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July 31, 2006

Being a Good Republican Doesn't Always Mean Cutting Taxes

I am deeply distressed by the report that Oregon Republicans as a party have decided to back TABOR. I am also deeply concerned that Ron Saxton continues to kiss up to the right wing by implying support for the measure while keeping his finger sharply tuned to the direction of the wind.

Some Republicans support limiting State spending because they believe the State has been irresponsible in its allocation of funds, particularly to schools; therefore, they believe, funding must be cut ever-further in order to eventually force the "liberals" to spend the money as the conservatives believe it should be spent. As Russ Walker of Freedomworks said in support of TABOR:

"The average guy knows that government is not spending his tax dollars wisely."

For these people, it's an all-or-nothing fight. If they do not like how any part of the money is spent, they will take the money away. Screw compromise. Those pinko-commie liberals don't have any right to a voice in my country anyway! This type of conservative does not know or care to find out that Oregon doing better than expected with its already limited revenues and school funding isn't excessive the way right-wing organizations have portrayed it.

Other Republicans – those "average guys" why rely on "common sense" (i.e. the lies of people like Paul Jacob) - vote for every tax cut placed before them because that is the Republican thing to do and they are good Republicans (down with RINOS!).

Both of these reasons are a display of mindless idiocy. If there is one thing I know, it is that tax policy deeply affects every American. It is not something to approach cavalierly. It is not something to approach from a pre-determined, closed-minded position. Most people don't know diddly about economics or government finance. To take the attitude that most outspoken Republicans take is arrogant and irresponsible.

Similarly, to always mindlessly vote for more money for schools, parks, libraries, etc. without understanding how it will be spent, whether it is needed, or what it will cost Grandma, who is living on Social Security, just because good Democrats always vote for schools, parks and libraries, is also arrogant and irresponsible.

We have many political parties in this country for a reason. We are a country made up of a lot of very different people. Every one of us has an equal place at the table where we have a right and responsibility to work together. Government is the means by which we do that. And it is disrespectful to the extreme of our democracy to sit down at that table determined to force your views on everyone else without listening to or understanding the facts.

TABOR is a particularly serious step to take. The fact that the Republican party of Oregon was so willing to back it demonstrates a sobering lack of critical thinking or leadership within the party. I can only hope Ron Saxton will have the balls to admit publicly what he seems to believe privately: that TABOR would be very bad for Oregon. Absent that public confession, we can be certain he is not ready for the leadership position he is seeking.

Posted by Becky at 01:16 PM |

They probably staged the bombing of the UN outpost, too

The rightosphere is all abuzz with internets rumors that the building collapse in Qana, Lebanon was staged for the benefit of cameras:

On the morning of July 30, according to the IDF, the air force came in three waves. In the first, between midnight and one in the morning, there was a strike at or near the building that eventually collapsed. There was a second strike at other targets far from the collapse building several hours later, and a third strike at around 7:30 in the morning. There too the nearest hit was some 460 meters away, according to the IDF. But first reports of a building collapse came only around 8 am.

Thus there was an unexplained 7 to 8 hour gap between the time of the helicopter strike and the building collapse. Brigadier General Amir Eshel, Head of the Air Force Headquarters, in a press briefing, told journalists that "the attack on the structure in the Qana village took place between midnight and one in the morning. The gap between the timing of the collapse of the building and the time of the strike on it is unclear."

The Israeli army dude goes on to say that the only explanation for the collapse is due to unexploded Hezbollah ordinance that was left in the building--which must have gone off.

These are the same guys who call lefties conspiracy theorists for questioning Bush's response to 9/11 and his connection to the bin Laden family. Sheesh.

It just couldn't be that Israel bombed the crap out of the building and it was so unstable that it collapsed..could it?

The accusation by Israel that Hezbollah is using human shields to make it look like Israel is slaughtering civilians isn't working. Especially given the fact that Israel bombed the hell out of a UN outpost despite being repeatedly told hours in advance that they were shelling too close.

Its apparent that Israel is screwing up their targetting and/or intelligence.

Bombing cities isn't exactly the way to win the Art of War:

Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy;

Next best is to disrupt his alliances;

The next best is to attack his army.

The worst policy is to attack cities. Attack cities only when there is no alternative.

Its apparent that the Israelis are closer to taking their logistical advice from the American strategists for Iraq/Afghanistan rather than Sun Tzu.

Posted by Carla at 11:35 AM |

Give Mel Gibson a Break

Mel Gibson's arrest for drunk driving was bad enough to make me cringe, but what he said while being arrested was truly horrible. I won't quote any excerpts here, but probably most readers have already heard about his anti-semitic remarks and his arrogance ("I own this town") already.

Call me a bleeding-heart if you want to, but after I read his apology I decided the poor man should be forgiven.

Here is his apology in full. I'll explain my thinking in a minute:

After drinking alcohol on Thursday night, I did a number of things that were very wrong and for which I am ashamed. I drove a car when I should not have, and was stopped by the LA County Sheriffs. The arresting officer was just doing his job and I feel fortunate that I was apprehended before I caused injury to any other person. I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said. Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior. They have always been there for me in my community and indeed probably saved me from myself. I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry. I have battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse. I apologize for any behavior unbecoming of me in my inebriated state and have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health.

Why forgive the man? Well, first, I don't believe Gibson is a closet anti-Semite. As Dr. James R. Milam and Katherine Ketcham write in UNDER THE INFLUENCE: A Guide to the Myths and Realities of Alcoholism, "Alcohol’s effect on the brain causes severe psychological and emotional distortions of the normal personality. Sobriety reveals the alcoholic’s true personality." Add to that the fact that Gibson's father has some issues with Jews. So it isn't as if Gibson was raised in a particularly politically-correct environment.

In fact, if you think about what most people involved in the arts say about the truly creative, that energy nearly always flows from a tortured soul. Comedians, artists, musicians, dancers, actors – the most outrageously talented almost always are a little messed up. Maybe they suffered a terrible loss as a child, or maybe they were abused as a child, or maybe they were indoctrinated with hate as a child and have struggled as an adult to overcome it. And that has left them tortured. And really, if you've seen any of Gibson's movies you can readily see the man is a tortured, creatively brilliant soul. It's as plain as day.

Why would Gibson be particularly tortured at this time? Here's my theory. Conspiracy nuts know a lot of things that are not true, but they also tend to know some true things that other people do not know. If I'm Mel Gibson and the Middle East situation is about to blow up and take the whole world with it, and I know a thing or two about the real history of Israel and the so-called "Jewish conspiracy," but struggle to discern which is true and which is not while trying to maintain a relationship with my father and deal with the cognitive dissonance that entails, I think I might take up drinking about now. Things are not looking good.

But in today's environment, only conspiracy nuts, crazy people, or tortured souls who have had too much to drink tend to have the nerve to point out that something is amiss (for the record, I do not agree with what Gibson said; I merely think some unspeakable manipulation of the Jewish people is going on here). Rather than booting Gibson out of Hollywood on his behind, maybe we ought to dig a little deeper into what pushed his father off the deep end and nearly pushed Mel along with him. Maybe, if we set aside political correctness for a minute and try to see what is really going on behind the curtain, we might be able to save the Jewish people – and ourselves – from a nuclear holocaust.

Posted by Becky at 11:18 AM |

"Our Vice President of Our Iraq"

On the way into work this morning I flipped through a couple radio stations during commercials and landed on Paul Harvey's morning news commentary just in time to hear him express outrage that "our vice president of our Iraq" had dared to criticize Israel for committing massacres.

I grew up listening to Paul Harvey and have all my life believed him to be the voice of reason – until recently. This comment today was stunning. It reminded me of how the entire story of our actions in Iraq have changed since we first invaded.

Initially, we were liberating the Iraqis from the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein, remember? They were our friends. They would greet us with candy and flowers. We were their liberating heroes. We loved our friends, the Iraqi people, and wished to bring them democracy.

Over time, things slowly changed. Because the war on terror was used as an excuse to secure America's oil interests by taking out Saddam Hussein (remember Cheney's comments about the "very significant" oil reserves in Iraq?), people have confused the entire situation. Bit by bit we began to view the Iraqi people as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers. The war "in" Iraq became the war "on" Iraq (even Rush Limbaugh calls it that on his show now).

And Iraq's democratically elected vice president is now "our vice president of our Iraq."

Posted by Becky at 08:57 AM |

July 29, 2006

Understanding Global Warming Is Beyond Me

The other night my husband and I were watching a Dennis Miller standup routine and, as usual, he was talking politics. And I couldn't help laughing when he got to global warming and poked fun at our reliance on 100-year-old technology for measuring temperatures, etc. to determine whether the planet is truly warming today.

A couple days later, and now I am reading a news article that says virtually the same thing. Outdated technology from decades ago may not have accurately measured hurricane strength, and the rash of nasty hurricanes we've seen of late may actually be no worse than those of the past.

"The methodology is fine. There's no problem with the way they analyzed the data …The problem is with the data itself."

I don't know about you, but all this conflicting science is very upsetting to me, and with all that is at stake the politicians are interfering with it to the point that it is nearly impossible for the average person to distinguish between truth and fiction. I see awful weather seeming to increase all over the globe, so the concept of global warming feels correct.

We have floods, famines, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. like I've never seen in all my 42 years. Okay, I know that's not terribly long. But it does seem to me that something is wrong. On the other hand, whenever I hear reports about record-breaking weather, they almost always include a caveat: it's the hottest, wettest, dryest, etc. "since 1915" or some such date from many years ago. In other words, we had this sort of weather before, but it's been a really long time.

What does it all mean? In a nutshell, it means ordinary people like you and me have to either become scientists in order to justify our positions on global warming, find a watchdog group we trust and go with whatever they tell us, or forget about it and go on about our lives. Or, I suppose, become conspiracy theorists.

Posted by Becky at 10:52 AM |

What Happens in Estonia May Not Stay in Estonia

I always enjoy seeing politicians set their political views aside to develop personal connections with those across the aisle. Friendships can greatly relieve the nastiness that often overwhelms politics. Unlike my former friends on the far right, I was pleased to read about the vodka drinking contest between Hillary Clinton and John McCain during a Congressional trip to Estonia two summers ago.

