Simon Johnson: The Consensus On Big Banks Shifts Around The World, But Not At Treasury

The reason that the concenus on big banks has not shifted is because, as Sen Durbin stated in April 2009 "And the banks -- hard to believe in a time when we're facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created -- are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place".



Change will only come when we look at everything politicians say when running an vote for the person that will represent those changes. Too few politicians actually represent the People. Most represent the lobbyists that pump money into their campaigns.
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Gay Priests Not Wanted, Catholic Church Tests For Gays To Keep Them Out

So the church is going to try to keep gay men out of the clergy, not because they are pedophiles (the church would never say that), rather because being gay is well gay. To quote the NYT "deciding whether gay applicants should be denied admission under complex recent guidelines from the Vatican that do not explicitly bar all gay candidates but would exclude most of them, even some who are celibate".



So how will the church decide which gay men are not too gay to allow in, and how does that reconcile with Matthew 19:14 "Jesus, however, said, "Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these"?



Would it not be better to attract a larger group of people to spread the word of your god rather than limit yourself to a smaller pool of people with a higher chance of getting someone who may be a pedophile?
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Underwater Oil Plumes Disputed By BP CEO Tony Hayward

Well, since BP has said that they will be responsible for th clean-up, it seems to me that they will be there a long time. The is still oil showing up in Prince William Sound more than 20 years later. I expect that we should hold them to it, no matter where on the US coast the oil appears. I would also expect that we would nationalize any wells in US waters that BP owns if they fail to honor their commitment. We could run these wells out, using profits from the sale of the oil to fund renewable energy projects.



All oil companies are parasites on the world. We should tax them out of existence. There are better ways to make energy and when those process are in ore use their cost will be lower than non-renewable sources.
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Israel Attacks Palestinian Aid Flotilla

Israel should have had one concern and one concern only: are there weapons or contraband on these ships. If the Free Gaza movement would have allowed for this after leaving port by an independent UN observation team, Israel could not have any justification for stopping the flotilla. The fact that private individuals defended themselves with knives and pipes from armed commandos, and then fired captured weapons does not give Israel cover for their actions. They could have just blockaded the ships and not allowed them to pass. The fact that they were called humanitarian relief means that Israel had no moral authority to attack.



Zionists captured part of Palestine from the Arabs with the British putting up minimal resistance. Israelis have treated the Arabs almost as badly as they were treated in Nazi Germany. Your religion does not give you the right to land. You have no way to prove that your god is the true god and that your holy book represents the word of god any more than someone else holy book.



It is long past the time that we, in the US, stop supporting Israel. I understand the strategic nature of the relationship, but it is one of the reasons we will always be the target of Islamic fanatics. Israel shows no compassion for humanity outside of their religion unless it supports the cause of total control of Palestine
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Mark Kirk Admits He Never Received Navy Award, Contrary To His Official Biography

Is it possible for any politician to have the stones to admit to their actual military record? These guys, both Democrats and Republicans should have to go to a fire base on the front line in Afghanistan and explain why the has the gall lie about their service. Having served and been awarded several mid-level awards, I am disgusted. There are real service members that have been awarded medals for bravery, loss of limbs, and life in order to protect their buddies and this country. All of these fakes should go back under their rock where they belong.
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Gulf Oil Spill: Top Kill Fails, BP Preparing Next Fix Attempt

Of course "Top Kill" failed. It was in inevitable. It did not work 30 years ago for th Mexicans in shallower waters, why would it work now. Everything BP has done up to this point is a delaying tactic. All of this was done during the huge Mexican underwater gusher in '79. Everything they tried, BP has tried in the same order. Nothing worked until a secondary well was drilled, 3 months later, to relieve the pressure so that the well could be capped. Expect nothing to work until BPs secondary wells are completed in late August/September.
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Liz Cheney Wants Investigation Of Joe Sestak White House Job Offer

The Congressional approval to go to war required that Bush certify that the UN had concluded that there were WMDs in Iraq. In fact he kicked out the inspection teams to start the war.



