BUSH CAPITULATES ON ILLEGAL WIRETAPPING PROGRAM: HANDS-OVER TO FISA COURT

“I intend to move forward with the committee’s review of all aspects of this program’s legality and effectiveness.” --Democratic Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, yesterday. (NYT, 01.17.2007)


"The president must fully inform Congress and the American people about the contours...authorizing the surveillance program but also the program itself."
--Sen. Patrick Leahy at today's Judiciary Committe hearings.

Washington D.C.--It's official: The New York Times, and virtually every wire service, are reporting that "it's over." I didn't write on this yesterday, because it didn't seem legitimate, but today's news seems to confirm this has happened. With oncoming oversight, hearings, and investigations, it's unlikely the Bush administration would have survived the total exposure of the program:

"The Bush administration, in a surprise reversal, said on Wednesday that it had agreed to give a secret court jurisdiction over the National Security Agency’s wiretapping program and would end its practice of eavesdropping without warrants on Americans suspected of ties to terrorists." (NYT, 01.17.2007)

One question: Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has commented that an infrastructure of databases holding the information already gathered on American citizens exists. What's going to happen to this infrastructure and the information therein?

Americans should breathe more easily that Senator Leahy heads this committee and the hearings--he voted against virtually every questionable-action in the "War on Terror" the Bush administration has forwarded, including the approval for the war in Iraq and questionable sections of the Patriot Acts. But, the New York Times knew about the program for at least a year when they finally revealed its existence autumn of 2005. They aren't heroes in this at all, and their role in the continuation of the programs should be investigated thoroughly.

The information should all be destroyed, nothing less will do. It seems that Alberto "Speedy" Gonzales (Eppa, eppa!) was scheduled to speak before the House Judiciary Committee today--headed by one Patrick Leahy, the man Vice President Cheney told, "Go fuck yourself." The illegal program always violated the 1978 FISA law that requires oversight from the "secret court" (not anymore) for approval of warrants to do said surveillance--it upholds the Fourth amendment, while the Bush administration does not.

Gonzales is getting grilled as I write this, it's entertaining. Here's to more hearings, it's been too long since a GOP President was dragged before Congress. But there had better be substantial-results, and the public would be wise to remember who fights any reforms, sanctions, and convictions where there is sufficient evidence.

The illegal program began in October of 2001--when they knew they could do it. After all, the American public and the GOP-majority gave the President a blank-check, remember? I'm sure those of you who did...don't. We told-you-so. Knowing the administration's MO, this is just a shift, and the court is likely compromised in a way that still allows them to proceed with the program as it has been formerly-constituted, but this is being seen as a "preempt" to deflect damage from the hearings, and to sink an ACLU lawsuit:

A Justice Department official said the department would file a motion with the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, arguing that the court’s review of the issue in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union “is now moot” in light of this week’s developments. (ibid)

Only hearings, investigations, broad-declassification, and oversight by Congress will end the warrantless wiretapping programs. It appears that one of the FISA judges has been induced to side-with the administration, but more investigation will be needed to see how the court actually functions now...if it does at all.

This is all a big-problem for the President and his administration, since we can assume they're lying that all of the programs have stopped. Never cry wolf unless there really is one present. So much for the "unitary executive", this toxic ideology is about to end in an ugly way. The Bush administration still contends the program was legal. You, I and every congressperson know that the Bush administration's tendency towards classification was merely a means to provide a cover for illegal-activities and a rollback of our civil liberties.

They tried to seize total power in a democracy. This is treasonous. One has to ask: how-many of the administration's enemies were surveilled?

President Roosevelt is known from past declassifications to have initiated-this behavior in 1940, it has a long-history with the Executive. I predict the Bush administration added a new-innovation to the Executive-drive for "total information awareness" (TIA)--they used it for insider-trading for themselves and some of their backers.

The New York Times:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/washington/18intel.html?_r=1&hp&ex=1169096400&en=982a35375a1b5cf6&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=slogin

Bloomberg on Today's Hearings (Arlen grows-a-pair, belatedly):
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=afGl13Q_wlVo&refer=us

How Attorney General Gonzales Got "Speedy":
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6857224/site/newsweek

2004 Leahy Reaction to Gonzales's Nomination to AG Post:
http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200411/111004.html

NYT's Directory to Articles on Senator Leahy (He would have my vote for President): http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/l/patrick_j_leahy/index.html

February 6th, 2006 FISA Hearings: http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/02/07/1457259

HR 5: CUTTING THE COSTS OF STUDENT LOANS FOR STUDENTS AND TAXPAYERS IN THE FIRST 100 HOURS

WASHINGTON D.C.--After cutting Federal spending on student loans by $12 Billion to pay for the black hole that is Iraq, President Bush and top GOP members have vowed to oppose this bill. Without a trace of irony, they're going to say that it will "bloat an already huge deficit"--created by the President and the late GOP-majority. This is a good bill, and it ends favoritism for lenders who get a free-pass and subsidies on the loans. It has been a no-risk deal, funnelling money from we the people. The risks and costs have been shouldered by student borrowers and the government (taxpayers, meaning all of us).

Banks will also have to pay the lending-fees for processing the loans. I know, the tears are welling-up in my eyes too. I'm still impressed, but let's see how the Senate treats this bill. We're watching. If you don't keep delivering a better society, we'll replace you with other Democratic candidates. This is my answer to those who feel they have no-choice within a two-party system--it's all we've got now, and we can keep shooting-down the bad-ones with our votes (or lack thereof). This is a great rollback of the Bush agenda, it's worth celebrating: interest-rates on student loans begun in 2008 will be halved!

HR 5: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-5

AN OPEN-LETTER TO JOE DONNELLY...

Dear Joe,

As a constituent, I'm going to be watching you closely. I know that your views on the war in Iraq aren't those of the majority of the public. You still seem to believe that we can "win" in Iraq. First, I want you and other so-called "moderates" in the House to explain what this means exactly, and in categorical terms. You also made statements about illegal-immigrants that I found offensive. As an American citizen, and a resident of the 2nd District in St. Joseph county, I was deeply-offended. These folks aren't going to be leaving anytime soon, and the comments you made simply allow employers to continue to illegally employ them, and to underpay them. As an employer, you might not understand where we're coming-from, so you had better listen. We can educate each other. We don't want more promises, we want results now. Change means change, and we insist. Politicians like Rahm Emanuel aren't the future, but the approach of Howard Dean is.

