Wednesday, May 13, 2009

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Maddisen K. Krown: Ask Maddisen: How to Experience Fuller Love & Deeper Sexual Intimacy Top
Dear Maddisen: I don't have any interest in sex with my significant other. How can we get the fire back? Regards, LF Dear LF, First, congrats on longing for love! Yes, that's right, you're on track! It means you're highly interested in fuller love and greatly desiring to experience it. Your longing will lead you into the loving . And if you were my private client, I might even have you spend a few minutes enjoying that longing, because longing itself can be healthy if you don't dwell in it and make it your goal, and instead use it as fuel to propel yourself into the fuller loving and intimacy you desire. Also realize that your longing for fuller love has led you here to the answer, so give yourself a hug. And if you need to say a few self forgiveness phrases (which you learned about in my earlier column), do that now. What about the loss of interest in sex with your significant other? Since you're asking how you can both get the fire back, I'm going to assume that this opportunity for growth is mutual. As I see it, there are two reasons for this. Either 1) the chemistry of attraction is simply not present between you two, or 2) your fires of attraction have been temporarily dampened. If you sense that there is no sexual attraction, you might explore it more deeply by enlisting assistance from a life coach or counselor who is skilled in this area, or there simply may be no sexual chemistry. Although this answer can be quite sobering and frightening initially, it is a possibility. Know that ultimately, this honest discovery can lead to healthy change for you both. However, if you sense that there is still sexual attraction between you, but something has dampened it, then the following information should help. Based on personal experience and on the experiences of clients and friends, I've noticed that the decrease in sexual attraction and sexual activity between significant others may be caused gradually and unconsciously over time by a sort of neutralizing or melding of the male and female energies. I say male and female energies because this can happen in any love partnership regardless of gender and heterosexual or homosexual preference. You might say, familiarity breeds content ! Somehow, your male and female polarities have been neutralized, and you've become couch buddies. Not good. Save that for your knitting club. Or you've become indifferent. Not good either. Save that for your in-laws! If you sense that the sexual attraction is still present underneath the hustle and bustle of your daily lives, try this: beef up your sexual polarities to juice up your relationship. In other words, follow nature's lead and experience the bliss of oneness by behaving as complementary opposites! We're equal, we're one spiritually, but we're not the same, and if we want to get the attraction back into our relationships, we must acknowledge, revel in, and animate our natural masculine and feminine differences. What might that look like? Simply put, the female must move more fully and dominantly into her female energy, and the male must move more fully and dominantly into his male energy. The masculine pole represents energy that is more purpose-driven, focused, self-disciplined, and goal-oriented. The male creates a safe container or form within which the female can freely move and express. The feminine pole represents energy that is more open, flowing, intuitive, radiant, and spontaneous. The female represents pure expression of birth, life, inspiration, and motion. For the male partner, this may mean behaving in a more assertive way without being overly aggressive or controlling. For the female partner, this may mean behaving in a more loving and unrestricted way without being overly submissive. If it looks like something you and your partner want to experience, take some time to talk about, envision, and feel into how you might each animate your innate masculine and feminine qualities. Remember, this is not a game of weak and strong or right and wrong; this is about moving more fully into the sexual poles into which we are born, in a way that honors and celebrates our differences. It's a win-win and potentially electrifying game of love! I also want to mention, just as with yin and yang, where the complementary opposites form a greater whole and each contains a little bit of the other, the same is true for females and males - we each possess both masculine and feminine qualities. This suggests that we all can and do move between the feminine and masculine energies and associated behaviors, which brings up a whole new supplement to this conversation, so for now - YOU decide who's who and when ! If you're struggling to wrap your noodle around all of this, you're not alone. Take a deep breath, and know that this is a rich topic. This is an introduction to what may become a new practice for some of you, so be patient, loving, and respectful of one another as you gain mastery in this exciting experience of intimacy, mutual joy and satisfaction. For more ideas about sexual polarities and intimacy, I recommend reading David Deida's books, specifically "The Way of the Superior Man". Don't let the title fool you - it's meant for women just as much as it is for men, and an easy yet provocative read. His website is: www.deida.info . David is a renowned teacher in the ways of intimacy. Other ways for exploring and expressing the sexual polarities might include Pole Dancing classes for women, or the ManKind Project for men, etc. And so, my dear LF and all of my readers, may your healthy longing for love propel you into the rich experience of the fuller loving you so naturally desire. Your Coach, Maddisen You may submit your questions for ASK MADDISEN at askmaddisen@krown.us More on Sex
 
Crist Senate Bid Outrages Conservatives; NRSC Boycott Urged Top
Another fierce ideological rift has opened up within the Republican Party. Conservatives are up in arms over Charlie Crist's Senate run and the support Crist has received from the national Republican establishment. Crist, the governor of Florida who announced his Senate candidacy on Tuesday, is seen as a moderate on many issues, and his recent backing of Obama's stimulus plan has drawn the ire of many GOP activists. Conservatives in the blogosphere are particularly incensed. Erik Erickson at the prominent conservative blog RedState is calling for a boycott of the National Republican Senatorial Committee over their endorsement of Crist: I can kind of understand them getting behind Specter. Both he and Chaffee were incumbents. But getting behind Crist in the Florida primary is wholly unacceptable for all the reasons and explanations Dan gave. ... If the NRSC thinks this is smart, we must not waste our time or energy with them. Join me in pledging no money, no help, no aid, and no support for the NRSC's efforts in the 2010 election cycle. Matt Lewis at Politics Daily sums up some other conservative reaction: National Review's Jim Geraghty hit the nail on the head when he asked, "... how many Republicans have ever said, "Thank goodness the NRSC intervened in that primary"? And fellow NRO blogger David Freddoso wrote: "As demonstrated here and by their completely unnecessary (and not necessarily correct) dissing of Pat Toomey's chances in Pennsylvania, the Senate establishment wants to pre-determine as many outcomes as possible." Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter! More on GOP
 
Philip Slater: Time For The Military PR Folks To Come Up With A New Spin Top
Every time the military slaughters a bunch of children in some distant land the PR staff robotically cranks out the same old chestnut: "it-is-not-our-fault-the-enemy-is-using-human-shields." First, in order to grab the moral high ground here you would have to actually be deterred by this nefarious stratagem, which no one ever is. Second, this argument presumes that any dissident leader we want to assassinate should not live in his own home with his own family in his own village but should somehow, by ESP, intuit that a drone was on its way, hastily find a translator, email the operators in Las Vegas that he was going to run out into an empty field, carrying a big sign saying "kill me" in English, and give them his new coordinates. Our wars aren't fought against armies any more. No army would ever attack us. They are fought against civilians, in foreign countries where armed killers don't wear uniforms--where you can't tell enemy from neutral. Furthermore, Afghanistan is a country riddled with feuds--ethnic, tribal, family, and personal. The 'reliable information' on which the military acts is anything but. In 2003 the Bush administration had the brilliant idea of dropping millions of leaflets on the (largely illiterate) population promising $5000 rewards for identifying bad guys. This was the equivalent of a quarter of a million dollars to an American. Who could resist the temptation to finger a neighbor you've been feuding with for generations over a piece of land? You're immediately rich, rid of your neighbor, and you've got all his land. And has anyone ever considered the possibility that the reason we've bombed so many wedding parties is that our information might have come from someone who felt he should have been the groom? We should also abandon any attempt to take the moral high ground when the killing is being done--not on the ground, not even from a plane (which is cowardly enough), but by some guy sitting safely in a room outside Las Vegas playing video games with the lives of people he's never seen and whose deaths he will never have to confront. This is the ultimate in cowardly attacks, right up there with Al Qaeda using retarded girls as suicide bombers, or the Taliban gassing schoolgirls. Unfortunately, it's what modern war and modern machismo have come down to. So I would suggest--in view of Obama's new effort to have more transparency in government--that a little more honesty from the PR folks might be appropriate. Something like this: "Look, folks, we're the military. Our job is to kill folks. If you're going to get picky about who, send someone else." (In his inauguration speech, Obama talked of a whole new way of doing things. To understand the cultural paradigm shift that engendered this change--the shift that both the neocons and the Taliban have resisted so fiercely, see my website for information on THE CHRYSALIS EFFECT: THE METAMORPHOSIS OF GLOBAL CULTURE).
 
Tom Alderman: Those Pesky Ballot Propositions - Is This Anyway To Run a Country? Top
"Tyranny of the majority!" James Madison yelped about a government run by direct democracy, ballot initiatives, referendums, propositions - mob rule! And he's the guy who actually wrote the Constitution. "Yes, they're often misused, but California will never give them up and they can be effective," says Bob Hertzberg, astute politician and former Speaker of the California Assembly, and he's the one who had to shape public policy into law. Whether you find them offensive or necessary, ballot initiatives and referendums tend to spread like kudzu across the electoral landscape when city and state governing bodies can't, or wont, get the job done they're being paid to do. While referendums are those measures put on the ballot by the legislatures when they're stuck in gridlock, initiatives are those propositions that originate from we folk, the people, through petition - usually signed or ignored outside supermarkets. Initiatives have been big in California since populist governor Hiram Johnson started the process as a counter the powerful Southern Pacific Railroad oligarchy that dominated state government in 1911. Back then, it was like a scene from Frankenstein when torch bearing, angry town-folk storm the bastions to destroy the beast. Political vigilantism works in a fictional black and white world. Deciding whether to 'increase the "rainy day" budget stabilization fund' in a state with the seventh largest economy in the world like California, requires a little more, uh, attention. And there's the pickle. We are being asked to make far reaching decisions we are not qualified to make at all - to understand the complexities, context and consequences these initiatives require, then decide whether they should be the law of the land, or not. Ever tried reading one of these puppies? '.....helps balance state budget by amending the Mental Health Act Services Act, Proposition 63 of 2004.' You remember Prop 63, don't you? '...transfer funds, for two years, to pay for mental health services....fiscal impact: State General Fund savings of about $230 million annually for two years' Hey, saving money, terrific, but wait, '...corresponding reduction in funding available for Mental Health Services Act program,' Uh, you mean, you're actually taking away money for mental health services? Even the people who are supposed to understand them, don't. "I'm shocked and appalled how many legislators actually understand what they're voting on," says a bemused Dan Mitchell, Professor Emeritus, of Management and Public Policy at UCLA. Is this what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they set up shop? "No," says Mitchell. "These issues are too important to be decided this way," and yet, we Americans have pragmatism embedded in our DNA. When the existing system isn't delivering, we look for another way. Former Speaker Hertzberg points to California's 1978, now legendary, Prop 13 as an example of what can be achieved when citizens storm the voting booth to slay the monster, in this case, Draconian property taxes. Unfortunately, "Prop 13 was the last true ground-up initiative," laments Mitchell. "It's not really a bunch of citizens working together any more, not the town meeting writ large we tend to think it is," he continues. What he means is: to qualify to get on the ballot, we town-folk need to round up at least a million signatures, which means we have to hire firms who charge $1 to $2 per signature. Ouch. Then we have to spend many millions more to run our media campaigns. Double ouch. Hertzberg acknowledges abuses of the system and believes many legislators see the ballot measure as an 'instrument to manipulate the electorate.' Which brings to mind incumbent California governor Pete Wilson's 1994 successful re-election landslide against Kathleen Brown when Wilson's campaign created anti-immigration and racially charged Affirmative Action quota propositions that turned out a lot of scared and angry voters. So, why are we still being asked to do the job we pay our elected representatives to do? UCLA's Mitchell does see a benefit to the initiative system. If we keep systematically replacing experienced law makers with inexperienced ones, he sees propositions as a counterweight to these term limits. Ironic concept, isn't it? We, unqualified people, asked to make important decisions because we don't trust our unqualified representatives to do it. Most bewildering. So, again, why do we keep doing this? Because it works. Because we do not live in a symmetrical either-or-world. Because it's not a question of who's right or wrong - Madison or Hertzberg. Because 'win' or 'lose' is good framing for story telling but a very limiting assumption for governing leaving no room for what is possible, or, what can be done. The choice can sometimes be either-AND. Paraphrasing F. Scott Fitzgerald, the test of a first rate system is the ability to hold two opposite ideas in mind at the same time and not allow just one definition of a situation to constrict the range of other options to consider. Flawed as propositions are, we'll just have to muddle through, carry our torches, storm the voting booths and 'increase "rainy day" budget stabilization fund - or not.
 