What happened between Sestak and the White House was obviously political. He was offered an non-paying job to drop out. He declined, no scandal. If fact, the White House went out of their way to not put pressure on Sestak. There was only lip service that they supported Spector. Maybe Liz would like the American people to know what her father was doing during the closed door energy meetings he held prior to the start of the war in Iraq. Maybe she would like the American people to know what her father and Bush knew about the falsifying of intelligence about WMDs in Iraq. Maybe she she would like the American people to knowhow much money her father made while VP from payments from Halliburton. More than likely she doesn't want the American people to know anything about fleecing of American by Bush and her father for 8 years or any of the facts about the destruction of this country by the Republicans since Eisenhower left office.
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Colin Powell: Oil Spill Is 'Beyond The Capacity' Of BP To Solve, Military Might Have Role

Powell is blowing hot air. There is nothing that the military can do to fix this situation. Hurricane response is totally different than dealing with something a mile under the ocean. Boots on the ground will not solve the problem. Aircraft in the air will not help. Neither the navy nor the CIA have the assets to solve this problem. The only way you could have a private company fall under the control of the federal government is if you nationalize it. Since BP in not an American corporation, nationalizing its assets creates other problems. Obama should have done more to appear in control, but in reality he can't be. This disaster is a catch 22 for Obama. He can take over and be blamed for not getting the well capped, or he can let BP not get the well capped and be blamed for doing nothing. Either way he looses. Republicans loose for creating the climate in which drilling one mile under the ocean becomes necessary for taking down the solar panels in 1980 and not implementing Carter's energy policy. We would never be in this situation if Reagan had brain.
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Hey, That's Sacred Ground: Let's Talk About Where to Build that Mosque

Nobody complains about the Catholic or Protestant church and where it builds. Yet for decades, Irish Catholics and Protestants slaughtered each other in the name of religion, yet did anyone protest when a new church was built? Sure, they did not kill Americans, but it was Irish Americans that sent plenty of money to keep that conflict going for decades. It is the radicals that make everyone else look bad. Most Muslims are peace loving just like most Christians, Jews, and Hindus. When we let the radicals control the message we all loose.
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And David Cameron's First Victims Are...

It would seem that the Lib/Dems have been swindled or they have sold out. It is always the real people, those that work for a living, those at the middle to the bottom that always feel the brunt of any cutbacks. People have been sold a bill of goods that the rich are not subsidized, that they rich pay too much taxes. What the Torrie-Lib/Dem coalition will do is cause huge problems for the UK in 5, 10, 15 years time when these cutback start to show in society on a large scale. You have to invest in your future today, through education, training and caring for the elderly. Yes caring for the elderly is investing in the future. It show that people, even when they are old have value. When a society no longer care for the elderly, that society will collapse.
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Deficit Eclipses Jobs In Congress: 'Nickel-And-Diming The Most Fragile People'

Obama has the authority to call Congress back into session and he should do so. Without jobs, without unemployment benefits, more people will go into foreclosure, the economy will slow down further, which will lead to more lay-offs, which will lead to the economy slowing down further, which will lead to more lay-offs....Business will never make any effort to expend money if it means they will loose profits. Look at the Dow, topping 10K yet the economy is still in the tank. Banks and investment brokers, and other corporate executives getting record bonuses, yet real people remain unemployed.



Bring the Senate back Mr. President, keep the House in session until this is resolved.
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Helmer Toro, H&H Bagels Owner, Admits Cheating On Taxes

With state's revenue declining, you would think that auditing corporate taxes would be a priority. Too many companies pay little or no taxes. Maybe, if they were audited more often they would stay in compliance, and REAL people would not have to pay so much
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BP Criminal Charges? U.S. Weighs Charges In Oil Spill For Safety Violations, Cleanup Claims

"And this particular disaster is not unprecedented in size, in the kind of accident, nor in the methods used to respond. There have been dozens of oil well blowouts in the Gulf of Mexico, including 39 since 2007".



The fact that the American (all) people are lied too by governments and corporations as a way to keep the money flowing, is amazing. If, governments did their job protecting the people, rather than enabling corporations to take risks with lives and money that is not theirs, then we would never have these disasters. Make corporations like Massey put their headquarters in an active mine at depth, make oil companies put their headquarters on a drilling platform, make banks and investment houses boards and executive staff put all their finances in their derivatives. If we do not make them feel the real dangers of what they expose everyone else we will always be subject to these kinds of disasters.



