Reply to Senator Ted Kennedy

Or: Having gone to the considerable Trouble and Expense of acquiring Several Dogs, I find myself being Requested by Them to do my own Barking.

Dear Senator Kennedy,

We seem to have a different idea of the roles of the electorate and elected representatives. I had understood that under the US Constitution, the system is that one elects representatives, who then carry out the will of the people by enacting legislation, carrying out oversight and, when necessary, removing incompetent persons from office. I realize it is somewhat more complicated in practice, but I think that is the general idea, is it not?

Your suggestion that 'I can help' leaves me confused. What exactly do you think I should do? Write *another* letter? Maybe a nice poster, or a T-shirt or even a march? Oh, a *petition* this time???

Sir, I have done my job: I voted for candidates in my district and financially supported and worked for candidates in other districts who *said* they would do such-and-so when elected (Mr. Conyers, for example). I have let all my reps and those whom I supported, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid know what I hope they will do for my country. If they are not well-acquainted with my views on Gonzales, the Bush administration and the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq then they are not reading their email. It is now time for the houses of Congress to do their job, starting with drawing up some articles of impeachment. Mr John Dean has recommended starting with Alberto Gonzales. As a private citizen, I can't do it. You are a Senator -- is anyone stopping you? Instead I get these damned cheerleader letters from you / your staff.

You write:

> Two weeks ago,
> the Bush Administration and their rubber-stamp Republican allies in
> Congress forced revisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
> Act to expand the government's right to spy on American citizens
> without outside oversight.

Well, and that was Majority Leader Reid, now wasn't it? Rumor has it that it was a deal for no recess appointments or some such. It wasn't 'protecting and defending the Constitution, that's for sure.

If you can't get Senator Reid to honor his oath to the Constitution, how do you think I'm going to do it? I resent and reject your suggestion that I/we as voters are responsible for the failure of our elected representatives by somehow not 'supporting' them sufficiently, as if it were the resuscitation of Tinker Bell.

Please carry out your oath to defend and protect the Constitution with some action where it counts, and do not waste your energy and my time with this hand-flapping e-mail business.

Thank you,

Sincerely,

HotFlash

The Sen's letter to me (and a zillion other people) dated Tue, August 14, 2007:

> Dear (HotFlash),
>
> I don't trust Alberto Gonzales with the power to spy on the American
> people - and neither should you.
>
> In recent months, Gonzales has been under increasingly heavy fire for
> his shameful role in a number of shocking scandals, including the Bush
> Administration's illegal eavesdropping program and his refusal to
> come clean about what he has done. He's lost the confidence of the
> American people, and many -- myself included -- have called for his
> resignation.
>
> But rather than holding Gonzalez and other members of the
> Administration accountable for breaking the law, the White House
> pushed for legislation that legalizes their actions. Two weeks ago,
> the Bush Administration and their rubber-stamp Republican allies in
> Congress forced revisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
> Act to expand the government's right to spy on American citizens
> without outside oversight.
>
> Once again, George Bush, Dick Cheney and Alberto Gonzalez are taking
> the Bill of Rights into their own hands. Tell the White House to stop
> scaring the American people into surrendering their basic rights:
>
> http://www.democraticmajority.com/wiretaps
>
> There's no doubt FISA had serious gaps that Congress needed to
> close. But as the New York Times stated, the new FISA law goes "far
> beyond the small fixes that administration officials had said were
> needed to gather information about foreign terrorists."
>
> Under the new law, any conversation between an American citizen and a
> foreigner can be monitored without a warrant.
>
> Any conversation at all!
>
> But even worse, there's no accountability for this massive new
> surveillance program. The Bush Administration will set the rules
> about who gets spied on, and will also have the responsibility for
> determining whether they're complying with their own rules.
>
> It's like taking a test, and then getting to grade it yourself.
>
> Each of us wants to do everything in our power to protect America
> from the threat of terrorism. But the Bush Administration refuses to
> draw any line between fighting terrorism and violating basic civil
> liberties.
>
> Together, we can draw the line. Sign the petition, letting Washington
> know that you don't want Alberto Gonzales spying on honest,
> hard-working Americans like you:
>
> http://www.democraticmajority.com/wiretaps
>
> This is the same Administration mentality that gave us Guantanamo and
> Abu Ghraib. Again and again, Alberto Gonzalez, Dick Cheney, and George
> Bush have thumbed their noses at the Constitution and the rule of law,
> and then demanded that Congress condone their abuses and trust their
> judgment.
>
> Not this time. We owe the nation a better approach, and you can help
> us do it.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Senator Edward M. Kennedy
>
>
> ---
>
>
> Paid for by The Committee for a Democratic Majority

Perfectly good reasons to impeach, any one of which should be sufficient.

