Waxman"Hatches" Another Investigation

The Hatch Act was enacted in 1939 to prohibit political activities by Government employees.This was done because of abuses by Democrats who used the power of their positions for political gain. The Hatch act has been altered somewhat over the years to permit more civil servants to engage in political activity, but there is still a big list of do's and donts that have to be followed. Violations of the Hatch Act can result in penalties ranging from a 30 day suspension to loss of job. The Act was necessary in 1939 and is still necessary today to ensure that the "peoples business" is done fairly without any regard for political gain.
http://www.osc.gov/ha_fed.htm

Henry Waxman(D-CA), Chair of the House Oversight Committee, is investigating yet another example wrongdoing on the part of the Republican administration, which appears to be a clear violation of the Hatch Act.

On January 26, 2007, J.Scott Jennings, an aide to Karl Rove, met with Lurita Doan, head of the General Services Administration, and 40 GOP political appointees at the GSA headquarters and made a slide presentation showing the GOP's top targeted races in the 2008 elections, along with the Republican strategy in each of those races. Lurita Doan then asked those attending how GSA resources could be used to help the Republican candidates. The ensuing discussion included such things as finding ways to exclude Nancy Pelosi from appearing at a courthouse opening in San Francisco while including a Republican Senator.

This kind of activity is patently illegal, as Goverment employees are not allowed to engage in partisan political activity on government property or on government time. Here are different links to describe this meeting and what Rep. Waxman is doing.
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Waxman_requests_documents_from_Rove_regarding_0329.html

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/White_House_Power_Point_slides_target_0330.html

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/07/gsa-illegal/

Lurita Doan testified before Waxman's committee on March 30, and as you might expect, has the worst memory when it comes to illegal acts.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/28/lurita-cookies-doan/

Doan is a real piece of work. She has also been caught trying to dish out an illegal no-bid contract to a longtime friend, and steered a large contract to another company even though the contract had clear violations of GSA guidelines. The details are in the link above.

The arrogant disregard for laws, guidelines, regulations, and ETHICS resulting from the blatant politicization of virtually every regulatory agency in the Federal government is infuriating to those of us who believe that our government should act in the interests of the citizens of this country and not solely in the interests of the political party in control. The examples cited here are just part of a long string of misuse and abuse of power rampant in the Bush administration.

Our government was not intended to function this way, and it is vital that we hold these people to account.

Can Iglesias hit Rove with a Cruise missle?

Call it whatever you want-"Gonzogate", "Purgegate", "Prosecutorgate", or "Attorneygate", it's real and dirty, and it's happening now. More crap is being uncovered almost daily to show that the firing of at least eight U.S. Attorneys was politically motivated and that many people both in and out of the Bush administration were involved, including people in the Republican National Committee, a Senator, a Representative, Alberto Gonzalez, and Karl "The Krook" Rove.

This political subversion of our justice system is criminal, and many heads will roll before it's all done. The Busheviks are stalling and stonewalling to beat Hell, and it is leading to a huge showdown on the issue of "executive privilege".

There is a lighter side to this sordid mess though, and I'm going to explain it and do a little speculation about one thing that would prove Justice appreciates delicious irony.

David Iglesias, one of the aforementioned U.S. Attorneys, is the person who inspired Tom Cruises character in the movie "A Few Good Men". Here's the link:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21445338-2703,00.html

In the movie Cruise goaded Colonel Jessep, the power-tripping ends- justify -the- means Marine played by Jack Nicholson, into admitting that he issued an illegal order leading to the prosecution of two other Marines that Cruises character was defending. In the dramatic courtroom climax, Nicholson shouted the famous line "You want the TRUTH? You can't HANDLE the truth!"

Imagine for a moment a possibility, remote to be sure, but sooo ripe for sweet revenge. How neat it would be if David Iglesias was named Special Prosecutor for the Senate investigation and got Karl Rove, in a fit of "rove rage", to scream "You want the TRUTH? I can't HANDLE the truth!" The ultimate "gotcha back". Rove could be sentenced to "purgeatory" for a year before he begins his hard time.

At last!-A way to change Presidential politics

For the first time in a while, I found a piece of news which gives me some hope that politics, as practiced in America, can be made a little more honest and our elections made a little more meaningful. Stateside Dispatch reports that the Maryland Senate just approved legislation that would require that Marylands electoral votes go to the Presidential candidate that got the most votes nationwide, instead of to the candidate that won the popular vote in the state.

Similar bills have already been passed in either the House or Senate in three other states, and if the concept gains enough momentum to become law in enough states, it will mean that the Presidential candidate who wins the popular vote nationally will become President.

Not only will it require our candidates to pay heed to voters in all the states intead of those with the most electoral votes, it will mean that even if the majority of the votes cast in your state are for "the other guy", your vote still counts.

Here's the link:http://www.progressivestates.org/content/588/national-popular-vote-fix-for-electoral-college-passes-md-senate

This is a marvelous way to eliminate the gross inequities of the Electoral College, and to give your vote true weight regardless of where you live. What a way to eliminate voter apathy and to force some "candid" back into candidates.

Blackwater- Bush's Special Republican Guards

Everyone has heard of Blackwater by now. They are the largest private army in the world, started by a wealthy right-winger who has donated huge sums to righty Christian groups.
They have over 20,000 armed "contractors" in Iraq right now, with over 20 planes and helicopter gunships, and even have their own intelligence division. Better yet, the employees working in Iraq are completely above the law and are basically free to do whatever they wish without fear of prosecution.
They are foremost among the benificiaries of Donald Rumsfelds (read 'neocon') plan to privatize much of the U.S. military as a means of funneling enormous profits through DOD contracts. Blackwater also has, or has had, contracts through the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security. They were sent to the Gulf coast after hurricane Katrina-600 of them quickly dispatched to the area( for only $240,000/day), to stop" all of the murders" and keep order by threats and intimidation of the populace. Our National Guard troops would have done it much better, but they were a little busy getting their asses shot off in Iraq.

A link is provided here to an extremely well-written article in The Nation by Jeremy Scahill:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070402/scahill_vid

You will see that some belated attempts have been made to force accountabilty onto Blackwater, and none to soon, but Blackwater in any form represents a danger to our nation that simply cannot be permitted.

Just as Saddam Hussein had his elite Special Republican Guards, so does George Bush with Blackwater. There is a certain irony in the name of Hussein's troops, isn't there? A private army of this size, with the resources they have, has the potential to wreak havoc inside the United States. Given their history, and Bush's, it is entirely possible that they could be called upon to stifle dissent with force of arms, even to take control of the government at Bush's order.

Private armed forces like Blackwater have no legimate reason to operate within the United States, as they are NOT government employees, and must be legislated out of existence as quickly as possible. They simply pose too great a danger to us for their presence to be allowed.

I don't know if anyone in Congress shares my concerns, but they should be as alarmed as I am.

So what have the damn liberals ever done for me?

I just ran across a piece written back in 2004( Ahh, the memories), about some of the things the hated liberals have done over the years that people, especially liberal haters, never even think about. This was written by John Gray, and republished in Michael Moore.com.

It's well worth the quick read. You will either learn something new that might change your attitudes or just be reminded of some of the many accomplishments of liberals working for the benefit of all of us. Enjoy.

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=144

Fixing "gayness" in the womb--Will the idea bear fruit?

Reverend A. Albert Mohler, head of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is showing signs of having a death wish. In an act reminiscent of a deranged person attacking police so that he will be killed, Rev. Mohler recently published an article stating that a biological basis may be proven for homosexuality, and that he would be in favor of a non-invasive hormone treatment to correct the condition in utero should such treatment become available. He went on to say that taking such an action would be justified in the Bible, and that homosexuality, even though caused by biological factors, would still be a sin in the eyes of God.

His statements have unleashed a storm of protest from all sides. The homophobes in the evangelical movement are outraged at him because they have always taught that homosexuality is a matter of choice, and that it can only be "cured" through counseling and prayer. Gay rights activists are up in arms that Rev. Mohler said homosexuals are damned even though God created them that way.

