“My Administration is committed to crafting an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.”
President Obama, 01/21/09
————
About Open Government
For too long, the American people have experienced a culture of secrecy in Washington, where information is locked up, taxpayer dollars disappear without a trace, and lobbyists wield undue influence. For Americans, business as usual in Washington has reinforced the belief that the government benefits the special interests and the well connected at the expense of the American people.
But President Obama committed to change the way Washington works. And he has begun to do just that.
On his first day in Office, President Obama signed the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, ushering in a new era of open and accountable government meant to bridge the gap between the American people and their government:
* The Administration is reducing the influence of special interests by writing new ethics rules that prevent lobbyists from coming to work in government or sitting on its advisory boards.
* The Administration is tracking how government uses the money with which the people have entrusted it with easy-to-understand websites like Recovery.gov, USASpending.gov, and IT.usaspending.gov.
* The Administration is empowering the public – through greater openness and new technologies – to influence the decisions that affect their lives.
On December 8, 2009, the White House issued an unprecedented Open Government Directive requiring federal agencies to take immediate, specific steps to achieve key milestones in transparency, participation, and collaboration. You can see all Open Government Directive milestones, track progress across the Executive Branch on the Open Government Dashboard, and read about how the Obama Administration is changing the way Washington works in the Progress Report to the American People .
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Monday Jul. 19, 2010
All Times Eastern
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
10:30 AM
Pres Obama delivers a statement to the press about the economy.
10:45 AM
Pres Obama receives the presidential daily briefing.
11:00 AM
11:15 AM
Pres Obama receives the economic daily briefing.
12:00 PM
Pres Obama meets with senior advisers.
12:30 PM
VP Biden attends an event for Congressional candidate Bryan Lentz in Philadelphia.
1:00 PM
1:40 PM
Pres Obama welcomes the WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury to the White House.
2:00 PM
R Gibbs briefs members of the press.
2:05 PM
Pres Obama meets with former Sen. John Glenn.
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:30 PM
VP Biden attends an event for Gov. Martin O’Malley in Baltimore.
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
Pres Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attend the White House Music Series event saluting Broadway. Pres Obama delivers remarks.
Agencies Embrace Open Government
Posted by Beth Noveck, Robynn Sturm on December 10, 2009 at 02:35 PM EDT
The Administration’s commitment to open government goes beyond the making of government-wide policy for the future. It means real change in practice today.
To mark the publication of the Open Government Directive, every one of the Cabinet Departments launched a brand new open government initiative. This work represents only the beginning of an ongoing commitment across the Administration to create a culture of openness in government.
Peruse the full list of Cabinet commitments, explore the latest open government innovations in our Gallery, or access individual agency press releases below.
Agency Open Government Press Releases, in alphabetical order:
* Department of Agriculture
* Department of Commerce
* Department of Defense
* Department of Education
* Department of Energy
* Department of Health and Human Services
* Department of Homeland Security
* Department of Housing and Urban Development
* Department of Interior
* Department of Justice
* Department of Labor
* Department of State
* Department of Transportation
* Department of the Treasury
* Department of Veterans Affairs
* General Services Administration
* National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Beth Noveck is United States Deputy Chief Technology Officer and Director of the White House Open Government Initiative
Robynn Sturm is United States Assistant Deputy Chief Technology Officer
OpenGov video, May 20, 2009 -
Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, on Open Government
Making Government Accountable for Openness
Posted by Aneesh Chopra on April 08, 2010 at 02:39 PM EDT
Yesterday, all cabinet agencies, and others including my home, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, reported to the American people detailed plans on how they would demonstrate the President’s vision for a Washington that works — a government that is more transparent, participatory and collaborative.
We began this journey on the President’s first full day in office when he signed a Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government. By December, following an unprecedented dialogue with the American people in crafting recommendations, Peter Orszag, OMB Director, issued an Open Government Directive directing agencies to reflect the President’s vision in their own words.
The Directive demanded action measured in weeks, not years. It tasked me, along with my colleague, Federal CIO Vivek Kundra, with holding agencies accountable through the publication of an online dashboard. While today marks the final set of deliverables formally outlined in the Directive, Vivek and I view it as the beginning of our journey to instill these values into the culture of Washington.
Here’s our plan to do so:
First, Vivek and I, along with others in the White House, will assess agency Open Government plans against the criteria contained within the Open Government Directive and will publish our findings on the dashboard.
The results of this assessment will be released by no later than May 1st. Watch this blog for interim updates as we proceed with the evaluation.
Second, we also invite you to be a part of the feedback process to the agencies. We hope and trust that independent experts, stakeholders and the American people will review and comment on the plans, including how they can improve as they are revised moving forward Please share your thoughts on each agency’s Open Government Plan by visiting the agency websites and providing your comments. Each agency designed their plan to reflect its approach to openness and they and we will actively seek your input as we deliver on the President’s promise to change the way Washington works.
Third, we and our colleagues will review agency nominations for achievement of leading practices to celebrate outstanding efforts that will inspire others through a “race to the top” among government agencies in the practice of openness.
As background, a group of agency leaders within the Open Government Working Group, led by Todd Park, the Chief Technology Officer for the Department of Health and Human Services, after consultation with outside experts, developed an aspirational set of Open Government Leading Practices. They focused on four major categories:
* Leadership, Governance and Culture Change
* Transparency
* Participation and Collaboration
* Flagship Initiative
By April 19th, agencies will be eligible to nominate specific initiatives within their plan for recognition under Leading Practices. By May 1st, we will recognize agencies on the Open Government Dashboard.
Improving Transparency at the Food and Drug Administration: We Want Your Feedback
Posted by Beth Martino on May 19, 2010 at 01:38 PM EDT
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Transparency Task Force is releasing 21 draft proposals aimed at helping consumers, stakeholders, and others understand how FDA works and makes decisions. FDA would like the public to provide feedback on these ideas. After 60 days, FDA will use your comments to make recommendations to FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg for implementation.
Following the leadership and commitment of President Obama and the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to transparent and open government, Commissioner Hamburg launched FDA’s Transparency Initiative in June 2009. Since then, FDA has held two public meetings, participated in public listening sessions, launched an online transparency blog, and established a public record to accept public comments. FDA has received more than 1500 comments from the public about transparency at the agency. Two major initiatives already have been launched as a result of public suggestions.
Earlier this year, FDA launched a popular new website, FDA Basics, to help better explain the work that FDA does. We also launched a new public performance system called FDA-TRACK to help track the agency’s progress on important projects and programs.
Our next step is releasing this report today. This report has proposals that were developed based on public input. All the proposals are designed to help provide more information to the public while maintaining confidentiality for trade secrets and individually identifiable information.
For example, one proposal is for FDA to explain its reasoning when it declines to approve a medical product. Disclosing this kind of information could help researchers and others in the medical products industry develop improved products for approval.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/05/19/improving-transparency-food-and-drug-administration-we-want-your-feedback
USFoodandDrugAdmin video, January 06, 2010 -
Norman Baylor is director of the Office of Vaccines Research Review in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Among other things, Baylor talks about the special talents of his team. “Most of our staff,” says Baylor in this interview, “started in a laboratory or in a clinical setting, a hospital or some other clinical setting, so we have … the ability and the knowledge base to evaluate these products. And even when new technologies come about, we have the knowledge base to understand and to ask the appropriate questions about how these products might work, how these technologies might be applied to these different products.
Visit FDA Basics for more information at: http://www.fda.gov/FDABasics
USFoodandDrugAdmin video, January 06, 2010 -
Tracey Forfa is executive director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine. This small center plays an important role in the lives of Americans — farmers, dog and cat lovers, and all the rest — by paying close attention to the many connections humans have with animals. “Were looking closely at how we can prevent contaminants in animals. And she reminds everyone that what gets fed to animals, especially food animals, ultimately gets fed to humans.”
Visit FDA Basics for more information at: http://www.fda.gov/FDABasics
Monday, July 19th –
The President and First Lady will continue the White House music series celebrating the arts and demonstrating the importance of arts education by featuring Broadway music and its prestigious performers. During the day, 20 dance students from Duke Ellington School of the Arts and the Joy of Motion Dance Center will participate in an educational workshop and rehearse a segment from the Broadway show Hairspray, led by choreographer Jerry Mitchell, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC.
