Quote of the Day

"What we now have is a Congressional leadership, the Republican part of which has said it is okay for law enforcement to engage in warrantless searches of the average citizen, now objecting when a search, pursuant to a validly issued warrant, is conducted of a Member of Congress." - Barney Frank

Doesn't everyone see the point here ?

Quote of the Day

Regarding the wall to be built on the American - Mexican border, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano observes, "Show me a 50-foot wall, and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder."
From Molly Ivins.

Pure Greed

If only the Republicans could have only been just a little less greedy, they could have had it all for many years to come. When they gained control of the Congress after 40 years on the outs, Newt Gingrich set up a lock tight control never before seen. He rewrote lots of the traditional rules and practices in the running of Congress. A few leading Republicans controlled all committees so that little could come to a vote without their approval. Democrats could barely propose an amendment to an all Republican law. A few leaders passed out K Street lobbyist's money to the peons based on their loyalty to the Repub agenda.

Now the upcoming elections seem more than a bit scary to Republicans. They should realize that whenever the Dems outnumber them (and it will happen at some point) all their rules will work against them. They are working double time to make it appear that William Jefferson's corruption is just like all their theft. Hardly, I still think the Republicans epitomize the "culture of corruption." Their ethics violations out number ours - Mr. Jefferson.

Quote of the Day

George Will on "values voters":

This phrase diminishes our understanding of politics. It also is arrogant on the part of social conservatives and insulting to everyone else because it implies that only social conservatives vote to advance their values and everyone else votes to . . . well, it is unclear what they supposedly think they are doing with their ballots.

Bold for Christ

Poor Tom DeLay was attacked by secular sharks because he was just too Christian. I don't think so. I've recently learned about DeLay's involvement (from Ms. Magazine) in keeping reform legislation out of our territory, the Northern Marianas.

Sweatshops in the Marianas paid at least $650,000 to Delay's organization, United Families. These garment entrepreneurs and island officials funnelled money through Jack Abramoff to pay for at least 100 congressional visits to the resorty parts of the Marianas. In return, the Bugman made sure that immigration reform wasn't enacted in the House - though there were plenty of concerned sponsors. DeLay said the Marianas were "a petri dish of capitalism." Hooray for the Free Market i.e., one out of control through Congressional negligence.

Women sewing in the garment factories there were from China, the Phillipines, and Thailand where they could only make 60 cents an hour. In the Marianas they could make $3.05 /hour, but with no U.S. regulation. In order to emigrate these foreign workers had to borrow money (up to $7000) from usurers. To pay off these fees, the women might work as many as a 20 hours a day. Thousands of female workers were encouraged to abort any expensive things like children. Any of this sound Christian yet ? Read the Ms. article.

Quote of the Day

"Well, I give you fair warning. This is a road map to totalitarianism. Hallmarks of totalitarian regimes have always included an excessive reliance on secrecy, the deliberate stoking of fear in the general population, a preference for military rather than diplomatic solutions in foreign policy, the promotion of blind patriotism, the denial of human rights, the curtailment of the rule of law, hostility to a free press and the systematic invasion of the privacy of ordinary people." -Bob Herbert

High Point of the Bush Presidency

In an interview last week with a German newspaper, George W. Bush was asked what he felt was the high point of the five years he has spent as President. He thought he had many such high points, but surprisingly enough, he chose: catching that seven and a half pound perch in a pond on his Crawford property. Yeah, that was the best. Not the unification of the world behind an America attacked. Not the installation of a new Democracy in a tyrannized nation.One fish, and not even a gamefish.This one is perhaps the most clueless recent statement from President GW Clueless, an international embarrassment. But come to think of it, Bush may have been uncharacteristically honest here.

Update : it turns out that the world's record for a freshwater perch is four pounds and something,so a seven and a half pound perch just can't be right. Either it was mistranslated or Bush meant a bass, probably a largemouth.

Warnings

Perhaps the most interesting information to come out of the Moussaoui trial was the reminder of how FBI Agent Samit knew about 9/11 ahead of time. Samit arrested this terrorist in August of 2001. He couldn't get his superiors at the Agency to believe him. Samit couldn't get his bosses to request a warrant to examine Moussaoui's computer. This was the situation in Minnesota that Colleen Rowley blew the whistle on. What a shame that these insiders didn't bother to simply do their jobs. From firedoglake.

Quote of the Day

To Stephen Colbert speaking to the President and the Main Stream Media:

"Then you have done a braver thing than all the Worthies did"
-John Donne, "The Undertaking"

The Worthies in that audience enable the lies and incompetence of Cheney, Bush, and the rest.

Your Birthright as an American for Sale

That good steward of our environment,the Bush Administration, has approved plans to sell off 300,000 acres of National Forest.For over one hundred years it has been sound environmental policy to save some of this land for everyone. Now Bush and Co. will sell it to the highest bidder, I assume. The really evil part of this plan is that it was pushed through by saying the proceeds would pay for "rural schools." Who really believes schools were their motivation? I sure don't. As I understand it, this Rural Schools Initiative is supposed to be recompense for local communities not being able to make a profit on these forests. It should not be necessary to sell off public land to pay for such basics as education. This is NTLU, No Tree Left Unsold and the very definition of a slippery slope. Given the public good or profit, our current government always chooses profit.