Category: Congress

The Many Problems with Congress

Posted on by TL

I don’t think there ever was a golden age when “the Constitution meant something.” Instead, I think there was a time when the system of checks and balances work more efficiently. We know, for example, that there have always been greedy selfish individuals in government and out. However, we have had periods where these greedy and selfish individuals have been exposed, particularly on the federal level.

I could cite individual examples.  Yes, we all remember Nixon.  Well, let’s assume we all at least heard of Nixon even if we’re too young to remember him — which I’m not.  We can’t be satisfied with the current occupant of the White House.  We’re not.  This man has been a miserable, horrible failure.  But we also cannot be satisfied when the United States Congress sits back and permits abuses to go on, unchallenged, and collectively loses its balls.

It seems like half of Congress wants to be president.  Perhaps that’s always been the case, but in this instance, they’re all running.

The most disappointing thing about this crowd in Congress is not that the Constitution has ceased to work. Rather, it’s that Congress has ceased working the Constitution.

Patriot Act Unravels

Posted on by TL

Some of the most controversial portions of the U.S. Patriot Act have been declared unconstitutional.  Thursday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero is a setback for the Justice Department, but quite a victory for the ACLU, which filed the lawsuit.

The Washington Post reports:

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in New York said the FBI’s use of secret “national security letters” to demand such data violates the First Amendment and constitutional provisions on the separation of powers, because the FBI can impose indefinite gag orders on the companies and the courts have little opportunity to review the letters.

The secrecy provisions are “the legislative equivalent of breaking and entering, with an ominous free pass to the hijacking of constitutional values,” Marrero wrote. His strongly worded 103-page opinion amounted to a rebuke of both the administration and Congress, which had revised the act in 2005 to take into account an earlier ruling by the judge on the same topic.

The ACLU should be commended on this one.  The slippery slope to from freedom to tyranny chosen by the Bush Administration is not worth the price.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the ruling. “We are reviewing the decision and considering our options,” said spokesman Dean Boyd.

But Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the lawsuit in the case, said the ruling “is yet another setback in the Bush administration’s strategy in the war on terror and demonstrates the far-reaching efforts of this administration to use powers that are clearly unconstitutional.”

Let’s hope it’s not the last setback for the Bush Administration.  The rest of us have suffered far too many.

Garrison Keillor on Bridge Collapse

Posted on by TL

Garrison Keillor turns his pen to the Minneapolis bridge collapse.  Along with his disdain for Minnesota government and they apparently abysmal attention paid to infrastructure in the past, he as this observation in today’s Salon.com on the belated political response:

The way to get money to fix a bridge is for it to collapse and kill people, and so Congress promptly awarded Minnesota $250 million for the fallen I-35W. The usual suspects held press conferences to express shock and concern, pledge support, etc. The governor called for a time of healing and he proclaimed confidence in his commissioner of transportation, a large ebullient woman in a bright red blouse. There were prayer services. The Current Occupant came to view the wreckage and to express, in that intense and aimless way of his, his hopes for a better life for us. And then, having raised our hopes, he did not resign from office after all.

The state of Illinois, currently embroiled in a ridiculous budget battle with Governor Blagojevitch, a man more concerned about his last haircut and always-being-right than true dialog with his legislature, has over 1,100 bridges considered to be at risk.  Keillor’s anger at Minnesota and the Feds for lack of foresight could just as well be turned on Illinois, or so many other states.  The politicians’ response is often too little, too late.  Again from Keillor:

Unless the bridges get blown up by helpful terrorists, making us eligible for Halliburton to come in and rebuild them, I don’t imagine that much will happen. There will be an investigation and someday, when we are much older, we will learn that the bridge collapsed due to a unique set of circumstances that could not have been predicted by anybody. Nobody had sex with that woman. Everybody was doing a heckuva job.

George Bush And The Nine Trillionth Dollar

Posted on by TL

George Bush and the Nine Millionth Dollar

It’s almost here. Can you feel the excitement? People are already starting to line up at the Pentagon, White House, U.S. Treasury Department, U.S. Capitol Building, and countless other key locations around Washington, D.C., for the midnight release of the U.S. Government’s George Bush and the Nine Trillionth Dollar by Henry M. Paulson, Jr., Secretary of the Treasury Department.

That’s right, literary fans, the excitement is building around the globe. President Bush, under the guidance of Vice President Dick Cheney (He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Questioned) and Director Paulson, has already issued instructions on a strict embargo on the book until midnight on a date in the very near future but yet to be announced. Citizens will be given last minute instructions on where to queue up for copies of the book, which will sell for $45 retail. Advance-order copies are available from Amazon.com and Borders Books for $50. Reached by phone by Larry King, Vice President Cheney justified the extra $5.00 for those who order early by saying, “If you order late, the terrorists win.” Color-coded wrist bands will be available at select locations throughout the D.C. area for $100 each so lines are orderly as the members of the public line up for their midnight copies.

We’re almost there! According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the current debt to the penny is $8,945,504,468,375.99. Less than $35 billion to go!

“We’re very excited,” said Director Paulson, “This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. We never expect to hit $9 Trillion again!” This all but answers the questions billions are wondering, “Will the debt ever come down?” and, “Will there be a sequel to this book?” Paulson could hardly contain his enthusiasm for the most famous series of books the U.S. Treasury Department has ever produced, “We anticipate publishing volume both 10 and 11 in the next few years, as long as we can keep a Republican in the White House. Help us reach our goal!”

