House Dems To Split FISA/Protect America Act?

   This is a rumor that has been going around since Thursday so we aren't sure about validity at this time. Either way, this can't be good.

  LATimes:

Under pressure to end an impasse over espionage legislation, House Democrats are considering a plan to vote on a bill next week that would give the government broad new eavesdropping authorities but strip out a provision that would protect phone companies from lawsuits.

Senior Democratic aides said the plan would set up a separate vote on the divisive issue of whether to grant legal immunity to phone companies that took part in a secret wiretapping program authorized by President Bush after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"The objective would be to pass something that is less controversial," yet still allow Democrats to register their objections to the immunity provision, said one senior Democratic aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and other party leaders have yet to reach a decision on the matter.

Republican officials said they likely would back the proposal to divide the bill into two pieces, as long as there was no delay in taking up the immunity provision. "We would be OK with that as long as the immunity provision [can] become law," said Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).

Officials from both sides acknowledged that there are probably enough votes in the House to pass the measure protecting telephone companies. But splitting the bill would give Democrats who oppose the immunity provision political cover for voting in favor of the broader legislation.

  Political cover? WTF is that supposed to mean anyway? Do these assholes in the Democratic Party really think that playing with this bill and giving Bush and ATT everything that they want, and that we are going to just settle for them appearing to be trying to protect our better interest? These fucks must have went to the same schools that Bush went to because they are all idiots!

    You Democrats who vote for amnesty will have no careers when your next elections come around. Got that Rockefeller? Pelosi?

   This bill does not need to be split, period! You know what you need to do and who to call, so get to it.

Blue Dog suspects. As long as you're calling, try Hoyer, too: Phone - (202) 225-4131, Fax - (202) 225-4300  DK

• Rep. Leonard L. Boswell, D-Iowa -- Phone: (202) 225-3806, Fax: (202) 225-5608
• Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark. -- Phone: (202) 225-4076, Fax: (202) 225-5602
• Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark. -- Phone: (202) 225-3772, Fax: (202) 225-1314
• Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D. -- Phone: (202) 225-2611, Fax: (202) 226-0893
• Rep. Robert E. "Bud" Cramer, D-Ala. -- Phone: (202) 225-4801, Fax: (202) 225-4392
• Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Ill. -- Phone: (202) 225-3711, Fax: (202) 225-7830
• Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C. -- Phone: (202) 225-6401, Fax: (202) 226-6422
• Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga. -- Phone: (202) 225-2823, Fax: (202) 225-3377
• Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla. -- Phone: (202) 225-5235, Fax: (202) 225-5615
• Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif. -- Phone: (202) 225-6161, Fax: (202) 225-8671
• Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla. -- Phone: (202) 225-2701, Fax: (202) 225-3038
• Rep. John Tanner, D-Tenn. -- Phone: (202) 225-4714, Fax: (202) 225-1765
• Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah -- Phone: (202) 225-3011, Fax: (202) 225-5638
• Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn. -- Phone: (202) 225-4311, Fax: (202) 226-1035
• Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn. -- Phone: (202) 225-6831, Fax: (202) 226-5172
• Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind. -- Phone: (202) 225-4636, Fax: (202) 225-3284
• Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa. -- Phone: (202) 225-5546, Fax: (202) 226-0996
• Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La. -- Phone: (202) 225-4031, Fax: (202) 226-3944
• Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan. -- Phone: (202) 225-2865, Fax: (202) 225-2807
• Rep. Christopher Carney, D-Pa. -- Phone: (202) 225-3731, Fax: (202) 225-9594
• Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio -- Phone: (202) 225-6265, Fax: (202) 225-3394

Technorati Tags: FISA, Protect America Act, Congress, telecom amnesty, ATT, Michael B. Mukasey, Veriizon, George Bush, illegal wiretaps, John A. Boehner, Republicans, Nancy Pelosi

On John Hagee's Endorsement Of John McCain

  First off, just the fact that John McCain would even think of excepting Pastor John Hagee's endorsement for President speaks volumes on McCain's character. I mean. we all know that he really has no sustainable character to speak of, but this is down right funny when you consider that Hagee believes that the Catholic Church " is the Great Whore of Revelation 17" and that the Catholic Church generally has supported the GOP over the years. McCain excepts the endorsement which I guess would mean that neither he nor the GOP thinks to much of the Catholics these days. McSenile needs to go back home to Arizona and maybe bake his head in some desert heat for medicinal purposes.

  Glenn Greenwald had a bit on this earlier.

My new friends from the Catholic League emailed earlier to advise that Bill Donohue was being interviewed for tonight's program of The Situation Room on CNN. Blogs at The Washington Post and ABC News today covered the growing scandal from the anti-Catholic bigotry perspective, with the latter actually featuring the unbelievably inflammatory You Clip -- found by Ann Althouse, which I posted yesterday and which is now being distributed by the Catholic League -- of a shirt-sleeved Pastor Hagee spewing the creepiest, most hateful bile imaginable about Catholicism ("This is the Great Whore of Revelation 17").

As The Post noted, Catholics United, a less reactionary group than the Catholic League, has now also denounced McCain's warm embrace of Hagee and demanded that he repudiate his endorsement. Thus far, it is Hagee's anti-Catholicism which is being featured -- largely because when Bill Donohue issues press releases, the media jumps to cover it. While that angle has substantial political ramifications -- Karl Rove identified the Catholic vote in 2004 as the most vital to the GOP's electoral successes -- the reality is that Hagee's hateful and twisted extremism extends far beyond that realm. In sum, John McCain has aligned himself with one of America's purest -- and most powerful -- haters, and that ought to be the story here.

And it's good to see the DNC shrewdly involving itself in this:

Democrats quoted Hagee as saying the Catholic Church conspired with Nazis against the Jews and that Hurricane Katrina was God's retribution for homosexual sin, and they recited his demeaning comments about women and flip remarks about slavery.

"Hagee's hate speech has no place in public discourse, and McCain's embrace of this figure raises serious questions about John McCain's character and his willingness to do anything to win," said Tom McMahon, executive director of the Democratic National Committee.

 

  Just more proof of the racist attitude and non acceptance of the Repulican Party when it comes to religions that aren't Right Wing. Maybe the Catholics will wake the fuck up this time around and ditch the Repugnicans!

Technorati Tags: John Hagee, John McCain, Catholic Church, endorsement, GOP

To George Bush, Other Republicans, Democrats, And The Telecoms. Remember The 4TH Amendment?

    Amendment IV

    The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

    Many people argue that emails, other Internet use and phone usage does not fall under the 4th Amendment. I have to disagree with that. Emails and phones are one of my personal effects. So quit your fucking crying Bush and ATT, and get a fucking warrant, legally!

Technorati Tags: FISA, Protect America Act, telecom amnesty, George Bush, 4th Amendment, Congress

Bush,Fear-mongering, and FISA

  Bush has so many skeletons in his illegal wiretapping closet that the only thing that this piece of shit can offer to the congress and the American public is nothing but more fear-mongering. How many times has Bush told us that the terrorist are going to bomb the shit out of us if we do not give the telecoms amnesty for helping him wiretap our phones and emails?

  Rep. Rush Holt had a couple of things to say about Bush's comments this morning.

