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Taylor Marsh has been writing on line since 1996, with the archives provided here a representation of that work.

Archive | October, 2011

The Sunday Early Bird News Round-Up

By on 02 October 2011

Good morning and welcome to Sunday.

On this day in history, October 2, 1967 my favorite Supreme Court justice, Thurgood Marshall, was sworn in to sit on the nation’s highest Court.

Some interesting news and tid-bits from around the net:

~Congress has suspended aid to the Palestinian Authority as punishment for their UN bid. Apparently Bibi Netanyahu asked them not to do this because he knows that it could jeopardize the security cooperation between the PA security forces and Israel and lead to more violence.

~Wall Street is pointing their big guns at Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren.

~Justice Clarence Thomas’ financial disclosure oversight needs to be investigated.

~The targeted killing of Anwar al-Awlaki has generated some debate (also see here, here and here) about the legality of targeting known/suspected terrorists who are American citizens abroad. Among politicians, libertarian Republican candidate Ron Paul is the only one willing to raise the legality issue. Clearly he hates America.

~The administration is pushing back against the criticism of the legality of targeted assassinations by leaking information to the Washington Post explaining why such assassinations are legal based on an internal review the administration did. The rationale given by a slew of anonymous officials is eerily similar to those given by the Bush administration for various constitutionally questionable actions. Basically, we are at war everywhere against anyone deemed a threat so in the name of security, we can do whatever we want.

~Fox News still thinks President Obama is very weak on terror.

~Newt Gingrich thinks that the repeal of DADT demonstrates President Obama’s anti-military prejudice. Newt who?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussing Egypt the other day with Al-Hayat TV:

~Since when did public protests where people exercise their First Amendment rights become such an annoyance to everyone in this great land of ours? The mainstream media has largely been criticizing if not outright mocking the Occupy Wall Street protests and Mayor Bloomberg really feels bad for Wall Street and says “we’ll see if the city will allow Occupy Wall St. to continue.” What?

~You would think the police might be a little more sympathetic to the Occupy Wall St. protesters.

~I’m a big Barbara Ehrenreich fan and so I was glad to see her commentary in the WaPo where she calls out the media and other elites for turning America’s millionaires and billionaires into victims of class warfare.

~Is Iran really an existential threat to Israel and the U.S.? This particular CIA veteran and counter-terrorism expert says no.

~Anti-gay marriage organizations are targeting lawmakers up for re-election in NY who support gay marriage by implying that such support was what sank Democrat Dave Weprin’s campaign in the NY-9 special election.

~Bank of America still sucks. The law Congress passed to limit unfair practices regarding bank/credit card fees is useless b/c the banks just add new fees/charges onto other services. It never ends.

~Our great ally Bahrain has sentenced 20 medical professionals to 15 year jail sentences for providing first aid to wounded protesters. Of course, that’s not the reason Bahrain gave, but that’s essentially what happened. Congress is currently approving the sale of $53 million worth of weapons to our great ally.

~Congratulations America, research shows that when compared to all the other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member nations, we come in dead last when it comes to worker protections.

~Montana Governor Schweizer is moving to enact single-payer health coverage in his state. Good on him.

~The Palestinians are waging a full frontal diplomatic assault on Mideast Quartet head Tony Blair. There have been revelations in British newspapers and television about possible financial conflicts of interest related to his diplomatic work in the Middle East which make the Quartet look even worse than it already does.

~The California Attorney General has reportedly rejected the massive foreclosure fraud settlement that would essentially reward the big banks/mortgage companies for wrongdoing leading to the collapse of the real estate market. The Obama administration has been leaning hard on states to support the settlement.

~Here is a video and transcript of President Obama’s speech before Human Rights Campaign last night.

~Justice Scalia continues to demonstrate that judicial ethics isn’t his strong suit. Church and State? What’s that?

~Speaking of the Supreme Court, their new session begins Monday and the issues on their plate for this term will have significant impact on issues including privacy rights, the health care law, affirmative action, the rights of gay adoptive parents and the limits (or not) of federal power.

~Congress has slashed the State Department budget because, you know, who needs diplomacy?

~Obama approved a controversial weapons sale to Israel and people still are running around claiming he’s anti-Israel.

~Chelsea Clinton on her father’s announcement that he would run for President 20 years ago.

The End.

