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LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of May 11, 2008

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

McCain Would Appoint Justices Like Anti-Worker Alito and Roberts by Seth Michaels

Wednesday, Sen. John McCain gave a speech about his vision for the U.S. Supreme Court and the kind of nominees he’d choose if elected.

McCain said that when it comes to looking for a Supreme Court justice, extremist conservatives John Roberts and Samuel Alito meet his standards “in every way” and “would serve as the model” for his nominees if he were elected president.

When you look at the record, though, Roberts and Alito have failed to look out for the rights of workers. Check out some of the cases where Roberts and Alito have provided decisive votes:

Alito was the author of the May 2007 opinion that ruled against Lilly Ledbetter’s right to challenge the pay discrimination she faced on the job. Roberts joined that opinion, which fundamentally changed the way workers could fight discrimination at work.
Last June, Roberts and Alito voted to strike down policies in Seattle and Louisville, Ky., that reduce racial segregation in schools. Roberts’ opinion, joined by Alito, would outlaw virtually any effort to promote educational diversity and inclusion in schools.
Also in June 2007, Roberts and Alito joined a decision that prevented more than 1 million home care workers from getting a minimum wage or overtime pay.
In January 2008, the Supreme Court, led by Roberts, refused to hear a case against Enron, which would have held executives accountable for defrauding their employees and investors.
And just last month, Roberts and Alito joined in a decision to uphold a restrictive voter ID law that could, in essence, take the right to vote away from thousands of elderly, disabled, young, working-class and minority voters.

The AFL-CIO opposed Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court and declared that Roberts’ record was “troubling” and demanded strict scrutiny, based on their history of anti-worker decisions on the lower court and concerns about their commitment to equal rights. Their record as justices on the nation’s highest court comes as no surprise—and McCain has promised to appoint judges just like them.

McCain was a strong supporter of Roberts and Alito when they were nominated in 2005, and he’s continued to vote for the Bush administration’s anti-worker judges, like 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Leslie Southwick. (In the 1980s, McCain was a fan of radical reactionary nominee Robert Bork.) The next president, in addition to possibly naming Supreme Court justices, also likely would appoint dozens of nominees to other federal courts, and it’s worth examining McCain’s record on this crucial presidential power.

A recent article by legal scholar Jeffrey Rosen in The New York Times Magazine reveals how special interests have worked hard to get pro-corporate judges on the federal courts. The nominations of Roberts and Alito were major achievements for the Chamber of Commerce and other lobbying groups looking to stack the courts.

…the transformation of the court was no accident. It represents the culmination of a carefully planned, behind-the-scenes campaign over several decades to change not only the courts but also the country’s political culture.

Roberts, as chief justice, has presided over a major shift in the court away from workers’ interests, and Alito has been a crucial vote in this shift. Lobbying and pressure by corporate interests have paid off in decisions like the Lilly Ledbetter pay discrimination case. (It’s telling that one of the special interest lawyers Rosen mentions is Theodore Olson, a former Bush administration official. Olson sits on McCain’s judicial advisory committee.)

Though the current Supreme Court has a well-earned reputation for divisiveness, it has been surprisingly united in cases affecting business interests. Of the 30 business cases last term, 22 were decided unanimously, or with only one or two dissenting votes.

…ever since John Roberts was appointed chief justice in 2005, the court has seemed only more receptive to business concerns. Forty percent of the cases the court heard last term involved business interests, up from around 30 percent in recent years. While the Rehnquist Court heard less than one antitrust decision a year, on average, between 1988 and 2003, the Roberts Court has heard seven in its first two terms—and all of them were decided in favor of the corporate defendants.

Rosen’s article suggests that McCain is unlikely to shift this dynamic—and now McCain has confirmed that when he’s picking judges, he would look to the anti-worker Roberts and Alito as his model.

