American Caesar

I know there's no blow job involved, but we still need to impeach the Worst President Ever.

It's hard to imagine saying this just five years ago, but the fact that the President personally authorized a secretive eavesdropping program in the United States more than three dozen times isn't the big deal here. It isn't because it's just one more drop in the bucket. Once more instance where this President has shown his disregard for our Constitution and the Rule of Law. As Jack Cafferty said on CNN on Friday:

Who cares if the Patriot Act gets renewed. Want to abuse our civil liberties-Just do it! Who cares about the Geneva conventions? Want to torture prisoners-Just do it! Who cares about rules concerning the identity of CIA agents. Want to reveal the name of a covert operative? Just do it!

Who cares about whether the intelligence concerning WMD's is accurate. You want to invade Iraq? Just do it. Who cares about qualifications to serve on the nation's highest court. Want to nominate a personal friend with no qualifications? Just do it.

And the latest outrage, which I read about in "The New York Times" this morning, who cares about needing a court order to eavesdrop on American citizens. Want to wiretap their phones conversations? Just do it.... What a joke. A very cruel, very sad joke.

(And he left out the parts where the DOD spies on peace protesters and where we "render" [kidnap] people to places where we know that they will be tortured or killed. )

We need to start seriously saying the "i" word.

And, yes, I know that the Republican controlled House of Representatives will never bring articles of impeachment against Bush. As this article shows, they cannot be counted on for even the most basic oversight:

In an interview last week, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, said "it's a fair comment" that the GOP-controlled Congress has done insufficient oversight and "ought to be" doing more.

"Republican Congresses tend to overinvestigate Democratic administrations and underinvestigate their own," said Davis, who added that he has tried to pick up some of the slack with his committee. "I get concerned we lose our separation of powers when one party controls both branches."

Democrats on the committee said the panel issued 1,052 subpoenas to probe alleged misconduct by the Clinton administration and the Democratic Party between 1997 and 2002, at a cost of more than $35 million. By contrast, the committee under Davis has issued three subpoenas to the Bush administration, two to the Energy Department over nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain, and one last week to the Defense Department over Katrina documents.

But that does not matter. We need to talk impeachment because it is warranted and because we need to ready the American public for it. The word needs to be out there. It needs to be a regular part of the debate NOW or winning in 2006 won't matter all that much because starting to talk impeachment them will just be seen as so much payback.

MyDD asks the question here: "Should MyDD run professional polls on censuring or impeaching Bush for spying on US citizens without a warrant?"

Our answer must be: YES!

(If you're at all still uncertain as to whether Bush should be impeached, there are some excellent arguments to be found here, here and here.)

Ours is a government of laws, not men.

Bush has betrayed the American People and our Supreme Law (the Constitution).

If we do not call him out as the Caesar that he is, we do not deserve to call ourselves Americans.

Kudos to the P-G Editorial Board

They wrote this:

The Bush administration is continuing its assault on Americans' privacy and freedom in the name of the war on terrorism.

First, in 2002, according to extensive reporting in The New York Times on Friday, it secretly authorized the National Security Agency to intercept and keep records of Americans' international phone and e-mail messages without benefit of a previously required court order. Second, it has permitted the Department of Defense to get away with not destroying after three months, as required, records of American Iraq war protesters in the Pentagon's Threat and Local Observation Notice, or TALON, database.

The editorial ends like this:

The White House needs to tell the Pentagon promptly to destroy the records of protesters as required, within three months. It also needs promptly to tell the NSA to return to following the rules, to get the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court before monitoring Americans' communications. The idea that all of this is being done to us in the name of national security doesn't wash; that is the language of a police state. Those are the unacceptable actions of a police state.

Let me retype out those last few words, in bold letters and with a larger font to emphasize their importance:

Those are the unacceptable actions of a police state.

I can hear the apologists now:

Police state? How dare they compare America to a police state! Once again the liberal media is showing its insensitivity to the real victims of police states all over the world. They refuse to see that our President is only trying to protect us from the terrorist evildoers all over the world who hate us and want to kill us. Don't you remember 9/11? So a few international calls were tapped, who cares when it could stop another 9/11! Which would you rather have, some terrorist sympathizer's* phone tapped or another 9/11? That's the choice facing our President since 9/11. Tap a few international calls or risk another 9/11. What would you do to keep America safe?

*For the sake of full disclosure, I've been labelled an "anti-American" and a "terrorist sympathizer" on Fred Honsberger's TV show. Does this mean I have an NSA file?

Hang on, there's a knock at the door. I'll be right ba-

An Amazing Few Days

So much has happened in Murika in the last few days, it's seems rather overwhemling to try to make some sense out of it.

Martin Garbus is a partner at the lawfirm of Davis and Gilbert, LLP and at his blog-space at the Huffington Post, he summed up the last few days beautifully.

You can find it here.

Today, for two separate reasons, has been an incredible day in America. First, the United States has legitimized torture and secondly, the President has admitted to an impeachable offense.

First, the media has been totally misled on the alleged Bush-McCain agreement on torture. McCain capitulated. It is not a defeat for Bush. It is a win for Cheney.

Torture is not banned or in any way impeded.

Under the compromise, anyone charged with torture can defend himself if a "reasonable" person could have concluded they were following a lawful order.

That defense "loophole" totally corrodes the ban. It is the CIA, or the torturing agency, who will decide what a "reasonable" person could have concluded. Can you imagine those agencies in the interrogation business torturing on their own in trying to decide what is reasonable or what is not? What is not "reasonable" if the interrogator (wrongfully or rightfully) believes he has a ticking-bomb situation? Will a CIA or military officer issue a narrow order if he knows his interrogator believes, in this case, torture will work?

The Bush-McCain torture compromise legitimizes torture. It is the first time that has happened in this country. Not in the two World Wars, Korea, the Cold War or Vietnam did the government ever seek or get the power this bill gives them.

The worst part of it is that most of the media missed it and got it wrong.

Secondly, the President in authorizing surveillance without seeking a court order has committed a crime. The Federal Communications Act criminalizes surveillance without a warrant. It is an impeachable offense. This was also totally missed by the media.

