Tag Archives: Oklahoma

June 1, 2013 · 2:07 PM

10 things you need to know today: June 1, 2013

The Week

Thousands protest against the government in Istanbul, Oklahoma is slammed by tornadoes, and more

1. POLICE FIRE TEAR GAS AT PROTESTERS IN TURKEY
Thousands gathered in Istanbul’s Taksim Square to protest what they say is the growing authoritarianism of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his AFK party. Several protesters reported injuries related to tear gas fired by police. Protests also occurred in the capital, Ankara, and the coastal city of Izmir. [CBS News]
………………………………………………………………………………

2. OKLAHOMA HIT BY MORE TORNADOS
Tornadoes slammed into the Oklahoma City metropolitan area on Friday, killing at least 5 people and injuring 50. The area was also battered by heavy rain and hail, with floodwaters topping four feet in some places. The killer tornado comes less than two weeks after another deadly storm devastated Moore, Okla. [USA Today]

………………………………………………………………………………

3. OBAMA URGES CONGRESS TO PREVENT STUDENT LOAN RATE INCREASE
President Obama, standing in the Rose Garden surrounded by college students, urged Congress to prevent Stafford student loan interest rates from doubling from 3.4 percent to 6.4 percent. If nothing is done, the rate increase will take effect on July 1. [Yahoo]
………………………………………………………………………………

4. SYRIA PEACE TALKS DELAYED
Peace talks in Geneva between the United States, Russia, and the warring factions in Syria will almost certainly be pushed back from June to at least July or August. Progress was stalled after the main Western-backed opposition group pulled out of negotiations and Russia announced its intentions to keep shipping weapons to the Assad regime. [The Guardian]
………………………………………………………………………………

5. GIANT ASTEROID PASSES BY EARTH
An asteroid so big that it has its own moon passed within 3.6 million miles of Earth on Friday afternoon. Scientists say the asteroid, which measures 1.7 miles in diameter, could easily destroy a metropolitan area. [CNN]
………………………………………………………………………………

6. MICHELLE BACHMAN’S DEMOCRATIC RIVAL PULLS HIS CAMPAIGN
Days after Rep. Michelle Bachman (D-Minn.) announced she wouldn’t run for re-election next year, her main Democratic opponent, Jim Graves, announced he also wouldn’t be running in 2014, saying, “With Michele Bachmann now stepping down, I’ve been talking to my friends and family and frankly, the feeling is, ‘Mission Accomplished.’” [Politico]
………………………………………………………………………………

7. SUSPECT IN LONDON HACKING MURDER RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL
Michael Adebolajo, 28, has been released from the hospital and taken into custody by London police. He, along with Michael Adebowale, 22, are the main suspects in the brutal killing of off-duty soldier Lee Rigby, who was hacked to death with knives in broad daylight. [BBC]
………………………………………………………………………………

8. DELL BOARD RECOMMENDS BUYOUT BY MICHAEL DELL
The Dell board told its shareholders to vote for the $24.4 billion buyout by founder Michael Dell instead of a rival bid from business magnate Carl Icahn. Michael Dell has urged the company, the third biggest PC maker in the United States, to go private. [Bloomberg]
………………………………………………………………………………

9. FOREST FIRE RAGES IN NEW MEXICO
A forest fire in New Mexico’s Santa Fe National Forest forced officials to close a highway and evacuate 140 homes. A downed power line has been identified as the source of the blaze, which officials say could pick up thanks to high winds, low humidity, and climbing temperatures. [Associated Press]
………………………………………………………………………………

10. JUSTIN BIEBER’S MONKEY FINDS A HOME
After months of living in an animal shelter, the 23-week-old capuchin monkey confiscated from Justin Bieber’s tour in March has finally found a home: Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, Germany. The monkey was originally taken from Bieber because he did not have the proper paperwork. [Reuters]

Related articles

1 Comment

Filed under 10 things you need to know today

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 31, 2013 · 2:17 PM

Rachel Maddow – ‘Something weird is going on’ in FBI shooting of Ibragim Todashev

Maddow 053113

(Revised from earlier post)

The Raw Story

On Thursday night’s edition of “The Rachel Maddow Show,” host Rachel Maddow discussed the swirl of questions around the shooting of Ibragim Todashev, an associate of Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the two men charged with the bombing of the Boston Marathon.

