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LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of June 3, 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 General 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

 

Mitch McConnell drafts plan to prevent poor, black, and elderly from voting in 2008, Matt Gunterman

Senator Mitch McConnell is so frightened by the thumping that Republicans are going to get at the hands of voters in 2008 that he’s willing to disenfranchise major sections of the American electorate just to prevent people he considers to be “undesirables” from voting (those undesirables would be anyone who votes for Democrats).

The oversight of the Bush administration that Democrats are providing in the Congress these days has all but paralyzed Karl Rove’s agenda to disenfranchise these same people, so McConnell has undoubtedly agreed to take up the Republicans’ broader plan to limit their electoral losses by limiting who can vote in 2008.

Here’s what the president of the National League of Women Voters in a press release had to say about McConnell’s tragic effort to undermine democracy.

League of Women Voters President Denounces Voter ID Amendment

WASHINGTON, May 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — National League president Mary G. Wilson today strongly denounced an amendment proposed by Senator Mitch McConnell (R KY) that would require all voters to show photo ID at the polls beginning January 1, 2008.

“Senator McConnell’s amendment represents a cheap political trick to keep legal, eligible voters out of the electoral process. Photo ID requirements disproportionately stifle the voices of people of color, the elderly, young people, and others. By tying a photo ID requirement to an already-contentious immigration bill, Senator McConnell is merely attempting to rouse the fears of the American people right before the beginning of one of the most patriotic American holiday weekends.”

“This type of political manipulation has absolutely no place in American democracy.”

“This amendment demonstrates that some lawmakers have become shameless in their efforts to manipulate the election process AND the hearts and souls of the American people for political gain. Our nation has spent most of the last century breaking down barriers to citizen voter participation and the right to vote,” concluded Wilson. “League members will continue to do what it takes to protect eligible voters from new, discriminatory obstacles in the 21st Century and we hope that the silent majority in this country will join us in denouncing tactics such as this.”

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Membership in the League is open to men and women of all ages.

League of Women Voters

CONTACT: Maggie Duncan of League of Women Voters, +1-202-263-1332, mduncan@lwv.org Web site: http://www.lwv.org/

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To The Courier-Journal’s Readers’ Forum: 

McConnell’s Correction 

In the latest resistance to Congress Democrats’ changing President Bush’s status quo in the Iraq War, Senator Mitch McConnell says the “handwriting is on the wall,” and a “course correction” will come from Bush in September. Wait a minute. The Republicans in Congress have been rigidly resisting any Democratic attempt to stop this disaster. Why is McConnell now resorting to hair-splitting rhetoric to distance his “course correction” from the Democrats’ changing course? Why in May is McConnell bragging that Bush will lead the way with a plan in September? 

Why wait till September when increasing numbers of American soldiers are dying daily? Obviously, “course correction” is face-saving jargon for exiting. Bush’s “course correction” is five-years overdue. This week we learned from an Intelligence Committee that Bush was specifically warned—before the war—that this exact debacle awaited him in Iraq. Bush arrogantly invaded Iraq anyway. Now, McConnell again serves as Bush’s fall-out water boy.  

Why wait till September? That should be the question asked of Republicans who again wave the flag and credit themselves for “supporting our troops” who are dying to give Bush political cover. 

Michael Gregoire

1832 Eastern Parkway #4

Louisville, Kentucky 40204

502-456-0481

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Jeff Noble on his Blog, http://ohioriver606.blogspot.com/, writes this:

The president (and those in his administration) have conveniently used the events of September 11, 2001 as an avenue to circumvent the other branches of government and the Constitution. (A note here to be fair: the Congress abdicated their responsibilities in a vote and have yet to reclaim their rightful role in the operation of the Union). Last month, on May 9, 2007, the president took that circumvention to a new high (or low). I am referring to NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/NSPD 51 and HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/HSPD-20, which I've linked to below. You should take a moment to visit this White House site and read about the possible future of the leadership of our Republic. Specifically, under Definitions read (2)(g) where the functions of the three branches are rolled into one - then further under Implementation Actions read paragraphs 6 through 10, which are alarming, to say the least. The legislative and judicial branches, under this Executive Oder, will be overseen by an appointee of the Chief of Staff to the president. State, local, territorial, and tribal governments, as well as the private sector will be controlled by the Secretary of Homeland Security. And who gets to decide when such an order might be put into use and administration? Section 12 assigns that to the President of the United States and no one else.

