Scott Walker punked by reporter

This is way too funny. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has been punked by a reporter that pretended to be David Koch. Here's the sad part: how come elected officials can't get through to speak to the governor but the Koch brothers can?

Here's something for your "can this possibly be for real" file this morning. Over at the Buffalo Beast -- the former print alt-weekly turned online newspaper founded by onetime editor Matt Taibbi, typically best known for its annual list of "The 50 Most Loathsome Americans" -- there appear to be recordings of a phone call between Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and current editor Ian Murphy. Now, why on earth would Scott Walker want to talk on the phone with the editor of an online site in Buffalo? Well, he wouldn't.

But what if said editor pretended to be David Koch of the famed Koch Brothers? Well, that's a different story altogether, apparently! And so Walker, believing himself to be on the phone with his patron, seems to have had a long conversation about busting Wisconsin's unions.

Buffalo Beast Publisher Paul Fallon told The Huffington Post that the audio is "absolutely legit." That the call took place as described by the Beast has been confirmed by Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie.

"Basically what happened was, yesterday morning [Murphy] was watching television about this Wisconsin stuff and he saw a report where he saw Walker say he wasn't going to talk to anybody," Fallon said. "And he said, 'I bet he would talk to somebody if he had enough oomph behind him.'"

The transcript can be found here.

Georgia lawmaker thinks miscarriages should be illegal

Umm, really, Georgia? Umm, isn't this like making a natural disaster illegal? The facts are that miscarriages are completely natural occurences. Are all Republicans assholes or are they just intellectually challenged?

Georgia State Rep. Bobby Franklin—who last year proposed making rape and domestic violence "victims" into "accusers"—has introduced a 10-page bill that would criminalize miscarriages and make abortion in Georgia completely illegal. Both miscarriages and abortions would be potentially punishable by death: any "prenatal murder" in the words of the bill, including "human involvement" in a miscarriage, would be a felony and carry a penalty of life in prison or death. Basically, it's everything an "pro-life" activist could want aside from making all women who've had abortions wear big red "A"s on their chests.[...]

Holding women criminally liable for a totally natural, common biological process is cruel and non-sensical. Even more ridiculous, the bill holds women responsible for protecting their fetuses from "the moment of conception," despite the fact that pregnancy tests aren't accurate until at least 3 weeks after conception. Unless Franklin (who is not a health professional) invents a revolutionary intrauterine conception alarm system, it's unclear how exactly the state of Georgia would enforce that rule other than holding all possibly-pregnant women under lock and key.

Seriously, what is wrong with this country?

That's our Rand...

Welcome to Kentucky...where it never ceases to be a national laughingstock.

Biggest waste of taxpayer money ever:

At the urging of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul , the state Senate approved a measure Tuesday urging Congress to convene a constitutional convention that would consider a balanced budget amendment.

The vote after a short speech by Paul to the Senate was 22-16 along party lines except for Sen. Julie Denton, R-Louisville, who voted against the legislation.[...]

Asked if the House will approve the measure, House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, said, “When pigs fly.”

Stumbo called a national constitutional convention “an untested,untried and a very dangerous path to go down.”

Other critics of the legislation also expressed fear that a constitutional convention would lead to other unwanted changes and said the state legislature should not meddle in federal policy.

Senate Minority Leader R. J. Palmer II, D-Winchester, said in a statement on behalf of the Senate Democratic Caucus that it supports a balanced federal budget but opposes asking Congress to call a convention to amend the U.S. Constitution.

“The Constitution has never been amended by a convention and no one knows how that process would unfold,” Palmer said. “Calling a constitutional convention opens a Pandora’s Box of uncertainty that places all of our rights and liberties at risk.

“Congress has the ability to pass a balanced budget amendment without making the entire Constitution vulnerable to radical changes. We cannot support asking for a constitutional convention that would gamble with our Constitutional rights.”

THANK YOU to Senator Julie Denton.

On the Kentucky front...

