Political news, yo.

[Big Swami]

She'll be dead within a month.

Prescient.

[Tahoe]

Instead of holding a vote on FISA today, Congressional Dems decide to hold in contempt of congress Harriet Myers and ???

No wonder Congress aproval ratings are at an ALL-TIME low.

[Uncle Mxy]

Congress approval = Presidential approval minus some %. That's how it's always been. People's rating of Congress largely reflects how well they feel governed, and they routinely give an edge to a humanizing face rather than a faceless crowd. You have to go back to the Watergate era to find Congress significantly ahead of the President for any great length of time. Even then, a majority disapproved of Congress when they were doing the right thing.

The telco immunity bill is just stupid. Don't give immunity until you have a better idea of what they did and how it was wrong, OR unless they want to cooperate with you in going after bigger fish (the only bigger fish being lame duck Bush who no telco wants to attack). BTW, it's not FISA that's in any danger, but the "Protect America Act" mostly-crap extension that's expiring. FISA as originally conceived of was largely fine and gets restored.

If I were gonna give Congress in particular disapproval ratings, it'd be over the inordinate amount of time spent with baseball players and steroid abuse.

[Hermy]

If I were gonna give Congress in particular disapproval ratings, it'd be over the inordinate amount of time spent with baseball players and steroid abuse.

BOO JOHN MCCAINS 2 FACED ASS!

[Tahoe]

But mxy they've been massaging this bill for close to 2 years now. The Senate approved it. The Prez gave a lot to get them to agree to it, but they are just being bitches and won't bring it to a vote. Just to jab the Prez, the day they had penciled in the vote, they hold a vote of contempt on 2 of the Prezs aids.

Its just that our elected assholes up there would rather do a 2nd grade stunt, then do the peeps bizness.

Not saying the Reps hasn't done this too, but it doesn't make it any less fucking childish, imo.

[Uncle Mxy]

The Senate is a bunch of of bought-for paid-for tools when it comes to the telco immunity bullshit.

"Vote to keep our ass out of jail, or watch us fuck you in a close election by giving hard to your opponent." I'm all for that... NOT!

You don't give anyone immunity unless you know what they did and are willing to take the heat for it, or unless it's for a higher purpose (e.g. nabbing a bigger fish, a Truth Commission to heal the country, etc.). I'm not buying the rationale that it's needed to elicit cooperation. If a cop asks me to spy on my neighbor and get me nekkid pictures of her, I don't do it because a cop said so, and I don't get immunity. It's gotta be a lawful directive.

The Reps decided to call for a procedural vote in the middle of a memorial for Tom Lantos just to fuck with the Dems. It's all crap on both sides.

[Tahoe]

I want our Gov't to try to stop peeps from killing me. But thats just me.

[Uncle Mxy]

Nothing about the telco amendment is about stopping terrorists of the killing variety. FISA is still in place, and was never going away. This is about burying crimes committed by telcos at the request of our government, the nature of which we can only guess at, and which may come to bite us in the ass later. It draws its support from politicians who can be bought by telco interests -- mostly Republicans, but Debbie Stabenow voted for it too. Our justice system for sale... film at 11. Swell.

[Tahoe]

Nothing about the telco amendment is about stopping terrorists of the killing variety. FISA is still in place, and was never going away. This is about burying crimes committed by telcos at the request of our government, the nature of which we can only guess at, and which may come to bite us in the ass later. It draws its support from politicians who can be bought by telco interests -- mostly Republicans, but Debbie Stabenow voted for it too. Our justice system for sale... film at 11. Swell.

And thats the part where Michael Moore will help us out. lol

The Senate Intel committee with Dems aproved this thing. Thats where it belongs.

The Dems want to drag this out so all our secrets will be exposed to our enemies. Ridiculous.

[Uncle Mxy]

I have some small professional connections to this mess, which I am 100% sure is driving my passion on it, and which I shouldn't speak more of. Bleah.