I think it sums up this administration at this time. From the Financial Times:
The decision by the United Arab Emirates on Thursday to order state-controlled Dubai Ports World to end its control over US port facilities marks the lowest point yet in the relationship between President George W. Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress....
...But with his public approval ratings at record lows and his Republican party abandoning him, one of the US’s closest allies in the Arab world concluded that he was no longer in control in Washington...
The Republicans are scared because they know that the public has turned against them and the midterm elections are months away. We need to keep working to protect our nation and get our country back on the right track.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Real People vs. Trent Lott
Those Republicans haven't paid for their own lunch in a looooooonnnnnng time. I found this at Wonkette:
...the Senate agreed to a ban on undisclosed meals from lobbyists. The job of infusing the dully obvious with the breathless gravitas of the narration in the Shawshank Redemption fell to Barack Obama, who said: “In cities and towns all across America it turns out that people pay for their own lunches and their own dinners…People who make far less than we do.”
...the Senate agreed to a ban on undisclosed meals from lobbyists. The job of infusing the dully obvious with the breathless gravitas of the narration in the Shawshank Redemption fell to Barack Obama, who said: “In cities and towns all across America it turns out that people pay for their own lunches and their own dinners…People who make far less than we do.”
Senator Trent Lott had a different take on the ban: “It’s totally ludicrous that we are doing this. I’ll be eating with my wife and so will a lot more senators after we pass this one.” Classy, that Trent Lott. What a catch...
Oh, my goodness. Senator Trent Lott will be forced to eat lunch with his wife!!!!! At least Lott is eating lunch. Some people in our country can't afford to eat lunch! Trent Lott should win an award for being an arrogant pig.
Raw Story exposes MSNBC's Chris Matthews and his speaking engagements at conservative organizations. This may explain why he is playing lap dog for the Republicans. Do you think MSNBC will allow this to continue? I hope not because this makes Tweety on the same level as Rush, and the goofballs at Fox News.
There have been some leaks about possible nominees for the Pulitzer Prize. E&P has a sneak peak.
Huffington Post had a tip about a story posted at The Tennessean about Sen. Bill Frist. Frist has been getting the movie star treatment from drug companies for years. Read the article here.
The Huffington Post has a posting by Rep. John Murtha. For those who have family/friends in the military, this shows you that things are not good for our young men and women, and we should be very concerned.
News from All Over, and Ohio
*Former President Jimmy Carter had a few things to say about the war in Iraq:
"It was a completely unnecessary war. It was an unjust war," said Carter, the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner. "It was initiated on the basis of false pretenses. All of those are true, but we can't just pre-emptively withdraw..."
He urged the Bush administration to bring home as many troops as possible within the next 12 months...
***Bruuuuuuuuce!
The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, is lending his talents to help the Big Easy. USA Today says: ...The Boss hits the Big Easy on April 30 with much of the ensemble that recorded his upcoming We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, rootsy folk and Americana songs popularized by folk dean Pete Seeger..
****Speaking of music-- ABC News is reporting that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are expressing their feeling about the Katrina cleanup: Here is an excerpt: Faith Hill and Tim McGraw — two stars who usually stay out of politics — blasted the Hurricane Katrina cleanup effort, with Hill calling the slow progress in Louisiana and Mississippi "embarrassing" and "humiliating."
*Poor Tom "coingate" Noe can't go judge shopping. According to the Toledo Blade, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer rejected Noe's plea to have his trial out of Lucas County, Ohio.
*Ohio Republicans Are Continuing The Culture of Corruption (Haven't these guys learned anything?):
Also, from the Blade: A bill created by Ohio Republicans allows more political corruption in the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation. Despite the fact that we've had all these coingate scandals, this Ohio GOP controlled state will allow it to continue.
....The bill also rolls back a rule enacted by the BWC Oversight Commission that prohibited investment managers and others seeking to do business with the bureau from contributing more than $250 to statewide elected officials. The move raises that cap to $1,000 in line with existing Ohio law.
“You could have knocked me over with a feather that we would this quickly move to override the decision of our oversight commission on something as fundamental as political influence,” said Sen. Eric Fingerhut (D., Cleveland), a commission member.
“I would never have believed it in a million years,” he said. “It sends a message we don’t want the oversight commission to be zealous in its duties, that we don’t want to get to the root of these problems.”
The bureau has lost an estimated $228 million in a risky offshore hedge fund and a failed rare-coin fund investment with GOP fund-raiser Tom Noe, which was first reported in The Blade in April, 2005...
