Thursday, September 3, 2009

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Harvey Wasserman: BonTaj Roulet Blazes New Ground Raising Green for Greens Top
In a tough economy, with music lovers thinking twice before going to see their favorite acts, the 34-date BonTaj Roulet Tour by Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal is blazing new green ground in raising money for charities. So far it's collected over $100,000 for environmental and other causes. It could add that much again before the final show on September 25 at Rancho Mirage, California. The tour features a unique pairing that cuts across rock and blues barriers...and a whole lot more. With strong reviews and healthy ticket sales on an otherwise rough summer for the music business, the tour is also laying the groundwork for a new mix in the magic art of using commercial concerts to raise funds for green and other causes. According to Kathy Kane, Bonnie Raitt's manager, "the artists are giving, the concert goers are giving and the ticketing agencies are giving, along with some key venues and promoters." Among the collaborators are Ticketmaster, Live Nation Ticketing, and Musictoday. "Not every venue and promoter is contributing," says Kane, "but many are trying, and every venue and promoter has worked with us to make this happen." A 25-cent contribution added to the price of each ticket is matched with a 25-cent contribution from the artists. The funds are distributed to causes in proportion to votes tallied through the BonTaj Roulet tour website (http://www.bontaj.com/thecollective). Visitors to the website can choose between "safe & sustainable energy," "environmental protection," "social justice & human rights" and "blues/music education." "The funds will be given to nonprofit organizations across the country," says Kane. "If safe and sustainable energy received 23% of the votes then groups working on safe and sustainable energy will receive 23% of the funds being granted." The mix of contributions from promoters/venues and ticketing agencies with matching funds from artists and concertgoers, distributed by popular vote, is a new recipe for concert tour fundraising, says Kane. Many of the dates also feature VIP Charity Action Fund gatherings where donors get special seats and meet with the artists after the show. "Perhaps what makes this unique is the collaborative effort coming from different entities involved in putting on a concert. This way, everyone is contributing to raise funds out of their resources, not just the artist or the fans,"says Kane. Of the 34 dates on the tour, 31 venues participated in the fundraising effort, she adds, with two choosing to support other causes of their own. Tour-based fundraising has been a staple of the concert business for decades. Raitt helped organize one of the biggest with Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE), which filled Madison Square Garden for five "No Nukes" concerts in 1979. Along with others, she has had a special seating/meet and greet component to her shows for many years. The Guacamole Fund, the facilitator of the VIP Action Fund Charity Packages, has helped stage upwards of a thousand fundraising concerts for green energy organizations over the past 35 years. Artists such as Dave Mathews are also finding new ways to contribute green to green. As part of a "So Much to Save" Campaign, Mathews is offering a code to download his band's music in exchange for a variety of actions designed to help save the planet ( http://www.grist.org/article/2009-08-21-dave-matthews-band-so-much-to-save-free-music-downloads/ ). Mathews is a board member of FarmAid, which has worked for more than a decade to save family farms. His fellow board members include Willie Nelson, John Mellancamp and Neil Young. Under a gorgeous Indianapolis sky on August 25, Taj opened with a raucous, hard-driving signature R&B set. After a short break, Bonnie delivered virtuoso versions of favorites ranging from "Love Sneakin' Up on You" to "Angel from Montgomery," "Thing Called Love" and "I Can't Make You Love Me." Taj then joined her for "Satisfied," "Done Changed My Way of Livin'" and the bawdy "Wah she Go Do" (infamous for the line "a woman must have an outside man"). After the sun set over the city's White River Park, the two headliners sat back and improvised, front porch style. Raitt said there were "about 40 songs" they could have done. Judging from the enthusiastic response, one got the feeling the crowd would have stayed for all of them. The Grand Rapids Press called the show there "as close to a perfect ending for a summer concert series as it gets." As in Indianapolis, the Cape Cod Times reported "standing ovations on nearly every song," with "a fun mix of genres, incorporating everything from country to reggae, jazz, rock and, of course, the blues." The additional news is that those blues for the multitudes meant a stack of green for the greens. -- Harvey Wasserman was a co-organizer of the MUSE Concerts, and, with Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Graham Nash, of the nukefree.org website.
 
Mike Nellis: VIDEO: Rep. Jenkins caught lying again, Ms. Smith speaks out Top
Rep. Lynn Jenkins' terrible awful no good very bad August is definitely extending into September . Yesterday, her parade of failure marched on. Elizabeth Smith, the uninsured single mother Jenkins laughed at, is now telling her story. Last night on the Ed Show, she made it clear that she was "frustrated" with her Congresswoman and that she "wasn't looking for a handout" in insurance reform. After this week, I bet Lynn Jenkins can't wait to get back home to Washington. Video below: Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy Elizabeth Smith wasn't just speaking out on the Ed Show. She took her story to the streets last night speaking at a health care rally in Ottawa. We haven't been able to get our hands on the video but reports from the event says it was well very attended and organized . Now, you might be asking yourself, how can Lynn Jenkins dig a deeper hole for herself? Apparently, by more lying. Jenkins released this statment via Scott Rothschild from the Lawrence Journal World : Instead of playing gotcha politics on blogs and zipping off press releases to MSNBC, and using the young woman's situation as a fundraising appeal for her political party , Congresswoman Jenkins's office is looking into current resources available to the mother in existing programs. There are two problems with this statement. First, in what is an obvious attempt to marginalize her, that statement implies that Elizabeth Smith is a Democrat. She is not -- she is a registered independent. Second, the LJ World spoke with Ms. Smith and she hasn't heard from Jenkins or any member of her staff. How can they help her, if they aren't talking to her? What we've done is found Lynn Jenkins failing to do her job again. Kansans are starting to have buyers remorse. Lynn Jenkins has failed to read legislation she's voted on, she failed again by saying she won't read the health bills she opposes, she failed on a compassion level when she laughed at Ms. Smith last week, and now's she failing to do her job and help her constituents. It's a pattern, and it's a disturbing one. Failure is the name of the game with Lynn Jenkins. But like I wrote yesterday, it won't mean a thing if we don't have resources to build an infrastructure for our eventual candidate in the district. So many of you dug deep and helped us yesterday, but we still need your help . Here's what I wrote yesterday for reference: Can you help us build our party by making a small donation of $10? The stronger we are, and the more resources we have, the better chance we have of being successful in 2010. Every penny will go toward building a grassroots infrastructure -- both online and offline -- that we will utilize to ensure victory in November. Any support you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for your continued support and friendship.
 
Zandile Blay: Naomi Campbell Is Really Into This Whole Russian Thing..... Top
Truth be told, I can't say that I blame her. The supermodel, who has been flaunting her love affair with (married? not married?) Russian billionaire Vladislav Doronin, is clearly in love. In addition to globe trotting from Dronin's homes in Brazil and Ibiza, it appears her Moscow man also has a home in Russia. That's where legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld caught up with Campbell for this mini photoshoot. The leggy beauty dons a variety of lux brand from Chanel, which Lagerfeld designs, to Yves Saint Laurent and Marc Jacobs. The singular theme was obviously Russian chic, hence oversized furs and accessories . The shoot appears V Magazine. She's beautiful, wealthy, in love (with someone even wealthier) and wearing the latest couture...... Must be nice.... Read more from Zandile on her daily fashion blog, The Blay Report .
 
Kathy Plesser, MD: Video: Treatment Options for Early Stage Breast Cancer Top
Hormone therapy is used in all stages of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. The success of five years of Tamoxifen in post menopausal women has been augmented by the addition of Aromatase inhibitors. Dr. Rugo describes the randomized clinical trials designed to determine the duration and sequencing of hormones and the different approaches required in pre and post menopausal women. Also, the emerging role of biphosphonates, a non-hormonal, non-chemotherapy approach to strengthening bone and preventing metastases. Interviewee: Hope S. Rugo, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine; Director, Breast Oncology Clinical Trials Program, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center Hope Rugo   This post was originally posted on BeetMedicine.TV.
 
Jacqueline Caster: Memo to Sarah Palin: Four Reasons Why You Will Never be in Teddy's League Top
Sarah - there is a lot you could learn from the life of Ted Kennedy - that is, if you were someone who saw value in learning new things (more on that later): #1: While Senator Kennedy was a man who may have been less than perfect, he never blamed others for his flaws and errors in judgment. In contrast, you seem to blame the media for your every blunder, including your disastrous unscripted speeches and interviews, and even every scandal that has been your family's in the making. No one is buying it. #2: Another important Ted Kennedy quality was his strong respect for his opponents. While he may have disagreed with certain of their ideas, he still stated, "Republicans love this country just as much as I do." It was one of the secrets of his success - the ability to reach across the aisle and acknowledge the patriotism of others instead of questioning their loyalty to America. Sarah, when you told a group of small town conservatives how nice it was to be among "good Americans like yourselves", the rest of us were left speculating as to just what kind of "bad Americans" you must think we are. #3: Another key trait of Senator Kennedy's was the one we all heard about from his sons and his niece, Caroline, in their eulogies. While they all jokingly reminisced about how lengthy and arduous some of his "history tours" were for them as children, they learned from him the need for a serious understanding of history if one ever plans to make history oneself. You, however according to published accounts from insiders in the McCain campaign, couldn't be bothered putting in the time to learn about the complex chain of events that shaped many of the issues you would be handling as the second most powerful person in our government #4: And finally, as was obvious from his longevity in office, from his tenacity on certain issues such as universal health care and from the way he taught his son to make it up the hill after his leg amputation, Teddy obviously knew that you don't throw in the towel. "My dad was never bowed, he never gave up, and there was never quit in dad," his son Patrick said. Sarah, when you were sworn in as Governor of Alaska, you accepted a full term of office. Did someone suddenly spring the concept of "lame duck" on you after a couple of years in office? Are you setting the new protocol for all politicians when their lame duck status looms on the horizon? We are still waiting to see your bigger, better impact on society you have told us you intend to make now that you are free of the barriers of being the highest elected official in your state. Something tells me that if Ted Kennedy had been in your shoes, he would have stayed in that office. But as we all too well aware, he wasn't and you were.... and sadly for us all, Sarah Palin, you're no Ted Kennedy. More on Sarah Palin
 
Robert J. Elisberg: The Bizarre World of Nell Minow Top
On Tuesday, Nell Minow got a rave in the "Ask Amy" column A parent was concerned about finding movies, and was recommended to Minow's wonderful website, Movie Mom . It was just another typical moment in the life of perhaps the most bizarre woman in America. Nell Minow writes insightfully about movies with her encyclopedia knowledge of film history. She's loves movies. Giddily so. In fact, for all her scholarship, there is also a goofball in there. Her standards are high, yet she openly acknowledges being a "sci-fi fan girl geek." She adored "Transformers" rapturously - though just the first one. She centers her year around attending the Comic-Con festival, the way a child awaits Christmas morning. A recent profile of Ms. Minow in the Washington Post quoted the paper's former film critic, Desson Thomson, describing her as "goofily blissful," adding, "I never have met anyone in the business who simply enjoys being at a movie so much -- even if it's the hokiest musical. I'm absolutely appalled about 80 percent of the time, and then I look over at her, and she's just so happy to be there." Make no mistake, she can trash a film with the best of them - but she just loves watching movies. Loves writing about movies. Loves being among movies critics. She enthuses movies. Her infatuation is what gives her Movie Mom website an utterly fascinating sweep. Not just the reviews, but the essays, commentaries and blog updates. But that's not what makes her life bizarre. You see, being a movie critic is only one of her jobs. For her other job, Nell Minow is one of the leading experts in America on corporate governance. Businessweek called her "the queen of corporate good governance," she was named one of the field's 20 most influential people by Directorship magazine, and last year she received the prestigious International Corporate Governance Network Award for exceptional achievement. Above all, she's co-founder and editor of the acclaimed Corporate Library , a research firm for oversight on corporations and executive compensation. Needless-to-say, she's had a busy year. As Wall Street collapsed and executives received ungodly bonuses, Nell Minow was in demand on most every TV network for comment. And her comments were brutally harsh. In fact, the very day "Ask Amy" was recommending her Movie Mom website, the Wall Street Journal interviewed her about new AIG chief executive Robert Benmosche. "I can't think of a more foolish beginning for him," she said bluntly. "It's just unbelievably poor judgment...." Just a typical day. And typical quote. I've known Nell Minow since growing up in Glencoe, Illinois, outside Chicago. The family moved away, but came back when we both briefly overlapped at Northwestern University. We lost touch for a while, but one day she read one of my Huffington Posts. She wrote to ask if I remembered her. Ha. You don't forget Nell Minow. She was a lawyer for the Justice Department and EPA, and has filled-in reviewing for Roger Ebert at the Chicago Sun Times . Her Amazon.com page offers "The Movie Mom's Guide to Family Movies" and three books on corporate governance co-authored with Robert A. Monks. Just an atypical resume. By the way, the reason she moved from Glencoe is because her father was appointed by President John Kennedy to be FCC Commissioner. In fact, Newton Minow remains probably the only FCC Commissioner that anyone actually knows of - he was the man who famously described television as "a vast wasteland." But it's more than that. You know on the TV show, "Gilligan's Island," where they took a 3-hour cruise on the S.S. Minnow? Guess who that's named after ? Honest. (Indeed, the family keeps working its way into the American fabric. Nell Minow's sister Martha is dean of Harvard Law School. One day, when just a mere professor there, she called her father at his Sidley Austin law firm in Chicago and recommended he hire the smartest student she'd ever taught. Barack Obama. And it was at the firm that he met another lawyer, Michelle Robinson. You know the rest.) As for her own marriage, Nell Minow is with her childhood sweetheart, David Apatoff, an accomplished Washington lawyer, who grew up two blocks from me. This lead to two children, Benjamin and Rachel - which lead to the Movie Mom, 15 years ago. Apatoff jokes that she picked two careers where she always gets to give her views. And she gives them with fearless honesty. How much so? Once when advising a corporation, she recommended they drop one of the Board of Directors. It was her father! (He'd missed too many meetings for her standards. When he explained to her his excellent reasons, she graciously understood his excuse - and repeated her recommendation.) I've long suspected that the seven most terrifying words to a corporate executive are, "I have Nell Minow on Line Two." She's cowed by no one. Exactly what you want in a watchdog. An online Q&A she did for the Washington Post is hilarious to read, as it ranges back-and-forth between questions on movies and SEC filings. She answers them all in breathtaking detail and expertise. This is someone who sends emails, like: "Today, I gave a speech to the National Association of Businessmen, testified before Barney Frank's House Financial Services Committee, interviewed the star of 'Taking Woodstock,' and went to a screening of "Halloween II." I'm not exaggerating. She is a pit bull on corporate governance, but though she reviews movies under the banner of family, she is not remotely moralistic as the Movie Mom. She'll tell the reader what to be aware of. But she'll give an R-rated movie a rave if she loves it and trash a G-rated film she thinks is mindless. And then is off to do an interview on CNN, or the Today Show blasting irresponsible executive bonuses. And testify again before Congress. And then cram in Movie Mom radio broadcasts, calling DJs on stations across the country . Just another day in the Bizarre World of Nell Minow.
 
