Deep Something

Deconstructing the Various Domestic Spying Lies

January 29, 2006September 29, 2018 B. John 279 Views

Just over a week ago, the White House promised to provide the legal, constitutional and moral justifications for the sort of warrantless spying on Americans that has been illegal for nearly 30 years. Instead, we got the familiar mix of political spin, clumsy historical misinformation, contemptuous dismissals of civil liberties concerns, cynical attempts to paint dissents as anti-American and pro-terrorist, and a couple of big, dangerous lies.

Politics Congress Presidency

State of The Economy

January 26, 2006 B. John 246 Views

Historically-low job growth, declining wages, rising poverty, record deficits, and the worst deterioration of America’s fiscal situation in history characterize the current state of the U.S. economy. President Bush continues to tout tax cuts as the central part of his economic plan, which he claims will “help the economy create new jobs today while permanently raising the wages and living standards of American workers now and in the future.” But the tax cuts have failed to deliver, leaving more people worse off. The typical middle class family is doing no better today than it was 25 years ago, facing stagnant incomes and staggering costs. Next Tuesday, you’ll hear a lot of happy talk about the economy. American Progress has the facts.

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State of American Health Care

January 26, 2006 B. John 208 Views

The American health care system is broken. Skyrocketing costs have placed enormous burdens on families and small businesses. The United States spends approximately $1.7 trillion — over 15 percent of the nation’s economy — on health care, yet the nation still falls behind on basic health care measures. “Health care costs are seen as the primary threat facing our country’s economy,” and the Bush administration has only made the situation worse. During President Bush’s term, “the number of Americans without health insurance has increased by 6.2 million,” now totaling nearly 46 million.

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The Republic In It's Last Throes

January 26, 2006September 29, 2018 B. John 230 Views

The confirmation of Samuel Alito to the US Supreme Court is all but completed. The addition of the Big-Brother-government-and-corporate-friendly Alito to replace a relatively moderate O’Connor is going to result in a more authoritarian society in which a few dictate to the majority what the rules will be. The American Republic is in its final days. Bin Laden won…or was it just the Bush Cabal taking over for good?

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Bush Was Against Expanding FISA Before He Was For It

January 26, 2006September 29, 2018 B. John 217 Views

The Bush Administration opposed legislation that would have given them the very power they now claim they needed, power they now claim they didn’t have under FISA. It’s because they didn’t have this power, they now claim, that they had to break the law and spy without a warrant. But this law would have given them much of the legal power they wanted. Yet they said they didn’t need it, and worse yet, that the proposed legislation was likely unconstitutional.

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Why Are Conservatives So Afraid

January 25, 2006September 29, 2018 B. John 249 Views

When our nation was founded, we had men of real character and courage fighting for their nascent America, one in which liberty and freedom trumped the authoritative tendencies of the monarchy. Patrick Henry gave words to those efforts: Give me liberty or give me death!

Politics Congress Election

Molly On The Sad State of The Democratic Party

January 23, 2006 B. John 209 Views

Molly Ivans has a good article at TruthDig about the sad state of the Democratic Party. While she uses her lack of support for Hillary Clinton as her starting point, she goes on to explain how spineless and out of touch the Democratic party has become.

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Bush's Ever Growing Crop of Domestic Spying Excuses

January 23, 2006September 29, 2018 B. John 183 Views

The line of excuses/justifications being offered by the Administration is interesting. First, the President is saying that FISA is being followed, and warrants are being obtained. This is available on tape, and are statements made to an audience.

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Abramoff Scandal Relief Fund

January 18, 2006 B. John 168 Views

I’ve decided that, as a good American, I should bite the bullet and do my civic duty. Therefore, I am announcing the formation of the Abramoff Scandal Relief Fund.

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Democrats and Courage?

January 15, 2006 B. John 218 Views

Democrats should put on a well-lighted marquee the fact that the Republican-controlled Congress plans to save $50 billion over five years by cutting food stamps, student loans and by slapping new fees on Medicaid recipients and reducing child support enforcement. So much for compassionate conservativism.

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My Review of 2005 and My Prayer for 2006

December 30, 2005September 29, 2018 B. John 272 Views

We human beings have created this concept of time. We like to have beginnings and endings, and we American’s seem especially prone to the shorter increments of time. We celebrate almost all of our important holidays annually. We acknowledge birthdays and anniversaries every year. We note seconds (nano-seconds sometimes), hours, days, the months, the annual cycle of the seasons, and especially the years. It?s pretty traditional, as the we close one calendar and open another, to evaluate the year just past, and contemplate the year to come. So as 2005 fades, I?ll follow tradition and offer up my review of 2005.