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December 29, 2005
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Wednesday's Links
Activism
MoveOn.org wants you to make your voice heard, and so do we. Go here, fill out your contact information (or, if you are already a member of MoveOn, login), and you will be signing the "Declaration Against Torture" petition to be delivered to key Senators, asking the Senate and Albert Gonzales to reaffirm their commitment to the legal definitions of torture, as laid out in the Geneva Conventions. Gonzales, you may remember, drafted memos to the President saying that the Geneva Convention definitions of torture did not apply to the war on terror. Since Gonzales is being considered for the post of Attorney General, we encourage you to sign the petition.
News
What To Do With Too Many Illegal Captives. Currently, the U.S. is holding several hundred suspected terrorists "whom they do not want to set free or turn over to courts in the United States or other countries." This sounds suspiciously like kidnapping to us. One plan is to shuttle them off to other countries, in prisons controlled by the host country, but with prisoner availability to the CIA. Another plan is to build a new prison for them. Here's an idea - why not try them for something?
In the wake of the Tom DeLay happenings, we were prepared to tell you about some of the ridiculous changes that House Republicans are considering for the Ethics Committee. Since that article was posted on Monday, though, there has been a major change implemented. There are ten members of the Ethics Committee, five from each party. The Committee needs to vote on whether to launch an ethics probe. In the past, a tie vote would cause the probe to be launched. But under a measure that passed yesterday, a tie (or failure to make a decision in 45 days) would mean no action would be taken. To put this in context, if a Republican Congressman is accused of receiving gifts for voting a certain way, the Ethics Committee would have to vote on whether or not the above Congressmen should be investigated. If all Republicans vote "no," for the party line, no investigation is launched. Period. We fear this opens the door for others like DeLay to get away with a whole lot more.
How Do Any Of Them Benefit? In a brief interview in the New York Times Magazine, Jeanne L. Phillips, chairwoman of Bush's Inaugural Committee, is asked about the nine Inauguration balls occuring this year. With a price tag of $40 million for all nine balls, one of the balls will be reserved for honoring about 2,000 troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. When asked about how this would actually help the troops now overseas, and whether the money for the balls couldn't be put to a better use by outfitting the troops with better equipment, Phillips gets a little flustered. Some very good questions with no easy answers...
Editorials
...And speaking of Inaugurations, check out this piece in the Portsmouth Herald. The author captures the point even better than the NYT interview, describing inauguration balls for the president and governors as "opulence," leading to an "insensitive display." In all seriousness, with a massive deficit, federal spending being cut and overseas troops not properly equipped, do Bush and the governors really need "thanks for supporting me, ain't I great" parties? Or, in the case of Bush, nine parties?
Still Fighting favorite Paul Krugman is back, and he's pissed. Over the next several weeks, Krugman will be discussing why privatization will ultimately undermine Social Security, and we'll link each one for you, as they are published. Today's column focuses on the outrageous claim that Social Security faces an "imminent crisis." Krugman, as you may have noticed, has a great style of writing, and makes even the most complex of issues easy to understand, and this piece is no exception. For weeks we've been telling you about Social Security, and why privitization is a bad thing. If you've been confused up to this point, or don't really understand why, this is a great starting point.
Remember Ohio. Something is going to need to happen quick, if the dream some Democrats still hold on to of Ohio reversing its electoral decision is to come true. Once Congress ratifies the election, and Bush is sworn in, the decision is final. Cleveland could unearth 500,000 uncounted Democratic votes on the 21st, and it wouldn't matter. On Thursday, January 6th, Representative John Conyers (D-MI) and other members of Congress will officially challenge the Electoral College. This article is part one of two. We'll have part two tomorrow.
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December 29, 2005
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Wednesday's Links
Activism
MoveOn.org wants you to make your voice heard, and so do we. Go here, fill out your contact information (or, if you are already a member of MoveOn, login), and you will be signing the "Declaration Against Torture" petition to be delivered to key Senators, asking the Senate and Albert Gonzales to reaffirm their commitment to the legal definitions of torture, as laid out in the Geneva Conventions. Gonzales, you may remember, drafted memos to the President saying that the Geneva Convention definitions of torture did not apply to the war on terror. Since Gonzales is being considered for the post of Attorney General, we encourage you to sign the petition.
News
What To Do With Too Many Illegal Captives. Currently, the U.S. is holding several hundred suspected terrorists "whom they do not want to set free or turn over to courts in the United States or other countries." This sounds suspiciously like kidnapping to us. One plan is to shuttle them off to other countries, in prisons controlled by the host country, but with prisoner availability to the CIA. Another plan is to build a new prison for them. Here's an idea - why not try them for something?
In the wake of the Tom DeLay happenings, we were prepared to tell you about some of the ridiculous changes that House Republicans are considering for the Ethics Committee. Since that article was posted on Monday, though, there has been a major change implemented. There are ten members of the Ethics Committee, five from each party. The Committee needs to vote on whether to launch an ethics probe. In the past, a tie vote would cause the probe to be launched. But under a measure that passed yesterday, a tie (or failure to make a decision in 45 days) would mean no action would be taken. To put this in context, if a Republican Congressman is accused of receiving gifts for voting a certain way, the Ethics Committee would have to vote on whether or not the above Congressmen should be investigated. If all Republicans vote "no," for the party line, no investigation is launched. Period. We fear this opens the door for others like DeLay to get away with a whole lot more.
