FTR News and More

McCain-Palin: A ticket to remember

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:45:00 MST

Here's a nice graphic of the after results of Gov. Palin's talk....

Delusional Email from Redstate.com

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:49:00 MST

Wow... I just saw the pathetic, zero-content speech from Sarah Palin. Here's a delusional email from Redstate.com: Sarah Palin took to the podium tonight and gave the speech of a lifetime, perhaps the best nationally broadcast political introduction in the convention history, and a knock out blow to the Obama-Biden campaign and their pals in the media. (Um, yeah... the first candidate to make a poor baby hang out in a deafening arena way past his bedtime. Oh... but he should just be ...

Palin: President by Natural Causes?

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:54:00 MST

This is just terrifying. If you look at mortality rates or survivorship curves for American men aged 72-76, John McCain has a 20% chance of death during the time that he would be president (assuming that he only won one term). That suggests that if team McCain-Palin wins, that Sarah Palin has a 20% chance of being president by natural causes alone!!!!!! What has McCain's bad judgement done?!?!?!...

World Economic Forum Site

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:47:00 MST

Interesting reports on nations' competitiveness in the tourism, travel, global IT, and other sectors. Worth keeping in mind....

Met Jimmy Carter Today

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 22:30:00 MST

The start of my flight today was slightly interrupted when former president Jimmy Carter, who happened to be a fellow passenger on the plane with his wife, took a walk around the entire plane and shook every persons hand. Incredible. The nicest part was that I could see into 1st class and when he passed his wife, he gave her a kiss on the top of her head before proceeding on to shake a couple more hands. Too bad he not running for office....

Save The Kittens!!

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 11:23:00 MST

I know it's terrible to post things like this, but I couldn't resist......

Win, Lose? We've LOST!

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:04:00 MST

Not only is Saudi King Abdullah saying that the US occupation in Iraq is 'Illegitimate,' Arab leaders are also dreading US military intervention in Iran given the mess that we've made in Iraq. What does that say to you? They already think that if we entered Iran, we'd lose. Wake up Mr. Bush. You know we've already lost the war in Iraq. Time to clean up our act before we make any more messes in the Middle East....

The North American Union Is Really A Debate Over Political Ideology

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:11:00 MST

Interesting stuff... as Mexican truckers are about to be able to drive cargo into the US with no passport or tariff, it bears consideration of where is our sovereignty going? If you believe there should be no borders marking a specific entity called the United States of America, then a North American Union will not concern you. If you believe nationalism, meaning love and pride of country, is a bad thing, then a North American Union will not concern you. If you believe government control of t...

Bush: Rove, Aides Will Testify - But Not Under Oath

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:54:00 MST

"The White House says it will make Karl Rove and former counsel Harriet Miers available to testify but not under oath about the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys in 2006."
It's hard to believe that a president and attorney general who are 'all about truth' would possibly see that having aides testify in private, with no transcript, and not under oath could be in the interest of truth! Who is being partisan here? Surely it's the Bush team, as usual. Their rh...

DeLay Out of Touch on NPR

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 11:29:00 MST

Former Congressman Tom DeLay was on NPR this morning. In an amazing interview that shows exactly how much DeLay is out of touch with the American people, he actually claimed that the Clinton witch hunts were not politically motivated, but that the current anti-war movement is pure politics. He also claimed, in the 90's peak era of Rush Limbaugh's power, that the Clinton attacks were not the poliitics of personal destruction. It's just incredible! How can this man compare the hunt fo...

Prediction: Gonzales is Going Down

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 20:15:00 MST

Will it take 2 or 4 or 8 weeks? I'm not sure, but I am sure that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is going down. Although he'll be another fall guy for failed policies in the Bush administration, Gonzales has gotten caught with his pants down by this federal prosecutor scandal, possibly the worst interferencewith due process by politics since the early 20th century. Add to that the disaster with the convicted border patrol agents, his defiance in defence of illegal wiretapping and Guan...

Hypocracy at its Finest

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 09:32:00 MST

This VA Hospital issue is a crock of hypocritical you-know-what from both sides of the aisle: "President George W. Bush told a veterans group that conditions at the Army's top medical facility are ``unacceptable'' and promised a review of all military hospitals in the U.S." My grandfather, who passed away last year, was a disabled WWII veteran for over 60 years. It was well known that he wouldn't go to the VA Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he lived f...

