Wednesday Open Thread |Cicely Tyson Week

Posted on March 11, 2015 by rikyrah

Happy Hump day! Hope you’re enjoying Cicely Tyson week. Now let’s get to the ROOTS!

Roots_25th_Anniversary_Edition

In 1977, Cicely Tyson starred as Kunta Kinte’s mother in the ground-breaking TV Mini series ROOTS.

o-OWN-OPRAHS-MASTER-CLASS-CICELY-TYSON-facebook

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71 Responses to Wednesday Open Thread |Cicely Tyson Week

  1. SouthernGirl2 says:
    March 11, 2015 at 9:10 pm

    Mama, make Obama stop! Crying with Laughter

    Top GOP senator tells WH to ‘stop celebrating’ on ObamaCare figures.

    Top GOP senator tells White House to ‘stop celebrating’ on ObamaCare figures

    http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/235347-top-gop-senator-tells-white-house-to-stop-celebrating-on-obamacare-figures

    Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is throwing cold water on the burst of good news for ObamaCare this week.

    Barrasso, the 4th ranking Senate Republican, mocked the Obama administration for holding an event at the White House this week to cheer new healthcare enrollment figures at a time when the law remains mostly unpopular nationally.

    “It’s time for the White House to stop celebrating and start thinking about the people,” Barrasso said on the Senate floor on Wednesday.
    He also criticized the administration for touting a report from the Congressional Budget Office on Monday, which found that ObamaCare was becoming cheaper in the long run. Those costs were dropping because of decreases in healthcare spending and a smaller-than-expected enrollment drive — which Barrasso said is nothing to celebrate.

    Reply
  12. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 7:19 pm

    John Cornyn: Obama ‘does not speak for the U.S. government exclusively’

    In a wide-ranging interview, the second-ranking Senate Republican talks about the controversial GOP letter on Iran, his pending anti-sex trafficking bill and “phony narratives” of U.S. voter suppression
    By Meredith Shiner14 hours agoYahoo News

    In a wide-ranging, 30-minute interview with Yahoo News in his Capitol office overlooking the Supreme Court, Cornyn said the president is “in denial” over Congress’s role in foreign policy, remarking that Obama is attempting “to give Congress ‘the Heisman’ in terms of our involvement,” referring to the college football trophy depicting a running back strong-arming a defender. On Monday night, Vice President Joe Biden described the letter signed by 47 Senate Republicans as “beneath the dignity of an institution I revere.”

    Cornyn also addressed the issue of voting rights, which Obama championed this weekend in a speech in Selma, Ala., commemorating the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Obama urged Congress to heed the Supreme Court’s call to amend the Voting Rights Act, to reinstate the Department of Justice’s ability to oversee jurisdictions that had a history of discriminating against minority voters. Cornyn said that the push to fix the so-called “pre-clearance” provision, which was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013, is an effort to “drive divisions and create phony narratives.” Cornyn, who is responsible for scheduling floor votes, said he does not believe Congress should take up legislation to amend the act. He is the first top GOP Congressional leader to publicly say so.

    http://news.yahoo.com/john-cornyn–obama–does-not-speak-for-the-u-s–government-exclusively-195511192.html

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      March 11, 2015 at 7:24 pm

      PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA DOES SPEAK EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE US GOVERNMENT.

      CLUE? HE’S THE FUCKING PRESIDENT!

      FUCK YOU, JOHN CORNYN.

      Reply
  19. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 2:14 pm

    and because this never ever fails to make me LMBAO!!!

    https://youtu.be/TcAGQvu2gJA

    Reply
  20. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 2:11 pm

    March 11, 2015 9:56 AM
    Looking at a Post-King v. Burwell World With More Precision
    By Ed Kilgore

    Via the Scholars Strategy Network, Harvard’s Theda Skocpol and the University of Minnesota’s Lawrence Jacobs have prepared a succinct but comprehensive analysis of what, exactly, would happen if the Supreme Court decides for the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell. It’s not as dreadful a scenario as you might imagine—unless you are a Republican politician beginning to understand with horror the position it might put you in.