FBI officials have given conflicting accounts of the questioning and killing of Todashev, who knew Tamerlan Tsarnaev through Mixed Martial Arts fighting. Todashev, who, like the Tsarnaevs, was Chechen, lived in Boston for a time before moving to Florida. Agents from the FBI traveled to Florida to question Todashev repeatedly about the bombing.

“Last week while being questioned again in Florida,” said Maddow, “something went very, very wrong and he ended up dead.”

Law enforcement officials were interviewing Todashev in his apartment in Orlando on Wednesday, May 22, when something occurred that resulted in the young man being shot multiple times.

On Thursday, Todashev’s family held a press conference in Moscow, where they showed autopsie photos of their slain son. Ibragim Todashev was shot six times in the torso and once in the back of the head.

“We have not been able to authenticate these photos,” said Maddow. “No one has.”

But, she said, if they are genuine, “something weird is going on.”

“How does that comport with the FBI’s story that he was killed during questioning by armed agents who were only acting in self defense?” she asked. “Shot seven times, including in the back of the head?”

Todashev was questioned because of a possible connection to a bizarre 2011 murder in Waltham, Massachusetts in which three men were found with their throats cut, covered in marijuana, with $5,000 in cash untouched nearby. Law enforcement officials theorize now that Tamerlan Tsarnaev may have murdered the men with the help of some other person or persons.

“That cold case got hot again” after the marathon bombing, Maddow said. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was close friends with one of the victims, but, after his murder, Tsarnaev declined to attend his friend’s funeral.

After Todashev was shot during questioning, Maddow said, law enforcement officials “leaked an elaborate story” that purported to justify the killing. The officials also claimed that Todashev had implicated himself in the Waltham murders prior to being shot. They said that just before the man was about to sign a confession, he snapped, and “lunged at the interrogator with a blade.”

“That initial story has fallen apart,” Maddow said. Within 12 hours of the shooting, two of the three law enforcement officials who were talking to the media about the case changed their story, saying they were no longer sure whether Todashev had a knife.

Now, multiple sources have come forward to papers like the Washington Post to say that, in fact, Todashev was unarmed. NBC News reported on Thursday that Todashev may have been brandishing some kind of “metal rod.”

“So they shot him seven times?” Maddow asked, “Including in the back of the head?” She added that no one actually knows right now if that was the actual number of gunshot wounds on Todashev’s body since officials will neither confirm nor deny that the post-autopsy photos are accurate.

“What we’re left with here is a baffling mess and a story that does not make sense,” she said.

 

1 Comment

Filed under MSNBC, Rachel Maddow

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 22, 2013 · 2:46 PM

Alex Jones Explains How Government “Weather Weapon” Could Have Been Behind Oklahoma Tornado

Where do these people come from?  Instead of admitting that “climate change” is happening before our eyes, people like Alex Jones prefer to make money off of tragedy by perpetuating conspiracy theories…dang!

Media Matters

The Government “Can Create And Steer Groups Of Tornadoes,” But Jones Isn’t Sure That Happened In Oklahoma

Conspiracy theorist radio host Alex Jones explained to his audience today how the government could have been behind the devastating May 20 tornado in Oklahoma.

On the May 21 edition of The Alex Jones Show, a caller asked Jones whether he was planning to cover how government technology may be behind a recent spate of sinkholes. After laying out how insurance companies use weather modification to avoid having to pay ski resorts for lack of snow, Jones said that “of course there’s weather weapon stuff going on — we had floods in Texas like fifteen years ago, killed thirty-something people in one night. Turned out it was the Air Force.”

Following a long tangent, Jones returned to the caller’s subject. While he explained that “natural tornadoes” do exist and that he’s not sure if a government “weather weapon” was involved in the Oklahoma disaster, Jones warned nonetheless that the government “can create and steer groups of tornadoes.”

According to Jones, this possibility hinges on whether people spotted helicopters and small aircraft “in and around the clouds, spraying and doing things.” He added, “if you saw that, you better bet your bottom dollar they did this, but who knows if they did. You know, that’s the thing, we don’t know.”

Video Link (Media Matters)

You Tube:

In April, Jones garnered attention for labeling the Boston Marathon bombings a “false flag” event staged by the U.S. government. Over the years, Jones has endorsed a wide array of paranoid conspiracies, including alleging that the U.S. government carried out or was somehow involved in the 9-11 attacks, the Oklahoma City bombing, and recent mass shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary school and the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.

