fayfreethinkers.com

"I have seen Yorkshire terriers attack large dogs, and they do it in really nasty ways. The GOP is like that. It is filled with small men and women, small in mind. They have no ability to think things through, no real depth, no vision. That is why they purport to hate everything academic or concepts like hope. That is why they always refer to God and pump themselves up with phoney and even fraudulent patriotism, because these are planks that allow them to avoid the hard work of using their heads, of coming up with some intelligent program and real strategy."

Link

The heart of the immigration dilemma: Only 5,000 green cards to cover 500,000 unskilled-labor jobs

Tom Roach effectively drills down to the heart of our dilemma with immigration -- namely, our current laws are so screwed up they have no chance of meeting the nation's economic needs or effectively dealing with natural immigration pressures that are driven by not just the economy, but the American Dream itself:

Roach: And then at the bottom of the food chain, as you can see, there are low-skilled workers. So those low-skilled workers are farm workers, janitors, chambermaids, busboys, dishwashers, gardeners, nannies, domestics.

Okay, so every year, the government, the U.S. government, hands out green cards to 5,000 people in that category, low-skilled workers, for the entire country. Five thousand a year. And up till about 18 months ago, this economy created something on the order of 500,000 low-skill jobs. Five hundred thousand low-skill jobs, but only 5,000 green cards.

So if you don't learn anything else tonight, take this home, and that cranky next-door neighbor keeps saying, 'I don't understand why the Mexicans just don't get a green card' -- I think it was in the Tri-City Herald today [actually, it ran May 26 ], there was a letter to the editor: 'Jeez, why don't they just get a green card before they come up?' It's impossible! It's impossible! It's impossible! OK?

Roach goes on to explain... why we now are faced with a situation where we have 10 million undocumented immigrants in this country: namely, the vast majority of those unskilled jobs are not jobs that native-born Americans are willing to do any longer: harvesting agricultural products, landscaping work, janitorial and other services.

I am reminded of a woman I met on the Dreams Across America train in 2007 who ran a landscaping business in northern California. She told me that when she attempted to hire only documented citizens, she received only three applications for 14 positions, and two of the three quit on the first day, and the third quit on the next. She now hires undocumented workers regularly because they're reliable, hard-working, and do excellent work."

C & L

From Fox, via Crooksandliars

***
Cameron: There was a tremendous amount of discussion about Sharron Angle’s taking the defensive posture.

Angle: We needed to have the press be our friend.

Cameron: Wait a minute! Hold on a second… to be your friend?

Angle: Well truly…

Cameron: It sounds lame…

Angle: "Well, no, no, we wanted them to ask the questions we want to answer so that they report the news the way we want it to be reported and when I get on a show and I say send me money to SharronAngle.com, so that your listeners will know that if they want to support me they need to go to SharronAngle.com."

The country is less equal today than it was just a decade ago thanks in part to the Bush tax cuts, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Wednesday.

"[T]he policies put in place by the previous administration, prior to this great recession, have left us with a terrible legacy of challenges," Geithner said during a discussion on fiscal policy at the Washington-based Center for American Progress. "And America is a less equal country today than it was ten years ago, in part because of the tax cuts for the top 2 percent put in place in 2001 and 2003."

The Bush tax cuts, credited with job creation during the George W. Bush administration, are now credited with expanding the nation's ever-increasing national debt. More jobs have been destroyed than the tax cuts could ever claim to have created, and with the economy in a moderate recovery the tax cuts have become less an economic issue than a political one: Most Republicans, hoping to push their supply-side theories, want to extend them in hopes that the rich will spend, invest and create jobs in the process; Democrats, in an attempt to appeal to deficit-conscious voters, want them to expire so that the increased government revenue can be used to pay down the national debt.

Economists and policymakers, while not discounting the positive effects that continued tax cuts can have on the economy, have stressed that the best course would be to allow the cuts to expire.

See here.

