From American Progress:
Think Fast
"Eight months after President Bush signed a bill authorizing the CIA to resume using 'enhanced interrogation techniques' on terrorism suspects, the administration has been unable to agree on what constitutes 'humiliating and degrading treatment' of detainees."
Meanwhile, President Bush's nominee for CIA counsel John Rizzo -- who as acting CIA counsel approved the legality of the Bush administration's harsh interrogation tactics and "extraordinary rendition” program -- is expected to face "tough questioning" today in a Senate confirmation hearing.
Several conservative House members who last week "vociferously" (and falsely) attacked Rep. David Obey (D-WI) for weakening earmark disclosure rules have chosen to keep their lists of personal earmarks secret. They include House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Dan Burton (R-IN), Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Patrick McHenry (R-NC).
A truck bomb ripped through a Shiite mosque in central Baghdad today, killing 75 people and wounding more than 200. The thunderous explosion came after government officials on Sunday lifted a curfew aimed at preventing retaliatory violence after last week's bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra.
"Sunni families remaining in Shia neighbourhoods of Baghdad are being forced to flee their homes: A 72-hour deadline announced by militants for them to leave these areas or face death" expired yesterday. One aid official said, "Dozens of Sunnis have been assassinated in their homes" since last week's bombing of the Samara mosque.
"Wrangling between Bush administration aides and U.S. intelligence agencies is holding up talks with Moscow on future monitoring of the thousands of nuclear weapons that the United States and Russia still aim at one another."
The Bush administration is using a controversial new study estimating there are 4.9 million low-income children in the U.S. without health insurance -- fewer than other reports have indicated -- to argue that a congressional plans to increase federal funding for children’s health care is "unnecessary."
"U.S. commanders in Iraq are rejecting a recommendation by Army mental health experts that troops receive a one-month break for every three months in a combat zone, despite unprecedented levels of continuous fighting and worsening risks of mental stress."
And finally: A Wikipedia for conservatives. A conservative history teacher was appalled when he went to Wikipedia and found that golfer Zach Johnson's page had no reference to the fact that Johnson gave credit to Jesus Christ when he won the 2007 Masters. So the teacher began Conservapedia.com, "a conservative encyclopedia you can trust," whose entry on Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) says that she "may suffer from...clinical narcissism."
Wrap...
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Military women raped? So what?...
From In These Times:
Features > June 14, 2007
Democrats Shy Away From Emergency Contraception
Did the Democrats leave military servicewomen without EC for political reasons?
By Beccah Golubock Watson
Plan B: Wouldn't it be nice if military servicewomen could have one?
On Wednesday, May 16, advocates were optimistic that legislation requiring emergency contraception to be stocked on all military bases would pass in the House. “We had the votes on Wednesday night. Things were looking good,” says Monica Castellanos, press secretary for Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Maine), one of the lead co-sponsors of the amendment that was scheduled for a vote the next day. But then, something mysterious happened.
For reasons that remain unclear, Michaud withdrew the legislation the next morning. According to Castellanos, it was purely a logistical snafu: “Key supporters had to be in their districts.”
But sources close to the issue tell a different story: The legislation, an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, with bipartisan support, was dropped by a Democratic leadership unwilling to go to bat for pro-choice issues.
Despite Michaud’s confidence that the votes were there, Democratic leadership wasn’t so sure, and they didn’t want to hang around long enough to find out. The legislation might not have sunk, but they jumped ship anyway.
[click link below to continue reading]
www.inthesetimes.com/article/3221/democrats_shy_away_from_emergency_contraception/
Wrap...
Features > June 14, 2007
Democrats Shy Away From Emergency Contraception
Did the Democrats leave military servicewomen without EC for political reasons?
By Beccah Golubock Watson
Plan B: Wouldn't it be nice if military servicewomen could have one?
On Wednesday, May 16, advocates were optimistic that legislation requiring emergency contraception to be stocked on all military bases would pass in the House. “We had the votes on Wednesday night. Things were looking good,” says Monica Castellanos, press secretary for Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Maine), one of the lead co-sponsors of the amendment that was scheduled for a vote the next day. But then, something mysterious happened.
For reasons that remain unclear, Michaud withdrew the legislation the next morning. According to Castellanos, it was purely a logistical snafu: “Key supporters had to be in their districts.”
But sources close to the issue tell a different story: The legislation, an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, with bipartisan support, was dropped by a Democratic leadership unwilling to go to bat for pro-choice issues.
Despite Michaud’s confidence that the votes were there, Democratic leadership wasn’t so sure, and they didn’t want to hang around long enough to find out. The legislation might not have sunk, but they jumped ship anyway.
[click link below to continue reading]
www.inthesetimes.com/article/3221/democrats_shy_away_from_emergency_contraception/
Wrap...
Monday, June 18, 2007
Looking at Special Forces & Intelligence....
From Secrecy News:
SPOTLIGHT ON SPECIAL FORCES AND INTELLIGENCE
The structure of Army special operations forces, their capabilities and characteristic mission profiles, and the role of intelligence in supporting them are described in a newly disclosed U.S. Army field manual.
There are nine distinct missions for Army special forces, including: unconventional warfare, direct action, counterproliferation, foreign internal defense, psychological operations, and "special activities,"which is the DoD euphemism for covert action.
"Special activities fall under Executive Order 12333, United States Intelligence Activities," according to the Army field manual. "They require a presidential finding and congressional oversight. ARSOF [ArmySpecial Operations Forces] conduct them abroad in support of national foreign policy objectives, but in a manner that USG [US Government] participation is neither apparent nor publicly acknowledged."
The 200-page Army field manual, which remains in effect, was issued in 2001. A copy of the unclassified document was obtained by Secrecy News.
See "Army Special Operations Forces Intelligence," Field Manual FM3-05.102, July 2001:
http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-05-102.pdf
The secrecy of DoD special operations has significantly impeded oversight and accountability, reported Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker this week. The Hersh article also said that the Bush Administration had "unilaterally determined after 9/11" that military intelligence operations could be conducted on presidential authority without congressional notification -- notwithstanding the contrary language of the Army field manual.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/06/25/070625fa_fact_hersh
The "can do" attitude that characterizes Army and other special operations forces may make them attractive to policy makers, but it can also be a cause for concern, according to a congressional review of the failed Army Ranger mission in Somalia in 1993 (cited in a 2006 paper byDavid Tucker and Christopher J. Lamb of National Defense University).
"One of the weaknesses of a unit like Task Force Ranger, whose combat capabilities are unparalleled, is the belief by the unit members andits commanders that they can accomplish any mission."
"Because of the supreme confidence of special operations forces, the chain of command must provide more oversight to this type of unit than to conventional forces."
See "Review of the Circumstances Surrounding the Ranger Raid on October3-4, 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia," Senate Armed Services Committee, September 29, 1995:
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1995_rpt/mogadishu.pdf
Wrap...
SPOTLIGHT ON SPECIAL FORCES AND INTELLIGENCE
The structure of Army special operations forces, their capabilities and characteristic mission profiles, and the role of intelligence in supporting them are described in a newly disclosed U.S. Army field manual.
There are nine distinct missions for Army special forces, including: unconventional warfare, direct action, counterproliferation, foreign internal defense, psychological operations, and "special activities,"which is the DoD euphemism for covert action.
"Special activities fall under Executive Order 12333, United States Intelligence Activities," according to the Army field manual. "They require a presidential finding and congressional oversight. ARSOF [ArmySpecial Operations Forces] conduct them abroad in support of national foreign policy objectives, but in a manner that USG [US Government] participation is neither apparent nor publicly acknowledged."
The 200-page Army field manual, which remains in effect, was issued in 2001. A copy of the unclassified document was obtained by Secrecy News.
