Saturday, September 30, 2006

GO BUCKEYES!

The good news----- GO BUCKEYES!

The bad news---
The ethically challenged Republicans now includes a sex scandal with Republican Rep. Foley. YUCK!

Friday, September 29, 2006

DeWine, Hannity, Foley

1. Looks like Republican Sen. Mike DeWine of Ohio hasn't been doing his homework!!!!! Tsk! Tsk! The Huffington Post reports this----
Sen. Mike DeWine (R) just read the NIE's intelligence assessment this week, despite having had access to it for months. "He said that while he only recently read the document, he was briefed on it months ago. "I read it this week," he said... "I don't read everything that comes in."

DeWine says he doesn't read everything that comes in. Terrific. Is he just too busy raising money to read an intelligence report about Iraq!!!!!! Shame.

2. I guess I won't be buying any cars from General Motors!

Think Progress:
General Motors has hired right-wing talk show host Sean Hannity to be the lead spokesman for a car giveaway campaign called “You’re a Great American“:

To stimulate consumer interest in its line of American-built cars, General Motors has turned to radio and Sean Hannity. … Hannity will serve as the spokesperson for GM’s You’re A Great American Car Give-Away, offering radio listeners the chance to pick and win one of five GM vehicles....

Hannity = Scumbag

3. Republican Rep. Foley of Florida has resigned. Here is an excerpt from the NY Times:

Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., resigned from Congress on Friday, effective immediately, in the wake of questions about e-mails he wrote a former male page....
...Campaign aides had previously acknowledged that the Republican congressman e-mailed the former Capitol page five times, but had said there was nothing inappropriate about the exchange. The page was 16 at the time of the e-mail correspondence.

It was not clear what prompted Foley to abruptly decide to give up a successful career in the House....

Tammy Duckworth and the Fighting Dems

Tammy Duckworth is the Democratic candidate for Congress for IL-06. If you know anything about Tammy Duckworth, you know that she is a real war hero. However, her Republican opponent doesn't think so. Her Republican opponent doesn't think she sacrificed enough when she was in Iraq.

A commentary by Rich Miller in The Chicago Sun-Times had this to say about Duckworth and the name-calling incident:

...Tammy Duckworth is a genuine war hero who lost both her legs when she was shot while piloting a helicopter over Iraq. She's now a Democratic nominee for Congress in Illinois' 6th District, and her campaign staff has been waiting patiently for her Republican opponent to question her patriotism so that they could pounce like tigers.

It happened right on cue this week, when Republican state Sen. Peter Roskam mentioned the dreadful "cut and run" line during a radio debate with Duckworth.

As Scott Fornek reported in the Sun-Times, Roskam didn't specifically say that Duckworth wanted to cut and run. But by then, other news outlets and pundits were claiming he did. Duckworth, the commentators all pointed out, can't "run" because her legs were "cut" off in "Iraq."

Don't the Republicans recognize the sacrifices of all Americans in Iraq? There are Iraq war veterans running for public office and they are running as Democrats. They have sacrificed so much in Iraq, and now they are willing to take what they've learned in life and on the battlefield to help this country get back on the right track. If you are interested in more about the Fighting Dems, just visit their website.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Have you heard that...

>According to Roll Call, convicted lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, had 485 contacts with White House officials. Wow!

>CNN is reporting that ...Nearly two-thirds of Americans surveyed consider Iraq to be in a civil war, a CNN poll said Thursday, and more people view the three major architects of the U.S.-led operation there unfavorably than favorably....

>While appearing on Countdown, Richard Wolffe of Newsweek, suggested that Americans should ask themselves, "Who do you trust to end the war in Iraq?"

>Apparently, Mr. Bush is getting his advice from Henry Kissinger, who did a great job with Viet Nam. Not!

>Mary Jo Kilroy, Democratic candidate for Ohio's 15th congressional district, has a new ad. Check it out here.

>Republicans may have a new theme: 'Republicans Love Torture!'

Iraq Violence Worse Than We're Told

From Channel 4 in Denver comes this news:

NEW YORK Veteran Washington reporter Bob Woodward tells Mike Wallace that the Bush administration has not told the truth regarding the level of violence, especially against U.S. troops, in Iraq. He also reveals key intelligence that predicts the insurgency will grow worse next year...

...According to Woodward, insurgent attacks against coalition troops occur, on average, every 15 minutes, a shocking fact the administration has kept secret. "It’s getting to the point now where there are eight-, nine-hundred attacks a week. That's more than 100 a day. That is four an hour attacking our forces," says Woodward.

The situation is getting much worse, says Woodward, despite what the White House and the Pentagon are saying in public. "The truth is that the assessment by intelligence experts is that next year, 2007, is going to get worse and, in public, you have the president and you have the Pentagon [saying], 'Oh, no, things are going to get better,'" he tells Wallace. "Now there’s public, and then there’s private. But what did they do with the private? They stamp it secret. No one is supposed to know," says Woodward....

