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You Know What To Do....
In another viewing of the endless parade of arrogant and self-serving actions on the part of the Congressional majority party, today's focus is on the William Myers appointment.
Wait a minute--this one sounds ominously familiar, right?
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals nominee William G. Myers III, whose nomination to a lifetime position on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit was blocked in the Senate last year, was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee today on a party-line vote. http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=18211
Who is William Myers and why are we concerned about this appointment?
From Friends of the Earth, an environmental organization:
http://ga1.org/campaign/myers05
President Bush placed anti-environmental special interests over the public interest with his nomination of William Myers, a former lobbyist for mining and grazing interests, to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, a critically important federal court that oversees nearly 500 million acres of western public lands.Myers, whose nomination may be voted on in the Senate Judiciary committee this week, is a career anti-environmental advocate. He recently served as the top lawyer at the Interior Department, aggressively weakening the same environmental laws that he formerly attacked as a lobbyist for the grazing and mining industries. Rather than serving as an impartial judge, we can expect that Myers will continue supporting the special interests that have paid his salary for much of his professional career if he receives a lifetime judicial appointment.
OK, so Myers is perhaps an inappropriate choice. But this appointment is even MORE special. Because, with this appointment, the thoughtful Senate leadership plans to eliminate the filibuster:
Read Sen. Harry Reid's letter to Senator Bill Frist
The loss of checks and balances in our government is already causing untoward damage to the environment, education, healthcare, Social Security--here comes the next loss: Our control over the judiciary.
We have lost a great many of our "freedoms" already. Representative government ought to be representative of the will of the people. Since the current model does not live up to the ideals put forth by the foundiners of this country, it is time for the will of the people to make itself heard.
EDUCATE, ACTIVATE, EMPOWER. You have been here before--you know what to do...
I don't think Bill Frist will even read that letter. Maybe if there were a videotape.......
We need to forward that letter with a comment to everybody in our addresss books.
In today's Schiavo madness moment, we get an illustration of why I've always wanted to be a member of different party than both Jesse Helms and Jesse Jackson.
I guess Jesse figured that after the California Judge yesterday ruled in favor of allowing testimony about other allegations of sexual abuse by Michael Jackson to be heard by the jury, it was time to attach himself to another high-profile case. And why not get a piece of the Schiavo action while he had the chance?
Lots of familiar names in this story, including Ralph Reed and DeLay...
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=226
Posted by: Cyrano at March 29, 2005 01:08 PM
Political opportunism doesn't belong only to the repugs does it?
He is just what the repugs wanted and he stepped into their trap. His comments about hoping that the Florida legislature would enact a law to re insert the feeding tube was a weak attempt to cover his theological beliefs.
When he starts to cry that the Democratic leaders are ignoring him. This will be perfect example to remind him that views are far from democratic (note the small d).
grammar correction:
When he starts to cry that the Democratic leaders are ignoring him, this will be a perfect example to remind him that his views are far from democratic (note the small d).
Bush downplays Iraqi political disputes
President Bush, on a day of political turmoil in Baghdad, acknowledged Tuesday that Iraqis are divided over the future of their country but said the differences "will be resolved through debate and persuasion instead of force and intimidation."
Rhetoric v. Reality
2 great articles on Bush administration tanking on homeland security and terrorism.
http://www.davidcorn.com/
Isn't life strange?! Think maybe his family has sent a tape to Frist & are awaiting a diagnosis?
Falwell likened his bout with pneumonia to Schiavo's condition
In his Easter Sunday televised sermon and in a CNN appearance that same day, the Rev. Jerry Falwell compared his recent bout with viral pneumonia to Terri Schiavo's condition.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200503280007
Rev. Jerry Falwell in critical condition
Second bout of pneumonia in five weeks
Tuesday, March 29, 2005 Posted: 3:19 PM EST (2019 GMT)
LYNCHBURG, Virginia (AP) -- The Rev. Jerry Falwell was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday, battling his second case of viral pneumonia in just five weeks, hospital and church officials said.
Falwell, 71, was admitted to Lynchburg General Hospital shortly before midnight Monday suffering from "respiratory arrest," the hospital said in a statement.
