The WAWG Blog

Bush Lies about the Need for Increased Spying and the Need for Telecom Immunity – Congressman Silvestre Reyes, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, sent a letter to President Bush regarding the ongoing battle over warrantless wiretapping.

Dear Mr. President:

The Preamble to our Constitution states that one of our highest duties as public officials is to “provide for the common defence.” As an elected Member of Congress, a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, I work everyday to ensure that our defense and intelligence capabilities remain strong in the face of serious threats to our national security.

Because I care so deeply about protecting our country, I take strong offense to your suggestion in recent days that the country will be vulnerable to terrorist attack unless Congress immediately enacts legislation giving you broader powers to conduct warrantless surveillance of Americans’ communications and provides legal immunity for telecommunications companies that participated in the Administration’s warrantless surveillance program.

Today, the National Security Agency (NSA) has authority to conduct surveillance in at least three different ways, all of which provide strong capability to monitor the communications of possible terrorists.

First, NSA can use its authority under Executive Order 12333 to conduct surveillance abroad of any known or suspected terrorist. There is no requirement for a warrant. There is no requirement for probable cause. Most of NSA’s collection occurs under this authority.

Second, NSA can use its authority under the Protect America Act, enacted last August, to conduct surveillance here in the U.S of any foreign target. This authority does not “expire” on Saturday, as you have stated. Under the PAA, orders authorizing surveillance may last for one year – until at least August 2008. These orders may cover every terrorist group without limitation. If a new member of the group is identified, or if a new phone number or email address is identified, the NSA may add it to the existing orders, and surveillance can begin immediately. We will not “go dark.”

Third, in the remote possibility that a new terrorist organization emerges that we have never previously identified, the NSA could use existing authority under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to monitor those communications. Since its establishment nearly 30 years ago, the FISA Court has approved nearly every application for a warrant from the Department of Justice. In an emergency, NSA or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) may begin surveillance immediately, and a FISA Court order does not have to be obtained for three days. The former head of FISA operations for the Department of Justice has testified publicly that emergency authorization may be granted in a matter of minutes.

As you know, the 1978 FISA law, which has been modernized and updated numerous times since 9/11, was instrumental in disrupting the terrorist plot in Germany last summer. Those who say that FISA is outdated do not understand the strength of this important tool.

If our nation is left vulnerable in the coming months, it will not be because we don’t have enough domestic spying powers. It will be because your Administration has not done enough to defeat terrorist organizations – including al Qaeda — that have gained strength since 9/11. We do not have nearly enough linguists to translate the reams of information we currently collect. We do not have enough intelligence officers who can penetrate the hardest targets, such as al Qaeda. We have surged so many intelligence resources into Iraq that we have taken our eye off the ball in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As a result, you have allowed al Qaeda to reconstitute itself on your watch.

You have also suggested that Congress must grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies. As someone who has been briefed on our most sensitive intelligence programs, I can see no argument why the future security of our country depends on whether past actions of telecommunications companies are immunized.

The issue of telecom liability should be carefully considered based on a full review of the documents that your Administration withheld from Congress for eight months. However, it is an insult to the intelligence of the American people to say that we will be vulnerable unless we grant immunity for actions that happened years ago.

Congress has not been sitting on its hands. Last November, the House passed responsible legislation to authorize the NSA to conduct surveillance of foreign terrorists and to provide clarity and legal protection to our private sector partners who assist in that surveillance.

The proper course is now to conference the House bill with the Senate bill that was passed on Tuesday. There are significant differences between these two bills and a conference, in regular order, is the appropriate mechanism to resolve the differences between these two bills. I urge you, Mr. President, to put partisanship aside and allow Republicans in Congress to arrive at a compromise that will protect America and protect our Constitution.

I, for one, do not intend to back down – not to the terrorists and not to anyone, including a President, who wants Americans to cower in fear.

We are a strong nation. We cannot allow ourselves to be scared into suspending the Constitution. If we do that, we might as well call the terrorists and tell them that they have won.

Sincerely,

Silvestre Reyes
Member of Congress
Chairman, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Lieberman Says Some Waterboarding is OK – Lieberman asserted that waterboarding isn’t torture because it leaves no “permanent damage.”

It is not like putting burning coals on people’s bodies. The person is in no real danger. The impact is psychological.

Does he think that psychological cannot be permanent ? This country has tried and convicted Japanese soldiers for waterboarding our soldiers.

US Plans to Shoot Down Spy Satellite – The US plans to use a missile defense interceptor to shoot down a bus-sized spy satellite that will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in the next week. The Russian Federation seems to be the first government to sound off on the mission. A report in RIA Novosti, a government-linked news service, showed Russian authorities not only worrying about the implications of the launch, but questioning the publicly stated justification of preventing poisonous rocket fuel from raining down on the planet. Two defense officials also cited disagreement within the administration over the action and said the decision appeared to have been strongly influenced by the White House,” according to a Friday morning report from Reuters. Concerns within the government may result from the debris that will be created by the strike, and what it could do to satellites, the International Space Station, and future work in space.

