A Little More on the Bus Strike

According to the Danbury NewsTimes All Star Transportation released a statement today:

"Over the past year, the company has met continually with the union to iron out a fair economical contract that both sides could live with. Both sides have bargained in good faith and have a respectable relationship with each other. The company and the union understand that this is a new contract with several obstacles. A final proposed contract was offered to the union negotiating team on Friday. The union refused to recommend the contract, so it was withdrawn. All-Star Transportation urges the drivers to return to their job, which is servicing the students, parents and the Board of Education of the community of New Milford."

Here I thought it was All-Star's job, "servicing the students, parents and the Board of Education of the community of New Milford", since they were the company that signed the contracts with the city's school system. The drivers job is to drive a bus for All Star. Anyways...

The schools were handing out flyers directing everyone in town to their website for updated information on "how and when" to drop off and pick up your kiddies at the schools.

I stopped by and talked to the drivers that are picketing out front of All-Star and asked them about the situation from their POV. Their complaints stem from the fact that they are paid about $2 per hour less than bus drivers in nearby communities. All they were asking for was a $1 raise.

All-Star has, in recent times, had a hard time keeping on drivers over the long term because as soon as they get an opportunity to work for one of the higher paying companies the drivers leave All Star. They must be wasting a lot of money on constantly training new drivers and could, likely, save quite a bit of money on that just by raising the salaries to something a little more competitive. They might even save more than the 60 cent difference between the raise they were offering the drivers and what the drivers wanted. Penny wise and pound foolish, I guess?

I transcribed a flyer that the drivers were giving out to parents at schools. I figure if the newspapers will print out the corporate side of it verbatim from their press release... Maybe someone ought to give the drivers the same benefit for the sake of "BALANCE IN THE NEWS":

We are sorry for the inconvenience this strike is causing all of our families. The purpose of this leaflet is to give you the facts concerning the current unfair labor practice strike.

• Each day, you entrust us with the safety of your children and we take this responsibility very seriously.



• We are all professional drivers who have undergone extensive safety training and possess Commercial drivers' Licenses.



• We are paid $11.40 per hour, which is $2,00 per hour less than surrounding communities.



• We receive NO FRINGE BENEFITS.



• New Milford bus drivers voted to join Teamster Local 677 in May 2006.



• For the past year we have attempted, without success, to negotiate a fair collective bargaining agreement.



• On Monday, May 7th, 2007 All Star withdrew its offer of a 3.5% wage increase, which equals 40 cents per hour.



THIS STRIKE COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF
ALL STAR WOULD BARGAIN IN GOOD FAITH




• Most of us drivers are New Milford residents

Our Children attend New Milford schools and ride New Milford Buses.
We are New Milford taxpayers.
We deserve a fair contract.
We appreciate your support.

They also ask that you call All Star and tell them you support the drivers.

All Star Transportation can be reached at (860) 354-2705

Not only are these drivers required to get driving and safety training, but they must pass a background check through the police to get the job to begin with. A safety precaution that has been put in place in the last few years for the benefit of your children's safety.

As a side note, I did a quick check on the math (assuming the pay they make and the % raise offered is correct in this leaflet?) and the raise is really only 39.999 cents per hour raise. Can you say cheap?

Again, the video that ctblogger uploaded for our benefit:



[updtae] It appears that today the NewsTimes put up a story that is, at least, a little more than just a press release from All Star Transportation. Some might even call it news... heh
(h/t to Ghengis Conn at CLP)

"We're fighting them there so we don't have to here"

Oh really?

Part I

6 Charged With Plot on Army Post in N.J.:

"Six Islamic militants from Yugoslavia and the Middle East were arrested on charges of plotting to attack the Fort Dix Army post and 'kill as many soldiers as possible,' authorities said Tuesday.

In conversations secretly recorded by an FBI informant over the past year, the men talked about killing in the name of Allah and attacking U.S. warships that might dock in Philadelphia, according an FBI criminal complaint."

Whoops! They are already over here. Another terrorist attack courtesy of the failed bush and GOP foreign policy.... Fortunately this group was thwarted by the FBI.

Part II

Is This Another Republican Terrorist?

The NY Times had a little blurb up from the AP news service on someone planning to attack Hillary Clinton:

A Louisiana State University student told another student that he was planning a violent attack against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the police said. The student, Richard R. Wargo, 19, of Shreveport, was held on $1 million bail.

snip

Mr. Wargo had asked another student whether he wanted to commit arson, a “terrorist act” that he described as a “national event.” “He reportedly went on to say it was political and it involved Hillary Clinton,” Chief Adams said.

I went to do a little poking around to see if maybe, JUST MAYBE, this crackpot terrorist wannabe was an LSU College Republican... But for some reason the site is temporarily down?



It might be a coincidence, BUT it might also mean they will "be right back" after scrubbing their site of references to Wargo... Might be worth some digging to find out.

If you go to the LSU student directory he lists his name as "Ryan Wargo".