He was put on a ventilator and stabilized but remained in critical condition, the hospital said.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/29/falwell.health.ap/index.html
CSPAN has posted the video for "Conversations With US Soldiers Wounded in Iraq" (03/29/2005) It's a series of interviews of soldiers in Walter Reed Army Hospital
The program lasts ~2 1/2 hours -the video makes it posible to watch it in smaller segments.
I'm watching the beginning right now so I can't tell you much about the program as a whole. The interviewer is asking a soldier about his experience- alot about his life, the army, his wounds, his prosthesis. He has spent along time explaining & showing how he is learning to use his artificial arm.
The video is listed under Recent Programs on the CSPAN home page:
http://www.c-span.org/homepage.asp
The Real Player link is:
rtsp://video.c-span.org/project/iraq/iraq032905_conversations.rm?mode=compact
He was put on a ventilator and stabilized but remained in critical condition, the hospital said.
Posted by: nancyjane at March 29, 2005 03:52 PM
What a shame.
PS to 4:13 pm post- The 1st soldier in the video is expressing the basic BUshCo line on being in Iraq. I am assuming that CSPAN included soldiers with other viewpoints. They usually go across the board
Karen,
The majority party is acting like bulls in a china shop, trampling over fragile democratic procedures willy-nilly.
I'm deeply concerned by them taking away the voices of millians of people who voted for their views to be heard.
In fact, how ironic that I just heard Rummy talking about how much easier life is for a dictator: control the news, control the courts, control any parlamentary procedures, control the judges....gosh....this is what they are doing to us exactly!!! They've created a dictatorship.
Add to that the other story I heard today about China's control of media and how they showed Russian "democratic" elections, protests in the street, but they put their propraganda "spin" on their newsreports to make the Chinese fear democracy and what it would bring. Clearly they've taken a page out of the Chinese Communist Manual because we now have state run propraganda "fake news stories" put out by this administration.
So...it means dictatorship, communism, and now they want to take away the last remaining thing of democracy...the filibuster!
Posted by: Marc Trager at March 29, 2005 04:23 PM
I don't think any of us want to see another human being suffer.
However, if he enters into a persistant vegetative state his suffering will be over, but not ours. So, be careful what you wish for.
Marc,
Bush said that about Iraq and he also said it will be a long time before they know democracy. Gee...that's not what they said a month ago.
Man...he just can't make up his mind. He must get up each day and flip a coin...head up--democracy...tails up...dictatorship...heads up--compassionate conservatism....tails up---scr*w all of you...
Seems the tails keep coming up. Time for the DCP and all of us to change that coin and bring democracy back...so Heads up all of us...Be a life saver and join the meeting tonight at 9pm in the "live chat". (and bring your life savers too...I want orange!)
Why do you think those who are willing to change the filibuster rules are calling it the "nuclear option"?
Could it be they fear that it will do irreparable harm to our democracy?
Could it be they fear that those who vote for it will be recognized as forever stained by the slime of fascism?
Could it be they fear that it is suicidal for a democratic country to legislate one party rule?
Could it be they fear that generations of Americans will suffer its consequences?
Could it be they fear that once enacted we will immediately regret that it has happened?
Could it be they fear that our standing as a beacon for democracy will be forever snuffed out?
Could it be they fear that we will have lost the cold war not by mutually assured destruction with the Soviet Union, but by our own hands?
Could it be they fear that once enacted, Americans will rise up and demand a change in their system of government and thereby oust those who perpetuated this crime on its citizens?
To all of those questions the answer is no. They are calling it the nuclear option because they don't give a damn about our country or millions of Americans who don't agree with them. And if it takes destroying the Constitution and all that it stands for, that is what has to be done. They are driven by moral compass that points straight to hell. It is barbarism. They think we will just swallow this like good little children should. So what if our rights are trampled and ignored. Americans can't let this stand!
sparrow-----
are we having a strategy session?
i myself am not a fan of life savers, would it be ok if i brought m & m's????
No thank you mayor. No one with the Democratic Party is interested in helping you get re-elected, especially Hillary.
