Week in Review 6/5/09

Another week, more division between the left and the right. You had Pat Buchanan hating on Sonia Sotomayor, Dr. Tiller "the baby killer" debate, the Obama speech in Cairo or the apology tour as the right called it.

Limbaugh on Hannity, both teaming up on fear mongering, the GM take over was a debate as the government grows, what else is new.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Be safe and spend time with family, you only live once, make sure you live it!

Rick Sanchez Proves O'Reilly a Liar.........Easily

Bill O'Reilly used his show this week to rip CNN and the "liberal media" for not covering the story of the army private that was fatally shot by the Muslim convert Abdulhakim Muhammad, aka Carlos Bledsoe.

He claimed only Anderson Cooper at CNN covered the shooting.......well Rick Sanchez proved him a liar quick an easy today. I guarantee you that Bill O'Reilly will not issue an apology or even mention this again. That's Fox for you.

UPDATE: I would have lost money if I would have bet that O'Reilly would not apologize, I'm shocked! He actually admitted he was wrong last night on his show:

. “I was wrong. My apologies to CNN,” O’Reilly said.

The Daily Show (Video): Looking for Comity in the Muslim World

Jon Stewart takes some shots at Fox News again for their negative reporting.

President Obama delivers a sensitive speech in the Middle East, and it doesn't play well with the extremists at Fox News.

Fox News Falsely Reports Again

Fox News, claims Obama never spoke about terrorism at all, not once........You be the judge:

Picture of the Day

Members of the so called non-terrorist government Hamas, checks out president Obama's speech in Cairo.


Yep reminds me of congress.......


Source: Time White House photo blog.

Israel Actually Praises Obama Speech While Right-Wing Crticizes it......Go Figure

We know that the Obama administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are not seeing eye to eye on the Isreali settlements right now, but even the Isreali government had praise for president Obama's speech:

The Israeli government praised U.S. President Barack Obama's speech to the Muslim world Thursday, saying it shared his hopes for Middle East peace, but stressed that Israel's security interests remained paramount.

"We share President Obama's hope that the American effort heralds the opening of a new era that will bring an end to the conflict and to general Arab recognition of Israel as the nation of the Jewish people that lives in security and peace in the Middle East," an official statement said after Obama's address in Cairo.

Continue.......

Meanwhile the right-wing here back at home however had other things to say:

Gateway Pundit:

Actually this was his second apology speech to the Muslim World.
He also apologized for America two months ago in Turkey.
Obama doesn't seem to think that liberating 50,000,000 Muslims from two of the world's most brutal regimes counted for much.

Atlas Shrugs:

The media can spin their subjugation and adulation a million different ways, but America did not vote for a "Muslim presidency," which is what this is. Obama deceitfully hid his Muslim background and schooling and his agenda. Little did America know that Obama's objective would be a conversion of this nation to "the largest Muslim country in the world". From the moment he spoke as President, in the inaugural address, Islam was falsely given a preeminent place in the creation of America. In this speech, he quoted from the Koran three times. Why doesn't anybody comment on this? Why doesn't anyone ever comment on what he projected vs. what he is? Why won't all those talking heads state the obvious?

The Lid:

Once again the President, pandered to the Muslim world by dissing Israel in a major way, he downplayed the role of terrorism, made Hamas look like a rowdy Boys Glee Club, called for the internationalization of Jerusalem, and used the Palestinian party line to describe the Israeli presence not only in the West Bank and Gaza but its VERY existence at all.

John Boehner (House Minority Leader):

"His point about Iran, where he continues to say that he will sit down with the Iranians without any preconditions — I just think that puts us in a position where America looks weak in the eyes of their rulers," Boehner said. "And given the outrageous statements that their leaders have made, I don't know how we can continue to say that we'll sit down and talk to them without some, without conditions. I think it makes America look weak."

You know I love this. The right continues to alienate themselves on an ever shrinking island that is the republican party.

100% opposition and zero solutions is all that the right has offered the Obama administration since he took office in January, and yet every criticism and attack they ignite only seems to resonate in the ears of those on that shipwrecked island.

Obama Cairo Speech Highlights

If you are anything like me, you can't watch anything for an hour that does not have explosions or hot women in it, so luckily TPM has edited the speech to show the highlights of this historic trip:

Check out the entire speech here........if you must.