ABC news is reporting about the student that brought this plot to the attention of the school's authorities:

The classmate later learned Clinton had scheduled a Baton Rouge appearance. Police said the student reported Wargo to the university after a second conversation in which Wargo made another remark indicating he planned violence against Clinton.

That remark "was something along the lines of, 'Have you ever heard of a dead president?'" Adams said.

Police arrested Wargo in a traffic stop Thursday night. Officers searched his dormitory room and found documents that made the classmate's accusations appear credible, Adams said. He declined to give details, but said officers also seized Wargo's computer and marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Yesterday the idiot was released from jail on $50,000 cash bond and a $50,000 property bond:

Making threats toward presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton was a “stupid thing to do,” but in time it will be clear the LSU student behind the threats had no intention of carrying them out, his attorney said Monday.

Richard Ryan Wargo, 19, 10301 Evangeline, Shreveport, was released Monday from Parish Prison to the custody of his parents, attorney Frank Holthaus said.

The release is subject to conditions, including one that requires Wargo to undergo a mental health evaluation and get treatment if recommended by the therapist.

What kind of penalties could he face for his threats?

Under Louisiana law, a terrorizing conviction carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and a fine up to $15,000, while communicating false information of a planned arson carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Wow! More of them are already over here!

Part III

A terrorist story from last December:

Usually we are talking about the right-wingnut-crack that freepers are smoking. Crooks & Liars reports on the white powder that one freeper was desperate to share with anyone that held oposing viewpoints to the failed Republican agenda.

C&L reported earlier on the guy who sent the fake anthrax around. Who would have thought that a right wing conservative would be involved in terrorist activities?

HMMM? Who would have thought that the wingnutty Free Republic was guilty of supporting terrorists other than Mr. Bush?

Can you believe how many of those terrorists are over here? Can't be more, can there?

Part IV

And what about the card carrying Republican party Al Qaida insider:

Ok... So the terrorism part first:

Terrorism charges brought Friday against the administrator of a loan investment program claimed that he secretly tried to send $152,000 to the Middle East to buy equipment such as night vision goggles for a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan.

Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari, 53, of Ardsley, N.Y., pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to an indictment accusing him of terrorism financing, material support of terrorism and other charges. The charges carried a potential penalty of 95 years in prison.

But would you really believe me if I told you he was a Republican?

CBS News has confirmed that Alishtari is a donor to the Republican Party, as he claims on his curriculum vitae. Alishtari gave $15,500 to the National Republican Campaign Committee between 2002 and 2004, according to Federal Election Commission records. That amount includes $13,000 in 2003, a year when he claims to have been named NRCC New York State Businessman of the Year.

Alishtari also claims to be a lifetime member of the National Republican Senate Committee's Inner Circle, which the NRCC describes as "an impressive cross-section of American society – community leaders, business executives, entrepreneurs, retirees, and sports and entertainment celebrities – all of whom hold a deep interest in our nation's prosperity and security."

The Republican party needs to be placed on "The List" of terrorist related organizations and watched very carefully.

It is pretty apparent that the FBI and Homeland Security are wasting their time watching us liberal/peacenik/Quaker/progressive/etc. types. Just ask Ken Krayeske...

[updates] Thank you to those that got this story moving. Raw Story, Crooks and Liars, and Josh Marshall, whose his readers have been dig, dig, digging:

Choice artifacts they have dug up?

This:

Never too Late for this Story Update: Oh that's interesting. Cunning Realist found this CV purportedly posted by Mr. Alishtari. In addition to other GOP donor awards, Alishtari says that he was appointed to something called the "White House Business Advisory Committee" in 2003. And CR ends with this point, referencing Alishtari's CV: "Note the entrepreneurial business background with a focus on technology/security. Have any of those businesses ever received government contracts or funds? Any direct or indirect contact in the past with anyone from the Bush administration or Congress?"

That:

It tuns out Mr. Alishtari, the GOP campaign contributor indicted for sending funds for terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, had a fairly lively life online. TPM Reader TDP points to what purports to be Alishtari's blog. And in a rather rambling post there's a reference to an alleged meeting with VP Dick Cheney. "When I went to DC in the Fall of 2003 and met with VP Cheney, I was first in a room full of advisors where I asked how to resolve this and they advised me to talk to counsels which led to this solution."

Now, we can't be certain that this is actually Alishtari's blog, though I think the weight of evidence suggests that it is.

And the other thing:

He contributed a decent amount of money to GOP congressional campaign committees in the 2002 and 2004 cycles and managed get named to a number of 'committees' and 'councils' set up as perks for GOP campaign contributors, including something called the "White House Business Advisory Committee."

Now a reader of the Cunning Realist blog has dug up the archived version of the website of Mr. Alishtari's company, GlobalProtector, which shows that at the same time Alishtari was giving money to the GOP he was bidding on multiple government contracts -- including ones with the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security.

This story should have had legs of its own... What the heck was the NY Post doing trying to pass this guy off as a "Peace Activist"?

"A Westchester businessman and purported peace activist was nabbed by the feds for allegedly plotting to funnel more than $150,000 to terrorists at training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

Peace activist my ass! This guy is so up to his eyeballs in the GOP and full of it.