It's bad enough that a lot of offices get politicized but the Kentucky Public Service Commission should not be politicized. Who would pay the most money to buy influence? SB151 needs to be defeated.

Help Planned Parenthood

Sign this open letter to tell Congress how you feel about the cuts to Planned Parenthood.

The letter states:

To the members of the House of Representatives who voted for the Pence Amendment to H.R. 1:

How could you?

How could you betray millions of women — and men, and teens — who rely on Planned Parenthood for basic health care?

How could you condemn countless women in this country to undiagnosed cancer, unintended pregnancies, and untreated illnesses?

Your vote was not only against those who seek care at Planned Parenthood health centers, but against every one of us who has ever sought care there, and against every one of us who knows that when we are healthy, when we are in charge of our lives, we thrive.

It was a vote against me.

To every senator who will soon consider this legislation:

I stand with Planned Parenthood to say to you: STOP THIS.

I stand with Planned Parenthood and the hundreds of thousands of people from every walk of life and every corner of this country who join me in signing this letter to tell you that we will fight this bill and we expect you to do the same.

I stand with and for the millions of women, men, and teens who rely on Planned Parenthood, and I expect you to do the same.

To every member of Congress, know that we stand together today against this outrageous assault, and together we will not lose.

Stand with Labor

You remember how Ernie Fletcher blocked all those blogs a few years ago in Kentucky government buildings? Wisconsin is doing the same thing for the websites that are protesting their Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Here's a link via the AFL-CIO blog:

CNN.com just confirmed that access to a pro-worker website, www.DefendWisconsin.org, was blocked inside the state Capitol today and yesterday.

The Dropkick Murphys have even joined the fight with releasing “Take ’Em Down” from their new album, Going Out in Style. You can stream it here. The band did release a statement:

Dropkick Murphys would like to take a moment to acknowledge the struggles of the working people of Wisconsin and to pledge our support and solidarity by releasing the song ,”Take ‘Em Down” from our upcoming album. We think it’s appropriate at the moment and hope you like it….We’ll see you in Wisconsin in a few days! The Dropkick Murphys Stand With Wisconsin!!!!!

Over in Columbus, Ohio, they blocked people from getting inside to protest.

Thousands of workers are braving the cold after authorities shut the doors on demonstrators trying to enter the Capitol building earlier today, claiming the limited access was a safety issue.

Safety issue? Yeah, right.

Indiana Democratic legislators have fled the state to prevent an anti-union bill from passing while Hoosier employees were expected to protest in Indianapolis.

Seats on one side of the Indiana House were nearly empty today as House Democrats departed the the state rather than vote on anti-union legislation.

A source tells The Indianapolis Star that Democrats are headed to Illinois, though it was possible some also might go to Kentucky. They need to go to a state with a Democratic governor to avoid being taken into police custody and returned to Indiana.[...]

With only 58 legislators present, there was no quorum present to do business. The House needs 67 of its members to be present.[...]

Today’s fight was triggered by Republicans pushing a bill that would bar unions and companies from negotiating a contract that requires non-union members to kick-in fees for representation. It’s become the latest in what is becoming a national fight over Republican attempts to eliminate or limit collective bargaining.

Gov. Mitch Daniels had warned his party late last year against pursuing so-called “right to work” legislation. While he agreed with it philosophically, he said it was a big issue that needed a state-wide debate and noted no Republican had run on this in the November election.

It’s not just union busting that the Republicans are trying to accomplish but it’s a complete attack on the middle class. If there has EVER been a way to unite the Democratic base following the disastrous results this past November, this past week’s events.

A USA Today poll shows that 61% oppose the law that is being proposed by the Wisconsin Republicans.

The public strongly opposes laws taking away the collective bargaining power of public employee unions as a way to ease state financial troubles, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.

The poll found that 61% would oppose a law in their state similar to one being considered in Wisconsin, compared with 33% who would favor such a law.

Scott Walker will get no love from a few of his Republican colleagues.

