The Liberal Patriot Blog
 The Liberal Patriot Blog is dedicated to collecting and sharing information about National and State [New Hampshire] Political Action, News, and Events.

Friday, November 04, 2005

Cheney Polls Makes Bush look like he has a Mandate.... and by that I don't mean Jeff Gannon.

Vice President Cheney seems to have brushed off the felony charges against his most senior aide:

The criminal indictment of the vice president’s chief of staff, a rare moment in White House history, does not appear to have derailed Dick Cheney’s career — or even his routine.

The vice president has replaced the aide, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, with two other longtime assistants and seems prepared to continue his role as a central player in the Bush presidency, particularly on foreign policy and the Iraq war.

But the American people haven’t:

Vice President Cheney has never been as popular as the president, but his favorable rating is down nine points this year to just 19 percent.

from thinkprogress


Thursday, November 03, 2005

Ask George Bush



Seems like everyone is blogging these days - even our president.
The president's blog

Caption Time


Free State is an oxymoron... unlike Libertarians who are just morons.

Free State Project does away with 2006 recruitment deadline

They came, they saw ... but they aren't conquering.

The Free State Project, the libertarian movement that chose New Hampshire as its promised land for a society based on maximum choice and minimum government, has abandoned its goal of recruiting 20,000 members by 2006.

For others, the Free State Project conjured visions of an army of libertarians marshaling at the state's borders -- in one case prompting a heated meeting in Grafton, population 1,200, when rumors swirled of a town takeover.

What NH citizens were stupid enough to have “vision of an army of libertarians marshaling at the state’s borders”? The whole free stateconcept is amazingly stupid in the first place. NO political or religious movement has enough clout to get enough people to move to a state to make ANY political impact. [Unless your goals are like dixiville selectman or unless you are an economically self contained religious cult.You know, there are these little things called.. JOBS and HOUSING…

But the march of the porcupines has slowed to a crawl -- today just over 6,800 people are members of the Free State Project, and most of them live in California and Florida. Only about 130 Free Staters have made the move to New Hampshire since signing up; another 250 already

Just like the hapless minutemen, the free staters have about as much support as those obsolete potcracks the john birtchers. Here is a tip for all you right wing nut cases wondering why your great ideas always fail or why only you and Cletus seem to see the big picture. FIRST you educate yourself THAN from that basis you develop a political ideology or philosophy. Not the other way around.

full article @ boston.com


Executive Council postpones decision on Berlin ATV park

The Executive Council postponed a decision on the purchase of 7,200 acres in Berlin for an off-road vehicle park to allow time for a public hearing.

The council will take up the proposed $2.16 million purchase on Nov. 16 but said the public should weigh in before a final decision is made.

full article @ boston.com

I.E. uh huh... the public is paying attention to this.. time to stall this so we can make the decision when no one is looking.


Lynch's popularity keeps rising

John Lynch's popularity as governor continues to rise, making him the most popular elected official in New Hampshire.

The latest Granite State Poll, released Wednesday, shows 71 percent of those surveyed saying they approve of the Democrat's performance, 10 points higher since a similar poll in July.

full article @ boston.com

So... when is he going to be popular enough not to take the income tax pledge and FINALLY do something about the biggest problem facing NH.


Online Freedom of Speech Act

The Online Freedom of Speech Act was voted on yesterday. This is a good post from daily kos about who we can trust in the House to support Online Activism [and who we can't]. It also looks like the activist group CommonCause can NOT be trusted.

I was on the road yesterday, and was unfortunately unable to follow the action of the Online Freedom of Speech Act. But seeing how things panned out (the bill failed), it was definitely one of those days when we in the netroots got a chance to see who believed and supported our medium and who didn't.

Remember, this is legislation that was first proposed by Harry Reid in the Senate. This was the House version of the exact same Reid bill.

I found out that Common Cause, which had given me a personal assurance they would stay out of this fight, wasn't a trustworthy organization whose word I could trust. (In an email explanation to me, they claimed that despite their backstabbing, I had nothing to worry about anyway since this bill was going to pass easily.)