This should scare you. It does me. I've written before about the possibility that Bush and his ilk will not give up control of the government just because an election was held. After all, they took over the government in 2001 despite the results of an election in 2000 that indicated they had lost, not won. Do you feel they will have any more respect for an election held in 2008 than the one held in 2000? You may find this entry a little hard to accept as serious. I understand that. But the groundwork is being laid. We should at least keep an eye on the contractors doing the work. Again, the link to these Executive Orders is below.

January 20, 2009 can not come fast enough. But, what then?

Click Here to read Executive Order:
 

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THE STENCH OF CORPORATE WELFARE, Posted by Jim Hightower

Big corporations seems to be doing awfully well these days, scooping up record profits, getting massive tax breaks from the federal government, and cutting back on their employees. They're wallowing in wealth!

So, I ask you: Why do our cities and states keep funneling billions of dollars worth of corporate welfare to them every year? Governors, legislators, and mayors wail that they don't have the funds for such basics as schools, health care, and potholes... yet they try to out-do each other in offering the fattest tax breaks to the richest entities in our land.

Texas is one of the worst. My state routinely opens our public treasury in a whorish effort to attract corporate greedheads to move here. Now, a bill in the legislature would throw our tax dollars at even more of these roving corporate thrill seekers. And, get this: to make Texas even more alluring, the bill lowers the state's wage standards, allowing these giants to grab our favors while cutting the wages they must pay nearly in half!

This thing is stinkier than a skunk farm, yet the sponsors try to perfume it with the old flim flam that the tax giveaways will create: JOBS! There's one little flaw in that promise: no state agency even audits the giveaway program! So no one knows whether the promised jobs are ever delivered or whether the corporations pay anywhere near middle-class wages.

Add to this absurdity another one, which is that nearly all corporations admit that they really don't base their relocation decisions on whether or not they get a juicy tax break. Things like an area's weather, life style, cultural offerings, education, and job skills are more important.

This is Jim Hightower saying... Of all the crying needs that states and cities should be funding, corporate welfare is dead last. To learn how you can help stop these shameful giveaways, call Good Jobs First: 202-232-1616 or goodjobsfirst.org.

"Tax breaks for firms could expand," Austin American-Statesman, April 9, 2007
"Tax breaks should be employed wisely," Austin American-Statesman, April 11, 2007

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  Nothing this week.

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DAILY GRILL       

"The level of sectarian violence is an important indicator of whether or not the strategy that we have implemented is working. Since our operation began, the number of sectarian murders has dropped substantially." -- President Bush, 5/10/07

VERSUS

Q: Mr. President, are you surprised by reports today from the Iraqis that sectarian killings are actually on the rise to pre- troop surge levels? [...]
BUSH: Yes, I'm -- there's -- certainly there's been an uptick in violence. It's a snapshot. It's a moment. -- Bush, 5/24/07

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"I'm pleased that finally the board did accept that I acted in good faith and acted ethically." -- World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, 5/28/07

VERSUS

"World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz broke bank rules in arranging a hefty compensation package for his girlfriend, a situation that has caused a 'crisis in the leadership' at the institution, according to a report released...by a special bank panel." -- AP, 5/14/07

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"With this new effort, the United States will more aggressively enforce existing sanctions against Sudan's government. ... And I promise this to the people of Darfur: The United States will not avert our eyes from a crisis that challenges the conscience of the world." -- President Bush, 5/29/07

VERSUS

"The purpose of these sanctions is not sanctions." -- U.S. ambassador to Sudan Andrew Natsios, 5/29/07

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Quotes of the Day   

Think  About This One!!!  It is short but very  interesting!
 
A  car company can move it's factories to  Mexico  and claim it's a free market.
 
A  toy company can out source to a Chinese subcontractor and claim it's a  free market.
 
A  shoe company can produce its shoes in south east Asia and claim it's a free market.
 
A  major bank can incorporate in Bermuda  to avoid taxes and claim it's a free  market.
 
We  can buy HP Printers made in  Mexico.   We can buy shirts made in  Bangladesh.   We can purchase almost anything we want from 20 different countries.
 
BUT,  heaven help the senior citizens who dare to buy their prescription drugs  from a Canadian or Mexican pharmacy.  That's called un  -American!  And you think the pharmaceutical companies don't have a  powerful lobby?  Think again!
 
