Milestone achieved for me. 1500 Blog posts written!

Yes, I reached a milestone yesterday as I have posted 1500 Blog posts. I couldn't believe it until I saw it on my counter. In had never ever written a thing before starting this Blog. I didn't think I could do it and if I started it, I wasn't sure I would keep it up. I started this Blog in May of 2005 because I was angry about what I thought Bush and Cheney were doing to ruin our country. My first post was written questioning the wisdom of John Bolton's selection as Ambassador to the UN. I think looking back my fears were warranted as he turned out to be a terrible UN Ambassador.

I also wrote in that month with my objections to changing the Senate Rules about the Filibuster. It is interesting that back then it was the Republicans wanting to eliminate the filibuster rule but it took 14 brave Senators including some Republicans to join Democrats in stopping the effort. Interestingly, the same issue was proposed by a Democratic Senate recently but cool heads prevailed and several Democrats joined Republicans to keep the current Rule.

So this has been an adventure for me over the 6 years and now my blog includes stock market views as well as political views. Thanks to all of you who have visited and those who took the time to leave a comment. I have had well over 65,000 visitors in these 6 years who have read over 125,000 pages of my Blog. Hooray! :)

Who helped pass the Stimulus package in the Senate? You can thank the people of New Hampshire, Virginia, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Colorado!

Hard to believe isn't it. Yes, I am pleased at the extra praise rightfully given to Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snow, Republicans from Maine and Arlan Spector of Pennsylvania voting for the Stimulus bill. They really do deserve the praise for standing up against the Republican leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and other Republicans but let's not also forget that if it wasn't also for new Democratic Senators elected in November the bill would never have passed. Here's the impact of your votes:

- Jeanne Shaheen new Democratic Senator of New Hampshire, who won a seat from a former Republican Senator John Sununu,
- Mark Warner, new Democratic Senator of Virginia, who also won an open seat which had been held by a Republican,
- Tom Udall new Democratic Senator of New Mexico who also defeated a Republican GOP Rep. Steve Pearce
- Kay Hagan Democratic Senator of North Carolina, who defeated Republican Elizabeth Dole and
- Mark Udall new Democratic Senator of Colorado who also defeated former GOP Rep. Bob Schaffer. Mark Udall is a cousin of Tom Udall.

So thank you my friends from New Hampshire, Virginia, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Colorado. Without you this Stimulus package would have certainly failed the final vote. And don't ever let anyone tell you again that your vote doesn't matter. The elections of 2008 changed all that forever. Just ask the soon to become Senator Al Franken, Democrat from Minnesota, who is about to defeat Republican Norm Coleman. Here's the latest on that race:

Al Franken gets boost over Norm Coleman in Senate race
Minnesota judges say Coleman hasn't shown a widespread absentee-vote problem.
Associated Press
February 14, 2009

St. Paul, Minn. -- The judges in Minnesota's U.S. Senate trial said in a preliminary ruling Friday that Republican Norm Coleman had not yet shown a widespread problem with absentee voters being denied the right to vote.

The three-judge panel ordered that rejected absentee ballots from 12 of 19 categories should not be counted in the Senate race.

Coleman, who is trying to undo Democrat Al Franken's 225-vote lead, had wanted to count ballots in all but three of the categories.

Coleman had argued that thousands of rejected absentee ballots were excluded inconsistently and should be counted, but Friday's ruling would limit the total number of ballots to be reviewed for counting.

"The facts presented thus far do not show a wholesale disenfranchisement of absentee voters in the 2008 general election," wrote judges Elizabeth Hayden, Kurt Marben and Denise Reilly.

Headline reads, "$14B auto bailout dies in Senate." What a shame.

Part of the breaking news story said " Sen, Harry Reid called the bill's collapse "a loss for the country," adding: "I dread looking at Wall Street tomorrow. It's not going to be a pleasant sight." Early overseas stock market reaction is as follows. The Hang Seng index is now down 1000 points and the Nikkei is down almost 500 points.

So here we are and the collapse of the Auto Industry loan, and I stress the word "loan", got whacked by Senate Republicans this evening. We still have the politics of the past from the remaining Republican Senators like Mitch McConnell, John Ensign, Bob Corker, Richard Shelby and others who are willing to allow hundreds of thousand of people to loser their jobs which is most likely to cause additional foreclosures over a few Billion dollars because of their so called "principles". If so, why did they pass a $700 Billion bailout of Wall St. without any such concerns. It is hypocritical and shamelessly without compassion during their declared, most important religious holiday for the Christian Right of the Republican Party, Christmas. We now know who the Grinches are, Republican Senators who need to be removed from the Senate next election. I am appalled at what I have just witnessed. I will tell you this, they are playing with fire and this lack of compassion for the people is what can trigger riots in the streets.

I hope you can see the inequity here and the hypocrisy of their position. $14 Billion versus a Trillion dollar bailout so far without any strings attached for the Banking and Insurance system. It doesn't even count the $12 billion a month we are spending in Iraq and all the Trillions this Administration poured down the drain in putting us into debt our children and their children will have to pay off. Disgraceful!