As it turned out Alishtari actually donated more than the originally reported $15,500 to the Republican party coffers... About $35,000 in total.

Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari, indicted two weeks ago for financing terrorists in Afghanistan among other charges, gave more than $35,000 to Republican campaign committees, not $15,000 as was reported earlier.

A $20,000 contribution from Alishtari to the National Republican Senatorial Committee on August 29th, 2003, was not previously reported because his name was misspelled ("Allshtari") on the NRSC's disclosure form to the Federal Election Commission (unfortunately, such misspellings are fairly frequent). Alishtari's online CV stated that he was named an "Inner Circle Member for Life" of the NRSC.

Part V

And in a strikingly similar case to the Alishtari one:

Can't get enough of Republican terrorists? Neither can the NRCC.

Paul Kiel at The Daily Muck has managed to find more Republican Terrorists Fundraisers of the Year:

"Oops! Building on my last post on the NRCC's bogus Business Advisory Council and 'Businessman of the Year' program, it turns out that Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari isn't the first member of the council to be indicted on charges of supporting terrorism.

Yasith Chhun, the head of the Cambodian Freedom Fighters, a group designated by the State Department as a terrorist organization, was indicted in May of 2005 for charges of plotting to overthrow the Cambodian government. He was also, The Los Angeles Times reported, a member of the NRCC's Business Advisory Council:"

Chhun is set to go to trial next month and has been indicted for "attempting to kill the prime minister, attack government buildings and launch small-scale attacks on karaoke bars and fuel depots in an effort to galvanize opposition to the Phnom Penh government," according to the La Times.

Attacking Karaoke bars? Some might argue that he was doing a public service there. (JK)

The Daily Muck has more on how much money Chhun was pouring in to the Republican party and his other terrorist group.

When will the United States government outlaw the GOP for their ties to global terrorism? heh

No matter how you look at it... We will always be fighting them OVER HERE, regardless of the political party in charge. The one other thing that is becoming increasingly clear is that while we are fighting them over here already, many of them clearly are REPUBLICAN TERRORISTS.

Figure the odds, eh?

So the Republican party can shut their gaping pieholes when they try and label liberals, progressives and dems as "emboldening", "giving comfort to," "etc. ad nauseam," the enemy in any way related to terrorism.

You lying and incompetent fuckwads in the Republican party have done more to further terrorists' causes "OVER HERE" than most of the other terrorist leaders in your GWOT combined.

The one and only thing that has kept us safe "OVER HERE," so far, is the fact that the FBI and the CIA don't buy the GOP's ridiculous talking points. And nobody else is buying your propaganda either.

A Little on the Bus Strike

When my wife told me there might be a bus strike the first thing I said was that they would likely use the cost of gas as a reason for a low profit margin and the need to hold down wages... Sure enough they did use it as one reason for that. My beef with this tactic is that anyone with a half a brain has known that gas was going to continue to skyrocket so the bus companies should have made considerations for that when they worked out their last contracts for the services to the cities and schools.

ctblogger at Hat City Blog was nice enough to upload this video for us New Milford folks:



Kids get one day off from school but they will be back tommorrow so get used to driving them in to school until the bus drivers go back to work. Who knows how long this strike will be?

Tweety Hits a Homer Inside the Beltway

And the name of that Homer is bush:



Doh!

Local Cavemen Speak

Caveman O'Brien speaks:

Bill O'Brien, president of Connecticut Right to Life, said the group wants Rell to veto the bill. O'Brien said "the state has no business" telling Catholic hospitals to do something that goes against the church's teachings.

"We can't kill a person that was conceived of rape," O'Brien said.

Nothing like a baby that comes from a good old fashioned clubbing over the head!

Caveman Peter (FIC tribe) speaks:

As we have noted before, the next likely step will be a lawsuit based on the Connecticut Religious Freedom Act. Watch for more information.

Nothing like a caveman starting a lawsuit that will wind up cutting off all state funding to the hospital's medicine man. But that isn't what this post is about.

A quick look at the others that enjoy their women barefoot and pregnant, clubbed and dragged off to be raped and FORCED to bear them children... The leaders an outspoken members of some anti-woman groups as yanked from the FIC Blog:

The Rev. Deacon Tom Davis

Caveman

And JI editor Chris Powell

Caveman

the Catholic Church’s Dave Reynolds

Another caveman

Brian Brown

Might be more closely related to the chimps... But not as honest as his furry brothers.

Reverend James J. Cronin

And another caveman

The bishops of every state but New York fought the sort of law that is being advanced in the Connecticut legislature [emphasis added]. New York, for some reason, was the only state where Catholic lobbyists had no objection to such a law.

A whole lot of cavemen!

Notice a pattern here? I think you do...

(Image via the fat lady sings at My Left Wing)

(Edited with my apologies to Sen. Ed Meyer whose quote I misread when I addedhim here originally and my thanks to Maura! heh)

Sexist Racist Homophobic

David Horowitz at his best...