Musharraf Says ‘Pakistan is More Important Than Human Rights’ – Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf made clear that he does not respect western human right standards and would not make a priority of upholding them. “Pakistan is more important than human rights,” Musharraf said recently during a global economic forum in Sweden. “Human rights serves Pakistan; Pakistan does not serve Human rights.” “[Human rights] functions in accordance with our environment,” he said. “Now if somebody, whether he’s anybody, is trying to create such anarchy that maybe Pakistan’s integrity is at stake maybe our economy … will collapse. I don’t consider any human rights in such situations. We will deal with it, whatever it costs because Pakistan is more important than human rights.”

Telecom Lobbying Machines Declare War on Net Neutrality Bill – Telecommunications industry groups have attacked a new bill calling for government regulators to take a closer look at how broadband providers manage their networks. The Internet Freedom Preservation Act, introduced earlier this week by Rep. Ed Markey, the Democratic chairman of the House subcommittee on telecommunication and the Internet, could make it illegal for service providers to block or degrade traffic on their networks. Markey shrugged off concerns that the bill would hamper the activities of Internet companies. “There are some who may wish to assert that this bill regulates the Internet,” he said in a statement. “It does no such thing,” Markey added. “The bill contains no requirements for Internet regulation whatsoever.” However, the new legislation, co-sponsored by Chip Pickering (R-Miss.), aims to draft a broadband policy that would preserve the “open architecture” of the Internet, assuring that “content providers not be subjected to unreasonably discriminatory practices by broadband network providers.”

Regards,

Jim

US Customs Agents Can Copy Data From Your Laptop Computer and Other Devices – Customs agents have the prerogative to examine and even copy data from traveling citizens’ laptops they search, CNN’s American Morning reports. “A new alert for travelers: be careful what you store on your laptop or your BlackBerry when entering the United States,” warns CNN’s John Roberts. “Customs agents can examine your computer and even keep your private information.” CNN reporter Jeanne Meserve adds ominously, “Your banking records, your music choices, your emails, your business contacts — all can be examined, copied and stored by the government when you enter the country, if they’re in an electronic device.”

Ballots From 94,000 Independent Voters in Los Angeles Were Not Counted – As many as 94,000 independent voters in Los Angeles did not — and most likely will not — have their ballots counted in last week’s Democratic presidential primary because of an unnecessarily complex system, inadequately trained poll workers and little effort by elections officials to notify voters of the proper procedures.

Blue Cross of California Has Been Asking Physicians to Look for Conditions to Cancel Patients’ Insurance Coverage – Blue Cross of California has been asking physicians in a letter to look for medical conditions that could be used to cancel patients’ insurance coverage. After The Los Angeles Times disclosed this practice, blistering rebukes came from physicians, patients, privacy experts and officials including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. Hillary Clinton. The letter had been sharply criticized Monday by the California Medical Assn., and Tuesday night its president, Richard Frankenstein, said: “This letter was part of Blue Cross’ pattern of unfairly canceling policies when people need coverage most. The good news is that Tuesday, Blue Cross of California abruptly halted this practice. (Now tell me again why we want private insurance companies to run the health care system? – JLV)

Only 18 Lawmakers Shunned Pet Earmark Projects – Only a dozen House members and half as many senators declined to play in Congress’ pork barrel playground last year by refusing to ask for home state projects. Their more than 500 colleagues easily filled the gap, obtaining more than $18 billion worth of these so-called earmarks. A familiar club of old-school lawmakers on the pork-dispensing appropriations committees send home the lion’s share of the loot, with the most adroit earmarkers obtaining well more than $100 per resident in projects and grants for their states. The champion is Republican Ted Stevens, who has represented Alaska in the Senate for 40 years and is a former Appropriations Committee chairman who obtained the lion’s share of the $345 million in earmarks his state is getting this year. Alaska’s earmarks in 2008 amount to $506 for every resident of the state. A close second is current Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., whose efforts for his state are legendary. Byrd got $330 million this year for West Virginia, which ranks third in terms of pork dollar per resident at $198.

Feds admit to jailing U.S. citizens as illegal immigrants, but call incidents rare – A top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official acknowledged Wednesday that his agency has mistakenly detained U.S. citizens as illegal immigrants, but he denied that his agency has widespread problems with deporting the wrong people. The testimony before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law came after immigration advocates told McClatchy that they’d seen a small but growing number of cases of U.S. citizens who’ve been mistakenly detained and sometimes deported by ICE. They accuse agents of ignoring valid assertions of citizenship in the rush to deport more illegal immigrants. Unlike suspects charged in criminal courts, detainees accused of immigration violations don’t have a right to an attorney, and three-quarters of them represent themselves. Read about specific cases at the link.

