Because I'm catching up on some work I need to do, consider this a Lazy Friday open thread. So what's happening, folks?

Watch Out! Western CPAC Is Coming to Town!

(Proudly cross-posted at OC Progressive)

I just received this in my inbox, and I can't help sharing it with you. I had the freakiest experience of my life when I attended the 2007 CPAC Dinner after receiving an invitation from a friend. Everyone was foaming at the mouth when Tom McClintock was screaming about how evil Al Gore is by "telling lies about the great global warming hoax". And honestly, Steve Poizner was no better when he screamed about how everyone else in Sacramento is an evil "tax-and-spend lib'rul!!!!"

But in case you're the curious type that likes hearing what the other side is saying, this is the event for you. Just make sure you can find a Republican friend who can get you in for free. 'Cuz believe me, you don't want to pay to have those Howard Jarvis crazies harass you with their "literature"! ;-)

Join Michael Reagan in Newport Beach to help take back America!!!

You Are Cordially Invited To The Western Conservative Political Action Conference 2009 "Preserving the Reagan Legacy" with radio talk show host and Presidential son Michael Reagan and conservative California Congressman Tom McClintock serving as Honorary Co-Chairs! Friday, October 16th & Saturday, October 17th at the Radisson Hotel, in lovely  Newport Beach, California! Register Online Now! WWW.WESTERNCPAC.COM Last year's Conference Featured Speakers Including: Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, Congressman Ed Royce, Ca. Ins. Commissioner Steve Poizner Ca Senator Dennis Hollingsworth, Ca. Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Ron Prentice, Chair, ProtectMarriage.com, and Floyd Brown, ExposeObama.com, and many more! GO TO THE WEBSITE AND REGISTER TODAY!  GET AN EARLY-BIRD PRICE! SUPPORT A STUDENT REGISTRATION!   JUST GO TO WWW.WESTERNCPAC.COM AND SIGN UP!!!

California  Conservative  Congressman Tom McClintcock Tom McClintock is a principled conservative who is a leading light in the new Congress Barack Obama nemisis Floyd Brown  Seattle's Floyd Brown helped create the famous "Willie Horton" ad in the 1988 Presidential election.  He made Obama's "Smears" list during the 2008 Presidential election.   He is the author of "OBama Unmasked."   Seewww.exposeobama.com   Michael Reagan  Michael Reagan, the eldest son of former President Ronald Reagan, hosts a national radio talk show program on the American Family Network.  Visit www.reagan.com for a list of stations in your area.

Obama compared to Alexander the Great

The Political Prosecutions of Karl Rove

EFCA "Dead"? This Better Not Be True!

OK, I'm freaking out now. Yes, it sucks that Arlen Specter refuses to be the 60th vote to allow a final vote on EFCA. However, what I'm more concerned about is this:

Labor spent millions of dollars and put hundreds of thousands of ground troops into the battle to get Obama elected. And yet, if you believe NBC News' reporting,* the White House's priority is not "sticking a finger in business's eye" in order to slightly increase workers' union rights.

* Note: This is, indeed, a major "if." In one way, this story smells - Obama has always been a friend of unions. In another way, this story seems not entirely unbelievable - many of the people inside Obama's administration have often been enemies of unions and the labor movement, and many of them may be happy that they don't have to deal with a union priority and can instead focus on handing over more taxpayer cash to their friends on Wall Street. Also, it's not unbelievable that while Obama supports EFCA, he may not be interested in expending political capital to pass it. On that last score, actions will speak a helluva lot louder than words.

This had better not be true. President Obama needs to speak up and speak now. He needs to reaffirm his commitment to passing the Employee Free Choice Act and giving back to workers their right to organize. All we've been talking about for this last month has been more money to bail out failed billionaire Wall Street gamblers "investors". So when will we working class Americans see our "bailout"?

Stimulus?

My my, what a stimulus they're talking about in Nevada. Still, I'm not sure about this whole idea of legalized prostitution saving our economy. But hey, I guess it sounds better than the whole lot of nothing the GOP is proposing.

So the Top Civil Rights Job...

In the Justice Department can't go to someone best qualified in civil rights law? What's wrong with this picture?

