Such a nice way to start the week..reading this report from the Inspector General about how our government ISNT tracking the weapons we send to Iraq. If you do not wish to slog through the entire report, the NYT is glad to provide you with the horrible details here.
Talk about a nightmare..our own soldiers could be killed or maimed by our own weapons. It literally makes me physically ill to think about it. I have always wondered how the "insurgents" were so well armed..perhaps this is why?
Tags: Iraq,War on Terror,Inspector Generals Report on Weapons
Oct 28, 2006
Halliburton still can't play fair.
Halliburton caught 'hindering competition and oversight' by routinely hiding information
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (HalliburtonWatch.org) -- The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) reported today that Halliburton routinely hides from public view the details of its contract performance in Iraq, thereby "hindering competition and oversight."
SIGIR concluded that Halliburton "marks almost all of the information it provides to the government as ... proprietary data," thereby forbidding military personnel from disclosing it to the public.
But marking information as "proprietary" is permissible only during the bidding for, not the performance of, contracts.
By marking almost all data as "proprietary," Halliburton successfully conceals critical performance information from public discourse, including overcharges of the taxpayers. The scheme, the SIGIR report said, "inhibits transparency of government activities and the use of taxpayer funds."
The report concluded that Halliburton has turned regulations "into a mechanism to prevent the government from releasing normally transparent information, thus potentially hindering competition and oversight."
A military audit released to the public last year was heavily redacted at the specific request of Halliburton because it contained numerous criticisms of the company's work in Iraq, including $108 million in overcharges. Even the overcharges were redacted by the military prior to public release.
Read the numerous examples of the Pentagon's preferential treatment for Halliburton at this link.
The SIGIR report found that Halliburton "inappropriately" told the Pentagon to conceal information such as reports on dining head counts in military cafeterias (the company admitted billing the military for meals it didn't serve) and the amount of fuel delivered to foreign embassies (the company was caught overcharging for fuel in 2003).
In an emailed response to SIGIR, Halliburton said it "has encountered situations in the past where extremely competition sensitive data has found its way to the press and/or to the internet. As a result, this data is being properly protected." It justified the unusual step of marking nearly all of its information as "proprietary" on grounds that "disclosure would cause a forseeable harm" to operations.
Halliburton was recently fired from its troop support contract (known as LOGCAP) in Iraq because of its notoriously delinquent performance. But the Pentagon has announced it may allow the company to bid on the new contract anyway. The winning bidders won't be disclosed to the public until November -- after the U.S. midterm elections. A senior official at the Pentagon told SIGIR that Halliburton's scheme to conceal information will make it more difficult to carry through with firing the company from the troop support contract. SIGIR said Halliburton's "practice of marking almost all data it provides the government as proprietary may inhibit the transition of work being performed under the current LOGCAP contract to the successor contracts."
More Information:
Read the SIGIR report
Associated Press
Oct 27, 2006
California's plan to ship inmates out of state is unconstitutional
This shouldn't be a surprize. When I heard about Ahnold's plan to make room by moving inmates to civilan run prisons outside Cali..I sat back and waited.
I didn't have to wait long. Here is an article from the LAT. To wit:
The opinion by the Legislative Counsel, a nonpartisan legal office that provides policy advice to lawmakers, casts a legal shadow over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to relieve the prison crowding crisis by housing some inmates out of state in lockups run by private firms. The opinion said that, with certain exceptions, the state may not contract out services that have traditionally been performed by public employees.
Ahnolds minions will fight it however..anything to keep the Federal government from taking over the entire prison system here. They already run the health services division of the prison system.
I didn't have to wait long. Here is an article from the LAT. To wit:
The opinion by the Legislative Counsel, a nonpartisan legal office that provides policy advice to lawmakers, casts a legal shadow over Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to relieve the prison crowding crisis by housing some inmates out of state in lockups run by private firms. The opinion said that, with certain exceptions, the state may not contract out services that have traditionally been performed by public employees.
Ahnolds minions will fight it however..anything to keep the Federal government from taking over the entire prison system here. They already run the health services division of the prison system.
Oct 26, 2006
Repubs: Strong on Terror, weak as hell on Vet's medical benefits
VoteVets.org has released a new ad today which will run in CA. District 4, home of incumbent John Doolittle. You can watch the ad here. Senator Barack Obama, who sits on the Vet.Affairs Committee, understands the need for increasing the monies for the Dept of Veterans Affairs and has co-sponsored bills to increase Vets medical care coverage.
No matter how you feel about the war in Iraq, you certainly want the over 44,000 injured Vets returning home to get the medical treatement and benefits they deserve. Evidently many of our elected officials don't see it that way. Here is a timeline showing attempts to increase funding for Veterans medical benefits..which were constantly shot down by the Republican-led legislatures, which is pointed out in this article in WaPo.
The most recent article on Veterans health care funding I could find is this one from CSPAN. The vote talley can be found here..only 1 Democrat voted against the funding..the rest were Republicans.
I guess the Republicans are strong on terror, but when it comes to taking care of our Veterans..not so much.
Tags; Politics,Iraq Veterans,Republicans weak on Vets,VA Benefits
No matter how you feel about the war in Iraq, you certainly want the over 44,000 injured Vets returning home to get the medical treatement and benefits they deserve. Evidently many of our elected officials don't see it that way. Here is a timeline showing attempts to increase funding for Veterans medical benefits..which were constantly shot down by the Republican-led legislatures, which is pointed out in this article in WaPo.
The most recent article on Veterans health care funding I could find is this one from CSPAN. The vote talley can be found here..only 1 Democrat voted against the funding..the rest were Republicans.
I guess the Republicans are strong on terror, but when it comes to taking care of our Veterans..not so much.
Tags; Politics,Iraq Veterans,Republicans weak on Vets,VA Benefits
Oct 25, 2006
Cheney: Waterboarding is ok. its a no-brainer
For the love of god..did that sumbitch actually say that? According to this write up, he did:
"The radio interview Tuesday was the first time that a senior Bush administration official has confirmed that U.S. interrogators used water-boarding against important al-Qaida suspects, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged chief architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Mohammad was captured in Pakistan on March 1, 2003, and turned over to the CIA."
Man, I just don't see how people can sleep at night thinking this kinda shit is ok. WTF is wrong with them?
Edit: Well, the sumbitch actually said it. The White House website has it online here, the whole interview. Guess it's not really torture then, if the WhiteHouse says its not...
tags:Terrorism,Politics,Bush,War on Terror,Waterboarding isn't ok
"The radio interview Tuesday was the first time that a senior Bush administration official has confirmed that U.S. interrogators used water-boarding against important al-Qaida suspects, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged chief architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Mohammad was captured in Pakistan on March 1, 2003, and turned over to the CIA."
Man, I just don't see how people can sleep at night thinking this kinda shit is ok. WTF is wrong with them?
Edit: Well, the sumbitch actually said it. The White House website has it online here, the whole interview. Guess it's not really torture then, if the WhiteHouse says its not...
tags:Terrorism,Politics,Bush,War on Terror,Waterboarding isn't ok
Troops signing petition to get out of Iraq
As this WaPo article discusses, and Keith Olbermann interviewed one of the soldiers who signed last night, over 100 soldiers who were or are in Iraq have signed a petition urging our withdrawal from Iraq.
The soldiers are making use of a legal protection afforded by the Military Whistle-Blower Protection Act, which provides that members of the military, acting in their capacity as citizens, can send a protected communication to Congress without reprisal.
Tags:Politics,Bush,
The soldiers are making use of a legal protection afforded by the Military Whistle-Blower Protection Act, which provides that members of the military, acting in their capacity as citizens, can send a protected communication to Congress without reprisal.
The group, which aims to collect 2,000 signatures and deliver the “Appeal for Redress” to Congress in January, is sponsored by antiwar activists including Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out.
It has to take a ton of courage to sign such a petition while still on active duty in Iraq, as some evidently are. Whether you agree or disagree with their views, you have to give them a hat tip to take such a drastic step which could make life very difficult for them with regard to their superiors and other soldiers who do not hold the same view of the situation in Iraq. Even if they aren’t still in Iraq, if they are in the military this surely wouldn’t make them popular. They also walk a very thin line that could put them at odds with the UCMJ.
Part of the interview Keith Olbermann did with a soldier that has signed the petition:
OLBERMANN: This would seem to be a very drastic, risky step for an active-duty Marine to take. Let me begin by asking you what compelled you to make this decision, to take this decision? Was there something specific about the war in which you have fought that you find objectionable?
MADDEN: The only thing about the war that I don‘t like is, the more I find out about it, the less I like the war. I oppose the war because there is no benefit to the parties involved, including the American service members, the Iraqi people, and the American people. There‘s—it‘s a war for no benefit, in my eyes.
OLBERMANN: Let me ask you for your reaction to a comment that was made yesterday by the White House press secretary, Tony Snow, who was asked about the letter-writing campaign. He said not only that it‘s, quote, “not unusual for soldiers in a time of war to have some misgivings,” he also said that you and the other service men and women involved are, quote, “going to be able to get more press than the hundreds of thousands who have come back and said they are proud of their service.”
That would seem to imply, or he would be seemingly implying there, Sergeant, that you‘re not proud of your service. Is that the case, or is that statement a gross mischaracterization of how you feel about your service?
MADDEN: I think a gross mischaracterization is as well as you can put it, Keith. I feel that I‘m participating in democracy, and that‘s what citizens of a democratic land should do. And if Mr. Snow has a problem with that, then he should know that I feel I‘ve protected democracy more by appealing to my congressman than I did when I defended Iraq.
OLBERMANN: But you are personally proud of what you did in Iraq, and what your fellow servicemen did, in terms of your service to your country?
MADDEN: I‘m proud of serving with fellow Marines. But I oppose the war. The only reason I got up to work every day was to help my Marines, to help the Marines next to me.
