Monthly Archives: April 2010

Why We Like and Dislike Celia Cohen

We dislike her for writing “insidery ‘humor'” that only she, or perhaps the rich in Chateau Country too, find funny, like this:

It was just another reminder that Carney, the Democratic congressional candidate, used to be the lieutenant governor. If a lieutenant governor falls on a deserted island, does it make a sound?

Groan.

And then sometimes she just writes nonsense puffery that would be more appropriate for the layman instead of the insider audience she is writing for, like this:

The unofficial motto of lieutenant governors in Delaware is, So Near And Yet So Far. Sometimes they move up, more often they do not.

And then sometimes she writes so inane, so ridiculous, that the reader actually gets angry after reading, not because they are insulted or outraged, but because they just had their time wasted:

It is an office that brings with it a whiff of second string, and it is best to remember Bill Clinton and not inhale. It can do a politician no good.

WHAT?

And then there are little anecdotes that make the frustrating exercise worthwhile:

[Former Lt. Gov.] Bookhammer even lost to [former Gov.] du Pont in a contest staged by Republicans in Sussex County to see which of them was faster putting clothes on a bare female mannequin. True story. It happened in 1974. Politicians apparently were more comfortable acknowledging this skill back then.

and this:

It should be noted that [potential GOP Congressional candidate Michele] Rollins’ husband John, who died in 2000, was once a lieutenant governor himself. He was elected to one term in 1952, although she was not around then. She was seven years old at the time.

Writing that makes you picture the late Anna Nicole Smith in the made for TV role of Michele Rollins, a young golddigger looking for a sugardaddy. Which, of course, would be an accurate depiction of Michele Rollins.

And then sometimes Celia writes something pretty revealing and newsworthy, and we wonder why it was not picked up by the mainstream press:

The [GOP] event was a makeup Lincoln Day celebration, moved from February because of all the snow that made Delaware feel more like Valley Forge. Better to leave it to George Washington, and fete Old Abe in March.

The Republicans — about 75 of them hosted by the Sussex County Republican Women’s Club and the Eastern Sussex Republican Club — were in a fine mood.

“We’ve got a big year ahead of us. This is our year, folks,” said Tom Ross, the state chair.

The Republicans were so merry, they did not even mind comparisons between Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama. They listened to this reading:

Lincoln came from Illinois. Obama comes from Illinois.
Lincoln served in the Illinois legislature. Obama served in the Illinois legislature.
Lincoln was a skinny lawyer. Obama is a skinny lawyer.
Lincoln was a Republican. Obama is a skinny lawyer.
Lincoln was born in the United States. Obama is a skinny lawyer.

So Celia reports that the Sussex County Republican Women’s Club, with notable party luminaries in attendance, including Michele Rollins and State Chair Tom Ross, embraced Birtherism.

How nice.

I confess, it is our fault here at Delaware Liberal that we missed this little tidbit until now. It because of the former reasons why we dislike Celia and her writing that we attempt to limit our exposure to her. But the fact that this birtherism reveal did not make news in the News Journal and elsewhere reveals one of two things: 1) no one reads Celia or 2) Delaware is way more insidery that we ever imagined.

McDonnell: Slavery Wasn’t Significant

You’ve probably already heard that Virginia proclaimed the month of April as “Confederate History Month” but have you read the actual proclamation?

WHEREAS, April is the month in which the people of Virginia joined the Confederate States of America in a four year war between the states for independence that concluded at Appomattox Courthouse; and

WHEREAS, Virginia has long recognized her Confederate history, the numerous civil war battlefields that mark every region of the state, the leaders and individuals in the Army, Navy and at home who fought for their homes and communities and Commonwealth in a time very different than ours today; and

WHEREAS, it is important for all Virginians to reflect upon our Commonwealth’s shared history, to understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War, and to recognize how our history has led to our present; and

WHEREAS, Confederate historical sites such as the White House of the Confederacy are open for people to visit in Richmond today; and

