We Need Real Universal Health Care Coverage
The health care crisis we face today affects everyone, overwhelming America's workers and businesses. Many low-wage earners do not receive health benefits and cannot afford insurance. Higher salaried workers know that the cost of their health insurance may lead to the next round of layoffs.
More than 46 million Americans lack basic health care coverage. Millions more face high deductibles and staggering costs leaving essential care out of reach.
We can no longer seek gradual reforms or provide insurance companies with financial incentives to solve the problem. The time has come for a single payer national health care system that provides complete care to all Americans.
Since the 2006 elections, we have heard plenty of new voices calling for universal health care. Unfortunately, many of these claim to be universal health care, but are merely bandaids to the problem.
One proposal has the federal government giving billions of dollars to insurance companies to cover the uninsured. Other proposals only cover children or shift the entire burden of healthcare to employees in the form of health savings accounts.
Unfortunately, patchwork fixes like these will not work. The only way to provide a lasting solution to our health care crisis is through single payer universal health care. We must not let the movement toward universal health care be co-opted by proposals that serve to enrich those seeking to extend the status quo at the expense of true reform.
To address this need, I have introduced H.R. 676, the United States National Health Insurance Act. My bill would create a single payer universal health care system by strengthening and extending the Medicare program to cover all Americans.
Please help me enact this important legislation by signing this statement of support. We must have real reform through a single payer universal health care program if we are to solve our nation's health care crisis.
- JC's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- Email this page
- Printer-friendly version
Thank you for your leadership on universal health care coverage
Congressman Kucinich is also demonstrating leadership by introducing articles of Impeachment against Dick Cheney today.
I was more than happy to sign your statement of support for H.R. 676. I am also going to support Congressman Kucinich. He is actually defending the Constitution instead of just talking about it or writing a book about it.
Are you going to support Congressman Kucinich, Chairman Conyers?
Signed and Sealed
Congressman Conyers,
Thanks for leading the charge on this important issue, punctuated by the ripping off of the American people by the drug cartels (Libby,Pfizer et al). Looking forward to Michael Moore's SICKO. The American public, especially the poor are getting shafted with no end in sight in their lack of health care coverage.
Thank You Congressman
Petition signed. BTW, this is currently the top recommended Kos Diary: Congressman Conyers Needs Our Support Today.
These 9 Won't Be Needing Universal Healthcare
I hope that Congress understands that while America does need vital legislation passed, such as Universal Health Care--Congress has a responsibility to intervene when the president has become so crazed that he continues to callously sacrifice lives of Americans, against the wishes of the American and the Iraqi people: Iraq: 9 U.S. Soldiers Killed By Car Bomb Why won't the Congress and the media ask bush every day--"How does letting US troops get blown up by car bombs make America safer??"
Georgia 10 posted this diary--The Dragon Slayer in which she discusses bravery in politics. America is in desperate need of brave Americans, in Congress, not just on the battlefields:
"...Bravery. That's a word we don't really hear today, especially not in the so-dry-you-may-as-well-have-sand-in-your-mouth world of politics. No, politics is drained of emotion. Issues of life and death are sucked dry of their import and are reduced to stilted phrases like "collateral damage" or "extended deployment." War which is so damn personal on the battlefield and in graveyards, becomes so impersonal as we speak of vetoes and signing statements and supplemental appropriations procedure."
"...In that frigid world of politics, it's easy to look past bravery. It's even easier to overlook since it's been so long since we've seen bravery by our elected leaders...so long, in fact, that we may hardly even recognize it anymore."
"...Bravery is Democrats seemingly coalescing around a strategy to keep the pressure on the President, despite an all-but-assured veto, and despite taunts from Cheney that the Dems will chicken out..."
"...But the only game of "chicken" to be played is within the Democratic Party itself. Will Democrats continue on this path of pressing forward with the desires of the American people? Will they stand for what they believe in?..."
Georgia 10 believes that the Democrats will "stand for what they believe in". I sincerely hope she is right. We already have enough cowards in the executive branch. If young men and women are expected to lay down their lives to save one another on the battlefield, is it too much to expect that our elected leaders stand up for them--even if it means risking their career? BTW, Congress needs to understand that they may very well be risking their political careers if they DON'T stand up for the troops. Sometimes, people of integrity and honor must just "do the right thing", whatever the cost.
Signed and appreciated.
Thank you for attempting to get America in-step with the rest of the civilized world.
Is it possible for you to support impeachment efforts now that it is apparent that any investigations of BushCo sycophants will result in their continued obstruction of Congress's oversight mandate?
In January, it was still possible to pretend that a few members of the Bush administration were loyal to America. Now that you have a large amount of new proof that they ARE NOT operating in good faith, does this new information warrant a reversal in policy regarding impeachment?
For most sentient beings, it would be more than enough. What say you Mr. Conyers? Will you throw your weight and influence behind Dennis Kucinich? Please?
Or do we watch AfriCom take every penny you thought would be available to protect the health of America?
Thank you, Congressman Conyers
I signed the statement of support of universal health care, and I appreciate the opportunity to add my voice to your commitment on this important issue.
I also join my fellow bloggers here in asking you to support Impeachment, as it is our single insurance against tyrants in protecting the health of our Democracy.
Sometimes you can get two birds with one stone.
To take it from Katrina vanden Heuvel Universal health care is #1. I can think of one thing more important, but it is true, nothing is worth much to a man without health, excepting for access to heath care. There is broad agreement, this is is a pearl of great price, if there ever was one. Personally, I approve, express appreciation and note that had this bill been enacted ten years ago, I would have completely missed out on the most devastating experience I have been put thorugh - A week in Jail without my medicine.
Of course, had that been so, I would not understand the effect of torture, nor the reason (amusement) torture exists. So, of course, I would not be here, annoying my fellows by trying to save the world. So, maybe it is a good thing it takes so long for a good idea to be adopted by the greatest deliberative body on this planet.
Maybe. But impatience looms eternal. There is a reason. As an aside, I will explain,
There is really no such thing as patience. If you have it, you don't need it, if you need it, you don't have it, If you use it, the guy you are using it on will tell you to be patient, and the guy watching the two of you will agree with him, not you. The more patience you use the more any unbiased observer will tell you that you are being impatient. The more patience you show, the less patience you show. The differance between patience and impatiatiance is entirely within the mind he who has, or hasn't, patiance and completly obscure to all others, for when patience can be seen, it doesn't look like anything so much as what it isn't.
See what I mean? Now, back to business.
To start with, my local rep's name is not on this list. I wlll have to write him a note, and ask.
