December 2006
Monthly Archive
Fri 15 Dec 2006
The story of South Dakota Senator Tom Johnson’s illness is a sad one. I really hope that is is able to recover, and if he is unable to continue to serve in the Senate, at least can continue to have a productive personal life.
Amid all of the speculation that’s surfaced about Senator Johnson’s illness, is the concept that if he is unable to continue as a member of the Senate, that the Governor of South Dakota, a Republican, might replace him with a Republican rather than a Democrat, thereby throwing the balance back to 50-50.
Newsbusters told of the CNN report which highlights this Democratic (and therefore media) concern in no uncertain terms:
Reporting on what the political ramifications would be if the Democrat resigned from Congress, thus giving Republicans control of the Senate, Franken used apocalyptic language to describe such an occurrence. The loss of Johnson, who suffered a brain hemorrhage on Wednesday, would be a “major, major disruption” and could leave Congress “ripped in half by fate” Such an event would enable the Republicans to “protect their party’s president from a full-scale assault.” It was this type of over-the-top reporting that led to Franken’s claim that the Democrats are the ones who really care about the Senator:
Bob Franken: ” Without question, all the expressions of concern for Senator Johnson are very sincere, but I’ve got to say that the ones from the Democrats, Miles, are even more sincere.”
Co-host Miles O’Brien “Absolutely.”
Let me first say that I don’t particularly want the Republicans to gain parity or control of the Senate through “back door” means. I know that there are any number of political strategists who would argue that everything’s fair, but the simple fact is that we would not have to have this discussion if either the Republians or the Democrats had won enough seats to establish a clear majority.
So that being said… it seems to be quite an interesting media reaction to this situation.
Despite an overwhelming desire to rip into Bob Frankin for opinionating that Democrats are more sincere in their concern for Senator Johnson’s health, I will just let that one alone.
But rather it’s the notion that something might intercede into Democratic control that needs to be described in such harrowing terms that makes me really take notice.
Let’s go back in time here a bit. Remember back in May of 2001 when Vermont Senator “Jumpin Jim” Jeffords decided to bolt from the Republican Party and declare as an Independent (or at least an Independent with Democratic Committee tenure priviledges) which gave the control of the Senate to the Democrats (49-50-1). Instead of talk of having the Senate “ripped by fate” or having the voters’ will overturned… we instead got coverage of what a courageous moderate Jeffords was.
Not the same situation, you might say. Jeffords made the move on his own - and the voters elect the person, not the party, so that’s just the way it works. OK. But it doesn’t take much to think just a little farther back to July 2000, when Georgia Senator Paul Coverdell, a Republican, passed away suddenly while in office. Georgia’s Democratic Governor Roy Barnes appointed former Governor Zell Miller, also a Democrat, to fill the vacancy. But wait, you might say, the voters not only elected the man in Coverdell… but also a Republican. How dare a Democratic Governor with a Democratic-controlled State Leglislature replace him with a Democrat?!? Well, it happened, and while Democrats might not like the thorn in the side that Senator Miller eventually became, they initially benefited politically. There was not media hand-wringing, nor calls for protecting the voters’ will. In the end the Governor is charged to do whatever he thinks best for the representation of his state, not for some other political motive or purpose.
If the worst happens and Senator Johnson is unable to continue to serve, I truly hope that Governor Mike Rounds would make a good choice, regardless of whether or not he would choose a Republican or Democrat to fill the spot.
Let’s hope that it is all unnecessary because Senator Johnson recovers. But if it can not be, let’s keep some perspective. This is not new ground here, and it’s certainly not doomsday.
Thu 14 Dec 2006
With yesterday’s announcement of some additional crackdowns across the country on illegal immigrants engaged in identity theft in order to falsify work status to gain employment at Swift processing plants, there is a chorus of groups trying to ensure that the none of the illegals get, God forbid, returned to their home countries.
But I never would have expected PETA to weigh in with support for keeping an illegal undocumented workforce in place in order to protect animals.
Yes, you heard it correctly.
You see, back in September, the ICE raided workers working at Crider Poultry in Stillmore, GA. The result was that some illegal workers (who previously had been warned that there were discrepancies in their documentation, by the way) were taken in custody and others fled the area. That caused much hand-wringing in response. Then last month, we heard that there were, in fact, workers willing “to do the jobs that Americans won’t do” in the plants, including felons on probation and homeless men who have now found gainful employment at the plant.
Now according to the AP, PETA now says that just won’t do. You might ask what their objection might be? Does the plant employ trained animals against their will? No… it’s even more bizarre than that:
An animal protection organization has raised objections to convicted felons being used to process chickens at a south Georgia poultry plant whose workforce was decimated by a crackdown on illegal immigrants working there.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said Wednesday that it was concerned that criminals with violent pasts could be among the workers being bused from a probation center.
PETA said it wanted to point out “that chicken slaughterhouses are notorious for animal abuse and that staffing the plant with violent criminals is begging for violations of Georgia’s cruelty-to-animals laws.'’
So felons are not suitable for working in a poultry plant because being around this might cause them to start abusing animals outside of work?!?! Maybe they’ll also become vegitarians… would that be a bad thing too???
What a crock.