  The Gavel

“The President, at this morning’s press conference, said that the American people expect we will provide the intelligence community with the tools it needs to protect the country. It has those tools now through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and would have all the authority necessary to protect Americans into the future under the RESTORE Act, passed by the House in November. The RESTORE Act embodies the principle that officials must establish before a court that they have reason to intercept communications involving American citizens. What the President really wants is a permanent blank check to conduct indiscriminate collection and fishing expeditions without any judicial oversight. This does not lead to better intelligence.

“The President has had multiple opportunities to work with Congress to modernize FISA. Instead, he has chosen to demagogue this issue through a propaganda campaign, one dependent on fear-mongering and false accusations. If the President is serious about protecting the American people, he’ll drop the campaign-style rhetoric and work with us to pass a realistic and workable intelligence surveillance bill,” Holt said.

Technorati Tags: Rep.Rush Holt, President Bush.FISA, Restore Act, Congress, telecom amnesty, ATT

The House Taxes Oil Companies $18 Billion

   The House managed to get the guts to approve $18 billion in new tax increases to the largest oil companies as the Democrats noted the record profits these companies have been making and also the rising gasoline prices while our economics turn downward.

   The money, to be collected over a ten year period, will provide tax breaks for alternate energy sources as well as for wind, solar, and energy conservation. The legislation was approved by a vote of 236-182.

    Senate Democratic leaders said they would put the bill on a fast track and try to avoid a Republican filibuster. The White House said the bill unfairly takes aim at the oil industry. President Bush is expected to veto the legislation if it passes Congress.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., noted it was two years ago, when oil cost $55 a barrel, when Bush said oil companies need no government subsidies to pursue more oil or gas.

"With the price of oil hovering around $100 do we really believe this incentive is justified?" asked Hoyer. "Do these companies need taxpayer subsidies to look for new product? They don't need any incentive."

Republicans said the measure unfairly targeted a single industry.

"It punishes the oil and gas industry. This is wrongheaded. It will result in higher prices at the gasoline pump. It's spiteful and wrong," said Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La.      YahooNews

  As is natural for a Republican, they are against any kind of tax increase, especially for an oil company! Go figure that one will you?

A similar tax proposal passed the House last summer, but it was abandoned in the Senate where Democrats couldn't muster the 60 votes needed to overcome a GOP filibuster. Senate Democrats were maneuvering to avoid a repeat of that with the newly passed House measure.

The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, said Democratic leaders are considering advancing the House bill under fast-track procedures related to the budget. This process would not permit an indefinite GOP stall.

   So let the Bush administration veto this bill. Just more ammo for the Democrats come November! Bye bye GOP. R.I.P.

Technorati Tags: Steny Hoyer, oil companies tax increase, Jim McCrery, Ways and Means Committee, George Bush, veto

Obama Verses Clinton: USATODAY/Gallop Poll

  This poll asks the question " Which characteristic applies more to Barack Obama or to Hillary Rodham Clinton? "

  Some of the results?

   Best chance of winning in November?  Obama 63%, Clinton 30%.

   Honest and Trustworthy?                      Obama 50%, Clinton 37%

   A strong and decisive leader?                Obama 42%, Clinton 49%

   Can get things done?                             Obama 40%, Clinton 53%

     See more results Here

      Clinton does get a better showing when it comes to handling the economy, terrorism, and healthcare. Maybe Barack Obama may wish to get more pointed with his ideas on these things.

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, economy, healthcare, Iraq war

Obama Gaining On Clinton

   In case you haven't heard, as of Monday, Barack Obama is pretty much wrapping the Democratic Party Presidential nomination up. Here are the latest numbers from a Associated Press-Ipsos poll.

The Illinois senator leads Clinton by 23 percentage points among white men and by 17 points among liberals — groups that were evenly divided between the two in early February. He has a similar advantage among people earning $50,000 to $100,000 annually — whom she led earlier by 13 points.

Clinton maintains robust leads among some groups that have been cornerstones of her candidacy, including those age 65 and up, white women and people earning under $50,000 annually.

Overall, Obama has 46 percent to Clinton's 43 percent, a virtual tie. Clinton had a slight 5 point lead nationally in early February.

Obama's advances among voting groups are even more stark when viewed longer term.

In mid-January — when primaries and caucuses were just beginning — Clinton had a 7-point lead among all men, a group she now trails by 25 points. The two were about even among college graduates, whom Obama now leads by 20 points.

   So how do these two match up against John McCain right now?

In matchups looking ahead to November's general election, Clinton leads Arizona Sen. John McCain by 48 percent to 43 percent. Obama's lead over the virtually certain GOP nominee is twice that size, 51 percent to 41 percent.

Obama does better than Clinton does against McCain among better educated, moderate and middle-class voters, winning among those groups while Clinton would split them with the Republican. Obama trails among the oldest voters while Clinton and McCain divide them evenly.

The two Democrats do about equally against McCain among several groups that lean toward Clinton, leading him by similar margins among women, the least educated and lowest-income voters. McCain is ahead against both Democrats among whites, while they lead him easily among minorities.

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Democrats, liberals, president

GOP Working On " appearing " Less Racist

  The GOP had better do more than trying to appear less racist and it might help if they were to actually become less racist in the first place. What are the odds?  These idiots are now working on a way to attack either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama without looking like the racist pigs that they are after one or the other is chosen to run for the Democratic Party.

   From the Politico:

The Republican National Committee has commissioned polling and focus groups to determine the boundaries of attacking a minority or female candidate, according to people involved.

Republicans will be told to “be sensitive to tone and stick to the substance of the discussion” and that “the key is that you have to be sensitive to the fact that you are running against historic firsts,” the strategist explained.

GOP operatives have already coined a term for clumsy rhetoric: “undisciplined messaging.” It appears as a bullet point in a Power Point presentation making the rounds among major donors, party leaders and surrogates. The presentation outlines five main strategic attacks against an Obama candidacy, with one of them stating how “undisciplined messaging carries great risk.”

  Yada, Yada, Yada. All of the professionals that the GOP can find won't be able to help this sorry group of assholes to look non-racist. I think that racism is in their blood.

Technorati Tags: GOP, Republicans, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, racist, Democrats

Bush Intelligence Czar Eats "Protect America Act" Crow

  As you all know,  Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey and Director of National Intelligence J. Michael McConnell sent a letter to our Congress this past Friday saying that the nation was "now more vulnerable to terrorist attack and other foreign threats"  because the Congress didn't pass the FISA bill with President Bush's much desired amnesty for the telecoms in it. The letter was nothing but more fear-mongering on the part of the Bush Crime Syndicate to get the Congress to bend to its will. Didn't quite work that way this time around, so far.

   LATimes

But within hours of sending that letter, administration officials told lawmakers on the House and Senate intelligence committees that they had prevailed upon all of the telecommunications companies to continue cooperating with the government's requests for information while negotiations with Congress continue.

   On Saturday, the two evil twins (  Mukasey, McConnell ) released a statement which said

"We learned last night after sending [the original] letter that . . . new surveillances under existing directives issued pursuant to the Protect America Act will resume, at least for now. We appreciate the willingness of our private partners to cooperate despite the uncertainty.
"Unfortunately, the delay resulting from this discussion impaired our ability to cover foreign intelligence targets, which resulted in missed intelligence information."

One Democratic congressional official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, expressed skepticism that any significant gap had existed, noting that existing rules permit continued monitoring of known terrorists and their associates.

