[Your Agenda Here]

Health care reform--myth vs. fact

2009-08-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

The amount of misinformation and disinformation flying about the internet regarding the proposed health care reform bill is simply astounding to me. I've begun a collection of sites/links to help dispel the myths and rumors.

First, here's an excellent breakdown of the issues and terminology of health care reform from About.com. (This page includes links to many related articles and frequently asked questions.)

The White House directly addresses several of the more popular and persistent rumors here.

Are you wondering if Tom Daschle could have actually said that seniors should have to suffer through "the conditions that come with age"? Read what he really said here.

Forced euthanasia? Not so much.

This is, of course, just the tip of the iceberg. We need to be informed, and we need to demand open, honest debate about the issues. Sure, it might take a bit more effort to do a little research into these things than to just believe what the forwarded chain letter email said, but we'll all be better for it.

www.politifact.com
factcheck.org
snopes.com

"Oh, I would probably have raised more hell."

2006-09-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

Former Gov. Ann Richards, the witty and flamboyant Democrat who went from homemaker to national political celebrity, died Wednesday night after a battle with cancer, a family spokeswoman said. She was 73.

She died at home surrounded by her family, the spokeswoman said. Richards was found to have esophageal cancer in March and underwent chemotherapy treatments.

The silver-haired, silver-tongued Richards said she entered politics to help others -- especially women and minorities who were often ignored by Texas' male-dominated establishment.

"I did not want my tombstone to read, 'She kept a really clean house.' I think I'd like them to remember me by saying, 'She opened government to everyone,' " Richards said shortly before leaving office in January 1995.

She grabbed the national spotlight with her keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention when she was the Texas state treasurer. Richards won cheers from delegates when she reminded them that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, "only backwards and in high heels."

Richards sealed her partisan reputation with a blast at George H. W. Bush, a fellow Texan who was vice president at the time: "Poor George, he can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth."

Asked once what she might have done differently had she known she was going to be a one-term governor, Richards grinned.

"Oh, I would probably have raised more hell."

A note about John Murtha

2006-08-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

I live in Murtha's district, same as I did in high school. Many organizations are asking for money on Murtha's behalf, to run a "counter-campaign" against his opponent. Murtha usually runs unopposed.

There are no Murtha attack ads (that I've seen) and I watch the local channels for the evening news, the prime time for political ads. Morever, Murtha's campaign is not running any ads. Why should he waste the money? He's running as he always has: on his record of what he's done for the area over his years of service. He supported me in a problem I was having in high school (it's a long story but one that a politican would love) and I know he's personally and generally helped just about all of his constituents and that's what people here pay attention to.

So if you're approached for a donation to help support Jack Murtha in his campaign against an upstart no one in his district has ever heard of, put your money elsewhere.

Someone who is running ads in our area? Bob Casey, who is running against Rick Santorum. Now that's an interesting pair of campaigns.

Save the Internet

2006-08-29T17:14:00.000-07:00

Congress is pushing a law that would abandon the Internet's First Amendment -- a principle called Network Neutrality that prevents companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast from deciding which Web sites work best for you -- based on what site pays them the most. If the public doesn't speak up now, our elected officials will cave to a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign.

Click here to find out more.

Some cheery news

2006-08-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

Rep. Harris: Church-state separation 'a lie'

U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris told a religious journal that separation of church and state is "a lie" and God and the nation's founding fathers did not intend the country be "a nation of secular laws."

The Republican candidate for U.S. Senate also said that if Christians are not elected, politicians will "legislate sin," including abortion and gay marriage.

I don't even know where to begin...

Send Bill Clinton a birthday card

2006-08-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

Bill turns 60 on August 19th.

Send him a birthday e-card via The Clinton Foundation.

Do-it-yourself voter reform

2006-08-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

I decided a while back that I was going to throw all my energy into making sure we had some small chance at an honest election.

Why?

Well, this video is one reason. Watch it. Pass it along to ALL your friends and relatives, of ALL political stripes.

What can you do to protect the vote?

What I did: I've joined a local ballot integrity group that is trying to get our state to move back to hand-counted paper ballots. I'm working on them with outreach, using the skills I have to write and design fliers that will alert the maximum number of people about this issue. Like most of you, I don't have that much time, I have a job, I have a family. But I make the time for this group as I can, because some things are that important. I'm using what I've got. The main thing I'm working on is to mobilize people who have more time, money, and influence than I do.

Here's a handy-dandy "How-to" kit you can download that will help you find one thing you can do to help take back our vote, courtesy of Black Box Voting:
http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/36341.html

Just one action from enough individuals can turn the tide in this fight.

Ken Lay is dead

2006-07-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

(AP) NEW YORK Convicted Enron CEO Kenneth Lay has died in Aspen, possible of a heart attack, according to a national news network broadcast Wednesday morning.

CNN cited "family sources" on the information at 10:00 a.m.

Lay and former Enron president Jeff Skilling were convicted in May of lying to investors and employees about Enron's health before the company collapsed into bankruptcy protection in December 2001.

The collapse obliterated more than $60 billion in market value, almost $2.1 billion in pension plans and, initially, 5,600 jobs.

Court observers said the two disgraced corporate chiefs face prison sentences ranging from less than a decade to more than 30 years. Both also are likely to face the possibility of millions of dollars in fines.

Telemarketers Hotline?

2006-06-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

Sales calls push security hotline to refuge of Do Not Call list
By William M. Welch, USA TODAY

The federal government has decided to put its own secret Homeland Security hotline to the nation's 50 governors on the federal Do Not Call Registry, according to Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner.

The move came after a complaint Thursday by Minner, who said that when her line rings, chances are it's not an emergency but an unwanted intrusion. "Every time that phone rings, it's telemarketers," she said in Washington.

Minner keeps the secret homeland defense hotline in her office. Governors have them for instant communication with Washington in case of a major emergency. Minner says that when her line rings, it's someone offering a time-share condominium or the latest deal on long-distance phone service.

Olbermann gets serious about O'Reilly

2006-06-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

Quote of the day

2006-06-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

"Ten people who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent."

-- Napoleon Bonaparte

Should Men be pre-conceivers too?

2006-05-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a talking point about this you can bring up when discussing the issue below with men, courtesy of a friend of mine when I sent her the Post article:

Sure. As soon as they put out guidelines that recommend that doctors start discussing potential fatherhood and birth control at every physical exam, and that men keep their sperm in top shape throughout their reproductive lifetimes, acknowledging that sperm production takes 2-3 months, and so men need to leave completely clean lives so as to produce and store only healthy sperm (no drugs or potentially harmful prescriptions, no smoking, limited alcohol, avoid spending more than 30 minutes in water over 120°F, etc.).

After all, they might accidentally reproduce at any time, so they should make sure their offspring have the best chance of being healthy.

Pre-pregnant?

2006-05-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

I was alerted to this article by Mac at Pesky'Apostrophe.
Here are some highlights:

New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves -- and to be treated by the health care system -- as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon.

Among other things, this means all women between first menstrual period and menopause should take folic acid supplements, refrain from smoking, maintain a healthy weight and keep chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes under control.

Pre-pregnant? That's something we've actually made a word? Granted, most of that makes good health sense, but there's something mildly creepy about all women of reproductive age being treated as "pre-pregnant" regardless of whether they indend to or wish to concieve.

The idea of preconception care has been discussed for nearly 20 years, experts said, but it has drawn more attention recently. Progress toward further reducing the rate of unhealthy pregnancy results, including premature birth, low birthweight and infant mortality, has slowed in the United States since 1996 "in part because of inconsistent delivery and implementation of interventions before pregnancy to detect, treat and help women modify behaviors, health conditions and risk factors that contribute to adverse maternal and infant outcomes," according to the report.

I won't even talk about what a terrible sentence that is.

The report recommends that women stop smoking and discuss with their doctor the danger alcohol poses to a developing fetus.

Now this, some might be able to use to their advantage. "Honey, could you change the kitty litter? I'm pre-pregnant, you know."

I invite you to read Mac's post and letter to her senators on the subject here. I both appreciate and shudder at the Margaret Atwood reference.

No vote left behind??

2006-05-03T04:09:00.000-07:00

Some election-day news from blackboxvoting.org
(the full "casualty list" is linked in the title)

JUST IN: Midland, MI - There were zero votes cast at Longview Elementary School during today's countywide school board election. It is City of Midland precinct 13-2 and has 1,006 registered voters. "I don't remember when there's been none, absolutely none." said Karen Holcomb, Midland County clerk.

- Senior citizen punches out Ohio voting machine. TSx succumbs to TKO. Photos below. (Aren't you glad there's a photo? )

- Ward 19 has irate citizen -- booth official gave him Democrat ballot and reportedly went ahead and cast the ballot. He wanted a Republican one. He filed a police report. (If he'd brought a pocket recorder, he'd have the proof he needs.)

- Marion County Indiana car stolen. Unfortunately the ballots were inside. (Minor glitch, poll opened late.) Another minor glitch: Some voters voted twice on school board race.
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=4848362&nav=menu188_2

- Ohio: Brook Park Rec Center had problems with Diebold TSx printers. Toilet paper roll hanging out of the printer, causing delays in poll opening. (The Diebold machines were spewing a paper trail several feet long -- what a great cell phone shot that would have been!).

- Ohio: Lack of three-pronged adaptors closes polling site for hours - Only had sockets for 2-prong plugs, couldn't open polling place until 1:30 p.m. -- Polling place stays open until 9:30. http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=51671

There's a long list of similar incidents. Check it out. Bev Harris really recommends taking an audio recorder and/or a cell phone camera with you when you voting. If people get what they can on tape/video, there's a lot that could be done with it.

I went last month to a meeting of a state-wide group working on ensuring we don't go the way of Ohio. They're working on getting the state legislature to require a hand count of 5-10% of the precincts to match up to the voting machines. Seems like a fairly sound plan. They also want to go back to a paper and pencil vote. After reading the BBV article, I can't imagine why! Our electronic voting went so well, they're considering not paying our machine provider. And Diebold's been making new offers to the state... I'll make sure I go again this month.

By the way, I hope everyone caught Stephen Colbert's gutsy speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. The "Emperor has No Clothes" silence of the crowd was... indescribable... There's a link to a copy at http://www.thankyoustephencolbert.org/

Not the content, just the ads...

2006-03-25T21:15:00.000-08:00

Update on the previous post:
The Federal Election Committee is proposing that the only internet content that would be regulated are paid advertisments on other people's web sites. This would leave blogs like this one free to say what we want to say, but keep a handle on the money that is going toward active campaigning and political advertising. This sounds like a reasonable way to go to me.

The AP article on this is linked in the title above.

Call your representative

2006-03-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

This seen over at BuffaloPundit:

There’s a bill wending its way through the house which would ensure that blogs - on the left and right - could continue advocacy for and against federal political candidates without somehow becoming enmeshed in FEC regulations and campaign finance disclosure.

Call your rep and ask for his/her support for HR 1606 so I can write favorable things about Hillary Clinton, and Craig could write unfavorable things about Hillary Clinton, and neither of us would have to file as a PAC.

I didn't know anything about this...did you?

Paying of Debt is Security Threat

2006-03-12T23:26:00.000-08:00

A couple paid off a large balance they'd been carrying on their J.C. Penny card, which triggered a notification to Homeland Security.

Pay too much and you could raise the alarm
By BOB KERR
The Providence Journal
28-FEB-06

...
They were told, as they moved up the managerial ladder at the call center, that the amount they had sent in was much larger than their normal monthly payment. And if the increase hits a certain percentage higher than that normal payment, Homeland Security has to be notified. And the money doesn't move until the threat alert is lifted.

Walter called television stations, the American Civil Liberties Union and me. And he went on the Internet to see what he could learn. He learned about changes in something called the Bank Privacy Act.

"The more I'm on, the scarier it gets," he said. "It's scary how easily someone in Homeland Security can get permission to spy."
...

The entire story is linked in the title above.

SBTB has Google-bombed Bill Napoli

2006-03-10T10:15:00.000-08:00

Bill Napoli

To learn more about what all this means and why they set out to achieve this, read here.

Patriot Act Time...

2006-02-28T04:37:00.000-08:00

This was in a comment (#12) on Congressman Conyer's Blog.

Patriot Act

SEC. 506. EXTENSION OF SECRET SERVICE JURISDICTION.

(a) Concurrent Jurisdiction Under 18 U.S.C. 1030- Section 1030(d) of title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

`(d)(1) The United States Secret Service shall, in addition to any other agency having such authority, have the authority to investigate offenses under this section.

`(2) The Federal Bureau of Investigation shall have primary authority to investigate offenses under subsection (a)(1) for any cases involving espionage, foreign counterintelligence, information protected against unauthorized disclosure for reasons of national defense or foreign relations, or Restricted Data (as that term is defined in section 11y of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2014(y)), except for offenses affecting the duties of the United States Secret Service pursuant to section 3056(a) of this title.

`(3) Such authority shall be exercised in accordance with an agreement which shall be entered into by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General.'.

(b) Reauthorization of Jurisdiction under 18 U.S.C. 1344- Section 3056(b)(3) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking `credit and debit card frauds, and false identification documents or devices' and inserting `access device frauds, false identification documents or devices, and any fraud or other criminal or unlawful activity in or against any federally insured financial institution'.

Combined with this bill:

Secret Service Authorization and Technical Modification Act of 2005 (Introduced in Senate)

S. 1967: To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to certain activities of the Secret Service, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES November 7, 2005, Mr. SPECTER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

SEC. 5. TRANSFER OF THE UNIFORMED DIVISION, UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE.

(a) In General- Chapter 203 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 3056 the following:

`Sec. 3056A. Powers, authorities, and duties of United States Secret Service Uniformed Division

`(a) There is hereby created and established a permanent police force, to be known as the `United States Secret Service Uniformed Division'. Subject to the supervision of the Secretary of Homeland Security, the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division shall perform such duties as the Director, United States Secret Service, may prescribe in connection with the protection of the following:

SEC. 7. MAINTENANCE AS DISTINCT ENTITY.

Section 3056 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding the following at the end of the section:

`(g) The United States Secret Service shall be maintained as a distinct entity within the Department of Homeland Security and shall not be merged with any other Department function. No personnel and operational elements of the United States Secret Service shall report to an individual other than the Director of the United States Secret Service, who shall report directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security without being required to report through any other official of the Department.'.

SEC. 8. EXEMPTIONS FROM THE FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.

(a) Advisory Committee Regarding Protection of Major Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates- Section 3056(a)(7) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting `The committee shall not be subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).' after `other members of the Committee.'.

(b) Electronic Crimes Task Forces- Section 105 of Public Law 107-56 (18 U.S.C. 3056 note) is amended by inserting `The electronic crimes task forces shall not be subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).' after `financial payment systems.'.