Hugh at Firedoglake compiled this excellent list. It was too good to just let it disappear (everything is chronological at FDL, so old things just fall off the end ...) and just crying out for more additions. So, I wondered if he'd be OK with my posting it here, where it might be visible for longer. FDL is a brainstorming and neworking par excellence, but a quiet little blog like this is more into medium- and long-term memory. Next project: a geneaology of Washingon DC.

So this from Hugh:

I thought this might be a time to repeat my incomplete list of Bush era scandals and ask for any suggested additions.

1. Walter Reed outpatient treatment
2. Fired US attorneys
3. Scooter Libby/Plamegate
4. Iraq: lack of preparation for occupation, looting, including the National Museum, too few troops, lack of training, lack of equipment, lack of securing loose Iraqi munitions, disbanding the Iraqi army, banning the Baathists, the CPA, Paul Bremer, losing tons of money literally, lack of international inclusion in reconstruction and security, weak Constitution, formation of sectarian parties, weak government
5. Afghanistan and the resurgent Taliban and opium production
6. Iran and saber rattling
7. North Korea, ditching the 1994 agreement because of dubious uranium program, the plutonium program which led to a fizzled first nuclear test, and something like a return to the 1994 agreement
8. Osama bin Laden, where are you? Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and terrorism
9. Civilian contractors
10. The Military Commissions Act: torture, indefinite detention, the end of habeas corpus, and kangaroo courts
11. Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, the destruction of New Orleans, and the aftermath
12. NSA wiretapping
13. SWIFT surveillance of financial transactions
14. Black prisons and extraordinary rendition
15. Homeland Security: white elephant (organization), black hole (money)
16. K Street Lobbyists, Jack Abramoff, North Marianas
17. Kyle “Dusty” Foggo and the CIA follies
18. Duke Cunningham
19. Tom Delay
20. Mark Foley
21. Cheney and Energy Policy
22. Tax cuts for the wealthiest
23. Global warming: refusal to join Kyoto, denial of manmade origin, continued reliance on fossil and carbon based fuels, little movement on CAFE standards and conservation, political interference in scientific reports (Good guys: Hansen, Peltz; bad guys: Cooney, Deutsch), listening to Michael Crichton
24. Terri Schiavo
25. Big budget deficits and vastly increased national debt
26. The stacking of the federal judiciary
27. Medicare
28. Medicare Part D
29. Healthcare (in general)
30. Cooked intelligence and the Office of Strategic Plans/ Doug Feith
31. 2000 Presidential election
32. 2004 Presidential election
33. Attempts to torpedo the 911 Commission
34. Failure to implement 911 recommendations
35. Marginalization of the UN; John Bolton
36. Preventive war doctrine
37. Loss of US reputation internationally
38. No serious attempt to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians
39. Underfunding of basic research
40. Alberto Gonzales
41. FDA: drug testing
42. EPA: mercury levels for coal plants
43. Porter Goss and the gutting of the CIA
44. Militarization of intelligence
45. Rampant cronyism
46. Signing statements
47. Unilateral Executive doctrine
48. Overuse and abuse of the National Guard and Reserves; posse comitatus
49. Increasing unpreparedness of US ground forces (Army and Marines)
50. US balance of trade deficit
51. 2005 Grassley Bankruptcy bill
52. Mexican cross border trucking and safety concerns
53. Karl Rove’s security clearance and no firing of Libby co-conspirators
54. Detention of families for immigration violations; ICE raids
55. Dubai Ports deal
56. The Patriot Act; the Patriot Act extension
57. Attempts to privatize Social Security
58. The War on Science
59. David Safavian, former head of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy
60. Presidential adviser Claude Allen stealing from Target
61. Bush casually admits about lying about decision to fire Rumsfeld
62. Armstrong Williams and paid propagandists
63. Decimation of the Labor Department
64. Net neutrality and media policies
65. Backing Israel while it destroyed Lebanon
66. Presidential Daily Brief 8/01: Bin Laden determined to attack in US
67. EPA chief Christie Todd Whitman declares Ground Zero safe for cleanup
68. Sago mining disaster hearings and MHSA’s David Dye who walked out of the hearings
69. Harriet Miers nomination to the Supreme Court
70. Vetoing stem cell research
71. Attack on Plan B contraception, staffing Women’s Health positions with religious conservatives: Dr. Eric Keroack at Health and Human Services who thought birth control demeaning to women and Dr. David Hager at FDA who tried to keep Plan B prescription only. His wife contended in divorce proceedings that he had repeatedly sodomized her without her consent.
72. Clear Skies Act and Healthy Forest Restoration Act
73. Missile defense shield that doesn’t work; withdrawal from ABM Treaty
74. Leandro Aragoncillo naturalized Filipino-American in Cheney’s office (previously Gore’s) accused of spying for the Philippines and possibly France, pled guilty to unlawfully possessing secret US government documents
75. Defunding overseas AIDS programs that promoted condom use for prevention.
76. Call for a constitutional amendment declaring marriage to be between one man and one woman.
77. Opening up Bristol Bay, the last pristine large-scale salmon fishery in the world, to oil drilling
78. Accusation that Clintons trashed the White House before leaving, including stealing the Ws from keyboards
79. Gannon/Guckert a working male prostitute in the White House press corps
80. Native American trust funds and the Trust Responsibility to Indian Country
81. Selling creationist materials at the Grand Canyon gift shop claiming it was 6000 years old
82. Banning photographing return of coffins of slain American soldiers
83. False military reporting: Pat Tillman, Jessica Lynch
84. AIPAC espionage scandal; former DOD employee Lawrence Franklin pled guilty to passing information on Iran to Israel through two AIPAC employees
85. Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, Bagram
86. Asserted right to open US mail
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92. Refusal to grant security clearances to OPR (Office of Public Responsibility) lawyers investigating the role of Gonzales in NSA wiretapping thus quashing the investigation

