BuzzFlash Hypocrite Of The Week - S.C. State Rep. John Graham Altman

As some of you know, BuzzFlash always seems to pick the perfect hypocrite of the week and the pick this week is no exception. It seems that S.C. State Rep. John Graham Altman wants to protect chickens more than the women in South Carolina. In describing this week's pick, BuzzFlash states: Ah, the "Family Values" Republican -- staple of the political campaign circuit these last few years -- seems to be a figment of the Republican imagination. Take for example, South Carolina GOP State Representative John Graham Altman -- no doubt another one of God's lost children -- who may be running his next campaign not as a "Family Values" Republican, but as a "Poultry Values" Republican. It seems cockfighting is subject to a fine of $5,000 and 5 years as a guest of the state. But if you beat up your spouse (and this is for the SECOND OFFENSE ONLY), you receive 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. Just another example of the priorities of Republican "family values" party. For more on this week's pick, take a jaunt over to BuzzFlash

Strengthen Social Security Don't Raid It - Pelosi/Reid

The following is a joint statement released by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid regarding King George's social security suggestions laid out in tonight's press conference via Rep. Pelosi's Website: Pelosi and Reid:President Must Strengthen, Not Raid, Social Security Washington, D.C. - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid released the following statement today on the President's economic summit and his plan for changing Social Security: “The President's economic summit should have been an opportunity to begin an honest discussion about strengthening and improving Social Security, and we have been encouraged to hear that the President would like to work on a bipartisan basis. “Democrats look forward to receiving a detailed proposal from the President and are eager to work cooperatively with him to strengthen and improve Social Security. We want to work together to ensure that America honors its promise to those who have worked hard, played by the rules, and earned a secure retirement. To that end, we urge the President to come forward with a proposal that does not reduce Social Security funding, harm the middle class, or cut guaranteed benefits. We cannot support any plan that relies on massive and irresponsible increases in debt, which could destabilize financial markets and lead to large tax increases. “Social Security has been a resounding success -- Social Security benefits have been paid on time and in full every single month for almost 70 years. According to Congress' official nonpartisan scorekeeper, the Social Security Trust Fund will be solvent for almost 50 years, and even after that it will continue to pay 80 percent of benefits. Social Security faces real challenges, but is not in crisis. As we work together to address these challenges, the last thing we should do is cut its funding and make the problem worse. “Social Security is the only safe and secure source of retirement income for millions of Americans, and it must be protected. Social Security has lifted the lives of millions of Americans, and it will lift the lives of millions more if we commit to strengthening, not raiding, this incomparable program.”

Is That All There Is???

So the much ballyhoed press conference has come and gone. Well I will say this much, my predictions in the previous post were fairly well on the mark, and nothing he said regarding his Social Security plan will make this bondoogle fly. And did you notice how nothing is his fault? All these problems would not exist if they had been taken care of 10 years ago. The one thing that did kind of jump out at me, was this response from King George regarding Social Security: "if its good enough for Congress, its good enough for the workers." Well let's ask Georgie this question. If this line of thought is good enough for you to push for your privatization accounts in S.S. why not the same line of thinking for a comprehensive medical plan? Just a thought Your Highness......

N. Korean Nukes Can Reach U.S. West

While fearless George plays big man on campus in Iraq, and kisses up to the Saudi's, take a look at what is going on in North Korea. From The New York Times: The head of the Defense Intelligence Agency said today that American intelligence agencies believe North Korea has mastered the technology for mounting a nuclear warhead on its missiles, an assessment that, if correct, means the country could build weapons to threaten Japan and perhaps the western United States. Feel safer now all you rabid Bush supporters? That's right. Instead focusing on North Korea, feerless leader decided to quench his thirst for Iraqi oil and invade a country with NO WMD's, instead of dealing with the real threat which was then as it is now North Korea who HAD WMD's. Now he will get on TV tonight and tell his usual bunch of lies. You know the one's I mean. Iraq now has a true democracy (it doesn't). Social Security can be saved with "private accounts" (it can't). We are winning the "war on terror" (we aren't). The Democrats are holding up the nominations of dedicated and reasonable judges (they aren't) that support the constitution (they won't). He is working with our true friends the Saudi's to lower gas prices (he isn't). The Homeland Security department is keeping the U.S. people safer (it isn't). All of these things are urgent and he hopes the congress will send him a comprehensive bill solving these problems (they won't). Oh ya and before I forget, you MUST remember one thing about all of these here problems he is fixing "It's all Bill Clinton's fault"! Sleep well America your neocon administration is looking out for your best interests and most of all your safety!! More on the North Korea story available HERE....

Ethics Rule Will Be Reversed - Hastert

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) will ask the House to rollback the ethics rule change they adopted in January that most people believe was done to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) in the investigation into his alleged ethics violations. The initial rule was change, would require a complaint to be dismissed after 45 days if the 10-member ethics committee -- five Democrats and five Republicans -- deadlocked. In the past, a tie vote kept the matter before the panel. As reported by Washingtonpost.com "House Republican leaders, acknowledging that ethics disputes are taking a heavy toll on the party's image, decided yesterday to rescind a controversial rule change that led to the three-month shutdown of the ethics committee, according to officials who participated in the talks." Of course, as with all things Republican, the proof will be in exactly how the new proposal is worded as to whether this will mean an honest probe into DeLay's apparent violations. Hopefully it will be honest and permit a necessary probe. Despite the outcry from the Democratic Party when the rule was initially changed, I hope they remember that this will also mean they too can (and should be) investigated also if the situation calls for it. No matter who the representative or which political party, the rules should be enforced equally.

The Case Against The Religious Ideologue Takeover

In a very in depth look at the way the Republican Party has so deeply aligned itself with the Christian right, Robert Kuttner of the Boston Globe provides us with the very reason why church and state are separated. "America, which separated church and state precisely to protect the private right to worship, has long had its share of religious absolutists who have wanted to harness the power of the state to their own view of revealed truth. But never before in our history has the government deliberately and cynically intervened on the side of the zealots." More on this article can be read at CommonDreams.org

Laura Ingram Diagnosed With Breast Cancer

Laura Ingram's website reported on Monday, that the republican talk show host has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will undergo surgery sometime Tuesday. Although her views and mine couldn't be further in distance, as a cancer survivor in my first year of recovery from treatment I wish her the very best and offer my prayers in her fight. As a political aside, I would hope that this experience can be a learning one for her and she will think of the thousands without affordable health care coverage who aren't as fortunate to even be diagnosed let alone receive treatment. UPDATE: Her website is now reporting "Laura's breast cancer surgery yesterday "couldn't have gone better," in the words of her surgeon Dr. Katherine Alley. Initial sentinel node testing done during surgery showed no signs of cancer involvement in the lymph nodes, and we all hope that this good news is confirmed by more in-depth tissue testing done over the next 48 hours. "The outpouring of love and concern coast-to-coast in prayer, emails, telephone calls has left me feeling more blessed than I can possibly convey," said Laura Thursday morning from home. "I really don't know what I did to deserve such kindness but I will gladly wrap myself in it," she chuckled. "It's weird but getting cancer has made me feel more blessed than I ever felt before, and I will do everything I can to return the generosity 100-fold when I am feeling a bit better."

True Love????

Well George DID say he had a Man Date.

DNC's Howard Dean - Just A Normal Guy

.Why the inside the beltway crowd should be surprised by this is beyond me. In my opinion this doesn't say much for the insiders What's so different? McAuliffe would limo around town, dropping in at the Palm to huddle with Washington big shots. The 2004 presidential hopeful, by contrast, takes the bus or subway, buying his own $1.35 ticket. Sometimes he bums rides from staffers or walks the four blocks to the Capitol for meetings. "Please Call Me Howard" never flies first class and always carries his own bags. Other signs of the ex-guv's modest style: He eats at his desk, stays in a cheap D.C. hotel, and likes oxford shirts and penny loafers. Affectionately dubbed a "geek" by pals, he's often glued to his cellphone and loves E-mail. "His expertise is grass roots and his lifestyle is no different," says an associate. So far, Washington likes what it sees, surprised he's not the oddball that newsies pegged him as last year. Says an aide, smiling: "They're giving him a shot." Finally a chairman that can return the Democratic Party to it's base the blue-collar working guys and gals of the middle class with real downhome values, not the phony values forced upon us by the Republican Right. Time for the MSM to realize this also and stop promoting the "scream video" everytime they refer to this man of the people. MORE....

A Media Voice For Bloggers

Bradblog is on the air by way of Raw Radio. The Brad Show will air on Saturday nights 7pm - 11pm ET (4pm - 8pm PT), and will be rebroadcast Sunday afternoon 12noon-4pm ET (9am - 1am PT) Tune in and enjoy!!!