(Video): 'Beck in the Saddle'

Andy Cobb, political video comedian turns a chapter of Glenn Beck's 2003 book, "The Real America: Messages from the Heart and Heartland into a short video clip. In this chapter Beck talks about getting it on with his sister.

In a new series called "Drill Baby Drill," Cobb explores conservative writings on the topic of sex. This is the first video in that series.

Another Town in the U.S. Says They Will Take Gitmo Prisoners

A town in Montana was first, and now Florence Colorado which is home to one of the most secure supermax prisons in the world says bring the Gitmo detainees here. The home to some of the countries most dangerous criminals.

"We've had horrible people; you don't even think about it," said Liberty, 36 and a mother of two who works at a local gas station. How would she feel should the Obama administration move detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the maximum-security prison, a step that Colorado's senators and the congressman representing the area say would be too risky?

"As long as they keep them where they're supposed to be," Liberty said with a shrug.


The list of residents in the prison would have you wondering why the transfer of these prisoners is even an issue.

A short list of crimes that landed some of current prisoners in Colorado:

• 1993 bombing of the world trade center (5 inmates)
  

• 2000 millennium attack plots

• Political serial bomber

• Pan Am Flight 73 Hijacker

• Oklahoma City bombing

• the "Unabomber"

• American domestic bomber

• al-Qaeda's would-be "Shoe Bomber"

• leader of the Armed Forces of National Liberation

• United States embassy bombings

• 1998 U.S. embassy bombing
  

• tried to develop an al-Qaeda camp in Oregon

• Centennial Olympic Park bombing

Just a small example of the residents that reside here on American soil in your backyard.

Daily Show: Dick Uncut (Video)

At a Monday's National Press Club appearance, former vice president and vocal critic of the Obama administration, Dick Cheney pointed to Richard Clarke as to blame for the nation being open for attack on 9/11.

"He obviously missed it." Cheney was referring to the threat from al Qaeda which Clarke had emphatically warned the administration about several times before the fall of 2001.

Well of course Jon Stewart and many other took Cheney's accusation to heart, and once again made the vice president the focus of another amusing segment:

Disgrace Republican Aides Involved in Panda Sex & Karate Chopping Black People

I'm sure everyone is familiar with a romantic evening right? Your version might be a little different than Alan David Berlin's.

We might find it a little strange that dressing up in a panda suit (yes a panda suit) is a turn on, much less sexually propositioning a 15-year-old. Well Mr. Berlin likes to do both.

Berlin was charged with unlawful contact with a minor, criminal attempted sexual exploitation of children, criminal solicitation to commit sexual abuse of children and criminal use of a computer.

Maybe they should make him wear the suit at the suit with the bears, maybe he'll like that.

A former legislative aide to now-retired Sen. Hal Mowery, R-Camp Hill, is accused of sexually propositioning a 15-year-old Harrisburg boy through Internet chats, including discussions about dressing up in animal costumes and engaging in various sex acts with the boy, state Attorney General Tom Corbett announced today.

Alan David Berlin, 40, most recently a legislative aide to state Sen. Jane Clare Orie, R-Allegheny, used the Internet screen name, "alan_panda_bear," to chat with the boy in April and May, Corbett said. At one point during the chats, Berlin proposed traveling to the boy's home and having sex with him in the backyard while his parents were sleeping, Corbett said.

Read Entire Article

Then of course you have Marcus "Black Chop" Epstien as Wonkette describes him. He likes to get drunk and karate chop Black people and call them 'nigger'. Epstein wrote speeches for former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) during his presidential bid and still is currently working as the executive director of Tancredo’s Team America PAC, alongside Bay Buchanan.

Of course I'm not saying all republicans are like this, but I just like to show some of it's members. Maybe they could team together, have a show maybe, "Black Chop" Epstein and the Sex Panda.

Limbaugh: "I Can Look Past Sotomayor's Racism if She is Pro-Life"

So racism is no problem for Rush Limbaugh as long as you share his other moral views? Think Progress pointed out what Rush said yesterday on his radio program.

Talking about her catholic faith, he expressed how Catholics are pro-life and that her stance on abortion is unknown which might be a good thing:

We know she’s Catholic. We also know she has no record on abortion. Sonia Sotomayor being Catholic and having not said a word about abortion, I find that interesting. All libs who want to go anywhere in liberalism are pro-choice and they make no bones about it, she hasn’t said a word about it, which could mean that her private feelings are she’s pro-life.

