Sen. Richard (DICK) Shelby (R-defense contractors) at "work"

with senators like shelby, the SCOTUS really didn't have to make corporations "people"...but just in case, doncha know...

The Senator confirmed that he launched the hold, in part, because he is upset with a tanker contract worth $35 billion that remains unresolved between Northrop Grumman/EADs and Boeing. Shelby favors the Northrop Grummann-EADS bid largely because it would result in tankers being assembled in his home state. The two contractors, in turn, have donated to Shelby's campaign committees, hoping ostensibly to secure favor or at least an audience with the Alabama Republican.

According to a review of campaign finance records, Shelby's political action committee received $7,500 in donations from EADS's PAC during the past two election cycles and an additional $21,500 from Northrop's PAC since 2000.

[UPDATE: The investigative journalism group Center for Public Integrity looked at all political action committees associated with Northrop Grumman and concluded that Shelby has received at least $108,233 in contributions since his first Senate election in 1986.]

Airbus Chairman T. Allan McArtor, meanwhile, donated $1,500 to Shelby in May 2009. Samuel Adcock, EADS Senior Vice President of Government Relations, donated $1,000 to Shelby in 2003. A fellow lobbyist and top executive at the company, Ralph Crosby, donated the same amount that same year. One other EADS employee, Bacon Douglas, donated $1,500 in 2003.

The strongest connection between Shelby and EADS, however, may not involve campaign contributions. The senator's former legislative director, Stewart Hall, is a major lobbyist for the defense contractor -- he was signed up by EADS North America in 2006 while a member of the firm the Federalist Group. During that time period, the Federalist Group was given $240,000 to help advance the company's legislative interests. When Hall left for another major lobbying firm, Ogilvy, he brought EADS with him -- receiving $160,000 in compensation for his work for the company.

follow the money here.

oh, harry...surely you aren't serious.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warned Republicans Thursday that if they use the arrival of Scott Brown as an opportunity to filibuster every Democratic nominee, then his party may have to bypass the legislature and rely on appointments made during recess.

hey, harry: wake up and smell the decaf. 1 more seat isn't going to make them any more emboldened than they've already been. thanks to your "leadership" (can't use that word in reference to harry without the quote marks), that so-called filibuster-proof majority has been as reality-based as unicorns.

i have another great idea, harry...why not have house "leader" pelosi write a really strongly-worded letter! that'll teach those obstructionist republicans! yeah, that's the ticket.

you can't make this sh*t up.

file under: just as effective as telling a pyromaniac not to play with matches

full article HERE:

The health-care reform legislation pending in the Senate includes $50 million for programs that states could use to try to reduce pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease among adolescents by teaching to them to delay when they start having sex.

abstinence only sex education and "purity balls" would be laughable of the consequences weren't so heart breaking. sadly, delusional fundies (who were also more often than not engaging in premarital sex as teens) have forgotten the realities of being teenagers...much less recognizing the difference between being a teenager in the last half of the 20th century and a teenager in the first decades of the 21st century.

how serious can gillibrand be about the repeal of DADT...

...if her office can't even get the number of dismissals right?

from the daily beast:

A statement from the Gillibrand’s office, shared exclusively with The Daily Beast, notes that “265 men and women have been unfairly dismissed from the Armed Forces since President Barack Obama took office.”

a quick trip to the side bar of this blog shows the current number (same date as the article above) to be 320. at 3 dismissals per day (the actual number is closer to 2), the 265 number was reached 18.33333333 days ago.

pot, meet kettle:

we have seen thee, arlen, and thy name is DINO:
(emphasis added for snarkalicious hypocritical tastiness)

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter called his fellow Democrat, Rep. Joe Sestak, a "flagrant hypocrite" and accused his rival of registering as a Democrat "just in time to run for Congress."

Sestak has said that he will challenge Specter, who has the backing of President Obama and party leaders, for the Democratic Senate nomination next year. Specter, a longtime Republican, switched his party registration to Democrat this year.

i know you are, but what am i....glass houses, etc...bwahahahahahahahaha.