    So let me get this straight. Mukasey and  McConnell, the Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence, do not know the laws that they are supposed to enforce or to abide by? These two fucks got caught with their pants down and with their thumbs stuck up their asses, is what happened. Guess that they figured out the the American people aren't buying into their rhetoric any more.

  The House returns to session this week and no doubt Bush and his gang of criminals will attempt to put the heat on Congress to approve the Senate version of FISA with amnesty included. Hopefully, the House will stand its ground and not give into the telecoms and the Bush Mafia this time around.

Technorati Tags: FISA, Protect America Act, President Bush, Congress, telecom amnesty, Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey, Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell

In Tucson, Thousands May be Infected With Measles

   A sure sign of the times that you and I live in!

   In Tucson Arizona it appears that many of the fine cities residence may have been exposed to a case of measles at a Northwest area hospital.

  Any patient or visitor to the Northwest Medical Center between February 12th and 15th might have been in contact with a visitor from Europe who can down with this disease, which is very contagious.

  The unidentified infected patient was an adult visiting Tucson from Switzerland who became ill on Feb. 12 and went to Northwest's emergency room that day to obtain medication. The patient, feeling no better, returned the next morning and was admitted to the hospital.

But infection with measles was not confirmed until late Feb. 15, when the patient was finally placed in isolation, ending exposure to others at the hospital. 

In addition to the thousands of patients and visitors to Northwest during this period, as many as 1,800 staff members at the hospital may have been exposed to measles and are being monitored for symptoms.  Arizona Daily Star

  The adult has since recovered and went back to their home country. In the mean time, Tucson is in the midst of flu season with many people going to the ER's for treatment. Possible contact with a carrier of measles will certainly send the admittance rate up at all of the area hospitals even though residents  are being told to call the health department if they suspect that they may have measles.

    Measles is very rare in the United States so if you are not up on the illness, please go check it out Here.

Technorati Tags: Tucson.measles, Northwest Medical Center, airborne diseases

Bush Administration Says U.S. Intelligence Agencies Having Problems Spying With No FISA Bill ( Amnesty )

   Bush, ATT, Verizon and others must be crying in their crib because the U.S. House didn't give them ( telecoms ) amnesty for all of the illegal spying that they did under orders from Bush. FISA got no extra time for debate because Bush and his Republican assholes wouldn't allow the extension (21 days ) to go forward, so it is Bush who is helping those mean ole terrorist out. I'm not sure about you, but I think that I was not killed after the FISA bill expired last Saturday. I feel pretty much alive still, don't you?

  Back to point.

   On Friday, Silvestre Reyes ( House Intelligence Committee Chairman ) received a  letter ( PDF ) from two of our favorite terrorist fear-mongers, Mike McConnell and Michael Mukasey stating that since the temporary Protect America Act expired last week that some of their partners ( telecoms ) in intelligence operations have become less cooperative. We all know that that is a bunch of crap but I guess that we have to let the children amuse themselves once in a while.

  Both McConnell and Mukasey say that after the PAA stopped being in effect, partners ( telecoms ) "have delayed or refused compliance with our requests to initiate new surveillances of terrorist and other foreign intelligence targets under existing directives issued pursuant to the Protect America Act."

  We all know this is crap since the telecoms have no choice when requested by the government to help as long as the request and the help is a legal request. It would appear that only Qwest's lawyers understood that the Bush Crime Syndicate was doing something illegal so Quest did the right thing and told the government to come back with the proper warrants.

  More of this letter from the two hoods:

"Although most partners intend to cooperate for the time being, they have expressed deep misgivings about doing so in light of the uncertainty and have indicated that they may well cease to cooperate if the uncertainty persists."
Mukasey and McConnell say that they are currently "working to mitigate these problems and are hopeful that our efforts will be successful." But they add that unless Congress passes a version of a new electronic surveillance bill, approved by the Senate, which includes the controversial retroactive lawsuit immunity for telecom companies, "the broader uncertainty caused" by the temporary spy law's expiration "will persist." The letter adds that: "This uncertainty may well continue to cause us to miss information that we otherwise would be collecting."    Newsweek

  Keep in mind that...

The claim that telecoms will cease to cooperate without retroactive immunity is deeply dishonest on multiple levels, but the dishonesty is most easily understood when one realizes that, under the law, telecoms are required to cooperate with legal requests from the government. They don’t have the option to “refuse.” Without amnesty, telecoms will be reluctant in the future to break the law again, which we should want. But there is no risk that they will refuse requests to cooperate with legal surveillance, particularly since they are legally obligated to cooperate in those circumstances.

Source

  Remember what the main issue is with the Protect America Act

Mike McConnell, director of national intelligence, told Renee Montagne the main issue is liability protection for the private sector.  ( emphasis mine )    Source

      Silvestre Reyes, Jay Rockefeller, who voted yes on the Senate Version of FISA, and others had something to say about this letter from the two clowns in the hood.

  "Further politicizing the debate, the administration today announced that they believe there have been gaps in security since the Protect America Act expired. They cannot have it both ways; if it is true that the expiration of the PAA has caused gaps in intelligence, then it was irresponsible for the President and congressional Republicans to openly oppose an extension of the law. Accordingly, they should join Democrats in extending it until we can resolve our differences."      Source

   As noted once before, this wouldn't be an issue had Senator Harry Reid and the others passed the House version in the first place instead of bringing forth their own " junk "  bill.

   Bush's arrogance, and the Senates need for telecom cash is the only reason that we are having this discussion. If a few of the Senate Democrats had had some balls ( Rockefeller is one ) and actually believed in protecting your rights as an American, this would all be on just Bush's lap for what would have put aside ( veto ) by Bush.

Technorati Tags: FISA, Protect America Act, telecom amnesty, fourth amendment, Mike McConnell, illegal wiretaps, George Bush, Silvestre Reyes, Michael Mukasey

John McCain And The Lobbyist Group

In 2000, when McCain set out to seek the Republican Party's presidential nomination, his campaign charter jet landed in New Hampshire early on with some lobbyists aboard.

David Broder, dean of the political writers, was aboard that plane. And he duly noted the presence of Ken Duberstein, the lobbyist and former chief of staff for Ronald Reagan, aboard the plane of the senator running as the anti-establishment candidate.

Yours truly was on that plane, too, and duly noted the presence of Tom Panza, a Florida-based lobbyist for GTech, the lottery-management company that has mopped up contract after contract in the states running lotteries and provided lucrative employment for a lot of former state workers in the process.  Source

  Want to know who has the most lobbyist and who those lobbyist represent in the corporate world? Then go to The Swamp

Technorati Tags: John McCain, Republican Party, David Broder

Renzi Indicted For Land Scheme And Money Laundering

      Another corrupt Republican politician on the indictment list. This time it is Arizona Republican Rick Renzi who was indicted.

    Northern Arizona Congressman Rick Renzi was indicted today on charges of extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other matters in a scam involving an Arizona land swap.

The indictment says that as part of the alleged scam, Renzi and James Sandlin concealed at least $733,000 that the congressman took for helping seal the land deals.

Renzi and another business partner, Andrew Beardall, are accused of embezzling more than $400,000 in insurance premiums to fund Renz's first congressional campaign.    AzFamily

  He's not running for reelection as he announced last August that he would not seek another term. That's probably a good thing for him since it would be just a little difficult to serve in Congress while you are serving in prison.

