Cato Institute
by Patrick Basham

11/08/05

Unlike most democracies, we place the power to shape political districts in the hands of politicians. Our state legislatures have the power to draw political boundaries for state and congressional offices. Unfortunately, redistricting has evolved into the electoral instrument that best serves to protect and strengthen incumbency advantage thanks to sophisticated gerrymandering -- the redrawing of legislative districts for political advantage. Grassroots movements in California and Ohio are attempting to change this situation to make both state and congressional elections more competitive. However, from coast to coast, most politicians are unwilling to contemplate real reform. Chellie Pingree, president of Common Cause, reminds us that, 'Incumbent politicians don't want to change the system no matter where they are'...

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5176


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Washington Times
by Nat Hentoff

11/07/05

My respect continues to increase for the conservative defenders of our most fundamental liberties. A founder of the conservative movement, Paul Weyrich -- chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation -- exemplifies this force when he writes: 'Because of the War on Terrorism, America may be on the verge of becoming a national security state.' Mr. Weyrich continues: 'That means citizens will allow the state to do almost anything it wants so long as it justifies its actions in terms of 'national security.' In effect, the Constitution and the rule of law itself go out the window, along with our liberties.' There is also Bob Barr, with whom I once joined at a conference of the American Conservative Union to criticize sections of the Patriot Act. With customary clarity, he now states: 'We believe in traditional conservative values, like accountability. ... To date, for example, the Justice Department has failed to disclose how many U.S. citizens' homes, businesses or records have been secretly searched under the Patriot Act provisions, such as Section 213 ('the sneak and peek' provision), or even how many National Security Letter searches (without any judicial supervision) have been executed'...

http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20051106-102157-6451r.htm


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Capitol Hill Blue
by Doug Thompson

11/07/05

According to a printout from a computer controlled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice, I am an enemy of the state. The printout, shown to me recently by a friend who works for Justice, identifies me by a long, multi-digit number, lists my date of birth, place of birth, social security number and contains more than 100 pages documenting what the Bureau and the Bush Administration consider to be my threats to the security of the United States of America. It lists where I sent to school, the name and address of the first wife that I had been told was dead but who is alive and well and living in Montana, background information on my current wife and details on my service to my country that I haven't even revealed to my wife or my family. Although the file finds no criminal activity by me or members of my immediate family, it remains open because I am a 'person of interest' who has 'written and promoted opinions that are contrary to the government of the United States of America'...

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7624.shtml


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland

11/07/05

Since 9/11, the FBI, once organized to fight crime, has been undergoing a makeover to focus its efforts on preventing future terrorist attacks. To help the agency in its efforts, in 2001, the Congress recklessly passed and is now about to renew the USA PATRIOT Act, which dramatically increased the surveillance powers of law enforcement. Yet, the truth is that terrorism (even including the 9/11 attacks) is a rare phenomenon in North America that kills far fewer people than ordinary crime, car accidents, or medical problems. As tragic as the 3,000 deaths from the aberrant 9/11 strikes were, the worst effect of those incidents was the self-inflicted wound from the conversion of America from the 'land of the free' to the 'land of the watched'...

http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1614


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

(TP) Haftanstalten als Wirtschaftsfaktoren: Seit den achtziger Jahren werden in den USA trotz rückläufiger Kriminalitätsrate so viele Gefängnisse wie nie zuvor errichtet. Großkonzerne verdienen am Bau von Haftanstalten, ihrer Versorgung mit Gütern und Dienstleistungen und an der Ausbeutung von Haftarbeit.

G.Wendebourg / metainfo hamburg

Link zum Beitrag / Hintergrundinfo oder Pressehinweis:
http://www.hh-online.com?lid=23019 und
http://links.net-hh.de?lid=23019
http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/21/21238/1.html
Infopool / metainfo hamburg http://www.hh-online.com

Have you seen an endangered species? We need your story to help us defend the Endangered Species Act in the Senate:

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/esa_stories/i5sxe8zl5x7nnb?

People who care about America's wildlife are speaking up, and so far, it's working. Thank you to the nearly 20,000 Environmental Defense supporters who told their senators to keep our strong protection for rare animals.

In our campaign to save the Endangered Species Act (ESA), it's time to step up the pressure -- and nothing is more powerful than a personal story. Have you, or a friend or family member, seen a bald eagle, California sea otter, or grizzly bear? Tell us about the experience.

Tell Your Story:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/esa_stories/i5sxe8zl5x7nnb?

The Senate has delayed taking up a bill that would cripple endangered species protections, and we're working to keep it that way. As we prepare to meet with key senators, your story will help us show them how much voters care about preserving our rarest species.

Tell Your Story Now:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/esa_stories/i5sxe8zl5x7nnb?

Seeing a bald eagle or other endangered species can be an amazing experience, as some of our own staff can attest.

Our own ecosystems scientist, Linda Laack, described seeing an ocelot and her kitten in Texas:

"About 20 years ago I was a graduate student conducting research on the small population of ocelots that occur in south Texas. I couldn't believe my good fortune one night in seeing a beautiful female ocelot.

Imagine my elation when moments later a kitten leapt from the brush onto its mother's back and began wrestling with her! Little did I know then that I would eventually end up following that kitten's progress over the next twelve years of her life as she became a mother and even a grandmother."

Our director of internet strategies, Kira Marchenese, also recalled seeing a bald eagle.

"Last month, I was on an afternoon paddle on the West Coast. The guide told us we'd see no eagles, as they were fishing somewhere else that day.

Just as we came back into the harbor, a lone bald eagle skimmed the water 20 feet in front of me. I got a perfect view of its yellow talons and startlingly white head."

Have you seen an endangered species? Tell us about it:
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/esa_stories/i5sxe8zl5x7nnb?

Who's Endangered or Threatened? Here are some commonly-spotted species:

Bald Eagle, Grizzly Bear, Manatee, California Sea Otter, Sea Turtle, Grey Wolf, Brown Pelican, Crocodile, Humpback Whale, Whooping Crane, Hawaiian Goose, Peregrine Falcon*, California Condor

*recently delisted

Full list of endangered species (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Web site):
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html

by Paul Waldman, TomPaine.com

From the beginning, the Republicans who took over Congress in 1994 sought to normalize corruption. They succeeded.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051108/party_for_sale.php



Party For Sale

Tom Paine
by Paul Waldman

11/08/05

With all the goings-on in Washington over the last couple of weeks ... the story that may reveal the most about the nature of Republican power has been advancing along with little notice. But the Jack Abramoff scandal ... is indispensable for understanding just how Washington works under GOP rule. No one can blame the Indian tribes who retained Abramoff to do their lobbying for thinking he was the guy who could get things done in Washington. ... But in the process of buying access and influence, Abramoff ... also appears to have swindled the tribes out of tens of millions of dollars. Whenever a newspaper or magazine has attempted to unpack the scandal, they have found it necessary to print dense flow charts marking the intricate connections and the flow of money and influence between all the players -- Abramoff, Republican uber-activist Grover Norquist, political consultant and former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed (currently running for lieutenant governor in Georgia), Karl Rove, Tom DeLay and many others...

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051108/party_for_sale.php


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

by Jennifer L. Pozner, TomPaine.com

On election day, our critic ponders the impact of media coverage of Condi's boots, Harriet's brows and Hillary's dress size.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051108/commander_in_chic.php

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7620.shtml


Informant: NHNE

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/07/business/07link.html


Informant: binstock