Next, a technical comment : I think section 401 very interesting. One the one hand, the VA and IHS are not included in the Bill, on the other hand they may be ...in five and ten years. This prevents these two programs getting in the way of progress. Both programs are certian to have vocal and entrenched interests, interests who would be very reluctant to risk the possibility of any minor disruption in thier cushy deal, regardless of the likelyhood of great benifits both to those who recieve care, and those who pay for it. There is also the misguided motherly types, who, very sincerly, would decry Congress "experimenting with" what is actually a poor, if not bad, method of doleing out care to those the motherly types give a damn about. I am not going to comment on the distinction made between Native Americans' health care, and that meant for troops, because that would open up a big, and very messy, can of worms, which, I don't suppose was all that easy to get the top onto in the first place...I will just say it is probably a good idea to keep these two programs seperate UNTILL the new program is shown to work to those who now have doubt. Saves a lot of argument. Good decision.
Finally, sales points. Prime example Section 204.
VIRGINIA TECH may have resulted in part by a lack of access to effective mental health care for Mr.Cho. I don't know what is happening in your area, but around here, some otherwise respectable people have been trying to get me to give my gun to Goerge Bush because Mr. Cho is a nut. I have tried the usual method, reason, to no avail, the conversation is not based on reason. The boiled down version is "Do something, anthing, I don't care if it works, just do it, whateverthehellitis, do it now, and keep doing it untill the problem goes away (And so on untill the nashing of teeth.) Universal health care, strange as it may seem to some, is an actually effective response to Mr.Cho shooting up a campus. And should the next Mr.Cho be able to easily recieve appropriate care, we might never ever learn his name. I understand that things which don't happen are hard to identify sometimes, and therefore hard to enjoy. I suggest a metaphore: How much did you enjoy the fire that did not burn your house down last night? That was a lot more fun than it would have been if your house did burn, wasn't it? It was the kind of fun you could easily get used to having every day, isn't it? You already are used to that, aren't you? How would you like to get as used to being taken care of when you need it? How would you like to get used to expecting that everyone else will be too. And while you are at it, how would you like to pay about 10% less for health care.
In closing, should probably point at the Bill
Frosted Flake
Signed with my real name, of course.
FF, thanks for the link to the Bill
I was about to look for it, I was wondering about it's funding. I ran across this article yesterday from March 14, 2007, which expresses my perspective quite well:
There's Always Money For War
"Why is it that our representatives can easily raise endless amounts of money for war, but can't adequately fund human needs?...
...the first step in turning this around is to tap and nurture demand among the electorate for the best solutions to the problems we face. I've stressed child care for low-income workers because it's so important to their ability to escape poverty, but think of national health care in this light, along with retirement security and the inequalities associated with globalization."
IMO, this all part of the larger debate about public vs private funding - which really hasn't been much of a debate at all since the media is largely privatized. Any program that can't be bought and sold on Wall Street has been smeared.
I hope that citizens and members of Congress press for renewal of the Fairness Doctrine (as mentioned here by fellow bloggers) so that we can have honest discussions using real language, instead of the MSM indulging the corporate elite in the spin and sound bytes that have misinformed the public about these issues.
I agree FF.
Mental health is so closely tied to law enforcement in my area, if you haven't been arrested, they hesitate treating you.
They'll give you drugs, as they did Mr. Cho and my nephew, some of which have acceptable side effects that trigger incidents like Mr. Cho and my nephew's, but they won't suggest a connection between the drug and the violent act.
My nephew was acquitted of trying to kill my brother with an ax, because he was given Effexor XR as a teenager. They tried to get him help for two years, mental health didn't help, and the State Police told them he didn't fit the profile. If he had been arrested, they would have gotten him help. He's been institutionalized ever since.
Personally I would like to know the names of the drugs they had Mr. Cho on. Not because I want to badmouth the company, but so I can "just say no" if a doctor tries to prescribe them to me. They already tried the Effexor thingy. I haven't trusted doctors since.
When I showed my former boss the list of acceptable side effects of this legal drug, he looked me in the eye and said, "They're trying to kill you." He didn't like the fact that one of the acceptable side effects was death. Ne either.
Interesting and well put thoughts regarding particular drugs!
In 2002, I had an accident and "shattered" my left humerus, short of exploding it. There is no surgical procedure for this, other than remaining in an arm sling for two months or more, in order for a "self-heal" to occur. It caused some depression in me, for numerous reasons that should not have to be explained. I asked my doctor for an anti-depressant and it was Effexor that I was given. I took only two pills, after the second one, I felt more like "suicide" than anything else -- that is the effect it had on me. It was frightening. I stopped these so-called anti-depressants immediately.
One of the problems with modern medicine, as with anything else these days, is the exigence for "instant" cure. There is no such thing as "stay in bed, drink lots of liquids and rest," to to speak. This is an "instant coffee" nation seeking "instant" remedies, many of which have "dangerous" side effects. It is all too easy for a doctor to prescribe a medication, rather than to seek to get to the "core" of the problem. In place of REAL care, expedience is our way of life in order to satisfy the work situation and the social situation, thus, resultantly, we either create or aid and abet a "Cho." It all represents but more "ills" of our society for those who are "sick" and those who are "really, really, sick."
I am not attempting to "poo-poo" all drugs, but caution should be the rationale for giving them, not "expedience."
Thanks, again, for your enlightenment on this subject. I hope others understand the gravity of this situation, as well.
Thank you, Mark.
And be sure there are things you have said that I understand.
Mental Health care is a very touchy subject. The potential for damage caused by misapplication is extream, yet, there is no way to abandon the dicipline, because there is a genuine need for it. The only way to improve it is to demistify it. Make it easily understood by laymen. This will make the Quacks visible. That will make them vanish.
Chairman Conyers Bill will provide funding, now absent. With funding comes bookkeeping and bookkeepers need light - so that will come too.
I'm hoping for a great improvement because of this.
Or is that hopeing?
Frosted Flake
P.S. Go ! Dennis ! Go ! WHOOooooOO-hawh ! High-kye-eye ! EEESprunk!
Ummm...I guess I'll have to get the superglue. I'll be back later on.
Frosty,
(<:)
Off topic.
HR 1227 needs help.
Dear Mark,
Today, Congress has the opportunity to help thousands of New Orleans residents come back home. The Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007 would re-open desperately needed public housing units and make sure there is no loss of affordable public housing in New Orleans.
The bill quickly passed the House of Representatives, but the two people who should be leading the charge in the Senate—Louisiana Senators Landrieu and Vitter—are stalling, and without their support, the bill will go nowhere. Please join us in demanding that Senators Landrieu and Vitter stop dragging their feet, and lead on this important legislation, now.
http://www.colorofchange.org/hr1227/?id=2801-86287
Preserving Affordable Housing in New Orleans
Since Hurricane Katrina hit, public housing residents have been fighting to return home. Unfortunately, HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) is planning to demolish most of the available public housing units—apartments that were minimally damaged by the storm—and replace them with far fewer units of affordable public housing.1
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I live in a tourist area. Maintaining a broad employee base is essential to any tourist area. Not only that, but to have long term success, it is best to maintain the "flavor of the community".