Technorati Tags: Rick Renzi, indictment

Republicans Abort FISA Meeting

   Let's get back to the ongoing FISA bill, shall we. I mean, we night as well get back to it because the Republicans most certainly aren't going to do it.

  Today was supposed to have been a bipartisan working meeting on FISA but the Republicans stopped their staff from attending the meeting. The meeting was about modernizing the FISA, and Majority Leader Hoyer had something to say about the Republicans not allowing their people to be present.

           Steny Hoyer

    “I am disappointed that House and Senate Republicans apparently instructed their staffs not to participate in today’s bicameral meeting on modernizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The decision to not participate, coupled with their vote against an extension of their bill - the Protect America Act - only serves to reinforce the perception that Republicans prefer to have a political issue rather than a strong new FISA bill in place as quickly as possible. Certainly Republicans do not really believe that the role of the House is to simply rubberstamp whatever bills the Senate passes.

    “I am hopeful that Republicans will reconsider and join us in crafting a bipartisan FISA bill that protects our nation and our civil liberties. It is time to come together and work in the best interests of our nation’s security.”

    The Judiciary Committee chimed in with their own statement also, as did the House and Senate Chairmen.

     “In what should have been a bipartisan, bicameral meeting, staff members of the House and Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees met today to work in good faith to reach a compromise on FISA reform. As we have said, we are using this week to work on a compromise that strengthens our national security and protects Americans’ privacy. Unfortunately, we understand our Republican counterparts instructed their staffs not to attend this working meeting, therefore not allowing progress to be made in a bipartisan, bicameral way. While we are disappointed that today’s meeting could not reflect a bipartisan effort, we will continue to work and hope Republicans will join us to put our nation’s security first.” Source

   For one thing, I think that for Intelligence Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) to be a part of this statement is sort of a two-faced put-on by this man. Let us not forget that Rockefeller did vote for amnesty for the telecoms and if he and a few other democrats had done their jobs right in the first place, this shit wouldn't be an issue in the first place!

Technorati Tags: Jay Rockefeller, Republicans, Democrats, FISA, Protect America Act, Judiciary Committee, Steny Hoyer, telecom amnesty, George Bush

The Woes Of John McCain Continue

  I'd really hate to be Senator John McCain today, or tomorrow, or the next day for that matter.

  It is bad enough that the NYTIMES put out the story on what might have been an improper relationship with a lobbyist. Of course, this was denied by McCain

  Bit now it seems that Senator McCain's people have been incompetent when it comes to getting him on the Indiana primary ballot.  BlueIndiana blogger  Thomas noticed that McCain was a little short in some districts when it comes to getting 500 signatures from each to be placed on the ballot.

  To my surprise, I noticed that John McCain -- the presumptive front-runner for the GOP nomination -- was just a little short in a few districts, including my precious 4th, despite the fact that Attorney General Steve Carter had already turned in their petitions. I made a few phone calls, and one by one I found out that the McCain camp had got the job done across the state.

Except in the 4th District.

In the 4th District, they are short.      Read More

    The DNC had something to say about this as well.

    Source

Despite the fact that the McCain campaign clearly failed to qualify for the ballot, Republican Attorney General Steve Carter and Republican Secretary of State Todd Rokita (who recently endorsed McCain) rubberstamped it anyway, trying to sneak McCain onto the ballot. Clearly, the Republican Culture of Corruption is alive and well within the McCain campaign.

  Do we need another half-assed Republican and his buddies running this country when they can't even run an election right? I think not.

Technorati Tags: John McCain, Indiana primary, ballot signatures, Republicans

John McCain's Economy

  There is no story here. I thought that I would put this picture up just for the hell of it so that you would know what our economy will be like under a McCain presidency. Plus, I thought that it is funny and that we can all use a good laugh!

 

Technorati Tags: John McCain, economy

News In America: In Case You Missed It

   The following are some links to news story's that you may be interested in reading.

   In Mesa, Arizona the Arizona State University committee is thinking about requiring that students submit their mental health histories in order to combat acts of potential violence on campus. This is one of several new programs being considered.    Source

  Another one from Arizona, this time in Tucson where one of the country's top fighting pit bull breeders has been arrested and 110 of his dogs confiscated Mahlon T. Patrick has been charged with dog fighting.

"We have dismantled a group of people at the upper echelon of dogfighting," said John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States. "This will be felt by people in the blood sport nationwide."   Tucson Citizen

The Associated Press

OAK PARK, Mich. --

A former TV news anchor in Detroit and Lansing, Mich., was arrested Wednesday and charged with embezzling $149,000 from a man she had dated and advised financially.   Source

   In North Carolina, Elizabeth Dole (R) has decided to run for a second term in the U.S. Senate. She has no Republican challengers but there are 4 Democrats seeking nomination from their party to take her on.  Source   I hope that this woman gets her ass handed to her on a rusted platter!

Technorati Tags: Elizabeth Dole, Arizona State University, pit bulls, Democrats, Republicans, mental health

John McCain Have An Affair With Telecom Lobbyist?

  If this is true then John McCain may be in a world of shit.

     From the NYTIMES

   A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, visiting his offices and accompanying him on a client’s corporate jet. Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself — instructing staff members to block the woman’s access, privately warning her away and repeatedly confronting him, several people involved in the campaign said on the condition of anonymity.

Mr. McCain, 71, and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, 40, both say they never had a romantic relationship.  Read more

  It is funny how all of these so-called ethical Republicans keep messing around and getting called on it. What else would McCain do but deny everything? At the least, Iseman was to influential with McCain and probably got many telecom deals settled for her clients.

Technorati Tags: John McCain, Vicki Iseman, telecoms, lobbyist

Will Firefighters Be Spying On You?

  Only in a United States democracy could this happen.

   Keep in mind, after reading the following article, that it is rumored that amnesty for the telecoms isn't the only kind of amnesty that will be happening if this piece of legislation is left in the FISA Bill. It is noticed that anyone, or any entity that helps the government with spying activity, will not be able to be sued or prosecuted for the help even if done without the proper warrants. That could be your neighbor, landlord, pest control professional, or whatever.

February 18, 2008

FDNY Spies

By Colin Meyn

    In New York City, the Department of Homeland Security is training New York City firefighters to assist in gathering intelligence information during routine inspections and emergencies.

In November, the Associated Press reported that in New York, Homeland Security was testing a program called the Fire Service Intelligence Enterprise (FSIE) to help identify “material or behavior that may indicate terrorist activities.”

The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and Homeland Security hosted a September 2007 conference in New York City to discuss plans for the new intelligence program. There, chief officers from fire departments in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and 12 other U.S. cities met with NYC fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and officials from the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Surveillance. “Real-time intelligence and information leads to a heightened state of situational awareness,” Scoppetta said at the conference. “And situational awareness is key to saving lives.”

“We are not training firefighters to be intelligence gatherers or special agents,” says Jack Tomarchio, Homeland Security’s deputy undersecretary of intelligence and surveillance. “We are helping to provide crucial information to those people who are often the first responders.”

In 2002, the Bush administration proposed having bus drivers, mail carriers and telephone repair personnel spy on the American public as part of Homeland Security’s “Citizen Corps” initiative. The program, called TIPS (Terrorism Information and Prevention System), never made it past Congress. But because the FSIE is managed at the city level, it has bypassed federal regulation altogether.