Florida Governor Rick Scott:

My belief is as long as people know what they’re doing, collective bargaining is fine.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbitt:

We’ll begin negotiations with the public-sector unions and anticipate we’ll conduct those in good faith.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels:

I’m not sending the state police after anybody. I’m not gonna divert a single trooper from their job of protection the Indiana public. I trust that people’s consciences will bring them back to work. … For reasons I’ve explained more than once I thought there was a better time and place to have this very important and legitimate issue raised. I’ll also say I think it would have the potential — just tactically — to possibly reduce or wreck the chances for education reform and local government reform and criminal justice reform and the things we have a wonderful chance to do.

Moreover, check out this tidbit:

The deep recession has had a profound effect on virtually every segment of the country's population. But if there is an epicenter of financial stress and frustration, it is among whites without college degrees.

By many measures, this politically sensitive group has emerged from the recession with a particularly dark view of the economy and the financial future. Whites without college degrees also are the most apt to blame Washington for the problems, and are exceedingly harsh in their judgment of the Obama administration and its economic policies.

The whole economic recession came about because of the Bush administration’s decision to deregulate. They were lax on regulations that were installed before Bush took office. Going to war in Iraq did not help matters.

Really, Steve Beshear?

I have to echo Joe on this one. This just shows how much the coal industry is lobbying and influencing Frankfort...and why it is becoming harder and harder each day to support Steve Beshear's re-election campaign no matter how many friends are involved.

The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet has appealed a judge's decision to allow four environmental advocacy groups to intervene in a settlement of water pollution violations by the state's two largest surface coal mine producers.

"The order by Judge (Phillip) Shepherd, if allowed to stand, will have a chilling effect across all areas of the Executive Branch of state government," Energy and Environment Secretary Len Peters said in a statement. "The ability to negotiate settlements with respect to violations of state environmental standards will be severely limited because there would be no certainty by the parties that the issues would be final and completed."

Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd ruled Feb. 11 that the four environmental groups, which triggered the state's investigation of ICG of Hazard and Knott County by filing a notice of intent to sue under the federal Clean Water Act, have a right to be heard.

"The Cabinet, by its own admission, has ignored these now admitted violations for years," Shepherd wrote.

Jake actually has the full press release, which I have no problem copying in full:

The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet (EEC) today filed a petition for a writ of prohibition and mandamus and a motion for intermediate relief with the Kentucky Court of Appeals asking the court to compel Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd to act within the constraints of the law with regards to the petitions filed to intervene by several environmental groups in two cases involving consent judgments between the Cabinet and ICG, Inc. and its four subsidiaries and Frasure Creek Mining, LLC. The agency and the companies had filed those cases with Franklin Circuit Court Dec. 2, 2010. The cases, filed in different divisions of the court, were consolidated by Judge Shepherd in his division.

The environmental groups filed to intervene in the consolidated cases and that request was granted by Judge Shepherd on Feb. 11, 2011. In that ruling, Judge Shepherd found that because the environmental groups had brought water sampling and reporting issues from the coal companies to the Cabinet’s attention, they have a legal right to intervene in the cases and challenge the agreements reached by the Cabinet and the companies.

In seeking the writ of mandamus, attorneys for EEC state that the court erred in allowing the request for intervention because the environmental groups do not have a right to have their claims heard in state court. The cabinet argues that the federal Clean Water Act, which allows the filing of Notices of Intent (NOI) to file suits against the companies or state agencies, limits jurisdiction on groups’ claims to federal court. Further, the cabinet contends that state law provides no right for the group to challenge the settlement agreements.

The Cabinet filed a separate request for intermediate relief on the grounds that the Cabinet will suffer immediate and irreparable injury before a hearing may be held on this Petition.

The Petition states that the Feb. 11 order by Judge Shepherd “imposes obligations on the Cabinet commencing as early as February 21. This Order is clearly erroneous and, given the deadlines under the Order, the Cabinet has no adequate remedy at law to prevent the immediate negative impact of Respondent’s Order on the Cabinet’s ability to timely and efficiently implement its long-standing, comprehensive program for the investigation, enforcement, and resolution of violations of Kentucky’s environmental laws.”