Sexist:

He defended former Harvard University President Larry Summers, who stepped down amid an outcry at his remarks to the effect that women are biologically impaired in math and science. In a public lecture at the University of Texas, Horowitz claimed that the fact that Oprah Winfrey—whom he called “a fat Black woman”—has made it to the top of society proves that racism is no longer a barrier to success for most Black Americans. He has argued that Blacks benefited from slavery.

Racist:

One year ago, conservative activist David Horowitz (pictured) seemed convinced that an occasional contributor to his FrontPage Magazine website – Lawrence Auster – trafficked in “racist” ideas. And he seemed to cast Auster out.

I take credit for that.

I had sent Horowitz and Jamie Glazov (FrontPage’s managing editor) an 11-page letter detailing Auster’s views on race, as expressed on Auster’s blog. (For example, his description of black people collectively as “the savages.”)

Concerning my letter, Horowitz emailed Glazov and myself on May 14, 2006. He wrote: “I think it’s a persuasive argument for not running Auster unless he publicly repudiates these positions which are racist and offensive.”

Sure enough, Auster’s essays didn’t appear in FrontPage Magazine after that.

Until today.

Yes, Lawrence Auster is back at FrontPage, alerting Horowitz’s readership to an epidemic of black-on-white rape.

Homophobic:

If you really want to piss off David Horowitz, call him a racist. Nothing makes him hit the roof faster. A few years ago at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Horowitz was outraged at a flyer calling him “Racist, Sexist, Anti-Gay.” Horowitz wrote: “I didn’t regard this as speech so much as a gesture like kicking me in the groin. It seemed extremely perverse of her to be defending her right to slander me to my face. So then and there -- in front of her and the university official -- I ripped down her sign.”

When Jack White wrote an opinion column calling Horowitz “A Real, Live Bigot” in Time magazine, Horowitz reports that he contacted Time’s publisher Walter Isaacson and falsely threatened to file a libel suit. Isaacson turned out to be a Horowitz fan, and Horowitz reported that Isaacson “sent columnist Margaret Carlson as an intermediary to an event I was holding in Colorado over Labor Day weekend. Our meeting led to a phone call from Isaacson and a meeting with Time’s editorial board.” Isaacson then ordered Time’s editors to run a review of Horowitz’s book Hating Whitey. (Not surprisingly, Time published a glowing account of Horowitz’s book soon after getting marching orders from the boss.)

Are you sure Homophobic?

David Horowitz's first charges against me were that I am a homosexual who pushes for gay rights, sexually harasses students in doing so and that I treat Christian students unfairly. When I heard that those charges were brought by two students (the President of the College Republicans at URI and his vice president) to the chair of my department, it was I and not the students who demanded a full investigation by the Affirmative Action Officer at the University and, of course I was vindicated.

Failing at these charges, now Horowitz moves to my credentials and as he has done with a number of the 101 Most Dangerous, he charges that we are not qualified to teach those subjects we have been assigned by the University to teach.

Yep...
David Horowitz is sexist, racist AND hompohobic:

GOP Death Spiral Continues - Moderates Leaving Them

Newsweek covers the continued hemorrhaging of moderates from the GOP that end up joining the more fiscally responsible and moderately conservative Democratic party.

Susan Eisenhower is an accomplished professional, the president of an international consulting firm. She also happens to be Ike's granddaughter—and in that role, she's the humble torchbearer for moderate "Eisenhower Republicans." Increasingly, however, she says that the partisanship and free spending of the Bush presidency—and the takeover of the party by single-issue voters, especially pro-lifers—is driving these pragmatic, fiscally conservative voters out of the GOP. Eisenhower says she could vote Democratic in 2008, but she's still intent on saving her party. "I made a pact with a number of people," she tells NEWSWEEK. "I said, 'Please don't leave the party without calling me first.' For a while, there weren't too many calls. And then suddenly, there was a flurry of them. I found myself watching them slip away one by one."

I am sure that some of them will end up in the Libertarian party, and or backing other non-GOP, and therefore more likely real, conservative candidates and parties, but the truth is many will follow on the heels of those like former Reagan Republican Markos Moulitsas and try and make the Democratic party even more conservative than it already is.

The fact is that the Republican party has continued to margenalize itself by pandering to radicals, continuous efforts to be unethical whenever given the oportunies, their inability to accept responsibility for any of their inumerable failures, and showing a complete lack of logic in their unending support of bush.

Little wonder why moderate voters are jumping ship from the GOP. It won't be long before the political rats in office start following their base in an effort to hide from their sinking GOP ship. It won't help them much because those rats have already been tagged with "GOP failures tracking devices" throughout the Blogosphere. Thanks Tehnorati! heh

GONEzo Gets Some Brownie Points

Via ThinkProgress:

“‘In the middle of all this, my wife sent [Alberto Gonzales’] wife an e-mail,’ said Michael Brown, the chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during Hurricane Katrina and no stranger to Category 5 storms of public ridicule. The e-mail message reassured her, simply, that ‘there’s life after Washington.’ Mr. Brown, who calls Mr. Gonzales a ‘true gentleman’ and a ‘friend,’ nonetheless subscribes to the belief that Mr. Gonzales is going down.”

