Democrats remain committed to tougher lobbying rules
Feb 28, 02:51 PM | Harry Reid
Democrats have spoken at length, and for months, about the need for comprehensive reform in Washington. Today’s party-line vote in the Senate Rules Committee to reject the Honest Leadership Act demonstrates that not everyone in Congress is ready to take that step. The current proposal simply does not go far enough to put tough new rules on lobbying, but I am pleased that at least some effort at reform will move to the Senate floor. Democrats would have preferred to strengthen the bill while it was still in Committee, but we are committed to working for real reform when it is considered by the full Senate.
Comment
- Will you get the ball rolling by returning the Abramoff $$$$$$?
— Kee Feb 28, 04:00 PM # - Where’s the “HELL” Harry Reid? Listen to the people!
IMPEACH BUSH AND CHENEY, REID!
End the PNAC folly!
— bill_o_carolina Feb 28, 04:05 PM # - http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a030892dominanceplan
— bill_o_carolina Feb 28, 04:07 PM # - Tell George Dubai ya Bush “HELL NO!” on ports deal!
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/02/27.html#a7324
— bill_o_carolina Feb 28, 04:14 PM # - Why Bill, because they are Arabs?
That is a nice bigoted thing to anounce. I think Ayana might have something to say to you about that.
— kerry lost Feb 28, 04:16 PM # - Republicans have no shame. How can anyone with a brain even claim to be Republican these days? Iraq will be the biggest folly since Vietnam. How is that ass gonna explain to the 25,000 casualties among which are 2,500 dead exactly where his little plan went wrong? Who short of these Republican a**holes didn’t see what was going to happen in Iraq from a mile away?
How on earth were decent people so stupid as to think that some half-wit Texan that had never run a successful card game much less a business was going to solve issues that have been in place for hundreds of years? Impeachment is too good for Bush. All these idiots that had such a problem with Clinton and his antics apparently have no problem sending their fellow Americans to die FOR NO GOOD REASON. Even the Captain of the Idiot wagon himself, Bill O’Rielly, is saying we can’t remain “in country” if Civil War breaks out. EVERYONE knew that would happen!!! We are talking about a country that will riot in the streets over some stupid cartoon!! You can’t reason with these fools!! I say dust Saddam off, offer some sort of apology for inadvertantly wasting his sons and put him back in power. Let him do what he will to anyone that opposes him, then let’s actually have a war on terror AS IT RELATES TO THE USA!!! WE NEED TO SHED BUSH LIKE A COMMUNICABLE DISEASE.
— Pcruz Feb 28, 04:22 PM # - DO NOT let the ports deal
go through! We cannot let countries with ties
to terrorism at our borders.
And please explain to those that are clueless why this has nothing to do with race; unless you want to explain to them that Dubai boycott’s Israel…a country that has been our ally for alot longer than the UAE.
US workers only at all of our ports, and borders.
— Jill Feb 28, 04:26 PM # - Reform of lobbying rules cannot be successful without publicly funded elections.
As long as it takes millions of dollars to run for national offices, the wealthy will buy candidates who will vote for wealthy-friendly legislation.
To restore American democracy, we must have publicly funded campaigns and honest, accurately counted (and re-counted) elections.
Electronic voting machines must be banned and we must institute the same voting procedures that are used in Canada. We know that their procedures work. They are also much, much less costly than our fraudulent electronic voting machines.
— Justina Feb 28, 04:33 PM # - Reid is a moron…
— Pooky Feb 28, 04:36 PM # - Is it time to use that “dry powder” Senator? You have failed us in many important situations (Alito, Roberts to name just two). Do you plan to do the right thing THIS time and save this country before it is too late…if it isn’t already!
— laylah Feb 28, 04:48 PM # - I’m talking to an empty suit here! Harry, why don’t you just tell truth to power? That’s all we ask of anyone, and you have to floor.
Just do it Harry, tell the truth to the american people, they’re ready to hear it i promise you!
If you can’t bring down this admin after all that has happened, then i’m going to run against you myself.
— Earl Musick Feb 28, 04:50 PM # - What happened to your demands for the second phase of the 9/11 report to be completed? Don’t drop the ball on the NSA secret spying. Why has the Federal government failed to help rebuild the Katrina damaged areas while continuing to fund the war in Iraq. Support out troops and bring them home. We need universal health care!