On the torture part, it's something I hadn't heard. Here's what CBS news had to say about it:

Additional language to the amendment obtained by CBS News chief White House correspondent John Roberts sought to provide a defense to protect U.S. officials authorized to interrogate persons believed to be a threat and thought to be legal. The amendment states: "It shall be a defense that such officer, employee, member of the Armed Forces or other agent did not know that the practices were unlawful and a person of ordinary sense and understanding would not know the practices were unlawful."

And:

Under the deal, CIA interrogators would be given the same legal rights as currently guaranteed members of the military who are accused of breaking interrogation guidelines. Those rules say the accused can defend themselves by arguing it was reasonable for them to believe they were obeying a legal order.

Here's the complete text of the protection language.

Here's the section (as far as I know - I am by no means a lawyer) of the US Code that deals with Electronic Surveillance.

They impeached the last guy because of a blue dress with a stain on it - how much more will it take to impeach this guy? In the opinion of at least one lawyer, HE BROKE THE LAW. HE COMMITTED A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

He should be impeached.

Patriot Act Not Reauthorized in the Senate

Senate Rejects Extension of Patriot Act

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Friday rejected attempts to reauthorize several provisions of the USA Patriot Act as infringing too much on Americans' privacy and liberty, dealing a huge defeat to the Bush administration and Republican leaders.

In a crucial vote early Friday, the bill's Senate supporters were not able to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a threatened filibuster by Sens. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and their allies. The final vote was 52-47.

[snip]

But the Patriot Act's critics got a boost from a New York Times report saying Bush authorized the National Security Agency to monitor the international phone calls and international e-mails of hundreds — perhaps thousands — of people inside the United States. Previously, the NSA typically limited its domestic surveillance to foreign embassies and missions and obtained court orders for such investigations.

"I don't want to hear again from the attorney general or anyone on this floor that this government has shown it can be trusted to use the power we give it with restraint and care," said Feingold, the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001.

"It is time to have some checks and balances in this country," shouted Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record), ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. "We are more American for doing that."

On the afternoon of 9/11, the following thought crossed my mind for the first and last time:

"Thank God Gore isn't President."

I didn't think this because I thought Gore would have been the wrong man to be in the office at the time. I thought it because I knew that the Republicans would have blamed the Democrats for 9/11 and would never rally around him the way the entire country (including the Democrats in office) rallied around Bush.

Of course I worried about the corollary to this thought only a few days later:

The entire country has rallied around Bush and the Bush Administration/ Republicans will use that to wage war on the world at large and on the civil rights of the citizens at home.

Shortly after 9/11, Congress passed the Patriot Act and Bush signed it into law on October 26, 2001. Some had concerns about it almost immediately, but most were caught up in the fear and turmoil of 9/11. Ever so slowly, however, the tide turned against the act.

Howard Dean has famously said, "You can't trust Republicans with your money," but a growing segment of the populace has also come to the conclusion that you cannot trust Republicans with your civil liberties either.

A movement against the Patriot Act took hold at the grassroots level with more than 400 counties, municipalities and states now having passed resolutions or ordinances of opposition to parts of the act, including Pittsburgh, PA.

From Bush's arm having to be twisted to agree to an anti-torture bill to the very recent revelations that Bush secretly authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the US without court-approved warrants ordinarily required for domestic spying, the American public is coming to see the Bush Administration for what it is:

Worse than the Nixon Administration.
We congratulate the Senators who voted "nay" and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis) in particular. Feingold was the only senator to vote against the original Patriot Act and he led the fight against it being reauthorized today.

tags: Patriot Act Patriot Act Reauthorization Vote patriot act not reauthorized

HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY::: GREEN DRINKS (A Holiday Edition)
Beer, The Enviroment & Sean Brady = Good Time

Friday, December 16, 2005
5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Phipps Cafe© at Phipps Conservatory
One Schenley Park
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3830

GREEN DRINKS is a monthly happy hour/networking event for folks with an interest in the environmental future of Pittsburgh, outdoors stuff, or for the purists, an interest in drinks.

GREEN DRINKS has been meeting at Phipps all year, but in January they'll start taking the show around the city. This month's speaker Sean Brady from Venture Outdoors! There will be a discussion of some of the great outdoor activities you can take part in during a Pittsburgh winter.

MORE INFO: Shawn Westcott shawnmwestcott@yahoo.com


SATURDAY::: GEORGIA BERNER OPEN HOUSE
Meet Georgia Berner (running for Congress in the 4th district -- North Hills and counties north of Allegheny)

Saturday, December 17th, 2005
1:00 Pm – 3:00 PM
222 Bridge Street
Bridgewater, PA
(Coffee, Cocoa & Cookies)

"Come find out what is going on with my campaign for Congress, meet my team, and share stories of our concerns and hopes for our region. I look forward to meeting you there! "

The campaign office in Bridgewater (Beaver County) is OPEN and is located on Bridge Street in Bridgewater, just over the Beaver River from the K-Mart and Giant Eagle in Rochester.

Check out Georgia’s interview in PoliticsPa: http://politicspa.com/FEATURES/Interviews/berner.htm

"With your help – we can win this race! We are just weeks away from the important end of year FEC deadline. Please help Georgia’s campaign by making a donation before Dec. 30th." http://www.georgiaberner.com

You can contact the campaign at 724.770.2220 or contact@georgiaberner.com

R.S.V.P at:
http://www.evite.com/contact@georgiaberner.com/openhouse


SATURDAY::: LUPEC ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY
LUPEC HOLIDAY PARTY Honoring the Duchess! All Hail Her Royal Majesty Duchess

Saturday, December 17, 2005
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
The Lava Lounge
2204 E Carson St. (South Side)
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
412-431-5282

LUPEC are the Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails. This Saturday they will celebrate at their annual holiday party which will also honor the "Duchess" (Norma-Jean Wofford Robinson, d. 2005).

"Norma-Jean was my first sidekick, we did everything together. She was like family which is why I told everyone she was my sister. There was no one else like her and I will miss her very much." --Bo Diddley, 2005

Did you know that Bo Diddley's guitar player was a young lady from the Hill District right here in Pittsburgh?

Neither did we.

