People's Blog for the Constitution :: 2010 Secrecy Report Card. Open The Government’s 2010 Secrecy Report Card is out. According to the site, the report is focused “on making the federal government a more open place to make us safer, strengthen public trust in government, and support our democratic principles.”
The Report Card is described as, …a quantitative report on indicators of government secrecy. The report chronicles a continued decrease in most indicators of secrecy since the end of the Bush Administration and growing backlogs in the declassification system as old secrets move through the system. As explained by the authors, This report on trends in secrecy and openness in Fiscal Year 2009 covers the last three months of the G.W. Bush administration and the first nine months of the Obama administration.
Among its findings, As with Presidents G.H.W. Freedom of Information Act requests declined 8 percent, while the cost increased by 12 percent. There is an overview of the number of signing satements made by recent presidents: Lastly, As Palin and Beck rise on the right, where is the left's answer? What Obama's Presidency Needs: A Big Reset. Some free advice for President Obama: take a deep breath, admit the Democratic Party has failed to grasp the enormity of economic upheaval in this country—and start using government's powers to create jobs, jobs, jobs. The Obama White House is dabbling in small ideas when what the country needs is a big reset of this presidency.
My suggestion: dump the measured moderation. It’s not working as economic strategy or as politics. Take a deep breath and admit the Democratic Party failed to grasp the enormity of the economic upheaval facing the country—people will be grateful for some honest talk. Start over with a more aggressive and realistic economic agenda that measures success in the tangible results people can see, not rosy forecasts of macroeconomic models. About the Author William Greider William Greider, a prominent political journalist and author, has been a reporter for more than 35 years for newspapers...
Also by the Author Make only one promise. Their moderation failed. » She’s The Boss – The Disturbing Truth About Nancy Pelosi NoisyRoom.net: The Progressive Hunter. By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton Purchase your copy here… Recently, I picked up a copy of She’s The Boss – The Disturbing Truth About Nancy Pelosi by Rochelle Schweizer. This is a riveting expose on one the most power hungry, brutal female politicians of all time and as you will see after reading the book, it runs in her family. The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, is no retiring, kind and meek grandmother. She is made of Baltimore steel and she has been forged in the boiling corrupt vat of politics in a never-ending quest for power and status that she feels is her birthright.
Pelosi came from a family that bears a striking resemblance to organized crime. An elitist’s elitist, Pelosi is cunning in the extreme. Pelosi’s vision for this country is horrific. I am currently doing thorough research on Pelosi and this book is a wonder – it will be added as a listed documented tool that has added incredibly to our piles of information on Nancy Pelosi. From Andrew Breitbart: 3rd World America, Here We Come? September 15, 2010 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. Democracy Now! Co-Host Juan Gonzalez: Are middle-class Americans becoming an endangered species? Now President Obama has argued that his administration made the right decisions to move the country forward. Barack Obama: Our options are limited. Now, I am somebody who tends to not have a lot of pride of authorship. Amy Goodman: Well, our next guest might argue otherwise. Arianna Huffington: I deliberately chose a title that is very jarring.
And what I was seeing, since Cassandra has always been my favorite heroine growing up in Greece, is that there isn’t the sense of urgency that is needed if we really believe this is happening. WikiLeaks Readying Massive Leak of Iraq-Related Documents. Only in America Can Blair Go Out in Public | War Is A Crime .org. By David Swanson When U.S. media pundits claim that every other nation on earth honestly believed the absurd lies George W.
Bush told about Iraqi weapons and ties to terrorism, the grain of truth is that one leader of one foreign nation went along with the lies: British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Bush gave Blair a medal of freedom as a reward. I picture millions of Iraqi refugees without proper food or medicine in Jordan and Syria strong in spirit and grateful for their fate thanks to Blair's assistance in freeing them from their homes. On August 31st, President Obama spoke from the Oval Office, assuring us that the War on Iraq had been launched to disarm a nation. Obama's embrace of the Iraq war lies, which included the "surge" lies so valuable now in Afghanistan, coincided with Tony Blair's book tour.
I haven't read Bliar's book (Bliar is the proper spelling) and I don't think I could be paid enough to do so. Jones would never have sworn that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. TomDispatch. Will John Boehner's lobbyist ties hurt the GOP. Never Forget: Bad Wars Aren't Possible Unless Good People Back Them. Michael Moore I know we've been "free" of the Iraq War for two weeks now and our minds have turned to the new football season and Fashion Week in New York. And how exciting that the new fall TV season is just days away! But before we get too far away from something we would all just like to forget, will you please allow me to just say something plain and blunt and necessary: We invaded Iraq because most Americans -- including good liberals like Al Franken, Nicholas Kristof & Bill Keller of the New York Times, David Remnick of the New Yorker, the editors of the Atlantic and the New Republic, Harvey Weinstein, Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer and John Kerry -- wanted to.
