Restoring American Values

That's my slogan, which I believe is better than "Let's get Real" and certainly better than "Together We Can Do Better."

Restoring American Values is something down home and apple pie, and might even sound conservative. And true, what Democrats would like to do is go back to the past...the 1990s.

By American Values I mean: respect for the Constitution and co-equal branches of government over certain political leaders, respect for hard work and sacrifice over wealth and privilege, a Communitarian rather than a Hobbsian worldview, the Geneva Conventions, open government, accountable leaders, responsible leadership, the American Dream, fairness and fair dealing, acting in good faith, reality over spin, patriotism as critique of the government's policies, a level playing field, freedom to believe in whatever you want without hurting others or yourself, freedom to say what you want within reason, reason over fear.

All of these have broad support, much broader support than: treating public policy as a business and expecting a return on "investments" in politician’s campaigns/families, dividing Americans by religious expression, class, sexual orientation, utilizing fear to win, giving special deals to special interests, preferring communications experts over policy experts, Post-Modernist belief that their is no reality, denouncing critics as traitors and/or faithless, the infallibility of the president, torture, etc.

Join Democrats across the country demanding change, we need to restore America and American values before its too late.

Get real Senators

Roll Call reports there are too many Senators looking in the mirror these days.

With an extraordinary 11 sitting Senators seriously eyeing a bid for the White House in 2008, both parties are already dealing with logistical and personality headaches as the lawmakers use the chamber as a testing ground for their competing agendas.
...
“It’s going to be an absolute circus,” acknowledged one GOP Senate aide. “There’s going to be a lot of thumping of the chests, a lot of third-person speaking.”

Lord, save us! Let's do a run down on the wannabes and the reality. For the Democrats: Sens. Evan Bayh (Ind.), Joseph Biden (Del.), Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), Chris Dodd (Conn.), Russ Feingold (Wis.), John Kerry (Mass.), Barack Obama (Ill.), and ex-Sens. Tom Dashcle (S.D.), and John Edwards (N.C.). For the Republicans: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (Tenn.), who is retiring after this Congress, as well as Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Chuck Hagel (Neb.), Sam Brownback (Kan.) and George Allen (Va.). Oh and don't forget Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.).

Of the Democrats only Hillary, Edwards, Finegold, and Obama have a prayer. [Even then, I think Obama won't run, Finegold will fizzle out like Dean did, and Hillary will collapse under the weight of all her CW strategy] The marginals are Kerry and Bayh, but both of those two will flop by Super Tuesday. The rest, well they will do about as well as Sen. Orin Hatch did in 2000 or Sen. Lieberman in 2004.

Of Republicans: McCain and Allen are the only ones. Frist will be fun to watch implode. Brownback will say something too nutjob that pragmatic GOP folks will have to kill his candidacy lest he hand the White House to the Democrats (ditto for Tancredo). Hagel has no support from the base and is about the same as Joe Biden on the Democratic side: both think that being on Sunday talk shows nearly every week equals press love and/or actual support; it equals neither, rather it means you are a good counter-label guy and filler.

What is it about the senate that makes those electeds think they are somehow qualified to be president, or more importantly, able to get nominated and elected president? For 46 years, no guy whose most recent elected position was U.S. Senator was elected president. By 2008 it will be 48, I bet.

Senators can't talk like normal people after a certain number of years there. Senators don't actually accomplish much that voters can latch on to. They have long voting records which can be easily distorted.

This is why the best Democratic canididates are ex-Gen. Wes Clark, ex-Gov. Mark Warner, ex-VP Al Gore, and ex-Sen. John Edwards, in that order. Edwards is unique in that he spent only 6 years in the senate, and still talks like a normal person.

McCain is exceptional because most people know him from his presidential run in 2000 and the moderate reputation he built up by co-sponsoring popular Democratic legislation. McCain pretends to talk like a normal person, but an attentive listener can see through the facade.

Personally, I see Guillini taking it over McCain. I doubt Romney will do well, he seems gaff prone and a one term Massachusetts governor by choice is a lot different than a one term Virginia governor by law.

Please Sens. Dodd, Biden, Hagel, Frist, Kerry, Brownback, et al, save us all the hassle and pain and just don't run. For the love of your country and party, don't waste our time.

In George W. Bush's America

Under a Republican White House, a Republican Congress, and a Republican majority Judiciary:

• Violent Crime is up 4.8%


• Abortions are up.


• Wages for the working class are stagnant


• The cost of Health Care is far outpacing wage growth.


• CEO compensation has grown much faster than working class wages


• Federal Spending has outdone the Johnson Era


• Federal Republican policy to treat public policy as a business, creating rates of returns that you get in business

I could go on, but why bother. Democrats' only message thus far is "we can't mess it up any worse than the GOP." Well that doesn't get your base excited and it doesn't get your marginal swing voter to the polls either. Yet nothing less than the Republic is a stake here. Congressional Republicans have wholly abandoned their role under the constitution, except the spending part. Rather than write laws on various matters or make ruling, Congress has created hundreds of agencies which they have no desire to police. [Government is bigger under George W. Bush too] Rather than watch over these agencies, and the rest of the executive branch, Congress seems content to spend like a drunken soldier and not be bothered with violations of the 4th amendment or the like.

You can't trust Republicans with your saftey (home or abroad [did a mention that terrorist attacks are up too]); you can't trust them with your money; you can't trust them with your economy [stock market has tanked]; you can't trust them with your 'culture of life'...yet they keep on winning.

I am tired of being polarized and divided by Republicans. I am a proud Utahn, but in the Red State/Blue State culture they have created, I am destined to feel "Othered" in my home state. We have been sliced and diced in this county, designated as Soccer Mom, NASCAR Dads, Latte drinkers, Prius drivers, Security Moms, "Values Voters," etc. We are Americans, damn it.

The so-called Unity'08 ticket won't solve it. We need to denouce this kind of approach to governing by voting in droves to kick out anyone that uses our money too feed his donors, friend or home district just 'cus, anyone who plays on our basest fears and stereotypes to win elections or pass legislation, anyone who treats government jobs as paybacks to donors or party hacks, anyone who wants to lie to further a misguided foreign policy, anyone who calls people who disagree with them traiors or question their religion.

Pelosi's purge

I know bloggers don't like how spineless Nancy Pelosi has been in general (although they are warming to her stance on Jefferson), they sure as heck don't like Steny Hoyer.
My money is on Pelosi is behind Murtha's challenge of Hoyer for Majority Leader.

Murtha is one of Pelosi’s top allies in the House, one of the architects of her 2001 victory over Hoyer. Earlier this week, Hoyer publicly pledged his loyalty to Pelosi, saying that he wants her to lead the Democrats whether they win or lose this fall.

Maybe Murtha is going to shoot for Majority Leader now that he is a famous Democrat outside the beltway and respected inside it. I bet that Pelosi is starting to create her own leadership team.

A bit premature if you ask me.

scary mailer of the week

I am not near my scanner but luckily this object has a website. Meet "Josh," described in the flyer as "the baby boy you've always wanted to hug, hold and keep sweetly innocent forevermore."


Isn't this one of the spookiest things you have ever seen?

It doesn't look good

After last night's super primary results are in, I predicting the Democrats will come up short in November.

If you can't beat a lobbyist replacing a guy who took $2.4 Million in bribes from lobbyists, where can you win? Now I think we should take Bob Ney's seat off the board, and Pombo's and Lewis'. Redistricting and idiot voters seem to be too much to overcome. Busby said something stupid, the CA-Gov primaries were turnout depressing, etc. but a loss is a loss. That was our best opportunity with a good candidate and a seemingly good message.

Liberals in the Blogophere think that Tester's big win means that populism works everywhere and that D.C. consultants are dead wrong. Well I agree with them, D.C. consultants are dead wrong. I supported Morrison because of my personal contact with him and my sense that he was a good guy and since he was elected statewide, he would have a better shot. But that was before the adultery scandal, and it was that scandal that sunk Morrison. Tester organized well and had good outside the box ads, but it was Morrison's failings that propped up Tester. As for populism working, well maybe in a state like Montana, but not in any other state I can think of.

Montana is not so ruby red as Liberal bloggers are trying to tell you. It voted for Clinton in 1996 and I suspect a Clark or a Warner or an Edwards could win that state back too if they showed up with Sen. Tester (God willing) and Gov. Schweitzer.

The worst news for Tester:

Now that Tester has triumphed 60 percent to 36 percent, look to national Democrats to lean on him to shake up his campaign and bring in more seasoned professionals and significantly ramp up his fundraising.

Burns came off his win swinging, challenging Tester to lay bare his thoughts on such emotionally charged issues as gay marriage and flag burning.

That means that if Tester does have to hire those idiot DSCC consultants (for love of humanity, don't do it, please) they will make it talk around or ignore gay marriage and flag burning, which Burns thinks will save his Abramoff-owned soul.

Back to my predictions: in the House, 10-15 seat pickup for Democrats, with the lower end being more likely; in the Senate, 2-4 seat pickup for Democrats; in Governors races I see a win in Ohio, Arkansas, Alaska, New York, New Hampshire, Maryland, losses in California (Angelides looks like Buddy Holly with less charisma), Georgia, South Dakota, Florida, Connecticut, and probably Massachusetts (they always manage to screw it up), toss ups in Colorado, Oregon, Illinois, Alabama, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota.

