Jobless claims were up 10,000 to 324,000 on a seasonally-adjusted basis in the week ended June 16, the Labor Department said Thursday. That third-straight increase pushed claims to their highest level since April 21. Claims for the June 9 week were revised to 314,000 from 311,000. The four-week average -- which economists use to gauge underlying labor market trends -- rose by 2,500 to 314,500.Are we seeing the start of the economic downturn that I have been predicting? I still believe that the U.S. economy will either slip into recession or grow at an anemic pace late this year and into 2008. This will create the perfect storm against the Republican party heading into the Presidential election.
The latest data topped Wall Street expectations. The median estimate of 17 economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires was for no change in new claims. There were no special factors affecting the figures, a Labor Department analyst said.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Jobless Claims Hit Two-Month High
The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose to a two-month high last week, suggesting the pace of job growth is slowing after robust gains in May.
Missing Soldier's Wife Faces Deportation
Is this what they call family values?
While the U.S. military searches for a soldier missing in Iraq, kidnapped by insurgents possibly allied with al Qaeda, his wife back home in Massachusetts may be deported by the U.S. government.I guess this is what they call supporting the troops. The lack of compassion in this case is astounding. Disgusting, really disgusting!!!
Army Spec. Alex Jimenez, who has been missing since his unit was attacked by insurgents in Iraq on May 12, had petitioned for a green card for his wife, Yaderlin Hiraldo, whom he married in 2004.
Their attorney, Matthew Kolken, said 23-year-old Hiraldo illegally entered the United States in 2001 to reunite with her husband, whom she had met in her native Dominican Republic and later married at his New York State Army base in 2004.
Her attorney is seeking a hardship waiver, which so far the government won't grant.
Attacks Kill 14 American Soldiers In Iraq
The U.S. military announced the deaths of 14 American troops, including five killed Thursday in a single roadside bombing that also killed four Iraqis in Baghdad.
The U.S. deaths raised to at least 3,545 the number of U.S. troops who have died since the war began in 2003, according to an Associated Press count.How much more death and destruction will the American people tolerate? When will the majority of Americans educate themselves enough to know the Democrats can not stop this war alone. When will they pressure the Republicans in the Senate to stop filibustering any attempt to stop the war?
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Giuliani A No-Show At Iraq Study Group
Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday it was a mistake for him to join the Iraq Study Group, on which he lasted just two months and failed to show up for any official meetings.
The former New York mayor has tried to tamp down criticism in recent days after Newsday reported that Giuliani was a no-show for two of the group's meetings and instead attended paid public appearances.How can we forget that he has made over $66 million dollars in speeches off of the tragedy of 9/11. Now we know where his priorities lie. Maybe he was afraid that being part of the group would have meant having to go to Iraq. And in another example of his hypocricy:
In his speech, Giuliani called for the country to enact a constitutional amendment that allows for a line-item veto so the president could strip wasteful spending from legislation. "The president doesn't have that power under our Constitution," he said. "You're only going to change that with a constitutional amendment."Giuliani is an opportunist who has made a fortune off the deaths of 3000 people killed on 9/11. This gives blood money a whole new meaning.
As mayor in the 1990s, Giuliani successfully sued to challenge the constitutionality of the line-item veto that would have given President Clinton that such power.
Expert: Housing Market 'Blood-Bath' Ahead
If you thought the end of the housing slump was in sight, think again: the worst is yet to come, say market experts.
It's no longer borrowers with risky credit histories that are taking the punches. The jump in the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage by more than half a percentage point to 6.74 percent in the past five weeks — the biggest rate spike since 2004 — is even putting a crimp on borrowers with the best credit.I have many friends who think this can't possibly happen in NY. I have consistently told them that your house is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If people are suffering economically, and they are, then prices will fall everywhere.
What's more, the national median home price is set for its first annual decline since the Great Depression, and the supply of unsold homes is at a record 4.2 million, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Another market expert opined that the situation is not just a housing recession anymore, it looks more and more like an economic recession.I have been predicting an economic recession since I started this site. A recession is the Republican's worst nightmare and it seems it may just come true.
New Taliban Leader Had Been in Afghan Custody; Released in Hostage Deal
Do you remember all the times that President Bush has stated that we do not negotiate with terrorists? Well this would seem to dispute that.
Remember that when the first bombing happens in NYC, Montreal, Berlin or London. Our policies have made us more vulnerable to attack. The War in Iraq took the focus away from a mad man like this and Osama Bin Laden so that our oil companies could get their hands on the reserves of Iraq. This is criminal, truly criminal.
If there is another attack on United States soil will people rally around the President or will they rightly blame him for letting Osama and his henchmen go?
The Taliban military commander who led the "graduation ceremony" for 300 suicide bombers was one of five men released from an Afghanistan prison earlier this year in exchange for a kidnapped Italian Journalist.The Government of Afghanistan would never have released this man without the express consent of our government.
Remember that when the first bombing happens in NYC, Montreal, Berlin or London. Our policies have made us more vulnerable to attack. The War in Iraq took the focus away from a mad man like this and Osama Bin Laden so that our oil companies could get their hands on the reserves of Iraq. This is criminal, truly criminal.
If there is another attack on United States soil will people rally around the President or will they rightly blame him for letting Osama and his henchmen go?
Injustice is not a Family Value
OLYMPIA — Four months ago, Lacey resident Janice Langbehn, her partner Lisa Pond and their children Katie, David and Danielle, ages 10 to 13, were set for a relaxing cruise from Miami to the Bahamas.
But Pond, Langbehn’s partner for nearly 18 years, was stricken in Miami with a brain aneurysm and died. The family says the way they were treated by hospital staff compounded their shock and grief.
Langbehn, a social worker, said officials at the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital did not recognize her or their jointly adopted children as part of Pond’s family. They were not allowed to be with her in the emergency room, and Langbehn’s authority to make decisions for Pond was not recognized.
“We never set out to change the world or change how others accept gay families,” Langbehn told the crowd at the Capital City Pride on Sunday. “We just wanted to be allowed to live equally and raise our children by giving them all the same opportunities their peers have.”
While Washington is one of a half-dozen states to recognize same-sex partnerships in some fashion, Florida is not.
Compelled to speak out
Langbehn said that the pain from losing Pond is still fresh, but she spoke at the gay pride event Sunday because the issue of legal recognition of homosexual families was too important to let go.
“I want people to be able to hold their partner’s hand in their moment of death,” she said.
Pond suffered the aneurysm just before the R Family Vacations cruise ship left Miami for the Bahamas in February, Langbehn said. After Pond was taken to the emergency room, Langbehn said she was informed by a social worker that they were in an “anti-gay state” and that they needed legal paperwork before Langbehn could see Pond.
Even after a friend in Olympia faxed the legal documents that showed that Pond had authorized Langbehn to make medical decisions for her, Langbehn said she wasn’t invited to be with her partner or told anything about her condition.
She said she wasn’t allowed to see Pond again until a priest arrived to give Pond the Anointing of the Sick, also commonly known as Last Rites.
“I was shocked. It never would have been on my radar that we wouldn’t be allowed to say goodbye,” Langbehn said. “When I was an emergency room social worker at Mary Bridge (Children’s Hospital and Health Center in Tacoma), if someone had said they were an aunt or a partner, I would have let them say their last goodbyes.”
Langbehn says she still has not been given Pond’s medical records from the hospital nor her death certificate directly from the county or the state, which affected their children’s Social Security benefits.
But she has received support from the local community and from former talk show host Rosie O’Donnell, who has e-mailed her to offer support and said she was angry over the way the family was treated. O’Donnell’s partner, Kelli O’Donnell, is a co-founder of R Family Vacations.
Capital City Pride co-chair Anna Schlecht said that Langbehn’s story drives home the reason why gays and lesbians continue to lobby for national legal recognition of their partnerships and families.
“When Janice told me the story over the phone, I started crying,” she said. “Death is hard enough. I can’t imagine having my children barred from me in the last moments of my life.”
Langbehn said attitudes changed when doctors in charge of organ donation recognized Langbehn and Pond as a couple. They accepted Langbehn’s signature on the consent forms, she said. They also allowed the children to visit with their mother, who was kept on life support while organ matches were found.
Pond, who was a volunteer with her church and with the Girl Scouts, as well as a foster mother, wished to donate her organs because she wanted to continue to give to people after her death, Langbehn said.
“I heard from the heart recipient last week,” she said. “Now he’s able to play with his grandkids again and he definitely would like to meet our family.”
Venice Buhain
The Olympian
But Pond, Langbehn’s partner for nearly 18 years, was stricken in Miami with a brain aneurysm and died. The family says the way they were treated by hospital staff compounded their shock and grief.
Langbehn, a social worker, said officials at the University of Miami, Jackson Memorial Hospital did not recognize her or their jointly adopted children as part of Pond’s family. They were not allowed to be with her in the emergency room, and Langbehn’s authority to make decisions for Pond was not recognized.
“We never set out to change the world or change how others accept gay families,” Langbehn told the crowd at the Capital City Pride on Sunday. “We just wanted to be allowed to live equally and raise our children by giving them all the same opportunities their peers have.”
While Washington is one of a half-dozen states to recognize same-sex partnerships in some fashion, Florida is not.
Compelled to speak out
Langbehn said that the pain from losing Pond is still fresh, but she spoke at the gay pride event Sunday because the issue of legal recognition of homosexual families was too important to let go.
“I want people to be able to hold their partner’s hand in their moment of death,” she said.
Pond suffered the aneurysm just before the R Family Vacations cruise ship left Miami for the Bahamas in February, Langbehn said. After Pond was taken to the emergency room, Langbehn said she was informed by a social worker that they were in an “anti-gay state” and that they needed legal paperwork before Langbehn could see Pond.
Even after a friend in Olympia faxed the legal documents that showed that Pond had authorized Langbehn to make medical decisions for her, Langbehn said she wasn’t invited to be with her partner or told anything about her condition.
She said she wasn’t allowed to see Pond again until a priest arrived to give Pond the Anointing of the Sick, also commonly known as Last Rites.
“I was shocked. It never would have been on my radar that we wouldn’t be allowed to say goodbye,” Langbehn said. “When I was an emergency room social worker at Mary Bridge (Children’s Hospital and Health Center in Tacoma), if someone had said they were an aunt or a partner, I would have let them say their last goodbyes.”
Langbehn says she still has not been given Pond’s medical records from the hospital nor her death certificate directly from the county or the state, which affected their children’s Social Security benefits.
But she has received support from the local community and from former talk show host Rosie O’Donnell, who has e-mailed her to offer support and said she was angry over the way the family was treated. O’Donnell’s partner, Kelli O’Donnell, is a co-founder of R Family Vacations.
Capital City Pride co-chair Anna Schlecht said that Langbehn’s story drives home the reason why gays and lesbians continue to lobby for national legal recognition of their partnerships and families.
“When Janice told me the story over the phone, I started crying,” she said. “Death is hard enough. I can’t imagine having my children barred from me in the last moments of my life.”
Langbehn said attitudes changed when doctors in charge of organ donation recognized Langbehn and Pond as a couple. They accepted Langbehn’s signature on the consent forms, she said. They also allowed the children to visit with their mother, who was kept on life support while organ matches were found.
Pond, who was a volunteer with her church and with the Girl Scouts, as well as a foster mother, wished to donate her organs because she wanted to continue to give to people after her death, Langbehn said.
“I heard from the heart recipient last week,” she said. “Now he’s able to play with his grandkids again and he definitely would like to meet our family.”
Venice Buhain
The Olympian
Circuit City Posts Huge Loss
Electronics retailer Circuit City Stores Inc. reported a $54.6 million first-quarter loss Wednesday and withdrew its financial guidance for fiscal 2008 as the company slashed jobs and restructured to fend of competition.
