LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of May 20, 2007

The link to this electronic newsletter is being e-mailed to 4,000+

Jefferson County Democrats 

We hope you will forward the link to your own e-mail list.

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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 901 Barret Avenue .

Notice to our Readers &  2007 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@louisvilledem.com

Democratic candidates who want pictures of their fund raisers, activities, events, etc to be posted on this website, e-mail them to rcrider@louisvilledem.com. 

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Rep. Yarmuth Votes to Put More Cops on the Street

Legislation Would Provide $10 Million for Louisville Law Enforcement

Tuesday, the Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) and the House of Representatives voted to approve the COPS Improvement Act, which will add 50,000 more police officers on our nation's streets, by a vote of 381-34. 

Since 1994, the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program has placed 100,000 additional police office across the nation, over 350 of them in Louisville.  The city has also received more than $33 million through the initiative for law enforcement resources.  However in the last six years, the President and Congress all but eliminated the COPS program.  Over that time, violent crime has steadily increased nationwide, according to assessments from the FBI and Law Enforcement Association.  By renewing and expanding the program, this legislation is expected to bring more than $10 million into Louisville for added equipment, technology, and more than 150 new local law enforcement officers.

"Today, as our local law enforcement confronts new, global threats, it is crucial that we continue to provide the resources our community's law enforcement officers need," Congressman Yarmuth said.  "This legislation will be crucial, not only for law enforcement, but for the safety and security of Louisville families.  These brave men and women already put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe and secure, and at a time when we are asking them to do even more, the federal government must uphold its end of the bargain by ensuring that they have the support and equipment they need."

Yarmuth has been an active supporter and cosponsor of this legislation.  In March, after the Bush Administration's budget slashed COPS funding by 94 percent, Yarmuth successfully urged the budget committee to restore the funding. 

Congressman Yarmuth Announces $400,000 for Louisville Health Center

Facility Provides Health Services for 40,000 People

Today, Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) announced that Louisville's Family Health Center Inc. has been awarded a grant for more than $400,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  The Family Health Center is a non-profit organization, serving more than 40,000 Louisville residents by providing primary and preventative healthcare regardless of their ability to pay.  Among the resources they provide are a physician and nurse practitioner, dental care, nurses, lab work and x-rays, a pharmacy, and obstetrics.

"Right now, in the midst of a healthcare crisis in which nearly 50 million American have no health insurance and millions more are not adequately covered, the services that Family Health Center provides are invaluable," Congressman Yarmuth said.  "I commend them for their work and am very pleased that HHS decided to reward their dedication to our community."

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Novak: ‘Poor Gonzales’ Is Terrible, ‘But There Are A Lot Of Bad People In This Administration’

This weekend on Bloomberg Television, columnist Robert Novak offered the following “defense” of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:

He’s terrible. He shouldn’t be there. But there’s a lot of bad people in this administration.

Novak twice referred to the Attorney General as “poor Gonzales,” casting him as an unfortunate victim of congressional oversight. In a partisan jab, Novak claimed Democrats are “pounding on this poor Gonzales who never should have been in a high government post in the first place” in order to shift attention from the Iraq funding debate. But Novak then acknowledged that Republicans “think he ought to go, too.”

Watch it:

Novak said, “The president is stuck with these subpar people he brought up from Texas. That’s a failing on President Bush’s part.” A failing that Novak would prefer we not pay attention to.

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   Nothing this week

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DAILY GRILL   

"I never said...Iraq was responsible for Sept. 11."  -- Richard Perle, 5/11/07

VERSUS

"We do know, for example, that Saddam Hussein has ties to Osama bin Laden."  -- Perle, 9/16/01

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"The Defense Department began blocking access on its computers to YouTube, MySpace and 11 other Web sites yesterday, severing some of the most popular ties linking U.S. troops in combat areas to their far-flung relatives and friends."  -- Washington Post, 5/15/07

VERSUS

"[T]he military has stepped up its campaign to upload official videos to the Web, including on YouTube, to help portray U.S. combat efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan in a favorable light."  -- Post, 5/15/07

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REP. LINDA SANCHEZ: Are there anymore U.S. attorneys that we should know about that were forced out? 
ATTY GEN. GONZALES: Congresswoman, it's always been my understanding that this focus has been on the eight United States attorneys that were asked to resign last December 7th and June 14th. -- Testimony before House Judiciary Committee, 5/10/07