Religion Taken Over By The Right

Colbert King of the Washington Post in his latest article titled "Hijacking Christianity . . ." describes how right-wing Christian groups are attempting to take over and speak for Christianity throughout the United States. Emboldened by their appropriation of the flag, ideologues on the right have now set their sights on religion, and specifically Christianity, as the means to promote their political agenda. Angered by the way these groups (particularly the Family Research Council), have taken it upon themselves to decide the moral fabric of the entire nation, King goes on to compare (quite correctly in my opinion) them to the KKK. They are not now and never will be the final arbiters of Christian beliefs and values. They warrant as much deference as religious leaders as do members of the Ku Klux Klan, who also marched under the cross MORE....

Reid Calls Bush Dishonest

As reported by the Associated Press, Vice President Dick Cheney weighed in on the "nuclear option" threat in the U.S. Senate. “These nominations were held up strictly for partisan political reasons, in an astounding departure from historical precedent,” Cheney said. “If the Senate majority decides to move forward and if the issue is presented to me in my elected office as President of the Senate and presiding officer, I will support bringing those nominations to the floor for an up-or-down vote,” he said to applause from the politically friendly audience. “On the merits, this should not be a difficult call to make.” Upon hearing the Vice President's comments, Harry Reid the Senate Minority Leader said “In the span of three minutes, the vice president managed to reinvent 200 years of Senate history and ignore the fact that Congress has already approved 205 of this administration’s nominees," he said in a statement. "Apparently, a 95 percent confirmation rate is not enough for this president. He wants it all, even if it means shattering the checks and balances in our government in order to put radical judges on the bench." The complete text of Senator Reid's press release is available HERE

GOP Hypocrite Of The Week - Lincoln Chafee

I so much enjoy bringing you the BuzzFlash GOP Hypocrite of the Week. BuzzFlash does a wonderful job of picking the biggest GOP hypocrite that made the headlines in the past week, and outlining their reasons why. The pick and their reasons are always dead on. Describing this week's pick BuzzFlash states: Lincoln Chafee has tried to fashion himself as an idiosyncratic "moderate" Republican. But don't be fooled; he's not. Chafee follows the Bushevik party line and only votes against it when his vote won't count. Still, some pundits have tried to compare Chafee's record to Vermont's Independent Senator Jim Jeffords. But that would be like comparing Colonel Klink to Wesley Clark. For the complete article, CLICK HERE And don't forget you can also listen to the story by choosing the "Click Here to Play" option.

Bolton " generally behaved like a madman" - Claims USAid Worker

A subcontractor to USAid revealed shocking behavior by John Bolton in a letter to the US Senate subcommittee looking into his appointment as UN Ambassador. Here is an excerpt: Dear Sir: I'm writing to urge you to consider blocking in committee the nomination of John Bolton as ambassador to the UN. In the late summer of 1994, I worked as the subcontracted leader of a US AID project in Kyrgyzstan.... After months of incompetence, poor contract performance, inadequate in-country funding, and a general lack of interest or support in our work from the prime contractor, I was forced to make US AID officials aware of the prime contractor's poor performance.... Within hours of sending a letter to US AID officials outlining my concerns, I met John Bolton, whom the prime contractor hired as legal counsel to represent them to US AID.... Mr. Bolton proceeded to chase me through the halls of a Russian hotel -- throwing things at me, shoving threatening letters under my door and, generally, behaving like a madman. For nearly two weeks, while I awaited fresh direction from my company and from US AID, John Bolton hounded me in such an appalling way that I eventually retreated to my hotel room and stayed there. Mr. Bolton, of course, then routinely visited me there to pound on the door and shout threats. When US AID asked me to return to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in advance of assuming leadership of a project in Kazakstan, I returned to my project to find that John Bolton had proceeded me by two days. Why? To meet with every other AID team leader as well as US foreign-service officials in Bishkek, claiming that I was under investigation for misuse of funds and likely was facing jail time. As US AID can confirm, nothing was further from the truth. He indicated to key employees of or contractors to State that, based on his discussions with investigatory officials, I was headed for federal prison and, if they refused to cooperate with either him or the prime contractor's replacement team leader, they, too, would find themselves the subjects of federal investigation. As a further aside, he made unconscionable comments about my weight, my wardrobe and, with a couple of team leaders, my sexuality, hinting that I was a lesbian (for the record, I'm not). When I resurfaced in Kyrgyzstan, I learned that he had done such a convincing job of smearing me that it took me weeks -- with the direct intervention of US AID officials -- to limit the damage. The entire letter can be seen at Daily Kos . How in the world this piece of scum could even be considered, let alone nominated by any President of the United States is beyond me. Then again when dealing with the Bush administration nothing should be surprising anymore.

Bolton Nomination - Bad to Worse to embarrassment

In an editorial comment from the LA Times they rightly point out that Bolton Should Step Aside President Bush's nomination of John Bolton to become United Nations ambassador began as an embarrassment and is ending as a disgrace. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee was right to delay a scheduled vote and resist being railroaded by the administration into approving him. Hopefully during this Democratically forced break in the committee hearings at least two of the Republican members will honestly examine (or re-examine as the case may be) all the allegations against John Bolton and vote to do the right thing and stop this Bush disaster called a nominee. All that will be accomplished if the nomination goes through is that the U.N. would be weakened even more than it is, and the United States of America will be ridiculed even more by governments around the globe. MORE.....

DeLay Issues Denial

So Tommy figures he can sway his constituents by issuing a 6 page email. The online washington.com is reporting that DeLay issued a broad denial that he violated any law or House rule in accepting trips abroad, and he implored supporters back home to accept his version of what he called "the real story." Of course he fails go into any detail about the ethics committee admonishing him, or that the three republican members of the committee who crossed party lines to support the admonishment have since been kicked off the committee. In a message e-mailed to supporters in his suburban Houston district that was provided to The Washington Post yesterday, DeLay blamed the reports on Democrats, liberal groups and the "legion of Democrat-friendly press" who were trying to undermine Republican control of Congress. "It is abundantly clear that their fundamental strategy revolves around attacking me and working to tear down Republican leadership," he said. The message which is titled "What the Press Isn't Telling You" also claims that it isn't an individual Congressman's responsibility to investigate the behavior of organizations who provide the funding for overseas trips. Sure Tom just do your usual take the money and run routine. No sense upholding even the appearance of ethical behavior, after all you're the one with all the donated money that paid for your position of power. Six pages, single spaced? Methinks Tom The Hammer protesteth a bit too much. If he is truly innocent, and the victim in all this, why not let the investigations continue honestly and without his hard-handed interference. MORE.....

Hagel To Vote Against Bolton?

Wow now wouldn't that be something. Associated Press Reports A top Senate Republican raised the possibility Sunday that he might vote against President Bush's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations if more accusations surface about John Bolton's alleged harassment of analysts who disagreed with his views With a Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote expected Tuesday, Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska was asked whether he would endorse Bolton. "At this point, I will ... but I have been troubled with more and more allegations, revelations, coming about his style, his method of operation," said Hagel, the committee's No. 2 Republican. "We need a uniter," he told CNN's "Late Edition." "We need a builder. We need someone who will reach out to our friends and our allies at the United Nations." The only problem is that Hagel often says one thing and then does another. I just hope this isn't a case of him posturing for the cameras again.

DeLay Needs Armed Supporters???

"When a man is in trouble or in a good fight, he wants all of his friends around him, particularly armed," the Republican from nearby Sugar Land said. "So I'm in good company tonight." The Associated Press reports on DeLay's comments to last night's NRA convention. Is that a message to your adversaries Tom? Well I guess since you created an atmosphere where judges need armed guards you feel you need them also. Nice to have lots of friends in the NRA!!!

White House Eliminates Annual Security Report

In keeping with the Bush policy of not letting "reality-based" news leak to the public, the administration has decided to no longer release its' annual terrorism report. The Seattle Times reports that The State Department will not let the rest of us know the real truth that found that terrorist attacks had increased every year since 1985. In the report "Patterns of Global Terrorism" reportedly ordered eliminated by Secretary of State Condleezza Rice, the newest statistics for 2004 are said to dispute Bush's claim of progress on his "War on Terrorism". Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's office ordered the report, "Patterns of Global Terrorism," eliminated weeks ago because the 2004 statistics raised disturbing questions about the Bush administration's frequent claims of progress in the war against terrorism. "Instead of dealing with the facts and dealing with them in an intelligent fashion, they try to hide their facts from the American public," charged Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst and State Department terrorism expert who first disclosed the decision to eliminate the report in The Counterterrorism Blog, an online journal. Mr. Johnson's journal describes itself as "The first multi-expert blog dedicated solely to counterterrorism issues, serving as a gateway to the community for policymakers and serious researchers. Designed to provide realtime information about cases and policy developments". The Seattle Times story goes on to say The numbers of incidents and fatalities in the report for 2003 were undercounted last year, forcing a revision and embarrassing the White House, which had used the original version to bolster Bush's election-campaign claim that the Iraq war had advanced the fight against terrorism. President Bushs' approval ratings, which have been dropping steadily in the last few months, mainly due to his self-enforced involvement in the Terri Schiavo case, the push for Social Security reform, and a damaging economic outlook, would most certainly be damaged further if this report were to see the light of day. So as usual, self interest takes precedent over the safety of the American public. Feel safer now America? Everything is just fine in that fantasy-based country called "Bush's America". Maybe we should rename it "NeverLand Two".