The FDNY says the program is demanding nothing new from firefighters. “There has always been an expectation that if they see suspicious behavior they should report it,” says FDNY Press Secretary Jim Long. “Now we are just trying to share information between other cities with the help of Homeland Security. If we know that they are convenience store owners, and they have maps and blueprints of the Empire State Building, it is obvious that something isn’t right.”

But the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) are troubled by the program. “When you start recruiting from every government agency for super intelligence, I think we run the risk of lots and lots of false alarms and distracting our firefighters from the job at hand,” says Donna Lieberman, executive director of the NYCLU. “If there is a fire in their homes, and people have to make sure there is nothing that will give rise to suspicion—like, in some people’s eyes, perhaps the Quran, or in other people’s eyes, a left-wing newspaper—that is a matter of concern.”

Civil liberties experts say this method of gathering intelligence may violate the right to proper search and seizure. Mike German, a former FBI agent and current ACLU Policy Council on National Security, said on MSNBC’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” “There is actually still a Fourth Amendment.”

Technorati Tags: Fire Service Intelligence Enterprise, Department of Homeland Security, FDNY, Jack Tomarchio, ACLU, NYCLU

John McCain for President? Let's Hope Not

    John McCain says that he is the only one of the presidential candidates who has the experience which is needed to be a wartime commander in chief and that he is the only one who can reform Washington, D.C. ( LMFAO )

   This from the man who pretty much did a back-flip because outgoing President Bush's daddy is supporting McCain as the next president. What is even worse than this is McCain getting all giddy because the Idiot in Chief, young George, is also going to help him out to win the White House. I'd like to know how McCain intends to reform Washington when most of his advisors and certainly all of his incoming campaign money will be coming from those same people and groups who need to be reformed in the first place. Is McCain going to lock soon to be former President Bush and Dick Cheney up for the massive crimes which they have committed against our own country and others around the world? I think not. If McCain wishes to reform Washington then he should take his old, sorry ass back to the state of Arizona and then stay the fuck there! That would be one corrupt creep who wouldn't be in Washington any longer.

    And what's this shit about being the only one with experience to be the wartime prez? Hate to tell you this John, but being a P.O.W. for five or six years does not give you the experience to lead a country. Not this one! On top of that, we wouldn't need a wartime president if you and your bosses hadn't cooked up info and lies about Iraq and WMD  to get us into this mess in the first place. What this country now needs is an anti-wartime president, not some washed up Bush ass kissing old coot from the desert. No one with an IQ over 1 would want another 4 years of Bush and the rest of you criminals. Eight years was more than enough, thank you!

He wasted no time going after Democratic front-runner Barack Obama, the senator from Illinois, promising to "fight every moment of every day ... to make sure that Americans are not deceived by an eloquent but empty call for change that promises no more than a holiday from history and return to the false promises and failed policies of a tired philosophy that trusts in government more than the people."    Source

  Is this old piece of crap serious? McCain must be a little light on his meds again! Reader, I do not know about you, but for the last eight years I have seen nothing but false promises and failed policies from McCain's Republican Party. It has been one lie after another on an almost daily basis along with what seems to have been one crime after another, also on a daily basis. You Mr. McCain, are the " empty call for change that promises no more than a holiday from history..."

    A vote for John McCain is an absolute vote for absolute stupidity.

Technorati Tags: John McCain, Barack Obama, Iraq war, George Bush, Democrats, Republicans

Cuba's Fidel Castro Resigns

  Ole Fidel has finally called it quits and has resigned the Cuban Presidency  at the age of 81.  Castro has been in power for 49 years.

"My wishes have always been to discharge my duties to my last breath," Castro wrote in a letter published Tuesday in the online edition of the Communist Party daily Granma. But, he wrote, "it would be a betrayal to my conscience to accept a responsibility requiring more mobility and dedication than I am physically able to offer."

The end of Castro's rule — the longest in the world for a head of government — frees his 76-year-old brother Raul to implement reforms he has hinted at since taking over as acting president when Fidel Castro fell ill in July 2006. President Bush said he hopes the resignation signals the beginning of a democratic transition. YahooNews

    Of course, our own President Bush has promise the Cuban people to "help the people of Cuba realize the blessings of liberty."

"The international community should work with the Cuban people to begin to build institutions that are necessary for democracy," he said. "Eventually, this transition ought to lead to free and fair elections — and I mean free, and I mean fair — not these kind of staged elections that the Castro brothers try to foist off as true democracy."  

    As if Bush would know anything about a true democracy in the first place.

   Not to sure how this will play out in Cuba since Fidel's brother Raul will more than likely be taking over things as of this coming Sunday.

Technorati Tags: Fidel Castro.Raul Castro, Cuba, George Bush

Superdelegates? Lay Them To Rest

   I ran across an interesting article at  CommonDreams that deals with the history of the Democratic Party's superdelegates. Some very interesting information to be had.

   For instance:

   Walter Mondale is the principal creator of the superdelegate system which was created in 1964.

The superdelegate system, as we know it, came from the backlash of the 1980s. In January 1982, supported by Mondale, the Hunt Commission and Democratic National Committee reversed grassroots reforms. They rewrote the rules, not to make elections open and fair, but to make sure that centrist (right-wing) candidates maintained hegemony over nominees and party affairs. It was out of fear of new uncontrollable voters that the Commission created a block of uncommitted delegates drawn from a primarily white, male establishment. Mondale, the same insider who prevented elected Mississipppians from taking their seats in 1964, played the pivotal role in creating hundreds of unelected delegates in 1984. Superdelegates comprised 14 percent of the convention in 1984, and eighty-five percent of the superdelegates picked Mondale. Not long after superdelegates picked “the sure winner,” Mondale was trounced in the presidential election. Nevertheless, the superdelgate number passed the 600 mark by 1988. The Jesse Jackson campaign, especially the massive victory over Dukkakis on Super Tuesday, electrified the party and the country. Jackson won 7 million primary votes in 1988, more than Mondale won as the nominee in 1984. Many party regulars were gripped with panic, and some superdelegates organized a stop-Jackson movement within the party. Jackson protested the role of superdelegates, but his challenge went unheeded. Party leaders continued to look for ways to blunt the growing power of grassroots movements. While they could not stop voters from voting, they could dilute the impact of the reform movements by manufacturing added voters as a countervailing force.

Mondale was quite open about the undemocratic aims of the superdelegate system. In a number of talks, he acknowledged that superdelegates were created with the explicit aim of preventing voter insurgencies. He espoused his anti-democratic sentiments in the New York Times, February 2, 1992, where he called for expansion of superdelgate numbers:

“The election is the business of the people. But the nomination is more properly the business of the parties….The problem lies in the reforms that were supposed to open the nominating process….Party leaders have lost the power to screen candidates and select a nominee. The solution is to reduce the influence of the primaries and boost the influence of the party leaders….The superdelgate category established within the Democratic Party after 1984 allows some opportunity for this, but should be strengthened.”  Source

  I love that last paragraph. What you read here is basically Walter Mondale telling both you and I that we are to stupid to choose who our nominee's should be, so the superdelegates may have to do it for us.

   This would mean that no matter how many regular delegates Senator Obama may end up with, and even if he wins the primary, that our smarter superdelegates may decide that Senator Clinton is the one that they wish to run as Presidential nominee, because, after all, they know what they're doing and you and I do not.