OLBERMANN: That‘s a pretty damn good reason.Tags:Politics,Bush,
Oct 23, 2006
Enron's CEO Skilling gets 24 years
Since Jeffrey is in his early 50's..that is basically a life sentence. Perhaps the thought of spending the rest of his natural life in prison is what drove Jeffrey Skilling to get his second drunkenness charge since the fall of Enron.
Putting Skilling behind bars for 24 years and making restitution of 50 Million to the people who lost their savings wont put much of a dent in the debacle that was Enron. It won't bring back my friend who died in a car accident as a result of the friggin daily blackouts when Enron was pushing up the price and availablity of energy to Californians. Putting Skillings worthless ass behind bars won't give too many people solace.
But the government calls it a victory. The real victory was the law passed to prevent this kind of problem, the Sarbanes-Oxley law which provides more oversight on how big corporations are audited. The foxes will hopefully no longer run the henhouse.
And we all paid a price..at least every Californian, every investor, everyone associated with Enron. The worst part is this:
Putting Skilling behind bars for 24 years and making restitution of 50 Million to the people who lost their savings wont put much of a dent in the debacle that was Enron. It won't bring back my friend who died in a car accident as a result of the friggin daily blackouts when Enron was pushing up the price and availablity of energy to Californians. Putting Skillings worthless ass behind bars won't give too many people solace.
But the government calls it a victory. The real victory was the law passed to prevent this kind of problem, the Sarbanes-Oxley law which provides more oversight on how big corporations are audited. The foxes will hopefully no longer run the henhouse.
And we all paid a price..at least every Californian, every investor, everyone associated with Enron. The worst part is this:
Skilling still refuses to admit any wrongdoing.
As the CEO, he was the topdog. Who does he plan to blame for this horrible fiasco? We will have to wait and see, because it is a sure thing that Jeffrey Skilling will not go quietly into that prison cell. He will take this all the way to the Supreme Court..thats one thing you can take to the bank.
California's Prop 90 is not what is says it is.
The folks backing Prop. 90 have their own self-interests at stake if this proposition passes. It's worded to sound as if it protects and reforms eminent domain. It does neither according to a Working Assets/Act for Change newsletter:
"The way Prop. 90 works is simple. Anytime our government wants to protect open space, prevent an inappropriate development, save an old growth forest, or restrict offshore oil drilling, Prop. 90 would empower hordes of people to sue the government and collect compensation if they feel their properties, businesses or any potential future profits have been compromised."
These propositions have been making the rounds all over the United States. They are paid for by land developers and big corporate interests. On the other hand, these are the groups that are fighting against the passage of Prop. 90:
Homeowners. Small businesses. Farmers. Environmentalists. Teachers. Taxpayer watchdog groups. Businesses. Organized labor. Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Public safety Officials. Civil rights groups. More than 200 of California's most well-respected and leading organizations are all united in their strong opposition to Prop. 90.
"The way Prop. 90 works is simple. Anytime our government wants to protect open space, prevent an inappropriate development, save an old growth forest, or restrict offshore oil drilling, Prop. 90 would empower hordes of people to sue the government and collect compensation if they feel their properties, businesses or any potential future profits have been compromised."
These propositions have been making the rounds all over the United States. They are paid for by land developers and big corporate interests. On the other hand, these are the groups that are fighting against the passage of Prop. 90:
Homeowners. Small businesses. Farmers. Environmentalists. Teachers. Taxpayer watchdog groups. Businesses. Organized labor. Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Public safety Officials. Civil rights groups. More than 200 of California's most well-respected and leading organizations are all united in their strong opposition to Prop. 90.
The Bait:Prohibits use of eminent domain unless the property acquired is owned and occupied by a governmental agency. This provision is the bait in the taxpayer trap. Everyone agrees some reform is needed, but Prop. 90 goes beyond reform and would prevent construction of new schools, transit systems, infrastructure and parks.
Don't buy into the hype. Read the small print, and look at who is supporting Prop 90 before you vote. Check out the fact sheet on the Vote No on 90 website here.
Oct 21, 2006
Iraq 4 Sale-The War Profiteers is on Google Video
The link to the google full length version is here. The movie is 1 hour 15 minutes long. Its worth the time, dear reader. Its worth it see the first person interviews and stories from the men and women that went over to Iraq as civilians. They thought they would be safe, they thought they were helping to rebuild Iraq and provide support for the soldiers.
All reasons they were given to signup to go were lies. They went there to fill the coffers of the carpetbaggers.
Carpetbaggers like Halliburton, CACI, Blackwater, KBR and Titan made a millions upon millions in profits. They screwed the taxpayers and their employees without blinking a proverbial eye.
Download it and watch it later..just friggin watch it. Because then you will know the real reason behind the war in Iraq. No one will convince me otherwise. Bush went over for profiteering and oil. He knew Americans would eventually get tired of want out, but until then...the cash is flowing boys and girls.
All reasons they were given to signup to go were lies. They went there to fill the coffers of the carpetbaggers.
Carpetbaggers like Halliburton, CACI, Blackwater, KBR and Titan made a millions upon millions in profits. They screwed the taxpayers and their employees without blinking a proverbial eye.
Download it and watch it later..just friggin watch it. Because then you will know the real reason behind the war in Iraq. No one will convince me otherwise. Bush went over for profiteering and oil. He knew Americans would eventually get tired of want out, but until then...the cash is flowing boys and girls.
James Baker, riding in on a white horse to save the Shrub?
Bill Maher calls him the Bush Family "Consigliere". For me, that's a perfect title for the man. Baker has headed, since March, the Iraq Study Group. Now, this sounds like something you took part in during the highschool years but don't let the title fool you. As I blogged about here, in August, The Iraq Study group was created by Republican Frank Wolf, representative of VA. Wolf is the chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that funds the State Department. Wolf created the group after a trip to Iraq. A good read about the beginnings of the group entitled "A Higher Power" is still online by Richard Dreyfuss, which can be found here. This group is a BI-PARTISAN group. This can not be stressed enough. The co-chair is former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton. I would like to suggest you skimmers suck it up and read the entire acticle. Its got a shit-load aka a plethora of info regarding how the group was assembled, how they were chosen, etc. Also a lil dirt on the Shub, his daddy and Jimbo Baker.
Any who..I have had news alerts setup on various news sites on this Iraq group since I heard about it in the beginning of the summer. There were a few hits here and there, but not alot,other than the extensive read by Dreyfuss. Then suddenly starting last week, the alerts have been rolling in like an avalanche. Jimmy Baker seems to be on an unofficial yet highly informative speaking tour about the ISG(Iraq Study Group, keep up please).
Informative only in the fact that they are wrapping it up and preparing the "paper" on their findings. Its like a pre-concert tour, whip up the fans type of thing going on right now. The thing is...
The bastards won't release their "findings" until after the election. WTF is that about? But Baker has been making the news rounds and nothing makes this more evident than this phrase being tossed about: No Magic Bullet for Iraq. The CNN writeup and the WaPo writeup both use those 5 words. The WaPo has this from Co-chair Hamiltonr: "We will write our own report. It will not be written in the White House or in the Congress, and it will not be submitted to somebody to amend or modify,"This will be the report of the 10 members of the Iraq Study Group. We are going to be do our best to reach a consensus but I can't make a guarantee...We will make foreign policy recommendations,"
But to be clear, this is Bakers baby. He is after all, the Consigliere. His fingerprints will be all over this sucka. I also like this name for the Iraq Study Group: The Baker Boys..catchy no? Goes right along with the current pre-release tour currently making the rounds.
HuffPo's Mark Weisbrot has a good writeup about what might or might not be in this report and how the Shrub will accept their recommendations. Linkage to his piece is here.
Because, when its all said and done..the Shrub is the Decider..and also the signing statement queen I might add. But thats for another post.
Tags: Politics,Iraq Study Group,James Baker
Any who..I have had news alerts setup on various news sites on this Iraq group since I heard about it in the beginning of the summer. There were a few hits here and there, but not alot,other than the extensive read by Dreyfuss. Then suddenly starting last week, the alerts have been rolling in like an avalanche. Jimmy Baker seems to be on an unofficial yet highly informative speaking tour about the ISG(Iraq Study Group, keep up please).
Informative only in the fact that they are wrapping it up and preparing the "paper" on their findings. Its like a pre-concert tour, whip up the fans type of thing going on right now. The thing is...
The bastards won't release their "findings" until after the election. WTF is that about? But Baker has been making the news rounds and nothing makes this more evident than this phrase being tossed about: No Magic Bullet for Iraq. The CNN writeup and the WaPo writeup both use those 5 words. The WaPo has this from Co-chair Hamiltonr: "We will write our own report. It will not be written in the White House or in the Congress, and it will not be submitted to somebody to amend or modify,"This will be the report of the 10 members of the Iraq Study Group. We are going to be do our best to reach a consensus but I can't make a guarantee...We will make foreign policy recommendations,"
But to be clear, this is Bakers baby. He is after all, the Consigliere. His fingerprints will be all over this sucka. I also like this name for the Iraq Study Group: The Baker Boys..catchy no? Goes right along with the current pre-release tour currently making the rounds.
HuffPo's Mark Weisbrot has a good writeup about what might or might not be in this report and how the Shrub will accept their recommendations. Linkage to his piece is here.
Because, when its all said and done..the Shrub is the Decider..and also the signing statement queen I might add. But thats for another post.
Tags: Politics,Iraq Study Group,James Baker
Oct 20, 2006
Orange Country candidate is disowned by his own party for racist,illegal letter.
Karl Rove would of been proud, except the racist, scare tactic letter sent to Hispanics was highly illegal. The possiblity exists that charges, both civil and criminal, could be brought against the republican candidate in California's 47th district. Its estimated that 14,000 letters were sent out in spanish that threatens hispanic voters who try to vote. The candidate, Tan Nguyen said the letter was sent without his knowledge and the offending employee was fired.