See "Army Special Operations Forces Intelligence," Field Manual FM3-05.102, July 2001:
http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-05-102.pdf
The secrecy of DoD special operations has significantly impeded oversight and accountability, reported Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker this week. The Hersh article also said that the Bush Administration had "unilaterally determined after 9/11" that military intelligence operations could be conducted on presidential authority without congressional notification -- notwithstanding the contrary language of the Army field manual.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/06/25/070625fa_fact_hersh
The "can do" attitude that characterizes Army and other special operations forces may make them attractive to policy makers, but it can also be a cause for concern, according to a congressional review of the failed Army Ranger mission in Somalia in 1993 (cited in a 2006 paper byDavid Tucker and Christopher J. Lamb of National Defense University).
"One of the weaknesses of a unit like Task Force Ranger, whose combat capabilities are unparalleled, is the belief by the unit members andits commanders that they can accomplish any mission."
"Because of the supreme confidence of special operations forces, the chain of command must provide more oversight to this type of unit than to conventional forces."
See "Review of the Circumstances Surrounding the Ranger Raid on October3-4, 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia," Senate Armed Services Committee, September 29, 1995:
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1995_rpt/mogadishu.pdf
Wrap...
From An Issue of Trust to Crawford, Ties, Phone...
From American Progress:
Think Fast
In Iraq's Diyala province, U.S. soldiers are willing to risk teaming up with Sunni militias to fight insurgent groups. Ali al-Adeeb, a prominent Shiite lawmaker, said the United States is "trusting people who have previously attacked American forces and innocent people. They are trusting people who are loyal to the regime of Saddam Hussein."
Fallout from the U.S. attorney scandal is "starting to hit the [Justice] department in federal courtrooms around the country." Defense lawyers are "raising questions about the motives of government lawyers who have brought charges against their clients," and "are citing the furor over the U.S. attorney dismissals as evidence that their cases may have been infected by politics."
"A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has heard evidence about a remodeling project at Sen. Ted Stevens' (R-AK) home as part of a burgeoning investigation into corruption in Alaska."
On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee will take up "a major reversal of energy tax policies," legislation that would "raise about $14 billion from oil companies over 10 years and would give about the same amount of money on new incentives for solar power, wind power, cellulosic ethanol and numerous other renewable energy sources."
"Seven children were killed in a U.S.-led coalition airstrike targeting suspected al-Qaida militants in eastern Afghanistan, a coalition statement said Monday. The strike came hours after the deadliest insurgent attack since the Taliban fell in 2001."
White House loyalists have begun arguing for a Libby pardon. "[S]everal Republicans, who sense a movement in Libby's favor, said a more likely possibility might be a presidential commutation -- a reduction or elimination of Libby's 2 1/2-year federal prison sentence.
Robert Novak writes that President Bush plans to go on a "veto offensive." Bush has pledged to veto the homeland security appropriations bill. After that, "Bush next plans vetoes of the energy-water and interior-environment bills." Novak predicts Bush's vetoes will "trigger an epochal political struggle in the months ahead."
And finally: For Father's Day, First Lady Laura Bush gave the President "several ties she purchased during their recent trip to Europe," and his daughters "gave him a CD they had made for him to listen to while exercising." President Bush also "squeezed in a bike ride at his ranch" and "spoke to his father, former President George H.W. Bush, over the phone."
Wrap...
Think Fast
In Iraq's Diyala province, U.S. soldiers are willing to risk teaming up with Sunni militias to fight insurgent groups. Ali al-Adeeb, a prominent Shiite lawmaker, said the United States is "trusting people who have previously attacked American forces and innocent people. They are trusting people who are loyal to the regime of Saddam Hussein."
Fallout from the U.S. attorney scandal is "starting to hit the [Justice] department in federal courtrooms around the country." Defense lawyers are "raising questions about the motives of government lawyers who have brought charges against their clients," and "are citing the furor over the U.S. attorney dismissals as evidence that their cases may have been infected by politics."
"A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has heard evidence about a remodeling project at Sen. Ted Stevens' (R-AK) home as part of a burgeoning investigation into corruption in Alaska."
On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee will take up "a major reversal of energy tax policies," legislation that would "raise about $14 billion from oil companies over 10 years and would give about the same amount of money on new incentives for solar power, wind power, cellulosic ethanol and numerous other renewable energy sources."
"Seven children were killed in a U.S.-led coalition airstrike targeting suspected al-Qaida militants in eastern Afghanistan, a coalition statement said Monday. The strike came hours after the deadliest insurgent attack since the Taliban fell in 2001."
White House loyalists have begun arguing for a Libby pardon. "[S]everal Republicans, who sense a movement in Libby's favor, said a more likely possibility might be a presidential commutation -- a reduction or elimination of Libby's 2 1/2-year federal prison sentence.
Robert Novak writes that President Bush plans to go on a "veto offensive." Bush has pledged to veto the homeland security appropriations bill. After that, "Bush next plans vetoes of the energy-water and interior-environment bills." Novak predicts Bush's vetoes will "trigger an epochal political struggle in the months ahead."
And finally: For Father's Day, First Lady Laura Bush gave the President "several ties she purchased during their recent trip to Europe," and his daughters "gave him a CD they had made for him to listen to while exercising." President Bush also "squeezed in a bike ride at his ranch" and "spoke to his father, former President George H.W. Bush, over the phone."
Wrap...
Saturday, June 16, 2007
This guy Connects. The. Dots.
I'd like to introduce one of the most interesting bloggers...I cannot not check in to see what he has to say every day...and sometimes more than once a day. Talk about concise writing! Take a look:
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Cheney's Don't Ask, Don't Tell
In one of her books, Nora Ephron wrote about a man so paranoid that, at the end of each day, he would erase the entries in his appointment diary. Such furtiveness did not shock Ephron who, while married to Carl Bernstein, never learned from him the Secret of the Century, the identity of “Deep Throat.”
But the author of “When Harry Met Sally” had never met Dick Cheney, who in this century has been setting new records for secrecy.
Soon after taking office, he refused to reveal the names of those who advised him on energy policy while oil company executives denied any part in the process. It took four years to unearth a White House document that showed they were lying about what Cheney was hiding.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://ajliebling.blogspot.com/
Wrap....
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Cheney's Don't Ask, Don't Tell
In one of her books, Nora Ephron wrote about a man so paranoid that, at the end of each day, he would erase the entries in his appointment diary. Such furtiveness did not shock Ephron who, while married to Carl Bernstein, never learned from him the Secret of the Century, the identity of “Deep Throat.”
But the author of “When Harry Met Sally” had never met Dick Cheney, who in this century has been setting new records for secrecy.
Soon after taking office, he refused to reveal the names of those who advised him on energy policy while oil company executives denied any part in the process. It took four years to unearth a White House document that showed they were lying about what Cheney was hiding.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://ajliebling.blogspot.com/
Wrap....
Friday, June 15, 2007
From FEMA rip-off to Howard Dean musical!!!
From American Progress:
Think Fast
A controversial Sept. 2005 government memo suggests that in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, FEMA authorized private insurance companies to overbill the taxpayer-funded federal flood program "while shorting people on their wind damage payments."
The escalation is now complete. "The full contingent of new U.S. forces being sent to Iraq...was completed by Friday, with 28,500 additional troops now posted in the country." Five U.S. soldiers died yesterday.
"Senate leaders agreed on Thursday to revive a stalled immigration overhaul," announcing an effort "to overcome conservatives' objections" by immediately setting aside "more than $4 billion to beef up enforcement of immigration laws."
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), "dogged by a federal probe of political corruption in Alaska, disclosed Thursday that he has asked the Senate Ethics Committee to review his latest financial disclosure report." Ethics reviews of lawmakers' financial reports "are unusual unless they are under a legal cloud."
