By John on Aug 10, 2006 in Congress, Crime, Politics, Presidency, Society, The Courts, War | 0 Comments
The Bush administration has drafted amendments to a U.S. war crimes law “passed in the mid-1990s that criminalized violations of the Geneva Conventions.” The changes would mean interrogators would no longer face possible prosecution for committing “outrages upon [the] personal dignity” of prisoners.
Read more »
By John on Jun 13, 2006 in Congress, Science, Technology | 0 Comments
In an article at MSNBC renowned Physicist Stephen Hawking says humans must learn to inhabit other planets in order for the species to survive. He believes the earth, through some catastrophe, will become uninhabitable at some point in the future.
Read more »
By John on Dec 5, 2005 in Congress, Corruption, Crime, Politics, Society, War | 0 Comments
Reuters has a story saying that the White House has been meeting with Sen. John McCain in an effort to obtain an exemption so that the CIA can torture people. I continue to find it abhorrent that we are even discussing how this country might use torture. It’s proven to be ineffective, so to what end is Dick Cheney so interested in keeping this option open.
Read more »
By John on Nov 10, 2005 in Congress, Corruption, Politics | 0 Comments
Less than a week after a Washington Post story about the existence of the CIA’s secret prisons, Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) have called for an investigation into the leak of this information. “Such an egregious disclosure could have long-term and far-reaching damaging and dangerous consequences.”
Read more »
By John on Nov 10, 2005 in Congress, General, Politics, Society | 1 Comment
For some time, the conservative “position” on health care has been a stalwart commitment to the status quo, resisting any proposals for sweeping reform. Two new studies comparing global health data — one by American Progress distinguished senior fellow Tom Daschle, another by the Commonwealth Fund — spell out what this position entails: conservatives apparently are content with a health care system that ranks #37 in the world (behind both developed and developing countries).
Read more »
By John on Nov 10, 2005 in Congress, Corruption, Politics, War | 1 Comment
Administration and Congress turn their back on veterans.
Read more »
By John on Oct 27, 2005 in Corruption, Crime, General, Politics, Society | 0 Comments
While you and I are cringing with every stop at a filling station, the big oil companies are raking in the big bucks.
Read more »
By John on Oct 25, 2005 in Congress, Crime, Politics, Society, War | 1 Comment
The Bush administration wasn’t happy when the Senate overwhelmingly voted to limit and define U.S. interrogation techniques against terrorism suspects. Vice President Cheney is now attempting to exempt the Central Intelligence Agency from this measure.
Read more »
By John on Sep 27, 2005 in Congress, Corruption, Politics | 0 Comments
Bush’s allies in Congress are using high gas prices as another excuse for massive giveaways to the oil industry. The Los Angeles Times reports that conservative “leaders in Congress announced plans to introduce new legislation or amend existing measures to bestow more tax breaks on the industry and provide other incentives left out of the big energy bill Bush signed into law in August.”
Read more »
By John on Sep 22, 2005 in Congress, Corruption, Politics, Society | 0 Comments
With great fanfare, and recalling the “Gingrich Revolution” of the 1990s, House conservatives yesterday proposed a broad set of spending cuts they said would help offset the costs of the Katrina reconstruction effort. Their plan reduces the budget by $500 billion over 10 years, and does so in large part by dismantling programs that invest in middle- and working-class Americans.
Read more »
By John on Sep 21, 2005 in Congress, Corruption, Politics | 2 Comments
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, lawmakers of all political stripes have used the “political climate suddenly altered by the hurricane to try to advance long-stalled, sometimes controversial initiatives.” For example, Texas conservative Rep. Joe L. Barton is once again fighting to open up fragile coastal regions to offshore oil drilling, an idea that languished in Congress earlier this year.
Read more »
By John on Sep 21, 2005 in Congress, Corruption, Politics | 0 Comments
Stock prices for Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) fell 15 percent in late July, but not before Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist unloaded his family’s shares. HCA is the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, founded by Frist’s father and directed by Frist’s brother, who is also a leading stockholder.
Read more »