If I could be convinced that Sonia Sotomayor might be the biggest hope for overturning Roe v. Wade down the line, then I might be persuaded to look at her nomination in a different light. I’m serious. I’m dead serious. I’m dead serious. Life, preserving life, to me, is a far more important issue — we can deal with the racism and the bigotry, that can be canceled out by other justices and so forth.

Today again he threw out he could support what he calls a "racist" if she was pro-life:

Nice to know that the republican party would except what they themselves call racism, as long as they get something out of the deal.

Obama's Puts a Smile on the Faces of Hippie Haters'

The Obama administration has quietly decided to open the way for at least two dozen more "mountaintop removal" projects.

This quiet move by the Obama administration will have every tree hugging environmental hippie up in arms, and surprise every gun toting and gas guzzling conservative.

Why do you ask would a liberal like myself not be upset at this move? Well because after watching Earth 2100 below last night, it's to late to do anything, we already dead.


This program was a little over the top, even for me:

Pat Buchanan's Lack of Love For Sotomayor

Former presidential candidate and MSNBC's political pundit Pat Buchanan seems to have it in for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. He is one of many on the right that has labeled her a racist for comments she made in her speech in 2001 at Berkeley University about a wise Latina.

Media Matters has compiled the best of Buchanan's remarks concerning Sotomayor. It also includes the one where he says what's happening today to White men is the same thing that happen to Blacks in the sixties.......I don't think it's that bad Pat.

Manuel Mirdanda: "Latinos are ‘not like African-Americans." We think just like everybody else."

Manuel Miranda, you might know the name. He was an aide to then Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) in 2004. As Think Progress has already reported, Miranda was caught hacking into the computers of Senate Democrats and downloading thousands of documents relating to the strategies of those Senators on judicial nominations.” Miranda resigned and now runs Third Branch Conference, “a coalition of conservatives focused on judges.”

Well thanks to Greg Sargent over at the Plum Line, we hear an interesting comment from Mr. Miranda held on a conference call organized by the Heritage foundation. The topic of conversation, Sonia Sotomayor.

When asked a question about to oppose her without being labeled a racist, Miranda in part of his response said the following:

“By the way, Hispanic polls, Hispanic surveys, indicate that Hispanics think just like everyone else. We’re not like African Americans. We think just like everybody else.”

While I am never one to quickly throw a racist claim, I sure would like to hear from Manuel Miranda what he meant when referring to African Americans. Who is everybody else and what makes Black people so different than them? What special thinking do we have or lack they make us unique? Like I said, no racist finger pointing.........I just wanna know.

I edited the audio below from the original full length call here:

UPDATE 6/5: Manuel Miranda Responds to criticism over at Townhall


Plum Line: "Head Of Anti-Sotomayor Group: Hispanic Voters “Think Just Like Everyone Else…Not Like African Americans”

Think Progress: "Manuel Miranda: Latinos are ‘not like African-Americans. We think just like everybody else."

Mental Instability Does Not Constitute Political Affiliation

Being witness to the finger pointing by liberals and conservatives alike over who has more extremism is tiring. We blame political parties for tragedies that happen at the hands of people who clearly don't have a strong grip with mental stability.

When Dr. George Tiller the "baby killer" was shot dead at his church this past Sunday morning, and the left blogosphere and left-wing nuts like Keith Olbermann all started to point fingers at conservatives who have long campaigned against his partial birth abortion practice.

I never saw so much coverage for someone gunned downed who was not an elected official or a celebrity.

Groups like the National Right to Life were quick to respond and say they condemned the killing and to say the pro-life movement does not advocate violence.

Then of course yesterday a killing of a solider at a military recruiting center by Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad happened. That horrible incident got the right side of the political spectrum pointing fingers in every comment section and outrage that were headed in the direction of the left. While this story is still in it's early stages, it will quickly become a growing concern in this country, home grown terrorism.



Watching all this unfold I had to shake my head and wonder why we allow political ideology to ignore what these incidents really are, mentally weak and unstable individuals who only needed a shift in the wind to carry out their assassination plans.

I refuse to point blame at anyone but the two who carried out these plots that cost the lives of two American citizens. No matter how you felt about Dr. Tiller I'm sure you as a normal citizen did not take any pleasure in his demise. Certainly those who do not support war of any kind, had no sense of accomplishment when Pvt. William Long was shot in cold blood while in uniform. The reason why we don't is because we are normal human beings.

