ThinkFast: November 13, 2008
ThinkFast: November 13, 2008
President Bush may continue to block inquiries into his administration after he leaves office. “The Bush administration overstepped in its exertion of executive privilege, and may very well try to continue to shield information from the American people after it leaves office,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
The Bush administration has so far committed $290 billion of the $700 billion financial bailout package. However, “no formal action has been taken to fill the independent oversight posts established by Congress when it approved the bailout to prevent corruption and government waste. Nor has the first monitoring report required by lawmakers been completed, though the initial deadline has passed.”
The office of President-elect Barack Obama announced that it will send two emissaries to meet unofficially with delegations at the G-20 summit. Former Republican Congressman Jim Leach and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will “meet with and listen to our friends and allies” on Obama’s behalf, said Obama senior foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough.
Vice President-elect Joe Biden and Dick Cheney will meet today at the “vice president’s residence on the sprawling Naval Observatory grounds in northwest Washington.” The Observatory would be Biden’s first home in DC; he has commuted from Delaware throughout the course of his Senate career.
Biden has reportedly asked Ron Klain to be his chief of staff. Klain served as Vice President Gore’s chief of staff during the Clinton administration and previously worked for Biden when he was Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman. Klain was played by the actor Kevin Spacey in the HBO movie “Recount.”
Yesterday, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to lift “restrictions on the Navy’s use of sonar in training exercises off the California coast, a defeat for environmental groups who say the sonar can harm whales.” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the overall public interest tipped “strongly in favor of the Navy.”
Gay marriage is now officially legal in Connecticut. “New Haven Superior Court Judge Jonathan Silbert ruled at a brief hearing Wednesday morning that gay and lesbian couples now may pick up marriage license forms at town and city clerks’ offices statewide.”
According to a new report from the Human Rights Center and the Center for Constitutional Rights, “[f]ormer Guantánamo prisoners released after years of detention without charge went home to find themselves stigmatized and shunned, viewed either as terrorists or as United States spies.” The report urges President-elect Obama to investigate the treatment of detainees held by the U.S.
“The world’s developed economies have slid into recession and will shrink further in 2009,” according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The organization predicts that the U.S. economy will “contract by 0.9 percent” and reports that this is the first time since the Arab oil embargo of 1974-75 that the “U.S., Europe and Japan have fallen into recession” simultaneously.
And finally: In an “elaborate hoax,” pranksters yesterday “distributed thousands of free copies of a spoof edition of The New York Times on Wednesday morning at busy subway stations” around New York City. The 14-page paper was dated July 4, 2009, had the headline “IRAQ WAR ENDS,” and imagined “a liberal utopia of national health care, a rebuilt economy, progressive taxation, a national oil fund to study climate change, and other goals of progressive politics.” The paper was reportedly the work of a group called the “Yes Men.”
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Today Sarah Palin speaks at the conference of Republican governors in Florida. The subject of her speech is “Vision for the Future.”
I am really curious as to A) what her vision for the future is, and B) what she can say when she doesn’t have an army of handlers writing her speech for her (of course, we don’t know that the latter isn’t true).
November 13th, 2008 at 9:01 amGay marriage is now officially legal in Connecticut. “New Haven Superior Court Judge Jonathan Silbert ruled at a brief hearing Wednesday morning that gay and lesbian couples now may pick up marriage license forms at town and city clerks’ offices statewide.”
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And because Connecticut doesn’t have a residency requirement, I expect many couples (particularly from New York, where their Connecticut marriage would be recognized) will go there to exchange their vows.
One state at a time. Even though it’s slow, it’s progress. But now with legal gay marriage in Masschusetts and Connecticut, and legal gay civil unions in other northeastern states, perhaps the world will see that civilization won’t come unraveled.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:05 amPresident Bush may continue to block inquiries into his administration after he leaves office. “The Bush administration overstepped in its exertion of executive privilege, and may very well try to continue to shield information from the American people after it leaves office,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
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Question for all the legal scholars out there — what can Bush do that Obama can’t undo? Besides the obvious gambit of destroying information or burying it where Obama can’t find it?
November 13th, 2008 at 9:07 amVice President-elect Joe Biden and Dick Cheney will meet today at the “vice president’s residence on the sprawling Naval Observatory grounds in northwest Washington.”