VERSUS

"Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales testified last week that the effort was limited to eight U.S. attorneys fired since last June, and other administration officials have said that only a few others were suggested for removal. In fact, D. Kyle Sampson, then Gonzales's chief of staff, considered more than two dozen U.S. attorneys for termination, according to lists compiled by him and his colleagues, the sources said." -- Washington Post, 5/17/07

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"We must keep our word, defeat our enemies, and stand behind the American military in its vital mission." -- President Bush, 1/31/06

VERSUS

"Bush budget officials said the administration 'strongly opposes' both the 3.5 percent raise for 2008 and the follow-on increases, calling extra pay increases 'unnecessary.'" -- Army Times, 5/16/07

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Quotes of the Day  

The 10 Craziest Things Rev. Jerry Falwell Ever Said

10. "The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country."

9. "The ACLU is to Christians what the American Nazi party is to Jews."

8. "I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be!"

7. "AIDS is the wrath of a just God against homosexuals. To oppose it would be like an Israelite jumping in the Red Sea to save one of Pharaoh's charioteers ... AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals."

6. "Nothing will motivate conservative evangelical Christians to vote Republican in the 2008 presidential election more than a Democratic nominee named Hillary Rodham Clinton - not even a run by the devil himself ... I certainly hope that Hillary is the candidate. She has $300 million so far. But I hope she's the candidate. Because nothing will energize my [constituency] like Hillary Clinton. If Lucifer ran, he wouldn't." --at a "Values Voter Summit"

5. "Grown men should not be having sex with prostitutes unless they are married to them."

4. "Billy Graham is the chief servant of Satan in America."

3. "He is purple — the gay-pride color, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle — the gay pride symbol." –from a "Parents Alert" issued in Jerry Falwell's National Liberty Journal, warning that "Tinky Winky," a character on the popular PBS children's show, "Teletubbies," may be gay

2. "You've got to kill the terrorists before the killing stops. And I'm for the president to chase them all over the world. If it takes 10 years, blow them all away in the name of the Lord."

1. "The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'" --on the 9/11 attacks

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Recent Senate Votes 

None reported this week

 

Recent House Votes 

None reported this week

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HUMOR   

"Fox News aired the second Republican presidential debate. My favorite part was when the white guy went after those two white guys, and three other white guys chimed in." --Conan O'Brien

"Tonight the Republican presidential candidates had a big debate, 10 candidates. The last time that many rich white guys got together, I think Exxon merged with Mobil." --Jay Leno

"Speaking about his Mormon religion, Mitt Romney said he can't imagine anything worse than polygamy. He said he can't imagine anything worse than having more than one wife. Then Bill Clinton gave the rebuttal" --Jay Leno

"This week, a group of Republican congressmen asked President Bush what his 'Plan B' is if the current Iraq plan doesn't work. The 'Plan B' discussion was difficult for Bush, because it involves two areas where he's extremely vulnerable -- Iraq and the alphabet." --Conan O'Brien

"During last night's Republican debate, Mike Huckabee got a big laugh when he said that Congress has been spending money like John Edwards at a beauty salon. Then Huckabee got an even bigger laugh when he said he's running for president" --Conan O'Brien

"There are rumors coming out of Washington that when Vice President Dick Cheney was CEO of Halliburton, he used to go visit prostitutes. This could explain why one girl was paid $2 billion. … Cheney going to a prostitute? I can't believe a good-looking guy like that would ever have to pay for sex" --David Letterman

"Former President Bill Clinton did a video for his wife Hillary's presidential campaign. Although Hillary was a little upset about it, because it turns out Bill did the video with Paris Hilton." --Jay Leno "I'm happy to report that Vice President Dick Cheney has returned from the Middle East. And he certainly straightened that mess out. ... He made a stop in Egypt, as a matter of fact, on the way home. Apparently, Halliburton wants to rebuild the pyramids." --David Letterman

