Voting Records of Three GOP 'Right to Life' Hypocrites

They all voted NO on the SCHIP bill to cover the health insurance of some of the nation's poorest children. They all voted YES to each Bush War Supplemental Spending bills. They all scored 100% from the National Right to Life Committee.

Steve Chabot, OH District 1

John Peterson, PA District 5

Scott Garrett, NJ District 5

The following are the ratings from various groups which keep track of congressional votes and lobby the members for their issues. The data comes from Project Vote Smart.

All three, by the way, voted to extended the Bush tax cuts.

Not surprisingly, they scored only 6% from the Public Citizens Congress Watch to represent consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts."

Again, each man scored zero from the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. Apparently they don't like that 1st Amendment.

They each scored zero from the Human Rights Campaign, a bipartisan organization that works to advance equality based on sexual orientation and gender expression and identity.

The National Education Association was not high on their agenda, the best scoring 35%.

The League of Conservation Voters, working to protect the environment, scored them in the 30's down to zero.

These three men received dismal scores, 20%, from the Children's Defense Fund which pays particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities.

Citizens for Global Solutions envisions a future in which nations work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no nation can solve alone. These three men were rated zero.

The American Public Health Association, concerned with a broad set of issues affecting personal and environmental health, including federal and state funding for health programs, pollution control, programs and policies related to chronic and infectious diseases, a smoke-free society, and professional education in public health, rated these men no higher than 20%.

The American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees rank these men zero.

A group that hopes to find cures for Parkinson's Disease, Parkinson's Action Network, rate each man zero.

Senior Citizens rank poorly as the Alliance for Retired Americans,to ensure social and economic justice and full civil rights for all citizens so that they may enjoy lives of dignity, personal and family fulfillment and security, rate these men 10%.

The U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce, creating economic and leadership opportunities for women by building a strong community voice and providing programs and benefits to support the growth of our women across America rate each man 0%.

It seems obvious that these men care little about the American citizen after the 9 months in the womb. When the baby is born, these three men slap it on the rear and say, "Good luck kid!"

A Chilling Expose' of Blackwater

Bill Moyers Journal on PBS presented Jeremy Scahill, author of the book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army who exposed the absolute power resting in Blackwater and its CEO, Erik Prince. The facts presented were absolutely chilling.

At one point Moyers asked a hypothetical: "What would happen if a president declared martial law in order to try to deal with this threat. And there was a private army of twenty thousand soldiers that I could call upon to throw a ring around the capital and make sure that the Congress didn't leave town or didn't get back to the capital if-- how far fetched is that?"

Scahill responded by telling Moyers that one day after Katrina struck New Orleans, Prince sent in 180 of his men into the area. Scahill said, "And this car speeds up next to us. No license plates on it, a compact car. And three massive guys get out of it. And they have M-4 assault rifles, bullet proof vests, wearing khakis, wrap around sunglasses, baseball caps on. And they come up and they say to the cops, "Where are the rest of the Blackwater guys?" And my head sort of started, you know, I didn't even hear the answer. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Where are the rest of the Blackwater guys? So, they get back in their vehicle and they speed off. And I said to this cop, Blackwater? You mean the guys in Iraq and Afghanistan? They said, oh, yeah. They're all over the place down here."

That's how powerful this mercenary army is. So, the answer to the question is: very likely. In a discussion on this blog this morning, mad-jack and I were wondering if the National Guard would be called if masses of citizens arrived in DC to attempt a citizen coup. I wondered if the National Guard would be able to shoot their own citizens. Now i know better. Prince's Blackwater goons would do the shooting.

To me this seems like a re-run of history in Latin America: right wing death squads shooting and killing the peasants who might rebel against the dictator. With private armies like Blackwater, our citizens would never be able to wrestle control of their government from the hands of fascist thugs.

Listen to the entire interview. Take notes. Send the link to your friends. Talk about this Blackwater [and other] mercenary army and the potential power it has in the hands of ruthless fascists who would seek power as it shreds the Constitution with assault rifles from this home-grown army.

U.S. bishops call Catholics to "a different kind of political engagement"

The National Catholic News Service offers American Catholics a challenge to the way they 'usually' select a political candidate. The article begins:

Rejecting a political climate based on "powerful interests, partisan attacks, sound bites and media hype," the U.S. bishops call Catholics to "a different kind of political engagement" in a document to be voted on during their fall general meeting Nov. 12-15 in Baltimore.That engagement must be "shaped by the moral convictions of well-formed consciences and focused on the dignity of every human being, the pursuit of the common good and the protection of the weak and vulnerable," they said.

Further into the article is this:

"As Catholics, we should be guided more by our moral convictions than by our attachment to a political party or interest group," the draft document says. "When necessary, our participation should help transform the party to which we belong; we should not let the party transform us in such a way that we neglect or deny fundamental moral truths."

Attachment to a political party or interest group is a loaded phrase. I'm wondering if this specifically targets fundamentalist Catholics as a voting bloc? I like the next sentence about helping transform the party. I would be curious to know who many of the 153 Republicans in the House who voted against SCHIP were Catholic. I would hope not too many because Catholic Social Teaching highlights the needs of the many over the few.

