Saturday, August 29, 2009

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Ted Kennedy Memoir 'True Compass' Set For September Top
In the days following Senator Edward Kennedy's death, his story will be told by friends and admirers, fellow politicians, family members, pundits and critics. But when Kennedy's mammoth memoir, True Compass, is published on Sept. 14, readers will be able to experience his life story as told by the Senator himself. More on Ted Kennedy
 
Michael Brenner: America's Afghan Election Top
The White House is upset by the Afghan election. Celebrated at first by Obama on the White House lawn as a signal success marking the country's progress on the road to democracy, it now looks like a monkey wrench thrown into the already stuttering engine of our mission there. The turn-out in Taliban intimidated areas was only about 10%. Voter fraud seems to have been endemic. And President Karzai, our wayward protégée, may be further weakened as a result. So Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke flies to Kabul for the umpteenth time and screams at Karzai that he should do an election rerun. Karzai instead bolsters his standing among his own people by thumbing his nose at Washington. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mike Mullen decries continued deterioration in the war while calling for the deployment of more American troops. All this in what Obama calls "a necessary war" to advance vital national interests. Exactly why that is so remains obscure. In the absence of a convincing answer, the growing Afghan fiasco looks to become a tragic comedy. Tragic for the United States, tragic for the cause of containing the spread of violent jihadist organizations, and tragic above all for the people of that war ravaged land. Just as on Iraq, the conclusion that we had to escalate our intervention preceded the assessment of why and how. Three unspoken premises underlie that judgment. All are dubious. First is the notion that the Taliban as well as al-Qaeda itself are our enemy. Their supposed hostility toward us means that they will lend their active support to terrorists targeting America, and may join in themselves. Second, the implication is that their eradication as a political force in Afghanistan is essential to our national security. Finally, the Taliban must be eliminated across the border in Pakistan, too. In short, a grand project for remaking the political life of two countries where favorable views of the United States are in the single digits (6% in Pakistan). Here is the more complicated reality. The Taliban agenda is an Afghan one. Their credo and program sets no ambitions beyond its borders. No Taliban ever has been implicated in actions outside their homeland. Today, their movement is fueled by a Pashtun sectarianism aggrieved by a government In Kabul dominated by their traditional Tajik and Uzbek rivals whom we installed in power -- except for our Karzai, himself a Pashtun. The Talban's political neutering is therefore an impossibility. Fellow Pashtuns in Northwest Pakistan are pushed into the Taliban fold by American airstrikes that enrage tribes whose members are victims, often innocent ones. Our prodding of the Pakistani leadership to abandon their policy of containment for one of military intrusions in conjunction with American air strikes has led to unprecedented upheaval that is further destabilizing the country's roiled politics. The Islamabad political elite is no more ready to risk civil war by complying with American demands than is Mr. Karzai to kow-tow to Richard Holbrooke at the risk of his political future. The elementary truth is that we do not have the power (hard, soft or half-baked) to transform the minds and behavior of entire peoples with whom we have no affinity and who view us as aliens. Our own self-declared virtue, good intentions and self-interest do not change that one iota. We should have learned that lesson in Iraq. We want absolute security -- zero threat from the Greater Middle East. We cannot get it -- no matter what we do. Our costly, pointless wars only increase whatever real risk exists. More on Afghanistan
 
What The F**K Happened To Rock And Roll? (VIDEO) Top
This is a good question. When did rock become the douchiest genre of music? When did Nickelback, Parachute, The Fray, Chris Daughtry, and Linkin Park become acceptable to listen to? Did that one band just give up on writing lyrics and repeat "love" over and over again and no one noticed? WATCH: Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter! More on Funny Videos
 
Kathleen Reardon: The Private Measure of Self: A Crucial Part of Ted Kennedy's Legacy Top
We are all of us a composite of conflicts from which may emerge a sense of who we truly are - a center of self. Some of us never find this place, leading lives of "quiet desperation" forever pushed and pulled. Senator Kennedy found his center and used it to better our lives. He was not perfect. As his son Ted said, "It hasn't always been easy to live with this man." Yet this same man rose to so many occasions in a family more than peppered with tragedy, more than gifted and in a country with so much to offer yet peopled with many willing to lessen its greatness. He was there to stand strong for both. As we watch this family embedded deep within the psyche of the American experience, the lesson Senator Kennedy conveyed by much of his life and in death is that each of us can find within ourselves a marvelous strength. We can persevere even facing what may at first seem more than can be borne. You don't have to be a lover of history as Kennedy was to learn, as he did, that your own history is worth study. To not know it is to assure repetition of its less admirable parts. To know it, truly, is to have within your grasp the ability to draw and build upon its impressive moments. Ted Kennedy came to know himself. He angered many but he also left those with mental illness, disabilities , and struggling with so many other challenges clearer pathways around otherwise formidable obstacles. He left all of us a blueprint for living with harsh events thrust upon us as well as struggles of principle and practice raging within. The public measure of ourselves so often seems the defining one, and yet, as we grow to know ourselves, it is the private measure, how we treat those we love, those who at times despise us and those we hardly know, that is ultimately the more telling. This is a lesson Ted Kennedy leaves. It is an invaluable one.
 
Miles J. Zaremski: The Moral Imperative: Health Care as an American Right Top
In recent days, pundits have turned to discussing health care as an American right. After all, we see this in other countries. When asked by Bill Maher on his show the other day, Bill Moyers said, "We're all in the same boat", and said how could he be provided an operation in a hospital, yet floors away someone else less fortunate could not have the same procedure because he couldn't pay for it. During the celebration of life on the passing of Teddy Kennedy at the Kennedy Library on August 28, we heard John Kerry state that health care is a right and that true health care reform will be passed this year. On the campaign trail against Senator McCain in Nashville, Tennessee last fall, President Obama said the same thing (they were both asked whether health care was a right, privilege, or responsibility and Obama said without hesitation, a right). Even Teddy Kennedy himself bellowed out at the August, 2008 Democratic convention when introducing then candidate Obama that health care is a right of all Americans. And a month earlier, this writer said in a column, "All Americans should be provided health care as a matter of a new social policy" ("Is It Time for Universal Health Coverage", Clinical Endocrinology News (p.38). A month later, I said in a published article, "Everyone has a right to healthcare". We are rounding the bend and coming full circle as the Congress is to return from its August recess and once more tackles the debate for real health care reform. Many have asked whether Kennedy's passing will have an impact on resolving the impasse. I doubt it. His oratory was powerful; make no mistake about it. But his real skill was in the art of compromise; he would sooner negotiate 75% of what he wanted rather than lose everything. It seems those days are long since passed. From outside the beltway as I am, the landscape is much more partisan, and the fight over major legislation is not merit-based, but predicated on what it takes to win the next election. We put President Obama in office to make a change -- a change in our lives -- what more of a change can there be but to ensure that every American, including those seeking citizenship in earnest, can afford and access health care. So, is health care a right? Certainly, not in a constitutional sense, though Thomas Jefferson spoke of in(un)alienable rights inclusive of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But there are a lot of rights that have been created over the decades of our history not found in the precise documents crafted by our Founding Fathers. Others of my colleagues have said health care should be viewed like a service, you know, like the state or municipally-generated electricity or gas that lights and heats our homes, or the publicly financed transportation systems that take us to work each day. There is no moral decision that need be taken with any such service. But however we look at health care, one thing is certain: health care is universal to each and every human being in this country, regardless of power, position, gender, race or ethnicity. That means those we voted into office to do the people's business have no more access to it than those who are at the poverty level. That also means those of our elected officials who will vote on health care reform should not be able to afford and access it any more than anyone else. Health care is the common equalizer (without our health we cannot do anything) among us all -- just like the most powerful and wealthy have no advantage over anyone else when going into a voting booth to vote: we all get just one vote. Similarly, the patient Bill Moyers referred to with Bill Maher should not be deprived of his surgery for a life full of health any more than, well, Bill Moyers . . . or, for that matter, each and every Member of Congress. When it comes to health care, elected officials are entitled to nothing more than that to which the ordinary American would be entitled. Maybe Kennedy's legacy will be not be shaped by his absence from the legislative process (he will be sorely missed certainly), or his style and presence in the well of the Senate and in the halls of Congress he walked so often, but in his being the symbol of achieving once and for all the moral imperative - - - that health care is a right for us all, and without its reform now, it will cease to exist. More on Health Care
 