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IRAQ -- ACTIVE DUTY GENERALS WILL "REVOLT" AGAINST BUSH IF HE MAINTAINS ESCALATION INTO 2008: Appearing on NBC's Chris Matthews Show yesterday, Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial page editor Cynthia Tucker reveals that sources within the military are warning of "a revolt from active-duty generals if September rolls around and the president is sticking with the surge into '08.'" Noting that retired generals such as Gen. John Baptiste have already begun voicing their discontent with the President's strategy in Iraq, Tucker added that the generals "don't want to fall by the wayside like the generals in Vietnam did, kept pushing a war that they knew was lost." When President Bush vetoed the Iraq timeline legislation earlier this month, he claimed that "the measure would 'impose impossible conditions on our commanders in combat' by forcing them to 'take fighting directions from politicians 6,000 miles away in Washington, DC." But despite past claims that "the right force level" will be determined by "the sober judgment of our military leaders," the Bush administration has a proven track record of disregarding the advice of military leaders. As recently as last December, when the White House was first pushing its escalation plan, the administration explicitly ignored "the unanimous disagreement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff." If Tucker's sources are correct, it appears the commanders on the ground in Iraq are getting tired of "taking fighting directions" from the politician "6,000 miles away" in the White House. And they might not stay quiet for long.

ADMINISTRATION -- JUSTICE OFFICIALS DETAIL MONICA GOODLING'S PARTISAN WITCH HUNT: Monica Goodling, former counsel to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and former Justice Department liaison to the White House, is viewed as an increasingly pivotal figure in the U.S. Attorney scandal. In his recent testimony to Congress, former Deputy Attorney General Philip Comey said he had "heard rumors" that Goodling was using political criteria in making personnel decisions among non-political, career staff. According to the New York Times, Goodling has let partisanship pervade much of her job as White House liaison. "You have a Monica problem," said a career Justice Department official. "She believes you're a Democrat and doesn't feel you can be trusted." With this partisanship, Goodling has questioned applicants for civil service jobs in the Justice Department with questions ranging from who was their favorite president and Supreme Court justice to "Have you ever cheated on your wife?" "The people who spoke about Ms. Goodling's role at the department, including eight current Justice Department lawyers and staff, did so only on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. Several added that they found her activities objectionable and damaging to the integrity of the department." Goodling's testimony to Congress is considered key in uncovering more details about the U.S. attorney scandal, as she was given "extraordinary authority over the hiring and firing of most non-civil-service employees of the Justice Department" by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. "There's one big wild card that's yet to be thrown into play, and that's Monica Goodling." She is currently under investigation by the DoJ for whether she "improperly assessed the political loyalties of applicants for career assistant U.S. attorney posts." 

CONGRESS -- ALASKA CONGRESSMEN ATTEMPT TO EARMARK 'BRIDGE TO NOWHERE' FOR PERSONAL PROFITEERING: In 2005, Congress defeated the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" earmark spearheaded by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), which would have spent $200 million to connect mainland Alaska to an island home to 50 people. Roll Call reported yesterday that members of Alaska's congressional delegation are persisting in making another bridge in the Alaskan tundra. Their pet project this time is for a bridge in the sparsely populated Knik Arm region, and the earmark "could mean a significant windfall for a number of people close to the Congressional delegation...some of whom purchased land in the area." Both Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Rep. Don Young (R-AK) have several relatives and former aides who own land or stock in companies with property in the Knik Arm region. Most notorious, however, is Stevens, whose underlings stand to make hundreds of thousands of dollars from the bridge, including his former chief of staff and at least two former aides, each of whom owns tens of acres of land in the area. Sen. Stevens's cronyism here is a continuation of years of abuse of power for personal gain. His son, Ben Stevens has received millions of dollars in consulting fees from several of Sen. Stevens' projects (see the list HERE). For example, Sen. Stevens secured more than $10 million in federal aid to put the 2001 Special Olympics Winter Games in Anchorage. Ben Stevens ran those Olympics and received over $700,000 in salary for doing so. Sen. Stevens also helped settle a disputed contract favorable to VECO, an Alaskan oil company which recently pleaded guilty to bribing at least four Alaskan officials, including paying over $200,000 in bribes to Ben Stevens. 

ETHICS -- NOMINEE TO PROTECT CONSUMER SAFETY RECEIVES $150,000 FROM MANUFACTURERS GROUP: On March 1, President Bush nominated Michael Baroody to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which is charged with protecting the public from dangerous consumer products. Baroody is a senior lobbyist at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), "a trade group that opposes aggressive product safety regulation" and "has called for weakening the Consumer Product Safety Commission." Today, the New York Times reports that Baroody will "receive a $150,000 departing payment from the association when he takes his new government job," even though he will be charged with "enforcing consumer laws against members of the association." This "extraordinary payment" will nearly equal the $154,600 salary Baroody will receive as chairman of the commission. NAM often has issues before the CPSC and "recently prevailed on the agency, for instance, to relax the requirements for when companies must notify the agency about defective products." While at NAM, Baroody repeatedly lobbied for looser business regulations, frequently at the expense of public safety. NAM opposes tougher rules regulating asbestos and in 2003, teamed up with the asbestos industry and spent $180,000 opposing asbestos reform legislation. In 2000, NAM successfully killed a bill in the Senate that would have helped reduce safety risks to motorists by requiring tire manufacturers to report accident data and potential defects to the National Highway and Transportation Safety Board. A coalition of consumer groups has come out in opposition to Baroody's nomination.

