The Agonist - USA: Congress: Senate

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.

Former Sen. Jesse Helms dies at 86

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:28:30 -0700

Washington | July 4

Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Sen. Jesse Helms, a die-hard anti-communist firebrand who championed a wide range of conservative causes in his 30 years in the Senate, died early on Friday, aged 86, his foundation said.

A blunt-talking product of the Old South, the North Carolina lawmaker was known as "Senator No" for opposing just about anything that obstructed his conservative view of the world.

Helms died at 1:15 a.m. in Raleigh, North Carolina, according to a notice on the Web site of the Jesse Helms Center, a foundation established to promote his legacy.

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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.

Webb in TNRB

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:28:53 -0700

Great story on Jim Webb in this week's New York Review of Books. Give it a read.

Spokesman says Sen. Robert C. Byrd hospitalized

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:11:46 -0700

Washington | June 2

AP - Sen. Robert C. Byrd was hospitalized Monday night at his doctor's urging after suffering from lethargy and sluggishness at the Capitol and, later, at his home, a spokesman for the 90-year-old Democrat said.

Press secretary Jesse L. Jacobs said the West Virginia senator would be in the hospital overnight for observation.

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.

Senator Ted Kennedy Has Brain Cancer

Tue, 20 May 2008 12:46:58 -0700

Senator Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy (D-Mass.), 76, has been diagnosed with brain cancer. The malignant brain tumor, a glioma, was found during a brain biopsy at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston following Kennedy’s Saturday seizure at his Cape Cod, MA home. Survival rates for this type of brain tumor average six to eight months.

Senator Kennedy Reported in Hospital

Sat, 17 May 2008 09:09:35 -0700

Washington | May 17

Reuters - WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, a leading Democrat, was rushed to a hospital in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with symptoms of a stroke, CNN reported on Saturday.

Kennedy, 76, was taken to the hospital early in the morning, CNN reported, citing an unidentified prominent state party member.

===

WBUR, Boston is reporting that he has been medflighted to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Update: WBUR is now reporting that the Senator suffered at least one seizure at his home on Cape Cod this morning. He is at Mass. General, resting comfortably, and is being evaluated. WBUR says that the hospital won't have details for 48 hours.

Next Version Of Telecom Immunity Will Be For Halliburton

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:35:23 -0700

By Bob Geiger

Citing "the Bush administration's failure to take aggressive action to enforce and punish wartime fraud," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on Friday introduced legislation to crack down on the massive fraud and theft by some defense contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan and allow the government to criminally prosecute guilty parties even after the war is over.

S. 2892, the Wartime Enforcement of Fraud Act of 2008, would close a loophole in the 66-year-old Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act, that allowed the government to investigate and prosecute contracting fraud up to three years after the end of a war, but that does not apply to the current Bush-McCain war in Iraq because it was never formally declared.

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.

Senator Menendez To Bush: Don't Attend Olympic Opening Cermonies

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:11:11 -0700

A brave and agreeable statement from Sen. Menendez:

Dear President Bush:
1400 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC

We are writing to express our concerns about the Chinese government's continued human rights violations and urge you not to attend the opening ceremonies at the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer. The Chinese government's unwillingness to acknowledge or address their record of human rights violations is in direct conflict to the spirit of the Olympic Games, and the United States cannot just accede to the Chinese government with our attendance.

The recent developments in Tibet, in which Buddhist monks and other ethnic Tibetans were violently punished and in some cases killed for participating in protests, are disturbing and should be unacceptable to anyone who believes in basic human freedoms. Furthermore, these developments also seem to confirm that the Chinese government, which has long disrespected the rights of its citizens, has failed to sufficiently improve its conduct when confronted with citizens who happen to

Senate Leaders Agree on Housing Relief

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:55:13 -0700

Andrew Taylor | Washington | April 2

AP - Momentum built Wednesday for a bipartisan Senate bill designed to ease the slumping housing market and help millions of families threatened by foreclosure, though economists are skeptical that it will help much.

The scaled-back proposal released by Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky contains an amalgam of ideas aimed at boosting demand for housing and helping homeowners saddled with subprime mortgages avoid foreclosure.

The plan contains $4 billion in grants to local governments to buy and refurbish foreclosed homes, new authority for states to issue bonds to be used to refinance subprime mortgages and a $7,000 tax credit for people buying new homes or properties in foreclosure.

``It is a robust package,'' Reid said. ``This is good news for the American people.''

But economists across the political spectrum were skeptical that the measure would have much practical effect to ease the wrenching crisis in the housing market and the wave of foreclosures spreading across the country.

Can Liberals Truly Trust The Democrats?

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:51:54 -0700

I know that there has always been a segment of the American public that can’t seem to back the two main political parties but the amount of dissatisfaction with both the Republican Party and the Democrats has been particularly pronounced this time around. I have been predicting large scale defections from both parties in this presidential contest, but even I am surprised at the number of people that have been voicing their displeasure at the choices that have been presented to them. Even more than the number of people that are dissatisfied, the thing that I find most surprising is how early on they are voicing these opinions. I had expected that it would be closer to November before we would see this, after the people had time to get a closer look at the candidates, and after the constant media attention devoted to the them became too much to bear. This seems to be happening already, and its only April 1st.

DNI McConnell Pulls a Fox News - Feingold Slaps Him

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:44:50 -0700

By Bob Geiger

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) who has long been a Democratic stalwart on the Senate Intelligence Committee has smacked down Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell for using the Fox News "some say" construct to smear Democrats at a Furman University speech last week.

"To falsely attribute statements to United States Senators serves only to mislead the American people," wrote Feingold in a letter sent to McConnell today. "It also undermines your credibility and that of the position of Director of National Intelligence."

Here's what McConnell said in his speech at Furman about the recent Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) debates in the Senate:

“We had a bill go into the Senate. It was debated vigorously. There were some who said we shouldn't have an Intelligence Community. Some have that point of view. Some say the President of the United States violated the process, spied on Americans, should be impeached and should go to jail. I mean, this is democracy, you can say anything you want to say. That was the argument made. The vote was 68 to 29.”

Feingold called McConnell on this and demanded that he cite specifically which U.S. Senators had made those assertions.