I posted this about this company back in April. I am sorry for the workers who will lose their jobs but this company was removed from my shopping list once this story was revealed.
Karma is a bitch!!
I posted this about this company back in April. I am sorry for the workers who will lose their jobs but this company was removed from my shopping list once this story was revealed.
Karma is a bitch!!
Former US Attorney Tim Griffin and Caging
Read this post and you will understand why the US Attorney Firings is such an important issue. You will also begin to understand how George W. Bush was elected twice. This is just criminal.
GALLUP: 7 in 10 Americans Say Economy Is 'Getting Worse'
A new Gallup Poll will only reinforce those who claim that while the rich get richer most Americans don't feel they are sharing in the growth in our economy. The stock market may be climbing and the unemployment remains relatively low, but 7 in 10 Americans believe the economy is getting worse -- the most negative reading in nearly six years.
The sleeping giant called the American middle class has finally arisen.
The 70% negative rating is up 10 points since April. Also, just in the past month, there has been a significant five-point drop, from 28% to 23%, in the percentage saying conditions are getting better.Finally the middle class is waking up to the fact that they are being screwed. Corporate executive pay is more than 400 times that of the average worker and home prices have risen beyond the reach of more and more people. The savings rate is now negative for the first time since the depression and real wages have dropped since the start of the Bush Administration.
"When asked about the most pressing financial problems their family faces today, Americans mention healthcare costs, lack of money or low wages, and oil and gas prices," Gallup reports. "Healthcare costs are mentioned by 16% of Americans while 13% say low wages and 11% say oil and gas prices. These percentages are virtually unchanged from last month."
The sleeping giant called the American middle class has finally arisen.
Senate Moving Forward On Employee Free Choice Act
The Senate is preparing to take up the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) this week. EFCA creates an easier path for workers to receive union representation. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is speaking this afternoon at an Employee Free Choice Rally in support of legislation.
Here is an excerpt from the Senator's remarks as prepared:
[T]oday when I introduce the Employee Free Choice Act, get ready for a fight. Every single Senator ought to support this bill. It ought to be a no-brainer. This bill renews the commitment made to our parents and grandparents 70 years ago, when President Roosevelt delivered them a New Deal.
Last year, the top three hedge funds earned $4.4 billion in profits, and the ex-CEO of Exxon got a $400 million golden parachute. Today, hourly wages are down while the number of uninsured is up. Today, household income is down, while the average CEO makes 411 times more than the average worker. Today – for far too many Americans – that New Deal has become a raw deal. It’s time to give working families a square deal. A square deal that honors workers and their families by giving them a real chance for a better life.
You know what the Employee Free Choice Act will mean: higher wages. Better health insurance. Safer working conditions. And by the way, we all know that employees who receive a fair standard of living are more productive. This is a win-win for employers and employees alike.
Yesterday Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health Education, Labor & Penisions (HELP) Comittee, released the following statement in support of the EFCA:
Now that the House has passed the Employee Free Choice Act with bipartisan support, I’m pleased that the Senate is moving forward on this important piece of legislation. We’ve finally raised the minimum wage but we still have a long way to go to restore the economic security that has been lost during the Bush years. Working people aren't getting their fair share of our economic growth. Their hard work is producing skyrocketing corporate profits – not higher paychecks, better benefits, or better lives for their families. The best way to see that employees get their fair share is to give them a stronger voice.
The HELP Committee also provided a fact sheet on how the Act will help restore middle class security. The fact sheet included the following points on how the freedom to choose a union is vital to restoring the American Dream, especially for the most vulnerable Americans:
Unions help American workers get their fair share – union wages are almost 30% higher than non-union wages. Unions are also a cure for rising inequality because they raise wages more for low- and middle-wage workers than for higher-wage workers.
Union cashiers earn 46% more than non-union cashiers.
Union food preparation workers earn nearly 50% more than non-union workers.
Union maids and housekeepers earn 31% more than their non-union counterparts.
The freedom to join a union is a women’s issue and a civil rights issue. Union women earn 31 percent more than women workers who don’t have a union. African American union members earn 36 percent more, and Latino workers earn 46 percent more.
Union workers are almost twice as likely to have employer-sponsored health benefits and a pension at work. They are more than four times more likely to have a secure, defined-benefit pension plan than non-union workers.
Protecting the freedom to choose a union benefits all Americans, whether or not they have a union at work. In industries and occupations where many workplaces are unionized, non-union employers will frequently meet union standards or otherwise improve compensation. A high school graduate in a non-union workplace whose industry is 25 percent unionized gets paid 5 percent more than similar workers in less unionized industries.
The Republicans will filibuster this legislation unless the American people stand up and demand its passage. I was one of those that felt that Unions were no longer needed. I was very wrong. You only need to look at the statistics listed above to realize that companies left alone will do what is best for the bottom line. They will do this at the expense of its workers.
Here is an excerpt from the Senator's remarks as prepared:
[T]oday when I introduce the Employee Free Choice Act, get ready for a fight. Every single Senator ought to support this bill. It ought to be a no-brainer. This bill renews the commitment made to our parents and grandparents 70 years ago, when President Roosevelt delivered them a New Deal.
Last year, the top three hedge funds earned $4.4 billion in profits, and the ex-CEO of Exxon got a $400 million golden parachute. Today, hourly wages are down while the number of uninsured is up. Today, household income is down, while the average CEO makes 411 times more than the average worker. Today – for far too many Americans – that New Deal has become a raw deal. It’s time to give working families a square deal. A square deal that honors workers and their families by giving them a real chance for a better life.
You know what the Employee Free Choice Act will mean: higher wages. Better health insurance. Safer working conditions. And by the way, we all know that employees who receive a fair standard of living are more productive. This is a win-win for employers and employees alike.
Yesterday Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health Education, Labor & Penisions (HELP) Comittee, released the following statement in support of the EFCA:
Now that the House has passed the Employee Free Choice Act with bipartisan support, I’m pleased that the Senate is moving forward on this important piece of legislation. We’ve finally raised the minimum wage but we still have a long way to go to restore the economic security that has been lost during the Bush years. Working people aren't getting their fair share of our economic growth. Their hard work is producing skyrocketing corporate profits – not higher paychecks, better benefits, or better lives for their families. The best way to see that employees get their fair share is to give them a stronger voice.
The HELP Committee also provided a fact sheet on how the Act will help restore middle class security. The fact sheet included the following points on how the freedom to choose a union is vital to restoring the American Dream, especially for the most vulnerable Americans:
Unions help American workers get their fair share – union wages are almost 30% higher than non-union wages. Unions are also a cure for rising inequality because they raise wages more for low- and middle-wage workers than for higher-wage workers.
Union cashiers earn 46% more than non-union cashiers.
Union food preparation workers earn nearly 50% more than non-union workers.
Union maids and housekeepers earn 31% more than their non-union counterparts.
The freedom to join a union is a women’s issue and a civil rights issue. Union women earn 31 percent more than women workers who don’t have a union. African American union members earn 36 percent more, and Latino workers earn 46 percent more.
Union workers are almost twice as likely to have employer-sponsored health benefits and a pension at work. They are more than four times more likely to have a secure, defined-benefit pension plan than non-union workers.
Protecting the freedom to choose a union benefits all Americans, whether or not they have a union at work. In industries and occupations where many workplaces are unionized, non-union employers will frequently meet union standards or otherwise improve compensation. A high school graduate in a non-union workplace whose industry is 25 percent unionized gets paid 5 percent more than similar workers in less unionized industries.
The Republicans will filibuster this legislation unless the American people stand up and demand its passage. I was one of those that felt that Unions were no longer needed. I was very wrong. You only need to look at the statistics listed above to realize that companies left alone will do what is best for the bottom line. They will do this at the expense of its workers.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
White House Aides' E-Mail Records Gone
E-mail records are missing for 51 of the 88 White House officials who had electronic message accounts with the Republican National Committee, the House Oversight Committee said Monday.
This is the most corrupt administration in my lifetime and I was alive for Nixon. This President needs to be impeached and removed from office. I know that the likelihood of that is remote but impeachment, which is just an indictment, is more than possible in the Democratic controlled House of Representatives.
Shouldn't we demand impeachment if for no other reason than to show the world that the rule of law is important to the citizens of the United States and that no one is exempt?
The Bush administration may have committed ``extensive'' violations of a law requiring that certain records be preserved, said the committee's Democratic chairman, adding that the panel will deepen its probe into the use of political e-mail accounts.This report cites "excessive" violations of law. Why has a special prosecutor not been called for? Why are the rules so different for this administration? Do you remember when candidate George W. Bush promised to restore honor and dignity to the White House?
The committee's interim report said the number of White House officials who had RNC e-mail accounts, and the number of messages they sent and received, were more extensive than previously realized.
The administration has said that about 50 White House officials had RNC e-mail accounts during Bush's presidency. But the House committee found at least 88.
This is the most corrupt administration in my lifetime and I was alive for Nixon. This President needs to be impeached and removed from office. I know that the likelihood of that is remote but impeachment, which is just an indictment, is more than possible in the Democratic controlled House of Representatives.
Shouldn't we demand impeachment if for no other reason than to show the world that the rule of law is important to the citizens of the United States and that no one is exempt?
Giuliani SC Campaign Chair Arrested
Gov. Mark Sanford has suspended state Treasurer Thomas Ravenel after it was announced Tuesday the Charleston Republican had been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.
I have said it before and will say it again, it could not happen to a nicer guy.
Ravenel in April was named the state chairman for former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s presidential campaign, but he resigned that post this evening.Rudy hasn't had the best week. First Fred Thompson, who has not even announced, has pulled within points of frontrunner Giuliani. Then Michael Sheehan, a major contributor was revealed as the head of a Vulture Fund that was trying to force an obscene judgement on Zambia and now this.
I have said it before and will say it again, it could not happen to a nicer guy.
Health Care the Latest Red State Failure
I originally saw this posted on Americablog. and needed to comment.
It is reports like this that led me to create this site. All too often Middle Class Americans are voting against their own best interests to satisfy some prejudice or some view on social issues. This report could not highlight this more clearly.
People are being led to the slaughter due to their own willful ignorance or backwards prejudice. The problem is for the rest of us who are pulled down with them. How many would really sacrifice their health care to stop the 16 year old across the street from having an abortion or stopping the Gay couple from marrying? In the end most people will gravitate toward self interest if they know all the facts. I am hoping to bring those facts to light in a simple understandable way that changes peoples perspectives before they vote.
It is reports like this that led me to create this site. All too often Middle Class Americans are voting against their own best interests to satisfy some prejudice or some view on social issues. This report could not highlight this more clearly.
People are being led to the slaughter due to their own willful ignorance or backwards prejudice. The problem is for the rest of us who are pulled down with them. How many would really sacrifice their health care to stop the 16 year old across the street from having an abortion or stopping the Gay couple from marrying? In the end most people will gravitate toward self interest if they know all the facts. I am hoping to bring those facts to light in a simple understandable way that changes peoples perspectives before they vote.
NY Mayor Bloomberg quits GOP
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has left the Republican Party and registered as an independent, according to a media report late Tuesday. The billionaire former CEO said the change in voter registration doesn't mean he's running for president, the Associated Press reported. "Although my plans for the future haven't changed, I believe this brings my affiliation into alignment with how I have led and will continue to lead our city," Bloomberg said, according to the AP report. Bloomberg switched to the Republican Party in 2001 for his first mayoral run.