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Progressive Notes: Occupy Wall St. Grows, MT Gov. Schweitzer Pushes for Single Payer, CA Atty Gen. Wants Better Deal, and Other Doings

By on 01 October 2011

Art offers his perspective as a movement progressive activist.

5,000 Occupy Wall St.

The Wall St. protests continue with hundreds marching. More seem to be attending after footage of a policeman using unnecessary force emerged. NBC NY has more.

We have big progressive news breaking out of Montana. Governor Schweitzer is moving to establish single payer in his state and is asking for a waiver to d o so:

Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Wednesday he will ask the U.S. government to let Montana set up its own universal health care program, taking his rhetorical fight over health care to another level. [...] The popular second-term Democrat would like to create a state-run system that borrows from the program used in Saskatchewan. He said the Canadian province controls cost by negotiating drug prices and limiting non-emergency procedures such as MRIs.

CA Atty Gen Harris

More big news: California Attorney General Kamala Harris, a rising Democratic star, has announced that she is pulling out of a 50 state deal with the big banks on foreclosures.

Kamala Harris beat Eric Schneiderman to the punch. The California AG pulled her state out of a nationwide foreclosure probe of some of the nation’s biggest banks over their shady foreclosure practices. Why?:

The LA Times is reporting that AG Harris removed herself from the nationwide investigation assembled by the country’s attorneys generals nearly a year ago to look into fraudulent foreclosure practices by banks. The newspaper said the Harris pulled out because “the the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers were not offering California homeowners relief commensurate to what people in the state had suffered.”

California’s break from the 50-state investigation is bad news for big banks under investigation include Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Ally Financial and Wells Fargo. California is among states with the most foreclosures issues, and its backing out of the probe means banks won’t be able to rid themselves of the foreclosure problems in one shot.

With California out of the settlement banks may now attempt to get the settlement amount lowered further.

Yep. This deal Obama and the banks are pushing is woeful at best. Plus in exchange for settlement, banks will gain immunity in other cases. Hopefully New York and other states will now pull out of this negotiation and pursue their own, better deal to make the banks truly pay for what they have done.

Mary Jo Kilroy, who lost her congressional seat in the GOP flood of 2010 plans a comeback and is being backed by Howie Klien and Blue America. A strong progressive, Kilroy got her chops attacking both parties for backing TARP. The district she represented has been made a strong blue district. This is one we can win, more here.

In Ohio we have good news: enough signatures have been gathered to force a referendum on the law passed by the GOP legislature which would restrict early vote hours and make it harder to vote in general. So in November 2012 this referendum comes to a vote, meaning that until then this anti-voter law won’t be implemented according to the Ohio constitution. Thanks to former SoS Jennifer Brunner for getting this on the ballot and staving this cruel law.

Speaking of Ohio we have a brave young Ohio woman taking a stand against Medicaid cuts. She is part of an effort to share real stories on how Medicaid gives independence and crucial assistance no other program can provide:

Norwood, 28, of Stow has severe breathing problems, visual perception processing issues and mild hearing loss in one ear as a result of being born four months premature.

She relies on a personal aide she receives through the state-run Medicaid program to drive her places, tend to her home and help her complete her studies at Kent State University.

She also works full-time as an office aide at two early childhood development centers affiliated with the Summit County Developmental Disabilities Board.

Without the help she gets from Medicaid, she said, “I wouldn’t be able to live independently on my own.”

The Stow woman is one of six Americans recently selected by the American Association of People with Disabilities and the United Cerebral Palsy group to serve on a new national committee dedicated to preserving Medicaid services.

The citizens collectively have been dubbed “America’s Supercommittee.”

Norwood and the others are sharing their personal stories nationwide as the United States Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction — also known as the Supercommittee — drafts proposals on the federal budget. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, is among the 12 lawmakers on the committee.

Liberals and conservatives in the Senate are pushing a bill on China currency manipulation. By stopping China from this practice it would save millions of American jobs. Lead by progressive Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Oh) this wildly popular legislation appears near passage in the Senate. It would:

…require the secretary of the Treasury and the U.S. Trade Representative to treat currency manipulation as an anti-competitive trade practice and take countervailing action to boost domestic companies.

It would also set into motion government studies of international monetary policy and currency exchange rates.

The Senate is scheduled to vote to proceed to the China currency legislation on Monday, and it is expected to pass the chamber next month with strong bipartisan support. The Republican co-sponsors include Sens. Richard Burr (N.C.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Jeff Sessions (Ala.) and Olympia Snowe (Maine).