— nelson Feb 28, 04:58 PM # - ?
http://thewebfairy.com/killtown/911smokingguns.html
— bill_o_carolina Feb 28, 04:59 PM # - Have you seen this yet?
Enjoy.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8260059923762628848&q=loose+change+911
— bill_o_carolina Feb 28, 05:10 PM # - Thanks for starting a website- the Democrats are pissed off at our ‘leadership’ and need a place to discuss issues.
Does this administration have to take themselves down all by themselves? Why don’t we have an opposition party? Why is it that bloggers seem to know more than our congressmembers? What do you all do anyhow? Seems most of you don’t even read the paper and haven’t figured out Iran is 10 years away from a possible nuke. Doesn’t the country have more important things to discuss, like say illegal wiretapping? Remember Nixon?
Get to work or we’ll throw you all out on your asses!
Read this!
Congress Lives in a Bubble, Bloggers Know More…
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=10658
— nadia Feb 28, 05:12 PM # - It seems to me that if the uproar over the Dubai deal was really about bigotry, we have no one but the republicans to thank for it. Muslim/Arab bigotry was the fear game republicans played, how dare they bitch when the game comes back to bite them in the ass! And the few remaining people who still support this joke of a president absolutely refuse to accept the fact that it’s not just the democrats who are criticizing. Finally Bush did what he promised, united the country…
— Lisa Feb 28, 05:32 PM # - IT is clear, honest and a view expressed fairly by WE THE PEOPLE..with President Bush with a 34% approval rating. Bullheaded, out of sink with Americans and lost almost all respect abroad, and now to say there is not a civil war in IRAQ, is the last straw…..
SO Senator, pull out all stops and get this guy back to Texas where he belongs…cutting fire wood, and bike riding with his cronies…
WE cannot endure nearly three more years of incompetence, failure one after the other, and Republicans talking out of both sides of their mouths…and to be truthful cannot even support this line of direction he is taking us…
— Jm Feb 28, 07:15 PM # - Unrelated topic, but very important:
FAT TUESDAY and MEMORIES of KATRINA
Six months later and most of New Orleans still bears the scars of Katrina. Yet, the city is carrying on its Mardi Gras tradition. Fat Tuesday is here! And New Orleans is partying again. It is also paying tribute to the victims of Katrina.
It is a fitting time to remember the over 1,300 dead and thousands of lives that have been forever changed by this national tradegy. Let us never forget that any of us could suffer a catastrophic event in our own backyards. Let us hope and pray that our governments are better prepared next time. If not, we will be on our own.
Following is the text from an email message I sent to progressive radio talk-show host Nancy Skinner on Friday, September 2, 2005:
Subject: Will Anyone Be Held Accountable?
To: nancyskinneram@clearchannel.com
Dear Nancy,
I had to send this email. There is too much to say to attempt to call you on the phone. I am also feeling rather angry and confused right now.
I can’t begin to imagine what life must be like for all those desperate people trapped in New Orleans. I have visited the city twice and have some feeling for how vast this city is. Words can not describe how I feel right now. This is a horrible, terrible, disgusting, and frightening travesty. Is this America? What is happening to our country?
Where is the leadership? Local officials are begging for help. The governor of Louisiana responds to disorder and “looting” by ordering police to “shoot to kill.” Where is the food? I have a wife and two young children. If they were starving, I would do anything to feed them. Meanwhile, our president responds by breaking off his vacation and holding a press conference.
After Pearl harbor FDR famously said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” and he inspired confidence. That was leadership. Today, we get empty words, and incompetence. Will anyone be held accountable for cutting the levy repair budget, gutting FEMA, deploying 1/3 of our National Guard troops Overseas, and vacationing during one of the worst natural disasters in history? Sadly, I suspect the answer is NO!!!
Imagine this happening in Detroit. Remember how badly the black-out disrupted our lives. Will we be prepared? Will we have enough National Guards? Is Michigan prepared? Do we have in money at the state and local level to deal with a major catastrophic event? Is there any plan in place for evacuations, other than drive away and take your credit cards? These questions need to be answered and this needs to become a priority.
I heard the pain in your voice this morning. How can you not be affected? Thank you for standing up for what is right, and doing a great job during these trying times. God bless you.