Comments:

None this week

DAILY GRILL

"Critics of the war in Iraq often try to minimize -- if not dismiss -- the links between Saddam Hussein and terrorists. As they say, facts are stubborn things." -- Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), 5/2/08

VERSUS

"Saddam [Hussein] did not trust al-Qa'ida or any other radical Islamist group and did not want to cooperate with them." -- Senate Intelligence Committee report, September 2006

*********************

When the history is written, it will be said this is a safer country...because George Bush was president." -- Vice President Cheney, 5/2/08

VERSUS

"Al Qaeda leaders continued to plot attacks and to cultivate stronger operational connections that radiated outward from Pakistan to affiliates throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe." -- State Department report on international terrorism in 2007, 4/30/08

*********************

"I hope that the military will realize they have to accept aid from everybody they can possibly accept it from." -- First Lady Laura Bush, 5/5/08, on the Burmese government's response to the recent cyclone

VERSUS

"[T]he U.S. government was turning down many allies' offers of manpower, supplies and expertise worth untold millions of dollars. Eventually the United States also would fail to collect most of the unprecedented outpouring of international cash assistance for [Hurricane] Katrina's victims." -- Washington Post, 4/29/07

Quotes of the Day

"No ID, no vote", 10 retired nuns told Rest of Story

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Recent Senate Votes

No Senate Vote This Week

Recent House Votes

Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Act - Vote Passed (247-165, 19 Not Voting)

The House voted to require the Department of Labor to issue interim and final occupational safety and health standards regarding worker exposure to combustible dust.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted NO

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 - Vote Passed (414-1, 16 Not Voting)

The House agreed to this measure that would prohibit employers and health insurance issuers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of their genetic information.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act - Vote Passed (388-21, 22 Not Voting)

The House agreed with the Senate’s amendments to this bill intended to ensure the availability of low interest student loans.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted Not Voting

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

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HUMOR

Clinton is back on her game, lording it over former flack George Stephanopoulis, and batting away Rush Limbaugh with, "He's always had a crush on me."

"Hillary Clinton says she isn't dropping out because there are still six states that haven't had their Democratic primary. That's right. Barack Obama's favored in the states of Oregon, Montana and South Dakota, and Hillary is favored in the state of denial." --Conan O'Brien

"Hillary needed to win decisively in both states tonight, she didn't do that, which means her chances to win the nomination are very slim. But will she quit? Oh, not a chance. She will stay in the race for as long as it takes to elect John McCain president." --Jimmy Kimmel

"Former President Clinton gave a campaign speech for Hillary while standing on the back of a pickup truck. True. And like all the speeches Bill Clinton gives in the back of a pickup truck, it began, 'You have beautiful eyes.'" --Conan O'Brien

"Hey, you know who is getting married this weekend? One of the Bush sisters. Jenna Bush, is getting married this weekend at her father's place in Crawford, Texas. And this is no surprise: the $2 billion ice sculpture contract went to Halliburton." --David Letterman

"But it's a big deal. I mean, when there's a family wedding, I mean, it's great, isn't it? Everybody gets in the big family wedding spirit, and everybody is helping out with the big Jenna Bush wedding. As a matter of fact right now, right now, Dick Cheney is waterboarding the groom." --David Letterman

"The Democrats are in a tough spot now, because if the super delegates somehow give the nomination to Clinton, that's going to alienate a lot of African-Americans who support Obama. But if Obama wins, there are going to be a lot of disappointed women voters, which is why I think more than ever we need a President Oprah." --Jimmy Kimmel

"Hillary Clinton said, in an interview with George Stephanopoulos Sunday night, that Rush Limbaugh has always had a crush on her. What is it with the Clintons and their magical power over chubby people? What is it? Chubby people can't resist them." --Jay Leno

"I guess it's neck and neck with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. They've got a big primary tomorrow, and they're everywhere right now. Yesterday's entire 'Meet the Press' was devoted to Barack Obama, while the entire 'This Week with George Stephanopoulos' was devoted to Hillary Clinton. ... Meanwhile, John McCain spent the day watching a 'Golden Girls' marathon." --Conan O'Brien

"Speaking of Hillary, I don't know if you've seen this. One of the most popular videos on YouTube right now is footage of Hillary Clinton trying to make herself is a cup of coffee, but not being able to get the machine to work. Yeah, when he saw the video, Bill Clinton said, 'Yeah, she's not very good at turning things on.'" --Conan O'Brien

