Think Progress » Conservatives Refuse To Appear On Fox News To Publicly Defend Gonzales

Some of the Attorney General's biggest critics are republicans.... 

On Fox News Sunday this morning, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) refused to defend Attorney General Alberto Gonzales against accusations that he may have perjured himself before Congress. “It’s very damaging…we badly need an attorney general who is above any question,” said Gingrich. He continued:

Both the president and country are better served if the attorney general is a figure of competence. Sadly, the current attorney general is not seen as any of those things. I think it’s a liability for the president. More importantly, it’s a liability for the United States of America.

Later in the show, host Chris Wallace revealed that no conservative would willingly defend Gonzales on Fox. “By the way, we invited White House officials and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to defend Attorney General Gonzales,” said Wallace. “We had no takers.”

Think Progress » Conservatives Refuse To Appear On Fox News To Publicly Defend Gonzales

G.O.P. Leaders Fight Expansion of Children’s Health Insurance - New York Times

G.O.P. Leaders Fight Expansion of Children’s Health Insurance - New York Times: "WASHINGTON, July 24 — Republican leaders of the House and Senate on Tuesday attacked proposals that call for a major expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, to be financed with higher tobacco taxes.

“Republicans will fight these proposals,” said the House Republican leader, Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio."

Shame, Shame, Shame! Denying health care to anywhere between 3.5 and 5 million children. Republicans are trying to stop this by saying it is a step towards a nationalized health care program. They had six years to come up with an effort that would work. They failed.

It's time to stop hurting our children, and get something done.

Complicity

Complicity. It is a word that describes the ulcer gnawing at my conscience. I felt its first twinge the day I watched in horror the televised air raid as our bombs lit Baghdad’s pre-dawn sky on March 20, 2003, the event that marked the beginning of the Bush Administration’s Operation Shock and Awe. I was neither shocked nor awed, only horrified as I imagined the fear and carnage that descended upon the streets of that ancient city as our weapons of mass destruction struck their targets one by one. There was a moment of surrealism, of disbelief that my government would actually invade another country without provocation. Iraq had caused us no harm and posed no imminent threat. This war was not even preemptive. There was no danger to preempt, at least none existed that some means short of an invasion could not have extirpated.

In the months preceding Shock and Awe, I observed with detached curiosity and amusement the Bush Administration’s clumsy slight of hands as it shuffled facts, seemingly mixing one deck of cards (al Qaeda) with another (Saddam Hussein). Clumsy because the Administration’s claims were contemporaneously refuted by reputable sources as being weak at best. The reports that contradicted the Administration’s claims were readily available to the public even though the mainstream media failed to put it into pablum for easy consumption. Surely, I thought, Congress with its almost unfettered access to a wealth of classified and unclassified information would demand that the Administration respond to these reports. I hoped against hope.

As the reality of Shock and Awe sank into me, the disbelief was replaced by outrage at Congress, other government officials who had the facts but didn’t speak out, the mainstream media for not living up to their responsibilities as our Fourth Estate, and the citizens who were paralyzed by fear into not questioning our government.

Yet through the heat of my outrage, I felt the first pangs of pain. I criticized others but what had I done as a citizen of the most powerful nation in the world? I stood aside and did little while my government plummeted into the abyss with devastating consequences. By not challenging the actions of my government by any and all legal means available to me, by that passivity I became complicit. I am an accomplice in my government’s immoral action that killed and wounded over 100,000 people, including our brave women and men in uniform, an action that is far from over.

Each time I see photographs of our dead soldiers being honored by the media, read about the plight of our wounded, see images of bloodied bodies of beautiful Iraqi children limp in the arms of their parents who are too bereft to do more than groan, I am overcome by such excruciating pain that I feel I must scream. Yet I know that that achieves nothing. Each day I spend paralyzed costs more lives, so I am moved to act now, to make my voice heard by my Congress. I intend to become a constant pain in its backside just as my complicity constantly gnaws at me. I come to this late, but there are still many more lives at stake.

It is my hope that each of you, as a citizen of a nation that many people around the world regard as the greatest experiment in democracy, will join me. Although trite from overuse, we must remember those wonderful words from our Constitution's preamble. “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

We the people must make our voices heard by those who represent us in Congress. Write, email, and call them as often as you can and demand. Demand that they represent YOU. Whether you want them to end this immoral war or impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney for abuses of power including misleading this country into this disastrous war, make Congress listen to YOUR voice. They will try to paralyze you into silence by their excuses which are cloaked in political pragmatism, but do not listen because they are specious arguments. Do not let them think for you. Think for yourself. Remember the words Immanuel Kant wrote in 1787 describing enlightenment:

“Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-incurred immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's own understanding without the guidance of another. This immaturity is self-incurred if its cause is not lack of understanding, but lack of resolution and courage to use it without the guidance of another. The motto of enlightenment is therefore: Sapere aude! Have courage to use your own understanding!”

“Laziness and cowardice are the reasons why such a large proportion of men, even when nature has long emancipated them from alien guidance (naturaliter maiorennes), nevertheless gladly remain immature for life. For the same reasons, it is all too easy for others to set themselves up as their guardians. It is so convenient to be immature! If I have a book to have understanding in place of me, a spiritual adviser to have a conscience for me, a doctor to judge my diet for me, and so on, I need not make any efforts at all. I need not think, so long as I can pay; others will soon enough take the tiresome job over for me.”

Another case for Impeachment

Talking Points Memo | Impeachment?

As regular readers of this site know, I've always been against the movement to impeach President Bush. I take this position not because he hasn't done plenty to merit it. My reasons are practical. Minor reasons are that it's late in the president's term and that I think impeachment itself is toxic to our political system -- though it can be less toxic than the high officials thrown from office. My key reason, though, is that Congress at present can't even get to the relatively low threshold of votes required to force the president's hand on Iraq. So to use an analogy which for whatever reason springs readily to my mind at this point in my life, coming out for impeachment under present circumstances is like being so frustrated that you can't crawl that you come out for walking. In various ways it seems to elevate psychic satisfactions above progress on changing a series of policies that are doing daily and almost vast damage to our country. Find me seventeen Republican senators who are going to convict President Bush in a senate trial.

On balance, this is still my position. But in recent days, for the first time I think, I've seen new facts that make me wonder whether the calculus has changed. Or to put it another way, to question whether my position is still justifiable in the face of what's happening in front of our eyes.

I've made up my mind. Impeachment must be on the table. The precedents being set by this presidency is setting the stage for an evolution of our government that no one wants. If impeachment means that a liberal will lose the presidency, so be it. We must question authority. And we must restore our system of checks and balances. Write, call, scream, do whatever it takes to let our elected congressional representatives that they must look past their personal ambitions, and ask themselves what they can do for their country. It is time to take a stand.

Here we go again.....and again....

Rules Lay Out C.I.A.’s Tactics in Questioning - New York Times

WASHINGTON, July 20 — The White House said Friday that it had given the Central Intelligence Agency approval to resume its use of some severe interrogation methods for questioning terrorism suspects in secret prisons overseas.

I REALLY hope that there will be a media outcry over this....but I doubt it!!

Peggy Noonan dead on? What's the world coming to?

From DL Olympia regular Warren:

Peggy Noonan, who seemed to effectively give up on Bush’s presidency six weeks ago, during the immigration debate, wrote one of her less-annoying columns today.

In fact, she raises a good point about the president’s demeanor.

As I watched the news conference, it occurred to me that one of the things that might leave people feeling somewhat disoriented is the president’s seemingly effortless high spirits. He’s in a good mood. There was the usual teasing, the partly aggressive, partly joshing humor, the certitude. He doesn't seem to be suffering, which is jarring. Presidents in great enterprises that are going badly suffer: Lincoln, LBJ with his head in his hands. Why doesn't Mr. Bush? Every major domestic initiative of his second term has been ill thought through and ended in failure. His Iraq leadership has failed. His standing is lower than any previous president’s since polling began. He’s in a good mood. Discuss.

Is it defiance? Denial? Is it that he’s right and you're wrong, which is your problem? Is he faking a certain steely good cheer to show his foes from Washington to Baghdad that the American president is neither beaten nor bowed? Fair enough: Presidents can't sit around and moan. But it doesn't look like an act. People would feel better to know his lack of success sometimes gets to him. It gets to them.

You know, that’s true. This president has had more calamities, of greater consequence, than any president should be allowed. And yet, he brags about how well he sleeps, he takes more vacation time than any president in history, and he’s constantly smirking, as if he hasn't a care in the world.

