Priorities

US probes eavesdropping leak

By Deborah Charles

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is investigating who disclosed a secret domestic eavesdropping operation approved by President George W. Bush after the September 11 attacks, officials said on Friday.

"We are opening an investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of classified materials related to the NSA," an official said on condition of anonymity.

Earlier this month, Bush acknowledged the program and called its disclosure to The New York Times "a shameful act." He said he presumed the Justice Department would investigate who leaked the National Security Agency eavesdropping operation to the newspaper.

Justice Department officials would give no details of who requested the probe or how it would be conducted.

It is the second recent high-level probe into the leak of classified information to the media.

After a two-year investigation into the disclosure of a covert CIA operative's identity, a special prosecutor in October indicted Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby on perjury and obstructing justice charges.

That investigation is still continuing.

Disclosure of the covert domestic spying program two weeks ago triggered concerns among both Democrats and Republicans, with many lawmakers questioning whether it violates the U.S. Constitution.

So, is the DOJ's new slogan "We've got the President's Back?" Because their primary concern is obviously not any sort of even-handed enforcement of the laws of this country.

The Plame investigation, a politically motivated leaking of classified information solely for partisan gain, was only begun months after the initial leak and then only at the insistence of the CIA. In this case a potentially felonious violation of Constitutional rights is revealed, and the DOJ jumps all over the leaker and doesn't even deign to investigate the potential violations. I know, a senate investigation has been promised, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Anyone know anything about whistleblower laws? Would they be applicable in this case?

In the meantime, I'm going to go study New York Times Co. v. United States just in case.

Update: Just wanted to emphasize that that last paragraph wasn't a throw away. I encourage everyone to read that decision. It's a truly fascinating examination of governmental powers during a conflict which is quite relevant to today's situation.

Here's a snippet from Justice Stewart's concurring opinion just to whet your appetite:

I think there can be but one answer to this dilemma, if dilemma it be. The responsibility must be where the power is. If the Constitution gives the Executive a large degree of unshared power in the conduct of foreign affairs and the maintenance of our national defense, then, under the Constitution, the Executive must have the largely unshared duty to determine and preserve the degree of internal security necessary to exercise that power successfully. It is an awesome responsibility, requiring judgment and wisdom of a high order. I should suppose that moral, political, and practical considerations would dictate that a very first principle of that wisdom would be an insistence upon avoiding secrecy for its own sake. For when everything is classified, then nothing is classified, and the system becomes one to be disregarded by the cynical or the careless, and to be manipulated by those intent on self-protection or self-promotion. I should suppose, in short, that the hallmark of a truly effective internal security system would be the maximum possible disclosure, recognizing that secrecy can best be preserved only when credibility is truly maintained.

Abramoff

Just wanted to point out this interesting profile of Jack Abramoff in the WaPo today:

The Fast Rise and Steep Fall of Jack Abramoff

It's an overview of how Abramoff came to be in the position he's in today and some hints as to what might happen if he turns state's evidence. This was a source of some disagreement at DL last night, with some claims being made that he was an "equal opportunity sleaze" (something like that, anyway) and would be bringing down as many Dems as Republicans. I suspect that not to be the case, but as I said last night, that's really up to the courts to determine.

I just want to add to that, I firmly believe this kind of prosecution should be politically blind. Any and all Dems who are found to have colluded with Abramoff should be frog-marched right alongside their Republican colleagues. Corruption isn't any better from our side than it is from theirs.

A First

Drinking Liberally Live Blog

Yep, we're really that interesting all the time.

Thanks to Moses and Doug Bass!

Newsflash: Jason Lewis is a Liar

Subhead: Is the Strib having a hard time finding decent Op/Eds?

I'm starting to wonder if the good'ol Strib will allow anyone with some vague name recognition to slap together a couple of words and call it an editorial. I can't think of any other reason why they've been printing such a uniformly horrible selection of Op/Ed pieces on the Bush administration's domestic spying program. Jason Lewis' piece today is just more of the same, misdirection where possible, outright fabrications where necessary.

To wit:

Americans need not fear the president's attempt to keep the country safe by using long-standing methods, including electronic monitoring of international communications in a congressionally approved time of war. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton signed executive orders authorizing the same surveillance measures without any imprimatur from Congress.

This is untrue and has been soundly debunked. He even admits it's untrue in the very next sentence, but he hopes you're not paying enough attention to notice. To wit:

Former deputy attorney general Jamie Gorelick, of righteous 9/11 Commission fame, testified in 1994 "the case law supports, that the president has inherent authority to conduct warrantless physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes." [My emphasis]

"Physical searches", which affect only the individual being searched, are far different from wide-spread data mining and electronic survallence which may affect anyone at any time. Besides which, as has been pointed out elsewhere both the Carter and Clinton Executive Orders expressly forbade warrantless searches of American citizens, or even non-citizens on American soil. Lewis' contention doesn't even make sense when you think about it. If Carter wanted so badly to perform warrantless searches, why would he have agreed to set up the FISA court in the first place?

I won't bother discussing the next few paragraphs of his tirade as they go off on wholly unrelated matters. We rejoin his argument here:

The NSA was using off-the-shelf technology, i.e., it's done privately (remember the "accidental" scanning by those typical Florida seniors who just happened to be listening in to former Speaker Newt Gingrich?), to monitor anonymous international communications and screen them for terror-related conversations. Identities, likely required for such a warrant, weren't targeted.

This argument is truly bizzare. Another way to state this argument is: Know anyone who owns a police scanner? Well, the NSA was just using a big police scanner to monitor phone calls so it's all okay because hey, if it's okay for you it's okay for the Feds. Does that sound like good logic?

Then blah blah blah and we come to this, probably my favorite paragraph. The first part reads, to wit:

Contrary to Democratic assertions, the government is entitled to gather such information, if only in the name of safety. If not, you'd better ask the Transportation Security Administration for that search warrant the next time you're being frisked at the airport.

Of course, flying is not a fundamental right granted by the constitution. When you choose to fly you agree to submit to the TSA's rules, just as when you choose to drive on a highway, you agree to obey the government's traffic safety laws. On the other hand, when you're having a private conversation with another person, you have a reasonable expectation that the government is not recording it when you've done nothing wrong. The best part, however, is the totally off-topic dig at Clinton in the second half of the paragraph. To wit:

Besides, FISA never stopped the Clinton White House from mysteriously amassing 1,100 FBI files, many of which presumably had little to do with foreign intelligence. Put it in context and the distinction is clear: Wiretaps for national security intelligence are perfectly constitutional; wiretaps for abusing political power are not.

Here we go again with Lewis' bizarre logic. Restated, this argument is: The rising arrest rate proves the police aren't doing their job because if they were there wouldn't be so much crime. Huh? That doesn't even make sense. The problem isn't that FBI files are created, it's how and why they are created.

His final two paragraphs are nothing but pointless attacks on Democrats which have nothing to do with Bush's domestic spying. This is a defense? A couple of lies, a couple of straw men and a bunch of ad hominems, all rolled together with virtually incomprehensible logic and this is supposed to pass as serious discussion? How low our national discourse has fallen.

Funny to me

Trihnmaster at Minnesota Blue posts about Governor Pawlenty visiting his high school. The post is an excellent read, but the comments are really what it's all about.

Just remember, only one of these commenters is actually a high school student.

Contempt of Court

It was argued by some that the gaming of the system by Tom DeLay's lawyers would have larger consequences. This idea was pooh-poohed by some on the Right who claimed that it was perfectly legitimate to kick a qualified judge off of the case because he was a Democrat. Read this snippet of a news article about the case and tell me that the contempt for the legal system DeLay evinced has had no effect:

Appeals court agrees to hear DeLay request to speed up case

AUSTIN, Texas — The state's highest criminal court has asked prosecutors to respond to former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's request that the charges against him be dismissed.

The all-Republican appeals court on Tuesday gave prosecutors a week to submit arguments regarding the request filed Friday by DeLay attorney Dick DeGuerin. The court will decide whether to take the case after the prosecutors' response is received.

"The all-Republican appeals court"? That phrase just shouldn't show up in respect to a criminal proceeding. How can anyone read that phrase and not assume their verdict was politically motivated? This is a new aspect of the hyper-polarized world ushered in by someone just looking to get off.

The first person who falsely claimed innocence on the witness stand created the need for sacred oaths and perjury laws. Where, then, could DeLay's shenanigans lead? To panel reviews of all decisions (before the appeals) to ensure that the accused got a "non-political judge"? How about to a defense attorney for a gay man requesting mistrial because the judge was a Republican and therefore more likely to believe his client was deviant and thus handed down a harsher sentence? These are extreme scenarios, but they flow from the same legal reasoning. And why does the party of security and order seem to have such a problem with laws?