Police Commissioner: Kennedy Memorial Largest Security Event In Boston History Top
BOSTON — Boston's police commissioner says the events surrounding the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy have drawn the largest security force he's ever seen in the city. Commissioner Ed Davis said there had only been one minor arrest of a protester during the three days of motorcades and memorials to the 77-year-old senator, who died Tuesday of a brain tumor. He had no details on the arrest. President Barack Obama, and three of the four living presidents, along with dozens of members of Congress attended Kennedy's funeral Saturday. Davis says the closest event to compare with the security for Kennedy's funeral Saturday was the 2004 Democratic National Convention – and that event was 18 months in planning. The city has not released an estimate of the cost for security, which included state and federal law enforcement.
 
Artie Lange On His 25-Year-Old Girlfriend: 'She's A Child' (VIDEO) Top
Artie Lange appeared on the "Late Show" last night and told David Letterman all about his 25-year-old girlfriend who he says he's been dating "since her prom." When Dave asked if she had children Lange responded, "No, she is a child." Although this seems like a lovely and committed relationship, Lange says there's trouble in paradise when she wants to "do something." "I'm 41 and I'm done doing stuff...I want to sit in a chair that's this wide, and watch Sports Center and eat until I fit into the chair." WATCH: Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter! More on The Late Show
 
This Week In Unnecessary Censorship (VIDEO) Top
Jimmy Kimmel is no fan of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the regulatory body in charge of policing the airwaves. Each week he mocks their job by taking clips with normal every day language and using censorship to make it seem lewd or inappropriate. As a result everything from "Sesame Street" to CNN comes out dirty...and hilarious. This week, Jimmy got intimate with reality show hosts, explored Senator Hatch's love for Ted Kennedy, and exposed Bradley Coopers's crush on Jon Lovitz. It's all pretty disturbing for a Saturday morning. Click here for the last episode! WATCH: Get HuffPost Comedy On Facebook and Twitter! More on Jimmy Kimmel
 
Wajahat Ali: The Redefining of Muslim Art by The Obama Generation Top
During the time of the Prophet Mohammed, the storyteller was valued more than the swordsman. Through poetry and eloquence, the speaker artistically orchestrated words and rhyme like magic, often enthralling the audience as he used fiction and history proudly to narrate his tribe's triumphs and tragedies. Yet many modern Muslims have decried creative endeavors such as music, filmmaking, acting and theatre as "un-Islamic". However, the watershed victory of President Obama in 2008 ushered in a new generation comprising vibrant, progressive Muslim artists who use their talents to redefine a bold new vision of art. One that reclaims their hijacked heritage, restores dignity to Islam and Muslims, deconstructs stereotypes and uses art as a means to build bridges of understanding. When the two towers fell in New York, they took with them the inhibitions of many fear-mongering and prejudiced Islamaphobes who were given a license under the Bush era to publicly spew vitriol against Islam and Muslims as harbingers of terror and cultural stagnation. A narrative was immediately set, casting the protagonists as the West -- a nebulous and nonsensical term referring to America and select parts of Europe -- and the antagonists as Muslims and immigrants. Unfortunately, Hollywood often tried progressive open-mindedness, but routinely failed, aside from the excellent Syriana starring George Clooney. In trying to portray Muslims positively, most mainstream Hollywood features can only muster depictions of Arabs against a backdrop of terrorism and extremism. It should surprise no one that a 2009 ABC poll revealed that 48 per cent of Americans don't hold a favorable opinion of Islam; more than 50 per cent don't know a single Muslim; and nearly 29 per cent believe mainstream Islam advocates violence. However, because of the backlash against Muslims after 9/11, many Muslims renounced the traditional career path and opted for more challenging roles in the arts and media. Throughout history, marginalized groups and oppressed minorities have used art as a means to fight back against intolerance. The ingredients that fuel such sentiments are generally political -- random profiling at the airport, for example -- as well as a renewed respect for one's identity, culture and people. The phase that many Muslims went through from 2001 to 2007 was a necessary step for artistic evolution, as it contained righteous indignation against inequality, vocal affirmation for one's religious and racial identity, and healthy doses of political activism. Around 2002, the world was introduced to Muslim comedy, as Preacher Moss, an African American convert to Islam and stand-up comedian, and Azhar Usman, a South Asian Muslim who was a licensed attorney, premiered their comedy show Allah Made Me Funny to sell-out audiences. In Canada, Zarqa Nawaz premiered her successful sitcom Little Mosque in the Prairie, which centers on a fictional Muslim community coexisting with non-Muslim neighbors. As a practicing Muslim who covers her hair, Nawaz wisely followed in the footsteps of Bill Cosby, who revolutionized and humanized the depiction of African Americans with his landmark comedy show by portraying them as educated, affluent members of society. Humor, however, is not the only vehicle for Muslims to reorient the dialogue with non-Muslims. Dr Naif Al-Mutawa decided Muslim children needed their own Batman and Superman and created "The 99", the first team of Muslim superheroes. Willow Wilson, an American convert to Islam, is the first Muslim comic book writer for a major comic company, DC, where she premiered her graphic novel, Cairo, depicting modern day Egyptian society as a chaotic yet tremendously vibrant Muslim society rife with religiosity, corruption, political instability, jinns and many, many shishas. Wilson also penned her honest and uplifting memoir Butterfly Mosque which chronicles her conversion to Islam and embraces -- not demonizes -- both Muslims and the West as critical foundations for her spiritual journey. Despite these numerous successes, some Muslims still demand all expressions of art be used as vehicles for dawah -- a call and invitation to Islam. This myopic lens of viewing art and the world straitjackets many Muslim artists. Many artists I have talked to feel an undue pressure to make all their works halal, so to speak. No wonder Yusuf Islam made the wise decision to perform simply as Yusuf on his excellent new CD, Roadsinger, and remove the glaring emphasis away from his religion. His peaceful lyrics and soulful voice do all the talking instead. Muslim art must open up to include rich and diverse voices who represent the gamut of the Muslim experience. Landmark events such as New York's Muslim Voices and Washington DC's Arabesque understand this initiative. They invite artistic talent from around the Muslim world in a desire to establish influential cultural dialogue that engages both Muslims and non-Muslims as audiences and financial supporters. These watershed cultural movements realise that the Muslim community, much like the world, is a vast and multicultural playground where not every artistic expression necessarily shines through traditional means. The artistic expression of Muslims should be more proactive and progressive and not solely focused on Islamic dawah. For example, the Kominas, a Punjabi taqwacore punk band, sport mohawks and tattoos as they thrash on stage singing Suicide Bomb the Gap. Although they might appear un-Islamic, their music and lyrics are thoroughly informed by their upbringing as Muslims in America. Like a number of minority groups, Muslims often resent airing dirty laundry. Showing the warts and fissures of their communities is seen as shameful. However, so is the reality of honor killing, domestic abuse, racism, misogyny, and sectarian violence. By exposing these warts through honesty, humor and realistic, flawed Muslim characters, Muslims will cease feeling alienated and instead find empathy with audiences who can identify with their triumphs and tragedies. It is with this intention that I wrote the play, The Domestic Crusaders , which is premiering on September 11 in New York. Described by one reviewer as "one of the first major Muslim American plays", it draws on the rich tradition of American and Muslim storytelling. The play takes place in modern day, post 9/11 America and features three generations of a Muslim American family who convene at the family home to celebrate the birthday of the youngest son, Ghafur. Throughout the day, the six members -- all diverse, passionate and Muslim -- reveal secrets and gain awareness as they struggle to assert their own identities and beliefs, while maintaining the thread that connects them to one another. None of the Muslim characters is perfect. They are flawed, hypocritical, judgmental, insecure and at times racist. They are also passionate, intelligent, humane, tolerant and colorful. Following in the footsteps of Muslim artists past and present, a new generation seeks to voice the reality of the Islamic experience. In the US, we are trying to move away from focusing on 9/11 as a day of horror, and instead make it a day to recommit ourselves to national service. It seems a good day as well to open Domestic Crusaders in New York. We too suffered on 9/11, but that is not all there is to our story; our story is constantly being written, and sung, and acted, and performed. Wajahat Ali is a writer, journalist, blogger and attorney. His work, The Domestic Crusaders, premieres on September 11 in New York. He blogs at www.goatmilk.wordpress.com
 
