Third Party & Independents:

The State of Religion

For years there have been disagreements about the place of religion in the United States. Some say that religion is destructive to enlightenment and free thought. Others say that a person's religion is their own business and should be left to them to decide how to believe as long as it doesn't infringe on anyone else's right to the same. Still others are certain that only religion can keep our society from anarchy and push the bounds of the Separation of Church and State daily. Is there a way to determine which is correct?

DeLay: The Real Story

District Attorney Ronnie Earle, responsible for bringing House of Representatives majority leader Tom Delay (R) before a grand jury on charges of violating Texas state law prohibiting corporate funds from being sent to other legislator's campaigns, is a Democrat. Tom DeLay says Earle is seeking political revenge. The record however shows Earle has obtained far more convictions or no contest pleas from Democrats than Republicans (12 of 15). But, that fact is not one that is likely to interfere with the partisan accusations attempting to divert the discussion from political corruption toward political partisanship motives. The real issue however, is the corruption.

The Highest Standards of Journalism

In my previous article entitled Failure on Every Level, I detailed some of the failings in the events leading up to and during the horrific images and stories we were presented on our TV screens during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It was obvious from these events that New Orleans was failed by the Mayor's office, Governor's office and FEMA. However, it appears that I left someone out that may have failed us all during that same time.

Bush says don't drive unnecessarily.

The President says Americans should not drive unnecessarily in order to save fuel and slow rising prices due to shortages. So, given the more than $50,000 per trip and the enormous amount of fuel Air Force One, Helicopter One, and the motorcades use per Presidential trip, why isn't the President taking his own advice? I mean these numerous trips to hurricane areas are pure showboating photo ops of a political nature and immensely wasteful not only of fuel, but of American tax dollars. There is nothing the President is going to learn flying around on the public dole in these areas that a phone or conference call can't deliver at a savings of millions of tax payer dollars.

Farewell Posse Comitatus

What has brought our society to the point where we actually consider the suggestion that the military be allowed to operate within our own borders to force our own citizens to comply with the latest demands from the White House?

Going Wrong in America

The President is looking to Congress to grant the Pentagon the authority to determine if it should move in on natural disasters taking over from the beginning on their own authority if warranted. This is reported by CBS News:

White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters on Air Force One Sunday that Bush talked about whether "there is a trigger that comes into play in the event of a catastrophic event where the Department of Defense would need to come in and help really to help stabilize the situation."

That trigger, he said, would only be considered in a catastrophic event.

Realistic "Advise" missing from Advise and Consent

Many have bemoaned the failure of President Bush to fully cooperate with the concept of Advise and Consent. I personally have made statements that President Clinton worked with Senator Hatch much more closely than President Bush has worked with the Democrats. Often it has been written what the Democrats do not want and do not like about John Roberts. Look closer though and you will see something disturbing.

Jus Ad Bellum

I post this question with some pause, because I know it is a subject that is of great debate and controversy. However, I've come to respect the opinions of the contributors to Watchblog, and would genuinely like to hear the opinions of my colleagues regarding the "justness" of the Iraq War.

The question is: Is the war in Iraq a Just War?

First, to set the stage, I did a bit of reading from Cicero, St. Augustine of Hippo, and St. Thomas Aquinas, all pretty heavy thinkers for their time. The synthesis of their opinions regarding the justification of war has been codified in the following seven rules:

Welcome to Wonderland

Alice: "It would be so nice if something made sense".

With apologies to Lewis Carroll, we've truly gone through the looking glass. Up is down and down is up. White is black and Black is white. At least, it would seem so listening to House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R) - Texas tell us on September 13th that the Republican majority has done such a good job in cutting spending that he is declaring "victory", and there is simply no more waste to cut from the federal budget. Oh Really?

Let's Move the Big DC to the Big Easy!

I was deeply saddened last night as I watched George II address the nation from the ghost town that used to be New Orleans. It looks like the American taxpayers are going to have to foot the bill for governmental incompetence yet again.

Oh well.

Bush's Katrina Speech

Bush showed up ready for work. Blue collar, unbuttoned, and sleeves rolled up. The symbolism of a blue collar worker showing up ready for work, was unmistakable. But, like a blue collar worker who shows up for work a week late, he should be fired. While the President focuses on remedying his poll numbers and Katrina's devastation, it was obvious the far greater threat to America, total debt, is not even on his radar scope.

In God We Trust

The Pledge and the words "Under God" have again made the news as U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled that portion was unconstitutional. Most of us know the history of the pledge and that it was not initially created with the words "Under God". Why was it added? Was this some devious attempt to force religion upon Americans?

Marshall Plan for the Gulf Coast?

The clean up in the Gulf Coast has started. Several businesses have moved in and are beginning to restore some level of operations in the region. The question that comes to mind to me is: How big is the job? Some pundits have put the damage reports at over $100 billion dollars. I would expect it will be more as we have experience in finding more problems as we are working on the ones we know about. What should be done to coordinate the efforts? Should we have a domenstic Marshall Plan coordinated by the Federal Government? During the period of 1947 through 1950, the United States poured the equivalent of $100 billion in 2005 US dollars into Europe to help rebuild several of the countries affected by the War. The effort was coordinated and offcially "led" by General George Marshall, hence the name.

The Sup. Ct. Confirmation War

There is a war being fought today in the Russel Raucus Caucus Room, between Republicans and Democrats which has little to do with the person of Judge Roberts. The war is being fought over whether the Senate, as the people's representatives, have a right to know what the judicial philosophy and constitutional ideology of a nominee is before the Senate (and therefore, the people) decide whether the President's political choice for nominee should ascend to the Supreme Court.