At 2:00 PM, the students will come to the White House to perform in a special dress rehearsal for the First Lady and their parents and teachers in the East Room. This dress rehearsal will be open press.
In the evening, this youth ensemble will join the ranks of major Broadway artists and new talent who will perform selections from American musicals that reflect the spirit, energy and ambition of America. Participants include Nathan Lane, Idina Menzel, Audra McDonald, Elaine Stritch, Brian d’Arcy James, Chad Kimball, Tonya Pinkins, Marvin Hamlisch, Karen Olivo, Assata Alston, Danielle Arci and Constantine Rousouli under the direction of George C. Wolfe.
President Obama will make opening remarks at this pooled press event, which will be held in the East Room and streamed live on http://www.whitehouse.gov starting at 7:00 p.m. ET.
“A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House” will be televised on public broadcasting stations nationwide on October 20, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. ET as part of the PBS music series “In Performance at the White House.”
Live today on CNN http://live.cnn.com/:
10:30 AM President Obama delivers a statement from the White House Rose Garden about the economy.
01:30 PM President Obama welcomes the 2009 WNBA champions, the Phoenix Mercury, to the White House.
From the Open Government Initiative Innovations Gallery:
BusinessDotGov video, October 26, 2009 -
The Business.gov website provides a unique set of tools that make it easier for business owners to do business. The newest feature is the online Community that enables business owners, subject matter experts and all levels of government to discuss information, share experiences and collaborate on small business issues. Nancy Sternberg of the SBA explains.
Open Government Innovations:
doktac video, August 16, 2009 -
Winner of the US Dept. of Health & Human Services 2009 Flu Prevention Video PSA Contest. Written, composed, produced, and performed by John D. Clarke, MD, FAAFP. This music video is a fun, highly educational, and entertaining way to learn about prevention of the H1N1 virus.
Open Government Innovations:
Wikified Army Field Guide
The Challenge
Army Field Manuals (or “Army Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures”) instruct Soldiers on all aspects of Army life. As the battlefield changes rapidly, the field manuals must keep pace. Under the traditional process – in which a select few were charged with drafting and updating the field manuals– the manuals often failed to reflect the latest knowledge of Soldiers on the ground.
The Solution
Using the same free software behind Wikipedia, the Army’s “wikified” field manuals invite military personnel– from the privates to the generals – to collaboratively update the Army Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures in real time. In so doing, the Army provides a secure means for battle-tested Soldiers to share their experience and advice from the field.
The Benefit
Wikified Army Field Manuals ensure that the men and women who serve our nation have access to the best possible information when they need it.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/innovations/wikifiedArmy
Video explaining the Wikified Army Field Guide -
Open Government Innovations:
NCLB Listening and Learning Tour
The Challenge
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has squelched innovation and failed to advance key education reforms. The Act’s upcoming reauthorization creates an opportunity to reshape the law to ensure it provides accurate information about the performance of schools or the achievement of students, offers incentives for the best teachers and principals to work in the toughest schools, and gives districts the resources they need to turn around their lowest-performing schools. Secretary Duncan wants to get the reauthorization right, and he knows the best ideas don’t come from Washington.
The Solution
Secretary Duncan embarked on a Listening and Learning Tour to hear the ideas of educators.
The Secretary has attended conferences, toured schools, eaten lunch with school children, and held informal conversations with teachers in a coffee shop. He has heard from teachers at several stops that we need to improve the quality of teacher preparation programs. He also has seen how local community groups and public schools are working together to broaden the services available to students. After successfully launching the tour, the Secretary assigned senior members of his team to conduct listening and learning events. By the end of 2009, the Secretary or a senior staff member will have visited all 50 states and heard the public’s input about the future of NCLB.
The Secretary and his staff regularly reflect on what they’ve heard on the department’s blog and extend the conversation by accepting comments. More than 500 people have written comments on these posts. In response to online comments, the Secretary has reached out to continue the conversation with key stakeholders. For example, a comment by a high-school world history teacher in Princeton, Texas, prompted a call from the Secretary to learn more about his suggestions for how to achieve higher academic standards.
The Benefit
The Listening and Learning Tour has reinforced the Secretary’s belief that Americans understand that our country must educate its way to a better economy. He has learned that people want national leadership on education but not at the expense of local control.
The Secretary also values what he’s heard from students. On an Indian reservation in Montana, 9th grader Teton Magpie told him that adults don’t expect enough of them and that standards should be higher. The specific ideas of Teton Magpie and other members of the public will help Secretary Duncan and his staff draft their proposal to reauthorize NCLB. The input from educators and the general public will be a valuable contribution to the Obama administration’s effort to ensure that NCLB works better for students.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/innovations/nclb-tour
Education Secretary Arne Duncan explains the NCLB Listening and Learning tour in this video -
Open Government Innovations:
Peer-to-Patent
Peer-to-Patent allows members of the public to pool their knowledge and locate potential prior art to share with the examiner and inventor. The United States Patent and Trademark Office is running a two-year pilot program to see if peer review can support, in a cost effective manner, timely, accurate decisions about what inventions merit a U.S. patent.
Patent applicants volunteer their applications for peer review. Opening up the review of patent applications allows the public to share in the examination process to help identify the best prior art. The peer-to-patent system creates a framework which makes use of an on-line system to merge the technologies of peer-to-peer communications, networking, and collaborative filtering to offer expertise in identifying relevant literature, which informs both patent applicants and the USPTO’s patent examiners.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/innovations/Peer-to-Patent
OpenGov video, May 20, 2009 -
Peer to Patent
OpenGov video, May 20, 2009 -
Access to Government Data: Discover. Participate. Engage.
Launched on May 21st, Data.gov is an online platform for access to Federal Government Data. By helping the public find, access, and download non-sensitive Executive Branch data, Data.gov enables enterprising Americans to create new web applications that can help individuals, communities, and businesses access, sort, visualize and understand public data in new ways. Federal CIO Vivek Kundra explains.
I hate hate the media. When Gallup had Obama’s approval at 44% & disapproval at 48% last week, MSNBC put a full-screen up. of the numbers several times during the day, and especially during the morning. Morning Joe not only repeatedly kept putting it up as a full screen, they also had it on the banner on the bottom of the screen.
Now that his approval went up 5 points in 2 days to 49% and his disapproval went down 4 points in 2 days to 44%, (http://www.gallup.com/Home.aspx) will they do the same thing?
Probably not.
Hi, BWD. You know the media — same old, same old.
Joe Strupp at MediaMatters.org said this on July 16:
Is Media Giving Obama Credit He Deserves?
On a day when BP finally plugged the massive gulf oil leak and a major financial regulatory bill was passed are media outlets giving short shrift to both successes and President Barack Obama’s deserved credit for them?
Media Critic Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post thinks so, noting this morning that the president may not be getting the positive attention earned for these and other successes.
” … with Thursday’s Senate vote to approve sweeping new regulation of the banking industry, the president has now delivered on his promise to clean up the Wall Street practices that nearly imploded the economy,” Kurtz writes. “How much credit will the media give him? Will this be portrayed as a watershed event? Or will it be over by the weekend, with press attention drifting back to the oil well and the midterms?
“As one indication, the network newscasts I saw led with BP finally plugging the leak (for which the president will get no credit after 87 days, even though he took a hit for the futile efforts early on). The Senate victory got just a few sentences. The Washington press corps is heavily poll-driven. If Obama shot up 10 points next week, everyone would go back and point to the banking bill as a turning point. If not, such legislation tends to become background noise.
“And therein lies the rub. The financial regulation bill may well help protect consumers and limit the possibility of another banking collapse, but the average Joe won’t see any tangible benefits right away. The health-care bill, tarred as more Big Government, remains a blur to most folks, and most of the major benefits are delayed for years (though the White House just announced that insurance companies have to cover some preventative tests for free). The stimulus bill undeniably created jobs, but because the unemployment rate is still flirting with 10 percent and long-term joblessness is a big problem, people don’t see it that way”
The Christian Science Monitor offers a similar view: “So what does the president gain politically from passing financial reform? Long term, if the reforms are indeed credited with preventing another collapse of the financial system, then history will view Obama and Co. favorably. But it’s hard to prove a negative. Short term, Obama gets … not much.”
