Meanwhile, Boobies

I'm actually working on a serious, coherent post (not that I'll succeed), but it is Friday. So here are some Boobies for you.

Oil's Swell

I've said many times that the SCOTUS's "Citizens United" decision was the worst thing that ever happened to American democracy, allowing corporations to pump unlimited money into elections. And the oil industry has decided to start buying their candidates directly:

The American Petroleum Institute, the Big Oil industry’s chief lobbying organization, will start directly backing political candidates in the second quarter of this year. API, whose membership includes oil giants like Exxon-Mobil and Chevron, already spends tens of millions of dollars every year on lobbying, advertisements and Astroturf campaigns to support the the oil industry agenda. As CAP’s Dan Weiss wrote, API “wants to drill in fragile, sensitive places, keep government tax breaks, expand offshore drilling without reforms, and block global warming pollution reduction requirements.”

“This is adding one more tool to our toolkit,” Martin Durbin, API’s executive vice president for government affairs, told Bloomberg News. “At the end of the day, our mission is trying to influence the policy debate.” As Bloomberg pointed out, oil-supported political action committees like the Independent Petroleum Association of America overwhelmingly donate to Republican candidates.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, API spent $6.7 million on lobbying alone last year, after clearing $7 million in 2009. In 2010, API was the seventh most prolific spender in the oil and gas industry, following ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Exxon-Mobil, Shell, Koch Industries and BP.

API’s turn toward direct political donations is doubly problematic because, in addition to acting as the industry’s chief lobbyists, the institute runs technical committees that set standards for the oil industry. In its official report, the commission that investigated the BP oil spill found that API was too “compromised” to be setting industry standards. “Because they would make oil and gas industry operations potentially more costly, API regularly resists agency rulemakings that government regulators believe would make those operations safer, and API favors rulemaking that promotes industry autonomy from government oversight,” the commission found. And this was before API decided to begin directly supporting candidates!

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/24/api-direct/

(please, go read the entire article)

The oil industry has had an incredible amount of influence on our government for many decades, and certainly has a number of members of congress in their control already. But they've decided they want more. I had wondered how the industry would react to Obama's proposed cuts to subsidies and increased alternative energy funding, and now we know their response: buy more politicians.

I'm sure you've all seen yesterday's 'big news' that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker got punked into a phone call that he thought was from energy magnate David Koch. Embarrassing? Maybe; but is anyone really surprised? I'm willing to bet that David Koch has a long list of politicians that he can call up who are all too willing to do his bidding. He and his cronies have decided that they need to buy the rest of the seats to ensure that they can dictate policies.

The simple fact is that we're already screwed by our oil dependence. Our entire economy (especially food and transportation) swings with every change in the price of a barrel of crude. Just look at the price of gas in response to the uprising in Libya. And of course, the environmental costs of climate change. But the very biggest threat is the very real "peak oil" problem. We're pretty much done using up all the cheap, easy to reach oil reserves. Our country desperately needs to move away from a fossil fuel based economy, but that will require government action. And those who profit most from the status quo are determined to prevent any action.

Bow down before your masters.

Rally to Restore Transplant Funding Feb. 28th

I've posted before about Arizona's draconian decision to de-fund organ transplants. While Gov. Brewer has relented, the state legislature is blocking restoring the funding for transplants. On Feb. 28th, there will be a rally to restore the funding at the state capitol:

Join us for a rally and press conference to

"Restore Transplant Funding"

February 28, 2011 at 11:30am

Arizona State Capitol grounds

sponsored by Democracy for America.

DFA-MaricopaCounty :: Rally to Restore Transplant Funding 2/28

Arizona has some seriously screwed up budget priorities. I've said before that we really need some Wisconsin style democracy here. Examples:

Now, however, Governor Jan Brewer is proposing to kick some 280,000 Arizonans off the state’s Medicaid rolls. Brewer claims such a move is the only way to get the state’s fiscal house in order, as it would save $541.5 million in general funding spending. Brewer also wants to save $79.8 million by dropping 5,200 “seriously mentally ill” people from the state’s Medicaid program. Instead of balancing out these draconian cuts with additional revenue increases or simply not making the cuts in the first place, Brewer instead signed $538 million in corporate tax cuts into law two weeks ago.

