Monthly Archives: April 2010

42 Grows To 1,000s Of Web Cam Images In The Lower Merion School District Case

When this story first broke (background here) the School District was adamant about the number of times they activated the web cam.  Once would have been one time too many for me, but they kept repeating the number 42.

District spokesman Doug Young acknowledged yesterday that officials had remotely activated computer webcams 42 times, but only in an attempt to recover missing or stolen laptops, and never to spy on students. He said families had not been notified about the possibility that the cameras on the 2,300 laptops could be activated in their homes without their permission.

Looks like that number was on the low end.

The system that Lower Merion school officials used to track lost and stolen laptops wound up secretly capturing thousands of images, including photographs of students in their homes, Web sites they visited, and excerpts of their online chats, says a new motion filed in a suit against the district.

More than once, the motion asserts, a laptop camera took photos of Harriton High School sophomore Blake Robbins as he slept in his bed.

And according to the emails published in the article it appears certain adults were enjoying this show more than the Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Back at district offices, the Robbins motion says, employees with access to the images marveled at the tracking software. It was like a window into “a little LMSD soap opera,” a staffer is quoted as saying in an e-mail to Carol Cafiero, the administrator running the program.

“I know, I love it,” she is quoted as having replied.

Cafiero has taken the fifth.

The Lower Merion School District today acknowledged that investigators reviewing its controversial laptop tracking program have recovered “a substantial number of webcam photos” and that they expect to soon start notifying parents whose children were photographed.

start notifying parents whose children were photographed

I’m guessing this story is about to get bigger, and heads are going to roll… as they should.

Gannett Lays Off Workers and Profits Soar? Great Success!

News Journal Wilmington Delaware

Newspapers aren’t dying; they’re committing seppuku. And it’s their corporate owners who are sharpening their swords.

Such is the plight of Gannett, the parent company of the News Journal. For the last couple of years, all we’ve heard coming out of the nation’s largest newspaper company were stories of layoffs, unpaid furloughs and wage freezes.

So it’s good to know that through all of the pain and misery inflicted on its workers, they were able to grow their profits in the first-quarter by a mere 51%:

Gannett posted net income of $117.2 million, or 49 cents a share, up 51 percent from $77.4 million, or 34 cents a share, in the first quarter 2009.

“All of our business segments delivered substantially higher operating income and operating cash flow in the quarter,” Gannett CEO Craig Dubow said in a statement.

Let’s not forget that around this time last year, a new round of employee furloughs were announced just five days after Gannett disclosed that the board of directors paid $2 million in all-cash 2008 bonuses to CEO Dubow and four other top executives (graphic).

Back in December of 2008, the News Journal laid-off 31 employees, including sports columnist Kevin Noonan, editorial columnist Rita Truschel and writers Al Kemp and Chris Yasiejko. A total of 44 jobs were eliminated, thirteen of which were open at the time of the cuts. Three additional employees volunteered to leave.

Wonder how quickly they’ll be hiring those employees back now that profits are skyrocketing.

Another Backwards B Moment?

First, let me say that what happened to a fundraiser for Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and her boyfriend at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference last weekend was horrible.  These people were brutally attacked and sustained serious injuries.  Plain wrong and inexcusable.

What’s also inexcusable…

Since then the story has been making the rounds of the right-wing interwebs. The claim was that the assailants were anti-Palin, anti-Jindal liberals attacking conservatives. A conservative blogger even published what purported to be a quote from the NOPD saying the attack appeared to be “of a political nature.” And that quote was picked up by a few other news organizations.

Alas, then things started going down hill. The New Orleans police denied ever saying anything like that. And now the actual police report has come out which not only contains no evidence of any partisan political intent but actually says that the assailants yelled misogynistic and homophobic epithets at the victims while the attack was taking place.

Talk about jumping the gun.  What is it about these Republican “me too” moments?  Gives new meaning to the phrase fake it, ’til you make it.  And yeah, I’m looking at you, Eric Cantor – aka bullet boy.

When Talking Points Strike Back

Remember how, not long ago, Republicans were saying how bad the health care reform bill was because it was created through “backroom deals”?  And remember how a lot of smart people pointed out that, um, that’s how all legislation is made? And that quite possibly, far from being done in a secretive manner, the ultimate crafting of the bill might have been the most open and thoroughly examined piece of legislation ever? Well, hold on to that thought.

