Tea and Torture on a Spring Day

* The prestidigitation of the political right – There was much ado about very little with last week’s tax day Tea-Bagging protests about taxes and an assortment of sometimes hate-filled accusations. Although it was billed as a populist movement of significant proportions it was neither populist nor populous.

The event was repeatedly promoted by FOX News. While some consider FOX News a news station what it has demonstrated over the last 10 years is that it is the public relations arm of the Republican Party. FOX silence was telling on the subject of federal spending during the years that Bush and Republicans blew through the Clinton budget surplus and proceeded to build huge deficits. Who were the other movers and shakers behind Tea-Bagging?

Americans for Prosperity – a right wing think tank funded by billionaire David Koch. Koch Industries was fined $35 million dollars in 2000 for oil spills resulting from eroded and broken pipelines. “During the 1990s, the firm's faulty pipelines were responsible for more than 300 oil spills in five states, prompting a penalty of $35 million. In 1996, a flawed pipeline caused an explosion outside of Dallas in which two teenagers were killed. In a lawsuit related to the deaths, a trial court returned a judgment of $376.69 million against the company. Now there is a populist face to put on your tea bag tag.

The Independence Institute – This very conservative think tank is funded by the Coors Foundation’s Castle Rock Foundation both of whom advocate for the wealthy interests and their privileged needs. Just because they supply beer to the masses does not mean they are interested in the masses beyond the purchase of the next six-pack.

FreedomWorks – An organization that supports and promotes the interests of lobbyist Dick Armey. Those interests include Bristol-Myers Squibb, the insurance industry, and oil interests. Armey opposes health reform that would cut into the profits of branded drugs, works for deregulated life insurance reform and supports the status quo reliance on fossil fuels. Not to go unnoticed, none of these issues are in the interests of the American people.

The funders of the Tea-Bagging movement are to populism what the Republican Party was to the religious right. It is the illusion of representing the interests of a broad segment of the citizenry while in fact representing the interests of a select few. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had the appropriate response to the Tea-Bagging magical mystery tour. “The president, he stressed, had just recently passed a ‘tax cut that covers the most people in the history of this country’…The president promised significant tax relief for working families of this country, and in the first month of the administration delivered that to the American people.”

What are the facts concerning U.S. tax policy? A report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “Federal Tax Burdens for Most Near Their Lowest Levels in Decades” concludes: Overall Federal Tax Burdens Are Low by Historical Standards; Federal Individual Income Tax Burdens Have Fallen Significantly; and Tax Burdens Have Dropped Most Sharply for the Highest-Income Households. I would suggest that this is what the Tea-Bagging rallies were about. It involved the wealthiest of society protecting their privileged tax concessions which they manipulated through congress in recent decades. And the sly shysters at FOX carried their water. What is being touted as a grassroots movement is little more than an assroots movement ensconced in deception and illusion.

John Perr at Crooks and Liars compiled a list of 10 Republican Tax Day Lies. They are listed below and the link provides fuller explanations:
1. President Obama will raise taxes on small businesses.
2. The estate tax devastates small businesses and family farms.
3. 40% of Americans pay no taxes.
4. Tax cuts always increase revenue.
5. The GOP is the party of fiscal discipline.
6. Ronald Reagan was the greatest tax cutter of all time.
7. FDR caused the Great Depression, or at least made it worse.
8. Obama's cap-and-trade plan will cost each American family $3,100 a year.
9. Obama's tax proposals will undermine charitable giving.
10. The rich pay too much in taxes already.

* The Torture Memos –Obama’s release of Bush’s Justice Department torture memos showed courage and at the same time focused attention once again on some of the moral and legal issues these memos engender. It required courage to go against the national security community, some of his advisors and the bulk of the political right. These memos broke laws and their release exposes the shrewd but amoral reasoning used by the Bush appointees who concocted these “justifications.” And make no mistake! U.S. laws and international laws were broken, as pointed out by constitutional lawyer Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com. How many times in the last two decades have we heard conservatives lecture about the rule of law, at least until the law is an inconvenient truth? Our laws, including international treaties, exist apart from political party or political perspective. They exist regardless of issue or circumstance.

My ambiguity about the CIA interrogators empowered by these memos uncomfortably surfaced when Obama said that CIA operatives would not be prosecuted for committing torture. This is a difficult subject to embrace from either side. From one standpoint if one thought that they were following the law they should be free of prosecution. And yet, the Nuremburg trials concluded that this was not a satisfactory defense. This is not an attempt to equate the widespread inhuman acts of the Nazi regime against innocent and defenseless people to what occurred at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and secret prison sites. It is a question of where one draws the line. It is my strong feeling that the line must not be subject to situational ethics. It is also a matter that these operatives were burdened with directives that stemmed from the Bush administration’s strained attempts to circumvent the law. It is interesting that when Obama said that CIA personnel involved in these interrogations would not be prosecuted there was no mention of a pass for the people that designed and authorized these programs. Perhaps there will be consequences but in either case we are at least addressing this difficult and challenging subject. Democracy and morality are not always easy and the fact that we question our actions in an open forum only adds gravitas to the proud claims we proclaim as a nation.

* Quotes of the Week:

~ Richard Armitage, second in command at the State Department under George W. Bush, said in an interview (about the torture of detainees), "I hope, had I known about it at the time I was serving, I would've had the courage to resign,"

~ “The image of the United States of America throughout the world (committing torture) is a recruiting tool for Islamic extremists.” John McCain 4/20/09

* “The healthy man does not torture others - generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers”
Carl Gustav Jung (1875 – 1961) Swiss psychiatrist

If I were Santa Claus I would have delivered the following stocking stuffers:

* A brain for Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. While appearing on Face the Nation he said of the economic meltdown: "Unfortunately, it was allowed to be portrayed that this was a result of deregulation, when in fact it was a result of overregulation."

* A jar of jalapeño Vaseline for the SEC employees who watched porn rather than "protecting investors and maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets," as is their mission.

* A rasher of humility for Stephen Views the News to embrace reader comments such as, “You sir are masterfully demonstrating your own ignorance.”

* An imported deluxe kerosene heater for Wal-Mart’s heart. On Tuesday the company said it would pay between $352 million and $640 million to settle lawsuits across the country claiming that it forced employees to work off the clock.

* The 2009 Sarah Palin Calendar for John McCain, even though he is setting land speed records running from his former running mate.

* A shiny house-arrest ankle bracelet for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich for auctioning the senate seat vacated by Barack Obama.

* A bar of mouth soap and truck driver’s license for Mrs. Blagojevich for her picante comments recorded during a federal wiretap investigation of her husband the governor.

* A yuletide apology to truck drivers for associating them with the First Lady of Illinois.

* A basket of experience for Caroline Kennedy seeking to inherit Hillary Clinton’s senate seat in New York.

* A ride on Santa’s sleigh for the auto executives embarrassed into abandoning their private jets.

* A sleigh full of Pepcid for president-elect Barack Obama as he embarks on the journey of leading a country beset with a multitude of serious challenges.

* A duly elected Senator for the citizens of Minnesota and preferably not the candidate under federal investigation.

* A time-out for the Obama administration before deciding to commit tens of thousands of U.S. troops to Afghanistan. The complexity of that country’s politics and the corruption of its leadership demand extreme caution.

* Harvey the imaginary rabbit for Malia and Sasha Obama as they seek solitude from the harsh world of celebrity they will encounter over at least the next four years.

* Fifty billion days of homelessness on the streets of New York City for Bernard “Bernie” Madoff. He is one of the all-time goniffs (crooks) of the investment world. His soulless greed wreaked economic havoc and, in some cases destruction, on schools, charities, pension funds and so much more.

* A punch bowl of common sense for Madoff’s Ponzied investors who believed that Madoff was Santa Claus.

* A wake up call for the inhabitants of planet Earth to not be misled by low gasoline prices. Santa cannot reverse limited oil reserves or a debilitated environment that is ignored.

* A revised mission statement for the IRS whose audits of large companies declined for the third year in a row. Santa’s trust of business and government also declined for the third year in a row.

* A slightly used and toxic post-Katrina mobile home to transport departing Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff to a lucrative book signing deal. In America incompetence has its rewards.

* A mega-warehouse for the U.S. Department of the Navy to store $7.5 billion in UNNEEDED parts. One of the factors contributing to the unnecessary purchases was “inefficiency in the Navy's inventory management.” No surprise to Santa who understands “overstocked” with a North Pole laden with unsafe toys outsourced from Asia.