Forward  this to every person you know over age 50.  It is an interesting  thought.  Maybe this is an issue that should come up in the next  election! 
  
 Forget  the 50, send it to everyone. We're all in this boat together!  Even  if you aren't in this boat now, you're standing on the  pier.   

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Recent Senate Votes 

 

Supplemental Appropriations bill - Vote Agreed to (80-14, 6 Not Voting)

The Senate approved this $120 billion bill funding military operations in Iraq.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted YES

Sen. Jim Bunning voted YES

 

Recent House Votes 

 

Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act - Vote Passed (284-141, 7 Not Voting)

This House bill would allow the President to declare an energy emergency for a specific period of time and make the sale of gasoline at "unconscionably excessive" prices a federal offense.

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

 

Lobbying Transparency Act - Vote Passed (382-37, 13 Not Voting)

This bill would require lobbyists to disclose the names of donors when they "bundle" campaign contributions to Members of Congress.

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

 

Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (396-22, 1 Present, 13 Not Voting)

This House bill would institute new lobbying reporting requirements and increase penalties for violating lobbying rules.

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

 

Supplemental Appropriations bill, Amendment No. 1 - Vote Passed (348-73, 12 Not Voting)

The House split the emergency supplemental spending bill into two parts, with this first part including the domestic spending and minimum wage hike portions of the bill.

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

 

Supplemental Appropriations bill, Amendment No. 2 - Vote Passed (280-142, 11 Not Voting)

The House approved the $103 billion portion of the supplemental spending bill that funds military operations in Iraq.

Rep. John Yarmuth voted NO

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

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The Coleridge-Taylor Blazers meet John Yarmuth at the Capitol.

The Coleridge-Taylor Blazers meet with Congressman John Yarmuth, Wednesday, May 16th on the Capitol steps after touring the amazing building. 

Approximately 60 5th graders and 30 parents were extremely pleased that Congressman Yarmuth took the time to greet them and have pictures taken with each and everyone of them.  They also were very attentive when the Congressman took the time to tell them about his new job on Capitol Hill. 

Democrats Andrea Crider Derouen and her daughter McKenzie Derouen were on the trip. 

"It was cool to see Congressman Yarmuth in Washington,"  said McKenzie.  "It showed we are important to him by his visit." 

"Coleridge Taylor has been going to Washington, DC for 20 years and this is only the second time our Congressperson has meet us,"  said Sally Gamble, 5th grade teacher.   

"It's great to see someone in office who really cares about his constituents,"  added Derouen.

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HUMOR    

Bush In Line of Fire

ABC's Ann Compton reports: An outdoor news conference in perfect spring weather, with birds chirping loudly in the magnolia trees, is not without its hazards.

As President Bush took a question Thursday in the White House Rose Garden about scandals involving his Attorney General, he remarked, "I've got confidence in Al Gonzales doin' the job."

Simultaneously, a sparrow flew overhead and left a splash on the President's sleeve, which Bush tried several times to wipe off. 

Deputy White House Press Secretary Dana Perino promptly put the incident through the proper spin cycle, telling ABC News, "It was his lucky day...everyone knows that's a sign of good luck."

To watch the video, CLICK HERE.

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"At a press conference somebody finally stood up to Bush ... a bird sh*t on him. Here's what is wrong with this man: he looked at it, and then wiped it off with his bare hand! And this is the guy who doubts that he descended from an ape." --Bill Maher

"Yesterday, at a press conference in the Rose Garden, President Bush was speaking when a bird pooped on him. Apparently, the bird spent the rest of the day high-fiving other birds." --Conan O'Brien

"This week Dick Cheney's daughter, Mary, and her partner, Heather, had a baby boy. Afterwards, Dick Cheney teared up and said, 'I've been asking her to bring a boy home for thirty years'" --Conan O'Brien

"Congress just passed a law against gas station price-gauging. You know how you can tell if a gas station is price gauging? If the sign says 'Open.'" --Jay Leno

"The third largest company for daily oil production is in Mexico. See, this is how we break this immigration deadlock, make everyone sneaking across the border carry just one barrel of oil." --Jay Leno

"Today President Bush lashed back at Jimmy Carter saying, 'Hey, if it wasn't for me, there wouldn't be that many poor people for you to build houses for.'" --Jay Leno

