Sunday, September 13, 2009

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For Reporter, No Doubt: 'I'd Use The Rifle If I Had To' Top
GANJGAL, Afghanistan -- Getting separated from the others may have been a blessing in disguise. As I lay in the dirt and rocks, the sharp needles of dry nettles pinching my palms and backside, three men in the group I'd been with were injured. Marine Maj. Kevin Williams of Louisville, Ky., took a bullet in his left forearm. Marine 1st Sgt. Christopher Garza of Houston suffered a near total loss of hearing and a serious concussion from a rocket-propelled grenade explosion. U.S. Army Sgt. Kenneth W. Westbrook of Colorado Springs, Colo., was gravely wounded when a bullet gouged his right cheek and then tore into the base of his neck. Had I bolted with them, I, too, might've been killed or wounded. More on Afghanistan
 
New 'New Moon' Trailer: Creepy Dakota And Shirtless Robert Pattinson Top
There's a new trailer out to keep fans freaking out in advance of the November release "New Moon," the highly anticipated follow-up to 'Twilight." In the most-recent trailer fans get a glimpse of a grown-up Dakota Fanning in her role as Jane, a member of the deadly Volturi, complete with crimson eyes. Meanwhile, vampire heartthrob Edward (played by British heartthrob Robert Pattinson ) takes his shirt off. Jacob (Taylor Lautner) also goes shirtless in the trailer, but that newly-buff body was seen in previously released clips. And Bella (Kristen Stewart) sinks into a depression, only to become the center of a love triangle . WATCH: Find more videos like this on Twifans More on Video
 
Del Potro Beats Nadal In US Open Upset Top
NEW YORK — Rafael Nadal looked lost, swallowed up by the huge serves and crushing forehands coming at him from the 6-foot-6 opponent across the net. That was Juan Martin del Potro, who made his first Grand Slam final, handing Nadal a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 loss Sunday at the U.S. Open – the worst loss Rafa has suffered in a major tournament. "I think this is the best moment of my life," del Potro said. Nadal was dealing with a strained abdominal muscle, which after the match he finally admitted was bothering him. The six-time Grand Slam tournament champion also gave plenty of credit to del Potro, who deserved every bit of it. "Just have to congratulate him," said Nadal, who has now lost three straight to del Potro. The sixth-seeded Argentine – the first from that country to make a U.S. Open final since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 – kept No. 3 Nadal pinned behind the baseline with a deep, flat forehand and a first serve he mixed at between speeds in the 90s to the 130s. In the first set, Nadal put on his usual show, battling for every point, never giving in, even though it was clear he was being overpowered. The first four games crept along, at 27 minutes. But he couldn't convert any of the five break points he had against del Potro's huge serve over the first 12 games. And there was no waiting out this storm, no hoping del Potro might weaken, the way he did earlier this year at the French, when he was leading Roger Federer 2 sets to 1 at his first Grand Slam semifinal. Federer came back in that one and might await again. In the final, pushed to Monday because of rain over the weekend, del Potro will play either him or Novak Djokovic. Del Potro's record against the two: a combined 0-9. The result prevented the eighth Federer-Nadal final in a Grand Slam and first at the U.S. Open, and left Rafa still in need of a win at Flushing Meadows for the career Grand Slam. "I'm sorry," del Potro told the crowd in his on-court interview. "But tomorrow, I'll fight until the final point for you, for everyone, to show good tennis." Del Potro's first major final extends a stretch of improving tennis that began last year when he became the first player to win his first four titles in four straight tournaments. He saw his ranking jump from 65 to 13 and will likely move to No. 5 after this tournament. He had two days off since his quarterfinal win over Marin Cilic and could be seen often, walking the halls at Arthur Ashe Stadium, waiting out two days of rain delays that pushed the men's final back for the second straight year. Nadal, meanwhile, had to finish his postponed quarterfinal Saturday afternoon, and though that was a stress-free dispatching of Fernando Gonzalez that took 34 minutes to complete, there was no doubting who was in better physical condition for this match. Nadal's abdominals have been bothering him throughout, and when he hunched over in pain after a double fault in the first set, it was clear he was still hurting Sunday. "Here, it was disappointing, I had a little bit of a (bad) break," he said. "The right abdominal. To compete with these players was difficult." Nadal will take some time off, including skipping Spain's David Cup match this month. Del Potro has a date Monday to try to bring the title home to Argentina for the first time since Vilas did it in 1977. The best win of his career? "I think so," del Potro said. "It was so focused every moment because Rafa's a great player. He can run for 5, 6 hours. I'm not very strong but I do my best, and I'm in the final."
 
