Seattle Gets Spine

Great photos as usual, DiAnne!

Off to work, but check out the front page--(will change the photo later--wireless is down). It is chock full of new things to DO!

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush sent Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito off to his confirmation hearings Monday with best wishes and a demand that senators "give this man a fair vote and an up or down vote."

Alito was facing close questioning by the Judiciary Committee to determine his fitness to be the nation's 110th Supreme Court justice. But first, he got some last-minute encouragement from the president over breakfast at the White House.

Speaking to reporters afterward, the president called Alito "eminently qualified" to be on the high court and said he told the judge that "he's conducting himself with such dignity and class."

"Sam's got the intellect necessary to bring a lot of class to that court," Bush said as he escorted Alito before news cameras in the Rose Garden. "He's got the judicial temperament necessary to make sure that the court is a body that interprets the law and doesn't try to write the law."

Alito, a conservative, 15-year member of the federal appeals court in Philadelphia, was chosen by Bush on October 31 to succeed the retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the high court.

O'Connor, a justice since 1981, was a decisive swing vote on abortion, the death penalty, affirmative action and other highly contentious issues.

"My hope of course is that the Senate bring dignity to the process and give this man a fair hearing and an up or down vote on the Senate floor," Bush said. He added: "Sam, good luck to you."

Dianne, love the photos. I hope Congress has the backbone to stand up to the monarchists currently in power.

Marc--as for Alito, his track record on supporting increased powers for the executive branch are very scary to me at the moment.

Yes. Beth knows. Alito is scary.

But Shrubya and Co. keep repeating this relatively new trope of theirs: "Give [nominee X] an up or down vote."

Well, hell's belles, y'all -- what other kind of vote is there, anyway?

you're either on the bus or off the bus,
Otter

Aides to President George W. Bush are trying to identify all the photos that may exist of the President and lobbyist Jack Abramoff together, TIME’s White House Correspondents Mike Allen and Matt Cooper report in Monday editions, RAW STORY has learned. From TIME:

Bracing for the worst, Administration officials obtained from the Secret Service a list of all the times Abramoff entered the White House complex, and they scrambled to determine the reason for each visit, TIME reports. Abramoff attended Hanukkah and holiday events at the White House, according to an aide who has seen the list. Press secretary Scott McClellan said Abramoff might have attended large gatherings with Bush but added, “The President does not know him, nor does the President recall ever meeting him.”

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Bush_trying_to_round_up_all_0108.html

Controversial lobbyist had close contact with Bush team

WASHINGTON (AP) — In President Bush's first 10 months, GOP fundraiser Jack Abramoff and his lobbying team logged nearly 200 contacts with the new administration as they pressed for friendly hires at federal agencies and sought to keep the Northern Mariana Islands exempt from the minimum wage and other laws, records show.

The meetings between Abramoff's lobbying team and the administration ranged from Attorney General John Ashcroft to policy advisers in Vice President Dick Cheney's office, according to his lobbying firm billing records.

Abramoff, a $100,000-plus fundraiser for Bush, is now under criminal investigation for some of his lobbying work. His firm boasted its lobbying team helped revise a section of the Republican Party's 2000 platform to make it favorable to its island client.

more...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-05-06-abramoff-bush_x.htm

I smell a mighty defensive talking point...

White House spokeswoman Erin Healy said Thursday that Bush didn't consider Abramoff a friend. "They may have met on occasion, but the president does not know him," she said.

Press secretary Scott McClellan said Abramoff might have attended large gatherings with Bush but added, “The President does not know him, nor does the President recall ever meeting him.”

Yeah, rilly, marc.

"I did not have pix with that man!"

yer going down in a different way than the last one did Shrubya,
Otter

"Well, see, that depends on what you think the meaning of 'know' is, see?... I mean, to some folks they mean 'know' like in the Biblical sense, and I can tell you that I didn't know Jack in that kinda sense, nosirree, see?... and I for *dang* sure didn't know Jack when it came to politics or economics or guvvermint or any of that national security bidniss either, see?"

first rule of holes: when you're in one quit digging,
Otter

Posting this here as well as the forum:

Run Girl Run
Campaign training for women

January 20-21, 2006
Register by January 13

Oakland Community College
Orchard Ridge Campus

For more information, see

Common' over!

This is a great post from over at Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/1/8/204534/2589

Marc--as for Alito, his track record on supporting increased powers for the executive branch are very scary to me at the moment.

Posted by: beth at January 9, 2006 09:18 AM

IMHO (which you may all choose to ignore) THIS is the biggest problem we face right now and this is where I intend to focus my attentions by calling EVERY senator involved in the Alito hearings to demand that they question Alito in every aspect of the impact of increased presidential powers. I read the article "Our Presidential Era: Who Can Check the President?" in yesterday's NYT magazine section and it scared the hell out of me. If Alito & Roberts are on the court together, you can pretty much kiss the Congress's ability to do their intended jobs goodbye. We will be ruled by the executive & judicial branches, and we the people as represented by Congress will have the least influence -- a situation that is absolutely contrary to the original intent of the framers of the Constitution.

This article gave a very succinct and well-written summary of the issues, what Congress needs to do, and the potential outcome of an Alito & Roberts court.

We should all be scared, not only for the next 3 years of this administration, but for future neo-con presidents (and Supreme Court justices) who may make it to office and be worse than what we have...That may not seem possible right now, but I'm not willing to take that risk.

Here's the link to the article (again) in case you care.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/magazine/08court.html

BTW, I hope every senator & representative in Congress read that article too...

madame,

I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach after reading that article.