Wege is back With Comments

Then writes something dumb.

The Bible and Its Influence is a new elective high school course in Ector County, Texas.

And just in the nick of time. Apparently Ector County has no churches or Christians to pass this legacy on to future generations. Fortunately, they did have a public school system handy...

In all honesty, that sounds like it could be an excellent class. It's the sort of thing I would have wanted to take in high school, and the sort of thing I did take in college. And I enjoyed it. A lot.

The point is that this is an elective, not a mandatory class. All schools, even *gasp* public schools should be allowed to teach religion. They should NOT be allowed to require all students to take biblical studies in order to graduate, force them all to pray before meals, or require they read that God created the Great Green Earth in science class.

There is a huge difference between an elective religion class and writing Creationism into our science standards. Once we lose that perspective, we've lost the whole battle.

Separated at Birth

No wonder there was so much hype about the war on Christmas:


Via Usual Suspects, with explanation.

Expand Your Horizons

Pandora is a website that may help you expand your musical horizons.

You input a song or artist that you like and Pandora gives you a number of other songs that share commonalities with your original input. It's really pretty cool, and it does occasionally come up with some music that I might never have heard otherwise but find I really like. Check it out.

Update: There is one downside to Pandora...when you suddenly realize that a band you like is only one step removed from, for example, Oasis. That stings.

Wege has comments...

MUST....CONTROL....SELF....

(anyone want to place bets on how long before he turns them off?)

The LAST Drinking Liberally

Well, at least until next year.

Tonight, 6-9 pm
331 Club

Also the last night for Accident Clearninghouse, for those of you who are band groupies.

Counterpoint

If there was an award for missing (or avoiding) the point, I think that this editorial by David Rivkin and Lee Casey would have to be in the running. Ostensibly about the President's authority to wiretap, they intentionally conceal facts and mislead their audience in order to make their point. It begins reasonably enough, but it quickly goes off the rails in the first sentence of the second paragraph:

The president has the constitutional authority to acquire foreign intelligence without a warrant or any other type of judicial blessing.

Of course he does. That's what FISA is all about. The difference in this case, a difference which the authors will studiously avoid for the remaining ten plus paragraphs, is that in this instance the president wasn't just obtaining foreign intelligence but was also acquiring a fair amount of domestic intelligence at the same time. That is the primary difference in this case and one which the authors completely gloss over.

The secondary difference is here:

Furthermore, the FISA court is not a rubber stamp and may well decline to issue warrants even when wartime necessity compels surveillance. More to the point, the surveillance act was designed for the intricate "spy vs. spy" world of the Cold War, where move and countermove could be counted in days and hours, rather than minutes and seconds. It was not drafted to deal with the collection of intelligence involving the enemy's military operations in wartime, when information must be put to immediate use.

The first sentence is close to being untrue. The FISA court is an almost automatic rubber stamp, with only four warrants rejected since its inception. The second part, about the immediacy of the information is a clever dodge. True, the information may need to be acted on quickly, I won't dispute that assertion, but the FISA courts allow for retroactive approval of warrants. If the administration chose to play by the rules they could have obtained their information "immediately" and justified their actions later. However, they did not choose to play by the rules. Furthermore, they have indicated that they have no intention of playing by the rules in the future.

With both of those facts in mind, the rest of the editorial becomes deeply disturbing as the authors seem to argue for virtually unchecked executive power. For example, here:

Even if Congress had intended to restrict the president's ability to obtain intelligence in such circumstances, it could not have constitutionally done so.

and here:

The Constitution's framers did not vest absolute power in any branch of the federal government, including the courts, but they did create a strong executive and equipped the office with sufficient authority to act energetically to defend the national interest in wartime.

This is a very odd reading of the Constitution and the framers' intent. Having recently emerged from the Revolutionary War, the framers were understandably nervous of granting too much authority to the Executive branch. Certainly the last thing they wanted was to empower someone with the privileges of a king.

However, thanks to the Articles of Confederation, they had also seen the disastrous consequences of no central executive authority. They were seeking a balance between the branches with no one branch capable of operating outside of the supervision and restraint of the other two.

The "executive" branch is so named because its original function was to execute the orders provided to it by the congress. How Rivkin and Casey jump from that to the logic of unlimited executive authority is a mystery, especially in light of recent revelations that the NSA program was, in fact, quite similar to the "Total Information Awareness" program which congress specifically reproved in 2003. When the executive branch puts itself above both the express wishes of the legislative branch and beyond the purview of the courts, I believe that to be a gross abuse of power and a dangerous precedent to set.

This administration has justified acts which many view as torture, they continue to hold prisoners, including American citizens, incommunicado without charges for indefinite periods of time and they are now conducting warrantless wiretaps upon their own citizens. Those who support these powers need to ask themselves a couple of hard questions.

One is, where would you draw the line and say that the President has overstepped his authority? And what is the bright line which divides those actions from the ones already committed?

Two, if these powers are justified by the fact that the nation is at war, how will we know when we are no longer at war? What are the victory conditions which will allow us to return to peace time? Bin Laden's capture? Zarqawi's? By the administration's own statements we do not and cannot know the enemy, so how can we possibly know when they have been defeated? And if there is no way to determine when the war is over, then isn't adding the "wartime powers" qualification meaningless?

Update: Minor grammatical editing.
Update 2: Just wanted to point out this post by Digby about a different article, but reasoning along similar lines.

Congrats!

Congratulations are in order for Tarryl Clark and Larry Haws in St. Cloud who are headed to the MN Legislature following yesterday's special election.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the excellent work done by both MN Publius and MN Republican Watch in helping to uncover significant issues surrounding both of the Republican candidates in this election.

Way to go!

And then there was one part II

A little closer to home:

It was clinic day, the one day a week when the only facility in South Dakota that provides abortions could take in patients. This time it was a Wednesday. The week before it was a Monday.

The day changes depending on the schedules of four doctors from Minnesota who fly here on a rotating basis to perform abortions, something no doctor in South Dakota will do. The last doctor in South Dakota to perform abortions stopped about eight years ago; the consensus in the medical community is that offering the procedure is not worth the stigma of being branded a baby killer.

South Dakota, those on both sides of the abortion debate agree, has become one of the hardest states in the country in which to obtain an abortion. One of three states in the country to have only one abortion provider -- North Dakota and Mississippi are the others -- South Dakota, largely because of a strong antiabortion lobby, is also becoming a leading national laboratory for testing the limits of state laws restricting abortion, both opponents and advocates of abortion rights say.

In 2005, the South Dakota legislature passed five laws restricting abortion, after a bill to ban abortion outright had failed by one vote in 2004. And new laws are virtually assured for the coming year. A 17-member abortion task force, made up largely of staunch abortion opponents, issued recommendations to the legislature earlier this month that included some of the most restrictive requirements for abortion in the country.
...
Each week, 15 to 20 or so women from across South Dakota find their way to the Sioux Falls Planned Parenthood for an abortion, no easy feat for many of them. South Dakota is home to some of the poorest counties in the country, including the poorest, Buffalo County, seat of the Crow Creek Sioux reservation. State law forbids any public funding for the $450 procedure, even in the case of rape or incest. Beyond cost, there is the distance. It's a long slog here from places like Rapid City, about 350 miles away in the western part of the state. For some women, the only way to do it -- and not pay for a hotel room -- is to make the 700-mile trip in one day.

"Women in the western side of the state don't think about abortion until they need to," said Kate Looby, Planned Parenthood's state director, "and then they're completely shocked that there's no way to receive that care unless they go to Sioux Falls." Even women in a medical or life-threatening emergency have only one hospital to go to that will perform an emergency abortion, she added. "One hospital. In the entire state, again in Sioux Falls."

Please read the whole article. Also note that for all of South Dakota's restrictions, Minnesota still has a longer waiting period.

And then there was one...

and, if all hurdles aren't jumped, none:

"We have no intention of leaving and we intend to continue to provide the services that we're providing," said Susan Hill, president of the North Carolina-based National Women's Health Organization. "It won't be easy, but we're staying."

Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Tom S. Lee declared unconstitutional a 2004 law that would have barred early second-trimester abortions in Mississippi.

The law would have prevented abortions after 13 weeks' gestation, except in places with ambulatory surgical center standards. The clinic said it was ineligible for such a license in the state.

In 2005, the Legislature revised the law and made JWHO eligible to apply for a license to meet those ambulatory surgical standards.

Hill said the clinic meets most of the criteria already, including physical layout standards such as the required width of hallways. It still must address staffing issues, such as the nurse-to-patient ratio.

For you junkies who enjoy that sort of stuff, the complete rules for a ambulatory surgical center is here.