The Supreme Court struck a blow against unions yesterday, ruling that states may "force public sector labor unions to get consent from workers before using their fees for political activities." Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the court, said a Washington state law requiring such consent "does not violate the union's First Amendment rights."
"The increased demand for 'green' vehicles is spilling over to the rental car counter," as Hertz and Avis rental companies announced plans to add thousands more hybrid vehicles to their fleets.
"The Justice Department is investigating whether British defense giant BAE Systems, which supplies Bradley fighting vehicles to the U.S. military and is becoming a major player in the U.S. defense industry, paid bribes to win contracts in Saudi Arabia, Chile and elsewhere."
"The military's mental health system has 'fallen significantly short' of meeting the needs of troops and their families, according to a year-long task force study released Thursday." The report also notes that the "Pentagon must immediately start recruiting to fill a mental health staff 'woefully inadequate' to deal with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder."
And finally: Yeeeaaaarrrrrggghhh!!: The Musical. An "unlikely subject may be headed for Broadway this fall: Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign. Last week, Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal did a private reading of 'Farragut North' (written by playwright and former Dean campaigner Beau Willimon) about the presidential hopes of a charismatic, unorthodox candidate and his staff."
Wrap...
Think Fast
A controversial Sept. 2005 government memo suggests that in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, FEMA authorized private insurance companies to overbill the taxpayer-funded federal flood program "while shorting people on their wind damage payments."
The escalation is now complete. "The full contingent of new U.S. forces being sent to Iraq...was completed by Friday, with 28,500 additional troops now posted in the country." Five U.S. soldiers died yesterday.
"Senate leaders agreed on Thursday to revive a stalled immigration overhaul," announcing an effort "to overcome conservatives' objections" by immediately setting aside "more than $4 billion to beef up enforcement of immigration laws."
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), "dogged by a federal probe of political corruption in Alaska, disclosed Thursday that he has asked the Senate Ethics Committee to review his latest financial disclosure report." Ethics reviews of lawmakers' financial reports "are unusual unless they are under a legal cloud."
The Supreme Court struck a blow against unions yesterday, ruling that states may "force public sector labor unions to get consent from workers before using their fees for political activities." Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the court, said a Washington state law requiring such consent "does not violate the union's First Amendment rights."
"The increased demand for 'green' vehicles is spilling over to the rental car counter," as Hertz and Avis rental companies announced plans to add thousands more hybrid vehicles to their fleets.
"The Justice Department is investigating whether British defense giant BAE Systems, which supplies Bradley fighting vehicles to the U.S. military and is becoming a major player in the U.S. defense industry, paid bribes to win contracts in Saudi Arabia, Chile and elsewhere."
"The military's mental health system has 'fallen significantly short' of meeting the needs of troops and their families, according to a year-long task force study released Thursday." The report also notes that the "Pentagon must immediately start recruiting to fill a mental health staff 'woefully inadequate' to deal with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder."
And finally: Yeeeaaaarrrrrggghhh!!: The Musical. An "unlikely subject may be headed for Broadway this fall: Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign. Last week, Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal did a private reading of 'Farragut North' (written by playwright and former Dean campaigner Beau Willimon) about the presidential hopes of a charismatic, unorthodox candidate and his staff."
Wrap...
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The LA Times...This is why I subscribe....
From Editor & Publisher.com :
Why the 'L.A. Times' Called for Iraq Pullout
Few American papers of any size have called for a reversal of course in Iraq, so it was a shock to see one of the largest, the Los Angeles Times, take this step recently. How does the editorial page editor explain this sudden change in heart -- and will others finally follow?
By Greg Mitchell
(June 13, 2007)
“I see no moral reason to wait until fall,” Jim Newton, editorial page editor at the Los Angeles Times told me earlier today. “We need to evaluate in real time. That’s part of the motivation for the editorial this week. Besides Gen. Petraeus, others have a right to assess the facts as well.”
Newton was referring to an editorial in his paper on Tuesday calling for peace talks and a ceasefire in Iraq. It’s the kind of talk we heard often in relation to Vietnam and later conflicts but oddly missing in regard to Iraq. But the Times is taking all sorts of bold stands on the war these days. Six weeks ago the paper advocated – hold on to your hats – that the U.S. actually start to disengage in Iraq. That editorial was titled simply, if eloquently, “Bring Them Home.”
Rather than chide the vast majority of newspaper editorial pages, yet again, for continuing to endorse, or at least accept, the continuing (now expanding) U.S. mission in Iraq, I am happy to tip my hat to the only ultra-large paper that has come out for the start of an American pullout. That position, until now, has been left to papers such as the Seattle Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Orange County Register and Roanoke Times.
What’s happening at the L.A. paper, which as recently as January backed the “surge”? It’s as if a little-noted earthquake struck Spring Street this spring and really shook things up.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003598764
Wrap...
Why the 'L.A. Times' Called for Iraq Pullout
Few American papers of any size have called for a reversal of course in Iraq, so it was a shock to see one of the largest, the Los Angeles Times, take this step recently. How does the editorial page editor explain this sudden change in heart -- and will others finally follow?
By Greg Mitchell
(June 13, 2007)
“I see no moral reason to wait until fall,” Jim Newton, editorial page editor at the Los Angeles Times told me earlier today. “We need to evaluate in real time. That’s part of the motivation for the editorial this week. Besides Gen. Petraeus, others have a right to assess the facts as well.”
Newton was referring to an editorial in his paper on Tuesday calling for peace talks and a ceasefire in Iraq. It’s the kind of talk we heard often in relation to Vietnam and later conflicts but oddly missing in regard to Iraq. But the Times is taking all sorts of bold stands on the war these days. Six weeks ago the paper advocated – hold on to your hats – that the U.S. actually start to disengage in Iraq. That editorial was titled simply, if eloquently, “Bring Them Home.”
Rather than chide the vast majority of newspaper editorial pages, yet again, for continuing to endorse, or at least accept, the continuing (now expanding) U.S. mission in Iraq, I am happy to tip my hat to the only ultra-large paper that has come out for the start of an American pullout. That position, until now, has been left to papers such as the Seattle Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Orange County Register and Roanoke Times.
What’s happening at the L.A. paper, which as recently as January backed the “surge”? It’s as if a little-noted earthquake struck Spring Street this spring and really shook things up.
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003598764
Wrap...
And Conyers said, "Bring it on!"
From truthout.org :
White House Subpoenas, and a Constitutional Showdown
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061407J.shtml
Matt Renner reports: "Subpoenas issued Wednesday by Congress for testimony from former White House officials could lead to a constitutional crisis over the right of executive privilege. Experts in constitutional law believe that the Bush administration will not comply with the Congressional subpoenas and will force a showdown.
If individuals do not comply with the subpoenas, a vote can be taken to hold them in contempt of Congress. The issue would then be sent to the Washington, DC Circuit Court, where the US attorney for the District of Colombia could prosecute the case before a grand jury."
Wrap...
White House Subpoenas, and a Constitutional Showdown
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061407J.shtml
Matt Renner reports: "Subpoenas issued Wednesday by Congress for testimony from former White House officials could lead to a constitutional crisis over the right of executive privilege. Experts in constitutional law believe that the Bush administration will not comply with the Congressional subpoenas and will force a showdown.
If individuals do not comply with the subpoenas, a vote can be taken to hold them in contempt of Congress. The issue would then be sent to the Washington, DC Circuit Court, where the US attorney for the District of Colombia could prosecute the case before a grand jury."
Wrap...