So, Rev. Mohler is being beaten to death by Bibles from one side and strangled by feather boas from the other. A few people defend him, claiming he should be commended for having an open mind and raising the issue. However, his statements point up the futility of clinging to a dogma that simply cannot square with new information as it becomes available, and raise thorny theological questions that will prove their hypocrisy.

Does God have a quota? Is there a reason why he would make some people homosexual if it's pre-ordained that they cannot go to Heaven? Does God feel an obligation to provide enough souls that a balance can be maintained with Hell? Interesting to consider that our loving God might make some people so that He can feed the eternal fires. I can't seem to grasp that concept by reading the New Testament.

Why does Rev. Mohler espouse treating a fetus, in what amounts to a kind of religious eugenics, when doing so would alter something God Himself created? Whatever happened to the whole "sanctity of life" argument? If you're going to think along those lines, wouldn't it be a mercy to abort those fetuses found to have "gayness", and save them from having to live a life of fruitless striving for a Heaven they can never attain?

These are just a few of the problems that arise when a stubborn group of people are so steeped in a narrow theology that they can't even remember what faith is. Faith is belief in something that cannot be proven. As some part of your belief is proven to be erroneous, your faith must be adjusted to fit the new facts. To cling to your beliefs even when proven wrong is nothing more than obstinacy, and is a rejection of one of the greatest gifts that God gave us- an intellect.

Before I forget, here's a link to an AP story on Yahoo news:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070314/ap_on_re_us/baptist_gay_babies;_ylt=AtjEsKK8JOkDTI4pTxgyjZjMWM0F

All of this is a way of once again pointing out that acceptance of people and
their differences makes our journey through life much simpler, and can lead to solutions for all kinds of problems that could otherwise never be solved.

WAR IS A RACKET

Major General Smedley Butler,USMC (1881-1940), was one of the very few servicemen to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor,TWICE. He had a long and distinguished military career and retired in 1931. He fought in campaigns over much of the world, and by the time his career ended, had figured out exactly why he had been fighting.

The two links below reference speaches he delivered in 1933 in which he explained that every war, every military action,every intervention, was undertaken strictly for the profit of a few wealthy men. Please read these very carefully and you can easily conclude that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Nothing has changed since his time except the size of the profits to be won.

http://www.fas.org/man/smedley.htm
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4377.htm

WAR IS A RACKET!

Carl Lindner is a big rotten banana head!

Yes folks, I'm throwing stones at "Uncle Carl" Lindner, revered as a god in the Cincinnati area for his unbounded philanthropy and reputation for ethical conduct. He is a "self-made" billionaire who has worked hard all his life and enjoys giving back to the community to which he owes so much. He started United Dairy Farmers, had owned the Cincinnati Reds, owns the American Financial Group, and for years was Chairman of the Board of Chiquita, retiring from that position in 2002. ( American financial still has 42% control of Chiquita). He is well known for spreading money around to politicians of both major parties, but gives much more to the Republicans for some reason.

He is a non-smoker, and doesn't drink or swear. He is a paragon of virtue and is respected by all, who know him as a businessman of the highest ethical conduct. He gives generously to local charities, has donated money for swimming pools in cash-strapped communities, even started the Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy in 1989. When he passes on, there will probably be overwhelming support to re-name Hamilton County in his honor.

However, there is a side of Mr Lindner that gives lie to his good reputation, that shows him to be a calculating pragmatic scoundrel who doesn't have any qualms about breaking some serious laws, here and abroad, to advance his business interests. He also showed a lack of conscience and moral character by giving big bucks to a recent political smear campaign.

Let's do the smear campaign first. On 10/14/04, three weeks before the last presidential election, Mr. Lindner donated $350,000 to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the vicious ad campaign of lies impugning John Kerry's military service in Viet Nam. By the time he gave the money it was patently obvious that the charges against Kerry were totally without merit, but that didn't stop Lindner. That boy plays to win!!

Now to the law-breaking-Chiquita just this week agreed to pay a $25 million fine to the U.S. government because they paid millions of dollars to terrorist groups in Colombia between 1997 and 2004 as bribes so that Chiquitas business interests in that country would not suffer from the political turmoil rampant at the time. Payment of the bribes was approved at the highest levels of Chiquita, and included $1.7 million to a group called AUC, a left-wing group, and a similar amount to FARC, a right-wing paramilitary group. Both groups had been designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. well before the bribe payments ceased.