    Skocpol and Jacobs note that the major national policy changes—most notably bans on discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions, and limitations on price discrimination against the old and the sick—would stay in place. And in states that either already have or could be expected to quickly adopt their own exchanges, life would go on as before:

    Overall, from half to three-fifths of Americans reside in states where subsidies probably or certainly would not be discontinued. These states almost all have effectively functioning marketplaces where growing numbers of insurers are offering competitively priced plans and making solid profits.
    The rest of the states are for the most part governed by conservative Republicans, and aside from the immediate distress of people losing subsidies and probably insurance altogether, Obamacare waivers that adapted exchanges for use by the entire Medicaid population would be endangered. Worst of all, the ensuing debate will focus on the real linchpin of GOP resistance to Obamacare, which is equitable treatment of old and sick people. But as Skocpol and Jacobs note, that is precisely the most popular element of the Affordable Care Act.

    So far, Republicans have been able to denounce “ObamaCare” without discussing popular specifics. But that strategy will collapse if the Supreme Court threatens profits and benefits already in place – and a new Republican Party strategy may prove hard to devise amid splits between ultra-conservatives eager to destroy the health reform law and pragmatists seeking to modify and live with it.

    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_03/looking_at_a_postking_v_burwel054571.php

    Reply
  21. Ametia says:
    March 11, 2015 at 2:05 pm

    Ferguson police chief to resign later Wednesday: Fox News
    Wednesday, March 11, 2015 1:38 p.m. CDT

    http://wnmtradio.com/news/articles/2015/mar/11/ferguson-police-chief-to-resign-later-wednesday-fox-news/

    Reply
  25. Ametia says:
    March 11, 2015 at 1:54 pm

    Repost DON’T LET THE DOOOR HIT CHA, WHERE THE GOOD LORD SPLIT YA, TOM JACKSON!!!!!

    HarrisFaulkner ✔ @HARRISFAULKNER
    Follow
    #BREAKING @FoxNewsSunday Chris Wallace reports-Police sources in St. Louis area confirm Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson to resign today.
    12:59 PM – 11 Mar 2015 Queens, NY, United States

    Reply
  26. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 1:54 pm

    Wow…and when did he retire?

    Forbes ✔ @Forbes

    The Jordan Brand commanded 58% market share of the $4.2 billion U.S. basketball shoe market last year: http://onforb.es/1FLrGMk

    Reply
  27. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    March 11, 2015 1:45 PM
    Beaches Are Going to be a Hot Political Topic
    By Martin Longman

    In the latest issue of the Washington Monthly, Theodoric Meyer has a book review of Orrin H. Pilkey and J. Andrew G. Cooper’s The Last Beach. The news is pretty depressing:

    Pilkey and Cooper’s predictions are grim: “We believe that the current outlook, biased toward protection of property, will inevitably lead to a worldwide loss of beaches lined with development.” Artificial stone steps descending into the water and strips of sand behind seawalls will become increasingly common along developed coastlines, they suggest. Increased pollution will likely mean rules against walking barefoot on some beaches, even if such rules seem unthinkable today.
    A lot of the focus is on beach replenishment efforts, which the authors argue are ultimately destructive of beach systems. If you don’t already know how important this topic is going to be over the next few decades, I encourage you to watch the latest episode of HBO’s Vice.

    You probably should learn as much as you can about rising sea levels and how we’re going to need to react from a public policy standpoint. This review is a great place to start.

    The pollution issue is important, too. I don’t like thinking about beaches so toxic that we can’t walk on them.

    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2015_03/beaches_are_going_to_be_a_hot054578.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+washingtonmonthly%2Frss+%28Political+Animal+at+Washington+Monthly%29

    Reply
  28. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 1:49 pm

    Just secede already’: Arizona Republicans push through bill to ignore Obama’s executive orders
    DAVID EDWARDS
    11 MAR 2015 AT 09:45 ET

    Republicans in Arizona’s state House on Wednesday passed a bill that would ignore any executive order signed by President Barack Obama.