Senate Candidate Giannoulias Backs Gay Marriage Top
Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias said Wednesday he favors legalization of same-sex marriage and, if elected, would seek to repeal a federal law that defines marriage as being between one man and one woman. More on Senate Races
 
Irene Rubaum-Keller: Do You Sometimes Feel Fat? Top
Even if you are thin, that week before your period can be challenging. As women, we tend to get bloated and extra hungry 7 to 10 days before our monthly cycle. That means that if you get your period every 28 days, for 10 of those days you might feel fat and bloated and maybe even gassy. That works out to be about 1/3 of our lives, prior to menopause. That's right, 1/3. It works out to 130 days per year of feeling fat, bloated, gassy and generally yucky. Thanks to Mother Nature for this, as it is completely normal. It has to do with the hormonal shifts prior to menstruation. The hormones conspire to make us hungry, moody, bloated and gassy. We aren't really 50 pounds heavier during this time, we just feel that way. We may be heavier on the scale, as water does have weight. When you fill a balloon with water, it will weigh much more, and be much bigger, than it was in its deflated state. Our bodies are much the same. When we get bloated our fingers, feet, ankles and abdomens expand with water. If your tummy is normally flat, it will look pregnant during this time. It will be hard to get rings off and your clothes may feel tighter. Even your shoes may feel tight as your feet and ankles swell. Lovely. Another aspect of why we feel fat, has to do with the images of women we are constantly exposed to in the media. I wrote this article about it for Strive Magazine and you can watch me on the news discussing it here . We are bombarded by super thin, super airbrushed images of women. Some are too thin to menstruate. Some are too thin to have breasts, so have implants instead. For those of us human females, we have normal weight swings that we need to manage monthly. Some tips to deal with this include: 1) Track your cycle so you understand when to expect this. 2) Try to avoid salty foods during this time. They only add to the bloat. 3) Even though you feel like putting on sweats and hiding out, try to fight this urge. If we give into that monthly, we will be hiding for 1/3 or our young lives. 4) Drink a lot of water to help flush and cleanse the body. 5) Keep in mind that this is normal, healthy and even sexy to most men. If you would like to participate in the research for Irene's new book about the process of weight loss, please take the survey .
 
William J. Astore: A Seven-Step Program to Return America to a Quieter, Less Muscular, Patriotism Top
Cross-posted with Tomdispatch.com . I have a few confessions to make: After almost eight years of off-and-on war in Afghanistan and after more than six years of mayhem and death since "Mission Accomplished" was declared in Operation Iraqi Freedom, I'm tired of seeing simpleminded magnetic ribbons on vehicles telling me, a 20-year military veteran, to support or pray for our troops. As a Christian, I find it presumptuous to see ribbons shaped like fish, with an American flag as a tail, informing me that God blesses our troops. I'm underwhelmed by gigantic American flags -- up to 100 feet by 300 feet -- repeatedly being unfurled in our sports arenas, as if our love of country is greater when our flags are bigger. I'm disturbed by nuclear-strike bombers soaring over stadiums filled with children, as one did in July just as the National Anthem ended during this year's Major League Baseball All Star game. Instead of oohing and aahing at our destructive might, I was quietly horrified at its looming presence during a family event. We've recently come through the steroid era in baseball with all those muscled up players and jacked up stats. Now that players are tested randomly, home runs are down and muscles don't stretch uniforms quite as tightly. Yet while ending the steroid era in baseball proved reasonably straightforward once the will to act was present, we as a country have yet to face, no less curtail, our ongoing steroidal celebrations of pumped-up patriotism. It's high time we ended the post-Vietnam obsession with Rambo's rippling pecs as well as the jaw-dropping technological firepower of the recent cinematic version of G.I. Joe and return to the resolute, undemonstrative strength that Gary Cooper showed in movies like High Noon . In the HBO series The Sopranos , Tony (played by James Gandolfini) struggles with his own vulnerability -- panic attacks caused by stress that his Mafia rivals would interpret as fatal signs of weakness. Lamenting his emotional frailty, Tony asks, "Whatever happened to Gary Cooper?" Whatever happened, in other words, to quiet, unemotive Americans who went about their business without fanfare, without swagger, but with firmness and no lack of controlled anger at the right time? Tony's question is a good one, but I'd like to spin it differently: Why did we allow lanky American citizen-soldiers and true heroes like World War I Sergeant Alvin York (played, at York's insistence, by Gary Cooper) and World War II Sergeant (later, first lieutenant) Audie Murphy (played in the film To Hell and Back , famously, by himself) to be replaced by all those post-Vietnam pumped up Hollywood "warriors," with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger-style abs and egos to match? And far more important than how we got here, how can we end our enduring fascination with a puffed up, comic-book-style militarism that seems to have stepped directly out of screen fantasy and into our all-too-real lives? A Seven-Step Recovery Program As a society, we've become so addicted to militarism that we don't even notice the way it surrounds us or the spasms of societal 'roid rage that go with it. The fact is, we need a detox program. At the risk of incurring some of that 'roid rage myself, let me suggest a seven-step program that could help return us to the saner days of Gary Cooper: 1. Baseball players on steroids swing for the fences. So does a steroidal country. When you have an immense military establishment, your answer to trouble is likely to be overwhelming force, including sending troops into harm's way. To rein in our steroidal version of militarism, we should stop bulking up our military ranks, as is now happening, and shrink them instead. Our military needs not more muscle supplements (or the budgetary version of the same), but far fewer. 2. It's time to stop deferring to our generals, and even to their commander-in-chief. They're ours, after all; we're not theirs. When President Obama says Afghanistan is not a war of choice but of necessity, we shouldn't hesitate to point out that the emperor has no clothes. Yet when it comes to tough questioning of the president's generals, Congress now seems eternally supine. Senators and representatives are invariably too busy falling all over themselves praising our troops and their commanders, too worried that "tough" questioning will appear unpatriotic to the folks back home, or too connected to military contractors in their districts, or some combination of the three. Here's something we should all keep in mind: generals have no monopoly on military insight. What they have a monopoly on is a no-lose situation. If things go well, they get credit; if they go badly, we do. Retired five-star general Omar Bradley was typical when he visited Vietnam in 1967 and declared: "I am convinced that this is a war at the right place, at the right time and with the right enemy -- the Communists." North Vietnam's only hope for victory, he insisted, was "to hang on in the expectation that the American public, inadequately informed about the true situation and sickened by the loss in lives and money, will force the United States to give up and pull out." There we have it: A classic statement of the belief that when our military loses a war, it's always the fault of "we the people." Paradoxically, such insidious myths gain credibility not because we the people are too forceful in our criticism of the military, but because we are too deferential. 3. It's time to redefine what "support our troops" really means. We console ourselves with the belief that all our troops are volunteers, who freely signed on for repeated tours of duty in forever wars. But are our troops truly volunteers? Didn't we recruit them using multi-million dollar ad campaigns and lures of every sort? Are we not, in effect, running a poverty and recession draft? Isolated in middle- or upper-class comfort, detached from our wars and their burdens, have we not, in a sense, recruited a "foreign legion" to do our bidding? If you're looking for a clear sign of a militarized society -- which few Americans are -- a good place to start is with troop veneration. The cult of the soldier often covers up a variety of sins. It helps, among other things, hide the true costs of, and often the futility of, the wars being fought. At an extreme, as the war began to turn dramatically against Nazi Germany in 1943, Germans who attempted to protest Hitler's failed strategy and the catastrophic costs of his war were accused of (and usually executed for) betraying the troops at the front. The United States is not a totalitarian state, so surely we can hazard criticisms of our wars and even occasionally of the behavior of some of our troops, without facing charges of stabbing our troops in the back and aiding the enemy. Or can we? 4. Let's see the military for what it is: a blunt instrument of force. It's neither surgical nor precise nor predictable. What Shakespeare wrote 400 years ago remains true: when wars start, havoc is unleashed, and the dogs of war run wild -- in our case, not just the professional but the "mercenary" dogs of war, those private contractors to the Pentagon that thrive on the rich spoils of modern warfare in distant lands. It's time to recognize that we rely ever more massively to prosecute our wars on companies that profit ever more handsomely the longer they last. 5. Let's not blindly venerate the serving soldier, while forgetting our veterans when they doff their spiffy uniforms for the last time. It's easy to celebrate our clean-cut men and women in uniform when they're thousands of miles from home, far tougher to lend a hand to scruffier, embittered veterans suffering from the physical and emotional trauma of the battle zones to which they were consigned, usually for multiple tours of duty. 6. I like air shows, but how about -- as a first tiny step toward demilitarizing civilian life -- banning all flyovers of sporting events by modern combat aircraft? War is not a sport, and it shouldn't be a thrill. 7. I love our flag. I keep my father's casket flag in a special display case next to the very desk on which I'm writing this piece. It reminds me of his decades of service as a soldier and firefighter. But I don't need humongous stadium flags or, for that matter, tiny flag lapel pins to prove my patriotism -- and neither should you. In fact, doesn't the endless post-9/11 public proliferation of flags in every size imaginable suggest a certain fanaticism bordering on desperation? If we saw such displays in other countries, our descriptions wouldn't be kindly. Of course, none of this is likely to be easy as long as this country garrisons the planet and fights open-ended wars on its global frontiers. The largest step, the eighth one, would be to begin seriously downsizing that mission. In the meantime, we shouldn't need reminding that this country was originally founded as a civilian society, not a militarized one. Indeed, the revolt of the 13 colonies against the King of England was sparked, in part, by the perceived tyranny of forced quartering of British troops in colonial homes, the heavy hand of an "occupation" army, and taxation that we were told went for our own defense, whether we wanted to be defended or not. If Americans are going to continue to hold so-called tea parties, shouldn't some of them be directed against the militarization of our country and an enormous tax burden fed in part by our wasteful, trillion-dollar wars? Modest as it may seem, my seven-step recovery program won't be easy for many of us to follow. After all, let's face it, we've come to enjoy our peculiar brand of muscular patriotism and the macho militarism that goes with it. In fact, we revel in it. Outwardly, the result is quite an impressive show. We look confident and ripped and strong. But it's increasingly clear that our outward swagger conceals an inner desperation. If we're so strong, one might ask, why do we need so much steroidal piety, so many in-your-face patriotic props, and so much parade-ground conformity? Forget Rambo and action-picture G.I. Joes: Give me the steady hand, the undemonstrative strength, and the quiet humility of Alvin York, Audie Murphy -- and Gary Cooper. William Astore, a retired lieutenant colonel (USAF), is a TomDispatch regular. He teaches History at the Pennsylvania College of Technology and can be reached at wastore@pct.edu. Copyright 2009 William J. Astore
 
