SDB Evening News Reads for 053111: Mitch McConnell, Weiner and a Lepp…all just another word for Dick?

Goody Goody Restaurant, Tampa, FL. 1925 - 2005

Good late afternoon and evening! We had a break from all the news yesterday and it was very enjoyable! Boston Boomer posted a cool picture of a hamburger joint she used to haunt back in Indiana, so I thought I would post a picture of one of my hometowns legendary dives…

Goody Goody was one of those places where you could get a damn good cheeseburger, with raw onions, pickles and this special chili/ketchup like sauce, some tasty crinkle fries, and then finish it off with a slice of homemade Butterscotch pie.  Goody Goody opened back in 1925 and was a regular favorite of my family. My Nana and Nano and great Aunts and Uncles would always talk about going to the drive in and getting some cheeseburgers. When they got to old to drive themselves there we would take them. It was like seeing a bunch of clowns coming out of a little van at the circus. Only instead of clowns, imagine a bunch of old people in wheel chairs and walkers slowly climbing out and making their way to the Goody Goody entrance.  Like some sort of old fart parade, their own cheeseburger crusade. The place closed in 2005, but boy was that sauce was amazing…

Okay on to the news. First we’ll start with some things going on here in the US and then move on to World news.

As if the poor people don’t have enough to worry about…Congress Mulls Cuts to Food Stamps Program Amid Record Number of Recipients – The Note

ABC News’ Huma Khan reports: Congress is under pressure to cut the rapidly rising costs of the federal government’s food stamps program at a time when a record number of Americans are relying on it.

The House Appropriations Committee today will review the fiscal year 2012 appropriations bill for the Department of Agriculture that includes $71 billion for the agency’s “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.” That’s $2 billion less than what President Obama requested but a 9 percent increase from 2011, which, critics say, is too large given the sizeable budget deficit.

A record number of Americans — about 14 percent — now rely on the federal government’s food stamps program and its rapid expansion in recent years has become a politically explosive topic.

I got one thing to say about that…DICKS.

This next article seems like it would be a real good thing to do as far as cutting cost with Medicare.  Is the GOP Serious Enough about the Debt to Stand Up to PhRMA? | MyFDL

One way to find out is simple: push for Medicare to be able to negotiate drug prices in the same way that the VA already does.

What would that save? According to the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare [pdf, with emphasis added]:

Allowing the Secretary [of HHS] to negotiate drug prices has the potential to save billions of dollars ­ potentially up to $24 billion annually ­ assuming that the mean reduction in drug prices obtained through the limited use of VA’s negotiation techniques could be applied to the Part D program’s overall prescription drug cost of $49 billion. These savings are more than adequate to close the “doughnut hole” coverage gap, estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to cost $42 billion over five years. Savings in excess of $42 billion could be used to improve other Medicare benefits and reducing the deficit.

Up to $24B a year is a nice start if you’re looking to save money in the Medicare program.

It’s a fast legislative fix, because most of the language they would need to craft has already been written. Find the VA authorization language, translate it from Veterans Affairs to HHS, and you’re there. There’s no need for long negotiations or drafting and redrafting the language, because it was already done when the VA got the authority to negotiate its drug prices.

I know that Big Pharma won’t stand for it, but damn…it seems like a good idea to me. What do you think?

Wow, we mentioned the witch hunt of a hearing this past week. I am speaking of Elizabeth Warren and the GOP’s downright fear of her.  Well, Mitch McConnell has upped the rhetoric. Mitch McConnell Calls Elizabeth Warren’s Nomination a Potential ‘Serious Threat to Our Financial System’ | Video Cafe That link goes to a video clip at C&L:

Mitch McConnell did his best to carry some water for Wall Street on this weekend’s Meet the Press when he called the potential nomination of Elizabeth Warren to head the Consumer Financial Protection Agency something that “could be a serious threat to our financial system”. And by “threat” I guess he means Wall Street and the banks not being allowed to screw over consumers at will.

It’s simply astounding to me that Republicans were willing to go far enough to block her potential nomination and force a pro-forma session over the holiday to keep her from being a recess nominee to head the new agency when I think most of the country is well aware of just how badly Wall Street and the banks’ excesses have and are continuing to harm our economy.

Then there is this from Blue Girl…McConnell keeps lying and the media keeps letting him get away with it | Crooks and Liars  I guess Mitch was on a roll this past Sunday!

