EP-RANTS!

The Political and the Personal While surfing the web on a Sunday afternoon, I found a great little article by David Neiwert entitled "The Political and the Personal." Here's an excerpt: Conservatism, especially in the past 20 years, has come less to represent those old-fashioned values, and instead has become a watchword for rampant, unfettered corporatism. Republicans in Idaho particularly were fond of gutting my state's heritage -- letting "free enterprise" pollute our streams, wipe out fish runs and wildlife habitat, destroy the forests in which I used to hunt and fish -- while proclaiming they were doing so in the name of "liberty." They weren't the party of the little people, despite their pose, which so many people I knew bought into. They were the party of the fat cats who bellied up to the public trough, trashed our lands, and walked away fatter and fancy free. In the end I realized that, when it came to everyone from persona...

An August Surprise by Michael Cudahy Bush: Vice-President Cheney to Step Down Giuliani to Join Republican Ticket The Associated Press Thursday, August 26, 2004; 11:49 AM   WASHINGTON -- A somber President George Bush said today, in an emotional Rose Garden press conference, that Vice-President Dick Cheney has asked to be replaced on the Republican ticket due to health reasons. With the Vice-President at his side, the President said that Cheney's health had to come before all other considerations. He thanked him for the selfless contributions he had made to his administration, and to the country, and wished him a calm and healthy retirement. Bush said that he had asked former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to join him on the Republican ticket, and that Giuliani had accepted. The President said that he was confident that his party's delegates would confirm his choice of Giuliani as Vice-President when they convened next week in New York for t...

Three-Star General Doubts Constitution Will Survive WMD Attack by John O. Edwards, NewsMax.com Friday, Nov. 21, 2003 General Tommy Franks says that if the United States is hit with a weapon of mass destruction that inflicts large casualties, the Constitution will likely be discarded in favor of a military form of government. Franks, who successfully led the U.S. military operation to liberate Iraq, expressed his worries in an extensive interview he gave to the men’s lifestyle magazine Cigar Aficionado. In the magazine’s December edition, the former commander of the military’s Central Command warned that if terrorists succeeded in using a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) against the U.S. or one of our allies, it would likely have catastrophic consequences for our cherished republican form of government. Discussing the hypothetical dangers posed to the U.S. in the wake of Sept. 11, Franks said that “the worst thing that could happen” is if terrorists acquire and then ...

Support the troops - a statement from a prominent magazine publisher Many of us like to say "Support Our Troops." We we wave our little flags, we listen to folks like Toby Keith, and like to say "God Bless America" a lot. That's all very nice, but I think if someone really wants to "support our troops," there's a lot more constructive ways to go about this sort of thing. Here's a statement from a prominent magazine publisher that addresses the immediate needs of the brave men and women that put their life on the line to protect their country. It addresses the matter of leadership, and what can be done to improve their conditions. I couldn't have said it better myself. EP * * * * * * * * * * September 2003 Publisher's Statement We have been hearing a lot from George W. Bush these past few months about supporting our troops. I agree with the sentiment but I have a few questions for the President-Select: ...

Democratic Senators Show Cahones! Republicans stopped Senate business for 39 straight hours to complain that Democrats are standing up to Bush on his right-wing judicial nominees. Here are the facts: • The Senate has confirmed 168 of President Bush's judicial nominees. • Democrats have filibustered just four of Bush's nominees because they hold extremist, ultraconservative views far outside the mainstream. • Republicans blocked 63 of President Clinton's nominees to the federal bench. • Republicans refused to give many of Clinton's nominees hearings at all, and even blocked some of them with anonymous holds from a single Republican Senator. • The federal judiciary has fewer vacancies now than any time for the past 20 years. This Republican publicity stunt is about one thing: packing the court with ultraconservative ideologues who will reverse decades of progress on civil rights, worker's rights, reproductive rights, environmental protections, and m...

Support the troops - Get Rid of Bush Today is Veteran's day. I hope all American citizens take the time to remember those that made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Paul Krugman has a great article today in the New York Times entitled "Support the Troops." Here's a portion of it: One of George W. Bush's major campaign themes in 2000 was his promise to improve the lives of America's soldiers — and military votes were crucial to his success. But these days some of the harshest criticisms of the Bush administration come from publications aimed at a military audience. For example, last week the magazine Army Times ran a story with the headline "An Act of `Betrayal,' " and the subtitle "In the midst of war, key family benefits face cuts." The article went on to assert that there has been "a string of actions by the Bush administration to cut or hold down growth in pay and benefits, including basic pay, combat pay, h...

Pester Your State for Accountable Voting!!! I cannot over-emphasize the importance of accountable voting systems. An advisory panel to the California Secretary of State has chosen to withhold approval of the Diebold AccuVote-TSX system until more tests have conducted. I've seen a lot of studies of the Diebold system. I think it should be rejected outright. Here's a copy of the letter I sent to Secretary of State Kevin Shelley at ConstituentAffairs@ss.ca.gov * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dear Secretary of State Shelley, I am completely against the certification of the electronic voting machines being marketed by Diebold Election Systems and Sequoia Voting System. * * * * * * * In a CNET article that discusses the problems with Diebold Election Systems, it states: http://news.com.com/2100-1009_3-5054088.html Using an earlier version of the source code that powers machines manufactured by Diebold Election Systems, the security experts--three from Jo...

Bush administration ignored California's request to clear dead trees back in April From the headlines of the San Francisco Chronicle: Sacramento -- California officials accused the Bush administration Thursday of ignoring urgent pleas months ago for emergency help to remove beetle-infested trees that experts warned could fuel a catastrophic Southern California fire. The U.S. Senate passed controversial legislation Thursday allowing the thinning of forests across the West, and another debate erupted over whether dire warnings about a bark beetle infestation were ignored in Washington. In April, Gov. Gray Davis requested $430 million to remove unhealthy trees on 415, 000 acres of forest, but the request for emergency funds went unanswered until last week -- and then was denied. "There was a reason the governor requested the declaration,'' said Davis spokesman Steve Maviglio. "And I'm sure there are a lot of families without homes that a...