First Cuppa Coffee – April 5th, 2012: Spring Bling Edition

Part Deux, Kony 2012 hits the interwebs… Invisible Children, the makers of Kony2012, the video about a Ugandan tyrant that took the internet by storm just a few weeks ago were all set to release “Part 2” of their campaign earlier this week. But then it was mysteriously delayed until today. It’s out there now in the interwebs, and early reviews are saying that it is mostly an attempt to answer criticisms of the first video. Complaints about the original video included the assertion that Kony 2012 was too American-centric, that the group spends too little money directly on the people it intends to help, and that it oversimplified the 26-year-old conflict involving Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army.  Noticeably missing in part two is the voice of the organization’s cofounder, Jason Russell, who was diagnosed with brief psychosis last month after witnesses saw him pacing naked on a sidewalk in a San Diego neighborhood, screaming incoherently and banging his fists on the pavement.

But wait! There’s more!  Reports out of Washington DC are now painting a picture of Invisible Children that ties them financially and politically to the mysterious politico-evangelist group called The Fellowship (aka, the Family) which, among other things, has been credited with inspiring and providing “technical support” for Uganda’s internationally-denounced Anti Homosexuality Bill, also dubbed the “kill the gays” bill.    Founded in 1935, its growing political clout was brought to widespread public notice with a 2002 Los Angeles Times report by Lisa Getter.  Fellowship member and Watergate felon Charles Colson describes the Fellowship as a “veritable underground of Christ’s men all through the U.S. government.”  Since the 1970s, the preeminent leader of the Fellowship has been Doug Coe, who says that Christians should be as dedicated as were the followers of Hitler, Lenin, and Mao and that the Fellowship should organize “invisibly” like the mafia.

App Killer…No matter how disgusting, unsanitary or unsafe practices in the American Food Industrial complex are, there are always political toadies willing to rush to the defense of the industry.  In the face of news reports that have raised questions about its safety, three Republican governors have come to the rescue of “pink slime,” the chemically created meat filler passed off as ground beef.  Governors Rick Perry (Texas), Sam Brownback (Kansas) and Terry Branstad (Iowa), all from states that have been hit hard by the criticism of the meat filler, joined together to tour one of Beef Product Inc.’s plants and to speak out against what they consider to be an unfair attack. They’re claiming that the product is perfectly safe to eat, and the attacks have needlessly cost people their jobs.

Pink Slime is a combination of all leftover bits and pieces of meat that are too small or too unappetizing to sell on their own, that is exposed to ammonium hydroxide gas to make it safer for human consumption.  Numerous grocery stores and fast food restaurants have banned the product, including Kroger, Safeway, McDonald’s and Taco Bell. It has even been cast out of many school lunch menus. It is also banned in Canada and the U.K.

Killer App….At the risk of appearing as a shill for Google, I have to report that I was completely captivated by yesterday’s video release that purported to show us what their Next Big Project, dubbed Project Glass, will do for us folks that are hopelessly addicted to techno-bling. My suggestion is that you revisit your memories of Medusa, the character from Greek mythology… You may not turn to stone from watching the video, but you sure as hell will want one these toys.

This is HUGE….  The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a Field Poll shows that nearly 3 in 5 voters would support a special fee on soft drinks to fight childhood obesity,  The survey of 1,000 likely voters in November found that an increasing number of Californians want to see obesity fought on several fronts, including in homes, schools, communities and in government spending.  To pay for anti-obesity programs, 57 percent of voters polled believed local governments should have the ability to tax alcohol, cigarettes, junk foods or sweetened beverages, if approved by a majority of voters.

Willard’s Woes... A USA Today/Gallup poll of 12 swing states suggests that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is quickly losing support among independent voters — a voting bloc considered crucial in the 2012 election. Overwhelming underdog Romney’s numbers have dropped 10 points among independents since last fall, while President Obama’s numbers have increased by nearly the same amount during that time frame  Romney’s struggles among independents are due almost entirely to the fact that independent women, who were voting for him over Obama by 5 points last fall, now favor the Democratic incumbent by a 51 percent-to-37 percent margin.