BS Alert: Government Elevates Immigration Enforcement

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 10:27:00 MST

This story about the US government increasing prosecutions of employers who hire illegal immigrants is such a farce. There are approximately 11,000,000 illegals in the US. The government prosecuted 700 employers last year. If an employer hires 10 illegals on average (the vast majority of businesses in the US are very small), then that suggests there are around 1,100,000 employers who hire illegal aliens!!!
This conversation is nothing but political granstanding by Republicans who do...

Highest Wounded-to-Killed Ratio

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:46:00 MST

I heard an interesting stat the other day that I'd like to have confirmed. Apparently the Iraq war has led to the highest wounded-to-killed ratio of any major conflict in human history. Yikes....

Morgan's Inflation Calculator

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 21:44:00 MST

Ever wonder when someone says that something would have cost $5000 in 1941 how much that same item might cost these days? This particular number combination came up when I read about a deposit that Anne Frank's father was begging for to try to get a visa to leave the country with his two daughters. Morgan's Inflation Calculator is a great way to see what things cost in values that you and I can conceive of. (In the Frank's case, $5000 in 1941 would have been about $65000 in 20...

Internet's Behind-The-Scenes Protectors Foil Attack

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:05:00 MST

Maybe it's farfetched and, as they say, Chinese are some of my best friends, but given the recent satellite attack, if this is a group of Chinese hackers, then maybe they could be going after something really big... > A hacker attack on the Internet failed this week — but experts warn there could be more to come.
Three of the 13 computers that help direct all Internet traffic were hit with a flood of data requests Tuesday. Although it's not yet clear where th...

Was that Bill Clinton Last Night?

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 11:36:00 MST

Jeez... it seems that Republican genius strategists have finally figured out that to be loved by the American people a president has to be more like a... Democrat! After years of comparing himself to FDR, Bush took a page from Bill and Hillary last night, talking about health care, balancing the budget, and renewable fuels. Give me a break! All of these policies are diversionary tactics meant to distract from the real spending problem... George W. Bush and his failed Iraq policy....

The Brain Theory Behind Altruism

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 10:56:00 MST

So basically, George Bush has very little brain activity... I could have told you that... Researchers at the Duke University Medical Centre have identified a particular brain region that predicts whether people tend to be selfish or altruistic. "Although understanding the function of this brain region may not necessarily identify what drives people like Mother Teresa, it may give clues to the origins of important social behaviors like altruism," said study investigator Dr. Sc...

A Land of Bigotry, Fear, and Racism

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 09:39:00 MST

This morning I was on an American Airlines flight that pulled away from the gate, sat on the tarmac for an hour, then returned to the gate after we were told that there were technical difficulties. It turned out that two men on the plane were offended that there were 'suspicious passengers' on the plan, even though we had all gone through security screening. If they had merely chatted with their fellow passengers, they probably would have found them to be harmless. Instead, they became ...

Bush's Last Stand: Stability In Iraq, Credibility In US

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 21:11:00 MST

Tonight, president Bush gave a speech proposing increased troop presence in Iraq, more spending, and even the circumspect suggestion that the administration is going after groups in the sovereign territories of Iran and Syria for providing 'material support' to terrorists. Is there not end to this folly? Would our billions of dollars per year spent in Iraq not be better off used in our classrooms, our research labs, and our health care facilities? The madness of King George must sto...

Surge?!?!?

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 22:51:00 MST

I would say that I can't believe that our glorious administration is considering actually increasing the number of US troops in Iraq, but to use Senator Biden's reference (I believe it was he), that would be like expecting a heroin addict not to go back to the needle when he worked in a needle factory. Bush continues to surround himself with a warm, fuzzy blanket of hawks who remain Hell-bent on dragging us all to, well, Hell! What the heck are we going to do in five to tenyears when...

Parents Of Disabled Children Ask Doctors For 'Ashley Treatment'

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 13:53:00 MST

I'm sorry, but I think the concept of tailoring a disabled child to make it more convenient to care for them is simply sick. The question must be begged... if their life is so miserable or meaningless, then isn't euthanasia an option? Doctors in Seattle who treated the severely disabled girl Ashley with surgery and hormones to keep her at the size of a six-year-old child have received requests from parents of other disabled children to repeat the treatment. Dan Gunther, an associate...

