If You Want Federal Aid, Ask Nicely

by Stuart Shapiro

When my kids want something, they usually demand it.  As with most responsible adults I am trying to teach them to ask nicely.  Well it turns out that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is treating the states the same way.

Sebelius this week sent a letter to all of America’s governors telling them that if they want to continue receiving the enhanced Medicaid funds that Congress approved last week that they have to ask for the money. . . By telling governors they have until Sept. 24 to ask for the funds, Sebelius is forcing the …

Obama Is A…..

By James Frye

Twenty-four percent of Americans think the president is a Muslim.  This begs the question, so what if he is?  However, that’s not the point.  Digby explains it for us:

They call him a Muslim — and are quite suddenly lashing out at “his people” almost a decade after 9/11— simply because they aren’t allowed to call him what they want to call him. (Emphasis added) Sure, they don’t think Muslims are American. They also don’t think liberals are American, blacks are American, Mexicans are American, gays are American, atheists are American or anyone else who doesn’t

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Keith’s Superb Special Comment

Keith Olbermann at his best.

And let us never forget the words of Pastor Martin Niemoller:

“THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,

and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,

and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,

and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for me

and by that time no one was left to speak up.”…

WikiLeaks Founder Accused Of Rape And Molestation By Swedish Authorities (UPDATED)

Swedish authorities have issued an arrest for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on charges of rape and molestation. Assange’s WiliLeaks site quotes him as saying the charges are “without basis.”

In a series of other messages posted on the Wikileaks Twitter feed, the whistle-blowing website said: “No-one here has been contacted by Swedish police”, and that it had been warned to expect “dirty tricks”.

Assange is under fire for releasing Afghan war documents and is promising the release of 15,000 more documents about the war.

The allegations have been dropped.

Sweden’s chief prosecutor dropped a rape allegation against …

Franklin Graham Insists Obama “Born A Muslim”

Franklin Graham, the son of Rev. Billy Graham, told CNN why he thinks so many people believe President Obama is Muslim.

“I think the president’s problem is that he was born a Muslim, his father was a Muslim. The seed of Islam is passed through the father like the seed of Judaism is passed through the mother. He was born a Muslim, his father gave him an Islamic name,” Graham told CNN’s John King in a televised interview that aired Thursday night.

“Now it’s obvious that the president has renounced the prophet Mohammed, and he has renounced Islam, and he …

Hillary Clinton: One Year And Mideast Peace A Reality. Can It Be?

No doubt there will be great difficulties associated with new Mideast peace talks now scheduled for September, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton states that she expects outstanding issues to be resolved within a year.

The new round of talks, the fanfare and summitry and the high new expectations come after talks broke down at the end of the Bush administration and languished despite President Barack Obama’s personal engagement. And the opening of direct negotiations reflects no actual agreement on specific issues, with everything from Palestinians’ “right of return” to Hamas’s control of Gaza standing between the parties and …

On Friday’s Radio Show…

Guest host Barry Weintraub fills in for Alan.…

Construction Workers Vowing Not To Work On NY Islamic Center; Strippers OK With It

A number of New York construction workers are vowing not to work on the proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero, in spite of high unemployment rates.

“It’s a very touchy thing because they want to do this on sacred ground,” said Dave Kaiser, 38 (pictured), a blaster who is working to rebuild the World Trade Center site.

“I wouldn’t work there, especially after I found out about what the imam said about U.S. policy being responsible for 9/11,” Kaiser said.

The grass-roots movement is gaining momentum on the Internet. One construction worker created the “Hard Hat Pledge” on his blog …

In Defense Of Howard Dean

By Yashwanth Manjunath

Like so many other progressives out there I was extremely disappointed and confused when Howard Dean came out and said that maybe it would be a good idea if the Park 51 community center was moved. Dean has always been a strong fighter for the right issues and an outstanding representative of the progressive movement, which is why this call for capitulation felt so out of place coming from him. Last night Dean went on Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC to explain his position in a lengthy two-part interview, part 1, part 2. For …

Should The President Go To Church As “Theater”?

A number of journalists think that maybe the president should be seen going to church to publicly “combat” the perception that he’s not a Muslim (via Think Progress).  They are ignoring that the polls show it’s the people who are never going to like Obama anyway that are the ones who refuse to believe, or even care, that he’s a Christian.  Why even play to such ignorance?

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Less Than A Third Of Americans Support Keeping Bush Tax Cuts For The Wealthy

A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll shows that 58% believe it’s time to end the tax cuts for the rich, and less than a third support extending them (h/t Greg Sargent)

[Question Number] 18. As you may know, the tax cuts passed into law when George W. Bush was president are set to expire this year. Unless a new bill is passed, federal income tax rates will rise to the level they were at when those cuts were enacted. Which of the following statements comes closest to your view:

Aug. 6-10 2010

Those tax cuts should continue for all …