Can we believe him when he says he is not running for President? My guess is no and that we will see him enter the race later this year. the big question is who does he hurt if he does enter the race. His views socially are much closer to that of the Democratic Party, to which he belonged until 2001 when he switched to be able to run for mayor.
He is one of the richest men in America and can self finance any campaign. He has been a great mayor of New York City but I do not believe a very short Jewish billionaire from New York will play well in Peoria. It also leaves open the possibility of a three way race for President with all candidates coming from New York.
This is a very interesting development and one I will follow closely.
Can we believe him when he says he is not running for President? My guess is no and that we will see him enter the race later this year. the big question is who does he hurt if he does enter the race. His views socially are much closer to that of the Democratic Party, to which he belonged until 2001 when he switched to be able to run for mayor.
He is one of the richest men in America and can self finance any campaign. He has been a great mayor of New York City but I do not believe a very short Jewish billionaire from New York will play well in Peoria. It also leaves open the possibility of a three way race for President with all candidates coming from New York.
This is a very interesting development and one I will follow closely.
Passing The Employee Free Choice Act
The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is proposed United States legislation which aims to "amend the National Labor Relations Act to establish an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts, and for other purposes." If it becomes law, the Act would require the U.S. National Labor Relations Board to certify a union as the exclusive representative of employees without an election where "a majority of the employees in a unit appropriate for bargaining has signed valid authorizations." In addition, the Act would require parties who cannot agree upon the terms of a first collective bargaining contract within 120 days to submit the issues to an arbitration board, which would be empowered to settle the dispute. Finally, the Act would provide for liquidated damages of two times back pay for certain unfair labor practices.
This bill will be voted on by the Senate in the next few days. It is imperative that this passes. The middle and working classes need this legislation to ensure decent wages at a time when real wages are declining. The President will most certainly veto this bill because it is not supported by big business.
The decline in labor unions since the early 1980's and the subsequent decline of the middle class can not be ignored. As more and more worker protections are dissolved and companies unfriendly to labor such as Wal-Mart thrive, the environment for labor will only decline further. This law would put labor back on an equal footing and provide a real chance at regaining the middle class which is the backbone of the United States.
A Presidential Veto should show all middle and working class Americans that the Republican party is the party of big business and will stop at nothing to ensure that wages stay depressed.
Passage of this Act and an overide of the Presidential Veto would help blunt the passage of any guest worker program that will surely depress wages even further.
Call your Senator and express your support for this bill.
This bill will be voted on by the Senate in the next few days. It is imperative that this passes. The middle and working classes need this legislation to ensure decent wages at a time when real wages are declining. The President will most certainly veto this bill because it is not supported by big business.
The decline in labor unions since the early 1980's and the subsequent decline of the middle class can not be ignored. As more and more worker protections are dissolved and companies unfriendly to labor such as Wal-Mart thrive, the environment for labor will only decline further. This law would put labor back on an equal footing and provide a real chance at regaining the middle class which is the backbone of the United States.
A Presidential Veto should show all middle and working class Americans that the Republican party is the party of big business and will stop at nothing to ensure that wages stay depressed.
Passage of this Act and an overide of the Presidential Veto would help blunt the passage of any guest worker program that will surely depress wages even further.
Call your Senator and express your support for this bill.
Iraq Rises Up Failed States Index
Iraq ranks as the world's second most unstable country, according to an annual index of failed states.
The report - compiled by the US Foreign Policy magazine and the US-based Fund for Peace think-tank - ranks nations according to their vulnerability.Wow the United States has seen some real success from its military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan but alas first place was not achieved. There is always next year.
Judged according to 12 criteria, including internal conflict and society breakdown, states range from the most failed, Sudan, to the least, Norway.
1. Sudan
2. Iraq
3. Somalia
4. Zimbabwe
5. Chad
6. Ivory Coast
7. D.R. Congo
8. Afghanistan
9. Guinea
10. Central African Republic
Housing Starts Fall As Permits Rise
Housing starts slipped 2.1 percent in May to a slightly lower rate than analysts had expected while building permit activity increased more than anticipated, a government report showed Tuesday.
This report in my opinion just solidifies my view that the middle and working classes of America are not faring well in the Bush economy, which is always touted as a great success. This report and the negative savings rate would indicate the great success is only for the select few.
Permits for single-family homes fell 1.8 percent to their lowest level since July 1997, but permits for multi-family units jumped 16.5 percent.A report like this is very hard to read for any indication of where the housing market goes from here. While permits for single family homes fell, multi-family homes rose. What I see is that the average family is being priced out of the market, hence the dip in single family homes, yet the wealthy who would purchase multi-family homes as investments are doing extremely well hence the jump in multi-family permits.
Tuesday's data comes a day after a report indicating that homebuilder confidence is at its lowest level in more than 16 years.
The National Association of Homebuilders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dropped two points to 28 in June. The index of builder sentiment had not dipped that low since it reached 27 in 1991.
This report in my opinion just solidifies my view that the middle and working classes of America are not faring well in the Bush economy, which is always touted as a great success. This report and the negative savings rate would indicate the great success is only for the select few.
Assault Pressed on Insurgents Near Baghdad
More than 10,000 coalition troops pushed their way through Diyala province and thousands more engaged in operations in and around Baghdad today as part of a major offensive against Sunni insurgent positions started last night.
The Iraq War is a business deal gone bad with American taxpayers footing the bill and the Iraqi people and our brave soldiers having to suffer the daily death and destruction that the policies of the Bush Adminstration has brought.
As the operation proceeded, a truck bomb exploded at a Shiite mosque in central Baghdad today, killing 75 people and wounding more than 200, The Associated Press reported. Gunfire erupted shortly after the blast, which a police officer said went off near the Khillani mosque in the commercial area of Sinak, according to the A.P.We are constantly being told of Iran's involvment yet it is the Sunni insurgents who are being targeted. The Sunni insurgents are supported by Saudi Arabia which is a majority Sunni muslim population. Where is the talk of military action against Saudi Arabia? The silence is deafening.
The coalition offensive, begun last night, is aimed at blunting the persistent car and suicide bombings that have terrorized Iraqis and thwarted political reconciliation.
The Iraq War is a business deal gone bad with American taxpayers footing the bill and the Iraqi people and our brave soldiers having to suffer the daily death and destruction that the policies of the Bush Adminstration has brought.
Taliban Fighters Seize South Afghan Area
Days of fierce fighting with NATO and Afghan forces left Taliban militants in control of one southern Afghan district and battling to take over another Tuesday, officials said.
How this fact can be lost in the media discussions is unfathomable. The people of Afghanistan put their faith in the United States to liberate them and make their lives better. The one problem for the Afghan people was that they were not awash in oil reserves.
We are now losing two wars and draining our treasury with no end in sight. The effects of the Bush Administration will be felt around the world for the next decade and may forever tarnish the good name of the United States.
Taliban fighters seized Miya Nishin district in Kandahar province late Monday, provincial police chief Esmatullah Alizai said. Authorities were planning to retake the remote area.This is the result of the Bush Administration deciding that a war with Iraq was more important than actually destroying the group that was responsible for 9/11.
In neighboring Uruzgan province's Chora district — home to more than 100,000 people — fighting continued between NATO and Afghan forces and militants who attacked police posts in the province's main town on Saturday. Some officials reported dozens of civilian casualties.
How this fact can be lost in the media discussions is unfathomable. The people of Afghanistan put their faith in the United States to liberate them and make their lives better. The one problem for the Afghan people was that they were not awash in oil reserves.
We are now losing two wars and draining our treasury with no end in sight. The effects of the Bush Administration will be felt around the world for the next decade and may forever tarnish the good name of the United States.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Corruption GOP Style
The Oversight Committee has been investigating whether White House officials violated the Presidential Records Act by using e-mail accounts maintained by the Republican National Committee and the Bush Cheney ‘04 campaign for official White House communications. This interim staff report provides a summary of the evidence the Committee has received to date, along with recommendations for next steps in the investigation.
The number of White House officials given RNC e-mail accounts is higher than previously disclosed.Why are these people still in power and not facing criminal prosecution? When will the American people wake up and realize that this administration is not just incompetent (which they do realize) but also criminal (which most do not).
White House officials made extensive use of their RNC e-mail accounts.
There has been extensive destruction of the e-mails of White House officials by the RNC.
There is evidence that the Office of White House Counsel under Alberto Gonzales may have known that White House officials were using RNC e-mail accounts for official business, but took no action to preserve these presidential records.
Petraeus: Iraq 'Challenges' to Last for Years
Conditions in Iraq will not improve sufficiently by September to justify a drawdown of U.S. military forces, the top commander in Iraq said yesterday.
General Patraeus has just thrown cold water on that plan. It would seem that there is no intention to change course or end this war. The Democrats need to grow a spine and cut off the funding. It is painfully obvious that no other option is left on the table.
What the Democrats need to do is to drive this point home with the American public, so that when the Republican noise machine spins into overdrive, it will fall on deaf ears. A vast majority of the American people want this war over. The political gamble for the Democrats is not cutting off the funds it is continuing the status quo.
Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, his diplomatic counterpart in Baghdad, said a key report they will deliver to Washington in September will include what Crocker called "an assessment of what the consequences might be if we pursue other directions." Noting the "unhelpful roles" being played by Iran and Syria in Iraq, Crocker said: "We've got to consider what could happen."We were told that by Septmeber we would be told whether or not this surge was working. It was the basis for the Iraq funding bill which so many objected to. The Democrats have funded this war through Septmeber knowing a progress report out at that time will determine where to go from here.
General Patraeus has just thrown cold water on that plan. It would seem that there is no intention to change course or end this war. The Democrats need to grow a spine and cut off the funding. It is painfully obvious that no other option is left on the table.
What the Democrats need to do is to drive this point home with the American public, so that when the Republican noise machine spins into overdrive, it will fall on deaf ears. A vast majority of the American people want this war over. The political gamble for the Democrats is not cutting off the funds it is continuing the status quo.
Why The Shrinking Dollar Is Bad For Middle Class America
I was walking through Manhattan yesterday on a hot summer day. It seemed everywhere you looked there was new apartment construction. All the signs told of exquisite bathrooms, extra large windows and other luxury features. I thought maybe this is the time I can finally move into the city from the suburbs. There was one major problem with my dream, I could not afford even the smallest units available.
For some background, I work in the financial services industry (actually I was recently laid off but that story is for another day) with an annual salary plus bonus of slightly over $100,000.00. I am single and have great savings. I am one of the lucky middle class Americans who can actually still save money (well that was until the unemployment notice came but again, another day another story). I have a Co-operative apartment in a suburb of New York City that is fully paid for and worth about $160,000.00. I know I am better off than probably 90% of all Americans and yet I still can not afford even a simple one bedroom apartment in any of these new buildings.
After seeing models for three different buildings in the Chelsea section as well as two on the Upper West Side I realized that at least for new construction that I could not find any apartment for less than $1 million dollars. For those in the Mid West that just hit the floor, I know believe me I know. If I can’t afford that and neither can almost anyone I know, who exactly is buying these apartments? Most of these buildings are actually close to being sold out. The answer is obviously rich people but not necessarily all from the United States. You see the shrinking dollar has allowed people from the upper classes of Europe to come and purchase these apartments at what are bargain prices relative to their currencies. It is that fact that has kept the prices at levels unaffordable to even very well paid Americans.
To add insult to injury many of these buildings offer a ten year tax abatement so in fact the middle class people of the city are subsidizing rich Americans and foreigners. I wrote this post about that issue about one month ago. A tax abatement is normally used to entice people to areas needing gentrification. Anyone who has been to New York City knows that Chelsea and the Upper West Side do not qualify.