We need to stop pointing fingers and blaming different ideologues for the violence that occurs when someone who chooses to take what they believe so severe that taking a life is the only way to prove their point. Crazy is Crazy.

General Petraeus Interview w/Fox, Not What They Were Looking For

While searching the Fox News site over the weekend, I had a hard time finding the interview that Fox had with General David Patraeus. Normally an exclusive interview such as that would merit it being visibly posted on their site, quite the contrary.

Well anyway, during the interview Petraeus, who has been strongly supported by the right during the Iraq war effort, stated in the interview that the United States violated the Geneva Convention, that we made mistakes after 9/11 and that Closing Gitmo is something that should be done.

This of course would go against what the right has been arguing in the case of using torture and that we should keep Gitmo open. Petraeus joins Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen who also so supports closing Gitmo and ending torture.

So let's see, you have Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh and Karl Rove who all avoided serving in the military as the strongest voices for the right in support of Gitmo, and then you have two men who have over sixty years of military experience together saying it should be closed and we should not torture. Who you gonna listen to?

Thanks to Crooks & Liars for posting the interview:

Theives Steal from Officer Pinned in Car After an Accident

It's something you only think you would only see on television. I actually watched this on a episode of Southland (great show) a couple of weeks ago.

On Thursday, family members gathered around Officer Densey Cole II, who was severely injured in an accident Wednesday. While he was pinned in his police vehicle after a three-vehicle crash Wednesday, onlookers rifled through his belongings and stole his gun.

The brazen act angered Mayor Daley and police Supt. Jody Weis, who called the action "reprehensible" and said Cole apparently suffered a spinal injury.

"Whoever would prey on a wounded officer, incapacitated, and take his weapon and then roll him around with a spinal injury to try to steal his wallet, is reprehensible to me,'' Weis said. "I mean, what type of individual would do that? It's beyond imagination." ---Full Story Here

Officer Cole has been on the force for 16 years and follows in the footsteps of his parents who also were Chicago Police Officers. These pieces of shit are that bold and thoughtless that they robbed this man while he was unconscious and also risking permanent damage to him by rolling him over to get to his wallet. A man who risk his life daily was treated like trash for someone to rifle through for a quick buck.

Chicago Police were zeroing in on the people who rifled through Cole's belongings after the crash. Surveillance footage from cell phones and area businesses was being checked, and several officers were working the investigation.

Cole, assigned to the Morgan Park District, was responding to a call near 98th and Halsted just before noon Wednesday when he was involved in the three-car accident.

Four others were injured, and an 85-year-old driver was cited in the crash.

I truly wish officer Cole a full recovery and he will be in my thoughts and prayers. I hope for a swift and prompt arrest of the scum who treated this man like he meant nothing.

Muslim Extremists Driven Away By Muslims?

Reading most critics of the Muslim faith, you would think all who follow Allah obsessed with wiping out the people of Israel or dominating the world and ridding it of Western influences.

With an estimated 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, if it were true that all Muslims advocated violence, the world would be in serious danger.

However the largest percentage of Muslims although more silent than their counterparts, do not think the same as those who seek violence first, and in the city of Luton in England on Friday the majority told the extremist enough is enough.

The Muslim community turned on extremists in their midst yesterday, telling them they were 'sick and tired' of their behavior.

The angry confrontation came in Luton, where anti-Islamist protesters brandished England flags last Sunday, before clashing with police.

The latest violence erupted as arguments raged between fellow Muslims shortly after Friday morning prayers in the Bury Park area of the town.

Passing traffic ground to a halt as the large group of moderates confronted about a dozen extremists.

As the radical Muslims began to set up their stall, they were surrounded by a crowd shouting 'we don't want you here' and 'move on, move on'.

"Read Entire Story Here"

It must be hard to be a Muslim in today's society. Imagine travel or going to public places. Some people instantly stare at you or avoid you, for one simple reason, fear. The extremist in the Muslim society have sadly labeled all Muslims as dangerous backwards people.

Not all who practice the Muslim religion are dangerous and want to wipe out Western culture. I stand behind the Muslims who want to worship in peace with the rest of the world, just like anyone of any faith who respects those who may not share they're view.


Daily Mail: "Extremists behind anti-war protest driven off the streets by moderate Muslims"