The Devil's Wedding Day

Today's date is 6/6/06, which you all know means horror movies, devil worshipers, heavy metal bands, and right wing nutjobs will use the day to promote their product.

At the County building, it means that some 'interesting' folk are getting married today. Those who think being Goth (and tatoos and piercings black lipstick etc.) is really cool and that this is the prefect day to get married, since Halloween is so passe' after "the Crow" came out.

How ironic too that today GOP senators are pretending to debate about amending the U.S. constitution to ban gay marriage.

Look, people get married for lots of reasons, some good (love), many bad (money/land, fame, sex, pregnancy, alcohol/drugs, rebellion, social pressure, diplomacy). What's wrong with marriage is not same-sex couples wanting to profess their love and commitment to each other, but that you can get married in a drive-through...and then get divorced in a drive through a few feet away. Or get the marriage annulled online. Or get married while under the influence.

Some say the real trouble is how easy it is to divorce (I sorta said so myself above, but I was really referring to the drive-thru culture infected marriage). But if you are going to go back to the pre-Henry the VIII era, you best make marriage a lot more serious of an institution.

No child marriages, no drunk/high marriages, no just for sex marriages, no "you'll go to hell unless you get married" marriages.

Personally, I think that marriage as an institution and concept is strong enough and flexible enough to welcome in same-sex couples. It is not "activist Judges" that are "redefining marriage," society has redefined marriage over the ages.

Divorce is no longer taboo, while you might have to be married to get the White House, the fact that John Kerry had divorced was never an issue. Nor is it an issue for dozens of U.S> Senators, including those supporting the marriage amendment.

While Britney's quicky marriage and divorce was the butt of jokes, it is quite normal for many Americans. Why else would the state of Nevada be in the marriage business (and Tennessee for that matter)?

And although pre-marital sex is still considered a sin (unlike divorce), it is regularly displayed on popular shows and movies without much to do (just no nudity please).

If people want to worship the Devil and get married today, they should realize their part of the trivilization of marriage (and of the Book of Revelations).

$ and Congress, part 2006

Sunday’s Deseret News had a very frank discussion of outside money in politics. It seems for once a political reporter actually looked at context and reality. So hats off to Lee Davidson and Bob Bernick Jr. (you have to praise them when they do something right, not just criticize when they do bad stuff).

The real deal as they alluded to: the safer the member of Congress is, the more outside money they raise, because it is a safer bet for lobbyists, interest-groups, and individuals seeking influence. And because Utah not is that that wealthy of a state. I didn’t do well in Stats in college, but I bet there is a statistically significant inverse correlation between one’s Cook rating (safe Republican vs. leans Republican vs. Toss up) and the type and amount members of Congress can raise. Just look at this chart:

CREDIT: Deseret News

Here is another fundamental problem with the system: “Matheson says he spends four to six hours a week on the telephone seeking funds. Because members of Congress cannot use federal phones or office space for such activities, that forces him to work out of his campaign or party offices in Utah and Washington.” That means that instead of spending his time reading bills or talking to constituents, Matheson is spending 4-6 hours on the phone raising money at the DCCC and maybe another hour or so walking back and forth from his office to the DCCC.

Another is that staffers get paid crap, like less than minimum wage in most cases. In an expensive city like D.C., offers of largess from lobbyists can be very tempting. And appearantly, that's what's been happening over the past 6 years. The Medill School of Journalism and D.C. watchgroups noticed that $50 million was given to saffers improperly. And because these staffers are the defacto members in many cases (because a lot of these Members are complete idiots and are just names), the lack of enforcement is scary.

Another big problem is most lobbyists are lobbyists not because they are experts in a field, and could therefore help their company get favorable legislation and Congress make an informed decision. Rather, these lobbyists are lobbyists because their relative is a Member of Congress or big dude in the Administration, or they themselves were a member of Congress.

Take, for example, the case of Tom DeLay's brother Randy DeLay, who is - no surprise here - a lobbyist. According to a report by NPR's Marketplace this morning, he whisked two staffers to a resort while they were both working on a transportation approrpiations bill. They spent the weekend with his client, who wanted money to a build a toll road in West Virginia. DeLay picked up the tab. No repercussions.

Now both Daschles are lobbyists. And soon both DeLays will too. Same goes for Hatch's family, the Hutinson's etc. I could go on and on. If we outlawed neposism in lobbying, made the sit out period for former Members/Appointees 3 years, publicly financed elections or allowed unlimited donations (with a payed for by section at the end of each ad), we could get back to governing for the people, not the well connected.

Joe-vinile

I have been reading the material of both sides of the debate over the primary battle between Joe Lieberman and Ned Lemont. As someone that worked at the DLC, I should be outraged that leftie groups like Moveon.org and DFA are pushing for the "purge" of Joe. Yet I would like to see Joe go, and almost none of it has to do with reasons either side is pushing.

The whole debate is juvinile, or should I say Joe-vinile.

To sum my view in seven words: Joe is a politican with bad instincts. That is my main problem with him. Everything he supports turns to crap and Democrats would be well advised to treat him as another haplessly comic character, George Costanza: do the exact opposite of what Joe would do or suggest. Having him in the Senate as a national figure creates the temptation for Democrats to listen to him and shot themselves in the foot again in 2006 and 2008.

Let me give you some examples (besides the obvious Iraq war one): the Department of Homeland Security. It was Joe's idea that Senate Democrats, then in the 50-1-49 majority, support a Department of Homeland Security. The idea was that the next 9/11 would be averted if we put all security type agencies under one roof who reported to the president at a cabinet level. But the idea really was, let's go to the right of Bush on terrorism and security and show him Democrats can be trusted with national security. Initially it worked, for months, Bush said no department or cabinet level position was necessary, wishing to avoid Congressional supervision.

Then Bush figured out that DHS could be used AGAINST the Democrats, and went further to the right than Lieberman proposed: no unions for DHS employees, all would be at will. Of course, Democrats balked; that was what Bush was counting on. He then claimed that moderate Democrats couldn't be trusted with national security because they were putting Big Labor ahead of those sacred swing voters.

It worked, every moderate Democrat lost except Mary Landrieu (who ran opposite of Joe's free trade advice), and Democrats lost control of the Senate. When Joe suggested going to the right of Bush on Iran, again it seems like Iraq and DHS all over again.

Joe's political strategy might have worked in 1960, when John Kennedy ran to the right on security to an unprepared Nixon ("missle gap"), but it won't work on the modern GOP. They learned that lesson 46 years ago Joe.

Same goes for big bills like the Cap and Trade Carbon Emissions bill. It is a pretty decent idea, not perfect but certainly better than nothing. But the problem is, Joe keeps working with John McCain on such big bills in a way that McCain gets all the credit for "crossing the alise" while Lieberman gets none of it.

Joe has been unwittingly helped McCain burnish his raging moderate reputation to disguise his raging conservative views on just about everything else. Again Joe is enabling Republicans to beat Democrats by propping up John McCain for 2008. Joe is not a statesman who gets things done, or a well-respected senator. He is a tool; a usefull well-meaning fool Republicans use. Ted Kennedy, like him or not, is a statesman. He has more legislation under his belt that actually has done great things for American than any other politican alive in America today. He is like Henry Clay good at getting his finger in the pie and making sure he gets the most out of his name being on there.

Joe has been against regulations and financial reporting of companies until Enron broke, and then he ran to the microphone, causing harm to the American worker and 401k holder while weakening Democrats who disagreed with him by calling them anti-corporatists.

He told Democrats not to attack Bush when George W. started his downward spiral in the polls. He fudged on Social Security while other Democrats stood down the swaggering president. He fudged on conservative judges because he thought Democrats would look to shrill complaining about this radicals. He is part of the "please let's not talk about Iraq!" coalition of consultants and pundits in the Democratic Party who think that "Kitchen Table Issues" will carry the day if we just ignore the number 1 issue on American's minds.

I don't want to get rid of Lieberman because he talks within GOP talking points, or he was the first to applaud Bush, or that he kissed Bush on the cheek, or even the War. I hope that Connecticut primary voters ditch Joe because his very presence in the cloakrooms, strategy sessions, talk shows, articles, etc. are a cancer on the Democratic Party's hope for reclaiming governing power.

Russ Feingold is right that Democrats need to stand for something. We agree 80-90% on what that something is. So let's go out and stick to it. And come to some sort of agreement on how to talk about Iraq for real. And keep Joe out of the room, he's bad for business.

how gay marriage effected a straight, married man in Utah

As a staffer for a liberal Massachusetts State Representative in 2003 and 2004, I kept asking concerned callers how gay marriage in Massachusetts would effect their marriage or their religious beliefs if they lived in say, Texas.

And now, I have the answer in Utah. Yesterday, my wife and I wanted to go to church. After all, we had a young adult group from our church at our home the night before and all of the attendees would be there; one was even going to be an usher. But when we got there 5-10 minutes before services began, the parking lot was full (it is smaller now with the construction to the cathedral). Moreover, all the street parking was gone because there was a gay pride parade going on right along one of the streets abutting the church. A big part of the parade was not just costumes and floats and motorcycles but a message that the U.S. Constitutional Amendment against gay marriage put out there by the GOP was bad.