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/22/gop-governors-misplaced-priorities/

(BTW, that article covers several other states as well)

But the legislature is addressing one vital issue. SB1610, which addresses the vital issue of "What is the official firearm of Arizona?"After the bill's enactment, the official firearm of Arizona will be the Colt Single Action Army Revolver.
Whew! Now we can all rest easy tonight.

(kindly Gov. Jan Brewer)

Presidents Day

Back in my youth, Lincolns Birthday and Washingtons Birthday were seperate holidays. Now we have one holiday to honor all former presidents. So today I'm honoring Millard Fillmore. Millard is best known for having the oddest name ever to be elected president until some guy named "Barack" came along. Which president are you honoring today?

Arizona Needs Protests, Too

(Desert Shell by Shane Rickman)

As we watch the continuing protests in Madison, Wisconsin, I'm thinking that we need the same kind of public uprising here in Arizona. On the surface, the issues look different: the Wisconsin protests are about the rights of union workers; Arizona is a "right to work" state that has already effectively killed unionization. But in reality, there are underlying issues in both (and many other) states that are a result of the republican mindset of putting corporate interests ahead of the well being of ordinary people.

There is one major difference: In Wisconsin, they're trying to kill unions; in Arizona, they're trying to kill actual innocent people:

As ThinkProgress has reported, Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ) and the GOP-controlled state House have turned a blind eye to the plight of 98 Arizona patients in desperate need of organ transplants. Since Brewer enacted painful cuts to the state’s Medicaid program in October, two Arizonans unable to pay for the transplants they needed passed away. After months of appeals and protests, it appears Brewer has finally agreed to set aside a $151 million “uncompensated-care pool to pay health-care providers for ‘life-saving’ procedures, including transplants.”

However, state House Republicans remain vigilant in their anti-human life campaign. They are refusing to let measures to restore funding for organ transplants advance because, as the state House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jon Kavanagh (R) explained, “not enough lives would be saved to warrant restoring millions in budget cuts” for the transplants.

But as Brewer and the GOP-led legislature waffle over the value of human lives, two more people — including 23-year-old leukemia patient Courtney Parham — join the 98 others standing before the Brewer death panel. Because the state has so far refused to pay for her transplant, Courtney’s family “must raise somewhere between $400-$800 thousand dollars for a transplant, or their daughter will die.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/19/brewer-corporate-tax-cut-transplant/

Remember that whole "of the people, by the people, for the people" thing? How can we consider ourselves a decent, democratic society if we are willing to sanction the killing of the weak in favor of protecting the profits of the wealthy? Is cutting the taxes of the rich and the corporations so important that we cannot afford to help the most vulnerable amongst us?

In the coming week or so, I'm hoping to engage as many people as I can to try to organize a protest at the Arizona state capitol, because I don't think that I'm the only one outraged by a government that chooses to callously kill innocent people. Anyone interested in joining me? My email address is in my profile.

Always Happy to See Boobies

A nice pair of Boobies for Friday.

And a minor rant: I paid my electric bill this morning, which is no big deal. I kinda like having electricity, for all the fairly obvious reasons. But their reciept email states "Thank you for choosing (company name)". Um...I didn't "choose" you, except in the sense that my other option would be to live without electricity. I live in a small apartment, so I really can't set up my own solar panels and wind generators. Maybe I'm a stickler for semantics, but words should matter. If you want to thank me for paying my bill, fine. It's not like I've got a lot of choices.

100 Madisons

This post may ramble a bit, so feel free to skip reading it. But some of your comments lead me to believe you might agree.

There is a reason that I'm paying so much attention to the events in Madison Wisconsin. It's possibly the start of something larger. Not so much because of the actual union busting, but the many states who've decided to balance their budgets on the backs of working people. The anger captured by the "Tea Party" movement may have been corporately manipulated, but that underlying anger was real. We see the rich getting richer, while we are getting royally screwed. While I support progressive ideals, this isn't as much about "progress" as it is about stopping "regress", which is a better word for what we're experiencing. In Madison the workers are showing that they are tired of being the victim.

