Website has relocated

In order to have more control over my website, I have relocated it to another service provider… the new domain is reformedhippie.com.

Look forward to seeing you over there!

Superdelegates get campaign cash

Did I miss something on the company bulletin board??? Did I miss an email???  What I want to know is where I sign up to become a Democratic superdelegate.

Many of the superdelegates who could well decide the Democratic presidential nominee have already been plied with campaign contributions by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, a new study shows.

“While it would be unseemly for the candidates to hand out thousands of dollars to primary voters, or to the delegates pledged to represent the will of those voters, elected officials serving as superdelegates have received about $890,000 from Obama and Clinton in the form of campaign contributions over the last three years,” the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics reported today.

Obama’s political action committee has doled out more than $694,000 to superdelegates since 2005, the study found, and of the 81 who had announced their support for Obama, 34 had received donations totaling $228,000.

Clinton’s political action committee has distributed about $195,000 to superdelegates, and only 13 of the 109 who had announced for her have received money, totaling about $95,000.

So that is $6,705.00 for each of Obama’s delegates and Clinton has paid out $7,307.00.  I have got to pay more attention to those job posting announcements.

Will FISA fizzle?

The clock is running… time is ticking… Evil flourishes when good people do nothing.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Speaker Nancy Pelosi
issued the following statement today on the House vote this afternoon that
rejected a 21-day extension of the Protect America Act:

“All Members of Congress fully understand and support our
responsibility to protect the American people and the need for the
President, the Congress, and policymakers to have the best possible
intelligence to fight terrorism.

“On Friday, a surveillance law insisted upon by the President last
August will expire. Today, an overwhelming majority of House Democrats
voted to extend that law for three weeks so that agreement could be reached
with the Senate on a better version of that law. The President and House
Republicans refused to support the extension and therefore will bear the
responsibility should any adverse national consequences result.

“However, even if the Protect America Act expires later this week, the
American people can be confident that our country remains safe and strong.
Every order entered under the law can remain in effect for 12 months from
the date it was issued.

“Furthermore, the underlying Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act,
which provides for the surveillance of terrorists and provides that in
emergencies surveillance can begin without warrant, remains intact and
available to our intelligence agencies. Unlike last August, the FISA court
has no backlog of cases, and thus can issue necessary court orders for
surveillance immediately.”

Pelosi double-talk… according to her, the Republicans will  “bear the responsibility should any adverse national consequences result” yet she insists that this FISA act ” provides that in emergencies surveillance can begin without warrant, remains intact and available to our intelligence agencies”… in other words the Republicans are to blame for this but don’t worry because nothing will happen.

Tick tock, tick tock.

Cindy Sheehan in Egypt for Islamists

I can hear Willie Nelson singing “On the road again…”.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan joined a protest Wednesday seeking the support of Egypt’s first lady in ending a military trial of members of the country’s largest Islamic organization.

Under the watchful eyes of dozens of black-clad and helmeted anti-riot police, some 50 heavily veiled wives and children of 40 senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood detained for the past year, gathered in front of the headquarters of first lady Suzanne Mubarak’s National Council Women carrying banners calling for their release.

“I am here to protest the trial of civilians in front of a military tribunal as this is a violation to international law,” said Sheehan, who gained fame in the U.S. for her sit-in outside President Bush’s Texas ranch following the death of her son in Iraq.

“As a mother of a son who was killed in the war, I presented a letter to Ms. Suzanne Mubarak to realize how those women and children are suffering.”

My hope is that they throw her butt in jail in Egypt. Perhaps she will be more respectful of her freedoms here in the United States and appreciate all that her country does for her and allows her to do.  Yet she insists on defending Islamic Jihadist terrorists like the Muslim Brotherhood.  She needs mental help.

And by the way… revoke her passport so she can’t get back into the country.

Happy Valentines Day to Everyone

We interrupt this year to take a brief moment to be

kind and sweet to everyone.

Tomorrow you can go back to normal.

More lip service from Congress

Fiscal responsibility? Moratorium on earmarks huh??? The Presidential candidates promise change? What makes them think they can do anything about. Seems like a pipe dream to me. More hypocrisy from Washington…

Democratic leaders have sent tens of millions of dollars to freshman lawmakers’ districts in hope of protecting the party’s newfound majority come November.

A new study of December’s omnibus spending package shows that the party in power has resisted pressure to abandon earmarking, at least to the extent of handing lawmakers in tough districts plenty of pet projects they can boast about to voters.

Democratic freshmen in the House were among the biggest recipients of earmarked funds, often surpassing much more senior colleagues by millions of dollars.

Republicans have made the practice of earmarking a major campaign theme and are likely to exploit the analysis done by the Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS), a nonpartisan group that tracks federal spending. Even though several GOP members are among the biggest recipients of earmarked funds, for the first time in more than 10 years Democrats are collecting an overwhelming majority.

