This Blog is created to stress the importance of Peace as an environmental directive. “I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it’s hell.” – Harry Truman
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President Obama is 'spot on' in understanding the brevity of the decision the Robert's Court made in absent minded awareness of the people of this country.
Sessions and Hatch could not be more "W"rong !
Alito and Roberts must be scared to death of losing their jobs. It was a mistake on Robert's part to start this. He knows he is wrong about the law, but, he did it anyway. Was it part of the bargain for his nomination?
...As amended by §203 of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (click title to entry - thank you) (BCRA), federal law prohibits corporations and unions from using their general treasury funds to make independent expenditures for speech that is an “electioneering communication” or for speech that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a candidate. 2 U. S. C. §441b. An electioneering communication is “any broadcast, cable, or satellite communication” that “refers to a clearly identified candidate for Federal office” and is made within 30 days of a primary election,§434(f)(3)(A), and that is “publicly distributed,” 11 CFR §100.29(a)(2),which in “the case of a candidate for nomination for President . . . means” that the communication “[c]an be received by 50,000 or more persons in a State where a primary election . . . is being held within 30 days,” §100.29(b)(3)(ii). Corporations and unions may establish a political action committee (PAC) for express advocacy or electioneer-ing communications purposes. 2 U. S. C. §441b(b)(2). In McConnell v. Federal Election Comm’n, 540 U. S. 93, 203–209, this Court upheld limits on electioneering communications in a facial challenge, relying on the holding in Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, 494 U.S. 652, that political speech may be banned based on the speaker’s corporate identity...
Electioneering Speech is the issue and the Robert's Court empowered corporations to have rights that belong to citizens when it was never decided before ! They are blatantly incompetent.
If they want to worry about their jobs, then so be it !
Robert's speech was reported by 'The Crimson White.' He is nothing more than a bigot and he doesn't care about it. The confirmation process is under fire as well since Judge Sotomayor was confirmed.
My, my haven't we got our shorts in a wad. Or is it 'briefs' for the Chief Justice?
Now, why doesn't the Chief Justice actually tell the American people whom on the court actually does abide by the USA Constitution rather than their own self-righteous indignation of it.
Roberts deliberately attacked the constitutionality of the Legislative Procedures of the USA Constitution. That is incompetent to say the least, demonstrates clear misinterpretation of the laws and if it not then certainly borders on treason.
Chief Justice John Roberts criticized the confirmation process for Supreme Court justices during a speech at the University Tuesday.
“I think the process is broken down,” Roberts said of the procedure that requires judicial nominees to appear before the Senate.
Roberts said that senators involved in the televised hearings have made them more about political theater than learning the qualifications of a nominee. “The process is a vehicle for them to make statements about what is important to them,” he said.
The nation’s top jurist called on the legislative branch to change the conduct of the hearings. “The process is not very fruitful. The only people who can change it are the senators who run it, and I hope they do,” he said.
Roberts also questioned the need for Supreme Court justices to attend the annual State of the Union address.
“To the extent to the State of the Union has degenerated into a political pep rally, I’m not sure why we’re there,” he said....
Ashcroft needs to be told to call off his dogs, NOW !!!!!!!!!!!
They can't have anymore oil either !!!
The Indigenous Mayans of Southern Belize are being oppressed due to their need for an intact culture that has nurtured their children for millenia.
The United Nations needs to assist the Barrow government to stop the devastating intimidation of these people. ...unfortunately, our beautiful jewel is quickly becoming a lawless country where innocent ones pay with their loves at the hands of those who have no regard for their fellowmen,” end of quote....
Bartolo Teul {FILE IMAGE}
At approximately 4:00 pm on Sunday March 7 2010, (click title to entry - thank you) at a public community meeting held in Big Falls, Toledo, police officers arrested a villager for exercising his constitutional human rights, that of speaking out. A renowned and respected social and environmental activist Bartolo Teul was arrested simply because he dared to comment on some aspects of Area Representative Juan Coy’s speech given during the above-mentioned meeting....
Four days after he was gunned down, the murder of twenty one year old Teddy Murrillo on Saturday morning continues to be the subject of much discussion. The family believes that the University of Belize student and a deacon in the Adventist Church was killed by a law enforcement officer. No motive for the killing has been identified, and the family remains at a loss as to why anyone might have wanted to kill Murrillo, who was not known to have had any run-ins with the police. Today, the Belize Union of Seventh Day Adventist Churches issued a press release saying that all schools under the Adventist management will be closed on Friday to express what they church calls, quote: “our indignation at the brutal and senseless murder of one of our young members, Teddy Roland Murrillo, Jr,” end of quote....