Yet my wife and I couldn't get to church, and all the other churches in the area had already started 30 minutes ago. So instead, we "worshiped" by going to the grocery store.

I get why people are upset with the word "marriage" being used for gay couples, and I understand why those gay couples want the right to use the word marriage. I am in favor of equal rights for all people regardless of whom they love, what their skin color is etc. Yet yesterday, in this rare freak occurrence, gay marriage did effect my life in a negative fashion. Although there were lots of fresh produce available, so I guess it wasn't all bad.

Ursprache

As many readers know, I am a horrible speller [and proofreader]. My wife is terrific at both. But I have to brag that, last night when I was watching the National Spelling Bee with her, I got the final word and the word that caused the Canadian girl to lose (Weltschmerz) spelled right the first time (and she didn't).

No, I didn't suddenly become a speller, I had an edge in that they are simple German words. Ursprache means "mother tongue" Ur means original, beginning, first, etc. and Sprache means language. Welt means world and Schmerz means pain or hurt. Now Weltanschuung (ones perspective, literally world outlook), that would have been a tough spell or Danauschifffahrer. That's right 3 F's: 2 for Schiff (ship) and one for Fahrer (driver). I can spell in German much better than I can in English because German has very consistent rules.

Whereas, English has absorbed words from all over the world and those word's spelling systems. Most people don't use many Hawaiian words that they used in last night's Bee but most of use routinely do use stupid French-spelled words, like bureau. Do you know how long it takes me to spell those words? I shouldn't have to learn French and Latin to know how to spell in English.

German has complex grammar; Chinese has complex writing; and English has complex spelling (for every rule their is an exception, and there is often an exception to the exception [like "I before E, except after C."]). Each language has its drawbacks, no language is fundamentally harder or better than the other. But we can all complain, and we can all marvel at 10-13 year olds who can spell words they have never heard of in their lives.

Window dressing diplomacy

Don't get confused by the sham negotiation proposal by Secretary of State Rice, the Bush administration has no intention of talking with Iran.

This move is a joke, and even Bush administration leakers know it. One "Senior Bush Administration Official" said that Cheney didn't like the idea, until they convinced him that they really didn't want direct talks either. "it came down to convincing Cheney and others that if we are going to confront Iran, we first have to check off the box"...Doesn't that sound exactly like Iraq? Didn't Cheney refuse to go to the UN but Powell and others said we have to check this box?

In both cases, the offers made to the Persian Gulf country that begins with an "I" were known non-starters. Taking lessons from the Godfather, Bush officials only making offers they know the other side will refuse.

If they were actually serious about resolving the conflict peacefully, they would have made this offer in private, see it tank, then keep talking until they got terms both could agree were face saving. Something like what Kennedy's team did during the Cuban missile crisis (move the missiles out of Turkey later in exchange for missiles out of Cuba).

Think about it this way, if the US was in Iran's position, would American politicians be willing to give up the potential for national and regional pride just to talk to a regime that really wants to bomb them anyway? Iranian officials might be ideologues, but they aren't stupid.

They aren't going to buy that puppy in the window because they know it really isn't for sale. It's just window dressing.

blogging can save the planet!

Hard to believe I know, but according to Think Fast PM you can elminate a whole ton (literally 20,000 lbs.) of CO2 simply by linking to this market anaylsis blog. So if you liked Al Gore's new movie, blogroll Deep Markets.

Blogger treehugger has more details.

"Our powers combined..."

It won't go away

On my 809th post, I would like to go back to one of my favorite whipping boys: Kanab's Natural Family Resolution.

According to the The Salt Lake Tribune the locals can't stop talking about it. And the local press invites the public to forgo their Constitutional rights.

Tyler Juber brings it up because he wants others to stop bringing it up.
"Natural-family this, natural-family that," the Kanab teen writes in last week's Southern Utah News. "Oh, this person said this and now I hate him. The mayor passed a horrible proclamation. Shut up!" [...]
Since the resolution's passage, her quiver of letters to the editor has overflowed with commentaries - from near and far, both for and against the resolution.

Kanab's idiot Mayor Kim Lawson is upset that "the media has chosen to bother a community of 4,000 or less." All this attention was the last thing I wanted when I made my city one of the only to adopt a Sutherlands Institute resolution. "The majority of Kanab residents, whether they are for or against this, just want the issue to go away," says the Mayor. The Mayor goes on to say that he doesn't think the resolution intends to single out certain individuals and that he is one of those 'hate the sin, love the sinner' types when it comes to gays etc.

Kortney Stirland, a Kanab pharmacist and diner owner who is LDS and opposes the resolution, argues that another reason why the resolution is unnecessary is that the Church already has a similar resolution out there "That states my belief on the family. . . . Most people don't support the resolution for the same reasons I don't - because of the contention and anger it has caused."

Even some LDS leaders have asked Mayor Lawson repeal the resolution, knowing bad PR when it sees it, but Lawson refuses. I hope that the voters will refuse to reelect him.

The Jeffersons

Rep. "Dollar" Bill Jefferson, who was caught with $90,000 in cash in the cookie jar, I mean freezer, won't go quietly into the night. Min. Leader Pelosi took the timid first step of asking Jefferson to step down off his Ways and Means committee seat. Having no other option, it seems, Jefferson played the race card:

"I will not give up a committee assignment that is so vital to New Orleans at this crucial time for any uncertain, long-term political strategy."
[snip]
He said a request to give up the Ways and Means post would be “discriminatory” because no other member under investigation has been required to give up a major committee assignment.

That's because all the other members under investigation are Republicans Jefferson, not because they are white or don't represent New Orleans. [West Virginia's Mollohan was asked to step down from his Ethics committee seat, but I guess no other biggies]

Democrats can play Sista Soldier here and tell him to resign and ask the Speaker to begin voting to unseat him from Congress. Be like Francine Busby and call on him to resign. I don't care what his race is, where he's from, his ideology, gender, sexual orientation you name it. The man was filmed on video tape taking $100k from a FBI informant. They have audio of him that is pretty unequivocal that he took the money as a bribe. Using the serial numbers, they know that the $90K they recovered in a Saturday night siezure of his office was from the original $100k. They have guilty pleas from several individuals implicating Jefferson. This is about as open and shut case as it can be.

And if Pelosi and the Democratic Caucus (minus the CBC probabbly) held a press conference calling on him to resign and asking the speaker to vote on removal, Jefferson ought to get the hint and resign. Plus, Democrats can regain the high ground by saying 'look, we kicked out our worst offender; why hasn't the GOP done so?' I met enough GOPers would vote him out to make the 2/3rds necessary to remove Jefferson. And then the watch on Ney and so many others in the GOP power structure would begin. It can only get uglier for the Republicans in the House.

It is smart politics and more importantly, it is the right thing to do. Soon enough Dollar Bill will be "movin' on up" to Federal prison anyway. The Democrats in the House can't let themselves be tarred with the Jefferson brush and become the Jeffersons themselves.

bin Laden proves me right

Over a month ago I said:

Can someone explain to me why they let Moussaoui pled guilty and the jury was allowed to decided whether or not to execute him? Sure the man wanted to kill Americans like his Al-Qaeda friends. Sure he tried to learn how to fly an airplane, but he was not involved in the planning, nor did he know about the 9/11 plot in any real detail. I suspect bin Laden or his lieuteniants decided Moussaoui was too unstable for the job.

A few minutes ago, a tape claiming to be of bin Laden's voice surfaced on the internet saying:

"Since Zacarias Moussaoui was still learning how to fly, he wasn't No. 20 in the group, as your government has claimed," bin Laden said. "It knows this very well," he added.

Bin Laden said Moussaoui was not a security risk for al-Qaida, because he did not have knowledge of the plot.

"Brother Moussaoui was arrested two weeks before the events, and if he had known something — even very little — about the Sept. 11 group, we would have informed the leader of the operation, Mohammad Atta, and the others ... to leave America before being discovered," Bin Laden said.

So maybe he didn't out right say Moussaoui was insane, but he certainly affirmed my belief that although Moussaoui had wet dreams about blowing up Americans, he had no part in 9/11 and really did nothing to further any attack against the United States and its peoples.

So again I ask, why is this man in jail for life? For having bad thoughts? For being mentally insane? TalkLeft asks:

Will Moussaoui's lawyers ask for a new trial based on newly discovered evidence showing he's innocent? Is it admissible, if authenticated? Would it have made any difference to the jury? Does anyone care any more about Moussaoui, or has he already become a footnote in 9/11 history now that he is languishing at Supermax?

the most endangered incumbent in Utah

...is not Jim Matheson, despite all the happy talk from the state party. It's Chris Cannon. Cannon is ahead 48-28 against John Jacob. Twenty points isn't bad when 77% of voters don't know who you are. A million bucks worth of ads will clear that up.

"We're going to go out on radio, direct mail and possibly some television," Jacob said.
How much might he spend in this face-off between millionaires?
"I don't believe I have that answer," Jacob said. "I'm now closer to $350,000. I'll probably put another $100,000 to $300,000 in. If it takes more, I'll put it in."

