11/1/2006
They Are The Dividers…
by Shane Mason on 12:00 am.
President Bush will be here later this week to stump for Conrad Burns. Is he coming here as the decider? The uniter? No, he coming as the divider. Here is a preview from speeches he has made this week:
“When it comes to listening to the terrorists, what’s the Democrats’ answer? It’s just say no. When it come to detaining terrorists, what is the Democrats’ answer Just say no. When it comes to questioning terrorists, what’s the Democrats’ answer? Just say no. When it comes to trying terrorists, what’s the Democrats’ answer. Just say no.â€
He is not saying ‘the Republican plan to keep America safe is better than the Democrats’. What he is saying here is that we want the terroris to succeed. We want to see American lives lost. This isn’t how we work together, this is how we marginalize 50% of the American population.
“The Democrat approach in Iraq comes down to this: The terrorists win, and America loses.â€
I could point out that with over 100 Americans killed in Iraq this month, his approach to Iraq is working out really poorly. I am not saying that he wants us to fail. I am simply pointing out that he is incapable of a coherent strategy. There is a difference here. I am not questioning his motivation as he questions all democrats.
You can say that my ideas are wrong and I will have an active and spirited debate with you on that. However, if you question my motivations or patriotism then the debate is off the table and a fight is on the table. Too often that is what it comes down to from both sides and it is simply not OK. We have heard it time and again from this president and Conrad Burns. I hear it echoed here from thoughtless commenters “The democrats want us to fail in Iraq“. No, we don’t want to see people die. We don’t want to hear the death tolls everyday. If that was our goal we would not be trying to force a strategy, we would let Bush’s ’secret’ plan continue. Failure is where that secret plan is headed.
We want America to succeed with its values intact: the values of acceptance, equality and all the right granted us in the constitution. We want us to be the nation that works together to solve it’s problems. We don’t want to be a country that marginalizes 50% of it’s population. We want to be a country called The United States of America. We are done with dividers, we want uniters. We are taking our country back and we are starting on Tuesday.
| Comments (17) | Permanent Link | Categories: '06, Conrad Burns, dickhead, elections, ideologues, montana, political, republicans |
10/27/2006
Broken Government
by Shane Mason on 8:31 am.
If you haven’t been watching the CNN series Broken Government this week, you need to. It is an excellent review of the last 6 years. Tonight’s episode was a great discussion on the grab of executive power and overreach in the last several years. It is an eye opening experience to me. For instance, I had no idea that Dick Cheney’s lifelong goal has been an expansion in executive power. Video footage doesn’t lie and this policy of imperial executive goes back to his time in Richard Nixon. It shows views from both sides, but the truth is obvious.
In light of recent expressions by ABC that it openly favors conservative views based on the Fox model, it is nice to see a news channel looking at the truth. If you watch this and say that it is liberal biased, that’s because you havn’t had you eye open for the last 6 years or maybe the truth hurts.
| Comments (13) | Permanent Link | Categories: '06, elections, ideologues, overreach, political, republicans |
10/22/2006
Did Burns reveal the secret plan?
by Shane Mason on 2:00 pm.
As I mentioned earlier, in the recent Billings debate between Jon Tester and Conrad Burns, Burns claimed that Bush has a secret plan for victory in Iraq. While this is amusing on one hand, it is disturbing because thousands of American troops have died in Mr Bush’s war. Past that, an estimated 650,000 Iraqi’s have died at the hands of a ’secret plan’ that Bush isn’t going to share with us.
(It occurred to me that everyone might not know about the ‘Secret Plan Declaration’, see it over at the Ravings of An Insane Fisherman)
Is it possible that Mr Burns gave the real secret plan away? While defending the strategy of ‘win at all costs’ at the Helena debate, Burns said this
It is the best interests of the United States, it’s the best interests of the Middle East. After all, this is the first time that we can change the economic culture of the Middle East, and do it in a country that has the wherewithal to get it done.
