Major Political Changes in the USA

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Alaskans Wary of Vote on Oil Drilling

Thu Mar 17,11:19 AM ET

By MATT VOLZ, Associated Press Writer

JUNEAU, Alaska - The tiny north coast town of Kaktovik officially supports responsible development of oil and gas. But many reacted warily to the Senate vote to allow drilling in their back yard.

Even with just 284 residents, Kaktovik is the largest town on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain. Mayor Lon Sonsalla said just about everyone has concerns about changes that could accompany any work in the 1.5 million-acre stretch, where billions of barrels of crude oil are believed to rest beneath the tundra.

"We are now given notice that we have to be on our toes," said the mayor said.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...illing_alaska_5

I really think they could do better than this. I understand we still need to drain the planet, but don't create a refuge and then muck it up. Bush is just on an early roll this term. <_>

[Wolfie]

Asked about the legality of practices in the past, a government official said, "The C.I.A. has always complied with the legal guidelines it received from the Department of Justice in regard to interrogation."

Now withe Alberto "Torture r' Us" Gonzales at Justice they should have no problems being within the DOJ's gudelines. <_>

[Redneck4sure]

Try renting a car when you are out of state... then tell me

You need to "stay yo ass at home".

I don't rent cars and I don't ride amtrak. :)

[DudeAsInCool]

OP-ED COLUMNIST

Captains of Piracy

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Published: March 19, 2005

In Russia, those who manipulate capitalism to gain fabulous wealth are called the oligarchs, and they sometimes end up in prison. Here we just call such people C.E.O.'s, and we put them in prison less often.

This is the time of year when corporate financial statements offer snapshots of their executives' mugging shareholders. Over the next few weeks, we'll find out precisely how much public companies overpaid their chief executives, but the news filtering out so far underscores the market failure in the boardrooms.

Read more here:

http://nytimes.com/2005/03/19/opinion/19kristof.html

[DudeAsInCool]

The Age of Missing Information

The Bush administration's campaign against openness.

By Steven Aftergood

Posted Thursday, March 17, 2005, at 4:23 AM PT

Listen to this story on NPR's Day to Day.

The government does a remarkable job of counting the number of national security secrets it generates each year. Since President George W. Bush entered office, the pace of classification activity has increased by 75 percent, said William Leonard in March 2 congressional testimony. His Information Security Oversight Office oversees the classification system and recorded a rise from 9 million classification actions in fiscal year 2001 to 16 million in fiscal year 2004.

...The information blackout may serve the short-term interests of the present administration, which is allergic to criticism or even to probing questions. But it is a disservice to the country. Worst of all, the Bush administration's information policies are conditioning Americans to lower their expectations of government accountability and to doubt their own ability to challenge their political leaders.

Information is the oxygen of democracy. Day by day, the Bush administration is cutting off the supply.

Read the full story at Slate

http://slate.msn.com/id/2114963/

Or listen to it at NPR.org

[DudeAsInCool]

Some things never change - I dont think the abstinence program is working:

Study: Teens Who Pledge Virginity Try To Bend The Rules

03.21.2005 3:13 PM EST

Poll finds they're more likely to have tried anal, oral sex.

Teens who take abstinence pledges are almost as likely to be infected with sexually transmitted diseases as kids who don't, according to a new study that found pledgers tend to substitute other risky behavior for regular intercourse.

The rates of oral and anal sex among people who planned to stay abstinent until marriage are higher than among other teens who have not had intercourse at all, according to the study, published in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1498328/2...?headlines=true

[DudeAsInCool]

Forget what you read in the mainstream press - get the real info here:

http://www.whitehouse.org/index.asp

[DudeAsInCool]

GOP governors cut state workers' rights

- - - - - - - - - - - -

By Robert Tanner

March 21, 2005  | 

Republican governors in a few spots across the country are angering state employees by removing one of organized labor's strongest tools — the right to collective bargaining.

Governors in three states who've taken the step say it's about making government more efficient or being fair to non-union workers. Critics say it's political payback for labor's traditional support of Democrats and part of a wider shift to undermine workers in favor of big business.

Within hours or days of taking office this year, Mitch Daniels in Indiana and Matt Blunt in Missouri eliminated collective bargaining agreements for state employees, affecting about 50,000 workers. Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher did the same when he took office in 2003. In each case, the agreements had only been granted by executive order, not by law.

http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2005/03/21/...nors/index.html

[slum_goddess]

there are so many disparate groups of people who have been fucked in the ass by bushCo & friends. why they're not organising is amazing to me.