Mr. Nguyen is not only an inept dirty-trickster,an immigrant himself, he is also a liar as well.
No one, including his own republican party is buying that the attempt to scare hispanics,who vote democratic for the most part, was sent by an underling in Mr. Nguyen's campaign office,without his knowledge. The cost of the mailing campaign alone would of demanded the candidate signoff on such a huge and expensive endeavor.
An excerpt from the letter, borrowed from the LAT article: "You are advised that if your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time….". The letter warned that the state had developed a tracking system that would allow the names of Latino voters to be handed over to anti-immigrant groups.-All blatant lies.
This immigrant, and self-made man...is either incredibly arrogrant..or incredibly stupid. Felony dumb is what my dad would call him. Mr. Nguyen continues to deny his involvement even though the mailing house owner has told the head of the Orange County republican party,Scott Baugh, that Nguyen was involved in mailing the racist letter. He states Mr. Nguyen called to make sure the mailing was expedited.
Mr. Nguyen continues to deny his complicity in sending out the illegal, immoral letter, even knowing that his party is aware of his involvement.-Can you say moron extraordinaire? I can..
It should be mentioned that this isn't the first time the Orange Country Republicans running for office have attempted to use such heinous tactics against hispanics in their districts. Per the LAT article: "The letter evoked memories of the 1988 race for the 71st Assembly District in Orange County, when the local GOP hired uniformed guards to stand in Latino neighborhoods with signs stating, "Non-Citizens Can't Vote." Even when it paid an undisclosed sum to settle a lawsuit, the GOP doggedly denied wrongdoing."
Liars, cheaters and racists. Good summation of the history of republican politicians in Orange County, when they are losing to a Democrat. Evidently Nguyen was attempting to uphold the tradition, he was just too damn dumb to pull it off. The seat was held by a Democrat, and appears she wasn't about to lose it, according to the polls.Ahnold himself, our esteemed governor has called what Nguyen did a "hate crime". I find myself agreeing with him.
I just hope the sumbitch is charged, tried and convicted as a felon. That way he will never be able to vote again..after he gets out of jail.
Did I mention this district is home to Jim Gilchrist, co-founder of the Minuteman Project for citizen border patrol?
Costa Mesa is also the nation's first municipality seeking to train local police in immigration enforcement. So, hatred for hispanics is a tradition in this district. If you would like to view this disgusting letter of racist bs just click here.
Tags: Politics,Political Dirty Tricks,Tan Nguyen is a fuckwit
Mr. Nguyen is not only an inept dirty-trickster,an immigrant himself, he is also a liar as well.
No one, including his own republican party is buying that the attempt to scare hispanics,who vote democratic for the most part, was sent by an underling in Mr. Nguyen's campaign office,without his knowledge. The cost of the mailing campaign alone would of demanded the candidate signoff on such a huge and expensive endeavor.
An excerpt from the letter, borrowed from the LAT article: "You are advised that if your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time….". The letter warned that the state had developed a tracking system that would allow the names of Latino voters to be handed over to anti-immigrant groups.-All blatant lies.
This immigrant, and self-made man...is either incredibly arrogrant..or incredibly stupid. Felony dumb is what my dad would call him. Mr. Nguyen continues to deny his involvement even though the mailing house owner has told the head of the Orange County republican party,Scott Baugh, that Nguyen was involved in mailing the racist letter. He states Mr. Nguyen called to make sure the mailing was expedited.
Mr. Nguyen continues to deny his complicity in sending out the illegal, immoral letter, even knowing that his party is aware of his involvement.-Can you say moron extraordinaire? I can..
It should be mentioned that this isn't the first time the Orange Country Republicans running for office have attempted to use such heinous tactics against hispanics in their districts. Per the LAT article: "The letter evoked memories of the 1988 race for the 71st Assembly District in Orange County, when the local GOP hired uniformed guards to stand in Latino neighborhoods with signs stating, "Non-Citizens Can't Vote." Even when it paid an undisclosed sum to settle a lawsuit, the GOP doggedly denied wrongdoing."
Liars, cheaters and racists. Good summation of the history of republican politicians in Orange County, when they are losing to a Democrat. Evidently Nguyen was attempting to uphold the tradition, he was just too damn dumb to pull it off. The seat was held by a Democrat, and appears she wasn't about to lose it, according to the polls.Ahnold himself, our esteemed governor has called what Nguyen did a "hate crime". I find myself agreeing with him.
I just hope the sumbitch is charged, tried and convicted as a felon. That way he will never be able to vote again..after he gets out of jail.
Did I mention this district is home to Jim Gilchrist, co-founder of the Minuteman Project for citizen border patrol?
Costa Mesa is also the nation's first municipality seeking to train local police in immigration enforcement. So, hatred for hispanics is a tradition in this district. If you would like to view this disgusting letter of racist bs just click here.
Tags: Politics,Political Dirty Tricks,Tan Nguyen is a fuckwit
Oct 19, 2006
Susan Dudley another Bush Nominee we cant afford.
Good ol' Susan Dudley..you arent familiar with her name? Neither was I until an email this morning from OMB Watch.
A Senate committee hearing on Dudley's nomination to run the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is scheduling for Nov. 13, the first day the Senate returns after elections. Ms. Dudley is probably a very nice person..but she isn't what we need as far as a regulatory czar. Here are some of the reasons pointed out why Ms. Dudley, an extremist from an industry-funded think tank, to oversee all of our government's regulatory policy sucks:
Talk about wasting some more tax money. Come on Susan, get a friggin grip, we don't need to review every friggin law or rule and justify its existance. I am sure there are laws and rules that are archaic and no longer needed. But the good ones far outweigh the bad ones I bet. Susan's merely trying to protect the corporate business interests she has spent years fighting for at the public's expense.
Don't let the Shrub shove another business interest fuckwit into a position of authority within the federal government. Dudley has spent the last several years as a mouthpiece for corporate special interests at the industry-funded think tank Mercatus Center. There, she penned regulatory comments attacking proposed safeguards and coordinated industry demands for regulatory rollbacks. OIRA has already set itself up as one-stop shopping for corporate special interests seeking to stall, weaken, or eliminate regulatory safeguards; Dudley would take that role to new extremes.
Tell your elected representatives your against Susan Dudleys appointment. Tell them here. Tell them and everyone else you know what a bag of batshit this woman's appointment to a government position would be. Stop Susan Dudley and the Bush Corporate Policy bs. Clean air,water and public&employee safeguards aren't something to take lightly. They are not something to mess with, when the only reason to change them would serve corporate interests under Susan Dudley's leadership.
Tags; Politics,Bush,Susan Dudley Sucks
A Senate committee hearing on Dudley's nomination to run the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is scheduling for Nov. 13, the first day the Senate returns after elections. Ms. Dudley is probably a very nice person..but she isn't what we need as far as a regulatory czar. Here are some of the reasons pointed out why Ms. Dudley, an extremist from an industry-funded think tank, to oversee all of our government's regulatory policy sucks:
- Opposed EPA's attempts to keep arsenic out of drinking water and enforce lower levels of disease-causing smog;
- Questioned life-saving air bag regulations and the Department of Transportation's hours-of-service rules to keep sleep-deprived truck drivers off the roads;
- Has standards that would make it nearly impossible for agencies to justify public health, safety, civil rights, environmental, or other public interest protections - a special interest dream come true;
- Supports regulatory sunsets that force agencies to stop everything and re-justify the need for every rule on the books; and
- Is viewed as extreme even by her conservative colleagues.
Talk about wasting some more tax money. Come on Susan, get a friggin grip, we don't need to review every friggin law or rule and justify its existance. I am sure there are laws and rules that are archaic and no longer needed. But the good ones far outweigh the bad ones I bet. Susan's merely trying to protect the corporate business interests she has spent years fighting for at the public's expense.
Don't let the Shrub shove another business interest fuckwit into a position of authority within the federal government. Dudley has spent the last several years as a mouthpiece for corporate special interests at the industry-funded think tank Mercatus Center. There, she penned regulatory comments attacking proposed safeguards and coordinated industry demands for regulatory rollbacks. OIRA has already set itself up as one-stop shopping for corporate special interests seeking to stall, weaken, or eliminate regulatory safeguards; Dudley would take that role to new extremes.
Tell your elected representatives your against Susan Dudleys appointment. Tell them here. Tell them and everyone else you know what a bag of batshit this woman's appointment to a government position would be. Stop Susan Dudley and the Bush Corporate Policy bs. Clean air,water and public&employee safeguards aren't something to take lightly. They are not something to mess with, when the only reason to change them would serve corporate interests under Susan Dudley's leadership.
Tags; Politics,Bush,Susan Dudley Sucks
Oct 18, 2006
2 Hrs. after Mil.Comm. Bill signed, Justice Dept goes to work..
By work, I mean they started moving to throw out dozens of lawsuits filed by suspected terrorists.
Isn't this some shit my dear reader? The justice department sure didn't let any moss grow under their feet. As the LAT writeup states; "The law is bound to generate new and contentious legal challenges that probably will leave U.S. policies on detainees in an uncertain state. In addition to the request to throw out lawsuits by detainees seeking to have their day in court, judges will be asked to decide new legal questions about the fairness of the tribunal process. Both issues may end up before the Supreme Court."
Now, about the Supreme Court....that gaggle of black robed individuals, has already stated, in Hamdan v Rumsfeld, that as long as congress passed a bill and the Shrub signed it..then everything the Shrub wanted would probably be legal. Does that make you warm and fuzzy? Not moi, my dear reader.No way no how..
Because, there are new rules with this new law. Rules you can read yourself here, if your so inspired. I have run through it on several occasions..like when it was 3am and I couldn't sleep.