More MNSpeak

Besides my gorgeous photo (heh), MNspeak has a debate going on today about what good are political blogs. It stems from a PiPress article I missed that mentions my DFLSenate cohort Patrick at MNGOP Watch, and of course, my favorite arch-nemisis.

Are we all just a bunch of hot-winded blowhards making very little noise? Well, yeah. That's why we do it. I don't think I'm going to change the face of the 2006 elections, except maybe for myself.

I don't think many people blog for anything other than a place to store something interesting to them that they might want to see later. The Powerliberal started as a place to store all the political clutter I didn't want to disappear. Should other people want to take a peek at what's rolling around in the attic, that's just icing on the cake.

There's a lot of junk up there, and most of it should probably be tossed in the bin. But you never know which box might have those old Star Wars figures still in the original packaging.

Sigh

Had an excellent Christmas with the family, but an odd moment at dinner on Christmas Eve. Found out that my cousin is a sports blogger when the phrase "wordpress" popped up randomly.

Sadly, as was inevitable, the hit count comparision came up.

"I have about 1500 uniques a day," he told me.

"I have about 100," I countered. "But they're very loyal."

A Reminder

To any St. Cloud area readers out there. Today is the special election! Get out there and cast your ballots. If anyone needs a breakdown of the candidates, I recommend North Star Politics

The Lovely and Talented REW

Since she's too modest to mention it herself (except to rub my face in it) I'd like to take this opportunity to direct everyone over to MNSpeak's "7 Quick Questions". You may (or may not) recognize the interviewee.

An Unwelcome Christmas Present

They tried to bury this story on Christmas, but like a pair of moleskin pants it just keeps coming back and it gets uglier every time.

Spying Said to Be Broader Than Reported

NEW YORK (AP) - The National Security Agency has conducted much broader surveillance of e-mails and phone calls - without court orders - than the Bush administration has acknowledged, The New York Times reported on its Web site.

The NSA, with help from American telecommunications companies, obtained access to streams of domestic and international communications, said the Times in the report late Friday, citing unidentified current and former government officials.

The story did not name the companies.

Since the Times disclosed the domestic spying program last week, President Bush has stressed that his executive order allowing the eavesdropping was limited to people with known links to al-Qaida.

But the Times said that NSA technicians have combed through large volumes of phone and Internet traffic in search of patterns that might lead to terrorists.

So, you don't like the Total Information Awarness data mining program, huh? Well, we'll just tell you that we're not doing it, then we'll go ahead and do it anyway.

Football Blog

So, who's available in the draft? I don't follow college ball as closely as I should so I don't know much about the draft class beyond the first rounders.

Anyone know if there are any good O-linemen coming up this year? What about the Gopher's center, Eslinger? Think he might be worth a look?

Rew's Pusher...

...Is profiled in the newspaper this morning.

She's busy with family, so I'd figure I'd let you know.

Merry Chirstmas to All

The Powerliberals have out of town family arriving, a house to clean, and a Christmas dinner to cook.

Have a happy, happy holiday! We'll be back on Boxing Day.

Getting rid of the reindeer platter

This might work...

Turn crummy presents into cheap drinks: Nordeast's hippest little neighborhood bar, the 331 Club, has a great idea for unwanted Christmas presents: a gift exchange. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, patrons can bring in presents they hated and exchange them for $1 drinks, plus get somebody else's unwanted present. These should be real unwanted gifts, though. Meaning, don't bring in a "half-eaten apple with 'To: Bob' written on it," said manager Jarret Oulman. The bar will stay open at the usual time Saturday (closing at 2 a.m.) and is open Sunday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. (331 13th Av. NE., Mpls. 612-331-1746.)

It's good to see

that despite everything, there are still some places where liberals and conservatives can agree.

This Post is Bruce Specific

I would like to apologize for last night. I got my Mithras confused with my Cybele.

The Centerists Are Angry

Flash starts going grrrr here and here....

But your oath, Mr. President is to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States", and frankly, peeking into people's worlds with out legal authorization is just plain creepy. There are policies, processes and procedures built into the current system that will allow the administration to do exactly what they are doing right now, without skipping a beat. What they are doing instead is pure power mongering arrogance, and I believe the American people will see right through it.

Can the moderates be far behind? And after that, what's left?

Uff Da

Judges on Surveillance Court To Be Briefed on Spy Program

By Carol D. Leonnig and Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, December 22, 2005; Page A01

The presiding judge of a secret court that oversees government surveillance in espionage and terrorism cases is arranging a classified briefing for her fellow judges to address their concerns about the legality of President Bush's domestic spying program, according to several intelligence and government sources.

About time, right? But the money quote is further down:

The judges could, depending on their level of satisfaction with the answers, demand that the Justice Department produce proof that previous wiretaps were not tainted, according to government officials knowledgeable about the FISA court. Warrants obtained through secret surveillance could be thrown into question. One judge, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also said members could suggest disbanding the court in light of the president's suggestion that he has the power to bypass the court.

[my emphasis] If that's anything more than idle speculation where, exactly, would that leave the country? Unable to process any potential intelligence gathering until a new court could be appointed? Or would King George simply go on spying since he obviously doesn't feel the need for any kind of oversight? And if the judges could be briefed on the program, why weren't they before now?

*A POWERLIBERAL EXCLUSIVE*

Over at Clever Peasantry, Mr. Sponge considers the possibility that it's not the information that tap-happy Bush is protecting, but instead the technology used to gather that information.

If that's the case, I can put this entire story to rest now. Here, on an exclusive basis, I will reveal to everyone the secret spying technology used by the administration to root out terrorists from those who have been nice:

"Screw coal, Osama's getting hot lead for Christmas."

"Ek"ernet

Quote of the day:

I realize my side lost, but I didn't sell my soul when I embraced conservatism. A dumbass is still a dumbass, and what I see is a dumbass. Our dumbass lost. Their dumbass will probably win. At least theirs can remember their zip code.

(I know, this Ek thing's been over forever, but I thought it was deserving.)

The Libertarian's Lament

The Libertarian's Lament

First they called war critics unpatriotic, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a war critic;
Then they came for my library books, and I did not speak out--
because I did not go to the library;
Then they started bugging Mosques, and I did not speak out--
because I did not attend a Mosque;
Then they started wire tapping phones; and I did not speak out--
because I never made international calls;
Then they wanted a National ID Card--
and I realized it didn't matter because I had no rights left.

Drinking Liberally Tonight at the 331 Club

Guess who said this quote:

"For this and other crimes against the American people and their Constitution, George Bush must resign. Failing that, he should be impeached."

Vox Day, Conservative Columnist for World Net Daily

Drinking Liberally
When: Tonight, Wed., December 21st, 6-9 pm
Where: 331 Club, 13th and University in North East Minneapolis

Come to Drinking Liberally, where no one will read your emails or tap your phones. At least, not without going through the proper channels.

Taking A Stand

One of the judges on the secret FISA court, sick of being used by this outlaw administration, has resigned in protest:

Spy Court Judge Quits In Protest

A federal judge has resigned from the court that oversees government surveillance in intelligence cases in protest of President Bush's secret authorization of a domestic spying program, according to two sources.

Of course, since the Bush dead-enders can't stand anyone having principles, the Swift Boating has already begun:

Robertson is considered a liberal judge who has often ruled against the Bush administration's assertions of broad powers in the terrorism fight, most notably in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld . Robertson held in that case that the Pentagon's military commissions for prosecuting terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were illegal and stacked against the detainees.

Take a moment to process that. He's a liberal (and by "liberal" they clearly mean untrustworthy) because he ruled against the administration.

So, by that logic anyone who opposes the administration on any grounds is merely partisan and may be ignored.

Facts? pfft. Constitution? pshaw. Rights? What a quaint idea!

Today's lesson is: A is A, unless Bush says it's B. Then anyone who says otherwise is a filthy LIBERAL.

Addendum: It has been suggested by some that the onus was on Democratic senators to come forward about this program as soon as they learned about it. That's a ridiculous shifting of blame, and besides, the above story illustrates how effective that would be.

Anyone who tries to work with this administration becomes complicit in their crimes and therefore loses standing to criticize. Anyone who protests against the administration is labeled a partisan hack or a Bush hater and marginalized. They've developed a nearly perfect system to insulate themselves from any criticism. The one thing they hadn't counted on was the sooner or later the sheer enormity of their crimes-and their brazen arrogrance in pulling them off-would bring them down.

The CEO president? Only if that CEO is Ken Lay.

Fuzzy Math

After much ado in Congress, bill unlikely to make big dent in deficit

WASHINGTON - Congress will soon adjourn for the year without making more than a dent in the budget deficit.