* Light-blocking window drapes for American banks accepting billions of dollars of bailout money sans accountability. Santa does not blame the banks – at least on this account. He does have queries for the little elves on Ritalin running the Bush administration and running around the halls of Congress.

* A cruise on the Titanic for the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). This conservative “think” tank spawned much of the neocon nonsense and “free” market malarkey that dominated Bush administration strategy.

* A set of barbells to put more muscle into credit card reform regulations scheduled to go into effect in 2010.

* A chapel for the gay citizens that Pastor Rick Warren suddenly “loves” but is not likely to welcome to his church.

* Public financing of elections legislation to improve an electoral process that has become the antithesis of democratic principles.

* A frontal lobotomy for Rush Limbaugh for positing his conspiracy theory that the economic crisis was created by Democrats to generate a financial panic and ensure the election of Obama.

* Thorazine prescriptions for Bill O’Reilly and Karl Rove. They have suggested the conspiracy theory that journalists deliberately manufactured the financial crisis so that Obama would be elected.

* A lump of coal for the energy interests spending millions of dollars to convince the American public that there is such a thing as “clean coal.” Perhaps they can donate some of this money to residents in Tennessee to recover from the flood of sludge that broke through a dike at TVA's Kingston coal-fired plant Monday. This could prove to be an environmental disaster of very significant proportions. Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection and the “Reality” coalition have a new ad about the myth of “clean coal.”

* For those that can, websites to help those in need:
~ Feeding America is a network of over 200 food banks covering all 50 states.
~ Operation USO Care Package provides care packages of needed and requested items for our troops overseas
These websites are noted in Michelle Obama’s Holiday Greetings.

* Peace, goodwill and wisdom for a world on multiple brinks.

* 2009 hugs and best wishes for the New Year to readers of Stephen Views the News.

* “I don't make jokes... I just watch the government and report the facts.”
Will Rogers (1879 – 1935) Cherokee-American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer and actor.

* Fashion and Society news – President’s Bush’s daughter Jenna will wear an Oscar de la Renta gown at her May 10th wedding. It is described as simple and elegant organza with embroidery, matte beading and a small train -- and yet still casual. The 14 attendants will wear short chiffon Lela Rose dresses which can be seen at the above link. Two hundred family and friends will attend the informal ceremony at the family’s Crawford ranch. Gift suggestions include a set of long staple Egyptian cotton white towels to replace the one the President has thrown in.

* Nouri al Maliki ~ a Prime Minister without portfolio or budget - During the Petraeus hearings Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) noted that Iraq has $30 billion in surplus funds stored in U.S. banks. It was also noted that Iraq’s oil revenue for 2007 and 2008 will be $100 billion. Even Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine asked, "Isn't it time for the Iraqis to start bearing more of those expenses (for reconstruction and Iraqi troops), particularly in light of the windfall in revenues due to the high price of oil?" Isn’t it time for Congress to be Dutch uncles to Uncle Sam?

* What the muck is going on?

~At least 3 female employees of Iraq contractor Halliburton KBR have come forward to reveal they had been brutally raped by fellow employees. What made the revelations an even greater atrocity is that military investigators and the Justice Department were as egregious as KBR’s attempted cover up in not pursuing investigations and possible criminal charges. How many rapes have gone unreported because of the stonewalling?

~Two former officials at the Army Space and Missile Defense Command have pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from defense contractors. “Their plea agreements detail a conspiracy in which politically connected defense contractors that lobbied for congressional funding, called earmarks, bribed the officials to steer the funds to sham subcontractors. The overall investigation is “turning a harsh new light on companies that lobby Congress for no-bid defense contracts.”

~We learn this week that recently resigned Secretary of HUD Alphonso Jackson, even as the housing crisis was emerging, was pushing for legislation that would have made it easier for lenders to supply loans to risky borrowers. We also learn he had a personal chef and security detail when he attended social functions. His office launched a new $7 million auditorium and cafeteria at HUD's headquarters using money that some within the agency believed should have been directed toward housing for the poor. Jackson’s office solicited an emergency bid to obtain oil portraits of Jackson and four other HUD secretaries at a cost to taxpayers of $100,000. I wonder if Jackson is wearing prison stripes in the portrait.

~IRS audit rates of the largest corporations are less than half what they were 20 years ago. “The Syracuse University-based Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse described what it said was a "historic collapse" in audits for corporations holding assets of $250 million or more. The IRS’s abdication of corporate oversight completes the Bush administration’s strategical abandonment of public interests to business interests. A reader pointed out that “The IRS” spells “theirs”.

~Defense contractor fraud has gone from rampant to virulent under the Bush administration with the Justice Department remaining impotent to the abuse of taxpayer dollars. The Justice Department finally acted in February by forcing companies to notify the government if they find evidence of contractor abuse of more than $5 million. Although $4.9 million would get a free ride the story gets more interesting. The fraud crackdown had a “secret” loophole. “The proposal to force companies to report abuse of taxpayer money will not apply to work overseas, including projects to secure and rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan” (which involves expenditures of over $2 billion). This week the House planned to investigate whether the loophole was a result of lobbyists acting on behalf of contractors. With an investigation pending the Bush administration removed the loophole stating that it was “a drafting error” - leaving a large “loophole” in its dodge.

~ Finally, a growing industry – Unfortunately, it is food banks and soup kitchens that expect a 20% surge this year of people needing their services. This is in addition to the newly enrolled 1.3 million needing food stamps. In the not too distant future America may qualify for aid from the United Nations or China. Sharpen your chopsticks.

* Foreign policy ~ ad hoc, ad lib, ad nauseum - On the Sean Hannity radio show last week Dick Cheyney said that if the U.S. pulls its troops from Iraq it would be bad because “if al Qaeda were to take over big parts of Iraq, among other things, they would acquire control of a significant oil resource. Iraq has almost 100 billion barrel reserves, producing 2.5-3 million barrels of oil a day. If you take a terrorist organization like al Qaeda and give it that kind of revenue, there’s no telling the amount of trouble they could get into.” As noted by thinkprogress.org, “It’s highly unlikely that al Qaeda would take control of Iraq’s oil if the United States redeployed. First, the vast majority of Iraqis are Shi’ites, who want nothing to do with a fringe Sunni group like Al Qaeda. Second, 70 percent of the country’s oil is in southern Iraq where there are strong Shi’ite strongholds... U.S. withdrawal would not mean that al Qaeda would suddenly be able to defeat at least three different powerful Shi’ite militias to seize control over Iraq’s oil.” Repeatedly the Bush/Cheyney strategy/alibi for Iraq morphs to another dimension. Originally we were defeating Saddam and his “nuclear” threat. When this turned out to be a bag of couscous the mantra became we were bringing democracy to the Iraqi people. Lack of planning led to all hell breaking loose with high levels of violence which led to a surge which has brought us a pause which has... Perhaps what is really going on is bringing barrels of oil to ExxonMobil.

* The Fourth Estate ~ fifth rate – The questioning of Clinton and Obama during the first hour of their debate on Wednesday night by ABC moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos was painful. Their “gotcha” questions avoided the serious issues facing this country and what the next president would do to improve a troubled America. “Disservice” is the nicest word I could use to describe ABC’s luminaries. The “worst” presidential debate ever - in the view of many veteran observers.

* Playing with oneself ~ lessons from the Department of Justice – Recall in July 2006 Attorney General Gonzalez called a press conference to announce the government had thwarted a plot to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago by a group of terrorists based in Miami. From the start it seemed apparent that these six “terrorists” were a group of ragtag misfits that were more likely to hurt themselves than others. The government proceeded with a high-profile prosecution and in December the trial resulted in a hung jury with one defendant found not guilty. A new trial was convened that this week ended again in a hung jury following 13 days of deliberation. I can recall one “successful” terrorist prosecution – an Australian who took a plea bargain so he could return to his home country. The government’s terrorist busts continue to be a bust.

* Lying must be an aphrodisiac ~ it is too prevalent to be just a lack of ethics – At John McCain’s official website there is a section “Cindy’s Recipes”. Cindy is McCain’s wife and the recipes are attributed to the McCain family. In fact, several of the recipes are word-for-word copies found in recipes at the Food Network. Not to be outdone, McCain is plagiarizing Bush policy for his presidential run.