The after-dinner drinks went so well — memories are a bit hazy on who drank how much — that Mr. McCain, an Arizona Republican, later told people how unexpectedly engaging he found Mrs. Clinton to be. “One of the guys” was the way he described Mrs. Clinton, a New York Democrat, to some Republican colleagues.

Mrs. Clinton and Mr. McCain went on to develop an amiable if professionally calculated relationship. They took more official trips together, including to Iraq. They worked together on the Senate Armed Services Committee and on the issue of global warming. They made a joint appearance last year on “Meet the Press,” interacting so congenially that the moderator, Tim Russert, joked about their forming a “fusion ticket.”

If either of the two went on to win the race, I would hope that what began in Estonia would not stay in Estonia. A continuation of their friendship would be refreshing, if only for the fact that it may help to end some of the personal partisan negativity that is getting so tiresome in Washington - and across the country.

Harking to the days when a Republican president and a Democratic speaker of the House were friends, [Senator Lindsey] Graham said, “Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill, at the end of the day, would go down to the White House and knock one back, and the country was no worse off for that.”

Don't misunderstand. A McCain-Clinton race would alarm me, as I have deep concerns about them both. But as bad as the personal hatred has become for those who see politics from a different point of view these days, it would be wonderful to see a President who would set a more positive, bi-partisan tone for the rest of the country. I fear, however, that "we the the people" have become so divided that it would take more than that to stop the hate that currently prevents the right and the left from even seeking common ground from which to solve the many problems facing our nation. And so long as we are busy fighting with each other, the wealthy interests of the world can, behind the scenes, continue to do whatever they want.

Posted by Becky at 10:33 AM |

July 28, 2006

The Armageddon Script

Armageddon – it seems it's on everyone's minds these days. But what exactly are evangelical Christians expecting, and why should you care? Norio Hayakawa takes a look today at the "Strange End-Times Beliefs Of Some 'Evangelical' Christians." He says this group of Christians has a "huge" influence on the Bush Administration, and that these "Christian Zionists" "not only support Israel in its totality, but also even seem to welcome an all-out War in the Middle East to 'hasten' (or 'accelerate') the climate for the realization of 'end-time' events long prophesied."

Fundamentalist Christians (such as Baptists, especially the Southern Baptists, Pentecostals, such as the Assemblies of God, Foursquare Churches, Full Gospel Churches, and all other denominations of the so-called "born-again", "Evangelical" beliefs), believed that the generation that would witness the re-establishment of Israel would also be the generation that would witness the Second Coming of Jesus and the consequent establishment of His Millenial Reign on earth from Israel.

The re-establishment of the State of Israel occurred in 1948. But it was not until 1957 that Israel actually occupied Jerusalem for the first time in more than 2000 years. Thus, these Christians believe the return of Christ will happen very soon. In fact, with a biblical generation equaling 40 years, many expect Jesus will return next year. Of course, if you consider that some also believe the present calendar system is off by five years, then we are actually looking for his return by 2012. (Interestingly, that is the year the Mayan calendar ends.)

Randi Rhodes has this week been voicing an interesting theory that the Neocons are following the biblical prophecies on purpose. That would mean that the prophecies are, at least to some degree, self-fulfilling – certainly something that is worth considering. If biblical prophecy is the script behind current events, it would be wise for us to know what evangelical "Christian Zionists" expect will happen next.

First will be a huge war between Israel and the Islamic world, led by Russia. Israel will win, but it will take seven years to bury all the dead.

Next will come the antichrist who will manage to orchestrate a peace treaty. Some believe this person will be viewed by Islam as the "Hidden Imam" returned. Soon after, just prior, or at the same time as the appearance of the antichrist, all the Christians will be suddenly raptured (instantly transformed into heavenly bodies and taken out of this world), leaving the rest of us sinners behind. The antichrist will, they say, come up with a reasonable explanation for their sudden disappearance.

At first the antichrist, based in Europe, will bring peace to the world, but that peace will not last long (some say after about 3 1/2 years things will begin to go wrong). Some think UFOs, either real or man-made, will appear and cause such chaos that the world will finally agree that a unified, one-world government is necessary. Some fundamentalist Christians do not believe in the rapture. Instead, they believe Christians, who will refuse to take the "mark of the beast" and submit to the antichrist, will be systematically hunted down and exterminated for their faith during the last half of the rule of the antichrist.

After the antichrist has ruled for a 7-year "tribulation period" the great "Battle of Armageddon" will occur. This will be because China will decide to challenge the antichrist, will cross the Euphrates with an enormous army, and move to the valley of Meggido for a great battle. During the final phases of this war, Jesus will return and destroy the earthly forces (in some accounts he will destroy all non-Christians) and rule the world for 1000 years.

After 1000 years, a rebel force will pose one final challenge to the kingdom of Jesus and at that point all evil will be forever destroyed, the earth will be restored to its original beauty, and we will all live happily ever after.

Posted by Becky at 10:58 AM |

We're Afraid! Please Spy On Us More!

Fox News is continuing its scaremongering in its effort to help the Bush Administration further clamp down on Americans' civil rights. This week's terrorizing of Americans was the report that it's only a matter of time before a major U.S. city will be nuked by Hezbollah. Moreover, the only way to stop this impending doom is to increase surveillance of Americans.

Cham Dallas, director for the Center for Mass Destruction Defense, told Hannity and Colmes, "There's no doubt in my mind that at some point in the future we will have a radiological device probably soon and a nuclear device at some point five or ten years after." Dallas said the device would likely be supplied by Pakistan and North Korea.

The next day on "Big Story" host John Gibson and his guest Robert Strang, CEO of Investigative Management Group, discussed the Hezbollah-Al Qaeda connection and the imminent activation of their terror cells within the U.S. Strang then called for increased survellance of phone calls and emails.

Because, as we all know, Quakers, vegans, environmentalists, and peace activists are best pals with Islamic terrorists and just can't wait to get even with the Zionists by using nukes to blow up American civilians, most of whom, as we all know, also do not support the war in the Middle East.

Posted by Becky at 10:31 AM |

July 27, 2006

That's What Breasts Are For

Some very odd, Puritanical women are having a tizzy because the latest issue of a magazine for new moms, Babytalk, has a photograph on the cover of a baby nursing on a breast. No nipple is showing. It's as clean as can be.

One breast-feeding mother said, "I don't want my son or husband to accidentally see a breast they didn't want to see." Now come on. What straight male doesn't want to see a breast? Even when it's being used as nature intended?

Posted by Becky at 08:52 PM |

Is Israel Using New Chemical Weapon?

A number of people are beginning to ask about what sort of strange, new weapons Israel is using in its attack on Lebanon. They say the bombs are causing wounds of a type that no one has ever seen before.

Blackened bodies have been showing up at hospitals in southern Lebanon two weeks into the war between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas that has seen at least 418 people, mostly civilians, killed in Lebanon and at least 42 Israelis. Killed by Israeli air raids, the Lebanese dead are charred in a way local doctors, who have lived through years of civil war and Israeli occupation, say they have not seen before.

Doctors who are examining the strange bodies believe Israel is using some sort of chemical weapon.

"We are seeing abnormal burns, different from wars we've seen in the past. The corpses of these victims are shrinking to half their normal size. You think it is the corpse of a child at first but it turns out to be a grown man," said Raed Salman Zeinedine, director of Tyre Government Hospital. "We've never seen anything like it but what the causes are I don't want to speculate. We have no scientific answer."

You can see pictures of what the Israeli weapons are doing to people here (the site has a painful journal – scroll to the bottom for photos). Not for those with a weak stomach. I wonder how many every-day Republicans could still support war if they saw with their own eyes what it actually does to people - including young children. Or perhaps they have become so adept at separating their hearts from their minds that they can justify this evil even when looking it square in the eye.

Posted by Becky at 08:58 AM |

The Libertarian Land Use Goal Behind TABOR

Is I wrote earlier, three ballot measures are headed our way this November that are part of a massive Libertarian effort to circumvent the legislative process and shrink government across the country via the initiative process. The three measures in Oregon include TABOR (which backers erroneously call "The Rainy Day Amendment"), term limits, and an eminent domain measure.

Two of these, TABOR (which I oppose) and eminent domain (which I support) are directly related to property rights goals stated in the National Platform of the Libertarian Party:

All public lands and resources, as well as claims thereto, except as explicitly allowed by the Constitution, shall be returned to private ownership, with the proceeds of sale going to retire public liabilities. Resource rights shall be defined as property rights, including riparian rights. All publicly owned infrastructures including dams and parks shall be returned to private ownership and all taxing authority for such public improvements shall sunset. Property related services shall be supplied by private markets and paid for by user fees, and regulation of property shall be limited to that which secures the rights of individuals. There will be no legal barriers to peaceful, private, voluntary attempts to explore, industrialize and colonize any extra-terrestrial resources. The federal government shall be held as liable as any individual for pollution or other transgression against property or resources.

Transitional Action: Rescind all taxation of real property. Property, resources and rights taken from their legitimate owners by government or by government supported private action, shall be restored to the rightful owners. Reverse the Supreme Court decision regarding eminent domain - Kelo v City of New London. Repeal all legislation that transfers property rights to the state, including those enacted in the name of aesthetic values, risk, moral standards, cost-benefit estimates, the promotion or restriction of economic growth, health or national security claims. Sunset all federal agencies that own, regulate or administer property, as well as agencies at the local level which exercise control over private property and resources. Rescind and oppose all international treaties that exercise government control over unowned resources.

How the eminent domain measure fits into this picture is easy to see, but less obvious – and more crucial to understand - is the way the TABOR measure fits into this puzzle. And up front, let me say I offer the information not to reveal any conspiracy or illegal activity, but to give you an opportunity to really understand what will happen if the TABOR measure becomes law.

The TABOR measure strictly limits the growth of government spending to increases in population and inflation. Back when I worked for Bill Sizemore he was considering putting a TABOR measure on the ballot, so I did a study of Oregon's state budget, what it was, and what it would have been had TABOR passed ten years earlier. And truly, over just a ten-year period, the budget would have been cut nearly in half. So when opponents tell you that a simplistic TABOR formula that only allows increases for population and inflation will decimate state funding, believe them.