Peter Clothier: Still the Mind Top
Those who have taken any interest in Buddhist teachings will already know that there are many different approaches to the dharma. For those who also enjoy the listening experience there is a pleasure in store in the form of a new release from Sounds True , a double CD offering by Bodhipaksa called Still the Mind . Okay, let's first get a little bit of exotica out of the way. Bodhipaksa hails originally from Scotland, and brings with him, even after a number of years in the U.S., the delightful hint of a remaining Scottish accent. Combined with a wonderfully gentle, mellow intonation, his voice itself is enough to charm the ears off his listener. Its calming effects seem in themselves almost enough to "still the mind." So that's a nice bonus. But that's certainly not the meat of the matter, because Bodhipaksa also has an impressive understanding of the dharma, which he shares with the ease of one who is comfortably familiar with his material. There's no straining, here, for definitions or for explanations, just an easy flow of thought which invites close attention without demanding mental gymnastics. The first of the two CD's, Session 1, takes us from "Starting Where We Are," through an introduction to those "Five Hindrances" that so often come along to stand in the meditator's way, to a discussion of "Mindfulness" and a invitation into "Calm Abiding," where the mind finds stillness. Along the way, Bodhipaksa guides his listener through short, two-minute sessions of breath-counting meditation in preparation for the second disk, Session 2, which is essentially two half-hour guided meditations. His approach is to move from numbering each breath after the outbreath to numbering each breath after the inbreath, to letting go of the numbering altogether -- abiding in stillness -- while quietly observing the different qualities of each as we proceed. I have no doubt that "Still the Mind" would be a wonderful introduction to meditation for the beginner. But I'd also like to stress that even for a moderately experienced (though still very much amateur!) meditator like myself -- and for anyone who shares with the vast majority of we humans an insatiably busy mind -- Bodhipaksa is a confident guide who provides fresh insights into the process of calming it down for long enough to watch it working, and teach it healthier habits. The meditation experience can take numerous forms: it can be a constant battle, and difficult, hard work: it is often demanding, sometimes intensely boring; and even painful -- or all these things together. Bodhipaksa's special gift (one of them, let's say) is to show us how the experience can also be a deeply pleasurable one.
 
Jamie Frevele: "Bones" Season Finale Goes Batsh*t Crazy Top
First off, at the beginning of the season, I gave Hart Hanson, the creator of Fox's "Bones" some homework , and he failed miserably. But honestly, there is no way to judge a current season based on things you want resolved from past seasons, so Mr. Hanson gets a pass. Besides, the show definitely delivered on some counts, so I can't complain. Especially since the show as I knew it is completely different than it was when I first wrote about it a year ago. It's not a bad thing; it's a sign of an evolving show. But let's be frank - "Bones" started out as a character-driven procedural that used subtle comedy and quirky characters to lighten the dark nature of the cases. Now? Emily Deschanel's Dr. Brennan is hardly ever in the lab, choosing field work with David Boreanaz's Agent Booth. They're also abducting corpses from funeral homes and going undercover at the circus. And they've turned into goofballs. Meanwhile, Sweets (John Francis Daley), the shrink, is also going undercover, as well as the rotating interns, none of whom are fit to replace Zack, apparently. Hodgins (TJ Thyne) is bouncing turkeys off his ex-fiancee's head and waking up in the desert with her face tattooed on his arm. Brennan is suddenly wanting to learn psychology and have a baby. And Booth is hallucinating. He's seeing Stewie from "The Family Guy." What show is this? It's a fun show, but what the hell show is this? It's totally cool for a show to change things up, change relationships, bring in new characters and move on from old ones. But I wonder if the "Bones" that we saw this season is the show the creators had always intended to make or if it's the other show they can't presently make due to the economy. Then again, this could be the most awesome display of creative anarchy I've ever seen on TV. They're not just going to write off a favorite character in an insane way. They're going to go completely insane and turn the whole show upside down. Basically, "Bones" thought it might be a great idea to go to Vegas on a whim, but ended up getting astronomically tanked, losing all its money, winning it all back, spending half of it on magic shows, demolishing the MGM Grand and shooting an Elvis impersonator in the ass, and then ultimately decided it liked that random guy they accidentally married. (I also like to think that the fact that the show still has cases is like calling home to tell Mom that "the lights are so pretty at night! Anyway, gotta go...") Now, unlike last season, I am not reading spoilers. It got me way too upset. So upset that I couldn't even cry for a month. This season, I abstained. As a result, I have no idea what's going on in the finale. Last we saw Booth, he was seeing Stewie right before masturbating and was later wheeled into surgery. Now he and Brennan are, what, undercover again? Running a nightclub? Called "The Lab"? And Zack is back, with the old school hair and duds? And Sweets is in a band? (Will he finally sing "Lime in the Coconut" like he's been promising since last season?) Oh, and that other big deal about Booth and Brennan having sex with each other. The talking points being repeated in the press about The Sex is that it will not disturb the central theme or chemistry of the show. (I hope they're not referring to that "Will they or won't they?" thing, because, well...) What's my point? My point is this: I really, really, really can't wait to watch this. And if you've never watched "Bones" before, you have got to tune in for this. It's gonna be crazy . And by the way, two things that have been conspicuously left hanging: Zack confessing to Sweets that he wasn't a killer and Hodgins waking up in the desert. With Angela's face on his whole entire upper arm. Ummmm...yeah. Anything? At all? Or is this like the hooker in Vegas who said "By the way - don't tell my pimp I really work for the CIA. Byeeeee!" The season finale of "Bones" airs at 8:00 PM on Fox on Thursday, May 14th. ****************** Worth noting: Wendy Young, who runs the blog Obsessed With Bones gave birth to a baby squint last week! Congratulations, Wendy and welcome Noah!
 
Michelle Obama On How Community Service Changed Her Life: "There Is Nothing More Fulfilling" Top
WASHINGTON — For Michelle Obama, corporate law turned out not to be the career she wanted to look back on at the end of her life. "I had to ask myself whether, if I died tomorrow, would I want this to be my legacy, working in a corporate firm, working for big companies," the first lady told employees of the federal agency tasked with managing public service programs. "And when I asked myself the question, the resounding answer was, absolutely not." Mrs. Obama spoke Tuesday to about 250 employees of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the latest stop on her listening tour of the federal bureaucracy. The deaths of her father and a close friend made her realize that she needed a change in direction, she said, and led her to quit her job at a law firm and choose a career in public service. She helped to establish Chicago's chapter of Public Allies, an AmeriCorps community service program that trained young people for jobs in the nonprofit world. Although the first lady worked at Public Allies until 1996, her most recent position was as executive vice president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals, a job with a six-figure salary. "National and community service is near and dear to my heart," the first lady said. "There is nothing more fulfilling," she said. "It's an opportunity to put your faith into action in a way that regular jobs don't allow." Mrs. Obama urged Americans to get involved with community service, individually or as a family, saying that it's a great way to demonstrate one's values and to give back to the community. "For many Americans it may seem impossible to squeeze even more time out of the day and do more," she said. "But I still strongly encourage people to think about volunteering." The first lady praised the $5.7 billion national service bill her husband, President Barack Obama, signed last month. It triples the size of the AmeriCorps service program over the next eight years and expands ways for students to earn money for college by helping those in their neighborhoods. "It's just beautiful to see this country and people of all walks of life, regardless of party, recognizing that this is a really good thing," she said. "This is where patriotism begins." Mrs. Obama noted that the national service bill will allow kids from varying economic backgrounds to get involved. "When I was coming up, volunteering and doing an internship seemed to be a luxury that working-class kids couldn't afford," she said. "It is so important that young people, regardless of their race or their age or their financial ability, that they have a chance to serve." More on The Giving Life
 
Ten Ways to Get What You Want at No Charge (SLIDESHOW) Top
The recession is probably taking a bite out of your spending, but it doesn't have to devour your fun. With a little thought and shoe leather, you can take advantage of many freebies and cut-rate promotions. Start by setting up a secondary email account to avoid cluttering your personal address with stupid stuff. Never give out your phone number. Should anyone ask, your name is "Napoleon" or "Josephine." Rule of thumb: Don't be bashful and prepare to be shameless in the pursuit of giveaways. Here's how: More on The Recession
 
Carl Pope: A Bump in the Road -- or a Detour? Top
It's scary how difficult it is proving for this Congress to embrace a new energy future. In the Senate, Energy Chair Jeff Bingaman is talking about passing a renewable-energy standard that would barely nudge the status quo -- only 12 percent renewables by 2019, and up only to 15 percent for the next two decades.  And even so, Indiana senator Evan Bayh is refusing to commit to support the proposal. In the House, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman is having an extraordinarily difficult time getting a strong renewable standard out of his committee -- even as he is being forced to water down the initially ambitious goals he set for his climate bill. At this point, no one on Capitol Hill is moving legislation that would achieve President Obama's goal of doubling renewable-energy generation. No one is moving legislation that meets the president's goals of 100 percent auction of carbon permits, either. Indeed, Waxman is considering giving more than half of the permits away to the industries that are major carbon polluters -- not because he wants to, but because otherwise he can't move a bill at all. What's going on here? Part of the problem is business as usual. Part is that while Congress understands health care is a national issue, it still sees energy a regional issue, one on which each member is entitled to be as parochial as he or she desires. But part of it is a failure on the part of advocates, the media, and the political leadership to understand that America's energy problems are rooted in a market that is fundamentally broken and that cannot be fixed by a single silver bullet such as cap and trade or a carbon tax. Here's why: In the energy sector, the consumers who pay the bill for more expensive gasoline (or electricity or coal or natural gas) don't always get to decide how much they need. Someone else makes the decisions -- someone who doesn't pay the bills.  A plumber who needs to drive a pickup truck 100,000 miles a year for work can't stop working just because gasoline gets more expensive -- he needs a more-efficient truck. Detroit doesn't make one. A renter who has an old, inefficient furnace can't make the landlord replace it with a modern one -- the tenant has no choice but to pay the bill if the price of home-heating oil soars through the roof. A business that uses a lot of electricity can't force its local utility to buy cheaper (and cleaner) wind or natural-gas kilowatt hours if the utility makes more money by over-billing for electrons from an old, dirty, and more-expensive coal plant that it owns. Trying to transition to a clean-energy economy by putting a price on carbon is a little like trying to improve the diet of students at a boarding school by giving them nutrition classes -- it's a necessary step, but not a sufficient one if the school keeps serving them junk food. Too many of America's utilities are determined to keep serving Americans dirty electricity from coal. The auto industry is determined to feed us a diet of inefficient, gasoline-powered vehicles. They've figured out that the Obama administration and the Congressional leadership badly want to pass a cap and trade bill to send a strong signal before the Copenhagen climate conference in December. And they are determined to highjack this urgent moment. Their strategy is clear: Block any real reform of energy markets. Block any real commitment to reduce our dependence on oil and coal. Drag their feet to see if they can kill energy legislation altogether. If that fails, then they'll force the Administration to accept a symbolic "cap and trade" bill that they know they can unravel later. And there's a real danger that, with the pressure of December's United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen bearing down, the Administration and the Congressional leadership might be tempted to accept nutrition classes instead of changing the energy diet offered to the American people by coal, oil, autos, and utilities. What's the solution? We need to tell our leaders that we won't let coal and oil steal our clean energy future.  We want Congress to enact not the shadow but the substance of the president's energy platform -- doubling renewable energy, cutting carbon pollution by 80 percent by 2050, and making sure that those who emit carbon pollution pay the bill.
 
Remorseful Aldermen To City: Put All Privatization Deal Info Online Top
Three aldermen are calling on Mayor Richard Daley's administration to provide more information about the privatization of city assets such as the parking meter system.
 
Ginna Kelly: Governor Kaine Leading the Way for the Chesapeake Bay Top
The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure. It is the largest estuary in the United States and the largest Atlantic watershed. Stretching over 200 miles long, the Bay watershed provides ecological services to New York down to Virginia. If you live near the Chesapeake Bay, you know that its health is poor. Massive fish kills, the decline in the Blue Crab, and decimation of the native oyster populations all indicate something is dreadfully wrong. We have a formidable task before us and Governor Kaine of Virginia is leading the way. Last week I heard Governor Kaine speak at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's "Blue Planet Forum: Exploring the Bay and Beyond." The event was held at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia with 300 attendees. It only took a few minutes to learn that Governor Kaine is making the environment his number one priority during his last year in office. What has Governor Kaine done? Kaine has dedicated more than a billion dollars for Bay cleanup efforts. Point source pollution is being reduced in sewage treatment plants. Agricultural runoff is being reduced with Best Management Practices. Stormwater regulations are being rewritten to guide future development to minimize pavement and concrete. Two year milestones have been put in place to keep regulators accountable. Governor Kaine has also made the Bay a key component of the "Renew Virginia" initiative, the goal of which is to make Virginia a leader in energy conservation. Governor Kaine has enough influence in the Obama administration to make something happen. Kaine serves as the chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council and chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Recently, Kaine met with EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson, to urge her to move the Chesapeake Bay Program to EPA headquarters to ensure accountability. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is realistically aggressive. Bay cleanup efforts are on the right track. Governor Kaine's term ends this year, but expect to see him in politics for the long run. This may just be a great thing for the Chesapeake Bay.
 
