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LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of March 2, 2008

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CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT LIST OF EVENTS

Updated on a regular basis

The Louisville/Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee meets the 4th Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm at Democratic Headquarters,           

640 Barret Avenue .

 

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VOTERS, YOUR NEXT ASSIGNMENT

 

DITCH MITCH

 

 

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REMEMBER, CHECK TO DONATE TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY  

ON YOUR STATE & FEDERAL TAX RETURNS

 

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Crandall Canyon Owner Must Face Capitol Hill Lawmakers  by Mike Hall

Looks like Crandall Canyon co-owner Robert Murray can’t hide from Capitol Hill any longer. Crandall Canyon is the Utah mine where six coal miners and three rescuers were killed last August. The bodies of the six miners have never been recovered.

 

The U.S. House Education and Labor Committee last week subpoenaed Murray after he turned down several earlier offers from the committee to voluntarily testify. As committee spokesman, Tom Kiley says:

 

We had asked to sit down and speak with Mr. Murray on several occasions, but those requests have been rebuffed.

 

Along with Murray, the CEO of Murray Energy Corp., the committee subpoenaed P. Bruce Hill, president of Utah American Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Murray Energy Corp. Both have been told to appear for depositions in mid-March. Says Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), committee chairman:

 

Our goal in speaking with Mr. Murray and Mr. Hill is the same as our goal in this investigation—to learn what went wrong at the Crandall Canyon Mine so that we can apply lessons learned from this tragedy to ensure that nothing like it happens again.

 

He also was subpoenaed by the Senate Appropriations’ labor subcommittee, and a hearing is expected in March or April. Murray declined invitations to appear at earlier Senate hearings on the mine collapse.

 

Lawmakers want to ask Murray about his company’s mining plan that directed miners to pull down the pillars of coal the mine’s previous owners had left in place to support the mine roof. The process is called retreat mining and most safety experts believe it is more dangerous than other mining methods.

 

At the time of the collapse, Murray repeatedly claimed it resulted from an earthquake, despite scientific evidence against his claim.

 

Lawmakers also want to question Murray about his role in the rescue operations when three rescuers were killed 10 days later.

 

Click here and here for more information and here to view excerpts from an October committee hearing where the families of those killed testified.   

 

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Comments:  

 

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DAILY GRILL  

 

"I instinctively jump to the defense of anyone whose private life is violated." -- MSNBC's Tucker Carlson, 2/20/08

VERSUS

MATTHEWS: I see we're changing the subject again. Is the question of their [the Clintons'] marriage an issue or not in this campaign?

CARLSON: Of course it's an issue.  --MSNBC, 5/26/06

 

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"[I]t's a largely unscientific hoax. And it's a political concoction." -- Right-wing pundit Mary Matalin, 2/20/08, on global warming

VERSUS

"Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level." -- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2/07

 

 

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"I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge level of brigade combat teams by next summer."
-- Gen. David Petraeus, 9/10/07

VERSUS

"The Pentagon is projecting that when the United States troop buildup in Iraq ends in July there will be about 8,000 more troops on the ground than when it began in January 2007, a senior general said Monday."  -- AP, 2/26/08

 

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"The Taliban no longer occupy any territory in Afghanistan." -- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, 2/6/08

VERSUS

"[T]he resurgent Taliban controls 10 percent to 11 percent of the country [Afghanistan]." -- AP, 2/27/08, reporting on comments from Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell

 

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Quotes of the Day   

 

It's been 2,354 days since the president declared he would catch the al Qaeda leader "dead or alive."  So, Mr. Bush..."Where's Osama?"

 

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Recent Senate Votes 

 

No votes reported

 

 

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Recent House Votes 

 

No votes reported

 

 

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HUMOR     

 

"But seriously how about that John McCain? John McCain looks like a guy whose head you can barely see over the steering wheel. ... John McCain looks like the guy who picks up his TV remote when the phone rings. … John McCain looks like the guy who has to be told to close his robe. ... John McCain looks like the guy who thinks the nurses are stealing his stuff. 'Dad, why would they take your socks? It doesn't make sense.'" --David Letterman (Read more jabs at McCain)

"You all know Senator Larry Craig, America's favorite restroom enthusiast, we call him. He announced he is taking applications for summer interns to work in his office. ... Isn't that unbelievable? Would you want that on your resume? 'I served under Larry Craig.' All interviews will be conducted in stall number three, I believe. You just wait and he'll push some papers under the door." --Jay Leno

"Last night was the final Democratic debate. ... I guess one of the big stories was that Barack Obama had a little bit of trouble last night. He is so smooth and he's so good, but last night he had a little trouble. Last night, during the debate, Barack Obama mispronounced the word 'Massachusetts' twice and then mispronounced the word 'filibuster.' Yeah, which explains why this morning, Obama was endorsed by President Bush." --Conan O'Brien

"Hillary criticized Obama so strongly that at one point he yelled at her. He just said, 'Hey, easy, lady, we're not married'" --David Letterman

"Hillary Clinton's campaign is trying to embarrass Barack Obama. Have you seen this? They have circulated pictures of Obama wearing tribal dress. Obama wanted to strike back, but there are no pictures of Hillary wearing a dress." --Craig Ferguson

"No, Obama and Hillary argued last night over which candidate the Republicans are most afraid of. Interesting. I don't want to take sides here, but I think it's pretty obvious which candidate Republicans are most afraid of, John McCain." --Jay Leno

"They have debated so much that they are now debating about debating. Did you see this? A lot of this debate was about the power of words. Hillary said, 'Actions speak louder than words,' Then Obama said, 'Words can speak as loud as actions.' And then McCain said, 'Speak louder!'" --Bill Maher

"Ralph Nader announced he is running for president again. His announcement has filled millions of people with excitement and hope. And these people are called Republicans." --Craig Ferguson

"And my favorite candidate, Ralph Nader, announced he's running for president! Oh, I love Ralph. You know, you can't get rid of him. Every election year he pops up. He's like the herpes of presidential candidates." --Jay Leno

"How about that Ralph Nader, ladies and gentlemen. He looks like the night manager of a creepy motel, doesn't he? ... He looks like a guy whose compound would be raided by ATF agents…He looks like the guy who can't find his table after he goes to the salad bar." --David Letterman (Read more jabs at Ralph Nader)

"Bill Clinton's been getting in the way of Hillary's campaign. Can you believe that? She's really upset about it, so she's encouraged him to start dating again." --David Letterman

"This is exciting news. Southern Methodist University announced that they will be the home of George W. Bush's presidential library. This will be the first presidential library to be made up entirely of small, shiny objects. In fact, I understand right now, they're building a shelf for the book." --Jay Leno

"The New York Times says that John McCain had a close, personal relationship with a beautiful, young, female lobbyist. Do you believe this? Think about it. A senator, who's a Republican having sex with a woman." --Jay Leno

"If it does turn out to be true, then John McCain's critics have a point - he really does act more like a Democrat." --Jay Leno

"I think this is a cynical attempt by the McCain campaign to make their candidate appear youthful and vigorous. I think they made the whole thing up and filtered it through the New York Times. You know, just like Bush did with the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. ... Because there's no real evidence to this story. Yes, a lot of people saw McCain going around with a cheap blond in a slinky dress, but they figured it was Rudy Giuliani." --Bill Maher

"The New York Times this week printed an article alleging that John McCain may have had an improper affair with lobbyist Vicki Iseman. Or, as it's known among lobbyists, lobbying." --Amy Poehler

"Anyway, the New York Times did it again today. Did you see the paper today? They released a story suggesting Hillary was sleeping with Bill. Now, come on. There's only so much you can believe." --Jay Leno
 
 

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ETHICS -- ROVE WANTED DIRT ON GOV. SIEGELMAN'S PRIVATE LIFE: Despite rumors that the network had spiked the story, this Sunday, CBS News's 60 Minutes will run an expose on the Bush administration's political persecution of Alabama's incarcerated former Democratic governor Don Siegelman. The show is set to explore allegations made by Alabama GOP operative Jill Simpson that former Bush adviser Karl Rove "asked her to try to prove" that Siegelman "was unfaithful to his wife," as part of "an effort to thwart the highly successful politician's re-election" campaign in 2006. During that campaign, Seigelman was convicted on charges of "conspiracy, bribery and fraud" in a case that "may have had sufficient irregularities as to call into question the basic fairness that is the linchpin of our system of justice." Justice Department prosecutors originally opposed prosecuting Siegelman, but Rove and his allies were allegedly involved in pushing the Justice Department into taking the case.