It is governments job, our job since WE are the government, to see to it that corporation are treated as what they are: entities that exist at our pleasure for the benefit of the people. We sanction corporations, we can remove that sanction and they would no longer exist. We have to change they way government regulates business and how business interacts with government. WE can do it. Hold your reps responsible, co-ordinate with friends and elect people that will stand with you on this issue
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BP Oil Spill Protest At Gas Station In New York City (VIDEO)

fanned



gabby09 you make great points. We cannot rail against the system unless We are willing to make a change ourselves. My wife and I are working our way off oil and products that use oil. We have started with our health and eliminated as much as possible food that is not organic. We are trying to buy locally produced meats and veg. My car get over 30 mpg and it is 6 years old.



If we do not make a stand personally, any protest is lost from the start
About Gulf Oil Spill
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White House Asked Bill Clinton To Talk To Joe Sestak About Senate Run

There are always back room deals. Some are illegal and others not. Getting Specter to change parties was a back room deal. He said many times that he was not told that the field would be cleared if he ran as a Dem. Maybe, the White house did make that offer, and maybe they tried to get Sestek to not run against him. This would be party politics, nothing more. He was offered a non-compensated position. This is really about Specter or his supporters being a sore looser.
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Gulf Oil Spill Cleanup: Boom Hasn't Been As Effective As Hoped

"With all of those billions in profits, one would expect oil companies to have enormous resources to handle these situations, but it appears that money went to corporate bonuses".



You are exactly right. Because we do not regulate industries that have the potential to do harm to both people and the environment, we end up with an ineffective and unmitigated disaster response disaster. If every the "Tea Party" and the rest of the Republicans learn that we could be on our way to a better planet. However, Beck, Palin and the rest will continue to blame regulations and the Democrats for the problems they have caused by influencing people to believe that regulation = bad.
About Gulf Oil Spill
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'Top Kill' SUSPENDED: Too Much 'Mud' Escaping, BP Hopes To Resume Plug Attempt

Capitalism by its very definition cannot be self regulating. It attempts to maximize profits and market share to the extent that it gains a monopoly. Until the "average person" learns and understands that, we will always be at the mercy of big business and its political cronies.
About Gulf Oil Spill
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'Top Kill' SUSPENDED: Too Much 'Mud' Escaping, BP Hopes To Resume Plug Attempt

There is no hope that BP or the government have any idea of what they are doing. It is all guess work because no one was force to do an impact study and no one had to show that they had proven technology that would work at these depths. We force NASA to have multiple redundant systems to send 7 astronauts into space, but to protect millions of people and millions of miles of ocean and coast line, we seem to be OK with "trust me, I know what I am doing".
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Senate Approves $60 Billion For War, While House Cuts $24 Billion For Unemployed Workers And State Aid

"An Obey spokesman blamed the busy floor schedule and ongoing uncertainty over the jobless benefits bill". Can't wait to go on vacation rather than see to it the at the American people are taken care of first.



This is all because of the BS that the Dems are soft on terror. It was always a way to push votes ny Republicans and keep their military industrial complex funded. Where else will Republicans go after they leave office? Certainly not back to entrepreneurship, to continue to live the American dream of being your own boss.



The deficit is high because of the wars. Funding billions per day because Bush did not want to end the wars, just keep them going. That was HIS job. The only funding that we should be doing if funding the withdrawal of these wars, putting the money in getting the economy moving and providing unemployment benefits until it does.
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DADT Repeal Vote: Congress To Vote On Military Gay Ban

Waiting until the Defense Department completes its survey is ridiculous. It knew when Obama was elected that this was going to happen. They should have started the process day one. Besides, the legislation would give the military as much time as it wants before lifting the ban. So why wait. Better yet, just lift the ban. Why do we want to loose any more good men and women to this ban before the ban is lifted.
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BP Is 'Big And Important': BP Chairman Strikes Out At Critics, CEO Scolds Photographer At Oil Spill Site (VIDEO)

Yes, and the delay is caused by lack of Republican support in the Senate. Once again, the Party of NO stops progress in making th world a safer place and American The leader of the free world. It is Republicans that destroyed health care reform, this law will cost people money, through increased out of pocket expenses, and a lack of controls on increased costs without improving outcomes.