To allow this situation to continue just hurts Mexican-immigrants and the American worker. They can be easily-exploited, and underpaid, which undercuts our wages. I propose strict-enforcement of existing-laws against employers, with stricter-ones coming in future bills. Currently, it is the illegal-immigrant who receives the primary-punishments and sanctions. This has to end. They are here, and they aren't leaving, so what do you propose? Have a nice day. Now, get to work for us all--including the Hispanic people of our district who would vote for you if you would just have their back.

They are the future of American politics and our economy, and to court their votes is an historic-opportunity that you would be remiss not to act on. There are plenty of "illegales" working in Michiana, we know this. It's the employers who must be heavily-fined, yet I think the workers should stay--at a much-higher wage. Once they are naturalized, they pay-taxes, and if they earn more, more goes into the local-economy. This gets-taxed too, with our sales-taxes. This is common sense, and if you favor business too-much against the popular will (and the common good), we're going to vote you out. You will have been fired, because we are your boss, and we outnumber you, the party leadership, and the business community here in the 2nd District of Indiana. We are the majority, not you.


yours-in-Christ, Matt Janovic


01.17.2007 Postscript: Who am I? Someone who voted for you, that's all. After your statements on Hispanic people, it wasn't as-easy to do this. But, your last-name wasn't "Chocola", and you didn't look like the obvious crook he was while in-office. I shook-your-hand at Howard Park at the May 5th (you know, the Mexican holiday). Make us proud. Fight for us. Do what is right. A local-concern: what are your views on factory farming? Most residents don't like it. It pollutes and poisons our food and water-supply.

WE'VE HAD SOME GUESTS FROM CAPITOL HILL (SITE METER AGAIN)

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LITVINENKO UPDATE: RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES TO QUESTION HIS "BOSS" BEREZOVSKY ABOUT THE MURDER, WHILE SCOTLAND YARD PREPARES FOR NEW INTERVIEWS IN MOSCOW

' "Mario didn't want anything, he gave me the email printouts ... I said to myself, he could have sent these emails by computer. But instead he wanted to come and give them to me in person: why, and why in such a hurry? He was very nervous." ' --Alexander Litvinenko, November 2006 (The Independent, 12.03.2006)

MOSCOW/LONDON--Not much, the investigations are continuing, "Il Professore" Mario Scaramella is still in-trouble and in the custody of Italian-authorities, and his connections to the Italian-right (Berlusconi, ) and the Mitrokhin commission are hurting him and them. Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika wants to interview Litvinenko's last-employer, fugitive oil-tycoon Boris Berezovsky: '"We don't rule out that the murder may have been committed by Russian citizens who live abroad,'' Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika was quoted as saying by the RIA-Novosti news agency.' It seems likely that Scaramella is a free-agent who works for the highest-bidder in the intelligence underworld.

Scaramella is likely a mercenary-type in this regard, a double-agent of-sorts. This could indicate that he has worked with the KGB, FSB, the CIA and MI5. This is a great way to be caught-in-the-middle. Two other Yukos founders have died in the last two-weeks of "natural-causes." Russian investigators are claiming that they aren't getting much help in their investigations from Scotland Yard and the London Police. UK authorities are claiming the same. Welcome to the adult-playground.

Scaramella is popularly known in Italy as an "security expert" on the Mitrokhin commission, created by ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (also a media-tycoon and billionaire) to ostensibly investigate KGB-activities in Italy during the Cold War. What it "turned-up" were fabrications that now-Prime Minister Romano Prodi, journalists Carlo Bonini and Giuseppe D'Avanzo (who uncovered the forged-documents that were crucial in the run up to the war in Iraq in "Nigergate"), and other Leftist-candidates had worked for the Russians during-and-after the Cold War. This information was found on the hard-drive of a computer in Scaramella's office by the Naples Police. Search this site for more-information on Scaramella's multi-faceted career, he's the height of "type-A" personalities--only most of his credentials appear fabricated. To the very-end, Litvinenko suspected Scaramella had a role in his death, even while he was directing his comments towards Moscow and Putin.

Prodi won the elections anyway, and the Italian press and public aren't buying the commission's conclusions. It's a common smear-tactic that stinks of the Bush administration. It is not improbable that the Bush administration has a hand in much of this, and that there is a direct-connection to the war in Iraq. It appears the Cold War never ended for some, but Western intelligence has used the Russian exile community for similar aims and goals before. Again, this is how Sidney Reilly began. Exiles are a great wedge when one is bent on influencing the internal-politics of a target nation.

Considering the Bush administration's desire to isolate Iran geopolitically, Russia is the obvious target. As a member of the UN Security Council, Russia has voted-against any military action. Disabling Russia's credibility would go a long-way in attaining this actionable-goal for the neocons. This is a likely-motivation at the core of this whole affair. Scaramella is currently being-held without bail by Neopolitan authorities for "arms-trafficking." The place? Chechnya. State Department and PNAC aims are penetration into Central Asia.

Tons of Updates on the Litvinenko Case:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&ct=title&ie=UTF-8&ncl=1112343195

The Guardian on the Chaika Request:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6348958,00.html

The Independent on Scaramella, 12.03.2006:

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article2035184.ece

Wayne Madsen Report:

http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/

Magistrates of Rome Questioning Scaramella:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/news/2006/intell-061227-voa01.htm

OPERATION SECOND COMING (NOT "E.E. CUMMINGS"!)

'MERICA--I've finally figured-out a component of the war in Iraq: funnymentalist-Christian frustration that El Jeezus hasn't shown-up on his magic carpet and made things pure (no niggers and free-thinkers). Yep, it sounds crazy--because it is. In the primeval, reptilian-part of George W. Bush's brain, he had a notion (fostered by others too) that he and the religious-wrong would make Jesus come (pun-intended): "He ain't gonna come, then we'll MAKE him come! Operation second coming, yee-haww! We'll fuck the world up so-badly, he'll HAVE to come!"

I know, I know, this is sacrilegious--so what? I have no-respect whatsoever for anyone of any religion who is part of that faith's orthodoxy. If they're funnymentalists, I prefer going-after them. The others are OK if they help the poor and just shut-up about what they believe. That goes for homosexuals too. I don't give-a-shit if you're gay, and you should be happy about it, because this is tolerance. But, if you get up-in-my-face, you're fair-game. Reasonable people feel this way, or they just try to avoid these kinds of idiots as much as they can. I am unabashedly anti-clerical. I think preachers and priests should either help the poor every-single-day, or go get a real fucking job, shithead. They're shady-assholes if they don't get one.