WHEREAS, all Virginians can appreciate the fact that when ultimately overwhelmed by the insurmountable numbers and resources of the Union Army, the surviving, imprisoned and injured Confederate soldiers gave their word and allegiance to the United States of America, and returned to their homes and families to rebuild their communities in peace, following the instruction of General Robert E. Lee of Virginia, who wrote that, “…all should unite in honest efforts to obliterate the effects of war and to restore the blessings of peace.”; and

WHEREAS, this defining chapter in Virginia’s history should not be forgotten, but instead should be studied, understood and remembered by all Virginians, both in the context of the time in which it took place, but also in the context of the time in which we live, and this study and remembrance takes on particular importance as the Commonwealth prepares to welcome the nation and the world to visit Virginia for the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the Civil War, a four-year period in which the exploration of our history can benefit all;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert McDonnell, do hereby recognize April 2010 as CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

What about this line?

it is important for all Virginians to reflect upon our Commonwealth’s shared history, to understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War

McDonnell caused quite a controversy by not mentioning slavery. Today he tells us that this wasn’t an accident:

Notably absent from McDonnell’s proclamation was any mention of slavery. Yesterday, McDonnell explained that it wasn’t “significant” enough to merit a mention:

McDonnell said Tuesday that the move was designed to promote tourism in the state, which next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the war. McDonnell said he did not include a reference to slavery because “there were any number of aspects to that conflict between the states. Obviously, it involved slavery. It involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I thought were most significant for Virginia.“

I grew up in the mid-South and there is a lot of nostalgic Confederate revisionism in that area. Everyone and their mother thinks that their ancestors fought for the Confederacy but they weren’t slaveowners. Of course the truth is more complicated. In my own family, one branch fought for the union and the other branch was slaveowners. In fact, in school we were taught that slavery wasn’t the main issue that caused the Civil War – it was industrialization vs. agriculture and “states rights.” There are a lot of references to fighting for “our way of life” on Civil War memorials. I’m not sure the the U.S. has really faced its historical role in slavery yet and that may be why Civil War revisionism still persists 150 years later.

Tornoe’s Toon: McNabb Gets the Boot

As a Buffalo Bills fan (start laughing now) I was hoping that the Bills would muster up enough strength to trade for McNabb. I don’t understand the logic in trading your franchise player to a divisional opponent while simultaneously giving the keys to the car to a guy who’s only driven it twice.

One thing to consider: McNabb is 34. John Elway was 34 when Shanahan took over the Denver Broncos. How’d that work out?

If you’d like to contact me, feel free to drop me a line at rob@laughDE.com. You can also follow me on twitter @RobTornoe.

Delaware IC To Hold Secret Meeting Until Outed by the CRI

(Title stolen from the CRI twitter feed.)

I’ve spent most of the day driving home today, so I am trying to piece together the latest developments:

CRI puts up a blog post breaking what looks like news about a secret meeting that the IC is now having on the morning of 13 April. (13 April at 1 PM is when there is a Joint House and Senate committee meeting to discuss insurance issues.):

In an e-mail sent Monday evening to the members of the two committees, Stewart appears to be trying to preempt some of the questions she’ll likely face during the public hearings.

“On behalf of Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart, CIR-ML you are invited to attend a meeting regarding the processes utilized by health insurers that resulted in the denial of medically necessary tests requested by a patient’s physician,” Stewart’s administrative assistant Lorielee Harrison wrote in the e-mail. “The meeting will be held April 13th, 10:00 am at the Delaware Department of Insurance Office, 841 Silver Lake Blvd […]

Doctors and insurance company executives were going to “call in” to answer questions and concerns.

Lee Williams tried to RSVP for this meeting and got no response. He also tried to get KWS and Elliot Jacobson to address why these meetings were being held behind closed doors. No answer, of course. Until this:

A hastily posted Press Release opening this meeting to the public. Complete with a denial that this meeting was ever meant to be held behind closed doors.

Isn’t this interesting? After telling the NJ while she was in Denver that she would be amenable to investigating these denials of service if there was an established pattern, and after Senator Rockefeller (from West Virginia) wanted info from BCBSD, and after Byron Short schedules his hearing we get a public meeting from the IC on this. Remarkable how this works out.