    “Oh, just secede already, Arizona legislature,” Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts wrote in her Wednesday column about HB2368, a bill that would prohibit the state from enforcing or cooperating with Obama’s executive orders unless they were affirmed by the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress.

    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/just-secede-already-arizona-republicans-push-through-bill-to-ignore-obamas-executive-orders/

    Reply
  29. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 1:18 pm

    Feith lectures Obama on national security
    03/11/15 11:23 AM—UPDATED 03/11/15 11:35 AM
    facebook twitter 2 save share group 17
    By Steve Benen
    None other than Douglas Feith has a lengthy condemnation of international nuclear talks with Iran in the Wall Street Journal this morning, arguing with great certainty that President Obama is on the wrong track.
    The Obama administration has wedded itself to a cooperative policy toward Iran. The White House rejects the coercive approach as not viable. But if Iran violates its deal with us, won’t our response have to be coercive? President Obama insists that his policy is the only realistic one. In doing so, he is showing either that he is naive and uninformed about the relevant history or that he no longer considers an Iranian nuclear weapon “unacceptable.”
    The assessment is delivered with great confidence, as if it comes from a voice of genuine authority, just like Feith’s other condemnations of the Obama administration’s policies towards Iraq and Syria.

    What some news consumers may not realize, however, is that Feith was a national laughingstock during his tenure in the Bush/Cheney administration, getting practically everything about U.S. policy in Iraq backwards. His discomfort with the international diplomacy should arguably inspire confidence among the American mainstream.

    General Tommy Franks, the former Commander of the U.S. Central Command, once famously referred to Feith as “the dumbest f***ing guy on the planet.”

    So why exactly does he keep popping up in the media as someone who knows what he’s talking about?

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/feith-lectures-obama-national-security

    Reply
  32. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 11:57 am

    Tuesday, March 10, 2015
    Why Republicans Are Ramping Up the Obama Derangement Syndrome
    In case you hadn’t noticed, lately the Obama Derangement Syndrome on the right has been ramped up a few notches.

    It all started when people like Rudy Giuliani said that President Obama didn’t really love America. Religious leaders on the right like Franklin Graham joined in by saying that this President only knows Islam and proceeded to mirror Sen. Joe McCarthy with his claims that this administration has been infiltrated by Muslims. Even Jeb Bush got in on the action by saying that President Obama is “the first president since World War II who does not believe that American power is a force for good” in the world.

    Then we had the spectacle of the Republicans going behind the President’s back to invite a foreign leader to address Congress in an attempt to undermine this country’s foreign policy. That was followed by 47 Republican Senators signing a condescending letter to the leaders of Iran designed to undercut a sitting president in the midst of sensitive international negotiations.

    All of that is why, by the time I got to the story yesterday about Rep. Sessions (R-TX) accusing President Obama of being responsible for “murdering Americans all over our cities,” it was clear to me that Republican leaders have lost their ever-lovin’ minds.

    Of course right wing radio, Faux News and tea partiers went there a long time ago. But one has to wonder why Republican leaders are ramping up the ODS.

    You always have to start with the fact that this Democratic President is black. That lays the groundwork for fears to be exploited. We also have to remember that this President took office just as Republican policies – both domestic and foreign – had shown themselves to be a complete and utter failure.

    Given that reality, GOP leaders made it their priority – in the midst of the Great Recession – to obstruct anything he tried to do in an effort to ensure that he was a one-termer. That failed. But they could always blame him for the slow economic recovery. Added to ramped up fears about Ebola and ISIS, Republicans were able to exploit their advantages into a great victory in the 2014 midterms.

    But let’s take a look at what’s happened since then. Just as Republicans were ready to celebrate and expected contrition from President Obama, his policies enacted over the previous years began to bear fruit (as he told Steve Inkeep). For example, in the latest NBC/WSJ poll, 68% of Americans say the economy has improved under President Obama. And while Republicans continue to rail about them, both Obamacare and Dodd/Frank have proven themselves to be extremely effective reforms. Our government’s response to Ebola helped to stop a world-wide contagion and – as we speak – ISIS is being degraded – just as President Obama promised.

