YDATL Blog
NOTE: The opinions expressed by our individual bloggers are their own, and not necessarily those of Young Democrats of Atlanta.

Thursday, March 31, 2005

PA State Rep. Charged in Anthrax Hoax
KDKA: State Rep. Charged in Anthrax Hoax: "[PA] State Rep. Jeffrey E. Habay was charged Wednesday for allegedly lying about a white powder he said he received in the mail from a constituent who was critical of him."
[Essentially, the State Rep. put the powder in the letter and claimed it was an anthrax attack against him.]
"Habay, a five-term Allegheny County Republican, is already awaiting trial on ethics charges. He was charged last year with theft of service and conflict of interest for allegedly using his staff to campaign on state time."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/31/2005 06:55:00 PM 0 comments

EU, Canada Add Duties on U.S. Exports
Yahoo! News - EU, Canada Add Duties on U.S. Exports: "The European Union and Canada will slap an extra 15-percent duty on tens of millions of dollars worth of U.S. exports in a dispute over payments to U.S. companies that Washington says were hurt by dumping, EU and Canadian officials said on Thursday."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/31/2005 06:45:00 PM 0 comments

38 Guantanamo Detainees to Be Freed After Tribunals
DefenseLINK News: 38 Guantanamo Detainees to Be Freed After Tribunals: "After roughly 10 months of hearings, military officials announced March 29 that 38 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been found to not be enemy combatants and will be returned to their home countries."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/31/2005 03:36:00 PM 0 comments

ChoicePoint to Allow People Access
ChoicePoint to Allow People Access | ajc.com: "An executive of embattled data broker ChoicePoint Inc. said the company is developing a system that would allow people to review their personal information that is sold to law enforcement agencies, employers, landlords and businesses."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/31/2005 02:45:00 PM 0 comments

And a good idea
TAPPED: March 2005 Archives: "if a candidate 'Believes in a woman's right to choose but believes all sides should come together around common goal of preventing and reducing # of abortions, with more sex ed, including abstinence, access to contraception and more adoption,' an overwhelming 74 percent of white Catholics will be more likely to vote for him.

The net 52-point advantage thereby gained is way, way, way bigger than the edge obtained by a Democrat who 'is pro-life on abortion' (+24), 'is Catholic and pro-life on abortion' (a smaller +20, oddly), or 'is Catholic and pro-choice on abortion' (+3)"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/31/2005 02:02:00 PM 0 comments

GA - Metro driving times among nation's longest
Metro driving times among longest | ajc.com: "Harried commuters, file this bombshell away to stun your neighbors: Metro Atlanta's counties have some of the worst commuting times among the nation's major metropolitan areas.

Locally, Gwinnett County leads the pack, with an average one-way commute of nearly 31 minutes, tying with Riverside County, Calif., and Cook County, Ill. Gwinnett ranks 18th out of 233 counties listed."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/31/2005 10:58:00 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Darfur death toll at least 300,000, MPs say
Yahoo! News - Darfur death toll at least 300,000, MPs say: "More than 300,000 people have died as a result of the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, British lawmakers said in a report, a figure more than four times greater than an official UN estimate."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 09:24:00 PM 0 comments

Conservative judge blasts Bush, Congress for role in Schiavo case
KR Washington Bureau | 03/30/2005 | Conservative judge blasts Bush, Congress for role in Schiavo case: "The latest rejection of the Terri Schiavo case by a federal court was accompanied by a stinging rebuke of Congress and President Bush from a seemingly unlikely source: Judge Stanley F. Birch Jr., one of the most conservative jurists on the federal bench."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 09:13:00 PM 0 comments

Alma Mater As Big Brother
Alma Mater As Big Brother (washingtonpost.com): "A proposal by the Education Department would force every college and university in America to report all their students' Social Security numbers and other information about each individual -- including credits earned, degree plan, race and ethnicity, and grants and loans received -- to a national databank. The government will record every student, regardless of whether he or she receives federal aid, in the databank."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 01:11:00 PM 0 comments

California Court Balks at 25 Years for Sex Registration Failure
law.com - Article: "On Monday, Coleman Blease and Rick Sims overturned a 26-years-to-life sentence for Keith Carmony, calling it a violation of the state and federal prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment. The defendant's failure to register, they held, was 'completely harmless and no worse than a breach of an overtime parking ordinance.'"
"Carmony, a registered sex offender since being convicted of assaulting his then-girlfriend's 9-year-old daughter in 1983, was arrested in 1999 for not registering with authorities, as required by law, within five days of his Oct. 22 birthday. However, he had registered 29 days earlier when he moved with his wife to a new residence."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 11:51:00 AM 0 comments

Unmarried woman challenges law
newsobserver.com | Local & State: "A Pender County dispatcher forced to quit her job last year after the sheriff discovered she had a live-in boyfriend is suing to overturn a N.C. law that makes living together a crime."
"Living together as an unmarried couple is a misdemeanor punishable by as many as 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 11:48:00 AM 0 comments

GA - Senate votes to kill Atlanta's living-wage law
Senate votes to kill Atlanta's living-wage law | ajc.com: "The Legislature on Tuesday voided an Atlanta city law that favors companies that pay workers more than the federal minimum wage.

The Senate voted 33-17 in favor of a bill that overrides Atlanta's so-called living-wage ordinance. The controversial provision gives preference to companies bidding for city service contracts if they paid their employees $10.50 an hour or more with insurance or $12 without."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 11:33:00 AM 0 comments

GA - Female legislators expand health insurance coverage
Female legislators expand health insurance coverage | ajc.com: "Republican and Democratic women joined Tuesday to help water down a bill that would have allowed companies to offer health insurance without mandated coverage for such things as mastectomy treatment, testing for chlamydia and contraceptives."
"House members added back much of the coverage that the Senate bill slashed from the list of mandated benefits after lengthy behind-the-scenes debate and negotiations involving health advocates and many of the leading women of the chamber."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 11:32:00 AM 0 comments

GA - Voter ID bill stirs furor
Voter ID bill stirs furor | ajc.com: "Legislation to require Georgians to show photo identification at the polls advanced Tuesday over passionate objections from lawmakers who said the move could disenfranchise many black, elderly and rural voters.

After more than four hours of debate, the Senate approved House Bill 244 by a vote of 31-20. While the vote was not final — the bill must go back to the House for approval of minor changes — the Senate action moved the legislation much closer to becoming law."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 11:31:00 AM 0 comments

Boy Scouts Official Guilty in Porn Case
Boy Scouts Official Guilty in Porn Case | ajc.com: "A former high-ranking Boy Scouts of America official pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal child pornography charge.

Douglas Sovereign Smith Jr., 61, was accused of receiving images over the Internet of children engaging in sex acts. He pleaded guilty to a charge of possession and distribution of child pornography. He had been charged March 21, officials said Tuesday.

Smith, who lives in Colleyville, near Fort Worth, faces from five to 20 years in prison without parole and up to a $250,000 fine."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 11:30:00 AM 0 comments

Australians condemn US foreign policy
Australians condemn US foreign policy - Breaking News - http://www.smh.com.au: "Australians consider US foreign policy as dangerous as Islamic fundamentalism, and are more worried about global warming than terrorism, a survey has revealed."
"In a list of 15 neighbours and allies, the US ranked 11th - with only Indonesia, the Middle East, Iran and Iraq inspiring less positive sentiment."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 10:13:00 AM 0 comments

The rural vote in 2004
The rural vote in 2004: "Fully half (50 percent) of rural voters identify either Bush’s
“tax cuts for the wealthy” or his “corporate interests” as serious Bush doubts, compared to 43
percent nationally. The part of the country that largely delivered the White House to this
President simultaneously lodged the loudest objection to the economic direction of the Bush
administration."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 09:30:00 AM 0 comments

Panel's Report Assails C.I.A. for Failure on Iraq Weapons
The New York Times > Washington > Panel's Report Assails C.I.A. for Failure on Iraq Weapons: "The final report of a presidential commission studying American intelligence failures regarding illicit weapons includes a searing critique of how the C.I.A. and other agencies never properly assessed Saddam Hussein's political maneuverings or the possibility that he no longer had weapon stockpiles, according to officials who have seen the report's executive summary."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 09:28:00 AM 0 comments

Schiavo Case Unexpectedly Unites Americans
Top News Article | Reuters.com: "The Terri Schiavo case has had the unexpected effect of uniting most Americans, whether Republicans or Democrats, around a consensus that the government should stay out of families' life and death decisions.

'You don't see many 80 percents in polls nowadays,' said pollster Andrew Kohut of the Pew Research Center.

He was referring to a CBS poll last week which found that 82 percent of Americans felt Congress should have stayed out of Schiavo's case."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 09:28:00 AM 0 comments

Secret Service investigating removal of three from Bush visit
Gazette.com: "The Secret Service says it is investigating the claims of three people who claim they were removed from President Bush's town hall meeting on Social Security last week after being singled out because of a bumper sticker on their car.

The three said they had obtained tickets through the office of Rep. Bob Beauprez, R-Colo., had passed through security and were preparing to take their seats when they were approached by what they thought was a Secret Service agent who asked them to leave."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/30/2005 09:23:00 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Boy Scouts Official Faces Porn Charges
Yahoo! News - Boy Scouts Official Faces Porn Charges: "A former high-ranking Boy Scouts of America official has been charged with possession and distribution of child pornography. Douglas Sovereign Smith Jr., 61, who as program director coordinated scouting programs with schools and churches, was accused of receiving images over the Internet in February of children engaging in oral sex, intercourse and other sexually explicit conduct."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/29/2005 06:31:00 PM 0 comments

Schiavo Case Unexpectedly Unites Americans
Top News Article | Reuters.com: "The Terri Schiavo case has had the unexpected effect of uniting most Americans, whether Republicans or Democrats, around a consensus that the government should stay out of families' life and death decisions.

'You don't see many 80 percents in polls nowadays,' said pollster Andrew Kohut of the Pew Research Center.

He was referring to a CBS poll last week which found that 82 percent of Americans felt Congress should have stayed out of Schiavo's case."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/29/2005 03:03:00 PM 0 comments

Secret Service investigating removal of three from Bush visit
Gazette.com: "The Secret Service says it is investigating the claims of three people who claim they were removed from President Bush's town hall meeting on Social Security last week after being singled out because of a [No Blood for Oil] bumper sticker on their car.

