Congressman Envisions Shooting Obama ‘In My Scope’ Dressed as Patton
November 30, 2010
(ChattahBox Political News)—BP apologist Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), is so desperate to become elected as class president, or rather chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, he is pulling out all the stops, including producing an amateurish Power Point presentation that advocates waging war against the President of the United States. In it, Barton envisions a role-playing battle reminiscent of World War II, casting himself as General Patton, with soon to be Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) as Dwight D. Eisenhower and soon to be Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) as Omar Bradley. Uh huh, no really. So, does that make President Obama Hitler? Read more
Gates: Repealing DADT ‘Matter of Some Urgency’
November 30, 2010
(ChattahBox US News)—The Pentagon’s DADT report was finally released today and it couldn’t be better news. The comprehensive report concludes that 70 percent of service men and women believe allowing open service would have negligible or no effect on military operations. Not only did the overall report support repeal of DADT, but both Defense Secretary Robert Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, both support open service. No longer can cowardly anti-gay lawmakers hide behind an impending Pentagon report. The report is now out and the results and the data support repeal.”The survey results found more than two-thirds of the force do not object to gays and lesbians serving openly in uniform, Gates said. “The findings suggest that for large segments of the military, repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ though potentially disruptive in the short term, would not be the wrenching, traumatic change that many have feared and predicted.” So, what are we waiting for? Read more
Joe Scarborough: Palin’s Presidential Ambitions ‘Dopey Dream’
November 30, 2010
(ChattahBox Political News)— MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough slammed his fellow Republicans in Politico today for not having the courage to “man up” and admit in public that Sarah Palin is a joke and not a viable candidate for President of the United States. Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, derisively referred to Palin, as a “reality show star,” and a former third-place finishing “Miss Alaska beauty” contestant. But putting aside Palin’s obvious lack of qualifications, what really got Scarborough all hot under the collar was her swipes at the “great men,” former Republican presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Notably, the Morning Joe co-host didn’t bother to mention Palin’s race-baiting and classless attacks against a sitting President and the First Lady as un-American. In fact while bashing Palin, Scarborough also found a way to get in a couple of jabs at President Obama, as well. Read more
Boehner, McConnell Pen Partisan Op/Ed Before WH Meeting
November 30, 2010
(ChattahBox Political News)–Just in case President Obama harbored any allusions that today’s White House meeting with both Republican and Democratic leaders would result in Republican compromise, soon to be Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner (R-Oh) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) penned a partisan screed in the Washington Post. The piece, “A chance to heed the voters,” laughably insists that the American voters want tax cuts extended for the rich, want cuts made to entitlements to reduce the deficit and want a smaller government with less regulation. Americans as a whole, oppose extending tax cuts for the wealthy, they want jobs before deficit reduction efforts and want lawmakers to keep their hands off Medicare and Social Security. But not in Boehner and McConnell’s fantasy land. And do you want another laugh? Boehner and McConnell claim they are speaking for “struggling middle-class families.” Funny, last I checked, Republicans refused to extend unemployment benefits, because they say it makes people lazy. Read more
DADT Report Favors Repeal, But Will GOP Homophobes Accept it?
November 30, 2010
(ChattahBox Political News)— The long awaited Pentagon “Don’t ask, don’t tell” survey will be released today and the results are expected to show that a large majority of those surveyed don’t object to gay men and women serving openly. Just about everyone supports the repeal of the discriminatory DADT policy, except for a handful of elderly homophobic senators led by John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen supports repeal, as well as President Obama. And a majority of Americans, even right-wing evangelicals support ending DADT. A federal judge ruled that the odious DADT policy has a “direct and deleterious effect’’ on the military. But already, Republican lawmakers are trashing the Pentagon’s report before it’s even released, demanding that Congress hold more hearings, conduct more studies and delay, delay for another fifty-years. In other words, they are ignoring the will of the American people, the Pentagon and our soldiers, based on their own prejudices. Read more
Actor Mark Ruffalo Lands on Terror Watch List for Promoting Documentary, Seriously!
November 30, 2010
(ChattahBox Op/Ed) – Wisconsin native and talented actor of such critically acclaimed films like Shutter Island, The Kids Are All Right, Blindness and Zodiac, Mark Ruffalo has found himself on an unwanted celebrity A-List, reminiscent of the McCarthy era. He is now on the infamous terror watch list. Why? Because the actor organized a screening of a documentary directed by Josh Fox called Gasland. The film follows the filmmaker as he visits communities in Pennsylvania where gas drilling takes place and in one dramatic scene, as tap water is run into a sink, as a match touches the water it catches fire!
Ruffalo, who wanted to bring awareness to this issue set about to do just that and when word spread the Pennsylvania Department of Homeland Security they placed him on the dreaded terror watch list.
What all that means for Rullafo is that as he travels he can expect to be under much higher scrutiny. He will NOT be barred from flying however.
The film was obviously not welcome by the Gas industry and when filmmaker Fox, whose family owned property in Pennsylvania, was offered $100,000 to lease their land to the Gas company for the purpose of drilling, it got Fox’s attention. Following a hunch, he began a journey that uncovered the infamous scene of flaming water and found more than a handful of people who are suffering from many diverse medical conditions that they all believe are as a direct result of contaminated water.
I do use the word paranoia from time to time in my scribbling here, and most times I do it tongue in cheek, but maybe not so much in this case. Ruffalo in GQ magazine is quoted as saying he isn’t worried about the designation and added that, “It’s pretty fu@$ing funny”.