"President Bush was caught driving his truck without a seatbelt on at his ranch, but that's not even the dangerous part, the dangerous part is Dick Cheney was riding shotgun." --Jay Leno

"Giuliani has been paying his wife $10,000 a month to help write his speeches. That's every wife's dream, isn't it? To put words in your husband's mouth, and get paid for it." --Jay Leno

"In a related story, President Bush gives his wife, Laura, $5,000 a month to teach him how to pronounce some of the bigger words in his speeches. ... I'm very happy. I checked today and under the new immigration bill, we can keep Arnold as our governor" --Jay Leno

"Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey's ex-wife said, when she found out her husband was gay, she went to Hillary Clinton for advice. Hillary said, 'Gay? I wish I had your problems'" --Conan O'Brien

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CONGRESS -- HOUSE PASSES ETHICS REFORMS: Yesterday, the House overwhelmingly passed the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 in a vote of 396 to 22. The bill proposes new rules that require campaigns to disclose "'bundled' campaign contributions that lobbyists collect and pass on to lawmakers' campaigns," accelerate the financial reporting cycle from semi-annually to quarterly, and "for the first time lobbyists, not just lawmakers, would be liable for infractions." Open-government watchdog groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and Common Cause welcomed the bill's passage but also argued that lawmakers will "not be held accountable" without "independent, outside ethics enforcement." The New York Times described the bill as "closer to reform" but noted the failure of the House to include a measure to "slow the revolving door" by requiring, as the Senate has proposed, a two-year waiting period before lawmakers can become lobbyists themselves. One lobbyist explained another key failing of the bill, noting that while President Bush has disclosed perhaps the "best public list of major Republican bundlers," fewer than half of the them are "registered federal lobbyists" and are not governed by the new disclosure requirements. The President of Common Cause, Bob Edgar, said in a press release, "[T]here's still a lot of work to do to prove that this Congress is serious about cleaning up Washington." 

ETHICS -- SECRET HOLD BLOCKS OPEN-GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION FROM REACHING SENATE FLOOR: On April 12, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the OPEN Government Act, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). The bill, which has garnered support from more than 100 organizations, would improve the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by reducing "delays in releasing government records requested under FOIA by creating incentives for public officials to comply with the law." The House passed a similar measure earlier this year but the bill was blocked from reaching the Senate floor for a vote yesterday. A "Republican senator called the Minority Leader's office and objected to a vote on the bill, but asked for anonymity and did not publicly state the reason for the hold." "It is both unfortunate and ironic that this bipartisan bill, which promotes sunshine and openness in our government, is being hindered by a secret and anonymous hold," said Leahy in a statement. This is not the first time a secret hold has been used to block open government legislation from reaching the floor. In Aug. 2006, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) put a hold on a bill to create a searchable public database of all federal grants and contracts. Steven's role was revealed only after online public advocates and journalists forced senators to go on the record about whether they placed the hold or not. 

IMMIGRATION -- BUSH ADMINISTRATION CONTINUES TO 'BORROW' IMMIGRATION SECURITY PERSONNEL: Since Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush administration has "doubled the number of officials granted Secret Service protection," while it has hired only "about 20 percent" more "uniformed officers and support staff." The Washington Post reports today that as a result, the Bush administration plans to "borrow more than 2,000 immigration officers and federal airport screeners" to meet personnel requirements during the 2008 presidential election cycle. Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY) criticized the administration's $1.4 billion 2008 Secret Service budget proposal as an attempt to provide Secret Service protection "on the cheap." The Post's report marks the second time in recent weeks that President Bush has planned to siphon off immigration security resources to meet foreseeable personnel requirements elsewhere in his administration. Last week, Govs. Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) and Bill Richardson (D-NM) were outraged to discover that the State Department plans "to hire away as many as 120 veteran Border Patrol agents" to serve as "mentors to train Iraqis" how to secure their own borders. In a joint letter to Bush, Napolitano and Richardson wrote that the plan "makes no sense" and that "we should be focused on supporting our nation's security efforts along the Mexican and Canadian border instead of hampering [the Border Patrol] by sending our best agents to a war zone in Iraq."

