Today may be Valentine's Day, but thanks to a slew of problems across the nation, we're certain more than a few Americans will be reaching for that bottle of ibuprofen alone at the end of today, instead of reaching for a glass of wine with their honey.
We're nearly certain that North Carolina's Governor Pat McCrory will be one of those people downing some strong headache pills. After the massive coal ash spill created by Duke Energy, that we discussed here Thursday morning, a new Federal criminal investigation was announced Thursday afternoon, involving both Duke Energy and members of the governor's administration. Add that investigation to Gov. McCrory's ongoing oversight of the cleanup of the Dan River, and the massive ongoing winter storm cleanup, and you've the got makings of a killer migraine.
Anyone who would like a cheaper cable bill, or claims to support competition and a free market, is likely reaching for a bottle of little headache relievers today, in light of the potentially disastrous merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable.
We'd bet the group of Americans with the biggest headache today though, are establishment Republicans, who've been dealing with the headache of their extremist wing for the last several years - and who finally appear to be willing to put a lid on the Tea Party.
As Greg Sargent and Michael Tomasky both addressed on Tuesday, and as we spoke to in Wednesday's commentary, the debt ceiling deal this week - and especially Speaker Boehner's move to effectively blow off the extremist wing of his caucus - seem to have proven that establishment Republicans are finally willing to put a lid on the insanity of their Tea Party wing.
Not surprisingly, that may be why the extremist crazies like Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho, and nearly the entire state government of Kansas seem to be trying to kick their insanity to a whole new level.
Cruz introduced a new national anti-same-sex marriage bill this week, at the same time he undercut Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and many other Senate Republicans on the debt ceiling vote. Rep. Labrador, for his part, insisted the debt ceiling - which was a win for the nation - wasn't a win for Speaker Boehner or Republicans. Meanwhile, the Kansas House passed a bill Wednesday that would allow bigots in business and government organizations to deny fully legal services to same-sex individuals, on the basis of the bigot's claimed religious beliefs.
The good news? As Greg Sargent, Steve Benen, and Paul Rosenberg all dissected brilliantly yesterday, on issues from immigration to the ACA, Republicans in leadership positions finally seem to be seriously worried about the far-right wing crazies like Cruz, Labrador, and others. For what seems like the first time in years, Democrats are finally standing up to Republicans - and Republican leaders aren't being allowed to hide the core contradictions between the different factions of their party anymore.
All of which might give anyone sane a headache - especially if that person were a current political leader of the Republican Party.
So while we commend the current GOP leaders for finally beginning to put a lid on their tea party fanatics, we're also thinking of those Republican Party leaders as our staff members head off for an energizing and fun-filled Valentine's Day weekend - and we're extremely glad we don't have the headaches they have to deal with.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Water, Water Everywhere...
As the horrible weather has millions of Americans once again either huddling in their homes, or trying to recover from the latest unusually large winter storm, our staff members are doing a bit of both, while trying to remain positive. All the recent disasters around the U.S. haven't exactly made that easy.
We are glad that this week none of us has been stuck in an airport due to the weather, and no one we know has died from weather-related problems. We're also glad we've all had the basics: Safe, comfortable homes to stay in, nice clothes on our back, and plenty of healthy food and water, in both our homes and offices. After recent man-made disasters in both West Virginia and North Carolina, we consider ourselves extremely lucky to be able to go any of the many faucets in our offices or homes, open the tap, and simply drink the water.
Over the last month, major chemical and waste spills have happened in both West Virginia and North Carolina, not once, but twice. These man-made natural disasters have made drinking water for nearly half a million people effectively unusable - even untouchable. It's certainly not been safe to drink.
These disasters are the kinds of monstrous problems that Americans don't usually think happen here at home - unless you live in West Virginia. Or North Carolina. Or in war-torn, barely regulated, third-world nation, filled with greedy industrialists and clueless citizens.
In a sad way, those places in West Virginia and North Carolina where the disasters have happened now partially fit the description of a third-world country.
There's no question that both states have had their safety and health regulations gutted by major industries, including corporations like Duke Energy. Duke was responsible for the "spill" that dumped 82,000 tons of coal ash into the Dan River in North Carolina this past week. Residents there now have to deal with levels of arsenic in their water that are far beyond safe, while being told by officials that they should 'avoid prolonged contact' with the water.
In West Virginia, their initial water disaster surfaced more than a month ago, though their experiences with the massive coal corporations foreshadowed this latest incident years ago. Many West Virginia residents are already giving up hope that their state government will do anything to resolve the situation.