The president has the weight of the world on his shoulders. How about showing some signs of stress?

AlterNet: Blogs: Video: Will Ferrell as George W. Bush on 'Global Warmings'

AlterNet: Blogs: Video: "Will Ferrell as George W. Bush on 'Global Warmings' [VIDEO]
Posted by Adam Howard on July 14, 2007 at 2:35 AM."

This is another great satire on the President and his new focus on "global warmings." It's hilarious. Take a minute to watch

Nick Anderson: Feel Good, Inc.

Nick Anderson: Feel Good, Inc.

Houston Chronicle's Editorial Cartoonist Nick Anderson has come out with a great animation on the "feel good" presidency.

TPM: The REAL Reason?

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall July 2, 2007 09:35 PM:

"TPM Reader PT notes what many others have also flagged ...

I havent seen this noted but i think the reason for the commutation is that a pardon would mean that Libby was no longer exposed to criminal sanctions and thus had no Fifth Amendment privilege. As it stands he has a fine and probation at stake during the pendency of the appeal which inulates him ( and Bush and Cheney) from havaing to answer questions before Congress."

Makes sense. Now he is still insulated from testifying to Congress. Congress REALLY needs to act upon this. They need to find out the REAL reasons we invaded Iraq.

Another one for the list!

Shrub did it again!  Today, he commuted Scooter Libby's prison sentence.  In his commutation statement, Bush says the sentence was "excessive."

Interesting action for someone who holds the all-time record for executions held as governor.  The next question is "What's he hiding?"  I bet you know without being told!  But the answer is something to do with Ass-ets.

Just think, in just over a week, the Bush administration has exempted the Vice-President from being a part of the Executive branch of government, and exempting members of the executive branch from responding to subponeas.  How many laws have they broken in just one week?

Just will next week bring?  And will our so called Democratic-elected Congress take any kind of action.....As I said before, I doubt it!

The Washington Note: Cheney Plays Julius Caesar and Like Then Must be Stopped (Legally)

Steve Clemons, over at his blog, The Washington Note, notes:

It is clear now, in retrospect that Cheney has worked hard to write in the "Office of the Vice President" as a body with specific statutory authority that does not derive from the Presidency as his machinations on modifying Executive Orders on "Classified National Security Information."

Republicans and Democrats in Congress should be unifying now on all fronts to immediately contain the power of Cheney and his team if they in fact do not feel that there are any controls on them that should be acknowledged.

Bush was never a Julius Caesar type. Cheney, however, is.

The question is...will Democrats and Repubicans stop him?  Do they have the political will to do what is right?  Unfortunately, past history suggests no......let's see if they suprise us!

One person CAN make a difference

When nonvoters are asked why they don't participate in politics, the most common answer they give is that they don't think they can have any impact. The system's gamed, they say, broken, and lawmakers are only concerned about the interests of their cronies.

Thankfully, Andrew Bossie, a young grass-roots organizer, never came to believe that ordinary people are powerless. In 2005, Bossie, then a student at the University of Southern Maine, looked around and noticed that a generation of young people was having real problems affording the kind of education that most people see as vital to having a shot at the American dream. "The skyrocketing costs of tuition, books and living expenses was taking its toll not only on me, but also on my siblings, friends and peers," Bossie wrote in an e-mail exchange. "It was not uncommon to see a college dorm vacated mid-semester because a tuition bill couldn't be paid, or to find a seat once occupied by an eager student empty, because they simply could not afford to continue."

Nobody told Andrew Bossie that he couldn't do anything about the bleak post-graduation prospects so many of his fellow students faced, so he decided he would. "I had a crazy, hare-brained idea," Bossie told me in a phone interview. "And I started to have conversations with people who were politically active, and when I did that I saw that it generated a lot of excitement."

In an interesting alternet article, Bossie,  a college student, describes how he decided to go about and change something the way the system is suppose to work:  from the ground up, through volunteers dedicated to a cause, There were no paid signature gatherers, no high gloss commercials, just plain old hard work and determination, and a cause that rung true with both Maine residents and their legislature.  Congratulations to Bossie, who teaches us all that we can still make a difference!

Start Off the Day Right!!

From Drinking Liberally regular Warren:

Here's a tip on how to start each day with a positive outlook....

1.  Empty the Trash/Recycle Bin on your computer desktop.

2. Create a new folder on your desktop (right-click/new/folder).
3. Name it "George W. Bush"
4. Send it to the trash.
5. Empty the trash.

6. Your PC will ask you, "Do you really want to delete "George W. Bush?"
7. Firmly Click "Yes."
8. Feel better.

Works every time!

White House threatens veto of energy bill | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

White House threatens veto of energy bill | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

WASHINGTON — President Bush on Tuesday threatened to veto a broad energy conservation bill under consideration in the Senate, if lawmakers try to ban price gouging or swipe at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. As the Senate began what will likely be several days of debate on the energy package, the White House Office of Management and Budget took aim at a provision that would make price gouging at the gasoline pump a federal crime if the president declared a national energy emergency. More than two dozen states have price gouging laws, but federal law does not address the issue. Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has pointed to the price gouging language as evidence the Democrat-controlled Senate is doing something about high gasoline prices. But the administration argues a price-gouging provision would do nothing to alleviate prices. Echoing oil industry arguments, the White House said price gouging language "could result in gasoline price controls and in some cases bring back long gas lines reminiscent of the 1970s." The sponsor of the language, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., contends: "A strong federal statute that says you are crossing the line is needed. I don't see why anybody would be concerned that we're prohibiting wrongdoing." A somewhat different price gouging bill has already passed the House. That measure also drew a veto threat. The Senate may also try to attach the "No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels" or "NOPEC" provision.

Help me here.....The president will veto the energy bill because it would make price gouging a federal crime?  Let's see now, the president comes from a long line of oil interests among friends and family.  Doesn't this seem insane?  I wonder why the major news outlets isn't picking this one up?

Gerrymandering: June 11th's Drinking Liberally Olympia Meeting Topic

Hello all!

Hope your summer is going well!

I thought we might kick off tomorrow night's discussion around Gerrymandering. Gerrymandering, as you my know, happens when a congressional district boundaries are changed for political gain.

One of the most well known cases happened in 2003, when the Texas Republican controlled legislature changed the boundaries of the congressional districts to be even more Republican! If you recall, the Democrats in the Legislature took off--out of state--to prevent a vote. Tom DeLay sent US Marshalls' to find them and bring them back--which they did. The Redistricting Plan passed in the fall of 2003.

Gerrymandering is used whenever and wherever elections are held. In the age of computers, however, it has taken on a new life of its own; mapping and GIS programs allow for manipulation to occur once unimaginable.

On Monday, a game developed by students at the University of Southern California debuts on the web. It shows how easily Gerrymandering is used to solidify congressional offices for a partisan purpose. If you have time on Monday, you can play the game at http://www.redistrictinggame.org/.

For some general information on Gerrymandering, Wikipedia has an excellent article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering

Hope to see you tomorrow night, 7:00, at the Tumwater Valley Bar and Grill!

It's game time--learn how the political game REALLY works!

Mike Musgrove - The New Political Games Make a Point - washingtonpost.com

Jonathan D. Aronson, a professor and political scientist at USC, is a little exasperated that Americans sometimes worry about the potential for voting-machine tampering when there may be a more fundamental -- though, perhaps, drier and harder-to-explain -- problem in how districts are drawn.

"My question was, why would you need to rig the voting machines if you'd already rigged the election by making seats safe?" he said. He took the issue to USC's game-design school to see whether it could build a game on the topic.

Find out how an election can be rigged and play the game at the game's website starting June 11th.

The making of a king?

AlterNet: Don't We Have a Constitution, Not a King?

Bush has issued a directive that would place all governmental powers in his hands in the case of a catastrophic emergency. If a terrorist attack happens before the 2008 election, could Bush and Cheney use this to avoid relinquishing power to a successor administration?

No...it couldn't happen, could it? Everyone should read Al Gore's new book, "Assault on Reason," or take an hour and watch him talk about his book with Charlie Rose. Of course, watching Al plays into his criticism that actually reading about an issue allows for a more informed republic....



.hmm....It can't happen here, eh?

'Til the End of Days

George Bush envisions an armed forces presence in Iraq similar to Korea. 