Organized religion has been the ideological-basis for countless-wars in the history of the West and the East, and all-points-between. This is because it has had too-much influence. Now, with reason and science and the failings of those beliefs in-the-face of recent human history, it is dying an ugly death. This doesn't mean I don't believe in a God, a monad-like force that created our temporal reality. Sometimes, I tend towards agnosticism (or even Gnosticism). I do generally believe, but what of it? How does it apply to human-events in any sense?

If God intervenes, we have no free-will. That's right, your prayers are worthless, God cannot help you. If you don't understand this, you don't even understand the basic-underpinnings of Judeo-Christian religion and morality. And this is why Operation Second Coming is so attractive. Some of you whack-jobs are infected with the disease of an inevitable apocalypse (which really means a spiritual revelation--literature that is allegorical), when all you represent is self-fulfilling prophecy. You are lack. You are nothing, and that's what you yearn to return-to. My advice: act-on this in your own direction.

DAY 12 IN THE STANDOFF AT JERRY FORD'S GRAVE: NO SIGNS OF MOVEMENT

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN--A white dove flew onto the vault...and crapped. Did we mention he played a great-game of golf? He didn't pick-his-teeth at gatherings either--ugh, let's not talk about him pardoning Nixon, it was to "heal" the nation anyway. Yes, it's great he did this, it avoided us ever having another constitutional crisis in-our-lifetimes. Boy, what a relief, like a good shit in the morning. Feel healed?

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. (1929-1968): A LIFE STOLEN

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA--Martin Luther King, Jr. would be 78 this-year. He could have lived this long had he not been assassinated. Many people have contended that James Earl Ray was the "lone-gunman" (there were too-many in the 1960s to be safe) in the crime. I don't believe this, and along with the assassination of RFK, his murder has the more-indications of a conspiracy than most. There are so many troubling-questions and inconsistencies surrounding his assassination, that a real investigation is in-order. The House Select Committee on Assassinations didn't do a good job--it was pathetic. Meanwhile, the government and the right pay shadowy shills like Gerald Posner to write obvious misinformation that rejects any idea of conspiracy to murder Dr. King. This is racism, pure-and-simple.

It strikes me that elements of Military Intelligence, the FBI, and White Citizens councils murdered this man in a cluster-effect. We know from a 1960s-era document that the FBI privately took-credit for the assassination of Malcolm X. We also know that on December 4th, 1969, the Illinois State Police, Chicago Police, and the FBI, conspired to murder Illinois Black Panther leaders Mark Clark and Fred Hampton, and they succeeded. Congressman Bobby Rush was supposed to be at the scene that night, but luckily wasn't, or he might also be dead. In other words, conspiracy to murder American citizens is a reality in our history. What is particularly-galling about the lack of any seriousness in the investigations into Dr. King's murder is that it is typical of those who vanished or were murdered because of their activities in the Civil Rights movement. Finding the murderers of Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney was a PR-stunt, and was atypical.

However, martyrs can be problematic. The solution was to embrace the iconography of the Civil Rights movement, and Dr. King (in image only). Martin Luther Jr. has been co-opted, essentially. But, it's a double-edged sword, and it educates children about this great revolutionary--a revolutionary in-the-best-sense, one with a heart. This is the most-dangerous form of revolution to established power, which is why he had to die in their eyes. His opposition to the war in Vietnam also endangered him, and he offered a counterbalance to Black Power that was effective for both-approaches. Yes, the House Select Committee found that James Earl Ray did the assassination--a questionable conclusion--but they also concluded there had been a conspiracy.

In 1998, the Clinton administration briefly-reopened the case--and promptly destroyed a piece of key-evidence provided by a former FBI agent who had found it in Ray's white mustang (he pocketed-it, knowing it would vanish back in 1968). The King family have had abuse-after-abuse heaped on them for contending that they felt James Earl Ray was innocent--a patsy--by the government and the media. This is very telling in-itself, but add-to-the-mix the fact that a jury in Memphis in 1999 found Loyd Jowers guilty as part of a criminal-conspiracy to murder Dr. King. It was barely-reported, and no national media were present when the verdict came. The mainstream media were told to stand-down, just as they have with George W. Bush's crimes, those of the rest of the political class, and corporations.


House Select Committee Report:
http://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/select-committee-report/part-2b.html

1997: http://www.cnn.com/US/9707/12/rayrifle.reax/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/US/9703/27/ray.king/index.html

1998: http://www.cnn.com/US/9804/03/king.1968/

1999/2000 (The Memphis trial of Loyd Jowers): http://www.ratical.org/ratville/JFK/MLKconExp.html#no6


Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site:
http://www.nps.gov/malu/

The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute (King Papers):
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/group/King/

"I will not withdraw even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me." --George Bush, to Bob Woodward, 2005.

Welcome to that moment, Mr. Vice President...welcome to history's judgement, the votes are in. You lost. You're a moron, a dope, a schmuck, an idiot, a retard, a once dry-drunk, a dumbass, a twit, a moral-imbecile, the patron saint for all losers who worship power. Now, your party is coming-apart because they know you don't care how your policies affect GOP-incumbents in the 2008 elections. They know this was all-about you and your narrow-band of backers, the superrich who aren't their backers. Because of you, the GOP is going to lose more of those coveted senatorial seats--21 are open-up for the elections in 2008, and they will be vulnerable because of you. Joe Lieberman won't matter after that at all, he won't get his kingdom in Hell that he was promised, and neither will you.

Nobody else, just you and your failed-war by a failed-administration. This-week, you pulled the "I know you are, but what am I?" defense saying that the Democrats "have no plan for Iraq." That's funny, you never did either, certainly not for the postwar reconstruction and occupation--no plan whatsoever. Have a drink--no, we insist, because it was all you were ever good at. Funny, this seems to be true of most Republicans who make it to Washington D.C. . But, the guys who drove the trains to Auschwitz had to be drunk to do their jobs too. That seems to fit you well. We know you're drinking again, it shows. You look reddened, with that pathetic-look of the hunted. Next-month, your party will march to the White House to confront-you just as they did Richard Nixon--a man who now looks pretty-good alongside you. Now, there is an achievement.