"It was a completely unnecessary war. It was an unjust war," said Carter, the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner. "It was initiated on the basis of false pretenses. All of those are true, but we can't just pre-emptively withdraw..."
He urged the Bush administration to bring home as many troops as possible within the next 12 months...
***Bruuuuuuuuce!
The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, is lending his talents to help the Big Easy. USA Today says: ...The Boss hits the Big Easy on April 30 with much of the ensemble that recorded his upcoming We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, rootsy folk and Americana songs popularized by folk dean Pete Seeger..
****Speaking of music-- ABC News is reporting that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are expressing their feeling about the Katrina cleanup: Here is an excerpt: Faith Hill and Tim McGraw — two stars who usually stay out of politics — blasted the Hurricane Katrina cleanup effort, with Hill calling the slow progress in Louisiana and Mississippi "embarrassing" and "humiliating."
"To me, there's a lot of politics being played and a lot of people trying to put people in bad positions in order to further their agendas," McGraw, a 38-year-old native of Delhi, La., told ABC News Radio.
"When you have people dying because they're poor and black or poor and white, or because of whatever they are — if that's a number on a political scale — then that is the most wrong thing. That erases everything that's great about our country."
McGraw specifically criticized President Bush. "There's no reason why someone can't go down there who's supposed to be the leader of the free world … and say, 'I'm giving you a job to do and I'm not leaving here until it's done. And you're held accountable, and you're held accountable, and you're held accountable...."
***Do you think that Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh could have an entire show without saying the word "liberal?" Why do they continue to demonize the word? I'm proud to be a liberal because it shows that I care about people. Hannity and Limbaugh are just self-centered jerks who repeat the Republican mantra over and over again. And they say Democrats don't have any new ideas???? How many months did Hannity mention the missing girl in Aruba rather than discuss real issues---like Katrina, unemployment, the war, etc.???*Poor Tom "coingate" Noe can't go judge shopping. According to the Toledo Blade, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer rejected Noe's plea to have his trial out of Lucas County, Ohio.
*Ohio Republicans Are Continuing The Culture of Corruption (Haven't these guys learned anything?):
Also, from the Blade: A bill created by Ohio Republicans allows more political corruption in the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation. Despite the fact that we've had all these coingate scandals, this Ohio GOP controlled state will allow it to continue.
....The bill also rolls back a rule enacted by the BWC Oversight Commission that prohibited investment managers and others seeking to do business with the bureau from contributing more than $250 to statewide elected officials. The move raises that cap to $1,000 in line with existing Ohio law.
“You could have knocked me over with a feather that we would this quickly move to override the decision of our oversight commission on something as fundamental as political influence,” said Sen. Eric Fingerhut (D., Cleveland), a commission member.
“I would never have believed it in a million years,” he said. “It sends a message we don’t want the oversight commission to be zealous in its duties, that we don’t want to get to the root of these problems.”
The bureau has lost an estimated $228 million in a risky offshore hedge fund and a failed rare-coin fund investment with GOP fund-raiser Tom Noe, which was first reported in The Blade in April, 2005...
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Names
Jack Abramoff is giving interviews. According to Think Progress, Abramoff is dropping those Republican names again: Bush, Mehlman, Burns (MT-R), Newt, DeLay. How nice! An upcoming Vanity Fair article reveals the juicy tidbits. Raw Story has more about the interview. There is even more on Conrad Burns here.
Bad news from Detroit: GM plans to cut pensions for 42,000. The Detroit Free Press is reporting the following:
After decades of giving its U.S. salaried employees generous pensions, General Motors Corp. announced a sweeping change in direction Tuesday that will place more of the burden on workers to save for their retirement.
Bad news from Detroit: GM plans to cut pensions for 42,000. The Detroit Free Press is reporting the following:
After decades of giving its U.S. salaried employees generous pensions, General Motors Corp. announced a sweeping change in direction Tuesday that will place more of the burden on workers to save for their retirement.
The changes are the latest hit to benefits for GM's 42,000 salaried workers who have already been forced to pay more for health care while losing other perks such as tuition reimbursement....
According to Blue NC, Republican Elizabeth Dole is sending out a very misleading fundraising letter that is disguised to look like a government form. Americablog also has info and an image. If you have relatives in North Carolina, especially elderly, make sure that they don't respond to this scam.
News You Don't Want to Lose
USA Today has an article about the death of Dana Reeves and why her passing has touched so many of us.
Pat Robertson, extreme right wing TV evangelist, is making predictions again: He is predicting another vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.
