Is Santorum Tanking?

It appears that all the fuss about Republican Sen. Rick Santorum's residency might be contributing to his falling poll numbers. According to Angus Reid, Democratic candidate Bob Casey has widened his lead. Here is an excerpt: Democratic Party candidate Bob Casey has extended his advantage in Pennsylvania’s election to the United States Senate, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 56 per cent of respondents in the Keystone State would vote for Casey, while 33 per cent would support Republican incumbent Rick Santorum....

Bruce is Still the Boss

Last night I had privilege of seeing Bruce Springsteen in concert at the Germain Amphitheater. Bruce is currently on a world tour to promote his new album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. One of his most moving songs was "Bring Them Home" and I don't think there was a dry eye in the audience. Although I've seen Springsteen in concert many times before, I can honestly say that this was definitely one of my favorites. Bruce was inspiring, fun, and absolutely phenomenal.

To get a real review of the concert, read Curtis Schieber's piece in the Dispatch. Pictures from the show can be found here. If you are interested, the Dispatch also has a story about the rise of protest songs as President Bush's failures increase.


****With the Bush administration cutting more funding for research, it is important that we as citizens do our part to help promote science and research. If you are interested in providing support for the American Cancer Society, I'd suggest you visit the website for the Columbus Cattle Baron's Ball and see how you can help this important event.

Santorum Story Won't Stop

Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) has his panties in a "frist." Apparently, Santorum and his family call a small home in Penn Hills, PA, as their Pennsylvania residence. However, the Penn Hills house is empty, with tall grass growing around the house. Santorum wants to know how someone found out that there was no furniture in the house. He is accusing Democrats of trespassing on his precious property. The Santorums even had the Capitol police dispatched to check on his empty house.

However, the point is, Santorum does not reside in Pennsylvania. His huge, huge, huge home in Leesburg, Virginia is the Santorum family's home. Santorum cannot and should not represent Pennsylvania.

Santorum's house stories: Post-Gazette
WTAE KDKA 2.KDKA Penn Hills Philadelphia Daily News San Luis Obispo Trib Philadelphia Inquirer

Kenny, Jeff, and Bill

We were doing some happy dancing here when the guilty verdicts were announced for Enron's Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. Although I hope they serve long, long, prison sentences, I have a bad feeling that President Bush will pardon his old friend, 'Kenny boy.'

Bill O'Reilly is very ignorant. Of course you knew that. O'Reilly said that young people don't know what is happening in the world. Media Matters has documented O'Reilly:

Here is an excerpt:
...During the May 23 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly asserted that "[m]any Americans ages 18 to 24 have no idea what's going on," stating that they "get their news from [Comedy Central host] Jon Stewart and their point of view from bomb-throwing entertainers." In fact, studies have shown that viewers of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with John Stewart are consistently better informed about current events than consumers of other media, and Daily Show viewers are considerably better educated than viewers of The O'Reilly Factor. Further, consumers of Fox News in general have been found to be significantly more misinformed about current events than consumers of other mainstream media.

In 2004, the nonpartisan Annenberg Public Policy Center released its National Annenberg Election Survey, which found Daily Show viewers to be better informed on campaign issues than consumers of other late-night television programs, newspapers, network news, or cable news. In a press release, Annenberg senior analyst Dannagal Goldthwaite Young said: "Daily Show viewers have higher campaign knowledge than national news viewers and newspaper readers -- even when education, party identification, following politics, watching cable news, receiving campaign information online, age, and gender are taken into consideration."

So there, Bill.

Santorum's Pennsylvania Residence Status in Question

Wonkette has an interesting post about Republican Sen. Rick Santorum's so called residence in Penn Hills, PA. Really? How can Santorum claim that this clearly abandoned 2 bedroom house in Penn Hills is his official residence???? There is another link from Santorum Exposed that puts into question Santorum's claim of his residence. Pittsburgh television station KDKA even has a story about the so called residence.

Immigration Debate

Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Chuck Schumer, and other Democratic Senators are supporting a practical solution to the immigration problem. Here is the plan as described by the New York Post in the following excerpt:

Sens. Chuck Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday joined other Democrats in a push to let all 12 million illegal aliens become citizens - but it was decisively defeated.

Only Democrats voted for the full-legalization measure, which lost 61-37 as the Senate struggled to hold a bipartisan coalition in favor of legalization for most - but not all - illegal aliens.