"The American people don’t want more Washington 'stimulus' spending
– especially in the form of a pay-off to union bosses and liberal special interests."
-- Der Boner, between tanning sessions, Link

"Incredibly, the Boehner disparagingly referred to those who teach our children,
protect our homes, and keep our streets safe as 'special interests.' Republicans
are opposed to supporting our teachers, firefighters, and policemen at home in
order to protect corporate tax loopholes that promote the export of American jobs."
-- Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) Link

From bartcop.com

Some people are good communicators, I don't think Gibbs is. I've never liked him.

***
In response to Gibbs's recent comments about "the professional left" and its dissatisfaction with the Obama administration, Alan Grayson called Gibbs "Bozo the Spokesman" and declared he should be fired.

"I don't think he should resign, I think he should be fired. He's done a miserable job," Grayson said. "He's so far in over his head he'd have to reach up to touch his shoes."

Grayson went on:

"I'd like to see Gibbs show some frustration over 15 million unemployed Americans. I'd like to see him show some frustration over 40 million people who can't see a doctor when they need to. I'd like to see him show some frustration over the Republicans, who have blocked the president's plans and his programs ... They're the opponents for him, not the liberals."

LINK

President Obama Friday expressed publicly for the first time strong support for the proposal to build an Islamic center and mosque blocks away from the site of the September 11 attacks. New York's Mayor Bloomberg has also expressed strong support for the proposal, reminding us that we do not honor the lives of the first responders who died that day by denying rights they died fighting to protect.

In support of Betsy's point, to quote Obama:

"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing in for the first time on a controversy that has riven New York City and the nation.

"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," he said. "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."

"...time and again, the American people have demonstrated that we can work through these issues, and stay true to our core values and emerge stronger for it," he said. "So it must be and will be today."

Why Obama gets extra points for this:

"...according to polls. A CNN/Opinion Research poll released this week found that nearly 70 percent of Americans opposed the mosque plan while just 29 percent approved."

Link

Martin Luther King:

"On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?" Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" And Vanity comes along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But Conscience asks the question "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right."
— Martin Luther King Jr.

This topic has nearly 26,000 comments on Huff Po. Wow!

And one more quote, from a facebook thread Larry started:

Muslim presence in lower Manhattan predates the twin towers by generations. There has been a mosque just blocks away for many years. The area was known as Little Syria. Cordoba House is a community center that will have a prayer room for... employees and community members. The organizers are moderate Muslims who intend for the center to have interfaith programing and teach tolerance. The bigotry and hatred that has spewed forth surrounding this project is terrifying to me as an American Jew who lost family members to the Holocaust. The whipping up of hatred towards an entire people for political gain reminds me vividly of Germany in the 1930s and 40s. --Judith

Darrel wrote:Why Obama gets extra points for this:

"...according to polls. A CNN/Opinion Research poll released this week found that nearly 70 percent of Americans opposed the mosque plan while just 29 percent approved."

DOUG
Right. Like a true Democrat, he's crystal clear on isses that will damage him politically, and which he didn't have to get involved in.

But in issues like health care, wall street reform, etc., he's unclear AND unpopular.

Typical Democratic stupidity. The mosque issue is already settled. They got permission to do it. So why does he have to open his mouth and hurt himself and his party?

that poll doesn't matter to me, because most people think they're building a mosque on the site of the World Trade Center since that's the way it's been stated so many times. So they say NO. If people really knew what they were opining about, I think many of them would change their position.

Betsy wrote: If people really knew what they were opining about, I think many of them would change their position.

