Nothing up my sleeve.... Presto!

Republican Senators Kyl (AZ) and Graham (SC), along with a cameo by Brownback (KS), seem to think that there's nothing wrong with submitting fabricated evidence to the U.S. Supreme Court.


From The Anonymous Liberal:

Today the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. The Court will be called upon to determine--among other things--whether a provision in last year's Detainee Treatment Act ("DTA") effectively strips the Court of jurisdiction to hear Hamdan's case. The Government contends that it does and in support of this position, Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and John Kyl have filed an amicus brief with the Court.

This amicus brief argues that the legislative history of the DTA supports the Government's position. Specifically, the brief cites a lengthy colloquy between Senators Kyl and Graham themselves which purportly took place during a Senate floor debate just prior to passage of the bill. In the exchange, both Kyl and Graham suggest that the bill will strip the courts of jurisdiction over pending detainee cases such as Hamdan. But here's where the story gets interesting.

Apparently this entire 8 page colloquy--which is scripted to read as if it were delivered live on the floor of the Senate, complete with random interruptions from other Senators--never took place. It was inserted into the Congressional Record in written form just prior to passage of the bill.

Continued....

Timidity is an outrage - track your representative

First off, my apologies for being off the grid for awhile. So let's discuss the failure of many incumbent democrats in both houses of Congress. What is this failure you ask? It is the failure to be both courageous and take advantage of legislation introduced by more stalwart members of either house.

In discussing this type of behavior; let's just look at two bills. First we have the Jack Murtha resolution to establish a time to leave Iraq, build no permanent bases in Iraq, and disengage in an orderly fashion. This bill came from a Democratic Hawk, and his House Resolution should have brought democrats of all stripes out in massive support.
Liberal house members could stand up in support unabashedly; and moderates could use this bill as cover to avoid being called to liberal! If one supports a decorated hero and house member like Murtha; you can argue it is the responsible thing to do. The timidity with which the democrats came on board is embarrassing. Is it the every two years to run for election.

Well then, let's look to the US Senate where two thirds are not running in this coming midterm elections. Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin introduces his bill to Censure the current White House occupant for illegal wiretapping in contravention of the law! Senators rushed to support this timely and appropriate action. Not so,
again the democratic timidity of our nation's democratic legislators was very apparent.

In my next blog we will discuss the myth of incumbency as something sacred!

Fighting back in South Dakota

Ah, the further consequences of passing the draconian anti-abortion bill:

1 . Untouchable planned parenthood clinic. From the blog "Bitch Ph.D.":

Cecilia Fire Thunder, the President of the Oglala Sioux in South Dakota, speaks truth to the white boys who think they run things in her country.

“I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction.”

If you want to support this effort, follow the link...


2. Petition drive to overturn the law has started. From Reuters:

Abortion-rights supporters planned to launch an attack on Friday on a new South Dakota abortion law designed as a direct challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion 33 years ago.

An abortion-rights coalition, South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, said it would lay out its strategy to take down the law in mid-morning news conferences in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

The Sioux Falls local newspaper [ed. Argus Leader] reported that the group would announce a petition drive to overturn the law through a referendum in November. The group has not publicly detailed its strategy, but participants in the campaign have said that a referendum had advantages over a lawsuit.

"When you take things to the courts you don't have the opportunity to engage the public in the process. You don't have the ability to build a movement," said Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Kate Looby.
.
.
.
A petition drive would fly in the face of the expectations of abortion opponents, who have been counting on a legal challenge to the law in the hopes that the case would eventually make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

With two conservative justices recently appointed to the high court, abortion opponents believe they have an improving chance of overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established the right to abortion.

Reuters link.....

A license to do something or other

I've mentioned my car before in this blog: a 1991 Acura Integra LS, 232,000 miles.... Not too many of those fine cars still around -- at least once a year somebody leaves a note on the car asking whether I want to sell it -- so I took notice upon spotting one (same deep red color too) in the Sherman Oaks Trader Joe's parking lot this afternoon. But I had to do a doubletake when I saw the license plate:


Perhaps a dancer, but could be a life-long Democrat too.

So while I was staring at the car, a woman noticed my sorta peculiar behavior and we started talking..... and I ended up recruiting another grassroots volunteer.

Remember to always keep your salesperson hat on!

License plate image created at ACME license maker.

Nancy Pelosi's Grassroots Campaign Fund 2006

I just got this email from Nancy Pelosi, via the DCCC. Did you?

