Letter of Leahy and Conyers to The White House

At the link below you will find the official letter sent by the chairs of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees to Fred Fielding, attorney at the White House. The letter is complete and elucidating of the reasons for seeking requested documents.

It is clear the White House is indeed stonewalling. What does the White House have to hide? I agree very much with the Congressional Committees that the American people deserve to know why the White House allegedly attempted to politicize the Justice Department.

I am proud and grateful for the leadership exhibited by the Senate and House Judiciary Committees in these exigent circumstances.


http://www.judiciary.house.gov/Media/PDFS/Leahy-Conyers070629.pdf

Internet Radio in Danger

As a musician I support Internet Radio as long as musicians are fairly compensated. I understand the bipartisan "Internet Radio Equality Act of 2007" (H.R. 2060) will accomplish this. The bill, which was introduced in the House by Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.), will put in place a fair compensation system for artists without destroying the new webcasting marketplace. At the same time it will overturn the destructive decision by the Copyright Royalty Board. (Based on statement from Student PIRGs.)




You may follow the link below to sign an on-line petition.





http://studentpirgs.org/action.asp?id=2387

It Can't Happen Here -- Conclusion

Yesterday I finished reading Sinclair Lewis's great 1935 work, It Can't Happen Here. The novel, a story of a fascist dictatorship taking power in 1937, holds up quite well after more than seventy years. Lewis gives a picture of what fascism American-style might look like. Certainly there are parallels to the present day. One of the most telling similarities is the initial gullibility of the people.



This work would make great summer reading.



(See my earlier posting about this work on this blog.)

Global Climate Change Discussion Heating Up

It is becoming apparent to me that the theory of human causation relating to global warming is in fact not proven, as such. What seems clear is there is much more we need to understand about global warming. This does not minimize, however, the important work of scientists.

I am in process of investigating and exploring this issue myself, and cannot make any particular judgments. At the link below you will find some further links which you may find interesting. I particularly recommend the link titled "Canadian Professor says: Prepare for Global COOLING."


http://www.freedom-force.org/freedomcontent.cfm?fuseaction=global_warming&refpage=issues

A Developing Scandal

This topic may seem a departure from the normal news items presented here. It is a developing story with many details not yet known. How far these tentacles extend has also not been proven, although the allegations are they extend internationally. The scandal involves the British firm, BAE, formerly known as British Aerospace which is accused of being involved in bribery.

I intend to follow up on this matter in the future. Because of the implications of this developing scandal, I present it here now.



http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=410389&in_page_id=2

Global Warming: Red Alert

No matter what the exact cause, scientists continue to warn of global warming. In a new paper published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, several U.S. scientists state that drastic changes in greenhouse gas emissions must be made in order for civilization to survive. This article certainly does not answer all questions, but it does quote the scientists explaining why they are so worried.


http://environment.independent.co.uk/climate_change/article2675747.ece

An Open Letter to My Senator

Dear Senator:



Thank you very much for your thoughtful e-mail regarding impeachment. With your kind understanding, I'd like to make a couple of points. First, I believe my e-mail to you regarded the impeaching of Richard Cheney only.



As a history buff and an American patriot, I have had the opportunity to study the history of impeachment and even the mechanism of impeachment. I understand both the purpose of impeachment and its limitations. Regarding the impeachment of Vice-President Richard Cheney, I wish to make a few brief points.



As I am sure you are aware, impeachment starts in the House of Representatives. As the resolution to impeach Richard Cheney has already been filed and now has eight co-sponsors, including the Honorable Lacy Clay of my own city, the matter has real weight and must be handled appropriately, respectfully. The Internet "blogosphere" of which I am proud to be a part grows daily stronger, challenging a little more all the time the stranglehold on information wielded by the corporate media. Thus, we are not at the end of the story quite yet. Up until this time, the brazen contempt for the Constitution, the lying to Congress and the American people, have left those same people with no other avenue of accountability save impeachment.



As I was between jobs at the time, I had the chance to study the selection of George W. Bush as President. Let us remember that he did not win the popular vote and would not be in the White House today save the decision of a polarized Supreme Court on December 12 of that year. (This has been documented in several books, including The Betrayal of America by Vincent Bugliosi, the famous prosecutor in the Manson case. I highly recommend this book, in particular.) Polls have shown that some 19% of the American people do not believe G. W. Bush is the legitimate President. Likewise, the "election" of 2004 has been studied by several university statisticians who have concluded it to be virtually impossible, statistically, for the exit polls and the announced results to have been so divergent. (I will find the names of these individuals if you so desire. Also you may wish to consult the work of David Cobb and Harvey Wasserman, of Ohio, among others.)



I share your concern about the matter of impeachment taking up a great deal of energy. But let us remember that the vote in favor of impeachment by the House Judiciary Committee in 1974 led to the resignation of Richard Nixon, obviating a long, drawn-out impeachment proceeding. In any event, and to reiterate, there is currently little recourse of accountability save impeachment.



It will be up to the House, as an independent body of the Congress, to dispose of the impeachment resolution, which, by the way, was filed only after the out-cry of a large number of Americans directly to Rep. Dennis Kucinich who heard from all quarters of the country. Should impeachment come to the Senate, I have full confidence in your ability to weigh the evidence presented and come to the correct conclusion. Until such time, if any, perhaps the prudent course for all of us will be to let the will of the people be heard in the halls of the House of Representatives (for polls show considerable and perhaps majority support for the impeachment of Richard Cheney).



