Week Starting
May 7th 2006
The FBI is searching the home and office of former CIA Executive Director Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, the CIA told CNN. Foggo, who until recently was the spy agency's third-ranking official, is part of a broad law enforcement investigation into allegations of corruption, according to officials familiar with the probe.
Faced with growing pressure from Southern states, the Bush administration wants the military to come up with ideas to help solve security problems along the U.S. border with Mexico.
You should know where your member of Congress stands on raising the minimum wage. Contact your U.S. representative’s office today and ask whether he or she will fight to raise the minimum wage. The Republican leadership in the House has refused to allow a vote on a bill (H.R. 2429) that would increase the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour over two years. So working family advocates have signed a “discharge petition” that will force a vote on the bill—if a majority of representatives signs it.
The Republican culture of corruption has infected our government that we aren't even surprised to hear a cabinet secretary talk about the "logic" of potentially illegally awarding federal contracts based on political affiliation. That's right -- if this story is true, it is probably illegal. Our taxpayer dollars are required by law to be spent based merit.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson believes that a person's political affiliation is more important than their merit when it comes to goverment contracts. Recently, he told a newspaper, "Why should I reward someone who doesn't like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don't get the contract. That's the way I believe." This behavior is inexcusable. Secretary Jackson should resign. You can be a part of the groundswell of support for clean government by demanding for Jackson's resignation.
The Right Tries to Gut State Health Insurance Protections ~ US: Protecting State Health Care Standards
Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) has a truly bad idea. He wants the U.S. Senate to adopt a bill (S. 1955) that would gut state insurance mandates and allow for price discrimination by insurance companies -- all under the guise of lowering the cost of health care (note -- it will not actually lower the cost over the long-term). More importantly, the bill punts on the fundamental question: how do we achieve health care for all Americans?
America has a problem. Newspapers report a half dozen members of Congress may go to jail for their dealings with Jack Abramoff. Between 2000 and 2005, the number of lobbyists in Washington doubled to nearly 35,000 — almost 70 lobbyists for every member of Congress. George Ryan, the former governor of Illinois, is headed to prison on multiple corruption charges.
Congress needs to investigate this government intrusion...immediately. Call on the House and Senate today to issue subpoenas and
expose the extent of this intrusion.
More information:
This Mother's Day, President Bush and his wife Laura will take joy in their daughters. But for thousands of mothers across America, past years' joy will now be replaced by unspeakable grief. They will usher in this Mother's Day not as a celebration of motherhood, but as one more painful reminder of an irreparable loss. Now, the President is rattling his saber at Iran. Despite the fact that top experts say that Iran is at least ten years away from a working nuclear weapon, recent news reports have indicated that the Bush Administration is already planning offensive military operations -- and even, ironically, the use of nuclear bombs -- against Iran.
Many gas stations already use as much as 10% ethanol in the fuel they sell
State Representative Denis E. Guyer (D-Dalton) announced today that he has cosponsored legislation to create a commission to study the introduction of E85, an ethanol-based fuel, into the Massachusetts market. E85 fuel is 85 percent ethanol alcohol, typically from corn, and 15 percent gas, which drastically reduces the need for oil. While many people don’t realize it, many gas stations already use as much as 10% ethanol in the fuel they sell. Currently, E85 can be used in Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFV) which are already on the road and on the market. 37 states have E85 filing stations, but there are none located in New England.
After passing the House of Representatives, Democrats in the United States Senate were on the verge of passing hate crime legislation in that chamber when the Republican leadership blocked their efforts. Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist refused to allow the Senate to vote on the measure, using his power to block it twice from coming to the floor for a vote.
Excerpts;
Conservative groups opposing gay rights, led by the Family Research Council, jumped into the fray, calling on Frist and other GOP leaders to hold firm in their opposition to the hate crimes bill.
Eldie Acheson, director of Public Policy & Government Affairs for the Task Force, said the GOP's block of Kennedy's amendment was "no doubt the intolerant and regrettable bidding of its extreme right-wing base."
The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.
Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky issued an executive order that allows the state to legally discriminate on the basis of
sexual orientation in employment practices. On Tuesday, Fletcher signed the order to reverse action taken by Democratic Governor Paul
Patton in 2003. The previous order signed by Patton made it illegal for government agencies in Kentucky to consider sexual orientation in
matters of employment.
