No Child Left Behind, No Adult Left Untagged

From the Boston Globe:

US eyes collection of college-student data
Rights advocates express concerns about privacy

By Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff | November 30, 2004

The federal government is considering the creation of a national database to collect information and track the progress of every college student in the country, triggering criticism from education and civil liberties advocates worried that it would amount to a loss of privacy for millions of Americans.

Full story is here.

Rolling out the steamroller?

Something to look forward to?
from The Texas Republicans alert site:

Senate Republicans threaten to go 'nuclear' to end judicial filibusters

Legislative weapon would end delays over some Bush nominations

Senate Republicans, boldly confident after their Nov. 2 electoral success, are preparing to end months of frustrating delays over President Bush's judicial picks by hitting Democrats with their ultimate legislative weapon.

But the Republican threat to neuter long-cherished filibuster rules by steamrolling Democrats is risky — so potentially destructive that Capitol Hill calls it the "nuclear option." Democratic retaliation would be swift and long-lasting, raising the prospect of escalating clashes in a body that prides itself on gentility and cool judgment.


For the rest, go here

You can't respond through that site unless you live in Texas (and it's unclear to me what kind of letter might be prepared for this issue--I can't tell from the article if they are for or against the steamrolling) but you can use the link on our sidebar if you want to make your own thoughts known to your congressfolk.

Walls

I lived for three years in a country where there were checkpoints and forbidden zones. Where, if you went around the traffic circle next to a certain government building more than once, you would automatically be arrested. At the time, that country was a military dictatorship. Now it's a democracy. I don't know if the checkpoints and forbidden zones are still there; I haven't been there for over 15 years.

But we seem to have plenty of them here.

Interesting thought, isn't it?

If this moves you to write your congressfolk, there is an alert link here.

Just a link

Here's a neat blog I came across tonight: My Moral Values. Check out the petition as well.

Turn Your Back On Bush movement

A new form of protest

From the site:

"On inauguration day, we don't need banners, we don't need signs, we just need people. We're calling on people to attend [Bush's] inauguration without protest signs, shirts or stickers. Once through security and at the procession, at a given signal, we'll all turn our backs on Bush's motorcade and continue through his speech and swearing in. A simple, clear and coherent message."

I'd love to see how security responds to this. What a great idea for a protest!

Church vs State in two national newscast stories tonight

CBS Evening News: Evolution "a theory" in Georgia

A sticker inside high school biology textbooks in Cobb County, Georgia reads that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is "a theory, not a fact" that should be "critically considered."

World News Tonight (ABC): Pastor demands film at Lincoln Memorial be re-edited to remove protests of civil rights, reproductive rights and war protests.

National Parks targeted by Christian conservatives. The ABC news story is about a film shown (without complaint, according to the park manager) at the Lincoln Memorial. This comes at the same time that a book is now being sold at Grand Canyon National Park that insists "The Great Flood," not erosion, created the natural wonder has been placed for sale (under protest from the park manager).

On a personal note, seeing the Lincoln Memorial story right after the creationism/evolution story nearly brought me to tears. What is happening here? And I went to the ACLU website this evening to get more information (and to reply to an e-mail I received about how to be heard on issues like these) and the site is 100% down. Hopefully it will be up and running if you click this link.

Maybe it's paranoia but I feared the worst when I couldn't get through.

Defense of marriage

This article was brought to my attention by a post at pesky'apostrophe"
Conservatives urge closer look at marriage.

Reading the fine print on the spending bill

From CNN:
The full story is here.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Sunday that "accountability will be carried out" against whoever slipped a provision into an omnibus spending bill that would have allowed two committee chairman to view the tax returns of any American.

The language was caught and removed in the Senate on Saturday, but the House will have to approve the fix before the spending bill can be sent to the White House for President Bush's signature.

9/11 Commission Recommendations Bill Blocked

Exerpts from today's Washington Post (emphasis ours):

Long-debated legislation to dramatically reshape the nation's intelligence community collapsed in the House yesterday, as conservative Republicans refused to embrace a compromise because they said it could reduce military control over battlefield intelligence and failed to crack down on illegal immigrants.

The impasse, which caught congressional leaders by surprise, was a blow to President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and others who had personally asked House conservatives to accept the measure proposed by House-Senate negotiators early yesterday. It also marked a major setback for the Sept. 11 commission -- whose July report triggered a drive toward overhauling the nation's intelligence operations -- and for many relatives of victims of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

At one point, the Senate staff by mistake offered language for one section that had been submitted by [Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James] Sensenbrenner [Jr. (R-Wis.)], and he returned it, saying it was not good enough.

Congress may reconvene Dec. 6 attempt to pass this bill (instead of leaving for holiday break this weekend) so it's not too late to tell your representative(s) how you feel.

TrueMajority action alert:: Comprehensive Peace in Sudan Act

If you want to urge your congressfolk to pass the Comprehensive Peace in Sudan Act before the session ends, TrueMajority has an action alert at this link.
If you are a member, they will fax a letter on your behalf. If you are not a member and do not want to use their site, you can base a letter on their wording and send it along yourself (use the form on the side bar to find your contact information).

Spending Bill Update

The bill has passed the House, and is expected to pass the Senate, though it is taking longer there because of the "conscience clause."

Current (as of this writing) news story on it is at:

House OKs $388 billion budget

There are some details there about special-interest projects that got funding.

Lawmaking language inserted in must-pass spending bill

This is a crosspost from "so anyway..."

Spending bill being used to sneak through lawmaking language

Exerpts from the NYT article referenced in hyperlink:

House and Senate negotiators have tucked a potentially far-reaching anti-abortion provision into a $388 billion must-pass spending bill.

Current federal law, aimed at protecting Roman Catholic doctors, provides such "conscience protection" to doctors who do not want to undergo abortion training. The new language would expand that protection to all health care providers, including hospitals, doctors, clinics and insurers.

Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa said, "I think it is time the women of America understand what is happening here," he said.

On Friday, nine female senators - eight Democrats and one Republican, Olympia J. Snowe of Maine - wrote a letter to Senator Stevens asking that the language be changed and complaining that it had not gone through committee or to the Senate floor for a vote.

Just to get us started...

Hello America. Let's let our congresspeople hear what we really have to say.