Saturday, December 24, 2005

Christmas Eve Open Thread

Can you hear the sleigh bells yet?

Even at the age of 29, I still made out a Christmas list and sent a letter to Santa Claus. I know its a busy time for jolly ol' St. Nick, Mrs. Claus and their elves, so I kept the list light, only one wish; hopefully it comes true. Here's hoping all of your dreams and wishes come true this holiday season as well!

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 03:43 PM | Comments (173)

Christmas in a War Zone

(I just received this in my email box from Bob Mulholland, a DNC member out in California; it's quite a story -- Tim)

This Christmas I (and I hope many Americans) will be thinking of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan who are facing not only the ongoing war but also the emotional strain of being away from their families at such a time.

I was in Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam with the 101st Airborne for Christmas of 1967.

We were young paratroopers, most of whom were single (unlike today’s military where many are married and have kids) and my unit, along with 10,000 other paratroopers, had flown over in C-140 cargo planes during a 30-day period. Most who served in Vietnam flew over and then got assigned to a unit which was rotating people in and out, but we were like a family that had gone on a trip together.

I had scrounged up a scruffy tree, some paper decorations were added and a couple of guys sang Christmas songs. In one way we were lucky – at least my unit was on base that day to “enjoy” Christmas, while many other guys were out in the field.

I don’t recall if we got attacked that particular day, "incoming" being such a common occurrence, meaning rockets and mortars were coming in. There are no day-offs in war zones – it is constant work. You may be on guard or on patrol all day followed by a night on the perimeter with one other guy in a bunker taking one or two hour shifts. Your body is demanding sleep, but your brain is telling you no sleeping on your watch, otherwise it could be your final sleep.

The irony of my Christmas in Vietnam was that it was hot, but thirty-three years before on Christmas in 1944, my dad was in General Patton’s army in the Battle of the Bulge in the coldest, snowiest weather in memory in Europe. It was the largest land battle of WWII with over one million men total on both sides.

The other irony was that my outfit -- the 101st Airborne -- was also there in 1944 and ended up being surrounded by the Germans in the city of Bastogne. When the paratroopers were told to surrender, the American general replied, "Aw nuts," which confused the Germans.

The allies won the Battle of the Bulge and five months later ultimately defeated the Nazis and saved the world. But the deal created the Cold War between the Soviet Union and China versus the United States, which led to the Korean War, lasting three years and the Vietnam War which went on for over a decade.

As we celebrated Christmas in Vietnam we had no idea what was ahead of us and what was happening back home with our families - remember there were no phone calls home and email had not been invented yet. Just five weeks later, on January 30, 1968, the Tet Offensive opened up and in one month 2,000 Americans were dead and more than 10,000 wounded.

After that, President Johnson announced he would not run for re-election; Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated; Robert Kennedy won the California primary and then was immediately assassinated; there was turmoil at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago; and finally Richard Nixon was elected as President.

Some of the guys gathered around that makeshift tree in 1967 were celebrating their last Christmas, as they would be dead in a few months. Others, like myself, would be wounded.

During this holiday season, let’s think of our troops, and also contribute to the USO’s "Operation Phone Home" fund so some of the troops can call home over the holidays. To make a donation, go to www.uso.org or call 1-800-876.7469.

In some tragic cases it will be the last contact these brave service members will have with their family, but it will be remembered by their families for a lifetime. Oh yes, we will see this weekend video of troops in the war zones "celebrating" with turkey dinners and a Christmas tree, but they will be the exception – most of the troops will not have such a day.

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 03:38 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Friday, December 23, 2005

Friday Morning Open Thread

If you had any idea what it took to get this thread up here this afternoon... The good news is, I can now post from anywhere in the world, so open threads a plenty over the holiday period!