The three said they had obtained tickets through the office of Rep. Bob Beauprez, R-Colo., had passed through security and were preparing to take their seats when they were approached by what they thought was a Secret Service agent who asked them to leave."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/29/2005 02:53:00 PM 0 comments

Court: Title IX Protects Whistleblowers
The Associated Press: "A landmark gender-equity law protects whistleblowers who accuse academic institutions of sex discrimination, the Supreme Court said Tuesday, ruling that coaches and teachers may sue for retaliation if they are fired for complaining on behalf of others.

The 5-4 decision sides with Alabama high school coach Roderick Jackson, who said his girls' basketball team received worse treatment than the boys' team."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/29/2005 11:04:00 AM 0 comments

\Passenger Screening Gets 'Incomplete'
Yahoo! News - Passenger Screening Gets 'Incomplete': "The government's latest computerized airline passenger screening program doesn't adequately protect travelers' privacy, according to a congressional report that could further delay a project considered a priority after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Congress last year passed a law that said the Transportation Security Administration could spend no money to implement the program, called Secure Flight, until the Government Accountability Office reported that it met 10 conditions. Those include privacy protections, accuracy of data, oversight, cost and safeguards to ensure the system won't be abused or accessed by unauthorized people.

The GAO found nine of the 10 conditions hadn't yet been met and questioned whether Secure Flight would ultimately work."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/29/2005 10:01:00 AM 0 comments

2 Issues Straining GOP Grip in Florida
2 Issues Straining GOP Grip in Florida: "President Bush's decisive victory in Florida last year seemed to cement Republican dominance in an important battleground state that once symbolized an evenly divided nation.

But with the GOP base polarized over the Terri Schiavo case and the public skeptical of Bush's plan to overhaul Social Security, two issues with explosive relevance in Florida are stirring up confusing political crosscurrents for Republicans preparing to face the voters there next year."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/29/2005 10:00:00 AM 0 comments

baltimoresun.com - Trekking through concern over mortality, morality
baltimoresun.com - Trekking through concern over mortality, morality: "Diana Schaub, a Loyola College professor and adviser to President Bush, is convinced that cloning and embryonic stem cell research are evil. She says this belief was formed, in part, by watching Star Trek."

"Her interest in mortality and Star Trek could be regarded as the quirks of an academic if not for her position on the President's Council on Bioethics, a 18-member panel that advises Bush on some of the most polarizing subjects in society.

She has likened embryonic research to slavery and has compared slacker students to lawless American soldiers in Iraq."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/29/2005 09:55:00 AM 0 comments

PolySigh: It's Terrorism, Stupid!
PolySigh: It's Terrorism, Stupid!: "The NES includes a question, “What do you think has been the most important issue facing the United States over the last four years?” In 2004, terrorism and the war in Iraq clearly dominated voters minds. Approximately 42 percent of voters cited terrorism as the most important issue. Coming in a distant second was the war in Iraq with 17 percent"
"For one issue to so dominate an election is rare. In fact, the last time that an issue was cited by this many respondents was in 1968 when 43 percent cited the Vietnam War. The next highest were inflation in 1980 (32 percent) and unemployment in 1976 (31 percent)."
"Among those who cited terrorism as the most important issue, 70 percent voted for Bush. That’s the highest percentage of supporting a candidate on the most important issue in any election since 1960 (when NES first began to ask the question)."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/29/2005 09:43:00 AM 0 comments

Monday, March 28, 2005

GA - Shipp: GOP 'stuck' with Perdue for 2006 race 03/27/05
OnlineAthens: Opinion: Shipp: GOP 'stuck' with Perdue for 2006 race 03/27/05: "In the minds of the Democratic brain trust, the face of Perdue is the Brand X trademark for the Georgia GOP. The Democrats possess real poll numbers to suggest Perdue is a drag on the Republican Party."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/28/2005 01:35:00 PM 0 comments

Schiavo case sows a rift in GOP partisans
Concord Monitor Online: "'[The Terri Schiavo vote] definitely would have gone down differently had it actually been considered,' a senior aide to a moderate Republican senator said."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/28/2005 01:25:00 PM 1 comments

Fla. officials' attempt, fail to seize Schiavo
KR Washington Bureau | 03/25/2005 | Fla. officials' attempt, fail to seize Schiavo: "Hours after a judge ordered that Terri Schiavo wasn't to be removed from her hospice, a team of Florida law enforcement agents were en route to seize her and have her feeding tube reinserted - but they stopped short when local police told them they would enforce the judge's order, The Miami Herald has learned."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/28/2005 01:13:00 PM 0 comments

Pentagon Will Not Try 17 G.I.'s Implicated in Prisoners' Deaths
The New York Times > Washington > Pentagon Will Not Try 17 G.I.'s Implicated in Prisoners' Deaths: "Despite recommendations by Army investigators, commanders have decided not to prosecute 17 American soldiers implicated in the deaths of three prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003 and 2004, according to a new accounting released Friday by the Army."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/28/2005 11:30:00 AM 0 comments

27 detainee deaths linked to foul play
Chicago Tribune | 27 detainee deaths linked to foul play: "The Army has concluded that 27 of the detainees who died in U.S. custody in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2002 were the victims of homicide or suspected homicide, military officials said in a report released Friday.

The number is higher than Pentagon officials have acknowledged, and it indicates that criminal acts caused a significant portion of the dozens of prisoner deaths that occurred in U.S. custody."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/28/2005 11:24:00 AM 0 comments

Man arrested for making threats against Michael Schiavo
Tampa Bay's 10 News: "The FBI has arrested a North Carolina man for putting a 250-thousand dollar bounty on Michael Schiavo’s head."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/28/2005 11:19:00 AM 0 comments

Report: TSA misleading on role on acquiring info
Report: TSA misleading on role on acquiring info | The Arizona Daily Star ®: "The Transportation Security Administration misled the public about its role in obtaining personal information about 12 million airline passengers to test a new computerized system that screens for terrorists, according to a government investigation.

The report, released Friday by Richard Skinner, the Homeland Security Department's acting inspector general, said the agency misinformed individuals, the press and Congress in 2003 and 2004. It stopped short of saying the TSA lied."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/28/2005 10:28:00 AM 0 comments

Friday, March 25, 2005

Trophy Hunting Advocate Named Acting Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Trophy Hunting Advocate Named Acting Director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: "Today, The [Humane Society of the United States] expressed its strong disappointment that Interior Secretary Gale Norton has named Matthew J. Hogan to be acting director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Norton announced the appointment yesterday, following last week's resignation of Director Steve Williams. Hogan was formerly the chief lobbyist for Safari Club International (SCI), an extreme trophy hunting organization that advocates the killing of rare species around the world."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/25/2005 03:50:00 PM 0 comments

Schiavo case redefining politics
Schiavo case redefining politics: "State's rights — An antiquated concept stressed during an era when Republicans didn't control the White House, both houses of the U.S. Congress, and the U.S. Supreme Court. State's rights are no longer necessary, especially in Florida — which should have learned its lesson five years ago.

Rule of law — A once-popular American value which has now been relegated, solely as an export, to unwilling foreign countries. Domestically, the rule of law has been replaced by 'erring on the side of life.'"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/25/2005 03:27:00 PM 0 comments

GA - House brokers deal on 'stay rule'
House brokers deal on 'stay rule' | ajc.com: "The House on Thursday approved a bill that would limit the time legal appeals can delay work on landfills, power plants and other facilities requiring environmental permits.

But the version of Senate Bill 190 that passed 132 to 21 was far more environment- and citizen-friendly than the one sent over by the Senate.

A compromise worked out Thursday would give neighbors and environmental groups more time to gather evidence against an unwanted facility. Construction could be delayed up to 150 days, rather than the 30 or 90 days previously considered."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/25/2005 01:32:00 PM 0 comments

GA - Child support payment bill fails
Child support payment bill fails | ajc.com: "An overhaul of the way child support payments are calculated in Georgia failed by one vote Thursday in the Senate. But the proposed legislation could gain passage next week.

House Bill 221 would create a formula that uses the income of both parents to calculate child support payments. Currently, child support payments are determined by the income of the parent who does not have custody of the child or children."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/25/2005 01:32:00 PM 0 comments

Politically Appealing: Congress gives aggrieved plaintiffs a new last resort
Reason: Politically Appealing: Congress gives aggrieved plaintiffs a new last resort: "The law hurriedly passed by Congress in an attempt to overturn the outcome of the long-running legal battle between Schiavo's parents and her husband, Michael, is worse than useless. By upsetting the balance between state and federal authority, blurring the distinction between legislative and judicial functions, and mandating unequal treatment for similarly situated plaintiffs, the law compromised vitally important constitutional principles while giving the Schindlers nothing but false hope."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/25/2005 12:22:00 PM 0 comments

Man Tries to Steal Gun to 'Rescue Schiavo'
New York City: Man Tries to Steal Gun to 'Rescue Schiavo': "A man was arrested after trying to steal a weapon from a gun shop so he could 'take some action and rescue Terri Schiavo,' authorities said."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/25/2005 12:20:00 PM 0 comments

Author links Wal-Mart, China
The Sun News | 03/06/2005 | Author links Wal-Mart, China: "Chinese factories are the most important and fastest-growing sources for Wal-Mart; in 2003 the company bought 15 billion in goods from Chinese suppliers. Fishman says 10 percent to 13 percent of China's exports to the United States winds up at Wal-Mart. He cites a Washington Post article that says '80 percent of the six thousand factories in Wal-Mart's worldwide database of suppliers are in China. ... If Wal-Mart were a nation, it would be China's fifth-largest export market, ahead of Germany and Great Britain.' Wal-Mart has 560 buyers in China."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/25/2005 12:19:00 PM 0 comments

GA - Opponents rally against photo ID
Opponents rally against photo ID | ajc.com: "A coalition of civil rights activists, labor unions, Democratic lawmakers, college students and others descended on the state Capitol on Thursday to loudly protest proposed legislation that would require voters to show picture identification at the polls.

