Sickening And Detestable

CBSNews.com: Print This Story:

If you're one of the nation's 30 million-plus bloggers - or among the 75,000 joining their ranks every day - keep an eye on Thursday's House vote on the Online Freedom of Speech Act.

Unless the bill passes, you may need a lawyer, if you discuss politics online. If it passes, you may still need a lawyer, if you spend more than $250 a year on your blog.

If all that seems confusing, you're not alone. Both critics and supporters of this bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, claim to want to protect bloggers and 'small speakers' from onerous federal campaign regulation.

But the Hensarling bill could also open a huge loophole in a 2002 law limiting the influence of big money in politics by allowing unlimited spending by corporations, unions, and wealthy individuals for political ads on the Internet.

What happened to the First Amendment, anyway? Co-opted into the tools of Big Business? Lost in the fold?

Blair's Party Declares Big Loans in British Scandal - New York Times

Blair's Party Declares Big Loans in British Scandal - New York Times

Obviously, we're not the only ones with campaign finance issues.

Oops!

Nuclear Reactors Found to Be Leaking Radioactive Water - New York Times:

WASHINGTON, March 16 — With power cleaner than coal and cheaper than natural gas, the nuclear industry, 20 years past its last meltdown, thinks it is ready for its second act: its first new reactor orders since the 1970's.

But there is a catch. The public's acceptance of new reactors depends in part on the performance of the old ones, and lately several of those have been discovered to be leaking radioactive water into the ground.

That's a hell of a catch! Solar, anyone?

Ah, Hah!!!

My Way News:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Lawyers for two airlines being sued by 9/11 victims prompted a federal attorney to coach witnesses in the Zacarias Moussaoui death penalty trial so the government's case against the al-Qaida conspirator would not undercut their defense, victims' lawyers allege.

A United Airlines lawyer received a transcript of the first day of the Moussaoui trial from an American Airlines lawyer and forwarded it to Carla J. Martin, a Transportation Security Administration lawyer, the victims' lawyers, Robert Clifford and Gregory Joseph, claim.

Martin forwarded that day's transcript to seven federal aviation officials scheduled to testify later in the sentencing trial of the 37-year-old Frenchman, in violation of an order by Moussaoui trial judge Leonie Brinkema.

Like I suggested earlier, there was ulterior motive behind Martin's blatant disregard for the judge's orders. And what do the airline's lawyers have to say for themselves?

American Airlines attorneys denied on Friday that the government position in the Moussaoui case would have undercut their defense in the civil suit and said that none of their attorneys had any direct contact with Martin about the Moussaoui trial.

Deny, deny, deny! But...

The contacts between Martin and airline lawyers were detailed in a legal brief filed on Moussaoui's behalf Thursday. That brief contained a March 15 letter from Clifford and Joseph complaining about Martin's actions to U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is presiding over the civil damage case in New York.

They wrote Hellerstein that the government's opening statement in the Moussaoui case "took the position that the hijackings were completely preventable and that gate security measures could have been implemented to prevent the 9/11 hijackers from boarding the planes had security been on the look out for short-bladed knives and boxcutters."

And aren't such items once again being allowed onto planes? Hmmmmm. If I didn't know any better, I might think that somebody is practically inviting another terror attack with passenger planes, and that such a thing might even be preventable. Again!

NYC Police 1, First Amendment Rights 0

Police Memos Say Arrest Tactics Calmed Protest - New York Times:

In five internal reports made public yesterday as part of a lawsuit, New York City police commanders candidly discuss how they had successfully used 'proactive arrests,' covert surveillance and psychological tactics at political demonstrations in 2002, and recommend that those approaches be employed at future gatherings.

[...]

The reports also made clear what the police have yet to discuss publicly: that the department uses undercover officers to infiltrate political gatherings and monitor behavior.

Indeed, one of the documents — a draft report from the department's Disorder Control Unit — proposed in blunt terms the resumption of a covert tactic that had been disavowed by the city and the federal government 30 years earlier. Under the heading of recommendations, the draft suggested, "Utilize undercover officers to distribute misinformation within the crowds."