Of course the actual blame for the war goes to Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz because they ordered the "precision" bombing, the invasion, the occupation, and the theft of our national treasury. But how did they get away with it, considering they'd lost the presidential election by 543,895 votes? Historians Urge Court to Unseal Nixon’s 1975 Grand Jury Testimony | CommonDreams.org. WASHINGTON - September 14 - A key piece of Watergate history that remains shrouded in secrecy – former President Richard Nixon’s grand jury testimony of 1975 – should be made public, historical experts have told a court. In documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, history professor Stanley Kutler, the American Historical Association, the American Society for Legal History, the Organization of American Historians and the Society of American Archivists explained the importance of the grand jury testimony to the historical record.
Public Citizen is representing Mr. Kutler and four the groups. “Although Watergate and all that word has come to represent has been extensively studied and debated, President Nixon’s knowledge of the events and role in the cover-up remains a subject of speculation for historians, journalists, and others,” said Allison Zieve, director of the Public Citizen Litigation Group and lead attorney for the petitioners. Public Citizen Press Room. Sept. 14, 2010 Historians Urge Court to Unseal Nixon’s 1975 Grand Jury Testimony Former President’s Testimony Would Complete the Public Record About Watergate Saga, Missing 18.5 Minutes of Tape, More WASHINGTON, D.C. – A key piece of Watergate history that remains shrouded in secrecy – former President Richard Nixon’s grand jury testimony of 1975 – should be made public, historical experts have told a court.
In documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, history professor Stanley Kutler, the American Historical Association, the American Society for Legal History, the Organization of American Historians and the Society of American Archivists explained the importance of the grand jury testimony to the historical record. The request for the testimony to be made public is supported by a wide range of people, including John W. During his testimony, Nixon answered questions about: 1) the infamous 18.5-minutes gap in the tape recording of his conversation with H.R. O'Donnell warned of "orgy rooms" in college dorms - War Room. We already knew that Delaware Republican Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell has strong feelings against masturbation and in favor of absolute chastity. So perhaps it’s no surprise that O’Donnell is also on the record warning that coed dorms and rooms on college campuses are a slippery slope that could lead to … “orgy rooms” and “menage a trois rooms”!
Check out this passage from a 2003 Washington Times article on the scourge of coedization in colleges. At the time O’Donnell worked for the conservative Intercollegiate Studies Institute (which she later sued for discrimination). Dorm life has evolved into a blending of the sexes, from coed buildings to coed floors, coed bathrooms and now even coed rooms. “What’s next? O'Donnell's Victory Renews Her Fight Against the Scourge of Sex in America.
*To my fans, this isn't typically the kind of article I publish. But, I think this story is a good opportunity to take some poetic licenses. So far, it seems I pulled this article off; I've gotten good comments on DailyKos and Open Salon. Enjoy. Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell's victory over nine-term Rep. Mike Castle in Delaware's Republican Senate primary Tuesday night may have been a signal that a significant number of Delaware citizens are willing to support candidates who like to preach to Americans on what they should and should not do sexually. Prior to her primary victory, there had been much talk about O'Donnell's history as an advocate for abstinence and a crusader against masturbation. Last night MSNBC's Rachel Maddow played a video of her appearance on MTV's "Sex in the "90s," which shows exactly what O'Donnell means when she talks about being opposed to rubbing one out every now and then: O'DONNELL: My name is Christine O'Donnell.
Newsletter: September 2010. September 2010, Vol. 9, No. 9 In this issue: In 1787, the United States adopted the Constitution that still guides us today. Each year on the anniversary of its adoption—September 17, Constitution Day—Americans of all walks of life take time to recognize the importance of our Constitution. Every government-funded school must teach about the Constitution on September 17, and the holiday provides an excellent opportunity for all Americans, students and non-students alike, to reflect on the Constitution and the rights it guarantees us.
In the context of ever-increasing government spying, continuing torture and preventive detention at US prisons including Guantánamo Bay, and the anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment swirling through the country, it is more important than ever that we take this Constitution Day as an opportunity. What will you do to mark Constitution Day in your community? BORDC seeks applicants for field organizer position BORDC in the news Patriot Award: Billy Corriher. U.S. Constitution Grants People Ultimate Power For Revolution. Lonely Progressive Looking for Action? Find Your Mojo Here! Here at Opednews, we're redoubling our commitment to envisioning and fighting for big change, not just traffic bumps that slow down the corporatist duopoly fueled by billionaire sociopaths. We're going to call out the limp liberal obamatrons who accept Obama's lousy deals and defend him with the same tired excuses. We're going to call for Obama and the Democrats to man up and get tough and put out a vision of a future that does not include a slide into corporate control and enablement.