Without making much of a dent, eh? So ther're at least reducing the deficit a tiny little bit, right? Um, no:

In tandem with the spending-cut bill, Congress has prepared legislation to extend some of the temporary tax cuts that it enacted in 2001 and 2003. The spending bill would save $40 billion over the next five years. The tax bill, which Republican congressional leaders hope to bring to a vote early next year, would cost $70 billion.

"Fiscal conservatism" is a load of horse pucky. Not only are they actually increasing the deficit with the above, don't forget that the Pentagon just asked for another $100 billion to fight in Iraq on top of tens of billions of appropriations which are not being calculated into these figures. And in addition to that is approximately another 10 billion to rebuild New Orleans.

They're not just looting the treasury here, they're selling the bank vaults for scrap.

T.Paw Tax Struck Down

Ramsey County judge strikes down tobacco fee

Pat Doyle and Mark Brunswick, Star Tribune

Dealing a stunning blow to Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the Legislature, a Ramsey County judge Tuesday struck down a tobacco fee that promised to raise $401 million over the next two years for the state.

Ramsey County District Judge Michael Fetsch ruled that the fee of 75 cents per pack violated a settlement between the government and tobacco companies that barred the state from seeking additional money from the firms to pay for health care costs related to smoking.

The ruling could jeopardize the comfortable budget surplus that the state has been counting on and pose a major embarrassment to Pawlenty and legislative incumbents just in time for a critical election year.

Time to raise property taxes so that T.Paw can keep his hands clean, or maybe hold a press conference about the looming threat of gay marriage.

But my favorite part of the whole article was when T.Paw has his "Bush Moment":

[Pawlenty]also is considering "using existing administrative authority" to apply the fee at retail outlets.

Don't let those pesky laws get in your way! When you're Right you're always right no matter what!

You May Rest in Peace, John Scopes

'Intelligent design' can't be taught as science, judge rules

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- "Intelligent design'' cannot be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district, a federal judge said Tuesday, ruling in one of the biggest courtroom clashes on evolution since the 1925 Scopes trial.

PZ, of course,has more

The Rot Runs Deep

I honestly can't believe the number of responses I've received supporting the notion that the Bill of Rights is an antiquated document not applicable to modern times. For a party that likes to hide behind the corpses of the founding fathers whenever they are criticized, the Republican party sure doesn't seem to care about what those men actually wrote.

I've mostly given up hope that anything will convince you that our current president is running roughshod over the foundations of our democracy, but here goes:

F.B.I. Watched Activist Groups, New Files Show

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 - Counterterrorism agents at the Federal Bureau of Investigation have conducted numerous surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations that involved, at least indirectly, groups active in causes as diverse as the environment, animal cruelty and poverty relief, newly disclosed agency records show.

F.B.I. officials said Monday that their investigators had no interest in monitoring political or social activities and that any investigations that touched on advocacy groups were driven by evidence of criminal or violent activity at public protests and in other settings.

After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, John Ashcroft, who was then attorney general, loosened restrictions on the F.B.I.'s investigative powers, giving the bureau greater ability to visit and monitor Web sites, mosques and other public entities in developing terrorism leads. The bureau has used that authority to investigate not only groups with suspected ties to foreign terrorists, but also protest groups suspected of having links to violent or disruptive activities.

I guess it's okay as long as your man is in power, right?

Try a thought exercise for a moment. Imagine if, following the Oklahoma City bombing, Bill Clinton had personally authorized secret wiretaps and FBI spying on not only the Militias, but also on other right-wing groups like the Federalist Society, the John Birch Society, the College Republicans, etc. Would you feel that was justified based on the fact that a right wing domestic terrorist organization had just killed hundreds of Americans? Why or why not?

Link found viaTom. Surf's up!

Dear Lord

Via Eva, how can you resist such logic?

Evolutionists claim that their battle against creation-science is primarily a "scientific" issue, not a constitutional question. But our treasured U. S. Constitution is written by persons and for persons. If man is an animal, the Constitution was written by animals and for animals. This preposterous conclusion destroys the Constitution. [emphasis author's]

Whole barrel of fun here.

It is now finished...

Whatever else happens this year, the football is now complete. Pat the Hack has put out his annual "Football Fans are Racist Rednecks" column.

Loyal readers may remember that this column was predicted here as far back as September 19th.

The last couple of weeks must have been tough on ol' Pat as he suffered not only the indignity of a Vikings winning streak, but the nightmarish possibility that he wouldn't be able to call us all racist SOB's this year since Daunte was no longer playing. Well, I have to hand it to Pat. Since he didn't have the chance to call us racist for booing Daunte, he seized upon the opportunity of us not booing Brad Johnson. Never mind the fact that every other time a player gets booed it's a sign of how fickle and stupid football fans are (remember the Darren Bennett column from just a week ago?). We wouldn't want logic to get in the way of a good insult, right Pat?

In other football news, this should make some people very happy.

That was quick

Mark Kennedy flip-flops, now votes the Bush line 98% of the time.

Want to know how to save "girlhood"?

For one thing, let your daughters go out and play rather than forcing them to take part in a pro-life picket they are too young to understand.

Ahhh! Akira!

The Netflix have been piling up around the house for a while now, so I decided to try to clear up a couple last night. First up was Akira Kurosawa's Sanjuro. I'm a huge fan of Kurosawa's samurai films, and loved Yojimbo to which this movie is a semi-sequel. The character of the wandering samurai (as portrayed by Toshiro Mifune) has to be one of the best in the history of film. While I didn't like Sanjuro quite as much as Yojimbo, it was still an excellent movie and one which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend for anyone interested in the genre.

Having now seen almost all of Kurosawa's "samurai-period" films (Throne of Blood, Rashomon, Hidden Fortress, etc.) I'm considering starting to watch the more modern period films (Stray Dog, Red Beard, etc.) but I know hardly anything about them. Anybody out there in blogland want to give me some recommendations on where to start?

I also watched the first hour of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Eh. While I'm a big fan of Wes Anderson's movies and his "dryly absurdist" sense of humor this movie just isn't doing it for me so far. There's dry humor, and then there's parched. In this movie Anderson seems to believe that simply piling on the absurd situations eventually will result in some kind of comedic parthenogenesis. Maybe so, maybe the comedy comes out in the second half, but so far this movie isn't doing much for me. I really enjoy Bill Murray, so it's got that much going for me, but otherwise I'd give this one a pass.

Football Blogging...with a heavy heart

Well, stick a fork in 'em. The Vikings had their most important game of the season on Sunday and came into it looking...okay. But, of course, okay wasn't going to get the job done here. Here's the report card:

The defensive secondary played well for most of the game, but gave up a few big plays here and there, they get a B-. The run defense was mostly solid, but gave up two big runs and allowed occasional little runs were it counted, they get a C+. The pass rush looked good and managed to sack or hurry Roethlisberger on a number of occasions, I give them a B+.

Special teams was mostly awful, fumbling the ball on one occasion and giving up at least a couple of big returns, they are somewhat redeemed by the punt return fumble recovery in the first quarter, however, so they get a D.

The Offense was almost uniformly below average. Johnson gets an F for throwing at least one bad Favre-like "up for grabs in the end zone" pass to end the first half, then getting spooked and reverting to his early form of throwing every way too high to be caught for most of the second half. The O-line played reasonably well protecting Johnson on most plays, but didn't get much "push" for the running game (most noticeable on the safety) they get a B-. The running game failed to impress, it gets a C-, only avoiding a D because they were largely abandoned in the second half. so they didn't have a chance to drop their grade further. The receivers did their job, but had almost nothing to work with. Because of that, I'll reserve judgment on them. All in all, a pretty lackluster day.

And now I think all Vikings fans can safely hang up whatever crazy hopes they had in regards to the playoffs and look forward the draft and next year. The best we could hope for at this point is a sixth seed wild card, and even that's a pretty remote possibility.

Ah well, as with every Vikings season, it was fun while it lasted.

Why Do the Republicans Hate America?

All throughout the Iraq war Democrats have been accused of secretly wanting the US to lose in order to proven right about the whole debacle. By the same logic then, it seems apparent that George Bush and others in the Republican party want to see the United States attacked by terrorists again. Here's Bush:

President Bush said today that senators who are blocking renewal of the terrorism-fighting Patriot Act are acting irresponsibly and standing in the way of protecting the country from attack.

"In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment,'' the president said in a live broadcast from the White House of his weekly radio address.

Senate Democrats, with the aid of a handful of Republicans, succeeded Friday in stalling the bill already approved by the House. The vote to advance the measure, 52-47, fell eight votes shy of the 60 votes required to end debate.