It doesn't really surprise us that either state is having problems due to a lack of effective regulations. We also wouldn't be at all surprised to see similar major disasters happen in Wyoming or Idaho in the next few years, as state legislators in both states are currently doing the bidding of ALEC - the American Legislative Exchange Council - in trying to gut their own EPA-style regulations.
Republicans in the U.S. House - some of whom we're certain were also getting large campaign donations from ALEC-related and affiliated donors - tried something similar earlier this year, when they voted to try to curtail the EPA's ability to regulate things like polluted water. Thankfully, President Obama has already made it clear he'll veto any legislation the House passes with such ignorant ideas.
Unfortunately, for those people in West Virginia and North Carolina affected by the spills, the monster is out of the bottle, and the damage has already been done. Who knows how long it'll be before they can simply go to their taps, and get a refreshing glass of water?
We are glad that this week none of us has been stuck in an airport due to the weather, and no one we know has died from weather-related problems. We're also glad we've all had the basics: Safe, comfortable homes to stay in, nice clothes on our back, and plenty of healthy food and water, in both our homes and offices. After recent man-made disasters in both West Virginia and North Carolina, we consider ourselves extremely lucky to be able to go any of the many faucets in our offices or homes, open the tap, and simply drink the water.
Over the last month, major chemical and waste spills have happened in both West Virginia and North Carolina, not once, but twice. These man-made natural disasters have made drinking water for nearly half a million people effectively unusable - even untouchable. It's certainly not been safe to drink.
These disasters are the kinds of monstrous problems that Americans don't usually think happen here at home - unless you live in West Virginia. Or North Carolina. Or in war-torn, barely regulated, third-world nation, filled with greedy industrialists and clueless citizens.
In a sad way, those places in West Virginia and North Carolina where the disasters have happened now partially fit the description of a third-world country.
There's no question that both states have had their safety and health regulations gutted by major industries, including corporations like Duke Energy. Duke was responsible for the "spill" that dumped 82,000 tons of coal ash into the Dan River in North Carolina this past week. Residents there now have to deal with levels of arsenic in their water that are far beyond safe, while being told by officials that they should 'avoid prolonged contact' with the water.
In West Virginia, their initial water disaster surfaced more than a month ago, though their experiences with the massive coal corporations foreshadowed this latest incident years ago. Many West Virginia residents are already giving up hope that their state government will do anything to resolve the situation.
It doesn't really surprise us that either state is having problems due to a lack of effective regulations. We also wouldn't be at all surprised to see similar major disasters happen in Wyoming or Idaho in the next few years, as state legislators in both states are currently doing the bidding of ALEC - the American Legislative Exchange Council - in trying to gut their own EPA-style regulations.
Republicans in the U.S. House - some of whom we're certain were also getting large campaign donations from ALEC-related and affiliated donors - tried something similar earlier this year, when they voted to try to curtail the EPA's ability to regulate things like polluted water. Thankfully, President Obama has already made it clear he'll veto any legislation the House passes with such ignorant ideas.
Unfortunately, for those people in West Virginia and North Carolina affected by the spills, the monster is out of the bottle, and the damage has already been done. Who knows how long it'll be before they can simply go to their taps, and get a refreshing glass of water?
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Time To Stand Up
This week may end up being a mess for millions of Americans east of the Rockies again, mostly due to the weather. Even though that area includes all of our office locations, the week is turning out very well, as the proof of a concept we've been preaching for years has delivered fantastic results, in both politics and sports.
In the world of sports, Michael Sam, the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and a key player on the Missouri Tiger's highly successful football team, very publicly stood up for himself, and in two major media interviews announced to the world he was gay.
In a perfect world, Sam's announcement would have been received by the world like a mouse squeak in a stadium, - or as Lt. Col. Robert Bateman put it in Esquire, "So frigin what." However, as realists - and especially progressives - know well, we don't live in a perfect world.
Michael Sam's announcement became like the mouse that roared - and as Dave Zirin of The Nation noted, it rapidly began exposing the bigotry and hypocrisy of NFL coaches and executives. Pete Thamel's interviews in Sports Illustrated of anonymous NFL executives and coaches, and and ex-NFL coach Herm Edwards' comments were perfect examples of what Zirin stated. Sam's change in his pre-draft rating also seems to clarify further where the not-so-subtle bigotry remains in the NFL.
Players, however, seemed to show the kind of maturity on this issue we were glad to see. As Michael Sam noted in both his interviews, his teammates at Mizzou knew he was gay since last summer, and no one publicly "outed" him. Interviews with other NFL pros like former Vikings punter and LGBT advocate Chris Kluwe and NFL Player's Association Director Demaurice Smith further supported Sam, and seemed to highlight that Michael Sam's courage seems to be welcomed by a growing number of players.
