The American Trial Lawyers Association

We'll kick things off today with some depressing news for those of you who are fans of justice. According to Rahm Emanuel, President Obama's chief of staff, has said unequivocally that there will be absolutely no prosecutions of former Bush Administration officials. This news comes on the heels of the release of the former administration's torture memos, which made most of us believe that prosecutions were just around the corner. But the statement from Obama released with those shocking memos included this sentence: "In releasing these memos, it is our intention to assure those who carried out their duties relying in good faith upon legal advice from the Department of Justice that they will not be subject to prosecution." Obama has made it clear since he took office that he had no intention of prosecuting the former administration, but some of us were still hopeful. Unfortunately, like Bill Clinton before him, Obama is ready to allow the crimes of the Republicans go unpunished, leaving America with a bruised reputation and no remedies.

And speaking of the leftover problems from the Bush Administration, the sour economy has actually had a positive effect on the military. For years the military has been forced to allow below-average recruits to join, thanks to declining numbers of worthy applicants. But due to the recent economic downturn, the Army is seeing an uptick in what it calls “quality” recruits and has halted the practice of giving recruitment waivers to convicted felons and recent drug offenders. Since the Army started handing out numerous waivers to felons and drug offenders, officials say there has been an increase in drug abuse among soldiers in Iraq and afghanistan. There have also been reports that members of US gangs are signing up for the Army and leaving identifying graffiti in the streets of Iraq. Afghanistan's abundent heroin crops are a particular spot of concern for the Army, as any soldier so inclined could easily procure doses of that and other substances. Hopefully, this surge in recruits is the beginning of a new trend. Studies have shown that when the military allows in people who required waivers, morale goes down, and incidents increase. With a new crop of able recruits, soldiers can once again be sure that the guys watching their backs are capable of keeping them safe, which will keep the rest of us safe as well.


And finally today, a new report shows that the government has consistently overlooked massive amounts of waterway contamination stemming from 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals that were legally released into waterways. According to an AP investigation, government and industry officials don't know how many pharmaceutical ingredients – like lithium and nitroglycerin – are released into lakes and rivers that feed into drinking water, because they don't track those chemicals as drugs. But the AP found that 22 pharmaceutical compounds do show up in EPA and Food and Drug Administration records. Drugmakers and federal regulators both say that the manufacturing of these kinds of chemicals doesn't impact water quality. However, the investigation revealed that the release of these chemicals is similar to a “don't ask, don't tell” policy, where the government looks the other way, while the pharmaceutical industry dumps chemicals into our water. Studies have shown that exposure to lithium can cause fluid to build up in the lungs, and that the side effects of the drug become more severe when it is exposed to moisture. That sounds like just the thing we want in our water supply.

Labels: Barack Obama, Economy, Farron Cousins, George Bush, Memo, Military, Pharmaceutical, Poison, Prosecution, Rahm Emanuel, Recruit, Torture, Waiver, Water

John Yoo, author of the notorious torture memos that allowed the Bush Administration to torture detainees, has found a new ally with the current Obama administration. Obama's Justice Department defended Yoo in a San Francisco federal court last week, arguing that a prisoner formerly held as an enemy combatant had no right to sue Yoo for writing legal memos that allegedly led to his detention and torture. Attorney Mary Mason repeated a claim made last year by the Bush administration, saying that the courts should not have the authority to question a president's actions during time of war. In addition to authoring many of the torture memos, Yoo also advised the Bush administration that the Geneva Conventions on humane treatment of captives did not apply to terrorist suspects classified as enemy combatants. The specific case in question here is the one of Jose Padilla, who was arrested in 2002 and held as an unlawful enemy combatant for three and a half years. After his time served, he was charged with taking part in an unrelated conspiracy to provide money and supplies to Islamic extremist groups. He was convicted and sentenced to 17 years in federal prison.