The rally was organized by civil rights veteran Rev. Joseph Lowery of The Coalition for the People's Agenda, but drew a wide range of opponents of the legislation including Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, a candidate for governor in 2006."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/25/2005 10:13:00 AM 0 comments

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Judge: Ohio Gay Marriage Ban Affects Law
Yahoo! News - Judge: Ohio Gay Marriage Ban Affects Law: "Domestic violence charges cannot be filed against unmarried people because of Ohio's new constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a judge ruled Wednesday."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/24/2005 03:56:00 PM 0 comments

Report Emphasizes Shortfall in Medicare
Report Emphasizes Shortfall in Medicare (washingtonpost.com): "The two independent trustees overseeing Social Security and Medicare broke with the Bush administration's trustees yesterday, saying Medicare's financial problems far exceed Social Security's and are in urgent need of attention."
"The three trustees from the Bush Cabinet -- Treasury Secretary John W. Snow, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt and Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao -- chose to emphasize Social Security's problems almost exclusively at the report's release."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/24/2005 03:04:00 PM 0 comments

The Silliness of Secrecy
Schneier on Security: The Silliness of Secrecy: "Ever since Sept. 11, 2001, the federal government has advised airplane pilots against flying near 100 nuclear power plants around the country or they will be forced down by fighter jets. But pilots say there's a hitch in the instructions: aviation security officials refuse to disclose the precise location of the plants because they consider that 'SSI' -- Sensitive Security Information.

'The message is; 'please don't fly there, but we can't tell you where there is,'' says Melissa Rudinger of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, a trade group representing 60% of American pilots."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/24/2005 11:52:00 AM 0 comments

Right to Life backed law that [disconnects people from life support]
HoustonChronicle.com - Casey: Right to Life backed law that irks wife: "Jannette Nikolouzos is angry with the Texas law that allows St. Luke's Hospital to unhook her husband from life support tomorrow."
"She may be surprised to learn that National Right to Life, the organization that is helping to lead the fight to keep a Florida hospital from removing life support for Terri Schiavo, helped write the Texas law."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/24/2005 09:59:00 AM 0 comments

The war on pointy-headedness
Crooked Timber » » The war on pointy-headedness: "The entire hip, awesome “South Park Republican” caucus could stand on a beer mat with the entire anti-torture Republican caucus and still leave room for a beer."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/24/2005 09:46:00 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Take a stand why?
Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: March 20, 2005 - March 26, 2005 Archives: "While President Bush is seeding the media with bogus threats, his own Republicans are afraid to appear in public with him on his Social Security tours."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/23/2005 03:21:00 PM 0 comments

Army Likely Won't Meet Recruiting Goals
Yahoo! News - Army Likely Won't Meet Recruiting Goals: "The Army expects to miss its recruiting goals this month and next and is working on a revised sales pitch appealing to the patriotism of parents, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said Wednesday."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/23/2005 02:56:00 PM 0 comments

Administration kept mum about unapproved modified corn sold
Yahoo! News - Administration kept mum about unapproved modified corn sold: "The federal government kept it secret for three months that genetically modified corn seed was sold accidentally to some U.S. farms for four years and may have gotten into the American food supply."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/23/2005 02:55:00 PM 0 comments

GA - House says yes to weaker smoking ban
House says yes to weaker smoking ban | ajc.com: "Georgia moved one step closer to a statewide smoking ban Tuesday when the House approved a bill to prohibit smoking in most enclosed public places that allow minors.

After more than three hours of passionate debate, lawmakers voted 118-52 to approve a weaker version of Senate Bill 90. The Senate now must review the amended version, which allows smoking in bars and restaurants that do not serve customers younger than 18 or employ anyone younger than 18"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/23/2005 12:05:00 PM 0 comments

Federalism Has a Right to Life, Too
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Contributor: Federalism Has a Right to Life, Too: "many of the the same political leaders who denounced the Supreme Court's decision forbidding states from executing those who committed their crimes as juveniles now feel free to parachute in on a case that had been within a state court's purview for 15 years."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/23/2005 10:56:00 AM 0 comments

Interview with Michael Dukakis
MyDD :: My Exclusive Interview with Michael Dukakis: "Michael Dukakis: I think the one great missing piece in this campaign, and it's something that we Democrats have got to get serious about at every level, was that we still aren't doing the grassroots job the way it has to be done. I happen to be a product of grassroots campaigning, grassroots organization. I wouldn't have been elected dogcatcher in my state had it not been for that."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/23/2005 10:41:00 AM 0 comments

Missing Message by Brad Carson
NDOL: Missing Message by Brad Carson: "I've concluded that the only way we can gather under one tent all the Democratic interest groups, plus the essential portion of swing voters we need, is with an overarching message -- like the Republicans' -- that appeals to voters at both a higher and deeper level than just their own favorite policy positions. Democrats must try to develop a vision for a better country that both inspires political activity and unites groups with very different policy agendas."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/23/2005 10:39:00 AM 0 comments

Support falters for the 'nuclear option'
Support falters for the 'nuclear option' - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - March 23, 2005: "Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist does not have firm support among his caucus to employ the so-called 'nuclear option' for dislodging the Democratic filibusters against President Bush's judicial nominees.
Of the 55 Republicans in the chamber, at least six are undecided or adamantly opposed to the plan of using the rare parliamentary procedure to end the filibusters with a simple majority vote, rather than the 60 votes normally required."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/23/2005 10:30:00 AM 0 comments

Conservatives: G.O.P. Right Is Splintered on Schiavo Intervention
The New York Times > Washington > Conservatives: G.O.P. Right Is Splintered on Schiavo Intervention: "'My party is demonstrating that they are for states' rights unless they don't like what states are doing,' said Representative Christopher Shays of Connecticut, one of five House Republicans who voted against the [Schiavo] bill. 'This couldn't be a more classic case of a state responsibility.'

'This Republican Party of Lincoln has become a party of theocracy,' Mr. Shays said."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/23/2005 10:15:00 AM 0 comments

Bill would clear officer charged with shooting Iraqis
Marine Corps Times - News - More News: "The North Carolina congressman who represents Camp Lejeune introduced legislation that would dismiss all charges against 2nd Lt. Ilario G. Pantano, the Marine who allegedly wrongfully shot two Iraqis while deployed to Iraq a year ago."
"Pantano is charged with premeditated murder and other violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He has been transferred to the 6th Marine Regiment as he awaits an Article 32 hearing on the charges in April."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/23/2005 10:13:00 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

FBI agents questioned value of harsh interrogation techniques
KR Washington Bureau | 03/21/2005 | FBI agents questioned value of harsh interrogation techniques: "Harsh techniques used by military interrogators on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, produced no better information than traditional law enforcement methods, FBI agents told their superiors in newly declassified portions of e-mails released Monday.

FBI agents assigned to the detention center raised their concerns over the military's interrogation methods with senior commanders and civilian Pentagon officials, but were rebuffed, said one of the excerpts."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/22/2005 06:50:00 PM 0 comments

Education a Priority for Voters
TechSoup - News and Views - Education a Priority for Voters: "By a two-to-one margin (including a majority of Republicans), voters say they are more concerned about cuts in services than tax increases. All voters, regardless of background, show significantly more support for tax increases if the new revenue is earmarked for education, though the intensity of support for tax increases is low."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/22/2005 04:50:00 PM 0 comments

Law Bush signed as Texas governor prompts cries of hypocrisy
Yahoo! News - Law Bush signed as Texas governor prompts cries of hypocrisy: "The federal law that President Bush (news - web sites) signed early Monday in an effort to prolong Terri Schiavo's life appears to contradict a right-to-die law that he signed as Texas governor, prompting cries of hypocrisy from congressional Democrats and some bioethicists.

In 1999, then-Gov. Bush signed the Advance Directives Act, which lets a patient's surrogate make life-ending decisions on his or her behalf. The measure also allows Texas hospitals to disconnect patients from life-sustaining systems if a physician, in consultation with a hospital bioethics committee, concludes that the patient's condition is hopeless."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/22/2005 01:41:00 PM 0 comments

New EPA Mercury Rule Omits Conflicting Data
New EPA Mercury Rule Omits Conflicting Data (washingtonpost.com): "When the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a rule last week to limit mercury emissions from U.S. power plants, officials emphasized that the controls could not be more aggressive because the cost to industry already far exceeded the public health payoff.

What they did not reveal is that a Harvard University study paid for by the EPA, co-authored by an EPA scientist and peer-reviewed by two other EPA scientists had reached the opposite conclusion."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/22/2005 12:44:00 PM 0 comments

Next up: A bill to mandate decent underwear for all accident victims
Next up: A bill to mandate decent underwear for all accident victims | ajc.com: "If conservatism stands for anything, many believe it should be for the right of any red-blooded American to A) light a cigarette and breathe deeply in a restaurant; and B) fry one's fingers with a sparkler on the Fourth of July.

And so, House Republicans are fairly certain to quash both.

The only thing that tops conservatism in Georgia politics is Momism. If suburban women ain't happy in '06, ain't no Republican gonna be happy."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/22/2005 11:26:00 AM 0 comments

GA - Senate OKs new map for Congress
Senate OKs new map for Congress | ajc.com: "Extending a national trend to Georgia, Senate Republicans on Monday approved a revised political map that dramatically reshapes the state's congressional districts — and could enhance the GOP's chances on election day."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/22/2005 11:24:00 AM 0 comments

GA - Sandy Springs gets vote OK
Sandy Springs gets vote OK | ajc.com: "Georgia legislators have agreed after 35 years of debate that residents in Sandy Springs can decide whether their community becomes a city.

The Senate's approval Monday, by a 43-10 vote, marked the first time the House and Senate have agreed on bills that could lead to the incorporation of Sandy Springs — a diverse, affluent home to 85,000 in unincorporated north Fulton County."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/22/2005 11:20:00 AM 0 comments

Masters of Sleaze
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Masters of Sleaze: "Back in 1995, when Republicans took over Congress, a new cadre of daring and original thinkers arose. These bold innovators had a key insight: that you no longer had to choose between being an activist and a lobbyist. You could be both. You could harness the power of K Street to promote the goals of Goldwater, Reagan and Gingrich. And best of all, you could get rich while doing it!"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/22/2005 09:53:00 AM 0 comments

Jon Stewart on Terri Schiavo
The Washington Monthly: "Jon Stewart on Terri Schiavo: 'If you want to know just how sick you have to get before Congress is willing to do something about it, well, now you know.'"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/22/2005 09:52:00 AM 0 comments

Monday, March 21, 2005

GA - Cox lashes out at photo ID plans
Cox lashes out at photo ID plans | ajc.com: "Secretary of State Cathy Cox on Friday denounced a legislative proposal that would require Georgia voters to show a photo ID at the polls and change other voting rules.