Heckuva job GONEzo...

As of now, there is no word from the Judicary Committee on whether or not they will need to subpoena bush administration wives' Emails just in case White House officials were using those Email accounts to illegally hide more official government business from the regulations of the Hatch Act. /snark

What the Left is up against

Sadly No! points to this farcical story:

Utah County Republicans ended their convention on Saturday by debating Satan's influence on illegal immigrants.

The group was unable to take official action because not enough members stuck around long enough to vote, despite the pleadings of party officials. The convention was held at Canyon View Junior High School.

Don Larsen, chairman of legislative District 65 for the Utah County Republican Party, had submitted a resolution warning that Satan's minions want to eliminate national borders and do away with sovereignty.

In a speech at the convention, Larsen told those gathered that illegal immigrants "hate American people" and "are determined to destroy this country, and there is nothing they won't do."

Illegal aliens are in control of the media, and working in tandem with Democrats, are trying to "destroy Christian America" and replace it with "a godless new world order -- and that is not extremism, that is fact," Larsen said.

At the end of his speech, Larsen began to cry, saying illegal immigrants were trying to bring about the destruction of the U.S. "by self invasion."

Republican officials then allowed speakers to defend and refute the resolution. One speaker, who was identified as "Joe," said illegal immigrants were Marxist and under the influence of the devil. Another, who declined to give her name to the Daily Herald, said illegal immigrants should not be allowed because "they are not going to become Republicans and stop flying the flag upside down. ... If they want to be Americans, they should learn to speak English and fly their flag like we do."

Sadly NO! This is not satire (At this point in the post I had to click through on the link to make sure this wasn't a spoof!), but just a small except of the complete disaster that has become the Republican party. There is much more... There is so much worth noting that I am unsure what to excerpt and what to bold?

Letters supporting the re-election of party chairwoman Marian Monnahan and secretary Susan Bramble were mailed in envelopes bearing the party's return address, causing delegate Russell Sias to demand they be removed from office. A spokesperson for Alexander's Print Advantage, which handled the mailing, spoke at the convention, saying employees had mistaken put the address on the envelopes and the company took full responsibility for the snafu.

In a speech, Enid Greene, state Republican Party chair, announced to applause that she will remarry in a few months. Greene's first marriage came to an infamous end during her tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives when her husband, Joe Waldholtz, who was her campaign manager, was charged with embezzling. He eventually pled guilty to campaign fraud and other charges.

You would think that it can't get any worse than this... But it can and does:

All of the speakers praised those gathered. Lt. Governor Gary Herbert said Utah County Republicans are "guided by correct principles" and are the "best of the best" of the Republican Party.

Cough, cough... And I still haven't even excerpted all of the good stuff, leaving the real analysis to Sadly No!, and proving that it is certainly true when they say:

Truth is stranger than fiction.

And yes, this truly is representative of what the Left is up against across the country as the GOP only begins to exhibit how low they can really go. smirk

Obama Draws Racist Attacks

Just as almost any story at the Danbury NewsTimes might have comment threads laced with bigotry, it seems that articles on Barrack Obama have a tendency to draw comments from the worst that America has to offer:

Via CBSNews.com :

Today CBSNews.com informed its staff via email that they should no longer enable comments on stories about presidential candidate Barack Obama. The reason for the new policy, according to the email, is that stories about Obama have been attracting too many racist comments.

"It's very simple," Mike Sims, director of News and Operations for CBSNews.com, told me. "We have our Rules of Engagement. They prohibit personal attacks, especially racist attacks. Stories about Obama have been problematic, and we won't tolerate it."

CBSNews.com does sometimes delete comments on an individual basis, but Sims said that was not sufficient in the case of Obama stories due to "the volume and the persistence" of the objectionable comments.

There is no racism in America...
As long as you continue to ignore it.

Larson Joins the Chorus To Neuter Bush

Via Matt Browner Hamlin at MLN:

Just in my email box from Rep. John Larson (CT-01):

"I am pleased that my colleagues in the Senate have raised the issue of revoking President Bush's authority to wage war. The President callously and carelessly entered this war. Clearly, things have gotten worse and not better. We cannot afford to have a President that continues to abuse his authority and not listen to the Congress or the will of the American people. Taking this action would be another important step to keep the pressure on the President. Congress also needs to look to address the Congressional War Powers Act to ensure that this kind of an abuse of power never occurs again. In March, I introduced similar legislation in the House and hope that we can work together to take this critical step that can aid in ending this war."

Obviously I'm happy to see Larson take this opportunity to renew his pressure on President Bush for ending the war in Iraq.

Yesterday I posted on Gov. Bill Richardson and Hillary Clinton joining the calls to strip bush of war powers:

De-Authorize the War Now, No Residual Troops

There would be no need to negotiate the withdrawal with the President, and he could not veto the resolution.

The time has has come for Congress to stand up to this President who refuses to recognize that his war is bleeding our military and weakening our country. He believes mere stubbornness is a foreign policy and that he can just ignore the will of the American people. In the interest of our national security, he must be stopped.

