Third Party & Independents:

Leak Investigation, Redux

The Justice Department has launched an investigation into the source of the leak of the National Security Agency's classified domestic surveillance program to a New York Times reporter. It is not surprising or troubling that the Government would try to discover the identity of a government agent who broke the law by disclosing classified information. Nevertheless, this investigation raises some important questions.

The Tricky Business of Unionization

With the recent transit strike in New York City I have started to think more about the effects of unions on our lives as consumers.

Unionization is a tricky subject. On one hand you want the workers to be treated fairly and to have a centralized body to represent them. On the other hand you do not want a union to strip a business bare, because workers become too greedy. Last, you do not want the government to be involved more than they have to be. It is one of the unsolvable conundrums of life.

The War on Blasphemy

Recently an event that I would like to call "Much Ado About Nothing", or as Bill O'Reiley preferred to call it "The War on Christmas", took place in Talk Radio Land and the Blogosphere. It was a story about how a majority group felt persecuted because a few governmental and private corporations decided to call the tree used to celebrate the Christmas holidays a 'Holiday Tree' instead of a 'Christmas Tree'. Of course, the Christmas Tree has been deemed a secular symbol for as long as I can remember so I wonder where the persecution came in. However, now it's Christianity' turn to do the persecuting by determining that an airing of a South Park episode is an abomination and must be silenced.

The Sad Cost of Crying Wolf

It was a scary story fulfilling the darkest fears of every one of us concerned with the far reaching spying of our government upon us. For a report, a student at the University of Massachusetts was instructed to check out the original Peking version of "The Little Red Book" by Mao Zedong. The student did as directed and was visited some time after by two agents from Homeland Security. The agents informed the student that the book was on a 'watch list' and that, coupled with the fact that he had spent time abroad, triggered an investigation. This information was then given to the professor at the university and he decided to make it public. The unfortunate reality? The student later broke down in tears as he admitted that the entire story was made up.

2 stories: Alito - Spending Priorities

Spending Priorites:
Washington Post: : "The spiraling cost of post-traumatic stress disorder among war veterans has triggered a politically charged debate and ignited fears that the government is trying to limit expensive benefits for emotionally scarred troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan."

How Many Will Vote?

Another national election is right around the corner. In November of 2006, we will go to the polls to vote in national, state and local elections. 2006 will be a busy election season in other countries also, as there are 30 presidential elections and 35 legislative or parliamentary elections across the world.

The idea of voting is very appealing to those who live under a different system of government. Many people living under the rule of dictatorships and totalitarian governments long for the ability to choose their government and have the same basic rights and freedoms we enjoy in this country.

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Break The Law and Spy on Americans

Well the (domestic spying) plot thickens and so do the lies told by the Bush Administration in an effort to deceive the American people. In case you haven't heard, Bush authorized (in his secret Executive Order) the NSA to tap into telecommunication hubs throughout the United States--all without a warran--in an effort to get those ever elusive terrorists.

A Tale of Pork and Resolutions...

As this year comes to an end, I am taking a moment to reflect upon Pork and Resolutions. While Democrats and Republicans are quick to point out the behavior of the "other guy", it is something that these career politicians can not resist. There are of course those who try to resist the temptation, but just as in mythology when mariners were lured into certain disaster by Parthenope; most of these politicians cannot seem to resist the siren call to bring home the bacon or create a resolution for those back home.

Keyloggers Infringe On Privacy

A recent discovery reveals that the Department of Homeland Security has been secretly directing computer manufacturers to install devices into new laptops that log every key pressed, and potentially transmit this information over the Internet. This keylogger is hard-wired directly to the Ethernet card, allowing the data to transmit over the Internet directly into the hands of the government.

Congressional Power and the Constitution Game

A little humor can make an important point about the problems with our national government. Recently, SportsPickle.com, a satirical sports newspaper, wrote an article entitled Congress to Investigate Ruling on the Field That It Was a Fumble. This satire points out a sad, but obvious fact: the United State federal government now thinks that every single thing that happens in America is its business.

Senate ANWR drilling defeated

Principle hung on by a thread in the Senate, today. It was both a sad and joyous occasion for me. Sad, because the dirty political trick of placing the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) drilling question into a Defense Appropriations Bill is standard operating procedure in D.C. these days. Republicans believed the threat of saying Democrats opposed defense spending for our troops would be sufficient to get enough Democrat votes for a Cloture vote to limit debate and allow a vote to pass the bill. This embedding of one unrelated bill inside another is sadly all too common. The good news is Democrats held firm and ANWR drilling will not be passed inside this Defense Appropriations Bill.

NSA Spying and our Authoritarian America

With the NSA spying on Americans, if Bush committed an impeachable offense in ordering it, and that is a very big IF at this point, it is pretty damn certain the House of Republicans would never conduct impeachment hearings against him. And that is how corrupt our political parties and government have become. The laws are for the rest of us, not the leadership in government unless an up and comer can get some political gain out of bumping the king off the mountain.

Repackaging Bush Won't Work

Tonight's TV airs a day with the President as shown through interviews with Nightly News anchor and managing editor Brian Williams. Apparently, in response to criticisms of the President living in a bubble and being out of touch with the people and the world, an unprecedented sequence of videotaped interviews were granted throughout Monday by the President to Brian Williams. Unfortunately, for this viewer, it backfired, as the President in his own words admitted he is not in charge, has no policy for Iraq, and does indeed receive his information about the world 2nd and 3rd hand via his handlers leaving him out of touch and living in a bubble.

No Habla Español

While English is the primary language of the United States of America, the fact remains we are a culture of immigrants. Language is a part of culture for many. There has been a noticeable trend to force "English only", recently in California and Kansas this has become an issue. It has gone as far as a mother facing neglect charges because she did not learn English. Where do we draw the line and have we already gone to far?

Gun and Tax Insanity

Two very disturbing issues crossed my path this morning. Texas's attempt to replicate Florida's "Shoot First" laws and the Republican House's tax legislation which says, 'screw deficits, they don't matter to us'.

Iraq War: Reflections

The U.S. invades Iraq which, posed no threat to the U.S. homeland, and drops bombs, chemical, and incindiary devices on homes and neighborhoods killing innocents right along with, hopefully, the enemy forces of Hussein's regime. In response to this attack by a President who refers to the invasion as a Crusade, Islamic reactionaries, lacking a military to take on the U.S. in a conventional war, resort to heinous acts of hit and run attacks, murder and torture of innocents, and hostage taking as bargaining chips.

Reflecting Public's Mood Swings

In the Washington Post, the 2006 voter's dilemma is highlighted by David S. Broder in an article entitled, A Pox on Both Parties. He provides an excellent summary of public opinion sentiment toward Democrats and Republicans since the Reagan years to the present, in response to each party's performance in leadership. Broder concludes asking,"When both parties have lost public confidence, where do voters turn?"