But, now that we all know it, LUPEC wants to celebrate her and they hope that you will join them at their annual holiday party.

LUPEC will be featuring a new cocktail created by Del Marcus of The Lava Lounge in honor of Norma-Jean Wofford Robinson, aka "Duchess". Three other endangered cocktails will be released into the wild as part of LUPEC's Endangered Cocktail Breed and Release Program.

http://www.lupec.org

The 2005 Koufax Awards -- Nominations Are Open

"The Koufax Awards are named for Sandy Koufax, one of the greatest left handed pitchers of all time. They are intended to honor the best blogs and bloggers of the left."

There are 15 categories: Best Blog, Best Blog—Pro Division, Best Blog Community, Best Writing, Best Post, Best Series, Best Single Issue Blog, Best Group Blog, Most Humorous Blog, Most Humorous Post, Most Deserving of Wider Recognition, Best Expert Blog, Best New Blog, Best Coverage of State or Local Issues, and Best Commenter.

You can use the comments section here to nominate your favorite blog/blogger/blog post. (hint, hint)

Melissa Hart does the Right thing (again)

And again, I'll leave it to the reader to decide whether the title is a pun.

Here's something I picked up at her website. Let's get the nit-picky stuff out of the way first. The webmaster (mistress??) over there titled the press release:

Congresswoman Hart Applauds Introduction of the Public Trust and Accountability Act

But then take a look at the first couple of paragraphs:

Congresswoman Melissa Hart, a member of the House Ethics Committee, issued the following statement today on the introduction of the Public Trust and Accountability Act.

“One of the most important responsibilities any federal government employee is charged with, especially elected members of the Congress and the Executive Branch, is to uphold the integrity of public service,” said Hart, who is an original co-sponsor of the measure.

So wait a second. She co-sponsored the bill, and yet she's applauding its introduction?

Doesn't that mean she's applauding something she herself did?

Maybe I am reading too much into it. Can I go to work today and do my job and then issue a press release applauding the fact that that job was done?

In any event, here's what her press release says about the act:

The Public Trust and Accountability Act amends current law (5 USC 8312) and expands its scope to ensure that all federal employees, elected and appointed, convicted of federal “white-collar” offenses such as bribery, illegal solicitation of gifts or campaign contributions and perjury, also lose their pension benefits.

This all seems pretty clear. BUT (as there always is in these sorts of stories) there's more. The Post-Gazette has this to say:

Pennsylvania Rep. Melissa Hart and a group of House colleagues introduced a proposal yesterday that would force federal employees to give up their pensions if convicted of such crimes as bribery, solicitation of gifts or perjury.

The group said the recent revelations about former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., who took $2.4 million in bribes from defense firms in exchange for helping them to win government contracts, had spurred the lawmakers to fight for more severe punishments for officials who misuse their office.

Ms. Hart, R-Bradford Woods, said the intent of the legislation was to show the public that Congress will not stand for abuses of public trust. "When public servants fail to meet their responsibilities, and especially when they choose to break the law in these ways, it's important for us to show we mean business and we won't accept that kind of behavior," she said.

An article in The Hill quotes Congresswoman Hart:

“Members of Congress did not condone [Cunningham’s actions]. In fact, members of Congress are pretty angry about it.”

HOWEVER (and you're gonna love this) tucked in the tail end, the very last paragraph of the P-G article is this:

The act would not be retroactive -- meaning it would not affect the pension of Mr. Cunningham or an official such as I. Lewis Libby, the vice president's former chief of staff, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in October on five counts, including perjury and making false statements, related to an inquiry into the public disclosure of a covert CIA operative's identity.

So basically, no matter how angry the Republicans have gotten over the Duke-stir and even though, in Congresswoman Hart's words, they don't condone his actions, the law that rose in reaction to Cunningham's various corruptions still wouldn't apply to him.

So even if Tom Delay's found guilty of the "white collar" crime that Hart's "Accountability Act" describes, he'd still get his government pension - am I reading this right?

So the whole thing is just a smoke screen, isn't it? They get to look like they're doing something about the corruption in the House (with this threat to cut off pensions), but for the big guns IN the House who are currently under indictment, their pensions are protected.

Melissa Hart, always doing the Right thing...

And, yes. It is a pun.

The "War On Chrismas" Christmas Cards

These pretty much speak for themselves:






(Click on each view larger images)

Baby Got PAC: Why there's even less difference between Santorum and Casey than you may think

KA-ching!

What's that sound?

It's the sound of the money being given by the same PACS to both Sen. Man-on-Dog (R-Va) and Bob "I put myown self to sleep when I talk" Casey, Jr. (DINO).

Last week Bob Casey's campaign asked, "Who owns Rick Santorum?" The answer is, the same people who own Bob Casey. Have a look at this.

These PACs have given a lot of money to Bob Casey: Cozen and O'Connor PAC, Delaware Valley PAC, Genesis Healthcare Corporation PAC, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP PAC, PH&S Federal PAC, Reed Smith PAC and the Tercenary Fund.

The same PACs bankroll Rick Santorum. But wait, there's more!

Bob Casey takes money from JazzPAC. Sounds like Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins formed a political action committee, doesn't it? Actually, it's Exelon, Northrop Grumman, SmithKline Beecham, Koch Industries, General Electric, and a bunch of others. Casey also took money from Narragansett Bay PAC. Must be environmental. Sure looks like a J. Crew ad. Nah, it's General Dynamics, SmithKline Beecham, Ernst & Young, Raytheon, General Electric, Bank of America; is this starting to sound familiar? And then, there's Ameripac. Can't you just smell the apple pie cooling? Well hold your nose; it's Harrah's, Tropicana, Bacardi, MGM Mirage, Time Warner, the New York Stock Exchange, General Dynamics, Bell South, Clear Channel; the list goes on. And that shadowy 527 group that Casey "exposed," Americans for Job Security? Their biggest donor is the American Insurance Association, which gave money to CHRISPAC, which gave money to Casey. And this is just the tip of a nearly half-million dollar iceberg.

Santorum or Casey: take your pick. Either way, you get the same people and the same lame excuses for prolonging the war, blocking universal health care, and undermining our fundamental rights. Either way, it's bridges to nowhere, pay raises for legislators, and defense contractors plundering what's left of the US Treasury. Either way, Pennsylvanians lose.