'If this bill passed, we would have the most restrictive identification requirements for voting over any other state in the union,' Cox said."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/21/2005 03:29:00 PM 0 comments

The Creative Stubbornness of Harry Reid
TIME - Joe Klein - : The Creative Stubbornness of Harry Reid: "The Republican majority has now located the limits of the possible, and it has been guided to that ledge by the creative intransigence of Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, whose control over his donkeys has been as striking as G.O.P. Senate leader Bill Frist's failure to herd his elephants. Reid has been clever and very, very tough. His opening bid was opposition to President Bush's Social Security semiprivatization plan, which proved a congenial place for Democrats to congregate. Social Security reform now appears to be moribund. The Democrats hung together on the budget last week, luring moderate Republicans to their cause on Medicaid, education and grants for cities. And it appears likely that they will hang together on the next big crisis—the Republican attempt to stop Democratic filibusters against some of the President's more injudicious judicial appointments."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/21/2005 02:52:00 PM 0 comments

The Australian: Guantanamo abuse 'videotaped' [March 21, 2005]
The Australian: Guantanamo abuse 'videotaped' [March 21, 2005]: "VIDEO footage of the treatment of prisoners by the US military at Guantanamo Bay would reveal many cases of substantial abuse as 'explosive as anything from Abu Ghraib', a lawyer said today."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/21/2005 02:51:00 PM 0 comments

The man has his priorities
The Carpetbagger Report » The man has his priorities: "To recap, Osama bin Laden, Israel, war, and devastation? Vacation on. The religious right wants action on a woman who has been in vegetative state for 15 years? Vacation off. The man has his priorities."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/21/2005 02:48:00 PM 0 comments

Crime as Lethal as Warfare in Iraq
Crime as Lethal as Warfare in Iraq: "Assassinations and bombings have garnered worldwide attention. But Iraqi officials say violence unrelated to the insurgency is growing, and Iraqis are more likely to die at the hands — or in the cross-fire — of kidnappers, carjackers and angry neighbors than in car bombings.

In some cases, authorities say, the motives are so opaque that they cannot tell whether they are investigating a crime disguised as an act of war or a political assassination masquerading as a violent business dispute."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/21/2005 12:35:00 PM 0 comments

Gambling on Luck-Based Benefits
Gambling on Luck-Based Benefits: "Nearly half of U.S. workers don't get any paid sick leave — for low-wage earners, it's 75%. Unlike 139 other nations, the U.S. doesn't guarantee paid sick leave. Let the pneumonias and hernias fall where they may.

Slashed sick leave is part of a broad assault on labor — roundly ignored in the last election — across a downsized workplace as the burden of risk shifts from employers to employees, who, if anyone's listening out there, are livid about it, whether Republican or Democrat or independent. Companies are cutting or eliminating vacation leave (nearly a third of American women don't get any; a quarter of men), pensions, health insurance and ergonomics rules. Meanwhile, the Economist reports that corporate profits in the U.S. are higher than they've been in 75 years as benefits — including sick leave — shrink."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/21/2005 10:34:00 AM 0 comments

Republicans fear midterm losses
Republicans fear midterm losses: "Analysts at the Republican National Committee have sent this warning to the House of Representatives: The party is in danger of losing 25 seats in the 2006 election and, therefore, of losing control of the House for the first time since the 1994 election."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/21/2005 09:41:00 AM 0 comments

GOP Governors Cut State Workers' Rights
Yahoo! News - GOP Governors Cut State Workers' Rights: "Republican governors in a few spots across the country are angering state employees by removing one of organized labor's strongest tools — the right to collective bargaining."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/21/2005 08:07:00 AM 0 comments

Friday, March 18, 2005

GA - Atlanta Police Admit Errors After Shooting
The Associated Press: "The city's embattled police department acknowledged Friday that it made mistakes just after last week's deadly courthouse rampage, and the chief revealed that the suspect spent as many as 12 hours undetected outside a busy mall."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/18/2005 04:53:00 PM 0 comments

Conn. Ex-Gov. Rowland Gets Year in Prison
Yahoo! News - Conn. Ex-Gov. Rowland Gets Year in Prison: "Former Gov. John G. Rowland was sentenced to a year in prison and four months of house arrest Friday for selling his office in a corruption scandal that destroyed his career as one of the Republican Party's brightest and fastest-rising stars."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/18/2005 04:41:00 PM 0 comments

Study: Abstinence May Lead to Risky Acts
Yahoo! News - Study: Abstinence May Lead to Risky Acts: "Among virgins, boys who have pledged abstinence were four times more likely to have had anal sex, according to the study. Overall, pledgers were six times more likely to have oral sex than teens who have remained abstinent but not as part of a pledge.

The pledging group was also less likely to use condoms during their first sexual experience or get tested for STDs, the researchers found."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/18/2005 04:20:00 PM 0 comments

Labor Intense
American Prospect Online - ViewWeb: "three major unions left [the AFL-CIO exec council meeting in] Las Vegas talking about quitting the AFL-CIO altogether. SEIU President Andy Stern has said since his union’s convention last summer that the SEIU would either succeed in reforming the federation or, failing that, “build something stronger.” Following the two votes in Vegas, he was joined in his threat to pull out by UNITE HERE President Bruce Raynor, who told the Prospect that his union’s executive board would meet later in March to look at the disaffiliation option. Sources close to Teamsters President James P. Hoffa said that a Teamster pullout is under consideration as well."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/18/2005 03:30:00 PM 0 comments

Game On: How Democrats Should Respond to Bush's Campaign to Reform Social Security
Game On: How Democrats Should Respond to Bush's Campaign to Reform Social Security: "The lesson for Democrats? If they believe that Bush's single-minded embrace of personal accounts is a defection from a cooperative game to deal with the solvency of Social Security (and it is), they should respond in kind: by withholding any specific proposals on benefit reductions and revenue increases until the President withdraws his insistence on personal accounts. If Bush's interest in solvency is genuine, he will then have no choice but to bargain."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/18/2005 03:28:00 PM 0 comments

US Senate Rejects Democratic Abortion Amendment
US News Article | Reuters.com: "Senate Democrats, saying they are seeking common ground in the nation's divisive abortion debate, offered a pregnancy prevention measure in the Senate Thursday night but it was defeated."
"The measure, offered as an amendment in the Senate budget debate, included more funding for family planning, teen pregnancy programs and education about emergency contraception. It also would have expanded health insurance coverage of prescription birth control."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/18/2005 03:27:00 PM 0 comments

Secret US plans for Iraq's oil
BBC NEWS | Programmes | Newsnight | Secret US plans for Iraq's oil: "The Bush administration made plans for war and for Iraq's oil before the 9/11 attacks, sparking a policy battle between neo-cons and Big Oil, BBC's Newsnight has revealed."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/18/2005 02:09:00 PM 0 comments

Wal-Mart Settles Illegal Immigrant Case
Yahoo! News - Wal-Mart Settles Illegal Immigrant Case: "Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's biggest retailer, has agreed to pay $11 million to settle federal allegations it used illegal immigrants to clean its stores, attorneys in the case said Friday."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/18/2005 11:00:00 AM 0 comments

Religious denominations still stand four-square behind the governor. Except for Methodists. And Southern Baptists | ajc.com
Religious denominations still stand four-square behind the governor. Except for Methodists. And Southern Baptists | ajc.com: "Thursday, the Methodist-Baptist alliance that once held sway over all moral issues in Georgia — and still carries great weight — announced it had withdrawn its support for S.R. 49, the governor's initiative.

Instead, the Georgia Council on Moral and Civic Concerns has put its full weight behind the Democratic alternative, S.B. 42 — because it would prohibit school vouchers."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/18/2005 10:44:00 AM 0 comments

GA - Activists rail against ID bill
Activists rail against ID bill | ajc.com: "A coalition of civil rights groups plans to rally Thursday at the Capitol to protest a proposed photo ID requirement for voting in Georgia.

Leaders of the noon 'Turning Back the Clock' event said the issue transcends race. They called on poor, elderly and Hispanic Georgians to join their cause."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/18/2005 10:40:00 AM 0 comments

GA - Bill thwarts Atlanta ordinance
Bill thwarts Atlanta ordinance | ajc.com: "The state Legislature has voted to block Atlanta's attempt to penalize private organizations that don't offer gay and lesbian couples the same benefits as married couples.

The state Senate voted 37-11 to approve House Bill 67, which now awaits the governor's signature."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/18/2005 10:40:00 AM 0 comments

Questions Are Left by C.I.A. Chief on the Use of Torture
The New York Times > Washington > Questions Are Left by C.I.A. Chief on the Use of Torture: "Porter J. Goss, the director of central intelligence, said Thursday that he could not assure Congress that the Central Intelligence Agency's methods of interrogating terrorism suspects since Sept. 11, 2001, had been permissible under federal laws prohibiting torture."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/18/2005 09:54:00 AM 0 comments

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Roads out of Baghdad become no-go zones
Yahoo! News - Roads out of Baghdad become no-go zones: "Nearly two years since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq, Baghdad is still one of the most dangerous cities in the world. It is ringed in peril. Travel in any direction a few miles outside city limits and the risks intensify."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 07:59:00 PM 0 comments

S.D. Governor OKs Anti-Abortion Bills
Yahoo! News - S.D. Governor OKs Anti-Abortion Bills: "Gov. Mike Rounds signed a series of anti-abortion bills, including one that requires doctors to tell women the procedure ends the lives of humans, his office announced Thursday."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 07:58:00 PM 0 comments

GOP boards up the 'town hall'
USATODAY.com - GOP boards up the 'town hall': "Shaken by raucous protests at open 'town hall'-style meetings last month, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce of Ohio and other GOP leaders are urging lawmakers to hold lower-profile events this time."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 06:20:00 PM 0 comments

Denouncing DeLay Without Delay
American Prospect Online - ViewWeb: "Believe it or not, these are some of the best days Democrats have had on Capitol Hill in years. Considering the drubbing they took last November, they are having more fun than they have any right to expect. This may be out of necessity. They have stopped pretending that they are only temporarily in the minority, and they have begun acting like the opposition, at least on Social Security and ethics."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 06:19:00 PM 0 comments

ABC News: Poll: Americans Conflicted About Iraq War
ABC News: Poll: Americans Conflicted About Iraq War: "This poll finds a huge comedown from public opinion before, during and just after the main fighting two years ago. President Bush's wartime job approval rating reached 77 percent; it's 50 percent now. His approval specifically on Iraq was 75 percent as the main fighting ended; it's 39 percent now, a career low."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 06:14:00 PM 0 comments

Senate Votes to Allow Drilling in Arctic Reserve
The New York Times > Washington > Senate Votes to Allow Drilling in Arctic Reserve: "President Bush's long-stalled plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling cleared a major hurdle on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, when the Senate voted to include the proposal in its budget, a maneuver that smoothes the way for Congress to approve drilling later this year.