* Dumber and Dumbest - It is incomprehensible to me that anyone would advocate continuing Bush policies, especially a presidential contender. In a speech in Pittsburgh this week John McCain again demonstrated his desire to continue the Bush policies that have damaged our country. This speech involved economic policy. He proposed cutting corporate taxes from 35 to 25% and making permanent Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy (that he once opposed). I would ask Senator McCain if economic concessions to corporations over the last decade have resulted in new jobs, higher wages and benefits for employees or investment in technology, research and development that resulted in building their businesses in this country. I would ask if Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy increased their investment in America’s productive economic structure. The answer to these questions is a resounding NO.

* Jews on the left ~ a welcome voice – “Some of the country's most prominent Jewish liberals are forming a political action committee and lobbying group aimed at dislodging what they consider the excessive hold of neoconservatives and evangelical Christians on U.S. policy toward Israel.” Calling themselves the J Street PAC they will focus on promoting an Arab-Israeli peace settlement to fill a void left by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other Jewish groups that they contend have tilted to the right in recent years.” In the past I have expressed criticism of the neconservatives and the U.S. government for their intransigent approach to peace in the Middle East, especially between Israel and the Palestinians. Perhaps a fresh influence on this failed and stalemated process has merit.

* A retro approach ~ consequences for criminal behavior in government – Will Bunch, who writes for the Philadelphia Daily News, asked Barack Obama, “whether an Obama administration would seek to prosecute officials of a former Bush administration on the revelations that they green-lighted torture, or for other potential crimes that took place in the White House.” The reply: Obama said that as president he would indeed ask his new Attorney General and his deputies to "immediately review the information that's already there" and determine if an inquiry is warranted -- but he also tread carefully on the issue, in line with his reputation for seeking to bridge the partisan divide. He worried that such a probe could be spun as "a partisan witch hunt." However, he said that equation changes if there was willful criminality, because "nobody is above the law." Can I hear an Amen?


* “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States (1767 – 1848)

“I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together”
George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States (born July 6, 1946)

*Social Security ~ how insecure? – Listening to George Bush, John McCain, Republicans and the New York Times one would conclude that Social Security benefits for millions of Americans are in near-term crisis. James Kvaal, Domestic Policy Advisor at the Center for American Progress Action Fund offers a different conclusion. “The latest projection is that Social Security will pay full benefits for more than 30 years. After 2041, it will pay only 78 percent of promised benefits... The report is an important reminder that the program is not in a crisis. While we need reforms to extend the life of Social Security, we do not need to panic and adopt massive benefit cuts. And the last thing we need is the radical step of privatization”. Recall President Bush traveling the country several years ago lobbying for a privatization plan for Social Security. The plan would have been a boon for America’s private financial institutions as they got their sticky hands on billions of dollars. YES, that same greedy, needy, seedy group seeking from Congress billions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer money to BAIL them out of loans that should never have been made and surrounded by mismanagement and malfeasance – while executives took tens of millions of dollars in salaries, bonuses and retirement packages. For my money I say keep Social Security out of “private” hands and develop a plan to further fund the current system.

* Happy Birthday ~ the Peace sign – On April 4th the Peace sign celebrated its 50th birthday. The symbol was originally the official sign for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in England and in the 1960s the hippies were the first to use it as a symbol of peace. Since then it has been appropriated by scores of protest movements. A more detailed history and numerous artist depictions of the Peace symbol are available at: happybirthdaypeace.com. For those of us who were hangin’ out in the 1960s the Peace symbol did not prove to be as powerful as we had hoped.

* What’s the big deal? – I have seen a number of articles advocating for greater religious influence in government/public forums. In most cases the intent may be positive but the implications are missed. A case in point is POPLINE (POPulation information onLINE), the world's largest database on reproductive health, containing citations with abstracts to scientific articles, reports, books, and unpublished reports in the field of population, family planning, and related health issues. POPLINE is maintained by the INFO Project at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs and is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. “A medical librarian who ran a typical search on POPLINE found something very disturbing. The term “abortion” had been pretty much blocked from its database for normal searches.” The Bush administration has spent over 7 years insinuating the agenda of the religious right throughout federal agencies and programs. AND, that is a big deal. You may not care about abortion but you may care about the next subject or be a member of a group that could be targeted - Black, Asian, Jew, gay, liberal, conservative, Muslim, elderly, autistic, immigrant...

* Family values guys – At least that is the most popular reason Bush administrators give when resigning in disgrace and/or under criminal investigation. The most recent “resigning to spend more quality time with the family” is Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson. Given the housing-mortgage crisis it seems an odd time to be quitting. Unstated reasons for Jackson resigning would include “allegations of cronyism and favoritism involving HUD contractors for the past two years. The FBI has been examining the ties between Jackson and a friend who was paid $392,000 by Jackson's department as a construction manager in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.” Also unmentioned in Jackson’s resignation speech: holding back funds for public housing in Philadelphia in retaliation for the city not turning over land for re-development to his friend; giving a friend a contract to run the housing authority in the Virgin Islands who had no housing experience. Jackson faces ongoing probes "by a federal grand jury, the Justice Department, the FBI and the HUD inspector general. The Bush guys are one happy family who share the principle of drool of law.

* Looking over your shoulder ~ or under the bed – I find it somewhat amusing that the U.S. State Department has issued a warning to Americans traveling to China for the Olympics this summer. "All hotel rooms and offices are considered to be subject to onsite or remote technical monitoring at all times...Hotel rooms, residences and offices may be accessed at any time without the occupant's consent or knowledge." I imagine that China is issuing a similar warning to its citizens who travel to the U.S. It reminds one of the good old days of the Cold War.

* Speaking of China –There is much to criticize about China’s business methods and government. A major area of concern is that many of the country’s major cities are an environmental disaster and as unsafe health-wise as some of the products they produce. However, they have joined other countries in establishing automobile mileage standards that make U.S. standards substandard. Whereas the U.S. has just set a goal of 35 MPG by the year 2020, the Chinese are there now and Europe and Japan were at these levels six years ago. Also of note is that by 2010 China will be the world leader in wind turbine manufacturing and solar photovoltaics manufacturing. I have no idea what “photovoltaics” is but I do know that the business and government leadership of America has abandoned the American workforce and the American people. It was not too long ago that this country was leading the world in technology and production. As factories stand idle and many workers seek quality paying jobs the only good news can be found in fortune cookies and the prospect of new leadership.

* Speaking of the Economy – Last week Barack Obama gave a speech “Renewing the American Economy” (the link offers a video and print copy). Once again we hear from an adult speaking to adults. “Under Republican and Democratic Administrations, we failed to guard against practices that all too often rewarded financial manipulation instead of productivity and sound business practices... We let the special interests put their thumbs on the economic scales. The result has been a distorted market that creates bubbles instead of steady, sustainable growth; a market that favors Wall Street over Main Street, but ends up hurting both.” “The great task before our Founders... was putting into practice the ideal that government could simultaneously serve liberty and advance the common good.” These two excerpts are examples of what this speech offered. I believe the entire speech is worth hearing. It is a short lesson in American economic history, a review of how our economy got in trouble and a road map for moving forward.

* McCain and minority issues – a 25 year history – In 1983 Senator John McCain voted against having a national day to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. There are many issues on which McCain has flip-flopped but support for minority issues is not one of them. For example, he voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1990 that included laws to end discrimination in hiring and on at least 8 occasions he voted against raising the minimum wage. The organization Color of Change offers a history of McCain’s legislative record on issues affecting people of color.

*A voice from the past – In the early 1950s Dwight D. Eisenhower cautioned America about the military-industrial complex. Many would say that this was not a lesson learned as billions are spent on unnecessary or outmoded weapons systems and equipment. An interesting third element in this relationship is members of congress. A recent study by the Center for Responsive Politics found that, “Members of Congress have as much as $196 million collectively invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department, earning millions since the onset of the Iraq war.” One would hope that elected representatives would not consider putting military personnel in harm’s way or approving military budgets for personal gain. For those skeptics/realists among us perhaps members of congress should be prohibited from investing in companies that profit from government contracts - just a thought.

* Till we’re Jet Blue in the face – About a year ago several conditions converged on the NY city airports and Jet Blue passengers were stuck on planes on the ground for 8 to 10 hours. Passengers were without food, water, fresh air and with overflowing toilets. The state of New York subsequently passed a Passenger Bill of Rights that would fine airlines up to $1000 per passenger for such conditions. The trade association for the airlines took the law to court where it was upheld at the federal level but was just overturned by a federal appellate court. The reason for the reversal was that the NY law pre-empted federal law and interfered with the FAA ability to maintain uniform standards for air travel. I can understand this logic and join other air travelers in the hope that Congress enacts legislation such as NY’s law protecting airline passenger on a national level. Unfortunately, by the time that the cathartic Congress gets around to passing anything but gas, planes will be obsolete and we will be beaming ourselves to other locations utilizing technology found on old Star Trek movie sets.