The U.S., of course, is content to levy a simple fine for supporting terrorist activities, but Colombia is upset enough that they want to extradite the Chiquita executives involved to stand trial for their crimes. What do you suppose the chances are that they'll be handed over to a more fitting justice? Yeah, that's what I think too.

Here's a link to an AP story: http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/301396,CST-NWS-banana17.article

Anyway, I think it's time to update the story of the Garden of Eden. Instead of an apple, the "forbidden fruit" should be changed to a Chiquita banana. While we're at it, we could change that other story to "Carl and Abel" and start referring to the "jawbone of a Carl". Way down deep, he's a crud.

Quotes of the day

"Wars of aggression are the most barbarous of all human endeavors and are, more often than not, the instruments of insane tyrants who hear voices."---Professor Rodrigue Tremblay

"I hear the voices."---President George W. Bush
******
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” ---Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again, for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."---President George W. Bush

"Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism."---President George Washington

How we started on the road to being #1

Of all the horrors of the past six years, the most costly, in terms of lives, money, human suffering, and Constitutional abuses, could have been avoided if George Bush had just said OK.

With all of the awful events that have occurred since 9/11, I had totally forgotten that Bush had rejected a serious offer from the Taliban to hand over Osama bin Laden. I was reminded of this when I found the following, an article by Peter Dyer in Consortiumnews.com:

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/031507a.html

The offer to turn over bin Laden was rejected on 10/14/01. I suspect that by that time the neocon puppetmasters had already decided that the "decider" would be instructed to decide to proceed with the invasion of Afghanistan. The war profiteers could not, would not be denied.

World domination is our God-given right, but I guess we can expect a few bumps in the road on our " divine quest", like Iraq, 700,000+ deaths, our Constitution destroyed along with our democracy, and other trivial things. Maybe Bush was right in refusing the offer--it probably would have just slowed us down.

VALERIE PLAME LIES UNDER OATH!

The title of this post is what is sure to be the right-wing "talking point of the day".
Valerie Plame testified under oath this morning at a hearing conducted by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that she WAS a covert CIA agent at the time she was outed by Dick(The Dick) Cheney, Karl(The Dick) Rove, Richard(The Dick) Armitage, and Scooter(The Dick)Libby. She also testified that she had nothing to do with her husband, Joe Wilson, being sent to Niger to investigate the claim that Iraq had attempted to purchase yellow-cake uranium for a nuclear weapons program.

The Republicans, of course, have been telling us all for years that Plame was NOT covert, that she was only a clerk, that she sent her husband to Niger, that virtually everbody knew that she worked for the CIA, and of course, that no damage was done anyway, etc.

Well, it seems obvious to me that someone is LYING here. You can look for the entire right-wing spin machine to call Plame out for lying under oath. They know that their lackwit faithful will accept it as gospel.

Here's a link to Editor and Publisher with details on the hearing:

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003558908

What the committee does with this information remains to be seen, but the non-lackwits know what should be done-all the dicks should be put on trial for treason, found guilty, and hanged in Baghdad. Or maybe just sentenced to serve as "field whores" in the Iranian army.

What is it going to take to bring these traitors to justice?

ADDENDUM: Damn, I'm good!!! Brit Hume, one of the professional distortionists on Fox "News" is claiming that Valerie Plame lied under oath!! I knew they'd see right through her. Here's the link:http://thinkprogress.org/2007/03/18/hume-plame-oath/

Halliburton--Dubai and good riddance!

