Tag Archives: obama

OK, this is change, but I can’t say I believe in it

8 Jul

The Obama justice system – Glenn Greenwald

Highlighting not mine.
[…] Spencer Ackerman yesterday attended a Senate hearing at which the DOD’s General Counsel, Jeh Johnson, testified.  As Ackerman highlighted, Johnson actually said that even for those detainees to whom the Obama administration deigns to give a real trial in a real court, the President has the power to continue to imprison them indefinitely even if they are acquitted at their trial.  About this assertion of “presidential post-acquittal detention power” — an Orwellian term (and a Kafka-esque concept) that should send shivers down the spine of anyone who cares at all about the most basic liberties — Ackerman wrote, with some understatement, that it “moved the Obama administration into new territory from a civil liberties perspective.”
Law professor Jonathan Turley was more blunt:  “The Obama Administration continues its retention and expansion of abusive Bush policies — now clearly Obama policies on indefinite detention.” […]

I cannot express how disgusted I am. Read the entire thing, if you have the stomach for it.

Sirota says exactly what I have been thinking

6 Jun

Obama’s trail of broken promises

The prophet of hope now doesn’t even bother with explanations when he reneges on his campaign pledges.

[…] We once respected democracy by at least demanding explanations — however weak — for unfulfilled promises. Then we became a country whose scorched-earth campaigns against flip-flopping desensitized us to reversals. Now, we don’t flinch when our president appears tickled that a few poor souls still expect politicians to fulfill promises and justify broken ones. […]

I am so disappointed in this man that I can’t even express it. I’m glad David Sirota is there to do it for me.

Glenn Greenwald gets it right, almost.

24 Mar

A major difference between conservatives and progressives

The Right marched in uncritical, creepy devotion to Bush for the first six years of his presidency. The Left has been leading the way in criticizing Obama when warranted.

I have been less than happy with a number of decisions to come out of the Obama administration. Glenn has a good laundry list of those very decisions, but the one he missed is the Obama approach to health care.

The Obama plan simply doesn’t go far enough. What does? Continue reading

Glenn Greenwald on public reaction to AIG bonuses

22 Mar

The virtues of public anger and the need for more

We are not suffering from an excess of citizen outrage, but rather, from a lack of it

Greenwald makes a strong case for our need to be angry at the clear oligarchy our nation has become.

Continue reading

Yet another attempt planned

27 Oct

Skinheads ‘planned to kill Obama’

Two men have appeared in a US court accused of making threats to kill Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, federal agents say.

They were also charged with possessing an unregistered firearm and conspiracy to steal from a licensed gun dealer.

The pair were named as Daniel Cowart, 20, and Paul Schlesselman, 18.

Court papers allege that the neo-Nazi skinheads planned to assassinate Mr Obama in a murder spree targeting more than 100 black people.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said the men had made their first appearance before a court in Jackson, Tennessee, on Monday after being arrested last week in Crockett County in the same state. […]

I am ashamed to be a similar color to those who stupidly cling to the “racial superiority” nonsense meme.

Houston Chronicle endorses Obama / Biden

19 Oct

The Chronicle endorses Barack Obama for president and Joe Biden for vice president of the United States

After carefully observing the Democratic and Republican nominees in drawn-out primary struggles as well as in the general campaign, including three debates, the Chronicle strongly believes that the ticket of Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden offers the best choice to lead the United States on a new course into the second decade of the 21st century.

Go read the entire editorial. It’s worth the time.

16 days to the election…

19 Oct

Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama. See the video.

Privatized Profit but Socialized Risk

9 Oct

Today’s Doonesbury makes a great point about the financial industry bailouts of late.

Thanks to Jonathan Stein of MoJo for bringing the series of strips on McCain’s lobbyists to my attention.

Because you should all read this

7 Oct

Is Palin Trying To Incite Violence Against Obama?

Excerpt. Click headline for full story.