We can't do it alone. We need writers-- you don't have to be famous, You do have to think and care and be able to write coherently, preferably with courage and vision. We need donors to help support our work. And we can definitely use volunteers -- for editing, posting articles, recruiting new writers, covering breaking stories, actions, protests, conferences, doing media, fund-raising. Click here to volunteer thanks, rob kall. Chris Hedges Interviewed by Rob Kall, on the dying media, the Middle East, Rebellion in America and more. 12 of America's Most Crooked Candidates on the Ballot in the 2010 Election. September 15, 2010 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. Since 2005, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), has compiled a list of the dirtiest, most corrupt critters to scurry across the halls of Congress. But 2010 is the year of the upstart, insurgent candidacies — with dozens of “outsiders” on the scene dedicated to “cleaning up Washington,” “taking our country back,” etc.
From James Traficant, running as an independent candidate in Ohio just 14 months after his release from prison on charges of bribery, racketeering and filing fraudulent tax returns, to Alvin Greene, an unemployed and apparently indigent Democratic Senate candidate out of South Carolina who can’t explain how he came up with the $10,000 fee required to file — here are 12 of the absolutely least deserving candidates for high office. Roy Blunt -- Running for U.S. In 2003, Rep. Also in 2003, Rep. Rep. Our Menace Isn't Insane Right-Wingers, It's Unrivaled Corporate Power and the Decay of Our Democratic Institutions. September 13, 2010 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. This article first appeared on TruthDig. There are no longer any major institutions in American society, including the press, the educational system, the financial sector, labor unions, the arts, religious institutions and our dysfunctional political parties, which can be considered democratic.
The intent, design and function of these institutions, controlled by corporate money, are to bolster the hierarchical and anti-democratic power of the corporate state. These institutions, often mouthing liberal values, abet and perpetuate mounting inequality. The menace we face does not come from the insane wing of the Republican Party, which may make huge inroads in the coming elections, but the institutions tasked with protecting democratic participation. Investing emotional and intellectual energy in electoral politics is a waste of time. Do Not Pity the Democrats - Chris Hedges' Columns.
Do Not Pity the Democrats Posted on Sep 12, 2010 By Chris Hedges There are no longer any major institutions in American society, including the press, the educational system, the financial sector, labor unions, the arts, religious institutions and our dysfunctional political parties, which can be considered democratic. The intent, design and function of these institutions, controlled by corporate money, are to bolster the hierarchical and anti-democratic power of the corporate state. The menace we face does not come from the insane wing of the Republican Party, which may make huge inroads in the coming elections, but the institutions tasked with protecting democratic participation.
Investing emotional and intellectual energy in electoral politics is a waste of time. “It is like being in a pit,” Ralph Nader told me when we spoke on Saturday. All resistance will take place outside the arena of electoral politics. The tea party movement is, as Nader points out, “a conviction revolt.” Right Wing Leftovers. GOP con game. U.S.-Saudi Arms Deal Moves Ahead. Quran Burning / Rationalized Islamophobia. Ten Things Dems Could Do to Win. Nancy Pelosi reassures Congressional Black Caucus on job creation - Marin Cogan. Michael Steele's 'Fire Pelosi' bus tour: 48 states or bust. Is the Tea Party waiting to burst out of the GOP's chest?
The Root: Newt Gingrich Adds To Right-Wing Rumors. Consortiumnews.com. Conservative and Tea Party Rallies and Trainings Dominate the Capital: Are Progressives and Liberal Democrats About to Be Out-Organized? G.O.P. Insurgents Win in Del. and N.Y. Rep. Mike Castle: The 'Lies' Of Hannity And Limbaugh Were 'Significant' Reasons I Lost To Christine O'Donnell. Understanding Fascism and anti-Semitism. Fascism is coming to the USA... Literally (no kidding) The Rise of American Fascism.
Letters: The Democratic fear-based strategy - Salon. Judge delays decision in 'Creech 14' drone trial - Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2010 | 4:53 p. Issues/2010/News.Release.court_9.14.pdf. A.M. Politics Links: Nancy Pelosi predicts victory, Gen. Petraeus watches paint dry. Why Democrats will keep control of Congress in November. Senate opens impeachment trial agains... - Google News. 'Louisiana way' on full display at Judge Thomas Porteous' trial: Stephanie Grace.