A declining dollar should be good for exports but although our trade imbalance has improved it is more from diminished imports than improved exports. Our manufacturing base is nearly gone so a declining dollar does little to improve the trade imbalance without a real plan to revive the manufacturing base. Wouldn’t it be a better use of taxpayer money to provide tax incentives to bring back manufacturing jobs? Instead we are providing tax breaks to the wealthiest among us at the expense of education funding. It is time that we stand up and say enough is enough.
For some background, I work in the financial services industry (actually I was recently laid off but that story is for another day) with an annual salary plus bonus of slightly over $100,000.00. I am single and have great savings. I am one of the lucky middle class Americans who can actually still save money (well that was until the unemployment notice came but again, another day another story). I have a Co-operative apartment in a suburb of New York City that is fully paid for and worth about $160,000.00. I know I am better off than probably 90% of all Americans and yet I still can not afford even a simple one bedroom apartment in any of these new buildings.
After seeing models for three different buildings in the Chelsea section as well as two on the Upper West Side I realized that at least for new construction that I could not find any apartment for less than $1 million dollars. For those in the Mid West that just hit the floor, I know believe me I know. If I can’t afford that and neither can almost anyone I know, who exactly is buying these apartments? Most of these buildings are actually close to being sold out. The answer is obviously rich people but not necessarily all from the United States. You see the shrinking dollar has allowed people from the upper classes of Europe to come and purchase these apartments at what are bargain prices relative to their currencies. It is that fact that has kept the prices at levels unaffordable to even very well paid Americans.
To add insult to injury many of these buildings offer a ten year tax abatement so in fact the middle class people of the city are subsidizing rich Americans and foreigners. I wrote this post about that issue about one month ago. A tax abatement is normally used to entice people to areas needing gentrification. Anyone who has been to New York City knows that Chelsea and the Upper West Side do not qualify.
A declining dollar should be good for exports but although our trade imbalance has improved it is more from diminished imports than improved exports. Our manufacturing base is nearly gone so a declining dollar does little to improve the trade imbalance without a real plan to revive the manufacturing base. Wouldn’t it be a better use of taxpayer money to provide tax incentives to bring back manufacturing jobs? Instead we are providing tax breaks to the wealthiest among us at the expense of education funding. It is time that we stand up and say enough is enough.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
US: 60 Pct. of Baghdad Not Controlled
Security forces in Baghdad have full control in only 40 percent of the city five months into the pacification campaign, a top American general said Saturday as U.S. troops began an offensive against two al-Qaida strongholds on the capital's southern outskirts.
This war was lost from day one with poor planning and execution but what was the real purpose for this war to begin with? Even with the disaster that is currently Iraq the oil companies stand to reap the benefits of this disastrous policy while the Iraqi people are left with death, destruction and the theft of their greatest natural resource.
Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno said American troops launched the offensive in Baghdad's Arab Jabour and Salman Pac neighborhoods Friday night. It was the first time in three years that U.S. soldiers entered those areas, where al-Qaida militants build car bombs and launch Katyusha rockets at American bases and Shiite Muslim neighborhoods.Our stategy in Iraq is like playing a game of wack a mole. The insurgents just continue to move from area to area. There is no strategy that can be successful at this time without at least double our current number of troops and that is a strategy that the American people will not support.
The overall commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, said during a news conference with visiting Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the operation would put troops into key al-Qaida-held areas surrounding Baghdad.
Odierno said there was a long way to go in retaking the city from Shiite Muslim militias, Sunni Arab insurgents and al-Qaida terrorists. He said only about "40 percent is really very safe on a routine basis" _ with about 30 percent lacking control and a further 30 percent suffering "a high level of violence."
This war was lost from day one with poor planning and execution but what was the real purpose for this war to begin with? Even with the disaster that is currently Iraq the oil companies stand to reap the benefits of this disastrous policy while the Iraqi people are left with death, destruction and the theft of their greatest natural resource.
Bus Bombing Kills at Least 35 in Afghan Capital
An enormous bomb ripped through a police academy bus at Kabul's busiest transportation hub Sunday, killing at least 35 people in the deadliest insurgent attack in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. The Taliban claimed responsibility.
Did no one in the White House envision this result for Afghanistan? How can anything this adminstration say be taken seriously when everything they have touched has led to even greater disaster? The War in Iraq has been a recruitment tool for terrorists for the next generation. We promised the people of Afghanistan a better life when we removed the Taliban yet the Taliban is now back in control of whole areas of the country.
How can anyone respect our military might when we can not control two third world countries? Our foreign policy has been a complete disaster and has made us less safe as a result.
Sunday's attack is the deadliest by insurgents since the fall of the Taliban. In September 2002, 30 people were killed and 167 wounded in a Kabul car bombing. In February, a suicide bomber detonated explosives himself outside the main U.S. base at Bagram Air Field, killing 23 people, during a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney.We must all remember that the increased violence in Afghanistan is the result of the War in Iraq and our redeployment of troops from Afghanistan to Iraq.
Did no one in the White House envision this result for Afghanistan? How can anything this adminstration say be taken seriously when everything they have touched has led to even greater disaster? The War in Iraq has been a recruitment tool for terrorists for the next generation. We promised the people of Afghanistan a better life when we removed the Taliban yet the Taliban is now back in control of whole areas of the country.
How can anyone respect our military might when we can not control two third world countries? Our foreign policy has been a complete disaster and has made us less safe as a result.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Ford To Build Subcompact Car In Brazil, Import to U.S.
Ford Motor will build its forthcoming subcompact sedan for the North American market in Brazil, in what is considered by some to be a risky attempt to generate profits in that segment of the U.S. market.
I was recently in Brazil and saw many small cars made by American car companies that are not available here, some with flexible technology. It would seem to be smart business for the auto industry to provide fuel efficient models like they do in Brazil. We can not compete with the lower wages of Brazil or other countries. Does that mean that we must accept the demise of our manufacturing sector?
Ford has chosen its Sao Bernardo Assembly plant in the state of Sao Paulo as the source for the critical small car, according to officials at Ford and two automotive consulting firms - Global Insight and CSM Worldwide - briefed on the issue. The vehicle is set to launch in 2009 to 2010, said the officials who requested anonymity because Ford hasn't publicly disclosed the plan.This is great for Brazil but what about the U.S.? Our manufacturing base is nearly gone and until we can resurrect it we can not secure our economic future. Surely these cars could have been built within the United States by opening and refitting a closed auto plant. This should be a wake up call to legislators to start really looking into the reasons that our auto industry is dying.
I was recently in Brazil and saw many small cars made by American car companies that are not available here, some with flexible technology. It would seem to be smart business for the auto industry to provide fuel efficient models like they do in Brazil. We can not compete with the lower wages of Brazil or other countries. Does that mean that we must accept the demise of our manufacturing sector?
Rising Rates Squeezing Consumers
The low interest rates that have fueled the economy may be about to end.
Yields on the 10-year Treasury note — a benchmark that influences many long-term interest rates, including home mortgages — jumped sharply on Tuesday and are up significantly in the last month. The fallout is likely to be widespread, and felt most immediately by homeowners and people looking to buy a house.This could be disastrous news to a housing market that is already battered by the subprime mortgage collapse. Many people who have these so called subprime loans will be looking to refinance to save their homes. Higher rates will make that even more difficult and will push foreclosures ever higher.
Economists said homeowners trying to refinance their adjustable rate mortgages before they reset to higher levels are already feeling pinched. The national average for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage jumped to 6.74 percent yesterday. At the beginning of the year, the average was 6.18 percent, according to Freddie Mac, a big buyer of mortgages.
The recent rate move came as something of a surprise to Wall Street. It is the result, traders say, of heavy selling by foreign investors, who may be growing concerned about inflation, and holders of mortgage securities hoping to reduce the risks associated with higher rates.Could it be that foreign investors are finally seeing that the U.S. economy is built on a house of cards that is teetering?
RealtyTrac, an online provider of foreclosure data, reported Tuesday that foreclosures in May were up 90 percent from the period a year earlier. Although RealtyTrac’s figures may overstate matters somewhat by reflecting loans in each step of the foreclosure process, the total foreclosures of 176,137 in May were sobering.This will eventually be flet in all areas of the economy. Couple this with higher energy costs and consumer spending will have to slow. Will it slow enough to tip the anemica economy into recession? I believe it will and take any Republican chances of holding the White House with it.
For struggling homeowners, the rise in rates could not come at a worse time. “In prior foreclosure waves, we had a drop in interest rates that allowed workouts to be done at lower interest rate levels,” said Louis S. Barnes II, a partner at Boulder West Financial Services, a mortgage banking firm in Lafayette, Colo. “Today rates are substantially higher than when a lot of these loans were created.”
U.S. Inflation Posts Biggest Increase in 8 Months
US inflation saw its biggest monthly rise for eight months in May, official data showed today, due to steady increases in food and energy costs.
However, inflation remained broadly stable when these volatile components were stripped out, the Labour Department said.It always amazes me that they strip out the "volatile" food and energy components. The American people do not have to worry about inflation unless they eat or drive. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie will smile at this report.
The 0.7% gain in overall prices was higher than Wall Street forecasts and the largest jump since September.
But core inflation, which is more closely watched by policymakers at the Federal Reserve, increased by only 0.1%, lower than forecasts and down from the 0.2% in April.
Gays In Iraq Being Rounded Up And Murdered
Two openly gay members of the US Congress have written to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging the State Department to investigate reports of violent persecution of LGBT people in Iraq.
The letter mentioned news reports that Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the chief spiritual leader of Iraqi Shia Muslims, issued a fatwa, or religiously-inspired legal pronouncement, in October 2005, calling for death for all gays and lesbians in "the most severe way possible."So lets examine post Saddam Iraq. Women and Gays are actually less secure now then they were under the brutal killer. How exactly can we claim that Iraq is better off now then they were before Saddam? This war has killed scores of people, drained our treasury and left Iraq in shambles. Freedom is on the march in Iraq.
Energy Measure Blocked by Republicans in Senate
Senate Democrats, facing their first significant battle over a wide-ranging bill intended to reduce oil consumption, found themselves blocked by Republicans on Thursday and postponed all significant votes until next week.
The current Republican Party cares more about big business then they do any citizens of the United States. It is time to make them a permanent minority and grow a third political party which would actually do the bidding of the citizens of the United States.
The Democrats’ unexpected difficulty meant they made virtually no progress on the energy bill after about a week of floor debate. Though the Senate’s intricate rules make such logjams common, the delay was a bad omen for what lawmakers already knew would be a long and grueling fight on one of the signature issues of energy conservation and renewable fuels.These sound like reasonable proposals but they were blocked by Republicans who receive significant campaign contributions from the Energy Industry. How can they constantly talk about Homeland Security then block a bill that would lessen our dependence on foreign oil by seeking alternate sources of energy?
At issue on Thursday was a provision called the “Renewable Portfolio Standard,” which would require electric utilities to obtain 15 percent of their electricity from wind, solar or biomass energy by 2020.
But the energy bill would make profound changes in other areas as well. It would require car companies to increase the average fuel economy of cars and light trucks to 35 miles a gallon by 2020. It would also require a huge increase in the production of renewable fuels for cars and trucks and require the federal government to set tougher efficiency standards for electric appliances. The measure would also give the government more power to prosecute “price gouging” by oil companies.
Senate Democrats are also drafting a tax package that is expected to provide as much as $25 billion in incentives for renewable fuels and conservation — much of which would be paid for by tax increases on the nation’s oil companies. Those provisions face intense opposition from the affected industries, and President Bush has threatened to veto any bill that contains the price-gouging measure.