PS: Barney and your wife are against-you too. They're planning your demise. The dog's going to bum-rush you, while the First Lady puts some thallium in your whiskey-laced coffee. The Secret Service has orders to 86 the dog if he acts funny (not "ha-ha"). Besides the twisted rich, the rest of the Bush supporters are dodderers in nursing homes, and whack-jobs in what's left of our mental health care system. Oh yeah, and rednecks (thanks Randy Newman).

JOHN MARK BYERS & THE WEST MEMPHIS 3

"Just remember boys, it all started here."
--John Mark Byers, to documentarians Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger, early 1990s

Arkansas --The West Memphis Three, remember them? They've been in prison for 13-years now. I don't personally think that Jessie Misskelley, Damien Echols, or Jason Baldwin committed the murders. For a good overview, check some of the links below, and watch both Paradise Lost documentaries (and do a few searches of your own).

Make up you own mind. "Paradise Lost 3" is being released this year [Ed., 11.18.2008--I assume it's going to be released sometime in 2009 with the recent developments in the case.], and a movie based on Mara Leveritt's investigative book, "Devil's Knot " is being made into a major motion picture. Who did it? I think--in my own humble opinion--that it was John Mark Byers with some unknown accomplice(s). It's even possible that one-or-more of the WM3 know the details of some of it, though if this was so one would think we would know the truth by now. Byers has a criminal record, and some members of the West Memphis community have alleged he was a drug informant working for Tennessee Police [Ed., 11.18.2008--Correction, The West Memphis PD.]

He sure acts like one:

In July 1994, Byers was arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allegedly instigating a knife fight between two youngsters [Ed.-At-gunpoint.]. That same month, he was arrested for burglary. During that summer, neighbors filed restraining orders against Byers for allegedly whipping their sons with the metal handle of a flyswatter, and firing shots at their home. Byers was on probation when he was arrested for selling Xanax to a narc in 1999. He served 18 months. (lacitybeat.com)

Both Melissa and John Mark Byers had a long history of drug abuse and criminality. With so many different-takes on the murders at Robin Hood Hills, and constantly changing his story, John Mark Byers presents a great picture of the guilty who are yearning to confess their numerous-crimes. Many individuals with a personality disorder tend to incriminate-themselves subconsciously, but most people have this tendency towards confession.

Byers illustrates plenty of examples of this in "Paradise Lost 2"--so-much so that it becomes unsettling. One of them has a chilling resonance with the occult, namely the graveyard footage in both documentaries that have the shadow of a Christmas star throwing a pentagram (inverted) onto Byer's forehead. One could call it poetic. I noticed this image in the first Paradise Lost, and Berlinger and Sinofsky put emphasis on it in the second film. It's a Jungian moment that is absolutely breathtaking, and I can recall nearly falling out of my chair when it hit me. But just listen to his statements on nearly everything--almost all of it is about hurting or punishing someone, something, and how much of a "man" he is. He plays the victim well, but not the innocent. His voice sucks too, by the way. The man cannot sing.

Aaron Hutcheson is an overlooked-aspect in the WM3 case--he might have actually witnessed the murders (he was nine, so he's not even certain today), but was pressured and coached by West Memphis Police into never mentioning he felt Byers was at the scene of the murders, and was the murderer of the three children. Rumors were also rampant in the public and the media and fear gripped West Memphis.

It was known that John Mark Byers had younger associates who he would use to harass other children for him as part of his abusive M.O. Again, this pattern resurfaces in the charges against him from the 1994-incident when he was alleged to have forced two young men into a knife fight at gunpoint.

Hutcheson seems to hint at some kind of knowledge of this type of behavior exhibited by Byers:

Aaron, who is now 19, is convinced the three boys were killed by Christopher Byers’ stepfather, Mark Byers. West Memphis officials have acknowledged that Byers, a former drug informant, once was considered a suspect. He was never charged. Aaron contends Mark Byers hated kids. Aaron is sure he told the police in the first interviews about Mark Byers. (Arkansas Times, 10.07.2004)

Aaron's mother was told by West Memphis Police Detective Gary Gitchell "... and Marion police officer Donald Bray [to] sign an "affidavit of silence" pledging themselves never to mention that Aaron had named Mark Byers." There is no such thing, and it's a telling example of the lack of police procedure surrounding the Robin Hood Hills murder case. The detectives were assuming that most of the people they interrogated/interviewed were completely ignorant and would simply capitulate under pressure to their version of events, just as Jessie Misskelley did in his forced confession.

They had already decided where the case was going, and became angered when they got answers that didn't conform with this preconception. It's possible they also succumbed to the rumors about the murders. Many of them bizarrely suggested a "Satanic panic." This doesn't even qualify as an investigation in this light. Why the Marion policeman was asked to sign the phony-document is unclear, though it could have been a good cop/bad cop approach on the part of Gitchell and Officer Bray. This is all very peculiar procedure. Yet, why didn't the prosecution and investigators look-into the fact that Byers told them early-on that he felt the murders "...might be retaliation for his work as an undercover drug informant. His wife would name two pawnbrokers as possible suspects." (Commercial Appeal, 04.21.2002) In what could be a connected event, around 9:30 pm (some sources cite 8:42 pm) on what must have been the night of the murders, Bojangles restaurant manager Marty King was informed by a female patron that a Black man was in the women's restroom covered in blood, cleaning himself.

According to King: "I found a black gentleman sitting in the women's restroom on the commode with his head in his lap. He was about 5'8" or 5'9", 165 lbs, real thin man. He had his head in his lap and there was blood dripping off of his forearm." West Memphis Police Detectives Bryn Ridge and Mike Allen scraped blood off of the walls of the women's bathroom...and promptly lost the evidence. Nobody was ever punished for this, not even a verbal-warning or forced leave without pay. Nothing. There is no physical evidence linking the West Memphis Three to the murders of the three eight-year-olds, and we can thank the local Police that there is none whatsoever.

There is something more to this. Something that includes a convergence of incompetence and criminality on the part of the West Memphis Police Department, and maybe even the Sheriff's Department. It's as if they are protecting John Mark Byers to hide their own sins. I really wish there was no Paradise Lost 3 being made, I really do. Free these men, but at the very least, give them another trial that includes this new DNA evidence. [Ed., 11.18.2008--No dice so far.]