    Meanwhile – and this one is a biggy – what have Republicans managed to do with their big victory in the 2014 midterms? They embarrassed themselves with their grandstanding about immigration and DHS funding and proved that, even with majorities in both houses, they can’t govern.

    On the horizon are two potential major victories for President Obama when it comes to foreign policy. First is the prospect of a deal with Iran to halt their development of nuclear weapons. As you may recall, David Ignatius called these “the most important diplomatic negotiations of the last several decades.” A successful deal will be highlighted as one of this President’s most important legacies. Second will be an international agreement at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris later this year – something that previous presidents have failed to accomplish, but is a real possibility this time given agreements already in place with China and India.

    I say all of this because, along with the success of his domestic policies, the fact that he is the President who killed Osama bin Laden, and that the people of South and Central America see him as finally ending the Cold War, Barack Obama is very likely to go down in history as – not only our first African American president – but one of our greatest presidents.

    http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2015/03/why-republicans-are-ramping-up-obama.html

    Reply
  34. Ametia says:
    March 11, 2015 at 11:55 am

    Reposting here

    Reply
  35. Ametia says:
    March 11, 2015 at 11:50 am

    Maddow on Greenspan Mitchell report screaming sexism about Hillary & the email debacle.

    How about reporting on GOP SEDITION!

    Reply
  41. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 11:18 am

    if your dumb ass is going to listen to a muthaphucka with gold-plated health insurance on why YOU should not have any….
    you deserve what you get.

    ……………………..

    Tom Cotton told uninsured voter not to use Obamacare because ‘Russian mobsters’ would steal her identity
    11 MAR 2015 AT 01:58 ET

    Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton has been in the news for spearheading a coalition of 47 Senators who are trying to kill any deal with Iran by warning its leadership that Obama is only in office for another 21 months.

    But long before Cotton had fame and his seat in the Senate, he was a little-known member of the House of Representatives. On November 23rd, 2013, he held a town hall meeting in his district in Hot Springs, Arkansas at the Clarion Lake Resort. The meeting was organized primarily to discuss the Affordable Care Act, most specifically the mishaps with the websites governing the health insurance exchanges.

    At one point, a constituent submitted a question mentioning that her insurance plan had been cancelled and she refuses to utilize the exchanges that Obama, who she calls a liar, set up.

    Rather than telling her that she has an obligation for her own health to seek insurance, Cotton goaded her on, telling her that he himself wouldn’t use the exchange website because “Russian mobsters” may steal his identity.

    QUESTION: I want to know why my state insurance Blue Cross and Blue Shield pre-existing high-risk pool was canceled and if it is going to be one of the hopefully reinstated plans that the President of the United States promised. He’s lied about so much but I really need my health insurance but I refuse to apply through Obamacare and leave myself and my personal information up for hackers.

    COTTON: I have to say I share Tammy’s concerns about her personal information. I have to buy any kind of insurance plan that I might buy through the exchange. And I am certainly not going on the exchange to shop right now. I did in early October just because I knew that it would crash and I would prove a point. But I certainly wouldn’t put my Social Security number or my tax information in there right now until I’m 100% confident that it’s not going to be stolen by Russian mobsters and I’d have my identity stolen and sold on the black market internationally.

    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/arkansas-senator-tom-cotton-told-uninsured-constituent-not-to-use-obamacare-because-russian-mobsters-would-steal-her-identity/

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      March 11, 2015 at 11:25 am

      Both Arkansas & Missouri two states that have yielded some of America’s lowest, dumbest, racists cowards in leadership positions. SMGDH

      Reply
  44. Liza says:
    March 11, 2015 at 10:31 am

    Another one bites the dust….

    Ferguson City Manager Faulted in DOJ Report Resigns

    The city manager of Ferguson, Missouri, has resigned in the continued fallout from a federal probe into systemic racial bias. In its report last week, the Justice Department blamed John Shaw for overseeing a municipal system that targets African Americans for arrest and then profits off of their fines. Ferguson Mayor James Knowles announced Shaw’s departure.

