Attn: McCain and Jindal - how about that volcano observatory?

Check out this photo of the lava flow from that Alaska volcano erupting this week. Remember how John McCain, Bobby Jindal and their fellow anti-"big government" phonies ridiculed federal funding for things like volcano observatories?

Blogger John Aravosis posted a relevant commentary at AMERICAblog.com earlier this month. He was in Anchorage the last time the same volcano blew, in 1989.

Here's an excerpt:

I remember it was a clear sunny day, except for the black mass that was slowly advancing on us as we drove down the highway. By the time we got to my friend's sister's house, the sky was black. Pitch black. Street lights came on. It was the middle of a sunny day. And it was darker than the darkest closet, lights off, middle of the night. But there were no stars. Nothing. I've seen few things as creepy, and nothing as apocalyptic-seeming, in my life. The city initiated a quarantine, so I was stuck at my friend's sister's for 24 hours. Then the ash fell. Fascinating. A snowshower of volcanic ash - they're these sort of large grey snowflakes that fall even slower than snowflakes. Beautiful in a way. But not very good for you, healthwise. Volcanic ash has a way of making you choke. It nearly brought down a commercial airliner after it got sucked into the planes engines and they all turned off.

Check out the whole article. A good commentary on the ignorant Republican attacks on federal funding of important programs they deride as "pork barrel."

News flash: most Americans WANT to redistribute the wealth

A new Gallup poll released yesterday finds that "a majority of Americans (58%) say money and wealth should be more evenly distributed among a larger percentage of the people."

And just under half (46%) "go so far as to say that the government should redistribute wealth by 'heavy taxes on the rich.'"

Gallup says it has been asking the public for over 20 years whether they think the distribution of money and wealth in this country is "fair," or whether money and wealth should be "more evenly distributed among a larger percentage of the people," and "across the nine times the question has been asked, a majority of Americans have agreed with the thought that money and wealth should be more evenly distributed."

In each of the four times Gallup has asked "Do you think our government should or should not redistribute wealth by heavy taxes on the rich?" in recent years, "between 45% and 51% of Americans have gone so far as to agree with the fairly harsh-sounding policy of 'redistribut[ing] wealth by heavy taxes on the rich.'"

That's the real American spirit, dontcha think?

William Kristol advises McCain-Palin - again - and when is the Times going to fire him?

New York Times op ed columnist William Kristol is full of advice for the McCain campaign. A few weeks ago, he recommended that

McCain needs to liberate his running mate from the former Bush aides brought in to handle her — aides who seem to have succeeded in importing to the Palin campaign the trademark defensive crouch of the Bush White House. McCain picked Sarah Palin in part because she’s a talented politician and communicator. He needs to free her to use her political talents and to communicate in her own voice.

Kristol noted with satisfaction that

McCain recently expressed unhappiness with his staff’s handling of Palin [and] dispatched his top aides Steve Schmidt and Rick Davis to join Palin in Philadelphia. They’re supposed to liberate Palin to go on the offensive as a combative conservative ...

She should spend her time making the case for McCain and, more important, the case against Obama. As one shrewd McCain supporter told me, "Every minute she spends not telling the American people something that makes them less well disposed to Obama is a minute wasted.”

Kristol kept up this theme in his next Palin-adoring column (Oct. 6), approvingly noting that Palin

regretted allowing herself to be overly handled and constrained after the Republican convention.

This column devoted itself to the theme that Palin should be

more aggressive in helping the American people understand "who the real Barack Obama is"

- with "Wright" and "Ayers" figuring large in Kristol's prescription.

Kirstol's drooling over Palin reached its inane conclusion thusly:

I was about to thank her for the interview, but she had one more thing to say. “Only maybe I’d add just a couple more words, and that would be: ‘Take the gloves off.’
And maybe I’d add, Hockey Mom knows best.

But wait!

Today, it's all different!

In today's column, Kristol declares:

let McCain go back to what he’s been good at in the past — running as a cheerful, open and accessible candidate. Palin should follow suit.