Colorado Democrats Already Taking Sides In Democratic Primary Top
The Democratic primary contenders in the U.S. Senate race are furiously trying to line up supporters across the state, creating dividing lines at all levels of the party as leaders choose a candidate or decide to stay clear altogether.
 
Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Racism Marched at Taxpayer March Top
Packs of taxpayer marchers shuffled down Pennsylvania Avenue proudly waving signs. "The Long Legged Mack Daddy," "Where's the Birth Certificate," Mississippi Freedom Riders," "Whoa Boys Take it from Here" (Obama waving to black and Islamic militants). Many defiantly waved Confederate flags and the Texas state flag (separatist movement emblem). Meanwhile, South Carolina senator Jim DeMint, Congresspersons Mike Pence, Phil Gingrey and Marsha Blackburn, and organizer mouthpiece scandal-plagued former House majority leader Dick Armey profusely swore that the march had nothing to do with race, politics, or even President Obama. The racist flags, symbols and signs, though, gave big lie to their profuse denials. Racism was on full and ugly display on the Capitol Mall. No attempt was made to mask it. Some protesters seemed quite proud to openly send a message about race and Obama. DeMint and Armey's public pretense that the Taxpayer March was non-partisan, with absolutely no racial overtone or anti-Obama motive to it is the stock ploy to play the race card while disavowing any play of it. The GOP has honed the ploy to a science in the past four decades. During the Nixon years, and later during the Reagan years, GOP leaders figured that there were a lot of white guys out there who were mad as hell at the feds for dumping a bloated, overblown big government on them. Lurking underneath their frustration was the finger point at minorities for the government bloat. That turned into the artful twist of hidden race animus into slogans such as "law and order," "crime in the streets," "welfare cheats," and "absentee fathers." These were all carefully crafted to punch the anger and frustration of many whites at blacks without getting the muck of racism on their hands. The GOP also sensed that racial sloganeering and race baiting could work by playing on the false fear of blue collar white males that they were losing ground to minorities and women in the workplace, schools, and in society. The main culprit was always the big, intrusive federal government that tilted unfairly in spending priorities toward social programs that benefited minorities at the expense of hard working white males. This, of course, translates out to even more fear, rage and distrust of minorities. The venerable blend of race and anti-government politics has been on textbook display in the health care reform battle. The racial assault by droves of taxpayer marchers was simply the latest in the racial pillorying of Obama. There are dozens of active anti-Obama websites. All are stuffed with demeaning racist cartoons, depictions, characterizations and racially poisonous verbal bashes and attacks. It was perhaps fitting that many taxpayer marchers turned South Carolina Congressman Joe "You Lie" Wilson into a near mythical folk hero. There were buttons and banners backslapping Wilson for hitting back at Obama. But long before Wilson's blasphemous outburst at Obama during his congressional speech on health care reform, he cut his teeth battling hard to beat back the NAACP challenge to remove the Confederate flag from its long standing perch at the front of the South Carolina state capitol building. Wilson's proud battle to preserve, as he proudly noted, the flag that typifies "our heritage" is par for the course for GOP racist-tinged politics in South Carolina. And Wilson swims squarely in the mainstream of that brand of race politics with other GOP politicians in the state. On September 12, he had good company from legions of taxpayer marchers. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His forthcoming book, How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge (Middle Passage Press) will be released in January, 2010.
 