I went down to Happy Valley this weekend to get my wife's ring checked, eat at Durango Grill, and see the Di Vinci Code. On our way to the movie theater my wife spotten a Jacobs lawn sign. Jacob has a real shot. Cannon's favorability is only 45% (36% unfav) Jacobs is at 77% approval rating, meaning those who care about immigration know who he is and like him for that one issue. I am not the only who thinks so, check out Roll Call's top ten most vulnerable incumbents (all Republicans by the way). Of course, this doesn't mean the Democrats have a prayer to pick up this seat, but if Cannon has to blow hundreds of thousands on this race, win or lose, that is hundreds of thousands he couldn't donate to vulnerable incumbents in tight Democrat-republican races and hundreds of thousands that could have been raised/donated to other GOP candidates were the party's hold of the seat is under threat.

I won't make much about Cannon being the first on Roll Call's list, because it looks like it is alphabetical.

Can't stop us now

Last night I watch the much ballyhooed Wes Clark, Jr. Interview. [Warning: video] And it is everything it was cracked up to me.

I remember back in February of 2004 when Clark's own hired guns whispered that Clark was withdrawing to kill the candidacy after he only won one state on Super Tuesday. By the way, he did a lot better than Edwards or Dean at that point, but some how Clark wasn't allowed to continue. Even then Wes Jr. was vivid, saying lots of bad things about the ex-Clinton ex-Gore ex-Graham staffers. And rightfully so, those clowns did nothing for Clark but make him look worse.

Clark made two big mistakes, one that lead to the other: getting in so late and as a result skipping Iowa. Iowa proved to be wide open and receptive to the kind of candidate Clark was.

Even though Wes Jr. can't imagine his dad running again, one has to wonder why else he was in Iowa last weekend. Is he running for VP instead, given that his son thinking that it will be a Hillary vs. Gore or Warner race? Is he running for Secretary of State? No he is running for president.

And it looks like if he follows his heart and his son's advice, it will be a great show. No more DC consultants, just the unvarnished truth. If junior had his way, Democrats would be winners because they would swing back hard. Someone has to call BS and someone has to speak truth to the system.

Americans are desperate for two things from their leaders (beyond actual leadership): honesty and togetherness. Clark believes in both and can achieve both. Watching his son's 45 minute slaying of Democrats and Republicans made me think of all the Rage Against the Machine songs I loved in high school.

I didn't care for the Marxist messaging as much as the power of the music. Some people will call Wes Jr. (and maybe his dad) angry or crazy or unstable. But there is good reason to be angry and those coward politicians are too big a bullies to actually address Wes Jr.'s points.

Perhaps Wes Jr. was a bit crass and vulgar, but he has tapped into his and many others ritegous indignation, their rage against the [political] machine.

quote of the day

Speaker Dennis Hastert, ex-wrestling coach, definding the 72 billion tax cut that went overwhelmly to the wealthy:

"Well, folks, if you earn $40,000 a year and have a family of two, you don't pay any taxes. So you probably, if you don't pay any taxes, you are not going to get a big tax cut."

[H/T AmericaBlog]
Um no, my family of two earns less than $40K, and we pay payroll taxes (Medicare/Medicaid, FICA, etc.), property taxes, taxes (or "fees" in Republican speak) on our cable/heating/cooling/electricty, gas tax, state taxes, and capital gains taxes. We might get a rebate back from the Federal Government from our income tax, but we still pay taxes Mr. Speaker.

Everywhere you turn, working families are being nickel and dimed by taxes and fees, both at the state/local level and the federal. State taxes and fees have gone up under Bush because he is cutting aid to the states and piling up unfunded mandates (NCLB and national security amoung the cheif culprets).

I will say it again, Republican Congresses under George W. Bush have raised your taxes. The net effect of all of their actions has been tax increases for the working and the poor while the ultra-rich have gotten a massive reduction in taxes. It isn't fair and it isn't American. Talk about class-warfare.

story of the day

sloppy cut-and-paste job dooms regressive flat tax.

"We screwed up," [Tax Commissioner Pam] Hendrickson said prior to a Revenue and Taxation Interim Committee hearing.
"In laypersons' terms, the economist 'cut and pasted' the numbers from the wrong spreadsheets. The magnitude of the error, however, is unacceptable," she told legislators.

Who's head will roll for this silly mistake? I know I am not a detail-oriented person at times, but when you are doing something as important as calculating the cost of your boss' key campaign pledge, better double check before you send it off to the legislature.

quote of the day

Goes to Ed Kilgore, a extrodinary writer and thinker over the DLC. "But when it comes to the House GOP, which is getting even more revved up in its nativism, his "come let us reason together" rhetoric last night was the functional equivalent of offering an olive branch to a wood chipper. He's falling between two stools, heavily."

Maybe I am just easily charmed by folksy Southern sayings but I just love the olive branch to a wood chipper visual.

tax reform is code for

In Utah, like in Washington, "tax reform" is code for making the tax code more regressive. That is, the burden of the tax base is shifted down to the middle class or lower-middle class, loopholes for big business and super-rich are Mack Truck sized, and the results are eventual cuts in popular social programs.

Utah's Governor Huntsman is trying to help out his fellow billioniares with his flat tax proposal. Thankfully, at least three versions so far have been killed. The latest idea? "Huntsman and some House members are already floating a "dual track" tax-reform scheme that would allow taxpayers to choose to file under either the existing tax code, with its myriad deductions and credits, or a flat tax of 4.8 percent with no deductions."

For me, tax reform means making the tax simplier and fairer. More simple by combining tax credits and deductions and having someone who speaks English write the forms. It shouldn't take an econ major to fill out the worksheet for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), or someone at H&R Block. Taxes should be clear enough that unless you have secret bank accounts, you could easily do your taxes without tax prep firms. [Sorry Accounting friends] By more fair, I mean that everyone pay a share proportional to what they can afford and how it hurts them. That means eliminating the cap on payroll taxes, so Bill Gates pays the same percentage as tomato pickers in California. It also means thinking about getting rid of payroll taxes all together and just raising income taxes and capital gains taxes accordingly. It means thinking about John Edwards' proposal to make capital gains tax equal to your income tax level. It means keeping the Paris Hilton Tax (aka Estate Tax) for those who don't one a family farm or small business.

That's a progressive tax reform proposal I would like to see, no more of these no billioniare left behind bills.

can you hear me now?

I went up to my parents house for Mother's Day. Sadly, my father wasn't much help as far as dinner etc. went, but that isn't that surprising. What surprised me was that he didn't think the latest NSA eavesdropping scandal was a big deal. Maybe it was because he listened to the erroneous media reports that say they are only collecting the number and length of calls (billions and billions of them). Or maybe because he was swayed by that sham Washington Post snap poll, which has been refuted by the USA TODAY one which asks more accurate questions and get a totally different result (51% disapproval of the program over 60% want an investigation and oversight). The establishment media really tried to kill the story on Washington Week, my saying it was no big deal and it will actually hurt Democrats (BOOO! Go away oversight, or probing minds!)

Meanwhile, there were lots of stories this weekend how about pissed off (and rightfully so) the LDS Church is about the media coverage of Warren Jeffs. Appearantly, the media can't tell the difference between a small break-away sect and a mainstream religion of millions of Americans. There are lots of people out East that still think LDS folks have plural wifes, even though the practice has been baned since 1890. The images on channels like CNN Headline News use the FBI most wanted picture of FLDS leader Warren Jeffs with the Salt Lake Temple superimposed in the background. This isn't just lazy, it is dishonest misleading and bigoted. The President of the LDS Church used to work in their PR department, so he knows how bad this looks and he and his team are trying to scream as loud as they can about this crap.

I say, welcome to the party, LDS Church. The media have been oversimplfying to the point of misleading the public for a long time, and their main whipping boy has been the out of power party (the Democrats since 1994). It seems now the leaders of the LDS Church have been good about clearing up the media and social myth that a Good Mormon can't be a Good Democrat, so maybe they will help bring attention to the braindead East-Coast Establishment, too-many-cocktail-weenies Traditional Media.

Friday round-up

Quote of the Day: "There's definitely an anti-incumbent feeling and I absolutely agree with it," says Roy Chapman, a [Utah Republican State Convention] delegate from Tooele. "The White House, the Senate and the House are Republican-controlled. And yet our country is in a mess. We have to blame the people who are in there." --SL Trib, on Rep. Cannon's chances in the convention. How come is he endangered? He had the audacity to say this: "We love immigrants in Utah. We don't make distinctions between legal and illegal."

That's right, Cannon faces a $1M self-funder who is anti-immigrant, and ex-Rep. Cook, who seeks a more moderate approach to immigration reform (penalize the companies). Remember, if Cannont can't get 65% of the delegates, there is a primary between the top two. Who will it be? If it was based on money, it would be Jacob and Cannon:

Jacob is basically self-funding his race; all but $8,112 of his $253,112 comes from the candidate. Jacob has spent $246,500 on the race up to the convention. He has $6,500 in cash but clearly can write checks himself if he gets into a primary.
Cook, meanwhile, is not spending much on the convention race.
Cook, who has spent more than $3 million on his own races and causes over the years, has given his campaign just $5,000. Other Cook family members have contributed, also. And the anti-illegal immigrant PAC, Team America, gave Cook $5,000, for a total raised of only $27,035, Federal Election Commission reports show.
Meanwhile, Cannon, who historically doesn't raise nor spend much money on his re-elections, has gone all out this year. He's raised more than $462,000 and spent $465,000 since his 2004 re-election.
Should Cannon be forced into a six-week primary battle with either Cook or Jacob, the incumbent has only $27,737 in cash to start that primary campaign. Cannon has loaned his campaign about $18,000, records show.

