SPRINGFIELD -- Employees in the traffic safety division of the Illinois Department of Transportation are used to coming up with slogans for state programs, including “Click it or Ticket” and “Start Seeing Motorcycles.”
But this week, division employees threatened by Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposal to move 148 of their jobs to Southern Illinois started using their professional skills for personal reasons.During the next few months, employees opposed to the transfer will sport “I’ll move south when the governor moves to Springfield” window stickers on their cars, expressing their frustration with Blagojevich’s plan. The governor, a Chicago Democrat, has come under fire before for choosing not to live in Springfield.
Barr throws his hat in the ring
Bob Barr, who we first met as one of the nuttiest of the mid-1990s Republican Revolution nutbars, has over the last decade refashioned himself as a fairly consistent supporter of embattled civil liberties and opponent of unbridled executive power. Andyesterday he announced his bid to be the presidential nominee of the Libertarian party, which will choose its standard-bearer at its national convention starting on May 22nd. (Libertarian muckety-mucks consider Barr the frontrunner for the nod.)
White House vs white bear: Judge says Bush must decide whether to save the polar bear as the ice melts It's a classic stand-off between one of the world's best loved animals and one of its most unpopular leaders, between the planet's largest bear and its most powerful 'man.' And it comes to a head this week. On Thursday, by order of a federal judge, George W Bush must stop stalling on whether to designate the polar bear as a species endangered by global warming.
Ex-officials: Bush admin. ignored Iraq corruption The Bush administration repeatedly ignored corruption at the highest levels within the Iraqi government and kept secret potentially embarrassing information so as not to undermine its relationship with Baghdad, according to two former State Department employees. The State Department's policies "not only contradicted the anti-corruption mission but indirectly contributed to and has allowed corruption to fester at the highest levels of the Iraqi government," Arthur Brennan, who briefly served in Baghdad as head of the department's Office of Accountability and Transparency last year, told the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.
Rove refuses to testify before Congress about Siegelman case --Former Bush adviser tells House panel he'll answer questions in writing Former White House political adviser Karl Rove has declined a request to testify before Congress about the criminal case against former Gov. Don Siegelman and instead made a counteroffer to answer questions in writing, Rove's attorney said Monday. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee had given Rove until Monday to agree to appear voluntarily, and said they would issue a subpoena if he declined. Siegelman, a Democrat, has alleged that Rove influenced the federal investigation that led to his conviction in 2006 on corruption charges.
A once ailing private-prison sector is now a revenue maker "The private prison industry was on the verge of bankruptcy in the late 1990s, until the feds bailed them out with the immigration-detention contracts," said Michele Deitch, an expert on prison privatization with the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin. As increasingly tough immigration laws have called for the detention and deportation of ever more immigrants , the demand for bed space by immigration authorities has helped turn what was once a dying business into a multibillion-dollar industry with record revenue and stock prices several times higher than they were eight years ago. In San Diego, CCA [Corrections Corporation of America] is in the permitting process to build a nearly 3,000-bed facility that the company hopes will be used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. It would hold more than four times the detainees held in San Diego now.
Iraq: Food Crisis Hits Fallujah Sharp increases in food prices have generated a new wave of anti-occupation and anti-U.S. sentiment in Fallujah. "This is a country that was damned by the Americans the moment they stepped on our soil," Burhan Jassim, a farmer from Sichir village just outside Fallujah told IPS. "This is Iraqi land that has always been blessed by Allah with the best production in quality and quantity, but now see how it has been turned into a wasteland." Fallujah faces this new crisis after much of the city was destroyed by U.S. military operations in 2004.
Tony Blair used Cherie's grief to protect Iraq strategy Cherie Blair was astonished by the ruthless manner in which her husband made public within hours the fact that she had lost the baby she was carrying. In her autobiography, serialised in The Times today, she reveals that Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell, his communications chief, insisted on informing the media almost immediately in 2002. In an emotional account of losing her baby, she writes of her disbelief that her husband and Mr Campbell telephoned to discuss the announcement as she lay in pain and still bleeding. They did so in order that a delay in their holiday did not trigger false speculation of an early invasion of Iraq.
Source: Huckabee Tops McCain's Veep List — Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and defeated contender for the GOP presidential nomination, is currently at the top of John McCain's short list for a running mate. At least that's the word from a top McCain fundraiser
Bob Barr, who we first met as one of the nuttiest of the mid-1990s Republican Revolution nutbars, has over the last decade refashioned himself as a fairly consistent supporter of embattled civil liberties and opponent of unbridled executive power. Andyesterday he announced his bid to be the presidential nominee of the Libertarian party, which will choose its standard-bearer at its national convention starting on May 22nd. (Libertarian muckety-mucks consider Barr the frontrunner for the nod.)
