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Via All Hat and No Cattle the AP has a report about Jack Kemp, former Republican Vice Presidential candidate, testifying before a committee that ex-felons should be able to vote.

Kemp said that after they have completed their sentence felons should automatically have their voting rights restored. The Republicans on the committee opposed the concept.

I think the Republicans will change their stance after Fitzgerald gets done.

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This AP story about Chertoff’s testimony before Congress, Homeland security secretary defends actions, shows that he isn’t as stupid as Brown, but he doesn’t understand what his job entails.

You have all heard the comments from reporters on the scene of a natural disaster; “It looks like a war zone.” Yes, it does. I have been in natural disasters and war zones, and there are many similarities. The reality is that the humanitarian response to either event is the same: search and rescue, care for those in need of medical assistance, and provide food and shelter.

FEMA is supposed to be coordinating the response, but the reality is that the Coast Guard started rescuing people immediately because they didn’t need any permission, but the Navy couldn’t because they did need civilian approval. Food, water, and ice didn’t reach those in need because FEMA stopped it. FEMA wanted to “coordinate” the effort, so it stopped it in its tracks. FEMA wasn’t prepared to make any decisions, so everything was put on hold.

FEMA had four hurricanes in Florida to bring its people up to speed on procedures, but it acted like it had never seen a hurricane before. There were more people involved in Katrina, but that should have made aid delivery easier as the needs were concentrated.

The new reality is that state and local governments had better be prepared to be on their own for two weeks, because FEMA is a hindrance not a help.

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I just couldn’t believe it when a I heard it on the BBC World Service early this morning, but here it is on the site: Rumsfeld urges Chinese openness.

Donald Rumsfeld, who thinks Congress should give him a blank check and shut up, the man who can’t explain why he hasn’t spent millions on armor as required by Congress, was in China lecturing the Chinese on the importance of being open about defense spending.

It is highly likely that there is a good deal more known about the Chinese defense budget than the American budget. Rumsfeld won’t submit a regular request that includes expenses for either Afghanistan or Iraq, and keeps pushing for large blocks of unassigned money.

It’s a bit like Newt Gingrich lecturing on the sanctity of marriage.

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The new talking point is the “criminalization of politics”. Sorry, but that’s a reversal of reality: “politicization of crime” is closer than the truth.

We have had laws against espionage for a rather extended period. Texas has had laws against corporate political funding for over a century. The Republicans are in charge of the rules concerning congresscritters accepting gifts and trips.

If the pundits don’t like to see all of these people being indicted, they should stop supporting people who have no regard for the rule of law.

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