Despite his well-publicized career of pushing conspiracies, Jones is regularly validated by media figures and conservative politicians. Jones’ biggest ally has been Matt Drudge, whose heavily trafficked Drudge Report website has linked to at least 244 different articles at Jones’ Infowars website since April 2011.

In the midst of the controversy over Jones’ comments about the Boston bombings, Drudge announced that he had “privately told friends” that 2013 would be the “year of Alex Jones.”

Related articles

1 Comment

Filed under Climate Change, Conspiracy Theories

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 21, 2013 · 8:04 AM

Oklahoma Senators Repeatedly Opposed Disaster Relief Funds

Jim Inhofe Tom Coburn

Undoubtedly, they’ll have a rapid “change of heart” now that this horrible devastation has it home…

The Huffington Post

As frantic rescue missions continued Monday in Oklahoma following the catastrophic tornadoes that ripped through the state, it appeared increasingly likely that residents who lost homes and businesses would turn to the federal government for emergency disaster aid. That could put the state’s two Republican senators in an awkward position.

Sens. Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn, both Republicans, are fiscal hawks who have repeatedly voted against funding disaster aid for other parts of the country. They also have opposed increased funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which administers federal disaster relief.

Late last year, Inhofe and Coburn both backed a plan to slash disaster relief to victims of Hurricane Sandy. In a December press release, Coburn complained that the Sandy Relief bill contained “wasteful spending,” and identified a series of items he objected to, including “$12.9 billion for future disaster mitigation activities and studies.”

Coburn spokesman John Hart on Monday evening confirmed that the senator will seek to ensure that any additional funding for tornado disaster relief in Oklahoma be offset by cuts to federal spending elsewhere in the budget. “That’s always been his position [to offset disaster aid],” Hart said. “He supported offsets to the bill funding the OKC bombing recovery effort.” Those offsets were achieved in 1995 by tapping federal funds that had not yet been appropriated.

In 2011, both senators opposed legislation that would have granted necessary funding for FEMA when the agency was set to run out of money. Sending the funds to FEMA would have been “unconscionable,” Coburn said at the time.

Hart said Coburn had “never made parochial calculations” about Oklahoma’s disproportionate share of disaster funds, “as his voting record and campaign against earmarks demonstrates.” Hart added that Coburn, “makes no apologies for voting against disaster aid bills that are often poorly conceived and used to finance priorities that have little to do with disasters.”

A representative for Inhofe could not immediately be reached for comment. Inhofe earlier tweeted: “The devastation in Oklahoma is heartbreaking. Please join me and #PrayforOklahoma. Spread the word.”

Coburn also put out a message on Twitter, writing, “My thoughts and prayers are with those in Oklahoma affected by the tragic tornado outbreak.”

Oklahoma currently ranks third in the nation after Texas and California in terms of total federal disaster and fire declarations, which kickstart the federal emergency relief funding process. Just last month, President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration for the state following severe snowstorms.

And despite their voting record on disaster aid for other states, both Coburn and Inhofe appear to sing a different tune when it comes to such funding for Oklahoma.

In January of 2007, Coburn urged federal officials to speed disaster relief aid after the state faced a major ice storm.

A year later, in 2008, Inhofe lauded the fact that emergency relief from the Department of Housing and Urban Development would be given to 24 Oklahoma counties. “The impact of severe weather has been truly devastating to many Oklahoma communities across the state. I am pleased that the people whose lives have been affected by disastrous weather are getting much-needed federal assistance,” he said at the time.

The cost of the recovery effort for this week’s tornadoes is likely to be high. After a spate of tornadoes in the state in 1999, Oklahomans requested and received $67.8 million in federal relief funds.

Related articles

8 Comments

Filed under Disaster Relief

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

· 7:36 AM

Moore, Oklahoma

View image on Twitter

“We are so thankful for our volunteers and staff who are working through the night and preparing for tomorrow.” American Red Cross

It’s not enough to write that our hearts and prayers go out to the residents of Moore, Oklahoma.   It’s not enough to look at the devastation on TV or on the internet.

Reading about this tragedy just reminds me of how vulnerable we all are against the forces of nature.