Schumer said he backed the full-legalization measure because it sets "a very tough path to citizenship" and requires "learning English, working for 10 years and only missing 45 days [of work], paying a fine and staying on the straight and narrow."

However.......

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Indiana) yesterday proposed a possible compromise that would allow illegal aliens to apply for temporary jobs without the possibility of citizenship - but only if they return to their home countries to apply.
House Homeland Security Committee chairman Pete King (R-L.I.), who opposes any legalization, yesterday said Pence's approach "is certainly worth considering."

In my humble opinion, Pence's suggestion does not seem workable. I think the plan is idiotic. How do illegal immigrants apply for a temporary job? Do they go to a special location? Who will handle the paperwork? Who finds the jobs? Will Pence find them temporary jobs? Pence believes that everyone who is here illegally would just go home????? Pence needs to come back to reality.

Which plan do you think is practical? Has anyone else noticed that everything the Republicans touch or try to fix just turns into a bigger mess?

Here is an interesting post at Daily Kos. Lies told by the Republicans and this administration (the list is quite long!):

Tom DeLay is like Jesus Christ.
No one could have anticipated that the levees would be breached.
We do not torture.
There is no global warming....

Lobbyists $$Love$$ Republicans

The Ohio Republicans in Washington certainly know how to rake in the big money from lobbyists. Although some Democrats have taken money from lobbyists, it is a pittance compared to the Republican money. The Cleveland Plain Dealer has the story. Here are some excerpts:

House Majority Leader John Boehner of West Chester, Ohio, got $734,868...

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Michael Oxley of Findlay ranked seventh in the House of Representatives with $711,494...

Mike DeWine of Ohio ranked 24th in lobbyists' donations, with $474,363. George Voinovich ranked 67th with $209,970....

The top political donor among lobbyists, H. Stewart Van Scoyoc, gave $339,132 to members of Congress. The wife of Rep. Steve LaTourette, a Concord Township Republican, works for Van Scoyoc's lobbying firm but wasn't listed as a big donor. LaTourette, whose $134,877 take from lobbyists ranked 111th in Congress, didn't get money from Van Scoyoc, Federal Election Commission records show...

Wow! Those Republicans certainly know how to bring in the dough. I wonder if it influences their votes. What do you think?

Can someone explain why Sen. Brownback (KS-R) would be so obsessed with shoes????? According to The Hill:

Late last week, Brownback introduced a total of 17 bills to suspend temporarily the duties on different types of footwear.

Among the offerings: S. 2847, to “reduce temporarily the duty on certain footwear with open toes or heels,” and the more catchall S. 2845, affecting “certain women’s footwear.” S. 2837, for the leather lover, would reduce the duty on “certain leather and textile footwear,” while S. 2838, affecting “certain rubber or plastic footwear,” keeps the pleather lover pleased.

Stay-at-home moms aren’t left out either: S. 2850 would “reduce temporarily the duty on certain house slippers.”

And on it goes, to cover certain footwear for men, certain other work footwear, certain athletic shoes and certain athletic footwear for men and boys...

Just asking...

Republican candidate for Ohio governor, Kenneth Blackwell, was interviewed this weekend on TV. I noticed that Blackwell had a cross in the lapel of his suit jacket. Why would any candidate wear a religious symbol in his/her lapel? Is he campaigning for the religious leader of Ohio?

Why would former coin dealer and Republican contributor Tom Noe want the location of his trial changed? Is this a measure to just try to delay his trial? Just because the Toledo Blade has documented his theft, corruption, and scandal, doesn't mean he can't get a fair trial in Toledo. I honestly believe that Noe can get a fair trial any place in Ohio. I sincerely hope he goes to jail for a long time. By the way, has anyone heard him apologize for his law-breaking? Has anyone heard his wife say she was sorry for fixing the voting machines in her county?
I'm just asking.

Raw Story indicates that Republican Rep. Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado is adored by the KKK!!!! Musgrave can't pay for this type of publicity.

Did you happen to see the HBO show Baghdad ER last night? It told the story of our brave men and women in Iraq and the wonderful medical care they get from American doctors, nurses, and EMTs who are stationed in Iraq. It was very heartbreaking. Our death toll in Iraq is now at 2,454 and we have had over 17,000 wounded American military. We need to bring our men and women home from Iraq now.