Shorter Scooter

If you have been following the Scooter Libby trial as I have, that is, checking in at FireDogLake whenever I can spare the time, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer volume. OK, this is about perjury, so I have to admit, I have been glued to the computer whenever I am not absolutely forced to do something else, like eat. Lightening-fingered live-blogging by Marcy 'emptywheel' Wheeler -- she's the lady who wrote the book -- , analysis by a crack team of Plameologists including more lawyers, government types, what I assume are spooks and assorted informed citizenry than you can shake the Bill of Rights at.

So, where was I? Ah, yes, overwhelmed. FDL commenter radiofreewill provided a brief summary of the scoring to date which will help me actually get some work done today. Because the chronlogical thread format at FDL results in good things getting buried under more good things, I am posting this link as a bookmark for me, and also for anyone else who finds it useful.

radiofreewill says:
February 3rd, 2007 at 11:38 am

Most people, especially on the RIGHT, still think this Trial is about Libby Leaking Plame’s Name - they haven’t actually read the indictment.

Here’s a summary of the Indictment, updated with testimony as of 2/1. It would be a better summary if it contained the ‘money’ quotes from Cooper, Miller and the 8 Government Witnesses, but I haven’t had time to update it to that level of detail.

Rest assured, Libby is already toast. more

More usefulness: You can't tell the players apart without a program, so check our Rayne's ongoing directory to all things LibbyTrial-wise at www.rayne-today.blogspot.com.

Molly Ivins is dead, we have lost a great light

It is with great sorrow that HotFlash notes the passing of the gallant Molly Ivins after her last battle with inflammatory breast cancer. This Texas tornado had style, wit and grace to spare. Molly had gone to high school with Dubya and had his number early on. She sounded the alarm before his run for TX governor and repeated it often in her columns over the years. This is from her last article, published January 12, 2007:

We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge. If you can, go to the peace march in Washington on Jan. 27. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, "Stop it, now!"

