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A New Year, A New Congress, and The First 100 Hours
On Thursday, January 4, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California will take the gavel as the first woman speaker in the history of the House and immediately launch her promised 100-hour campaign to change the way Congress does business in America.
According to Rep. Pelosi, "Democrats are prepared to govern and ready to lead." And the new Speaker is certainly ready to lead her House colleagues in an ambitious program to put a new Democratic stamp on what she insists will no longer be the same old Congress.
Here's a quick refresher on what constitutes Rep. Pelosi's agenda for The First 100 Hours, courtesy of Scott Shepard from Cox News' Washington bureau:
"DRAIN THE SWAMP"
- Prohibit the receipt of gifts, including meals, entertainment and travel, from lobbyists.
- Ban travel on corporate jets.
- Expand public disclosure of campaign contributions and client fees.
- Consider establishing a new independent ethics panel to police the House.
- Reform the "earmarking" process by requiring conference committee meetings to be open to the public and conference reports to be posted publicly on the Internet 24 hours before consideration.
- Promote bipartisan administration of the House, including regular meetings of both parties to discuss scheduling and operations of the House.
- Allow open, full and fair floor debate on bills under a procedure that grants the minority the right to offer amendments or substitute legislation.
"REAL SECURITY"
- Enact all the recommendations of the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
- Establish a new House committee to keep watch over government spending on intelligence.
- Screen 100 percent of containers and cargo bound for the United States in ships or airplanes at the point of origin.
- Provide greater assistance to local firefighters, police and emergency medical workers.
- Invest more money in public health to combat biological terrorism and pandemics.
- Double the size of U.S. Special Forces.
- Rebuild the U.S. military with greater investments in pay, technology, equipment and manpower.
- Enact a new GI Bill of Rights that guarantees health care and mental health services to active duty troops and veterans.
- Increase production of alternate fuels and set the United States on a course to achieving energy independence by 2020.
"PROSPERITY AND OPPORTUNITY"
- Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.
- Link a congressional pay raise to a hike in the minimum wage.
- End subsidies for Big Oil.
- Cut student loan interest rates in half to 3.4 percent for students and 4.25 percent for parents and increase the maximum on Pell grants to $5,600.
- Provide a tax credit for college tuition, up to $3,000.
- Allow the government to negotiate lower drug and HMO prices for Medicare recipients.
- Promote expanded stem cell research.
- Oppose any proposal to privatize Social Security.
- Require companies to provide accurate and timely information on under-funded pension plans.
- Institute a "pay-as-you-go" approach in federal budgeting to eliminate deficits, possibly requiring a roll back on some Bush tax cuts for taxpayers earning more than $250,000 a year.
Now, that may sound like an impossibly long to-do list for anyone, much less the still-quite-partisan House of Representatives, to complete in just 100 hours. (And in the meanwhile, the equally-partisan Senate has its own work cut out for it as well.)
Some, like the NRO's Bryan York, say it can't be done in such a short time:
Pelosi plans to enact the Democrats’ “Six for ’06” agenda in 100 legislative hours — not real hours. And a legislative hour is not just any hour that the House is open for business. “It’s when the House convenes, after the one-minutes and before the special orders,” says Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly, referring to the times of day when members of Congress will sometimes drone on about any issue that comes to mind. At that pace, Daly says, the first 100 hours “could take a couple of weeks.”
So it seems that we're really talking about legislative hours here, not clock hours. But as Shepard also points out,
There is no definition of a "legislative" hour in the rules of Congress. But it appears to refer to the time in Congress between "one-minutes," at the beginning of the day when an unlimited number of House members can get permission to address any subject of interest for one minute, and "special orders," at the end of the legislative day when members deliver speeches on subjects of their choice up to 60 minutes.
Then, of course, there's the daily prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, the approval of the previous day's Journal of actions, and any special announcements by the leadership - all part of the regular day in Congress.
Well, now. Given all those qualifiers, the first 100 hours may actually stretch out for weeks. But Rep. Pelosi is determined to get the items on her ambitious agenda passed into law in very short order. True, the legislative process is complicated and cumbersome. But it's not impossible that she and her House colleagues can accomplish many, or even most, of those tasks within 100 legislative hours.
What do you think? Will the new Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives be able to accomplish all these legislative tasks and meet Rep. Pelosi's ambitious deadline for The First 100 Hours? Will they be able to overcome the partisan intractablity of their Republican colleagues in Congress? Do you think that their time could be better spent pursuing other legislation -- and if so, what do you believe their agenda should be instead?
Thanks, Rick. I am taking a quick break from traveling thru the halls of Congress to remind them about why this Congress is as democratic as it is. Cindy Sheehan, Juan Torres, Gale Murphy, Geoff Millard, David Swanson and others are there. Marietta and I are heartened by about 35 brand new activists who came in from California, Virginia, Illinois, and elsewhere to begin to educate new members and the leadership about what is critically important now--NO ESCALATION, NO NEW FUNDING, REINVEST ANY MONEY IN ENDING THE WAR AND BRINGING TROOPS HOME.
Impeachment is also a key issue for many who are here, including Fran, a woman from New Orleans and Ed, a Navy vet from Southern CA, who traveled here to make some noise.