Sincerely,
REB 84
REMEMBER KATRINA
QuestionItNow-Voices
— REB 84 Feb 28, 09:48 PM # - #16, Lisa…...
Excellent point, lisa!
I’d say with a 32% approval rating, Bush IS finally uniting the country. Mission Accomplished, George!
— Poor Daddy Feb 28, 10:25 PM # - It’s not about the B word
Could be that the Ports Deal is more about Big Money and business deals than just a business deal. The United Arab Emirates, is among other things the 5th. largest producer of natural gas, and is involved in the liquified natural gas business. Would it be a good thing for the AUE to be shipping liquified natural gas and owning the ports that it is shipped to? Is it safe to ship this stuff, knowing that it is highly explosive under the right conditions. Most of the ports in the US don’t want ships or tanks full of Liquified Natural Gas anywhere near them, yet George Bush asks for government controls as to where to locate them.
Bush Touts Technology to Solve America’s Energy Problems
NewsMax.com Wires
Thursday, April 28, 2005
While Bush lamented America’s heavy reliance on foreign energy, he also called for aggressive expansion of imports of liquefied natural gas. He said Congress should make clear the federal government has final say over locating LNG import terminals, even when states or communities object to projects.
There are 32 proposed LNG import projects on the books and federal regulators “must expedite their review,” Bush said. Four import facilities operate in Massachusetts, Georgia, Maryland and Louisiana.
“It’s time for America to start building again,” he said.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): “The oil-rich United Arab Emirates is a major investor in The Carlyle Group, the private equity investment firm where President Bush’s father once served as senior adviser and is a who’s who of former high-level government officials. Just last year, Dubai International Capital, a government-backed buyout firm, invested in an $8 billion Carlyle fund.
Another family connection, the president’s brother, Neil Bush, has reportedly received funding for his educational software company from the UAE investors. A call to his company was not returned.
Then there is the cabinet connection. Treasury Secretary John Snow [“whose department heads the federal panel that signed off on the $6.8 billion sale of an English company to government-owned Dubai Ports World – giving it control of Manhattan’s cruise ship terminal and Newark’s container port.”—Knight Ridder] was chairman of railroad company CSX/. After he left the company for the White House, CSX sold its international port operations to Dubai Ports World for more than a billion dollars….
Another administration connection, President Bush chose a Dubai Ports World executive to head the U.S. Maritime Administration. David Sanborn, the former director of Dubai Ports’ European and Latin American operations, he was tapped just last month to lead the agency that oversees U.S. port operations.
A LNG port is planned near the mouth of the Columbia River here in Oregon, but I don’t think it will happen. We’ll fight it tooth & nail. I would rather see windmills in the Columbia Gorge, than see a disaster that is just waiting to happen.
— linus Feb 28, 10:47 PM # - 1 Kee
I know that your main concern is that Abramoff get enough money for his defence, but what Harry is asking is…How do you feel about lobby reform?...Pay Attention
— linus Feb 28, 11:04 PM # - 5 kerrystilllost
Not about bigotry, but about bigabusiness as usual
— linus Feb 28, 11:07 PM # - 19 Hi Poor Daddy
You said it…Once again,George has accomplished his mission.
The difference between genious and stupidity, is that genious has limitations…Albert Einstein
http://mosnas2.blogspot.com/
— linus Feb 28, 11:19 PM # - Demonrats and the ACLU say we cannot profile at the airports so we have gray haired grandmothers having to take off their shoes while turban Durban look alikes pass on through. Now the Demonrats will not allow Arabs to run a business in America loading and unloading ships using unionized American labor. Conclusion….Demonrats are racist bigots.
— joro Mar 1, 12:07 AM # - Honest Leadership Act
Harry, we do not need new laws. Enforce the laws that are there now. Pictures of Al Gore with grocery bags full of consequtively numbered money orders from Buddhist Nuns who took vows of poverty and the Clintons money from his Commie handlers in China and Indonesia should have Gore and the Clinton’s in prison for life. You sponsoring this bill wins you the “Hypocrite of the Year Award” after you received almost $100,000 from Abramoff connections.