But seems desperate and clumsy in a late effort to get in front of it all. And if I were members of the Senate or House Committees, I wouldn’t attend. You’ll see her that afternoon and why wrap yourselves up in the manipulation? If I were Byron Short, I’d conduct my own hearings and then call the insurance execs and medical people to provide additional information that you’ve determined you need. There is no need to walk right into whatever spin is on tap until you can deal with that spin on your own terms.

EDITED: To include the link to the CRI blog post cited — sorry this got missed. Also, the NJ has an article laying out a decent timeline of the current state of events.

Anti Health Care Reform Activist Arrested For Death Threats

Those tea partiers are just regular folks and when people accuse them of inciting violence they’re liar, right? Maybe not.

Federal prosecutors have charged a Washington state man, Charles Alan Wilson, with repeatedly making threatening calls to Sen. Patty Murray’s Seattle office, threatening to kill her because of her support for the health care bill.

…

In one message, according to court documents, he said, “I hope you realize, there’s a target on your back now. There are many people out there who want you dead. … Kill the —-ing senator. I’ll donate the lead.” In another, he describes himself as “a senior citizen on Social Security and Medicare” and says, “I want to thank you so much, very, very much, for signing my death warrant.”

Just in case you don’t believe it was related to the health care reform legislation and the fear-mongering conservatives, the FBI caught Wilson by pretending to be representatives from an anti-reform group.

FBI agents checked the office phone records against the times the voicemails were received, leading to Wilson’s number in Selah, Wash. As an additional check, an agent posing as a volunteer from a fictitious group opposed to the bill, called Patients United Now, called Wilson on April 1st and talked to him for 14 minutes. He said he “hated” the law and that he had repeatedly called Murray’s office to complain, referring to her with a phrase, “Sneaker Shoes Murray,” also often used on the voicemails.

He obviously felt free to share his feelings with the anti-reform group, didn’t he?

Mike Castle Announces Support For Health Care Repeal Efforts

Mike Castle tries to be all things to all people. His carefully worded statement about health care reform repeal fooled the News Journal editorial board into praising his sensible stance.

“While this president is in office, repealing this full law is not realistic and not the best use of our efforts,” Castle said in a statement.

Many of us in the blogosphere read this statement to mean that he would be open to repeal if a Republican was president. In appearance in front of a group of Republicans, he assured them that he is open to repeal.

“You’re not going to be able to repeal this legislation,” says Castle. “Now maybe we could if there’s an election for a new president and you have a couple of elections for Congress. I’d be willing to consider it.”

Dave Weigel followed up with Chris Shirley, the leader of the Delaware Tea Party. Shirley doesn’t seem convinced about Castle’s commitment to the cause of repeal:

“His take on it,” said Shirey, “from the way he explained it to us, is that trying to repeal the bill is a waste of effort — it’s a waste of time. Our thought is, how do you know unless you try? What he said in this video … I think that’s what he’s trying to put out there, what he’s been saying to us, that it’s a wasted effort. We feel he should be more firm on that.”

Shirey said that tea party activists were annoyed with Castle for not coming around on the issue. “We’re not ready to hang him out to dry,” she said, “but he has irritated some of us.”

So, Castle loves having uninsured people? I wonder which part of the bill he wants to repeal first – pre-existing condition exemptions for children? Don’t worry though, Castle supports allowing insurance companies to sell crappy insurance over state lines.

H1N1 VS Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina

Via Bloomberg:

Swine flu is refusing to give up its hold on U.S. states with low vaccination rates, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Only Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina — states where the share of immunized population was among the country’s lowest — reported outbreaks last week that spread beyond a single locality, according to reports today from the CDC. Eight states reporting local outbreaks were in U.S. regions that had fewer vaccinations than the national average.

Ya think?

In Georgia, where less than 17 percent of the population was vaccinated, hospitalizations unexpectedly rose to the highest level since October, prompting the state to request a CDC investigation.