The Party of NO is the one that is stopping a climate bill that would reduce our dependence on oil. It is the Party of NO that stopped enforcing environmental, health, and safety regulations that are directly responsible for the mining disaster in W. VA., and the personnel that has been involved in rubber stamping the oil industries plans for deep wells in the Gulf.



It is Republicans that have been and are making this country worse. They use ll of their political capital to defend corporations at the expense of real people. More than anything else, this will lead to the down fall of this country. Hope that you ar happy.
About Gulf Oil Spill
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Deportation Nightmare: Eduardo Caraballo, US Citizen Born In Puerto Rico, Detained As Illegal Immigrant

It does not fail. The Arizona law is more dangerous for Americans of Hispanic decent. The police in Arizona can arrest anyone that looks like they are illegal without any other laws being violated. In Chicago, this individual allegedly committed a crime before he was turned over to ICE.
About Immigration
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Palin Speech In Vegas Panned By Realtors

What, we don't need more regulation? I cannot speak fro everywhere in the country, but real estate assessments are based on sales and sales alone. They do not include foreclosures or auctions. That means that there is no break on a faltering economy and housing prices are the last to react, when they should be one of the first.



Now expecting Palin to talk about any topic in detail to a specific audience is like expecting aliens to show up and tell us they are sorry for making us crazy for the last 50 plus years. However, Palin is helping out with the green economy by recycling her speaches.
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BP Is 'Big And Important': BP Chairman Strikes Out At Critics, CEO Scolds Photographer At Oil Spill Site (VIDEO)

So the moratorium was not put in writing. An order from the President, made in public should be enough, agreement by the Secretary of the Interior to Congress should have meant that everyone understood the order and was taking action. That would also mean the the EPA is obligated to pursue the maximum penalties that are allowed under law. This disaster is epic in proportion, it is biblical in proportion. Therefore the fines should match the disaster.



If this latest guess at fixing this oil leak does not work, then all deep water wells should come under new inspection guidelines. Every well should be inspected for safety procedures, equipment, etc. and production should be halted if they fail any safety check, not just any area if the checklists.



Judging from the video by ABC, it appears that it will be impossible to truly clean-up this spill. The dispersant are just making the oil sink, and the Gulf is turning into "salad dressing". Aquatic animals cannot live it that, as gills will get clogged, feathers will get matted, species mamay go extinct.
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Obama Heckles His Heckler At Boxer Fundraiser

Anyone that believes someone running for president can and will do something that needs that approval of Congress is just foolish. A president can have an agenda and set it in motion, but without the Congress voting for it nothing will happen.



That being said, the President can and should put pressure on Congress to get the thing done that he laid out in his campaign. DADT, a public option and renewable energy should have been and should be hammered until they are passed. Yet this has not been the case for the man i voted for who said that things would change.



I am daily moving to the point that it is time that progressives move to a new party. There are more of us then their are conservatives, and we have the intellectual capacity to make our positions heard over the talking points of the right. Elected Democrats do not seem to want the challenge of making our country better for People, they seem just as stuck in the status quo as Republicans.
About Don't Ask Don't Tell
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Long-Term Unemployment: No Help For The 99ers

I have just about reached my 60 weeks and then it ends. I have applied to loads of jobs, including with the federal government (what complicated mess that is). I have been through the interview stage and am told that it may take 6 weeks to fill the position. Keep checking back and there is no position. Companies are just looking for bench strength for when the economy turns around. Of course no one is looking for a retail manger with 20 years of experience and nobody seems to want to hire someone that has a 30 year resume including serving as an officer in the military.



"Most recently, Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.) told the Washington Post that businesses in her district wanted to start hiring but were getting few applicants because Congress had given the unemployed so many weeks of benefits." Is just CR@P
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Texas Board Of Education Approves More Conservative Curriculum

It has been the policy of the Christian church to adopt and modify the existing reality to fit there reality. The Pantheon is one example, but just look at almost every Christian feast day and you will find the Pagan reality it replaced.



