The State of DoJ's Civil Rights Division
This month, we will mark the 50th anniversary of the law that created the Civil Rights Division, the arm of the Justice Department tasked with protecting Americans from discrimination. To mark the occasion, Greg Gordon of McClatchy Newspapers interviewed some of the attorneys who worked at the division in its early years.
Gordon's article paints a picture of a Justice Department and a White House committed to protecting minority rights and of the division's "resolve to enforce the law in the face of political pressure." But the article also highlights the stark contrasts between the Civil Rights Division then and the Civil Rights Division now. The attorneys who were proud to work for the division in the 1950s and 60s, use words like "disaster" and "devastated" to describe the division under the Bush Administration.
With so far left to go before we live in a country free from discrimination, as the Civil Rights Division turns 50, it must get back to the front lines in the fight to ensure equal rights.
feline's comment
on the last thread is certainly appropriate here. I agree with her conclusions 100%.
I remember when this blog used to get hundreds of comments a day. Now this blog is nothing more then an afterthought and a waste of time.
So, do something Congressman...
Impeach these criminals, and get this country back on track. You have the power. Use it!
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You can lead a republican to the truth, but you can't make him think it...
Will Petraeus Betray US?
Will The Dems Fold Their Cards and Step Into Goose Step with DerBushies???
Anyone here care to cast a vote?
'Surge' Has Sparked Dissent and Infighting
"Bush's management of troop buildup has moved beyond battlefields and into clashes with his own administration, Congress and the Iraqi leadership."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/08/AR2007090801846.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR
I am reposting on Iraq from the previous thread!
From war correspondent, Pepe Escobar, from Paris,
"Why did President Bush Go to Iraq?"
Part II:
"Does Bush want Saddam without the mustache?"
But, for an even greater finite detailing of the REAL situation in Iraq, please listen to NPR's interview with Nir Rosen, a war correspondent who spent over two years in Iraq and now, an author of "In the Belly of the Green Bird: The Triumph of the Martyrs in Iraq" and a fellow at New American Foundation.
"Surge Analysis"
It is extremely important that people know the TRUTH and not be misled one step further by this Administration. Congress needs to "get a grip" to the realities of the entire mess and REFUSE to give one more cent to this obscene disaster called "Iraq."
"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
I was a little surprised
and I had to listen to the end a second time.
In reference to the oil law:
He certainly seems to speak with authority on the subject.Q U E S T I O N:
Congressman,
Where in the Constitution does it expressly state that you may... NOT hold the Executive Branch accountable for their misuse of the trust of the people, the violations of their Oath of Office, and the willful violations of the Constitution?
ANY other oaths or promises, violate the trust bestowed upon you by the people.
So help you God.
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I M P E A C H
THEM BOTH !!!
Take the cure Mr. Conyers.
An Appeal from Ramsey Clark
Former U.S. Attorney General has written a major statement to ImpeachBush members and supporters on the eve of the September 15 Peace/Impeachment March on Washington DC. Below is an excerpt from the statement, which can be read in its entirety by clicking the link at the bottom of the email.
Dear Mark,
Impeachment and conviction are the only way to prevent further aggressions by Bush. It will tell his successors that the President of the United States and the officials who serve with him are not above the law and that where the people are vigilant, they will be held accountable. This message is imperative now.
The largest possible turnout at the demonstration in Washington on September 15 is an essential part of the struggle. Major demonstrations have temporarily stayed the hand or altered the course of the government time and time again. Remember the Civil Rights rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 where Dr. King described his dream, or the March on the Pentagon in October 1967 that was the turning point for public opinion toward opposition to the War in Vietnam.
President Bush has unlimited resources with which to confuse, mislead, divert, deceive and overcome the real interests and will of the people. The disadvantage at which we work is revealed by the mere $15 million a handful of his former Ambassadors (all rich, including a multi-billionaire named the third-richest American) have contributed for TV ads in the weeks before September 15 to support a continued Surge in Iraq.
But organized, the power of the people is Supreme. For $150,000—only one hundredth of what was spent on this single TV Campaign supporting the U.S. occupation of Iraq—we can place ads in newspapers across the country calling for impeachment of the Bush cabal that will reach millions who rarely hear the word, and may ignite a movement that can finally overcome.
