Wednesday Reads: Big Bang July 4th Edition
Posted: July 4, 2012 | Author: JJ Lopez Minkoff | Filed under: Affordable Care Act (ACA), Afghanistan, Discrimination against women, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Hillary Clinton, legislation, Medicaid, Medicare, morning reads, Pakistan, PLUB Pro-Life-Until-Birth, prison population, Reproductive Health, Reproductive Rights, Republican politics, Syria, U.S. Politics, War on Women, Women's Healthcare | Tags: Nuns on a Bus, Paul Ryan, Paul Ryan budget |
Good Morning!
It’s July 4th!
So, in honor of those big firework shows that are probably canceled throughout the US, I will bring y’all a special edition of the evening reads, so be sure to check it out.
Now, however…this morning’s post we’ll be catching up on world news reports, and a few other stories to make your day.
First a warning, some of the news is upsetting and graphic.
In Syria, there is a report that exposes how Syria is running 27 torture centres, says rights group
Syrian intelligence agencies are running torture centers across the country where detainees are beaten with batons and cables , burned with acid, sexually assaulted, and their fingernails torn out, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Tuesday.
The New York-based rights group identified 27 detention centers that it says intelligence agencies have been using since President Bashar al-Assad’s government began a crackdown in March 2011 on pro-democracy protesters trying to oust him.
Human Rights Watch conducted more than 200 interviews with people who said they were tortured…
I won’t post the rest, safe to say that it is not an enjoyable read.
In Mexico, the new president-elect is making some key decisions. Mexico’s president-elect may double security spending: aide
Mexico’s President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto will seek to double security spending to around 2 percent of GDP to fight drug violence and organized crime while proposing new tactics to the United States, a top aide said on Tuesday.
Emilio Lozoya, touted as a possible pick for foreign minister, said Pena Nieto’s administration would try to boost efforts to tackle money laundering and propose trans-border infrastructure projects to help create jobs, cut business costs and increase security.
“Today Mexico is investing a bit less than 1 percent of gross domestic product (in security) which is low and clearly not enough to confront this problem,” Lozoya told Reuters in an interview. “Investment on security needs to double at least.”
The aide continued…
Pena Nieto proposes focusing efforts on projects that straddle the U.S.-Mexico border such as tunnels and high-tech border crossings, which would create jobs, boost security and promote economic development, Lozoya said.
He said there was also scope for cooperation to fight money laundering and that the United States could help Mexico by stopping automatic weapons from crossing the border and feeding drug gang violence.
“There is a lot that can be done to combat money laundering in particular,” Lozoya said. “We are not getting the results that we want. … The United States can make an additional effort to reduce the flow of arms from there into Mexico.”
In other world news, the State Department released this statement last night: Statement by Secretary Clinton on her Call With Pakistani Foreign Minister Khar
I once again reiterated our deepest regrets for the tragic incident in Salala last November. I offered our sincere condolences to the families of the Pakistani soldiers who lost their lives. Foreign Minister Khar and I acknowledged the mistakes that resulted in the loss of Pakistani military lives. We are sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military. We are committed to working closely with Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent this from ever happening again.
As I told the former Prime Minister of Pakistan days after the Salala incident, America respects Pakistan’s sovereignty and is committed to working together in pursuit of shared objectives on the basis of mutual interests and mutual respect.
In today’s phone call, Foreign Minister Khar and I talked about the importance of taking coordinated action against terrorists who threaten Pakistan, the United States, and the region; of supporting Afghanistan’s security, stability, and efforts towards reconciliation; and of continuing to work together to advance the many other shared interests we have, from increasing trade and investment to strengthening our people-to-people ties. Our countries should have a relationship that is enduring, strategic, and carefully defined, and that enhances the security and prosperity of both our nations and the region.
You can read the rest at the link, it seems that relations between the US and Pakistan are feeling a little less heated, Clinton Says ‘Sorry’ to Pakistan, Afghan Supply Lines to Re-Open
Image credit: Laurent Gillieron/AFP/Getty Images
“Foreign Minister Khar and I acknowledged the mistakes that resulted in the loss of Pakistani military lives. We are sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military.”
The word “sorry” has never been used by the U.S. government since the incident, instead choosing to express regrets and condolences. The Pakistani government has been demanding an apology before it would consider re-opening NATO supply lines to Afghanistan, which were closed after the incident.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Sherry Rehman issued a statement that the country accepts Secretary Clinton’s statement and hopes that the two reluctant allies can move forward.