So blogs Josh Marshall in Talking Points Memo.  Like Korea?  We're still there!  Marshall notes that this is not about establishing democracy.  It's about controlling oil, notes one of his readers.

If this is true, It's about money.  It's about strengthening his, his families, and his oil network's financial position long after Bush leaves the White House. 

NASA just released a report warning that global warming will reach a tipping point in 10 years.  It's too late, the report claims, to do anything about it now.  So Oilman Bush might as well milk the oil economy for all it's worth and make a few bucks before life as our kids know it exists no more.  What a legacy to leave....

No Drinking Liberally Monday Night

Due to the Memorial Day Holiday, no Drinking Liberally meeting will be held Monday night, May 28th.

Join us at our next regularly scheduled meeting on June 11th.

The entire government has failed us on Iraq - Countdown with Keith Olbermann - MSNBC.com

Few men or women elected in our history—whether executive or legislative, state or national—have been sent into office with a mandate more obvious, nor instructions more
clear:

Get us out of Iraq.

Yet after six months of preparation and execution—half a year gathering the
strands of public support; translating into action, the collective will
of the nearly 70 percent of Americans who reject this War of Lies, the
Democrats have managed only this:

• The Democratic leadership has surrendered to a president—if not the worst
  president, then easily the most selfish, in our history—who happily
  blackmails his own people, and uses his own military personnel as
  hostages to his asinine demand, that the Democrats “give the troops
  their money”;
• The Democratic leadership has agreed to finance the deaths of Americans in a war that has only reduced the security of Americans;
• The Democratic leadership has given Mr. Bush all that he wanted, with the
  only caveat being, not merely meaningless symbolism about benchmarks
  for the Iraqi government, but optional meaningless symbolism about
  benchmarks for the Iraqi government.
• The Democratic leadership has, in sum, claimed a compromise with the
  Administration, in which the only things truly compromised, are the
  trust of the voters, the ethics of the Democrats, and the lives of our
  brave, and doomed, friends, and family, in Iraq.

Keith Olbermann has once again hit the nail on the head. We've actually been betrayed by our Congressional delegation. They say that they have to compromise and let the Bush and company destroy themselves, thereby assuring that 2008 will be a Democratic Election Year.

At what cost? How many more of the men and women in our military -- and their wives and husbands, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, will be sacrificed for a political end?

We can't wait any more. We need to bring our soldiers home from Iraq. It must stop. Now.

John Edwards: Right (or should I say Left) on the Issues. It's time to pay the piper

John Edwards for President-A Strong Military for a New Century

Moving Beyond the "War on Terror"

“The core of this presidency has been a political doctrine that George Bush calls the ‘Global War on Terror.’ He has used this doctrine like a sledgehammer to justify the worst abuses and biggest mistakes of his administration, from Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, to the war in Iraq. The worst thing about the Global War on Terror approach is that it has backfired—our military has been strained to the breaking point and the threat from terrorism has grown.”

“We need a post-Bush, post-9/11, post-Iraq American military that is mission-focused on protecting Americans from 21st century threats, not misused for discredited ideological pursuits. We need to recognize that we have far more powerful weapons available to us than just bombs, and we need to bring them to bear. We need to reengage the world with the full weight of our moral leadership.”

“What we need is not more slogans but a comprehensive strategy to deal with the complex challenge of both delivering justice and being just. Not hard power. Not soft power. Smart power.”

It's time. I've been waiting for a candidate to break out. John Edwards is more right than anyone else on the issues. He actually is willing to put it out there and tell us where he stands, where the other candidates are not. Congressional Democrats are selling out and giving Bush a blank check on the war. Edwards is calling them out. And he is challenging you, me, and our neighbors to up the level on the Iraq war. This memorial day.

Lives are at stake.

It's time. I'm sending $$ to the Edwards Campaign this week.

George Monbiot: "If We Don’t Deal with Climate Change We Condemn Hundreds of Millions of People to Death"

Amy Goodman over at Democracy Now has a transcript of a great interview with George Monbiot, author of Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning

Global warming is being pushed as a major issue for next month's gathering of world leaders at the G8 summit in Germany. The Washington Post reported this week the Bush administration is trying to weaken the proposed climate change declaration. U.S. negotiators want to delete a pledge to limit the global temperature rise and cut emissions of greenhouse gas to half 1990 levels. The administration also wants to strike language that designates the U.N. as the appropriate forum for negotiating action on climate change.

Our next guest has done a detailed study into what it would practically take to heed the warnings on climate change and reduce our emissions of greenhouse gas. George Monbiot is a widely read columnist for the Guardian of London and a leading British campaigner for the environment. His latest book is called “Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning.”

In the interview, and, I assume, his book, he talks about the need for the World's technologically advanced nations to "lead the way" for real actions that will result in a 60% reduction in green house gasses by 2030. 2030, he says, is the tipping point in which there is no reverse if fail. The countries who need to lead the way need to reduce their own GHG emissions by 90%, something that can be done.

Monbiot describes the lack of political will, especially in the United State at the Federal Level, as the one thing that is keeping the world from achieving this goal.

One action that he says is critical that particularly disturbs me, however, that he says needs to happen is a significant reduction in air travel. Let's face it, we live globally. We are all connected. In order for us to understand each other, we have to be with one another. It is only when we understand one another will society begin to move away from violence towards one another.

This reminds me that one of the paramount rules of the world is that whatever action we take will cause a reaction (positive, neutral, or negative) to occur as well, and it is something that we need to take great care to avoid creating even greater problems.

Fiction begets reality.....(NY Times: Subscription Required)

Gonzales Pressed Ailing Ashcroft on Spy Plan, Aide Says - New York Times

WASHINGTON, May 15 — On the night of March 10, 2004, a high-ranking Justice Department official rushed to a Washington hospital to prevent two White House aides from taking advantage of the critically ill Attorney General, John Ashcroft, the official testified today. One of those aides was Alberto R. Gonzales, who was then White House counsel and eventually succeeded Mr. Ashcroft as Attorney General. “I was very upset,” said James B. Comey, who was deputy Attorney General at the time, in his testimony today before the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I was angry. I thought I had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man, who did not have the powers of the attorney general because they had been transferred to me.” The hospital visit by Mr. Gonzales and Andrew H. Card Jr., who was then White House chief of staff, has been disclosed before, but never in such dramatic, personal detail. Mr. Comey’s account offered a rare and titillating glimpse of a Washington power struggle, complete with a late-night showdown in the White House after a dramatic encounter in a darkened hospital room — in short, elements of a potboiler paperback novel.

Egos, power struggles...these boys need to grow up...forget it, that will never happen!

Drinking Liberally Tomorrow Night, May 14th

Join us Monday Night, the 14th of May, at 7pm for another DL get-together, Oly style!  Come with your best bushie-related joke or story.  Be prepared to laugh, vent, console, and just have a good time!

$456 Billion Buys what?

What does $456 billion buy? - Boston.com

Including the $124.2 billion bill, the total cost of the Iraq war may reach $456 billion in September, according to the National Priorities Project, an organization that tracks public spending.

This link presents a slideshow on what $456 billion would buy for other things than killing and maiming. Can you think of others? I bet you can....

Bushies Behaving Badly: Slate Magazine

An illustrated guide to Republican scandals. - By Holly Allen, Christopher Beam, and Torie Bosch - Slate Magazine

Having a hard time keeping track of all 10,000 GOP scandals? Between fired U.S. attorneys, deleted RNC e-mails, sexually harassed pages, outed CIA agents, and tortured Iraqi prisoners—not to mention the warrantless wiretapping, plum defense contracts, and golf junkets to Scotland—you could be forgiven for losing track of which congressman or Bush administration flunky did which shady thing. Renzi—now, was that the guy with the skeezy land deal? Or the woman Paul Wolfowitz promoted?

Bill Moyers: I'll be watching TV again on Friday Nights

Bill Moyers Journal . Home | PBS

Bill Moyers has a new show on PBS. premiering last Friday night. His guests included Jon Stewart and Talking Points Memo Josh Marshall. Both interviews provided interesting perspective on the news and how people -- especially those of the younger set -- are obtaining their news. Moyers' website offers video of the show, a weblog, transcripts, etc.

For us liberals, Moyers provides fresh and interesting subject matter from a usually mundane medium.

"Don't Touch Me....." or how to shut one's eyes and put his hands over his ears...

