Posts from — January 2006

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Jack K. in a cross-posted item at Ruminate This and The Grumpy Forester tells the sad tale of Montana Senator Conrad Burns’ attempts to cleanse himself of filthy lucre directed to his coffers by Jack Abramoff.

Just a suggestion, but I believe that the Treasury accepts voluntary contributions to pay down the national debt, if you don’t want to give it to any of several Katrina relief funds, or to fund some of the people you harmed with your votes on the budget.

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I first read Karen’s post at Peripetia and then ReddHedd’s at Firedoglake. Two lady lawyers both come to the same conclusion about the Republican plan to “reform” the lobbying rules: you can’t take gifts, trips, and other “considerations” from lobbyists, unless they also include a campaign contribution.

This is the “Legalize Extortion of Lobbyists” bill. They can’t invite you to dinner unless they give you a campaign contribution? They can’t invite you to their skybox unless they kick in a campaign contribution? They can’t give you a golfing trip to Hawaii in the winter, unless there’s a campaign contribution on your pillow with the chocolate?

The most important thing to remember about this situation is that Jack Abramoff pled guilty to violating the law. There are already laws and rules against what was going on, but they weren’t enforced. What is the point of creating new rules, when the old rules were ignored? The Republican leaders of the House made a point of changing the rules governing the Ethics Committee and changed the leadership of that committee to ensure it wouldn’t do anything.

The whole point of the Republican “reforms” is to extort more money from lobbyists.

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NPR has a commentary by Robert Franklin, a professor of theology at Emory University in Atlanta explaining what Hillary and Nagin were talking about, and who they were talking to when they made their remarks.

His comments made clear to me why Hillary used the word, plantation, and I now can honestly say that it was the easiest way of getting her point across to her audience. Oh, her point is not what the Republicans assumed it was.

For those too lazy to listen, in the context of the Black church, “plantation” is a place of privilege where you might work, but your existence and opinion are of no consequence to the “elite”. For most people, that’s a pretty accurate description of Congress for a very long time: if you don’t have money or power, they don’t care about you.

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Both Steve and Bobby posted on James Webb’s New York Times editorial complaining about the attacks of the current leadership of the Republican Party on veterans.

For more background there’s this CNN article on the “purple heart band-aids at the 2004 GOP convention.

The poem that Webb quotes is Tommy by Rudyard Kipling, a well known piece among the military for most of 150+ years since it was written because of the truth it still contains.

John McCain, Max Cleland, John Kerry, Jack Murtha – all had Vietnam Service Medals, Purple Hearts, and one or both Silver Stars, Bronze Stars. They have all been slimed by these people. How much respect did Colin Powell receive? General Shinseki?

James Webb has a Navy Cross, but that won’t stop the attacks.

The Republicans don’t want to supply the troops with body armor. If the troops had efficient body armor they would be much harder to stab in the back.

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On local radio my senior Senator, Bill Nelson, reported on his chat with Alito.

Nelson is occasionally off-the-wall so it wasn’t surprising he wanted to ask about Kelo versus New London, the Supreme Court decision permitting the government to take private property through eminent domain and transfer it to another private person for development. The case was extremely unpopular in Florida and Nelson is running for re-election, so there was some method to this.

Guess what? According to Nelson, Alito doesn’t believe in private property rights any more than he believes in privacy rights. So, it would be fair to say that Alito is really annoyed by the existence of the Fourth Amendment.

[Update: The Miami Herald verifies Bill “Waffle Willie” Nelson covered eminent domain with Alito, but still can’t decide what to do. If you flip a coin, Nelson would call “edge”.]

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The misbegotten idiots that passed this Medicare Part D should be required to work their way through this mess before they ever draw another cent from the Federal Treasury. They should be locked in a room with a telephone and receive neither food nor water until they actually get an answer from one of these companies.

They should be given the standard monthly prescription bottles from one individual and be required to locate a plan that would actually be useful to that individual or starve.