There are just over 950,000 persons who have voted to Impeach George Bush, Dick Cheney and others on the http://www.impeachbush.org/ website. It would be wonderful to be able to announce that One Million have signed on at the September 15 rally. Individual efforts and newspaper ads in the next week could do it. I hope you can lend a hand in this effort.
Will you help us raise these funds and persevere in the struggle to liberate America from its militarism to become a friend of humanity and champion of peace?
Please make an urgently needed donation by clicking this link.
Sincerely,
Ramsey Clark
I find it at least interesting
that the commentators today are ignoring the subject of JC's note, and hammer away on the "Impeach the sonsabitches!" topic, which one would think JC is heartily aware of, and only wishes Nancy would take off her blinders and his leash. We all know that JC would impeach Cheney in a New York minute if the sinister forces whose hands are firmly on the campaign finances would only finally recognize that it is to THEIR benefit as well as that of the Public that the Cheney-Bu$h axis of evil be removed, or at least blunted. An attack on Iran at this time MEANS a world-wide financial crash unparalleled in World History, and Felix Rohatyn would lose as much as George Soros or George Shultz! At least Nancy should recognize it!
Yes, the Civil Rights Division has been castrated; but - EVERYTHING that used to redound to the Public benefit has been similarly treated; Bu$h and Cheney do not give one single GODDAMN about the people of the Country, from whom they stole the Offices they are mangling, nor do they care about the Nation! They, too, are on leashes, held by the Multinational Corporations, and have NO CONCEPT of what good governance might look like. The worst of it is that, since the MSM leashes are held by the same forces of evil, only on blogs like this one (or a myriad others) does the truth come out - and since cyberspace is a free-for-all, the forces of oppression get their licks in here, too!
The only way that the Constitution is going to be restored is by REMOVING the myriad blocks that have been put in the way of its meaningful use, and so many out-and-out CRIMINALS have been put into Government "Service," that it will take LITERALLY Generations to cleanse the offices. The DOJ has become merely another corrupt tool of the fascists in power, and will have to be cleaned out top-through-middle-management before it can again deserve its name - but so will all the REST of the Bureaucracy!
Omar Khayyam had it right -
"My dear, could you and I with Fate conspire
To grasp this sorry scheme of things entire,
Would we not shatter it to bits, and then
Remould it nearer to the heart's desire?"
Bu$h and Cheney already did it - and did it so well that a large part of the good in America that they destroyed can NEVER be repaired, but maybe we can regenerate SOME of it. HOWEVER; leaving them in office to destroy whatever is left of Constitutional Government is utterly stupid. Nancy is now in danger of replacement because of her intransigence. It's time that lady woke up and took the leash off JC and let him do his constitutional duty - a duty he solemnly swore to do, and one I know he'd like to do if only he were allowed. I don't CARE what the attitude of the traitor$ in Congre$$ i$. The PEOPLE need to know who they are. so they can be voted OUT, and the way to do that is to bring articles of impeachment, and let the people KNOW who is misrepresenting them! When push comes to shove, even some of the venal hypocrites may recognize that their jobs are on the line, and do the right thing. It's definitely worth a try. IMPEACH CHENEY! I think it possible that without Cheney and Rove, Bu$h might quit - after all, he never finished a job in his life before he became a politician, and it is only by doing the bidding of the shadow monsters that he has "Succeeded" thus far. We NEED a housecleaning - and the sooner it is started, the less filth will pile up.
Just do it.
Hi Kory. Koryannder
Hi Kory.
Koryannder said.
--->
We all know that JC would impeach Cheney in a New York minute if the sinister forces whose hands are firmly on the campaign finances would only finally recognize that it is to THEIR benefit as well as that of the Public that the Cheney-Bu$h axis of evil be removed, or at least blunted.
<---
Problem is that the Oath of Office in the Constitution makes no mention of sinister forces, campaign finances, or New York minutes. It does, however, mention "impeach" in the context of "this Constitution" and it also happens to specifically mention that...
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
http://usconstitution.net/const.html
The principle seems clear though it applies directly to states. So that's probably not a good excuse.
No more than about twenty or so words later it goes on to say,
--->
[A]ll executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution...