That kind of courage, to stand up to bullies and stand up for what's right led to another big win this week, in Washington DC, in Congress.
Of course, we're talking about the debt ceiling debate, which ended Tuesday afternoon in a 221-201 vote, with 28 sane, moderate Republicans voting with 193 Democrats in the House to suspend the debt ceiling until March of 2015.
Greg Sargent of the Washington Post forecast Tuesday morning that the debt ceiling extortion House Republicans have been using for several years now was dead. Sargent, like us, has been saying for years that all Democrats needed to do to defeat the extremist Republicans in the House was to stand up to them - and once again, he was proven correct. Michael Tomasky of The Daily Beast went one step further, declaring the era of Republican hostage-taking to be over.
Meanwhile, the petulant tea party extremists in the House turned their anger on House Speaker John Boehner, weakly threatening they'd replace him. As journalist Robert Costa reported though, even Speaker Boehner no longer seems to be afraid of the extremists. During a House Republican breakfast meeting Tuesday morning, Boehner himself finally stood up for what was right, standing up to the fanatics in his own party, declaring he was putting forward a clean debt ceiling bill and that his decision was final.
To us, this kind of action, whether taken by Michael Sam or John Boehner, is a hallmark of being progressive - of making progress on serious issues that matter, while knocking aside petty issues that don't.
Who our leaders and heroes sleep with, marry, or date really doesn't matter much. What they get accomplished, on the field and in office, matters far more.
That may seem to be a simple, small declaration - but it's one we think has the power to make the intellectually and ethically weak scream and run in terror, while empowering the truly strong and just to do what's right.
In the world of sports, Michael Sam, the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and a key player on the Missouri Tiger's highly successful football team, very publicly stood up for himself, and in two major media interviews announced to the world he was gay.
In a perfect world, Sam's announcement would have been received by the world like a mouse squeak in a stadium, - or as Lt. Col. Robert Bateman put it in Esquire, "So frigin what." However, as realists - and especially progressives - know well, we don't live in a perfect world.
Michael Sam's announcement became like the mouse that roared - and as Dave Zirin of The Nation noted, it rapidly began exposing the bigotry and hypocrisy of NFL coaches and executives. Pete Thamel's interviews in Sports Illustrated of anonymous NFL executives and coaches, and and ex-NFL coach Herm Edwards' comments were perfect examples of what Zirin stated. Sam's change in his pre-draft rating also seems to clarify further where the not-so-subtle bigotry remains in the NFL.
Players, however, seemed to show the kind of maturity on this issue we were glad to see. As Michael Sam noted in both his interviews, his teammates at Mizzou knew he was gay since last summer, and no one publicly "outed" him. Interviews with other NFL pros like former Vikings punter and LGBT advocate Chris Kluwe and NFL Player's Association Director Demaurice Smith further supported Sam, and seemed to highlight that Michael Sam's courage seems to be welcomed by a growing number of players.
That kind of courage, to stand up to bullies and stand up for what's right led to another big win this week, in Washington DC, in Congress.
Of course, we're talking about the debt ceiling debate, which ended Tuesday afternoon in a 221-201 vote, with 28 sane, moderate Republicans voting with 193 Democrats in the House to suspend the debt ceiling until March of 2015.
Greg Sargent of the Washington Post forecast Tuesday morning that the debt ceiling extortion House Republicans have been using for several years now was dead. Sargent, like us, has been saying for years that all Democrats needed to do to defeat the extremist Republicans in the House was to stand up to them - and once again, he was proven correct. Michael Tomasky of The Daily Beast went one step further, declaring the era of Republican hostage-taking to be over.
Meanwhile, the petulant tea party extremists in the House turned their anger on House Speaker John Boehner, weakly threatening they'd replace him. As journalist Robert Costa reported though, even Speaker Boehner no longer seems to be afraid of the extremists. During a House Republican breakfast meeting Tuesday morning, Boehner himself finally stood up for what was right, standing up to the fanatics in his own party, declaring he was putting forward a clean debt ceiling bill and that his decision was final.
To us, this kind of action, whether taken by Michael Sam or John Boehner, is a hallmark of being progressive - of making progress on serious issues that matter, while knocking aside petty issues that don't.
Who our leaders and heroes sleep with, marry, or date really doesn't matter much. What they get accomplished, on the field and in office, matters far more.
That may seem to be a simple, small declaration - but it's one we think has the power to make the intellectually and ethically weak scream and run in terror, while empowering the truly strong and just to do what's right.
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