Follow The Money

I just added OpenSecrets.org to my blog list. Find out who been bought! Like they say, "Count cash and make change!"

Presidential Obama

On NPR yesterday I heard Obama was quietly encouraging further negotiations between Turkey, Brazil and Iran “behind the scenes.” If this is true, I believe this is one of Obama’s most presidential moments.

The UN Security Council voted for sanctions against Iran Wednesday.

The sanctions target Iran's Revolutionary Guard, ballistic missiles and nuclear-related investments. The resolution passed 12-2 with Turkey and Brazil voting "no" and Lebanon abstaining.

Ibrahim Kalin, an adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, says his country agrees with the U.S. and Europe on the ultimate goal — to prevent Iran from having a nuclear bomb.

"We don't disagree in substance; we disagree in style," he told reporters at the Turkish Embassy in Washington this week.

Sen. John McCain said Turkey's embrace of Iran will not help regional peace and threatens Turkey's legacy as a secular nation. "The rhetoric Erdogan is using concerning Israel and the obvious thumb in the eye that Turkey and Brazil orchestrated with this feckless agreement on enriched material is an indication that Turkey continues at a crossroad,"

Feckless?

As far as I’m concerned McCain is behaving like a posturing little boy as much as Ahmadinejad is.

Under an agreement signed by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Motaki and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim in Tehran on May 17, Iran committed to give 1,200kg of 3.5% enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for 20% enriched uranium it will receive from Western countries to be used as fuel in the nuclear research reactor in Tehran.

Omer Celik, the deputy chairman of the ruling Justice & Development (AK) Party for foreign affairs, said if Turkey had not cast a 'no' vote and if the Tehran agreement had not still been valid, the tension between Iran and the West would have triggered instability in Iraq, had a negative impact on the Lebanese government, and caused new clashes in the Middle East.

If Obama is truly pushing for behind the scenes negotiations it reminds me of John Kennedy and the Cuban Missile crisis.

At the time we had missiles in Turkey right at the Russian border. They were already old and in disrepair. Dismantling them allowed the Soviet Union to save face when they pulled out of Cuba.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, has worked to portray himself as a mediator. Here he poses with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the signing of the Iranian nuclear fuel swap deal on May 17 (Credit: Atta Kenare /AFP/Getty Images).

Sleepless in St. Louis

I couldn’t post last weekend. I’m overwhelmed by the mess we’re in and just about to give up. Obama is a total disappointment.

I listen to the rhetoric that’s been spoon fed to Astroturf roots organizations by corporations and I want to cry.

They believe publicly funded cops, firemen, roads, education and healthcare are socialism but not defense or corporate welfare for some reason.

I see too many comments in internet news that snark sarcastically about the left bashing “big bad corporations!” “How can we possibly blame them?”

They’re incredibly destructive and need to be controlled. The gulf oil spoil is just one obvious example.

The Minerals Management Service was made up of Bush cronies and insiders who had no intention of regulating the industry. In some cases they were literally in bed with oil company executives.

Obama knew it and deferred to them anyway. He seems to either fear or work for them.

His history with the corporations is maddening. It’s not pragmatism, it’s stupidity.

I first became painfully aware of his corporate complicity with the credit card industry overhaul. He wouldn’t even consider a cap on interest rates. The poor credit card companies can’t make their obscene profits charging late and hidden fees. What can they do but raise interest rates? I pay my cards on time, yet 2 of them are charging 30% interest. My cards are nearly maxed so I’m a bad risk. Making them harder to pay will certainly make me a better risk.

Letting big money control the argument about healthcare was inexcusable. He went to the insurance companies first and of course they didn’t like the idea of public health. They love mandatory coverage though. Next thing you know single payer is off the table and the marching morons are yelling socialism! Not to mention we got a weak bill the right can justifiably point out won’t work. “It’s a first step” is a ridiculous argument.

His bank bailouts came without strings attached so the banks have gone right back to their reckless practices. Not to mention congress’ dismantling of the whole stimulus process.

As far as message goes, why hasn’t Obama pointed out TARP was Bush’s baby. Why hasn’t he stressed the weak health bill we settled for was written by Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole as a response to HillaryCare.

The lunatics have taken over the asylum.

Adopt A Highway

Missouri lawmakers gave final approval to legislation that would rename the "Mark McGwire Highway" in St. Louis the “Mark Twain Highway”. The bill needs the signature of Gov. Jay Nixon to become law.

This reminded me of our famous battle with the KKK over a section of highway 55 just south of the city.

They had been fighting since 1994 to adopt a section of the highway to keep clean and post their name in the process.

The MO Department of Transportation said it could refuse the use of federal money to subsidize racial discrimination.

A U.S. District Court judge ruled Missouri’s stance was unconstitutional. The 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed the finding. The state had to erect the signs announcing the KKKs sponsorship of that portion of Highway 55.

The MO Legislature voted to name that part of the highway the “Rosa Parks Highway.”

The U.S. Supreme court declined to hear Missouri’s appeal.

The Klan never cleaned their section of highway so MO threatened to drop them from the program. A Klan rep just beat the deadline by picking up bags, reflective vests and a safety video from the state. The Klan still wouldn't clean their section of highway so they were dropped from the program.

They’re currently trying to adopt a section of highway 21 near Potosi.

A few years ago I noticed a section of highway 67 in Hazelwood had been adopted by the John Birch Society.

What a strange form of advertising!