We will be in front of the White House at 4:00 to read the names of the troops who have been killed. At 5:00 President Bush is to meet with the Congressional leadership and we will be there to remind them about the value of human lives.
I will try to report in here, but honestly, the 50 or so who are walking the walk could use some backup phone calls and blog swarming about the efforts to begin the conversation with the new Members.
Call your Rep and tell them that the folks walking the halls are there to deliver your message (if, of course, you agree with that)of peace, reconciliation and de-funding.
Tomorrow is the day when we will be actually speaking with folks, so that would be a good morning activity.
- Double the size of U.S. Special Forces.
Posted by Rick Albertson at January 3, 2007 11:54 AM
WHAT "Special Forces" and WHERE...?
Democrats Finalize New Ethics Rules
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010307N.shtml
House Democrats hurried yesterday to put the finishing touches on ethics reforms that would ban lawmakers and staffers from accepting trips, gifts and meals from lobbyists and prevent the new majority from holding votes open in order to change the outcome.
Excerpt:
Time spent debating changes to the rules package will not count against Pelosi's 100-hour legislative blitzkrieg, set to begin the week of Jan. 8 and last approximately 10 legislative days, ending when President Bush delivers his State of the Union address on Jan. 23.
{{{Okay, so this is gonna hurt... it will take much longer than the 100 hours Pelosi promised because they're gonna talk everything to death first.... Meanwhile, we'll still be wondering WHEN they're gonna get around to discussing getting our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, whether or not they're gonna keep funding Georgie's war, whether or not they're gonna leave Gitmo open, whether or not anyone is gonna bring up repealing MCA '06 or repealing the so-called Patriot Act and it's amendments or repealing the lax regulations on domestic wire-tapping, and the like, which would restore our Constitutional rights and privileges - Pelosi hasn't mentioned those things, that's for sure! And in that article a rep who didn't want to be identified readily admitted that people who have contacted that rep are concerned with impeachment and repealing MCA, etc.! The domestic things are wonderful and I hope something is done... BUT the reps and senators are going to HAVE to deal with Georgie's war, torture, Gitmo, etc., and the restoration of our Constitutional rights and privileges sooner or later, so they may as well do it sooner... or else Dems could find themselves voted out of office in '08 just because people are so damned disgusted with their lack of prosecuting Bu$hCo for their war crimes and other high crimes and misdemeanors, our international reputation because of their endorsement of torture and concentration camps, etc....}}}
Posted by Rick Albertson at January 3, 2007 11:54 AM
They might (only might) be able to accomplish Pelosi's 100 hours (legislative time, not normal human time)....
BUT, if they don't start in on talking about how the heck to get OUT of Iraq (Saddam's dead, Mission Accomplished, our people do not need to die for their civil war!) immediately, as in this year, before Feb/Mar, plus talk about ending torture and shutting down Gitmo, plus talk about not funding Georgie's war, plus talk about repealing MCA '06, reinstating rights and privileges taken away with the so-called Patriot Act, etc., ad infinitum, plus actually investigate Bu$hCo AND impeach the bam dastards..., then I think the Dems can kiss their cushy Congress Critter jobs goodbye in '08......
They MUST prove they can DO SOMETHING about all of the above, and everyone is talking about getting out of Iraq (except the delusional Georgie, of course) and talking about impeachment and the rest of what I mentioned. True, we need the domestic agenda taken care of, but we ALSO need to multi-task and get the other things taken care of, too.... or else the Dems will be voted OUT of office in '08, I believe.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16442767/from/RS.2/
Posted by: monkey at January 3, 2007 11:51 AM
I just have to re-post monkey's link to Olbermann from the last thread... please, please, please take the 10 minutes to watch the video.... He is correct in what he says, and we all know it.
I (heart) Keith Olbermann.....!
IS YOUR LOCAL PAPER LISTENING TO SOLDIERS DISSENT?
By Philip Barron
Only 1 of 3 active-duty soldiers approves of Bush's handling of Iraq -- but don't look to your local newspaper to tell you that.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/46180/
DEMOCRATS TO IGNORE GOP FOR FIRST 100 HOURS
By Melissa McEwan
Payback's a bitch.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/46168/
Excerpt from one of the commenters:
A 10-STEP PROGRAM FOR DEMOCRATS IN 2007
By Jonathan Tasini, TomPaine.com
Let's start off the new year with some real resolutions like universal health care and a nationwide free wireless network.
http://www.alternet.org/stories/46194/
{{{Funny, but some of the stuff important to a lot of people are not even on this list.... And the comments reflect that....}}}
Oops! I see I forgot to post the short paragraph from one of the longer comments from the above link:
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/46168/
The 101st Hour
Posted by: JackieGiles
It is futile to talk about Health Care or Education or anything else until we stop pouring $3 billion per WEEK of our National Treasure down that Drain-in-the-desert aka Iraq while we are busily borrowing $ from China.
William Fisher | This Strategy Is New?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010307J.shtml
William Fisher writes: "Bush is taking a hard look at economic initiatives as he prepares to let the nation in on his new strategy for Iraq. But he faces two huge problems. The first is that he's been here before - and his Coalition Provisional Authority, under the aegis of Viceroy Jerry Bremer, botched this job, as he did most others back in 2003 and 2004. The second is that, whatever economic development projects Bush may try to put in place, it may just be too late for any of them to be effective."