Congress has the ability to end this war under the War Powers Act -- let's not wait or waver while more people die. And de-authorizing the war should mean removing all our troops. Every last one.

Hillary Clinton has joined Robert Byrd in calls for the same:

Via the NY Times:

Mrs. Clinton’s proposal brings her full circle on Iraq — she supported the war measure five years ago — and it sharpens her own political positioning at a time when Democrats are vying to confront the White House.

“It is time to reverse the failed policies of President Bush and to end this war as soon as possible,” Mrs. Clinton said as she joined Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, in calling for a vote to end the authority as of Oct. 11, the fifth anniversary of the original vote.

Her stance emerged just as Congressional leaders and the White House opened delicate negotiations over a new war-financing measure to replace the one that Mr. Bush vetoed Tuesday.

In spin that only a right wingnut could choke down the NY Times also says that it is not clear if Congress has the power to withdraw the power that only they can empower upon the little brat...

Even if Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Byrd succeed in their effort, it is not clear whether President Bush would have to withdraw troops, or if he could resist by claiming that Congress cannot withdraw its earlier authorization but instead has to deny money for the war to achieve that result.

Sure... bush can claim it, but that does not make it credible in any way, shape, or form.

Can you say IMPEACH?



Yep...
No More Kings!

If you are unclear on the many reasons why the little brat needs to be impeached here is one of them:

“The Bush administration is urging Congress to pass a law that would halt dozens of lawsuits charging phone companies with invading ordinary citizens’ privacy through a post-Sept. 11 warrantless surveillance program.”

Richardson: "De-Authorize the War Now"

Gov. Bill Richardson joins the calls to strip bush of war powers:

De-Authorize the War Now, No Residual Troops

There would be no need to negotiate the withdrawal with the President, and he could not veto the resolution.

The time has has come for Congress to stand up to this President who refuses to recognize that his war is bleeding our military and weakening our country. He believes mere stubbornness is a foreign policy and that he can just ignore the will of the American people. In the interest of our national security, he must be stopped.

Congress has the ability to end this war under the War Powers Act -- let's not wait or waver while more people die. And de-authorizing the war should mean removing all our troops. Every last one.

Hillary Clinton has joined Robert Byrd in calls for the same:

Via the NY Times:

Mrs. Clinton’s proposal brings her full circle on Iraq — she supported the war measure five years ago — and it sharpens her own political positioning at a time when Democrats are vying to confront the White House.

“It is time to reverse the failed policies of President Bush and to end this war as soon as possible,” Mrs. Clinton said as she joined Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, in calling for a vote to end the authority as of Oct. 11, the fifth anniversary of the original vote.

Her stance emerged just as Congressional leaders and the White House opened delicate negotiations over a new war-financing measure to replace the one that Mr. Bush vetoed Tuesday.

In spin that only a right wingnut could choke down the NY Times also says that it is not clear if Congress has the power to withdraw the power that only they can empower upon the little brat...

Even if Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Byrd succeed in their effort, it is not clear whether President Bush would have to withdraw troops, or if he could resist by claiming that Congress cannot withdraw its earlier authorization but instead has to deny money for the war to achieve that result.

Sure... bush can claim it, but that does not make it credible in any way, shape, or form.

Can you say IMPEACH?



Yep...
No More Kings!

If you are unclear on the many reasons why the little brat needs to be impeached here is one of them:

“The Bush administration is urging Congress to pass a law that would halt dozens of lawsuits charging phone companies with invading ordinary citizens’ privacy through a post-Sept. 11 warrantless surveillance program.”

When GOP Political Stunts Go Bad

They really go bad...

Via AMERICAblog:

Steny Hoyer and John Conyers just pulled a fast one on the GOP. The GOP has been refusing to support the hate crimes bill because it doesn't include members of the US Armed Forces and senior citizens. Conyers just rose and basically said, okay, I'll add them. The Republicans' response? Uh, no.

The Republicans have been railing for days about how this legislation doesn't cover our Armed Forces and senior citizens, and now that the Dems offer to put our Armed Forces and seniors in this legislation, the Republicans said no and affirmatively stopped the Democrats from doing it anyway.

That means the Republicans had no intent on helping our Armed Forces and seniors, on protecting them. It was just a stunt. The GOP leaders in Congress just got up and used our Armed Forces and seniors as political fodder when they had no intent on actually doing anything to help our Armed Forces and seniors.

A litlle bit of humiliation for the GOPeeons that play politics with the soldiers lives (and seniors too...)

Props go out to Conyers and Hoyer for pointing out how the GOP constantly uses the soldiers as political props in their propaganda.

Clinton Wants to Strip Bush of War Authority

Via the NY Times:

Mrs. Clinton’s proposal brings her full circle on Iraq — she supported the war measure five years ago — and it sharpens her own political positioning at a time when Democrats are vying to confront the White House.

“It is time to reverse the failed policies of President Bush and to end this war as soon as possible,” Mrs. Clinton said as she joined Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, in calling for a vote to end the authority as of Oct. 11, the fifth anniversary of the original vote.