I will definitely take your views into account as I continue my work to have the House impeach Richard Cheney.



Thank you again for your e-mail. And thank you very much for your service in the United States Senate!



Sincerely,



(Signed)



author, Is There a Case for Impeaching Ronald Reagan?, unpublished, 1985. Circulated in offices of the House of Representatives in that year.

A Most Dangerous "Presidential Directive"

The post which is excerpted below was placed on Democrats.com. I was already aware of the so-called National Security Presidential Directive No. 51, a very dangerous document left virtually unexamined by the corporate media.

Priorities, PLEASE!
Submitted by Ruha on May 25, 2007 - 2:28pm.
Bob: I contend that Democrats.com needs to prioritize its communications and organizational power in order to seek [C]ongressional redress of what Bush has signed into law via his latest Executive Order on May 9. This is extremely critical to democracy's survival. No one should assume that Bush and/or his regime will even relinquish power by January 20, 2009, as there now exist conditions under which a new "terrorist" attack will conveniently "justify" Bush's unilateral declaration of emergency martial law with a resultant suspension of the Constitution, deployment of troops into U.S. cities, round-up of security threats ..., and control under his command of all federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments, .... And considering that this White House (p)resident has declared the war against terrorism to be a perpetual twilight struggle, it may be quite some time before we even begin to again see a Constitutional form of government.... Please see my blog under
DictatorshipisEasier.us for more details....

Who Owns the Government?

They can try to have their votes of no confidence, but it's not going to determine who serves in my government. George W. Bush

I have begun a study of American government utilizing our local world-class library. However, I do not need a book to tell me that in America the people are supposed to own the government. Thus when a President refers to the government as his government it is extremely disturbing. It is clear this President while speaking in Bulgaria yesterday regarding the attempted Gonzales no-confidence vote was not speaking as a citizen. He was speaking as the President, declaring no one but himself has any right to determine who serves in his government. It is true the Supreme Court ruled many years ago that only the President can fire a cabinet officer once appointed. Yet, the President declared that only he can determine who serves. Misstatement or not, words matter. Congress still retains the right of advice and consent for all nominations.

And who decided that the President owns the government? This is the question which follows from the President's statement. It should be clear by now that this President and those who put him in office care nothing for government by the people, unless it should jibe with their wealth agenda. Let us be clear and let us remain on guard.

Report: Giuliani Campaign Has Peaceful Journalist Arrested

The article at the URL below is well worth looking at. The article begins, "Folks, if this is true..." so the reader should beware. However, from what I know of R. Giuliani and the people who seem to be backing him, the report has the ring of truth. Similar tactics were used by the G. W. Bush campaign in 2000.

Also on the <> website is at least one article questioning Giuliani's "leadership" on the day of September 11, 2001. From programs on Pacifica's "Democracy Now" I am aware of serious mistakes which Giuliani made leading up to that fateful day, such as placing New York City's emergency response headquarters in the World Trade Center (this after the attack on the World Trade Center of 1993). There were other serious problems of confusion relating to the mayor's office on that day, according to experts.

As for the present, reports that Giuliani's people have arranged for the arrest of a reporter are very disturbing to say the least.

As usual, I will let you be the judge. Here is the hyperlink:
< http://www.democrats.com/node/13186 > .

The Christian Right

To read a book chock full of information is a pleasure. To read a book full of information at a time when that information can do tremendous good is a thrill. Such was my sense of fulfillment in completing American Fascists. The Christian Right and the War on America by Chris Hedges. This important new book is must-reading for anyone who cares about America. The book is non-sectarian but unapologetically hostile to those who would take the name of Christ and use it for cheap personal and political aims.



We live in a time when irrationality has taken root in the American culture. It is a time when large numbers of people care more about who becomes America's next "idol", than who becomes its next President. The question in my mind at the moment is whether this culture of hostility to thought has taken over or whether it is simply a large threat. At the very least, any time you get such a high degree of ignorance of both American and world affairs on the part of so many people, conditions are right for despotism. The despot requires deceipt. The despot requires a compliant press. The despot makes use of a crisis.



For the moment, I will leave it to others to decide whether we have despotism in America. Certainly, powerful people with a fascist bent have gained the upper hand in many areas of government. The enforcers this time are not the brown-shirts. The Great Enforcer is Fear. This subject goes beyond the current confines of this web log. For now, it is useful to state that the events of September 11, 2001, have been used for nefarious purposes, for purposes of selfish economic gain (Halliburton, Blackwater, etc.) and political advancement (re-installation of political candidates running on a 9/11 platform). It was Fear which brought us the U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act. It was Fear which brought us intrusive investigative techniques. And it is Fear which discourages Congressional Democrats from standing up completely to the forces which aim to keep America mired in Iraq for the next fifty years.



The book American Fascists is a good place to start for an understanding of the large role played by the Christian right in what has been happening in the United States over the last twenty-five years or so. (As was noted in one on-line review there is one instance of strong profanity in the book, for those who need to know. Otherwise, the book is free of obscenities.)



I hope you will be able to read this work very soon.