The student so Texas will be the most under educated in the industrialized world. They will also be the least able to lead a nation. You cannot change the facts because you feel that history has been skewed by liberals. The Texas School Board is re-writing history to fit its image of the world. When it is all said and done, they will probably claim that the past teaching in the school were part of the JR dream in Dallas.
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Rand Paul Cancels On 'Meet The Press,' Only 3rd Guest To Do So In 62 Years

What, cancel MTP? David Gregory is not the most hard hitting interviewer on the planet. Even Palin can hit his softballs. This issue is becoming more than Paul. It will take on a life of its own and swallow up all T-P candidates, and possible infect "mainstream" Republicans. Paul canceled to try to avoid this becoming a bigger story, however, this will make it bigger and keep it in front of the voters.
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Government Takeover? Comcast CEO Changes His Tune Outside D.C.

There is not free market system, and there never was. The markets have always been fixed from the time of the first East India companies (both Dutch and English), they had monopolies on trade. Innovation is sparked and nurtured by government. Without government regulations, the optimum scenario for a business is to beat its competition, and take market share to the point that it has a monopoly. That is why they invented the game, to show you how it is done, to become ruthless and not even know it. The ultimate goal of capitalism is monopoly. This is only prevented by the government, unless capitalist have bought the government.



Is there a need for a local cable monopoly? No. If local government would allow all cable companies to sting cable to every home, there would be real competition, not just in choice but also on price and options of plans available. There would also not be any arguments about Net Neutrality. There would be too much competition for customers to worry about limiting access.
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Low Gulf Oil Spill Size Estimate Could Save BP Millions Of Dollars In Court

You are right on this issue. The only thing that should be guiding Democrats and progressives is how any issue will affect real people, not corporations. The business of America is people, not business. If the people are taken care of, if they are put first in all decisions, business will find a way to make money. That is how real capitalism works.



On this spill specifically, BP should not be in charge of the clean-up, BP should not be in charge of the estimations on the amount of oil released, BP should not be allowed to offer contracts to people out of work in order for them to waive their right to sue. These contract should be thrown out anyway as they were made under duress.



It is long past the time, when government worked for the people. There have been moments: Clinton's attempt at health care, Carter's attempt at renewable energy, Kennedy/Johnson civil rights legislation, etc. The attempt to help the people always come from the Democrats, except when TR was bold enough to stand up to the Trusts and break up the great monopolies of his day. He succeeded and that was the end of TR's career.



If the Democrats will not stand up for the People, then we need to support the Progressive Democrats of America, and put pressure on the Democrats or became a viable third party.
About Gulf Oil Spill
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Arizona Threatens To Pull The Plug On LA

So AZ has to pass a law that requires that the laws be enforced? So why do they not duplicate every law to ensure that law enforcement will enforce them? There is no logic here. Enforce the laws you already have on the books and contact ICE if an illegal immigrant broke a law. However, being able to stop somebody because they look like they are illegal is a bit much
About Arizona Immigration Law
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She's Hot and Hezbollah: When Women Are Wielded as Ideological Weapons

maybe what is most important in this question about Rima Fakih is that SHE can choose to be what SHE wants, to act and dress how SHE pleases, because that is HER right as a person. The fact that she is beautiful and smart would be no less if SHE chose to live under a burqa. If some people are offended that a Muslim women could possible win a beauty contest, too bad. Both the right and the left are wrong. There is, and should not be, anything wrong with being proud of your body. She is being no more exploited by her beauty than she is exploiting it herself. She will make plenty of money and so will the pageant. Grow up people, it is her life and SHE gets to decide for HERSELF what is right and wrong for her. She has committed no crimes.
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Gulf Oil Spill: Louisiana Wetlands Blanketed With BP Crude (VIDEO)

"The day that we've been fearing is upon us today," Jindal said.



