Norm Coleman

After Republican Senator Norm Coleman met with the Australian Ambassador, an investigation of an Australian wheat exporter was stopped. The Daily Telegraph has the story. I wonder what the Minnesota wheat farmers think of their senator lobbying for Australian wheat?

Exxon-Mobil

Exxon-Mobil's profit was $36 billion. Amazing. I don't own any of their stock, but I do have a suggestion for Exxon-Mobil. In order to improve their image, they should take $1 billion of their money and help to rebuild the 9th ward of New Orleans. They could rebuild a few schools, several thousand houses, a couple of libraries, and maybe throw in a community center. (They could call it the E-M Community Center, for Exxon Mobil). This type of philanthropy in the face of their obscene profits would really be a good deed that they could brag about in the news. If they had money left over from their $1 billion, they could work on another neighborhood in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Alabama. The Exxon-Mobil people would inspire other corporations to do similar good deeds. Do I really think Exxon-Mobil would do anything like this proposal? No. They are too greedy.

Coretta Scott King

It was sad to hear about the death of Coretta Scott King. Mrs. King, and her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King, made many sacrifices in order to work for civil rights for all Americans. Our thoughts and prayers are with the King family.
Articles about Mrs. King: NYT ABC MSNBC

Weasel

Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina reminds me of a weasel. He is full of bravado because a member of the majority party. DeMint follows the Republican leadership without question. He says Democrats stand for nothing and have not proposed anything. The Republicans control both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Many times, Democrats have been locked out of committee meetings. When Democrats ask to have a bill brought to the floor, the Republican leadership will not put it on the agenda. Republicans only work on bills that favor their lobbyist friends, not their constituents.

Democrats stand for people. Do you think if Democrats were in power that we would have invaded Iraq? NO! Our young men and women would be alive, not injured and fighting for their veterans medical benefits. If a Democrat had been in the White House, we would not have had the catastrophe on the gulf coast following the hurricanes. Why? A Democratic President would have reacted immediately to the crisis and had a competent FEMA director in place (not someone like HECKUVA JOB, BROWNIE ) organizing help/rescue/recovery. If the Democrats were the majority party, we would not have our elderly confused and befuddled by the Medicare Drug Plan which rewards the large pharmaceutical companies. We also would not have teachers dealing with the unfunded No Child Left Behind federal mandate.

DeMint, you are ridiculous----but that is only my humble opinion.

Who knew?????

This morning, Rachel Maddow was talking about Toby Keith on her radio show. Toby Keith is a Democrat! Whoa! Here are some excerpts from an article about his political beliefs:

...I'll never be ashamed of that song ("Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue"). That song was written about 9-11 and the Taliban and al Qaeda. That had nothing to do with the Iraq war. I got lumped in with that. There's nothing I can do about that. I'm not gonna run around and try to put all those fires out. There are so many of those ignorant rants about that that you just have to...

This is my favorite one. I'm a lifetime registered Democrat. That completely freaks people out. I helped to campaign in Oklahoma (for Democratic Gov. Brad Henry)...

...I always vote for the guy who can get it done. And it ain't nobody's business who I vote for, but I voted for Clinton twice. And that just blows people's minds when they hear that. And here's the thing. Just because you're pro-troops doesn't mean you're pro-war. And just because you're anti-war don't mean you're anti-troops.

Just because you don't support the war people think you're anti-troops and you're a bad guy. And just because you go support the troops and rah-rah the troops up all of a sudden you're pro-war. Those are the two biggest misconceptions of the whole thing.

The lifetime card-carrying Democrat, that kills 'em. The guys who hammer me would give anything if I would just turn coat; they want me so bad to be a Republican that it just kills 'em. But I'm not. It would make it so much easier to hate me, you know what I mean. It just destroys their attack on me when they find out I voted for Clinton twice and that I'm a Democrat."

I suggest you read the entire article because it will enlighten you.

Nobody Saw It Coming

Because this administration has failed to do the homework, they've screwed up again. From the New York Times:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged Sunday that the United States had failed to understand the depth of hostility among Palestinians toward their longtime leaders. The hostility led to an election victory by the militant group Hamas that has reduced to tatters crucial assumptions underlying American policies and hopes in the Middle East.
"I've asked why nobody saw it coming," Ms. Rice said, speaking of her own staff. "It does say something about us not having a good enough pulse..."