I read somewhere that Rudy Giuliani is cosidered a front runner in the Republican race for the White House. This is just what we need. Giuliani has been married 3 times, divorced twice, and was a public adulterer. Once a cheater, always a cheater (only my opinion).
Did you know that Ohio Republican Rep. John Boner is a chain smoker? Yuck! Is he subjecting his staff to second hand smoke?
If cable subscribers are allowed to drop certain channels, the first channel I'd drop is FOX. It would be a pleasure to not subject myself to the ugliness of O'Reilly, Hannity, and their ilk when I'm channel surfing. (Bill O'Reilly said this recently: "Brokeback Mountain seeks to humanize gays." O'Reilly is an idiot.)
Indicted Republican Rep. Tom DeLay won the primary yesterday in Texas. It just goes to show you some people are just plain WRONG.
Have you noticed that our war dead in Iraq has now gone over 2300? Is there an exit strategy yet?
According to Newsweek, Houston is pulling up the welcome mat for Katrina evacuees: In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, Houston earned a loving moniker among many of the evacuees who sought refuge there: the Big Heart. This, after all, was the city that housed, fed and mended more than 150,000 survivors in a herculean effort that won national acclaim...
...But six months after the evacuees arrived, the city's heart seems to be hardening...
Pat Robertson, extreme right wing TV evangelist, is making predictions again: He is predicting another vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court.
I read somewhere that Rudy Giuliani is cosidered a front runner in the Republican race for the White House. This is just what we need. Giuliani has been married 3 times, divorced twice, and was a public adulterer. Once a cheater, always a cheater (only my opinion).
Did you know that Ohio Republican Rep. John Boner is a chain smoker? Yuck! Is he subjecting his staff to second hand smoke?
If cable subscribers are allowed to drop certain channels, the first channel I'd drop is FOX. It would be a pleasure to not subject myself to the ugliness of O'Reilly, Hannity, and their ilk when I'm channel surfing. (Bill O'Reilly said this recently: "Brokeback Mountain seeks to humanize gays." O'Reilly is an idiot.)
Indicted Republican Rep. Tom DeLay won the primary yesterday in Texas. It just goes to show you some people are just plain WRONG.
Have you noticed that our war dead in Iraq has now gone over 2300? Is there an exit strategy yet?
According to Newsweek, Houston is pulling up the welcome mat for Katrina evacuees: In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, Houston earned a loving moniker among many of the evacuees who sought refuge there: the Big Heart. This, after all, was the city that housed, fed and mended more than 150,000 survivors in a herculean effort that won national acclaim...
...But six months after the evacuees arrived, the city's heart seems to be hardening...
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Bob Ney-Will his name be on Abramoff's list?
Tonight on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Howard Fineman of Newsweek said that Abramoff has threatened to name names in the penalty phase of his trial. Do you think Republican Rep. Bob Ney (OH-18) is worried? I hope so. Ney must believe he is above the law.
This is from the Chillicothe Gazette:
One of Rep. Bob Ney’s Democratic challengers Tuesday called for his resignation if Ney is named in the Jack Abramoff corruption probe.
But Ney isn’t planning on giving up his seat any time soon, his spokesperson said.
Chillicothe Mayor Joe Sulzer was joined by Ohio Democratic Party Chair Chris Redfern in calling for Ney’s immediate resignation in the event that Abramoff names Ney as “Representative Number One.”
Abramoff's attorney said Monday that the disgraced lobbyist would "name names" and "provide the public with evidence" of Abramoff's cooperation in the federal government's case. Ney has been linked by sources close to the probe as “Representative Number One.”
"When Jack Abramoff 'names names,' ‘Representative Number One’ will likely be first on the list," Sulzer said. "That is why I am calling on Bob Ney to resign immediately if Jack Abramoff names him. The ongoing investigation of Ney's corruption is keeping him from doing the job that we elected him to do."
Ney — through his spokesperson, Brian Walsh — called the announcement another in a series of negative attacks. He also hit at Sulzer’s connection with trial lawyers.
“Joe Sulzer has a history of siding with and taking money from trial lawyers so it's not a surprise that he would base his latest negative attacks solely on the tainted words of a slick trial lawyer and a convicted felon like Jack Abramoff,” said Walsh.
Tuesday’s announcement was not unexpected since Sulzer is considered the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the 18th District race. The primary is May 2.
"We sent Bob Ney to Congress to protect our jobs and uphold our values," said Redfern. "We didn't elect him to take golfing trips to Scotland, wine and dine with corrupt lobbyists, and raise money for his legal defense fund."
This is from the Chillicothe Gazette:
One of Rep. Bob Ney’s Democratic challengers Tuesday called for his resignation if Ney is named in the Jack Abramoff corruption probe.