We need to make sure that the judiciary committee is focused on Alito's past judgments and writings regarding the expansion of presidential power at the expense of Congress.

Talk about judicial activist.

Armando at dailykos has highlighted this article at The Nation which addresses 'The President as King' issue.

http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20060123&s=questions_for_alito

~snip~
Both Senate Judiciary Committee chair Arlen Specter and ranking Democrat Patrick Leahy warned Alito they will question him about executive powers. Leahy recently told the Baltimore Sun that many votes in the Senate will be influenced by how directly Alito answers questions about the NSA program and presidential powers.
~snip~

We need to be calling all of our senators and letting them know that they need to pay close attention to this issue.

They work for us and the decisions here will directly affect their ability to perform their jobs in the future.

I just talked to the offices of both Santorum and Specter, emphatically registering my constituentiary wish that they *not* vote to confirm Samuel Alito as a potential Supreme Court Justice.

Okay, so, well, I didn't talk to either of their offices. I talked to low-level human-bean functionaries *in* their offices. But I made my point there nonetheless.

Being as how I am a temporary expatriate in Pennsylvania, those two persons are my nominal Senators of record at this point in time.

Still, in the name of being both a completist and an optimist, I am about to do likewise with the offices of Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, two persons whom I still consider to be my *actual* state Senators.

We *cannot* allow Samuel "I never met an unconstitutional extension of imperial presidential power I didn't like" Alito to gain a seat on the highest bench in the land without a serious, all-it-takes fight to the finish.

they can have my constitutional democracy when they pry it from my cold dead fingers,
Otter

... and I have a finger in mind, too.

I thought that "Who Can Check The President" article was stomach-sickening when I posted the link to it two threads ago. But maybe I didn't put enough huff and puff behind it at the time. Whatever. I'm sure glad that it's being picked up here again this morning, and that it's helping to galvanize my esteemed colleagues here on the DCPblog to call their senators, yank their senators' chains, do whatever it takes, to make sure that Our. Voices. Are. Heard. in Washingtoon regardez the bogus nomination of this particular stealth-weasel to the Bush-beholden Extreme Court.

any way you slice it it's still baloney,
Otter

Also watching the connections of Abramhoff to Bush/Cheney. Perhaps this is why Cheney is having difficulty breathing. (A panic attack?)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x88382

Actually, that brings up a good point and is something I've been thinking about mentioning anyway.

Using tinyurl is a good thing but what would be even better is that when tinyurl is used to shorten the link that the source is still named, as in:

The NY Times had a powerful article titled "Who Can Check The President"

http://tinyurl.com/b629n

And thanks to both Otter and Madame Defarge for raising the visibility on this article. It's long but it's worth the time.

FYI, by way of a digressive but still nominally on-topic aside... a blogging colleague by the name of BlueGal (which see at http://bgalrstate.blogspot.com/ ) pointed out to me this morning that another blogmaven whose attitude towards the Shrubya Disadministration is at times rather similar to our own posted an excellent memorium to Hugh Thompson on his blogsite at http://jurassicpork.blogspot.com -- or, more specifically, http://tinyurl.com/a72gg

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled DCPblog, which is already in progress. Please do not adjust your mind-sets. Contents may have settled during handling. All rites reserved.

no alito is good alito,
Otter

Right scales back election year agenda
By Jonathan Allen
The Hill

After a year in which many of their highest hopes were dashed, diminished or deferred, fiscal and social conservatives are compiling less ambitious legislative wish lists for 2006.

Republicans of all stripes looked at 2005, with expanded majorities in the House and Senate and President Bush just starting his second term, as a rare opportunity to win enactment of favored legislation.

But the new year is not seen that way at all. “The political reality is, generally speaking, that you have a tough time with big, ambitious ideas in an election year,” said former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), the president of the anti-tax Club for Growth.

No prize was bigger, or ultimately more elusive, last year than Bush’s proposal to overhaul Social Security. But other desired, big-ticket legislative items, from a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage to an extension of the 15 percent tax rate on capital gains and dividends, also fell short.

Projected entitlement cuts were trimmed, a tax-cut package was pushed into the new year, and a reformation of the tax code never made it out of the legislative starting gate.

Many interest groups have scaled back their 2006 dockets, although few admit it.

“We decided a couple of religious-discrimination issues would be at the top of our agenda,” said Jim Backlin, legislative director for the Christian Coalition. Among them are an effort to force cable companies to carry all local signals, particularly those of religious broadcasters, on their systems and one to support the use of Jesus’ name in military chaplains’ prayers.

The “must carry” broadcasting issue was the top priority for the group last year, according to its website. But the No. 2 item, a Social Security overhaul, is no longer on the list.

Last year’s Christian Coalition agenda had 15 items; this year’s version has just 10.

In some cases, new legislative wish lists look a lot like the old ones. Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition, disputed the notion that expectations for 2006 have been scaled back.

“In no way do I feel that we’ve lost momentum,” said Lafferty, whose group remains focused on a litany of judiciary issues, including the confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court and constitutional amendments supporting the Pledge of Allegiance and banning gay marriage.

Lafferty chalks up stagnation on a number of the group’s highest priorities last year to “the nature of the beast.”

“Congress is not a fast-moving beast,” she said.

Leaders at the Christian Coalition and Traditional Values Coalition, like those at other interest groups, lobbying shops and think tanks around town, will listen for their primary priorities when President Bush makes his State of the Union address late this month.

“We make our views known before the State of the Union each year,” Backlin said.