” We appreciate Secretary Clinton’s statement, and hope that bilateral ties can move to a better place from here,” said Reham. “I am confident that both countries can agree on many critical issues, especially on bringing peace to the region.”
Yesterday Ralph mentioned a link about the Plantation State we’ve been discussing lately. Probation Fees Multiply as Companies Profit – It was an important story and I thought it should be put up on the front page.
Three years ago, Gina Ray, who is now 31 and unemployed, was fined $179 for speeding. She failed to show up at court (she says the ticket bore the wrong date), so her license was revoked.
When she was next pulled over, she was, of course, driving without a license. By then her fees added up to more than $1,500. Unable to pay, she was handed over to a private probation company and jailed — charged an additional fee for each day behind bars.
For that driving offense, Ms. Ray has been locked up three times for a total of 40 days and owes $3,170, much of it to the probation company. Her story, in hardscrabble, rural Alabama, where Krispy Kreme promises that “two can dine for $5.99,” is not about innocence.
It is, rather, about the mushrooming of fines and fees levied by money-starved towns across the country and the for-profit businesses that administer the system. The result is that growing numbers of poor people, like Ms. Ray, are ending up jailed and in debt for minor infractions.
“With so many towns economically strapped, there is growing pressure on the courts to bring in money rather than mete out justice,” said Lisa W. Borden, a partner in Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, a large law firm in Birmingham, Ala., who has spent a great deal of time on the issue. “The companies they hire are aggressive. Those arrested are not told about the right to counsel or asked whether they are indigent or offered an alternative to fines and jail. There are real constitutional issues at stake.”
Please read the rest at the link.
In another part of the US, this time South Carolina a Drunk Driver Kills Son; Grieving Mom Must Pay For Clean-Up
A coroner in Greenville, South Carolina, called Loretta Robinson in June, 2011, and told her that her oldest son, Justin Walker, had died when his car was struck by a drunken driver.
This must be every parent’s worst nightmare.
As Robinson told WYFF4. com,
“I never would have imagined getting that call,” she said. “Never in one million years expected that.”
You might imagine that nothing could make this worse, but you would be wrong: Robinson has since been slapped with several bills in connection with the accident, including one to clean the street of her son’s blood.
I swear, you can’t make this stuff up these days…
She was in court on June 19, and looked Anna Gonzalez, the accused driver, in the eye as Gonzalez pleaded guilty. Justin Walker, Robinson’s deceased son, was not found at fault for the accident.
From WYFF:
The grieving mother then showed the judge the many bills she’s had to pay, even though her son was not at fault.
Robinson said she paid to have the wrecked car stored for months, in case there was a trial.
“I had to pay to have the vehicle towed,” she said. “I had to pay for the vehicle removed and to clean up the street from Justin’s blood on the ground.”
Robinson said that was the bill that stung the most – paying $50 to have the street cleaned.
“First of all, having to open the mail and look at the charge to the deceased, Justin Darryl Walker — the deceased! It’s just a hard thing to deal with in the context of your child,” she said.
That’s right: Robinson is being charged $50 for the removal of her son’s blood from the scene of the accident, even though her son was not at fault. How insensitive can the system get?
Robinson has not been able to work because of all the stress and emotional grief, she received some funds from the SC State Office of Victims Assistance, but it was not enough to pay for the cleaning fees. I just don’t understand why she is being charged for this in the first place.
Let’s move on to another car accident, this time a hit and run…John Bryson Had Ambien In System, But Prosecutors Decline To Charge
A report released on Tuesday revealed that former U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson was driving with a small amount of the sleep drug Ambien in his system when he was involved in multiple collisions in Southern California last month.
Despite that, prosecutors declined to charge Bryson with any crimes, saying it was not clear the drug had anything to do with the bizarre June 9 collisions and that a seizure was more likely to blame.
Bryson resigned from President Obama’s cabinet on June 21 after revelations that he had crashed his Lexus into another car, drove away and then crashed into a second car minutes later in a neighboring city.
Well, Bryson’s actions still seem strange to me, but with all these zombie freak attacks going on in the world, I guess his odd behavior is nothing to get worked up about.
Casey Anthony Wears Caylee’s Cremated Remains Around Her Neck, Report Says Oops, I guess I spoke too soon about freakish behavior.