In related news, the US Supreme Court has refused to hear a case about whether US presidents have the authority to indefinitely detain a terrorist suspect in the United States without charges. The case has now been sent back for a new hearing before the federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, which ruled last July that former president Bush did have the power and authority to indefinitely detain prisoners. The appeals court in Richmond scheduled a session April 27 to hear arguments in the case. By refusing to hear the case, the Court has effectively delayed resolution on an issue that could greatly effect the 245 alleged enemy combatants currently being held at Guantanamo Bay. The Supreme Court has taken up the question of "enemy combatants" three times, and three times delivered setbacks to the government. In 2004, it gave them the right to legal counsel; in 2006, it outlawed military commissions set up by the president to try them. which were re-established by Congress three months later, and in 2006, it gave them access to US civilian courts.


In other news today, economists are now predicting that our current recession will be the longest and deepest this country has seen since World War 2. The last 2 major recessions, which occurred from 1973 to 75, and from 1981 – 82, both only last 16 months, meaning that if this recession hasn't been fixed by April, it will take the record as the longest since the war. Unemployment hasn't reached 1982 levels and the gross domestic product hasn't fallen quite as far. But the hurt from this recession is spread more widely and uncertainty about the country's economic health is worse today than it was in 1982. However, economists say that the outlook for today's recession is much bleaker than back then, as more people believe that we could be heading towards another Great Depression. For even more comparison, a new set of statistics has been released showing that: In 207,000 manufacturing jobs vanished in January, making it the largest one-month drop since October 1982. Major automakers' sales extended their deep slump in February, putting the industry on track for its worst sales month in more than 27 years. Struggling homebuilders have just completed the worst year for new home sales since 1982. There are 12.5 million people out of work today, topping the number of jobless in 1982. In addition, personal wealth is dwindling in the U.S., and the effects of the financial meltdown have been felt around the world.

Labels: Barack Obama, Detention, Economy, Farron Cousins, George W Bush, John Yoo, Justice Department, Lawsuit, Memo, Recession, Rendition, Supreme Court, Torture

It's difficult to conclude which side looked the most ridiculous last week during the congressional hearings on bank bailouts. On one side of the room were silk-stocking bank CEOs who had to admit that they had not really used their bailout money the way they promised they would. On the other side of the room were U.S. congressmen who looked foolish and naïve when they discovered that those bank CEOs had hustled the system from the first day they received their corporate welfare. Some congressmen looked shocked as they listened to all the ways those Wall Street bankers had lied to America in order to get possession of taxpayer bailout money.


A couple of congressmen looked particularly brain dead when they suggested that, golly, maybe they should have put some things down in writing back in October when congress and our last president handed over $350 billion to a room full of bank CEO failures. Ya think?


Back then, Citigroup, Bank of America, and every other mismanaged bank that had enough money to fly their corporate jet to D.C. was making promises they knew they would never keep. Frankly, any rational thinking congressman should have known those banker promises were meaningless. It was a group that looked too lean, hungry and desperate.


So just how badly have we been hustled? Here are a few parts of the story: The ink had barely dried on Bank of America's first $25 billion bailout check before they used $7 billion of that bailout money to buy a bank in China. That Chinese bank has no connections to the U.S. They don't employ U.S. citizens. They don't lend money to American taxpayers.


Another place Bank of America spent more than $10 million was on K-Street lobbyists who were hired to help stop union initiatives aimed at giving workers the right to organize. Put another way, Bank of America took taxpayer money so they could lobby against a huge number of taxpayers who gave them that money.


You would think Bank of America is on a mission to advertise just how unsophisticated and foolish our Congress and our last president was to actually accept the promises of a room full of desperate bankers with no strings attached.


Bank of America and most of the other welfare recipient bankers have gone as far as raising interest rates on existing credit cards, along with cutting lines of credit on some of their most reliable customers. They have almost eliminated small business lending entirely. Their promise to end the foreclosure mania was just as meaningless as their promise to preserve jobs within their industry. In fact, Bank of America, after spending most of their bailout money, now tells us they intend to lay off 35,000 of their workers.


There are no surprises here. Mark Twain gave us some accurate insight into the character of an entity like Bank of America. He said, “a banker is a fellow who lends us an umbrella when the sun is shining and wants it back the minute it begins to rain.” Is that really the kind of entity we should lend money to with no ground rules?

