Human Events
by Lt. Col. Oliver North, USMC (Ret.)

01/06/06

A few days after returning from my seventh trip to Iraq for FOX News, I was called upon to comment on the most recent affront to those who are fighting terrorists in Saddam's former fiefdom. The offense occurred during the January 2nd broadcast of ABC News' 'Nightline,' when Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a combat-decorated Marine veteran of Korea and Vietnam, was asked by interviewer John Donovan about the Congressman's willingness to serve in our Armed Forces: Q: 'Would you join today?' A: 'No.' Donovan then opined, 'And I think you're saying that the average guy out there who's considering recruitment is justified in saying I don't want to serve.' A: 'Well, exactly right'...

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=11316


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

AlterNet
by Robert Scheer

01/04/06

Abramoff is now detailing the massive web of corruption he spun inside the Beltway which has already snared a top Bush official, procurement chief David H. Safavian, on charges of lying and obstructing a criminal investigation, and reportedly threatens dozens of other D.C. players. 'When this is all over, this will be bigger than any [government scandal] in the last 50 years, both in the amount of people involved and the breadth to it,' Stan Brand, a former U.S. House counsel who specializes in representing public officials accused of wrongdoing, told Bloomberg News. 'It will include high-ranking members of Congress and executive branch officials'...

http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/30381/


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Salon
by Joe Conason

01/06/06

Rarely has the contrast between the rhetoric of the religious right and the behavior of its leaders been so starkly exposed as in the Abramoff scandal. The most obvious example was the manipulation of Christian activists in Louisiana and Texas by Reed, former executive director of the Christian Coalition, who said he was helping them fight gambling when he was actually using them to promote Indian casinos (and to make a few million bucks for himself). That episode alone should have alerted honest Christians to the moral rot within the Republican leadership that professed to represent their interests. But there is of course much more evidence of the religious cynicism of Abramoff and his cronies... [subscription or ad view required]

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2006/01/06/hypocrites


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Liberty For All
by Sean Haugh

01/06/06

The question is fascinating, 'if (I could) pass any three pieces of legislation, without having to worry about the approval of Congress, what would they be?' I always associate legislation specifically with congress or the general assembly. I can relieve that contradiction by framing my answers not as legislation, but rather as executive orders, or even better, edicts. So, as the Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico (my preferred title, after Emperor Norton), here are my first three proclamations ...

http://www.libertyforall.net/2005/dec31/Edicts.html


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

The Raw Story

01/05/06

According to a report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, $100 spent in locally owned businesses provides the town and surrounding area $44.60, while large retail chains only give back $14.10 to local communities, mainly in the form of wages and service. Therefore, local communities lose at least $30.50 for every $100 spent at Wal-Mart. For this holiday season, Wal-Mart's record-breaking sales mean staggering losses for Main Street, U.S.A.: $20.3 billion. Had that $66 billion been spent at locally owned businesses, it would have generated some $29.7 billion for local communities. However, thanks to Wal-Mart, that $66 billion translates to only $9.4 billion going into local economies...

http://tinyurl.com/85uae


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

CNet

01/05/06

Dozens of federal agencies are tracking visits to U.S. government Web sites in violation of long-standing rules designed to protect online privacy, a CNET News.com investigation shows. From the Air Force to the Treasury Department, government agencies are using either 'Web bugs' or permanent cookies to monitor their visitors' behavior, even though federal law restricts the practice...

http://tinyurl.com/8mcj6


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Houston Chronicle

01/05/06

President Bush on Wednesday appointed a 36-year-old lawyer to head the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Homeland Security Department despite critics' concerns about her qualifications. Bush's recess appointment of Julie L. Myers was an end-run around the Senate, where her nomination to lead the massive, troubled immigration and customs operation had been stalled...

http://tinyurl.com/a8clg


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Indianapolis Star

01/06/05

Senate Democrats are considering a plan that could delay a committee vote on Samuel Alito's Supreme Court nomination for at least a week, slowing what could have been a quick confirmation for President Bush's pick to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter had hoped to hold a committee vote on Alito's nomination Jan. 17, a little over a week from Monday's start of the federal appellate judge's confirmation hearings...

http://tinyurl.com/7lpvf


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp

Miami Herald

01/06/06

In a stunning blow to the education policies that Jeb Bush has made the centerpiece of his governorship, the Florida Supreme Court struck down the state's tuition voucher program Thursday, saying it violates the state Constitution because it diverts public money to private schools. Although the 5-2 ruling applies only to one of three voucher programs now in existence, it could place all such Florida programs in legal jeopardy. ... The ruling is a major setback for Bush, who won legislative approval for the voucher program as a cornerstone of his ''A-plus'' education policies during his first year in office in 1999. The voucher program allows students in failing schools to take state money and use it in private schools...

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13564494.htm


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp