The confirmation of Eric Holder, Jr. is running into some trouble with the planned appearance of witnesses about his role in some of the infamous pardons by Bill Clinton. Some of the greatest abuse of the pardon power occurred in the final week of the Clinton administration, including his use of official power to benefit a family member with the pardon of Roger Clinton. Ironically, however, it is not the most abusive pardons that is attracting the ire of Republicans.
Continue reading “Holder Nomination Runs Into Opposition Over Clinton Pardons”
Category: Politics
In Gainesville, Florida, conservatives have begun a campaign reminiscent of the Proposition 8 campaign in California to overturn a ruling in favor of same-sex marriages. This city-wide campaign, however, is about 100 resident transgender citizens and where they can go potty. The city council passed a law allowing the residents to use either the men’s or women’s room and the opponents have unleashed an ad (below) that shows a cute little girl being following into the bathroom by a lurking male.
Continue reading “Bathroom Break: Religious Groups Launch Ad Campaign Against Transgender Potty Rule”
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon has been indicted Friday on 12 counts of corruption in the same investigation that resulted in the indictment of a councilwoman last week. She faces four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations. The allegations stem from the use of gift cards from two real estate developers — who gave the cards to help needy families and instead discovered that they were being used to allegedly by Dixon things like a PlayStation2, CDs and DVDs.
Continue reading “Pay to PlayStation: Baltimore Mayor Indicted on Corruption Charges”
The Bush Administration appears intent to go out on a low note. The United States has asked for as many as 15,000 Iraqi prisoners to be held without charge in Iraq even though the authority to hold the prisoners expired at the beginning of the New Year. I discussed the plan as well as the investigation of war crimes on Rachel Maddow in this segment.
With the promise of unlimited spending, lobbyists and politicians are lining up for their share of the windfall. The good people of Edwardsville, Alabama do not intend to be left out. While only 194 living in the town, they are asking for $375 million, the equivalent of $2 million per resident.
U.S. District Judge U.W. Clemon in Alabama took the extraordinary step this week of ordering Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett to be locked up in his own jail after testimony showed that he had deprived inmates of adequate food while profiting from the meager diet. Bartlett personally kept $212,000 in “surplus money” from the meal program.
Continue reading “Federal Judge Jails Alabama Sheriff Who Profited After Inmates Went Hungry”
In a remarkably low sentence, Wayne County Circuit Judge Timothy Kenny sentenced Christine Beatty , the former aide to former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, to just 120 days in jail for her false testimony about their affair. She also faced the less than impressive punishment of being denied the right to attend or get credit for law school during those days.
Continue reading “Christine Beatty Sentenced To Only 120 Days In Jail for Perjury”
The GOP has suddenly emerged as the anti-pork party despite years of defending pork from people like Sen. Ted Stevens and others. However, they have a good case to make with the Democratic stimulus package and planned legislation, which is allegedly loaded with pork including a Mob Museum for Majority Leader Harry Reid’s state of Nevada. The fact is that both parties are flagrant hypocrites on earmarks and pork. The future does not look good with Barack Obama’s appointment of Rep. Ray LaHood as Transportation Secretary. LaHood was viewed as one of the greatest defenders of pork and a symbol of earmark abuse.
Continue reading “Mobbed Up: Democrats Attacked on Pork Including Mob Museum for Las Vegas”
In one of the most dramatic moments in Senate history, the Democrats refused to let Roland Burris enter the Senate chamber today. Democrats do not want to recognize an appointment from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who is accused of trying to sell the seat to replace President-elect Barack Obama. Burris attempted to be sworn in on the first day of the 111th Congress, but was told by the Secretary of the Senate that his credentials “were not in order.”
Continue reading “I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff . . . : Democrats Block Burris From Entering Senate”
Alaskan Investigator Kyle Young sent an e-mail to the Public Safety Employees Association claiming that political pressure delayed the arrest of Sherry Johnston — whose son Levi Johnston is engaged to Palin’s daughter, Bristol — until after the November election. Johnston was arrested Dec. 18 on six felony drug counts for selling Oxycontin.
In a largely overlooked ruling, a federal judge in Washington awarded more than $65 million to sailors of the USS Pueblo who were captured and tortured by North Korea in 1968. The men — William Thomas Massie, Donald Raymond McClarren, Dunnie Richard Tuck and the estate of Lloyd Bucher — and were given the judgment by U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. after North Korea failed to respond to the lawsuit.
Continue reading “Court Awards $65 Million for the Men of the USS Pueblo”
Bill Richardson has withdraw his nomination to be commerce secretary in the face of a federal grand jury investigation into whether he exchanged government contracts for contributions to three Richardson political committees. At the heart of the controversy is a California firm CDR Financial Products that is accused of pushing through a contract with the state of New Mexico by giving to the Richardson campaign.
Continue reading “Richardson Withdraws Under Cloud of Investigation”
An editor of has declared that any pity for the Palestinians in Gaza is “unethical and immoral.” The editorial by Adi Dvir appeared in Israel’s largest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, on January 4, 2009 as the international community has complained about civilians deaths in the campaign and the United States blocked a United Nations resolution calling for an end of all hostilities.
Continue reading “Leading Israeli Newspaper: Pity for Palestinians in Gaza is Immoral and Unethical”
Marcus J. Suhn was not happy about bars closing at 2 a.m. on Sept. 2, 2007. So, when a cruiser passed by in Brookings, South Dakota, he screamed “f—ing cop” and let loose with a stream of profanities at the police. He was arrested for his potty mouth, but the South Dakota Supreme Court has now declared such language to be protected speech under the First Amendment.
President George Bush and the GOP were long criticized for forcing through the Patriot Act, Iraq resolution and other major legislation without adequate time for most members to read, let only discuss, the legislation. The Democrats often folded in the face of such pressure — only later admitting that they never read intelligence reports or the bills themselves. Now, Democrats appear to be doing the same thing with economic legislation that the Republicans did with national security legislation. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that she wants an almost $1 trillion stimulus package on the desk of President Obama by January 20th.
Continue reading “Vote Now, Read Later: Democrats Plan a Bush-Like Push on Economic Stimulus Legislation”