"That decision is irresponsible and it endangers the lives of our citizens. The senators who are filibustering must stop their delaying tactics and the Senate must reauthorize the Patriot Act,'' Bush said.

Others, such as Arizona Republican senator John Kyl have made equally inflammatory statements.

The content of these statements are much worse than anything that gets the right-wingers worked up over Iraq, so the question remains, Why does Bush want the terrorists to attack America?

Not that the PATRIOT act matters anyway. Welcome to living in a dictatorship:

President Bush said today he has no intention of stopping his personal authorizations of a post-Sept. 11 secret eavesdropping program in the U.S., lashing out at those involved in revealing it while defending it as crucial to preventing future attacks.

His "personal authorizations"? Sorry, I thought the seperation of powers didn't allow for the president to sidestep both congress and the courts. If they find a suspected terrorist in the US will Bush give "personal authorization" to have that person abducted, tortured and murdered lawfully executed? And can I count on Power Line to say there's nothing wrong with that?

Deep Hurting

To be honest, that "pissing off the MOB" bit in my last post was a joke. Then I accidentally stumbled across this barking insanity from Power Line (curse you MNSpeak!!) and, wow, I just can't ignore this.

It's a post about the story I mentioned earlier today (here) about the government illegally spying on people within the US. I saw the title of the post and, like any sane human being, assumed they were talking about the people who had torn up and pissed upon the Bill of Rights. How wrong I was:

Let's Send These Guys to Jail

The Valerie Plame case has established that any leak of classified information from an intelligence agency is a serious matter, regardless of how trivial the information may be, and must result in criminal investigation and prosecution. Fine. Here's another one that's not trivial, from today's New York Times:

[story snipped]

How does the Times know this? Because intelligence officials who are hostile to the Bush administration, and disagree with its policies, leaked the information:

So the problem with our government spying on its own citizens, grossly violating the majority of the Bill of Rights and intimidating the "free" press into partially covering it up is that the truth eventually came out. It reminds me of a post I saw over there a while ago (no, I'm not going to dig it up) about the problem with the CIA's secret torture centers was that they weren't secret anymore.

Blog of the Year, ladies and gentlemen. Not just pro-torture and pro-government holding people without trial for as long as it wants to but also pro-government spying on whomever it wants to.

In other words, unashamedly anti-Bill of Rights. Is this the face of the modern Republican party? Proudly in favor of the Divine Right of Bush to do whatever the hell he wants to? Because that's not American, folks. If you find yourself agreeing with these lunatics you really need to take a long hard look at your values. What, really, are you fighting for? I don't think it's anything the founding fathers would have recognized. Not on this side of the Atlantic, anyway.

T.Paw Yucks It Up

So, in addition to his Friday radio show, he's a regular guest on the Hewitt show?

Between this:

Got in the car. Turned on the Hugh Hewitt show. He was talking to someone about how I backed my car into the garage door. Whatever. I swear I went through this last year - came out of Chuck E. Frickin', and he was giving me grief for backing my car through the door. But the more I listened the more I realized he was talking to the Governor of Minnesota, attempting to get a pardon for my crimes against garage doors. The Governor appeared to be receptive to the idea.

and this, I'm starting to think that being governor is a much less time consuimg job than I had assumed.

Maybe Jesse Ventura's legendary problems with interviewers would have been less of an issue if only he'd had some sycophantic media to provide him puffy-poo pieces to make him seem like a nice guy.

(Let's see how many MOB members I can insult before the big party tomorrow. Next on the list are f#^%ing libertarians.)

Minnetonka Votes for Sanity

Minnetonka school board rejects changing science standards

Under a very public microscope, the Minnetonka School Board on Thursday blocked an effort by two members to change its science standards in a way that some residents fear would allow the teaching of intelligent design.

The concept suggests that the complexity of life could not have developed by chance or evolution alone, but through some unspecified "intelligent design" or creator.

The board's vote was 4 to 2 against the change and for the standards crafted by a committee of district educators.

It's good to see that, even if our the "Land of Sky BLUE Waters" has reddened a little lately, were still not crazy enough to want to plunge back into the middle ages. Congrats also to The Road Warrior, (AKA PZ Myers) for whatever role he played in helping defeat this assault on the American educational system.

Who Stole the Election?

N.H. Republican Guilty in Phone Jamming

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A jury convicted a former national Republican official of two telephone harassment charges for his role in a phone-jamming plot against New Hampshire Democrats on Election Day 2002.

But remember, it's only Democrats who try to cheat elections, right, Hugh? How are those voter fraud charges going in Wisconsin, anyway?

Coming hot on the heals of the news that Diebold election machines are easily hacked this should provide some new grist for the "The Election Was Stolen" crowd.

I don't just owe this guy a beer....

I owe him a whole keg. This letter, and the thoughts expressed herein, serves as a nice counter-point to the post before this.

DEFENDING THE RULE OF LAW

Not the military's job

I am a University of Minnesota Law School graduate, and served briefly in the U.S. Marine Corps. Since law school, I have been both a public defender and a federal prosecutor. I was one of the first civilians into Iraq in 2003 after the war, and I now work in Afghanistan training prosecutors as Afghanistan seeks to promote the rule of law.

Katherine Kersten contends in her Dec. 12 column that "[i]t is the U.S. military who protect the rule of law. It is they who guarantee the legal rights that we take for granted. ..."

The rule of law is protected by lawyers, judges and law enforcement officers who ensure that our laws -- both criminal and civil -- are enforced.

The military is designed to defend the United States and its interests. It is not designed to defend or protect the rule of law. The military is about promoting and maintaining order through the use of force.

The rule of law is not the imposition of order by force upon a country's citizenry. If so, Iraq under Saddam Hussein and Afghanistan under the Taliban would be models for the rule of law.

The rule of law is when citizens can be secure in the knowledge that their government will perform its tasks capably to organize and protect a society, and also that their government will be made to follow the laws that constrain its powers exactly as the citizens' freedom to act is limited in order to maintain peace and harmony among one another.

CHARLES JAKOSA,

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

The Founders' Intent?

Reports: Bush Authorized NSA to Spy in U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) - The National Security Agency has eavesdropped, without warrants, on as many 500 people inside the United States at any given time since 2002, The New York Times reported Friday.

That year, following the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush authorized the NSA to monitor the international phone calls and international e-mails of hundreds - perhaps thousands - of people inside the United States, the Times reported.

Before the program began, the NSA typically limited its domestic surveillance to foreign embassies and missions and obtained court orders for such investigations. Overseas, 5,000 to 7,000 people suspected of terrorist ties are monitored at one time.

Loan sharks do very good business because they're not hampered by little niceties like usury laws or laws against breaking debtor's legs. While these tactics are no doubt effective, we expect our government not to operate like the Mafia. It saddens me that this is reduced to the "liberal" argument lately, but what exactly are we defending any more when we willingly even enthusiastically throw out Amendments 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8?

Before anybody makes the argument that this only affects terrorists:

Earlier this week, the Pentagon said it was reviewing its use of a classified database of information about suspicious people and activity inside the United States after a report by NBC News said the database listed activities of anti-war groups that were not a security threat to Pentagon property or personnel.

Innocent American citizens are being secretly spied on by their government. This used to be the kind of thing the conservatives fought tooth and nail against. Where are the conservatives now who have the courage to stand up and say, "enough"?

Update: Tom has more about another troubling aspect of the story. (Also he's in Hawaii and we hates him we do.)

Updates

After an amazingly fun Drinking Liberally last night, I've added a few people to the Drinking Buddies sidebar. I got to meet and talk to the MNpublius "kids" for a bit, and am happy to move them up as it takes me so long to work my way down my blogroll anymore.

Also added in is Doug Bass at Crossword BeBop, who showed twice now and has earned the honor of being the only person on the sidebar who actually admits he's a conservative (hear that, Sticks?). He also has the honorof being the first one to actually bring in a laptop and take advantage of the wi-fi. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to mention that I got a sneak preview of the MOB Agregator I'm think a lot of people will be fawning over on Saturday, so I don't think I will (Ha Ha, I beat you all!). I'll be adding that down in the agregator section later once it's officially unveiled to the GIMEC this weekend.

All in all, a good night. If you haven't come yet, you really should. There's beer, frito pie, and all shades of the political spectrum are welcome.

Say it ain't so, Moe!

Four Vikings Charged

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has just learned that four high-profile Vikings have been charged with misdemeanor counts related to the Vikings boat party scandal this past fall.

Fred Smoot, Daunte Culpepper, Moe Williams, and Bryant McKinnie have been charged with indecent exposure, a law enforcement source tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. They could face up to 90 days in jail.
The Hennepin County Sherrif's Office is scheduled to have a news conference regarding the scandal at 1:30 p.m.

