Posted by Mary Mancini on July 31, 2007 under Uncategorized | 
Iraq’s Parliament recesses for month-long break. U.S. Forces/Iraqi civilians don’t get the memo.
Legislators joked and chatted, showing no sense of urgency about breaking a deadlock between Sunni and Shiite Muslims over national reconciliation as Iraq’s Parliament held its final session Monday before a monthlong recess.
Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani closed the final three-hour session without a quorum present and declared lawmakers would not reconvene until Sept. 4. That date is just 11 days before the top U.S. military and political officials in Iraq must report to Congress on American progress in taming violence and organizing conditions for sectarian reconciliation.
In another development, a consortium of aid agencies concluded in a report released Monday that living conditions in Iraq have deteriorated significantly since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, leaving nearly one-third of the population in need of emergency aid.
In violence Monday, a minibus blew up by Tayaran square in central Baghdad, killing at least six people.
A total of 42 Iraqis were killed or found dead nationwide, according to police, hospital and morgue officials.
A Marine was killed Monday in fighting in the Anbar province west of Baghdad, the military said. Three U.S. soldiers were killed fighting in Anbar on Thursday. At least 3,652 members of the U.S. military have died since the war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
UPDATE: Sunni Bloc Says It Is Quitting Iraqi Government
Posted by Mary Mancini on under Uncategorized |
The Nation reports that the Bush administration is outsourcing most of the country’s intelligence gathering to private contractors:
Over the past six years, a quiet revolution has occurred in the intelligence community toward wide-scale outsourcing to corporations and away from the long-established practice of keeping operations in US government hands, with only select outsourcing of certain jobs to independently contracted experts. Key functions of intelligence agencies are now run by private corporations. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) revealed in May that 70 percent of the intelligence budget goes to contractors.
Is this what Free Marketeers had in mind? Intelligence officers with loyalty to CEO’s and shareholders instead of their country?
The President’s Daily Brief is an aggregate of the most critical analyses from the sixteen agencies that make up the intelligence community. Staff at the ODNI (Office of the Director of National Intelligence) sift through reports to complete the PDB, which is presented to the President every day as the US government’s most accurate and most current assessment of priority national security issues. It was the PDB that warned on August 6, 2001, “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US.”
It’s true that the government pays for and signs off on the assessment, but much of the analysis and even some of the underlying intelligence-gathering is corporate. Knowledgeable members of the intelligence community tell me that corporations have so penetrated the intelligence community that it’s impossible to distinguish their work from the government’s. Although the President’s Daily Brief has the seal of the ODNI, it is misleading. To be accurate, the PDB would look more like NASCAR with corporate logos plastered all over it.
Concerned members of the intelligence community have told me that if a corporation wanted to insert items favorable to itself or its clients into the PDB to influence the US national security agenda, at this time it would be virtually undetectable. These companies have analysts and often intelligence collectors spread throughout the system and have the access to introduce intelligence into the system.
Posted by Mary Mancini on under Uncategorized |
I woke up this morning and read “Truman’s Take” on immigration issues and the mayor’s race (It was easy to find since it linked to Freddie’s Blogosphere for Briley post). In it, Truman childishly labels (literally) Briley’s most recent stance on immigration reform as “An obviously insincere effort.” Sure he’s entitled to his opinion, but does he have to write it in a large, bright red font? I half expected to see the “i” in “Dozier” dotted with a tiny little heart.
Call it a hunch (or it could be that pesky bright red font), but I think he really really really believes that the only reason Briley is addressing the issue is that the voters are “demanding their lawmakers to wise-up and SHERIFF their town as the statues [sic] require.”
And he’s right. But he is missing the why behind voter concern. After the 2004 election, Republicans realized that the two wedge issues they had successfully used to manipulate the electorate - gay marriage and abortion - would have to be supplemented. And so, they trotted out the then majority leader of the Senate, Bill Frist, who promptly began talking about the need to do something about illegal immigrants. Voila! Three years later and several orchestrated moves by Senate Republicans to stifle any real immigration policy reform on the federal level later, our local officials are left to pick up the slack. They have no choice.
That said, David Briley’s Immigration Policy Paper is thoughtful, comprehensive, forward-thinking, and community oriented. I challenge you to read the entire thing and guess which provision is the one provision I do not agree with.
Posted by Mary Mancini on under Uncategorized |
It looks like Alberto Gonzales will indeed be making history. Apparently, the last time a cabinet officer was impeached was 1896. And because he believes that justice is a partisan sport, Alberto Gonzales appears to be next.
According to Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Washington, 1st District), who is sponsoring the resolution [.pdf] directing the Judiciary Committee to investigate whether the Attorney General should be impeached, Mr. Gonzales’ high crimes and misdemeanors include:
- A wholesale “Thursday night massacre” of numerous United States Attorney Generals who refused to do partisan bidding there by interjecting of partisanship into the judicial system.