John McCain Votes Against Outlawing Waterboarding and Other Harsh Interrogation Methods on Terror Suspects – The prohibition was contained in a bill authorizing intelligence activities for the current year, which the Senate approved on a 51-45 vote. It would restrict the CIA to the 19 interrogation techniques outlined in the Army field manual. That manual prohibits waterboarding, a method that makes an interrogation subject feel he is drowning. The House had approved the measure in December.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama Skipped Senate Vote on Spy Law Tuesday; McCain Voted For It – Hillary Clinton skipped the Senate vote on the law Tuesday allowing President Bush’s demands for more spying power and amnesty for potentially law-breaking telecommunications companies. She had been campaigning in Washington that day. Although Barack Obama voted to sustain a filibuster on the FISA update, Obama left Washington for a campaign stop in Wisconisn without voting on the final bill. John McCain voted for the increased spying and telecom immunity.

In Britain, Police Are Told They Can Use Taser Guns on Children – Police have been given the go-ahead to use Taser stun guns against children. The relaxing of restrictions on the use of the weapons comes despite warnings that they could trigger a heart attack in youngsters. Home Office Police Minister Tony McNulty said medical assessments had confirmed the risk of death or serious injury from Tasers was “low”. But he failed to mention Government advisers had also warned of a potential risk to children. The Defence Scientific Advisory Council medical committee told the Home Office that not enough was known about the health risks of using the weapons against children. (Will we allow this here?)

Regards,

Jim

Conservatives in Saudi Arabia Ban All Things Red Ahead of Valentine’s Day = Saudi Arabia has asked florists and gift shops to remove all red items until after Valentine’s Day, calling the celebration of such a holiday a sin. Every year, officials with the conservative Muslim kingdom’s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice clamp down on shops a few days before February 14, instructing them to remove red roses, red wrapping paper, gift boxes and teddy bears. On the eve of the holiday, they raid stores and seize symbols of love. “I think what they are doing is ridiculous,” said Al-Omran, who maintains the blog ‘Saudi Jeans.’ “What the conservatives in this country need to learn is something called ‘tolerance.’ If they don’t see the permissibility of celebrating such an occasion, then fine — they should not celebrate it. But they have to know they have no right to impose their point of view on others.” (Worldwide, Conservative seem to be the same. They may have slightly different wacky ideas, but they know that they are always right, you are wrong; so do as they tell you. – JLV)

Bank of America is Hiking Rates Based on No Apparent Reason – Some consumers are complaining that Bank of America (BAC) is hiking rates based on no apparent deterioration in their credit scores at all. The major credit-card lender in mid-January sent letters notifying some responsible cardholders that it would more than double their rates to as high as 28%, without giving an explanation for the increase, according to copies of five letters obtained by BusinessWeek. Fine print at the end of the letter—headed “Important Amendment to Your Credit Card Agreement”—advised calling an 800-number for the reason, but consumers who called say they were unable to get a clear answer.

The Telecoms Want to Take You Into the Matrix – Over the next few years, Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the next president will shape the internet for a generation. Down one path is a closed internet experience tightly controlled by a small handful of giant corporations. Down the other is the open internet, with all its possibilities.

Who wants you to swallow the blue pill? Meet the nation’s biggest telecom and cable companies, a cartel that dominates 99% of the US residential market for high-speed internet access. These firms — led by AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner — want to exploit their gatekeeper power to decide what you can do on the web.

That’s not what they say in their ubiquitous ads, of course. But watch their actions closely — or squint at the fine print in the terms of service — and you’ll get a glimpse of their plans. These companies are lobbying furiously to kill “network neutrality” — the longstanding principle that prevents them from discriminating against websites or services based on their source, ownership or destination.

Comcast was recently caught blocking users of file-sharing services, cutting off access to legal content — including a download of the King James Bible. Their “network management” is really just an attempt to undercut potential competitors in the video business, while avoiding sorely needed network upgrades.

Verizon censored text messages sent by Naral Pro-Choice America to its own members. Only after the incident appeared on the front page of the New York Times did Verizon correct its “glitch” and let the messages go through.

AT&T plans to “filter” content to ferret out pirated material on its networks. The company — the same one seeking retroactive immunity for spying on your phone calls — would use copyright protection as a Trojan horse to inspect everything travelling over its pipes and control how audio and video are distributed on the web.