Frist/GOP Theocracy Plans Blasted by Reid

"This is a democracy, not a theocracy." Eschaton has the statement: I am disappointed that in an attempt to hide what the debate is really about, Senator Frist would exploit religion like this. Religion to me is a very personal thing. I have been a religious man all my adult life. My wife and I have lived our lives and raised our children according to the morals and values taught by the faith to which we prescribe. No one has the right to judge mine or anyone else’s personal commitment to faith and religion. God isn’t partisan. As His children, he does ask us to do our very best and treat each other with kindness. Republicans have crossed a line today. America is better than this and Republicans need to remember that. This is a democracy, not a theocracy. We are people of faith, and in many ways are doing God’s work. But we represent all Americans, regardless of religion. Our founding fathers had the superior vision to separate Church and State in our democracy. It is a fundamental principle that has allowed our great, diverse nation to grow and flourish peacefully. Blurring the line between Church and State erodes our Constitution, and our democracy. It is a blatant abuse of power. Participating in something designed to incite divisiveness and encourage contention is unacceptable. I would hope that Sen. Frist will rise above something so beyond the pale. Give 'em hell Harry!!!

ADL To Frisk - Playing Religious Card Is 'Unacceptable'

The Anti-Defamation League released a strongly worded news release today asking Sen. Bill Frisk (R-TN) to reconsider his participation in a telecast organized by the far-right christian conservative group Family Research Council: Contact: Myrna Shinbaum, 212-885-7747, Todd Gutnick, 212-885-7755, both of the Anti-Defamation League NEW YORK, April 15 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Deeply troubled by reports that Senator Bill Frist will appear in a telecast organized by conservative Christian groups that portrays the filibustering of judicial nominees as "against people of faith," the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today urged Dr. Frist to reconsider his participation in the telecast, stating that: "Whatever one's views may be on this or any other issue, playing the 'religious' card is as unacceptable as playing the race card." In a strongly worded letter to the Senate majority leader, Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National director, said he was "deeply troubled" by Dr. Frist's decision to appear in the "Justice Sunday" telecast on April 24. The program's message, "...is deeply flawed and a dangerous affront to fundamental principles of American democracy," Foxman said. "The heated debate regarding the status of the filibuster in the United States Senate is a quintessentially political contest, not a religious struggle," Foxman said. "Nor should it be portrayed as such. Whatever one's views may be on this or any other issue, playing the 'religious' card is as unacceptable as playing the race card." Organized by the Family Research Council, the "Justice Sunday" telecast will be aired on Christian television and radio networks and stations and will be broadcast over the Internet. I am sure the senator won't be swayed by this letter, but Frisk needs to be reminded at every turn, that the United States is NOT a theocracy.

Frist Embraces Religious McCarthyism

People For the American Way (PFAW) today called on Sen. Bill Frisk (R-TN) to refrain from aligning himself with religious groups on the radical right and planning to take away the checks and balances allowed to the senate with regards to advise and consent of the appointment of federal judges. In a news release today they stated he was joining forces with radical right religious groups using malicious charges of religious bigotry to build support for one-party domination of the federal judiciary. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 15, 2005 10:09 AM CONTACT: People for the American Way Josh Glasstetter, Halle Czechowski 202-467-4999 Frist Embraces Radical Right's Religious McCarthyism Letter Urges Frist to Repudiate 'Dishonest, Destructive, Despicable' Tactics WASHINGTON -- April 15 -- Senator Bill Frist is joining forces with radical right religious groups using malicious charges of religious bigotry to build support for Frist's plan to dismantle checks and balances that prevent one-party domination of the federal judiciary. People For the American Way today called on Frist to repudiate such tactics (click here to read PFAW's letter to Frist). "Senator Frist's desperation to achieve partisan domination over the federal judiciary is showing," said People For the American Way President Ralph G. Neas. "His embrace of such dishonest, destructive, and despicable tactics demeans the Senate and his office. We call on Senator Frist to withdraw his support for this event and apologize to his colleagues and the American people." Frist is pulling out all the stops to build support for his radical plan to break Senate rules so he can eliminate the filibuster on judicial nominations and undermine the Senate's role in our constitutional system of checks and balances, said Neas. Frist's latest gambit is to embrace far-right groups' outrageous claims that the filibuster -- used to block a handful of President Bush's most controversial judicial nominees -- is being used to keep Christians out of public office. “Men and women of deep faith can and do differ politically. But this event is clearly an attempt to manipulate religious faith for political purposes, and that is an outrage,” said Neas. “Americans value religious tolerance and respect, and attempts to use religion to stir up partisan, political rancor are unconscionable.” Frist is a scheduled speaker for Justice Sunday, organized by the Family Research Council and supported by other far-right leaders like James Dobson, who are campaigning to intimidate and impeach federal judges whose rulings they disagree with, and who are demanding that Frist impose right-wing political dominance over the federal judiciary if he wants their political support for a 2008 presidential bid. "It is sad and disheartening, as well as reprehensible, that you would lend your name and position to such ugly and divisive political tactics," says PFAW's letter to Frist. You can read PFAW's letter to Sen. Frisk HERE

DCCC Launches Informational Tool On DeLay Scandal

At a press conference today at DCCC Headquarters, James Carville released to the press a new website that outlines what they call Tom DeLay's House of Scandal Below is the official press release issued by the DCCC: DCCC LAUNCHES POWERFUL NEW INFORMATIONAL TOOL ON THE TOM DELAY HOUSE OF SCANDAL (WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- Today, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) launched a powerful, new informational resource at a press conference with James Carville. The website, which can be found at www.dccc.org, serves as a clearinghouse of information about the various scandals and charges leveled against Tom DeLay and his allies. The website shows the lines that connect the scandals that surround Tom DeLay and specifically documents the ways that Tom DeLay and his closest allies were able to depose the chairman of the House Ethics Committee, gut the House ethics rules to protect DeLay, and halt any meaningful action to put an end to the ethics cloud hanging over the Congress. "This website serves as a comprehensive, searchable database of information where any concerned citizen can go to get the truth about Tom DeLay and his scandals. Every media story, every link and every money trail is here, in one place, in a complete appendix of information so anyone who is interested can connect the dots and learn more," said Carville. Key features of the website include: House of Scandal Flash Web: An interactive web flash that draws the lines that connect Tom DeLay and his closest allies with the different ethics admonishments, scandals and the pay-for-play legislation they have promoted. Tangle of Republican Members of Conference: In a comprehensive accounting, www.dccc.org specifies how much money individual members of Congress have received from DeLay, how much money they have contributed to his legal defense fund, how often they have voted with DeLay and the special interests against the interests of middle class families, and how they voted on ethics rules passed in order to protect DeLay. GOP Crony of the Week: The Crony of the Week is a Republican who has made a name for him or herself in their close connections with DeLay. The first honoree is Republican Rep. Rob Simmons from Connecticut who, despite the criticism recently leveled at DeLay from another Republican in the state, has refused to come forward and ask Tom DeLay to answer the questions created by the scandals swirling around him. Even Simmons' district newspaper The Hartford Courant called on him this week in an editorial to step up to the plate and call for DeLay's ouster. "Like some House leaders before him, Mr. DeLay has grown recklessly audacious as he has accumulated power. His trips, ties to lobbyists and payments to relatives were bound to be scrutinized. He is becoming a liability to his party. Reps. Rob Simmons and Nancy Johnson of Connecticut should join their colleague Mr. Shays in demanding that the majority leader step down," they wrote. Simmons is also one of only two Republicans who gave personal funds to DeLay's legal fund. Web Video: In a short video, "Meet DeLay, Inc." describes the people involved in the DeLay scandals, the political operatives they are connected to, and the ways they have put the special interests ahead of middle class interests. "There are no new allegations or attacks on the website. That is not its purpose. Instead, it is designed to bring together all the information that has been reported across the nation, inform the American people of how their Member of Congress may be connected, and describe the implications of the DeLay agenda for themselves and their families," Carville said. "After all, that is what is most important to understand about the 'DeLay Agenda' - that it means middle class families across the country are being left behind by the Republican majority." To see the new website visit www.dccc.org This follows close on the heels of (CREW) Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington which launched a website yesterday that it says is to inform you of everything you need to know about Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay and others involved in the buying of the Congress of The United States of America. That website can be found at www.jackinthehouse.org .

