The Agonist - USA: Congress: House

Real Independence for All Americans

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:23:13 -0700

I have been wondering of late where it is on the political spectrum that I would feel comfortable? There was a time when I considered myself to be a Democrat. This wasn’t because I believed in the party’s platform; it was because I disagreed with the Republican point of view. The last seven years have reinforced my view of Republicans, but at the same time my fondness for the Democrats has also waned. The truth is that frankly, I don’t see much of a difference between the two; both the Republicans and the Democrats are financed by the same entities.

Who are the people behind the curtain, so to speak? Well, they are basically the same people and organizations that have always ruled in this country (with periodic breaks from time to time). These are the captains of industry and the bankers that back them, and lately, religious groups (that pop-up occasionally). The government claim that the people are behind the government and they are responsible for electing their government is patently untrue. The only thing that the people are responsible for is rubber-stamping the candidates that are selected for us. The two political parties, the Republicans and Democrats, seem to be the only game in town, so to speak. While it is true that this nation has other political parties, in national elections, there are basically only two parties that matter.

Supreme Court Returns Rule of Law

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:18:07 -0700

The decision of the Supreme Court yesterday was a return to the rule of law in this country in the most basic sense. The writ of habeas corpus, one of the most fundamental precepts of American law, was upheld even though this administration pushed the Detainee Treatment Act and the Military Commissions Act of 2006 through Congress to circumvent this basic precept. The ruling which was 5-4 in favor of the detainee’s, this was a slap in the face to the Bush Administration that had heretofore counted on the supplicant Congress to willingly follow their incessant attacks on the Constitution.

The prevailing opinion was given by Justice Kennedy, who by abiding by precepts that predated our Bill of Rights, has helped this nation return to the rule of law that citizens in this country can be proud of. The dismantling of the Constitution that this criminal administration has embarked on since it took office with voluminous “signing statements” numerous Presidential Directives and willful disregard for the rule of law have been thwarted by the highest court in the land. All Americans should celebrate this ruling and cheer for the five Justices that put the law over the wishes of this administration. You can see the text of the decision at: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/06-1195.pdf

Obama and McCain; Two Sides of The Same Coin

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:12:50 -0700

I’ve waited to write this article for a while now. I used to be a loyal die-hard Democrat for 54 years of my life. I no longer know what a “Democrat” is anymore; I don’t know what a “Progressive” is either. I once thought that a “Progressive” was words that people who were too shy to say they were “liberals” used in its place. I don’t feel that way anymore. These so called “Progressives” aren’t liberals, they are something else completely. They are not people that have liberal values that put the welfare of the people of our country first. There are mass-media believers that can’t think past the last “sound-bite” they heard on a campaign video from the DNC.

Rep. Waxman seeks access to Bush, Cheney interviews on CIA leak

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:48:22 -0700

Richard B. Schmitt | Washington | June 4

LAT - House investigators pressed their case Tuesday for access to interviews that a special counsel conducted with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in the CIA leak case.

Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) said in a letter to the Justice Department that the transcripts were needed to address what he described as troubling new questions about the role of the White House in divulging the identity of then-CIA operative Valerie Plame in 2003.

Waxman cited passages from the recent memoir of former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan. McClellan wrote that he thought he had been deceived into telling reporters that then-White House aides I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and Karl Rove were not involved in the episode. Aside from receiving assurances from the two men, McClellan described a meeting in which Bush and Cheney decided to have McClellan issue a special statement saying that Libby had no involvement.

Congressman Mike Rogers (MI-8th R) has an energy plan

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:27:36 -0700

It must be that elections are coming up.

He's powerful.

And he's serious!

American Complicity

Tue, 27 May 2008 14:20:39 -0700

The majority of the people in America today have basically said yes to corporate ownership of the government. The majority of Americans seem to have decided to let the corporate media do their thinking for them. Welcome to the information age in overdrive. You may not get the correct information… but you will get lots of it. The task is to separate the wheat from the chaff.

The blame cannot be shifted solely onto the shoulders of our political leaders. The American people cannot claim that they were “misled” by their leaders and don’t know the truth. While they were indeed misled, the truth wasn’t long behind the lies. Whether it its the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, the food crisis, the loss of our civil liberties or the sinking of our economy, the American people have been informed and apprised of everything. We know who the people behind the curtain are. We know how they did the things that they did. There are no great secrets that the American people don’t have access to. Everything is in plain sight.

Unfrickin Believable

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:19:24 -0700

Republicans Vote Against Moms; No Word Yet on Puppies, Kittens

Video at Think Progress

The Democrats Need to Be Spanked, and Spanked Hard

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:44:20 -0700

This has been coming for a long time. I’ve been watching the politicians in Washington very closely to see exactly how they intended to manage an administration that is so extremely neo-conservative that they are dangerous to this country and the world. I’ve seen heroic stances by some like Dennis Kucinich, Bernie Sanders, Patrick Leahy, Russ Feingold and even Ron Paul. However, this is not enough. We’ve seen Cynthia McKinney disenfranchised as well as others that have stood up to tyranny and war. Meanwhile, while all of this has taken place, the Democratic Party has been split down the middle and has offered no protection or support to any that oppose the horrendous regime in Washington.