But some outlets, such as The Boston Globe, scored the legislation a win for the president: “The bill marks the second major legislative victory for Obama, rivaled only by the hard-fought passage for an overhaul to the nation’s health care system earlier this year … The 2,300-page bill, designed to address the problems that led to the 2008 economic collapse, will be felt in nearly every corner of the financial world, from convenience store owners to Wall Street executives.”
http://mediamatters.org/strupp/201007160009
UKPA, July 18, 2010:
Cameron on first Washington visit
David Cameron is travelling to Washington for his first official visit to the United States since becoming Prime Minister in May.
Strategy for what he calls a “vital year” in Afghanistan is likely to top the agenda when he meets President Barack Obama for talks at the White House on Tuesday.
But he is also expected to confront criticism of oil giant BP over both the Gulf of Mexico spill and claims by US politicians it lobbied for the release of the Lockerbie bomber to secure a deal.
Mr Cameron will conclude the two-day visit in New York with talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and a major trade push in meetings with senior business figures.
The PM and Mr Obama last met at the G8 and G20 summits in Canada last month, and Downing Street said Mr Cameron was keen to build on “excellent discussions” they enjoyed there.
In an interview last week, he said he believed in the special relationship between the two countries but acknowledged that Britain was its “junior partner”.
“I think it is an important and long-standing relationship and I hope that we bring things to that relationship,” he told Time Magazine.
The two leaders will discuss Afghanistan as ministers gather in Kabul for a major conference which is expected to endorse a 2014 target for the full transfer of security to the Afghan forces.
Four British servicemen were killed in a 24-hour period over the weekend and Mr Cameron said he wants British combat troops home by 2015.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hmwcNqWRpa44zkVV3A5eTau9U5hg
ABC News, July 18, 2010:
Vice President Biden Says Democrats Won’t Lose House or Senate; ‘We’re Going to Shock the Heck Out of Everybody,’ Biden Says on ‘This Week’
By DAVID KERLEY
Vice President Joe Biden had a warning for Republicans who say they got “their groove back” heading into the November election. On ABC’s “This Week” Biden admitted Democrats will lose seats but added, “It won’t be that bad.”
Biden on the November midterms.”I think we’re going to shock the heck out of everybody,” the vice president said in an exclusive interview . “We’re going to win the House and we’re going to win the Senate. We’re not going to lose either one of those bodies.”….
Continued with VIDEO here: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/vice-president-biden-democrats-lose-congress/story?id=11193813
Thank you Kathleen for all your great postings!
Good Morning Everyone! I HOPE that you have a good Monday!
Good Morning CR and all!!!Hope you all have a HOPEful monday.
Good morning Sandy!
Good Morning and may we all have a good week.
Please join me in lighting a candle for th President, his family and the Nation:
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=pbo
Good morning and thank you Donna!
Good Morning Donna. Thank you.
On Monday, July 19th, the President and First Lady will continue the White House music series celebrating the arts and demonstrating the importance of arts education by featuring Broadway music and its prestigious performers. During the day, 20 dance students from Duke Ellington School of the Arts and the Joy of Motion Dance Center will participate in an educational workshop and rehearse a segment from the Broadway show Hairspray, led by choreographer Jerry Mitchell, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC.
In the evening, this youth ensemble will join the ranks of major Broadway artists and new talent who will perform selections from American musicals that reflect the spirit, energy and ambition of America. Participants include Nathan Lane, Idina Menzel, Audra McDonald, Brian D’Arcy James, Chad Kimball, Tonya Pinkins, Marvin Hamlisch, Karen Olivo, and Assata Alston. President Obama will make opening remarks at this pooled press event, which will be held in the East Room and streamed live on http://www.whitehouse.gov starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. “A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House” will be televised on public broadcasting stations nationwide on October 20, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. ET as part of the PBS music series “In Performance at the White House.”
Read more: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Watch_White_House_Arts_Event_LIVE_on_BWW_Monday_20100716#ixzz0u89Z1Zyi
Last night, I wrote the following on Twitter:
The way YouGov does online polling is no less scientific than the way Rasmussen does telephone polling.
Let me explain what I mean by that. One definition of how “scientific” a poll is is the percentage of the adult population that it can potentially hope to reach. That isn’t a complete definition, mind you — it’s more of a necessary than a sufficient condition — but it isn’t a useless one. By this definition, Rasmussen’s polling isn’t very scientific: because of certain shortcuts that they take, well over half of the American population will be physically unable to take one of their phone calls.
Rasmussen typically conducts its polling on weeknights, calling between 5 PM and 9 PM over the course of a single evening. They do not call phone numbers back, as most other pollsters do, in the event they don’t get an answer the first time. They don’t call cellphones — only landlines. And they speak to the first person they get on the line if they speak to anybody at all; other polling firms use carefully-designed procedures to randomize the selection of respondent within the household (a typical mechanism is something like asking that the adult with the next birthday come to the phone).
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/07/is-poll-scientific-if-it-excludes-more.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Of course we already know this, but Nate Silver explains plainly I think.
Thanks Sandy.
Welcome.
Good morning, OTeam. Hope everyone has a good day out there!
Livestreaming today:
Monday, July 19
All times Eastern
9:00AM
Gulf oil disaster hearing: The U.S. Coast Guard and Minerals Management Service hold a public session on what caused the Gulf oil disaster.
Livestreamed at http://live.cnn.com/
10:30AM
President Obama on the economy: President Obama delivers a statement from the White House Rose Garden about the economy.
Livestreamed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/ and http://live.cnn.com/
11:00AM
Gulf oil disaster skimmer operations briefing: Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft briefs reporters on efforts to clean up the Gulf oil disaster.
Livestreamed at http://live.cnn.com/
11:30AM
Border deployment briefing: Officials with the National Guard, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement brief reporters at the Pentagon on a planned National Guard deployment to the U.S.-Mexican border.
Livestreamed at http://live.cnn.com/
1:30 PM
President Obama honors the WNBA champs: President Obama welcomes the 2009 WNBA champions, the Phoenix Mercury, to the White House.
Livestreamed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/ and http://live.cnn.com/
1:50PM
Gov. Jindal briefing on Gulf oil disaster: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal speaks with reporters on the Gulf oil disaster, with a specific focus toward efforts to opening up commercial fishing in the region.
Livestreamed at http://live.cnn.com/
2:00PM
White House briefing: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs holds his daily briefing with reporters.
Livestreamed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/ and http://live.cnn.com/
7:00PM
Salute to Broadway: President Obama and the First Lady host a salute to Broadway as part of the White House Music Series.
Livestreamed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/ and http://live.cnn.com/
Thanks Meta!
Good Morning meta! Thanks for the schedule.
I just watched John McCain’s new attack immigration ad that blames President Obama for our immigration mess. He has the Sheriffs standing with him who supposedly support Arizona’s law. At the bottom, a ticker streaks buy with the names of the Sheriffs that support the law. I hope he gets called out on this as I saw the Santa Cruz County Sheriff, Tony Estada’s name flash across. Notably, he is the sheriff for a real life border town and he is against this law. He signed a declaration in support of the DOJ’s lawsuit. I intend to call the Sheriff’s Department there today. If anyone else would like to alert them, they can call (520) 761-7869. I am also writing John McCain.
Good morning Jackie!
Good Morning Jackie!
Next Up…
July 19, 2010
10:30 AM EDT
President Obama Speaks on the Economy
The White House http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
CNN http://live.cnn.com/
CSPAN: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/294619-1
CSPAN never did have it live but has it on video for replay
How rude. Good morning everyone. I just noticed my first post at 5:30 a.m. saying good morning did not show up, so my first post was about the Santa Cruz County Sheriff –how rude. I guess I can blame my internet carrier for that too because I have only had intermittent internet since Saturday night.
Is it still just puttering?
It is on and then its gone. I will be a work after a whiie and will at least be in touch. I have to get a redo on my mammogram this AM so will be late.