Her stance emerged just as Congressional leaders and the White House opened delicate negotiations over a new war-financing measure to replace the one that Mr. Bush vetoed Tuesday.

In spin that only a right wingnut could choke down the NY Times also says that it is not clear if Congress has the power to withdraw the power that only they can empower upon the little brat...

Even if Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Byrd succeed in their effort, it is not clear whether President Bush would have to withdraw troops, or if he could resist by claiming that Congress cannot withdraw its earlier authorization but instead has to deny money for the war to achieve that result.

Sure... bush can claim it, but that does not make it credible in any way, shape, or form.

Can you say IMPEACH?



Yep...
No More Kings!

[update]If you are unclear on the many reasons why the little brat needs to be impeached here is one of them:

“The Bush administration is urging Congress to pass a law that would halt dozens of lawsuits charging phone companies with invading ordinary citizens’ privacy through a post-Sept. 11 warrantless surveillance program.”

Rell's Moody Period is Back

tparty over at MLN picks up on another one of Rell's Moody periods:

• Jodi Rell, forgetful wanker, on April 20th:
  
  

  Legislative Democrats on Thursday threw pointed questions at Gov. M. Jodi Rell, asking if her Capitol staff worked to solicit campaign cash from arts and tourism leaders whose groups depend on state funds to operate....

  
  Rell's press office did not return several calls from The Courant beginning late Thursday afternoon....

  
  A month ago Rell's press secretary, Chris Cooper, acknowledged that Moody, Dukes and other Rell staffers "could have" provided the address list to the campaign although they "do not specifically remember" doing so. That prompted Democratic State Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo to request the current probe. "How could they not remember?" she asked.




• Jodi Rell, wanker with a memory, today:
  
  

  "The campaign received this list through Lisa Moody. The lists were provided on a computer disc. ... I believe all of the individuals on the list were mailed a letter," Kevin M. Deneen, the lawyer from Windsor who managed Rell's successful election effort last year, wrote in a letter faxed Wednesday to two Democratic state legislative leaders who had asked questions about the campaign solicitations.

When was the last time Rell had a Moody period?

Garfield only released part of the story:

Report: Top Rell Aide `Misled' Committee:
"Gov. M. Jodi Rell's chief of staff, M. Lisa Moody, 'misled' a legislative committee by giving sworn testimony that was 'not credible' regarding a Rell fundraiser last year, according to a draft copy of a new legislative report.

The report, obtained Wednesday by The Courant, also says that state elections enforcement chief Jeffrey Garfield should face 'some form of reprimand or censure' because he deleted important information from an investigative report and released the unedited version only after hearings were completed last spring."

Just in case you follow the FIC line of thought and didn't know, misled is another word for LIED, as for Rell's original reaction to her Moody Period:

Moody was suspended by Rell for two weeks after admitting that she handed out invitations to commissioners on state time. Her actions led to seven days of often-contentious legislative hearings in May. Sixteen of Rell's commissioners or deputies were fined $500 each to settle a case under a state law that prohibits those officials from soliciting campaign contributions from their subordinates.

The 14-page report quotes Moody as telling at least one senior staff member, "I am not twisting your arm, but I am," regarding the fundraiser.

The report also states that Moody told one deputy commissioner that "this meeting isn't happening" and another that "it's after 5" - meaning that the workday was officially over for state employees.

Also, we all know that "she testified at a legislative hearing that she did not fully read an ethics memo that it turned out she had edited." But I am betting there are alot more juicy details in the full unedited report that was released in a redacted (lying) version.

Go over and read it at the courant to see some of the reccommendations to stop this sort of waste of our government employees time. As for now I'll leave you with this last little snippet:

The report calls for Garfield's censure or reprimand because his investigation report deleted certain facts that the committee never knew about until after the hearings were closed. That included deleting the chief state's attorney's "interview notes" from two investigators who had spoken to Rell late last year, and deleting all references to DPUC Commissioner Anne George, "who kiddingly referred to Ms. Moody as `John Rowland.'" [...] Dan Moreland was said to have told investigators that when Moody handed George the fundraiser invitations, George responded, "Are you nuts?" George then told Moody, "OK, John Rowland" - a reference to the former governor who served a federal prison sentence on a corruption-related charge.

Goes to show that even the insiders know that Rowland politics are alive and kicking in the Governor Rell's office. As for Garfield, if he absorbs the bulk of the blame in the cover up of Rell's Moody period, wouldn't that make him the political equivalent of a used tampon? Time to trash him...

I wonder who will end up being the tampon that gets flushed this time around? Or maybe, just maybe, Rell and Moody will actually take responsibility for their own illegal and unethical campaigning actions for a change?

WestConn War Protest in Danbury

Undoubtedly in consideration of the preznit playing politics with the soldiers lives by vetoing the funding bill in an effort to push failure of the Iraq war on to the next administration, the NewsTimes covers one of the smaller war protests in the State of Connecitut and the nation yesterday:

DANBURY -- About 30 people protested the Iraq war at the center of Western Connecticut State University's midtown campus Wednesday, calling the war a human and environmental disaster.