The Blog | Laurie David and Sheryl Crow: Karl Rove Gets Thrown Under the Stop Global Warming Bus | The Huffington Post

Last night Thelma and Louise drove the bus off the cliff or at least into the White House Correspondents Dinner. The "highlight" of the evening had to be when we were introduced to Karl Rove. How excited were we to have our first opportunity ever to talk directly to the Bush Administration about global warming. We asked Mr. Rove if he would consider taking a fresh look at the science of global warming. Much to our dismay, he immediately got combative. And it went downhill from there.

An interesting post by Laurie David and Sheryl Crow. 

Robert Reich on pills and guns

Robert Reich's Blog: Guns, Anti-Depressants, and the Massacre in Virginia

In the United States, if you are seriously depressed, you can purchase anti-depressive drugs like Prozac, but only if you have a prescription from a doctor. Anti-depressants are enormously beneficial to millions of people but they are also potentially dangerous if used improperly. So, you have to see a doctor and get an assessment before you can go to a drug store and purchase one.



But in the United States, in places like Virginia, a seriously depressed or deranged person can walk into a store and buy a semi-automatic handgun and a box of ammunition. All you need is two forms of identification. You don’t need permission from a doctor or counselor or anyone in the business of screening people to make sure they’re fit to have a gun.

Robert Reich nails this one.  Special interests are rampant.  Today, congress was not able to block a prescription medicine reform bill for medicaid.  Pharmaceuticals have spent millions donating to congressional races.  And people continue to die because of it.



It is a sad week in this country.

Drinking Liberally reaches 200 chapters nationwide

From our friends at the National Level...

What Our 200th Chapter Means

With the arrival of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, the Drinking Liberally
map has hit 200 chapters. And with your help
(http://livingliberally.org/4.21.07), we're ready to go so much
further.

While beer companies should rejoice that more Americans are promoting
democracy one pint at a time, it's the progressive movement that has
cause to celebrate: with every new social club, we're building a
community that energizes and expands Liberal America.

Drinking Liberally has never been about the "drinking" -- it's about
creating a welcoming environment in which newcomers can engage,
activists can connect, and everyone can make progressive politics part
of their every day lives. And that's taken different shapes around
the country.

- In Reading, PA, Drinking Liberally is about hosting 100 activists to
meet grassroot candidates before the '06 election
- In Gooding, ID, Drinking Liberally is about defending the word
"liberal" from libelous attacks in the local newspaper
- In Natchez, MS, Drinking Liberally is about finding a bar where
black and white patrons feel comfortable attending together
- In Louisville, KY, Drinking Liberally is about building a network
that pledged thousands of dollars to local public radio

It's fitting that our 200th outpost is the 11th group in Colorado, a
state that is now tied with Pennsylvania for the most chapters.
Colorado is the center of the rising progressive power of the Mountain
West. Its landscape is dotted with dynamic groups like Progress Now
and Progressive Majority and terrific websites like
ColoradoConfidential.com and SquareState.net, a network of progressive
leaders and organizations that are creating real change and serving as
models of political action for the rest of the country.

We are proud to have 11 chapters in Colorado. We're so proud that we
held our 2006 Drinking Liberally National Conference in Denver...and
led the way for the DNC to follow suit next summer.

This rapid and remarkable growth signals another reason for the
progressive movement to be proud. Drinking Liberally has grown as
much or more between election cycles, when activism traditionally
drops off. We are proving that a liberal identity can and will exist
for many Americans more than once every four years.

Up to this point, Drinking Liberally has been fueled by an amazing
network of volunteers -- as is true for our Laughing Liberally comedy
shows, Reading Liberally book tours, Screening Liberally film series,
Eating Liberally meals and Blogging Liberally special events. But
there is only so large a network can grow and only so long it can last
on such a foundation. We have reached 200 chapters as a loose-knit
operation...imagine what we could do with the resources to build a
strong, sustainable organization?

That's why we are excited about the Living Liberally Launch Party
(http://livingliberally.org/4.21.07), this Saturday, April 21st, in
New York City. Living Liberally is the hub that connects all of these
projects, and will make our network an even more valuable partner to
the progressive movement. We're raising the funds to build our
infrastructure, hire our first paid staff and take our next giant
steps forward.

If you want to celebrate our 200th chapter or just tip your hat to the
local group in your town, if you're impressed with how this network
has grown or trust where we plan on taking it next, please buy a
ticket to this Saturday's event
(http://livingliberally.org/4.21.07/ticket.html). Even if you cannot
attend, you can make a contribution
(http://livingliberally.org/4.21.07/sponsor.html) that will help make
200 a stepping stone to even greater achievements.

Welcome, Pagosa Springs. Thank you, everyone, for promoting democracy
one pint at a time.

Bush Grievances Against Liberal Ideals

At the 2nd March meeting of Drinking Liberally Olympia, members put together a list of grievances against the Bush Administration.  Some of these are illegal. Clearly. Others go against what we consider ethical behavior.  Still others that are actions that are hypocritical of what Bush says he stands for, but his actions speak very differently.  But virtually all them piss us off!!



We came up with 60 different grievances that evening.  Others have contributed since then.  We now have 85 items on the list and still counting.That is with no prior research, no thinking about it prior to the meeting.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  The list is in no particular order or priority. Here goes:

1. Suspend Habeas Corpus
2. Made travel to foreign countries more unpleasant for you and me
3. Made travel of foreign guests much more unpleasant to visit here
4. Stole 2000 election
5. "Compassionate Conservative" only compassionate depending on who you are (i.e., rich)
6. Intimidation of subordinates of those who are fired
7. Mixing political appointees vs. political appointives
8. Arsenic in Water
9. Katrina
10. Iraq
11. Mountaintop Removal
12. Valerie Plame
13. Patriot Act
14. Guantanamo
15. "Old Europe" (Estranging Allies)
16. The name "Homeland Security"
17. Disregarding Civil Liberties (Warrant less Searches)
    
    
18. Renditions
19. Torture
20. Tax Cut and Deficit Policy (i.e. De-tax and Spend Conservatives)
21. Invented "enemy combatant"
22. $9 Billion missing in Iraq
23. Refusal to fund stem cell research
24. Privatizing the military
25. Used hired mercenaries to go into New Orleans immediately after Katrina hit
26. 20,000 National Security Letters w/out warrant
27. Ignoring the Geneva Convention
28. Disregarding International Law
29. Disregarding National Law -- "I am the Decider"
30. $40 billion being spent on unfounded star wars technology
31. No Child Left Behind
32. Cutting financial aid for higher ed
33. Alienating our Gay Community
34. Pandering to the religious "right to life" sect through the Terry Schiavo case
35. Faith-based initiative
36. Lack of action and collaboration with the world community on Global Warming
37. Dick Cheney's secret energy policy written by energy companies for pure profit
38. Constant and Consistent Lying--Actions definitely do not support words (why do people keep believing him?)
39. Lied about "Weapons of Mass Destruction" to get us into an endless, bloody war that has resulted, at a minumum, several 10's of thousands dying, most likely resulting in 100's of thousands dying
    
    
40. Let Afghanistan "rot on the vine"
41. Neglecting Osama Bin Laden
42. Shutting EPA libraries down
43. Drilling in National Nature Preserves
44. Clearcutting
45. Stopping a clear path of scientific information to scientists and the general population
46. Putting a "chastity belt on lady justice"
47. J. Steven Griles, former Deputy Secretary of the Interior, indicted in the Abramoff Scandal
48. Curriculum developed in "No Child Left Behind" initiative directly benefits Neal Bush, George's brother (see http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/8/125556/7027)
49. Appoints Sam Fox as Ambassador of Belgium as a recess appointee after being rejected by the Congress
50. Environmental Degradation is acceptable
51. Ignoring the needs of our veterans and returning injured soldiers
52. Biggest Debt in human history left for our children and grand children
53. New Nuclear weapons
54. The "war president" is the "vacation president"
55. "grammar deficient"
56. Abstinence only funding
57. Abdicating on the middle east peace process
58. US Attorney Schedule
59. Clear Skies Initiative
60. "Healthy Forests" Initiative
61. Bush Administration's attempt to deny citizens the right to sue to enforce
    
    voting rights
62. January 2001 – suspends
    
    implementation of most of former President Clinton's late-term executive orders
    
    regarding the environment, including the "roadless rule" protecting 60 million
    
    acres of national forest, new standards for arsenic in drinking water, and a
    
    phased-in ban of snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park.
    
    
63. February 2001 – cuts
    
    Interior Department funding for environmental policy enforcement by 7 percent.
    