    Ferguson Mayor James Knowles: “I think the city and John came to a mutual agreement that we want to be able to move forward as a community. John and the city felt this was an opportunity to do that and start fresh.”

    As city manager, Shaw was the most powerful local official in Ferguson. His departure comes one day after the local municipal court judge, Ronald Brockmeyer, was also forced to resign his post. A court clerk and two police supervisors were forced out last week for sending racist emails.

    http://www.democracynow.org/2015/3/11/headlines#3113

    Reply
  45. yahtzeebutterfly says:
    March 11, 2015 at 9:51 am

    deray mckesson retweeted
    JohnsHopkinsMedicine @HopkinsMedicine · 2h 2 hours ago
    Johns Hopkins researchers make custom blood cells — a big step against #SickleCell     http://ow.ly/Kc65d

    Reply
  46. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 9:21 am

    ESPECIALLY FOOTBALL.
    Long before ‘getting paid’ and sports/economics was popular, my Mama was talking about this. Mama was all about college players getting PAID. Mama broke it down to me about the sports, and the reason why she was so passionate about Black kids having the opportunity to play baseball:
    1. it was the sport with the least wear and tear on the body
    2. it was the sport with the best contract
    3. it was the sport where the average player had the chance to have a long (more than 5 years career)
    Mama knew all the stats about how long the average NBA/NFL career was. And, as much as she loved football, she swore she’d never have a son of her play it.
    Because football
    1. had the most wear and tear
    2. had the worst contract structure for the player
    3. had only a 4 year career average
    ………………………………..

    Darrelle Revis Is Just as Greedy as He Should Be
    By Mike Freeman, NFL National Lead Writer March 10, 2015

    Darrelle Revis is a mercenary. That’s what people say.

    All he cares about is the cash. Captain Money Grab.
    Knock, knock.
    Who’s there?
    Da Hell?
    Da Hell who?
    Da Hell, Darrelle, leave some money for the rest of us.

    You’ve heard it. You’ll hear it. Darrelle Revis is greedy, selfish, only cares about winning if he can also get paid, and did I mention greedy?

    Well, good. Good for him. What Revis did was work the system with ruthless efficiency, the way owners do when they make money. The way coaches do when they get paid. The way networks do when they charge $8 million for a 60-second Super Bowl ad. The way teams do when they charge $6 for a damn hot dog.

    Everyone gets paid. Many people are selfish. Capitalism is extremely American, and no football player, maybe in history, has both understood and capitalized on his value more than Revis. Good for him. Good. For. Him.

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2392494-darrelle-revis-is-just-as-greedy-as-he-should-be#articles/2392494-darrelle-revis-is-just-as-greedy-as-he-should-be

    Reply
  47. Ametia says:
    March 11, 2015 at 9:18 am

    GOP #47 Iran Letter UNPRECEDENTED

    “We haven’t found a precedent,” said Senate Historian Donald Ritchie. “That doesn’t mean there isn’t a precedent. After 200 years. It’s hard to find anything that unprecedented.”

    http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/03/10/259257/precedent-for-gops-iran-letter.html#storylink=cpy

    Reply
  49. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 8:31 am

    73 New TV Pilots & Series with Black Actors in Starring and/or Supporting Roles Ordered for Next Season. Here’s the Full List

    By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
    March 10, 2015 at 10:29AM

    As what, thus far, looks like a diversity push adopted by major TV networks, with the current season near its end, and executives look to build their summer and fall (and winter 2016) season lineups, here’s a look at TV pilots, and new series (regular and mini/event) that have been ordered for the 2015/2016 TV season, that star black actors, or feature black actors in lead and/or supporting roles. I’m sure there will be more announcements to come, so this list will be updated as I receive new data.

    Of note, as of today, March 10, there are at least 73 pilots/series with black actors in starring/lead/supporting roles that have been ordered across broadcast and cable TV networks. ABC leads with 14 projects that feature black actors in starring, lead and/or supporting roles; and NBC is close behind, with 13.