The whole article is here as well as links to more of her writing.

More things to click on:

• light a candle for Molly (if you're into such things)
  
• Molly's breast cancer survivor page
  
• a Molly anthology from her old paper, the Texas Observer "Sharp reporting from the strangest state in the union"
• and the Dildo Diaries (adult Molly, for ditto only)
• Buy you some Molly books.
• And the New York Times, which couldn't keep her when she was alive, has written her a fine obituary.

So. We have our orders from the lady. "Stop this war."
(image from the Texas Observer)

Coca Cola and the Polar Bears

I wrote this message to the Coca Cola people today:

Dear Coca Cola Corporation,

I understand that the Coca Cola company was recently asked by Environmental Action www.environmental-action.org to support the US Fish and Wildlife Service's proposed listing of the polar bear as a threatened species. Your response, I have been informed, was, "When the cause is outside of our expertise, as is the case with polar bear conservation, we rely on others to approach us for financial support."

This is not a good answer. Coca Cola was not asked for money but for support -- what did you think Environmental Action was suggesting, that you bribe the US Fish and Wildlife Service? A letter from Coca Cola to F&W would be nice. A linked e-mail support form from your website to F&W would be nice. You already promote several worthy causes/issues on your website -- literacy, education, CO2 emissions, cycling -- you know how this is done.

Environmental Action is now specifically requesting that you link to their send-an-email-to-save-the-polar-bear page, http://www.environmental-action.org/enviroaction.asp?id=2081&id4=HP. That is *really* simple thing for you to do and would take your web techies about 4 minutes, including time for coffee.

I would be really happy to see Coca Cola do this, especially since Coke has associated itself with polar bears for over a decade. This alone would make you something of an 'expert' on polat bears. Your company has done pretty well out of the association but the bears haven't benefitted much so far. Time, I think, to give back.

Sincerely,

HotFlash

BTW, possibly not the biggest Coke drinker on the planet, but we get through 24 cans of diet Coke in a week at my house. It adds up. But it doesn't have to be Coke, you see.

If you like polar bears and have a few minutes to spare, drop the folks at Coke a line via Environment Action.

(image from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and they have more.)

Can I tell my granddaughters I was there when George Bush started WWIII?

Last night in his speech President Bush had the opportunity to change course in Iraq and announce to the American people that he would begin to bring our troops home. Instead, he has made the choice to escalate our involvement in Iraq’s civil war by sending 21,500 more troops to the region. According to ABC news, the first 80 battalions were arriving in Baghdad before he even spoke. This increase in troops is in complete opposition to the will of the majority of the US people and his military advisors, not to mention the people in Iraq who we are supposedly liberating.

He calls this a surge, but it's not even a splash. Even if you wanted to 'win the war', this is too little, and too late, to accomplish what he says it will. 21,500 troops are *nothing*. Consider: Baghdad has (had) a population of 7 million. Chicago has less than 3 million people. 21,500 people would not even half-fill Comiskey Park (capacity 52k). Can anyone seriously think that a bunch of people who wouldn't even half-fill Comiskey Park could 'pacify' the city of Chicago? Factor in that the troops are green recruits fresh from training and battle-weary veterans who have had their tours extended multiple times and their leaves cancelled, and they are fighting against people who are defending their homes and families -- and who also have guns, rockets and IEDs and know the city like the back of their hand. This foolishness will only get more US troops and more Iraqi's killed and maimed.

President Bush's refusal to permit congressional oversight as required by the Constitution is alarming. Together with his insistence on violence on every possible scale it becomes terrifying. We must use every remedy at our disposal and with the utmost urgency to defend the Constitution, the American people and the people of the world against this rampaging man. I fear that we may soon see the nuclear nightmare unleashed and God help us if it is by an American president. We will have the ashes of the world on our hands.