Paul Bremer said the same thing about the insurgency in Iraq. ABC News:
Paul Bremer, who led the U.S. civilian occupation authority in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, has admitted the United States did not anticipate the insurgency in the country, NBC Television said on Friday.
Bremer, interviewed by the network in connection with release of his book on Iraq, recounted the decision to disband the Iraqi army quickly after arriving in Baghdad, a move many experts consider a major miscalculation.
When asked who was to blame for the subsequent Iraqi rebellion, in which thousands of Iraqis and Americans have died, Bremer said "we really didn't see the insurgency coming," the network said in a news release...

This phrase, 'nobody saw it coming,' must be one that this Republican administration likes to use.
1. They said that the didn't see the attacks of 9/11 coming despite the August 2001 PDB (presidential daily briefing) that said: Bin Laden determined to attack U.S.
2. They used the phrase when the levees failed in New Orleans. They had been warned before, but did nothing. (Media Matters)

Why can't they do their homework? Why didn't they plan for problems? These people need to read, study the problems, research solutions, plan extensively, discuss, evaluate, and have strategies/resources available to respond. (They didn't do any of these things before, during, or after the gulf hurricanes.)

I like these two quotes (even though I don't know their origins.)
*******The failure to plan is a plan for failure.
*******Plan for success.

Even now, while our young men and women are in Iraq, they still have not planned an exit strategy.

Of Cars and Hurricanes

With the prospects of higher gas prices, Americans seem to be staying away from the SUV's. The hybrids are a great way to save gas and they're good for the environment. The Honda Civic Hybrids are available at most Honda dealers, and the Toyota Prius might be available in larger numbers soon. As a proud owner of a Honda Civic Hybrid, I can tell you that I am getting great gas mileage (45-51 mpg highway/35-44 city).

Another alternative to the current line up of cars, is the Smart Car. These cars are made by Daimler-Chrysler, and were expected to be available this year in the USA. The Smart Car is available in Europe.

Did you know that hundreds of thousands of cars were damaged during last year's hurricanes? Be very careful if you plan to buy a used car.

A New York Times article paints a confused, slow to respond White House just before and immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast. The article may leave us wondering if this administration has the ability to respond to any emergency. Some excerpts follow: The White House was beset by the "fog of war" in the crucial days immediately after Hurricane Katrina, leaving it unable to respond properly to the unfolding catastrophe, House investigators said Friday after getting the most detailed briefing yet on how President Bush's staff had handled the events....
...The White House, Mr. Rapuano said, finally received confirmation about the levee breach about 6 a.m. on Tuesday, the morning after it occurred. But even then, it does not appear that word got immediately to Mr. Bush, who was on vacation and who later said that he had had a "sense of relaxation" and had thought the city had "dodged a bullet."

"We are left with a picture of a White House that was plagued by the fog of war," said David Marin, the Republican staff director to the House committee investigating the government's response to the hurricane. "The committee is likely to find a disturbing inability by the White House to de-conflict and analyze information — and that had consequences..."

Bush Presidency is a Failure

Bloomberg is reporting this latest poll:

A majority of Americans said the presidency of George W. Bush has been a failure and that they would be more likely to vote for congressional candidates who oppose him, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.

Fifty-two percent of adults said Bush's administration since 2001 has been a failure, down from 55 percent in October. Fifty- eight percent described his second term as a failure. At the same point in former President Bill Clinton's presidency, 70 percent of those surveyed by Gallup said they considered it a success and 20 percent a failure.

In a poll conducted in January of 2002, after Bush was president for one year, 83 percent of those surveyed said his presidency was a success.

In the new poll, conducted Jan. 20-22, fifty-one percent of those surveyed said they would be more likely to vote for congressional candidates who do not support Bush's policies.....

Let me sum up the poll---
Bush = failure
Clinton Presidency = SUCCESS

----------------------
Right wing writer and Republican anorexic, Ann Coulter, suggested today that a Supreme Court Justice should be poisoned. Now before you read the entire article, I want you to imagine what would happen if a regular American said the same thing. The article can be found HERE. Is there a penalty for this? Will there be domestic spying started on Ann Coulter? Will Sean Hannity, her puppy dog, rescue Coulter from the FBI and Homeland Security?????