A selection of interesting books coming....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
MYSTERY/CRIME:
Shamus Award Winner Edward Wright's DAMNATION FALLS, in which a disgraced Chicago newspaper columnist agrees to ghostwrite a biography of his childhood friend and former Tennessee governor, but instead finds himself investigating a series of ghastly murders and a town legend from the Civil War in the Tennessee hills, to Daniela Rapp at Minotaur, in a nice deal, by Jonathan Lyons at Lyons Literary, on behalf of Jane Conway-Gordon (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Tony Award-winning playwright whose works include Streamers and Hurlyburly, David Rabe's DINOSAURS ON THE ROOF, about the collision of two lives in a single night that uncovers their entire lives: a brittle old woman who believes she is living her last night before she is delivered up to The Rapture, and the daughter of her deceased friend, whose life is in a tailspin of self-destruction after a recent divorce, and whom the older woman recruits to look after her animals after she is gone, to David Rosenthal at Simon & Schuster, by Deborah Schneider at Gelfman Schneider (NA).
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Kinney's BY HOOK OR BY CROOK, the story of Martha Vineyard's annual fishing derby: a month-long affair which pits neighbor against neighbor, islander against mainlander, and turns the island upside down in the all-consuming quest for the biggest fish, exploring obsession, island culture and history, growing income-inequality and the lure of the sea, to Annik LaFarge at Bloomsbury, in a pre-empt, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (world).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Jerry Brotton's TWELVE MAPS THAT MADE THE WORLD, the story of humanity's cultural evolution through twelve pivotal maps -- beginning with the earliest Greek attempts to map the known world and ending with Google Earth -- each exploring a different aspect of culture including God, measurement, nationalism, race, commerce, and democracy, to Hilary Redmon at Viking and Stuart Proffitt at Penguin UK.
NARRATIVE:
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Kinney's BY HOOK OR BY CROOK, the story of Martha Vineyard's annual fishing derby: a month-long affair which pits neighbor against neighbor, islander against mainlander, and turns the island upside down in the all-consuming quest for the biggest fish, exploring obsession, island culture and history, growing income-inequality and the lure of the sea, to Annik LaFarge at Bloomsbury, in a pre-empt, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (world).
UK:
Historian Simon Schama's THE AMERICAN FUTURE: A History, called a thematic history of America, moving within the Random UK group to Will Sulkin at Bodley Head, for six figures, for publication in fall 2009, by Michael Sissons of PFD.
Wrap...
MYSTERY/CRIME:
Shamus Award Winner Edward Wright's DAMNATION FALLS, in which a disgraced Chicago newspaper columnist agrees to ghostwrite a biography of his childhood friend and former Tennessee governor, but instead finds himself investigating a series of ghastly murders and a town legend from the Civil War in the Tennessee hills, to Daniela Rapp at Minotaur, in a nice deal, by Jonathan Lyons at Lyons Literary, on behalf of Jane Conway-Gordon (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Tony Award-winning playwright whose works include Streamers and Hurlyburly, David Rabe's DINOSAURS ON THE ROOF, about the collision of two lives in a single night that uncovers their entire lives: a brittle old woman who believes she is living her last night before she is delivered up to The Rapture, and the daughter of her deceased friend, whose life is in a tailspin of self-destruction after a recent divorce, and whom the older woman recruits to look after her animals after she is gone, to David Rosenthal at Simon & Schuster, by Deborah Schneider at Gelfman Schneider (NA).
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Kinney's BY HOOK OR BY CROOK, the story of Martha Vineyard's annual fishing derby: a month-long affair which pits neighbor against neighbor, islander against mainlander, and turns the island upside down in the all-consuming quest for the biggest fish, exploring obsession, island culture and history, growing income-inequality and the lure of the sea, to Annik LaFarge at Bloomsbury, in a pre-empt, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (world).
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Jerry Brotton's TWELVE MAPS THAT MADE THE WORLD, the story of humanity's cultural evolution through twelve pivotal maps -- beginning with the earliest Greek attempts to map the known world and ending with Google Earth -- each exploring a different aspect of culture including God, measurement, nationalism, race, commerce, and democracy, to Hilary Redmon at Viking and Stuart Proffitt at Penguin UK.
NARRATIVE:
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Kinney's BY HOOK OR BY CROOK, the story of Martha Vineyard's annual fishing derby: a month-long affair which pits neighbor against neighbor, islander against mainlander, and turns the island upside down in the all-consuming quest for the biggest fish, exploring obsession, island culture and history, growing income-inequality and the lure of the sea, to Annik LaFarge at Bloomsbury, in a pre-empt, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (world).
UK:
Historian Simon Schama's THE AMERICAN FUTURE: A History, called a thematic history of America, moving within the Random UK group to Will Sulkin at Bodley Head, for six figures, for publication in fall 2009, by Michael Sissons of PFD.
Wrap...
DOJ and Civil Rights to musical scientists...
From American Progress:
Think Fast
The Bush administration has recast the Justice Department's role in civil rights "by aggressively pursuing religion-oriented cases while significantly diminishing its involvement in the traditional area of race." The Department "has transferred or demoted some experienced civil rights litigators" while bringing in "graduates of religious-affiliated law schools...who favor the new priorities."
"Three months into the new U.S. military strategy that has sent tens of thousands of additional troops into Iraq, overall levels of violence in the country have not decreased, as attacks have shifted away from Baghdad and Anbar, where American forces are concentrated, only to rise in most other provinces, according to a Pentagon report released yesterday."
"Responding to shabby treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center," a bipartisan group of senators yesterday introduced a measure "to boost disability pay to those hurt in combat and improve care for brain injury."
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) announced she would join Rep. Dennis Kucinich's (D-OH) push for impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney. "Before, it was speculated that no one else would support impeachment," Kucinich said. His measure has also gained the support of Reps. Al Wynn (D-MD), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Lacy Clay (D-MO), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
Fox News Channel (FNC) is parting ways with Gen. Wesley Clark after two years of being an FNC contributor. A Fox source told the Politico that Clark was ditched in favor of new guest contributor former Rep. Harold Ford (D-TN), because Fox viewers "tell us they prefer looking at Ford to Clark." Clark will now be joining MSNBC as a military analyst.
In a call yesterday "with a group of liberal bloggers," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) "called Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 'incompetent.'"
And finally: Live Earth Antarctica has been announced, living up to the extravaganza's promise to hold concerts on all seven continents. The indie rock band Nunatak -- which is "made up of five scientists aged 22 to 28 who are stationed on the generally unpopulated continent" -- will be the sole performer. Nunatak will be playing to the smallest Live Earth audience -- just 17 people -- but will be broadcast to approximately 2 billion people.
Wrap...
Think Fast
The Bush administration has recast the Justice Department's role in civil rights "by aggressively pursuing religion-oriented cases while significantly diminishing its involvement in the traditional area of race." The Department "has transferred or demoted some experienced civil rights litigators" while bringing in "graduates of religious-affiliated law schools...who favor the new priorities."
"Three months into the new U.S. military strategy that has sent tens of thousands of additional troops into Iraq, overall levels of violence in the country have not decreased, as attacks have shifted away from Baghdad and Anbar, where American forces are concentrated, only to rise in most other provinces, according to a Pentagon report released yesterday."
"Responding to shabby treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center," a bipartisan group of senators yesterday introduced a measure "to boost disability pay to those hurt in combat and improve care for brain injury."
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) announced she would join Rep. Dennis Kucinich's (D-OH) push for impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney. "Before, it was speculated that no one else would support impeachment," Kucinich said. His measure has also gained the support of Reps. Al Wynn (D-MD), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Lacy Clay (D-MO), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
Fox News Channel (FNC) is parting ways with Gen. Wesley Clark after two years of being an FNC contributor. A Fox source told the Politico that Clark was ditched in favor of new guest contributor former Rep. Harold Ford (D-TN), because Fox viewers "tell us they prefer looking at Ford to Clark." Clark will now be joining MSNBC as a military analyst.
In a call yesterday "with a group of liberal bloggers," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) "called Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 'incompetent.'"