Casey Anthony is reportedly wearing a constant reminder of her daughter, Caylee – a necklace that contains cremated remains of the deceased two-year-old.
According to People, the locket containing Caylee’s ashes was a gift to the 26-year-old from her mom, Cindy. The magazine also reports Cindy Anthony wears a matching necklace.
Geez, now that is one story that gets me running for a bucket and a cleaning lady…ugh.
(See, I told you these stories were going to make your day!)
Mandatory Ultrasounds Not Enough In Virginia Yup, I am going from one stomach turning link to another.
As Virginia’s mandatory ultrasound law goes into effect the state has released a list of places that a woman or girl can go to obtain a free ultrasound, purportedly to help defer the additional expense incurred with the procedure. The problem is, the list is made up almost exclusively of crisis pregnancy centers.
The Virginia law requires a girl or woman who needs to terminate a pregnancy obtain an ultrasound 24 hours before the procedure, regardless if one is medically warranted or not. The states that a “qualified medical professional trained in sonography and working under the supervision of a physician licensed in the Commonwealth shall perform fetal transabdominal ultrasound imaging on the patient undergoing the abortion for the purpose of determining gestational age.” CPC’s often perform ultrasounds, but they just don’t always have medical professionals, so there’s no guarantee that an ultrasound performed by the CPC’s identified by the state would even meed the law’s requirements.
It gets worse. CPC’s are independently run women’s health “centers” that often fall outside the bounds of state regulation and oversight. A woman or girl who has an ultrasound at one of these CPC’s has no guarantee her medical information will remain private, nor does she have any guarantee the center will even turn over the image.
I wish someone would light some firecrackers under the asses of some of the legislators in Virginia, and give these douche bags a sparkling orifice to stick their PLUB ultrasound wands.
Though he never joined the military himself, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) disparaged his Democratic opponent’s military service at a town hall on Sunday, saying that she’s not a “true hero.”Walsh is running against Tammy Duckworth, a double amputee who lost both her legs in Iraq when insurgents hit her helicopter with an RPG in 2004.The Tea Party freshman opened the Elk Grove town hall by arguing that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was reluctant to discuss his own military service in 2008, which made him a “noble hero.” By contrast, “Now I’m running against a woman who, my God, that’s all she talks about,” Walsh said.
Video at the link.
I have a couple other political links for you, Which states have the most to lose if their governors reject Medicaid expansion? | theGrio
The Supreme Court has declared that states can opt out of the provision in the Affordable Care Act that expands Medicaid coverage (at the federal government’s expense for the first three years, and with states paying a small percentage of the cost after that) to people under age 65 who reach up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. But which states stand to lose the most if their governors say “thanks, but no thanks,” to the Medicaid funds? We ranked them based on the Kaiser Family Foundation data on the states with the highest rates of children currently being covered by Medicaid the percentage have no health insurance (via their parents or the government) at all.
Be sure to check out the states at the link…
I won’t quote from that one, because there are just too many juicy tidbits to choose from. Just go read it.
Good for them!
Sister Simone Campbell stands in front of her bus during a stop in Harrisburg, Pa., on June 28. (Getty Images)
Last week, the most famous old lady on a bus was Karen Klein, whose torment by a couple of middle school monsters in Greece, New York, went viral (8 million clicks and counting) and netted her a new pension fund ($677,000 and counting). The bullies got one-year suspensions and Klein got a much-overdue vacation.
On Monday, the second most famous old ladies on a bus — the “Nuns on the Bus” — arrived in Washington after two weeks, nine states, 31 towns, and 2,700 miles on the road. They’d taken to the highway to decry Rep. Paul Ryan’s proposed federal budget — now a cornerstone of the Republican platform — which slashes funding for food stamps, Medicare, and social services. Ryan, a practicing Catholic, has defended his budget as aligned with the teachings of the Church. The sisters, backed by American bishops, have a slightly different reading of the Gospel. “Many politicians offer deeply flawed theological justifications for the federal budget,” said Sister Simone Campbell, the executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice group, and the Whoopi Goldberg-style ringleader of the Nuns on the Bus. “They oughta get some theological help.” She added, “They gut the very programs that help Catholic sisters house the homeless, feed the hungry, and give children a chance.”