Halliburton, the oil services company famous for its unflagging support of the Bush administrations goal of draining the U.S. Treasury, has just announced it is moving its headquarters to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. After being awarded many billions of dollars worth of government contracts, either directly or through its subsidiary companies, its hard to imagine a better place to do business than the good 'ol U.S.of A. But what do I know? I can speculate that Dick Cheney has passed word to them that our treasury is nearly empty, and that Dubai's is still in good shape. Or, it may be that Halliburton is moving because of the excessive tax burden imposed on them here(HAHAHA). Or, it may be that we don't have an extradition treaty with Dubai and they're looking for a safe haven so that they can't be made to answer for the horrible ripoffs that helped them to a profit of 2.3 billion dollars last year( Congressional investigations have a way of making war-profiteering thieves kinda antsy). Or, it might be that Cheney asked them to leave the country so they can't testify against him. It might be all of those things, or none of them. Whatever the reason, you can be sure it will be hailed as a "sound business decision". I really don't know why they're leaving because I never understood the criminal mind, but I'll be glad to see their sorry asses gone. I'll be glad to see our government cancel all of their existing contracts too, but I'm not holding my breath.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=2941931

Hillary--George Bush in drag

I mean this in the best possible way, but Hillary Clinton is a war-hawking, death-dealing, arms-peddling bitch. She's a lean, mean war machine who once wrote a book titled "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child", but should be working on a second called"Here's a Bomb to Raze That Village".

Here's a synopsis of her record as a Senator, and a link to a more detailed article by Stephen Zunes in the National Catholic Recorder:
http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0309-23.htm

1) She opposes the international treaty banning land mines.
2) Voted against a bill restricting U.S. exports of cluster bombs.
3) Opposes restrictions on U.S. arms transfers and police training to governments that
systematically abuse human rights.
4) Voted for the Iraq war, and still defends her vote.
5) Supports unconditional funding for the Iraq war.
6) Criticizes groups such as Amnesty International who point out human rights abuses by
the U.S. government.
7) Criticized the International Court of Justice for affirming that the Geneva Conventions on
War are binding on all nations that signed it.
8) Opposes any enforcement of the UN Security Council resolutions on nuclear proliferation.
9) Strongly supported Israel's invasion of Lebanon last year.

Clinton almost makes Bush look like a dovish wimp. Can we stand a Democratic neo-con in the White House? I don't think so!

Let us pray--Dear Lord, if You love all your children, please don't let us nominate a presidential candidate who doesn't, Amen.

Does Congress Have War Powers?

Does Congress have sweeping powers to manage the conduct of wars? HELL YES!!!
Despite all the Republican crap claiming otherwise, the Constitution defines them pretty clearly, and here is an article written by Matthew Rothschild for The Progressive that explains it very well.

http://www.progressive.org/mag_wx030907

Congress has every Constitutional right to cut off funding, limit the length of a war, and basically determine all the parameters of the conflict. All of the authority that George Bush claims is NOT his by right, and if he continues to exercise authority not granted to him, he can and should be impeached and removed from office.

Unfortunately, drawing and quartering, drowning, burning at the stake, shooting, strangulation, and hanging are punishments reserved for other criminals, so I'll settle for impeachment, even though this man is directly responsible for over 700,000 deaths so far.

Anyway, Congress DOES have the power, and WE have to make sure that we take every opportunity to let them know that we KNOW they have it, and had better use it.

Evangelical Infighting-Dissension in the Ranks

This is just too cool.There's a catfight going on between two major Christian Evangelical groups.The real hardliners, led by the like of James Dobson and Jerry Falwell, who have dictated the political message over the last several years, are pissed off at very a large faction who have come to believe that it is important to speak out against poverty and global warming as well as the standard anti-gay anti-abortion issues which have been their bread and butter.
This could signal a coming split over control of the Evangelical movement, and may lead to a softening of their message, which heretofore has been very hate-filled, intolerant and divisive.

Here's a link to an article in the LA Times with more details.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-evangelicals10mar10,1,1994035.story?track=crosspromo&page=2&coll=la-headlines-nation&ctrack=1&cset=true

The mere fact that any of these folks can find a reason in the Bible for caring and compassion is amazing to me, given the divisive spew for which they've been noted, and in truth it gives me a reason to hope that sanity can return to religious priorities in this country.

This is a battle that could get bloody, but I know who I'm backing, and that's the side of less evil.

IRAN FOR DUMMIES

If you're wondering how it came about that our government is pushing to start World War III in the Middle East, here is a little primer to help you. This is a lazy post with lots of links. Don't be fooled though, you can wander around in them for years, like Moses in the desert. What I've done is merely to give you a little history, in a more or less timeline, so that you can connect some dots. You can Google a stupid amount of additional information yourself if you have either the time or inclination.