And finally: Live Earth Antarctica has been announced, living up to the extravaganza's promise to hold concerts on all seven continents. The indie rock band Nunatak -- which is "made up of five scientists aged 22 to 28 who are stationed on the generally unpopulated continent" -- will be the sole performer. Nunatak will be playing to the smallest Live Earth audience -- just 17 people -- but will be broadcast to approximately 2 billion people.
Wrap...
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
$63 million and Prez Candidate Hunter's plane won't fly....
From American Progress:
CONGRESS -- REP. HUNTER DEFENDS FAILED PET PROJECT:
Yesterday, members of the House Committee on Science and Technology watched videos "of what they got for $63 million spent on an experimental aircraft the military did not want: repeated crashes and significant failures."
According to testimony from the Office of Naval Research, the DP-2, a plane "designed to take off like a helicopter and then fly at high speed, failed to remain in the air for more than a few seconds in 49 separate tests last year."
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), who had "aggressively supported the program over decades even though the Pentagon repeatedly questioned the jet's feasibility and lambasted the contractor's work," defended his role in leading the effort to secure funding "on behalf of a hometown company, DuPont Aerospace."
"The idea around here that if the Pentagon doesn't come up with something, that if the services don't like it, you're not going to build it is ridiculous," said Hunter, who received $36,000 in campaign contributions from DuPoint Aerospace.
But experts who testified before the committee claimed that "the aircraft was nowhere near delivering on the promises cited by DuPont and its congressional supporters. 'It's a pipe dream,' said John Eney, an aerospace engineer who led a Navy team that evaluated the project in 1999."
As the San Diego Union Tribune notes, "Hunter's support of the DP-2 has thrust him into the center of the debate about earmarks, which congressmen sponsor to fund everything from new roads and museums in their districts to defense contracts that sometimes provide hundreds of jobs for constituents."
Wrap...
CONGRESS -- REP. HUNTER DEFENDS FAILED PET PROJECT:
Yesterday, members of the House Committee on Science and Technology watched videos "of what they got for $63 million spent on an experimental aircraft the military did not want: repeated crashes and significant failures."
According to testimony from the Office of Naval Research, the DP-2, a plane "designed to take off like a helicopter and then fly at high speed, failed to remain in the air for more than a few seconds in 49 separate tests last year."
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), who had "aggressively supported the program over decades even though the Pentagon repeatedly questioned the jet's feasibility and lambasted the contractor's work," defended his role in leading the effort to secure funding "on behalf of a hometown company, DuPont Aerospace."
"The idea around here that if the Pentagon doesn't come up with something, that if the services don't like it, you're not going to build it is ridiculous," said Hunter, who received $36,000 in campaign contributions from DuPoint Aerospace.
But experts who testified before the committee claimed that "the aircraft was nowhere near delivering on the promises cited by DuPont and its congressional supporters. 'It's a pipe dream,' said John Eney, an aerospace engineer who led a Navy team that evaluated the project in 1999."
As the San Diego Union Tribune notes, "Hunter's support of the DP-2 has thrust him into the center of the debate about earmarks, which congressmen sponsor to fund everything from new roads and museums in their districts to defense contracts that sometimes provide hundreds of jobs for constituents."
Wrap...
Invaders from Mars...
Note: SDARI is an skeptics organization in San Diego...A member of that group just emailed a recap of one of their meetings:
A San Diegan named Alex Boese has garnered a bit of nationwide fame as the owner of the web site Museum of Hoaxes. I had him as a guest speaker in 2003. He was going great until he told about the ramification of the famed Orson Wells radio show about the war of the world (invaders from mars who were marching across New Jersey. Boese said that outside of the New York area nobody paid any particular attention to it.
He was interrupted by a gruff gentleman in the back, "I get to differ" Then the gruffian told of how he was on the (something or other) desk of the Minneapolis Star. He said there was near panic in the newsroom and it was spreading. They were trying to get out an early morning special."
Boese stood his ground. The grump fired back volley for volley. Pretty soon he prevailed. Beose admitted that he just might be wrong.
I've tried to get him back several times, but he always begged off.
I don't think he liked being taken to task by Lionel Van Deerlin.
[Van Deerlin is a columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune, and a former US Representative]
Wrap....
A San Diegan named Alex Boese has garnered a bit of nationwide fame as the owner of the web site Museum of Hoaxes. I had him as a guest speaker in 2003. He was going great until he told about the ramification of the famed Orson Wells radio show about the war of the world (invaders from mars who were marching across New Jersey. Boese said that outside of the New York area nobody paid any particular attention to it.
He was interrupted by a gruff gentleman in the back, "I get to differ" Then the gruffian told of how he was on the (something or other) desk of the Minneapolis Star. He said there was near panic in the newsroom and it was spreading. They were trying to get out an early morning special."
Boese stood his ground. The grump fired back volley for volley. Pretty soon he prevailed. Beose admitted that he just might be wrong.
I've tried to get him back several times, but he always begged off.
I don't think he liked being taken to task by Lionel Van Deerlin.
[Van Deerlin is a columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune, and a former US Representative]
Wrap....
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Actually, von Spakovsky should be in jail....
From Raw Story:
Obama: FEC nominee unfit to oversee elections
RAW STORYPublished:
Tuesday June 12, 2007
Sen. Barack Obama says President Bush's nominee to the Federal Election Commission is more interested in denying voters' rights than expanding enfranchisement and should not be installed on a panel tasked with ensuring fair elections.
Obama says Hans von Spakovsky's partisan influence within the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and his prior roles as a Republican appointee make him unfit for the job.
"Individuals named to the Commission should have a demonstrated record of fair administration of the law and an ability to overcome partisan biases," Obama wrote to the chair and ranking member of the Senate Rules Committee.
"Unfortunately, Mr. von Spakovsky's experience ... [does] not demonstrate the evenhandedness required of an FEC Commissioner."
Obama cited von Spakovsky's role in creating a Georgia voter identification law, which career Justice Department lawyers determined would create undue hardship for black voters. Federal and state courts eventually overruled von Spakovsky and found the program unconstitutional.
The Illinois senator and Democratic presidential candidate also noted von Spakovsky's reported role in overriding objections of Justice Department lawyers to what critics say were politically motivated decisions to approve a redistricting plan in Texas.
According to a 2004 New Yorker article, von Spakovsky was "the Administration's chief operative on voting rights," and prior to serving in government he was the architect of an idea aimed at purging felons from voter roles that led to the mistaken disenfranchisement of thousands of mostly Democratic voters in Florida before the 2000 election.
President Bush appointed von Spakovsky to the Commission in January 2006, using another of his infamous recess appointments, which allow him to temporarily delay his requirement to subject nominees for congressional approval.
Excerpts from Obama's letter:
#
Mr. von Spakovsky’s role in supporting the Department of Justice’s quixotic efforts to attack voter fraud raises significant questions about his ability to interpret and apply the law in a fair manner, as does his decision to ignore the recommendations of long-serving career attorneys on several occasions. Moreover, his role in the creation of the Georgia voter ID law should have led to his recusal from the Department of Justice’s evaluation of the law. His failure to recuse himself from that case further demonstrates a lack of judgment that is not befitting an FEC Commissioner. Unless Mr. von Spakovsky can provide legitimate explanations for his conduct in these matters, I believe that he should not be confirmed to this important position.
Wrap....
Obama: FEC nominee unfit to oversee elections
RAW STORYPublished:
Tuesday June 12, 2007
Sen. Barack Obama says President Bush's nominee to the Federal Election Commission is more interested in denying voters' rights than expanding enfranchisement and should not be installed on a panel tasked with ensuring fair elections.
Obama says Hans von Spakovsky's partisan influence within the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and his prior roles as a Republican appointee make him unfit for the job.