Just as Tunisia was a small revolution in a small country, ripples expand. Most Americans couldn't find Tunisia on the globe, and most Americans aren't union workers in Madison. But then it spread to Egypt. OK, everybody made the "walk like an Egyptian" jokes, but most have a vague idea about pyramids and the sphinx. They may not know that there is a country called "Bahrain" but they've heard of Iran. So revolts can spread, even if it's different people in different places.

Imagine, if you will, a workers uprising in Ohio. Then, protests in Pennsylvania. Missouri follows. Heck, even Arizona could have a good protest (just not in summer. it's too hot) around health care death panels and the prison industry immigration laws. How about the coal states? I'm deliberately not picking cities, because I have no clue which would be next. But I want the next "Madison" and then another, and then...

The part that feels weird is that I'm really not revolting against Obama. He's stuck with the rather unpleasant job of being the front man for a failing ideal. But the failures are hitting, and he's not going to be able to fix it anytime soon enough. Too bad; I think Obama is a well intentioned guy. It's the corporations who are steam rolling him and us. After the "Citizens United" decision, they own the system. Which is why we cut taxes for the rich and wages for the rest.

So I believe: the only way to fix it is one city, one state, one community at a time. We need 100 "Madisons" around our country. When your state tries to balance its budget your back, will you fight back?

Wisconsin Getting Even More Interesting

The Wisconsin protests are getting even more interesting. Today's crowd appears to be even larger than yesterdays, and now lawmakers are reacting:

The weather in Wisconsin is cold this time of year-- but the budget fight is only getting hotter. Following a walkout by the state Senate Democrats, depriving Republicans of the three-fifths majority needed to pass the budget and its controversial anti-public union provisions, the NBC affiliate in Madison now reports that sources say the Dems have left the state entirely.

This comes after the state Senate majority leader said that the State Patrol could be called in to round up the Dems. However, leaving for another state would presumably place the legislators beyond the state's jurisdiction. (Fun fact: The state Senate leader and the Assembly Speaker are brothers -- and the new head of the State Patrol is their father.)

Communications director Graeme Zielinski was unable to confirm anything. "I know the whereabouts of not a single Democratic senator," said Zielinski. "I do not know what latitude they're on, or know what longitude they're on. I assume they're in this hemisphere, I'll say that."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/report-wis-dem-state-senators-leave-state-to-block-budget-quorum.php?ref=fpa

It's a great tactic, but it remains to be seen if it's enough to get Gov. Walker to withdraw his draconian proposals.

Also:

WI Gov. Walker Ginned Up Budget Shortfall To Undercut Worker Rights

Paul Ryan On WI Protests:
'Cairo Has Moved To Madison'

I'm really hoping that this works in Wisconsin, because we really could use this type of direct action here in Arizona. And in so many other states. Let 100 other "Madisons" blossom across America.

More From Madison

Some more reports:

Protests Escalate Over WI Gov's Plan To Roll Back Union Rights

Wisconsin Gov. Walker Reiterates That The ‘National Guard’ Will Be Used Against A Worker ‘Walk-Off’

Wisconsin's Attack on Public Employees Could Lead to a Nationwide Campaign

Tens of Thousands Protest Move by Wisconsin's Governor to Destroy Public Sector Unions

We need 100 more Madisons' around this country. Really.

Protests in Madison

Well, this could get interesting. In Wisconsin, workers are standing up for their rights. Faced with draconian cuts and old fashioned union busting by governor Scott Walker (R-of course), 12,000 rallied in Madison.

In one of the largest protests in recent memory, thousands of angry union supporters gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday to oppose a bill by Gov. Scott Walker that would greatly weaken organized labor in Wisconsin.