Activists Seek Bolder Approach to War, Spying
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010307L.shtml
Activists will greet the new Congressional leaders at the Capitol tomorrow demanding a ban on torture, an end to warrantless domestic spying, and a restoration of curbed civil liberties. The rally will be followed by an evening forum calling for the president's impeachment, led by the Center for Constitutional Rights, anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, and a pro-impeachment group called World Can't Wait.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2121659.ece
Bush prepares for Congress battle over Iraq
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6226953.stm
Iraq's PM longs to leave office
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6227325.stm
FBI workers saw Guantanamo abuse
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2121675.ece
What's in a word? When did we start going to the loo?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070103/ts_nm/iraq_dc_99
U.S. on Saddam: "Would have done it differently"
Excerpt (click on link for more):
"Had we been physically in charge at that point we would have done things differently," Caldwell told a news conference.
{{{Notice Caldwell doesn't say WHAT, precisely, the US would have done differently, and I read this idiotic article twice to try to figure out what the headline meant. This statement and the headline are totally stupid and uncalled for. Georgie's objective was to make sure Saddam would die. Objective accomplished, no matter who actually did the dirty deed.}}}
Wowzers. I didn't even know about this until my elderly dad called me a few minutes ago and happened to mention it:
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070103/FRONTPAGE/701030369
A picture tells 3,000 deaths.
Let there be peace on Earth... and let it begin with WE.
I'm pretty optimistic about Speaker Pelosi being "prepared to govern." I can't remember the last time I felt "governed" (as opposed to "bossed around and put upon.")
Oh, and for the record -- there were a surprisingly large number of people there protesting outside the Federal Courthouse in the bitter cold, including a healthy handful of Benedictine nuns, and people waving a thousand paper origami cranes from overhead holders, and plenty of ordinary citizens who we've never seen at our peace marches before, and another healthy handful of leather-clad bikers wearing "American Legion Riders" patches and waving both American and POW-MIA flags -- and they were there to be with us, not against us.
I think that says an awful lot about what this illegal war of aggression is and what it isn't -- and about how broad a spectrum of our fellow citizens really do denounce it.
Listen up, Bushies and wingers and surge-nuts:
Show that you really do support our troops. Bring them home NOW.
http://bringthemhomenow.com/
Thanks for the link, Rick. FYI, goerie.com does require registration - but that no problem with a little help from our friend, http://www.bugmenot.com ...
;)
Lovely eulogy of Gerald Ford by Jimmy Carter at funeral service for Ford in Battle Creek, Michigan
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Video_Carter_delivers_touching_eulogy_for_0103.html
(I"m sure it will also be posted on CSPAN archives eventually)
Agree or disagree about Ford's pardon of Nixon and other actions in his administration, and whatever your feelings about the effectiveness of the Carter administration, it's surely obvious that both Ford and Carter are larger people than the current midget in the White House.
Tom Engelhardt | Doubling Down on the Imperial Mission in 2007
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010307H.shtml
Tom Engelhardt writes: "Imagine! The Marine Corps is willing to pay young people to go to a uniformless summer camp to test their 'leadership potential,' with no commitment to the Corps necessary. Consider that; then consider what was certainly the president's only significant decision of the holiday season past - to permanently expand the US military by as many as 70,000 troops."
{{{How do you increase the number of people in the military when no one's enlisting...? Better yet, where the heck are the Congress Critters going to find the money to pay for the nonsense Engelhardt writes about...??? Seriously, how the heck are the domestic programs Pelosi, et al., advocate going to be paid for when all Georgie is proposing is nothing but military expansion one way or another...??? "Must read."}}}
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070103/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush
Bush wants balance budget by 2012
{{{Bwahahahahahaha!!! And WHO put this nation into a debt so deep it could require bankruptcy proceedings to get us out of it...??? And where have I heard Georgie's balance budget jokes before...?}}}
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-white-house-dumps-ano_b_37619.html
The White House Dumps Another Body Over the Side of Its Sinking Iraq Ship
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martin-lewis/well-hung-saddam-hung-t_b_37423.html
WELL HUNG! Saddam Hung To Prove Bush is BETTER Hung... (Than His Dad)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070103/ap_on_re_as/afghan_violence
Official: NATO killed too many civilians
The New York Times | Protecting Internet Democracy
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010307D.shtml
The editors of the New York Times write: "One of the big winners in the last election may turn out to be the principle, known as net neutrality, that Internet service providers should not be able to favor some content over others. Democrats who are moving into the majority in Congress - led by Ron Wyden in the Senate and Edward Markey in the House - say they plan to fight hard to pass a net neutrality bill, and we hope that they do. It is vital to preserve the Internet's role in promoting entrepreneurship and free expression."
Okay, now for some good news about "everday heroism" - about guard troops feeding people and cattle, yes, but also the utility crews working to restore power to homes, etc., for tens of thousands of people in several states who were hit by the snow and ice storms.... During the Red River Valley flooding of 97, guard troops from at least two or three states did much the same. Okay. I'm a sentimental schlub, but this kind of thing makes me get teary-eyed with joy and gratitude....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070103/ap_on_re_us/winter_storms
National Guard brings food to snowbound
I (heart) Keith Olbermann.....!
