Lawyers, Guns and Money

That just seemed like an appropriate use of Warren Zevon's song title right now, what with the Bush Misadminstration's legal misadventures, Dick Cheney's "quail hunt" (Dick, the birds are the little feathery things, not the big orange adorned homo sapian), and Abramoff, who apparent ties into all three categories. You can't make this stuff up.

I'm disgusted with the whole lot of 'em. And the Democrats need to get a game plan. I am royally pissed about the way Paul Hackett was treated. I hope he can get support to run as an independent - I'd even toss a few bucks his way, and I'm currently as poor as a church mouse.

On Kos, someone posted more recently released Abu Graib pix. How can this misadministation be so evil? If you have the stomach for it, go look at the pictures. If you don't have a strong stomach don't. They are graphic. Those are not actors with special effects make up. They are human beings. Remember, the acts were perpetrated by Americans. Us. The U.S. If they do this to prisoners what happens when they come home to their families? Has anyone ever studied the effects of torturers once a war is over and they return to "normal" life. I don't see how anyone's life can ever be normal a participating in such degrading and horrific events.


I am currently listening to: Pink Floyd Echoes, and Time is playing.

In today's episode, Katrina refuses to leave the room, much to George's chagrin.

Months have passed since Katrina devastated the coastal areas of three states on the Gulf of Mexico. Deaths are in the thousands, damages are in the billions. In a display of unmitigated gall, the Bush misadministration is not allowing their staff to testify about the government's response to the tragedy named Katrina. Why? It seems they are concerned about confidentiality.

According to Trent Duffy, the WH Deputy Press Secretary, "The White House and the administration are cooperating with both the House and Senate...but we have also maintained the president's ability to get advice and have conversations with his top advisers that remain confidential."

That argument is getting old. It was used during the 9/11 committee investigation to try to prevent Condi Rice and others from testifying; it was used in the Plame affair; it was used by Dick Cheney to try prevent release of information about the energy task force committee, and it is now being used in the torture scandal and the Katrina investigation. It will no doubt be used again.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, a member of the Senate committee that is investigating the government response to Katrina, says that the departments of Justice and Health and Human Services ''have essentially ignored our document requests for months." The Department of Health and Human Services has not even allowed testimony from those in their department. As for the response of the department of Homeland Security, their response was ''too little, too late."

Sen. Susan Collins, the committee's Republican chair, criticized the lack of Homeland Security cooperation. ''We are entitled to know if someone from the Department of Homeland Security calls someone at the White House during this whole crisis period," Collins said. ''So I think the White House has gone too far in restricting basic information about who called whom on what day." She also says she can respect the WH's executive privilege, which allows the administration to get advice from Bush's aides.

I want to know what the administration's definition of advice is. According to The Free Dictionary it is:

1. Opinion about what could or should be done about a situation or problem; counsel.

2. Information communicated; news. Often used in the plural: advises from an ambassador.

The Bush administration seems very reluctant to release the source of any "advice" which makes me wonder if they have another definition which is along the lines of:

1. Opinion about what could or should be done to further our own interests or cover our collective ass; all such "opinions" are considered secret and are to be withheld everyone not a member of our double super-secret cabal.

2. Information nobody else can have because it would help the Enemies of Freedom.

I can certainly understand the need for confidentiality when the safety and security of the nation is at stake. I think every can. But this administration takes the need for confidentiality to new levels and given the amount of malfeasance the administration is accused of (in just about every aspect of its operation, it seems) such reluctance to be open about advice given comes across as being overly cautionous at best, and paranoid at worst. Their reluctance, on so many fronts, to be candid about advice given makes it seem as if they feel they have hide the reasons for doing what they do because they know it's wrong and don't want to be found out.

This all brings to mind the definition Ambrose Bierce gave in The Devil's Dictionary:

Advice: n. to seek another's approval of a course already decided upon.

Samuel Alito: Just Say No

While I have a gut feeling he'll be sworn in, after a filibuster. He's a bad choice if you like living in a democracy. Right now he seems to be telling the committee exactly what they want to hear, although not everyone is buying it, namely the Dems who've been very agressive in their questioning.

People for the American has some very good reasons why Alito should not be comfirmed. Here's a link to their Alito pages, and a few other sites that are worth checking into:

Supreme Court Watch has a pdf that is very interesting, and that publishes Alito's rulings. Give you a good idea of what Alito is really like, and why he shouldn't be confirmed: Alliance for Justice.

As always, Media Matters keeps a close eye on the spin.