*Why I will never, ever wear nipple rings – A woman was forced to remove two nipple rings detected by TSA security before they would allow her to board her flight. She was provided with a pair of pliers for the removal. The passenger filed a complaint since she had volunteered to display her pierced breasts in private to a female agent. The TSA said that officers followed procedures but the procedures must change. I sense that more than TSA procedures will change once caution replaces fear as our mantra.

* Statistic of the Week – 81% of Americans feel the nation is on the wrong track. This is the worst perception recorded since the NY Times/CBS poll began asking the question in the early 1990s. Only 14% feel that America is okay which means that half of the diehard Bush supporters have left the fold. Welcome to the real world.

* The irony of intentions – It seems that every time Republicans bleat their horn for smaller government and increased privatization to save taxpayers money, their plans wind up costing the taxpayers an INCREASE of billions of dollars. Republican economic policy has directly contributed to this less-than-proud moment – vanishing jobs and rising prices will result in 28 million people needing food stamps by the end of 2008. Which is deeper, Republican policy incompetence or pockets that are being stuffed with special interest money?

* The irony of perspective – On March 27th President Bush said in a speech that the surge is working and that normalcy is returning to Iraq. From a March 28th article "The State Department has instructed all personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad not to leave reinforced structures due to incoming insurgent rocket fire that has killed two American government workers this week... all personnel are advised to remain under hard cover at all times... Personnel should only move outside of hard cover for essential reasons... Essential outdoor movements should be sharply limited in duration... We strongly recommend personnel do not sleep in their trailers.” One of the above quotes was made from the safety of Dayton, Ohio (while surrounded by a contingent of Secret Service agents) and peering Through the Looking-Glass where opposite meanings and running backwards abound.

* The irony of aversion - Peggy Noonan of the Wall Street Journal writes about Hillary Clinton’s disingenuous or disremembering claim that she dodged sniper fire during a visit to Bosnia in 1996. Video tape shows Hillary on a peaceful tarmac being greeted by a young girl offering flowers. Noonan says, “But I think it's fair to say of the establishment media at this point that it is well populated by people who feel such a lack of faith in Mrs. Clinton's words and ways that it amounts to an aversion. They are offended by how she and her staff operate.” I would like to add my name to people who are offended and have aversions. To some degree my aversion is with the Clintons, but establishment media are near the top of my list. Most of their oversight involves the feeding frenzy when a national figure is exposed for sexual indiscretions. In terms of holding this administration and members of congress accountable we have witnessed a failure of significant magnitude. Establishment media, for the most part, have been (take your pick) intimidated, somnambulant, hypnotized, incompetent.

* "If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will loose its freedom; and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will loose that too."
William Somerset Maugham (1874 – 1965), English short-story writer, novelist and playwright

* Alzheimer’s, stupidity or Cheney Machiavellism? – On three occasions last week McCain claimed that Iranian operatives were "taking al-Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back." With no evidence to support this claim the first time he said this it was considered a slip of the tongue. The second time it was said Mr. McStraightTalk was reading from a prepared statement. The third time he said this Joe Lieberman whispered into his ear and McCain corrected himself. This is not unlike the Bushites’ claim that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction about to be launched at the U.S. causing a huge mushroom cloud to hover over America or that Saddam was in some way connected to al Qaeda. None of it true. Is John McBush preparing us for an attack on Iran or is he like the eccentric uncle at the family dinner table mumbling between belches until anesthetized by a nap? As Obama and Clinton battle for the Democratic nomination McCain is advancing in the polls. Do the American people suffer from Alzheimer’s or stupidity as they even remotely consider an extension of the Bush years?

* When the word “so” begins with a capital “F” and ends in a lower case “u”- I have not commented on remarks from White House Press Secretary Dana Perino for quite some time. Like her predecessors Ari Fleisher and Scott McClellan, she produces so much inane pap from the podium that it becomes like the drone from a room air conditioner that is soon not heard. When Dick Cheyney was told by a reporter that “two-thirds of Americans say” the Iraq war “is not worth fighting,” he responded, “So?” That of course was no surprise. When Perino was asked about Cheney’s comment she responded that the last time the American people were heard was the 2004 elections. Her observation ignored the 2006 elections that in many ways was a repudiation of the Iraq war as the Republican War Party was soundly defeated. Of course when Bush and Cheyney treated their election and re-election as coronations, mid-term elections became marginal. From one perspective they are right. In 2004 the American people had the opportunity to reject/evict these disingenuous imperialist warmongers. So, we didn’t.

*Quote of the week - "At 11:00 on a Tuesday, a prominent politician spoke to Americans about race, as though they were adults." This was said by Jon Stewart of the Dailey Show, referring to Barack Obama’s speech on March 11, 2008. The speech can be seen and heard at: Barack Obama: Change We Can Believe In His Own Words

* Observation of the week –Cynthia Tucker, syndicated columnist and editorial page editor of The Atlanta Constitution, said about Obama’s speech, “That high-minded appeal has drawn its share of skeptics, and for good reason. One of the more puzzling, yet persistent, features of the American political landscape has been the success of politicians who seize on racial tensions and long-simmering resentments to win over working-class white voters -- even while supporting policies that betray the economic interests of that same group.” Ronald Reagan and George Bush are examples of the politicians Tucker references. It is unfortunate that the quote from 1961 at the end of this post remains, in part, a hope. There has been progress but, it is a road slowly traveled.

* Did you get your letter from the IRS? - Last week I received notification that following an evaluation of my 2007 tax return I may receive a rebate check (intended to stimulate the U.S. economy). Unfortunately, there are cynics out there that do not believe this Bush fix for the economy will fix much. A reader sent me the following:
If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China. If we spend it on gasoline it will all go to the Arabs, if we purchase a computer it will all go to India, if we purchase fruit and vegetables it will all go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala (for some reason Chile was left off the list), if we purchase a good car it will all go to Japan, if we purchase useless crap it will all go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy. We need to keep that money here in America, so the only way to keep that money here at home is to buy prostitutes, beer and visit Indian casinos, since those are the only businesses still in the US.

* Disquieting quote of the week ~ improving the U.S. balance of trade - "I would much prefer to export homosexuals from the United States than to import them into the United States because we believe homosexuality is destructive to society." So said Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council pontificating on behalf of the religious wrong. These are the same people that support Bush and will reluctantly support McCain since he is the closest thing to Bush that they can get this election cycle (and he is getting much closer – see below “Reality of the Week”). They are as wrong for America as the corporate and financial “geniuses” whose greed-driven policies have wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy.

* A full plate and an empty coffer - Not making a hybrid car like the Prius (Toyota) was a "mistake," General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz told a group at last week’s NY Auto Show. Despite GM losing billions of dollars over the last couple of years and Toyota making a profit this gaff can be excused. GM and its lobbyists were too busy opposing higher gas mileage standards.

* Context and furor – The recent media frenzy and citizen reaction to comments by Obama’s minister after the 9/11 attack on America do have a context beyond the YouTube sound bites. Rev. Wright based one of his comments about “chickens coming home to roost” on an interview he had heard on FOX News with Ambassador Edward Peck, “retired, white, career U.S. diplomat who served 32-years in the U.S. Foreign Service and was chief of the U.S. mission to Iraq under Jimmy Carter.” Wright said, “A white ambassador said that yall, not a black militant, not a reverend who preaches about racism, an ambassador whose eyes are wide open and is trying to get us to wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice... the ambassador said that the people we have wounded don't have the military capability we have, but they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with them...” The “dangerous precipice” reference was the consequences of decades of myopic U.S. foreign policy, which, as most of us realize, has further deteriorated since 9/11. I am not aware of any violence committed by Rev. Wright nor have I heard of any violence committed by anyone as a result of Wright’s words. Speaking of Wright’s words he has said, "Violence begets violence, hatred begets hatred, and terrorism begets terrorism." And that leaves little to disagree with.

* Buying the (Iraq) War – PBS’ outstanding journalist Bill Moyers produced a program that asks the questions, “How did the mainstream press get it so wrong... How and why did the press buy it, and what does it say about the role of journalists in helping the public sort out fact from propaganda?" The program can be seen at this link. Walter Pincus of the Washington Post concludes, "More and more the media become, I think, common carriers of administration statements and critics of the administration. We've sort of given up being independent on our own." I believe that the lesson to be taken is that to be informed citizens we must go beyond the six o’clock news, traditional print media and Sunday morning pundit sound bites that we have relied upon. It is a lesson of a democracy manipulated and a Fourth Estate surrendering its role in a democratic society. Not much has changed in the last six years.

