Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger

A recent development in Congress is the creation of the so-called “Super Congress”; a bi-partisan committee tasked with recommending steps to reduce federal budget deficits by at least $1.5 trillion over 10 years. Like most committees, the Super Congress has to submit its recommendations to the rest of Congress for consideration. Unlike most committees, the Super Congress has a loaded back-end provision that will institute automatic military and domestic (read Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid) spending cuts in 2013 that neither side wants will be triggered. This would seem to give the committee some incentives to find viable solutions. But does it really?

Continue reading “Super Congress or Stupid Congress?” →

As our leaders continue to spend billions in three unpopular wars, our cities and states continue to move closer and closer to a state of nature. This week, the state of Illinois will stop paying to bury the dead. Funeral directors have been sent a letter that they will have to find something to do with indigent dead people.
Continue reading “[Do Not] Bring Out Your Dead: Illinois Announces It Can No Longer Pay For Burials” →

Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

A star danced,

And under that

was I born.

~ William Shakespeare

Continue reading “A Star Danced and My Granddaughter Was Born!” →

 Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

I’ve been gathering information for a couple of weeks for a post about ALEC—the American Legislative Exchange Council—an organization that I had never heard of until earlier this year when I was doing research for some of my previous Turley Blawg posts. I wanted to write up an extensive and cohesive post for you—but I’ll be on my way to the hospital shortly. My daughter is due to deliver my first grandchild—and she wants me with her for the momentous event. I thought I’d provide you with excerpts from a few articles, videos, and links to a number of other articles about ALEC, a behind the scenes organization that helps corporations provide state legislators with model legislation at meetings and conferences that the  legislators take back to their states.

Recently, The Nation—in collaboration with the Center for Media and Democracy—did a series of investigative reports and developed a website called ALEC Exposed, which has a wealth of information about ALEC.

From John Nichols’s introduction to the ALEC Exposed reports in The Nation:

Founded in 1973 by Paul Weyrich and other conservative activists frustrated by recent electoral setbacks, ALEC is a critical arm of the right-wing network of policy shops that, with infusions of corporate cash, has evolved to shape American politics. Inspired by Milton Friedman’s call for conservatives to “develop alternatives to existing policies [and] keep them alive and available,” ALEC’s model legislation reflects long-term goals: downsizing government, removing regulations on corporations and making it harder to hold the economically and politically powerful to account. Corporate donors retain veto power over the language, which is developed by the secretive task forces. The task forces cover issues from education to health policy. ALEC’s priorities for the 2011 session included bills to privatize education, break unions, deregulate major industries, pass voter ID laws and more. In states across the country they succeeded, with stacks of new laws signed by GOP governors like Ohio’s John Kasich and Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, both ALEC alums.

  Continue reading “Smart ALEC: The Organization That May Be Helping Corporations Write Legislation for Your State” →

Contributed by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger 

My wife sent this video to me. It brought me tears and inspiration of hope for life and for humanity.I hope that it moves you as well.

Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

While Jonathan is off gallivanting around in France for a few weeks, he’s left us guest bloggers to do the majority of postings here at the Turley blog. While I’ve remained stateside, I did have an opportunity earlier today to travel to a beautiful otherworld–one created in the imagination of glass artist Dale Chihuly. Chihuly’s “Through the Looking Glass” exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is breathtaking! Fortunately, I was able to take pictures without a flash. Maybe you’d like to come along on a tour of his glass art exhibit.

Continue reading “A Wonderland Through the Looking Glass: The Art of Dale Chihuly” →

Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

Is much of America really in the midst of a brutal heat wave? Nah! It’s really not as hot as you may think—or feel. So says radio talk show host and weather meister Rush Limbaugh.  Ignore those news reports warning that the temperatures are soaring into the stratosphere. According to Rush, the mercury isn’t really rising as high inside thermometers as reports claim.

Here’s what Rush had to say recently about what’s really going on weatherwise:

They’re playing games with us on this heat wave, again. Even Drudge. Drudge getting sucked in here. Going to be 116 in Washington. No, it’s not. It’s gonna be like 100, maybe 99. A heat index, manufactured by the government to tell you what it feels like when you add the humidity in there.

116. When’s the last time the heat index was reported as an actual temperature? It hasn’t been, but it looks like they’re trying to get away with doing that now. 116. Drudge is just linking to other people reporting. He’s not saying it, I don’t want to misunderstand, but he’s linking to stories which say 116 degrees in Washington. No!

It’s going to top out as 102, 103. It does this every year. We have this every year. There’s a heat dome over half the country, midwest is moving east. And it happens every summer. Every summer.

Continue reading “Rush Limbaugh Runs Hot and Cold on Weather Indices” →

Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger

Two years ago, a district court found Walter Bagdasarian guilty of threatening then-candidate Obama because of the following statements made to a Yahoo.com financial website (warning – racist and coarse language):

“Re: Obama fk the niggar, he will have a 50 cal in his head soon” and “shoot the nig”.

Bagdasarian was convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 879:  Threats against former Presidents and certain other persons, which reads in relevant part: “(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully threatens to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon; (3) a major candidate for the office of President or Vice President, or a member of the immediate family of such candidate; shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.”  But did what Bagdasarian said constitute a threat or not?  A divided panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals didn’t think so and on Tuesday, they overturned his conviction.  The majority reasoning is quite convincing as to why Bagdasarian’s comments were protected free speech.

Continue reading “Free Speech Win For Man Who Allegedly Threatened Obama” →

 You have probably seen such videos before, but this remains a thing of beauty.
Continue reading “Man and Dog: Nature’s Perfect Duet” →

Submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger

How would you feel if you asked your cell phone company for an itemized bill and their response was to tell you that you needed a subpoena?  A Pennsylvania woman, Bernice Keebler, can tell you exactly how she felt because that is the response Verizon gave her when she asked for an itemized bill.  Bernice Keebler, without the benefit of counsel, decided to take the matter to the courts.

Continue reading “Adventures In Customer Service” →