The next great idea from the Party of New Ideas is for congressional Republicans to create a “Contract with America”. Oops, I’m sorry. This time they’re tentatively calling it a “Commitment to America”. There is, however, one very basic problem:

Republicans are salivating over the prospect of winning back the House in November, and they’re planning to produce a new “Contract With America” in the hopes of sealing the deal. 

 The catch: They don’t agree yet on what should be in it. 

 House Minority Whip Eric Cantor wants a document, akin to Newt Gingrich’s 1994 Contract With America, that identifies specific pieces of legislation Republicans could pass if they win back the House. He thinks Republicans should “put up or shut up,” an aide close to the process said. 

So does Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, the House Republican Conference chairman. The party doesn’t need “sloganeering,” someone familiar with his thinking said, and he favors an approach that “tells people what [the party] want[s] and how you’re going to do it.” 

 But Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the California Republican who is leading the effort to craft the document, says that including specific legislation in the contract would smack of the backroom deals the GOP accuses Democrats of making, so “you won’t see it written out.” 

Sucks when your own shallow, ridiculous talking points back you into a corner, doesn’t it, guys? I have a feeling, though, that this “backroom deals” excuse for not including specific ideas is actually a cover for the real reason — namely, that they have no real ideas. Or at the least, no ideas that they’re willing to be held accountable for.

See, right now, Republicans are sitting in the sweet spot of political discourse. They have no real power to set the agenda, and they know it. That leaves them free to completely base their positioning and platform on, “We’re against what they’re doing, and we’ll do something different.” If pressed on what “something different” means, they counter with nothing more than vague, pleasant-sounding generalities, akin to a beauty pageant answer of, “I want to make the world a better place.” Nobody’s going to argue with that. It sounds great.

However, when you get to the point where you have to get into specifics, as the GOP soon will, then you have to defend specific points. As the Politico article pointed out, it’s like the GOP and their “Health Care Proposals”. First, they released a 19-page document of embarrassing vagueness and shallowness. They got hammered for it. Then, later on, Paul Ryan introduced his much more specific proposal. He got hammered for the specific deficiencies of his plan. They’re really in a no-win situation. Well, actually they could win, but that would require new, good ideas. And since they’re talking about nothing more than exactly what they were in the mid-90’s, I’m not holding my breath.

Friday Open Thread

It’s time for a TGIF open thread. Share your thoughts, both deep and shallow with your fellow addicts posters right here.

Washington Mutual Bank was the biggest Savings & Loan bank failure in the history of the U.S., with $307B in assets when in failed in September 2008. The Senate is investigating the failure of WaMu, among other banks and found that WaMu liked to party, as well as pat itself on the back while doing it.

But a 2006 WaMu retreat produced one of the more cringe-worthy moments of the mortgage meltdown: Lenders, on the eve of their industry’s collapse, singing “I Like Big Bucks” to the tune of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s 1992 hip-hop hit “Baby Got Back.”

…

“I like big bucks and I cannot lie/You mortgage brothers can’t deny,” sang the WaMu rappers.

The presentation, which included cheerleaders moving in time to the music, and choreographed moves by the singers, continued:

“That when the dough roles in like you’re printin’ your own cash/
And you gotta make a splash/
You just spends/
Like it never ends/
Cuz you gotta have that big new Benz/
All of that bling you’re wearin’/
Shining so bright peoples starin’/
It’s crazy, I gotta ski Aspen/
That’s all I’m askin’”

Oh please let someone find the video of this.

The Democrats’ plan to force Republicans to either stand with Wall Street banks or stand with the people may be working. Mitch McConnell does not have a unified caucus to block the financial regulatory reform:

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) does not have enough solid commitments from GOP lawmakers to block consideration of a Democratic Wall Street reform bill.

McConnell has circulated a letter within the GOP conference that would have Republicans pledge to block a motion to proceed to a financial regulatory reform bill unless Democrats agree to reopen it for bipartisan negotiations.

The hold-out that we know of right now is Maine’s Susan Collins. The Democrats plan on introducing the bill to the floor next week. Hopefully we’ll get more footage of Mitch McConnell being called a liar as he reads almost word-for-word from a Luntz memo.