ETHICS -- TOP ROVE AIDE CONNECTED TO U.S. ATTORNEY SCANDAL RESIGNS: The Washington Post reported yesterday that Sara M. Taylor, the White House political director and a close aide to Karl Rove, had quietly resigned last week, claiming a desire to "take her skills to the private sector." Taylor, who was one of the first people put on the payroll of President Bush's 2000 campaign, was intimately involved in the U.S. attorney scandal. According to Kyle Sampson, the former chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Taylor directly promoted efforts to appoint attorneys without Senate confirmation. She then got "upset" when the Attorney General ultimately rejected the plan to permanently install former Rove aide Tim Griffin as the Arkansas U.S. attorney, without Senate confirmation. In her appearance before the House Judiciary Committee last week, former Justice Department liason to the White House Monica Goodling "suggested Taylor had signed off on the plan" to fire the U.S. attorneys. Rumors of Taylor's resignation first circulated on March 30, the day after Sampson mentioned her multiple times in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On April 25, the House and Senate Judiciary Committees approved subpoenas for her testimony about the U.S. attorney scandal. 

ETHICS -- CHENEY'S LAWYER ORDERED SECRET SERVICE TO AVOID KEEPING VISITOR LOGS: In Sept. 2006, Shannen W. Coffin, counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney, wrote a letter to the chief counsel of the United States Secret Service (USSS) ordering that the "USSS shall not retain any copy" of documents and information pertaining to visitors to the Vice President's residence. The letter was disclosed last Friday as part of "a lawsuit by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), seeking the identities of conservative religious leaders who visited Cheney at his official residence." The release was "accompanied by an 18-page Secret Service document revealing [that] the agency's long-standing practice has been to destroy printed daily access lists of visitors to the residence." In the letter, Coffin claims logs for Cheney's residence are subject to the Presidential Records Act (PRA), a designation that prevents the public from learning who visited the Vice President. The agreement between the Office of the Vice President and the Secret Service that visitor logs fall under the PRA, and are thus not subject to Freedom of Information Act requests, is similar to an "agreement quietly signed between the White House and the Secret Service a year ago when questions were raised about visits to the executive compound by convicted influence peddler Jack Abramoff." The White House has also previously instructed the Secret Service to destroy visitor logs. "The latest filings make clear that the administration has been destroying documents and entering into secret agreements in violation of the law," said Anne Weisman, CREW's chief counsel.

HEALTH CARE -- FDA REMAINS A 'BROKEN' AGENCY: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is suffering from "growing internal dissension between officials who approve drugs and those who track the safety of drugs after they have been approved." This "dissension" was made public last month when it was revealed that FDA had ignored indications that Avandia, a diabetes pill, "substantially increased the risks of heart attack" in patients. The FDA's "safety group recommended months ago that the drug agency put its severest warning on Avandia." As of yet, no action has been taken. Dr. David Graham, who first discovered Avandia's risks, said that "top agency officials had demanded an unreasonable level of certainty about a drug's risks before agreeing to warn the public" and another FDA doctor said, "Safety is just not a high priority to them." Such safety concerns were also raised yesterday when the FDA reported that "levels of a chemical used to make rocket fuel" -- known as "perchlorate" -- "found in commonly consumed food are not high enough to pose a health risk." The Washington Post reports, however, that current standards adopted in 2005, are "more than 20 times the amount of perchlorate contamination in food found to be safe under previous standards." The Natural Resources Defense Council has opposed the new levels and argues that "new FDA estimates show that some food items 'come perilously close to what EPA considers an unsafe level.'" Members from both houses of Congress have pledged to address both of these issues in the coming weeks.

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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  

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) blames U.S. troop deaths on Congress's Iraq debate. "Al-Qaida knows that we've got a lot of wimps in Congress," DeMint said at a luncheon Tuesday. "I believe a lot of the casualties can be laid at the feet of all the talk in Congress about how we've got to get out, we've got to cut and run." He later added that while Iraq has "gone badly and it's a mess, it would have been worse if we hadn't gone in."

"The United States is among the least peaceful nations in the world, ranking 96th between Yemen and Iran, according to an index of 121 countries." Iraq ranks last.

President Bush "is under pressure from European allies to give ground on climate change at next week's meeting of the world's richest countries, but policy experts say prospects for a breakthrough are slim."

"Twenty months after its depleted ranks of soldiers and airmen were pressed into service for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Louisiana National Guard still lacks hundreds of military troop trucks that can handle high water as it faces a new storm season that begins Friday." The culprit, they say, is Iraq.