Oregon's TABOR language allows for some exceptions to the spending limits – monies that will not be limited. These exceptions offer very important clues to the underlying goals of the Libertarians behind these ballot measures. From Oregon's TABOR measure:

"Total spending" means all disbursements pursuant to all acts by the Legislative Assembly authorizing the expenditure of public funds, except disbursements of: 1) money to fund emergency or "rainy day" funds; 2) federal funds; 3) money pursuant to Article IX, section 14 of this Constitution, commonly referred to as "The Kicker"; 4) money to fund tax and other refunds; 5) money voluntarily donated to a state agency; 6) proceeds from the sale of bonds specifically approved by voters; and 7) proceeds from the sale of real property at real market value to non-governmental entities.

TABOR backers are making the claim that the measure creates a rainy day fund. The measure does not require that, but it allows it and that certainly is a likely outcome. But note that the measure equally allows the sale of public lands (item 7), which fits perfectly within the Libertarian platform that all lands should be privately owned. As the budget tightens and state government, including schools, police, prisons, etc. are slowly strangled, lawmakers will literally have no choice but to sell off public assets in order to fund government services. That is the real goal behind TABOR. And those brainy Libertarians, who are not the dopey potheads people assume they are, have figured out a fairly brilliant way to take advantage of Republican greed to obtain their own goals. Oregonians really ought to consider carefully whether this is the road they want to take.

Posted by Becky at 08:30 AM |

July 26, 2006

Welcome to my world.

While I've been watching the news, posting has been interrupted, and here's why:

43 days old today. He's at 2 lbs. 2 oz. Dr. Woodall says he's cruising along. Not too much weight gain too fast, he says, to keep fluid out of his lungs.

And he smiled at Dana today. More pictures and the rest of the story here.

Posted by Jeff at 12:57 PM |

The Problem with Howard Rich

In recent posts I've pointed out how Howard Rich and Grover Norquist and a very small group of their friends have created a massive network of astroturf organizations through which millions of dollars are being moved to several states in support of TABOR, term limits, and eminent domain initiatives. The response from the right has been typical: what is wrong with people working together to fund political efforts? It is done all the time.

Yes, people do work together to fund political efforts all the time. And nothing is wrong with that. The question is, when a very small number of people use heavy-handed methods to push their own extreme agenda on local communities, preventing local activists from addressing legitimate local issues, and they do it through a smokescreen of fake groups intended to hide their identity and create the appearance that the effort is local, they have crossed the line. Let's take a closer look.

Heavy Handed Tactics

Howard Rich's heavy-handedness has been getting him into trouble since his Libertarian days back in 1982. He left the party, but not his ideology. And now some conservatives are complaining that Rich's heavy-handed tactics, particularly with regards to term limits, are hurting their efforts. Things really came to a head in 1997 and 1998. Bob Inglis, a South Carolina Republican who disagreed with US Term Limits only on the number of terms, was told, "If you get in our way, we'll mow you down." Don Hodel, president of the Christian Coalition and long-time supporter of term limits, told Rich the Christian Coalition would "openly reject" Rich's irresponsible, ineffective, and irrational approach to term limits.

In one case, a California Republican term limits supporter was actively opposed by US Term Limits and Americans for Limited Terms (both Howard Rich groups), who spent $250,000 in support of the Democrat in the race who was also a term limits opponent. The reason? Tom Bordonaro, who had promised to vote for any term limits bill that crossed his desk, refused to sign a pledge to self-limit his terms to no more than three two-year terms in the House and two six-year terms in the Senate. His aging Democrat opponent, who opposed term limits, could readily sign the pledge because she knew she wouldn't live long enough to break it. A similar attack on a conservative in Illinois also resulted in that candidate's loss.

According to one conservative in Washington, Rich and his group "treat those who disagree with them on tactical matters as apostates." Another says, "They're absolutely inflexible. No good deed goes unpunished." Arne Owens of the Christian Coalition said, "We no longer consider U.S. Term Limits a part of the conservative movement. Nor do most conservative organizations." In fact, it was a disgruntled conservative activist, expressing the same view as Owens, who first brought the Howard Rich story to my attention.

Since 1998, Rich seems to have realized that his tactics will not work with elected representatives, so he is taking his all-or-nothing approach directly to the voters instead.

Creating the Appearance of Grassroots

When you hear "Oregonians in Action" you automatically think "this is a group of Oregonians who have banded together to get something done." Fortunately, in Oregon, that is true, though even this solid group has been taking money from Rich and friends of late. Oregon is probably not the only state with a citizen group that pre-existed the Rich influence only to succumb to it in recent years. But in many other states where Rich-written and Rich-funded ballot initiatives are being put before the voters, the groups were created specifically for this effort and are anything but grassroots.

Several of Rich's groups have clever acronyms. In Arizona, Rich's group is Arizona HOPE (the Arizona Home Owners Protection Effort). In Nevada, Rich's eminent domain effort is called PISTOL (the People's Initiative to Stop the Taking of Our Land). And his Nevada TABOR group is called TASC (Tax and Spending Control for Nevada). In Nebraska, it's SOS Nebraska (Stop Over Spending Nebraska) and in Michigan it's SOS Michigan (Stop Over Spending Michigan).

Other groups have pulled their names from existing groups. In Idaho, it's Idahoans for Tax Reform. In Oklahoma, the group is called Oklahomans In Action. In Montana, it's Montanans in Action. He also has the Western Nebraska Taxpayers Association. In Missouri, it's Missourians in Charge (even though it's really Rich in charge).

Others just plain sound local. In California, Rich is working with Citizens to Save California. In Maine, it's the Main Freedom Committee. In South Carolina it's South Carolinians for Responsible Government. In Ohio it's Citizens for Tax Repeal. Florida has Hands Off Florida, Minnesota has Let Minnesota Vote!, and Nebraska has Nebraskans for Human Care Committee (a Terry Schiavo inspired initiative).

All of these initiatives are being put forward and funded by non-local Howard Rich. Signatures were all collected by non-local petitioners. The language of the measures was written by non-local Rich-paid individuals (such as Dave Hunnicut, who wrote a number of eminent domain/Measure 37 style initiatives for various states).

Is it any wonder that Rich has also created and funded an astroturf group called "Citizens in Charge" that is designed to get ALL states to adopt initiative and referendum laws? It is the one means available to this extremist, heavy-handed libertarian movement to force its agenda on the country. Elected Representatives work together to fine-tune legislation and ensure it works for the good of all their constituents. Voters, on the other hand, can only give a measure an up or down vote. If you support term limits, you must accept the precise version offered or have no term limits at all. If you want to end eminent domain abuse, you must also accept Measure 37 compensation or forfeit the eminent domain protections. If you want a rainy day fund or some limitations on state spending, you must also accept Rich's extremely strict limits which will eventually cut the budget in half.

It is far too easy for an unscrupulous man with deep pockets and an unpopular extremist agenda to push aside more moderate proposals by preventing those proposals from obtaining adequate funding to compete for a spot on the ballot (this actually occurs), to create astroturf groups that generate the false appearance that local people are responding to a local crisis, and to then convince voters to make an extreme choice that may not be in their best interests. That is what is wrong with the tactics being used by Howard Rich.

Posted by Becky at 09:51 AM |

Katrina Victims Housed in Virtual Prisons

In its latest outrageous display of disregard for civil rights, FEMA has begun treating Katrina victims housed in relief trailers as inmates.

Federal officials are preventing Hurricane Katrina victims in government trailer parks from being interviewed by the media unless a FEMA agent is present at all times.

That is, if they even allow the residents to talk to the press in the first place. FEMA has ordered journalists to leave, refused to allow them to leave a business card with residents, and even ordered residents away from the fence and back to their trailers. Never mind freedom of speech. Never mind freedom of association. If you live in a FEMA trailer, then FEMA will dictate who you can and cannot talk to, and intimidate you by listening in to what you say.

It's all for their own protection, of course.

Posted by Becky at 06:27 AM |

Congressional Race Preview #10 - TX/CO

A Democrat pickup in Texas is a distinct possibility this cycle, and Tom DeLay may have no one else to blame for this one.

Texas 14 - Ron Paul (R) vs Shane Sklar (D) - Libertarian icon Ron Paul faces his first real challenge in over a decade with the campaign of Shane Sklar in the Houston area. While, in the end, Paul is likely to survive, it ties him up in his own district instead of being able to come to the rescue in the next one previewed. Leans GOP

Texas 22 - Tom DeLay (R) vs Nick Lampson (D) - DeLay is back on the ballot, for now, in a seat that he has virtually no chance of holding whether he retired or not. Even the GOPers in this district seem to have had enough of him. Former Congressman Lampson has put together an extremely strong campaign and is well known in the area. This is a seat the Republicans likely didn't think they would ever lose. But they're going to this year. Leans Dem

Texas 32 - Pete Sessions (R) vs Will Pryor (D) - Sessions won a tough race last cycle, and probably thought he'd have an easy go of it from this point on. Enter Will Pryor, Dallas attorney and nephew of former Arkansas Senator David Pryor. Pryor has the connections and the resources to make a run, but Sessions should be okay come election day. Leans GOP

Colorado 4 - Marilyn Musgrave (R) vs Angie Paccione (D) - Musgrave almost lost in 2004 to an underfunded candidate, thanks to an amazingly strong 527 campaign against her. This time her opponent may be able to do it on her own. Former Olympic basketball star and State Senator Paccione is an amazing campaigner and seems to draw people to her with just her presence and, despite concerns about weak campaign management, she shouldn't be underestimated. After all, Musgrave is often her own worst enemy. Toss Up

Colorado 6 - Tom Tancredo (R) vs Bill Winter (D) - Tancredo has been so focused on immigration and a possible run for President (a reminder of Bob Dornan with gays and a run for President in the 90's) that he may be losing touch with his own constituents - a no-no in politics. Enter veteran Bill Winter, who has quietly put together a credible challenge to Tancredo. This Colorado Springs district should be with Tancredo in the end, though. Leans GOP

Next up - The rest of Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, and New Mexico

Posted by Alan at 05:20 AM |

July 25, 2006

How A Couple People Can Create A Major Hubbub

Here is another reason why it matters so much when people like Howard Rich and his very small group of extremist libertarian friends create a myriad of fake groups that create the appearance of broad-based support for their actions: because then it is really easy to issue press releases signed by lots and lots of astroturf groups (which are really the same few individuals over and over again) and thereby influence unwitting members of Congress to take action on your behalf. Then all your different astroturf groups can issue their own press releases about their having signed the original press release and create even more hubbub about your issue.