Byers now lives in Tennessee. Expect more news about him, this guy loves attention. I would expect him to be in the new documentary. You think he ever watched Robert Mitchum in "Night of the Hunter"? I do. If it proves anything, it's that Arkansas is brimming with incredibly stupid citizens who don't qualify to sit on a jury. My grandparents left there for a reason, and they never looked back.

"John Mark Byers" on Myspace (Adult Swim):
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=19690619

An Update on the Death of Melissa Byers:
http://www.maraleveritt.com/categories/?pg=3&c=cases

A Medical Report on Melissa Byers:
http://www.arwar.org/wm6caseinformation/deathofmbyers.html

A Recent LA City Beat Article on the WM3:
http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=4287&IssueNum=169

John Mark Byers' Criminal-Background:http://www.prisonpotpourri.com/JUVENILES/WESTMEMPHISTHREE.damienechols/The%20strange%20demise%20of%20Melissa%20Byers%20-%20By%20Mara%20Leveritt%20-%20December%2026,%201997.html

Aaron Hutcheson:
http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=2707a60b-b5d2-42d3-999e-0577590f8a9a

The "Bojangles Incident":
http://www.wm3.org/live/trialshearings/abstracts.php?abstract_Id=37&page=2
http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/cda/article_print/1,1983,MCA_437_1094800_ARTICLE-DETAIL-PRINT,00.html

SOMEONE IS MURDERING THE HOMELESS IN DOWNTOWN SOUTH BEND

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA--This is a story that has become very strange. Someone is beating homeless men over-the-head with a lead-pipe, and dumping their bodies into a manhole and tunnel system under the city. We're at four in two-weeks, but details are sketchy. I have an indirect-connection--my mother works at Hospice, and a co-worker's brother was diagnosed as terminally-ill. After Christmas, he simply vanished. He was one of the men found. We thought he might have just disappeared to do drugs, maybe attempt suicide. We expected his body to be found--it was. The deceased have been found in-pairs, and he was in the first find. The manhole he was found in leads-to a network of utility tunnels that snake underneath the old Studebaker factory complex.

Two more bodies were found this-week. The manhole is at a viaduct behind the Police station and the area used for the city's street services--where they store the sand, salt, and most of the snow-ploughs. Whoever's doing this has a motive, and some have speculated that it is another homeless-person murdering over access to scrap-metal. I don't buy it, but the truth is going to be incredibly dark and ugly. Whatever the case, we have a serial-killer in South Bend at this historical moment. Whoever did this had it too-easy, and they must have known the tunnel system well. There is an off-chance that it's being done by off or on-duty Policemen, but there's no solid-evidence for this. The hole the first two were found in was not connected to the tunnel system. More later.


106 Articles (with a lot of redundancy):
http://news.google.com/news?q=South+Bend+police+find+2+bodies+in+manhole+&hl=en&lr=&sa=X&oi=news&ct=title

SENATE BILL S.1 PASSES!

"There's something that really grates in the notion that you can put the public's trust and the public's business up for sale and then walk away and have the people that you betrayed turn around and pay for you to be able to have a fat pension." (AP, 01.12.2007)

--Sen. John Kerry having to prove-himself, but making a good-step in that direction.



WASHINGTON D.C.--It passed--new ethics-rules that were proposed in the last-session, and for years-and-years, have finally been passed. Even Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) added an amendment that causes any convicted congressperson from losing their pension. It is not retroactive, which is normal. But these aren't normal times we live in, and adding a grandfather-provision is disappointing. This means "Duke" Cunningham and others will keep their pensions, which is unacceptable. If the first 100-hours ended at this moment, I would be satisfied. This is more than the 109th, do-nothing Congress could accomplish in six-months. Anyway, the vote was 87-0, because. Because you would look like an obvious-crook if you voted "Nay".

The bill is a "comprehensive" ethics bill, not merely designed for the pensions-issue. Lobbyists will also now be fined $200,000 for each-infraction of lobbying law: "The Senate also voted 81-6 in favor of an amendment offered by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), that would increase fines from the current $50,000 to $200,000 for lobbyists who violate lobbying disclosure law." (AP, 01.12.2007) See? we can all get-along and do what's right for America, not for the corporations only. It just takes an electorate that's awake and responsible--we're getting-there, the November 7th midterms are a watershed that nobody would have foreseen one-year-ago. Yes, it takes force and a challenge to power. Power grants nothing without a challenge, not ever.

Here's my favorite-part of this bill's sections:


SEC. 109. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS OF EMPLOYMENT NEGOTIATIONS.

Rule XXXVII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by adding at the end the following:

14. A Member shall not directly negotiate or have any arrangement concerning prospective private employment until after the election for his or her successor has been held, unless such Member files a statement with the Secretary of the Senate, for public disclosure, regarding such negotiations or arrangements within 3 business days after the commencement of such negotiation or arrangement, including the name of the private entity or entities involved in such negotiations or arrangements, the date such negotiations or arrangements commenced, and must be signed by the Member.'


Want that cush-job after your tenure congressperson "blah-blah-blah"? It won't be so hush-hush anymore. This isn't going hammer-shut all improprities, but this is a great bill.



"More from the floor" With Sen. Patrick Leahy:
http://leahy.senate.gov/MFTF/MoreFromtheFloor.html

S.1: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070112/ap_on_go_co/senate_ethics

Text of S.1: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s110-1

DAY-9 IN THE STANDOFF AT JERRY FORD'S GRAVE: STILL DEAD

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN--The Secret Service severed the head, drove-a-stake into his heart, buried him upside-down, and placed garlands of garlic in the mausoleum--they weren't taking any chances. Today, no movement. He's dead Jim, he's all messed-up. He's coming to get you, Barbara--not really. What a turd, a reincarnation of Warren G. Harding in almost every-(dis)respect. Thank you God for mortality. Guards have been tripping-over-themselves.

JOE DONNELLY: HOW'S HE DOING SO FAR?