Michael Giltz: American Idol -- Top 3 Showdown Top
OK, I'm writing to you from Cannes where I'll be covering the film festival for Huffington Post and other outlets. With no wifi in my apartment (something that better change quick), I had to wait till now to check out the episode. So is this the finale? Is Simon right when he says Adam Lambert is fated to win? Or could Kris Allen or Danny Gokey surprise everyone the way David Cook did last year? This does feel like a triumphal march for Adam the way it was for Carrie Underwood a few years ago. But nothing is written in stone. Yet. My quick impressions: DANNY GOKEY -- For his first song, Paula selected "Dance Little Sister" by Terence Trent D'Arby, a left-field choice out of the guy's comfort zone that could give him a chance to remake his Middle Of the Road image. Actually, it worked pretty great for Danny who didn't seem as dull as he's been for the last few weeks. He even scatted a bit! But he'll never beat Adam (Kris is the only one with a shot). Randy and Paula approved while Kara and Simon were less enthused. It's been a great season for Paula: she's been just as goofy and New Age-y as ever but has really been giving focused, good comments. For his second song, Danny chose Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful." After weeks of out and out boredom, Danny came through at the end with another strong performance and this time it was controlled and sweet, along with the predictable build-up towards the end. All the judges raved, probably guaranteeing he'll be in the finale. (I say that before hearing Kris's last song.) KRIS ALLEN -- For his first song, Randy and Kara chose "Apologize" by One Republic. Another smart choice. I hated the burbling synths and what sounded like a drum pad and would have preferred just Kris and a piano. But his vocals sounded great and he was smooth and so on target. Simon spent his time dissing Kara, with all the judges ho-humming the performance. Only Ryan nailed Kris's best asset: that quiet confidence. For his second song, Kris chose "Heartless" by Kanye West, which seems pretty oddball to me. (Not a Kanye West fan, me.) What do I know? Kris stripped the song down to just an acoustic guitar and absolutely knocked it out. Great, great performance. Danny does a 35 year old song and belongs on adult contemporary radio while Kris seems extremely contemporary and smart. Totally deserving to be in the finals and give Adam a serious run for his money. I'll be saving that one. ADAM LAMBERT -- For his first song, Simon chose "One" by U2. Another good choice; it gives Adam a chance to tone down the histrionics and deliver emotionally the way he did with Tears For Fears. Well, that's what I thought. I forgot of course he could go the Mary J Blige and in the middle he tore it up a la Adam. (And looked a lot like an elf; surely eh should get at least a small role in The Hobbit .) Randy ignored the performance. Kara dissed Kris by insisting Adam made it his own. Paula and Simon rave, with Paula insisting he'll win and Simon threatening the world if Adam doesn't make it into the finals. Adam, oddly, pointed out how beautiful the lyrics are, as if everyone doesn't know that already. For his second song, Adam chose Aerosmith's "Cryin'." Another savvy choice because it allows him to leave people with a rock vibe and link him to Steven Tyler (and Freddie Mercury) rather than Broadway. He did what he did, of course. It was good but not great. Randy said he's a rock star, Kara and Paula and Simon raved, with Simon smartly urging people to vote and not take anything for granted. Everyone thinks of Idol as a show dominated by teenage girls speed-dialing for their favorites. But the average age of the viewer has crept up to 40 now. Hence David Cook over David Archuleta. So what appeals to the parents might just be the winning ticket. That said, I think both Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert appeal to older folks while Kris skews younger. That should mean Kris gets into the finals but faces a tougher road to win it all. However, he had the single best performance tonight with "Heartless." So it ain't over. Kris and Danny in the bottom two and Danny goes home. More on American Idol
 
Energy Stimulus Money In Jeopardy, Environmental Groups Say Top
Ohio could miss out on millions of dollars in federal stimulus money unless the state quickly adopts building codes with stricter energy efficiency requirements, environmentalists warned this morning. Find out about stimulus spending in your state! More on Stimulus Package
 
Zelikow: Harsh Interrogations A "Collective Failure" Top
Former State Department counselor Philip Zelikow told the first congressional panel convened to address allegations of torture that Bush administration officials engaged in a "collective failure" on detention and interrogation of suspected terrorists.
 
Moscow Dogcatchers Accused Of Poisoning, Beating Strays Prior To Eurovision Song Contest Top
Moscow dogcatchers resorted to poisoning and beating stray dogs to death as they followed orders from City Hall to clean up the streets ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest, animal rights activists said Wednesday. More on Russia
 
Tuesday's Late Nigth Round-Up: Miss California, John Edwards, And Paula Abdul (VIDEO) Top
Jon Stewart mocked the weeks-long media storm over Miss California's statement on gay marriage last night in a segment called the "Pageant of the Christ." He pointed out that it's all ridiculous and that people shouldn't care one way or another what Carrie Prejean thinks about policy issues. Jimmy Kimmel also discussed Miss California--but he went the nude picture route, while Jay Leno mocked John Edwards and Jimmy Fallon took a shot at Paula Abdul. WATCH: Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter! More on Late Night Shows
 
The 10 Best Cities For Recent Grads Top
For new grads who plan to expand their job searches beyond their college or hometowns, Apartments.com and CBcampus.com just released the "Top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Graduates." The list is based on the ranking of the top U.S. cities with the highest concentration of young adults (age 20 -- 24) from the U.S. Census Bureau (2006), inventory of jobs requiring less than one year of experience from CBcampus.com (2009) and the average cost of rent for a one bedroom apartment from Apartments.com (2009).
 
Archelle Georgiou: Hope Is Not A Strategy...For Health Reform Top
On Monday, President Obama announced a $2 trillion dollar decrease in health care spending over the next ten years. The health care industry made a pledge to this goal by committing to a 1.5% annual reduction in health care cost trends. The savings will contribute toward funding the $634 billion dollar price tag for universal coverage. At last, health industry leaders are collaborating with policy makers on health reform. There is hope that all Americans will have access to affordable, high quality health care. But it doesn't take a book title to tell us that hope is not a strategy . In business, a successful strategy starts with clearly defined goals followed by a well-designed execution plan. Only then can financial projections be reliably calculated. The Administration's approach to health reform has goals (universal coverage) and a price tag ($634 billion dollars.) But, it is missing a critical element: there is no plan. Imagine building a house without a blueprint or buying a car without selecting specific features. Imagine buying a computer and committing to paying for a decade of unlimited software upgrades. Without a clear list of features and benefits, you cannot predict the price of a house, a car or a computer...or the cost of universal health care. Coverage, not cost, should be the foundation of the debate on health reform. The essential starting point is defining the list of basic health services that need to be available and accessible to all Americans. Since there is no system with unlimited resources, we have to make decisions on what's covered....and what's not. Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said they will not cover virtual colonoscopy, since "the evidence is not sufficient to conclude that screening CT colonography improves health benefits..." This is the type of comparative effectiveness that needs to be applied to the full range of health care services so that we only pay for care that has a meaningful impact on health. Who should make those decisions? A multidisciplinary cross-section of leaders and health experts who are not influenced by special interest groups. Provider reimbursement approaches that promote evidence-based science, care coordination, and high quality outcomes are another essential element of health reform. In addition, payment systems need to reward providers who deliver a highly satisfying health care experience and inspire patients to care for themselves. Reform should also focus on implementing public policies that make citizens accountable to their lifestyle risks and support communities in achieving health and well-being. This is an unprecedented opportunity to establish an integrated public health system across the US. Lets engage schools and educators to help promote healthy behaviors in our children. And lets leverage technology, such as telemedicine, to extend care to citizens living in remote or rural areas of the country. While this disciplined approach to health reform may take more time, the operational clarity allows for more accurate cost projection. Ultimately, this helps ensure sustainable financing of health care coverage for all Americans. Conversely, taking a short cut generates headlines but has consequences. Today, Medicare trustees reported that the Medicare program will be insolvent by 2017. Without a comprehensive strategy, universal coverage will be soon be at risk for the same unfavorable outcome. Let's not rely on using hope as a strategy. Rather, lets use "The Audacity of Hope" as our guidance: "If we don't change course soon, we may be the first generation in a very long time that leaves behind a weaker and more fractured America than the one we inherited." Lets change the course of the health care debate. More on Health
 
Taliban, Swat Outlook 'Pretty Bleak' For Pakistani Army Top
Pakistan's fight against the Taliban has a limited chance of success because of the army's inexperience and its refusal to accept help from the west, according to a counter-insurgency expert. More on Pakistan
 
The Media Consortium: Weekly Pulse: Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer Healthcare NewsLadder Top
by Lindsay Beyerstein, TMC MediaWire Blogger This week, the White House teamed up with healthcare industry giants for a two-day PR blitz on health reform. A coalition of industry leaders sent a letter to president Obama over the weekend, pledging to help contain healthcare costs. The signatories include PhRMA (drug makers), Advamed (device manufacturers), the AMA (doctors), the AHA (hospitals), AHIP (health insurance), and SEIU's Health Care project. The corporate signatories are the very same interest groups that have fought U.S. healthcare reform for generations. AHIP, America's Health Insurance Plans, helped torpedo the Clinton plan in the 1990s with the infamous "Harry and Louise" TV spots. Progressive healthcare writers are divided as to whether Obama's rapprochement is a good sign. One school of thought is that the interest groups have finally seen the writing on the wall. Arguably, the industry realizes that some kind of healthcare reform is inevitable and they hope to get the best possible deal by cooperating. Another perspective, not necessarily incompatible with the first, is that this kind of "cooperation" will ultimatelyco-opt Obama's reform program. Mike Madden summarizes the main thrust of the industry charm offensive in Salon : Some of the organizations that have fought hardest against changing the system in the past are -- for now, at least -- saying they'll work for it this time around. To demonstrate how serious they are, they joined Obama Monday to say they'll work voluntarily to cut the growth rate of healthcare costs by 1.5 percent each year for the next decade. Unchecked, costs would increase by more than 6 percent a year, so the administration says the country -- private employers and the government combined -- would save $2 trillion from the effort. An average family of four could save $2,500 a year within five years. The letter itself offers few details as to how the industries will actually go about saving money. More to the point, there's nothing forcing these groups to follow through on anything they've pledged to do. Still, if you parse the platitudes, the industry is diverging slightly from Republican anti-reform rhetoric. The GOP has been crusading against comparative effectiveness research (CER) ever since the stimulus bill set aside a billion dollars to fund it. CER is just research to discover which treatments give the best outcomes for the money, but the GOP would have us believe that it's a stalking horse for rationing. Whereas, the industry coalition's letter talks about cutting costs by "aligning quality and efficiency incentives" and "adherence to evidence-based best practices"--basically, big words for "studying the evidence" and "trimming the fat"--the core of the CER agenda. Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly thinks the new conciliatory posture is encouraging evidence that the Republican opposition to reform is in such disarray that the industry is prepared to make nice with the Obama administration: ...I'm encouraged anyway, in part because it suggests the right's opposition is completely falling apart, as the reform push picks up needed momentum, and in part because it brings these heavy-hitters into the tent, where they're far less likely to start launching vicious attacks. Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), also secured a seat at the table. As Ezra Klein suggests in the American Prospect , the fact that Stern is in the room is a testament to his skill as a coalition builder. SEIU represents millions of Americans, including many healthcare workers. Stern told Klein that the group had set itself a June 1 deadline to put forward concrete proposals that can be assigned dollar figures. The Finance Committee's first bill drops in June, so the committee will have to work fast if they want to see their suggestions incorporated. Josh Holland of AlterNet says we should beware of the healthcare execs' blandishments. Holland notes that they promise to reduce the growth in costs to "only" 4.7% a year: There's no news here -- "voluntary" codes of conduct, self-regulation and industry-driven initiatives for the private sector to address complex policy issues have long been a standard tactic for heading off real regulation, real accountability measures, systemic reforms. In Mother Jones, James Ridgeway agrees that the initiative is a mere publicity stunt , seeing as there's nothing but the threat of public embarrassment to hold the group to any of its pledges. “Public embarrassment”? From Big Pharma and the health insurance companies –-two of the most shameless industries in the history of corporate capitalism? In any case, even if the $2 trillion reduction is achieved, it clearly won’t come out of industry profits. Even if we do get healthcare reform this year, what would the end product look like? In the Nation , Trudy Lieberman, director of the health and medicine reporting program at CUNY, takes a hard look at the messages the president has sent so far . She foresees a package that's congenial to Obama's corporate allies: It's becoming clearer that reform will include some or all of these options: requiring everyone to carry health insurance (an individual mandate à la Massachusetts); subsidizing a portion of the 85 percent of the uninsured who can't afford to buy a policy; taxing some of the health benefits workers now get from employers to pay for insurance for the uninsured; letting people keep the coverage they have even though it's likely to cover less as time goes on; shoving more people onto Medicaid; and trying to get insurers to insure sick people. There may or may not be a public insurance option--maybe like Medicare, or maybe not--that would compete with private insurers and theoretically reduce the cost of insurance. All this conciliation is not cost-free. In the following video , economist Richard Wolff tells The Real News that Obama risks a grassroots backlash if he caters to corporate interests on healthcare. People want better healthcare, not just a choice of bad options. If the result of "reform" is an inferior public plan alongside the private system, employers will have an incentive to push their workers onto the public plan, and we'll all be worse off. The president may not support a true national healthcare plan, but don't count the friends of single payer out yet. Doctors and other advocates for single-payer healthcare crashed a Senate Finance Committee meeting this week to protest their exclusion from a series of roundtable discussions on healthcare policy, as Laura Flanders reports on GRITtv. "Every lobbyist in America is at the table, when are the American people going to be heard?" shouted one activist. A handful of activists were arrested when they refused to come to order. This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about health care. Visit Healthcare.NewsLadder.net for a complete list of articles on healthcare affordability, healthcare laws, and healthcare controversy or follow us on Twitter . And for the best progressive reporting on the Economy, and Immigration, check out Economy.NewsLadder.net and Immigration.NewsLadder.net . This is a project of The Media Consortium , a network of 50 leading independent media outlets, and created by NewsLadder . More on Barack Obama
 