“We’re definitely hoping that the president will make mention of the success of adult stem-cell research,” said Lanier Swann, director of government relations at Concerned Women for America. Many social conservatives are preparing for an early Senate battle over embryonic stem-cell research. Several activists pointed to the end-of-year enactment of legislation supporting cord-blood research as a major victory in 2005.

Fiscal conservatives will be parsing the president’s words and the numbers behind them.

Brian Riedl, a federal budget expert at the Heritage Foundation, said he hopes Bush’s speech has “a low price tag.”

Typically, the State of the Union includes a long list of proposals that add up to a big cost for taxpayers, Riedl said.

“Instead, call for reductions in wasteful and unnecessary spending,” Riedl advised. “Lay out a broad vision of why small government is good for taxpayers.”

Riedl lauded lawmakers for what he called “cosmetic efforts” to rein in government spending in 2005. But in 2006, he said, “they need to do a better job of walking the walk.”

While most of official Washington expects a tougher legislative road in a midterm election year, one tax lobbyist with close ties to the House and White House expressed hope that the approach of the end of Rep. Bill Thomas’s (R-Calif.) tenure as Ways and Means chairman would prompt enactment of new tax laws.

“Thomas is trying to cement a legacy,” the lobbyist said.

In addition to the Alito confirmation fight and abortion-related issues, social conservatives are gearing up for a Senate battle on immigration policy after House passage of a bill in 2005.

The issue tops the conservative Eagle Forum’s Web page.

“Senators who are up for reelection in 2006 had better listen to the House votes,” longtime conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly warned in a column.

Whatever their legislative goals, activists may not have much time to make them a reality before the next election.

“There is a shorter window,” said Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.). He said a string of legislative victories in 2005 was overshadowed by high expectations on Social Security, the enactment of laws just before long recesses and the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the latter part of the year. A burgeoning lobbying scandal could easily be added to the list.

“Last year was the year for vision,” Putnam said. “This next year’s going to be a year for nose-to-the-grindstone, competent governance.”

http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/010406/news3.html

More from The Nation article mentioned above...

"Time magazine reported that in 2001 Alito acknowledged that he is a strong proponent of the theory of the "unitary executive" under which all executive branch power is vested in the President--and any incursion on it by Congress should be resisted. This theory has been used by the Bush Administration to justify various extralegal activities, including the infamous torture memos. In Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, Justice Clarence Thomas used the "unitary executive" theory to argue that the Supreme Court's restrictions on the President's unilateral power to lock up US citizens constituted "judicial interference"--a view rejected by the Court's majority."

Rawstory published a story about this on September 23, 2005 which I saved because it made a big impression on me. Bush has already used this philosophy 95 times to expand the power of his presidency.

Scholar says Bush has used obscure doctrine to extend power 95 times

read that article here...
http://rawstory.com/admin/dbscripts/printstory.php?story=397

link to The Nation article...
http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20060123&s=questions_for_alito

Thnx and a special tip of the Otter topfur to those rockin', rollin', righteous females over at the TCG:

-----

TENNESSEE GUERILLA WOMEN
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Dowd: Reach Out and Touch No One

In today's column (pasted below), Dowd addresses Bushie's amazing photo-op with 13 present and former secretaries of state and defense. The Bushies spun the gathering as King George's magnanimous bipartisan effort to reach out and prove that the Bushie does not really reside inside a bubble. It was said that Bushie was genuinely seeking advice from experts outside the borders of the Dark Side.

Bubble Boy permitted the entire prestigous group to commune with him for a full 5 to 10 minutes. Whereupon the Boy King put them where he wanted them, inside the photo-op.

Before you read Dowd's column, you might want to check out the news story about the photo-op. It begins: "Colin L. Powell said nothing -- a silence that spoke volumes to many in the White House on Thursday morning."

-----

Full TCG posting here (includes repost & sublinks as mentioned above, no registration required): http://tinyurl.com/bn2rk

-----

my mama and her mama and her mama and her mama and her mama too were all genuine tennessee guerilla women so I otter know how they gonna gets by now,
Otter

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The state's highest criminal court on Monday denied Rep. Tom DeLay's request that the money laundering charges against him be dismissed or be sent back to a lower court for an immediate trial.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied the requests with no written order two days after he announced he was stepping down as House majority leader.

marc:

Just an annoyingly noodging reminder, but etiquette and the Fair Use Doctrine as referenced in the posting box requests us to [snip] articles from outside sources, not just repost them at full length.

Yeah, I know, it's a shrubyan [previously known as royal] pain in the asterisk sometimes... but as a working musician, I'm sure you can dig the concept of honoring intellectual property rights when quoting others directly.

If it'll help, though -- you can feel free to thwap! me for being such an annoying noodge next time you see me, okay?

ducking and running,
Otter

My friend Bert has posted this at Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/9/112451/8644

Matt Cooper is back as a shill for the White House, trying to distance Bush from Delay and also suggest that Bush cares about the poor more than Delay.

Check out the photo ..

Let's see, I referenced the author, the name of the periodical, and a direct link to the original article... should I include my first male born as well, perhaps my SS#? ;-)

And "fair use" where it comes to todays media is a mega-oxymoron.

Better assimilate than never.

For those who were discussing the Dean / Blitzer conversation on Abramoff donations, here's a link to a transcript of that exchange which contains a link to the video itself. It's worth watching if you can see it.