This administration has lied to the American public over and over again. Nothing surprises us anymore.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Missing Words in Republican Ads

Those Republicans. They have created some crafty political ads. Republicans are talking about taxes, taxes, and taxes. However, there are many words you'll never hear in the Republican ads:

1. ETHICS
2. JACK ABRAMOFF
3. PAYOFFS
4. CORRUPTION
5. SCANDALS
6. BOB NEY
7. TOM "COINGATE" NOE
8. MISSING MILLIONS FROM OHIO BUREAU OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION
9. 200,000+ LOST JOBS IN OHIO
10. FAILED IRAQ POLICY
11. FAILED RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA
12. FUNDRAISERS AT JACK ABRAMOFF'S SIGNATURES RESTAURANTS
13. LOBBYISTS' JUNKETS TO FOREIGN DESTINATIONS
14. DISGRACED GOV. BOB TAFT
15. DUKE CUNNINGHAM
16. THE DONUT HOLE PROBLEM IN THE MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN

We've had enough of the Republicans controlling the agenda and this country. It is time to get to work on the important issues facing us. It is time to change course.

Track College Students????

There is another silly idea coming out of the Bush administration. USA Today's story says Sec. of Education Margaret Spellings wants to create a national database to "track" the learning of college students. Is this just another way to get information on students? Will the data be sold, given to military recruiters, or the GOP? No thanks! Spellings also was responsible for the highly unsuccessful "No Child Left Behind" act that has been grossly underfunded. Spelling and her crew need to work out how to fund NCLB before they create another unfunded mandate.

Think Progress has an analysis of NIE document and the Bush administration's activities and rhetoric. Long story short --- 'Cheney and Bush Misled Americans'

Did ESPN fake cheers for former President George H. W. Bush? Apparently, it has happened before. Check out the Daily Kos via Raw Story.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Bush and Rice Can't Handle the Truth: Clinton Administration Provided Intelligence Information about Dangers


Having read Richard Clarke's book, Against All Enemies, I knew that the Clinton administration had provided intelligence to the Bush administration about the dangers of Bin Laden and his group. Even though Sec. of State Rice has denied receiving information, the material is out there for everyone to see.

Raw Story
has it:
...However, RAW STORY has found that just five days after President George W. Bush was sworn into office, a memo from counter-terrorism expert Richard A. Clarke to Rice included the 2000 document, "Strategy for Eliminating the Threat from the Jihadist Networks of al-Qida: Status and Prospects." This document devotes over 2 of its 13 pages of material to specifically addressing strategies for securing Pakistan's cooperation in airstrikes against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan....

The current administration has lied us to the American people time and time again. Now they've done it again.

What would have happened if Bush, Rice, and the rest of them had done something about that Presidential Daily Briefing in the summer of 2001 that said 'Bin Laden determined to strike inside the U.S.'? Bush stayed on vacation and ignored the warnings.

Olbermann Sets the Record Straight

I can understand why Keith Olbermann's Countdown program on MSNBC is gaining more and more viewers. Last night Keith hit another homerun. Here is an excerpt from his opinion piece:

...Bill Clinton did what almost none of us have done in five years.

He has spoken the truth about 9/11, and the current presidential administration.

"At least I tried," he said of his own efforts to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. "That’s the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now. They had eight months to try; they did not try. I tried."

Thus in his supposed emeritus years has Mr. Clinton taken forceful and triumphant action for honesty, and for us; action as vital and as courageous as any of his presidency; action as startling and as liberating, as any, by any one, in these last five long years.

The Bush Administration did not try to get Osama bin Laden before 9/11.

The Bush Administration ignored all the evidence gathered by its predecessors.

The Bush Administration did not understand the Daily Briefing entitled "Bin Laden Determined To Strike in U.S."

The Bush Administration did not try.

Moreover, for the last five years one month and two weeks, the current administration, and in particular the President, has been given the greatest “pass” for incompetence and malfeasance in American history...

Thank you, Keith!!!! And, thank you, President Bill Clinton!!!!!

* * *The Army generals are not happy and they are letting everyone know about it. Here is an excerpt from Slate:

The generals' revolt has spread inside the Pentagon, and the point of the spear is one of Donald Rumsfeld's most favored officers, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff

This new phase of rebellion isn't aimed at the war in Iraq directly, as was the protest by six retired generals that made headlines last spring. But in some ways, it's more potent, and not just because Schoomaker is very much on active duty. His challenge is dramatic because he's questioning one of the war's consequences—its threat to the Army's ability to keep functioning.

The trumpet sounded last month, when Schoomaker refused to give Rumsfeld a detailed Army budget proposal for fiscal year 2008. The Air Force and Navy met the Aug. 15 deadline for submitting their program requests. But Schoomaker—in an unprecedented move—said he preferred not to....

The truth is slowly coming out.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Just Another Monday in Republican Corruption Headquarters

Democrat Ted Strickland is leading Republican Ken Blackwell in recent polls for Ohio governor. ONN

Even though you might not be able to hear the Stephanie Miller Show on your local radio station, you can still listen on the internet. You'll laugh and you'll cry as Stephanie pokes fun at the Bushies, righties, and Bill O'Reilly. Check it out and listen for free at http://www.stephaniemiller.com

It looks like Republican Sen. George Allen has not limited his racist vocabulary. Raw Story has more about Allen.

The New York Times has a nice story on the Republican controlled "do-nothing Congress."

President Bush made some strange comment in a recent interview. He said that the war in Iraq will be looked back in history as just a comma. Editor and Publisher has their take on Bush's comma comment.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Thought for The Day

Do you want more Ohio Republican Corruption? Vote Republican.

If you are looking for change and new leadership, vote Democratic.

Check out this link for more details.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Republican Corruption

Republican corruption is the one and only reason not to vote for Republicans.