They're voting on the Patriot Act today. Maybe the Ports thing will stall it, but probably not. Calling at this point may or may not help.

If the second bill seems unbelievable, go to the source. The full text of the second bill is at http://thomas.loc.gov/ If you aren't familiar with THOMAS, it is the Library of Congress bill text resource. Put S1967 in the search bar and search on bill number. Read it for yourself. Tell everyone you know to read it. As far as I can tell, this bill is still in comittee. Hopefully all the incompetence at the DHS will kill it there, but who the hell knows with this bunch.

I don't know if we're at a tipping point or well beyond it by this time.

And the money keeps rolling out...

2006-02-28T04:16:00.000-08:00

From the NY Times:

Army to Pay Halliburton Unit Most Costs Disputed by Audit

By JAMES GLANZ
Published: February 27, 2006

The Army has decided to reimburse a Halliburton subsidiary for nearly all of its disputed costs on a $2.41 billion no-bid contract to deliver fuel and repair oil equipment in Iraq, even though the Pentagon's own auditors had identified more than $250 million in charges as potentially excessive or unjustified.

Entire article linked in the title.
I'm coming to the conlcusion a very bad sitcom writer is running this world... There's just no other explanation anymore.

We have met the enemy... and they are, apparently, us

2006-02-18T16:11:00.000-08:00

From TruthOut (via After Downing Street):

By William Rivers Pitt, www.truthout.org

They called it "Cyber Storm," and it was a war-game exercise run last week by the Department of Homeland Security. The war game had nothing to do with testing the security of our shipping ports, borders, infrastructure or airports. "Cyber Storm" was testing the government's ability to withstand an onslaught of information and protest from bloggers and online activists.

"Participants confirmed," wrote the Associated Press, that "parts of the worldwide simulation challenged government officials and industry executives to respond to deliberate misinformation campaigns and activist calls by Internet bloggers, online diarists whose "Web logs" include political rantings and musings about current events."

The full article is linked in the title.

And if you are from CA, please read this article from BlackBoxVoting.org and take action. If you are not, but know someone who is, please pass this link along to them.
http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/19353.html

Hezbollah Leader to Bush: 'Shut Up'

2006-02-09T11:09:00.000-08:00

The leader of Hezbollah, heading a march by hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muslims Thursday, said President Bush and his secretary of state should "shut up" after they accused Syria and Iran of fueling protests over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

Our omnipotent president

2006-01-30T12:34:00.000-08:00

Link is post title. Enjoy.

Pennsylvania has solved all of its problems

2006-01-25T10:32:00.000-08:00

... and now our legislators have free time on their hands. Thanks to Greg for the heads-up. This is what he posted:

At the behest of anti-gay groups in PA, House Republicans Scott Boyd (District 43) and Daryl Metcalfe (District 12) have introduced a hateful piece of legislation--an amendment to our constitution that will not only define marriage, but may also ban civil union and partner benefits to boot.

In a state that already defines marriage as between a man and a woman, there is only one way to take this: a full frontal assault on our families and our children. Interesting considering the source of the legislation are “pro-family” groups.

House Bill 2381 was introduced in yesterday's session and was immediately referred to the State Government Committee.

The full text along with a list of all the cosponsors can be had here (pdf file -- at Greg's site).

If you're a PA resident, it's time to get in touch with both your Representative and Senator.

Google this

2006-01-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

Google, gov't in search spat

Google is rebuffing the government's demand for a peek at what millions of people have been looking up on the Internet's leading search engine - a request that raises concerns Big Brother may be watching a little too closely.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales this week asked a federal judge in San Jose for an order to force a handover of the requested records.

The government wants a list of all requests entered into Google's search engine during a single week - a breakdown that could span tens of millions of queries. In addition, it seeks one million randomly selected Web addresses from various Google databases.

The government says the information is vital to restore online child protection laws that have been struck down by the Supreme Court.

Privacy experts are concerned about the potential link connecting individuals with searches.

"We may well be living in a new era here in terms of governments and data flow," said Pam Dixon, the executive director of the nonprofit World Privacy Forum. "This subpoena could, if fulfilled as originally requested, definitely compromise the privacy of quite a few people."

Dixon said about 30% of searches are connectable to the searcher. Regardless of the outcome of the legal battle, Dixon advised people never to type their full name and social security number in a search.

Others expressed similar concerns.

"If you are registered with Google so you can use G-mail or some other bundled service and you search on Google, they can link your real identity to your search terms," said Kevin Bankston, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

"What you Google for defines you," said Bankston. "It reveals very often your greatest hopes and your deepest fears, your personal business and medical problems and issues ... and plenty of other First Amendment protected activities that you do online."

Google objected to the government's subpoena, saying it would reveal trade secrets by providing the data and disclose personally identifiable information about its users.

In response, the government said it would keep the data secret and that the request wasn't for personal information.

Nicole Wong, a Google lawyer said the demand for information "over-reaches."

The information would "assist the government in its efforts to understand the behavior of current Web users, to estimate how often Web users encounter harmful-to-minors material in the course of their searches," the government's filing said.

Bush Admin. Launched Secret Smear Campaign Against Murtha

2006-01-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

The Huffington Post has learned the Bush administration recently asked high ranking military leaders to denounce Congressman John Murtha. Congressman Murtha has called for the Bush Administration to withdraw US troops from Iraq.

The Bush Administration first attacked Rep. Murtha for his Iraq views by associating him with the filmmaker Michael Moore and Representative Jean Schmidt likened him to a coward on the floor of the House of Representatives. When those tactics backfired, Dick Cheney called Murtha "A good man, a marine, a patriot and he's taking a clear stand in an entirely legitimate discussion."
Though the White House has backed off publicly, administration officials have nevertheless recently made calls to military leaders to condemn the congressman. So far they have refused.

Rep. Murtha spent 37 years in the Marine Corps earning a Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts and a Navy Distinguished Service Medal. His service has earned him the respect of the military, and made him a trusted adviser to both Republican and Democratic presidents and leaders of the armed forces.

Unfolding...

Big Brother is Reading...

2006-01-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

From CNN:

U.S. opening some private mail in terror fight
Customs: Letters from abroad subject to screening

Monday, January 9, 2006; Posted: 9:49 p.m. EST (02:49 GMT)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. officials are opening personal mail that arrives from abroad when they deem it necessary to protect the country from terrorism, a Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman said Monday.

News of the little-known practice follows revelations that the government approved eavesdropping on U.S. citizens without judicial oversight after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which sparked concern from civil liberties advocates and some lawmakers, who called for congressional hearings.

Full article is here.

Putting the brakes on Big Brother??

2005-12-18T03:07:00.000-08:00

Unlike some of the folks in DC...

Bush: Eavesdropping Helps Save U.S. Lives

By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
Sat Dec 17, 6:42 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Facing angry criticism and challenges to his authority in Congress, President Bush on Saturday unapologetically defended his administration's right to conduct secret post-Sept. 11 spying in the United States as "critical to saving American lives."

Bush said congressional leaders had been briefed on the operation more than a dozen times. That included Democrats as well as Republicans in the House and Senate, a GOP lawmaker said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she had been told on several occasions that Bush had authorized unspecified activities by the National Security Agency, the nation's largest spy agency. She said she had expressed strong concerns at the time, and that Bush's statement Saturday "raises serious questions as to what the activities were and whether the activities were lawful."

Often appearing angry in an eight-minute address, the president made clear he has no intention of halting his authorizations of the monitoring activities and said public disclosure of the program by the news media had endangered Americans.

...some politicians are starting to realize this government is supposed to have a system of checks and balances...

Senate Rejects Extension of Patriot Act
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent Sat Dec 17, 9:53 AM ET

WASHINGTON - In a stinging defeat for President Bush, Senate Democrats blocked passage Friday of a new Patriot Act to combat terrorism at home, depicting the measure as a threat to the constitutional liberties of innocent Americans.

. . .

"We can come together to give the government the tools it needs to fight terrorism and protect the rights and freedoms of innocent citizens," said Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., arguing that provisions permitting government access to confidential personal data lacked safeguards to protect the innocent.

"We need to be more vigilant," agreed Sen. John Sununu, a Republican from New Hampshire, where the state motto is "Live Free or Die." He quoted Benjamin Franklin: "Those that would give up essential liberty in pursuit of a little temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security."

...other, that is, than our writing them checks to increase their balances.

And does anyone other than me think putting a giant fence around the country is a distrubing thing to do? For whatever reason?

House votes to build a border fence
House approves tough immigration bill
By Lisa Friedman, Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Far-reaching legislation that turns America's estimated 11 million illegal aliens into felons passed the House late Friday after a raging two-day debate.

The bill passed 239-182 largely along party lines after Republicans beat back a last-ditch attempt by Democrats to scuttle it.

The legislation authorizes construction of a fence along 698 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border and makes employees responsible for knowing the immigration status of their workers. Anyone who hires an illegal immigrant could be fined as much as $25,000 per worker.

JFK, Clinton: Most popular of last 10 POTUSes

2005-12-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

President George W. Bush ranks as the least popular and most bellicose of the last ten U.S. presidents, according to a new survey.

Only nine percent of the 662 people polled picked Bush as their favorite among the last 10 presidents. John F. Kennedy topped that part of the survey, with 26 percent, closely followed by Bill Clinton (25 percent) and Ronald Reagan (23 percent).

Bush was also viewed as the most warlike president (43 percent), the worst for the economy (42 percent) and the least effective (33 percent). But he was rated most highly in response to a question on who would do the right thing even if it were unpopular.

The survey was conducted by the Chicago-based National Qualitative Centers, a marketing research company, as part of research for a forthcoming book on popular preferences, one of its authors, Ken Berwitz, said on Friday.

Sources: White House to Accept Torture Ban

2005-12-16T07:25:00.000-08:00

After months of resistance, the White House has agreed to accept Sen. John McCain's call for a law specifically banning cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of foreign suspects in the war on terror, several congressional officials said Thursday.

Under the emerging deal, the CIA and other civilian interrogators would be given the same legal rights as currently guaranteed members of the military who are accused of breaking interrogation guidelines, these officials added. Those rules say the accused can defend themselves by arguing it was reasonable for them to believe they were obeying a legal order.

The congressional officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt an expected announcement later in the day at the White House, possibly by President Bush and McCain.

These officials also cautioned the agreement was encountering opposition in the House from Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. A spokesman for Hunter said negotiations were ongoing.

But Sen. John Warner, R-Va., Hunter's counterpart in the Senate, was said to be on board. And his spokesman, John Ullyot, said: "Senator Warner is meeting with Chairman Hunter to work out the refinements."

A day earlier, the House endorsed the Senate-passed ban, agreeing that the United States needed to set uniform guidelines for the treatment of prisoners in the war on terror and to make clear that U.S. policy prohibits torture.

That put pressure on the White House at a time when the president finds himself defending his wartime policies daily amid declining public support for the Iraq war and his own low standing in opinion polls.

The White House at one point threatened a veto if the ban was included in legislation sent to the president's desk, and Vice President Dick Cheney made an unusual personal appeal to all Republican senators to give an exemption to the CIA.

But congressional sentiment was overwhelmingly in favor of the ban, and McCain, a former Navy pilot who was held and tortured for five years in Vietnam, adopted the issue.

The Republican maverick and the administration have been negotiating for weeks in search of a compromise, but it became increasingly clear that he, not the administration, had the votes in Congress.

As passed by the Senate and endorsed by the House, McCain's amendment would prohibit "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" of anyone in U.S. government custody, regardless of where they are held. It also would require that service members follow procedures in the Army Field Manual during interrogations of prisoners in Defense Department facilities.

In discussions with the White House, that languge was altered to bring it into conformity with the Uniform Code of Military Justice. That says that anyone accused of violating interrogation rules can defend themselves if a "reasonable" person could have concluded they were following a lawful order.

The Senate included the McCain provisions in two defense bills, including a must-pass $453 billion spending bill that provides $50 billion for the Iraq war. But the House ommitted them from their versions, and the bills have been stalled.

Negotiations intensified this week, with Congress under pressure to approve at least the spending bill before adjourning for the year.

In recent weeks, the administration had been seeking to add language that would offer protection from prosecution for interrogators accused of violating the provision. But McCain rejected that, arguing it would undermine the ban by not giving interrogators reason to follow the law.

Supporters of the provisions say they are needed to clarify current anti-torture laws in light of abuses at Abu Ghraib in Iraq and allegations of misconduct by U.S. troops at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay.

The White House long has contended that the United States does not engage in torture.

Hope for the voters?

2005-12-13T17:55:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to the folks over at blackboxvoting.org for their tireless efforts to insure clean elections. Looks like there may be hope your vote will count eventually:

Breaking:

Due to security design issues and contractual non-performance, Leon County (Florida) supervisor of elections Ion Sancho told Black Box Voting that he will never use Diebold in an election again. He has requested funds to replace the Diebold system from the county. He will issue a formal announcement to this effect shortly.

Finnish security expert Harri Hursti proved that Diebold lied to Secretaries of State across the nation when Diebold claimed votes could not be changed on the memory card.

A test election was run in Leon County today with a total of eight ballots - six ballots voted "no" on a ballot question as to whether Diebold voting machines can be hacked or not. Two ballots, cast by Dr. Herbert Thomson and by Harri Hursti voted "yes" indicating a belief that the Diebold machines could be hacked.

At the beginning of the test election the memory card programmed by Harri Hursti was inserted into an Optical Scan Diebold voting machine. A "zero report" was run indicating zero votes on the memory card. In fact, however, Hursti had pre-loaded the memory card with plus and minus votes.

The eight ballots were run through the optical scan machine. The standard Diebold-supplied "ender card" was run through as is normal procedure ending the election. A results tape was run from the voting machine.

Correct results should have been:

Yes:2 No:6

However the results tape read:

Yes:7 No:1

The results were then uploaded from the optical scan voting machine into the GEMS central tabulator. The central tabulator is the "mothership" that pulls in all votes from voting machines. The results in the central tabulator read:

Yes:7 No:1

This proves that the votes themselves were changed in a one-step process that would not be detected in any normal canvassing procedure - using only a credit-card sized memory card.

Diebold Elections Systems head of research and development Pat Green specifically told the Cuyahoga County board of elections that votes could not be changed on the memory card.

According to Public Records responses obtained by Black Box Voting in response to our requests shows that Diebold promulgated this misrepresentation to as many as 800 state and local elections officials.

In other news, according to Bradblog a stockholder suit was filed today against Diebold by the law offices of Scott and Scott:

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002153.htm

Permission to reprint granted with link to http://blackboxvoting.org

Hey George, remember that little oath you've sworn twice now?

2005-12-11T19:22:00.000-08:00

I once took the standard "work for the government" oath. It's interesting: you aren't asked to defend the country, or the government. Instead, you swear to "defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

This is the same oath all elected US officials swear.

I think many are foresworn.