Excerpts;
Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher issued the new executive order at a Kentucky Diversity Day celebration at the Frankfort Convention Center that brought together high school students from around the state. Under the theme “Opening the Door to Diversity: Explore the Commonwealth's Pathway to Understanding."
Democratic Governor Paul Patton issued an executive order in 2003 that barred the state government from using sexual orientation as a factor in employment practices. The executive order signed by Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher on Tuesday reverses that action, and allows individuals within the state government to hire and fire employees based solely on sexual orientation.
"There's no question that any governor or any politician needs to have his base strongly behind him before he embarks on an election campaign. I don't see any downside to the governor taking sexual orientation out." ~ Republican State Representative Joseph Fischer
Health Care
Under Republican rule, millions more Americans have gone without health insurance, even as health care costs continue to skyrocket. The Republican Medicare bill, which barred Medicare from bargaining for lower prices, kept re-importation from Canada illegal, and punishes seniors with an enrollment cost hike for every year they do not sign up, also provides for an estimated $139 billion in windfall profits for the big drug companies. And despite minimal savings for seniors, it puts the federal budget in the red as far as the eye can see. The Medicare bill is the perfect demonstration of how the Republican Culture of Corruption comes at a cost to the American people every day.
Gas Prices
Last summer, big oil lobbyists for the oil and gas industry pushed for the special interest legislation that eventually turned into the Energy bill.
It was the best legislation money could buy. The bill, which was signed and touted by the Bush Administration and spearheaded in Congress
by Joe Barton, Dennis Hastert and the Republican leadership, does nothing to stop the soaring cost of gas or to prevent gas stations from
gouging consumers but does send $8 billion to the oil and gas industry in the form of giveaways and tax breaks. Today, gas prices are still on
the rise, and the energy legislation passed by George Bush and the Republican Congress last year is seemingly more ineffective than ever.
Last summer, gas prices hit a peak of $3.06 per gallon and today the high costs are back and rising fast. At $2.91 for a gallon of gas - nearly double what it was when George W. Bush took office when it was $1.52 - families who have to drive their kids to school and then drive to
work are having a tougher time than ever.
Environment
If you're looking for where the environment is on the Republican list of priorities, get comfortable. Wherever and whenever a polluter is in want, Republicans will be there. Whether it's a revolving door with the oil industry that leaves reports on Global Warming in tatters or taking "a meat ax to the Endangered Species Act," there will be less and less of our country's natural beauty left for every year Republicans are in power.
Support for Our Troops
Whenever the Bush Administration's foreign policy has come into question, Republicans in Congress claim that it is our troops who are being criticized. When Halliburton is caught cheating our troops out of equipment, meals and fuel, they are rewarded with another contract. When Democrats call for accountability, Republicans attack. And even as billions go to waste, Republicans deny bonuses to our service men and women even as they serve their second or third tour in Iraq, refuse to extend benefits to the National Guard and Reserves who are dying in Iraq, and propose budgets rolling back Veterans benefits
Education
As if the drastic under-funding of No Child Left Behind were not enough, the Republicans have made sure that when our children graduate it will be that much more difficult for them to get ahead and for America to keep its competitive edge. Even as they push more tax cuts targeted at the richest of the rich, last year's budget included the largest cuts to student aid in American history. About 80 percent of the fastest-growing jobs in the coming years will require some post-secondary education.
Good American Jobs
For Republicans, there is nothing that comes before the profits of their multinational corporate donors. Whether it's worker safety, overtime pay, hard-earned pensions, minimum wage, or keeping good jobs here in America, nothing is safe from the Republican drive to reward their donors.
Social Security
They may talk about it less, but Republicans would still love to privatize Social Security. Draconian benefit cuts... trillions of dollars in "transition costs"... elimination of many survivor benefits. That's what President Bush wanted, and Republicans from every corner of the country came out in support. The American people were smarter than they thought, but Republicans made it plain that they are just waiting for their next opportunity.