Religious Right Against Cervical Cancer Cure

The FDA Advisory Board approved a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. Now it goes onto the FDA for, we hope, final approval. Here is the story and excerpts from the Courier-Journal:
A vaccine with the potential to greatly reduce worldwide deaths from cervical cancer, the No. 2 cancer killer in women, should be approved for sales in the United States, a federal panel said yesterday.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted 13-0 to endorse Merck and Co.'s Gardasil as safe and effective. It blocks viruses that cause cervical cancer...

...Worldwide, 400,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and more than 200,000 die of it.

The virus, commonly called HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted disease in this country, with about 20 million people infected.

The FDA panel stressed that Gardasil does not eliminate the need for cervical-cancer screening, such as the Pap smear test, because the vaccine does not protect against all HPV strains....

HOWEVER....

...Some conservative religious groups have expressed concerns about the vaccine, arguing that it may send an implicit message to young girls that sex is OK for them....

One of those groups is the Family Research Council. I find it absolutely amazing that that anyone could be against a vaccine that could save hundreds of thousands of lives each year. The vaccine not only would save lives, but it would save women from the pain and suffering they could endure with a cancer diagnosis. As mothers, we need to make sure that our daughters and their daughters have this vaccine available. Speak up and support its use.

**On another note.... Did you see the President riding in a dune buggy at the U.S.-Mexico border? Apparently, this is part of Josh Bolton new strategy for photo ops. Unfortuntely, Bush looked rather silly, especially since he was sweating profusely under his armpits.

**Republican Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania has an empty house in Penn Hills, PA. There is no evidence that he lives there because the home is empty. Santorum spends most of his time in Virginia. KDKA has a story and video about the empty house. Perhaps people should start sending registered letters to his Penn Hills home to prove he doesn't live there.

Friday?

**The rumors are flying on the internet again. Some people are saying that Friday is the day for the Rove indictment announcement. We will see. We will keep our fingers crossed.

**The Senate committee questioning CIA nominee General Hayden has provided some tidbits about Bush's domestic spying program. Here is my summary:

(1)Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas is carrying the water for the Bush administration. There is no way that any truth will be revealed with Roberts in charge.

(2)Hayden said the program is legal. I guess if you just declare it legal, then, according to the Bush administration, it must be legal.

(3)Hayden mentioned he had briefed Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH) and DeWine did not see any problems. You could tell DeWine anything and he'd agree with any line put out by the Bush administration.

(4)Hayden said he wants to do some risk-taking. I hope he isn't talking about taking risks with our civil rights!

Let me remind everyone that the terrorist attacks took place during the Bush administration even though they had been warned repeatedly and they were even warned by foreign governments. Because this administration was asleep at the wheel, we are paying for their mistakes.

**Al Gore's big movie, An Inconvenient Truth, is coming out starting May 24th, and there are some ads attacking the idea of global warming. The group in opposition to Al Gore's documentary is financially backed by big oil companies. Why do the Republicans and big oil hate the Earth?

Some People Need to Wake Up!

In the latest Rasmussen poll, 68% think this country is on the wrong track. However, I'd like to meet the 27% in the poll who believe we are on the right track. Where do they live? Do they read the news, watch reports, investigate on their own? Do they talk to other people about world events? Do they know someone who did not return from Iraq or came back with a life altering injury? Have they had to pay more for gasoline? How in the world could someone believe that this nation is headed in the right direction?

Here is an excerpt from that poll:
Thirty-three percent (33%) of men answered our survey by saying "right direction." Just 22% of women share that view.

I believe that women are definitely more in tune with what is going on and that is why only 22% think we are on the right track. If we could only get more women to vote in the next election and vote the Republicans out. Why do Republicans hate women?

Dowd: Americans Have Lost Faith in Republicans

With Bush's low approval ratings, it is clear to Dowd and many Americans that we've lost faith in this administration. Maureen Dowd's column can be found here:
A few excerpts follow:
...Many Americans have simply lost faith in the administrations ingenuity. Only a quarter of those polled had much confidence in W's ability to handle a crisis; a mere 9 percent are sure that he can successfully end the war in Iraq, and a paltry 4 percent think the administration has a clear plan for keeping gas prices down....

...If W. really cared about getting good intelligence for his war on terror, he would never have appointed Porter Goss. That wasted more than 18 months that could have been used fixing the dysfunctional agency, and drove out some good officials.

Goss, the Cheney toadie, was appointed because W. and Vice wanted him to go to Langley and do a hostile takeover to clear out suspected leakers (especially Kerry contributors), malcontents, critics of the war or anyone else who wasn't with the program.