Don't tell me for one minute that money doesn't yield uncontrolled power. I know differently. Campaign Reform Laws are necessary in order to have fair and equitable elections.
Lord Ashcroft carried nothing but 'clout.' It facilitated an empire of power that has resulted in the mute status of the minority lead government in Belize. A sovereign country should never have less power than its private business entities. Never.
Conservative party leader David Cameron speaks to delegates at the Conservative Party Spring Conference on Feb. 27, 2010, in Brighton, England. The party's lead over Labour has shrunk to 2 percent in recent polls. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
With elections approaching, Labour signals it will take advantage of questions about Lord Ashcroft's tax status.
By Matthew Hart — Special to GlobalPost
Published: March 10, 2010 06:31 ET
LONDON, United Kingdom — With a general election expected to be called within weeks, Britain's opposition Conservative Party has watched its wafer-thin polling lead obliterated by a scandal about the tax status of its largest donor and important backroom operative — Lord Ashcroft.
Now in a dead heat with the Conservatives, the reigning Labour Party signaled Sunday that it meant to take full advantage of the scandal, when the business secretary, Lord Mandelson, mocked the Conservative leader as "too weak" to discipline the powerful Ashcroft in the wake of the tax disclosures.
After a decade of questioning about his tax status, and repeated assurances from Conservative Party leaders that he was in fact a resident for tax purposes, Ashcroft admitted last week that his vast offshore income was sheltered from the British taxman under the controversial non-domicile rule. As a “non-dom,” to use the British shorthand, Ashcroft would pay tax only on income received inside the United Kingdom.
Ashcroft is a billionaire businessman whose corporate empire is run from Belize, the central American country previously known as British Honduras. The Conservative Party’s deputy chairman, and one of its master tacticians, Ashcroft maintains a lavish beachfront mansion in Belize City, a 150-foot yacht and a luxurious Dassault Falcon EX 900 private jet, nicknamed the Flying Lion. Ashcroft’s exotic life in his tropical hideaway has led the British press to dub him “Blofeld,” after the James Bond villain with a similar taste in palm trees and sparkling waters....
John Roberts Says State Of The Union Has "Degenerated To A Political Pep Rally" (click title to entry - thank you)
Mar. 9, 2010, 5:45 PM
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts says the scene at this year's State of the Union address
by President Obama was "very troubling," and he wonders if justices should attend in the future.
Obama chided the court during his speech for its decision that corporations and unions could freely spend money
to run political ads for or against specific candidates.
Obama said the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests to spend without limit in elections.
Roberts told law students at the University of Alabama that anyone is free to criticize the court, but he was troubled the remarks came during that setting. Roberts says the State of the Union address has "degenerated to a political pep rally."
Has Liz Cheney ever heard of an ethics investigation? What the heck is this? Treason? More than likely. She is making allogations no different than her media moguls without any facts and without any other purpose except to build hate of the current administration that is trying to finalize the proceedings of 9-11 terrorists that her father couldn't.
Jealous?Somehow one would expect more integrity from a Vice President's daughter, but, then the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. She needs to apologize. Sincerely and overtly apologize OTHERWISE there needs to be an investigation to the activities of these folks.
In this hyper-partisan age, the bipartisan outrage being expressed over the reprehensible television ad from the fearmongers at Keep America Safe is encouraging. The organization run by Liz Cheney, a state department official under President Bush and the daughter of the former vice president, is attempting to sow seeds of distrust by raising doubts about the loyalties of attorneys who once volunteered to handle the cases of suspected terrorists and are now working in the Justice Department. Wanting to know the identities of the lawyers is one thing. Smearing them as the "the al Qaeda 7" is over the line by a mile.
As The Post editorialized on Saturday, the ad gives the impression the attorneys "had committed a crime or needed to be exposed for subverting national security." And, sadly, it sought to remind folks that part of this nation's grand legal tradition is volunteers taking on cases of suspects who aren't popular or necessarily innocent but who need representation. Despite the Supreme Court ruling that detainees at Guantanemo Bay can challenge their detentions, groups like Keep America Safe is determined to ignore that fact....
What lifetime award did Frist earn, lack of addressing insurance reform for the entire time he was a Senator and contributing to the deaths of Americans ?