Dear randy,

In the next few days we cannot win the 2006 elections, but we can lose them.

And, what you do in the next few minutes will be a critical factor in determining which outcome will occur.

You can simply hit the "delete" button and read the rest of your emails. Or, you can stand up and say enough is enough! America cannot take three more years of one-party Republican rule in Washington, D.C. Join with millions of Democrats across American in our 2006 Grassroots Campaign Plan for victory.

And, in eight days the all important end-of-quarter fundraising deadline will be upon us. Political pundits and the media will assess our strength and commitment by how much money we raise. We know you have stood [sic] on many campaigns, such as us [sic] when we battled the Republicans and demanded oversight, accountability, an end to the culture of corruption and I would like to thank you. But today, I am asking you to take the next step with us and consider making a contribution.

blah, blah, blah....
(emphasis in original)

But aha! I came up with a third option that Nancy didn't consider. I replied with the following:

Grasssroots campaign.... funny!

When you start listening to the grassroots, then you can ask for money from the grassroots.

Supporting censure -- right now

Nothing is driving me crazier this week than the cowardice of some Democrats on censure. (And given everything the Bush administration is up to, that's saying something.) So I was delighted when moveon.org emailed me about their electronic letter-writing campaign to national, regional, and local newspapers. It's simplicity in itself to get moveon's wonderful letter-writing campaign

It took me, I guess, three minutes to write and email the following to three newspapers. If you haven't done so yet, please take action now. And I've got to tell you, I had to choke hard to type "President Bush." First time yet that I've done it.


Dear Sirs:

President Bush's recent response to Senator Russell Feingold's effort to censure him sounds suspiciously like more "bring it on": braggadocio laced with ignorance.

Feingold's attempt to censure Bush for illegal wiretapping isn't about terrorism -- although the Bush administration would like to make it so. It's about not flouting the law. The Bush administration would like to believe it is above the law -- that it can subvert the law -- even when the administration could legally seek the wiretapping authority it desires.

The administration's actions are unconstitutional and illegal, and its wiretapping to date is probably far more widespread than it admits. If no one is willing to stand up to them then clearly we do live under an imperial presidency. We should all support Feingold on censure, and shame on his fellow Senators -- especially Democrats -- who don't.

Gay marriage becoming more accepted

Though more than half of Americans still oppose gay and lesbian marriage, opposition is dropping noticeably.

In the latest Pew Research national poll: 39% support, 51% oppose. In the comparable Pew poll from February, 2004: 30% support, 63% oppose.

In the California Field Poll, 43% support, up from 39% in 1997. (Statistically non-significant, but at least hinting in the right direction.)

More from Pew....

All idiots in Wisconsin, please raise your hand...

... but be careful not to knock your blinders off in the process.

The RNC has started running radio ads in Wisconsin attacking Russ Feingold over his call for censure. Here's the text. (If I come across a link to the audio, I'll update.)

September eleventh changed our country.

And it changed how America responds to terrorists.

President Bush is working to keep American families safe.

Passing the Patriot Act which has disrupted over one hundred and fifty terrorist threats and cells and making sure the US is monitoring terrorist communications.

But some Democrats are working against these efforts to secure our country, opposing the Patriot Act and terrorist surveillance program.

Their leader is Russ Feingold.

Now Feingold and other Democrats want to censure the President. Publicly reprimanding President Bush for pursuing suspected members of al Qaeda.

Some Democrats are even calling for President Bush’s impeachment.

Is this how Democrats plan to win the War on Terror?

Call Russ Feingold and ask him why he’s more interested in censuring the President than protecting our freedom.

Glenn Greenwald tears a big one in both Democratic and Republican arguments: "Myth-making and excuse-making on the Feingold Resolution". Well worth reading.

(Note on "some Democrats": Is the mainstream media finally getting wise to the Bush/Republican/Fox News, etc. straw man argument?)


Update: The audio is at the RNC web site. What a load of crap.

Unions vs. Arnold (redux)

Unions Protest Gov's Fundraising
Labor groups say Schwarzenegger is seeking
special-interest cash for his reelection.

LATimes:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's drive to raise tens of millions of dollars for his reelection has set off a backlash by organized labor, with unions trying to ensure that his hunt for money remains a prime source of political trouble.

In Beverly Hills on Monday, unions held their first major protest of the year against the Republican governor's collection of campaign money. About 200 nurses, bus drivers, school clerks and other union members marched outside a private Schwarzenegger reception and dinner for donors, who paid up to $100,000 for seats near the governor and his guest speaker, U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

As Schwarzenegger was ensconced with top supporters inside the Beverly Hilton, sign-waving protesters shouted from the sidewalks outside at rush-hour traffic on Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards.