In this case, the original press release was entitled, "53 Organizations Request Senate Action on Eminent Domain Abuse; Lack of Senate Action Leaves Homes, Businesses, Churches Vulnerable." Note that the subject is one of Howard Rich's top three ballot measure topics for this year. The contact person listed was Scott A. LaGanga, who just happens to be State Coalitions Manager for Americans for Tax Reform. And, naturally, Freedomworks jumped all over the opportunity to announce, "FreedomWorks Joins Huge Coalition Letter on Property Rights."

Huge - as in a small group of individuals sitting on multiple Boards of astroturf groups and thereby being able to sign the "Coalition letter" over and over and over again. Nifty, isn't it?

Posted by Becky at 01:43 PM |

Bush's priorities

With great fanfare U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman announced in Lebanon the arrival of the first shipment of $30 million in American humanitarian aid to the beleagured nation.

Compare that to the nearly $253 million in fraudulent charges the Bush administration paid to Halliburton just a few months ago, which they then paid five percent bonuses on which amounted to something like another $12.5 million dollars.

$30 million v. $265 million.

Posted by Kevin at 11:20 AM |

Are You Ready for the Rapture?

Is the current Israel-Lebanon conflict a sign of the End of Days? A number of people believe it is. They cite numerous prophecies and claim their fulfillment heralds the imminent Second Coming of Christ. They also claim prophecy foretells the involvement of particular countries and the destruction of particular locations.

For instance, both Isaiah 17:1 and Amos 1:3 prophesy that Damascus will be destroyed, so the rapture believers are watching with interest to see whether Syria will become involved.

Bible prophecy also states Armageddon will begin once Israel has been invaded by armies from the north. Russia's involvement in the conflict, then, is also expected (many see Russia as the "gog and magog" that will invade Israel).

Some biblical scholars, however, see the prophecies as being intended for the people of the time in which they were written and say they are now being taken out of context and misapplied to the current situation. But that certainly isn't a very exciting point of view, is it?

For more information about the end of the world, see Todd Strandber's Rapture Ready website. As for me, I was steeped in prophecy as a child and continue to be fascinated by it. For those interested in following the ongoing prophetic fulfilments and, at times, conspiratorial expectations of End-Times believers, I highly recommend regular visits to Cutting Edge.

Posted by Becky at 11:18 AM |

My Take on the Latest Initiative News

Today's news is full of commentary and reports stemming from the latest turn-in of contribution and expenditure reports for Oregon's latest pack of initiatives. I thought it might be fun to go through some of them and comment.

First, let's start with Bill Sizemore's editorial in today's Oregonian. Guess what. I agree with him and have for some time. I never thought Measure 26, which requires payment by the hour rather than payment by the signature, would do anything to clean up the initiative process. The reason is very simple: enforcement. There isn't any.

The next big story is that Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury says petitioners have been sloppy. I must say, I laughed right out loud when I saw that. I've seen many a petition sheet with cigarette burns, dirty footprints, tears, or food smears marring its pretty face. Some petitioners are, indeed, sloppy. But that is not the sort of sloppiness to which Bradbury is referring. The problem is failure to follow the rules.

I have a very hard time seeing what is unfair about the rules. Chief Petitioners must turn in their own petition sheets, the sheets must be properly filled out, they must be organized by county, and they must be numbered. You can't do like they did in Missouri and throw a box of mixed up, unnumbered petitions at the Secretary of State's office and expect them to be accepted. And you can't do like Oregon's term limits backers did and expect the Secretary of State to accept 1800 petition sheets on your behalf when they were turned in mixed up with TABOR petition sheets turned in by someone else.

Naturally, Ted Berthelote, chief petitioner of the term limits initiative, denies that occurred. He said, "I believe I turned them in personally and signed for all of the sheets." Yeah. Okay.

I've certainly had my disagreements with the Secretary of State's office – and the Attorney General's office, for that matter – over various things related to the initiative process. But I simply do not believe that the people who work in that office cheat, break the rules, or behave in an unprofessional manner. I've never once seen that. And even when I was working for Bill Sizemore and I knew they all hated what we were doing, never once were they anything but courteous and helpful. So I'm sorry, but I just do not believe Berthelote.

Edward Walsh and Dave Hogan have also weighed in today on the latest reports. Their primary message is that the TABOR and term limits measures were funded by Howard Rich. But if you've been reading PK faithfully (as you ought to!), you already know that.

So I'll move on to what surprised me. And that was the amount the campaigns have spent this year to make the ballot. Wow. TABOR backers spent $671,705 to make the ballot. And term limits backers spent $510,000. Contrast that to 2000, the last time I was involved in a drive, and we could make the ballot for $100,000 or less.

Interestingly, Bradbury's campaign finance effort, which followed the law about paying by the hour rather than by the signature, spent only $387,071. That's still a heck of a lot of money.

But here is where it gets interesting to me. Bill Sizemore claims he spent $196,601 to qualify his tax cut measure and just $111,150 for his insurance measure. How can that be? His measures were carried by the same petitioners who carried the term limits and TABOR measures. I'm not the only one who has questions about Sizemore's amazingly self-managed campaign. Does the difference in cost reflect unreported in-kind contributions of management services by the other campaigns that shared Arno? Or did Sizemore once again find a way to funnel money into the campaign without reporting it, as he did when he sold Robert Randall phony stocks in his petitioning company? Inquiring minds want to know.

Finally, the yapping lap dog Ted Piccolo weighs in at NW Republican claiming the Oregon Secretary of State has kicked off a "PR offensive to try to save face" for having disenfranchised 15,000 citizens by tossing their signatures because incompetent chief petitioners turned their petition sheets in all mixed together. He then asks, "Why is it that Oregon has some of the lowest validity rates in the nation? Why is it that Oregon is one of the costliest states to circulate a petition in the nation?"

Hmm. I don't doubt Oregon's validation process is stricter than other states. But this problem is compounded by the fact that the petitioning companies being used are not exactly what you would call "ethical". A bit of time spent looking through the archives at Our Oregon will bring doubters up to date on this problem.

Posted by Becky at 11:12 AM |

Tony Snow, mindless drone

Tony Snow at yesterday's news conference

"At the order of the president, humanitarian supplies will start arriving in Lebanon tomorrow by helicopter and by ship," Snow announced at the White House.

...

Asked why the aid has taken two weeks to deliver, Snow said, "The fact is, that we're first to the scene."

The fact is, to borrow Tony's own phraseology, the Swiss were "first to the scene" with humanitarian aid.

Kevin Sites reports that a ship chartered by a French NGO (Premiere Urgence) to deliver the Swiss aid arrived yesterday morning in Tyre, Lebanon. By Tony's own stated timeline the American aid won't arrive until today. And the aid isn't expected to reach southern Lebanon, which is where Tyre is located, until tomorrow.

Snow's later comments, on behalf of President Bush, about Lebanon were what really caught my attention.

"Look, we would like a cease-fire tomorrow," he said. "We would like a cease-fire immediately. But it has to be a cease-fire that is going to stand the test of time so the people in that region and people in Lebanon particular, a country that has been hard hit by occupying forces and by frustrations of its democratic aspirations, deserve a shot at having the freedom and democracy its people deserve. And the only way that's going to be possible is if there is no longer an internal threat of the sort that we've witnessed in recent weeks." (emphasis supplied)

While I know that Tony was talking about Lebanon there, I was struck by the sentence in bold because it describes the Occupied Territories in Palestine perfectly. And it underscores the hypocrisy of both the Bush administration and of the Israeli government.

Tony's boss, George W. Bush, is the one who insisted that the PLO-controlled Palestinian Authority hold new elections to foster democracy. And Tony's boss is also the one who insisted that Hamas ought to participate as candidates in the election. They did and look what happened? The Palestinian people have been punished because they took President Bush at his word. No sooner had Hamas won the election under conditions explicitly condoned by Bush then Bush turned around and cut off all aid, citing the fact that Hamas had won and encouraged every other country to do the same.

And they wonder why the violence rages on in the region?

Posted by Kevin at 10:24 AM |

Social Security Privatization Plan Is Still Kicking

Grover Norquist believes that the only thing standing in the way now of privatizing Social Security is the election of five new Republican senators.

Any reasonable American might believe the retreat from privatizing Social Security was due to the fact that backers finally recognized the people did not agree with it. Not so.

A morning with Norquist helps to solve one of the great mysteries of the political moment: How can it be that a clear majority of Americans can sour on the Republican rule of Congress, reject Bush's top domestic priority of privatizing Social Security and offer resounding disapproval of the president's stewardship of the economy -- while the radical conservatives responsible for it all still believe they are right on the merits and are, in fact, heading into another political victory lap?

Through Norquist's lens, no setback is the result of the citizens looking at -- and living under -- Bush's policies and rejecting them. The political misfortune is merely the result of errant tactics, not egregiously bad prescriptions for problems the American people really care about.

Interestingly, while Norquist is supporting Howard Rich by funneling money through his organizations to various Rich-backed campaigns, such as TABOR and term limits, he is also aligned with Howard Rich on Social Security privatization. In fact, Howard Rich has even been a member of the Board of Social Security Choice. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Cato Institute, a Libertarian think tank that opposes Social Security.

This effort, along with TABOR and term limits, is the product of heavy-handed, fundamentalist Libertarians - people who will press their agenda on this country whether it is wanted or not. I'll go into that more in another post.

Suffice it to say that if preserving Social Security matters to you, this is a perfect time to become a single issue voter. Only Democrats can stop the attack on Social Security. Republicans have already become to radicalized to be trusted with it.

Posted by Becky at 06:28 AM |

Congressional Race Preview #9 - IL/NE

A battle royale is brewing in Illinois as the pet candidate of the Speaker of the House faces off with the pet candidate of the chair of the DCCC.

And two seats are in play in Nebraska, home to a revitalized state party.