But rather than dwell on the negative, I'd like to thank those Democrats who didn't fall prey to the fear mongering of the campaign finance groups. These are the Democrats who care about nurturing and protecting our nascent medium from those who'd rather destroy it.

Joe Baca (CA)
John Barrow (GA)
Howard Berman (CA)
Stanford Bishop (GA)
Earl Blumenauer (OR)
Dan Boren (OK)
Rick Boucher (VA)
Sherrod Brown (OH)
Michael Capuano (MA)
Dennis Cardoza (CA)
Ben Chandler (KY)
Lacy Clay (MO)
John Conyers (MI)
Jim Costa (CA)
Bud Cramer (AL)
Henry Cuellar (TX)
Lincoln Davis (TN)
Anna Eshoo (CA)
Chaka Fattah (PA)
Stephanie Herseth (SD)
Mike Honda (CA)
Steny Hoyer (MD)
Patrick Kennedy (RI)
Barbara Lee (CA)
(A special thanks to my local congresswoman)
Zoe Lofgren (CA)
Jim Matheson (UT)
Cynthia McKinney (GA)
Charlie Melancon (LA)
John Murtha (PA)
Collin Peterson (MN)
Nick Rahall (WV)
Mike Ross (AR)
Tim Ryan (OH)
John Salazar (CO)
Loretta Sanchez (CA)
David Scott (GA)
Jose Serrano (NY)
Adam Smith (WA)
Ted Strickland (OH)
Mike Thompson (CA)
Mark Udall (CO)
Maxine Waters (CA)
Diane Watson (CA)
Lynn Woolsey (CA)
Albert Wynn (MD)

As for those congressman running for higher office:

OH-Gov: Ted Strickland voted for it
OH-Sen: Sherrod Brown voted for it
TN-Sen: Harold Ford voted against it
VT-Sen: Bernie Sanders voted against it

(Hypothetical NJ senate candidates)
NJ-Sen: Bob Menendez didn't vote
NJ-Sen: Frank Pallone voted against it
NJ-Sen: Rob Andrews voted against it

And the DCCC's Rahm Emanuel voted against it.
Full post @ daily kos

Bush's Pulls STILL going down.... DAMN!

CBS: Bush approval plummets to 35%

Only Nixon had a lower approval rating at this point during his second term. Nixon was at 27%, which is where Bush is headed.

Was the War in Iraq worth the cost?
Yes 31%
No 64%

from daily kos


Americans don't want Alito... [or Bush]

Americans oppose his confirmation by 53% to 37% if he would vote to overturn Roe, and support a filibuster of his nomination by 50% to 40%. [Via AmericaBlog.]

from thinkprogress


Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Liberal Patriot Podcast is READY!!!

This weeks brand spanking new Libeal Patriot Podcast is ready!!! Will Cowie & Jon Easton are joined by special guest Susan Bruce.

http://joneaston.podomatic.com/

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Harry Ried has a pair!! Shuts down the Senate!!!

AP reports:

In a speech on the Senate floor, Democratic leader Harry Reid said the American people and U.S. troops deserved to know the details of how the United States became engaged in the war, particularly in light of the indictment of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff.

Statements from Reid demanded the Senate go into closed session. With a second by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the public was ordered out of the chamber, the lights were dimmed, senators filed to their seats on the floor and the doors were closed.

For more on closed sessions, check out this CRS report.

full post @ thinkprgress

Reid asked the Senate to go into special session on intelligence -- that is, a closed session -- to discuss prewar intelligence. This mostion, along with a second (provided by Durbin), requires all Senators to report to the Senate floor. It is a non-debatable motion.

Cue in lots of hystrionics from Frist and company. Republicans whined that this was a violation of Senate tradition. This coming from the gang that wants to eliminate the judicial filibuster. Frist whined that he wasn't consulted. As though Democrats have had a seat at the table in this Congress. They want to play hardball? Fine. Reid sent notice that he can play that game as well.

Frist whined, "Senator Daschle never did anything like this." Damn right. A new sheriff is in town.

Now, this is more than a temporary stunt. The Democratic leadership has promised to call a special session in the Senate every single day until Republicans alllow for a real investigation.

