Archive for March 9, 2010
Greta Van Susteren’s Non-Disclosure
Greta Van Susteren just announced (@ 10:56 p.m. ET) that Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) signed a book deal with Harper-Collins.
Did she tell her viewers that Harper-Collins is owned by her boss, Fox’s parent company, News Corp.? No.
How times have changed. I remember when doing what Van Susteren did tonight would have been thought of as deceptive, socially-unacceptable, hedonistic self-promotion.
John Roberts Is Such a Delicate Guy
John Roberts, the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court — the guy who orchestrated the yes vote on granting corporations personhood in the Citizens United case — a decision that is universally hated – can’t stand the heat:
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Tuesday criticized President Obama for rebuking the high court’s decision striking down some campaign finance reform laws at the State of the Union in January.
Poor, poor baby.
Oh, and don’t you just love the way ABC’s Jake Trapper worded this? The high court’s “decision striking down some campaign finance reform laws?”
Come November 3, that just might win as the understatement of the year.
Yo, Glenn Beck — Devote an Hour to David Vitter
Hot on the heels of Glenn Beck’s interview with “embattled” former Democratic Rep. Eric Massa comes word that an ethics complaint has been filed against Senator David Vitter, the Republican from Louisiana. You remember him — he has a fondness for prostitutes.
So yo, Glenn, “fair and balanced” huh? Let us know when you’ll devote an hour to Vitter. Thanks in advance.
Glenn Beck Apologizes to America For the Lack of Scandal & Dirt in Massa Interview
Just finished watching the hour-long Eric Massa “interview” with Glenn Beck. Poor Glenny. He wanted dirt on Rahm Emanuel SO bad, but the only thing Massa gave him was to say the White House’s denial that the shower incident with Emanuel didn’t happen was a lie; he insisted it did happen, and this non-news at the very end: “Rahm Emanuel has a hard time making friends…it’s my way or the highway.” Far from dishing dirt on Emanuel, Massa even issued what he said was a “sarcastic” apology for saying Emanuel would tie his own kids to a railroad track to get a vote. Massa said instead that Emanuel would tie his kids — Massa’s — to a railroad track.
Massa came off as a perfectly sane and nice guy and he didn’t throw anybody under the bus, except maybe Washington as a whole, when he said nothing will change until we have campaign finance reform. In the end, Beck felt the need to apologize to his audience, apparently for the lack of fireworks and scandal: “America, I think I’ve wasted your time.”
Beck is such an ass.
Citizens United Comes to a Television Near You
We don’t have to wait until the mid-term elections kick into high gear to see and feel the effect of the Supreme Court’s Citizen United ruling. It’s here. Now. Biz Groups Pour Millions Into Massive Ad Campaign Bashing Health Plan.
I’ve seen a couple political ads on television since Citizens United and my new plan is to look at the fine print at the bottom to see who produced them and then to Google the group and learn more.
Break Time — Food
Do you know about the blog, This is Why You Are Fat, Where Dreams Become Heart Attacks?
Check it out. People send in photographs of overwhelmingly fattening foods that they make or come across in restaurants. It’s funny but also astonishing to see some of the calorie and fat-laden dishes out there. Here’s an example:
China Powers Ahead
There can be real advantages to being a wealthy Communist country, like deciding to establish a national health care system and getting it done almost overnight, such as in China:
HONG KONG — Wang Huijuan and her husband braved an overnight train ride to Beijing from Anhui Province to see a doctor about her ailing intestines. The clinic back home could only take her temperature and blood pressure.
“They don’t have the equipment or expertise to treat more serious illnesses,” said Wang, 47, who shivered in the cold as she waited in vain last week to see a physician at Beijing Xiehe Hospital. “We’ll come back at 4 a.m. tomorrow.”
The $1,460 in life savings the couple brought to pay their costs may become an expense of the past after the Chinese government spends $125 billion to start a national health-insurance system. The benefits will be felt beyond the sick as General Electric and Philips Electronics compete to sell imaging equipment and household savings are freed up to buy clothes and cars.
More than 300 million Chinese are without health insurance, the World Bank says, and the remaining 1 billion have only partial coverage. In part to pay for those costs, Chinese save about one-quarter of their income each year and have accumulated as much as $5 trillion, said Stephen Green, chief China economist for Standard Chartered Bank in Shanghai.
Unlocking those savings is key to China’s plan to shift its economic drivers from exports and investment to domestic consumption after the global crisis and a 16 percent export decline in 2009 laid bare the country’s vulnerability to swings in external demand.
So, most Chinese don’t have health insurance and they save too much money, according to the government, in case they need treatment. In order to discourage saving for medical expenses, the government is going to establish a national health care system so people will instead spend their money on things like clothes and cars. They want their citizens to buy Chinese products so their economy is self-sustaining, instead of being an export-based economy.
Pretty smart. We could learn a thing or two here.
Will Florida Go to the Tea Partiers in November?
Here is a truly stunning poll number out of the Florida senatorial race: “Charlie Crist Trails Marco Rubio in Florida Republican Senate Race by Shocking 32 Points.”
Charlie Crist a moderate Republican and Marco Rubio is a Tea Party conservative.
No Tea Party: Fox Demonizes Pro-Health Care Reform Protesters
It’s no secret that Fox “News” loves a good old-fashioned protest — if, that is — the politics of the protesters match those of Fox, as in the Tea Partiers. Fox can’t get enough of the Tea Partiers and in fact it promotes their rallies and marches. Not so with folks who protest in favor of health care reform.
A march is taking place right now in Washington, D.C. in front of the Ritz Carlton hotel, where insurance executives are meeting. Here’s a picture. At the top of the hour (1:00 p.m. ET) Fox’s Megyn Kelly opened her show with a report from the scene by Jake Gibson, who was identified as a “Fox News producer.” Kelly acted very concerned that violence might break out and in fact these are the chyrons that appeared at the bottom of the screen:
– “Health Care Protesters Surround Ritz Carlton in D.C.”
– “Police Concerned Protesters Might Storm Ritz Carlton in D.C.”
– “Police Form Barricade Between Protesters and Hotel in D.C.”
Yep, Fox is clever alright. It has never insinuated that Tea Partiers were dangerous or violent but when it comes to people who favor health care reform, they are explosive and could break into a rampage at any moment.
Folks, it’s called PROPAGANDA.
Another Big, BIG Benefit of Passing Health Care Reform
Limbaugh Vows to Flee Country if Health Care Passes.
Please, please, please.
Previously Protected Indonesian Forests Opened to Mining
Very bad news: “Protected forests” Now Up for Grabs for Mining:
In addition to the mining sector, the ministry issued regulation No. 10 that allows for protected and conservation forests to be converted to production land, the first ever such policy in Indonesia.
Critics say the regulation may lead to open-pit mining in protected forest areas.
Bill O’Reilly’s Books as “Literature?”
I made the mistake of turning to Fox “News” just now (11:56 p.m. ET). Lo and behold, what did I see? Bill O’Reilly signing off by reading love letters from “the folks.” Gosh, imagine the coincidence: The letters praised BillO’s books and oh, the graphic over his right shoulder read, “O’Reilly Literature.”
Literature? LITERATURE?
This would be the definition of “literature” per a quick Google search:
“…especially when they are considered to be good or important.”
Sorry Bill.