WASHINGTON D.C.--He's doing good, it's a good-start! He's voted "Aye" for H.R.1 (implementing more of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations), H.R. 2 (raising the minimum-wage, very-good for an employer), and no-information yet on H.R.3, though I would imagine it was a "Aye". Big-surprise, the Republicans from Indiana are voting-against the bills in a bloc. So is Dennis Hastert--guess he's still sore about Mark Foley (pun-intended). One final comment on H.R.2: a motion to "recommit with Instructions" (last-chance to amend the bill) was executed, with the majority voting-against--including Donnelly. The amendment was submitted by Rep. John Boozman (good name, R-AR) to include tax-breaks for small businesses. The move failed across party-lines. At least they all agreed Jerry Ford was great. He's still dead, by-the-way.

Joey:
http://donnelly.house.gov/

H.R.2:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2

Today's Agenda (H.R.4):
http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.html

Govtrack.us on the Bills (shows the votes state-by-state):
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2007-18

Rep. John Boozman Reconfirming My Misgivings About Arkansas:
http://www.boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentQuery.aspx?CatagoryID=3411
http://boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=55181

AP ANALYSIS OF BUSH'S 20-MINUTE IRAQ SPEECH-IMPEDIMENT

AP-UNIVERSE (BIzaRRowORld)--I've got to hand it to the AP, they know how to preserve their jobs in times of concentrated media-ownership. So, maybe all that stuff they taught them in their journalism classes was a formality, who knew? Ownership, of course. Today, they have an "analysis" of President Bush's speech (impediment) from last-night, and without a hint of irony, they make two conflicting-statements in the piece:

If, even if [Ed.-their grammatical-error, not mine.] with the help of some Republicans, Congress is able to pass legislation, such as that proposed this week by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., to require Bush to get congressional approval before sending more troops to Iraq, Bush will surely veto it. And, given the slim margin of Democratic control, such a veto would almost certainly be sustained. (AP, 01.11.2007)

But then, further-down in the piece: "More and more Republicans are trying to distance themselves from Bush and the war." (ibid) Granted, they cover themselves with the cachet, "almost certainly", but this second quote is the unknown-factor. How will they vote? They don;t even know yet, but it's likely they'll vote in a way they don't want to. This is why the AP goes to great-lengths to under-emphasize it in the analysis. How will these GOP incumbents vote? True, we don't know, but we do know nothing will change in Iraq, so...this will preserve their loyalty to Bush's strategy in Iraq, how? There is also an overemphasis on how-divided the Democrats are, with little to their counterparts in the GOP. So, yes, the article is correct in stating that the Democrats aren't united on where to go next, but there seems to be too-much assurance that GOP incumbents are going to go-to-bat for the President irregardless of the conflicting-trends and the potential political-costs if they vote with the Bush administration on continued-funds. I think defunding is inevitable, it's just a matter of when.

Confused? I'm not. I think the defections will be pretty-shocking to most observers, and they will be GOP ones. The problem is, the Editors in the mainstream media don't fully-realize that the context has changed, but institutions have their own inertia. They don't seem to understand the implications of the November elections yet, or how this affects the political dynamic. Politicians like being reelected, and Iraq is a minefield for anyone who has supported it in-the-past. What is being attempted is to provide some damage-control for everyone who voted for the war in Iraq--this would include Speaker Pelosi. It was a tiny-minority who voted-against the war, and Ted Kennedy was one of them, Russell Feingold another. The GOP's support was practically unconditional. After that, those like Hillary Clinton, Lieberman, and all the others who still back the administration's war-aims will move where the political-winds are blowing--this is what you can count on them to do.

I think the Democrats are going to do what I would, and in some cases already have: voice-concerns over the direction of the war, oppose funding of any further- escalations, and let it fall-apart while Bush is still in-office. The public tends-to-forget that the GOP loves to place the blame on someone else with their own fictitious-narrative (as with Vietnam). Anything is acceptable as an alternative to the GOP being in-power again, and it's horrible to play God with the lives of soldiers, but that's exactly what the GOP has done from-day-one in Iraq. But I believe the Democrats will also do what I would do--begin hearings and investigations, examining every red-penny going into Iraq. In fact, they are doing so now, Secretary of State Rice is being grilled as I write this. Genuine scrutiny will reveal ongoing-corruption and practices that were never given any oversight under GOP-rule.

We know the paper-shredders are working overtime now, but when you have policies and approaches that are legally-unsound, it's just a matter of picking what to sink the Bush administration with. The problem might be evidence of greater-complicity by Democratic leaders, both former and present. It's not openly-implied in AP's analysis, but the President's speech last-night added nothing to the dialog, nor any new-ideas in the strategy in Iraq. The phony war is ending. Aren't you glad you didn't throw-in-your-lot with the President? A lot of Democrats and Republicans are wishing that right-now...especially the GOP ones who now find themselves in the private-sector. Some Democrats can look-forward to this as well.


AP's "WTF?!"-Analysis:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070111/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iraq_analysis

A More Sound-Analysis from Bloomberg:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20070111/pl_bloomberg/aft8qmbrvons

H.R., 1-2-3...

WASHINGTON D.C.--It appears that the Democrats are putting the ball in the GOP's court on legislation that will make the lives of Americans safer, healthier, and happier. While they have the majorities to pass the legislation, in the case today of Stem Cell research-funding, it's unknown how-many Republicans in the Senate will join them. It cannot be overemphasized how politically-toxic the President has become to GOP incumbents over Iraq. With the escalation of the war as a backdrop, it's possible we are going to be seeing more defections from the GOP.

I'm impressed by the numbering-system of the legislation, beginning with the implementation of some of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations as "H.R.1", this is an acceptable and honorable display of transparency. Not that it's new, mind-you, and doesn't prove anything about performance or intent, but it's a part of a good-start. Indeed, other incoming-majorities have done the same...like the GOP. Yes, we're watching Democrats, like never-before. The internet was a pipe-dream when you last controlled Congress. The main-reason is to say this is a "new-beginning", another Congress. They're also easy to look-up on an internet search, but remember to specify which Congress session (this is the 110th). So be it.

Contrary to GOP-lies, H.R.3 was once H.R.810, under the do-nothing 109th Congress. It actually got the votes it needed to pass in mid-2005, but not enough to override "the decider" when he granted one of his few vetoes. It's strange, considering he's already jettisoned his religious-base that he would consider vetoing it--but he's a contrarian kind-of-guy. Especially when legislation is slated to help save and improve the quality of our lives, and in a way that will give us real results in our lifetime. The majority of legislation being pushed right-now in Congress isn't new, it was either vetoed by Bush, rejected in-toto by the then GOP-majority, or it didn't pass with enough of a majority-vote. This is the uncharted territory. Can they get the votes to override the veto?