— joro Mar 1, 12:15 AM # - DEMOCRATS DIVIDED..POOR LEADERSHIP
The filibuster of the Patriot Act failed because Reid could not hold together his caucus. Fifteen Democrats defected and voted to end debate. It looks like Reid’s bragging that he “killed the Patriot Act” was another lie and Americans will continue to be kept safe with the passage of the Act. Chalk up another victory for President George W. Bush.
— joro Mar 1, 12:21 AM # - 24 joro
Did you know that the UAE is also in the liquid natural gas business? Do you know what hap-pens when a ship full of this stuff developes a leak, from an accident, a missle, a terror attack? Do you know that Dubai has ties to money interests in the US? Do you know that 80% of the ports in America are owned by foreign countries. Democrats haven’t said anything up to now, untill it was a blatant conflict of interests, with ties to the Bush family, and the Carlyle group.
Bush Touts Technology to Solve America’s Energy Problems
NewsMax.com Wires
Thursday, April 28, 2005
While Bush lamented America’s heavy reliance on foreign energy, he also called for aggressive expansion of imports of liquefied natural gas. He said Congress should make clear the federal government has final say over locating LNG import terminals, even when states or communities object to projects.
There are 32 proposed LNG import projects on the books and federal regulators “must expedite their review,” Bush said. Four import facilities operate in Massachusetts, Georgia, Maryland and Louisiana.
“It’s time for America to start building again,” he said.
— linus Mar 1, 12:39 AM # - Reid, you’re a fucking coward and a turncoat. Your political BULLSHIT such as we see above is fooling fewer and fewer of us. When we tar and feather the criminal Bush out of Washington your yellow lyin’ money grubbin’ ass ain’t going to be far behind him.
— Pissed Off American Mar 1, 12:55 AM # - 25 Honest Leadership Act
Wrong again joro. Are you trying to tell us we can have lobby reform without any new laws? We could just say that lobbying is illegal, but the unemployment in this country would be astronomical.
— linus Mar 1, 01:00 AM # - “It seems to me that if the uproar over the Dubai deal was really about bigotry, we have no one but the republicans to thank for it. Muslim/Arab bigotry was the fear game republicans played, how dare they bitch when the game comes back to bite them in the ass! And the few remaining people who still support this joke of a president absolutely refuse to accept the fact that it’s not just the democrats who are criticizing. Finally Bush did what he promised, united the country…”
— Lisa
This traitor Bush was worried today on TV what kind of message we send to the Arab world if we refuse this deal just because its an Arab, and not a British, country. Maybe someone should ask Bush if that means he is now going to let Cheney start torturing Brits.
— Pissed Off American Mar 1, 01:00 AM # - In 2005 Dubya said….
Congress should make clear the federal government has final say over locating LNG “liquid natural gas” import terminals, even when states or communities object to projects.
In Jan 2006
President Bush chose a Dubai Ports World executive to head the U.S. Maritime Administration. David Sanborn, the former director of Dubai Ports’ European and Latin American operations, he was tapped just last month to lead the agency that oversees U.S. port operations.
Yet…Dubya said he didn’t hear anything about the deal untill it had allready happened…
Doesn’t Dubai kinda sound like Dubya?
— linus Mar 1, 01:14 AM # - Linus, the thread is about lobbying rules…...pay attention.
— Kee Mar 1, 07:36 AM # - So Mr. Reid, will you be the one to ask Burlesconi about the forged Niger yellowcake documents?
— bill_o_carolina Mar 1, 10:33 AM # - snip/
The most fundamental question about the betrayal of the Dubai Ports Deal is why an “America-first” president doesn’t believe that Americans can protect our ports? After all, we have a Department of Homeland Security, don’t we?
Well, it just so happens the Department of Homeland Security, such as it is, objected to the Dubai Ports multi-billion dollar outsourcing contract. It also happens that, according to Rupert “I Love Bush” Murdoch’s New York Post, Osama bin Laden has bragged that he has infiltrated the uppermost echelons of the Dubai and United Arab Emirates Government.
Not that Osama would have to do a lot of infiltrating, since the Royal Family of the UAE were his house guests, according to former CIA Director George Tenet.
Did we also mention that the Pentagon identified the United Arab Emirates as a security risk in terms of terrorist sympathies?
