THE GROSS REPORT
Monday, October 31, 2005
Hey if you thought the wire hanger scene in Mommy Dearest was out there check out Alito's abortion rights record!
As a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, he voted in 1991 to uphold a Pennsylvania law that included a provision requiring women seeking abortions to notify their spouses. That case went to the Supreme Court, where justices used it to reaffirm Roe v. Wade. O'Connor was an architect of the decision that struck down the spousal notification requirement. -AP 10/31/05
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As a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, he voted in 1991 to uphold a Pennsylvania law that included a provision requiring women seeking abortions to notify their spouses. That case went to the Supreme Court, where justices used it to reaffirm Roe v. Wade. O'Connor was an architect of the decision that struck down the spousal notification requirement. -AP 10/31/05
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4 horsemen of the apocolypse?
“Last week after Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination, I asked the President: "Who was in charge? Today, the President answered: the radical conservative right is in charge of his Administration. Instead of seeking to unify the country with a nominee who would command wide consensus, the President again chose to submit to the dictates of the radical right. The President’s nomination of Judge Alito reflects weakness – the President is unable or unwilling to withstand pressure by an extreme element in our country, rather than acting as a leader of all the people." -Nancy Pelosi (D) California
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“Last week after Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination, I asked the President: "Who was in charge? Today, the President answered: the radical conservative right is in charge of his Administration. Instead of seeking to unify the country with a nominee who would command wide consensus, the President again chose to submit to the dictates of the radical right. The President’s nomination of Judge Alito reflects weakness – the President is unable or unwilling to withstand pressure by an extreme element in our country, rather than acting as a leader of all the people." -Nancy Pelosi (D) California
¶ 9:45 PM 1 comments
Friday, October 28, 2005
A Book Review: Warning This book cites facts and applies logic
Earlier this week I attended a book signing by Al Franken promoting his latest, The Truth With Jokes. This man is a genius with a true heart."The fish are bigger and the fryer is deeper," declares the "anonymous" prelude to THE TRUTH WITH JOKES. Trends across Franken's earlier titles and his latest include: the use of humor (decreasing), citations of specific data (increasing), and gravity of the issues (increasing). Discrediting the Limbaughs and Coulters of the world is an adolescent, excellent adventure compared to the convincing case that our leaders disingenuously led us to war. Accordingly, the subject matter is too important to be served with similar lightness.
The case against Franken is his attempt to hide from responsibility for periodic outrageousness behind the mask of comedy where one should not be taken seriously. If Jesus(an earlier challenger of the status quo)could deliver The Sermon on the Mount through the use of parables, can we not grant the author (a mere mortal),the leeway to preach with humor and pith to increase the effectiveness of his message? 1-star reviews by those who could not have read Franken are another example of what he suggests is arguing a position through the aversion of information. Is this not the underlying strategy behind the political tactics of the Presidential election of 2004? Franken is an easy read, and an accomplished debater. His shared personal accounts of family epochs are sincere and moving. "Al Franken Talks about God" recalls the cavalcade of emotions surrounding his father's death. We hope that the audience is broader than the choir to whom he preaches including this reviewer, although clearly his positions are supported by recent current events including Katrina and The Fema Fiasco, Liberal victories on Election day 2005, and the Murtha affair. ¶ 7:47 AM 0 comments
Earlier this week I attended a book signing by Al Franken promoting his latest, The Truth With Jokes. This man is a genius with a true heart."The fish are bigger and the fryer is deeper," declares the "anonymous" prelude to THE TRUTH WITH JOKES. Trends across Franken's earlier titles and his latest include: the use of humor (decreasing), citations of specific data (increasing), and gravity of the issues (increasing). Discrediting the Limbaughs and Coulters of the world is an adolescent, excellent adventure compared to the convincing case that our leaders disingenuously led us to war. Accordingly, the subject matter is too important to be served with similar lightness.The case against Franken is his attempt to hide from responsibility for periodic outrageousness behind the mask of comedy where one should not be taken seriously. If Jesus(an earlier challenger of the status quo)could deliver The Sermon on the Mount through the use of parables, can we not grant the author (a mere mortal),the leeway to preach with humor and pith to increase the effectiveness of his message? 1-star reviews by those who could not have read Franken are another example of what he suggests is arguing a position through the aversion of information. Is this not the underlying strategy behind the political tactics of the Presidential election of 2004? Franken is an easy read, and an accomplished debater. His shared personal accounts of family epochs are sincere and moving. "Al Franken Talks about God" recalls the cavalcade of emotions surrounding his father's death. We hope that the audience is broader than the choir to whom he preaches including this reviewer, although clearly his positions are supported by recent current events including Katrina and The Fema Fiasco, Liberal victories on Election day 2005, and the Murtha affair. ¶ 7:47 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Even Gorge Will is anti-Bush on the Meirs nomination
"It is important that Miers not be confirmed unless, in her 61st year, she suddenly and unexpectedly is found to have hitherto undisclosed interests and talents pertinent to the court's role. Otherwise the sound principle of substantial deference to a president's choice of judicial nominees will dissolve into a rationalization for senatorial abdication of the duty to hold presidents to some standards of seriousness that will prevent them from reducing the Supreme Court to a private plaything useful for fulfilling whims on behalf of friends."Please click on the title above (in purple) for the full text.