But is it?
As the First Amendment has become the centerpiece of almost every dialogue these days, and rightfully so, the government paranoia in this case is clearly a severe over reaction to one person’s interest in bringing light to a serious issue. Documentaries are interesting communication tools and they can of course be skewed to a point of view, but in this case the truth is the truth. Flaming water is telling and medical records don’t lie, so why would Pennsylvania DHS be so paranoid? And, more telling perhaps, or more confusing, why would they place Ruffalo on a terror watch list for advocating for truth? It is odd, don’t you think?
The trailer I have attached is stunning, disturbing and terrifying, but not in the Mark Ruffalo terror kind of way, hardly. It is reminiscent of a documentary titled Food. Inc. which tells the story of the chicken you eat every day. And Gasland is deserving of a wide audience, which was of course Ruffalo’s goal, obviously.
I haven’t seen the film, but the trailer leads me to believe that the cozy partnership between corporations and politics is as intimate here as it always seems to be when the wrong thing in done in the name of profit. Not unlike almost every Michael Moore documentary, Josh Fox’s Gasland is about accountability and truth, and I realize that that can cause terror but only for those that have so much money to lose.
It’s ridiculous to believe that talented actor Mark Ruffalo is subversive and dangerous to his country because he believes in truth, but it has to make you wonder how little you have to do before you and up on a government list: maybe something as simple as writing a column about a documentary. We’ll see.
Tony Trupiano is a former national syndicated progressive radio talk show host, author, and a former candidate for Congress. He is also a nationally recognized media trainer. He can be reached at tony@mediatony.com and can read his Blog at http://www.mediatraining.me
Millionaire Whines on Fox News About Taxes and ‘Two Nickels in My Pocket’
November 30, 2010
(ChattahBox Political News)– As the rhetoric and political gamesmanship heats up over the GOP’s demand that the Bush tax cuts be extended for the wealthiest Americans, Fox News is doing its part to host whiny millionaires to complain about paying taxes. With millions of Americans out of work, losing their homes and about to lose unemployment benefits, Miami-based talk show host Neal Asbury was given a platform on Fox & Friends this morning to complain about being “tied to the government whipping post.” The right-wing talker declared he is a millionaire, but it feels like he barely has two nickels to spend. Today, two-million unemployed Americans will lose their meager unemployment checks with the holidays approaching. Why? Because Republicans and a few Blue Dog Democrats say we can’t afford to help the unemployed, when our unemployment rate hovers at 10 percent, but it’s fine to borrow $700 billion to make sure the wealthiest two percent can keep more of their money in their pockets. If you feel like you are about to throw up in your mouth, join the club. Read more
Wisconsin High School Gunman Holds Class Hostage But Only Harms Self
November 30, 2010
(ChattahBox U.S. News)—Out of the blue, a 15-year-old watching a movie in his high school classroom shot a handgun at the movie projector, leading to a five-hour standoff in which he held the 23 students in his class hostage, ABC News reports. He demanded silence and confiscated the students’ cell phones, but did not harm anyone and even laughed when his classmates tried to distract him by chatting with him about hunting and fishing.
About five hours into the standoff, the gunman let five students leave to use the bathroom, and police officers led them to safety. Shortly thereafter, the gunman fired three shots, breaking down the door, and shot himself as police approached, ABC News reports.
One of the gunman’s former teachers expressed shock over the identity of the gunman, describing him as a “fine young man” from a very involved and active family. “It doesn’t fit any of the things or molds that you read about people,” the teacher told ABC News. “I couldn’t say enough good things about the family.”
Saudi Donors Provide Most Funding for al Qaeda, Leaked Cable Says
November 30, 2010
(ChattahBox World News)—With all of the news being reported based on the cables that Wikileaks released this week, it’s hard to maintain focus on just one small issue contained in the documents. But one topic that may deserve more attention is the New York Times’ report that “Saudi donors remain the chief financiers of Sunni militant groups like al Qaeda,” which was mentioned almost as an aside as part of a broader article covering the leaked cables.
Despite the fact that the Times did not provide additional details besides that statement, it has taken many analysts by surprise, notes rawstory.com. Although previous news sources have indicated that al Qaeda has raised money in Saudi Arabia, senior officials had previously not supported that claim.
The news comes as a shock mostly due to the fact that Saudi Arabia remains an American ally in the Gulf, rawstory.com notes.
Leaked Cables Show China’s Support of One Unified Korea Run by Seoul
November 30, 2010
(ChattahBox World News)—Wikileaks released documents last night which revealed that, despite China’s complex relationship with North Korea, Chinese officials were willing to back a potential unification between North and South Korea, the UK Telegraph reports.
During a February conversation between Chun Yung-Woo (then-South Korean vice-foreign minister) and Kathleen Stephens, the U.S. Ambassador in Seoul, Chun said that two high-level Chinese officials believed the two Koreas should be joined under South Korean control, Stephens noted. Chun also revealed that younger Chinese Communist party leaders did not want to risk renewed armed conflict in Korea, the Telegraph reports.
In addition, the leaked cables show that China is concerned about North Korea’s nuclear potential, with one Chinese official referring to Pyongyang as behaving “like a spoiled child” following North Korea’s 2009 missile tests. The cables also show U.S. frustration over China’s role as middle-man in arms deals between North Korea and Iran. On several occasions, American officials as senior as former president George W. Bush have spoken to Chinese officials about the fact that various weapon parts were sent to Iran from North Korea via Beijing, the Telegraph notes.