Before the Iraq invasion, it was about fixing the intelligence around the policy. Now its about appointing yes men and enforcing loyalty. The Bush warriors didn't want good intelligence in the first place because it would have told them they were wrong about Saddams ties to al-Qaida and WMD. And now they're still more concerned with turf battles than with truth-tellers, and finding someone — anyone — who can tell us where Osama is. (Osama who?)...

Dowd does it again!

***********************
Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Don Sherwood, who considers himself as a family values candidate, won his primary. Sherwood, "acknowledged a five-year extramarital affair after his mistress accused him of choking her at his Capitol Hill apartment." Link

How is having a five-year extramarital affair a family value? His affair indicates Sherwood is a liar and a cheat. Pennsylvanians don't need Sherwood. If he has cheated on his wife and family, where else has he cheated and lied? You know that old saying, "Once a cheater, always a cheater."

***********
Is Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and his wife divorced? Apparently, she is really upset about his affairs, and late night partying. Rumor has it that they are divorced but live together to protect his career. The people of Minnesota should ask Coleman the truth.

Desperate Measures by Republicans????

Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce has hired a new campaign manager. Very interesting?

We have a flip-flop by Ohio Gov. Bob Taft. Taft now supports a treatment plan for some drug offenses even though he was against it in 2002. Flippity-floppity.

The Toledo Blade indicates that things are getting tough for Republican Rep. Bob Ney (OH-18), past friend of Jack Abramoff. Now that Ney's former chief of staff, Neil Volz, has pleaded guilty to corruption charges, how long will Ney need to wait for his own indictment????

Brian Ross, of ABC News has the following info:
The FBI acknowledged late Monday that it is increasingly seeking reporters' phone records in leak investigations.

"It used to be very hard and complicated to do this, but it no longer is in the Bush administration," said a senior federal official.

The acknowledgement followed our blotter item that ABC News reporters had been warned by a federal source that the government knew who we were calling....

How Bush Administration and GOP Raised Our Taxes

Ohio, and many states, have problems funding public schools. With the added burden of the No Child Left Behind Act, states are struggling to get the funding to follow the law. The President and the Republican-controlled Congress and Senate have not provided funding for the No Child Left Behind Act. Because of the lack of funding from the federal government, states and school districts are cutting programs and teachers to find money to put NCLB into force. Here in Ohio, school districts must raise money through school levies. When a levy gets defeated, as many do, programs and teachers are forced out. The next time the Republicans start saying they've cut your federal taxes, remind them that you are paying higher property, state, and local taxes because of No Child Left Behind.

New Developments

>The rumor mill on the internet has Karl Rove being indicted this week. However, Patrick Fitzgerald's grand jury work has gone on with few leaks. Is it possible that someone else has leaked the Rove info? If Rove gets indicted, would Bush's scheduled Monday evening speech appear as a diversion to the bad news?

>It was a horrible weekend for American troops in Iraq. A reporter needs to ask the President why he sent troops to Iraq.

>As the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, Ted Strickland is meeting a lot of very receptive crowds. Why? Strickland makes sense and he knows that the time is ripe for change in Ohio. The Toledo Blade had a story about Strickland's campaign and here are some excerpts:
For Ted Strickland, Republican leaders have squandered Ohio's natural resources, its universities, and the talents of its 11 million residents, "just about everything a state would want to be successful."

"These people are absolutely shameful," the Democratic candidate for governor said yesterday at the Firefighters Local 92 union hall in Toledo. "Those of us who care about this state have been wandering in the wilderness for quite a while."

...Mr. Strickland said an increased minimum wage, more funding for education, and state assistance for developing alternative fuel sources would help reverse the outflow of jobs...

Are you kidding me?

Sometimes you read something and you are absolutely astounded. In the last few days, the stories coming out of Washington have been incredible. Let's review the highlights and lowlights of this week's news.

1. The Army Reserve has refused to allow officers to resign or leave the service. The IAVA has the full story.
>Isn't this involuntary servitude? How can they be forced to serve beyond their original agreed upon time?

2. NSA is spying on us. Telephone companies, according to USA Today, except for QWEST, turned over phone records of customers to the NSA. According to the article, the records were provided to the NSA without warrants. The records have now become part of a colossal super secret database maintained by the NSA.
>Hello NSA! If you're listening to my conversations about recipes, shopping, and if we need milk and butter, you must be very bored.