But Ney isn’t planning on giving up his seat any time soon, his spokesperson said.
Chillicothe Mayor Joe Sulzer was joined by Ohio Democratic Party Chair Chris Redfern in calling for Ney’s immediate resignation in the event that Abramoff names Ney as “Representative Number One.”
Abramoff's attorney said Monday that the disgraced lobbyist would "name names" and "provide the public with evidence" of Abramoff's cooperation in the federal government's case. Ney has been linked by sources close to the probe as “Representative Number One.”
"When Jack Abramoff 'names names,' ‘Representative Number One’ will likely be first on the list," Sulzer said. "That is why I am calling on Bob Ney to resign immediately if Jack Abramoff names him. The ongoing investigation of Ney's corruption is keeping him from doing the job that we elected him to do."
Ney — through his spokesperson, Brian Walsh — called the announcement another in a series of negative attacks. He also hit at Sulzer’s connection with trial lawyers.
“Joe Sulzer has a history of siding with and taking money from trial lawyers so it's not a surprise that he would base his latest negative attacks solely on the tainted words of a slick trial lawyer and a convicted felon like Jack Abramoff,” said Walsh.
Tuesday’s announcement was not unexpected since Sulzer is considered the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the 18th District race. The primary is May 2.
"We sent Bob Ney to Congress to protect our jobs and uphold our values," said Redfern. "We didn't elect him to take golfing trips to Scotland, wine and dine with corrupt lobbyists, and raise money for his legal defense fund."
Republicans Don't Care About Real People--Only Business Buddies
The Republicans are selling out our safety and protection to their buddies in food businesses. When you hang around big shots, get to ride and their private jets, play golf, and dine on lobster, you forget about the real people and their needs. This is an example of how the Republicans control the agenda. We will continue to fight them.
First Coast News: Lawmakers seeking to curtail food warning labels have personal ties to food industry lobbyists, critics said Monday.
House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and several other lawmakers support a bill that would keep states from adding warnings that go beyond federal rules.
The lawmakers have family, friends and former staff among the lobbyists for the bill.
"This helps explain why the food industry has blocked any efforts to have hearings," said Ben Cohen, attorney for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog group....
According to reports filed with Congress, the bill's lobbyists include Blunt's wife, Abigail, who works for Altria, parent of Kraft Foods. They also include former Boehner staffers Mason Wiggins, lobbyist for the Food Products Association, an industry group, and Brenda Reese, lobbyist for the American Beverage Association.
Also listed is Brad Card, brother of White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and former top aide to Rep. John Sweeney, R-N.Y. Brad Card has lobbied on food labeling issues for the Food Products Association. The association is headed by a former congressman, Democrat Cal Dooley of California....
First Coast News: Lawmakers seeking to curtail food warning labels have personal ties to food industry lobbyists, critics said Monday.
House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and several other lawmakers support a bill that would keep states from adding warnings that go beyond federal rules.
The lawmakers have family, friends and former staff among the lobbyists for the bill.
"This helps explain why the food industry has blocked any efforts to have hearings," said Ben Cohen, attorney for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog group....
According to reports filed with Congress, the bill's lobbyists include Blunt's wife, Abigail, who works for Altria, parent of Kraft Foods. They also include former Boehner staffers Mason Wiggins, lobbyist for the Food Products Association, an industry group, and Brenda Reese, lobbyist for the American Beverage Association.
Also listed is Brad Card, brother of White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and former top aide to Rep. John Sweeney, R-N.Y. Brad Card has lobbied on food labeling issues for the Food Products Association. The association is headed by a former congressman, Democrat Cal Dooley of California....
Would you like this job????
Would you like Negroponte's job? I found this link at the Huffington Post:
On many a workday lunchtime, the nominal boss of U.S. intelligence,
“He spends three hours there [every] Monday through Friday,” gripes a senior counterterrorism official, noting that the former ambassador has a security detail sitting outside all that time in chase cars. Others say they’ve seen the Director of National Intelligence at the University Club, a 100-year-old mansion-like redoubt of dark oak panels and high ceilings a few blocks from the White House, only “several” times a week....
...Negroponte spokesman Carl Kroft takes serious issue with that portrayal.
“He’s the hardest working person in U.S. intelligence,” Kroft said. “He’s hard at work from the early hours of the morning to late every night. The job never ends...”
Wow! This must be what the administration means when they say they are tough on homeland security. Obviously, the University Club is very well protected, while the rest of the country is footloose and fancy free. I wonder how many other Bush administration officials are also getting massages at the University Club.