What day? Republicans have been pushing drill baby drill off shore for decades. Not that the disaster, of biblical proportions, is upon us, they cry that it is what they always feared. Had they listened to Pres. Carter, we would not have this disaster because we would never had needed to do deep water drilling. We would have had a strong, robust renewable energy supply. We would be the global leader, and major provider of renewable energy equipment. By this time we would have been looking at ways to completely wind down fossil fuels as an energy source, and we would not be looking at global climate change.



This is exactly what the Republicans have always wanted. Now they are finding out that to want is much better than to have. I am sorry for all the people that will be harmed by this disaster, but this is what comes of voting for a party that puts corporations and profits ahead of people.



Republicans short sighted solutions will always cause long term damage to the people that have to fix it, namely us. Corporations are washing their hands so fast and going into denial so quickly, they make Macbeth look like a saint.
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Arizona Threatens To Pull The Plug On LA

Maybe, in retaliation to shutting off the power, California might decide to not send and food to AZ. AZ has gone off the rails.



They had no business creating a local law that discriminated against a group of people, when the federal immigration laws allow local law enforcement to turn over illegals that have been arrested committing other crimes. This will only lead to more divisiveness within AZ and the rest of the country. Republicans do not care how they destroy America as long as they make it happen.
About Arizona Immigration Law
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'Modifying' Miranda Rights Modifies The Political Debate

This is bad, real bad. Where will it stop? Every time Republicans claim Democrats are weak on terror will they agree to remove another Constitutional right of someone ACCUSED of a crime. How easy it will be to accuse someone of a terrorist plot just so that they can refuse him their rights? With the five crazies on SCOTUS, I doubt that they would uphold the Constitution.



And what bout Republicans being strict Constituionalist? Oh, yeah, it is the Republicans, the guys that are in favor of something only when it suits them. Your rights are your right! Obama has no business changing or contemplate changing American's right to be held innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. You cannot defend your innocence if you are denied your right o council. This is totally unacceptable!
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UK Coalition Deal Finalized By Cameron, Clegg

I just read the Coalition Agreement ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/may/20/coalition-government-agreement-cameron-clegg ). It is an ambitious plan for the next 5 years. It is also very un-Tory like. It seems to be a more Lib/Dem plan. Good green energy policy, good banking policy. Hopefully, they will be able to implement this plan nd the Lib/Dems will get some credit for running a government.
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North Korea Fired Torpedo That Killed 46 And Sank Cheonan, Says South Korea

This is just a war of words right now. South Korea's response to their allegation that the North sank their ship will determine where this is going. More words means there will not be any fighting.



North Korea is in so much financial trouble that they are willing to start a war in order to get money from China. The Chinese stopped short of supporting South Korea out right because they can see where this is heading. They will not fight in this war, if it happens. They need the West to buy its goods and the money that brings to keep their own population subdued with things. A war will end that and cause a shift in global economic restructuring, not to mention health issues as the North will not hesitate to use nukes.
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Mark Williams, Tea Party Leader, Says Muslims Worship "Monkey God"

Yet therein lies the rub with Tea Baggers. They have an idea of what they want, somewhere in a nebulous cloud, lead by someone they never heard of. I am sure that most people that classify themselves as Tea Party have no idea that this is what they are actually supporting. I am sure that most people that voted for Rand Paul had no idea that he wants to corporations to be able to discriminate against people, they just thought he was anti-big government. The Tea party is like the Nazi Party in the early 1930s. They say things that have a populist ring to them so that you do not hear what they really stand for. Then, when they have enough support, they will through out the Constitution claiming national security reasons, and history will repeat itself. I am not being unreasonable, just read the history of the rise of that party and look at how the Tea Party has developed. Look at the people that it attracts to positions of leadership. These are the people that will make the policy for this organization; these are the people that will end (or try to) freedom as we know it.
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Rand Paul On 'Maddow' Defends Criticism Of Civil Rights Act, Says He Would Have Worked To Change Bill (VIDEO)

Civil rights and gun ownership are two totally different questions. First off we are talking about "All men being created equal", and the right to bear arms as part of a well regulated militia. There is no inherent "god given right" to own a weapon, unless you are part of a regulated militia. That what that sentence states, not that you can go into a restaurant with a gun or carry one to school or church.