I have been roped into helping some people who are trying to deal with this mess. The web sites don’t work worth a damn and the feedback links are broken when they even exist. The telephone numbers are nothing but a collection of bad music as you are put on hold if the call is answered at all.

No one was ready for this. The government and the companies don’t have a system in place. I’m dealing with upset people, and widespread incompetence.

The Shrubbery has asked the companies to help!? If the companies were capable of helping in this situation it wouldn’t be this screwed up.

Cronyism, corruption, and incompetence – it’s the Republican way.

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Jeff over at Main & Central wrote about people receiving dire warnings from the brass at the US Special Operations Command not to use privately purchased body armor, more specifically Pinnacle Dragon Skin armor. People are threatened with a range of punishments for failing to use the government issued armor.

Before I go into my rant, How Stuff Works has a primer on body armor, so you can understand what is actually being discussed, and The Defense Review has a link rich article on the controversy.

I had a “flak jacket” in Southeast Asia. I used to sit on it in the aircraft because ground fire was the problem and that seemed to be the best way of dealing with it.

In law enforcement I bought my own armor because I wanted something that would actually provide protection and the recommended choice depended on the “bad guys” being fairly good shots to be effective.

The “flak jacket” was bulky, heavy, hot, and stiff. The soft armor was much lighter and more flexible, but it was definitely hot and it was obvious that you were wearing a vest if you wore it under the uniform shirt without a jacket. Neither was total protection but they would stop better than 90% of the threats.

This grief coming out of USSOC bugs me on a number of levels. Anyone who has had contact with the guys in Special Ops will tell you that they are not exactly “by the book”. The weapons they carry are almost never standard issue. A lot of Air Force Special Ops guys have sawed-off shotguns and automatic weapons that definitely did not come from the Base Equipment Management Office. These guys tend not to worry about wearing a complete and proper uniform at all times, as they are in a very “results oriented” environment. You give them a mission and they do it. If they needed detailed instructions they wouldn’t be in Special Ops. An order like this to people in Special Ops smells like politics. This came from the Pentagon, not the battlefield.

Someone is positioning himself for a new job and is currying favor with a power center. It may be someone looking for a posting to the Pentagon, or someone lining up a civilian job for retirement. The order makes no sense in any other context.

This Pentagon has apparently signed a series of single source contracts. These contracts are stupid when there is a major conflict. The people who have the contract are not likely to be equipped for a major increase in orders and if their system breaks down the troops on the ground are going to be adversely affected. When it became obvious that more armor would be needed, other companies should have been contacted to fulfill the requirements. This is a management problem.

Having read the available information on the Dragon Skin armor, it would be my choice. The contractors in Iraq have the money to buy whatever they want, and they are buying the Pinnacle armor. Why can’t American GIs?

Update: Len points to the “not invented here” mindset in the military that is part of the problem.

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Revolutionary, author, journalist, printer, diplomat, statesman, scientist, inventor, librarian, fireman, postman…American.

His autobiography is on-line, and more can be found at the Franklin Institute.

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.

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On the day set aside to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. let’s take a moment to think about fear. Those born after the King movement can’t conceive of the life and deaths of African Americans in this country prior to the civil rights movement. You have never seen the White and Colored signs on public facilities, nor would you believe that the signs were there even if they weren’t physically present. The newer generations can’t understand how the color of your skin could get you killed if you violated rules that weren’t written down and were adjudged “uppity” by the power structure.

Dr. King faced violence from private persons and the state for wanting to vote, to use the public facilities, to receive the benefits of a society that were paid for by taxes that everyone paid. It ultimately cost him his life. He knew real fear, faced it, and carried on with his dream.

I don’t expect Dr. King’s level of courage from the Reich-wing bedwetters™ ^[Michael] who are looking for safety from the “terrorist” bogeymen that inhabit their imaginations, but get a grip and pretend you have a spine. You don’t have to worry about being lynched for whistling or choosing the wrong seat on public transport. You don’t have to worry about your house being burned down because of a rumor of a crime.