DAR
That was my experience with this. Weeks ago, way before this hit the bigtime, I read something about this and was quite convinced it was a very bad idea. I was against it. In fact I was almost going to go and do a post over on Bigdog's site (I haven't posted in weeks) and say "hey, here is something Bigd and I can probably agree on, no mosque on ground zero." But my position was based on BS, spin and misinformation. Once I learned the basic facts that it isn't really a mosque and it isn't really on sacred ground zero, I changed my position, weeks ago. Then Obama waded into it. Politically risky. I posted his comments because I agree with them whole heartedly and even more so now. I like to see political courage rather than cowardice and think people should be rewarded when they stand up for what is right over going along with beliefs that are based upon fear, ignorance and blatant misinformation. I was disappointed when he walked it back with carefully parsed words a few days later but even that was largely over played. Huff Po had one sentence ripped out of context and blasted on their headline like something Drudge would do. So many people complain about this crap (including me) they changed it, put an accurate headline and focused on his whole quote. This is nuance the vast majority will never notice of course so it can be argued that for political reasons he shouldn't have said anything. That's where I was a couple of days ago when I heard a couple pitiful milquetoast liberal responses in defense of him speaking up for the constitution. Now the liberals are going full blast in your face in the manner I would do given the opportunity. Thom Hartmann is ripping the repubs calling them anti-american and against the constitution. Olbermann, Schultz, Cenk Uygur, Stewart even Joe Scarborough are screeching about this ("This is madness," remarked Scarborough ). There are so many ways to poke holes the in stupid bigoted arguments against this and these guys have already covered most of it.

So here's what I think now. This may be a plus. By accident rather than any political brilliance I think he might have stumbled into a good strategy. As people (sheeple) get informed about this and some more major conservatives who care about the constitution are picked off I think the tide will turn. Truth is on our side. And politically, this may be a useful distraction from the crappy economy.

I just posted this on Huff Po:

"Republicans just love their constitution until it's actually needed. Then they run. They love the ideas except when they are actually put into practice. What is the purpose of principles if you don't stand up for them right when they are needed the most? Conservatives behavior turns the constitution into a facade."

Conservatives are falling all over making asses out of themselves. As Richard Cohen wrote the other day:

“The very ugly controversy over [the mosque debate] has managed to make fools or knaves out of...Newt Gingrich...Charles Krauthammer...Rep. John Boehner... and Rep. Peter King. To blame ‘a people’ for the acts of a few--is what has always fueled pogroms and race riots.” (Source, NY Daily News, 08/17/10)

A few tidbits I've gleaned from the various talking heads:

It's not really a mosque
It's not on "sacred" ground zero but rather two blocks away
There already is another one four blocks away
Strip clubs and all of the rest are just as close or closer
The pentagon has a place for Muslims to pray within 80 feet of their 9/11 crash site
The guy opening the place, in a former coat shop, has worked with the FBI to fight terrorism
FAUX news had the guy on in a positive capacity to talk about this weeks ago

And lots more.

DOUG said:
The mosque issue is already settled. They got permission to do it.

DAR
I don't think it is settled at all and I also think it is likely it will be moved. The owner has already signaled that he is open to relocating. If only .1% of the noisy rightwing bigots are against it are insane (and we know it's much higher than that) then it's probably not safe there. And that's a shame. Because when the terrorists and the bigots cause America to run from it's values, they've won.

D.

Darrel wrote:So here's what I think now. This may be a plus. By accident rather than any political brilliance I think he might have stumbled into a good strategy. As people (sheeple) get informed about this and some more...

DOUG
And you have been in the U.S.A. how long..?

Doug wrote:

Darrel wrote:So here's what I think now. This may be a plus. By accident rather than any political brilliance I think he might have stumbled into a good strategy. As people (sheeple) get informed about this and some more...

DOUG
And you have been in the U.S.A. how long..?

DAR
23 years. I meant to add this quote/caveat at the end and forgot...

No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.

But it doesn't seem very nice to say it. Surely they have gotten dumber?