So, it’s all about money? There was no mention of what was best interest for the Iraqi people (democracy?), only the economic interest. Is that what it is all about Conrad? Were you supposed to tell us that, or did you blow the secret plan? Just so you remember what is at stake here, look at the headlines:
35 die in new Iraq violence
Bombings, shootings kill 32 in Iraq
Military Families Cope With Increase Of Iraq Violence
Iraq’s violence heading toward two-year high
Bush admits Iraq violence echoes Vietnam during Tet
Limbaugh: Recent Iraq violence shows “terrorists have voted Democrat”
| Comments (8) | Permanent Link | Categories: '06, Conrad Burns, elections, foreign, ideologues, iraq, political, republicans |
10/21/2006
Michael J. Fox Ad
by V on 3:33 pm.
Kos had this up yesterday afternoon, but I only got to it today. This is a pretty powerful ad for Claire McCaskill in Missouri. I think it’s more powerful as an ad for stem cell research, generally. The religious handcuffing of policy and scientific research that will help millions of Americans has to stop.
Update — Pogie got here before me as well. Gosh, I am slow. It’s not just his age.
| Comments (15) | Permanent Link | Categories: '06, Front Page, democrats, ideologues, policy, political |
10/16/2006
The Ultimate Campaign Commercial
by Shane Mason on 6:47 pm.
If you have not see The Ultimate Democratic Campaign Commercial over at the Huffington Post, you should go watch it now. Seriously, it will give you the chills.
The thing that I liked the most was the usage of music and scenes from the movie ‘V For Vendetta’. If you have not seen this movie, it is one of the most inspirational films of our times.
| Comments (11) | Permanent Link | Categories: '06, '08, corrupt, elections, ideologues, overreach, political, republicans |
10/14/2006
A Really Dangerous Man
by Shane Mason on 11:48 pm.
A commenter yesterday reminded me of a man who, were he not marginalized, would be one of the most dangerous men in the state. Rick Jore is running for House District 12 again under the Constitution Party. He once held this position as a republican, before he decided they were not extreme enough for him. I wont spend a lot of time telling you about what makes him such a bad man, I’ll let him do that for me.
From his website
I will oppose all federal funds appropriated for education.
Just as I opposed CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) in the 1999 legislature, I will continue to oppose similar programs.
I will not support legislation to fund any scheme that is labeled “economic development.” I opposed all of the “jobs and income” proposals in the last session and I will continue to do so.
Yes, you read it right. Rick Jore opposes federal funding for education, health insurance for underprivileged children and economic development programs for Montana. So, let’s look at this in more detail by examining his answers to the Project Vote Smart questionnaire:
- Rick Jore would greatly decrease funding for higher education
- Rick Jore would greatly decrease funding for high schools
- Rick Jore would greatly decrease funding for elementary schools
- Rick Jore would greatly decrease funding for the environment
- Rick Jore would decrease funding for law enforcement
- Rick Jore would decrease funding for highways
- Rick Jore would eliminate funding for health care
- Rick Jore would eliminate funding for welfare
- Rick Jore does not support any type of campaign finance controls
- Rick Jore does not support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills
- Rick Jore does increasing state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth
- Rick Jore does not support increasing state funding for state and local emergency agencies to prevent or respond to terrorism
- Rick Jore does not support increasing state funding for state and local emergency agencies to prevent or respond to terrorism
- Rick Jore does not support the restriction of the sale of products used to make methamphetamine
- Rick Jore does not support the Montana Meth Project and similar initiatives
- Rick Jore does not promote increased use of alternative fuel technology
Seriously, this stuff goes on and on. What can you do to help? Support Jeanne Windham in her bid for reelection to HD 12. Donate to the Montana Legislative Campaign Committee through the Act Blue link above. Contact the state democratic party of Jeanne Windham to see what you can do to help.
| Comments (31) | Permanent Link | Categories: '08, ballot initiatives, democrats, dickhead, ideologues, punitive |
10/1/2006
Dennis Rehberg Hates Freedom Of Speech
by Shane Mason on 12:05 pm.
I am not sure how this story has slipped through the cracks, but it has. Last week, H.R. 2679: Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005 passed a US House vote, one of those votes came from Dennis Rehberg. In keeping with the current push to name bills the opposite of what they are, this bill is not about allowing more rights but about taking away your recourse to fight back when your rights have been trampled. Let’s look at the bill:
Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005 - Amends the Revised Statutes of the United States to limit the remedy to injunctive relief and deny attorneys’ fees in a civil action against a state or local official for deprivation of rights where the deprivation consists of a violation of a prohibition in the Constitution against the establishment of religion.