If you think what Pres Bush is doing is OK, that's fine too, but so far it looks like we're being driven off the cliff. And since the point of our elected representatives is to, um , represent us, I am asking you to call or e-mail your Representative and your two Senators and tell them how you feel about the escalation of the war if you have not already done so. CSpan has a searchable directory with by name, state, committee, and party with phone numbers and smail and e-mail addresses here. In addition, could you please visit the website of Senator Harry Reid www.giveemhellharry.com/page/petition/Escalation/fdcblf
and leave a message saying what you want Congress to do about this? As Senate majority leader, Senator Reid is the person coordinating the resistance to President Bush's unconstitutional 'unilateral executive' presidency and his expansion of the war.

Thanks and peace,

HotFlash

Christmas Gifts that Keep on Giving.

"I like your Christ, I don't like your Christians." -- Mahatma Ghandi.



I have reservations, too, but I *love* Christmas. Giving gifts, celebrating meals with friends, family and strangers, peace to men (and women) of goodwill -- fabulous stuff. Also coloured lights, decorated trees, special once-a-year cookies, New Yorkers wishing me happy holidays and meaning it, and yes, yes, *fruitcake*!!!

But Christmas shopping. I *hate* Christmas shopping. Hate the malls, the crowds, the garbage to buy. Hate getting it wrong, esp with teenagers -- is there anyone harder to buy for? And seriously, the money. It all adds up real fast.

How to make it better? Give a gift to someone who needs it most. Your gift or purchase helps the world, your giftee gets the karma. Small $ make big differences in lots of places. Here are some suggestions, A to Z:

Any Soldier -- gifts and letters to US servicemen and women directed especially to those who don't get packages from home. So far there is nothing similar for Canadian soldiers, although you can send an official e-mail rah-rah here.

Arghand -- Afghani women's co-op making gorgeous soaps (see photo above) using local materials such as pomegranates and almonds. They don't ship direct but do have some North American retailers who may.

Bat Conservation -- they have neat stuff and I love bats. A membership gets the magazine, or buy batstuff from the batshop -- upside-down bat earrings, anyone?

Heifer International -- Animal lovers on your list? Give somebody a goat who can use it, give your 6 or 16 year old niece or nephew the card. It's a win-win. Good for pompous in-laws, too. Program includes heifers, ewes, goats, pigs, water buffalos, flocks of chicks, ducks or geese, honey bees and assorted package deals. Can't afford a whole pig for $120 US? Buy a share for $10. Got bucks? Give a village a "Gift Ark" long-term livestock program for $5,000.

Kiva -- start a micro-loan portfolio for anyone on your list. You buy them a gift-card ($25 US and up), they select the entrepreneur(s) they wish to loan money to. A hairdresser in Ecuador, a computer game shop in Kenya -- lot of choices-- then watch as they prosper and pay back. Way more fun than Monopoly.

And you can make gifts, too. One of my favourites is notepaper and envelopes with the recipient's name and an appropriate drawing. I find these go over well with all ages as everyone always means to send thank-you notes and this makes it easy. For little kids I will often supply the stamps, so they don't have to rely on someone else to get the thing actually mailed.

Got suggestions for easing holiday gift angst? Comments most welcome.

Happy Thanksgiving to all

Wishes for a happy Thanksgiving for everyone, and especially the American ex-pats who are thinking of turkeys far away.

To my FDL friends -- Oklahoma Kiddo, Hugh, OldCoastie, Rayne, angie, Angry Old Broad, Nate, NZExpat (found a turkey for you), Medaka, millineryman, Louisiana Girl, kirk murphy, Caoimhin Laochdha, egregious, John Casper, Stephen Parrish CPA, looseheadprop, TeddySanFran, raven, selise, sofistic, Mrs K8, katiemine, petedownunder, Marion in Savannah, sharkbabe, perris(FKAM2M), Beard5, watertiger, darkblack, Oilfieldguy, TRex, Balrog, ed*ard teller, Mary4, Pach, Siun, Donita, Howie, montag, EvilParallelUniverse (hello!), Linda, Twisted Martini, marksb, EvilDrPuma, yourlittledogtoo, *ilson (where are you ?) and everyone, and especially Jane and Christy for making it so.

To my family -- missing more of us this year, but got some new ones coming up to take our places.

Everybody. Happy Thanksgiving.