Posted by: NonnyO at January 3, 2007 01:46 PM
Thanks for posting this again NonnyO. I missed Monkey's posting. WOW!! What can I say, except that he certainly speaks for me.
Electronic voting led to errors, report says
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/4440454.html
Electronic voting machines meant to streamline the Election Day process have resulted in late poll openings, data-retrieval errors and widespread machine failures, according to a new report about last year's midterm election.
The report, from three advocacy groups that have been critical of electronic voting, focuses on 1,022 complaints regarding electronic voting equipment from 314 counties in 36 states.
"The evidence presented indicates that electronic voting in its current form is systematically flawed and will require significant corrective measures to remedy the problems that have been exposed," concludes the 23-page report issued by Voter Action, VotersUnite.Org and VoteTrustUSA...
Iraq's PM longs to leave office
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6226953.stm
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has made clear he dislikes being the country's leader and would prefer to leave the job before his term ends.
~snip~
"I wish I could be done with it even before the end of this term," he said.
Posted by: democrafty at January 3, 2007 04:11 PM
I still don't feel "governed."
On one of the news pages it was talking about GWB having to determine/decide about the "surge" in troop numbers. We're still being dictated to by mighty mouth... and unless Congress Critters find their spines, we still won't be "governed" - only dictated to via the Congress Critters who are STILL trying to appease the chicken little dictator, even at this late date. (The day they quit trying to appease him will be the day they start talking seriously about IMPEACHMENT. Looks like that day will never arrive.)
IMHO. Your mileage may vary, of course... @;-)
If the Government won't, then the Opposition parties must .......... finally!
Torture and Gitmo are very personal issues to most Australians, on account of our own David Hicks in Gitmo.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/senators-demand-guantanamo-visit/2007/01/03/1167777154149.html
Senators demand Guantanamo visit
Penelope Debelle
January 4, 2007
LABOR and the Australian Democrats are seeking Federal Government support for a combined political tour of the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, where David Hicks has been held without trial for five years.
Two senators from the Adelaide man's home state, Democrat Natasha Stott Despoja and Labor's Linda Kirk, want Liberal MPs included in the delegation.
Senator Stott Despoja said similar political delegations from other countries, including the US and Britain, had visited Guantanamo Bay even though they had no citizens there.
"It is time that Australian representatives were able to see this facility first-hand," Senator Stott Despoja said in Adelaide.
"Surely the Australian Government and the US Department of Defence cannot deny representatives from the home state of one of the detainees a visit to this facility?"
Senator Kirk said she independently sought permission to visit Guantanamo Bay 18 months ago but was denied access by the US Department of Defence, which said no third-country political visits were being allowed.
Last year a delegation from Britain's House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee was able to visit.
"If they are allowing UK parliamentarians to visit, why can't we go and visit the facility?" Senator Kirk said.
She said the group would ask to visit David Hicks — who next Thursday will have spent five years at the military facility on Cuba — but at the very least wanted to see the conditions in which he was being held.
Senator Stott Despoja said Hicks' detention was a breach of the rule of law that should be challenged by Liberal ministers.
Posted by: woz at January 3, 2007 07:11 PM
He speaks for me, too. :-) Gawd, but I love Olbermann's passion, his intelligence...!
Unlike the bumbling idiot in the White House who can't put two words together to make sense (and can't pronounce many words, uses others out of context), and longer sentences are just incomprehensible, Olbermann's sentences make perfect sense to me....
Kind of like inhaling the fresh scent of air after a soothing, cleansing rain - that's the way Olbermann's words make me feel mentally....
Posted by: woz at January 3, 2007 07:38 PM
Go Aussies! Hope they're successful in being able to visit Hicks....
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070103/FRONTPAGE/701030369
A picture tells 3,000 deaths.
Let there be peace on Earth... and let it begin with WE.
Posted by: Rick Albertson at January 3, 2007 04:03 PM
Rick, I tried to register so I could see the photo, but it won't accept my postcode and I can't remember my sister's in Oregon or I'd have used that one. Is there something else I can do?
Here's hoping that the Democrats big long list gets attended to as quickly as possible. There's so much more that needs attention.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070103/ap_on_go_co/congress_rdp_4
Democrats promise action on ethics, Iraq
{{{Except for the headline, Iraq is only barely mentioned in passing except to note they will be "prodding" to bring the troops home. It won't happen; he's planning to escalate his war. I'll only believe any progress is being made on bringing the troops home AFTER I see that happening.... Right now, no demands are being made to bring them home immediately, so it's still the status quo. Balanced budget proposed by Georgie: THAT will only happen AFTER he's out of office, IF then (he has a war to pay for with "emergency spending bills" that are not included in the regular debt).... Yeah, and I'll believe that AFTER I see taxes for the wealthy corporations and the wealthiest Americans reinstated, too.... Right now the pile of bull$h!te is too high to see over....}}}
http://www.americanprogress.org/cartoons
NonnyO, other visitors have been told that David Hicks refuses to see them. This scares me a lot. He's been a Gitmo resident for 5 years, the last 11 months plus other long-terms in solitary. What have they brainwashed him to believe? Apparently the US has the evidence it needs against David. But we have to wait until *whatever* is legislated as evidence on January 17th. Right now the *evidence* isn't legal apparently.