Bush on the Constitution: 'It's just a goddamned piece of paper'
By DOUG THOMPSON
Dec 9, 2005, 07:53

Last month, Republican Congressional leaders filed into the Oval Office to meet with President George W. Bush and talk about renewing the controversial USA Patriot Act.

Several provisions of the act, passed in the shell shocked period immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, caused enough anger that liberal groups like the American Civil Liberties Union had joined forces with prominent conservatives like Phyllis Schlafly and Bob Barr to oppose renewal.

GOP leaders told Bush that his hardcore push to renew the more onerous provisions of the act could further alienate conservatives still mad at the President from his botched attempt to nominate White House Counsel Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

“I don’t give a goddamn,” Bush retorted. “I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”

“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.”

“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!”

I’ve talked to three people present for the meeting that day and they all confirm that the President of the United States called the Constitution “a goddamned piece of paper.”

Full rant is linked in the title above.

I guarantee: his seat is secure

2005-12-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

Rep. John Murtha's stock is rising in the Democratic Party right alongside his public profile.

The once-camera-shy Vietnam veteran who rattled Washington last month by calling for the removal of troops from Iraq seems to be popping up everywhere, making TV appearances and being cited by reporters as a leading Democratic opponent of President Bush's war policy.

On Wednesday he delivered the House Democrats' response to Bush's speech on the war. He appeared paternal as he chastised the administration's plans for Iraq, even rhetorically asking of the president, "What has he said that would give him credibility?"

Murtha, 73, of Johnstown, Pa., made headlines last week when he appeared at a fundraiser in Boston for the opponent of Texas Rep. Tom DeLay, the indicted former House majority leader, and he's become a darling of the morning television talk shows.

Murtha's background as a largely behind-the-scenes Democratic hawk with Pentagon connections makes him an ideal anti-war poster boy because opponents can't argue he is weak on defense, Democratic operatives say. Even some Republicans acknowledge he's difficult to attack.

That status made it hard for the Bush administration to dismiss Murtha's comments as coming from yet another Democrat carping about Iraq for political reasons. The White House tried, first comparing Murtha to liberal filmmaker Michael Moore before toning down its criticism. Bush later called Murtha "a fine man and a good man."

"John Murtha is the perfect storm of credibility and quotability," said Mark Nevins, who worked as a spokesman in Pennsylvania on the presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry, another harsh critic of Bush's Iraq policy.

Not everyone, however, is singing his praises.

A spokeswoman for Rep. Joe Wilson (news, bio, voting record), R-S.C., said this week the congressman was looking into the details surrounding a June report by The Los Angeles Times that said at least 10 companies represented by a lobbying firm where Murtha's brother is a partner received a combined $20.8 million in defense contracts. When the story broke, Murtha's office released a statement saying every lobbying firm is given the same consideration.

Ohio Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt created a firestorm in the House last month when she said of Murtha, "Cowards cut and run, Marines never do."

Partly because of that, Republicans have to be careful in how they attack Murtha, said John Pitney, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College in California.

"By attacking him on ethics, they could take a Democratic hero and turn him into a Democratic martyr," Pitney said.

Murtha said he's received 16,000 letters, faxes and letters in support, but about 20 percent of all those who have contacted his office are critical — even using words almost as bad as he heard in Marine boot camp.

"I probably heard worse words, but some of those folks working with me had never heard words like ... that 20 percent that called in," said Murtha, a retired Marine colonel.

Murtha was first elected to Congress in 1974. Although it appears his own seat is secure, it remains to be seen whether his anti-war rhetoric and that of some others in the Democratic Party will affect tight congressional races next year in areas where voters might be uneasy with opposition to the war.

The cause goes beyond politics for Murtha, and he showed no sign Wednesday that he would back down.

"You know a lot of people have attacked me, but it's not about John Murtha," he said. "The American public is thirsting for a plan. They don't see a plan, a way out."

Wal-Mart: racial profiling? Quel suprise

2005-12-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

GAF Materials Corp. is handing out gift cards from Target as a reward to select employees this holiday season. That's because Wal-Mart, the discount store that held the business for years, last week called sheriff's deputies to apprehend a GAF manager on a bogus bad check rap while he was trying to buy this year's gift card supply.

GAF has been spending about $50,000 a year on gift cards at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 11110 Causeway Blvd. in Brandon. For years GAF sent a white, female administrator to buy them without incident. This time, when she was on vacation the day before Thanksgiving, Pitts did the job himself. He phoned in the order for 520 cards, got the accounting department to issue Wal-Mart a $13,600 check and then encountered a royal hassle trying to exchange it for gift cards at the store.

"For a while there I thought I was going to prison," he said. "It was a totally humiliating experience."

For about two hours, store managers stalled on accepting the check for the already-printed gift cards, while Pitts stood waiting by the customer service desk. He had handed over his GAF business card, his driver's license and the toll-free numbers to GAF's bank. His accounting supervisor assured them over the phone that GAF, the nation's biggest roofing systems maker with revenues of $1.6-billion in 2004, was good for the check.

Two African-American Wal-Mart clerks watching all this from nearby told Pitts that several similarly sized transactions were made for other companies that day without delay, Pitts said. They suggested to Pitts that he was subjected to all the extra scrutiny by their bosses because he is black.

Pitts finally got upset over the lengthy wait. He asked for the check back so he could go to another store. But store managers, who had kept huddled in a nearby office during most of his two-hour ordeal, refused to return it. The only explanation he got was that the store was having trouble "verifying" the check or who Pitts was.

Later, two Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies appeared. One grabbed Pitts by the arm. He objected to the rough handling and asked if he was being arrested.

"We need to talk with you about this forged check that you brought in here," Pitts recalled deputy Bryan Wells saying. Later Wells explained the reason for the firm arm grab: "Well, Wal-Mart called us and reported to us that you committed a felony, and that's the way we approach felons," Pitts recalled.

Within 19 minutes deputies reviewed the evidence, determined there was no grounds for a criminal charge and learned Wal-Mart would not press the issue further. Wells handed the check to Pitts.

"Our deputies didn't even see enough (of a case) to write a report," said Lt. Carmen Rivas, the shift commander. "We responded only because Wal-Mart called in a bad check report."

To road deputies, the dispatch code means a possible felony.

Wal-Mart store manager Mark Cornett, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, told Pitts that he only "did what he had to do" before saying "have a great day, sir," according to Pitts.

Pitts was so shaken that he called his boss, Dennis Branch, a regional vice president for GAF in Savannah, Ga. Branch called Cornett and confirmed Pitts' version of the story.

"I was appalled," Branch said. "He wouldn't answer questions like, "Do you call the sheriff every time you cannot verify a check?' He got very defiant. He would not apologize and eventually hung up on me. Reggie had given them the names of several GAF VPs who could vouch for him. All they did was call the GAF guard house number they found in the phone book," which was not answered.

Wal-Mart's critics were not surprised. Wal-Mart, like many large retail chains, has been confronted by employment and promotion discrimination suits. In Boston, one suit claims Wal-Mart engaged in a form of racial profiling to prevent shoplifting.

So far, four Wal-Mart officials, including a regional vice president of operations at corporate headquarters in Bentonville, have called Pitts and apologized for the incident. But no one from the store did. And nobody from the company has offered an explanation of what happened.

Rounding up the usual suspects

2005-12-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

Was there some law that I wasn't aware of that says US citizens going about their business in their own country are required to carry ID cards at all times?

Miami Police Take New Tack Against Terror
By CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press Writer
Nov 28 9:28 PM US/Eastern

MIAMI - Miami police announced Monday they will stage random shows of force at hotels, banks and other public places to keep terrorists guessing and remind people to be vigilant. Deputy Police Chief Frank Fernandez said officers might, for example, surround a bank building, check the IDs of everyone going in and out and hand out leaflets about terror threats.

"This is an in-your-face type of strategy. It's letting the terrorists know we are out there," Fernandez said.

The operations will keep terrorists off guard, Fernandez said. He said al-Qaida and other terrorist groups plot attacks by putting places under surveillance and watching for flaws and patterns in security.

Police Chief John Timoney said there was no specific, credible threat of an imminent terror attack in Miami. But he said the city has repeatedly been mentioned in intelligence reports as a potential target.

Full story linked in the title.

Walgreens to Illinois pharmacists: "Fill the scripts"

2005-12-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

Walgreen Co. said it has put four Illinois pharmacists in the St. Louis area on unpaid leave for refusing to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception in violation of a state rule.

The four cited religious or moral objections to filling prescriptions for the morning-after pill and "have said they would like to maintain their right to refuse to dispense, and in Illinois that is not an option," Walgreen spokeswoman Tiffani Bruce said.

A rule imposed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in April requires Illinois pharmacies that sell contraceptives approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fill prescriptions for emergency birth control. Pharmacies that do not fill prescriptions for any type of contraception are not required to follow the rule.

Ed Martin, an attorney for the pharmacists, on Tuesday called the discipline "pretty disturbing" and said they would consider legal action if Walgreen doesn't reconsider.

At least six other pharmacists have sued over the rule, claiming it forces them to violate their religious beliefs. Many of those lawsuits were filed by Americans United for Life, the Chicago public interest law firm with which Martin is affiliated.

The licenses of both a pharmacy and that store's chief pharmacist could be revoked if they don't comply with the Illinois rule, Bruce said.

Walgreen, based in Deerfield, Ill., put the four on leave Monday, Bruce said. She would not identify them. They will remain on unpaid leave "until they either decide to abide by Illinois law or relocate to another state" without such a rule or law. For example, she said, the company would be willing to help them get licensed in Missouri and they could work for Walgreen there.

Walgreen policy says pharmacists can refuse to fill prescriptions to which they are morally opposed — except where state law prohibits — but they must take steps to have the prescription filled by another pharmacist or store, Bruce said.

Bruce said Wednesday the four pharmacists were the first Walgreen had disciplined under the state's rule. Walgreen has 488 stores in Illinois, out of about 5,000 nationwide, with generally three to five pharmacists employed at each one.

It was not clear whether other large pharmacy chains had taken similar action.

Jean Coutu Group Inc., which owns more than 1,900 Eckerd and Brooks stores, requires its pharmacists to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception, spokeswoman Helene Bisson said. But she wouldn't say if Jean Coutu has taken action similar to Walgreen.

CVS Corp., the nation's largest retail pharmacy, did not immediately return calls

He's a very proper gander....

2005-11-30T04:38:00.000-08:00

From the LA Times, via the Chicago Tribune:

U.S. Military Covertly Pays to Run Stories in Iraqi Press
Troops write articles presented as news reports. Some officers object to the practice.

By Mark Mazzetti and Borzou Daragahi
Times Staff Writers
Published November 30, 2005

WASHINGTON — As part of an information offensive in Iraq, the U.S. military is secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S. mission in Iraq.

The articles, written by U.S. military "information operations" troops, are translated into Arabic and placed in Baghdad newspapers with the help of a defense contractor, according to U.S. military officials and documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

Many of the articles are presented in the Iraqi press as unbiased news accounts written and reported by independent journalists. The stories trumpet the work of U.S. and Iraqi troops, denounce insurgents and tout U.S.-led efforts to rebuild the country.

Though the articles are basically factual, they present only one side of events and omit information that might reflect poorly on the U.S. or Iraqi governments, officials said. Records and interviews indicate that the U.S. has paid Iraqi newspapers to run dozens of such articles, with headlines such as "Iraqis Insist on Living Despite Terrorism," since the effort began this year.

The operation is designed to mask any connection with the U.S. military. The Pentagon has a contract with a small Washington-based firm called Lincoln Group, which helps translate and place the stories.

And, as the article reminds you later,

The Bush administration has come under criticism for distributing video and news stories in the United States without identifying the federal government as their source and for paying American journalists to promote administration policies, practices the Government Accountability Office has labeled "covert propaganda."

and

U.S. law forbids the military from carrying out psychological operations or planting propaganda through American media outlets. Yet several officials said that given the globalization of media driven by the Internet and the 24-hour news cycle, the Pentagon's efforts were carried out with the knowledge that coverage in the foreign press inevitably "bleeds" into the Western media and influences coverage in U.S. news outlets.

"There is no longer any way to separate foreign media from domestic media. Those neat lines don't exist anymore," said one private contractor who does information operations work for the Pentagon.

America: White House Misleads Us

2005-11-23T11:11:00.000-08:00

"You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time." --Abraham Lincoln.

Majority Believe White House
Misleads Public, Poll Shows
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE
November 23, 2005

A majority of U.S. adults believe the Bush administration generally misleads the public on current issues, while fewer than a third of Americans believe the information provided by the administration is generally accurate, the latest Harris Interactive poll finds.

While the telephone survey of 1,011 U.S. adults indicates about 64% of Americans believe the Bush administration "generally misleads the American public on current issues to achieve its own ends," opinion on the topic is clearly divided along party lines. A large majority (68% to 28%) of Republicans say the Bush administration generally provides accurate information. However, even larger majorities of Democrats (91% to 7%) and Independents (73% to 25%) think the information is generally misleading.

Full text linked above in the title, but it may only be good through today (Nov 23).

A hint of sanity

2005-11-19T05:53:00.000-08:00

I've written my rep several times about the Patriot Act. Maybe all those letters from the 76% that disapprove of the direction the country is headed is starting to have an effect. (I'm a little surprised I haven't seen this on the usual alternative news sources like HuffPo yet. It's been in the Chicago Trib and AOLNews since last night.)

From the Trib

Patriot Act deal blocked
Left, right coalition holds up extension

By Jill Zuckman
Washington Bureau
Published November 19, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A near-agreement to extend the controversial USA Patriot Act was blocked Friday by an odd-bedfellows coalition of liberals and conservatives who protested that it did too little to protect Americans' civil liberties.

The act, which gives law-enforcement officials wide power to use wiretaps and to search people in the United States, was Congress' main response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

But critics have complained about the powers it gives police to invade the privacy of citizens. Among other things, the act allows officials to examine library records and to search homes without residents knowing it.
...

In addition, senators opposing many of the House provisions said there were more than enough votes to sustain a filibuster. As many as 15 Republicans and 38 Democrats were expected to oppose the conference report if it reached the floor without more concessions.

"What you see evidenced today is such a broad spectrum of political thought in Congress," said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the co-author with Craig of the Senate version of the bill. "I think it should give pause to the leadership as to whether or not they should go forward with [the drafted proposals] in the Patriot Act."

Besides concerns about the sunset deadline, many lawmakers said they were unhappy about provisions allowing law-enforcement officials to search library records and business records, to search a home when its resident is not present and to issue national security letters that prevent a person from challenging an order in court that prohibits him from publicly talking about allegations against him.

Interestingly, you get a completely different feel for what's happening reading the AOL article. Compare the opening paragraphs:

Congress Puts Brakes on Patriot Act Action
By LAURIE KELLMAN, AP

WASHINGTON (Nov. 18) - Congress slowed the renewal of a central part of the administration's war on terror Friday amid a standoff over how long to extend the USA Patriot Act and a filibuster threat by senators opposed to new powers it would grant the FBI.

"I believe that more time is necessary," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., "The bill is not now generally understood because of its volume and because of not enough time to really digest the changes."

Specter said a compromise is reachable when Congress returns in December from a two-week Thanksgiving vacation.

The bipartisan group of lawmakers declared victory, saying they had gathered enough votes to block GOP leaders from forcing a vote on a proposal put forth by negotiators trying to merge House and Senate versions of the bill. The Patriot Act provisions expire Dec. 31 if not renewed by Congress.

Bush's approval rating: 34%

2005-11-18T08:05:00.000-08:00

President Bush's positive job rating continues to fall, touching another new low for his presidency, the latest Harris Interactive poll finds.

Bush's current job approval rating stands at 34%, compared with a positive rating of 88% soon after 9/11, 50% at this time last year, and 40% in August.

And he's not alone. Cabinet members, Congressional leaders and both parties in Congress have also seen their ratings slip, with Democrats seeing one of the biggest dips in approval, the telephone poll of 1,011 U.S. adults shows.

Vice President Dick Cheney's approval ratings slipped to 30% this month from 35% in August, while Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's approval ratings dropped to 34% from 40% and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's approval ratings fell to 52% from 57%, according to the poll.

At the same time, only a quarter of Americans polled give Democrats a positive rating in the latest poll, compared with 31% in August, while Republicans' approval ratings fell to 27% from 32%.

Mr. Bush's current ratings don't compare favorably with those of three of the last four two-term presidents at a comparable time in their fifth year in office. In November or October of their fifth year, Presidents Johnson (67%), Reagan (66%) and Clinton (58%) all enjoyed the support of majorities, while President Nixon (29%) was less popular than Mr. Bush is now.

In the most recent poll, Americans were also asked to name the two most important issues that the U.S. government needs to address. When considering the most important issues, 34% of those polled say the war is most important, 13% said the economy and 13% said Iraq. Other issues mentioned were health care (11%), education (10%) and taxes (9%).

I think this was Lincoln's approval rating in South Carolina in mid-1863.

Congress to take back 9/11 relief money from New York State

2005-11-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

Congressional budget negotiators have decided to take back $125 million in Sept. 11 aid from New York, which had fought to keep the money to treat sick and injured ground zero workers, lawmakers said Tuesday.

New York officials had sought for months to hold onto the funding, originally meant to cover increased worker compensation costs stemming from the 2001 terror attacks.

But a massive labor and health spending bill moving fitfully through House-Senate negotiations would take back that funding, lawmakers said.

"It seems that despite our efforts the rescission will stand, very sadly, and that is something of a promise broken," said Rep. Vito Fossella, R-N.Y. "We will try hard in the coming weeks, but ultimately Congress will have something of a black eye over this."

A spokeswoman for Rep. John Sweeney, R-N.Y., said the congressman also had been told New York would lose the funding in whatever compromise version of the spending bill finally reaches the floor.

The tug-of-war over the $125 million began earlier this year when the White House proposed taking the money back because the state had not yet spent it.

New York protested, saying the money was part of the $20 billion pledged by President Bush to help rebuild after the Sept. 11 attacks. Health advocates said the money is needed to treat current and future illnesses among ground zero workers.

The Senate voted last month to let New York keep the $125 million, but the House made no such move. House and Senate budget negotiators then decided to take the money back, lawmakers and aides said.

Clear as a bell, Scott!

2005-11-09T05:19:00.000-08:00

This is from the White House press briefing transcript. Full exchange is at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/11/20051108.html#d
I'll let the press secratary speak? not speak? for himself.

Q I'd like you to clear up, once and for all, the ambiguity about torture. Can we get a straight answer? The President says we don't do torture, but Cheney --

MR. McCLELLAN: That's about as straight as it can be.

Q Yes, but Cheney has gone to the Senate and asked for an exemption on --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, he has not. Are you claiming he's asked for an exemption on torture? No, that's --

Q He did not ask for that?

MR. McCLELLAN: -- that is inaccurate.

Q Are you denying everything that came from the Hill, in terms of torture?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, you're mischaracterizing things. And I'm not going to get into discussions we have --

Q Can you give me a straight answer for once?

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me give it to you, just like the President has. We do not torture. He does not condone torture and he would never --

Q I'm asking about exemptions.

MR. McCLELLAN: Let me respond. And he would never authorize the use of torture. We have an obligation to do all that we can to protect the American people. We are engaged --

Q That's not the answer I'm asking for --

MR. McCLELLAN: It is an answer -- because the American people want to know that we are doing all within our power to prevent terrorist attacks from happening. There are people in this world who want to spread a hateful ideology that is based on killing innocent men, women and children. We saw what they can do on September 11th --

Q He didn't ask for an exemption --

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and we are going to --

Q -- answer that one question. I'm asking, is the administration asking for an exemption?

MR. McCLELLAN: I am answering your question. The President has made it very clear that we are going to do --

Q You're not answering -- yes or no?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, you don't want the American people to hear what the facts are, Helen, and I'm going to tell them the facts.

Q -- the American people every day. I'm asking you, yes or no, did we ask for an exemption?

MR. McCLELLAN: And let me respond. You've had your opportunity to ask the question. Now I'm going to respond to it.

Q If you could answer in a straight way.

MR. McCLELLAN: And I'm going to answer it, just like the President -- I just did, and the President has answered it numerous times.

Q -- yes or no --

MR. McCLELLAN: Our most important responsibility is to protect the American people. We are engaged in a global war against Islamic radicals who are intent on spreading a hateful ideology, and intent on killing innocent men, women and children.

Q Did we ask for an exemption?

MR. McCLELLAN: We are going to do what is necessary to protect the American people.

Q Is that the answer?

MR. McCLELLAN: We are also going to do so in a way that adheres to our laws and to our values. We have made that very clear. The President directed everybody within this government that we do not engage in torture. We will not torture. He made that very clear.

"Can I quit now? Can I come home?"

2005-11-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

'Can I quit now?' FEMA chief wrote as Katrina raged

E-mails give insight into Brown's leadership, attitude

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Louisiana congressman says e-mails written by the government's emergency response chief as Hurricane Katrina raged show a lack of concern for the unfolding tragedy and a failure in leadership.

Rep. Charlie Melancon, whose district south of New Orleans was devastated by the hurricane, posted a sampling of e-mails written by Federal Emergency Management chief Michael Brown on his Web site on Wednesday.

The Democratic lawmaker cited several e-mails that he said show Brown's failures. In one, as employees looked for direction and support on the ravaged Gulf Coast, Brown offered to "tweak" the federal response.

Two days after Katrina hit, Marty Bahamonde, one of the only FEMA employees in New Orleans, wrote to Brown that "the situation is past critical" and listed problems including many people near death and food and water running out at the Superdome.

Brown's entire response was: "Thanks for the update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?"

On September 12 Brown resigned, 10 days after President Bush told him, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

Brown is still on the federal payroll at his $148,000 annual salary. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, saying Brown's expertise was needed as he investigated what went wrong, agreed to a 30-day extension when Brown resigned. Chertoff renewed that extension in mid-October.

Brown took over FEMA in 2003 with little experience in emergency management. He joined the agency in 2001 as legal counsel to his friend, then-FEMA director Joe Allbaugh, who was Bush's 2000 campaign manager. When Allbaugh left FEMA in 2003 Brown assumed the top job.

Before joining the Bush administration, Brown spent a decade as the stewards and judges commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association.

The e-mails Melancon posted, a sampling of more than 1,000 provided to the House committee now assessing responses to Katrina by all levels of government, also show Brown making flippant remarks about his responsibilities.

"Can I quit now? Can I come home?" Brown wrote to Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of public affairs, the morning of the hurricane.

A few days later, Brown wrote to an acquaintance, "I'm trapped now, please rescue me."

"In the midst of the overwhelming damage caused by the hurricane and enormous problems faced by FEMA, Mr. Brown found time to exchange e-mails about superfluous topics," including "problems finding a dog-sitter," Melancon said.

Melancon said that on August 26, just days before Katrina made landfall, Brown e-mailed his press secretary, Sharon Worthy, about his attire, asking: "Tie or not for tonight? Button-down blue shirt?"

A few days later, Worthy advised Brown: "Please roll up the sleeves of your shirt, all shirts. Even the president rolled his sleeves to just below the elbow. In this [crisis] and on TV you just need to look more hard-working."

On August 29, the day of the storm, Brown exchanged e-mails about his attire with Taylor, Melancon said. She told him, "You look fabulous," and Brown replied, "I got it at Nordstroms. ... Are you proud of me?"

An hour later, Brown added: "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire, you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god," according to the congressman.

The e-mails came from Chertoff, who oversees FEMA, following a request by Melancon and Rep. Tom Davis, R-Virginia, chairman of a House committee appointed to investigate what went wrong during Katrina, Melancon said.

Brown resigned amid accusations that FEMA acted too slowly after Katrina hammered Louisiana and Mississippi, killing more than 1,200 people. He defended the government's response and blamed leaders in Louisiana for failing to act quickly as the hurricane approached.

He acknowledged he made some mistakes as FEMA's director, but he stressed that the agency "is not a first responder," insisting that role belonged to state and local officials.

Brown could not be reached for comment Wednesday night on the e-mails and Melancon's charges.

Yes, I'm proud of you for shopping at Nordstrom's. You're a big boy now! Now go ride your horseys.

"Sloppy seconds"

2005-11-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

It's still probably the most accurate choice of words, if not the most fortunate:

Roberts Apologizes, Calls Choice Of Words "Unfortunate"

A question posed to White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan at this morning’s “gaggle” by CBS White House correspondent John Roberts has attracted quite a bit of chatter on the Internet. Of course, the topic of the day is the Supreme Court nomination of Samuel Alito, and the question from Roberts, was, “Scott, you said that – or the President said, repeatedly, that Harriet Miers was the best person for the job. So does that mean Alito is sloppy seconds, or what?”

Public Eye asked Roberts about the incident and reaction and here’s what he said:

“At the morning White House gaggle, I used an unfortunate choice of words in a question to Scott McClellan. Please be assured that there was no pejorative intent to my question. I was merely attempting to reconcile past statements about Harriet Miers with the President's new nominee for the Supreme Court.

The early morning White House gaggle is an informal, free-wheeling and often irreverent forum, which is not broadcast and generally not publicly available.

Obviously, my tone this morning was a little too casual.

As we all experience from time to time, it was one of those 'oops' moments which we wish we could rewind and re-record.

I apologize to anyone who took offense to my poor choice of words. I can assure you I meant none."

UPDATE: Roberts also apologized to McClellan at the more formal, on-camera press briefing this afternoon. Following a back-and-forth between McClellan and NBC correspondent David Gregory, in which the press secretary mentioned there was no need to be rude, it was Roberts' turn to ask a question. He said:

"Scott, on the subject of rude, my apologies for my unfortunate choice of words this morning to you."

Ignorance is Bliss

2005-10-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well, if they don't know they have private parts, maybe girls won't use them. Right? Oh, maybe not, since condoms are still ok.

Condoms in, Anatomy Out: Grocery Chain Banishes Seventeen Magazine for 'Vagina 101' Story
By Rukmini Callimachi Associated Press Writer

Published: Oct 26, 2005

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - This month, the following things were readily available to any teenage girl who stepped into an Albertsons store: at least four brands of condoms. A recent Men's Health magazine article called "Six Secret Ways to Turn Her On." Cosmopolitan's tips on how to make your own sex video.

The following item, though, was unavailable in any of Albertsons' 2,500 locations: the October issue of Seventeen Magazine.

The chain pulled that issue from shelves earlier this month. The reason? An article on women's anatomy.

Lighten up Francis

2005-10-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

The White House is not amused by The Onion, a newspaper that often spoofs the Bush administration, and has asked it to stop using the presidential seal on its Web site.

The seal was still on the Web site www.theonion.com on Tuesday at the spot where President George W. Bush's weekly radio address is parodied.

With headlines like "Bush To Appoint Someone To Be In Charge Of Country" and "Bush Subconsciously Sizes Up Spain For Invasion," The Onion is popular with readers looking for a little laughter with their politics.

White House spokesman Trent Duffy said people who work in the executive mansion do have a sense of humor, but not when it comes to breaking regulations.

"When any official sign or seal is being used inappropriately the party is notified," Duffy said.

"You cannot pick and choose where to enforce that rule. It's important that the seal or any White House insignia not be used inappropriately," he said.

Duffy said while he does not personally read The Onion, he admitted knowing others in the White House who do. "Like everyone else, we like a good laugh."

Scott Dikkers, editor-in-chief of the satirical newspaper, said its lawyer disagrees with the White House assessment.

"I've been seeing the presidential seal used in comedy programs most of my life and to my knowledge none of them have been asked not to use it by the White House," Dikkers said.

"I would advise them to look for that other guy Osama (bin Laden) ... rather than comedians. I don't think we pose much of a threat," Dikkers said.

From SaveRoe

2005-10-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

Imagine walking into a pharmacy with a prescription and being told by the pharmacist, "I won't fill it. It's my right not to fill it." It's outrageous to think this is possible, but this is exactly what happened to a 26-year-old woman who presented a
prescription for emergency contraception at a Target in Fenton, MO, on September 30.

Join Planned Parenthood in demanding that every woman's pills be filled -- now!

ETA: This is the response from Target:

Dear Target Guest,

Target is extremely disappointed that Planned Parenthood is spreading misleading information about an alleged incident at a Target pharmacy in Missouri and our policies on emergency contraception. The accounts being reported are inaccurate and exaggerated. Our policy is comparable to that of many other national retailers and the recommendations of the American Pharmacists Association.

Target consistently ensures that prescriptions for emergency contraception are filled. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we also are legally required to accommodate our team members’ sincerely held religious beliefs as required by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the unusual event that a Target pharmacist’s sincerely held religious beliefs conflict with filling a guest’s prescription for emergency contraception, Target policy requires our pharmacists to take responsibility for ensuring that the guest’s prescription is filled in a timely and respectful manner. If it is not done in this manner, disciplinary action will be taken.

Target abides by all state and local laws and, in the event that other laws conflict with our policy, we will follow the law.

We appreciate the opportunity to clarify our position and correct misinformation.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Hanson

Target Executive Offices

Oh, and by the way...

2005-10-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

A controversial Indiana bill sponsored State Rep. Patricia Miller (Indianapolis), that would have prevented gay and single people from using medical procedures to become pregnant has been dropped.

Miller's statement about why she dropped it?

“The issue has become more complex than anticipated and will be withdrawn from consideration by the Health Finance Commission.”

When you get the chance, try to work your way through the text of the bill (pdf file).