Government Spying on Vegans

Why is our government wasting time and money doing domestic spying on VEGANS????? ( VEGANISM may be defined as a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.) According to Channel 11 News, in Atlanta, there are pictures (shown at the Channel 11 website) and documents available that show the extent of the government's misguided domestic spying:

The ACLU of Georgia released copies of government files on Wednesday that illustrate the extent to which the FBI, the DeKalb County Division of Homeland Security and other government agencies have gone to compile information on Georgians suspected of being threats simply for expressing controversial opinions....

...The government file lists anti-war protesters in Atlanta as threats, the ACLU said. The ACLU of Georgia accuses the Bush administration of labeling those who disagree with its policy as disloyal Americans.

"We believe that spying on American citizens for no good reason is fundamentally un-American, that it's not the place of the goverment or the best use of resources to spy on its own citizens and we want it to stop. We want the spies in our government to pack their bags, close up their notebooks, take their cameras home and not engage in the spying anymore," Gerald Weber of the ACLU of Georgia said during a news conference.

"We have heard of not a single, government surveillance of a pro-war group," Weber said. "And I doubt we will ever hear of a single surveillance of a pro-war group..."

Incredible! I guess a citizen's right of freedom of speech no longer exists.

Oprah Winfrey Rules the World!!!

Today I watched Oprah Winfrey sit on her tan-colored leather chair and keep her anger under control. Any regular viewer could notice that Oprah was not happy. James Frey, the author of a book titled, A Million Little Pieces, was on the hot seat about the authenticity of his book. The book was labeled as a non-fiction account of Frey's problems with substance abuse.

Frey's book had been on Oprah's "book club" selection. Initially, she had felt moved by the book. Unfortunately for Mr. Frey, Oprah discovered that Frey's account was exaggerated and fiction. Several sources (like The Smoking Gun) were able to track down the lies in the book. The hour was amazing. Oprah Winfrey took apart major events in the book and got Frey to admit his lack of accuracy.

Gawker has some good pictures and comments.
The New York Times has an article about the program.

MSNBC has article that says in the first few paragraphs:

In a stunning switch from dismissive to disgusted, Oprah Winfrey took on one of her chosen authors, James Frey, accusing him on live television of lying about “A Million Little Pieces” and letting down the many fans of his memoir of addiction and recovery.

“I feel duped,” she said Thursday on her syndicated talk show. “But more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers.”

Frey, who found himself booed in the same Chicago studio where he had been embraced not long ago, acknowledged that he had lied....

It was clearly the best show I've seen in a long, long time. I hope that every reporter who covers our government saw that and learned something from it.

If you have seen the Open Letter to Chris Matthews blog, you must visit. There are ways for you to participate. Today, Matthews insulted Latinos.

Thin Green Line and Domestic Spying

Domestic Spying
The President does not want people to call the domestic spying he is doing "domestic spying." Oh. Well, I don't agree.
I am against domestic spying. I am against domestic spying. I am against domestic spying. I am against domestic spying. I am against domestic spying. I am against domestic spying. I am against domestic spying. I am against domestic spying.

How do they know the telephone numbers of terrorists? If you've made a phone call to a relative overseas, how are we sure that it wasn't wiretapped without a warrant? This administration has lied to us before (medicare drug plan, rebuilding the gulf coast after the hurricanes, war in Iraq would be short, the tax cuts would boost the economy, Plame leak case, protecting our troops with armor, they had no warning before 9/11, etc.) and why wouldn't they lie to us again?

>>The Thin Green Line
A new report indicates that the Army is stretched to the limit. MSNBC quotes the Associated Press. Here are some excerpts:
Stretched by frequent troop rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army has become a “thin green line” that could snap unless relief comes soon, according to a study for the Pentagon.

Andrew Krepinevich, a retired Army officer who wrote the report under a Pentagon contract, concluded that the Army cannot sustain the pace of troop deployments to Iraq long enough to break the back of the insurgency. He also suggested that the Pentagon’s decision, announced in December, to begin reducing the force in Iraq this year was driven in part by a realization that the Army was overextended....