Grumpy Old Bitterman McCain needs to retire; what are the chances for Glassman winning?
Good morning CanadaBarb! I don’t think that Cindy McCain wants him home either!
That is so funny! He is just “creepy”.
Well, Glassman is doing okay, but with the money McCain has, we are seeing his ads plastered over television and he is on our digital billboards. He also has signs on every street corner the size of a compact car. This immigration thing has done wonders for him. It is so irritating that people blame President Obama. Why not the last ten years. Republicans voted the Bush attempt to fix immigration down and President Obama was one of the very few that voted for it.
Wasn’t McGrumps involved with writing an immigration bill, until PBO became leader? His jealousy is so evident. Maybe something will break and Glassman will gain the momentum he needs.
durendae video, July 04, 2010 -
Rodney Glassman visits with Democrats in Bullhead City June 25th 2010, Part 1:
Part 2 of Rodney Glassman’s visit with Democrats in Bullhead City:
Yeah! People like me who just exhausted my last week claim. Today makes 6months since I have been out of work. I have been working since I was 17 years old and I am now 44 never been out of work a day in my life except for maternity leave for 2 babies that are 17 and 13.
Sorry to hear that Sandy! ((HUG))
Thanks CR.
Sorry to hear that Sandy. You certainly do not deserve the added aggravation of no unemployment benefits on top of dealing with being out of work. My son’s benefits stopped on June 14. He has been out of work since November, 2008. I hope and pray that help is on the way. Big hug for you!
Yes many people are having it a very hard now. Hang in there!!!
Sandy, I am so sorry to hear this. Hugs for you, also.
Thanks ladies I appreciate all the love.
Boxer calls out Fiorina as multiple yacht owner
7/19/10 Phillip Matier,Andrew Ross – sfgate.com
Sen. Barbara Boxer has fired a shot across the bow of Carly Fiorina – in the hopes that her Republican rival’s ownership of a pair of yachts might sink her with voters.
Boxer has taken to comparing her years of “public service” to Fiorina’s choice “to become a CEO, lay off 30,000 workers, ship jobs overseas (and) have two yachts.”
Fiorina’s 70-foot Alchemy V, a 2001 Dyna Craft valued for tax purposes at just over $1 million, is moored in Sausalito.
Her 56-foot Sea Ray yacht, the 3-year-old Alchemy VI, is docked on the Potomac in Washington, D.C. – not far from the Georgetown condo that Fiorina and her husband own.
Fiorina spokeswoman Julie Soderlund said it makes sense for the Fiorinas to be a two-yacht family, given that the boat-loving couple have divided their time between California and D.C., near where their grandchildren live.
Anyway, Soderlund said, “it’s ironic that Barbara Boxer, who has millions herself, would take this line of attack – it’s not exactly like she’s living off food stamps.”
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/19/BA221EFLA8.DTL#ixzz0u8rFpLfy
Good morning CR and O family. This story is something else. it make sense for the Fiorinas to have 2 yachts. I know they must be kidding. Most politicians have millions of dollars but I don’t know very many who have 2 yachts. I saw an article in the LA Times newspaper yesterday that most Californians are happy with the incumbents. I truky hope Fiorini lose because she is being supported by Palin and the media has been bragging about how many women are getting elected as a result of her.
Go Boxer!!!
Yep! It makes perfect sense that Fiorina owns TWO luxury yachts because after all they own TWO luxury homes! Give me a break.
Obama to GOP: Restore jobless benefits
7/19/10 JULIE PACE, AP
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is calling on Republicans to stop blocking a bill that would extend unemployment benefits to millions of out of work Americans.
Obama says Republican leaders are advancing a misguided notion that emergency relief discourages people from looking for work. He says that attitude reflects a lack of faith in the American public.
After weeks of partisan wrangling, the Senate is set to take up the measure again Tuesday, immediately following the swearing in of a replacement for the late Sen. Robert Byrd. Filling that seat will give Democrats the 60 votes they need to block a Republican filibuster.
GOP lawmakers say they will support an extension of the benefits only if the bill is paid for and doesn’t add to the national debt.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
President Barack Obama will call on Republican lawmakers to stop blocking an extension of unemployment benefits as the Senate prepares to take up the issue again this week.
A White House official says Obama will have “strong words” for Republicans when he delivers remarks Monday in the Rose Garden. Obama will argue that the GOP shouldn’t be calling for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while denying benefits to the unemployed.
Benefits for 2.5 million people ran out at the end of May. Republicans say they will only support an extension if the bill is paid for and doesn’t add to the national debt.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the president’s remarks.
Let me see….where have I heard this type of talk before? Oh, I remember Tea Party Rallies…..
‘Williams’ mother, Janice Williams of Groveland, said her son had been living next door and taking care of her father’s house and land. She said he had been released from prison about 2 1/2 years ago after a felony conviction, which she declined to describe, and had almost completed his parole.”
“He hasn’t been able to get a job because he’s an ex-felon and nobody will hire him,” she said.
“She said her son, who had been a carpenter and a cabinetmaker before his imprisonment, was angry about his unemployment and about “what’s happening to our country.”
“Williams watched the news on television and was upset by “the way Congress was railroading through all these left-wing agenda items,” his mother said.”
“She said she had planned to cook salsa with her son on Sunday and was making preparations when she got a call from a television reporter, looked out the window and saw that her pickup was gone.”
“She said she then checked the locked safe where she kept her guns, all legally purchased and owned, and found that they were also missing.”
“Janice Williams said she kept the guns because “eventually, I think we’re going to be caught up in a revolution.” But she said she had told her son many times that “he didn’t have to be on the front lines.”
“She said she had no explanation for his actions.”
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2010%2F07%2F18%2FBAG71EG92P.DTL#ixzz0u8tRvZ53
Sigh!!!
“A 45-year-old parolee, described by his mother as angry at left-wing politicians, opened fire on California Highway Patrol officers on an Oakland freeway early Sunday and was hit by return fire while wearing body armor, authorities said.”
SCARY!
Gun stockpiling. Paranoia. Fantasies about revolution. Who could predict THAT wouldn’t end well?
Next Up…
July 19, 2010 1:40 PM EDT
President Obama welcomes the 2009 WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury
The White House http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Video and sound started abruptly with people clapping.
Sound quality is not great. I think that one microphone is not working or something.
Happy New Week CR, Sandy, Donna, Meta, Jackie, Barb and all friends!
>^..^<
Good morning Kathleen!
Office of the Press Secretary, July 19, 2010:
Remarks by the President on Unemployment Insurance
THE PRESIDENT:
…. [We] all have to continue our efforts to do everything in our power to spur growth and hiring. And I hope the Senate acts this week on a package of tax cuts and expanded lending for small businesses, where most of America’s jobs are created….
We need to pass it for all the Americans who haven’t been able to find work in an economy where there are five applicants for every opening; who need emergency relief to help them pay the rent and cover their utilities and put food on the table while they’re looking for another job.
And for a long time, there’s been a tradition –- under both Democratic and Republican Presidents –- to offer relief to the unemployed. That was certainly the case under my predecessor, when Republican senators voted several times to extend emergency unemployment benefits. But right now, these benefits –- benefits that are often the person’s sole source of income while they’re looking for work -– are in jeopardy.
And I have to say, after years of championing policies that turned a record surplus into a massive deficit, the same people who didn’t have any problem spending hundreds of billions of dollars on tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans are now saying we shouldn’t offer relief to middle-class Americans … who really need help.
Over the past few weeks, a majority of senators have tried -– not once, not twice, but three times –- to extend emergency relief on a temporary basis. Each time, a partisan minority in the Senate has used parliamentary maneuvers to block a vote, denying millions of people who are out of work much-needed relief. These leaders in the Senate who are advancing a misguided notion that emergency relief somehow discourages people from looking for a job should talk to these folks.
That attitude I think reflects a lack of faith in the American people, because the Americans I hear from in letters and meet in town hall meetings –- Americans like Leslie and Jim and Denise — they’re not looking for a handout. They desperately want to work. Just right now they can’t find a job. These are honest, decent, hardworking folks who’ve fallen on hard times through no fault of their own, and who have nowhere else to turn except unemployment benefits and who need emergency relief to help them weather this economic storm.