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I hope Biden is up to date on all his shots…
November 13th, 2008 at 9:07 amUmmm…where IS everybody today?
November 13th, 2008 at 9:08 am“no formal action has been taken to fill the independent oversight posts established by Congress when it approved the bailout to prevent corruption and government waste. Nor has the first monitoring report required by lawmakers been completed, though the initial deadline has passed.”
So far, Paulson’s “war on the credit crunch” is looking like GDumbya’s “war on terror” . . . just pour money down the rathole but don’t provide any accountability.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:08 amThe Bush administration has so far committed $290 billion of the $700 billion financial bailout package. However, “no formal action has been taken to fill the independent oversight posts established by Congress when it approved the bailout to prevent corruption and government waste. Nor has the first monitoring report required by lawmakers been completed, though the initial deadline has passed.”
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Handing out the money before the oversight network has been put in place makes this whole situation look like typical Bushco — shovel money to the rich friends with no accountability. Same old, same old.
And not meeting deadlines will probably result in another sternly worded letter from Congress. MORE same old, same old.
Can January 20 get here any quicker?
November 13th, 2008 at 9:11 amPresident Bush may continue to block inquiries into his administration after he leaves office. “The Bush administration overstepped in its exertion of executive privilege, and may very well try to continue to shield information from the American people after it leaves office,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
I think it’s in response to this (from Raw Story):
More than sixty groups call for revocation of presidential secrecy directive John Byrne
More than 60 organizations called on President-elect Barack Obama Wednesday to revoke President George W. Bush’s executive order on presidential secrecy and lift the veil in numerous areas of governmental furtiveness.
The groups’ recommendations demand efficiency and openness from the Freedom of Information Act process, reforms in the classification system to reduce overclassification and ensure that presidential records are handled in accordance with US law and congressional intent.
Among the groups include the National Security Archive, OMB Watch — a watchdog group of the White House Office of Management and Budget — and the Radio Television News Directors Association.
“President-elect Obama can make a difference on Day One in the way his administration relates to the public,” National Security Archive’s general counsel Meredith Fuchs said in a release. “Secrecy got out of control in the last eight years, but a few focused directives will go a long way towards reopening the government.”
Among the proposals include requests for Obama to:
* Issue a memorandum on the Freedom of Information Act that establishes a policy of maximum possible public disclosure of government records and directing an attorney general memo that reinstitutes the presumption of openness under FOIA, calls on agencies to use technology to engage with and inform the public, and commits to creating a more collaborative and less adversarial relationship with the public on issues involving access to information.
* Revoke President Bush’s executive order on the Presidential Records Act, which undermined the PRA by purporting to create new constitutional privileges for the family members and descendents of former presidents and for former vice presidents; commit to working with NARA and Congress to ensure necessary oversight for the transfer and processing of the Bush presidential records; and establish a policy for the new administration to preserve all presidential records of administrative, historical, informational, or evidentiary value.
* Issue a presidential directive rejecting prior abuses of the classification system and tasking the relevant executive branch agencies to develop a new executive order on classification that will reduce overclassification, add internal mechanisms to prevent classification abuses, ensure consideration of the public interest throughout the lifecycle of classified information, and improve the declassification process and information sharing.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:16 am…this is the first time since the Arab oil embargo of 1974-75 that the “U.S., Europe and Japan have fallen into recession” simultaneously.
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And we all know how well that worked out. Jimmy Carter inherited a mess and wasn’t able to pull us out in four years, which is why he wasn’t given another four.
It will be very difficult for Obama to pull us out in four years, too. But I have faith that he can give us a good start. Obama has the honesty of Jimmy Carter, which is a good thing. But he also has the energetic optimism, charisma, and powers of persuasion of Reagan. And the leadership and vision of Franklin Roosevelt. All of which he will need.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:17 amFrom the link on the Supreme Court decision:
The court did not deal with the merits of the claims put forward by the environmental groups. It said, rather, that federal courts abused their discretion by ordering the Navy to limit sonar use in some cases and to turn it off altogether in others.
The overall public interest tips “strongly in favor of the Navy,” Roberts wrote. He said the most serious possible injury would be harm to an unknown number of the marine mammals.