...Rep. John Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat and Vietnam veteran, created a political storm last fall when he called for an early exit from Iraq, arguing that the Army was “broken, worn out” and fueling the insurgency by its mere presence. Administration officials have hotly contested that view....

Hmmmm. It appears that Democratic Rep. John Murtha was correct!

On the other hand, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, disagrees with the report. (Unfortunately, I caught part of Rumsfeld's news conference today. He was rude and he tap-danced around answers. All we want is the truth! Can't this administration tell us the truth?)

The Mercury News has the story:
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Wednesday rejected two new reports - including one ordered by his own office - warning that the Iraq war has strained the Army to the breaking point.

In an "interim assessment" of the Iraq war commissioned by the Office of the Secretary Defense, former Army officer Andrew Krepinevich said the strain of keeping large numbers of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan has reduced the Army to a "thin green line."

...Rumsfeld rejected their conclusions, saying the Army had met its goals for recruiting in each of the last seven months even though the goals were raised as part of a plan to boost the size of the force by 30,000.

He added that the Army exceeded its goal for retention - the number of soldiers re-enlisting and officers extending their commissions - in fiscal 2005, which ended Sept. 30.

"The force is not broken," Rumsfeld declared. Moreover, he said, "It's battle-hardened. It's not a peacetime force that has been in barracks or garrisons."

The Army fell 6,667 troops short of its fiscal 2005 recruiting goal of 80,000 and the Army Reserve missed its goal by 4,626....

http://icasualties.org/oif/: 2237 Americans have been killed in Iraq. Also, during this same news conference, Rumsfeld managed to blame the Clinton administration. Can't this administration take responsibility for anything?

>>New Orleans
It looks like that Orleans will not get any special help for rebuilding. Are you surprised? I'm not. The Times-Picayune has the sad news:
In a severe blow to state and local plans for rebuilding hurricane-devastated areas, the Bush administration Tuesday came out against a homeowner bailout proposal that many Louisianians say is the key to economic recovery and the rebirth of a redesigned New Orleans...

The administration's opposition to the Baker bill drew sharp criticism from Louisiana officials who say the Community Development Block Grant financing isn't enough to cover the state's critical housing needs.

"Clearly the $6 billion isn't enough," Baker said. "It ignores the vital recovery in the parishes of Orleans, St. Bernard, Cameron and parts of Plaquemines. That is unacceptable."

The Louisiana Recovery Authority, the panel established by Gov. Kathleen Blanco to oversee the state's recovery plans, estimated that 217,245 homes were destroyed during Katrina and Rita. Baker's bill would have drawn on federal financing to pay owners of flood-damaged property at least 60 percent of the equity in their homes and also would have paid off their mortgages....

This administration believes that rebuilding Iraq is more important. Overpaying Halliburton is more important than helping Americans.

Jean Schmidt: Out in Right Field

Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt (OH-2), the sweetheart of the Ohio Republican Party, is obviously not dealing with reality. She had a guest column in a little local newspaper and her comments were over the top, and wrong. Here are some excerpts:
...As the year draws to a close our economy is strong, and growing stronger. I was very encouraged by a recent report from the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics that pointed to the creation of 215,000 new jobs in the month of November alone. In fact, in the past 12 months, the economy has created nearly 2.2 million jobs...
Fact: Ohio's unemployment is 5.9% (up from 5.7%).

...I was pleased that my colleagues in the House could work together to support a bill, called the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, that among other things, enhances Border Patrol operations, confronts the problem of alien gangs and promotes both international and domestic policies that will deter further illegal entry into the United States...
Fact: This bill is considered by many as anti-immigration, and anti-Latino.

...Other accomplishments include passing a comprehensive energy bill that helps ensure America's energy security, a class action fairness bill that curbs frivolous lawsuits and a bankruptcy reform bill that protects consumers and small businesses...
Fact: The Oil and Gas companies are making billions of dollars, and our gasoline and heating bills are going higher. The lawsuit and bankruptcy bills just help the corporations and banks squeeze every last dollar out of the American family.

Conclusion: Jean Schmidt has done nothing except to be the mouthpiece of the corrupt Republican leadership.