More than 12,000 protesters gathered in two separate rallies outside the Capitol, many of them carrying signs and chanting "Recall Walker" or "Kill this bill." Thousands more crowded inside the rotunda and watched TV monitors broadcasting a public hearing on the governor's proposal.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_de45ba12-3935-11e0-9b64-001cc4c002e0.html

Gov. Walker had previously threatened to call out the National Guard in the event of "unrest", but that doesn't appear to have happened yet.

Republican Governors around the country are using the "financial crisis" as an excuse to attack public workers benefits, attempting to balance budgets on the backs of the middle class while saving tax cuts for the rich.

Cheers erupted every time someone in the hearing voiced opposition to the governor's bill, aimed at erasing a $137 million deficit in the current budget. Unveiled Friday, Walker's plan would remove collective bargaining rights for most of the 175,000 state and local government employees.

On Tuesday, members of the firefighters union received a loud ovation from the crowd outside the Capitol as they marched through the rally, holding signs displaying solidarity with their fellow state and local employees.

Charles Franklin, UW-Madison political science professor, said Tuesday that the opposition that has erupted over Walker's proposals are more severe than he has seen in 19 years of following politics in Wisconsin.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_de45ba12-3935-11e0-9b64-001cc4c002e0.html

It may not be Tahrir square, but it's good to see real Americans standing up for real American values.

Apparently, the Governor has decided to skip town to make an important appearance on Faux News (no link from me). And he's scheduled next weeks "State of the State" address on private business property to avoid potential protest at the capitol. More:

And also, significant cuts don't have to be made, if you'd stop giving tax breaks to every business like it's a goddamn fire sale at the toy store, using state pension funds to finance tax cuts for rich people, and gambling that economic growth would always continue because there isn't a third grader in this country couldn't have told you that was a bad bet. God, I hate when people ascribe to natural inevitability the results of their acting like morons for years.

http://first-draft-blog.typepad.com/first_draft/

Lots more at the link. Also, go to Blue Cheddar and Caffeinated Politics for more.

I really hope that Madison starts a trend. It really is time to stand up against the repubs and their corporate masters for the rights of working Americans. Also, good Lord people are morons. The schools have been shut down in Madison and protests are escalating in the state capital.
Added: A video of the demonstration is available here.

Sunday Beverage

What'll you have?

The Weekly Boobies

Friday Boobies in the shade.

Mubarak Steps Down

Wow, that went quicker than I expected.

Hosni Mubarak has stepped down.

While we'll have to see what happens next, and how the military leadership actually rules, mass bloodshed has been avoided for now. Mubarak finally read the writing on the wall:

Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman has just read a statement saying President Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as president, ending his 30-year rule. Suleiman said that the higher council of the armed forces will lead the nation.

Mubarak's move came on the 18th day of the protests that gripped his country, and after he had stopped short of stepping down on several previous occasions.

The New York Times reports:

The Egyptian military issued a communiqué pledging to carry out a variety of constitutional reforms in a statement notable for its commanding tone. The military's statement alluded to the delegation of power to Mr. Suleiman and it suggested that the military would supervise implementation of the reforms.

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/mubarak-steps-down-in-egypt.php?ref=fpblg

I'm very pleased to see a non-violent revolution succeed. A brutal dictator has been removed without a single American bomb being dropped.

I couldn't resist the picture above, which proves the American influence on the Egyptian protests. Witness that great icon of American freedom: Cartman!

Fecal Matter About To Hit Oscillating Wind Device

Damn. Mubarak says he's not leaving, but will delegate some powers to al-Suleiman. I listened to his speech in Arabic, and I really couldn't believe what I was hearing. Mubarak sounded disoriented and delusional, but still defiant:

On the 17th day of protests that have gripped his country and commanded the attention of the world, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak made a televised speech in which he repeated his pledge not to seek re-election, announced proposed amendments to the constitution, but did not -- as many had expected -- leave office.

"Day after day we will continue the transfer of power from now until September," he said.

He did say that he had delegated some powers to Vice President Omar Suleiman.

As Mubarak spoke, the massive crowd gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square grew more agitated, and began holding their shoes in the air in unison.