What sticks in my mind from yesterdays signing, is the party atmosphere of the fuckwits attending the signing ceremony. What pissed me off was Denny fatboy Hasterts remark: "The Democratic plan would gingerly pamper the terrorists who plan to destroy innocent Americans' lives,"
Screw you Hastert, you worthless bag of sheepshit. Providing due process doesn't pamper anyones ass. It provides the utmost efforts to secure a fair trial for those who have been accused of the most heinous crimes against our nation.
So, even though the boys over at the Justice Dept were ferverishly working to deny due process to dozens of incarcerated individuals at Gitmo...the men who represent said people were also working. Lawyers for the detainees responded with their own filings Tuesday, requesting time to present legal arguments that the new law violated the Constitution.
Come on..lets all say it together..Due Process isn't dead..its sitting in Gitmo, hoping the Supremes bitchslap the Shrub and his minions again, real soon. Don't drag this out another couple years. People who are rotting away in jail cells are depending on you guys to protect Habeus Corpus and everything else the Shrub is trying to kill with this friggin law.
Isn't this some shit my dear reader? The justice department sure didn't let any moss grow under their feet. As the LAT writeup states; "The law is bound to generate new and contentious legal challenges that probably will leave U.S. policies on detainees in an uncertain state. In addition to the request to throw out lawsuits by detainees seeking to have their day in court, judges will be asked to decide new legal questions about the fairness of the tribunal process. Both issues may end up before the Supreme Court."
Now, about the Supreme Court....that gaggle of black robed individuals, has already stated, in Hamdan v Rumsfeld, that as long as congress passed a bill and the Shrub signed it..then everything the Shrub wanted would probably be legal. Does that make you warm and fuzzy? Not moi, my dear reader.No way no how..
Because, there are new rules with this new law. Rules you can read yourself here, if your so inspired. I have run through it on several occasions..like when it was 3am and I couldn't sleep.
What sticks in my mind from yesterdays signing, is the party atmosphere of the fuckwits attending the signing ceremony. What pissed me off was Denny fatboy Hasterts remark: "The Democratic plan would gingerly pamper the terrorists who plan to destroy innocent Americans' lives,"
Screw you Hastert, you worthless bag of sheepshit. Providing due process doesn't pamper anyones ass. It provides the utmost efforts to secure a fair trial for those who have been accused of the most heinous crimes against our nation.
So, even though the boys over at the Justice Dept were ferverishly working to deny due process to dozens of incarcerated individuals at Gitmo...the men who represent said people were also working. Lawyers for the detainees responded with their own filings Tuesday, requesting time to present legal arguments that the new law violated the Constitution.
Come on..lets all say it together..Due Process isn't dead..its sitting in Gitmo, hoping the Supremes bitchslap the Shrub and his minions again, real soon. Don't drag this out another couple years. People who are rotting away in jail cells are depending on you guys to protect Habeus Corpus and everything else the Shrub is trying to kill with this friggin law.
Oct 17, 2006
Did the President issue a signing statement this morning?
As most people probably are aware..the Shrub signed the Military Commissions Act this morning. I, along with many other people are interested in knowing if the King put a signing statement to this act. Here is a site that has every single signing statement the Shub has issued. Keep an eye on it if you looking for his newest, greatest, or in my view..worst signing statement ever.
Oct 16, 2006
Rep. Weldon's daughter, business partners houses searched by FBI
Another one bites the dust..another one bites the dust.. WaPo article here about the latest Repube to be investigated for something to do with ill-gotten money. Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa.
Agents searched four locations in the Philadelphia area and two in Jacksonville, Fla., said Debbie Weierman, an FBI spokeswoman in Washington. The congressman's home and his offices were not among the locations searched, she said. Earlier Monday, Weldon called the investigation politically motivated and the timing suspect. The Republican, who is locked in a tight re-election bid and has clashed with the Bush administration, denied wrongdoing and said he gave his daughter no special help.
DeLay called his investigation politically motivated as well. But it proved not to be the case.
Torture and Gitmo=business as usual?
MIAMI — The U.S. Marine Corps has threatened to punish two members of the military legal team representing a terrorism suspect being held at Guantanamo Bay if they continue to speak publicly about reported prisoner abuse, a civilian lawyer from the defense team said Saturday.The action directed at Lt. Col. Colby Vokey and Sgt. Heather Cerveny follows their report last week that Guantanamo guards bragged about beating detainees, said Muneer Ahmad, an American University law professor who assists in the defense of Canadian suspect Omar Khadr.
"In one fell swoop, the government is gagging a defense lawyer and threatening retaliation against a whistle-blower," Ahmad said. "It really points out what is wrong with the detainee legislation that Bush is scheduled to sign on Tuesday: It permits the abuse of detainees to continue, immunizes the wrongdoers and precludes the detainees from ever challenging it in court."
The entire article can be read here. This is why military tribunals are bullshit and the recent law signed by the Shrub is a friggin joke..and should be shot down by a court of law. The question is..will it be shot down? I wouldnt bet on it.
Edit: Tonight..an article in the Independant, filed by their reporter in Puerto Rico states the US Southern Command has launched an investigation into "credible allegations" that guards at Guantanamo Bay abused detainees, and has appointed an army colonel to head the probe.The investigation is a result of the charges made by Vokey and Cerveny regarding detainee abuse.
Oct 15, 2006
Last man still in custody from 9/11 Iraqi sweeps in US
This undated photo, provided by the U.S. Marshals service, shows Ali Partovi, the last of about 1200 Arab and Muslim men swept up in the U.S. in the two months following the 9-11 terror attacks and the last still being held, according to the Department of Homeland Security. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshals Service)
My home page is MY WAY. Its news and politics, some sports at the bottom since I am a sports nut. This story greeted me this morning as I was waiting for my coffee to perk:
In a jail cell at an immigration detention center in Arizona sits a man who is not charged with a crime, not suspected of a crime, not considered a danger to society.
But he has been in custody for five years.
His name is Ali Partovi. And according to the Department of Homeland Security, he is the last to be held of about 1,200 Arab and Muslim men swept up by authorities in the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
There has been no full accounting of all of these individuals. Nor has a promised federal policy to protect against unrestricted sweeps been produced.
Human rights groups tried to track the detainees; members of Congress denounced the arrests. They all believed that all of those who had been arrested had been deported, released or processed through the criminal justice system.
Just this summer, it was reported that an Algerian man, Benemar "Ben" Benatta, was the last detainee, and that his transfer to Canada had closed the book on the post-9/11 sweeps. But now The Associated Press has learned that at least one person - Partovi - is still being held. The Department of Homeland Security insists he really is the last one in custody. "Certainly it's not our goal as an agency to keep anyone detained indefinitely," said DHS spokesman Dean Boyd. Boyd said the department would like to remove Partovi from the United States but that he refuses to return to his homeland of Iran. And so he remains, a curious remnant of a desperate time. Go read the rest of the story, my dear reader..it shows the ineptitude of our Federal Goverment and the lack of compassion ala Japanese Internment Camps, of how our goverment operates..its not pretty, and I really didn't need to read this first thing this morning with my first cup of coffee. But everyone SHOULD read it. Tags:, Terrorism,Politics,War on Terror,Homeland Security,
Oct 14, 2006
A Leftwing nutjob editorial...
If you, my dear reader, take the time to read the post below this one..you will know about that which I am ranting about now. Craig is a conservative blogger whom I spend many hours debating each month. As I have said before, Craig is thoughtful, considerate and can provide links to his side of any arguement. The following editorial is in response to a comment Craig left over at Bring it On to the post below this editorial which I cross-posted at BIO.
This isnt’ about privacy, its about being compartmentalized by the Federal Goverment as something or someone to track and keep tabs on. Its about the labeling of groups of people that are not doing anything wrong, such as the Quakers, as “possible terrorist activity”. Its the whole friggin mindset that “if your not with us your against us” and that gives the goverment the right to throw a huge net out there and track everyone that doesn’t agree with its policies.
Now, the NYT, which the conservatives love to scream about being so damn liberal-oriented wrote the article with a very leading title, which of course will catch most readers attention. But the only example that they point out in detail is the Santa Cruz protests against the military recruiters on the campus. Why don’t they mention the Peanut Butter protests? Why don’t they go into detail about the Ohio protests, or the Quaker meetings they were infiltrating and spying upon?
Because THOSE protests were peaceful. Those protests are in no way a threat to our beloved military industrial complex or our recruitment efforts. Those are the kinds of protests that wouldn’t get the con’s like Craig to shake their heads and say..
See? They are going after our recruiters, they SHOULD be watched, they are violent extremists who wish to do harm to legal recruitment efforts. They are nutjobs who SHOULD be watched.
So, tell me again Craig, how onesided the NYT always is. This article was written by someone that seems to have conservative sympathies because they only go into detail about the one protest that might rightfully draw the attention of the Fed. Gov’t. If I hadn’t blogged about this
activity 10 months ago, I could rightfully assume that the goverment is only really watching the protests that border on extreme based on this current NYT article.
But since I am well aware of the huge net our goverment is tossing over any type of anti-war sentiment, I can say its all bullshit paranoia, or a way to keep a database on everyone the goverment doesn’t like, inspite of the fact they have done nothing illegal, or threatening. They are only exercising their right to peaceful dissent, non-violent protests and in some cases just getting together to talk about what they don’t like. Does that demand the attention of and a database maintained by our Federal Goverment?
No.
Anti-war rallys labeled as “potential terrorist activity”
This is bs..plain and simple. According to a FOIA lawsuite filed by the ACLU, "Internal military documents released Thursday provided new details about the Defense Department’s collection of information on demonstrations nationwide last year by students, Quakers and others opposed to the Iraq war." per an article up on the NYT website dated Oct 12th.
This is parnoia at its best, or else its the Big Brother syndrome..I am not sure which. Will this tie in with the new Military Tribunal Bill recently passed? Will protestors be labeled as terrorists which could also mean enemy of the state...you know where I am going with this right?