H.R.3/H.R.810:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-810
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00810:

IT'S CHRISTMAS IN STALINGRAD

The war in Iraq is nearly-over, and we are losing. Someday, the President can explain to us what "winning" was, from his cell in the Hague. Vice President Cheney will be housed at Spandau in Albert Speer's cubicle. We're circling-the-drain in Iraq. We are being-removed. It is ending. The high-flown rhetoric has no-effect anymore. It's not late-2001 anymore, and the approval-ratings are never going to rise again. The public is tired of the war. Soon, he'll be commanding units that no-longer exist, on territory we no-longer hold. By February of 1943, the Battle of Stalingrad was over, and the 6th Army was trapped and vanquished, hauled-off to gulags in the East. We do not need a repeat of this outcome in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, or the entire region, for a constellation of semi-permanent military bases to control the oil for multinationals.

Just remember...

Our idiot-in-chief didn't get to touch Social Security, and now he never will. Now, it's going to be time to push to renew progressive taxation. It served America well for over 50-years. Wall Street didn't collapse--it was prevented from anymore self-inflicted wounds by the New Deal programs. You know, silly things like the FDIC and sound business-regulation that would make a genuine conservative salivate.

The Antisocial Personality in History

"It was wholly in keeping with this retreat from the game of politics that he increasingly lapsed, in terminology and in the tenor of his statements, back into the plane of irrationality. ...Strictly speaking, he never again returned to politics." --the late German Historian Joachim Fest, from his book "Hitler", pgs. 610-611. 1973. Translation, Harcourt, Inc., 1974.

[6] Let them now therefore be punished as their crime requires, and do not, while you condemn the aristocracy, absolve the people.
--Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, book 3, chapter 39, section 6.


Washington D.C.--In the first piece I did on Bush's core nature, I noted that the antisocial personality-type has a disregard for the lives and safety of others.

New developments in the war in Iraq bring-to-light another aspect: his absolute rejection of politics and compromise, abetted by the Republican and Democratic Party's incumbents serving in the legislature. This seems to be suddenly rearing-its-head to many observers, yet it has been at the core of his--and this political era's--personality and approach. There is an unfortunate parallel here: Hitler and Nazi Germany again, and the misconceptions surrounding the causes and actions during that period of European history. The reality is far different than the public perception of that era, often startlingly so.

After the Fall of 1938 it was clear that most of the German people didn't want a wider war. The Prussian officer class feared that a world war was coming, and made several desperate attempts to curtail Hitler's push (too late at that point without the resolve to assassinate him).

Remember: Hitler was not elected. This is a myth, and Kurt Vonnegut and many others have been mistaken on this point since the end of WWII. Hitler was beaten by Hindenburg in the 1932 Presidential elections, and the machinations surrounding his rise to power are complicated. The reality is that Hitler was essentially appointed Chancellor by President Paul von Hindenberg.

The Nazis demanded that Adolf Schickelgruber (sounds pretty Aryan) be installed as Chancellor of Germany with a number of Nazis entering the Cabinet. Hindenburg, Von Papen, and several other State conservatives allowed it for social peace in the streets and to keep the German Communist Party from making further advances politically. They did it to use Hitler and NSDAP as a bulwark against a healthy domestic Left. In a period of such social chaos, Hitler's pathologies weren't immediately apparent. But it is interesting to note that the antisocial personality type is easily diagnosed today in what are more domestically "peaceful" conditions:

The most effectively-diagnosed personality disorder is the antisocial personality. The outstanding traits of this disturbance are an inability to feel love, empathy, or loyalty towards other people and a lack of guilt or remorse for one's actions. Due to the lack of conscience that characterizes it, the condition that is currently known as antisocial personality disorder was labeled moral insanity in the nineteenth century. (Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology, 2nd ed. Gale Group, 2001.)

This describes Hitler well from all of the accounts of his behavior behind-the-scenes, and is reflected in George W. Bush's public demeanor, policy decisions, and from his language in speeches (we don't know much about the private-sphere...yet).

Few want to admit it, but the majority in a society can become mad--but what of a significant minority that's capable of society-wide destruction? This is always possible in any developed nation, and at all times. We know this from accounts from the Middle Ages (the witch hunts), cults, satanic panics, psychiatric cults, abduction phenomena, and periods of political and cultural "demonism" like the Cold War's Red Scare.

In late-1938, the military-columns that paraded through Berlin headed towards Czechoslovakia were met with stunned silence and apathy by the populace. Hitler stood angrily at his balcony--nobody wanted what he wanted, there were no crowds, and the majority of Germans wanted nothing of his war-aims. If you thought everyone in Germany was behind Hitler, you were wrong. Scores-of-innocents died under the Allied aerial-bombing.

The German public had deep misgivings about the Nazi regime as early as 1935, after the "Night of Long Knives." This is rarely reported in the accepted history. After the autumn of 1938, Hitler gave fewer-and-fewer speeches and appearances before the public. Overall, the German people didn't adore him anymore and they feared his drive towards war. By 1944, he wasn't seen in public, and even rarely gave his famed radio addresses. Gauleiter Josef Goebbels did most of the public-speaking for the Nazi centre towards the end.

You can see a similarity here with the Bush administration--the more-reluctant the public has become, the deeper the President and his administration digs-in, illustrating no regard for the safety of the troops and the Iraqi people. They have deliberately cut-themselves-off from the American public physically, and whomever comes after them isn't likely to be very different.

This withdrawl is a general aspect of personality disorders: a stiffness and an unwillingness to change under changing circumstances, and n inflexibility and ossification of a personality. Granted, with the revelations of secret CIA prisons and illegal rendition (kidnapping, then torture), this should be no surprise, but expect future revelations that are considerably worse in their depravity. Where does this all come from? There is no consensus on the causes of antisocial personality disorder (APD), however:

The cause of this disorder is unknown, but biological or genetic factors may play a role. The incidence of antisocial personality is higher in people who have an antisocial biological parents. Although the diagnosis is limited to those over 18 years of age, there is usually a history of similar behaviors before age 15, such as repetitive lying, truancy, delinquency, and substance abuse. This disorder tends to occur more often in men and in people whose predominant role model had antisocial features. (http://www.psychnetuk.com/clinical_psychology/criteria_personality_antisocial.htm)

In Hitler's, Stalin's, and George W. Bush's case, their "predominant role model" was their abusive father. Ponder this relationship and how very publicly it has played-out. It's known that Stalin's father beat him and was emotionally-abusive, and there is evidence that Hitler's father was this way too.