Do I feel a Draft?

2005-10-07T04:55:00.000-07:00

Automatic enrollment in ROTC provokes protest at high school
By MARK SOMMER
News Staff Reporter
10/6/2005

Wendy Van Scoter, a Lovejoy area resident, says her 14-year-old daughter, Jennifer Brown, was placed in Junior ROTC without her knowledge. She said she never received a letter from the school.

Unless they opted out, freshmen at Hutchinson-Central Technical High School were automatically enrolled this fall in Junior ROTC.
About 300 parents of freshmen received letters in August, informing them their children would be enrolled in the daily, 42-minute program unless they objected before the start of school. About 190 students at the school on South Elmwood Avenue were in the program when classes began. The number dropped to 157 following objections by parents and students, who were reassigned to study hall.

As to the legality of this practice?

State education law says "enrollment and participation in [Junior ROTC] is voluntary on the part of the student, and written consent of a parent or guardian is [required]."

Principal David Greco, a strong supporter of Junior ROTC, said he believes the policy is legal and does not violate state education law.

"I don't feel I have done anything wrong," Greco said. "Any parent that didn't comply in time with their child was processed out of the class in a reasonable manner."

Greco said he was following a little-known provision of the federal No Child Left Behind law - and not the state law on Junior ROTC - that makes federal funding for schools contingent on providing the military with student contact lists. Also under the law, the schools are required to let students and/or their parents opt off such lists.

Hm. "Providing the military with student contact lists" = "Automatic enrollment in Jr. ROTC"
Not how I'd have chosen to interpret it.

Here's a site explaining the NCLB provision, and how to opt out of the contact lists, among other things:
http://www.leavemychildalone.com/

George Will: "the president has forfeited his right to be trusted as a custodian of the Constitution"

2005-10-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

It is not important that she be confirmed because there is no evidence that she is among the leading lights of American jurisprudence, or that she possesses talents commensurate with the Supreme Court's tasks. The president's "argument" for her amounts to: Trust me. There is no reason to, for several reasons.

He has neither the inclination nor the ability to make sophisticated judgments about competing approaches to construing the Constitution. Few presidents acquire such abilities in the course of their pre-presidential careers, and this president particularly is not disposed to such reflections.

Furthermore, there is no reason to believe that Miers's nomination resulted from the president's careful consultation with people capable of such judgments. If 100 such people had been asked to list 100 individuals who have given evidence of the reflectiveness and excellence requisite in a justice, Miers's name probably would not have appeared in any of the 10,000 places on those lists.

In addition, the president has forfeited his right to be trusted as a custodian of the Constitution. The forfeiture occurred March 27, 2002, when, in a private act betokening an uneasy conscience, he signed the McCain-Feingold law expanding government regulation of the timing, quantity and content of political speech. The day before the 2000 Iowa caucuses he was asked -- to ensure a considered response from him, he had been told in advance that he would be asked -- whether McCain-Feingold's core purposes are unconstitutional. He unhesitatingly said, "I agree." Asked if he thought presidents have a duty, pursuant to their oath to defend the Constitution, to make an independent judgment about the constitutionality of bills and to veto those he thinks unconstitutional, he briskly said, "I do."

It's a juicy essay. Check it out. When you lose George Will AND Ann Coulter, you're in deep dark poo-poo.

Ginsberg:"any woman will not do"

2005-09-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

Ruth Bader Ginsburg told an audience Wednesday that she doesn't like the idea of being the only female justice on the Supreme Court. But in choosing to fill one of the two open positions on the court, "any woman will not do," she said.

There are "some women who might be appointed who would not advance human rights or women's rights," Ginsburg told those gathered at the New York City Bar Association.

The retirement of Ginsburg's colleague Sandra Day O'Connor has fueled speculation about whether President Bush will nominate a woman to her position.

Federal Judge John G. Roberts originally was Bush's nominee for O'Connor's seat but now is facing a Senate vote on the job of chief justice, a position left vacant after the death of William H. Rehnquist.

Ginsburg stressed that the president should appoint a "fine jurist," adding that there are many women who fit that description.

"I have a list of highly qualified women, but the president has not consulted me," she added during a brief interview Wednesday night.

Ginsburg arrived in New York to attend an annual lecture named in her honor. The lecture's focus is on women and the law.

This year, Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, delivered it, while Ginsburg participated in a question-and-answer session afterward.

During the session, which was attended by hundreds, Ginsburg defended some of the justices' references to laws in other countries when making decisions, a practice strongly opposed by some U.S. legislators. The justice said using foreign sources does not mean giving them superior status in deciding cases.

"I will take enlightenment wherever I can get it," she said. "I don't want to stop at a national boundary."

When reminded that Roberts has indicated he disagrees with the practice of referring to foreign laws, Ginsburg said it appeared he "is a man who does listen and is willing to learn."

Ginsburg, an associate justice since 1993, is the second woman named to the high court; the first was O'Connor. Ginsburg was a noted advocate of women's rights during her work as an attorney and is considered one of the more liberal Supreme Court justices.

A Strange Law

2005-09-22T05:36:00.000-07:00

I meant to blog about this last week, but got distracted. A friend of mine who volunteered in Chicago was telling me about how, when she went to volunteer, she had to sign an oath not to overthrow the government. (The woman quoted in the article is NOT my friend, who did sign the oath.)

Helper refused to sign oath; state refused help

By John Bebow
Tribune staff reporter
Published September 22, 2005

Jessica Parman wanted to help hurricane victims but didn't see the need to pledge allegiance to her government to do it.

Parman said she was turned away from a hurricane relief center in Chicago last week because she refused to sign an oath presented by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

The oath required, in part, that volunteers "support and defend" the United States and Illinois Constitutions and swear not to "advocate nor become a member of any political party or organization" that advocated the overthrow of the state or federal governments "by force or violence."

Full article here, logins available at bugmenot.com if needed.

After hearing about this oath from my friend, I poked around, and found out different states have different oath requirements. Many have the standard US Government oath that you have to take when you get any sort of federal government job. The same one the Pres takes when swearing in: to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. (Ironic, ain't it?) The Illinois oath seems rather extreme, and caused a lot of comment, according to my friend.

After looking things over, I decided this wasn't some new sinister thing, as it sounded at first. I think to work as a state or federal government volunteer, you are required to take the same oath as if you were working non-volunteer for the government. This is definitely true about the federal government. (I know, for instance, that Peace Corps volunteers have always had to take the oath upholding the Constitution.) This is probably the same oath the state politcians and workers all take. Sure, it sounds extreme, but remember that Illinois contains Chicago, where people vote early and vote often ;). So on that level, it makes sense even if it seems annoying and strange. Although I personally wonder about the effectiveness of such an oath--it rather reminds me of those questions you used to answer at the airline counter. Do they think someone is going to say 'Oh, sorry, can't sign/say that, I plan to overthrow the government next week!' or something?

Senate kills bid for Katrina commission

2005-09-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

Senate Republicans on Wednesday scuttled an attempt by Sen. Hillary Clinton to establish an independent, bipartisan panel patterned after the 9/11 Commission to investigate what went wrong with federal, state and local governments' response to Hurricane Katrina.

The New York Democrat's bid to establish the panel — which would have also made recommendations on how to improve the government's disaster response apparatus — failed to win the two-thirds majority needed to overcome procedural hurdles. Clinton got only 44 votes, all from Democrats and independent Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont. Fifty-four Republicans all voted no.

"Just as with 9/11, we did not get to the point where we believed we understood what happened until an independent investigation was conducted," Clinton said.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has rebuffed a bid by House and Senate GOP leaders to create a committee patterned after the 1987 Iran-Contra panel that would have a GOP majority — reflecting their dominance of Congress.

Reid has instead vowed that any bid by Republican leaders to establish a special bipartisan committee involving lawmakers from both House and Senate will go forward only if Democrats have equal representation.

There's also information in this article about a House bill, which passed, allowing liability protection for those providing relief assistance, like The Red Cross.

Pledge: unconstitutional in public schools

2005-09-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge declared the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional Wednesday, a decision that could put the divisive issue on track for another round of Supreme Court arguments.

The case was brought by the same atheist whose previous battle against the words "under God" was rejected last year by the Supreme Court on procedural grounds.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled that the pledge's reference to one nation "under God" violates school children's right to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God."

Karlton said he was bound by precedent of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which in 2002 ruled in favor of Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow that the pledge is unconstitutional when recited in public schools.

The Supreme Court dismissed the case last year, saying Newdow lacked standing because he did not have custody of his elementary school daughter he sued on behalf of.

Newdow, an attorney and a medical doctor, filed an identical case on behalf of three unnamed parents and their children. Karlton said those families have the right to sue.

Newdow hopes that will make it more likely the merits of his case will be addressed by the high court.

"All it has to do is put the pledge as it was before, and say that we are one nation, indivisible, instead of dividing us on religious basis," Newdow told The Associated Press.

"Imagine every morning if the teachers had the children stand up, place their hands over their hearts, and say, 'We are one nation that denies God exists,'" Newdow said.

"I think that everybody would not be sitting here saying, 'Oh, what harm is that.' They'd be furious. And that's exactly what goes on against atheists. And it shouldn't."

There is much more to this article. And how about that awkward sentence: "The Supreme Court dismissed the case last year, saying Newdow lacked standing because he did not have custody of his elementary school daughter he sued on behalf of"? How about "upon whose behalf he sued" or something not resembling a bad question on a high school English test?

Who's on first?

2005-09-13T04:48:00.000-07:00

When asked about the FEMA chief's resignation on CNN yesterday afternoon, Bush replied "I can't comment on something that you may know more about than I do."

Listen for yourself.

But, as he said, he's been busy on the ground, and maybe he missed the news.

Because, of course, all his information comes from the news. Here's another interesting snippet from a press interview (full interview is here):

Q:
Did they misinform you when you said that no one anticipated the breach of the levees?

THE PRESIDENT:
No, what I was referring to is this. When that storm came by, a lot of people said we dodged a bullet. When that storm came through at first, people said, whew. There was a sense of relaxation, and that's what I was referring to. And I, myself, thought we had dodged a bullet. You know why? Because I was listening to people, probably over the airways, say, the bullet has been dodged. And that was what I was referring to.

Of course, there were plans in case the levee had been breached. There was a sense of relaxation in the moment, a critical moment. And thank you for giving me a chance to clarify that.

Glad to know "people probably over the airways" are your major source of information, Mr. President. (I guess you just plum forgot that Fox News was touting Iraq's weapons of mass destruction at your administration's say-so. You heard it on TV, so it must've been true!) And I have to wonder what that large advisory staff of yours is for...

Salon's compliation of reporters w/ backbones

2005-09-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

Click post title to view.

Inquirer editorial on Santorum: "bark but no bite"

2005-09-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

It's a tight editorial that raises some good points. An exerpt:

Bob Casey Jr., his Democratic opponent in next year's Senate race in Pennsylvania... (gently) chided the Republican incumbent for not using his leadership position in the Senate to ask "tough questions" of the Bush administration about the conflict in Iraq.

Not true! Santorum replied.

He had been generally supportive of the Bush policy in Iraq, he said, but had expressed concerns about aspects of it "publicly and privately."

Trouble was, no one could find those statements. Not the Casey campaign. Not the reporters who went looking. Not even Santorum's staff after days of LexisNexis diving.

Santorum's response to this?

"I do a lot of interviews on TV, on radio, with print reporters who don't happen to write everything I say. The fact that it hasn't turned up in print doesn't mean I haven't said it."

Can you hear me now?

Which opens up these possibilities:

One. Maybe he was out of cell phone range when he said it and no one could pick it up.

Two. Maybe he thought he said it, but only dreamed it. (That's happened to me. Has it happened to you?)

Three. Maybe he said it, but reporters who heard it thought: a Senate GOP leader criticizing the administration on Iraq? That's not news.

Four. Maybe he never made any critical statements but didn't want to admit it because he would look like an administration lapdog. Weef! Weef!

You pick one.

Meanwhile, back at the Pentagon...

2005-09-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

From the Chicago Tribune:

U.S. Envisions Using Nukes on Terrorists

Published September 10, 2005, 10:50 PM CDT

WASHINGTON -- A Pentagon planning document being updated to reflect the doctrine of pre-emption declared by President Bush in 2002 envisions the use of nuclear weapons to deter terrorists from using weapons of mass destruction against the United States or its allies.

The "Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations," which was last updated 10 years ago, makes clear that "the decision to employ nuclear weapons at any level requires explicit orders from the president."

But it says that in a changing environment "terrorists or regional states armed with WMD will likely test U.S. security commitments to its allies and friends."

"In response, the U.S. needs a range of capabilities to assure friend and foe alike of its resolve," says the 69-page document dated March 15 and posted on a Pentagon web site.

As always, try bugmenot.com if you want to read the entire thing and need a registration.

Those judges, they always spoil everything...

2005-09-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

Score one for freedom of information!

From CNN.com

U.S. District Court Judge Keith Ellison issued a temporary restraining order Friday against a "zero access" policy announced earlier in the day by Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, who is overseeing the federal relief effort in the city, and Terry Ebbert, the city's homeland security director.

In explaining the ban, Ebbert said, "we don't think that's proper" to let members of the media view the bodies.

The judge was to consider granting a permanent injunction Saturday when the government announced its decision not to enforce the "zero access" policy.

No one seems to have problems with the media veiwing bodies of crime victims, so what makes this "not proper" (other than fear people might find out how criminally negligent the government was, that is)?

I read somewhere that Sept 12 was supposed to be a National Day of Outrage: justice for Katrina and Iraq victims, but I haven't found out what's supposed to be going on. More details later if I do, or comment if you know anything about it.

What they really think...

2005-09-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

This is from Rep. John Conyer's blog:

What is also alarming about this tragedy is how Republican leaders can't help but be insensitive to those who are suffering. It was reported today that House Majority Leader Tom Delay compared the situation of evacuees in Reliant Stadium to summer camp, asking the children, "is this kind of fun?" Were this an isolated incident, it may be easier to overlook, but Louisiana Representative Richard Baker exclaimed, "we finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans... We couldn't do it, but God did," House Speaker Hastert suggested that New Orleans ought not be rebuilt, and Senate Republican Conference Chairman Rick Santorum suggested those who couldn't evacuate themselves should be fined.

Full entry is here

Also he links to the latest poll numbers, which put Bush at below 40% approval.

And the insanity goes on...

2005-09-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

Apparently we still need to make sure the wealthy get their tax cuts. Here's a petition from John Kerry's site:

Open Letter to President Bush,
Majority Leader Frist and Speaker Hastert

President Bush, Majority Leader Frist and Speaker Hastert,

It is totally unbelievable to me that, at this time of pain and suffering for so many people in our nation, Republican leaders have yet to forego their plans to lavish more tax cuts on the wealthy and well-connected.