Now, tomorrow we will have another chance to offer them that relief, to do right by not just Jim and Leslie and Denise, but all the Americans who need a helping hand right now — and I hope we seize it. It’s time to stop holding workers laid off in this recession hostage to Washington politics….
http://propresobama.org/2010/07/18/open%c2%a0government%c2%a0initiative/#comment-8053
Fugumble video of MSNBC broadcast, July 19, 2010 -
President Barack Obama urges the Senate to pass an unemployment benefit
extension, which has been blocked repeatedly by Republicans.
Good afternoon guys! Strange, I wrote a message this a.m. before heading to court, but I don’t see it. Hmmm….
Anyway, I just heard the president’s statement today about the Repubs blocking unemployment benefits. I like how he brought out real people to put a face on their continued politicking. I think WE THE PEOPLE haven’t been adequately brought up throughout many debates for far too long.
Anyway, had an eventful and rough weekend, so I’ve got a lot of issues to take care of. Will check in later!
I had the same thing happen this morning Vero but blamed it on my home internet. Interesting.
Good morning Vero!
That is strange about you posting an earlier comment and it did not show. I just checked the “spam bin” and it was empty so it did not go in there.
Hi Vero!
CR, I also posted something yesterday evening that didn’t show up.
I suspect gremlins.
I noticed that everything was running really slow this morning.
I knew it. We have gremlins!
Oh I always knew there were gremlins….alternate name: GOP trolls
FLOTUS on the mound
7/19/10By AMIE PARNES – POLITICO
Michelle Obama will take to the mound on Tuesday night when the Orioles play the Tampa Bay Rays at Camden Yards.
But, contrary to published reports—even on the Major League Baseball website —she won’t be throwing the first pitch.
According to White House aides, Obama will accompany a group of children from local groups—including Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities and the Boys and Girls clubs—to the pitcher’s mound, where the kids will throw the ball.
This won’t be the first lady’s inaugural trip into the diamond. Last year, during Game One of the World Series, she and second lady Jill Biden escorted Yoggi Berra to the mound during a pregame ceremony. (No pitching then, either.)
Still, there’s reason to hope we may eventually get to see the Obama’s famous arms toss the ball to home plate. Other first ladies have cleared the way for the opportunity.
Barbara Bush is believed to be the original first lady to throw out a ceremonial pitch. She took to the mound for the first time after George W. Bush became the owner of the Texas Rangers, according to the National First Ladies Library.
And during her time at the White House, Hillary Clinton—who grew up in Chicago—also threw out the first pitch at a Cubs game. Clinton, “spent the weekend before practicing her pitch to the president in the White House Rose Garden,” the First Ladies Library notes on their website.
Laura Bush, however, did not appear on the mound during her eight years in the White House.
Our FLOTUS is cool!
So Im missed the first couple of minutes of the President with the Phoenix Mercury. What was being said about Governor Jan Brewer?
The WH live stream started abruptly, late and the microphones were not working correctly so I did not hear it.
ABC15 video, July 19, 2020 -
Interview with Phoenix Mercury guard DeWanna Bonner before the team’s visit to the White House:
Just received this email from Kathleen Sebelius:
Good afternoon,
Many of us know women whose lives have been saved by breast cancer screening. Yet, one in five women over 50 hasn’t received a mammogram in the last two years. Nothing is more important to us than the health of our children, but nearly one out of eight children hasn’t seen a doctor in the last year.
For too long, our health care system has focused on treating the sick, and not on keeping people healthy. Preventive health care like cancer screenings, cholesterol tests and even flu shots saves lives and reduces health care costs, but too many Americans face a tough choice between paying for preventive care and putting food on the table for their families.
The Affordable Care Act is helping to change that by making it easier to access basic preventive care.
Last week, I joined the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden — two of our country’s top health leaders — to announce that starting in the fall, all new health insurance plans will be required to cover recommended preventive services with no deductible, copay or coinsurance.
The First Lady and Dr. Biden wanted to help raise awareness about this provision of the new law, so they made this video. Please take a look and share it with your friends and family.
Join the Discussion
Nearly half of all Americans suffer from chronic disease, and seven out of 10 deaths in our country are due to chronic illness. Many of these illnesses can be prevented. By spending our resources on stopping chronic illness before it starts, we can keep more people healthy and reduce health care costs.
Starting in September, preventive services like blood pressure tests, many cancer screenings, well-baby and well-child visits will be free for millions of Americans. By giving people the tools they need to lead healthier lives, we’ll be putting our country’s health resources where they can have the most impact.
To learn more about Affordable Health Care Act’s new rules on preventive care click here:
http://www.HealthCare.gov/preventiveservices/
Access to preventive care is just one of the ways the Affordable Care Act is making America healthier. To find out more about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, visit http://www.healthcare.gov/?utm_source=email67&utm_medium=text2&utm_campaign=healthreform” rel=”nofollow”>HealthCare.gov.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Health and Human Services
This Arizona Republic columnist takes a sarcastic look at Gov. Brewer’s assault on the state’s tourism revenues:
Gov. Jan Brewer’s terrorizing tourism strategy
by E. J. Montini
Perhaps Gov. Jan Brewer misread the invitation and thought she was giving a speech last week before the Governor’s Conference on Terrorism … not tourism.
Or maybe she knew exactly to whom she was speaking and believes that terrorizing people is the best way to promote our state as a tourist destination. After all, it is proving to be the best way to get elected.
Ever since Brewer signed SB 1070, she and U.S. Sen. John McCain have given countless interviews on national TV in which they portray Arizona as a horrifying amalgam of Mogadishu, Kabul, Dante’s fifth circle of Hell and Mel Gibson’s house….
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/07/18/20100718jan-brewer-montini.html
President Obama Pushes for Up-or-Down Vote on Help for Our Laid Off Friends & Neighbors
7/19/10 Posted by Jesse Lee – WhiteHouse.gov
The President opened his remarks today describing some of the people he is focused on as he deals with the economy every day:
Right now, across this country, many Americans are sitting at the kitchen table, they’re scanning the classifieds, they’re updating their resumes or sending out another job application, hoping that this time they’ll hear back from a potential employer. And they’re filled with a sense of uncertainty about where their next paycheck will come from. And I know the only thing that will entirely free them of those worries –- the only thing that will fully lift that sense of uncertainty –- is the security of a new job.
The warnings surrounding America’s economic free fall when the President came into office were grave – “another Great Depression” was one common refrain. It’s undoubtedly good news that those dire warnings are all but forgotten now, as the Recovery Act and other tough choices from the Obama Administration brought us back from the brink, but there is no question that the difficulties facing millions of America’s workers – through no fault of their own – are nothing short of tragic.
That’s why it’s not only imperative to pass the job creation programs the President has supported, such as small business tax cuts and support for the clean energy economy, but to extend unemployment insurance to those still struggling to find work. These are our friends and neighbors, who find themselves in the same situation so many of us have at some point in our lives if we were out of work during a tough economic time – seemingly endless applicants for every job, where even a final round interview seems like hitting the lottery. And that leaves out the fact that because these benefits go to people who will immediately spend them and put them back into the economy, there is wide consensus that it is one of the best ways to stimulate the economy.
For the entire article and video: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/19/president-obama-pushes-or-down-vote-help-our-laid-friends-neighbors
US Diplomats, Warships Headed for South Korea
7/19/10 VOA News
Senior U.S. diplomats and two warships are converging on South Korea, in a show of solidarity four months after the sinking of a South Korean military vessel.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Seoul late Monday for three days of talks. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join him on Wednesday for so-called two-plus-two talks with their South Korean counterparts.
U.S. authorities also announced that the aircraft carrier USS George Washington and two destroyers will visit the South Korean port of Busan for five days beginning Wednesday. Another destroyer will visit the port of Chinhae.
Officials did not say whether the American warships will take part in a joint naval exercise that has troubled China. Details of the exercise, which will include maneuvers in the Yellow Sea, are to be finalized during this week’s meetings.
China has vital seaports and economic zones along its Yellow Sea coast. It has objected to the exercise, but the United States says the maneuvers are intended to send a “clear message of deterrence” to North Korea.