This Presidential election is about Washington insiders arguing nuances versus real change in the politic and substance.

This election for President has all the signs of being a battle between the insiders in washington and not aligned to the wishes of the electorate. What do I mean here? Well, take for example the illegal wiretapping of our phones by the Bush Administration without the FISA Court approval. The Senate has passed a Bill to grant immunity from prosecution of the Telephone companies. The House it appears is now willing to pass a similar Bill. That's what the Insiders in Washington, the elected Representatives and Senators are doing. These are the same people who are supposed to be representing the people's business, not the Corporations business nor the Executive Branch's interests. But they lack the guts to do what's really right here.

So the upcoming election between the certain candidacy of Sen. John McCain and say, Hillary Clinton, will be arguing about nuances and defending positions that are not those of the American people. This is looking more and more like an inside the Beltway race and we are all the losers in this, unless we dare to choose Barack Obama for President. If people in Texas, Ohio, and Vermont vote for Barack in overwhelm ing numbers, this might actually turn into a campaign of the insider (John McCain) versus the new ideas and politic of Sen. Barack Obama. Dare they vote putting their country and their self interests first this time. I hope so for all our sake.

Vote to restore Habeas Corpus: Some Republicans deserve to be applauded.

The vote to restore Habeas Corpus was defeated today by 56 in favor of restoring it to 43 saying Naye. Sixty votes were need to end cloture. We can all be upset that it didn't pass but I would rather focus on something positive and that is to recognize those brave Republican Senators voting with the Democrats to restore it.

They include:

Hagel (R-NE), Yea
Lugar (R-IN), Yea
Smith (R-OR), Yea
Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Specter (R-PA), Yea
Sununu (R-NH), Yea

These above Senators deserve to be reelected in their communities.

BRAVO Senators!

Of the 2 Independent Senators only one voted with the Democrats:

Sanders (I-VT), Yea

All Democrats voted in favor of the Bill.

If the tables were turned and any of these Senators had been incarcerated by our government without due process, they would have voted with the Democrats. Same is true if their kids were serving in Iraq, they would vote more frequently with the Democrats, not all but more of them.

They give us little choice as voters but to replace them in next years Election for their inflexibility on some common sense legislation.

Those voting AGAINST the bill to restore Habeas Corpus are these (who need to be replaced whenever they term is up):

Alexander (R-TN), Nay
Allard (R-CO), Nay
Barrasso (R-WY), Nay
Bennett (R-UT), Nay
Bond (R-MO), Nay
Brownback (R-KS), Nay (Presidential Candidate)
Bunning (R-KY), Nay
Burr (R-NC), Nay
Chambliss (R-GA), Not Voting
Coburn (R-OK), Nay
Cochran (R-MS), Nay
Coleman (R-MN), Nay
Collins (R-ME), Nay
Corker (R-TN), Nay
Cornyn (R-TX), Nay
Craig (R-ID), Nay
Crapo (R-ID), Nay
DeMint (R-SC), Nay
Dole (R-NC), Nay
Domenici (R-NM), Nay
Ensign (R-NV), Nay
Enzi (R-WY), Nay
Graham (R-SC), Nay
Grassley (R-IA), Nay
Gregg (R-NH), Nay
Hatch (R-UT), Nay
Hutchison (R-TX), Nay
Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Kyl (R-AZ), Nay
Lott (R-MS), Nay
Martinez (R-FL), Nay
McCain (R-AZ), Nay (Presidential Candidate and former Prisoner of war)
McConnell (R-KY), Nay
Murkowski (R-AK), Nay
Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Sessions (R-AL), Nay
Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Stevens (R-AK), Nay
Thune (R-SD), Nay
Vitter (R-LA), Nay
Voinovich (R-OH), Nay
Warner (R-VA), Nay


What say you? How would you have voted if you were in office? Vote in the Mini Poll to the right of this posting.

Blood on the hands of Republican Senators: UPDATE 7-20

From July 19, 2007 posting:
Senate Republicans filibustered the Democrats bill to get the troops home from Iraq starting 120 days from the bills enactment and completed by April 2008. Now Senate Republicans have the blood of our soldiers on their hands. Since that Filibuster 5 American soldiers have died. I will keep this tally going forward to remind the Senate of the cost of not stopping this war now that many Republican Senators have asserted they are against the current policy of President Bush but don't have the guts to vote that way.

UPDATE: Since I wrote this piece above a few days ago, the total deaths rose to 12 since Republicans filibustered the Bill put forth by Democrats to bring the troops home. That means the total U.S. Fatalities for July have now surpassed those for July 2006, which was 43. We now stand at 51 with another 12 days left in this month.

Figures don't lie, so don't believe the Bush Administration nor any that say things are getting better. These deaths are not making things better. It is a disgraceful betrayal of our troops by this President and Vice President to all those that serve or have served since they both have not.

Blood on the hands of Republican Senators

Senate Republicans filibustered the Democrats bill to get the troops home from Iraq starting 120 days from the bills enactment and completed by April 2008. Now Senate Republicans have the blood of our soldiers on their hands. Since that Filibuster 5 American soldiers have died. I will keep this tally going forward to remind the Senate of the cost of not stopping this war now that many Republican Senators have asserted they are against the current policy of President Bush but don't have the guts to vote that way.