For instance, Lake Placid has made a fortune off the perception that it is a tiny mountain village, that managed to pull off 2 Olympics. By promoting and incorporating the Adirondack style, with their small town image, they have managed to become a second-homeowners paradise while maintaining a census figure of 2500 citizens.
Their success in marketing is a double edged sword. Where kids formerly played in the woods, vacant condos await their fractional owners. Employees are being forced to travel increasing distances, as their carbon emissions likewise increase. The eco-tourism industry has a tremendous environmental impact.
Another point that can be used, just in case anyone wants to e-mail Vitter and Landrieu, is America is violating international law by not allowing the refugees of New Orleans to return to their homes, after the natural disaster known as Hurricane Katrina.
BTW, I don't know if I ever expressed my appreciation to Mr. Conyers over HR 1227. Thanks.
What Went Wrong in Ohio?
RePugs stole the presidency there and no one's done a damn thing about it, that's what went wrong.
(From AlterNet)
Network Hosting Attorney Scandal E-Mails Also Hosted Ohio's 2004 Election Results
By Steven Rosenfeld and Bob Fitrakis, Free Press.
"Did Ohio Republican Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell or other GOP operatives inflate the president's vote totals to secure George W. Bush's margin of victory? On Election Night 2004, many of the totals reported by the Secretary of State were based on local precinct results that were impossible."
"These strange election results were routed by county election officials through Ohio's Secretary of State's office, through partisan IT providers and software, and the final results were hosted out of a computer based in Tennessee announcing the winner."
"As numerous congressional committees attempt to retrieve and examine the secret White House e-mails surrounding Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' firing of eight federal prosecutors, those panels must also probe the privatization and partisan manipulation of the 2004 presidential vote count in Ohio. The lessons from 2004 have yet to be fully understood or learned."
Smoking Guns All Over Ohio
When are Democrats going to haul Blackwell into a congressional hearing and grill him about this? Even Fielding cannot be demented enough to claim that executive privilege extends to the Secretary of State of Ohio.
It's time for a flank attack, Chairman Conyers. Bypass the WH stonewalling about these e-mail systems and nail Blackwell. This is all connected. Yank the Blackwell thread and this entire cover-up will all unravel.
And then there's this little nugget from Slashdot
Netcraft Shows Smartech Running Ohio Election Servers
"Netcraft is showing that an event happened in the Ohio 2004 election that is difficult to explain. The Secretary of State's website, which handles election reporting, normally is directed to an Ohio-based IP address hosted by the Ohio Supercomputer Center. On Nov. 3 2004, Netcraft shows the website pointing out of state to a server owned by Smartech Corp. According to the American Registry on Internet Numbers, Smartech's block of IP addresses 64.203.96.0 – 64.203.111.255 encompasses the entire range of addresses owned by the Republican National Committee. Smartech hosted the recently notorious gbw43.com domain used from the White House in apparent violation of the Presidential Records Act, from which thousands of White House emails vanished. Can anyone suggest a good explanations for this seemingly dubious election-eve transfer?"
How MANY freakin' Smoking Guns do we need??
-----------
"Impeachment, of course, is a matter of Constitutional law, not personal discretion on the part of individual lawmakers."
It isn't going away Mr. Conyers.
Ramsey Clark's statement to the media
“We have seen that Congress can be moved. The Bush Administration is reeling from its own wrongdoing. The horror its war of aggression has wreaked on the people of Iraq and thousands of U.S. service members must trouble the sleep of every sentient American. The Surge is only adding to the death and destruction.
“All over the country supporters of impeachment are intensifying their efforts. Our focus must be on Congress, and the priorities of full troop withdrawal and the impeachment of President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other culpable officials within the Administration.
“In recent weeks, tens of thousands of people have sent letters or called their elected representatives in Congress. On the statewide and local level people have been demanding local officials take a stand. Large scale pro-Impeachment demonstrations took place on March 17 at the Pentagon and in more than 1,000 other protests marking the 4th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war.
“The crimes committed by President Bush and Vice President Cheney are numerous. The Bush Administration’s war of aggression, its assault on human dignity at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, demeaning the Geneva Conventions and Habeas Corpus, invading the privacy of any American it chooses, corrupting the rule of law in the Department of Justice and others.
“President Bush and Vice President Cheney should be held accountable as it is proscribed in the Constitution, Article II, Section 4: The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office or impeachment for and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
“The authors of the Constitution were serious about impeachment and intended that the carefully prescribed procedures and principles of impeachment written into the text be faithfully executed. We, the growing impeachment movement that is sweeping this country from one end to the other, will make the members of the House of Representatives become as serious and courageous about impeachment as the Founding Fathers were.”
TeamConyersBlog
TeamConyersBlog meets every Saturday at noon Central Time. To join, CLICK HERE and login. Then follow path:
Members (top left) > TeamConyersBlog > Chat > Enter
The Soapbox meeting follows shortly after.
If you are a member of either, you can find and join the other by clicking "Directory" in the left side menu, clicking on the one you want to join and then clicking "join".
Dennis on at 5:00 tonight
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at 5 p.m. on the Cannon Terrace, intersection of Independence and New Jersey Avenue
Let the Impeachment begin
Thank you for the link and update, Alma
There is indeed much to read there.
I look forward to seeing this get overwhelming citizen support.
Congressman Conyers
Please support H.R.333. Impeaching Dick Cheney will be a start to regaining our credibility, and honor with the world community.
JC, thank you for introducing H.R. 676, a bill for national
health care for all Americans. It's archaic that this country does not yet have it, considering that just about every other civilized country already has it and has had it for a long time. There is no reason for any American to be deprived adequate health care because of his/her particular situation. Not having healthcare across the board is tantamount to saying who shall live and who shall die -- it's a long time coming to Americans. And, so, I extend my "kudos" to you in those efforts.
Nonetheless, we are a country whose doctrines, ideals and foundations have been all but shattered by this ruthless, greedy and heartless regime -- who, in no way, represent the "spirit" of Americans and America, who, in fact, have acted contrarily to all of the above -- at least as far as those "in the know" are concerned. That said, I would hope that you, Speaker Pelosi and all "concerned" Democrats would support Cong. Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment on Cheney -- HE IS RIGHT, YOU KNOW!
Had an interesting encounter today!
It was with a Pakistani taxi-cab driver (mid-thirties, I would guess) in the a.m. "Do you mind if I smoke?" "No, but I don't smoke. My father advised me against it -- he died 2 years ago and I miss him." "Were you here and he there,? I said. "Yes, he was there and I was here." "Your father was very good to you," I said. "Yes, I miss him still." "May I ask how you feel about what is going on these days?" "Well, it's terrible, I mean all those innocent people being killed in Iraq -- the whole world hates us -- where once it seems we were respected -- I mean, even Europeans -- nobody likes us -- Bush has "torn" up the world."