The amount Cannon has spent and raised, along with that quote above from our Tooele [pronounced Tool-will-ah for those of you not from the Beehive State] gives Democrats great hope for retaking the House (and maybe the Senate) this year.

Speaking of the U.S. Senate, there is a primary challenger to Orin Hatch (which happens routinely because Hatch is far too "liberal" for some delegates), Mike Ridgeway. But get this, the guy is so nuts appearantly that a Judge gave a restraining order against Ridgeway.

An anti-stalking injunction against candidate Mike Ridgway has been issued... It orders Ridgway to stay away from Republican Party activist Mark Towner and members of his family.
Towner lost his bid for the party's nomination to a state Senate seat after Ridgway distributed an anti-Towner letter among delegates of Senate District 2 at the Salt Lake County convention.
Ridgway reportedly then had confrontations with Towner and members of his family, which provoked Towner to seek an injunction ... since 2002, Ridgway has confronted either him or his wife at least 15 times...
The injunction orders Ridgway to stay away from areas where the Towners frequent, including their home, their work, the University of Utah and Republican events.
That means Ridgway, who has been involved in several confrontational incidents this campaign season and has been escorted out of his own precinct caucus by a security guard, might be in violation of the court order if he attends the convention on Saturday.

Talk about an incumbent protection program! [ba-doom-ching] Thank you I will be here all week.

Utah getting a 4th District

Even though it likely means another GOP rubber-stamp vote, I still think the appearant swap of 4 districts for Utah in exchange for DC's vote in the House is a good idea. Here's why:

1. DC will get a vote in the House. Again, even if the DC was GOP dominated, which it isn't I think it is only fair that they have a right to vote in Congress especially when Congress is so directly in charge of the city. They basically can overrule the mayor and city counsel at will with impunity.



2. Utah will get an at large district, which means the resulting GOPer could be a moderate. Just think, Huntsman and Walker were fairly moderate for Utah, and they we both elected statewide (Walker for LG, Huntsman for Gov). I wonder who will run in this food fight. Will Walker stage a comeback? Enid Greene? Nolan Karras? Merrill Cook? On the Democratic side, will some one convince Scott Matheson, Jr. to run again? Or Bill Orton? What about Karen Hale? Patrice Arnet? Would Jim jump from the second to this new 4th?



3. Jim Matheson's seat is still just as safe. In fact, even under the 4 normal districts scenerio, Jim could win in that new 4th too (which was drawn around Taylorsville, where Jim did really well in 2000). Giving Jim an opportunity to truely run statewide for Congress wouldn't be that much of a change. The ad buys wouldn't change, he would need more yard signs, but statewide he is loved. The addition of the Avenues, west side (WVC, Magna, etc.) Taylorsville, and Carbon County would more than outweigh the addition of Utah County. Plus then Jim would make a smooth transition to a Senate run when Hatch or Bennett retire in 2010 or 2012.

DLC Press=attack quotes

I used to work for the Democratic Leadership Counsel, back when I first graduated from college. The people there are great, smart, and genuinely trying to do the best thing for the Democratic Party. So too are the elected officials they court and trot out at events.

But the sad thing is, the only time any DLC/PPI (Progressive Policy Institute) event gets coverage is when Will Marshall or Al From or Bruce Reed or some elected (like Lieberman or Bayh or Vilsack) critique their party. Even when these folks are trying to engage the Party in a discussion, the part that gets quoted is the "Democrats need to stop...[negative GOP talking point] instead they should...." sentence. Buried in these reports is the vision, and when it is described it is also negatively described. Marshall is quoted as saying the party needs to be like Truman again, the press implying that the Demcorats are like Mondale or McGovern I guess.

Democrats disagree about whether to or when to pull out of Iraq, or if it was a bad idea to go in the first place, or how to talk about it. But in doing so, Democrats, especially New Dems should avoid couching their advice in negative terms towards the Party at public events. How about "Democrats can regain the advantage we held on national security issues for 80 years by..." instead of blaming their liberal collegues' ideas or purported ideas?

The press are idiotic drones looking for the same old story: Democrats are weak and divided and Republicans are strong and unified. So don't give them an inch, or in this case, a word, that will allow the press to print another "fight" story. This goes double for those chickenshit unnamed sources who are whiny Democrats. New Dems can say something like "While I may disagree with Sen. Finegold about setting a deadline for troop withdrawal, we all can agree that this situation in Iraq cannot go on indefinately." This isn't painting a Potemkin village, this is stating the facts: DLC Democrats and Wellstone Democrats agree about 80-90% on Domestic Policy and probably like 60-75% on Foreign Policy.

I know those politicans crave quotes and stories, but part of the DLC training and part of the messaging advice should be don't say anything that sounds like you are picking a fight with your party. Disagree? Fine by me. Suggest a different course? Cool. But really, you should be picking a fight with the Republicans about all the bad stuff they have done and the bad stuff they do to you.

Democrats seem weak to the American public because they appear to cater to polling rather than their gut reaction [supported by facts of course]. Not just on questions of war and peace, but on when an opponent picks a fight or slimes you. Fight back with some dirt of your own by saying "I find it ironic that X's surrogates are calling me a Y without any proof when X has done..." or "Only a coward and a bully throws mud when faced with almost certain defeat, and make no mistake X is a coward trying to bully me. Ladies and Gentlemen, I won't stand for it." Then have your press people leak the complex truth that refutes X's smear.

Either DLCers don't realize how their being played (and have no clue how to fix the problem) or they are seeking the press come hell or high water, or they really are RINOs like some in lefty blogostan believe. I hope it is the first, but fear it is the second.

coin-operated tourism

This appearantly is going to be Utah's choice for the back of the quarter, according to leakers in the Governor's office. This will help people learn about Utah's role in history as the place where the Golden Spike was hammered in, but won't really get that many people out to Promontory Point I bet. Why not focus on the mountains, the red rock formations? Most people have no idea that Utah is home to the Sundance Film festival, dozens of great national parks, dozens of great ski resorts, and the host of the 2002 olympics.

The two other options were that of a beehive or that of a snowboarder. Of the three, the snowboarder would be my vote given the criteria I just mentioned. The Beehive has religious overtones obvious only to those you know about the LDS religion and is confusing to everyone else. Again, tourism is not going to be big for trains. But skiing and other outdoor recreation is. Why not have a skiier/snowboarder on one half of the coin and a hiker near delacate arch on the other. "America's playground" could be the motto, if you are looking for one.

In other Utah news, someone is not running for reelection: Rocky wants $20K for his portrait (5k more than Deedee paid) AND a $4.6M property tax hike. Good luck on that one.

meet Kanab's most "natural family"

[Photo Credit:Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune]
The Trib found Kanab's most natural family: married in an LDS temple, male breadwinner (a family-practice physician), mother/homemaker (even churns her own butter), and a "full quiver" of children (seven preteen kids - including triplets). And yet, unlike their mayor, they don't think anything less of the "unnatural" family's, in fact, they have greater respect for them than the traditional family:

"We're really lucky to have the family we've got," Jonathan [Bowman, 38] says. "But we really admire people who don't have the personal structure of a family, for the efforts they make to raise their kids and do the best they can."
[snip]
"Part of the resolution . . . is [men] are supposed to be home builders. Well, I'm a barn builder," he says with a laugh.

You see, Jonathan understands what it is like to be a social outcast. After all, when he did his residency, people thought it was odd that he had (at the time) 5 children. His wife Donna (also 38), understands why some are taking offense at the resolution "People feel very defensive if they feel they are under attack or that they are being judged," she says.

Moussaoui wakes up

Moussaoui Asks to Withdraw Guilty Plea. The paper of record has the goods from the hearing:

Mr. Moussaoui told Federal Judge Leonie M. Brinkema that he claimed to be a member of the plot "even though I knew that was a complete fabrication."

Mr. Moussaoui told Judge Brinkema, in what appeared to be a futile motion to withdraw his plea, that he had not trusted the American legal system because he was not assigned a Muslim lawyer, and that his days in solitary confinement had provoked him to fight that system.

The jurors' decision to spare his life made him look at his situation anew, Mr. Moussaoui said. He said he would welcome a trial where he could show he was not part of the 9/11 plot "because I now see that it is possible that I can receive a fair trial even with Americans as jurors."

The reporter here termed the effort futile...is that because the statutory deadline already passed for withdrawal of the a guilty plea? Someone who knows Federal Senencing Laws would really be a hero here in the comments. Or is this just a bit of personal views inserted not so subtley?

Assuming Mousaoui can withdraw his plea (given the jury sentence etc.), this would a terrible setback for the DOJ's end of the War on Terror ™ ...The only guy they have nailed so far was nailed because he was crazy enough to plead guilty without anything in exchange (like no death penalty, or automatic no appeals death for radical muslim would-be marytrs).

This is quickly turning into a landslide loss by the government. Is it becuase the attorney's are Michael Brown-esque? Torture? Lots of inadmissible evidence? No real evidence? What is the deal here.