Sarah Newman: From Fries to Fennel, How Food, Inc. Is Changing America Top
Food, Inc., the widely celebrated documentary that continues to expand nationwide as quickly as GMO seeds infect organic crops, is topping the box office in documentary sales. It is more than just a great documentary, though. It is helping to reshape our agricultural and eating landscape nationwide. The thoughtful analysis of our complex industrial food system is introduced to viewers in simple, bite-sized portions that make it simple for viewers to understand the issues. My analysis of the residual effects of Food, Inc. are not scientific and merely based on my informal discussions with people, combined with scouring Twitter and blogs for anecdotes. But there is plenty of evidence that people are leaving theaters and walking out with a determination to make significant changes. #foodinc has become synonymous on Twitter with posts about sustainable agriculture and they are rampant. Following this phrase on the site brings up numerous postings from enthusiastic fans about new openings of the film and plenty of tweets about sustainable agriculture issues that have nothing to do directly with the film but everything to do with the subject matter. #foodinc now means sustainable, healthy agriculture to tweeters. The media coverage for the film stretches from one end of the spectrum to the other with accolades and condemnations from advocates and foes of industrial agriculture. It has become a default-topic in food discussions (see the recent Time cover story). Huffington Post devoted a special section with interviews of some of its food bloggers about the film. At the more local level, I've heard lots of stories (and received inquires) from people about how to join a Community Supported Agriculture program , where to find a local farmers market and how to buy grass-fed beef. Upon leaving the theater, Marje Learned, a teacher in the San Mateo, CA, was immediately inspired to act within her own community. She is now working to get hormone-free dairy and milk in her school cafeteria and has committed to only eating grass-fed beef. Bonnie Abaunza, who happens to be my boss, was a lifelong carnivore. When we eat together, she would enjoy a plate of beef while I munched on tempeh and greens as we ridiculed each other's meal preferences. However, Bonnie has defied all odds and shocked even herself by announcing that she will no longer eat beef (so, if you ever happen to meet her, you can make sure she's holding to her public promise). She's not sitting down to a plate of tofu and kale yet, but she's already made a huge step by giving up red meat. Joe Newman, via Twitter, told me that the film " reinforced my decision to stop supporting factory farms with my $$$ ...going veggie and locally grown organic meat." Foodblogga on Twitter told me that they only buy grass-fed beef now. Katie Wohl of Boston said the film inspired her to switch to free-range meat only. If that's not available, then she's only eating vegetarian. She said that many of her friends have been inspired to start purchasing produce at local farmers markets. Benjamin Packard is forsaking TV dinners and opting for healthier, vegetarian options. Laurie Luh now only buys her eggs at the farmers market. No more $0.99 eggs for her. My dad, who happens to be a doctor, is giving out film postcards to patients and telling them they must see the film. And since my parents live in an apartment, he wasn't able to fulfill his post-film ambition of planting a garden, but he and my mom frequent their neighborhood farmers market a lot more regularly now. My mom said it's time for a food revolution! Blogger Jill Richardson shared the story of a friend who saw the film and was "passionate, outraged and fired-up" afterwards. She was "finishing the food in her fridge and then changing how she eats entirely." Chris Elam wrote me, "have a 3-year old son, and the little-boy segment was so disturbing and affecting, that my wife and I have agreed he should only eat organic meat going forward." A website called Rocket Moms has a blog post titled "Take Control Over Your Food" which details a mom's reaction to seeing Food, Inc . Her introduction summed up her reaction: "A girls night out for a movie -- Food, Inc . and dinner changed my outlook on food forever!" People are also inspired to take action at the policy level. The film's Social Action campaign is devoted to removing soda and junk food from all federally funded nutrition programs. Makes sense, right? Well, about 100,000 other people also agree and are signing our petition to cut the crap out of schools. Food, Inc. hasn't transformed us in a nation of vegetarian locavores. But, it has spurred discussions at cafes, coffee shops, sushi bars, bistros, bakeries, cafeterias, diners, and, of course, kitchen tables, across the country. The film's greatest legacy is that it encouraging us, as a nation, to examine our decisions. As a result, change is happening at the national, community and personal levels. Be part of this great national discussion by sharing your story here. Sarah's Social Action Snapshot originally appeared on Takepart.com More on Twitter
 
Jane Minogue: A Full Moon, Werewolves, and Betrayed Love Top
The signs of late summer sliding into autumn proliferate: So Cal valley afternoon temperatures hover in the 100s; firestorms rage around us; and www.aqmd.gov states my air quality today as "unhealthy for sensitive persons." Through the smoky haze, I see people building pumpkin patch stands along the freeway that will sell Christmas trees in December. And our local Costco, besides displaying large tubs of seasonal yellow chrysanthemums, has started offering artificial trees with white lights as well as Christmas wrap and ribbons. The year can't go by that fast. I can accept fall coming, but I'm definitely not in the mood for those holidays. With the full moon coming upon us on September 4, I'm more in the mood for, say, werewolves. Werewolves are in the news these days. The movie The Twilight Saga: New Moon from author Stephenie Meyer and director Chris Weitz, is supposed to come out on November 20. MTV is going to have a TV version of the Michael J. Fox 1985 movie Teen Wolf . A new version of The Wolfman with Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins is to arrive on Feb. 12, 2010. On the unromantic side, ABC news has reported that werewolves could be stories about hypertrichosis, a genetic condition that causes humans to have an excessive amount of hair all over their bodies. But, since this is a medievalist's love and marriage blog that keeps you up to date on the twelfth century, here's a story of werewolves, love, and betrayal circa 1180 from Marie de France. A baron in Brittany called Bisclavret is a good, noble knight. He and his wife love each other, but he has a strange habit of disappearing into the woods for three full days each week without explanation. After much pleading and a pledge of true, faithful love from his wife, the baron divulges that he is a werewolf. When asked if he is naked or wears his clothes when he becomes a werewolf, the baron replies that he removes his clothes and hides them in a hollowed-out rock. If he does not get his clothes at the end of the three days, he remains a werewolf. The wife quickly schemes to end this crazy marriage. She calls upon an old suitor, who still loves her although she did not care for him, to say she is available if he will steal her husband's clothes from the hollowed-out rock the next time Bisclavret goes a-werewolfing. The suitor does so. Bisclavret remains in his hirsute lupine state in the woods. The wife and suitor marry. A year later, the king hunts in Bisclavret's forest. The king's dogs find Bisclavret and are ready to tear him to pieces, but Bisclavret begs for mercy and becomes part of the king's household. Bisclavret is gentle and loved by all. However, one day when the suitor who married Bisclavret's wife comes to the court, Bisclavret attacks and tries to kill him. Bisclavret displays the same savage behavior when his ex-wife arrives at the court and manages to tear off her nose. (No Freud yet to comment on this.) The sages at court believe that the creature must be enacting some sort of revenge. The ex-wife confesses all to the king and gives him Bisclavret's clothes. The werewolf goes into the king's bedchamber, dons his old apparel, and becomes human again. The king returns Bisclavret's lands to him, and the nose-less ex-wife is punished further by giving birth to nose-less daughters as a symbol of her betrayal. Is the moral here to stand by your man no matter what? Must one ignore the beast and see the inner man? Can one not escape medieval misogyny here, even with one of the rare female authors? The old suitor, the ex-wife's accomplice, has deformed daughters, but he and his sons remain intact. Perhaps the worst crime is to betray true love. Marie always lets you be the judge. So much for the medieval mind. I'm ready for fall, and there's almost a full moon out tonight... More on Marriage
 
Paging A Different President Obama Top
The nation needs to see a different President Obama next Wednesday when he addresses a joint session of Congress. His laid-back attempt to take the high road just isn't working. It was all very noble and everything to try to be bipartisan. It was most excellently un-Bush-like to actually ask Congress to try its hand at legislating. It was admirably high-minded to attempt conciliation, to adopt a professorial role, and stay at 30,000 feet. But no more. The Republican Party and the national discourse have been hijacked by unhinged zealots. The Democratic congressional leadership has shown itself to be incoherent, incapable and corrupted. So for Obama, it's either time to fight back or give up. Obama could, I guess, back off on everything remotely controversial in his health care proposal, throw the public option and universal coverage and end-of-life counseling overboard, and try to get everyone to find common ground. But even that wouldn't appease his critics. They won't stop fighting just because he does. Their goal is for Obama to lose. Alternately, Obama could commit himself to some specifics, call out his critics, and remind people why all this is so damned important. Here's one thing he could say: I'm not going to chase after the crazies on the right anymore. I cannot do business with these people, try as I may. I reach out and they accuse me of being a socialist who wants to pull the plug on grandma. He could bolster this argument with nearly endless examples of the extreme, vitriolic and outright balmy things leading Republicans have been saying about him and his plan lately. Heck, just yesterday, Oklahoma Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe told a town hall audience that Obama is disarming the military, is destroying everything good about America and is determined to turn foreign terrorists loose on U.S. soil . Non-fire-breathing Washington Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein actually understated the case earlier this month, when he could finally take it no more and wrote: The recent attacks by Republican leaders and their ideological fellow-travelers on the effort to reform the health-care system have been so misleading, so disingenuous, that they could only spring from a cynical effort to gain partisan political advantage. By poisoning the political well, they've given up any pretense of being the loyal opposition. They've become political terrorists, willing to say or do anything to prevent the country from reaching a consensus on one of its most serious domestic problems. (Incidentally, one way for Obama to elegantly back away from his vain attempt to elicit something bipartisan from the Senate Finance Committee's "Gang of Six" would be to focus attention on the thus-far largely ignored Senate health committee version of the bill .) In terms of committing to specifics, Obama simply has no choice but to come down firmly on one side or the other regarding the public option. He needs to explain precisely what the public option is and is not -- how it is not a government takeover of health care or even a government-run health care program, but rather a government-run insurance option that would provide an alternative to the private sector, solely for those individuals or small businesses who either don't have insurance now or want to find a better deal . And if he decides to sacrifice the public option, he needs to explain both why he is doing that, and how, in its absence, there will be any accountability at all for the insurance industry . He also needs to honestly and directly address the issue of how we're going to pay for all this. And if he's still committed to his original proposal to limit itemized tax deductions for the nation's highest earners to the same level they were during the Reagan years -- a proposal that Democrats in Congress called dead on arrival -- he needs to aggressively make his case and begin stiffening some of those Democratic spines. And he needs to openly address the deals he has made with Big Pharma and other industry players. What were his intentions? What did he promise? What did he give up? Are the deals still in force? How does he think he can bridge the chasm between the interests of the health industry on one side and the American public on the other? Because he really can't. So who is going to take the haircut? Whose side is Obama really on? And finally, Obama needs to remind people of the stakes -- of the reality that his batty critics simply can't deal with, a reality that is way scarier than "death panels." It's a reality in which millions of Americans can't afford to see a doctor when they're sick; in which people can't get insurance because they've been sick in the past; in which people get their coverage rescinded just when they need it; in which people lose insurance because they lost their jobs; in which people go bankrupt and lose their homes to pay their medical bills; in which people die -- yes, die -- because they can't afford the treatment they need, or their insurance carriers won't pay for it. To some extent, I understand why Obama hasn't taken a more aggressive approach until now. After all, the nativist right is ready to pounce the minute he gives them a video clip that allows them to depict him as an "angry black man." But they'll pounce anyway. They've already pounced. They'll keep pouncing no matter what. And in any case, Obama doesn't have to actually get angry. All he has to do is level with us, tell us exactly where he stands, and propose a clear, detailed way out of this mess. Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!
 