* On Easter Sunday the 4000th U.S. soldier was killed in Iraq. 97% of these deaths (3860) occurred after President Bush’s Mission Accomplished speech announcing the end of “major combat” in Iraq on May 1, 2003.

* Repenting support for the Iraq War – Andrew Sullivan has a conservative perspective and writes for The Atlantic. A recent article closely examines his initial support for the Iraq war and dissects why he was wrong on a number of levels. It is worth a read. He concludes, “I know our enemy is much worse. I have never doubted that. But I never believed that America would do what America has done. Never. My misjudgment at the deepest moral level of what Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld were capable of - a misjudgment that violated the moral core of the enterprise - was my worst mistake. What the war has done to what is left of Iraq - the lives lost, the families destroyed, the bodies tortured, the civilization trashed - was bad enough. But what was done to America - and the meaning of America - was unforgivable. And for that I will not and should not forgive myself either. Thanks to the web site The Sideshow for bringing this article to attention.

* Separation of Church and State – Last weekend many internet sites featured the theme Blog Against Theocracy. This is not a stand against religion but a reminder that the Government should keep out of religion, and Religion should keep out of the government. One might find it interesting and informative surfing some of the links.

*Myth of the Week ~ John McCain supports the troops – Contrary to McCain’s stance that what you see is what you get, another carnival mirror of distortion is broken. Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) is sponsoring legislation that would offer benefits to veterans similar to those benefits offered military personnel following Word War II. I recently had seen a study that estimated for every dollar the U.S. government had spent on G.I. benefits following WWII the government received in return seven dollars in taxes from increased wages earned. Webb has called on McCain to co-sponsor the bill but McBush has yet to do so. It must be a Republican thing that appearing to spend money is verboten in their political circles – contrary to actually spending money over the past 7 years that blew through our surplus and created unimaginable deficits. For the Republicans currently in power “supporting the troops” is a marketing term for a product that does not exist. Of course, if we keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years, as McCain has suggested, we will not have to give them educational benefits – only bomb-resistant walkers. Democratic presidential candidates Clinton and Obama are among the 51 co-sponsors of the bill that does include nine Republicans.

* Reality of the Week ~ McCain’s draconian (for most Americans) tax and healthcare agenda - The Center for American Progress Action Fund's (CAPAF) Robert Gordon and James Kvaal issued a report on "the Bush-McCain-Norquist Tax Agenda," which found that Sen. John McCain's tax plan would cost $2 trillion over the next decade and would deliver 58 percent of its benefits to the top 1 percent of taxpayers. McCain's plan to "reform the tax code to eliminate the bias toward employer-sponsored health insurance" would cost $206 billion in 2009 alone -- an amount of spending that "is double that proposed by Obama or Clinton's plan." Moreover, "McCain and Bush's plan would make it harder for people with health issues to obtain affordable health insurance." From the report’s summary: “In the final analysis, we conclude that the McCain tax plan is essentially a continua­tion of the agenda articulated by Norquist and others to achieve piecemeal but radical changes to the U.S. tax code... These changes require huge spending cuts, shift the tax burden away from capital and onto labor, and come “at the expense of lower- and middle-income Americans.” When I refer to McCain as McBush, substance far outweighs sarcasm.

* "I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one, with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions." Martin Luther King Jr., Dec. 11, 1961

* The Iraq debate ~ voices unheard ~ my letter to the Phila. Inquirer - The editorial “The Iraq debate – Five Years Later” offered many voices and facets of the dilemma then and now. However, I believe that some voices were not heard when the statement was made, “With Saddam gone, we will not leave Iraq worse than we found it...” I refer to the voices of the almost 90,000 Iraqis killed and their survivors, the more than 4 million Iraqis displaced, the untold injured and maimed, the orphans, the current population living with inadequate electricity, tainted water and disease and so much of the population not knowing if today will be the day that they or family member or friend will be blown up into unrecognizable pieces. The claim that Iraq is or will be better off is reminiscent of the arrogance of our President, the imperialism of our Vice-President and the amorality of the neoconservative philosophy that fueled this misadventure.

* Situational law ~ socializing the financial industry - The Mortgage Bankers Association is calling for the U.S. to commit $31 million over the next 5 years in new funding for the FBI and Justice Dept. to investigate and prosecute consumer fraud when obtaining mortgages. It would seem to me that those lending the money should be more responsible for investigating the veracity of potential borrowers. Not surprisingly, this austere group did not mention the need to investigate fraud committed by the lending side of the equation that contributed to the subprime mortgage disaster. It is these same bankers that spend untold sums lobbying congress to avoid oversight and regulation - until their own greed and stupidity create situations where they now want government assistance and bailouts. AND they are getting it. The Federal Reserve Board of NY just pumped $200 million into Wall Street, in part to bail out investment banking firm Bear Sterns. Where is the “free market system” that Bush and the Republicans so proudly wear on their lapels next to their waving American flag? If you cannot pay your credit card bill you are charged an interest rate on unpaid balances up to 28%. I was not able to find what the Fed is charging these bankers. The wave for help from the average Joe Consumer goes unanswered although our leader did comment: “President Bush conceded on Friday (3/14) that the country "obviously is going through a tough time". Obviously.

* The U.S. car accident – Following a car crash the survivors stumble from their vehicle glassy-eyed and mumbling “what happened”. The American economy finds itself in a similar situation. My short story take on this giant failure is that we used inexpensive foreign funds to import more than we exported while undermining our ability to actually produce goods; we abandoned the middle and poorer classes as a smaller and smaller contingent of our population accumulated more and more of the wealth; we removed oversight of the corporate and financial community; and we developed amnesia from the lessons learned from the Great Depression and the Savings and Loan crash two decades ago. It is a failure of leadership, ethics and responsibility. This is my non-economist opinion. For an excellent analysis of “what happened” to the U.S. economy and some solutions for recovery I recommend a piece by Jerome a Paris at dailykos.com.

* A witness to the accident – About 18 months ago I wrote a letter to Wachovia after reading an article describing Wachovia’s decision to outsource clerical work overseas (India?). I suggested that the decision was short-sighted. The jobs they were eliminating in the U.S. represented people who earned an income from Wachovia and then purchased food, clothes and services from businesses that used Wachovia banking and stock brokerage services. I did not bother to make the “ludicrous” argument that these lost jobs also represented lost tax revenue that impacted schools and services and communities. I had already concluded that responsible involvement with one’s community, one’s country by the financial/corporate world was a romantic myth of yore. The essence of Wachovia’s response to me was that they had to remain competitive. A “noble” goal but devoid of merit if at the same time they were undermining their base business – individuals and businesses that save, borrow and invest through Wachovia. As the oil rich and wealth-bloated Arab countries continue to purchase ownership in U.S. business and financial institutions perhaps they will outsource some jobs to America.

*Well, here is a macho challenge to gun toting American cowboys – The state of Madhya Pradesh in India, in an attempt to reduce population growth, is trying to persuade men to undergo sterilization by offering to fast-track their gun license applications. If such a rule were mandated in the U.S. one wonders which weapon would be relinquished.

* The economics of unfettered capitalism - Jane Smiley at The Huffington Post penned an article that I strongly recommend. She reviews the role of economists since the 1970s who preached unregulated capitalism that led to our economic crisis. In previous posts I have characterized this phenomenon as “capitalism on steroids”.

* Supporting intelligent government ~ it does not have to be an oxymoron – The senate is considering a bill, Foreclosure Prevention Act (S. 2636) that will allow victims of abusive lending who are facing foreclosures to stay in their homes while they work through the bankruptcy courts to repay the debt. The website Care2 provides a petition supporting this legislation that will be forwarded to your Senator.

* Mind-numbing statistic of the week – One in 25 people living in New Orleans are homeless (12,000).

* Genius at work – Hillary Clinton’s chief strategist Mark Penn says that Obama cannot win the general election. This from the man heading the Clinton campaign that in early 2007 led every poll by wide margins, had more money than it knew what to do with and was certain that she was “guaranteed” the Democratic nomination. The national media continue to treat Penn’s every word as if it comes from the lips of the inventor of political campaigns. Clinton hitched her campaign to many of the same strategists that have failed the Democratic Party over the last decade. It may be her failing.