“Placing animals in the care of convicts with violent histories is like putting children in the care of child molesters,'’ PETA vice president Bruce Friedrich said.
Remind me not to have Mr. Friedrich involved in drafting child molestation laws if he draws a moral equivalence between convicted child molesters being placed with children and felons working voluntarily in a poultry processing plant.
At least we must be able to trust illegal immigrants to protect animals even though they work in the slaughterhouse, just like the ex-felons. After all felons can’t be trusted to observe animal cruelty laws, since they have previously broken laws in the past. Illegal immigrants haven’t broken any laws before…. well, oops.
Wed 13 Dec 2006
Tue 12 Dec 2006
Yesterday I saw that the blog Alabama Liberation Front (formerly located at freealabamastan.blogspot.com) had been hijacked by a porn site. At first I wondered if Ali Bubba had been victim of a malicious attack (or worse yet, if the Associated Press had sent someone after him for calling them out on the Jamil Hussein fakery).
But it seems to be much worse, as Snapped Shot is reporting that Ali-Bubba is taking a forced leave from blogging.
I’m sad to have to say “farewell” to blogger-friend Ali Bubba (of the Alabama Liberation Front). Ali wrote today to say that due to potential issues with his company’s anti-blogging policy, he needed to hang up the hat for now. I wish you the best, Ali, and a Merry Christmas! Hopefully, you’ll be able to grace us with your eloquent prose again very soon!
Friends:
Two nights in a row, I’ve had nightmares in which the Alabama Liberation Front blog led to my being “dooced.” So I deleted it.
It’s Christmas, and my family needs my nights and weekends anyway.
The employment policies which currently prevent me from blogging in my own name are, in my opinion, stupid. But these are the terms of
my employment, and until those policies change, I risk too much by blogging anonymously.
When I return to the blogosphere — as I am sure I eventually will — I intend to do so under my own name. I hope I can count on your
assistance then.
Until then, once more: FREE ALABAMASTAN!
– ALI-BUBBA
So sad to see him go. Hopefully he’ll be back again soon!
Sat 9 Dec 2006
Not content to be known as a complete crackpot, Cynthia McKinney must be looking to establish a political legacy for something other than being known as the Representative who hits Capitol police officers when they dare ask her to submit to security procedures. Since adopting “sore loser” status after being defeated in this summer’s Democratic primary with Hank Johnson, she’s mostly just been an absentee “Representative”.
The Associated Press is reporting that yesterday she introduced a bill to impeach George Bush. But not even content with that, she also wants Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice removed from office.
The Democratic Party must be so proud after their November election victory. They have not yet even taken control of the House and Senate, and already they have members proposing establishing a draft in order to try to hurt the military, controversy about whether or not an impeached judge should chair the Intelligence Committee, and now this. Doesn’t sound like Democratic “leadership” controls much of the agenda yet.
The election in 2000 seems to have triggered some logic imbalance that appears to have become a sickness infecting the entire Democratic party. I fear that there may be no cure. What if this feverish thinking continues on after Bush’s second term ends?
“With a heavy heart and in the deepest spirit of patriotism, I exercise my duty and responsibility to speak truthfully about what is before us,” McKinney said Friday night.
“To shy away from this responsibility would be easier, but I have not been one to travel the easy road.”
But, you see, the hard road travelled by Rep. McKinney is largely one of her own making:
She has hosted numerous panels on Sept. 11 conspiracy theories and suggested that President Bush had prior knowledge of the terrorist attacks but kept quiet about it to allow friends to profit from the aftermath.
Georgia can be quite proud to be associated with such a stalwart legislator. Sigh.
Thu 7 Dec 2006
Thu 7 Dec 2006
Wed 6 Dec 2006
Last night the Cherokee County (GA) Commission unanimously approved prohibition of renting property to illegal immigrants. In the days leading up to the meeting, it seemed that the biggest threat being made was from opponents who threatened to bring lawsuits challenging the rules and thereby costing the county significant money in legal fees if they should lose. At one point this even prompted speculation whether they would let lawsuits already pending against other communities play out to see who would win and pay the bills. But in the end, they did not waiver.
It is still fairly moderate in it’s approach:
The ordinance targeting tenants covers landlords who rent property in unincorporated parts of Cherokee. It does not apply to cities, such as Canton and Woodstock, which have the majority of rental properties in the county, nor does it apply to existing leases.
Earlier I posted questioning exactly how the landlords would be expected to verify and validate a tenant’s immigration status. According to the AJC, the county also is joining a federal program to help do just that.
In addition, English was also designated as the official language and the county made it manditory to check immigration status before receiving public benefits.
The lawsuit threats continued:
A lawsuit is likely to come in Cherokee, warned Jamie B. Hernan, an attorney with offices in metro Atlanta and Tampico, Mexico.
The county “will incur legal fees, and they will pay legal fees incurred by tenants,” said Hernan, who is working with the American Civil Liberties Union. “County government cannot pass immigration law.”
UPDATE: 11 Alive has the money quote resulting from the passage of all of these measures:
“They trampled all over immigrants tonight, it was spin the wheel on immigrant bashing in Cherokee County,” said Jerry Gonzalez, Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials.
Mon 4 Dec 2006
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