Now, granted, what Weiner, a single-payer advocate, is discussing is pushing the wretched "public option," but at least he understands how to fight for something in Congress and win. And he's unapologetic about it, too.

h/t:Crooks and Liars

From Naked Capitalism, William Black discusses the widespread criminality that is our current economic system:

Black is introduced around 5:34 (even though the first few minutes are good as well) and it lasts about 15 minutes before the Q & A

Finally, some are beginning to see the FAIL in front of their eyes. But I must say, what the hell took you so long? First, the Obama "reform" fiasco should have been obvious since last year when he did everything from repeatedly calling his plan "universal health care" when it obviously wasn't to demonizing universal mandates, including running Harry & Louise ads. But if that wasn't enough (and it should have been!) Obama also kneecapped single-payer from the beginning of his "reform" efforts as president. Why else would he do that unless health care wasn't what he was fighting for?

A quick review of what has survived an unbecoming process of deal making exposes the dismaying reality. For starters: no public plan; no wealth tax to help pay for cost incurred; no right for the government to bargain with Pharma on drug prices; no meaningful enforcement mechanisms to ensure that vested, for profit interests comply with whatever undertakings, explicit or tacit, that they have made. What do we gain? Not much. A commitment that everyone must be insured, yet with a much weakened employer mandate to accomplish it. An elimination of the most egregious practices of insurance companies re. e.g. pre-existing conditions, arbitrary termination of coverage. Some small subsidies for the working poor. These last are minimal. Someone earning $20,000 a year will get no subsidy unless insurance premiums reach $2,400 -- according to the Finance Committee bill. Good luck all you folks who work for $10 an hour -- you'll need it.

To be fair to the Obama administration, it's clear their top priority is saving corporate profits so it's not "technically" a FAIL from their point of view.

Please, just read this excellent, comprehensive post on how our society fails in reacting to misogynistic hate crimes and the sad reality that is "TFL." Seriously, the whole thing should be read.

From last night:

I know we've seen The Big Picture visualize a trillion dollars, but here's another version in video form. From Mint:

To keep up to date on the bailout fuckery, check out ProPublica.

[Welcome, Digby readers!]

Below is a great, in-depth report by Al Jazeera on the failure of the richest state in the United States and how the government cuts deal a lethal body blow to Californians, particularly the working class and those below poverty. The rabid, right-wing is truly holding the state hostage with Da Governator leading the assault on the most vulnerable.

Part One

Below is an hour-long segment on the US-fueled narco wars cannibalizing Mexico. Although nothing new is said, it is important for people, particularly Americans, to see the total devastation we are causing with our gun supply, drug demand and, most critically, heinous drug policies.

FDL (Emphasis mine):

Alaska's Frost Lady is part of Eminem's stimulus package.

Gov GILF has a new fan in rapper Eminem, who includes Sarah Palin in a wish list of ladies with whom he'd like to be intimately involved. Palin joins the rapper's hit list of simulated sexy celebs like Lindsey Lohan, Kim Kardashian, and Jessica Simpson in the video for "We Made You." Fame, it's a bitch.

Well I can be as gentle and as smooth as a gentleman
Give me my venom, an inhaler, and two Xenadrine,
And I'll invite Sarah Palin out to dinner, then
Nail her. Baby, say hello to my little friend

Check out "Related Videos" at end for parts 2 and 3.

As I mentioned before, Obama created an incredible White House Council on Women and Girls that will normalize gender throughout top levels of government. Here he is delivering a great speech on why gender equality is so important to us all:

President Obama took a step forward on equality in creating a White House council on gender that will be chaired by his trusted friend and adviser, Valerie Jarrett:

"The mission of the Council will be to provide a coordinated federal response to the challenges confronted by women and girls to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider how their policies and programs impact women and families," reads a memo describing the move and obtained by The Fix.

Seattle P-I:

The sheriff's lawyer did not want the following video released because "it doesn't tell the whole story." Read the whole article and it'll paint a clear picture of this monster.

NOTE: If the video is unavailable just click the Seattle P-I link and it should work.

Think Progress:

In an analysis of trends in suicide attacks worldwide since 1981 (pdf), researcher Assaf Moghadam presents a pretty shocking statistic:

Iraq accounts for 1,067 suicide attacks in the period under review — “a number that accounts for more than half (54.8%) of all suicide attacks since 1981. The sheer volume in which this tactic has struck Iraq is even more impressive since no suicide attacks were recorded in Iraq prior to the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.

Here is the second part of TomDispatch's exclusive excerpts from the graphic novel and film, "Waltz with Bashir." Here is my earlier post on part one, which includes the trailer and interview with the filmmaker, Ari Folman.

Many, including "progressive" bloggers, insisted that it was acceptable for Obama to remove contraceptive funding from the stimulus bill, particularly if it could get GOP votes. Besides the fact that such a move rendered zero GOP votes, appeasing the GOP is equivalent to begging to be shot in the head, and the selling out of poor women and girls has misogynistic overtones to it, the removal of this funding also took aim at the economy (Read the whole article).

TomDispatch is lucky enough to be able to print two long excerpts from the graphic novel, "Waltz with Bashir," from the movie of the same name. Part I is available now and Part II will be available next Saturday (I'll post that as well). Please read it and try to see the movie if you can.

Here's the trailer:  Read more…

Forward to 1:49 when he lists the accomplishments of his administration and then goes into what our future should be. The line that got me was when he said we were "on track to be debt free by the end of the decade." That would be 2009. Oh, how times have changed. It's like looking at an alternate universe.

American families have long felt squeezed, if not choked, by housing expenses (emphasis mine):

Specifically, between 1996 and 2006, all the major categories of homeowner expenses increased faster than incomes. Mortgage payments increased 46 percent, utilities 43 percent, property taxes 66 percent, and property insurance 83 percent. By contrast, homeowner incomes increased by 36.3 percent. Rental costs also increased faster than incomes. Rents increased by 51 percent between 1996 and 2006, while renter incomes increased only 31.4 percent over the same period.

Helen Suzman, who waged a one-woman war in South Africa's parliament against national unity, has died. Let us see her passing as yet another sign that we, the world over, can now turn the page on the politics of division and cynicism

The Oscar-winning documentary is about an hour and a half. If you want to watch it later, just click on this link and bookmark it.

Hilarious.

Read the whole post, which details why the behavior of Caroline Kennedy has only resulted in her shooting herself in the foot--repeatedly. And why Governor Patterson isn't as boxed in as others think:

[I think I'm going to leave this sticky for a bit. The picture doesn't get any less wrong with time, and -- yes, I know this will surprise you -- the A-list just doesn't seem to be covering it. Susie did, though. --lambert]

Nothing, silly! Sure, Hillary Clinton may have been the first serious woman presidential candidate but that doesn't mean Jon Favreau, Obama speechwriter, mocking her gender (grope!) means anything. No, it's just "harmless fun" (read: misogynistic bigotry is fine by us!).

I just finished reading this Guardian article on how Iraqi men are now paying assassins to kill off their wives and daughters for "shaming" the family, when I (once again) asked myself, "Why is the paper using the misogynistic euphemism 'honor killing?'" I can't think of any other crime, whether generic or hate,* in which we the press uses the terms preferred by the perpetrator of such crimes as its universal standard.   Read more…