Josh Durkin, a freshman from New Milford, cited the human toll, saying more than 3,340 U.S. military personnel have died, and there is no foreseeable end in sight.

"This is really history being repeated," Durkin said, mentioning how the French fought in civil wars in Algeria and Vietnam and had to leave. He said the Soviet Union ran into the same problem in Afghanistan, and the U.S. faced the same problem in Vietnam.

"The strategy is broken," he said.

And as sure as the fact that the conservative party has succumbed to fringe thinking wackos, the comments head right towards illegal immigrants.

Posted by: sage Thu, May 03 2007
I gotta' solution that would satisfy a lot of the patrons of this blog, a solution that would effectively kill 2 birds with1 stone: draft all the illegals in this country into the armed forces and make them serve in the army for 4 years. After they have served their country, then they can attain citizenship.

So put your money where your mouth is illegal. You say you love this country and you say you want to win the war in Iraq. Well here's your chance. The only catch is you only have 2 options: I either you accept this "invitation" to defend your country or you are given a one-way ticket back to Latin America. And this is not negotiable.

Another ill conceived idea from the failed "great republican experiment"...

Drafting illegal immigrants into a high tech military and then having to train them would pose many problems for the immigrants that cannot read english all that well (I know that is not the case for most of them! But for some, language is a bit of a barrier). Yay! The military will have to train them even more than usual!

For those of you "deferement type republicans" that haven't a clue about the military, never mind the modern day one, even the Infantry and Marine ground pounders need to be prepared to learn a lot of high tech material these days. That is why they had standards for enlistment. At least they had standards before bush broke the military and they had to lower them to meet enlistment quotas...

You conservatives sure come up with some wacky fringe thinking ideas that can never work out in the long run. (See Iraq)

Not knocking the NewsTimes on their story, but the participants in the comment threads are nutjobs. Who could've predicted that a comment thread on protesting the war at the NewsTimes might degenerate into another round of "Deport Them!" fringe thinkers bashing illegal immigrants?

HatCity BLOG

People speak out against comments laced with racism and bigotry in the News-Times comments section. From Saturday's article on an illegal immigration forum. ... hatcityblog.blogspot.com/ - May 2, 2007 - Similar pages

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ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION FORUM VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Members of the community and students protest ... Criticsim over News-Times comments section intensi. ... hatcityblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/anti-immigration-forum-video-highlights.html - Similar pages

HatCity BLOG

... illegal aliens; it has to do with drunk driving.” Incredibly, a similar argument has erupted locally, in the comments section of the Danbury News-Times. ... hatcityblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/news-times-faces-more-criticism-over.html - Similar pages

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illegal immigration forum (a.k.a. fear mongering) round-up. Sunday, April 29, 2007 Time: 8:03 PM ... Criticsim over News-Times comments section intensi. ... hatcityblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/illegal-immigration-forum-aka-fear.html - Similar pages

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The picture tells the story: Volume 1 · illegal immigration forum (a.k.a. fear mongering) ... Criticsim over News-Times comments section intensi. ... hatcityblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/news-times-failed-to-get-real-story.html - May 2, 2007 - Similar pages

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Danbury, home to an estimated 9000 to 20000 illegal immigrants, gained national attention this year ... Criticsim over News-Times comments section intensi. ... hatcityblog.blogspot.com/2005_12_04_archive.html - Similar pages

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illegal immigration forum (a.k.a. fear mongering) ... Criticsim over News-Times comments section intensi... Henry Rollins: This is how I protest the war ... hatcityblog.blogspot.com/2006_10_29_archive.html - Similar pages

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From today's Danbury News-Times. I was very pleased to read the comments of the Rev. ... How does Marcianoor the CTCIC know that illegal immigrants bring ... hatcityblog.blogspot.com/2005/08/immigration-control-president-shows.html - Similar pages

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Advocates enraged over the federal roundup of illegal immigrants at Kennedy ... in the Danbury News-Times that there would be an increase in immigration ... hatcityblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/danbury-11-press-conference-video.html - Similar pages

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As of mid-June 2006, over 2000 illegal immigrants have been arrested, over 800 of which were ... Criticsim over News-Times comments section intensi. ... hatcityblog.blogspot.com/2006_09_17_archive.html - Similar pages

While the small vocal minority (can you say shrieking?) of illegal immigrant bashers try to stay on their bigoted message, ctblogger is busy Blogging about what is really going on in Danbury that should infuriate its residents:

There been an alarming amount of misinformation from those who are pulling all the political tricks in order to push this so-called "parade ordinance" through the system.

From the misinformation regarding the impact this new policy will have on spontaneous celebrations (e.g. immigrants World Cup festivities), to the possible constitutional problems, which could ultimately cost the city a GREAT deal of money in legal fees, more than ever, it's important for people to have a better understanding about what Mayor Boughton is attempting to push through the Common Council.

Since the News-Times failed to fully inform the public, I felt it necessary to pick up the slack and do the job that the mainstream media refuse to do.