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has also latched on to what could be a potent issue in the 2012 election.

Romney unveiled a Web video in July accusing Obama of not following up on his campaign promise to “take China to the mat,” if necessary.

A study released last week by the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal-leaning think tank, found that the U.S. lost an estimated 2.8 million jobs, mostly in the manufacturing sector, as a result of the nation’s trade deficit with China since China’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001.

Sen. Reid (D-Nv) knows the Whitehouse does not want this up for a vote but is using the bill to keep things in check. Reid knows this China bill is popular and by pushing it as a priority it buys him time to try and pass the jobs bill. Also, the free trade pacts Obama wants are very controversial, but by Reid pressing for this bill the free trade pacts are thrown further behind on the calendar. Sen. Reid has said he is not in favor of the trade pacts, and the Whitehouse can do little as he launches a volley at China.

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Liberally Independent: VP says it’s Obama’s economy

By on 01 October 2011

Joyce L. Arnold: Liberal, lesbian, Independent, equality activist, writer.

In a Thursday interview with WRLN in Miami, Vice President Joe Biden told the public radio listeners that it’s the Obama, not Bush, administration who “owns” the U.S. economy. Brian Montopoli at CBS provides this background:

The economic recession began during the final year of the Bush administration, and polls show many Americans continue to blame Mr. Bush – not his successor – for the current economic situation. A CBS News/New York Times poll over the summer found that 26 percent of Americans mostly blame the Bush administration for the state of the economy, while just 8 percent blame the Obama administration.

Biden told WRLN that it’s “totally legitimate” that 2012 be “a referendum on Obama and Biden and the nature and state of the economy.”

A post at Hot Air is representative of one response to Biden’s comments: “Awfully sporting of him to help the RNC ad team out.”

The same article also notes that a more recent Gallup poll

found a dwindling gap between Bush and Obama among independents when it comes to economic culpability. Among indies, 67 percent say Bush deserves a ‘great deal ‘or ‘moderate amount’ of blame compared to 60 percent who say the same of Obama. Bush still leads Obama in those categories overall – 69 percent versus 53 percent – but that’s mainly because Republicans aren’t nearly as partisan on this question as Democrats are. Fully 50 percent of GOPers say Bush deserves a great deal or moderate amount of blame; just 25 percent say the same about The One. I assume that’s a function of Dems having a lot more invested in Obama’s political fortunes going forward than Republicans do in Bush’s, but as time passes, O’s culpability will naturally creep up. Democrats will probably hold fairly steady, especially as election day approaches, but look out for those disgruntled independents.

Since both administrations have contributed to the serious U.S. economy condition, I’m all for both administrations sharing the blame. Bush is responsible for his decisions, Obama for his. And since Obama is still making them, he’s the one who has the responsibility to do so in ways that help make things better.

I’m more interested in the solutions than the blame.

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Queer Talk: Unrest and 2012

By on 01 October 2011

Joyce L. Arnold: Liberal, lesbian, Independent, equality activist, writer.

Kerry Eleveld’s recent article, What Gay Rights Activists Can Teach the Left About Winning, is an important take on activism, LGBT and otherwise, in this 2012 election cycle. She begins:

Remember when you believed that if we just elected enough Democrats to Congress and took the White House, we could take this country back?

Actually, no, I don’t remember that, because I didn’t believe that. But the point she’s making is valid – there were legitimate expectations of “hope and change.” There were also those who don’t think electing any one person is ever going to mean the end of the need for activism and feet-holding-to-the-fire accountability. The 2008 election was one piece of a much bigger picture. And Obama was / is just one person in that same much bigger picture. An election win can, occasionally, be of the “life changing” variety, but our Two Party Corporate system isn’t seriously challenged by one or two or more election cycles.

That’s a part of what Eleveld’s piece is about. She mentions Keith Harrington, an environmental activist who volunteered many hours with the Obama 2008 campaign.

But his actions and those of his fellow activists embody a realization that many progressives have had: It wasn’t enough to elect historic Democratic majorities to Congress and place a Democrat in the Oval Office. …

… that’s why LGBT activists started handcuffing themselves to the fence that forms the perimeter around the White House, showing up at presidential events and sometimes shouting down Obama … .

After studying Obama as a member of the press corps for nearly four years, the only time I have seen the fire of true indignation flare in his eyes is when he feels as though the left is questioning the authenticity of his progressive ideals.