"Egypt is going through difficult time, and we can not do anything that causes damage to our economy day after day," Mubarak said.

After Mubarak spoke, Suleiman gave his own televised speech, urging protesters to go home and to work together with the government for the transition.

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/mubarak-im-not-stepping-down-yet.php?ref=fpa

This is likely to turn very bloody very quickly. The people aren't backing down, and I believe that al-Suleiman really wants a violent confrontation. The real question is what the military will do; if they stand aside, Mubarak is done, but if they intervene we may see the bloodiest revolution in decades. I'm not optimistic.

For Panic Fans

I know that at least a few of my readers are fans of Widespread Panic, so I thought I'd give a 'heads up' about the anniversary concerts simulcast:

To celebrate Widespread Panic's 25th Anniversary, we will be simulcasting the February 10th & 11th Athens, GA shows and the February 14th, Atlanta, GA show live on LiveWidespreadPanic.com. Tune in here for the free live audio stream starting at 7:30PM EST the night of the show.

Hope that you enjoy!

This Day is Getting Better

Actually, my day started badly. Woke up with a head cold, so rather grumpy.

But then I got the news that my least favorite senator, Jon Kyl has decided not to seek reelection. As I usually say, Jon Kyl is so conservative that he even conserves on letters when spelling his name. He's a dumb greedy brute, and it will be good to be rid of him. Of course, this being Arizona, who knows what sort of abomination we'll elect as our next senator.

Also, there are Reports: Egypt's Mubarak May Step Down Tonight. That's a very good first step, but handing the reigns to Omar al-Suleiman is not an improvement. al-Suleiman was the brutal intelligence head in charge of quashing dissent, so don't expect any sudden outbreak of "freedom" and "democracy" soon. But the pressure of international attention should ensure progress, and Mubarak's departure should bring an end to the violence against the protesters. Unless it doesn't.

UPDATE: Al Jazeera is reporting that the Army will be taking power, rather than Suleiman. The White House calls the situation “fluid.” We'll see what happens.

UPDATE2: Mubarak says he's NOT leaving, staying while turning over "some duties" to al-Sulieman. Listening to his speech (in Arabic), he sounded really disoriented and somewhat delusional. Forget my earlier optimism; Egypt looks poised to turn much, much worse very quickly.

Politically Incorrect Thought of the Day

If Hosni Mubarak really wants to end the protests in Cairo, all he has to do is book the Black Eyed Peas to play a concert in Tahrir Square. Yes, it would be cruel and inhumane, but the place would be cleared out in minutes.

Remembering Ronnie on his 100th

As we remember St. Ronnie's 100th birthday, think how much better off this country would be if Reagan had have stuck with acting with chimps. He actually was pretty good at that.

Of course, he was so much more dignified and "presidential" than our current president.

And his legacy is still with us in so many ways, which is why so many worship him to this day.

Housekeeping and the Stupor Bowl

Just to let you know that I'm still participating in blogroll amnesty day, but I'll be...well...just a little late. I spent most of yesterday engaging in "non-internet related activities" and will be spending a lot of today watching some obscure sporting event. So the blogroll update, while still coming, won't be done today. Again, if you'd like me to add your blog to the 'roll, leave me a comment.
Yeah, I'm a traditional American male, so I'll be watching the Super Bowl. My favorite pub is having a potluck party, and I'm in a couple of betting pools too. Although this years contest features two teams, the Steelers and the Packers, that I dislike but don't despise. So I'm just rooting for a good, close game. One highlight that we won't be seeing this year:

Blogroll Amnesty Day(s)

Via our old friend skippy, I see that it's time again for the annual blogroll amnesty day, and I'm again happy to participate. I'd been planning to update the blogroll anyway, and this weekend seems like a good time to do it. I'll be adding some blogs that entertain me, and dropping a few who've gone dark.

So here's an open invitation: if you'd like me to add your blog to my blogroll, let me know in the comments. I really don't care about how much "traffic" a blog has (this one doesn't get much), but I do value "interesting" most. Link to me, and I'll link to you. Only one exception: I don't link to blogs that are strictly commercial.