"Individuals named to the Commission should have a demonstrated record of fair administration of the law and an ability to overcome partisan biases," Obama wrote to the chair and ranking member of the Senate Rules Committee.
"Unfortunately, Mr. von Spakovsky's experience ... [does] not demonstrate the evenhandedness required of an FEC Commissioner."
Obama cited von Spakovsky's role in creating a Georgia voter identification law, which career Justice Department lawyers determined would create undue hardship for black voters. Federal and state courts eventually overruled von Spakovsky and found the program unconstitutional.
The Illinois senator and Democratic presidential candidate also noted von Spakovsky's reported role in overriding objections of Justice Department lawyers to what critics say were politically motivated decisions to approve a redistricting plan in Texas.
According to a 2004 New Yorker article, von Spakovsky was "the Administration's chief operative on voting rights," and prior to serving in government he was the architect of an idea aimed at purging felons from voter roles that led to the mistaken disenfranchisement of thousands of mostly Democratic voters in Florida before the 2000 election.
President Bush appointed von Spakovsky to the Commission in January 2006, using another of his infamous recess appointments, which allow him to temporarily delay his requirement to subject nominees for congressional approval.
Excerpts from Obama's letter:
#
Mr. von Spakovsky’s role in supporting the Department of Justice’s quixotic efforts to attack voter fraud raises significant questions about his ability to interpret and apply the law in a fair manner, as does his decision to ignore the recommendations of long-serving career attorneys on several occasions. Moreover, his role in the creation of the Georgia voter ID law should have led to his recusal from the Department of Justice’s evaluation of the law. His failure to recuse himself from that case further demonstrates a lack of judgment that is not befitting an FEC Commissioner. Unless Mr. von Spakovsky can provide legitimate explanations for his conduct in these matters, I believe that he should not be confirmed to this important position.
Wrap....
Cheney's got Fred Thompson already....
[Note: You see where this is going...Thompson being groomed by Cheney goons. Keep in mind that this is an article by Republicans for Republicans]
From the Daily Standard via Raw Story:
Hawks for Thompson
Thompson puts together a foreign policy team.
by Stephen F. Hayes
06/12/2007 3:27:00 PM
FRED THOMPSON IS adding more big-name policy talent as his testing-the-waters committee continues to grow into a real presidential campaign. Among the new additions: Mark Esper, national security adviser to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist; Joel Shin, a top policy staffer on Bush-Cheney 2000; and Elizabeth Cheney, a former top official in the State Department's Near East and South Asia department.
Esper, who worked for Thompson when he was a Senator in the 1990s, currently serves as executive vice president of the Aerospace Industries of America and is a member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Thompson previously served on the commission. Before joining AIA, Esper was Bill Frist's director of National Security Affairs. According to a biography on the U.S.-China commission website, Esper's "portfolio in that position included all defense, foreign policy, and intelligence matters for the United States Senate, where he also worked on trade and homeland security issues." He worked on executive-legislative national security matters--an important job given the Bush Administration's posture on a robust executive branch. Esper's current AIA obligations have limited his participation to that of an informal adviser.
Joel Shin was a top policy staffer on George W. Bush's presidential campaign in 2000. He coordinated the activities of senior outside policy advisers advising then-Governor Bush and worked on the Bush transition. Although many of his colleagues took jobs in the Bush administration, Shin did not. A former Rhodes Scholar, Shin is currently an associate with The Scowcroft Group in Washington, DC. Shin declined to
comment on his role, directing all questions to Thompson's communications staff.
Liz Cheney, the older of Vice President Dick Cheney's two daughters, served most recently as principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs and coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives. That title--no doubt one of the longest in the federal government--means that Cheney was on the leading edge of President Bush's effort to bring democratic and market-based reform to the region. A longtime democracy advocate, Cheney was a strong proponent of women's rights in the region. Her previous experience includes time at the World Bank, two prior stints at the State Department, and service as a US AID officer in Poland and Hungary.
Esper, Shin, and Cheney are well known and well respected in the Washington foreign policy community and generally regarded as hawkish in their views on national security. They will continue to give Thompson's foreign policy advice as the effort becomes a formal campaign. The informal group began meeting late last month and current plans are for weekly policy sessions. Like most campaign advisory groups, the foreign policy team will hash out current foreign policy issues and make recommendations to the candidate (or, in this case, the non-candidate). Its members will also seek to anticipate the kinds of foreign policy and national security crises that might require answers from Thompson.
Even as he spends much of his time putting together the infrastructure of his campaign, Thompson has been focused on developing the policy proposals that will form the backbone of his presidential run. He spent several hours yesterday at the Hoover Institution, affiliated with Stanford University, meeting with scholars from the conservative think tank. He is set to appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno later this evening.
Stephen F. Hayes, a senior writer at THE WEEKLY STANDARD, is the author of Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President, which will be published next month by HarperCollins.
Wrap...
From the Daily Standard via Raw Story:
Hawks for Thompson
Thompson puts together a foreign policy team.
by Stephen F. Hayes
06/12/2007 3:27:00 PM
FRED THOMPSON IS adding more big-name policy talent as his testing-the-waters committee continues to grow into a real presidential campaign. Among the new additions: Mark Esper, national security adviser to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist; Joel Shin, a top policy staffer on Bush-Cheney 2000; and Elizabeth Cheney, a former top official in the State Department's Near East and South Asia department.
Esper, who worked for Thompson when he was a Senator in the 1990s, currently serves as executive vice president of the Aerospace Industries of America and is a member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Thompson previously served on the commission. Before joining AIA, Esper was Bill Frist's director of National Security Affairs. According to a biography on the U.S.-China commission website, Esper's "portfolio in that position included all defense, foreign policy, and intelligence matters for the United States Senate, where he also worked on trade and homeland security issues." He worked on executive-legislative national security matters--an important job given the Bush Administration's posture on a robust executive branch. Esper's current AIA obligations have limited his participation to that of an informal adviser.
Joel Shin was a top policy staffer on George W. Bush's presidential campaign in 2000. He coordinated the activities of senior outside policy advisers advising then-Governor Bush and worked on the Bush transition. Although many of his colleagues took jobs in the Bush administration, Shin did not. A former Rhodes Scholar, Shin is currently an associate with The Scowcroft Group in Washington, DC. Shin declined to
comment on his role, directing all questions to Thompson's communications staff.
Liz Cheney, the older of Vice President Dick Cheney's two daughters, served most recently as principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs and coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives. That title--no doubt one of the longest in the federal government--means that Cheney was on the leading edge of President Bush's effort to bring democratic and market-based reform to the region. A longtime democracy advocate, Cheney was a strong proponent of women's rights in the region. Her previous experience includes time at the World Bank, two prior stints at the State Department, and service as a US AID officer in Poland and Hungary.
Esper, Shin, and Cheney are well known and well respected in the Washington foreign policy community and generally regarded as hawkish in their views on national security. They will continue to give Thompson's foreign policy advice as the effort becomes a formal campaign. The informal group began meeting late last month and current plans are for weekly policy sessions. Like most campaign advisory groups, the foreign policy team will hash out current foreign policy issues and make recommendations to the candidate (or, in this case, the non-candidate). Its members will also seek to anticipate the kinds of foreign policy and national security crises that might require answers from Thompson.
Even as he spends much of his time putting together the infrastructure of his campaign, Thompson has been focused on developing the policy proposals that will form the backbone of his presidential run. He spent several hours yesterday at the Hoover Institution, affiliated with Stanford University, meeting with scholars from the conservative think tank. He is set to appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno later this evening.
Stephen F. Hayes, a senior writer at THE WEEKLY STANDARD, is the author of Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President, which will be published next month by HarperCollins.
Wrap...
From Mueller's use of FBI jet to fake 811 call in Italy..