Today, faced with enthusiastic, grassroots support for Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton now espouses the old Mondale position (in the guarded, euphemistic language of a candidate), pitting the party regulars against the danger of the popular vote. I do not intend here to compare the merits of the candidates. But there is a question of principle involved in the superdelgate controversy. The very integrity of our elections is at stake. No vote is safe when a self-appointed group can nullify the results of a primary election that displeases them.

All Democratic members of the House and Senate become superdelegates automatically. Let us not forget that George Bush led the vast majority of Democrats by the nose into pre-emptive war, implicating most of the current superdelegates in the biggest catastrophe of recent decades. What makes these individuals wiser than nurses, technicians, custodians, lawyers, teachers, athletes, fire fighters, proprietors-all who voted in good faith in the recent primary? Why don’t the superdelegates do the job they were elected to do-end the war-and let the voters do their job in the primaries-select the next nominee?

   I would hope that our so-called superdelegates are at least moral enough to do the right thing and to let the people's wishes stand. If Obama wins with the popular support and the superdelegates choose Clinton, the shit it going to hit the fan and you can bet your asses that John McCain will be the next president, not Clinton. Not to mention the fact that all of the new, younger voters will be totally turned off by politics once again, and if they do decide to vote, they will run to the Republican side of the fence. The Democratic Party will be finished as a legitimate political entity.

Technorati Tags: superdelegates, Walter Mondale, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, DNC, democratic party

Barack Obama: ”We are who we’ve been waiting for.”

    I am not here to push Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. But, I will say that the more that I listen to this man and the more that I research him, the more that I am beginning to like him. If you think about it, it has been ages since the American people have had anyone who has wanted to be the President speak the way that Barack Obama has and still does.

   That being said, the following are some of the quotes from Senator Obama. you'll never hear anything like this from Hillary Clinton and certainly not from old man John " Bush Republican " McCain.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Feb. 5, 2008

My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington.   Here

Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.    Here

I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war.  Here

What Washington needs is adult supervision.

BARACK OBAMA, fundraising letter, Oct. 2006

Americans ... still believe in an America where anything's possible -- they just don't think their leaders do.

BARACK OBAMA, fundraising letter, Sep. 1, 2006

Technorati Tags: Barck Obama, Democrat, quotes, government

Who Will The Superdelegates Vote For? Follow The Money

   While I was browsing around the Internet, I ran across some interesting pieces on the superdelegates and the part that they may end up playing in the nomination of either Clinton or Obama.

  In particular. I came across the money that both Clinton and Obama have given to them in the 2006 and 2008 campaigns that many have had/having.

  And while it would be unseemly for the candidates to hand out thousands of dollars to primary voters, or to the delegates pledged to represent the will of those voters, elected officials who are superdelegates have received at least $904,200 from Obama and Clinton in the form of campaign contributions over the last three years, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Obama, who narrowly leads in the count of pledged, "non-super" delegates, has doled out more than $698,200 to superdelegates from his political action committee, Hope Fund, or campaign committee since 2005. Of the 82 elected officials who had announced as of Feb. 12 that their superdelegate votes would go to the Illinois senator, 35, or 43 percent of this group, have received campaign contributions from him in the 2006 or 2008 election cycles, totaling $232,200. In addition, Obama has been endorsed by 52 superdelegates who haven't held elected office recently and, therefore, didn't receive campaign contributions from him.

Clinton does not appear to have been as openhanded. Her PAC, HILLPAC, and campaign committee appear to have distributed $205,500 to superdelegates. Only 12 percent of her elected superdelegates, or 13 of 109 who have said they will back her, have received campaign contributions, totaling about $95,000 since 2005. An additional 128 unelected superdelegates support Clinton, according to a blog tracking superdelegates and their endorsements, 2008 Democratic Convention Watch.      Capital Eye

  So who has gotten the money?  Go HERE to see

Technorati Tags: superdelegates, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, contributions

Straight Talk? John McCain Not So Straight When It Comes To Matching Funds And Banks

    This could be another reason that Senator McCain wants Senator Obama to only run on federal matching campaign funds. It seems as if McCain might have fucked himself a little while back in the primaries

    From DailyKos:

Did McCain Inadvertently Commit Himself to Public Funding?

by DHinMI

Sat Feb 16, 2008 at 11:29:27 AM PST

The day of the Florida primary I wrote about John McCain's financial dilemma:

Some months back McCain's campaign applied for federal matching campaign funds.  (The money comes from individual taxpayers who voluntarily check off a $3 contribution on their income tax return.)  In December seven campaigns were officially notified that they qualified for matching funds.  However, because of a funding shortfall, none of the federal matching funds have been released.  Apparently the fund reserves the money needed for the general election before it starts to pay out matching funds for the primary, and until monies arrive from this year's tax returns, the fund doesn't have enough money to deliver money for the primary.  John Edwards secured a bank loan against the federal funds, so he is officially locked in to abiding by the spending limits in the event he gets the nomination.

McCain qualified for $5.8 million in matching funds.  He could do as Edwards has done, and get the money now by securing a bank loan against the eventual payment from the US Treasury.  But McCain has been anything but "straight talking" regarding his money; until he receives the money from the Treasury or borrows against it, he's not locked in to the system.  Thus, he's currently trying to evade the federal spending limits if he can raise enough money to stay viable, but holding out the option of taking the federal funds if he can't survive through tonight.  

Here's McCain's problem.  Accepting federal matching funds would limit him to spending no more than $53-$55 million during the primary period.  (The exact figure will be adjusted based on the campaign's fundraising expenses and other expenditures.).  If McCain wins the nomination and accepts the matching funds, the $53-$55 million limit would constrain his spending all the way until the beginning of September, when the Republicans nominate their candidate at their national convention in Minneapolis.

McCain never spent any money borrowed by using his certification for federal matching funds as collateral.  However, he may have committed himself to the spending caps—which would be disastrous for his campaign—by promising to enter the federal matching funds program in order to secure a $1 million loan he ended up not using:

John McCain's cash-strapped campaign borrowed $1 million from a Bethesda bank two weeks before the New Hampshire primary by pledging to enter the public financing system if his bid for the presidency faltered, newly disclosed records show.

McCain had already taken a $3 million bank loan in November to keep his campaign afloat, and he sought from the same bank $1 million more shortly before this month's Super Tuesday contests, this time pledging incoming but unprocessed contributions as collateral. He never used the funds of the most recent loan, because his win in the South Carolina primary helped him raise enough money to compete in Florida, his campaign aides said last night...

McCain's campaign filed the modification to his initial $3 million loan on Dec. 17, seeking an additional $1 million. The bank asked him to produce something more than his campaign's assets as collateral.

"They said, 'You've explained how you can afford to borrow more, and how you can pay us back if things go well. What happens if things go badly?' " said Trevor Potter, a McCain attorney.

The campaign's response, Potter said, was that McCain could reapply in the future for federal matching funds, and would agree to use the FEC certifications for those funds as collateral.

Under the agreement, McCain promised that if his campaign began to falter, he would commit to keeping his campaign alive and to entering the federal financing system so the money he had raised could be used to gain an infusion of matching funds. Had that happened, he would have been forced to abide by strict federal spending caps before the Republican National Convention in September.