Bush "to Reveal Iraq Troop Boost"
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010307S.shtml
President Bush intends to reveal a new Iraq strategy within days. The speech will reveal a plan to send more US troops to Iraq, rather than training Iraqi forces.
{{{This is what Olbermann was referring to. Note: it's in the British press, not American....}}}
Study Indicates Electronic Voting Systematically Flawed
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010307T.shtml
Three advocacy groups created a report about last year's midterm election that focuses on 1,022 complaints regarding electronic voting equipment from 314 counties in 36 states. The 23-page report concluded that "electronic voting in its current form is systematically flawed..."
Bush Tipped to Talk Tough on Energy but Snub Kyoto
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/010307EA.shtml
Energy will be a central theme of President Bush's state of the union speech this month, but his critics doubt that he will do much more than call for more spending on alternative fuels, and again fail to embrace international efforts to agree a post-Kyoto regime to tackle greenhouse emissions.
{{{Another Brit press story.}}}
Olmos Criticizes US Navy for Polluting Puerto Rico
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/010307EB.shtml
On Tuesday, Edward James Olmos criticized the United States and Puerto Rico for not moving faster to clean up the site of a former bombing range on Vieques Island.
Women's Rights Heroes and Zeros of 2006
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/010307WA.shtml
"The competition is fierce for the dubious honor of Zero of 2006 with South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds, Colorado Governor Bill Owens and Eric Keroack, Bush's reactionary nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, all running strong," writes Peter Rothberg.
Posted by: woz at January 3, 2007 08:01 PM
Many rights (e.g. habeas corpus, most importantly) were taken away with the Military Commissions Act of 2006, and it directly affects prisoners at Gitmo. That's what's got so many people pi$$ed about the bill, and why it needs to be repealed - all of it, not just the reinstatement of habeas corpus as one senator proposes (plus it says anyone DimWit deems is a military combatant is, which could include US citizens, and it exempts him and his cohorts from being tried for war crimes). The whole MCA '06 needs repealing.
I wish your senators or reps trying to see Hicks good luck! Yes, the "evidence" is probably contaminated, false, and/or he was tortured.... Not good, whichever way one looks at it.
woz:
see democrafty's second post above for getting workable registration codes for the goerie.com site. They can be found by using the free service at http://www.bugmenot.com -- I'd hand them out here, but I don't want to violate protocol. :0)
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/01/03/louisiana-slipping-into-the-gulf/
Louisiana Slipping Into the Gulf
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/01/03/fox-obama-what-about-bush-and-coke/
FOX & Obama: What about Bush and Coke?
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/01/03/obama%e2%80%99s-youthful-indiscretions-front-page-news/
Obama’s youthful indiscretions - front-page news?
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/01/03/chief-justice-roberts-calls-for-judicial-raises/
Chief Justice Roberts Calls For Judicial Raises
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/01/03/creepy-in-crawford/
Creepy in Crawford
{{{Barf Bag alert. You need one handy while listening to this drivel...!}}}
Posted by: Rick Albertson at January 3, 2007 08:23 PM
Good picture, Mr. Albertson.
I did register to get into the goerie.com site by putting in my "pen name" and my email address.
I don't understand the reason for using http://www.bugmenot.com or where I would have put it in my registration. Am I going to be hit with a bunch of junk mail, or monitored in any way?
TSP:
Nope.
Anyone want to know what a canary sounds like when she sings? What about a whistleblower?
Well, you can hear one on Monday morning, January 8, 2007 when Jesselyn makes her first appearance on the radio since publishing her book. She'll be appearing on The Bob Edwards Show on XM Satellite Radio.
Ok...promo done. So how do I find XM Satellite Radio to listen to her appearance?
Just back from a VERY long day:
The group I was with came upon a Rahm Emmanuel press conference. (I was elsewhere for a while). A few minutes into it, they started chanting TROOPS HOME NOW. Apparently cameras swung 'round and Rahm turned on his heels and split. So the press clamored for Cindy to step up to the mikes and give her statement, which she did. That's when I caught up to them--it was quite a scene. Nancy Pelosi never made it to the mikes.
Then a small group of us went to the Senate and visited several offices, telling staffers that we wanted them to remember that 67% of the American people are quite clear about what they want Congress to do. We went to Leahy, Dodd, Kerry, Kennedy, Clinton, and finally, Gordon Smith's offices. Smith is a Republican from Oregon who gave a floor speech in December against the war
(http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2006/12/gop-senator-criticizes-iraq-war-in.html)
We spoke with a staffer who told us that Smith was going to wait and see what Pres. Bush was going to authorize before responding, but that he thought the American Enterprise Institute recommendations for a surge made good sense.
WELL. We pointed out that the AEI had a rather poor track record of predicting outcomes and that we thought Sen. Smith maybe ought to listen to what the Joint Chiefs were saying over the AEI. To his credit, the staffer listened to us. We also had Juan Torres with us (http://www.lewrockwell.com/rogers/rogers166.html)
and his story (above) is heartbreaking.
