Liberal Forum

Chuck Hagel Swiftboated For Not Bowing Down to AIPAC Are Republicans petulant children or just insane or both? After whining and grousing over Susan Rice, they're now going after as-yet-unnamed-for-any-cabinet-post former Senator Chuck Hagel, for not being properly deferential to Israel. Via ABCNews and AP, ex-shadow President McGrumpy and the Gang are grumbling already: But opposition was growing among Senate Republicans who held their weekly, closed-door meeting on Wednesday. Lawmakers harbor real doubts about whether Hagel is sufficiently supportive of Israel, the U.S.'s closest Mideast ally, based on his remarks. "When he served here, he was willing to step on a lot of toes and I think some of those toes that he pinched are screaming right now," said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. "But we'll see how it goes along. It depends a lot on how much his Republican colleagues are going to cause problems for him." At the moment, Hagel remains the primary candidate for defense secretary and is being screened for the position, but his selection is not a done deal. He would succeed Leon Panetta, who has made it clear without announcing a date, that he intends to step down early next year. [....] Troubling for some lawmakers are Hagel's comments and actions on Israel, including his reference to the "Jewish lobby" in the United States. "That comment is inappropriate," McCain said. "There's no such thing as a Jewish lobby. There's an Armenian lobby, there's not a Jewish lobby. There's an Israeli lobby. It's called AIPAC, very influential." They're really more butthurt over the fact that Hagel criticized the escalation in Iraq and came to hate the Iraq war as much as any Democrat did. He also wasn't a fan of Bush and didn't hew the neocon line. Therefore, Republicans feel they have license to swiftboat him or at the very least, make him kowtow to their whims and fancies. Bill Kristol is fanning himself madly and ramping up the neocon media blitz early. Via The Atlantic: The low road is taken by the Standard's editor, Bill Kristol. He writes that Hagel is "anti-Israel," and then follows this assertion with a series of facts that don't corroborate it. Of course, as Kristol surely knows, "anti-Israel" is taken by some people as code for "anti-Semitic." As for those Weekly Standard readers who don't interpret the term that way--well, that's what the lower road is for. A separate story written by a Standard staffer quotes a top Republican Senate aide saying flat out that Hagel is anti-Semitic. If you're wondering who that aide is, I have bad news for you: The Standard doesn't tell us, so we have no way of being sure that this person even exists. To students of American history, this tactic--conveying vicious accusations while cloaking their source--may sound familiar, because it's the way Joseph McCarthy used to operate. What it's not is the way a magazine with integrity operates. But I guess it shouldn't surprise us, given some of the Weekly Standard's previous behavior. Meanwhile, Kristol's ideological kin are getting into the spirit of things. The Washington Post's neocon blogger, Jennifer Rubin, quotes Abe Foxman saying Hagel's views "border on anti-Semitism." Meanwhile, the genuinely awful Jennifer Rubin spewed this all over the pages of the Washington Post. While I'm certain Frank Gaffney is beside himself with joy, her garbage doesn't deserve to line the cat box, much less show up in a national publication. This isn't to say that Hagel is without defenders. VoteVets sent an email blast out Wednesday calling on its members to stand for Hagel, and many in the blogosphere have mounted a vigorous defense. Dana Milbank, who runs hot and cold on things usually hits the right note here: The Hagel hit is wrong on the merits, but its particularly egregious because the former senator from Nebraska is among the best and bravest public servants. He was an enlisted man in Vietnam, earning two Purple Hearts in jungle combat. In his legislative career, he was a powerful voice against the chicken hawks who have recklessly sent American troops to their deaths; he became one of the most outspoken critics of George W. Bushs handling of the Iraq war. Hagel would probably be swiftly confirmed by the Senate, and he should be: A man of unassailable military credentials who regards war as a last resort is exactly the sort of person to head the Pentagon. If you cut through all of the BS what you get is a lot of ticked-off neocons who aren't really happy that a guy who happens to call himself a Republican isn't head-over-heels in love with Israel and isn't inclined to sacrifice global national security in order for Mr. Netanyahu to sleep soundly at night. Tough. We won this election and I'm sick and tired of them behaving as though they have the right to choose the President's cabinet and policies. I'm sick and tired of them pretending they're the President, and I'm sick and tired of the way they treat this President. Whether one agrees or disagrees with everything he's done, no one can dispute that the level of objection to every single thing he does is personal and petulant. It's time for Republicans to have a time-out in the corner. Past time, even. Neocons trying to paint a man who earned two Purple Hearts in the jungles of Vietnam as an anti-Semite, because he was critical of the escalation of the war in Iraq. They just continue to sink lower and lower.