The corruption that the Republicans have brought to Ohio and this nation has robbed us. Instead of getting the best work for the best price in state contracts, business is given to Republican campaign contributors. When money was to be invested from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, it was given to Republican campaign contributors (Over $13 million is still missing from the Ohio BWC fund.) Special construction projects are going to the home districts of powerful Republican members of the state legislature simply because they demand them. Bribes and special favors are being paid to Republican state officials.

The Republicans have not delivered jobs, equitable school funding, an increase in the minimum wage, or honesty in government. It is time for a new direction for Ohio and our nation.

*I'll be at Ohio Stadium tomorrow for the game. GO BUCKEYES!

GOP - Trying to Change the Topic

The Republicans are trying to divert attention from their corruption scandals. They are talking about taxes. Isn't it just like the Republicans to try to change the course in the middle of something? After 9/11, Bush sent troops into Afghanistan, but then he diverted troops to Iraq. Now instead of pushing for tougher ethics, they talk about taxes.

Shame.

In a local paper here in Columbus, Ohio, Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) suggested that people in central Ohio have another way to send a message to President Bush instead of voting her out of office. Haven't we tried to send the message to the White House? Haven't we sent e-mails, letters, and made phone calls to her office urging her to change her stance on issues???? Unfortunately, Bush isn't listening. With an approval rating of 37%, Bush hasn't altered his behavior or message on Iraq, oil, social security, the failure of No Child Left Behind, the Medicare prescription drug plan donut hole, tax cuts to the top 1%, etc. What other way can we send a message to the White House? Vote Democratic. Vote for people who will go to DC and change how things are being done.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

DeWine and Voinovich

Have you seen the ad about the body armor? Mike DeWine and George Voinovich also voted against the better body armor. Why do they hate our vets? Don't believe me? See the voting record here where DeWine and Voinovich voted yes, which stopped the improved body armor from getting to our troops. I wonder how many of our troops died because DeWine and Voinovich followed the Republican party line?

An article in the Contra Costa Times shows that Republicans are making a concerted effort to keep our focus off their scandals. The GOP wants to talk about taxes instead of their corruption, bribes, and scandals.

With Republican Rep. Bob Ney's guilty plea still fresh on our minds, we find that the Hamilton County Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services has somehow misspent $1.7 billion. Our Republican state auditor, Betty Montgomery, is still trying to explain how this happened under her watch.

How much more can Ohioans take from the corrupt Republicans? Our completely corrupt state government, which has been mismanaged by the GOP and our Rubber Stamp Corrupt U.S. Congress, have hurt us all. It is time to tell the Republicans (with apologies to Mr. Trump), "You're fired!"

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Ney Continues to do Damage to Republicans

The Republicans want Rep. Bob Ney (OH-18) to just go away. Ney agreed to plead guilty to federal charges related to his association with convicted lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. Ney now has become the poster child for Republican corruption in Ohio and Congress. Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) has also called on Ney to resign.

Because the Republicans failed to pass stricter ethics legislation, Ney will still be able to collect his retirement and other benefits once he is out of jail. How nice. The Republicans have managed to take care of their own.

Ney's hand-picked Republican replacement for Ohio's 18th district, Joy Padgett, is also calling on Ney to resign. However, her request has other motives. If Ney would resign from his House seat before the election, Republican Gov. Bob Taft would more than likely appoint Padgett to fill Ney's seat for the next few months. Also, it would allow Padgett to call herself the incumbent in her political ads as she runs for the seat in the November election.

The Republicans can act shocked by the behavior of Ney and others, but the GOP knew these illegal activities were going on all the time.

*Ohio has lost more service members in Bush's war in Iraq. Ohio has lost 128 of its sons and daughters in Iraq, according to Iraq Casualties.

Remember when Bush said that the U.S. would start to send troops home by the end of the year? Unfortunately, that is not going to happen. The 147,000 men and women of our military who are stationed in Iraq will continue to stay there with no plans to send anyone home.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Notes From All Over

1. Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy, candidate for the Ohio's 15th congressional district, scored a smackdown on Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce at their first debate.

2. Republican Rep. Steve Chabot is handing out money to groups who are near and dear to his financial supporters (The Hill):

Several Cincinnati institutions with close ties to Rep. Steve Chabot’s (R-Ohio) top campaign supporters are in line to win $1.6 million in earmarks through the fiscal 2007 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill.

The earmarks would go to the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Xavier University, the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Center, all of which claim members of Chabot’s inner circle of contributors and fundraisers as members of their boards of directors, according to The Hill’s review of district-specific projects in the spending bill, federal campaign-finance reports, an invitation to a Chabot fundraiser, and Web listings of the institutions’ leadership.

“There’s not a connection” between the donations and the earmarks, said Gary Lindgren, Chabot’s chief of staff. Lindgren said the earmarks are for major institutions and that it stands to reason that board members would be politically active.

“You’re talking about some of the predominant institutions in the city of Cincinnati,” he said.

Eleven men and women who were identified as hosts or co-hosts on an invitation to a March Chabot fundraiser featuring House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) serve in leadership roles with the organizations in Chabot’s district that would receive federal money....

3. Crooks and Liars has the video: Retired Col. Sam Gardiner says we are in Iran now...

4. The Huffington Post has it-----Bill Clinton is sick of Karl Rove's b--- s---.....

5. MSNBC News is reporting that a Canadian was falsely imprisoned and tortured in Syria...
Why is this administration doing this? This is horrible. Why is Bush allowing people to be tortured????

Monday, September 18, 2006

Facts for Ohio

Update: Former President Bill Clinton will be on the Daily Show tonight at 11pm on Comedy Central.