Toast The End of Summer With 8 Green Boxed Wines Top
Being budget conscious, wine savvy and eco-friendly is all the rage. (We'll drink to that!) These reviews of the best boxed wines make it easy. More on Local Food
 
Mary Hall: Ted Kennedy: He Acted on a Request for Help and Changed a Little Girl's Life Top
Like many Americans, I have spent the last few nights mesmerized by the news retrospectives about Senator Ted Kennedy.  I have long admired Ted Kennedy and his family.  This week, I felt  we all experienced a loss.  He touched so many of our lives with ground breaking legislation to  the help the disabled and those paid low  wages. His righteous indignation at the Bush administration and the Republican Senate for refusing to pass the law to increase the minimum wage while millions of dollars were being proposed for other issues, was a thing of beauty. You had to watch C-SPAN to see it then,  but it's a YouTube classic this wee k, with Teddy emoting, "How many billions more do you want? When does the greed stop we ask the other side?... Do you have such disdain for hard working Americans that you want to pile all your amendments on us? What is it about it that drives you Republicans crazy?....  What is the price that the workers have to pay to get an increase?" Pictured: The Lion of the Senate, Ted Kennedy I knew he was a fierce liberal warrior, but I didn't realize until tonight just how compassionate the Senator really was until an old friend from Cincinnati, Matt Rosen, called to remind me of his personal experience with Ted Kennedy.    In 1977 my friend Matt was a lowly Capitol Hill Congressional Aide, answering mail for his local Congressman, Thomas Luken of Cincinnati.  One Friday afternoon the telephone rang and it was a local constituent (from Cincinnati), who worked at Cincinnati Childrens’ Hospital and was involved in the Jewish Russian Refusnik movement.  This caring constituent told Matt the story of the infant Jessica Katz.  The caller asked for  Congressman Luken's  help in obtaining exit visas for Jessica and her parents to come to Cincinnati Childrens’ Hospital for treatment.  Matt was very moved by her call.  He was especially touched that the person who needed help was a small child, a little girl.  He knew that if the child could get to the United States she would have a life.  In Russia, her fate would be death, simply because the medical care she needed was not available. From the caller, Matt understood that little Jessica Katz had a disease called malabsorption syndrome, which is a fatal disease involving the inability to digest and absorb food. He had never heard of such a thing before.  The only two hospitals that could treat the disease were Childrens’ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio and Childrens’ Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.  The problem was that Jessica Katz lived in Russia and in 1977, few if any Jewish people were allowed out of the former Soviet Union for any reason. Matt was galvanized by the story. With determination, he went to work on it, writing Ambassador Dobrynin and the Kremlin, twice calling Jessica’s parents in Russia (with newspaper reporters on hand), and enlisting the support of the American Medical Association and the Ohio State Medical Association. He told me he worried that he would not be able to reach the right person in time to save Jessica and get her the treatment she needed.  Fortunately, the calls he made and letters he wrote from Congressman Tom Luken's office reached someone who could make a difference.  This person was Senator Kennedy.  In 1978, Ted Kennedy was in Russia meeting with the premier, Leonid Brezhnev .   Later, Matt learned that  Senator Kennedy asked for the release of Jessica Katz during these meetings.  Remarkably, the Senator's persistent requests for help for Jessica were granted.   She was allowed to leave the Soviet Union.     Pictured: Jessica Katz with her parents. Matt was amazed when he heard what had happened.  Who would've thought that his pleas would make their way to Senator Kennedy and that he would act on them ?  The Katz family eventually arrived in the US in Boston, at Logan Airport and Senator Kennedy was there to greet them.  Clearly, this was a man who truly cared for others.  He did not need to take the time to help the Katz family or welcome them to the US. When my friend Matt told me this story tonight, I was amazed.   I Googled it, and I found that the story has been covered recently by CNN and called the " the littlest refusenik ."  Today CNN reports that Jessica Katz is healthy and working in New York helping homeless people to find housing.  She is continuing something she learned early in life, the importance of helping others who are less fortunate. I asked Matt tonight if he thought Kennedy should've been President.  He thought for a minute and replied, "No, I think he did more good as a Senator." Jessica Katz is living proof of that.  Where would she be if Ted Kennedy had not fought for her?
 
Environmental, Racial Clash In Alabama Over Tennessee Coal Ash Top
Almost every day, a train pulls into a rail yard in rural Alabama, hauling 8,500 tons of a disaster that occurred 350 miles away to a final resting place, the Arrowhead Landfill here in Perry County, which is very poor and almost 70 percent black. To county leaders, the train's loads, which will total three million cubic yards of coal ash from a massive spill at a power plant in east Tennessee last December, are a tremendous financial windfall. A per-ton "host fee" that the landfill operators pay the county will add more than $3 million to the county's budget of about $4.5 million.
 
Ellen Gill: Mark Kirk's Big Health Care Reform Idea is to Create Huge National Insurance Monopolies That Are Fully Deregulated Top
Illinois Tenth District Representative, Mark Kirk, held a health care town hall meeting on Monday August 24, 2009 to unveil his own plan for reform. This blog post debunks the centerpiece of Kirk's scheme, the creation of a national, private market for insurance plans by preempting state laws that regulate insurance plans in order to allow plan purchases across state lines. This is not Kirk's brilliant new idea, but an old idea from the right wing Heritage Foundation and it would be harmful to consumers and is unlikely to create the competition Kirk promises. Under current law, the states regulate private insurers. State regulatory bodies register companies offering plans within the state and such plans must comply with state insurance laws. These state laws are generally for consumer protection. States require insurers to hold reserves to make sure money is available to pay claims. State regulators may force compliance or fine insurers that fail to comply with state regulation or the terms of their own policies. If non-compliance is bad and frequent enough, it could cost the insurer its license to do business in the state. In addition to consumer assistance, another benefit of state regulation of health insurance is mandated coverage. Insurers do not like to insure certain conditions or cover certain tests. For example, insurers don't like mammograms. After years of women's organizations fighting for mandated coverage of mammograms, several states have mandated that coverage. Ironically, Kirk touted the high incidence of mammography in the U.S. as proving that our health care status quo is fine, but failed to mention that most of those mammograms would not have happened without the state coverage mandates. Another popular mandated coverage is coverage for post-college children under 26 years of age. These and other mandated coverages are marked for the trash heap under Kirk's plan. Under Kirk's plan, state insurance regulations would be federally preempted, but not replaced with new federal regulations. An audience member at Kirk's town hall asked the congressman if he support federal regulation to replace the state regulation he would have us eliminate, and he said no. Kirk wants to replace the entire body of state regulatory law with some minimum plan standards that will not be enforced, as there will be no enforcement body to do it. He is also against the enforcement of plan standards in the current version of the House health care bill. Without state limits as they now exist, insurers would be allowed to consolidate their plans and offer them nationwide. Kirk sells his idea by describing a lack of competition in the industry. That part is true. In 2006, the GAO found a trend toward consolidation of insurers . A few corporate insurers control most of the market share. However, Kirk's own reasoning explains why his idea will not create more competition. Even in a fully national market, there is little chance of finding a Joe's Insurance Shack of Southeast Minneapolis being offered in Rogers Park in Chicago, or a Mom and Pop's Insurance Emporium of Wilshire and Harbor Parkway in LA being sold near the 5 Way Chili Company in Cincinnati. We're talking about Blue Cross of Michigan offering policies in Ohio and United Healthcare offering its Colorado plan in Phoenix. It will be the same large companies, the ones that are already over-consolidated, consolidating even more by providing insurance nationwide. There will be even less competition because the few smaller insurers that are left will get crushed by the big plans crossing into their territories. Worse, these huge national health insurance monopolies will be fully de-regulated. They will be able to set prices how they want and do business how they want, and the consumer will have no place to turn for relief because the state regulatory bodies will be dismantled. We are likely to end up with more insurance companies that are too big to fail, like AIG and they'll be health insurers, so their demise will affect your health. The real question here is why republicans like Kirk, who claims to be for state's rights, want to eliminate state control over health insurance. I think the answer is apparent. Kirk's plan to deregulate the insurance industry is no different from previous Republican initiatives to deregulate banking, agriculture and food and drug safety that brought us near depression and gave us poisonous food and dangerous medicines. It's about corporate profits over the good of the country. I also think that eliminating state regulation of health care insurance is so important to Republicans because, absent federal reform, which they have been able to block for so long, many states have taken it upon themselves to create reform. In my state of Illinois, there is a movement to create a state single payer. They want that stopped.
 