“The order by Judge Shepherd, if allowed to stand, will have a chilling effect across all areas of the Executive Branch of state government in that the ability to negotiate settlements with respect to violations of state environmental standards will be severely limited because there would be no certainty by the parties that the issues would be final and completed,” said EEC Secretary Len Peters.

More formal legal arguments would be heard at a later date should the Court of Appeals grant the petition for the writ.

I expect better from leaders in Kentucky. I don't like any of the candidates at this point. Let me know who to write in during May's election. Maybe I'll vote for Jonathan Miller or Jack Conway? Even better--Crit Luallen for a write-in campaign for Governor! It worked in Alaska, right?

This Land is Your Land

Tom Morello, Tim McIlrath, Wayne Kramer, Tom Cabel, and Mike McColgan et al. perform "This Land Is Your Land" in front of the Wisconsin State Capitol during the Rally for Wisconsin's Workers in Madison on February 21, 2011:

Afternoon update...

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich published an article related to the showdown against the middle class: Exposing the Republicans' 3-Part Strategy to Tear the Middle Class Apart -- Let's Stop Them in Wisconsin. It's a must read if you ask me.

Also, on the political front: Embarrassed Republicans Admit They've Been Thinking Of Eisenhower Whole Time They've Been Praising Reagan.

Contrary to what we were hearing a few weeks ago, Ted Kennedy, Jr. has opted against running for the senate seat being vacated by Senator Joe Lieberman.

Kennedy, a lawyer, once expressed an interest to USA TODAY about joining the family business. But he is passing on a race next year, when a Connecticut senator is retiring for the second election cycle in a row. The Democrat told WFSB-TV that he doesn't want to run for political office until his children are older.

But never say never, Kennedy says.

"I've been clear about my desire and hope to go into public service at some point in my life," he said in an interview after a dinner honoring the 50th anniversary of his uncle John F. Kennedy's presidential inauguration.

Statement

For many years, I've identified as a moderate. I can't do that any more with seeing the actions of moderates when it comes to the budget cuts. To be honest, the only reason why I called myself a moderate was because of the fringe portion, of what people call the far left, that tend to be so anti-Israel.

However, given the large number of Democrats in Frankfort that are acting like Republicans and letting money influence their vote, it's starting to piss me off. I mean, we have a governor that would rather let the coal industry influence his beliefs on the environment than to do the right thing--which is protecting the environment with clean air and water!

So, yeah, here it goes: I'M A LIBERAL!

Protect the National Weather Service

I was reading the WAVE 3 Weather blog late last night. Folks, this House Republican budget is very drastic and according to Brian in the comments, it takes the National Weather Service back to the 1990s. At this point, all I can say is email your senators and congressman. I trust that John Yarmuth will fight the cuts. Now, Ben Chandler, I'm not so sure given his record of late.First, Brian gives readers the mission statement of the NWS:

The National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. NWS data and products form a national information database and infrastructure which can be used by other governmental agencies, the private sector, the public, and the global community.

Now that you have that, read on:

House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers proposed the Continuing Resolution HR 1this week that threatens funding for the National Weather Service (NWS), a service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association(NOAA), with a budget cut of 30 percent, if passed.[...]

Koch says that the NWS budget cuts, if enacted, would be "felt in every aspect of daily life," from emergency weather forecasting to the cost of shipping goods.

Specific concerns for him include suspended and terminated weather observation activities, such as the potential grounding of the Hurricane Hunter Jet, which helps determine a hurricane's path, to reduced weather balloon launches which may result in less accurate forecasts.

The question and answer in the main article was with the Little Rock office so a lot of the answers are related to Arkansas. Tornadoes are bad so here is this part:

Will there be a delay in receiving tornado warnings (or similar severe warnings) common to Arkansas?

"Under certain circumstances, yes, we are afraid that this could happen. During a tornado emergency, seconds save lives."