*The recent Republican scandals have demonstrated that Republicans will lie, cheat, and steal while they're in office and will lie, cheat, and steal to get re-elected.
*Gov. Bob Taft will be out of office in two years.
*Republican Bob Ney, who was called a "sushi-holic" by Jack Abramoff, will serve some prison time for taking bribes and corruption.
*Thirteen million dollars is still missing from the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation and it is the fault of the Republicans.
*Deborah Pryce has flip-flopped on the idea of term limits. She was for them but now that she is in power, she is against term limits.
*Tom Noe brought us coingate and opened our eyes to the corruption in Republican money raising techniques.
*The more Ken Blackwell talks, the more extreme he appears.
*Jean Schmidt likes to run in marathons. The people in her district should run her out of office.
*The economic situation in Ohio is horrible. On election day, go to the voting booth, and show the Republicans how thankful you are for this.
*John Boehner is a friend of the tobacco industry and he often lights up on the floor of the House, even though it is "smoke-free."
*Lt. Gov. Bruce Johnson went to Ohio State vs. Texas game with state money.

If you still want to vote for these corrupt Republicans even though they've mismanaged our money and lost 200,000 Ohio jobs, you need to have your head examined!

And...
Have you seen the polls put out by Survey USA?

In Cincinnati, which is definitely more Republican leaning, According to Survey USA poll, Bush has a 56% disapproval rating for his handling on terrorism and a 42% approval rating on terrorism.

According to Survey USA, Ohio Gov. Taft has an approval rating of 17%. Awesome. He must be so proud. The Ohio Republicans must be bursting with pride.

Also,......
The Democratic Underground has a great explanation of Article 3 of the Geneva Convention. The section seems clear and concise. Why doesn't Bush get it? Is he having trouble with reading comprehension, vocabulary, or word attack skills? The explanation is clear enough that a typical 4th grader could understand it. Why can't Bush? Here is the post from Democratic Underground:

Art. 3.

In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:

(1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria. To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:

(a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
(b) taking of hostages;
(c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment;
(d) the passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgement pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.

(2) The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for. An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Why did Ney pick Padgett?

Why did corrupt Republican Rep. Bob Ney hand pick Joy Padgett to run for his post in Ohio's 18th district? Does she know Abramoff? Do they have the same political philosophy----take money for votes? People in the 18th district need to ask how Padgett, known for her dirty campaigns, got in such a good position to fill Ney's job. I'm just asking.

>>>Here are some other questions we should be asking ourselves---
Did George Allen vote to support the Iraq resolution to show his support for George W. Bush?
Can George Allen explain why he kept a noose and a confederate flag in his office?
How many times has George Allen used the term "macaca" to describe another human being?

Here is more on George Allen from Brendon Nyhan:

...First, there's the noose he hung from a tree in his law office, which suggests an approving attitude toward lynchings. In 2000, Allen and his Senate campaign manager disavowed any racial connotation, describing the noose as part of a collection of Western memorabilia that represented his law-and-order stance on criminal justice. Then, in February of this year, he tried to claim that it was "more of a lasso" and "has nothing to do with lynching." But reports on the matter that I have read all describe it as a noose, and Allen and his representatives appeared to refer to it as such all the way through 2004. And of course, if the noose "has nothing to do with lynching," why was it hung from a tree? The symbolism seems obvious. As the Richmond Times-Dispatch put it in 2000, the noose was "a reminder that [Allen] saw some justification in frontier justice." Official hangings carried out under the auspices of the law presumably used real gallows, not trees.

Allen also used to display a Confederate flag at his house, which he claims was part of a flag collection...

..A March 2005 report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that, "as governor of Virginia, [Allen] signed a 'Confederate Heritage Month' proclamation while dubbing the NAACP an 'extremist group.'" Here's how the Washington Post described his actions in an article last year:

[I]n the late 1990s, former governor George Allen (R) issued a Confederate History Month proclamation, calling the Civil War "a four-year struggle for independence and sovereign rights." It was observed during April, the month in which the Civil War essentially began with the Confederates' attack on Fort Sumter, S.C., and ended with the Army of Northern Virginia's surrender at Appomattox. The declaration made no mention of slavery, angering many civil rights groups.

Allen also opposed the 1991 Civil Rights Act in Congress, and as a state delegate he opposed creating a holiday for Martin Luther King and voted against changing the racially offensive state song (though as governor he later signed legislation dropping the song).

Given all this, it's not surprising that Allen initially defended Trent Lott when he came under fire in 2002 for comments praising Strom Thurmond's presidential candidacy. Initially, Allen called Lott a "decent, honorable man" and said that it is "unacceptable to use the issue of race as a political weapon and try to pin the sins of the past on the leaders of the present." But when Lott's comments provoked a national outcry, Allen reversed field, saying that the "comment was offensive to many Americans, particularly those who have been personally touched by the viciousness of segregation." And after Lott resigned, he added, "This is a day that the United States Senate, with Trent Lott's resignation, has buried, graveyard-dead-and-gone, the days of discrimination and segregation," with an obvious eye toward leaving aside questions about his own past....

George Allen seems like he would have been a popular guy guy for the 17th century. The people of Viriginia have to ask themselves if they want this 17th century thinking man representing their state in the 21st century.