<---
Now we do know which Constitution they were talking about. And we have a pretty good idea what an executive or a judicial officer is. And we know that the Constitution trumps laws of the States and that the judges in every state (and presumbably territory) would be to the explicit language in "this Constitution".
The question, if there is one, is, then, this:
Did public schools do the job they were designed to do or not? Are we literate?
Good to see you, Rainbow Sally
And you are right. Completely. The purpose of the Constitution is to record the terms our government operates under, so that we will be able to note when those terms are violated.
Able to note, so as to be able to react.
Persumably, but not neccesarily, thru representation.
It is a tragedy that Chairman Conyers was lying when he said he opposed the overthrow of the Constitution of the United States, as things would be much better with his aid and comfort to rely on.
Being literate, we are able to note the way things are.
The insult is, Chairman Conyers does not credit us with the courage to look danger in the face, so expects not to be seen for what he is. This is the basic premise of the War on Terror. The plan is, we will cling, mewling for protection, to the same jackboot we are kicked with. This not simply because we are cowards, but ignorant cowards.
It is an extremely effective insult. The wonder is, from where derives the motive for it? Perhaps Orwell was right. perhaps it is the simple enjoyment to be found in "...stomping on a human face, forever." But that is not what really matters.
What matters is, can we read?
I can.
Frosted Flake
Interject uncertainty.
The USA is run by a group of slimeball conmen who operate under the premise that they can overcome any bad PR, with the appropriate damage control...eventually. The mission, for them, is to distract and discourage us to the point where we turn away in disgust rather than demand they fulfill their oaths of office.
To assume that these people are capable of voluntarily changing, without a major anti-incumbancy campaign to force the issue, is silly in the face of the Pelosi reality.
The psychology of the American human has been studied, with taxpayer funding, for decades. Personality tests are part of employment applications all over America. By eliminating chronic malcontents and miscreants, prior to employing them, Corporate America saves a lot of money.
Through the purchase of America's information dissemination structure, people like Rupert Murdoch have undertaken a sociological experiment of epic proportions.
We must continue to interject uncertainty.
Congress is playing "chicken". By deliberately ignoring the will of the people, and their oaths of office, our so-called representatives are drawing a line in the sand. Their decades long experience tells them that we'll eventually swerve to avoid mutual damage.
Our Democratic Leadership is doing to us, exactly what BushCo has done to them with executive privelige, signing statements, the politicization of Just-Us, torture, domestic spying, and illegal wars. He forced them to swerve by refusing to back down.
They were either too chicken to risk a direct confrontation, or they agreed with his illegal Constitutional modifications.
Based on Mr. Conyers long term participation in the duping of America, and his immediate flip flopping in the face of Pelosi, I cannot assume that he will fulfill his oath of office. I can only assume that he will do as he has always done, and that is, what he's told to do.
This isn't intended as a slam, or a personal attack, it's merely an acknowledgment of political reality in America. If he weren't a team player, he wouldn't be the Head of the Judiciary Committee.
We have valid reasons to vent at Mr. Conyers. He campaigned for the job, and his inactivity on the impeachment front is not only an insult to us, but an act of hypocrisy. Basically, business as usual.
If we have any hope of change, we must avoid falling into established patterns. If the progressives of America continue to rant against the incessant corruption evident in every aspect of American life, perhaps we can avoid the demise of the American Empire.
But it won't happen unless we force it through uncertainty.
Soon it will be time for an anti-incumbancy campaign. It doesn't have to be that way. But since we have nothing to lose, politically speaking that is, why should we care about maintaining a political majority?
Burying our heads in the sand after Watergate and the Warren Commission, resulted in our present reality.
Avoiding the inevitable only makes matters worse.
Off topic and sorry, but Congressman Conyers, Congress needs
to read the transcript of the Petraeus report. Saudi Arabia the largest source of foreign fighters
Why are they killing our troops and innocent Iraqi's and we are doing nothing about it.
Conyers blasts DoJ for cherry-picking U.S. attorney docs
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., wants the Justice Department to explain why it has failed to turn over documents in the committee’s investigation of whether politics played a role in prosecutions in Alabama, Wisconsin and Pennyslvania. Conyers and Reps. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Artur Davis, D-Ala., and Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales today demanding the documents.
