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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061006/D8KJ8E1G6.html
Oct 6, 12:40 PM (ET)
By THOMAS WATKINS
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP)-
Guards at Guantanamo Bay bragged about beating detainees and described it as common practice, a Marine sergeant said in a sworn statement obtained by The Associated Press.
The two-page statement was sent Wednesday to the Inspector General at the Department of Defense by a high-ranking Marine Corps defense lawyer.
The lawyer sent the statement on behalf of a paralegal who said men she met on Sept. 23 at a bar on the base identified themselves to her as guards. The woman, whose name was blacked out, said she spent about an hour talking with them. No one was in uniform, she said.
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15145197/
President asserts power to edit privacy reports
Bush defies Congress, says he has right to change Homeland Security bills
The Associated Press
Updated: 6:01 p.m. ET Oct. 5, 2006
WASHINGTON - President Bush, again defying Congress, says he has the power to edit the Homeland Security Department's reports about whether it obeys privacy rules while handling background checks, ID cards and watchlists.
In the law Bush signed Wednesday, Congress stated no one but the privacy officer could alter, delay or prohibit the mandatory annual report on Homeland Security department activities that affect privacy, including complaints.
But Bush, in a signing statement attached to the agency's 2007 spending bill, said he will interpret that section "in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive branch."
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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/10/05/olbermanns-special-comment-it-is-not-the-democrats-whose-inaction-in-the-face-of-the-enemy-you-fear/
Olbermann's Special Comment: It is not the Democrats whose inaction in the face of the enemy you fear
By: John Amato on Thursday, October 5th, 2006 at 6:30 PM - PDT
Olbermann: And lastly tonight, a Special Comment, about - lying. While the leadership in Congress has self-destructed over the revelations of an unmatched, and unrelieved, march through a cesspool. While the leadership inside the White House has self-destructed over the revelations of a book with a glowing red cover.
The President of the United States - unbowed, undeterred, and unconnected to reality - has continued his extraordinary trek through our country rooting out the enemies of freedom: The Democrats.
Yesterday at a fundraiser for an Arizona Congressman, Mr. Bush claimed, quote, "177 of the opposition party said 'You know, we don't think we ought to be listening to the conversations of terrorists."
The hell they did.
177 Democrats opposed the President's seizure of another part of the Constitution*.
Not even the White House press office could actually name a single Democrat who had ever said the government shouldn't be listening to the conversations of terrorists.
President Bush hears. what he wants.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/sfl-brmail798xoct07,0,2114804.story
Unhitch politics from religion
George Lucas
Hallandale Beach
October 7, 2006
I am asking Republican leaders to consider setting religion free in America.They've succeeded in making religion synonymous with politics.
Many of our religious institutions have become political vehicles fueled byreligion. It's impossible to think of religion today without thinking of thepolitics of abortion choice, prayer in schools, creationism, birth control,reproductive counseling and equal rights for gay men and women.
These issues were once important personal issues, which were governed by ourpersonal values, our personal morals and our religious beliefs, not by ourpolitical parties. These issues belong in our churches, and in our hearts,not on political platforms and ballot boxes.
They've duped us into voting on these issues and finding ourselves waking upafter election day, and wondering what has happened to our educational andschool systems, our health-care costs, our medical insurance, our jobs, oursalaries, our environment, our quality of life. (Between you and me, I mustadmit, however, it's not all bad news. Corporate profits are up, the drugcompanies, the oil companies are doing well.)
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http://select.nytimes.com/2006/10/07/opinion/07dowd.html?pagewanted=print
The New York Times
October 7, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
Death by Instant Message
By MAUREEN DOWD
Washington
So now we have our first IM scandal.
We knew it was coming, all this personal information zinging back and forth across cyberspace at the speed of write, all this constantly streaming technology being inexorably adapted to the needs of desire.
IM-ing is like whispering, perfect for furtive, racy exchanges - or slimy, perverted ones. It's as if your id had a typewriter. In a world where everything is instant, the delaying and censoring mechanisms that contributed to a civilized life are gone.
In the old days, there was a chance that career- or marriage-destroying letters would be, upon further consideration, thrown into the fireplace. IM's, e-mails and BlackBerry billets-doux, more perilous forms of drunk dialing, have the wings of Mercury and the indestructibility of mercury.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/07/opinion/07sat2.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
October 7, 2006
Editorial
Kicked While Down
In a blow to labor unions, the National Labor Relations Board recentlyexpanded the pool of workers exempted from union membership. Specifically,the labor board found that registered nurses who assigned others to someshifts or tasks were supervisors, and thus not eligible to join unions. Itwas a bad decision, not only because of the specifics of the case, but alsoin its broader ramifications.
There are good reasons to bar managers from unionizing. It is extremelydifficult to run a large organization efficiently if the people at the topare unable to easily hold their managers accountable for overall success orfailure. But responsibilities like making out a schedule do not amount tomanagement. If they did, interns would be the only non- managers in many oftoday's workplaces.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/07/opinion/07bahour.html?pagewanted=print
October 7, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor
We Can't Go Home Again
By Sam Bahour
Ramallah, West Bank
THIRTEEN years ago, I left a comfortable life in the United States for anuncertain future in the West Bank. Israel and the Palestinian LiberationOrganization had just signed the Oslo Accords. Like many others, I saw anopportunity for Palestinians to finally build a society and economy thatwould lead to freedom - to a thriving Palestine alongside Israel.