Document Shows Army Blocked Help for Soldiers – Last year Army officials instructed representatives from the VA at Fort Drum not to help veterans with their disability paperwork because there was a “conflict of interest.” Soldiers that get help from the VA tend to get higher disability ratings…which means that the government owes them more money. And within the Bush administration’s corporate worldview, that just doesn’t work. After all, there are contractors to pay. Tell Secretary of the Army Geren that this is not acceptable and sign our petition today. More

Where Was Senator McCain on Clean Energy? – When the Senate passed a version of the economic stimulus bill that did not include important clean energy incentives. While Senator McCain voted for the final version, he missed the crucial vote that would have kept the clean energy provisions in the bill. Last Wednesday, one vote prevented the Senate from advancing an economic stimulus package that included important clean energy incentives–a key addition to the package passed by the House last week. Call Senator McCain (202-224-2235) and ask him why he failed to show up for a vote that could have determined the future of green energy in America.

Regards,

Jim

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page Lies About Our Surveillance Laws – There are very few opinion venues — if there are any — more brazenly fact-free than the Editorial Page of the Wall St. Journal. They have an Editorial this morning warning of all the grave dangers posed by efforts from the “anti-antiterror left” to limit the Leader’s warrantless eavesdropping powers — the most dangerous of which, they warn, is the campaign “to deny legal immunity to telephone companies that cooperated with the government on these wiretaps after 9/11.” The Editorial is filled with one demonstrable factual falsehood after the next.

Bad FISA Bill Comes Up For Vote Tomorrow; Take Action Now – Tuesday, February 12 is a critical day in our fight to stand up for American values and preserve our freedoms while protecting our national security. The Senate is voting on amendments to FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the law governing the use of wiretaps and other means to conduct surveillance of foreign threats. Unfortunately, the new FISA bill we’ll be voting on still has many problems. Pat Leahey and Chris Dodd may filibuster. Please tell Congress that any new FISA bill must both protect our national security and preserve our civil liberties!

US Transport Security Administration Wants Information on Family Members of Flyers – The US Transport Security Administration is demanding that European airlines provide personal data on non-travelers, such as family members who are allowed beyond departure barriers to help the elderly or infirm board jets embarking for America. Some diplomats have called the proposal blackmail. The US has threatened to require west Europeans and Britons to have US visas to enter if their governments won’t sign on.

John McCain Says He Will Be Glad to Get Help From Karl Rove; Lies and Dirty Ticks Not Important – On Friday, a day after Karl Rove donated $2300 to John McCain’s campaign, McCain (R-AZ) put aside a longstanding grudge over Rove’s famously bold tactics in securing George Bush the 2000 GOP nomination, and said that Rove’s advice would be welcome in his campaign.

A transcript of McCain’s remarks:

QUESTION: Karl Rove?
MCCAIN: Oh I, listen, he ah. Nobody denies he’s one of the smartest political minds in America. I’d be glad to get his advice. I get advice from a lot of people. I’d be happy to have his advice.

QUESTION: I was wondering about that, right….
MCCAIN: He beat me. (referring to McCain’s defeat in the 2000 Republican primary, where Rove used dirty tactics against McCain) I certainly would be glad to get his advice. I don’t think I’d want to revisit how he did it. And I mean that. Not about South Carolina. I mean I don’t feel like reliving my defeat.

QUESTION: Are you worried about, he uses very aggressive tactics is that something that–
MCCAIN: I’ve always respected Karl Rove as one of the smart great political minds I think in American politics. I’ve always respected him. We never had any ill will after the initial South Carolina thing. After we had the meeting with President Bush we moved on. I’ve seen Karl Rove many times when I’ve been over at the White House. We’ve always had pleasant conversations.

QUESTION: His tactics don’t, you don’t disapprove of them? They don’t make you nervous?
MCCAIN: It’s not so much whether I approve of his tactics or not. It’s that he has a very good, great political mind. Any information or advice and council he can give us, I’d be glad to have. I don’t think anybody denies his talents. So I’d be glad to get any advice and council. We would obviously decide whether to accept it or not.

Army Buried Study Faulting Iraq Planning – The Army is accustomed to protecting classified information. But when it comes to the planning for the Iraq war, even an unclassified assessment can acquire the status of a state secret.

That is what happened to a detailed study of the planning for postwar Iraq prepared for the Army by the RAND Corporation, a federally financed center that conducts research for the military.

After 18 months of research, RAND submitted a report in the summer of 2005 called “Rebuilding Iraq.” RAND researchers provided an unclassified version of the report along with a secret one, hoping that its publication would contribute to the public debate on how to prepare for future conflicts.

But the study’s wide-ranging critique of the White House, the Defense Department and other government agencies was a concern for Army generals, and the Army has sought to keep the report under lock and key.

A review of the lengthy report — a draft of which was obtained by The New York Times — shows that it identified problems with nearly every organization that had a role in planning the war. That assessment parallels the verdicts of numerous former officials and independent analysts.

The study chided President Bush — and by implication Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who served as national security adviser when the war was planned — as having failed to resolve differences among rival agencies. “Throughout the planning process, tensions between the Defense Department and the State Department were never mediated by the president or his staff,” it said.