You may be wondering why these documents and such inflammatory information has become public. Was it another example of whistleblowing, er, lax internal security, er, treasonous leaking within the department? Nope:

Parts of that document and others were made public, over the objections of the city, by a federal magistrate, Gabriel W. Gorenstein, who said the excerpts went to the heart of a lawsuit brought by 16 people who were arrested at an animal rights demonstration during the economic forum. The police said they were blocking the sidewalk and had refused to obey an order to disperse; the demonstrators said no one told them to move.

Many of the issues in the animal rights case, which challenge broad police tactics and arrest strategies, resonate in well over a hundred other lawsuits brought against the city by demonstrators who were arrested at war protests, bicycle rallies and during the Republican National Convention.

It was the result of legal actions taken by The People, for The People who happened to have their First Amendment Rights trampled by the hob-nailed boots of NYPD efficiency, er, expediency, no, dedication to peace and service.

"Realists" vs. "Neocons"

Democracy Push by Bush Attracts Doubters in Party - New York Times:

'You are hearing more and more questions about the administration's approach on this issue,' said Lorne W. Craner, president of the International Republican Institute, a foundation linked to the Republican Party that supports democratic activities abroad. 'The 'realists' in the party are rearing their heads and asking, 'Is this stuff working?' '

The critics, who include Senators Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Richard G. Lugar of Indiana and Representative Henry J. Hyde of Illinois, as well as Henry Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft, are alarmed at the costs of military operations and of nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They have also been shaken by the victory of Hamas in Palestinian elections in January and by the gains Islamists scored in elections in Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon.

I could have said something else, but we'll leave it at that for the title. Funny how some Republicans are more "realistic" than others, but to ask, "Is this working?"! That's gotta' be considered, uh, liberal these days, doesn't it?

W Stands For WRONG

My Way News:

Bush's job approval has dipped to 37 percent, his lowest rating in the AP-Ipsos Poll. Nearly 70 percent of people say the U.S. is on the wrong track, a six-point jump since February. Bush's job approval among Republicans plummeted from 82 percent in February to 74 percent, a troubling sign for the White House in an election year.

Bush's personal image also has declined, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center. Until now, the most frequently offered word to describe Bush was 'honest,' but now the word most often associated with the president is 'incompetent,' the survey said.

One out of four right-wingnuts agree with the rest of the world that W stands for WRONG! He's goin' down like the Titanic!

W Stands For WRONG

My Way News:

Bush's job approval has dipped to 37 percent, his lowest rating in the AP-Ipsos Poll. Nearly 70 percent of people say the U.S. is on the wrong track, a six-point jump since February. Bush's job approval among Republicans plummeted from 82 percent in February to 74 percent, a troubling sign for the White House in an election year.

Bush's personal image also has declined, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center. Until now, the most frequently offered word to describe Bush was 'honest,' but now the word most often associated with the president is 'incompetent,' the survey said.

One out of four right-wingnuts agree with the rest of the world that W stands for WRONG! He's goin' down like the ">Titanic!

Please, Judge, Don't Be So Lawful!

My Way News:

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Fighting for a death penalty in a 9/11 case, prosecutors are beseeching a federal judge to reconsider her decision to exclude half the government's case against confessed al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui.

They acknowledge their only hope of obtaining the death penalty for the 37-year-old Frenchman of Moroccan descent is to persuade U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema she punished the government too harshly for tampering with trial witnesses and lying to defense attorneys.

Just because we lied and cheated, don't let that influence our case?! Give me a break! And don't give one to federal prosecutors who trample the law to make their case.

Meanwhile...

My Way News:
"KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar vowed a ferocious offensive against U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, saying on Thursday they would soon face unimaginable violence."

And Don't Forget...

My Way News:

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The deadly bird flu virus, which has hit Asia, Europe and Africa, may spread to the United States late this year and risks mutating dangerously there, Russia's top animal and plant health inspector said on Thursday.

'We think that H5N1 (strain of bird flu virus) will reach the United States in autumn,' Sergei Dankvert told Reuters.

Yep! It's still coming, and nobody thinks otherwise at this point. The only question remaining is whether and when the virus will mutate to some more easily transmitted strain, and how deadly that strain will be. Looks like a real fun holiday season for later this year. Let's hope the Repugs lose Congress, or there won't be anything at all to celebrate and way too much to vituperate.

For Once We Agree On Something!

Call for Censure Is Rallying Cry to Bush's Base - New York Times:
"'Impeachment, coming your way if there are changes in who controls the House eight months from now,' Paul Weyrich, a veteran conservative organizer, declared last month in an e-mail newsletter."

