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23 Apr 2010 17:12

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U.S.: Arizona governor signs super-harsh immigration bill into law

  • What the law does The law gives law enforcement the right to question those they think are illegal immigrants. It forces them to keep their papers on them at all times. And it punishes those that help harbor them – by hiring them or knowingly transporting them.
  • Why it’s controversial Simply put, critics of the law feel that it gives into racial profiling. Obama, specifically, calls the law “misguided” and says the law threatens “to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans.”
  • A key compromise Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed the bill into law, but also pushed through an executive order designed to train law enforcement officials not to engage in racial profiling. Will it work? Who knows, but it might be a fun ride. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Apr 2010 20:43

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U.S.: Protip: Using black bar redactions on PDFs doesn’t really work

  • Mediaite broke it. DocumentCloud totally owned it. The Blago corruption court case hit a new high today after it was suggested that Obama might be implicated in the case. But this fact didn’t come out directly. It was actually redacted in this subpoena released today. However, a glitch in the PDF software they used to make the document made the redacted statement very easy to read. Which gave the boys at DocumentCloud a chance to show off their mad skillz. Check ’em out. They’re pretty awesome. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Apr 2010 00:05

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Politics: Gay rights advocates get wires crossed at Obama speech

  • Look, Obama may not be able to stop “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” immediately, but it’s still kind of surprising that he was heckled by gay rights supporters for it. It’s also bad because, well, Barbara Boxer is in the fight for her political life, and Obama, who’s stumping for her, is made to look bad by those on his own side. This is how Boxer will lose her re-election bid. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2010 23:36

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Politics: Rahm Emanuel wants to take his Chicago politics … to Chicago

  • He wants to be mayor of the Windy city someday. Dude dropped the hint to Charlie Rose last night, saying he would run if the current mayor, his buddy Richard M. Daley, chose not to run again. But he hopes Daley does. Emanuel has $1.2 million in his coffer for a run like this, and would know whether Daley plans to retire in February. He’s promised his services to Obama, by the way, for two years, but that could be extended. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Apr 2010 11:30

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Politics: Bill Clinton: Me or Hillary on Supreme Court a bad idea

  • Because I’m already 63-years-old, I hope I live to be 90. I hope I’m just as healthy as Justice Stevens is. But it’s not predictable. I’d like to see him put someone in there, late 40s, early 50s, on the court and someone with a lot of energy for the job.
  • Former President Bill Clinton • Regarding the possibility of his becoming Supreme Court justice. He says that, while he’d enjoy the job, it’d be better to choose someone younger. He also discounts the possibility of Hillary’s nomination. “She’s like me, you know, we’re kind of doers. We like being out there and doing things, rowing our own boat and making changes we could see happen.” So that’s that. Clinton recommends putting someone on the court who hasn’t been a judge before, who knows the impact of their decisions. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

18 Apr 2010 10:11

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U.S.: Fun fact: Obama had NASA frantically removing scenery (for naught)

  • monday The Orion space capsule was not to be a part of Obama’s Thursday speech (which upset many). So NASA was trying to remove all signs of Orion from the building.
  • thursday Obama gave a speech in front of a backdrop that included the Orion capsule – after the administration did an about-face on the program (which surprised many). source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Apr 2010 11:05

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Offbeat: A year later, Bo Obama does his presidential pedigree proud

The Christian Science Monitor has a ton of photos of the First Dog, and by golly, is he a fun little pup. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

16 Apr 2010 20:12

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Politics: GOP Senators to Obama, again: Drop dead

  • We are united in our opposition to the partisan legislation reported by the Senate Banking Committee. As currently constructed, this bill allows for endless taxpayer bailouts of Wall Street and establishes new and unlimited regulatory powers that will stifle small businesses and community banks.
  • A letter from all GOP Republicans to Harry Reid • Making it clear that the party will again be the Party of No when it comes to financial reform. Because, hey, it worked out for them last time. Obama, by the way, says he won’t pass a bill that doesn’t do something to hold back the onslaught of derivatives. Blanche Lincoln is working on adding teeth to the bill. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

15 Apr 2010 20:50

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U.S.: Obama orders added hospital visitation rights for gays, lesbians

  • He says they’re “uniquely affected” by relatives-only policies at hospitals. The Obama administration today asked the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a rule to make sure that gays and lesbian partners have the same rights of visitation as straight partners do. “There are few moments in our lives that call for greater compassion and companionship than when a loved one is admitted to the hospital,” he said on the memo, “Yet every day, all across America, patients are denied the kindnesses and caring of a loved one at their sides.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 6 Comments • Permalink

15 Apr 2010 19:56

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U.S.: See, everyone, Obama really cares about space exploration!

  • The bottom line is, nobody is more committed to manned spaceflight, to human exploration of space than I am. But we’ve got to do it in a smart way and we can’t just keep on doing the same old things we’ve been doing and thinking that’s going to get us where we want to go.
  • President Barack Obama • Pointedly emphasizing that yes, he does have a space plan and yes, it is different from George W. Bush’s plan. It’s more long-term than the Bush’s reignited moon mission – one that sends us to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars by the mid-2030s. One major concession he made, however – the Orion crew capsule, which he planned to cancel, is coming back in a different form. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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