Howard very handily shuts Wolf down and sets the record straight.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/30571/

And from the Yeah I Know They Said They Wasn't Gonna But They Did Anyway Department:

Those bitchen peep(s) at the JurassicPork blogsite posted his/their 'Assclowns Of The Week Awards, New Year's Revolution Edition' over the weekend, and they included this interesting little gemazoid amongst all the other shiny bits therein:

-----

[snip]

The war on terror is being won by putting James Moore, co-author of Bush’s Brain, on a No Fly List (tip o’ the tinfoil cap to John Aravosis at AmericaBlog).

The chilling implication of this obvious act of political reprisal is given an added dimension to anyone who’d seen the documentary based on the book. It begins with a long and angry email from Karl Rove, who’d somehow gotten his hands on a manuscript of Bush’s Brain.

This sleazy vindictiveness doesn’t bring to mind the Nazi Party as much as the paranoid rule of Josef Stalin. And in keeping with the GOP’s symbol and mascot, this administration is showing that it has a very long memory, indeed. The abuse of power is evident in that a vindictive administration official can capriciously put the name of one of their critics on a No-Fly Watch list and to try to keep him from making a living.

Then again, I don’t know why Jim Moore thinks he’s being persecuted. After all, the list contains the name of 80,000 American citizens.

Now, when one realizes what a nefarious sewer the NSA wiretapping story is becoming, that a website is selling your cell phone records for $110 online (major tip o’ the tinfoil cap to John Aravosis, again), then this revelation by Moore, anyone who claims that the administration hasn’t turned us into a fascist police state straight out of Oceana is probably very self-conscious of who’s listening to them.

[snip]

Full article complete with sublinks is here: http://tinyurl.com/cvozu

-----

Yeah, I surely do hope that y'all noticed that bitter-tasting bastardical bit o' bycomment there towards the end of that snippet:

"A website is selling your cell phone records for $110 online."

Shrubyament-guaranteed protection of personal privacy when it comes to illicitly-recorded electronic records, my furry otter asterisk!

chimpeach the lying bam dastards ASAP,
Otter

marc, don't try to be disingenuous -- you're a drummer, it doesn't look good on you and besides you don't have anything to accessorize it with.

*definitely* ducking and running now,
Otter

DiAnne:

*Beelzebub* cares more about the poor than DeLay.

but they're still always with us anyway dammit,
Otter

Why am I suddenly thinking about the premise of Michael Moore's book "Stupid White Men" - that the control of the world is still determined by a diminishing number of stubborn old farts ..

reading the news .. these stories were adjacent

Cheney Out of Hospital After Shortness of Breath
1 hour ago
(Bloomberg) -- US Vice President Dick Cheney was released from a Washington hospital early today after experiencing shortness of breath, aides said. ``He's just been released in the last few minutes ...

Sharon Resumes Breathing, Moves Hand, Leg
1 hour ago
(AP) — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon resumed breathing on his own Monday and moved his right hand and leg in response to stimulation as doctors started ...

Posted by: dwahzon at January 9, 2006 12:40 PM

Thanks for the links Dw. I think expanded Presidential power is something that they've been wanting since GHB but couldn't get. Then with 9-11 it was their dream come true. The opportunity to scare us into doing whatever the Prez wanted.

notmypresident:

Just to insert a little more immediate context to your juxtapositional convergence of news, might I humbly add the following story to the mix:

-----

SURVIVING MINER REVIVES, FAMILIES GRIEVE
http://tinyurl.com/cypcy

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Mining disaster survivor Randal McCloy Jr. has been responding to stimuli, but has developed a slight fever and remains in critical condition, doctors said Monday.

McCloy, 26, was taken off sedation Sunday and has been breathing without the help of a ventilator, though he remains connected to the device, said Dr. Larry Roberts, his attending physician at West Virginia University's Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown.

He was transferred back to the West Virginia hospital late Saturday after undergoing hyperbaric oxygen treatment, which forces pressurized oxygen into the body to fight carbon monoxide poisoning, at Pittsburgh's Allegheny General Hospital.

[snip]

-----

(*ahem* By way of a minor disclaimer... yr hmbl otr crspndnt is a certified medical hyberbaric oxygen therapy technician in one of his other lives...)

breathe slowly breathe deep,
Otter

According to the WAPO, Hastert may be in trouble holding onto his seat too.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/08/AR2006010800686.html

The conservative right (the American Taliban) scales back their agenda this year.

http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/010406/news3.html

Get this!

"Last year was the year for vision,” Putnam said. “This next year’s going to be a year for nose-to-the-grindstone, competent governance.”

I was just listening to Sen. Feinstein (D, CA) welcoming Alito to his hearings on the Hill -- bracing him is more like it, actually. She was polite and respectful, but made it clear in her opening remarks that she was planning on brooking no bullspit from him and that she enjoined & expected him to be honestly forthright and forthcoming when answering the upcoming questions, not just for the purposes of the committee but for the good of the American people as well.

You go, DiFi!

accept no substitutes,
Otter

sparrow... "competent governance”.

That is almost as good as this puzzling comment from Curious George today...

“Sam’s got the intellect necessary to bring a lot of class to that court,” said Bush in a good-luck sendoff for Alito at the White House.

On the other hand, in his corresponding opening remarks, Sen. Sessions (R-AL) was basically shameless in fawning all over Alito and his qualifications, albeit with a closing admonition that he expected any Supreme Court judge to follow the law and respect precedent and the Constitution... but then he re-emphasized the Constitution part after the precedent part, and in so many words he pretty much gave Alito an invitation towards dismantling said precedent in the name of being a strict constructionist (to use the rethuglican code-name for "retro jingoist")...