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: Mayor Michael Wildes and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach of Englewood, NJ, Confirm that Sunday's Rally Against Kaddafi Remains On; Top
Mayor Michael Wildes and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach of Englewood, NJ, Confirm that Sunday's Rally Against Kaddafi Remains On; Thank Congressman Rothman for Speaking to the Libyans but Insist that Only State Dept Confirmation Sufficient We are extremely grateful to our Congressman, Steve Rothman, for his strong and tireless efforts to keep Kaddafi out of Englewood. But we will not be satisfied with verbal assurances from the Libyans, especially when they are not even named in the Congressman's release. As Gordon Brown and the Scottish Government recently discovered to the severe detriment of their own international credibility, Kaddafi is a liar and the Libyans are not to be trusted. Kaddafi assured the British Prime Minister and the Scottish government that he would quietly ferry the Lockerbie bomber to Tripoli, only to have a Mardi Gras-style celebration awaiting him. Our elected representatives would be wise to exercise caution in taking the word of Kaddafi. The only assurances we will accept that Kaddafi is not coming to Englewood is from a named source at the State Department who assures us that Kaddafi is entering the United States on a visa that restricts him to the island of Manhattan and we urge our Congressman to obtain such assurances. Even then, we will push for the Libyan government to sell their compound in Englewood and clear out of the neighborhood. We don't want a terrorist-funding government in our midst. We stand strong with the 38 New Jersey victims of Pan Am 103 and are going ahead with our large communal demonstration against Kaddafi and the Libyan government this Sunday at 11am outside the Libyan compound. For more information contact Kennia Ramirez on 201-816-3540. Kennia@thisworld.us.
 
Pat Nolan: Senator Kennedy and the Animated Discourse of Liberty Top
When I was growing up, my family thought Teddy Kennedy was the closest thing to the devil incarnate. His politics were way too liberal for the Nolans, and as Catholics we were embarrassed by his personal failings. But God has a sense of humor, and years later I found myself working closely with Senator Kennedy on issues about which we were both passionate - combating prison rape and protecting the religious rights of prisoners. I want to make clear I was not buddies with the Senator, and we only met a few times. I think in the last few days every person who was ever in Fenway Park when the Senator was at a Red Sox game has written something along the lines of "My Life with Teddy Kennedy: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." But as a former legislator I had a chance to see him in action up close. I can spot the difference between a hard worker and a sponge. I have found that legislators usually fell into three categories - the showhorses, the workhorses, and those nice but inert people who never can quite figure out what is happening. In each of my encounters with Senator Kennedy I could see he was definitely a workhorse, much to my surprise. The first time I met the Senator I introduced him at a press conference to announce legislation that would reassert protections for religion weakened by the Supreme Court. Kennedy was one of several sponsors of the bill, an impressive group of respected leaders from both left and right from both houses of Congress. Each legislator read strong statements in support of the bill. Nice words but pedestrian. On paper they were probably well phrased, but the delivery was uninspired and uninspiring. Senator Kennedy was the last speaker. He placed his note cards on the podium, but never looked at them. Instead, he delivered an extemporaneous, eloquent and passionate defense of religious liberty. His words were from the heart and they soared. This was true oratory, the kind we read in Catholic school. I had been similarly inspired from the pulpit on a few occasions, but the only other person in politics who could speak like that was Ronald Reagan. And Senator Kennedy's word weren't empty. They were powerful, expressing what were clearly sincerely held beliefs. A few years later, I testified in support of the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Senator Kennedy was the principal sponsor, and the bill had strong bi-partisan support. Following our testimony, the senators asked us questions. This is usually a frustrating ritual in which senators read the questions prepared by their staffs. After the witnesses give their answers, the senators ignore the responses and plunge into the next prepared question. The prison rape hearing followed the typical pattern...until it was Senator Kennedy's turn. He had obviously listened carefully to what we had said. His questions helped bring out important points we had made or probed further to bring clarity. He exhibited a thorough knowledge of prison rape and its implications for public health and safety. He spoke fervently about the moral depravity of those who ignored the pleas of prisoners who have been raped. And he effectively debunked the claims that prison rape is very rare. I was very impressed with the depth of his knowledge and his commitment to combating prison rape. One other observation about the Senator: he treated his staff well. They were clearly part of a team, not mere subordinates. And he had a skill for hiring and keeping top notch people. Despite his image as a fierce ideologue I found he was willing accommodate opposition concerns. Of course, on issues like abortion, gay marriage and judicial nominations he sought no middle ground. On the other hand, neither he nor his staff disrespected my own strongly held views on these hot button topics. They were willing to ignore our differences, and work on the issues where there was common ground. In fact, the Senator and his staff were eager to find those issues where we could work together. The patriot Sam Adams celebrated the "animated discourse of liberty." Senator Kennedy continued that heritage of animated and civil discourse that is the hallmark of the American Republic. More on Ted Kennedy
 
