Morally Wrong

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Friday January 23, 2009 · 9:24 PM PST

2009/01/23 · 21:24

President Barack Obama on Friday struck down the Bush administration's ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information — an inflammatory policy that has bounced in and out of law for the past quarter-century.

The policy, known to progressives as the global gag rule, known to conservatives as the Mexico City policy, was an impediment to providing effective public health aid worldwide. Obama was right to reverse this policy in his first week. It needlessly forced health care organizations to make a dangerous choice between turning away the prospect of American aid dollars or failing to provide procedures or information to women, even to prevent life-threatening risk and even for victims of rape and incest.

Conservative reactions below the fold...

NeilDB

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Friday November 11, 2005 · 1:35 PM PST

2005/11/11 · 13:35

There's a new scandal every day and Americans are quickly losing trust in all levels of elected officials and their appointed cronies. In this atmosphere, progressives need to be repeating a quote from former SCOTUS Justice Louis Brandeis: "Sunlight is the best disinfectant."

While this idiom may not technically be true (sunlight will not cleanse your kitchen tabletops or toilet seats), it is deeply meaningful. To protect us from corruption all we truly need is unfettered acces to see how our institutions work.

However even in the midst of stonewalling multiple investigations, the Bush administration has found time to limit public access to vital information even further. This time its the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). Follow below the fold to find out what this is, why it matters and what you can do within five minutes to take action.
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wow, just f'ing wow

NeilDB

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Tuesday October 25, 2005 · 9:03 AM PDT

2005/10/25 · 09:03

I'm watching the live Bush speech on CNN now- a speech to the Officer's Wives of something.

Bush just pulled out this gem - (paraphrased, not quoted)

How does Osama Bin laden, a multimillionaire, know what is right for poor muslims? He commands poor muslims to kill themselves for a belief, but does not do that himself.

Sounds like a pretty valid criticism of Bush himself.

Sorry for the brevity of this diary, but sometimes this administration leaves me clueless and speechless. anyone catch the actual quote?

My letter to Specter

NeilDB

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Friday October 07, 2005 · 1:32 PM PDT

2005/10/07 · 13:32

I just sent the following to Arlen Specter via email and snail mail. If any of you live in PA or other states that have Senators on the Judiciary Committe, I urge you to send similar requests. (NY and DE kossacks, I'm looking in your direction- contact Schumer and Biden. VT, MA, WI, IL, and CA kossacks, your wonderful Democratic Senators also sit on the committee.)

Letter below the fold: Read More

A Pox On All Your Fish

NeilDB

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Monday September 26, 2005 · 6:19 AM PDT

2005/09/26 · 06:19

There's been a lot of discussion on this site and elsewhere about the strategy that Senate Democrats used to vote for or against John Roberts. Senate minority leader Harry Reid, one of the first to announce he would be voting no, explained why he wasn't calling for all Democrats to follow: "You can only go to the well so many times. This (Roberts vote) isn't a time I wanted to do that." That is an astute quote, Reid wants to follow Kenny Rogers' advice and "know when to hold them, know when to fold them."

However if there ever was a time to call for a party line vote, Reid missed it a week and a half ago when the Senate voted to overturn Bush's weakened rule on mercury emissions. It would have been both a policy and a political triumph to overturn the Bush rule, reduce mercury emissions (which end up in our waterways, our fish, and then our bodies) and a concrete way to stop the harmful Bush agenda. Read More

1000+ Greet the Bring Them Home Now Bus Tour in Pittsburgh (w/ photos)

NeilDB

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Sunday September 11, 2005 · 9:44 PM PDT

2005/09/11 · 21:44

Sunday was an eventful day: the four year anniversary of 9/11/01, the beginning of the NFL season, and the Freedom March and Concert for a failing regime in DC. Here in Pittsburgh we were lucky enough to have the Gold Star Families for Peace and the Bring Them Home Now Bus Tour stop by with a rally and a candlelight vigil march, and over a thousand people showed up during the day.

photos below the fold Read More

Sinclair News On Katrina Response

NeilDB

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Wednesday September 07, 2005 · 8:53 PM PDT

2005/09/07 · 20:53

On tonight's Sinclair News, shown on my local Fox affiliate, I heard a new talking point shifting blame towards local authorities.

The lead segment focused on how Dems are blaming Bush and FEMA. The "reporter" pointed out that state rules call for school busses to be used in evacuations for those with no other transportation. But the buses went unused and got flooded. This is the first I've heard of this.

Next they said that the mayor was overwhelmed and lashed out at the federal government in an angry radio interview. Then they interviewed a Democratic strategist to really reinforce how we're all using this tragedy to bash Bush. The story didn't have one f'ing word though, to try to actually prove the competence of the federal response to Katrina.

Today is NOT Labor Day

NeilDB

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Monday September 05, 2005 · 5:58 AM PDT

2005/09/05 · 05:58

One productive thing that the recent split in the AFL-CIO already produced was a newfound interest in the labor movement. Sure, it only lasted a week, and the only reason the mainstream media latched onto the story was because it involved unions fighting with each other, but still for a few days the labor movement was featured on the front page of the paper.

So it seems like as a good a year as any to remind people of something that your boss probably doesn't want you to know: today is not labor day. The creation of the first Monday as Labor Day was another step by corporate bosses and the government to defuse and derail the nascent progressive socialist movement that existed in this country in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

A brief history below the fold. Read More

Durbin, Santorum, Casey and Inconsistency

NeilDB

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Sunday July 24, 2005 · 11:13 AM PDT

2005/07/24 · 11:13

[A few weeks ago I posted a similar diary, but it wasn't written well and I didn't make my point clearly. Dick Durbin's comment on Meet the Press this morning inspired me to have another go at it.]

This morning on Meet the Press, Sen. Dick Durbin, while speaking about nomination hearings for Judge John Roberts was asked about his personal shift on abortion issues. As a Congressman he was pro-life, but now is pro-choice, and says that if a potential SCOTUS Justice wanted to overturn Roe, that would indicate he or she was outside the political mainstream. Here is what the Senior Senator from Illinois said about his change in position:

Worker's Rights Abuse Slides Under the Radar

NeilDB

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Tuesday July 12, 2005 · 6:21 PM PDT

2005/07/12 · 18:21

Buried today on the back page of the business section of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Law Would Facilitate Recognition of Unions":

The AFL-CIO yesterday held a "town hall forum" at the Pittsburgh Hilton to press for passage of legislation that would require employers to recognize a union after a majority of workers sign cards authorizing union representation.

The legislation, known as the Employee Free Choice Act, also would provide for mediation and arbitration of first contract disputes and authorize stronger penalties for violations.

There is no discussion in this pathetic excuse of an article- or elsewhere in the MSM- of why current and potential union members feel that the Employee Free Choice Act is necessary.

-continued below- Read More

Supreme Court Protects Drug Dealers

NeilDB

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Wednesday June 08, 2005 · 1:06 PM PDT

2005/06/08 · 13:06

OK, so why is marijuana illegal?

We've heard all sorts of different reasons:

Marijuana causes aberrant behavior and lack of motivation
Weed is harmful and has no therapeutic value
Pot use leads to use of other drugs
Buying grass supports violent criminals, and even terrorists

However when the Supreme Court ruled earlier this week that the federal government can trump state law and prosecute medicinal marijuana users, they didn't rely on any of those reasons. They ruled this way because homegrown marijuana would lessen demand for illegaly sold marijuana, presumably cutting into the profits of career criminals and terrorist networks. Read More

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