I only wish the whales had some lobbyists working for them.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:17 amYesterday, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to lift “restrictions on the Navy’s use of sonar in training exercises off the California coast, a defeat for environmental groups who say the sonar can harm whales.” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the overall public interest tipped “strongly in favor of the Navy.”
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I’m probably the last person who would advocate anything that would harm whales, since a number of species are endangered or threatened. But it’s important that our Navy personnel get sonar training.
Is there any other place this training could take place?
November 13th, 2008 at 9:23 amThe lead in Alaska got a lot bigger.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Goodbye US and A.
The “powers that be” have deemed the United States not worthy.
It isn’t the “greatest” country in the World. Not the worst either.
Pride is misplaced.
Corruption is the norm.
Hypocrisy rampant.
What good comes from a “patriotic” America when the majority of our financial interests are now overseas?
The “bailout” is the final nail in the coffin – the ultimate “fcuk you” to the average citizen.
Fascism 101.
Democracy 2.0, where are you?
Good luck restoring America to a “United States”.
Allow me to offer the epitaph for America:
“A tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
November 13th, 2008 at 9:24 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
I’m probably the last person who would advocate anything that would harm whales, since a number of species are endangered or threatened. But it’s important that our Navy personnel get sonar training.
Is there any other place this training could take place?
It’s been awhile since I read much about this case, but my memory is that these are breeding grounds for whales, not just any handy location at sea. So, yes, there are many other areas in the water that the Navy could utilize without having the same impact.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:26 amPresident Bush may continue to block inquiries into his administration after he leaves office.
The legacy of the George W. Bush… a locked file cabinet.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:26 ammisshusseinmolly Says: I am really curious as to A) what her vision for the future is, and B) what she can say
Something like this perhaps?
“Well ya know, this great American nation of ours with its fruits and its planes and its purple majesties is looking at itself in the mirror in the context of where its going to be and with the economics of things also, in that there’s things that need doing and you betcha, that’s what I want too, so in this future that we’re in things may look tough but ya know God has a way of opening doors and because Joe Six-Pack needs to know that his plumbing business isn’t going to be taxed when there are global things happening so that that’s my vision of where we’ve been and the greatness of this country is what keeps it great as well so I reckin’ if we jus’ keep going with our values of things we’ll get there fer sure”.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:28 amWe became a ‘Bailout’ country.
Auto industry in very bad shape..waiting to be bailed out.
Housing also in bad shape ,got bailed out..but still suffering.
Banks and investment bankers got their money and nobody knows where all the billions of dollars went to.
No oversight over hundreds of billions of dollars distributed.
While ‘Sharing The Wealth’ was the center of Republicans arguments over the course of last race, no Republican is showing anger over the Taxpayers money distributed to banks.
This is more than Joe the Plumber’s money…it is the nations money.
Where is the Congress,our House of Representatives?
Approving spending is always easy…watching over how the money spent remains the bigger task.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:28 amNor has the first monitoring report required by lawmakers been completed, though the initial deadline has passed.”
I’m not sure how long this hiatus is supposed to be for Congress, but I think that for the good of this nation they need to get back to work immediately and not leave again until Bush is gone.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:29 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
Is there any other place this training could take place?
November 13th, 2008 at 9:23 am
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There are probably plenty of other places, but the court refused to even allow the completion of an environmental impact assessment that may have identified alternate locations or other ways to mitigate impact on breeding grounds.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:30 am5th Estate Says
November 13th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Something like this perhaps?
“Well ya know, this great American nation of ours with its fruits and its planes and its purple majesties is looking at itself in the mirror in the context of where its going to be and with the economics of things also, in that there’s things that need doing and you betcha, that’s what I want too, so in this future that we’re in things may look tough but ya know God has a way of opening doors and because Joe Six-Pack needs to know that his plumbing business isn’t going to be taxed when there are global things happening so that that’s my vision of where we’ve been and the greatness of this country is what keeps it great as well so I reckin’ if we jus’ keep going with our values of things we’ll get there fer sure”.
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You’re right — it would be unreasonable to expect anything new and fresh.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:30 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
Vice President-elect Joe Biden and Dick Cheney will meet today at the “vice president’s residence on the sprawling Naval Observatory grounds in northwest Washington.”
