Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospitalized After Feeling Faint

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been hospitalized Thursday after becoming ill in her office at the court. According to a statement issued by the court, Ginsburg was taken to Washington Hospital Center at 7:45 p.m. EDT as a precaution. She had received an iron sucrose infusion at 4:50 p.m. to treat an iron deficiency that had been discovered in July. About an hour later, she “developed lightheadedness and fatigue,” the statement said. She was found to have a slightly low blood pressure, which the court said can occur after the type of treatment she received. Although an examination found her to be in stable health, she was given fluids and taken to the hospital as a precaution, the court said.

ruth+bader+ginsburg Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospitalized After Feeling Faint
  U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — Justices Luncheon

The July evaluation found “that she was in completely normal health with the exception of a low red blood cell count caused by deficiency of iron. Intravenous iron therapy was administered in a standard fashion,” the court statement said. You will recall that Ginsburg underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer in February and returned to work surprisingly quick.

Ginsburg, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton, took her seat on the Supreme Court on August 10, 1993. She was a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 1980. Thoughts and prayers go out to the judge and for a speedy recovery!

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) Yells Out "You Lie" When President Obama Says His Health Care Bill Won’t Mandate Coverage for Illegal Immigrants

joe+wilson Rep. Joe Wilson (R SC) Yells Out "You Lie" When President Obama Says His Health Care Bill Wont Mandate Coverage for Illegal ImmigrantsOnce again, the Republican Party shows that it has no class. During President Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress tonight regarding health care reform, Republican Congressman Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) yelled out “lie” when the President said his health care bill would not mandate coverage for illegal immigrants. I can’t recall hearing any member of Congress interrupt President George W. Bush or President Bill Clinton during their address to Congress. Why should President Obama be continually subjected to such crass behavior at the hands of his opponents? We have lost all sense of decorum in this country. This is a travesty and this congressman is a disgrace.

I can’t recall hearing Rep. Wilson calling Governor Sanford a liar and a cheat when he left his office to go for a booty call in South America. Sen. John McCain, during an appearance on CNN after the president’s speech, said Wilson’s outburst was “totally disrespectful — [there's] no place for it in that setting or any other and he should apologize immediately.” Now, that’s the John McCain I liked before the presidential campaign. First Lady Michelle Obama, overhead in the visitors’ gallery, shook her head from side to side.

FactCheck.org described the claims made by Rep. Joe Wilson as “false” and noted that one version of the legislation already includes an explicit bar on federal funding for illegal immigrants’ health care. There is an http://act.ly/iqpetition going viral, asking @CongJoeWilson to apologize for yelling “YOU LIE” in President Obama’s speech.

If you’d like to sign,please click here. 

UPDATE #1: Joe Wilson is being challenged by Rob Miller for SC-02. You can donate to Miller’s ActBlue page here.

UPDATE #2: In less than two hours, challenger Rob Miller has raised over $11K. Joe Wilson is shaking like a leaf at the outrage being leveled at him and the prospect that this outburst could, and should, cost him reelection. He has issued the following apology:

“This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the President’s remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill. While I disagree with the President’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the President for this lack of civility.”

UPDATE #3: True to form, Fox News stepped up to the plate and showed just have right wing they are. On Fox Business News, Karl Rove and host Neil Cavuto thought Wilson shouting at the President was hilarious. “Joe Wilson, good guy,” said Rove. “Lovely,” agreed Cavuto.

Sorry, but if he wasn’t called out on his despicable behavior, he would not have apologized. These are the bottom feeders who are making decisions for Americans. Time for this moron to go back to South Carolina!

UPDATE #4: It turns out that Joe Wilson was once a member of Sons of Confederate Veterans. According to Crooks and Liars, this is an organization that, as the SPLC has detailed assiduously, has been taken over in the past decade by radical neo-Confederates who favor secession and defend slavery as a benign institution. Leading the takeover is a radical racist named Kirk Lyons, who’s been an important legal figure on the far right for some years.