Neocons trying to paint a man who earned two Purple Hearts in the jungles of Vietnam as an anti-Semite, because he was critical of the escalation of the war in Iraq. They just continue to sink lower and lower. yeah. liberals tried to do the same thing to ron paul. a few republicans did also.

yeah. liberals tried to do the same thing to ron paul. a few republicans did also. Oh you mean swift Paul like wannabe Blam does me? Paul was airforce I believe. He would be president today if the RNC hadn't rig the primary.

Oh you mean swift Paul like wannabe Blam does me? Paul was airforce I believe. He would be president today if the RNC hadn't rig the primary. it's fox news that destroys the gop more than anything. they've been influencing their viewers to choose the weakest, most non-conservative candidates for a decade now.

it's fox news that destroys the gop more than anything. they've been influencing their viewers to choose the weakest, most non-conservative candidates for a decade now. Fox News is sort of like Newt Gingrich on a grand scale--hard for me not to like it, at least a little bit.

Speaking of Fox News........Mosque Arsonist Tells Court: 'I Only Know What I Hear on Fox News' An Indiana man convicted of setting fire to a mosque in Ohio told a judge on Wednesday that he committed the crimes because Fox News and conservative talk radio had convinced him that "most Muslims are terrorists." Randolph Linn, 52, accepted a plea deal in which he pled guilty to all charges in connection to setting a fire in the prayer room at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo on Sept. 30. Under the deal, Linn is expected to serve 20 years in prison instead of 40. Linn explained to the court that he had gotten "riled up" after watching Fox News. "And I was more sad when Judge [Jack] Zouhary asked him that, 'Do you know any Muslims or do you know what Islam is?'" one mosque member who attended the hearing recalled to WNWO. "And he said, 'No, I only know what I hear on Fox News and what I hear on radio.'" "Muslims are killing Americans and trying to blow stuff up," Linn also reportedly told the judge. "Most Muslims are terrorists and don't believe in Jesus Christ." Linn claimed that he had consumed 45 beers in the 6 hours before leaving his Indiana home to set fire to the mosque, which he had discovered while working as a truck driver. After his arrest on Oct. 2, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ava Dusten said that Linn had told officers, "banned word those Muslims... They would kill us if they got the chance." Linn is due back in court on April 16, 2013 for a formal sentencing. A survey released by Fairleigh Dickinson University earlier this year determined that Fox News viewers were actually less informed that Americans who watched no news at all. In fact, at least seven studies in recent years have confirmed that Fox News viewers are more likely to be misinformed than other Americans.An Indiana man convicted of setting fire to a mosque in Ohio told a judge on Wednesday that he committed the crimes because Fox News and conservative talk radio had convinced him that "most Muslims are terrorists."

A survey released by Fairleigh Dickinson University earlier this year determined that Fox News viewers were actually less informed that Americans who watched no news at all. As they say, no news is good news. lol

Bulletproof Backpack Sales Soar After Elementary School Shooting Guns arent the only product flying off the shelves in the wake of the Connecticut elementary school shooting that killed 20 children and 7 adults. Parents hoping to shield their children from the terrible fate that befell the kids of Newtown are purchasing armored backpack, meant to protect fragile bodies from bullet fire. Sadly, this seemingly drastic attempt to steel children to the whims of firearms might not even be enough to save their lives; the AP reports that the armor is designed to stop bullets from handguns, not assault weapons like the one used in the shooting at the Newtown, Conn., school. And Psychiatrists worry about the emotional implications, too, of arming children: Anne Marie Albano, psychiatry director at Columbia Universitys Clinic for Anxiety and Related Disorders, said parents should convey calmness, not anxiety. This is not serving to keep children safe, she said. This is serving to increase their fear and their suspicion of their peers. At Amendment II in Salt Lake City, sales of its childrens backpacks and armored inserts have increased, with 200 purchase requests Wednesday alone. There's always someone looking to profit off people's fear. These backpacks sell for around $200, andare probably useless. Students dont carry their backpacks for most of the day, and in the event of a scary, split-second disaster, a child is unlikely to deflect bullets with a backpack.