Georgia’s Surge

Georgia’s low vaccination rate may have contributed to the late surge in cases, a pattern that may be repeated elsewhere, said Anne Schuchat, head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC. Georgia had 40 hospitalizations with laboratory-confirmed swine flu last week.

The median state vaccination rate through January was 24 percent, with 33 percent of people in the riskiest groups getting vaccinated, according to the CDC. New England states had the highest vaccination rate — a third of the population — and New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are among eight states reporting no flu cases. [emphasis mine]

Please tell me when being stupid became a badge of honor?

Swine flu, the first pandemic in 40 years, disproportionately targets younger adults and children, with ninety percent of deaths in people younger than age 65, the reverse of a typical flu season.

“It’s too early to say that we’re not going to see outbreaks in other areas,” the CDC’s Schuchat said. “We do know that the virus is still around, and the vaccine is very safe.” [emphasis mine again]

Now I don’t expect facts to sway stupid, but you’d think – given the target group – that parents wouldn’t roll the dice when it comes to their children’s well-being. Looks like quite a few are ready to chance it.

Tuesday Open Thread

Welcome to Tuesday, the day after the Duke-pocalypse. Everyone’s least favorite college basketball team won the NCAA championship tonight. So, is anything else on your mind? Tell us in today’s open thread.

The loneliest KKK member:

This Saturday, the Church of the National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan — a once-powerful organization that in 1960 coordinated more than 1,000 simultaneous cross burnings in a frightening display of Southern resistance to desegregation — held a rally in Gloverdale, S.C. It was attended by a single Klansman: state leader Tim Bradley.

Not making an appearance were the 1,000 people from four states that a confederate of Bradley’s had predicted. A promised speech never materialized, only endless rounds of Bradley giving interviews to local reporters while some 100 curiosity-seekers looked on. And the 30 or so Klansmen who Bradley said were headed to the rally that day? Well, they got lost on the way from North Carolina. Bradley kept telling reporters his comrades were about to arrive. But they never did.

Go read at the link to see why this particular KKK group is referred to as the Keystone Kops of the white supremacist movement.

Republicans hate both abortion and contraception. From John Boehner’s website:

Remember when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said last month “we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it?” Tucked away inside President Obama’s new health care law is a controversial provision dramatically expanding taxpayer funding of contraceptives and the abortion industry. Washington Democrats actually tried to insert this legislative language in the original trillion-dollar ‘stimulus,’ but were forced to remove it under pressure from Republicans and the American people. No matter: Democrats just hid it in their government takeover of health care instead. After all, no liberal special interest giveaway could be spared in order to force this job-killing monstrosity through Congress over the objection of the American people.

Specifically, all states are now free to offer Medicaid “family planning” services – even for those who are not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid – without receiving approval from the federal government. This will pave the way for more taxpayer dollars to go to clinics that undercut parents and promote abortions. Inside Health Policy has the details:

“Tucked into the health reform legislation is a controversial provision allowing states to expand coverage for family planning services under Medicaid without a waiver from the federal government. Democrats had tried to insert the language into the Recovery Act in January 2009, but pulled back after it became a lightning rod for GOP attacks … Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) championed the provision in the Senate, adding it to the Senate Finance Committee version of the legislation during mark-up, sources said, and Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) pushed for it in the House. … ‘How can you spend hundreds of millions of dollars on contraceptives? How does that stimulate the economy?’ House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said of the provision, according to Reuters.”

Most normal-thinking people know that contraception is a normal part of women’s health care and that increased access to contraception leads to lower abortion rates.

The Young Eagles & Mike Castle

Commenter anonone points us to this link from Politico. The article explains what the Young Eagles program is supposed to do and how it works. The program is supposed to encourage younger rich Republicans to become high dollar donors to the RNC. What it actually does is function as a way for the RNC to pay for events for young Republicans (like the lesbian bondage sex club). Included in this report is a description of one Young Eagles event attended by Mike Castle.

Take the group’s October outing to a Monday night National Football League game between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles at FedEx Field in suburban Washington, for which the RNC paid $20,300 to rent a suite, according to the committee’s FEC filings.