ETHICS -- REP. MCHENRY ATTACKS PROSECUTOR WHO SUPPORTED HIS CAMPAIGN AS 'POLITICALLY MOTIVATED': CBS News recently reported that a campaign aide to Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) had been indicted on charges of voter fraud. The aide, Aaron Lay, is alleged to have "illegally cast his ballot in two 2004 congressional primary runoffs in which McHenry was a candidate." McHenry barely won the primary campaign, in which Lay served as a political director, by a margin of just 86 votes. Since news of the indictment broke, McHenry and his supporters have attempted to spin the charges, claiming that they are the work of a "politically motivated" district attorney on a partisan witch-hunt. "It's unfortunate that political opponents chose to target this young man in order to attack me," declared McHenry in a statement. His spokesman, Jason Deans, told reporters that the indictment "is the culmination of a three-year smear campaign...this case is much like the Duke Lacrosse case in that a politically motivated district attorney sought an indictment against a young man." McHenry's attempt to spin the story as a "politically motivated" district attorney on "a three-year smear campaign" is difficult to believe. First, the district attorney, Locke Bell, is a Republican and a supporter of McHenry's. Bell told the Charlotte Observer yesterday that he had contributed money and helped host a fundraiser for the congressman. Also, Bell could not have possibly participated in "a three-year smear campaign" against Lay and McHenry, as he only "inherited" the case recently when he became district attorney in January. Gaston County District Attorney Locke Bell is actually a recently elected supporter of McHenry, not a long-time political opponent on a three-year quest to "attack" and "destroy" him. 

NATIONAL SECURITY -- SENATORS QUESTION WHETHER ALBERTO GONZALES LIED UNDER OATH ABOUT NSA WIRETAPPING PROGRAM: Yesterday, a group of senators, led by Russ Feingold (D-WI), sent Attorney General Alberto Gonzales a letter highlighting an apparent lie Gonzales told while testifying under oath last year about the National Security Agency's warrantless spying program. Testifying to Congress in 2006, Gonzales said that there was no "serious disagreement about the program" within the administration, a claim that flies in the face of the extraordinary testimony delivered by former Justice official James Comey on Tuesday. Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee that not only did he threaten to resign if the administration continued the program without Justice Department-approved changes, but that he believed both FBI Director Robert Mueller II and then-Attorney General John Ashcroft were prepared to resign with him, along with all of their top aides. "In light of Mr. Comey's testimony yesterday," the senators asked in the letter, "do you stand by your 2006 Senate and House testimony, or do you wish to revise it?" The Justice Department responded to the inquiry yesterday, saying that it will not retract Gonzales's sworn statement. Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Peter Swire wrote yesterday that the contradiction between Comey and Gonzales's testimonies raises two possibilities: either "Gonzales quite likely made serious mis-statements under oath" or "we would have senior Justice officials confirming that other 'programs' exist for domestic spying." 

ENVIRONMENT -- HURRICANE CHIEF SAYS ADMINISTRATION IS WASTING MILLIONS ON PR CAMPAIGN: National Hurricane Center director Bill Proenza said yesterday that the Bush administration is "spending millions of dollars on a publicity campaign that could be used to plug budget shortfalls hurricane forecasters are struggling with." The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is spending up to $4 million to publicize a 200th anniversary celebration while the agency has cut $700,000 from hurricane research, Proenza said. He told reporters, "No question about it, it is not justified. ... It is using appropriated funds for self promotion." An NOAA spokesman defended the publicity campaign. "It's part of our responsibility to tell the American people what we do," the spokesman said. "It's inaccurate and unfair to just characterize this as some sort of self-celebration." USA Today reports, "The six-month hurricane season begins June 1 and private forecasters are predicting it will be busy, with 17 named storms -- five of them major hurricanes -- expected to form over the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico."