Labels: air america radio, Bailout, Bank of America, Drunk, Economy, GoLeft.tv, GoLeftTV, Mike Papantonio, pap attack, Recession, ring of fire, Super Bowl Party, Union Busting

This certainly is a bad day to be a Republican. After Tuesday night's address by the president to Congress, and overwhelming number of Americans said they felt better about the economic situation, and the President's approval rating rose by 17%. However, chosen GOP spokesman and Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal didn't fare so well. Conservatives across the country are unhappy with Jindal's performance, saying that he was incredibly weak, amateurish, and that he didn't look like someone who could lead this country. Even the folks at Fox News, who are always friendly towards Republicans, had harsh words for his speech delivery, saying that Jindal never even stood a chance. Many believe that Jindal is currently being groomed to be the next GOP presidential candidate, but if Tuesday night was any indicator, this effort will be very short lived. However, and this is just a point of trivia for today, aside from being a governor, Jindal has also been an exorcist in his past. While in college, Jindal claims that he was able to exorcise a demon from his roommate who had been acting strange. He honestly believes that he expelled a demon and that he was able to cure his roommate's cancer as a result. Perhaps if this politics thing doesn't work out, he could get a job as a professional healer.


And more bad news for the Republicans today, the Senate is preparing plans to investigate allegations of torture under former President Bush, according to comments published Wednesday by Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. Whitehouse, a Senator from Rhode Island, is “spearheading” the efforts, and as a member of both the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, is privy to information about interrogations he can't yet share. Whitehouse noted that a torture commission might need the power to immunize witnesses on a case-by-case basis. The prospect of future prosecutions are beside the point, he said, and the most important thing was putting a spotlight on abuses committed by the Bush administration. Obama's CIA director, Leon Panetta, announced to a Senate hearing earlier this month that the Obama administration would not prosecute CIA officers who participated in harsh interrogations that critics say constituted torture. However, Whitehouse and Leahy are confident that Obama will allow a panel to hear about the abuses.


And finally today, if you're really upset about some of the budgets and spending packages in Congress, perhaps you should take that up with the GOP. In spite of the fact that they are now the minorities in both Houses, they've requested a 10% increase in the Congressional budget so that they can still retain the staff levels that they had when they were the majority. Congressional Republicans have been pouncing on any instance of wasteful spending they can find, but the congressional-operations line item will likely remain safe from their ire. The one-tenth hike brings the budget for Congress itself to $4.4 billion. A GOP leadership aide said it's unfair to blame Republicans for the increase, saying quote "I just don't know how they can get away with blaming us for that 10 percent figure. Republicans aren't getting a dime more in committee money for staff than we got last year.” Ok, so you aren't getting any MORE money, but you also aren't getting any LESS money. And keep in mind that the Republicans lost 20% of their seats in this last election. I'm no mathematician, but shouldn't that amount to a 20% decrease in funding for their party?

Labels: Bobby Jindal, Budget, Congress, Demon, Economy, Exorcism, Exorcist, Farron Cousins, GOP, Pat Leahy, Sheldon Whitehouse, Staff, The Daily Left, Torture

It looks like the sour job market in America is taking a toll on a group of folks who were once able to get great jobs without any qualifications. I'm speaking of course, of former members of the Bush administration. According to a new report, of the 3,000 former officials currently looking for full-time work, only about 25% of them have been able to find a job. For many, the traditional refuge of conservative think tanks in Washington, D.C. has become a Fort Knox, with almost no positions available, and certainly not for lower-rung Bush officials. Some have been able to find positions at universities, and Condoleezza Rice recently signed a three book deal, but others have not been so lucky. According to the original report in the Wall Street Journal, Washington think tanks aren't interested in hiring more Republicans because Democrats control both Houses of Congress as well as the presidency. Other job seekers are falling victim to Bush's historically low approval ratings, which is something that most employers don't want to be associated with. It only seems fitting that the people involved with the administration would finally become effected by it. This is poetic justice at its finest.