Both Obama talks about being ready to lead? How about showing some leadership NOW!  Obama has over $10 million dollars in earmarks in the FY2008 budget.  Clinton has a little over $2 million.  Lets lead by example.

McCain waffles on the “no waterboarding” bill

Now if you read H.R. 2082 it does not say that waterboarding (a type of physical interrogation that some have said is torture) is banned. But what it does say is that only the interrogation techniques contained in the Army Field Manual are authorized for use. Waterboarding is not in that manual. Be that as it may I am against McCain’s stance that waterboarding is torture and it is an effective interrogation technique to be used only on high level prisoners.

John McCain has been against waterboarding and has spoken out in favor of the Army Field Manual in the past…

“I would hope that we would understand, my friends, that life is not 24 and Jack Bauer. Life is interrogation techniques which are humane and yet effective. And I just came back from visiting a prison in Iraq. The army general there said that techniques under the army field manual are working and working effectively, and he didn’t think they need to do anything else. My friends, this is what America is all about.”

He was against it before he was for it. Virtually all Democrats voted in favor of the bill and Republicans voted against the bill. So Did McCain cave in and decide to play along with the Republicans and now favor it? Is he now pandering to party conservatives? What happened to his principles? But his Democratic opponents don’t have any room to talk… unlike Clinton and Obama, at least McCain had the brass to show up and vote.

This legislation, which President Bush has vowed to veto, bars the CIA (or another other government agency) from using waterboarding, sensory deprivation, hooding prisoners or putting duct tape across their eyes, cannot be stripped naked or forced to perform or mimic sexual acts, cannot be beaten, electrocuted, burned or otherwise physically hurt, cannot be subjected to hypothermia or mock executions nor allow food, water and medical treatment to be withheld. Also dogs may not be used in any aspect of interrogation.

All of the above practices were banned by the military in 2006 and The Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 prohibited cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment for all detainees in U.S. custody, including CIA prisoners. CIA Director Michael V. Hayden did testify before Congress February 5th that waterboarding had been used successfully in 2002-2003 on three high value prisoners… Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks; Abu Zubaydah, an Al Qaeda operative tied to the Sept. 11 plot; and Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, a Saudi suspected of playing a key role in the bombing of the U.S. Navy destroyer Cole in Yemen in 2000.

My personal opinion is that waterboarding should be legal as long as the procedure requires the consent of the Attorney General and the President on a case-by-case basis… which was the case back in 2002-2003. We are talking about this procedure used against the worst of the worst for the security of our country (and perhaps other countries as well).

If you don’t like the punishment… don’t do the crime.

Let’s get together and support the Semper Fi Act of 2008

I was waiting on yesterday’s events before I wrote this… the City of Berkeley is not apologizing…

After a marathon session that stretched into early Wednesday, the council decided not to send the letter, saying they recognize recruiters’ right to be in Berkeley. The council said they still strongly oppose the war and the recruitment of young people into it, but “deeply respect and support” the men and women of the armed forces.

Some on the council had pushed for issuing an apology. But others rejected that, saying they just wanted to clarify their position.

So lets clarify our position as Americans and proceed with the Semper Fi Act of 2008. Besides sending a message to the unrepentant City of Berkeley, this bill is a pork saver.

February 6th, 2008 – Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia), Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-Oklahoma), John Cornyn (R-Texas), James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), and David Vitter (R-Louisiana) introduced the Semper Fi Act of 2008. The bill would rescind over $2 million in hidden earmarks for Berkeley, California in the 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill, and transfer the funds to the Marine Corps. U.S. Congressman John Campbell (R-California) is introducing a companion bill in the House of Representatives.

Last week, the City Council of Berkeley voted to oust Marine Corps recruiters from their downtown office, saying the Marines were “uninvited and unwelcome intruders.” Berkeley officials also voted to give the radical protest group Code Pink space outside the recruitment office and urged them to “impede, passively or actively” the work of Marine Corps recruiters.

One earmark provides $243,000 in taxpayer dollars for the organization Chez Panisse to create gourmet organic school lunches in the Berkeley School District. Chez Panisse is dedicated to “environmental harmony” and their menu features “Comté cheese soufflé with mâche salad,” “Meyer lemon éclairs with huckleberry coulis,” and “Chicory salad with creamy anchovy vinaigrette and olive toast.”

Another earmark would spend $975,000 in taxpayer dollars for the University of California in Berkeley Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service, to create a new endowment and cataloging the papers of Congressman Robert Matsui. U.C. Berkeley currently already has a $3.5 billion endowment.

Senator DeMint: “Berkeley needs to learn that their actions have consequences. Patriotic American taxpayers won’t sit quietly while Berkeley insults our brave Marines and tries to run them out of town. Berkeley City Council members have shown complete ingratitude to our military and their families, and the city doesn’t deserve a single dime of special pet project handouts.”