Saturday, September 16, 2006

Republican Bob Ney Admits He Took Bribes

The truth is finally revealed about Ohio Republican. Some of the details found in the plea agreement show just how extensive the corruption was. Which Ohio Republican will be next? (Dispatch):

Hours after he agreed to plead guilty to federal corruption charges likely to land him in prison, Ohio Republicans yesterday called on Rep. Bob Ney to resign his seat.

In court documents made public yesterday, the congressman from Heath admitted accepting thousands of dollars in gambling chips from a Syrian businessman and free trips, drinks and food from now-disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff....

...The plea agreement painted a portrait of Ney eagerly willing to do official favors for those who provided him with free trips, cash and other benefits. The agreement shows how Ney used his connections with Abramoff and the Syrian businessman to enjoy a lifestyle that he could not afford on his $165,200 annual congressional salary.

"Congressman Ney admits that he corruptly solicited and accepted a stream of benefits, valued at tens of thousands of dollars, in exchange for agreeing to perform, and performing, a series of official acts," said Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher. "He also admitted deceiving the public and the U.S. House of Representatives about his actions."

...The agreement provided startling new details of Ney’s two trips to London in 2003 to meet with Syrian-born businessman Fouad al-Zayat, who wanted Ney’s help in ending a U.S. government ban on doing business with Iran. Al-Zayat, known in London gambling circles as the "Fat Man," wanted to sell airplanes and airplane parts to Iran and, according to the plea agreement, Ney promised to ask the State Department to lift the ban and grant a visa for al-Zayat.

The Dispatch has reported that Ney had dinner in February 2003 with al-Zayat at a posh London casino where al-Zayat held a membership. In August 2003, Ney returned to the same casino, where he reported on his House financial disclosure records winning $34,000 from an initial $100 bet on a game of chance.

But according to the plea agreement, al-Zayat actually supplied Ney and at least one unnamed Ney staff member with thousands of dollars in gambling chips and allowed Ney to pocket the winnings. The plea agreement said Ney returned to the United States in February 2003 with $3,250 in winnings and $47,000 more in August of that year.

The plea agreement shows that Ney undertook extensive precautions to hide the amount of gambling money he brought back into the United States. Prosecutors said that during the August 2003 trip, Ney handed $5,000 to the unnamed staff member and asked him to carry the money through U.S. customs.

Ney admitted in the plea documents that he "intentionally concealed his receipt of the things of value from Abramoff and the foreign businessman," including filing a false U.S. Customs disclosure form where he stated his winnings, false congressional travel-disclosure forms and false congressional annual financial-disclosure forms.

In addition to casino-related money, the plea agreement said that Ney accepted three free trips from Abramoff — an August 2002 golfing junket to Scotland on a private jet, valued at $160,000; a gambling and vacation outing in New Orleans in May 2003, valued at $7,200; and a trip to Lake George, N.Y., in August 2003, at a cost of more than $3,500.

Ney also accepted "frequent meals and drinks," mostly at Abramoff’s then-Washington restaurant, Signatures, with total costs exceeding "many thousands of dollars," according to the Justice Department. Ney also took tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.

In return, Ney did such legislative favors as helping an Abramoff client to win a lucrative contract to install wireless telephone service in the House and promised Abramoff that he would insert into an election reform bill a provision that would have benefited a Texas tribe that wanted federal permission to re-open a casino...

Friday, September 15, 2006

Another One Bites the Dust

Republican Rep. Bob Ney (OH-18) is expected to plead guilty today. Here is an excerpt from The Hill:

Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) is expected to plead guilty
later today to at least one count of corruption in the prolonged investigation of disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Republicans on Capitol Hill said Thursday.

The Ohio Republican announced last month that he would not seek reelection in the face of widespread speculation that he would be indicted for his connections to Abramoff, the once-powerful Republican lobbyist who pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges last January.

Calls to Ney’s office and to that of his lawyer, Mark Tuohey, were not returned on Thursday. Ney was present during House votes on Tuesday but missed votes on Wednesday and Thursday.

Ney’s former chief of staff, Neil Volz, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy in May, and the Ohio lawmaker was mentioned in his plea as well as Abramoff’s...

Don't these Republicans believe in ethics? Did all of these Republicans think they were above the law? Ney and the many Republicans who have had ethics problems have broken the public's trust. Here in Ohio, we have had our share of corruption at every level of government controlled by Republicans, from the Republican governor to local elected Republican officials. It is sad. While the Republicans are lining their pockets, eating at fancy restaurants, and visiting foreign capitals on trips paid for by special interests, the regular folks here in Ohio are struggling to find and keep jobs. It isn't right.

Ney's new Republican replacement for the 18th district is Joy Padgett. Padgett was responsible for swiftboating her Democratic opponent in the last election. Her Democratic opponent was Terry Anderson, an American who was held hostage in Lebanon for over seven years. I guess Padgett thought he didn't suffer enough and she had to add her personal attacks. Padgett is symbolic of the pond scum that makes up the Republican leadership in Ohio (This is just my opinion.)

If the people of Ohio's 18th district like the corruption, war, lies, and job losses the Republicans have given us, then they should just cast a mindless vote for Padgett. However, if they want to make a real change in this country, and this state, citizens in the 18th district must vote for ZACK SPACE.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Conrad Burns

Seriously, Republican Sen. Conrad Burns is a jerk. How could any man treat his wife like this? (Here is an excerpt from Raw Story.)

While Republican Senator Conrad Burns flew first class, his wife was "stuck" in coach, a "salivating Democratic informant" told Roll Call.