[FYI, the hearings are being carried live on CSPAN both on cable and over the web, also being broadcast live on NPR, even as we type]

watch look and listen,
Otter

Shrubya, being more familiar with Texas snakes than with world-class thinkers, wouldn't know intellectual class if it jumped up and bit him on the asp.

arbusto delenda est,
Otter

Now Sen. Feingold (D, WI) is trying to make nice with both sides in his own welcoming remarks, but is still taking the opportunity to remind Alito that it's up to him to prove to the Senate that his is trustworthy, reliable, and qualified for the job rather than just assuming he can skate through the hearings unscathed. In other words, Feingold's careful bridgebuilding notwithstanding, the burden of proof is still on Alito and not the other way around.

Good deal, Russ.

respect can't be commanded but can only be earned,
otter

I didn't realize anyone supported Bork. Now we know there was at least one person in the country except maybe his immediate family members who did.

"The Washington Post's Jo Becker and Dale Russakoff pick up on a "little-noticed" interview Alito gave Michael Aron of NJN News's "Front Page New Jersey" in 1988 in which Alito gave a ringing defense of Robert Bork.
"I think he was one of the most outstanding nominees of this century. He is a man of unequaled ability, understanding of constitutional history, someone who had thought deeply throughout his entire life about constitutional issues and about the Supreme Court and the role it ought to play in American society."

Otter
It's interesting .. the miner has very little power and at least did an honest day's work

I sent around reminders to contact Senators about Alito & added the little tidbit from Bush about Alito's intellect bringing "class" to the court. I'm starting to get reactions!

“Sam’s got the intellect necessary to bring a lot of class to that court,” said Bush in a good-luck sendoff for Alito at the White House.

1. How would bush know anything about intellect?

2. What the hell is "Class" with respect to a court? Will he put up nicer drapes, improve the sound system maybe? What a meaningless statement!

or

Bush's judge of intellect? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeez.

Posted by: marc trager at January 9, 2006 01:51 PM

Did he say that right before Alito sat upon the annointed chair?

Who is it who use to say, 'Kiss my grits.'?

Floe

Posted by: marc trager at January 9, 2006 09:23 AM

Posted by: marc trager at January 9, 2006 09:26 AM

Cap'n sparrow:

I now have a folder called "Bush", and I have to say....that's the one I get like the best! This is gettin good! Sorry - schadenfreude strong today ;-)

ooops - that's the one I like the best.

Sorry - it's Monday!

Carol:

I never schadenfreude I didn't like,

Otter

But then again...

I also never Mediterranean I didn't like,

Otter

sparrow,

check email.

A Report on my (attempted) 5 minutes I wanted to join the National call in Karen has posted on the front page..........

Hummm.. Thought they were suppose to be back to work today. Tried the Washington office, recorded message, sorry not accepting phone calls, no chance to leave a message. Tried the local office, no luck there, but at least I could leave a message. Since I'm never very sure that anyone actually bothers to check messages sent the following email..

I would like to urge Rep. Udall to co-sponser Rep. John Conyer's House Resolution 635 and the supporting Resolutions 636 and 637, calling for a committee to investigate the actions of the President and Vice President in the leadup to the war in Irag and possible violations of Federal law regarding wiretapping.

While it may seem to some that a call for impeachment of this Administration is either foolhardy or premature, Congress must at some point regain it's rightful place in our system of checks and balances. This call by Rep. Conyers seeks to do just that, to call the Administration to account for it's actions. Please join him in asking that, at the very least this Administration become accountable to the people.

Thank You,

Well at least I tried. I'm trying not to take it personally that they're ducking my phones calls, but it hurts, it really hurts (;)

Otter,

I think you may have the quickest wit I have ever encountered. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Of course, no offense to all the other quick wits around here. We seem to be strong on that suit - perhaps that's why we're such a fun place to hang out!

Anyone else listening to Brownback? Is this about Alito's confirmation, or is a speech about the cons of abortion?

Isn't his time about up?

More on how US entered house & terrorized award-winning Guardian journalist & his family, then released him - after confiscating his tapes because he was investigating something awkward

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/9/15432/61744

I posted this last night when I saw it, but interesting discussion here.

Sam Brownback's Blind Ambition Tour
by Sydney Blumenthal
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050704/blumenthal

Brownback on Alito
http://www2.ljworld.com/blogs/kansas_congress/2006/jan/09/alito/

News is strange today ..
Dow above 11,000
Arnold has a fat lip from Harley mishap

Posted by: not my president at January 9, 2006 03:35 PM

It goes with his fat head.

Redd at FDL is live blogging the hearings.

http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/

at Apple store now - more strange news

Ted Kennedy is publishing a children's book.

Hey all you Virginians out there:

(courtesy of BradBlog 1/8/06)

With Democrats Like Harris Miller, Who Needs Diebold? (Or Republicans for that Matter!)
A Diebold Lobbyist Runs for the U.S. Senate...as a Democrat!

"We oppose the idea of a voter-verified paper trail." -- Harris Miller

Most of you haven't heard of Harris Miller, who departed earlier this week as head of the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), a lobbying group for big information technology corporations. But you will certainly hear about him next week, as he is expected to announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, as a Democrat from Virginia, running against George Allen. In fact, the media trial balloons this week have treated him as a presumptive nominee, who has the backing of the party leadership, even though they haven't made any formal endorsement.

more here: http://www.bradblog.com/

Hall: Bush has planned exit strategy

By Mary Madewell
The Paris News

Published January 09, 2006

The senior member of the U.S. House of Representatives says President George W. Bush has an exit strategy for Iraq, regardless of some charges to the contrary.