Asheville North Carolina Tea Party Group Raffling Off Semi-Automatic Weapon Similar To The One Used In Newtown ShootingAn Asheville chapter of the Tea Party is offering North Carolina residents a chance to win a rifle similar to that which was reportedly used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.The Asheville Tea Party posted the raffle for a DPMS Panther Oracle AR-15 to its website Monday. The raffle is only available to residents of North Carolina and winners must "be able to pass all required background checks."The semi-automatic weapon also comes with two 30-round "clips and a carrying case." The group says the prize package is worth more than $1,500.Dubbed the "Great Gun Giveaway" from "patriotic Americans," residents can also win a Keltec PMR-30 .22 Magnum with a 30-round clip. The gun retails for $415, the groups says.The raffle comes just days after 20-year-old Adam Lanza opened fire in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., killing 20 children and eight adults.Lanza is believed to have used a Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle, a civilian version of the military's M-16. It is similar to the weapon used in a recent shopping mall shooting in Oregon and other deadly attacks around the U.S.Fremont V. Brown III, vice-chairman of the Asheville Tea Party, said the raffle was "planned before the tragedy in Connecticut took place."[....]Earlier this year, the Asheville Tea Party hosted a "Machine Gun Social" at a Brevard shooting range, inviting attendees to give donations in exchange for machine gun rounds. The money raised went to candidates endorsed by the Asheville Tea PAC.I guess cancelling or at least postponing the raffle was out of the question.

Interesting segment on Rachel Maddow's show last night about gun buybacks taking place all over the country.VIDEOCamden Police Chief Scott Thomson speaks in front of 1,137 gunsthat were turned in for cash during a state-sponsored gun buyback programfor Camden County residents last Friday and Saturday.If you can't watch the video you can read the transcript from Wednesday's (12/19) show, here.

'Plan B' Vote Spiked In House In Major Setback For Boehner House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) failed to muscle a controversial fiscal cliff fallback through the House Thursday night, suddenly pulling the bill after spending almost a week on a plan that Democrats called a waste of time. The failure to bring the measure to a vote kills Boehner's "Plan B" and moves the nation one large step closer to the so-called fiscal cliff looming on Jan. 1, when a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts are set to start kicking in. It also marks a major setback for Boehner, who was unable to marshal enough of his fractious, Tea Party-inspired members, even after he and other leaders had pledged earlier in the day that they would succeed. "The House did not take up the tax measure today because it did not have sufficient support from our members to pass," Boehner said in a statement. "Now it is up to the president to work with Senator Reid on legislation to avert the fiscal cliff. The House has already passed legislation to stop all of the January 1 tax rate increases and replace the sequester with responsible spending cuts that will begin to address our nation's crippling debt. The Senate must now act." "Merry Christmas," said Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) "There is a lump of coal in the president's box." "Our leadership team did the very best they could and it was just too big a hill to climb," said Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), who was among those who said he would have opposed the speaker's bill. Boehner adjourned the House until after Christmas, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) declared earlier Thursday that the Senate will recess Friday until two days after the holiday. [...] The House did pass one part of Boehner's fallback -- a bill to cut spending by $200 billion, mostly by slashing domestic programs, including favorite GOP targets such as health care and food stamps. That measure now appears doomed.

Louisiana Parish Bars Creationism From Public SchoolsLouisiana officials have often been far from favorable when it comes to church-state separation, so today we are particularly happy to salute school officials in Orleans Parish for doing the right thing.This week, the Orleans Parish School Board voted to reject any science textbook “which presents creationism or intelligent design as science or scientific theories.”A policy was also adopted that will prohibit science teachers from lecturing on creationism or religion.“No teacher of any discipline of science shall teach any aspect of religious faith as science or in a science class. No teacher of any discipline of science shall teach creationism or intelligent design in classes designated as science classes,” the new policy states.That’s a pretty big deal in a state led by Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is on a mission to hand over millions of taxpayer dollars to religious schools through vouchers and is perfectly happy to have his government subsidize “creation science.”Fortunately, Orleans Parish School Board President Thomas Robichaux has other ideas. He not only led the effort to keep out creationism, he also helped make sure Orleans Parish schools won’t be buying revisionist history books, either.Naturally some folks didn’t like what Robichaux has been up to, and he addressed those critics with a quote from Teddy Roosevelt.“‘It is not the critic who counts…’” Robichaux said, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “‘The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.’”Robichaux added, “I am proud to have been in the arena with all of you.”Although Robichaux’s term as board president is ending, it appears he is not alone in the effort to stop Jindal’s agenda. In May, the New Orleans City Council unanimously called for the repeal of the Louisiana Science Education Act, which allows creationist concepts to be taught in public schools.I hope these developments are the just the beginning of a wide-ranging effort to reject the promotion of religious doctrine in Louisiana’s public schools, but there is no chance Jindal and his Religious Right allies are ready to give in. Although his voucher program has been handed some recent defeats in court, Jindal has said he will fight on.Louisiana has attempted to force religion into public schools since the days of Huey Long, and there is still a very long way to go before Louisiana joins the ranks of the states with the best public education systems.But as 2012 comes to a close, we are a lot more hopeful that Louisiana will finally defeat those who want to indoctrinate children at taxpayer expense. Here’s hoping 2013 brings more good news from the Pelican State.Looks like Piyush Jindal had his hat handed to him.It's a victory for science.