By a vote of 51 to 49, Republicans defeated an effort by Democrats to eliminate the drilling language from the budget."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 06:13:00 PM 0 comments

Report: Navy Sonar Likely Made Orcas Flee
Yahoo! News - Report: Navy Sonar Likely Made Orcas Flee: "Sonar pulsing from a Navy guided-missile destroyer during training exercises near the San Juan Islands two years ago was likely loud enough to send killer whales fleeing, according to a government agency report."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 06:13:00 PM 0 comments

Senate Votes to Allow Drilling in Arctic Reserve
The New York Times > Washington > Senate Votes to Allow Drilling in Arctic Reserve: "President Bush's long-stalled plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling cleared a major hurdle on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, when the Senate voted to include the proposal in its budget, a maneuver that smoothes the way for Congress to approve drilling later this year.

By a vote of 51 to 49, Republicans defeated an effort by Democrats to eliminate the drilling language from the budget."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 06:06:00 PM 0 comments

Report: Navy Sonar Likely Made Orcas Flee
Yahoo! News - Report: Navy Sonar Likely Made Orcas Flee: "Sonar pulsing from a Navy guided-missile destroyer during training exercises near the San Juan Islands two years ago was likely loud enough to send killer whales fleeing, according to a government agency report."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 06:05:00 PM 0 comments

World Weed - The WTO—the stoner's new best friend. By Tim Wu
World Weed - The WTO—the stoner's new best friend. By Tim Wu: "the strange status of marijuana may also bring down the scrutiny of a different entity altogether: the World Trade Organization and its powerful condemnation of inconsistent national laws. The American ban on marijuana is what the WTO calls 'a barrier to trade,' raising the question: Can U.S. marijuana policy survive the tough scrutiny of world trade law?

WTO scrutiny of American drug laws may sound far-fetched, but then until recently so did WTO scrutiny of U.S. gambling or tax laws."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 04:23:00 PM 0 comments

Senate Kills All Medicaid Cuts From Budget
Yahoo! News - Senate Kills All Medicaid Cuts From Budget: "The Senate voted Thursday to strip all proposed Medicaid cuts from the $2.6 trillion budget for next year, killing the heart of the plan's deficit reduction and dealing an embarrassing setback to President Bush and Republican leaders."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 02:42:00 PM 0 comments

Fla. House OKs Bill to Keep Schiavo Alive
Yahoo! News - Fla. House OKs Bill to Keep Schiavo Alive: "The state House passed a bill Thursday that could keep Terri Schiavo alive, less than 24 hours before the severely brain-damaged woman's feeding tube is scheduled to be removed."
"Gov. Jeb Bush has strongly urged the Legislature to pass a bill that would save Schiavo, as it did in 2003. That law allowed Bush to order doctors to restore Schiavo's feeding tube six days after it had been removed. The law was later declared unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 02:09:00 PM 0 comments

No Convictions Among Guantanamo Suspects Sent Home
Yahoo! News - No Convictions Among Guantanamo Suspects Sent Home: "Three years after the United States opened its prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, 65 detainees have been handed over to their home countries but none has been convicted of any crime."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 02:08:00 PM 0 comments

In about-face, Santorum votes no on Amtrak aid
In about-face, Santorum votes no on Amtrak aid: "Three weeks ago, Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., vowed to fight President Bush's 'unacceptable' plan to eliminate funding for Amtrak.

He changed tracks yesterday, voting with the president and against an amendment to add $1.04 billion in government assistance for the system"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 02:01:00 PM 0 comments

One giant leap backward for the IRS: Taxpayer gets form from 1969
One giant leap backward for the IRS: Taxpayer gets form from 1969: "Seattle resident Suzy Rasmussen recently called the Internal Revenue Service to have some tax publications and forms sent to her -- including Schedule B, for reporting dividend and interest income.

The IRS complied. Included in the mailing Rasmussen received was a Schedule B.

From 1969."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 01:58:00 PM 0 comments

USATODAY.com - Congress' approval rating on the slide
USATODAY.com - Congress' approval rating on the slide: "Fewer Americans [37%] approve of the way Congress is handling its job than at any time since shortly after Republicans impeached President Clinton, a Gallup Poll finds."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 12:56:00 PM 0 comments

Rahm plots '06 attack on ethics
Rahm plots '06 attack on ethics: "Democratic House leaders are casting about for squeaky-clean congressional candidates — even if they’re long shots — to challenge prominent GOP incumbents who have been tainted by news reports of their allegedly unseemly connection to lobbyists.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) strategy, still in development, aims to make ethical charges the touchstone of those campaigns and would use several high-profile local races to create a national image of corruption in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 12:55:00 PM 0 comments

US Army asks for longer enlistments as recruitment numbers fall
Yahoo! News - US Army asks for longer enlistments as recruitment numbers fall: "The US Army has asked Congress to allow it to extend enlistment contracts offered to future soldiers by two years in order to 'stabilize the force,' as top defense officials warned that key recruitment targets for the year could be missed."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 12:06:00 PM 0 comments

High Point ruling could shut down [North Carolina] red-light cameras
High Point ruling could shut down red-light cameras: "High Point will probably suspend use of red-light cameras after a judge ruled Tuesday that the county schools are entitled to 90 percent of the fines collected through the program [according to the NC constitution. I wonder if GA has any similar provision?].

High Point is appealing the ruling of Superior Court Judge A. Moses Massey. The outcome could shut down red-light camera use statewide – including ones installed in Greenville – since municipalities say most of the money generated by the cameras is needed for expenses."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 11:21:00 AM 0 comments

Scenes From the Cultural Revolution
Whiskey Bar: Scenes From the Cultural Revolution: "Scenes From the Cultural Revolution
'The Left has taken over academe. We want it back.'
Mike Rosen, Rocky Mountain News columnist
CU is Worth Fighting For
March 4, 2005

'In this great Cultural Revolution, the phenomenon of our schools being dominated by bourgeois intellectuals must be completely changed.'
Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China
Resolutions of the Eleventh Plenum
August 1966
[And many other quote pairs like the above]"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 11:07:00 AM 0 comments

CIA's Assurances On Transferred Suspects Doubted
CIA's Assurances On Transferred Suspects Doubted (washingtonpost.com): "The system the CIA relies on to ensure that the suspected terrorists it transfers to other countries will not be tortured has been ineffective and virtually impossible to monitor, according to current and former intelligence officers and lawyers, as well as counterterrorism officials who have participated in or reviewed the practice."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/17/2005 10:23:00 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Abuse led Navy to consider pulling Cuba interrogators
Boston.com / News / World / Latin America/Caribbean / Abuse led Navy to consider pulling Cuba interrogators: "Top US Navy officials were so outraged at abusive interrogation techniques being used at the Guantanamo Bay prison in late 2002 that they considered removing Navy interrogators from the operation, according to a portion of a recent Pentagon report that has not been made public."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/16/2005 03:07:00 PM 0 comments

Senate Work May Come to Halt If GOP Bars Judicial Filibusters
Senate Work May Come to Halt If GOP Bars Judicial Filibusters (washingtonpost.com): "Senate Democrats formally threatened yesterday to bring the chamber to a virtual standstill if Republicans carry out a plan to change Senate rules and bar filibusters of judicial nominations. The comments, which Republicans quickly denounced, signal that the two parties remain on a collision course whose outcome could be so explosive that it is generally called the 'nuclear option.'"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/16/2005 03:05:00 PM 0 comments

Big Doings in the Senate
NewDonkey.com: "Today Bill Nelson of FL offered a sense-of-the-Senate resolution expressing opposition to any Social Security proposal that involved 'deep benefit cuts or a massive increase in debt.' It failed on a 50-50 vote, but as Sam Rosenfeld noted at Tapped, its big-tent wording not only attracted support from every single Democrat and five Republicans, but also put 50 GOPers on record as having no problem with 'deep benefit cuts or a massive increase in debt,' a gift to Democrats that will keep on giving for many campaigns to come."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/16/2005 11:59:00 AM 0 comments

Data theft fallout: US may ban sale of Social Security numbers
Data theft fallout: US may ban sale of Social Security numbers: "Congress is considering two approaches to the [data theft] problem. One would follow the lead of a California law that requires consumers be notified when their data is the subject of a security breach. Such legislation is seriously needed in the US. ChoicePoint neglected to notify consumers outside of California of the most recent breach, and another one a few years ago went completely unreported.

Another option would restrict or outright ban the sale of Social Security numbers, which are used as keys to definitively identify consumers in data transactions."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/16/2005 11:58:00 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Administration Rejects Ruling On PR Videos
Administration Rejects Ruling On PR Videos (washingtonpost.com): "The Bush administration, rejecting an opinion from the Government Accountability Office, said last week that it is legal for federal agencies to feed TV stations prepackaged news stories that do not disclose the government's role in producing them.