Former 9/11 Commissioners: U.S. at Risk

This article, by HOPE YEN, AP is really interesting. What exactly is our government doing about Homeland Security these days? Is Homeland Security the functional equivalent of FEMA. God help us all. I do have an idea to make any kind homeland security work: turn it into Pork. My comments are in orange, because my Snark Level today is rated at Orange.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. is at great risk for more terrorist attacks because Congress and the White House have failed to enact several strong security measures, members of the former Sept. 11 commission said Sunday.

"It's not a priority for the government right now," said the former chairman, Thomas Kean, ahead of the group's release of a report Monday assessing how well its recommendations have been followed. "More than four years after 9/11 ... people (I strongly suspect he means our elected officials here...maybe we can send in Supernanny and she can get them to work nice together.) are not paying attention," the former Republican governor of New Jersey said. "God help us if we have another attack."

Added Lee Hamilton, the former Democratic vice chairman of the commission: "We believe that another attack will occur. It's not a question of if. We are not as well-prepared as we should be." (Hello? Anyone in Washington listening?) The five Republicans and five Democrats on the commission, whose recommendations are now promoted through a privately funded group known as the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, conclude that the government deserves "more Fs than As" in responding to their 41 suggested changes. Ex-commissioners contended the government has been remiss by failing to act more quickly. Kean said the Transportation Security Administration was wrong to announce changes last week that will allow airline passengers to carry small scissors and some sharp tools. He also said the agency, by now, should have consolidated databases of passenger information into a single "terror watch list" to aid screening. (Hey, how about hiring some American IT professionals with experience who have been outsourced and are now working at Starbucks or other stores for a fraction of what they used to make? Hire my husband, and we might actually be able to avoid bankruptcy!)

Calling the country "less safe than we were 18 months ago," former Democratic commissioner Jamie Gorelick said Sunday the government's failure to move forward on the recommendations makes the U.S. more vulnerable.

She cited the failure to ensure that foreign nations are upgrading security measures to stop proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical materials, as well as the FBI's resistance to overhauling its anti-terror programs.

"You remember the sense of urgency that we all felt in the summer of 2004. The interest has faded," the Washington lawyer said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "You could see that in the aftermath of Katrina. We assumed that our government would be able to do what it needed to do and it didn't do it."

One thing Katrina did was expose to the world the weakness and disorganization of the US government. Talk about giving terrorist a gift on a silver platter! I'll bet they are studying the whole mess closely. It wouldn't surprise me if the next terrorist act would involve so sort of ecological terror.
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Jeff Seemann, OH 16th District Congressional Candidate

Check this out. Jeff Seemann is a candidate for Congress in Ohio's 16th District. He is currently spending 100 hours as a homeless person. I couldn't do what he's doing. Physically, I couldn't. But I admire him for, as my grandmother would put it "walking in someone else's moccasins".

November 21, 2005
Day 2

Hello. I am writing this diary on behalf of Jeff Seemann. As many of you know, Jeff is running for Congress in Ohio's 16th District, and he's trying a different strategy. He believes that you cannot represent people until you truly understand their lives. Currently, he is spending 100 hours homeless, in an attempt to better understand what life is like for people who have lost everything. We all witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, but Katrina only magnified a problem that exists in every town on every day of every week. I just spoke with Jeff, and he has asked me to relay the story of his first 20 hours to you and several other blogs. The following is Jeff's entry;

Hello everyone. After my first day out here, if I can give you any amount of wisdom, it will be this; don't take anything for granted. You can always end up worse off than you are right now. It hasn't been easy here. The experiences and lessons I've learned already range from harsh to easy, but it's certainly been an eye-opener.

Last night, I tried to find a place to sleep. It was dark by the time I got downtown, and being a Sunday, everything was closed. I went into this experience blind, so I had no idea where any homeless shelters may be located, and I therefore decided to try a few churches. No luck there, all the doors were locked at the 4 area chuches I could find. I ended up by myself for the entire night, and found a bit of warmth behind the Palace Theater sometime around 10pm. I had hoped to find somebody to help me locate a place to sleep, but again, no luck. It was an awful night of sleep, if you can call it that at all. The temperature was probably in the 30s or low 40s. By midnight, I had a splitting headache. It's amazing how many things we take for granted in our everyday lives...like aspirin. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep a couple of times, but it was never anything that one could reasonably call sleep. By about 7 or 8 am, I was chased out of my space by a police officer. I've heard the words "move along" more times than I thought I would today. This morning, I found myself a few agencies that can help the homeless, but they are few and far between. So far, they've been helpful, but the people I've spoken to who benefit from these agencies tell me that the help doesn't last very long.