A South Korean investigation produced what it said was strong evidence that North Korea was responsible for the sinking in March of the warship Choenan, killing 46 South Korean seamen. North Korea has denied any responsibility.
Pete Sessions, NRCC Chair, Stumbles, Turns To Bush Agenda When Asked How GOP Would Cut Deficit
7/19/10 Sam Stein – Huffington Post
Democrats are gleefully passing around a video clip of Rep. Pete Sessions’ (R-Tex.) appearance on “Meet The Press” this Sunday, and for good reason. Pressed repeatedly by host David Gregory to explain exactly what the GOP would do to cut the deficit — should it regain congressional power — the National Republican Congressional Committee chair stammered and offered platitudes:
“We need to live within our means.”
“We need to make sure we read the bills.”
“We are going to balance the budget, we should live within our means and we should read the bills and work with the American people.”
“We need to make sure that as we look at all that we are spending in Washington D.C.”
“We have to empower the free enterprise system.”
For the entire article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/18/pete-sessions-nrcc-chair_n_650431.html
Thank you Mr. Gregory!!!!
HuffPo:
“…. Gregory turned to the National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and asked him to put forward the specifics his colleague would not.
‘Well,’ said Cornyn, ‘the president has a debt commission…. My hope is they’ll come back with a bipartisan solution to the debt….’
Pinning your policy platform to the findings of a commission is a tried-and-true way of avoiding tough questions and kicking tough choices down the road. More importantly, if, as Cornyn says, a commission is an important ingredient to charting a path toward fiscal solvency, then he ceded that the Republican party is on the wrong side of the debate. The Senate voted on creating a bipartisan deficit commission in late January, and the GOP (skeptical that it would recommend tax increases) helped kill the idea — forcing the White House to put together a commission of its own.”
The Weekend’s Congressional Republican Lowlights
July 19th, 2010 by Office of the Speaker- http://www.speaker.gov/blog/
On NBC’s Meet the Press, a Republican leader Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) admitted the Republican economic plan for the future is more of the same failed Bush-Republican policies that got us into this mess:
David Gregory: “…I think what a lot of people want to know is if Republicans do get back into power, what are they going to do?…”
Congressman Pete Sessions: “…We need to go back to the exact same agenda…”
FYI. I just received a call from Sheriff Tony Estrada of Santa Cruz County. He thanked me for letting him know that his name was on John McCain’s ad. He said he has been in touch with the McCain campaign and told them that he wants his name off that ad. He does not support John McCain or SB1070. Yippee! He said that since then, a Tucson TV station had called him about his name being on here as well.
Great job Jackie!!!
Good for you Jackie.
GREAT work, Jackie! I’m sure Sheriff Estrada appreciates it.
Maybe you should also drop a line to your local newspaper and TV station?
Way-To-Go JB!!!!
Yes!!!! Great work, Jackie!
You go girl
Great work.
Bravo Jackie!
Remember, baby steps…
Good afternoon everyone.
Good afternoon Jocelyne!
Thanks for the encouragement everyone. It’s a small thing, but small things make a difference.
Obama Wins Unlikely Allies in Immigration
At a time when the prospects for immigration overhaul seem most dim, supporters have unleashed a secret weapon: a group of influential evangelical Christian leaders.
Normally on the opposite side of political issues backed by the Obama White House, these leaders are aligning with the president to support an overhaul that would include some path to legalization for illegal immigrants already here. They are preaching from pulpits, conducting conference calls with pastors and testifying in Washington — as they did last Wednesday.
“I am a Christian and I am a conservative and I am a Republican, in that order,” said Matthew D. Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a conservative religious law firm. “There is very little I agree with regarding President Barack Obama. On the other hand, I’m not going to let politicized rhetoric or party affiliation trump my values, and if he’s right on this issue, I will support him on this issue.”
When President Obama gave a major address pushing immigration overhaul this month, he was introduced by a prominent evangelical, the Rev. Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois. Three other evangelical pastors were in the audience, front and center.
Their presence was a testament, in part, to the work of politically active Hispanic evangelical pastors, who have forged friendships with non-Hispanic pastors in recent years while working in coalitions to oppose abortion and same-sex marriage. The Hispanics made a concerted effort to convince their brethren that immigration reform should be a moral and practical priority.
Read more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/us/politics/19evangelicals.html?_r=1&hpw
Good article!
Very good indeed.
Quick story.
So, we’re doing a big advertising push and we’re getting a lot of inquiries from random people.
Anyway, my boss was talking to this one guy, who said he’s a truck driver having legal problems. He complained about money and about law enforcement, then he stopped in the middle of his sentence and said it’s because of “this president.” My boss didn’t say anything, and then the guy said that “we’re going to have a problem if you voted for Obama.” My boss immediately, said “well looks like we’re going to have a problem because I voted for Obama.” Then he hung up the phone pissed off. Knowing I’m an Obama girl, he came into my office complaining of the guy’s attitude and what not, and then said that he’s annoyed with people blaming everything wrong on Obama, when Obama had nothing to do with the guy’s legal problems. I thanked him for standing up for his vote and hanging up on the idiot. There are a lot of lawyers who would’ve lied or would’ve just let the guy be a jerk about Obama just to get the case from the guy. But my boss said he didn’t want to do business with someone like him.
I love my job!
Yeah!!! Thanks for sharing Vero!
No prob!
What a great boss Vero!
I am so grateful that he took the stand that he did. I wish there were more people like him in this country.
Yes, it’s nice to have a boss that is standing up for this president and for what’s right. He mentioned the same thing…that people need to stand up for the president more, he’s not doing that bad a job, but he’s always getting you-know-what on.
Yippee!
My Firm has both Obama supporters and bashers. Unfortunately I have to sit by a couple of bashers.
Vero, the last companies I have worked for would have put the mighty dollar over principles… Good for you and your boss.
Ok so I was just wrapping up work and went over to check out the “practically on life support” OFA blog and got quite a good laugh. Arizona Grandma just called out Brad. Apparently he has been changing his screen name to fit his moods of late. This morning he must have changed his name again and while doing so it posted his “real name”. He must of caught it and changed it to his latest name “I am a Conservative”.
AZ Grandma googled his name and has posted his facebook page on OFA. She was kind because when I googled his name I got EVERYTHING on this guy. I would never post his personal information but how stupid can one be.
If he would just go and play in his own sandbox he wouldn’t be susceptible to these things happening. I can’t say that I feel sorry for him. He worked hard for that humiliation.
Donna, he’s a republican, so he is stupid.
Good that Arizona Gramma exposed this nasty man.
HA HA HA HAH!!!! Talk about tangled web he wove!
Brad thinks we are all on welfare and uneducated.
And like his TeaParty leader he probably thinks we all have flat screen tv’s in everyroom while collecting unemployment checks because we would rather live off the government than to get a job.
A tea bagger lady (from FL) sitting next to my husband on the airplane said that the only poor people in the world live in Nigeria. Everybody else is faking being poor.
How the heck do you fake being poor. Nevermind these people are senseless
I think the guy is really sick. The obsession he has with being a nuisance where he is not welcome for over a year, the weird judgmental assumptions he makes about the people who post there and his idiotic mantras about all things Democratic are all just beyond really neurotic. And his claims about his life are clearly lies. UGH.
US Senate passes ‘libel tourism’ bill
7/19/10 AFP
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Senate on Monday passed a bill to shield US journalists, authors, and publishers from “libel tourists” who file suit in countries where they expect to get the most favorable ruling.
The popular legislation headed to the House of Representatives, which was expected to approve it and send the measure to US President Barack Obama to sign into law despite misgivings from key US allies.
Backers of the bill have cited England, Brazil, Australia, Indonesia and Singapore as places where weak libel safeguards attract lawsuits that unfairly harm US journalists, writers and publishers.
The Senate approved the measure in a “unanimous consent” voice vote.
The bill’s supporters have said that “libel tourism” undermines free speech rights under the US Constitution’s cherished first amendment, and so erode accountability of powerful figures in a healthy democracy.
The measure would prevent US federal courts from recognizing or enforcing a foreign judgment for defamation that is inconsistent with the first amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech.