Mike from Comments from Left Field has published the full list of the kind folks who have given to both Santorum and Casey (and it's a LONG one):

There are 7 committees who gave directly to both Casey and Santorum:
COZEN O'CONNOR POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
DELAWARE VALLEY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
GENESIS HEALTHCARE CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
KIRKPATRICK & LOCKHART NICHOLSON GRAHAM LLP POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
PH&S FEDERAL PAC
REED SMITH POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
TERCENTENARY FUND

There are 8 committees who gave directly to Casey and indirectly to Santorum:
AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION-COPE
AMERICAN CRYSTAL SUGAR COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
ASSOCIATION OF TRIAL LAWYERS OF AMERICA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (ATLA PAC)
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIREFIGHTERS INTERESTED IN REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION PAC
INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF BOILERMAKERS, IN SP BLDRS, BKMTHS, FRGRS & HLPRS-LEG ED..FUND
MANTECH INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
NEA FUND FOR CHILDREN AND PUBLIC EDUCATION
UNITED TRANSPORTATION UNION (UTU) TRANSPORTATION POLITICAL EDUCATION LEAGUE

There are 151 committees who gave indirectly to Casey and directly to Santorum:
ABBOTT LABORATORIES EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
ACCENTURE PAC
ACE INA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
AEGON USA INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
AETNA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
AFFILIATED COMPUTER SERVICES INC. GOOD GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
AFLAC INCORPORATED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE AFLACPAC
AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS INC. POLITICAL ALLIANCE
AKIN, GUMP, STRAUSS, HAUER & FELD LLP CIVIC ACTION COMMITTEE
ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
ALTRIA GROUP INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
AMERICA'S COMMUNITY BANKERS COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
AMERICA'S HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS PAC (AHIP PAC)
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY INC POLITICAL COMMITTEE (OPHTHPAC)
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSE ANESTHETISTS SEPARATE SEGREGATED FUND (CRNA-PAC)
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF RADIOLOGY ASSOCIATION
AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LIFE INSURERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AXPPAC)
AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION PAC
AMERICAN HOTEL AND LODGING ASSOCIATION PAC
AMERICAN INSURANCE ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
AMERICAN MARITIME OFFICERS VOLUNTARY POLITICAL ACTION FUND
AMERICAN PODIATRIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION INC PODIATRY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
AMERICAN SPEECH-LANGUAGE-HEARING ASSOCIATION PAC
ANHEUSER-BUSCH COMPANIES INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
ARENT FOX PLLC PAC (AFPAC)
ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN RAILROADS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (RAIL PAC)
ASSURANT INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
AT&T INC. FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AT&T FEDERAL PAC) BELLSOUTH CORPORATION EMPLOYEES' FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
BEVERLY ENTERPRISES INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (BEV PAC)
BIOGEN IDEC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
BLUEPAC - BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
BOEING POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE ("BSC PAC")
BUCHANAN INGERSOLL PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION COMMITTEE FOR EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT "BIPC PAC"
BUILD POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS
BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE CORPORATION RAILPAC (BNSF RAILPAC)
C J PAC CEISLER JUBELIRER LLC
CALPINE CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
CAREER COLLEGE ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
CHARLES SCHWAB CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
CHUBB CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE-CHUBBPAC, THE
CINGULAR WIRELESS LLC EMPLOYEE PAC
CITIGROUP INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE-FEDERAL (CITIGROUP PAC-FEDERAL)
CLEAR CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
COMCAST CORP. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
COMERICA INCORPORATED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
CONSTELLATION ENERGY GROUP INC. FEDERAL PAC
COUNCIL OF INSURANCE AGENTS & BROKERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE; THE
CREDIT SUISSE FIRST BOSTON CORPORATION GOV'T ACTION FUND
CREDIT UNION LEGISLATIVE ACTION COUNCIL OF CUNA
CROPLIFE AMERICA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
DEALERS ELECTION ACTION COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE DEALERS ASSOCIATION
DELOITTE & TOUCHE FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
DICKSTEIN SHAPIRO MORIN & OSHINSKY LLP POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE ("DSMO PAC")
DISTRICT NO 1-PCD MEBA POLITICAL ACTION FUND (MEBA-PAF)
DLA PIPER RUDNICK GRAY CARY US LLP POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (DLA PIPER PAC)
ELI LILLY AND COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
EMPLOYEES OF NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION PAC
ENTERGY CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE "ENPAC"
ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
ERNST & YOUNG POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
EXELON CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (EXELONPAC)
FEDERAL EXPRESS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION POLTICAL ACTION COMMITTEE AKA FANNIE MAE PAC
FEDERATION OF AMERICAN HOSPITALS PAC (FEDPAC); (FKA AMERICAN HEALTH SYSTEMS PAC)
FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE PAC
FMR CORP. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
FULBRIGHT & JAWORSKI L L P FEDERAL COMMITTEE
GENERAL DYNAMICS VOLUNTARY POLITICAL CONTRIBUTION PLAN (GDVPCP)
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (GM PAC)
GIBSON DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP PAC
GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE, THE
HARTFORD FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP INC ADVOCATES FUND FKA (HARTFORD ADVOCATES FUND)
HSBC NORTH AMERICA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (H-PAC)
HUMANE USA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY BANKERS OF AMERICA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENTS OF AMERICA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (INSURPAC)
INVESTMENT COMPANY INSTITUTE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (ICI PAC)
J. P. MORGAN CHASE & CO. PAC
JACOBS GOOD GOVERNMENT FUND
JOHNSON & JOHNSON EMPLOYEES' GOOD GOVERNMENT FUND
KEYCORP ADVOCATES FUND
KING & SPALDING NONPARTISAN COMMITTEE FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT
KOCH INDUSTRIES INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (KOCHPAC)
KPMG PARTNERS/PRINCIPALS & EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
L-3 COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
MBNA CORPORATION FEDERAL POLITICAL COMMITTEE
MEDTRONIC INC. MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY FUND
METLIFE INC. EMPLOYEES' POLITICAL PARTICIPATION FUND A
MICROSOFT CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
MILLER BREWING COMPANY PAC
MORGAN STANLEY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
MORTGAGE BANKERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS TELEVISION AND RADIO POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL ADVISORS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
NATIONAL MULTI HOUSING COUNCIL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA POLITICAL VICTORY FUND
NEW CENTURY FINANCIAL CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
NEWS AMERICA HOLDINGS INC-FOX POL ACTION COMMITTEE (AKA NEWS AMERICA-FOX POL ACTION CMTE
NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
O'MELVENY & MYERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
ORACLE CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
OWENS CORNING BETTER GOVERNMENT FUND
PAUL HASTINGS JANOFSKY & WALKER LLP POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
PFIZER INC. PAC
PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH & MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA BETTER GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
PHARMERICA INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE AKA PPAC
PRINCIPAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
PROPERTY CASUALTY INSURERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PCIPAC)
PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AKA - PRUDENTIAL PAC)
PURDUE PHARMA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PURDUE PAC)
R.J. REYNOLDS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE; REYNOLDS AMERICAN INC.
RAYTHEON COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
REAL ESTATE ROUNDTABLE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE REALPAC FKA NATIONAL REALTY PAC
ROCHE INC. GOOD GOVERNMENT FUND
SALLIE MAE INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (SALLIE MAE PAC)
SAP AMERICA INC PAO
SEAFARERS POLITICAL ACTIVITY DONATION-SEAFARERS INTERNAT'L UNION OF NA-AGLIWD DIST (SPAD)
SECURITIES INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
SMITHKLINE BEECHAM CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (GLAXOSMITHKLINE PAC)
SOCIETY OF THORACIC SURGEONS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
SONNENSCHEIN NATH & ROSENTHAL LLP POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (SONNENSCHEIN PAC)
SPRINT NEXTEL CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
ST. PAUL TRAVELERS COMPANIES INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (STA PAC), THE
THE BOND MARKET ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
TIME WARNER POLITICAL ACTION CMTE
TRUCKING POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS INC.
UBS AMERICAS FUND FOR BETTER GOVERNMENT
UNION PACIFIC CORP. FUND FOR EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT
UNISYS CORPORATION EMPLOYEES PAC
UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
UNITED STATES TELECOM ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (TELECOMPAC)
UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INCORPORATED PAC (UNITED FOR HEALTH)
UST INC. EXECUTIVES ADMINISTRATORS AND MANAGERS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
VENTUREPAC
VERIZON WIRELESS/VERIZON COMM INC PAC
WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS EMPLOYEES PAC (DISNEY EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE)
WASHINGTON GROUP INTERNATIONAL INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
WASTE MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEES BETTER GOVERNMENT FUND
WELLPOINT INC. WELLPAC
WEYERHAEUSER COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
WINE AND SPIRITS WHOLESALERS OF AMERICA, INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
XCEL ENERGY EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
YAHOO! INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE

There are 73 committees who gave indirectly to both Casey and Santorum:
AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
ALASKA AIR GROUP INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
ALLIED CAPITAL CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (ALLIEDCAPPAC)
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF AUDIOLOGY INC PAC
AMERICAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION PAC (BANKPAC)
AMERICAN GAMING ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
AMERICAN GAS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE; THE (GASPAC)
AMERICAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSOCIATION INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AOTPAC), THE
AMERICAN OPTOMETRIC ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
AMERICAN PILOTS' ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
AMERICAN RESORT DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (ARDA-PAC)
AMERICAN ROAD AND TRANSPORTATION BUILDERS ASSOCIATION PAC
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF MICHIGAN POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (BCBSM PAC)
BROWN-FORMAN CORPORATION NON-PARTISAN COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT
CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORP. ASSOC. POLITICAL FUND
CARPENTERS LEGISLATIVE IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE UNITED BROTHERHOOD OF CARPENTERS AND JOINERS
CHEVY CHASE BANK F S B POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
CINERGY CORP POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
CNF INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
COLLEGE OF AMERICAN PATHOLOGISTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT OF TEMPLE-INLAND INC. (FKA CMTE FOR GOOD GOV OF TE..)
COMMITTEE FOR/ADV OF SE COTTON (CASC) SOUTHERN COTTONGROWERS INC/SE COTTON GINNERS ASSN
COMPTEL/ALTS PAC
DELTA DENTAL PLANS ASSOCIATION PAC (DELTAPAC)
DIRECT VOICE THE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE OF THE DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION
DRIVE - DEMOCRAT REPUBLICAN INDEPENDENT VOTER EDUCATION - PAC FOR INT'L BROTHERHOOD OF T
DYKEMA GOSSETT FEDERAL PAC
E*TRADE FINANCIAL CORPORATION PAC
EBAY INC-COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE INTERNET COMMERCE
FAA MANAGERS ASSOCIATION INC. PAC
FMC CORPORATION GOOD GOVERNMENT PROGRAM
FMR CORP. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE - FEDERAL
FPL PAC FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT CO EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
GENENTECH INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (GENENPAC)
HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
INTERNATIONAL PAPER POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PAINTERS AND ALLIED TRADES POLITICAL ACTION TOGETHER POLITICAL COMM
LASALLE BANK CORPORATION FEDERAL PAC, THE
LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY-PAC
MANAGED FUNDS ASSOCIATION PAC (MFA PAC) FKA MANAGED FUTURES ASSOC PAC (MFA PAC)
MCGUIREWOODS LLP
MERRILL LYNCH & CO. INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
MGM MIRAGE PAC
MICHIGAN CREDIT UNION LEAGUE LEGISLATIVE ACTION FUND
MORTGAGE INSURANCE COMPANIES OF AMERICA POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
MWH AMERICAS INC. EMPLOYEE PAC
NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AKA NATCA PAC)
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR UNIFORMED SERVICES PAC
NATIONAL FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION OF THE U S INC POLITICAL ACTION CMTE (NFDA-PAC)
NCR CORPORATION CITIZENSHIP FUND
NELSON, MULLINS, RILEY & SCARBOROUGH FEDERAL POLITICAL COMMITTEE
NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
OLDCASTLE MATERIALS INC. PAC
OVERNITE CORPORATION EMPLOYEE PAC (AKA OVERNITE EMPLOYEE PAC)
OWNER-OPERATOR INDEPENDENT DRIVERS ASSN INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AKA OOIDA-PAC)
PG&E CORPORATION EMPLOYEES ENERGYPAC
PHYSICAL THERAPY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
PLANNING SYSTEMS INCORPORATED PAC
PMI MORTGAGE INSURANCE CO FEDERAL PAC
PROVIDIAN BANCORP SERVICES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
QUALCOMM INCORPORATED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (QPAC)
QWEST COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
SHAW GROUP INC/STONE & WEBSTER INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
SUN PAC
SWISHER INTERNATIONAL INC PAC FUND
VANGUARD COMMITTEE FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT
VERIZON COMMUNICATION INC GOOD GOVT CLUB
WAL-MART STORES INC. PAC FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT
WASHINGTON MUTUAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (WMPAC)