 

ADMINISTRATION -- BUSH LIBRARY TO 'CENSOR' INFORMATION AND 'CHEERLEAD' FOR PRESIDENT: Last week, officials at Southern Methodist University (SMU) announced that the Dallas-based university will be home to President Bush's $200 million library -- despite protests from faculty, administrators, and staff. Two unusual features will accompany the George W. Bush Presidential Center at SMU. First, the library will feature "an institute -- independent of academic governance of the university -- to sponsor research and programs designed to promote the vision of the president" and "celebrate" Bush's presidency. Second, an executive order Bush signed in 2001 could result in material at the library "being censored." One presidential memorial scholar said academics "should be concerned" that the institute is included in the library because it "goes against the idea of dispassionate inquiry." Susanne Johnson, associate professor of Christian education at SMU, said the point of a presidential library is to analytically reflect on the presidency, "not to cheer-lead for a particular president." Rev. William McElvaney, professor emeritus of preaching and worship at SMU's theology school, asked, "What self-respecting university would accept a censored library?"

 

ADMINISTRATION -- EFFORTS TO RECOVER MISSING WHITE HOUSE E-MAILS HALTED: House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) announced yesterday that the Republican National Committee (RNC) had informed his committee that "it has no intention of trying to restore the missing White House e-mails from backup tapes containing past RNC e-mail records." The announcement contradicts the RNC's previous stance "that it was attempting to restore e-mails from 2001 to 2003, when the RNC had a policy of purging all e-mails, including those to and from White House officials, after 30 days." The Bush administration has acknowledged that many White House officials, including Karl Rove, used RNC e-mail accounts to conduct government business, overlooking rules that such e-mails be sent though official government channels only. A former White House technology manager testified yesterday that the Bush administration's e-mail system "was primitive and the risk that data would be lost was high," even though two federal laws require electronic messages to be preserved. During the hearing, Waxman said that the result of the missing e-mails is "a potentially enormous gap in the historical record" and that "we may never know what [Rove] wrote about the build-up to the Iraq war."

 

 

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Think Fast     

      

"Not since the Depression has a larger share of Americans owed more on their homes than they are worth," reports The New York Times, as Congress weighs various proposals to help the "8.8 million homeowners, or 10.3 percent of the total," who "are underwater."

 

Despite his rhetoric against lobbyists and special interests, "virtually every one" of Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) "closest advisers" are "part of the Washington lobbying culture." McCain's campaign manager, chief political adviser, and other senior advisers are all current or former lobbyists. Some are still being paid by lobbying firms while working on the campaign.

 

Yesterday, Congress held a bipartisan meeting to broker a compromise on surveillance legislation. Republican lawmakers, however, prevented their staffs from attending. House Speaker Steny Hoyer (D-MD) responded by noting conservatives want "to have a political issue rather than a strong new FISA bill in place as quickly as possible."

 

Last weekend, Janet Huckabee, wife of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, had a room booked at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas. She was in town "to root for fellow Arkansan and friend Jermain Taylor," who was boxing against Kelly Pavlik. At the last minute, however, "plans changed" and Huckabee ended up staying at "the pride of Sin City, the Hooters Casino Hotel." "It was the only thing, quite frankly, that was available," said Huckabee.

 

Over two hundred 9/11 First Responders, family members, and supporters will be rallying on Capitol Hill today. The rally is being conducted to draw attention to the health issues that the 9/11 rescue workers currently face.

 

Attorneys for Don Siegelman called on the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor after a key government witness involved in sending Siegelman to jail revealed he was told to write out his testimony to "get his story straight." The defense was never told of the written testimony.

 

The Huffington Post has obtained a document showing that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "may have taken steps to protect his Republican colleagues from the scope of his investigation" into disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

 

The Pentagon announced yesterday that when the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq ends in July, it's expected that "there will be about 8,000 more troops on the ground than when it began in January 2007." There were 132,000 troops in Iraq when President Bush initiated the "surge," but Lt. Gen. Carter Ham told reporters that by July the troop total was likely to be 140,000."

 

The drug czar and the hippie. In his new book, Washington super lawyer Bob Bennett reveals that his brother, conservative commentator William Bennett, once "went on a date with hippie icon Janis Joplin" in the late '60s. Of the date, "Bob says Bill told him at the time, 'Let me put it this way, we were both disappointed.'"

 

"After promising last year to search its computers for tens of thousands of e-mails sent by White House officials," the Republican National Committee said "it no longer plans to retrieve the communications by restoring computer backup tapes." The decision makes it more likely those e-mails "will never be recovered," said lawmakers and public records advocates.

The Marine Corps has ordered a civilian scientist to stop work on a report that alleged "gross mismanagement" of the "program to quickly field Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles," which resulted in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of Marines in Iraq. "It's gotten beyond its initial purpose," a Marine spokesperson said.

 

Three Democratic governors told Congress yesterday that an August directive by the Bush administration "has made it virtually impossible for them to expand health insurance coverage to more moderate-income children." "A few states have gone to court attempting to void"Â the directive and now the governors are asking "lawmakers to intervene."