The current Republican Party cares more about big business then they do any citizens of the United States. It is time to make them a permanent minority and grow a third political party which would actually do the bidding of the citizens of the United States.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
DOJ Investigates if Gonzales Tried to Influence Aide's Testimony
The Justice Department is investigating whether Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales sought to influence the testimony of a departing senior aide during a March meeting in Gonzales's office, according to correspondence released today.
The Justice Department should be as non political as possible. I understand that everything in Washington is political to some degree but this administration has crossed the line so often that no one is even sure where the line starts anymore.
The disclosure could represent a serious legal threat to the embattled attorney general. Fine's office is empowered to refer matters for criminal prosecution if warranted.It sounds like our illustrious Attorney general could have been engaged in witness tampering which is a felony. Does anyone know why this unqualified hack is still our chief law enforcement official? This may turn up the heat enough to finally force him out.
The revelation also broadens the publicly known contours of the internal Justice Department investigation, which is examining the removal of the prosecutors as well as whether any laws or policies were violated in the hiring of career prosecutors, immigration judges and others.
In a May 23 appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, Goodling testified that Gonzales had laid out his general recollection of events surrounding the prosecutor dismissals during a meeting between the two in March, as Goodling was preparing to leave the department. Gonzales asked whether Goodling "had any reaction to his iteration," and she said the conversation made her "a little uncomfortable" because of ongoing investigations into the issue, according to her testimony.
The Justice Department should be as non political as possible. I understand that everything in Washington is political to some degree but this administration has crossed the line so often that no one is even sure where the line starts anymore.
Judge to Libby: Go Directly to Jail
A federal judge on Thursday ordered I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby to report to prison while his attorneys appeal his perjury and obstruction convictions.
There was an underlying crime, the problem was that all the obstruction made it impossible to gather the evidence necessary to prosecute. Valerie Plame was a covert agent working on non-proliferation issues. Her outing caused national security damage that has never been disclosed. How many other operatives lives were placed in danger as a result of her outing? Where is the national damage assessment?
This was an act of treason and 2.5 years seems light to me. The President will pardon Mr. Libby to keep him from telling the truth and no one will be surprised.
Libby's attorneys asked that the order be stayed, but U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton denied that and told Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff that he had 10 days to appeal the ruling.The drumbeat for a pardon will only become louder as a result of this decision. All you hear is that there was no underlying crime so why should he be sent to jail?
Libby was sentenced to 2½ years in prison for lying and obstructing the investigation into who revealed in 2003 that Valerie Plame Wilson was a CIA operative. He also was fined $250,000.
There was an underlying crime, the problem was that all the obstruction made it impossible to gather the evidence necessary to prosecute. Valerie Plame was a covert agent working on non-proliferation issues. Her outing caused national security damage that has never been disclosed. How many other operatives lives were placed in danger as a result of her outing? Where is the national damage assessment?
This was an act of treason and 2.5 years seems light to me. The President will pardon Mr. Libby to keep him from telling the truth and no one will be surprised.
Gay Marriage Wins A Stunning Victory in Massachusetts
Massachusetts lawmakers on Thursday blocked a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage from reaching voters, a stunning victory for gay marriage advocates and a devastating blow to efforts to reverse a historic 2003 court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
Will New York be next to allow Gay marriage? Hopefully so.
Will New York be next to allow Gay marriage? Hopefully so.
In Health Care, Cost Isn’t Proof of High Quality
Stark evidence that high medical payments do not necessarily buy high-quality patient care is presented in a hospital study set for release today.
I would recommend that all citizens go to see the new Michael Moore movie "Sicko" which examines the health care industry. Even Fox News described it as brilliant. We can not truly fix the problem until we understand its causes.
In a Pennsylvania government survey of the state’s 60 hospitals that perform heart bypass surgery, the best-paid hospital received nearly $100,000, on average, for the operation while the least-paid got less than $20,000. At both, patients had comparable lengths of stay and death rates.One of the main problems with our health care system is that people do believe that higher costs result in better care. This report ends those thoughts. Our health care system is a mess with the United States spending more per capita than all other nations and getting less in the way of results. Many hospitals are on the brink of bankruptcy due to low insurance reimbursements. Who is making all the money in the health care industry? The insurance and pharmaceutical companies are making record profits while close to 50 million people go without insurance.
And among the 20 hospitals serving metropolitan Philadelphia, two of the highest paid actually had higher-than-expected death rates, the survey found.
I would recommend that all citizens go to see the new Michael Moore movie "Sicko" which examines the health care industry. Even Fox News described it as brilliant. We can not truly fix the problem until we understand its causes.
Palestine on the Brink of Civil War
The recent fighting between Hamas and Fatah has brought the Palestinian Territory close to an all out civil war.
President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah faced the further collapse of his power in Gaza today as fierce fighting continued and Hamas fighters took over the headquarters of Fatah’s Preventive Security forces in Gaza City.This is another casualty of the Iraq War. The Bush administration has neglected the Palestinian issue and this is the result. They encouraged the Israeli-Lebanon conflict which destabilized Lebanon and resulted in the current fighting within that country. The failed Bush policies could soon result in three civil wars within the region. Those civil wars will further damage United States interests in the region and put Israel at risk. This is the worst case scenario coming true.
Aides to Mr. Abbas say he is expected to announce an “important decision” later today. He is under pressure from within Fatah and from his Western allies to suspend participation in the so-called unity government with Hamas, which began in March, or to declare a full state of emergency.
Hamas forces consolidated their control over much of Gaza on Wednesday, taking command of the main north-south road and blowing up a Fatah headquarters in Khan Yunis, in the south.
Producer Prices Rise 0.9% in May
Led by another big gain in energy prices, wholesale prices rose a greater-than-expected 0.9% in May, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Energy prices jumped 4.1%, the biggest increase in six months. Wholesale gasoline prices rose 10.2%.I love how they exclude food and energy prices. What they are saying is that as long as you do not eat or drive inflation is under control. I guess Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie will be happy with this report.
The core producer price index, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.2%, the first increase in three months.
Pentagon: Iraqi Violence Still Rising
Violence in Iraq, as measured by casualties among troops and civilians, has edged higher despite the U.S.-led security push in Baghdad, the Pentagon told Congress on Wednesday.
The Democrats have funded this war through September. The United States has been put in a no win situation in Iraq. If we leave the violence will most certainly get worse but staying is not an option. This war is draining our treasury and saddling future generations with debt. Who wins in this situation? This is the Bush legacy.
In its required quarterly report on security, political and economic developments in Iraq, covering the February-May period, the Pentagon also raised questions about Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's ability to fulfill a pledge made in January to prohibit political interference in security operations and to allow no safe havens for sectarian militias.What more does this administration need to see to make them admit that this war is lost? General Petraeus recently stated that the surge was going well. Is this what he describes as going well?
The Democrats have funded this war through September. The United States has been put in a no win situation in Iraq. If we leave the violence will most certainly get worse but staying is not an option. This war is draining our treasury and saddling future generations with debt. Who wins in this situation? This is the Bush legacy.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Musharraf's Political Longevity Doubtful: US Analysts
Analysts in the US have expressed doubt whether Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf will be able continue his regime for much longer, which they feel would come as a stinging blow to Washington in the war against terrorism.
'There is the potential rosy Pakistan next spring, with some sort of negotiated relationship where the military feel reasonably comfortable with a new civilian government,' he said, adding, 'But that is if we get that far. For the Chief Justice issue crisis, the political debate, the street protests that have been associated with that, people are raising questions about Musharraf's stability in a way that I have not quite heard before.'What would a new goverment in Pakistan look like? The Pakistani people are vehemently Anti-American and Islamic fundamentalists operate freely in many parts of the country and they already possess nuclear capabilities. If the goverment falls into radical hands they could overnight become the most dangerous nation on earth.
Another analyst Spencer Ackerman says that both within the US intelligence community and in Pakistan, there's a growing belief that Musharraf's days are drawing to a close- and possibly within the next few months.
Military Plan Against Iran Is Ready
Predicting that Iran will obtain a nuclear weapon within three years and claiming to have a strike plan in place, senior American military officers have told The Jerusalem Post they support President George W. Bush's stance to do everything necessary to stop the Islamic Republic's race for nuclear power.
A war with Iran will lead to even greater turmoil in the Middle East and a substantial rise in world oil prices. That would lead to a recession within the United States as people are forced to spend even more on energy. How can we believe anything that this administration tell us? They have proven themselves to be liars.
It is time for the people of the United States to take action to stop this future war.
Predictions within the US military are that Bush will do what is needed to stop Teheran before he leaves office in 2009, including possibly launching a military strike against its nuclear facilities.This should be alarming to every U.S. citizen. How can we financially and emotionally support yet another war? I feel like I am living in a time capsule and all the propaganda that was used to start the Iraq War is being used again to start a war with Iran.
A war with Iran will lead to even greater turmoil in the Middle East and a substantial rise in world oil prices. That would lead to a recession within the United States as people are forced to spend even more on energy. How can we believe anything that this administration tell us? They have proven themselves to be liars.
According to a high-ranking American military officer, the US Navy and Air Force would play the primary roles in any military action taken against Iran. One idea under consideration is a naval blockade designed to cut off Iran's oil exports.Could this be the reason that both of our top military men will now be from the Navy?
It is time for the people of the United States to take action to stop this future war.
Iraqis Failing To Meet U.S. Benchmarks
Iraq’s political leaders have failed to reach agreements on nearly every law that the Americans have demanded as benchmarks.
Kurds have blocked a vote in Parliament on a new oil law. Shiite clerics have stymied an American-backed plan for reintegrating former Baathists into government. Sunnis are demanding that a constitutional review include more power for the next president.Isn't the oil law really all we care about anyway.
And even if one or two of the proposals are approved — the oil law appears the most likely, officials said — doubts are spreading about whether the current benchmarks can ever halt the cycle of violence gripping Iraq’s communities.
Foreclosures Rise 90%
Home foreclosures in May jumped 90 percent from a year earlier, reflecting a poor spring housing market and foreshadowing even higher levels later in 2007, real estate data firm RealtyTrac said Tuesday.
Can this continue with a negative savings rate and energy prices that are still climbing? History would tell us no and with the recent GDP showing near stagnant growth our economic future does not seem so rosy.
The May foreclosures - a sum of default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions - totaled 176,137, up 19 percent from April, the firm said in its May 2007 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report.With home prices already recording record drops, this news will only fuel the fire. Will the weakness in the housing market extend to other segments of the economy? So far it has not as retail sales have remained strong.
"After a barely perceptible dip in April, foreclosure activity roared back with a vengeance in May," James Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac, said in a statement.
Can this continue with a negative savings rate and energy prices that are still climbing? History would tell us no and with the recent GDP showing near stagnant growth our economic future does not seem so rosy.
Senate Democrats Unveil New Iraq Strategy
Senate Democratic leaders late Tuesday unveiled a trio of amendments to the defense authorization bill that represent the majority’s next effort to force a turnaround in the Iraq war and isolate the White House from its Republican supporters.
The first amendment, crafted chiefly by Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), mandates the start of a troop withdrawal from Iraq within 120 days of passage. The second amendment, crafted chiefly by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), would set strong troop readiness standards and ensure a minimum period between Iraq deployments.I constantly hear how the Democrats were elected to stop the war and have done nothing. The truth is that they need 60 votes in order to end any filibuster on Iraq and they do not have those votes. They have 49 votes plus Tim Johnson who is still recovering from brain surgery. Joe Lieberman is an independent and votes with the President on the War. The only real way to stop this war is to pressure the Republicans who will not vote against the President. The American people need to understand this and aim there anger where it belongs.
The third amendment, a hotly sought goal of Reid’s that was crafted chiefly by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), would block spending on a future military presence in Iraq after April 2008, save for troops on counter-terrorism and training missions.