It would bar foreign parties in such cases from targeting the US assets of an American author, journalist, or publisher as part of any damages.
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, charged that libel judgments in foreign courts were “undermining” freedom of speech and of the press and “chilling” open debate in the United States.
“While we cannot legislate changes to foreign law that are chilling protected speech in our country, we can ensure that our courts do not become a tool to uphold foreign libel judgments that undermine American First Amendment or due process rights,” he said in a statement.
The US Constitution’s first amendment, backed by a series of US Supreme Court decisions, makes it harder to win a libel suit in the United States relative to many other countries.
“This bill is a needed first step to ensure that weak free-speech protections and abusive legal practices in foreign countries do not prevent Americans from fully exercising their constitutional right to speak and debate freely,” said Senator Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on Leahy’s committee.
60 votes in place, Dems ready to extend jobs money
7/19/10 ANDREW TAYLOR, AP
WASHINGTON – With a new face and a 60th vote for breaking a Republican filibuster, Senate Democrats are preparing to restore jobless checks for 2.5 million people whose benefits ran out during a congressional standoff over deficit spending. President Barack Obama says, “It’s time to do what’s right.”
But first, Obama and his Democratic allies are pressing for maximum political advantage, blaming Republicans for an impasse that halted unemployment checks averaging $309 a week for those whose eligibility had expired.
Obama launched a fresh salvo on Monday, demanding that the Senate act on the legislation — after a vote already had been scheduled for Tuesday — and blasting Republicans for the holdup.
“The same people who didn’t have any problem spending hundreds of billions of dollars on tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans are now saying we shouldn’t offer relief to middle-class Americans,” Obama said.
Republicans say they do favor the benefits but are insisting that they be paid for with spending cuts elsewhere in the government’s $3.7 trillion budget. After initially feeling heat when a lone GOP senator, Jim Bunning of Kentucky, briefly blocked a benefits extension back in February, the GOP has grown increasingly comfortable in opposing the legislation.
“What the president isn’t telling the American people is that many of us in the Senate are fighting to make sure our children and grandchildren aren’t buried under a mountain of debt,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. “If we are going to extend unemployment benefits, then let’s do it without adding to our record debt.”
Tuesday’s Senate voting — with Democratic newcomer Carte Goodwin of West Virginia being sworn in just in time to cast the 60th vote to break a GOP filibuster — will cap a battle of more than four months that’s featured bad blood and a shift in sentiment among key Republicans.
For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100719/ap_on_bi_ge/us_unemployment_benefits
The Utah teabaggers are gloating over bringing down Senator Bennett. Sen. Hatch is next on their list, and he knows it.
I hate the media. When 99% of the questions at Gibbs presser was about unemployment, I expected to see this type of article saying that Democrats were trying to politicize this issue. I think every one of those reporters are republicans. They sure got the republican talking points in. I am so happy that they have enough votes.
A little off topic. Did anyone notice how the lady in the gray dress kept looking around when PBO was speaking this morning regarding unemployment? It almost seem like she kinda had second thoughts on being there. Maybe she was just in awe of being at the White House.
Maybe it was that vole that was running around the Rose Garden that one time during a press conference!
No she was embarrassed because the President told her story about how she was going to have to seek the assistance of her father to make ends meet.
That’s a hard thing to admit when you are a proud person who has always provided for yourself and your family.
At least that’s the way I read her demeanor.
That has to hurt. I hope things get better soon for her and everybody in need.
Donna, you are probably right. There are so many proud hard working peole who have worked hard all of their lifes and never drawn unemployment.It took a lot of courage to stand there.
Rep. Walt Minnick, Lone Dem Endorsed By Tea Party, Rejects Endorsement
7/19/10 Sam Stein – Huffington Post
The one Democratic member of Congress endorsed by the Tea Party Express formally rejected the endorsement on Monday, citing disgust with a satirical, racist letter penned by a spokesman for the group.
Rep. Walt Minnick (D-Idaho) announced his rejection of the endorsement in a letter to the co-chair of the Tea Party Express on Monday — roughly three months to the date after he became the sole Democrat to earn the group’s backing. The congressman cited a fake letter (since removed from the web) that Tea Party Express spokesman Mark Williams wrote pretending to be a “Colored” person denouncing Abraham Lincoln for offering welfare to slaves.
The reprehensible blog post by your spokesman was clearly in poor taste. Whatever his reasons for writing it, his words reflect on all of those associated with the Tea Party movement. The proper response to his perceived slight on the issue of race was not to use inflammatory sarcasm. Rather, I would have expected your organization to instead highlight the Tea Party I know, the one with good, decent folks who care very much about the serious financial issues facing our nation and who themselves would find Mr. Williams’ blog post distasteful.
Instead, the Tea Party Express has apparently decided to stand by Mr. Williams and support him in his own contention that he did nothing wrong. I cannot agree with that course of action. Since the Tea Party Express refuses to reject and rebuke Mr. Williams, I have no choice but to decline your endorsement.
I thank you very sincerely for your kind words about my work as a Congressman, and hope that your group can see the error of its ways.
For the entire article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/19/rep-walt-minnick-lone-dem_n_651662.html
>^..^< !!!
I have posted my first Daily Kos diary!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/7/19/18498/4161
Way to go Kat!
Great diary Kat, full of info. Thanks. You are the top Kat.
YEAH KATHLEEN!!!
AWESOME SAUCE!!!!
Humble thanks and merci Jocelyne, Sandy, CR, Meta and Donna.
Great Work Kat. I have posted it at OFA and now I’m on my way to Facebook to post it there.
White House music event saluting Broadway about to start:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/
Thanks Meta!!
I just want to hear PBO announce the program but I can’t watch the rest of it….I don’t want any ear worms to keep me up tonight!
How gorgeous the girls are!!!!
US gay rights group gets UN accreditation
7/19/10 AP
(United Nations) The U.N. Economic and Social Council has voted to accredit the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission after strong lobbying by the U.S. administration.
The 54-member council approved the U.S.-based group’s application for consultative status by a vote of 23-13 with 13 abstentions.
The organization, which has offices in South Africa, Argentina and the Philippines, has been trying since 2007 to get consultative status with the council so it can work at the United Nations. The council serves as the main U.N. forum for discussing international economic and social issues.
The U.S. government and 14 members of Congress supporting the application believe the group’s application was not approved at first because it promotes gay rights.
Obama lauds UN accreditation for gays and lesbians
7/19/10 POLITICO 44
President Obama released this statement on the United Nation’s recognition of the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights commission:
“I welcome this important step forward for human rights, as the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission (ILGHRC) will take its rightful seat at the table of the United Nations. The UN was founded on the premise that only through mutual respect, diversity, and dialogue can the international community effectively pursue justice and equality. Today, with the more full inclusion of the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission, the United Nations is closer to the ideals on which it was founded, and to values of inclusion and equality to which the United States is deeply committed.”
White House video, July 19, 2010 -
The President honors the 2009 WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury in a ceremony at the White House.
I almost missed it. The musical is now streaming on cnn. He is speaking now. Not sure if this is the end.
http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=stream1
Hi COS! CNN is only giving me the oil spill.
The video started, and went wild rewinding all the way back to the beginning and they finally just cut it off. Don’t know what happened.
White House video, July 19, 2010 (nice because it’s captioned and more of the image is visible than on cable video) -
Offering Relief to the Unemployedb>
President Obama calls on Congress to take an up-or-down vote on extending unemployment benefits and to stop the political maneuvering that keeps Americans in need of assistance in limbo.
Totally tearing up over Elaine Stitch’s tribute to PBO.
Oh man, i’m glad it wasn’t just me. “When that son of a gun got elected…”. I melted.
OMG, she was amazing. I was laughing & crying @ same time.
She was wonderful!!!
I nearly died when she said she’d like to get drunk with PBO! I think PBO was a little blown away, too!
My goodness, Elaine Stritch brought me to tears like there’s no tomorrow.
Dang if she didn’t capture the moment of shock and surprise and joy and triumph and PRIDE. How many of us were sitting in our rooms watching and feeling the same way? MILLIONS!