"Folks, today is Monday, which means tomorrow is Tuesday, which means it must be time for, 'Indecision '08: The Long Flat Seemingly Endless Bataan Death March to the White House.' The United States election is headed to Guam, where residents of our nation's 32nd largest island ... in your face Hinchinbrook Island, Alaska! ... got a chance to weigh in, reaping the benefits of America's 1944 retaking of the turd-shaped paradise. ... They split Guam! It's like two miles wide. They split it. The margin would have been even closer, but the Ferguson's canoe got hit by a sea turtle." --Jon Stewart

"President Bush has offered to help Myanmar. I guess it used to be called Burma. That's where they had that terrible cyclone, where thousands of people were killed as the country was hit by a devastating cyclone. In fact, Bush offered to help the country under one condition, 'Don't tell New Orleans." --Jay Leno

"President Bush celebrated Cinco de Mayo at the White House last night. Si. And he said, 'We consider ourselves fortunate that Mexico is a friend and a neighbor' Very nice, yeah. Then Bush said, 'And by 'neighbor,' I mean the kind who climbs over your fence and never leaves.'" --Conan O'Brien

"I don't know if you're aware of this. We just passed a big milestone yesterday. True story. Yesterday was the five-year anniversary of President Bush's speech in front of the 'Mission Accomplished' banner. Yeah, to celebrate, today, President Bush gave a speech in front of a banner that said 'Economic Recession Over.'" --Conan O'Brien

"Today also happens to be the fifth anniversary of the day that President Bush stood in front of an aircraft carrier with the huge 'Mission Accomplished' banner behind him. Turned out, unless the mission was to blow two trillion dollars and wind up with four dollar a gallon gas, it wasn't accomplished. ... I'm going to miss President Bush, as a comedian. Not as an American." --Jimmy Kimmel

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Five years ago, in a tightly-orchestrated public relations stunt that featured him landing on an aircraft carrier, President Bush announced to the world, "In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." Asked a question about that declaration a few days ago, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino could do little more than express exasperation that "the media" would "play this up again...as they do every single year." Yet the numbers speak for themselves. Since Bush declared the Iraq mission accomplished, 3,919 more Americans have been killed, and over 29,000 more have been wounded or maimed. There are more troops in Iraq today than there were when the president announced that "major combat operations have ended." In a speech yesterday at the Center for American Progress, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) remarked, "1,827 days later, the U.S. occupation of Iraq continues, and our 'mission' remains undefined and open-ended." In a starkly symbolic turn, U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, the aircraft carrier from whose flight deck Bush made his now infamous premature declaration of victory, was deployed once again this week to the Persian Gulf to support continuing combat operations in the region.

EDUCATION -- BUSH'S READING PROGRAM DEEMED INEFFECTIVE: A long-awaited study by the Institute for Education Science reported yesterday that President Bush's $1 trillion "Reading First" program, which is aimed at teaching low-income children to read, was wholly ineffective. The study said that children in the program, which is part of Bush's No Child Left Behind initiative, "had virtually no better reading skills" than children not involved. The program was the subject of a congressional investigation last year, when three education advisers, "who played important roles in advising states on how to apply for Reading First grants, testified that they had collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties from curriculums and tests they had authored, whose use grew exponentially through the program." The Washington Post wrote in 2006 the Reading First steered billions "to what is effectively a pilot project for untested programs with friends in high places," one of which was owned by a top Bush fundraiser. "This report makes it shamefully clear that the only individuals benefiting from this significant investment were the President’s cronies," Rep. George Miller (D-CA) said yesterday.

The gap between rich and poor in the United States has widened exponentially over the past three decades. The Congressional Budget Office reports that since 1979, the average income for the bottom half of American households has grown by 6 percent. In contrast, the top 1 percent of earners have seen their incomes shoot up by a 229 percent during that same period. Under the Bush administration, the average income of most Americans has fallen, but the average income of top wage earners (those above the 95 percentile range) has increased from $324,427 in 2001 to $385,805 in 2006. Only one other year has seen a comparable income gap: 1928, the year before the Great Depression. Inequality has not been confined to one region or sector but has spread all across the country. North Carolina and Indiana, two geographically and economically disparate states whose upcoming presidential primaries have brought them to the forefront of the national media, are no exception. With the average income of the richest 20 percent of families 7.2 and 6.7 times larger than the poorest 20 percent of families, respectively, North Carolina and Indiana are a microcosm of a larger national trend. Both of these states are looking for relief from declining wages, sinking job security, and falling benefits.