Palin Tweet in support of Dr. Laura:

"Dr.Laura:don't retreat...reload! (Steps aside bc her 1st Amend.rights ceased 2exist thx 2activists trying 2silence"isn't American,not fair")

Joan Walsh, writing on Salon, points out the sentiment and historical context of Palin's latest comments:

It's scary to think we just had a vice presidential nominee who doesn't understand the Constitution, who thinks Schlessinger's First Amendment rights "ceased 2exist" because she was criticized for haranguing a black woman who called for advice, using the word "nigger" 11 times. Again, Gov. Palin, the First Amendment protects us from government infringing on our speech rights; it doesn't take away other Americans' right to criticize.

LINK

Dr. Laura on the Palin pick:

I am extremely disappointed in the choice of Sarah Palin as the Vice Presidential candidate of the Republican Party....

I’m stunned - couldn’t the Republican Party find one competent female with adult children to run for Vice President with McCain? I realize his advisors probably didn’t want a “mature” woman, as the Democrats keep harping on his age. But really, what kind of role model is a woman whose fifth child was recently born with a serious issue, Down Syndrome, and then goes back to the job of Governor within days of the birth?

As one person put it:

"OMG it is the Thelma and Louise of the 21 century."

I actually understand the point "Dr" Laura was trying to make. In general I agree that people are hypersensitive regarding race and particularly racial slurs. It certainly depends on context. And yes, I have a serious problem with anyone trying to "take back" a racial slur. If I heard two hispanics speaking to each other saying "WAZZUP MY SPICK"....I would be a little put off. But be that as it may, friends often are a tad crass in casual conversation. And I assure you I would get over it quickly. Hearing the word nigger does not really get under my skin...however, in most contexts, it may lead me to think less of the speaker. I think, in general, the only thing she should be fairly criticized for is not hearing her caller out. It is likely laura is rather uncomfortable regarding race and thus she immediately took on the defensive. I think the intelligent response would have been to enquire in what context this word is being used. But whatever the case, sage advice to the caller would have been to speak with her husband AND his friends about exactly what it is that is making her uncomfortable. Chances are some of his friends are just plain racist. But even if the comments are not being made with raciest intent, perhaps that word just gets under her skin. If so, her husband, and his friends, should appreciate and respect that. How many of you routinely use the word cunt around your wife (or at all for that matter)?

kwlyon wrote:I actually understand the point "Dr" Laura was trying to make...

Whether her point is valid isn't really what I care about. It's absurd for the rightwing political bigwigs to make this claim about the First Amendment when it has not even the tiniest scent of government censorship. The real irony is that Schlessinger is essentially saying, "I should be able to say whatever I want (including about other people)... without other people being able to say whatever they want (especially about me)." That Palin agreed only confirms what we already knew: The Republicans are insane enough to put someone so clueless about government and politics in the White House.

Savonarola wrote:Whether her point is valid isn't really what I care about. It's absurd for the rightwing political bigwigs to make this claim about the First Amendment when it has not even the tiniest scent of government censorship.

Oh, yes, I absolutely agree. There is but one basic human right, and that is the right to do as you damn well please. However, in so doing, one must be prepared to accept the consequences. No one has infringed on her freedom of speech. Freedom of speech does not mean you get to say whatever the hell you want and be protected from consequences or criticism. This is one of my greatest frustrations with extreme conservatives and creationist--they both seem to be under the impression that they should be universally shielded from the social consequences of their idiocy.

This is absolutely a prime example of this special pleading. I was just saying I understand what she was trying to communicate. I wasn't offended. Many people were. They have every right to criticize her.

"Well, first of all, I believe in an Almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God. That's what I believe. I believe that Islam is a great religion that preaches peace." --GW Bush in 2007. Link

For real.

McCain tweet today:

"Last combat troops leave Iraq. I think President George W. Bush deserves some credit for victory."

LINK

Darrel wrote:For real.

McCain tweet today:

"Last combat troops leave Iraq. I think President George W. Bush deserves some credit for victory."

LINK

So....If I go take a shit on the carpet, and McCain cleans it up, do I get credit for victory?