"Imagine a situation in which the Little Rock NWS office was on a 27-day shutdown," he begins, speaking to the resulting work furloughs and rolling closures across the country if the NWS budget cuts as proposed are enacted. "In this case, our sister office in Memphis would be covering our area of responsibility."

"If a county Sheriff in central Arkansas were to spot a tornado touchdown, their immediate response would be to call the NWS Office in Little Rock. What would happen?"

What happens if a call goes unanswered or is met with a recording advising the spotter to call, say, Memphis?

"Under those circumstances, that would create a delay of getting the information to our neighboring office."

How much of the budget does the NWS take up?

Reactions: What about the federal deficit?

Scientist Tim Coleman further discuses the proposed $126 million NWS budget cut at ABC 33/40 in light of the U.S. Federal Deficit. Coleman points out that "the National Weather Service "budget of $850 million is 0.03 percent of the budget."

Coleman opines further on the role of the government who -- after entitlement programs, interest on federal debt and national defense -- dedicates 17 percent of the budget to pay for "Interstates, FBI, education, energy, treasury, NOAA, NASA, EPA, Corps of Engineers, National Science Foundation (research)," [sic] and similar programs related to justice, defense and general welfare.

Koch was asked about any counter proposals offered that would reduce spending but minimize risk due to extreme budget cuts:

"I've been told that many different scenarios have been discussed by our senior staff at National Weather Service Headquarters, and these solutions were the ones that had the least impact on public safety. Our budget shortfall is expected to exceed $125 million, and all of the cost cutting measures that have been proposed only total up to $48 million. Where the rest of the cuts will come from is uncertain at this time," he said.

Earth to Congressman Ben Chandler...

Like so many people, I voted for Ben Chandler when he ran for governor in 2003. Twice--in the primary and again in the fall. But what is happening to him in Washington?

I'm glad that he voted against the Republicans' plan to defund Planned Parenthood.

But here's the thing that I don't get. Why would he vote against funding the health care reform bill that passed a year ago last March? Why did he cave to the GOP when he barely got re-elected last year? I don't get this.

I want to like Ben Chandler but gosh darn it, this is making it so hard. At this point, Ben Chandler is fuirther to the right than even Senator Joe Lieberman. It makes it harder to even fathom the idea of voting another time for Ben Chandler if he were to run statewide again in Kentucky. Granted, come 2016 when Rand is up for re-election, I'll probably be in Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles.

Unions...

Hat tip to Joe for this one. Powerful stuff.

Koch Brothers supporting Wisconsin Governor Scott Walke

The Koch Brothers are behind Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker per ThinkProgress.

Wisconsin’s newly elected Republican Gov. Scott Walker is facing a growing backlash over his attempt to cut pay and eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees in his state. Although Walker is claiming his power grab is an attempt to close a budget gap, the budget “crisis” was engineered by Walker as soon as he got into office. As Brian Beutler reported, half of the budget shortfall comes from Walker’s own tax cuts for businesses and other business giveaways enacted in January.

Giving tax cuts to your friends is never the answer. Just look at what happened to the United States' economy once President Bush and the Republicans stopped regulating Wall Street.

A number of the big business interests standing with Walker are beneficiaries of his administration’s tax giveaways. But the greatest ally to Walker is the dirty energy company Koch Industries. In response to the growing protests in Madison, Koch fronts are busing in Tea Party protesters to support Walker and his union-busting campaign.

What is happening with the unions in Wisconsin and Ohio is happening in Kentucky. Instead of unions, it's coal. The coal industry practically owns the state legislature. Instead of wanting clean air and water, the state would rather do every thing it can to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from doing it's job.

I have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That includes my fundamental basic right to breathe in clean air and drink clean water. If the governor decides that he would rather support the coal industry than basic rights, I have no problem writing in the name of someone else.

My state representative did what?!?

My state representative, Bob DeWeese, did the right thing in voting against the optometry bill. The whole bill just smells of financial lobbying by optometrists. I would hope that Governor Steve Beshear vetoes the bill--which did not get sent to the proper committee in the state house.