The filings also show a $5,000 payment to the Redskins’ stadium about the same time for “office supplies,” which could not be immediately explained by an RNC spokesman, who also did not know how much was raised by the event.

But among those who took in the game from the RNC’s suite were Steele, Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) and Erik Brown, the Young Eagle member who footed the Voyeur bill — none of whom contributed to the RNC in 2009 or through February 2010.

In other filings items like alcohol were classified as “office supplies.” I think it’s time to ask Mike Castle what kind of office supplies he was using at the Eagles game in October.

So We’re Not Going to Hell in a Handbasket

Ask any parent out there how things are going and they’d probably tell you that life seems very frantic as they try to juggle parenting, jobs and household chores. Ask these same parents if they are spending enough time with their kids, and the answer would probably be, “No!”

Well that parent would be wrong. Life might be frantic, but today’s parents are spending more time with their children than previous generations.

The rise in child-centered time is just one of the ways the American family is changing. Couples are typically waiting longer to get married and begin having children. Divorce rates are dropping with each generation.

Maybe this will start to throw a cold blanket on the Right’s false cries that families are being destroyed. But then again, maybe not.

For once, I agree with David Anderson.

On one aspect of one issue….

Although I wouldn’t go as hyperbolic as him in calling HB 198 unAmerican or a vote stealing bill.

HB 198 is Delaware’s component legislation in a national effort to eliminate the electoral college. The measure who allocate Delaware’s electoral votes (as well as all other state’s electoral votes) to the winner of the popular vote, no matter who Delaware voters actually vote for. Basically, it is an end run around the Constitutionally established Electoral College. To change or abolish the Electoral College, you really need to pass a Constitutional Amendment, which is exceedingly difficult, and hence popular vote proponents are choosing a short cut. David is probably right that this short cut will not and does not pass constitutional muster.

Personally, I like the Electoral College, for I believe it is the best way to ensure a national Presidential campaign. While having the national popular vote determine our President is appealing, as it is the most democratic way to do things and would have assured that we never had to suffer under the horror that was President George W. Bush, it would also relegate presidential campaigns to only high population centers, like cities on both coasts, and leave the middle of the country ignored. Now, as a Democrat, that would benefit me since more Democrats than Republicans live on the coasts and in cities. But that doesn’t make it right.

If you want to change or abolish the Electoral College, you have to amend the Constitution. It is hard to do, but it is supposed to be hard to do. However, wanting to change the Electoral College is not unAmerican, David. It is the flip side to the coin of wanting to keep the Electoral College, and it is far past time you recognize that different opinions are held across this land than those contained in your religious fundamentalist mind. Most peculiar is David’s objections to plurality rule over majority rule. First, it should be noted that David even objects to majority rule and prefers supermajority rule (until of course the supermajority passes something David doesn’t like and then David will move on the the tyranny of the minority rule). But pluralities are common in elections, even in the United States. Bill Clinton was elected twice with a plurality, because both times there was a significant third party garnering between 9% and 20% of the vote. Al Gore was ~~elected~~ once with a plurality in 2000, because Ralph Nader’s third party garned enough votes. Richard Nixon was elected with a plurality in 1968, John Kennedy in 1960, Harry Truman in 1948, Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and 1916, Grover Cleveland in 1892 and 1884, Benjamin Harrison in 1888, James Garfield in 1880, Rutherford Hayes* in 1876….. and I could go on and on…. but all of these Presidents received only pluralities in the popular vote.

Indeed, the smallest plurality ever received by a President who still won the most popular and electoral votes was none other than a supposed hero of David Anderson, Abraham Lincoln, who only received 39% of the vote in 1860.

Pluralities are American. They are constitutional. They are what happens when you have more than 2 ideas or 2 candidates in an election. David’s aversion to them is odd, given our American history, but perhaps he wishes to rewrite history like his fellow conservatives in Texas so that pluralities never existed. If David just is a fan of majority rule, than I look forward to his support of the Senate Democrats against the obstructionist Republicans.

But I do agree with him on HB 198. Defeat that bill, Representatives.