Joe Wilson, as a state legislator, was one of only seven Republicans to go against their own party and vote to keep the Dixie Rebel flag flying over the South Carolina capitol:

The flag came down that year after Republicans in both houses went for a compromise that would put it on Statehouse grounds at the Confederate Soldier’s monument. The “Magnificent Seven” of Senators who voted to keep the flag up included current Congressman Joe Wilson (who I served with in the 218th Infantry Brigade of the National Guard.) Source: Crooks and Liars

Joe Wilson’s contact information:

Joe Wilson
South Carolina-2nd, Republican
212 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515-4002
Phone: (202) 225-2452

Wilson Joe Congressman
1700 Sunset Blvd
West Columbia, SC 29169 Map
(803) 939-0041

And email him at http://www.joewilson.house.gov/

To watch the video, CLICK HERE

Watch the entire speech:

Glenn Beck’s Next Target Post Van Jones Could be Cass Sunstein, Nominee to Head Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs

Well, it didn’t take us long to figure out Glenn Beck’s next targets:  Cass Sunstein, Mark Lloyd and Carol Browner. According to his Twitter feed, his message last night to his followers was to  “FIND EVERYTHING YOU CAN ON CASS SUNSTEIN, MARK LLOYD AND CAROL BROWNER.” Who are these people? According to the Washington Independent they are, respectively, the nominee to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the Associate General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer of the FCC, and the Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change. Browner was also administrator of the EPA for all eight years of Bill Clinton’s presidency.

Picture 112 Glenn Becks Next Target Post Van Jones Could be Cass Sunstein, Nominee to Head Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs
Beck’s sole motivation is to expose the “czars” who’ve been appointed by the president. Sunstein’s nomination has been tied up by holds and filibusters for months, and Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) only filed for cloture on his nomination at the start of August.

How has Sunstein become so controversial? Basically, right wing websites have twisted his theoretical writings and highlighted bits and pieces that sound downright crazy.  One example comes from CNSNews.com. They claimed he advocated removing people’s organs without explicit consent.

Outlined in the 2008 book “Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness,” Sunstein and co-author Richard H. Thaler argued that the main reason that more people do not donate their organs is because they are required to choose donation. … This problem could be remedied if governments changed the laws for organ donation, they said. Currently, unless a patient has explicitly chosen to be an organ donor, either on his driver’s license or with a donor card, the doctors assume that the person did not want to donate and therefore do not harvest his organs. Thaler and Sunstein called this “explicit consent.”

This is expected and since Glenn Beck managed to help force Van Jones to resign, he will be emboldened to continue his “crusade.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton On Question For "Mr. Clinton": "My Husband Is Not Secretary Of State, I Am"

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton got a little ticked off today when a Congolese university student at a town hall forum in Kinshasa asked her for former President Bill Clinton’s opinion of the World Bank’s concerns about a multibillion dollar Chinese loan offer to the Democratic Republic Congo. an international matter. “My husband is not secretary of state. I am,” an obviously annoyed Clinton replied sharply. This small dust-up comes a week after the former president traveled to North Korea to secure the release of two arrested journalists Laura Ling and and Euna Lee. President Clinton literally stole the spotlight from his wife as she started her first trip to Africa. You know, Bill upstaged her and she’s a bit miffed by that.

“You want me to tell you what my husband thinks?” she replied incredulously when the male student asked her what “Mr. Clinton” . . “If you want my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I am not going to be channeling my husband,” she said. The question was reportedly left unanswered as the moderator of the event quickly moved on. Actually, the question was lost in translation. The translator made a mistake and the student had wanted to know what President Obama thought of the deal. A State Department official told ABC News that the student went up to Clinton after the event and told her he was misquoted. Still, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lost her cool for a moment when she felt Bill Clinton was about to take center stage again! I don’t blame Mrs. Clinton for her response.

To watch the video, CLICK HERE.

President Bill Clinton Secures the Release of Imprisoned Journalists Laura Ling, Euna Lee, from North Korean President King Jong Il


bill+clinton1 President Bill Clinton Secures the Release of Imprisoned Journalists Laura Ling, Euna Lee, from North Korean President King Jong Il
Call him whatever you will, but former President Bill Clinton won a major feat and delivered news that was met with unspeakable joy by the families of journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were arrested in March while reporting from the border between North and South Korea. President Clinton met with North Korean President Kim Jong Il, who pardoned and ordered the release of both women, who are reportedly en route to the United States, where they will be reunited with their families.

The announcement was made after Clinton met with top North Korean officials in Pyongyang to appeal for the release of journalists. Clinton is a good negotiator and the consummate politician. He reportedly conveyed to Kim Jong Il an earnest request of the U.S. government to leniently pardon the women and send them home from a humanitarian point of view. Score on for Bubba!