How To Mediate A Dispute Top
Conflicts are inevitable. While most can be resolved between participants, sometimes a third party is needed to keep the peace. Effectively refereeing disputes means more than just being neutral and hearing both sides. More on Relationships
 
I Love Bayside: A Tribute To "Saved By The Bell" (VIDEO) Top
Comic and "Saved By The Bell Lover" SeanieMic made the following video that uses Asher Roth's song "I Love College" to reminisce about the show's best moments. If you don't remember why Jessie was "so scared," or where Zack went with his fake ID, or what "The Sprain" is, you probably won't enjoy it. But if you do, don't miss this trip back in time to the Max, where that chick Tori is waiting for you. We particularly enjoyed this verse: Look at A.C., girlies lovin his dimples Get some Zitoff to eliminate pimples When they graduated, I may have cried Well be friends forever here at Bayside Download the MP3 free here and see the lyrics below! WATCH: I'm so excited right now. Please cheer along with me B-B-B-B-B-Go Bayside That party last night was off the hook caught it on Beta Broke an Elvis statue And put Hounddog up for a wager-a Johnny Dakotas smoking weed Got into The Attic with a fake ID Chief Henry was Zacks Indian Where can I get me a buddy band? Man, I Love Bayside I wanna enroll at Bayside High Learn from Belding on how to bonsai After school hit the Max where we dine And I could be Nitro on the Teen Line Im protesting cups Styrofoam cups My friends are at the beach but I wont cut I am champion at quest-ions Name the planets in their order to the sun Who cared if Zack Attack was a big fake And yes adding Tori was a big mistake Chess match with Screech I call checkmate Zack ditched his date she was overweight (NO BIG LOVE) That party last night was off the hook caught it on Beta Broke an Elvis statue And put Hounddog up for a wager-a Johnny Dakotas smoking weed Got into The Attic with a fake ID Chief Henry was Zacks Indian Where can I get me a buddy band? Man, I Love Bayside AND I LOVE BRICK PHONES BUT I HATE VALLEY I LOVE BAYSIDE Some lessons I learned along the way Like, dancing with a sprain is a-ok Never make a snow white rapping play Theres enough cheese at this buffet Dont get hooked on caffeine pills And save Becky before oil spills Malibu Sands aint the place to be Cause you gotta deal with Cierosi Look at A.C., girlies lovin his dimples Get some Zitoff to eliminate pimples When they graduated, I may have cried Well be friends forever here at Bayside More on Funny Videos
 
Robert Glennon: Singin' in the Rain Top
As California struggles with on-going drought, the favored solutions are all engineering fixes - technological responses to a human plight. When it comes to water, this is what we Americans always do: figure out some way to augment existing water supplies rather than learn to live within our existing supplies. As so it is with California in 2009. New dams, a revamped plumbing system for the Bay-Delta, and desalination plants on the coast are the main items under discussion. If the money needed for these hugely expensive proposals were used to fund conservation and reuse projects, the water shortage problem would be fixed. But conservation might require Californians to recognize that the state has a water problem and reuse faces the "yuck" factor. Not long ago, the San Diego Tribune editorialized: "Your golden retriever may drink out of the toilet with no ill effects. But that doesn't mean humans should do the same." It's a funny line, even though reclaimed water is suitable for lots of uses other than human consumption. Some California municipalities have enacted conservation plans. Take San Diego, for example. Just last week Mayor Jerry Sanders gushed about his city's conservation efforts. "Today, we're poised at the beginning of a new era in San Diego's water history." What brought out this burst of civic pride in the mayor? The city is designating specific lawn watering days for all residents and businesses. Residents in odd-numbered houses may only water their lawns on Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, while even-numbered houses get to water lawns on three other days. I suppose this is progress but "a new era"? Other communities have been far more progressive in water conservation efforts, even Las Vegas, which is hardly known for its water-use consciousness. Yet, it's been paying residents to rip out lawns. This program has succeeded in removing 80 million square feet of water-guzzling turf. In Tucson, where I live, lawns are few and far between. Most are on golf courses, ball fields, and cemeteries; and, most of these are irrigated with reclaimed water. Yes, some people may be thinking, that's because Tucson is a desert. Well, here's the secret. Promise not to tell anyone? Southern California is also a desert. The area gets 15 inches of rain a year, barely three inches more than Tucson. Southern California is easy to pick on because the area merits it, but folks up north can be equally obtuse when it comes to water. Take Sacramento, which for years has rebelled against installing water meters, which might actually document how much water residents and farmers use. Last year, when Sacramento residents, Anne Hartridge and Matt George, decided to pitch in and not water their lawn, the city threatened to fine them $748 for failing to "irrigate and maintain" their front yard. Over the last couple of weeks as showers offered some relief in Northern California, sprinklers in many Sacramento neighborhoods were operating while it rained. Yet, the Sacramento Bee reported that the city does not plan to ban watering in the rain. The city does prohibit "wasting" water, which is water that runs off into a street. But if it's raining already, the city can't determine whether the water in the street is coming from the sprinkler. California has an opportunity to revamp its water-use culture in response to the prolonged drought. But indications so far suggest that most officials would rather dream of new dams and desal plants than lead the way to a truly new era. [For more on the water crisis in California and around the country, readers may enjoy my new book, Unquenchable: America's Water Crisis and What To Do About It . It's available from independent booksellers and online at Island Press and Amazon.] Robert Glennon
 
David Axelrod "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!" Appearance Top
Obama adviser David Axelrod is scheduled to tape a segment for NPR's "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!" on Thursday at George Washington University in D.C. Axelrod will be a contestant on "Not My Job," a news quiz show where famous people are asked questions on subjects that they know little to nothing about. President Obama played a round of the game in 2005, and was asked about baseball player Wade Boggs. The then-senator got all three questions correct. "Many people compare Mr. Axelrod to Karl Rove, but we think that Rove was smarter, as evidenced by the fact that Rove never agreed to come on our show," said "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!" host Peter Sagal. "We've got lots of questions for Axelrod, but all of them involve finding out how and where the President is sneaking his cigarettes." Others who have played the game include Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, asked about the habits of rock stars; U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, quizzed on various types of scooters; and Star Trek alumnus Leonard Nimoy, who answered questions about child-rearing expert Dr. Spock. More on NPR
 
Nathan Hegedus: Help! I Live In Sweden, and I Am Addicted to Socialism Top
Hi. My name is Nathan. I am an American living in Sweden. And I am addicted to socialism. I must admit that I did not come here tonight totally of my own free will, which has been apparently sapped by the Swedish welfare state. For I thought I was quite happy. I thought I did not mind paying high taxes to support the system, both for my benefit and those around me. I thought Sweden was actually not socialist, but, as the CIA World Factbook puts it, "a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits." But I was wrong. I see that my life has become unmanageable. Or maybe too manageable. I was living in the Matrix or on that cruise ship from Wall-E, my mind and spirit dulled by ease. I understand now, I do, even if it took an intervention by Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity to show me (See their wisdom here and here respectively). I owe them so much. They showed me what a pernicious drug this "socialism" is, draining your life of that low-level anxiety about your family's well-being, easing you into a low level happiness, a stability, a sense that while the winters are soul-killing and life remains hard and unsure, you will be caught if you fall. What a nightmare. To think I fell prey to "socialism" after all those years as a "liberal." Though I must confess, I have already slipped. Yes, I did watch the Daily Show segment from Sweden , the one inspired by O'Reilly and his profound truthy truths about America's slippery slope towards Swedishness. I watched Wyatt Cenac trade on outdated and sexist stereotypes to make a deceptively evil, yes, evil, point - that if you give up three of your five blondes in taxes, you get one back in health care savings alone. Just those 10 or so minutes put me on the road towards relapse, memories of my six months of paid parental leave swirling in my head. I could not stop thinking about how close I got to my daughter, how much I appreciated the chance to stay home without a massive family sacrifice or career suicide. I could not stop thinking about cheap, high-quality daycare and the comprehensive child health care. I could not stop thinking that Sweden has introduced flexibility into its health care system, that it has some of the most competitive companies in the world, that its government actually refused to bail out a failing car company, Saab. I could not stop ... Luckily, my bluegrass saviors, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, slapped me across the face. The free market is dying , Bunning said. Don't become "Europeanized ," shouted McConnell, waterboarding me for the third time. They reminded me what America stands for, at least for the well-off politician I could be some day - rugged individualism and cheap gas, McMansions and low taxes, conspicuous consumption and the military-industrial complex. America is not about community, they said. Never was. Not in the colonies, not on wagon trains in the Old West, not during the Depression, not even during World War II. In America, they reminded me, it is every man, woman and child for themselves, a nation of pure individuals. I made a fearless moral inventory, and I realized the hardest truth of them all. I am scared. One day, I hope to move back to America, if only to see the sun in the wintertime, but also to be near my family. But the thought of navigating health insurance, education for my kids and grinding jobs with no vacation is terrifying, not to mention that when you add up all the little taxes and costs - you know, Social Security, state, local, school, health insurance, to name a few - I get suspiciously near my Swedish tax rate. But that is letting the socialists win. And we cannot let "them" win. I am new to these 12 steps. I see I am supposed to make a list of all the people I have harmed. I am confused again. Did I harm my daughter? My wife? Myself? Oh, I am slipping again. I seem to only benefit from the safety net. I also see that I am to take my message to other sufferers. But Swedes like their safety net. They do, even the conservative ones. Oh my, I need to hear the message again. Why Sweden is socialist. Why it is wrong. It seems so right ... Excuse me, I need to call Rush Limbaugh - he is my sponsor - and get my head straight. I need to go over this in detail, health care, parental leave, the gas tax, all of it. So see you next meeting. More on Daily Show
 
Ex-FBI Interrogator: Harsh Methods Didn't Work Top
WASHINGTON — A former FBI man who interrogated an al-Qaida leader said Wednesday extreme techniques used by the Bush administration were "ineffective, slow and unreliable" and caused the prisoner to stop talking. Ali Soufan, testifying to a Senate panel behind a screen to hide his identity, said that his interrogation team obtained a "treasure trove" of information from Abu Zubaydah using a non-threatening approach that outwitted the detainee _ even getting him to talk by using his childhood nickname. Soufan said his team had to step aside when CIA contractors took over, using simulated drowning, sleep deprivation and other harsh methods. He said those techniques caused the prisoner to "shut down." Soufan testified before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, holding the first hearing on extreme interrogation methods since the Obama administration last month released Bush administration legal opinions that justified the techniques. The hearing quickly became partisan when the panel's chairman, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., promised to unravel "our country's descent into torture" and vowed to expose "a bodyguard of lies" by the Bush administration. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked whether "we would have this hearing if we were attacked this afternoon." Graham called the hearing a "political stunt," and said Democrats were trying to judge officials who _ soon after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks _ "woke up one morning like most Americans and said, 'Oh my God, what's coming next.' " Soufan countered that his personal experience showed that the harsh interrogation techniques didn't work even when there wasn't a lot of time to prevent an attack. "Waiting 180 hours as part of the sleep deprivation stage is time we cannot afford to wait in a ticking bomb scenario," he said. Soufan said the harsh techniques were "ineffective, slow and unreliable and as a result, harmful to our efforts to defeat al-Qaida." Graham at times appeared irate, commenting at one point, "The people we're prosecuting didn't rob a liquor store." He said former Vice President Dick Cheney has suggested there was "good information" obtained from the extreme methods. "I would like the committee to get that information. Let's get both sides of the story here," Graham said. The South Carolina senator contended that Soufan didn't know all the information obtained from Abu Zubaydah. Soufan responded that some Bush administration claims of success using harsh methods against Zubaydah were "half truths."
 
