Censorship and enabling by Arizona media
March 17, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Arizona's two largest circulation dailies, The Arizona Republic and the Arizona Daily Star, are among the papers that censored the Doonesbury comic strip this week – during the same week that the Arizona Tea-Publican Senate passed the "Baby Blunt Amendment" giving employers the right to deny contraception coverage to female employees and even … Read more
Looks like someone made “Don’t make me angry” Frank a little angry
March 16, 2012
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by David Safier The Arizona Guardian (subscription only) has an article about Frank Antenori going ballistic on a police officer who testified against an Antenori bill, SB1313, which " would have widen street intersections and, according to Anternori, would have reduced the number of drivers caught running red lights by cameras." The man who wants … Read more
Librotraficante (almost) makes it to town
March 16, 2012
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by David Safier
I went to the John Valenzuela Youth Center this afternoon to attend the Librotraficante Caravan press conference. It turns out they were delayed — something about problems with Border Control as they crossed from New Mexico into Arizona. . . . OK, I made the Border Control part up, but the caravan still had a long way to go before it made it to Tucson. Probable time of arrival: 5:30pm.
I called the bus and talked to Lianna Lopez (don't know if I spelled that right). She told me about great crowds they've had for their evening readings. In El Paso, 350 people bought dinners at an event and another hundred attended as well. In Albuquerque last night, the 400 seat auditorium was packed and caravan members had to stand in the back.
The numbers are no surprise if you see the names of some of the authors who are reading and speaking at the events: Sandra Cisneros (House on Mango Street), Luis Alberto Urrea (The Devil's Highway) and others. You can see the list below the fold.
The readings will be at 7pm, UA Social Sciences, Room 100, 1145 E South Campus.
Speculators are driving up the price of oil and gas at the pump
March 16, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Have you heard the latest joke about "President Obama is responsible for rising gasoline prices"? Not in the way Tea-Publicans tell the joke.
Actually, the real reason for rising gasoline prices today is the same as it was during the 2008 election — these guys. OK, let me be clear, not these guys in the photo specifically, but speculators in the commodities futures trading and derivatives markets in general.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Traders on the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The rise in gasoline prices has almost nothing to do with energy policy. It has everything to do with America’s continuing failure to adequately regulate Wall Street. Robert Reich writes, Why Republicans Aren’t Mentioning the Real Cause of Rising Prices at the Gas Pump | Truthout:
As I’ve noted before, oil supplies aren’t being squeezed. Over 80 percent of America’s energy needs are now being satisfied by domestic supplies. In fact, we’re starting to become an energy exporter. Demand for oil isn’t rising in any event. Demand is down in the U.S. compared to last year at this time, and global demand is still moderate given the economic slowdowns in Europe and China.
Dr. Richard Carmona statement on legislature’s attempt to block access to contraception
March 16, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Former U.S. Surgeon General and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Dr. Richard Carmona, has issued this statement on our Tea-Publican legislature's war on women this week: Carmona statement on legislature's attempt to block access to contraception Former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona released the following statement on the efforts by Arizona's legislature … Read more
Stock investors fare better under Democrats
March 16, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: I posted about this back in January 2009 (the changeover in blog software since affected the charts and graphs) Democratic Presidents Are Always Better For The Economy – Always. For what it's worth, Bloomberg News recently reported that the stock market invariably performs better under Democratic administrations. In 2004, a Bush cabinet official said job creation … Read more
ICYMI: ‘The Road We’ve Traveled’
March 16, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The full-length documentary video from Obama for America, "The Road We've Traveled" that premiered on Thursday, is below the fold.
It turns out only the ‘culture warriors’ think there is a war on religious freedom
March 16, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Yet another example of cognitive dissonance. The "culture warriors" of the far-right are waging a religious crusade against their fellow American citizens, but they are the ones who perceive there is a war on religious freedom — the God's Own Party (GOP) talking point dujure from Frank Luntz. Project much? The Public … Read more