In his speech in Toledo last evening, journalist Joe Klein warned us exactly as the bishops did in the opening sentence: about choosing a candidate based on powerful interests, partisan attacks, sound bites and media hype. He noted the 2004 election as a perfect example of 'sound bite' psychology. Klein said, "If the 2008 election copies that of 2004, we, as a nation, will be in very serious trouble." He went on to say that electing the president of the United States ought to be for the voter a very thorough search of the qualifications and policies of the candidate.

Serious stuff. Hats off to the bishops.

GOP Congressman: "Mistakes Happen, People Die"

I dislike the adverbial conjunction 'but.' I find that politicians are very fond of 'but.' It's like waiting atop the roller coaster for the plunge. They begin a sentence on a note of hope, and then comes the 'but.' It happened yesterday in Congress. Not surprisingly, it was a right-wing Republican congressman, Dana Rohrabacher.

The particular setting was unique: the United States, through the House of Representatives, apologized to a Canadian of Syrian heritage, Maher Arar, who was 'captured' in New York in 2002 by US officials and sent to Syria, where he says he was tortured.

According to the BBC, "Mr Arar appeared by video link from Canada because he remains on a US government watch list. A Canadian government inquiry cleared him of any involvement in terrorism. Syria denies that he was tortured. Mr Arar appeared on a giant screen before a joint hearing of House of Representatives committees into "extraordinary rendition". "

Isn't it interesting that Syria was the site chosen by the U.S. Government? Syria, on the 'bad' list of nations in the Bush/Cheney playbook, apparently is 'good' for a few things.

"I was beaten with an electrical cable and threatened with a metal chair, the tyre and electric shocks. I was forced to falsely confess that I had been to Afghanistan," he said. "When I was not being beaten I was put in a waiting room so that I could hear the screams of other prisoners. The cries of the women still haunt me the most."

Mr Arar was later released without charge.

Among those offering their apologies at the hearing was Democratic Congressman Jerrold Nadler from New York:

"On behalf of my fellow citizens I want to apologise to you, Mr Arar, for the reprehensible conduct of our government for kidnapping you, for turning you over to Syria - a nation that our own state department recognises as routinely practising torture. This conduct does not reflect the values of the American people."

Then came the GOP. It was Rep Dana Rohrabacher who spoke. He said:

The US should be ashamed of what happened to Mr Arar... "BUT that is no excuse to end a programme which has protected the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans... We are at war. Mistakes happen. People die".

Donald Rumsfeld is not dead.

Brave Toledo Catholic Nun Calls for Impeachment

Bush, Cheney should be impeached is the title of a letter to the Editor of The Blade this morning, penned by Sister Marie Andree Chorzempa, Sylvania Franciscans. In her opening paragraph she asks:

"Why are our senators in Congress so fearful? Why are our representatives in Washington so reluctant to take on Vice President Dick Cheney and his tactics to change constitutional law? There is so much evidence to impeach both Mr. Cheney and President Bush for their fanatical pursuit of unlimited executive powers."

Yes, Sister, Why? The answer lies in the corruption of our entire political system, I believe. The entire government, with a few isolated exceptions, is one vat of festering corruption. The corporate world has infected our Congress and the virus is widespread. Money rules supreme.

Decisions made by this once noble body are largely the result of pressure and suggestions by that swarm of cockroaches known as lobbyists. They all have a sponsor and a message; and, of course, money and power to offer. You and I, Sister, are dry toast in comparison to what these shysters have to offer. Your plea is that of one crying in the wilderness. You have no power to offer; you have no money to offer. You are only important on the first Tuesday in November. After that, you and I are faceless dullards.

There is only one solution that I can see if we are looking for real change in our government: the 537 people who represent the Executive and Legislative Branches of our government need to be overthrown. Hopefully in a bloodless coup. "Throw the bums out" literally.

The only question that I cannot answer about this idea is this: will the National Guard members shoot their neighbors?

If Neanderthals Could Have Talked

What did they talk about? An article in Current Biology says that Neanderthal possessed the FOXP-2 gene which biologists indicate is the 'speech' gene.

As they did not reach extinction in Europe until 33,000 to 24,000 years ago, it means that these people could have been musing around the cave fires, chatting about the stars, sun, moon, and even their own mortality 100,000 years ago.

The article says, "The finding, say the researchers, “establishes that these changes [in FOXP2 that distinguish it from the chimp version and, thus, presumably help confer the capacity for speech and language] were present in the common ancestor of modern humans and Neanderthals.” Our lineage might have been a much chattier past than anyone suspected."

The artwork of Neanderthal in the caves of southern France indicate that these people interacted with their environment and, apparently, wanted to communicate what was important to them in the paintings. Their brains were sufficiently large to think, make tools, hunt, make weapons, jewelry, and to paint.

Did they ever think about spirituality? Did they make offerings to a god? Did they talk to each other about an after life?

It would be another 30,000 years before Adam and Eve began strolling in the garden on cool evenings talking with God, according to Genesis. Why did God wait so long, a mere 4000 years ago, before showing himself to his people? Did he not like Neanderthals? That reconstructed likeness of a Neanderthal boy makes him look like a European. These people were not freaks of nature.