* Epiphany on the campaign trail – John McCain told reporters that “he is doing the Lord’s work”. For twenty years he has represented the citizens of Arizona. Now that he is running for president of the U.S. McCain has concluded that he needs the Bush base of the religious right to win and he has upgraded his constituency to the highest power. As he changes his position to pro-torture, welcomes the lobbyists he claims he abhorred, embraces the religious right that he once criticized and dances around campaign finance law remember that he now works for a higher order. In another remarkable other-worldly occurrence McCain can be seen miraculously channeling Bush at every campaign stop. At any moment McBush is likely to call Dick Cheney to the pulpit to serve as his Vice-Presidential nominee. Hallelujah!

* Military violence ~ there is a difference – Military violence against an enemy is understandable and unavoidable. Military violence against one’s own troops is reprehensible. A Pentagon report says that one-third of women in the military are sexually harassed AND in the years 2006 and 2007 there were a reported 5635 sexual assaults. Ironically, “Officials said that overall, the survey showed both men and women polled (in the military) think the climate on sexual relations is better in the military than it is in the nation as a whole. And the survey found that a majority of those surveyed believe the military's training on sexual harassment is effective.” I guess that my understanding of “effective” is defective.

* Questions of the week - John “the surge is working” McCain visited Iraq last weekend under total secrecy due to security concerns. Last year he was telling us how safe it was when he visited a Baghdad market, while protected by military personnel and helicopters. On this current trip it is too unsafe for an American to visit the same market as it is controlled by Sadr. Recall that the purpose of the surge was to give the Iraqi government the time needed to reconcile the country’s differences and begin governing. How is that going? “Iraqi leaders have failed to take advantage of a reduction in violence to make adequate progress toward resolving their political differences, said Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.” Which leads to my next question, “What the hell are we doing there”?

* Justice from the Twilight Zone – An email from Amnesty International provided the following dismaying saga: “Troy Davis came within 24 hours of execution in July, 2007 before receiving a temporary stay of execution. Two weeks later the Georgia Supreme Court agreed to hear his extraordinary motion for a new trial. On Monday, March 17, 2008 the court denied Mr. Davis’ appeal. Troy Davis was sentenced to death for the murder of Police Officer Mark MacPhail in Georgia. The case against him consisted entirely of witness testimony which contained inconsistencies even during the trial. Since then, all but two of the state's nine non-police witnesses from the trial have recanted or contradicted their testimony. Many of these witnesses have stated in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying or signing statements against Troy Davis. Amnesty International is providing a petition you can sign requesting justice from the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Parole.

* Toxic conflict of interest – “The House Energy and Commerce Committee cited the case of eight scientists who were consultants or members of EPA science advisory panels assessing the human health effects of toxic chemicals while getting research support from the chemical industry on the same chemicals they were examining.” Two of these “scientists” were employed by companies being investigated. Ironic and infuriating but not surprising, “The American Chemistry Council, the industry trade group, had called for the removal of Deborah Rice, a toxicologist from Maine, as chairman of an independent EPA panel assessing the health risks from "deca", a flame retardant in electronic equipment, after she urged the Maine state legislature to ban the chemical.” Apparently Ms. Rice “naively” attempted to do her job as advocate for the safety of the American public. I do not consider myself naive and yet I am stunned at the overwhelming number of educated people with responsible positions and decent incomes who lack any sense of moral, ethical or responsible behavior in the service of their government and their country which has provided the environment for them to succeed.

* Remember when America was the world leader? – For most of my life I have had a sense of pride that whatever the situation America embodied the highest standard for human rights, law, democracy, helping the needy, being a moral compass, achievements in science, education and health – being the best that we could be. Observing the demise of U.S. world leadership has not been pleasant. And yet, seeing other countries filling the void we are creating still surprises and stings. A case in point was the announcement by the European Union (EU) that unless U.S. airlines go green on carbon emissions they will lose flights to EU countries. It is a natural law that vacuums will be filled, even if Bush and his appointees to the EPA, NASSA and the CDC do not believe in science.

*No stone left unturned – A naive person would think that there is little left for George W. Bush to damage in our country.. As the country staggers to January 20, 2009 the sapping of its strength continues. Last month a program created by President Gerald Ford 32 years ago was essentially jettisoned by Bush. The Intelligence Oversight Board was made up of six private citizens with top security clearance to ensure that our spy agencies operated within the law. "I believe [the IOB] will eliminate abuses and questionable activities on the part of the foreign intelligence agencies while at the same time permitting them to get on with their vital work of gathering and assessing information," Ford told Congress. Why has President Bush tried to function under more secrecy and avoidance of oversight than any previous president? The historical autopsy of the Bush administration will demonstrate that George W. Bush and the people surrounding him were inflicted with the engulfing FEAR of being exposed for an incompetence and criminality unseen in the annals of American experience.

* Leadership ~ the exclusion of fear – Barack Obama presented America with a landmark speech this week that focused on racial concerns in America. He addressed the issues more openly and courageously than anyone I have heard in a public forum since Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Obama shed light on the thoughts and fears and resentments that Americans of all races harbor but rarely verbalize. He appeared to be the rare individual who can see and understand and communicate the myriad elements and nuances of the race issues nagging at our society. As he spoke at the U.S. Constitution Center, located within earshot from where this country was founded, a leader of potential historical significance emerged. A video of Obama’s speech is available at: Barack Obama : : Change We Can Believe In His Own Words

* “To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919), 26th President of the United States of America, a leader of the Republican Party and the Progressive Movement

*Celebrating Women – Today is International Women’s Day (IWD) and thousands of events are being held around the world. It is a united action for global equality and change inspiring women to achieve their full potential. The movement began in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. Sue Katz at the website Consenting Adult offers a history of this movement and the IWD link provides specifics of the international scope this movement has attained.

* Kleptomaniacs, reprobates and self-policing – I had to smile this week when I received an email from Common Cause titled “Can Congress Police Itself?” The answer to the question and the point of the email is NO. House Resolution 895 would create an independent Office of Congressional Ethics but a number of Representatives killed a planned vote on the measure. Lack of ethics and ethics oversight in Congress is more than well-documented. Only you and I have the possibility of affecting a change. It will only occur by us demanding reform. Common Cause crafted a letter that individuals can send to editors and it also gives one a good background prior to communicating with one’s Representative. Contact information for your congressman can be found at VoteSmart.org.
Update – Late this week we learned that a revised ethics bill is being proposed. Among its many weaknesses the “independent” oversight panel would have to get approval from the Ethics Committee before it could take action. This is the same committee that has done nothing over the last several years while covering the southern ends of congressional members. When Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House she emphatically promised that the Democrats would create meaningful ethics oversight of representatives. What we are emphatically getting was sourced at the southern end of a bull.

* Gunfight at the OK Corral ~ sis, boom, ba – I have read several articles suggesting that the massacres at Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech would have been avoided if students and teachers were allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus. As I picture such a scenario a nut walks into the classroom with weapons and starts shooting. Five or ten or twenty people in the classroom draw their weapons and in panic start firing. Would anyone be left standing? Did anyone stop to “think” about the consequences on college campuses of so many individuals carrying weapons and the deaths and injuries that would result from this cowboy “solution”? I suggest that for fraternity rush week bulletproof vests be issued along with beanies. School colors and logos would be optional. For an adult approach to guns on campus I recommend The Brady Campaign position on the subject titled “No Gun Left Behind”. Because guns are prohibited on campuses, colleges are actually safer than the communities that surround them. Perhaps a better approach to minimizing violent psycho behavior would be to make it more difficult for individuals, especially those with criminal or mental illness history, to obtain guns.

* Drive-through mastectomies ~ drive-by health plans – The time is now for congress to change health insurance company policies that result in women who have had mastectomies being forced to leave the hospital before they and their doctors feel they are ready. MyLifetime.com has already generated 20 million signatures urging congress to pass the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2007 (S.459/H.R 758) which includes no mandates but allows a woman and her doctor to decide if she is best off going home or staying in the hospital for at least 48 hours after having a mastectomy. You can sign the petition for this important and humane legislation at the above link.

* Iraq cost update – When we see figures for the cost of the Iraq war there are so many zeroes involved that few can relate to the magnitude of treasure that George W. Bush is flushing into this quagmire. Democratic Caucus's Senate Journal breaks the cost down so that even I can relate to the numbers. The war is currently costing: $332,258,064 Per Day; $13,844,086 Per Hour; $230,734 Per Minute; $3,845 Per Second. In the time it takes to read this paragraph almost $100,000 will be spent. AND, this is not even the greatest cost. U.S. military lives lost total 3,972. U.S. military casualties total 29,080 and as I noted in a previous post this does not include most of the service men and women suffering mental injuries which would probably double the casualty figure. When the President says that we are fighting them over there so we won’t have to fight them here appropriate questions would be, “What the hell are you talking about?” and “Why do you hate America?”

