On Friday night I was covering the protest of the Americans for Prosperity conference at the Washington DC Convention Center. It started off with a march from McPherson Square, the location of the Occupation, down K Street to the convention center. The crowd of around 500 people chanted and marched around the perimeter of the complex.

Then they blocked four corners of the street with the aid of police vehicles. One of the attendees came out to ask why the cops were allowing the protesters to do this. The answer she got from police was that it wasn't illegal.

So the protesters, then thinning in numbers to maybe 200 - blocked the doors of the massive convention center (a three block-sized building). The attendees trickled out. One was reported to give the protesters the middle finger...only down near his ribcage nearly out of sight. Very brave.

Anyway, the Occupiers chanted and "occupied" most exits while some of the attendees were at pre-scheduled free screening of Atlas Shugged. (No joke, inside they have a booth set up where you can literally put on a Reagan mask and have your picture taken. If this isn't a metaphor for how the Right's odd relationship with a President who tripled the national debt and yet still raised taxes almost every year he was in office - I don't know what is.)

The worst thing to happen to the Koch-funded event attendees last night was that they had to get chanted at while walking a block to catch a cab or use the Metro inside the convention center. "If we made some rich guys use the Metro tonight - we won!" I overheard an Occupier say.

The opposite corner from where I was standing - a full block away - a silver Lexus sedan hit three protesters in the street. The reports were that he actually sped up "like he was playing chicken" according to eye witnesses. The video above is when the police let the driver go. Then the crowd became angry at the police. You can hear an Officer Walsh on the tape saying, "They shouldn't have been in the street." The Metro Police have said they released the driver because he had a green light. This contradicts the report or tweet from DC Councilman Tommy Wells who claimed the driver was apprehended blocks away and was in custody.

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via Olliver Willis

New 9/11 Report Shows Warnings About Hijackings

The report discloses that the Federal Aviation Administration, despite being focused on risks of hijackings overseas, warned airports in the spring of 2001 that if "the intent of the hijacker is not to exchange hostages for prisoners, but to commit suicide in a spectacular explosion, a domestic hijacking would probably be preferable."
The report takes the F.A.A. to task for failing to pursue domestic security measures that could conceivably have altered the events of Sept. 11, 2001, like toughening airport screening procedures for weapons or expanding the use of on-flight air marshals. The report, completed last August, said officials appeared more concerned with reducing airline congestion, lessening delays, and easing airlines' financial woes than deterring a terrorist attack.

The Bush administration has blocked the public release of the full, classified version of the report for more than five months, officials said, much to the frustration of former commission members who say it provides a critical understanding of the failures of the civil aviation system. The administration provided both the classified report and a declassified, 120-page version to the National Archives two weeks ago and, even with heavy redactions in some areas, the declassified version provides the firmest evidence to date about the warnings that aviation officials received concerning the threat of an attack on airliners and the failure to take steps to deter it.

What did Dear Leader say last May?

"Had I known that the enemy was going to use airplanes to strike America, to attack us, I would have used every resource, every asset, every power of this government to protect the American people."

LIAR.

I spend about an hour or two every night working on those little clips for the Music Club. John finally made it worth my while. He brought me along to a private screening of the best film I've seen all year, War, Inc," an incredibly original way of looking at an issue raised both my George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower: the dangers of great wealth and militarism ganging up on democracy. Monday afternoon John and I want to introduce you to John Cusack, who co-wrote, co-produced and co-starred in this thought-provoking (and hilarious) film. Just show up right here at 3pm (PT, 6 back on the East Coast) and help John Amato and I ask John Cusack some questions about his latest project.

I didn't get a chance to see many movies this year, but I have to tell you once again that I loved "Street Fight." Marshall Curry is the first time director of the film (I met him during the screening) and you can check out his website here or click on the ad to the right. (DVD's are available) He did an amazing job with no money, a couple of cameras and exceptional instincts. You can find reviews by the NY Times and WaPo- plus many more by clicking to this page. I'll have an Oscar open thread later.

"A movie theater owned by Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller abruptly changed its screening plans and decided not to show the film "Brokeback Mountain." The film, an R-rated Western gay romance story, was supposed to open Friday at the Megaplex at Jordan Commons in Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City. Instead it was pulled from the schedule...read on

Take the tbogg challenge...

Just saw a screening of the movie, Street Fight. it was exceptional.