Bill, Harry, and Sam

FORD---
From MSNBC: Newsweek indicates that Ford has gotten tax breaks while they've cut jobs. You'd think that someone at Ford with some morals would say, "We don't deserve this tax break because we aren't holding up our part of the requirements." Nooooooo. Once again I must say that I have sympathy for the workers but not for the directors, owners, and managers. We haven't owned a Ford since the 1970's. Sorry, Bill Ford, we will never buy a Ford again.

SENATOR HARRY REID sets the record straight with his speech about this administration. Raw Story has the speech. Give 'em hell, Harry! Some of that speech:

..Watching the video earlier, I was reminded of another lesson from college, this one taken from George Orwell and his book, 1984.
In that book, Orwell spoke of “doublespeak” - naming something just the opposite, in order to cover how unpleasant it is in reality.
As we saw in the video, the President has been giving us doublespeak for years. He utters platitudes about helping Americans, when he’s really helping his special interest friends.
When he wanted to let energy companies release more pollution into the air, he called it the “Clear Skies Initiative.”
When he wanted to give tax breaks to his special interest friends – even though it meant adding more than $50 billion to the deficit, he called it the “Deficit Reduction Act.”
His “Leave No Child Behind Act” is leaving children behind every day because he refuses to fund it. And his new Medicare drug benefit hardly resembles a “benefit” for seniors....

ALITO
The Alito vote is coming soon. Will there be any Republicans who will vote no on his nomination? We can only hope. The Mercury News has an article that indicates that Alito on the court could bring significant changes. Here are some excerpts:

The Senate Judiciary Committee moved Samuel Alito one step closer to a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court on Tuesday, where he could immediately shift the court's stance on high-profile issues such as abortion, the death penalty, religion and executive power.

Yet it is Alito's vision of judicial restraint and a limited role for courts - a vision he shares with new Chief Justice John G. Roberts - that could produce an even more fundamental change in the high court...

Alito won't likely see the partial-birth abortion ban the same way O'Connor did in 2000, when she cast the deciding vote to strike it down because it lacked a health exception...

As the court begins to consider challenges to the Bush administration's bold assertions of executive authority, Alito's record suggests strongly that he'll be more deferential than O'Connor was.

"I don't think there's any question that Alito, like Roberts, will be voting an awful lot with Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas," said Garrow, referring to the court's most conservative jurists....

Protesters at Gonzales Speech

A speech given by Attorney General Gonzales had some Georgetown Law students in a silent protest in front of the podium. Thank you, students, for your courageous act!

Sinclair Broadcasting, the right wing propaganda, swiftboat Republicans, broadcasters, may have trouble ahead. With the announcement of a new network created by Time Warner and CBS, Sinclair could have problems. Just recently, our local Sinclair channel pre-empted the movie Enemy of the State (starring Will Smith). In place of the movie, they ran 3 hours of infomericals and finally showed the movie after midnight. It is hard to believe that these nitwits own all these TV stations and they get to promote their weirdo, extreme right wing views.

From the BBC (posted at Iraq Coalition Casualties): A British student received an e-mail from a US serviceman moments before the Gulf war veteran shot himself.

Doug Barber sent Craig Evans, 19, a message that read: "I have nothing to live for any more. I am going to be checking out of this world."

The 35-year-old former National Guardsman, from Lee County, Alabama, later shot himself in the head.

The journalism student at Bournemouth University had contacted Mr Barber while researching Gulf War Syndrome.

After sending the e-mail, Mr Barber called police, collected his shotgun and went on to his porch.

Armed police then spent 30 minutes trying to talk him out of it before he shot himself on Monday last week.

Mr Barber, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), had served with the National Guard, working as a lorry driver for nine months in Iraq before returning to America in January 2005.

He told Mr Evans that he had trouble coping with everyday life and that he had not received the help he needed to cope with his severe post traumatic stress...

This is so sad. Why was he denied help? How can we get our military the help they need to prevent future tragedies?

Polls: Job Rating and Spying Without Warrants

A poll by the American Research Group, Inc., shows President Bush's approval rating back in the basement again. Here are some excerpts from the poll:

George W. Bush's overall job approval rating has returned to its lowest point in Bush's presidency as Americans again turn less optimistic about the national economy according to the latest survey from the American Research Group. Among all Americans, 36% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 58% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 34% approve and 60% disapprove.

Among Americans registered to vote, 37% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 58% disapprove. When it comes to the way Bush is handling the economy, 35% of registered voters approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 60% disapprove.