3. Dusty Foggo resigns. Now, Tice, the former #3 guy at the CIA is the subject of a search at his home.
>Are Dusty's hooker parties at the Watergate the reasons for the searches?

4. President Bush's approval rating, according to a new Harris Poll, is 29%.
>Could it go lower?

5. Patrick Fitzgerald met with the grand jury this week on the CIA leak case.
>Please, Fitz, can't you hurry up and indict the rest of the corrupt bunch?

Democrats Cautiously Optimistic

With the President's low approval ratings and Republicans losing support, prospects are looking good for Democrats. However, we know that Republicans like to tinker with voting machines, like Ohio's infamous Diebold voting machines.

CNN has a new poll and here is an excerpt: A CNN poll released Wednesday may continue the anxiety for the GOP, showing Democrats with a 14-point advantage over Republicans among registered voters asked their preferences in this year's midterm elections....

We can only hope that Republicans continue to drop in the polls as Americans realize that our country needs a change.

Late update: It appears that we have two American companies which are following the law----Google and Qwest. Both have refused to provide material to the government without search warrants.

Bush said that they are not trolling through our records. He lied us into war. Is he lying again?

Yo, Patrick Fitzgerald!

We're waiting. Patrick Fitzgerald's grand jury is meeting today, Wednesday, and Friday, in Washington, DC. We are all hoping for some news about the leak investigation and any new indictments. I guess we'll have to just settle for keeping an eye on the news and Fitzgerald's website.

Here is a big update: The brain of Rolling Stone Keith Richards is okay. Thank God!

Those Republicans are now dropping donations they got from Neil Volz, former staff member of Republican Rep. Bob Ney.

Here is something you don't want to hear: President George W. Bush would like to see his brother, Jeb Bush, governor of Florida, run for the White House. (I'll give you a few minutes to recover from puking.) I don't think this country could handle another miserable failure from the Bush family.

How are gas prices in your area? While the Bush family's friends get richer, the rest of us are stuck paying more for gas. Soon food prices will rise because transportation prices have increased. Here is GAS BUDDY so you can see gas prices across the nation.

Translators?

I think this government needs some translators.

Found this at Raw Story: Apparently, the letter from the president of Iran hasn't been fully translated, but Condoleeza Rice sent a reply back anyway. Really. Here is the LINK. Does this administration already have their mind made up about Iran? Just asking.

Plan B and the Republicans

The Republican controlled FDA has refused to make the emergency contraception pill known as Plan B available to women as an over the counter medicine. They've lied, blocked, and generally done everything to stop women from getting the medication.

From USA Today:
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists on Monday condemned the Food and Drug Administration for blocking over-the-counter sales of emergency contraception....
...We're not trying to promote the need for EC (emergency contraception)," said president Michael Mennuti, obstetrics and gynecology and human genetics and pediatrics professor at the University of Pennsylvania. "We're trying to promote access to it when it's needed."

In December 2003, two FDA advisory committees deemed Plan B emergency contraception safe and effective for over the counter use. FDA scientists agreed. But more than two years later FDA officials have not yet acted, and women still need a prescription for Plan B.

The FDA's inaction represents "despicable treatment of women," said Vivian Dickerson, immediate past president of the organization and a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California-Irvine. "Clearly, political interference is hampering scientific review within the agency today..."

Do the Republicans think that women are unable to take care of their own bodies? Obviously, the GOP has no respect for women.

Hayden and the 4th Amendment

The new nominee for the head of the CIA will likely face some opposition. According to the New York TimesMSNBC News, even some Republicans are a little worried about General Hayden being put in position of such responsibility. Republican Rep. Hoekstra said the following: “I do believe he’s the wrong person, the wrong place, at the wrong time,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We should not have a military person leading a civilian agency at this time.”

There is also some concern that General Hayden does not fully understand the 4th Amendment to the Constitution. Editor and Publisher has information about a National Press Club appearance by Hayden that underlines his confusion. (And Bush wants this guy in charge of domestic spying??????)
The following is an excerpt from that National Press appearance as reported by Editor and Publisher:

QUESTION: Jonathan Landay with Knight Ridder. I'd like to stay on the same issue, and that had to do with the standard by which you use to target your wiretaps. I'm no lawyer, but my understanding is that the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution specifies that you must have probable cause to be able to do a search that does not violate an American's right against unlawful searches and seizures. Do you use --

GEN. HAYDEN: No, actually -- the Fourth Amendment actually protects all of us against unreasonable search and seizure.