And along with Saudi Arabia, Dubai and the UAE played a key role in being transfer points for the financing of the 9/11 attack. Terrorists still travel freely through Dubai.
So what act of seeming suicidal insanity would motivate the Bush Administration—who has been woefully inadequate in securing our ports—to go outside of America to hire a nation with a record of terrorist relationships to “guard” our ports? It would be like putting a kleptomaniac in charge of night security at a jewelry store, except, in this case, our lives are at stake.
— bill_o_carolina Mar 1, 10:43 AM # - I see that Mr Conyers from Michigan is in trouble for a variety of unethical practices. We need reform so the Democrats will start being ethical.
— Kee Mar 1, 10:53 AM # - What is the upside to all this Port Non-sense? The fact that you notice how joro and Kee are posting less! And the posts the do put up are even more ridiculous. I REALLY like Lisa! What excellent points. And POA, right behind you buddy! Listen to joro’s stupidity about Democrats being bigots! LOL He has no problem demonizing other Americans, but he thinks that if we have some sort of Xenophobia regarding Arabs that WE are bigots. The Republicans INVENTED bigotry my half witted friend! And for once they were right. ALL of the attacks and the hatred of the US has come from Arab/Muslim countries. We have a right and an obligation to keep them at arm’s length. What we DON’T want to do is to attempt to change them. We can NEVER do that. We need to simply instill the thought that if they f*ck with us, our Military is coming and Hell is coming with them.
Another upshot? People are finally getting the idea that Bush has NO idea what the real world is like. He is a silver-spoon-fed brat that has been given the keys to the stockroom. The real deal where Bush is concerned was best said by
Gena Davis, “Be afraid, be very afraid…”
— Pcruz Mar 1, 11:24 AM # - The Dubai World deal includes 21 ports. Link
Don’t let the corporate media get away with just stating that there are only 6 US ports involved in this deal.
The ports are as follows:
Baltimore, MD
Boston, MA
Camden, NJ
Corpus Christi, TX
Davisville, RI
Freeport, TX
Galveston, TX
Houston, TX
Lake Charles, LA
Miami, FL
New Orleans, LA
New York, NY
Newark, NJ
Newport News, VA
Norfolk, VA
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, ME
Portsmoth, VA
Beaumont, TX
Port Arthur, TX
Wilmington, DE
— bill_o_carolina Mar 1, 11:35 AM # - 24 Now the Demonrats will not allow Arabs to run a business in America loading and unloading ships using unionized American labor. Conclusion….Demonrats are racist bigots.
— joro Mar 1, 01:07 AM #
32 Linus, the thread is about lobbying rules…...pay attention.
— Kee Mar 1, 08:36 AM #
I can understand your concern. Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, and all that sort of stuff…I just thought that joro would appreciate a different view of the Ports issue. I agree that we should respect Harry and talk about the issue initated in this blog.
— linus Mar 1, 11:41 AM # - 37 The Dubai World deal includes 21 ports. Link
Spot-On bill o
And that’s not all….
A LNG port is planned near the mouth of the Columbia River here in Oregon,
— linus Mar 1, 11:47 AM # - Linus I understand the “sauce” bit, however I was the first person to post on this thread and I stayed on subject. Since then, there have been numerous rants, mostly off subject, and mostly from those of your ilk.
— Kee Mar 1, 11:50 AM # - Harry, you are completely correct. The Democrats have been talking about reform for months and absolutely nothing has happened. It is time foryou folks on the left side of the aisle to stop rolling that political turd around on the table and get to work with some meaningful ideas.
— Kee Mar 1, 11:53 AM # - A Little Less Lobbying and A Lot More Action
The reforms suggested so far by both parties fall squarely on lobbyists. The target is a big one—Washington, D.C., is awash in lobbyists. More than 34,000 are currently registered to influence members of Congress, a number that translates to 64 lobbyists for each member of the House and Senate. Whatever the motives, the number of earmarks has exploded and many are spawned and executed by lobbyists.
According to the independent watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, there were 2,000 earmarks in appropriations bills passed in 1998 with a total value of $10.6 billion. By 2000, those same appropriations bills carried 15,500 earmarks worth $32.7 billion.
EARMARKS
The use of earmarks has become far more prevalent during the past decade: Citizens Against Government Waste reported the number of earmarks increased to 13,997 in 2005, up from 1,439 in 1995.