The Defense Department led by Donald H. Rumsfeld was given the lead in overseeing the postwar period in Iraq despite its “lack of capacity for civilian reconstruction planning and execution.”

Soldier, Undergoing Bipolar Treatment and After Suicides Attempts, Sent Back to War Zone – A Fort Carson soldier who says he was in treatment at Cedar Springs Hospital for bipolar disorder and alcohol abuse was released early and ordered to deploy to the Middle East with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

The 28-year-old specialist spent 31 days in Kuwait and was returned to Fort Carson on Dec. 31 after health care professionals in Kuwait concurred that his symptoms met criteria for bipolar disorder and “some paranoia and possible homicidal tendencies,” according to e-mails obtained by a Denver newspaper.

The soldier said he checked himself into Cedar Springs on Nov. 9 or Nov. 10 after he attempted suicide while under the influence of alcohol. He said his treatment was supposed to end Dec. 10, but his commanding officers showed up at the hospital Nov. 29 and ordered him to leave.

“I was pulled out to deploy,” said the soldier, who has three years in the Army and has served a tour in Iraq.

Soldiers from Fort Carson and across the country have complained they were sent to combat zones despite medical conditions that should have prevented their deployment.

Bush Claims Obama Would “Attack Pakistan” and “Embrace” Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – On Fox News Sunday (Feb. 10, 2008), President Bush laid into Sen. Barack Obama, claiming he would “attack Pakistan” and “embrace” Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Transcript:

WALLACE: Do you think there’s a rush to judgment about Barack Obama. Do you think voters know enough about him?
BUSH: I certainly don’t know what he believes in. The only foreign policy thing I remember he said was he’s going to attack Pakistan and embrace Ahmadinejad. I think I commented that in a press conference when I was asked about that.

WALLACE: I hope not. But so you don’t think that we know enough about him or what he stands…
BUSH: It doesn’t seem like it to me, but this campaign is plenty of time for candidates to get defined. He is yet his party’s nominee.

WALLACE: So why do you think he’s gotten this far if people don’t know what he stands for?
BUSH: You’re the pundit. I’m just a simple president.

In fact, Obama has not advocated either for attacking Pakistan or embracing Ahmadinejad. Obama has said that the U.S. should be willing to strike against al Qaeda targets in Pakistan if the country’s president Pervez Musharraf refuses. Obama also said during a debate last year that he was willing to meet with leaders of Iran and other U.S. rivals without preconditions, although he did not commit to doing so. However, Bush is correct when he describes himself as “simple.”

Bill O’Reilly Wants Us to Be Terrorists – In an opinion piece in the Boston Herald titled “Sorry, Candidates: Waterboarding Works”, Bill O’Reilly says:

John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama all say “waterboarding” is torture and should be outlawed. So let’s assume it will be after President Bush leaves office. Let’s also assume that most captured terrorists will not give up their comrades under standard Geneva Convention interrogation methods.

Who wins under that scenario? Well, it looks like the terrorists do, right? With “waterboarding” out and chatting in, the bad guys have one less thing to worry about. Do you feel safer knowing name, rank and jihad number are all that’s required of a captured al-Qaeda terrorist?

What Bill O’Reilly doesn’t seem to realize is that waterboarding induces terror into the person undergoing it, so those who use waterboarding are terrorists. And by the way, if you want to get the truth from the person being interrogated, waterboarding usually doesn’t work.

Company That Provided Substandard Helment to Troops Given Contract to Make More – A North Dakota manufacturer has agreed to pay $2 million to settle a suit saying it had repeatedly shortchanged the armor in up to 2.2 million helmets for the military, including those for the first troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. Twelve days before the settlement with the Justice Department was announced, the company, Sioux Manufacturing of Fort Totten, was given a new contract of up to $74 million to make more armor for helmets to replace the old ones, which were made from the late 1980s to last year.

Our Tax Dollars Are Funding a Russian Nuclear Lab That is Working With the Iranians – The U.S. Department of Energy is funding two Russian institutes with about $4 million and those institutes help Iran with their nuclear program in Bushehr. Evidence is found in Russian documents obtained by the General Accountability Office. The rationale for the Department of Energy program was to pay the salaries of Russian scientists who were left without incomes after the Cold War. The thinking was to keep them on the payroll so they wouldn’t peddle their nuclear expertise to rogue nations like Iran.

Regards,

Jim

Joe Barton (R-TX) doesn’t believe that global climate change exists or if it does Man has nothing to do with it. Perhaps he should talk to the families who lost loved ones in last week’s tornados that ripped through the Midwest. Not only were they the worst tornados in recorded history, BUT THEY CAME IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER! Tornados are summertime storms, caused by heating of the atmosphere. In the middle of winter there was enough heat energy to generate more than 15 tornados, some a quarter of a mile wide, that stayed on the ground for up to an hour instead of skipping around like they normally do. Naaaa, no climate change goin’ on here.