When it comes to someone performing surgery on my eye, I would trust an opthamologist before trusting an optometrist. This may be one of the rare areas where I actually agree with Rand Paul. Look at their medical training. An opthamologist actually goes to medical school--following which, they perform their respective residency.

Take a look at the requirements put forth by the American Board of Opthamology for one to be a certified opthamologist:

•Medical School: All applicants must have graduated from an allopathic or osteopathic medical school. Applicants who are graduates of International Medical Schools are also required to have a certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).

•One (1) year of internship: All applicants, both graduates of allopathic and osteopathic medical schools, entering ophthalmology training programs must complete a post-graduate clinical year (PGY-1) in a program in the United States accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or a program in Canada approved by the appropriate accrediting body in Canada.

The PGY-1 must be comprised of training in which the resident is primarily responsible for patient care in fields such as internal medicine, neurology, pediatrics, surgery, family practice, or emergency medicine. As a minimum, six months of this year must consist of a broad experience in direct patient care.

•Three to four years in a residency program: In addition to a PGY-1, all applicants must satisfactorily complete an entire formal graduated residency training program in ophthalmology of at least 36 months duration (PGY-4 or higher) in either the United States accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, or in Canada accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Let's compare that to optometrists. The American Optometric Association is one of two boards that certify optometrists in the United States. What do optometrists have to do to get their Doctor of Optometry?

Doctors of optometry are trained to examine, diagnose, treat and manage disorders that affect the eye or vision.

•After attending a university or college for their undergraduate education, optometry students concentrate specifically on the structure, function and disorders of the eye for 4 additional years during their graduate education to earn their doctoral degree.

•While concentrating on the eye and visual system, optometrists also study general health in courses such as human anatomy, biochemistry and physiology.

•In addition to their formal, doctoral-level training, all optometrists participate in ongoing continuing education courses to stay current on the latest standards of care and to maintain their licenses to practice. Optometry is one of the only doctoral-level health care professions to require continuing education in every state for license renewal.

After reading that, I'd say the Commonwealth of Kentucky royally screwed up.

I stand with Labor in Wisconsin

I stand in solidarity with our union friends in Wisconsin and Ohio. In an effort to block a vote in Wisconsin, Democratic legislators have left the state and are now in Illinois.

Wisconsin Democrats on Thursday fled the statehouse in an effort to prevent legislators from reaching a quorum and passing a bill put forth by Gov. Scott Walker (R), which would cripple the collective bargaining rights of public unions.[...]

One Democratic senator told the Associated Press that he and his fleeing colleagues are currently in Illinois.

Their flight further heightened the drama that has surrounded the Wisconsin statehouse this week. On Wednesday there were an estimated 30,000 peacefully rallying in front of the state capitol building, and on Thursday an estimated 25,000 turned out.

Madison public schools are closed for the second day running, as teachers call in sick and students walk out.

Wisconsin is a stronghold of the labor movement -- the birthplace of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, one of the nation's largest labor unions -- with a long history of successful battles for workers' rights. This is part of the reason the pushback to Walker's bill has been so strong. It's also why, if the bill does pass, the precedent it sets for other conservative governors looking to go after collective bargaining rights is so powerful.

"The attacks on public-sector public bargaining rights are extremely ferocious, and the outcome depends on the magnitude of the fight back," Cornell Professor of Labor Relations Rebecca Givan said. "Other governors are closely watching."

If the bill is passed, Givan said, wages will be frozen and benefits will be slashed. The one flexibility Walker's bill offers for collective bargaining, the ability to bargain over wages, is, in Givan's view, practically meaningless.

"They can bargain over wages but only up to the Consumer Price Index -- that's barely bargaining," she said. "That's just 'we're going to go for scraps.'"

The bill cannot be passed if there is not a single Democrat in the chamber. But even if one is rounded up, and the bill passes the senate, protesters won't stop fighting.