“The committee’s investigation into the firing of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 has surfaced substantial evidence that improper political pressure has been brought to bear on the U.S. Attorney corps, and that prosecutors who did not serve the administration political goals were fired while others who were dubbed “loyal Bushies” were retained,” the letter states (full text of letter below).
“Since our original letter, even more evidence has come to light showing an aggressive effort run by White House political operatives to use the machinery of government for partisan advantage and establishing that top members of your staff attended political briefings led by Karl Rove,” the lawmakers wrote.
Conyers blasts DoJ for cherry-picking U.S. attorney docs
Conyers demands answers in allegations of political prosecutions
I found out what JC has been doing
I assume others here get his newsletter too. From the newsletter:
Wonder To Be Considered For Medal
Congressman Conyers, has introduced legislation to award Motown legend Stevie Wonder the Congressional Gold Medal. The bill recognizes Wonder’s ground breaking musical achievements, political activism and Incredible contribution to the Music industry.
While I love Stevie Wonder, I do think there is more urgent work that needs to be done.
The time to impeach and get us the heck out of Iraq has come. Please JC, be the leader I know you can be.
McConnell needs to be re questioned
The government’s ability to eavesdrop on terrorism suspects overseas allowed the United States to obtain information that helped lead to the arrests last week of three Islamic militants accused of planning bomb attacks in Germany, Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, told senators on Monday.
But another government official said Mr. McConnell might have misspoken. Mr. McConnell said the information had been obtained under a newly updated and highly contentious wiretapping law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. But the official, who has been briefed on the eavesdropping laws and the information given to the Germans, said that those intercepts were recovered last year under the old law. The official asked for anonymity because the information is classified.
The previous law required officials to seek warrants to monitor at least some phone calls and e-mail messages between two foreign locations when they were collected from fiber-optic cable in the United States; the new law waived that requirement.
This distinction is important because Mr. McConnell’s remarks, on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, were an important part of the Bush administration’s intensifying effort to make permanent the new law, which is scheduled to expire in about five months. Democrats in Congress have said that they want to write more safeguards for civil liberties into the law before renewing it.
New U.S. Law Credited in Arrests Abroad
Better yet -
let it expire and return to the old law - then sock it to the illegitimates who defy the law. Unless, of course, you act to restore habeas corpus. Then maybe eavesdropping might be allowable. When the evil bastriches can snoop, mischaracterize what was said, and hold people indefinitely without charge or redress, we are in bondage to the Nazis. The ONLY REMEDY as I can see it is removal of bastrich number one. Cheney's gotta go!
333 forever!
"Disaster and Devastation" of Bush Administration
Congressman Conyers, as you are very aware, the entire tenure of the Bush Administration has been littered with events and acts of "Disaster and Devastation". The deliberate acts as well as the Administration's monumental incompetence have "Devastated":
- National Security--by ignoring real threats to focus on political "threats" to the GOP--illustrated by the fact that six years after 9/11, OBL is still able to make and disseminate anti-US propaganda and threats.
- Entire government agencies--like the DoJ, VA, Dept. of Interior, to mention a few,
- Entire Cities in the United States--like New Orleans and many areas of the Gulf Region,
- The US Constitution by ignoring and suppressing the Fourth and First Amendments, by hundreds of unlawful "signing statements" which negate the legislation passed by the "Co-equal" Congress,
- The US Military and the US Treasury as a result of the Administration's duplicitous engineering of the unnecesary invasion of Iraq.
- Disaster and Devastation occuring on a global scale environmentally, while the Administration continues to refuse to act and continues to deny the evidence: Arctic Ice Continues Record Melting--Arctic Ice the Size of Florida Gone in a Week and Scientists Warn Arctic Sea Ice Melting At Fastest Rate Since Records Began. And who will reap the consequences?
So, Congressman Conyers--why is Congress silently aiding and abetting the Administration? I understand the "not enough votes" argument, but that does not justify the silent compliance of Congress members who co dependently allow continuation of the "Disaster and Devastation".