I'm on way to a doctor's appointment now. So what's happening in the world today? Anything interesting?

Meghan McCain: Sign of Future GOP?

Other than the bizarre looking headband, she actually seemed reasonable. Is this what the GOP needs to embrace to remain relevant in the future?

Yay! Sen. Chuck Schumer Endorses Marriage Equality!

Not too long after New York's Junior Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand (D), endorsed full equality for gay & lesbian families, it looks like New York's Senior Senator is ready to do the same.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) today announced his support for marriage equality for same sex couples and for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The announcement followed a meeting on Sunday evening in Manhattan, initiated by Senator Schumer, with a group of New York LGBT elected officials and leaders of the city's largest LGBT organizations, including Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle.

"I want to thank Sen. Schumer for his support of marriage equality and the repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act,” said Van Capelle. “Like a majority of New Yorkers, Sen. Schumer recognizes that only marriage equality provides same sex couples the status, protections and rights afforded to all other Americans. We look forward to working with him to win marriage equality in New York State and around the country."

Van Capelle said that during the meeting, Schumer pledged his support to repeal DOMA and, in the interim, to work to provide federal recognition and portability of benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

Hopefully, this means we'll soon see action on repealing DOMA. And at the very least, this should help The Empire State move a little closer toward giving its LGBT residents full civil rights. :-)

Economic Credibility Gap?

Is Obama in trouble? Maybe? Maybe in enough trouble to realize his administration's mistakes made in economic policy?

Now winding down after a hectic weekend. I'll make sure to be up & ready tomorrow for all the interesting drama headed our way this week.

What's happening where you're at today? I'm on my way to Huntington Beach now to see my mother. Anything interesting going on?

When Is Torture Just That?

Good question. Someone should ask a certain judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals who just happened to help in writing the now infamous "Bush Torture Memos".

EFCA Lite?

OK, so I think we're all familiar now with the fight over the Employee Free Choice Act (or EFCA) in DC. Basically the unions are fighting to get this passed so workers can choose over whether and how to unionize, while the "bidness lobby" is working hard to torpedo this legislation. The battle is heated now, especially with both sides amping up media advertising for and against EFCA.

But wait! What's that out on the horizon? A compromise! A compromise?

Three big retailers are expected to back an alternative proposal next week on a hotly contested bill that would make it easier to unionize workplaces, a move some experts said would bolster the legislation's chance of passage.

Costco Wholesale Corp., Starbucks Corp. and Whole Foods Market Inc. are supporting the alternative proposal, according to someone familiar with the effort. Ray Krupin, a management labor lawyer in Washington said the most likely compromise would allow employees to unionize if 70% of them sign union-authorization cards, as opposed to 50% as currently proposed in the Employee Free Choice Act.

On Saturday, a person close to the discussions denied that the proposal backed by the three companies included a plan to let unions organize workers if 70% sign cards.

It's unclear whether the proposal addresses a thorny section of the bill that would have a government arbitrator draw up a contract if unions and companies can't agree to terms within 120 days.

Charles Lemos has more details about it at MyDD. But so far from what I've seen of this compromise, I'm calling bullsh*t on it.

Why? First off, 70% is too ridiculously high a threshold to ask union organizers to overcome. With all the power these giant corporations still have to intimidate workers, it can be notoriously difficult to get at least 70% of them to ask for an official vote to unionize.

Secondly, they continue to act as if compromise is needed to "protect workers' right to choose" when really it isn't. In fact, that's why we need the Employee Free Choice Act! It would give workers the choice on unionization instead of the corporate executives.

And worse yet, one of the companies involved in this compromise deal doesn't exactly have a history of friendly relations with unions. Whole Foods puts on a nice "socially responsible" front, but in reality they are nearly as brutal as Wal-Mart in their union busting. Perhaps Costco and Starbucks are looking for a fair compromise, but I don't think I can even trust them if they're teaming up with Whole Foods on an EFCA compromise that would radically diminish the integrity of the bill.

So what are we to conclude on this "EFCA Lite" proposal? It may sound reasonable, but it still places too many hurdles on the path for workers to organize. I'm glad some companies are realizing that they're better off negotiating than fighting, but they still need to give more before I can really agree to whatever they offer.