Under FEC rules, a candidate who uses a certification for federal funds as collateral for a loan is obligated to remain within the public financing system. "We very carefully did not do that," Potter said.

Cleta Mitchell, a veteran campaign finance lawyer and a McCain critic, said she has never encountered a similar agreement.

"They've clearly got a sweetheart deal with this bank," Mitchell said. "This bank is just a cash register for them."

Think of it like this.  John McCain secured a personal loan by using his home as collateral.  He requested more money be added to the loan, but the bank said it was more than he had collateral to pay back.  McCain countered by telling the bank that his neighbor failed to salt his icy sidewalk, and McCain slipped on it.  McCain got a doctor to say the slip-and-fall hurt McCain's back, he sued the neighbor, and he expects to win a big settlement.  The bank said "sure, OK, that's what happens if you win your court case.  But what if you lose?"  In response McCain said "oh, I suppose I'll have to get a job," and the bank then said "OH, OK, that's good enough for us!" and authorized the loan.  

If McCain used the certification for matching funds as collateral he would have definitely been locked in to the matching funds scheme, including the spending caps.  What happened here is that the bank didn't require him to offer up the certificate as collateral.  The bank simply accepted McCain's word that he had it and would enter the federal system if necessary, and the bank took him at his word.  

The question that needs to be answered is whether this sweetheart deal with the bank, which gave him the funds based on his word that he would use the matching funds if necessary, amounts to a de facto use of the qualifying certificate to secure the loan.

  I wonder if this is even legal? any bank that I've ever done business with has always wanted collateral.

Technorati Tags: John McCain, Federal Elections Commission, public financing

McCain Says Obama Should Except Public Campaign Funds

  Of course wannabe president McCain would say something like this, especially since Barack Obama can draw more money into his coffers just by yawning than McCain can between now and November.

"I made the commitment to the American people that if I were the nominee of my party, I would accept public financing," the likely GOP presidential nominee said Friday in Oshkosh, Wis. "I expect Senator Obama to keep his word to the American people as well. This is all about a commitment that we made to the American people.

"I am going to keep my commitment," he said. "The American people have every reason to expect him to keep his commitment."

  McCain is to old to even remember his word, much less keep it. Further on down in the article which this comes from:
    McCain said that if Obama becomes the nominee and decides against taking public money, he might do the same.   Source ( emphasis mine )

   He might do the same? Then again, he might not.

McCain earlier this week turned down government matching funds for the primary to free him to spend more money as he prepares for a general election contest.

Last summer, McCain had asked to participate in the public system when his campaign, his fundraising and his poll numbers hit a low point that threatened to unravel his candidacy.

Though the FEC declared him eligible to receive $5.8 million in December, the money would not have become available until next month. By accepting the money, moreover, McCain would have been required to limit his spending for the primary to about $54 million — an amount the campaign was close to reaching now.

By not taking the money, McCain is free to raise more and to promote his presidential candidacy until the Republican nominating convention in September.

McCain would be the obvious beneficiary if he and Obama take the federal money for the general election because they would have to return money already collected. Obama has raised $6.1 million for the general, nearly three times as much as McCain's $2.2 million.

If the candidates reject public funds it would be historic rejection of the public financing system. No major party candidate rejected public funds for the general election since the system was put in place in the 1970s after the Watergate scandal.

Candidates who accept public funding are eligible for about $85 million, which is paid for by a $3 checkoff on IRS tax return forms.

         Yahoo News

  If Obama is half as smart as everyone seems to think that he is, then he'll tell John McCain to go and fuck himself. You do not make deals with the competitor, you stomp the crap out of them. This seems to be a major problem with the Democrats in general. We do not need to play nice and by Republican rules. We need to just go out and and rip the GOP to pieces, starting with their throats!

Technorati Tags: public campaign financing, John McCain, Barack Obama, FEC

The Republican's Fear Machine Running On Fumes

The shaking in our boots that this country has been doing for the last eight years is beneath a great nation.

From my discussions with Republicans and Republican-leaning individuals in my home town it is obvious that they are scared shitless of their shadows... and proclaim themselves to be the Big Daddy Party all day long.  In fact, they are cowards who shiver and cower behind the cloak of Bush and Cheney who they proclaim to be Big Brave Men.  The Texas National Guard AWOL story tells you everything you need to know about Mr. Bush and tells you quite a bit about what you need to know about the rest of the Republican Party.

I have no respect for fearful, whiny people who crave a despotic tyrant to protect their tiny little existences and who scurry toward tyranny at the first sign of a crisis. That is exactly what the Republican party represents. Our present administration is nothing if not an embarrassment to anyone who believes in freedom, open government and democracy.

Ironically, it is those who are not sufficiently afraid of terrorism who are called cowards by the Scaredy Pants Rightwing. If you are not shitting in your pants in fear of the taliban coming to your local school board, then you are unpatriotic!  

Those who view the taliban and their ilk as a bunch of piss-ants who should not be accorded the status of soldiers in a war but merely criminals are viewed as Un-American. Those who believe the 'war on terror' is a power-grab orchestrated by the Republican/military industrial complex are called cowards!  Those who are insufficiently hyperventilating are sissy-pants!

It's long past time to throw this whole sack of nonsense back in their faces.

I am not averse to telling people to their faces that they are more likely to be struck by lightning than a taliban boogeyman.  I try to make people think about it, but I am not above making fun of their fear.

Bush repealed Godwin's Law with a Signing Statement.

by Mad Kossack on Fri Feb 15, 2008 at 02:42:24 PM PST

    This comment was in response to a diary by  leftneck at DailyKos.

   Read the subject matter Here

Technorati Tags: Republicans, President George Bush, fear-mongering, war on terror

GOP Swiftboating Begins?

  The Republican gutter-crawlers seem to be gearing up for more records bullshit. Are we really surprised about it? They have no issues to run on and the best that they can produce for a presidential nominee is John McPain, McCain.

  Check this one out from DailyKos

by Brandon Friedman

Fri Feb 15, 2008 at 01:17:24 PM PST

[from the diaries - BarbinMD]

This is hilarious.

The Republican Party of Texas, acting on behalf of chickenhawk Senator John Cornyn, has formally requested to review the military records of Senate candidate Rick Noriega.  Lt. Col. Noriega announced this publicly this afternoon on his website and on VetVoice.

Hmmm.  Now why would the Texas GOP need access to this decorated Afghanistan veteran’s military record?  I wonder where this could be going.  

Let’s see what the Noriega campaign thinks:

We know where this is going.

The Republican Party of Texas, and by extension, Senator John Cornyn, has requested that I release my military records to them. I am astounded and outraged at the implications of this request.  Over the past few years, some Republicans have conducted the most dishonest and disreputable attacks on veterans that our nation has ever seen.
In 2002, we saw the National Republican Senatorial Committee smear Senator Max Cleland of Georgia, a triple-amputee Vietnam veteran, as being in league with Osama bin Laden. This was shameful and goes against every Texas value.

Texans will not stand for this.

   Not only should Texans stand for this shit, but the rest of the country shouldn't either.

       Lt. Col. Noriega had this to say in written reply:

I welcome honest scrutiny of every aspect of my service.  It's been my privilege to serve our nation for nearly 27 years in places like Afghanistan, and on the Texas border, and I fully intend to release my military records, subject to security review and updating of my most recent training and commendations, to the public. As I am currently serving as the Commander of the 1-141 Infantry, 36th Infantry Division and potentially subject to redeployment, I am not going to allow my family, my soldiers or my country to be put at risk as a result of your political games.  You are welcome to view my military records at the same time as the citizens of Texas.

