SDB Evening News Reads for 062211: Forget Big Foot, blame an immigrant.

Change the name to "Swing Shift Quiterella"

Good Evening, tonight we are anticipating (as Boston Boomer calls it) the latest “best speech evah.”  So be sure to check back because we will have a live blog going.  The speech is scheduled for 8pm.

Obama Opts for Faster Afghan Pullout – NYTimes.com

President Obama plans to announce Wednesday evening that he will order the withdrawal of 10,000 American troops from Afghanistan this year, and another 20,000 troops, the remainder of the 2009 “surge,” by the end of next summer, according to administration officials and diplomats briefed on the decision.

Well… I will just cover a few other news items, it looks like the NY same-sex marriage vote will happen tonight.

NY leaders: No obstacles to gay marriage vote – US news – Life – msnbc.com

State legislative leaders said Wednesday afternoon there are no major obstacles to a vote on whether to legalize gay marriage.

Democrats and Republicans emerged from meetings with Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and said there is progress toward proposed additional religious protections that could bring a gay marriage bill to the Senate floor for a vote as early as Wednesday night. No deal had been struck as of Wednesday afternoon.

More protection for religious organizations such as adoption agencies and marriage counselors is sought by undecided Republican senators who are key to the vote.

Currently, the Senate appears to be one vote shy of making New York the sixth state where gay marriage is legal. It’s viewed as a critical moment in the national gay rights movement.

I really hope this bill passes.  We will keep you posted on the results of the vote.

Quiterella is at it again!  Yes, the Palin woman has quit her explosive, cough…cough, bus tour.  (Notice I did not use her full name, since she trademarked it..don’t want any infringement issues. I’ll just stick with Dak’s nickname for her.)

RealClearPolitics – Palin Bus Tour Takes Extended Pit Stop

When Palin launched her “One Nation” bus tour on Memorial Day amid a swirl of media attention and excitement from her fervent fan base, many political observers who had once dismissed her were reminded of the jolt that her candidacy could provide to what has thus far been a relatively sleepy GOP nominating fight.

As Palin toured historical sites along the East Coast, she was clearly reveling in the tangible excitement she’d ginned up: She even eagerly answered questions — from the denizens of the “lamestream” media — ranging from matters of political process to an array of issues facing the nation.

[…]

Though Palin and her staff never announced a timeline for the remaining legs of her trip, aides had drafted preliminary itineraries that would have taken her through the Midwest and Southeast at some point this month. But those travel blueprints are now in limbo, RCP has learned, as Palin and her family have reverted to the friendly confines of summertime Alaska, where the skies are currently alight for over 19 hours a day and the Bristol Bay salmon fishing season is nearing its peak.

Talking Points Memo has a small article about it here:

Sarah Palin Reportedly Quits Bus Tour Halfway Through | TPMDC

I prefer Vanity Fair’s, take on this:

Sarah Palin Abandons Tour—But What Does This Mean for Her Tour Bus? | VF Daily | Vanity Fair

Just as inexplicably as it began, Sarah Palin’s secret publicity tour, “One Nation,” has summarily concluded. “Though Palin and her staff never announced a timeline for the remaining legs of her trip, aides had drafted preliminary itineraries that would have taken her through the Midwest and Southeast at some point this month. But those travel blueprints are now in limbo,” Real Clear Politics reports. That it’s allegedly the “peak” of salmon-fishing season in Alaska is the leading theory as to why she’s quit.

And so ends another thrilling chapter in the tale of Sarah Palin’s competing avarice and laziness. But what of her grotesque tour vehicle, an oversize, gas-guzzling bus slathered in Americana?

Juli Weiner then goes on to give some suggestions as to what SP can do with her bus.  They are a bit on the anemic side, she should leave the comedy to Jon Stewart…

Good news from China:

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei freed – Asia-Pacific – Al Jazeera English

Ai’s release after nearly three months’ detention was not directly confirmed by him or his immediate family on Wednesday. However, Al Jazeera’s Andrew Thomas, reporting from Beijing, was able to reach Ai and verify the news first-hand.

“He has confirmed that he has been freed – he’s at home,” our correspondent said.

Ai “said that he couldn’t tell us anything at all except that he can’t tell us anything”.

No surprise there, but at least he is back home.  Xinhua news is reporting that Ai’s poor health was a factor in his release from prison.  I am sure more news on his release will come out in the next few days.

Hey, this last link I have for you is from MoJo, and it seems my kids need to drop the blame game on Big Foot, and move it on over to illegal “aliens.”

Got A Problem? Blame It On Illegal Immigrants | Mother Jones

Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) took some heat this weekend for blaming wildfires in Arizona and New Mexico on illegal immigrants. McCain has since recanted (sort of), claiming that he was merely repeating what an unnamed Forest Service official told him in a briefing.

McCain’s comments are just the latest example of our country’s habit of blaming all manner of problems on immigrants. Let’s take a look at a few recent instances of illegal immigrants becoming scapegoats for… well, you name it:

• Car Accidents: Thank Arizona’s senior senator for this one, too. McCain told Bill O’Reilly (who else?) that Arizona’s highways were plagued by illegal immigrants who intentionally crash into other drivers. No word on how doing so could possibly be to their benefit.
• Swine Flu: Remember this? While everyone was running around buying face masks and speculating on Swine Flu’s origin, CNN’s Jack Cafferty suggested that illegal immigrants—not just anyone traveling from Mexico—might be at fault.
• The Mortgage Crisis: Conservative pundit Michelle Malkin argued that banks specifically targeted illegal immigrants for shady home loans, and when they couldn’t pay up… well, you know what happened.
• America’s Drug Problem: The majority of illegal immigrants coming from Mexico are “drug mules,” according to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.
• Litter: Some officials think border crossers need to brush up on their “Leave No Trace” etiquette.
• California’s Budget Deficit: Forget about mismanagement and overspending: some argue that California ran out of money because of illegal immigrants, who used services like hospitals and schools without paying for them. (Actually, many undocumented immigrants pay taxes.) Immigrants had a friend in the Governator, though, who said they were an “easy scapegoat” and not the real source of the problem.
• Bad Traffic: The American Immigration Control Foundation ran ads accusing immigrants (illegal and otherwise) of worsening gridlock and pushing urban sprawl.
• Various Episodes of Violence: Something scary happened in your neighborhood and you can’t find the criminal? No problem! It was probably illegal immigrants (this rule applies internationally, too).

Yup, perhaps all those “alien” immigrants need to team up with all those “squatches” and run amok through the conservative heartland of America.  Might as well throw a few “gays” in with the bunch so that they can really affect as much terror as possible…speaking of terror, put a towel around the head of a few of the Big Foots…and exploit the Muslim fear factor as well.  (You know I jest with this paragraph…yes?)

See y’all later tonight!