"The informant sent the information with an accompanying nasty editorial note that said, 'Guess women really are second class to him," Roll Call's "Heard on the Hill" reports.

Last October, two Northwest Airlines flight attendants accused Burns of sexism after "he told one of the women she could stay at home and be a mother if she lost her job to outsourcing," Gannett News reported.

Roll Call reports that Burns denied sexism in both cases and suggests that the senator "wasn’t playing the big man card taking the first-class seat while making his little woman ride in the stuffy coach seat."

A normal husband would have accompanied his wife and sat next to her on the plane ride. With his busy schedule, you'd think that Burns would want to spend some extra time with his wife and catch up on family news and some time together. Doesn't he have any love and respect for his wife? I'd guess that most of the women in Montana would not like to be treated this way and will vote the jerk out of office.

Have you seen Conrad Burns take a nap on You Tube? Click here.

You Need This

>Another Ohio corruption story is brewing. Hamilton County has mismanaged $1.2 billion. Gee, who was the state auditor????? Oh, yes, Republican Betty Montgomery. Why didn't she catch this earlier? Read the whole story in the Dispatch.

>You absolutely must visit HINES SIGHT. It calls itself the anti-Drudge.

>Former Texas Democratic Governor, Ann Richards, has died. Here is an excerpt from The Tribune Democrat:

Two years before she was elected governor of Texas, Ann Richards electrified the 1988 Democratic National Convention with a keynote speech in which she joked that the Republican presidential nominee, George H.W. Bush, had been "born with a silver foot in his mouth."

A longtime champion of women and minorities in government who was serving at the time as Texas state treasurer, she won cheers when she reminded delegates that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, "only backwards and in high heels."

Richards died Wednesday at 73 after a battle with esophageal cancer. Her single term as governor had ended in a 1994 defeat to George W. Bush, who went from besting his father's silver-haired critic to the governor's office to the presidency.

A homemaker before she entered politics, Richards cracked a half-century male grip on the governor's mansion and celebrated by holding up a T-shirt that showed the state Capitol and read: "A woman's place is in the dome."

Raw Story: President Bush has fallen back on a "lame justification" for the war in Iraq, writes Hearst Newspapers' senior White House correspondent Helen Thomas in a column slated for Thursday's papers, RAW STORY has learned.

>If you haven't checked recently, you'll be surprised to see that our casualties in Iraq are inching up to 3,000 dead. Iraq Coalition Casualty Count shows that we are losing 2 to 3 Americans every single day.


Wednesday, September 13, 2006

News and Videos

I saw this ad on MSNBC's Keith Olbermann's Countdown. It is running in Virginia. Watch it:

The Vote Vets web page can provide a wealth of information to the voter. Visit it here:
http://www.votevets.org/

If you missed Jon Stewart on The Daily Show last night, you missed an incredible episode. Crooks and Liars has both videos of Bush with Little Richard and Jon Stewart trying to give Bush advice cowboy to cowboy. You must see this.

There is more news from the Tom Noe trial. From the Toledo Blade, we have this headline-- EX-AIDE ADMITS "CONDUIT" ROLE FOR STATE CANDIDATES. (Those are REPUBLICAN state candidates, folks.)


Boehner is an Idiot

...but that is only my opinion. Why do I think Republican Rep. John Boehner is an idiot? Here is what Boehner said (San Francisco Chronicle):

....Speaking of Democrats, Boehner told reporters, "I wonder if they're more interested in protecting the terrorists than protecting the American people.

"They certainly don't want to take the terrorists on to defeat them,'' he added in the context of answering questions about proposed legislation to legalize Bush administration plans for military tribunals to try some terrorism suspects under special rules. The administration's earlier plans for such tribunals were struck down by the Supreme Court, which suggested that Congress provide a remedy through legislation....

Can anyone take anything Boehner says seriously? Boehner, golfer, special interest traveller, and friend of big tobacco, is essentially trying to say that Democrats support the terrorists. Boehner is a fool. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are dying in Bush's Iraq War. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are paying for Bush's Iraq War. Americans know that the Republicans have allowed this administration and his party:

1. to spend our money without oversight.
2. slowly take away our civil liberties.
3. to give contracts to political friends (Halliburton, KBR).
4. to ignore ethics.

Boehner should go back to his tanning bed.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Republicans Destroying Themselves

I had to chuckle when I read about the debate in Montana. Republican Sen. Conrad Burns met Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Jon Tester, last night. Here are some excerpts from an article in the Missoulian:

...The crowd, which at times booed and baited Burns, earned a public chastising from one Burns supporter, who voiced her displeasure and asked for the rudeness to end.

Candidates addressed a range of questions posed before the debate by readers of the Ravalli Republic, including: health care, immigration, national energy policy, the $.8.5 trillion federal debt, Veterans Affairs, American troops in Iraq, and North Korea and Iran as potential nuclear powers....


“But in the end,” Tester said, “lets talk about Senator Burns' trips. Hawaii, New Orleans, Miami, Alaska, Palm Beach, Los Angeles, New York, China, Japan, Toronto, and there must have been something going on in Las Vegas because he went there 10 times.”

The crowd applauded, as Tester ran out of time while listing some of the multinational corporations he said Burns associates with, among the Fuji, the petroleum industry and big tobacco companies....

Here is the quote from Burns that will get people talking:
I believe in light bulbs and sunshine,” Burns said.