We are exercising our right to peaceful dissent. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less. Its not illegal by any stretch of the imagination. None, zilch, nada. As Ben Wizner, a lawyer for the A.C.L.U. states in the article:
“There is simply no reason why the United States military should be monitoring the peaceful activities of American citizens who oppose U.S. war policies,”
Quakers, yeah..theres a terrorist group..give me a friggin break..vote for change this November.
Tags; Terrorism,ACLU,Anti-war protests monitored by Military,FOIA
This is parnoia at its best, or else its the Big Brother syndrome..I am not sure which. Will this tie in with the new Military Tribunal Bill recently passed? Will protestors be labeled as terrorists which could also mean enemy of the state...you know where I am going with this right?
We are exercising our right to peaceful dissent. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less. Its not illegal by any stretch of the imagination. None, zilch, nada. As Ben Wizner, a lawyer for the A.C.L.U. states in the article:
“There is simply no reason why the United States military should be monitoring the peaceful activities of American citizens who oppose U.S. war policies,”
Quakers, yeah..theres a terrorist group..give me a friggin break..vote for change this November.
Tags; Terrorism,ACLU,Anti-war protests monitored by Military,FOIA
Oct 13, 2006
So..you were wondering about the Dems taking the Senate were you?
I know I have..reading polls until my big brown eyes were crossing lately. Slate has come to our rescue, and hashed over all the reports for us..Praise Jesus and pass me my glasses.
The resulting article states its currently a toss up..its tied at 49 seats each with two races too close to call. Ah..the drama, the gnashing of teeth..the fun of it all.
Reminds me of the Academy Awards..I always watch the movie awards with breathless anticipation of who will win and who will be shut out. Or the Kentucky Derby..a good horserace is always something I enjoy.
So read the article..and either cheer, weep or gnash your teeth..I refuse to spoil the ending for you.
tags: Politics,Midterm Elections in a dead heat
The resulting article states its currently a toss up..its tied at 49 seats each with two races too close to call. Ah..the drama, the gnashing of teeth..the fun of it all.
Reminds me of the Academy Awards..I always watch the movie awards with breathless anticipation of who will win and who will be shut out. Or the Kentucky Derby..a good horserace is always something I enjoy.
So read the article..and either cheer, weep or gnash your teeth..I refuse to spoil the ending for you.
tags: Politics,Midterm Elections in a dead heat
Dem. Senator Harry Reid has some explaining to do..
Seems the esteemed senator from NV sold some land in his home state years ago and was still reporting he owned it. He actually traded the land to a buddie for a stake in his company and when the developer sold the land, ol Harry got 1.1 Million and didn't report that either..this doesn't look too good fellow liberals..The link to the ABC News writeup is here. The buddie is a lawyer and has been implicated (but never charged) in some real smarmy shit. Reid purchased the undeveloped land on the outskirts of Vegas for 400K, he then transferred ownership to his buddie and then recorded a sale of the property, 3 years later for 1.1 Million, when in fact he hadn't owned the land for 3 years.The Ethics Committee is going to hang his ass if they can..bet on it. Per the ABC News article:
"The complex dealings allowed Reid to transfer ownership, legal liability and some tax consequences to Brown's company without public knowledge, but still collect a seven-figure payoff nearly three years later."
Get it? Vegas..betting..ok, it was a stab at humor in a humorless situation.
Tags: Politics,Harry Reid
"The complex dealings allowed Reid to transfer ownership, legal liability and some tax consequences to Brown's company without public knowledge, but still collect a seven-figure payoff nearly three years later."
Get it? Vegas..betting..ok, it was a stab at humor in a humorless situation.
Tags: Politics,Harry Reid
Oct 12, 2006
The Death of Habeus Corpus by KO
Keith's Countdown rant regarding the Military Tribunal bill's removal of habeus corpus. Its 7 min's long, but worth the view my dear reader if you missed it on his show.
Oct 11, 2006
.The Iraqi death toll is revised..to put it mildly.
The new report which estimated the actual number of Iraqi's killed during our occupation of their country is around.....
650,000
To paraphrase Tony Snow's remark about the 2,500th soldier death in Iraq...its just a number. But its a helluva lot higher than the number our government will evidently accept. The Shrub said this morning in his gop stumping session, that went by the name of a press conference btw...., that he doesn't buy it.
No kidding George. Of course you wouldn't. Because that would mean we have contributed to more deaths in the three years we have been there... than Sadaam was responsible for. For those of you that are into math..thats one Iraqi dying every 3 minutes. Ain't that some shit...
The survey was overseen by epidemiologists at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health. Epidemiology is considered a cornerstone methodology for public health research, and is highly regarded in evidence-based medicine. Among other tidbits of horror, the study found:
Just means more oil for us doesn't it? And less Iraqi's we have to share the profits with. Funny how that works.
Tags; Politics,Bush,Iraq,War on Terror,The Real Axis of Evil
Cross-posted at Progressive Blogwire
No kidding George. Of course you wouldn't. Because that would mean we have contributed to more deaths in the three years we have been there... than Sadaam was responsible for. For those of you that are into math..thats one Iraqi dying every 3 minutes. Ain't that some shit...
The survey was overseen by epidemiologists at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health. Epidemiology is considered a cornerstone methodology for public health research, and is highly regarded in evidence-based medicine. Among other tidbits of horror, the study found:
- The overwhelming majority of the 650,000-plus deaths between March 2003 and July 2006 were "violent deaths" and included civilians, insurgents and Iraqi security forces.
- About 75 per cent were men.
- About 50,000 deaths were attributed to other causes such as a disrupted health service, the exodus of doctors, insufficient water supplies and disruption to infrastructure
- Of the 601,027 violent deaths, 31 per cent were directly attributed to Allied forces, with 24 per cent attributed to "other" causes and 45 per cent attributed to an "unknown" cause.
- Fifty-six per cent of all violent deaths were caused by gunshots, 13 per cent by car bombs, 14, per cent by other explosions and 13 per cent by air strikes.
Just means more oil for us doesn't it? And less Iraqi's we have to share the profits with. Funny how that works.
Tags; Politics,Bush,Iraq,War on Terror,The Real Axis of Evil
Cross-posted at Progressive Blogwire
Oct 10, 2006
What it means to be a liberal
What it means to be a liberal | Chicago Tribune
By Geoffrey R. Stone. Geoffrey R. Stone, a law professor at the University of Chicago, is the author of "Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime."
Published October 10, 2006
The above article was pointed out by a Conservative over at Bring it On! Craig is someone who I have numerous discussions with and neither of us ever change the others mind. But, that said, he is a good person whom I have the utmost respect for since he makes his arguements in a respectful manner with sources for his side of the discussion. Anyway..here is the article:
1. Liberals believe individuals should doubt their own truths and consider fairly and open-mindedly the truths of others. This is at the very heart of liberalism. Liberals understand, as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once observed, that "time has upset many fighting faiths." Liberals are skeptical of censorship and celebrate free and open debate.
2. Liberals believe individuals should be tolerant and respectful of difference. It is liberals who have supported and continue to support the civil rights movement, affirmative action, the Equal Rights Amendment and the rights of gays and lesbians. (Note that a conflict between propositions 1 and 2 leads to divisions among liberals on issues like pornography and hate speech.)
3. Liberals believe individuals have a right and a responsibility to participate in public debate. It is liberals who have championed and continue to champion expansion of the franchise; the elimination of obstacles to voting; "one person, one vote;" limits on partisan gerrymandering; campaign-finance reform; and a more vibrant freedom of speech. They believe, with Justice Louis Brandeis, that "the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people."
4. Liberals believe "we the people" are the governors and not the subjects of government, and that government must treat each person with that in mind. It is liberals who have defended and continue to defend the freedom of the press to investigate and challenge the government, the protection of individual privacy from overbearing government monitoring, and the right of individuals to reproductive freedom. (Note that libertarians, often thought of as "conservatives," share this value with liberals.)
5. Liberals believe government must respect and affirmatively safeguard the liberty, equality and dignity of each individual. It is liberals who have championed and continue to champion the rights of racial, religious and ethnic minorities, political dissidents, persons accused of crime and the outcasts of society. It is liberals who have insisted on the right to counsel, a broad application of the right to due process of law and the principle of equal protection for all people.
6. Liberals believe government has a fundamental responsibility to help those who are less fortunate. It is liberals who have supported and continue to support government programs to improve health care, education, social security, job training and welfare for the neediest members of society. It is liberals who maintain that a national community is like a family and that government exists in part to "promote the general welfare."
7. Liberals believe government should never act on the basis of sectarian faith. It is liberals who have opposed and continue to oppose school prayer and the teaching of creationism in public schools and who support government funding for stem-cell research, the rights of gays and lesbians and the freedom of choice for women.
8. Liberals believe courts have a special responsibility to protect individual liberties. It is principally liberal judges and justices who have preserved and continue to preserve freedom of expression, individual privacy, freedom of religion and due process of law. (Conservative judges and justices more often wield judicial authority to protect property rights and the interests of corporations, commercial advertisers and the wealthy.)
9. Liberals believe government must protect the safety and security of the people, for without such protection liberalism is impossible. This, of course, is less a tenet of liberalism than a reply to those who attack liberalism. The accusation that liberals are unwilling to protect the nation from internal and external dangers is false. Because liberals respect competing values, such as procedural fairness and individual dignity, they weigh more carefully particular exercises of government power (such as the use of secret evidence, hearsay and torture), but they are no less willing to use government authority in other forms (such as expanded police forces and international diplomacy) to protect the nation and its citizens.
10. Liberals believe government must protect the safety and security of the people, without unnecessarily sacrificing constitutional values. It is liberals who have demanded and continue to demand legal protections to avoid the conviction of innocent people in the criminal justice system, reasonable restraints on government surveillance of American citizens, and fair procedures to ensure that alleged enemy combatants are in fact enemy combatants. Liberals adhere to the view expressed by Brandeis some 80 years ago: "Those who won our independence ... did not exalt order at the cost of liberty."