QUESTION: But the --

GEN. HAYDEN: That's what it says.

QUESTION: But the measure is probable cause, I believe.

GEN. HAYDEN: The amendment says unreasonable search and seizure.

QUESTION: But does it not say probable --

GEN. HAYDEN: No. The amendment says --

QUESTION: The court standard, the legal standard --

GEN. HAYDEN: -- unreasonable search and seizure. .......

Here is the 4th Amendment:
'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.'

Bush's Best Moment

Just when you think you've heard it all, something comes alongs that really surprises you. Here it is from Reuters:
U.S. President George W. Bush told a German newspaper his best moment in more than five years in office was catching a big perch in his own lake.

"You know, I've experienced many great moments and it's hard to name the best," Bush told weekly Bild am Sonntag when asked about his high point since becoming president in January 2001.

"I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5 pound (3.402 kilos) perch in my lake," he told the newspaper in an interview published on Sunday....

Notes for Friday

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

*Holy cow! It appears that the FBI is investigating a huge sex scandal involving Republicans, hookers, limousines, poker, and government contracts. The story is here.

*Did you know that 82 of our people were killed in Iraq last month?

*Republican Sen. Bill Frist really insulted the American people with his proposal to pass out $100 checks to all Americans to cover rising gas prices. Do you think Frist actually drives his own car and pumps his own gas? If he did, he'd know that $100 is nothing to the consumer. The New York Times has a story on how Frist's presidential campaign is faltering.

*Well, folks, we know how well the President and the Republicans handled the Katrina disaster. Now they have a plan on the government's response to a possible bird flu. Do you want to know what it is? Guess what? The people who told you to buy duct tape, plastic sheeting and water are now telling our nation that you are on your own if we are faced with the bird flu. On your own. According to the Bush administration, your city, county, and state should draw up their own plans because there will be no funding for a bird flu emergency. (This sounds like the No Child Left Behind Act: a federal mandate without funding.) Newsweek has an article about how some doctors and public health experts are appalled by the lack of planning that the government is doing to prepare for this possible pandemic.

Republicans Want to End Insurance Coverage for Mammograms

We have another stupid idea from the Republicans! They are proposing that insurance companies would not have to cover mammograms. Who was the Republican who came up with this stupid idea? Sen. Enzi is the culprit. The American Cancer Society is suggesting we all take action now before S.1955 passes. Contact your senators and tell them to vote NO on S.1955.

Just in case you wanted to know, Enzi, for cycle 2005-2006, received PAC money from Insurance concerns to the tune of $40,000 (from Open Secrets: list includes- AFLAC, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Mass. Mutual, Humana, Mutual of Omaha, etc. etc.). Enzi's just helping out his contributors.

Listen to What They Say

Yesterday President Bush invited some lawmakers to the White Houses to talk about rising gas prices. What did he say? Bush said, "The prices of gasoline should serve as a wake-up call to all of us involved in public office, that we have got an energy security problem and a national security problem, and now is the time to deal with it in a forceful way..."

Did you see a solution in what he said???? It is all just talk. The oil companies are in the business of making money and the Republicans are in the business of taking money from the oil companies for their campaigns.

Ponder this bit of information from Open Secrets: The 2004 Bush campaign got $2,596,725 from people/PACs associated with Oil and Gas Industries. Do you think he is going to do something to penalize his friends?

****This just in....From the New York Daily News (Republicans eating their own!):
Republican senate candidate John Spencer was accused of being a bigamist by a top adviser to his leading rival for the nomination.

Ed Rollins, a longtime GOP operative working on KT McFarland's campaign, said on New York 1's "Inside City Hall" Tuesday that Spencer had basically maintained two families at the same time while mayor of Yonkers.

Spencer "runs around saying, 'I'm a good Catholic. I'm this, I'm that,'" he said. "A lot of Catholics in this state, that's bigamy, where I come from."

Spencer's affair with his chief of staff while he was married has been well-reported. Before divorcing his first wife and marrying the chief of staff, he and the staffer had two children. They later had a third child.

Could Another Republican Majority Be Dangerous?

We know that our country is involved in horrible wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, if the Republicans retained a majority in the House and the Senate, could it be dangerous for our country?