The Media Consortium: Weekly Immigration Wire: DIY Immigration Reform Top
By Nezua, TMC Mediawire Blogger Many immigration reform activists feel stymied and frustrated by the Obama Administration's approach to immigration. Because the administration has not clearly denounced the racially-based violence and sentiment fueled by groups like FAIR and pundits like Lou Dobbs , it appears to be ignoring the individuals in need and siding with the powerful players, like the detention industry, or grossly negligent lawmen like Sheriff Joe Arpaio. So what can an advocate, activist, or even a conscientious citizen do to make a difference during this period of government inaction ? Have hope and take action yourself! As Eric Ward of Alternet writes in "Seven Days to Beat Anti-Immigrant Bigotry ," "You can take a bite out of bigotry in less than five minutes a day!" Ward's essay helps replace a potentially overwhelming sense of frustration with concrete, attainable and clearly defined actions. He put it together because a friend wrote him in sheer frustration, and asked him what she could do--without having a whole lot of time on her hands. She works 60 hours a week as a florist, but was determined nonetheless: "I don't want these bigots to have the last word." The Washington Independent's Daphne Eviatar reports that 521 different civil rights and advocacy groups sent a letter urging the President to "immediately terminate" the infamous 287(g) program, which deputizes local police to carry out federal immigration duties. The program is currently being investigated by the Department of Justice for racial profiling and civil rights violations. This is great news! As we reported in the August 20th Wire , only a few voices were speaking out against postponing immigration reform. Now there are many. RaceWire reports on the coalition of "immigrant, racial justice and civil rights advocacy groups" that have signed on to the letter, and describes the 287(g) program as a "disturbing hallmark of the Bush administration's law-and-order approach." Michelle Chen describes ground zero for 287(g)'s implementation--Arizona's Maricopa County, where Sheriff Joe Arpaio is at the helm--as a "warzone." The letter is a "gauntlet" and a "long overdue test" for the Obama adminstration. Activists and advocates need a sign, Chen writes , that the White House is serious about immigration reform, and not just further incarceration and penalty. Advocacy groups aren't the only ones uniting in this struggle, as Alternet makes clear in " Asian Americans Mobilize for Immigration Reform ." Something is different about this moment. "For the first time in the nation's history," writes Vivian Po, "Asian American and Pacific Islander [API] groups came together this week to call for comprehensive immigration reform." While immigration is often focused on Latinos, "Asian Americans also want to activate their network and become involved," said Tuyet Duong, senior staff attorney of Asian American Justice Center (AAJC). The campaign used new media such as text-messaging campaigns and Asian American blogs, attracting many younger voters. "This week's series of collective actions is the beginning of a larger movement for immigration reform," say API immigrant rights groups. Last week's Wire touched on the overlap between health care and immigration reform. One in three Latinos are uninsured, as New America Media's Odette Keeley reports. Keeley speaks with Pilar Marrero, Political Editor for La Opinion about "the scapegoating of undocumented immigrants during the health care [debate]" and "the possible ramifications of these attacks on the debate for immigration reform." Of special note are some practical tips for those who have undocumented family members and experience a medical emergency. While we are discussing physical injury and the uninsured, we should dwell on " The Dark Side of Dairies ," at High Country News . It may as well have been titled "Got Justice?" Rebecca Clarren reports on an immigrant worker who was kicked by a cow while at work, and now has a steel plate in his face. "Gustavo," a husband and father of three, is afraid to use his own name, but gives a first hand account of the dangers and dark side of helping the U.S. dairy system move. Unprotected and invisible, the majority of the Western United States' nearly 50,000 dairy workers are undocumented. But even though workers are killed by "tractor accidents, suffocated by falling hay bales, crushed by charging cows and bulls and asphyxiated by gases from manure lagoons and corn silage," as Marc Schenker, director of the Western Center for Agricultural Safety and Health puts it, "If you're undocumented, you won't complain." How can a nation profit and subsist upon the efforts of workers who suffer like this? It's a skewed, postcolonialist view that lets one group of people profit off the pain of others. And the U.S. isn't alone. The American Prospect's " Chicken Little Goes to Europe " clearly delineates that frame of mind. Stephen Holmes offers a rejoinder to the fears some in Europe have about the growing Muslim population within their borders. The fearmongering there mirrors anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. Simply replace "Muslim" with "Mexican." Scapegoating immigrants who change the culture to which they contribute is not a new phenomenon. Neither, however, is the ability to rise above these base reflexes and give voice and action to our better natures. This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about immigration and is free to reprint. Visit Immigration.NewsLadder.net for a complete list of articles on immigration, or follow us on Twitter . And for the best progressive reporting on critical economy and health issues, check out Economy.NewsLadder.net and Healthcare.NewsLadder.net . This is a project of The Media Consortium , a network of 50 leading independent media outlets, and was created by NewsLadder . More on Immigration
 
Deane Waldman: Rights With No Responsibilities? Top
Is there such a thing as a right without a responsibility? Our most fundamental rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" come - of necessity - with the responsibility not to abridge someone else's rights to life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Consider the Bill of Rights. Each right is accompanied by responsibility. • Right to free speech (First Amendment) means you cannot stop someone else from speaking things out loud that you bitterly oppose. • Right to bear arms (Second Amendment) comes with an obligation to bear them responsibly and not use them against each other. • The Fourth Amendment puts the responsibility squarely on the government not to unreasonably search or seize us or our property. • The right to a fair and speedy trial (Sixth Amendment) again places responsibility squarely with the legal system not to hold us indefinitely without due process. Apply this concept to health care and see where it leads. [Healthcare - one word - is the system. Health care - two words - is the service.] We all have a right to life. No one has the right to make us dead. Many people reason that a right to life includes a right to be healthy. Certainly no one has the right to make us un healthy. But do we have the right to make ourselves unhealthy? I would answer Yes! That is part of being free. Does the right to make ourselves unhealthy come with no consequence? Silly question. Being unhealthy carries the consequence of needing health care. Who should pay, whose responsibility is it to pay for the services we choose to consume? Does that responsibility fall on others? Here I would answer a resounding No! Wait. Wait. Before people start attacking me again over "Should fat people pay more?" we should only be held responsible for those things over which we have control. The majority of obese individuals; the majority of people with cirrhosis of the liver; all people who smoke cigarettes made a choice. They have control. Andre the Giant (from the movie Princess Bride ) and others who are genetically large did not choose their parents (and their genes). For them, weighing 400 pounds could be normal even healthy, but most important, they had no control. Same thing is true for people who develop breast or prostate cancer. Not so for lung cancer where over 80% were smokers. Yes, Dana Reeve, deceased wife of also deceased actor Christopher Reeve (Superman), and my good friend Sh. were both non-smokers who died from lung cancer. There are exceptions. We must design a system that covers the vast majority and then build in enough flexibility to handle outliers. When our bodies are unhealthy because of what we do (overeat) or what we do not do (exercise), we should be held responsible and accountable. When our bodies are unhealthy and we could not prevent it, we should not be held responsible. We can, should, indeed must have a lively extended discussion about all the important elements such as how much to pay, incentives, productivity effects, and healthcare as infrastructure. What should NOT require any discussion is the acceptance of personal responsibility, which comes of necessity with the freedoms enshrined in our founding principles. Freedom to fly includes freedom to fall. If I have rights, certainly if I have freedom, my actions have consequences for which someone will be held responsible. If not me, then who?
 
Alice Waters: Want to teach democracy? Improve school lunches. Top
Note: This post is part of The Nation's special issue, "Food for All," about food politics. In the issue, leading restauranteurs and social justice activists were asked to reflect on how we can democratize our food systems and improve access to healthy foods for all. This is Alice Waters contribution to the forum. I was moved by the way Morgan Spurlock framed a narrow long-distance shot down the corridor of a Beckley, West Virginia, middle school in his outstanding 2004 film, Super Size Me. The film is about the toll that fast and processed food takes on all of us. Clearly visible in the background of this particular shot were dozens of students, many of whom were overweight. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Beckley's cafeteria offers only processed food, which is high in fat, sodium and sugar and of very little nutritional value. Contrast this with the Central Alternative High School in Appleton, Wisconsin. The school serves troubled youth, but teachers, parents and administrators found a way to turn things around; and when they did, discipline problems dropped sharply. Their secret? Instead of the usual processed meals, the school cafeteria offers fresh, locally grown, low-fat, low-sugar alternatives. The healthier meals are delicious. The students love them. They perform better in class and don't get sick as often. We are learning that when schools serve healthier meals, they solve serious educational and health-related problems. But what's missing from the national conversation about school lunch reform is the opportunity to use food to teach values that are central to democracy. Better food isn't just about test scores, health and discipline. It is about preparing students for the responsibilities of citizenship. That's why we need to talk about edible education, not just school lunch reform. Edible education is a radical yet common-sense approach to teaching that integrates classroom instruction, school lunch, cooking and gardening into the studies of math, science, history and reading. Edible education involves not only teaching children about where food comes from and how it is produced but giving them responsibilities in the school garden and kitchen. Students literally enjoy the fruits of their labor when the food they grow is served in healthy, delicious lunches that they can help prepare. I learned this firsthand through the Chez Panisse Foundation - the organization I helped create to inspire a network of food activists around the world with edible education programs in their own communities. Here in Berkeley, I see children in our edible education program learn about responsibility, sharing and stewardship and become more connected to themselves and their peers. In the process, they come to embody the most important values of citizenship. Listen to what one student named Charlotte has to say: "Next we went from the blue corn to the sweet corn and each picked an ear to grill. I must say it tasted really good, even without butter." Or Mati: "I think cleaning up is as important as eating. Cleaning up is sort of fun. And we can't just leave it for the teachers, because we made the mess." Or Jose: "I remember the first time I came to the kitchen. I was afraid to do anything. But then I realized, this is my kitchen. So then I started to enjoy it." Charlotte, Mati and Jose are learning about so much more than lunch. They're learning that farmers depend on the land; we depend on farmers; and our nation depends on all of us. That cooperation with one another is necessary to nurture the community. And that, by setting the table for one another, we also take care of ourselves. School should be the place where we build democracy, not just by teaching about the Constitution but by becoming connected to our communities and the land in more meaningful ways. In 1785, Thomas Jefferson declared that "Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bonds." I believe he was right. The school cafeteria, kitchen and garden, like the town square, can and should be the place where we plant and nourish the values that guide our democracy. We need to join a delicious revolution that can reconnect our children to the table and to what it means to be a steward. This is the picture of a caring society, and this is the promise of edible education. # # # Read the other contributions to "Food Democracy" forum: The Nation's Editors: How to Grow Democracy Blue Hill's Dan Barber : Why Cooking Matters Dave Murphy : An American Right to Food Grace Lee Boggs : Detroit's "Quiet Revolution" LaDonna Redmond : Food is Freedom Food for All also features Katha Pollitt on Julie & Julia; Walter Mosely's 10 Things You Can Do To Start A Community Garden; a slideshow on emerging community farming efforts in one of America's poorest counties; and a look at several inspiring local efforts to democratize the world's food system. See the whole issue here. More on Food
 
Laura Carlsen: To Defend Democracy, U.S. Must Call the Coup Top
The leaders of Honduras's military coup recently rebuffed a high-level delegation from the Organization of American States by once again refusing to allow the return of constitutional President Manuel Zelaya. As the international community throws up its hands at the coup's intransigence, the U.S. State Department is sitting on its hands. Two months after Zelaya was forcibly exiled in an Armed Forces plane to Costa Rica, the de facto regime has outlived predictions amid unanimous international condemnation. Coup leader Roberto Micheletti told OAS Secretary General Jose Insulza, "We are not afraid of sanctions from anyone. We have concluded that this country can move forward without the help of you or other countries." Days later, Micheletti qualified that statement. He admitted that the one country that has the power to make the illegal regime feel the pain is the United States. Honduras sends 70% of its exports to the U.S. market, remittances from Hondurans in the U.S. make up nearly a fourth of the GDP and U.S. aid and investment is crucial to the national economy. As the crisis drags on, criticisms mount that continued U.S. government delays in cutting off economic support contribute to the coup's defiance of international law and doplomacy. The U.S. State Department has not issued a formal statement to Congress acknowledging the military coup in Honduras. Under Section 7008 of the U.S. Foreign Operations Bill, such a declaration mandates an immediate suspension of most aid until rule of law is restored. Although Honduras is a small, impoverished nation that plays a relatively minor role in U.S. geopolitical strategy, the issues at stake make it a test case for a new foreign policy based on the principles of democracy and rule of law. The Obama administration's initial response showed some major shifts from the foreign policy of its predecessor. By condemning the coup against Zelaya, a left-leaning leader in the hemisphere, it placed democratic principles above ideological criteria and showed a commitment to working within multilateral organizations to resolve the crisis. Since then the U.S. position has begun to unravel. After the mediation efforts supported by Sec. of State Hillary Clinton broke down, the State Department still refused to act decisively. Millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money continue to flow to the coup regime through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, USAID and other aid. Some military aid has been cut off but other aid and training programs continue as if nothing had happened. This lack of firm action on the part of the U.S. government feeds criticism and contributes to the volatile situation in Honduras. As the State Department ponders supposed legal issues, I heard testimony from women who had been beaten and raped by police and military forces on a recent international delegation for women's human rights . A mission of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission the same week documented four assassinations and violations of freedom of expression, freedom of movement, arbitrary detentions and excessive use of force in repressing public demonstrations. The U.S. government has not responded to documented human rights violations in Honduras. On Sept. 1, electoral campaigns began in the country. Under the coup regime, Honduras does not comply with even minimal conditions to carry out democratic elections. Many grassroots organizations have vowed to boycott any coup-sponsored elections. Brazil and Mexico issued a joint statement on Aug. 17 agreeing "not to recognize the authorities currently in office as result of a violation of the constitutional internal order or any result of elections not held by the legitimate government." The U.S. has not announced its position. The U.S. government bears a particular responsibility to avoid a repeat scenario of Central America's dark, dictatorial past--or eruption of all-out war--in Honduras. It's past actions of supporting dictatorships and the Iran-Contra affair based in Honduras create understandable suspicions among Latin Americans, at a time when President Obama promised a new era of " equal partnerships ." There can be no "equal partnership" with a coup regime. The State Department must immediately send the required notice to Congress designating the coup in Honduras and cutting off funds and support. The Obama administration must also freeze assets of coup members, who have been spending down the coffers of the poverty-stricken country to repress defenders of democracy. The message to Honduras and the world must be crystal clear: the United States does not support military coup d'états in this Hemisphere or anywhere else in the world. More on Honduras
 