Phi Beta Sigma, Historically Black Fraternity, Inducts President Bill Clinton As Honorary Member

bill+clinton Phi Beta Sigma, Historically Black Fraternity, Inducts President Bill Clinton As Honorary MemberWell, it seems that the black community and former President Bill Clinton have kissed and made up. Phi Beta Sigma has voted to induct Clinton as a honorary member. Paul Griffin Jr., president of the fraternity, said that Clinton is the first U.S. president to be inducted into a historically black fraternity. Clinton’s induction occurred at its 95th Anniversary Conclave in New Orleans. Stevie Wonder, Al Roker, Rev. Al Sharpton and jazz musician Ramsey Lewis are also honorary member of the fraternity. President Clinton, unlike Presidents George H. W. Bush and his son, George W. Bush, has used his time wisely since he left office. He has done a lot of humanitarian work that is highly commendable. He deserves every accolade possible for his tireless work.

President Clinton has been focusing on the activities of the William J. Clinton Foundation since he left the White House. He wanted the Clinton Foundation to address the areas where he could make the most difference as a private citizen. The Foundation has grown into a global non-governmental organization with more than 1,400 staff and volunteers in more than 40 countries and with offices in New York City, Little Rock, Ark., Boston, Mass., and other cities around the world. The Foundation, working in collaboration with governments and other partners, makes a significant impact in the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Phi Beta Sigma’s programs, including Bigger and Better Business, Social Action and Education are compatible with the mission of the Clinton Foundation. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association to help combat childhood obesity, is in alignment with Phi Beta Sigma’s partnerships with the March of Dimes and the American Cancer Society. The Clinton HIV/Aids initiative is right on target with Phi Beta Sigma’s partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which provides awareness and prevention strategies through its Conversation Among Brothers Series (CABS). Clinton’s Economic Opportunity Initiative embraces the same values that have been core to Phi Beta Sigma’s Bigger and Better Business program since its inception in 1925.

Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), a long-time member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. responded, “I am so pleased and delighted that President Bill Clinton has accepted membership in my fraternity. As a true servant-leader it is fitting for him to join the ranks of civil rights activist and labor leader A. Philip Randolph, Atlanta businessman Herman Russell, former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, former NAACP Leader James Weldon Johnson and renowned scientist George Washington Carver. My heart is warmed today.” Source: PR Newswire

Phi Beta Sigma was founded in 1914 at Howard University in Washington, D.C. It has more than 150,000 alumni and college members in about 500 chapters throughout the U.S., Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

So, it’s safe to say, that the fallout from President Clinton’s comments about then-presidential candidate Barack Obama is water under the bridge. Bill, you’re back in the fold again!

Rev. Al Sharpton in New Controversy Over Comments that Michael Jackson Paved Way for Barack Obama to Become President

Here we go. Fallout from the Michael Jackson memorial service yesterday is being debated this morning. Rev. Al Sharpton said, during his speech, that Michael Jackson helped President Barack Obama to become the first African American president of the United States by breaking down racial barriers. Jackson didn’t seem interested in politics, but he was daring in music and broke down many barriers there. He raised the bar for entertainers very high and shattered them himself. There are no singers today who can duplicate the King of Pop. Jackson advocated self-improvement over organized action and was a tireless advocate for humanitarian causes such as anti-poverty, HIV/Aids and education programs. His only foray into race-based issues came when he called Sony Music chairman Tommy Mottola a racist, in 2002, and accusing the record industry of ripping off black artists.

“He wasn’t interested in electoral politics, but he was interested in causes in the black community. He contributed to a lot of charities and was close to the Rev. (Jesse) Jackson and to Rev. Sharpton,” says poet and essayist Ishmael Reed, who wrote about Jackson in “Mixing It Up,” an essay collection.

He has been in the company of three presidents, including Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George H. Bush. Before his 2003 arrest on child molestation charges, of which he was acquitted, Republicans felt very safe to stand in his company. In 1984, President Reagan invited Jackson to the White House to thank him for supporting a campaign against drunk driving. “He is totally opposed to Drugs & Alcohol and is using his popularity to influence young people against them,” Reagan wrote in his diary at the time.

President H. W. Bush complimented Jackson, who appeared with him in the Rose Garden in 1990 and noted that Jackson had received a humanitarian award from the Capital Children’s Museum. “He does good work, what we call the ‘Points of Light’ concept,” said Bush, referring to his national volunteer program. “Glad you’re here, sir. Very pleased you’re here.”

Lastly, Jackson sang “Heal the World” at President Clinton’s first inaugural gala, in 1993. Nine years later, even after allegations had emerged of inappropriate behavior with children (child sexual abuse charges had been settled out of court in 1994), Jackson appeared at a New York fundraising concert for the Democratic National Committee.