As a Palestinian-American businessman, I was determined to do my part. So Imoved to the West Bank city of El Bireh, where my family has lived forcenturies. There I helped create a $100 million telecommunications company,which today employs more than 2,000 Palestinians. I earned an M.B.A. throughTel Aviv University. Then I developed a $10 million shopping center - thefirst of its kind in the Palestinian territories, employing more than 220Palestinians. I married and had two beautiful daughters.
Now the Israeli authorities have decided that my life here has come to anend.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100601374_pf.html
What's Wrong With Washington: Exhibit A
By Colbert I. King
Saturday, October 7, 2006; A23
The powers that be, from Capitol Hill to the White House, will deny it, butthe face of Washington these days is former Florida Republican congressmanMark Foley and the House GOP leadership, represented by Speaker J. DennisHastert. Together the two men serve as proxies for much that is wrong withthis town.
Figuring in any discussion of what's wrong with Washington is the matter ofhow the powerful prey upon the vulnerable. Foley pops up as Exhibit A. Heused his membership in the House to disarm and gain access to childrenentrusted to the care of Congress, and he did it for his own lasciviouspurposes. Were he not a congressman, those young boys would have been safelybeyond his reach.
And while the full story of this sordid affair is still unknown, it seemsclear that Foley didn't exploit that access just once or twice. He may havebeen at it for years.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/05/AR2006100501661_pf.html
Of Elections, Judges and Stupidity
By Andrew Cohen
Special to washingtonpost.com
Saturday, October 7, 2006; 12:00 AM
Election season this year means open season on judges around the country. InMontana, riled-up citizens tried to get onto the ballot a measure that wouldallow state court judges to be recalled from office at any time for anyreason. In South Dakota, an initiative is set to be voted upon in Novemberthat would allow citizens to sue and otherwise punish judges for unpopulardecisions. And in Colorado, a conservative group is fighting to impose sweeping term limitsupon all of the state's appellate court judges.
Let's take the last one first. Colorado's Amendment 40 would remove fromoffice at the same time five of the state's current Supreme Court justicesand seven of its current 19 intermediate appellate court judges. The state'sjudiciary thus would lose on one day a vast reservoir of institutionalknowledge and experience -- not to mention by definition the best judgesthat Colorado has to offer.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100601888_pf.html
Staffer Cites Earlier Role by Hastert's Office
Confrontation With Foley Detailed
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 7, 2006; A01
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's chief of staff confronted then-Rep. MarkFoley about his inappropriate social contact with male pages well before thespeaker said aides in his office took any action, a current congressionalstaff member with personal knowledge of Foley and his behavior with pagessaid yesterday.
The staff member said Hastert's chief of staff, Scott Palmer, met with theFlorida Republican at the Capitol to discuss complaints about Foley'sbehavior toward pages. The alleged meeting occurred long before Hastert saysaides in his office dispatched Rep. John M. Shimkus (R-Ill.) and the clerkof the House in November 2005 to confront Foley about troubling e-mails hehad sent to a Louisiana boy.
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http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061007/OPINION01/610070318/1006/OPINION&template=printart
Article published Oct 7, 2006
Drug relief
Customs confiscation eased
Come Monday, Americans who are bringing prescription medications back fromCanada in small amounts and for their personal use will no longer risk beingstopped at the border and having their medications seized by U.S. Customsagents.
In just the last year alone, some 40,000 Americans have experienced thisindignity for buying commonly prescribed legal medications that are simplymuch cheaper in Canada.
While not many Floridians have frequent occasion to cross the Canadianborder and deal with this situation, Sen. Bill Nelson said this week that hehas been working to stop this level of involvement by U.S. Customs andBorder Protection officials on behalf of constituents who receivedmedications from Canada by mail order. Specifically, a Mount Dora couplewhose shipments startedbeing intercepted by the postal carrier motivated the senator to investigate and push for change.
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http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/10/07/same_song_different_scandal?mode=PF
ROBERT KUTTNER
Same song, different scandal
By Robert Kuttner | October 7, 2006
THROUGHOUT THE Bush era, voters have not always connected the dots. TheFoley scandal now enveloping the House Republican leadership offers abelated opportunity for voters to make some connections. Yes, the scandal isabout the disgrace of a congressman sending disgusting messages to teenagepages, and the failure of leaders to act on escalating warnings. But it is so much more.
Mark Foley was chairman of a House caucus on missing and exploited children. This was a party that literally put a pedophile in charge of pedophilia.
Does that have a vaguely familiar ring? It should. It's the same party thatput the oil companies in charge of energy policy, and invited the drug andinsurance industries to write the Medicare prescription bill for their ownmaximum profit. As investigations have revealed, it put lobbyists forpolluting industries in charge of environmental protection. So there is aconsistent theme here of the fox guarding the chicken coop.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100600965_pf.html
The Washington Post
Rove Aide Linked To Abramoff Resigns
Scandal Claims Its First West Wing Job
By Peter Baker and James V. Grimaldi
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, October 7, 2006; A01
A top aide to White House strategist Karl Rove resigned yesterday after disclosures that she accepted gifts from and passed information to now-convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, becoming the first official in the West Wing to lose a job in the influence-peddling scandal.
Susan B. Ralston submitted her resignation to avoid causing political damage to President Bush a month before the midterm elections, officials said. "She did not want to be a distraction to the White House at this important time," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.
A congressional report showed last week that Ralston accepted sometimes-pricey tickets to nine sports and entertainment events from Abramoff while she provided him with inside White House information. The bipartisan report said there is no evidence that Rove knew of or approved of Ralston's actions, and sources said yesterday that the White House was surprised by the report's revelations.
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