He made mention of Nancy Pelosi's visit to the Mid-East and said, "She really did a good thing. She is respected for her efforts in doing that." I said, "Well, she does represent "diplomacy" in a good light, but we are concerned about her posture as of right now." He said, "Yes, Bush and all of them need to go."
Yes, there was more, but this is END OF STORY.
Morning News
Wikipiedia shows stunning speed
This mornings news, in wiki, this morning. Now that is a resource.
Child to be tried for war crimes at Guantanamo.
After Hicks, there is nothing printable that can be said about this. I want Guantanamo closed ( as is well known) I want all alleged terrorists tried in front of me, in plain view, so that I can see the case, so that I can Judge my government by its' acts.
UNAMI issues its 10th report on the situation of human rights in Iraq
No doubt this decision is based upon the strategy evinced by Mr. Gonzales. If you check, it would be suprising were you not to find that Alberto Gonzales and Whatzizname al-Maliki have the same boss. Therefore, (Unitary Executive Theory and Garcetti v. Ceballos) it is not at all suprising they might use the same method.
Seldom are thugs very imaginative.
Frosted Flake
Monica Goodling Granted Immunity!
Hopefully SHE will be able to "remember" who, what, where, when, why & how the DoJ decided to terminate the Prosecutors, especially Lam and Iglesias. House Judiciary Votes to Grant Immunity and Updates via TPM Muckraker about republican dissent & timeline/ process of granting immunity (weeks).
BTW, as Gonzales and Sampson's memories are so impaired, Congressman Conyers, should that not be ample grounds to remove them from office. No one with such faulty memories should be allowed to function in such vital and important positions.
Begin Impeachment Proceedings in Judiciary Committee
Here is a petition for each of you to sign in support of Kucinich's H.R. 333 addressing the Judiciary Committee.
Impeachment
Also, here is a list of other representatives you can contact:
Contact U.S. House
Impeachment Is Still "On the Table" for the People...
Apparently continuing to respond to the fact that 21 more months of bushco could destroy this country (& who knows how many other countries?), Pelosi is Pressed to Put Impeachment back On the Table. How many more lives will be lost in unnecessary warfare if we wait until January 20, 2009 to end the reign of destructive, incompetent fools?
"We have to use our energies
1/. Does she refer to the "popular support" as Americans or the votes she thinks she can't garner?
2/. And if it's the votes, then that makes this "popular support" the Republicans. In which case, Pelosi still is thunking like a Minority Leader and not thinking like the Speaker of the House, a Majority Leader's position.
3/. If this "Popular support" are the American people, Pelosi need only read some poll numbers.
4/. Advocacy is about supporting what one believes in. If Pelosi thinks that impeachment is a toy to be played with by the kiddies out in the play lot, then she denigrates crucial aspects of the Constitution that were placed there to act as the preserving tools for the Constitution. By throwing such disregard at these crucial tools does it not show a level of contempt toward the Constitution? How can Pelosi be an advocate for the Constitution while recklessly throwing out tools left for it's preservation?
5/. But does Pelosi support the Oversight hearings? The Judiciary hearings? etc.? If so, then does that not betray her statement about doing what American's want? I have heard no statement from ANY Democratic Leader that suggests that American people wanted Alberto investigated, the DOJ, E-mails, pre-war Intel, Feith's office, etc. as their prime directive for moving forward and pressing for answers. But according to Nancy, all attention and effort is supposed to be on the war and not accountability. Nay, I have heard much about the war, and accountability... which is far different than accounting. With accountability one gets consequences, NO?
6/. Pelosi's stated objective, keep the House and Senate and win the White House... just like the Republicans did, NO?
7/. And frankly, it is the Office of the President of the United States of America that impeachment protects. The only reason George W. Bush is even remotely involved in the process is in the fact that it is he who is President. Failing to protect the Office from future damage, mistrust, and abuse undercuts her patriotic duty and Oath of Office.
8/. Who does a failure of impeachment, in cases such as this, benefit? Do great work and do the things that bring a bounty of benefits to the American people and the Constitution of the United States of America.
Impeach Bush.
====================================================
You aren't defending, protecting, preserving the Constitution of the USA
When you allow the usurpations of the Constitutional laws of the USA.
Liar, liar pants on fire.
Dear Ms. Pelosi;
Screw you. The most frequently stated reason as to why you are presently Speaker of the House, is because the voting public is tired of the corruption that CAUSED 9/11 and the war of terror.
Every exit poll after the November Democratic takeover, told the DLC types that it's the corruption, stupid.
If Ms. Pelosi insists on obfuscating the facts, we need to see a concerted effort by progressive Democrats in her state to pull a Lamont on her ass.
By refusing to acknowledge that she is doing as much damage control as Alberto Gonzales, she forces progressive Democrats to do a little damage control of their own. Apparently, Ms. Pelosi's loyalty to our Constitution and Democracy itself, is damaged beyond rationality.
Most Americans are smart enough to realize that without the K-Streeters and their support for the AIPAC toadies of the military industrial complex, we wouldn't have been lied into committing the genocidal act known as Congress's war on Iraq.
Why doesn't she want to enforce the Constitution as it was written pre-9/11? Does she have another Constitution in mind? If she does, she should put it on the table for the rest of us to see. If not, she should fulfill her oath of office before we pull a Lamont on her ass.
It's normal for morally bankrupt entitled fortunates to want to stomp their feet and force their will on others. Good parents know how to deal with matters like this. If they refuse, their children are taken away and placed in foster care.
Ultimately, I don't give a rats ass what letter our politicians have after their names, just as long as adherence to the Constitution is the overarching concern. When they allow the Constitution to be turned into toilet paper for the sake of their personal political futures, it's time to treat them like neocons.
If she isn't up to the job, it's time to remove her from the equation. It wasn't only Republicans that brought us to this point. And it will take more than a bunch of compromised Dems to get us out.
The Iraq war is a symptom of the bigger problem. We've become so corrupt as a nation, we couldn't run a successful war if our lives depended on it. Eliminating the corruption is necessary for any reasonable person to think we can stop the war machine devastating the world for profits.
Where's Ned Lamont when you need him? Wherever he is, we could use someone just like him in Nancy's home district.
Enough already, If she refuses to listen, we should too.
It's about Power
It's about absolute power through the vehicle of centralized energy distribution.
Oil was cheap energy. Now we are addicted. And now on the back side of the peak, the price of energy will skyrocket.
"He who controls the spice, controls the universe" ~Frank Herbert, Dune
Tahoe and unspun
Thanks for the links on H.R. 333.