Baker and Gokey will perform at the gala along with Dave Mason and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. McGraw will join Nashville Mayor Karl Dean to present the Lifetime Humanitarian Award to Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen. Big Kenny and Ross Perot Jr. will recognize Senator Bill Frist with the Lifetime Medical Achievement Award.
Throughout the evening, Brooks & Dunn, Michael Bolton and Susan Simons will also be acknowledged for their humanitarian and industry work.
The failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq damaged President George W Bush's reputation, his former strategist Karl Rove says. Karl Rove admits mistakes during the Bush years.
The GOP attack on unemployment benefits is based in bigotry. They view it as a welfare payment to the constituency.
That is not correct. I don't know a State in the Nation that isn't requiring 'job searches' to be posted online or at least an endorsement to sign every week of a claim for their auditors to see, especially, when it comes to extended benefits.
Rather than taking responsibility for their economic collapse of 2008 that drove unemployment into incredible numbers, forced businesses into bankruptcy and caused the closing of hundreds of banks, they want to deflect that responsibility on 'the lazy American.'
NOT !!
If there jobs that remained vacant equal in numbers to the unemployed the benefits would be unjustified. That is not the case. Unemployment benefits aren't that generous either. It forces economic decisions that actually shrink the economy rather than expand it, but, it does prevent a greater housing crisis and higher crime rates. Is there something wrong with the government taking responsibility for Americans forced into poverty because they trusted the investment banks with unregulated ? finance options ?. No, there isn't.
The brevity of the cost of these benefits to the federal government is a stimulus itself. It requires the federal system to create and force job creation in the economy. It is far more advantageous for the federal government to build a wider tax base by job creation than simply paying out benefits.
I don't believe any American that is out of work really wants to be. I don't believe that for a minute. Are they doing other things, like trying to start their own enterprise? I hope so. Are they returning to school for training? You betcha. But, are they eating bon-bons in front of the television? I sincerely doubt a majority are doing that.
Depressed? Despondent? I am sure they are. They have probably lost their homes or on the brink of it. These Americans are not hard to find. Some are waiting their 'turn' at working on temporary assignment hoping to be hired permanently. That won't happen, because the businesses that are hiring them are rotating temporary workers through their jobs and eliminating the payment of benefits and long term obligations such as retirement plans.
Oh, the businesses are having a good old time with their profitable edge now and a saturated job market.In Japan there exists 'deflation.' Why? Because their saturated job market has created 'opportunities in cheap labor.' The jobless rate is less, but, so are the paychecks. Then Japan wants to try to figure out why it can't stimulate more consumer confidence. I don't think there will be, not with people working two or more jobs to make ends meet.
The Major Recession of 2008 won't stop overnight. The jobs and businesses that were demised while the investment banks were saved are gone. They aren't coming back. There are permanent set backs to the economies of the world and that is a fact. The banks that were rescued did nothing to save the small businesses where job creation takes place in many instances nor did they save homeowners from default. They saved their own stockholders and nothing more. Literally, the Great Recession of 2008 did a great deal of damage and that is the truth of the circumstances the USA faces. Abandoning the jobless or under employed is not the answer.
No one asked for this, but, many involved with the investment banks planned for it. Knock it off.
What is the political calculus behind Republicans' arguing against the extension of unemployment benefits? Steve Benen rounds up the latest outbreak of heartless demagoguery at the Washington Monthly. The newest GOPer to climb on the bandwagon -- former House Speaker Tom DeLay.
"You know," DeLay said, "there is an argument to be made that these extensions of these unemployment benefits keeps people from going and finding jobs." When CNN's Candy Crowley described his argument as "a hard sell" to the public, DeLay replied, "It's the truth."
You can append almost any wacky assertion after the preliminary phrase "there is an argument to be made" but I'll give Tom DeLay at least this much: The notion that some fraction of workers might be dissuaded from hustling for a new job by the comfort offered from an unemployment check is not completely goofball. Even Paul Krugman concedes "that really generous unemployment benefits, by reducing the incentive to seek jobs," can cause some unwanted economic problems under certain conditions....
The GOP is really scraping the bottom of the barrel this time !
Joy Behar had on her regular guests (click here)Ann Coulter and Hilary Rosento discuss, among other things,Karl Rove’s controversial new bookCourage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight. When the subject came to Rove’s nickname of “Bush’s Brain,” the analysis turned to that of a Good Cop/Bad Cop scenario between Rove and George W. Bush. Unfortunately for Behar, instead of “bad cop” she inadvertently referred to Rove as “bad c*ck,” which earned an in-studio chuckle.