Mine Explosion In West Virginia Leaves 25 Dead, 4 Missing

A terrible tragedy has occurred in West Virginia:

The death toll from a blast at a West Virginia coal mine rose to 25 on Tuesday, federal safety officials said, making it the worst mining accident in the United States in 25 years.

Four miners were still missing, and the officials said it was likely that those men also had been killed in the explosion on Monday.

…

The explosion occurred about 3 p.m. Monday at the Upper Big Branch mine, 30 miles south of Charleston, in Raleigh County.

The mine, which employs about 200, is owned by the Massey Energy Company, based in Virginia, and operated by the Performance Coal Company.

Mine safety officials said that there were three groups of miners affected by the blast. One group consisted of nine miners who were leaving the site at the end of their shift in a vehicle known as a “man trip.” Seven of the miners in the man trip were killed by the explosion while two others were injured and taken to the hospital by rescue workers.

A second group of 18 miners was said to be working a bit deeper in the mine, closest to the area where coal was actually being extracted. All 18 of them died.

A third group of four miners — the ones still unaccounted for — was even deeper in the mine.

The NYT reports that there is some evidence that the emergency breathing kits were taken from the storage rooms, so that is why there is still hope of rescuing the remaining 4 men.

When I was reading this article the name “Massey Energy” rang a bell. Massey Energy is well-known as a polluter and a company that does mountain top removal, but Massey Energy is also known for the buying a judgeship in West Virginia:

In November 2007, the West Virginia Supreme Court overturned a $50 million jury verdict against Massey, brought by mining companies that said Massey had driven them out of business. However, the Court agreed to hear the case again when photographs surfaced of Chief Justice Elliott E. Maynard and Massey CEO Don Blankenship vacationing together while the case was still pending. Maynard recused himself from the case, but Justice Brent D. Benjamin, who was elected to the Court in 2004 with the help of $3 million of support from Blankenship, refused to disqualify himself. The court again decided in Massey’s favor.

On November 14, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Harman Mining Corp.’s appeal of the overturned jury verdict. Harman’s appeal said its constitutional due process rights had been violated, and asked the Supreme Court to consider whether Justice Benjamin should have disqualified himself from the case because of his connections to Massey. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case February or March. A decision is expected by the end of June. In June 2009, the Court issued its ruling, finding that Justice Benjamin should have recused himself and remanding the case back to the West Virginia Supreme Court.

Here is the ABC News story on Don Blankenship and his controversy with the West Virginia Supreme Court.

Collateral Damage

This video of a helicopter attack on a group of men in Iraq has been obtained by wikileaks. Two reporters for Reuters were killed in the attack, and two children were wounded. The video explains much of what happened. The U.S. helicopter thought that this was a group of insurgents, and mistook the camera equipment of the two journalists for AK-47s. There are actually two different shooting incidents, a few minutes after the initial shootings a van stops to pick up a wounded man. The helicopter then opens fire on the good samaritans, and this is when the children were wounded. According to the military, everything was done according to the rules of engagement.

The most disturbing part of the video is how eager the U.S. troops appear to engage the insurgents. At one point, a Bradley runs over a body and the soldiers laugh about it. They also say that it’s the parent’s fault for bringing children to a firefight.

Here is the New York Times on the video:

“There had been reports of clashes between U.S. forces and insurgents in the area but there was no fighting on the streets in which Namir was moving about with a group of men,” Reuters wrote in 2008. “It is believed two or three of these men may have been carrying weapons, although witnesses said none were assuming a hostile posture at the time.”

The American military in Baghdad investigated the episode and concluded that the forces involved had no reason to know that there were Reuters employees in the group. No disciplinary action was taken.

Late Monday, the United States Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, released the redacted report on the case, which provided some more detail.

The report showed pictures of what it said were machine guns and grenades found near the bodies of those killed. It also stated that the Reuters employees “made no effort to visibly display their status as press or media representatives and their familiar behavior with, and close proximity to, the armed insurgents and their furtive attempts to photograph the coalition ground forces made them appear as hostile combatants to the Apaches that engaged them.”