Utah Congressional Roundup

The 3rd District GOP primary looks to be interesting. The issue that will define the race is immigration. Rep. Cannon is being challenged by the right on this one, where he faced a primary on the issue last time (before it was nearly as prominant of an issue as it is this year). ex-Rep. Cook is also challenging him from the center-right. They debated their ideas for the Deseret News and the others who were in attendence:

Jacob suggested taking away the "incentives" for illegal immigrants, to encourage more legal immigration. At the same time, Jacob touted stricter enforcement of existing laws.
Cannon referred to legislation he is currently involved with that would strengthen U.S. border security, as well as measures to help "innocent children who were dragged here by their parents" to obtain an education while in the United States.
Cook stressed forcing employers to adhere to existing immigration laws, instead of looking the other way. Cook said if employers do that, the number of illegal immigrants coming to America will decrease.

I actually agree with the businessman Cook on this one. If you really want to stop illegal immigation, the only real solution besides helping to improve the economies of the sending countries is to more strictly enforce punishments against companies that hire illegals.

Rep. Matheson, who seems safe despite being in one of the most (probabbly top 5) Republican district in the country, decided to play it even safer this year. In a move that is garnering him much flack from liberal bloggers and go-gos, Matheson voted for the weak loobying reform bill. The idea I guess was to avoid an attack ad, like when Matheson voted for the Medicare bill. Of course, that is not how he explained his vote to the Salt Lake Tribune.

While noting he wished the bill “did more” to reform the laws, Matheson said in an interview, “I think what plays into the decision is, something is better than nothing.”
“If we were less partisan around here we would accomplish more,” he added, But “if there's an opportunity to vote on something, I'm going to vote for it.”

It is true, something is better than nothing. But sometimes something bad is worse than nothing at all. We will see if this bill will delay the necessary reform process or if it is just an intermediate step.

Who will be the next mayor of SLC?

Because it sure as heck won't be Rocky. "The results of a Dan Jones and Associates poll, commissioned by the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV, showed that 39 percent of city residents say the mayor deserves to be re-elected, and another 57 percent think it's time to give someone else a chance." Of course, the same poll give him a 52% approval rating.

Yet like Bush, he is a divider, not a uniter: "Only 4 percent of "strong Republicans," for instance, said they would support a third term for the incumbent. But of the "strong Democrats" polled, 84 percent supported his re-election." Similarly, "Anderson's strongest supporters self-identify with Catholicism, Protestantism or no religion. Among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Anderson's approval ratings and support for re-election hover at 26 and 12 percent, respectively."

While the sample size of the sub-groups makes these numbers suspect, there is a vague grain of truth to them. Members of the city council think they have a shot at being mayor, so do county coucil members. I personally don't like Eric Jergensen my councilmember, because he never responded to my email. What kind of constituent service is that? I mean, how many emails do SLC councilmembers get anyway...well maybe the Aves get more than most. You know, all those prayer flags, end the war lawn signs, and drum circles add up.

Meanwhile, Utah's other prominant Democrat, Rep. Jim Matheson is doing all he can to make a fuss and drag is feet to stall the testing of bombs out in the Nevada desert near Utah. This is one of those issues where Matheson doesn't have to look at poll or wonder about campaign contributions or GOP attack ads, because he doesn't care what anyone else thinks. This father died of cancer because the government lied to us about the same kind of testing. It's just that simple.

Porter Goss and Hookergate

UPDATE: The Center for American Progress has much more details on the links between ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-jail) and Goss. A sudden, unexpected resignation on a Friday afternoon smacks as being part of a bad news dump.
a href="http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/05/05/breaking-porter-goss-resigns-as-cia-chief/">BREAKING: Porter Goss Resigns as CIA Chief:

"Breaking news being reported by MSNBC: they have confirmed that Porter Goss has resigned as Director of CIA. Rumor has it that Francis Townsend may be the President’s new nominee for the position. NBC saying that they do not expect for a replacement to necessarily be named today."

The key here is that Porter's deputy (executive director) Billmon has more:

It seems Foggo's procurement duties were originally what made him such a welcome guest at Chez Wilkes. As director of the CIA's forward logistics office in Germany, he helped Wilkes (a boyhood buddy) get to first base with the agency, winning a $2-3 million contract to supply water and first aid kits to CIA agents in the field in Afghanistan and Iraq....The alleged amount of the contract under negotiation? Close to $300 million, I've heard.

How far down the um rabbit hole do we want to go on this one? "No where!" says the Traditional Media. "All day long!" says the lefty blogosphere. "[crickets]" says the rightwing blogospere.

The announcement on the resignation ought to be made today."

Friday round-up

Wherein I cull all the best tidbids from around the blogophere.

• “The official team bus to be used by the United States during the World Cup will not bear a flag for security reasons. The 32 official buses were presented Thursday in Frankfurt and the other 31 buses have large national flags of the teams painted on rear sides.”--The only one. Why don't we put a Canadian flag on our bus like all the tourists have to do with their backpacks? [hat tip Center for American Progress]



• Following up on Rep. Kennedy's exploits: "Kennedy: I Wasn't Drinking. I Was High." On what you ask? Why Ambien of course! Isn't that the stuff that makes you eat while you sleep? But then again we have this juicy nugget from an employee of the Hawk and Dove (great Bar) "He was drinking a little bit."
  
  [hat tip TPM] Patrick's statement:
  

  "Last Tuesday, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress treated me for Gastroenteritis," a stomach illness. According to Kennedy, the attending physician prescribed Phenergan, an anti-nausea medication, which in addition to treating gastroenteritis, "I now know [it] can cause drowsiness and sedation."
  
  "Following the last series of votes Wednesday evening, I returned to my home on Capitol Hill and took the prescribed amount of Phenergan and Ambien, which was also prescribed by the Attending Physician some time ago and I occasionally take to fall asleep. Some time around 2:45am, I drove the few blocks to the Capitol Complex believing I needed to vote.
  
  "Apparently, I was disoriented from the medication. At that time, I was involved in a one-car incident in which my car hit the security barrier at the corner of 1st and C St, SE. At no time before the incident did I consume any alcohol."




• Crime doesn't pay, in fact, it costs you lots...in attorney's fees. "Ohio Republican Rep. Ney, struggling to survive Abramoff link, used campaign funds to pay lawyers more than $200,000; now he taps legal defense fund. Montana Republican Sen. Burns also considers using campaign account despite re-election battle. Federal Election Commission permits such spending if alleged wrongdoing relates to official duties." [hat tip Washington Wire] Can some one tell me why we let people raise $2,100 checks for their "reelection" and then let them turn around and fork that over to a criminal defense lawyer? Doesn't seem right to me. As a donor, I would ask for my money back. But I guess the people that give to these crooks know what they are buying. Oh and don't forget the token Democrat: Rep. William Jefferson (LA) wasted $34k of his donors money on defense lawyers, and that will probably go up since someone just pled guilty to bribing Jefferson. I say throw all the bums out and the DCCC and unions better not be giving to this crook.



• In local news, Sandy won't give up keeping [it] Real: "Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon argues the numbers "don't work," so Sandy officials are going to work on those numbers. The goal: See if they can salvage a Major League Soccer stadium."



• Does somebody have a book to sell? We wouldn't want anyone [else] to profit from a tragedy/crime! "Appearing on "Larry King Live" with her father, Ed Smart, [Elizabeth] Smart answered questions about the kidnapping and her life after it. Today, Smart works as a bank teller and has a boyfriend. At high school, she is treated pretty regularly, she said."

insert Drunken Kennedy/Irish joke here

Hotline asks us to "Picture it.":

This morning at 2:45 a.m., "a Member of Congress nearly smashes his car into Capitol Police officer's vehicle. Member 'staggering' out of car. Allegedly says he's late for a vote. Cap. police sergeants show up. Member is apparently given a ride home. Cap. police patrol officer's union protests. Roll Call gets wind of the incident."

And Roll Call names names "Police labor union officials asked acting Chief Christopher McGaffin this afternoon to allow a Capitol Police officer to complete his investigation into an early-morning car crash involving Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.)."

Why do House incumbents do this sort of thing, and why does Patrick Kennedy in particular do this sort of idiotic behavior every so often? There is something wrong with the House and its de facto ten year terms. Well over 90% of all House members win their reelection by overwhelming margins. Is it because they are especially skilled or likeable? Look to Patrick Kennedy to answer that one.

It is because of redistricting. In order for Democrats to recapture the House, they need 15 seats. That alone will reduce those high-reelect numbers and hopefully will be helpfull for democracy.

And drunk driving

Carroon is no Marroon

The Salt Lake Tribune Headine: No deal for Real.

"Real Salt Lake's aspirations to tap hotel-tax money to build a soccer stadium in Sandy are dead, after Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon announced Wednesday that the 'numbers just don't work' for county taxpayers."

The $35 Million tax subsidy of the team is not 100% dead. "Corroon's bold move...[could be counteracted if] [v]oters...approve stadium funding - through a property-tax increase - if the County Council or Sandy agreed to place that question on November's already-crowded ballot."

Carroon went against the powerful mayor of Sandy, the House Speaker (also from Sandy) and one of the most popular governors in the Union. "We must have tried 20 iterations of how to do this deal," the County Mayor told columist Holly Mullen, "what it would look like if we did this or did that. It always came back to the same thing. We couldn't find a fiscally responsible way to make it work."