Patrick Henry spoke out; even though he knew it could cost him his freedom, his fortune, and ultimately, his life. No member of Congress risks anything comparable by refusing to continue to "go along to get along". In fact, what they risk by continuing to enable the "Disaster and Destruction" is minimal compared to the sacrifices they allowed and continue to allow young American men and women to make in Iraq:
I Got The News Today: For Love of Their Country
IGTNT: Remember Me when I’m Gone Away
IGTNT: Mourning in the Night, Part I
IGTNT: “of the World They were Robbed of
IGTNT: The Debt Unpayable
IGTNT: I Lay These Deaths At Your Feet
Sadly, there are many, many more of these tributes written to honor the memories of those men and women of whom so much is required. Meanwhile, Congress is unwilling to do anything meaningful to stop their slaughter--or to hold accountable the Administration, that keeps requiring their blood sacrifice, based on lies and distortions.
Just more
"Blood Confetti"
Except for a small handful of individuals, is there anyone in this God-forsaken Administration that cares about anything at all outside of themselves? With all that has gone on and goes on, one has to wonder!!!!
"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
What Iraqis think about the surge!
"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Feingold takes a "stab" at "Betrayus" and
"Full of Crock" with questioning on REAL points!
The responses are rather pathetic, to say the least!
"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
I keep coming back...
To the most simplest of all simple questions:
WHY ARE WE IN IRAQ?
They[sic] say it was because of the WMD's, yellow cake uranium from Africa, bio-chem mobile weapon labs, imminent threats, smoking guns and mushroom clouds. But time has told us more TRUTHS then they[sic] ever would have. For if they[sic] had, would we be squandering our troops, taxes and reputation to maintain some semblance of honesty?
They[sic] say it is because of al-Qaeda IN Iraq. There was no al-Qaeda IN Iraq until they[sic] decided to go into Iraq. There were no bombings IN Iraq until they[sic] decided to bomb Iraq. No car bombs, no markets blown to bits, no mass slayings and ethnic cleansing IN Iraq until they[sic] decided to go into Iraq.
The Iraqis had a regularity to their daily lives; A predictability that is all but lost since they[sic] decided to blow the concept of life IN Iraq to shreds.
Neither Petraeus nor Crocker can even address the simplest of simple questions:
WHY ARE WE IN IRAQ?
But I can... A LIE!
And still they[sic] LIE.
Troop deaths are down... LIAR!
Sectarian deaths are down... LIAR!
Is this all they[sic] can do... LIE?
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I M P E A C H
That's the most ignored question in the world!
WHY ARE WE STILL IN IRAQ?
And, WHY does the U.S. never plan to leave Iraq? (I have previously written on this subject.)
Petraeus buys time for Iraq strategy
and
There is much more and all worth reading!
(Please forgive the length.)
"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
And, speaking of al-Qaeda in Iraq!
"They[sic] say it is because of al-Qaeda IN Iraq."
We are funding the Sunni insurgencies, as we continue to talk about al-Qaeda in Iraq.
"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Still Here waiting for us
W A R = F I R E
Agreed: Fire is a threat: To one's home, work, city or town, fire poses an understood threat to one's security when faced with it.
Agreed: It is important to have the best firefighters possible; Fully trained, with the best equipment available so that they CAN fight against fire and provide the community a sense of security concerning ANY threat of fire.
So, why should a community keep around a fire chief and other leaders, that who keep insisting the only way to put out fire is to start other fires so that they can keep the firemen fighting fires? Someone's bound to get burned in this deal... NO?
Isn't the best offense to ANY fire it's prevention, anyway?
Why and how, can a majority of Congress and the president's "yes" men bloviate on about the need for more fire, is beyond my sense of reason. Congressman, do you have any insights to this simplest of analogies?
More fire does not keep the community safer. Nor does more war!
"... Sir, I DON'T KNOW ..."
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I M P E A C H
THEM BOTH !!!
On the subject the Congressman addresses...
I might even say "DISGRACED".
Alberto Gonzales... Mission Accomplished?
On a side note:
Whereas the National Lawyers Guild is meeting on Nov. 1, 2007 and will be voting on an Impeachment resolution to forward on to the man scheduled to give the keynote speech; The Honorable Congressman, John Conyers Jr.
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I M P E A C H
Thanks, Max1,
that's a powerful resolution -- only wish it was sooner than November 1st!
"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
SIXTEEN ARTICLES,,,
And not one can be found in the House Judiciary Committee...
How can this be?
Nixon only had four? And did the NLG have to vote on them before the House Judiciary Committee figured out that something must be done? ... ?
