe Obama's policy's and agenda's just isn't working, that's why he's being blamed for everything... There's a legitimate reason why most Americans are upset.
what blank check we owe that because of your hero gwb left what a jerk
Ron, I feel your pain and frustrations. It's really hard to defend the indefensible.
Which is why I cannot fathom your support of the GOP today or during the last decade. As the late and GREAT Gore Vidal famously said, "We are the United States of Amnesia, we learn nothing because we remember nothing."
Obama owns $1.4 trillion of the national debt which is $14 trillion and counting. Your $6 trillion blank check comment was made up and is 100% false. Please try to remember... (click the LINK!)
Forgot a couple things....
MITCH MCCONNELL: The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.
However, without any assistance from the Republican congress, America was still able to experience 29 consecutive months of private job growth. Which amounts to 4.5 million jobs.
Imagine how much better things would be if America did not shed 532,000 government jobs.
What boggles my mind is people like Cindy see no connection to what happened to the economy and banking system prior to 2009 to what is happening now. They think the economy should be better, just because they think it should be.
The last time there was a crisis near the same magnitude was the great depression and it took 10 years and a world war to get out of that mess.
Like Whatever Works posted above, we have had 29 months of private job growth. I think Obama is doing a fine job despite all the effort by republicans to undermine his efforts. It's Mitch McConnell's 1st priority to undermine and defeat Obama and he couldn't care less how this may effect the American people.
You, Jon Stewart, are terrible.
Since the 'You, Harry Reid, Are Terrible' segment of The Daily Show, conservatives have sliced and diced the comments of Mr. Stewart now into a defense of Mitt Romney not releasing his taxes.
Except that wasn't the point of Mr. Stewart's outrage. The segment was intended to lambaste Mr. Reid for invoking the memory of George Romney and saying that the late former governor would be ashamed. Mr. Stewart had a point to make on Mr. Reid but it was so poorly delivered that the point was lost. It was a rare moment when his comedy show attempts to be serious. "That was a bullsh!t shot," cried Mr. Stewart as his comedy show took a sharp pivot from laughter to seriousness. The audience was silenced and stunned. The time for laughs had stopped and Mr. Stewart stopped being a comedy show for that moment. He was an opinion news show, trying to sell his opinion as the one “in bounds”.
I loved when Rachel took on Mr. Stewart on the responsibility department all those years ago. She was right then and she would still be right today. Mr. Stewart has the eyes and ears of a lot of people who otherwise do no consume news or information. I know he is a comedy show but the very state of politics in this nation is itself a joke at the moment.
When you distract or misinform an already poorly informed electorate, you should shoulder some responsibility for the results. Mr. Stewart tried to be popular and tried to aspire to a neutral ground, but anyone with any sense knows that neutral ground no longer exists. Mr. Stewart too often enters political discords to make a popular bubble gum comment, like his "You are terrible comment" directed at Mr. Reid. Now that gum is stuck in nation’s hair.
I just wish the Daily Show would stop trying judge what is in bounds and what is out. A comedy show shouldn't enter into that kind of judgment. And if they want to, as they continue to do, that is fine. Just take responsibility. The “B.S. shot” is from Mr. Stewart when he then blames MSNBC and Maddow for the type of news they broadcast.
I don't care about Stewart's judgement as long as he makes it sound funny.
If you want funny tune in at 11:30. lol, i joke i joke. He is very funny and pretty smart too. I don't hate Mr. Stewart or his show. I just disagree with his defense that he is simply a "comedy show" and therefore immune to responsibility even when he slides back and forth from serious to comedic. I think its disingenuous especially when he is greatly influencing the conversation and direction of the argument.
All i want is a little accountability. He never or rarely self corrects or issues correction.
I agree. He does have serious responsibility for his serious delivery he must accept. He's fulfilling the funny side, but I understand he's got work to do on his serious side. Maybe Colbert could do a number on Stewart sliding back and forth. Now that's competition.
You know what? Mr Reid is finally fed up with the crap that the GOP has been doing. Lies, obstruction and no no no no.