DeLay exit not bad idea - Rep. Tancredo

Via Atrios Washington - Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) says it is "probably not the worst idea" for embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to step down while he deals with ethics allegations. Stepping into a swirling Washington controversy, the Littleton Republican said he doesn't think the current accusations of impropriety against DeLay amount to much. But Tancredo said that from a political perspective, DeLay has handled the ethics issue "stupidly." "I don't think we should try to oust him," he said in an interview Thursday at the Capitol. "Right now, I would not encourage him to leave. If he chose to resign as majority leader until these matters are resolved, that's probably not the worst idea." Kind of a backhanded suggestion to DeLay to resign, but the anti-DeLay group within the republican members of congress continues to grow.

The Story Behind The Story

The real story behind the MN State Senator who "outted" himself as being gay can now be told. Read the entire story at The Raw Story. It is truly a compelling read, and in my opinion, state senator Paul Koering deserves the respect of all for standing up for what he truly believes. What he did as a member of the Republican Party is truly remarkable..... on Apr. 7, Minnesota Republican state Sen. Michele Bachman moved to bring a measure allowing a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage to go to the Senate floor. The move was made despite the fact that measure had not been approved by the appropriate committees. Outside the Capitol, gay and lesbian activists were marching outside the capitol for equal rights. Koering voted no—the lone Republican to do so—and along with opposition from 34 Democrats, the measure failed. The senator said he cried all the way home. It is shortly after this that Paul Koering made the announcement about his personal life to his constituents and the rest of us. Hopefully the people in his district will reward him for being totally honest with them. His honesty is something the entire republican party should take note of and emulate. How refreshing in this climate of Bush, Cheney,Tom DeLay and the other hypocrites in Washington that one honest Republican could stand up and be counted.

War Widows Complain To Bush Over Treatment

Behind closed doors at the Ft. Hood army base on Tuesday, President Bush got an earful from some Iraq-war widows, who told him that the way the government is treating them is disgraceful. "I just told him it was very wrong," one of the widows, Linnie Blankenbecler, 47, told me yesterday. "I was not intimidated by the president. My hardest reality was the death of my husband." Bush spent more than three hours Tuesday meeting with 33 families of soldiers who died in Iraq. But the meetings were closed to the press and the White House only released sketchy details about what his interactions were like. (See yesterday's column.) MORE.....

Conservatives Now Upset With Cartoonists

Oh the poor poor babies are now complaining that conservative cartoonists are never considered in the Pulitzer Prize selection process.... "Brent Bozell III, founder and president of the conservative Media Research Center, falsely claimed that "cartoons that are conservative ... never see the light of day in the Pulitzer Prize selection process." Now, not only is this petty, it is patently untrue. Media Matters has more.

CREW Launches New Website

As posted here earlier, (CREW) Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has launched a website to inform you of everything you need to know about Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay and others involved in the buying of the Congress of The United States of America.... For Immediate Release April 14, 2005 Contact: Naomi Seligman - 202.588.5565 CREW LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE TODAY ON JACK ABRAMOFF: WWW.JACKINTHEHOUSE.ORG DETAILS SUPERLOBBYIST JACK ABRAMOFF’S WEB OF CONGRESSIONAL CORRUPTION FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Naomi Seligman April 14, 2005 202.588.5565 CREW LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE AT NOON TODAY WWW.JACKINTHEHOUSE.ORG DETAILS SUPERLOBBYIST JACK ABRAMOFF’S WEB OF CONGRESSIONAL CORRUPTION Site Explores Back-Room Deals between Abramoff, House and Senate Members, and GOP Activists WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) launched JackintheHouse.org. The site aims to educate the American public about the relationships between Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Members of Congress and Republican activists. Abramoff is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Specifically, JackintheHouse.org explores the relationships between Abramoff and embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Representative Bob Ney (R-OH), Christian activist Ralph Reed, conservative guru Grover Norquist; Representative Richard Pombo (R-CA), Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Senator David Vitter (R-LA). “CREW created JackintheHouse.org to provide the public with a clear map of the unscrupulous back-room deals between Abramoff and Members of Congress, who received trips and generous campaign contributions from Abramoff and his clients” said Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW. “The American public has a right to know that Members of Congress are trading legislation for luxury golf vacations and campaign contributions.” The site also provides a means for visitors to urge the Chairman of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, Doc Hastings (R-WA), and the Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, George Voinovich (R-OH), to initiate ethics investigations into Members of Congress who appear to have been improperly influence by Abramoff. JackintheHouse.org is a project of CREW (www.citizensforethics.org), a non-partisan, non-profit organization that targets government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests. ***** For more information on www.JackintheHouse.org or CREW please contact Naomi Seligman by phone at 202.588.5565 or press@citizensforethics.org.

New Website Launched Detailing Abramoff's Dealings

Take a look at this latest website that has been launched showing all of the wheelings and dealings of Tom DeLay's best friend Jack Abramoff and members of congress..... Jackinthehouse.org Abramoff is being investigated by Justice Department, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, the IRS, the Department of the Interior, and the FBI. What a fine upstanding fellow.

Molly Ivens "Your Getting Screwed"

Molly Ivens says..... As more and more rich people cheat on their taxes, the IRS is increasingly unable to go after them because it is so poorly funded. For all this, we can thank the Republican Party. You can read more of her wonderful, witty yet truthful writing by visiting Alternet.org.

No Good Ethics For Us Says GOP

Ben Winkler writes on the Air America?Al Franken website It seems that the GOP is opposed to creating a “bi-partisan task force with equal representation of the majority and minority parties to make recommendations to restore public confidence in the ethics process.” That’s what a House resolution called for--a resolution that was just killed by an almost-party-line 218-195 vote. The only Republicans with the guts to vote for it were Jim Leach of Iowa and Joel Hefley of Colorado. (Hefley, you’ll remember, chaired the ethics committee until he was ousted for adminishing DeLay.) House aides tell us that more than two--possibly nine--Republicans had voted in favor of ethics… that is, until the GOP decided to hold the vote open and twist arms. Under Tom DeLay, this has become standard practice; votes are routinely held open as House leaders intimidate members of Congress into flip-flopping. Keep it up Gop'ers, you are surely destined to be the next minority party come '06 MORE.....

Education Department Coverup In The Works

There is typical White House maneuvering underway during the Congressional Education Committee's investigation into the hiring of columnist Armstrong Williams to promote the Bush agenda. The New York Times reports that not only is the Bush administration impeding an investigation into the hiring, but that Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said Education Secretary Margaret Spellings is considering invoking a privilege that he said would require information to be deleted when the final version is publicly released, which is expected within days. Miller called for Jack Higgins, the inspector general at the Education Department, to delay the report until Spellings agrees not to invoke "deliberative process privilege" and the White House grants interviews with current or former officials familiar with the deal. Well this is not surprising. It is just another example of the way Bush and the rest of his hypocritical cronies play their game of dodge and stonewall. MORE.....

Protests, Questions, Sodomy OH MY!!!

Justice Antonin Scalia was greeted by protestors when he arrived for an appearance at New York University. Students from NYU and members of the community joined forces outside Vanderbilt Hall to protest Scalia's arrival where he was being honored by the student-run law journal,"NYU Annual Survey of American Law". The 2005 issue is being dedicated to Scalia by the law journal students. Washington Square News reports that Prior to the dedication ceremony, Scalia met with law students for a Q-and-A session in Tishman Hall. The Q-and-A had limited seating - the audience was chosen randomly from students who RSVPed - and was closed to the press, though the discussion was simulcast on a projector across the hall. As the Q&A session got underway, the crowd showed some hostility in there questions, even to the point of asking Scalia about his sexual actions with his wife. In asking about Scalia's dissent in Lawrence v. Texas and his view that privacy is not constitutionally protected, Eric Berndt, a law student, shocked the crowd by asking, "Do you sodomize your wife?" Scalia refused to answer the question while the crowd gasped and the administrators promptly turned off Berndt's microphone. Acually I am extremely thankful the microphone was turned off and Scalia didn't answer. Scalia's sexual relations with his wife (or anyone for that matter) is a picture my mind does not need. MORE.....

When Is A Town Meeting Not A Town Meeting?

Dick Cheney apparently uses the same tactics a Bush when he has a so-called Town Meeting. While the press reports these meetings as an "open forum", that is hardly the case. These meetings are open only to people that are on a pre-approved list as you can see from this post on John Corzine's website Corzine Connection: Last month, President Bush held a similar Social Security "open forum" in Westfield, where tickets were only distributed to a pre-approved list of supporters through the White House and through Congressman Ferguson's office. I wanted to find out if this was more of the same, if Dick Cheney is also going to hand pick his audience, or if there was any possibility getting a ticket so I could ask some of the REAL QUESTIONS about the Social Security Plan. First, I called Burlington County College to see if the event hosts had information about tickets for the Town Hall Meeting. I was told that the College has nothing to do with ticketing for the event. All that the operator at BCC knew was that it is a CLOSED EVENT that is strictly INVITE ONLY, great concept for an "open forum." As you can see from this persons' experience, he also made calls to the Vice President's office, US Representative offices and the Republican county organization with no success getting tickets to the "open" meeting. It looks like a town meeting is not a town meeting when it comes to the Bush/Cheney team. I think it is about time these guys started talking to REAL PEOPLE with REAL CONCERNS for a change. They just might learn something. The gentleman who posted is still looking. Good luck to him but I really don't think he will succeed in his hunt. They are using the same tactics they used all through the election campaign.