From American Progress:
Think Fast
"When the FBI asked Congress this spring to provide $3.6 million in the war spending bill for its Gulfstream V jet, it said the money was needed to ensure that the aircraft, packed with state-of-the-art security and communications gear, could continue to fly counterterrorism agents on 'crucial missions' into Iraq." Instead, it is "now routinely used to ferry FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to speeches, public appearances and field office visits."
"Male U.S. veterans are twice as likely to die by suicide than people with no military service, and are more likely to kill themselves with a gun than others who commit suicide, researchers said on Monday."
"For the first time in five years, President Bush will attend the Senate Republicans' weekly policy lunch today as he pushes to revive his moribund overhaul of the nation's immigration laws." But several Republican senators "issued a terse warning yesterday: Don't expect much."
"The nation's growing cadre of home healthcare workers are not entitled to minimum wages or overtime pay under federal law, even if they work for private employers, the Supreme Court ruled today."
"The first priority for the next president of the World Bank is to smooth ruffled feathers among the staff after the turbulent exit of Paul Wolfowitz, according to the leading contender to replace him." Robert Zoellick acknowledged the staff has been "bruised and somewhat frustrated and there will be a need to calm the waters."
A new U.N. report concludes that "civilian casualties continue to mount”" in Iraq, despite the Bush administration's escalation. Violence has now spread beyond Baghdad, "to other parts of the country," and the Baghdad morgue is overflowing with corpses.
"The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has worsened in the last year and civilians are bearing the brunt of suicide attacks and aerial bombing raids, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday."
280: Number of colleges and universities that "have agreed to raise awareness about global warming and limit their institutions' emissions in moving toward 'climate neutrality.'"
And finally: Frustrated that he "risked being late for a TV interview on Saturday" because streets around the Italian Senate were blocked for President Bush's visit, Italian Sen. Gustavo Selva called an ambulance to rush him to the studio. As he later boasted on television, Selva "dialed 118 for an ambulance asking to be rushed to his heart specialist -- giving the TV studio's address." Selva may now face criminal charges for his stunt.
Wrap...
Think Fast
"When the FBI asked Congress this spring to provide $3.6 million in the war spending bill for its Gulfstream V jet, it said the money was needed to ensure that the aircraft, packed with state-of-the-art security and communications gear, could continue to fly counterterrorism agents on 'crucial missions' into Iraq." Instead, it is "now routinely used to ferry FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to speeches, public appearances and field office visits."
"Male U.S. veterans are twice as likely to die by suicide than people with no military service, and are more likely to kill themselves with a gun than others who commit suicide, researchers said on Monday."
"For the first time in five years, President Bush will attend the Senate Republicans' weekly policy lunch today as he pushes to revive his moribund overhaul of the nation's immigration laws." But several Republican senators "issued a terse warning yesterday: Don't expect much."
"The nation's growing cadre of home healthcare workers are not entitled to minimum wages or overtime pay under federal law, even if they work for private employers, the Supreme Court ruled today."
"The first priority for the next president of the World Bank is to smooth ruffled feathers among the staff after the turbulent exit of Paul Wolfowitz, according to the leading contender to replace him." Robert Zoellick acknowledged the staff has been "bruised and somewhat frustrated and there will be a need to calm the waters."
A new U.N. report concludes that "civilian casualties continue to mount”" in Iraq, despite the Bush administration's escalation. Violence has now spread beyond Baghdad, "to other parts of the country," and the Baghdad morgue is overflowing with corpses.
"The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has worsened in the last year and civilians are bearing the brunt of suicide attacks and aerial bombing raids, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday."
280: Number of colleges and universities that "have agreed to raise awareness about global warming and limit their institutions' emissions in moving toward 'climate neutrality.'"
And finally: Frustrated that he "risked being late for a TV interview on Saturday" because streets around the Italian Senate were blocked for President Bush's visit, Italian Sen. Gustavo Selva called an ambulance to rush him to the studio. As he later boasted on television, Selva "dialed 118 for an ambulance asking to be rushed to his heart specialist -- giving the TV studio's address." Selva may now face criminal charges for his stunt.
Wrap...
Getting a replacement for Bush...
From Charlie Cook's "Off To the Races":
The constant complaint I hear traveling around the country is that the 2008 presidential campaign started too early and is lasting too long, two propositions that are difficult to argue with.
Citizens might find solace in the notion that increased fundraising demands on candidates will force them to ramp up early. In addition, once the nominations are settled -- most likely in the first half of February -- there will probably be a month or two of intermission or halftime. By this time, both winning campaigns should be flat broke and the candidates and operatives alike will likely be on the verge of a physical, if not emotional, breakdown.
NOTE: I absolutely agree with the above. But people will do anything to have a good, honest, competent presidential candidate in place as soon as possible to replace the horrendous Bush-Cheney administration.
Wrap...
The constant complaint I hear traveling around the country is that the 2008 presidential campaign started too early and is lasting too long, two propositions that are difficult to argue with.
Citizens might find solace in the notion that increased fundraising demands on candidates will force them to ramp up early. In addition, once the nominations are settled -- most likely in the first half of February -- there will probably be a month or two of intermission or halftime. By this time, both winning campaigns should be flat broke and the candidates and operatives alike will likely be on the verge of a physical, if not emotional, breakdown.
NOTE: I absolutely agree with the above. But people will do anything to have a good, honest, competent presidential candidate in place as soon as possible to replace the horrendous Bush-Cheney administration.
Wrap...
Sickening K Street Lobbyists....
From TomPaine.com:
And Still They Rise
Bill Berkowitz
June 12, 2007
Bill Berkowitz is a freelance writer who covers right-wing groups and movements.
Paraphrasing General Douglas MacArthur’s famous quote about old soldiers not fading away, old conservative politicians don’t fade away; they join high-powered lobbying firms and right-wing think tanks.
If you thought you’d heard the last from such conservative stalwarts as former California Congressman Richard Pombo, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, fuhgeddaboutit. Despite each of them being handily defeated last November by Democrats, these three right wing ideologues have landed squarely on their feet in well-funded positions, affording them multiple opportunities to continue agitating for various aspects of their political agenda.
During his tenure in the House, Pombo was an ethical and environmental nightmare. As chairman of the House Resources Committee—before he lost his seat in 2006 to Democrat Jerry McNerney—Pombo was the proud author of a number of environmentally insensitive proposals, including the authored the "Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2005" which gives the authority to charge and retain recreation fees for the use of public lands and which serves as the bedrock upon which the pay-to-play Disneyfication of the national parks and other public lands, is being constructed.
Pombo was closely linked to GOP uber-lobbyist and now imprisoned Jack Abramoff, and in September 2005, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named Pombo one of the "13 Most Corrupt Members in Congress."
Pombo’s defeat has move him from the electoral arena to a lobbying position, having recently been appointed chairman of an organization called Partnership for America. Earlier this year he signed on with Pac/West as a senior partner.
Partnership for America bills itself as a "grass-roots alliance" promoting freedom, jobs and a clean environment.
Pac/West Communications is a lobbying/consulting firm that has managed to secure a $3 million contract with the state of Alaska to "educate" Americans about the value and importance of drilling for oil in the state, a project dear to the heart of Pombo.
According to the Anchorage Daily News , Pac/West is run by Paul Phillips, a former Republican state senator from Oregon, “known as his legislature's ‘premier operator,’ both praised and criticized for his sly mastery of the legislative process.
“A consummate dealmaker and pro-business Republican, Phillips was investigated for mixing politics and private consulting. A 1990 ethics fine may have derailed congressional aspirations, said the Oregonian.” Phillips retired in 1996 and joined up with Pac/West. “Using Alaska's funds, Pac/West funded a media-message group, Americans for American Energy,” the Anchorage Daily News reported.