It’s been a turbulent few months for American nuns. In April, the Vatican handed down a report excoriating the Leadership Council of Women Religious — a group that represents most of the 57,000 nuns in the United States — for breaking with Church doctrine on social issues (e.g., abortion, contraception, homosexuality) and entertaining “radical feminist themes.” The sisters were gobsmacked. “I’ve given my life to living in this way,” Campbell said. “If you vow poverty, chastity, and obedience, you live open to embracing everybody. If the whole idea of Catholic sisters is to hug the world — and then they say you work too much with the poor? It hurt.”
These are my kinda sistahs!
Sister Diane Donoghue, 81 years old and, by her own estimation, still kicking, took the mic. The bus had stopped by Rep. Eric Cantor’s office yesterday, she said. The crowd hissed. There, the sisters had met a woman with cerebral palsy who depended on federal assistance. The crowd awwed. “I’m not going to stand here and say that the Ryan budget is moral,” Donoghue said. “It’s immoral!” The crowd went bonkers.
Wonderful isn’t it?
So on that note, what are you all doing on our Nation’s Birthday? Have a safe 4th of July y’all! Stay cool!
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Morning! Wow, WTH is wrong with North Carolina!
North Carolina General Assembly Officially Dismantles The Racial Justice Act | ThinkProgress
North Carolina Defunds Planned Parenthood In Midnight Vote, Overriding Veto
Carney: ‘I feel rotten’ about accidental fracking vote :: WRAL.com
Maybe they’re jealous of their wingnut neighbors in South Carolina and attempting to catch up all at once? WTH indeed?
One more story for you: David Cameron ‘prepared to halt immigration of Greeks into UK’ | UK news | The Guardian
Thank you for the morning reads, JJ. Lots of good stuff there.
Happy 4th of July to everyone at Sky Dancing!
I still love that song! This one too.
BB, lots of shots of southern Indiana in the Mellencamp video. My mother and I used to shop at that little grocery with the soft drink machine in front of it. A great “Mom and Pop” store. It’s closed now.
I love “Born in the USA”, too.
It’s going to be 102 degrees here today with a heat index around 115! Hope it’s cooler where you are.
I love this song!
JJ: you are a jewel. Xoxo
xoxo back at ya!
On my way to work yesterday, listening to NPR, this story was on as I pulled into the parking lot. Little America is a new book by Rajiv Chandrasekaran & the story is fascinating. First, I had never heard of America’s attempt in Afghanistan after WWII to transform Helmand into an agricultural area and how greed & incompetence (sound familiar Halliburton et al?) destroyed the effort & good will. 10 years after the war began & this period of America’s history is, once again, seeing the light of day. It’s tragic, fascinating & another example of the “doomed to repeat it” line. I know it’s not July 4th related, but take a listen: http://www.npr.org/2012/07/03/156114613/a-cautionary-tale-about-transforming-afghanistan
Anyone grilling today? Fresh Air had a great cooking show yesterday, with some delicious sounding recipes, especially the desserts – blueberry cobbler & fruit gratin: http://www.npr.org/2012/07/03/156184929/summer-cooking-tips-from-americas-test-kitchen
On this 4th as the cries of Liberty & Freedom blanket our airwaves, I’ll be thinking about how both seem to be doomed in our country as long as the Repugs & TPers are controlling the dialogue. Have a Happy one, everyone. I’ll be heading to a vegetarian Indian buffet for lunch.
I read his book about the green zone in Iraq, Imperial Life in the Emerald City, which was incredible. He’s a very good writer.
Terrific round-up, as usual, JJ.
Joe Walsh has to be one of the biggest a-holes in the Republican party–and that’s saying something.
And thanks for posting about the nuns on the bus. Sister Simone Campbell was on the Lawrence O’Donnell show last night describing their efforts to meet with Paul Ryan. But that supposedly good Catholic boy who claims he based his budget on church teachings just doesn’t seem to want to talk to the nuns. Hmmm…I wonder why?
bb, did you see her interview on Colbert? If not, you must. She is INCREDIBLE. She blew me away with her answers & how she handled herself. Even though Stephen was in character, it was so evident that he was cheering her on. The interview was just before the nuns “hit the road.” That lady can kick a$$ & have you say Thank You afterwards. She’s delightful.
No, but I know she’s very good. I hope she wins this time. This is about the third time she has tried.
My bad. I was talking about Sr. Simone Campbell.
Ooops, sorry!
Cat rescued in Massachusetts after 7 days stuck in a tree.
