Category Archives: Government

Fast And Furious Lies.

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In 2010, Sen. John “McNasty” McCain, Gov. Janet “Finger Wagging” Brewer and many other Teapublican politicians vilified immigrants in order to be elected.  The only things that have changed for 2012 are the candidates and the scare tactic.  Since the Supreme Court gutted SB 1070, the focus has turned to Fast and Furious.

Fast and Furious, of course, is the name of the ATF program designed to stop the flow of guns into Mexico.  In case you don’t know, it’s illegal for anyone in Mexico outside of the military or police to own a gun.  So the drug cartels have made Arizona their personal gun store.  Arizona’s gun laws are so lax that anyone over 18 can buy as many guns as they can afford.  All they have to do is pass a quick background check.  And, if they want to avoid the background check, they can go to any of the state’s hundreds of gun shows and buy guns with no questions asked.

Is this a great state or what?

As a result of this lunacy, Mexican cartels have shipped drugs into the US in exchange for cash and guns.  This arrangement has been so successful, Mexico claims the resulting gun violence has resulted in the deaths of 47,000 Mexicans since 2006!  And that’s despite the fact that ATF has seized more than 68,000 guns over the same period.

How do you think Americans would react to the deaths of 47,000 of our citizens as the result of lax Mexican laws?  That’s more than double the number of deaths from 9/11 every year for 6 years!

But Teapublicans seem to not care about those deaths.  Instead, they have their teabags in knots over the death of a US Border Agent who was shot with a gun that was being tracked by the ATF.  Obviously, any such death is horrible. But it seems our Teapublicans also view it as an opportunity.  So based on the flimsiest of evidence, they have set about politicizing the ATF and the Department of Justice.  They have used it to attack Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama.

Now Katherine Eban has exposed the truth about Fast and Furious in an investigative report for Fortune magazine.  In short, the article places the blame for the “failed” operation on a bureaucratic Assistant US Attorney and Arizona’s insane gun laws.  It also appears that the so-called “whistle-blower” was a recalcitrant and incompetent subordinate with a grudge against the ATF Division leader.

As for “gun-walking” and a supposed cover-up?  It appears those were merely the figments of Teapublican imaginations repeated by a lazy and biased media.  The entire controversy could have been avoided if either the press or the Congressional Oversight Committee had been more focused on finding the truth than scoring ratings or political points.

Fast And Furious Politics.

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The name of the failed ATF gun-walking program could also apply to the Teapublican attacks on the US Attorney General and, by association, President Obama.

In case you don’t already know, Fast and Furious was a program intended to reach the leaders of the Mexican drug cartels who are using “straw buyers” to obtain assault weapons from Arizona.  This was a program unique to the Phoenix division of the ATF that followed a similar program called Wide Receiver that began in 2006.

Neither program succeeded in achieving its goals.  And they likely would have gone unnoticed had not two of the guns been involved in the death of US Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry.

Of course, Teapublicans have never passed up an opportunity to attack President Obama.  So Congressman Darrell Issa called for hearings into the matter.  That could have been constructive had his committee decided to examine the origins of the program, the reasons for the program and the participation of all involved.  Instead, Issa used the opportunity to attack and embarrass Attorney General Eric Holder.

It seems that Holder originally testified that he was unaware of the program, and that’s quite likely.  In his 8 ensuing appearances before the committee, he apologized and cooperated to the tune of more than 7,600 documents provided.  According to Issa that was not enough.  Issa demanded transcripts of wiretaps and other documents that Holder could not legally provide “in the interest of full disclosure.”  That’s rich, considering that the committee refused to call for testimony from the previous Attorney General or any of the individuals who orginated the program under the Bush administration.

Some “full disclosure.”

When Holder agreed to provide more documents under the condition that Issa would agree that the subpeona for documents had been satisfied, Issa refused.  Recognizing that Issa was more interested in embarrassing Holder than seeking the truth, President Obama exerted Executive Privilege over the remaning documents.  Of course, Issa and the Teapublican media were outraged.  The committee responded by voting to find Holder in contempt.

Far more contemptable are Arizona’s idiotic gun laws.  These laws make it all too easy for straw buyers to provide weapons to the cartels.  Even with intense searches of vehicles leaving Arizona for Mexico, guns are crossing the border with great frequency; not all that surprising considering that anyone can walk into one of hundreds of gun shows and buy weapons without having to pass a background check.

The truth is, the Obama administration has been more transparent and done more to secure the border than any administration in recent history.  Unfortunately, at the same time, Issa and his colleagues have done more to obstruct the administration than any Congress in history!

Greedy Bastards!

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Lately, I’ve been reading Dylan Ratigan’s book, Greedy Bastard$.  This is an even-handed account of how corporations and banks are sucking America dry.  I recommend it to everyone – Democrats, Independents and Teapublicans alike.  I warn you:  It will not only educate you about the state of our nation and how we got here.  It will infuriate you by showing you how corporations and politicians are destroying the nation while, at the same time, wrapping themselves in the American flag (which by the way is now made in China).

If you read it, you will get angry.  But that’s exactly what we need.  Check it out at: http://greedybastards.com/

McCain’s Accusation Only Confirms Our Choice In 2008.

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Today, Senator John McNasty accused the Obama administration of leaking national security information in order to make President Obama look strong as we near the election.

First, why would the White House want to commit leaks to make the president look strong?  He doesn’t need any help with his national security credentials.  President Obama is the man who ordered the capture or killing of Osama bin Laden.  He has done far more to damage al Qaeda in 4 years than President Bush did in 8 years.  His credibility on this issue is above reproach.