Mitch McConnell is continuing with his gig singing backup on the Paul Ryan Roadmap to Ruin tour, telling Fox news Sunday yesterday that Ryan’s scheme is “very sensible” and will “save Medicare.” He then trotted out the discredited “death panels” BS, saying that the ACA will empower “a board that would ration health care,” before adding “Let’s just stipulate that nobody’s trying to throw grandma off the cliff,” alluding to an ad run by an “independent” interest group against Jane Corwin in the recent New York 26th Congressional Districe special election.

Let’s unpack what McConnell is asserting, shall we?

Click the link to read the entire article.  The man is slime. I mean look at him, he looks like a pervert and a crook:

Senator Mitch McConnell

I got one thing to say about this dude…DICK!

Ah, and lest we forget the SCOTUS.  When the Weinergate story hit, this bit of news got no attention:  Will Clarence Thomas Recuse Himself on Health Care Reform? | Mother Jones Anthony Weiner had been pushing Thomas via Twitter to disclose just how much cash his wife got from her “job” as President and CEO of Liberty Central.

Following a time-honored Washington tradition of dumping required but embarrassing information on a Friday night before a major holiday, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas finally released the details of his wife’s income from her year or so working for the tea party group Liberty Central, which fought President Obama’s health care reform law. His new financial disclosure form indicates that his wife, Virginia, who served as Liberty Central’s president and CEO, received $150,000 in salary from the group and less than $15,000 in payments from an anti-health care lobbying firm she started.

The disclosure was apparently prompted in part by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), who had been needling Thomas (including on Twitter) for months to disclose how much money his wife earned from Liberty Central. That’s because challenges to Obama’s health care reform law are likely to end up before the Supreme Court sooner rather than later, and if Thomas and his wife benefited from her income working against the bill, the justice has an enormous conflict of interest in hearing any legal challenge.

I got one thing to say about this dude in Judicial Robes…DICK!

And speaking of Weinergate. Looks like a Canadian Politician also got hacked this weekend:  George Lepp Penis Picture | Politician Penis Picture | Anthony Weiner | Mediaite

Ok, what the heck is going on? Is this some kind of mass-penis-related conspiracy? Is someone trying to redefine the term “flash mob?” While we here in America were spending our holiday weekend trying to figure out if Rep. Anthony Weiner tweeted a picture of his namesake at a college student (what a way for us all to commemorate the troops, right?), George Lepp, a Canadian politician, was embroiled in his own dick-pic scandal. Here’s where it gets crazy. Lepp’s picture, like Weiner’s, was uploaded onto his official Twitter account. It was then, like Weiner’s, quickly removed. Lepp, like Weiner, is claiming that the photo’s subject doesn’t belong to him and is blaming criminal activity (a stolen phone instead of a hacked account). And here’s the best part! The word “Lepp,” like “Weiner,” is a Canadian euphemism for a penis!

That last bit about the word “Lepp” is a joke…but I think that Lepp could definitely become a new Urban Dictionary term for penis, or even the word f*ck…here I will use it in a sentence:

“Hey man, get the Lepp outta here!”

I thought this link was also interesting:  Jeffrey Toobin Weinergate | Andrew Breitbart Weinergate | CNN | Mediaite

CNN’s legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin appeared on the air, right after Andrew Breitbart, to discuss the ongoing “Weinergate” story. Yet Toobin was much more agitated by what just happened on CNN than by anything related to Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner’s Twitter ordeal. According to Toobin, the Twitter picture controversy is just a “mild prank,” but Breitbart’s comments about Weiner were truly what was “outrageous.”

Toobin’s reaction to Breitbart’s appearance on CNN:

“What Andrew Breitbart was insinuating about [Weiner] with young girls and stuff is outrageous. And frankly, it’s too bad that he got to say that stuff on CNN.

Check out what Media Matters has to say about it:

One Year After Debunking Breitbart’s “Slander,” CNN Welcomes Him Back As Newsmaker | Media Matters for America

Proving once again that there’s no standard by which many mainstream media outlets are willing to hold sloppy propagandist Andrew Breitbart, CNN this afternoon invited the discredited blogger on the air to discuss the Rep. Anthony Weiner (NY- D) Twitter story.

Conveniently setting aside the fact that virtually every attack campaign that Breitbart has launched in recent years has collapsed under the weight of modest scrutiny, CNN presented the fatuous blogger as some sort of expert who could walk people through the Weiner story, which he’s been hyping for days. (The whole right-wing blogosphere launched itself into a creepy tizzy over the holiday weekend regarding the story.)

I got one thing to say about this media muckraking bastard Breibart…DICK!