This article was published in the Chicago Sun-Times
on April 23, 2007, by Nick Gillespie of Reason.com
"No Hiding In Hell
'Suppress it!" Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman reportedly told the Ohio State Fair in 1880, referring to his experience during the Civil War, the first American conflict to be heavily photographed. "You don't know the horrible aspects of war. I tell you, war is hell!" Former Marine Sgt. Ty Ziegel knows the horrible aspects of war in a way few of us will ever have to endure. In a 2004 suicide bomber attack during his second tour of duty in Iraq, he was seriously wounded, losing an eye and suffering burns over much of his body. His injuries, including a fractured skull and an amputated arm, required 50 operations and 19 months of rehabilitation.
This image is from Ziegel's wedding day last October, when he married his longtime fiancee, Renee Kline. Recently chosen for the 2007 World Press Photo Foundation Award, it was taken by Nina Berman, a New York-based photographer whose work, online at ninaberman.com, includes the photo essays "Purple Hearts," studies of wounded Iraq war veterans, and "Under Taliban," scenes from the repressive former regime in Afghanistan.
In the Internet age, war is no less hell than it was in Sherman's day. But it is increasingly impossible to suppress its horrible aspects, or the scars that soldiers and their loved ones must learn to live with."
Calling on Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Rove, et al. Please check out the photos of your handiwork, or would it be TOO much for your collective "beautiful minds?"
This is but ONE soldier!
("Photo: This image is from Ziegel's wedding day last October.")
Marine Wedding
Click on Marine Wedding
OT, but a follow-up to a former thread
"Vulture Funds" Hijack Debt Relief for African Debtor Nations
It's good to see that the actions you took in February may be making a difference now, Congressman Conyers.
U.S. Vulture Fund Owner Wins Debt Payment from Zambia -- But Faces Possible Indictment at Home
GREG PALAST: "...And now, with Gonzales weakened, with the Democracy Now! report and the pressure from John Conyers, you may see an intervention by the US government..."
Thank you, Congressman, for all that you do!
Yes! BUT - - -
"Health Care" in this country is defined as "Treatment of ILLNESS." or even "MANAGEMENT of ILLNESS!" Healthy people may not apply. The current thrust of the gurus in charge of HMO's want to avoid payment at all costs, but they want the PEOPLE to be as sick as possible, for as long as possible, so that they'll keep paying premiums.
The PROPER emphasis should be on "PREVENTIVE MEDICINE!" At 82 years of age, I keep myself reasonably healthy by the judicious ingestion of vitamins, minerals, juices, herbs, and some Homeopathic modalities. I also AVOID, at ALL COSTS, the E$tabli$hment Allopathic MD's, who know only "Cut, Burn, and Poison." If you want a real education of what modern "Medicine" is all about, check your library's copy of the Physician's Desk Reference (PDR) and open it anywhere. Read the listed side effects for ANY drug. I guarantee they'll scare the bejeezus out of you.
Now, I'll let you in on a dirty little secret.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A "SIDE EFFECT!" THERE ARE ONLY "EFFECTS!"
Drugs are poisons. Period. They are uniformly designed to interfere with the body's own mechanisms in order to suppress the symptoms of whatever ails you. There ARE a few "Cures" available. EVERY ONE is derived from a natural product, mainly herbs. Here is what happens. A person feels poorly, so he goes to an Allopath. The MD runs a series of tests and "Determines" from the results - which will, of course, vary from the "Norms" - because we all do, to some extent, but manages to put a name on what ails the person. Lo and behold, there is a drug for that. So the patient trustingly goes off and has a prescription filled, and RIGHT THERE enters upon a descending spiral, because the drug, while suppresssing the symptoms of the current "Illness," CAUSES other symptoms! But - there is a drug that will suppress those symptoms - and awaaaaaay we go! By age 60, the average American is taking a total of THIRTY prescription and OTC drugs, to the everlasting profit of Big PHARMA!
Don't you reckon there's something WRONG with that picture? The only good advice about health care was given, about three thousand years ago, by Hippocrates, the first great physician.
"LET YOUR FOOD BE YOUR MEDICINE!"
But now the FDA wants to prevent anyone from indulging in preventive medicine. You see, if you use herbs, vitamins, minerals, homeopathics, massage, fruit and vegetable juices, or structured water to treat or prevent any disease, or merely to stay healthy, the FDA wants to classify you as a CRIMINAL! (Unless, that is, you have some MD make you out a prescription for your modalities, pay for the office visit, and buy your vitamin etc. at a vastly inflated price.) Of course, that's what the infamous "Codex Alimentarius" is all about, but it won't take effect until December of next year, and we still have time to argue about it; the FDA wants to foreclose that option by doing it NOW! And they tried to sneak it by under the radar - but someone caught on, and the Natural Health movement is raising merry Hell!
I recommend that we do, too.
Google FDA Docket No. 2006D-0480. Read what comes up. It will horrify you.
Then sit down and write a letter to those clowns at
Division of Docket Management (HFA - 305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, Rm 1061
Rockville, MD 20052
Attn: Project Officer, Docket No. 2006D - 0480
Send it snail mail BEFORE the 30th of April.
Send copies of your letter to your Congressperson and both your Senators, and a cover letter expressing your outrage at this effort to destroy our RIGHT to take supplements and keep ourselves well without interference by the ultimately corrupt FDA, which, as you know, is now the enforcement arm of the AMA and big PHARMA. (BTW; "Natural" modalities may kill or injure a dozen or so people a decade; - if they are misused. "Prescription Drugs" KILL a million people every three years! - And if Cho hadn't been on an ssri, thirty-two people would still be alive. Modern Medicine has many sins to answer for.)
Actually, a RICO operation against the FDA is probably not out of line.
Thirty years or so ago, I helped Congressman Johnson and Senator Proxmire shoot down the cockamamie attempt by the FDA to make ALL vitamins into prescription Drugs by ukase. Later, in the 90's, the DSHEA was supposed to block any further efforts by the FDA along those lines, but the new document in effect says that "No matter what the law says, if it interferes with our desire to make food into drugs by fiat, the rule, not the law, applies."
They HAVE to be stopped. Alert all your friends, and remember "Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty." The FDA wants to destroy Health Freedom in this Country, (as it has already been destroyed in much of Europe), and they must be STOPPED!
I reiterate something I said earlier.
"All oversight on FOOD should be taken away from FDA and given to Agriculture, where it belongs. The title of FDA should be changed to Federal Drug Agency, and its mission carefully watched to eliminate the obvious conflicts of interest which are now the norm."
If you want to be able to keep yourself healthy without being labeled a criminal by the most corrupt Agency (yes, they're worse than the CIA!) of the Federal Government, TAKE ACTION NOW!
Excellent points, koryannder
I'm glad you brought attention to the FDA Docket and the issue of preventive medicine. I agree with you 100%.
I Just Watched PBS's "Buying the War"
Bill Moyers' Journal tonight covered how bushco sold the war, and how the media bought the lies, with very little objectivity in their reporting.