* Bush protégé ~ lessons in leadership - In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, House Oversight and Reform Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) requested documents relating to an order issued in April 2007 by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki’s office that effectively immunizes the Iraqi president, the Council of Ministers, and any current or former ministers from being prosecuted for corruption without the Prime Minister’s consent. George and Nouri sure know how to issue signing statements and keep themselves and their administrations above the law. In a related story two former high-ranking Shiite officials in the Iraqi government have had charges against them dropped. They are accused of kidnapping and murdering scores of Sunnis. It is reported that there is extensive evidence against them. It tells the Sunnis and Kurds that the Shia can do anything and there are no repercussions. It does not bode well for reconciliation. In the Waxman letter it is noted that corruption in Iraq continues to worsen and is responsible for stopping the process of reconstruction. George may have not been very successful exporting democracy but he is an international icon for exporting criminality.

* Derriere Orifice of the Week ~ Co-Winners John McCain and his supporter, Pastor John Hagee - Hagee receives this recognition for virulent remarks about Catholics (they worship a whore), gays (they are responsible for Katrina) and Jews (if interested read the link, I am getting nauseous). McCain earns extra special mention for his refusal to denounce the comments and renounce the endorsement of this soulless miscreant and panderer of hate. Obama had the scruples to renounce Louis Farrakhan’s endorsement. Shame on Mr. McStraight Talk. The Carpet Bagger Report has more on Hagee the Horrible.

* Strengthening democracy in America - Not long ago I commented on the Federal Communications Commission adopting new rules that would allow current media conglomerates to further acquire and consolidate their dominance of the news. We know that a democracy relies on the free exchange of ideas and independent reporting. Rupert Murdoch’s FOX News is an example of the abuse of media power for political ends. This week the Senate introduced legislation that would reverse the FCC’s recent decision. You can sign a petition to your senators supporting this legislation at Stop Big Media. Democracy is a participation sport. Here is an opportunity to get in the game.

*Can you hear me now? ~ you can be heard – Cell phone companies have set the rules in their favor and it costs us a great deal of money – non-pro-rated termination fees, hidden charges, blocking services that a competitor may have available, cell phone locking (if you switch providers you phone is worthless). Congress is currently investigating the wireless market place. Hear Us Now is a project of Consumers Union and they have a petition you can sign urging Congress to mandate reform in this industry. Cell phones can work better for less money as demonstrated in Europe. Until now Congress has only heard from wireless lobbyists. The telephone utility industry spent at least $31.4 million lobbying in 2007. That is a lot of clout to overcome. Speak up.

* Your gasoline dollars at work ~ The Heartland Institute just concluded its international conference of global warming deniers. Their main objective appears to be “proof” that recent climate change stems from natural causes – an assertion in conflict with the overwhelming majority of scientists around the world. What is especially interesting about Heartland is that it is funded by ExxonMobil and right-wing foundations. I am puzzled by those who devote so many resources to deny climate/environmental problems. Regardless of whether the problem is human or natural influence we share a world that is degrading. Why not contribute to alleviating the problem? I just don’t get it!

* The silence is deafening - For several years I have wondered privately and in this blog where is the outrage from the unknowable but huge number of federal employees whose work and reputation have been trashed by the political appointees, flunkies and drones of the Bush administration. Take your pick - EPA, FDA, FEMA, Dept. of Agriculture, Consumer Products Safety Commission, Dept. of the Interior, the military, Dept. of the Treasury, Dept. of Justice... dedicated workers, experts, scientists and professionals who have been ignored and overridden. Their missions neutered. At last, and in my opinion too little too late, one can sense a heart beat. “In a stinging rebuke, unions representing the vast majority of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientists, attorneys and other specialists have vowed to cut off future discussions with embattled Administrator Stephen Johnson, according to a letter released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).” Among their complaints with Johnson; “Refusing to enforce the agency’s “Principles of Scientific Integrity” involving “fluoride drinking water standards, organophosphate pesticide registration, control of mercury emissions from power plants, and “the California waiver decision where the unions contend Johnson has allowed outside influences to preclude “good science in [EPA] decision making”; and “Using in-house legal staff to retaliate against whistleblowers and union officers.” I expect that once we have a new president it will take much time and effort to rehabilitate the many federal departments that have been compromised by the Bush Administration.

* The politicization is debilitating – An example of the point made above: Senior scientists at the Center for Disease Control and outside experts asserted this week that the leadership of Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the CDC, is responsible (poor management and politicization) for the loss of the agency's top scientists and demoralizing many of the CDC's 7,000 employees.

* The self-interest is blinding – In television ads this week (americablog has the details) Hillary Clinton endorses John McCain for president over Barack Obama. I commented recently that I personally have had enough of the Bushes and the Clintons – it is approaching 20 years. Although I would take Hillary over McCain she makes the choice almost difficult. That was an overstatement but reflects my problems with her and her low-road campaign. Call me an idealist but I prefer that the party I support not operate from the gutter most recently dominated by the Republicans. They wave the flag to dissipate the stench of their actions. I know that I have had enough of it and I believe that the vast majority of Americans are equally satiated. It has been too long since one could have pride in their political leaders and especially their President.

*No pleiad to be found – My home page offers the definition of a new word each day. On Thursday the word was “pleiad” – a group of usually seven illustrious or brilliant persons or things. As I survey the seven years of the Bush administration I find no evidence that this word would be applicable. When I have time I will look up the word “maladroit”.

* Speaking of maladroit – The Senate is close to approving “the most far-reaching changes to the nation's product safety system in a generation”. Under the Bush administration the Consumer Product Safety Commission has functioned with antiquated testing facilities and fewer than half the employees it had in 1980. Few among us believe that industry can police itself and even fewer believe that as our imports from mainly unregulated countries grows exponentially that there should be less testing. The George Bush formula has proven to be a George Bush formula.

* The fragility of democracy ~ the power of fear – David T. Z. Mindich has written a provocative article at alternet.com titled “Could Our Democracy Withstand Another 9/11?” I believe it is worth a read as he discusses the rise to dictator by Hitler in 1933 and conditions we find in our society today. The burning of the Reichstag enabled Hitler to go from Chancellor to dictator in an amazingly brief period, all predicated upon fear of Communists. “Within 60 days, Hitler had begun the process of arbitrary arrests, warrantless surveillance and searches, incarceration without charges, suspension of habeas corpus, the implementation of torture, the mustering of a private army, and was pushing through the passage of the "Enabling Act," which gave Hitler and his henchmen the power to ignore the legislative branch and write laws themselves.” If some of these occurrences have not caught your attention perhaps you have been watching too many reruns of American Idol. No one is accusing America of being a fascist state but the argument can be made that we are in a fascist shift. Mr. Mindich notes, “Germans made a decision that can be summed up by words from Benjamin Franklin's 18th century aphorism: they chose to "give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety" and they received neither.”

* "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." Sinclair Lewis (1885 – 1951)

*A surprise in Pakistan – When we learned on Tuesday that the parliamentary elections in Pakistan resulted in the sound defeat of President (dictator) Pervez Musharraf I was quite surprised and wondered why. He rigged the elections in 2002 and recently suspended the Supreme Court (for fear they would rule against his powers) and he arrested many of his opposition. My question was answered by Trudy Rubin, someone I feel is an outstanding observer and analyst of international politics. In her column in the Philadelphia Inquirer “...these elections were unexpectedly fair due to the new army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who recently succeeded Musharraf” (previously Musharraf headed both the military and the government). The army did not interfere in elections and as Rubin noted, “The general appears determined to focus on providing necessary security for Pakistan.” If only our Commander-In-Chief were so focused.

*No surprise in Bush – “The Bush administration is pressing the opposition leaders who defeated Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to allow the former general to retain his position, a move that Western diplomats and U.S. officials say could trigger the very turmoil the United States seeks to avoid... The U.S. is urging the Pakistani political leaders who won the elections to form a new government quickly and not press to reinstate the judges whom Musharraf ousted last year” (Bush fears the judges would try to remove Musharraf). A number of foreign policy experts have criticized Bush for investing U.S. energy and treasure in a particular individual, Musharraf. The Bush push to keep Musharraf in power could be dangerous. “The effort to persuade Pakistan's newly elected parliament not to reinstate the judges could be perceived in Pakistan as a U.S. attempt to keep Musharraf in power after voters overwhelmingly rejected his Pakistan Muslim League-Q political party”. Aside from Bush protecting his best friend/dictator he wants to have it both ways – pontificate about bringing democracy to the world until inconvenience presents itself.

