Did Jon Stewart Move Zadroga Act Passage through Media Pressure?

My Dec 18th post referred to Jon Stewart's last show of the year, 12/16/10 when he invited  9/11 First Responders on as guests, conferring with them about their fatal illnesses brought on by exposure to  the hazardous materials they handled and air they breathed during the long aftermath. 

Stewart admonished the Republican side of the Senate for filibustering additional health care coverage to First Responders.  He was extremely critical of mass media for failing to cover it.  The next day, everybody was suddenly talking about the health care defeat for these brave men & women.  A week later, before adjourning for the holidays, the Senate passed the bill with a reduced cap, from $7 billion to $4 billion. 

Was Stewart the critical game changer?  I think so. 

For more insight to the role he played, go here.



 

Dialing Anita Hill

There's drunk dialing and there's prank dialing and now there's "I want an apology!" dialing. 

Could this be all three?

Clarence Thomas’s Wife Asks Anita Hill for Apology

New York Times Oct 19, 2010

Clarence Thomas  Virginia Thomas



How's this for an

apology...

"SORRY!"



"Gilly" character on SNL



              

Earth Day 2010

I hadn't planned to post today but when I saw this tweet from Rachel Maddow (no, not to me personally, I WISH) I had to re-post it and follow up with the latest from New York Times.

Oil Rig Sinks in the Gulf of Mexico

By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON and LIZ ROBBINS

NEW ORLEANS — The oil rig 50 miles off the southeast coast of Louisiana where an explosion occurred Tuesday night has collapsed into the Gulf of Mexico, a Coast Guard official said.

“We have multiple vessels on scene — all response vessels — and they are on scene there to help to mitigate the effects of the pollution,” Petty Officer Atkeson said in a telephone interview. He added that it was not clear how much oil had spilled into the ocean.
Nor was it immediately clear what, if any, environmental implications the rig’s collapse would have.

For more information, go here.