Senator Cornyn: “The Berkeley City Council insulted our troops and offended people across the country. If the U.S. Marines are not good enough for Berkeley, neither are taxpayer dollars Congress would have sent there this year. That city closed its doors on the same individuals taking bullets on the front lines while fighting for the safety and freedom of families in Berkeley and throughout America.”

Senator Vitter: “The actions of the City Council of Berkeley are in stark contrast to beliefs of the vast majority of Americans who recognize and honor the service and sacrifice of our U.S. Marines. This is simply unacceptable and those funds could be better utilized by the Marine Corps.”

Dr. Coburn: “The actions by the city of Berkeley are deplorable and insulting to those who are serving and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect the very freedoms that are being exercised to insult them. I know I stand with the majority of Americans in thanking our service men and women for their selfless service to our nation.”

Senator Inhofe: “Unfortunately, those on the Berkeley city council do not seem to understand the sacrifice of the brave men and women of the United States Marine Corps. By interfering with military recruiting, the city of Berkeley is hampering our ability to protect this nation. While the city of Berkeley and the protestors are free to say whatever they like, free speech is not a protection from consequence.”

Senator Chambliss: “We need to send a strong message that our military personnel deserve our strongest support. Georgia is a proud military state, and my constituents will be out outraged to know that during a time of war, their taxpayers dollars have been used to reward folks who have insulted and disparaged those who defend this nation every day.”

What school district needs over a quarter million dollars for gourmet organic school lunches? Do we really need to spend another $975,000 for an endowment to categorize papers? I know we do not need any of these.

So lets get behind this bill and see it through Congress and have President Bush sign it.

Disenfranchiseing Democratic voters… say it can’t be

Good old Al Sharpton is running his hypocritical mouth again… this is from Drudge today…

Dear Governor Dean:

I write this letter as a former Democratic candidate for President of the United States and a civil rights leader who has fought his entire life for fairness and justice for all people regardless of the color of their skin. I firmly believe that changing the rules now, and seating delegates from Florida and Michigan at this point would not only violate the Democratic party’s rules of fairness, but also would be a grave injustice.

As former Presidential candidates we both know that, whether we liked them or not, we adhered to the rules set forth by the Democratic party to select its nominee for president. For example, I would have much preferred starting the nominating process with caucuses and primaries in South Carolina and Washington D.C. than Iowa and New Hampshire. Nonetheless, I knew the rules, abided by them, and ultimately accepted the consequences. Changing the rules in the middle of a presidential contest is patently unfair both to the candidates (including Senator Edwards) and to Democratic voters everywhere.

Some have said that not seating delegations from Florida and Michigan disenfranchises Democratic voters — especially African American voters — from those two states. That claim, if true, should have been made many months ago before the decision was made to strip these states of their delegates, and, once the decision was made, it should have been vigorously objected to and contested by those who felt it disenfranchised voters. To raise that claim now smacks of politics in its form most raw and undercuts the moral authority behind such an argument.

As a civil rights leader who is neutral in this presidential primary season and who highly respects both remaining Democratic candidates, I think we have a responsibility to protect both candidates from charges that the process was tainted so that our eventual nominee does not start the general election campaign under a cloud. Clearly, the justifiably proud and intense passions of each candidate’s supporters will be on full display in the months leading up to the convention. However, the Democratic Party and independent voices within must temper over enthusiasm by either side and the party must be resolute in ensuring that there is one set of rules by which we select our nominee.

In Progress,

Reverend Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network

Wait a minute… this is from a guy who, during the 2000 Presidential elections, said that black voters were disenfranchised… especially in Florida. He was on every TV news channel screaming foul. Yet he is now saying “if true, should have been made many months ago before the decision was made to strip these states of their delegates, and, once the decision was made, it should have been vigorously objected to and contested by those who felt it disenfranchised voters. To raise that claim now smacks of politics in its form most raw and undercuts the moral authority behind such an argument.”

So why isn’t he screaming foul now? Why isn’t he on every news program ranting of disenfranchisement? I will leave you to guess that answer. Just consider who the candidates are. Hillary won, by default, both Florida and Michigan. So if those delegates are seated that raises her delegate count against Obama. So the answer is not very hard to figure out.

Bill Clinton passes the race bait torch to his cronies

Billy stepped into some huge cow pies when he brought the idea of race into the campaign fray. Subsequently Billy got his butt kicked by fellow dems for his remarks. So in order to keep the race issue alive his cronies have picked up the mantra:

Gov. Ed Rendell says some white Pennsylvanians are likely to vote against Barack Obama because he’s black.

In Rendell’s words: “I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate.” Rendell said so while speaking to the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The remarks appeared in Tuesday’s paper.

The Democratic governor, who is white, faced a black Republican challenger in 2006. Rendell says if Lynn Swann had been white, Rendell’s margin of victory wouldn’t be so big. Rendell took more than 60 percent of the vote.

Rendell is one of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s most visible supporters. Several people in Clinton’s campaign have been criticized in recent weeks for raising Obama’s race.

And some American’s are willing to vote for her?