Israeli-Palestinian Ceasefire under Threat

Scientists Fudged Nuke Waste Data, Won't Testify

Testing Pesticides on Babies, EPA Forced to Stop

The Anti-War Pope

Waxman Probes Legality of Bush Social Security Trips

Unchecked Lobbyists Thrive in the Shadows

During the next few weeks, the integrity of our democracy might well lie in the hands of New Hampshire voters. The radical Republican bid to seize absolute power to appoint extreme judges (using a parliamentary maneuver known as the "nuclear option") is nearing a final showdown in the Senate.

Democrats are standing united, but to win we must secure at least 6 votes from moderate Republicans. In the end, it will all probably come down to one or two final swing votes—and those votes may well come from Senators Judd Gregg and John Sununu.

Senators Gregg and Sununu are under intense pressure from the Republican leadership, and they need to hear from you today. We've set a national one-day goal of 25,000 calls, but participation in New Hampshire is extremely important. If you call today, your voice will combine with thousands of others to have a huge impact. Please call right now:

Senator Judd GreggDC Phone: 202-224-3324
Senator John SununuDC Phone: 202-224-2841

from Moveon.org

"If Tony Blair is inviting the Kerry consultants over to give him advice, he's halfway home to being ousted. And in fact, the best thing for the Lib Dems (which is whom most of us here are rooting for) is for the Conservatives to do surprisingly, even shockingly well at beating Labour"

Entire story at MyDD Blog click here

DLC Democrats! These are the democrats that make you ashamed to be a democrat. These are the democrats that people site when they say that voting doesn’t matter. These are the democrats that people point to when they say that all politicians are in the pocket of large corporations.

Basically the DLC is the part of democratic party that want to cash in on corporate money like the republicans do. The difference is that DLC democrats do it but betraying core democratic principals and republicans have no principals to betray.

Recently we have seen a beautiful glimmer of hope rise up to out shine the business as usual politics. It has been the arising of the grassroots. [Moveon.org, Howard Dean, Bloggers, etc.] They have proven that you and I, the people, will come out if we are given non DLC corperate whore candidates, AND that there are enough of us that our little under-a-$100 donations can equal or beat corporate funding.

Besides being corperate whores, and betraying core democratic principals, the DLC strategists have lost the democrats BOTH the house and the senate. The got away with this because they had Clinton. Now they don’t and many DLC politicians have lost political office. Now there failures are exposed to everyone. Yet they are still trying to hang on to power. They have even attacked viciously Howard Dean, Moveon.org, and even Michael Moore for some reason.

Another way the DLC is trying to SLEEZE their way back to power is by taking credit for popular democratic leaders that they have nothing to do with.

Here is a story about that from DailyKos.

Most people know that Wal-Mart hurts local businesses, by intentionally running them out of business with it’s low prices.

Some people know that Wal-Mart hurts consumers by raising it’s prices as soon as it run’s all the other businesses into the ground.

A few people may even know that it also hurts local communities when, after it runs all the local businesses out of business, it closes it’s stores. Often times after getting the local communities to foot the bill for the costs of construction of the building and roads for the Wal-Mart store.

What many people don’t know is that WE, the tax payers are subsidizing those low prices. They pay their workers SO poorly and have such HORRIBLE health care benefits that most of their employee most resort to public assistance programs to survive.

CEO Lee Scott explained Wal-Mart’s health care was so dismal that employees were better off living off of the state:

“There are government assistance programs out there that are so lucrative it’s hard to be competitive, and it’s expensive to be competitive.”

Get the entire story from the Think Progress Blog

States have been suing Wal-mart to make them either PAY their employees enough to live or pay the states back for all the money they spend making up the difference. This is the same sort of reasoning behind the states suing the cigarette companies. Studies showed that the states, and therefore the tax payers, were picking up the health care tab for all these smokers smoking related health problems. Like wise we the tax payers are paying to subsidize Wal-Mart’s low prices by picking up the cost of living and health care for their underpaid employees.

Barabara Boxer continues to make us all proud to be Democrats!!

"Senator Boxer was the star of yesterday’s confirmation hearing for Stephen Johnson, Bush’s nominee to lead the EPA. She dug up information on a little-known program being sponsored by the EPA and the American Chemistry Council in Duval County, Florida.

