Diary: The Decision: Freedom or Slavery? TomDispatch. The Possibility of Fascism in America. Sarah Palin, Paper Grizzly. Share Sarah Palin's new "Mama Grizzlies" video drew strong reactions from many reporters, politicos and critics.
An analysis of viewer data, however, shows that Palin's video actually failed to reach or excite her base. In the week since it was first posted on Palin's Facebook page, which boasts over 1.8 million backers, the video has drawn 368,000 views. Yet despite her large following, only 33,000 people watched the video via Facebook, according to YouTube statistics. That means only one out of ten viewers found "Mama Grizzlies" through Palin's social network—and under 2 percent of her Facebook community watched the video.
Mostly traditional news readers and Palin detractors. Almost a third of all views came through an article on Yahoo! UT Agrees to Re-Name Dorm Honoring Klansman. Share On July 9, Bill Powers, president of the University of Texas, announced that he would accept the recommendation of a 21-member panel to re-name a residence hall honoring William Stewart Simkins, an unapologetic Ku Klux Klan organizer who later became a law professor at the University of Texas, a job he held from 1899 until his death in 1929.
The UT administration has been called on several times in the past few years to change the names of several of its buildings, but Powers made little headway on his promise to consider modifications until the Simkins story—and the protests of African-American groups on campus and in the community—garnered national attention. (For background, read this June 13 StudentNation report.) Dr. Sara Haji, a Nation intern and freelance writer, is a recent graduate from the University of Texas, Austin.
Right-wing media attempt to erase "bigoted statements" from the tea party movement. Following the NAACP's resolution condemning "the Tea Party's continued tolerance for bigotry and bigoted statements," right-wing media have gone on the defense, going so far as to claim there is "no evidence of racism within the movement.
" A.N.S.W.E.R.: Petraeus promotes civil war in Afghanistan. Please circulate this message widely by email and through social networking sites.
Petraeus promotes civil war in Afghanistan Statement from Brian Becker, National Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition Badly losing the war in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus has decided to promote a violent civil war in Afghan villages. Beck conspiracy theory: Financial reform will let Obama take over Fox News. July 16, 2010 10:17 pm ET — 16 Comments Glenn Beck suggested that the financial regulatory reform law would let President Obama "take over Fox" if he determines Fox News is being "too negative. " In fact, the law allows the government to seize only banks and other financial organizations "substantially engaged" in financial activities and solely if they are in "financial distress" that "pose[s] a threat to the financial stability of the United States. " Beck's conspiracy theory: Financial reform would let Obama "take over" companies like Fox News Beck suggested law would let Obama "go in and take over Fox.
" Beck ignores Christian Coalition, pope to mock Christian environmentalists. July 16, 2010 4:59 pm ET — 27 Comments Despite mainstream religious support for environmental safeguards, Glenn Beck mocked the group Faithful America for its advocacy for climate change as a religious issue and denounced the idea as "fascism" and "evil. " Beck, crew denounce religious concern over climate change, attack group's ads critical of Beck. Vatican says women priests a 'crime against faith' Earlier this year three bishops travelled to the Vatican to talk over an offer made by Pope Benedict XVI inviting disillusioned Anglicans to convert to Catholicism, while still keeping tenets of their own faith.
Within the Roman Catholic Church itself there have been growing calls to allow women to become priests in the wake of the widespread paedophilia scandal. George Carlin ~ The American Dream. The Missing Memos. How Brokers Became Bookies. The Lawyers and Lobbyists Full Employment Act. Without spending a single dime, the Obama administration did more yesterday to create jobs for the U.S. economy than it has throughout its entire existence.
With the single stroke of a pen, President Barack Obama signed the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill that set in motion 243 new formal rule-makings by 11 different federal agencies. Each of the 243 rule-makings will employ hundreds of banking lobbyists as they try to shape what the final actual laws will look like. And when the rules are finally written, thousands of lawyers will bill millions of hours as the richest incumbent financial firms that caused the last crisis figure out how to game the new system.
Yesterday, the Washington law firm Jones Day snapped up the Securities and Exchange Commission head enforcement division lawyer, and J.P. Financial Reform: What's Next? Financial reform bill - U.S.
Capitol Dome over U.S. Flag and 100 dollar bills. The New York Times Goes Nuts, Says The Government Should Regulate Google's Search Algorithm. Email - Why is the U.S. locking up asylum-seekers? Skip navigation Take action Today, years of hard-fought civil liberty protections are under threat — and to influence lawmakers, we need everyone to get involved.
PostPartisan - Are Democrats chuckling about Michele Bachmann's Tea Party? I don’t think Rep.
Michele Bachmann, the very right-wing Republican from Minnesota, is doing her party any favors by creating a Tea Party Caucus in the House of Representatives. The Plum Line - Senator Vitter suggests Rachel Maddow only looked like a woman "a long time ago" Media Matters: The right-wing rage machine unloads a frenzy of race-baiting. The summer months are typically when the quality of political discourse in this country reaches its yearly nadir. Washington tends to slow down from June to August, and people who hold moderate interest in the political process instead turn to barbecues and baseball games.
As a consequence, the people who remain engaged are those who are more, let's say, passionate in their beliefs, and aren't going to let a little thing like "other things to do" get in the way of their political activism. Summer is also tough for political journalists who still have deadlines to meet, but much less material with which to work. As a consequence, we see stories that would ordinarily merit passing or no mention earn disproportionate coverage. Minor gaffes become "scandals," non-issues become "controversial," and the end result is that pretty much everyone gets angrier. Right-wing bloggers promote false suggestion that Kagan lied about abortion issue.
Media falsely suggest Kagan lied when she said ACOG believed "partial-birth abortion" was sometimes "the medically best procedure" Jill Stanek: "Kagan likely committed perjury when testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on her role with the ACOG partial-birth abortion scandal. " On July 15, right-wing blogger Jill Stanek wrote : "Potentially big news coming from Americans United for Life this morning. I was in DC yesterday and was told US Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan likely committed perjury when testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on her role with the ACOG partial-birth abortion scandal. If this charge if going to be levied at the press conference, and if it is true, Kagan has disqualified herself from serving as Supreme Court Justice.
" Right-Wing Support for the Bi-National Model « Mostly on Israel. Right-Wing Senators Justify Racism As Human Trafficking Prevention. This week, two Senators from the feathery edge of the right wing, Jim DeMint and David Vitter, proposed an amendment which would prevent President Obama from challenging the constitutionality of Arizona’s controversial new immigration law. Their reason? Help border states prevent crimes like kidnapping and human trafficking. Someone needs to tell these fellows racism and anti-immigrant sentiments don’t help end human trafficking. The law, SB 1070, lets state law enforcement officials enforce federal immigration laws, letting them check the immigration status of anyone who they have a reasonable suspicion might be illegally in the country. NEW PAC TO FUNNEL ANTI-GAY ‘WHITE SUBURBAN CHRISTIAN REPUBLICAN’ MONEY INTO DC POLITICS. The National Organization for Marriage and allies like Bishop Harry Jackson have been looking for some way to overturn marriage equality legislation that became law in the District earlier this year with overwhelming support from the city’s elected leadership.
AIG will pay $1 billion to Ohio's pension funds, others. AIG will pay $1 billion to Ohio's pension funds, others - Attorney General Richard Cordray said today that Ohio pension funds and others will receive $1 billion in a settlement with disgraced insurance giant AIG.