Fox News Gives Hannity A Public Spanking

It’s hard to know where the line is with Fox News, but Sean Hannity must have crossed it:

Angry Fox News executives ordered host Sean Hannity to abandon plans to broadcast his nightly show as part of a Tea Party rally in Cincinnati on Thursday after top executives learned that he was set to headline the event, proceeds from which would benefit the local Tea Party organization.

Rally organizers had listed Hannity, who is on a book tour, as the headliner of the four-hour Tax Day event at the University of Cincinnati. The rally, expected to draw as many as 13,000 people, was set feature speakers such as “Liberal Facism” author Jonah Goldberg and local Tea Party leaders. Participants were being charged a minimum of $5, with seats near Hannity’s set going for $20, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, which reported that any profits would go to future Tea Party events. Media Matters for America noted that Hannity’s personal website directed supporters to a link to buy tickets for the Cincinnati rally.

The Cincinnati Tea Party event was using Hannity and Fox News to raise money for itself. Fox News has promoted the Tea Parties (especially last year’s) but doesn’t want to be directly associated with them now.

Furious, top officials recalled Hannity back to New York to do his show in his regular studio. The network plans to do an extensive post-mortem about the incident with Finley and Hannity’s staff.

“Fox News never agreed to allow the Cincinnati Tea Party organizers to use Sean Hannity’s television program to profit from broadcasting his show from the event,” said Bill Shine, the network’s executive vice president of programming. “When senior executives in New York were made aware of this, we changed our plans for tonight’s show.”

Hannity had to do the flight of shame back to New York to get his punishment. I’ll bet the Cincinnati Tea Party is out a lot of money as well unless they found something to replace Hannity’s show. According to Media Matters, the CTP had sold 13,000 tickets from $5 general seating to $20-$100 VIP seating.

Sussex County Council President on the Take?

What would you say if I told you that the President of The Sussex County Council was paid $5,000 in salary by the largest developer in Sussex County?  Sounds pretty fishy, eh?  Well that is exactly what developer and Republican candidate for US Congress Glenn Urquhart is doing with his campaign funds.

Let’s review.  Glenn Urquhart has raised $568,050 dollars in his quest to be the Republican candidate for Congress.  Of that $568,050, Urquhart gave $565,000 to his own campaign.  This means that he has raised a mere $3,050 in donations.

So far he has spent a little over $56,000 on the campaign.  $5,000 of that money has gone to pay a salary to Vance Phillips, The Sussex County Council President.  An additional $475 or so was paid to Phillips to reimburse him for expenses, as well.

Vance’s salary is the second highest expenditure for the Urquhart campaign during this reporting period.  It also represents more that Urquhart has collected in fundraising and almost 10% of total expenditures.  I guess if this whole Congressional thing doesn’t work out, Urquhart can go right back to developing the hell out of Sussex County.  Except, next time he will have an employee as County Council President.

A Sad Day for Those Who Fought for Fairness

Lost amid all of the hub-bub of the tea dances that were going on today:  Benjamin Hooks, the long-time head of the NAACP, died today.

He was a true hero of the dispossessed and fought for equality for the Black community in the ever rising tide of Reaganism that was sweeping the country.  He will be missed.  I think it is safe to say that Martin and Bobby, with smiling faces, were waiting at the Gates with St. Peter to usher Mr. Hooks into Heaven.  May his wife and daughter be comforted in their time of loss, as his passing is a loss to all of us who fight for fairness every day.

Obama Signs Memorandum Granting Same-Sex Couples Hospital Visitation Rights

I really don’t see how anyone can have a problem with this – yes, I know some will.

President Obama on Thursday signed a memorandum requiring hospitals to allow gays and lesbians to have non-family visitors and to grant their partners medical power of attorney.

The president ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to prohibit discrimination in hospital visitation. The memo is scheduled to be made public Friday morning, according to an administration official and another source familiar with the White House decision.

An official said the new rule will affect any hospital that receives Medicare or Medicaid funding.

During a time of vulnerability and fear, it’s only right (and humane) that a person have those they love by their bedside.