The program targets low-income African-American families and asks parents to videotape their children crawling around a pesticide-infested environment (their homes). Scientists watch the tapes and regularly test the babies for pesticide exposure. In return, the families can keep the video camera and are paid $970 over two years.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC), which numbers many pesticides manufacturers among its members, is paying $2 million to help sponsor this study.

Sen. Boxer responded to Johnson’s affirmation that the program had been suspended but not cancelled by saying, “… you should pull the plug on that program tomorrow and if you don’t, I’m going to do everything in my disposal to make that happen.” A single senator can hold up Johnson’s confirmation, and from Boxer’s remarks it appears that she is ready to take this one all the way. "

from the Think Progress Blog Click her for the full story

Most of use know by now that Bush is going around the county trying to find buyers for his Social Security Snake Oil. Most of use are taking comfort in the fact that by now almost EVERYONE knows it's snake oil and no ones buying. True, maybe but guess who is paying for his little "Bamboozlepalooza Tour". WE ARE!

'The Washington Post says that the Bamboozlepalooza Tour "may be one of the most costly in memory, well into the millions of dollars, according to some rough, unofficial calculations." And even Republicans on the Hill seem to be getting concerned.

from talking points memo blog click here for the whole story

"STAFF COSTS BETWEEN $22,000 AND $59,000 PER EVENT, AIR FORCE
ONE COSTS ABOUT $55,000 PER HOUR!!"

from David Sirota's Sirotablog check it out for the more disturbing figures.

US May Be Holding Iraqi Women Hostage

CIA Leak Case Hits Dead End

Homeland Insecurity: Nuclear Plants Open to Attack

Santorum: Frist Will Go Nuclear

I bust on them when they lay down I should give them a knod when they take a stand:

Ok, bush has been saying that there is nothing in the social security trust but useless IOUs. Never mind that this is because he took all the surplus to give tax breaks to the ultra rich. Well those useless IOUs are actually US Treasury Bonds. A special kind of US treasury bond "This is the most privileged of Treasury bonds issued to Social Security, redeemable at any time at full face value, unlike any other bond that they issue. "

This an incredible speech from DeFazio Representative from Oregon:

But the President did say today something extraordinary, in Parkersburg, West Virginia, and suggested something unconscionable. The President said, ``There is no trust fund.'' And then he went on to suggest that our Nation might not honor its debt to Social Security. This is what the President said does not exist. Let me read from this. This is a Social Security Trust Fund bond, considered the best investments in the world, U.S. Treasury Bond. This is the most privileged of Treasury bonds issued to Social Security, redeemable at any time at full face value, unlike any other
bond that they issue.

These are the most privileged of their bonds. The President says it is nothing but an IOU. Well, here is what it says: This bond is incontestable in the hands of the Federal Old Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund. The bond is supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. And the United States is pledged to the payment of the bond with respect to both principal and interest.

The President questions that? He is questioning whether we are going to repay our most privileged debt to Social Security. We have $7.9 trillion of debt. He is adding to it at a record rate, borrowing $1.3 million a minute. Who is he saying we are going to repay and not repay?

Are we going to repay the Chinese but not the Social Security Trust Fund? Are we going to repay President Bush, he happens to have some U.S. Treasury Bonds in his personal portfolio, but not the Social Security Trust Fund? Are we going to repay other wealthy investors around the world and in the U.S., but not the Social Security Trust Fund? We are going to selectively default on our debt.

Suggesting something like that, if the bond markets believed the President, the dollar would drop to near zero tomorrow, and there would be an economic catastrophe, but they do not believe him. They know this is just politics and rhetoric on his part. There is no intention of the Government of the United States defaulting on its debt.

Read the entire thing at Atrios Blog



Another good one from Pelosi:

'And what [Bush] is saying now to the American worker: "We will honor our debt to the Chinese and the Japanese, but we are treating you differently. We are not honoring our debt to you."

Read More at the DailyKos


But I can't let that be said without this:

"Republicans like Lieberman more than Dems" - More at DailyKos

# posted by Jon Easton : 9:30 PM  0 comments

Stop the Republicans from Killing the Filabuster

Stand with Senate Democrats against this Republican abuse of power: Click Here.
- Democrats.gov

See the ad - and count yourself among those personally supporting its message. Click Here
- John Kerry

Help get rid of Delay

Ask your Representative to stand up against Tom DeLay’s abuses.
- True Majority

Please sign our petition urging Congress to remove DeLay from his leader post at the link below.
-Moveon.org

Stop the nomination of William Myers III

William Myers III, a former mining industry lobbyist, is President Bush's nominee for a court that's supposed to help protect the beautiful, scenic areas in America's West. And if we want to keep the West wild, we need to act quickly.
- League of Conservation Voters

Tell congress that we need an exit strategy with a timeline.