A possible fourth vote could come on revoking Congress’s original 2002 war authorization, a tactic favored by many but agreed upon by few. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) has suggested “de-authorization” followed by a new, targeted mission, while Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) have suggested forcing President Bush to seek a new authorization from Congress.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Iran Is Arming Taliban, U.S. Envoy Claims
A senior U.S. diplomat accused Iran on Tuesday of transferring weapons to Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.
Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, speaking to reporters in Paris, said Iran was funding insurrections across the Middle East — and “Iran is now even transferring arms to the Taliban in Afghanistan.”How can this possibly be believed? The Taliban are Sunni fundamentalists that have an ancient hatred for the Shiite sect that runs Iran. Iran supported the U.S. effort to oust the Taliban. Are we once again being fed propaganda to get the American population ready for yet another war?
Religious Right Will Not Support Giuliani
A growing number of influential social conservatives are speaking out against Rudy Giuliani, with some threatening that they will take flight from the Republican Party in 2008 if the former New York mayor is the GOP nominee.
Giuliani's support for abortion rights and gay rights has not to date prevented him from winning the support of a sizable number of socially conservative voters, according to polls. But the continued strength of his candidacy is causing alarm among leaders of conservative advocacy groups, many of which have been major players in Republican politics.How I love it when moderate Republicans are tossed under the bus by the so called religious conservatives. With less people registering as Republicans, can Giuliani put together enough support without religious conservatives to win the nomination? My guess is no. Giuliani will be the Howard Dean of 2008 and it could not happen to a nicer guy.
Vulture Funds and the 2008 Election
A vulture fund is a financial organization that specializes in buying securities in distressed environments, such as high-yield bonds in or near default, or equities that are in or near bankruptcy. Vulture funds target not only companies but also whole countries.
Michael Sheehan, the main owner of Donegal Corp. is also a huge contributor to the presidential campaign of Rudy Giuliani. Remember that old saying "You can judge a man by his friends", what does that say about Rudy Giuliani?
In the African country of Zambia, over 70 percent of people live in poverty. The average wage is just over a dollar a day, one in five people are infected with HIV/AIDS and life expectancy is merely 37.7 years. Yet, in the midst of qualifying for debt cancellation by G-8 nations, the Donegal Corporation, owned by American businessman Michael Sheehan, bought Zambian debt from Romania. In April, British courts awarded Donegal 15 million dollars, almost five times the value Donegal paid for the debt.Greg Palast of the BBC last night posted this report. It is about 15 minutes long but well worth the investment of time. How can we do nothing while people are literally dying due to these vulture funds?
The morally bankrupt actions of vulture funds render the commitments to debt relief made by the U.S. and other wealthy nations meaningless. U.S. taxpayer money, pledged to provided relief and assistance through debt relief, will fall into the hands of these greedy corporations. At the upcoming G-8 Summit President Bush should call for a commitment by world leaders to address debt relief and vulture funds. The U.S. Treasury should follow the lead of U.K. Chancellor Gordon Brown and limit the awards vulture funds can claim for these debts. Congress must examine this practice and its impact on our overall foreign policy interests. The international community must employ effective means to protect countries like Zambia who have fallen prey to these vulture funds, including implementing fair and transparent international mechanisms to resolve these matters.
Michael Sheehan, the main owner of Donegal Corp. is also a huge contributor to the presidential campaign of Rudy Giuliani. Remember that old saying "You can judge a man by his friends", what does that say about Rudy Giuliani?
Monday, June 11, 2007
Immigration Debate from a Right Wing Wacko
Read this article and then remember that this man is a prominent right wing pundit.
Similarly, there are probably a lot of black American women who wouldn’t mind working as maids in prosperous white households, as used to be commonplace. I’m willing to bet, though, that there are large numbers of white people who would much rather not have a black maid. Not, again, because they fear a black maid would harm them, or be lazy or dishonest, but just because they would not feel comfortable in a master-servant relationship with a black person, after all the guilt-trip propaganda of the past 40 years.So I guess feeling bad about enslaving people like animals is propaganda to these right wing freaks. How can people like this hold their heads up. Bigotry and racism is alive and well and writing at National Review Online.
U.S. Arming Sunni Insurgents in Iraq
The U.S. military is arming Sunni Insurgents if they promise to fight al Qaeda.
When I first heard this I thought this can't be possible but it is. Have we learned absolutely nothing from our years of arming the Mujaheddin in Afghanistan?
When I first heard this I thought this can't be possible but it is. Have we learned absolutely nothing from our years of arming the Mujaheddin in Afghanistan?
American commanders say they have successfully tested the strategy in Anbar Province west of Baghdad and have held talks with Sunni groups in at least four areas of central and north-central Iraq where the insurgency has been strong. In some cases, the American commanders say, the Sunni groups are suspected of involvement in past attacks on American troops or of having links to such groups. Some of these groups, they say, have been provided, usually through Iraqi military units allied with the Americans, with arms, ammunition, cash, fuel and supplies.Most of our troops have been killed by Iraqi insurgents. What is to stop them from turning our own weapons on our soldiers. This administration is criminally negligent and should be removed.
Court Rules Against Bush in Enemy Combatant Case
The court rules that no evidence was present to continue holding a detainee indefinitely
Those who say it is necessary to win the war on terrorism must realize if we resort to those tactics, we have already lost.
In a major setback for Bush's policies in the war on terrorism adopted after the September 11 attacks, the appellate panel ruled 2-1 the U.S. government had no evidence to treat Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri as an "enemy combatant." The court ordered him released from military custody.I am all for holding terrorism suspects but you must have evidence to do it. The idea that the American Government can and will hold people at will for years with no files charged is frightening. It is a complete departure from what we are as a nation and as a people. If the Government feels that someone is a terrorist then they need to prove that in a court of law. Without that protection, what is to stop them from doing that to you or me?
"The government cannot subject al-Marri to indefinite military detention. For in the United States, the military cannot seize and imprison civilians -- let alone imprison them indefinitely," Judge Diana Gribbon Motz wrote.
Those who say it is necessary to win the war on terrorism must realize if we resort to those tactics, we have already lost.
Donated Body Armor Goes Unused
Do you still think this administration supports the troops?
Just when you think they can't get any lower!!!
Just when you think they can't get any lower!!!
Making Poverty an Election Issue
The anti-poverty campaign of U2 frontman Bono is promoting a $30 million effort to pressure Republican and Democratic presidential candidates to make the oft-forgotten issue a priority.
Dubbed ONE Vote '08, the bipartisan political push aims to get President Bush's successor to commit to taking concrete steps in the first 100 days to combat hunger and disease while improving access to education and water across the globe.Imagine if we could repair America's image and help so many. This is a campaign to get behind.
Old Problems Plague New Security Plan For Iraq
Three months after additional U.S. troops began pouring into Baghdad in the most recent effort to stanch violence in Iraq's capital, military observers are fretting that the same problems that torpedoed last summer's Baghdad security plan are cropping up again.
I believe we are in Iraq for one reason only, and that is oil. With the largest embassy in the world being built in Iraq and the recent discussion of a presence in Iraq for years to come, does anyone really believe it was for any other reason?
Violence is on the rise, Iraqi troops aren't showing up to secure neighborhoods, U.S. troops are having to revisit neighborhoods they'd already cleared, and Iraq's politicians haven't met any of their benchmarks.I am not sure why this is a surprise. They have tried this type of surge before with the same lack of results. Iraq is in a civil war and nothing we can do will change that. The time to quell the violence was after the fall of Saddam but we had insufficient troops to accomplish that goal.
I believe we are in Iraq for one reason only, and that is oil. With the largest embassy in the world being built in Iraq and the recent discussion of a presence in Iraq for years to come, does anyone really believe it was for any other reason?
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Pentagon Confirms It Sought To Build A 'Gay Bomb'
Read this for some good laughs. Why not just burn the $7.5 million dollars?
The plan for a so-called "love bomb" envisaged an aphrodisiac chemical that would provoke widespread homosexual behaviour among troops, causing what the military called a "distasteful but completely non-lethal" blow to morale.Is it just me or are Pentagon officials really obsessed with all things Gay?
Bush Is Greeted Warmly in Albania
Maybe they only have Fox News in Albania.
Military cannons boomed a 21-gun-salute in his honor. Thousands jammed Scanderbeg Square in downtown Tirana, wearing Uncle Sam top hats in the sweltering sun, hoping to glimpse the presidential motorcade. The superlatives flowed so freely that Mr. Bush looked a tad sheepish when Prime Minister Sali Berisha proclaimed him “the greatest and most distinguished guest we have ever had in all times.”Obviously they don't get many important visitors if this is the best one they have gotten. They need to remember that it was Clinton that helped the Albanian population of Kosovo. The Republicans could have cared less, after all there was no oil in Kosovo. When I read this I threw up a little in my own mouth.
The Heiress is Smarter Than The Media
You know the media sucks when even Paris Hilton recognizes it.
"I must also say that I was shocked to see all of the attention devoted to the amount of time I would spend in jail for what I had done by the media, public and city officials. I would hope going forward that the public and the media will focus on more important things, like the men and women serving our country in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places around the world."Amen Paris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sen. Lieberman Calls for U.S. Strike Against Iran
Is this guy for real?
How could Connecticut have re-elected this asswipe? Sure Joe lets start wars with all the countries that are against our Iraq operations. How about we start with Saudi Arabia? Who the hell do you think is funding the Sunni insurgents? Its certainly not Shiite Iran.
How could Connecticut have re-elected this asswipe? Sure Joe lets start wars with all the countries that are against our Iraq operations. How about we start with Saudi Arabia? Who the hell do you think is funding the Sunni insurgents? Its certainly not Shiite Iran.
''I think we've got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians to stop them from killing Americans in Iraq,'' Lieberman said. ''And to me, that would include a strike over the border into Iran, where we have good evidence that they have a base at which they are training these people coming back into Iraq to kill our soldiers.''I just can't even tolerate his face on television anymore. He is a Bush crony that is too stupid to realize they are using him. When they are done they will throw him under the bus where he belongs since that is where he threw his constituents.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Paris Hilton and the Art of Distraction
With so many serious issues to discuss why are the cable channels covering this Paris Hilton mess wall to wall? It is the art of distraction.
Americans need to demand real news from our news outlets. Anna Nicole Smith and paris Hilton do not count as real news. With daily bombings in Iraq and the replacement of General Peter Pace, this coverage is excessive and worthless.
The airwaves belong to the citizens. It is time we take them back.
Americans need to demand real news from our news outlets. Anna Nicole Smith and paris Hilton do not count as real news. With daily bombings in Iraq and the replacement of General Peter Pace, this coverage is excessive and worthless.
The airwaves belong to the citizens. It is time we take them back.
General Peter Pace Out As Chairman of Joint Chiefs Of Staff
General Pace is out. He is being replaced by Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.
This is the first time in 21 years that both CentCom and the Joint Chiefs of Staff have been headed by Navy men. Does that mean anything for the near future? The Navy would be needed for an invasion of Iran and we recently conducted war games off the coast of Iran using the Navy. Now the two most powerful men in the military are both Navy men. It sure feels like they are gearing up for War with Iran.
This is the first time in 21 years that both CentCom and the Joint Chiefs of Staff have been headed by Navy men. Does that mean anything for the near future? The Navy would be needed for an invasion of Iran and we recently conducted war games off the coast of Iran using the Navy. Now the two most powerful men in the military are both Navy men. It sure feels like they are gearing up for War with Iran.
U.S. Trade Gap Lower Than Expected
The trade deficit narrowed in April, as American businesses exported more goods and services to meet rising demand from overseas.