Illinois 6 - Peter Roskam (R) vs Tammy Duckworth (D) - Roskam is the hand picked candidate of retiring Henry Hyde (of impeachment infamy) and Dennis Hastert. Many thought he would be handed this seat early on, until the entry of Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth. Duckworth is a very personable candidate and tireless in her campaigning, despite war injuries that led to amputation. When she talks about Iraq, people tend to listen. Still, this is a tough district, and there's always the chance the GOP will treat her like they did Max Cleland. Toss Up

Illinois 10 - Mark Kirk (R) vs Dan Seals (D) - Kirk hasn't faced a real race since 2000, but has one on his hands in this swing district this time. Seals has been compared to a young Barack Obama, and is putting together a strong, professional campaign. Win or lose, Seals is someone to watch out for in Illinois politics. Leans GOP

Illinois 11 - Jerry Weller (R) vs John Pavich (D) - The 2004 Democratic candidate was strong early on, then faded to the background. John Pavich, meanwhile, has managed to stay on the radar. Weller, though, is a strong campaigner and has many more resources. Leans GOP

Nebraska 1 - Jeff Fortenberry (R) vs Maxine Moul (D) - Fortenberry can be forgiven if he thought his tough open seat victory in 2004 would allow him to have a clean shot from here on out. If those thoughts were going through his head, he was mistaken. Former Lt Governor Maxine Moul is in this time and has the name recognition and resources to give Fortenberry fits. Her organization is building on the one that was put together in 2004, and she has a legitimate shot at this Lincoln area district. Toss Up

Nebraska 3 - Adrian Smith (R) vs Scott Kleeb (D) - Tom Osborne is leaving this seat, which he won routinely with 80 - 90 percent of the vote. Well, Smith is not the former coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Kleeb, a rancher in Western Nebraska, is a great fit for the district and has put together a stronger campaign thus far. The Democrats have a real opening in the reddest district in one of the reddest states in the country. Toss Up

Next up - Texas and Colorado. All Congressional Race Previews are cross posted at Swede And Czech

Posted by Alan at 05:15 AM |

July 24, 2006

PDX book signing Wednesday night: "Confessions of a Former Dittohead"

Jim Derych, author of Confessions of a Former Dittohead, will be at a book signing this Wednesday night, the 26th, at 7pm at the Lucky Labrador brew pub at SE 9th and Hawthorne in Portland.

From the book's promo material:

"At a time when "political persuasion" consists of little more than hurled epithets, Jim Derych gifts progressives with a lucid manual for rescuing their fellow Americans from the clutches of the Right. This will undoubtedly be one of the most important political books of the year."

--Markos Moulitsas, Founder of Daily Kos and
author of Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots, and the Rise of People-Powered Politics.

Originally a diary on Daily Kos, Confessions is a unique personal and political memoir that follows former red-stater and social conservative Jim Derych on a unique journey from right to left. Opening with Jim's introduction to Rush by his father, Confessions details how over a thirteen-year period and a "thousand small cuts," Jim moved away from Rush and the Republicans and embraced the Democratic Party and liberalism. Sharing both the personal--a friend who had an abortion as a teenager, a gay college roommate who delayed his coming out because of "people like Jim"--and the political--a comical encounter with the Young Republicans, his reaction to the torture scandals and the Iraq War--this is a moving and thought-provoking account that dispels the myth of "compassionate
conservatism."

The book also provides a fascinating "insider" account on how dittoheads think on the major political, economic and social issues of the day.

The event is sponsored by the Portland chapter of Drinking Liberally. Whether you're a DL member or not, please drop by and give Jim a proper Rose City welcome.

Jim will also be on Tom Hartmann's show on KPOJ AM620 at 7.30am Wednesday morning (live streaming here). Give a listen.

And you can read Jim's DailyKOS diary, including book tour stories, here.

(Cross-posted at p3.)

Posted by Nothstine at 06:25 PM |

Imagine

Do you hail from a state with lotsa religion?

Do I? not so much.

Posted by Carla at 04:09 PM |

910

And I'm hanging on by the skin of my teeth.

(h/t: Hines Sight)

Posted by Carla at 04:04 PM |

Believe what I say, not what I do

"I am deeply concerned about the Lebanese people and what they are enduring," Rice said before meeting (Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih) Berri. "I am obviously concerned about the humanitarian situation."

Now I'm no expert on rhetoric or anything, but isn't it normally the case that when a speaker goes to the trouble of informing his or her audience that something is obvious that in fact the opposite is true?

Posted by Kevin at 02:02 PM |

The Hazards of Massive Inflation

Imagine how you would handle quadruple digit inflation. That is exactly what has occurred in Zimbabwe. Here is one remarkably good-natured woman's account of banks whose systems can't handle all those zeros, shopping with wheelbarrows of cash and trying to squeeze incredibly lengthy hand-written dollar amounts so that they fit into the allotted space on a check.

Most of us have hardly come to terms with the logistics of doing ordinary things like paying bills. If we are paying in cash we find ourselves walking around with carrier bags, duffle bags, plastic sacks and even suitcases literally filled with notes. Its a huge relief to get to where you are going without being mugged because its just not that easy to hide a sack of money.

Although, these days, I suppose even muggers must have to think in terms of wheelbarrows at the very least. The next mission is to get the timing right so that you pay bills when the electricity is on otherwise the money counting machines aren't working, the computers that write receipts aren't working and you spend hours waiting in queues, your arms getting longer and longer, weighed down by heavy bags of money. …

Everything in Zimbabwe, even writing a cheque, has become an exercise in extremes - miniscule handwriting for massive amounts of money to pay small fractions of huge monthly expenses.

I think we can all be very grateful for our government and the many people who work to keep our economy functioning properly. We may have our blips now and then and the occasional gas line, but stories like these help put those things back into perspective. They also remind me why government is so important and why I am not a Libertarian.

Posted by Becky at 10:24 AM |

Nice-Sounding Groups Aren't Always What They Seem

Back in 2000, Oregonians faced 27 ballot measures all at once. Seven of them were Bill Sizemore measures. Sizemore came up with a brilliant idea that would allow him to influence Oregon voters on every single measure without them knowing he was the one who was influencing them. He wrote up and I designed a slick multi-page voter guide entitled "27 Ballot Measures Made Simple." The guide was presented as a coordinated effort of several grassroots groups, and money was moved through an array of different bank accounts to hide the Sizemore connection.

The groups were what you would call "astroturf" groups (fake grassroots groups). We found people who could assure us that they would never be available to the media to lend their names as heads of these fake groups, some of which were created specifically for this project. Others had been defunct for some time and were reactivated in name only for this project. An introductory letter inside the front of the guide implied that the groups had met several times and voted on which measures to support. Altogether, these means allowed us to create the false impression that the views in the voter guide represented a broad cross-section of people, rather than the opinions of one man – Bill Sizemore.

I tell this story not because it is news today, but to illustrate a method that is being widely used this year across several states to create the appearance of support of multiple local grassroots campaigns when the reality is that these campaigns are being funded and pushed by a single individual – Howard Rich. Granted, other people are lending support and contributing funding to the project, just as occurred in the "27 Ballot Measures Made Simple" voter guide. But the reality is the campaigns are neither local nor grassroots.

Howard Rich and his extremely small group of libertarian friends are working through a broad array of front groups. They take advantage of local campaign finance laws where necessary to move money from one front group to another to create the appearance of a broad-based effort. Specifically, in several states around the country (including Oregon), Rich and his very small group of close associates are this year pushing ballot initiatives that would reduce the size of state governments by 50% within 15-20 years (TABOR), require payment to landowners for all land use regulations (under the guise of curing eminent domain abuse), and strictly limit the terms of elected representatives. This same group also is working to expand school choice and privatize Social Security. Just so you know.

Is Howard Rich working on a campaign in which you are interested? Look through the following list, and see if you recognize any of the names. All of these groups are either front groups for Howard Rich or groups that he controls, in whole or in part:

Americans for Limited Government, the Cato Institute, Social Security Choice.org, Laissez Faire Books, Foundation for Economic Education, U.S. Term Limits and multiple state term limits groups, Americans Back in Charge, Americans to Limit Congressional Terms, Howard Rich Irrevocable Trust, OKE Associates, Crunch Fitness, Reason Foundation, LaSalle Associates, Dayrich LLC, 538-14 Realty LLC, Fund for Democracy, Americans for Limited Terms, Montanans In Action, America At Its Best, LEAD Foundation, All Children Matter, Citizens in Charge, Committee for State Stewardship, state-level affiliates with Club for Growth, National Taxpayers Union, This House is My House, Parents in Charge, www.politicalactivists.org, National Voter Outreach, 470 W 166 LLC, NewEnvironmentalism.org, Privatization.org, UrbanFutures.org, National Alliance, Joseph R. Rich, Daniel Rich, 123 Lasalle Inc., 4220 Broadway Inc., 4220 Broadway LLC, 123 Lasalle Associates, Spinksville LLC, 405 49 Associates, West 14 & 18 LLC, JMG Realty, Rosemeade Investors, LLC, Ashborough Investors, Bradford Management of New York Inc., Rich Lending Corp., 538-14 Realty LLC, Votenet Solutions Inc., eConstituent, eBallot, and Votenet Voter Registration. I'm sure there are others – but the point is, if Rich needs a front to hide his contribution, he and/or his closest associates make up a new group or file a new corporation and he's off and running.

This practice is commonplace in Oregon. It is a system most used by Oregonians in Action, petitioning companies, and Bill Sizemore and it is very effective at both hiding the source of funding and creating the appearance of broad-based support when such support does not exist. It is a sophisticated means of avoiding the problems faced by people like Loren Parks, who donate large amounts of money in the open for everyone to see, suspect, and criticize. When you see the repercussions that Mark Hemstreet faced for his support of Bill Sizemore years ago, you can understand why people go to such extremes to hide their giving. But truly, voters need to stop being so dense about these things. That nice-sounding group "Grandmas for Affordable Housing" might well be more aptly named "Developers for Freedom from Land Use Laws."

Posted by Becky at 09:34 AM |

The fast track to Heaven

It seems that the pastors of Albany Georgia's Sherwood Baptist church believe that movies and TV have more influence than sermons. And so they've become budding movie moguls, having cranked out several movies for the big screen in the last several years.

That seems like a highly dubious tenet for Biblical literalists to take, given the extreme unlikelihood that any of Jesus' disciples would have agreed with it... What with the invention of theater, the precursor of both TV and movies, already ancient history when Jesus walked the earth, and the absolute lack of any mention of using it to spread the Gospel in my Bible. Still... it's a philosophy that I could get into.