Both Hitler and Stalin's mothers were the reverse of the fathers: loving and doting, while the father was distant and rejected them.

While we don't know the whole story regarding the Bush clan's culture, there are signs that George W. Bush has been repeatedly rejected by Sr. It's also not difficult to fathom that George H. W. Bush is a pathological-liar and a criminal with a tendency towards manipulation and deceit. Whether he has been physically-abusive to his children is unknown. Nonetheless, Bush Sr. ran the CIA, after all (often wearing-disguises at Langley so nobody knew what he was doing, even close associates and allies). He was also one of the masterminds behind Iran-Contra, and showed a deep-tendency towards sadism. The apple doesn't fall very far from the family tree here.

Bush Sr. has lied about his entire life, as well as the history of his family and their connections to the Nazi regime. Pathology is interconnected, and communicable, in the opinion of this author. A recent disclosure has revealed that he has had connections with the CIA beginning in 1953--an assertion he has denied for decades, and is still-denying with the release of key-documents this-week that prove otherwise. His recent breakdown at a speech might mean a fear of disclosure of the family-illness, and potential criminal penalties. Impeachment--it should be remembered--bars further-charges against an elected office-holder in our Constitution.

Yet, truth is always stranger than fiction and the "conventional wisdom." It appears that at least ten GOP senators are going to vote against further-escalation of the war, possibly more. This is becoming precipitously-close to the 2/3's majority in both the House and the Senate it will take to override a veto from the President. [Ed., 09.13.2008-Yet they ended up supporting even more funds for the wars in the Middle East and the so-called "surge."] What if he still commits the troops? He's up-for-grabs. [Ed. Or not!] Like Hitler on the eve of WWII, he's pushing it to where we will have to go as far as to unseat him. This fits the antisocial personality type, because many of them crave excitement and fear boredom or banality.

Hitler played this poker game with the OKW (the Military Command of the Wehrmacht), and for a brief-moment, they plotted a coup against him as some of them had done years earlier. It was the only option Hitler had left them, and he did it consciously as a matter of brinksmanship. The same applies to the Bush II administration. His advisers did their homework on how to bum rush the Constitution. Our option is massive civil disobedience and nonviolent non-compliance by the military and political-class, as well as those in all of the Federal bureaus (the bureaucracy). We have had a Constitutional crisis since 2000, but Americans love putting things off.

The current condition of our nation, our liberties, and on the ground in Iraq, are the cost of this inaction and lack of resolve and principles. We are all to blame, but we need to look at all those who somehow still support George W. Bush--they could very-well be sick. We might want to have our politicians tested as part of their qualifications for office.

Our Constitution should be amended so that it would disqualify anyone who tested-positive for psychopathology from holding public office. 3% of all men, and 1% of all women in America are antisocial personality types. And now we know why there are rich people...

Radically Revised, 09.13.2008

The Constitution of the United States of America (I know, it's been since High School):http://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm

DSM IV Info:http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2699/is_0002/ai_2699000257

THE FIRST 100 HOURS OF LEGISLATION BEGINS

WASHINGTON D.C.--It's on, and at the top of the Democratic list is implementing some of the remaining 9/11 Commission recommendations that the Bush administation has neglected (half of them). The best-one so far: all containers coming-into the US by air will have to be inspected, with completion in four-years. This still doesn't cover all ground shipping-containers and ones coming-in through the ports of America--further facilitated by NAFTA-deregulation of Customs searches. Still, it's a good-start, and it's likely to be expanded over-time. Remember: entire 18-wheelers cross our borders every day without thorough-inspection under NAFTA. We can assume a good-percentage are smuggling-drugs and acting as "coyotes" with their human-cargoes of illegales. On the drugs-side, we know this is alarmingly true, but that's another issue not-entirely related to our immediate security.

You at least have to have some structure and knowledge as to who and how-many people are entering and leaving our nation, agreed. Interestingly, that's not the main-issue with immigration from Mexico, it's about the illegales who are already here and how they are going to continue to be exploited by the business-community. Let's see some firmer language on employing illegal-aliens. Punish the businesses for illegally-exploiting them, not punishing the desperate and vulnerable illegals. Naturalization for them is inevitable, they aren't going anywhere, we know this.

More legislation has me underwhelmed: raising the minimum-wage is a step in the right-direction, but we should be looking to a maximum-wage, a living-wage that is mandatory by law. In-other-words, we should be working towards an economic Bill of Rights. Speaking of our rights: we need to repeal the Military Commissions Act too, restoring Habeus Corpus, and gut key-provisions of the Patriot Acts. About all the GOP critics have to say is how fast this agenda is being pushed, when they did this on a larger-scale, and with greater intensity, during the last four-years. One main reason that some security recommendations haven't been implemented in airports--thus endangering the lives of Americans and international travellers--is because the GOP didn't want to allow provisions allowing security screeners the right to join or form unions, as well as whistleblowing protections. Both are crucial in keeping operations transparent and honest, ensuring a smooth-flow in protecting travellers leaving and entering the United States.

But, nothing applies to the GOP, if you ask the GOP. It's the fault of someone else. They aren't to blame for anything they say or do. This arrogance will likely keep them in the minority for several more years. Ignoring the November 7th midterms of 2006 will be at their own peril. Individuals who are incapable of accepting responsibility for their actions are sick, as we all know. Should they remain in-office? The next election will decide, and I'm including those Democratic hawks who have become silent, and pushed to the background by the election results. Yes, one of them is Joe Lieberman, but then you have Hillary Clinton and John Kerry who have voted for appropriation-after-appropriation for the war in Iraq. They are hardly-alone, but it's becoming clear that they're becoming marginalized, as figures like Ted Kennedy, Russell Feingold, Dan Byrd, and many-others enter the the foreground of the debate and agenda-setting. We'll see, but it looks good at this point. Maybe the Democrats have finally gotten the message that the public wants their government to deliver for them on the social contract. We have to honestly decide if we are a nation of laws or not.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/09/house.agenda/index.html