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 11:45 AM | Comments (206)

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Thursday Evening Open Thread

Getting closer and closer to the holiday break! In case you missed em:

Good Causes
AK-Sen: Special Election Law
That's What We Want To Know As Well...
Hagel: VP Cheney's Actions Beneath Dignity of This Country
OH-Gov: Republican Party Pay to Play
PA-Sen: Santorum Distances Himself...From Himself
Credibility Problems
MI-Gov & Sen: Dems Hold Big Leads
Thursday Morning Open Thread

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 05:41 PM | Comments (209) | TrackBacks (0)

Good Causes

(Governor Dean just sent out an email this afternoon urging Democrats to support two good causes this holiday season, among many others, Fisher House and Habitat for Humanity -- Tim)

Over the next few days we will gather together with our families and loved ones to celebrate the holiday season. As we take the time to remember the ones we love and welcome the New Year, it is important not to forget those who have suffered and sacrificed so much in the past year.

In particular this holiday season the families of our wounded, brave service men and women and the families displaced and devastated by the Gulf Coast Hurricanes deserve our special attention.

This time of year can be especially hard for families with a service member who has been wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan. At the time when a family most wants to be together, the unfortunate reality is that many wounded service members must receive specialized medical care great distances from their families.

A foundation called Fisher House creates comfort homes, built on the grounds of major military and Veterans Administration medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to loved ones during their hospitalization. Every year Fisher House serves more than 8,500 military families.

As we send our thoughts and prayers to all our troops and their families, and express thanks for the sacrifices they make on our behalf every day, I ask that you consider supporting the Fisher House Foundation by visiting:

http://www.fisherhouse.org/contribute/onlineGiving.shtml

As the headlines disappear for those affected by the hurricanes and their aftermath, the suffering continues. Tens of thousands are still scattered across the country in temporary housing.

We need to rebuild. We must provide homes for those affected and rebuild the communities that have been torn apart. Habitat for Humanity has been instrumental in building new homes for those who lost everything this past fall.

Habitat for Humanity is the American community at its best -- people coming together to achieve a common goal for the common good. Please consider helping them continue their vital work by volunteering with your local chapter or making a contribution:

https://www.habitat.org/giving/donate.aspx?link=1

All of us at the Democratic Party wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season.

Thank you.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 05:10 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

AK-Sen: Special Election Law

Republican Senator Ted Stevens yesterday evening:

"I say goodbye to the Senate tonight."

Senator Stevens Today:

Not only does Sen. Stevens' office refuse to parse the sentence, but an ABC News producer who ran into Stevens last night said the Senator said he didn't know if he would be coming back.
So could Stevens actually retire? Who knows?

Is Stevens going to retire? Probably not. His temper tantrum yesterday is just the latest in a long line of tirades that amount to little more than the grown-up version of "I'm taking my ball and going home." Although in this instance, someone took his ball, and he is once again threatening to go home. He's pulled this stunt enough times now that he can no longer be taken seriously. But just in case... here is Alaska's election law should Senator Stevens decide to remain true to his word. Ironically, Alaskans just voted on a ballot initiative to change existing law should a U.S. Senate seat become vacant:

This measure would repeal state law by which the Governor makes a temporary appointment of a person to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy until a special or regular election can be held. Under existing law the seat remains vacant until an appointment is made. Under the initiative the seat would remain vacant until the eletion is certified and the senate meets. Existing law provides that a special election will be held within 60 to 90 days to fill a vacancy unless the vacancy occurs within 60 days of the primary election for that seat. This initiative does not change that provision. Should this initiative become law?

The people voted YES.

YES - 165017 - 55.59%
NO - 131821 - 44.41%

The old law would have allowed Republican Governor Murkowski to appoint a new Senator until the next election in Alaska, which would have to be held within 60 to 90 days of the vacancy. Because of the new law, the seat will remain vacant, leaving us with 99 United States Senators until the special election is held. There would then be another election for that seat in 2008, when Senator Stevens would have been up for re-election if he decided to keep his seat.

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 04:01 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

That's What We Want To Know As Well...

Washington Post:

The presiding judge of a secret court that oversees government surveillance in espionage and terrorism cases is arranging a classified briefing for her fellow judges to address their concerns about the legality of President Bush's domestic spying program, according to several intelligence and government sources.
Several members of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court said in interviews that they want to know why the administration believed secretly listening in on telephone calls and reading e-mails of U.S. citizens without court authorization was legal. Some of the judges said they are particularly concerned that information gleaned from the president's eavesdropping program may have been improperly used to gain authorized wiretaps from their court.