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I hope Biden is up to date on all his shots…
November 13th, 2008 at 9:07 am
If not, I’m sure Dick will be happy to help him out — with his shot gun.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:30 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
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Yesterday, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to lift “restrictions on the Navy’s use of sonar in training exercises off the California coast, a defeat for environmental groups who say the sonar can harm whales.” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the overall public interest tipped “strongly in favor of the Navy.”
______________________________________________________
I’m probably the last person who would advocate anything that would harm whales, since a number of species are endangered or threatened. But it’s important that our Navy personnel get sonar training.
Is there any other place this training could take place?
November 13th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Rush Limbaugh’s bathtub ………….
November 13th, 2008 at 9:31 am“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.”
November 13th, 2008 at 9:31 am– Abraham Lincoln, Second Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862
However, “no formal action has been taken to fill the independent oversight posts established by Congress when it approved the bailout to prevent corruption and government waste. Nor has the first monitoring report required by lawmakers been completed, though the initial deadline has passed.”
And it seems Republicans are leading the way in demanding more transparency around what the Fed is doing.
The D side of the aisle had better get their butts into gear, the GOP is probably right on this point, and it seems a political no-brainer.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:32 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
Today Sarah Palin speaks at the conference of Republican governors in Florida. The subject of her speech is “Vision for the Future.”
I am really curious as to A) what her vision for the future is, and B) what she can say when she doesn’t have an army of handlers writing her speech for her (of course, we don’t know that the latter isn’t true).
“My vision of the fyutcha is that I am president of the real America not just Alaska. Liberals won’t get to kill babies anymore but real Americans will get to kill baby seals — everywhere, not just in Alaska! Everyone gets an oil derrick!”
November 13th, 2008 at 9:32 amVice President-elect Joe Biden and Dick Cheney will meet today at the “vice president’s residence on the sprawling Naval Observatory grounds in northwest Washington.”
Oh boy, I bet they are really looking forward to that! After spending the last six months or so in his cave, Cheney has been seen in the light of day lately and boy does he look bad. Pasty white face and that perpetual sneer on his face.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:32 amBTW Folks , in case you haven’t heard/read :
Begich now LEADS the convicted felon Stevens in the Alaska Senatorial race by over 800 votes………..
November 13th, 2008 at 9:33 amVice President-elect Joe Biden and Dick Cheney will meet today at the “vice president’s residence on the sprawling Naval Observatory grounds in northwest Washington.” The Observatory would be Biden’s first home in DC; he has commuted from Delaware throughout the course of his Senate career.:
“…And if you lift the cover, from the top of the tank, it pivots…[clank!} … like this.”
“Wow. Did your wife know about this place? Cool…”
“Nah. She’s not allowed into the Secret, Undisclosed Location…”
“But don’t the folks who clean the toilet occasionally lift the lid?”
“They have specific instructions, to leave any maintenance to the observatory’s plumbers.”
“The plumbers. Heh, heh… very funny. I get it.”
November 13th, 2008 at 9:34 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
I am really curious as to A) what her vision for the future is, and B) what she can say when she doesn’t have an army of handlers writing her speech for her (of course, we don’t know that the latter isn’t true).
If it comes out of her mouth in a coherent sentence, we can rest assured that her speech was written by someone other than Sarah Barracuda.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:36 am“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.
– Abraham Lincoln, Second Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862
And thus, the idea that we the people can “save our country” is inadequate to apply today, I agree.
Our government has been and will continue to be a “corporatist” government where the “people” mean nothing.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:38 amBegich may just pull Alaska out of the hat!
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/
November 13th, 2008 at 9:40 am“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.”
– Abraham Lincoln, Second Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862
Palin: “As A. Bram Linkin once said in 1962 ‘dogs are quiet before a storm, and its difficult climbing with piles, but in our case the country can benefit from savings’. Also.”
November 13th, 2008 at 9:41 amDr. Hussein Matt Says
November 13th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Where are YOU? :)
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I’m in my usual place with my usual unhealthy breakfast of a sweet roll and a Diet Pepsi, waiting for the caffeine to kick in. Is it Friday yet?