Think those charges were carefully chosen? Two of the four are on IR and one has been busted down from his starting role already, Mr. McKinnie, you're just out of luck.

In the meantime, REW is going to have find a new favorite player....

Update: Having now read the charges all I can say is, huh? The charges against Smoot and McKinnie sound justified, but they better have something more against Culpepper and Williams than what's listed here. I'm not sure I want to live in a world where it's illegal to touch a stripper's butt.

Update 2: Okay, I was a little bit flippant in that first update, but I'll let it stand. I do want to mention, though, that I think there is more to this story that is being obscured by the fact that it involves pro football players. For example, if the charges are for "indecent exposure" why was not a single one of the strippers charged? It's indecent to touch a naked women's behind, but it's not indecent to be naked in public in the first place? That's an interesting quirk in the law. Or the fact that approximately one third of the team is white guys, but not one of them was charged or even mentioned in all of this? I don't know if there are racist elements here, or if this is the result of the no doubt pending civil suits or what, but it feels like there is more to this story behind all of the sensationalist elements.

Oh, I want an Anna Tuthill Symmes!!

Since there's nothing of particular importance going on at this moment to concern our government, and since the state quarter program has been such a rousing success in revitalizing our economy, congress has decided to institute a new $1 coin program.

Yes, America, we have $1 coins. Remember? Little gold things? Picture of Sacagawea on it? Yeah, those things. Last time I used one in a store the clerk asked if he could keep it. Umm, sure. Trade you a Lincoln for it?

Anyway, Congress has instructed the mint to stamp a $1 coin for every U.S. president and another for each of their spouses. I can only imagine the excitement this will generate for all those Zachary Taylor-o-philes out there. I can only imagine the disappointment on the faces of conservatives everywhere when they are suddenly confronted with evidence that Millard Fillmore was not, in fact, a duck. I can only begin to anticipate all the business Google is going to get when people try to figure out what Harry S. Truman's middle name is (buy some stock before 2015!).

While we're on the subject, why don't more people use $1 coins, anyway? I heartily endorse converting all of our money into coin form. Just so much more satisfying that way.

Dagnabbit

I'm already double booked tonight, but I'm seriously considering dropping everything and going to this:

FIRST AVENUE 35th ANNIVERSARY PARTY & Diverse Emerging Music Organization (DEMO) Benefit featuring:

The Jayhawks, The Hold Steady, Koalas, Jessy Greene, Polara, Rifle Sport, X-Boys, Aesma Daeva, The Mighty Mofos, Curtiss A, The Mood Swings, Mike Watt, Curtiss A, members of Golden Smog, & DJ's Kevin Cole and Roy Freedom. $1.50 per ticket goes to Toys For Tots.

Oh, First Ave., you had me at The Hold Steady. Then you just went on and on in a vertiable buffet of musical goodness.

If anyone gets to the show tonight drop me a comment and let me know how it was.

Bad pun alert

Klobuchar fundraiser party summary at DFLSenate.

It's Cold Outside...Drink Liberally

Ever since they got rid of those St. Bernard's with the brandy barrels you've had to come to the booze instead of it doing the decent thing and coming to you. Since you're going to need a few stiff ones to get through the snowiest December of the last hundred and seventy five thousand years (give or take), why not come on down to the 331 and Drink Liberally? I hear we may have some out of town guests this evening as well as the local crew so tonight's a great time to stop down and say hi.

Then you can get back to shoveling with that warm glow inside.

Oh, and be sure to say "Happy Blogaversary" to ~Tild~!

Snow Blogging

Getting up at 6:00 in the morning to shovel today? Mildly Amusing.

Shoveling when I get home tonight? Less amusing.

Doing it again tomorrow morning? Annoying.

Doing it again tomorrow night? Grrrr...

Doing it again Friday morning? AGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Doing it again Friday night? SMARITE SMASH!!!

Jeebus, I picked a bad time to stop huffing glue! invest in tech stocks! buy a house!

The War On Christmas-A Pyrrhic Victory

I believe that the War on Christmas is over...but it seems that in winning The Holidays may have also lost. REW and I were shopping over the weekend, and not one single person wished us a Merry Christmas.

Is it because they could tell we are godless liberals? I think not, because neither did they offer us an ACLU approved Happy Holidays. Indeed, from the looks they were shooting us and the roughly five thousand other people in line, I suspect what they really wanted to wish us involved neither being Merry nor Happy. Were they silently seething because Liberals had sucked all the joy from the season? One can only assume. Yeah, we have reaped our harvest and found it bitter.

Sorry for the lame post much to do. Hopefully I'll have more time later.

As smartie says...

Yes, please.

And the quote of the day....

As of right now the ONLY reason I would vote for Pawlenty is because I am in the party. He has not over the past 2 years earned my vote. He shown me that he is more capable of being a tool of the moderate left than the conservative he told us he was at the primaries in 2002.

Well, they got the tool part right.

It's the American Dream

Odd little article about Horatio Algers. Odd little article.

India calls for safe sex to be taught

Once again, as America keeps trying to push abstinence only education, we get left behind by the more "conservative" countries:

India's premier called for safe sex to be taught to young people to stem the rise of HIV/ AIDS in the country, home to the second highest number of people with the virus after South Africa.


Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, kicking off a national convention to mark World's AIDS Day, also called for a revamp of programmes aimed at stemming the spread of the infection among the country's billion-plus population -- more than half of which is under the age of 25.

"You should comprehend the need to educate our young about the modes of transmission of this disease, and leading a healthy and safe sexual life is one of the commitments we must all make," Singh said.

He urged adults in the nation known for its sexual conservatism to shed their inhibitions and discuss sex at home.

"This is particularly important given our traditional inhibitions about discussing such matters within our families and among our colleagues, quite apart from doing so in public," he said.

And back in the US...

A new sex-education bill advocating abstinence as the preferred approach to pre-marital sex in Wisconsin is expected to reach the assembly in the coming weeks. It passed in the Senate by a 24-9 vote and is expected to pass in the Assembly as well. However, Gov. Doyle refuses to take a position on the bill until it reaches his desk.

The bill was created in hopes of lowering the rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, however, it seems that it has the potential to worsen these problems. Abstinence-only approaches do not guarantee that those students receiving this type of sex education will indeed decide to abstain from sex until marriage. By denying students information about contraceptives, it seems that many will be left in the dark or confused when they're in a situation where they need to make safe and smart decisions about what contraceptives will keep them protected from both pregnancy and STDs. Many fear that this bill is just the beginning of what could eventually become an abstinence-only sex-education program in schools throughout Wisconsin.

Football Blogging

Ever since Kate Parry's stirring non-defense of Kersten, I've realized that the Strib hires columnists not necessarily for depth of analysis or clarity of voice, but instead because they happen to be extremely proficient at provoking a reaction. Since reading that, I've decided to foreswear responding to any of them. No point giving the bullies the reaction they're looking for, right?

With that said, I'm glad others recognize that Pat Reusse is still a total hack.

Anyway, this is a happy post, so I'll leave it at that and talk about happier things. 6 & 0 in the Brad Johnson era. What the? I'll be the first to admit that when Daunte went down I mentally wrote off the rest of the season as a total loss. Clearly, I was wrong. Although, you have to wonder exactly what kind of mojo Brad Johnson's got working to get away with some of the stuff he does. That quacker he lobbed up in the 3rd quarter? Because Koren Robinson came down with everyone is treating it as some kind of great play but just throwing the ball up like that is the kind of thing that's been getting Brett Favre in trouble all season. I guess when things are going right they just keep going right. I'm certainly not going to question success.

Do we have a cornerback controversy in the works? Brian Williams has certainly looked like he deserves the starter's job over the last couple of weeks. Smoot did have a pick at nickelback, but he also had a costly pass-interference penalty to end the second quarter, a seemingly common problem with him. At $10 million, Smoot would be the most expensive nickelback in history, but it's something worth thinking about. Also don't forget Dovonte Edwards- he was relegated to special teams yesterday, but he's a potential up-and-comer in the suddenly crowded backfield.

Next week's going to be fun. Pat Williams and the returning Kevin Williams will get quite a test with the Bus and the rest of the Pitt running game. The Steelers aren't nearly as solid defensively as they were last year, but they're still tough to pass against and we should finally get a real test of Brad Johnson's mettle in that game. Can we beat them? Yes. Will it be an easy game? Not by a long shot. But with the division lead suddenly tantalizing close, I think we should see an amazing effort next Sunday.

My Reputation is being besmerched

He thinks he's exposed me, eh?

Little does he know that when I went by the protestors this afternoon I realized I still sent the guys in the wrong direction anyway.

I guess Kennedy can keep his money.