    The Republican-controlled Senate introduces, for the first time, a bill that
    
    would allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a proposal
    
    resurrected annually as part of Bush's energy policy.
    
    
64. March
    
    2001 – reverses a campaign pledge by announcing that he will not order mandatory
    
    reductions of carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's electrical
    
    plants.
    
    
65. March
    
    2001 – unilaterally withdraws from the Kyoto Protocol on global
    
    warming.
    
    
66. March
    
    2001 – nominates mining industry lobbyist J. Steven Griles for Interior deputy
    
    secretary.
    
    
67. April
    
    2001 – breaks another campaign pledge, abandoning plans to invest $100 million
    
    per year in rainforest conservation.
    
    
68. April
    
    2001 – nominates Bennett Raley – who once testified that the Endangered Species
    
    Act should be repealed – as assistant secretary for water and
    
    science.
    
    
69. April
    
    2001 – instructs the Interior Department to seek to limit citizen-initiated
    
    lawsuits involving the Endangered Species Act.
    
    
70. April
    
    2001 – Dick Cheney, heading up Bush’s hyper-secret energy task force, meets with
    
    Enron executives (pre-implosion) for advice.
    
    
71. May
    
    2001 – places a freeze on new proposals for expanding the national park
    
    system.
    
    
72. May
    
    2001 – nominates James Connaughton, notorious for his legal defense of General
    
    Electric in Superfund fights with the EPA, to be the chair of his Council on
    
    Environmental Quality.
    
    
73. May
    
    2001 – nominates Linda Fisher, former head of Monsanto's government affairs
    
    office, as second-in-command at the EPA.
    
    
74. May
    
    2001 – releases his energy plan, devised in secret by a task force headed by
    
    Darth Cheney.
    
    
75. June
    
    2001 – BRIGHT SPOT: Vermont Republican Jim Jeffords switches parties, throwing
    
    control of the Senate to the Democrats.
    
    
76. June
    
    2001 – nominates former timber lobbyist Mark Rey for Agriculture undersecretary
    
    for natural resources and environment.
    
    
77. June
    
    2001 – nominates William G. Myers, a former lobbyist for the National
    
    Cattlemen's Beef Association, as the Interior Department's new
    
    solicitor.
    
    
78. July
    
    2001 – announces the opening of 1.5 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico to oil
    
    drilling – although distant from Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's shorelines.
    
    
79. August 2001 – seeks to
    
    overturn a federal court order blocking oil and gas exploration off the
    
    California coast.
    
    
80. August 2001 – citing
    
    executive privilege, Bush refuses to respond to a letter from the GAO revealing
    
    with whom Vice President Darth Cheney met as chair of the energy task
    
    force.
    
    
81. August 2001 – the select
    
    intergovernmental committee on terrorism meets for the first time – for 25
    
    minutes.
    
    
82. September 2001 – after
    
    the abject failings of his administration to prevent 9/11, invokes global
    
    terrorism as excuse for increased coal mining and oil exploration in the US,
    
    combined with relaxed regulation and oversight – leading indirectly to the Sago
    
    disaster just over 4 years later.
    
    
83. October 2001 – rams the
    
    USA PATRIOT Act – it’s an acronym, remember? – through a compliant Congress,
    
    expanding the use of National Security Letters and the powers of the FISA Court,
    
    defining a new type of crime (“terrorism-related activity”), and replacing the
    
    “probable cause” language of the Fourth Amendment with the more malleable
    
    “reasonable suspicion.”
    
    
84. November 2001 – nominates
    
    Rebecca Watson – a member of the Board of Litigation of the Mountain States
    
    Legal Foundation and a lawyer who has represented the interests of the mining
    
    and logging industries – to serve as the Interior Department's assistant
    
    secretary for land and minerals management.
    
    
85. December 2001 -- grants
    
    initial approval to a set of administrative rules that would weaken the Clean
    
    Air Act by allowing coal-burning plants to bypass "new source review" pollution
    
    standards when upgrading their facilities.

Dems Call for Review of Bush Appointment

Dems Call for Review of Bush Appointment | The Huffington Post

WASHINGTON — Democrats called for an investigation Thursday into whether President Bush acted illegally in appointing Sam Fox ambassador to Belgium. A day earlier, Bush named Republican fundraiser Fox to the post as a recess appointment _ a maneuver that allowed him to bypass Congress, where Democrats had derailed his nomination. "We view the recess appointment of Mr. Fox as a clear abuse of the President's recess appointment power," three Democratic senators wrote in a letter to the Government Accountability Office, Congress' auditing agency.

Isn't this someone who made a grand show of a willingness to work WITH the congress? The bully is definitely back!

What is Olympia's Liberal Hotspot or Historical Note?

Our national DL Team has requested submissions for the following. Olympia has a large history of progressive politics--I'm just not sure what it is, but I would sure like to find out! I'm not sure about nominating the Tumwater Valley Bar and Grill, it's a great place with great staff, but as a liberal "hotspot:--that is open for debate!

Feel free to comment on this post --or come to the next meeting--we will be talking about this!

An interesting and exciting opportunity has come up for us to
contribute stories and ideas to a new book being published by The
Nation magazine.

They are producing "The Nation's Guide to the Nation," a
coast-to-coast guide to progressive America. In addition to
highlighting different organizations (including Drinking Liberally!),
they want to write about quirky liberal stories and secrets from
across America.

What type of submissions? Really, whatever you think is right...but
below, I've included notes from one of the researchers that may help
guide you.

Thanks! They'd love these ideas in the next week or so. Don't worry
about making them thorough -- just help whet their appetite.

- justin

>From the folks at The Nation:

"The book will identify all manner of unique, offbeat things:
Chicago's finest political saloons and San Francisco's neighborly
coffee houses; where to find fair-traded coffee beans; green markets,
slow foods and anti-fast-food activists; humane-raised meats; radical,
feminist, gay and African-American bookshops and clubs; feminist
erotica, consenting-adult sex clubs and singles clubs for politically
committed people; music stores, festivals and venues; progressive
summer camps and play groups; anti-sweatshop organizations and
non-exploitive clothing makers; progressive realtors, therapists,
ministers, rabbis, undertakers and cemeteries; community radio
stations, liberal commentators and talk shows; a Left-Thumbed Guide to
the Blogosphere; writers rooms, writers unions, writers programs and
writers retreats; alternate energy sources, and cohousing
developments; activist churches, mosques and temples; real alternative
weeklies, socially zines; left history tours and tourists.

"Being that we're talking to Drinking Liberally, it would also be good
to get people to nominate their meeting place for our social section,
but they would need to justify why their bar should be included above
and beyond the fact that DL meets there X nights a month -- for
instance: the bartender/owner is an vet with anti-Bush views and
every local protest march ends here, or it's rumored that Dylan
stopped in for a drink on his way to play the cotton fields of
Mississippi, or this is the first bar to host integrated music nights,
or some storied bit of liberal folklore, you get the point."

Forest rules were illegally changed, judge says

Nation & World | Forest rules were illegally changed, judge says | Seattle Times Newspaper

WASHINGTON — A federal district judge ruled Friday that the Bush administration illegally rewrote rules for managing 192 million acres of federally owned forests and grasslands in 2005 and must consider the environmental impact of its plan before offering another policy blueprint.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in San Francisco suspends the forest rules the administration adopted Jan. 5, 2005. Hamilton said the government did not adequately assess the policy's impact on wildlife and the environment and did not give sufficient public notice.

The judge ordered the Forest Service to suspend its 2005 rule and subject it to a new round of analysis, taking into account environmental protections and public-participation requirements in the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Administrative Procedures Act.

Here's another for the list....

The Want of Peach, by Wendell Berry

All goes back to the earth,
and so I do not desire
pride of excess or power,
but the contentments made
by men who have had little:
the fisherman’s silence
receiving the river’s grace,
the gardener’s musing on rows.

I lack the peace of simple things.
I am never wholly in place.
I find no peace or grace.
We sell the world to buy fire,
our way lighted by burning men,
and that has bent my mind
and made me think of darkness
and wish for the dumb life of roots.

Thanks Oly DL member Liz for sharing this...

Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist: When Liberals Rule The World

When Liberals Rule The World / Stats say the GOP is dying. But red-staters are breeding like drunken ferrets. Who wins?