Such tax cuts at this time would be a total betrayal of American values – and a slap in the face of people in the Gulf Coast who have lost and suffered through so much and have so far to go on the road to recovery.

I demand that the leaders of the Republican Party act immediately to take the idea of tax cuts for the wealthy off the table. And I won’t stop working until you do.

Our message to those who would even contemplate bestowing more tax cuts on the wealthy at this time is clear and unambiguous: Don’t you dare!

Signed,

Your name here

go to http://www.johnkerry.com/petition/taxcuts.php
if you want to sign it.

Some scathing editorials from the NYT on the government's response to the NO disaster:
Haunted by Hesitation By MAUREEN DOWD
Osama and Katrina By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

And another article from the Washington Post someone referred me to: Looks like not everyone is jumping on the "Get rid of 'em" wagon:
Fox Affiliate Refuses to Air Campaign Ad By SARA KUGLER

bugmenot.com if you need to register.

Barbara Bush: Things Working Out 'Very Well' for Poor Evacuees from New Orleans

2005-09-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

I heard this on "Marketplace" yesterday and could hardly believe my ears:

Accompanying her husband, former President George H.W.Bush, on a tour of hurricane relief centers in Houston, Barbara Bush said today, referring to the poor who had lost everything back home and evacuated, "This is working very well for them."

The former First Lady's remarks were aired this evening on American Public Media's "Marketplace" program.

She was part of a group in Houston today at the Astrodome that included her husband and former President Bill Clinton, who were chosen by her son, the current president, to head fundraising efforts for the recovery. Sen. Hilary Clinton and Sen. Barack
Obama were also present.

In a segment at the top of the show on the surge of evacuees to the Texas city, Barbara Bush said: "Almost everyone I’ve talked to says we're going to move to
Houston."

Then she added: "What I’m hearing which is sort of scary is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality.

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."

Times-Picayune open letter to Bush

2005-09-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

An exerpt:

We’re angry, Mr. President, and we’ll be angry long after our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been pumped dry. Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That’s to the government’s shame.

Mayor Ray Nagin did the right thing Sunday when he allowed those with no other alternative to seek shelter from the storm inside the Louisiana Superdome. We still don’t know what the death toll is, but one thing is certain: Had the Superdome not been opened, the city’s death toll would have been higher. The toll may even have been exponentially higher.

It was clear to us by late morning Monday that many people inside the Superdome would not be returning home. It should have been clear to our government, Mr. President. So why weren’t they evacuated out of the city immediately? We learned seven years ago, when Hurricane Georges threatened, that the Dome isn’t suitable as a long-term shelter. So what did state and national officials think would happen to tens of thousands of people trapped inside with no air conditioning, overflowing toilets and dwindling amounts of food, water and other essentials?

State Rep. Karen Carter was right Friday when she said the city didn’t have but two urgent needs: "Buses! And gas!" Every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be fired, Director Michael Brown especially.

In a nationally televised interview Thursday night, he said his agency hadn’t known until that day that thousands of storm victims were stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. He gave another nationally televised interview the next morning and said, "We’ve provided food to the people at the Convention Center so that they’ve gotten at least one, if not two meals, every single day."

Lies don’t get more bald-faced than that, Mr. President.

Yet, when you met with Mr. Brown Friday morning, you told him, "You’re doing a heck of a job."

That’s unbelievable.

Someone should tell Hastert...

2005-09-03T03:43:00.000-07:00

Not all of the damaged area is bulldozeable:

In Mobile, Bush cited the experience of Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., to make the point that the region will rebound.

"Out of the rubble of Trent Lott's house - he's lost his entire house - there's going to be a fantastic house," Bush said. "And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch."

(From the San Jose Mercury News)

Oh, but wait... Lott's not in New Orleans, so that's all right.

Each new headline leaves you shaking your head...

2005-09-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

From the Chicago Tribune:

Daley 'shocked' at federal snub of offers to help

Tribune staff reports
Published September 2, 2005, 2:44 PM CDT

Frustration about the federal response to Hurricane Katrina has reached Chicago City Hall, as Mayor Richard Daley today noted a tepid response by federal officials to the city's offers of disaster aid.

The city is willing to send hundreds of personnel, including firefighters and police, and dozens of vehicles to assist on the storm-battered Gulf Coast, but so far the Federal Emergency Management Agency has requested only a single tank truck, Daley said.

"I was shocked," he said.

"We are ready to provide considerably more help than they have requested," the mayor said, barely able to contain his anger during a City Hall news conference. "We are just waiting for the call."

The mayor's remarks came at the announcement of a city-sponsored "Chicago Helps Fund," which will accept donations from citizens for the hurricane relief effort.

full story here
May require registration. If so, check out bugmenot.com

And then you read this on CNN:

The big disconnect on New Orleans
The official version; then there's the in-the-trenches version

Friday, September 2, 2005; Posted: 4:10 p.m. EDT (20:10 GMT)

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Diverging views of a crumbling New Orleans emerged Thursday. The sanitized view came from federal officials at news conferences and television appearances. But the official line was contradicted by grittier, more desperate views from the shelters and the streets.

These conflicting views came within hours, sometimes minutes of each of each other, as reflected in CNN's transcripts.

The rest of the article has the conflicting views.

Back in 2004, The New York Times published an article including this quote from one of Bush's senior advisors:

''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.''

The problem with creating your own reality comes when your reality is no longer anyone else's reality. "Reality" based on fantasy ultimately hits the hard wall of real reality...

Hasert: "It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed."

2005-09-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

A furious Gov. Kathleen Blanco issued a message to House Speaker Dennis Hastert: "I expect an apology as soon as possible."

She was referring to Hastert's comments about spending billions of dollars to rebuild New Orleans.

Hastert told an Illinois newspaper, "It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed."

Blanco said it's an insult to even suggest that "one of the most historic cities is not worth an investment."

"To kick us down when we're down and destroy hope" is unnecessary, Blanco said.

Did she expect any different? If that's what they're actually saying, imagine what they're thinking and planning to do.

Pickin' and a grinnin'

2005-08-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, the President was busy strumming guitar at a photo op while residents of one of the nation's major cities fought for their lives.

The Times- Picayune accurately predicted that money diverted to the war in Iraq could have been spent to strengthen levees and other protective measures for the Mississippi delta communities, including New Orleans.

Over the next 10 years, the Army Corps of Engineers, tasked with carrying out SELA [the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project], spent $430 million on shoring up levees and building pumping stations, with $50 million in local aid. But at least $250 million in crucial projects remained, even as hurricane activity in the Atlantic Basin increased dramatically and the levees surrounding New Orleans continued to subside.

Yet after 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward SELA dropped to a trickle. The Corps never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security -- coming at the same time as federal tax cuts -- was the reason for the strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of hurricane- and flood-control dollars.

So in the modern version, does Nero play guitar?

Troops deserve death??

2005-08-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

I'm totally speechless here:

By BETH RUCKER, Associated Press Writer Sun Aug 28,10:16 AM ET

SMYRNA, Tenn. - Members of a church say God is punishing American soldiers for defending a country that harbors gays, and they brought their anti-gay message to the funerals Saturday of two Tennessee soldiers killed in Iraq.

Full story linked above.

If she says it again, it must be true*

2005-08-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

Coulter repeated claim that New Yorkers "would immediately surrender" to terrorists

On the August 25 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter once again stated that residents of New York City "would immediately surrender" if terrorists invaded their city. Coulter added that she would "rather have them [terrorists] trying to invade Mississippi or Georgia, Alabama, you know, the states where I want [war critic] Cindy Sheehan's bus tour to go."

Coulter made her comments in response to co-host Alan Colmes's questions about her August 10 syndicated column, in which she wrote:

As Republicans were saying repeatedly -- captured on Lexis-Nexis for a year before it showed up in a [Republican pollster] Frank Luntz talking-points memo in 2004 -- the savages have declared war, and it's far preferable to fight them in the streets of Baghdad than in the streets of New York (where the residents would immediately surrender). That strategy appears to be working. Then again, maybe it's just that it's so damnably hard to find parking in New York ...

[...]

But you will notice, the jihadists are not pouring across the Syrian border to, say, Brooklyn Heights. They are running to Iraq, where they run smack dab into the glorious U.S. military.

From the August 25 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

COLMES: And I want to ask you about something, Ann, that you wrote in your most recent column. You had a very funny line, actually, that it is hard to find a parking spot in New York City. There's no question about it. You've had a pretty good day if you can do that. But then you said, "It's far preferable to fight them on the streets of Baghdad than in the streets of New York (where the residents would immediately surrender)." Now, some New Yorkers felt that you were calling them cowards by making that statement.

COULTER: No, I think I was calling them supporters of Cindy Sheehan.

COLMES: Is that what that is? You certainly don't feel that New Yorkers are cowards?

COULTER: I think they would immediately surrender.

COLMES: So you do think that?

COULTER: I don't -- I don't think -- I think I'd rather have them trying to invade Mississippi or Georgia, Alabama, you know, the states where I want Cindy Sheehan's bus tour to go.

COLMES: I see.

[crosstalk]

ELLIS HENICAN (Fox News political analyst): Can I stand up for my adopted town for a second?

[crosstalk]

COLMES: Go ahead.

COULTER: Wait, could I just make an historical note?

COLMES: Yes, go ahead, Ann.

[crosstalk]

COULTER: When the Nazis landed in World War II, they did land in the Hamptons.

HENICAN: Ann, I know it's a tough town, not everybody can handle living here, but this is one very tough town. We stand up for whatever we have to. Don't worry about it.

[crosstalk]

COLMES: And we saw how tough we were on September 11.

* post title refers to a line in Lewis Carroll's "Hunting of the Snark" which is "What I tell you three times is true."

Traveling to the US

2005-08-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Charles Stross, a science fiction writer who recently won the Hugo award for his novella "The Concrete Jungle", outlines in his blog the reasons he is going to restrict his travel to the US to necessary travel ONLY.

Here's an excerpt about why (full blog entry linked in the title):

Now, according to the New York times, the office of the Attorney General is contending in court that foreigners have no rights: "Foreign citizens who change planes at airports in the United States can legally be seized, detained without charges, deprived of access to a lawyer or the courts, and even denied basic necessities like food, lawyers for the government said in Brooklyn federal court yesterday."

This legal theory is being advanced in the context of the Arar case, of a Canadian citizen who, changing planes in New York, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorism (for which he was later exonerated), held in solitary confinement without access to legal advice or any charges, and subsequently bundled off to Syria for interrogation under torture.

Fun times ahead, folks...

Eye-opening article on how congress works

2005-08-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

Full article at
this site
(also linked above)

Excerpt:

It was a veritable bonfire of public money, and it raged with all the brilliance of an Alabama book-burning. And what fueled it all were the little details you never heard about. The energy bill alone was 1,724 pages long. By the time the newspapers reduced this Tolstoyan monster to the size of a single headline announcing its passage, only a very few Americans understood that it was an ambitious giveaway to energy interests. But the drama of the legislative process is never in the broad strokes but in the bloody skirmishes and power plays that happen behind the scenes.

To understand the breadth of Bush's summer sweep, you had to watch the hand-fighting at close range. You had to watch opposition gambits die slow deaths in afternoon committee hearings, listen as members fell on their swords in exchange for favors and be there to see hordes of lobbyists rush in to reverse key votes at the last minute. All of these things I did -- with the help of a tour guide.

Lessons in Irony

2005-08-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

VERBATIM QUOTES FROM WHEN CLINTON WAS COMMITTING TROOPS TO BOSNIA:

"You can support the troops but not the president."
---Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years."
---Joe Scarborough (R-FL)

"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"
---Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99

"[The] President . . . is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will be away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy."
---Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

"American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy."
---Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."
---Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of George W Bush

"I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning . . I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area."
---Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)

"I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our over-extended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today"
---Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."
---Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)

Buy-cott of Citgo Gas

2005-08-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

Turns out this isn't true but here's what I saw today:

From easy bake coven:

Buy Your Gas at Citgo: Join the BUY-cott!

Looking for an easy way to protest Bush foreign policy week after week? And an easy way to help alleviate global poverty? Buy your gasoline at Citgo stations.

And tell your friends.

Of the top oil producing countries in the world, only one is a democracy with a president who was elected on a platform of using his nation's oil revenue to benefit the poor. The country is Venezuela. The President is Hugo Chavez. Call him "the Anti-Bush."

Citgo is a U.S. refining and marketing firm that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company. Money you pay to Citgo goes to Venezuela -- not Saudi Arabia or the Middle East. There are 14,000 Citgo gas stations in the US. By buying your gasoline at Citgo, you are contributing to the billions of dollars that Venezuela's democratic government is using to provide health care, literacy and education, and subsidized food for the majority of Venezuelans.

Instead of using government to help the rich and the corporate, as Bush does, Chavez is using the resources and oil revenue of his government to help the poor in Venezuela. A country with so much oil wealth shouldn't have 60 percent of its people living in poverty, earning less than $2 per day. With a mass movement behind him, Chavez is confronting poverty in Venezuela. That's why large majorities have consistently backed him in democratic elections. And why the Bush administration supported an attempted military coup in 2002 that sought to overthrow Chavez.

So this is the opposite of a boycott. Call it a BUYcott. Spread the word.

Of course, if you can take mass transit or bike or walk to your job, you should do so. And we should all work for political changes that move our country toward a cleaner environment based on renewable energy. The BUYcott is for those of us who don't have a practical alternative to filling up our cars.

Store Locator

So get your gas at Citgo. And help fuel a democratic revolution in Venezuela.

Bush makes obscene gesture at press (?)

2005-07-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

I think it's real. It certainly looks real in the video.

That Slippery Slope...

2005-07-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

Pre-emptive warfare, even when properly justified, is a slipperly slope... and it seems some members of congress want to plunge down it. From an action alert sent out by the ADC:

July 18, 2005, Washington, DC - In a radio interview last Thursday, July 14, Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) advocated the United States preemptively strike Mecca with nuclear weapons. The Colorado Congressman’s made his comments on the Pat Campbell Radio Show (AM 540) in response to Campbell’s statement that terrorists are seeking the means to attack the United States with a dirty bomb. Tancredo suggested that a preemptive attack on Mecca would be enough of a threat to make terrorists think twice about attacking the United States again.

There's a sound file at a site (that apparently supports this type of talk) here.

That'll make us very popular overseas, won't it?

Even if he was only speaking hypothetically...

Patriot Act Revisited. Or Not

2005-07-14T01:56:00.000-07:00

From Rep John Conyer Jr's blog:

Blogged by JC on 07.13.05 @ 11:25 PM ET

Patriot Act Reauthorization
I didn't need my civil liberties anyway

I just got out of a 12 hour markup in the House Judiciary Committee on the Patriot Act. The GOP bill, which passed on a party line vote, would essentially make the expiring sections of the Patriot Act, passed in 2001, permanent.