ETHICS -- GONZALES ALLOWS KARL ROVE-PROTEGE TO REMAIN AS U.S. ATTORNEY, EVEN THOUGH HIS TERM HAS EXPIRED: On Jan. 18, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales told the Senate Judiciary Committee, under oath, that he never intended to take advantage of a Patriot Act provision that allows the President to appoint "interim" U.S. attorneys for an indefinite period of time, without Senate confirmation. He promised that "with respect to every United States attorney position in this country, we will have a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed United States attorney." Similarly, on Dec. 15, 2006, Gonzales personally assured Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) that Karl Rove-protege Tim Griffin would face Senate confirmation. Before the Patriot Act was changed in 2005, the Attorney General could appoint interim U.S. attorneys to serve for a maximum of 120 days. After that time period, they needed to receive Senate confirmation or the federal district court in the vacant office's district would name a replacement. Griffin's 120 days were up on April 20, yet the Bush administration has not named a replacement candidate. In early March, Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) said that he was "interviewing candidates to recommend as replacements for Griffin." The Progress Report spoke with Boozman's office, which confirmed that on March 30, the congressman submitted three names to the White House to replace Griffin. His office said that it has not heard from the administration on the state of the process. Griffin remains as the U.S. attorney in Arkansas and has stated that he is ready and willing to serve until the end of President Bush's term. If Gonzales had been serious about installing "a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed United States attorney," he would have replaced Griffin by now. Evidently, he instead plans to "gum to death" the process.

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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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Think Fast   

The search for three missing Americans taken during Saturday's ambush enters its seventh day. "Thousands of soldiers" sifting through the tips from Iraqis "has become the hub of the manhunt." Most have led nowhere -- "deliberately so in some cases, many Americans suspect." The false alarms "highlight the challenge American troops face...in a Sunni stronghold where many residents resent the American presence."

"Sources yesterday identified four additional prosecutors who were considered for termination, bringing to 30 the number of prosecutors who were placed on Justice Department firing lists between February 2005 and December 2006. That accounts for about a third of the nation's 93 U.S. attorney positions. Nine were fired last year."

68: Percentage of Americans who support federal hate crime legislation for gays and lesbians, according to a Gallup poll, including 60 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of weekly churchgoers.

Several senators have urged President Bush to withdraw his nomination of Michael Baroody -- a corporate lobbyist picked to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission -- "saying the candidate was unqualified and the appointment posed insurmountable conflicts of interest." 

"YouTube's co-founders on Thursday challenged the Pentagon's assertion that soldiers overseas were sapping too much bandwidth by watching online videos." Chief Executive Chad Hurley "expressed doubt that soldiers' use of YouTube could have any real effect on the military's massive network."

The House Judiciary Committee passed a controversial lobbying reform bill, but were forced to strip "a two-year moratorium on lobbying by former lawmakers and staff" over bipartisan opposition. The panel also "sidestepped or rejected several other proposals meant to beef up the bill, including a hotly disputed call to force lobbyists conducting grass-roots campaigns to register."

Speaking of Paul Wolfowitz's resignation from the World Bank, a "former colleague who served with Wolfowitz in four administrations said that 'the kinds of problems he got into were predictable for anybody who really knew Paul.'" The source "voiced admiration for his intellect but said Wolfowitz 'couldn't run a two-car funeral.'"

"A bipartisan group of senators is pushing legislation that would force the CIA to release an inspector general's report on the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001." The CIA is the only federal agency to not make a version of such a report public.

While moving around office furniture, Sen. Jon Tester's (D-MT) staff found an "old document." The document, "a citizens' petition in favor of women's suffrage" that dated back to 1910, was turned over to the National Archives. Tester's staffers were a bit bummed when they found out it will remain at the Archives. "We had no idea -- we thought we could just hang it up on the wall," says Tester spokesman Matt McKenna.

The civil lawsuit brought by outed CIA agent Valerie Plame "is expected to face a withering attack this morning at a court hearing in Washington," where attorneys for Vice President Cheney, Scooter Libby and others will urge Judge John Bates -- a Bush appointee and former Ken Starr aide -- that "the case be thrown out."

"Newly declassified data show that as additional American troops began streaming into Iraq in March and April, the number of attacks on civilians and security forces there stayed relatively steady or at most declined slightly, in the clearest indication yet that the troop increase could take months to have a widespread impact on security."

Al Gore will release his new book The Assault on Reason next week. Gore tells Time that he began questioning why "our democracy hasn't responded" to both the climate crisis and the Iraq war. "So I started thinking, What's going on here? ... Our democracy was pushed around by false impressions and wasn't able to hold its focus," he says. "That's the common denominator. Once I'd thought through all of that, I couldn't not write this book."