Here's the good news: The Republican party is dying. Slow, painful, twitching, secreting war and intolerance and desperation like a fetid gas, snarling and gagging like Jabba the Hutt being choked by the hard chain of progress and hope and relaxed social mores and an upcoming Generation Next that seems to sense that screaming about gays and women's rights and Muslims and drugs actually doesn't do much to move the human experiment forward in the slightest. Is this not delicious? Is this not cause for rejoicing? According to Pew Research, the percentage of young 'uns age 18 to 25 (a.k.a. Generation Next) who identify with Republicans has been in steady decline since the early '90s, and now hovers around a meager 35 percent, down from a high of 55 percent in the Reagan-toxic early-90s, and is still dropping, whereas fully 48 percent of 18-to-25-year-olds now lean Democratic ... and rising. Seems Generation Next tend to be more socially liberal and much less worried about the trembling "sanctity" of the failed nuclear family, and are overall less inclined to align with a particular religion. Indeed, it almost makes you want to weep and sigh and go buy a large grass-fed free-range organic hybrid vibrator. Ah, but there is a flip side. A counterargument. A dark cloud of righteous bleakness and it looms like a giant synthetic cheesecake-scented Glade PlugIn of potential misery. It is this: According to another set of data, for the past 30 years or so, conservatives -- particularly those of the right-wing red-state Christian strain -- have been out-breeding liberals by a margin of at least 20 percent, if not far more.

Thanks DL Member Warren for passing this along.

Bush not racing to defend Gonzales

Bush not racing to defend Gonzales - Politics - MSNBC.com

WASHINGTON - President Bush isn't rushing to the rescue of his old Texas friend, Alberto Gonzales, after the attorney general's one-time lieutenant undercut his old boss' account of the firings of eight federal prosecutors. Rather than merely signing off on the firings, as Gonzales has repeatedly stated, his former chief of staff says the attorney general was in the middle of things from the beginning.

Didn't we already know this?

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New Bush Plan to Gut Endangered Species Act

New Bush Plan to Gut Endangered Species Act

The U.S. Interior Department is preparing a wide-ranging set of regulations which substantially weaken the federal Endangered Species Act, according to internal documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and the Center for Biological Diversity.

They will never stop....

Neverland Once Again--And guess what, it's another republican who happens to be running for President!

Crooks and Liars » John Roberts Debunks McCain’s Rosy Baghdad Scenario

On The Situation Room yesterday, John McCain told Wolf that the surge is so encouraging that General Patraeus now travels around in unarmored Humvees and American soldiers can walk around the streets of Bahdad safely. When confronted today by John Roberts, McCain backpeddled faster than he did on gay marriage in Iowa.

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Bush's Never Never Land

Bush: On Iraq, Public Opinion Is On My Side | TPMCafe

For a guy with an approval rating in the low thirties, President Bush sounded awfully sure of himself today. In his remarks this morning, President Bush actually seemed to suggest that when it comes to the current standoff between the White House and Congress over Dem efforts to mandate a pullout from Iraq in the war spending bill, public opinion is on his side -- in defiance of all polls showing the contrary.

Can you believe this guy? He definitely is in never never land!

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Prosecutors Say They Felt Pressured, Threatened - washingtonpost.com

Prosecutors Say They Felt Pressured, Threatened - washingtonpost.com:

"Another former prosecutor, John McKay of Seattle, alleged for the first time that he received a call from the chief of staff to Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), asking about an inquiry into vote-fraud charges in the state's hotly contested 2004 gubernatorial election. McKay said he cut the call short.

Ed Cassidy, a former Hastings aide who now works for House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), said yesterday that the call was routine and did not violate 'permissible limits' on contact with federal prosecutors. Hastings, the ranking Republican on the House ethics committee, also said that the exchange was 'entirely appropriate.'

In remarks after the hearings, McKay said that officials in the White House counsel's office, including then-counsel Harriet E. Miers, asked him to explain why he had 'mishandled' the governor's race during an interview for a federal judgeship in September 2006. McKay was informed after his dismissal that he also was not a finalist for the federal bench."

Yet another Bush Fiasco. Republicans, all kinds from all levels, are taking hits on this one.

Exclusive: Inside the Libby Jury Room | The Huffington Post

Exclusive: Inside the Libby Jury Room | The Huffington Post: "WHAT THE JURY THOUGHT, DAY BY DAY, WITNESS BY WITNESS, AT THE SCOOTER LIBBY TRIAL"

Yesterday, Scooter Libbey was found guilty on four out of five counts. He faces up to 30 Years in prison. The Huffington Post has posted a blog written by one of the Jurors that describes the deliberations. An interesting read.

Next Drinking Liberally Meeting February 26th

Important: Next Meeting Date Monday, February 26th;
No meeting Monday February 19th.

Hello Drinking Liberally Members!

New Meeting Dates:
This email brings exciting news! Drinking Liberally new regular meeting dates are the 2nd and 4th Mondays. The start time and location remains the same: 7 pm at the Tumwater Valley Bar and Grill. Formerly meeting on the 1st and 3rd Mondays, these dates will allow progressive Driinking Liberally to more easily participate in other progressive social events held in the Olympia area during the 1st and 3rd weeks of each month.
Green Spirits, a progressive group of folks who have an interest in the environment, meets on the 1st Wednesday of each month at a rotating schedule. Progressive Spirits, a group sponsored by the Thurston County Progressive Network, meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. This meets you can drink--and socialize--with progressives every week of the month in Olympia!

For more information, visit the Pro-Net Website at http://www.tcpronet.org/, which features a great community calendar,

Next Meeting Information:
We will be continuing our discussion on framing issues to better communicate progressive ideals. Please come with an idea on how you might frame the issue of health care affordability and access and around another topic of importance to you.

Links to Information on framing issues can be found here: http://olydrinkingliberally.blogspot.com/2007/02/fwd-drinking-liberally-monday-february.html

Also Drinking Liberally member Sam recommends checking out the following article at the Frameshop by Jeffery Feldman. The Frameshop can be found on the web at: http://jeffrey-feldman.typepad.com/frameshop/2007/02/frameshop_its_y.html

Mark your calendars! This will be your only reminder for the February 26th meeting as Bruce will be on vacation and away from computers (that's a REAL vacation)!

Keep that positive progressive energy going!

Bruce and Barry

Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance

Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance:

"Seattle, WA – The Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance (WA-DOMA) announced on Thursday that their proposed initiative to make procreation a requirement for legal marriage has been accepted by the Secretary of State and assigned the serial number 957. The initiative has been in the planning stages since the Washington Supreme Court ruled last July that the state’s Defense of Marriage Act was constitutional.

“For many years, social conservatives have claimed that marriage exists solely for the purpose of procreation,” said WA-DOMA organizer Gregory Gadow in a printed statement. “The Washington Supreme Court echoed that claim in their lead ruling on Andersen v. King County. The time has come for these conservatives to be dosed with their own medicine. If same-sex couples should be barred from marriage because they can not have children together, it follows that all couples who can not or will not have children together should equally be barred from marriage. And this is what the Defense of Marriage Initiative will do.”"

It's this kind of insane/inane initiative-mongering that makes the need of initiative reform that much more necessary. I strongly believe that signatures for initiatives should be gathered by non-paid gatherers. The minimum wage initiative used only non-paid gatherers (I volunteered to stand out at Percivile Landing and gather signatures) who believe so strongly in their cause that they donate time to their cause.

Queen George and the Invisible Dick | CorrenteWire

Queen George and the Invisible Dick | CorrenteWire:

"Like CD, I have run across an item which says what I’ve been trying to get across (and failing) every time the “We Can’t Impeach Bush Until We Get Rid of Cheney First” argument comes up to conveniently deflate the obvious fact that they both have to go.

Josh Marshall’s weekend guy David Kurtz slams the whole package together in this terrific piece. This started when the TPM crew set out to find out a seemingly basic, easy question: how many people work for the Office of the Vice President (OVP)? Turns out you are not allowed to know this. (Emphasis added). Never mind who they are, what they do, or who comes to visit them during working, taxpayer-funded hours, you aren’t allowed to know how many of them exist, again paid for with your tax dollars. How can this be, you ask?"

The evidence is mounting that the Office of the Vice-President is engaging in questionable power mongering that should belong in the Office of the President. The question is, "why is this being allowed by President Bush?"

Drinking Liberally Monday, February 5th

Hi all!

This is your friendly reminder that Drinking Liberally Olympia's next get together is Monday, Feb. 5th, 7 pm, at the Tumwater Valley Bar and Grill.