Thanks for the link, Max 1
It is an excellent resolution, even more thorough than H.Res.333. I wish the meeting was before November, like Tahoe.
Isn't it interesting that impeachment is an issue on which so many people agree, including nuns and lawyers? I wonder why members of the House don't agree with so many Americans?
I found this part key
to the resolution and especially encouraging. If adopted the establishment of a NLG Impeachment Committee would make a very well organized and funded organization. One that is essentially a PAC.
Hope still exists!
For me, it is my hope the weight of the nation gets behind this effort and that that weight crushes the few useless DINO's (i.e. Pelosi, Reid, Emanuel, and Hoyer) at the polls, whom IMO, stand in the way as roadblocks to the only path to peace, liberty and justice.
So help me God. Amen.
Bu$h is at it again!
Out of the goodne$$ of his heart, he has decided to "Do Something" about the housing crisis. About 60,000 people who got trapped into buying houses with "Variable Rate" mortgages (mostly people who bought second houses in the hope they could 'flip' them ar a profit before the adjusted (upward) rate kicked in), he proposes that FHA will guarantee a new, low, fixed rate mortgage if the owner can find it. In other words, he is offering a cosmetic 'fix' to people who don't need it, doing NOTHING about the TWO MILLION people who do!
What a hero.
Is there a new Blogroll on the left of the screen now?
Or is it just me?
You aren't imagining things
I see it too.
Thanks for the update Alma
From the Conyers Newsletter:
"Congressman Conyers, has introduced legislation to award Motown legend Stevie Wonder the Congressional Gold Medal. The bill recognizes Wonder’s ground breaking musical achievements, political activism and Incredible contribution to the Music industry."
Thank God that John Conyers has taken this bold step to address a tragic oversight. This was just the sort thing that led me to vote early in last year's election. I remember thinking to myself, If the Dems win control of the House and Senate, maybe Stevie Wonder will finally get the recognition he so richly deserves.
John Conyers and the rest of the Democratic leadership should be congratulated for not being afraid to challenge the anti-Stevie Wonder lobby in Washington.
Its just this sort of bold legislation that puts the lie to those who claim this is a 'Do Nothing Congress'.
Way to go, John!
Now retire.
Pelosi & Emanuel Still Obstructing Justice?
Matt Stoller wrote: The Pelosi and Rahm "Social Club" Neuters Conyers Investigation Snips:
Stoller said:"...This is just disgusting behavior from Nancy Pelosi and Rahm Emanuel..."
"...(quoting "Politico--linked above)House Democratic leaders have decided to postpone a vote on a criminal contempt resolution against White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers for several weeks, and possibly longer, according to top lawmakers and aides...
"...(Politico quote)The decision delays any constitutional showdown, at least for the moment, between Congress and President Bush over the extent of executive privilege and the president's ability to fend off congressional investigations..."
Stoller continues: "...Rarely do fights between the Speaker and Chairman break into public, but this one is..."
(Politico quote continues): "...House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) said he is uncomfortable with the delay and worries the House will be seen as toothless unless it moves quickly to hold top officials in contempt for failing to provide documents and testimony in congressional probes...
"...Conyers said it was critical for Congress to enforce its subpoenas against executive branch officials, including senior White House aides..."
"...Otherwise, we just become a [social] club," Conyers said, adding that he would be reviewing the issue with Pelosi soon...
Thank you, Chairman Conyers for publicly stating your opposition to Speaker Pelosi's extremely poor judgment. I plan to write and call her office to express my astonishment and outrage at her continued enabling of lawbreaking by the Administration.
I agree with Stoller's statement: "...I am tired of being betrayed by people like Pelosi, Emanuel, and Hoyer, who treat Congress like a social club. They are at this point as responsible as partisan operatives like Petraeus for the sad situation of our government."
Thanks so much, unspun, for sharing this story
It helps put some of the dynamics of the House "Leadership" in perspective. The last word of this sentence from the Politico article is - to me - perhaps the most revealing as to the real motives:
"But Pelosi decided to delay a vote until at least late September, and possibly into October. Democrats said they are not yet ready for such a vote because they have not briefed lawmakers on what it would mean and how the controversy would play out, both legally and politically."