How Do Any Of Them Benefit? In a brief interview in the New York Times Magazine, Jeanne L. Phillips, chairwoman of Bush's Inaugural Committee, is asked about the nine Inauguration balls occuring this year. With a price tag of $40 million for all nine balls, one of the balls will be reserved for honoring about 2,000 troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. When asked about how this would actually help the troops now overseas, and whether the money for the balls couldn't be put to a better use by outfitting the troops with better equipment, Phillips gets a little flustered. Some very good questions with no easy answers...
Editorials
...And speaking of Inaugurations, check out this piece in the Portsmouth Herald. The author captures the point even better than the NYT interview, describing inauguration balls for the president and governors as "opulence," leading to an "insensitive display." In all seriousness, with a massive deficit, federal spending being cut and overseas troops not properly equipped, do Bush and the governors really need "thanks for supporting me, ain't I great" parties? Or, in the case of Bush, nine parties?
Still Fighting favorite Paul Krugman is back, and he's pissed. Over the next several weeks, Krugman will be discussing why privatization will ultimately undermine Social Security, and we'll link each one for you, as they are published. Today's column focuses on the outrageous claim that Social Security faces an "imminent crisis." Krugman, as you may have noticed, has a great style of writing, and makes even the most complex of issues easy to understand, and this piece is no exception. For weeks we've been telling you about Social Security, and why privitization is a bad thing. If you've been confused up to this point, or don't really understand why, this is a great starting point.
Remember Ohio. Something is going to need to happen quick, if the dream some Democrats still hold on to of Ohio reversing its electoral decision is to come true. Once Congress ratifies the election, and Bush is sworn in, the decision is final. Cleveland could unearth 500,000 uncounted Democratic votes on the 21st, and it wouldn't matter. On Thursday, January 6th, Representative John Conyers (D-MI) and other members of Congress will officially challenge the Electoral College. This article is part one of two. We'll have part two tomorrow.
|
December 29, 2005
MoveOn.org wants you to make your voice heard, and so do we. Go here, fill out your contact information (or, if you are already a member of MoveOn, login), and you will be signing the "Declaration Against Torture" petition to be delivered to key Senators, asking the Senate and Albert Gonzales to reaffirm their commitment to the legal definitions of torture, as laid out in the Geneva Conventions. Gonzales, you may remember, drafted memos to the President saying that the Geneva Convention definitions of torture did not apply to the war on terror. Since Gonzales is being considered for the post of Attorney General, we encourage you to sign the petition.
News
What To Do With Too Many Illegal Captives. Currently, the U.S. is holding several hundred suspected terrorists "whom they do not want to set free or turn over to courts in the United States or other countries." This sounds suspiciously like kidnapping to us. One plan is to shuttle them off to other countries, in prisons controlled by the host country, but with prisoner availability to the CIA. Another plan is to build a new prison for them. Here's an idea - why not try them for something?
In the wake of the Tom DeLay happenings, we were prepared to tell you about some of the ridiculous changes that House Republicans are considering for the Ethics Committee. Since that article was posted on Monday, though, there has been a major change implemented. There are ten members of the Ethics Committee, five from each party. The Committee needs to vote on whether to launch an ethics probe. In the past, a tie vote would cause the probe to be launched. But under a measure that passed yesterday, a tie (or failure to make a decision in 45 days) would mean no action would be taken. To put this in context, if a Republican Congressman is accused of receiving gifts for voting a certain way, the Ethics Committee would have to vote on whether or not the above Congressmen should be investigated. If all Republicans vote "no," for the party line, no investigation is launched. Period. We fear this opens the door for others like DeLay to get away with a whole lot more.
How Do Any Of Them Benefit? In a brief interview in the New York Times Magazine, Jeanne L. Phillips, chairwoman of Bush's Inaugural Committee, is asked about the nine Inauguration balls occuring this year. With a price tag of $40 million for all nine balls, one of the balls will be reserved for honoring about 2,000 troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. When asked about how this would actually help the troops now overseas, and whether the money for the balls couldn't be put to a better use by outfitting the troops with better equipment, Phillips gets a little flustered. Some very good questions with no easy answers...
Editorials
...And speaking of Inaugurations, check out this piece in the Portsmouth Herald. The author captures the point even better than the NYT interview, describing inauguration balls for the president and governors as "opulence," leading to an "insensitive display." In all seriousness, with a massive deficit, federal spending being cut and overseas troops not properly equipped, do Bush and the governors really need "thanks for supporting me, ain't I great" parties? Or, in the case of Bush, nine parties?
Still Fighting favorite Paul Krugman is back, and he's pissed. Over the next several weeks, Krugman will be discussing why privatization will ultimately undermine Social Security, and we'll link each one for you, as they are published. Today's column focuses on the outrageous claim that Social Security faces an "imminent crisis." Krugman, as you may have noticed, has a great style of writing, and makes even the most complex of issues easy to understand, and this piece is no exception. For weeks we've been telling you about Social Security, and why privitization is a bad thing. If you've been confused up to this point, or don't really understand why, this is a great starting point.
Remember Ohio. Something is going to need to happen quick, if the dream some Democrats still hold on to of Ohio reversing its electoral decision is to come true. Once Congress ratifies the election, and Bush is sworn in, the decision is final. Cleveland could unearth 500,000 uncounted Democratic votes on the 21st, and it wouldn't matter. On Thursday, January 6th, Representative John Conyers (D-MI) and other members of Congress will officially challenge the Electoral College. This article is part one of two. We'll have part two tomorrow.