Stem Cell Research
Nancy Reagan put the debate over stem cell research in stark terms: "Science has presented us with a hope called stem cell research, which may provide our scientists with many answers that for so long have been beyond our grasp. I just don't see how we can turn our backs on this. We have lost so much time already. I just really can't bear to lose any more." And yet when a bill with bipartisan support came up allowing stem cell research only on embryos that would be discarded anyway, a majority of Republicans voted against it. Even though an overwhelming majority of Americans support such research, Republicans are simply too beholden to Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson's extreme right.
More information;
The Massachusetts state legislature will soon be voting on whether or not to bring the state back into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a market-based plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Eight states have signed onto the RGGI and the Global Warming Bill (S2516) would bring Massachusetts into the regional plan to cut global warming pollution. Last month we asked you to send a letter in support of the bill, but we still need your help to ensure the bill passes.
The Bush administration has begun moving the Oman Free Trade Agreement through Congress. They are apparently seeking a final vote on this wrong-headed trade deal yet this month.OFTA is as bad as NAFTA and CAFTA in that it includes no meaningful enforcement for labor or environmental protection. The lack of labor protection is particularly significant in light of recent revelations of massive labor abuses – including widespread human trafficking – in Jordan since that country entered into a free trade agreement with the United States five years ago. OFTA would turn Oman into a sweatshop apparel export platform in the same way, and with Oman’s exceptionally sub-standard labor laws, similar severe abuses can be expected. Sweatshop conditions there mean more lost jobs here.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to restrict demonstrations at military funerals, a measure aimed at a Kansas church group that has carried its anti-gay message to services for those killed in Iraq. "We will not allow the repugnant acts of a few to define who we are as Americans," said Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Steve Buyer, R-Ind., told reporters before the 408-3 vote on the "Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act." He was joined by motorcyclists who attend military funerals to shield families from the anti-gay protesters.
An annual report on wiretapping reveals that state and federal agencies completed wiretaps in 1,773 cases in 2005, an increase of four percent. State and local police surveillance outpaced federal activity in criminal cases, reflecting a shift of FBI and other federal resources from criminal investigations to intelligence investigations. In a separate report, the Department of Justice reported that electronic surveillance and physical searches conducted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reached a new high in 2005, with more than 2,000 applications for surveillance and searches being approved by the FISA court. Those numbers obviously don't include the warrantless wiretapping being conducted under the President's orders outside of FISA.
Welcome to Mary Cheney's million-dollar closet. It's still a bit stuffy in here as a lot of things haven't been totally cleared out. For someone who has been "out" for a decade, Mary still shows major signs of just-coming-out syndrome. It's what Jeff Gannon is going through, and what many if not most gays go through (especially conservative ones) when they first come to terms with being gay. They start being publicly gay, sometimes say good things, but more often than not their internalized homophobia comes slipping out.
More on Mary;
Here is another "Christian" showing his true colors;
"By the time we finish this poker game, there may not be a federal government left! Which would suit me just fine."
-Tom DeLay, 1994
In a stunning 1994 interview, shortly after the now infamous Republican revolution, Tom DeLay sat down and laid out his vision for America: to destroy the Department of Education, HUD, OSHA, the NEH, the NEA, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. His self-stated goal was to "completely redesign government."
The Big Buy: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress is the story of how he did just that. It's the story of one of the most blatant power grabs in American history, and how a District Attorney in Texas turned out to be the biggest threat to the national DeLay Machine. The film is a warning about how easy it is for American democracy to be hijacked by a combination of relentless ambition and corporate millions. It makes the case that DeLay built a "custom-made Congress" that is still providing votes for his agenda.
How many secrets does the Bush Administration have hiding?
I understand the Reagan Administration was filled with a number of law breakers also.
I do think, by the end of Bush's rein, he will be known as the worse President ever, in the history of the United States, and his Administration will be investigated years after, maybe until the end of all the lives of all those involved.
In other words, I believe we will never know what happend on 9/11.
Throw it in the basket labelled 'Unsolved Mysteries', along with; Rosewell's UFOs, The Kennedy assasination, Did we really walk on the moon? and all the other in history that have too many unanswered questions to prove who was involved or if they ever really happened at all...or if, the government created them to confuse us, make us look the other way, make us not notice what they are really doing.
The federal commission that probed the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks was told twice about "Able Danger," a military intelligence unit that had identified Mohamed Atta and other hijackers a year before the attacks, a congressman close to the investigation said Wednesday.