Study Shows Access To Free Birth Control Causes Abortion Rate To Drop DramaticallyWhen women are given access to birth control at no cost, the rate of unintended pregnancies and abortions among them drops dramatically, according to a new study published on Thursday in Obstetrics & Gynecology.The Contraceptive Choice Project, conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., enrolled 9,256 women and teens from 14 to 45 years of age in the St. Louis area between 2007 and 2011. The participants were all uninsured, low-income, or otherwise determined to be at risk for unintended pregnancy.Each woman was given a choice of birth control methods, ranging from long-term and more expensive contraceptive devices, such as the intrauterine device (IUD) or an implant, to more common methods, including birth control pills, the ring and the patch. Since price wasn't an issue, about 75 percent of participants chose the implanted methods, which are more effective than short-term methods.The results were significant: The annual birth rate among teenage girls in the study from 2008 to 2010 was only 6.3 per 1,000, compared to the much higher U.S. rate of 34.3 per 1,000 for girls the same age. And the abortion rates among among all participants ranged from 4.4 to 7.5 per 1,000 women over the two-year period, substantially lower than the national rate of 19.6 abortions per 1,000 women in 2008.The rate of abortions in the study was even dramatically lower than the rates in the St. Louis area, which range from 13.4 to 17 per 1,000 women."The impact of providing no-cost birth control was far greater than we expected in terms of unintended pregnancies," said Jeff Peipert, MD, PhD, the Robert J. Terry Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and lead author of the study. "We think improving access to birth control, particularly IUDs and implants, coupled with education on the most effective methods has the potential to significantly decrease the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions in this country."The findings of the study are significant at a time when a number of conservatives in politics and public policy are pushing back against the Obama administration's contraception mandate under the Affordable Care Act, which requires most employers and insurers to cover birth control at no cost to women. Moreover, a number of states have voted to defund Planned Parenthood -- one of the nation's leading providers of contraception to low-income and uninsured women -- because some of the organization's clinics also offer abortions."I would think if you were against abortions, you would be 100 percent for contraception access," Dr. James T. Breeden, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said of the results.One would think that, wouldn't one?Right wingers are always screaming about abortion, but when Obama puts a provision in the ACA that would provide birth control to women with no out of pocket cost to them......no, no, can't have that.It makes no logical sense.Their solution? Just keep your legs closed.Of course that doesn't seem to apply to them.

Joe Scarborough Destroys Rep. Tim Huelskamp: 'We Can't Even Talk About [Gun Control] Without You ... Insulting Me Personally?(VIDEO) Joe Scarborough laid into Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp on Friday after the congressman accused the MSNBC host and other gun control advocates of pushing "a political agenda" in wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy. After clashing with the hosts about fiscal cliff negotiations, co-host Mika Brzezinski asked the congressman if he thought it was time to reconsider his stance on laws pertaining to assault weapons. Huelskamp said that as a congressman, he was bothered by how individuals politicized the tragedy "so quickly." Huelskamp said that the country has a "cultural program." He added, "It's not a gun problem; it's a people problem." "So tell me, why do Americans need assault weapons?" Scarborough asked. "There's been a lot of misleading statements including those that have been said right here ... that's the reality here. It's not a gun problem. There's a person doing that," Huelskamp pressed. "Oh really?" Scarborough said. "Do you think I have a constitutional right to have an assault weapon?" Huelskamp said it was a constitutional issue and added, "Let's step back. Le'ts not build on the tragedy in Connecticut and use that to actually push a political agenda." Scarborough seemed to grow incensed. "Use that? To push a political agenda?" Scarborough asked. "Oh, absolutely," Huelskamp said. "This president and his folks are using this to push" Scarborough interrupted the Kansas congressman and said, "Lets talk about September 11th, congressman. Were there some changes made in this country because of the tragedy of September 11th? Was that just using a tragedy -- 3,000 deaths -- to try to make americans safer? Do you dare come on my show and say I am using the slaughter of 20 little 6 and 7-year-old children; Im using that for political purposes, Tim?" "Joe, how many children do you have?" Huelskamp asked. "Ive got four children, Tim. Answer my question," Scarborough said. "So do I. And I refuse to let you say that because you have children, or anybody else, that we need to actually politicize this. But I see folks in Washington -- I dont know about you. I dont watch your show. Youre trying to politicize this," Hueslkamp charged. "Tim, Im not going to let you say that I am, quote, politicizing the slaughter of 26 or 27 children. But you said anybody that's talking about this ... Maybe some of us just believe that we have to do whatever we can -- whether it's looking at mental health, whether it's looking at violent culture of video games and Hollywood movies, whether it's looking at the proliferation of these weapons, whether it's looking at what happened in Oregon, what happend in Colorado, what happened in Virginia, what happened in Connecticut, what continues happening, congressman." He added, "So we cant at least talk about guns without you questioning my integrity and saying that Im using the death of 20 children to try to make life for my children a little bit safer? We cant even talk about it without you coming on this show and insulting me personally?" Following the horrific shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, Scarborough announced that the tragedy caused him to change his stance on gun control. In a lengthy monologue, Scarborough said, "I knew that day that the ideologies of my past career were no longer relevant to the future that I want, that I demand for my children. Friday changed everything. It must change everything." You can watch the full segment where Rep. Tim Huelskamp [R] also said that he would not vote for one penny of tax increases on millionaires and billionaires no matter how many spending cuts were part of the deal, here.