Consider this an invitation. Are these propositions meaningful? Are they helpful? Are they simply wrong? As a liberal, how would you change them or modify the list? As a conservative, how would you draft a similar list for conservatives?
There it is..comments are welcome. My back is killing me today, so I am off to lay down for a bit.
By Geoffrey R. Stone. Geoffrey R. Stone, a law professor at the University of Chicago, is the author of "Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime."
Published October 10, 2006
The above article was pointed out by a Conservative over at Bring it On! Craig is someone who I have numerous discussions with and neither of us ever change the others mind. But, that said, he is a good person whom I have the utmost respect for since he makes his arguements in a respectful manner with sources for his side of the discussion. Anyway..here is the article:
1. Liberals believe individuals should doubt their own truths and consider fairly and open-mindedly the truths of others. This is at the very heart of liberalism. Liberals understand, as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once observed, that "time has upset many fighting faiths." Liberals are skeptical of censorship and celebrate free and open debate.
2. Liberals believe individuals should be tolerant and respectful of difference. It is liberals who have supported and continue to support the civil rights movement, affirmative action, the Equal Rights Amendment and the rights of gays and lesbians. (Note that a conflict between propositions 1 and 2 leads to divisions among liberals on issues like pornography and hate speech.)
3. Liberals believe individuals have a right and a responsibility to participate in public debate. It is liberals who have championed and continue to champion expansion of the franchise; the elimination of obstacles to voting; "one person, one vote;" limits on partisan gerrymandering; campaign-finance reform; and a more vibrant freedom of speech. They believe, with Justice Louis Brandeis, that "the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people."
4. Liberals believe "we the people" are the governors and not the subjects of government, and that government must treat each person with that in mind. It is liberals who have defended and continue to defend the freedom of the press to investigate and challenge the government, the protection of individual privacy from overbearing government monitoring, and the right of individuals to reproductive freedom. (Note that libertarians, often thought of as "conservatives," share this value with liberals.)
5. Liberals believe government must respect and affirmatively safeguard the liberty, equality and dignity of each individual. It is liberals who have championed and continue to champion the rights of racial, religious and ethnic minorities, political dissidents, persons accused of crime and the outcasts of society. It is liberals who have insisted on the right to counsel, a broad application of the right to due process of law and the principle of equal protection for all people.
6. Liberals believe government has a fundamental responsibility to help those who are less fortunate. It is liberals who have supported and continue to support government programs to improve health care, education, social security, job training and welfare for the neediest members of society. It is liberals who maintain that a national community is like a family and that government exists in part to "promote the general welfare."
7. Liberals believe government should never act on the basis of sectarian faith. It is liberals who have opposed and continue to oppose school prayer and the teaching of creationism in public schools and who support government funding for stem-cell research, the rights of gays and lesbians and the freedom of choice for women.
8. Liberals believe courts have a special responsibility to protect individual liberties. It is principally liberal judges and justices who have preserved and continue to preserve freedom of expression, individual privacy, freedom of religion and due process of law. (Conservative judges and justices more often wield judicial authority to protect property rights and the interests of corporations, commercial advertisers and the wealthy.)
9. Liberals believe government must protect the safety and security of the people, for without such protection liberalism is impossible. This, of course, is less a tenet of liberalism than a reply to those who attack liberalism. The accusation that liberals are unwilling to protect the nation from internal and external dangers is false. Because liberals respect competing values, such as procedural fairness and individual dignity, they weigh more carefully particular exercises of government power (such as the use of secret evidence, hearsay and torture), but they are no less willing to use government authority in other forms (such as expanded police forces and international diplomacy) to protect the nation and its citizens.
10. Liberals believe government must protect the safety and security of the people, without unnecessarily sacrificing constitutional values. It is liberals who have demanded and continue to demand legal protections to avoid the conviction of innocent people in the criminal justice system, reasonable restraints on government surveillance of American citizens, and fair procedures to ensure that alleged enemy combatants are in fact enemy combatants. Liberals adhere to the view expressed by Brandeis some 80 years ago: "Those who won our independence ... did not exalt order at the cost of liberty."
Consider this an invitation. Are these propositions meaningful? Are they helpful? Are they simply wrong? As a liberal, how would you change them or modify the list? As a conservative, how would you draft a similar list for conservatives?
There it is..comments are welcome. My back is killing me today, so I am off to lay down for a bit.
Good News out of the White House!
It doesn't happen often, but this one is good news for a change.There was a bill recently passed by both houses entitled the "PETS Act". This bill mandates pets to be transported and housed with the owners if a State of Emergency has been issued. The horror stories of the hundreds of dogs and cats left behind to die a slow death by starvation after Katrina was the catalyst for the Humane Society to press for this measure on the federal level. President Bush signed the bill last friday. Below is a short explanation of the history of the bill and what it encompasses:
This past Friday at the White House, President Bush signed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act into law.
This landmark legislation, which was strongly backed by The Humane Society of the United States, requires local and state disaster plans to include provisions for household pets and service animals in the event of a major disaster or emergency. When I was in the Gulf during Hurricane Katrina, I saw the government's failure to have a plan for helping animals. Tens of thousands of animals suffered terribly and were lost or left behind because our communities and responders didn't have a plan in place.
With more than 358 million pets in the United States residing in 63 percent of American households, the PETS Act will help ensure that Americans never again are faced with the horrifying choice of abandoning their pet and finding their way to safety, or staying with their pet and remaining in a hazardous, and potentially life-threatening situation.
Some states and local communities have already engaged in disaster preparedness for animals, and with a federal law now in place, the future for you and your companion animal in a disaster is much brighter.
When Bush does something good, I give him credit. Thanks Mr. President :)Tags; Good Politics,PETS Act signed into law
Terrorism is in the eye of the beholder.
Harpers has an article online entitled: Posada,A Double Standard in the War on Terror. It's about Luis Posada Carriles a man born in Cuba. This man, who is now very old, was trained by our CIA. He has also provided the US government with his services for other clandestine operations in South America. Posada ran arms to U.S.-backed Contras for Lt. Col. Oliver North; he has served as a spy for the Salvadoran president and military junta leader Napoleon Duarte; and he admitted to a New York Times reporter in 1998 that he organized a string of bombings of hotels and restaurants in Cuba during the 1990s.
I think that makes him a terrorist..
Ah, but a terrorist with the blessings of our government..is not really a terrorist it seems.
Last year, Posada entered the US illegally. He lived in southern Florida where the anti-Castro compadres welcomed him with open arms. But he eventually was picked up by Immigration. He was ordered to be deported but the Judge ruled he couldn't be sent to either Cuba or Venezuela..who want him for a variety of terrorist acts.
The Judge ruled out Cuba and Venezuela because...they would possibly torture him. I kid you not. According to the Harpers article: "The governments of Cuba and Venezuela have both called on the Bush Administration to turn Posada over and thereby prove that there are no double standards in the war on terrorism. Posada, in turn, applied to become a U.S. citizen but subsequently withdrew his citizenship application, according to his attorney, to avoid embarrassing the U.S. government."
The irony is getting so thick you can almost cut it with a knife, don't you think? But wait..theres more.
Judge Abbott, in considering whether to order Posada expelled from the U.S., listed off Posada’s nefarious career highlights and weighed whether the U.S.–backed Bay of Pigs operation met the definition of terrorism. “It doesn't necessarily matter who helped it,” Abbott told the Miami Herald. “The question is whether that kind of activity today would be defined as aiding terrorism or participating in acts of terrorism.”--I think it is a textbook case of terrorism Judge, but I am not a jurist.
In issuing his September 11 order to release Posada, the Judge wrote: "that Posada must be freed unless the U.S. Attorney General certified that there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that Posada has engaged in certain terrorist activities or that he presents a threat to national security."
Alberto... yes,that Alberto Gonzalez, our U.S. Attorney General..has done nor said anything my dear reader to stop this terrorist from being released from prison.
Oh...did I mention he blew up an airliner and killed 73 people on October 6,1976? If the U.S. District Court upholds the ruling..this terrorist will be loose and on our streets very soon...
Ain't that something?
Tags: Terrorism,Politics,Bush,War on Terror
I think that makes him a terrorist..
Ah, but a terrorist with the blessings of our government..is not really a terrorist it seems.
Last year, Posada entered the US illegally. He lived in southern Florida where the anti-Castro compadres welcomed him with open arms. But he eventually was picked up by Immigration. He was ordered to be deported but the Judge ruled he couldn't be sent to either Cuba or Venezuela..who want him for a variety of terrorist acts.
The Judge ruled out Cuba and Venezuela because...they would possibly torture him. I kid you not. According to the Harpers article: "The governments of Cuba and Venezuela have both called on the Bush Administration to turn Posada over and thereby prove that there are no double standards in the war on terrorism. Posada, in turn, applied to become a U.S. citizen but subsequently withdrew his citizenship application, according to his attorney, to avoid embarrassing the U.S. government."
The irony is getting so thick you can almost cut it with a knife, don't you think? But wait..theres more.
Judge Abbott, in considering whether to order Posada expelled from the U.S., listed off Posada’s nefarious career highlights and weighed whether the U.S.–backed Bay of Pigs operation met the definition of terrorism. “It doesn't necessarily matter who helped it,” Abbott told the Miami Herald. “The question is whether that kind of activity today would be defined as aiding terrorism or participating in acts of terrorism.”--I think it is a textbook case of terrorism Judge, but I am not a jurist.
In issuing his September 11 order to release Posada, the Judge wrote: "that Posada must be freed unless the U.S. Attorney General certified that there are “reasonable grounds to believe” that Posada has engaged in certain terrorist activities or that he presents a threat to national security."