Project for the New American Century (PNAC)--They're the group of "neocons" who decided it would be neat if the the U.S. controlled the whole world with our military might.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Project_for_the_New_American_Century
****
American Enterprise Institute (AEI)- A right-wing stink tank that primarily exists to shill for big business and big oil and PNAC.
http://www.mediatransparency.com/story.php?storyID=180
****
This Wikipedia article on Dick Cheney will give you a perspective on why we are focusing on the Middle East. Hint:( oil,oil,oil,oil,oil)
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dick_Cheney
****
Here a two links that show how legitimate peace overtures from Iran were summarily rejected in 2003. They prove the determination of our neocon-dominated administration to proceed full speed ahead with their grand plan, no matter what.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/26/157241
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/26/parsi-iran-offer/
****
A link to an article detailing the runup to an attack on Iran. Same shit as Iraq-different day.
Part of this consists of "proof" that Iran is supplying sophisticated roadside bombs to the insurgents in Iraq. Of course , the Wall Street Journal just had a piece telling how the British troops in southern Iraq recently found a makeshift factory producing the same advanced weapons, but Bush won't let that slow him down much.
http://tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=169271
****
A link showing how our Democratic stalwarts (read frauds) are helping fuel the coming debacle by insisting that "all options" must remain open in dealing with Iran.
http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0226-25.htm
****
Two links alluding to the possibility that several top Generals might resign immediately if Bush orders an attack on Iran. The military brass is definitely not pleased with the way things are proceeding. This may turn out to be our only hope of stopping this madness.
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/022707.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1434540.ece
****
A link about how some Dems are making noise that Bush has no authority to attack Iran without Congressional approval and funding.
http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2007/03/webb-no-funds-for-iran-attack-without.html
****

The most troubling thing of all is that the whole debate revolves about Irans interference in Iraq, and whether or not they are working to develop nuclear weapons. What Bush and the neocons have done here is to get everyone to ignore the fact that starting a pre-emptive war is not only immoral, but would lead to a death sentence in any international court of justice. It simply is not countenanced, and even considering such an action shows that there are no depths to which this administration will not sink to achieve their goals. They are evil personified.

LIBBY APPEAL--THE FIX IS IN!

Scooter Libby is almost 100% guaranteed to walk free on appeal. Libby, facing a possible 25 year prison term after being found guilty of four counts of perjury and obstruction of justice in the Valerie Plame case, has got to be laughing up his sleeve right now.

His attorneys plan to file an appeal of his conviction. The only way Libby will ever see the inside of a prison cell will be if the presiding judge orders him to begin serving his sentence while the appeals process is underway. This is unlikely to happen, given his status as a government insider, and gee whiz, it's not like he did anything really criminal like smoke dope.

Why will he win on appeal? Because his case will be assigned to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. This is the three judge panel that just ruled, in a 2 to 1 decision, that prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay are not entitled to Habeus Corpus rights because the land is only leased and thus falls under Cuban sovereignty!!

The two judges that concocted that gem are David Sentelle and A. Raymond Randolph, both fiercely loyal Republicans. Sentelle in particular, is infamous for overturning the Iran-Contra convictions of Oliver North and John Poindexter on technicalities, and for naming Kenneth Starr to head up the Whitewater investigation of the Clintons after the original special prosecutor found nothing wrong. For more on Sentelle, refer to my post from 2/27/07-DAVID SENTELLE-TRAITOR JUDGE.

You can bet that Sentelle and Randolph have already written their decisions and are just waiting while the formalities are observed. Overturning Libby's conviction will be merely another little favor for their Republican buddies, and George Bush, of course, won't have to worry his smirky little head about any political fallout from a pardon.

Excuse my frustration, but THIS SUCKS!!!!!