In addition to our normal roundtable of current events, this week our discussion will revolve around how us left-leaners can more effectively frame messages that will have more acceptance from those that in the past have not associated themselves with left-leaning principles.

DL Olympia member Liz provided the following information if you want to read up on the subject prior to Monday night--though don't feel like you have to!! :)
___________________________________________________

One of the topics on the agenda for DL's first meeting in February is how liberals can more effectively frame our perspectives. George Lakoff, who is a professor of linguistics at UC Berkeley, has written extensively on this topic. Below are links to his website. You'll find some of his articles on the first web link. Click on the second and you can download his book, Thinking Points, Communicating Our American Values and Vision.

http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/people/lakoff
http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/thinkingpoints

________________________________________________________

Hope you can join us Monday night for what I am sure will prove to be a very fun and informative Drinking Liberally get-together!

Bruce and Barry

Climate Change | U.S. EPA

Climate Change | U.S. EPA
On October 18th, this was the EPA's Global Warming website. On October 19th, it was the EPA's climate change website. Kind of reminds you of "augmentation" rather than "surge" rather than "escalation," eh?

The Unraveling of Dick Cheney

White House Briefing -- News on President George W Bush and the Bush Administration - washingtonpost.com:

"While Dick Cheney undoubtedly remains the most powerful vice president this nation has ever seen, it's becoming increasingly unclear whether anyone outside the White House believes a word he says.

Inside the West Wing, Cheney's influence remains considerable. In fact, nothing better explains Bush's perplexing plan to send more troops to Iraq than Cheney's neoconservative conviction that showing the world that we have the 'stomach for the fight' is the most important thing -- even if it isn't accomplishing the things we're supposed to be fighting for. Even if it's backfiring horribly."

Duh? I haven't believed a word he's said in more than six years!

Bush Directive Increases Sway on Regulation - New York Times

Bush Directive Increases Sway on Regulation - New York Times:

"WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 — President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.

This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats."

Bush keeps trying, but it is the same ol' story...how will Congress respond? And will the laws of science be used only when convenient for the president to use and disregarded otherwise?

For America's Sake

For America's Sake

This from DL member Liz:

Moyers' speech (links to both video and text below) dovetails rather well with George Lakoff's book, Thinking Points, Communicating Our American Values and Vision. http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/thinkingpoints In a recent speech in New York sponsored by The Nation, Demos, the Brennan Center for Justice and the New Democracy Project, Bill Moyers argues that it's time our leaders recognize Americans hold a set of values that contradict the conservative agenda that has dominated politics for a generation. Read the whole text here.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070205/moyers_video

My favorite piece in the speech:

And that is not how freedom was understood when our country was founded. At the heart of our experience as a nation is the proposition that each one of us has a right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." As flawed in its reach as it was brilliant in its inspiration for times to come, that proposition carries an inherent imperative: "inasmuch as the members of a liberal society have a right to basic requirements of human
development such as education and a minimum standard of security, they have obligations to each other, mutually and through their government, to ensure that conditions exist enabling every person to have the opportunity for success in life."

The quote comes directly from Paul Starr, one of our most formidable public thinkers, whose forthcoming book, Freedom's Power: The True Force of Liberalism, is a profound and stirring call for liberals to reclaim the idea of America's greatness as their own. Starr's
book is one of three new books that in a just world would be on every desk in the House and Senate when Congress convenes again.

Government DOES have an obligation to help the most vulnerable, to help those who need help to have a better life. This is the obligation that those of us who are fortunate to have the basics--at least a home, a job, an education, and health insurance, to "pay it forward." It is a value that our society is losing. Isn't it ironic that many of those in power and are in positions of influence over the last six to 10 years call themselves "Christians", yet seem to advocate against those things that Christians are taught to seek?

Peregrinate: “President Bush is Insane”

Peregrinate: “President Bush is Insane”:

"So said Dwight Pelz, Washington State Democrats Chair, in a short speech this afternoon at the Heritage Park fountain, which followed a pretty successful (as far as success can be measured for these symbolic events) rally against the war along 4th Avenue today. Of course, his use of the word insane was based on the folk definition of insanity, which is doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results. Not a real diagnosis, nor even much of a rhetorical step above cliché, but it does make a good lead.

I went to the rally not because I it might bring about a change in policy (I’m not insane, by any definition), but because I thought it was time, once again, to stand out in public with others who think the same as I do as witnesses to our belief that the war is wrong, has always been wrong, and should be ended. Now."

My friend Mike said it well. If you weren't at the peace rally yesterday, you missed a good event. It felt good to be there. To take a stand. And many, many people who drove by us on the bridge greeted us with peace signs, honks and other signs of support.

The are numerous events in February and early March--I encourage you to participate in one or more.

Trading Lies

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall January 27, 2007 01:41 PM:

"I was just reading over a few of the articles about the Libby trial and Vice President Cheney's central role in orchestrating the attack on Joe Wilson in order to cover-up Cheney's complicity in and essential authorship of one of the central lies at the core of the Bush administration's case for war. The truth, though, is that we are not really examining the cover-up in this case so much as we are still living within it. Most of the key facts of this episode either remain entirely concealed or buried under a mass of government produced misinformation. The Senate intelligence committee report, authored by Republicans, but shamelessly and with great cowardice okayed by senate Democrats? I've been asked many times why the Democrats signed off on this fraudulent document. I think there are two basic reasons -- or two categories of reasons.

First, as hard as it is to say, shallow and poor staff work on the Democratic side, abetted, caused and hopelessly bound up with senators unwilling to get their noses dirty or their ribs bruised. Second, there was a more specific and complex error. In so many words, the Democrats agreed to let the Republican authors of the report lie and deceive as much as they wanted on the Niger/Uranium and Wilson/Plame fronts in exchange for allowing a semi-revealing look at other instances"

In other words, the Democrats forgot their role as the minority party. For far too long, they consistently turned the other cheek. We have some new folks in Congress, but for the most part they are the same people. How can we expect them make stands, set an agenda and really create a vision that people in this country can claim as their own?

For those few in Congress that took the high road, and tried to point out the fallacies and misdeeds of the administration, thank you. At least you tried.

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall January 24, 2007 11:57 PM

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall January 24, 2007 11:57 PM:

"So we've had a number of emails from TPM Readers asking about the post below on John Kerry and second chances. 'But in modern presidential politics (say, going back a hundred years almost) you don't get a second chance and probably shouldn't,' I wrote.

A number of you have pointed out that Richard Nixon lost the general election in 1960 and won it in 1968. Adlai Stevenson lost consecutively in 1952 and 1956, both times against President Eisenhower. And others note that many presidential aspirants have run and lost and run again and sometimes even won. Take Ronald Reagan for instance. And then finally there's the implicit question of Al Gore. Can he run again? In 2008 or after? Or is it over for him too?"

So what 's your opinion? Are there second chances in Politics? Or is it one strike and you are out? It seems to me that our country was founded on the principle of second chances. Unfortunately, in politics, as well as in many other areas of life, second chances are not an option. Too bad.

Democratic Response to State of the Union

Prescott Herald:
"Democratic response of Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., to President Bush ‘s State of the Union address Tuesday, as prepared for delivery and provided by his office:

I‘m Sen. Jim Webb, from Virginia, where this year we will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown — an event that marked the first step in the long journey that has made us the greatest and most prosperous nation on earth."

AlterNet: Minimum Wage Rises, Sky Does Not Fall

AlterNet: Minimum Wage Rises, Sky Does Not Fall:

"When I flew to Seattle last week, airport security gave me trouble over the four-pound ham I was carrying. Several TSA officials gathered to consider the question of whether ham is a 'gel,' to which I retorted: If ham is a gel, so am I. I suggested that they biopsy it for hidden box-cutters. I offered to divide it into 21 three-ounce chunks, each appropriately stowed in a Ziploc baggie. But no deal.

So I broke down and told them I was flying into what I had been
warned would be a food-free zone: Washington, with the highest minimum wage in the country ($7.63 an hour), could hardly be expected to have affordable restaurants or a functioning economy of any kind. Notable conservative economists have almost unanimously predicted that an increased minimum wage would result in wild price increases and mass unemployment, and I had a suitcase full of clippings to prove it."