Pelosi's Ante

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:09:33 -0700

Personally, I think another free trade deal at the current time is a bad idea. And as I wrote last night I think Pelosi was making the right moves demanding something of Bush before a vote and not accepting promises after. We all know how well Bush keeps his promises. So, Pelosi did it today. She hosed the president. And I disagree with Nelson: I think she did a good thing. But I'll let you read Nelson and decide for yourself:

Today's other "bomb" was exploded by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. As promised, the Democrats un-did Fast Track by a 224-195 vote, in order to avoid being forced to start the 90-day clock on the Colombia FTA.

Colombian Coffee: House Declares War On Juan Valdez?

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:31:20 -0700

From the Nelson Report:

SUMMARY: Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will vote tomorrow to change the rules right out from under the Administration's attempt to force a vote on the Colombia FTA within 90 days.

Cue cries of outrage from said Administration, business and financial leaders, bemusement from worried trade partners, and general confusion, including, "can they DO that?"

Answer: you bet. Fast Track is a rule of the House and Senate (separately) and can be changed any time you have the votes.

Question: OK, but is this a good idea?

Answer: it depends...are the Dems still serious about negotiating (our argument), or is this a lame, transparent effort to avoid being blamed for a strategic disaster (as some in the Administration's fear)?

The Libertarian Party, Along With Mike Gravel, Can Bring Us Back Towards Sanity

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:57:54 -0700

I am very excited to see Mike Gravel “jump ship” and align himself with the Libertarian Party. I’m sure that anyone who that has read any of my articles knows that I too have come to the conclusion that there is basically very little difference between the Democrats and Republicans when it comes to the central core issues. We have of course, Republicans that espouse “progressive” stances as well as a good number of Democrats that could be considered liberal/progressives. The premise that the two parties have radically different ideologies when we look at their centrist bases however, belies the fact that the two parties have any real substantive differences.

The American Insanity Conundrum

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:15:19 -0700

It just goes to show that some people will never “get it”. The Progressive Press has whipped up a cauldron of molten ire against George W. Bush’s statement that the war in Iraq was “worth it”. My God, how could he say such a thing? The Progressive Press remarks; “Doesn’t he know that almost 4,000 Americans and untold Iraqi’s have died in a quagmire? Doesn’t he realize that the cost of this war is in the trillions? Doesn’t he realize that we are no closer to victory than we were five long years ago?”

Sure he does. He just doesn’t really care. He feels that as long as the defense contractors are making windfall profits along with Halliburton and their subsidiary KBR, and are getting gigantic no-bid contracts, and the Federal Reserve pours trillions of dollars at interest into the economy, making the bankers rich, and as long as the oil companies can get their hands on that Iraqi oil, the world is a great place. If you believe that he sees anything as wrong or right, you have a problem with your perception.

The Winter Soldier Conference

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 13:58:11 -0700

The Winter Soldier is underway in Washington DC. There, brave Iraq Vets are testifying to criminal acts committed while on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. These orders came from the top down and the rules of engagement changed from day to day, all outside the scope of International Law. These soldiers and sailors have been vetted and they are speaking “Truth to Power”, something that also happened during 1971 at the First Winter Soldier.

The Seminar is getting huge mainstream media attention, however this is mostly International attention, the US media doesn’t seem at all interested in reporting on this, which is par for the course. The facts are that the Iraq War has only 1% of the coverage of the MSM. This is different than the pre-surge level of 15%. It seems as if the perception in this country is that the US has “turned the corner” in Iraq. This is the farthest thing from the truth. This week alone was one of the most violent weeks since before the surge. 12 US soldiers were killed last week alone.

FISA Passes House, Telecom Immunity Stripped

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:51:09 -0700

Apparently the House did the right thing, passed the FISA bill, stripped retro-telecom immunity from the bill and played a nice little parliamentary trick, thus punking Bush, the Bluedogs and Senate Republicans. Well played.

House Approves Outside Ethics Panel

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:30:59 -0700

Jim Abrams | Washington | March 11

AP - House Democrats, trying to restore integrity to the chamber's tarnished image, pushed through a measure Tuesday to create an outside panel to review possible ethical lapses by its members.

The new Office of Congressional Ethics would bring fundamental changes to how the House investigates itself. It would be charged with reviewing cases and referring them to the House ethics committee, which has drawn wide criticism in recent years for its partisanship and ineffectiveness.

The vote was 229-182, with much of the opposition coming from Republicans who argued that lawmakers should be able to police themselves.

LoL!