Gingrich Slams DeLay

Things are pretty bad when even Newt Gingrich criticizes Tom DeLay. CBS News is reporting that the former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, stated that DeLay should stop blaming all his problems on a left-wing conspiracy and bring it all out in the open to the American people and let them decide. "I don’t want to prejudge him and my hope is that Tom will be able to prove his case," said Gingrich, who engineered the Republican takeover of the House in 1994. "But I think the burden is on him to prove it at this point." Is he doing that? "I don’t know yet. I think the jury's out," said Gingrich. "DeLay's problem isn't with the Democrats; DeLay's problem is with the country," Gingrich continued. "And so DeLay has a challenge: to lay out a case that the country comes to believe, that the country decides is legitimate. If he does that he's fine." Of course let's not forget that it was the bugman DeLay himself who orchestrated Gingrich's departure after the 1998 midterm election mess. I guess what goes around comes around.

A Fine Example of Christian Values

It seems these so-called Christians who support Tom DeLay (R-TX) talk one way when they are in the pulpit and another when sending email to an organization that criticizes Delay. Check this email out which was received at Think Progress.org. Not only is this guy a Councilman in Pearland, Texas (in DeLay's district), but he is also apparently a Baptist Deacon. Hey ass hole [sic]. Tom Delay happens to be my congressman [sic] and I am happy with the job he does for me and my district. Why don’t you get the F@&* out of our district and leave us alone. Better yet, come speak to me personally and I will show you what I think of you. Kevin Cole Pealrand [sic], TX [Cell Phone # Redacted] Wow he preaches and prays with that filthy mouth? And to think these are the kind of people who support and vote for Bush and DeLay. Take a good look everyone this is your Religious Republican Reich at work.

When You Can't Tell The Truth Blame The Dems

Well it looks like business as usual for Tom DeLay (R-TX). Since he can't very well stand up and honestly explain his ethics "malfunctions" let alone defend them, he is now doing the next best thing. Blaming the Democrats of course. CommonDreams.org is reporting: Officials said DeLay recommended that senators respond to questions by saying Democrats have no agenda other than partisanship, and are attacking him to prevent Republicans from accomplishing their legislative program. One Republican said the Texan referred to a ``mammoth operation'' funded by Democratic supporters and designed to destroy him as a symbol of the Republican majority. Oh and don't forget that liberal media that only he and his supporters seem to see. DeLay also thanked Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., for his recent comments and said the news media had twisted them to make them sound critical, the officials added, all speaking on condition of anonymity. And just what was that quote from Santorum? [DeLay] "has to come forward and lay out what he did and why he did it and let the people then judge for themselves. But from everything I've heard, again, from the comments and responding to those, is everything he's done was according to the law." Well that sure doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement of poor little Tommy to me. In fact it looks (if anything) like he is telling him to step up and take responsibility for his ethics problems and explain them honestly. Of course he can't very well do that now can he? Not with a grand jury in Texas hearing evidence and (hopefully) ready to pounce on him. He just might say something untoward and be exposed for the lying piece of scum that he is. Worse yet he just might be indicted and put on trial and convicted. Oh what a wonderful "perp walk" that would be. To watch him being led in handcuffs off to the hoosegow!! I wonder if they would show that on Faux News hehehe. But I digress.... CommonDreams.org also reports that the luncheon meeting where this was discussed was held in private. The officials who described DeLay's brief remarks noted that the session, a regularly scheduled weekly lunch, was held under rules of secrecy. Dan Allen, DeLay's spokesman, declined comment. Of course the response he proposed of blaming the Dems and the media is nothing new. The article goes on to say, His private remarks to Senate Republicans were in keeping with the response frequently offered on his behalf by House Republicans: Blame the Democrats and occasionally the news media for the scrutiny he faces. Of course the bible thumping (cat killer) Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss) after the closed-door meeting, not so subtly appealed to the religious right-wing by invoking prayer into the situation: "The power of prayer is the only thing that will sustain you" [in the circumstance DeLay is in]. He then of course went on to chastise any Republicans who fail to stand by him. "That's the problem, you know, Republicans eat their own. ... Democrats stand by their own until hell freezes over," said Lott, who was ousted as Senate majority leader two years ago after making controversial race-based comments at a birthday party for the late Strom Thurmond. Well as I said in another post, drip, drip, drip. Methinks it won't be long before Mr. DeLay drowns in his own pool of deception.

Conservative Congressman Wants An Appolgy From Bush

US Representative Walter Jones (R-NC), does not hide his anger when he says bad information led him to vote for the Iraq war. "If I had known then what I know today, I wouldn't have voted for that resolution. Absolutely not," he said Thursday in an interview. His comments reflect concerns of other Republican lawmakers in Congress, and polls show a lingering debate over the reasons for going to war have hurt the administration even as the Iraq operation shows signs of success. A day earlier, during House Armed Services Committee testimony on the Iraq war, Jones demanded an apology from the administration of President George W. Bush. "To me, there should be somebody that is large enough to say, 'We made a mistake'," Jones said, almost in tears with frustration. He said he and other lawmakers want to ensure they are never again asked to authorize a war with bad information. MORE.....

Sexual Abuse Support Groups To Protest Mass

A report from AP/BBC News says a support group for sexual abuse victims has condemned a decision by the Vatican to choose Cardinal Bernard Law to lead a memorial Mass for Pope John Paul II. Members of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests are flying to Rome to protest at Monday's service. Cardinal Law is scheduled to lead one of nine memorial Masses in Rome The National Director of the survivors' network David Clohessy, said: "It's an unbelievably insensitive move that simply rubs salt into the very deep wounds of thousands of abuse victims and American Catholics." Following accusations of a cover-up involving the sexual abuse of children by priests in his diocese in 2002, Cardinal Law was resigned as Archbishop of Boston. He has since appologized for "decisions which led to suffering". The president of another advocacy group, the Voice of the Faithful James Post said "Cardinal Law continues to be the living symbol of the blackish blemish on John Paul II's papacy." The BBC goes on to report that: The protesters plan to hand out pamphlets at St Mary Major Basilica, where Cardinal Law will lead the Mass. MORE.....

Iraq is Becoming 'Free Fraud' Zone

Originally published on Friday, April 8, 2005 by the Christian Science Monitor Via Common Dreams A former senior advisor to the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), which ran Iraq until the election of an interim Iraq government last January, says that the US government's refusal to prosecute US firms accused of corruption in Iraq is turning the country into a "free fraud zone." Newsweek reported earlier this week that Frank Willis compared Iraq to the "wild west," and that with only $4.1 billion of the $18.7 billion that the US government set aside for the reconstruction of Iraq having been spent, the lack of action on the part of the government means "the corruption will only get worse." More than US money is at stake. The administration has harshly criticized the United Nations over hundreds of millions stolen from the Oil-for-Food Program under Saddam [Hussein]. But the successor to Oil-for-Food created under the occupation, called the Development Fund for Iraq, could involve billions of potentially misused dollars. In late March, the New Standard reported, the annual Global Corruption Report issued by the "corruption watchdog," Transparency International (TI), heavily criticized the US for "mismanaging" Iraq's oil revenues and "for using faulty procedures for awarding reconstruction contracts." The report also criticizes efforts to rapidly privatize Iraqi assets and industries as a means of reducing the country’s debt. TI warns that unless immediate corrective measures are taken, Iraq’s reconstruction could become 'the biggest corruption scandal in history.' The BBC reported that a UN report that came out in January also criticized the US as being a "poor role model" in "keeping corruption at bay." The Christian Science Monitor reported on other allegations of corrpution in Iraq leveled against companies, including a "report by special inspector Stuart Bowen [which] found that $8.8 billion dollars had been disbursed from Iraqi oil revenue by US administrators to Iraqi ministries without proper accounting." Meanwhile the Washington Post reported recently that both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations had long known that monies used in the in the UN oil-for-food program were lining the pockets of Saddam Hussein, and did little to stop it. CNN reported in February that "unclassified State Department documents sent to congressional committees with oversight of US foreign policy" show that the US actually condoned Jordan and Turkey breaking the UN sanctions against Iraq. MORE.....