Alberto Gonzales: Obama Should Consider Race, Gender In Supreme Court Pick Top
Alberto Gonzales, the former attorney general, says that President Obama ought to consider gender and race -- in addition to judicial philosophy and competence -- when making his pick for the Supreme Court. "I think it's probably wise for a President to take into account certain political factors, considerations in making a Supreme Court appointment," Gonzales said in an interview with NPR . "Every President has done it, I think it's perfectly appropriate, and in this particular case I think it would be appropriate for President Obama to, once he decides a particular person again meets his tests for judicial philosophy and professional excellence, to take into account whether or not a person, gender, ethnicity, how that would effect the work of the Court going forward." Asked specifically about the prospect of choosing a Hispanic justice, Gonzales said, "Such an appointment would send a very powerful message that the [inaudible] opportunity in this country and while no ethnicity or gender group is deserving of representation on our courts, it does send a message to America about the opportunity that is available in this country. For that reason I think that a President is wise to take that into consideration in making a decision." Many have speculated that Obama may nominate an Hispanic female -- appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor. A Gallup poll released today found a majority of Americans do not think it's important that the president selects a woman or ethnic minority for the court. Here's an excerpt from the interview: Martin: Let's turn to the question of the nomination, how much of a priority in your view should President Obama place on questions of race, gender or ethnicity. Particularly given that there are many people asking him, suggesting that he should be the person to suggest the first Latino Justice. Gonzales: Well I think that the questions about race and gender are certainly considerations that any President should take into account but, in my judgment they're secondary to the evaluation as to the person's judicial philosophy, and their professional excellence. Once a potential nominee meets those two tests for a President, not only do I think it's appropriate, I think it's probably wise for a President to take into account certain political factors, considerations in making a Supreme Court appointment. Every President has done it, I think it's perfectly appropriate, and in this particular case I think it would be appropriate for President Obama to, once he decides a particular person again meets his tests for judicial philosophy and professional excellence, to take into account whether or not a person, gender, ethnicity, how that would effect the work of the Court going forward. Martin: Why does that matter, there was some talk at one point, there was intense speculation of your becoming the first Latino Justice, why does that matter? Gonzales: I think something like that would be historic, now clearly there is no such thing as a black justice, Hispanic justice, Asian justice, female justice, and the outcome of the case should not depend on the gender, ethnicity of a judge any more than it should depend on the gender, ethnicity of a prosecutor or a defendant quite frankly. But such an appointment would send a very powerful message that the [inaudible] opportunity in this country and while no ethnicity or gender group is deserving of representation on our courts, it does send a message to America about the opportunity that is available in this country. For that reason I think that a President is wise to take that into consideration in making a decision. Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter! More on Supreme Court
 
Martin Garbus: How Can You Not Have Bush, Cheney and Gonzales Prosecuted? Top
The roles of Bush, Cheney and Gonzales in the torture process was always less clear than the roles of the lawyers who justified it - Jay Bybee, John Yoo and David Addington. No longer. The question is no longer, should you, or can you, prosecute Bush, Cheney and Gonzales for authorizing torture. The question is, how can we say we live under a system of law and not have them prosecuted for conspiracy to commit war crimes. It was only just a matter of time until the higher-ups would be specifically implicated. It was John Dean who, after a year of relative inaction in the Watergate probe, began describing his role in Watergate and began naming names. Now, the men and women in America who were carrying out Bush's orders are locating him in the chain of responsibility. Bush, Cheney and Gonzales did not rely on vague or carefully couched memos. Gonzales - acting at the direction of Cheney and with the acquiescence (if not direction) of Bush, was direct. Gonzales countermanded the direct orders of the FBI operatives in the field, as well as George Tenet. He did not write nuanced legal memorandums to get past the Geneva Conventions or the War Torture Act. He simply ignored it. When a highly respected former Bureau agent, Ali Soufan, said stop using brutal interrogation techniques against Abu Zubaydah in 2002, because it is both torture and was counterproductive, Gonzales directed his man, James Mitchell, to continue. This was before the torture memos were circulated. Zubaydah was waterboarded 83 times. "We're the United States, we don't do this," Soufan said. Gonzales replied, do it, says Soufan. Soufan wanted to arrest Mitchell, the man Gonzales sent in to oversee the torture. He could not. Cheney, who directed Gonzales, tells us Bush knew all about it. In ordering these policies, Bush, Cheney and Gonzales are all guilty of conspiracy to commit war crimes. It is becoming easier and easier to prove in a criminal court. Let a jury of 12 American jurors decide who is responsible.
 
Indian Election's Monthlong Voting Ends Top
NEW DELHI — Millions of Indians voted Wednesday in the final phase of the country's monthlong national election, amid an economic downturn and a deeply fractured political scene. More than 100 million voters across nine states were eligible to vote Wednesday for 86 seats in India's 543-seat lower house of parliament. It was the final day of voting in an election in which 714 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots at more than 828,000 polling stations. Results of the election were not to be announced until Saturday, but Indian media reports said exit polls indicated the ruling Congress party-led coalition was narrowly ahead of the opposition Hindu-nationalist alliance. The news channel Headlines Today gave the Congress and its allies 191 seats, a slim lead over the BJP and its partners' 180 spots. Election polling has a poor history in India. Most polls in the last national election, in 2004, turned out to be wrong. On Wednesday, some TV stations were broadcasting the predictions of gambling bookies, with one regularly flashing expected results under what it called its Poll-O-Meter. According to the constitution, a new parliament has to be in place by June 2. Most observers expect a splintered vote will force leaders to form an unwieldy coalition in New Delhi. The election has been fought largely on local issues as no resonant, central themes emerged in the long campaign. Security was tight across north India, where more than 68,000 paramilitary soldiers were deployed, and Kashmir, where separatists have called for a boycott of the polls. Violent protests erupted in the Kashmiri village of Seelu after rock-throwing villagers said Indian soldiers had beaten locals for not voting. Troops firing into the air dispersed the crowds. One polling official was injured when he was hit by a rock and a police vehicle was burned, said B. Srinivas, a top police officer in the state. There were also protests at four other polling places, and police detained at least seven people, Srinivas said. At least four policemen were injured Tuesday night when anti-election protesters hurled rocks and set fire to a police vehicle in Baramulla, a town 35 miles (55 kilometers) north of Indian Kashmir's main city Srinagar. Suspected rebels also lobbed two grenades at polling booths the previous night, the officer said. In the eastern state of West Bengal, one person died in a bomb attack that police suspect was tied to the elections, said senior police official Raj Kanojia. Tens of thousands of security force personnel fanned across the West Bengal districts that were voting to prevent the clashes that marred the last round of polls in the state. The only southern state to vote Wednesday was Tamil Nadu, which had 39 seats up for grabs and is an important battleground for the ruling Congress party and its leading rival, the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party. The state's crucial election issue has been the plight of Tamil civilians caught in the brutal Sri Lankan war, with the leading candidates vowing various degrees of support. ___ Associated Press writers Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar, Manik Banerjee in Calcutta, and Biswajeet Banerjee in Lucknow contributed to this report. More on India
 
Human Rights Watch: Sri Lanka: Satellite Images, Witnesses Show Shelling Continues Top
UN Security Council Fails to Act While Civilians Suffer View the Satellite Images >> (New York) - New satellite imagery and eyewitness accounts contradict Sri Lankan government claims that its armed forces are no longer using heavy weapons in the densely populated conflict area in northern Sri Lanka, Human Rights Watch said today. Local sources have reported that more than 400 civilians have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded since May 9, 2009, as a result of artillery attacks on the thin coastal strip where fighting continues between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "Recent satellite photos and witness accounts show the brutal shelling of civilians in the conflict area goes on," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Neither the Sri Lankan army nor the Tamil Tigers appear to have any reluctance in using civilians as cannon fodder." The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) today issued a preliminary analysis of commercial high-resolution satellite imagery of the conflict zone that shows craters from the use of heavy weapons and the removal of thousands of likely structures used by internally displaced persons (IDPs) between May 6 and May 10. The AAAS found that it was "certainly unlikely that the IDPs would have moved en masse, and so completely without a compelling reason." Tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped in the conflict area. Witnesses described to Human Rights Watch harrowing days spent in shallow bunkers sheltering from artillery attacks and being prevented by the LTTE from escaping to government-controlled areas. "K. Kanaga," a 35-year-old woman whose name is withheld for security reasons, said that around 7 p.m. on May 9, she and 15 others were hiding in a bunker that they had built under a tractor when a shell struck the tractor. "If it hadn't been for the tractor, we would have all been dead," she said. About eight to 10 shells struck the immediate area, which was populated with tents and improvised bunkers. Kanaga's 45-year-old cousin was staying in a tent nearby; she never reached the bunker and was killed in the attack. "Many other people were injured as well, but I don't know how many," Kanaga said. "I could hear their screams." "R. Raman," 29, said that he and his family had been hiding in their bunker in Mullaivaikal - a dug-out trench without any cover - for several days. "We were being attacked from all sides," he said. "My wife and I only left the bunker to get food and water for our three children." Early in the morning on May 9, a shell struck one of the tents closeby, killing Raman's 15-year-old nephew and wounding his nephew's older brother and sister. Raman believes that the shell came from Sri Lankan army positions and may have been targeting LTTE forces that were deployed in the jungle about 100 meters away. Several shells struck the tented area inhabited by displaced civilians. Raman said he and his family were afraid to try to escape to government-controlled areas. When they and several hundred others had tried to leave the area in early April, LTTE fighters opened fire on them. "I saw them shoot at least 15 people," he said. "They just opened fire on the first row of people. I don't know whether they lived or died, however. We fell to the ground as soon as the firing started. When it stopped, we ran back as quickly as we could. There were children among the people who got shot as well." According to Raman, about half of the people managed to escape that day. The other half were forced to return. According to doctors who spoke to Human Rights Watch, at around 8 a.m. on May 12 the makeshift hospital at Mullivaikkal was again shelled, as many wounded civilians were waiting for treatment. Nearly 1,000 patients were in the hospital at the time of the attack, including many wounded during attacks on May 9-10. A shell reportedly exploded in front of the admission ward during visiting hours, when many relatives came to visit patients, and doctors usually arrived for work. Doctors reported that the attack killed 49 people (26 immediately, others later succumbing to injuries); another 31 injured remain in the hospital. Among those killed was the administrative officer of Mullaitivu Regional Director of Health Services, who was arranging admission of a patient. A doctor said that the shelling came from the direction of Iraddaivaikal, where government forces are deployed. Human Rights Watch and other independent monitors have not been permitted access to the conflict area by the government, so cannot confirm these casualty figures. The Mullivaikkal hospital, which had been newly relocated away from the front line, has been repeatedly hit by shells believed to have been fired by Sri Lankan army forces. Photographs of the hospital following the shelling today can be viewed at (slideshow link). Human Rights Watch has repeatedly raised grave concerns about violations of international law by both parties to the conflict. The LTTE has violated the laws of war by using civilians as "human shields," by preventing civilians from fleeing the combat zone - including by use of lethal force - and by deliberately deploying their forces close to densely populated areas. The Sri Lankan armed forces have indiscriminately shelled densely populated areas, including hospitals, in violation of the laws of war. Human Rights Watch reiterated its call to Sri Lanka's key donors - including the United States, the European Union, India, Japan, and China - to demand that the Sri Lankan government end its use of heavy weapons in densely populated areas, particularly near hospitals. Both the government and the LTTE should permit safe humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee the combat zone. Human Rights Watch reiterated its call for the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka to be urgently taken up by a formal meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York and by a special session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. More on Sri Lanka
 