Monday, March 06, 2006
If You're in Iraq, The Truth Is NOT Available
This is fascinating. If you are a Marine, in the Air Force, in the Army, and serving in Iraq, your military leaders and the Pentagon do not want you to know the truth. Only "pre-approved" right wing extremist websites which support this administration and the unending war in Iraq are available to the military.
According to Wonkette and FireDogLake:
Alex at Wonkette writes today about web sites that are being blocked by military computers in Iraq, as opposed to those that are deemed "acceptable":
Wonkette - blocked
O'Reilly -- OK (chickenhawk)
Air America -- blocked
Limbaugh -- OK (chickenhawk)
ABC News "The Note" -- OK
Al Franken Show -- blocked
G. Gordon Liddy Show -- OK (convicted in Watergate break-in)
Here is a new list of websites to check:
http://derenegade.blogspot.com/
http://www.rawstory.com/
http://www.iava.org/index2.html
http://americablog.blogspot.com/
http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/
http://mediamatters.org/
http://www.crooksandliars.com/
God forbid if our service members should find out the truth. They might start to question things.
According to Wonkette and FireDogLake:
Alex at Wonkette writes today about web sites that are being blocked by military computers in Iraq, as opposed to those that are deemed "acceptable":
Wonkette - blocked
O'Reilly -- OK (chickenhawk)
Air America -- blocked
Limbaugh -- OK (chickenhawk)
ABC News "The Note" -- OK
Al Franken Show -- blocked
G. Gordon Liddy Show -- OK (convicted in Watergate break-in)
Here is a new list of websites to check:
http://derenegade.blogspot.com/
http://www.rawstory.com/
http://www.iava.org/index2.html
http://americablog.blogspot.com/
http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/
http://mediamatters.org/
http://www.crooksandliars.com/
God forbid if our service members should find out the truth. They might start to question things.
Did you know....?
George Clooney is cuter than Bill O'Reilly.
Ken Lay, former Enron CEO, is down to his last $650,000. Boo-hoo.
The Three 6 Mafia (where did they get the name) won an Oscar for their music. I'd like to see Trent Lott dance to "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp."
Republican Senator John McCain is against a woman's right to choose. Update: Raw Story has more on McCain here.
If you call O'Reilly's radio show and mention Keith Olbermann, he'll hang up on you and get the Faux News security after you. (I'm shaking in my booties!)
Democratic Rep. John Murtha is correct in saying that the only people who want us in Iraq are Iran, al Qaeda, and China. Murtha has been right about about his assessment on the war in Iraq.
Many polls put Bush's job approval ratings under 40%. Ouch!
A right wing site has an article called Black Republican Candidates to Keep an Eye On. Can you guess the length of the list? 25? 50? 100? answer: only 4
(I am surprised that there are even 4.)
Ken Lay, former Enron CEO, is down to his last $650,000. Boo-hoo.
The Three 6 Mafia (where did they get the name) won an Oscar for their music. I'd like to see Trent Lott dance to "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp."
Republican Senator John McCain is against a woman's right to choose. Update: Raw Story has more on McCain here.
If you call O'Reilly's radio show and mention Keith Olbermann, he'll hang up on you and get the Faux News security after you. (I'm shaking in my booties!)
Democratic Rep. John Murtha is correct in saying that the only people who want us in Iraq are Iran, al Qaeda, and China. Murtha has been right about about his assessment on the war in Iraq.
Many polls put Bush's job approval ratings under 40%. Ouch!
A right wing site has an article called Black Republican Candidates to Keep an Eye On. Can you guess the length of the list? 25? 50? 100? answer: only 4
(I am surprised that there are even 4.)
Friday, March 03, 2006
Reflections on Being a Democrat
I think that the reason the NRSC isn't doing well in online fundraising has to do with the fact that some Republicans are technologically-challenged. Take for example Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld and Sec. of Homeland Security Chertoff. Neither Rumsfeld nor Chertoff use e-mail. Do you think Bush uses e-mail? What are his favorite search engines and blogs?
Democrats, on the other hand, are more technologically advanced and we should use it to our advantage.
As an Ohio Democrat, I see the results of how the corrupt Republicans have ruined our state. I know that Democrats can and will do better. Why? Democrats have hearts and passion. Passion? Democrats care about school kids, senior citizens, the poor, the single mother, all families, equality, justice, creating good paying jobs, and national security. Democrats want to include everyone in the Democratic Party. Republicans---just don't want everyone in their party. They like big political money, big businesses, and the rich. Democrats are willing to take small but meaningful campaign contributions from people who are passionate about change.
