Interesting!

Panel Clears La. Senator In Call-Girl Complaint

from wa po politics by Paul Kane

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) was cleared yesterday of any ethical misconduct for his association with prostitutes from the escort service run by the late Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called “D.C. Madam” who was convicted of running a call-girl ring.

The Senate ethics committee dismissed a complaint against Vitter “without prejudice,” meaning he received no formal punishment or reprimand.

The committee, in its two-page letter, cited the conservative senator’s admission last July of committing a “very serious sin” after revelations that his phone number was on the list of numbers connected to Pamela Martin & Associates, the prostitution ring that Palfrey operated. Palfrey killed herself last week rather than serve time in prison.

In its ruling, the panel said it could not punish Vitter because his association with the escort service occurred before he joined the Senate in 2005.

“The conduct at issue occurred before your Senate candidacy and service . . . the conduct at issue did not result in your being charged criminally . . . the conduct at issue did not involve use of public office or status for improper purposes,” the committee wrote in a letter signed by all six senators.

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What’s with Hillary? Is she a dem or isn’t she? Would she rather be McShame’s running mate than Obama’s? What exactly is she going for?

Hillary just torpedoed the DNC’s “100 years” ad against McCain

from AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth by John Aravosis (DC)

It was our best argument against McCain. It was an ad that was making the Republicans reel. You saw it here. It’s the DNC’s biggest gun yet against McCain - the 100 years ad in which John McCain says he’s fine with us staying in Iraq for another century. The Republicans have been demanding that TV stations not air the ad. They’re absolutely freaking out over it.

And now Hillary just killed it for us.

You see, three years ago, while having one of her “I love John McCain” schmooze fests, Hillary let out the whopper that she agrees with John McCain on Iraq, adding that it’s fine with her if we stay there for another 50 years. Sure, she didn’t say 100 years, she only said 50. but the point is made. Were Hillary to become our nominee, we’d no longer be able to use Iraq as an issue against John McCain because Hillary agrees with John McCain, and worse, she used his same language - the language we’re using in our top ad against John McCain. (And actually, even when Obama is finally anointed, we’re still going to have to face charges that McCain’s position on Iraq is no different than Hillary’s.) Here’s what Hillary had to say:

“Senator McCain made the point earlier today, which I agree with, and that is, it’s not so much a question of time when it comes to American military presence for the average American; I include myself in this. But it is a question of casualties,” said Clinton. “We don’t want to see our young men and women dying and suffering these grievous injuries that so many of them have. We’ve been in South Korea for 50-plus years. We’ve been in Europe for 50-plus. We’re still in Okinawa with respect to protection there coming out of World War II.”

So once again, Hillary’s attempt to pretend she’s a Republican has shot us in the ass. Then again, no one could have predicted that Hillary’s refusal to admit defeat, her insistence on throwing every Democratic issue and constituency under the campaign bus, would turn around and hurt our chances in November. Oh wait a minute. Yes we did. Still think we should let this go until June? Seriously, does anyone in this party want to win any more?

PS We also can’t hit McCain on his ridiculous gas-tax-holiday idea since Hillary is for it too. Nice.

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‘Same-sex couple not defined as family’

from JPost.com Front Page Top Stories

Judge: Recognizing gay domestic abuse suit is “contrary to values of Israel as a Jewish state.”

The Tel Aviv Family Court rejected on Sunday the domestic violence suit of a man who claimed his male partner harassed him, on the grounds that according to the court’s interpretation, Israeli law does not define same-sex couples as a legitimate family.

A gay couple walking together.
Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski

The judge based his decision on the wording of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, which guarantees basic human rights based on the principles of the prophets of Israel.

The couple had a full relationship and lived together for over two years. The claimant stated that his partner sent harassing letters to him, his family and co-workers after their break-up, and publicized fabricated accounts of their relationship. He claimed this activity damaged his family relationships as well as his status in the workplace.

Judge Dr. Gershon Garman rejected the plea, reasoning that since the relationship was not originally public, the men were not financially dependent and their relationship seemed to have been based on sex alone, they cannot be defined as a couple.

The judge further ruled that the law does not apply to a same-sex couple since it specifies “a female partner, known to the public as his wife.”

The judge additionally claimed that recognition of the man’s suit “is contrary to the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish state.”

According to the judge, the problem lies in the wording of the law concerning the basic dignity and freedom of man. The first paragraph of the law states that human rights are to be respected according to the principles outlined in the proclamation of the state. The Declaration of Independence mandates “a Jewish state in the land of Israel that will be based on the principles of freedom, justice and peace, in the guiding light of the visions of the prophets of Israel.”

The prophets of Israel did not look favorably upon homosexual relationships.