Greg Mitchell: One Year Ago: When Peggy Noonan Hailed Palin in Print, Then Caught Trashing Her on "Open-Mic" Top
Talk about flip flops! It was exactly one year ago today that Peggy Noonan suffered her infamous "open-mic" disaster at MSNBC during coverage of the GOP convention, in which Noonan, chatting with Mike Murphy and Chuck Todd, referred to the "bullshit" narrative around Sarah Palin after she was picked as Veep candidate. When Todd asked her if this was the most qualified woman the Republicans could nominate, Noonan responded, "The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bullshit about narratives. Every time the Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and that's not what they're good at, they blow it." She also said "it's over," seemingly referring to John McCain's chances but, as she later tried to explain, she only meant that the days of the party dictating to the base were gone. That was all bad enough, as I note in my book Why Obama Won but especially in contrast to what she had just written in her column at the Wall Street Journal : Because she jumbles up so many cultural categories, because she is a feminist not in the Yale Gender Studies sense but the How Do I Reload This Thang way, because she is a woman who in style, history, moxie and femininity is exactly like a normal American feminist and not an Abstract Theory feminist; because she wears makeup and heels and eats mooseburgers and is Alaska Tough, as Time magazine put it; because she is conservative, and pro-2nd Amendment and pro-life; and because conservatives can smell this sort of thing -- who is really one of them and who is not -- and will fight to the death for one of their beleaguered own; because of all of this she is a real and present danger to the American left, and to the Obama candidacy. She could become a transformative political presence. And more: I'll tell you how powerful Mrs. Palin already is: she reignited the culture wars just by showing up. She scrambled the battle lines, too. The crustiest old Republican men are shouting "Sexism!" when she's slammed. Pro-woman Democrats are saying she must be a bad mother to be all ambitious with kids in the house... I'm bumping into a lot of critics who do not buy the legitimacy of small town mayorship (Palin had two terms in Wasilla, Alaska, population 9,000 or so) and executive as opposed to legislative experience. But executives, even of small towns, run something. There are 262 cities in this country with a population of 100,000 or more. But there are close to a hundred thousand small towns with ten thousand people or less. "You do the math," the conservative pollster Kellyanne Conway told me. "We are a nation of Wasillas, not Chicagos." Greg Mitchell's latest book, his ninth, is "Why Obama Won." He is the editor of Editor & Publisher magazine. More on Sarah Palin
 
Gershon Hepner: Billable Hours Top
Now that gas tanks are no longer fillable with what once seemed unlimited cheap oil it seems that lawyers' hours that are billable will be replaced, attorneys made to toil for services according to the paradigm that all the world except for them has followed; they will not gain by dragging out the time for services produced, and once they've swallowed the fact that wasting time won't help them reap rewards they'll give up padding all their bills. There's one new thing that that we'll now let them keep: the self-respect that each billed hour kills. Once the lawyer problem's been corrected by altering the structure of their billing we'll deal with that of oil, and get connected with energy to Arabs less fulfilling. Inspired by an article by Nathan Koppel and Ashby Jones in the WSJ , August 24, 2009 ( "'Billable Hour' Under Attack: In Recession, Companies Push law Firms for Flat Fee Contracts" ): With the recession crimping legal budgets, some big companies are fighting back against law firms' longstanding practice of billing them by the hour. The companies are ditching the hourly structure -- which critics complain offers law firms an incentive to rack up bigger bills -- in favor of flat-fee contracts. One survey found an increase of more than 50% this year in corporate spending on alternatives to the traditional hourly-fee model.. Pfizer earlier this year reached a deal with law firms, doing away with billable hours and switching to a flat fee. The pharmaceutical company's general counsel, Amy Schulman, talks about what was behind the arrangement. The shift could further squeeze earnings at top law firms. The past 18 months have been brutal for some big law firms as work that hinges on vibrant credit markets, such as deal making, has flat-lined. Pfizer Inc., which spends more than $500 million a year on legal matters, says it expects to reduce its domestic law-firm spending by 15% to 20%, largely through flat-fee arrangements. It will pay 16 law firms lump sums to handle various portfolios of work, such as litigation and tax matters. "I have told firms you cannot make your historical profit margins" on Pfizer work, said the pharmaceutical giant's general counsel, Amy Schulman. Cisco Systems Inc. has notified its stable of outside law firms that it is vital for the company to move away from the hourly billing structure. Cisco now uses fixed fees or other alternatives to the billable hour for about 80% of its legal work, said its general counsel, Mark Chandler. American Express Co. also has stepped up its use of alternative billing arrangements, and "I haven't had one firm in 2009 tell us, no, that they flatly wouldn't entertain something that moves away from the traditional straight hourly model," said the company's chief litigation counsel, Stuart Alderoty. "The paradigm has changed." Pfizer could have demanded a discount from firms' hourly rates, Ms. Schulman said, but she hopes for a shift to a system that encourages firms to work more collaboratively with Pfizer and with other law firms that service Pfizer. The flat-fee program "should be something fundamentally different that will last beyond whatever people think they have to tolerate because of the economy," she said.
 
Bride Can't Stop Laughing (VIDEO) Top
Meet the Huffington Post's new favorite couple: Andrew Engstrom and Melissa Warren. They were married recently and while they probably rehearsed and planned for this day for months, the groom hit a little snag during his vows pronouncing lawfully "waffle-y." He was cute about it adding, "And pancake-y" which sent his bride into hysterics. "I've been scared of this my whole life," Andrew said as his bride cackled. WATCH: Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter! More on Funny Videos
 
Michael Wawrzyniak, Former Radio DJ, Arrested For Child Porn Top
A former Chicago radio disc jockey charged in 2008 with indecent solicitation of a child was arrested Wednesday at his South Loop home for possession of child pornography, police said.
 
Don Imus Joining Fox Business In October Top
Don Imus will be simulcasting his radio program from 6-9AM on Fox Business Network starting October 5, the network announced Thursday. The move had been expected, as reports that Imus was in talks with Fox Business circulated in August, and he left his current TV partner , RFD-TV, last week. The New York Times speculated last month that Imus' simulcast could be a turning point for the fledgling network. "I love FOX," Imus said in the announcement. "Roger Ailes is the preeminent genius of American Broadcasting. Who wouldn't want to do this?" "We're excited to welcome a renowned broadcaster like Don Imus to the FOX Business team," Executive Vice President Kevin Magee said. "His 40 years of on-air experience combined with his superb interviewing skills and capitalist sensibilities will be a great addition to our lineup." "Money for Breakfast," which is hosted by Alexis Glick and currently airs from 6-9AM on Fox Business Network, will air its last show on October 2. Glick will remain as the host of "Opening Bell" at 9AM and as Vice President for Business News at the network. More on Don Imus
 
Jonathan Kim: Rethinking Taxi to the Dark Side: On Torture and the Mystery of Cheney Not Being in Jail Top
I can't for the life of me figure out why Dick Cheney is still walking around free and -- even worse -- continues to get airtime so he can spew lies about the utter awesomeness of American torture and his outrage that anyone would dare question its legality. Cheney's latest claim is that any investigation into America's torture policies would be purely a "political act" , which would magically exempt him from testifying or following the law if he didn't feel like it. So I decided to take another look at Taxi to the Dark Side , Alex Gibney's Oscar-winning 2007 documentary about America's torture policies and how they led to the death of Dilawar, an Afghan taxi driver in his early twenties who was beaten to death by American soldiers in 2002 while being held at the prison at the Bagram air base in Afghanistan. Dilawar was never charged with a crime and had no connections to Al-Qaeda. Of the approximately 105 prisoners that have "officially" died while in US custody, Dilawar is one of 37 that have been classified as homicides. Watch my review below. (I did this review for Brave New Films' now-defunct web show, Meet the Bloggers , back in November 2008, which might explain why it looks so different and lacks the silky-smooth delivery of my later reviews ;-).) So when you hear Cheney say that an investigation into torture is only a "political act", think of cases like Dilawar's. Dilawar was not a fictional character created for a campaign ad or invented by democrats to make Cheney look bad. Dilawar was an actual person who was actually innocent and was actually tortured to death because of the policies of Cheney and the Bush administration. Just as there have been tens of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans who have been arrested, mistreated, and held in nightmarish conditions, often without being charged or based on the flimsiest of evidence. Just five days after 9/11, Cheney told Tim Russert during an interview on Meet the Press that the US government would have to "work through, sort of, the dark side. We've got to spend time in the shadows in the intelligence world." What he really meant is that he was planning to sell his (and America's) soul by approving the torture, kidnapping, and killing of anyone -- guilty or not -- who was perceived to be a threat to American interests. And he would do it in our names. If you see Dick Cheney out somewhere, please make a citizen's arrest . You'll be doing the country and the world an immense favor, and I'm sure countless people will sing songs, write stories, and make movies celebrating your heroic actions. More on Dick Cheney
 
Martha Coakley Announces Candidacy For Kennedy Seat Top
BOSTON — Attorney General Martha Coakley announced Thursday she will run as a Democratic candidate in the special election to succeed the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. The 20-year prosecutor said she can continue to be "an effective voice for the people of Massachusetts." Kennedy died last week of brain cancer at age 77. "As some have noted, we perhaps cannot fill his shoes, but must strive to follow in his footsteps," Coakley said in remarks prepared to deliver to supporters at a downtown Boston hotel. The 56-year-old Coakley becomes the most prominent candidate to officially declare. Several others are waiting for Kennedy's nephew, former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, to decide if he will run. Coakley said she decided to run "because government should work well and work for everyone," adding that the performance of government "seems at times disheartening and discouraging." "I believe now is the time to move beyond the idea of `good enough' government and demand a new standard of excellence. I know that I need to prove to voters that I am the best candidate in this race and I believe I can do that," Coakley said. Coakley described her humble roots in Western Massachusetts and her career as a prosecutor, both as Middlesex District Attorney in a large district that includes populous suburbs of Boston, and since, 2007, as the state's attorney general. "Now I hope to bring my experience to Washington," she said. She did not overtly highlight her status as the state's top female elected official. Other potential Democratic candidates include U.S. Reps. Michael Capuano and Stephen Lynch. Potential Republicans include former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and state Sen. Scott Brown. Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling is considering an independent campaign. More on Ted Kennedy
 