In other news, we all know that we have criminals and swindlers on Wall Street, but running a military charity? No! According to a recent investigation, the largest charity inside the US military has been stockpiling tens of millions of dollars that was supposed to be used to help put returning soldiers back on their feet. Between 2003 and 2007 Army Emergency Relief swelled into a $345 million charity titan, while the military families it was designed to help, dealt with long deployments and soaring home foreclosure rates. According to tax records, during those years, the charity hoarded $117 million in its reserves with spending just $64 million on direct aid. The charity was founded in 1942 to help ease cash emergencies of active-duty soldiers and retirees, and provides college scholarships for their families. It also helps cover mortgage payments, food, car repairs, medical bills among other things. It's also been revealed that instead of giving money away, the charity lent out 91% of its emergency funds between 2003 and 2007. AER executives have defended the fund saying they need to keep sizable reserves to be ready for future catastrophes. If the two current wars we have going on right now don't count as a catastrophe, I'm not sure what would.


And finally today, in a case of life imitating art, a man from Australia has been arrested for smuggling…Snakes on a plane. The man has been charged with attempting to smuggle 44 native lizards and snakes on a flight out of Australia. The snakes have been identified as three black headed pythons and an albino carpet python, which is an extremely endangered species with numbers estimated to be as low as 100, and worth as much as 20 thousand dollars. Customs officials estimate that the total worth of the man's reptile haul was close to $200,000 dollars. The man was set to board a flight to Bangkok, but the snakes and lizards were detected by luggage x-rays before he could get on his flight. While wildlife smuggling is a serious crime, the fact that the man actually tried to bring snakes on a plane has to make you laugh, at least a little.

Labels: Afghanistan, Bush Administration, Charity, Economy, Farron Cousins, Fraud, Iraq, Military, Movie, Quote, Samuel L Jackson, Snakes on a Plane, The Daily Left, unemployment

Bank of America has certainly been enjoying themselves after receiving $25 billion dollars from the government. From Super Bowl parties to investing in non-American companies, Bank of America has blown money on everything except things that would actually help our economy. Mike Papantonio talks with Brave New Films founds Robert Greenwald about how this bank is squandering our tax dollars and continuing to destroy our economy.

Labels: air america radio, Bank of America, Brave New Films, Economy, GoLeft.tv, GoLeftTV, Mike Papantonio, Recession, ring of fire, Robert Greenwald, Stimulus, Super Bowl Party, unemployment

Ok, I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the Federal Reserve is now saying that their original predictions about the US economy for this year, which were pretty grim, were wrong. The bad news is that they're now saying that things are going to be much worse than expected. Under the new projections, the unemployment rate will rise to between 8.5 and 8.8 percent this year. Their previous forecast had predicted that unemployment wouldn't pass the 7 and a half percent mark. They are predicting that the unemployment rate, which currently stands at 7.6%, will continue to rise as more and more companies continue to lay off workers. This new forecast could reflect the recent announcements from major companies that they were cutting their work forces, including General Motors, who will be getting rid of 57 thousand employees. The Fed also believes the economy will contract this year between 0.5 and 1.3 percent. Employment is usually the last piece of the economy to heal once the country is out of recession and in recovery mode. Businesses are usually reluctant to ramp up hiring until they feel confident that any recovery has staying power. However, the light at the end of the tunnel is that economists are predicting that next year the economy will grow between 2.5 and 3.3%.


In other economic news, apparently taking the advice of political strategist Paul Begala, some Republican governors are debating on whether or not to accept funds for their states from the recently passed stimulus bill. While no one has outright rejected the money available for education, health care and infrastructure, the governors of Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alaska, South Carolina and Idaho have all questioned whether the $787 billion bill signed into law this week will even help the economy. However, governors who reject some of the stimulus aid may find themselves overridden by their own legislatures because of language included in the bill that allows lawmakers to accept the federal money even if their governors object. This means that state legislatures could easily override the governors. The fact that these Republicans are even considering such a move shows that they are putting their own ideology over the needs and wants of the people. Polls show that the majority of US governors, from either party, support the stimulus bill, as do the majority of Americans. To reject this money would be a slap in the face to every citizen of the United States who has been effected by our dismal economy.