Noriega goes on to state:

These attacks on individuals who have put their bodies and lives on the line for their country are an outrage to all veterans, and they have to stop.

My record of service includes not only my years in the National Guard and Reserves, but also legislating to aid members of the Texas National Guard and all Texas veterans.  Among my legislative accomplishments are obtaining health services for Veterans, including a screening for metal traces after exposure to munitions, educational benefits for those who have served Texas and our nation, and spearheading legislation to create a database of medical, social and economic resources for military personnel seeking benefits they have been promised by the government.  I also am proud to have authored and supported free hunting/fishing licenses for all Texas guardsman and active duty personnel.

I look forward to discussing with Senator Cornyn why he twice rejected responsible troop deployment limits, twice voted against increased funding for veteran health care, voted against funding for armored vehicles, against increased funding for TRICARE but for allowing TRICARE fees to triple, and against protecting soldiers' civilian salaries while they're serving in Iraq.  This is the conversation that we should be having.    Full Article

Technorati Tags: Rick Noriega, swiftboating, Texas GOP, National Guard, John Cornyn

John McCain Votes For Torture

  I guess that is just fine with some people if they toss their morals out the window with the hopes that they might become the next president of the United State, as Senator John McCain has done

John McCain has sold the last piece of his soul to the right-wing extremists in this country. He just voted to allow waterboarding by the CIA, acting against everything he has ever said or backed in his life up until now. This is not the man I voted for in 2000. This is a sad, sad remnant of that man. AOL

    John McCain  in December 15, 2005?

   And I would like to also repeat, we've sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the terrorists. We have no brief for them, but what we are is a nation that upholds values and standards of behavior and treatment of all people, no matter how evil or bad they are. And I think that this will help us enormously in winning the war for the hearts and minds of people throughout the world in the war on terror.  Source

  Of course, Bush issued a signing statement after the deal with McCain, so it became, what deal? This was nothing but a play for the American people to get us to believe that McCain had accomplished something.

  But wait, there's more !

DesMoinesRegister October 25, 2007

Waterboarding is a form of torture no matter how it is done and should be a prohibited among U.S. military interrogation practices, Republican presidential candidate John McCain said today, taking issue with GOP rival Rudy Giuliani’s recent remarks.
“Anyone who knows what waterboarding is could not be unsure. It is a horrible torture technique used by Pol Pot and being used on Buddhist monks as we speak,” said McCain after a campaign stop at Dordt College here.
“People who have worn the uniform and had the experience know that this is a terrible and odious practice and should never be condoned in the U.S. We are a better nation than that.”

“When I was imprisoned, I took heart from the fact that I knew my North Vietnamese captors would never be treated like I was treated by them,” McCain said, who has pointed out that his opposition to torture among Republican presidential candidates is based on military experience not shared by his opponents. “There are much better and more effective ways to get information. You torture someone long enough, he’ll tell whatever he thinks you want to know.”

 

Arianna Huffington

Has there ever been a more repugnant example of political pandering than John McCain's decision to vote against a bill banning waterboarding, putting hoods on prisoners, forcing them to perform sex acts, subjecting them to mock executions, or depriving them of food, water, and medical treatment?

That's right, John McCain, the former POW who has long been an outspoken critic of the Bush administration's disturbing embrace of extreme interrogation techniques.

But that was before his desperate attempt to win over the lunatic fringe that is running the Grand Old Party.

  This is what happens after you are a Republican for any length of time. Your morals and beliefs go out the window and you become a " Lock-in-step Lackey ".

Soul is sold to the highest bidder!

Technorati Tags: John McCain, torture, waterboarding, CIA

Michael Bloomberg Praises Obama Idea. Rips Government

    First off, Mayor Bloomberg said that the United States "has a balance sheet that's starting to look more and more like a third-world country." Source

   He should have made the point that our government is acting more like a corrupt, third world entity while he was at it.

    On the presidential candidates:

His tirade against the candidates and the economic stimulus package on Thursday began when he was asked how that experiment is going.
In his answer, he praised Democrat Barack Obama for the plan the Illinois senator outlined on Wednesday that would create a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to rebuild highways, bridges, airports and other public projects. Obama projects it could generate nearly 2 million jobs.
"I don't know whether Senator Obama looked to see what I've been advocating, or not -- you'll have to ask him -- but he's doing the right thing," Bloomberg said.

  Yet, the press and others say that Barack Obama has no solid ideas? Go figure. No idea is more ideas than George Bush has had, or any other Republican for that matter.

    On those rebate checks coming to a mailbox near you, Bloomberg said

   "Nobody wants to sit there and say, 'Well there's no easy solution,"' Bloomberg said. "They want to send out a check to everybody to stimulate the economy. I suppose it won't hurt the economy but it's in many senses like giving a drink to an alcoholic."

  Read the full story at WCBSTV

Technorati Tags: Michael Bloomberg, Barack Obama, economy, tax rebates

President Bush's Proposed 2009 Budget

  I'm not going to get into the budget in this post. the following are just a few of the comments from citizens about this sloppy budget and the increases in military spending at the expense of the less fortunate. Under Bush guidelines, that would be anyone not as wealthy as his crime family is.

  All comments from Here

Adding insult to injury

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/07/2008 - 14:59.

The Republican fleecing of America. Mr. Bush is shamefully shameless. The only protection Americans really need are protection from Bush and Cheney. Of course Bush want's to give all our money to the defense industry, he and Cheney own it all. Hence the lies for war so they could rob us blind. Every day the Bush regime avoid jail is another day of injustice for all Americans. It is hard to find words that express the frustration and contempt I have for this Federal government. Any man that can take from children and the elderly to pad his pockets is the lowest of low soul's. 

So much for system of checks and balances

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/12/2008 - 18:53.

"In addition to proposed war funding, the non-war military budget will increase by nearly 5%...This includes funding for nuclear weapons under the Department of Energy budget."

First off, how is this legal? This money should be going towards research in alternative energy sources to ensure a better, cleaner future, instead of creating WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

  The following is a comment from Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce

“Today I read with disappointment President Bush’s $3 trillion budget.  Yet again, the President has managed to put together a spending plan that continues to produce record deficits over the next two years.  In order to focus our resources on the President’s failed Iraq war strategy, he continues to ignore the domestic priorities back home and his budget is particularly hard on Michigan’s working families.  Among the cuts the budget proposes: $200 billion over five years from Medicare and Medicaid, $900 million from Community Development Block Grant Program, $570 million from theLow Income Home Heating Assistance Program, $59 million from the Migration and Refugee Assistance and draconian cuts to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.  The President proposes freezing spending for the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Institutes of Health.  Also, despite his talk of fiscal discipline, it is clear from the budget released today that the President plans to use yet another budgetary gimmick to fund his wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

“Frankly I am tired of seeing such dismal budget announcements.  In his last and final year in the White House, this President has once again shown what he truly cares about.   We cannot continue to neglect Michigan families who need help heating their homes, assistance while searching for a new job and access to quality health care.  The American people deserve better.  I intend to work with my colleagues here in the House and Senate to draft a Democratic budget that shows that our working families are our first priority.”

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