 

 

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INTERESTING  

 

Arizona Rep. Renzi, R-Ariz Indicted in Land Swap Investigation

A federal grand jury in Arizona has indicted Rep. Rick Renzi , R-Ariz., on conspiracy, fraud, extortion, and money laundering charges after an investigation lasting more than a year.

 

A 35-count indictment unsealed Friday accuses Renzi of conspiring with James W. Sandlin in a land swap scheme and with Andrew Beardall to commit insurance fraud. Both are former Renzi business partners.

 

The indictment also charges that Renzi concealed illegal profits from Congress and the public.

 

“Congressman Renzi did nothing wrong. We will fight these charges until he is vindicated,” his lawyers, Kelly B. Kramer and Reid H. Weingarten, said in a statement.

 

Prosecutors said Renzi, as a member of the Natural Resources Committee in 2005 and 2006, conditioned his support for approval of a federal lands exchange on whether property Sandlin owned in Cochise County, Ariz. was included.

 

When a company seeking Renzi’s support failed to purchase Sandlin’s property, Renzi allegedly told them, “No Sandlin property, no bill.” Renzi later directed a second group of investors to purchase the property and include it in their land exchange proposal, resulting in a $733,000 payment to Renzi from Sandlin in 2005, according to the indictment.

 

Because Renzi, 49, was facing financial troubles in 2005, he needed a “substantial infusion of funds” to keep his insurance business afloat and “maintain his personal lifestyle,” according to the 26-page indictment.

 

The Justice Department also has charged that Renzi and Beardall embezzled more than $400,000 in insurance premiums from the trust account of the Patriot Insurance Agency, Inc., a Renzi family-owned business and said the money helped fund Renzi’s first congressional campaign in 2002.

 

Renzi has been summoned to appear at a March 6 arraignment in Tucson, Ariz. He announced Aug. 23 that he would not seek a fourth House term.

 

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9/11 First Responders Protest Bush Health Care Funding Cuts  by Mike Hall

Today, three weeks after President Bush cut health care funding by 77 percent for Sept. 11 first responders, many of whom are developing serious and deadly illnesses because of their work at Ground Zero, some 200 9/11 workers rallied on Capitol Hill this morning, calling on Congress to restore the health care money.

 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health estimates the cost of treating Ground Zero workers is about $218 million year and is expected to grow as the workers’ illnesses worsen and as more firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians and rescue and recovery workers develop Ground Zero-related diseases.

 

Last year, Congress appropriated $108 million toward health care for 9/11 workers, but in his fiscal 2009 budget, Bush cut that by 77 percent—to $25 million. Also last year, as part of an emergency spending bill, Congress approved an additional $50 million for first responder health care.

 

Shortly before Bush’s cuts were announced, a White House spokesman told reporters the president’s budget would “reflect his continued commitment to World Trade Center workers.” Interpret that as you wish.

 

Charles Giles, a former emergency medical technician who spent five month working at Ground Zero, has been hospitalized 13 times since 2002 with Sept. 11-related health problems and was forced to sell his house to help cover the medical bills. On the bus ride from New York, he told the New York Daily News:

 

I feel like a charity case. Sept. 11 destroyed us. We gave our hearts and souls on 9/11. What this government is doing to us now is a shame.

 

Says Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.):

 

The administration has failed in every single one of its budget proposals to deliver adequate help to the heroes of 9/11. Sadly, it looks like this is yet another problem the president will be leaving to his successor.

Along with slashing health care funding, in December, the Bush administration canceled a health monitoring and treatment program for Ground Zero workers.

 

At a New York City Council meeting earlier this month, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said the federal government bears “considerable responsibility” for thousands of people becoming sick and disabled from Sept. 11 due to its “own negligence” in the days and weeks following the attacks on the World Trade Center.

 

The federal government, by declaring that the “air was safe to breathe,” and by failing to enforce stringent workplace safety laws…is clearly culpable for recklessly allowing tens of thousands of people to be unnecessarily exposed to dangerous environmental toxins in the immediate wake of 9/11, and it continues to recklessly endanger lives by its failure, to this day, to clean indoor spaces downtown. As such, it has an absolute duty and moral obligation to pay its debt to the living victims of 9/11 by providing health care and compensation for those affected.

 

Along with protesting the budget cuts and the cancellation of the health care monitoring program, first responders met with many members of Congress to boost support for H.R. 3543, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, introduced by Maloney, Nadler and Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y).

