AM Feed - May 12: Bush Administration Gathers More Intelligence (From Your Phone Records)
Hot Topics
- The Bush administration has been secretly collecting and compiling domestic phone call records from millions of American households and businesses. While this latest news is certainly shocking, news of the Bush administration’s blatant disregard for the protection of civil liberties can no longer be considered surprising. The National Security Agency has collected the data with the help of telecommunications companies. In an (unsuccessful) attempt to quell the budding uproar, President Bush made a hasty media appearance yesterday, during which he asserted that the program was lawful – without citing any particular law. More than 50 House Democrats have signed a letter demanding a special counsel to investigate the situation. [link]
- With its approval ratings slipping and the issue of congressional corruption still unsolved, the Republican-controlled Senate decided to revert back to an all-too familiar course yesterday by voting to extend $70 billion in tax breaks largely targeted to wealthy investors and businesses. The bill does save some middle-income families from being snared by the Alternative Minimum Tax, but that accounts for just half the cost ($34 billion) of the total bill. The rest of the legislation is laden with handouts for exactly the same folks that have been enjoying them for years under the Bush administration. [link]
- Republican Governor of Kentucky Ernie Fletcher was indicted yesterday on charges that he has been illegally rewarding his political supporters with state jobs. In 2003, Fletcher campaigned on a promise to “clean up the mess in Frankfort,” the state’s capitol. In addition to the charges against Fletcher, 13 other current or former administration officials have been indicted as well. Fletcher has already issued a blanket pardon to everyone else in his administration, and he has stated that he has no intention of resigning. [link]
Quote of the Day
“He had made every effort to get a contract with HUD for 10 years. He made a heck of a proposal and was on the (General Services Administration) list, so we selected him. He came to see me and thank me for selecting him. Then he said something … he said, ‘I have a problem with your president.’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘I don’t like President Bush.’ I thought to myself, ‘Brother, you have a disconnect—the president is elected, I was selected. You wouldn’t be getting the contract unless I was sitting here. If you have a problem with the president, don’t tell the secretary.’ He didn’t get the contract. Why should I reward someone who doesn’t like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don’t get the contract. That’s the way I believe.” – Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson, speaking about a contractor during a 4/28 address. Jackson’s statements appear to violate federal law, and he later claimed that the story was merely “anecdotal.”
Morning Snark
- Sure, Ernie Fletcher might be in trouble for political patronage right now, but at the very least he just added an impressive line in his resume for any future job openings in the Bush administration.
Comment
- It won’t be long until they can conduct state business from the state prison in Kentucky. Perhaps they could rename it “My Old Kentucky Home”
— Rosalie Stern May 12, 11:49 # - Bush now has an approval rating of 29%, according to the latest Harris poll. We’ve been waiting for this milestone for quite some time and, speaking for myself, I feel a modicum of satisfaction that, finally, this criminal junta has hit the perilous 20-30% range that so few unpopular presidents have reached. I’d have to do a little research, but I think Nixon had the identical popularity rating during the same week he was forced to resign back in 1974. The thing of it is is that a lot of these scandals are just in their initial stages basically – they haven’t even blossomed fully with all the ruinous consequences for this junta that that entails. Now consider that the people are seeing this through a dense fog of propaganda, spin, lies and a public relations tsunami inundating us like no other citizenry in the history of humankind.
One of the things that bewildered me after 9-11 is that people rallied around Bush, labeling him strong and decisive. This junta did NOTHING for 102 minutes – Bush literally sat in a classroom reading “My pet Goat.” One of the things the Hurricane Katrina disaster showed people is that Bush’s response was essentially the same there as it was to 9-11 – dithering and dazed, doing absolutely nothing. So even if another terrorist attack occurs, I don’t think it will boost Bush’s ratings. On the contrary, it will damage his reputation further. The junta could start another war, but that will be backfire as well. The future does not augur well for these war criminals, to be sure.
— John May 12, 12:04 # - Hey everybody, the National Organization of Women (NOW) is conducting a campaign to bring back the TV show “Commander-in-Chief” which has been cancelled. For those who don’t know, this series features Geena Davis as the U.S. President who’s tough as steel, but a real bleeding heart liberal as well. The character is appealing on many levels and the show is excellent entertainment. It’s tantalizing to see how leadership ought to be, but I start seething when I make comparisons to this depraved and mindless junta that the Christo-Corporate elites have forced on our hapless asses. I urge everyone to go to www.now.org to respond to their action alert directed at ABC to bring back this wonderful TV show. NOW has a lot of members and I’ve seen quite a few shows brought back from the brink due to sufficient response from viewers.
— John May 12, 12:38 #
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