In order to get things back on track, we've got to demonstrate that passion in how we work, write, speak, and inspire.
Democrats, on the other hand, are more technologically advanced and we should use it to our advantage.
As an Ohio Democrat, I see the results of how the corrupt Republicans have ruined our state. I know that Democrats can and will do better. Why? Democrats have hearts and passion. Passion? Democrats care about school kids, senior citizens, the poor, the single mother, all families, equality, justice, creating good paying jobs, and national security. Democrats want to include everyone in the Democratic Party. Republicans---just don't want everyone in their party. They like big political money, big businesses, and the rich. Democrats are willing to take small but meaningful campaign contributions from people who are passionate about change.
In order to get things back on track, we've got to demonstrate that passion in how we work, write, speak, and inspire.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Fascinating Information
>In New Delhi, India, approximately 100,000 people participated in protests against President Bush.
>Former Rep. Duke Cunningham had a bribe menu:
Fox’s Prime Time erosion was even greater at -21%. In fact, in every hour in the daypart, from 3:00pm till midnight, Fox numbers were lower. This is a distinction that only Fox, of the five nets surveyed, was able to achieve.
The largest decline was suffered by Greta Van Susteran’s On The Record (-22%), followed closely by O’Reilly (-21%). Hannity & What’s His Name took the Bronze (-17%). Of the MSNBC programs opposite those losers, Olbermann’s Countdown was the biggest gainer (55%), which I’m sure doesn’t bother O’Reilly at all....
>Former Rep. Duke Cunningham had a bribe menu:
Prosecutors will ask federal Judge Larry Burns to impose the statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The sentencing memorandum includes the California Republican's "bribery menu" on one of his congressional note cards, "starkly framed" under the seal of the United States Congress.
The card shows an escalating scale for bribes, starting at $140,000 and a luxury yacht for a $16 million Defense Department contract. Each additional $1 million in contract value required a $50,000 bribe.
The rate dropped to $25,000 per additional million once the contract went above $20 million.
>From the News Corpse Blog:
The just released February ratings (pdf) for cable news networks tell a tale that is decidedly downbeat for Fox News. In a comparison with February 2005, the numbers for every network are up except for Fox.
Fox’s Prime Time erosion was even greater at -21%. In fact, in every hour in the daypart, from 3:00pm till midnight, Fox numbers were lower. This is a distinction that only Fox, of the five nets surveyed, was able to achieve.
The largest decline was suffered by Greta Van Susteran’s On The Record (-22%), followed closely by O’Reilly (-21%). Hannity & What’s His Name took the Bronze (-17%). Of the MSNBC programs opposite those losers, Olbermann’s Countdown was the biggest gainer (55%), which I’m sure doesn’t bother O’Reilly at all....
Whoa! Looks like Americans are finally getting tired of Fox News and their lies.
Ameriblog had this linked----HERE:
Air Force and Navy pilots are being retrained for special ground units to detect and destroy IED's. Who is running the Pentagon? Oh, yeah, Rummy.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Unending Corruption
The Billings Gazette has a page devoted to the ties between Montana's U.S. Senator Conrad Burn and disgraced lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. It is a good reference for the people of Montana who may need more information about Burns.
In Ohio Republican corruption news: Tom "coingate" Noe, former Republican fundraiser wants some new judges for his trial. While he is at it, he should ask to change the location of his trial, as well as a special pool of jurors. I have a great idea-----We'll get the juror pool from the 308,000 voters your wife, Bernadette Noe, removed from the Ohio voter registration lists. I am sure they would do a great job deciding your guilt.
Katherine Harris lost an aide to a defense contractor. The Herald Tribune has this:
An aide to Rep. Katherine Harris quit last year to work for a defense contractor who at the time was pressing the Longboat Key Republican to secure federal funding for a counterintelligence project....
...The move last April by Mona Tate Yost, Harris' former schedule coordinator, to MZM suggests the contractor was more tightly tied to the congresswoman's office than previously known. Wade had asked Harris over dinner last year to seek funding for a project in her district that would benefit MZM...
Can't Harris do anything right?
In Ohio Republican corruption news: Tom "coingate" Noe, former Republican fundraiser wants some new judges for his trial. While he is at it, he should ask to change the location of his trial, as well as a special pool of jurors. I have a great idea-----We'll get the juror pool from the 308,000 voters your wife, Bernadette Noe, removed from the Ohio voter registration lists. I am sure they would do a great job deciding your guilt.