A total of 14% of Americans say the national economy is getting better, which is down from 30% in December and 52% say the national economy is getting worse, which is up from 40% in December. When asked about the national economy a year from now, 15% say it will be better, which is down from 28% in December, and 62% say it will be worse, which is up from 39% in December...

From USA Today:
...A new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows public sentiment is against the program. Fifty-one percent of Americans said the administration was wrong to intercept conversations involving a party inside the USA without a warrant. In response to another question, 58% of Americans said they support the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the program. Both questions were asked of about 500 adults Friday through Sunday and have a margin of error of +/-5 percentage points....

Obviously, Americans just don't like domestic spying without a warrant. Can't this administration follow the law? As a big LAW AND ORDER fan, I have watched cases thrown out because there was no search warrant. One reason that our forefathers and foremothers broke off from the British was because they were tired of the forced search/seizures of their homes and properties. How can this administration say they have the right to do this? Would these cases be thrown out in a court of law?

Googling and the state of the Nation

Maureen Dowd made a good point in her recent column. Dowd said she did not know what was scarier--the latest Osama tape or the Justice Dept. seeking records from Google. Check here for the column at Village Soup. I hope that Google does not give in to the pressure. The other search engines caved in, but they didn't have as much to lose. Here is an article that describes the problems.

UPDATE: On Keith Olbermann's Countdown on MSNBC, a guest, Kate Martin, talked about this administration's surveillance of people without warrants. Martin, who is a national security expert, said that the administration knew that Al Quieda people were in the U.S. before 9/11, but they did nothing about it. According to Martin, this was confirmed by the 9/11 Commission. She said that the administration's claim that if their surveillance (without warrants) had been in use before 9/11 that it would have prevented the attack, does not hold water.

I really don't care who wins the Super Bowl. However, I am cheering both teams. Why? The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks are from blue states and the Super Bowl will be played in a blue state.

The White House used their spying activities to watch Democrats and peace activists. Big brother is watching!

Ford Motor Company will announce today that they are laying off approximately 25,000 workers. Once again they are blaming workers and their healthcare costs. Ford would not have these problems if they were able to sell their cars, but they have designed an inferior product. Ford's other problem is that it has not embraced the hybrid car program and has continued its love affair with the SUV.

Bloomberg reports that the Bank of America is having some problems:

Bank of America Corp., the second- largest U.S. bank, unexpectedly reported its first quarterly earnings decline in more than four years as bankruptcies surged and profit from trading bonds and currencies dropped.

Fourth-quarter net income fell 2 percent to $3.77 billion, or 93 cents a share, from $3.85 billion, or 94 cents, a year earlier, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company said today in a statement. Revenue increased 3 percent to $14.1 billion.

Bank of America underestimated the impact of a bankruptcy law that took effect in October, which swelled credit losses by $524 million. The 5.9 percent drop in trading profit was also a surprise, after analysts predicted an increase. Investment- banking earnings tumbled almost 80 percent as Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis spent more to hire bankers and salespeople...

I have a suggestion for the Democrats while President Bush gives his state of the union speech: Walk out to show that you do not support the war or the NSA spying. The Republicans would gets their panties in a "frist."

A Video You MUST See

"Why is George Bush awesome?" Watch the video to see responses to the question: http://rocketboom.com/vlog/archives/2006/01/rb_06_jan_20.html

Ralph Reed and Bob Ney: More Evidence

Ralph Reed has always been an interesting person to observe. I've often wondered if he was really as moral and religious as he appeared. I think there is finally evidence that proves his moral fiber. Raw Story found the article from The Texas Oberver and here are some excerpts:

Evidence is mounting that former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed Jr., along with a former leader of the Texas Christian Coalition, may have illegally lobbied Texas state officials on behalf of crooked federal lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his clients.

Three Austin-based reform groups—Common Cause Texas, Public Citizen Texas, and Texans For Public Justice, the latter of which employs the author of this article—urged Travis County prosecutors last December to investigate whether Reed violated Texas’ lobby-registration laws four years ago. Correspondence between Abramoff and Reed—the ex-Christian Coalition leader now running for lieutenant governor of Georgia—suggests that Reed lobbied Texas officials on behalf of Abramoff’s Indian gambling clients without registering as a Texas lobbyist. The $5 million in gambling money that Abramoff reportedly paid Reed for his services would make it one of the largest lobby contracts ever made public in Texas...