That message, in memos sent Friday to federal agency heads and general counsels, contradicts a Feb. 17 memo from Comptroller General David M. Walker"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/15/2005 03:22:00 PM 0 comments

Skepticism of Bush's Social Security Plan Is Growing
Skepticism of Bush's Social Security Plan Is Growing (washingtonpost.com): "the White House is pinning its political hopes on younger voters such as Hall's daughter. They tend to be deeply ambivalent about the future of Social Security and blessed with enough time until retirement to build up sizable accounts."
"But young workers present their own political problems. For one thing, they tend to be less politically involved. Only 38 percent of young respondents say they know much about Bush's Social Security proposal, well below the levels seen among middle-aged and elderly respondents.[Boy, that last part looks familiar]"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/15/2005 01:49:00 PM 0 comments

Group Leaves Social Security Overhaul Bloc
Group Leaves Social Security Overhaul Bloc: "ignaling more troubles ahead for President Bush's campaign to overhaul Social Security, a group representing the nation's biggest financial companies said Monday that it had decided not to renew its membership in a business coalition raising millions of dollars to back the effort."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/15/2005 11:46:00 AM 0 comments

HR.525: Killing State Health Care Regulation
Labor Blog: "What's the next legislative atrocity coming down the pike from the GOP Congress? So many to choose from, but a sleeper is H.R. 525, labeled the 'Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2005,' which has a committee hearing this Wednesday. With a name like that, you know evil's afoot and the plan here is to exempt more health insurance plans from state regulation."
"This bill is so bad that thousands of organizations oppose it, including the Republican Governors Association."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/15/2005 11:12:00 AM 0 comments

KBR spent millions to deliver $82,100 of fuel to Iraq
HoustonChronicle.com - KBR spent millions to deliver $82,100 of fuel to Iraq: "Iraq needed fuel. Halliburton Co. was ordered to get it there — quick. So the Houston-based contractor charged the Pentagon $27.5 million to ship $82,100 worth of cooking and heating fuel."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/15/2005 11:12:00 AM 0 comments

Fenton Communications: "Neo-Conservative: Say What?" - by Parker Blackman
Fenton Communications: "Neo-Conservative: Say What?" - by Parker Blackman: "We all know that the current leaders of the Republican party – be it President Bush, Tom Delay, or Bill Frist – represents the extreme right wing of their party. But most of America doesn’t see them that way because nobody has successfully framed them as such. So let’s start calling them what they are – irresponsible, reckless, extreme, and radical."
"An important reason this frame works is that, in the aftermath of an election, people who voted for George W. Bush don’t want to be told that they voted for the wrong guy. But, if you can create space in some voters’ minds that the Bush Administration’s current agenda isn’t the one they signed up for, or that they are not getting the leadership they voted for, you give those voters space to rationalize moving away from Bush and the Republican leadership."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/15/2005 11:11:00 AM 0 comments

Monday, March 14, 2005

The Fundamental Right You Don't Have
TomPaine.com - The Fundamental Right You Don't Have: "Last week, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Il., introduced House Joint Resolution 28 with 54 original co-sponsors. The Jackson amendment would reverse the Supreme Court's ruling in Bush v. Gore that the citizen has no constitutional right to vote. Currently, voting is a state right, and all 3,067 counties in the 50 states have different rules about who votes and how. The congressman says it's time to make voting a citizenship right."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/14/2005 07:31:00 PM 0 comments

Judge Says Calif. Can't Ban Gay Marriage
The Associated Press: "A judge ruled Monday that California's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, saying the state could no longer justify limiting marriage to a man and a woman.

In the eagerly awaited opinion likely to be appealed to the state's highest court, San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer said that withholding marriage licenses from gays and lesbians is unconstitutional."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/14/2005 04:20:00 PM 0 comments

Business, RNC lend hand to Bush blitz
Yahoo! News - Business, RNC lend hand to Bush blitz: "The White House, in concert with the Republican National Committee and well-financed business groups, has launched an unprecedented campaign for changes in Social Security, including essays in local newspapers, media interviews and supporters calling in to radio shows to back President Bush."
"Many attribute the administration's successes in no small part to this painstaking control of information. These efforts have ranged from the innovative and aggressive to what the non-partisan Government Accountability Office has called the illegal production of video reports that appear to be the work of journalists."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/14/2005 03:02:00 PM 0 comments

FCC Rules 'MNF' Intro As Not Indecent
Yahoo! News - FCC Rules 'MNF' Intro As Not Indecent: "Federal regulators ruled Monday there was nothing indecent about a steamy introductory segment to ABC's 'Monday Night Football' featuring actress Nicollette Sheridan jumping into the arms of football player Terrell Owens."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/14/2005 03:01:00 PM 0 comments

Bush Loses Key Group on Social Security
WSJ.com - Bush Loses Key Group on Social Security: "What has surprised the White House and Republican congressional leaders are the yelps from the Capitol's small pack of conservative House Democrats -- the self-named Blue Dogs -- and a few like-minded senators. A source of support for Mr. Bush in the past, these Democrats so far sound unyielding in their opposition to his private accounts plan. The explanation lies in both deficit politics, and in resentments over past grievances.

'It's a trust issue,' says Blue Dog Rep. Allen Boyd of Florida, 'because of the lack of bipartisan cooperation in the last four years.'"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/14/2005 01:35:00 PM 0 comments

Ohio proposal would create panel for redistricting
Proposal would create panel for redistricting | mountvernonnews.com: "A proposal for an amendment to the Ohio constitution has been introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives by Democratic Whip Steve Driehaus. The proposal would create a five-member panel responsible for redrawing state and congressional districts every 10 years, based on census data."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/14/2005 12:52:00 PM 0 comments

Democrats Mull Primary Schedule Changes
Democrats Mull Primary Schedule Changes (washingtonpost.com): "Iowa and New Hampshire, combined, have 4.2 million people - just 1.5 percent of the U.S. population. Yet Democratic presidential candidates spend months and millions of dollars each presidential cycle in those two states before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, the first events in the party's nomination process.

Does it make sense to spend so much time and money to reach the same small fraction of the electorate each election? Should other states get a chance to hold the first contests in an election cycle?"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/14/2005 12:51:00 PM 0 comments

GA - Picture ID debate gets heated
Picture ID debate gets heated | ajc.com: "Some Democrats in both chambers rose Friday night to denounce the photo ID requirement as hurting minorities, the poor and elderly who may not have driver's licenses or be close to places that issue official identification.

On Saturday, state Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) reiterated that contention.

'We passed a bill that will, in effect, disenfranchise people of color — it will disenfranchise people of modest means, it will disenfranchise people who have struggled long and hard to get the right to vote,' Fort said. 'That is a family value I hope no one can abide by.'"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/14/2005 12:50:00 PM 0 comments

Support for Bush on Social Security Wanes, Poll Finds
Support for Bush on Social Security Wanes, Poll Finds (washingtonpost.com): "Barely a third of the public approves of the way President Bush is dealing with Social Security and a majority says the more they hear about Bush's plan to reform the giant retirement system, the less they like it, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/14/2005 11:13:00 AM 0 comments

"The Health of Nations" by Phillip J. Longman
"The Health of Nations" by Phillip J. Longman: "On a statistical basis, what's most likely to get you killed in the next year: (A) living in Israel during the Intifada; (B) living in crime-ridden, inner-city Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh; or (C) living in the bucolic outer suburbs of those cities? The answer is overwhelmingly C. A recent study by University of Virginia professor William H. Lucy found that Americans' migration into sprawling outer suburbs is actually a huge cause of premature death."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/14/2005 10:13:00 AM 0 comments

Jackson's Political Drive Comes to Md.
Jackson's Political Drive Comes to Md. (washingtonpost.com): "The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson brought his campaign to renew the federal Voting Rights Act to a Prince George's County church yesterday with an appeal for help gathering a million signatures on a petition to President Bush.

Jackson told worshipers at Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fort Washington that he launched the effort because Bush told members of the Congressional Black Caucus last month that he didn't know the landmark measure, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, is up for renewal in 2007."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/14/2005 09:41:00 AM 0 comments

Gov't reducing access to info
AP Wire | 03/13/2005 | AP review: Gov't reducing access to info: "Since 1998, many federal departments have been reducing the amount of information they release to the public - even as the government fields and answers more requests for information than ever, an Associated Press review has found."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/14/2005 09:39:00 AM 0 comments

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News
The New York Times > Washington > Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News: "at least 20 federal agencies, including the Defense Department and the Census Bureau, have made and distributed hundreds of television news segments in the past four years, records and interviews show. Many were subsequently broadcast on local stations across the country without any acknowledgement of the government's role in their production."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/13/2005 07:59:00 PM 0 comments

Study: Post-9/11 news drove liberals toward a harder line
ARTICLE: Study: Post-9/11 news drove liberals toward a harder line: "Liberals who gleaned most of their news from television in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks increased their support for expanded police powers, bringing them closer in line with the opinions of conservatives, a study by a UW-Madison researcher shows.

In contrast, heavy newspaper reading by liberals was related to lower levels of support for expanded police powers and for limits on privacy and freedom of information, basically reinforcing the differences between liberals and conservatives, says Dietram Scheufele, a journalism professor who conducted the study."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/13/2005 07:58:00 PM 0 comments

Res Ipsa Loquitur
NewDonkey.com: "according to the subscription-only Congress Daily, during a congressional hearing on child care funding in connection with the endless effort to reauthorize the 1996 welfare reform law, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) said this: 'The issue of child care is a Washington-based issue. It is not an issue out in the states.'"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/13/2005 07:43:00 PM 0 comments

Bush's budget lacks compassion and care
djournal.com: "This past week, leaders of five mainstream Protestant denominations came together to speak in one voice. Standing shoulder to shoulder, leaders of the Episcopal Church USA, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church together condemned the 2006 Federal budget proposed by President Bush as unjust by biblical standards. They couldn't be more correct."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/13/2005 07:40:00 PM 0 comments

Bad advice to Bush blamed for Social Security struggle
Bad advice to Bush blamed for Social Security struggle - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - March 11, 2005: "A senior Republican senator said, 'The message coming out of the White House is that we'll fix Social Security by raising your taxes and cutting your retirement benefits and, to get something passed, we'll forget about the personal retirement accounts we promised.'
The senator said that is like telling voters, 'Never vote for Republicans again -- we lie.'"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/13/2005 07:06:00 PM 0 comments

Gambling Interests Funded DeLay Trip
Gambling Interests Funded DeLay Trip (washingtonpost.com): "An Indian tribe and a gambling services company made donations to a Washington public policy group that covered most of the cost of a $70,000 trip to Britain by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), his wife, two aides and two lobbyists in mid-2000, two months before DeLay helped kill legislation opposed by the tribe and the company."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/13/2005 07:02:00 PM 0 comments

Poll Shows Concern About Gov't Secrecy
Yahoo! News - Poll Shows Concern About Gov't Secrecy: "Americans feel strongly that good government depends on openness with the public, with seven out of 10 people concerned about government secrecy, a new poll says."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/13/2005 12:33:00 PM 0 comments

GA - 'Family Day' attracts thousands to Capitol
'Family Day' attracts thousands to Capitol | ajc.com: "Republican leaders intended the day as a celebration and civics lesson, but a throng of generally polite protesters for a variety of causes showed up to crash the party. Dozens of gay couples showed up with their children as part of an orchestrated push by Georgia Equality. A union-organized rally outside the Capitol attracted up to 1,000 people."
[This picture has Page, Emily, Kim, Jason, Lindsay, and Maureen in it, unfortunately mostly with their backs to us and behind the tinfoil hat people.]
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posted by Anonymous at 3/13/2005 12:31:00 PM 0 comments

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Personal Information Taken in DMV Break-In
Yahoo! News - Personal Information Taken in DMV Break-In: "Personal information from more than 8,900 people was stolen when thieves broke into a Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles office, officials said Friday.