The Supreme Court ruling this week "in favor of an Alabama employer that had underpaid a female employee for years" is effectively "gutting a key part of the Civil Rights Act," The New York Times writes. "Fortunately, Congress can amend the law to undo this damaging decision." House Education and Labor Committee chairman George Miller (D-CA) and others have announced plans to do just that. 

Global warming is shrinking the Great Lakes, New Scientist reports. "Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water in the world by surface area, is experiencing its lowest water levels since the record set in 1926."

"A NATO helicopter on a night mission crashed late yesterday in southern Afghanistan, killing all seven service members aboard in what officials believe was a coordinated attack in an area known for aggressive Taliban fighting."

"A Sunni police chief praised by U.S. forces for clearing his city of insurgents has been arrested following an investigation into alleged murder, corruption and crimes against the Iraqi people, the U.S. military said Wednesday."     

"You go to the club with the yacht you have..." Now that Donald Rumsfeld is no longer Defense Secretary, he has time for his "other hobbies" -- skiing, squash, and yachting. He and his wife have joined the Miles River Yacht Club in St. Michaels, MD, which is "considered one of the more exclusive boating clubs on the Eastern Shore." But the Examiner notes that Rumsfeld will likely do little yachting because his "membership is mainly for socializing."

Eight U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq on Memorial Day yesterday, "making May the deadliest month of the year for U.S. troops in Iraq."

"Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has withdrawn his name from consideration for World Bank president." Former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Paul Wolfowitz.

Even though "major Hispanic groups broke with other civil rights organizations and supported Alberto R. Gonzales's nomination for attorney general" two years ago, those same groups are now calling for his resignation. Janet Murguia, head of the National Council of La Raza, called Gonzales "a follower, not a leader."

Announcing new economic sanctions against Sudan's government, President Bush this morning called the bloodshed in Darfur a "genocide." The administration's measures are considered "too weak and too unilateral to significantly alter the calculations of the government of Sudan."

War critic Cindy Sheehan, who rose to prominence when she camped outside Bush's Crawford ranch in Aug. 2005 to seek an explanation for her son's death in Iraq, wrote in a diary entry on DailyKos yesterday: "This is my resignation letter as the 'face' of the American anti-war movement. ... I am going to take whatever I have left, and go home. I am going to go home and be a mother to my surviving children, and try to regain some of what I have lost."

Climate change is a global problem that requires unity and "multilateral" agreements if it is to be defeated, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said on Tuesday. On Monday, Pelosi led a congressional delegation to Greenland, where lawmakers saw "firsthand evidence that climate change is a reality." (The Gavel has photos of the trip.)

A USA Today analysis finds that the federal government "recorded a $1.3 trillion loss last year -- far more than the official $248 billion deficit -- when corporate-style accounting standards are used." Every U.S. household owes an amount roughly equal to $516,348.

19: Number of times President Bush referenced al Qaeda during his hour-long press conference yesterday. "There was no evidence that Osama bin Laden was responsible" for the bird droppings that landed on Bush, but "just about everything else that came up during the hour-long news conference was traced to bin Laden's terrorist network."

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "voted at least three times Thursday in the Senate after missing more than a month of votes to campaign for a presidential bid." The only Senator to miss more votes than McCain "is Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), who's recovering from a brain hemorrhage."

"The system for delivering badly needed gear to Marines in Iraq" has failed to meet over 90 percent of the "urgent requests for equipment from troops in the field." Among the items held up "were a mine resistant vehicle and a hand-held laser system."

Under pressure from watchdog groups, the Air Force and Army "partially distanced themselves yesterday from a three-day evangelical Christian event this weekend at a Georgia theme park." The group sponsoring the event bills its purpose as "sharing the fullness of life in Jesus Christ with all US military, military veterans, and families."

"Farmers in southern Iraq have started to grow opium poppies in their fields for the first time, sparking fears that Iraq might become a serious drugs producer along the lines of Afghanistan."

A NYT/CBS poll finds "broad support among Americans -- Democrats, Republicans and independents alike -- for the major provisions" in the new immigration legislation, including giving undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship and the creation of a guest worker program.

"Sallie Mae executives met with Bush administration budget officials in December, less than two months before the company chairman sold $18.3 million of Sallie Mae stock. Three days after the sale, President Bush unveiled a budget that included unexpectedly large cuts to lending subsidies, after which the company’s shares plummeted."