Former Congresman David Obey:

Former Rep. David Obey (D-WI), a 41-year veteran of the House, the former chairman of the Appropriations Committee and an icon in Wisconsin politics, assailed Gov. Scott Walker for engaging in "political thuggery" and accused him of channeling toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak before his fall.

"All I know is that last week, when people were asking where Mubarak was -- whether he had gone to Sharm el-Sheikh or Paris -- I was saying he was ensconced in the governor's mansion in Madison," Obey said in a telephone interview with TPM.

I stand with labor.

Nominees for The Comedy Awards

The nominations were announced this week for The Comedy Awards, airing April 10, 2011 on Comedy Central, TV Land, and Spike.

Nominees were selected by the Comedy Awards' Board of Directors that includes James Burrows, Stephen Colbert, Billy Crystal, James Dixon, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Grey, Caroline Hirsch, Martin Lesak, Seth MacFarlane, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Conan O'Brien, Peter Principato, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Jay Roach, Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Rory Rosegarten, Phil Rosenthal, Michael Rotenberg, George Schlatter, Sharon Sheinwold Jackson, Mitzi Shore, Jon Stewart, Lily Tomlin and Sandy Wernick. The winners of each category will be chosen by an invitation-only voting body comprised of nearly 1000 members from the comedy community – including writers, producers, performers and directors.

COMEDY SERIES
“30 Rock”
“Eastbound & Down”
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”
“Modern Family”
“The Office”

COMEDY ACTOR — TV
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
Steve Carell, “The Office”
Tracy Morgan, “30 Rock”
Danny McBride, “Eastbound & Down”

COMEDY ACTRESS — TV
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
Jane Krakowski, “30 Rock”
Jane Lynch, “Glee”
Betty White, “Hot in Cleveland”
Kristen Wiig, “Saturday Night Live”

COMEDY ACTOR — FILM
Russell Brand, “Get Him to the Greek”
Will Ferrell, “The Other Guys”
Zach Galifianakis, “Dinner for Schmucks”
Paul Giamatti, “Barney’s Version”
Jonah Hill, “Cyrus"

COMEDY ACTRESS — FILM
Tina Fey, “Date Night”
Anne Hathaway, “Love & Other Drugs”
Helen Mirren, “Red”
Chloë Moretz, “Kick-Ass”
Emma Stone, “Easy A”

LATE NIGHT COMEDY SERIES
“The Colbert Report”
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”
“Late Show with David Letterman”

SKETCH COMEDY/ALTERNATIVE COMEDY SERIES
“Childrens Hospital”
“Funny or Die Presents”
“Saturday Night Live”
“Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”
“Tosh.0”

STAND-UP SPECIAL
“Aziz Ansari: Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening”
“Bill Maher…But I’m Not Wrong”
“Louis C.K.: Hilarious”
“Ricky Gervais: Out of England 2”
“Whitney Cummings: Money Shot”

COMEDY FILM
“Cyrus”
“Easy A”
“Get Him to the Greek”
“Kick-Ass”
“The Other Guys”

ANIMATED COMEDY FILM
“Despicable Me”
“Megamind”
“Shrek Forever After”
“Toy Story 3”

ANIMATED COMEDY SERIES
“American Dad!”
“Archer”
“Family Guy”
“The Simpsons”
“South Park”

COMEDY WRITING — TV
“30 Rock”
“Louie”
“Modern Family”
“The Office”
“The Simpsons”

COMEDY SCREENPLAY
“Cyrus”
“Easy A”
“Hot Tub Time Machine”
“Kick-Ass”
“Tiny Furniture”

COMEDY DIRECTING — TV
“30 Rock”
“Community”
“Modern Family”
“The Office”
“Saturday Night Live”

COMEDY DIRECTOR — FILM
Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass, “Cyrus”
Will Gluck, “Easy A”
Adam McKay, “The Other Guys”
Matthew Vaughn, “Kick-Ass”
Edgar Wright, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”

Firefly comes back to cable

Joss Whedon's cult sci-fi classic, Firefly, is coming back to cable in the form of syndicated reruns. To celebrate, EW spoke to Firefly star Nathan Fillion.

