Entries Tagged 'Washington DC' ↓

The House Democratic Leadership has announced they intend the House debate and vote upon Bush’s request for at least an additional $100 billion for Iraq military operations during the week of April 14th.  When the Leadership staff was asked if they would allow amendments, including one based on H.R. 5507 that would fence the $ so it could only be used to pay for fully-funded redeployment of all U.S. troops and military contractors within 1 year of enactment, they said the House Democratic Leadership “has no policy as of now.”

Shadegg replaces Renzi as the most corrupt Congress member from AZ. Nice John boy… way to up the new low :)

click image to get an idea of how corrupt John Shadegg really is

Hat tip to DWT. Make sure you digg this… this is too good not to.

From DWT:

A few days ago DWT helped break the story about how far right extremist John Shadegg, hard up for political donations in the face of a popular Democratic challenger, was getting around FEC rules to fatten his campaign coffers illegally. This morning Shadegg can’t hold his head up around Washington or Arizona, where both Roll Call and the Arizona Republican have exposed his slimy tactics. It isn’t likely he’s in either place though. Rather than work on the desperate water problems plaguing his Paradise Valley constituents, Shadegg is sipping all over America to hold hands with John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman as the 3 Horsemen of the Apocalypse try for a White House take-over. Shadegg is a junior member of that little circle. Let’s hope he’s enjoying Orlando while the folks back home fight over bottled water. Continue reading →

The Bush administration’s dumbest legal arguments of the year. - By Dahlia Lithwick, Slate.com

This time last year, I offered up a top 10 list of the most appalling civil-liberties violations by the Bush administration in 2006. The grim truth is, not much has changed. The Bush administration continues to limit our basic freedoms, conceal its own worst behavior, and insist that it does all this in order to make us more free. In that spirit, it seemed an opportune moment to commemorate the administration’s worst legal justifications and arguments of the year. And so I humbly offer this new year’s roundup: The Bush Administration’s Top 10 Stupidest Legal Arguments of 2007.

10. The NSA’s eavesdropping was limited in scope.

Not at all. Recent revelations suggest the program was launched earlier than we’d been led to believe, scooped up more information than we were led to believe, and was not at all narrowly tailored, as we’d been led to believe. Surprised? Me neither.

9. Scooter Libby’s sentence was commuted because it was excessive.

Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, Scooter Libby, was found guilty of perjury and obstructing justice in connection with the outing of Valerie Plame. In July, before Libby had served out a day of his prison sentence, President Bush commuted his sentence, insisting the 30-month prison sentence was “excessive.” In fact, under the federal sentencing guidelines, Libby’s sentence was perfectly appropriate and consistent with positions advocated by Bush’s own Justice Department earlier this year.

8. The vice president’s office is not a part of the executive branch.

We also learned in July that over the repeated objections of the National Archives, Vice President Dick Cheney exempted his office from Executive Order 12958, designed to safeguard classified national security information. In declining such oversight in 2004, Cheney advanced the astounding legal proposition that the Office of the Vice President is not an “entity within the executive branch” and hence is not subject to presidential executive orders. When, in January 2007, the Information Security Oversight Office asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resolve the dispute, Cheney recommended the executive order be amended to abolish the Information Security Oversight Office altogether. In a new interview with Mike Isikoff at Newsweek, the director of the ISOO stated that his fight with Cheney’s office was a “contributing” factor in his decision to quit after 34 years.

(snip)

2. State secrets.

Again, it’s virtually impossible to cite the single most egregious assertion by the Bush administration of the state-secrets privilege, because there are so many to choose from. This doctrine once barred the introduction into court of specific evidence that might compromise national security, but in the hands of the Bush administration, it has ballooned into a doctrine of blanket immunity for any conduct the administration wishes to hide. The privilege was invoked in 2007 to block testimony about its torture and extraordinary rendition program, its warrantless surveillance program, and to defend the notion of telecom immunity for colluding in government eavesdropping, among other things. No longer an evidentiary rule, the state-secrets privilege has become one of the administration’s surest mechanisms for shielding its most egregious activities.

1. The United States does not torture.

First there was the 2002 torture memo. That was withdrawn. Then there was the December 2004 statement that declared torture “abhorrent.” But then there was the new secret 2005 torture memo. But members of Congress were fully briefed about that. Except that they were not. There was Abu Ghraib. There were the destroyed CIA tapes. So you see, the United States does not torture. Except for when it does.

The rest: http://www.slate.com/id/2179934/pagenum/all/#page_start 

I just confirmed this. He has yet to be arraigned (now 2:36pm.) But the Caucus was able to secure several lawyers to speak with him. They have confirmed he has a broken leg. We do not no if he is receiving adequate medical attention, but I do know he is in pain. More soon…

(UPDATE) Rev is home with a broken leg. He is on crutches. He has several misdemeanor charges which include attacking an officer. As most know Rev… he is a simple man. He walks nearly everywhere and has always been fine doing so. So now being on crutches, this will limit his movement work significantly. Any support during this time would be appreciated. Consider making a donation to the Hip Hop Caucus at www.hiphopcaucus.org.

Support is needed for Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr.  

Please show your solidarity by coming to his arraignment on September 11th.

 He is being held overnight in jail and will be arraigned tomorrow at 1:00 in DC  Superior Court (500 Indiana Ave.)

 This is near the Judiciary Square Metro Stop. 

 Rev. Yearwood did not assault the police or even resist them. We hear he is being charged with a felony resisting arrest.  This is often done when police overreact and use unnecessary force in order to justify  their actions.  This is a serious charge. The community needs to come out today and show their support for this important spokesperson for our cause.

This summer Twenty-First Century Democrats is continuing its mission of building a progressive society from the grassroots up. As part of that charge, they hold their annual Youth Leadership Summer Speaker Series designed to inspire young Democrats by introducing them to progressive leaders who want to create a just, fair, tolerant and sustainable society.

Click here for details and to RSVP

Each summer, DC overflows with students and young professionals who are passionately committed to public service. Unfortunately, when these activists travel to DC to study government first hand, they are often turned off by middle of the road politics and leaders who refuse to speak clearly on the issues of the day. Continue reading →