The slip was edited out for broadcast, but the unedited version can be viewed below and comes in around the :35 mark in the clip.
In Pauken's view, the former president and "Bush's Brain" not only hijacked conservatism, they nearly destroyed it.
"Republican politics is barely recognizable to many of us who were grassroots activists in the early days of the conservative movement – especially after eight years of a Republican administration headed up by George W. Bush, who claimed to be a conservative," Pauken writes in Bringing America Home.
He adds: "The results were not pretty."
Pauken's critique is what a lot of traditional conservatives are saying – the Bush administration spent too much, drove up the national debt and engaged in a reckless foreign policy.
Conservatives like Pauken have little use for liberal politics and Barack Obama, but they see in Bush a betrayal of principle...
Denying America is a Christian nation raises troubles for GOP despite Democrat's poor showing
by Mark Vogl (libertarian)
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Rove's comment explains GOP secularism and its possible demise.
Speaking at length about his new book on Limbaugh's talk show, former President George Bush II's top adviser Karl Rove made a single statement which explains how the Republican Party left me, and tens of millions of other Americans. During their discussion Karl Rove said he questioned President Obama, than Senator Obama personally when Obama in one of his books credited Karl Rove with saying that America was a Christian nation.
On Limbaugh's show, Rove denied he ever said that, and denied that America was a Christian nation!
Rove said that if we called America a Christian nation, Jews, Sikhs, Moslems, atheists, et. al. would be offended.
So historical reality is jettisoned by Karl Rove. But not just him, many other senior people in the Republican Party are uncomfortable with Christ in politics... And it is the reason I am no longer a Republican....
LIMBAUGH: (click here) I -- actually, from the moment this thing started yesterday, I suspected a rope-a-dope; and I still think a rope-a-dope's going on. And I still think that anybody out there who embraces this guy is in for big trouble. Anybody who embraces this guy is -- is -- is gonna -- you're gonna get caught.
David Iglesias, the former U.S. Attorney for New Mexico who was dismissed in the U.S. attorney firings in 2006, shot back at former White House adviser Karl Rove Tuesday, calling the former Bush official’s allegations “a complete fabrication,” reported the Washington Independent.
In his memoir “Courage and Consequences” released Tuesday by Simon and Schuster, Rove said he did not put Iglesias’ name on the DOJ firing list. But Rove did cop to forwarding three complaints about Iglesias to the Justice Department. The complaints alleged that Iglesias of failed to investigate claims of voter fraud in Albuquerque after the 2004 election, “bungled” a high-profile corruption case involving state treasurers and that he declined to file an indictment against several prominent state Democrats allegedly involved in a kickback scheme until after the November 2006 election.
Iglesias took issue with Rove’s assertion that he “bungled” the corruption investigation, noting state treasurer Michael Montoya plead guilty and he won a conviction against a second treasurer, Robert Vigil.
But Iglesias saved his most harsh criticism for Rove’s description of the kickback scheme, which involved construction contracts for a courthouse in Bernalillo County.
“That’s a complete fabrication,” Iglesias told the Independent. “That indictment didn’t get filed until three weeks after I left office — in March 2007. Look, here’s where Rove’s lack of knowledge of DOJ policy hurts him factually. It’s standing policy that you can’t file an indictment right before an election if you think it will effect the outcome. But I’m sure Rove heard from local Republicans that I was intentionally keeping my powder dry.”
Iglesias also denied that he had planned to run for the Senate in 2006. Rove suggested in his memoir that the prosecutor held off on the indictment because he wanted to run for the Senate seat and needed the support of local Democrats.
Read Iglesias’ complete response at the Independent.
Karl Rove, the architect of George W. Bush's presidency, says the "Tea Party" movement could have lasting influence in the nation's politics if it remains decentralized but could hurt Republicans if it backs third-party candidates who siphon votes from GOP candidates. "There's a danger from them, particularly if they're used by political operators ... to try and hijack" elections, he says.
Rove says Tea Party activists, who want to limit taxes and government's reach, could expand their clout if they emulate the 1960s civil rights movement, the gun rights movement and abortion opponents. Those groups grew "from the bottom up" and found "a raggedly unified voice," he said in an interview with USA TODAY about his memoirs Courage and Consequence: My Life As a Conservative in the Fight, out Tuesday....
That's all for today, folks.
Save the USA Constitution and the rights of the American people when you place your vote, please.