A computer taken during the break-in contained names, ages, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, photographs and signatures of southern Nevada residents who obtained driver's licenses between Nov. 25 and March 4 at the North Las Vegas office, state DMV chief Ginny Lewis said."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/12/2005 01:31:00 PM 0 comments

Friday, March 11, 2005

DSW data theft likely to affect hundreds of thousands
USATODAY.com - DSW data theft likely to affect hundreds of thousands: "More than 100,000 customers of a shoe-store chain likely have been affected by a cyber break-in of the company's database, the Secret Service said Thursday.

DSW Shoe Warehouse discovered the theft of credit card and personal shopping information last Friday and reported it to federal authorities, the company said."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/11/2005 02:29:00 PM 0 comments

Army, CIA Agreed on 'Ghost' Prisoners
Army, CIA Agreed on 'Ghost' Prisoners (washingtonpost.com): "Top military intelligence officials at the Abu Ghraib prison came to an agreement with the CIA to hide certain detainees at the facility without officially registering them, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. Keeping such 'ghost' detainees is a violation of international law."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/11/2005 02:29:00 PM 0 comments

ChoicePoint files found riddled with errors
MSNBC - ChoicePoint files found riddled with errors: "[Privacy advocate Richard Smith's] file also suggested a manual search of Texas court records was required, and listed him as connected to 30 businesses which he knew nothing about.

Some of the mistakes on Smith's report were comical: That his wife had a child three years before they were married, that he had been married previously to another woman, and most absurd, that he had died in 1976."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/11/2005 11:03:00 AM 0 comments

Senators May Block Social Security Vote
Senators May Block Social Security Vote (washingtonpost.com): "President Bush's bid to add individual accounts to Social Security faces such formidable opposition in the Senate that its supporters may be unable to bring it to a vote, according to a Washington Post survey of senators. [We have from 42-44]"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/11/2005 09:41:00 AM 0 comments

The stubbornness of slavery
Economist.com | The stubbornness of slavery: "Anti-Slavery International, a London-based human rights group, estimates that 43,000 slaves are held in Niger, which the United Nations reckons to be the second-least-developed country in the world."
"The form of slavery that perhaps affects the greatest number of people is bonded labour, which is particularly rife in India, Pakistan and Nepal. Desperate workers are given a loan for as little as the cost of medication for a child, and are forced to work to repay the loan and “interest”. But no clear contract is offered—the unfortunate bonded labourer often winds up working years to repay such loans, and the bond is even often passed on to children after the original labourer’s death."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/11/2005 09:39:00 AM 0 comments

GA - Senate OKs curb on land grabs
Senate OKs curb on land grabs | ajc.com: "The Georgia Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would limit the government's ability to seize private property, even as some lawmakers complained that it would stifle legitimate redevelopment efforts."
[SB 86 basically says that eminent domain cannot be used to condemn property solely for improving the tax base and bans condemnations where the property is planned to be resold to private developers]
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posted by Anonymous at 3/11/2005 09:14:00 AM 0 comments

GA - Senate votes to require notification of ID theft
Senate votes to require notification of ID theft | ajc.com: "The state Senate unanimously passed a bill Thursday requiring companies that gather personal data to notify Georgians who might be victims of identify theft."
"Hamrick's bill mirrors a law in California."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/11/2005 09:10:00 AM 0 comments

GA - House OKs new districts
House OKs new districts | ajc.com: "The Georgia House passed a freshly drawn version of the state's congressional map Thursday over the objections of most Democrats, two of Gov. Sonny Perdue's closest allies and the chamber's only black Republican."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/11/2005 09:09:00 AM 0 comments

GA - Franklin cited for showing 'courage'
Franklin cited for showing 'courage' | ajc.com: "Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin has been named a 2005 recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

The award, named after the 1957 Pulitzer-Prize winning book by the late president, honors public servants who risked their careers to fight for what they believed in."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/11/2005 09:07:00 AM 0 comments

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Jobless Claims at Highest Level in 2 Months
Yahoo! News - Jobless Claims at Highest Level in 2 Months: "The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits jumped by 17,000 last week to the highest level in two months, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
The increase pushed claims to 327,000"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/10/2005 09:54:00 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Pelosi and Slaughter Release Report on Republican Rules Abuses
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi: "This report provides devastating details of the profound abuse of power that characterizes House Republicans after 10 years in the majority. It demonstrates how House Republicans have completely abandoned not only the standards they set for themselves 10 years ago, but how they have also abandoned any other principle of fairness and accountability. In fact, many non-partisan analysts said that the 108th Congress not only matched the worst abuses of earlier Congresses, it has set a new standard."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/09/2005 01:19:00 PM 0 comments

Army report: U.S. lost control in Iraq three months after invasion
WorldTribune.com: Army report: U.S. lost control in Iraq three months after invasion: "A report by the U.S. Army official historian said the military was hampered by the failure to
occupy and stabilize Iraq in 2003. As a result, the military lost its
dominance by July 2003 and has yet to regain that position."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/09/2005 10:33:00 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Bush nominates Bolton as U.N. ambassador
CNN.com - Bush nominates Bolton as U.N. ambassador - Mar 7, 2005: "President Bush on Monday nominated Undersecretary of State John Bolton to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations."
"Bolton drew fire from Democrats in 1994 when he said at a Federalist Society forum that 'there is no such thing as the United Nations.'
'If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of difference,' he said."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/08/2005 03:31:00 PM 0 comments

GA - Vote paper trail gains support
Vote paper trail gains support | ajc.com: "It's probably a question of when — not whether — Georgia's 24,000 electronic voting machines will produce a paper record of a voter's ballot.

Two lawmakers, one in the House and one in the Senate, have introduced legislation requiring that the machines be outfitted with a voter-verified paper audit trail."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/08/2005 10:59:00 AM 0 comments

A nuclear option for the Democrats
Mark A. R. Kleiman: "Here's a modest proposal: instead of just whining about the Republicans' unprincipled power grabs, the Democrats should retaliate.

Fortunately, we have an excellent opportunity: change the California Constitution to elect the entire California Congressional Delegation as a bloc.

California is about as solidly 'blue' as a state can be in national elections. But of its 52 Members of Congress, 20 are Republicans. Move those 20 votes into the Democratic column, and we get to organize the House. (Just imagine the oversight hearings.)"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/08/2005 10:09:00 AM 0 comments

Terror Suspects Buying Firearms, U.S. Report Finds
The New York Times > National > Terror Suspects Buying Firearms, U.S. Report Finds: "Dozens of terror suspects on federal watch lists were allowed to buy firearms legally in the United States last year, according to a Congressional investigation that points up major vulnerabilities in federal gun laws."
"F.B.I. officials maintain that they are hamstrung by laws and policies restricting the use of gun-buying records because of concerns over the privacy rights of gun owners."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/08/2005 10:03:00 AM 0 comments

The Debt-Peonage Society
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: The Debt-Peonage Society: "the [bankruptcy] bill also fits into the broader context of what Jacob Hacker, a political scientist at Yale, calls 'risk privatization': a steady erosion of the protection the government provides against personal misfortune, even as ordinary families face ever-growing economic insecurity."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/08/2005 09:39:00 AM 0 comments

Senate Defeats Minimum Wage Increase
Yahoo! News - Senate Defeats Minimum Wage Increase: "The Senate defeated dueling proposals Monday to raise the $5.15-an-hour minimum wage — one backed by organized labor, the other salted with pro-business provisions — in a day of skirmishing that reflected Republican gains in last fall's elections."
"Both plans fell well short of the 60 votes needed to advance, and signaled that prospects for raising the federal wage floor, unchanged since 1996, are remote during the current two-year Congress."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/08/2005 09:37:00 AM 0 comments

Italy Foreign Minister Disputes U.S. Claim
Yahoo! News - Italy Foreign Minister Disputes U.S. Claim: "Italy's foreign minister said Tuesday that American troops killed an Italian intelligence officer in Iraq by accident, but he disputed Washington's version of events, demanding a thorough U.S. investigation of the shooting and that 'the culprits be punished.'"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/08/2005 09:31:00 AM 0 comments

Monday, March 07, 2005

GA - alimony statute challenged
The Moultrie Observer: "A former Moultrie physician is challenging the constitutionality of Georgia’s alimony statue in a hearing before Colquitt County Superior Court Judge Frank Horkan Tuesday.

Dr. Denny Cormier, now practicing in Brunswick, is a pro se litigant in a divorce case in Superior Court and alleges the alimony sections of Georgia’s dissolution of marriage laws infringe upon a Georgian’s rights of privacy, equal protection and due process, he stated in a release to the press. Also, Cormier claims that the state alimony laws violate the ban on involuntary servitude found in both the constitutions of Georgia and the U.S."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/07/2005 03:05:00 PM 0 comments

GA - Chief Justice [until June 30] asks for end to 'assault' on open records
Chief Justice asks for end to 'assault' on open records | ajc.com: "Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Fletcher on Friday called on the General Assembly to halt its efforts to weaken the state's open records laws.

Fletcher said it grieves him that so many bills are now being proposed to close government business from public view."
"Fletcher made his remarks upon receiving the Charles L. Weltner Freedom of Information Award at a ceremony in Buckhead."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/07/2005 02:37:00 PM 0 comments

GA - Sandy Springs Cityhood bills ready for vote this week
Cityhood bills ready for vote this week | ajc.com: "Long-sought legislation intended to give [Sandy Springs] its own government appears headed for passage this week in the Georgia House of Representatives.

