ThinkFast: March 9, 2005
ThinkFast: March 9, 2005
Santorum to K Street Project: I wish I knew how to quit you. “After saying in January that he would end his regular meetings with lobbyists, Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.)…has continued to meet with many of the same lobbyists at the same time and on the same day of the week.â€
House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) “has traveled on more exclusive golf outings, lobbyist-funded vacations and fundraising excursions to luxurious destinations than he has on return trips back to his Ohio district to visit constituents” over the last six years, a new report shows.
“I’ll be eating with my wife, and so will a lot more senators after we pass this one.” Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) comments on the possible consequences of a measure passed yesterday banning lawmakers from accepting meals from lobbyists.
Contrary to recent administration claims, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities found the Bush “tax cuts have not paid for themselves, recent economic growth and revenue growth have not been particularly strong, and revenues remain lower than had been predicted before the tax cuts were enacted.â€
Even as crews work to contain “what is now the sixth largest oil spill ever on Alaska’s North Slope” (see photos), Senate conservatives yesterday released a budget that “tries to resurrect a plan to drill for oil and gas in the Alaskan wildlife refuge.”
Yesterday nearly 6,000 biologists signed a letter urging senators to preserve scientific protections in the Endangered Species Act. Their letter was directed to the efforts of Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), who has consistently tried to “gut” the landmark law.
The State Department’s newly released Human Rights Report condemns Iraq’s police for “intimidation, beatings, and suspension by the arms or legs, as well as the reported use of electric drills and cords and the application of electric shocks.”
Iraqi hospitals and morgues were ordered to “catalog deaths caused by bombings or clashes with insurgents, but not by execution-style shootings,” bolstering a controversial Washington Post report that some 1,300 Iraqis died in the aftermath of a major Shiite shrine bombing.
46: The percentage of Americans who say they have a “negative view” of Islam, seven points higher than after September 11. The jump represents a win for Bin Laden, Juan Cole writes, “since his whole enterprise was to ’sharpen the contradictions’ and provoke a clash of civilizations.”
And finally: It’s been a week of firsts for actress Natalie Portman. Days after making her first foray into gangsta rap, she visited Columbia University to deliver an “undergraduate lecture on counterterrorism.”
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“I wish I knew how to quit you.” -Senator Santorum
I think a better one would be “I wish I knew how to live off my salary as a senator”. The man is in bed with them so his ‘charities’ and campaign funds can pay for a lifestyle that he could not, on his own, afford.
It makes him look more powerful, being in bed with K street, and it gets him interest rates for his mortgage that are lower than he could get as a private citizen.
Trent Lott:
March 9th, 2006 at 9:44 amThe Republicans are about family values, right? So…he’s been leaving his wife to fend for herself all these nights while he’s off partying on someone elses dime..?
I’m sorry, folks. You can’t have a Clash of Civilizations when neither side is civilized except for the victims.
Sometimes a Conspiracy Theory is a Theory of Gravity.
Now, what would you do if a song could change a million votes? By all means pass it on.
Goper’s Lament
310 Downloads since January 27, 2006
March 9th, 2006 at 9:46 am100,000 Downloads by September 11, 2006
Just a rant, OT (the long view)
How far will this country go for greed before it has gone too far? This administration, through strong-armed, fear inducing tactics has raped the constitution and every thing it stood for, for their own benefit. When will someone in Washington and say “enough is enough� Stand up, walk out, and bring this country’s gov’t to a grinding halt. Many other countries are way ahead of recognizing how transparently fascist our country has become in the few years Bush has been in charge. Granted, the stage was set long ago, by both sides of the aisle, but now this shit has just run amuck. |]RESET[| start over!
March 9th, 2006 at 9:53 amLest one think I am some sort of apologist for corporations :) BP USA has a very poor safety record, not just in Alaska. They were issued the largest fine ever for their most recent (there have been more than a few) explosion at the refinery where a few died (Texas City?). A few died before that one and before that one.
The reason for that was the heavy use of contractors on BP’s part who did not understand the ‘full picture’, ie, what everyone else was doing. So since they didn’t know what BP or contractor X was doing contractor Y managed to be in a blast zone.
BP in Alaska has issues because they have pretty bad staff morale (lots of whistleblowers too who attest to that) and they are skimpy on their budget for Alaska. Face it, Alaska is not big on their ‘radar screen’ at all. Their Sakahlin project, etc is much more important than an aging pipeline. Even if ANWR were to open BP wouldn’t get excited b/c 1. it’d probably go to Exxon b/c of political issues and 2. the bid price would get way too high and 3. ANWR isn’t that attractive. It’s attractive, but not like their new gulf megaplatform is.