"Among the most critical facts to be determined, if the information about Atta did exist in 2000, would be who then blocked the intelligence from going to the FBI, which could have tracked down the terror cell. "Team members believed that the Atta cell in Brooklyn should be subject to closer scrutiny, but somewhere along the food chain of administration bureaucrats and lawyers, a decision was made in late 2000 against passing the information to the FBI," Weldon wrote."( Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., a champion of integrated intelligence-sharing among U.S. agencies )
More information;
Able Danger was a classified military intelligence program under the command of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM)
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter held a hearing on September 21, 2005, looking into the facts about Able Danger. However, Lt. Col Shaffer and the other four members of Able Danger were ordered not to testify by the Department of Defense. Senator Specter decided to go forward with the hearings hoping "to produce a change of heart by the Department of Defense.
Former Army Major Erik Kleinsmith, former head of the Pentagon's Land Warfare Analysis Department, testified that he was instructed to destroy data and documents related to Able Danger in May and June of 2000. The instruction came from a top Pentagon lawyer. He testified, "I go to bed every night and other members of our team do as well [thinking] that if [Able Danger] had not been shut down that we would have at least been able to prevent something or assist the United States in some way. Could we have prevented 9/11? I could never speculate to that extent."
If a national movement calling for the impeachment of the President is rapidly emerging and the corporate media are not covering it, is there really a national movement for the impeachment of the President?
A couple of years ago, attention was brought to Bush's mental state, now, acoupke years ahead, imagine what the comparison would be...
This is the footage that started the story that first appeared in the Atlantic - George Bush from ten years ago dramatically different than
the Bush you're used to. The big story - "a striking decline in his sentence-by-sentence speaking skills." The reason? One doctor says "presenile dementia" a catch-all term for earlier-than-normal cognitive declines (probably "dry-drunk syndrome"). This video intercuts footage from 10 years ago with recent footage - the difference is dramatic and disturbing. And obvious. See it yourself at http://www.adbuzz.com/bushbuzz.htm
Show it to your friends who think George Bush is okay. He's not. Send it to any media people you know. Many are already suspicious that something's wrong with GWB. This proves it.
Fraudulent research regularly appears in the 30,000 scientific journals published worldwide, a former editor of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) said today. Even when journals discover that published research is fabricated or falsified they rarely retract the findings, according to Richard Smith, who was also chief executive of the BMJ publishing group. Writing in the latest edition of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine,
Dr Smith called on editors to blow the whistle on bad research and to use their clout to pressure universities into taking action against
dodgy researchers. The former BMJ editor said it was likely that research fraud was "equally common" in the 30,000 plus scientific journals
across the globe but was "invariably covered up". His call for action comes in the wake of several high profile cases of fraudulent research, including the Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk who fabricated stem cell research that it was claimed would open up new ways to treat
diseases like Parkinson's. Dr Smith criticised the failure of scientific institutions, including universities, to discipline dodgy researchers even
when alerted to problems by journals. "Few countries have measures in place to ensure research is carried out ethically," he said.
"Most cases are not publicised. They are simply not recognised, covered up altogether or the guilty researcher is urged to retrain, move to another institution or retire from research."
Fifty years ago, American scientists were in a frantic race to counter what they saw as the Soviet threat from germ warfare. Biological
pathogens they developed were tested on volunteers from a pacifist church and were also released in public places. In the 1950s, the
Seventh-day Adventist Church struck an extraordinary deal with the US Army. It would provide test subjects for experiments on
biological weapons at the Fort Detrick research centre near Washington DC. The volunteers were conscientious objectors who agreed
to be infected with debilitating pathogens. In return, they were exempted from frontline warfare. The research involved anthrax, other
lethal bacteria and biological poisons. But it wasn't just the white coat volunteers and sailors who were subject to experiments. The
scientists also conducted tests on an unsuspecting American public. Scientists used what they thought was a harmless simulant in major
bio-weapon tests across US cities and on public transport. It was a bacteria which they believed was harmless but which would mimic
the dispersal of deadly biological agents such as anthrax. But later research showed that the strain of Bacillus globigii, or BG, did pose a
risk to people who were ill or whose immune system was failing. In a damning report, [a U.S. Senate committee] concluded that the
Department of Defense (DoD) repeatedly failed to comply with required ethical standards when using human subjects in military research -
and that the DoD demonstrated a pattern of misrepresenting the danger of various exposures and continued to do so.