An unpatriotic 4th of July

Memories of past July 4ths didn't resonate with me this year. It was troubling to say the least. I spent some time wondering why I had this sick feeling in my stomach and finally understood why I had this unsettling trauma. It was because this year, for the first time in my life, I felt that the American people and our elected officials have let me down. I haven't felt patriotic about our freedoms much, over the past 7 years, I have seen these freedoms trashed by a President and VP who have no concern for the heritage of our country and its way of life. They wanted to go back to the days when we had a King and they anointed themselves Co-Kings. So when the parade in my town began, I watched the Fire Department lead the parade with its engines blasting sirens, the Medics in their Emergency vehicles and some local Emergency Response teams pass by. I admire them all and have become a first responder in an emergency in my community and I try to learn what I can from them to help my local community in an unforseen emergency. But after they passed, I turned and went home, realizing, that for me, the idea of our freedom and the patriotic feelings I once had, were gone. All because of our Co-Kings, Bush and Cheney, and a seemingly paralyzed Congress, where Republicans dare to support both of them still, even after all their failings. Keith Obermann of MSNBC said it best referring to Bush and Cheney when he said, "They should both resign".

The Congress hasn't the guts to do the right thing. Good people like Senators Dianne Feinstein, Joe Biden, Richard Lugar, John Warner, and others, are too afraid to spend time on removing them from office. They believe to do this correctly would take too much time. It really doesn't. All they have to do is to ask for a vote of impeachment. No need for a trial in the Congress or Senate. Their duplicity is well known in many violations of the Constitution and the Geneva Convention. Just have the vote and see who has guts. The ones that don't should all be removed from office. We are all held hostge by our own elected officials as they will not do the correct thing and move this issue to the front burner putting their own needs for getting reelected after those of their country and their constituents.

Now you know why I didn't feel so patriotic yesterday. Something has been lost and the American people are fast asleep at the switch. Shame, shame for the country, its history and its politic.

Making Memorial Day special again.

There's talk of an additional "surge" of troops beyond current figures. A Hearst newspaper report suggests many ten's of thousands of troops will be added to the Iraq theater, as we rotate some forces to come home. Which means there will be an overlap of forces after September, which will significantly increase our footprint there. There isn't much reported about this but I heard this on my local CBS affiliate radio station in San Francisco an hour ago (KCBS).

Whether you agree with this or not, as we approach this Memorial Day weekend, I have a request to make to all my readers. When the flags are put at half-mast to honor the dead, we keep the flags at half-mast until the troops come home. To do this we need to put pressure on our Congressmen and Senators to pass a bill to require all U.S. Flags be required to be flown at half-mast until at least we have a 30 day period where no soldier is killed in combat. If you like this idea, pass it on and let's all make this Memorial Day have the meaning it was intended to have: To honor those fallen heroes who now, as was before them, gave their lives in service to this country.

God Bless them all and their families and God Bless America, because we really need it.

The narrow Democratic majority in the Senate and what it means

The first test of the slim margin the Democrats have in the Senate is being conducted as I write this today. The tug of war on the Ethics Reform Bill passed by the House is being held hostage by the Republicans as the Bill, a Rule change, would require a 2/3's approval by the Senate and the Democrats just can't get there. Looking down the road at other issues coming to the body will be issues around how to stop this President from starting a new war with Iran, increase of troop levels and an escalation to the war, and other matters of very serious substance for our country to deal with. It now appears certain that the Democrats will not be able to stop this President, that we will all become more frustrated as a divided nation and that there will be nothing we can do about it until we elect a different President in 2008 who won't take office until January of 2009. My friends this is very depressing indeed.

I now believe we do not have the votes to impeach this President and therefore starting the process may be futile at best. So what can we do? The only way this course of action by our President will change will be when the Republicans decide to join Democrats and do something drastic to stop the powers assumed by this President. And how do we get the Republicans to do that? We give President Bush and VP Cheney more rope and hope they do what they have done all along, ignore the will of the people. It is only when Republicans fear an avalanche against them in 2008 will many jump ship. We need 16 Republican Senators with enough courage like Senator Chuck Hagel, to abandon this President. It won't be the likes of Mitch McConnell, Jeff Sessions of the Senate or the leading Presidential candidates for the Republicans, i.e. John McCain, but it could be people like Olympia Snow, Sam Brownback, Susan Collins, Elizabeth Dole, George Vionivich, Pete Dominici, John Ensign, Richard Lugar, and yes, Trent Lott, Pat Roberts, John Thune and John Warner. This would get us within striking distance for real change. This could preserve the Republican Party. If we fail to get Republicans to abandon this President this would result in a landslide in 2008 for Democrats in both houses of Congress, a Democratic President and absolute Democratic power (Absolute power corrupts absolutely!), which would result in a never ending cycle of corruption and an apathetic populace. So much hangs in the balance here. Wake up America!