- Contrary to his statements, Attorney General Gonzales has abused the FISA court rule and and then tried to cover it up.
- On multiple occasion he refused to tell the truth to the U.S. congress and more importantly the people of the United States.
Posted by Mary Mancini on July 30, 2007 under Uncategorized |
Bill Clinton just finished addressing the DLC convention. When he speaks to a crowd like this, addressing all the pressing issues facing the country today - iraq, the economy, the incompetence of cronyism and abuse of power, the rising tide of public opinion against globalization, poverty, diplomacy, the military - as well as the past, present and future of the organization itself, it’s impossible not to miss his intensity, wonkishness, and optimism.
When Bill Clinton offers his advice on how to make this country better he’s neither patronizing nor scolding. Instead he draws you in so completely that you want, no need, to become a part of something bigger and more important than yourself.
Posted by Mary Mancini on under Uncategorized |
I’m not sure what party she belongs to, but pretty Blue, a blue tick hound hit by an car and left for dead, needs your help. She was found, all skin and bones, by a Good Samaritan. A visit to the vet determined that she suffered from broken ribs, a cracked pelvic bone, and a dislocated hip. She’s been on strict crate rest for a couple of weeks to allow her ribs and pelvic bone to heal. But she still needs Surgery to repair her hip. If you would like to help this beautiful blue dog with her medical needs, please donate to: Blue’s Fund, The Ark Veterinary Services, 7104 Lebanon Rd, Mt Juliet, 615-444-7714. For additional information and/or s charitable gift receipt email Ann Cox.
Posted by Mary Mancini on under Uncategorized |
Apparently, I’m not supposed to like the Democratic Leadership Council. Too moderate. Too pro-business at the expense of the needs of the people. Too willing to dismiss the progressive wing of the party. But in a room full of public servants, it’s hard not to feel excited about the democratic process in general and, more specifically, the ideas being generated and discussed. And listening to DLC Vice Chair Senator Tom Carper’s laser focused remarks on alternative energies, conservation, and removing our dependence on foreign oil, Governor Brian Schweitzer’s call for the continued development of renewable energies, and Governor Bredesen’s plea for us to concentrate on our core values, makes it easy to see the organization’s value.
One criticism of the DLC is that they have shifted the Democratic Party to the right. But early in his speech, Governor Bredesen assured the group that’s not what he’s suggesting, a pointed statement considering past criticisms. Echoing George Lakoff’s, “Don’t Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate” (2004), and Paul Waldman’s “Being Right Is Not Enough: What Progressives Must Learn from Conservative Success” (2006), the Governor said he wanted to talk about the need for Democrats to reach inside themselves and rediscover who we are. We can learn a lot from barn raisings, he suggested, which are all about team work and personal responsibility.
Bredesen loosely repeated the main point of both Lakoff’s and Waldman’s books by saying that if you ask him what Republicans stand for, he can tell you in about 25 words.* However, he can’t do the same for the Democrats. Until we can state what the Democratic party stands for in 25 words, he said, we’re doing nothing but feeding a losing habit. We need to stop measuring ourselves by others, shut out noise, look inside ourselves for our values and reconnect with the things that are important to the “common people.”
The answer to fixing the country’s problems, he continued, is for us to rediscover how to raise a barn. And, we have big barns to build - the war, financial difficulties of our country, educating our kids, health care for all - and we’re not going to build solutions by choosing sides. His plea was for governing to get things done and though “American’s have always loved contact sports and elections are certainly that” he stressed the importance of toning down the partisanship when elections are over start raising some barns. It is never leadership to divide those who look to you, he said, leadership, is about finding common ground and raising barns.
Bredesen’s use of the barn raising analogy was powerful but he stressed that doesn’t have to only be idealistic talk, “it can be potent politics as well.”
As his remarks became more keen, Bredesen had nothing but derision for the health care ideas being bandied about by both Democrats and Republicans today. He said they are “stale” with the S Chip discussion being solely about “how much more of that 1965 vision we are going to buy this year - nothing bold or new about them.” 1965 was 42 years ago, he said, it’s time to look for a new design.
His analogy worked particularly well with his vision of health care reform. He explained to the group of city-slickers in the audience that a barn raising is done piecemeal, because if it’s done all at once it won’t work. In a barn raising, a foundation is built first, and the following gradual steps could be used to fix health care:
- First, tackle a sensible system for perscription drugs, “solveable by stepping away from the traditional Democratic and Republican tools and finding some new tools.”
- Next, health care for all children. Fixing some of the problems within the children’s health care system first could lead the way for other areas.
- Continue inventing in this vein for a while and we’d “have the makings of a barn” with a strong foundation on which to put up walls and a roof.