So, it is safe to say that Michael Jackson embraced a vision of a post-racial America, but I cannot say that he is the reason why President Obama is in the White House. There are a myriad of reasons that led to his historic win and that is not solely attributable to Michael Jackson. I do understand Rev. Al Sharpton’s position, that Michael Jackson transcended race early in his career. He had millions of fans of different ethnic backgrounds and he personified that “it doesn’t matter if you are black or white.” You will recall that the president ran a campaign second to none and he is a transformational leader, who has the charisma of Ronald Reagan, the charm of Bill Clinton, a solid education and a deep conviction that we can overcome anything. He also personified what America should be about — unity and he was a meltingpot in his own rights. Lastly, the time had come for a serious and drastic change in America.

Rev. Al Sharpton Gets His Groove on at Jackson Memorial at the Apollo Theater, Caught in "Risque" Dance Move

sharpton+celebration Rev. Al Sharpton Gets His Groove on at Jackson Memorial at the Apollo Theater, Caught in "Risque" Dance MoveThe Drudge Report is featuring a “risque” picture of Rev. Al Sharpton getting his groove on at a celebration of the life of Michael Jackson held at the Apollo Theater earlier today. Sharpton seems to be grinding with a woman on the stage. Fans gathered at the historic theater, where the Jackson Five launched its career more than 40 years ago and introduced Michael Jackson to the world. Tuesday’s memorial, which began at 2 p.m., featured a eulogy by the Rev. Al Sharpton. A moment of silence was called at 5:26 p.m., the time East Coast fans learned that Jackson had died.

I guess the reverend is allowed, since he’s no longer married and he was just having some fun. Michael Jackson was last at the Apollo in 2002 when former President Bill Clinton invited him for a Democratic National Committee fundraiser.

Click here to see ico010x010interactive Rev. Al Sharpton Gets His Groove on at Jackson Memorial at the Apollo Theater, Caught in "Risque" Dance Move Click here to see Rev. Al Sharpton showing his dance moves at the Jackson Memorial!

President Barack Obama Snubs National Day of Prayer Ceremonies, Will Only Sign Proclamation Honoring Day

It seems that President Obama is distancing himself from the National Day of Prayer by nixing a formal early morning service and by not attending a large Catholic prayer breakfast the next morning. It seems that all he will do for tomorrow’s National Day of Prayer is sign a proclamation honoring the day, which originated in 1952 when Congress set aside the first Thursday in May for the observance. Wow, that’s a major snub and calls into question the depth of his religious faith. He does not attend church on a regular basis, so how can he claim his faith is deep? Who does he get his religious education from? Rahm Emanuel?

President George W. Bush during his two terms in office invited selected Christian and Jewish leaders to the White House East Room, where he typically would give a short speech and several leaders offered prayers. It seems ironic that the White House hosted an April 9 Passover Seder for family and friends – the first time a president has hosted that Jewish religious meal.

President Obama’s obvious snub of the National Day of Prayer may ruffle some feathers. Press secretary Robert Gibbs said that the president is simply reverting back to pre-Bush administration practice. Yeah, anything to distance himself from the Bush Administration, except the military tribunal mess and Guantanamo. Isn’t this another incident that casts doubt on the veracity of President Obama’s claims about his deep Christian faith?

Rev. Jesse Jackson Creates New Role for NAACP, Says the Civil Rights Organization Must Help Save Ailing Auto Industry

Rev. Jesse Jackson has appointed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to serve a new role — to help save Detroit’s ailing auto industry. He said that blacks are disproportionately suffering in the current economic downturn and car companies’ failures, which is a valid argument, but how can the NAACP save the auto industry?

“The struggle today is to re-industrialize our country,” Jackson told reporters Sunday before delivering the keynote address. “We are now minorities with a majority responsibility to save the entire industry,” he said told reporters before delivering the keynote address at the 54th Detroit NAACP Fight for Freedom Fund dinner at Detroit’s Cobo Center.

Former speakers at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s largest annual fundraiser have included President Barack Obama when he was the U.S. Senator for Illinois; his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.; and Bill Clinton.

Rev. Jackson, in case you haven’t noticed, not even the billions of dollars funneled to GM and Chrysler helped. This is way bigger than the government, much less the NAACP.

pixel Rev. Jesse Jackson Creates New Role for NAACP, Says the Civil Rights Organization Must Help Save Ailing Auto Industry