Even conservatives know that Bush should be impeached, and will be if they lose the House or Senate.

Jessica Simpson Snubs Bush - CBS News

Jessica Simpson Snubs Bush - CBS News

Well, whaddaya' know? Jessica just gained some cred in my book. Poor W! His base keeps shrinking and shrinking.

But We Kill The Cute, Defenseless Baby Seals Humanely!?

My Way News:
"Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn charged that the media have misrepresented the hunt, and said Canada is committed to ensuring the seals are killed by humane methods."

I'm sorry, but even with the poor fisherpeople surviving by selling the pelts to China or Russia, I still don't like it. Would we allow the homeless in our cities to hunt cats and dogs in order to do the same? It's ugly and hurtful and wouldn't be accepted if it happened anywhere near civil populations.

We took away whaling and depleted the fisheries, so now it falls to the seal pups? Not good enough, Cananda, not good enough! Why don't you let your aboriginal peoples make their money in a respectable fashion like we do; by ripping off, er, reaping the rewards of other people's addiction to gambling need for recreational pasttimes?

But We Kill The Cute, Defenseless Baby Seals Humanely!?

My Way News:
"Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn charged that the media have misrepresented the hunt, and said Canada is committed to ensuring the seals are killed by humane methods."

I'm sorry, but even with the poor fisherpeople surviving by selling the pelts to China or Russia, I still don't like it. Would we allow the homeless in our cities to hunt cats and dogs in order to do the same? It's ugly and hurtful and wouldn't be accepted if it happened anywhere near civil populations.

We took away whaling and depleted the fisheries, so now it falls to the seal pups? Not good enough, Cananda, not good enough! Why don't you let your aboriginal peoples make their money in a respectable fashion like we do; by ripping off, er, reaping the rewards of other people's addiction to gambling need for recreational pasttimes?

Under-achievers To The Max

My Way News:
"WASHINGTON (AP) - Halliburton Co. (HAL) failed to protect the water supply it is paid to purify for U.S. soldiers throughout Iraq, in one instance missing contamination that could have caused 'mass sickness or death,' an internal company report concluded."

I can't stand it! And these are the people that will probably get the lucrative ports deal for cheap when Dubai Ports dumps it off to them. Feel sick yet?

You Want A Piece Of This?!

My Way News:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Undaunted by the difficult war in Iraq, President Bush reaffirmed his strike-first policy against terrorists and enemy nations on Thursday and said Iran may pose the biggest challenge for America.

In a 49-page national security report, the president said diplomacy is the U.S. preference in halting the spread of nuclear and other heinous weapons.

'If necessary, however, under long-standing principles of self defense, we do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur - even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy's attack,' Bush wrote.

"Undaunted?" More like pig-headed! Never mind that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 or that it posed no imminent threat to the U.S., we're The Superpower and we can do whatever we want; that's this pResident's justification for everything and anything, no matter who gets hurt or caught in the crossfire. He still thinks our invasion of and still being in Iraq is a good thing?! For who?

NY Gov-To-Be Wins Another Battle

My Way Finance: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former New York Stock Exchange Chairman Richard Grasso lost his attempt to throw out much of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's suit against him on Wednesday.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Charles Ramos denied the attempt by Grasso's lawyers to have four of the six charges against him dismissed, according to Marc Violette, a spokesman for Spitzer."

Sure Sounds Like Guilt To Me

My Way Finance:

At the same time Watkins was trying to save the now-bankrupt company where she was vice president of corporate development, Lay was selling off millions of dollars of Enron stock to pay off loans, prosecutors said.

Watkins, testifying in the fraud and conspiracy trial of Lay and fellow former Enron boss Jeffrey Skilling, said Lay appeared to take her seriously when she discussed with him off-the-books partnerships run by chief financial officer Andrew Fastow that were running up huge losses for Enron.

[...]

In an August 22, 2001 meeting with Lay, he promised an investigation, Watkins said, but the probe that followed was conducted by the lawyers and accountants who originally approved the questionable deals and, not surprisingly, found them to be okay again, she said.

So what's the big deal? Grab all you can, screw everything up, and then cut and run; standard operating procedure for some other people we know.

Now we know where BushCo learned it's management style. Is it just me, or are a lot of Bush's friends and associates turning out to be real crooks and liars? You'd think the guy would have known about some of these, huh? Hmmmm.