And finally today, if you thought that it wasn't possible to be viewed less favorably than George Bush or members of Congress, think again. According to a new poll, American CEOs are now the most despised interest group in the country, with only 22% of Americans viewing them favorably. Stockbrokers and financial analysts as well as journalists and reporters are held in higher regard, with 37 and 38% approval respectively, while lawyers are at 41% and bankers stand at 44%. Congress still stands at a 26% approval rating, but the numbers for Democratic members are far better than those for Republicans. Among Democratic Americans, 41% view members of Congress favorably while just 15% say the same about corporate CEOs. By contrast, 31% of Republicans have a favorable opinion of CEOs, but only 14% feel the same way about those in Congress. Those numbers really show you where their faith lies. But as the last 8 years have shown us, Republicans aren't big fans of democracy, and I'm sure they'd all be much better living in a “corporatocracy,” and just letting those CEOs run their lives.

Labels: Barack Obama, CEO, Charlie Crist, Corporation, Depression, Economy, Farron Cousins, Federal Reserve, Governor, Recession, Republican, Stimulus Package, Wall Street

Officials from the Bush White House are no longer advising Karl Rove to claim that he is protected from testifying by executive privilege. In addition, Rove's attorney told reporters at Raw Story that the former advisor will not be invoking the Fifth Amendment to protect himself from testifying. Rove was subpoenaed in 2007 to testify before Congress about his role in the Don Siegelman prosecution, as well as the politicization of the Justice Department. He was then subpoenaed in 2008 for this same testimony. Both times he refused to show. He did however offer to testify, as long as he didn't have to be under oath and the hearings were not public, which Congress refused. He was recently subpoenaed in January of this year, and then again this month. Though it remains unclear what form Rove's cooperation with Congress and Justice Department investigators might take, it seems increasingly likely that Rove will testify to Congress in some way.


In other news, it looks like the United States' war on terror didn't just take away the rights of American citizens, but according to international legal experts, it stripped away the rights of people across the globe. According to Mary Robinson, former High Commissioner for Human Rights at the UN, citizens across the globe have fewer rights today than they did when terrorists attacked on 9/11, largely due to the fact that the US responded inappropriately to the attacks. The harsh U.S. detentions and interrogations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay gave a dangerous signal to other countries that quickly followed suit. A new report found that many undemocratic states have referred to U.S. counter-terrorism practices to justify their own abuses, creating a serious situation that the UN must now deal with. The UN Security Council has already begun investigating prisoner abuse in places like Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, and Germany.


In economic news today, a new report shows that all of those Wall Street banks who begged and pleaded for a bailout so they could lend more money, have actually not been lending anymore money. In fact, since they received their bailout funds, they've actually been lending less money. The Treasury Department said the banks reduced their mortgage and business loans by a median of 1 percent each, while credit card lending rose by a median of 2 percent. The report also said that banks reduced new commercial real estate loans by 19 percent. But don't think that these banks will be reprimanded for not upholding their end of the deal. The Treasury Department has already written off the decrease in lending by saying that consumer demand for loans has decreased, so it really isn't the banks' fault. Basically, what this means is that the banks took our tax dollars, and did nothing to help the economy. They aren't loaning people money, they laid off tens of thousands of employees, and they aren't producing any tangible goods for Americans. They used the money to shore up their investments and pay dividends to stockholders. If you ask me, all of these banks are guilty of stealing money from the government, and the CEOs of these institutions should be sitting in prison.


In other news, a new USA Today report shows that cyber attacks against government computer systems increased by 40% last year. In total, there were 5,488 tracked incidents of unauthorized access to US government computers, as well as installations of hostile programs in 2008. However, rather than taking this as a serious threat, one official from the Department of Homeland Security said that this doesn't necessarily mean there was an increase in attacks, and it could mean that their detection software is catching more intruders. However, if that is the case, that means that 40% of the hacks from 2007 were never detected. President Obama announced last week that his administration will be conducting a review of US cyber security to protect the government's information technology systems from security and economic threats.