We then went to the White House and stood reading the names of the dead soldiers aloud while the new leadership of Congress met with the President. Large black SUVs delivered Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi inside the gates while the White House Press Corpses delivered the good news to the American public at 6:00. The sound you heard in the background was the reading of the 3004 names.
Cindy is calling this effort a peace surge. A surge is needed--even though everyone we spoke with today (including HRC's staff, folks) knows full well that the people want us out of Iraq and soon, they are still in the thrall of bipartisanship and making the appearance of being strong on security issues. It is more necessary than ever, I believe, for us to remind them again and again that the Iraqi people need money and support, but not more of our troops.
Juan Torres is staying with us and tonight at dinner he told us his story. I have been struck by Cindy, Juan, Carlos Arredondo, Helga Aguayo, Mike Mitchell, and the others who are victims of this madness and how their loved ones seem to speak to us through their hearts and mouths. They plead with us to keep tragedies from being repeated over and over again, and they move us to tears. I cannot tell you all how hard it is to hear the names of 3000-plus dead, age 18-57, and to think about their loved ones. it is also hard to hear about the lies and crimes of this government and know what has been done in our names.
Please call, write, and FAX tomorrow (Thursday). Not a moment goes by that the parents, spouses and children of those killed, including the Iraqi and Afghani people, do not ache with the loss. Congress must listen to us.
Please.
So how do I find XM Satellite Radio to listen to her appearance?
Posted by: Suz at January 3, 2007 10:17 PM
Suz, I am sure that xmradio.com will let you listen online for free for a few days.
I've done the same with the competitor Sirius, and now I'm a subscriber (it never hurts being able to listen to Stephanie Miller wherever I am).
Thanks Ally. I'll have to try it.
And I believe that AOL is now carrying XM radio as one of their free online channels also -- although if I'm wrong, please don't sue me...
Karen:
That sounds like a very productive day on The Hill. I hope that others were listening and plan on respecting the will of the people and start getting the troops out of Iraq.
I will contact all my reps and such tomorrow. More people need to know about this. We have this golden moment when everyone, from the troops in that Military Times survey to the people who voted in Nov 06 have said they don't want this war to 'surge.' We do have to remind Congress of this and tell them to stand up and say no.
U.S. intelligence chief to switch jobs
January 3, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) -- National Intelligence Director John Negroponte will resign to become deputy secretary of state, a government official said Wednesday night.
Negroponte took over in 2005 as the nation's first intelligence chief, responsible for overseeing all 16 U.S. spy agencies.
Congress established the post in late 2004 following a recommendation of the 9/11 commission, which reviewed intelligence miscues leading up to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Yet, it has been at times a struggle for Negroponte and his staff to bring all 16 spy agencies together under one umbrella.
He will return to his roots as a career diplomat to become the No. 2 to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the government official said.
The official said the timing of Negroponte's departure was uncertain but that it was expected soon. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because there has been no announcement of the move.
Negroponte, 67, played a key role before the war in Iraq as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He then became ambassador to Baghdad before being named intelligence chief.
Now he is stepping down as President Bush develops a new strategy on Iraq.
more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/03/negroponte.ap/index.html
TayTay,
Thanks for your support. Please everyone, help us out. We need a little peace.
We will call and spread the word, Karen.
I thought you'd all appreciate today's Age Editorial. woz
Justice trampled in clumsy rush to the scaffold
January 4, 2007
SADDAM Hussein's death, by one of the execution methods familiar to him when he ordered it for those he so indiscriminately had killed during his 23 years in power, is more a gruesome reminder of his terrible autocracy than any reflection of true justice having taken its course.
In the five days since the shackled but unhooded Saddam was hanged in the same Baghdad prison used by his own secret service, the shock of the graphic and well-publicised images of his last moments has given way to an inexorable after-effect: nothing has really changed. The same day as the execution, on the holy festival of Eid al-Adha, 90 Iraqis were killed in sectarian violence. The following day, Dustin Donica, a 22-year-old Texan, became the 3000th US military death in Iraq — an inevitable statistic from an unwinnable war of three years and 287 days, with no end in sight.
More:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/editorial/justice-trampled-in-clumsy-rush-to-the-scaffold/2007/01/03/1167777151230.html
ummmm...hmmmmm.... A new review on the Patriotic Truth Teller site. You might want to take a look...
http://patriotictruthteller.net/index.html
suz - thanks for the info on Jesselyn's interview. I'll try and catch it too. And if I miss it, maybe there'll be a transcript.
http://patriotictruthteller.net/index.html
Posted by: Suz at January 3, 2007 10:50 PM
Excellent in depth review. Thanks for the link suz. This is what gets to me every day. And I thank Jesselyn for giving so much.
From the link:
"Whistleblowing, or Truthtelling, may not land you on the front cover of Time, it may just land you alone and surrounded by hostile forces. However, in order to live up to those key words, "...and justice for all," sometimes you have to give all for the torch of Liberty to be seen by your fellows."
Another vigil here tomorrow night - all 3,000 plus names will be read - Lake Forest Park, Seattle. This one will pull in some suburban people, so that's really cool (from more purple areas).