And...
This was found at The Huffington Post---
MyWayNews:

Democratic Senate candidate Jim Webb has nearly erased the commanding lead Republican Sen. George Allen held six weeks ago, before Allen's insult of a man of Indian descent, according to an independent statewide poll published Sunday.

The Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. found 46 percent of those interviewed supported Allen in his bid for a second term and 42 percent backed Webb. Twelve percent were undecided.

Because the margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 4 percentage points, the race could be seen as about even...

>Then George Allen took an exact bill written by Sen. Durbin, except for a change in one word, and introduced it as his own. The Times Dispatch:
...Republican Sen. George Allen introduced an amendment yesterday to put additional millions of dollars into facilities treating soldiers and veterans suffering from brain injury. Its wording was nearly identical to a similar amendment by Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill....

...Within hours, the campaign of Allen's Democrat challenger, Jim Webb, issued by e-mail a statement that Allen "stole" Durbin's amendment and then called it his own.

Allen had used Durbin's funding figure and identical language but for one word, the Webb campaign said.

"This whole episode is shameful and not worthy of a sitting U.S. senator," Webb adviser Steve Jarding said in the statement....

Is the Republican greed for more power helping us see their true personalities?



Friday, September 08, 2006

Women and Men Abandoning Their Support of Bush

The Lake Sun Leader has information from the latest Gallup Poll. Here is an excerpt from the poll:

...The latest Gallup Poll, however, shows that the gender gap has virtually disappeared and that Bush receives just 43 percent support from males and 41 percent among women. Fifty-four percent of both men and women disapprove of his performance.


When voters were asked whether they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country, 60 percent of men aged 18 to 49 said they were dissatisfied, and 73 percent of men over 50 said so -- about the level for all women.

In Gallup's August generic Congressional ballot test, women leaned Democratic by a margin of 49 percent to 40 percent, while men -- traditionally a more Republican-oriented group -- split nearly even at 47 percent Republican, 46 percent Democratic. And older men split 51 percent Republican to 46 percent Democratic....

Here is another excerpt from the Lake Sun Leader:

...Right now, polls, the pundit consensus and the estimates of both Democratic experts and some Republicans all suggest that GOP rule in the House will end, conceivably with a Democratic pickup of 30 seats -- double what's needed....

We continue to be cautiously optimistic for a Democratic sweep.

******UPDATE: From Fire Dog Lake about ABC's Path to 9/11:

This is NO time to let up pressure. In fact, this is the time to go at it even harder. Call Disney at 1-818-560-1000 or 1-818-460-7477. Call ABC at 1-212-456-7777 or 1-818-560-1000. Please be polite, but firm, regarding why you find lying to the public about 9/11 to be offensive.

You can find more information on action steps that you can take here, here and here.

(H/T to "RG" for the e-mail tip.)

UPDATE: You can also e-mail Robert Iger: robert.a.iger@disney.com Please be polite.

UPDATE #2: The DNC is collecting signatures to be delivered to Robert Iger later today asking that the film be yanked. Please add your signature here.




GO BUCKEYES!!!!!!

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Teachers!

Teachers,

ABC will be broadcasting a two part mini-series on their interpretation of the events surrounding 9/11. Materials have been sent to your schools and districts. However, you should also be aware that the drama was written by a conservative Republican who has put the blame for 9/11 at the feet of the Clinton administration. Events have been manufactured in order to blame Clinton instead of the administration of George W. Bush. ABC has even gone so far as to refuse to provide pre-broadcast materials to President Clinton and members of his staff. They have, however, given videos to conservative Republican pundits.

I am a former teacher and I know that teachers can do something about this. Contact your local, state, and national teacher associations (NEA and AFTA) and let them know you want them to stop the distribution of these inaccurate materials to schools. Go directly to your principal and let him/her know about the political slant to the teaching materials that have been sent to your school. Warn your students ahead of time that the TV show has lots of fictional events.

Also, contact your local ABC television station and the ABC network. Let them know about your disappointment about this mini-series. Tell them that you plan to boycott the sponsors for the program because of the distortions and lies contained in the broadcast.

Pass this information to other teachers, especially those teaching history or social studies.

Signed,
A Former Teacher in Ohio

***If you need more information, check out the following sources:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/009651.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-boehlert/scholastic-and-abc-team-u_b_28879.html
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/06/abc-assures-bloggers/
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2067684
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/09/06/ben-veniste-rips-abcs-fakeumentary-over-inaccuracies/
Former President Bill Clinton Responds Here
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14707869/
and....
ABC Network Materials falsely suggest Iraq had WMD's = Media Matters
From Daily Kos---Contact Scholastic Magazine and tell them you will boycott their products for putting out lies and distortions into the schools concerning 9/11:

Investor Relations
212-343-6741

Corporate Communications
(Kyle Good’s office)
212-343-4563

Update: On MSNBC right now: Roger Cressey talks about 'The Path to 9/11'--- ABC has made things up about events. Here is what Cressey had to say about the program as reported at Truth Out:
Roger Cressy, National Security Council senior director for counterterrorism in the period 1999-2001, responded to these allegations in an article for the Washington Times in 2003. "Mr. Clinton approved every request made of him by the CIA and the U.S. military involving using force against bin Laden and al-Qaeda," wrote Cressy. "As President Bush well knows, bin Laden was and remains very good at staying hidden. The current administration faces many of the same challenges. Confusing the American people with misinformation and distortions will not generate the support we need to come together as a nation and defeat our terrorist enemies."