At one agency, I was told that I "picked a bad time to end up homeless" (as if there's a good time). This is the end of the year, and the grant money has dried up. Agencies don't have any money left to set anybody up with accomodations, and until January 1st, you're at the mercy of the streets. Churches do step in from time to time, but that's usually for one night only. I didn't know that a "homeless hotline" existed, but was advised to call them. One of the agencies allowed me use of their phone, and the hotline referred me to Open Door, a shelter at the Turnaround Community Outreach. I'm to report there tonight between 930 and 10pm, and I have to leave by 6am tomorrow morning. It's an African-American church, and I've already been by there for a meal at 2pm today. Very nice people, very comforting. Tomorrow, they're also having a free meal at 2pm at Open Door, but in order to eat you have to attend a church service first. I'm not willing to question this policy, but I wonder if they would still offer to feed the hungry if they were Buddhist, Jewish or even Muslim? At today's meal, there were 28 people in attendance. Almost all were homeless, but a few had homes but were well below the poverty line. The ages ranged from 18 months old to 70+ years. The 18 month old was a sweetheart. Her mother lives near the church and has no money, so she does what she can to keep her baby fed. The church gave her a few extra biscuits, and she slipped them in her baby's diaper bag (which was not really clean enough to handle food).

For the benefit of those of you concerned with whether or not I may be taking food or a bed from somebody who needs it more, I will gladly report that I waited until everyone had their plates of food before I approached the line (and was told that there was plenty if anybody needed more), and the cot I will sleep on tonight is not the last one. They can fit many more than will attend tonight, so everyone who has requested a place to sleep will get it. Also, no I have no money to make my situation any more comfortable than it is. I have no ATM card, no pocket change, no photo ID, nothing. If I was going to deprive anybody of anything during my experience, I will gladly give it up and go elsewhere. It's only been a short period of time, and I'm only 25% of the way through this, but I can tell you that I've learned a lot.

For starters, there's a whole system you have to know and those who can work it best survive with the least amount of trouble. There are a few phone numbers to call and get assistance, but most places can only offer you referrals to other agencies. It's a messed up web that you have to maneuver through in order to get anywhere. And I'm told that the funds are being slashed for 2006.

That half-eaten corn dog I saw on theground last night....I was too proud to pick it up, a move I could later regret. That bag of Fritos I saw in a trash can while walking down 12th Street...it might have had food inside. Earlier today, maybe some of you stopped by Burger King or Wendy's. Did you finish your french fries? If not, I know of a few people who would love to have what you just threwaway. Man, just that small handfull of leftover fries or the pickles you took off your burger would be a wonderful gift to some people. No, I'm notasking you to take some cold leftover food to people right now....but I am asking you to never again take for granted what you have. Tomorrow, you may not have it anymore.

Jeff Seemann

I'll be posting this diary in a few locations that Jeff has directed me to. I'll try to answer any questions you have if I have the time. In the meantime, you can help out Jeff's campaign - he's promised to deliver 10% of all funds raised to homeless shelters in the area. Visit Jeff's ActBlue page or his blog.

And trust me, as his friend, I heard it in his voice that he's not having an easy time with this. He's surviving just fine, but the people he is meeting are really eating away at his soul. He's going to walk away from this a very different person, even more sympathetic than he is now.

Peace be with you all, Michelle

I have no idea how people suffering from chronic illness survive on the streets. Or what it must be like to be a child on the streets. I do know I'm grateful for what I do have, and try to what I can to help. One person at a time can make difference, some people, like Jeff, may make a bigger difference.

Blue Cat Lair Reads

Since I'm an avid reader, I'm now posting my monthly reads at Blue Cat Lair Reads.

I tend to be an eclectric reader, so stop by, you might come across something interesting.

Oh, yeah, there might be some DVD or CDs listed occassionally, although they'll usually be at Chasing Waves of Light.

A Democrat plan for Iraq

At least someone has a plan. Think the administration will listen? Nah, not until their purse strings are affected. (Cynical little critter, ain't I?)

This is from Harry Reid's site:

First, 2006 should be a significant year of transition to full Iraqi sovereignty, with Iraqis taking more and more responsibility for their own security. It’s time to take the training wheels off the Iraqi government. Iraqis must begin to run their own country. In 2006, the US and our allies must do everything we can to make that possible.

Second, the Administration must advise the Iraqi people that U.S. military forces will not stay indefinitely in Iraq, and that it is their responsibility to achieve the broad-based and sustainable political environment essential for defeating the insurgency.

Third, the President needs to submit – on a quarterly basis - a plan for success to Congress and the American people. This plan must specify the challenges and progress being made in Iraq, timetables for achieving our goals and estimated dates for redeployment from Iraq as these goals are met.

Click here for the entire text.