If you think 10,000+ is a good number and record bonuses to bankers/financial institutions are a good sign, listen the William Black on DemoncracyNow! from this morning. You will not be happy, but you may be enraged enough to blast your reps. and sens. Take your profits while you can.

In the 21st century, it's not okay for interracial couples to be denied marriage licenses.

This a$$hole should be fired immediately!

Why are so many pundits, of every degree of respectability, talking about who they would have given the Nobel Prize to? It seems like a pretty big deal just to be on the Nobel committee...and it is a committee of five. They spend quite a lot of time considering a few hundred nominations.

Yet, without much thought about all the other possible choices for the award, or just because they don't think Obama deserves it, so many pundits essentially award their own Nobel Prize. Of course it doesn't come with the $1.5 million prize, or the medal, or the award ceremony. But they can call it their choice for the Nobel Prize!

Maybe they should first figure out if the Nobel committee would even consider their nomination of their choice before skipping all of that and just awarding it. Some hubris.

* The president was in New Orleans today, recommitting his administration to rebuilding the Gulf Coast. "I promise you this," Obama said during his first visit to the city as president. "Together we will rebuild this region and we will build it stronger than before."

Perhaps "rebuild the region" a couple of hundred miles up river, because if nothing is done about greenhouse gases, hurricanes will be the least of New Orleans' problems.

Huh? Sorry, all I'm into today is #balloonboy.

Buy her the best Cuban cigars

For now, the Senate Republican caucus is not prepared to punish Olympia Snowe...

Punish her?

Snowe is the most important "moderate voice" in the country right now. She has transcended the radical voices of both political parties. She is the modern, independent, self-made woman who has stared down her own party and tamed the socialists. Ain't she just grand! She is heroic; nay she is Olympic! And what a smile...

And if Snowe says the public option is bad, who could possible argue with such moderate wisdom from such a central voice? In short, Olympia and her White House enablers, are doing what all the town hall crazies could not do: Killing the public option with a bipartisan sword...

In the 21st century, it's not okay for interracial couples to be denied marriage licenses.

This yahoo did it 'out of concern for the children' because it is so awful to bring inter-racial children into this world.

You might say, he's an abortionist.

Great piece by Mike Lux over at HuffPo on the Maine ballot campaign on Question 1 (marriage equality).

Losing on issues like this hurts our entire movement badly. If you're doubtful, think of how many people you know who said Barack Obama was the first presidential candidate they voted for since Ted Kennedy in 1980, or McGovern in 1972, or Bobby Kennedy in 1968. A lot of progressive folks pulled back out of politics, demoralized. Winning and losing matters. No issue and no constituency is an island, and we all sink or swim together.

Guys, if you can, PLEASE CHIP IN TO HELP RETAIN MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN MAINE!! Midnight tonight is the dealine for contributions. You can also go to No On 1 - Protect Maine Equality and donate time for phone banking. We need Get Out the Vote efforts in Maine so people know to VOTE NO ON 1.

Referendum 71 is on the ballot in Washington State to keep expanded domestic partnerships for gay couples and straight seniors. Please, if you can contribute, go to Approve Ref 71 and donate or volunteer. Anti-gay hate groups just came into more money, and with the help of veteran GOP strategist Dave Mortenson, are working the side of hate. Please help us stop them. Washington also needs phone banks, donations for ads, and volunteers to door knock to Get Out the Vote. If you live in Washington, have friends or family, please call them and make sure they're registered to vote, and they are voting to APPROVE REF 71!

It will take a lot of wind out of the sails of the Right Wing Authoritarian movement if we can preserve family protections for gay couples at the ballot box this year.

St. John @5:48 brings an important discussion to the merriment of the dow 10,000 mark.

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/15/black

"The number of homeowners pulled into the foreclosure process increased by 5 percent during the third quarter"

Foreclosures increased by 23 PERCENT from the same period last year, and that should scare the bejebus out of everyone. We are still accelerating downward.

In the 21st century, it's not okay for interracial couples to be denied marriage licenses.

Did you perhaps mean to say "not legal"? Because not only would that be correct, it would avoid the bloodshed that will ensue someday when I hear the phrase "not okay" too many times. "Okay" is subjective, "legal" is not.

I bet the DNA of the darker partner of the couple who was denied a marriage license has white genes.

Jeter?

Tiger?

Obama?