There is evidence that Ralph Reed contributed to this Channel One lobbying coup behind the scenes. A brief Austin American-Statesman article in September 2002 reported that Channel One postponed a vote on the resolution thanks to “an impromptu lobbying effort by Channel One Communications—including phone calls from Ralph Reed.” Indeed, Channel One critic Gary Ruskin, of Commercial Alert, continues to blame Reed’s lobbying for ensuring that, “Texas school children are still forced to watch ads for junk food, violent entertainment and movies that portray smoking.”

I'd suggest you read the entire article for a clear picture of how Reed and Abramoff operated.

Bob Ney has not been a stranger to lobbyists, according to an article originally published in the LA Times and now KTLA:

...Ney and his staff regularly enjoyed complimentary meals and drinks at Abramoff's upscale Pennsylvania Avenue restaurant and free tickets to local concerts and sporting events, according to Abramoff's Jan. 3 plea agreement.

The same court document cataloged numerous gifts from Abramoff to Ney or his aides beginning in 2000, including trips to the Marianas Islands in the South Pacific and the 2002 golfing trip to Scotland.

Also on the Scotland trip — which was valued in total at "well over $100,000," according to court documents — was a top procurement official for the Bush administration who in September was charged with making false statements about dealings with Abramoff. Former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed completed Ney's St. Andrews golf party.

In exchange for gifts, Abramoff said, Ney agreed to introduce legislation for at least one of the lobbyist's American Indian clients. Ney also placed statements in the congressional record supporting Abramoff's efforts to buy a Florida gambling company. And the congressman agreed to meet with an Abramoff client from Russia seeking help getting a U.S. visa for a relative.

Ney has repeatedly denied Abramoff's allegations, and his spokesman, Brian J. Walsh, said last week that "a number of things in the agreement are not true or never happened..."

Pictures Surfacing

Some pictures have surfaced of President Bush and Jack Abramoff. Aw, come on. You knew that sooner or later someone would find the pictures. Raw story found it at The Washingtonian: Here is an excerpt--

Abramoff was named a “pioneer” in the Bush presidential campaign, collecting more than $100,000, in $2,000 maximum increments, for his campaign in 2004. Bush has returned $6,000 of Abramoff’s contributions, the part that would represent the legal limit for Abramoff; his wife, Pam; and a client.

Sources say the photographs are being kept safe. Abramoff would tell prosecutors, if asked, that not only did he know the President, but the President knew the names of Abramoff’s children and asked about them during their meetings. At one such photo session, Bush discussed the fact that both he and Abramoff were fathers of twins.

How nice.

Interesting pictures: here here here .

Problems with Medicare Drug Program

In the next weeks, members of the administration will be out in public relating good news about the Medicare Drug Program. Unfortunately, they won't be telling the truth. Problems are persisting with the program. Some seniors and disabled have been denied their medications. States and individual pharmacies will be left holding the bag, and eventually, the taxpayer. Here is a roundup of some of the articles regarding the screw-ups:

LA Times: Medicare Drug Plan Looks Like a Scam
PBS: Troubles With Medicare Prescription Drug Program
LD News: Drug-Benefit Mix-Up to Cost State $12 million
San Luis Obispo Tribune: Medicare Won't Reimburse States for Emergency Drug Costs
Today's THV: Botched Medicare Drug Program Costs Arkansas $1.5 million
Detroit News: Medicare Drug Program Launches to Host of Problems
Shreveport Times: Medicare Drug Program Causing Problems
MSNBC.com: Dealing with Medicare Drug Benefit Problems
NY Times: Medicare Woes Take High Toll on Mentally Ill

If you have an elderly parent, relative, neighbor, or friend, please check on them to make sure that they have been able to get their medication.


Update: Frist goofs----(Yahoo News)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist told Republican Party activists on Friday night that
U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito was the "worst nightmare of liberal Democrats.

Frist, a Tennessee Republican, made the remark to fellow Republicans during a private tour he gave them of the Senate chamber when the Senate was not in session.

Frist was not available for comment following his remarks....