“Once we set up a friend as the head of Iraq, the new Iraqi president is going to ask the American military to withdraw,” U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Rockwall, said Friday in a telephone interview from his home.

“That’s going to be our exit strategy,” the District 4 congressman said.

Hall said he expects the Iraqi people to elect a Shiite who is friendly to the United States in upcoming presidential elections.

“We can then leave it for those people to carry out their defense for the freedom we have fought so hard for them,” Hall said. “I think we need to leave military equipment over there to help in their defense just like we did in Israel.”

Hall explains that troop withdrawal will be gradual, noting that Bush recently announced the down-sizing of troops to begin this year.

“I want him to get out of there, but I want him to come out with honor and dignity,” Hall said of his long-time friend.

Although Hall has been close to the George H.W. Bush family for years, he is not always in agreement with his friends.

While Bush insists the War in Iraq is a part of the War on Terror as well as a war to establish Iraqi freedom, Hall terms it “a war for energy,” a strategy Bush downplays.

“The War on Terror involves keeping the bad guy from having his foot on half the oil reserves in that most populated area,” Hall said. “For that reason I think you could glean that this is a war for energy.”

“The president places his values on freedom, and Iraq will be a bastion of freedom for the whole Arab world to see,” Hall said of his take on Bush’s emphasis.

“He sees energy as a secondary purpose,” Hall continued. “It is clearly a strong secondary purpose, and in my belief the real reason for going over there.”

more...
http://web.theparisnews.com/story.lasso?wcd=24524

If'n that all don't make you wanna ralph, I don't know what could.

get thee behind me satin,
Otter

just contributed a little Emily's List .. couldn't not.

Well Bush has no choice about exit strategy - he ignored Bremer and others & messed it up beyond repair. The small footprint on the ground, the plan to be out in 5 months max, with nothing to do but pick up the flowers and candies we were given, & the ignoring of Al-Zawahri in Kurdistan b/c of being too preoccupied with Saddam. Oh & playing with Chalabi .. before, during & continuing.

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/breaking_news/13584800.htm

Here's an interesting tidbit:

Dan Abrams just interviewed John Ashcroft on the Abrams Report on msnbc and asked him if it was in fact true that he had just been admitted to the Washington DC bar.

Ashcroft answered that he was a member of the bar in many places, and that yes, he had just been admitted to the DC bar.

The transcript isn't up yet. Anyone have any insights on this? I wonder which player he's gonna represent?

The Peoples' Colony of Washingtoon boasts *hundreds* of bars, and I don't doubt for a moment that Ashcroft had already been admitted to more than a small few of 'em long before Abrams got aholt of him, anyhows...

cheers (and roebuck),
Otter

Not that there's anything wrong with it, you understand.

*ahem*,
Otter

Oh, gawrsh, there you go again, notmypresident, wearing your heart on your sleeve like that...

she's got a little list,
Otter

Now, now, DiAnne -- if somebody who shall remain nameless wants to go ahead and be playing with his chalabi, that's rather his own private bidniss, doncha think?

unless of course it makes him go blind,
Otter

"No person in this country, no matter how high or powerful, is above the law, and no person in this country is beneath the law," Alito told the committee just before it adjourned for the day.

marc:

Gee, thanks. Now I just spewed Pepsi all over the front of my monitor.

yukkerdoodles,
Otter

"beneath the law?" - now that is a new one

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/gate/archive/2005/03/01/dip.DTL&o=2

Something like this?!

Republicans praised Alito's 15 years of service on the federal bench, his judicial temperament and his devotion to the rule of law. Democrats expressed concern over whether his conservative views were outside the "mainstream," and whether he was insensitive to individual rights.

Sen. Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat, said he planned a closer look at Alito's rulings affecting women, because the judge would replace the retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, considered a moderate swing vote on the court.

On the other side, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, asked, "Are we going to take one case and one issue and if we don't get the answer that we like, that represents our political view on that issue, are we going to bring the judiciary to their knees?"

And Sen. Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican, strongly hinted his support: "I view your nomination with a heavy presumption in favor of confirmation."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/09/alito/index.html

"Sam's got the intellect necessary to bring a lot of class to that court," Bush said as he escorted Alito before news cameras in the Rose Garden prior to the opening of his confirmation hearing.

"...and no person in this country is beneath the law," Alito told the committee just before it adjourned for the day.

CLASSY, EH?

Aw, come on, Jon, quit waffling and tell us how you really feel.

voting for alito is like drowning for bubbles,
Otter

I had my tinfoil hat on tonight while watching portions of the hearings on the news.

My hat told me he looked shifty-eyed. There is something about his looks that makes me uncomfortable. I feel like he is not to be trusted. That's my gut.

Have to catch up on the blog again, so I don't know what else has been posted about him, factually. I know you guys are on top of it, and it won't take me long to read up on him. But, I just really feel uncomfortable with the thought of his confirmation.

Of *course* he's got class, marc.

All of it lower, but hey. Whatever it takes.

they've got alito list,
Otter

Oh, no, TSP -- this is the blogosphere, we don' need no steenkin' *factuals*...

judge not lest ye be judged,
Otter

But Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Alito's opponents wanted to defeat him "because you will not support their liberal agenda.'' The court, Cornyn said, needs justices "who will not use their position to impose a political agenda on the American people.''

Does... not... compute...

Danger, Will Robinson...