When Hurricane Katrina struck, I wanted to do something, anything to help, so  I decided to volunteer my services to the American Red Cross.  It allowed me to help in some small way.

I write a political blog and I’ll talk about the politics of disaster relief in a forthcoming post.

For now, the following is from the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross has one shelter open in Moore and is working on locating others; we continue to operate three shelters that were opened Sunday in the Oklahoma City area following the storms on Sunday.

Red Cross volunteers are out tonight with food and supplies supporting first responders.

More than 25 emergency response vehicles are positioned to move at first light Tuesday, and we expect that the number will increase. The Red Cross is also sending in kitchen support trailers to support the upcoming operation to provide meals to those forced out of their homes.

People in Oklahoma near the tornado area are encouraged to connect with one another and let loved ones know that they are safe. This can be done through the I’m Safe feature of the free Red Cross tornado app. In addition, if you have access to a computer, go to redcross.org/safeandwell to list yourself as safe. If not, you can text loved ones or call a family member and ask them to register you on the site.

This has been a major disaster, and the Red Cross will be there for the people in this state and this community.

People who wish to make a donation can support American Red Cross Disaster Relief, which helps provide food, shelter and emotional support to those affected by disasters like the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma and Texas as well as disasters big and small throughout the United States by visiting redcross.org, dialing 1-800-REDCROSS or texting REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Related articles

3 Comments

Filed under American Red Cross, OK

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

January 9, 2013 · 12:05 AM

Taco Bell joins Wendy’s in gutting blue-collar employee hours allegedly to avoid Obamacare

America Blog

Yo no quiero Taco Bell.

Funny thing about Taco Bell’s franchise in Oklahoma claiming it’s gutting blue collar employee hours in order to avoid Obamacare’s requirement that employees working an average of 30 hours a week or more must be provided health insurance. I called around, and the requirement doesn’t kick in until 2014. So why is Taco Ball cutting employee hours now, a year early?

Same question for Wendy’s.

But it gets even odder.  The company that owns the local Taco Bells seems to be saying that they still don’t fully know what Obamacare (aka the Affordable Care Act) requires of them.

Treadwell Enterprises released the following statement Monday to News 9:

“Treadwell Enterprises, like most businesses, is still researching what the Affordable Care Act means to our operations. Regardless of the conclusion of our analysis, we will comply with this law, as we do all laws.”

If the company is still analyzing how Obamacare affects their business, then why is the franchise owned by this company already cutting back employee hours in order to save money on something that not only reportedly hasn’t even been implemented yet, but about which they haven’t even reaching any “conclusions” yet?

The more these big brands like Wendy’s and Taco Bell strike out against their blue collar employees supposedly because of an Obamacare provision that reportedly doesn’t even apply to them yet, the more it sounds like these are Republican companies simply taco belltrying to save money by making a political statement about a Democratic program and Democratic President they don’t like.

And I’m getting tired of hearing these parent companies tell us that they’re not responsible for what their franchises do.  You license them your good name, you’re responsible for what they do under your name. Period.

It’s time to write Taco Bell off along with Wendy’s, unless both companies get their franchises in line.  I go to both Taco Bell and Wendy’s.  But I wont in the future if it means financing Republican activists who are out to hurt their workers.

And this parent company of the Taco Bell in Oklahoma also runs a series of KFC’s and Ruby Tuesdays in the state, so those brands are implicated in this as well, since KFC and Ruby Tuesday seem to think this company is a fine business to partner with.

PS Someone on Facebook just made a fascinating point: There are employees at Taco Bell and Wendy’s who are touching our food and who don’t have adequate health insurance, and thus adequate health care? And they’re touching our food.

 Video:  Guthrie Taco Bell Worker Speaks After Hours Cut To Avoid Health Insurance Mandate.

Related articles

1 Comment

Filed under Fast Food Chains Reject ACA

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

August 9, 2012 · 8:40 AM

Thursday Blog Round Up

Liars!

Picture of the Day

Romney’s veepstakes heats up

Is Obama going to win in a landslide?