Megan Fox Branded 'Dumb-As-A-Rock' And 'Classless' By 'Transformers' Crew, Michael Bay Responds Top
Megan Fox was the target of an open letter from unnamed 'Transformers' crew members slamming her as thankless, classless, graceless, dumb, trailer trash, and ungracious after she likened director Michael Bay to Hitler in an interview. Legitimizing the letter's authorship and sidestepping some of the allegations it made, Bay even weighed in (Bay's response is down below the long open letter). The fracas started when Fox recently told an interviewer of Bay: He's like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous mad-man reputation. He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he's a nightmare to work for but when you get him away from set, and he's not in director mode, I kind of really enjoy his personality because he's so awkward, so hopelessly awkward. He has no social skills at all. And it's endearing to watch him. In return, unnamed crew members posted a long slam of Fox on Bay's website, signed "Loyal Transformers Crew," which has since been removed . But here it is: "This is an open letter to all Michael Bay fans. We are three crew members that have worked with Michael for the past ten years. Last week we read the terrible article with inflammatory, truly trashing quotes by the Ms. Fox about Michael Bay. This letter is to set a few things straight. Yes, Megan has great eyes, a tight stomach we spray with glycerin, and an awful silly Marilyn Monroe tattoo plastered on her arm that we cover up to keep the moms happy. Michael found this shy, inexperienced girl, plucked her out of total obscurity thus giving her the biggest shot of any young actresses' life. He told everyone around to just trust him on his choice. He granted her the starring role in Transformers, a franchise that forever changed her life; she became one of the most googled and oogled women on earth. She was famous! She was the next Angelina Jolie, hooray! Wait a minute, two of us worked with Angelina - second thought - she's no Angelina. You see, Angelia is a professional. We know this quite intimately because we've had the tedious experience of working with the dumb-as-a-rock Megan Fox on both Transformers movies. We've spent a total of 12 months on set making these two movies. We are in different departments; we can't give our names because sadly doing so in Hollywood could lead to being banished from future Paramount work. One of us touches Megan's panties, the other has the often shitty job of pulling Ms. Sour pants out of her trailer, while another is near the Panaflex camera that helps to memorialize the valley girl on film. Megan has the press fooled. When we read those magazines we wish we worked with that woman. Megan knows how to work her smile for the press. Those writers should try being on set for two movies, sadly she never smiles. The cast, crew and director make Transformers a really fun and energetic set. We've traveled around the world together, so we have never understood why Megan was always such - the grump of the set? When facing the press, Megan is the queen of talking trailer trash and posing like a porn star. And yes we've had the unbearable time of watching her try to act on set, and yes, it's very cringe-able. So maybe, being a porn star in the future might be a good career option. But make-up beware, she has a paragraph tattooed to her backside (probably due her rotten childhood) easily another 45 minutes in the chair! So when the three of us caught wind of Ms Fox, pontificating yet again in some publication (like she actually has something interesting to say) blabbing her trash mouth about a director whom we three have grown to really like. She compared working with Michael, to "working with Hitler". We actually don't think she knows who Hitler is by the way. But we wondered how she doesn't realize what a disgusting, fully uneducated comment this was? Well, here let's get some facts straight. Say what you want about Michael - yes at times he can be hard, but he's also fun, and he challenges everyone for a reason - he simply wants people to bring their 'A' game. He comes very prepared, knows exactly what he wants, involves the crew and expects everyone to follow through with his or her best, and that includes the actors. He's one of the hardest working directors out there. He gets the best from his crews, many of whom have worked with him for 15 years. And yes, he's loyal, one of the few directors we've encountered who lowered his fee by millions to keep Transformers in the United States and California, so he could work with his own crew. Megan says that Transformers was an unsafe set? Come on Megan, we know it is a bit more strenuous then the playground at the trailer park, but you don't insult one of the very best stunt and physical effects teams in the business! Not one person got hurt! And who is the real Megan Fox? She is very different than the academy nominee and winning actors we've all worked around. She's as about ungracious a person as you can ever fathom. She shows little interest in the crew members around her. We work to make her look good in every way, but she's absolutely never appreciative of anyone's hard work. Never a thank you. All the crewmembers have stopped saying hi to Ms. Princess because she never says hello back. It gets tiring. Many think she just really hates the process of being an actress. Megan has been late to the sets many times. She goes through the motions that make her exude this sense of misery. We've heard the A.D's piped over the radio that Megan won't walk from her trailer until John Turturro walks first! John's done seventy-five movies and she's made two! Never expect Megan to attend any of the 15 or so crew parties like all the other actors have. And then there's the classless night she blew off The Royal Prince of Jordan who made a special dinner for all the actors. She doesn't know that one of the grips daughters wanted to visit their daddy's work to meet Megan, but he wouldn't let them come because he told them "she is not nice." The press certainly doesn't know her most famous line. On our first day in Egypt, the Egyptian government wouldn't let us shoot because of a permit problem as the actors got ready in make up at the Four Seasons Hotel. Michael tried to make the best of it; he wanted to take the cast and crew on a private tour of the famous Giza pyramids. God hold us witness, Megan said, "I can't believe Michael is fucking forcing us to go to the fucking pyramids!" I guess this is the "Hitler guy" she is referring to. So this is the Megan Fox you don't get to see. Maybe she will learn, but we figure if she can sling insults, then she can take them too. Megan really is a thankless, classless, graceless, and shall we say unfriendly bitch. It's sad how fame can twist people, and even sadder that young girls look up to her. If only they knew who they're really looking up to. But 'Fame' is fleeting. We, being behind the scenes , seen em' come and go. Hopefully Michael will have Megatron squish her character in the first ten minutes of Transformers 3. We can tell you that will make the crew happy!" -Loyal Transformers Crew Late Saturday Bay waded in slamming both sides: I don't condone the crew letter to Megan. And I don't condone Megan's outlandish quotes. But her crazy quips are part of her crazy charm. The fact of the matter I still love working with her, and I know we still get along. I even expect more crazy quotes from her on Transformers 3. Michael No word yet from Fox.
 