So now you're asking yourself, "What am I supposed to do?" "We have to get Tricky Ricky out and Bob's the Candidate with the "D" beside his name.

Well, I have the scoop on some news that doesn't get ANY play in the MSM:

Despite what the Powers That Be would have you believe, there's actually OTHER Democrats running in this election, and despite Chuck Schumer's best efforts to have us all forget about it,

THERE'S STILL A PRIMARY ON MAY 16TH.There's a candidate out there who refuses to take money from any PAC. He's actually pro-choice in a BLUE STATE. And that matters because Casey is completely anti-choice. Perhaps that's why Casey's slipped 6 points in the polls. Despite his best efforts, the elctorate is starting to learn what his views are and who backs him.

Furthermore a recent Quinnipiac Poll shows that:

When it is pointed out to pro-choice Casey voters that he and Santorum both oppose legalized abortion, 63 percent of the Democrat's supporters say they still will vote for him, while 22 percent say they will not vote in this race.

Hear that Schumer, Reid and Hillary? Twenty-two percent will sit out the race because you all decided that it was good for the party to run an anti-choice candidate in a BLUE STATE. And that 22% means bye-bye to a Casey win.

So who's the candidate who refuses PAC money? The one who won't have anyone who's pro-choice, pro-living wage, strongly anti-Iraq War sitting on their hands?

It's Chuck Pennacchio. And, I implore you to check him out here or donate to his campaign here.

The Bubble-zone Ordinance PASSED

Rich Lord wrote today:

Pittsburgh City Council gave final approval to legislation restricting protests outside of abortion clinics and other healthcare facilities today.

Mayor Tom Murphy's administration would not say whether he will sign the ordinance, but the council majority in favor of it appears large enough to override a veto.

The vote was 6-3 in favor of barring protestors from getting within 15 feet of the doors of any healthcare facility. Inside of 100 feet from the doors, protesters could not approach within eight feet of clients without their consent.

The Downtown-based Women's Law Project heralded the passage as a win for clinic clients who are "often subjected to intensely confrontational and sometimes physically intimidating protest activity" when approaching the facilities.

Other groups have said the ordinance is a restriction on free speech and have pledged to challenge it in court if it is enforced.

Recent Posts

An Open Letter to My Councilman, Gene Ricciardi

Dear Councilman Ricciardi:

I was unable to attend the Pittsburgh City Council meeting on Wednesday, December 7, 2005, and couldn't see a broadcast of that meeting until this week. When I was finally able to view the meeting, I was both surprised and dismayed at the statement that you made before voting against the "Bubble Zone" Ordinance.

You stated that all the emails you received against the ordinance were personally written while the all the emails you received in favor of it were form letters. I notice that you did not refer to any PHONE CALLS that your office received regarding the ordinance. If you had, you would have had to admit to receiving at least one (NON-FORM) phone call from a CONSTITUENT who asked that you vote in favor of the ordinance.

I know this for a fact because I called your office myself on Tuesday, December 6, 2005.

I will note that I got voicemail, but I did leave a very clear message and the message was left well before 5:00 PM (perhaps you/your staff were too busy reading emails from college students in Ohio to pick up the phone). I will also note that when I called Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle's office minutes later on the same subject, I got an actual person on the phone, and ironically enough, the person who answered actually knew me.

But, then again, I doubt that any phone call or email from actual Pittsburghers (constituents or otherwise) in favor of the ordinance would have made a dent in your decision process. You biases showed immediately in your pre-vote statement when you referred to all clinic patients as "Moms," a term that is not only emotionally loaded, but inaccurate as non-pregnant women also go to these clinics for basic health care services.

You further stated that there was a need to communicate effectively to these "Moms" and that the buffer zone ordinance would "seriously damage the free choice to save a life." Your thoroughly patronizing view that there's some sort of necessity for women entering these clinics to hear an opposing view (echoed by Councilman Len Bodak's remarks that the protesters were just trying to "get people to think about what they're doing") is offensive. It presupposes a view that women don't take their choices seriously or that they are somehow incapable of seeking out or considering opposing opinions on their own. As Councilman Doug Shields reminded you at the meeting, Pennsylvania already has restrictive abortion laws including a 24 hour waiting period (because, you know, we girls just can't think on our own without direction from The State).

In your statement, you referred almost exclusively to the thoughts and opinions of a group of out-of-state college students to the exclusion of the thoughts and opinions of the many Pittsburgh women who also addressed Council. You stated that the college students were "caring counselors" and not protesters. You repeated their talking points that were "prayerful and peaceful." You said that these "counselors" must be able to look the women entering the clinics in the eye to see into their "heart and soul" in order to conduct their "ministry."

Well, unlike you (and Bush with Putin), I am not so adept at seeing into the souls of others. I find that I need to rely on people's words and actions. So I will refer to the words of one of the college students: Billy Valentine (resident of Virginia and matriculating in Ohio).

Billy spoke at the meeting. Billy also has a blog ( http://billyvalentine09.blogspot.com ) and is reported to be by Truth Caucus as 'a rumored “rising star” in Virginia' (http://www.truthcaucus.com/index.php?id=839 ).