So let's see what we have here --

Democrats showing leadership and fight. Very nice. Democrats creating a media narrative around Republican stonewalling of a real investigation into pre-war intelligence. Also very nice. Republicans getting a taste of things to come if they initiate the nuclear option? Very crafty.

They are currently still in special session.

full post @ Daily Kos


Wah wa.. Wait a MINUTE! They want the state, the tax payers, US... to pay to put this thing in...

State mulling purchase of ATV park

A proposal that the state spend more than $2.1 million to buy land for an all terrain vehicle park in Berlin goes before the Executive Council on Wednesday.

from boston.com

You could do ALOT of things with 2.1 million dollars. Permanent things... built / renovate schools.. hospitals, EVEN fuel assistance to keep people from freezing to death, health care for children.... Jesus even help send kids to college

If you are a Republican and hate helping people... than invest it or start a for-profit business to EMPLOY a bunch of people in Berlin, but to spend it to built an ATV park?

When we NEED good schools, health care, or access to jobs some we are on our own. The Conservatives say government shouldn't get involved. But when some dumbass hillbillies want an ATV park... they are will to pony up 2.1 million dollars?

What happened to free market? What there are no commercial interests that are willing to open a ATV park?


Report from Bush World: Media Monopoly....

The Federal Communications Commisson cleared a deal that will allow Verizon Communications to purchase M.C.I. Inc. and S.B.C. Communications to buy AT&T Corp. Verizon is the #1 U.S. local telephone company and will acquire the No. 2 long distance carrier M.C.I. for $8.6 billion. SBC will buy AT&T for $16 billion. Consumer groups and competitors say the combinations would destroy competition. It's not like annual revenues of roughly $90 billion apiece, stakes in the two largest U.S. wireless companies and ambitious plans to expand subscription television services will curtail competition.

from the air america homepage

Wal-Mart Watch

Levy OKs Health Care Bill (Newsday)
Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy signed a bill that requires large nonunionized retailers to set aside money to pay for their employees' health care costs, joining New York City in imposing such a mandate.

Wal-Mart Memo Speaks Volumes (Arkansas News Bureau)
Prior to the discovery of the internal memo, Wal-Mart scored points for polishing its image.

Wal-Mart Stumbles In Reshaping Image (AFP via Yahoo)
"Instead of spending money on public relations firms and communications strategies to improve their corporate image, that money is better spent on the hard-working men and women that have made Wal-Mart the economic giant that it is today," said Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA).

Wal-Mart Memo Speaks Volumes (Arkansas News Bureau)
Prior to the discovery of the internal memo, Wal-Mart scored points for polishing its image.

So, You Want To Work For Wal-Mart (New York Daily News)
Elsewhere the memo proposed in-store clinics, so workers wouldn't waste time taking family members to the emergency room. It noted that workers were sicker than the general population, as they tended to be heavier. And it bemoaned the fact that loyal employees garnered raises over the years, but were no more productive than their entry-level counterparts.



IF you don't know abou the Walmart internal memo everyone is talking about go to this The News Blog post.

There are already 6,800 planned screenings of Robert Greenwald's new documentary, "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price," including at house parties, churches and labor halls. Sign up for a viewing here.

NH showings:

Church Forum
November 13, 2005, 11:30 AM in Hanover, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 110 -- RSVP to Attend

Film screening: Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
November 15, 2005, 07:00 PM in Peterborough, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 110 -- RSVP to Attend

Concord City Democrats Movie Series
November 15, 2005, 07:00 PM in Concord, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 100 -- RSVP to Attend

a free public showing of WALMART: The High Cost of Low Prices
November 16, 2005, 07:00 PM in Keene, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 100 -- RSVP to Attend

Hancock Town Democrats Film Series
November 16, 2005, 07:00 PM in Hancock, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 80 -- RSVP to Attend

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price Breakfast
November 13, 2005, 08:30 AM in Manchester, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 80 -- RSVP to Attend

Wal Mart and Health Care
November 17, 2005, 06:30 PM in Lebanon, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 60 -- RSVP to Attend