The video clips aired on this program, showed again the lies told by the administration in order to "sell" the war to a too trusting public and media. After again watching Cheney's manufacturing of "intelligence" and manipulation of the press and the American people--I'm more convinced than ever that Representative Kucinich is a true patriot. Also, IMHO impeachment and conviction of this lying warmonger without conscience would only be a fraction of what he deserves.
If everybody does it, does
If everybody does it, does that make it right? Even when it's wrong?
I especially liked the question, "At what point does misrepresenting facts become right?"
IF WE JOURNALISTS GET IT WRONG ON THE FACTS,
WHAT IS THERE TO BE RIGHT ABOUT?
Television is NOT(!) the problem. Just as many lies can be spread in print as on T.V. It is those JOURNALISTS that fail to cross reference their sources and who fail to investigate the facts that do journalism a dis-service. People like Beinart are poison to the world of information, for theirs is based on hearsay and make believe.
I watched it last night, it was excellent!
I'm so glad that Moyers is back. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite figure out the blogging process over there last night, but I'll keep trying ;).
The PBS story reinforces the value of public broadcasting. Here's the link to information about the Media Ownership Reform Act (MORA)
And I agree...Kucinich is a true patriot. The ongoing investigations, hearings, and subpoenas are excellent. But what better way to ask questions than in an impeachment hearing, of the Executive Branch, where the decisions to lie the country into "war" originated?
Let Health Care Begin!!!
Congressman,
Like National Security, Health Care must begin at home. H.R. 676 ensures just that. I wish you well with it. Lord knows, America needs it, NO?
And like Health Care, if it is to begin at home, doing so may save the planet. And no, I'm not equating it to Global Warming... But to what ills America NOW! Treat it, Americans and all the world shall live happier lives for it, possibly eliminating premature death due to said infliction.
When will this doctor be in? When Congressman? WHEN will that WHEN be?
====================================================
You aren't defending, protecting, preserving the Constitution of the USA
When you allow the usurpations of the Constitutional laws of the USA.
And this is the letter I sent to FDA
Division of Docket Management (HFA – 305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD, 20053
Attn: Project Officer, Docket 2006D – 0480
Sir or Madam;
Abraham Lincoln asked Secretary Seward, “Call a dog’s tail a leg; how many legs does the dog have?’
“Five,” said Secretary Seward,
“Wrong,” said Lincoln. “He still has four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it one!”
Just so, calling a glass of vegetable juice a drug, just because I intend to use it to maintain health or ward off disease does NOT make it one!
Is that plain?
Hippocrates, the Father of medicine, said it best; “Let your food be your medicine!” He was quite correct.
Getting down to cases, it is quite obvious that the current “Docket” is a ham-handed attempt by the FDA to destroy the Natural Health movement.
The FDA, which has become the enforcement arm of the AMA and big PHARMA is far overstepping its boundaries in trying to regulate foods AS drugs! It is NOT true that anything that ameliorates an illness, or prevents it, is ipso facto a drug. The FDA tried that before, and was shot down in flames by Senator Proxmire and Congressman Johnson. They later tried it again, in a kind of sneaky way, and Senator Hatch and others responded with the DSHEA. But now, the FDA is trying to declare that NO MATTER what the law is, their ukase rules! This is, to put it kindly, the action of a gaggle of scofflaws. If the FDA had a conscience, it would not try such a transparently fraudulent ploy. Of course, being a “Government” Agency, it feels that it is above the law; laws are for us peons, not the mighty gurus of the medico-pharmaceutical-insurance E$TABLI$HMENT. I have news for the FDA; the LAW is the LAW. Any attempt to circumvent the DSHEA by fiat is illegal, and, while the Agency itself cannot be punished, I believe that individual lawbreakers can be, and should be. I do feel certain that if FDA persists in this madness that it will find itself in Court; I would bet that Pearson and Shaw are already planning the suit – and your track record against that redoubtable pair is dismal, to say the least.
I most respectfully suggest that you drop the whole thing; it is definitely against sound Public Policy to try to make the Nation sick for the profit of big PHARMA. You know as well as I that a LOT of people are keeping themselves healthy by the ingestion of supplements and other, non-Allopathic modalities.
Yes, it is quite true that supplements can be dangerous. The misuse of certain herbs probably kills a dozen people a decade. The PROPER use of Prescription Drugs KILLS upwards of a million people every three years! Tell me that you are trying to help the health of the populace by “Calling” vitamins, minerals, herbs, etc. “Drugs!” But you can’t make me believe it – and I feel certain that the Supreme Court would feel the same way. Why don’t you quit while you still have some credibility left?
Thank you for your attention to my point of view – I will hope that you pay some heed to it.
Yours,
Oh,yes - I said in an earlier post that the FDA was worse than the CIA, which might raise some eyebrows, because, after all, the CIA is responsible for kidnapping people and sending them to secret locations throughout the world where they are tortured and occasionally get dead. Isn't that pretty reprehensible? Yes - but the FDA, by its slavish adherence to the myths promulgated by the Medico-Pharmaceutical E$TABLI$HMENT, and the approval of dangerous chemicals for ingestion or injection is indirectly responsible for MILLIONS of agonizing (and expensive) deaths. Also, in its raids on Health Food stores and Doctors' Offices, with guns drawn and threats to kill evident, the FDA behaves like the worst gangsters, without any Public outcry. They MUST be reined in!
FDA Focuses on Helping Big Pharma & all but Ignores Food Safety
It is an interesting dichotomy (hypocricy?) that the FDA is so very worried that people may misuse “natural” foods and supplements and possibly harm themselves—yet they have been moving slowly in assuring the safety of our food supply Criminal Probe Opened in Pet Food Scare; FDA Says Charges Possible Charges possible? Shouldn’t this actually be a priority, since
—that same melamine-contaminated gluten which sickened and killed so many helpless pets may well have made its way into HUMAN food as well?
“…excellent reporting from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and the essential-reading press releases from Sen. Dick Durbin, who has for years been dedicated to food safety issues, and is proving his expertise in his probes of this recall, the unregulated pet food industry, the lack of FDA food inspections (only 1% of human food is inspected!), and the slow response of the FDA…”
“…AMONG MY CONCLUSIONS: Even if you don't have a pet, you'll be concerned by growing evidence that human foods could be contaminated.”
“…Further, the FDA is being barred by the Chinese government from investigating the Chinese plants that produced the tainted wheat gluten, and Sen. Dick Durbin is actively, aggressively demanding that the Chinese government begin to cooperate.”
“…This is KEY because the same Chinese plant that sold tainted wheat gluten also exports HUMAN FOODS such as "carrots, garlic, ginger, corn protein powder, vegetables and feed."
Just because there is a real possibility that such contaminated foods, imported from such a wonderfully regulated food supplier as our good friend, China, may have been/are continuing to be, consumed by humans and their pets--apparently this isn’t as much of a concern for the FDA, as is the fact that people might take saw palmetto for prostate problems (which BTW, has been shown scientifically to work) or ginko biloba to help their memories.