The Democratic leadership in the House plans “cap and trade” greenhouse gas legislation that will give incentives to power compaies to cut CO2 emissions. The way it works is the total amount of CO2 emitted is “capped” for power plants. If a power company can produce less than that cap it can “sell” the difference to a company that cannot meet the cap. That way the “green” company can invest in building more clean power plants at the expense of the dirtier technology. Joe doesn’t like that. Possibly because he gets so much money from the energy sector; more than $ half a million in 2006, 20% of his campaign war chest.

“Smokey Joe”, a nickname earned for his staunch defense of polluting cement companies in his district, is planning to challenge the science of climate change. He’s building a task force to present evidence that every other climate scientist in the world is wrong. Presumably these “experts” will be provided by power companies. Kinda’ like the presidents of all those tobacco companies testifying that nicotine is not addictive.

There may be a legitimate issue with the proposed legislation; that the technology to capture and store the CO2 produced by coal-fired plants won’t be available when the limits kick in sometime in the next ten years. That possibility was made more certain when the FutureGen project was canceled. FutureGen was a $1.8 Billion federally funded green energy project to build a clean coal fired power plant. Texas, specifically Joe Barton’s district, and Illinois were competing for the project and Illinois won. Suddenly the project was canceled by the DoE. Seems undersecretary of energy C.H. “Bud” Albright may have had a hand in canceling the project. Albright once worked for Joe Barton and is an ex lobbyist for Reliant Energy, the Texas company vying for the FutureGen project. Hmmm, if Joe can’t have it nobody can!

FutureGen has been replaced with a less comprehensive program to test CO2 capture on existing plants, two in Illinois and two in – you guessed it – Texas, one of which is in Joe Barton’s district.

In November we will once again have an alternative to Joe Barton. Steve Bush is running as a Democrat to challenge Barton. In the 2006 race more than 80,000 Texans voted for Barton’s opponent, David T. Harris. If each of those 80,000 voters contributes just $25 to Steve’s campaign we can defeat Smokey Joe and return representation to the people in District six instead of the energy companies and cement plants.

Barton to fight environmental legislation

FutureGen project killed

The Senate’s Trillion Dollar Giveaway to Polluters – After years of ignoring global warming, the U.S. Senate is finally considering legislation to cap greenhouse gas pollution. Unfortunately, the Lieberman-Warner bill being advanced by Senate Democrats lavishes up to $1 trillion on industries responsible for global warming, and in return asks for reduction targets well below what scientists say are necessary. If this is the best Senate Democrats can do, the world is in trouble.

Bush ‘Kills’ Freedom of Information Act Compliance Officer – President George W. Bush has effectively killed a position monitoring compliance with government efforts to release documents. Late last year, Washington watchdogs won over a reluctant President Bush, who agreed to sign a law enforcing better compliance with the Freedom of Information Act. But in his budget request this week, Bush proposed shifting a newly created ombudsman’s position from the National Archives and Records Administration to the Department of Justice. Because the ombudsman would be the chief monitor of compliance with the new law, that move is akin to killing the critical function.

White House Says Waterboarding Can be Used Again in Future – The White House on Wednesday defended the use of the interrogation technique known as waterboarding, saying it is legal — not torture as critics argue — and has saved American lives. President Bush could authorize waterboarding for future terrorism suspects if certain criteria are met, a spokesman said. A day earlier, the Bush administration acknowledged publicly for the first time that the tactic was used by U.S. government questioners on three terror suspects.

Order Was Given to Fire on Iranian Speedboat – The commander of a US warship gave the order to fire on an approaching Iranian speedboat in the Strait of Hormuz last month but it turned away just in time, Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday.

Republican Rule is Don’t Make Democrats Sound Human – There’s a new rule at the Republican National Committee. Refer to the two leading Democratic presidential candidates simply as “Barack” and “Hillary” and you’ll be fined $10. The reason: Using first names makes the candidates sound more likable but calling them “Senator Obama” and “Senator Clinton” makes them sound more distant and bureaucratic. “I don’t think people are actually being fined,” says one insider. But everyone is being “encouraged” to follow the rule.

Regards,

Jim

Bill Kristol Says White Women Are a Problem – From the February 3 edition of Fox Broadcasting Co.’s Fox News Sunday:

BILL KRISTOL: Look, the only people for Hillary Clinton are the Democratic establishment and white women. The Democratic establishment — it would be crazy for the Democratic Party to follow an establishment that’s led it to defeat year after year. White women are a problem, that’s, you know — we all live with that.

[laughter]
JUAN WILLIAMS (National Public Radio correspondent and Fox News contributor): Not me!
HUME: Bill, for the record, I like white women.
KRISTOL: I know, I shouldn’t have said that.

People Continue to Put Garbage in the Oceans – A “plastic soup” of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said. The vast expanse of debris – in effect the world’s largest rubbish dump – is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting “soup” stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.