Why did God only first speak to the Jews? I can't figure that out. I feel sorry for the hundreds of generations of Neanderthal who never knew of God. All of those wasted lives.

Note to the Generals: Are the Coup Plans in Order?

" Where were these generals when they were still wearing the uniform, when their dissent might have meant something? How could they have led us into battle while having so little confidence in the battle plan?"

This from a new piece, What should generals do if Bush orders a foolish attack on Iran? by Fred Kaplan. He wondered, as did the junior officers, why so many senior officers, like Gen. Sanchez, kept their mouths closed until after their retirement.

The first sentences of the article post the problem: From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to U.S. Central Command, most of America's military leaders have expressed wariness about, if not outright opposition to, the idea of bombing Iran.

So, if President George W. Bush starts to prepare—or actually issues the order—for an attack, what should the generals do? Disobey? Rally resistance from within? Resign in protest? Retire quietly? Or salute and execute the mission?

Great questions which need to be answered NOW. Not after it happens. NOW.

A military junta is in order. Although our nation has not yet had one, neither did we have a pre-emptive invasion. Or two.

So, generals, get it planned and let the idea slip out: send the idea that 'some generals' are planning a coup if Bush bombs Iran.

It would be THE most patriotic act that you could do for us.

Eye-Plank Rhetoric of Laura Bush

Cindy Sheehan [the GOP reader inserts explitive] has penned a note to Laura Bush regarding that wooden plank in her eye. Matthew 7:3 (Look It Up) is her title. Many will recall the plastic First Lady's denouncement of the repressive government in Burma.

Odd, though, that she keeps mum about hubby. Odd, not at all, because she daily sings, Stand By Your Man. The plank.

Sheehan notes these issues with Mrs. Bush's hubby:

• I wonder if she has been to Iraq? I wonder if she has visited the millions of Iraqi and Palestinian refugees in Jordan and Syria who have been forced from their country by her husband’s tragic policies?

• I wonder if Laura has read the most recent studies that say over a million Iraqis have been killed since her husband’s “shocking and awful” on March 20. 2003?

• Does Laura know that her husband’s hired guns in Iraq, Blackwater (and the rest) gun down Iraqis just because they can?

• Doesn’t Laura know that her husband has authorized the torture of other human beings?

• The people of New Orleans still don’t have homes to return to and our streets are filled with the homeless, sick, and hopeless. Families can’t afford insurance for their children and are declaring bankruptcy or losing their homes while Laura’s spouse vetoes their hope.

Sorry, Ms. Sheehan, about the loss of your son, by the way.

Wanted: 'True" Republican

John McCain says he is and Mitt Romney is not. Odd that they both have [R] behind their names. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet."

Sweet?

Well, not exactly sweet; I'd found few Republicans in my lifetime who I would label sweet. Stingy, yes. Self-centered, of course. Warmongers, quite a few. Righteous, all.

McCain's chide reminds me of those ugly grade school days and that irritating, sing-song teasing, "La dah dee dah dah..."

I know how to settle this argument [be right back]

Back.

John McCain's voting record:

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice America 0 percent

2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the National Right to Life Committee 75 percent

Senator McCain supported the interests of the Americans for the Arts 0 percent in 2000.

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Americans for Tax Reform 80 percent

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Business-Industry Political Action Committee 80 percent

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights 15 percent in 2006.

2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 7 percent

2004 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Conservative Index - The John Birch Society 90 percent

2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants 29 percent

2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the National Education Association 0 percent

2003-2004 Senator McCain supported the interests of the National Parent Teacher Association 7 percent

2002 Senator McCain supported the interests of the American Coalition for Ethanol 0 percent in 2002.

2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the American Wilderness Coalition 16 percent

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Children's Defense Fund 10 percent

2006 In 2006 Citizens for Global Solutions gave Senator McCain a rating of 0.

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 100 percent

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the American Public Health Association 40 percent

2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine 0 percent

2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the National Breast Cancer Coalition 20 percent

2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of Americans for Better Immigration 18 percent

2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the U.S. Border Control 18 percent

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the AFL-CIO 7 percent

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees 0

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the United Auto Workers 0 percent

2003 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Non Commissioned Officers Association 100 percent


2003-2004 Senator McCain supported the interests of the American Security Council 100 percent

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 0 percent

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Alliance for Retired Americans 20 percent

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby 11 percent

2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 20 percent

2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Federally Employed Women 30 percent

2005-2006 Senator McCain supported the interests of the National Organization for Women 13

________________________________________

Well, then, looks like old John may, in fact, be the REAL REPUBLICAN: militaristic, stingy, self-centered, warmonger. He doesn't care much for women, either.

If only he would work for the Ten Commandments in all schools and the imprisonment of gays and lesbians, he'd be ideal for the fundies.

Beautiful Galaxy In Search of a Better Name

Prominently barred spiral galaxy NGC 1672 was captured in spectacular detail in this image taken by the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope.

NGC 1672 does not do it justice. It's like calling the Sistine Chapel a church. Come on, astronomers, let's get your right brain going!