The purpose of this bill is simple: if a state or local official violates your rights by ignoring the separation of church and state, you are limited in having the wrongful behavior stopped and you can not go for attorney fees. This is serious, let’s look at what ‘injunctive relief’ means:
injunctive relief
n. a court-ordered act or prohibition against an act or condition which has been requested, and sometimes granted, in a petition to the court for an injunction. Such an act is the use of judicial (court) authority to handle a problem and is not a judgment for money.
So, what does this bill mean when it says limit the remedy to injunctive relief? Is it taking away the courts ability to remedy a situation where the state is violating a persons religious freedom under the constitution? It looks to me like Rehberg will just vote for whatever the corrupt republican leadership tells him to.
The current republican congress has shown time and again that they are all for taking away our freedoms and replacing them with a Telaban-style theocracy. We need desperately need representation in Washington who will look out for our rights. We need Monica Lindeen and we need her fast.
| Comments (16) | Permanent Link | Categories: '06, Dennis Rehberg, censorship, corrupt, elections, ideologues, montana, overreach, political, religion, republicans |
9/15/2006
Pat Buchanan Stands Up for Timothy McVeigh
by Shane Mason on 8:47 pm.
On the McLaughlin Group Pat Buchanan just said that Timothy McVeigh deserved more rights than ‘international terrorists’. Do you think this is true? In some ways, weren’t McVey’s crimes worse because they were committed against people of his own country? How do you distinguish between monsters?
| Comments (9) | Permanent Link | Categories: ideologues, terror |
9/6/2006
Tell ABC/Disney to Stop the Madness
by Shane Mason on 8:12 pm.
The ABC/Disney company are trying to rewrite history on 9/11 with their upcoming docudrama “The Path To 911″. I the case that all of you do not subscribe to the democratic mailing list, I want to pass this alone. Please read this and sign the petition here.
Dear Fellow Democrat,
Does a major national broadcast network want to stain itself by presenting an irresponsible, slanderous, fraudulent, “docu-drama” to the American public?
Not if you and I have the last word — but either way, we’re about to find out.
The ABC television network — a cog in the Walt Disney empire — unleashed a promotional blitz in the last week for a new “docudrama” called “The Path to 9/11″. ABC has thrown its corporate might behind the two-night production, and bills it as a public service: a TV event, to quote the ABC tagline, “based on the 9/11 Commission Report”.
That’s false. “The Path to 9/11″ is actually a bald-faced attempt to slander Democrats and revise history right before Americans vote in a major election.
The miniseries, which was put together by right-wing conservative writers, relies on the old GOP playbook of using terrorism to scare Americans. “The Path to 9/11″ mocks the truth and dishonors the memory of 9/11 victims to serve a cheap, callous political agenda. It irresponsibly misrepresents the facts and completely distorts the truth.
ABC/Disney executives need to hear from the public and understand that their abuse of the public trust comes with a cost. Tell Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger to keep this right-wing propaganda off the air — we’ll deliver your message:
http://www.democrats.org/pathto911
(more…)
| Comments (23) | Permanent Link | Categories: ideologues, terror |
9/3/2006
Good Morning! You’ll Like This!
by Shane Mason on 11:00 pm.
OK, I just read a great article and now I feel like a million bucks. Here is a teaser:
“Unless something big happens, this election is going to be a horror show for Republicans,” said Cook. “When you talk to Republican pollsters and strategists, the nicest word you can come up with is `despondent.’ This is going to be really bad.”
Read it for yourself: Rove’s vision falling apart as mood turns against GOP
| Comments (14) | Permanent Link | Categories: '06, democrats, elections, ideologues, overreach, political, republicans |
9/2/2006
On Lincoln Chafee and Joe Leiberman
by Shane Mason on 2:42 pm.
I really should stop being surprised about the differences between the right’s rhetoric and their actions. I just don’t understand how they rectify the difference in their mind. I have recently began following the Rhode Island GOP senate primary where moderate republican Lincoln Chafee and right wing challenger Stephen Laffey. Last month Connecticut democrats were highly criticized for ousting ‘centrist’ Joe Lieberman in the primaries with suggestions that this represented a take over of the Democratic party by left wing extremist. While anyone with half a brain can see that there isn’t much ‘extreme’ or even progressive about Lamont, Stephen Laffey certainly represents the extreme right wing for a state like Rhode Island. If you have any doubt about this, think of Anne Coulter’s recent endorsement of Laffey when she said “They shot the wrong Lincoln”.
