Year: 2007

Florida Democrats — The ‘We Too’ Party

Buck Banks

Well, she’s gone and done it again. Karen Thurman, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, has issued another one of her rah-rah memos rallying FlaDems to — save the environment! Sorry, Karen, Eco-Charlie, he of the eternal tan and immovable white mane, stole that issue away from the Dems last week at his climate change summit in Miami.

It took the Democratics a full week to come up with a response to try and take back the issue. Sorry folks, it’s too late. Still, Thurman seems to allege that Democratic efforts led to Gov. Crist’s conversion to greenness:

Yet, finally, it seems the Governor has seen the light.
— Karen Thurman

Sometimes, as Democrats in Florida, it can feel like we’re banging our heads against a wall, trying to talk sense into the Republicans in Tallahassee.

But if we keep trying … keep fighting … once in blue moon, we can get through to them.

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist has been a politician for a long time. For years, he stood silently by and watched Democrats promote responsible legislation dealing with the dangers of climate change, while his fellow Republicans decried global warming a “liberal myth” and friends in the Bush Administration allowed polluters to run free under laws with phony names like “Clear Skies Act.”

Yet, finally, it seems the Governor has seen the light.

On the issue of climate change, Democratic leaders have paved the way. Now the Governor, too, recognizes the need for action and is following suit. Unfortunately, even with his support, our leaders can’t save Florida from the dangers of climate change without your help.

Man, if word gets out that Charlie Crist had an eco-epiphany because of the Florida Democratic Party, he won’t get invited to the annual Republican Governor’s Retreat and Camp Out. Now it was rather a surprise when Crist came out all Greenpeace-y all of a sudden, but fact is, he did it and he did it Hollywood Big Time.

But the Democratic attempts to take back the green only get more desperate. Thurman exhorts FlaDems to sign the newly minted Five Point Pledge, a petition that says you agree with the measures Crist signed in executive orders last week:

  • Point 1: I support the establishment of a renewable energy standard for the state. Furthermore, I believe benchmarks should be set to require that more energy come from renewable sources in the future.
  • Point 2: I support the Governor’s Executive Order to explore a cap and trade program for industry, but I also believe we must ensure that this program will offer flexibility to industries that cannot meet the strict standards while still achieving an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Point 3: I support programs such as a statewide net metering plan to give consumers and businesses a financial incentive to generate electricity with solar panels and other technologies.
  • Point 4: I support requiring that our full state vehicle fleet be made up of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles as soon as possible with a program to phase out older vehicles for more environmentally friendly ones.
  • Point 5: I support the idea that Florida should be a trendsetter in the construction of energy efficient buildings by adopting green building or similar standards for all new state offices and public schools.

Well, duh, who doesn’t support those measures? But signing a petition this week doesn’t change the fact that the gov signed executive orders last week, and he had his green buddy Arnold Schwarzenegger at his side when he did it.

What’s with the “we too” stuff? Can’t the FlaDems find some other environmental initiatives to tout? Ones that Crist is against? How about the condition of the state’s endangered rivers? Oh yeah, Crist already got some major stuff through the legislature on that. OK, how about Everglades restoration? Crist has already pushed measures supporting that, too. I know, how about offshore oil drilling? Doh! Florida’s Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson already pretty much owns that issue.

Sorry Karen, et. al., you might mean well, but with this kind of follow-the-leader leadership, who needs the Democratic Party in Florida?

CIA Opens FOIA Candy Jar to Bloggers — Kind of

Buck Banks

In an administration infamous for its secrecy, the CIA suddenly must look like a maverick. The agency has abandoned more restrictive policies and loosened the definition of “news media” to include — through no small amount of interpretation — bloggers among the media that can access government documents through the Freedom of Information Act for free instead of for exhorbitant fees.

But it’s the CIA’s explanation of the process by which it came around to not changing the rules that has to rank as a classic in the annals of gubmint gobble-speak:

… if any features of the proposed system were dropped, the advantages would not outweigh the disadvantages of adopting this system.
— CIA

The CIA received comments that supported some aspect of the proposed rule, while also receiving comments which were very critical of other aspects of this approach. After a review and consideration of all of the comments, it was clear that there was no way to reconcile the positive and negative comments into a refinement of our approach that was workable. We concluded that if any features of the proposed system were dropped, the advantages would not outweigh the disadvantages of adopting this system.

Since there was no support to proceed with the proposed rule as originally drafted, rather than implementing the sweeping changes set forth in the proposed rule, we have a more modest change by simply adopting the definition of “news media” contained in the March 27, 1987, Office of Management and Budget FOIA Guidelines. Although, the CIA remains confident in the adequacy and sufficiency of its previous interpretation of “news media” fee status, it has concluded that it is preferable to avoid sterile and unproductive technical litigation and the associated diversion of resources from more productive pursuits that that entails.

Sterile and unproductive technical litigation? Ew! Fortunately, a lawyer who speaks the language explained:

Meredith Fuchs, general counsel of the National Security Archive, a research institute and library located at The George Washington University, said the CIA changed its definition in an attempt to pre-empt a court ruling that the agency’s existing regulations were illegal. The Archive filed a lawsuit in District Court for the District of Columbia in June 2006, challenging a CIA decision that it did not qualify as “news media” and that its request would have to concern “current events” to qualify for the fee waiver.

“We hope these changes will minimize CIA efforts to discourage news media FOIA requesters in the future,” Fuchs said.

Yeah, that sounds likely. Meanwhile, we here at Pensito Review are compiling our wish lists of documents we would like to see revealed through the FOIA. They include — every scrap of paper and e-mail ever produced in Dick Cheney’s branch of the government, the doodles Alberto Gonzalez made during his congressional testimony, Harriet Meiers’ to-do lists, Michael Chertoff’s Maalox receipts — among many others.

Have some gubmint documents you’d like to see under the FOIA? Share your wish list with us in a comment.

Judge Dismisses Wilsons’ Lawsuit against Cheney and Leakers

Jon Ponder

No justice:

A federal judge dismissed former CIA operative Valerie Plame’s lawsuit against members of the Bush administration Thursday, eliminating one of the last courtroom remnants of the leak scandal.

Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, had accused Vice President Dick Cheney and others of conspiring to leak her identity in 2003. Plame said that violated her privacy rights and was illegal retribution for her husband’s criticism of the administration.

U.S. District Judge John D. Bates dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds and said he would not express an opinion on the constitutional arguments. Bates dismissed the case against all defendants: Cheney, White House political adviser Karl Rove, former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

Plame’s attorneys had said the lawsuit would be an uphill battle. Public officials are normally immune from such lawsuits filed in connection with their jobs.

Even Wingnuts Sing the Bush-Hating Blues

Jon Ponder

I found this interesting bit of doggerel at the Hotline’s Blogometer last week. It was attributed to John Derbyshire who posts to a rightwing blog called “The Corner,” which you can look up via the Google.

To the tune of “Help Me Make It Through the Night”:

HELP ME GET BACK TO THE RIGHT
Take the W from my car.
Peel it off and let it fall.
Leave the bumper clean and bright
For this sticker from Ron Paul.
It’s not me that’s changin’ sides.
It’s more a case of seein’ the light.
I’ve supported Bush too long.
Help me get back to the Right.

This is ironic because just a few years ago, Derbyshire’s rightwing co-factionalists labeled anyone who dared to criticize their Dear Leader as a “Bush hater” — usually adding that criticizing Dear Leader was equivalent to hating America.

Of course, when the wingers do it, it’s okay. They can even make up songs about it, and no one questions their patriotism.

Ain’t America great!

NFL Quarterback Accused of Hanging, Drowning, Electrocuting, Shooting and Beating Dogs

Jon Ponder

A raid on a kennel in Virginia co-owned by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick on Wednesday uncovered a horrendous animal abuse operation:

The news focus on this story is all about what these allegations will do to Vick’s career and his $100 million-plus NFL contract, not to mention product endorsements.

Vick, 27, and three others are accused of violating federal laws against staging dogfights, gambling and engaging in unlawful activities across state lines. According to the indictment, they ran Bad Newz Kennels out of a property the quarterback owns in Surry, Va., and executed pit bulls – by methods such as hanging, drowning, electrocution, shooting and beating – that didn’t perform well as fighters.

How involved was Vick?

The indictment identifies Vick as a key player in an operation that dated to 2001, just before his rookie season with the Falcons. Listed are at least 30 fights that Vick or other members of the kennel arranged or participated in, including details such as the names of the dogs and the amount of money — often thousands of dollars — awarded to the owners of the winners of matches that were frequently fought to the death.

Peace, Phillips and Vick also allegedly executed “approximately eight” dogs that did not perform well during so-called “testing” sessions in April. Later, authorities seized from the property 60 dogs — most of them pit bulls — along with treadmills, a stick used to pry fighting animals apart, and a “rape stand” device used to hold down aggressive females for breeding.

The news focus on this story is all about what these allegations will do to Vick’s career and his $100 million-plus NFL contract, not to mention product endorsements. But it’s hard to see what football has to do with this — other than providing the revenue that funded this horror.

One interesting side note is that Al Sharpton, along with music producer Russell Simmons, have teamed up with PETA to send a letter of protest to the NFL, which says, “dogfighting is unacceptable. Hurting animals for human pleasure or gain is despicable. Cruelty is just plain wrong.”

Quote du Jour

Buck Banks

In Aristotelian terms, the good leader must have ethos, pathos and logos. The ethos is his moral character, the source of his ability to persuade. The pathos is his ability to touch feelings, to move people emotionally. The logos is his ability to give solid reasons for an action, to move people intellectually.

— Mortimer J. Adler (1902-2001), American philosopher, educator

Larry Flynt Says He’s Found Five Hookers ‘So Far’ Who Had Sex with Sen. Vitter in New Orleans

Jon Ponder

Vitter is also rumored to have a diaper fetish, and sources say he fathered a child with one of the prostitutes

On Monday, near the end of Sen. David Vitter’s apology for consorting with call girls, he practically dared the media to prove allegations that he had ongoing relations with hookers in New Orleans in the 1990s.