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"It is important that Miers not be confirmed unless, in her 61st year, she suddenly and unexpectedly is found to have hitherto undisclosed interests and talents pertinent to the court's role. Otherwise the sound principle of substantial deference to a president's choice of judicial nominees will dissolve into a rationalization for senatorial abdication of the duty to hold presidents to some standards of seriousness that will prevent them from reducing the Supreme Court to a private plaything useful for fulfilling whims on behalf of friends."Please click on the title above (in purple) for the full text.
¶ 10:38 AM 0 comments
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Bolton bars UN testimony on Darfur
John Bolton has blocked a UN envoy from briefing the Security Council on possible human rights violations in Sudan's Darfur region saying the council had to act against atrocities and not just talk about them. The chief US representative was joined Monday by China, Algeria and Russia as they prevented Juan Mendez , Secretary General Kofi Annan's special adviser for the prevention of genocide, from briefing the council on his recent visit to Darfur, despite pleas from Annan and 11 other council members that Mendez be heard. (Rueters Oct 11). This entire passage was transcribed from the blog, World War 4 Report, Deconstructing the War on Terrorism (click on the title above to visit)
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My Jewish Thoughts on Darfur
The most chilling aspect of this story in my thinking is that the very same indifference to the Nazi slaughter of Jews in occupied Eastern Europe caused the United States Department of State to disallow the reception of such reports from Switzerland in 1942. Not only was the State Department then and the UN Security Council now not going to intercede on behalf of the unarmed victims of wanton government sponsored slaughter but was likewise lacking in even the interest to maintain appraisal of the magnitude of the tragedy. I am of the opinion that Jews everywhere have an obligation to oppose fascism and the mass murder of unarmed civilians anywhere on the planet. After all, how can we take outrage to the world's indifference to our plight 60 years ago and turn a blind eye to Cambodia, Rawanda and Darfur where innocents are murdered for their belonging to the outcasted tribe? So what have I done dear reader (so far) to differentiate myself from the hypocrisy I complain about?I called my congresswoman, Senators, and published these postings on my web log with the hopes that creating awareness is the indispensable first step in bringing about change.
The most chilling aspect of this story in my thinking is that the very same indifference to the Nazi slaughter of Jews in occupied Eastern Europe caused the United States Department of State to disallow the reception of such reports from Switzerland in 1942. Not only was the State Department then and the UN Security Council now not going to intercede on behalf of the unarmed victims of wanton government sponsored slaughter but was likewise lacking in even the interest to maintain appraisal of the magnitude of the tragedy. I am of the opinion that Jews everywhere have an obligation to oppose fascism and the mass murder of unarmed civilians anywhere on the planet. After all, how can we take outrage to the world's indifference to our plight 60 years ago and turn a blind eye to Cambodia, Rawanda and Darfur where innocents are murdered for their belonging to the outcasted tribe? So what have I done dear reader (so far) to differentiate myself from the hypocrisy I complain about?I called my congresswoman, Senators, and published these postings on my web log with the hopes that creating awareness is the indispensable first step in bringing about change.