Lester Sloan: Trup: From the Detroit Stories Top
It had been raining about an hour when the locksmith rang my doorbell. I went to the door prepared to put his mind at ease. If you didn't know, Detroit is like that. Nowadays delivery men, telephone installers, utility personnel, even the mail carriers are suspicious when entering a private dwelling. It makes no difference where you live; if you are a black male living anywhere, you are suspect. A flourishing drug trade and a faltering economy have had a leveling effect on one's expectations. I had already gone through this with a telephone installer. He was a tattooed, pumped up white guy that one would expect to find at any truck stop. His Aryan Nation markings prompted me to take down his license number the first chance I had. We're all guilty of urban profiling. Nowadays, Blacks can live just about anywhere their money will take them, and many whites believe that drugs and black go together. In my case, it may also have something to do with the season and the surrounding neighborhood. I had returned to my home in Indian Village, a Detroit enclave of English Revival, Bungalow, Arts and Craft and Tudor homes built around the turn of the century. This historic district is surrounded by a less affluent communities. It was also the time of the year, and I sometimes tend to dress like an urban warrior, to blend in with my extended surroundings. "Sloan?" The locksmith greeted me with no sign of trepidation. But from the tone of his voice I could tell that mine was not a face that he'd expected. His work requires him to stand in the open door, a hop, skip and a jump from his unlocked van. He looked like someone I could trust, a sub 6', 60-plus white guy with no apparent tattoos. "This is the place, anything you need--an extension cord, available outlets?" "No. I have a battery powered drill and everything I need right here in my bag outside the door." I went to the living room and hit the auxiliary button on the radio. Within a few seconds the music from my favorite Pavarotti CD warmed the chill walls. This was mainly for me, but it seemed to have a calming affect on the locksmith as well. It was winter, but with the front door wide open, I gave up the idea of putting a couple of logs in the fireplace to take the chill out of the house. We moved around each other a little easier, talking about the city of our youth. He knew the history well. But we talked a lot about things that didn't matter. Race, politics, religion and crime were no, no's. "Looks like you're doing lots of work on this house," the voice in the door shouted out to me. "Yea, it's a never-ending job. I'm told you do lots of work on these old houses in the area." "Not as much as I used to, but enough to keep me busy." He explained that he had gone to high school with Fred, the owner of the locksmith company. "Where was that?" I asked. "Denby High School. Class of '59." "We beat you guys 13 to 12 in '58," I boasted. "Where did you go?" he asked, looking in my direction with a handful of parts from my new lock. "Eastern, which used to be on the Boulevard and Mack." "You still remember the score from the game?" "You bet! It was a huge upset," I replied. What I didn't tell him was that both the students and their parents stoned our bus as we pulled out of the school parking lot after the game. There was such an outpouring of hatred that we sat momentarily in a stunned silence. By the time we cleared out of the school lot, we were hurling our own racial slurs out the open windows. There is a part of me that likes to think that things were different back then, better than they are now with blacks and whites tiptoeing around each other. My buddy Rodney and I used to shovel snow and rake leaves in this neighborhood. I didn't admit it at the time, but always wanted a house over here in Indian Village. As a kid we lived on a street just four blocks away on Baldwin, in a working class neighborhood of black and white factory workers, plumbers, and electricians. Black and white alike, we went to school together, played together and, to some extent, dreamed together. It all seemed to come to a screeching halt in the late 50's and early 60's. Long before Rodney became my running buddy, there were Angelo Nucci, Patrick Neapolitano and Johnny Balfuri-- mostly Italians, like the woman I would eventually marry. I can still close my eyes and hear Angelo calling out, "Lester! Lester! Can you come out?" "What's your name?" I asked the locksmith. "Matt. Matt Trupiano. My friends call me Trup." "I'm Lester, Trup." We were in a groove, Trup and me, inside a protective cocoon of selective memories that allowed us to let our guard down. Was it Pavarotti singing Nessum Dorma? I can't be sure, but it didn't hurt. "As a kid I used to go to Belle Isle a lot," Trup volunteered. "I used to run there," I told him. "I'd leave our house on Baldwin, jog across the river to the beach and go swimming... then run back again. I was a little crazy then." "You?" He said. "I bet my buddy that I could swim across the river." We discussed the nature of this feat, considering that the Detroit River has a very strong tide. Then, Trup changed course. "Did you know that Harry Houdini died here? His body was laid to rest at a Funeral Home on Cass Avenue. I have a copy of both his birth certificate and his death certificate, all kinds of memorabilia. He was the reason I got into the lock business." The great escape artist last performance was at the Garrick Theater in Detroit on October 24, 1926. Published reports say that he had a fever of one hundred and four degrees. Despite a diagnosis of acute appendicitis, he went on stage. He passed out during his performance and was later admitted to Grace Hospital in Detroit, where he died. Trup was born 18 years later. As a kid, he too had a little magic act going. He wanted learn more about locks, so he started an apprenticeship at an Ace Hardware store on 14th and West Warren, right across from the Twenty Grand. "You remember the Twenty Grand?" Trup asked. "Of course," I said. "Is Houdini the reason you decided to swim across the river?" "Could be. My buddy convinced me that I should tie a rope around me, just in case. It's a good thing that he did. I didn't make it to the first pillar, before the tide was sweeping me under. That rope saved my life." Trup was finishing up. He went to his van and made me a couple of extra keys then asked if he could come back inside to make out a bill. He sat at my desk under a couple of pictures of Woody Strode and Joel Fluellen, two black actors from the 40's and 50's. "You recognize these guys?" I asked, testing my buddy-to-be. "The cowboy looks familiar." "You ever see a movie called Sergeant Rutledge ?" "No." "What about Spartacus ?" "Was he the big guy who fought Kurt Douglas?" "Right. The last film he was in was Cotton Club ." Joel, the guy in the other photo, starred with James Earl Jones in The Great White Hope . "Was the Cotton Club the place in Harlem where blacks could perform, but not go?" Trup Asked. "Yes." I explained that a good friend of mine worked on Cotton Club as a still photographer. He said the day Woody showed up on the set there was pandemonium-- shooting stopped as people gathered around asking for autographs. Strode was an icon: an all-American athlete who was one of the first black professional football players. He was also a real cowboy. "Did you know him well?" Trup asked. "We spent some time together. I interviewed and photographed him around his home in Southern California. He was seventy-eight when that picture was made." The great director John Ford told Woody that he would make him into a great character actor, and he did. John Wayne got the credit for being a great athlete and cowboy, but he couldn't carry Woody's shoes. "You know how much he made for Spartacus?" I asked Trup. "Eight hundred dollars. And he did all of his own stunts." He later went to live in Italy for ten years where he made spaghetti westerns and gangster movies with Sergio Leone, the great Italian director. Trup had told me about his hero, and I was taking time to talk about some of mine. Blacks actors such as Woody and Joel were escape artists as well, but the locks from which they escaped were of another type: the social, economic and racial barriers that ensnared blacks in the lower rungs of the food chain. Both of them refused to yield. Listening to their inner voices, they clawed their way to the outer rim of their own golden chalice, one that allowed them to maintain their self-respect, while paving the way for those who came after them. I suspect that Trup, when given the opportunity, could appreciate the Houdini in the both of them. "We should stay in touch man," I said, "There's lots to talk about." "Sure Les, let's do that." More on Italy
 
Mark Dorlester: Ted Kennedy: A Reason To Rejoice Top
Much is said today, as Senator Ted Kennedy is memorialized, about his extraordinary service to our nation, and I too rejoice in that. But I have an entirely different reason to celebrate today, even as we all mourn the passing of this remarkable man. It was 1980, when Senator Kennedy ran for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, when I first met him. I held some private-sector leadership positions, and the nonprofit presidency of Common Cause Maryland, and was invited, with a group of like people, to meet with Kennedy on Capitol Hill. I arrived at the appointed hour, just as Kennedy entered the meeting room overflowing with invited guests and thrice that number of lookers-on. As he faced the group, a look of absolute terror overcame him. Let me be clear: I have never in my long life seen as much terror on the face of anyone. He made sustained eye contact with every one of us, in turn, in total silence, a process taking several minutes. One could not help but recall the day 12 years earlier when Bobby Kennedy was shot dead in a similar setting in California. One could not help but recall the November Friday in 1963 when President Kennedy was shot dead in Dallas. Finally, Ted Kennedy relaxed and spoke of his great dreams for the nation - for the people. He was inspiring in exactly the same way Dr. King was inspiring. It wasn't merely his words or rhetorical flourishes or oratorical skill. No, with Kennedy as with King, you knew you were listening to intonations of his heart - or dare I say, of his soul. Of course, this brought to mind the shock of April 4, 1968, when Dr. King was shot dead in Memphis. One began to intuit a deeper understanding of the intense terror on Ted Kennedy's face a few minutes earlier. I, for one, verged on visibly trembling. Years later, when Robert Bork was nominated to the Supreme Court in 1987 and Kennedy was the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, I provided an obscure academic work I'd completed a decade earlier on the meaning of the 9th Amendment to the Constitution, about unenumerated rights, and suggestions for inquiry on that subject. To my great surprise, Kennedy, in his open-mindedness, used the information during the hearings. Much is said today, as Senator Kennedy is memorialized, about his long and extraordinary service to our nation. But with all that, I rejoice today for a different reason. Thank God Almighty, he died peacefully. More on Ted Kennedy
 