Posted by: karen at January 3, 2007 10:19 PM
Karen -
Thanks for all that you, and the rest of the people with you, are doing. You are representing those of us who are thousands of miles away and can't be where you are. Please know that (we/I) are with you in spirit, so to speak.
Emails sent to my rep and my one good (new Dem) senator....
Like the majority of people in this country, I want those troops home immediately. Worse yet, tonight on the in-state news, one of the MN guard units is leaving to go to Afghanistan for a year and they showed a clip of the Con governor speaking to them - mercifully, no sound - in the past his voice has run with false bandwagon patriotic slogans at such events. (With any good luck and no extension, my nephew should be home in March - he's technically with a ND guard unit.)
I'm trying hard to envision our country as we need it to be: our rights restored, our privacy not invaded, no torture, no Gitmo, guard and reserve troops home where they belong with their families, never farther from home than to help their neighbors, getting along with our neighbors on the planet, finding for new sources of alternative energy, cutting pollution to a minimum, domestic programs taken care of, throwing the crooks out of office..., and NO WAR....
Peace....
Opinion on Saddam execution:
Curiously close to November's election Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death. Yesterday's papers confirmed that he had lost his appeal and was ordered to be hanged within thirty days. Today while I was at the Olympic CNN reported that Saddam Hussein had, in fact, just been hanged.
This is one of those times when I know I have a very unpopular opinion. Every major news source is giving the execution overwhelmingly positive reviews. Every style of American politician, including members of my party, the Democrats, such as Joe Biden, the man I routinely say "oughtta be our next VP," is blabbing about what a good day this is for the Iraqi people and how he experienced the type of fair trial he never gave his own people.
I am already opposed to the death penalty, even in the most extreme cases like international terrorism and killing a police officer, which I know puts me in a small minority. I do not believe it is a deterrent, and I think it's the sort of savage, antiquated thing that Americans ought to be "better" than. Nevermind that death sentences cost much, much more than life sentences. Executions are "Saddam" style policy. I realize that this is not an American but an "Iraqi" (as if Iraq is a legitimate country) execution. I realize that Saddam Hussein has been pretty much responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths.
But he was also a former head of state. Every decision any head of state makes is amplified. Heads of state tend to be responsible for large numbers of deaths. That's one of the unfortunate things about being a head of state. And I believe that any head of state or former head of state is entitled to a certain amount of dignity. The term "fair trial" is relative. When the famously flashy dresser was captured, he was never so much as given a decent suit to wear. Did he act nutty in court? Boy howdy did he. Keep in mind that, after hiding for months, he had not exactly had, say, adequate nutrition. Keep in mind that the guy was pretty damn nutty in the first place.
But is this a good day for the Iraqi people? Heavens no. Can you say "retaliatory action?" Americans love a boogieman, and Saddam Hussein was the perfect boogieman, complete with mustache. He looked like a movie star villain. He may as well have been Dennis Hopper. Is the nonexistant country of Iraq going to be a better place because its former dictator is dead than it would have been if he were living in prison for the rest of his life? If Saddam had been blown up in one of his palaces, as his sons were, that may have been self-defense. This execution was completely unnecessary.
So "justice" will come to the victims and families of victims of Saddam's 1983 mass-execution order? What about victims and families' victims of every other one of Saddam's many crimes against humanity that he will never be tried for now because he is dead? That's "justice?" The leaders of the Hutu movement that murdered over 1 million Tutsis in Rwanda were imprisoned, not executed. These people were, in fact, much worse than Saddam Hussein.
And for all of the terrible things about Saddam Hussein, he did preside over the most stable period in Iraq's history. Ever. Period. In 1983 when said "crime against humanity" occurred he was an ally of the US. We sold him weapons, in fact.
Yes, invading Kuwait was a pretty stupid move on Hussein's part, but know who initially gave him permission? The US! Know why Hussein invaded Kuwait? Because they were stealing his oil using the practice known as SLANT DRILLING! Kuwait is not the "tiny, helpless nation" George H W Douchebag Bush Sr claimed it was in his demeaning 1990-or-91 address to America! It is a filthy rich oil nation.
Nevermind "cultural differences!" The Islamic world involves a culture of exaggeration, of flamboyant talk. When a middle-eastern leader says "we will drink the blood of their children" they are just talking colorfully. Know how boxers say they're going to kill their opponent yet they never, like, do anything other than bite off their ears? (And, for one reason or another, boxers seem to be attracted to Islam.) The threat of US intervention in the 1991 Gulf War didn't seem immediate. As a matter of fact, George HW Bush released some kind of press conferency video that was nothing but THE DORK FISHING IN MAINE! What he meant by this was "I'm not worried about you fuckers, because we'll kick your ass." What Iraqi leadership perceived, on the other hand, is "We're looking the other way! Seriously! Uh, yeah, we're FISHING!"
And so war supporters will be able to say, "If Al Gore were President, Saddam Hussein would still be in power, but now the evil man is DEAD!"
Know what killed hundreds of thousands more people than Saddam Hussein? Starvation from post-Gulf War sanctions brought on by the US! It may not seem as brutal as a mass execution, but for one reason or another, we never think straight when it comes to large numbers of dead people. Ever notice "the apparent lack of importance of death of brown-skinned people" to Americans? Even anti-war types spread all kinds of "number of American death" information in their propaganda, never paying attention to the much larger number of Iraqi deaths.