Americans Don’t Like the Political Media

Young Republicans Erase Lines on Social Issues

Romney Ad Bashing Obama in Ohio Used Oklahoma Footage

New York Times Photographer Beaten Up And Arrested By NYPD

Video: Ohio headed toward extra voting time for Republicans only

Gingrich Glorifies McCarthyism To Defend His Support Of Bachmann’s Anti-Muslim Witch Hunt

Comments Off

Filed under U.S. Politics

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

January 11, 2012 · 8:53 AM

10th Circuit Court Of Appeals Declares Oklahoma’s Sharia Ban Unconstitutional

There is absolutely no possibility that Sharia Law would ever be the “dominant religion” in The United States because:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment 1 – Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression

It’s simply a strawman argument against Muslims freely practicing their religion in the United States under the guarantees of The Constitution, by those who want to discriminate against them.

Think Progress

The 10th Circuit Court Of Appeals struck down Oklahoma’s ban on Sharia law today, declaring that the Sooner State’s move violated the United States Constitution.

In November 2010, Oklahoma voters approved a ballot initiative to prevent Sharia law from being used in the state, something that even the measure’s defenders could not identify ever happening. (To learn more about what Sharia law actually is, read this brief primer.) Following Oklahoma’s lead, Sharia hysteria soon made its way to other states – including Arizona, Louisiana, and Tennessee – orchestrated by a small group of anti-Muslims misinformation experts we profiled in a report entitled Fear Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America.

Before the Oklahoma law could take effect, however, a federal judge issued an injunction blocking the measure while courts considered its constitutionality. The 10th Circuit, which includes one George W. Bush appointee, a Carter appointee, and an Obama appointee, heard oral arguments in September 2011.

Today, the 10th Circuit unanimously affirmed the lower court’s permanent injunction. In a 37-page decision, the three-judge panel agreed that Oklahoma’s Sharia ban violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and was therefore unconstitutional. On page 32, the 10th Circuit identified the heart of the matter, that Oklahoma’s move had no basis in reality but simply singled out Muslims for discrimination.

Continue reading here…

Related articles

1 Comment

Filed under Islam In America, Islamophobia

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

April 28, 2011 · 11:06 AM

Oklahoma GOP Lawmaker Sally Kern: ‘Blacks’ Don’t Work As Hard As White People

The “crazies” seem to have a monopoly within the GOP…

Think Progress

The Republican-controlled Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a proposed constitutional amendment yesterday that would eliminate Affirmative Action in state government. The official GOP reasoning for the change is that while “discrimination exists,” “I don’t think Affirmative Action has been as successful as we like to believe,” the bill’s sponsor, Rep. T.W. Shannon (R), explained. But perpetual extremist Rep. Sally Kern (R) offered her argument for ending the system that helps minorities advance: “blacks” simply don’t work as hardas whites:

Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, said minorities earn less than white people because they don’t work as hard and have less initiative.

“We have a high percentage of blacks in prison, and that’s tragic, but are they in prison just because they are black or because they don’t want to study as hard in school? I’ve taught school, and I saw a lot of people of color who didn’t study hard because they said the government would take care of them.”

Kern said women earn less than men because “they tend to spend more time at home with their families.”

While Kern has long history of taking outlandish positions — from saying homosexuality is more dangerous than terrorism to introducing legislation to force teachers to question evolution — her bigoted comments reflect a disturbing trend among even mainstream conservatives to blame valuable social safety net programs for creating a culture of dependency or even “slavery.”

Related Articles

8 Comments

Filed under GOP Obstructionism, GOP Political Attacks, GOP Radicalism

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

December 22, 2010 · 7:54 PM

9/11 First Responders Health Care Bill Passed By House & Senate

Finally!

Huffington Post

After a filibuster and threats of obstruction by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), the Senate unanimously passed a bill on Wednesday that would provide health care for first responders to the 9/11 terrorist attack. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer reached a deal with Republican senators to support the bill earlier in the afternoon. (UPDATE: The House has also passed the legislation.)

Gillibrand and Schumer, the bill’s chief sponsors, lobbied hard for the legislation to be introduced again in the lame-duck session, when they could still ensure House support. But on Tuesday, they hit a snag when Coburn vowed to block the bill, saying he wanted it to be funded through spending cuts.

Coburn also claimed the bill had been fast-tracked and skipped committee. But in fact the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing on the bill in June — Coburn, a committee member, missed it.

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) also said he would oppose the bill so the Senate could hold hearings on it in the future.

But just before leaving town for Christmas, senators reached a deal to ensure Republican support for the bill. It will now go for a vote by unanimous consent. The House remained in Washington to act on the bill.         More…

Comments Off

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,