James Zogby: Enough is Enough Top
It is more than ironic that at the very moment when the US is pressing Arab States to take steps toward normalizing relations with Israel (including measures like: opening airspace to Israeli overflights, exchange of commercial offices, and issuing visas for business and cultural exchange), the government of Israel has taken new measures to further restrict the rights of American citizens visiting Israel and the Occupied Palestinian lands. According to an August, 14 2009 Department of State Travel Warning, "In June 2009, the Israeli government began selectively limiting certain travelers to either the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza, or to Israel and Jerusalem." As described by an advocacy group working on these issues, here's how the new policy works. Israeli border officials have begun using a new entry permit stamped with the words "Palestinian Authority only." In addition, some foreign nationals have been issued 'Israel only' permits or have been required to sign a statement which commits them not to enter the Palestinian Authority (PA) controlled areas of the West Bank under penalty of legal action. In response to questioning about these Israeli practices at State Department briefings, official spokespersons have responded that "we have let the Government of Israel know that these restrictions unfairly impact Palestinian and Arab American travelers and are not acceptable", and have added, on other occasions, that the US "regrets" and "disagrees" with these measures. Having worked on issues relating to Israel's treatment of Arab Americans for over three decades now, I must say "not good enough." I have received harrowing accounts of the impact of these Israeli policies. an American family with four children trapped in Gaza and unable to leave; other Americans who are in the West Bank, having entered through the Allenby Bridge, but because they hold non-refundable airline tickets departing from Ben Gurion Airport (purchased before this Israeli practice was put into place), are, therefore, unable to make their flights; a group of American women (not of Arab descent), whose husbands were attending a business conference in Amman, were detained, by Israeli border officials, for seven hours and subjected to rude and humiliating questioning when they attempted to cross the Allenby Bridge to see the Holy Sites in Bethlehem and Jerusalem; American-born Palestinians have been forced to surrender their US passports, on entry, and receive, against their will, a Palestinian ID document; numerous reports from American-born US citizens of Palestinian and other Arab descent are being singled out for prolonged questioning on entry and departure; and onerous and discriminatory visa requirements imposed upon Palestinian Americans which have severely impacted their families and businesses. As I have long noted in my complaints to US officials, by engaging in such practices, Israel appears to have defined, for itself, three categories of US citizenship: American Jews, whom they see as having "birthright advantages"; most other US citizens, as long as they have no know identification with Palestinians, who are respected and protected; and then, finally, Arab Americans whose rights as US citizens Israel does not fully recognize. In behaving thusly, and given the US failure to act decisively to put an end to this behavior, both Israel and the US are in violation of their obligations. The U.S. passport, the prized possession of any U.S. traveler, says quite clearly on the opening page: "The Secretary of State of the United States of America hereby requests all whom it may concern to permit the citizen/national of the United States named herein to pass without delay or hindrance and in case of need to give all lawful aid and protection." There is also the 1951 Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation, signed by the U.S. and Israel, in which Israel agrees that U.S. citizens traveling there be permitted "to travel therein freely, to reside at places of their choice; to enjoy liberty of conscience...and to bury their dead according to their customs." The Treaty also prohibits "unlawful molestations of every kind," and guarantees U.S. citizens "the most constant protection and security." Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for the US Administration calling for a settlement freeze and encouraging Arab States to elaborate on their peace initiative in an effort to advance the peace process. I've made the case advocating such steps (and been criticized, by some, for doing so). But, I believe the first obligation of any government is to defend the rights of its citizens. Put aside for a moment, if you can, both the fact that these Israeli measures only further contribute to the cantonization of Palestinian lands and also the ongoing humiliation, and worse, endured by Palestinians under occupation--this matter of Israel's discriminatory treatment of US citizens stands out for special consideration. I can only imagine what the US reaction would be if any other government in the world targeted any other group of American citizens with the same contempt Israel consistently displays toward Arab Americans. That's why I say, "regrets are not enough." It is time for the US to act decisively and make clear that the rights of its citizens come first and must be guaranteed. Enough is enough. More on Israel
 
Newsweek: Why The GOP Is Gunning For Grandma Top
The republicans charge that Democratic health care reform would, in Sen. Charles Grassley's words, "pull the plug on Grandma." According to Sen. Jon Kyl, the bills before Congress would ration medical treatment by age. Rep. John Boehner says they promote euthanasia. Sarah Palin has raised the specter of "death panels." Such fears are understandable. It's not preposterous to imagine laws that would try to save money by encouraging the inconvenient elderly to make an early exit. After all, that's been the Republican policy for years. More on Sarah Palin
 
Daniel Cubias: How to Quit Smoking (Meddling Hispanic Style) Top
With all the fevered debate over health care, I'm surprised that few people have addressed the root cause of so much misery: the failure of our society to keep people from getting sick in the first place. It's actually pretty simple to get people to adopt healthier habits. Well, actually, it's easy only if strong-willed Latinas run one's family. For example, when my grandmother moved to this country, over two decades ago, she was a multipack-a-day smoker. My mother and aunt were naturally concerned that their mom was on her way to an early, hack-coughing, phlegm-coated death. So they asked her to stop smoking. My abuela rejected their request with the scorn of someone who has lived to old age and uses that fact to dismiss other people's opinions. Thus blocked, my mother and aunt hit upon an effective, albeit ethically dubious, workaround. They told her that smoking was illegal in America. My grandmother, who spoke no English, was in disbelief. What kind of place was this America? Keep in mind that this was in the days before Spanish-language cable channels or radio programs. And considering she had just moved here and that we were among the few Hispanics in the city at that time, she had no outsiders whom she could seek out to confirm this shocking fact. She had to quit, her daughters told her, or the cops would bust her. My grandmother refused to believe this at first, and she pointed out that she saw people smoking on the street. "Yes," my aunt said with great patience. "They are breaking the law." My mother added that the smoker was taking a grave risk, analogous to stealing a car in broad daylight. My grandmother didn't want to stick around for that, lest she get caught up in the imminent police raid. So she went home, finished the last pack that she had brought with her from El Salvador, and went cold turkey. Years later, when she was long off cigarettes, my grandmother learned that the whole thing had been a lie. Of course, she was pissed off, and she sputtered threats and issued oaths and sent everyone in the family to hell. But she still hasn't started smoking again. Granted, this technique only works on recent immigrants who haven't learned English yet. And even then, most immigrants now have an instant community that they can join or websites that they can check out or any number of opportunities to discover if their well-meaning children are lying to them for their own good. It's a completely different world today, in large part because immigrants like my grandmother have come over in greater numbers and with more of a drive to know what the hell is gong on in their adopted country. So maybe the anti-smoking trick isn't effective anymore. In any case, my home state has just instituted a ban on indoor smoking, which many other places have already adopted. I'll have to ask my grandmother if she thinks it's a good idea. More on Health Care
 