Sign the Freedom of Information Act request.

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 02:00 PM | Comments (13)

Hagel: VP Cheney's Actions Beneath Dignity of This Country

A Party Divided:

"Cheney's poll numbers are very, very low," Hagel said. "This should be about elevating the debate and enhancing America and finding the solutions that we need to move forward. It doesn't help when you characterize people who disagree with you or threaten them or characterize them as unpatriotic or not caring about our people or our security. The American people see through that and it is beneath the dignity of this country."

I trust this will be replayed ad nauseum on every newscast tonight and through the weekend, especially after they ask everyone with an (R) after their name if they believe the vice president is acting in a manner that "is beneath the dignity of this country."

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 12:56 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

OH-Gov: Republican Party Pay to Play

So What?

Since he took office in 2003, Petro says, he has helped agencies recover $270 million a year in debts, up from $125 million under predecessor Betty D. Montgomery, now the state auditor.
But his reliance on outside lawyers to go after bad debts also has benefited someone else: Petro himself.

A Dispatch computer analysis of the 88 debt-collection attorneys paid by Petro’s office this year shows that 73 have donated to Petro’s campaigns. Collectively, the lawyers have given Petro’s campaigns $101,099 since 2000, with thousands more contributed by their spouses and law partners.

Told that 73 of the 88 lawyers who have received assignments to collect debts since July 1 are Petro contributors, Petro spokesman Mark Anthony said the number proves nothing.

"I’m not being flip when I say, 'So what?' " Anthony said.

Yeah, that's bad--even in a state where rare coin dealers make national news for bilking workers out of millions and Republican Governor Bob Taft pleads guilty to criminal charges, but it gets worse.

Petro flatly denies the allegation. But a chance encounter between his campaign fundraiser and a lawyer in a Columbus bar last summer has given fresh impetus to "pay to play" allegations that have dogged Petro and his predecessors.
In an affidavit filed earlier this week, Columbus lawyer Kevin O’Brien wrote that Petro’s campaign fundraiser, Amy Gravengaard, told him that Petro’s office would consider hiring him as a debt-collection attorney if he raised $25,000 for Petro’s campaign for governor.

It just gets worse and worse in the Buckeye State.

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 12:07 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

PA-Sen: Santorum Distances Himself...From Himself

The 2006 U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania currently serves as one of the best barometers for national sentiment of President Bush and a Republican dominated Congress. You have one of the ultimate "swing states," an incumbent Senator who until recently, consistently sides with the president, even going as far as to take the lead on corporatizing Social Security, and a Democratic opponent on the stump talking about affordable medicine, job creation, and keeping promises made to our veterans.

Strategic Vision. 1200 Likely Voters. December 16-18, 2005. MoE +/- 3%

Do you approve or disapprove of United States Senator Rick Santorum's job performance?

Approve: 40%
Disapprove: 47%
Undecided: 13%

If the election for United States Senate were held today, and the choice was between Robert Casey, Jr., the Democrat and Rick Santorum, the Republican, whom would you vote for?

Robert Casey (D): 50%
Rick Santorum (R): 39%
Other: 1%
Undecided: 10%

As a result of consistently anemic poll numbers, Rick Santorum has searched his soul to find himself on both sides of all kinds of issues: from the death penalty, to increasing the minimum wage, to Iraq, and his latest evolution of thought comes in the landmark Dover School District case. The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Early this year, Sen. Rick Santorum commended the Dover Area School District for "attempting to teach the controversy of evolution." But one day after a federal judge ruled that the district's policy on intelligent design was unconstitutional, Santorum said he was troubled by court testimony that showed some board members were motivated by religion in adopting the policy.
And, he said in an interview, he disagreed with the board for mandating the teaching of intelligent design, rather than just the controversy surrounding evolution.