This next link is going to make y’all mad…Bryan Kemper and LifeNews Thinks Every Tornado Victim Should Get Pregnant | RH Reality Check

Planned Parenthood of Missouri is assisting those families, offering free birth control and condoms to those who have been displaced and who want to avoid an unintended pregnancy at a time when the added burden could exacerbate personal tragedy.  But anti-choice zealots never miss an opportunity to try and score political points.

Bryan Kemper, columnist for LifeNews, provides a vivid reminder that anti-choice activists cannot tell the difference between birth control and abortion.  Kemper declares that Planned Parenthood is offering “free abortions” in Joplin, rather than the condoms and birth control pills they actually offered to disaster victims.  Kemper writes:

In 2001 Planned Parenthood of NYC offered free abortions to women who lost a husband or boyfriend in the attacks on 9/11.  What a wonderful sentiment to send to grieving women; (Lost your husband? Let us kill his child for free).

Planned Parenthood of Joplin, MO is following suit and offering their services for free to victims of the Tornado….Yepp, that is what these people need more than food, water, shelter and clothing; they need condoms and the pill. To quote Seth Myers and Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live, “Really”.  Really Planned Parenthood? Free birth control and abortion for people who are suffering, hungry, thirsty and traumatized sounds like such a wonderful community service.  Killing children is not heath care and it is certainly not disaster relief.

How wrong is Kemper?  Even Lifenews backed away from his claim, posting then deleting his article from their own website.

So you probably know… I got one thing to say about this religious PLUB Bryan Kemper…DICK!

On to World News after the jump…

Okay, now to get serious.  Breaking news from Syria:  Syrian president issues amnesty – Middle East – Al Jazeera English

Syrian president Bashar al Assad has issued a general amnesty aimed at calming 10 weeks of protests against his rule and a deadly military crackdown that has rocked the nation. Syrian state-run media made the announcement on Tuesday, saying that “President Assad has by decree issued an amnesty on all [political] crimes committed before May 31, 2011.” The amnesty is to include all members of political movements, including the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and all political prisoners, the report said. Membership in the brotherhood, which led an armed rebellion against Assad’s father in 1982, had been punishable by death in Syria.

The amnesty decree is believed to be a part of the overtures by the Syrian government to its opposition, largely seen as symbolic. But it is also seen as an appeal to protesters, as one of their main demands has been the release of political prisoners, along with others such as curbing the power of Syrian security forces.

The announcement was shrugged off by Syrian opposition activists gathered in Turkey to discuss democratic change and voice support for the revolt. “This measure is insufficient: we demanded this amnesty several years ago, but it’s late in coming,” activist Abdel Razak Eid told the AFP news agency. “We are united under the slogan: the people want the fall of the regime and all those who have committed crimes brought to account. Blood will not have been spilled in vain,” he said.

I think this amnesty ploy is just that…read this about the little boy who was Tortured and killed: Hamza al-Khateeb, age 13 – Features – Al Jazeera English

Though not from a wealthy family himself, Hamza was always aware of others less fortunate than himself, said a cousin who spoke to Al Jazeera.

“He would often ask his parents for money to give to the poor. I remember once he wanted to give  someone 100 Syrian Pounds ($2), and his family said it was too much. But Hamza said, ‘I have a bed and food while that guy has nothing.’ And so he persuaded his parents to give the poor man the 100.”

In the hands of President Bashar al-Assad’s security forces, however, Hamza found no such compassion, his humanity degraded to nothing more than a lump of flesh to beat, burn, torture and defile, until the screaming stopped at last.

Arrested during a protest in Saida, 10km east of Daraa, on April 29, Hamza’s body was returned to his family on Tuesday 24th May, horribly mutilated.

The child had spent nearly a month in the custody of Syrian security, and when they finally returned his corpse it bore the scars of brutal torture: Lacerations, bruises and burns to his feet, elbows, face and knees, consistent with the use of electric shock devices and of being whipped with cable, both techniques of torture documented by Human Rights Watch as being used in Syrian prisons during the bloody three-month crackdown on protestors.

He was a 13-year-old kid, his torture is horrendous and I think the statement made by Syria’s President about Amnesty is a cruel joke.  Seriously, am I the only one who thinks the way the US and other nations are dragging their feet when it comes to all the Human Right’s offenses is ridiculous?

Hey for more atrocities…at least 50 of them, let’s go to Yemen.  BBC News – Yemen unrest: UN says 50 killed in Taiz since Sunday

The UN said reports indicated that those in Taiz had been killed by “Yemeni army, Republican Guards and other government-affiliated elements who forcibly destroyed the protest camp in Horriya Square using water cannons, bulldozers and live ammunition”.

Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has urged all parties to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, saying that the “bloodshed must stop”.