The major difference here is that R.I. is a very blue state that has tolerated liberal republicans like Chafee. With only 70,000 registered republicans, there is a strong chance that Chafee could lose the republican nomination without a strong turnout by independents. That would leave the conservative challenger Laffey in losing position in November. No matter what happens in the Connecticut race between Lamont and now independent Leiberman there is no feasible scrambling of the numbers that leaves the republican challenger in the winning seat. If Laffey wins the primary, their is no feasible scrambling of numbers that will leave the seat in the republicans hands.
While this is good for us and the country, what does it say about the republican party? To me is says that they are self destructing and what they falsely claimed about Lamont/Leiberaman is really true about their own party. For more info, see the post on this at the Moderate Voice.
| Comments (13) | Permanent Link | Categories: '06, elections, ideologues, political, republicans |
7/29/2006
Globe Editorial Strikes the Kanye Chord
by V on 11:46 am.
This is a fair expose on the two-faced nature of Republican, particularly Bush administration, support for civil rights. Read it. Great one liner (with context):
He talked about his recent tour of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis with the prime minister of Japan. ‘If you haven’t been there, you ought to go,’ he said.
…
Bush tells the NAACP to go to the museum. His administration is a civil rights mausoleum.
| Comments (1) | Permanent Link | Categories: Front Page, ideologues, overreach, political, republicans |
7/23/2006
Letting Rich People Cheat on Their Taxes
by Matt Singer on 4:33 pm.
One of the less common tax discussions in this country is about the way that tax enforcement shapes the tax burden. This isn’t tough. It is, one might say, economics 101 — not enforcing tax laws provides an incentive to cheat on one’s taxes. And the part that goes beyond economics 101 is that top-notch enforcement is a stronger disincentive than harsher penalties when it comes to preventing crime. Now, the Bush Administration has clearly stated its preferences on tax policy over the last six years, giving those hard-working billionaires a break. They must need one. After all, they apparently cheat like mad on their taxes:
six years ago, when the I.R.S. said that 85 percent of large taxable gifts it audited shortchanged the government. The I.R.S. said then that it would hire three more lawyers just to audit taxable gifts of $1 million or more.Over the last five years, officials at both the I.R.S. and the Treasury have told Congress that cheating among the highest-income Americans is a major and growing problem.
Sweet. So how do we deal with this major and growing problem?
By firing the lawyers who enforce the law, of course:
The federal government is moving to eliminate the jobs of nearly half of the lawyers at the Internal Revenue Service who audit tax returns of some of the wealthiest Americans, specifically those who are subject to gift and estate taxes when they transfer parts of their fortunes to their children and others.
Need a real measure of the insanity of this decision? How about this:
Estate tax lawyers are the most productive tax law enforcement personnel at the I.R.S., according to Mr. Brown. For each hour they work, they find an average of $2,200 of taxes that people owe the government.
Hiring these people is not an expenditure. It’s an investment.
I know what you’re thinking — the last thing we need is some kind of socialist system where our tax laws are actually enforced. If really rich businesspeople were actually forced to pay the marginal rates the law says they should be paying, we’d simply be inviting an economic meltdown.
That’s a fair argument, which is why I’m glad we’re cracking down on at least one group of taxpayers:
Earlier this year, the National Taxpayer Advocate reported to Congress that, since 2001, the IRS has frozen 1.6 million tax refunds without notice as part of its criminal enforcement program. Although it is intended to curb the distribution of the Earned Income Tax Credit to ineligible taxpayers, the Taxpayer Advocate’s study suggests that the vast majority of those targeted — perhaps between 60 and 80 percent — are in fact eligible
EITC recipients are low-income families for the most part. The EITC is a program Ronald Reagan described as “the best anti-poverty, the best pro-family, the best job creation measure to come out of Congress.”
Today, people claiming the EITC are 3 times more likely to be audited than the richest taxpayers. And the very richest — the people fortunate enough to pay the Paris Hilton tax — are actually having their audits cut.