Karzai Increases Lead In Afghan Election, Fraud Accusations Pour In To Electoral Complaint Commission Top
KABUL — President Hamid Karzai widened his lead over his main challenger in election returns released Saturday, creeping toward the 50 percent mark that would enable him to avoid a run-off in the divisive presidential contest. Karzai's top challenger Abdullah Abdullah stepped up his fraud charges, raising doubts whether the former foreign minister's followers would accept the incumbent if he wins in the first round. Accusations of fraud in the Aug. 20 vote have poured into the Electoral Complaint Commission, which must investigate the allegations before final results can be announced. Fraud allegations from Abdullah and other presidential candidates as well as low turnout in the violent south could strip the election of legitimacy, not only among Afghans but also among the United States and its international partners that have staked their Afghan policies on support for a credible government. A widely accepted Afghan government is one of the pillars of President Barack Obama's strategy to turn the tide of the Taliban insurgency. The election controversy has boiled over at a time of rising U.S. and NATO casualties, undermining support for the war in the U.S., Britain and other countries with troops here. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid a surprise visit Saturday to British troops in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, hoping to counter critics who accuse his government of failing to support Britain's mission here. A British Marine was killed by a bomb in Helmand on the day of the prime minister's visit, the Ministry of Defense said in London. Figures released Saturday show Karzai with 46.2 percent of the votes against Abdullah's 31.4 percent. The results are based on 35 percent of the country's polling stations, meaning the percentages could still change dramatically. Few results have been announced from northern Balkh province, where Abdullah was expected to run strong, and from some southern Pashto-speaking provinces where Karzai draws his support. Karzai's aides appeared confident that the president would score a first-round victory and avoid a run-off, which would probably be held in October if needed. By contrast, Abdullah has been stepping up his charges, telling Italy's RAI television that Karzai was responsible for "state-crafted, massive election fraud." Abdullah's drumbeat of allegations appear aimed in part at the United States and its allies, which would face some hard choices if a substantial number of fraud complaints are found to be true. "If we allow he who robbed the votes of this country to move forward, we would give the Afghan people a future that they do not want to see, and I think this goes also for the international community," Abdullah said in the Italian interview. Abdullah said he would keep his protests "within the confines of the law." "But the fact is that the foundations of this country have been damaged by this fraud, throwing it open to all kinds of consequences, including instability," he added. "It is true that the Taliban are the first threat to this country, but an illegitimate government would be the second." International officials – including Obama, the top U.N. official in Afghanistan and the European Commission – were quick to congratulate Afghans for pulling off the vote in the face of Taliban threats and violence. But the massive fraud allegations that have surfaced since then have cast a dark shadow over the process, and some officials are withholding judgment on whether the election was credible. The U.S.-funded International Republican Institute, which sent 29 international observers to monitor the balloting, urged authorities Saturday to ensure that "all complaints" be examined "in a prompt, fair and transparent manner" so that the results will be accepted by most Afghans. Senior officials from 27 countries – including special U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke – are to meet in Paris on Wednesday to discuss Afghanistan, and the disputed election is likely to dominate the agenda. During his visit with British forces, Brown promised to provide more equipment to help his soldiers cope with Taliban roadside bombs, the major threat to NATO forces. More than 200 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001 – more than Britain lost in the Iraq conflict. "Let me pay tribute to the courage, bravery, professionalism and patriotism of our forces," Brown told the troops at the British base in Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province. "I think our forces have shown extraordinary courage during this period. They know the reason why we are here and that is our security at home depends on a stable Afghanistan, no return of the Taliban, and no role for al-Qaida in the running of Afghanistan." Brown called for speeding up the training of Afghan forces so they can play a bigger role in fighting the Taliban. Britain has about 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, compared with more than 60,000 Americans. Obama ordered about 21,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan this year, raising the total international force to more than 100,000. __ Associated Press Writers Rahim Faiez and Nahal Toosi contributed to this report. More on Afghanistan
 
Jeff Biggers: Call Now: Verizon Wireless Sponsors Union-Busting Mountaintop Removal Rally? Top
Verizon Wireless needs to reconsider its "Friends and Family" feature--or, even better, it should withdraw its support for Massey's Energy's outrageously bogus "Friends of America" rally on Labor Day Weekend. Do 87 million Verizon Wireless customers, stockholders, and its Public Policy Development and Corporate Responsibility department know that their company is a co-sponsor of next week's climate-change-denying union-busting pro-mountaintop removal rally organized by Massey Energy in Logan, West Virginia? Here's the link . (And what about Greenebaum Doll and McDonald, another sponsor, "a top 200 trademark law firm"--look for your most surprising sponsor.) Does the Environmental Defense Fund, which recognized Verizon's Green Initiatives--to save energy, support solar and other renewable energy sources, and lower its greenhouse gas emissions--know that Verizon Wireless is sponsoring the featured speaker, Lord Christopher Monckton, a former science adviser to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who is one of the most infamous global warming-deniers? On its Green Press kit site , Verizon touts "environmental stewardship is ingrained in Verizon's heritage, and the company prides itself on having a positive influence on the environment in which it operates." It provides links to solar energy and energy efficiency measures by various offices. Does Verizon know that 500 mountains have been destroyed, historic communities devastated, and watersheds polluted by mountaintop removal--and that Massey Energy has worked aggressively to not only wipe out our nation's carbon sink of deciduous forests in Appalachia, but any attempts at renewable energy and development in the region: see Massey's role to strip mine the last ridge on Coal River Mountain and impede an incredible wind farm. Do the Communication Workers of America, who represent Verizon technicians, know that the bogus "Friends of America" rally is a blatant anti-union event aimed at taking down the 70th annual United Mine Workers of America picnic, and that Massey Energy is defiantly anti-union? So why is Verizon sponsoring this pro-mountaintop removal rally on a strip mine site? Does Verizon support Massey Energy's ruthless mountaintop removal campaign and its infamous CEO Don Blankenship? Check out the ABC News report on Blankenship's campaign to bankroll the West Virginia courts: During their 4th quarter 2008 Earnings Call last spring, Massey Energy executives crowed that "2008 was a very exciting and successful year for Massey, by many measures, the most successful in our history. As you know, we undertook a very aggressive expansion plan in late 2007, and our members executed that plan almost to perfection in 2008." And then, in answering a question that 2010 guidance could produce 10% less, and have an impact the high head count, a Massey executive simply responded with the bottom line of profiteers: "I think the answer would be that we will be able to reduce the workforce with attrition fairly markedly," and, "we also will cut back on salaries." Bottom line: Massey Energy profits up, jobs down. For more in Massey, see SourceWatch . And here's the Lord himself: George Monbio debunked Monckton's anti-global warming thesis in the Guardian . Bottom line: Verizon should withdraw their sponsorship of this bogus rally immediately; or, explain their support of mountaintop removal, climate change-denial and union-busting to its 87 million customers. Call or text or email Verizon Wireless corporate leaders and let them know. Their CEO's email is Dennis.Strigl@verizonwireless.com, and his site is here . Verizon HQ is here: 1 Verizon Way Basking Ridge, NJ 07920-1097 (908) 559-7000‎ More on Climate Change
 
One Of The Three GOP Senators Considering Bipartisan Health Bill Blasts Dem. Plan Top
WASHINGTON — A leading GOP negotiator on health care struck a further blow to fading chances of a bipartisan compromise by saying Democratic proposals would restrict medical choices and make the country's "finances sicker without saving you money." The criticism from Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., echoed that of many opponents of the Democratic plans under consideration in Congress. But Enzi's judgment was especially noteworthy because he is one of only three Republicans who have been willing to consider a bipartisan bill in the Senate. In the Republicans' weekly radio and Internet address on Saturday, Enzi said any health care legislation must lower medical costs for Americans without increasing deficits and the national debt. "The bills introduced by congressional Democrats fail to meet these standards," he said. Enzi, together with Republican Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Olympia Snowe of Maine, has held talks with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. But the chance of a bipartisan breakthrough has diminished in the face of an effective public mobilization by opponents of Democratic proposals. "I heard a lot of frustration and anger as I traveled across my home state this last few weeks," said Enzi, who has been targeted by critics for seeking to negotiate on legislation. "People in Wyoming and across the country are anxious about what Washington has in mind. This is big. This is personal. This is one of the most important debates of our lifetime." He called for more competition among health insurers, for the ability of small businesses to band together across state lines to negotiate for lower-cost insurance plans, for tax breaks to help people buy insurance and for reducing malpractice lawsuits. The debate over health care will resume in Washington after Labor Day, just two weeks after White House budget officials projected that deficits would total a staggering $9 trillion over the next 10 years. Though President Barack Obama has said he wants the total health care bill paid for without adding to the deficit, congressional budget officials have estimated that House health care proposals would cost the government more. "The Democrats are trying to rush a bill through the process that will actually make our nation's finances sicker without saving you money," Enzi said. Democrats also are calling for cuts in Medicare spending, using some of the savings to help uninsured workers. A House bill would result in a net reduction in Medicare of about $200 billion, though Obama has insisted the reductions would not cut benefits in the health program for the elderly. But Enzi said: "This will result in cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from the elderly to create new government programs." He repeated Republican accusations that the Democrats' plans would result in less access to certain medical treatments, citing a proposed government board that would research the most effective medical practices. "We're a nation of people who want the ability to choose what will best fit our families' needs and it should be that way with health care, too," Enzi said. ___ On the Net: GOP weekly address: http://www.youtube.com/user/gopweeklyaddress More on Health Care
 