Liddy Unsure If AIG Wrote Credit Default Swaps on GM, Chrysler Debt Top
Edward Liddy, chairman of American International Group, told a congressional oversight panel Wednesday that he did not know if AIG had issued credit default swaps related to debt held by General Motors or Chrysler. In response to a question from Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), he said the he had noticed before that questions were being raised about such swaps and offered to look into the situation. Earlier this month, the Huffington Post first reported that Cummings, who's been watchdogging AIG since the government's initial intervention in September, was examining the possibility that investment firms who held auto-industry debt purposely drove Chrysler into bankruptcy in order to cash in AIG-issued swaps on that debt. Cummings requested Neal Barofsky, special inspector general for the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), look into the matter and Barofsky agreed to do so. Liddy testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by Rep. Ed Towns (D-N.Y.). Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter! More on AIG
 
Hemp Wars Heating Up: Should Hemp Farming Be Legal? (POLL) (VIDEO) Top
There's a battle brewing in Congress over hemp production. America is the only country in the world that bans domestic growing of hemp because it contains THC--the psychoactive substance present in marijuana (though industrialized hemp contains very small amounts of it). H.R. 1866: Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009 would "amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marijuana." The bill was introduced by Ron Paul, who says its passage would be a boon for farmers. According to CNBC, hemp product sales are on the rise due to the strength of the fiber and the healthy nature of its seeds. See their segment on the battle below and take our poll under the video! WATCH:
 
UN Gets Israeli Cluster Bomb Map For Lebanon: 1 In 4 Undetonated Top
Israel has handed over details of where it dropped cluster bombs in Lebanon during the war in 2006, UN peacekeeping forces have confirmed. More on Israel
 
Graham Cites Debunked News Story As Proof Torture Works Top
Hmm, not a great moment. While directing hostile questioning at a witness during the Senate torture hearing, GOP Senator Lindsey Graham cited an infamous ABC News report from 2007 that said a terror suspect broke under minimal waterboarding, and suggested it undercut the claim that torture didn't work.
 
Detainee Photos: Obama Seeks To Block Release Top
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is seeking to block the immediate release of hundreds of photos showing U.S. personnel allegedly abusing prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. An Obama administration official said Wednesday that the president told his legal advisers last week that releasing the photos would endanger U.S. troops. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private. Obama wants the issue to go back to the courts, although federal appeals judges have ruled the photos could be released. The top military commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan have told Obama that their troops could be in greater danger if new detainee abuse photos are released this spring. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. WASHINGTON (AP) _ The top military commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan are telling President Barack Obama that their troops could be in greater danger if new detainee abuse photos are released this spring. The Pentagon has said it will release the pictures this month. But the Pentagon now says that the three top commanders have weighed in with concerns. Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell says that Defense Secretary Robert Gates shares those concerns. He says lawyers are looking at their options.
 
Danielle Cavallucci: What's An American Girl To Do? Top
Funny that women in France over the age of 50 have more sex than they did at age 35, while a full third of American women in their 50's have no sex at all. Yup - none. Is it true that, as Lauren Bacall claimed "when a woman reaches 26 in America, she's on the slide. It's all downhill from then on"? Bacall continued, "it doesn't give you a tremendous feeling of confidence and well-being". I'd have to agree that our society is particularly hard on women, and the media is no help, revering youth and folly as desirable with little regard to depth and wisdom as virtues. According to a recent study in the Journal of Research in personality, a full 1/10th of twenty-somethings exhibit at least several of the symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and it's no wonder. When the rest of us are made to feel as though we don't matter, contemplating Botox, Juvederm and/or more drastic procedures to amplify and exaggerate our youthful demeanors in hopes of acceptance, is it any wonder that those in their 'prime' are feeling a little full of themselves? Well, I'm here to tell you that thirty-something is the start of really knowing oneself and hitting one's stride, that there's more to sex and sensuality than meets the eye, that the orgasmic quality of an intimate relationship has very little to do with pure appearance, and that narcissism absolutely disables any real sense of sensual and sexual satisfaction. So, being twenty-something, while it looks great on TV and in the tabloids, may not be all that it's cracked up to be, no matter what they're selling. More on Sex
 
Vladimir Putin Possibly Laying Groundwork For Presidential Return Top
The Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, has been accused of plotting his return as president after the Kremlin announced plans to strip judges of the right to elect the head of the country's powerful constitutional court. More on Russia
 
Paul Begala: Mr. Cheney, You Did Not Keep Us Safe Top
If 3,000 Americans had been killed on your watch, in an attack that could have been prevented, perhaps you'd be a little hesitant to accuse anyone else of endangering America. And if you had advocated torture, and the torture produced false information that you used to mislead America into an unwise, unjust and unwarranted war, you might be a tad sheepish about defending the use of torture. Not Dick Cheney. Mr. Cheney has stepped up his attack on Pres. Obama's security strategy, telling CBS's Bob Schieffer that Obama's refusal to use waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques" (i.e., torture) endangers American lives. The truth is the Bush-Cheney policies did not keep us safe, and Mr. Cheney is not a credible spokesman on issues of national security. First, this awkward fact. When it came time to risk his hide to serve our country during the Vietnam War, Cheney got five draft deferments. He later told the Senate, "I had other priorities in the sixties than military service." John Kerry did not. Nor did John McCain. Nor Gen. Colin Powell, nor Gen. Jim Jones, nor Gen. Wes Clark, nor Jim Webb. These warriors - and so many others - strongly oppose the use of torture. They were willing to die to protect America. It is insulting for a doughy draft dodger like Mr. Cheney to suggest they would endanger us today. Indeed, the public record offers evidence that torture has endangered American security. Not only by breeding more terrorists, but by producing false intelligence - which Mr. Cheney and President Bush used to mislead America into invading Iraq. The case of Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi is instructive. Al-Libi was a senior al Qaeda operative captured trying to make his way out of Afghanistan into Pakistan. In US custody, he initially said he knew of no connection between Saddam and al Qaeda, and, according to Newsweek, "he had difficulty even coming up with a story about the relationship between the two." An FBI agent urged that al-Libi be read his rights and be treated with respect, "as a shining example of what we feel is right." There was a practical, as well as moral, reason not to torture al-Libi: veteran interrogators believe establishing a rapport with a prisoner is the key to obtaining actionable intelligence. There are reports that, after hours of bonding with his FBI interrogator through discussions of religion, al-Libi provided useful information about alleged shoe-bomber Richard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called "20th hijacker" who was arrested just before 9-11. But even after the bonding experience, al-Libi continued to deny a link between Iraq and al Qaeda. He was rendered to Egypt, where he faced certain torture. "You're going to Cairo, you know," a CIA agent reportedly told al-Libi at the airport. "Before you get there I'm going to find your mother and I'm going to f*** her." So much for building rapport. In Egypt, al-Libi was placed in a coffin-sized box for 17 hours, then beaten. Al-Libi cracked. He gave the information Cheney and his crowd most wanted: a direct link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. Al-Libi, (who reportedly died this week in Libya), said Iraq had provided al Qaeda with training in the use of chemical and biological weapons. Bingo! Vice President Cheney and others cited the information to justify the war in Iraq. Trouble is, it turned out to be false. As early as February, 2002 - just two months after al-Libi's "confession" -- the Defense Intelligence Agency reported to the White House and the National Security Council that it had doubts about al-Libi's charge. The DIA's Defense Intelligence Terrorism Summary (DITSUM) all but destroyed al-Libi's credibility. The report said, in part: "However, he (al-Libi) lacks specific details on the Iraqis involved, the CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) materials associated with the assistance, and the location where training occurred. It is possible he does not know any further details; it is more likely this individual is intentionally misleading the debriefers. Ibn al-Shaykh has been undergoing debriefs for several weeks and may be describing scenarios to the debriefers that he knows will retain their interest. "Saddam's regime is intensely secular and is wary of Islamic revolutionary movements. Moreover, Baghdad is unlikely to provide assistance to a group it cannot control." (Emphasis added.) The timing here matters. In December, 2001 al-Libi, under torture, claims Iraq trained al Qaeda in chemical and biological weapons. Two months later, the Pentagon's intelligence agency says he was probably lying. And yet on September 25, 2002, Condoleezza Rice continued to spread the myth, telling PBS's The News Hour, "We know too that several of the (al Qaeda) detainees, in particular, some high-ranking detainees, have said that Iraq provided some training to al Qaeda in chemical weapons development." Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, President Bush and several other leading Administration officials kept banging the al-Libi drum. In January 2003, the CIA joined the chorus of skepticism about al-Libi's claim that Iraq trained al Qaeda in chemical and biological weapons, noting al-Libi "was not in a position to know if any training had taken place." More than a year and a half after al-Libi's claim was discredited by the DIA, and nine months after it was poo-pooed by the CIA, Dick Cheney was still sighting it as Gospel, appearing on Meet the Press on the week of September 11, 2003 and telling Tim Russert, "We learned more and more that there was a relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda that stretched back through most of the decade of the '90s, that it involved training, for example, on BW [biological weapons] and CW [chemical weapons], that al-Qaeda sent personnel to Baghdad to get trained on the systems that are involved." It may well be that torture was used to advance the Bush-Cheney march to war in Iraq rather than to obtain intelligence about al Qaeda plots against the American homeland. A former senior U.S. intelligence official familiar with the interrogation issue told McClatchy Newspapers, "Cheney's and Rumsfeld's people were told repeatedly, by CIA . . . and by others, that there wasn't any reliable intelligence that pointed to operational ties between bin Laden and Saddam, and that no such ties were likely because the two were fundamentally enemies, not allies." Senior administration officials, however, "blew that off and kept insisting that we'd overlooked something, that the interrogators weren't pushing hard enough, that there had to be something more we could do to get that information," he said. Next, consider this inconvenient truth: 9-11 happened on Mr. Cheney's watch. Tom Kean, the Republican co-chair of the 9-11 Commission, has said the attacks could have been prevented. He's right. That fact ought to weigh heavy on Mr. Cheney's conscience. As should these: Before they took office, senior Bush administration officials were briefed repeatedly about the al Qaeda threat. Clinton National Security Adviser Sandy Berger told incoming National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, "I believe that the Bush administration will spend more time on terrorism in general, and on al Qaeda specifically, than any other subject.'' Richard Clarke, the counterterrorism chief under both Clinton and Bush, presented the new Bush-Cheney administration with a plan to roll back al Qaeda. He briefed Dr. Rice on the plan. Nothing. In February, 2001, he briefed Vice President Cheney on the plan. Nothing. Time magazine has reported, "Some counterterrorism officials think there is another reason for the Bush administration's dilatory response. Clarke's paper, says an official, "'was a Clinton proposal.'" If true, Bush and Cheney were allowing partisan politics to endanger America. On May 8, 2001 - three months after being briefed by Clarke - Cheney was instructed to chair a task force on terrorism. It did not meet before the 9-11 attacks. The FBI asked the Bush-Cheney Justice Department for58 million to beef up its domestic counterrorism capacity by hiring more translators, more field agents and more analysts. The Bush-Cheney Administration told the FBI no. Congressional Democrats sought to shift 800 million in the Pentagon budget from Star Wars (the Bush-Cheney faith-based missile defense system) into counterterrorism. The Bush-Cheney administration threatened to veto the entire defense budget. Congressional Republicans sided with Bush and Cheney, and blocked the Democrats from transferring the funds. In July, 2001, an FBI agent in Phoenix reported that Middle Eastern men - possibly al Qaeda - were taking flying lessons. He suggested that al Qaeda operatives might be trying to infiltrate the US civil aviation system. His warning was not acted on. On August 6, 2001 Pres. Bush received a classified briefing, the President's Daily Brief. On that day, the headline blared: " Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S. " According to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, Bush told the briefer, "All right. You've covered your ass, now." Dick Cheney, who has called the President's Daily Brief "the family jewels," presumably received the same briefing. Neither Bush nor Cheney acted on it. The "family jewels" were pearls before swine. And the attack came. Over three thousand Americans were killed. In the heartache and rage that followed, Bush and Cheney instituted their "enhanced interrogation techniques." Uncovering a pending plot against the homeland was, doubtless, an important motivator. But the al-Libi case is a cautionary one. Rather than finding a ticking time bomb, the al-Libi torture may have been used to build a spurious case for war - a war that has weakened America. Perhaps what's most galling about Mr. Cheney is how, without irony, humility or apology, he holds himself out as someone who has protected America when in fact he shirked his responsibility before 9-11 and misled us into war after. The closest Dick Cheney has ever come to fighting for America is when he shot his lawyer in the face. More on Dick Cheney
 