Filmmaker Michael Moore is "launching his own probe into the U.S. government's investigation of him for making an unauthorized trip to Cuba to film scenes for his latest movie 'SiCKO,'" beginning with a Freedom of Information Act request seeking all documents regarding the investigation.

"The Justice Department on Wednesday told an angry Senate Judiciary Committee chairman it does not have documents described in a subpoena that demands all materials relating to Karl Rove's possible involvement in the U.S. attorney firings. Instead, it said, Rove's lawyer must have them." 

Robert Novak claims that Rove's former aide Susan Ralston "has nothing to say that would cause problems for Rove." But Novak concedes Rep. Henry Waxman's (D-CA) investigation of Rove is causing concern in conservative circles. "One prominent conservative House member who did not want his name used told me, 'We just want it to be over.'"

"Federal funding for abstinence education will likely fall considerably this year" as House commerce committee chairman John Dingell (D-MI) said Wednesday he will "let a $50 million grant program expire on June 30." "Abstinence-only seems to be a colossal failure," Dingell said.

"The Commerce Department's inspector general, who is supposed to look into complaints of wrongdoing by government officials, committed 'egregious violations' of the federal law that protects whistle-blowers by retaliating against two subordinates, a government investigation has concluded."

Former EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman has refused a request by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (R-NY) that she testify about the "government's failure to respond adequately to the environmental crisis in Lower Manhattan" after 9/11.

 CNN's Ed Henry fumbles his big scoop. On Wednesday, when he called attorney Bob Bennett, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz accidentally picked up. Henry recalls, "Just then I heard a gruff voice pick up another extension on the phone line and say abruptly, 'This is Paul Wolfowitz.' I stuttered and stammered -- wait, was this really him?! And when I heard the familiar voice say, 'Hello?' I knew it was indeed Wolfowitz." But Wolfowitz's attorney quickly picked up the line, and the golden opportunity was gone.

"Households are spending about $1,000 more per year for gasoline than they were just five years ago, an 85 percent increase" according to consumer groups' analysis prepared for the House Judiciary Committee. "In the past five years the oil industry has picked consumers pockets for 200 billion in excess profits," said the Consumer Federation of America.

"Nearly two dozen officials who received hefty performance bonuses last year at the Veterans Affairs Department sat on the boards charged with recommending the payments."

"Navy veteran David Miller said that when he checked into the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Iowa City, he didn't realize he would get a hard sell for Christian fundamentalism along with treatment for his kidney stones." Miller, an Orthodox Jew, "said he was repeatedly proselytized by hospital chaplains and staff in attempts to convert him to Christianity during three hospitalizations over the past two years."

"Two federal appeals court judges appeared to support giving detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, access to all the evidence against them when challenging their designation as enemy combatants. The Bush administration proposes to limit detainees' lawyers to the evidence presented to the U.S. military tribunal that made the determination."

"For the first time," the Senate is expected to vote today on measure sponsored by Sen. John Warner (R-VA) "that would force President Bush to report to Congress how he intends to revise U.S. strategy if the Iraqi government fails to meet certain benchmarks."

"Warm temperatures melted an area of western Antarctica that adds up to the size of California in January 2005, scientists report," noting "clear signs that melting had occurred in multiple distinct regions, including far inland and at high latitudes and elevations, where melt had been considered unlikely."

41: Number of Iraqis killed in violence yesterday. At least 125 people were wounded.

"A Texas businessman listed as a major fundraiser for President George Bush has made millions of dollars in profits from a federal reading program that critics say favored administration cronies at the expense of schoolchildren."

Do people love Vice President Cheney more than they love President Bush? In 2006, Cheney received at least 15 presents totaling $21,674, many reflecting his "love of outdoor pursuits." Bush received at least 20 gifts worth just $12,364. Gifts for Bush included "two wooden benches" and "jackets." At Christmas, Bush gave Cheney "$667 worth of instruments to measure temperature, barometric pressure and tides."

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) yesterday defended the decision to place scandal-plagued Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) on the Appropriations Committee. "Where do you draw the line?" Boehner asked. "We do not want a blanket allegation to rise to the level of credibility where we are basing our decisions on it. It's unfair."

"The military system of determining whether detainees are properly held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, includes an unusual practice: If Pentagon officials disagree with the result of a hearing, they order a second one, or even a third, until they approve of the finding," a practice that critics label "do-overs."