"And Mayor Bloomberg, in an interview with NY1, seemed quite open to endorsing Sen. Clinton for re-election"
We are not giving up the filabuster without a fight. What do we have these huge on line communites for, except to report the truth and be the media.
WE NEED TO FILABLOG!!!!!!!
It's time to RALLY THE FILABLOGSTERS!!!!!
We will not accept the nuclear option. The senate needs to hear from us. ALL of us.
Should I send an e-mail out to our cell about the session tonight?
Please let people know we will discuss this issue on the irc at 9 pm EST this evening.
Posted by: tutterfly at March 29, 2005 05:38 PM
Can I have the yellow ones, please?
I got our cat a stuffed toy with of a caricature of W. He likes to munch on it and bang it around. I’ll borrow it tonight and stick some pins in it… I’ll see if I can find some VooDoo curses.
Ok..I'm sending an email to my list too.
Good news on rendition case:
US Judge Bars Transfer of 13 Guantanamo Detainees
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday barred the U.S. government from immediately transferring 13 Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo Bay to another country, where they fear they will be tortured or imprisoned indefinitely.
U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy granted a preliminary injunction that requires the government to give him and the attorneys for the detainees advance notice of 30 days before any of them are removed from Guantanamo.
MORE:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=5&u=/nm/20050329/ts_nm/security_guantanamo_ruling_dc
Wow: Johnny Cochrin died today. While often criticized for defending O.J., he should be long remembered and respected as a passionate advocate. In today's crazy world lawyers of this caliber are a prescious commodity to our declining Democracy and talents like his should be respected and remembered.
"The clients I've cared about the most are the No Js, the ones who nobody knows," said Cochran, who proudly displayed copies in his office of the multimillion-dollar checks he won for ordinary citizens who said they were abused by police.
"People in New York and Los Angeles, especially mothers in the African-American community, are more afraid of the police injuring or killing their children than they are of muggers on the corner," he once said.
Those who defend our liberties deserve our highest regard. Cochran was a relatively young man who tireless fought to make this country a better place to live.
To DeLay may deride lawyers like Cochran but not me.
Quote from article posted @ 06:43 PM:
"The Pentagon has said that 214 prisoners have left the prison camp. Of that number, 149 were freed while 65 were turned over to foreign governments."
______________
In other words, of the 214 prisoners who have "left" Guantánamo, the current régime has turned 30% over to foreign gov'ts. I wonder how many of that group were sent on to torture and/or indefinite detention.
Attorneys for the detainees point out BushCo's other goal:
"Such a transfer also would effectively extinguish their pending US court petition challenging the legality of their detention and seeking their release, the attorneys said.
Kennedy [US District Judge] agreed with that argument and said the transfer of the Yemenis would deprive the court of jurisdiction over the dispute. "
Tom DeLay.
Our local new keeps showing Hillary's air kiss to Senator Hutchinson which our sleeze bag Governor Perry is now using to demonize Hutchinson. Its fun to watch Republicans eat their young in political campaigns here. It looks to be entertaining. Dirt bag Republican consultant Alex Castagnada has been hired to run the campaign for our Comptroller who also will run a dispicable campaign for Governor. Oh what fun we have down here. Oh Molly Ivans should have plenty to write about.
Ira-- what's the deal? Is Hutchinson too 'left' for the TX gov?
It would be interesting to know how many of the pugs squealing for the removal of Kofi Annan are simultaneously backing DeLay
Ira- or is the Gov wanting to run for Senate?
John Sharp was our Democratic candidate against Perry 8 years ago. He was our Comptroller who was known for keeping a balanced budget and creating our food stamp id card to stop food stamp fraud. Sharp was endorsed by the state Chamber of Commerce and Nolan Ryan. Perry attacked Sharp as being a liberal. Enough said?
Hutchinson is a real scary left winger, at least here in Texas.
I lived in TX for ~5yrs, leaving the year shrub became Gov. Could have sworn that Hutchinson was a darling of the "religious" right at the time...
aimzz:
We think of Sen Hutchinson as being our multiple choice Senator. If she is with the evangelical she is a hard right lock em up the abortionists crowd. If she is around moderate Republicans in Dallas she is pro choice.