*Justification to stop some people from propagating - Someone called into CSPAN insisting that Barack Obama was Muslim and would be sworn in on a Koran, should he win the presidency. When the show’s host explained that Obama is not Muslim the caller responded,” Well, that's what I heard, and it was on the television."

*They don’t build walls like they used to – The Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to build an 18 foot high steel and concrete fence along the Texas/Mexico border that will pass through the backyards of family homes (whose owners face condemnation lawsuits if they protest). Further angering homeowners is the decision to stop the wall at one end of the property of River Bend Resort and Golf Course and resume the wall at the other end of the resort. This same procedure is being used in another part of Texas on the property of Dallas billionaire Ray L. Hunt, a close friend of President Bush who “recently donated $35 million to Southern Methodist University to help build Bush’s presidential library.” Aside from being another costly and seemingly bungled project of Michael Chertoff and the DHS I find it curious that the wealthy and privileged Texans don’t want to be as “protected” as the proletariat. I also wonder about the merit of building a multi-million dollar defensive wall that is designed with large openings. Reference the Berlin Wall. The East Germans knew how to build a wall.

*Speaking of the DHS - In 2002 the DHS attempted to create a separate personnel system for its employees outside of the civil service labor-management agreement that covers federal workers. In 2005 this anti-union move was denied in District court and once again by a Federal Appeals court in 2006. In the fiscal 2008 appropriations bill for the DHS congress denied funding for a new personnel system. DHS has announced it will not seek further litigation on the matter.
“Bush officials contended that the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks required changes that would give more discretion to managers and permit quicker deployment of workers without notifying their union representatives.” Given the incompetence and lack of forthrightness of DHS management its actual intent is open to question. The Bush administration’s record on (anti-)union policy may be a hint.

*The McCain Double-Flip-Flop with One-and-A-Half Twists – Matt Corley at ThinkProgress.com notes that prior to his presidential bid John McCain repeatedly was against the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. For example, "I am disappointed that the Senate Finance Committee preferred instead to cut the top tax rate of 39.6% to 36%, thereby granting generous tax relief to the wealthiest individuals of our country at the expense of lower- and middle-income American taxpayers." [McCain Senate floor statement, May 21, 2001]. Appearing on ABC’s This Week last Sunday Mitt McCain reversed his engines like a 747 that has overshot the landing strip. He performed a political polka around the definition of wealthy and then vowed, “under no circumstances would he increase taxes”. To categorically ignore the current tax structure is absurd.The Iraq war is now costing $250 million per DAY. America’s infrastructure (bridges, roads, toxic bodies of water) is in disrepair. The military and National Guard equipment is shot to hell. Education is sorely under-funded. McCain’s economic alchemy is as spurious as his claim to be at arms length from lobbyists where “virtually every one of his closest advisors are part of the Washington lobby culture. “A review of campaign finance filings shows that the Arizona Republican has accepted more than $100,000 in donations from employees of Greenberg Traurig, the very firm where Abramoff once reigned”. “According to opensecrets.org Sen. McCain has received over $400,000 from lobbyists.” ABC News on January 29, 2008 reported that McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign – more than any of the other presidential candidates. Responding to his lobby connection on Friday McCain called his senior staff “honorable” for their lobbying work. "These people have honorable records, and they're honorable people, and I'm proud to have them as part of my team." When he recently made the statement that “economics” was not his strength it was the most straight talk we have heard from the Senator.

*The “equal time” principle – Both Clinton and Obama have benefitted from campaign donations from Greenburg Traurig and other lobbyists. RawStory.com has a rundown of major donations these Democratic candidates have received from this industry of lawyers and influencers. Lobbyists do serve a function in our system. Unfortunately, their influence and impact have far exceeded an appropriate role as their economic resources skyrocketed and in too many instances their ethics became questionable. In today’s election system candidates need huge sums of money and special interests are a gold vein waiting to be mined. The answer appears obvious - public financing of elections and stronger ethics regulations for lobbyists and politicians. The problem is that the inmates make the rules. The solution is substantial public pressure.

*The Dukester’s devil is going to hell – Former congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA) is currently in prison for accepting over $700,000 in bribes. The briber is defense contractor Brent Wilkes and he was just sentenced to 12 years in prison. The Washington Post points out, “Wilkes is a Republican Party "Pioneer" who raised more than $100,000 for President Bush's reelection in 2004 and donated -- in concert with his business colleagues -- $656,396 to 64 other Republican lawmakers and the national Republican Party committees in Washington from 1995 through the third quarter of 2005, according to campaign finance records.” It is no secret that defense contractors and companies such as Halliburton and Blackwater have been major donors to Republican interests. It appears that their investments were quite prudent in light of the billions of dollars they have reaped from the Iraq war. Since there was no legitimate reasons for Bush to invade Iraq it seems reasonable to examine possible illegitimate reasons.

*Modern Reform - John Halpin, a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress was a recent guest blogger at ThinkProgress. I recommend his brief review of reform movements in America and his suggestion that together they have a place in today’s world. Mr. Halpin concludes: “To build a real case for modern reform efforts, we should draw on and defend all three traditions: Liberalism (liberty with economic opportunity); Populism (a stand on the side of the people and “equal rights for all, special privileges for none”); and Progressivism (honest government and a commitment to the common good). From one perspective it is not considered hip or cool or desirable in current society to associate with ism labels. I would suggest that current conditions in America warrant that each of us commit to ideas or concepts beyond the amorphous “political party” affiliation that in recent history has not served the interest of ourselves or our nation.

*Did the earth move for you? – The attempt of the religious right to dictate how we should lead our lives is not limited to activity in the U.S. or Afghanistan or Iran. Even Israel has its “interpreters” of the Almighty’s verse and word. A parliamentary member of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Shas Party, Shlomo Benizri, is blaming two recent earthquakes in Israel on Parliament’s tolerance of gays. Israel decriminalized homosexuality in 1988 and has since passed several laws recognizing gay rights. Israeli court rulings in recent years have granted inheritance rights to gay couples and recognized same-sex marriages performed abroad. I find it interesting that these “religious” reproachers spend more time judging others than aiding a neighbor, the sick or the needy. They prefer tearing down over building up. Recall some of the religious right in the U.S. claiming that 9/11 resulted from America’s tolerance of gays. Shlomo may be correct that God is ticked off. For the reason I suggest he look in the mirror.

*Quote of the week – From the blogger Blue Gal: Did you ever wonder that the reason everyone is talking about what Michelle Obama “thinks” is because she can?

The Great Debate – On Thursday I watched the debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama that took place in Austin, TX. As I suspected, it would not really be a “great” debate since their positions are so close on so many key issues. What particularly impressed me about the event was witnessing two intelligent and knowledgeable adults discussing serious issues of import to me and my country and proposing reasonable solutions.
~Afterthought – Did you look forward to the day when you could have confidence your leader when Obama said he would be willing to meet with leaders of countries at odds with the U.S. “with preparation but no preconditions”? It is a different approach than Bush has taken and even his predecessor, as noted by Katrina Vanden Heuvel at The Nation: “during his two terms President Clinton did not meet with Fidel Castro or with Hugo Chavez or with the leaders of Iran, Syria, and North Korea--while generally pursuing a policy of trying to isolate these countries. But what did the Clinton approach actually accomplish?”

*The children of Iraq – Little is spoken of the effect of the Iraq war on its children. UNICEF just asked for $37 million to support vulnerable Iraqi children and their families. The cold reality: “A large number of children, estimated in the tens of thousands, have lost parents, siblings and other family members to violence; At least one in five primary school-age children is unable to go to school: Only 40 per cent of children have regular access to safe drinking water; Some 600,000 children are among the 1.2 million Iraqis displaced over the past two years. Most families are still unable to return home.”
When we see much of the violence around the world our hearts may be touched but a shrug usually follows because we are helpless to do anything about it. I would suggest that there is a difference with Iraq because America’s fingerprints are all over the smoking gun. It is beyond time that we do something about it. John McCain is comfortable with American troops being in Iraq for 10 to 100 years. Americans can do something about that on November 4, 2008.

*Quotes - Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948)
~ If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.
~ An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
~What do I think of Western civilization? I think it would be a very good idea.
~ God has no religion.