The Science Channel has acquired the rights to the cult-hit and will air the series in its short-lived entirety, plus some new extras. Science Channel will wrap each episode with interstitial segments starring renowned physicist Dr. Michio Kaku, who will discuss the theoretical science behind the show’s sci-fi concepts.

According to Firefly studio 20th Century Fox, this will mark the first time Firefly has aired on a fully distributed basic cable channel since 2008, when it ran on USA Network.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was the part about playing the character?
NATHAN FILLION: It was my favorite job ever. What wasn’t great about it? I got to wear a low-slung holster. I got to ride horses. I got to have a spaceship. I got to act mean and curmudgeonly. [Creator Joss Whedon] is really good at kicking characters in the nuts so the other characters would have laughs at my expense and that was great too.

If Castle had its series finale tomorrow and Fox said to you and Joss: “We screwed up, let’s try doing Firefly again.” Would you do it?
Yes. Yes. I would examine very closely Fox’s reasoning — I’m a little gun-shy. If I got $300 million from the California Lottery, the first thing I would do is buy the rights to Firefly, make it on my own, and distribute it on the Internet.

What’s the most common thing Firefly fans say to you?
No. 1, “Is there going to be more?” No. 2, “Why was it canceled?”

Why do you think the show has had such an enduring appeal?
It’s a great question. We’re the most story-literate society the world has ever seen. What Joss tends to do is twist story conventions into reality. Whereas the story goes like this, real life goes like this, and that’s what Joss has mastered.

Do you ever watch the show nowadays or is that just weird?
It’s not weird. I haven’t watched it in a long, long time and I would like to revisit it.

The Science Channel will start with the two hour pilot on March 6 at 8 PM. At 10, another episode will air. Following which, every Sunday will feature new episodes--in their original intended order and in HD.

March 6 at 8 p.m., with the two hour pilot, followed by the first episode at 10 p.m. Following that, Firefly episodes will air every Sunday at 10 PM — and, yes, in their original intended order and upgraded to high definition.

I'm with the EPA...Jim Gooch isn't

Jim, Jim, Jim. What the fuck are we supposed to do with you? It is a losing battle. Federal law trumps any thing you want to propose. You won't win. You're a fucking embarrassment, Jim Gooch--I'm so glad I don't live in your district.

"The EPA don’t understand mining,” House Natural Resources and Environment Chairman Jim Gooch, D-Providence, said at his committee’s hearing. “We’re trying to say to those folks, we don’t want them having ultimate say or control.”

Lawmakers acknowledged that it’s unclear what legal weight their measures would carry beyond “sending a message” to Washington. Federal law usually trumps state law, especially in regards to environmental protection and interstate commerce. But lawmakers said they’re trying to make a point for states’ rights.

“We hope it goes to the Supreme Court so we can go argue our case there,” said Rep. Keith Hall, D-Phelps, who is in the coal mining business. “As a member who owns 1,200 acres, when I have intrusion by the federal government that tells me what I can and cannot do with my own property … I call that a taking.”

Gooch’s committee unanimously approved his House Bill 421, which would exempt coal mining from the federal Clean Water Act and other EPA regulation if the coal is used inside Kentucky and does not cross state lines. The lone critic at the hearing, environmental lawyer Tom FitzGerald, told lawmakers that about 20 percent of the sediment produced by coal mining goes into rivers that flow outside Kentucky’s borders.

The Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee later unanimously approved Senate Joint Resolution 99, which declares that Kentucky should be a “sanctuary state” for the coal industry, free from “the overreaching regulatory power” of the EPA. The state Energy and Environment Cabinet would be authorized to regulate mining on their own.

I hope Democrats in the General Assembly start acting like Democrats once more. I like clean air. I like clean water. I expect that there will be a massive lawsuit agaist the state if this passes.

Inequality in the United States

The Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality provides us with 20 facts about inequality in the United States. It's a sad, sad picture.

Go take a look at it.