He goes on to say the amendments to it fell along the party line votes as well, and that this may hit the floor next week. Full text with public comments is linked in the title.

So NOW is the time to object to your reps and senators, folks. Especially any Republican reps and senators. You can use the capwiz link on the side of this blog if your usual action alert groups don't have this particular action alert. Or even better, send a printed letter.

And if you haven't yet, you may want to add Conyer's blog to the list of blogs you follow. It's been an interesting read so far.

Chief Justice O'Connor?

2005-07-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Senator Arlen Specter, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, suggested on Sunday that President Bush could name Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring from the Supreme Court, to the position of chief justice if it opens up.

"I think it would be very tempting if the president said to Justice O'Connor, 'You could help the country now,' " Mr. Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania and a pivotal player in any confirmation hearings, said in an interview on the CBS program "Face the Nation." "She has received so much adulation that a confirmation proceeding would be more like a coronation, and she might be willing to stay on for a year or so."

Describing what he called credible speculation, Mr. Specter said that before she retired, "there was some speculation in the intervening week that Justice O'Connor might be waiting to see what Chief Justice Rehnquist did, perhaps with the chance to become chief justice herself."

Mr. Specter also said he intended to push hard for a bill, expected to come up in the Senate this week, to authorize federal financing for research using stem cells derived from human embryos left over at fertilization clinics. Many social conservatives object to the research, saying it destroys potential human life, but supporters argue that the research could yield new treatments for many life-threatening diseases.

As a Pennsylvanian and a registered independent, if Bush must choose a (Republican) replacement for O'Connor, why not choose Specter?

Santorum Book Excerpts

2005-07-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

Rick Santorm, who recently recommended Goodnight Moon as "Summer beach reading" in The Penn Stater (pg 50), has written a book of his own. Excerpts courtesy of CapitolBuzz:

Keep The Mom At Home: "In far too many families with young children, both parents are working, when, if they really took an honest look at the budget, they might confess that both of them really don’t need to, or at least may not need to work as much as they do… And for some parents, the purported need to provide things for their children simply provides a convenient rationalization for pursuing a gratifying career outside the home." (It Takes a Family, 94)

Thanks Gloria Steinem: "Many women have told me, and surveys have shown, that they find it easier, more “professionally” gratifying, and certainly more socially affirming, to work outside the home than to give up their careers to take care of their children. Think about that for a moment…Here, we can thank the influence of radical feminism, one of the core philosophies of the village elders." (It Takes a Family, 95)

Who Needs College? "The notion that college education is a cost-effective way to help poor, low-skill, unmarried mothers with high school diplomas or GEDs move up the economic ladder is just wrong." (It Takes a Family, 138)

"By asking the right question, we can see that when it comes to socialization, mass education is really the aberration, not homeschooling. Never before in human history have a majority of children spent at least half their waking hours in the presence of 25 to 35 unrelated children of exactly the same age (and usually the same socio-economic status), with only one adult to keep order and provide basic mentoring. Never before and never again after their years of mass education will any person live and work in such a radically narrow, age-segregated environment. It’s amazing that so many kids turn out to be fairly normal, considering the weird socialization they get in public schools." (It Takes a Family, 386)

Slavery Wasn't So Bad: "But unlike abortion today, in most states even the slaveholder did not have the unlimited right to kill his slave." ((It Takes a Family, 241)

Diversity is Bad: "The elementary error of relativism becomes clear when we look at multiculturalism. Sometime in the 1980s, universities began to champion the importance of “diversity” as a central educational value." (It Takes a Family, 406)

Wal-Mart is NOT Bad: "Another corporate good citizen cooperating with parents to keep kids from inappropriate content has been Wal-Mart." (It Takes a Family, 332)

More excerpts to come at CapitolBuzz.

Black Box Voting reports

2005-07-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know if any of you follow Black Box Voting (link above)on a regular basis, but these folks have been working tirelessly since long before this last election to clean up our badly flawed election system. They've uncovered numerous instances of outright fraud. Amazingly, the press remains mostly silent. Gotta love Big Brother, er, I mean, Big Business.

There are two very interesting reports there recently, one on July 3rd about the Diebold Corporation's earnings restatement, conveniently released just before a holiday weekend. (Diebold is the voting machine manufacture for a large percentage of the country, and has strong ties to the Republican party. The fact their machines are easily manipulated does not appear to disturb the folks buying them overly much.) In the restatement, Diebold cites the following issues: "potential security violations to the company's information technology systems" -- "challenges raised about reliability and security of election systems products, including the risk that such products will not be certified for use or will be decertified" -- and "unanticipated litigation, claims or assessments". Looks like the Black Box Voting people are making some serious inroads there!

The second report, released July 4th, is the Black Box Report, discussing "the mother of all security holes" in the Diebold system.

Oh, and speaking of news conveniently released just before a holiday, how about the name Karl Rove turning up in the notes of the reporters who leaked that CIA agent's identity? His lawyer denies he was involved, of course, though they do admit a conversation with the reporters took place.

"For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men -"
--Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor retiring

2005-07-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

From the BBC:

Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the conservative American Center for Law and Justice, is confident that Mr Bush would nominate someone who shares the president's conservative judicial philosophy to replace Justice O'Connor.

He says there has never been more of an organised lobbying effort "on our side - ever".

Ralph G Neas, president of the left-leaning People For the American Way Foundation, says the top priority of the "radical right" is gaining dominance in the Supreme Court.

That goal is more within reach than at any point in the past two decades, he believes.

"A court with more justices who share the radical legal philosophy of the far right's favorites... would reverse decades of legal and social justice accomplishments," says Mr Neas.

I'm a little bit afraid. Anyone else?

Supreme Court Rules on Ten Commandments displays

2005-06-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (AP) - A split Supreme Court struck down Ten Commandments displays in courthouses Monday, ruling that two exhibits in Kentucky cross the line between separation of church and state because they promote a religious message.

The 5-4 decision was the first of two seeking to mediate the bitter culture war over religion's place in public life. In it, the court declined to prohibit all displays in court buildings or on government property. Justices left legal wiggle room, saying that some displays - like their own courtroom frieze - would be permissible if they're portrayed neutrally in order to honor the nation's legal history.

But framed copies in two Kentucky courthouses went too far in endorsing religion, the court held.

"The touchstone for our analysis is the principle that the First Amendment mandates government neutrality between religion and religion, and between religion and nonreligion," Justice David H. Souter wrote for the majority.

"When the government acts with the ostensible and predominant purpose of advancing religion, it violates tha central Establishment clause value of official religious neutrality," he said.

Souter was joined in his opinion by other members of the liberal bloc - Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer, as well as Reagan appointee Sandra Day O'Connor, who provided the swing vote.

Bush to WTC rescue workers: Screw you

2005-06-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

New York lawmakers made a last-ditch appeal yesterday to stop the feds from taking back $125 million in unspent 9/11 relief money meant for workers injured at Ground Zero.

Standing with a delegation of disabled workers, they implored President Bush to honor the promise he made to help the city after the terror attack.

"To attempt a takeback of promised 9/11 aid shows how quickly Ground Zero workers are becoming forgotten heroes," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan), who sounded the alarm last week over the vanishing money.

John Feal of Nesconset, L.I., who lost half a foot while supervising construction workers in The Pit, said he doesn't have the money to cover his medical bills. "The White House is wrong, the Bush administration is wrong, and shame on the President for letting this go on," Feal said.

"Abandoning our wounded responders is no different from leaving the wounded behind in combat," added Mike McCormick, a medic from Ridge, N.Y., who suffers from respiratory problems.

The House Appropriations Committee last night moved to cut the $125 million earmarked for workers' compensation and retraining - because it had not been spent. But the measure must still pass the House and Senate before the money would be lost.

Noting that disability claims of workers who toiled at Ground Zero were being denied at a rate 10 times higher than regular workers' claims, Sen. Hillary Clinton suggested that the money be "held in trust" until the claims can be sorted out.

Lesbian parent awarded custody of her child

2005-06-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

Click on the post title to read the entire article

The West Virginia Supreme Court on Friday gave the lesbian partner of a deceased woman the parental rights over a 5-year-old child the two had been raising together.

The court recognized 39-year-old Tina Burch of Clay County, the lesbian partner of the late Christina Smarr, as the “psychological parent” of the boy, then ruled it would be in the best interest of the child to stay with Burch.

The court noted that the Legislature consistently has said, “public policy of this state is to assure that the best interest of children is the court’s primary concern in allocating custodial and decision-making responsibilities between parents who do not live together,” Davis wrote.

The child’s biological father, identified in court records as “Clifford K.,” had filed for custody on behalf of Burch and supported her in the effort to maintain custody of the child.

Attorney Jim Douglas of Sutton, who represents Tina Burch, hailed the decision.

“This court has gone probably farther than any other court in the country ... in defining what constitutes a psychological parent,” he said. “The great irony of this thing is my client was really a private person. She didn’t seek publicity. It has really been a long haul for her.

State members of the American Civil Liberties Union applauded the action, noting the ACLU had filed a friend of the court brief in support of Burch. “Today West Virginia’s Supreme Court of Appeals has recognized the most basic tenets of family law — serving the best interest of the child and preserving family stability and unity,” Terri Baur, staff attorney for the ACLU of West Virginia Foundation, said in a press release.

Downing Street Memo

2005-06-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

Interesting reading from Democracy Now: a transcript of a piece they ran on the Downing Street Memo and about how many congressman are saying "if I'd only known..."

You can also listen to the piece at their website. A sample:

JOHN BONIFAZ: The Downing Street minutes shed new and important light on a document the President himself submitted to the United States Congress within 48 hours after having launched the invasion of Iraq. This is the document, and I have distributed it to all of you, and I ask that it be put into the record of these proceedings.

REP. JOHN CONYERS: Without objection.

JOHN BONIFAZ: In the letter, dated March 18, 2003, the President makes a formal determination as required by the joint resolution on Iraq passed by the United States Congress in October, 2002, that military action against Iraq was necessary to, (quote), “protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq.” He also states in this letter to Congress that military action was consistent with the United States and other countries' continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations or persons who planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.

If the evidence revealed by the Downing Street minutes is true, then the President's submission of his March 18, 2003 letter to the United States Congress would violate federal criminal law, including the Federal Anti-Conspiracy Statute which makes it a felony, (quote), “to commit any offense against the United States or to defraud the United States or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose,” and the False Statements Accountability Act of 1996, which makes it a felony to issue knowingly and willfully false statements to the United States Congress.

The United States House of Representatives has a constitutional duty to investigate fully and comprehensively the evidence revealed by the Downing Street minutes and other related evidence and to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to impeach George W. Bush, the President of the United States. A resolution of inquiry is the appropriate first step in launching this investigation.

The Iraq war has led to the deaths of more than 1,700 United States soldiers, and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians. Thousands more have been permanently and severely injured on both sides. More than two years after the invasion, Iraq remains unstable and its future unclear. The war has already cost the American people tens of billions of taxpayer dollars at the expense of basic human needs here at home. More than 135,000 United States soldiers remain in Iraq without any stated exit plan. If the President has committed high crimes in connection with this war, he must be held accountable. The United States Constitution demands no less.

Texas Gov says he can legislate morality

2005-06-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

"One of the great myths of our time is that you can't legislate morality," the governor (Rick Perry) told the ministers, according to a transcript provided to The Associated Press by his campaign.

"If you can't legislate morality, then you can neither lock criminals up nor let them go free. If you can't legislate morality, you can neither recognize gay marriage nor prohibit it. If you can't legislate morality, you can neither allow for prayer in school nor prevent it," he said. "It is a ridiculous notion to say you can't legislate morality. I say you can't NOT legislate morality."

Perry, a United Methodist, did not refer to the death penalty, which his denomination says devalues life and should be eliminated from criminal codes. The governor, a capital punishment proponent, presides over the nation's most active death penalty state.

Public Broadcasting Targeted By House

2005-06-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

This is a long selection of the article but worthwhile. The accompanying photo at The Washington Post is of Laura Bush on "Sesame Street."

A House subcommittee voted yesterday to sharply reduce the federal government's financial support for public broadcasting, including eliminating taxpayer funds that help underwrite such popular children's educational programs as "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow," "Arthur" and "Postcards From Buster."

In addition, the subcommittee acted to eliminate within two years all federal money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting -- which passes federal funds to public broadcasters -- starting with a 25 percent reduction in CPB's budget for next year, from $400 million to $300 million.

In all, the cuts would represent the most drastic cutback of public broadcasting since Congress created the nonprofit CPB in 1967. The CPB funds are particularly important for small TV and radio stations and account for about 15 percent of the public broadcasting industry's total revenue.

Expressing alarm, public broadcasters and their supporters in Congress interpreted the move as an escalation of a Republican-led campaign against a perceived liberal bias in their programming. That effort was initiated by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's own chairman, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson.

"Americans overwhelmingly see public broadcasting as an unbiased information source," Rep. David Obey (Wis.), the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, said in a statement. "Perhaps that's what the GOP finds so offensive about it. Republican leaders are trying to bring every facet of the federal government under their control. . . . Now they are trying to put their ideological stamp on public broadcasting."

But the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on labor, health and human services, and education asserted that the panel was simply making choices among various worthy government programs, and that no political message was intended.
...

The cuts nevertheless surprised people in public broadcasting. In his budget sent to Congress in February, President Bush had recommended reducing CPB's budget only slightly.

Several denounced the decision by the panel, which has 10 Republicans and seven Democrats, as payback by a Republican-dominated House after years of complaints from conservatives who see liberal bias in programs carried by the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio. Broadcasters noted, for example, that the 25 percent cutback in next year's CPB budget was a rollback of money that Congress had promised in 2004.

PBS, in particular, drew harsh criticism in December from the Bush administration for a "Postcards From Buster" episode in which Buster, an animated rabbit, "visited" two families in Vermont headed by lesbians. And programming on both PBS and NPR has come under fire in recent months from Tomlinson, the Republican chairman of the CPB, who has pushed for greater "balance" on the public airwaves.

A spokeswoman for NPR, Andi Sporkin, directly blamed Tomlinson for yesterday's action, saying, "We've never been sure of Mr. Tomlinson's intent but, with this news, we might be seeing his effect."

Tomlinson did not return calls seeking comment. In a statement, he said, "Obviously, we are concerned [by the cuts], and we will be joining with our colleagues in the public broadcasting community to make the case for a higher level of funding as the appropriations measure makes its way through Congress."

John Lawson, the president of the Association of Public Television Stations, a Washington-based group that lobbies for public broadcasters, called the subcommittee's action "at least malicious wounding, if not outright attempted murder, of public broadcasting in America." He added, "This action could deprive tens of millions of American children of commercial-free educational programming."
...

Regula suggested public stations could "make do" without federal money by getting more funding from private sources, such as contributions from corporations, foundations, and listeners and viewers.