This isn’t about tax policy. It’s about enforcing the law in a disgraceful and unequal way — so that honest, hard-working Americans raising their families are denied the tax credits rightfully theirs with no notification while the richest plutocrats in the nation can do whatever the Hell they want and not be questioned.
You want to know why I get angry? It’s because of crap like this.
| Comments (8) | Permanent Link | Categories: Front Page, corrupt, economic, ideologues, policy, republicans, taxes |
7/13/2006
Dennis Rehberg’s Fauxrage
by Matt Singer on 12:22 pm.
Dennis Rehberg is one of the nastiest men in Montana politics. I’m not sure there’s anyone — D or R — who would dispute that. And his latest tactic is no different. He’s asking Monica to denounce some DCCC web ad because it has footage of flag-draped coffins. This coming from the guy who capped his ‘04 campaign with video of Democrats, war protesters…and…wait for it…flag burning?
Cripes.
It gets worse, though. This attack on the ad is part of a national NRCC strategy. John Boehner got asked about it in light of GOP ads featuring victims of 9/11. If it is wrong to politicize fallen soldiers, isn’t it wrong to politicize fallen victims of terrorists?
Nope. IOKIYAR.
| Comments (15) | Permanent Link | Categories: Dennis Rehberg, Front Page, ideologues, overreach, republicans |
7/11/2006
We Can’t Afford Denny Anymore
by V on 12:47 pm.
I went to a Monica Lindeen fundraiser last night, and I was impressed by her candid estimation of her race and of her opponent. She is truly a top notch candidate and we all need to do what we can to help her with this race. But first…
Denny Rehberg: A LitW Remembrance
Denny is a tool of the oil and gas industry who doesn’t give a beggar’s damn what Montanans think about the place they live in.
Denny is a crook, who takes money from crooked people, and then uses his political clout to try and protect himself.
Denny is a jerk, who would even insult a pregnant woman and defend himself by attacking her political pursuasion.
Denny is good for Denny and for Denny’s friends like Leo Giacometto and bad for everyone else.
Denny is a joke.
Denny is a political, smarmy man who hates science, poor people, and older folks in need.
These are the reasons that Rehberg needs to go, but most folks already knew ‘em. Monica raises two points on top of this. First, ever since Denny has gone to Congress Montanans’ pocket books have been strained. Affording to heat our houses or businesses is now a real concern for folks that struggle to make ends meet in the winter, and in every season filling up a tank of gas has become ridiculous. Where does Denny stand on this timely issue? Denny has taken upwards of $200,000 from gas and oil interests, who are putting this strain on regular Montanans to keep things the same.
(more…)
| Comments (13) | Permanent Link | Categories: '06, Dennis Rehberg, Front Page, corrupt, democrats, elections, ideologues, montana, political, republicans |
7/10/2006
Righteous in Montana
by V on 11:13 am.
Over in the bizarro world of WRiM writer James Larson has posted something beyond inane. I will repost much of it for the purpose of poking fun but if you must link there, you’ll have to find your own way. I am sure Googling “right-wing nutters” or “cut and run Montana” will get you there eventually. Anyhow, lots of laughs after the break…
(more…)
| Comments (4) | Permanent Link | Categories: Front Page, ideologues, montucky, religion, republicans |
7/4/2006
The Front as a Political Football
by Matt Singer on 1:15 pm.
As you probably read in the paper this morning, Rehberg is “disagreeing” with Burns over whether we should prohibit oil drilling on the Rocky Mountain Front. Here’s actually what is going on. Polling shows protecting the Front is popular and Burns is in deep trouble, so he’s finally running to the middle as he needs to. But the risk of running to the middle and taking positions opposed by 80% of your base (but popular with 60% of Montana) is that your base, fed up with corruption, deficit spending, a broken foreign policy, and newfound conservation principles, will just stay home. So Rehberg is playing a comfortable role: riling up the base. Who knows, we may even see another flag-burning commercial from him this year.