"Money in, favors out, that's what Arnold's all about!" they yelled.

Just before the dinner, police ejected several dozen nurses from the hotel lobby as they shouted "Shame on Arnold!" and "Stop the corruption!"

The scenes were similar to the dozens of protests that organized labor held last year during its successful battle to kill Schwarzenegger's November ballot initiatives. This year, of course, the target is his reelection.

The unions' core message on Monday — that Schwarzenegger broke his campaign pledge to shun special-interest money — is part of a broader effort by labor and its Democratic allies to cast the governor as a standard politician who fails to keep his word.

Continued....

Eeny Meeny Chili Beany

Making predictions. Oh, so difficult. Especially when they're about the future.

But our prescient president has the perfect workaround: let the other guy worry about all the messes that he creates. (OMG, he slipped up and admitted the truth!)

Asked if there would come a day when there would be no more U.S. forces in Iraq, Bush said, "That, of course, is an objective. And that will be decided by future presidents and future governments of Iraq."

On terrestrial and extraterrestrial oaths

For the most part, I don't have anything against anyone else's religion unless it's about, say, blowing up other people.

If your religion tells you that there's an alien creature secretly controling you from inside, that's fine with me. At least it explains some of your behavior.

If you believe the Earth is an egg laid by the turtle god, I'll disagree. I may even laugh. But I won't get all worked up.

If you think it's God's will that you are president, clearly I can't talk you out of it, so that doesn't bother me either. Well, it bothers me because it says an awful lot about you, but there's nothing I can do about it.

It's when you put your religion before your sworn Constitutional duty that I get bothered. I don't put the Constitution above "God" -- whatever your notion of that is. But I do prize duty and truth, and when you swear to uphold an oath, you should do it. People whose religion demands that they countermand an oath of office shouldn't take that oath.

It's that simple.

And every once in a while, someone cuts to the truth of that matter, as with this recent anecdote, provided by a friend:

On Wednesday, March 1st, 2006, in Annapolis at a hearing on the proposed
Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin,
professor of law at AU, was requested to testify.

At the end of his testimony, Republican State Senator Nancy Jacobs said: "Mr.
Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What
do you have to say about that?"

Raskin replied: "Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed
your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not
place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

The room erupted into applause.

That old time religion (money)

Here's the headline from MSNBC.com:

Grants flow to Bush allies on social issues
Federal programs direct at least $157 million to conservative groups

CA-50

Update on the 50th CD special election by mcjoan at Kos:

The special election for Cunningham's seat is coming right up, April 11. This race could very well end up being a preview of the depth of both Bush fatigue and dismay with Republican corruption come November. Today's San Francisco Chronicle has an article on how California's GOP heartland is starting to tinge purple.

While many conservative voters who spoke with The Chronicle remain supportive of America's military men and women, an increasing number are disillusioned with the nation's leader. And from the VFW halls to the local cafes, an increasing number in the region are expressing a profound concern about the human and financial costs of the continued Iraq conflict.

...

The Iraq war "did not protect us after 9/11. (Bush) was supposed to get bin Laden,'' said Marilyn Joy Shephard, 62, of Escondido, who has been a registered Republican since the Reagan era.
...

Tellingly, Shephard was one of a handful of Republicans in Escondido attending a house party for a Democrat, Francine Busby, a school board member from Cardiff-by-the-Sea who hopes to win the solidly Republican 50th congressional district seat vacated by GOP Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham after his conviction on corruption charges. A special election is scheduled for April 11.

Busby is polling very well against a massive array of Republicans. With a ticket this large, it's unlikely that she'll come out of the special election with better than 50%, and will face a run-off during California's primary in June. But a very strong showing by Busby in this very Republican district will put some juice will have a tremendous nation-wide impact.

You know what to do!

mcjoan at Kos....

South Dakota as a microcosm of the nation

The previous post dealt with some initial fallout resulting from the draconian anit-abortion bill recently signed into law in South Dakota.

This issue may very well be the tipping point to raise the consciousness of the rest of America about the undue and dangerous influence of the religious right on public policy in this nation.

In his Cleveland appearance on Monday at the City Club Dubya was asked outright:

QUESTION: Thank you for coming to Cleveland, Mr. President, and to the City Club.