November 13th, 2008 at 9:41 amMaybe if the R side of the isle had been on board for some oversight in the last 8 years we wouldn’t be in this mess. makes me question their motives…..sorry to be cynical but it’s been a learned behavior where the R’s are concerned.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:42 amDNFP Says:
My. my. Aren’t you quite the pessimist today?
November 13th, 2008 at 9:42 amNo need, Mr. President! The whole world is trying to forget you.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:44 amMCMetal Says
November 13th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Rush Limbaugh’s bathtub ………….
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Ow! Diet Pepsi coming out of my nose really hurts!
November 13th, 2008 at 9:46 amFred Says:
makes me question their motives
By all means do that, and no question in my mind it is now politically expedient for them to be saying these things… my point is the Democrats had better get their own strategy in order because irrespective of motives, what these GOPpers are demanding is a popular no-brainer.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:47 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
——————————————————————————-MCMetal Says
November 13th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Rush Limbaugh’s bathtub ………….
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Ow! Diet Pepsi coming out of my nose really hurts!
November 13th, 2008 at 9:46 am
I’m sorry , sweet lady ; I really need to figure out how to put warning signs around some of my posts…….
November 13th, 2008 at 9:48 amPresident Bush may continue to block inquiries into his administration after he leaves office.
Maybe he can title his memoirs “Retroactive Immunity Is Not Enough”.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:49 amWell, yes Tom. Must have woken on the wrong side of the bed, although, I see more clarity in my recent thoughts as they are not clouded by the ruse that America will somehow, someway, begin to right itself.
WHAT ON GOD’S GREEN EARTH GIVES YOU THE HOPE THAT AMERICA WILL SUDDENLY BEGIN TO LEARN FROM IT’S PAST MISTAKES?
Remember, it’s all about “progress”, that’s what we’re selling right? Well, I have yet to realize any “progress” within our horribly gone-wrong experiment in Democracy.
The Founding Fathers, in all their wisdom, never, ever imagined that Corporations would wield more power internationally than a COUNTRY.
In that respect, they failed. And our lack of urgency to correct the situation only begets the continuance and spread of corruption.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:51 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says
November 13th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Begich may just pull Alaska out of the hat!
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This is good news. We must also hold good thoughts for the recount in Minnesota and the runoff in Georgia.
If the Dems can pull of that hat trick, and if Lieberman remains in the Dem caucus, we would have the “magic” number of 60.
But we shouldn’t put too much stock in that number meaning the Senate is filibuster-proof. Unlike the Republicans, the Democrats don’t vote as a monolithic bloc.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:53 amBible Spice is prattling on nonsensically , as usual ; I really cannot stand that dunce…………
November 13th, 2008 at 9:55 amIf Stevens and Coleman go down, Georgia becomes ground zero for the Republicans and it will get ever uglier than it already is.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:57 amCaribou Barbie just isn’t as sparkly when she doesn’t have racist hoards to incite.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:01 amZooey Says:
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Caribou Barbie just isn’t as sparkly when she doesn’t have racist hoards to incite.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Or a donor’s credit card to accessorize herself……….
November 13th, 2008 at 10:04 amMN sees Coleman claiming victory while claiming Franken is whining.
Norm’s got an army of lawyers filing suit, clogging up work spaces and just generally being a pain in the ass.
Last reports show a 206 vote spread.
‘It ain’t over ’till the fat lady sings, & she has laryngitis’
November 13th, 2008 at 10:05 amWhen will the Reich learn that you can`t have the foxes watching the hen house and not steal any hens……..once a Reich wing crook always a Reich wing crook.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:05 amSen. Stevens is losing in Alaska by 814 votes so far.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:05 amHis loss will spare us from seeing a Sen. Palin in the near future.
It is interesting that with respect to race California led the way in ending miscegenation laws by allowing interracial couples to marry, but with respect to sexual orientation the leadership is coming from New England.
My heart soars for all the couples who will now be allowed to marry in the great state of Connecticut.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:13 amMCMetal Says:
Zooey Says:
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Caribou Barbie just isn’t as sparkly when she doesn’t have racist hoards to incite.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Or a donor’s credit card to accessorize herself……….