My TV was on all weekend long. I must be on the fast track to Heaven! LOL

Posted by Kevin at 09:23 AM |

Chickenhawk Jacoby gets his panties inna bunch

It seems blogger/columnist Jeff Jacoby is up in a twist over the use by lefties of the label "Chickenhawk":

``Chicken hawk" isn't an argument. It is a slur -- a dishonest and incoherent slur. It is dishonest because those who invoke it don't really mean what they imply -- that only those with combat experience have the moral or the necessary understanding to advocate military force.

Now its entirely possible that some people who use the chickenhawk label take it to mean the definition that Jacoby outlines. But I'd venture to say that its not most...or even that many.

"Chickenhawk" under my definition means someone who is a war hawk that hasn't served, has no intention of serving and will likely insulate their close blood ties from serving as well.

In other words, "Go to war and fight for my ideology..but don't expect me or mine to pick up a weapon and fight along side you".

Jacoby likes to tell us liberals what our problems are: we're "dishonest" and "incoherent". Like many conservatives, Jacoby uses that perception of liberals to make excuses for his positions and what is very apparently a cowardly stance on war.

It takes no effort whatsoever to sit your ass at a computer and type about going to war and killing people that you consider to be "terrorists" or "sponsors of terrorism". But its a whole other kettle of peas when you refuse to contribute anything more to the fight than some pixels and a column in the Boston Globe.

Posted by Carla at 07:50 AM |

July 23, 2006

Condi does stand-up

Condi Rice said this evening that "We believe that a cease-fire is urgent," and that "it is important, however, to have conditions that will make it sustainable."

Ms. Rice added, "the really important thing here is that whatever we do has to contribute to Lebanon's regaining sovereignty over all its territory."

Presumably she doesn't believe that Israel has bombed enough Lebanese military bases to sufficiently facilitate Lebanon's regaining sovereignty over all its territory.

:::rolls eyes in disgust:::

Posted by Kevin at 11:10 PM |

Six Degrees of Hezbollah/Israeli separation

Its interesting what happens when one drops ideology, deals in cold hard facts and answers serious questions from a serious person about the mess in the Middle East.

Its much too large to excerpt here, but over at Harper's, former Deputy Director of the State Department's Office of Middle East and South Asia Analysis Wayne White dishes out answers to six questions on the realities of the short-sighted moves of Israel against Hezbollah. And how our forsworn alliance to the other children of Abraham is going to erode the US even further on the world stage.

Its short, informative and well worth the click.

Posted by Carla at 08:18 PM |

Congressional Race Preview #8 - IA/WI/MN

The upper midwest is still a populist hotbed, even though that sometimes gets overlooked as we look at more populated areas of the country.

This is where people that work the land and people that work in the cities and factories seem to be able to find common ground politically.

In today's preview I have my 4th Democrat victory prediction.

Iowa 1 - Mike Whalen (R) vs Bruce Braley (D) - This is an open seat battle of political heavyweights in a swing district that both parties are intent on winning. Whalen is a very strong campaigner and comes out of his primary with the resources necessary to get his message out. Braley is the former head of the Iowa Trial Attorneys and has run a very smart, effective campaign thus far. This will be one to watch as we approach election day. Toss Up

Wisconsin 8 - John Gard (R) vs Nancy Nusbaum (D) - Nusbaum still faces a contested primary, but is the only Democrat with both the resources and the political acumen to make this a race. Gard is the GOP standard bearer in this GOP leaning open seat. Although Nusbaum could make a race of it, it will take some national momentum for her to win this seat. Leans GOP

Minnesota 1 - Gil Gutknecht (R) vs Tim Walz (D) - Gutknecht is one of the more thoughtful members of the House of Representatives and is a close match for the district. However, he faces "The Little Campaign That Could" in veteran and high school principal Tim Walz. Gutknecht has recently begun to question our involvement in Iraq, but his ties to and unpopular president could make this race close. Walz is plugging along and doing better than many expected of him, but it will take a wave to get him into Congress. Leans GOP

Minnesota 2 - John Kline (R) vs Colleen Rowley (D) - What started out as a highly touted success in candidate recruiting for the DCCC in FBI whistleblower Colleen Rowley has turned into something close to an embarassment. Without even a basic understanding of how to run a political campaign, her campaign is teetering along and the brink of falling apart. Kline, on the otherhand, is a ruthless campaigner and should be able to make short work of Rowley in a seat that should be in play for the Dems. Leans GOP

Minnesota 6 - Michele Bachmann (R) vs Patty Wetterling (D) - Although this is a moderately conservative, slightly GOP leaning district, the perfect storm seems to be coming together for the Democrats. The GOP nominated extreme social right winger Bachmann, whose focus on homosexuality (she once was caught spying on a gay rights rally from the bushes) to the detriment of other issues puts her out of touch with most of the district. The Democrats nominated well known child safety activist Patty Wetterling, who challenged incumbent Mark Kennedy in 2004 and made it quite the race. Look for Wetterling in DC come 2007. Leans Dem

Coming next - Illinois and Nebraska. All Congressional Race Previews are cross posted at Swede And Czech

Posted by Alan at 10:52 AM |

More Cognitive Dissonance From the Right

How ironic is this: Freedomworks is funded by forced dues on insurance policy holders, and Freedomworks tried to get a measure on the ballot that would have ended union dues for political purposes. In the first instance, the dues were foisted on unwitting customers. In the second, the union members voted to impose the dues upon themselves.

Posted by Becky at 09:01 AM |

July 22, 2006

As The Pendulum Swings

George Will writes today about the political situation in Pennsylvania. In it, he describes Pennsylvania as a breeding ground of what may be the beginning of the pendulum swing away from the social and neo-conservatism that is in charge of the country right now.

The state also has recently been a cockpit for culture wars: The town of Dover voted out of office all eight school board members seeking reelection, because the board had tried to insinuate religion, in the form of "intelligent design" theory, into high school biology classes, beginning with a mandatory decree that evolution "is not a fact."

Such social conservatism is, Rendell says, one reason there is a "sea change" underway in the state. He points to suburban Chester County (west of Philadelphia), the state's only southeastern county to twice support George W. Bush and which had not elected a Democratic state senator since the 1870s. In a state Senate race this May, which Rendell describes as between two good county commissioners, both of them pro-choice, the Democrat won a 12-point landslide.

But most interesting to me is his analysis of the "Republican base" and how it is splintering.

Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, a favorite of social conservatives, is in an uphill struggle to hold his seat. His campaign should help Swann's by energizing the Republican base. But, says Rendell contentedly, the Republican vote consists of three increasingly incompatible factions: the loyal base, the disappointed base that may not vote, and Republican moderates who are "fast concluding there's no place for them in the party." From "gay-bashing" to restrictions on stem cell research, he says, "they're appalled by it all."

In states like Pennsylvania, we may be seeing the beginning of the end of the coalition of business, evangelicals, and the rich. And that may be the beginning of the end for the right wing that has gone too far to the right.

Posted by Alan at 11:52 AM |

Petulance?

When compared to the diplomatic efforts by Bush 41's administration, particularly among Arab states, the record of the Bush 43 administration stands in stark contrast.

Could Dubya's foreign policy decisions ammount to nothing more than a petulant effort to prove to his old man that he's a man too? It certainly seems plausible given the criticism of Israel's latest actions by military strategists in light of the obvious total support Dubya is granting them.

Meanwhile... while Condi Rice talks about the "illegality" of Hezbollah's initial strike on Israel, American legal experts examine the illegality of Israel's response.

Posted by Kevin at 10:16 AM |

Oregon Ballot Measures Part of Huge Libertarian Effort

My hat is off to Ed Waldo of Boregasm for uncovering an amazing story of how a small group of wealthy libertarians with a war chest of millions of dollars are working to impose their radical views all across the country this fall.

His series "Reportage on Perfidy Made Simple, or, Read the Series in Series" is a must read for anyone who is concerned about the ballot measures we're facing this fall, including TABOR, eminent domain, and term limits.

I'm digging into this deeper and will report on my findings throughout next week. But Ed's report will give you plenty of reading material to get you started through the weekend.

Posted by Becky at 08:48 AM |

Congressional Race Preview #7 - OH/IN/MI

Indiana is one of the redder states in the country, yet is a battleground for Democrats nonetheless.

Led by Vanderberg County Sheriff Brad Ellsworth, Indiana could also be an indicator early on as to whether the Dems will be able to take over the majority in the House.

Ohio 18 - Bob Ney (R) vs Zack Space (D) - Plagued by the Abramoff scandal (he is listed in the investigation as "Congressmember A") and spending more money on legal defense than on his campaign, this race should, by all rights, be a slam dunk for the Democrats. But the Democrats, bless their heart, nominated attorney Space, who seemingly has no idea of how to run a campaign or why he's running. He still could win, but he'll likely have to be carried across the finish line to do it. Toss Up

Indiana 2 - Chris Chocola (R) vs Joe Donnelly (D) - Chocola faces a rematch with business owner Donnelly. On paper, he is the perfect candidate and, in person, is one of the finest people you could ever meet. Unfortunately, Chocola has a lot of personal wealth and Donnelly, like Space in the previous race (although not nearly to Space's degree), seemingly seems lost on how to run a campaign properly. Leans GOP

Indiana 8 - John Hostettler (R) vs Brad Ellsworth (D) - Every incumbent has the "nightmare opponent". The one that makes them wake up in the middle of the night with sweats. Unfortunately for Hostettler, that opponent is running against him this cycle in the person of Sheriff Brad Ellsworth. Telegenic, smart, and extremely well respected, its hard to see how Hostettler, who is so far to the right that he's out of touch with even this conservative district, pulls of another victory here. The NRCC is already attacking Ellsworth with a "Willie Horton" type ad, but even this is unlikely to keep Hostettler in Congress. Leans Dem

Indiana 9 - Mike Sodrel (R) vs Baron Hill (D) - Sodrel won this seat in 2004 from Hill in the 2nd closest race in the nation. Hill is back for a rematch, hoping that Bush's drop in popularity is enough to give him his old seat back. Both parties are likely to pour money into this seat. In the end, though, this is a conservative leaning district, and unlikely to unseat the GOP incumbent. Leans GOP

Michigan 8 - Mike Rogers (R) vs Jim Marcinkowski (D) - This Michigan district has the makings of a battleground, and former CIA employee Marcinkowski has the background to put this seat into serious play - one day. Rogers, though, has far more resources this time around, and there doesn't seem to be the movement afoot in the district to throw out the popular Congressman. Leans GOP

Next preview - Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. All Congressional Race Previews cross posted at Swede And Czech

Posted by Alan at 08:38 AM |

July 21, 2006

Condi Rice spoon feeds the media lapdogs

Ms. Rice rejected the notion of an immediage ceasefire with the illogical excuse that I can guarantee you, if you simply look for a cease-fire that acknowledges and freezes the status quo ante, we will be back here in six months again or in five months or in nine months or in a year...