Would the Republicans try to "reform" social security again?
Would the Republicans expand the powers of the President?
Would the Republicans give the President the power to go into a dangerous war in Iraq?
Would the Republican scandals threaten the security of our country?
Since there are no investigations of ethics scandals being conducted by the Republicans, would another Republican majority create more scandals and more influence pedaling?
Members of this Republican administration outted an undercover CIA agent. What other dangerous activities could they carry out if they were given the chance?

The operative word here is DANGEROUS. Would it be dangerous to let the Republicans maintain a majority?

Massa: A Tough Democrat

Democrat Eric Massa is getting increasing support for his run for New York's 29th congressional district. Massa and other "fighting Democrats" are gaining attention because they have served in our country's military.

From the Free Market News: ...Jim Webb, like fellow Fighting Dems Andrew Horne in Kentucky and Tammy Duckworth in Illinois and Eric Massa in New York are soldiers who bring a sobering sensibility to the Democratic Party. As Webb’s 2002 Washington Post essay and his many other writings bring out, his is a character-based sensibility, honed in duty, sacrifice and civic responsibility...

The Evening Tribune shows Massa supporting worker safety:

...Eric Massa of Corning, the Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. John “Randy” Kuhl, R-29th, stressed the importance of remembering “the men and women who gave their lives on the job.”

Massa also discussed how the middle class is dwindling, saying “working people are under attack.”

“We have elected representatives who have lost touch with what it's like to pay a mortgage, buy a dinner or fill a tank of gas,” he said. “We'd like to leave a future at least as equally bright as the one our parents left to us.

“The sacrifices by the 30 generations who came before us will not be forgotten,” Massa added. “It's important we do not lose the value and significance of their sacrifices.”

Massa makes some good points. We must protect workers on the job site and pay people decent wages. When is the last time some of these Republicans paid for their own lunch or dinner? Remember when Trent Lott got upset at the prospect of limiting lobbyist lunches to a $20 value? Many working people would love to have $20 for lunch or dinner. However, with high gas prices and no wage increases in recent years, some workers are giving up lunch.

High Gas Prices

*People are absolutely angry (USA Today) about the price of gasoline. How can these Republicans work to control the oil companies when they get thousands and thousands of dollars in contributions from people associated with the oil companies? The oil companies have bought influence with the Republicans and they are getting it. The Republican controlled legislative branch will not do anything to hurt the gravy train provided by the oil companies. What part does Cheney play in the high cost of gasoline?

*Here is a question to ponder---Why did Jack Abramoff visit the White House almost 200 times in the first ten months of the Bush administration? The Mercury News has an article which states---

...Abramoff was a $100,000 fundraiser for Bush and lobbying records obtained by the AP show his lobbying team logged nearly 200 meetings with the administration during its first 10 months in office on behalf of one of his clients, the Northern Mariana Islands.

The contacts between Abramoff's team and the administration included meetings with Attorney General John Ashcroft and policy advisers to Vice President Dick Cheney, the AP reported last year.

Why was Abramoff granted this access???

Poor Poll Numbers--Again!

Don't you wonder what the Bushies are saying about their ever decreasing poll numbers? There are some new poll numbers and Raw Story found the USA Today/Gallup results: 34% job approval for Bush. A CBS News Poll puts Bush's approval at 33%. Ouch!

Are you surprised that Tom Cruise is not popular among women? Cruise's attack on Brooke Shields and his promotion of a "quiet birth" for his girlfriend, Katie Holmes, are not winning him female fans. We women should vote not to go to this latest Cruise movie. Media Bistro has information on Cruise's low Q scores.

And....From the Democratic Underground: The Republicans are hurting the troops again! Why do Republicans hate our troops? Bob Geiger has some insight---
...The latest smackdown came this week when Senate Republicans voted to take $1.9 billion from President Bush's funding request for the Iraq war and use that money to boost border security. S.Amdt. 3594, sponsored by Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) was intended to pay for new aircraft, patrol boats, and land vehicles and to bolster checkpoints and a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border crossing near San Diego.

The problem and the bald-faced hypocrisy comes in Gregg's amendment, which passed 59-39, funding border security by grabbing money that would have provided body armor, tools to defeat improvised explosive devices for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and money for training the Iraqi security forces....

These GOP people have no shame!

Did you hear that Republican Rep. Hastert met with the CEO of EXXON today? Did you also know that Hastert got $92,000 from people and PACs associated with the oil and gas industry? That $92,000 is just for the 2005-2006 campaign cycle, according to Open Secrets.
Coincidence? Don't you think they'd be a little too friendly to take the average consumer into consideration?