    Also, at least half of the 73 (so far) are lead roles.
    In the coming months, we’ll find out how many of these pilots will make it to series, as each network shores-up its lineup for the coming year in television.

    Typically, once a pilot is shot and edited, the network must decide which shows to run with, which to shelve for possible later use, and which to dump altogether. The percentage of shows that get picked up for the fall lineup varies from network to network. For example, a broadcast network that buys 25 comedy scripts, will shoot 12 of them as pilots, and, eventually, only 2 of the 12 make it to series. Cable TV networks are less active, developing far fewer pilots, most of which do eventually make it to series. So the percentages a pilot gets picked up to series are higher with cable TV networks, if only because they develop a lot less than their broadcast network counterparts.

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/71-new-tv-pilots-series-with-black-actors-in-starring-and-or-supporting-roles-ordered-for-next-season-heres-the-full-list-20150310

    Reply
    • Ametia says:
      March 11, 2015 at 8:45 am

      So the networks finally figured out that black folks and other POC ant to see shows that show DIVERSITY and that said folks have spending $$$$.

      They may be a day late & a $ short, though. Folks aren’t sitting in front of TV now, Ithese days, t’s all about downloading & streaming.

      It’s all about those Benjamins, you know.

      Reply
  50. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 8:19 am

    Bravo ‘Newlyweds’ Toi And Rouvaun Defend Traditional Marriage Roles: ‘My Husband Wears The Pants’

    Toi and Rouvan Walker. Photo coutesty Bravo ‘Newlyweds the first year’

    Rouvaun and Toi Toutman-Walker made the bold move of allowing cameras to capture their first year of marriage, and viewers are able to see it all on season 2 of Bravo’s Newlyweds: The First Year.

    The show follows four couples for better or for worst. From challenging in-laws to fertility struggles and merging complicated lives together, the show gives viewers a glimpse at all of the trials and tribulations that can arise as a newlywed.

    Rouvaun, a mortgage banker, and Toi, who owns a hair extension line, found each other and fell in love via the internet.

    They first connected through the website AOL BlackVoices in 1996, and some 15 years later found each other through Facebook, and rekindled a flame that led to matrimony.

    In an interview with theGrio, Toi said she’s somewhat reluctant to let the world in on her first year of marriage.

    “I don’t want to say anything to piss me my mom off,” she confessed. “I know she’s going to be telling all of her friends to watch. I wanted to be myself for people to see who I really am, But there is always that fear of showing a little bit too much information.”

    Rouvaun says he fears some of his former and current colleagues getting too much intel on his personal life.

    “I have employees, and ex-bosses that don’t know that side of my personal life. I think going into it I was thinking ‘what we were the President and the First Lady? Answer the questions like Barack would and answer the questions like Michelle would.’ You can’t really do that on reality TV. If I had any political aspirations, I think I ruined that. You only live once. I think we represent older couples and everyone pretty well.”

    Rouvaun and Toi have a similar mindset when it comes to gender roles within their marriage. Rouvan “wears the pants” and Toi is comfortable and confident as a “submissive wife” who cleaves to her husband.

    “My husband wears the pants – like every single pair of them, and I’m fine with that,” Toi said. “Im a modern woman, but I would totally cook and clean and serve my husband there’s no problem at all. I don’t find any weakness in that at all.”

    The newlyweds feel that having cameras in their home over the past year came with a set of challenges, but they have a stronger marriage today because of the experience.

    http://www.wvon.com/2015/03/bravo-newlyweds-toi-and-rouvaun-defend-traditional-marriage-roles-my-husband-wears-the-pants/

    Reply
  51. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 8:03 am

    Now, ain’t this a muthaphucka.

    …………..

    Republicans Blame Obama For Tom Cotton Letter

    Posted: 03/10/2015 7:43 pm EDT

    WASHINGTON — Republicans, under fire for a letter signed by 47 senators to the leadership of Iran, said Tuesday that complaints about violating foreign policy convention should be leveled not at them, but at President Barack Obama.