The Internet Campaign Loophole - New York Times

The Internet Campaign Loophole - New York Times

This is an important article about the House trying to exempt political ads on the internet from a campaign finance reform law. Read it, understand it, and let your representative know that you want the ethically challenged out of office. They might take the hint and vote against this bill. At the least they will know they are being watched, which kind of turns the tables now, doesn't it?

A Stumble a Day ... - New York Times

Right on, right on!
A Stumble a Day ... - New York Times:
"The founding fathers understood that there would be times in American history when the country lost confidence in the judgment of the president. Congress and the courts are supposed to fill the gap. But the system of checks and balances is a safety net that doesn't feel particularly sturdy at present. The administration seems determined to cut off legitimate court scrutiny, and the Republicans who dominate the House and Senate generally intervene only to change the rules so Mr. Bush can do whatever he wants. (If the current Congress had been called on to intervene in the case of Mr. Allen, it would probably have tried to legalize shoplifting.)"

NY's Next Governor Grabs For The Gusto Again

My Way Finance: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said on Wednesday his office filed a lawsuit charging tax preparer H&R Block Inc. (HRB) with fraud."

Democrats & Liberals:: Feingold Rebuilds Democratic Party

Democrats & Liberals:: Feingold Rebuilds Democratic Party

Go get'em, Russ! Both sides of the aisle need a wakeup call, and you're the only one who seems to have an alarm clock.

The Direction We’re Heading

Democrats & Liberals:: The Direction We’re Heading:
"The Seattle Times reported on its examination of more than 10,000. Cases decided by the King County (Wash.) Superior Court since 1990. It found 420 civil suits that had been sealed entirely — and that in 97% of those cases the judges had disregarded rules about when cases should and should not be sealed. Some of these court records, the newspaper reported, 'hold secrets of potential dangers in our medicine cabinets and refrigerators; of molesters in our day-care centers, schools and churches' and of other public threats.
Judges were more motivated by 'go along, get along, clear the docket' than by the public's right to know, says Seattle Times investigations editor James Neff.
See Government Report Card at: http://www.openthegovernment.org"

This one speaks for itself. Oh, and that direction is down, as in the tubes.

Bush Bashes (Gays) Behind Backs

My Way News:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration last year quietly rewrote the rules for allowing gays and lesbians to receive national-security clearances, drawing complaints from civil rights activists.

The Bush administration said security clearances cannot be denied 'solely on the basis of the sexual orientation of the individual.' But it removed language saying sexual orientation 'may not be used as a basis for or a disqualifying factor in determining a person's eligibility for a security clearance.'

The White House sought to play down the changes, approved by President Bush in December, as an effort to ensure the security clearance rules are consistent with a 1995 executive order about access to classified information.

'The minor language change did not and was not intended to alter the way sexual orientation is treated,' National Security Council spokesman Frederick Jones said Tuesday. 'The U.S. government policy has not changed in any way.'

Jones said government lawyers made the changes for clarity.

(Sorry; I couldn't resist the near-aliteration in the title.) Made the changes for clarity? Yeah, as in it's clear this administration discriminates against GLBT citizens. Isn't this why the CIA was short of Arabic translators because they found out that some of the few they had were gay? These guys never miss a chance to stick it to the new internal "enemy" (just like the Nazis did for the Jews in the latter first half of the Twenty-First Century). It doesn't really matter to the fruehers, er, leadership who the OTHERS are, as long as they're perceived as different and are in the minority so that they make an easy target. Now it seems they are chipping away at what little protections the gays have under the law.

What's the opposite of "progress" anyway? Regress? So does that make the Repugs regressives? Yeah, I like that!

The regulation stated that sexual orientation "may not be used as a basis for or a disqualifying factor in determining a person's eligibility for a security clearance."

Bush removed that categorical protection, saying instead that security clearances cannot be denied "solely on the basis of the sexual orientation of the individual."

The new rules say behavior that is "strictly private, consensual and discreet" could "mitigate security concerns."

Meanwhile, people who have acted irresponsibly with classified material (Cheney, Libby, Rove to name a few) still have security clearances. Ain't that a pip?!