PFAW Asks Frisk to Cancel Tour

Frist Asked to Cancel Capitol Tour with Judicial Intimidation Activist BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT A Release from PFAW: In view of the continuing drumbeat of threats and disturbing comments about federal judges (including Congressman DeLay’s declaration in news reports today that the judiciary has “run amok”), and the recent tragic violence against judges and their families, People For the American Way has asked Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) to withdraw his sponsorship of a Capitol tour for Senators and their spouses led by a right-wing advocate for judicial intimidation and impeachment. The text of the letter is below. * * * April 8, 2005 Senator William H. Frist Office of the Majority Leader The Capitol Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Frist: I write to respectfully request that you withdraw your sponsorship of a capital tour, reportedly scheduled for Monday, April 12, to be led by judicial intimidation activist David Barton. Given the furor that has erupted over recent statements by Republican members of the House and Senate attacking federal judges, hosting an avowed radical-right critic of independent courts, under the auspices of the office of the Senate Majority Leader, is a profound mistake that belies your statement on Tuesday that you “believe we have a fair and independent judiciary today…I respect that.'' For over a decade, Mr. Barton has been a prominent advocate of Congress aggressively using its impeachment power to remove, intimidate, and threaten federal judges who uphold the rights of Americans to be free of government-sponsored religious coercion and who support the rights to privacy and equal protection. Most infamous, perhaps, is Mr. Barton’s 1996 book Impeachment!: Restraining an Over Active Judiciary, a 50 page handbook on how and why the right should push for impeachment of judges whose decisions they disagree with on abortion, school desegregation, homosexuality, and other subjects. Clearly stated is Barton’s agenda to intimidate federal judges, noting that even if impeachment does not succeed, the threat “serves as a deterrent” and would cause judges to “become more restrained.” Your sponsorship of an individual who advocates using “the threat of impeachment [against judges to] produce results,” contradicts your recent attempts to distance yourself from radical statements made by other prominent Republicans attacking the judiciary. For example, House Majority Leader Tom Delay’s not so veiled threat against judges who handled the cases brought by the parents of Terri Schiavo: "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior[.]" Giving Mr. Barton a prominent platform, and your tacit endorsement, for his views is especially disturbing given the recent spate of violence directed at federal judges. All the more so since at least one member of the Senate, Senator Cornyn, recently mused on the Senate floor that the sort of “bad” decisions criticized by Barton and others could actually be the cause of such violence: “I wonder whether there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters on some occasions where judges are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds and builds to the point where some people engage in violence[.]” Congressional Record April 4, 2005, S3126. The President and the Senate Republican leadership have already provoked proper resistance from Senate Democrats over their failure to engage in the traditional compromise and consultation over judicial nominations that has historically resulted in the high quality, independence, and fairness of the federal bench. As further evidence of an increasingly overt campaign to undermine the independence of the judicial branch, sponsoring Mr. Barton’s tour can only further inflame the current standoff. Given the recent statements of Senator Cornyn and Congressman Delay it seemed somewhat odd when you complained this week that “[t]here’s been a real fire lighted by Democrats around judges over the last few days and over the recess.” In fact, hosting Mr. Barton will only add further fuel to a fire of Republicans’ own making. The Senate and the courts would be better served by a return to bipartisan consultation on judicial nominations. I hope you will reach out to the President and urge him to restore a process that results in him sending well-qualified, consensus judicial candidates who can enjoy significant bipartisan support to the Senate. For over 200 years that has been the path to a fair and independent judiciary. The Senate and the President should return to that course. Sincerely, (signed) Ralph G. Neas President People For the American Way

Reid Hits DeLay Over Ethics/Nuclear Option

The Associated Press via CBS News is quoting Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid as saying that the fight over President Bush's judicial nominees is really a battle between Democrats who believe in checks and balances and Republicans who want everything their way. The GOP has threatened to change the Senate rules to ban filibusters of judicial nominees, which Democrats have used to block 10 Bush nominees. The Republican plan has been dubbed the "nuclear option" because some say it would blow up Senate relations. The plan would change the vote for confirmation of judges from a two-thirds majority to 50+1 a simple majority. In his party's weekly radio address, Reid said "When it comes down to it, stripping away these important checks and balances is about the arrogance of those in power who want to rewrite the rules so that they can get their way," Although not mentioning him by name, Reid issued a scathing attack on House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, saying there was a "Republican leader threatening judges who protect our rights and corrupting our government by running roughshod over the ethics committee to protect himself." Reid of course was referring to the fact that DeLay rather than answer questions regarding his ethical problems, instead is trying to keep the spotlight on his suggestion that an impeachment case could made against judges in the recent Terri Schiavo controversy. "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior," DeLay said when Schiavo died. In the last year, the House Ethics Committee admonished DeLay three times over alleged ethics violations. However, at his urging, Republican leaders changed the House ethics rules regarding the stepping down of a congressional committee chairman if convicted of ethics violations. In another slap at DeLay and his Republican supporters Reid said "Our children know that you can't change the rules just to get your way. I think it's time that Washington Republicans remembered those truths."

U.S. Seeks Access to Bank Records to Deter Terror

The Bush regime just doesn't know when to quit!! Not only is the Patriot Act a serious infringement on the privacy of the American people where they can conduct secret searches on your home, and examine library records to see what your reading, they now claim they need your bank records......all this in the name of deterring terrorism. The New York Times reports: The Bush administration is developing a plan to give the government access to possibly hundreds of millions of international banking records in an effort to trace and deter terrorist financing, even as many bankers say they already feel besieged by government antiterrorism rules that they consider overly burdensome. The initiative, as conceived by a working group within the Treasury Department, would vastly expand the government's database of financial transactions by gaining access to logs of international wire transfers into and out of American banks. Such overseas transactions were used by the Sept. 11 hijackers to wire more than $130,000, officials said, and are still believed to be vulnerable to terrorist financiers. MORE.....

Did Bill O'Reilly help bring down Power Line and the GOP?

Via Crooks and Liars Just a thought. Check out the logic: Bill uses his talking points memo and Nov 1st, 2004 a day before the election to proclaim that The [O'Rielly] Factor doesn't endorse candidates, however recommends Mel Martinez over Betty Castor. Bill: ..So doing the math there's no way on earth that Betty Castor should be elected for any office unless it's in Iran or someplace... Mel Martinez wins a close election. Tom Delay and Bill Frist jump on the Terri Schiavo bandwagon pressured by the religious right for political gain. A one page memo is ditributed stating: "This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue," said the memo, which was reported by ABC News and later given to The Washington Post. "This is a great political issue, because Senator Nelson of Florida has already refused to become a cosponsor and this is a tough issue for Democrats." Power Line and the righties try to turn it into forgeries. Brian H. Darling the legal counsel to Sen. Mel Martinez, admits to writing the memo. Martinez passes around the GOP Talking Points. Mel is so stupid that he gives Harken the memo by mistake. The polls show that the American people believe the republicans used Terri for political reasons. The Washington Post exposes it. Delay, Frist look like assholes as well as Assrocket, Powerline and every other righty who cried fake. Come 2006 there may be a price to be paid, and all quite possibly because Bill O'Reilly opened his big, fat mouth.

DeLay Needs to Address Ethics Questions Says Santorum

Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) Republican Conference Chairman, and the party's third-ranking leadership position in the Senate said this morning on This Week with George Stephanopolous "I think he has to come forward and lay out what he did and why he did it and let the people then judge for themselves," said Santorum. "But from everything I've heard, again, from the comments and responding to those, is everything he's done was according to the law," Santorum told ABC's This Week "Now you may not like some of the things he's done," Santorum said. "That's for the people of his district to decide, whether they want to approve that kind of behavior or not." DeLay, R-Texas, has been under attack by not only Democrats, but also such bastions of conservatism as The Wall Street Journal by reports of possible ethics violations. Many of the questions concern his connections to loggyists, campaign payments to his wife and daughter, and overseas travel. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. and House Democratic Leader stated that the ongoing controversy was distracting DeLay from dealing with more pressing problems before Congress. Santorum told Stephanopolous however, that DeLay is "very effective in leading the House" and that "to date, has not been compromised." Here is one very telling exchange between Stephanopolous and Santorum: STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you think that this is just attacks on him [Tom DeLay] or attacks on the conservative movement, or are there serious issues here that he has to address? SANTORUM: …If those things were not out there, obviously they wouldn’t be raising them. And so there are issues that he has to deal with personally…I think he has to come forward and lay out what he did and why he did it and let the people then judge for themselves. Despite Santorum saying that it is up to the people of his district to decide, which may be true with regard to his future election prospects, it is the members of the Republican party in the House that will have to distance themselves from DeLay if they wish to protect their own future elections and the majority in congress. MORE.....

