Lost Because We Listened
Down at the end of my street, in front of the little mall with TD Banknorth and Burger King, Jay Preston stood sweltering in a gorilla suit by his homemade signs that read "Homeless Soon" and "Why TD Bank?" He told a sad complex tale of spiralling loss: a house addition, an equity loan, a re-appraisal, a loan default, credit cards maxed and charge accounts closed and a truck repossessed and a daughter fearful. The bank, he said, has made him feel "like nothing." People honked, thumbs up, as he spoke.
"I did everything I was supposed to do," he said, tearful. "It's just not fair."
From the Baucus Senatorial Archive... 'I'm Such A Shitty Senator'
I've been "serving" the great state of Montana in the U.S. Senate since
1978. You'll notice I put "serving" in quotes, because, let's face it,
I suck. My wife has been pleading with me not to say this publicly,
insisting that it's not true, that I'm a capable and dedicated public
servant, blah, blah, blah. Bless her dear heart, but she's just being
nice. Because, folks, I am telling you, I am hands-down the shittiest
senator in the history of the Senate. The worst.
Up Next: David Michaels
With rabid wingnuts having successfully felled Van Jones, they have set their sights on the next victim: Dr. David Michaels, Obama's choice to head OSHA. To Red State, Michaels is "a radical...who makes Van Jones look tame." To sane people, Michaels is a progressive, award-winning epidemiologist who wrote the highly regarded book, "Doubt is Their Product: How Industry's Assault on Science Threatens Your Health." Ergo: When the time comes, people, let's speak up.
Seals Arrested
Three animal rights activists dressed as bloody seals who had crawled out into traffic have been arrested in front of the Canadian Embassy in Washington. With Canadian P.M. Stephen Harper visiting Obama, the members of PETA were protesting their country's annual seal slaughter.
Little Obama and Big Bad Beck (In Manure, Yet)
With Obama increasingly straying from the progressive ideals that moved so many young people to work and vote for him, Campus Progress hopes to put him back on track with a helpful lesson in dealing with right-wing bullies who are pushing him around "like kids in a playground." In honor of their "deranged" leader Glenn Beck, artist Michael Murphy has painted a portrait of Beck "in bullshit and pigment on canvas." See More.
"There are two things you absolutely do not want to do when a bully tries to make your life a living hell: you do not want to ignore them and you do not want to give in to their demands."
Bagram: The Sham of Closing Guantanamo
...No wonder they want to close Guantanamo: who wants to be bothered with irritating habeas reviews -- 28 out of 33 have resulted in judicial findings that insufficient evidence exists to justify the detention -- when you can just ship them off to the Black Hole of Bagram and imprison them for as long as you want with no court interference?
Read Glenn's piece in full here.
Change We Still Need
Have you noticed that the Obama administration has not been as green as its campaign advertised?
In a few short months, the Obama administration has built, at best, a shaky environmental structure. From delisting wolves to offshore drilling to ducking mountaintop removal coal mining to allowing guns in parks (and the list goes on – At Issue), this is, frankly, not a stellar record. In fact, at times, Obama appointees act like a Bush Lite reprise – same decisions but wrapped in better rhetoric.