Tidbits from the dark side

Mary Cheney, the Vice Presidents pregnant gay daughter, is in therapy, trying to cope with overwhelming feelings of guilt stemming from her decision to finally break the "abstinence only" pledge her father made her sign when she was in kindergarden.
**********
BREAKING NEWS!! Mary Cheney has just revealed that the father-to-be of her baby, due this spring, is ANN COULTER, who is also claiming paternity of the ANNA NICOLE SMITH baby.
**********
First Dick Cheney was a bombing target in Afghanistan. Now he's been diagnosed with a potentially fatal blood clot in his leg. Why is God teasing us like this?
**********
A Senate committee has uncovered a secret military operation ongoing in Iraq since 2003. A Pentagon spokesman has testified under oath that the Air Force contracted with Neil Bush, the President's brother, to purchase 10 million tons of Tang breakfast drink. The powdered drink, when mixed with water, is known to the military as Agent Orange Flavor, and has been sprayed heavily on the Iraq countryside to defoliate areas that might provide concealment for enemy forces. When questioned about the usefulness of the program, the spokesman said " We consider it to be an unqualified success. See any trees over there?"
**********
Is this a sign that the Iraq insurgency is in its last throes of passion, if you will?
President Bush, in a rare unscripted moment, claimed that Iran is supplying sophisticated IUD's now being used against our troops.
**********
The fine folks at Fox News privately refer to their viewers as "black holes", because they swallow everything.
**********
Freak of nature?--Wolf cowed!
Federal agents broke into Dick Cheney's bunker last week after a groundskeeper reported a foul odor, coming from an air vent, that did not smell like the VP's underwear. Agents were surprised to discover a woman, who identified herself as Eva Braun, cooking sauerkraut in the bunkers kitchen. She reportedly told the agents "I get lonely when Herr Dickey iss away and I wass fixing some, what do you say here, comfort food. I meant no harm".
When Wolf Blitzer started to ask the Vice President about this incident, Cheney bristled-"You haff no right to ask zese questions.It iss not appropriate! Iss that a gold tooth you haff?" Blitzer immediately stammered an apology and peed himself.
Cheney later apologized to Blitzer for his outburst and invited him on a wolf hunt. Ever the sportsman, Cheney also promised Blitzer a one minute head start.
**********
The biggest difference between George Bush and George Washington is that when Washington became President he was no longer revolting.
**********
President Bush stated today, in a top level briefing to the Republican National Committee, that on the advice of Karl Rove, he will re-deploy the huge private mercenary army, currently in Iraq, to Colorado several months prior to the start of the Democratic national convention, set to be held in Denver in August, 2008. "We're gonna get 'em set up plenty early so they can snap up all the hotel space, then assign 'em to work security at the convention. They'll be doin' stuff like friskin' people and cuttin' power cables and dealin' with anti-war agitators, and they'll be fully armed. Oh yeah, we're also gonna have 'em wearin' Obama for President buttons so people'll think he hired 'em. Oh,man-I can't wait!"
***********************

OHIO VOTERS AGAINST CCV--SIGN NOW!

Right-wing wedge machine Citizens for Community Values is working with some legislators in Columbus to enact a law restricting (gasp!) strip clubs in the State of Ohio. This is a totally unneeded piece of legislation, as local communities already closely regulate these clubs. This whole effort is as shoddy as they come, and a link to the Cincinnati Enquirer, explaining the underhanded tactics being employed is provided here:

http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/gov/2007/03/petition-drive-started-in-response-to.asp#comments

To counter this effort by CCV, an on-line petition drive has begun, which will be sent to our State Legislators, to let them know in clear language that supporting this proposed law will have political consequences. I urge you to follow the link below and sign this petition, and urge your friends who are registered to vote in Ohio to do the same.

http://www.petitiononline.com/cfcv/petition.html

These kinds of shoddy tactics are damaging, dirty, distracting and dangerous. Please sign now!

IT'S TIME TO TAKE CONTROL

We need to take our country back! For far too long our legislators in Washington DC ( of both major parties), have failed to act in the best interests of the citizens who elected them. The electorate has been effectively shut out of the process because our Legislators and Executives respond more and more to the influence wielded by large corporations and well-funded special interests. Our government has become a seriously flawed, self-perpetuating organism that determines for itself which hands will feed it, and thus which hands will have its fealty.