Harry got tired of being punching bag and punched back. Maybe the blow was a little low, but screw it the other guy has been putting brass knuckles in his boxing gloves.
How terrible that a Democrat fights dirty.
Pat: Yes, though "finally" is late and no mark of a leader.
Thank you Pat P11111, yes finally!
After almost 4 years of birth certificates and other general forms of race bating, the debacle around the GOP flip out over Obamney Care, supreme court challenges calling it the most unAmerican thing ever, the GOP Libya flip-flop, assaults on a private female citizen over birth control, debt ceilings and ratings drops it is time for the Democratic party to fight back.
Who cares if it was a dirty punch. The other side has thrown so much more. Too much is at stake in 2012. Harry Reid did it because the President cant and no other democrat other than Reid could have swung with that much weight behind his punch.
Please Mr. Reid keep punching. You're not up for election again until 2016 if you even run again. Punch more and more and more. Finally, a Democrat not named Hillary with some balls.
Romney is sure a doozie when he wants to get rid of wind energy, which is one of the most useful things people can do with renewable energy. Wind turbines take up the least amount of space and can produce a good amount of electricity provided to the grid. And the wind blows a lot more than the sunshine’s. Romney is as typical as he ever was and goes against the light. And what is opposite of the light, darkness. Romney is definitely showing his true colors here and that is nothing good. Big oil and the coal industry must be in with Romney on this one, since they have no concern about saving peoples lives and saving the planet from a major disaster.
Please do not let Mitt Romney slime his way into office. If he wants to be President he needs to come clean with America. 'We the people' need the Fourth Estate to get us the information we need to make an informed decision.
'We the people' need your help.
http://tndp.org/blog/2012/08/03/tennessee-democrats-disavow-senate-candidate-mark-clayton/
Tennessee does it again .... obviously Clayton was not vetted.
sorry - posted twice
Another frivolous lawsuit.
Last week House "jobs, jobs, jobs" Republicans held "English-only" hearings.
Wouldn't any Republican-passed "English-only" law violate the U.S. Constitution and the First Amendment's freedom of speech clause?
Hey, the First Amendment doesn't specify any language nor does it specifically restrict freedom of speech only to English. Thus, wouldn't "English-only" Republicans have to amend the U.S. Constitution first, adding a language requirement (English-only) to the First Amendment? IOW, not only the words spoken but the language they are spoken in appear to be covered by the First Amendment, unless otherwise stated or amended. So, any "jobs, jobs, jobs" Republican legislative action at any level of our government looks unconstitutional to me, and any court hearing a case against such "English-only" legislation would probably rule it unconstitutional...since the U.S. Constitution itself doesn't specify English as our one and only national language.
Last week "jobs, jobs, jobs" House Republicans decided that English should be the only language officially spoken in America.
Wouldn't Republicans need to amend the U.S. Constitution to make this official (and legally/constitutionally binding), though?
Just curious. The U.S. Constitution and the First Amendment's freedom of speech clause doesn't specify any language being spoken to enjoy the right to freedom of speech in America. So, it appears to me that the First Amendment not only protects the words said but also the language in which they are said, no matter what language. Thus, Republicans can't just pass legislation (this would violate the First Amendment), they must amend the U.S. Constitution with an "English-only" dictate before they can make English the official language of America. Hey, even an "originalist" like Justice Scalia can see this.
Oh but they can pass such legislation if enough agree or they can just keep submitting for vote. Local and State can pass the same thing and force it to the courts.
I would like to ask them a question.
What are we going to re-name my state, capitol and major and minor cities, streets and counties?
California, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco, El Monte…etc.
Nevada, Florida, Montana, Arizona… etc.
Also, the rest of the places across the country that are Spanish and French words, along with native and German, etc.
http://www.geographylists.com/list20y.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._place_names_of_Spanish_origin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._place_names_of_French_origin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_place_names_in_the_United_States_of_Native_American_origin
"Mitt Romney May Be Finished" -- he LOVES asking GOVERNMENT FOR MONEY!
Video of him bragging about how he got $410 MILLION dollars from the GOVERNMENT to help with the Salt Lake City Olympic game!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yR_Mn4Skt4&feature=player_embedded