IRAQ -- ANOTHER CONTRACTOR AVOIDING TAXES THROUGH OFF-SHORE HAVENS: The Boston Globe reported yesterday that a Pentagon contractor responsible for training Iraqi police has established shell companies in Bermuda and the Caymen Islands in the appearance of avoiding payment of millions of dollars in taxes and evading scrutiny from the IRS. Tax experts say the company -- Virginia-based MPRI -- appears to be avoiding "the payment of roughly $4 million dollars a year in Social Security and Medicare taxes." Last March, the Globe reported that KBR -- one of the top profiteers of the Iraq war, already with a dismal record -- has also avoided paying more than $500 million in "Medicare and Social Security taxes by hiring its workers through shell companies" based in the Caymen Islands. Bunnatine "Bunny" Greenhouse, who oversaw contracts for the Army Corps of Engineers, told the Senate in 2005 that the Pentagon's relationship with KBR represented the "most blatant and improper contract abuse I have witnessed during the course of my professional career."

'ANYBODY EVER BEEN TO DISNEYLAND?': The Disneyland-style amusement park in the heart of Iraq will cost nearly $500 million. Llewellyn Werner, chairman of C3, said of the idea, "[T]he people need this kind of positive influence. It's going to have a huge psychological impact." But make no mistake, Werner also sees dollar signs. "I'm a businessman. I'm not here because I think you're nice people," Werner said, adding, "I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't making money." Trying to sell the idea to Baghdad's skeptical deputy mayor, Werner explained the significance of waterpark lagoons: they're "very important to the sex appeal, the sizzle. Anybody ever been to Disneyland?" Werner's sentiment is shared by John March, executive vice president of the firm contracted to design the park. March recently downplayed any safety concerns associated with creating a massive entertainment complex in the heart of Baghdad. "Well, you live here in Southern California and there's drive-bys and everything else. So there's danger everywhere," he proclaimed. But Werner has an idea on how to bridge the sectarian divide in Baghdad: skateboarding. He said Iraqis will see the park as "an opportunity for their children regardless if they're Shia or Sunni." Speaking in deliberately slow English, Werner told the Iraqis, "One of the fastest growing sports in the world is skate…boarding." Indeed, the skateboarding park, part of the first phase, is set to open this summer.

RADICAL RIGHT -- WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY TO AWARD PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY HONORARY DEGREE: Yesterday, Washington University in St. Louis announced it will award right-wing activist Phyllis Schlafly an honorary degree at this year's graduation ceremony. The university hailed Schlafly as a "leader," evoking her "10-year battle against the Equal Rights Amendment" and her position as "a well-known advocate for the role of the full-time homemaker." But Schlafly did not just argue for equal respect for homemakers; she ridiculed the idea that women could work outside the home. "The flight from the home is a flight from yourself, from responsibility, from the nature of woman, in pursuit of false hopes and fading illusions," she once said. She also claimed recently that women "are too emotional to handle intellectual or scientific debate." Washington University students are planning protests against Schlafly's award, with "several professors [and] community members" joining them. A Facebook group protesting the honorary degree has over 1,000 members, while a group supporting her visit to the university has only 20.

Think Fast

Yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) appeared on "The Daily Show," where he joked that his Secret Service Code name is "jerk." During the taping, McCain pretended to walk off the set when host Jon Stewart "pressed him on whether President Bush is more of a liability for him than the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is for Obama. Then McCain fiddled with his microphone and mouthed 'technical difficulties' into the camera.”

Sen. John Warner (R-VA), "an early supporter of Sen. Jim Webb's (D-VA) GI Bill," said he's "quite certain" Congress will pass the bill, but he hinted at changes ahead. "There's a possibility that we might make some changes in the Webb bill...reflecting what I believe are some important points raised by other senators," said Warner.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved language in a bill that would "require military contractors, like KBR Inc., to report sex crimes committed by or against their employees, and provide employee victims with assistance and protection."

Warren Buffett, the world's richest person, yesterday said, "The U.S. is in recession as I define it. I would define that as a situation where people are doing less well than they were three months, six months or eight months earlier and most businesses find themselves in that position too." In March, Buffett had also said that the country was in a recession "from a common sense standpoint."