Sponsors are confident the legislation will then be approved by the Senate and signed into law."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/07/2005 02:32:00 PM 0 comments

An Analytic Assessment of U.S. Drug Policy
AEI - Publications: "Drug policy has become increasingly punitive, with the number of drug offenders in jail and prison growing tenfold between 1980 and 2003. Nevertheless, there is strikingly little evidence that tougher law enforcement can materially reduce drug use. By contrast, drug treatment services remain in short supply, even though research indicates that treatment expenditures easily pay for themselves in terms of reduced crime and improved productivity."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/07/2005 12:38:00 PM 0 comments

Rule Change Lets C.I.A. Freely Send Suspects Abroad to Jails
The New York Times > Washington > Rule Change Lets C.I.A. Freely Send Suspects Abroad to Jails: "The Bush administration's secret program to transfer suspected terrorists to foreign countries for interrogation has been carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency under broad authority that has allowed it to act without case-by-case approval from the White House or the State or Justice Departments, according to current and former government officials."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/07/2005 12:13:00 PM 0 comments

Many Missteps Tied to Delay in Armor for Troops in Iraq
The New York Times > International > Middle East > Many Missteps Tied to Delay in Armor for Troops in Iraq: "the Defense Department took 167 days just to start getting the bulletproof vests to soldiers in Iraq once General Cody placed the order. But for thousands of soldiers, it took weeks and even months more, records show, at a time when the Iraqi insurgency was intensifying and American casualties were mounting.

By contrast, when the United States' allies in Iraq also realized they needed more bulletproof vests, they bypassed the Pentagon and ordered directly from a manufacturer in Michigan. They began getting armor in just 12 days."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/07/2005 12:08:00 PM 0 comments

Iraq too dangerous to report from.
Community News - Get in the thick of it Camden Village Soup: "National Public Radio foreign correspondent Deborah Amos, who has reported from Iraq off and on since the Iraq-American war started two years ago, said Iraq has become the most dangerous assignment in the world and one of the most difficult places to do accurate and balanced reporting."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/07/2005 11:17:00 AM 0 comments

Go Ahead. Test a Lawyer's Ingenuity. Try to Limit Damages.
The New York Times > Week in Review > Go Ahead. Test a Lawyer's Ingenuity. Try to Limit Damages.: "In states that already cap some damages - the ones labeled 'pain and suffering' - the study finds that total awards have remained pretty much the same. This suggests that plaintiffs' lawyers have simply recast their cases to encourage juries to award the same amounts under different names - for, say, 'lost wages.'"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/07/2005 11:15:00 AM 0 comments

Lobbying Under The Cloak Of Invisibility
Lobbying Under The Cloak Of Invisibility (washingtonpost.com): "President Bush wants to mount a frontal assault on Washington's biggest money issues: retiree benefits, trial lawyer verdicts and the federal income tax. There isn't anyone or any organization that doesn't care deeply about one or more of them. The legislative battles will be massive if the president ever manages to get them off the ground.

The funders of those important fights, however, will for the most part remain shielded from public view. Using perfectly legal means, the groups that plan to bankroll Bush's initiatives and those trying to prevent them from becoming law won't say who their donors are or how much they've given."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/07/2005 11:01:00 AM 0 comments

Santorum Labor Proposal A "Trojan Horse" For Workers
ACSBlog: The Blog of the American Constitution Society: Economic Policy Institute: Santorum Labor Proposal A "Trojan Horse" For Workers: "The Economic Policy Institute has analysed a series of revisions to the Fair Labor Standards Act proposed by Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa). According to the EPI, while the proposed new law does include a $1.10 increase in the minimum wage that will benefit about 1.8 million workers, it also contains hidden provisions which will harm many more wage earners [such as, for example, allowing restaurants to pay $0.00 per hour to tipped employees]"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/07/2005 10:28:00 AM 0 comments

Tax Cuts Lose Spot On GOP Agenda
Tax Cuts Lose Spot On GOP Agenda (washingtonpost.com): "for the first time in years, Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and other Senate Republicans are advocating increasing taxes -- as a way to pay for a restructuring of Social Security."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/07/2005 10:23:00 AM 0 comments

GA - Study sees rosy future for Beltline
Study sees rosy future for Beltline | ajc.com: "The creation of the proposed Beltline around intown Atlanta would stimulate more than $20 billion in development around the city's core over the next 25 years, according to a long-awaited city-sponsored study.

Most important, the study showed a new tax district surrounding the greenway and transit loop would generate as much as $1.7 billion in bond funding to help pay for the ambitious project, according to the study, which was delivered to Mayor Shirley Franklin and the Atlanta City Council on Thursday."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/07/2005 10:03:00 AM 0 comments

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Study: White-collar criminals dodging fines
Yahoo! News - Study: White-collar criminals dodging fines: "White-collar criminals routinely avoid hundreds of millions of dollars in court-ordered restitution by schemes such as transferring assets to relatives, a Government Accountability Office study said Thursday."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/06/2005 10:38:00 AM 0 comments

Friday, March 04, 2005

Ban on Matches, Lighters Vexes Airports
Ban on Matches, Lighters Vexes Airports (washingtonpost.com): "When Congress voted last year to prohibit passengers from bringing lighters and matches aboard commercial airplanes, it sounded like a reasonable idea for improving airline security.

But as airports and government leaders began discussing how to create flame-free airport terminals, the task became more complicated. Would newsstands and other small airport stores located beyond the security checkpoint have to stop selling lighters? Would airports have to ban smoking and close smoking lounges? How would security screeners detect matches in passengers' pockets or carry-on bags when they don't contain metal to set off the magnetometers? And what about arriving international travelers, who might have matches and lighters with them as they walk through the terminal?"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/04/2005 05:03:00 PM 0 comments

GA - $1 billion corporate tax break
$1 billion corporate tax break | ajc.com: "Georgia companies will get a $1 billion tax break over the next 10 years under legislation that won final approval Thursday in the state Legislature.

Proponents say the tax break will create jobs, but critics called House Bill 191 'corporate welfare' that will force Georgia taxpayers to make up the lost revenue through higher taxes or cuts in service."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/04/2005 02:13:00 PM 0 comments

GA - Senate passes abortion bill
Senate passes abortion bill | ajc.com: "A bill requiring women seeking abortions to wait 24 hours is on its way to the governor's desk.
HB 197 passed the Senate Friday morning by a vote of 41-10."
"Republicans blocked attempts to amend the bill to exempt the information requirements for women who become pregnant as the result of rape or incest."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/04/2005 02:13:00 PM 0 comments

Key Iraq wound: Brain trauma
Yahoo! News - Key Iraq wound: Brain trauma: "A growing number of U.S. troops whose body armor helped them survive bomb and rocket attacks are suffering brain damage as a result of the blasts. It's a type of injury some military doctors say has become the signature wound of the Iraq war."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/04/2005 02:10:00 PM 0 comments

"Is Grover Over?"
"Is Grover Over?" by Daniel Franklin and A.G. Newmyer III: "Business is the chisel driving a crack between moderate Republicans and the anti-tax fanatics. Although there is no group in Washington more loyal to the GOP's anti-tax doctrine than the Chamber of Commerce, in the states, reality often trumps ideology"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/04/2005 01:55:00 PM 0 comments

US must act 'quickly' on cotton
BBC NEWS | Business | US must act 'quickly' on cotton: "African countries have called on the US to quickly phase out cotton subsidies after the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruled that they were illegal."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/04/2005 11:35:00 AM 0 comments

Recycled Social Security Attacks
Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: February 27, 2005 - March 05, 2005 Archives: "nothing President Bush is saying now about Social Security is new. In fact, almost word for word his statements are close to identical to Republican attacks on Social Security from as far back as 1936."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/04/2005 09:16:00 AM 0 comments

Deficits and Deceit
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Deficits and Deceit: "Four years ago, Alan Greenspan urged Congress to cut taxes, asserting that the federal government was in imminent danger of paying off too much debt.

On Wednesday the Fed chairman warned Congress of the opposite fiscal danger: he asserted that there would be large budget deficits for the foreseeable future, leading to an unsustainable rise in federal debt. But he counseled against reversing the tax cuts, calling instead for cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Does anyone still take Mr. Greenspan's pose as a nonpartisan font of wisdom seriously?"
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posted by Anonymous at 3/04/2005 09:03:00 AM 0 comments

Thursday, March 03, 2005

O'Reilly on ACLU: "I think they're a terrorist group"
O'Reilly on ACLU: "I think they're a terrorist ... [Media Matters for America]: "I'm declarin' war on the ACLU. I think they're a terrorist group. They're terrorizin' me and my family. They're terrorizing me. I think they're terrorists."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/03/2005 06:03:00 PM 0 comments

Bill would allow guns in schools, anywhere
Bill would allow guns in schools, anywhere | The Arizona Daily Star ®: "The [Arizona] House of Representatives voted Tuesday to let people carry weapons - including guns, grenades, rockets, mines and sawed-off shotguns - into schools, polling places and nuclear plants if they claim they're only trying to protect themselves."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/03/2005 03:50:00 PM 0 comments

GA - Abortion bill OK'd by Senate panel
Abortion bill OK'd by Senate panel | ajc.com: "The House version of an anti-abortion bill passed a Senate committee on Wednesday and could come up for consideration before the full chamber this week.

Members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved House Bill 197 with almost no discussion."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/03/2005 02:20:00 PM 0 comments

GA - Democrats lay it on line for sunshine
Democrats lay it on line for sunshine | ajc.com: "Open government grabbed center stage in the Legislature on Wednesday, as Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor and other Democrats proposed amending the state Constitution to require open records and meetings unless specifically exempted.

Democrats also suggested that, for the first time, the records generated by state legislators and the meetings they attend should be required to be open and available to the public."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/03/2005 02:19:00 PM 0 comments

Frank Luntz GOP Playbook - Searchable text version
Political Strategy - Politics, Strategies, Tactics, News and Opinion[Learn how to connect everything to 9/11, to avoid "facts and figures," and other useful tips.]
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posted by Anonymous at 3/03/2005 09:50:00 AM 0 comments

DeLay Moves To Protect His Political Base Back in Texas
DeLay Moves To Protect His Political Base Back in Texas (washingtonpost.com): "DeLay garnered 55 percent of the vote in the November election against a relatively unknown Democrat, an unusually modest showing for a veteran House member who is one of the most powerful politicians in Washington. Some Republican officials and DeLay supporters worry that with President Bush absent from the top of the ticket next year, liberal interest groups might target the conservative majority leader and spend millions of dollars on campaign ads to try to defeat him."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/03/2005 09:45:00 AM 0 comments

GA - Leah Sears new Chief Justice
AccessNorthGa.com - North Georgia's Newsroom: "Judge Leah Sears, who survived a bid by conservative groups last year to dump her from the bench, has been elected chief justice of the state Supreme Court, the first woman to hold that position."
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posted by Anonymous at 3/03/2005 09:05:00 AM 0 comments

 

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