The WalMart Problem
November 16, 2005, 07:30 PM in Goffstown, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 50 -- RSVP to Attend

Wicked Awesome Walmart Movie
November 13, 2005, 07:30 PM in Wolfeboro, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 25 -- RSVP to Attend

WALWAYS.
November 18, 2005, 07:30 PM in Milford, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 6 -- RSVP to Attend

Walmart: A Moral Approach
November 13, 2005, 07:30 PM in Conway, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 20 -- RSVP to Attend

Documentary and Discussion: Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
November 13, 2005, 03:00 PM in Tamworth, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 80 -- RSVP to Attend

Maintaining the Main Street Advantage
November 19, 2005, 07:00 PM in Warner, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 40 -- RSVP to Attend

Enjoy a movie and make new friends
November 13, 2005, 02:00 PM in North Haverhill, NH
FREE screening, capacity is 10 --RSVP to Attend


IRAQ: Life During War Time

A total of 93 US. soldiers have been killed in Iraq so far in October - this is the highest rate of casualties since January 2005. Six were killed today (Oct. 31), one was killed yesterday, and four were killed Saturday. All were the result of IEDs.

This is no longer an issue of body armor of thin-skinned HUMVEES. Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Abrams tanks with uranium enriched reactive armor are routinely blown to bits in Iraq these days.

from daily kos


Plamegate: Reporting for Doody

E.J. Dionne gets at an important truth:

Has anyone noticed that the coverup worked?

In his impressive presentation of the indictment of Lewis "Scooter" Libby last week, Patrick Fitzgerald expressed the wish that witnesses had testified when subpoenas were issued in August 2004, and "we would have been here in October 2004 instead of October 2005."

Note the significance of the two dates: October 2004, before President Bush was reelected, and October 2005, after the president was reelected. Those dates make clear why Libby threw sand in the eyes of prosecutors, in the special counsel's apt metaphor, and helped drag out the investigation

full post @ daily kos

This is not "just perjury", not just lies to cover up a treasonous crime. Those specific lies were told to delay the investigation until the election was over. Had 'Plamegate" not been obstructed in 2004 we would have a President John Kerry right now.

Alito stains memory of Rosa Parks


Alito visits Rosa Parks in state. Does this mean that he doesn't hate black people any more or does he just like to "dance on her grave"?

good post about it hear from The News Blog

Votes


Recent House Votes

Federal Housing Finance Reform Act - Vote Passed (331-90, 12 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill to reform the administrative structure governing the three federal housing agencies.

Rep. Charles Bass voted YES......send e-mail or see bio


Disapproving BRAC Recommendations - Vote Failed (85-324, 1 Present, 23 Not Voting)

By rejecting this resolution, the House cleared the way for the latest round of military base closures to proceed.

Rep. Charles Bass voted NO......send e-mail or see bio


Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act - Vote Passed (228-184, 21 Not Voting)

This House bill would institute mandatory penalties against lawyers who file frivolous lawsuits.

Rep. Charles Bass voted YES......send e-mail or see bio


Monday, October 31, 2005

Caption Contest


Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price

There are already 6,800 planned screenings of Robert Greenwald's new documentary, "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price," including at house parties, churches and labor halls. Sign up for a viewing here.


from C4AP


The facts of Scalito

ALITO WOULD OVERTURN ROE V. WADE: In his dissenting opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Alito concurred with the majority in supporting the restrictive abortion-related measures passed by the Pennsylvania legislature in the late 1980’s. Alito went further, however, saying the majority was wrong to strike down a requirement that women notify their spouses before having an abortion. The Supreme Court later rejected Alito’s view, voting to reaffirm Roe v. Wade. [Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, 1991]

ALITO WOULD ALLOW RACE-BASED DISCRIMINATION: Alito dissented from a decision in favor of a Marriott Hotel manager who said she had been discriminated against on the basis of race. The majority explained that Alito would have protected racist employers by “immuniz[ing] an employer from the reach of Title VII if the employer’s belief that it had selected the ‘best’ candidate was the result of conscious racial bias.” [Bray v. Marriott Hotels, 1997]

