tagged w/ Change We Can Believe In
-
A grim new milestone was reached in the US occupation of Afghanistan this week, as the death toll in less than three years under President Obama has now more than doubled the number of US soldiers slain during President Bush’s seven plus years in the nation.
The figures put the US death toll at 575 during Bush’s era in Afghanistan, but with the repeated escalations of President Obama 1,153 troops have already died in just 33 months, with no end in sight.
Indeed, the 33 months haven’t seen a flat rate of deaths for US soldiers either, but have been increasing since President Obama took over, with 2009 more than double the rate of the last year for President Bush, and 2010 dramatically higher still. 2011, though still in progress, looks to be much worse than 2009, suggesting the momentum is worsening.
Despite extremely ugly metrics, the Obama Administration has continued to insist that the war is going quite well by their estimation, today saying the Taliban’s inability to destroy a hydroelectric dam in the Helmand Province proved their “weakness.”
http://antiwar.com/A grim new milestone was reached in the US occupation of Afghanistan this week, as the... more
-
-
The Obama administration has infuriated environmentalists by giving BP the green light to bid for new drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico.
The move – seen as a major step in the company's political rehabilitation as an offshore driller following the Deepwater Horizon accident – was revealed by the head of the US safety regulator after a congressional hearing in Washington.
"They don't have a deeply flawed record offshore," said Michael Bromwich, head of the newly formed Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. "The question is: 'Do you administer the administrative death penalty based on one incident?', and we have concluded that's not appropriate."
Drilling rights are sold off on a regular basis but many believed BP would be ruled out as unsuitable after the gulf well blowout that killed 11 workers and polluted the beaches of southern states. The next sale comes up in December, when more than 8m hectares (20m acres) of offshore rights will come up for grabs.
BP declined to comment, but Friends of the Earth said it was appalled. "Governments should be administering the death penalty to all deepwater drilling rather than waiting for yet more devastating incidents like the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico or in any other part of the world," argued Craig Bennett, director of policy and campaigns at the environmental group.
"It is not just BP operations that are deeply flawed," he added. "There is not a single oil company that can say with a high degree of confidence that it can drill safely and how it will clear up if something goes wrong. It is clear in the context of climate change we need to develop new clean technologies, not hunt for fossil fuels in ever more remote and hard-to-reach areas."
BP has already introduced changes to its offshore safety regime that it claims now leaves it with tougher standards than the regulator demands, but it has yet to gain approval to drill new wells.
The oil company has for many years been the biggest operator in the gulf, but it was pilloried by politicians after the Deepwater Horizon spill and its former chief executive, Tony Hayward, was said to be the most hated person in the US.
Over the last 18 months, BP has gradually seen some of its reputation rebuilt, not least because several studies have suggested that US contractors on the project, such as Transocean and Halliburton, ought to share some of the blame. BP has also helped itself by paying for a massive clean-up and compensation programme, but it still faces huge lawsuits and even possible criminal charges.
On Thursday BP, Transocean, which owned the Deepwater Horizon rig, and well-cementing specialist Halliburton were formally charged with breaches of offshore regulations on 15 separate occasions. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of $35,000 per violation per day but the real threat to BP is if it is found guilty of gross negligence by any court – which would trigger billion-dollar claims under the US's Clean Water Act.
BP, now with its first American chief executive in Bob Dudley, was keen to emphasise the significance of the two contractors being drawn into the legal net, because those firms have argued that BP was at the heart of the Gulf accident. BP is trying to convince them to contribute their share of the compensation it has paid out already. "The issuance today of notices of non-compliance to BP, Transocean and Halliburton makes clear that contractors, like operators, are responsible for properly conducting their deepwater drilling activities and are accountable to the US government and the American public for their conduct," said BP in a statement.
https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/10/16-3The Obama administration has infuriated environmentalists by giving BP the green light... more
-
-
President Obama blasted the “trickle down” theory of Reaganomics advocated by the most influential ideologues within the Republican Party.
“For over two decades, he’s subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy—give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the ‘Ownership Society,’ but what it really means is—you’re on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps—even if you don’t have boots. You’re on your own. Well it’s time for them to own their failure. It’s time for us to change America,” said President Obama. We are not standing on the brink of recession due to forces beyond our control. The fallout from the housing crisis that's cost jobs and wiped out savings was not an inevitable part of the business cycle. It was a failure of leadership and imagination in Washington - the culmination of decades of decisions that were made or put off without regard to the realities of a global economy and the growing inequality it's produced.
Read more at the American Presidency Project: Barack Obama: Remarks in Janesville, Wisconsin: "Keeping America's Promise" http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=77032#ixzz1V18wlLACPresident Obama blasted the “trickle down” theory of Reaganomics advocated... more
-
-
Bill Clinton feels disrespected by the administration. Rahm Emmanuel thinks Larry Summers doesn't want to help small businesses. Hillary has a crush Timmy Geithner and hopes he will ask her to the school dance, oh wait, scratch that last one.
A new book out titled "The Promise" highlights some of the disfunction within the Obama White House particularly surrounding job creation. This should be fodder for the Right for weeks, what does it mean to you?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/30/alters-the-promise-epilog_n_802866.htmlBill Clinton feels disrespected by the administration. Rahm Emmanuel thinks Larry... more
-
-
Scott Brown is closing in on Democrat Martha Coakley to replace Ted Kennedy's seat. THe Hope-ocalypse is upon us.Scott Brown is closing in on Democrat Martha Coakley to replace Ted Kennedy's... more
-
-
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has indicated support for a national clearinghouse to buy health coverage and an end to the decades-old antitrust exemption enjoyed by insurance companies, Democratic officials said Tuesday.
In signaling his preference, Obama is siding with House Democrats over their Senate counterparts on both issues crucial to negotiations on his health care overhaul.
House Democrats are pressing for both provisions to be included in the final measure, now that their proposal for a government-run insurance option appears dead. Obama also has sided with the Senate to support a new tax on high-value insurance plans opposed in the House.
Obama met with House Democratic leaders last week as they sought support from the president on other priorities. Obama is now indicating support for creation of a national exchange rather than the state-based structure in the Senate bill, and on revoking the antitrust exemption, which the Senate bill does not do, the officials said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations were private.
The maneuvering comes as House Democrats returned Tuesday from their holiday break prepared to step up negotiations with the Senate to get a final health overhaul bill to Obama's desk in time for the State of the Union address sometime early next month.
The legislation passed by both chambers before Christmas is similar in many respects, including expanding the federal-state Medicaid insurance program for the poor and imposing a first-time requirement for almost everyone to purchase insurance. Both bills would extend health coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans over the next decade.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34827164/ns/politics-health_care_reform/?ocid=twitterWASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has indicated support for a national clearinghouse... more
-
-
Barack Obama has signed an order reversing a 2001 Bush policy that limited federal tax money being spent for embryonic stem cell research. "As a person of faith, I believe we are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering. I believe we have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research -- and the humanity and conscience to do so responsibly," Obama said.Barack Obama has signed an order reversing a 2001 Bush policy that limited federal tax... more
-
-
"Biden Dismissed Concerns About Obama's Dwindling Lead in Polls"
-