Paycheck To Paycheck: Make Your Dollars Stretch Further

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 15:55:00 MST

Interesting article on the realities of making your money work for you....

Check out our policy institute section

Sat, 02 Dec 2006 23:58:00 MST

We're working on building up our policy institute section. The latest recommendation we have is to get out of Iraq now!!...

A Look Back at November 2006

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 22:32:00 MST

November saw a historic shift in modern politics. To my surprise, Democrats took back both the House and the Senate. Donald Rumsfeld was given the boot. The daily civilian death toll in Baghdad rose above 200 on several days. The Democrats have already started squabbling over their winnings and, in some cases, measuring drapes for their new offices. What does this hold for the future? I, for one, did not want the Dems to win both houses of Congress in this election. Unfortunately, it will mak...

If Democrats Cared About Kerry...

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:29:00 MST

John Kerry hasdone it again. He's demonstrated that even though he has a Yale education, a C student is still a C student. Senator Kerry actually rates aD-for public speaking, only avoiding an F because he thinks he was well meaning. That any public official could make statements about soldiers being poor students and survive in this political climate is pure stupidity. That a former presidential candidate did so is bad for the causes and people that he wants to represent. However, if Dem...

Fox News Fair and Balanced? "You Decide" is right!

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 11:28:00 MST

Take a look at this image and tell me that it doesn't say it all. Fair and balanced... sure... if your a Conservative Republican!...

Public Records, Background Checks & More

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 22:54:00 MST

Wow... now public records searches have gone to the web... nuts......

9-11 Research: An Independent Investigation Of The 9-11-2001 Attack

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 14:24:00 MST

Although I'm not normally a conspiracy theorist, a fried recently pointed out to me the following problem. If an object dropped in a vacuum from the height of one of the World Trade Center buildings would impact ground in 9.2 seconds, how is it possible that Tower 2 collapsed completely in 10 seconds if it wasn't intentionally demolished? Interesting question....

The Death of the US Constitution at the Hands of George W. Bush

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 23:49:00 MST

The US has fundamentally changed in the last few years, culminating with the Military Commissions Act of 2006 in which our fundamental Constitutional rights were destroyed. Here's the progression as I understand it: 1. After 9/11, the President begins the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. 2. After capturing numerous alleged terrorists, the Bush team decides that it wants to interrogate those detainees outside the bounds of the US Constitution and international convention...

Wallace and Fox on the Offensive...

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 23:53:00 MST

...and I mean offensive! Fox News tonight was defending Chris Wallace Right, left, and center in an attempt to defend him after former president Bill Clinton hammered him this weekend. It's just incredible that a national news agency can out-take a president to make him look bad, then go on the attack with selected news clips to claim that he didn't do his job 6 years ago. Somewhat disrespectful, don't you think?...

Best Friends Animal Society Home Page

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 20:39:00 MST

I like this site very much. Responsible pet ownership is a sign of responsible people....

Wild Animal Sanctuary May Be Closing

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 20:34:00 MST

One of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in the country may be closing due to lack of funding... sad!...

GOP Reviews Bush's Offer For Prosecuting Detainees

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 11:30:00 MST

How can a US president actually be suggesting the following: Foreign prisoners in US custody have fewer rights than US citizens in US custody US detention centers in Foreign countries don't need to obey the US constitution Prisoners should not be able to see the evidence against them The US Courts should not interfere when human rights are being violated It's ok to invade the phone calls and privacy of US citizens without a cou...

Cooperative Conservation Listening Sessions

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 10:36:00 MST

The Bush Administration is holding a series of hearing on their Cooperative Conservation road tour. Sound a bit like Compassionate Conservatism? How about Camoflauged Crap? Attend one of the meetings and give them a piece of your mind....

Death as a Statistic

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 20:55:00 MST

The quote "Death of one man is a tragedy; death of a million is a statistic" is generally attributed to Joseph Stalin. It sure seems like the Bush administration and the rest of us have fallen prey to this simple observation. We can't conceive of hundreds, thousands, or millions of individuals like ourselves suddenly ceasing life within a small amount of time. Yet it happens every day in Iraq. Right now, approximately 100 people a day are received, dead, in the Baghdad morgue. ...