Second, McCain wouldn’t accuse another of such a traitorous act for political gain if he wouldn’t consider it himself if the roles were reversed.

Kind of makes you feel even better about the choice we made in 2008, doesn’t it?

The Teapublican Book of Lies.

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You know those things Teapublicans present as facts that just never quite make sense?  The ones that are repeated day after day on Fox News Channel and right wing radio?  The conservative ideas that have been tried and failed, but keep coming back?

I’ve taken 50 of those so-called “facts,” researched them, and presented my findings in a new book:  The Teapublican Book of Lies.  It’s a sort of handbook for debates with your conservative friends and family members.

Pardon the shameless self-promotion, but you can buy the book from Amazon.

The Real Freeloaders.

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For the past year Teapublicans, cheered on by Fox News Channel, have complained that the poor pay no federal income taxes.  They have insulted those who are down on their luck by calling them the “Freeloader Class.”  Yet, at the same time, they decry tax increases for the wealthy as “Class Warfare.”

Well, Teapublicans, you now have another group of freeloaders worthy of your disdain and venomous attacks:  According to a report by the Internal Revenue Service, more than 35,000 people with incomes of $200,000 or more paid no federal income taxes in 2009.

These are people who, by any standard, must be considered wealthy, but through a variety of tax credits and deductions were able to zero out their federal income tax bill.

Tell me, Teapublicans, which is worse?  The working poor and the elderly who make so little they are not required to pay federal income taxes?  Or those fortunate enough to earn substantial incomes and use a combination of write-offs and accounting tricks to avoid their responsibilities?

The answer is clear, even if you are unlikely to admit it.

For Sale: USA, Highest Bidder Takes All.

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This past week, it was announced that Teapublican Super Pacs will spend more than $3 billion on attack ads.  Likely, there will be nearly a billion more spent by the campaigns for Teapublican candidates.

Also in the news this week, was the John Edwards verdict and mistrial over the alleged misspending of money for a 2008 campaign at a time when contributions were limited to $2,500 from any single contributor.

The juxtaposition of the two stories should tell you everything you need to know about the impact of the Supreme Court’s misguided decisions equating money with free speech and corporations with individuals.

Thanks to the Court’s five conservative justices, this election may very well go to the highest bidders.  The Koch brothers, John Paulson, Bill Marriott, Richard Marriott, Julian Robertson, Ken Griffin, and Jim Davis each have donated $1,000,000 or more to Mitt Romney’s campaign.  In addition, the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson have donated untold millions to Super Pacs dedicated to attacking President Obama.

Of course, they don’t expect anything in return…nooooo!  Why would anyone think that?

If, like me, you believe individual voters should decide elections.  Not corporations and billionaires.  If you think that elections should be determined by the quality of ideas.  Not the quantity of contributions.  Then let’s overrule the Court.  Help restore our democracy by signing the petition at www.MoveToAmend.org.

In The Words Of A Founding Father…

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For those who demand that the US pass a so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” banning gay and lesbian marriage; For those who demand that the government intervene in the relationship between a woman and her doctor for fear that she might take a contraceptive or consider an abortion; For those who demand that the US be declared a Christian nation; For those who demand that our schools teach Chrisitian values to students; For those who believe that a failure to follow the commandments of the Bible will result in the collapse of our nation, consider this:

In Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson outlined his views which led to the separation of church and state: “The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit.  We are answerable for them to our God. The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others.  But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god.  It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. … Reason and free enquiry are the only effectual agents against error.”

A Real Memorial For Our Warriors.

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I’m writing this on Memorial Day, the annual celebration of those Americans who died in military service.  On this day, some Americans fly the flag.  Some attend memorial services.  Some place flowers on graves.  But most have a picnic, attend a baseball game, go shopping, take a mini-vacation or otherwise enjoy a day off.

What would be more fitting is to change our national mindset toward war. 

Some time ago, I realized that our nation has been at war for all but 33 years of our existance.  When we’re not at war, we’re preparing for war or meddling in the affairs of other nations.  We have fought against Native Americans, the British, Spanish, Mexicans, Libyans, Philippinos, Chinese, Japanese, Italians, Germans, Koreans, Vietnamese, Panamanians, Iraqis, and Afghans.  We have threatened many more.  We have even fought each other.

Some of these wars were necessary.  Many were not.

It’s time that we came to the realization that the US is a warrior nation.  We have spread our influence around the globe at the end of a gun.  It’s no coincidence that the world’s only military superpower is also the world’s greatest economic power.

We have created an American Empire in the mold of the Roman Empire.  But there’s an ominous warning in that comparison.  You see, the Roman Empire also ruled through military conquest.  Eventually, it over-extended its resources and collapsed of its own weight.  It simply could no longer afford the military and the political infrastructure needed to keep its subjects in line.

If the US doesn’t want to fade into history, we need to heed that warning.

Instead of a three-day weekend in recognition of those who have fallen, we would better honor our military heroes by reimagining our future; by seeking to avoid conflicts through diplomacy and true leadership; by refusing to use our military in support of our economic interests (aka greedy corporations); by relegating war to the avenue of absolute last resort; and by committing to never again send our sons and daughters to fight in an unnecessary war halfway around the world until all other options have been expended.

I can think of no better way to honor our fallen warriors than to dramatically reduce the number who join their ranks in the future.