In order for the slumping dollar to help our enormous trade imbalance we need to resurrect our manufacturing base. For me the more important number in this report is the $3.6 Billion drop in imports. To me that signals the American consumer cutting back on spending and that signals lower economic growth within the United States and possibly a coming recession.
There are two Americas. The rich are doing extraordinarily well while the middle and lower classes are struggling economically. That is how I read this report.
Exports grew by $200 million while imports slowed by $3.6 billion, bringing the trade gap to $58.5 billion for the month. While that is still huge, it is down from the March deficit of $62.4 billion.Wall Street welcomed this news and the market slide from the last few days seems to have leveled off. I do not see this as especially good news. Exports grew by just $200 million which is a drop in the bucket when you consider the excesive decline of the dollar in many places. One of the supposed benefits of a dropping dollar is increased exports. That would be the case but with our manufacturing base nearly gone we don't manufacture much that can be exported.
In order for the slumping dollar to help our enormous trade imbalance we need to resurrect our manufacturing base. For me the more important number in this report is the $3.6 Billion drop in imports. To me that signals the American consumer cutting back on spending and that signals lower economic growth within the United States and possibly a coming recession.
There are two Americas. The rich are doing extraordinarily well while the middle and lower classes are struggling economically. That is how I read this report.
Outsourcing Not Effective at 38% of Mid-Sized Companies
An astonishing 38 percent of all mid-sized companies report that their SG&A* (selling, general and administrative) outsourcing projects are less than fully effective, with 15 percent reporting they are now "worse off" after outsourcing. That's according to a new survey of CFOs and other senior financial executives at 35 blue-chip North American companies and divisions released today by AlixPartners LLP.
"The overriding reason companies aren't getting the returns they want," said Neal Ganguli, co-leader of the survey and a director at AlixPartners, "is that while companies rightfully devote a lot of energy to looking 'outward' as they outsource -- working to select the right vendors, etc. -- they all too often don't also look 'inward' enough, in order to adequately prepare themselves for all that successful outsourcing demands inside their own companies."Do you think this report will stop the trend of outsourcing our jobs to foreigners? Unfortunately unless it negatively effects the bottom line it will not stop.
For instance, when asked to list reasons outsourcing projects were ineffective, the top reason given was "internal resource issues." This placed well above "poor vendor performance." By the same token, when asked why effective projects were effective, "management effort" (internal to the company itself) led the way.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Translate
Read this op-ed from an Arab Linquist fired for being Gay:
IMAGINE for a moment an American soldier deep in the Iraqi desert. His unit is about to head out when he receives a cable detailing an insurgent ambush right in his convoy’s path. With this information, he and his soldiers are now prepared for the danger that lies ahead.
Reports like these are regularly sent from military translators’ desks, providing critical, often life-saving intelligence to troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the military has a desperate shortage of linguists trained to translate such invaluable information and convey it to the war zone.
The lack of qualified translators has been a pressing issue for some time — the Army had filled only half its authorized positions for Arabic translators in 2001. Cables went untranslated on Sept. 10 that might have prevented the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. Today, the American Embassy in Baghdad has nearly 1,000 personnel, but only a handful of fluent Arabic speakers.
I was an Arabic translator. After joining the Navy in 2003, I attended the Defense Language Institute, graduated in the top 10 percent of my class and then spent two years giving our troops the critical translation services they desperately needed. I was ready to serve in Iraq.
But I never got to. In March, I was ousted from the Navy under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which mandates dismissal if a service member is found to be gay.
My story begins almost a year ago when my roommate, who is also gay, was deployed to Falluja. We communicated the only way we could: using the military’s instant-messaging system on monitored government computers. These electronic conversations are lifelines, keeping soldiers sane while mortars land meters away.
Then, last October the annual inspection of my base, Fort Gordon, Ga., included a perusal of the government computer chat system; inspectors identified 70 service members whose use violated policy. The range of violations was broad: people were flagged for everything from profanity to outright discussions of explicit sexual activity. Among those charged were my former roommate and me. Our messages had included references to our social lives — comments that were otherwise unremarkable, except that they indicated we were both gay.
I could have written a statement denying that I was homosexual, but lying did not seem like the right thing to do. My roommate made the same decision, though he was allowed to remain in Iraq until the scheduled end of his tour.
The result was the termination of our careers, and the loss to the military of two more Arabic translators. The 68 other — heterosexual — service members remained on active duty, despite many having committed violations far more egregious than ours; the Pentagon apparently doesn’t consider hate speech, derogatory comments about women or sexual misconduct grounds for dismissal.
My supervisors did not want to lose me. Most of my peers knew I was gay, and that didn’t bother them. I was always accepted as a member of the team. And my experience was not anomalous: polls of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan show an overwhelming majority are comfortable with gays. Many were aware of at least one gay person in their unit and had no problem with it.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” does nothing but deprive the military of talent it needs and invade the privacy of gay service members just trying to do their jobs and live their lives. Political and military leaders who support the current law may believe that homosexual soldiers threaten unit cohesion and military readiness, but the real damage is caused by denying enlistment to patriotic Americans and wrenching qualified individuals out of effective military units. This does not serve the military or the nation well.
Consider: more than 58 Arabic linguists have been kicked out since “don’t ask, don’t tell” was instituted. How much valuable intelligence could those men and women be providing today to troops in harm’s way?
In addition to those translators, 11,000 other service members have been ousted since the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was passed by Congress in 1993. Many held critical jobs in intelligence, medicine and counterterrorism. An untold number of closeted gay military members don’t re-enlist because of the pressure the law puts on them. This is the real cost of the ban — and, with our military so overcommitted and undermanned, it’s too high to pay.
In response to difficult recruiting prospects, the Army has already taken a number of steps, lengthening soldiers’ deployments to 15 months from 12, enlisting felons and extending the age limit to 42. Why then won’t Congress pass a bill like the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell”? The bipartisan bill, by some analysts’ estimates, could add more than 41,000 soldiers — all gay, of course.
As the friends I once served with head off to 15-month deployments, I regret I’m not there to lessen their burden and to serve my country. I’m trained to fight, I speak Arabic and I’m willing to serve. No recruiter needs to make a persuasive argument to sign me up. I’m ready, and I’m waiting.
Stephen Benjamin is a former petty officer second class in the Navy.
IMAGINE for a moment an American soldier deep in the Iraqi desert. His unit is about to head out when he receives a cable detailing an insurgent ambush right in his convoy’s path. With this information, he and his soldiers are now prepared for the danger that lies ahead.
Reports like these are regularly sent from military translators’ desks, providing critical, often life-saving intelligence to troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the military has a desperate shortage of linguists trained to translate such invaluable information and convey it to the war zone.
The lack of qualified translators has been a pressing issue for some time — the Army had filled only half its authorized positions for Arabic translators in 2001. Cables went untranslated on Sept. 10 that might have prevented the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. Today, the American Embassy in Baghdad has nearly 1,000 personnel, but only a handful of fluent Arabic speakers.
I was an Arabic translator. After joining the Navy in 2003, I attended the Defense Language Institute, graduated in the top 10 percent of my class and then spent two years giving our troops the critical translation services they desperately needed. I was ready to serve in Iraq.
But I never got to. In March, I was ousted from the Navy under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which mandates dismissal if a service member is found to be gay.
My story begins almost a year ago when my roommate, who is also gay, was deployed to Falluja. We communicated the only way we could: using the military’s instant-messaging system on monitored government computers. These electronic conversations are lifelines, keeping soldiers sane while mortars land meters away.
Then, last October the annual inspection of my base, Fort Gordon, Ga., included a perusal of the government computer chat system; inspectors identified 70 service members whose use violated policy. The range of violations was broad: people were flagged for everything from profanity to outright discussions of explicit sexual activity. Among those charged were my former roommate and me. Our messages had included references to our social lives — comments that were otherwise unremarkable, except that they indicated we were both gay.
I could have written a statement denying that I was homosexual, but lying did not seem like the right thing to do. My roommate made the same decision, though he was allowed to remain in Iraq until the scheduled end of his tour.
The result was the termination of our careers, and the loss to the military of two more Arabic translators. The 68 other — heterosexual — service members remained on active duty, despite many having committed violations far more egregious than ours; the Pentagon apparently doesn’t consider hate speech, derogatory comments about women or sexual misconduct grounds for dismissal.
My supervisors did not want to lose me. Most of my peers knew I was gay, and that didn’t bother them. I was always accepted as a member of the team. And my experience was not anomalous: polls of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan show an overwhelming majority are comfortable with gays. Many were aware of at least one gay person in their unit and had no problem with it.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” does nothing but deprive the military of talent it needs and invade the privacy of gay service members just trying to do their jobs and live their lives. Political and military leaders who support the current law may believe that homosexual soldiers threaten unit cohesion and military readiness, but the real damage is caused by denying enlistment to patriotic Americans and wrenching qualified individuals out of effective military units. This does not serve the military or the nation well.
Consider: more than 58 Arabic linguists have been kicked out since “don’t ask, don’t tell” was instituted. How much valuable intelligence could those men and women be providing today to troops in harm’s way?
In addition to those translators, 11,000 other service members have been ousted since the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was passed by Congress in 1993. Many held critical jobs in intelligence, medicine and counterterrorism. An untold number of closeted gay military members don’t re-enlist because of the pressure the law puts on them. This is the real cost of the ban — and, with our military so overcommitted and undermanned, it’s too high to pay.
In response to difficult recruiting prospects, the Army has already taken a number of steps, lengthening soldiers’ deployments to 15 months from 12, enlisting felons and extending the age limit to 42. Why then won’t Congress pass a bill like the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell”? The bipartisan bill, by some analysts’ estimates, could add more than 41,000 soldiers — all gay, of course.
As the friends I once served with head off to 15-month deployments, I regret I’m not there to lessen their burden and to serve my country. I’m trained to fight, I speak Arabic and I’m willing to serve. No recruiter needs to make a persuasive argument to sign me up. I’m ready, and I’m waiting.
Stephen Benjamin is a former petty officer second class in the Navy.
Immigration Bill Appears Dead
President Bush suffered a devastating setback on his top domestic priority on Thursday as a broad immigration bill collapsed in the Senate amid an apparently irreconcilable partisan standoff.
The reason this bill is failing is because Liberal Democrats see the Guest Worker Program as bad for American workers and Conservatives see the bill as amnesty for those that entered the country illegally.
Doing nothing is the same as granting amnesty and allowing a guest worker program. Enforcement of employment laws is so poor that I believe you have a better chance of being struck by lightning then you do being fined for hiring an undocumented worker.
No immigration reform bill can succeed without help from the Government of Mexico and other Latin American nations whose economic policies force their poor populations to seek refuge in the United States. Immigration is one of the most complex isues currently facing the United States. Doing nothing only makes the problem grow.
Crafted by a bipartisan group of senators after three months of negotiations with the White House, the bill seeks to legalize millions of undocumented immigrants, create a temporary guest worker program, toughen security along the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada, and crack down on employers who hire illegal workers.What I do not understand is why they don't have separate bills for each part of the immigration problem. Border security is the most pressing concern. If you do not stop the flow of undocumented workers into the country this bill, even if it is passed, will not solve the problem. A guest worker program is equivalent to indentured servitude and hurts the middle class and must be rejected UNLESS guest workers are paid similar wages to Americans in similar jobs.
Bush, who has called for immigration changes since the outset of his presidency, has aggressively committed his administration to passing the bill, even criticizing Republicans who denounce it.
If the bill isn't revived, it would mark the president's second defeat on the issue within the span of a year and would invite a political backlash in advance of the 2008 presidential election.