Business does not have the right to discriminate, nor should Republicans be defending that position. I hope that Jack Conway uses that every chance he gets during the election to show that Rand will work hard against people, especially against blacks. What will Republicans do when white people become the a minority in this country besides trying to turn back the hands of time and complaining that they are being discriminated against?
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Two Dems Help Defeat Senate Cloture Vote On Wall Street Reform

"Republicans began objecting to and successfully blocking consumer-friendly amendments on Tuesday. The amendment process until then had proceeded remarkably smoothly".



Republicans will only work with Democrats when it suits them. Protecting Americans against big business does not suit them, so they try to stop the process form working. Every Democrat should use that against them in Nov. They should remind the People daily what the Republicans have done to make their lives worse.
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BP, Coast Guard Officers Block Journalists From Filming Oil-Covered Beach (VIDEO)

I agree with the gist of this article, however, "As the Coast Guard is a branch of the Armed Forces, it brings into question how closely the government and BP are working together to keep details of the disaster in the dark", is incorrect. The Coast Guard used to be part of the Department of the Treasury and was moved to the Department of Homeland Security. This does not excuse the treatment of reporters trying to do their job in a free country notunder martial law.



There needs to be a stop put to this action. BP nor the Coast Guard can stop any one from filming. Everyone should go down to the beach en masse and film, post it on the internet, sell it to he MSN and call your Senators and Congress people and demand that we stop this illegal captivity by BP
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First Lady Michelle Obama Questioned by Second-Grader Worried About Her Mom's Immigration Status

The problem is that they are illegal. The WE have done them a disservice by not enforcing the laws that put the real criminals in jail, the corporate executives and their boards, and fining the companies that hired these people. Had we done our job in the first place we would have very few illegal aliens, and Americans would be paid a living wage to do these manual jobs that now go to undocumented workers afraid to complain about their working conditions.



So, what we need to do is just what Reagan did, put in place a way for these people already here to become citizens and enforce the laws that we have and put the REAl criminals in jail.
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Election RESULTS: Arlen Specter Loses To Joe Sestak, Rand Paul Wins

For the Democratic Senators, it is easy to see why they ended up in the position they are in. Specter is a turn-coat Republican. He his no more a Democrat than Mitch McConnell is and PA Dems did not want to be represented by him. They never elected him to start with, he just changed parties. Lincoln is seeing the backlash from not doing the people's business and supporting the health care industry and the big banks, when she should have been fighting to fix legislation so that people are protected, not corporate profits. They got what they deserve.



All incumbents should be wary of how much they support business over people. They will find themselves attacked from both sides, maybe for different reasons, but ultimately for not looking out for people over corporations.
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Rush Limbaugh (AUDIO): 'When Do We Ask The Sierra Club To Pick Up The Tab For This Leak?'

Limbaugh and the Republicans logic for BP's disaster is that it must be someone else's fault then the people that caused it. It could not possible be a corporation that is at fault. Blame the environmentalist, for an oil disaster.
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Mark Souder RESIGNS Over Affair With Aide Tracy Jackson (VIDEO)

Nothing like standing on a pedestal and telling people how they should live their lives when you yourself are doing what you preach against. If a Republican is complaining about something and standing on that pedestal, they are doing just what they are against. Family values = cheating, Anti-gay = you are gay. Republicans are so 1984.
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GOP Blocks Three Key Anti-Wall Street Amendments

Republicans are completely bought and paid for. There is nothing that can justify stopping these amendment from coming to the floor. It would appear that they have nothing but hate and loathing for the American people.
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At What Cost? BP Spill Responders Told to Forgo Precautionary Health Measures in Cleanup

The sad part here is that there was supposed to be a clean-up of the EPA, MMS and very other government agency stacked with bush cronies that did not care for regulation or regulating. You would think the by now someone at one of those agencies would be standing up for Americans. I am beginning to feel let down.