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has put forth a new proposal focused on reigning in health care costs, putting the emphasis on prevention -- "keeping people well rather than spending more later on treatment when they are sick." In Oct. 2006, the Center for American Progress released a detailed plan to create a "Wellness Trust" that would "prioritize prevention in the U.S. health system."

Iraqi cleric Moktada al-Sadr "has quietly returned to southern Iraq after a four-month sojourn in Iran," possibly to "strengthen his position in anticipation that provincial elections may be held next year."

Lower-income consumers are hit the hardest by rising fuel prices, according to a new report by the Center for American Progress. "They cut vacations, gifts, dinners out, and savings -- or, more likely, run up bigger credit card balances, say the authors."

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INTERESTING    

 

PHOTOS: The $592 Million U.S. Embassy In Iraq

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Ex-federal prosecutor seeks 3rd District House seat
GOP's Erwin Roberts challenges Yarmuth, By Tom Loftus, The Courier-Journal

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Republican Erwin Roberts, a former assistant U.S. attorney and top official of the Fletcher administration, announced yesterday that he will run next year for the 3rd District congressional seat held by Democrat John Yarmuth.

In response to Roberts' announcement, Yarmuth released a statement that said in part, "If I continue to work hard and deliver, I am confident that the people of Louisville will again grant me the honor of representing them in Congress."

Roberts holds a bachelor's degree from Transylvania University and a law degree from the University of Kentucky.

He has never run for office. But his career in public service includes 4½ years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Western District of Kentucky, as well as stints in the Fletcher administration as director of homeland security and secretary of the Personnel Cabinet.

Roberts was Fletcher's personnel secretary when a whistleblower's complaint triggered an investigation into allegations that the administration had illegally awarded civil service jobs on the basis of politics rather than qualifications.

That investigation produced indictments of Fletcher and 14 known defendants, as well as 14 sealed indictments. Fletcher pardoned others, and the misdemeanor charges against him were dropped when he admitted to strong evidence of wrongdoing in his administration's hiring practices.

Roberts was identified by prosecutors as an un-indicted co-conspirator in one court filing. And he asserted his Fifth Amendment right in declining to testify before the grand jury.

Another Republican considering the race, is real estate developer Chris Thieneman

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Creation Museum Opens with Fanfare and Conservatives Attack Scientist Copernicus 

With the new multimillion dollar Creation Museum in Kentucky being promoted by the conservative statewide Family Foundation political organization in Lexington you might wonder how they got so much free publicity.  Claiming the Earth is 6,000 years old, global warming as a myth, and that all children should laugh at evolution theory or other ridiculous notions of science would tend to get you in the news and sell your product.  Its great marketing. 

The Family Foundation of Kentucky publishes “voter guides” and newspaper inserts for churches here in Kentucky and almost always supports any Republican.  The largest church offering their publication in our area is Southeast Christian Church (SECC) in Jefferson County through their own large newspaper.  The Family Foundation lobbies state legislators with tenacity and defames them if they are not ultra-conservative. 

Now, conservative leaders have found a new backlash opportunity. Something worse than evolution!  The astronomer and Catholic cleric Copernicus whom you read about in school is now being ridiculed just like Al Gore.  That’s right; the scientist whose mathematical theory proved that the earth revolves around the sun like other planets is the new target.  Conservative leaders are now certain that since the Bible states in Psalm 93:1 that “the world also is established, that it cannot be moved.” (King James Version), something is very anti-Christian about the scientific assertion that the earth rotates or goes around the sun.  On the conservative website www.fixedearth.com you will see that people only believe the earth revolves around the sun and spins on its axis giving us night and day because of occult mathematics and hi-tech fraud.  The Earth is in fact fixed because it is right there in black and white written in the Bible according to the conservative fundamentalists. 

Worse, they complain, is that our taxpayer funded space agency NASA is promoting this evolution theory including the heresy the Creator of all things are- gasses. They are railing against NASA because they say NASA believes that God is a gas.  As in Big Bang.  If somebody would explain to the conservatives that NASA has a big operation in Republican locked Texas, they might stop calling NASA anti-Bible. 

As a Christian myself, the conservative Republicans don’t speak for me, but when powerful Republican U.S Senators like James Inhofe of Oklahoma are cited as experts on these topics on their popular website, I begin to worry about who’s looking out for the ordinary citizens?  

-Guest Writer and Local Elected Official

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