    GOP lawmakers spent much of Tuesday being pressed on why Senate party leadership went around the White House with an open letter warning Iran that any nuclear agreement may be undercut in the future by Congress or Obama’s successor. Several Republicans sought to distance themselves from the letter, saying that while they may not agree with the direction of nuclear talks with Iran, it was the purview of the president to conduct them.

    But those who support the letter — even some who didn’t add their names — deflected the blame. If it weren’t for Obama’s failure to consult lawmakers about the negotiations, or his threatened veto of a proposed bill to give Congress the final vote on a nuclear agreement, senators wouldn’t have had to speak out in the first place, they argued.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/10/gop-obama-cotton-letter_n_6843204.html

    Reply
  52. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 8:01 am

    GOP scrambles in the wake of sabotage fiasco
    03/11/15 08:00 AM—UPDATED 03/11/15 08:13 AM
    By Steve Benen
    If the 47 Senate Republicans who tried to sabotage the international talks with Iran had a plan, it’s safe to say that strategy has been thrown out the window.

    As the fiasco unfolded yesterday, the GOP found itself increasingly divided over the legally dubious scheme to derail American foreign policy, with even Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who refused to sign the letter, criticizing the right-wing initiative. Soon after, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) did the same.

    It left some Republicans scrambling to defend the entire fiasco. The Daily Beast had this unexpected report late yesterday:
    Republican aides were taken aback by what they thought was a lighthearted attempt to signal to Iran and the public that Congress should have a role in the ongoing nuclear discussions. Two GOP aides separately described their letter as a “cheeky” reminder of the congressional branch’s prerogatives.

    “The administration has no sense of humor when it comes to how weakly they have been handling these negotiations,” said a top GOP Senate aide.

    Without more information about the unnamed sources, it’s hard to say just how many Republicans on Capitol Hill actually believe this, but it’s a tough sell. A group of far-right senators interfered with sensitive international diplomacy; they tried to undermine the American government; they encouraged foreign officials not to trust U.S. officials engaged in high-level talks; they brazenly ignored American laws to engage in their own freelance foreign policy; and the defense is Republicans simply wanted to be “cheeky”? GOP officials on Capitol Hill want the White House to have a “sense of humor” about sabotage?

    Fred Kaplan yesterday explained, “It is a useful thing when a political party reveals itself as utterly unsuited for national leadership,” adding that the Republican letter was “plainly stupid.”

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/gop-scrambles-the-wake-sabotage-fiasco

    Reply
  53. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 7:58 am

    Tracee Ellis Ross & Regina King Celebrate Girl Power as Co-Hosts of ‘BLACK GIRLS ROCK!’ 2015, on BET in April

    By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
    March 10, 2015 at 2:02PM

    Tracee Ellis Ross and Regina King will return to the stage as co-hosts of “BLACK GIRLS ROCK!” for the fourth time – the televised primetime special, celebrating its fifth year, that honors the triumphs of inspirational African American women who are trailblazers in the areas of art, philanthropy, sports, and community service.

    A partnership between BET Networks (on which it’ll also air), and Beverly Bond, Creator/Executive Producer, CEO and Founder of BLACK GIRLS ROCK!, this year, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center located in downtown Newark, NJ, will host the televised ceremony for a second year, which will be broadcast on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015 at 7 pm/ET.

    “I am so excited to share the stage again with my good friend, Regina, to recognize incredible Black women,” said Tracee Ellis Ross, adding, “Powerhouses Debra Lee, CEO and Chairman of BET Networks and Beverly Bond, CEO of Black Girls Rock! are true examples of Black Girls who Rock. I am proud to once again be part of such a wonderful night celebrating the beauty, the talents and accomplishments of black women – it will be a show to remember!”

    Regina King added, “It’s wonderful to be back co-hosting ‘BLACK GIRLS ROCK! with my dear friend Tracee and working alongside all my friends at BET and BGR. I am looking forward to a heartwarming, electrifying, star-studded evening, with lots of surprises sprinkled throughout the show. It’s always a rewarding experience for me and the fans.”