In his first inaugural address on March 4^th, 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said:

So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

This was in the depths of the Depression and starvation was stalking the America and the world. Different countries found different solutions to the problem.

Roosevelt concentrated on getting people to work and in the course of many efforts built and repaired the infrastructure of the country, fostered the arts, preserved the past, and left a legacy that is still enjoyed today and for the future.

Germany took a different path to escape their distress. They had a leader who preferred to emphasize the fear and build on it. It is easier to find scapegoats than solutions, and people who are under the stress of fear are easier to lead than those that are calm.

Roosevelt attempted a few tricks to evade the restrictions of the checks and balances, but he had no delusions that what he was attempting was legal and he backed down when blocked.

In Germany the checks on power were removed and unfettered power was given to the executive with tragic consequences.

Today Al Gore gave a speech in which Digby, Atrios, and others noted addressed the fear that is being used to justify a new attempt to secure unlimited power for the executive branch.

Mr. Gore and I are of an age that remembers the stupid classroom drills that had us ducking under desks in case of nuclear attack. We were aware that if approximately 10% of the arsenal of either the US or the Soviet Union were detonated on the surface, Nuclear Winter would probably be the result. We remember the tense face-off of the Cuban Blockade. We remember the 1960s and 1970s with the Cold War, Vietnam War, aircraft hijackings, scattered bombings around the world. Terrorists, both state-sponsored and free-lance abounded on every continent. This was the time of multiple Arab-Israeli wars, the Oil Embargo, riots in the cities, assassinations, kidnappings, and so on and so forth.

Our parents grew up in the Depression and then came of age during the battle for civilization that was World War II in which tens of millions died.

Americans don’t take an oath to the President or the flag, they take an oath to support and defend the Constitution, a document written by people who had just gone through a war to win the right to govern themselves. If the people who wrote the document had wanted a leader with unlimited power, they wouldn’t have had a Revolution to get rid of King George.

The Framers and Dr. King did not struggle to enable people to give up their liberty to fear, but to overcome fear and achieve liberty.

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At the University of South Florida’s English Language Institute investigators found a misplaced $275,000. While I sort of understand how checks valued at $133,647, might get lost, how do you lose track of $140,000+ in cash. That’s sort of bulky and most people would recognize what it was – money.

In a way, I would have felt better if they had found out that the money had been embezzled and not simply left in drawers and the copier. These people really needed a secretary, a good secretary wouldn’t have tolerated this sort of nonsense. Secretaries have always been more important that department heads in keeping institutions running.

The auditors think there ought to be better financial controls in place – duh!

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In an article about the upcoming Judiciary Committee hearings on ILLEGAL WARRANTLESS wiretapping by the Bush administration:

A number of members of Specter’s committee, including GOP Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, have expressed doubt about the administration’s legal basis. The hearings, planned for early February, will feature Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Specter, speaking in general terms, noted that impeachment and criminal prosecution are possibilities in the event a president acted unconstitutionally.

But Specter added: “I don’t see any talk about impeachment here. I don’t think anyone doubts the president is making a good-faith effort. He’s acting in a way that he feels he must.”

Yo, Arlen given their track record, anyone with an “R” after their name is due no “benefit of doubt”. They have shown themselves unworthy of trust by a record of lies and incompetence. I stand with the majority of Americans who believe that this conduct merits impeachment.

If there was justification for a wiretap there was a special court in place to grant a warrant. If there was a question about legality there is a special panel of attorneys to render an opinion. The judges and attorneys are cleared and unlike the White House staff they don’t seem inclined to leak like a sieve to the media if there is a political point to be scored.

This White House works for the benefit of itself and its friends. They didn’t want anyone outside the White House to know what they were doing because they use the information gained for many things that have no direct connection to the defense of the nation, but only to the defense of their power. Like Louis XIV and Tom DeLay, George W believes L’état, c’est Moi! [“The state, it is Me!” or “I am the Federal government!” in Tom’s case.]