Is Happiness Catching? Top
EILEEN BELLOLI KEEPS very good track of her friends. Belloli, who is 74, was born in Framingham, Mass., which is where she met her future husband, Joseph, when they were both toddlers. ("I tripped her and made her cry," recalls Joseph, a laconic and beanpole-tall 76-year-old.) The Bellolis never left Framingham, a comfortable, middle-class town 25 miles west of Boston -- he became a carpenter and, later, a state industrial-safety official; and after raising four children, she taught biology at a middle school. Many of her friends from grade school never left Framingham, either, so after 60 years, she still sees a half dozen of them every six weeks. More on Happiness
 
Hugh Hefner: I Waited A Decade To Divorce For The Kids Top
( AP Article , scroll for photos of Hefner in Toronto) TORONTO -- Hugh Hefner said he waited more than ten years to complete his divorce "because of the children." "I stayed married not because it was a marriage - the marriage ended in 1998," he said. "I stayed because she wanted me to." But now his {younger of two sons with Kimberly is] turning 18, so the 83-year-old Playboy magazine founder says, "Now is the time." On Friday, Hefner filed for divorce from former Playmate of the Year, Kimberly Conrad Hefner. The couple married in 1989, and were legally separated in 1998. Since then, Hefner lived with three girlfriends at the Playboy Mansion. That relationship was documented on the E! Reality show "The Girls Next Door." Hefner made the comments at the premiere of his documentary, "Hugh Hefner: Playboy Activist and Rebel," at the Toronto International Film Festival. At the premiere, Hefner described himself as "a dyed-in-the-heart romantic who played some part in the changing social sexual values of his time." But the film shows a different side of him. Directed by Academy Award winner Brigitte Berman, she chooses to depict the making of the man and his stance as activist and humanitarian. The film opens in North America in the spring of 2010. PHOTOS: Get HuffPost Entertainment On Facebook and Twitter! More on Celebrity Splits
 
Ritter Faces Rude Reception From Protestors, Public Officials In Grand Junction Top
GRAND JUNCTION -- Gov. Bill Ritter received an unprecedented noisy, nasty welcome at a Club 20 meeting Saturday as one protester outside the meeting repeatedly yelled, "Ritter stinks" and others waved signs referring to Nazis, health care death panels and tyranny. A seemingly unfazed Ritter paused to shake hands and chat with one group of protesters before he made his way inside the Two Rivers Convention Center. There he used the bullhorn-assisted shouting outside as a leadership lesson for a group of Boy Scouts.
 