[slum_goddess]

Forget what you read in the mainstream press - get the real info here:

http://www.whitehouse.org/index.asp

that's just as valid as what's coming out of the bullshit whitehouse (and a hell of a lot funnier)

[DudeAsInCool]

:rotfl:

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

[DudeAsInCool]

The following is not a good development - what's going on North of the borders these days?

Canada Denies Refugee Status to American

Mar 24, 9:28 PM (ET)

By BETH DUFF-BROWN

TORONTO (AP) - A U.S. Army paratrooper who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Iraq was denied political asylum Thursday, dealing a blow to other deserters here who argue such duty would force them to commit atrocities against civilians.

An immigration board ruled that Jeremy Hinzman had not convinced its members he would face persecution or cruel and unusual punishment if returned to the United States.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050325/D891NERG0.html

[Kooperman]

I guess that puts a crimp in the plan to deport all the Bush clan to Canada......

[Redneck4sure]

Sounds like the Canadians used good judgement.

[DudeAsInCool]

Sounds like the Canadians used good judgement.

Whatever happened to Conscientous Objector status? I'd never go to Iraq if I was a young person today - and i would fight all these creeps till Kingdom Come. In my mind, our leadership are criminals and thugs...

[slum_goddess]

shit...very depressing news.

[Redneck4sure]

Whatever happened to Conscientous Objector status? I'd never go to Iraq if I was a young person today - and i would fight all these creeps till Kingdom Come. In my mind, our leadership are criminals and thugs...

He JOINED the army. He was not drafted. Only a damn fool would join the army and think he could pick and choose his job. He needs to be in jail for a few dozen yrs.

[DudeAsInCool]

He JOINED the army. He was not drafted. Only a damn fool would join the army and think he could pick and choose his job. He needs to be in jail for a few dozen yrs.

[Wolfie]

I have to agree with Redneck on this one. If you join the military voluntarily than you should be ready to fight. That 30,000 dollers for college does not come free of charge. :bigsmile:

[DudeAsInCool]

Terri? Terri who?

Are they finally figuring it out?

Republicans in Congress rushed headlong into the Terri Schiavo case based on promises -- from the inside and the outside -- that it was "a great political issue" for them that would appease their supporters on the religious right while forcing the Democrats to align themselves with death. It was supposed to be a win-win situation for the GOP, but it hasn't worked out that way. The polls show that asubstantial majority of Americans oppose congressional intervention in the Schiavo case. And in just one week, George W. Bush's approval ratings have dropped seven points, to the lowest level of his entire presidency. The Republican National Committee says it's because Bush is tackling "tough issues" like Social Security and energy policy. But with Terri Schiavo dominating virtually every minute of TV news this week, it's hard to think that Social Security and energy policy are driving Americans' views of their president. It's all Terri, all the time, and the public isn't comfortable with what it's seeing.

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/

[DudeAsInCool]

Pentagon Will Not Try 17 G.I.'s Implicated in Prisoners' Deaths

By DOUGLAS JEHL

Published: March 26, 2005

WASHINGTON, March 25 - Despite recommendations by Army investigators, commanders have decided not to prosecute 17 American soldiers implicated in the deaths of three prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003 and 2004, according to a new accounting released Friday by the Army.

Investigators had recommended that all 17 soldiers be charged in the cases, according to the accounting by the Army Criminal Investigation Command. The charges included murder, conspiracy and negligent homicide. While none of the 17 will face any prosecution, one received a letter of reprimand and another was discharged after the investigations.

http://nytimes.com/2005/03/26/politics/26a...zLKUFGxUQRWFiaQ

:reallymad: :reallymad: :reallymad:

[DudeAsInCool]

U.S. Is Set to Sell Jets to Pakistan; India Is Critical

By THOM SHANKER and JOEL BRINKLEY

Published: March 26, 2005

WASHINGTON, March 25 - The United States will sell F-16 jet fighters to Pakistan in a deal that State Department officials said Friday would improve regional security. But the decision was immediately denounced by India as adding a fresh element of instability to relations between the nuclear neighbors.

http://nytimes.com/2005/03/26/politics/26m...artner=homepage

This makes a lot of sense - Pakistan sold nuclear secrets to Korea and Iran.

[Redneck4sure]

We sell Pakistan fighters then we sell India some. Good business. :psychofun:

[slum_goddess]

Pentagon Will Not Try 17 G.I.'s Implicated in Prisoners' Deaths

i guess that's good...i might've had a heart attack if they decided to penalise them.