Hale "Bonddad" Stewart: The Recession is Over Top
This is a joint article with my fellow co-blogger at the Bonddad Blog, New Deal Democrat Most economic observers just project past trends - usually based on data that is coincident or lags the general economy - into the future, and so they miss important turning points. In short, they get it wrong. Even now, many are simply reporting the poor recent trajectories of data between 2008 and 2009 (exactly as could have been done at the end of the 1974 and 1982 recessions), and projecting that there is still an ongoing decline that will continue, or else picking through almost relentlessly positive economic reports looking for a negative number of some subset to grasp onto. There clearly are some nasty negative numbers out there. Jobs are still being lost and wage increases have become almost non-existent. International trade as reflected by the Baltic Dry Index and the LA and Long Beach ports data is negative. States and municipalities are still facing declines in tax revenues -- although the year-over-year comparisons are getting less negative. What pundits miss is economic cycles run in a typical order including both expansions and recessions, as demonstrated by Prof. Edward Leamer: The temporal ordering of the spending weakness is: residential investment, consumer durables, consumer nondurables and consumer services before the recession, and then, once the recession officially commences, business spending on the short-lived assets, equipment and software, and, last, business spending on the long-lived assets, offices and factories. The ordering of the recovery is exactly the same. In fact, many aspects of the economy have stabilized. Many more have actually turned positive, including the most forward-looking aspects listed by Prof. Leamer above. The best way to look into the economic future is usually just to look at the Conference Board's Index of Leading Economic Indicators, which are: real money supply, average weekly manufacturing hours, interest rate spread, manufacturers' new orders for consumer goods, supplier deliveries, stock prices, consumer expectations, building permits, average weekly initial claims for unemployment insurance, and manufacturers' new orders for durable goods. The ongoing strength of the LEI's means that a prefect trifecta -- three out of three LEI measures linked with +GDP are positive now . Per Paul Krugman, we may have entered purgatory, but the fact is we are out of hell. While it is certainly possible that speculators could foolishly drive the price of oil over $100 again, and trigger another recession next year, the simple fact is, this Recession is over. First, in the past, +LEI readings for 3 months in a row has typically meant the start of +GDP. Here is a graph, showing that since WW2, every time there has been a significant (~2%) turn up in the 3 month average of the LEI, a recovery (in the sense of +GDP growth) has started immediately. We got the third positive monthly reading in June. Since March, the index has increased from 97.9 to 101.6, well in excess of 2%. Second, when the year over year reading of LEI is positive, that typically means the +GDP has begun. In July 2008 the LEI stood at 101.2 (2004=100). As of June 2009, the LEI stood at 101.0 (after a +0.1% revision). July's 0.6% increase puts the index at 101.6, which triggers the second signal. Here it is graphically: Third, when 9 of the 10 indicators have been positive for 6 months, it has always signaled +GDP: As of yesterday's +4.9% increase in durable goods orders, 9 of the 10 indicators now meet the criteria. Only new orders for nondurable consumer goods has not turned positve yet. All 9 of the others -- money supply, manufacturing hours, the bond yield curve, stock market, consumer sentiment, ISM manufacturing purchasing managers index, new orders for durable goods, and first time unemployment claims -- all of them are now positive over the last 6 months. It's also important to note there is a large amount of confirming data. Let's start with the housing market. New home sales have bottomed as have Existing home sales. The primary argument made against the existing home sales number is it contains a large number of foreclosures. However, this commentary does not take into account that the market is absorbing this inventory. The reason is that thanks to falling prices homes are far more affordable now than in the past. I should also note that I agree with the blog Calculated Risk's analysis that we'll see two bottoms in the housing market: one in sales (which we are seeing) and one in prices (which we have not seen yet). In addition, housing starts have also bottomed: In addition, home builders confidence is currently at its highest point in a year: The National Association of Home Builders said Monday its housing market index rose in August to the highest point in more than a year, as homebuyers hurried to take advantage of a federal tax credit before it expires. In addition to the housing market, the financial markets have shown signs of healing. First, commercial paper spreads have returned to normal levels. In addition, the stock market has rebounded: Money has flowed out of the Treasury market: And into higher yielding corporate bonds: And junk bonds: And despite predictions of imminent collapse, the mortgage bond market is still doing well: The above charts indicate that risk appetite has returned: investors are confident enough in the futre to move out of extremely safe assets like US Treasuries and into higher yielding less secure assets such as corporate, junk and mortgage backed-bonds. In addition, we've seem commodity price increases in industrial metals: This indicates that traders and investors feel manufacturing will start to increase. And given the recent numbers from the New York Federal Reserve and Philadelphia Federal Reserve they are probably right. First this is from the latest New York Federal Reserve's Empire State Index: For the first time in considerably more than a year, the Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicates that conditions for New York manufacturers have improved. The general business conditions index increased 13 points, to 12.1, its highest level since November of 2007. Although the inventories index remained well below zero, the new orders and shipments indexes rose to their highest levels in many months. The prices paid index was positive, while the prices received index continued to be negative. Employment indexes were much improved from their recent low levels, although they remained below zero. Future indexes generally rose from last month and conveyed optimism about the six-month outlook; the capital expenditures index rose to its highest level in over a year. As this chart of the index shows, this number has been rising since March and is now in positive territory. And the Philadelphia Federal Reserve's manufacturing index shows a similar turnaround: As does the Richmond Fed's manufacturing index: And employment is showing signs of improvement. First 4-week moving average of initial jobless claims is still in a downward trend and has been for several months: And the rate of establishment job losses is still trending lower: In addition, now 2 of the 5 coincident indicators that members of the NBER use to date recessions are also up from their bottom, and a third stopped declining last month. Specifically, real retail sales may have hit bottom in December 2008, and after plummeting for months, industrial production surprisingly turned up 0.4% last month. Personal income is still declining badly, and employment is also still declining, although less so than earlier this year. And finally, numerous other countries have printed GDP increases in the latest quarter. If there were only one data point then this article wouldn't be written. But now we have a host of data points pointing in the right direction. Just to review: 1.) The Leading Economic Indicators are pointing up strongly. 2.) Housing sales have bottomed 3.) Housing starts have bottomed 4.) Home builders confidence is increasing 5.) The stock market is rebounding 6.) Credit spreads are at low levels 7.) Traders have moved out of Treasuries and into corporate, junk and mortgage backed bonds 8.) The manufacturing indexes have been improving since the first part of the year and are now printing positive numbers 9.) Initial unemployment claims -- while still high -- have dropped and the rate of job losses has decreased. 10.) Other countries are now printing positive GDP numbers. I'm on record as saying we'll have started to see positive GDP numbers between the 4th quarter of this year and the second quarter of next year. These numbers are pointing in that direction. Let's add an important caveat. I (Bonddad now) am also on record as saying growth will be weak, printing somewhere in the 1% to 2% range with high unemployment. It's extremely important to remember where certain numbers were just recently. For example, an economy that loses over 600,000 jobs over a series of months is not going to print a positive jobs number for some time. That's simply the way an economy the size of the US's works. To expect otherwise is very unrealistic. However, there are numerous data points that indicate the worst is behind us and the recession is over. More on Barack Obama
 

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