Tyler Perry Crushes Box Office Competition, Beckinsale Disappoints Top
LOS ANGELES — Being bad is good for Tyler Perry, whose latest movie, "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," opened at the top of the box office this weekend with more than $24 million. The Lionsgate comedy stars Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") as a hard-drinking nightclub singer forced to care for her delinquent niece and nephews. Besides directing and writing the film, based on his stage play of the same name, Perry co-stars as his brash, cross-dressing alter ego, Madea. It's Perry's second film this year to open at No. 1. In February, "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail" debuted at the top spot with $41 million, which stands as the biggest opening of his eight films. "Tyler Perry has a special way of speaking to his audience, and it's unbelievable," David Spitz, Lionsgate's executive vice president and general sales manager, said Sunday. "He always knows what his audience wants, and I never underestimate him." Spitz said the presence of the popular Madea character, plus a cast that included Henson, Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight and Pastor Marvin Winans, helped put the movie on top. It also had the best critical reception of all of Perry's films, with 58 percent positive reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes Web site. Perry, who's known for his productivity, has the sequel "Why Did I Get Married Too" coming out next spring. And in a rare adaptation of someone else's work, he's preparing to go into production on a film version of the Ntozake Shange stage play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf." Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian joked that his latest movie should have been called, "Tyler Perry's I Can Do No Wrong at the Box Office." "Eight theatrical films, five No. 1 debuts – Lionsgate has a perpetually successful franchise in Tyler Perry," Dergarabedian said. "He is the brand. He's a very rare example of a director-writer-actor who is completely synonymous with his work and with the success of his movies." Coming in second was the dark, animated "9" from Focus Features, which made $10.9 million this weekend, according to Sunday estimates. Since its Wednesday opening – on 9-9-09 – the movie has made about $15.3 million. The voice cast includes Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Christopher Plummer and Jennifer Connelly as hand-stitched dolls who represent the last vestige of humanity after a war between man and machine. In what is traditionally a slow time at the box office between the summer blockbusters and the fall prestige films, two other new releases had so-so openings. The Summit Entertainment horror flick "Sorority Row" came in at No. 6 with about $5.3 million, while the Kate Beckinsale thriller "Whiteout" from Warner Bros. followed in seventh place with $5.1 million. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Tuesday. 1. "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself," $24.03 million. 2. "9," $10.9 million. 3. "Inglourious Basterds," $6.5 million. 4. "All About Steve," $5.8 million. 5. "The Final Destination," $5.5 million. 6. "Sorority Row," $5.3 million. 7. "Whiteout," $5.1 million. 8. "District 9," $3.6 million. 9. "Julie & Julia," $3.3 million. 10. "Gamer," $3.15 million. ___ On the Net: http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice ___ Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Rogue Pictures is owned by Relativity Media LLC; Overture Films is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp.
 
Geoffrey Dunn: Tina Fey Disses Palin Top
Saturday Night Live actress Tina Fey received an Emmy Award on Saturday for her spot-on impersonation of Republican vice presidential contender Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live . Accepting her trophy for best guest actress in a comedy, Fey went through the ritual of thanking SNL producer Lorne Michaels and her parents, "who are lifelong Republicans, for their patience." Employing her award-winning Palin-speak, Fey then issued some serious dish at the departed governor of Alaska: "Mrs. Palin is an inspiration to working mothers everywhere because she bailed on her job right before Fourth of July weekend. You are living my dream. Thank you, Mrs. Palin." Faye had previously dissed Palin during an appearance on David Letterman . "She has a really crazy voice," said Faye. "Not since Sling Blade has there been a voice like hers." Award-winning writer and filmmaker Geoffrey Dunn is at work on a book about Sarah Palin and American politics, to be published by Macmillan/St. Martin's next year. More on David Letterman
 
Joseph Stiglitz Urges End To GDP 'Fetish' In Favor Of Broader Measures Top
Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize- winning economist, urged world leaders to drop an obsession with examining gross domestic product and focus more on broader measures of prosperity. More on Economy
 
Regulators Who Allowed Financial Crisis To Unfold Still Not Held Accountable Top
NOTHING succeeds like failure, as the saying goes. And nowhere is this dismal truth more evident than in our financial regulatory system, one year after the bankruptcy filing of Lehman Brothers. More on Financial Crisis
 
