[paraclete]

[QUOTE=tomder55;2182277]constrast the President Bush address Dec 29,2004 after the tsunami with President Obama's address about Haiti .

QUOTE]

I expect Obama couldn't resist the opportunity for a speech but Haiti being closer to home warranted a few more words to impress the people of Haiti, who probably will not hear the speech ,and the americans that the response to Katrina will not be repeated in this instance

[cdad]

[QUOTE=paraclete;2184222]

constrast the President Bush address Dec 29,2004 after the tsunami with President Obama's address about Haiti .

QUOTE]

I expect Obama couldn't resist the opportunity for a speech but Haiti being closer to home warranted a few more words to impress the people of Haiti, who probably will not hear the speech ,and the americans that the response to Katrina will not be repeated in this instance

Closer to home? Katrina was within the US boarders where Haiti is not within our jurisdiction. Anything we do there has to be done by permission of the haitian government unlike it was here. Sort of apples and oranges in a legal sense.

[Skell]

Closer to home? Katrina was within the US boarders where Haiti is not within our jurisdiction. Anything we do there has to be done by permission of the haitian government unlike it was here. Sort of apples and oranges in a legal sense.

Tome's post was with respect to the Tsunami in SE Asia, not Katrina.

Haiti is obviously a lot closer to home than SE Asia, thus demanding greater attention from the US. And Katrina was a mess that nobody would want to see repeated.

[tomder55]

Is this a case of not knowing the meaning of the language? Commissar means commissioner or inspector not ruler over everything, so yes you do have them already

That may be true in Aussie but in the old soviet union it was mostly used for People's Commissar (or narkom) for government ministers... party hacks . Obama uses Czars as pseudo-ministers for the purpose of bypassing the confirmation process ,so in this case the Soviet example applies.

[cdad]

Tome's post was with respect to the Tsunami in SE Asia, not Katrina.

Haiti is obviously a lot closer to home than SE Asia, thus demanding greater attention from the US. And Katrina was a mess that nobody would want to see repeated.

That's odd because I used the quote comment from paraclete's post and that's where I was making the Katrina reference. Somehow it sucked toms partial quote in there with it.

[tomder55]

I expect Obama couldn't resist the opportunity for a speech but Haiti being closer to home warranted a few more words to impress the people of Haiti, who probably will not hear the speech ,and the americans that the response to Katrina will not be repeated in this instance

Yeah the dinosaur media is carrying the water for the American response to date ;this time correctly pointing out the difficulties in the logisitics.If Bush were President no such slack would be given . They would all be echoing Chavez and al Jazeera by now .

[Catsmine]

. They would all be echoing Chavez and al Jazeera by now .

Don't forget France

US accused of 'occupying' Haiti as troops flood in - Telegraph

[speechlesstx]

This is why the Dems lost the conversation, not Republican sound bites but liberal rants and insults. Chris Matthews said, "If they go for Republican Scott Brown it's deliberate, premeditated murder for health care!"

Health care is fine, it's the best in the world. The left wants to commit deliberate, premeditated murder on the insurance industry.

[Skell]

Health care is fine, it's the best in the world.

Been shown time and again that this comment is highly debatable and doubtful.

[tomder55]

Skell in the end if the larger populace wanted their health system fundamentally changed the dems would.ve passed their proposal in the Summer.

[tomder55]

Don't forget France

With all due respect to the French ;they have zero room to talk about Haiti .They got whipped by a slave rebellion there and left the country without a workable governing model. I am not thrilled the US is the only country capable of managing this tragic disaster ;but so be it .

[Skell]

Skell in the end if the larger populace wanted their health system fundamentally changed the dems would.ve passed their proposal in the Summer.

Agreed. Fear of change played a major part.

[speechlesstx]

Speaking again of the CONVERSATION and REALITY, Obama has a mysterious fan named Ellie Light writing letters to the media from local addresses all over the place...

A woman has written the same letter defending Obama to dozens of publications across the country, getting them published in at least 42 newspapers in 18 states, as well as Politico.com, the Washington Times, and USA Today. And the woman, Ellie Light, has claimed residence in many of these states.

Think there might be some phony Astroturfing there?

At the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sabrina Eaton makes a nice catch:

Ellie Light sure gets around.

In recent weeks, Light has published virtually identical “Letters to the Editor” in support of President Barack Obama in more than a dozen newspapers.Every letter claimed a different residence for Light that happened to be in the newspaper’s circulation area.

“It’s time for Americans to realize that governing is hard work, and that a president can’t just wave a magic wand and fix everything,” said a letter from alleged Philadelphian Ellie Light, that was published in the Jan. 19 edition of The Philadelphia Daily News.

A letter from Light in the Jan. 20 edition of the San Francisco Examiner concluded with an identical sentence, but with an address for Light all the way across the country in Daly City, California.