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/tracee-ellis-ross-regina-king-celebrate-girl-power-as-co-hosts-of-black-girls-rock-2015-on-bet-in-april-20150310

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  54. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 7:56 am

    I hope they find them

    …………….

    Military helicopter crashes off northwest Florida; 11 missing

    Eleven members of the U.S. military were missing after an Army UH-60 Black Hawk crashed into water off the Florida Panhandle during a training mission Tuesday night, representatives of Eglin Air Force Base said.

    The helicopter, carrying seven Marines and four aircrew members, was reported missing during foggy conditions at about 8:30 p.m., and searchers found debris in the Okaloosa Island area near Eglin at about 2 a.m. Wednesday, Eglin spokesman Andy Bourland said.

    “We have begun to see debris washing ashore on both the north and the south side of the sound,” Bourland told CNN’s “New Day” on Wednesday morning.

    Search and rescue efforts involving the Coast Guard, the Air Force and civilian agencies were underway, Bourland said.

    http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/11/us/florida-army-helicopter/index.html

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  56. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 7:54 am

    Tuesday, March 10, 2015
    Disrespecting The Office

    Posted by Zandar

    Paul Waldman notes that at this point in the Obama presidency, Republicans aren’t even pretending that the office of President of the United States of America even matters anymore. Some 47 GOP Senators signed on to a letter directly to Iran’s leadership, threatening to undermine any nuclear deal, and to tell the world that Barack Obama no longer determines foreign policy in the US, but the GOP-controlled Senate.

    It’s one thing to criticize the administration’s actions, or try to impede them through the legislative process. But to directly communicate with a foreign power in order to undermine ongoing negotiations? That is appalling. And just imagine what those same Republicans would have said if Democratic senators had tried such a thing when George W. Bush was president.

    The only direct precedent I can think of for this occurred in 1968, when as a presidential candidate Richard Nixon secretly communicated with the government of South Vietnam in an attempt to scuttle peace negotiations the Johnson administration was engaged in. It worked: those negotiations failed, and the war dragged on for another seven years. Many people are convinced that what Nixon did was an act of treason; at the very least it was a clear violation of the Logan Act, which prohibits American citizens from communicating with foreign governments to conduct their own foreign policy.

    This move by Republicans is not quite at that level. As Dan Drezner wrote, “I don’t think an open letter from members of the legislative branch quite rises to Logan Act violations, but if there’s ever a trolling amendment to the Logan Act, this would qualify,” and at least it’s out in the open. But it makes clear that they believe that when they disagree with an administration policy, they can act as though Barack Obama isn’t even the president of the United States.

    And it isn’t just in foreign affairs. In an op-ed last week in the Lexington Herald-Leader, Mitch McConnell urged states to refuse to comply with proposed rules on greenhouse gas emissions from the Environmental Protection Agency. Never mind that agency regulations like these have the force of law, and the Supreme Court has upheld the EPA’s responsibility under the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon emissions — if you don’t like the law, just act as though it doesn’t apply to you. “I can’t recall a majority leader calling on states to disobey the law,” said Barbara Boxer, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, “and I’ve been here almost 24 years.”

    At this point the massive (and generally racist) disrespect for the President has become direct disrespect for the office itself. Republicans have decided, probably correctly, that there’s no price that the American people will make them pay when it comes to treating President Obama like he’s invisible, irrelevant, and unnecessary to the country.

    After all, we rewarded these fools with the Senate when two-thirds of us decided that voting was no longer necessary last November. Why shouldn’t Republicans act like Obama doesn’t matter? He certainly doesn’t matter to the 85% plus of Americans that either stayed home or voted for the Republicans in 2014.

    Meanwhile, the White House isn’t standing idly by.

    http://zandarvts.blogspot.com/2015/03/disrespecting-office.html

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  58. rikyrah says:
    March 11, 2015 at 7:49 am

    Good Morning, Everyone :)

    Reply

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