Annie Le: Search For Yale Grad Student Turns To Connecticut Landfill Top
HARTFORD, Conn. — Investigators sifted through garbage at an incinerator Sunday, looking for clues into the disappearance of a Yale University graduate student who was supposed to be celebrating her wedding day. FBI agent Bill Reiner said Sunday that investigators are "following the trash" that left the university laboratory in New Haven. He declined to comment further on the search at the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority's trash-to-energy plant in Hartford. Annie Le, 24, was last seen Tuesday morning at the lab. More than 100 state, local and federal law enforcement agencies are looking for her but have not yet determined if Le's disappearance is a missing person's case or an act of foul play. Authorities say Le, a pharmacology doctoral student originally from Placerville, Calif., swiped her identification card to enter the lab. But despite some 75 surveillance cameras around the complex, none but there is no record of her leaving despite some 75 surveillance cameras around the complex. Her ID, money, credit cards and purse were found in her office. Investigators on Saturday said they recovered evidence from the Amistad Street building that houses Le's laboratory, but would not confirm reports by media outlets that the items included bloody clothing. In a story published Saturday, the Yale Daily News quoted an unnamed New Haven Police Department official as saying the bloody clothes were found in a ceiling at the building. The official spoke to the newspaper on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. On Sunday morning, a state police Major Crimes Squad van drove down a ramp into the basement area of the building where the lab is located. Officials had no immediate comment. Yale is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Le's whereabouts. On Sunday, students prayed for Le's safe return at The University Church. "It has been a week that has tested many people in many different ways," the Rev. Ian Buckner Oliver said just before he gave the Sunday morning sermon. "It has brought up a lot of fears for people. It has brought up a lot of worry and concern for her and for all our safety." The student-dominated congregation offered a moment of silence and prayer, "for Annie, and her family, who have arrived here in New Haven, for her fiance, on this, what would have been their wedding day. Let's lift them up in our prayers," Oliver said. Le's family arrived in New Haven on Saturday, Oliver said after the service. He said the church doesn't have any other events or prayer services planned specifically for Le. "There is nothing else at this point because the university and police have said there is no criminal investigation, there is no proof of a crime. So at this point, we are just praying," Oliver said. Le, who's of Asian descent, stands 4 feet 11 inches and weighs 90 pounds. She was to marry Columbia University graduate student Jonathan Widawsky on Sunday at the North Ritz Club in Syosset, N.Y., on the north shore of Long Island. Police say Widawsky is not a suspect and is assisting with the investigation. ___ Freelance reporter Katie Nelson in New Haven, Conn., contributed to this report.
 
Leo W. Gerard: Finally, a President with the Guts to Enforce Trade Laws Top
Barack Obama proved Friday he's got grit. He enforced trade laws. These are special trade safeguard rules called "Section 421" that the Chinese had agreed to obey to gain entrance to the World Trade Organization (WTO). They are, however, laws that had gone unenforced by the U.S. in the past. President Obama used these safeguard rules to imposed tariffs on tires manufactured in China and imported into the U.S., following a recommendation by the International Trade Commission, an independent, bi-partisan group. The action made Obama the first president to execute sanctions under "Section 421." The International Trade Commission recommended sanctions under "Section 421" four times before Obama took office. Nothing was done. The result was closed American factories, lost American manufacturing jobs, diminished American dreams. Not this time though. Not this president. Obama showed he's made of tougher stuff. By placing tariffs on imported Chinese tires, President Obama put himself in the line of fire for the jobs of U.S. workers, for the preservation of U.S. manufacturing and, ultimately, for the stabilization of the U.S. economy. Don't kid yourself. This is a battle. For the U.S. to maintain a viable economy, it must sustain a strong manufacturing base. It must make products of value that can be sold here and overseas - not just swap paper, some of it bogus on Wall Street. The U.S. economy is under attack by countries engaging in unfair trade. In the past decade, we've lost 40,000 manufacturing facilities. In just the 21 months since the Great Recession began, more than 2 million manufacturing workers have lost their jobs, making their unemployment rate 11.8 percent , significantly higher than the 9.7 percent rate for the average worker. That's what the Chinese tire case was all about. My union, the United Steelworkers (USW) filed it in April. We demanded penalties against China because it has smothered the U.S. market with tires. In 2004, its share of the U.S market was 4.7 percent. Four years later, it was 16.7 percent. In that time, the number of tires it sold rose from 14.6 million to 46 million. As a result, four U.S. tire manufacturing plants closed and 5,100 workers lost their jobs. Another three plants will close before year's end, throwing 3,000 more U.S. workers on the street. We filed for relief under "Section 421" for two reasons. One is that it provides quicker relief than other trade remedies. The other is that China consented to its provisions. When China wanted to get into the World Trade Organization in 2000, it secured U.S. support by agreeing to abide by Section 421 until 2013. Section 421 was designed to protect the U.S. economy by providing ways to combat unfair and damaging surges of particular Chinese imports. In the past, corporations had asked for Section 421 tariffs. And we had joined them. This time, not one tire company joined us, though, to be clear, Goodyear was openly neutral. By contrast, Ohio-based Cooper, fought us. As did a collection of rag-tag import firms, one of which had nearly gone bankrupt after importing defective Chinese tires that had to be recalled after a series of crashes. Cooper, in testimony to the International Trade Commission , reported that all of the tires it makes at its Chinese plant, under its licensing agreement with the Chinese, must be exported until May, 2012. So it has a clear financial interest in preventing tariffs on imported tires to the U.S. The tire import companies have the same interest. For them, it's about the money they make today, no matter how or where it's made. They've got no allegiance to the U.S. and don't care what happens to America's future manufacturing capability or financial stability. President Obama, by contrast, is a patriot who sees the big picture and takes the long view. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio was right when he said after the tire tariffs were announced: "Today the President courageously stood up and enforced fair trade rules that will save jobs and help our communities. Since China joined the World Trade Organization, American workers have not been assured that the government would defend them against unfair trade. With this "Section 421" decision, President Obama has taken the side of American workers and manufacturers. "Rigorous trade enforcement is a major piece of our manufacturing and global competitiveness strategy. If American workers and manufacturers are going to compete in the global market, they need to have a government that uses trade enforcement tools, including the Section 421 safeguard." American workers and American manufacturers can compete - when trade is fair. It's unfair when countries don't enforce their own labor regulations, including their own minimum wage laws. It's unfair when U.S. companies abide by strict environmental regulations and those in other countries openly pollute air and water. It's unfair when other countries allow their firms to steal trade secrets, when other countries demand that firms export all of their products for a certain number of years and when other countries manipulate the value of their currencies. If trade laws aren't enforced, America will lose virtually all manufacturing and become nothing but a dumping ground - a place where the rest of the world sells the stuff it makes. Fewer and fewer citizens in that America would be able to buy stuff after the factories close and all the jobs that they support disappear. In announcing the tire trade sanctions -- tariffs of 35 percent for a year beginning Sept. 26, 30 percent for a year after that, and 25 percent in the final year -- U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said, "Enforcing trade laws is key to maintaining an open and free trading system." Unfair trade isn't free. President Obama is bold enough to draw that line of distinction for America. More on Financial Crisis
 