- Eventually the sun would come up on a a workable system of comprehensive health care for all.
Bredesen wrapped up with a plea for “Passion, big dreams, and to show a way into the future that resonates with the deepest values of Americans and the hope and dreams they have for themselves and their children.” Forget about polls, shut out the noise, and reach inside ourselves to rediscover how to build a barn.
P.S. to the Governor: In addition to rediscovering and learning how to present our values to the American people we need to build a passionate and vocal infrastructure to disseminate the message. Hrm….I wonder how we could do that…
*Democrats believe in Freedom, equality, opportunity, prosperity, and security for all Americans and not just a privileged few. (18 words!)
Posted by Mary Mancini on July 27, 2007 under Uncategorized |
Senators, I believe you will find him in the lobby. And when you do perhaps you should ask him, now that Alberto Gonzales’ testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary committee on Wednesday has been contradicted by James Comey, F.B.I. Director, Robert S. Mueller, John Negroponte, and several senators, what was really discussed in his hospital room on March 10, 2004. Or is there some kind of secret “omertà” code between Attorney Generals that doesn’t allow them to testify against one another?
Gonzales is the worst kind of liar - the kind who lies consistently, constantly, and with unabashed hubris because he knows he will be protected by those who enable him to lie. Gonzales’ testimony, replete with “I can’t recalls,” “I am recused,” and “You know I can’t answer that question,” undermines the very foundation of our justice system and although this is not lost on some, the details can be confusing to others, which is what the Bush administration is hoping will save him:
Aboard Air Force One on the way to Philadelphia today, the White House spokesman, Mr. Snow, said that, contrary to the Democrats’ assertions, Mr. Gonzales has been consistent and that “the president supports him.” Mr. Snow suggested that what some see as deliberate inconsistencies in Mr. Gonzales’s accounts may be a reflection of the complexity of the issues being discussed.
Riiiiiiiiiight.
Enough of the nuance is getting through, however, and now many of us understand that the destruction of the foundation of our justice system is imminent unless President Bush asks Mr. Gonzales to resign today. And when the president insists, through spokesgoblin Tony Snow, that he stands by his attorney general, he proves once again that loyalty to his presidency trumps what’s best for the country. Is it any surprise then that he has record-high disapproval ratings and is perilously close to being the “most disliked president in at least seven decades?” Despite what they want you to believe, people are paying attention and they understand what’s going on. It may take longer, but a scandal doesn’t have to be about sex to get our attention.
COMIC RELIEF: The Daily Show Presents Mommy, Why is the Lying Man Still in Charge of the Law?
Posted by Freddie on under Uncategorized |
Some notable endorsements for David Briley from around the blogosphere:
And, of course, our own.
Alan Coverstone wonders whether netroots matter. I do, too. It will be interesting to see how the hat trick of newspaper endorsements for Karl Dean measures up against the large number of netroots endorsements of Briley.
In my myopia, am I missing an overwhelming slate of endorsements for other candidates among Nashville’s established bloggers? Have I overlooked any other Briley endorsements? I tend to frequent political blogs, so I’m wondering whether any non-political bloggers have posted endorsements.
Posted by Mary Mancini on July 26, 2007 under Uncategorized |
Today, a federal judge in Scranton, PA ruled against the City of Hazleton in a landmark challenge (Lozano v. City of Hazleton) to local ordinances aimed at punishing landlords, employers, and people perceived to be immigrants.
In a 206-page opinion, U.S. District Judge James Munley said the act was pre-empted by federal law and would violate due process rights:
“Whatever frustrations … the city of Hazleton may feel about the current state of federal immigration enforcement, the nature of the political system in the United States prohibits the city from enacting ordinances that disrupt a carefully drawn federal statutory scheme…Even if federal law did not conflict with Hazleton’s measures, the city could not enact an ordinance that violates rights the Constitution guarantees to every person in the United States, whether legal resident or not.”
Said David Lubell, Director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition:
“Today’s decision is a win in America’s effort to restore the rule of law while upholding our tradition of fairness and equality. We are grateful that the court recognized these are not mutually exclusive concepts and made a decision to prevent the harmful effects we would have all suffered if this law had been implemented. This ruling sends a clear message that the Hazleton ordinance, and the copycat ordinances proposed last year in Nashville, are unconstitutional and would not be allowed to stand.”
This is really going to make some people mad but their anger will undoubtedly be focused in absolutely the wrong direction. Instead of blaming people with brown skin we should instead blame Republican members of Congress who blocked debate over comprehensive immigration reform.
In poll after poll, the American people have said we want want fair and reasonable immigration reform and today’s ruling underscores that it’s the federal government’s responsibility to give it to us. And if Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob “Stay the” Corker would put down this particular political football, we just might get it.