For other confirmed instances of governments using humans as guinea pigs in order to forward a military agenda, click here.
For a beautiful six-minute video story of our planet titled "Hope", click here
For an incisive, moving song by popular singer Pink titled "Dear Mr. President", click here
Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group. E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist's staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt by the vaccines. Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice. In a written statement, Frist spokeswoman Amy Call stated that the senator had promised publicly to include the vaccine liability protection in the defense spending bill. She did not address the issue of the influence of industry lobbyists.
House, Senate Conservatives Agree on $70 Billion In New Tax Cuts for the Rich
House and Senate conservatives agreed yesterday to move forward on another budget-busting tax bill favoring the wealthiest Americans.
The latest plan -- announced "after months of tense negotiations and slipped deadlines" -- will spend $70 billion to extend the 15 percent
tax rate for capital gains and dividends until 2010, among other proposals. The agreement "paves the way for House approval of the measure
as early as Wednesday. The Senate could clear the bill for Bush's desk by week's end." According to a study by the Tax Policy Center, the
tax cuts overwhelmingly benefit the richest Americans: "Americans at the center of the income distribution -- the middle fifth of taxpayers,
who will earn an average of $36,000 this year -- could expect a 0.4 percent reduction in their tax bill, or about $20. Those who make less
than $75,000 -- which includes about 75 percent of all taxpayers -- would save, at most, $110 each. Those making more than $1 million
would save, on average, almost $42,000." Additionally, the agreement depends on a number of "budget gimmicks to create the appearance
that it complies with a key rule that bars reconciliation bills from increasing long-term deficits." Despite administration claims to the contrary, Federal Reserve economists have found these investment tax cuts haven't boosted the stock market, and the non-partisan Joint Committee
on Taxation determined that any economic benefits of the cuts are "eventually likely to be outweighed by the reduction in national savings
due to increasing Federal government deficits."
HEALTH -- CONGRESS MAY CUT BILLIONS IN FUNDING FOR FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS AND POVERTY IN AFRICA:
Congress is currently debating funding for foreign assistance programs for FY07. According to the Global AIDS Alliance, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) is "considering a major cut in the total figure, reducing the funding level as much as $3 billion below what President Bush requested in February." Last year, Bush agreed with other G8 heads of state to increase anti-poverty aid to Africa by $25 billion, and to all developing countries by $50 billion, by 2010. According to the One Campaign (founded by U2's Bono), to meet those commitments, Congress must at a minimum fully fund President Bush’s FY07 request. Already, more than 17 million Africans have died from AIDS and "another 25 million are infected with the HIV virus, 2 million of whom are children. The AIDS pandemic in Africa is compounded by the problems associated with extreme poverty. Over one billion people do not have access to clean water. Every 15 seconds, a child dies from a disease associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene." Click here now to sign on to a bipartisan letter that Sens. Mike DeWine (R-OH), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Rick Santorum (R- PA) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) have written in support of fully funding the fight against HIV/AIDS and poverty.
HEALTH CARE -- SENATE CONSIDERS BAD MEDICINE FOR HEALTH CARE CRISIS:
In honor of what the right has labeled "health week," the Senate is considering Sen. Michael Enzi's (R-WY) bill to allow small businesses to join across states lines to buy health insurance. The bill would allow these businesses to "purchase insurance that overrode coverage requirements mandated by the states." A Families USA report lists the kind of coverage requirements people may lose if the current bill becomes law: "cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancer screenings; mammograms; mental health care; well-child care; emergency services; alcoholism treatment; dental anesthesia; diabetic supplies and education; drug abuse treatment; metabolic disorders; and home health care." Many consumer and health groups, including the American Cancer Society, and the American Diabetes Association, are opposed to the bill because fewer people would get proper preventive care. The American Medical Association also has expressed "strong concerns" about the bill. Also, the Enzi bill "would result in higher, discriminatory health insurance premiums for people with health problems and disabilities because it would override state laws that protect people from significant premium differences based on health status, age, gender, and other factors."