Variations of Light’s letter ran in Ohio’s Mansfield News Journal on Jan. 13, with Light claiming an address in Mansfield; in New Mexico’s Ruidoso News on Jan. 12, claiming an address in Three Rivers; in South Carolina’s The Sun News on Jan. 18, claiming an address in Myrtle Beach; and in the Daily News Leader of Staunton, Virginia on Jan. 15, claiming an address in Waynesboro. Her publications list includes other papers in Ohio, West Virginia, Maine, Michigan, Iowa, Pennsylvania and California, all claiming separate addresses.

She has more houses than John McCain!

But there are a few more places her little pro-Obama missive appeared, besides those documented.

Like Ben Smith at Politico.

And the Washington Times.

And a blog at USA Today.

And the Sheboygan Press in Wisconsin. And the Stevens Point Journal in Wisconsin — listing an address of Algoma, Wisconsin.

And in addition to the Californian.com link provided in the Plain Dealer story, listing an address in Salinas, CA, there are other California letters with other California addresses.

The letter appears in the Gilroy Dispatch and Morgan Hill Times, both listing an address of San Felipe, CA.

And in Good Times, listing an address in Santa Cruz, CA.

And in TheUnion.com, listing an address of Grass Valley, CA.

And Connecticut’s stamfordadvocate.com.

A letter was sent to a columnist at the local Daily Breeze here in the South Bay area of Los Angeles.

On an unrelated note, recall that recently, Glenn Greenwald flagged the fact that Obama’s pal (and head of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs) Cass Sunstein recently wrote this paper suggesting something sounding a lot like Astroturfing:

Sunstein advocates that the Government’s stealth infiltration should be accomplished by sending covert agents into “chat rooms, online social networks, or even real-space groups.” He also proposes that the Government make secret payments to so-called “independent” credible voices to bolster the Government’s messaging (on the ground that those who don’t believe government sources will be more inclined to listen to those who appear independent while secretly acting on behalf of the Government).

Who is Ellie Light?

I would like to know.

Wouldn’t you?

P.S. If you find other examples, please leave them in comments with a link. Many more updates in the extended entry.

UPDATE: Add the following:

California: The Los Banos Enterprise, listing an address of Gustine, CA.

Maine: In addition to the Maine link above, there is another appearance of the letter in Maine: in the Bangor Daily News, in which Light lists an address of Bangor, Maine.

Maryland: The Baltimore Chronicle.

Massachusetts: The North Adams Transcript, listing an address of Williamstown.

List your additions below.

UPDATE x2: Add these as well:

Connecticut: Another Connecticut paper, in addition to the Stamford listing: the Danbury News-Times. And here’s another: the Greenwich Time a/k/a Ctpost.com. (Address listed is Greenwich.)

Georgia: Gainesville Times. (Her address is listed as Gainesville.)

Massachusetts: In addition to the above, there is The Berkshire Eagle.

New Hampshire: It appeared in the Seacoastonline, which appears to be an online version of several New England papers including the Portsmouth Herald, Exeter News Letter, and others. Light’s address was listed as Portsmouth, NH.

Vermont: Bennington Banner.

Wisconsin: In addition to the above, there is the Oshkosh Northwestern (address listed is Oshkosh).

So far I count 35 publications in 16 states as well as the District of Columbia. Light managed to get herself published in media outlets in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C. West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

UPDATE x3: redc1c4 adds Spectrum.com in Utah, where Light claims to be from Washington City. That’s 36 publications in 17 states plus D.C.

UPDATE x4: DRJ adds 5 more publications in comments:

Here are a few more:

HudsonHubTimes.com, in which Ellie listed Streetsboro OH as her hometown.

[Duplicate already mentioned in the Plain Dealer article eliminated.]

The Willits News, with Willits CA as the hometown.

CDAPress.com of Coeur d’Alene ID, with Ellie listing a hometown of Post Falls.

From Ohio, the Chillicothe Gazette, with Chillicothe OH as the hometown.

And my current favorite so far, The Bangkok Post — the “World’s Window to Thailand.” No hometown provided.

Idaho is thus included as a new state, bringing the running total to 41 publications in 18 states plus D.C.

UPDATE x4: redc1c4 adds an Annapolis, Maryland publication. Light lists her city of residence as Annapolis. That’s 42 publications in 18 states plus D.C.

Curious, no? Who is Ellie Light and when will she debut at AMHD?

[Catsmine]

I am Spartacus!

Seriously, which work at home spam-site is offering this gig and how much does it pay?

[cdad]

I am Spartacus!

Seriously, which work at home spam-site is offering this gig and how much does it pay?

It's a one time gig worth a lot but you can't tell anyone. Apply at your nearest Acorn outlet.

[Catsmine]

Its a one time gig worth alot but you can't tell anyone. Apply at your nearest Acorn outlet.

I love it! But aren't they underground yet?

No? Somebody call Beck.

[cdad]

I love it! But aren't they underground yet?

No? Somebody call Beck.

No.. but they should be : )

[speechlesstx]

Axelrod helped the conversation yesterday on This Week, he said, "people will never know what's in that bill until we pass it."

Um, that's what we're afraid of you idiot.