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   Read the story and see the video discussion by the authors about why creeping consolidation is crushing American livelihoods.
 Career colleges and the paper of record face off.
 A forensic tool renowned for exonerating the innocent may actually be putting them in prison.
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January 23, 2009
REVERSING THE GAG RULE.... Following up on an item from Tuesday, President Obama is poised to follow through on a campaign promise and scrap the global gag rule in an executive order today.
One interesting angle to this is the timing: both Clinton and Bush acted on the measure on Jan. 22 -- the anniversary of the Roe decision at the Supreme Court. Obama deliberately waited a day, issuing a statement on reproductive rights on the 22nd, but reversing the policy on the 23rd. It's a subtle and inconsequential gesture, but it was apparently intended as an understated olive-branch to his critics who oppose Obama over his support for abortion rights. Regardless, the gag rule has undermined family-planning and healthcare programs around the world for eight years, putting women's health in jeopardy, particularly in the developing world. Today's executive order from Obama will make a huge difference. —Steve Benen 11:05 AM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (16)Comments
An olive branch to the forced pregnancy lobby. So lame. Posted by: Mark on January 23, 2009 at 11:16 AM | PERMALINKAn olive branch to the forced pregnancy lobby. So lame. There are olive branches and then there are olive branches. This one cost us nothing and got rid of the THIS ORDER ON THIS DAY IS A SLAP IN THE FACE TO THE UNBORN headlines. I highly doubt that Obama's laboring under the misconception that these people can be reasoned with. Posted by: shortstop on January 23, 2009 at 11:25 AM | PERMALINKGeez, the plum and cherry trees have not even blossomed, and, yet, so many needed fresh breezes are flowing across the Potomac. Spring is early, this year. Posted by: berttheclock on January 23, 2009 at 11:29 AM | PERMALINKI realize this is practically a Washington tradition, but rather than playing ping pong with this how about passing a law preempting these executive orders? Posted by: Tentakles on January 23, 2009 at 11:29 AM | PERMALINKI second "shortstop" -- we gain much by being more civil than those people. Meanwhile -- yeah! on ending the global gag rule! Elections have consequences -- we've already seen some of the good ones! If we are civil to these people, they will walk all over us. I don't think Obama realizes that. By waiting this extra day, he just lends them legitimacy they don't deserve. We need to be more aggressive than they are, not less. Posted by: Mark on January 23, 2009 at 11:48 AM | PERMALINKTentakles asks a great question. Not sure there would be a filibuster proof majority for such a measure in the Senate. Also, Reid is pro-life and presumably favored the gag order which might make progress hard. Posted by: Crust on January 23, 2009 at 11:49 AM | PERMALINKWhat's funny is that some PUMA sites were complaining yesterday that he hadn't signed it and they were railing that Obama was breaking his promises to women and that he was a big old sexist. Posted by: debbie on January 23, 2009 at 11:50 AM | PERMALINKMark et al, the one day was a token gesture on a hot button issue to a large minority, say 40 or 45%, of Americans support the gag rule. I just don't see this as a big deal. Posted by: Crust on January 23, 2009 at 11:52 AM | PERMALINKI think the bigger concern here is Obama waiting a day... I worry about his need to show he's not going to be like everyone else, his need to show he's going to do it 'his way'...It's all well and good, so long as this stance doesn't get out of hand. This is very important legislation. I'm glad he just waited a day and didn't sit on it any longer to make that symbolic/political "point" of his. Posted by: Did Obama really need to sit on this one to prove how "unique" he is? on January 23, 2009 at 12:25 PM | PERMALINKCrust - 40 - 45%? Seriously? Do you have a reference for that? If that's true, that's pretty bizarre in this day and age. Posted by: ally on January 23, 2009 at 12:27 PM | PERMALINKWTF DId Obama really ETC ETC. Listen this guy has done more good things in one day as president than Bush did in eight years and your whining about it. Good god theres just no pleasing some people. Posted by: Gandalf on January 23, 2009 at 12:42 PM | PERMALINKIf we are civil to these people, they will walk all over us. I don't think Obama realizes that. By waiting this extra day, he just lends them legitimacy they don't deserve. Uh huh. The "legitimacy" of having their precious gag rule flat-out ended. It's over. We won. Obama realizes that. Do you? Let's turn our energy to more useful things. Posted by: shortstop on January 23, 2009 at 12:52 PM | PERMALINK"Reid is pro-life and presumably favored the gag order" So Reid supports death for thousands of women in developing countries due to lack of access to family planning resources, and that's called "pro-life"? The first thing we have to do is stop accepting their rhetoric. The gag rule kills people. Real living, breathing people. Who just happen to be women. Those who support the gag rule are pro-death. It's that simple. Posted by: BFR on January 23, 2009 at 1:34 PM | PERMALINKI think the bigger concern here is Obama waiting a day... Why? As other people pointed out, it took the wind out of the sails of some of the protests because they didn't have the executive order to point to like they expected. Forced birthers always get massive publicity on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade -- why do you want them to have an extra piece of publicity when you can cut the ground out from under them by quietly waiting an extra day? Now if they want to complain about the Global Gag Rule, no one cares, because their big protest day is already over and the ship has sailed. Doesn't anyone understand strategy around here? Posted by: Mnemosyne on January 23, 2009 at 2:16 PM | PERMALINK"Reid is pro-life and presumably favored the gag order" So Reid supports death for thousands of women in developing countries due to lack of access to family planning resources, and that's called "pro-life"? I'm no fan of Reid's, but let's criticize him for the things he's actually done wrong. Reid and six other senators tried to overturn Bush's gag rule in 2001 using the Congressional Review Act. Bush then reissued the rule as a presidential memorandum, which is immune to congressional review. Reid described the rule as "anti-woman and anti-American." 
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