Alberto... yes,that Alberto Gonzalez, our U.S. Attorney General..has done nor said anything my dear reader to stop this terrorist from being released from prison.
Oh...did I mention he blew up an airliner and killed 73 people on October 6,1976? If the U.S. District Court upholds the ruling..this terrorist will be loose and on our streets very soon...
Ain't that something?
Tags: Terrorism,Politics,Bush,War on Terror
Oct 9, 2006
Bill Moyers on Net Neutrality PBS WED NIGHT!
This is a very important issue. One of the most important issues facing users of the Internet, which if you think about it..is a helluva lot of folks. Millions and Millions of people depend on the net for information, news and resources. Please take an hour out of your wednesday evening to watch Moyers show a 9pm on PBS. I have been invited to participate in an online discussion group tomorrow by the folks that produced this specific show. We will get to see the show and then the discussion. I will blog about that tomorrow afternoon.
Net nuetrality is important. It's freedom of speech. Freedom of access. Its freedom Folks!
Net nuetrality is important. It's freedom of speech. Freedom of access. Its freedom Folks!
While Foleygate distracts, Rove's top aide resigns
Every time the Bush Administration has bad news to release, it does it on a friday afternoon. This shouldn't be "news" to anyone that pays attention. This past friday was no exception.
From the NYT article on Saturday: "Susan B. Ralston, a former aide to the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff who went on to work for the presidential adviser Karl Rove, has resigned from the White House after a report that she was a conduit between the two men."- now, Ms. Ralston used the time honored excuse of "to persue other opportunities" as her reason for the resignation. All together now...
Shenanigans!
She quit because a Congressional report came out that linked her to the "documented hundreds of contacts between Mr. Abramoff and the White House."--Remember how Georgie said he had so few contacts with Mr. Abramoff that he didn't even remember him? I don't recall Rove ever saying that. Perhaps there is a reason Krazy Karl has never uttered that phrase.
Because it would be a bald-faced lie if he did.
Fast forward to Monday morning. The NYT has an Opinion piece up about the "The White House and Mr. Abramoff". The author gives us a look into the bipartisan report issued last week, to wit:
"A newly released report, prepared with unusual bipartisan backing by the House Government Reform Committee, paints a different reality. It reveals that between January 2001 and March 2004, Mr. Abramoff and members of his staff had some 485 contacts with key White House officials, including at least 10 direct contacts between Mr. Abramoff and Mr. Rove. Billing records and e-mail messages unearthed by the committee indicate that Mr. Abramoff and his colleagues spent nearly $25,000 on meals and tickets for White House officials."
Isn't that something? Funny how it got so little notice by the MSM who are spinning their wheels on finding more lurid IM's from Foley to underage pages and how Denny Hastert has apparently been covering for the Elected Pedophile for some time now.
The White House breathed a huge sigh of relief I bet...their little ticking timebomb went unnoticed by the majority of the MSM and the rabid left stuck on FoleyGate. Another nice little quote from the Opinion piece:
"Indeed, it appears that Mr. Rove sat with Mr. Abramoff in the lobbyist’s box seats for an N.C.A.A. basketball playoff game in 2002, an occasion Mr. Abramoff memorialized in an e-mail message to a colleague. “Told me anytime we need something just let him know through Susan.”
We need to keep our eye on the Big Prize folks..Krazy Karl and the White House. That is the biggest Prize of all.
For those that don't like the NYT, here is the WaPo writeup that was printed September 30th.about the released report. A quote from their writeup about the report: "On Oct. 21, 2001, Ralston e-mailed Abramoff that Rove had read an Abramoff memo about a political endorsement in an obscure race in the Mariana Islands. Ralston reported back to Abramoff that Rove had agreed, writing in an e-mail the next day: "You win :)"--Interesting, no?
From the NYT article on Saturday: "Susan B. Ralston, a former aide to the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff who went on to work for the presidential adviser Karl Rove, has resigned from the White House after a report that she was a conduit between the two men."- now, Ms. Ralston used the time honored excuse of "to persue other opportunities" as her reason for the resignation. All together now...
Shenanigans!
She quit because a Congressional report came out that linked her to the "documented hundreds of contacts between Mr. Abramoff and the White House."--Remember how Georgie said he had so few contacts with Mr. Abramoff that he didn't even remember him? I don't recall Rove ever saying that. Perhaps there is a reason Krazy Karl has never uttered that phrase.
Because it would be a bald-faced lie if he did.
Fast forward to Monday morning. The NYT has an Opinion piece up about the "The White House and Mr. Abramoff". The author gives us a look into the bipartisan report issued last week, to wit:
"A newly released report, prepared with unusual bipartisan backing by the House Government Reform Committee, paints a different reality. It reveals that between January 2001 and March 2004, Mr. Abramoff and members of his staff had some 485 contacts with key White House officials, including at least 10 direct contacts between Mr. Abramoff and Mr. Rove. Billing records and e-mail messages unearthed by the committee indicate that Mr. Abramoff and his colleagues spent nearly $25,000 on meals and tickets for White House officials."
Isn't that something? Funny how it got so little notice by the MSM who are spinning their wheels on finding more lurid IM's from Foley to underage pages and how Denny Hastert has apparently been covering for the Elected Pedophile for some time now.
The White House breathed a huge sigh of relief I bet...their little ticking timebomb went unnoticed by the majority of the MSM and the rabid left stuck on FoleyGate. Another nice little quote from the Opinion piece:
"Indeed, it appears that Mr. Rove sat with Mr. Abramoff in the lobbyist’s box seats for an N.C.A.A. basketball playoff game in 2002, an occasion Mr. Abramoff memorialized in an e-mail message to a colleague. “Told me anytime we need something just let him know through Susan.”
We need to keep our eye on the Big Prize folks..Krazy Karl and the White House. That is the biggest Prize of all.
For those that don't like the NYT, here is the WaPo writeup that was printed September 30th.about the released report. A quote from their writeup about the report: "On Oct. 21, 2001, Ralston e-mailed Abramoff that Rove had read an Abramoff memo about a political endorsement in an obscure race in the Mariana Islands. Ralston reported back to Abramoff that Rove had agreed, writing in an e-mail the next day: "You win :)"--Interesting, no?
Oct 8, 2006
S.Korea says N.Korea conducted a nuclear test.
That nutjob went and did it. CNN is reporting it here.
Is Hastert going down? And I don't mean that in a sexual context.
The opening salvo in a WaPo article from yesterday:
"House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's chief of staff confronted then-Rep. Mark Foley about his inappropriate social contact with male pages well before the speaker said aides in his office took any action, a current congressional staff member with personal knowledge of Foley and his behavior with pages said yesterday."
My oh my..it isn't looking very good for the rotund gentleman from IL. I do have to check his poll numbers come Monday.
"House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's chief of staff confronted then-Rep. Mark Foley about his inappropriate social contact with male pages well before the speaker said aides in his office took any action, a current congressional staff member with personal knowledge of Foley and his behavior with pages said yesterday."
My oh my..it isn't looking very good for the rotund gentleman from IL. I do have to check his poll numbers come Monday.
Oct 6, 2006
Video of Bakersfield WCW protest
It was small by big city standards, but we were proud of the turnout. I know, people might want to move on to other subjects, but we can not let it end with one protest..we must continue to speak out and stand up.
Pics from other cities protests held yesterday
Since most of the MSM isn't covering the peaceful protests that happened in over 235 cities yesterday, I will. Please click on the pic to go to the next one in the album. I want to thank PeaceTrain.org and some of our faithful members for posting their pics over there:
Bluegirrl
Beachblogger
Glenda
Earlbo
Peacechick Mary has her own pics up on her site..visit her Tampa pics here
All of us were united yesterday, inspite of the hundreds of miles between us. We all spoke as one voice, against the tyranny of the Bush administration. We need to keep the momentum going, we need to take back congress in November..VOTE PEOPLE! VOTE FOR CHANGE THIS NOVEMBER!
Over and out..I am a wounded warrior today.
Beachblogger
Glenda
Earlbo
Peacechick Mary has her own pics up on her site..visit her Tampa pics here
 | Cool Slideshows |
All of us were united yesterday, inspite of the hundreds of miles between us. We all spoke as one voice, against the tyranny of the Bush administration. We need to keep the momentum going, we need to take back congress in November..VOTE PEOPLE! VOTE FOR CHANGE THIS NOVEMBER!
Over and out..I am a wounded warrior today.
Its a new day..right?
I am still not up to writing a blog entry, I got up long enough to eat someething, take a pill and read the remarks on this and my other local blog. The nasty people are hitting the local blog, you can read it if your bored here. Also..there is a great local blogger, photographer and published writer, N.L. Belardes who took pics of our march and I finally got to meet him. It was a quick, hi..nice to see you, type of meeting. Afterall, i was marching down a street. But please go check out Nick's writeup here. If you need to have a login for the local blog, sorry..but you don't need one to read Nick's, its on Blogger.
Oct 5, 2006
Pics from our Bakersfield rally and protest today.
This is backwards..this shot is at the end of the march, when we listened to various people talk about whats bothering them about our current administration. We had between 75-100 attend the rally, which ended on the steps of the Superior Court Bldg.
The kids were great, they were enthusiastic, loud and even brought their drums so the chanters would keep together. Their energy was infectious.
At the end of the march, we stood in front of the Court house, chanting as people drove by and honked their support. There were of course, those that saluted us with their middle finger too, but the honkers were received with smiles and cheers.
About this pic above..this lady was a Vietman Vet. She gave a moving speech and her voice started to breakup she was so mad. It was moving and she received the biggest round of applause.
I will post more tomorrow, including a YouTube video that Paul did of our rally today..cool huh?..I have to lay down, my back is killing me. I would like to say that most of our attendees were first-timers. They said they had never done anything like this before, but they are just so tired of everything and they said they had to finally get off the couch and speak up. God bless them all for showing up, I know I am thankful for them and their voices. We had people from highschool up to grandparents and several Vets. It was very moving to see so many people that are also tired of the whole mess we call our government.