This thread is an island of sanity that serves to underline the madness of the rest of the board.

This thread is an island of sanity that serves to underline the madness of the rest of the board. What a wonderful compliment. Thank you.

Interesting segment on Rachel Maddow's show last night about gun buybacks taking place all over the country. VIDEOCamden Police Chief Scott Thomson speaks in front of 1,137 guns that were turned in for cash during a state-sponsored gun buyback program for Camden County residents last Friday and Saturday. If you can't watch the video you can read the transcript from Wednesday's (12/19) show, here. Gun buy backs are a joke, try going to one and see what kind of guns are being bought back. Here's a clue, gun owners use the buy backs to sell off junk we've abused, neglected and can't sellso we can use the cash to buy new guns. Thanks progressives, your program bought me a new deer rifle last year. LOL fools.

NRA Press Conference: Wayne LaPierre Calls For Armed Police Officers At Every SchoolThe nation's largest gun-rights lobby is calling for armed police officers to be posted in every American school to stop the next killer "waiting in the wings."The National Rifle Association broke its silence Friday on last week's shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school that left 26 children and staff dead.The group's top lobbyist, Wayne LaPierre, said at a Washington news conference that "the next Adam Lanza," the man responsible for last week's mayhem, is planning an attack on another school."The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," LaPierre said.He blamed video games, movies and music videos for exposing children to a violent culture day in and day out."In a race to the bottom, many conglomerates compete with one another to shock, violate, and offend every standard of civilized society, by bringing an even more toxic mix of reckless behavior and criminal cruelty right into our homes," LaPierre said.He refused to take any questions after speaking. Still, though security was tight, two protesters were able to interrupt LaPierre's speech, holding up signs that blamed the NRA for killing children. Both were escorted out, shouting that guns in schools are not the answer.More than a dozen security officers checked media credentials at various checkpoints and patrolled the hotel ballroom.LaPierre announced that former Rep. Asa Hutchison, R-Ark., will lead an NRA program that will develop a model security plan for schools that relies on armed volunteers.The 4.3 million-member NRA largely disappeared from public debate after the shootings in Newtown, Conn., choosing atypical silence as a strategy as the nation sought answers after the rampage. The NRA temporarily took down its Facebook page and kept quiet on Twitter.So Wayne LaPierre holds a 'press conference' where of course he refused to take any questions from 'the press', and the 'meaningful contribution' he promised us a few days ago is for armed police officers to be posted in every American school.Who's going to pay for that? Wayne LaPierre?And speaking of paying for things, how much money do Mr. LaPierre and the NRA get from gun manufacturers?The NRA Industrial ComplexAccording to IRS fillings, from 2004 to 2010, the NRAs revenue from fundraising including gifts from gun makers who benefit from its political activism grew twice as fast as its income from members dues.Over 50 firearms-related companies have given at least $14.8 million to NRA according to its list for a donor program that began in 2005.http://www.forbes.co...strial-complex/

Editorial title from NY Times: "National Rifle (Selling) Association"

Aloha to Hawaii Senator Daniel K. Inouye who passed away Monday at the age of 88. He was a war hero who won the Medal of Honor for bravery in World War II, a real gentleman and a class act.