Someone please explain to me how seeking an immediate cease fire forces anyone to freeze the status quo ante?

Anyone?

Posted by Kevin at 09:17 PM |

Cease fires are for babies

Or so says our incompetent Secretary of State:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rejected the "false promise" of an immediate cease-fire in the spreading war between Israel and Hezbollah on Friday and said she would seek long-term peace during a trip to the Mideast beginning Sunday. The top U.S. diplomat defended her decision not to meet with Hezbollah leaders or their Syrian backers during her visit.

"Syria knows what it needs to do, and Hezbollah is the source of the problem," Rice said as she previewed her trip, which begins with a stop in Israel.

Rice said the United States is committed to ending the bloodshed, but not before certain conditions are met. The Bush administration has said that Hezbollah must first turn over the two Israeli soldiers whose capture set off the 10-day-old violence, and stop firing missiles into Israel.

So its okay with Rice that people are dying hand over fist..as long as she can put a diplomatic feather in her cap later on?

So much for being "pro-life".

And once again..its all Hezbollah's fault. No effort to discuss Israel's complete overreaction. Not to mention their demands--that they themselves made certain Lebanon and Syria couldn't meet.

Posted by Carla at 02:28 PM |

Eyman Of The Tiger

It looks like Tim Eyman's penchant for getting initiatives onto the Washington State ballot may be coming to an end.

It looks as though Tim Eyman's much-touted $30 car tab initiative might not have enough signatures to make the November ballot.

Initiative 917 calls for repealing weight fees and other vehicle taxes enacted by the Legislature last year to provide $2.7 billion for a massive transportation package. If the initiative fails to make it to the ballot, it would make Eyman 0-2 on measures many predicted would be shoo-ins for the fall election.

In June, Eyman failed to collect enough signatures to qualify Referendum 65, which would have repealed gay rights legislation passed by the Legislature this year. The shortfall came as a surprise since Eyman had the help of some church leaders, who circulated the petitions at Sunday services around the state.

All good things - and gravy trains - must come to an end eventually, eh Tim?

Posted by Alan at 01:23 PM |

Congressional Preview #6 - KY/OH

Another hot battleground for house races this year will be Ohio. The GOP is in disarray, Governor Taft has approval ratings somewhere equal to Attila the Hun, and the Democrats smell blood.

We still have a couple of races in Kentucky to finish up with first though.

Happy Friday.

Kentucky 3 - Anne Northup (R) vs John Yarmuth (D) - This is one of those seats that the Democrats think they can win every year, only to be disappointed on election day. Northup is an extremely strong campaigner and has done a lot to solidify herself with the minority communities in Louisville. That being said, former newspaper publisher John Yarmuth is proving himself to be a strong campaigner in his own right. And Congresswoman Northup's ties to the Bush administration, as well as the scandal-plagued GOP Governor, make this race one very much worth watching. Toss Up

Kentucky 4 - Geoff Davis (R) vs Ken Lucas (D) - Davis won this seat in 2004 against Nick Clooney (George's father) after Lucas decided to call it a career. Well, Lucas has had a change of heart, and is running to win back his old seat. Lucas has the credentials as a Blue Dog Democrat, but this district is turning into solid GOP country. Despite what national Democrats think, this is Davis' to lose. Leans GOP

Ohio 1 - Steve Chabot (R) vs John Cranley (D) - The right atmosphere (Bush losing steam & a corrupt state GOP) and the right candidate (Cincinnati City Councilmember Cranley) combine to make this one of the more exciting races to watch in the country come November. Chabot had beaten back a few previous strong challenges (including one from a younger Cranley) and seemed on his way to making this a safe seat. But all that changed with the entry on Cranley. A bulldog on the campaign trail, Cranley isn't likely to let up on Chabot, and may have him on the defensive through election day. Toss Up

Ohio 12 - Pat Tiberi (R) vs Bob Shamansky (D) - Tiberi was likely to coast to victory in this seat until a very spry former Congressman Shamansky decided to make a run. He knows what it takes to win, and Tiberi is going to have to work much harder than anyone expected. But, in the end, no one expects Tiberi to lose this seat. Leans GOP

Ohio 15 - Deborah Pryce (R) vs Mary Jo Kilroy (D) - Yet another member of the GOP leadership faces a big challenge this cycle in the name of Franklin County Commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy. EMILY's List is strong with Kilroy and, early on, a number of pundits figured that Pryce was ripe for the picking. However, Pryce hasn't backed down from the challenge, and Kilroy's early momentum may not be enough to get her into Congress. Leans GOP

Next - Finish up Ohio, then Indiana & Michigan. All Congressional Previews are cross posted at Swede And Czech

Posted by Alan at 12:28 PM |

Freeeaaakkky....

Websites can't read your mind, can they?

I've played this a dozen times this morning and its right EVERY freaking time--even though I change out the symbols periodically on purpose.

How does it do this???

Its freaking me out!

(via Vonski.)

Posted by Carla at 12:14 PM |

Another Torture Backer Rewarded

Looks like President Bush is about to reward another bad guy.

William Haynes II, the Pentagon's general counsel, has been closely involved in shaping some of the Bush administration's most legally and morally objectionable policies, notably on the use of torture. ...

Haynes has for years been part of a small group of insiders who have mapped out the Bush administration's policies on questioning detainees and declaring American citizens to be "enemy combatants." The administration's policies in this area have been indecent and lawless, and the Supreme Court has repeatedly had to step in to rein them in.

Haynes was by many accounts a key player in the administration's development of its shamefully narrow definition of "torture," which gave the green light for a wide array of abuses. The decisions made in Washington cleared the way for abusive treatment of the detainees being held in Guantánamo Bay, and created the environment necessary for the Abu Ghraib torture scandal to occur.

And now, like another of Bush's torture supporters, Jay S. Bybee, Haynes may get to become a federal judge. How sweet.

Posted by Becky at 09:33 AM |

July 20, 2006

Congressional Race Preview #5 - FL/KY

Today's preview comes to you from beautiful Dallas Fort Worth International airport, where I wait for my next flight on my way to Seattle and my 20 year high school reunion.

We have 4 more races today to talk about in Florida, then we start to move toward the midwest.

Florida 9 - Gus Bilirakis (R) vs Phyllis Busansky (D) - Mike Bilirakis is retiring and wants to keep this seat in the family. What I would guess the Bilirakis clan thought was a slam dunk at the beginning of this cycle turned into anything but with the entry of former Hillsborough County Commissioner Phyllis Busansky into the race. Phyllis is energetic, well known, and well liked in this north Tampa Bay district. Although Gus is raising money like and incumbent with the help of his father, Phyllis is showing that she will have the resources necessary to make this too close to call. Toss Up

Florida 13 - Vern Buchanan or Tramm Hudson (R) vs Christine Jennings (D) - Katherine Harris' seat is open, and the floodgates opened with candidates. The GOP primary has five candidates, although it looks to be down to Vern Buchanan or Tramm Hudson. Buchanan built a national auto part business that is now under scrutiny for business ethics questions, and Tramm Hudson is a banker. Both would be strong candidates in the general (Buchanan because he is pouring his own money into this and has very deep pockets). On the Democrat side, Sarasota Bank founder Christine Jennings is in a primary against two time Dem nominee Jan Schneider. Bottom line - if Jan Schneider wins the Democrat primary, this race is over. If Christine Jennings comes through, she has the standing and the resources to make a go of it. But even the, it's a tough pickup for the Dems. Leans GOP

Florida 16 - Mark Foley (R) vs Tim Mahoney (D) - Foley faces his first real challenge in years in the form of former GOP dot commer Tim Mahoney. Mahoney is a factor because he has access to financial resources. However, in the end, it will take a lot more than money (Foley has $3,000,000 in the bank) to unseat the popular moderate Republican in this district. Leans GOP

Florida 22 - Clay Shaw (R) vs Ron Klein (D) - This is a collosal battle in South Florida. Clay Shaw won this race in 2000 by less than one percent. Since then he has faced two "promising" Democrat candidates, both of whom imploded before election day. That won't happen this time with State Senate Minority Leader Ron Klein. Both sides have been going after each other for a year now, and either candidate could come through in the end. However, it seems that Clay Shaw, who has had health issues, wants to make this his final hurrah, so to speak - raising $1.3 million in the last three months alone. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Klein pull this off, but I'm guessing that Shaw and the NRCC will pull through again. Leans GOP

Kentucky 2 - Ron Lewis (R) vs Mike Weaver (D) - Ron Lewis hasn't faced a challenge in this seat in a long time - maybe ever - but that's not the case this time. State Rep & Army Veteran Mike Weaver is in tune with this district and has the dormant Democrats in this district, and the state, fired up. That being said, it would still take a wave to pull him across the finish line in the strong GOP voting district. Leans GOP

Next - Kentucky continued and into Ohio. All Congressional Previews are cross posted at Swede And Czech

Posted by Alan at 12:53 PM |

Knee-jerk idiocy

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that the fighting in Lebanon would end when two Israeli soldiers were freed, rocket attacks stopped and the Lebanese army deployed along the border. These are the conditions he insists must be met before Israel can agree to a ceasefire. Olmert must think the international community to be fools.

Let's take just one of his stipulated conditions - that the Lebanese army be deployed along the southern border.

Olmert's IDF has bombed several Lebanese military bases throughout the week. They bombed at least two bases and possibly a third last Friday, two on Monday and two more on Tuesday, one was bombed repeatedly including during an attempted rescue operation by the Lebanese military to extract soldiers trapped in the rubble. Assorted other less well defined military targets have been hit as well. Such as a squad of soldiers in a fishing port in the far North or radar installations. All this in the name of purportedly fighting Hezbollah.

Does PM Olmert seriously believe that these are actions conducive to his alleged goals?

Then there is the fact that, as the Lebanese Embassy in Washington DC puts it, the South "has become virtually cut off from the rest of the country after the major roads and bridges leading to it were bombed."