Working in the permafrost isn’t fun.
Anyway, BP has falsified inspection records in the past (actually lazy BP employees who hated the company but same thing) relating to that pipeline. The thing is old and no one wants to do anything about it.
The people who should be complaining are Alaskans primarily. They seem to take it as more or less a ‘fact of life’. They like their pipeline checks I guess..
March 9th, 2006 at 9:54 amLOL, methinks Trent Lott is going to discover that rib-rocked Christian conservative family value: Divorce.
March 9th, 2006 at 9:54 am“46: The percentage of Americans who say they have a “negative view†of Islam, seven points higher than after September 11. The jump represents a win for Bin Laden, Juan Cole writes, “since his whole enterprise was to ’sharpen the contradictions’ and provoke a clash of civilizations.—
Judd,
What’s the trend line on that look like?
Ignoring that Juan Cole is a hack, I’d like to see if this was a spike or an Iraq meltdown issue or one of the two. If it’s a massive spike it could be because of some recent Islam bashing…although I’m sure it’s a general upward trend.
Americans, because of the simplistic arab hating Bush speech, don’t seem to understand who ‘muslims’ are, exactly.
I’m sure that a vast majority would classify Pakistan and Iran as “Arab”. What’s worse is that Bush did the same thing while in Pakistant. He’s been dealing with them a long time and should realize they aren’t.
America does not know the ‘outside world’. Largest country in terms of muslim population? I would guess the American answer would be Saudi Arabia or Iran. Instead of Indonesia:)
Actually the prior two don’t even make the top ten.
For educational sake I’ll post the countries with the largest muslim population (bet most people could get pakistan)
Who would have thunk it, India and Bangladesh are 3 and 4.
1 Indonesia 182,570,000
March 9th, 2006 at 10:01 am2 Pakistan 134,480,000
3 India 121,000,000
4 Bangladesh 114,080,000
5 Turkey 65,510,000
6 Iran 62,430,000
7 Egypt 58,630,000
8 Nigeria 53,000,000
9 Algeria 30,530,000
10 Morocco 28,780,000
did Lott say he’ll be eating his wife? yuck!
March 9th, 2006 at 10:05 amBEIJING – China on Thursday lashed out against U.S. criticism of its human rights record, saying racial discrimination and crime were still rife in the United States and prisoners were being abused at U.S.-run detention centers abroad.
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The State Council, China’s cabinet, denounced the United States for what it said were rampant violence and widespread discrimination against minorities — especially blacks — in its annual response to the State Department’s report on human rights worldwide.
“For a long time, the life and security of the people of the United States has not been under efficient protection,” the Chinese report said.
Blacks are given heavier criminal penalties, arrested more frequently and are more likely to be targeted for hate crimes, the report said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060309/ap_on_re_as/china_human_rights
March 9th, 2006 at 10:07 amEvery econnomist in the country, with the exception of the few paid handsomely by the RNC, said that these tax cuts for the rich would not work.
They have been proven right time and again. There were two factors that were not examined fully. One was that spending was all for war footing. The other was that what has been keeping the economy afloat for the past 5 years is BORROWING. The two dont mix.
People borrowed on their homes until there is no room to borrow any more. They in turn spent the money on items that kept the economy afloat. This phase is gone.
Any idiot who will tell you that you can cut taxes during the time of massive expenditures to fight a war is crazy. PERIOD.
Nothing more to be said.
March 9th, 2006 at 10:13 amTrent Lott is not able to keep his foot out of his mouth.
March 9th, 2006 at 10:15 amHe will have to bite the bullet and eat lunch with his wife, probably at a fast-food joint, rather than with a crony at a white tablecloth restaurant, paying for it himself rather than on someone else’s tab.
Oh, the agony of it all — oh the ignominy of it all.
Maybe he will have to have his coiffure done at the local barber too – or do they still get their $3 haircuts in the Senate building?
Not out of touch with the rest of America is he?
Santorum, Boehner, Lott and all their company — put them in a bag, shake ‘em up, pour ‘em out — they’re all the same. Pick one.
March 9th, 2006 at 10:17 amDude, Where’s my 21st Century?
March 9th, 2006 at 10:32 amSantorum seems to be extremely sexually repressed, which usually denotes a highly closeted man with homosexual tendancies! Since he is violently anti-Gay, that denotes his fighting his lust for another guy! He needs to either divorce his wife and marry Jeff Gannon, or get therapy to understand his fem side > lol.
March 9th, 2006 at 10:40 amIt seems the Iraqi police have learned their lessons well. Were they not trained by Rummy and the Prison Guards? They certainly are singing the same songs.