I gotcher agenda right here Cornyn,
Otter

"A CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey released Monday found that 49 percent of Americans believed the Senate should confirm Alito, while 30 percent said it should not and 21 percent were unsure."

Like how the hell are they supposed to know? The guy's still a tabula rasa as far as actual (i.e non-spun) information is concerned.

"But 56 percent said they would not support Alito if they were convinced he would overturn the right to an abortion."

So what will it take to convince them? Coathangers in a dark alley again?

they the sheeple,
Otter

It's the electorate... stupid.

(Hey, whatta ya know, it still works!)

Harry Belafonte Calls Bush the Greatest Terrorist

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060109100709990008

Seen Dean?

VIDEO SPECIAL | Howard Dean: Democrats Took No Money from Abramoff
http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm
On CNN's Late Edition, Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean responded to Wolf Blitzer's attempts to include Democrats in the Abramoff scandal. Dean pointed out that, according to the FEC, no Democrats took money from Abramoff. Dean argued that money from Indian tribes that were clients of Abramoff is not money from Abramoff. Dean went on to say, "Republicans would like us to believe that Democrats are involved ... they're scared and they should be."

"You will say that it is a beautiful thing to take vengeance on one’s ... enemies. That seems to be neither better nor more beautiful to anyone than to me, but only if it is possible to pursue these things while the republic is kept safe. But to the extent that this cannot happen, for a long time and for the most part our enemies will not perish and, as they now are, let them continue to be rather than let the republic be ruined and perish ..."

-–Cornelia (the mother of the Roman Republican radicals, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus; she is also the Granddaughter of Scipio Africanus.)

quoted without comment,
Otter

Happy Birthday, Indy!

(ha ha, yer still older than me)

Effing hair-splitting fascists!!

-----

15 CUBANS WHO GOT TO FLA. BRIDGE SENT HOME

MIAMI (AP) - Fifteen Cubans who fled their homeland and landed on an abandoned bridge piling in the Florida Keys were returned to their homeland Monday after U.S. officials concluded that the structure did not constitute dry land.

Under the U.S. government's "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, Cubans who reach dry land in the United States are usually allowed to remain in this country, while those caught at sea are sent back.

The Cubans -- including a 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy -- were sent back around midday, said a Coast Guard spokesman, Officer Dana Warr. They were rescued last week and were held aboard a Coast Guard cutter while they awaited a final decision on their status.

[snip]

The Cubans thought they were safe Wednesday when they reached the Old Seven Mile Bridge. But the historic bridge, which runs side by side with a newer bridge, is missing several chunks, and the Cubans had the misfortune of reaching pilings from a section that no longer touches land.

"The 'bridge' is kind of a misnomer," said Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Chris O'Neil. O'Neil said officials in Washington determined the Cubans should be considered "feet wet," because they were not able to walk to land.

[snip]

Full story here: http://tinyurl.com/77h6e

-----

if I had a rocket launcher,
Otter

Remember the questions about role of religion in personal and civic life in US vs Europe, yesterday and at other times?

Well someone just sent me this big old long but interesting article about it - What Role for Religion in Europe. Read it or keep it as reference next time the controversial topic comes up!

It's not unique to US - it's a different situation in Europe but it's red hot in its own way because of all the diverse people co-existing, the immigration patterns, the terrorist threat, changes in demographics etc.

Yesterday I talked to my friend Dominique who is a high school teacher & she said alot of the kids are more religious than their parents - some sort of millennium freakout or rebellion of youth? We don't know!

Click here to read this story online:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0222/p01s04-woeu.html

  Check out this chart!  By 2040, inerest on the national debt is expected to cost as much as social security...  In other words, things being equal if Clinton had really paid off the national debt as projected, we could have had Social Security in 2040 for free! 

FEDERAL SPENDING SET TO SPIRAL: If the status quo prevails, government expenses could rise to 30 percent of US economic output by 2040, up from 20 percent now. The main culprits: bigger interest payments on the national debt and higher spending on Medicare and Medicaid.
 
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0110/p01s02-uspo.html?s=itm

"The Cubans -- including a 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy -- were sent back around midday..."

15 human beings who literally risked their everything to get here from their offshore island were repatriated to a repressive government that will punish the hell out of them for daring to try to escape its clutches.

"...including a 2-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy..."

The canard, craven, take-no-prisoners U.S. policy towards Cuba has been proven to be completely backwards and useless for over 40 years now. There's a numerically small but financially large contingent of Cuban exiles in Florida that have been holding the rest of our nation, as well as their own native country, hostage at metaphorical gunpoint ever since the late 1950's.

We invade Iraq in the name of freedom and democracy and humanity halfway around the world... while we dragoon and repatriate innocent 2-year-olds right here on our own doorstep.

This. Is. Just. Plain. Wrong.

There are times when I find it hard to be proud that I am an American. There are times when I even find it hard not to be ashamed that I am an American.

This is one of those times.

cuba libre,
Otter

Otter
I'll tell ya - I have working papers for here & am a little entrenched. If I had it to do over again, I think I'd make some different choices!

I just read that long article on religion in Europe (the CS Monitor one I linked to above) and then looked up the Science Po (institute that my European houseguests were just studying at).

One thing it said in the description of the schol is that they believe in educating the best young minds for leadership of tomorrow, so democracy will not turn to demagoguery.

The other article described a branching between Europe and US at the time of the Enlightenment. They sought freedom from religious wackos whereas we went more in the direction of being free to worship - different emphasis entirely. Very good article.