How does PM Olmert expect the Lebanese military to get there?

The PR coming out of the Israeli government is that they are only deliberately targeting Hezbollah and related targets. If that's true then they clearly consider the Lebanese military to be Hezbollah related. Which begs the question of why would Olmert insist that an entity which he is deliberately and actively targeting as ostensibly part of the enemy move closer to Israel with a military force?

Posted by Kevin at 12:43 PM |

Beating Fundamentalism into your kids

Yup. Literally:

Family Integrity has produced a controversial eight-page booklet on how to use physical punishment under the present law.

Parents are told that smacking can be a "10-to-15-minute process" and that if a child reacts angrily, such as by slamming doors or "pouting", they should be smacked again.

"Smacking is meant to drive the foolishness, the sinful manifestations, out of the child's personality so that they do not become permanent fixtures," it says.

Smacking is justified because children younger than age eight "do not think straight" and lack a developed sense of fair play and duty.

Yeah..nothing cements a sense of "fair play" into a kid like hauling off a big, open-handed slap on their hindquarter. We wouldn't want do something like say, logical consequences so that kids could understand real life responsibility, perhaps?

The booklet even provides a special "how to" guide in case the smacker isn't smart enough to give the smackee enough of a wallop:

My personal favorite is bullet point #4: If the child is still angry after the smack, you haven't smacked them hard enough.

The good ol' beat your kids into submission routine.

Take it from someone who was beaten as a child, this doesn't work.

I was beaten under similar guidelines when I was growing up. Not only does it NOT eliminate anger--it pushes it to fester. And for kids with personalities like myself (controlling, competitive, stubborn and opinionated), it only makes it worse.

Posted by Carla at 10:53 AM |

July 19, 2006

Christians Fighting for Everyone's Freedom of Speech

One of our most precious freedoms in this country is the right to speak freely in the public square. And one of the more frustrating interferences with our civil rights of late has been the increasing use of designated free speech zones, where people can say whatever they want but only out of earshot of any audience – thereby rendering the speech effectively mute.

Now the free speech zones are hitting a group that may be able to do something about them. A Christian group has just filed suit for having been kicked off Navy Pier in Chicago, where they were preaching and handing out fliers, and being told to do their preaching in a designated free speech zone. I really hope this one goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and that the Court rules in their favor. If so, it will not be the first time religious proselytizers have gone to court in free speech battles that have strengthened civil rights protections for the rest of us.

All you need to do to understand the significance of this is to replace the following suppression of religious speech with suppression of political speech. Clearly, it is essential that these street preachers win in Court:

According to the suit, the plaintiffs were [distributing free religious literature and engaging in one-on-one discussion in the public square] on Saturday, July 15, at Navy Pier, when a police officer told them "they must leave or be arrested. Another officer informed plaintiffs that they must stand in designated 'free speech zones.'"

On Sunday, the plaintiffs returned to Navy Pier, and were told they could hold their demonstration across the street from the Pier. They were then told they could not stay in the park across from Navy Pier and were arrested, the suit says. The suit alleges that following their arrest, a police officer told one of the plaintiffs, as he was picking up his box of "gospel tracts," to "get this s**t our [sic] of here. Nobody wants to hear your bulls**t."

The plaintiffs met with an attorney for the city on Monday, the suit says, who reiterated that the group could preach in the free speech zones, but the suit contends that "confining plaintiffs to free speech zones would prevent their ministry objectives because they would be unable to effectively engage in dialogue with the public."

I sincerely hope the ACLU takes up this case. (Of course, even if the ACLU did take up and win the case, I wouldn't expect the Christian community to get over their insane aversion to the group. But the rest of us would love them even more.)

Posted by Becky at 01:50 PM |

Once again Democrat's moral backbone is AWOL

The WaPo is reporting that Congress Is Giving Israel Vote of Confidence. But the real story is in the subtitle: Both Parties Back Ally, Court Jewish Support. This is more about politics than anything else and I find that reality to be morally repugnant, real politik though it may be.

Surprising as it may seem Pat Buchanan is a rare voice of reason in American politics right now.

While Democrats stumble over themselves checking that their rhetoric is blowing the same direction as the prevailing winds, morality and ethics be damned, Buchanan calls a spade a spade and doesn't come across as a pacifistic wimp while doing it.

Let it be said: Israel has a right to defend herself, a right to counter-attack against Hezbollah and Hamas, a right to clean out bases from which Katyusha or Qassam rockets are being fired and a right to occupy land from which attacks are mounted on her people.

But what Israel is doing is imposing deliberate suffering on civilians, collective punishment on innocent people, to force them to do something they are powerless to do: disarm the gunmen among them. Such a policy violates international law and comports neither with our values nor our interests. It is un-American and un-Christian. (emphasis supplied)

The Democrats... or should I say Republocrats, according to the WaPo piece?

Democratic and Republican congressional leaders are rushing to offer unalloyed support for Israel's offensive against Hezbollah fighters, reflecting a bipartisan desire to not only defend a key U.S. ally but also solidify long-term backing of Jewish voters and political donors in the United States, according to officials and strategists in both parties. (emphasis supplied)

How many more times do we have to hear Dems later struggle to explain away having granted uncritical support for wars of aggression which only make things worse? I mean with Republicans... it's what they do. It's what they're about. But what kind of "choice" does the Democratic party offer voters on the moral or ethical direction this nation is headed? Are they not complicit by their own choices?

Posted by Kevin at 01:28 PM |

Israeli Children Sign Bombs Headed for Lebanon

I am so deeply disturbed by a photo posted at Rense.com that I can't get it out of my mind. The photo shows beautiful little Israeli children writing messages on bombs that are headed for Lebanon. When you click through the caption of the photo you see dead Lebanese children who were killed by Israeli bombs.

When I mentioned this to a conservative I know, I was told that we did the same thing with our children during WWII. I suppose I can imagine the children of our slaughtered Navy men writing nice little messages to the Japanese on the bombs we were sending over. And I know our soldiers wrote messages on bombs we dropped in Afghanistan following 9/11.

It still bothers me. And I think the reason why is that when anger explodes, people forget that the objects of their anger are human beings - and in war, those human beings are often children. At the same time, I'm torn by the reality that those children will grow up every bit as hateful as their parents, and the warring will just continue on from one generation to the next. So I'm left to wonder whether the human race really does ever have any hope of finding peace. I tend to think not.

Posted by Becky at 01:24 PM |

Congressional Preview #4 - PA/VA/NC/FL

Now that we're wrapping up the Northeast, things will move a bit more quickly around the country - at least until we get to the midwest.

Democrats are constantly wondering about The South and what to do about it. I don't have the answers, but today we'll preview a few candidates that might give us some clues.

Pennsylvania 10 - Don Sherwood (R) vs Chris Carney (D) - In normal circumstances, with an average incumbent, this wouldn't be on anyones radar. Allegations of adultry and assault of a girl in her 20's against Sherwood, and Sherwood's admission to an affair with her, got the Democrats looking at this seat. Chris Carney is a perfect candidate to step into this challenge. A former intelligence officer, Carney is conservative enough to be able to reach out to independents and angry Republicans. Sherwood barely made it through his primary against someone with no name recognition, which tells us that there are quite a few people not happy with him. All that being said, this is solid GOP territory, and it's hard for me to see this one going blue in the end. Leans GOP

Virginia 2 - Thelma Drake (R) vs Phil Kellam (D) - Thelma Drake won this seat in 2004 in what was a bigger battle than the GOP expected, and this time the Democrats got their best candidate to run. Phil Kellam is the Virginia Beach Commissioner of Revenue, and is well known and well liked in this military district. His campaign is running well, and he will have the resources to challenge Drake. This is going to be a dogfight. Toss Up

Virginia 10 - Frank Wolf (R) vs Judy Feder (D) - Congressman Wolf can't be sleeping well at night. Judy Feder is a tenacious candidate that frankly reminds me of Melissa Bean in her doggedness on the campaign trail. This is a suburban DC district that is growing more blue all the time. Feder has what it takes, and is showing that she can bring in the resources, to make this a battle, and one I'm sure Wolf was not expecting. Toss Up

North Carolina 11 - Charles Taylor (R) vs Heath Shuler (D) - Charles Taylor has been wrapped in scandal for years, yet the Dems haven't been able to unseat him. That's about to change. Former U of Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler is a native of western Carolina, socially in line with the district, and has put together an extremely strong campaign. Charles Taylor will use his personal wealth to try to blunt Shuler, and both the DCCC and NRCC will play heavily here. However, Taylor's "missed vote" on CAFTA is likely to be the biggest mistake of his career in representing this textile district. Expect to see Heath Shuler in the next Congress. Leans Dem

Florida 8 - Ric Keller (R) vs Alan Grayson (D) - This race popped on everyone's radar about a month ago with the entry of attorney Alan Grayson into the race. Grayson went after corruption by government contractors and recently won a settlement against Iraq contractors that were bilking the government. He has the personal wealth to give Ric Keller fits. Grayson faces a three way primary and, if he is defeated, this race comes of the chart. Keller has won tough battles before, but not in a while, and it'll be interesting to see if he is ready for this one. Toss Up

Coming next - Florida continues, then Kentucky. All Congressional Previews are cross posted at Swede And Czech.

Posted by Alan at 06:31 AM |

Bush's Stem Cell Veto Being Mischaracterized

All the hullabaloo over the President's threatened veto of the stem cell research bill had me actually believing that the bill was about whether or not to allow stem cell research in the United States. People have been arguing that the President should sign the bill because it would save lives, help paralyzed people walk again, etc., with the implication being that unless the bill is signed into law, stem cell research would not be performed here.

But that's not what the bill does at all. That argument is, no doubt, intended to accentuate the perception that the President is a heartless fundamentalist. But unlike most message simplification for the masses, the argument is actually false. Why do people think they need to do that? Especially when the truth about the looming veto would give us a clearer and, in my opinion, darker picture of the man?

What I didn't know until yesterday is that stem cell research is already being legally done in the United States. Here's what the bill is actually about:

In the United States, stem-cell research is being conducted in a federal regulatory vacuum. This stands in stark contrast to the situation in most of Europe, Canada and Australia, where comprehensive national systems of oversight have been established. In the United Kingdom, a Stem Cell Steering Committee (SCSC) develops national rules of conduct for stem-cell research and