POLITICALLY. It sounds like Pelosi needs just a little more time to persuade lawmakers yet again that upholding the Constitution could hurt the Dems politically in 2008.
IMO, the House Leadership is encouraging House Dem impotence, for whatever reason.
I think Conyers is right to worry that the delay will be seen as toothless, and I appreciate the Chairman for speaking out on this issue. In fact, the House has lost several teeth already, and the Dem Leadership just keeps kicking them out. How many teeth does the House have left?
Can the House determine that Pelosi does not have the best interests of the Democratic Party and - more importantly - the American people in mind? Is it possible to choose a new Speaker?
Because, honestly, I have no idea where the current one is "Leading" us...
I'm not surprised...
It wouldn't surprise me if Pelosi thought Conyers should wait until after the 2008 elections.
After all, she has a war to keep funding... NO?
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R E C A L L ?
Who Knew that Pelosi Was a "Bush Dog"?
She talked a good story prior to the election didn't she? Too bad that her performance since the election has made her look more like a "moderate" republican than like a Democrat. And too bad that we've noticed.
One has to ponder . . . .
the motives of Nancy Pelosi, other than political expedience -- was she somehow compromised in some way at the very outset of her role as Madam Speaker?
Whatever the case may be, Madam Speaker has served well as an "obstructionist" to any and all viable efforts to achieve even the remotest of accountability.
"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
My Message to Speaker Pelosi: Why Should We Vote For Dems?
Madam "Speaker" (who does she speak for?), apparently believes that the 2008 election will be a "slam dunk" for the Bush Dog Democrats. She, Emanuel and Hoyer apparently believe that the people who put their money and time into electing Democrats in 2006 will mindlessly do the same in 2008.
Unfortunately for Madame Speaker, she isn't aware or concerned by the fact that the people who worked so hard for a Democratic majority in 2006, but who have seen that the 110th Congress with its Democratic "majority" is indistinguishable from the 109th Congress with its Republican majority--will not help re-elect "Bush Dogs" just because they say they are "Democrats".
Unfortunately for Madam Speaker, for the Democrats, and ultimately for America--many of the people who gave so much money, time, and effort to elect Democrats in 2006 have lived and learned--and they won't be fooled again. Even if the Democrats manage to win a bigger majority in 2008, the performance of the 110th Congress has shown that they apparently don't care what the people who elected them want--and by 2010, they will pay dearly for that insult.
Surge Reduction Sale
Isn't next summer's proposed, maybe, sort of surge reduction kind of like a 20% off the ticket price sale after the store has just raised the price by... 20%?
Is the administration trying to fool the country into thinking we're getting some kind of bargain here?
Silly me to think they might stoop so low...
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You can lead a republican to the truth, but you can't make him think it...
How to ensure Republican control...
only let Republicans vote...
Voter Purging: A Legal Way for Republicans to Swing Elections?
By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet
Posted on September 11, 2007, Printed on September 13, 2007
http://www.alternet.org/story/62133/
The Department of Justice's Voting Section is pressuring 10 states to purge voter rolls before the 2008 election based on statistics that former Voting Section attorneys and other experts say are flawed and do not confirm that those states have more voter registrations than eligible voters, as the department alleges.
Voting Section Chief John Tanner called for the purges in letters sent this spring under an arcane provision in the National Voter Registration Act, better known as the Motor Voter law, whose purpose is to expand voter registration. The identical letters notify states that 10 percent or more of their election jurisdictions have problematic voter rolls. It tells states to report "the subsequent removal from rolls of persons no longer eligible to vote."
"That data does not say what they purport it says," said David Becker, People for the American Way Foundation's senior voting rights counsel and a former Voting Section senior trial attorney, after reviewing the letters and statistics used to call for the purges. "They are saying the data shows the 10 worst voter rolls. They have a lot of explaining to do."
"You are basically seeing them grasping at whatever straws are possible to make their point," said Kim Brace, a consultant who helped the U.S. Election Assistance Commission prepare its 2004 National Voter Registration Act report, which contains the data tables cited by the Voting Section letter to identify the errant states.
The Justice Department would not comment for this report, despite repeated requests.
The 10 states receiving Voting Section purge letters are Iowa, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Vermont. Since 2005, the Section has also sued six other states or cities -- Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Pulaski County, Arkansas -- where purging voter rolls was part of the resulting settlement. Only Missouri fought a Voting Section suit, winning in federal court, although that decision has been appealed.