White House vs white bear: Judge says Bush must decide whether to save the polar bear as the ice melts It's a classic stand-off between one of the world's best loved animals and one of its most unpopular leaders, between the planet's largest bear and its most powerful 'man.' And it comes to a head this week. On Thursday, by order of a federal judge, George W Bush must stop stalling on whether to designate the polar bear as a species endangered by global warming.
Ex-officials: Bush admin. ignored Iraq corruption The Bush administration repeatedly ignored corruption at the highest levels within the Iraqi government and kept secret potentially embarrassing information so as not to undermine its relationship with Baghdad, according to two former State Department employees. The State Department's policies "not only contradicted the anti-corruption mission but indirectly contributed to and has allowed corruption to fester at the highest levels of the Iraqi government," Arthur Brennan, who briefly served in Baghdad as head of the department's Office of Accountability and Transparency last year, told the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.
Rove refuses to testify before Congress about Siegelman case --Former Bush adviser tells House panel he'll answer questions in writing Former White House political adviser Karl Rove has declined a request to testify before Congress about the criminal case against former Gov. Don Siegelman and instead made a counteroffer to answer questions in writing, Rove's attorney said Monday. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee had given Rove until Monday to agree to appear voluntarily, and said they would issue a subpoena if he declined. Siegelman, a Democrat, has alleged that Rove influenced the federal investigation that led to his conviction in 2006 on corruption charges.
A once ailing private-prison sector is now a revenue maker "The private prison industry was on the verge of bankruptcy in the late 1990s, until the feds bailed them out with the immigration-detention contracts," said Michele Deitch, an expert on prison privatization with the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin. As increasingly tough immigration laws have called for the detention and deportation of ever more immigrants , the demand for bed space by immigration authorities has helped turn what was once a dying business into a multibillion-dollar industry with record revenue and stock prices several times higher than they were eight years ago. In San Diego, CCA [Corrections Corporation of America] is in the permitting process to build a nearly 3,000-bed facility that the company hopes will be used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. It would hold more than four times the detainees held in San Diego now.
Iraq: Food Crisis Hits Fallujah Sharp increases in food prices have generated a new wave of anti-occupation and anti-U.S. sentiment in Fallujah. "This is a country that was damned by the Americans the moment they stepped on our soil," Burhan Jassim, a farmer from Sichir village just outside Fallujah told IPS. "This is Iraqi land that has always been blessed by Allah with the best production in quality and quantity, but now see how it has been turned into a wasteland." Fallujah faces this new crisis after much of the city was destroyed by U.S. military operations in 2004.
Tony Blair used Cherie's grief to protect Iraq strategy Cherie Blair was astonished by the ruthless manner in which her husband made public within hours the fact that she had lost the baby she was carrying. In her autobiography, serialised in The Times today, she reveals that Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell, his communications chief, insisted on informing the media almost immediately in 2002. In an emotional account of losing her baby, she writes of her disbelief that her husband and Mr Campbell telephoned to discuss the announcement as she lay in pain and still bleeding. They did so in order that a delay in their holiday did not trigger false speculation of an early invasion of Iraq.
Source: Huckabee Tops McCain's Veep List — Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and defeated contender for the GOP presidential nomination, is currently at the top of John McCain's short list for a running mate. At least that's the word from a top McCain fundraiser
3 comments:
Absolutely NO special treatment for Karl Rove!
Subpoena him! Subpoena him NOW!
I was dismayed earlier when Congress wanted to question the President and Vice-President separately and they refused, only to be questioned together behind closed doors.
How dare he flaunt the power of Congress by demanding to be given a questionnaire!
No Special Treatment!
Paul Bremer, who "ran" Iraq was handing out millions, so I've read, "Here's a million, go start your department or ministry!" It seems incomprehensible to me that there was so little accountability.
That we allowed looting was the first signal to many Americans that the war was going to be a disaster.
Any current US-led anti-corruption scheme in Iraq must be viewed as a farce by all Iraqis. It no doubt is viewed as a farce around the globe.
Interesting that Iraq has food storage while the US is building Disneyland and Resorts.
Karl Rove will be protected by the Attorney General if necessary. Right now even Democrats are getting kick backs from the Criminal White House ask Diane Feinstein how much money her husband was given in Government contrats for her cooperation.
I'm looking forward to taking a class in how the US Justice Department chooses Selective Prosecution Cases and how the Judge's get their kick backs for finding innocent people guilty. Now that's Bush Justice and maybe Judge Walton might learn how the new Bush Justice System works. Some Judge's are working with the old honesty Justice System but not Judge Fuller or Robertsen these guys know how to line their pockets with taxpayers money for doing as their told.
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