My question is that author and former Nixon administration official Kevin Phillips in his latest book, "American Theocracy," discusses what has been called radical Christianity and its growing involvement into government and politics. He makes the point that members of your administration have reached out to prophetic Christians who see the war in Iraq and the rise of terrorism as signs of the Apocalypse. Do you believe this, that the war in Iraq and the rise of terrorism are signs of the Apocalypse? And if not, why not?

Dubya stumbled and mumbled for 5 minutes -- no kidding -- and still didn't/couldn't/wouldn't answer the question. Crooks & Liars has the amazing video.

Crooks & Liars also has video of Kevin Phillips discussing his new book with Lou Dobbs. Don't miss it.

Remaking the Rounds in South Dakota

South Dakota governor Mike Rounds has had a remarkably consistent approval rating ranging from 70 to 75% in the Survey USA monthly state polls between May, 2005 and February, 2006. In the March, 2006 poll -- conducted after Rounds signed the most draconian anti-abortion bill in the nation -- his approval droppped to 58%.

It's imperative that we deal in a rational manner with the difficult details, but the goal of "safe, legal and rare" abortion works for me. I'm clearly not as pro-choice, in all its iterations and ramifications, as most of my associates, but the South Dakota approach was undeniably wrong. The Bible thumpers who would go further to deny contraception, deny a safe morning after pill, deny the plain facts of science and biology that prove inconvenient for their religion represent nothing short of -- let's use a biblical term -- an abomination on our nation if left unchecked.

Apparently the South Dakota plan was the wrong thing to do politically too, even in a rather conservative state.

Take note.

The Unstated Truth

One of the toughest anti-smoking laws in the nation took effect Friday in the upscale Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas. The smoking ordinance, which was unanimously passed by the five-member Calabasas City Council last month, prohibits smoking in all public places, indoor or outdoor, where anyone might be exposed to secondhand smoke.

Truth.

The LaLa Times, an online satire magazine, follows up on this story with the unstated truth:

"When we told the truth of how we lied to people about the potential effects of smoking, we assumed that you people would cut us some slack. But [this] just makes us want to lie all over again."

— Jim Druthers, Tobacco industry spokesman

(Disclosure: I am a contributor to The LaLa Times, but had no part in this particular story.)

walk the line

One of the most wonderful yet challenging things about being an activist is the opportunity we have to forge new friendships. That comes along pretty rarely once you're an adult. Think about it...when did you meet the people you consider your closest, dearest friends? College? Grad school? For most of us, it was when we were in our twenties and as yet unencumbered by family, spousal, and work obligations. Those we're closest to know us intimately and know our behavior, as we know theirs. The boundaries and rules of these relationships were set long ago.

Upon becoming activists, we began interacting with a whole passel of exciting, new, provocative folks. Let's face it, progressive politics attract some colorful characters. Those rusty people skills had to get sharpened up in a hurry. All of a sudden, there were new egos to be finessed, negotiations to be made, "no" when we're used to "yes", and hidden meanings to be inferred (or not) from passing comments. We encountered all kinds of unfamiliar personalities, running the gamut from passive-aggressive to...uhh...just plain aggressive.

And that's just within our own genders. Throw sex into the mix and suddenly you've got countless opportunities for misunderstandings, bruised feelings, and trespassed boundaries. Yes, you can make some wonderful new friends of the opposite sex who open up for you an entirely new way of looking at the world, but you can also inadvertently step on a Venus/Mars miscommunication landmine, with disastrous results.

As progressives, and regardless of our private views on the complex issue of abortion, we surely are all aghast and disgusted by the draconian law passed by the South Dakota state legislature forcing a woman who becomes pregnant by rape to bear the child. It feels like there's an element of punishment to it, an unspoken mumur of "she asked for it."

We all know someone who has endured the horror of a physical sexual assault. It stamps its victim with an indelible trauma...the worst part of which is the nagging self-blame, the sense that somehow, you brought this on yourself. This is especially true in cases of date rape and acquaintance rape, where the victim knows the attacker and wonders if he or she gave some cue, some remark or behavior, to provoke the attack.