Not that anyone really cares. Also Paramount tried to pressure NBC to edit Cruise on the Today Show. Why don't they think the ravings of a lunatic would help the ratings over at NBC. Oh it did, but they're worried about the movie War of the Worlds. Now a friend of mine went to a private screening and hated it last night. I can't say they are much of a Sci-Fi fan though. Will Cruise's obvious need for some form of medication stop you from going to see War of the Worlds? Not me.

SmokingGun:

Claim: Governator sold moldy home with damaged pool, tennis court

DECEMBER 17--A lawyer who recently bought a $7.95 million Pacific Palisades home from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver is suing California's first couple, claiming that they hid damage to the estate's pool and tennis court, as well as a mold problem in the screening room. Now you know what blindingly rich people squabble over...

Will this come out in the vetting process when Arnold runs for president?

Dave Weigel makes a good point in this piece:

Public Policy Polling continues its tour of swing states that elected Republican governors last year and have already soured on them. In Florida, Rick Scott's already deep in the negative zone.

[...]

So Scott joins John Kasich of Ohio and Scott Walker of Wisconsin in the ranks of GOP governors with horrible robo-poll numbers only three months into their terms. The Florida difference: There hasn't been a robust union or Democratic protest movement of Scott. There's just negative media coverage about how his family could benefit from his own policies, complaints from Republicans about his leadership, disapproval of his cuts to education and the state workforce (as he phases in an end to corporate taxes), irritation with the cancellation of the Tampa-Orlando rail line, etc and so on.

I wrote earlier this month that the rejection of these governors' austerity packages were potential problems for the GOP's national ticket in 2012 -- it's hard to win without Ohio and Florida. These are still potential problems.

We've already heard quite a bit about Walker and Kasich. But what's Rick Scott done that's so bad? Well...

A disabled food stamp applicant has asked the Florida Supreme Court to overturn Gov. Rick Scott's executive order suspending agency rulemaking powers.

Lawyers for Rosalie Whiley filed the petition Monday. It alleges Scott overstepped his authority by transferring rulemaking from agencies under the governor to his office.

That halted rules to simplify the reapplication process for food stamps. Whiley, who is blind, said the new rules would have made it easier for her to apply for food stamps online.

Her lawyers include former Florida State University president Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte, who said the order halts actions urgently needed to protect vulnerable low-income citizens.

He also said the governor doesn't have the power to suspend state laws.

And then there's stuff like this...

Gov. Rick Scott offered little Tuesday when asked whether he would consider ending his family’s financial stake in Solantic, the urgent care company he founded and which provides drug-testing services.

Scott’s role in the firm was spotlighted when he signed an executive order ordering drug-testing for new state hires and random screening of current employees.

“As I’ve told you, I’m not involved in that company,” Scott said, refusing to directly answer whether he would consider prohibiting the state from contracting with the firm.

Scott, who reported a net worth of $218 million when he filed papers to run for governor last summer, had pledged to put his financial holdings into a blind trust, when elected. Instead, in January, Scott transfered his Solantic stock to his wife, Ann.

And...

Scott, lawmakers want less oversight of nursing homes

In the weeks since Gov. Rick Scott called for the ouster of Florida’s top nursing-home watchdog, Republican lawmakers have introduced more than a dozen bills that critics claim would further “neuter” the ombudsman program.

The state Department of Elder Affairs also has notified Florida’s 400 mostly volunteer ombudsmen, instructing them not to speak to the media without alerting a district manager about the conversation and detailing the questions asked.

“My biggest concern is that we can still speak for residents, still do yearly assessments of the facilities, still handle residents’ complaints and not be muzzled by the industry or the governor or anyone else,” said Lynn Dos Santos, chairwoman of the State Long Term Care Ombudsman Council and a volunteer herself. “Under the new policy, I shouldn’t be talking now. But the truth has to be told.”

The developments come as the U.S. Administration on Aging investigates the dismissal of Brian Lee, who led Florida’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program for the past seven years. In part, investigators are looking into allegations that Scott broke federal law by “interfering” with the watchdog program, which is supposed to be independent.

In case you were wondering, all of those stories occurred over the span of one day. I cannot imagine what other damage Scott is doing to his state on a regular basis. Maybe I should get a daily Google News alert on him just to satisfy my morbid curiosity.

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