A recent report in the seventh annual State of the World’s Mothers report issued today by Save the Children, a global independent humanitarian organization said;
"....the U.S. newborn mortality rate is nearly three times higher than that of Finland, Iceland, Norway and Japan."
Iran reaches out for the first time in 27 years;
"Ahmadinejad's letter, which the Iranian government said contained proposals for improving relations, does nothing to address U.S. concerns, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday, without providing any details." http://www.bloomberg.com/news/markets/commodities.html
"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush proposing ``new ways'' to ease tension between the two states, said Gholam Hossein Elham, a government spokesman."
".....the Ahmadinejad letter was the "first direct contact between an Iranian and US president for the past 27 years. The online daily Netzeitung said the letter discussed ways "to defuse tensions" between Washington and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program."
"Ahmadinejad, in his letter, spoke of the current tense situation in the world and suggested ways of solving problems and of easing tensions," said an Iranian government spokesman, Gholamhossein Elham, at a news briefing today that was carried by the Iranian news agency Irna."
"Iranian President’s letter to US counterpart proposes new ways for getting out of existing vulnerable world situation."
....and all Ms. Rice can say is it's not good enough;
Rice: Iran Letter Doesn't Resolve Standoff
"Iran's top nuclear negotiator called the surprise letter a new "diplomatic opening" between the two countries, but Rice said it was not."
"The White House said there would be no formal response to a letter that Rice said contained "nothing new" to resolve the nuclear dispute."
"The letter was the first from an Iranian leader to a US president in more than a quarter century. Tehran portrayed it as an important diplomatic initiative, though US officials dismissed it as more philosophical treatise than political overture."
"In the letter, Ahmadinejad assailed the United States over Iraq, its reaction to the September 11, 2001 attacks, the handling of "war on terror" detainees and even US policy in Latin America.
"He suggested that the two countries return to religious principles as a means of restoring confidence. "Will you not accept this invitation?" Ahmadinejad "
.....while President Bush turns his back, refuses to communicate;
"In an interview published Sunday, Bush said he preferred a "diplomatic solution" to the nuclear crisis and Iran's threats against Israel, but said "all options should be placed on the table".
Diplomatic Solution?.....how, by refusing to talk to Iran's president.
Diplomatic can be explained as;
Bush has NO intention of using any "diplomatic solution"...he is a bully, a creep, an uneducated idiot who doesn't deserve to be the President, as we all know, he was appointed by the Supreme Court, not elected by the people....those who are supposed to elect their government. Keep in mind, the government is not a "leader" or a "dictator" or a "decider", like Bush believes his is, along with the King of the world.
Bush is giving America a bad reputation, that the rest of us, and the generations that follow, to deal with his mess.
A federal judge in Los Angeles ruled Thursday that a high school does not have the right to reveal a student's sexual orientation
without his or her permission.
It's time for Americans to reassess destinations such as Jamaica, St. Maarten and the Bahamas due to recent anti-gay events,
writes columnist Wayne Besen.
Swedish scientists say lesbians' brains react differently to sex hormones than straight women's, corroborating a recent study of men.
More than $700,000 in campaign contributions helped sink the "Bottle Bill"
Hartford - More than $700,000 in campaign contributions helped the beverage lobby derail an expansion of Connecticut's five-cent bottle deposit law, according to a report by Connecticut Common Cause. The report, which focused on the demise of the 2005 legislative session's "Bottle Bill," quantified campaign contributions from the beverage lobby and demonstrated how political dollars can corrupt the legislative process. The 2005 Bottle Bill was an attempt to expand Connecticut's beverage container deposit law to include bottled water. The bill passed, 31 to 3, the State Senate in April but was never called for a debate or vote in the State House of Representatives.
If the telecom companies like Verizon and AT&T get their way, the Internet will change from a medium that helps people talk to one another, engage in their democracy more directly and become informed about issues, into a vehicle that only operates efficiently for big companies that want to sell goods and transmit television programs, films and games.
Big Oil is raking in windfall profits …and you’re taking it in the tank.
FACT: George Bush’s family has been in the oil business since 1950.
FACT: Dick Cheney became a multi-millionaire as CEO of Halliburton, the world’s biggest oil services company.
FACT: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sat on the board of Chevron, which, interestingly, named a tanker after her.