Without trivializing the horrors these souls have undergone, I would like to propose that there are other forms of sexual assault that we, as progressives, need to be aware of. They may not be as traumatic to experience, but they are hurtful and demoralizing nonetheless. Inappropriate remarks, touching, or behavior are unacceptable in any situation, but even more so within our various organizations. We are all working so hard to manifest our ideals, to take our country back from the bullies who oppress and abuse minorities, women, gays, the poor, the uninsured, and the veterans. We must walk the talk among ourselves and treat each other with the respect we demand from those who serve us. We created these organizations so their memberships could feel empowered; if one member walks away from an activity feeling belittled or objectified, and that somehow it was his or her own fault, then we have negated our purpose.

an open statement to senate democrats

Yeah, it's a statement instead of a letter. You want to know why? Because I couldn't think of any salutation other than "You spineless, shortsighted fuckwads". And that's not any kind of greeting to use if you want your letter read. So I opted for a statement instead. Here it goes...

Okay, people, now you've done it. With all your ineffectual, namby-pamby, fraidy-cat fear of rocking the boat, you've actually chalked up quite an accomplishment: you've made me hate my own party. And that's not an easy thing to do. Being a Democrat is hard-wired into my DNA. My grandfather, who emigrated here from Eastern Europe, used to tell us: "Look at every side of the issue objectively, and then vote Democratic." My hatred of the Republicans was bred into me. It's reflexive; they are the enemy. They are the opponents, thus, we behave in opposition to them...but not to our own goddam people.

I cannot, in good conscience, associate myself with a party that cuts down and abandons the one soul in the Senate who has the *gasp* audacity, the temerity, the complete and utter insolence to suggest that maybe THE GUY WHO HOLDS THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND OUGHT TO BE MADE ACCOUNTABLE FOR PISSING ALL OVER THE CONSTITUTION. Good God, the way you people are reacting, you'd think poor Feingold rollerbladed into the Capitol building wearing a sequined Speedo and an "I heart Sodomy" t-shirt.

How could you hang him out to dry like that? What do you possibly think there is to gain? Almost three-quarters of the country think Bush lied about Iraq and should be impeached for it. And all Feingold was suggesting was censure. Censure, people. Issuing a statement that says that maybe George ought to think about, oh, THE LAW OF THE LAND before he issues a wiretap on an American citizen. Good Christ, I've bottlefed orphaned 3-day-old kittens who showed more bravery than you poor sorry bastards.

So, here's the deal. Not only do you not get any more money from me. That's a given, ever since Alito. But now, you owe me money. Yeah, you heard me right. You owe me for every doorbell I've rung, every cold call I've made while phonebanking, and every single dollar I've given you over the years, with interest. Plus, I expect to be reimbursed for every bottle of wine and antidepressants that I've purchased since 2004, since you're directly responsible for my needing them. Oh, and you're going to have to cough up the full price for the pills because I've got no health insurance...nice going there, too.

You'll be receiving phone calls on a weekly basis until you arrange payment. Please feel free to send a check or money order, or just give me your credit card number. My people will take care of the rest. And in the case of nonpayment, I'll just turn your names over my collection agency. It's not like you've got bankruptcy protection to fall back on anymore.

What a Weenie

Let's make sure we remember this cop-out come 2007/2008 about likely presidential candidate Evan Bayh (from The Indianapolis Star):

But the first thing Democrats need to do, Bayh said, is take Republicans on in an area they've dominated: national security.

"It's a threshold issue for us, and it's a threshold issue for America," Bayh said. "People aren't going to trust us with anything else if we first can't convince them to trust us with their lives."

Before he spoke, Bayh told reporters that he does not support efforts by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., another potential 2008 presidential candidate, to censure Bush for authorizing domestic eavesdropping. Bayh said it's not clear whether the law requiring court approval before surveillance was broken, and he instead favors revisiting and possibly updating the law.

Continued....

"Revisiting and possibly updating the law..." ?? Now I don't trust him.

Senator Evan Bayh
463 Russell Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5623

Now it makes sense to me

Andy Borowitz has it all figured out:

STUDY: AMBIEN USERS INVADE COUNTRIES IN THEIR SLEEP

Wake Up With No Memory of Reasons for Invasion, No Exit Strategy

A mounting pile of anecdotal evidence suggests that users of the popular sleep medication Ambien may invade countries in their sleep, and then wake up with no memory of the reasons they invaded, according to a study released today.

The study, conducted by the University of Minnesota, attempts to shed light on a little-known side effect of Ambien, in which users who are fast asleep go on country-invading binges.

Dr. Davis Logsdon, who supervised the University of Minnesota study, said that Ambien users who have no memory of invading countries while asleep wake up with no idea of what to do with the country they invaded.

“Making matters worse, they have no exit strategy, either,” Dr; Logsdon said. “Their only option is to remain in the country they invaded, and keep taking Ambien.”

the rest....