There is a simple answer to why this is so. It is because the Legislative and Executive branches of our government make their own rules of conduct. Once in office, they operate as they see fit, and as things stand now, there is nothing of a practical nature that we can do about it if we disagree with their methods. The influence of special interests on policies , regulations and laws will never be mitigated, much less eliminated, because it has grown so pervasive that there is not a majority anywhere in either branch with the will to change.

So, what can we do? Simply this-force them to play by OUR rules, not theirs. Since WE ELECT these people to govern FOR us, WE certainly have the right to establish the rules governing every aspect of those elections.

I am not suggesting at all that we take over all law-making functions, as that leads to the very real danger of "tyranny of the majority". What I am suggesting is that we assume for ourselves the right to have national issues voting on everything that affects, directly or peripherally, how national elections are financed and conducted, including term lengths, recalls, multi-party access, voter access to the polls, and if our elected officials shall be permitted to take any form of compensation except for the salaries we provide.

Issues voting, defined in this narrow way, will not interfere with the constitutional duties of either branch of government, but instead will reinforce the right of "government BY the people", making it responsible to the electorate by giving us the means to control the entire process through which they are elected.

Other attempts to establish a national referendum have been made in the past. These previous efforts at "Direct Democracy" were, in my opinion, too far-reaching and extremely cumbersome. Citizen control of the election process is much simpler is scope, easier to understand,and should have a much better chance of overcoming any legal hurdles. For background on "Direct Democracy", I refer you to the website for Vote.org: http://www.vote.org/
For the legal arguments supporting their effort, either follow the link to the Hastings Law Journal or do a web search on Hastings to find the article.

Signatures of voting age citizens equal in number to 50% of the votes cast in the last Presidential election should validate this initiative, and establish it as law. Among the things that should be incorporated into this first initiative would be the rules for establishing an independent agency or commission which would be responsible for writing and distributing issues petitions, printing ballots, scheduling votes, etc. They would also have oversight responsibility, with guaranteed funding and staff to perform their functions. They would be given subpoena and prosecutorial powers to enforce compliance. Non-compliance would have consequences; fines and possible imprisonment, and for government employees, expulsion and loss of pension as well.

The initiative would also set the percentage of votes cast in the previous election cycle that would be required on any issues petition before it could qualify for ballot status (10,20, 30?).

We would gain the ability to vote on such issues as:
1) public financing of all Federal elections-mandated or optional
2)paper ballots or electronic voting
3)limits of individual donations
4)limits on lobbying, influence peddling in any form-closing loopholes
5)whether or not corporations or other entities, who have no voting rights, should be allowed to exert influence on our elections.
6)easing ballot access requirements for third-party candidates
7)runoff elections
8)instant voter registration
9)legality of PACs, 527's, etc. and restrictions
10)tax status of religious entities and affiliated organizations who engage in politics
11)candidates access to media
12)rules of campaign debates
13)allowable forms of political advertising
14)lengths of terms not already set in the constitution
15)anything else relevant

Most people realize that the political party holding control of our government will change back and forth over time-now it's the Republicans, then the Democrats, then the Republicans again, and so on. That is as it should be. People from all across the political spectrum recognize that different ideologies must be represented in our government if it is to remain vibrant and healthy, and operate to our benefit. However, the majority of people also now realize that neither their votes nor their will have a substantive effect on how our government conducts its business any longer.

The reaction of the electorate to this knowledge runs from outrage to frustration to malaise, and it's clear that a majority sense the need to reclaim a participatory voice. There has never been a better time to vigorously pursue the idea of national issues voting, as it it truly a non-partisan concept.

We , the people, allowed this slow dis-enfranchisement to happen because we did not act. Now we must act in concert to re-take our rightful place as the true government of our country. Even if this effort fails, the debate itself may identify other avenues for positive change. Our voices will at least be heard, loudly and clearly.

Is there anyone, any organization, with the skills and commitment to take on this idea and develop it?

ADDENDUM: Just in case you don't really understand the effects of big money on our legislators, here is a highly illustrative article from the Louisville Courier Journal:
http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0302-28.htm

Is Mitch McConnell a venal slime? NAWWWW!, but how long do you think he'd last in an honest government?