Eleveld notes that not all LGBT’s favor the criticisms of Obama. Writing at Bilreco, for example, Bil Browning says:

For all those who keep complaining as if Obama is the Worst. President. Evah. on LGBT issues, who would you rather have in the White House – one of those GOP fools who show such cavalier attitudes about basic respect for LGBT people or a President who shares your values?

The point, though, isn’t simply to compare Obama to the GOP field and conclude he’s better on LGBT issues than they are. The point, rather, is that he’s needed to be pushed to act on LGBT equality. That’s what LGBT activists have been doing, pushing the guy in the WH, not comparing him to the wannabe opposition.

And that “pushing” was noticed by other activists. As Eleveld talks about, immigration activist also went to the White House to protest, and some were arrested. They, too, have very good reasons to protest. Deportation rates under Obama exceed those under Bush. In a speech to La Raza, Obama used an argument familiar to LGBT’s, among others.

The day before the arrests, Obama had tried to explain … that he couldn’t change the laws by himself, he needed the help of Congress. But Obama’s words were met with a new twist on a familiar refrain. ‘Yes, you can! Yes, you can!’ they shouted at the president.

As Eleveld writes, it’s a “familiar conversation,” being told by the administration that they have no choice, that they must, for example, defend DOMA. Which they did, vigorously, for two years.

Eventually, they realized that there was a bigger political cost to defending the constitutionality of the law than there was to abandoning the effort.

The administration also saw the repeal of DADT get lots of praise and support, with very little downside.

So it wasn’t particularly surprising to some LGBT activists when the president and his advisors discovered that they did indeed have the ‘prosecutorial discretion’ to suspend deportations of immigrant youths who pose no threat to public safety.

The learning curve, we notice, became more obvious as 2012 came closer. Election years are opportunities that seasoned activists grab, well aware of its limitations, but also of the possibilities. In that always present Big Picture reality, you use the moments you’re given, or rather, you use the moments most often won by activists.

The Big Picture timing is, of course, one reason for the Keystone Pipeline actions, the Occupy Wall Street actions and the upcoming October 6 actions.

Eleveld concludes with this:

At the very moment that a promising politician gets elected, a true activist’s work has only just begun. …

It turns out the ‘change we can believe in’ must come from within. It starts, by necessity, as a yearning that gives rise to a voice, which gives way to disenchantment, and even to unrest, if unanswered.

“Even to unrest.” In the world of the activist, “unrest” is essential. It can be expressed in different ways, and it can happen in conjunction with, or at least at the same time as, Insider (think HRC) efforts. But expressed “unrest” (think GetEqual) is absolutely essential.

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Dash of Dan: Pumpkin Apple Ginger-Crunch Muffins

By on 01 October 2011

According to the calender, September 23rd began the first day of autumn.

Now it is October 1st and it’s finally beginning to feel like it here in New York City.

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons, as it conjurers up some of my favorite memories.

Pumpkin picking as a child to the wonderment at the changes of leaves during my time spent at the small town of Deerfield, Massachusetts.

It looks like this during those crisp, autumn months.

So as a celebration to my favorite season, an easy muffin that spotlights its flavors; apples, pumpkin and spice.

Recipe: 

For the topping: 

2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

1/4 cup of sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

4 tsp cold butter, cut into cubes

  1. In a small bowl mix together the flour, sugar, and spices. Sprinkle the cold, cubed butter over the mixture and cut the butter, using a pastry cutter or two knives, until large crumbs start to form. Set aside.

Muffins:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour      2 eggs, beaten

2 cups granulated sugar             1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp baking soda                          1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp pumpkin spice                     2 cups finely chopped apples

1/2 tsp salt

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees   *Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with paper liners

  1. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt. Add the chopped apples and toss them to coat. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl mix together the vegetable oil and sugar. Add the eggs and canned pumpkin, stir.
  3. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour, stir with an offset spatula until blended. Don’t over-mix.
  4. Spoon the batter evenly into paper lined tins and top with reserved crunch topping. Bake 20-25 minutes.

 

*Note: If you don’t have pumpkin spice, you can easily make it yourself, this makes 8 teaspoons, mix together:

4 tsp ground cinnamon      1 tsp all spice

4 tsp ground cinnamon      1 tsp nutmeg

 

I am so ready for some autumn weather and of course food! Have a favorite dish you make to welcome the season? Let  me know! This is indeed, an open thread.

 

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