"A United Nations human rights official said he was barred from visiting an immigration detention center in New Jersey yesterday. It was the second time he was denied access to an American immigration jail on a weeklong monitoring tour."

"U.S. forces swept up 2,000 prisoners a month in March and April, almost twice the average from the second half of last year." As of the end of March, 20,000 people were crammed into overcrowded Iraqi-run prisons, detention camps, and police stations, where detainees are often tortured.

"U.S. Embassy employees in Iraq are growing increasingly angry over what they say are inadequate security precautions in the heavily fortified Green Zone." Most staff members "still sleep in trailers that one described as 'tin cans' that offer virtually no protection from rocket and mortar fire. The government has refused to harden the roofs because of the cost, one employee said." 

Stretched thin by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the "number of senior captains, or captains closest to promotion, stands at just 51 percent of the Army’s requirements," according to an Army memo.

Shirlington Limousine, the transportation service linked to the Duke Cunningham scandal, "was not qualified to receive" its Homeland Security Department contract and "instead was given an unfair advantage over its competitors by DHS officials," the inspector general has found.

Debate over Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank has "ruptured the bank's governance system so deeply that finance officials in many countries worry that it may be irreparable whatever happens to Mr. Wolfowitz. If he refuses to resign, many said he might find it hard to travel or issue directives. If he leaves, a fight over choosing his successor is sure to erupt."

"Americans get the poorest health care and yet pay the most compared to five other rich countries," according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund.

"It seems the Capitol is now manifestly beyond salvation.The Center for Christian Statesmanship, launched in 1995 to convert members of Congress and their aides to evangelical Christianity, has shuttered its operations in Washington." CQ suggests "the group brought in fewer converts than hungry staffers. Its best-attended Hill function had been its monthly 'Politics and Principle' luncheons, which supplemented evangelical appeals with complimentary sandwiches."

"More than 50 Iraqis died Sunday in bombings, mortar blasts and gunfire. Two U.S. soldiers also were killed, while 4,000 troops scoured an area southwest of Baghdad in search of three soldiers apparently captured after an ambush Saturday that left four U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter dead."

Popular conservative blog RedState.org "will step up its efforts this week to force Republican leaders to pull Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) from the powerful Appropriations Committee."

"The Senate launches a major debate on immigration this week, with shaky prospects for a comprehensive overhaul" that can overcome a conservative filibuster. "Republicans are insisting on rules tougher than those in last year's Senate bill. They want longer waits, bigger fines and a trip home to the country of origin."

1: The number of Iraqi refugees resettled in the United States in April. "The total since the fiscal year started Oct. 1 is 69. At this rate, far from resettling 7,000, the State Department will be lucky to match last year's total of 202."

"The White House confirmed yesterday that the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad is likely to meet in the next several weeks with Iranian officials about stabilizing Iraq, as the administration embraces a tactic outsiders have long recommended as essential to reducing sectarian violence in Iraq." 

New documents" suggest that World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz "understood that his role in ordering a pay increase and promotion for his companion in 2005 might be seen as a conflict of interest but insisted on proceeding anyway."

"Nearly half the U.S. attorneys slated for removal by the administration last year were targets of Republican complaints that they were lax on voter fraud, including efforts by presidential adviser Karl Rove to encourage more prosecutions of election-law violations."

"A Depression-era program to bring electricity to rural areas is using taxpayer money to provide billions of dollars in low-interest loans to build coal plants even as Congress seeks ways to limit greenhouse gas emissions. That government support is a major force behind the rush to coal plants, which spew carbon dioxide that scientists blame for global warming."

"Expanding on his reason for saying at a debate that an employer should be allowed to fire someone for being gay, Tommy Thompson on Saturday blamed a dead hearing aid and his need to use the bathroom." "I was very sick the day of the debate. ? I could not wait until the debate got off so I could go to the bathroom," he said.

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NTERESTING                             

Summer Specials from the USA Shop! 

Get your support for Buying American in gear this summer by visiting the USA Shop to get your Buy American gear and take advantage of summer specials at the same time! 

The second edition of How Americans Can Buy American is available for the special price of just $10…and, for every $10 you spend at the USA Shop (includes shipping costs), you will get your choice of one of three bumper stickers for FREE. 