Tom Noe's Case To Drag On Before Election

Republican fundraiser, Tom Noe, will have his court case paraded before Ohioans just before the November election. Noe's corruption scandal with ties to the Republican Party, will serve as a reminder to Ohioans of the culture of corruption created by the Republicans.

In the latest news, Noe's lawyer has asked for no jail time. His lawyer has asked for probation. The Toledo Blade has the story. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Tom Noe’s illegal scheme to pump thousands of tainted dollars into President Bush’s re-election hurt no one and a federal judge should consider giving him probation and community service, his attorney said yesterday.

In a memorandum to U.S. District Judge David Katz, Jon Richardson criticized the prosecutors’ call — filed Tuesday — for additional prison time...
...
Tom Noe’s illegal scheme to pump thousands of tainted dollars into President Bush’s re-election hurt no one and a federal judge should consider giving him probation and community service, his attorney said yesterday.

In a memorandum to U.S. District Judge David Katz, Jon Richardson criticized the prosecutors’ call — filed Tuesday — for additional prison time....

In a related case, here is still more about those associated with Tom Noe:

Toledo Blade:
THEY could have been sent to jail, and perhaps should have, but four of the "conduits" in Tom Noe's campaign money-laundering scheme nonetheless are being hit with a moderately painful and well-deserved shot to a vulnerable spot - the pocketbook.

The four Republican women - Lucas County Commissioner Maggie Thurber, Toledo City Council member Betty Shultz, former mayor Donna Owens, and former county GOP chairman Sally Perz - each will be required to shell out $5,125.
That's the penalty for having illegally accepted money from Noe to attend a $2,000 fund-raiser for President Bush in Columbus in 2003. The fines include $1,000 for failing to disclose receipt of the money in ethics filings, plus $4,125 each as their share of the state's cost of investigating their wrongdoing...

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

ABC 9/11 Drama Political

>Did you know that the ABC Network has a drama planned for commerating 9/11? Did you know that the storyline was written by a hardline Republican conservative? Did you also know that the drama blames former President Bill Clinton for 9/11?

Remember that George W. Bush disregarded the presidential daily briefing that warned of imminent attack by Bin Laden. Bush did not respond or react to the possibility attack. He remained on his month long vacation.

Crooks and Liars alway has great posts, but this time there are two that are very noteworthy. Check out
MAX CLELAND: I Don't Agree with a Damn Thing the Attorney General Said
and
OLBERMANN'S Latest Special Comment Targets Bush: "Have you no sense of decency, sir?"

>On the New York Times election guide, Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) has been rated as conservative by the National Journal. The rating is based on voting records. No matter what Pryce says, she cannot run away from her voting record. According to the Times, the election for the 15th district is rated as a TOSS UP.

Monday, September 04, 2006

A Horror Show for Republicans????

Charlie Cook of the famous Cook Political Report, had this to say about the upcoming midterm election: "...this election is going to be a horror show for Republicans..."

Here are some other excerpts from an article in The Chicago Tribune:

....Numerous political analysts are forecasting that a tidal wave of voter dissatisfaction will wash Republicans out of office on Nov. 7 and possibly hand control of the House back to Democrats, who also are poised for gains in the Senate and to win back governorships.

"The Republicans had a great run for a while, and it's over," said Charlie Cook, a non-partisan analyst and founder of the Cook Political Report....

...A race-by-race analysis by the Cook Report shows a dramatic tilt toward the Democrats since the beginning of the year. The report now ranks 18 Republican-held House seats as tossups in the election. In contrast, Cook suggests the Democrats will lose no seats.

Since Bush's re-election, virtually every event has favored the Democrats. Bush's push for Social Security privatization proved unpopular. The Iraq war has shown little sign of progress and is widely opposed. The federal response to Hurricane Katrina a year ago seems to have permanently damaged the administration's reputation.

Meanwhile, corruption scandals have prompted the departure of three powerful Republican congressmen--Reps. Tom DeLay of Texas, Randy "Duke" Cunningham of California and Bob Ney of Ohio.

"Unless something big happens, this election is going to be a horror show for Republicans," Cook said. "When you talk to Republican pollsters and strategists, the nicest word you can come up with is `despondent.' This is going to be really bad..."

The election is just over sixty days away. Those of us who want change can be cautiously optimistic that this election will bring it.

Santorum: Bush Terrific!

Republican Sen. Rick Santorum had this to say about President Bush, according to the Washington Post as reported by Raw Story:

"I think he's been a terrific president, absolutely," Santorum said in the nearly hour-long debate on NBC's "Meet the Press." Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld -- whose resignation is being sought by some Republican candidates -- "has done a fine job," he said, and "there is no question that the Iraq war should have commenced."

It is not surprising that the people of Pennsylvania have almost completely abandoned Santorum, who resides in Virginia.

Friday, September 01, 2006

The Reality of the Iraq War

According to Iraq Coalition Casualties,

* U.S. has lost 2,641 of our service members in Iraq.
* August 2006, 64 Americans were killed in Iraq.
* Ohio has lost 118 men and women in Iraq.
* 19,323 Americans have been wounded in Iraq.

The war in Iraq is costing us $250,000/day in Iraq. How many schools, hospitals, playgrounds, and roads could have been built if that money had been used here? Why can't this administration admit that it lied to get us into this war? How many more will die for the incompetence and wastes of this administration? If Bush and Rumsfeld had gone after Osama instead of going into Iraq, Osama would have been captured.