Scandal in the Department of Housing and Urban Development – Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson demanded that the Philadelphia Housing Authority transfer a $2 million public property to a developer at a substantial discount, then retaliated against the housing authority when it refused to do so, a recent court filing alleges.

The authority’s director, Carl Greene, contends in a court affidavit that Jackson called Philadelphia’s mayor in 2006 to demand the transfer to the developer, Kenny Gamble, a former soul-music songwriter who is a business friend of Jackson’s. Jackson’s aides followed up with “menacing” threats about the property and other housing programs in at least a dozen letters and phone calls over an 11-month period, Greene said in an interview.

Greene and his colleagues have alleged in the court filing that Philadelphia is now paying a severe price for disobeying a Bush Cabinet official. The Department of Housing and Urban Development recently vowed to strip the city’s housing authority of its ability to spend some federal funds, a move that the authority said could raise rents for most of its 84,000 low-income tenants and force the layoffs of 250 people. […]

“The secretary was determined that we turn over this land to this specific developer,” Greene said in an interview. “I refused. . . . He didn’t have the ability to remove me. So he resorted to these extraordinary measures to extract what he wanted.”

Mark Kleiman notes that Bush and Jackson have effectively turned the Department of Housing and Urban Development into “an extortion racket,” which, under the circumstances, sounds about right.

Regards,

Jim

Bush Issues Signing Statement to Allow Permanent Bases In Iraq – Signing statement overrules law Congress passed to ban permanent bases.

U.S. Troop Reductions in Iraq May Slow or Stop – The Bush administration is sending strong signals that U.S. troop reductions in Iraq will slow or stop altogether this summer, a move that would jeopardize hopes of relieving strain on the Army and Marine Corps and revive debate over an open-ended U.S. commitment in Iraq.

Justice Dept. Blocking Probe of US Attorneys’ Firing, Federal Agency Says – The head of a federal inquiry into the firings of eight U.S. attorneys claims the Justice Department has impeded his investigation. Specifically, Office of Special Counsel chief Scott J. Bloch sent Attorney General Michael Mukasey a letter last week saying the department’s inspector general and office of legal counsel asked him to step aside until internal investigations are finished. But that could take months, Bloch wrote, effectively pushing his agency’s role “into the very last months of the administration when there is little hope of any corrective measures or discipline possible.”

Feds Let States Delay Bridge Inspections – Federal officials have allowed states to delay inspection of nearly 33,000 bridges, including ones in poor condition and interstate highway bridges that carry heavy traffic.

Paperwork Backlog Could Prevent Millions From Voting – More than a million people who want to vote in November’s general election probably won’t get the chance because of a delay in processing applications to become U.S. citizens, according to the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. The dream of voting in the upcoming presidential election — along with a scheduled increase in fees — motivated 1.4 million people across the country to apply after June 1 last year to become naturalized U.S. citizens — double the previous year’s number, the bureau said. The huge jump in applications also increased the time normally needed to process them from about seven months to as many as 18 months.

Mitch Ceasar, a Democratic party chairman in South Florida, says there are suspicions about the delay. “Conspiracy theorists may say this is grinding to a very slow movement or halt specifically to disenfranchise these new legal citizens from finishing their process and becoming voters,” Ceasar said.

That view is dismissed by Jose Riesco, the Republican party vice chairman in Miami-Dade County. “We don’t have voter suppression here,” Riesco said. “That is ludicrous. It is an election year, and that is political rhetoric.”

Bush Budget Cuts Medicare
In his new budget, to be unveiled Monday, President Bush will call for large cuts in the growth of Medicare, far exceeding what he proposed last year, and he will again seek major savings in Medicaid, according to administration officials and budget documents. Over all, the 2009 budget is likely to be the first $3 trillion spending request by a president.

Sky-high lead levels in Galveston, TX – Nearly one in five children in Galveston has enough lead in their blood to cause learning disabilities and behavioral problems — an alarming statistic that officials have known for years but have done little to improve. Across the country, officials in other cities have managed to reduce the number of poisoned children by making housing lead-safe, testing children who are most at risk and applying for grants to fund those programs. In Galveston, they’re just waking up to the enormity of the problem: lead-poisoning rates that are nearly 10 times higher than the national average — a toxic legacy of the city’s old housing. About 20 percent of the children in Galveston who tested positive for lead lived in properties owned by 12 landlords, according to the Baylor study.