In his blog ( http://billyvalentine09.blogspot.com/2005/11/operation-yellow-elephant-names-me.html ), Billy writes that he was named by Operation Yellow Elephant as "The Most Cynical Yellow Elephant Yet!" (Operation Yellow Elephant is a group which asks military-age pro Iraq war people -- especially students -- to back their convictions by actually enlisting in the military).

During the Council hearing Billy stated that not only was he "peaceful and prayerful," but that his mission is to "be Jesus Christ to these women."

And, how does Billy talk to women when the adults aren't looking? In responding to a woman in the comments section of the Operation Yellow Elephant post, Billy said the following ( http://operationyellowelephant.blogspot.com/2005/11/most-cynical-yellow-elephant-yet.html):

At 2:23 PM, Billy Valentine said...

You seem to have something against straight men Sadie... Not too much luck in the vast world of dating?

He also commented on gays in the military as follows:

At 2:21 PM, Billy Valentine said...

"And we all know faggots are cowards, right?"

Yep.

"They're not real men?"

Pretty much.

Doesn't sound too Christlike to me, but then I can't see into the hearts and souls of people like you and the Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio) can. I can, however, listen to the pleas of Pittsburgh women to be able to obtain legal medical services in a safe environment, which you seemingly cannot.

And, while I realize that this letter is becoming impossibly long, I do have one more thing to say:

The thought that you, who are about to start serving as a magistrate, are more concerned with your own idea as to what "damages a moral high ground" than what you admit is "Constitutional" is rather frightening to me. I hope your statements in Council do not reflect some sort of "activist" style as a magistrate.

Sincerely,

Maria (full name and address appear in the letter)
_____________________________

(emailed to Gene Ricciardi and cc'd to all members of Pittsburgh City Council)

Other posts on this subject:
December 6, 2005: A Matter of Public Safety
December 8, 2005: Some follow-up Info on the "Bubble Zone" Ordinance

tags: pittsburgh city council ravenstahl peduto twanda carlisle doug shields ricciardi len bodack sala udin dan deasy jim motznik

Some more on Jack Kelly's Column

I had a few more thoughts about Jack Kelly's column that, if anything, really show us where his moral compas points.

The whole piece is yet another defense of the increasingly indefensible Bush Administration - this time however he does it by attacking the CIA. Far be it from me to defend the CIA, but take a look at what one of the things Jack he finds reprehensible:

Intelligence analysis isn't the only thing the CIA does sloppily. The Bush administration suffered major embarrassment when it was disclosed that the United States was holding top al-Qaida suspects in "secret prisons" in eastern Europe and North Africa.

A Swedish journalist who prepared one of the first stories on the CIA flights that transported al-Qaida captives told Josh Gerstein of The New York Sun the CIA did a poor job of covering its tracks.

"I would say they didn't give a damn," Fredrik Laurin told Mr. Gerstein. "If I was an American taxpayer, I'd be upset."

For a show broadcast in May of last year, Mr. Laurin traced the tail number of a Gulfstream jet used to transport captives to a clearly phony company in Massachusetts.

"You weren't able to trace the name to any living individual," Mr. Laurin said. "They were all living in post office boxes in Virginia."If that's all the imagination they can drum up at Langley, I'd fire the bunch," Mr. Laurin added.

I hope everyone notes that it's not the existence of the secret prisons that offends the fine upstanding Mr Kelly, but that the CIA couldn't (or chose not to) keep them a secret.

A rogue CIA that subverts American democracy has long been a staple of moonbat mythology. How ironic that the rogues in the CIA should turn out to be leftists who harm America to benefit Democrats.

So, according to Jack, the threat to the America is the CIA's leaking - but not the secret prisons.

Yea, and it's only wrong if you get caught.

Happy Hour for Better Government

Happy Hour for Better Government
at the Brillobox
4104 Penn Ave (Penn & Main), Lawrenceville
Tuesday, December 13, 6-9pm
RSVP Online: here

'Come hear special guest speakers tell YOU how to run for office...And how to win. Let us nudge you into saying "yes, I want to see a better Pittsburgh, and I will work to engage my community."'

(Think you might want to run for your local party committee, but can't make it? Email Matt Preston at mattpreston@gmail.com for more information.)

Meet Chuck Pennacchio @ the Beehive Tonight!

From Chuck's website:

Chuck is heading for Pittsburgh tomorrow, December 12th. He'll be working the strip beginning around 3PM and on into the evening. Then from 8PM until 10PM, he'll do what he likes to do best -- drink coffee and talk politics -- at the Beehive Coffee House and Dessertery at 1327 East Carson Street. If you're anywhere within 100 miles, please stop in and say hello.

Mike over at Comments from Left Field has more info here.

Jack Kelly distorts AGAIN

Take a look at this. It's from today's Post-Gazette. Here's how the hardworking Jack Kelly starts the column:

On Aug. 2, Dafna Linzer of the Washington Post reported that "a major U.S. intelligence review has projected that Iran is about a decade away from manufacturing the key ingredient for a nuclear weapon, roughly doubling the previous estimate of five years."

On Dec. 5, the Jerusalem Post reported that Mohammed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, "confirmed Israel's assessment that Iran is only a few months away from creating an atomic bomb."

My, how time flies. It hasn't seemed as if 10 years have elapsed since last summer.

Sounds like a slam dunk argument, huh? Unfortunately for JackKelly's credibility, things got complicated once I started looking. Here's what the Jerusalem Post wrote:

IAEA chairman Muhammad ElBaradei on Monday confirmed Israel's assessment that Iran is only a few months away from creating an atomic bomb.

If Teheran indeed resumed its uranium enrichment in other plants, as threatened, it will take it only "a few months" to produce a nuclear bomb, El-Baradei told The Independent.

What can we learn from these two paragraphs? First that Commando Kelly is capable of distorting from two paragraphs. He said that ElBaradei confirms that Iran is only a few months away from creating an atomic bomb but cleverly declines to tell us the very next sentence from the Jerusalem Press' article. I'll retype it out again in case you missed it.

If Teheran indeed resumed its uranium enrichment in other plants, as threatened, it will take it only "a few months" to produce a nuclear bomb, El-Baradei told The Independent. [emphasis added.]

