Posted on 16 March 2010 by trouble97018
First Posted: 03-16-10 12:39 PM | Updated: 03-16-10 02:26 PM
Jim Bunning, far from being cowed by the national exposure of his recent effort to hold up unemployment benefits for millions of laid-off workers, is back at it in the Senate.
The Kentucky Republican battled Democrats on the Senate floor Tuesday to block two nominations to relatively backbench positions — because he is opposed to a tobacco-related law passed by the Canadian Parliament (that’s right, the Canadian Parliament). The use of such delaying tactics is not unprecedented in Senate history, but holding up such minor business stretches the purpose of the Senate’s open debate rules to the breaking point.
“This is a perversion of the filibuster and a perversion of the role of the Senate. It used to be that the filibuster was reserved for matters of great principle,” said Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) from the well of the Senate. “Some of my colleagues seem more interested in using every procedural method possible to keep the Senate from doing anything than they are in creating jobs or helping Americans struggling in a difficult economy.” Source Article
Posted on 09 March 2010 by shinai
Hello Fellow HORN Listeners,
Our Friends at ILoveMountains.org are holding a National Call-in day today (3/9/10) to find more Co-Sponsors for S696, The Appalachian Restoration Act. If you would like your senators to be co-sponsors of this legislation, call the capitol switchboard at 202-225-3121 and Ask to be connected to your Senator’s office. When you speak to your Senator’s Staff Person, speak politely. But do speak up, The Future is counting on you.
-Thanks So Much for all the love and care that all of you have shown us and each other in these times.
The HORN Team.
Posted on 25 February 2010 by trouble97018
Posted on 10 February 2010 by trouble97018
Think Progress
By Matt Corley on Feb 9th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
In his interview with CBS News’ Katie Couric before the Super Bowl earlier this week, President Obama said that he was going to ask Republicans to put their health care ideas “on the table.” “What I want to do is to look at the Republican ideas that are out there,” said Obama. “How do you guys want to lower costs?”
Just days before Obama made his call for GOP health care ideas, Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) offered a radical proposal for reform in a conversation with the editorial board of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. According to a blog post by the editorial board, Bond called on Friday for giving means-tested vouchers to Medicare enrollees: Source Article
Haven’t we heard this before? And rejected it? Of course, if we hadn’t our money would have gone into the stock market and then disappeared when the market crashed. Anyone feel like they’ve dodged a bullet?
Posted on 10 February 2010 by trouble97018
Posted on 02 February 2010 by shinai
Courtesy Crooks And Liars:
In the past week, I’ve heard of other Senate and House versions of a bill forbidding campaign contributions from foreign-owned companies (and in one case, companies that have even one foreign stockholder).
This one’s from Sen. Al Franken, announced today:
“Since 1974, federal law has banned foreign companies from giving or spending in American elections. Nothing in our current laws, however, explicitly prohibits foreign companies from creating American subsidiaries or getting control of American companies and using them to flood the airwaves in support of their preferred candidates. Citizens United gives companies unlimited power to do that – and does not distinguish between American companies and companies that are owned or controlled by foreign interests.
-Source.
Posted on 29 January 2010 by trouble97018
The Nation
By Jeremy Scahill
January 28, 2010
Every detail of September 16, 2007, is burned in Mohammed Kinani’s memory. Shortly after 9 am he was preparing to leave his house for work at his family’s auto parts business in Baghdad when he got a call from his sister, Jenan, who asked him to pick her and her children up across town and bring them back to his home for a visit. The Kinanis are a tightknit Shiite family, and Mohammed often served as a chauffeur through Baghdad’s dangerous streets to make such family gatherings possible.
Mohammed had just pulled away from his family’s home in the Khadamiya neighborhood in his SUV. His youngest son, 9-year-old Ali, came tearing down the road after him, asking his father if he could accompany him. Mohammed told him to run along and play with his brothers and sister. But Ali, an energetic and determined kid, insisted. Mohammed gave in, and off the father and son went.
As Mohammed and Ali drove through Baghdad that hot and sunny Sunday, they passed a newly rebuilt park downtown. Ali gazed at the park and then turned to his father and asked, “Daddy, when are you gonna bring us here?”
“Next week,” Mohammed replied. “If God wills it, son.” Source Article
An accompanying slideshow of Ali Kinani, his family, and the Nisour massacre can be found here.
Posted on 27 January 2010 by lottirj
News Release
January 27, 2010
ERIC HENSAL
WILLIAM KLEIN
Following the recent Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission to allow unlimited corporate funding of federal campaigns, Murray Hill Inc. today announced it is filing to run for U.S. Congress. “Until now,” Murray Hill Inc. said in a statement, “corporate interests had to rely on campaign contributions and influence-peddling to achieve their goals in Washington. But thanks to an enlightened Supreme Court, now we can eliminate the middle-man and run for office ourselves.” Murray Hill Inc. is believed to be the first “corporate person” to exercise its constitutional right to run for office.
Read the rest of the news release here.
Read the Murray Hill Inc. Press Release here.
Posted on 20 January 2010 by rantingkeyboard
On the left is Tareq Salahi, who makes up one half of the “White House Party Crashers” tag team, testifying (more like asserting the 5th) to a Congressional panel this morning. On the right is Rafe Hollister from “The Andy Griffith Show”, who was known for his beautiful singing and moonshining abilities.
One of them spent time in the Mayberry jail. Just pointing that out.
White House gate-crashers take 5th Amendment at congressional hearing
Tareq and Michaele Salahi, who got through White House security to attend a state dinner, today invoked their Constitutional rights against self-incrimination and refused to testify before Congress.
The Salahis refused to answer questions from lawmakers on the House Committee on Homeland Security, probing how the couple got past the Secret Service to attend a state dinner on Nov. 24 for the prime minister of India. The couple was able to shake hands and pose for photos with top officials including President Obama.
A federal grand jury is also probing the incident.
Read the rest, including Representative Pascrell’s hilarious line of questioning, at the LA Times.
Posted on 07 January 2010 by trouble97018
TPM Muckraker
Zachary Roth | January 7, 2010, 2:02PM
Who ever said there are no second acts in American life never met some of the Republicans who played roles in the U.S. attorney firings.
Three figures from the Bush Justice Department scandal of 2006 are back in the limelight, running for office under the GOP banner in 2010.
Perhaps the most prominent is Tim Griffin, the former RNC operative who worked as a top White House aide to Karl Rove. In numerous emails to colleagues, Rove made clear his desire to see Griffin land a powerful government post. And in December 2006, Bud Cummins was fired as U.S. attorney in Arkansas, in order to create a vacancy for Griffin. Griffin was appointed U.S. attorney via an interim appointment, but the Democratic Senate refused to confirm him, and in June 2007 he resigned. Source