Many are hoping for some answers to long-standing questions in the new volume:

  • Who will live?
  • Who will die?
  • As the needs of U.S. citizens grow and debt increases, who will the United States borrow from next?
  • Who will the United States pass the debt to when Japan and China finally call their loans?

“The debt is the money the federal government borrows from other countries and it’s own citizens,” President Bush explained. “It’s money that we borrow.”

Thousands emailed the president after this statement, thanking him for explaining the national debt at last.

The White House and the Treasury Department announced that millions have already placed advance orders for George Bush and the Nine Trillionth Dollar using credit cards, of course.

(Graphic: Turning Left)

Contempt of Congress for Bush Aides

Posted on by TL

Just in from The Pittsburgh Channel:

WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee voted contempt of Congress citations Wednesday against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and President George W. Bush’s former legal counselor, Harriet Miers.

The 22-17 vote, which would sanction for pair for failure to comply with subpoenas on the firings of several federal prosecutors, advanced the citation to the full House.A senior Democratic official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the House itself likely would take up the citations after Congress’ August recess. The official declined to speak on the record because no date had been set for the House vote

The rest of the story is here.

It’s about time.

New Poll: Majority of Americans Say Impeach Cheney

Posted on by TL

Downward graph

A new poll released yesterday from American Research Group, Inc. shows 54% of all Americans favor the impeachment of Vice President Cheney, and only 40% oppose such a measure. Not surprisingly, 76% of all Democrats favor such action, while only 17% of those who identify themselves as Republican are in support.

The numbers are statistically even for the number of Americans who favor impeachment of the President, with 45% in favor and 46% opposed.

The numbers were more similar between party lines regarding a full pardon of Mr. Libby: 7% of Democrats favor a pardon, and 23% Republicans are in favor. 82% Democrats oppose a pardon, and a full 70% of Republicans oppose a presidential pardon. Republicans were split on Bush commuting Libby’s sentence: 50% supportive, 47% opposed.

The last poll measuring the president’s overall job approval rating showed only 27% approve of the job the president is doing, and 67% oppose.

We Need The Democrats Now — Not In Two Years

Posted on by TL

The Washington Times is reporting that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has refocused his antiwar crusade as his and Congress’ job-approval ratings plummet to all-time lows. The story continues:

Mr. Reid began the week Monday by vowing to “push very, very hard” for troop withdrawal from Iraq in a Defense Department budget authorization bill in two weeks.
The next day — as the Senate began work on the energy bill and tried to revive immigration legislation — the Nevada Democrat and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California sent a letter to the White House imploring the president to heed the Democrat-led Congress’ call for a pullout.
That same day, Mr. Reid railed against the war and U.S. military leaders in a conference call with a group of liberal bloggers.

Well, hats off to these so-called “liberal bloggers.” Everybody and a some day grandmother is running for President of the United States right now. Yes, it’s nice to see Barack Obama testing the waters so early, and it would be very nice if he was successful. I’m glad that Hillary Clinton is running for president, and, while I give the edge to Barack, I would not be at all disappointed to see her measuring for curtains some day in the Oval Office.

The Republicans have demonstrated a profound limp wrist in running this country and defending her properly. This preemptive war with Iraq that is not officially a war has ruined us. We may be more vulnerable now than we’ve ever been before. Which is exactly why we need leadership from the Democratic Party now — not in two years after everyone has battled it out, we regain the White House, and then try to start working together again as a party.

Enough is enough, already. While Joe and Christopher and Hillary and Barack and John and Mike and Dennis and Bill spend millions flying around the United States, taking people out to dinner, searching for just the right song, or making sure their hair is perfect. Meanwhile, we fall deeper into the crevasse that is Iraq — and the Party-Boy-Who-Would-Be-President prepares to turn the guns on Iran.

So, Senator Joe Biden, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, Senator Mike Gravel, Senator Christopher Dodd, and Congressman Dennis Kucinich — WE NEED YOU NOW. We need your voices to stop this madness right now. The trouble with all of you running for president is that, while you run, more people are dying, our national economy is tanking. The problem is all of you are trying to find incredibly unique solutions to our national crisis, and you are not working IN CONGRESS. We need you to work together, collaborate, right now, and quit trying to save the world — and your own political careers — by yourself.

The people of the United States of America need you all to stand together right now.

Get off your damned high horses already and start working together to find solutions for things that cannot be solved by one person now. Two years hence may already be too late.

Taking the Oath on Jefferson’s Quran

Posted on by TL

The Associated Press reports Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, will use a Qur’an once owned by Thomas Jefferson during his ceremonial swearing-in Thursday. This has apparently infuriated the right-wing, some of whom say the oath should only be taken using the Bible. While Muslims do accept the Bible, their interpretation is different from that of Christians. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus — all are honored as prophets by Muslims. Muhammed (PBUH), of course, is revered as the greatest of the prophets.

Those objecting just sound absurd:

Last month, Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode R-Va., warned that unless immigration is tightened, “many more Muslims” will be elected and follow Ellison’s lead. Ellison was born in Detroit and converted to Islam in college.

That’s right, Keith Ellison was born in Detroit. There’s no clear record as to when he immigrated to America. Maybe Rep. Goode can help us with that one.

The Cost of War

Posted on by TL

As of this writing, 2,874 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq.? Total non-mortal casualties, all service branches, is at 46,137.

There have been between 47,781 and 53,014 Civilians reported killed by military intervention in Iraq.

In dollars, the cost of the war in Iraq is $345.28 billion dollars.

Total number of Weapons of Mass Destruction found in Iraq: 0.