Yeah, these bi-racial guys suffered.

I encourage the couple to seek a marriage license else-where, I'll be following their progeny for a generation! (or two)

* In the 21st century, it's not okay for interracial couples to be denied marriage licenses. -- Steve Benen

And the SoB has the nerve to say it's for the sake of the children, because mixed marriages don't last??? In the Red States, *very few* marriages last, pure or mixed. And the more "Christian" you are, the better your chances of being on your 4th spouse by the time you reach 40, with a few boyfriends/girlfriends in between the marriages.

I sure hope someone nails his rhino hide to a church door and the rest of him to the court's.

In the 21st century, it's not okay for interracial couples to be denied marriage licenses. -- Steve Benen

But for some reason it's perfectly fine, dandy, and legal to deny me and my Beloved a marriage license. Discrimination of all kinds is evil.

I would've given it to George Bush.

But it was never his to give. WTF?

Hannity demonstrates "Ignorance is Strength" every day, so it's not surprising he is also capable of believing "War is Peace", which is about the only justification for giving W the Nobel Peace Prize.

"I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves," said Justice of the Peace Keith Bardwell of Tangipahoa Parish.

Every marriage puts children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves. The "situation" being interracial is only significant if you're a racist.

I have something to add. Why haven't the democrats pounced on the 30 Republican Senators who voted AGAINST holding companies legally accountable for the GANG RAPE of one of their employees.

Among the 30, both of the "esteemed" senators from KY voted against holding rapists accountable.

Mitch McConnell, you listening?

If this isn't the nail in the coffin for these guys during their campaigns what could be?

"I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves," said Justice of the Peace Keith Bardwell of Tangipahoa Parish.

Because you know that children are never born outside of marriage, right?

Interesting.

Hillary Clinton Zooms Past Barack Obama In Popularity

One year after their grueling fight for the Democratic nomination, Gallup reports that the secretary of state is now posting a 62% approval rating, compared with the President's tally of 56%.

"Clinton's current favorable rating ranks among her best in the 17 years Gallup has polled Americans about her," said the organization. Her highest-ever rating? That was 67%, right after her husband, President Bill Clinton, was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Maybe she has found a job worthy of her ambitions -- delivering America's message to nations around the world. Just the other day, Clinton seemed to rule out a run for the presidency again. "No, no, no," is how she put it to NBC's Ann Curry. "This is a great job. It is a 24-7 job. And I'm looking forward to retirement at some point."

But given the new numbers, the New York Daily News couldn't resist noting that HRC has about $3 million in her political coffers and added, "For Hillary fans old and new, ya never know.”

LA TIMES BLOG

the US has lots of natural gas:

here.

keori - move to Iowa. we can always use more good progressives here. you could get married and vote against Grassley as a bonus.

Yeah, Matt...shrill here, shrill now!

Siemens invests more in solar power.

zeitgeist: move to Iowa. we can always use more good progressives here.

Iowa is #2 in the nation in installed windpower, right behind Texas, and is the site of the new Siemens wind turbine factory, the second such large wind turbine factory in the US.

Here is another way to produce ethanol from diverse feedstocks.

"I would've given it to George Bush." - Sean Hannity

As far as the Nobel Peace Prize goes, George W may only be prizeless, but Sean Hannity's sure is priceless. After how many anti-Bush NPP decisions since 2001, Sean Hannity still wants the Nobel Peace Prize to be given to George W Bush.

If you carve one out of wood, Sean, you personally can give that one to W. Other than that, Rush Limbaugh will be NFL Commissioner before W gets anywhere near the Nobel Peace Prize.

Sorry to disappoint you.

"In the 21st century, it's not okay for interracial couples to be denied marriage licenses."

As delicious as this story is, it is not being reported correctly here. The JP did not refuse to issue a license, he refused to marry the couple and sign the already issued marriage license. This couple could have gone elsewhere for a marriage ceremony and subsequent signing. His refusal does place a non-trivial burden on the couple, however.

Of course this does not mean that Keith Bardwell isn't a horse's ass. But he did say that some of his best friends are Black and he even lets them use the bathroom at his house.

It is unlikely that a JP in Tangipahoa Parish is required to perform marriage ceremonies only that he is one of a number of classes of persons who can (clergy, JPs, Judges, possibly the county clerk or court officers.)

Limbaugh is such a pandering sack of shit.