Friday, October 14, 2005
New York Legislators respond to constituent calls on Darfur
Nita Lowey (D), US Congress
Responsiveness Grade A+
Representative Lowey's detailed response and and intervention co-sponsorship is a shining example for democrats and jews everywhere. Imagine How many lives could be saved if her counterparts on the other side of the aisle were as interested in what she correctly identifies as "a human tragedy" as they are in fundraising, lobbysts and procedural chicanery. ¶ 7:19 PM 0 comments
Nita Lowey (D), US Congress Responsiveness Grade A+
Representative Lowey's detailed response and and intervention co-sponsorship is a shining example for democrats and jews everywhere. Imagine How many lives could be saved if her counterparts on the other side of the aisle were as interested in what she correctly identifies as "a human tragedy" as they are in fundraising, lobbysts and procedural chicanery. ¶ 7:19 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Hilary Rodham Clinton (D), US Senate, Responsiveness grade: A+ Only one of my 3 federal legislator's responded specifically to my inquiry on Darfur. I received a prompt phone call at my place of work by "Kate," an informed and concerned staffer, and a detailed e-mail that day highlighting the facts of the tragedy (right down to the carnage concert of government and Janjaweed militias mentioned by name) and a list of direct initiatives that she and her husband (the greatest president since Harry Truman) have taken on behalf of the victims. ¶ 8:11 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Do you disagree with the address of this blog(bushistoodumb)? Does anyone really "hate to say I told you so?"
Hey Don't look at me, I voted for the swiftboat captain.
Congratulations to all you "fiscal conservatives" who along with Ohio and New Mexico's secretaries of state have brought us record deficits, cronyism,deterioration of the dollar, 2000 dead in Iraq, and now possible removal of woman's right to make decisions over her own body.I consoled West Side Wendy on Nov 3rd 2004 (after Russert and Brokaw counted Ohio in the Bush camp)that political climate sways and sways back (After McCarthyism came the 60s)...and sooner than anyone could have expected, less than one year later, the idiocy of our commander in chief is apparent to all but the most deliberately ignorant of holdouts. (Recognizing and apologizing for my temporary disregard for the "rules" of grammar and punctuation) Did you ever wonder how some of those red states got that way?That "yellow dog democrat" (southern states used to be shoe-ins for democratic candidates) was a phenomena that lasted for exactly 99 years. Southerners became democrats because Lincoln (a slavery abolitionist)was a Republican and a century later became Republicans due to their disenchantment with the pro-integration policies of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. What kind of "fiscal conservative" wants to ride this bandwagon? You tell me what's worse, "slick" Willie lying about an oval office hummer, or "W" lying to us about a threat to our security that has since cost the lives of 2000 Americans, 100,000 Iraqis, not to mention the evaporation of the Clinton surpluses and our international post 911 goodwill and license proactively protect ourselves throughout the globe? ¶ 7:21 PM 0 comments
Hey Don't look at me, I voted for the swiftboat captain.Congratulations to all you "fiscal conservatives" who along with Ohio and New Mexico's secretaries of state have brought us record deficits, cronyism,deterioration of the dollar, 2000 dead in Iraq, and now possible removal of woman's right to make decisions over her own body.I consoled West Side Wendy on Nov 3rd 2004 (after Russert and Brokaw counted Ohio in the Bush camp)that political climate sways and sways back (After McCarthyism came the 60s)...and sooner than anyone could have expected, less than one year later, the idiocy of our commander in chief is apparent to all but the most deliberately ignorant of holdouts. (Recognizing and apologizing for my temporary disregard for the "rules" of grammar and punctuation) Did you ever wonder how some of those red states got that way?That "yellow dog democrat" (southern states used to be shoe-ins for democratic candidates) was a phenomena that lasted for exactly 99 years. Southerners became democrats because Lincoln (a slavery abolitionist)was a Republican and a century later became Republicans due to their disenchantment with the pro-integration policies of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. What kind of "fiscal conservative" wants to ride this bandwagon? You tell me what's worse, "slick" Willie lying about an oval office hummer, or "W" lying to us about a threat to our security that has since cost the lives of 2000 Americans, 100,000 Iraqis, not to mention the evaporation of the Clinton surpluses and our international post 911 goodwill and license proactively protect ourselves throughout the globe? ¶ 7:21 PM 0 comments