American Workers Afraid to Take Vacation

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 15:47:00 MST

Now this is a pathetic take on the state of the American worker and the worker's general feeling of security about his job... Americans, who are already the hardest workers in the Western world, are taking fewer holidays than they have done for almost 30 years, a new survey finds. In a country where most employees only get two weeks off a year plus 10 public holidays, many people are now so ambitious or so terrified of losing their jobs that they have to be forced to take their meager al...

Obesity Now An Issue For Babies

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 11:17:00 MST

Sick of hearing that unhealthy eating and low-exercise habits during pregnancy are ok? Check this out... WITH the constant warnings about growing obesity in children and adults alike, it is alarming to find that even babies are getting fatter. A Harvard University study is the first to document the spread of the obesity epidemic in infants. It has reported that in the US state of Massachusetts, children under the age of six have become heavier since 1980, but the risk of being overweight ...

Exxon and Chevron Set Record Profits

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 22:59:00 MST

So Exxon made profits of US$4,000,000 per employee last year and is projected to make US$6.2M per employee this year. Chevron set similar records of around US$3.1M per employee. Doesn't sound like a lot? Consider that Chevron has 60,000 employees and that a typical IT consulting company with a good revenue stream makes around US$200,000 per employee. Hmm... see the issue? Companies like Exxon and Chevron are making money hand over fist while simultaneously squeezing consumers for ever...

Exxposeexxon website

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 10:21:00 MST

So Exxon is responsible for 5% of human carbon emissions since 1800's? Amazing......

Ireland Worker Finds Ancient Psalms In Bog

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 11:59:00 MST

Just an interesting article... I'd love to see photos of the artwork if and when they ever get any......

Shuttle Discovery Launches Successfully

Tue, 04 Jul 2006 10:26:00 MST

I'm always happy to see the shuttle launch successfully. A drive to explore, not fear, should guide our endeavors: At t-minus 10 seconds, the crowd joined in. "Nine... eight... seven...six..." they chanted, some jumping up and down, most holding up digital video and still cameras, and a few doing both. "We hope to very soon get you an up-close and personal look at the rocket's red glare," space shuttle Discovery commander Steven Lindsey announced minutes earlier...

70% US High School Graduation Rate???

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 07:51:00 MST

Consistent with my philosophy that we should do as much standardized measuring of our primary education as is reasonable, a variety of studies are coming out now that suggest that the US on-time high school graduation rate is 70%. That's right. 3 in 10 high school freshmen do not graduate in 4 years. That's pathetic. Our country accounts for half of the world's military spending, amounting to around $600 billion last year when accounting for non-budgeted emergency spending bill...

Hawking Says Space Colonies Needed

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 12:52:00 MST

The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy Earth, world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking said Tuesday. Humans could have a permanent base on the moon in 20 years and a colony on Mars in the next 40 years, the British scientist told a news conference. "We won't find anywhere as nice as Earth unless we go to another star system," added Hawking, who came to Hong...

Struggling with Hayden Confirmation

Fri, 26 May 2006 17:40:00 MST

I'm struggling with the fact that during in the confirmation of U.S. Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden to head the CIA, that more than double the number of Democrats voted for Hayden than against him. Doesn't it mean anything that the gentleman presided over two probably illegal invasions of citizen privacy and executive branch overstepping during his tenure at the NSA? Isn't it shameful that he's part of the intelligence failures that plagued our wrongful entry into the Iraq war? ...

REX 84 - FEMA Detentions

Thu, 18 May 2006 16:06:00 MST

And here's the Wikipedia REX 84 ...

FEMA Concentration Camps: Locations And Executive Orders

Thu, 18 May 2006 15:48:00 MST

Here's another one that's making me nervous. ...

The New World Order, By Conquest Or Consent?

Thu, 18 May 2006 15:45:00 MST

I don't like some of her terminology/phraseology, but I'm seeing an increasing number of articles on the New World Order stuff... If it's even 5% true, it's pretty scary....

Humane Society Katrina Response Report

Tue, 09 May 2006 20:16:00 MST

The Humane Society of the United States did a ton with the money that many folks like us contributed after Hurricane Katrina. Check out what they've done....