I am signing out for now..Peace in '06..it can happen you know..if we all speak out and speak up.
The World Can't Wait-Drive out the Bush Regime
Today is D-Day folks, in over 235 cities there are rallys and protests planned. Ours will start in 3 hours. If you are interested, no matter where you live...go to the website for the locations all over our once-great country. Help get the word out-We are mad as hell and we aren't going to take it anymore. We want our country back and we want it now. 37 years ago, on October 15, 1969 another nationwide rally was held against a different war and a different President. 2 Million people turned out Nationwide for that rally. Help us reach and surpass that goal today.
Oct 4, 2006
Just WTF do the Repubes stand for?
First, I will give you the words that appear on the Statue of Liberty. They are from a poem, “The New Colossus,” by the nineteenth-century American poet Emma Lazarus. They appear on a plaque at the base of the statue:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
OK..someone tell me again..what part of the above words do the Repubes hold dear? Do they even give a shit about the people here in the US? If they don’t give a shit about the people here, is it the people in Russia, or Darfur or perhaps it is the folks in the Middle East..because frankly, I don’t know where or who or how the Repubes are beholding to the folks listed in the above mentioned poem. They bitch about paying for anything or anyone…unless its a fucking war..then the sumbitches are all for it…tell me I am wrong..go on, tell me.
Because I am not. The right side of the aisle wants to keep every stinking penny they make..Unless its to fight a war, somewhere off our coasts..somewhere far away..then they are all for it. Just don’t expect them to fight poverty at home, or educate people here, or help the tired mother than works all day and then has to go to class to keep that lousy little bit of federal money she gets to raise her kids after the ol man goes out for a loaf of bread. What in the blue hell does the right side of the aisle want to do for the homeless, unless of course they go to church and listen to how they are going to hell if they don’t repent..then maybe they will give them a meal, or some money to pay their rent..afterall, our federal government would rather have the religious groups hand out our money instead of providing a program to lift people up from where it is they lay…that would take too much work..and god knows our legislature and our executive branch don’t wish to work anymore days than they do already..we shouldn’t expect them to talk to each other and develope plans and ways to deal with the problems that face our country and on a larger scale, the world..every single friggin day.
What are we paying them for? What is it they do besides play "footsie" with lobbyists and cover each other's ass?
I do not think for one stinking minute that I am any better than the guy living under a bridge that used to hold a good job. Because…
There but for the grace of god..go I..
But Mark Foley.. He goes into rehab. He tells us his priest molested him. He tells us that he is ready to come out of the closet.
And we should shake our heads and say…yeah..he had many things to overcome.Maybe its not all his fault.
He is no different than the guy down the street that beats his wife.. He isn’t any better than the mother that shakes her child who won’t stop crying after a long day at a shitty job. He isn’t any better than the homeless guy that won’t apply himself to become part of society.
He is no different. And because of that..he deserves nothing special. Even if he is educated, and someone who rose to elected office. He is no different.He couldn’t play by the rules..rules that he helped put in place. I don’t care who did what to him or when they did it. We do not allow that type of compassion. We only play by the rules..and he broke them. And anyone else that helped bury this heinous crime should be held up to the light of public scrutiny as well. They are just as guilty as Mr. Foley. They were not protecting anyone but themselves.
God help him..we should not.
Cross-posted at Progressive Blogwire
There aren’t any links or sources for this post.. Except for the poem on the Statue of Liberty and you can look that up yourself.
Tags: Mark Foley,For which we stand
KO was on Letterman tonight.
And for anyone that hasn't a clue..KO is Keith Olbermann. The former SportsCenter guy who now talks politics, and from the left side of his head too.
yeah yeah yeah..he talks about shit I want to hear. He talks about how horrible the right is. He tells us what a fucking asshole Bill O'Reilly is and anyone that believes the bullshit that spews from his yap.
It was friggin great. he was funny, he was graceful, and he didnt' miss a beat. If you missed it, your s.o.l..
Shit outta luck dude..
Because, I liked Keith when he anchored SportsCenter, and there is only one thing I like better than politics. I love him as a political pundit.Whoever writes his stuff..
Marry me. I will make you the happiest person in the entire fucking world. I promise. If KO writes his own stuff..the offer still stands.
Anyone else, need not apply.
Tags: Keith Olbermann
yeah yeah yeah..he talks about shit I want to hear. He talks about how horrible the right is. He tells us what a fucking asshole Bill O'Reilly is and anyone that believes the bullshit that spews from his yap.
It was friggin great. he was funny, he was graceful, and he didnt' miss a beat. If you missed it, your s.o.l..
Shit outta luck dude..
Because, I liked Keith when he anchored SportsCenter, and there is only one thing I like better than politics. I love him as a political pundit.Whoever writes his stuff..
Marry me. I will make you the happiest person in the entire fucking world. I promise. If KO writes his own stuff..the offer still stands.
Anyone else, need not apply.
Tags: Keith Olbermann
Oct 3, 2006
New header picture...
I change the header pic on occasion, and this one is good. Its a picture of a sign that has been defaced with a "STOP BUSH" sticker..we need more of this..everyone needs to do what they can. The street guerillas' need support..I got it from the Stop Bush Coalition. god bless them all, they do us a great service, keeping the public aware that there are people out there that don't agree with our current administration. Pay them a visit at:
http://www.stopbushproject.com/
Bless them and keep them safe..They do the job most of us won't..they remind the public everyday of what a bag of batshit our current President is..thank you folks!
My back is really hosed these days..I have no idea how much I will post, But I will try to post daily. God Bless those that carry on the good work, the job of dissenting against our current regime.
We have a group that is dissenting this week. Its a National group, The World Can't Wait. Give them your suppport by showing up at a rally on October 5th. They have over 100 cities that will participate. Please be a part of it. Please show your displeasure with our current administration and turn out Thursday, October 5th. The city of CHICAGO has denied them a permit to march..FUCK EM..show up anyway. They are afraid. Show them we will not be silent any longer! WE NEED EVERYONE TO ATTEND A RALLY!
My back is really hosed these days..I have no idea how much I will post, But I will try to post daily. God Bless those that carry on the good work, the job of dissenting against our current regime.
We have a group that is dissenting this week. Its a National group, The World Can't Wait. Give them your suppport by showing up at a rally on October 5th. They have over 100 cities that will participate. Please be a part of it. Please show your displeasure with our current administration and turn out Thursday, October 5th. The city of CHICAGO has denied them a permit to march..FUCK EM..show up anyway. They are afraid. Show them we will not be silent any longer! WE NEED EVERYONE TO ATTEND A RALLY!
http://worldcantwait.net
May we have Peace this year..and a new legislature that sees thiings differently.
The Supremes start their new season..
No, not a tv or radio show..SCOTUS starts up Wednesday. The NYT has a writeup about some of the cases scheduled for this session of the Supreme Court of the United States...
Air Pollution Regulation
Two cases present interpretive issues under the Clean Air Act. In Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, No. 05-1120, 16 states and other parties are challenging the Bush administration’s view that Congress has not authorized federal regulation of motor vehicle emissions that contribute to global warming. The question in Environmental Defense v. Duke Energy Corporation, No. 05-848, is what the law requires of utility companies seeking to modernize aging power plants.
Punitive Damages Limits
The court has laid down various markers for curbing the discretion of state court systems to award punitive damages. In Philip Morris USA v. William, No. 05-1296, the Oregon Supreme Court upheld the $79.5 million award, nearly 100 times the compensatory damages a jury had awarded the smoker’s widow.
This is far greater than the 10-to-1 ratio that the court’s most recent decision, State Farm v. Campbell in 2003, suggested as the outer limit of due process. On the other hand, earlier cases concerned economic rather than physical injuries. The court’s new membership aside, this case is sufficiently distinctive in several ways so as to make the outcome unpredictable.
Abortion Rights
Two federal appeals courts, in St. Louis and San Francisco, declared the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Act of 2003 unconstitutional, basing their rulings on the Supreme Court’s decision in Stenberg v. Carhart, which struck down Nebraska’s similar law six years ago. The new cases, Gonzales v. Carhart, No. 05-380, and Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood, No. 05-1382, are the Bush administration’s appeals of those rulings.
The statute outlaws a surgical procedure that doctors use to perform abortions after about 12 weeks of pregnancy. In its decision six years ago, the Supreme Court held by a vote of 5 to 4 that the law had to take into account medical judgments that the procedure was sometimes necessary for a pregnant woman’s health.
Congress responded by enacting a federal law without a health exception, declaring that the procedure was never necessary to protect a pregnant woman’s health. Among other issues, the new cases therefore present the issue of the respective roles of Congress and the court in defining the scope of constitutional rights, an issue on which Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, a dissenter in the case six years ago, has been particularly protective of the court’s role.
Racial Quotas in Schools
Federal appeals courts upheld student assignment plans in Louisville, Ky. (Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education, No. 05-915) and Seattle (Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, No. 05-908). Both cities have long struggled to achieve integration, and now seek to maintain it by taking race into account in limiting students’ choices of which schools to attend. While many justices are wary of “this divvying us up by race,” as Chief Justice Roberts phrased it in a voting rights case last term, the same justices also tend to support local education policies. The National School Boards Association is filing a brief supporting the school systems, while the Bush administration is arguing that the assignment plans are unconstitutional.
All I can figure out is..anything the Bush administration wants..I am against..its not rocket science..this adminstration hasn't gotten anything right yet..ok, perhaps one thing..but that was just signing a bill supporting a more transparent government with regard to where our friggin money goes..other than that..they should be forced to bunk with DeLay, Ney or Cunningham in the prison cell of their choice.
Tags: SCOTUS,Supreme Court
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