OpenCongress Blog
May 16, 2008 Senate Votes Against Media Consolidation
"The Senate vote is good news for everyone who is fed up with a media system, that, in the words of Jon Stewart, is 'hurting America' with propaganda pundits, embedded journalists, horse-race election coverage, and celebrity gossip posing as news. It reflects growing awareness — in Congress and with average Americans — of the perils of concentrated media ownership. Namely, insatiable profit pressures that gut newsrooms, replace labor-intensive investigative news with salacious, cheap-to-cover stories, and encourage the dumbing-down of the most pressing issues into 30-second sound bites and partisan shout-fests."
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Joe Biden (D-DE) had a strong reaction to a speech President Bush gave in Israel on Thursday that insinuated Barack Obama (D-IL) would appease terrorists by talking with Syrian and Iran. “This is bullshit, this is malarkey. This is outrageous, for the president of the United States to go to a foreign country, to sit in the Knesset ... and make this kind of ridiculous statement,” Biden said. Biden later said that his word choice was "not very eloquent," but that he "reacted viscerally" when asked about the speech.
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Mark Kirk (R-IL) has ramped up his push for legislation banning access to social-networking sites in schools and libraries with a press conference outlining the "dangers" and sexually-explicit content available to anyone on Second Life. "Sites like Second Life offer no protections to keep kids from virtual "rape rooms," brothels, and drug stores," Kirk said. "If sites like Second Life won't protect kids from obviously inappropriate content, the Congress will."
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S.Con.Res.70 Budget resolution FY2009
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Ayes: 47 Nays: 48 May 15, 2008 -
H.R.2642 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008
On Agreeing to the Senate Amendment With Amendment No. 3
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Ayes: 255 Nays: 165 May 15, 2008 -
H.R.5872 Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin Act
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
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Ayes: 401 Nays: 8 May 15, 2008
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