"It struck me that day," Mullen said about RSL's season kickoff and announcement about the Sandy Stadium last fall, "as slightly tacky and even politically risky that Checketts et al pulled Corroon onto the dais almost as an afterthought. He was the man who, as it turned out, the rest of them really, really needed. And his name was last on the thank-you list. "

As much as I like soccer and as sad is I would be to see RSl go if they did leave for Phoenix as they have threatened, I say good riddence to taxpayer subsidized sports and whiny idiotic sports management.

And to Carroon, if he keeps this up, he will be reeelected in a landslide. A Democrat that stands tall and calls it like it is to save his constituent's money? That's a winner.

hello kettle, it's me, Dick Cheney

Vice President Dick Cheney today said that "the government has unfairly and improperly restricted the rights of her people" and that other "counterproductive" actions could "begin to affect relations with other countries." "No legitimate purpose is served," Mr. Cheney said, to the use of oil and gas as foreign policy weapons, he added. No, he wasn't talking about the United States silly, he was talking smack to Russia. What ever gave you the idea he was talking about his own administration?

Next thing you know, he will go to China and critize them for torturing people.

The moral high ground to critize countries for their lack of democracy, protections for minorities, human rights, foreign policy, abiding by international treaties and laws, energy policy, and torture was all washed away by the Cheney Administration.

How did these clowns get into office? Well this might be an answer: A TV Guide poll finds that 35% of American Idol viewers believe their votes count as much or more than voting in a U.S presidential election.

Kanab we all just get along?

The little story that wouldn't die now hits the big time: the old grey lady has taken up the Kanab Natural Family Resolution. The latest twist, some stickers businesses are displaying have little rainbow people, which some in the town insinuate to mean little gay folks are welcome. To make sure no one gets that mistaken impression, the august mayor is proposing every business have a "Everyone is welcome here" sign minus the little rainbow people. By the way, the local Shilo Inn lost $14,000 in March.

photo credit: George Frey for The New York Times
"A natural family is a fundamental part of our infrastructure that we need to protect and promote," Mayor Lawson told the Times. Yes the "natural family" is under attack in a city of a little over 3K.

Kortney Stirland, a pharmacist who describes himself as a conservative Republican and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, displays the sticker and opposes the natural family resolution, which he has twice asked the council to rescind. He says he has also been offended by people in the community who have told him that a person cannot oppose the resolution, as he does, and still believe in traditional values.

"Originally it was a religious issue, then it became a gay and lesbian issue, but for me now, it's economic," Mr. Stirland said.

Originally it was a stupid idea, then it became a stupid idea because it necessitated intimidation, then it was a stupid idea becuase it divided the town, now it is a stupid idea because local businesses have lost revenue. I really hope this resolution is A) repealled and B) the Mayor loses in his next reelection campaign.

Hat tip State of the Beehive.

Quote of the Day

"I think that Senator Allen, if Jim Webb is his opponent is going to have a very challenging year, particularly in Northern VA."-- VA State Senator Jeannemarie Devolites-Davis, the wife of Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA).

Rep. Davis is planning on running for the other senate seat in 2008 when he assumes Warner will retire. And a near or actual loss by Allen would get conservatives to rally to Davis' side, or so he thinks.

Nonetheless, Davis is about the last conservative GOPer in the House from Northern Virginia. He and his wife know the turf well, and statewide, Democrats have been doing better and better in NoVa each year (2001 Mark Warner, 2004 Kerry, 2005 Kaine). Even though Democratic Senate Candidate Harris Miller is from Northern Virginia, Davis thinks that ex-Reagan Navy Sec. Jim Webb (D) is a more viable candidate statewide and particularly in Northern Virginia against George Allen. That says something.

Courtesy of Hotline OnCall

I feel a blogstorm coming

I am joining in on the brewing blogstorm today for Pete Ashdown for US Senate. I hope and dream that he will replace my current hack senator, Orrin Hatch.

Yesterday, Wired Magazine, where my former boss (from my first job out of college) used to work, wrote a great article on Pete. For my readers, I urge you to read the article. It shows that Ashdown understands technology and the power of the internet more than any politican. Afterall, he founded a local ISP here. Pete's campaign has a wiki, and he opposes the draconian Digital Milenium Copyright Act (DMCA) which the more I learned about in my intro to IP class at law school, the less I liked about it.

Partisan politics aside, it would great for the internet to have such a smart and stauch advocate in the senate who could explain to his fellow senators the impact of various legislation on the development of technology that keeps the US economy going.

Here are some of the growing number of sites talking about Ashdown today (I think all or mostly local bloggers), let's gin up some support for Pete!
Pete Ashdown Day (SLC Spin)

Why I Support Pete Ashdown For US Senate- Obiter Dicta By Steve
Mr. Wiki Goes to Washington- Signifying nothing
Why I support Pete Ashdown- Gary Thornock
Senator Pete goes to Washinton- The Utah Amicus
Pete Ashdown for U.S. Senate- One Utah
Fat Pete Ashdown: Quote of the week- The Utah Amicus
I'm with Pete- Formaline
Mr. Ashdown- Utah Democrats
Bob Aagard's Daily Kos Diary

Steve Urquhart

Hot Blava
Pete Ashdown
Gary Thornock
Ye Olde Swimming Hole
Davis County Watch
Liar Paradox
Dee's Dotes

Friday Tulip blogging 

gas prices panacea

How many times...think back now...how many times have you heard people complaining about high gas prices over the past say decade? Every spring and summer prices get high and some idiot pundit says this will hurt the party in power in DC, which lately has been the GOP. And what happens every year? Nothing.

And that is what is going to happen again this year. Chuck Schumer may think he found the magic bullet, or as he put it the final nail in the coffin, that will seal the deal for a Democratic majority in Congress. I wouldn't hold your breath.

It doesn't matter how high the price of gas goes, or how much profits the oil companies make by purposely shutting down or failing to build new refineries. The American people love their giant cars, trucks and SUVs too much.

While my parents are away on vacation for my father's birthday, they let me use their SUV, so that my wife and I now each have a car for the time being. And I have to admit that I have enjoyed the ability to go anywhere any time. Still, we won't buy another for a while. Taking the bus and TRAX is great as is walking or riding my bike. But understand the lure of the automobile. It defines the American dream of being able go anywhere anytime without someone telling you what to do. The Supreme Court has found the freedom to travel is constitutionally protected.

So as much as people moan and whine about gas prices, they still haven't bothered to get on a waiting list for a Prius, demand hybrids from the manufacters, or kick out those oil-loving congressmen (mostly because those guys represent oil-rich districts). So the Democrats might take over Congress this year, but it won't be because Exxon gave their CEO $400M or that gas costs $3/gallon.

Will Kanab become the next Dover, PA?

Signs point to no...but there is still time.

While Kanab Mayor Kim Lawson narrowly defeated a challenger in 2001, no one stepped up to face him during his re-election campaign last year. Incumbent council members also faced little opposition. To date, only one council member, Carol Ann Sullivan, has publicly pulled support for the resolution.

The group called Kanab Take Our Community Back committee might morph into Dover CARES II.

"We are reaching out to a broad spectrum of individuals and political groups to make sure they know about the resolution and the way it was handled down here in Kanab," said Scott Clemans, a member of a grassroots organization in Kanab that is calling for state legislators to create a method for recalling elected officials who fall from favor.
"I don't know what kind of a response we'll get, but I do know there are many folks who recognize the need for a recall law." [snip] The mayor and City Council members are autocrats rather than public servants," McCrystal said. "This is not a partisan issue. When elected officials are more interested in suppressing public opinion than listening to it, they've violated their sacred trust and need to be removed from office."
Utah has no provision for recalling elected officials. The Kanab group hopes to gather support in the state Legislature to consider passage of a recall law, Clemans said.
"I truly believe the word is getting out that there is a vast majority of people in this town that do not support this resolution, or the mayor and council in their actions," he said.

Folks are angry, but will that energy coaless into a ticket for the city council or mayor? I just hope that high school kid who the mayor tried to silience by calling up his school superintendant and his LDS stake leader runs against the mayor some day. I would donate to that kid's campaign.

Folks down in Kanab are worried about tourism, and during the radio broadcast cited a number of hotel bookings that had dissipeared specifically due to the resolution. The mayor during the broadcast said he would eventually be willing to reexamine the resolution if it really was hurting business, but he didn't think it was. A principled stand as usual.

But how can people boycott Kanab if they don't even know what's in Utah?

Images that Utah residents always thought defined their state — the golden spike at Promontory Point, Delicate Arch at Arches National Park and the Salt Lake City skyline — apparently aren't all that identifiable with Utah.
Pictures of those locations and six others that tourism officials always considered iconic to Utah were more closely associated with surrounding states, according to the survey's findings, which were released Tuesday.
"It's shocking," said Bob Syret, a Utah Board of Tourism Development member.