Katherine Harris lost an aide to a defense contractor. The Herald Tribune has this:
An aide to Rep. Katherine Harris quit last year to work for a defense contractor who at the time was pressing the Longboat Key Republican to secure federal funding for a counterintelligence project....
...The move last April by Mona Tate Yost, Harris' former schedule coordinator, to MZM suggests the contractor was more tightly tied to the congresswoman's office than previously known. Wade had asked Harris over dinner last year to seek funding for a project in her district that would benefit MZM...
Can't Harris do anything right?
Republicans: What reform?????
The Republican controlled House of Representatives and U.S. Senate are doing very little to enforce the ethics rules. Despite Republicans vowing to do something big to improve ethics after the Abramoff scandal was revealed, they have no big plans to revise anything. It made a good show while it lasted. The Philadelphia Inquirer has the story.
According to a Zogby International poll, 72% of American troops want out of Iraq in a year. Raw Story has the details.
More details are emerging about the Duke Cunningham scandal. Here is an excerpt for the San Jose Mercury News: Former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham bullied and hectored 10 Defense Department officials to ensure that a contractor who has admitted bribing him and another accused of doing the same "received their pound of gold," federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
According to a Zogby International poll, 72% of American troops want out of Iraq in a year. Raw Story has the details.
More details are emerging about the Duke Cunningham scandal. Here is an excerpt for the San Jose Mercury News: Former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham bullied and hectored 10 Defense Department officials to ensure that a contractor who has admitted bribing him and another accused of doing the same "received their pound of gold," federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Cunningham lobbied to take money away from other programs to ensure more money for what he described to an aide as his "top two priorities" - defense contractors Mitchell Wade and Brent Wilkes. When his request for Wade's company came up about $1 million short, the Republican lawmaker stormed into his office and said "he might as well be a Democrat," according to a 2002 e-mail exchange between two of his staff members.
The revelations, including Cunningham's interactions with 10 unnamed Defense Department employees between 1999 and 2005, are contained in the prosecution's objections to a pre-sentence report. The report stated there was no way to distinguish between defense contracts funded through Cunningham's intervention or legitimate means.
Cunningham, 64, is scheduled to be sentenced Friday for accepting $2.4 million in bribes from Wade and others in exchange for steering government work to their companies....
Despite loads of evidence to the contrary, Senator Conrad Burns (Montana-R) claims he has done nothing wrong. The Democrats are pushing hard to get the Abramoff beneficiary out of office.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
UAE gave $ to Bush library
Why does President Bush like the people of the United Arab Emerates? The UAE owns the Dubai Ports company and the UAE is very, very special to Bush:
A sheik from the United Arab Emirates contributed at least $1 million to the Bush Library Foundation, which established the George Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University in College Station...
The list of donors names Sheik Zayed Bin Sultan al Nahyan and the people of the United Arab Emirates as one donor in the $1 million or more category.
The amount of the gift grants them recognition on the engraved donor wall in the library entrance or on the paving bricks that line the library's walkways, according to library documents.
Roman Popaduik, chairman of the Bush Library Foundation that collects donations, said he could not discuss details of the gifts except to say the amount category and whether it was before or after 1997....
How nice. If you give money to the Bush family, you get special privileges, even if you are a foreign country with ties to terrorists.
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Senator Hillary Clinton (NY-D) says that Karl Rove is obsessed with her. I bet someone has given her some of the e-mails and notes that Rove has written about her. Do you think that Rove has a picture of Senator Clinton in his wallet? Rove's problems have to do with the fact that he is the man behind the lies and misdeeds of this administration. With Bush's sinking approval rating, Rove is looking for someone to blame other than himself. Perhaps Rove is obsessed with Sen. Clinton because he is afraid of her and the Democratic Party.
Numbers and Money
According to CBS News, President Bush has an approval rating of 34%. Cheney had an 18% approval rating. Whoa!
It seems like Halliburton and its subsidiaries can get any money they want from the Bush-Cheney administration. Even though an audit found some overcharges, they'll get most of their money anyway. The New York Times has the story.
Veterans face more medical benefit cuts. An administration that says it supports the troops is so willing to cut benefits for the vets. Shouldn't they honor their service and sacrifice? Shouldn't money be given to our troops instead of Halliburton?
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) is the center of controversy again. This time it involves his "charity" and the mortgage on his house in Virginia.
It seems like Halliburton and its subsidiaries can get any money they want from the Bush-Cheney administration. Even though an audit found some overcharges, they'll get most of their money anyway. The New York Times has the story.
Veterans face more medical benefit cuts. An administration that says it supports the troops is so willing to cut benefits for the vets. Shouldn't they honor their service and sacrifice? Shouldn't money be given to our troops instead of Halliburton?