While earmarks such as the so-called Alaskan “Bridge to Nowhere” receive attention from pressure groups and the media, most earmarks look like those secured by Hastert and Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).
Hastert scored $150,000 for the Batavia Police Department, $2 million for Waubonsee Community College to build a science building; $250,000 for Aurora Municipal Airport, $200,000 for a waste-water project in Newark, Ill., $750,000 for the Provena Mercy Medical Center and $450,000 for the health department in Rock Falls, Ill.
In his hometown of Springfield, Mo., Blunt secured $80,000 to develop an industrial park, $1 million to improve waste-water treatment and $475,000 to renovate the Gillioz Theatre, as well as several defense-related earmarks. The Senate earmarked $250,000 for a natural-history museum in Springfield.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and other lawmakers are pushing Republican leaders to change the practice of earmarking federal money to pay for projects in lawmakers’ districts.
— linus Mar 1, 12:00 PM # - http://www.foiarequest.org/
— bill_o_carolina Mar 1, 01:53 PM # - The man was lost and then he was found and now he’s more lost than ever—and he’s taking us into the darkness with him. It’s time to remove him.
By Garrison Keillor
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/03/01/keillor/index_np.html
— bill_o_carolina Mar 1, 01:59 PM # - #27 Linus
I’m not sure what you are saying. Are you saying America should not import energy? So you want America to shut down and become a third world country? Democrats refuse to allow development of our oil and gas industries. Reid and his Eastern Elitists filibuster all energy proposals.
— joro Mar 1, 03:34 PM # - #29 Linus
So you oppose the Constitution and free speech. Lobbyists are our voice in Washington and the state governments. Democrats are always trying to scrap the Constitution trying to ban all that it guarantees our citizens including gun ownership and other freedoms. America must ban the Democrat Party so that we can be free.
— joro Mar 1, 03:38 PM # - #34
So what act of seeming suicidal insanity would motivate the Bush Administration—who has been woefully inadequate in securing our ports—to go outside of America to hire a nation with a record of terrorist relationships to “guard” our ports? It would be like putting a kleptomaniac in charge of night security at a jewelry store, except, in this case, our lives are at stake.
— bill_o_carolina Mar 1, 11:43 AM #
Bill, do you have even the slightest inkling of what this transaction consists of?
— joro Mar 1, 03:44 PM # - #36 Pcruz
Of course Demonrats are bigots. Did any of you whine and moan when Clinton gave the Long Beach Naval Station to his Commie masters, the Chicoms?
— joro Mar 1, 03:48 PM # - #38
I agree that we should respect Harry and talk about the issue initated in this blog.
— linus Mar 1, 12:41 PM #
Reid deserves no respect. He is a liar, a loser, an anti-American and a water boy for the Eastern Elitists.
— joro Mar 1, 03:52 PM # - #47
Poor ol Bill is obviously clueless re the Ports deal.
Joro, should we let him in on the fact that port security is and will remain the responsibility of the USCG and Homeland Security?
Should we let in in on the fact that the UAE will only have responsibility of seeing to it that our ports are managed?
Should we also clue him in to the fact that labor will continue to be furnished by the Longshoremens Union?
Nawwwwww, let him wallow in stupidity, he is a Democ rat.
— Kee Mar 1, 03:56 PM # - #35
I see that Mr Conyers from Michigan is in trouble for a variety of unethical practices. We need reform so the Democrats will start being ethical.
— Kee Mar 1, 11:53 AM #
Conyers is the neo-libs darling and just like his wife who assaulted another woman in a bar, will go free. The immoral Demonrats with their culture of corruption so ingrained in them will never be ethical. Look at Harry Reid. He takes a pile of dirty money from Abramoff connections and refuses to return it or donate it to charity. I guess he figures he worked hard for it and delivered as he was paid to do.
— joro Mar 1, 04:13 PM # - joro(joke-o)/Kee, you’re still a riot! Thanks for the laughs!
— bill_o_carolina Mar 1, 07:04 PM # - DeLay indicted for money laundering.
Conyers accused of having a staffer babysit 2 kids.
Duke Cunningham takes $2 M in bribes, is convicted and awating sentencing.