Save the Internet with MoveOn.org

Mon, 01 May 2006 22:23:00 MST

I just signed MoveOn's civic action petition to help keep the internet free: From MoveOn.org: Congress is now pushing a law that would end the free and open Internet as we know it. Internet providers like AT&T and Verizon are lobbying Congress hard to gut Network Neutrality, the Internet's First Amendment and the key to Internet freedom. Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more. So Amazon doesn'...

Stupidity is a Global Problem: UK Competitive Shooters Can't Train At Home

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 17:31:00 MST

Now this is just stupid... British lawmakers want to change the law so that British competitive shooters -- including Olympians -- would need to train abroad for competition....

McClellan Takes the Easy Way Out

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 03:40:00 MST

Can I just say "Please let the door hit your fat a$$ on the way out" as Scott McClellan exits stage right? What a freaking tool... mouthpiece of the Bush adminstration. Do you think he goes home and bathes in Lysterine every night? I would hope!...

The killer B's: Blair, Bush, and Berlusconi

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 23:18:00 MST

After a recent trip to Europe, it's safe to say that our president Bush is not the only power-hungry, megalomaniac who is hated worldwide. Tony Blair and Silvio Berlusconi have the same cartoonish presences in their own countries... Blair pounding on about the War on Terror and Berlusconi slathering about communists to the point where his own people make political plays and jokes about communists under the sheets in every house. The Europeans we met seemed genuinely concerned that the US ...

Is President Bush Seeking Impeachment?

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 15:43:00 MST

How I wish it were so......

Gunmen Attack Small Town East Of Baghdad, Killing At Least 18

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 16:25:00 MST

So now the Iraqi police are afraid to defend some small towns and roads... is the US going to step up to help manage the mess we've made or are we going to pull out? Mr. Bush may claim to be doing the hard work, but is not making the hard decisions....

FOIA Request Form

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 20:12:00 MST

Sign this Freedom of Information Request and pass it on......

Misc items...

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 15:46:00 MST

NPR this morning had an interesting article about the violence in Iraq. At this point over 1300 Iraqis have been killed in the civil unrest following mosque bombings last week... A very happy birthday shout goes out to Jack Abramoff. We hope he gets all we wish for him in his 48th year... Finally, the discussion about the US change to look for coalition partners going forward in the war on terror is incredible. It points out, bluntly, the administration's great hubris in assuming that the...

Liberal Border Collies of the World Unite!

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 00:00:00 MST

This is Gia, a liberal border collie who appreciated our bumper stickers and is most definitely smarter than our president. If you have a favorite dog, cat, gerbil, or parakeet who you think is smarter than the president... send us a photo! Note that I've replaced @ and . to avoid some spam. Email me your liberal dog photo! ...

Milo Has a MySpace.Com page now

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 18:38:00 MST

Check it out... Milo is blogging on Myspace now......

Why We Fight - A Film By Eugene Jarecki

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 22:27:00 MST

Check out this independent feature that discusses the profitable US military machine and some of the reasons for why the US is in perpetual war these days. Also seen at http://www.whywefight.com....

Moveon.Org: George W. Bush Is Breaking The Law

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 18:13:00 MST

You've gotta love this ad that morphs W in to Nixon. The sad thing is that Nixon was actually better on the environment than W!!!!!!!...

Defenders Of Wildlife "Toast the Earth with Exxon Mobil"

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 21:11:00 MST

DOW has participated with others to put together a Flash animation poking serious fun at Exxon Mobil, who made $1000 in profit last year for every American man, woman, and child below the poverty line. That's $36 billion in profit if you don't catch my drift....

Why is Bush Not Doing His Job?

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:00:00 MST

It seems that president Bush is so busy convincing us that he is doing a good job, that he is not actually DOING his job. Why should our 'leader' be spending our tax dollars flitting around the country campaigning simply to raise his own poll numbers. The gross waste of hard-won American money is outrageous....

50 Cent, The War Profiteer And The $10 Million Brat Mitzvah

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 00:00:00 MST

Steve is going to comment on this, but it's sickening!!!!...

Happy New Year

Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 MST

Happy 2006 New Year to everyone, left and right, liberal and conservative, Republican and Democrat. Let's make 2006 the year of Getting Things Done Right....

