Definitely worth an investigation

This from WaPo:

Senators Accuse Pentagon of Obstructing Inquiry on Sept. 11 Plot

By DOUGLAS JEHL
Published: September 22, 2005

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 - Senators from both parties accused the Defense Department on Wednesday of obstructing an investigation into whether a highly classified intelligence program known as Able Danger did indeed identify Mohamed Atta and other future hijackers as potential threats well before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The complaints came after the Pentagon blocked several witnesses from testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee at a public hearing on Wednesday. The only testimony provided by the Defense Department came from a senior official who would say only that he did not know whether the claims were true.

To read the entire article click here.

Arlen Specter, D-PA, said members felt the assertion by former and current officers in the Able Danger program were credible.

Hey Pentagon, what's the deal? Enquiring minds want to know!

Amendments to the Endangered Species Act

From the NYT:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 - The chairman of the House committee overseeing natural resources introduced a bill Monday that would make it more difficult for the federal government to set aside land it deems crucial to the health of endangered species.

The proposed amendments to the Endangered Species Act also increase the obligation of government agencies to tell landowners quickly if the law limits their development options, and to compensate them.

The measure, which drew quick denunciations from groups like Environmental Defense, Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council, was proposed by the House Resources Committee chairman, Representative Richard W. Pombo, Republican of California. It was immediately put on a fast track, which is expected to bring it before the full House early next week.

Typical. They put out one little thing that looks reasonable (The proposed amendments to the Endangered Species Act also increase the obligation of government agencies to tell landowners quickly if the law limits their development options, and to compensate them.) while the rest is meant to help destroy government regulation that hinder development for the corporate sector.

And to top it off, the bill gets fast tracked, just when we are recovering from a major natural disaster, with another on the way. The real kicker? It's a bipartisan bill! You can read the bill here.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the changes would:

* completely repeal protections for endangered species critical habitat

* remove protections for species listed as "threatened" under the law

* allow political appointees - such as Secretary of Interior Gale Norton - instead of scientists, to determine what constitutes the best available science

* exempt federal agencies from the requirement to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on actions that might impact endangered species

* bankrupt the endangered species program by forcing the Fish and Wildlife Service to pay developers to comply with the law.

Roberts: Just Say No!

This from SFGate.com

Roberts' ruling in Bush's favor debated
Terrorism case came as White House was interviewing him

There's no dispute that chief justice nominee John Roberts met with high-level White House officials while his appellate court was considering a case of enormous importance to the Bush administration, on the president's power to try battlefield captives and foreign terror suspects before military commissions.

There is considerable dispute, among legal ethics experts as well as supporters and opponents of Roberts, about whether his contacts amounted to a conflict of interest that should have disqualified him from the case.

"A reasonable person might question his impartiality when he sat on an appellate panel that directly and widely expanded the president's powers'' while he was under consideration by the president for a seat on the Supreme Court, said Barbara Olshansky of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents military detainees, in testimony opposing Roberts' nomination.

This isn't a theoretical question about how his beliefs might shape a court opinion. This is a real life situation that has occurred, and at least IMHP, should disqualify him. He should have disqualified himself, but he didn't!

If you are still on the fence about Roberts, this should knock you off.

Complain to Committee Members!

These are the members of the House Committee on Resources:

Richard W. Pombo, R, California, Chairman
Nick J. Rahall II, West Virginia, Ranking Democrat Member

Don Young, R, Alaska
George Miller, D, California
Jim Saxton, R, New Jersey
Ed Markey, D, Massachusetts
Elton Gallegly, R, California
Dale E. Kildee, D, Michigan
John J. Duncan, Jr., R, Tennessee
Peter DeFazio, D, Oregon
Wayne T. Gilchrest, R, Maryland
Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, D, American Samoa
Ken Calvert, R, California
Neil Abercrombie, D, Hawaii
Barbara Cubin, R, Wyoming
Solomon P. Ortiz, D, Texas
George P. Radanovich, R, California
Frank Pallone, Jr., D, New Jersey
Walter B. Jones, Jr., North Carolina
Donna M. Christensen, D, Virgin Islands
Chris Cannon, R, Utah
Ron Kind, D, Wisconsin
John E. Peterson, R, Pennsylvania
Jay Inslee, D, Washington
Jim Gibbons, R, Nevada
Grace F. Napolitano, D, California
Greg Walden, R, Oregon
Tom Udall, D, New Mexico
Thomas G. Tancredo, R, Colorado
Mark Udall, D, Colorado
J.D. Hayworth, R, Arizona
Raúl M. Grijalva, D, Arizona
Jeff Flake, R, Arizona
Dennis Cardoza, D, California
Rick Renzi, R, Arizona
Madeleine Z. Bordallo, D, Guam
Stevan Pearce, R, New Mexico
Jim Costa, D, California
Henry Brown, R, South Carolina
Charlie Melancon, D, Louisiana
Thelma Drake, R, Virginia
Dan Boren, Oklahoma
Luis Fortuno, R, Puerto Rico
Stephanie Herseth, D, South Dakota
Cathy McMorris, R, Washington
Bobby Jindal, R, Louisiana
Louie Gohmert, R, Texas
Marilyn Musgrave, R, Colorado

Drop them a line, especially if they are your representative, and let them know what you think!

And what about Rita?

Arrgh. This from the Democratic Party site.

Republicans are fighting over how to pay for the enormous costs of Katrina reconstruction, debating between cutting funding for public broadcasting, cutting public funding of elections, and cutting other programs -- some necessities, some pork.

But you'll notice they've taken one option off the table: eliminating the Bush tax cuts. Despite the fact that the cuts are overwhelmingly responsible for the record federal deficits and overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest sliver of Americans, Republicans refuse to call for the most minimal sacrifices.

This is about responsibility: responsibility to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and responsibility to the future generations of Americans whose future earnings we're currently borrowing against.

I don't want my nephews and nieces futures mortgaged by BushCo. I was speechless when he announced the tax cuts in the first place. All he thought about was padding the pockets of people with a few measly dollars. He could have used that money to set aside for an emergency (hmmm...like Katrina?) or improved the health and welfare of the citizens. But no, he had to the play the role of the benevolent leader who shares "his" wealth.

He's no leader, and he's not benevolent either.

We need an INDEPENDENT Katrina Commission

BushCo is doing the same thing with Katrina that they did with 9/11: they are trying to conduct/misconduct an investigation. We need an independent commission to conduct the investigation. Why? Because partisan politics have no place in a humanitarian disaster.

Katrina has shown that the US is ill prepared for any catastrophe, whether a natural or manmade. We need to fix the problem. Period. What happened with Katrina is not only a tragedy, it is a morally repugnant tragedy. There's enough blame to go around, I'm sure, but we need the truth, we need changes, and we need it now.

2nd Annual Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Arrrr...git yer parrot and put on yer pirate hat! It's the second annual TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!

Are you a pirate? I am!


You Are A Pirate!


What Type Of Swashbuckler Are You?
brought to you by Maddog Varuka & Dawg Brown

Your pirate name is Captain Aetheflaed

What is YOUR pirate name?

Arrrr - pass the rum, matey!