Santorum - who sits on the advisory board of the Thomas More Law Center, which defended the school board in court - said the case offered "a bad set of facts" to test the concept that theories other than evolution should be taught in science classrooms.

"I thought the Thomas More Law Center made a huge mistake in taking this case and in pushing this case to the extent they did," Santorum said. He said he intends to withdraw his affiliation with the Michigan-based public-interest law firm that promotes Christian values. [...]

In a 2002 Washington Times op-ed, Santorum wrote: "Therefore, intelligent design is a legitimate scientific theory that should be taught in science classes."

But in recent interviews, including one in August on National Public Radio, Santorum said: "I'm not comfortable with intelligent design being taught in the science classroom."

If Santorum keeps it up, he might be able to primary himself this May.

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 11:21 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Credibility Problems

From the President's press conference earlier this week:

Let me give you an example about my concerns about letting the enemy know what may or may not be happening. In the late 1990s, our government was following Osama bin Laden because he was using a certain type of telephone. And then the fact that we were following Osama bin Laden because he was using a certain type of telephone made it into the press as the result of a leak. And guess what happened? Saddam -- Osama bin Laden changed his behavior. He began to change how he communicated.

From today's Washington Post:

President Bush asserted this week that the news media published a U.S. government leak in 1998 about Osama bin Laden's use of a satellite phone, alerting the al Qaeda leader to government monitoring and prompting him to abandon the device. The story of the vicious leak that destroyed a valuable intelligence operation was first reported by a best-selling book, validated by the Sept. 11 commission and then repeated by the president.
But it appears to be an urban myth.

The al Qaeda leader's communication to aides via satellite phone had already been reported in 1996 -- and the source of the information was another government, the Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan at the time. The second time a news organization reported on the satellite phone, the source was bin Laden himself.

Causal effects are hard to prove, but other factors could have persuaded bin Laden to turn off his satellite phone in August 1998. A day earlier, the United States had fired dozens of cruise missiles at his training camps, missing him by hours.

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 09:56 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

MI-Gov & Sen: Dems Hold Big Leads

Strategic Vision. 1200 Likely Voters. December 16-18, 2005. MoE. +/- 3%

Governors Race
Jennifer Granholm (D): 46%
Dick DeVos (R): 35%
Undecided: 19%

Senate Race
Debbie Stabenow (D): 47%
Mike Bouchard (R): 35%
Undecided: 18%

Debbie Stabenow (D): 48%
Keith Butler (R): 26%
Undecided: 26%

Debbie Stabenow (D): 48%
Jerry Zandstra (R): 24%
Undecided: 28%

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 09:24 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Have at it!

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 09:14 AM | Comments (131) | TrackBacks (0)

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Wednesday Night Open Thread

Andrea Mitchell Smackdown of Bogus RNC Press Release

If you are a member of the news media, visit the Drudge Report, or troll around the right-wing blogs, you may have seen it... The RNC's shameless defense of unchecked executive power and domestic spying by the Bush Adminstration included a press release that accused Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter of authorizing searches and surveillance of Americans without a court order. Of course, not true, and entirely out of context. Strangely, it was Andrea Mitchell applying the complete smackdown of the release:

The RNC sent out this press release saying, quote, "Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter both authorized search surveillance without court orders." The RNC press release goes on to cite an executive order from President Clinton from February 9, 1995 that says, "the Attorney General is authorized to approve physical searches without a court order." But that actually leaves out a crucial part of the sentence; so let's clean that up.
The actual executive order from President Clinton reads, "the Attorney General is authorized to approve physical searches without a court order, if the Attorney General makes the certifications required by that section." And that section refers to a requirement that the Attorney General certify that the search will not involve, quote, "the premises, information, material, or property of a United States person." In other words, US citizens or anyone inside the United States.

It's the same story about how the RNC is framing former President Jimmy Carter's executive order, which is taking it out of context.

Can o' Fun has the video. Further evidence that the GOP knows they are on the brink of a world of hurt for spying on Americans without authorization from a court that approves such surveillance 99.97% of the time.

Posted by Tim Tagaris at 07:02 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)