Tech Failures: The 10 Biggest Over The Last 10 Years Top
The blog 24/7 Wall St. has created a list of the 10 biggest failures in the technology sector over the last decade. To make the list: -A product had to be widely available. -It had to be aimed at a global market. -It had to be either equal or superior to its competitor in the tech space. -It had to have the potential to bring in billions of dollars in revenue. -It had to "it had to clearly miss the mark of living up to the potential that its creators expected, and that the public and press were lead to believe was possible." Among the big losers are Microsoft Vista, Sirius XM Satellite and the Palm electronic organizer. More on Technology
 
Kimberly Caldwell: Kimberly Caldwell's Lowdown On Last Night's "American Idol" Top
We are down to three ladies and gentlemen! It's a fight to the finish. Danny kicked off the night soulfully scatting with Paula's pick of song choice, Terrence Trent D'Arby's "Dance Little Sister." Kara and Simon didn't like his moves but Paula approved of the choreography. Wasn't a great review from the panel. Then Kara and Randy gave Kris the killer One Republic smash "Apologize" to deliver. Simon and Kara went at it like cats and dogs over the song choice so Kris didn't really get a thorough critique. Bono himself gave major props to Adam by allowing Simon to choose the U2 hit "One" for Adam to rock out to. As usual, Adam killed it, no surprise. Adam is brilliant. Simon predicted him going to the finals. Danny stepped up and serenaded the ladies with Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful." The fab four raved over Danny's second performance and loved the stellar vocals. Kris continued the night with an acoustic version of Kanye West's "Heartless," and in the judges eyes it was a major improvement from his first song choice. Simon now can't decide whether we will see Danny or Kris joining Adam on the big night. Adam pleased all his die-hard fans with a genius rendition of an Aerosmith classic, "Cryin'". Killed it. All four of the judges sent him straight to the big finale. I think we are all going to be disappointed when the next artist leaves the stage, but it will determine what we've all been waiting for....who are the final two competing for the winning title of the biggest show in America! More on American Idol
 
Laura Kiss: The New Mandela is a Woman Top
She was only 5 years old when she woke up one morning at the sound of gunshots coming from the garden. It was hard to overcome the fear but she and her brothers did, eventually. It was February 24, 1966, the military coup that changed the history of Ghana for ever. On that day her mother told her to pray and immediately after insisted that "if they fire at you, nothing will happen to you". This is just one of the many incredible memories of Samia Nkrumah, the 48 year old daughter of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of the Republic of Ghana, the man who in 1957 declared his country's independence, founded the Organization of African Unity, the precursor of the African Union of now and today is venerated like a saint by many in Ghana. Samia is now back in her country and at the end of last year was elected to Parliament, in Ghana's 5th multi-party elections since 1992. "It took many years and much experience of living and working in Ghana, Egypt, the United Kingdom and lastly in Italy, to come full circle and realize that the Pan-African project as articulated by my father, Kwame Nkrumah, offers the best response to our ongoing challenges", says Samia with a deep smile. Nkrumah's vision, as outlined in his books, are guidelines for Ghana and Africa and they remain as relevant today as they were in the 50s and 60s. "Achieving political and economic liberation, social justice and national and continental unity including the African Diaspora are yet to be realized" continues Samia. "It is our task today to continue from where Nkrumah left, while remaining flexible as we adapt to changing circumstances". Till the moment she moved back to Ghana in early 2008, Samia lead a "normal" life. She lived in Italy for the last 10 years with her Italian husband and their 12 years old son Kwame, and she did not think about going back to her country of birth till the moment she met her father's literary executrix (her name is June Milne; she is now 90 years old and living in England). This meeting opened up her heart. "This woman told me the most unbelievable stories about my father and she especially made me understand what an incredible spirit he had. He lived all his life for his cause and his people and while she was telling me these stories I felt that sooner or later, I would have to revisit his lifework". Samia really believes this, as one can note traveling with her through Ghana. People recognize her in the streets when she stops to buy some bananas for the trip. "You will be our President, you are our Mother", say some young people to her. And she always smiles while transmitting an incredible compassion. She has a deep capacity to relate to people. She came back to her country deeply convinced that only by respecting the rules and starting from the poorest part of her country, the Jomoro district -- which is where her grandfather's hometown is located and where she was elected -- could she make a difference. In a few months she has become the hope of an entire nation and her popularity is as high as the newly elected President John Atta Mills. She made big news in Ghana's last election by snatching the Jomoro Constituency for the CPP (Convention People's Party, founded by her father) from a strong candidate of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Lee Ocran. This event was extremely important for the Ghanaian political scene and people really started to believe that "Kwame Nkrumah's spirit has come back and is shining on Ghana." Today the two major political parties fight to get her votes in Parliament and have both tried to reach an alliance with the CPP. "For now we will stay independent" affirms Samia, "We always keep in mind our principal goal which is meeting the social needs of our people. There is a lot to do in my country, and our objective, as our father's, is to bring about a descent standard of living for our people. In the Jomoro district, many communities have no electricity, no running or portable water, and inadequate school facilities. If we want to improve our country, we must start from these issues. Especially we must start from education, because without a proper education there will be no development. Our father's idea of Pan-africanism was not restricted to a political project but his vision also embraced the economic as well as the cultural aspects of our development. It envisioned a large cultural movement concerning all of Africa and Africans everywhere, as well as all who believe that unity, freedom and justice are the basis for real change. "For this reason I have decided to enter active politics in Ghana to promote the enduring vision of my father, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, for Ghana and Africa's socio-economic and cultural emancipation. I have come to understand that being Nkrumah's daughter means being a daughter of Ghana and Africa and having a responsibility to Africans everywhere". Her modesty comes through as she admits: "I was not always so sure of the way forward as I am today. The dangers of political life were brought home to me early on in life. However, Kwame Nkrumah's presence in my life, as it is in that of many other Africans, has been constant, powerful and lasting. In fact, his ideas have resonance with many of us irrespective of our political persuasions and affiliations. So while I am affiliated with a particular political party, I am embracing all Ghanaians in my thoughts". She also thinks that being a women makes a difference: "We give our best when we do retain our "feminine" qualities of love, gentleness, patience, joy, humility, dignity, prudence and above all grace. These qualities are indeed as present in men as in women. So here I will refer to the feminine qualities in us all irrespective of our gender. As it happens, these qualities seem to be more obvious in women due to our upbringing and cultural education. So in a sense, when we say we want stronger female participation in politics or in any other sector, we mean we also want to see more of those feminine qualities visible in parliament, in politics, in community work, and at all levels of decision-making. We want politics with another flavour. We want to see the politics of humanity, of dignity, of dialogue, of wisdom, of grace. I have found many of these qualities are exemplified in the vision and political thought of Kwame Nkrumah". Samia explains that Nkrumaism has at its centre three main guiding principles: liberation, justice and unity. At the heart of it is the objective of reversing the consequences of colonialism and slavery by realizing dignity, socio-political and economic emancipation. The main instrument in achieving this aim is unity. "We shall be proud of who we are" continues Samia, "of our food and the way we eat, of our languages, of our tradition, of our costume and so on. We shall move towards economic self-reliance by improving our manufacturing sector and investing heavily in human resources. We shall strive to achieve social justice, social equality, social security, and genuine democracy that includes education and equality between men and women, and human rights." More on Africa
 
House Democrats Near Climate Bill Agreement Top
Democratic lawmakers, who enjoy majorities in both houses of Congress, reached an agreement late Tuesday on a goal to reduce greenhouse gases by 17 percent from their 2005 levels by 2020. More on Climate Change
 
Charge Your iPod, Kill A Polar Bear? Environmental Alarms Raised Over Home Electronics Top
PARIS — Charge your iPod, kill a polar bear? The choice might not be quite that stark, but an energy watchdog is alarmed about the threat to the environment from the soaring electricity needs of gadgets like MP3 players, mobile phones and flat screen TVs. In a report Wednesday, the Paris-based International Energy Agency estimates new electronic gadgets will triple their energy consumption by 2030 to 1,700 terawatt hours, the equivalent of today's home electricity consumption of the United States and Japan combined. The world would have to build around 200 new nuclear power plants just to power all the TVs, iPods, PCs and other home electronics expected to be plugged in by 2030, when the global electric bill to power them will rise to $200 billion a year, the IEA said. Consumer electronics is "the fastest growing area and it's the area with the least amount of policies in place" to control energy efficiency, said Paul Waide, a senior policy analyst at the IEA. Electronic gadgets already account for about 15 percent of household electric consumption, a share that is rising rapidly as the number of these gadgets multiplies. Last year, the world spent $80 billion on electricity to power all these household electronics, the IEA said. Most of the increase in consumer electronics will be in developing countries, where economic growth is fastest and ownership rates of gadgets is the lowest, Waide said. "This will jeopardize efforts to increase energy security and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases" blamed for global warming, the agency said. Existing technologies could slash gadgets' energy consumption by more than 30 percent at no cost or by more than 50 percent at a small cost, the IEA estimates, meaning total greenhouse gas emissions from households' electronic gadgets could be held stable at around 500 million tons of CO2 per year. If nothing is done, this figure will double to around 1 billion tons of CO2 per year by 2030, the IEA estimates. Televisions are one area where much improvement could be made, Waide said. The IEA estimates the world will soon have 2 billion TVs in use _ or an average of 1.3 televisions for every household with electricity. In addition to becoming more numerous, TVs are also getting bigger screens and are being left on for longer each day. The group predicts 5 percent annual increase in energy consumption between 1990 and 2030, just from TVs alone. Waide said simple measures, such as allowing consumers to regulate the energy consumption of their gadgets according to the features they actually use, should be adopted to counter this growth. He said governments also need to encourage minimum performance standards and easy-to-read energy labels, so consumers can take energy efficiency into account along with price when buying home electronics. More on Green Living
 