March 9th, 2006 at 10:43 am#1
Here is another little trick I have learned from the republicans that I deal with in business (I do computer programming) that thinks I am just like them … get a minority woman to start a not for profit and with the purpose being having that not for profit get grants that pay you for your services…whether you ever actually help anybody doesnt matter… because if shit hits the fan you blame it all on government grants giving welfare to the lazy poor. After all you were just providing a service to a not for profit …
I never realized how these types of things can be manipulated and cheated and blamed on others. I have thought of starting a not for profit to help kids that were like me growing up poor without access to a computer to help make them become programmers so we dont have to keep sending jobs over seas… I guess if you want to do good you can, but everytime one of these “cheaters” abuse the system it makes it harder on others who actually want to help… but hey! at least the likes of Santorum gets to live a life of luxury while the “lazy poor” try to find something to do with their time like dealing drugs…
March 9th, 2006 at 10:50 amThe top issue of the day should still be warrantless surveillance. As JABBS notes today:
“While bipartisanship would be a wonderful thing in Washington — too rare during the Bush years — Congress should not overlook the obvious. President Bush authorized illegal warrantless surveillance for more than four years, and that’s activity unbecoming of a president.”
Democrats — indeed all Americans — should make this a top concern. The only conceivable reason for not having impeachment hearings is that too many Republicans put party before country, and respect for the law.
March 9th, 2006 at 10:51 amNow that we in America are living under a Dick Tater Ship, does that mean that the rest of the world can stop hating our freedom now?
Goper’s Lament
March 9th, 2006 at 10:53 amopen thread comment…want to get your thoughts on this, maybe too easy of a hypothesis, that i’ve heard a few times this week:
the idea being that all the republican dissent about NSA and the ports deal is being “allowed”, a very rovian tactic in this election year, to make those repugs able to say “see, i’m standing up, fighting for your rights” – because he knows that if the repugs lose seats the congress will start IMPEACHMENT (yay!) proceedings.
makes sense to me – everything is scripted and purposeful…
also, on c-span this morning, they took calls 1/2hr. each for dems and repugs, and asked for each to “grade” their party leadership…i didn’t hear the dems who were first up (i turned on tv at 7 central time – so they were the early birds), but the repug callers ranged from Bs to F- …not much in between, and it sounded mostly negative, a lot of pissed off rebugs…..wish i had heard the dems – anybody catch that?
oh, and good morning…
March 9th, 2006 at 10:57 amBut why does Lott think a lot of Senators want to eat with his wife?
March 9th, 2006 at 11:07 amhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iraq_execution;_ylt=Avh19T5YK8yNyGg8I.vYS.us0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ–
This is rich.
Kinda Saddam like don’t ya think.
March 9th, 2006 at 11:41 am#20 Lobbying is an alternative name for pimping…
March 9th, 2006 at 11:51 ammikeS…lolol….I won’t touch that ‘eat’ and ‘wife’ thing with a 10 foot wingnut poll. Last night on msnbc’s scarface, msnbc’s political analyisis lady,monica something said she could’nt find any legal reason to impeach bush. Dear dumb lady, bush admitted he broke the law on wiretaps. You really should watch the news once and a while…DUH…
March 9th, 2006 at 11:55 am#18, Katy,
March 9th, 2006 at 3:16 pmI didn’t see it, but my husband did — he is even more anti-Republican than I am!
He said the Dems sorely disappointed him. He blamed the moderator in part because of the way he framed the discussion (a cartoon). He felt that the callers may have thought they were asked to critique themselves and their party – and they complied!!
The Rethugs, who cam eon later, were not as hard on themselves and their party. They already saw how things were going and took advantage of layering on criticism of the Dems.
That is his opinion of C-Span this morning.
My husband is a good one to have on your side, because he will fight for you till the end.
Poor Mrs. Trent Lott (and I’m sure that’s how she refers to herself), having to eat meals with stupid cracker. He sure seems fixated on the meal thing. Twit.
March 9th, 2006 at 5:02 pm[...] Think Progress [...]
March 9th, 2006 at 9:44 pmWe elect a man to an office to speak for us. The man had good intentions at first. Then the lobbyist with gifts in hand come to the door. Senator sire if you help us we can help you. The man look in the office across the hall at the senior senator. He gets a wink and a thumbs up. Now our voice is gone. That is capital hill today.
March 10th, 2006 at 8:01 amThe only time a senator is interested in the people who elected him, is when he is up for re-election. Take the ports deal, a year earlier or later it would have gone though with no problem. Its an election year.