On Saturday, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino returned to her alma mater, Colorado State University, to deliver the commencement address. While there, she graciously posed for photographs and signed autographs, sometimes writing, "you go girl!" During her speech, she said, "I've learned so much. I study every night as if I'm going to have a final every day for the rest of my time at the White House. If I mess up, I’m just not going to flunk; I could start a war."

Over nearly seven years, "not one of the approximately 775 terrorism suspects who have been held" on Guantanamo Bay "has faced a jury trial inside the new complex, and U.S. officials think it is highly unlikely that any of the Sept. 11 suspects will before the Bush administration ends." A "high-ranking Pentagon officer” has been quoted noting the "strategic political value" of starting the 9/11 trials before November.

Despite President Bush's insistence that he will "not approve any legislation that exceeds his spending request for the war" or "adds domestic money he opposes," House Democrats are preparing "a war spending measure that would include extended unemployment assistance and new educational benefits for returning veterans." The $178 billion measure may be brought to the floor this week.

"The Bush administration has not found disaster recovery files for White House e-mails from a three-month time period in 2003…raising the possibility that messages sent before and after the invasion of Iraq may never be recovered." The White House claims a court proposal to search and preserve White House e-mail records would "yield marginal benefits at best, while imposing substantial burdens and disruptions."

Anti-war Republican Rep. Walter Jones (NC-03) "comfortably defeated" a primary challenger in his conservative congressional district yesterday by a margin of 60-40 percent after facing stiff opposition "over his outspoken stance" against the Iraq war. Camp Lejuene, one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the country, is located in Jones's district.

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INTERESTING

John McCain is the real elitist running for president, By BERRY CRAIG

PADUCAH, Ky. – Sen. John McCain wants us to think Sen. Barack Obama is an elitist who looks down on working stiffs.

McCain’s shtick is as phony as blueblood Bush Sr. munching pork rinds and Dubya doing the Daytona 500.

            McCain started slicing the baloney about Obama before the Pennsylvania primary. Obama had said years of lost jobs and unmet promises from Washington had left some working class Quaker State voters “bitter” and clinging “to guns or religion.”
            That sent the McCain spin machine into overdrive.
            McCain called the remarks “elitist.” Joe Conason of The New York Observer said they were “silly,” but added that McCain’s response was “standard-issue rhetoric, designed to insinuate that Obama disdains traditional American culture and religious piety (although he probably attends church at least as often as McCain).”

It was plain to me what Obama meant, though he later admitted he said it poorly. The Democrat was talking about people getting suckered by Republicans who pander to social issues. One of my union brothers calls them “The Three Gs – God, guns and gays.” (Read What’s the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America by Thomas Frank.)
Republicans like McCain have a hard time shaking the “elitist” label for good reason. It usually fits.

So the McCain campaign is trying to turn the tables, portraying Obama as the elitist – a Harvard-educated fancy-pants who gobbles organic grub and doesn’t care a whit about working people.

I’m a working class voter -- a union member and a community college teacher. I don’t care where -- or if – a candidate earned a sheepskin. It doesn’t bug me if he or she prefers sushi to fried catfish or Merlot to Miller Genuine Draft.

What matters to me is how candidates vote on my issues.

McCain almost never votes my way. Obama (like Clinton) almost always does.

McCain hopes working class folks won’t look too hard at his record, says Jeff Wiggins, a Steelworker and president of the Paducah-based Western Kentucky Area Council, AFL-CIO, an association of regional unions.

“McCain is smart,” Wiggins added. “He’s Dick Cheney with a brain. But he’s not fooling us.”
Union leaders have McCain’s number. They are spreading the straight stuff about the “straight talker” to the rank and file, in person and via cyberspace.

Go to the AFL-CIO’s Internet website: http://www.aflcio.org/. Click on “McCain Revealed.”

“Sen. John McCain is clearly not a fan of workers’ freedom to form unions and bargain for better wages and benefits,” “McCain Revealed” says. “He has spoken out against unions and consistently worked against collective bargaining rights for workers.”

Even so, McCain is trying to hide his record as a union-buster. He’s running as a “maverick” Republican.