Susie Middleton: The True Cost--and Reward--of Fresh Food: Time Well Spent Top
The hour I spend picking green beans, sunflowers, and cherry tomatoes at my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is the most blissful hour of the week. I usually arrive at the farm around noontime on Tuesdays. The sun is high and hot, and the little ache in the small of my back as I crouch low to hunt for beans reminds me that I'm not in the greatest shape. Some days, as I trek back to the farm stand to collect the rest of my share, my boots squish-squish through deep muddy trenches left between the rows after a recent deluge. Back home, I find my jeans caked with dirt, pollen, and grass stains. I have Humid Hair, stupidly unbehaving. I am happy. I unpack my treasures and focus for another hour on washing greens, arranging flowers, rearranging the refrigerator, hauling stems and trimmings to the compost pile. Work like this is so engrossing that it is impossible to entertain the usual distracting conversations in my head. I relax without knowing it. Beans are piling up, so I decide to "put some up" - the expression my grandmother used for freezing vegetables for the winter. It has taken me 47 years and a mid-life course-change to do something she did every summer of her adult life. I put the beans in boiling water for 2 minutes, transfer them to an ice bath, let them dry, spread them out on sheet pans to freeze, and pack them away in freezer bags. I know I won't be able to eat those ripe tomatoes fast enough, either, so I decide to roast them, long and slow and drenched in olive oil. After only a few minutes of prep, the tomatoes take care of themselves while I get back to work at my computer. In a few hours, what emerges from the oven is something so deeply caramelized, so unctuous in texture, and so beautiful (in a decidedly rustic way), that it is hard not to eat them all instead of popping them in the freezer. ( Find my recipe here .) My CSA experience has been so pleasurable, that--typical me--I've lately been wanting the whole world to get in on it, too. ( Find a CSA near you .) Why not? The usual argument against sustainable food is that it costs too much; but for once, I get to poke a little tiny hole in that argument. My CSA share (which I pay directly to the farmer before the season gets going so he has operating money upfront) is a bargain. I opted for a small share for the full season - $465 for 24 weeks - which averages out to a little more than $19. (If I had opted for just a 10-week share, it would have been about $25). Last week, this is what I got in my small share: ¾ pound potatoes, ¾ pound baby carrots, ¾ pound tomatoes, ½ pound red onions, ½ pound green beans, ½ pint raspberries, 4 beets, 1 green pepper, 20 cherry tomatoes, 1 fennel bulb, 10 kale leaves, 1 large bunch fresh basil (with roots), 1 small bunch thyme and parsley, 1 head lettuce, 1 cantaloupe, ½ bag mixed salad greens. Plus: 6 sunflowers, and 1 large bunch mixed flowers. Just for kicks, I priced out this same list of ingredients at a national chain grocery store. Even though the produce looked so dismal that it could have been picked in the last millennium, the total still wound up being more than the CSA: $30, without the flowers. And you can bet very little of that $30 (unlike all your CSA dollars) is going directly to farmers. I know this is just one needle-in-the-haystack example, that local and organic food is still generally more expensive than conventionally grown food. (Expensive, that is, dollar-wise, though much more economical in the long run when compared to the health, safety, waste, and fuel costs associated with "cheap" food .) But for the sake of argument, what if it weren't all about money? What's the impediment? Scrolling back up to the top of this blog, you can see the answer in black and white: Time and convenience. Joining a CSA is a commitment, and a bit of an inconvenience. I probably spend two to three hours every Tuesday gathering, washing, and storing vegetables. Sometimes I spend more time than that preserving food I know I won't be able to eat in the week. And then, of course, I'm committed to cooking dinner at home most nights--dinner that always has fresh vegetables in it (which take a while to prep). But, ironically, those hours I spend and those meals I prepare are also the relaxing, delicious, and gratifying rewards that make my life better, simpler, sweeter. Without making the commitment, I might never have known. More on Local Food
 
Melissa Bradley: Kennedy's Legacy: A Movement That Can Multitask Top
What I find most remarkable about Ted Kennedy's legacy is not a particular legislative accomplishment. What has stood out for me is his ability to balance his vision with the most pragmatic of details, across the wide breadth of issues. This enabled him to navigate incremental victories one moment, while at the next moment serving as the inspirational -- and at times even enraged -- voice of change. At times, we who work for social change can lose our ability to balance between vision and details. This problem can be compounded for those employed in the social change sector where our priorities can even be defined by our paycheck. If we work on climate change, then climate change trumps all. If we work on voting rights, then fixing the electoral system is the key. While this kind of laser-like focus can drive organizational focus and success, in reality, as individuals none of us are so narrowly focused and neither are our constituencies. As a platform for ideas and action, Tides knows that the movement for change must be able to multi-task. At the Tides Momentum conference next week we're presenting a mosaic of ideas that break down issue silos and combine a big picture vision with a deep dive into the tools of change. In the Power plenary, an openly gay Episcopal Bishop will share the stage with an expert in the management of voter files. The Conflict plenary includes an Arms Control expert and an expert on urban youth. We'll will dissect the financial crisis in Capital and challenge the audience to get inspired about the greening of Walmart in Carbon . It's the kind of exchange of ideas that Ted Kennedy would have loved. For those of you (like Stephen Colbert ) who might not make it to San Francisco for Momentum next week, you can experience the exchange of ideas online at www.watchmomentum.org . More on Stephen Colbert
 
Danny Schechter: Tony Soprano To The Rescue As Gov't Faces Mob Threat Top
The Mob Wants A Taste.... "The money is flowing into familiar territory for those with a history of feeding at the public trough. Two of the largest portions of the stimulus pie in the New York City area are going to sectors of the economy -- Medicaid and infrastructure projects -- where the mob and Eastern European crime groups have flourished for decades, perfecting old schemes and developing new ones." ( The New York Times ) Transcript Based On Top Secret National Security Agency Surveillance Tapes Sal: T? Tony Soprano: Yea Sal, what is it? S: We want to bring the boys back together, we have a big opportunity. TS: Don't you know I've been busy, on Broadway, in that movie In the Loop ? S: Yeah, I seen it, very funny, maybe even a little anti-American, doncha think? But Ton, we now got a chance to make some serious money. They are coming over to the Bing to tell us about it. TS: "They?" Who is they? S: You are not gonna believe it: the F Bee Eye is coming over." TS: What do they got on us? S: No, Anthony, It's not like that. They got something for us! TS: No capish. What are you talking about? S: You heard about all those stimulus packages, haven't ya. All da big government money from Obama and them? TS: Sure, who hasn't, but that's not simulating me...It looks like the banks are getting all that loot. S: True, Ton, but they say they have a problem. They are worried that the families want a taste, want to muscle in on all the moolah. They say they have a crime problem inside the financial problem. TS: And so they are turning to gangsters to help solve it? I don't get it. S: Exactly. Who better to catch a criminal than a criminal? The FBI says that it fears that $50 billion is at risk from organized crime siphoning off some of the money they are printing. That guy Sammy Antar, who got busted in the Crazy Eddie's scam wrote to the President to warn him that the mob wants a big taste from all the big government bucks that are sloshing around. He told him that if he doesn't act, all of this will come out during his second term, ruin his reputation and get a Republican elected. He says all the stealing will become his legacy for history. It could be worse than Watergate. TS: Smiles, chuckles. Yea, I remember that Crazy Eddie store, they were all over Jersey. He mocks their TV ads: "Our Prices are Insaaaane!" TS: They were stealing it blind but they had some good deals even if most of our stuff from them fell off their trucks. I can see why Obama wouldn't want that, would he? He'd sound like Nixon when he said "I am not a crook." That gave us a bad name. They don't need that So. Sal, what do they want from us. Does he know how rusty we are? S: I don't think so Ton. There are so many reruns on that they don't realize we have hung it up. TS: Look paisan, we are just small time goombahs when it comes to Goldman Sachs and those guys. They are in a different league. They get the laws changed before they break them. They got the pols working for them, the media giving them a permanent BJ. Look at all the money they, um, divert. I'd like one of those bonus checks.... We had a guy once on the inside who told us they made more on those fraudulent mortgages in a month than we made on extortion in ten years. What'd they call it, derivatives? Sounds so clean. S: That's my point, Ton, that's exactly why they need us. I think the Wall Street boys suggested they use us. They know how to use pretty good. TS: So what's the deal Sal? They'd need to put us on a retainer? We can't work for cheap on this one. We can't do any collecting afterwards like we used to. We need some real money up front. And in Cas...Tell you the truth, I would prefer Euros. S: No problem. They were going to use that Blackfriars Group, I mean Blackriver, Blackwater.... something like that....But they are too hot now. Rubbed out too many guys. So they want someone no one would think they had working for them. TS: Clever. Usually, I don't like ratting but this is really for our country, isn't it. A lot of people are suffering with this bummer in the economy, thanks to all those mergers and Wiseguys in the suites. They know how to earn. We could learn from them. It sounds like they want to merge with us now. S: Exactly, Tony, exactly. Here's a chance to make some money and do some good. Both Laugh. TS: And we can all get stimulated too.., (Microphone Reception Breaks Up...) News Dissector Danny Schechter, blogger in chief of Mediachannel.org , is finishing The Crime of Our Time, a film and companion book on the financial crisis as a crime story. Email comments to Dissector@mediachannel.org More on Barack Obama
 
Simon Rosenberg: The Key to the Fall Debate: Staying Focused on the Economy Top
The last few months have not been particularly good ones for Democrats.  That's the bad news.  The good news is there a clear roadmap for how they can use the coming months to get back on track, and it revolves around staying relentlessly focused on the economy and the struggle of every day people. 1) The Lack of Income Growth for Average Families is the Greatest Domestic Challenge Facing America Today. Depending on how you cut the data, American families have not seen their incomes rise in at least eight, and perhaps, ten years.  Even in the Bush recovery, which was by many measures robust, median incomes declined, poverty levels increased, debt loads exploded. The typical American family ended the Bush era making $1,000 less than at the beginning. Basic economics tells us when productivity increases wages and incomes rise.  When GDP expands, jobs are created at a certain rate.  Neither of these events took place in the Bush era, leading us here at NDN to argue that there is a large structural change being brought about by globalization that is making it harder for the American economy to create jobs and raise the standard of living of every day people. That median incomes dropped during a robust economic recovery made the Bush recovery different from any other recovery in American history, and has made the current Great Recession different from other recessions.  The American consumer was already in a very weakened state before the current recession, which is why the recession has been more virulent than many predicted, and why the coming "recovery" might be so anemic.  The economy seems to be going through profound, structural change, making old models anachronistic.  We are literally in a "new economy" now, one that is not well understood, and one that is confusing even the President's top advisers. Simply put, getting people's incomes up is the most important domestic challenge facing those in power today.  It is not surprising that other issues like health care, energy policy and climate change are being seen through a prism of "will this make my life, my economic struggle better today?" because so many families have been down so long, and things have gotten an awful lot worse this year.   Regardless of what they hope to be graded on by the public, the basket of issues that will do more to determine the success of the President and his Party is both the belief that things are getting better, and the reality that they are for most people. 2) The Public Believes the Economy Is By Far and Away the Most Important Issue Facing the Nation Today. In poll after poll this year, the public has made it clear that the economy is their most important issue, with really nothing coming in a strong number two.  The new Pew poll out this week maintains the basic ratio we have seen for months: mid 50s say the economy is number one; 20 percent of the American people say health care is their number one concern; and literally "zero" pick energy. While one could mount an argument that one should not govern by polls, one can also ignore them at their own peril.  The country wants their leaders focusing on what is their number one concern - their ability to make a living and provide for their families in a time of economic transformation - which also happens to be, in this case, the most important domestic issue facing the country. My own belief is that one of the reasons the President and the Democrats have seen their poll numbers drop is that they have spent too much time talking about issues of lesser concern to people while the economy has gotten worse.   There is a strong argument to be made that the President and the Democrats have taken their eye of the economic ball, and are paying a price for it.  This doesn't mean the President shouldn't be talking about health care, climate change, education, immigration reform, but they must be addressed in ways that reflects both their perceived and actual importance; and as much as possible discussed in the context of long term and short term benefit for every day people and not abstract concepts like "recovery," "growth," "prosperity," which in this decade are things that have happened to other people. We have long believed that the lack of a sufficient governmental response to the increasing struggle of every day people has been the central driver of the volitility in the American electorate in recent years (see here and here ).  Given the poll and economic data of recent months it is possible that the conditions which have created this volatility remains, and simply cannot be ignored for too long. 3) The Way Forward - Make The Struggle of Every Day People The Central Focus Of the National Debate.    The great domestic challenge facing President Obama is to ensure that, in this new age of globalization and the "rise of the rest," the country sees not "growth" or "recovery" but prosperity that is broadly shared.  Until incomes and wages are rising again, fostering broad-based prosperity has to be the central organizing principle of center-left politics.  It is a job we should be anxious to take on given our philosophical heritage, and one that we simply must admit is a little harder and more complex than many have led us to believe.   Luckily, the President has been given three significant events in September to begin to make this rhetorical and governing turn - Labor Day next week, and the G20 and UN General Assembly meetings in late September.  He can use this events to re-knit together his argument, weaving in health reform and energy/climate change (and we believe immigration reform too) along the way.  For there is no broad-based prosperity in 21st century America without health care costs coming down (which has to happen to allow us to cover more people), and a successful transition to a low-carbon economy.  Even though the Congressional committee and legislative process requires these to be separate conversations, in fact they are one conversation, one strategy for 21st century American success, one path forward for this mighty and great nation. Vice President Biden's speech about the economy today is a very good start in this needed repositioning.  But much more must be done.  In a recent essay I wrote: There have been calls from some quarters for a 2nd stimulus plan, an acknowledgment that what the first stimulus has not done enough to stop the current economic deterioration.  This may be necessary, but I think what will need to be done is much more comprehensive than just a new stimulus plan.  Future action could include a much more aggressive action against foreclosures, a more honest assessment of the health of our financial sector, an immediate capping of credit card rates and a rollback of actions taken by credit card issuers in the last few months, a speeding up of the 2010 stimulus spending, a completion of the Doha trade round and a much more aggressive G20 effort to produce a more successful global approach to the global recession, the quick passage of the President's community college proposal, enacting comprehensive immigration reform which will bring new revenues into the federal and state governments while removing some of the downward pressure on wages at the low end of the workforce, and recasting both the President's climate and health care initiatives as efforts which will help stop our downward slide and create future growth. These are some thoughts on how to re-engage the economic conversation but many other people also have great ideas on what to do now that the specter of a true global depression has been averted, and we have the luxury of talking about what to do next.  Which is why NDN is launching a new series of discussions on the global and American economies.  We begin next week with Dr Jagdish Bhagwati and Dr. Rob Shapiro .  Keep checking back on our site for the next events in this important new series based in Washington, DC but also webcast for anyone to watch no matter where they are. The bottom line - the recent decline in the President's poll numbers are reversible.  The key is for he and his Party to make the struggle of every day people their number one rhetorical and governing concern.  A "new economy" is emerging in America, and it is not has been kind to most Americans.  Getting incomes and wages up in this new economy of the 21st century is in fact the most important challenge facing the country, and one the American people are demanding a new national strategy for.  This fall is the time for the President to make it clear to the American people that he understands their concerns, has a strategy to ensure their success in this new economy, and will make their success the central organizing principle of his Administration until prosperity is once again broadly shared. Cross-posted at ndn.org More on Health Care
 