Soldiers Smuggled Home Under Cover Of Darkness

The U.K. online edition of The Independent is reporting that accusations are being aimed at The Pentagon that they are smuggling wounded soldiers home to the United States under cover of darkness for the sole purpose of avoiding bad publicity around the number of troops actually wounded in the Iraq war. Of course it is also a fact that the media (or anyone for that matter) has been forbidden to photograph any deceased or wounded troops when they arrive back on U.S. soil. The Independent also claims: Records show that flights from military bases in Germany arrive in the US only at night. The response to this accusation by The Pentagon is that This is purely the result of flight-scheduling pressures and is not a deliberate tactic to minimize detrimental publicity. They also say that by leaving Europe later in the day soldiers are given a better chance to sleep well the night before. However, as The Independent is reporting, Just as the Bush administration has banned the media from taking photographs of the coffins of American troops killed in Iraq as they arrive in the US, opponents say it is now trying to cover up the number of wounded. Ellen Taylor, a spokeswoman for Code Pink, a peace group that has been protesting outside the Walter Reed military hospital in Washington, where the bulk of the wounded are taken is quoted as saying "The American public has very limited information about the real impact of this war. I think that a lot of information about this war is being kept from the public. That is what we are protesting about." Thanks to the hardline policies of the Bush administration it is even difficult to estimate the actual number of soldiers injured and sent home for treatment. It is not even clear how many troops have been injured since the start of President Bush's "war on terror". The Pentagon says that around 12,000 troops have been evacuated from the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq, though because officials only list as casualties those soldiers directly hurt by bombs or bullets, the actual total of injured and wounded is believed to be closer to 25,000. Walter Reed says it has treated 4,000 troops injured in Iraq. MORE.....

"DeLay Knew Everything" Says Abramhoff

Those S.O.B.s," Abramoff said last week about DeLay and his staffers, according to his luncheon companion. "DeLay knew everything. He knew all the details." Michael Isikoff writes in Newsweek that some of Abramoff's old friends have abandoned him and treated him like a pariah. They claim they knew nothing of his questionable lobbying tactics. "Everybody is lying," Abramoff told a former colleague. There are e-mails and records that will implicate others, he said. He was noticeably caustic about House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. For years, nobody on Washington's K Street corridor was closer to DeLay than Abramoff. They were an unlikely duo. DeLay, a conservative Christian, and Abramoff, an Orthodox Jew, traveled the world together and golfed the finest courses. Abramoff raised hundreds of thousands for DeLay's political causes and hired DeLay's aides, or kicked them business, when they left his employ. But now DeLay, too, has problems—in part because of overseas trips allegedly paid for by Abramoff's clients. In response, DeLay and his aides have said repeatedly they were unaware of Abramoff's behind-the-scenes financing role. "Those S.O.B.s," Abramoff said last week about DeLay and his staffers, according to his luncheon companion. "DeLay knew everything. He knew all the details." Of course as we know DeLay and his Christian right-wing pals intend to fight to the end. As stated in The Washington Post Allies and friends of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.) have concluded that public attention to his ethics is unlikely to abate for months to come, and they plan to try to preserve his power by launching an aggressive media strategy and calling in favors from prominent conservative leaders, according to Republicans participating in the strategy sessions. The Republicans said the strategy combines leaks from DeLay allies about questionable Democratic trips and financial matters; denunciations of unfavorable news stories as biased, orchestrated rehashes; and swift, organized responses to journalists' inquiries [...] Officials working with DeLay said he is trying to lock in support by sowing the message that an attack on him is an attack on the conservative movement, and that taking him out would be the Democrats' first step toward regaining control of the House and Senate. To this I say to the wingnuttery branch of the Republican Party. Bring it on!! Keep you buddy Tom DeLay out there for all to see. The more the focus is on "hottub Tom" hopefully the American people will realize the hypocritical way DeLay has used them as a means to his own ends of ultimate power, greed and a right wing agenda that usurps not only the workings of the Judiciary but their own longheld rights and freedoms. It is clear for all to see that the Bush administration and their lapdogs in congress, Frisk, DeLay, Cornyn et al, are corrupted by power, money and corporate greed. Yes. I say keep this in the forefront and reap the rewards you so earn when the Democrats take back congress in '06.

Patriot Act Needs More Than Fixing

In the wake of September 11, Congress rushed to pass the Patriot Act, and in my opinion taking away long held rights from the American people. In an editorial today in The New York Times they state: The act, which was rushed through Congress after the Sept. 11 attacks, gives government too much power to invade the privacy of ordinary Americans and otherwise trample on their rights. Congress, which is now reviewing the act, should rewrite the parts that violate civil liberties. Just what are some of the rights taken from the American people with this act? Libraries and documents..... it allows the government to demand library, medical, and other records, and makes it a crime for the record holders to reveal that the request was made. Secret Searches the "sneak and peek" provision, lets the government search a person's home and delay telling him about it. Information Sharing It authorizes the F.B.I., the C.I.A., and even the White House sweeping access to confidential information gathered about Americans, including telephone and e-mail intercepts. At the hearings Attorney General Gonzalez, (no advocate of indiviual right is he)admitted that the act needs some adjustment. As the NYT rightly points out: These hearings should look beyond the Patriot Act, to the larger picture of civil liberties and the war on terror. After Sept. 11, the government rounded up illegal immigrants, and put hundreds with no ties to terrorism behind bars for months, often in deplorable conditions. The Justice Department's own inspector general found that the government made "little attempt" to distinguish people with ties to terrorism from those without. In conducting this roundup, the Bush administration gave itself far more power than the Patriot Act does. Under the act, aliens are to be held no more than seven days before immigration or criminal charges are brought. MORE.....

"He is an absolute embarrassment to me and to the Republican Party,"

Chris Shays (R-CT) in describing his feelings concerning Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) says "He is an absolute embarrassment to me and to the Republican Party," His hometown newspaper Greenwich Time is reporting that Shays is distancing himself from DeLay: Though Republicans in some circles are rallying around beleaguered House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, one prominent Republican yesterday dissociated himself from the powerful and controversial lawmaker. Shays went on to vehemently deny that he supports DeLay saying: The Texan (DeLay) probably will not last out this term as house majority leader, lacks credibility and will never attain the prominent position of speaker of the house. "He knows that . . . if he ever runs for speaker, I get to vote on the House floor, and my 'No' vote combined with the Democrats means he will never be speaker," Shays said, drawing applause from the room. "One of the things I want to say here is that Tom DeLay will never be speaker in Congress." "With all due respect, I can be accused of a lot of things, but supporting Tom DeLay is not one of them," Shays added. Now that is really interesting and points out that Shays is as big a hypocrite as the rest of them. This is a quote from Shays in October 2004 . When the House Ethics Committee formally rebuked Majority Leader Tom DeLay for the second time in six days, Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) came to the defense of the right-wing GOP Leader he so often supports saying, "I think he's been a great majority leader." [Congressional Quarterly, 10/7/04] MORE...

Controversial Pesticide Study Cancelled

Stephen L. Johnson removed a controversial program to pay parents to document the effects of pesticide exposure on their children. Of course this would have taken place in mostly innercity areas on low income families. Heaven forbid Mr. Johnson would have it take place in his million dollar neighborhood. The LA Times reports Canceling the study on children clears the way for a Senate vote on his nod to head the agency. A controversial program to pay parents to document the effects of pesticide exposure on their children was canceled Friday by the acting head of the Environmental Protection Agency, whose confirmation to the post had been jeopardized by the study. The decision by Stephen L. Johnson removed a parliamentary hurdle to a Senate vote on his appointment by President Bush to become EPA's full-time administrator. Two Senate Democrats — including Barbara Boxer of California — had placed a hold on a confirmation vote on Johnson after he refused this week to cancel the pesticide study. The program, which had been suspended by EPA officials late last year, would have paid low-income families in Florida $970 if they agreed to record evidence — including videotaping — on how pesticides used in their homes affected their children. Of course as with the Schiavo memo, when we blogged on this, we were told there was no such program in the works and we made it all up. Strange how Johnson is canceling a program that was just a lie by us "reality based" bloggers. Wow twice in one week the right has egg on their faces when we are proven to be correct.

GOP Hypocrite Of The Week

BuzzFlash.com has chosen their hypocrite of the week. This week's selection is of course that good 'ol boy from Texas Sen. John Cornyn. Click HERE here to listen to the audio or read the transcript of this week's pick.