Bumper Sticker #1: Do You Fly The American Flag? Then Drive an American Car! (traditional red, white and blue colors) 

Bumper Sticker #2: Support the Country you Live in or Live in the Country you Support! (traditional red, white and blue colors) 

Bumper Sticker #3: Buy American! (big white lettering in a deep blue background) 

Already have a copy of How Americans Can Buy American (second edition)? Any purchase of over $10 counts to get your free bumper sticker, including Buy American! T-shirts (white or black), Buy American! hats, etc. 

I’m even reducing the shipping costs so that you’ll spend no more than $30 on shirts and hats if you want all three bumper stickers! Here are some examples: 

* Two Buy American! shirts would normally cost $33.90 with shipping…but for this special offer you’ll pay only $30 and get all three bumper stickers for FREE!  NOTE: Normal prices and shipping costs apply when ordering for just one shirt. 

* Two Buy American! hats would normally cost $36 with shipping…but for this special you’ll pay only $30 and get all three bumper stickers for FREE!  NOTE: Normal prices and shipping costs apply when ordering just one hat. 

* One Buy American! hat and one Buy American! shirt would normally cost $34.95 with shipping…but you’ll pay only $30 and get all three bumper stickers for FREE! 

* One copy of How Americans Can Buy American costs just $10 (FREE shipping), two copies cost just $20 (FREE shipping) and three copies cost just $30 (FREE SHIPPING)…plus, you get your choice of any combination of three bumper stickers for FREE! 

You can mix and match your bumper stickers too! If you like one bumper sticker over another, simply specify any combination on any order! Just send me a follow-up email at roger@howtobuyamerican.com after your order and specify your FREE bumper sticker(s). 

…So you can display your patriotism this summer in many ways at special prices from the USA Shop. 

IMPORTANT: Please ignore the prices listed in the USA Shop order when they do not match the price offers in this email! My webmaster tells me there is no way to arrange any online store to accommodate such a detailed pricing arrangement. This offer may be a little complicated, but displaying your patriotism is not! I want to give my loyal subscribers a way to get some special summer prices and some great bumper stickers for FREE at the same time! You only need to be a subscriber to the “Buy American Mention of the Week” to get access to these special offers. This offer is not available to non-subscribers. Offer ends May 31, 2007. 

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 and has been quoted in the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and US News & World Report among many other publications.

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Drug Companies Can’t Quit 

George Kourpias, president of the Alliance for Retired Americans, a 3-million member grassroots advocacy organization for current and future retirees, describes the latest outrage by the nation’s big drug companies. Kourpias is a former president of the Machinists.

The big drug companies are at it again.

Twice in the past few weeks, they’ve persuaded enough U.S. senators to stop two common-sense ways to lower prescription drug costs.

The first of these would have repealed the sweetheart deal these corporations have. One prohibits Medicare from negotiating bulk discounts from drug manufacturers. Every consumer understands that you pay less when you buy in bulk.   

Act Two took place last week when many of these same senators then proceeded to effectively block seniors from purchasing safe drugs made in other countries.  

 In both instances, the Bush administration threatened to veto any measure that would lower the skyrocketing cost of medicine and curb outrageous profiteering by the drug industry.  

The 49 senators who were enough to stop any meaningful drug importation received about $5 million in campaign contributions from pharmaceutical industry executives and political action committees, according to the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity. 

The drug industry spent $855 million on lobbying between 1998 and 2006, more than any other single industry, the center noted.

As political analyst David Sirota says:

 The sheer disregard for the truth and for consistency when it came to both the policy and politics of this vote was, in a word, stunning.

The results? Americans continue to pay the highest drug prices in the world. Medicare drug premiums are up 13 percent over the past year. Prices are nearly 7 percent higher since December for the 10 most-prescribed brand name medications under Medicare private plans.

No wonder The New York Times recently noted the new Part D prescription drug law:

 is proving to be a financial windfall larger than even the most optimistic Wall Street analysts had predicted. 

It seems that a lot of the money drug companies do not spend on lobbying goes straight into the CEOs’ wallets. 

According to compensation data recently released, the head of Wyeth took home $32.8 million in 2006.  The compensation for a few other CEOs: Abbott Laboratories, $26.9 million; Pfizer, $19.4 million; and Baxter, $13.5 million. 

It is time that big corporations stop profiting so handsomely at the expense of seniors who struggle to afford their prescription drugs. 

This is no time for activists to give up hope.  Instead, it is time for both retirees and current workers to redouble their efforts to make sure their elected officials stand up for the health of their constituents, rather than the health of the big drug companies.

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