Rachel Sklar: Glenn Beck's Crazy 9/12 Tea Party Had Nothing to do With 9/11 Top
Yesterday I watched one of the most bizarro TV shows that I have ever seen: Glenn Beck 's 9/12 special on Fox News. Even now, I am not sure what it had to do with 9/11 -- other than completely co-opting it for Tea Partiers, Fox News, dissent and -- oh, yes -- Glenn Beck . The thesis: Beck wants this country to return to the values it held on 9/12/2001, the day after the terrorists attacks devastated and horrified the nation and the world. As someone who was in New York on 9/11 (and 9/12, and was evacuated from midtown office buildings in a panic along with thousands after a scare on 9/13), I remember those values being terror, bewilderment, shock, horror, and a profound grief. Over the days that followed, as people walked around in a daze and hugged and clasped hands more than usual, I recognized it as a city-wide sense of bereavement. But Beck is right -- there was also something else. There were people all over the city galvanized to try to help. People with medical training rushing to Ground Zero to see if they could offer assistance. Collections and donations for food and supplies. My roommate and I ran around our high-rise in an impromptu clothing drive, and took bags down to Chelsea Piers where volunteers were being organized. Rumbling past us along the West Side Highway were trucks, laden with white ash-covered debris. After seeing that, my roommate put his head down on his knees and just sobbed. There was also the well-documented coming together of the country , looking to the president and his bullhorn, unable to turn the TV coverage off, donations pouring in to the Red Cross. There was a nation riveted, wanting to do something . There was not, as I can recall, an angry if vague call to ward off socialism and cut taxes. Yet that was what dominated today's 9/12 Glenn Beck special on Fox News. Starting from the position that "Americans" "with their head in the sand" were to blame for 9/11 on 9/10/2001, he somehow moved to the now-familiar rhetoric of the Tea Partiers, about lower taxes and "taking our country back," with a dash of fist-shaking at nebulous "political corruption" across government. Beck was careful to point out that the corruption was bi-partisan -- he wasn't on a particular side! -- but of course happily hosted Republican Senator Jim DeMint and Congressman Mike Pence -- two of "the good guys." (And, of course, the past few weeks have left us with little doubt as to who the bad guys are. So there's that.) But as far as I can tell, other than the obvious and craven "hook" for the special, this two-hour special wasn't about 9/11. I may have missed it, but I didn't even see reference made to the 9/12 manifesto -- its 9 principles and 12 values -- that was supposedly the raison d'etre for the project. That may be because, as True/Slant's Colin Horgan points out , they've been removed from the 9/12 website with no explanation. >>> CONTINUED: Glenn Beck doesn't trust "the media" and hates when you throw around the term "racist." Also: Wet T-shirt contest! This column was originally published on Mediaite.com . More on Glenn Beck
 

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