Right....read on for a great article that makes the case FOR raising the national minimum wage. The author,Barbara Ehrenreich, has written a wonderful book on living in poverty, Nickel and Dimed: On (not) getting by in America, where she takes several minimum wage jobs across the country and tries to live on that wage...and that is just herself, no kids, no spouse. It's a life that unfortunately many people live, and a life that all too often does not allow one to "pull themselves up by the bootstraps." After an eight or more hour shift, a two hour bus ride, tending to children's needs, there often is not just enough hours in the day to do those things necessary (like go to school, look for a better job, etc.) that lead to paths out of poverty. When we are heading towards spending a 3/4 of a Trillion Dollars on an unjust war, but we can't afford --I take that back, we can afford to, but don't -- to help people find a way out of poverty, something is wrong.

Pizza Police

Pizza Police
DL Member Warren passed this along. It's a great little flash video of when things are way too inter-related! Great "food for thought" (pun intended!)

AlterNet: Drinking Liberally: A New Strategy for Progressive Politics

AlterNet: Drinking Liberally: A New Strategy for Progressive Politics:

"If you want to know what the future of the American Left looks like, the answer may be no further away than your local dive-bar.

Every week, in cities and towns all over the country, thousands of the nation's progressives are coming together to drink beer. But far from drowning their despair in drink, these progressives are building networks that could form the underpinning of a new renaissance for the American Left. What do they call this movement? Drinking Liberally, naturally."

Ever wondered how DL got started, and why its very simple format is popular with progressives nationwide? I think you will enjoy the article.

Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald: Rod Dreher: "Hadn't the hippies tried to tell my generation this"?

Unclaimed Territory - by Glenn Greenwald: Rod Dreher: "Hadn't the hippies tried to tell my generation this"?:

"On 9/11, Dreher's first thought was : 'Thank God we have a Republican in the White House.' The rest of his essay:

As President Bush marched the country to war with Iraq, even some voices on the Right warned that this was a fool's errand. I dismissed them angrily. I thought them unpatriotic.

But almost four years later, I see that I was the fool."

The moral of the story: Be careful what you ask for (vote for). You just might get it.

Political Wire: Top Ten Bushisms

Political Wire: Top Ten Bushisms
But what about the smirk?

YouTube - Olberman- credibility

YouTube - Olberman- credibility
A great dialog from Keith Olberman on the failures of the Bush Iraq. Given on the day of Bush's "Surge Speech."

Gore Leaves Door Ajar for 2008 - washingtonpost.com

Gore Leaves Door Ajar for 2008 - washingtonpost.com:

"Will he or won't he?

As the Democratic field for 2008 takes shape, one big remaining question is whether former vice president Al Gore -- winner of the popular vote in 2000, an almost-candidate in 2004 and now the public face of the movement to address global warming -- will be in it."

Much to the chagrin of many of my progressive colleagues--and my progressive wife-- Al Gore is not saying a clear and definitive "no." In that case, it is still a muddled "yes," make that a "Maybe." I personally think he will be the strongest contender that the Dems can put out there. I believe we would see a campaign very different from his previous one. You see old dogs can learn NEW tricks!

Predictions 2007

Our lively Tuesday night meeting of Drinking Liberally resulted in numerous predictions for 2007. We covered the board on a variety of issues, some were positive, others took a more "been there-done that" approach.

Below are the predictions. You can bet that many of them generated discussion among our DL members!

But if you were not able to make the January 2nd meeting, please provide us yours as well in the comments section found at the bottom of this post. We will take them to the next DL meeting and review them--maybe laugh at them, maybe discuss them.

Warren
Democrats will cave to Bush on the issue of troop surge in Iraq.

Steve
Democrats in the US House of Reprentatives will "out-moderate" the right wing of the house.

Mark
(Congress) will get a minimum wage passed.

Steve
Minimum Wage will pass over a veto.

Bruce
Al Gore will be the leading democratic presidential candidate by the end of 2007.

Don L
Proposes a challenge: How does the DL Olympia group counter the illness that is gripping our political environment? Drinking Liberally will become a force in keeping progressives' feet to the fire in cleaning up this environment.

Don L
Bush will try to take us to war with Iran before his presidency ends

Group as a whole
There will be a Drinking Liberally Music Jam Night sometime this summer! (I LOVE this prediction!)

Steve
No Supreme Court Appointments barring death

Mark
Congress issues subpoenas. Investigations will reveal juicy material and Nancy Pelosi will have the balls to do something about it!!

Barry
Democrats will NOT do anything with gun control legislation

Mona
Bush will be impeached

Group as a whole
No tax increases

Our challenge to you!
What are your predictions? Please write a comment and let us know! We will discuss them at the next DL get together!

Ford Disagreed With Bush About Invading Iraq - washingtonpost.com

Ford Disagreed With Bush About Invading Iraq - washingtonpost.com:

"Former president Gerald R. Ford said in an embargoed interview in July 2004 that the Iraq war was not justified. 'I don't think I would have gone to war,' he said a little more than a year after President Bush launched the invasion advocated and carried out by prominent veterans of Ford's own administration.

In a four-hour conversation at his house in Beaver Creek, Colo., Ford 'very strongly' disagreed with the current president's justifications for invading Iraq and said he would have pushed alternatives, such as sanctions, much more vigorously. In the tape-recorded interview, Ford was critical not only of Bush but also of Vice President Cheney -- Ford's White House chief of staff -- and then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who served as Ford's chief of staff and then his Pentagon chief.

Rumsfeld and Cheney and the president made a big mistake in justifying going into the war in Iraq. They put the emphasis on weapons of mass destruction," Ford said. "And now, I've never publicly said I thought they made a mistake, but I felt very strongly it was an error in how they should justify what they were going to do."

The webpage from this link also has a variety of information on Gerald Ford.

Whether you agree with Ford's pardoning of Nixon, you have to admire his reasons for doing it. He strongly felt it was in the best interests of the country. It was not something done out of self-interest, which is what is happening to the presidency today era of polls and power-mongering. And he did it knowing full well that he would have the wrath of the American people on him for doing it--but his rationale for doing it needs to be respected. As a former football player, "he took one for the team."

WP: Bush faces risks on 3 crises - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

WP: Bush faces risks on 3 crises - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com:

"WASHINGTON - On three key flash points -- North Korea, Iran and Sudan -- the Bush administration confronts the possibility that its current diplomatic approaches have reached the end of their effectiveness, forcing it to consider potentially riskier 'Plan B' alternatives, administration officials and outside experts said."

So what's new? It appears everything the Bush Administration touches, especially in foreign policy, results in destruction and chaos.

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 12/22/2006 | Spending freeze targets pet projects for members of Congress

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 12/22/2006 | Spending freeze targets pet projects for members of Congress:

"WASHINGTON - Democratic leaders in the new Congress plan to strip funding for thousands of pet projects for individual members, a big display of fiscal discipline they say will help cut deficits and curb spending abuses.

As soon as they take control on Jan. 4, Democrats plan to impose a one-year moratorium on all special projects, known as earmarks, effectively killing those that were tucked into unfinished spending bills by the Republican-led Congress.

Although earmarks are best known for financing big public works projects, the moratorium will come with a distinct human cost."

I help small communities in Washington find funds for public works projects. While I deplore much of the pork that has happened with the Republican led congress, some of these earmarks have helped communities provide clean drinking water through updating wastewater treatment facilities and drinking water systems. Small communities with low-income populations rely on these earmarks to prevent their utility rates from reaching $80-$100 a month. Granted, much of the antiquated infrastructure in our country is due to a reluctance to reinvest and maintain existing infrastructure. Nonetheless, it will be a tough pill to swallow for many.

I hope that democrats don't take a lot of heat for taking away these local subsidies, and I hope that the nation recognizes that if not for a useless military effort in Iraq, many of the problems facing small communities in Washington would not be near the magnitude that they are today. I hope that there is a recognition that Democrats are taking a responsible fiscal position, as compared to the "triple-spending" (i.e., spend, spend, spend!) Republicans.

Daily Kos: Big Government Incentives to Big Oil

Daily Kos: Big Government Incentives to Big Oil: "The New York Times has a story on yet another report the government has kept under wraps for a substantial period of time (in this case over a year). "

Openness in Government: myth?

Andrew Sullivan | The Daily Dish: What women (and men) want

Andrew Sullivan | The Daily Dish: What women (and men) want:

"At the risk of provoking a volley of battle-of-the-sexes jokes from my co-bloggers, here's a neat one that arrived in my in-tray. I've run it past my wife, and she agrees it's both non-sexist and funny."

I thought Andrew Sullivan wasn't married....