FACT: Former Secretary of Commerce and recent appointee to the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, Donald Evans, was the CEO of a natural gas company for more than a decade.
FACT: The oil industry has made $58 million in campaign contributions since President Bush took office, with 81% of that going to Republicans, and has spent an additional $221 million lobbying Congress and President Bush for environmental regulatory rollbacks and tax breaks over that same time period.
FACT: The largest 5 oil companies have recorded $342.4 billion in profits since President Bush took office.
Sources:
A bill in the Senate would greatly simplify Medicare and save taxpayers billions of dollars. The bill creates a standard drug benefit and allows Medicare to negotiate prices just like the Veterans Administration does for veterans. By next Monday, millions of Americans must sign up for their Medicare drug benefit or pay higher prices for their drugs--for the rest of their lives! Even without this penalty, seniors pay more for their medicine because Medicare is legally prohibited from negotiating with the drug companies for a better deal. The VA negotiates this well-deserved benefit on behalf of veterans, but the Medicare drug benefit was drafted specifically to prohibit price negotiation, so seniors pay more. It's time now for Congress to give Medicare the ability to reduce drug prices.
Don't let the term "Internet neutrality" fool you. In the current battle over the Internet, the outcomes will be anything but "neutral" for
Internet users if broadband providers get their way. Companies like Comcast and AT&T have been lobbying Congress for legal permission
to slow or block your access to the Web and its services.
More information;
What products should you buy organic and why? Which fish are safe to eat? Can you keep your home clean without toxic chemicals? How can you be green in home furnishings and home improvements? The Green Guide answers these questions and so much more. The Green Guide is the go-to source for green home tips, product reviews, environmental health and wellness information, and green living advice. Get well-researched, credible answers to your most important questions about everyday health and environmental issues for yourself and your family.
The USDA is supposed to require that all cows have access to pasture if their milk is labeled "organic." But this rule is largely undefined, and as a result, major factory farmers have been selling their milk as organic when really their cows are kept in cramped feedlots - only let out to pasture when they're not producing milk.
Representatives Pombo (R-CA) and Frank (D-MA) have introduced a bill that is bad for America's fish and fishing communities. This year, Congress must renew the law governing marine fisheries in the U.S., the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Mr. Pombo and Mr. Frank's bill weakens existing law, ignores recommendations from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, a bi-partisan panel of ocean experts appointed by President Bush, and fails to end overfishing.
Tell Representatives Ney, Jefferson, and Doolittle, as well as Senator Burns, to resign. Will the corruption and sleaze ever end? Representative Cunningham was the first one convicted for illegal behavior, but other indictments are most certainly going to come out in upcoming weeks.
EPA Diverts Resources from Protecting the Environment to Homeland Security
The Bush administration continues to cut funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and divert resources devoted to
protecting the nation's natural resources. Most recently on May 1, the EPA announced the creation of a new top-level position, the
Associate Administrator for Homeland Security, which will be "responsible for EPA's planning, prevention, preparedness and response to incidents of national significance." This move comes on top of President Bush's $184-million request for EPA homeland security programs
Source:
A ten-year-old barred from singing an anti-Bush song at a Coral Springs show says she thinks the song speaks about important subjects like war and homelessness. Molly Shoul was barred from singing a President Bush-bashing song at her elementary school talent show because her principal deemed the song inappropriate and too political. “Dear Mister President,” performed and co-written by pop star Pink, criticizes Bush for the war in Iraq and policies including his stance on gay rights. Park Springs Elementary Principal Camille Pontillo declined to comment. If the ban stands, Molly says she will select a new song for the show later this month with a message she thinks school officials won't object to: A hip-hop song about two girls fighting over a boy.
By nominating Michael Hayden, the former chief of the National Security Agency (the US government's super-secret eavesdropping outfit), to replace Porter Goss as CIA director, Bush is waving a red cape in front of his critics and daring them to charge.
"All presidents have lied, but George W. Bush has relentlessly abused the truth. 'The Lies of George W. Bush' (Crown Publishers, October 2003)—a steely and scathing indictment of the president and his advisers—David Corn, the Washington editor of The Nation and a Fox News Channel contributor, reveals and examines the deceptions at the heart of the Bush presidency."