In a statement issued by the National Association of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered in Israel, Mike Hamel, the group’s spokesperson, wrote: “This ruling proves exactly how much Israeli legislation is lacking and to what degree the court’s rulings, progressive as they are, do not recognize the concept of a same-sex family.

“It is the public’s responsibility to continue to fight for the law’s recognition of same-sex couples as families in every way, and that they receive the same rights and protection as Israeli law gives heterosexual families. Even if the judge decided that this couple does not fit the definition of a couple under the law, the excuse that the law of domestic violence does not apply to homosexuals is scandalous.”

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ought to be good for the Gander Ole Party.

Frank Rich has it exactly right:

Op-Ed Columnist: The All-White Elephant in the Room

from NYT > Opinion

If we’re to judge black candidates on their most controversial associates we must judge white politicians by the same yardstick.

So who are John McShame’s closest associates?  Right wing crazies and lobbyists for the most part.  From the Rich Op Ed:

What you’ll find is a white televangelist, the Rev. John Hagee, lecturing in front of an enormous diorama. Wielding a pointer, he pokes at the image of a woman with Pamela Anderson-sized breasts, her hand raising a golden chalice. The woman is “the Great Whore,” Mr. Hagee explains, and she is drinking “the blood of the Jewish people.” That’s because the Great Whore represents “the Roman Church,” which, in his view, has thirsted for Jewish blood throughout history, from the Crusades to the Holocaust.

Mr. Hagee is not a fringe kook but the pastor of a Texas megachurch. On Feb. 27, he stood with John McCain and endorsed him over the religious conservatives’ favorite, Mike Huckabee, who was then still in the race.

Time for the media to report on these guys as well, and leave the Wright controversy alone for a while.

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From yesterday’s Washington Post:

Mullen Cites U.S. ‘Vulnerability’

Transition to New President in Wartime Concerns the Military

Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael G. Mullen said the U.S. needs to be in a “deterrent mode” toward Iran. (By Chad J. Mcneeley — Defense Department Via Associated Press) Enlarge Photo

By Ann Scott Tyson

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 1, 2008; Page A04

The nation’s top military officer warned yesterday that the transition to a new American president will mark a “time of vulnerability” as the United States fights two wars, and he said military leaders are already actively preparing for the changing of the guard.

What???? When has this country ever been “vulnerable” during the transition to a new administration? And who the hell is Mullen to be saying things like this?

Offering an unusual insight into how senior military leaders are anticipating the transition to a new president, Mullen said he is continually thinking about how military decisions taken today will play out under a new administration.

“There are very few either briefings or meetings that I’m in that I’m not thinking about ‘How does what we’re talking about right now transition to next spring?’ ” Mullen said. He said U.S. commanders in regions overseas, as well as chiefs of the different services, are having similar discussions.

The transition is unlikely to be smooth, predicted Mullen, who assumed his position seven months ago for a two-year term. He said he hopes to offer a stabilizing influence as a military leader who will bridge two administrations.

My bold. When did we become the sort of a country that needs the military to bridge two administrations? Yikes!

“We will be tested. . . . I’m preparing that this country will be tested, and I have a role in that regard, certainly providing advice to whoever the new president’s going to be,” he said. He said his current priority is to develop military strategies for the Middle East and the globe to “tee up” for a new president.

Specifically, Mullen said he hopes that the change in politically appointed leaders will unfold at a wartime pace, rather than at a “peacetime” one. “I think it’s important for us to get as many principals in positions as rapidly as possible in a time of war,” he said.

Mullen also made lots of comments about Iran. Here’s the audio.

• Mullen Cites U.S. ‘Vulnerability’
• Adm. Mike Mullen on the Next President and Iraq
• Adm. Mike Mullen on Iran

Pretty scary stuff, eh?

cross posted at IAMTREX

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EVERYTHING the Bush admin touches turns to shit. Here’s an example:

Air marshals grounded in list mix-ups

By Audrey Hudson
April 30, 2008

False identifications based on a terrorist no-fly list have for years prevented some federal air marshals from boarding flights they are assigned to protect, according to officials with the agency, which is finally taking steps to address the problem.

Federal Air Marshals (FAMs) familiar with the situation say the mix-ups, in which marshals are mistaken for terrorism suspects who share the same names, have gone on for years — just as they have for thousands of members of the traveling public.

One air marshal said it has been “a major problem, where guys are denied boarding by the airline.”

“In some cases, planes have departed without any coverage because the airline employees were adamant they would not fly,” said the air marshal, who asked not to be named because the job requires anonymity. “I’ve seen guys actually being denied boarding.”

A second air marshal said one agent “has been getting harassed for six years because his exact name is on the no-fly list.”

THAT will keep us safe. Oy!

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I am a teacher by training, and one of my favorite activities with kids is brainstorming. We always set the ground rules first — that no idea is “stupid” and everyone gets a chance to explain what they propose. Well ….. if this particular idea were to come up in an elementary school class of mine, even my well-trained and very serious kiddies would go a tad past the giggle.