 

The bill would create a permanent World Trade Center Health Program to provide monitoring, treatment and research to address the health effects of the Sept. 11 attacks. It is named after a New York police detective who died from the after-effects of responding to the disaster.

 

Today’s event was organized the FealGood Foundation, a New York based organization dedicated to assisting sick 9/11 responders.

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Buy American Mention of the Week                    

 

Female Footwear, Union-Made Apparel, and American-Made Decorative Carolers & Figures

 

Ok, here’s one for the ladies! I’ve received some really positive feedback from past articles and on the footwear in particular, but some loyal readers have been asking “where’s the footwear for us females?”

 

At www.onesole.com  you can accessorize your American-made shoes with a nearly endless array of fashionable women’s shoes with interchangeable tops. With OneSole, you won’t be stuck with just one design per pair of shoes, because you can change your style with a snap!

 

Your choices of tops include solid, silk screened (with or without crystals), monogrammed, duet, and picture Tops. I especially like the holiday/other section where you can find patriotic tops related to the 4^th of July. You can also choose from different strappies, clog tops and even collegiate tops.

 

Your choice of soles includes the elegance soft-step, leisure, casual, traveler/clog, kitten and sport, so you can easily combine comfort with style. You can even customize your own design or fabric at www.onesole.com. You can even brose their list of retailers in your area that carry OneSole products. I think there are nearly 100 in my home state of Florida alone.

 

At the Union Shop (www.theunionshop.org) you can find union-made, American-made clothing of all kinds for men, women, kids, and even pets. You’ll also find American-made accessories like aprons, tote bags, fleece blankets and more. You can also browse their impressive collection of custom carved glass.

 

Have you found it difficult to shop American made and union made for your kids, including toddlers and infants? The Union Shop probably has what you’ve been looking for but couldn’t find.

 

You can also choose from over 400 custom designed logos including military and patriotic. Everything done by the union members at The Union Shop is done right here n America, whether it’s embroidery, screen printing, graphic design or sales and marketing.

 

The selection of apparel at www.theunionshop.org includes all the traditional shirts, sweater, pants, shorts and jackets you would expect, but they also carry specific kinds of work clothing, fire fighter’s apparel and tall sizes. For the women, you’ll find intimates and sleepwear choices.

 

At Byers’ Choice Ltd. (www.byerschoice.com) you’ll find carolers and decorative figures made in the USA. I ordered two of their Christmas caroler figures around Christmas-time last year and I’m glad I did. But you don’t have to wait until Christmas to find a caroler or figurine to add to the warmth of your home.

 

Easter is coming soon, and then there is the 4^th of July for patriotic figures. You’ll also find figurines for Halloween. And then there’s Thanksgiving. You can even find figures representing our founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin. If you don’t see exactly what you want, you can even custom design your own caroler.

 

You can also browse the Byers’ Choice website for stores near you that carry their fine collections. And you can browse the website at www.byerschoice.com to see just how these finely crafter carolers are created in Pennsylvania. The fact that each caroler is hand-crafted means that even if someone else orders the same type of caroler, no two pieces are exactly alike.

 

As always, if you decide to patronize any of these fine American companies now or in the future – or even if you’re just contacting them to encourage them to keeping it made in the USA - kindly tell them how you found out about them by mentioning the howtobuyamerican.com website and the “Buy American Mention of the Week.” American-made companies always find it encouraging knowing that they aren’t alone and that there are other like-minded patriotic Americans willing to spread the word and stand up for the Buy American cause. Thank you for contributing to that very cause!

 

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"The House approved $18 billion in new taxes on the largest oil companies yesterday," citing "record oil prices and rising gasoline costs in a time of economic troubles."

 

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VIDEOS    

 

Tucker: ‘I Instinctively Jump To The Defense Of Anyone Whose Private Life Is Violated’

 

Kristol: ‘I Recommend The Politics Of Fear’

 

 

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NEED COMPUTER ASSISTANCE?? 

Democrat Activist Mike Bailey is now providing “Professional Computer Support.”  He can be contacted at 502-558-4026, or mikebailey2000@usa.net. 

 

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Notice to our Readers &  2008 Primary Election Candidates:

This newsletter will carry, in this space, any Democratic candidates' notice of events or communications (250 words or less) to our readers that the candidate provides to the editor at rcrider@insightbb.com

 

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Publication of Louisville/Jefferson County Democratic Party Tim Longmeyer, Chairman Ray Crider, Editor 640 Barret Ave Louisville, Ky  40202 502-582-1999   Paid for by the Louisville/Jefferson Co Democratic Party Charlie Horton, Treasurer Produced & Printed In-House

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