More information offered.....
Bush has:
Brazenly misrepresented intelligence data and relied on dishonest arguments to whip up support for war with Iraq
Made numerous false statements about the provisions and effects of his super-sized tax cuts
Offered disingenuous and misleading explanations about the 9/11 attacks, the war on terrorism, and homeland security
Lied about his connections—and those of his administration—to corporate crooks
Presented deceptive claims to sell controversial policies on the environment, stem cell research, missile defense, abortion, energy, Social Security, health care, education, and other crucial issues
Dishonestly claimed to be a positive campaigner while engaging in deceitful and down-and-dirty tactics during the 2000 presidential campaign and recount drama.
One Democrat and Ten Republicans......looks like a "trend" or just points to the fact that the majority of corruption in politics is
founded by Republicans.
Could it be that when we try to describe what a Republican is, words like the following come to mind; self-serving, money hungry and power.
Then when we try to describe a Democrat, words like the following come to mind; humanitarian, education and social justice.
You decide;
To be included, a member of Congress must have committed illegal acts or engaged in conduct that is highly abusive of the public trust
in the service of special interests. Those members of Congress in the "dishonorable mention" category have been involved in activity that
is ethically questionable or offensive to the public trust, but which does not rise to the same level of wrongdoing as that of the inductees
into the Hall of Shame.
But digging deeper we find more;
"Since the 1960s the Republican Party has been increasingly dominated by conservative politics. In broad terms, Republicans believe the private sector and/or the individual are better suited than the government to control their own lives." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(US)
And....
"the Republicans more heavily emphasize the idea that societal health is rooted in personal and corporate decision making."
Note the word; "corporate"...can you say "Family Friends; Bush & Bin Laden"?
Oddly enough, the source goes on to state;
"They trust markets to optimize outcomes, rather than government mandates. This mindset is seen most often in the party's push for lower tax rates. This is fought for in an attempt to treat all citizens as the same despite income, race, gender, or religion."
That seems the furthest thing from the truth. As noted above, there seems to be a sort of "take over" by conservatives of the Republican Party. The Fundamental Religious Right seems to be the core of the current Republican Party.
Now, if I am not mistaken, do we not have the largest political party in power right now. Even most Republicans can say that Bush is not representing what a Republican is.
PLUS....how about all the vote stealing and 'Diebold' voting machine leg pulling, coercion, swindle, deception and scams....controlled by the Republican Party who try to make it hard to recheck votes and investigate any questionable voting behaviors.
The Republican Party used to be much different;
"The Republican party was founded as an anti-slavery party in the mid 1800s. The first Republican US President was Abraham Lincoln."
Now the Federalsit Party is a fun group, the founder Hamilton, was shot by Vice President Aaron Burr
"Burr was later charged with multiple crimes, including murder, in New York and New Jersey, but was never tried in either jurisdiction. He escaped to South Carolina, where his daughter lived with her family, but soon returned to Washington, D.C. to complete his term of service as Vice President." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton
.........oh......a Vice President that shoots someone.....I wonder if the current Vice President is channeling Aaron Burr? Well atleast our current Vice President hasn't killed anyone yet
....oh wait...I forgot all the American soilders that were sent to Iraq, due to a lie that the current Republican Party tried to pass as truth. So you can infact be a murderer and a Vice President, or even President, at the same time.
Wow, who knew that the next person you see on 'America's Most Wanted" may be the President of the United States of America in the future.
All and all, politics is a dirty game, filled with dirty selfish people, who do seem to have the "blood of the people" on their hands. But looking over the history of politics, the Democratic Party has done more for mankind than any Republican Party ever has or ever will.
Neil Volz, the former chief of staff to Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from the Justice Department's investigation of convicted former superlobbyist Jack Abramoff. With their former top aides going down, how long can members of Congress such as Ney and Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) continue to maintain their innocence?
As if the nightmare around the new Medicare prescription drug benefit wasn’t bad enough—with millions of seniors at risk of incurring increased costs if they don’t sign up for a drug plan by the May 15 deadline—we now learn Medicare Part B costs are increasing.
Don’t believe the spin about Social Security.
Bush pension plan ban “encourages companies to dump pensions,” says Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.).
Trade gap costs 400,000 jobs, threatens economy.