The reason this bill is failing is because Liberal Democrats see the Guest Worker Program as bad for American workers and Conservatives see the bill as amnesty for those that entered the country illegally.
Doing nothing is the same as granting amnesty and allowing a guest worker program. Enforcement of employment laws is so poor that I believe you have a better chance of being struck by lightning then you do being fined for hiring an undocumented worker.
No immigration reform bill can succeed without help from the Government of Mexico and other Latin American nations whose economic policies force their poor populations to seek refuge in the United States. Immigration is one of the most complex isues currently facing the United States. Doing nothing only makes the problem grow.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Senator Lynne Cheney?
What a frightening thought.
I am sure she would remain a right wing tool but what about on Gay issues? She is the mother of a lesbian and the grandmother of a child with two mommies. This could be very interesting should she be appointed. How will she vote when her husband is impeached?
I am sure she would remain a right wing tool but what about on Gay issues? She is the mother of a lesbian and the grandmother of a child with two mommies. This could be very interesting should she be appointed. How will she vote when her husband is impeached?
U.S. adopts limits on clean water law enforcement
Do you still think they care at all about the environment or your safety?
The landmark U.S. law to fight water pollution will now apply only to bodies of water large enough for boats to use, and their adjacent wetlands, and will not automatically protect streams, the U.S. government said on Tuesday.Why would they not want to protect as much of the fresh water as possible? This is another sell out to big business to the detriment of our people and environment.
Environmental groups said they fear the new policy will muddy the purpose of the federal Clean Water Act and put many smaller bodies of water at risk. Democrats in Congress have introduced legislation mandating protection of creeks, estuaries and other watersheds.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers wrote the new guidelines after the Supreme Court split a year ago in a case about which waters fall under the Clean Water Act.
Novak: Rove-Protege Tim Griffin Joins Thompson Campaign
Does this mean that Rove will be supporting Fred Thompson
My guess is that Rove has looked at the Republican field and sees no one that can win. Fred Thompson would seem to be the best hope for the Republicans. It is so funny that Republicans rail against Hollywood then fall over themselves when an actor that happens to be Republican joins the race.
My guess is that Rove has looked at the Republican field and sees no one that can win. Fred Thompson would seem to be the best hope for the Republicans. It is so funny that Republicans rail against Hollywood then fall over themselves when an actor that happens to be Republican joins the race.
Immigration Bill Suffers Setback in Senate Vote
Last night after midnight a provision was added to the Immigration Reform Bill that would eliminate the guest worker program in 5 years.
Any guest worker program must include provisions for competitive wages for the guest workers. Without this, wages for all will be under pressure. Even if it is agreeed that minimum wage must be paid to all guest workers that does not stop the downward spiral in wages. Lets take construction jobs which are now some of the higher paying blue collar jobs available. If a competitive wage, for the area in which the job is offered, is not paid then all workers will suffer.
Senator Dorgan's amendment would require Congress to look at this program again in five years and analyze the pros and cons of continuing it. Big business wants an expansion of the H1-B Visa program which brings in skilled workers.
Comprehensive reform is desperately needed but how to do this is the big question. Any reform must include comprehensive border security. Unless we can stop the flow of illegal immigrants into this country and reform bill will be worthless. The best way to stop the flow into the country is to attack the problem at its two base causes. The first is employers who hire undocumented workers. Without the possibility of a job the flow would stop immediately. The second is to help the governments of the region get their financial house in order so that people do not feel they need to leave their homeland in order to survive.
How exactly can we achieve those goals? That is the big question and one that is not so easy to answer. I would first set up a national database for employers for background checks on potential hires. It would be very easy in most cases to spot forged documents if a database was available from which to gather basic information on the social security number that was applying for the job. Employer fines would need to be raised to such a degree that hiring known undocumented workers would be the death knell for the business in question.
The second equally important task would be to get comprehensive economic reforms from the governments around the world that send us their poor. Most people have no desire to leave their homeland but many feel they have no choice if they are to provide for their family.
We must also look at the law that allows anyone born on United States soil to be born a United States citizen. What many immigrants will do is have a child while here. Those children are commonly called "Anchor Babies" that will anchor the family in the United States. What most immigrants do not realize is that the child can not sponsor the parents for citizenship until they reach the age of 21. Is it time to change the law that allows this automatic citizenship?
Immigration reform is one of the most difficult issues that our country faces. Any reform must be fair and preserve the human dignity of the immigrants. The vast majority of undocumented workers are decent hard working people who just want a better life for their families. Striking a balance that both preserves their dignity and protects the lower, working and middle class from further erosion of wages is the difficult task at hand.
By a vote of 49 to 48 shortly after midnight, the Senate approved an amendment by Senator Byron L. Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota, to end the program after five years.This amendment could potentially kill the bill and leave us with the status quo on immigration policy. Big business wants a guest worker program but Senator Dorgan knows correctly that this program will drive down wages for the lower and middle class workers.
The temporary worker program is an important element of the “grand bargain” on immigration forged in three months of negotiations by a small bipartisan group of senators.
Any guest worker program must include provisions for competitive wages for the guest workers. Without this, wages for all will be under pressure. Even if it is agreeed that minimum wage must be paid to all guest workers that does not stop the downward spiral in wages. Lets take construction jobs which are now some of the higher paying blue collar jobs available. If a competitive wage, for the area in which the job is offered, is not paid then all workers will suffer.
Senator Dorgan's amendment would require Congress to look at this program again in five years and analyze the pros and cons of continuing it. Big business wants an expansion of the H1-B Visa program which brings in skilled workers.
Steven A. Ballmer, the chief executive of Microsoft, was among the businessmen pleading with Congress to increase the number of H-1B visas and green cards available to skilled foreign professionals. Ginny Terzano, a spokeswoman for Microsoft, said such visas were urgently needed to help meet “a talent crisis” in the industry.Those are white collar jobs that pay well. In a country of 300 Million people it seems absurd that they can not find qualified applicants. The visa program allows them to hire workers at lower wages and is a danger to the Middle Class.
Comprehensive reform is desperately needed but how to do this is the big question. Any reform must include comprehensive border security. Unless we can stop the flow of illegal immigrants into this country and reform bill will be worthless. The best way to stop the flow into the country is to attack the problem at its two base causes. The first is employers who hire undocumented workers. Without the possibility of a job the flow would stop immediately. The second is to help the governments of the region get their financial house in order so that people do not feel they need to leave their homeland in order to survive.
How exactly can we achieve those goals? That is the big question and one that is not so easy to answer. I would first set up a national database for employers for background checks on potential hires. It would be very easy in most cases to spot forged documents if a database was available from which to gather basic information on the social security number that was applying for the job. Employer fines would need to be raised to such a degree that hiring known undocumented workers would be the death knell for the business in question.
The second equally important task would be to get comprehensive economic reforms from the governments around the world that send us their poor. Most people have no desire to leave their homeland but many feel they have no choice if they are to provide for their family.
We must also look at the law that allows anyone born on United States soil to be born a United States citizen. What many immigrants will do is have a child while here. Those children are commonly called "Anchor Babies" that will anchor the family in the United States. What most immigrants do not realize is that the child can not sponsor the parents for citizenship until they reach the age of 21. Is it time to change the law that allows this automatic citizenship?
Immigration reform is one of the most difficult issues that our country faces. Any reform must be fair and preserve the human dignity of the immigrants. The vast majority of undocumented workers are decent hard working people who just want a better life for their families. Striking a balance that both preserves their dignity and protects the lower, working and middle class from further erosion of wages is the difficult task at hand.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Turkish Troops Enter Northern Iraq
On April 12, 2007 I posted this about the Turkish Military possibly entering Northern Iraq. It seems today they did just that.
Several thousand Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq early Wednesday to chase Kurdish guerrillas who operate from bases there, Turkish security officials told The Associated Press.The Middle East is a powder keg that is about to explode. The Lebanon Military is battling Islamic Militants in Tripoli, The Palestinians are close to civil war, Iraq is a disaster that is worsening and the saber rattling against Iran has begun. Just when you think the situation in the Middle East can get no worse, it does.
Two senior security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the raid was limited in scope and that it did not constitute the kind of large incursion that Turkish leaders have been discussing in recent weeks.
"It is not a major offensive and the number of troops is not in the tens of thousands," one of the officials told the AP by telephone. The official is based in southeast Turkey, where the military has been battling separatist Kurdish rebels since they took up arms in 1984.
Republican Debate: Let The Gay bashing Begin
The Human Rights Campaign released the follwoing statement following last nights Republican debate:
New Hampshire Debate: GOP Candidates’ Support of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Puts National Security at Risk
Standing in Stark Contrast to Sunday Night’s Democratic Debate, No Republican Candidate Supports Repeal of Dishonorable Policy
WASHINGTON – When asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to raise their hand if they support the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, not a single Republican candidate’s hand went up in the air. The position of every single Republican candidate on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” not only stands in stark contrast to the unified support of repeal by all Democratic Presidential candidates but it is also out of step with the majority of the American people.
“America’s national security was sacrificed tonight in the name of divisive political maneuvering,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Every single Republican candidate for President just looked the American people in the eye and voiced their support for a policy that is more concerned about the sexual orientation of an Arabic linguist than it is our military’s ability to decode the next piece of intelligence from terrorist groups.”
“I hope tonight’s debate wasn’t aired over the Armed Forces Network because otherwise over 60,000 gay and lesbian troops on active duty just heard a message of dishonor. For these candidates running to be the next Commander in Chief to dishonor the service of men and women standing on the streets of Baghdad and serving around the globe is shameful,” said Eric Alva, National Spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign and the first U.S. troop wounded in the Iraq War.
On March 12, 2007, USA Today reported, "Polls indicate growing acceptance of gay troops. A Harris Poll this month found that 55% supported allowing gays to serve openly, up from 48% in 2000. A Pew Research Center survey last year found that 60% favored gays serving openly, up from 52% in 1994. Support ran 3-to-1 among those younger than 30.
”The American people have moved forward. Unfortunately, the GOP candidates for President have not,” continued Solmonese. “Apparently, the GOP presidential candidates have decided to ally themselves with the extreme views of the right wing, instead of the vast majority of Americans. Not a single hand raised tonight spoke volumes about their willingness to discriminate against gay and lesbian servicemembers.”
During tonight’s New Hampshire debate aired on CNN, none of the Republican candidates for President supported repeal of the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” (DADT) law that prevents gay and lesbian Americans from serving openly in the military. Mitt Romney actually supported repeal of DADT in 1994 but switched his position tonight. Ironically, Senator John McCain stated that while the U.S has a great military, "there aren't enough of them." Although, he went on to state his willingness to kick out gay and lesbian Americans wanting to serve.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Are You ready for $5.00 Per Gallon Gas?
Does that title send shivers down your spine? That is a distinct possibility if a huge cyclone now headed toward Oman reaches Iran.
This could be the most powerful storm to hit the Middle East since records were kept. It is the same as a category 5 hurricane. This storm could damage oil production facilities and make travel through the Straits of Harmuz impossible.
This could be the most powerful storm to hit the Middle East since records were kept. It is the same as a category 5 hurricane. This storm could damage oil production facilities and make travel through the Straits of Harmuz impossible.
"If the storm hits Iran, it's a much bigger story than Oman, given how much bigger an oil producer Iran is," said Antoine Haff of FIMAT USA, a brokerage unit of Societe Generale. "At a minimum, it's likely to affect tanker traffic and to shut down some Omani oil production as a precautionary measure."The oil companies will take any excuse they can to raise prices. Isn't ExxonMobil funding scientists that say Global warming is a myth? Sounds ironic right now.
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