Hmm, that's a little different, isn't it? If Teheran has resumed its uranium enrichment, then it would only take a few months to produce a bomb.

Well that does leave an important question: Has Teheran indeed resumed it's enrichment program? The Jerusalem Post doesn't say but since it is quoting The Independent, it would seem to be a good idea to see what that article says. Reporting 101.

Unfortunately, The Independent's article is locked behind a subscription wall (looks like it costs a pound to see it - anyone float me a pound?). Fortunately, Mediamatters.org has some of the text. Here's what they say:

ElBaradei's "few months" quote first appeared in a December 5 article (subscription required) in Britain's The Independent. The article stated that "[a]lthough IAEA officials have said it would take at least two years for [the Iranians' underground uranium enrichment facility at] Natanz to become fully operational, Mr. ElBaradei believes that once the facility is up and running, the Iranians could be 'a few months' away from a nuclear weapon." The article noted that Iran so far has not begun the process of re-opening the plant at Natanz. [emphasis added]

Looks as though The Jerusalem Post was spinning just a tad, huh? And it's obvious that Jack Kelly was too.

Anyway, what did Jack Kelly say again? Iran is now only a few months away from an atomic bomb. Too bad he distorted a distortion to reach that "conclusion."

To sum up, The Independent article says that:

• Iran hasn't begun the process of reopening the plant and
• Once that process has begun it will take at least two years to become fully operational and
• Only when it is fully operational would Iran then be a few months away from nuclear weapons.
  

Not now, as Jack Kelly dishonestly asserts.

Let me be clear that I don't think that Iran having nuclear weapons is a good idea - it's a very very bad idea. But with a little research, I discovered the truth in about 10 minutes. Why didn't Kelly?

Or maybe he did and decided to spin it all anyway. Only Jack Kelly knows for sure.

Jack Kelly, Media Matters

We wish Dennis Roddy Well

Dennis Roddy, P-G columnist, was involved in a bus accident a few days ago. He writes about it here. The column begins:

Her name is Debbie. She's a legal secretary. Whether she will be one again, I do not know. She has broken ribs, a battered skull and, if God is merciful, no memory of 6:51 a.m. Monday at the corner of Stanwix and the Boulevard of the Allies.

I'd caught the early 36A out of Mt. Lebanon while it was still dark, so I could stop at the Theater Square box office to get tickets for "Wicked." I was in a rear seat, just behind the back door, when I heard, in succession, a thump, some screams and the sound my face makes when it hits a metal-and-plexiglass partition. My next memory is ankles turning into legs turning into the faces of the strangers who raised me from the floor. I wondered if my left eye had gone blind. It was clouded by blood.

I know I speak for the Other Political Junkie in saying that we wish them both good health and a fast recovery.

File Under: "WHY WE'RE SO FUCKED"

"Bush did NOT know there was difference between Sunni & Shiite Muslims until Jan '03"

(Full story here)

This is about politics (Tim Murphy Psychobabble-style)

Also last week, Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa) was on C-Span's Washington Journal trying to prop up Bush's War. As he was spewing NeoCon Talking Points on Iraq, he was trying to get a point across along the lines that "Democracy Isn't Easy."

You know, the kind of thing that you can hear from many on the Right about how we can't expect the NEW IRAQ^TM to be perfect from the start...that we had our own problems with our revolution...how just because we had slavery at the start didn't mean that our country didn't end up in a good place...yadda, yadda, yadda.

As he's going on like this with his examples of "some aspects of history" he throws in this gem:

"...but in this county if you look at our history and the struggles that we have had in racism. With early on in our history the difficulties between Native American Indians and white settlers, etc., you would also see fighting that continues on. We have to remember this, and if there's anything that I have learned in my years operating as a psychologist, it is that there is certainly within all of us a capacity for bad and there is also a great capacity and drive to do good. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom someone once said and it is something that we have to make sure, if there is any message that we can teach that is of value to the people of Iraq, it is that same concept."

(Audio clip here -- 12/1/05, about 59.20 into the program)

"Difficulties"?

"Difficulties"?!?

Well I guess when you compare Abu Ghraib to the Trail of Tears, Ghraib really is only a walk in the park...

Thanks, Tim, for putting it all into perspective for us! :-) :-) :-)
(Hmmm, do you think Murphy realizes that we are the bad guys in his little analogy?)

This is not about politics

I get the New York Times headlines emailed to me daily which also means that I get the New York Style section emailed to me weekly so I can know what I should be wearing and cannot afford to be wearing. Last week's What to Wear section advised us all that we need to "Dress Like Your Dad? He Rocks". (For the record my dad's record collection did not rock. It was heavy on John Philip Sousa marches and The Four Lads, a group who wouldn't know rock if one hit them on the head, though The Residents did a suitably bizarre takeoff on TFL's "Istanbul" called "Constantinople" that I'm sure must have driven my father up a wall, but I digress... )

Anyway, according to The Paper of Record:

In the last year or two, the trappings of rock's raucous era have acquired a mass appeal, recycled or reinvented for a candidly nostalgic age.

But the tales of boho mother/daughter shopping trips for overpriced remade/remodeled Rolling Stone logo T-shirts didn't get to me as much as this bit at the end of the article:

Nor will the sight of a baby boomer tricked out in leather and flares raise many eyebrows, Mr. Padilla added. "In the 60's, if you had a record executive walking around in a Sonic Youth T-shirt, you would have thought he was out of his mind.

"But today it's O.K. for a 50-year-old to wear a Sonic shirt, because everybody in Sonic Youth is 50 years old."

Actually, in the 60's, if you had a record executive walking around in a Sonic Youth T-shirt, no one would have known who the fuck Sonic Youth were: that band formed in 1981. (And for the record, only one of them is 50+.)

But I'll take the Time's word on it that I got to get me some of those T's.

Self-Serving Blog Post

For those of you who can't readily wander around the more trendy sections of Pittsburgh searching for interesting things to read, take a look at this.

It's the cover story for The Front Weekly.

And I wrote it.

Stay tuned to The Front Weekly, there may be more stuff from this Political Junkie.