I am watching my local news and the coverage was pretty fair regarding the unemployment discussion this morning. At least they showed PBO blaming the repugs. I can’t believe that after all this administration did to save GM, folks are now blaming the administration for jobs that did not need to be lost due to the administration putting pressure on GM to close plants. What next?
Some people want to have it both ways. They want to let businesses fail and are angry that we bailed out the banks and the auto industry. Yet they are also screaming because they think we aren’t saving jobs. It’s CRAZY.
I am sure PBO feels a lot like Rodney Dangerfield everyday.
Excellent new Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Liberals-Stuck-in-Conservative-HELL/132660870107934
BWD, I’m not a Facebooker, so I can’t see it. Can you describe?
(And thanks for your kind comment and rec at DK.)
Mark Knoller tweeting @ a fundraiser Biden is attending.
http://twitter.com/markknoller
VP Biden called the GOP the repeal and repeat party.
HA!
This is good, Sandy, thanks!
Very sweet photo from just 6 years ago:
http://yhoo.it/9A8xGX
Aw! That is great! Of course PBO still sees his baby when he looks at Malia.
Not sure if this has been addressed but I just saw a little of Alvin Greene’s speech to the NAACP and he got applause and cheers. It be something if he beat Jim DeMint. Anything is better than DeMint. He was talking about everything PBO beleive in, i.e energy, education, parents spending more time with kids, etc.
White House vide, July 19, 2010 -
President Obama Welcomes Broadway to the White House
The President welcomes some of Broadway’s biggest stars to the White House for a White House Music Series Event saluting Broadway.
FEMA video, July 19, 2010 -
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate outlines the new enhanced features of the FEMA mobile site, m.fema.gov, including the capability for disaster survivors to register for assistance via their smartphone.
The White House Blog, July 19, 2010:
For First Time, Disaster Survivors Can Apply For Federal Disaster Aid On Smartphones
by Craig Fugate, Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Back in May, we launched our mobile site, http://m.fema.gov to make it easier than ever for people to access information from FEMA quickly and easily. This launch was only a first step and I’m glad to announce today a new feature to our mobile site that allows disaster survivors to apply for federal assistance directly on their web-enabled mobile devices after Presidentially declared disasters (such as BlackBerry®, Apple iPhone®, and Windows Mobile® devices).
Registering through the mobile site takes just three easy steps:
1. Go to http://m.fema.gov and click “Apply Online for FEMA Assistance”. You will be directed to our partner site disasterassistance.gov.
2. Click on “Start Registration.”
3. Fill out the registration form to apply for assistance.
This new addition to our FEMA mobile site will provide disaster survivors with another avenue to quickly apply for assistance, not just from FEMA, but also from the Small Business Administration and our other federal partners. As smartphones become cheaper and more prevalent, and wireless networks more resilient, these devices are becoming more than just simple communication tools – they can be life lines during emergencies.
This new addition to m.fema.gov is just another way we are expanding the tools we use to communicate with the most important member of our emergency management team – the public.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/19/first-time-disaster-survivors-can-apply-federal-disaster-aid-smartphones
State Department, Office of the Spokesman, July 19, 2010:
U.S. Delegation Travels to Moscow for Fourth Round of Adoption Talks
An expert-level U.S. delegation will leave for Moscow today to begin a fourth round of discussions on inter-country adoption. During the bilateral talks, which are scheduled for July 21-23, the delegation will pursue an agreement that provides greater safeguards for children and families in the adoption process between the two countries.
The United States looks forward to building on the progress achieved during the last round of discussions, held in June in Washington. Working with their Russian counterparts, the delegation will review the latest draft of the adoption agreement, making every effort to ensure that it addresses the legal and policy concerns of both countries.
The U.S. team is headed by Mary Ellen Hickey, Managing Director of the Office of Overseas Citizens Services, and includes representatives from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department’s Legal Adviser’s Office and Bureaus of Consular and European Affairs.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/07/144848.htm
State Department, July 19, 2010:
Assistant Secretary Philip J. Crowley, Daily Press Briefing
[Earlier today] As we speak, the Secretary is having dinner with Afghan’s president – Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai in preparation for the Kabul Conference tomorrow…. [This is] the largest gathering of leaders in Afghanistan since the 1970s. This is an Afghan-led conference and the government has told us they will present their renewed commitments on a variety of issues with a great deal of discussion centering on the upcoming transition to Afghan responsibility, discuss their plan and also their peace and reconciliation – or, I’m sorry, peace and reintegration program.
Also, the United States congratulates Afghanistan and Pakistan on concluding the historic Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement yesterday in Islamabad after more than a year of diligent and determined engagement by both sides. This agreement is one of the most important, concrete achievements between the two neighbors in 45 years and represents the most significant bilateral economic treaty ever signed between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It will undoubtedly bring great benefit to the people of both countries and is also a major milestone in promoting regional trade.
And we took note of the fact that as the Secretary left Pakistan for Afghanistan a couple of hours ago, a number of programs were announced today that demonstrate the significant United States investment in the future of Pakistan, including announcements regarding significant investments in health, water, agriculture, government-to-government partnerships, support for the private sector, energy, security, gender equality, and a wide range of programs to help those who have been displaced by the ongoing fighting in Pakistan….
Ambassador Eric Goosby, the US Global AIDS Coordinator, is currently in Vienna leading a U.S. delegation to the International AIDS conference. Yesterday at the conference, the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS announced that the United States remains the largest donor nation in the world, accounting for more than half of the donor disbursements in 2009. While we are proud of that fact, the key measure of success is lives saved, not dollars spent. And this is why, under President Obama’s Global Health Initiative, the U.S. is working to save as many lives as possible by addressing the range of health needs people have in developing countries.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2010/07/144840.htm
DODvClips video, July 19, 2010 -
Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in the Republic of Korea July 19 for meetings with top ROK officials.
Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, July 19, 2010:
Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Blockbuster Inc. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act
The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Blockbuster Inc. to ensure equal access to its stores nationwide for individuals with disabilities who use service animals.
The settlement agreement, which resolves a complaint filed under title III of the ADA by an individual with a disability, requires, among other things, that Blockbuster provide comprehensive training to employees at more than 3,000 retail stores throughout the United States to ensure individuals with disabilities who use service animals have full and equal enjoyment of its goods, services and facilities.
“The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees equal access to individuals with disabilities who are accompanied by service animals, but too often those individuals are subject to discrimination because of misperceptions or a lack of understanding of the law,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.
The agreement, which will remain in effect for three years, requires that Blockbuster:
•Implement a comprehensive nationwide nondiscrimination policy regarding service animals for people with disabilities;
•Distribute the policy and train employees across the United States on the rights of service animal users and employee obligations to ensure full and equal access to Blockbuster goods, services and facilities;
•Provide the same training to new staff during the hiring process;
•Post its service animal policy on its website and in its stores, and post a “Service Animals Welcome” sign in each of its stores;
•Create a toll-free ADA complaint line;
•Establish, implement, and monitor a grievance procedure for ADA-related complaints from customers;
•Pay $12,000 in damages to the individual who filed the complaint resolved by this settlement; and
•Pay $10,000 as a civil penalty.
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/July/10-ag-831.html
USDA video, July 08, 2010 -
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is partnering with landowners in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to show what can be done to prevent runoff. The USDA’s Bob Ellison has more.
The Department of Commerce Blog, July 19, 2010:
Commerce Department Hosts Event to Commemorate 20th Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act
In observance of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Department of Commerce hosted an event today at the Herbert C. Hoover Building in partnership with the White House and the Federal Communications Commission. At the event, the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced a $15 million American Recovery and Reinvestment grant to Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc. for a project that will expand broadband adoption among people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
The event also included a technology showcase highlighting technologies developed to empower the daily lives of Americans with disabilities, the launch of the FCC’s new Accessibility and Innovation Forum, a video presentation chronicling personal histories of those with disabilities who have been impacted by technology and a performance by Gallaudet University students. Both the showcase and program were free and open to the public….
http://www.commerce.gov/blog/2010/07/19/commerce-department-hosts-event-commemorate-20th-anniversary-americans-disabilities-
Hi Kat. Excellent diary by the way. I left a comment and recommend. Looks like it was very well received.
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