Thursday Open Thread

Welcome to your Thursday open thread. I know you have a lot of burning ideas that you need to get off your chest and here’s the thread for you to do it.

Mitch McConnell has done a lot of media interviews calling the new financial reform bill a permanent taxpayer bailout for banks. I have no idea why the media has finally decided to call him on his lies.

But the pushback he received yesterday was pretty fierce. Among Democrats, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) was unusually incensed, while Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) all but called him a liar on the Senate floor.

Even Republicans were reluctant to rally behind McConnell’s absurdities. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) characterized the new argument as “a touch over the top.” Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) compared McConnell’s pitch to “death panel” rhetoric. The Maine moderates — Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins — pretended not to know what McConnell had said so they wouldn’t have to defend it.

Even the media seemed unwilling to play along with McConnell’s willful ignorance. CNBC’s John Harwood told MSNBC that McConnell’s anti-reform argument is “a little silly when you look at the text of the bill.” And perhaps most importantly, Capitol Hill reporters pressed the Kentuckian on the fact that his bizarre opposition to reform comes on the heels of a private meeting McConnell attended last week with hedge fund managers and other Wall Street elites last week.

Did Democrats learn something from the health care reform battle?

Did you ever wonder why Republicans have to wear flag pins or modify their usernames with some form of “patriot?” It’s because they’re desperately trying to convince you that it’s true. Just listen to “pro-America” politician Michele Bachmann:

In an interview with radio host Scott Hennen yesterday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) said that conservatives were hoping “that President Obama’s policies don’t succeed”:

HENNEN: I’m proudly accepting that label of rooting for failure for his policies, not for any one personal individual or anything else, but, I mean, should we, is that what Republicans are doing? Are we rooting for failure? Is David Axelrod right?

BACHMANN: We’re, we’re, we’re hoping that President Obama’s policies don’t succeed, exactly as you said. And of course, David Axelrod unfortunately seems to be wanting to smear people who disagree with the president. We’ve seen that over and over at Tea Party events, at gatherings where people say, “look, I don’t like this idea of out of control spending and accumulating deficits that our kids have no possibility of paying back.” And to think that those of us, we who disagree with that very ill-thought out idea are being smeared, I think that’s really wrong.

Michele Bachmann, along with Rush Limbaugh, hopes the American people will suffer so they can regain power.

An Open Letter to the Tea Party

Dear Tea Party Members and Sympathizers,

Happy (or do I wish you an Angry?) Tax Day to you. Since you seem to have appropriated today as your holiday, I thought it would be a good opportunity to try to reach out to you. Despite what some may think, I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent and open-minded person. In spite of this, there are some basic facts about your movement that I just don’t quite understand. I was hoping to take this opportunity to allow you, in your own words, to educate me and the readers of Delaware Liberal.

What I want to know is, “Why are you so angry and scared?” I understand that the Tea Party movement, whether or not it’s a part of the Republican Party, is certainly a conservative phenomenon. Therefore, it’s natural that you would disagree with some or most of the policy ideas of the current Democratic administration. But what is it exactly that’s gotten you into this ultra-agitated state? To the point where members of your movement are threatening secession, the formation of your own militias, and making speeches about “Taking back our country” and threatening real violence (“We came unarmed, this time.“) I, for one, really want to understand your concerns.

So this is what I propose: You give us as many specific complaints and concerns as you can, and I’ll do what I can to see that they are addressed with exactly as much seriousness as they deserve. I hope to prevent this from becoming a name-calling forum, and to keep it focused on ideas. I don’t want to get all “Festivus-y”, but this is the time for the Airing of Grievances. What I ask of you, in return for civility and seriousness, is specificity. Your movement is far too angry and vocal to be fear-mongering with vague, general assertions. If you want specific grievances addressed, you need to make specific points. No more “Obama is a Socialist.” Cite for me specific instances of Socialist behavior. No more “Stop the Government Take-over”. Tell me exactly what the government has taken over that it shouldn’t.

One thing I have gathered about Tea Partiers is that one major complaint seems to be that you feel your voice is being ignored. Well, here’s your chance to be heard. Tell me what you think is wrong, explain to me who you would fix it, and convince me to join the Tea Party. Thank you.

                                                                                                                               Scott P