Ex-Bush Aide Faces Felony Charges - CBS News

Ex-Bush Aide Faces Felony Charges - CBS News:

White House officials say they didn't know the truth about the allegations until last week, after Allen, 45, had resigned from his $161,000-a-year job as Mr. Bush's domestic policy adviser. The felony charges have shocked those who knew Allen and considered him completely devoted to God, family and country.

[...]

Allen is the great-grandson of slaves who was raised a Democrat in a poor Washington neighborhood. In college, he says he became a born-again Christian and a Republican. He rode those ideologies up through positions in state and federal government, all the way to the White House, where last year he became the highest-ranking black to serve in the West Wing.

Allen was a conservative who supported a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and supported the right of Christian military chaplains to mention Jesus in prayers at the publicly funded institutions. He drew the ire of liberals but impressed those he worked with for being a humble team player who was helpful to staff on all levels. Some of his co-workers, sorry to see him leave, cried at his going away party, held last month in the West Wing.

Shocking, simply shocking that a born-again Republican Conservative could be a criminal! Why, it's almost unthinkable! No, wait, it's not. Not at all.

Government To Reduce Mad Cow Testing - CBS News

Government To Reduce Mad Cow Testing - CBS News:

(AP) Despite the confirmation of a third case of mad cow disease, the government intends to scale back testing for the brain-wasting disorder blamed for the deaths of more than 150 people in Europe.

The Agriculture Department boosted its surveillance after finding the first case of mad cow disease in the United States in 2003. About 1,000 tests are run daily, up from about 55 daily in 2003.

The testing program detected an infected cow in Alabama last week, and further analysis confirmed Monday that the animal had mad cow disease.

Just another example of Upside Down World priorities by BushCo. The can't expect us to complain once our brains turn to mush.

Judge: Google Must Give Info To Feds - CBS News

Judge: Google Must Give Info To Feds - CBS News:

The government believes the requested information will help bolster its arguments in a pornography case in Pennsylvania.

The case has focused attention on just how much personal information is stored by popular Web sites like Google — and the potential for that data to attract the interest of the government and other parties.

Although the Justice Department said it doesn't want any personal information now, the victory would likely encourage far more invasive requests in the future, said University of Connecticut law professor Paul Schiff Berman, who specializes in Internet law.

'The erosion of privacy tends to happen incrementally,' Berman said. 'While no one intrusion may seem that big, over the course of the next decade or two, you might end up in a place as a society where you never thought you would be.'

Google seized on the case to underscore its commitment to privacy rights and differentiate itself from the Internet's other major search engines — Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp.'s MSN and Time Warner Inc.'s America Online. All three say they complied with the Justice Department's request without revealing their users' personal information.

The smell of rotting fish gets stronger and stronger where this case is concerned. Other analysts think the government doesn't need this information to prove their case, and many of them think that the filtering software currently available is adequate to the task. Is this just a preamble to other, more invasive requests? It would be nice to know what's really going on, but don't count on getting to the bottom of it any time soon.

Fed Screw The Pooch On Moussaoui Trial

My Way News:

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Prosecutors seeking the death penalty against confessed terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui told a federal judge that it would be a waste of time to continue the trial after key government witnesses were barred from testifying.

The government is considering an appeal of U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema's decision Tuesday that guts roughly half of the federal case against Moussaoui.

Brinkema issued the sanctions because a government lawyer violated trial rules by coaching witnesses on their testimony and improperly giving them access to trial transcripts.

Brinkema delayed the trial until Monday to give prosecutors a chance to sort out their options.

What gets me here is that the government lawyer totally dissed the judge by coaching the witnesses after being explicitly instructed not to do so. Did she think the judge wouldn't notice? And what does this say about our federal justice system if the prosecutors don't feel a need to follow the law (disregarding a judge's orders in trial is a big no-no)? It's like they don't know that to break the rules ends the game, and in this case the loser is Justice for All.

Federal rules of evidence prohibit witnesses from exposure to trial testimony because of the possibility they will alter their testimony based on what they learn.

"I don't think in the annals of criminal law there has ever been a case with this many significant problems," Brinkema said after Tuesday's hearing uncovered even more government misconduct.

What was she thinking, this lawyer named Carla Martin? Was it just the drive to win at any cost? Is the case against Moussaoui that weak that she felt the need to cheat?

E-mails written by Martin reveal she believed prosecutors had overstated the FAA's ability to prevent the 9/11 attacks in their opening statement to the jury, and the FAA witnesses had to be prepared for aggressive cross-examination as a result.