“Such reprehensible acts of violence and indiscriminate attacks on unarmed civilians by armed security officers must stop immediately. Further violence will only yield more insecurity and move the country further away from a resolution to this political crisis,” she said.

At least 100 people are also believed to have been arrested over the weekend, while dozens of others remain unaccounted for.

In Pakistan, journalist Syed Saleem Shehzad… who was Often Threatened,  Is Found Dead After Abduction – NYTimes.com

A well-known Pakistani journalist has been found dead after being abducted over the weekend in an upscale neighborhood of the capital and receiving repeated threats from Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency.

The journalist, Syed Saleem Shehzad, 41, wrote predominantly about security and terrorism issues for the Hong Kong-based Asia Times Online and the Italian news agency Adnkronos International. He disappeared Sunday evening in the center of the capital, Islamabad, just two days after writing an article suggesting that a militant attack on the navy’s main base in Karachi on May 22 was carried out because the navy was trying to crack down on cells from Al Qaeda that had infiltrated the force.

Amnesty International is calling for an investigation.  Pakistan must probe intelligence agencies as body of journalist is found | Amnesty International

Any investigation into the abduction and reported death of Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad must include the country’s feared security and intelligence agencies, Amnesty International said today.

The body of Saleem Shahzad, who went missing on Sunday 29  May, was found close to his abandoned car in the north-west of the country Pakistani media reports say. Reports also suggest that evidence of torture was found on the body. “Pakistan’s intelligence agencies face serious allegations that they been involved the numerous killings of activists, lawyers and journalists,” said Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific Director at Amnesty International. “Early indications from this case suggest an alarming expansion of the ‘kill and dump’ operations previously seen mostly in Balochistan province.”

“The Pakistan authorities must hold those responsible to account and protect journalists targeted merely for doing their jobs.”

Amnesty International also put out a statement about those “virginity test” over in Egypt.  Remember these examinations done on women protesters who were arrested during the Egyptian uprising?  Egypt: Admission of forced ‘virginity tests’ must lead to justice | Amnesty International

The Egyptian authorities must bring those responsible for ordering or conducting forced ‘virginity tests’ to justice, following a senior military figure’s admission that the army subjected female protesters to them, Amnesty International said today.

A senior Egyptian general told CNN that women detained on 9 March at Cairo’s Tahrir Square had been forced to undergo ‘virginity tests’, which the government has previously denied.

The general, speaking on condition of anonymity, justified the abuse by saying that the women “were not like your daughter or mine.  These were girls who had camped out in tents with male protesters.”

“This admission is an utterly perverse justification of a degrading form of abuse,” said Amnesty International.  “The women were subjected to nothing less than torture.”

Amnesty goes on to say:

The general also told CNN that the reason for the ‘tests’ was “[w]e didn’t want them to say we had sexually assaulted or raped them, so we wanted to prove that they weren’t virgins in the first place.”

“This general’s implication that only virgins can be victims of rape is a long-discredited sexist attitude and legal absurdity.  When determining a case of rape, it is irrelevant whether or not the victim is a virgin”

“The army must immediately instruct security forces and soldiers that such ‘tests’ are banned.”

Ugh….I don’t need to comment about this do I?  Y’all know what we all think about the horrible treatment of women over in Egypt.  This sexist attitude towards females has to stop.

Just a one more link…With the recent acquittal of two NYC Police Officers accused of sexual assault, it seemed to me this next link is something to put on the front page.

Police officer sacked for ‘inappropriate relationship’ with girl, 14 | UK news | guardian.co.uk

A Scotland Yard officer has been sacked over an “inappropriate relationship” with a vulnerable 14-year-old girl.

PC Robert Nicholson was fired after a misconduct hearing was told he targeted the girl – who lived in a care home – via Facebook and text after she was arrested, said the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) disciplinary panel.

Deborah Glass, the IPCC commissioner for London, said: “The girl told us that she trusted this man because he was a police officer.

Yup, police officers are the ones we should be able to trust…

The relationship came to light in December 2009 after the girl was reported missing from her care home.

Nicholson, who was 27 at the time and based in east London, was arrested before the matter was referred to the IPCC.

Evidence showed the pair exchanged hundreds of messages and regularly spoke by phone before Nicholson drove from his home in Colchester to meet her in Romford.

Glass added: “Although he met the girl while she was in police custody, and there can be little doubt he knew her age and vulnerability, he exploited his position as a police officer to pursue her sexually.
“I am glad he is now no longer in a position to do this to anyone else.

That’s all folks…at least for today’s evening news reads.  Any thoughts?