But McCain votes the Bush party line almost 90 percent of the time, according to “McCain Revealed.” The senator has voted “right” on labor bills only 16 percent of the time, says the AFL-CIO’s Committee on Political Education. Few lawmakers in Washington are more anti-union than McCain.

Obama’s COPE rating is 98 percent. Clinton’s is 94.

McCain is against the Employee Free Choice Act. Obama and Clinton support it.

McCain is for a national right-to-work law. Obama and Clinton are not.

McCain is especially unhappy with teachers’ unions like mine. I belong to the American Federation of Teachers and the Kentucky Education Association-National Education Association.

“It’s time to break the grip of the education monopoly that serves the union bosses at the expense of our children,” The New York Times quoted McCain.

“Union bosses” is a term often tossed around in corporate board rooms, country clubs and in other elitist circles. Obama doesn’t use it, and neither does Clinton.

The kids of union leaders and the rank-and-filers who elect them mostly go to public schools. McCain’s senate votes show he’s not much on public schools. The NEA gave McCain an “F” on its current Congressional Report Card. Clinton and Obama earned As for how they voted.

I teach history. One of our greatest presidents – a Republican – supposedly said, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”

That quote is attributed to Abraham Lincoln. Senator McCain, you’re no Abe Lincoln.

Anyway, when it comes to politicians, I don’t define “elitist” by bank accounts, cars, clothes, houses, where somebody went to college or what’s for dinner. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a Harvard man and one of our wealthiest presidents. But nobody who ever occupied the White House did more for the working class than FDR.

McCain is a millionaire. But that’s not what makes him the real elitist in this campaign. How he votes does.

McCain has a bus he named “The Straight Talk Express.” But McCain’s a double-talker in the anti-union mold of Ronald Reagan and both Bushes.

STOP SUBSIDIZING BIG OIL, Posted by Jim Hightower

In 2006, the CEO of Exxon Mobil exclaimed that, gosh, his corporation was rolling in so much profit that he simply didn’t know how to spend it all.

Well, one place worthy of major investment would have been R & D on alternative fuels to help America break its dependency on ever-more expensive and ever-more polluting oil. But, no go. Two years later, with oil above $100 a barrel and Exxon’s profits topping $40 billion a year, the rationale for such an investment is even stronger. Yet, the oil giant recently rejected a congressional request that it start putting 10 percent of its earnings into alternative energy development.

Okay, maybe we don’t even want Big Oil mucking around in solar, wind, hydrogen, and other renewables, since they would try to monopolize production and engage in the same kind of gouging they do with oil products. But here’s one small step Congress could take toward new energy resources: Repeal the $1.8 billion annual tax subsidy that the Bushites gave to the oil industry in the 2004 tax bill. Instead of continuing to put this freebie in the pockets of the Exxons, lets invest these tax dollars in a renewable energy future – $1.8 billion would roughly double what Washington now spends for R & D on alternative sources.

Besides, with $100-a-barrel oil and the top five corporations banking $123 billion in yearly profits, why are we taxpayers subsidizing them? We already pay a king’s ransom at the pump, so let’s cut off this tax giveaway they never should have gotten in the first place. But you can never overestimate oil company greed. Industry executives and lobbyists are now whining to Congress that, since oil prices might come down someday, they should be able to keep this subsidy as a cushion.

Hey, build your own cushion the old fashioned way – with your rip-off profits.

“Big oil resists investing 10% of earnings in research,” USA Today, April 2, 2008

“With crude at $100 a barrel, Big Oil needs no tax break,” USA Today, April 2, 2008

Murtha: The Military Has Been ‘Dishonored’ By The ‘Untruths’ Of The Pentagon’s Propaganda Program

Two weeks ago, the New York Times revealed a secret Pentagon program that uses retired military analysts to “generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance.” Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino defended the program, claiming “it’s absolutely appropriate to provide information to people who are seeking it.”