They should now be the "happy warriors," he says.

The bad news, of course, is that right now Obama’s approval/disapproval rating is better than McCain’s. Indeed, Obama’s is a bit higher than it was a month ago. That suggests the failure of the McCain campaign’s attacks on Obama.

So drop them.

Huh?

Oh - "not because they’re illegitimate" but because "they aren't working." Apparently, Kristol wants McCain-Palin to keep fomenting "doubts about Obama" but not in their own names - "McCain needs to make his case, and do so as a serious but cheerful candidate for times that need a serious but upbeat leader."

And, Kristol suggests,

At Wednesday night’s debate at Hofstra, McCain might want to volunteer a mild mea culpa about the extent to which the presidential race has degenerated into a shouting match.

Has this supposed pundit no shame?

After egging McCain-Palin on to whip a lynch mob atmosphere complete with racism and threats of violence, he's now advising McCain to hypocritically offer "a mild mea culpa" that really apologizes for nothing?

What I'm really waiting for, however, is for the New York Times to offer a strong "mea culpa" for hiring this pseudo-intellectual apologist for the far-right, paying him undoubtedly big bucks and providing valuable print space for his idiotic and viciously destructive output.

Palin on "foreign policy"

Watch and weep (or cringe):


Watch CBS Videos Online

As some viewers remark, no wonder McCain is trying to bump the vice-presidential debate as far away as possible ... say, Nov. 5 or so ...

A new political realignment is taking shape before our eyes

Notes from Denver on day two:

I had never been to this beautiful city with majestic
mountain views, friendly welcoming people and a proud working
class history. It is a privilege to be here now as history
unfolds and political shifts open up new possibilities to
raise the quality of life and living standards of working people.

I came to participate with labor and people's organizations who
are fired up to finally defeat the ultra-right. This varied movement
goes beyond the confines of the Democratic Party and the campaign. It
reflects an expansion of the electorate and a good understanding
of the urgency to defeat the ultra-right this year. It is a product
of years of work to create a broad, all peoples front against the
ultra right.

The labor movement is front and center here. A wonderful labor unity rally
got all the union delegates, a quarter of the whole convention, prepared.
The labor caucus, as well as big caucus meets of women, youth and Latino
voters, engaging around the platform, all report that more requests
have been incorporated than ever before.

There is a lot of passion and clarity on why it is so important that
John McCain not become president. At a celebration of the 88th anniversary
of women winning the right to vote, one speaker put it plain: Do you want a zero or a hero?

That means McCain's voting record on women's health issues is zero and
Obama's is 98.

Michelle Obama's speech on the opening night of the convention captured
the journey of her African American working class family and its hopes and
dreams, made possible by struggles since our nation's founding. It showed that her
struggles are the same as many families', and touched deeply.

Both the Latino and the women's caucus meetings were big rallies
with hundreds participating. Music and other cultural aspects have
reached out to young people.

An important venue during the convention is Progressive Central sponsored
by Progressive Democrats of America around the theme Health Care not
Warfare. It organizes at the grass roots to get support for the most
progressive members of Congress. In just four years it has gained official recognition
from the House leadership for opposition to the war and other issues.

I enjoy distributing the Peoples Weekly World / Nuestro Mundo. It givea a
chance to get reactions from the public a little bit. We are getting a
great response to the paper and our election program.

A new political realignment is taking shape before our eyes as many
ordinary people become activated for the first time and embrace more
radical solutions to meet their needs.

As John Conyers said in a panel on universal single-payer health care,
"The majority of people in our country want HR 676. It's just a matter of
time and organizing as to how much longer it will be."

The speech by Barack Obama on August 28, the 45th anniversary of the
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Martin Luther King Jr. gave
his famous I Have A Dream speech, will be a new milestone for our country,
a passing of the torch. The outcome of the election will be determined by
each and everyone doing their part to outfox the Rove hate machine.
Spread the word and get out the vote. That's the message on day 2.

- Joelle Fishman