Democratic Party officials in Washington and state capitals were not fully aware of the latest Voting Section effort to winnow voter rolls, but Democratic National Committee officials said it would be studied in a 50-state review of election practices before 2008.
The voter roll purges are part of an unprecedented effort at the Justice Department to eliminate "voter fraud," which, as defined by Republican activists, is an assumption that Democratic political operatives or sympathetic political organizations have filed fake voter registrations or encouraged supporters to vote more than once to win elections. These claims have been investigated by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and academics and found to be without merit. However, the Bush administration's Justice Department, starting under former Attorney General John Ashcroft, has devoted considerable resources to prosecuting "voter fraud." The effort to pressure states to additionally purge voter rolls is a trickle-down effect of these policies.
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You can lead a republican to the truth, but you can't make him think it...
Why is Bush's kid brother getting federal bucks?
Well, it worked so well in the past, why not give it another try...
Watchdog asks: Why is Bush's kid brother getting federal bucks?
09/12/2007 @ 1:30 pm
Filed by Nick Juliano
An independent watchdog agency has asked the Department of Education to investigate why President Bush's younger brother, Neil, has received money earmarked for the president's signature education initiative to sell a curriculum program that has not been subjected to the rigorous evaluation it deserves.
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Neil Bush, 52, who has no background in education, founded Ignite! Learning in 1999 with donations from his parents and a slate of international business interests. The company produces "Curriculum on Wheels" devices -- computer/projectors that are pre-loaded with software aimed at preparing students for standardized tests that are the central tenet of the president's No Child Left Behind law.
The "COWs" are sold to school districts at a cost of $3,800 to $4,200, although they have not been subjected to peer-reviewed scientific studies, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. CREW says nearly $1 million has been spent on the systems in 16 school districts, mostly in Texas, where George W. Bush served as governor before his election in 2000, and Florida, where brother Jeb Bush is governor.
The watchdog group is requesting an investigation from the Education Department's inspector general, alleging that the Ignite! systems do not meet the standards laid out by Congress dictating how NCLB funds can be spent.
"It is astonishing that taxpayer dollars are being spent on unproven educational products to the financial benefit of the president’s brother," Melanie Sloan, CREW's executive director, said in a news release. "The IG should investigate whether children’s educations are being sacrificed so that Neil Bush can rake in federal funds."
Neil Bush first attracted public scrutiny for his role in the Savings and Loan scandals of the late 1980s when a Colorado S&L on whose board he served failed. The scandal cost taxpayers $1.6 billion.
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You can lead a republican to the truth, but you can't make him think it...
9/11 - the big cover-up?
9/11 - the big cover-up?
Even the chair of the 9/11 Commission now admits that the official evidence they were given was 'far from the truth'.
Peter Tatchell
London Guardian
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Six years after 9/11, the American public have still not been provided with a full and truthful account of the single greatest terror attack in US history.
What they got was a turkey. The 9/11 Commission was hamstrung by official obstruction. It never managed to ascertain the whole truth of what happened on September 11 2001.
The chair and vice chair of the 9/11 Commission, respectively Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, assert in their book, Without Precedent, that they were "set up to fail" and were starved of funds to do a proper investigation. They also confirm that they were denied access to the truth and misled by senior officials in the Pentagon and the federal aviation authority; and that this obstruction and deception led them to contemplate slapping officials with criminal charges.
Despite the many public statements by 9/11 commissioners and staff members acknowledging they were repeatedly lied to, not a single person has ever been charged, tried, or even reprimanded, for lying to the 9/11 Commission.
From the outset, the commission seemed to be hobbled. It did not start work until over a year after the attacks. Even then, its terms of reference were suspiciously narrow, its powers of investigation curiously limited and its time-frame for producing a report unhelpfully short - barely a year to sift through millions of pages of evidence and to interview hundreds of key witnesses.
The final report did not examine key evidence, and neglected serious anomalies in the various accounts of what happened. The commissioners admit their report was incomplete and flawed, and that many questions about the terror attacks remain unanswered. Nevertheless, the 9/11 Commission was swiftly closed down on August 21 2004.
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You can lead a republican to the truth, but you can't make him think it...