Conyers is accused with not paying a staffer’s gas money to get to a campaign event.
DeLay attempts to bribe a member $100,000 in exchange for a vote. Is unbraided by the ethics committee.
Conyers is accused of having a staffer who did illegal activity, was charged and convicted and received jail time.
DeLay misused the FAA, and was unbraided by the Ethics Committee.
Conyers is accused of helping his wife win a political office. This allegation was from 2002. Why did the woman who is making the charge wait until 2006?
John Boehner passes out Tobacco checks on the House floor just before a vote on a tobacco issue.
Conyers is accused of having a staffer do legal work for a private client in her office at the congressional office building.
Rooks accuses her boss of telling her what he wanted done, and my goodness, you had to do what the boss asked for. Wow! How onerous!
— bill_o_carolina Mar 1, 07:07 PM # - The ports deal is completely out of our (citizens) hands. It will probably be made by the country’s only ever dictator, George W Bush.
Rest assured he will probably do the RIGHT thing.
Diebold and touchscreen will save us.
When depressed push sick humor button.
— gary jarvis Mar 1, 07:12 PM # - I love it the way Bill O C changes the subject when his butt is against the wall.
— Kee Mar 1, 07:17 PM # - 45
What I’m saying is that the Ports issue is not about bigotry. It is about big business and global control. These LNG tankers are a perfect target for a terrorist act, and when hit with a bomb or missle would level a one square mile area. In a populated area like Boston this would be a castrophy to rival 911. It’s not that I fear the Arabs at all. It’s that I don’t trust George W Bush or the evil cabal that runs the whole republican administration. If you don’t know the reasons, you are not paying attention.
— linus Mar 1, 07:19 PM # - 29 joro So you oppose the Constitution and free speech. Lobbyists are our voice in Washington and the state governments. Democrats are always trying to scrap the Constitution trying to ban all that it guarantees our citizens including gun ownership and other freedoms. America must ban the Democrat Party so that we can be free.
——————————————————————————-
Now i’m pissed. you’re calling me a Neocon, what with opposing free speech and the constitution. Those have and are being trashed by the Bush administration. It’s true that I am for gun control, and against some of the other freedoms you mention, such as torture, media control, and using weapons of mass destruction.
BTW when you say that lobbiests are our voice in Washington, you are not speaking for “We The People”. You are speaking for the “One Voice” that keeps parroting the ridiculous drivell that permeates our media.
— linus Mar 1, 08:05 PM # - #57 Linus
Those lobbyists handing out wads of cash to the corrupt Demonrat politicians should be banned from Washington. They represent all of those anti-American special interests like the ACLU, the Sierra Club, PETA, Pro-murder abortionists, corrupt labor unions, PBS/NPR, the DNC controlled mainstream liberal media, Hollywood, AARP, Ambulance Chasers, Inc., etc.
— joro Mar 1, 11:18 PM # - #57….Pssssst, Linus….he did not call you a Neocon, he called you a “Librul”
— Kee Mar 2, 07:36 AM # - Hmmm…
There are two sides to every coin. I don’t believe that Lincoln would walk a mile to return this penny though. He was honest, but not stupid. What you Cons are talking about is chump change, and you are comparing it to a twenty dollar gold piece.
— linus Mar 2, 02:04 PM # - Reprinted from NewsMax.com
Thursday, March 2, 2006 12:10 p.m. EST
Dubai’s ‘Boycott Israel’ Sheik Funded Bill Clinton
Former President Bill Clinton has accepted at least $1.6 million from the United Arab Emirates, including $300,000 from a Dubai sheik who adamantly backs the country’s controversial boycott of Israel.
On Jan. 17, 2002, Mr. Clinton was paid $300,000 to address the Science, Technology and Arts Royal Summit in Dubai at the invitation of Crown Prince and U.A.E. Defense Minister Sheik Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Less than three months later, Sheik Mohammad urged the United Nations to approve the use of force against Israel to halt what he called the Jewish state’s “butchery” of Palestinians, according to London’s Financial Times.
Mr. Clinton’s benefactor called for then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to “stand trial before the International War Crimes Tribunal,” where Sheik Mohammad said he would “have a prominent place in the list of world’s killers, terrorists and criminals.”