Such good news. Contrary to popular belief, cats do get stuck & can’t get down from trees. This link has a detailed description of the rescue & A PICTURE of Misty: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/07/cat_stuck_in_springfield_tree.html
Thanks for sharing, bb. You know I love cat stories with happy endings. Now, hopefully these folks will keep Misty indoors!
Thanks for the longer story! I thought it was in Springfield, but couldn’t tell for sure. Pat will have heard about it. I can’t believe the cat ran back up the tree again!
Personally, if I got dropped 60 ft into a net & could get up & run, that’s what I would do. Geez, that had to be really frightening for poor Misty. Danger, danger, Will Robinson.
Super roundup today!!! John Bryson was diagnosed right after the accidents by an ER doc and a neurologist who said he had a seizure. Looks like that’s what caused the wrecks.
I’m glad the prosecutor isn’t going to charge him. A small amount of ambien was found in his system, but he seems to have had a medical event. Would police want to charge someone who crashed because they had a heart attack?
I sure hope they wouldn’t!
South Carolina is officially a third world country, along with Mississippi and Alabama. When are they going to secede?
Can they take Texas with them?
I think Texas may still have potential. At least they have Austin.
In the next to last Austin mayoral election the republican came in 4th. Behind the democrat who won, a local cross dresser, and some libertarian in that order. Our hopes for the future lie primarily in a rapidly expanding Hispanic population.
Ha that is funny…
IMF tells US to allow mortgage cramdowns.
They also say we should be funding infrastructure and spending more money to stimulate the economy. Will the yaahoos listen? I doubt it.
It took them long enough to get around to this. Obama should use that in his campaign speeches.
Agree with you BB.
More on Rmoney’s finances. Looks terrible to me.
Mystery Bermuda-based company and other undisclosed Romney assets hint at larger wealth
Oh, wow. This is huge. The Obama campaign has already jumped on the Vanity Fair story. I hope they really push this. It’s pretty obvious why Romney doesn’t want to disclose his tax returns.
I can hear the class war whining from Mark Halperin already
but screw ‘em.
Is MSNBC covering these stories? I get only CNN. No coverage there as far as I know.
I really miss watching Halperin.
I think it was mentioned on MSNBC yesterday. Politico had a tut-tut story about Obama going after Romney for tax evasion. They’re not a right wing site–noooooooo /s
I’m with you Ralph……The VF story pretty much blows the lid off of Romney’s campaign slogan “Believe in America”. This numbnuts has clearly demonstrated, in both his business and his financial life, that he DOES NOT believe in America or the American worker. Romney is so out-of-touch with average American’s (dressage? wtf?) he has no clue how repugnant his brand of take the jobs, the money and run capitalism truly is.
There are some good uses for technology like this, if I only had faith the governments would stop there.
Maple Seed Drones Will Swarm The Future
Wingnuts are crazy attacking a kid. But now I know why the Texas GOP platform is opposed to teaching “critical thinking skills” in school.
Jonathan Krohn Laughs Off Bitter Conservative Reprisals
A very simple explanation of what the ATLAS and CMS scientists found, if it’s really the Higgs Boson.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=instant-egghead-what-is-2012-06-29
The ATLAS experiment topped 5-sigma. Go Physics!
New Particle Resembling Long-Sought Higgs Boson Uncovered at Large Hadron Collider
Here’s another one and why it’s not the “god” particle
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/03/higgs-boson-video_n_1646116.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003
It’s not the God particle… because its the goddess particle
There is a decent chance that they found another IV bottom quark but I’m gonna wait until it’s written up a whole lot better to say one way or the other. Whoever started the “god” particle crap was probably not a physicist.
Can’t find the link, but I think it was on NPR’s ATC this evening. Apparently Higgs wanted to title his book/paper the goddamned particle (because of the difficulty in finding it) but his publisher/publicist suggested the change to the god particle. If I remember, I’ll look for the link later – should be posted after 7 tonight.
The Guardian has a poll up & 80& of voters say it’s time to stop calling Higgs boson the god particle.
Found the story about how Higgs boson got the god particle moniker:
It’s getting stormy here. I’m kinda happy about it because thunder scares the dog less than fire crackers. I have no idea what the draw is to making noise like that. The pretty stuff in the sky is okay … but why just make loud, irritating noises that scare small children and animals?
Well, I just put up the evening’s post, and the only fireworks I’ve mentioned are the ones that come out of an…well, nevermind.