As it considers another $82 billion for Iraq, Congress needs to insist that America has an exit strategy from Iraq with a timeline, that we do not construct permanent bases in Iraq and that we end war profiteering by corporations. Please sign our petition urging Congress to act today.
- Moveon.org

Republican Senator Fans Flames of Courthouse Violence

Military Recruiters Targeting Minority Teens

FBI Wants Greater Search Powers

9/11 Aftershocks Hit Canada, Mexico Travel Rules

The minutemen vigilante border patrol is fizzling out nicely. It’s kind of fun to watch these right wingnutters fall on their face while they also piss off everyone [the border patrol and local towns]. We have to give credit to the mainstream media for pumping up this spectacle. Let’s just hope no one gets hurt. Check out Marc Cooper's Blog for the story.

Speaking of illegal immigration…. It turns out illegal immigrants pay as much as 7 BILLION per year toward social security [yet as you know they draw no benefits]. which means they are hugely responsible for the solvency of social security. Furthermore a NY Times article states:

While it has been evident for years that illegal immigrants pay a variety of
taxes, the extent of their contributions to Social Security is striking: the
money added up to about 10 percent of last year's surplus - the difference
between what the system currently receives in payroll taxes and what it doles
out in pension benefits.

More then any republican scheme illegal immigrants are “bolstering” social security. I thought they were only responsible for cheap strawberry.

Fourth man indicted in Republican phone-jamming scheme

There was an article in "The American Prospect" about how the protest movement is hurting liberals. This blog debunks that assertion and shines lights on the real reasons why it is being made. This is a good argument to counter all those people who think good politcs is quitely and respectfully stating policy. It reminds me of the times when I have tried to take part in political action only to be told by some organizational type to modify my actions to what they considered appropriate levels. [no hand made signs, be nice to reporters, etc]

Here is a quote from the blog:

I don't know who this group of hippie protester strawmen are in Kevin
Mattson's cautionary tale in this months Prospect, but I've not had the pleasure. I don't think there exists a vast number of nostalgic baby boomers and utopian youngsters out there who are planning to launch another Summer of Love, unless he's specifically talking about the anti-Iraq war protests, which of course, he is, but won't admit it. That's because those war protesters weren't trying to hop on
a nostalgic magic carpet ride back to the days of Hanoi Jane, they were
participating in a worldwide protest about a very specific unjust war being
launched by an illegitimate president --- a war which the "fighting liberals"
like he and Peter Beinert foolishly endorsed.

Here is another:

My instinctive reaction to this entire line of paranoid ramblings about the
wild and crazy lefites making a big scene and ruining everything is that if this
guy thinks that a bloodless, wonkish liberalism is ever going to compete with
the right wing true believers he's got another thing coming. American liberalism
grew out of a passionate progressivism and a worldwide union movement, both of
which featured plenty of "protest politics" in their day. And if he thinks that
the modern GOP's political might hasn't drawn much of its power from pulpits and
talk radio demagoguery, then he hasn't been paying attention. Nobody does
political theatre better than the right wing.

And another:

I don't know where this vast horde of reborn hippies worshipping at the feet of
Jerry Rubin are but I do not see them. What I do see is modern political
activism that is demanding change in modern ways. It seems to me that it isn't
"the left" that is nostalgic for the past, it's these centrists who for reasons
I cannot fathom have decided that their grandfather's political methods are the
ticket to political dominance in the 21st century.

Read the whole thing here

Bush's NRA Friends Let Terrorists Buy AK-47s

Oil Prices Race to All-Time Peak

Your Social Security Number on Sale for $35

Rebels Hit Abu Ghraib, 44 American Casualties

Panel: US Ignored Work of UN Arms Inspectors

Did Bolton Try to Intimidate Spies?

Will brought this topic up with a post about SB30. I found this great link while doing some research of my own. It lists all the pro-choice and anti-choice legislation in New Hampshire. It is now a permanant link on our sidebar under the heading "Favorite NH Political links"