Lieberman: Without Public Option, Health Reform Would Pass Top
U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman made it clear Wednesday that he would not vote for a health care bill that included a government-run option, but said that without it, he and most of Congress would support comprehensive health care reform. More on Joe Lieberman
 
Michael Wolff: Blame America (and Jesus) for Jaycee Dugard Kidnapping Top
After Natascha Kampusch escaped from her long captivity, followed by the revelation that Josef Fritzl had turned his own daughter into a sex slave, there was an enormous amount of national soul searching in Austria where these crimes occurred. There was lots of tisking, too, from the rest of the world with the surmise that things so inexplicable and grotesque must have something to do with the Teutonic character run amok. While there is, in this country, a great morbid curiosity about the details of Phillip Garrido imprisonment of Jaycee Dugard and the two daughters she had with him, together with lots of rehashing of other sex-related kidnappings, nobody, as far as I can see, is drawing any conclusions about what this might say about the American character. The only larger inferences we seem to be getting has to do with how we track sex offenders--with the New York Times explaining the other day that, while we maintain lots of information on sex offenders, it doesn't seem to protect anybody. This emphasis on the procedural and the morbid seems like a lost opportunity because there are, obviously, a few hard-to-miss points to be made about aspects of American life. Continue reading on newser.com
 
Bush Damage To DOJ's Civil Rights Division Will Take Years To Fix Top
Attorney General Eric Holder committed this week to repairing the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, one of the most scandal-plagued institutions in the Bush administration. But advocates and alumni warn that the damage runs far too deep to repair quickly, The Daily Beast's Benjamin Sarlin reports. More on Eric Holder
 
Craig Newmark: SF gov't looking at next steps for Gov 2.0/eGov Top
This arises from a talk with people at the SF Department of Technology, really serious about using tech to help people out. The "we" that I refer to includes SF city workers and volunteers. We see that people are building apps for local gov't, stuff that matters, mundane but important. For some time, there's been transit apps, like nextmuni.com , and customer service like 311 Also, local gov't now provides a lot of data via datasf.org , much like what's being done in Washington. We're seeing (what I think of as) private/public partnerships get more stuff done, like Routesy .  Routesy makes it really easy to figure out the next Muni bus or train. It figures out the closest stop via GPS, and then connect to the Net for the next arrival.  (True Craig story: for me, N Judah, 6 Parnassus, or 43 Masonic.) How do we get a lot more going on? What people in Washington DC and NYC have done is to launch contests for application development. (links here) The deal is that we need a little nucleus of innovation and recognition of the work that my fellow nerds have done, or might do. I like a focus on small apps that get useful stuff done, everyday stuff,  and maybe a contest, maybe a hackathon, might accelerate development. More to come, we're still only at the beginning. For more, check out the links above, and maybe also Sunlight Foundation , which does a lot of the heavy lifting.
 
Ron Gettelfinger: The Cause of Our Lives: Meaningful Health Care Reform Top
Our Labor Day celebrations this year will be touched by sadness for the loss of our great friend Ted Kennedy. A frequent visitor to UAW local union halls, he liked to tell us about his first day as a senator in 1963. When asked what committee assignments he preferred, he gave the same answer as his brothers: "I want the Labor Committee." Ted Kennedy's remarkable Senate career, however, cannot be confined to any one subject. He passed laws that put food on the tables of needy families; raised the minimum wage; freed Soviet dissidents; and gave millions of children a chance to see a doctor. Writing in Newsweek the month before he died, Kennedy called universal health care "the cause of my life." He shepherded dozens of measures through Congress, finding ways to expand coverage for children, seniors and the unemployed. All the while, he kept his eyes on the ultimate prize: A comprehensive insurance plan for every man, woman, and child in the United States. Sometimes, Kennedy had to sail against the wind, as the pendulum of American politics swung away from his progressive philosophy. He succeeded, on health care and other issues, by forging new alliances, always with an eye on the next set of battles. This Labor Day, our union and America's labor movement finds itself sailing in a difficult sea. The sacrifices made by UAW members to help save the American auto industry meant the reduction of tens of thousands of jobs, and reduced union membership. The route to renewal is through organizing, but a fierce, often illegal campaign of resistance by employers frequently prevents workers from exercising their democratic rights. Kennedy was a strong supporter of the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill allowing workers a fair chance to organize and bargain. Millions of American workers want this opportunity, because they know a union paycheck is worth more than a non-union one -- $7,700 a year more, according to the latest Department of Labor data. Union jobs are also more likely to have employer-paid health and pension benefits than non-union jobs. During recent debates about the American auto industry, it became fashionable in some circles to sneer at the mythical "overpaid" auto worker. In fact, by building a strong middle class, union members have contributed to a shared prosperity that benefits union and non-union members alike. Healthy economies and healthy communities require good jobs and good wages. For those who think such benefits fall from the sky, here's a reality check: Whenever possible, employers will try to lower wages and keep individual workers hungry. The collective voice of a union is the only instrument workers have to put a check and balance on corporate power. The power of a union, however, is measured by more than the strength of its contracts. The UAW is part of a social movement; giving back to our communities is part of who we are. UAW members act on these values every day: we've helped build homes in North Carolina with Habitat for Humanity; assist the unemployed in Pennsylvania, and work with the United Way on a reading program for schoolchildren in Detroit. The American labor movement is about all of us joining together to deliver the American dream -- including the dream of universal health care for every man, woman and child. Since his death, commentators have speculated as to what Ted Kennedy, the consummate negotiator, might have been willing to compromise to move health reform through Congress. Such speculation is unnecessary. Knowing these were likely be his last public words on the subject, Kennedy spelled out in Newsweek "elements that are essential to any health-reform plan worthy of the name." -- "First, we have to cover the uninsured." -- "We'll make it illegal to deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions." --"[W]e have to cut the cost of health care. One of the most controversial features of reform is one of the most vital. It's been called the 'public plan.' The federal government would negotiate rates -- in keeping with local economic conditions -- for a plan that would be offered alongside private insurance options." -- "Except for small businesses with fewer than twenty-five employees, every company should have to cover its workers or pay into a system that will." Kennedy's vision is elegant -- and achievable. It foresees quality, affordable care for all, with shared responsibility among employers, workers, consumers and the public sector. It's a vision UAW members will work to transform into reality -- even if we have to sail against the wind to get the job done. More on Ted Kennedy
 
Lisa Honig Buksbaum: Get Out Your Dancin' Shoes Top
What lies behind us and what lies in front of us are simple matters compared to what lies within us. -Anais Nin Yesterday's New York Times shared an interesting article Experiencing Life Briefly, Inside a Nursing Home which chronicles the experience of Kristen Murphy, a medical student interested in geriatric medicine, who spent two weeks in a wheelchair living in a nursing home. This experiment reflects the growing movement of Humanist medicine where residents and doctors are put into situations to get closer to the patients' emotional and physical experiences. Kristen embarked on this journey because she wanted to have a deeper understanding or empathy for her patients. I spend a of time visiting children and families in hospitals. In fact, one of my favorite things to do is to bring a delegation of volunteers to a children's hospital where they have the opportunity to deliver SoaringQuilts® and SoaringPillows® with inspirational messages and artwork and donate them to hospitalized children. I love entering each hospital room and connecting with the kids and their families. The visit always makes them feel less alone and isolated. Two years ago, I wanted to embark on some empathy research of my own. I wanted to sleep in a hospital to get the first-person experience which would bring me closer to what my Soaringwords children and their parents endure due to prolonged hospital stays. I started Soaringwords nine years ago, because eleven years ago my oldest son Jonathan was ill with Rheumatic Fever for four harrowing months. Fortunately, Jon was never hospitalized so our family spent hours in waiting rooms and doctors appointments, but always able to sleep at home. With insurance issues and privacy laws, I knew it would be impossible to get any of our Soaringwords hospitals to invite me for a sleep-over for purposes of my empathy project. Be Careful What You Wish For. Tragically and ironically, my wish to go into a hospital 24/7 came true when my father suffered three devastating strokes eighteen months ago. During several precarious times, it was impossible for me to leave him alone. My mother begrudgingly went home to catch a few hours sleep and I spent many nights sleeping by his side in a chair propped up with assorted pillows and a sheet that was scavenged from the linen cart. My dad had Expressive Aphasia and was unable to speak and was paralyzed on his right side. Throughout the night, nurses came to dad's room to check his IV infusions and vital signs. I held his hand and massaged his feet. I'd whisper encouraging things to him. "Hey Daddy, I love you." "Try to go back to sleep, I'm right here." Our family has a twisted sense of humor, especially when things aren't going well. "Dad, you have to go easy on your cologne, these nurses just can't stay away." Any situation feels less dire when you can laugh. Now when I visit a hospital and see all the machinery and hear all the beeps and noises, I do not have to imagine what it is like to be there in the middle of the night. I have walked across the threshold from hospital visitor or "tourist" to "insider." And it has made me more empathetic. I am holding these insights in my soul and bringing these experiences into our Soaringwords healing tools that will touch millions of ill children and their families and inspire them to "Never give up!" Three weeks ago, on a bright Saturday morning, I was walking to synagogue. I am a New Yorker, which means I walk fast. I walk with a confident, steady step and I love walking. It's often humorous when I travel to other places (Indianapolis, Chicago, Phoenix and Toronto) people often turn around to see what's coming. I smile and say, "I'm from New York." We usually laugh. On this particular morning, the sun was shining. I was wearing my favorite hat and my black suede platform shoes. Life was good. Suddenly my ankle twisted and I found myself lying on the sidewalk. I picked myself up, wiped the blood off my knee and went into synagogue. My ankle swelled and I left services to get a bag of ice from the store on the corner. Two days later, following persistent phone calls to numerous doctors. Thanks to the kindness of the receptionist who squeezed me in for an emergency appointment with Dr. Elliot, a leading orthopedic surgeon, I discovered that I did, in fact, have a broken foot. The prognosis is a complete recovery after wearing a boot for six weeks. As I sign the bill, an older woman on crutches enters the discharge area. I look up and say, "Would you like to sit down?" She smiles sweetly and says, "No thanks honey, you're damaged goods, just like me." I was horrified. Her comment reverberated off the walls of my brain all day. She just called me damaged goods. She was making a joke and thought that it was funny. She seemed like a lovely person with a twinkle in her eye. She did not say it maliciously. Its OK that she was poking fun at her situation, but it actually isn't OK that she was telling a stranger that they were "damaged goods." One of Soaringwords' goals is to educate people on the right things to do and say that are actually helpful for children and adults who are confronted with illness since there are so many examples of people unintentionally saying truly hurtful things. I invite you to send me your suggestions for things that people should and shouldn't say to someone who is going through illness, based on your insights and experiences with illness so I could share them on www.soaringwords.org . Your contributions will help families and patients feel more supported and less isolated. Slow and Steady Wins the Race. It's been three weeks into the boot. And, despite the mini heat-wave we've been experiencing, life is good. I have spent so many hours propping my leg up on too many pillows to count. I throw the laptop on the top pillow and my new home office works like a charm. When I walk through the halls at the office, people still turn around when they see me coming down the corridors, but now it's because of the boot. When I see someone with a boot, crutches, or in a wheelchair, I give them a smile of recognition. I also send them a silent blessing. If I see that they are open to it, I'll ask them if they want to race. Then we laugh. It's Time to Dance. My latest experiment in empathy has truly given me more appreciation of the little things, such as the person who gives me a seat in the subway, or holds a door open for me. For the past two months, we've been preparing for 100 Soaringwords Make A Difference Day events nationwide between Sept. 11 and Oct. 24. Soaringwords is honored to be USA Weekend national charity partner, the host of Make A Difference Day, the largest day of volunteering in the US. These events will be held in corporations, schools and community centers around the country. The event consists of two parts: decorating quilts and pillows with inspirational messages and artwork to donate to hospitalized kids, followed by a Soaringwords Nia Dance Jam! The culminating mega-event will be in Times Square in New York City on Saturday, Oct. 24 where 1,000 people will enjoy the World's Largest Dance Jam for health and fitness. I hope you'll participate by coming to one of the events or making a donation right now. I will be at several places including Times Square and hope you'll join us. By then, I'll be wearing my dancing shoes. Wishing you strength and Soaringwords, Lisa More on Health
 