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) is the center of controversy again. This time it involves his "charity" and the mortgage on his house in Virginia.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Republican Failures in National Security
We need to remind ourselves that major failures of national security have come under this Republican controlled government.
(1) September 11th occurred during this Bush administration. The Clinton administration, including Madeline Albright, had warned the Bushies about Bin Laden. However, the Bush administration said they were not concerned about Bin Laden. Despite the numerous PDB's and numerous warnings, they failed to secure our country's airports prior to 9/11.
(2) This administration's failure to respond to Hurricane Katrina shows that it is unable to move quickly to an emergency. Placing incompetent people like Heckuva Job Brownie, in highly responsible areas, shows their disdain for our people and our government.
(3) Allowing a country who supports terrorists to take over American ports, shows that this administration has stronger allegiances to their oil-rich buddies than the American people.
(4) The deaths of firefighters and police officers in New York on 9/11 had to do with the fact that Rudy Guiliani, had failed to act on earlier recommendations to upgrade the communications systems of first responders.
(5) Our young men and women have been sent to fight in a foreign war without proper equipment. Our president has not responded to the needs and requests of the "boots on the ground" in Iraq. Instead Bush and his people are more concerned in promoting their neo-conservative agenda. Even after Bush declared "mission accomplished," we still do not have an exit strategy. This war continues to be planned by people within this administration who have no experience with being in the military (chickenhawks: avoided war but are willing to let your son/daughter go to war).
(1) September 11th occurred during this Bush administration. The Clinton administration, including Madeline Albright, had warned the Bushies about Bin Laden. However, the Bush administration said they were not concerned about Bin Laden. Despite the numerous PDB's and numerous warnings, they failed to secure our country's airports prior to 9/11.
(2) This administration's failure to respond to Hurricane Katrina shows that it is unable to move quickly to an emergency. Placing incompetent people like Heckuva Job Brownie, in highly responsible areas, shows their disdain for our people and our government.
(3) Allowing a country who supports terrorists to take over American ports, shows that this administration has stronger allegiances to their oil-rich buddies than the American people.
(4) The deaths of firefighters and police officers in New York on 9/11 had to do with the fact that Rudy Guiliani, had failed to act on earlier recommendations to upgrade the communications systems of first responders.
(5) Our young men and women have been sent to fight in a foreign war without proper equipment. Our president has not responded to the needs and requests of the "boots on the ground" in Iraq. Instead Bush and his people are more concerned in promoting their neo-conservative agenda. Even after Bush declared "mission accomplished," we still do not have an exit strategy. This war continues to be planned by people within this administration who have no experience with being in the military (chickenhawks: avoided war but are willing to let your son/daughter go to war).
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Clean Air and Clean Water? Not under this administration!
The Bushies are no fans of the Clean Air Act and now they appear not interested in clean water either. The EPA, under this administration, just lets businesses dump whatever they please into America's waters and air. This time, though, it is a nerve agent. This type of behavior is appalling. Here is the story at Philly Burbs.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
We won't travel to South Dakota
It looks like our family will cancel our planned summer vacation to South Dakota. Since the legislature of South Dakota has decided to restrict a woman's right to control her own body, we won't take our family to South Dakota. We'll take our money to another state.
I'm inviting other families, conventions, and groups to also cancel their trips to South Dakota.
I'm inviting other families, conventions, and groups to also cancel their trips to South Dakota.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Worse than we were told
Just a few days ago, we learned that 6 American ports were to be taken over by the UAE. However, that number is wrong. There are actually 21 ports involved in the agreement. When were we going to be told? My question is----What the hell is going on?????
According to UPI: A United Arab Emirates government-owned company is poised to take over port terminal operations in 21 American ports, far more than the six widely reported.
According to UPI: A United Arab Emirates government-owned company is poised to take over port terminal operations in 21 American ports, far more than the six widely reported.
The Bush administration has approved the takeover of British-owned Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. to DP World, a deal set to go forward March 2 unless Congress intervenes.
P&O is the parent company of P&O Ports North America, which leases terminals for the import and export and loading and unloading and security of cargo in 21 ports, 11 on the East Coast, ranging from Portland, Maine to Miami, Florida, and 10 on the Gulf Coast, from Gulfport, Miss., to Corpus Christi, Texas, according to the company's Web site.
President George W. Bush on Tuesday threatened to veto any legislation designed to stall the handover.
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. said after the briefing she expects swift, bi-partisan approval for a bill to require a national security review before it is allowed to go forward...
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