Baghdad to get ‘Disneyland’ style amusement park.

At the cost of nearly $500 million, a Los Angeles-based company is “developing the Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience, a massive American-style amusement park that will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum.” The park “is being designed by the firm that developed Disneyland.” The company’s owner says “the time is ripe” for profit and entertainment to collide in Iraq:

Mr Werner, who has been sold a 50-year lease on the site by the Mayor of Baghdad for an undisclosed sum, says that the time is ripe for the amusement park. “I think people will embrace it. They’ll see it as an opportunity for their children regardless if they’re Shia or Sunni. They’ll say their kids deserve a place to play and they’ll leave it alone.”

“I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t making money” he said. “I also have this wonderful sense that we’re doing the right thing – we’re going to employ thousands of Iraqis. But mostly everything here is for profit.”

A Pentagon official has said that Gen. David Petraeus is a “big supporter” of the project.

Settle down class. Can anyone name a potential problem with this plan?

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I am a believer.  I talk to God.  I ask for help.  I even participate in religious life to a greater degree than most folks, but this story bothers me.

Pray-in at S.F. gas station asks God to lower prices

David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Rocky Twyman has a radical solution for surging gasoline prices: prayer.

Twyman - a community organizer, church choir director and public relations consultant from the Washington, D.C., suburbs - staged a pray-in at a San Francisco Chevron station on Friday, asking God for cheaper gas. He did the same thing in the nation’s Capitol on Wednesday, with volunteers from a soup kitchen joining in. Today he will lead members of an Oakland church in prayer.

Yes, it’s come to that.

“God is the only one we can turn to at this point,” said Twyman, 59. “Our leaders don’t seem to be able to do anything about it. The prices keep soaring and soaring.”

Gas prices have been driven relentlessly higher this year by the bull market for crude oil, gasoline’s main ingredient. A gallon of regular now costs $3.89, on average, in California, while the national average has hit $3.58.

To solve the problem, Twyman isn’t begging the Lord for any specific act of intervention. He is not asking God to make OPEC pump more oil. Nor is he praying for all the speculative investors to be purged from the New York Mercantile Exchange, where crude oil is traded.

Instead, he says anyone who wants to follow his example should keep it simple.

“God, deliver us from these high gas prices,” Twyman said. “That’s all they have to say.”

Consumer advocates who have been howling about gasoline prices for months say they understand his frustration, even if they haven’t tried his tactics.

“Given the complete inertia and silence of this White House on a crisis that has people feeling just hopeless, prayer is probably as good as anything,” said Judy Dugan, research director with the nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog. “Frankly, I wish them luck.”

Her organization has a list of proposals to help tame gas prices. Federal officials could stop adding oil for the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve and start selling some instead, for example. That would boost supplies in the market and drive down the price. Officials also could tighten oversight of crude oil trading.

“This is government’s job - it shouldn’t be God’s job - but government is in gridlock or ignoring it,” Dugan said.

No Ms Dugan, “government” is enjoying the high prices and Bush’s cronies are benefiting from them.

Some of Consumer Watchdog’s ideas may finally be gaining support. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, on Thursday asked President Bush to stop filling the strategic oil reserve. And on Friday, she called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether the oil market is being manipulated.

Twyman, 59, has a history of taking on interesting causes, some whimsical, some deadly serious. Three years ago, he led a petition drive to have Oprah Winfrey nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. It didn’t work, obviously, but he says he had a great time with it.

His real passion, however, has been persuading African Americans to become bone marrow donors. A friend of his who had just adopted a child died from leukemia in 1995 without ever finding a donor, and Twyman threw himself into the cause.

For years, racial and ethnic minorities have been underrepresented on the national donor registry, a problem because people in need of a transplant have a greater chance of finding a match with donors of the same race or ethnic group. Twyman estimates that his bone marrow drives, many of them organized through churches, have netted 14,000 potential donors. The drives also brought him an Above & Beyond award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

Twyman knows his approach to gasoline prices may sound simplistic. He’s quick to point out that anyone praying for cheaper fuel also has an obligation to do something more active about the problem.

“People have to walk more, leave those cars at home, and carpool, man,” he said. “We have to become more practical.”

He’s also hoping that if enough people start praying at the pump, politicians who might actually be able to do something about the problem will listen.

But he says his prayer for gas-price relief from God is sincere.

“I’ve seen him work miracles in my life,” Twyman said. “He told us that all we need to do is ask and believe. He can do it, and he will do it, but we have to ask him to do it.”

E-mail David R. Baker at dbaker@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Our lives may be in God’s hands, but our government is not. There are times for prayer and times for action.  This seems to me to be the wrong path.

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