In fact, if the Attorney General and other members of the Administration were taking ginko biloba supplements, perhaps they wouldn’t be suffering the pathological degree of memory loss that currently afflicts them. Then again, apparently there isn’t a supplement currently available that will cure the deceptive con artists of bushco from lying through their teeth.
Yet, the bush appointees in the FDA want to use its very limited resources (another govt. agency having been gutted by bushco, etc) to try to keep the limited number of people that utilize alternative medicine, including health food supplements, from being able to buy them, rather than focusing all of its resources in protecting the food supply that Everyone is exposed. The contamination of our food supply is a clear and present danger that needs the full attention of the FDA. People who buy health food supplements and natural foods usually take the time to inform themselves about these supplements, and they are aware that taking them is a choice. Eating foods that are at least in part grown, packaged and distributed by others is a fact of life for most Americans and ensuring the safety of these foods should be the FDA’s first priority.
There really should be a mechanism for the people to sue and throw in jail government officials whose negligence, malfeasance, dereliction of duty, and/or incompetence has caused them harm.
More on mental health.
The overzealous actions of the depopulation and gentrification experts in my area, are increasing the frustration level of the locals to the point where matters that were once considered minor, are magnified to the point of irrationality.
A couple of winters ago we had a case where the State Police chased a young father into the woods after trying to arrest him for a misdemeanor probation violation. Rather than give up and risk ill treatment by the police, he sat next to a tree at -25 degrees, and froze to death while the police sat in their car because it was too cold to chase him. They had his exits covered, it was only a matter of time before he either surrendered or paid the ultimate penalty. His fear of the police caused him to choose death.
Today, I have another irrational story about my area. The Grandmother referenced lives in my town, Dickinson Center.
What causes situations like this Mr. Conyers? Would a more even handed rational approach to law enforcement, limit activity like this? I've tried every avenue I can think of to bring some form of accountability to my area. Our system of checks and balances is broken.
The result is a population so disenfranchised that what we consider to be irrational acts, are often perceived to be the only way out. Sitting under a tree awaiting death is one way out, this is another.
FYI, I wrote to Hillary Clinton a few years ago about a post master who was opening packages he suspected of containing marijuana. The people who's mail was being opened illegally? The Trim family of St.Regis Falls, three miles from Dickinson Center.
When law enforcement doesn't serve and protect equally, what can we expect? More of the same.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Home ignites during N.Y. manhunt
By MICHAEL HILL, Associated Press Writer Wed Apr 25, 7:34 PM ET
MARGARETVILLE, N.Y. - A farm house that authorities had surrounded in a search for a man suspected of killing a state trooper went up in flames Wednesday, shortly after sharpshooters began firing and SWAT teams tried to enter.
Within minutes, the left side of the house was engulfed. The SWAT team was driven back by flames, and firefighters responded immediately.
The fire broke out roughly nine hours after two troopers were shot, one fatally, searching the home for Travis D. Trim, 23, a suspect in the shooting Tuesday of another trooper.
There was no immediate word on injuries, what caused the fire, or whether Trim was found. State police had no immediate comment.
There hadn't been any sign of activity in the home earlier in the day. Neighbors described the property, which included two red barns, as a weekend residence in Arkville, a hamlet near Margaretville.
The standoff came just seven months after the arrest of a man who shot three troopers, one fatally, during a months-long manhunt in western New York.
The first shooting Trim is accused of occurred Tuesday, after a trooper stopped him in a stolen minivan for a minor traffic infraction in the Margaretville area.
When Trim failed to provide identification, Trooper Matthew Gombosi told him he was under arrest, said Preston L. Felton, acting superintendent of the State Police. Then, Felton said, Trim pulled a handgun from his waistband and shot Gombosi. His body armor kept him from being seriously injured, but the suspect escaped, police said.
Police swept the area and found the stolen Dodge Caravan abandoned on a road in nearby Middletown.
Wednesday morning, Troopers David C. Brinkerhoff and Richard Mattson were shot during a confrontation while searching the Arkville farm for Trim, Felton said.
"They had a good 20 shots going back and forth," said Chan Squires of Margaretville, who witnessed the shootings. "You could hear them ringing out."
The wounded troopers were pulled from the house by two other officers who were helping search the farm as part of a massive police sweep through the area.
Brinkerhoff, who was shot in the head, died shortly after the shooting. Mattson, wounded in the left arm, was in serious but stable condition after surgery at Albany Medical Center, where he had been taken by helicopter.
Brinkerhoff, 29, an eight-year member of the state police, is survived by his wife and a 7-month-old daughter. He is the second New York state trooper and the second member of the force's specially trained Mobile Response Team to be slain during a manhunt since September.
Last summer, Ralph "Bucky" Phillips led police on a five-month manhunt throughout heavily wooded western New York after breaking out of a county jail. During his time on the run, he shot one trooper during a traffic stop and two others who were searching for him. One of those troopers later died.
Phillips was captured in September and is serving two life sentences. After that manhunt, the union that represents state troopers sharply criticized the way state police officials managed the search.
Trim has a 2005 conviction for driving while intoxicated and aggravated, unlicensed operation, but his grandmother said he had tried to turn his life around.
"He wanted to go to college. We talked to his probation officer to help fix it up," Ruth Trim said in a telephone interview from her home in Dickinson Center. "I'm devastated. He was going to go to college to make something of himself. Now, he's really ruined his life."
Trim had been enrolled briefly at the State University of New York-Canton but withdrew in November, said Randy Sieminski, a school spokesman. He was registered in the school's motorsports performance and repair program.
Trim had been arrested on charges of marijuana possession and providing alcohol to a minor while at SUNY-Canton, but his family and officials at schools he attended were stunned to hear he was a shooting suspect.
"It's all so bizarre," said Mark Hill, a SUNY-Canton instructor who had Trim in a freshman class. "He had no bad dealings here. He got along with everyone and worked well in team settings."
"He was a smart kid. I don't know what happened to him," Ruth Trim said. "I don't think there's any way for this to turn out good now. Not after shooting a trooper. His goose is cooked."
At the state Capitol on Wednesday, the Republican state Senate leader demanded the Democratic governor use his influence to bring back the death penalty, saying it had apparently become "open season on law enforcement people."
A New York Court of Appeals ruling in 2005 effectively nullified the death penalty in the state. Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said his chamber would approve legislation next week to bring it back for the killing of police officers and prison guards and in cases of deaths caused by terrorists.
Rice “Not Inclined” to Honor Subpoena
Her colossal hubris, like that of every other member of bushco, is astounding. Ms. Rice’s insolent defiance of the law is made all the more offensive when one recognizes that she, like all of bushco, seem to truly believe that they are excluded from following the law of the land--laws with which the rest of us mere mortals must comply. In addition, as I have repeatedly stated-- Rice, Rove, Gonzales, bush, cheney—continue to insult us while collecting the paychecks that WE finance!