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No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.
– attributed to George S. Patton

Back in December of 2003 Jonathan Turley wrote a column in USA Today about troops being deployed to Iraq without proper body armor. Nor was that a lone voice in the wilderness as many others were pointing out this problem.

In response to this there were assurances that the problem was being dealt with, and it was a short-term problem that would be corrected.

Well two years have passed and there is still a problem supplying body armor to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and the same people are still saying they are dealing with the problem. This time they are talking about a new protective feature to avoid talking about the fact that they haven’t managed to fix the ongoing problem.

Terry caught another element in the debate in a Andrew Exum column in the New York Times: the troops don’t want the better armor.

The complaints about the armor are familiar, but they failed to include that it is hot to wear, and, a choice bit from negotiating to have agencies pay for body armor for law enforcement, it makes people reckless.

One of the benefits of being from a long line of veterans is that you can compare the progress in uniforms and equipment. The stuff my Dad had in World War II was much lighter and more comfortable than the stuff my Grandfather had in the trenches of World War I. The stuff I had in Southeast Asia was another leap forward from what my Dad had in Korea. If you really want to understand how far things have come, drop by a re-enactors Civil War camp.

People, especially those who have proven themselves in combat, are very expensive to replace. All of the best training in the world will never be exactly the same as when an enemy is really, truly trying to kill you, and you know it. You can’t replicate that situation. You don’t want to lose people. While some like Rumsfeld may believe that military personnel are fungible, they aren’t. Every death and major injury in a combat zone is the loss not simply of a “unit of production”, but of the unique knowledge and abilities that individual possessed. In the current “all volunteer military” we don’t have the depth to replace that person. The capabilities of the unit have been altered, and rarely for the better.

The incompetence of these people to supply the troops in combat the equipment that is required is destroying our capacity to defend the nation. We can’t realistically deal with North Korea and other real threats because of the blunders of the current Department of Defense.

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Remember this December 8, 2004 incident:

One soldier, identified by The Associated Press as Army Spc. Thomas Wilson of the 278th Regimental Combat Team, a Tennessee National Guard outfit, asked Rumsfeld why more military combat vehicles were not reinforced for battle conditions.

“Why do we soldiers have to dig through local landfills for pieces of scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass to uparmor our vehicles?” Wilson asked.

Well, it’s still the standard operating procedure in Rumsfeld’s Department of Defense.

In Bushworld, Support The Troops is a dodge and a bumper sticker, not policy.

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Where did these people go to school? I heard some talking head make the glaring error of stating that the President was elected by the whole nation so he should be shown deference. Au contraire, the President is elected by a majority of 535 people, few have ever heard of, called the electoral college, and the average person may, or may not, have the right to vote for them.

When things were looking “iffy” in the 2000 election in Florida, the Republican state legislature was actively discussing calling a special session to elect their own slate of electors for Florida. If they had done it, it would have been legal because the voters in Florida don’t have an absolute right to select the electors. Of course, there would have been multiple fights at multiples levels if they had done it, but the reality of their interference in the Schiavo affair should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that they would have done it if the Supreme Court hadn’t decided to select the President.

People keep fixating on Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), and I understand their concern, but they need to watch for a flanking maneuver. If I was going to take out Roe, I would attack Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965).

If I can overturn Griswold, I cause fatal weakness in both Roe and Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003). By attacking the underlying right of privacy, I enable the state to discriminate in a variety of areas that are on the agenda of the Religious Reich at the moment.

Don’t underestimate the ability of these people to scheme. Misdirection is part of the training curriculum for the college Republicans. Look at the number of people they have convinced that a no-account Ivy League frat boy is a West Texas rancher.

I’m not sure this group is above working on McCulloch v. State Of Maryland, 17 U.S. 316 (1819) and/or Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137 (1803) in their pursuit of the unitary executive, or whatever euphemism they decide on for dictatorship.

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