So what's my point? My point is that we live in the real world, not a Disney movie with classic flamboyant mustached evildoers. September 11, which was certainly a crime against humanity and a terrible thing, didn't happen because terrorists "hated our freedom." All evidence suggests that it happened because, after the first Gulf War, we put a bunch of bases on Saudi holy land and wouldn't budge! We responded by going to war with Afghanistan, which is not Saudi Arabia, and eventually Iraq, which is also not Saudi Arabia, looking for "weapons of mass destruction." No, I am not suggesting we go to war with Saudi Arabia. That would be nuttiest of the nutty. Maybe if we didn't make friends with people like Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Ladin in the first place and then turn against them when they were no longer convenient friends with us they wouldn't turn against us. I have barely bothered even mentioning "oil" because it is so obvious.
So may of the world's problems would be solved, or at least improved substantially, simply by us not being beholden to the oil special interest. We need a certain amount of petrolium for plastic and other important things, and there is no reason why we ought to be fueling vehicles with it when they can be fueled from ETHANOL, which can come from corn, a very renewable crop, in Iowa, a place that doesn't have a bunch of religious and tribal lines that make no sense to Americans and cause world problems. And it's not just ethanol -- electricity, biodiesel, hydrogen cells, whatever. If Chevron, BP, ExxonMobil, etc. don't jump on board the technological innovation train that is "tomorrow's energy economy" they deserve to go broke.
And, yes, I support the "three separate Iraqs" idea that anyone who's anyone seems to support these days.
The "three separate Iraqs" are inevitable now, as they were back before the British carved out all the arbitrary national boundaries encompassing conflicting racial and tribal groups back during the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East.
The big difference is that the transition back to separate nation-states could have happened over time and with a certain amount of order and sanity.
Unfortunately, we chose to go in there and invade their nominal country in an ill-advised illegal war of conquest without regard to the consequences, and so what could have been a difficult but manageable change of status for all Iraqis turned into an arbitrary and imperialistic decent into unchecked bloody chaos hell instead.
heck of a job bushie,
Otter
Yes, heck of a job.
The whole thing is just sickening.
Karen, some of what you have experienced came through loud and strong in your post tonight, so loud that it was quite sobering. (And no, I hadn't been drinking.)
I won't have time in the morning to write my reps so will do so right now before bed even though it's late.
It would be neat if you could video some of these things for us and somehow get them to dvd's, but I suppose that would be quite costly.
Please get some rest, and thank you.
Okay, my letters have been sent to my reps.
I am already opposed to the death penalty, even in the most extreme cases like international terrorism and killing a police officer, which I know puts me in a small minority. I do not believe it is a deterrent, and I think it's the sort of savage, antiquated thing that Americans ought to be "better" than.
Posted by: Meffert, age 25 at January 3, 2007 11:39 PM
You are not alone Meffert. I just posted an Age newspaper editorial link a few posts above your post. Please read it. Today's editorial is about this very issue. Most of the western world does not support capital punishment. The US is lagging! By many years. Read this editorial.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/editorial/justice-trampled-in-clumsy-rush-to-the-scaffold/2007/01/03/1167777151230.html
Soldiers and Imperial Presidents
By Charles Sullivan
Military service is one of America’s sacred cows; it is something that is rarely questioned and is surrounded by an invisible aura of nobility. No one, especially those who serve, wants to think of their time in the military as anything less than honorable and worthy of glorification.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article16058.htm
http://wcco.com/politics/local_story_003160800.html
Ellison To Be Sworn In With Jefferson's Quran
http://www.wcco.com/video/?id=22980@wcco.dayport.com
Link to video that was broadcast tonight. Ellison is not my rep, but he is from my state.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070103/ap_on_re_us/winter_storms
Groups search for cattle trapped in snow
{{{Amidst tragedy, another 'feelgood' story about neighbors helping neighbors (at least three states mentioned, plus various kinds of helpers, including guards) - the way I know so many of the citizens of this nation really are like when adversity hits.... GWB and his ilk would never do this kind of thing, but other people of this nation are only too willing to help when we can. Stories like this let me know "real Americans" are still out there, still do good things for their neighbors, or try to even if they fail because of bad weather (alas, some people were lost and died, and many cattle died in the blizzad), but they do try, and sometimes succeed in doing as many good things for their neighbors as they are able to in adverse circumstances like the aftermath of the blizzard. Here's to the "good Americans" still out there, still doing good things and helping as much as humanly possible in the face of adversity (in spite of the bad "leaders" we currently have)...!}}}
CNN: White House counsel Harriet Miers, once President Bush's pick for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, has resigned, the White House announced today.
In a related story, raccoon season is over ;-)
Pardon the interruption but....
Rumors swirl about possible Police reunion
Source says talks underway for 2007 tour of U.S., Britain
NEW YORK - Rumors are swirling that the Police will reunite for 2007 dates in England and the United States, which would be the rock trio’s first since disbanding in 1986.
Sources told Billboard.com the reports — in the British press — were legitimate, but they would not publicly comment until final details are nearer to completion.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of “Roxanne,” the single that broke the Police in the United States.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16469727/
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)