'Politically Unpopular'

Fri, 30 Dec 2005 00:00:00 MST

It's sad that one of the biggest reasons for proposed laws or policies failing these days is that they are 'politically unpopular.' I've heard it or read it everywhere from FOXTV to newspapers to NPR. Is the phrase not just a euphemism for 'We weren't able to pull the wool over people's eyes on this one'? For example, take the failed 2005 Social Security campaign wherein George Bush and friends spent millions of dollars of taxpayer money flying hither and thith...

The Editor After a Day of Surfing Political News

Fri, 23 Dec 2005 00:00:00 MST

This graphic pretty well describes me after a day of reading editorials and political news articles....

In Sunday Speech, Bush Is More Humble, But Still Firm

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 00:00:00 MST

It's sad that even in this article by the NY Times, the president's new tactic of using apology and assuming blame is referred to as just that... at tactic. Nowhere in the president's comments is the admission that the United States is not in the business of forcibly setting up democracies in foreign countries. Neither did he admit that the war in Iraq has not made America or Americans safer. Instead, his recent comments have cast a pall on the post-war recovery of Viet Nam, claim...

Literacy Falls For Graduates From College, Testing Finds

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 00:00:00 MST

Are we headed toward a land of mediocrity or what? I can't believe that only 30-40% of C-O-L-L-E-G-E graduates passed this literacy test. What the heck are our colleges doing? We are seeing the results of colleges being turned into profit-required enterprises. If the sole purpose of colleges is to sell degrees, then what does education really matter. I'm embarrassed for the US by this article....

Diver Lends A Hand In Whale Rescue

Thu, 15 Dec 2005 00:00:00 MST

I don't understand how tales like this don't make more people want to protect threatened and endangered species. Is it just jealousy, spite, or simple resource covetousness that would deny something like a humpbacked whale a healthy life in a healthy environment?...

LAMAR Billboards Reject Democrat Ads

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 00:00:00 MST

I just received this letter from the DNC: Dear , This morning I was getting ready to send an email thanking more than 7,000 of you for stepping up to take the fight into the backyard of Jean Schmidt and any other Republican leader who attacks one of our veterans for cheap political gain. We had begun working with Lamar, an ad company in the area, and signed a contract to place two billboards near Jean Schmidt's district office in Portsmouth, Ohio (one on US-52 and one at 1024 Offnere Street)...

US Arrogance is Downfall on Secret Prisons

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 00:00:00 MST

Although it didn't make much of a splash inside the US, the existence of secret CIA prisons overseas violates a variety of international laws and treaties. The Bush administration seems hell-bent on bringing our national reputation down and pissing off our longtime European allies seems a sure way to do it. Essentially, it's like stashing a robbery weapon at a friend's house without telling them. Even though they are ignorant, it could make them an accomplice to the crime. ...

US Promoted Separation of Church and State in the Past

Fri, 11 Nov 2005 00:00:00 MST

At least George Washington and Harry Truman have made decisions that explicitly state that the US is in support of the separation of church and state. In negotiating shipping treaties with Muslim nations in Africa, Washington is on record stating that the US has a secular constitution specifically so that there are no conflicts with other countries and entities over religion. Truman presided over the MacArthur plan for post-WWII Japan that demanded total separation of church and state. The on...

Drug Testing for Senate, Judiciary, House, and Presidency

Fri, 30 Sep 2005 00:00:00 MST

I couldn't believe it this week when I saw that John McCain, VietNam veteran who was a POW for half a decade, was presiding over more hearings about steroid use in baseball. If McCain and other Senate Republicans want to set a moral example for others, they should pass a law requiring all Senate, House, Judiciary, and Presidential candidates to pass illegal drug screenings. Our elected officials should be more above the law than baseball players. But no... we can have a druggie for a pres...

Stiff Fines for Corporate Looters

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 00:00:00 MST

NPR reported this morning that some lawyers and judges believe that the sentences being handed down to criminal executives such as Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz have been excessive. The comment was made that, after all, it's not like they had perpetrated rape or murder. These two in particular have been senteneced to 8+ years in prison for the combined looting of $600 million in investor money out of Tyco. Give me a break. Juries typically award a million or two in cases of wrongful d...

Political humor site

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:00:00 MST

Check it out, funny pictures and more:...

Interesting blog

Tue, 06 Sep 2005 00:00:00 MST

http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/...

Why is oil the focus???