Congressman Conyers—can you hear the outrage here? Can you understand that our patience with permitting the continued arrogance and defiance of our employees has run out? If they refuse to comply with the laws of the land—which as part of the Executive Branch, they are supposed to be instrumental in enforcing—they must be removed from office. Obviously, these arrogant incompetents won’t resign, and the president, who rewards incompetence in his administration, won’t fire them, so:
It is up to Congress: to do the will of the people. If there is no consequence for outright defiance of the law, then of what use is the law? If there is no consequence for violation of the Constitution, then what is to prevent its violation? If there are no consequences for continued lawbreaking, what is to prevent continued lawbreaking? If no one will defend the Constitution, will it, or the fragile democracy that it protects, continue to exist?
“…A. Article 2, Section 4, specifies that "The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." These "civil officers" include federal judges and cabinet members, but do not include Senators and Representatives, (the Senate and House deal with misconduct by their own members).”
"Not inclined"?
I have a stupid question; If I said that I was not inclined to answer a Subpoena, just what would happen to me? Rice is no more GOD than I am - maybe a little bit less - I never told any lies calculated to get us into a war, or defending a stupid war we were in; Rice has done both. There must be penalties attached to refusal to answer a subpoena - like, maybe - JAIL? Be interesting to see the pResident's mistress in the pokey - you suppose he'd visit her? And, BTW, what about Bu$h's sexual peccadilloes? If Clinton could be impeached for failure to lock his zipper, what is to be said about Bu$h, whose mistress thinks she's married to him? Hmmmmmm? (Or is it all just a rumor?)
I know what happens.
In late '83 I received a copy of an income statement the family support unit needed for it's files. Since I had given a notarized copy to the county judge the previous day, I considered it to be a redundant clerical error.
Three months later I was ordered into court for refusing to comply with a support court order. It turns out that redundant or not, any court ordered paperwork Average Joe doesn't provide, will result in jail time. I received 30 days in jail for not providing paperwork.
You should have seen the histrionics the DA went through as he declared me to be a danger to the institution of Democracy, because I didn't take this paperwork serious enough. You'd a thunk I was trying to take down Democracy.
But I'm not of the Bolton or Condi class. I didn't receive a recess appointment that negated the Court's orders, nor was I having an affair with the President of the USA during the time in question.
Bush has already established precedent, by getting Congress to back down on the Bolton subpoena. I made an honest assumption that resulted in 30 days in jail. Bolton told Congress to go Cheney themselves, and went on to prevent peace between Israel and Lebanon as thousands who shouldn't have died, did.
If Condi refuses to honor this subpoena, she needs to go to jail until she learns to respect the laws of America.
I did, and I'm much better about paperwork now.
Great comments, Korryander.
But Ms Rices astounding attitude is, as we are all well aware, not new. The interesting thing about it is, her attitude IS news. This, it seems, means something. That would be that a tipping point has been reached, a critical mass of Bullshit has accumulated on the Bridge of the ship of state. It is getting to the point that a "respectable" journalist can't help but comment, scathingly. I cannot stand to go find out, but it would suprise me if even Rush were still willing to call this pig pretty.
There are several things that serve as indicators, which have turned to point in the right direction recently. I am pleased that Mr. Gonzales has been asked to go and get the information he was asked about, but couldn't recall, and then to give it to those who asked for it, by Friday. This makes it seem the Congress is through putting up with the indignity of being sandbagged. (Would have been a good thing in New Orleans, but no sandbagging there, only Blackwater.) I am pleased the Committee voted to provide immunity to Ms.Goodling. Again, same message, that is quite enough sandbagging, thank you very much. And I am pleased Ms. Rice should be supeonaed to testify in re: the lies that started the war in Iraq.
I see some progress here, and am encouraged by it. It seems to me Ms. Rice is helping the cause of freedom, because her resistance is unaccetable, and so will not be accepted. Simultaneously, the issue of the Unitary Executive Theory is due to pop up like toast, in referance to Ms. Rices' revolutionary declaration of independance from Congressional oversight. And Garcetti v. Ceballos is almost certian to be properly illuminated by the circumstance.
The war on terror is another matter, yet to be addressed, the key to which is...where the heck ARE the terroists we are supposed to fear so much we will put up with anything from the one man who SAYS he can, and will, protect us, but who cannot in reality stop anything except the political opposition (Who Might Want To Work For Us Later).
To sum up, while I remain very unhappy with the way things have gone, the way they are going brings a smile. It could be a much bigger smile, that is true. But nothing is easy. Or quick.
It is a consideration that much of our role here, as commentators, is to bitch. I do a lot of that, I admit. Once in a while, maybe I should just say thanks.
So I will, just this once. Thank you Mr. Chairman. I am very happy to have you on our side. Without you, we would be so screwed. I Probably could have said that better.
Frosted Flake
Rice Owes the American People Answers
From Page 2 of the Washington Post article Hill Subpoenas Approved for Rice, Other Bush Officials
A Democratic committee aide:
"...said that if Rice defied the subpoena, the committee and then the full House could vote to find her in contempt before she could litigate a claim of executive privilege. The political costs of such a fight would be too great for Rice or the White House, he said."
I'm curious what the NATO foreign ministers think about her apparent defiance of the subpoena, if anything?
Dear Chairman Conyers
George W. Bush has been insane, is still insane, and will be even more insane tomorrow. Please remove him from office. Thank you.
Your friend,
Rusty
P.S. There comes a point when NOT removing Bush from office becomes insanity. Consequently, please persuade Speaker Pelosi to seriously consider seeing a psychiatrist.
No, Rusty, NO!
The real insanity would be to remove Bu$h without getting rid of Cheney first! Yes, my grapevine tells me that the Rethuglican leadership is frantically seeking means of getting Bu$h out of there, but unless Kucinich succeeds, and Cheney is ousted, we have the possibility of the REAL insanity of a "President" Cheney, who would complete the wrecking job on the Country that he has so ably started by proxy. Cheney must go first. Then we'll see who Bu$h would like to appoint as veep. Maybe Rove? Rice? Giuliani? Any of the likely candidates would be hard pressed to win Senate confirmation. I know! JEB!!!!!
Anyway - gotta rid ourselves of the albatross named Cheney before we try to oust the nutcase. Far better to have a Lois XIV than an Adolf Hitler!
Imeach'em all...
...and let Satan sort them out.
Dear Chairman Conyers
Please remove Dick Cheney from office tomorrow, and George W. Bush from office on Saturday. Thank you.
Your friend,
Rusty
P.S. If you have a full schedule the rest of this week, it's OK with me if you remove Cheney from office on Monday morning and Bush from office on Monday afternoon.