But what torques me is that newspapers are reporting that his statement “struck a middle ground.” That’s not true. Striking a middle ground involves finding some compromise. Burns struck a middle ground on this issue (he did so out of his own terror of losing reelection). Rehberg is fawning to the develop-at-any-cost crowd that would rather see the federal government hand over huge subsidies for uneconomic oil development than leave any potential well untapped. He only pays lip service to conservation values, saying that he likes to hunt and fish. That may be true, but I think he’s only fishing for donations and hunting for open bars.
Rehberg says he’ll never hurt hunting and fishing opportunities. That’s a load of crap. He voted for Pombo’s lousy measure to privatize public lands before Baucus led the charge to kill the measure.
Rehberg, Burns, and the entire Republican Party pay lip service to public lands, public access, and habitat maintenance. In reality, they’re pretending to be centrists to get votes while voting to privatize to get money, so they can use the campaign funds to convince Montanans that they’re on our side.
Keep in mind, Rehberg’s opposition to the disastrous Pombo measure didn’t even surface until after Monica Lindeen called him out on it. Even then, it was entirely rhetorical as he proceeded to vote for the measure.
You want your kids to be able to hike, camp, fish, and hunt in thirty years? Vote Monica.
| Comments (17) | Permanent Link | Categories: Dennis Rehberg, Front Page, ideologues |
6/29/2006
Magic Bunny Fu-Fu Land
by V on 10:05 am.
This is where I think most Congressional Republicans have been living in the past few years. In this magical land, they can fight any number of wars for political reasons, tap everyone’s phone for sound, call actions of reputable news outlets illegal with no intention or prospect of taking the matter to court, grease up their favorite pork projects, and ignore the costs at every turn. Wouldn’t it be great if the government was able to pay for all of the big government projects that Republicans have gotten us into. I think that most Republicans must have forgotten what one dollar bills look like through their obsession with hundreds and thousands.
| Comments (2) | Permanent Link | Categories: Front Page, corrupt, ideologues, overreach, punitive, republicans |
6/20/2006
Burns Attacks Farmers, Compares Democrats to Nazis
by Matt Singer on 8:57 am.
Our Junior Senator is a classy guy. Consider these two pieces from his stump speech as reported in today’s Tribune:
The closest he came to admitting the existence of Democrat Jon Tester, a Big Sandy farmer, was when it came to talking about his own role on the powerful Appropriations Committee in providing federal drought relief funds.“I provided the money,” Burns said. “He took the checks.”
Eric Coobs wrote up this quote the other day. I actually thought when Coobs wrote that this is about farm aid that he must be kidding. Burns couldn’t really be claiming credit for the federal government helping farmers in the state and implying that those farmers must never challenge him as a result. That would be too much. Rather, Burns must be arguing that he provided a lot of money to Montana and as a legislator, Tester took the money for Montana’s budget.
Looks like I was wrong. It appears Conrad Burns really does think that Montana farmers are personally indebted to him since he “provided the money.” No wonder Conrad’s folks think there is nothing wrong with the INSA slush fund. Big Boy Burns provides the money. Why shouldn’t he get a slush fund?
Statements like this shine a pretty damn clear light on Conrad’s character. First, he thinks he is the federal government. If that isn’t “going Washington” then I don’t know what is. Second, he thinks providing money to someone makes them indebted to you for life — so it seems that $150,000 bundled by Abramoff must have been good for quite a bit. All the money Burns got from oil companies meant he owed them the giant tax breaks he voted for.
Conrad Burns is bought and paid for. What’s more, he is an advocate of the bribery system.
But what really had me dumbfounded was when he compared his going negative on primary night with D-Day:
Burns, in fact, started his speech Saturday by noting the immediate intensity of the general election campaign after the June 6 primary.“June 6 of this year is as good as June 6, 1944, D-day,” he said. “We launched another attack.”
Attacking the Democrats “is as good as” attacking the Nazis? I said it once, I’ll say it again. The Republican Party has become the party of moral equivalence. Robocalls are the same as auctioning off the republic. And those Democrats who have the temerity to question it are no different than the barbarian hordes who tried to destroy civilization as we know it.
These people have lost their minds.
| Comments (10) | Permanent Link | Categories: '06, Conrad Burns, Front Page, corrupt, ideologues, overreach |
6/8/2006
Good Riddance…
by V on 9:09 pm.
| Comments (2) | Permanent Link | Categories: Front Page, corrupt, ideologues, republicans |