Obama had a chance the other day when he gave his speech in the Rose Garden to announce that all oil leases would be ending and that were going to be re-issued to wind farms. Instead we just got his indignation at the companies responsible for this disaster.
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Hezbollah Leader Calls For 'Islamic United States'

This had been tried before by Gamal Nasser in Egypt in the late 50s. It did not work then, and it will not work today. Although most of the Middle East is Muslim, they are highly tribal and nationalistic. The tribes of Afghanistan will only come together for a common enemy, but will never agree to seed power to someone from another tribe. They don't trust their won government, nor the Pakistani government, nor Iran. The Arabs hate the Persians, Sunnis hate the Shi'ite, and the secular Muslims do not trust the clerics. You have as much of a chance of getting them to join together as you do getting the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland to agree on joining the Irish Republic or all of the countries of South America becoming the United States of South America.
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Sarah Palin: 'We're All Arizonans Now'

"Jan Brewer and Palin blamed President Barack Obama for the state law".



Had Bush done his job when President and enforced the labor and immigration laws by prosecuting the companies that hire illegal immigrants rather than just raiding them and sending the illegal back, we would not be in this mess. If there this had been done, corporations would not be hiring people without proper documentation. If the corporations are not hiring they would not come.



What Obama should do is have ICE raid one of these corporations suspected of hiring illegals, like Bush did, and prosecute the company and the corporate executive, to include the board of directors, for not doing due diligence and their fiduciary duty in ensuring that the company only hires people authorized to work in the US.



Further, it is not Obama, as Gov. brewer said, that "apparently considers it a wonderful opportunity to divide people along racial lines for his personal political convenience." Rather tit is the Arizona legislature and the Governor that is making this a race issue.
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Giant Oil Plumes Found In Gulf Depths

We are witnessing history. As we watch this disaster unfold and begin to see the enormity of this calamity; that BP and the government are not making every effort, not only to stop the spill, but also to understand the size of the problem that has been created. When all is said and done, the much of the Gulf of Mexico will be a dead zone; no fish, no plant life, and no one living on the shoreline because huge globs of oil will wash up every day for decades. This will also end the only coral reef we have around the Florida Keys.



It is time to stop all drilling off shore in and around th US. All oil leases should be canceled for drilling and made available for wind generation farms. This is the moment when we can make a fundamental change in our economy, our climate, and show the world that the US is THE leader in the green revolution.
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Highland Park High School In The Spotlight Over Arizona Boycott, Sarah Palin Gets Involved

You are correct. They are representing the school and the district. It is also the schools responsibility to teach them, regardless if it is in sports or the classroom. It is not all about winning, it is also about how you handle loosing, how you treat teammates and opponents. Do you respect people and their rights or do you just worry about "playing a game". Arizona set this play in motion when they decided to racially profile people with this law. Read the law, that's how it describes how to determine if someone is here illegally. This is a good lesson for these girls in American politics and history. Hopefully they will learn something from it.



As longfeltwant stated in the final paragraph, if they want to spend their own money and get uniforms that do not represent the school then by all means, if they want to go. It would be a good lesson in entrepreneurship.
About Arizona Immigration Law
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Sara Isaacson: ROTC Student May Be Forced To Repay Army Scholarship After Coming Out

This stupid policy of DADT is costing us many good people both in government and in the military. However, I would say that until it is ended, it is just as stupid to "come out". If people did not know my family or me well, they would just assume that I am hetero (which I am). Let people make all the assumptions that they want. Wait until the policy changes if you really feel that you want to serve, but let people know that you do not favor DADT. We are so sexually repressed in this country it is not even funny. Sex does not make you what you are. How you deal with others, do your job and live your life is what makes you what you are.



I have worked with many people in and out of the service that are gay. They have been good friends, trustworthy comrades in arms and work. End this useless policy now.
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James Inhofe: Soldiers 'Not Equipped' To Deal With Gay Comrades

The problem with Inhofe and his ilk is that guys do not have sex on the brains like they do. I served with gays while in the military as an enlisted man and as an officer. I found they heterosexuals were on the "prowl" much more gays. Most of the guys could care less, and if they knew someone was gay they told them to keep it to themselves. We have lost some really good intelligence and fighting personnel over this stupid policy. Grow the 'F' up! It seems to me that there are plenty of Republican deniers that are actually gay. They do not have the maturity to admit to others their preference, until it gets out in the press.
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