And finally today, horny teenagers are getting a new role model to tell them to keep it in their pants – Bristol Palin. While speaking about the birth of her son Tripp to Fox News, Bristol said she now hoped to become an advocate against teen pregnancy. The little Palin went on to say that everyone should be abstinent, but that that idea isn't realistic at all. She refused to give her views on contraception, which makes her an astounding hypocrite. She says that abstinence isn't going to work, but it's the only thing that will work. I'm not sure I follow her logic here. The bottom line is this – studies have been conducted throughout this century showing that abstinence-only education programs result in higher rates of teen pregnancy, than education programs that teach the use of contraceptives. That is a fact. Teenagers shouldn't be listening to a girl who couldn't figure that out on her own.



For video, click here

Labels: Bailout, Barack Obama, Bristol Palin, Economy, Farron Cousins, Hacker, Karl Rove, Lending, Mortgage Crisis, Political Briefs, Recession, Sarah Palin, Sex, Teenager, Trigg, Underage

By Mike Papantonio


Last Sunday, the pastor in the church I attend prayed for Barack Obama. That pastor prayed that Obama would have the strength and wisdom to guide America. I'm certain that the majority of that congregation agreed that we should all pray for Obama's success. It made me proud to be a member of that church during that prayer.


I wish Rush Limbaugh had been there. Because the week before Limbaugh made the statement on his radio show that he hoped that Obama's efforts to pull America through these dark days would fail. His words were: “I hope Obama fails. Somebody's got to say it.” He went as far as telling his lockstep listeners that he was angry at Republicans who are pulling for Obama to succeed.


I'm pretty sure there are preachers all over this country leading congregations in prayers that make the same plea my pastor made last Sunday. And I'm comfortable knowing that the power of those prayers are much stronger than the repugnant hate talk of an aging radio host in search of a bigger audience.


It's important to consider the specifics of what Limbaugh is hoping for in Obama's failure. Eight million Americans lost their homes to foreclosure during the Bush years. Perhaps if Limbaugh could step out of his 25,000 square foot home and see the pain of a mother and father telling their children that they just lost their home, maybe then he would want Obama to succeed.


Or maybe Mr. Limbaugh could step away from his $400 million dollar job long enough to be on sight the day a factory or a bank or a restaurant closes. And maybe he could follow one of those fathers home to tell his family that he just lost his job. Maybe then he would want to pray for Obama, rather than hope Obama fails. Or what if he heard one of the closed-door conversations that takes place late at night in the privacy of a bedroom between a husband who got his last paycheck and a wife who has to figure out how she will feed her children and keep a roof over their heads? Rush Limbaugh has probably never heard one of those conversations that take place with hushed whispers … quiet conversations that take place when parents don't want to frighten their children.


It might even be a good idea for this pathetic radio demagogue to put his solid gold microphone down for a few days and spend some time with his Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity chicken-hawk crowd touring V.A. hospitals. Perhaps then Mr. Limbaugh, who himself received a military deferment, could appreciate Obama's effort to end W's Iraq disaster instead of hoping for Obama's failure.


These latest words give us a creepy picture of the real heart and soul of Mr. Limbaugh. Because as he rallies his ditto-head crowd around the hopes of failure for Obama, he is in effect hoping that all of America fails.


But last Sunday, a prayer of hope and compassion delivered by a preacher who truly cares about America made Rush sound like the petty, irrelevant demagogue that he has worked so hard to become.

Labels: air america radio, Barack Obama, democrat, Economy, failure, GoLeft.tv, GoLeftTV, manufacturing, Mike Papantonio, president, Recession, ring of fire, rush limbaugh, unemployment

Mike Papantonio of Air America's Ring of Fire apears on Your World with Neil Cavuto to talk about Nancy Pelosi's plan to raise taxes on the top 2 percent of Americans by repealing the Bush tax cuts.

Labels: Barack Obama, Economy, Fox News, GoLeft.tv, GoLeftTV, Mike Papantonio, NAncy Pelosi, Neil Cavuto, Recession, tax Cut, Taxes, War, Your World