The group was located in the same Golden, Colo. office of a subcontractor called Policy Communications Inc., “which received $125,000 for professional services in May and June last year, according to state billing records.”
And here, according to the Anchorage Daily News , is where the story really gets interesting:
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/06/12/and_still_they_rise.php
Wrap...
And Still They Rise
Bill Berkowitz
June 12, 2007
Bill Berkowitz is a freelance writer who covers right-wing groups and movements.
Paraphrasing General Douglas MacArthur’s famous quote about old soldiers not fading away, old conservative politicians don’t fade away; they join high-powered lobbying firms and right-wing think tanks.
If you thought you’d heard the last from such conservative stalwarts as former California Congressman Richard Pombo, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, fuhgeddaboutit. Despite each of them being handily defeated last November by Democrats, these three right wing ideologues have landed squarely on their feet in well-funded positions, affording them multiple opportunities to continue agitating for various aspects of their political agenda.
During his tenure in the House, Pombo was an ethical and environmental nightmare. As chairman of the House Resources Committee—before he lost his seat in 2006 to Democrat Jerry McNerney—Pombo was the proud author of a number of environmentally insensitive proposals, including the authored the "Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2005" which gives the authority to charge and retain recreation fees for the use of public lands and which serves as the bedrock upon which the pay-to-play Disneyfication of the national parks and other public lands, is being constructed.
Pombo was closely linked to GOP uber-lobbyist and now imprisoned Jack Abramoff, and in September 2005, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named Pombo one of the "13 Most Corrupt Members in Congress."
Pombo’s defeat has move him from the electoral arena to a lobbying position, having recently been appointed chairman of an organization called Partnership for America. Earlier this year he signed on with Pac/West as a senior partner.
Partnership for America bills itself as a "grass-roots alliance" promoting freedom, jobs and a clean environment.
Pac/West Communications is a lobbying/consulting firm that has managed to secure a $3 million contract with the state of Alaska to "educate" Americans about the value and importance of drilling for oil in the state, a project dear to the heart of Pombo.
According to the Anchorage Daily News , Pac/West is run by Paul Phillips, a former Republican state senator from Oregon, “known as his legislature's ‘premier operator,’ both praised and criticized for his sly mastery of the legislative process.
“A consummate dealmaker and pro-business Republican, Phillips was investigated for mixing politics and private consulting. A 1990 ethics fine may have derailed congressional aspirations, said the Oregonian.” Phillips retired in 1996 and joined up with Pac/West. “Using Alaska's funds, Pac/West funded a media-message group, Americans for American Energy,” the Anchorage Daily News reported.
The group was located in the same Golden, Colo. office of a subcontractor called Policy Communications Inc., “which received $125,000 for professional services in May and June last year, according to state billing records.”
And here, according to the Anchorage Daily News , is where the story really gets interesting:
[click link below to continue reading]
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/06/12/and_still_they_rise.php
Wrap...
Monday, June 11, 2007
Inept judges part of immigration problem...
From truthout. org :
Immigration Judges Often Picked Based on GOP Ties
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061107M.shtml
The Bush administration increasingly emphasized partisan political ties over expertise, in recent years, when selecting the judges who decide the fate of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, despite laws that preclude such considerations. Immigration judges are considered civil service employees who may not be chosen based on political factors, unlike judges in federal criminal courts.
Wrap...
Immigration Judges Often Picked Based on GOP Ties
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061107M.shtml
The Bush administration increasingly emphasized partisan political ties over expertise, in recent years, when selecting the judges who decide the fate of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, despite laws that preclude such considerations. Immigration judges are considered civil service employees who may not be chosen based on political factors, unlike judges in federal criminal courts.
Wrap...
Arming Iraq for their Civil War to talking with the dead..
From American Progress:
Think Fast
American commanders are turning to a strategy “that they acknowledge is fraught with risk: arming Sunni Arab groups that have promised to fight militants linked with Al Qaeda who have been their allies in the past.” Critics say the plan “could amount to the Americans’ arming both sides in a future civil war.”
“The Taliban carried out an apparent attempt to assassinate Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday, firing rockets that missed him by several hundred yards as he spoke to a group of elders. No one was injured.”
“In what may be a sign of things to come, the lawyers for I. Lewis Libby Jr. last month invoked the rarely used courtroom tactic: the ‘bloggers can be mean’ defense.” Libby’s lawyers urged the judge not to publicly release letters written in support of their client, given “the real possibility that these letters, once released, would be published on the Internet and their authors discussed, even mocked, by bloggers.”
“Acting under pressure from Congress, the CIA has decided to trim its contractor staffing by 10 percent. It is the agency’s first effort since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to curb what critics have decried as the growing privatization of U.S. intelligence work, a circumstance that has sharply boosted some personnel costs.”
“A tribal coalition formed to oppose the extremist group al-Qaeda in Iraq, a development that U.S. officials say has reduced violence in Iraq’s troubled Anbar province, is beginning to splinter, according to an Anbar tribal leader and a U.S. military official familiar with tribal politics.”
“Senate Democrats opened the door to reviving the stalled immigration measure on Sunday, calling on Republicans to resolve their internal divisions and produce an agreement on how to move the legislation forward.”
And finally: HHS Secretary requests meeting with dead Senator. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt called Sen. Craig Thomas’s (R-WY) office Thursday afternoon to request a meeting with the late senator. Thomas passed away on Monday after a seven month battle with leukemia. The Washington Post writes, “Needless to say, grief-stricken Thomas staffers were stunned.”
Wrap...
Think Fast
American commanders are turning to a strategy “that they acknowledge is fraught with risk: arming Sunni Arab groups that have promised to fight militants linked with Al Qaeda who have been their allies in the past.” Critics say the plan “could amount to the Americans’ arming both sides in a future civil war.”
“The Taliban carried out an apparent attempt to assassinate Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday, firing rockets that missed him by several hundred yards as he spoke to a group of elders. No one was injured.”
“In what may be a sign of things to come, the lawyers for I. Lewis Libby Jr. last month invoked the rarely used courtroom tactic: the ‘bloggers can be mean’ defense.” Libby’s lawyers urged the judge not to publicly release letters written in support of their client, given “the real possibility that these letters, once released, would be published on the Internet and their authors discussed, even mocked, by bloggers.”
“Acting under pressure from Congress, the CIA has decided to trim its contractor staffing by 10 percent. It is the agency’s first effort since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to curb what critics have decried as the growing privatization of U.S. intelligence work, a circumstance that has sharply boosted some personnel costs.”
“A tribal coalition formed to oppose the extremist group al-Qaeda in Iraq, a development that U.S. officials say has reduced violence in Iraq’s troubled Anbar province, is beginning to splinter, according to an Anbar tribal leader and a U.S. military official familiar with tribal politics.”
“Senate Democrats opened the door to reviving the stalled immigration measure on Sunday, calling on Republicans to resolve their internal divisions and produce an agreement on how to move the legislation forward.”
And finally: HHS Secretary requests meeting with dead Senator. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt called Sen. Craig Thomas’s (R-WY) office Thursday afternoon to request a meeting with the late senator. Thomas passed away on Monday after a seven month battle with leukemia. The Washington Post writes, “Needless to say, grief-stricken Thomas staffers were stunned.”
Wrap...
In Constitutional Rights, this is the #1 law....
From truthout.org :
Keith Olbermann: Restoring Habeas Corpus
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061107B.shtml
Keith Olbermann applauds the Senate Judiciary Committee's efforts to restore habeas corpus and discusses this issue with Jonathan Hurley, professor of constitutional law at George Washington University
Wrap...
Keith Olbermann: Restoring Habeas Corpus
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061107B.shtml
Keith Olbermann applauds the Senate Judiciary Committee's efforts to restore habeas corpus and discusses this issue with Jonathan Hurley, professor of constitutional law at George Washington University
Wrap...
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