But the loss of $23.4 million in federal funds for children's educational shows -- which PBS calls its "Ready to Learn" programs -- could mean the elimination of these programs, said an official at Alexandria-based PBS who asked not to be named because the network still hopes to regain the funding. PBS's revenue totaled $333 million in fiscal year 2004.

The Ready to Learn group includes "Sesame Street," "Dragontales," "Clifford" and "Arthur," among others.

Small public radio stations, particularly those in rural areas and those serving minority audiences, may be the most vulnerable to federal cuts because they currently operate on shoestring budgets.

"This could literally put us out of business," said Paul Stankavich, president and general manager of the Alaska Public Radio Network, an alliance of 26 stations in the state that create and share news programming. "Almost all of us are down to the bone right now. If we lost 5 or 10 percent of our budgets in one fell swoop, we could end up being just a repeater service" for national news, with no funds to produce local content.

Stankavich, who also runs a public radio and TV station in Anchorage, said public radio is "an important source of news in urban areas, but it's life-critical in rural areas," especially in far-flung parts of Alaska unserved by any other broadcast medium.

Required reading of public HS seniors-to-be: Book of Genesis

2005-05-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

The article goes back and forth on whether this is teaching religion or giving students a background they might not otherwise have that would assist them in understanding American literature, specifically early Am Lit which drew heavily on biblical themes.

I would really, really like to buy that theory b/c it's valid in many respects (it drags down the class when a teacher has to stop and explain what should be obvious allusions or symbolism). However the problem I have is this:

Fran Eppy was taken aback when she looked at her son's summer reading list. His only requirement was to read passages from the Bible. (emph. mine)

I would think that if the argument is that students need to learn about source material in order to gain a better understanding of litertaure, they would also be required to read mythology and to study folk tales, songs, history, etc. from the culture.

I attended a (public, state-run) university which had a "Bible as literature" course. I was always interested in it but it never fit into my schedule.

Read the article and post your thoughts.

Silent majority

2005-05-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

While American voters have mixed opinions about abortion, they support the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision 63 - 33 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Men support it 68 - 28 percent, while women support it 58 - 37 percent.

Voters divided along party lines on the use of the filibuster in the U.S. Senate "to keep unfit judges off the bench" or prevent a full vote on judicial nominees. Republicans oppose filibusters 48 - 39 percent while Democrats support their use 70 - 23 percent and independent voters back them 54 - 39 percent.

Voters nationwide approve 44 - 39 percent of the job the U.S. Supreme Court is doing, the lowest score for the court and down from a 56 - 27 percent approval in a March 5, 2003, poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University.

As President George W. Bush makes future Supreme Court nominations, 39 percent of Americans want to maintain the present ideological balance on the court, while 29 percent want the court to be more liberal and 27 percent want it to be more conservative.

"While the filibuster fight ended in a truce, most American voters were backing the Democrats on this one," said Maurice Carroll, Director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "If this fight were really about Roe v. Wade, Quinnipiac University polls have shown a consistent 2 -1 support for this historic ruling, with more support from men."

Looking at American voter attitudes about abortion, the poll finds:

* 18 percent say abortion should be legal in all cases;
* 37 percent say abortion should be legal in most cases;
* 27 percent say abortion should be illegal in most cases;
* 14 percent say abortion should be illegal in all cases.

"On abortion, there's a silent majority. Both ends of the debate are making the noise, but 64 percent of American voters are in the middle, perhaps looking for that common ground," Carroll said.

In other attitudes about the Supreme Court, American voters say:

* 50 - 33 percent that the next Chief Justice should be a member of the current court, rather than an outsider;
* Support for any one justice to take the top job does not top 6 percent;
* 65 percent haven't heard enough about Justice Antonin Scalia, the most widely quoted justice, to form an opinion;
* A total of 79 percent say public opinion should have a "great deal" or "some" influence on Supreme Court decisions, but only 34 percent say public opinion actually has a "great deal" or "some" influence;
* 51 - 42 percent that the Supreme Court should consider changing times in making decisions, rather than the original intent of the authors of the Constitution.

Voters also say 60 - 34 percent that a nominee to any federal judgeship should state his or her position on abortion.

"The Supreme Court doesn't listen to the people, but it should, most Americans say. And despite what the lawyers and legislators say, Americans want to know where judicial nominees stand on abortion," Carroll said. President Bush's Approval

American voters disapprove of the job President George W. Bush is doing 50 - 44 percent, his lowest approval rating since becoming President. This compares to a 48 - 45 percent disapproval in a March 9 Quinnipiac University poll.

For a breakdown of the survey itself, visit the site. You can read the wording of the questions and all available answers. Percentage breakdowns are given for all answers. You can also compare the trends of answers as far back as March 2003.

50 Republicans Help Pass Bill to Repeal Restrictions on Federal Funding

2005-05-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

Defying President Bush's threat to impose his first veto, a broad swath of House Republicans voted with an overwhelming number of Democrats yesterday to repeal his restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and plunge the government deeper into the controversial science that supporters say could lead to cures for debilitating diseases.

The 238 to 194 vote, unusual because 50 Republicans broke with Bush and top House leaders, followed a highly personalized, occasionally tearful debate in which a parade of lawmakers recounted medical tragedies that had afflicted their families, while opponents contended that the science is built on destroying human lives.

The legislation, which has strong support in the Senate, would make federal money available for research on embryonic stem cells extracted from frozen embryos donated by couples who no longer need them for fertility treatments. It would lift a restriction imposed by Bush nearly four years ago that limits federally funded research to fewer than two dozen embryonic stem cell colonies, or lines.

Bush said last week that he would veto the bill. With the debate under way at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, he underscored his opposition by holding an East Room ceremony surrounded by children whose families had adopted them as embryos. The same families had appeared several hours earlier on Capitol Hill, with parents and children alike sporting stickers that said "Former Embryo."

Reason #1 that I'm posting this: It's good to see so many representatives break from the party line.

Reason #2: Are we not all "Former Embryos?" As an adoptee myself I find it highly offensive that Bush is trotting out adoptees (children no less) to back up his neolithic ideas about stem cells. Last I looked there were no adopted children in the Bush family.

ETA: The following day in The Huffington Post, Paul Feig wrote:

Nice to see President Bush on the front page of the New York Times holding up a baby to show the world how immoral stem cell research is. Does this mean I get to dig up the corpse of my father who died from Parkinsons disease and stand him up in front of the White House to show my support for stem cell research?

Healthful food in school?

2005-05-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

Looks like someone finally got a clue:

Public elementary and middle schools (in New Jersey) would be prohibited from selling soda and junk food under a package of measures approved Monday by a state Senate panel taking aim at a growing epidemic of childhood obesity.

The bills aim to restrict the amount of sugar, fat and salt children consume, at least during the school day.

"The most effective way to prevent obesity in our children is to teach them the right way to eat," said Assemblyman Herb Conaway, D-Burlington, a physician who co-sponsored a similar measure in the Assembly.

Similar proposals have been introduced in at least 17 states this year, according to the national Conference of State Legislatures. Policies are on the books in a few states, including California and Arkansas, while a proposal in Connecticut would extend the ban to high schools.

The New Jersey legislation would prohibit public school vending machines from stocking any item that lists sugar as its first ingredient, or anything that has more than eight grams of total fat, except nuts and seeds. The ban would be in effect until 30 minutes after schools closed for the day.

The measures also require that vending machines in high schools be stocked with at least one healthy snack; home-baked goods sold at fund-raisers would be exempt from the restrictions.

Robert Earl, senior director for nutrition policy at the Food Products Association, a food and beverage industry trade association, believes the restrictive approach that states are taking will not improve children's health.

"We certainly believe school is the right environment for teaching students about developing lifelong eating habits," he said. "We believe it is incorrect to apply guidance about diet to individual foods because that often eliminates very wholesome food products."

Now if public schools would bring back the physical education (including recess) and arts classes they cut to make room for courses designed to teach students how to test and therefore raise standardized test scores, we'd be making really progress against childhood and teen obesity.

Libraries and the patriot act

2005-05-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

From USA Today:

Librarian's brush with FBI shapes her view of the USA Patriot Act

It was a moment that librarians had been dreading.

On June 8, 2004, an FBI agent stopped at the Deming branch of the Whatcom County Library System in northwest Washington and requested a list of the people who had borrowed a biography of Osama bin Laden. We said no.

I find this sort of thing too frightening for words...

Praying for Theocracy

2005-05-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Catherine Crier asks of the Religious Right: "Just how much do they want? They want it all."

In a piece in today's Huffington Post, she talks about the march toward theocracy and how it's manifesting through this whole judicial nominee mess.

The real fight is not over the lower courts in the federal system, but instead, the ultimate prize--the highest court in the land. There is no question that President Bush will have the opportunity to appoint several justices to that Court during his second term. He has made his ideological preferences clear. Conservative justices aren’t enough. He wants jurists of a particular persuasion. They must satisfy the requirements of fundamentalist Christians, with a willingness to roll back the clock to a time where children prayed to Jesus in public school, gays were back in the closet and women were forced into back alleys.

Those with different religious beliefs, (forget those with none at all), are dismissed entirely. Those who assert they are moral without believing in the Scriptures, verbatim, go straight to Hell.

If we want a Theocracy in this country, then ignore the assault on our nation’s judges. If you believe in the Republic that our Founding Fathers bequeathed, then prepare to battle for the one remaining branch of the government that has not yet been co-opted -- the federal Judiciary.

Definitely worth reading.

From Bill Press

2005-05-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

The Difference Between Newsweek and George W. Bush

Newsweek relied on faulty intelligence to write a magazine article. George W. Bush relied on faulty intelligence to start a war which has cost over $200 billion, and which has taken the lives of over 1600 Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis.

Here's the difference. Newsweek didn't know its intelligence was phony. And Newsweek apologized.

No PreSchooler Left Untested...

2005-05-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

The fact they were testing Head Start preschoolers was news to me...
I'm reminded of a cartoon I saw once, with a politician asking a young boy, "So, Johnny, what did you learn in school this year?" The boy's speech bubble contains a standardized test form with letters filled in.

GAO: Federal preschool test flawed

Wednesday, May 18, 2005 Posted: 11:12 AM EDT (1512 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The test used to gauge the academic progress of children in Head Start is not a valid measure of their learning, congressional investigators say.

The Government Accountability Office's review, released Tuesday, found a series of flaws with the National Reporting System test and with the way it is run by the Head Start Bureau.

"Leave My Child Alone"

2005-05-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

Buried deep within the No Child Left Behind Act is a provision that requires public high schools to hand over private student information to military recruiters. The purpose of this invasion of family privacy is to allow minor students to be recruited at home by telephone calls, mail and personal visits. If a school does not comply, it risks losing vital federal education funds. The only way to keep your children’s contact information from military recruiters, is to submit an “opt-out” letter in writing to your school district’s superintendent.

This provision known as section 9528 was inserted with almost no debate into the No Child Left Behind Act by Rep. David Vitter of Louisiana, who learned from the Pentagon that many public schools had strict privacy policies protecting student information from being released to any outside parties, thus preventing aggressive military recruiting.

For more information on how to protect the privacy of your family, visit the "Leave My Child Alone" website. They supply complete "what can I do" lists, organizational materials, flyers and more.

ACLU Sues HHS Over Abstinence Aid

2005-05-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit yesterday against the Department of Health and Human Services, accusing the Bush administration of spending federal tax dollars on an abstinence education program that promotes Christianity.

Filed in federal court in Boston, the lawsuit alleges that the programs and educational materials distributed by Silver Ring Thing are "permeated with religion" and use "taxpayer dollars to promote religious content, instruction and indoctrination."

The organization [Silver Ring Thing] has received $1 million in federal grants since summer 2003 and expects to receive $255,000 this year.

"The federal government should not underwrite the religious indoctrination of Massachusetts students," said Carol Rose, executive director of the Massachusetts ACLU. "The Silver Ring Thing is nothing more than a vehicle for converting young people to Christianity."

In a statement, [Silver Ring Thing] founder Denny Pattyn said he had not seen the lawsuit but in general "is aware of the proper designation of the federal funds received and asserts that these monies have been properly directed."

Silver Ring Thing, also known as the John Guest Evangelistic Team, describes its mission as "evangelistic ministry" with an emphasis on "evangelistic crusade planning," according to IRS filings.

The ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project won a similar case in 2002 against the governor of Louisiana for sponsoring a state abstinence program that furthered "religious objectives" and used taxpayer money to "advance religion."

HHS declined to discuss yesterday's filing because it does not comment on pending litigation, a spokesman said.

From the NYT review of "Revenge of the Sith"

2005-05-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

At one point, Darth Vader, already deep in the thrall of the dark side and echoing the words of George W. Bush, hisses at Obi-Wan, "If you're not with me, you're my enemy." Obi-Wan's response is likely to surface as a bumper sticker during the next election campaign: "Only a Sith thinks in absolutes."

Conservative pundits are already blasting RotS as an anti-Bush movie, forgetting that its a fantasy story with direct origins established years ago and inspiration that comes from millenia of experience and from mythology.

ETA: From The Cannes Film Festival, Lucas had this to say:

“Because this is the back story, and one of the main features of back story was to explain how the Republic became the Empire, at the time I did it, that was really during the Nixon years and the Vietnam War, the issue was how does a democracy turn itself over to a dictator. I began to study a great deal about things like ancient Rome and why did the Senate, after killing Cesar, turn around and give the government to his nephew; why did France after they got rid of the king and that whole system turn around and give it to Napoleon; the same thing in Germany with Hitler. You sort of see these recurring themes where a democracy turns itself into a dictatorship.”

From blogActive

2005-05-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

This post has been edited. For the original, click the post title.

The American Family Association is going after Kraft Foods for sponsoring the Gay Games. On their site they ask people to write to Kraft to object to sponsorship of the Gay Games. Well, you right wing pigs...two can play that game...

Take 45 seconds and CLICK HERE to thank Kraft for standing up to the hate and bigotry of the American Family Association.

THEN, CLICK HERE and open an email with links to Kraft for your friend. Tell EVERYONE to thank Kraft for not caving to these right wing freaks.

You can also call toll free to thank Kraft at 800-323-0768

Update on previous post

2005-05-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

The preacher who was driving away half of his congregation has resigned.

Chandler’s resignation came a day after a national group that lobbies for church-state separation urged the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the tax-exempt status of the East Waynesville Baptist Church.

IRS rules bar clear-cut politicking by tax-exempt groups. Last October, days before Bush won a second term, the IRS said it was investigating about 60 charities and other tax-exempt groups — about a third of them churches — for potentially breaking rules that bar them from participating in political activity.

The outcome of those investigations is not known. The IRS is barred from naming the organizations it investigates or announcing case results.

I believe the organization is Americans United, as I got an e-mail update from them saying that they were petitioning to do this.