Back from the Bell

Post up about Bell event.

I never write such long posts. I'm exhausted.

Does Rumsfeld Know The Difference Between Ignorance & Apathy?

Atrios is absolutely right here. Which is the more frightening prospect: that Rumsfeld is openly lying to the press...or that the White House & Secretary of Defense didn't think it was important to plan for the war that they were intent on starting?

I vote the later. I expect these guys to lie. Since we're stuck with them for another three years I keep hoping that somebody in charge is at least competent. Despite all evidence to the contrary...

With love to the Heartland

Inspired by an email from the Wege, since it's a Friday and no one can ever get enough to read on Friday, we're going to do a little Nebraskan shout out in honor of my beloved Republican roots.

First, a bit from Yellow Dog:

And, with so many people in my own Nebraska-based family among those still blindly supporting the president, I've come up with more questions. But this time, my inquiries are serious and meant to truly gauge whether Bush backers understand reality and knowledgably support him or whether the president has just been phenomenally successful at superimposing his face over the American flag.

Yellow Dog's 15 questions I probably have to promise not to ask my family when they come up for Christmas can be found in the link.

At my old favorite, New Nebraska Network, Kyle take on Ben Nelson and his immagration plans, including its strange bedfellows.

The problem is that many of these proposals, including the most recent by Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, too closely resemble a "final solution" that fundamentally betray the American character and our national heritage.

Quite simply, I am appalled by Nelson's contribution to this important debate. His "Border Security Act of 2005", co-sponsored by Republican Senators "Crazy" Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Jeff Sessions of Alabama, is so extremist in its call for a police-state along the southern border that it sickens and dismays me as an American and a Nelson supporter.

UNO College Democrats weigh in on the idea of "Nebraska Values."

So, that begs the question… What are Nebraska values?

If a person is born and raised in Nebraska, does that mean they automatically have Nebraska values? Is there a way to measure these values?

Why does someone with Nebraska values make a better public servant than someone without them? Can a gay person have Nebraska values? If I have Nebraska values, how can I get rid of them? If I lose them, can I ever find them back?

Ricketts currently lives in Omaha. Notice he doesn't mention Omaha values because people in rural areas will tell you that Omaha values don't line up with Nebraska values.

In the past couple weeks, voters have witnessed that Pete Ricketts will try to campaign on Nebraska values and not on the issues. So, what can you do? As a voter, every time you hear Pete Ricketts talk about his "Nebraska values" I want you to stick your finger down your throat and induce vomiting.

And finally, a cartoon that could just as easily say "Mark Kennedy" at the top.


So that's a brief Nebraska round up. If it bored you, you know who to blame for getting me started in the first place.

I want my $5,000

This morning on the way to work, I ran into a group of men in the skyway level of Wells Fargo. They stopped me and asked where they could find the Nicollet Hotel.

"I'm sorry. I've never heard of that place."

They discussed among themselves, trying to come up with the right name.

"We're going to see the President," they finally told me.

"Oh, you mean the Hilton."

They quickly agreed, and I found myself wresting between putting them on the actual path to the Hilton or sending them off somewhere past the courthouse. The good girl won out, and I sent them on their way.

Mark Kennedy, you owe me a finder's fee. Literally.

The Pressure Mounts...

First Michael Scanlon, now another Abramoff associate is about to go State's Evidence:

Plea Deal Near With 2nd Abramoff Associate

Federal prosecutors have all but finalized a plea agreement with a second business partner of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff in exchange for cooperation in the ongoing criminal investigations of Abramoff, congressional aides and Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), lawyers in the case said yesterday.

Adam Kidan, a longtime confidant of Abramoff's, has agreed to testify against Abramoff in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., next month when he is to face trial on fraud and conspiracy charges in connection with their purchase of a fleet of Florida casino boats. A Kidan plea would tie Abramoff's legal troubles in Florida more closely to the Washington investigation into his lobbying practices, pressuring Abramoff to reach a deal of his own that could implicate members of Congress and other government officials, lawyers involved in the case said.

Right now a whole bunch of Republicans are getting some major sweat stains in their $5,000 suits...

As Expected

Mark Kennedy voted Aye on the "Tax Cuts for the Ultra-Wealthy" bill. Lest we forget he also cast the deciding vote on the "Screw the Poor & Middle Class" bill.

I notice his official website has no mention of his vote yesterday. That seems odd, since the Republicans are supposed to be all about cutting taxes, right? Is it possible that Money Mark has enough of a conscience left that he feels a little guilty about being a tool for such a shameless kleptocracy?

If that's the case, I'm sure all those rich folks throwing wads of cash at him today will help fill the hole left when you sold your soul, Mark.

While we're on the subject, I notice there has still been no announcement as to which charity Money Mark has given his ill-gotten cash from the Duke-Stir. Is it possible his campaign was lying about the donation? Magic 8-Ball says: All Signs Point To "YES"!

Here's how the other MN Reps voted on the "More Money for Paris Hilton" bill yesterday:

Gutknecht (R): Aye
Kline (R) : Aye
Ramstad (R) : No
McCollum (D) : No
Sabo (D) : No
Peterson (D) : No
Oberstar (D) : No

Nice to see one Republican doesn't believe that "looting the treasury" is a family value, anyway.

Yeesh

Via Fecke, this guy's getting coal in his stocking, I bet.

Apologies

I want to apologize for not posting here in a few days, and thank smartie for keeping the home fires burning. Also, a big sorry for almost completely missing last night's Drinking Liberally. As always, what time I was able to spend was great fun.

The 331 Club got a mention in this week's Pulse, as well as a small plug for our group. If you haven't been there yet, The 331 is a fantastic bar with good folks and cheap drinks, and is becoming the Powerliberal bar of choice now that we're official Nordeasterners. Be sure to check it out.

As for me, I hope to be able to get a little more up here, but I've been spending what little of my free time I have over at DFLSenate, which is gearing up for the 2006 battle. I hope to be attending tomorrow's Ford Bell lunch with the Vets, since some of us aren't fancy-pantsed enough to drop $1000 for a lunch like the Kennedy backers can.

Info:

Ford Bell is buying lunch for veterans at Market Bar-B-Que
1414 Nicollet Avenue
12-2 pm Friday, December 9th
Public is invited, please rsvp at clare@fordbell.com

Remember This In '06

Republican Priorities then:

The bill, passed 217-215 after a 25-minute-long roll call, makes modest but politically painful cuts across an array of programs for the poor, students and farmers.

and

The broader budget bill would slice almost $50 billion from the deficit by the end of the decade by curbing rapidly growing benefit programs such as Medicaid, food stamps and student loan subsidies. Republicans said reining in such programs whose costs spiral upward each year automatically is the first step to restoring fiscal discipline.

and

In passing the bill, Republicans buffed up their party's budget-cutting credentials as they try to reduce a deficit swelled by spending on the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina.

Republican priorities now:

House Republicans, finally advancing their tax priority for the year, are pushing forward with plans to keep reduced tax rates for capital gains and dividends alive for an extra two years.

It's one part of a bill reducing taxes $56 billion over five years. House GOP leaders want to make sure that 15 percent tax rates for investment income stay in place past the end of 2008, when they're scheduled to disappear.

"That's really what we're talking about here is to ensure that America's families do not suffer a tax increase," said Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Virginia.

Democrats disagreed, and Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York, said the GOP was really talking about a "tax break for the super-wealthy."

So much for all that talk of "cutting the deficit". Looks like a pretty straightforward move to take more from the "have a littles" and the "have nots" and give it to the "have too much alreadys". Not that any of this is news to anyone.

Once they're listed I'll update this post with the votes of the Minnesota house delegation. That way we can really see who's truly on the side of families and farmers and who thinks priority one in Washington is making the already rich even richer. {cough} Mark Kennedy {cough}

That's Gotta Smart

Think Smilin' Norm is upset that he's exactly as popular as Hillary Clinton?

(Okay, it isn't in the on-line version. You'll just have to trust me.)

Drinking Liberally 2-Nite @ The 331

Sorry for the late anouncement, work and Blogger issues today combined to almost this post not happen. But happen it did. You can't keep a good liberal down. Anyway:

Drinking Liberally, tonight, 6-9 at the 331 Club, corner of 13th & University in NE Minnepolis.

Abramoff Scandal Widens

It now looks like at least one Republican senator is mixed up in it. Only the tip of the iceberg, I'm sure:

Records Show Burns' Abramoff Meetings

WASHINGTON — Sen. Conrad Burns and his staff met Jack Abramoff's lobbying team on at least eight occasions and collected $12,000 in donations around the time that the lawmaker took legislative action favorable to Abramoff's clients in the Northern Mariana Islands, records show.