I did not choose to be born here, that is sure.
I remember people saying "Love it or Leave It" during the Vietnam war (when there was any dissent at that other war that was gone into based on false evidence).

I also looked at the Newsweek today which is current on the stands - the cover story is about how much power Bush and Cheney should have. It turns out to have quite a good recapitulation of our history and things done in the name of freedom - putting people into internment camps, separating races for toilets and busses etc.

All the faux patriotism is sickening.

Two. Freakin'. Years. Old.

And one bridge too far.

I love my country but I am deeply, deeply ashamed of its government.

put all the shrubbites on a raft and let 'em drift to cuba,
Otter

British General Wants to Impeach Blair

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/9/203313/7491

Otter
I love the whole world equally.
I was born here coincidentally.
I would probably find good things and bad wherever I lived but the government here does really suck.

Posted by: Otter at January 9, 2006 09:59 PM

Otter,

I second that emotion.

Otter

Testing your method:

http://tinyurl.com/dylnp

"Bush Dancing"

from c/net correspondent Declan McCullagh, 1-9-2006

Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime. It's no joke. Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.

In other words, it's OK to flame someone on a mailing list or in a blog as long as you do it under your real name. Thank Congress for small favors, I guess.

This ridiculous prohibition, which would likely imperil much of Usenet, is buried in the so-called Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act. Criminal penalties include stiff fines and two years in prison.

"The use of the word 'annoy' is particularly problematic," says Marv Johnson, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "What's annoying to one person may not be annoying to someone else."

read the rest here...
http://news.com.com/Create+an+e-annoyance%2C+go+to+jail/2010-1028_3-6022491.html

I've read today's thread and most of the links. Where is the spine of the American people to rise up and demand that their government treat Cuban families escaping to America, not as criminals, but as innocent humans looking for a better life? That spine is supposed to be in the People's Congress. Sadly, the congress is only an illusion and not truly a representative body of the people. The Congress is a bought and paid for tool of special interests and corporate America. Now the Congress has an opportunity to protect itself and the public it represents by blocking the appointment of Alito to the Supreme Court.

Now is the time the congress has to know that the people wont let their freedoms be stifled.

Now is the time the congress has to know that the people will not allow themselves to be spied upon by their own government.

Now is the time the congress has to know that Americans will do anything to support their soldiers and protect them from unecessary wars.

Now is the time the congress has to know that Americans need a health care plan that benefits all the people and not just the pharmaceutical companies.

Now is the time for the Democrats in Congress to stand together in one voice and demand that Americans be protected from our President and his policies.

Now is the time for Congress to filibuster the Alito confirmation.

I have said it many times before on this blog, but never was it so true as it is now, it is 2006 NOW is the time.

This poll needs some freeping...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080261/#survey

As of midnight,

Should Supreme Court Nominee Samuel Alito be confirmed?

* 68637 responses

Yes 40%
No 60%

This is a sad and heart-warming story all at the same time with a simple action item at the end if you choose to participate.

hattip to kos poster firelands...

Dane Wells: How A Straight, White, Middle-Aged Bush Voter Became A Dying Lesbian's Staunchest Ally

By Michael Jensen
Posted on Mon Jan 09, 2006 at 01:53:30 PM EST

read it here...
http://www.biggaypicture.com/story/2006/1/9/105330/9068

See what some friends have uncovered in the most conservative counties in the country, mine. DuPage County, Illinois, not only is it conservative, it is corrupt as well. It puts Cook County to shame. If we can help Americams see how corrupt this county is, then we might have a better chance in motivating others to look at their counties as well.

1-9-2006: DuPage County Elections paid $30,000 to Republican political consultant

http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/15764.html

correction to above post.

....in ONE OF the most conservative......

Phew! Thank goodness this stuff didn't come out until AFTER I decided to jump ship.

oncall -- feel free to run your fingers through my silky, white tresses.

Oh Henry, for $30K, I will do anything with your hair.

Brother, can you spare a dime?

The escalating cost of war

January 10, 2006

The cost of the Iraq war could top $2 trillion after factoring in long-term health care for wounded U.S. veterans, rebuilding a worn-down military and accounting for other unforeseen bills and economic losses, according to an analysis by Columbia University economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and Harvard lecturer Linda Bilmes.

Escalating cost: The figure is more than four times what the Bush administration estimates the cost of the war through 2006 -- around $500 billion, according to congressional budget data.
In 2002, the White House predicted the war would cost $100 billion to $200 billion.

Boston Globe

Full article here: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060110/NEWS07/601100427/1009

Brother, can you spare a dime - part deux:

U.S. Healthcare Tab Grows Faster Than the Economy
The 2004 bill of nearly $2 trillion works out to about $6,280 per person, the government reports. An estimated 46 million people are uninsured.

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — America's healthcare bill rose to nearly $2 trillion in 2004, or about $6,280 for every man, woman and child, a team of government economists reported today.

Healthcare spending grew faster than the output of the economy, siphoning off a disproportionate share of increasing incomes.

Full article here: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-na-health10jan10,1,5563905.story?coll=la-health-medicine

Harry Belafonte Calls Bush the Greatest Terrorist
Posted by: nmp at January 9, 2006 08:18 PM

I knew I liked Harry Belafonte for more than his sexy singing voice... he knows how to speak the truth, too....

Hey Mr. Taliban, tally these bananas
Thee Right Come, and me gonna have none.

Sandra DAY-O!

Day-ay-ay-o!

Annoying someone on the internet is a federal crime? How about giving annoying speeches?!!