[photo credit, Lynn Arave, Deseret Morning News. (c) 2006 Deseret Morning News]

Sounds like someone has their work cut out for them. First off, people are dumb. Usually questions about Utah are on Jeparody! Why do people confuse Utah with Arizona, Colorado, etc? People most people who took the survey are probabbly from the Northeast. Those folks never had a clue where Utah was unless they went skiing/hiking there. All the big western box states for them blended together. For Utahns, they don't know where those Northeast states are exactly, only that they are "on the East Coast," so the ignorance is mutual.

ripe for the pickin'

New York, Pennslvannia, Connecticut and California should be where the democrats' bid for a majority in the House is either found or crushed. NY has two blow outs at the state level that should discourage GOP voters from the polls (Hillary and Elliot), this formula helped Mellisa Bean in 2004 with Barrack Obama crushing Alan Keyes. Same goes for Penn possbily if the Santorum-Casey race continues to be a snoozer...although the Swann-Rendell race should keep GOPers interested. Connecticut, should Joe Lieberman prevail, would also face snoozers of statewide elections. California will be a hard fought battle for the governorship. E-bay millioniare versus planet hollywood millioniare.

Also going for the democrats this year is all the scandals. It seems almost every member of the California GOP delegation is tied to some sort of scandal, whether it be Doolittle and his wife's 15% cut of every donation, Pombo's ties to Cunningham's bribers, Dier's rumors of homosexuality, there are too many to name. But NY GOP just got itself a big headache:

Sweeney showed up drunk to a frat party near, but not in his district. The one good note: "It was reported that one student approached the Congressman with drug paraphernalia and asked to take a picture. The Congressman refused." When fratboys say you are openly-drunk, I take that as an expert witness testifying.

It will be interesting to see whether the Democrats' "Northeast Strategy" plus all the scandal fall out from Duke-stir will help them take back the House.

Here's to hoping.

1 down, 2 to go

Monday was an 8 hour thrill ride for the sake of Due Process, Equal Protection, and The Freedom of Speech. Glad that is over with, even though I enjoy constitutional law.

Next up, tomorrow I match wits with a guy that argued against Miranda in at SCOTUS on a criminal procedure exam. I am sure Dickerson will be a topic of discussion, and I am happy to have the guy live out his high light, especially since his 7-2 loss in 2000 would now likely be a 5-4 loss now. Even though I have disagreed with him, I think Cassell is a great teacher and fair minded judge. He has trouble at times seeing things from the Public Defender's tilted view of the world, but generally I would say he is a good person.

Everyone likes Prof. Richards who will be giving me my last exam, but I don't think I am such a big fan. First off, he blows me off when I raise my hand. Granted I am a talker in all my classes and I could see how I might be annoying or distracting to discussion, but I can think of several other worse offenders at my law school. Plus, he lets others go off on tangents becuase he possibly knows them from first year.

But my real beef is that he has given us no clue what to do to prepare for this test, and the amount of information is staggering. At least my notes are crazy long.

Just now my wedding videographer arrived and delivered the DVD. For those of you keeping score, my wedding was last June. We had a nasty fight over the bill, giving me a remedial contracts lesson and general frustration with business transactions. Hopefully it won't be too cheezy. He has granted us permission to make copies of it, so I will use that permission to place it on google video and send the link to those who were at the wedding or those we wished could have come. Ah the joys of technology.

lifting my head up

sorry for the non-existent blogging lately. I am studying for my law school exams which will kick off in a manner of minutes and last 2 weeks. So light blogging in the next while.

Ethan seems pretty modest, so I will link to the Deseret News article about SLCspin and him. As far as I know, he is the first local blogger to get some MSM love. I think it is because of his short but biting commentary. Mine are much more long winded and often focus on outside events...although I love to write about Kanab because it is indicative of a larger problem with red-state cities (the blurring of church and state and officials sticking their noses into the town's most personal business).

But I love how the press covers blogs, with a picture of a computer on the blog's home page. Even better is Ethan's quote: "In the end, I'm just a dude with an Internet site. If everyone stopped reading it tomorrow, I'd just disappear."

We all love to read your commentary, which is pretty fair and honest I would say. Perhaps he has no love for Hatch. But really, the man is fraud. The only good thing I can say about him is that his seniority means that if he wanted to, he could get stuff for Utah. But he doesn't.

Well, my exam's here. See you all on the flipside.

Moussaoui is Schizo

Can someone explain to me why they let Moussaoui pled guilty and the jury was allowed to decided whether or not to execute him? Sure the man wanted to kill Americans like his Al-Qaeda friends. Sure he tried to learn how to fly an airplane, but he was not involved in the planning, nor did he know about the 9/11 plot in any real detail. I suspect bin Laden or his lieuteniants decided Moussaoui was too unstable for the job.

It seems to me that the U.S. government will execute Moussaoui for being an Al-Qaeda member and a wannabe standby member of the 9/11 crew. Any rational actor would not behave the way Zacharias has these past years. Just contrast his behavior to that of Brain David Mitchell, who was found insane in Utah. And I am not the only one who thinks Moussaoui is crazy. [From the NY Times]

Dr. Xavier Amador testified about an encounter with Mr. Moussaoui last April in the holding cell of the courthouse in which the trial is taking place. He said Mr. Moussaoui repeatedly spat water on him and exhibited several classic symptoms of schizophrenia, including sudden shifts in the defendant's views accompanied by denials that he had only moments earlier held the opposite views.

Under questioning by Gerald T. Zerkin, one of the court-appointed defense lawyers, Dr. Amadeor picked apart Mr. Moussaoui's testimony last week in which he seemed to offer rational, if not plausible explanations for his odd behavior over the previous four years. For example, Mr. Moussaoui had regularly charged that his lawyers, whom he reviles, were part of a conspiracy to kill him.

I know people want revenge for 9/11, and the families deserve justice. But killing this man really isn't going to do it, because he did not do anything to further the 9/11 attack, didn't know about it, and was mentally incapable of doing so.

If you are so wacko that bin Laden doesn't think you are a good candidate for a suicide bombing, you have some serious issues, to say the least.

Kanab keeps koming

"The bottom line is that it's not the business of a city to tell people how to live their lives." I couldn't have said it better myself (JoAnne Rando-Moon, who moved to Kanab seven years ago and owns a pet-supply business there said it). According to the Deseret News:

Residents now are starting a campaign to send a different message than that of the resolution. One group of residents is distributing a 6-inch round decal to businesses in Kanab that states, "Everyone is welcome," said Rando-Moon. So far, 82 businesses are displaying the decal on their front doors.

Only 7 businesses refused the decale, according to Rando-Moon. "Carol Sullivan, the only council member who voiced support for revoking the resolution during the Feb. 28 meeting, said the issue has severely divided her town." That's the trouble with Culture wars even in fairly red areas like Kanab, they create struggle and animostity where there doesn't need to be any. "I'm really worried for our businesses. One hotel in town has lost $14,000 because of cancellations," said Sullivan. "There are a lot of innocent people in business who are caught in the middle of this. I don't know where it's going or where it will end."

Of course, the supporters are not backing down. But is nice to see that the theocrats are wasting everyone's time effort and livelihood on a powerless yet hate-filled resolution. The folks in Kanab, Utah should meet with the folks in Dover, Penn. Seems like they both have something in common.

the fundamental problem with Bush foreign policy

If you thought this would be a post about how dumb invading Iraq was, sorry, that is overplayed and everyone pretty much knows it by now. What I wish to discuss is how the Bush foreign policy team doesn't just have pre-9/11 thinking but pre-1989 thinking.

The reaction to the 9/11 attacks by the Bush team was one that Reagan would have had, not because Bush is like Reagan, but because Reagan fought against Nation-States, specifically the USSR (and Granada and Panama). The Nation-State is so 20th Century. Al-Qaeda is focused on an ethno-religious identity-- the Wahabist, who is usually Arab. Although the Fillipinos are heavily Muslim, most of Al-Qaeda's most active recruits are Arab. The know no country, in fact, these folks are militant preciesely because they are unwanted in their own countries.

Yet Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld's approach was to take out Afghanistan rather than Al-Qaeda. In reality, they did neither well. Both are back and the country is unstable as ever. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to invade Afghanistan in 1998 when I learned what the Tailban were up to and that is where bin Laden lived (who had killed people in American Embassies in Kenya). But to do it on the cheap outsource the hunting of the actual people that were responsible for 9/11 was criminal negligence.

When they decided to topple Iraq, they ignored the fact that Iraq is a middle eastern Yugoslavia, with competing ethinic groups that don't necessarily get along. Even worse than Yugoslavia, these three groups are also found in other not so stable countries and so the impact is felt more widely. Now because of no post-war planning, not enough troops, no international support, and general bungling by Rummy, we have a ethic war that is making Sarajevo look relatively better everyday.

As Bush drums up for war with Iran in a feable attempt to repeat his 2002 off-year election performance, his people should be made aware that Iran probabbly already has lots of its intelligence people in Iraq right now instigating more violence. The Persians share religious sectarian beliefs with a large portion of the Iraqi people. And Iran is a mountainous country with lots and lots of young men with not much to do. These young people like some parts of American culture, and Bollywood stars, but they don't like Bush and his Bible thumping friends.

And frankly, most of Americans don't anymore either. So don't let yourself be distracted into worrying about Iranian nuclear technology. Sure their leaders are nuts, but their people aren't, and the leaders aren't so nuts as to actually pick a fight with us. But if they are attacked, watch out.