Out of 10,000 FBI agents, only about 50 speak Arabic

Regards,
Jim

FBI and CIA Using National Security Letters to Spy on Americans – After the 2001 USA Patriot Act loosened the guidelines, the FBI issued tens of thousands of national security letters, a kind of administrative subpoena that compels private businesses such as telecommunications companies to turn over information to the government, something critics say amounts to warrantless spying on Americans who have not been charged with crimes. Now, newly released documents shed light on the use of the letters by the CIA. The spy agency has employed them to obtain financial information about U.S. residents and does so under extraordinary secrecy. The CIA’s requests for financial records come with “gag orders” on the recipients, said ACLU lawyer Melissa Goodman. In many cases, she said, the recipient is not allowed to keep a copy of the letter or even take notes about the information turned over to the CIA.

False E-mails Claim Obama is a Radical Muslim and a Racist Christian – One claims that Obama is “certainly a racist” by virtue of belonging to Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, which it says “will accept only black parishoners” and espouses a commitment to Africa. Actually, a white theology professor says he’s been “welcomed enthusiastically” at the church, as have other non-blacks. Another e-mail claims that Obama “is a Muslim,” attended a “Wahabi” school in Indonesia, took his Senate oath on the Koran, refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and is part of an Islamic plot to take over the U.S. Each of these statements is false.

Mitt Romney Says, “Well, I’m not concerned about the voters.” – During a back and forth with debate moderator Tim Russert, after Romney was asked how much of his own money he has donated to his presidential campaign. “We’ll report that on the 31st of January, as required by law, and probably not a minute earlier. You’ll just have to wait, Tim,” Romney said.

“But why not tell the voters of Florida and across the country how much of your own wealth you’re spending, so they can make a judgment and factor that into their own decision?” Russert responded.

“Well, I’m not concerned about the voters,” Romney replied. “I’m much more concerned about the other guys on this stage. And we have some competitive information that we make sure that we use for our own benefit.

EPA Hiding Facts to Prevent Higher Vehicle Emissions Standards – The Senate Environment & Public Works Committee demanded that EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson produce documents explaining his decision to reject an effort by California and 18 other states to raise vehicle emissions standards and fight global warming. Eleven days past its deadline, the EPA finally turned over some documents — but heavily redacted the materials and provided censored pages rather than the facts we deserve. What’s more, we’re still waiting on hundreds more documents to be handed over.

Regards,

Jim

Fox Host Makes Gay Jokes about Death of Heath Ledger – On Fox Radio, John Gibson used the occasion of the death of actor Heath Ledger to crack jokes about the actor and play clips from his most notable film, Brokeback Mountain. The remarks from the radio host seemed to make insinuations about the actor’s sexuality. “Maybe he was a weirdo, I’m thinking about it right now,” Gibson said on his show. Gibson also played a memorable line from Ledger’s most notable film, Brokeback Mountain, and said, “Well, he found out how to quit you.

Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick, Chief of Staff Lied Under Oath, Text Messages Show – Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his chief of staff lied about their relationship last summer at a police whistle-blower trial that has cost the cash-strapped city more than $9 million, according to records obtained by the Free Press. The false testimony potentially exposes them to felony perjury charges, legal experts say. Kilpatrick and chief of staff Christine Beatty denied during testimony in August that they had a sexual relationship. But the records, a series of text messages, show them engaged in romantic banter as well as planning and recounting sexual liaisons. The messages are also at odds with the pair’s trial testimony that they did not fire Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown in 2003, an ouster that led him to sue. The text messages show Beatty recalling the “decision that we made to fire Gary Brown.”

U.S. Budget Deficit Soars – The deficit for the current budget year will jump to about $250 billion, the Congressional Budget Office estimated Wednesday, citing the weakening economy. And that figure does not reflect at least $100 billion in red ink from an economic stimulus measure in the works. The figure greatly exceeds the $163 billion in red ink registered last year. Adding likely but still unapproved outlays for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan brings its “baseline” deficit estimate of $219 billion to about $250 billion, the nonpartisan CBO said. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said the 2008 deficit would reach more than $350 billion once the costs of an upcoming economic stimulus measure under negotiation between the Bush administration and Congress are factored in.

Iraq’s New Law on Ex-Baathists Could Bring Another Purge – More than a dozen Iraqi lawmakers, U.S. officials and former Baathists here and in exile expressed concern in interviews that a new law, promoted as way to return former Baathists to public life, could set off a new purge of ex-Baathists, the opposite of U.S. hopes for the legislation. Approved by parliament this month under pressure from U.S. officials, the law was heralded by President Bush and Iraqi leaders as a way to soothe the deep anger of many ex-Baathists — primarily Sunnis but also many Shiites such as Awadi — toward the Shiite-led government.

Yet U.S. officials and even legislators who voted for the measure, which still requires approval by Iraq’s presidency council, acknowledge that its impact is hard to assess from its text and will depend on how it is implemented. Some say the law’s primary aim is not to return ex-Baathists to work, but to recognize and compensate those harmed by the party. Of the law’s eight stated justifications, none mentions reinstating ex-Baathists to their jobs. “The law is about as clear as mud,” said one U.S. senior diplomat.

New Coins to be Issued

Regards,

Jim