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 00:00:00 MST

A couple of years ago, I noticed that NPR morning broadcasts began and ended with the status of the Dow Industrials Average. After traveling around to a couple of different countries and hearing about how consumerist Americans were, I realized that not all countries begin and end news broadcasts with statements on the financial markets. We are consumer/capital driven. Now however, everywhere you turn, it's oil. How can this be? Why is oil so important that the average citizen needs to kn...

Species Going Extinct During Long Listing Process

Wed, 31 Aug 2005 00:00:00 MST

How can anyone possibly believe that private landowners can preserve endangered species habitat without extensive (expensive) education and equipment. This is a simple ploy by the Bush administration to disguise another attack on the environment with a paint job made to look like a decrease in government. It's painful to watch the wholesale attack on our natural resources by the Right....

Question asked to AskRoberts

Wed, 24 Aug 2005 00:00:00 MST

Judge Roberts, do you believe that Supreme Court Justices have the authority to impose actions to remedy legislative inequities and inadequacies or should Justices only rule on the Constitutionality of passed legislation? ...

Bill Frist: Moderate Conservative Wacko?

Mon, 01 Aug 2005 00:00:00 MST

So, Bush has decided to make a poor political choice and promote John Bolton to UN Ambassador even though the Senate did not decide to vote on his nomination. Bill Frist, darling of the Right and true Party man, was the primary mover who could have brought the nomination to the floor. I believe that the absence of activity on Frist's part was a calculated political move to allow Bush to make a bad decision and to allow Frist to differentiate himself further as a potential 'moderate'...

Closing Rifts

Wed, 27 Jul 2005 00:00:00 MST

You know... I have to agree with Sen. Clinton, no matter where she was addressing her comments. The divisions between Democratic factions are killing the party, preventing Dems from coming up with a uniform message, and hurting our chances in the next election season. Who cares what's been done by whom in the past. Get over it and get on with the real agenda of beating the Bushes and restoring some compassion to our legislative and executive branches....

Is the Right Helping the Left on the ESA?

Tue, 26 Jul 2005 00:00:00 MST

One of the recent tactics of the anti-environmentalism movement has been to force the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct legislatively required 5-year reviews on the species on the Endangered Species List. In recent news, I've heard of at least 5 or more species being removed from the list as a result... while at the same time the Right is attempting to say that the Endangered Species Act has 'saved' only one species! If that's the case, then how come species are now ac...

Useless Wars Serve as Distractions

Mon, 25 Jul 2005 00:00:00 MST

First it was 'the war on drugs,' then the 'war on terror.' Now it's the 'war on piracy.' Apparently defense stocks have risen to their peak, so now Bush wants to give a boost to the software and movie industries. He's using our tax dollars to pay the inflated salary of an appointed croney who won't accomplish anything. A recent news article suggest that the war on drugs has failed and that actually involves something occurring inside our country. How is C...

DOD Press Releases at DefenseLINK

Fri, 22 Jul 2005 00:00:00 MST

Check it out....

Punishing the Left through Bureaucracy

Wed, 20 Jul 2005 00:00:00 MST

A clear strategy is appearing from the depths of the Republican party. Bury the Left in mounds of documentation requests, legal briefs, and paperwork requirements. If that doesn't bankrupt them, then make it so that legislation has to be atomic to such a degree that the Liberals won't be able to save every individual creature or issue that they want. It's sickening, but Pombo's and Barton's recent actions are perfect examples of this strategy....

Sen. Clinton Calling for Investigation into GTA San Andreas

Thu, 14 Jul 2005 00:00:00 MST

You know, I just can't agree with Sen. Clinton's decision to call for an inquiry in the downloadable Rockstar Games hack that allows gamers to cause their characters to have sex. Given the massive violence and mayhem in the games to begin with, any parent who allows young children to play the game surely can't care if children also learn about sex in the game. Come on... where are our priorities? Sen. Clinton and all censorship-minded Repubs and Dems should remember that this coun...

Shuttle going up today

Wed, 13 Jul 2005 00:00:00 MST

The space shuttle is set to launch again today... the first time in over two years. I can't believe that we've become such a risk averse society that we would delay exploration because of outrageous safety concerns. Every one of those astronauts knows that they are sitting on top of a huge bomb when they launch... and they pray to their respective god(s) every launch to make sure they make it back. Ask them, though, and I don't think any one of them would trade their experience fo...