Muslim Clerics Call For Protests

Despite the rosey look at Iraq that the Bush regime keeps claiming and the uninformed media here keeps pushing at us The Washington Post reports: Two militant Muslim clerics, one Sunni and one Shiite, have called for demonstrations here Saturday to protest the continuing U.S. military occupation of Iraq two years after the toppling of President Saddam Hussein. If the protests materialize, they will be the first large-scale rallies to occur under Iraq's new government, whose most senior leaders -- President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari -- were formally installed this week. Jafari is now forming his cabinet. Moqtada Sadr, a young militant Shiite cleric with a large following in Baghdad's huge Sadr City slum, has urged a peaceful march from Firdaus Square, where U.S. troops tore down a statue of Hussein to mark the capture of Baghdad on April 9, 2003, to the heavily fortified Green Zone. A Sadr spokesman said protesters would demand a withdrawal timetable for U.S. troops, the release of detainees in U.S. military prisons and Hussein's prosecution. . . . During communal prayers at Baghdad's Um al-Qura mosque on Friday, a Sunni cleric, Harith Dhari, chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars, urged Sunnis to come out in protest against the U.S. military presence. Dhari maintains that the new Iraqi government is illegitimate because it was elected under military occupation, and he is widely seen as sympathetic to the predominantly Sunni insurgency that targets U.S. forces and Iraqis who work with them. "Tomorrow will be the second black anniversary of the Iraq occupation," he said during the sermon. "We have seen nothing but bloodshed, destruction, pillage and thievery before the very eyes of the Iraqi people, who are looking on as their sons are butchered, detained, and the state funds looted and taken outside the country by the thieves who have taken over. . . . I call on the Iraqi people to wake up from their sleep and to say with one united voice, 'No to occupation!' and to go out tomorrow in demonstrations in all parts of the country -- in Basra, Baghdad, Mosul, Dahuk and everywhere." What happened to the warm and welcome and tossing of flowers the U.S. troops were going to get that was promised by Rumsfeld, Cheney and all? Looks to me the only thing being tossed at the troops are bombs. I really don't know how the Bush crime family can sleep at night knowing the havoc they have caused in the quest for more oil and the appeasement of the big business interests profiting from this unnecessary war.

Support DeLay Or Else

A Republican National Committee member from Virginia and a member of American Conservatives Union's board, said Republicans are being told support for Mr. DeLay is mandatory if they want future support from conservatives. "Conservative leaders across the country are working now to make sure that any politician who hopes to have conservative support in the future had better be in the forefront as we attack those who attack Tom DeLay," Morton Blackwell said at a recent meeting last week in Washington to plot a defense. Among other prominent conservative Republicans was Gary Bauer, chairman of the Campaign for Working Families, a political action committee who had this to say "I think in the last couple of weeks, it's become apparent to many conservative groups in Washington that this is really, in many ways, an attack on them and their ideas, using Mr. DeLay as the surrogate target." Meanwhile, the Campaign for America's Future, will run $75,000 in ads on television in Washington and in Houston, near Mr. DeLay's congressional district. Ellen Miller, Deputy Director, is quoted as saying "Tom DeLay is the chosen leader of his party in the House. He needs to be held accountable, and so should House Republicans, who have to choose between DeLay and decency." This is just another example of how the rightwing nuttery have hijacked the Republican Party. To their way of thinking, no one other than likeminded far right conservatives need attempt to run for office. This from a party that is supposed to be a "big tent" and "all inclusive". This from the same party that says it never uses a "litmus test" for membership. Ya right!

Republican Congressman Blasts Bush

Via DemocraticUnderground A Republican Congressman from Texas excoriated Bush for leading us into war based on lies, accuses Bush of rigging the Iraqi elections, and warns of totalitarianism in America. How long until the rest of the Republicans in Congress wake up? Who’s Better Off? by Rep. Ron Paul, MD Before the US House of Representatives, April 6, 2005. Whenever the administration is challenged regarding the success of the Iraq war, or regarding the false information used to justify the war, the retort is: “Aren’t the people of Iraq better off?” The insinuation is that anyone who expresses any reservations about supporting the war is an apologist for Saddam Hussein and every ruthless act he ever committed. The short answer to the question of whether the Iraqis are better off is that it’s too early to declare, “Mission Accomplished.” But more importantly, we should be asking if the mission was ever justified or legitimate. Is it legitimate to justify an action that some claim yielded good results, if the means used to achieve them are illegitimate? Do the ends justify the means? The information Congress was given prior to the war was false. There were no weapons of mass destruction; the Iraqis did not participate in the 9/11 attacks; Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein were enemies and did not conspire against the United States; our security was not threatened; we were not welcomed by cheering Iraqi crowds as we were told; and Iraqi oil has not paid any of the bills. Congress failed to declare war, but instead passed a wishy-washy resolution citing UN resolutions as justification for our invasion. After the fact we’re now told the real reason for the Iraq invasion was to spread democracy, and that the Iraqis are better off. Anyone who questions the war risks being accused of supporting Saddam Hussein, disapproving of democracy, or “supporting terrorists.” It’s implied that lack of enthusiasm for the war means one is not patriotic and doesn’t support the troops. In other words, one must march lock-step with the consensus or be ostracized. However, conceding that the world is better off without Saddam Hussein is a far cry from endorsing the foreign policy of our own government that led to the regime change. In time it will become clear to everyone that support for the policies of pre-emptive war and interventionist nation-building will have much greater significance than the removal of Saddam Hussein itself. The interventionist policy should be scrutinized more carefully than the purported benefits of Saddam Hussein’s removal from power. The real question ought to be: “Are we better off with a foreign policy that promotes regime change while justifying war with false information?” Shifting the stated goals as events unravel should not satisfy those who believe war must be a last resort used only when our national security is threatened. How much better off are the Iraqi people? Hundreds of thousands of former inhabitants of Fallajah are not better off with their city flattened and their homes destroyed. Hundreds of thousands are not better off living with foreign soldiers patrolling their street, curfews, and the loss of basic utilities. One hundred thousand dead Iraqis, as estimated by the Lancet Medical Journal, certainly are not better off. Better to be alive under Saddam Hussein than lying in some cold grave. More.....

Former Helms' Consultant Marries

What is newsworthy about this you ask? Well normally it wouldn't be, but since this site is dedicated to showing the hypocritical ways of government, particularly those of the Republican party read on. This particular republican is Arthur Finkelstein and you see this guy is the same person who counseled Helms and others in the politics of hate and gay bashing. Yet lo and behold who did he marry but his longtime lover.........A MALE. The New York Times reports Arthur J. Finkelstein, a prominent Republican consultant who has directed a series of hard-edged political campaigns to elect conservatives in the United States and Israel over the last 25 years, said Friday that he had married his male partner in a civil ceremony at his home in Massachusetts. wow, in Massachusetts no less!!! Mr. Finkelstein, 59, who has made a practice of defeating Democrats by trying to demonize them as liberal, said in a brief interview that he had married his partner of 40 years to ensure that the couple had the same benefits available to married heterosexual couples. Well how strange. Isn't this one of the reasons, (besides the human rights issue)that gays and lesbians want the right to marry? Remember this is also the guy who …[has] worked for a gaggle of gay-bashing Republican Senators including Lauch Faircloth (R-N.C.), Jesse Helms (R-N.C), Don Nickles (R-Okla.) and Sen. (Bob) Smith (R-New Hampshire), all of whom voted against legislation banning discrimination against gays while Finkelstein was working for them. Don't you find it just a little hypocritical that Mr. Finkelstein would use the statutes in Mass. to protect his rights, when his own Republican leaders and a Republican President are outright against same-sex marriage and proposed amending the Constitution to ban it?

Wingnuts Call For Impeachment Or Worse

Well it was bound to happen, especially in this atmosphere created by Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) that has described recent decisions "judicial tyranny". And Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) who makes excuses for the actions of those committing violence against judges. In a forum being held this weekend in Washington titled "Remedies to Judicial Tyranny" these far right conservative nutcases decided that Justice Athony Kennedy, a Ronald Reagan appointee, should be impeached, or worse. I would suggest that Justice Kennedy get himself a good lawyer, or better yet some well built and effective body guards. The disussion started with that well known poster-woman for radical rightwing views Phyllis Schlafly stating that because Kennedy wrote an opinion forbidding capital punishment for juveniles the opinion "is a good ground of impeachment". Doesn't that show true family values the republicans are always trumpeting.....just strap up a juvenile in the chair and fry 'em. Schlafly said that since Kennedy had not met the "good behavior" requirement for office "congress ought to talk about impeachment." Apparently impeachment is just too mild a remedy for Edwin Vieira a lawyer-author and philosopher who claimed Kennedy's opinion striking down the anti-sodomy statute "upholds Marxist, Leninist, satanic principles drawn from foreign law." He then went on to offer a more permanent solution to Justice Kennedy. He advocated using Joseph Stalin's' remedy saying "He had a slogan, and it worked very well for him, whenever he ran into difficulty: 'no man, no problem,' " The full Stalin quote is "Death solves all problems: no man, no problem." Now I don't know about you, but this sounds like a call for violence against Kennedy and/or others who dare to enter an opinion from the Supreme Court bench that these radicals don't agree with, and they should be "made to pay" (as Rep. Tom DeLay opines far and wide} for such actions. When are the American people and the members of the Republican party, at least those with half a brain, going to call for an end to these calls for outright violence against judges. As for the Democratic members of congress, this type of thought process should be brought front and center during any confirmation hearings held for Bush's nominees to the courts. This conference alone should show to everyone loud and clear just what the recent Schiavo debacle was all about. It was just more hypocrisy from the Republican leadership. They didn't care about Terri Schiavo at all. It was just the beginning of the plan of action they intend to use to get the farthest of the right-wing jurists sent for confirmation by George Bush approved by congress.