Jackson Free Press

Listening to NPR this morning, I decided that we need a place on the JFP site to collect all these crazy stories coming (mostly) out of Washington these days. These are true news stories that seem too unbelievable to be true -- but they are. Feel free to add your own at will. Definitely include the link, and a couple sentences of explanation as need.

GOP alters rules to aid DeLay

Previous Comments

ID

86225

Comment

How about this: [quote]Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has rejected a call to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, a move that has put him at odds with his brother the President. While George W. Bush continues to call for a federal constitutional amendment to block gays and lesbians from marrying, his brother this week said that a state amendment is not needed in Florida. Jeb Bush was commenting a call from Southern Baptists for the state to enshrine traditional marriage in its constitution. The denomination voted last week to support a gay marriage ban in the constitution. "My belief is it's not necessary," Gov. Bush said in Jacksonville. Bush said that he believes marriage should be limited to those between men and women, but said that the state's defence of marriage act is sufficient. Source[/quote] The Bush brothers can't even get their agendas aligned...

Author

kaust

Date

2004-11-18T15:28:12-06:00

ID

86226

Comment

A number of jarring headlines today: U.S., Iraqi Troops Storm Baghdad Mosque Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. soldiers, stormed one of the major Sunni Muslim mosques in Baghdad after Friday prayers, opening fire and killing at least three people, witnesses said. Leaders Hope to Push $388B Spending Bill WASHINGTON (AP) - Lawmakers and White House budget bargainers whittled their differences to a handful, fueling hopes Friday that Congress can speed an overdue $388 billion bill to President Bush that finances most federal agencies. The giant measure, which leaders hoped to pass by Saturday, bears extra money for priorities like veterans, the wartorn Darfur region of Sudan, biohazard detection equipment for the post office, and likely thousands of projects for lawmakers' home districts. But the legislation was largely defined by Bush's demands for curbs on domestic spending, with only modest increases for favorites like education and cuts for some of the president's own initiatives. F.D.A. Failing in Drug Safety, Official Asserts Federal drug regulators are "virtually incapable of protecting America" from unsafe drugs, a federal drug safety reviewer told a Congressional panel on Thursday, and he named five drugs now on the market whose safety needs "to be seriously looked at." In testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, Dr. David Graham, the reviewer in the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Drug Safety, used fiery language to denounce his agency as feckless and far too likely to surrender to demands of drug makers. ------ Good mornin', all.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2004-11-19T11:07:34-06:00

ID

86227

Comment

NYT editorial today re: the Delay scheme: aving picked up a handful of seats in this month's election, House Republicans seem to think they have a mandate to eradicate Congressional ethics standards. On Tuesday, House Republicans unanimously elected Tom DeLay to serve another term as House majority leader, despite his unsavory record when it comes to abiding by accepted Congressional standards of conduct. He received two separate bipartisan rebukes from the normally timid ethics committee this fall. Just in case Mr. DeLay gets into more trouble, G.O.P. lawmakers have followed up by repealing their wise party rule that barred indicted members from holding leadership positions. Only a handful of Republicans had the moral compass to object. The Republican conference's worry about Mr. DeLay's relationship with the forces of justice stems from the same events that nailed down his current popularity. He muscled an egregiously partisan redistricting plan into Texas, and that helped Republican candidates pick up five Congressional seats there.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2004-11-19T11:09:20-06:00

ID

86228

Comment

How's this for surreal? Iraq War Topping $5.8 Billion A Month United Press International November 18, 2004 WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is spending more than $5.8 billion a month on the war in Iraq, according to the military's top generals. That is nearly a 50 percent increase above the $4 billion-a-month benchmark the Pentagon has used to estimate the cost of the war so far. The Army alone is spending $4.7 million a month while the Air Force is spending $800 million a month transporting soldiers and flying combat missions. The Marine Corps is spending $300 million a month, the four service chiefs told the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday. Since 2003, the Pentagon has received some $160 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in supplemental funding -- that is, in addition to its annual budget. It will be requesting another multibillion-dollar supplement early next year to cover the continuing cost of the war.

Author

kate

Date

2004-11-19T14:00:51-06:00

ID

86229

Comment

Yep, gotta love all this fiscal responsibility.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2004-11-19T14:03:18-06:00

ID

86230

Comment

Now, here's a surreal one: Congress Passes $800 Billion Debt Limit Increase CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush will sign into law by Monday a measure authorizing an $800 billion increase in the credit limit of the United States, the White House said. In a statement issued late on Thursday after Congress gave its final approval to increase the limit to a new $8.184 trillion ceiling, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the legislation ``was important to protect the full faith and credit of the United States.'' [...] The Republican-controlled House voted 208-204, largely along party lines. Senate approval came on Wednesday. Democrats said the debt limit increase, the third in as many years, was necessitated by Bush's ``irresponsible'' fiscal priorities, including what House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, described as tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate handouts. The Treasury Department had been forced to take special accounting steps to avoid piercing the debt ceiling in recent days and make sure it could pay its bills. On Thursday Treasury was forced to postpone its announcement of weekly bill auctions and its two-year note auction, another measure aimed at staying under the limit.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2004-11-19T14:42:23-06:00