Remember (insert here)

Through out history we have had those "moments of infamy" that each generation states to remember or the "We will never forget" is made. Yet as time passes if we have not been personally affected the emotion attached to that date does fade. This is not because we don't care, sometimes it is because another event has happened that at the moment is receiving our main focus. Sometimes it is just our human nature.

Too Little, Too Late

Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff announces recall of FEMA Director Michael Brown from overseeing Gulf Coast remedial efforts back to D.C. There, Brown will continue to direct all other aspects of FEMA. Vice Admiral Thad Allen from the Coast Guard will supervise the FEMA effort in the Gulf Coast. Which begs the question: If a terrorist bomb is released in Los Angeles tomorrow, won't too little, too late Michael Brown respond with the same lack of experience as he did in the Katrina disaster?

An offering to the mighty gods of public opinion

Many times in man's history a sacrifice has been offered to appease from virgins thrown into volcanoes to those accused of witchcraft burned at the stake to calm the masses. In later years a victim has typically been chosen to take the heat from the powers that be. While of course at times the victim is not one of those poor innocent virgins thrown to meet their death; it is still an attempt at appeasment.

Volcano of the mighty gods of public opinion? Meet your latest sacrifice, Michael Brown.

Bush Playing Blame Game

President Bush said this morning, that he will lead the investigation, when it is time to do so, to find out what went right, and what went wrong with government's preparations and response to Katrina. He said we must know what went wrong so we can be ready if another catastrophe, WMD or natural occurs.

Failure on Every Level

The hurricane Katrina passed over New Orleans last week. In it's wake it left a city destroyed and a populous in desperate ways. For too many days the remaining survivors of the hurricane that did not make it out to safety before were left without water, security and protection from the elements and those looking to harm others. The makeshift shelters were nowhere near adequate to protect them and help did not arrive in time to save the lives of some. But where was the failure? Who is to blame?

Open Letter to Barack Obama, Senator, Illinois

Dear Mr. Obama et.al,

I, like most of my fellow Americans, was stunned, transfixed, one might say, as the human drama played (and continues to play) itself out in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. And I like most of my fellow citizens, be they black or white, or yellow or red or varying shades in between, are asking ourselves how could government at the local, state, and federal levels fail so catastrophically at one of its core functions: protecting the populace, and providing leadership in times of national crisis.

Roberts Nominated to Chief Justice

The President just moments ago announced he will submit John Roberts to the Senate to replace Chief Justice Rehnquist as Chief Justice. He said he would announce another replacement for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in a timely manner. Not 30 minutes earlier, I read that liberal Justice Stevens would temporarily serve as Chief Justice until a replacement is confirmed.

Rehnquist In Perspective

The Passing of Chief Justice Rehnquist makes this a sad day, but it also gives us an opportunity to appreciate how the Chiefs tenure has improved American jurisprudence. Coming from the complete liberal activism of the Warren Court and the somewhat bumbling -this far, but no further- Burger Court, Rehnquist's elevation proved a subtle but important event in Supreme Court history.

Rehnquist is Dead. What Does It Mean?

It is a sad day for Chief Justice Rehnquist's family and friends, and all who knew and respected him and his long and distinguished career. May he rest in peace.

When I heard the news last night, a picture came to mind of Bush and company convening for celebration. The picture was of celebration not over the Justice's death, but over Pres. Bush's opportunity to name the next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for the next 3, 4, or more decades.

New York and New Orleans

I live and work Manhattan. On September 11, 2001, I watched in horror as the World Trade Center collapsed, killing nearly twenty eight hundred innocent people. I walked from my midtown office to my apartment in Murray Hill through the shocked and frightened throngs in the streets. I invited some of my co-workers who lived in the suburbs and couldn't get home to my apartment, and we watched our mayor go on television and try to put our "unimaginable" loss into words.

Katrina: Changing '06 - '08 Elections?

Upcoming federal elections may be changing before our eyes. The political consequences of Katrina could be felt for years. Katrina tested America's investment of billions of deficit dollars since 9/11 to ready our nation to better anticipate, prepare for, and respond to the next major catastrophe to hit us here at home. The Republican led government has had 4 years to study and prepare for this test. The polls are not out yet, but it is likely they will show the American people will give the Federal and affected State governments hit by Katrina, a barely passing, or even failing grade.

The Excessive Compensation Assessment

Everybody knows that our nation's top business executives receive an excessive amount of financial compensation annually, but I hadn't realized the extent of this profligacy until I did a little bit of digging. As we enter a holiday weekend that commemorates American labor, I think that it is especially appropriate to reflect upon some numbers that are truly mind-boggling.

The Worst in People

I was hoping it wouldn't happen, but it sure didn't take long for the conspiracy theorists and hatemongers that make up the far left of the Democratic party and the zenophobic bigoted righteous far right came out of the woodwork in respect to Katrina. There are obviously plenty of areas for debate in the coming months, once we have stabilized the situation, to determine if the lack of funding FEMA had anything to do with the disaster, those discussions are proper and do not look good for the president at this time. However, those are not the discussions I'm speaking about. Let's take a gander at some of the discussions going on today... (warning, some quoted language is a bit harsh)

Mother Nature's Wrath

This last week may turn out to be one of the worst on record relative to natural disasters in the United States. Government officials in Louisiana are not even hazarding guesses at the death toll in New Orleans resulting from Hurricane Katrina except to say that there are probably thousands dead. Not since the Hurricane that wiped out Galveston, Texas in 1900 has so much loss of life been expected.