November 13th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Yeah, I can see why she needed the make over. Yeesh…
November 13th, 2008 at 10:21 amZooey Says:
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MCMetal Says:
Zooey Says:
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Caribou Barbie just isn’t as sparkly when she doesn’t have racist hoards to incite.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Or a donor’s credit card to accessorize herself……….
November 13th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Yeah, I can see why she needed the make over. Yeesh…
November 13th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Her public speaking needs a make-over………….
November 13th, 2008 at 10:37 amDNFP Says:
The Founding Fathers, in all their wisdom, never, ever imagined that Corporations would wield more power internationally than a COUNTRY.
In that respect, they failed. And our lack of urgency to correct the situation only begets the continuance and spread of corruption.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:51 am
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I disagree. I believe the founding fathers knew all too well the power of corporations, having recently taken control of the colonies from corporations like the Massachussetts Bay Company and the Virginia Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company. The Boston Tea Party, you may recall, was a rebellion against the British East India Company imposing duties on its monopoly product, tea.
These were massive corporations strongly wedded to the crown, and the founding fathers knew well thier corrupting influence. That’s why they put corporate registration in the hands of the states – to keep them on a tight leash. That’s also why they gave Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce and international trade. They wanted power in the hands of the people, not corporations.
Yes, we’ve gone awry from those early days – corporations have embedded their influence in Congress and used this power to weaken regulation at every opportunity.
That doesn’t mean we’re without power, however. We don’t have to sit back and wait for the new President and Congress to give us our country back – that will never happen.
We the people still control our wallets, and we as consumers and stockholders can rein in these corporations if we try. Organizations such as WalMart Watch can be effective if they have enough people participating.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:39 amDNFP, there are a few reasons that coporations’ control is not hopeless:
November 13th, 2008 at 11:14 am1)Corporate interests are not all the same. The consolidation of radio nearly killed the music business. With clear channel as a near monopoly, and with a small playlist, music companies couldn’t promote their bnew artists–especially when the monopoly had people stop looking to radio as the source of new music, they had no place for people to find out about their product. More than anything else, it shattered them.Similarly, what’s good for the oil companies has bankrupted the auto companies. And all sorts of corporations groan under the burden that the healthcare industry puts on them. When they clash, the rest of us have leverage.
2) Corporations are only interested in things that directly affect them. They don’t want to rule the world, because that involves real work. Their interests are pretty easy to figure out.
3) Howard Dean and Barack Obamashowed that, witth the Internet, a politician doesn’t need corporate sponsorship to get the money necessary for a campaign. This has the potential for changing politics deeply. Not immediately, but eventually.
Question: what is to stop Obama from applying the Bush interpretation of “Signing Statements” to the broadest extent possible to undo the Bush cabal ?
ex – First Bill to the WH is a Bill recognizing the contribution of Elderly People to our health and Welfare.
Obama signs it and adds signing statement negating previous signing statments and sending Bush and Cheney to the Hague ?
November 13th, 2008 at 11:23 am“And finally: In an “elaborate hoax,” pranksters yesterday “distributed thousands of free copies of a spoof edition of The New York Times on Wednesday morning at busy subway stations” around New York City.”
It is my understanding that the Yes Men were responsible for this. If you haven’t seen their documentary, please do. They once posed as WTO representatives touring around giving presentations on things such as what to do about 3rd world starvation: devising a way to change American feces into food and they were taken seriously for quite a stretch.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:51 pmMapleStreet Says:
Obama signs it and adds signing statement negating previous signing statments and sending Bush and Cheney to the Hague ?
November 13th, 2008 at 11:23 am
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That would be unconstitutional. Signing statements must be germane to the bill they gut/modify, otherwise they’re a blatantly unconstitutional attempt to legislate from the Oval Office.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:37 pm63. While I agree that it wouldn’t be consitutitonal, that little detail didn’t stop Bush’s signing statements.
November 13th, 2008 at 3:15 pmHas anyone thought of bringing Bush and Cheney and all the Bush appointees up on RICO charges? I mean the invasion of Iraq was based on Fraud and they are taking our money and spending it freely on Wall Street. I’d say that would be fraud and Racketeering. That’s what RICO is made to procecute. It also means all their assets are frozen so they can’t use their money to skip the country.
November 13th, 2008 at 6:05 pm