ID

86231

Comment

Violence Breaks Out All Over Baghdad BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Baghdad exploded in violence Saturday, as insurgents attacked a U.S. patrol and a police station, assassinated four government employees and detonated several bombs. One American soldier was killed and nine were wounded during clashes that also left three Iraqi troops and a police officer dead. Some of the heaviest violence came in Azamiyah, a largely Sunni Arab district of Baghdad where a day earlier U.S. troops raided the capital's main Sunni mosque. Shops were in flames, and a U.S. Humvee burned, with the body of what appeared to be its driver inside. U.S. forces and insurgents also battled in the Sunni Triangle city of Ramadi, where clashes have been seen almost daily. Nine Iraqis were killed and five wounded in Saturday's fighting, hospital officials said. [...] Meanwhile, Germany and the United States reached a deal for forgiving 80 percent of Iraq's foreign debt, capping a months-long U.S. push to lift the country's debt burden as a boost to its economy as it seeks to rebuild and establish a democractic government. [...] The United States has been pushing for a generous write-off, as much as 95 percent of Iraq's debt. However, other governments, including Germany, have questioned whether a country rich in oil should benefit from huge debt reduction. [...] The spasm of violence came a day after Iraqi forces backed by U.S. soldiers raided the Abu Hanifa mosque - one of the country's most important Sunni mosques - as worshippers were leaving after Friday prayers in the Azamiyah neighborhood.

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2004-11-20T13:34:32-06:00

ID

86232

Comment

A good one: GOP Lawmakers Block Intelligence Overhaul A bill aimed at overhauling the nation's intelligence agencies was pulled Saturday because of conservative opposition, on what was supposed to be the last day of Congress' lame-duck session. Republican leaders were caught between angry conservatives, who threatened to vote against the bill, and President Bush, who insisted it should be passed. Congressional sources told CNN that Bush, in Chile for an economic summit, called a congressman Friday night and told him to "back off" from pushing contentious provisions related to immigration. Congress will remain in session, and if an agreement is reached before January, a vote on the bill could be taken.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2004-11-20T18:39:12-06:00

ID

86233

Comment

Very funny, and apropos, Marshall Ramsey cartoon today about Bush's, er, attempts at unity.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2004-11-22T10:21:28-06:00

ID

86234

Comment

Check this out re: the $388 billion spending bill http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_11_14.php#004073 "a special provision was inserted into the bill which allows the Chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees or their "agents" to review any American's tax return with no restrictions whatsoever. " "Specifically, none of the privacy law restrictions -- or the criminal and civil penalties tied to them -- would apply when the Chair or anybody he or she designates as his or her "agent" looked at your tax return."

Author

Jen

Date

2004-11-23T11:55:10-06:00

ID

86235

Comment

more on this outrageous bill... and when I say outrage, I mean it: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6875356 "The Senate voted 65-30 for the legislation late on Saturday that sets aside funds for a range of priorities including a presidential yacht, foreign aid and energy." "The House of Representatives passed the bill 344-51 earlier on Saturday. But it must also approve a resolution that would correct part of the spending bill that would have allowed lawmakers access to the tax returns of Americans and which provoked outrage among lawmakers from both parties. " OK so we're gonna take out the tax return part and leave in the YACHT????? A YACHT???? "To fit into limits demanded by Bush as part of his effort to trim the record budget deficit..." HUH???? "Democrats fumed that Republican leaders had cut crucial funding for education, health and the environment." But they left in a YACHT????? Forget AIDS, LET'S GO TO MARS, bring your nuclear waste to us, and forget health care and education, but for goodness sake's GET THAT MAN A YACHT!!

Author

Jen

Date

2004-11-23T14:10:27-06:00

ID

86236

Comment

A great blog on that same note... and yes I am a bit ill over this one... http://atrios.blogspot.com/2004/11/presidential-yacht.html

Author

Jen

Date

2004-11-23T14:11:46-06:00

ID

86237

Comment

From Thursday, Dec 2 edition of the Washington Post "Some Abstinence Programs Mislead Teens, Report Says" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26623-2004Dec1.html Discusses findings of a report by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), of the teaching of many federally funded abstinence only programs. "Many American youngsters participating in federally funded abstinence-only programs have been taught over the past three years that abortion can lead to sterility and suicide, that half the gay male teenagers in the United States have tested positive for the AIDS virus, and that touching a person's genitals "can result in pregnancy,"... "Among the misconceptions cited by Waxman's investigators: ï A 43-day-old fetus is a "thinking person." ï HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can be spread via sweat and tears. ï Condoms fail to prevent HIV transmission as often as 31 percent of the time in heterosexual intercourse. " "I have no objection talking about abstinence as a surefire way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases," Waxman said. "I don't think we ought to lie to our children about science. Something is seriously wrong when federal tax dollars are being used to mislead kids about basic health facts." "Some course materials cited in Waxman's report present as scientific fact notions about a man's need for "admiration" and "sexual fulfillment" compared with a woman's need for "financial support." One book in the "Choosing Best" series tells the story of a knight who married a village maiden instead of the princess because the princess offered so many tips on slaying the local dragon. "Moral of the story," notes the popular text: "Occasional suggestions and assistance may be alright, but too much of it will lessen a man's confidence or even turn him away from his princess." " ---I am going to have to wait to comment on this one until after I throw up.....and find my crown.

Author

Jen

Date

2004-12-04T09:35:41-06:00