WHO Calls For Tamiflu Restraint Top
MEXICO CITY — In China, mask-wearing police cordoned off more hotels Wednesday, quarantining anyone who came in contact with swine flu patients, no matter how mild their symptoms. Not so in Mexico, where the health secretary encouraged tourists to come relax in their favorite vacation spots despite a growing swine flu caseload. The global outbreak appears mild, but skittishness is evident. Not long after Switzerland lifted its advisory against travel to Mexico and the United States, the Japanese national women's soccer team canceled a tour to North America, where most swine flu cases have been reported. And in China, hundreds of people have been quarantined inside hotels, hospitals and homes after they came in contact with several infected plane or train travelers from Canada and U.S. The U.S. Embassy said Americans are among those quarantined. There are now 33 countries reporting an estimated total of 6,080 confirmed swine flu cases, including 3,009 in 45 U.S. states, 2,446 in Mexico and 358 in Canada. But the death total is relatively low _ 65, of which 60 were in Mexico, three in the U.S., one in Canada and one in Costa Rica. Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said Wednesday that Mexico has tested about 9,000 sick people, working through a backlog of samples taken before and after the virus was identified as swine flu _ and found that Mexico's dead represents 2.5 percent of confirmed cases, suggesting the virus is not as deadly as intitially feared. Pneumonia, often brought on by regular seasonal flu, may be much more deadly, Cordova said _ killing 9,500 people in Mexico last year. The last death from swine flu was on May 7, he said. Cordova also addressed Mexico's hard-hit tourism industry, saying there are "very few" cases in tourist destinations _ including 7 in Cancun. "There is no risk for tourists _ they can return to these relaxing vacation spots," he said. There is a danger the virus will mutate into something more dangerous _ perhaps by combining with the more deadly but less easily spread bird flu virus circulating in Asia and Africa, according to experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another concern is that it will combine with the northern winter's seasonal H1N1 virus. While not unusually virulent, it was resistant to Tamiflu, and health officials worry it could make the new swine flu resistant to Tamiflu as well. With swine flu still spreading around the globe, the World Health Organization is warning countries to limit the use of antiviral drugs to ensure adequate supplies. European countries have been using antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza much more aggressively than the U.S. and Mexico, administering them whenever possible in an attempt to contain the virus before it spreads more widely. Officials from EU and Latin American nations, including Mexico, were meeting in Prague on Wednesday to discuss the threat. A WHO medical expert, Dr. Nikki Shindo, said the U.N. agency thinks antivirals should be targeted mainly at people already suffering from other diseases or complications _ such as pregnancy _ that can lower a body's defenses against flu. The CDC also said pregnant women should take the drugs if diagnosed with swine flu _ even though the effects on the fetus are not completely known. Pregnant women are more likely to suffer pneumonia when they catch flu, and flu infections have raised the risk of premature birth in past flu epidemics. A pregnant Texas woman with swine flu died last week, and at least 20 other pregnant women with swine flu have been hospitalized in the U.S., including some with severe complications. For all these reasons, risks from the virus are greater than the unknown risks to the fetus from Tamiflu and Relenza, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the CDC. "We really want to get the word out about the likely benefits of prompt antiviral treatment" for pregnant women, she said. Mexico now gives Tamiflu to anyone who has had direct contact with a person infected with swine flu, Cordova said. And now that schools are back in session, authorities plan to give it to any children who show symptoms and are suspected of being infected. In Mexico's Baja California state, on the U.S. border, 5,689 children were turned away from schools when classes resumed because they had symptoms like runny noses, headaches or sore throats, the state education department reported Tuesday. Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche Holding AG announced it was donating enough Tamiflu for 5.65 million more people to WHO. A further 650,000 packets containing smaller doses of the drug will be used to create a new stockpile for children. Mexican authorities had enough Tamiflu for 1 million people at the start of the outbreak and have received more, building reserves of 1.5 million courses. More on Health
 
Green Groups Want OH College Pres. Off Coal Board Top
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Environmentalists are intensifying their calls for Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee (GHEE) to step down from the board of a Richmond, Va.-based coal mining company in advance of the company's shareholder meeting Tuesday. The 65-year-old Gee has sat on the board of Massey Energy Co. since 2000 and chairs its safety, environmental and public policy committee. Environmentalists view the company's use of the controversial extraction technique known as mountaintop shearing as counter to Gee's public efforts to promote green energy jobs. Gee has said he believes he can do more good on the board than off it. Company filings show he earned $219,261 in cash and stock from Massey last year and holds 28,191 shares of company stock.
 
Alderman: Hotels Must Tell Guests About Labor Disputes Top
Aldermen sympathetic to striking Congress Plaza Hotel workers are making a new push today for an ordinance that would require hotels to notify potential guests of long-running labor stoppages.
 
Uruguay To Lift Ban On Gays In The Military Top
MONTEVIDEO — Uruguay is moving to lift a ban on homosexuals joining the armed forces. The defense ministry confirms that Minister Jose Bayardi has signed a decree lifting the ban imposed by the 1973-85 military dictatorship. The army said Wednesday it has received the decree, which has yet to be signed by President Tabare Vazquez. The law had barred people with what it called "open sexual deviations" from entering the military academies. It includes homosexuality among the "mental illnesses and disorders" that make a person unsuitable to join the armed forces. The new decree states that sexual orientation will no longer be considered a reason to prevent people entering the military. More on Latin America
 
Jerry and Joe Long: Philadelphia Inquirer Hires Ira Einhorn To Write Monthly Column On Corpse Storage Top
PHILADELPHIA PA - Ira Einhorn, the 70's environmental and anti-war activist currently serving a life sentence for murdering a former girlfriend and keeping her mummified remains in a trunk in his closet before jumping bail and fleeing to Europe, has been hired as a columnist by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Harold Jackson, The Inquirer's editorial page editor, feels Einhorn will compliment the paper's other recent hire, John Yoo. "John advocates and rationalizes policies that inevitably lead to dead bodies. Ira has expertise on what to do with those bodies. It's a no brainer." Yoo, whose latest column was titled "If A President Wants To Stick A Beer Tap In Your Neck And Drink Your Spinal Fluid He Could", is part of the Inquirer's ongoing effort to hire conservative columnists. They include Kevin Ferris, winner of the prestigious 'Cavuto Flack Prize' for changing the font on GOP talking points before presenting them as his thoughts. As well as Rick Santorum, whose bimonthly 'On The Dog' column expounds on Santorum's incessant fear that gay activists will force a Basset Hound on him sexually. While Einhorn has yet to pen a column, publisher Brian Tierney vigorously supports the move. "What I liked about Ira Einhorn is he's a Philadelphian," Mr. Tierney said. "He lived in Powelton Village. He went to Penn. He's a very, very bright guy. Plus, he managed to hide in Europe for sixteen years and then avoid extradition for another four. That's something anyone who worked for Vice-President Cheney is bound to be interested in."
 
Geithner Plans To Give Recycled TARP Money To Small Banks Top
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announced Wednesday morning that the Treasury Department plans to give small banks access to bailout funds returned by big banks to the Troubled Asset Relief Program. "Using the proceeds of the repayments we expect to receive from some of the largest banks, we plan to re-open the application window for banks with total assets under $500 million under the Capital Purchase Program," Geithner said in his remarks to the Independent Community Bankers of America during its summit in Washington. At least two lawmakers have questioned the legality of recycling TARP money after Geithner announced in April that the TARP would benefit from $25 billion in repaid funds, a number that climbed to $35 billion in a Washington Post story on Saturday. The law says that revenue from the sale of troubled assets "shall be paid into the general fund of the Treasury for reduction of the public debt." On Tuesday, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) delivered a tirade on the House floor, saying the administration's plans to recycle bailout funds suggests an "it's not illegal if Wall Street wants it" governing philosophy. "The statute is very clear," Sherman said. "Whatever is returned to the Treasury goes into the general fund." A Treasury spokeswoman told the Huffington Post last week that the law says principal repaid under the Capital Purchase Program "is put back into the TARP pool of funds." The CPP , a $250 billion sub-program of the TARP, injects capital into firms in the form of investments in preferred shares. The distinction between revenue from the sale of troubled assets and repaid principal was the impetus for an amendment by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) last week that would have specifically banned the Treasury from recycling repaid principal. The amendment failed, 47-48, but a Thune spokesman told the Huffington Post that "no one should be taking a one-vote margin as authorization to act counter to the intent of Congress." Brad Sherman doesn't buy the capital-revenue distinction in the first place. In his remarks Tuesday, the California Democrat (who voted against the bailout) said the law is clear that the preferred stock purchased under the CPP counts as a troubled asset. "Troubled asset is defined as any financial instrument that the Secretary... determines the purchase of which is necessary to promote financial stability," Sherman said. "The preferred stock that we are about to sell or that the companies are about to repurchase from us is exactly this defined troubled asset." The Treasury did not immediately respond to an inquiry from the Huffington Post on Wednesday. Sherman's interpretation seems to square with the language in the bailout bill. Here's how the Emergency Economic Recovery and Stability Act defines a troubled asset: (9) Troubled assets.--The term "troubled assets'' means-- (A) residential or commercial mortgages and any securities, obligations, or other instruments that are based on or related to such mortgages, that in each case was originated or issued on or before March 14, 2008, the purchase of which the Secretary determines promotes financial market stability; and (B) any other financial instrument that the Secretary, after consultation with the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, determines the purchase of which is necessary to promote financial market stability, but only upon transmittal of such determination, in writing, to the appropriate committees of Congress. Here's what the law says about where revenue from the sale of troubled assets should go: Transfer to Treasury.--Revenues of, and proceeds from the sale of troubled assets purchased under this Act, or from the sale, exercise, or surrender of warrants or senior debt instruments acquired under section 113 shall be paid into the general fund of the Treasury for reduction of the public debt. Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter! More on The Bailouts
 
David Roberts: Does the Public Need to Understand "Cap-and-Trade"? Top
A new Rasmussen poll shows that just 24 percent of people know what "cap-and-trade" is. Even that is an optimistic gloss: in fact, only 24 percent of people know that cap-and-trade is meant to address environmental issues . Some 29 percent think it's a new Wall Street regulation; 30 percent have no idea. Professional enviros seem quite upset about this. But...why? Why should the public know what "cap-and-trade" means? The belief that the public should be conversant with this technical policy term reveals a great deal about the gulf between how elites view this set of issues and how the public views them. The public is aware that fossil fuels have problems. They make us less secure. They're messing with the atmosphere. They're dirty. We need more clean energy. But only if it's safe and reliable. Also, the economy sucks, so we don't want to get slammed with higher prices. So yeah, let's invest in a cleaner future and become global leaders in cool new industries. That's it. Offer the public a "Good Jobs and Safe, Reliable, Clean Energy with Less Pollution at a Reasonable Price" bill and they're fine. That's all they know or care to know about it -- no talk of carbon or permits or offsets or auctions necessary. If you took a poll on what kind of alternator mechanics should use, the public probably wouldn't have an opinion on that either. They just want the damn car fixed. Problem is, green elites fell in love with cap-and-trade a while back because it allowed them to dodge the dreaded "command and control" tag. It's "market-based," and everybody knows -- or thought back then, anyway -- that marketz rool. Finally, they could offer a policy of which Very Serious Economists approve. That's fine. It's a great argument to take to legislators and thought leaders. But professional greens fell so far in love with it that they let it become the public face of their climate/energy efforts, and despite many efforts to make the inelegant phrase "cap-and-trade" sound like both common sense and a rallying cry, it sucks for that job. S. U. C. K. S. Now they're reaping the effects. Despite heroic efforts by its authors, Waxman-Markey is being discussed in public as a "cap-and-trade bill," which means nothing to the public. Stepping in to help the public understand are Republicans: ZOMG IT'S A TAX!!! The 75 percent of the bill that has nothing to do with capping or trading is going almost completely ignored. Rasmussen notes, "There is always political danger when major legislation is enacted without engaging the public in the debate." And that's true. The debate we need to be having is, do we want to make an energy transition? Do we want to get past fossil fuels so we can remove a threat to our security, a drag on our economy, and a pox on our shared atmosphere? Yes or no? And if so, are we willing to be ambitious and really go for it? That's the debate the public needs to be involved in. When the public tunes in, however, it hears about carbon caps and permit trades and emission reduction targets and zzzzz ...it tunes right out. I don't care if the public knows what cap-and-trade is. I just want to stop talking about it. Our collective ship is sinking and we're involved in a heated debate about the kind of wrench to use to tighten the bolts on the lifeboat. How about first we all agree that we need to get off the damn ship? This post also appeared on grist.org . More on Climate Change
 
One-Fourth Of Overseas Votes Go Uncounted: Report Top
WASHINGTON — One out of every four ballots requested by military personnel and other Americans living overseas for the 2008 election may have gone uncounted, according to findings being released at a Senate hearing Wednesday. Sen. Charles Schumer, chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, said the study, while providing only a snapshot of voting patterns, "is enough to show that the balloting process for service members is clearly in need of an overhaul." The committee, working with the Congressional Research Service, surveyed election offices in seven states with high numbers of military personnel: California, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and West Virginia. It said that of 441,000 absentee ballots requested by eligible voters living abroad _ mainly active-duty and reserve troops _ more than 98,000 were "lost" ballots that were mailed out but never received by election officials. Taking into account 13,500 ballots that were rejected for such reasons as a missing signature or failure to notarize, one-quarter of those requesting a ballot were disenfranchised. The study found that an additional 11,000 ballots were returned as undeliverable. Schumer's office said that because a person living abroad must request the absentee ballot and show a clear intention to vote, voter negligence is not thought to be a major factor. Rather, the New York Democrat said in a statement, there is a chronic problem of military voters being sent a ballot without sufficient time to complete it and send it back. He cited estimates that a ballot can take up to 13 days to reach an overseas voter. Among the states surveyed, California had 30,000 "lost" votes out of 103,000 ballots mailed out. An additional 3,000 ballots were returned as undeliverable and 4,000 were rejected. The hearing was to take up possible problems in the Federal Voting Assistance Program, a Pentagon program that handles the election process for military personnel and other overseas voters.
 

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