Tuesday's hearing revealed even more missteps by Martin. In one instance, defense lawyers sought to meet with two TSA employees who might be called as defense witnesses, but Martin falsely told the defense that the two were unwilling to meet with them.

Or was it something else, something that may have caused an even bigger problem for the Feds?

The witnesses were expected to testify that they would have issued alerts and implemented security measures at the airports if Moussaoui had revealed his al-Qaida membership and the true intent of his flight training when he was arrested and interrogated by federal agents in August 2001.

[...]

Outside the courthouse, Abraham Scott of Springfield, Va., whose wife Janice Marie died at the Pentagon on 9/11, called Brinkema's ruling "a fair decision," though he was disappointed that the stricken testimony will not expose some of the FAA's failings prior to the attacks.

Remember that an FBI agent had requested a warrant to look at Moussaoui's computer drive but was dismissed by a superior who told her it wasn't worth the effort. Would open testimony on the subject have given the government another black eye when approval ratings are already in the toilet? Hmmmm. Or was it just hubris and incompetence, two other sine-qua-nons of this administration?

Just Another Day In The New Democracy

My Way News:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi authorities discovered at least 87 corpses - men shot to death execution-style - as Iraq edged closer to open civil warfare. Twenty-nine of the bodies, dressed only in underwear, were dug out of a single grave Tuesday in a Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad.

The bloodshed appeared to be retaliation for a bomb and mortar attack in the Sadr City slum that killed at least 58 people and wounded more than 200 two days earlier.

Iraq's Interior Minister Bayan Jabr, meanwhile, told The Associated Press security officials had foiled a plot that would have put hundreds of al-Qaida men at critical guard posts around Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. and other foreign embassies, as well as the Iraqi government.

Don't you love it when the only people saying there isn't a civil war going on in Iraq are the same people who got us there in the first place? And Rummy thinks we'll just leave it up to the Iraqi forces to quell a civil war should it occur? Talk about magical thinking! Pass the KoolAid and say another prayer for the survivors. This isn't going to be pretty at all.

What I Said

Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald: Censure Resolution goes to Judiciary Committee; Democrats turn on Feingold

Congrats to Russ Feingold for standing up to the machine(s). Now if only some other Dems would grow some backbone....

Just Kidding?

My Way News:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Dubai-owned company that promised to surrender its U.S. port operations has no immediate plans to sell its U.S. subsidiary's interests at Miami's seaport, a senior executive wrote Monday in a private e-mail to business associates.

Even if DP World were to sell its Miami operations to quell the congressional furor over an Arab-owned company managing major U.S. ports, 'that would probably take a while,' wrote Robert Scavone, a vice president for DP World's U.S. subsidiary.

Can't trust anybody these days, especially if they have connections to the POTUS.

Dems Prove Themselves Gutless Once Again

Democrats Beat Quick Retreat on Call to Censure President - New York Times:

WASHINGTON, March 13 — Senate Democrats on Monday blocked an immediate vote on a call by one of their own to censure President Bush for his eavesdropping program.

They acted after Republicans said they were eager to pass judgment on a proposal that they portrayed as baseless and disruptive to the antiterror effort.

I hate this. Feingold goes out on a limb, and the dems help the Repugs saw it off at the trunk. Will they ever learn that we, the People, demand justics for all? Even cheating, lying, spying Presidents?!

The Anonymous Liberal: Sen. Feingold's Censure Resolution is Moderate and Reasonable

The Anonymous Liberal: Sen. Feingold's Censure Resolution is Moderate and Reasonable:
"Senator Feingold's call for Congressional censure is an eminently reasonable response to the NSA scandal by any objective measure. Just eight years ago, Congressional Republicans impeached a president for lying about a private consensual affair in the context of a frivolous civil suit which was financed and litigated by the president's enemies. We are now faced with a president who is engaged in ongoing violations of a criminal statute intended to protect the constitutional rights of the American people. There is agreement that extends well beyond party lines that the President does not have the constitutional or statutory authority to do what he is doing. This administration has repeatedly ignored, misled, and marginalized Congress. If such facts do not warrant censure, it's hard to know what does."

AL gets it right. If anybody needs a reminder of the issues and the players when it comes to the NSA domestic spying case, just follow the link above.