Dan Dorfman: Roubini Mystery: Bear, Bull or Both? Top
Wall Street, by its nature, is a hotbed of gossip, much of it rubbish. But you can't simply ignore what you hear because all too often your ear may pick up some amazing nuggets of truth amid all the hot air. That brings me to one of the most intriguing stories presently making the Wall Street rounds. It centers on the country's latest economics star, Nouriel Roubini, who has been dubbed Dr. Doom because of his extremely pessimistic view of the economy. As a result of his ongoing economic tale of terror, Roubini, professor of economics at the Stern School of Business at New York University, has received international notoriety. As such, if you were to compile a list of people who you thought were brainy enough to have escaped the stock market bloodbath of the past few years, one candidate would surely have to be Roubini. After all, the 60-year-old Istanbul-born economist -- widely treated by the media as though he walks on water because of his prowess in accurately forecasting hellish economic times -- has been predicting for at least 4 years a recession, credit crisis, housing bust and a major decline in stock prices. Further, he's projecting more chaos ahead -- notably a double-dip recession in late 2010 or 2011 because of rising government debt, higher oil prices and lack of job growth. If that double dip forecast turns out to be the case, stocks would get butchered because of the predominant Wall Street view that the recession is all but history. Common sense tells you that no logical mind with this kind of a gloom-and-doom sentiment is going to include in their portfolio investments which bet stock prices will go higher. What's obvious and likely, though, is not always reality. According to Street scuttlebutt -- newsworthy because it has reached the ears of some key market players, which makes it worth reporting -- Roubini has actually been on the long side of the market (a bet it would rise) throughout his bearish tirade. Further, one Wall Street contact who has been in touch with some people at Roubini Global Economics tells me he hears that Roubini has personally owned two Standard & Poor's index funds marketed by the Vanguard Funds during most of financial crisis (which he may still own). Further, a well known economist says he's been told by an insider at the global consulting firm that when it comes to stock market investing, Roubini has all the educational skills of a child entering kindergarten. One overseas manager who heard the Wall Street chatter of a Roubini long position in S&P funds during the financial crisis says if it's so it raises a real question about the conviction of his consistent negative economic espousal. "It may be," he quips, "that the Dr. Doom moniker should be changed to Dr. Doom, Maybe." What's Roubini's response to all of this? Alas, no response. I tried reaching him several times at NYU, at his New York-based economic consulting firm and on his cell phone, but no luck. Informed in a voice message that I wanted to chat with him about his personal portfolio, the usually publicity-hungry Roubini, whom I've interviewed in the past, made it clear through his lack of his response that he's in no mood to gab about the subject. What does it all mean? Assuming the talk of long equity investments is correct, it raises the question, as one money manager puts it, of whether Roubini is a bear, a bull, or a combination of both. Such a market figure would be a first for me. It could also be one for Ripley. Meanwhile, stay tuned. I'll keep trying for an answer, although I fear someone may well beat me to it. Write Dan Dorfman at Dandordan@aol.com More on Financial Crisis
 
Kaleb Eulls: Local Football Star Tackles Girl With Gun On School Bus, Incident Caught On Tape (VIDEO) Top
Local football star Kaleb Eulls is being called a hero after he tackled a girl on their school bus when she pulled out a gun and started waving it around. The incident was caught on tape by the school bus camera, and Eulls appeared on the "Today Show" with Yazoo County Sheriff Thomas Vaughan to discuss the details. WATCH: Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy Send us tips! Write us at tv@huffingtonpost.com if you see any newsworthy or notable TV moments. Read more about our media monitoring project here and click here to join the Media Monitors team. More on Video
 
Alderman Wants Mandatory Jail Time For Gun Law Violators Top
The Chicago City Council Police and Fire Committee today will consider an ordinance to impose mandatory jail time for those caught toting unauthorized guns.
 
Rachel Sklar: What to Expect from Diane Sawyer Top
Remember when an anchor stepping down was a huge deal? Tom Brokaw. Dan Rather. Peter Jennings. These names were huge pillars of the news ecosystem, and their departures were big stories — as well as the fraught issue of who had the gravitas, the experience, the journalistic, anchor-ly heft to step into their enormous shoes. The last transition was just a few years ago, but oh how things have changed. The news that Charlie Gibson is leaving ABC's World News after only a few years in the top spot is definitely news, but is shaking no foundations. It's also not at all surprising who is replacing him: Diane Sawyer . And why should it? Sawyer's got a track record a mile long. She's an accomplished journalist, well-known to ABC viewers over the years, a longtime partner of Gibson and equal to him in stature at the network, as well as in the upper echelons of that news ecosystem. Well, for one thing, Sawyer's a woman. A woman! Remember when that was a big deal? Cast your mind back to 2006. Katie Couric had just been announced as the successor to Dan Rather (or, really, Bob Schieffer ), and the entire media community was in a tizzy. What would she wear? Would her hairstyle change? Would we still get to see those famous legs? I'm serious; this was the subject of legitimate debate in legitimate news outlets . The coverage of Couric's ascension to the top spot at CBS, at its core, was about how viewers would react to a pretty, perky woman delivering their nightly half-hour news round-up. Over at ABC, Sawyer was not impervious to that trend. The spring of 2005 had seen a spate of Katie - vs. - Diane stories over the GMA / Today Show ratings, and after Bob Woodruff 's terrible accident in Iraq ended the pairing of he and Elizabeth Vargas leading the broadcast in early 2006, both Gibson and Sawyer quietly started maneuvering for the anchor position . According to Howard Kurtz in Reality Show , his book chronicling the anchor wars, Sawyer and Gibson were in contact about the ascension possibilities, as partners on GMA for eight years prior, but there were definite backroom goings-on as well. There was more: Sawyer also felt the added weight of the Couric treatment, very much aware of how the media would treat them as competitors: It would be like every movie that featured two women battling it out. Women made great copy, that was the way the popular culture worked ... She did not want her evening news tenure to be viewed through that prism. If she went to Darfur, the stories would be all about how she was trying to demonstrate that she was more interested in the plight of refugees than Couric was. She would be cast in a catfight. We all know what happened: Gibson took over the ABC anchor chair. Couric took over at CBS. Sawyer remained at GMA , ever valuable to the network. Come January, she'll finally be making that switch from morning to evening, to one of the hallowed Big Three anchor chairs. Why bring all this up now? Things seem so different now, don't they? Katie Couric has been on the job for three years now, and when it comes to waving scalps, Sarah Palin 's is a pretty decent one to have claimed. Gibson's depature from the chair is news, certainly, but as previously mentioned it won't rate the kind of wall-to-wall coverage of the Brokaw-Williams handover, so carefully brokered and so seamlessly managed back in December 2004. New media upstarts enjoy dancing on the grave of the nightly news almost as much as they do that of newspapers. Though the Big Three claim 20+ million viewers each night, there's no doubt that the timeslot is not the big dog it once was . Things are different — but that's why it's worth noting. Katie Couric's been leading the CBS Evening News for three years and it's still on the air (albeit with diminished ratings share). Charlie Gibson, for all his XY-chromosome-ness, never did manage to permanently unseat Brian Williams from that top spot. And in truth, there could not be a more perfect replacement for Gibson at ABC than Diane Sawyer, whose reporting chops, professionalism, longevity and on-air authority make her the ideal for a seamless transition. But — looking ahead, there will be stories about how it's BriWi vs. The Girls, and real data there, too, about whether or not viewers are switching over. There will be catfight stories, especially if ABC and CBS start getting close in the ratings or double-dealing for big-time exclusives. There will be assessments of Sawyer's wardrobe choices and hairstyle, comparisons with the choices Couric makes and has made (here's a potential headline: Will Diane Sawyer Cut Her Hair? Katie Did !). Looking ahead is made somewhat easier by looking back, and the fact that those articles about Couric's wardrobe may have been in 2006, but chatter about Hillary Clinton 's pantsuits and Sarah Palin's Naughty Monkey pumps are decidedly more recent. Looking ahead, those will be the stories — but so, too, will be the story of how a longtime ABC stalwart with an award-winning career took over one of the most important posts, still, in news — and the whole thing didn't fall apart. That's the thing about progress. It just sort of happens. This post was originally published at Mediaite.com . More on ABC
 
Jill Biden Returns To Work, Will Teach Two Courses This Fall Top
SLOTUS Jill Biden, refreshed by a one-week vacation in South Carolina , headed back to work, as a professor at the Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, on August 24th. According to Lynn Sweet of Politics Daily , Dr. Biden will oversee two courses this semester: "Preparing for College Writing" and "Critical Reading and Study Skills." The SLOTUS, who had orthopedic surgery on her shoulder in mid-July , made few public appearances over the summer, but managed to a stylish stopover at a German military base on the Fourth of July on her way to speak at an education conference in Paris. Follow HuffPost Style on Twitter and become a fan of HuffPost Style on Facebook !
 
Labor Department Tries To Roll Back Last-Minute Bush Rules Top
WASHINGTON — The Labor Department is trying again to roll back Bush administration regulations that made it easier for farmers to hire temporary foreign farm workers. The agency on Thursday said it is proposing new rules that would boost wages and increase safeguards for thousands of seasonal workers brought in each year to help farmers pick their crops. It would also require that growers make greater efforts to fill those jobs with American workers. If the rules are adopted, they would largely reverse regulations finalized shortly before President George W. Bush left office and return to a framework that had been in effect since 1987. Labor and immigrant rights groups have criticized the Bush regulations, claiming they would slash farm wages and make it harder for domestic workers to claim those jobs. The Labor Department briefly suspended the Bush rules earlier this year, but officials were forced to reinstate them after farm groups successfully challenged the decision in federal court. "Every worker deserves to be treated and paid fairly," Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said. "That is especially true of agricultural workers, who often perform backbreaking work for very low wages." Solis said the new rules would let the Labor Department take a more active role in protecting farm workers from mistreatment and keeping domestic workers from being unfairly displaced. Farm growers say the changes to the H-2A guest worker program will make it more cumbersome and expensive for them to hire foreign workers for tough field jobs that most Americans don't want. "The Bush rules did go a long way to streamline the process and make it more feasible," said Jason Resnick, assistant general counsel for the Western Growers Association in Irvine, Calif. "If that rule is rolled back, it would be a huge setback for production agriculture." Resnick said growers are likely to take legal action against the new rules if they are approved after a 30-day comment period. The new rules would return to the old standard for determining temporary farm wages, resulting in an increase for workers of about $1.44 an hour. Farmers would also have to submit documentation certifying that they tried to fill the jobs with American workers. Under the Bush rules, those documents had to be presented only if there was a government audit. The proposed rules would require state work force agencies to inspect temporary worker housing before an employer is approved to bring in foreign workers – something the Bush rule didn't mandate until after workers moved in. Labor officials say the new rules do retain some of the efforts of the Bush administration to streamline paperwork and make the program more efficient. But they also go further than the 1987 regulations in boosting worker protections. For the first time, the rules would require posting of farm jobs through an electronic job registry to make sure domestic workers get the first shot. And if prevailing wages go up in the middle of a temporary worker's contract, the grower would have to increase the worker's wages.
 
The Gonzales Cantata: Former AG Inspires Concert Opera Top
Anyone out there, by chance, looking for things to do in Philadelphia this weekend? The Phillies are out of town, but you could go see Alice in Chains at the Theater of Living Arts on Saturday, check out the Star Trek exhibit at the Franklin Museum, or get all gaga over Dada at the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Duchamp exhibit. But if law and politics is your bag (and we know that you know that it is), you might be intrigued enough to take a flyer on The Gonzales Cantata, a concert opera about Alberto Gonzales's Senate Judiciary Committee hearings.
 

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