The Dubai sheik then reminded that “Arabs have a wide room for political, diplomatic and economic moves and have the right, at least, to revive the Arab economic boycott to Israel.”
Mr. Clinton accepted another $300,000 from the Dubai regime for a speech in 2005. And his presidential library in Little Rock has collected seven-figure sums from several Arab governments participating in the anti-Israel boycott, including Dubai.
In September 2005, the New York Sun reported:
“When the library opened last year, a computer display in the exhibit halls included information on some, but not all, donors. The Saudi Royal Family and the governments of Dubai, Kuwait, and Qatar all gave $1 million or more.”
The paper noted that after it published a previous list including Mr. Clinton’s Arab donors, “the computer display was shut off. It has not been restored.”
On Thursday morning, NewsMax called the offices of Mr. Clinton, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Charles Schumer, Rep. Peter King and the Anti-Defamation League in New York, inquiring about the appropriateness of Mr. Clinton taking so much cash from a country that boycotts Israel.
None of the calls had been returned by press time.
— seminolejoe Mar 3, 05:27 PM # - Subject : ECONOMY TALK: NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 27, 2006
The U.S. Economy Grew 3.5% In 2005. (“U.S. GDP Revised Up To 1.6%,” MarketWatch, 2/28/06)
The Commerce Department Revised Up Its Estimates For 4th Quarter Growth, Estimating The Economy Grew 1.6%. (“U.S. GDP Revised Up To 1.6%,” MarketWatch, 2/28/06)
The Economy Has Been Growing For 17 Straight Quarters. (Bureau Of Economic Analysis Website, www.bea.gov, Accessed 2/28/06)
The National Association For Business Economics Predicts The Economy Will Grow At A 4.5% Rate In The First Quarter Of 2006. (“Economy Seen As Rebounding Strongly In Early 2006 After Sluggish End-Of-The-Year Performance,” The Associated Press, 2/26/06)
Investment Firm Bear Stearns Expects The U.S. Economy To Grow 5% In The First Quarter. (“Inflation Eats Up Most Income Gains,” MarketWatch, 3/1/06)
After Inflation, Disposable Incomes Increased 2.2% In The Last 12 Months. (“Inflation Eats Up Most Jan. Income Gains,” MarketWatch, 3/1/06)
The Federal Reserve Reported The Median Net Worth Of U.S. Households Increased 1.5% Between 2001 And 2004. (“Fed Survey: Average Inflation-Adjusted Family Incomes Drop In 2004,” The Associated Press, 2/23/06)
Consumer Spending Increased 0.9% In Jan., The Fastest Pace In 6 Months. (“Consumer Spending Shows Big Gain In January While Construction Activity Slows,” The Associated Press, 3/1/06)
The Conference Board’s Index Of Leading Economic Indicators, A Gauge Of Future Economic Activity, Increased 1.1% In Jan. (“Index Of Leading Economic Indicators Rises In January,” The Associated Press, 2/21/06)
Core Inflation Has Risen 1.8% In The Last 12 Months, The Lowest Year-Over-Year In Two Years. (“Inflation Eats Up Most Income Gains,” MarketWatch, 3/1/06)
The Number Of Workers Collecting State Jobless Benefits Fell To A 5-Year Low For The Week Ending Feb. 18 – The 4-Week Average Also Hit A 5-Year Low. (“Jobless Claims Rise 15,000 To 294,000,” MarketWatch, 3/2/06)
Continuing Claims For Jobless Benefits Are Down 6.5% From March 2005. (“Jobless Claims Rise 15,000 To 294,000,” MarketWatch, 3/2/06)
Planned Layoffs At U.S. Corporations Were Down 15.5% In Feb. And At Their Lowest Since Oct. (“Layoffs Fall 15.5% In February,” MarketWatch, 3/2/06)
The Institute For Supply Management Said The Manufacturing Sector Expanded For The 33rd Straight Month In Feb. (“February Manufacturing ISM Report On Business,” Press Release, 3/1/06)
The ISM Index Increased From 54.8 In Jan. To 56.7 In Feb. – A Reading Over 50 Indicates Growth In The Sector. (“Manufacturing Expands At Faster Rate In February,” The Associated Press, 3/1/06)
You can tell the Democrats are not in power…Thank God!
— seminolejoe Mar 3, 05:40 PM #
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