The 2001 donations to Burns, a Montana Republican, included money directly from Abramoff and a key garment company executive in the Pacific islands who was part of the coalition paying Abramoff's firm to fend off stronger U.S. regulations on the islands.

In addition, two Burns staffers had accepted a trip arranged by Abramoff to attend the Super Bowl in Florida earlier that year.

At the time, Burns served on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that was considering legislation the Marianas opposed. He also ran a Senate appropriations subcommittee that controlled spending for the Interior Department, which regulates U.S. territories including the islands.

On May 23, 2001, Burns voted against a bill in the Senate Energy Committee that would have phased out a nonresident contract worker program benefiting the Marianas' garment industry. The committee approved the bill, but it never saw action on the Senate floor. In 1999, it had moved through the same committee by unanimous consent without objections from Burns or any other member.

Dave Eaton Hates Children

Or so I assume, since he's determined to make them dumber.

District may tweak evolution wording

The Minnetonka school district may change its guidelines for teaching evolution to emphasize that it is a scientific theory rather than proven fact.

The school board, which reviewed the district's science curriculum last week, is considering changes suggested by board member Dave Eaton, who was a member of a state committee that revised science standards in 2003.

Eaton said the existing Minnetonka guidelines regarding evolution contain "careful wordsmithing" to create the impression that evolution has been established as fact. He said the district's science curriculum must get away from dogmatically teaching the theory as fact.

[sigh]

Okay, for the millionth time, Dave, here are some other scientific "theories" that you are technically calling into question with your creationist nonsense:

Theory of gravity
Theory of relativity
Cell theory
Germ theory
Atomic theory
Plate tectonics & Continental drift
Continental drift Chaos theory

etc.

Is chucking much of the foundation of modern thinking worth it for your little crusade to make people dumb? Are you really that fanatical?

Update: Jeez, just because they call you "Learned" Foot doesn't mean you have to go around waving that fancy-schmany college degree in my face, does it?

Remember When...

The law and order Republicans used to hate it when criminals got off on "technicalities"? I guess your perspective changes when it's you in the dock.

Judge keeps DeLay felony charges

A minor conspiracy charge was thrown out, but two counts that threaten to prevent DeLay's return to the House leadership remain.

Ralph Blumenthal and Carl Hulse, New York Times

A Texas judge dismissed one charge against Rep. Tom DeLay on Monday but let stand two more serious charges, all but dooming the former House majority leader's hopes of regaining the office when Congress resumes in January.

Judge Pat Priest voided charges against the Texas Republican and two codefendants of conspiracy to violate the state election code by making an illegal corporate contribution. He left standing charges against them of money laundering and conspiracy to launder money.

Predictably, DeLay's office is trying to pretend this defeat is actually a victory. Let's go to the tape:

"The court's decision to dismiss a portion of Ronnie Earle's manufactured and flawed case against Mr. DeLay underscores just how baseless and politically motivated the charges were," the statement said.

Except, of course that that's simply not true. The judge found the two felony charges to have enough factual basis to merit a trial. Only the lesser misdemeanor charge was struck, and it wasn't because of the "baseless" nature of it, it's because:

Priest ruled that the conspiracy provisions of the state election code did not take effect until a year after the charged violations.

So DeLay couldn't be charged because this was an ex post facto law. He didn't make any comment to the effect that the charges were without merit.

Most...corrupt...administration...evah!

I Owe You a Beer

Only Spotty can give out the Spotty Awards for great letters to the editor, so instead I'm going to offer the best compensation I can. I owe you a beer. If your letter gets published in this space, I officially owe you a beer if you ever come to Drinking Liberally. To get the party started, I'm going to offer up two free pints. First:

The Binger surplus

Isn't life full of little ironies? One day, a member of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's staff is touting the good news that the state will have a surplus this year. The next day we read that about a third of the current surplus comes from a one-time estate tax payment from one person ($112 million from the estate of James Binger).

Isn't the elimination of the estate tax a cornerstone of Republican tax policy? Wasn't all of the money in the estate earned before Pawlenty's no-new-taxes policy took effect?

DICK HENDRICKSON, MINNEAPOLIS

Dick Hendrickson, you rock. The first round's on me.

and:

Plenty of new taxes

The idea that the governor has created a budget surplus without raising taxes is laughable.

I live in western Minnesota, and I can say honestly that many landowners' property taxes have tripled during the governor's term in office. In our small community, the school district had to pass two tax levies in the past 18 months so that one of the highest-ranked schools in the state would be able to keep its doors open for the continued success of our students.

OREN THORSON, EAGLE BEND, MINN.

I know Eagle Bend is a bit of drive, two, two and a half hours or so, but if PZ Myers can make it here from Morris I have faith in Mr. Thorson. Gentlemen, I owe you a beer.

Rejected from DFL Senate

Mark Kennedy Hates Christians

well, he must, right? "Season's Greetings?" Seriously, where's my Bill O'Reilly outrage, my CWFA boycott? I want letters to the editor from people who claim they won't send him money because he's pandering to lefties.

Seriously, though, why doesn't this get Focus on the Family into an uproar like Wells Fargo does?

More Bush Lies

AP Shocker: Iraq VP Disputes Bush on Training of Forces

DUBAI The training of Iraqi security forces has suffered a big "setback" in the last six months, with the army and other forces being increasingly used to settle scores and make other political gains, Iraqi Vice President Ghazi al-Yawer said Monday.

Al-Yawer disputed contentions by U.S. officials, including President Bush, that the training of security forces was gathering speed, resulting in more professional troops.

It seems like the CIC has a little problem with the truth. Maybe it's because the truth is so damn inconvenient to his agenda.

Omnibus Weekend Post

Since REW is refusing to post about football I guess the job falls to me...later. Before I get to that I'd like to talk about what we did on Friday. On Friday we saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Before talking about the movie, though, I have to mention where we saw it. That where was at the Heights Theatre which is only a few minutes away from the Powerhouse.

Much as I enjoyed the movie, the theatre almost stole the show. As the website proclaims, it's the oldest continually operating theater in the Twin Cities and boy does it show. The picture on their website gives you some idea of what a gorgeous venue this place is, but you really have to go there to get the full effect. And go a little early to catch the organist in front playing Christmas carols and movie themes before the show starts. Truly a unique place and I'm sure I'll be back.

Anyway, the movie. In one sentence I really liked it. I thought it was clearly the best of the four movies so far. The first two outings were so unsure of themselves, so eager to try not to offend any fans of the books, that they felt lifeless. They had no real visual style of their own. The third movie felt like it was trying so hard to distance itself from the first two that it ended up being very overbearing-the style overshadowing the story in parts. This installment finally found the balance. A darker visual style to match the increasingly ominous events of the book, but with lighter moments and beautiful imagery serving as a counterpoint to the darkness. Some of the characters were not as I would have imagined them-Dumbledore is becoming too much the clown and you don't really get the feeling that he's really a very powerful wizard, Moody was too jokey and not really very threatening and so on, but those were fairly minor complaints. I can definitely see how someone who had not read the book would easily get lost (I have read it and I was still lost occasionally) but I think overall they did good job streamlining the book to get the most important parts of its 800 odd pages into a roughly two hour movie.

This movie really brought one other thing to the fore that I've been wondering about for a while in the books-namely, why does the wizarding world seem to have no culture of its own? Considering that most wizards have very little contact with the Muggles, and many of them express outright distain for them, why is it, then, that it seems like they have simply outright adopted Muggle culture? Take for example the Quiddich World Cup stadium at the beginning of Goblet. It looked like nothing so much as massive gravity-defying soccer stadium. With the ability to create any fanciful form that they wish, why wouldn't the wizrads have created something that would like a little more outre to us and not just copy a muggle building on a massive scale? Another example is how the youngsters at Hogwarts have no "wizardisms" in their speech. You'd think, like any group of youngsters put together for an extended period of time, they would start to develop their own lingo, yet when Harry and Draco get in a fight the winner never "Puts the crucio" on the loser or threatens to "Kedavra" him. Eh, I guess it's a children's book and I'm probably putting way too much thought into this. So, moving along...

What can you say about yesterday's game? It was against a Lions team that was reeling even worse than usual so it's shameful that the game ended up coming down to the last play. On the other hand, it shouldn't have because the roughing the passer call which nullified Brain Williams' interception and touchdown was a terrible call so the game should have been put away there. In the end a win's a win and it puts us a little closer to a possible wild card berth for the playoffs. Since Chicago can't do the decent thing and lose once in a while, and since Favre apparently can't remember which team he plays for, we're definitely not taking the division. No matter how the playoff race shakes out, next week's game against the Rams should be fun and the Steelers the week after that should be even better.