According to sources, the mother and child live in suburban D.C., where they secretly receive support from Sen. Baby-Daddy.

Last night, Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt answered the challenge:

FLYNT: [I] want to point something out very important. [Vitter] lied on TV when he apologized to the nation. He…

[LARRY] KING: Lied how?

FLYNT: … well, he’s using his wife and kids as a shield and said what happened. Those rumors out of Louisiana where he had a small brothel of hookers. That was not true. Well, it is true. I’m working with the major Louisiana media down there.

KING: You say he had a brothel of hookers in Louisiana?

FLYNT: There’s been about five we’ve been able to track down so far. So you see what happens when you’re a guy like him and you’re not completely honest, see, he didn’t even have to bring that up. And now that he’s brought it up, everybody is all over it, including us.

Other developments include widely reported stories that Vitter has a diaper fetish and would pay the women to dress him up like a baby, as well as a story that he had a child with one of the prostitutes, Wendy Cortez, and that mother and child live in suburban Washington, where they receive financial support from Sen. Baby-Daddy.

I Love Posts Like That, Kenneth

Buck Banks

Kenneth Quinnell of the Florida Progressive Coalition took offense at a post I made on Sunday about Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman and her questionable lobbying practices. Specifically, he resented my using the term “idiots” in my post, though I will note that I never called either one of them idiots, exactly.

He provides a line-by-line deconstruction of my post here. While I’m not going to argue line by line (after all, Quinnell now owns the high road, while I own the low road of the craven personal attack), I do want to make a few points based on 1) listening to the relevant portion of the radio show and 2) doing some research and 3) speculating on the true motives of a certain lobbyist who also serves as the head of a state political party.

‘Does anyone think that when Karen Thurman takes that check, she’s going to turn around and become a Republican?’
— Kenneth Quinnell

Perhaps I was a bit harsh in the words I used and, for the record, neither Quinnell nor his guest used the word “idiot” during the portion of the radio program I listened to, as he points out. However, they did say some things that sounded like maybe if you didn’t agree with their position, then you were simply a pure puzzlement to them, like a geek in a sideshow. While expressing extreme puzzlement about why anyone would care about such a non-issue and dismissing the topic as not worthy of his consideration, Quinnell said:

Obviously, the Republicans aren’t going to do it [lobby for security at the Port of Miami]. So if they’ll pay us to do it, I don’t see a problem with that.

And:

Does anyone think that when Karen Thurman takes that check, she’s going to turn around and become a Republican?

And:

Lobbying against security down there [Miami], that’s what the Republicans are doing.

I leave it to you, dear reader, to assess the substance of those quotes.

Now, the genesis of the “idiot” comment was an e-mail exchange between me and co-editor Trish. She apparently asked Quinnell to address the Thurman topic on his radio show, and while he did address the topic, it was in a sarcastic, derisive, dismissive tone, employing the incisive arguments above as well as that old chestnut: The Republicans are doing worse things, so why should we focus on this? Quinnell takes umbrage because he says I called an “ally” and “idiot,” but I never said I was his “ally.” But I’ll take the high road on that one ….
[…]

Vitter Challenges Media to Prove He Consorted with New Orleans Hooker

Jon Ponder

His number appeared five times in DC Madam’s call lists but now he says reports that he frequented a New Orleans brothel in the 1990s are “not true”

“Unfortunately, my admission has encouraged some longtime political enemies and those hoping to profit from the situation to spread falsehoods too, like those New Orleans stories in recent reporting.”
– Sen. David Vitter

In the spring of 1987, Colorado Sen. Gary Hart held a commanding lead in early polling in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. But two questions dogged the candidate: How would he deal with the large debt carried over from his 1984 run for the presidency — and what about the rumors that he was, as they said back then, a “womanizer.”

The debt quickly became a non-issue after Hart made a miscalculation in handling the second question that has become a classic “what not to do” in politics — he challenged the media to prove he was having an affair:

“Follow me around … I’m serious. If anybody wants to put a tail on me, go ahead. They’d be very bored.”

Reporters from the Miami Herald took Hart up on the challenge and quickly outed his extramarital relationship with an attractive young woman named Donna Rice. After photos surfaced of Hart and Rice looking both intimate and disheveled on the deck of a yacht called Monkey Business, he dropped out of the race.

Yesterday, Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican with a penchant for pompous moralizing, may have made the same mistake Hart did 20 years ago. After waiting a full week to address revelations that he used the services of the DC Madam five years ago, he appeared before the media and dropped the gauntlet, all but challenging reporters to prove he had relationships with other prostitutes:

Unfortunately, my admission has encouraged some longtime political enemies and those hoping to profit from the situation to spread falsehoods too, like those New Orleans stories in recent reporting. Those stories are not true. Now, having said all of this, I’m not going to answer endless questions about it all over again and again and again and again.

Vitter was referring to stories that surfaced in New Orleans last week that he had been in a relationship with a working girl in the 1990s:

[…]

Quote du Jour

Buck Banks

Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can’t help but cry. I mean I’d love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.

— Mariah Carey (1970- ), American singer, songwriter, record producer, music video director and actress