ALITO WOULD ALLOW DISABILITY-BASED DISCRIMINATION: In Nathanson v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, the majority said the standard for proving disability-based discrimination articulated in Alito’s dissent was so restrictive that “few if any…cases would survive summary judgment.” [Nathanson v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1991]

ALITO WOULD STRIKE DOWN THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT: The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) “guarantees most workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a loved one.” The 2003 Supreme Court ruling upholding FMLA [Nevada v. Hibbs, 2003] essentially reversed a 2000 decision by Alito which found that Congress exceeded its power in passing the law. [Chittister v. Department of Community and Economic Development, 2000]

ALITO SUPPORTS UNAUTHORIZED STRIP SEARCHES: In Doe v. Groody, Alito agued that police officers had not violated constitutional rights when they strip searched a mother and her ten-year-old daughter while carrying out a search warrant that authorized only the search of a man and his home. [Doe v. Groody, 2004]

ALITO HOSTILE TOWARD IMMIGRANTS: In two cases involving the deportation of immigrants, the majority twice noted Alito’s disregard of settled law. In Dia v. Ashcroft, the majority opinion states that Alito’s dissent “guts the statutory standard” and “ignores our precedent.” In Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, the majority stated Alito’s opinion contradicted “well-recognized rules of statutory construction.” [Dia v. Ashcroft, 2003; Ki Se Lee v. Ashcroft, 2004]

from think progress


NO ONE on the Supreme Court will be to the right of Scalito!

When Harriet Miers’ nomination was first announced, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley called her an “amazingly bad choice.” This morning, he weighed in Samuel Alito:

JONATHAN TURLEY: He’s the top choice for particularly pro-life people. Sam Alito is viewed as someone who is likely to join the hard right in likely narrowing Roe and possibly voting to overturn Roe.

KATIE COURIC: So he is a strict constructionist in every since of the word? I know President Bush is looking for a conservative jurist, so he fits the bill in terms of someone who will interpret the Constitution literally and may disagree with the right to privacy, which is the foundation of Roe v. Wade?

TURLEY: Oh absolutely. There will be no one to the right of Sam Alito on this Court. This is a pretty hardcore fellow on abortion issues.

COURIC: Not even Antonin Scalia?

TURLEY: They’ll have to make a race to the right, but I think it will be by a nose, if at all. …

COURIC: And ideology trumped gender in this case, right?

TURLEY: I think so. I think the president wanted, first of all, to show he could pick someone who was clearly qualified and has the resume, but he also wanted to rally his base. He’s done both with Sam Alito. No one on the conservative base can be unhappy with Sam Alito. The question is whether they can weather this storm that will be coming, I think, and whether there will be a filibuster.

from thinkprogress

New nominee for SCOTUS... Anti-Choice gets their pick.

Senator Harry Reid on the nomination of Samuel "Scalito" Alito to the Supreme Court:

The nomination of Judge Alito requires an especially long hard look by the Senate because of what happened last week to Harriet Miers. Conservative activists forced Miers to withdraw from consideration for this same Supreme Court seat because she was not radical enough for them. Now the Senate needs to find out if the man replacing Miers is too radical for the American people.

"I am disappointed in this choice for several reasons. First, unlike previous nominations, this one was not the product of consultation with Senate Democrats. Last Friday, Senator Leahy and I wrote to President Bush urging him to work with us to find a consensus nominee. The President has rejected that approach.

"Second, this appointment ignores the value of diverse backgrounds and perspectives on the Supreme Court. The President has chosen a man to replace Sandra Day O'Connor, one of only two women on the Court. For the third time, he has declined to make history by nominating the first Hispanic to the Court. And he has chosen yet another federal appellate judge to join a court that already has eight justices with that narrow background. President Bush would leave the Supreme Court looking less like America and more like an old boys club.
"Justice O'Connor has been the deciding vote in key cases protecting individual rights and freedoms on a narrowly divided Court. The stakes in selecting her replacement are high.

"I look forward to meeting Judge Alito and learning why those who want to pack the Court with judicial activists are so much more enthusiastic about him than they were about Harriet Miers."

full article @ daily kos


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