In an interview with ThinkProgress today, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) called the program “unfortunate,” adding that “it hu

rts us in the long run.” Murtha said he was especially “disappointed” that some of the analysts involved in the program “didn’t even believe what they were saying” in support of the administration:

MURTHA: I saw that some of the officers that were saying that didn’t even believe what they were saying. Well, the military’s held in the highest level and the highest esteem in this country. All of us appreciate their sacrifices. I’ve gotten to the point where I now distrust the military because they have been dishonored by these kind of untruths. It used to be that I could listen to the military, they would come to me, and what they said privately they were willing to say publicly. With Rumsfeld’s tenure, they distorted everything. And that’s the way they got by for four years because the public said, well, the military’s saying that. Well, the public’s no longer accepting that. The public realizes we made a mistake when we went in, much of the information was inaccurate and they continue to say these kind of things.

Murtha also said that he was “disappointed in the news media” for allowing the Pentagon to exploit them, noting that “blogs have been so important to bringing out the truth.” READ THIS REST

Buy American Mention of the Week

A gift for Mom can be a gift for the U.S. economy, too, By Roger Simmermaker

This Mother’s Day there are patriotic ways to thank Mom for all the times she’s on the go and selflessly doing things for other family members or loved ones. After you give Mom a much needed rest on Mother’s Day and she’s back to resuming her normal routine, you can make that routine a lot easier by allowing her to accomplish the things she does more comfortably.

We can all take comfort knowing that everything in SAS Shoe stores is made in USA from their footwear to their accessories. SAS Shoemakers of San Antonio, Texas still believes in the old-fashioned way of ordering from their catalog which they will send to you for free if you give them a call at 877-782-7463 or write to SAS Shoemakers at 1717 SAS Drive, San Antonio, Texas, 78224. They do have a small presence on the Internet at www.sasshoes.com but it only addresses the company philosophy and tells you how you can contact them by phone, email or regular mail. So you might have to get out the phone book to find if there’s a store near you. SAS makes sandals, walking shoes for men and women, oxfords and comfort casuals. All their leather handbags are made in USA as well.

At www.okabashi.com you’ll find colorful, American-made flip flops, clogs and sandals for men, women and kids. I have personally owned a pair Okabashi sandals for quite some time now and they hold up very well. Their “exclusive comfort bed” footwear features a two year limited guarantee, is non-skid/non-marking, antimicrobial and odor resistant. Their footwear is even endorsed by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). And who said buying American has to be expensive? Okabashi footwear is available on their website for $14.99 or less.

If you’re looking for comfortable footwear with the quality of American craftsmanship, then Footwear by Footskins (www.footwearbyfootskins.com) might be of interest to you. On their website, you can find deerskin or cowhide leather moccasins, shoes, boots, handbags, slippers and purses for Mom or anyone else in your family.

At www.tictactoes.com you’ll find specialty footwear like dance shoes, organist shoes, chorus shoes, or just plain street shoes which come in casual, dress, patio or western styles. Tic-Tac-Toes shoes and boots are manufactured in their modern factory in Gloversville, New York and the company takes pride in their American operations. They don’t import uppers and they don’t import labor.

Beyond just looking for a great gift for Mom, there are a lot of other things she cares about. The schools her children attend and the libraries they frequent, the hospitals, and the police and fire departments that are there to protect your neighborhood 24/7 are just a few. Buying American-made goods and services produced by American workers and companies fills our federal and state treasuries with tax revenue to support all these benefits and services and many more things like them that Moms count on.

Roger Simmermaker is the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. He also writes “Buy American Mention of the Week” articles for his website www.howtobuyamerican.com and is a member of the Machinists Union and National Writers Union. Roger has been a frequent guest on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC, has been quoted in the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and US News & World Report among many other publications, and is a weekly contributor to WorldNetDaily.com.

"Army Secretary Pete Geren said Wednesday at Fort Bragg that the Army has appropriated $248 million in emergency funds to fix problems found during inspections of 148,000 rooms at bases worldwide over the past two weeks."

VIDEOS

Limbaugh on Hispanic mayor of LA: I thought he was either a ’shoe shine guy or a Secret Service agent.’

McCain Revealed: The Briefing Book

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LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of May 11, 2008

Northup’s ‘Reading First’ a Huge Failure

Hate Radio's Bigotry Against Hispanics

Quotes of the Day

"No ID, no vote", 10 retired nuns told Rest of Story

STOP SUBSIDIZING BIG OIL, Posted by Jim Hightower

Murtha: The Military Has Been ‘Dishonored’ By The ‘Untruths’ Of The Pentagon’s Propaganda Program

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