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November 30, 2005

Vice President Cheney Keeps Travel Costs Secret

The Center for Public Integrity, a government watchdog group, has called to attention the fact that Vice President Cheney and his staff have not publicly disclosed their travel costs. By keeping it private, the group says, "the public is kept largely unaware of where he and his staff are traveling, with whom they are meeting with and how much it costs, even though tax dollars are covering the bill."

According to research conducted by the Center for Public Integrity, Cheney has made 275 speeches and appearances from 2001 to June 1, 2005. His office designated all of them as 'official travel' and refused to disclose any information about the trips. Cheney's office has repeatedly told the Office of Government Ethics that it is not required to provide any travel disclosure reports.

David Addington, the Counsel to the Vice President claimed in a letter to the Office of Government Ethics that Cheney's office is not classified as an agency of the executive branch and is therefore not required to issue reports on travel, lodging and related expenses funded by non-federal sources.

Cheney has claimed his office is exempted from travel disclosure regulations even though almost every office within the Executive Office of the President, except the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, has reported their travel costs, according to the Washington Post.

The Center for Public Integrity said previous presidents have routinely disclosed their travel expenses. Former director of the Office of Government Ethics, Stephen D. Potts, said, "It is unusual that the [Office of the Vice President] alone would claim such an exemption. The argument that they are not an agency of the executive branch seems a bit of a reach."

By not voluntarily disclosing his office's travel costs, Cheney is suggesting that he may be hiding something, says Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.

Other blogs have commented on this story. Cracks in the Facade, noted Cheney's lack of disclosure, making a point that "secrecy is a breeding ground for corruption and abuse of power." The Independent Report is reluctant in believing anything that comes from the Vice President's office and believes Cheney is hiding something.

Posted by at 05:19 PM | Comments (24)

Rumsfeld's Way to Defeat the Insurgents, Change the Wording

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is looking for an advantage against the Iraqi insurgents by calling them by a different name. He felt calling those individuals who oppose the Iraqi government 'insurgents', gave them too much legitimacy.

Rumsfeld explained, "These people aren't trying to promote something other than disorder, and to take over that country and turn it into a caliphate and then spread it around the world. This is a group of people who don't merit the word 'insurgency,' I think."

Rumsfeld has come up with a new term to call the Iraqi insurgents, "enemies of the legitimate Iraqi government." If the new phrase is too long, it can be shorted to the acronym, ELIG.

This is not the first time Rumsfeld has tried to use a new phrase when the Bush administration has show a lack of progress. This past summer, Rumsfeld tried to rename the "war on terror" to the "global struggle against violent extremism."

Posted by at 01:49 PM | Comments (41)

November 28, 2005

Are Defense Contractors Randomly Shooting Iraqi Civilians?

By Stephen Gordon

The Sunday Telegraph broke what appears to be a significant story coming out of Iraq, but it is not being seriously covered by the mainstream media at this time. They report:

A "trophy" video appearing to show security guards in Baghdad randomly shooting Iraqi civilians has sparked two investigations after it was posted on the internet, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

The video has sparked concern that private security companies, which are not subject to any form of regulation either in Britain or in Iraq, could be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent Iraqis.

Commentary at the Aljazeera version of the story has one person already claiming that one of the cars contained three hundred pounds of high explosives, but the video gives no indication of the claim being accurate. On another site, a commenter suggested that the video is a "a deliberate anti-coalition propaganda effort designed precisely to shock sensitive souls."

He did bring up one valid point, however:

You can conclude virtually nothing from that video except that people fired on [pursuing]. We do not know if they were fired on FROM those cars or if they were [attempting] fight off a VBIED or otherwise knew that they carried enemy combatants. We don't even see who they are.

According to the newspaper article, Capt. Adnan Tawfiq of the Iraqi Interior Ministry claims there have been 50-60 similar incidents. With allegations such as this, there needs to be an immediate and thorough investigation, no matter whether the video was faked or not.

Once again, the mainstream media seems a bit hesitant to cover the story and it's about time for the blogosphere to give them a swift kick in the butt.

Links to watch the video are available here.

Posted by Shane Cory at 04:49 PM | Comments (17)

November 22, 2005

West Palm Beach Is Going to Be Covered With Surveillance Cameras

Police in West Palm Beach are planning to install surveillance cameras downtown and in the city's most violent neighborhoods, according to the Palm Beach Post.

The cameras, costing approximately $17,000 each, will be able to rotate 360 degrees and read a license plate a half-mile away. The cameras will record 24 hours a day and the footage will most likely be kept for several months, according to Assistant Chief Guillermo Perez.

Cities including Chicago and Baltimore have used surveillance cameras on a large scale and have credited the cameras for a significant reduction in crime.

The widespread use of surveillance cameras in West Palm Beach has raised privacy concerns. It is still unclear how the police department will process the endless camera footage and whether the public will be able to view it under public access laws.

Some critics have doubts that the cameras will actually lead to a reduction in crime. Others have said instead of buying expensive cameras, the money could be better spent on hiring more police officers. Kevin Watson, the spokesman for the Law Enforcement Alliance of America, stated, "The more cameras you use, the more data you have and the more you have to pay to process it. If you use the same amount of money and put officers on the street, you're guaranteed to have arrests."

Posted by at 04:29 PM | Comments (54)

Iraqi Leaders Have Called For a Troop Withdrawal Timetable

On Monday, Iraqi leaders representing Shiite, Kurdish, and Sunni communities met to call for a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces.

Those who attended the meeting included Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, as well as various Shiite and Kurdish lawmakers, according to CBS News.com.

Iraq Interior Minister Bayan Jabr believes American forces should be able to leave Iraq by the end of next year. He stated, "By the middle of next year we will be 75 percent done in building our forces and by the end of next year it will be fully ready."

The purpose of the conference was to bring the various communities in Iraq closer together and generate more Sunni Arab political participation, according to CBS News.com.

Even though the Iraqi leaders present at the conference agreed to call for a troop withdrawal, they did not elaborate on a specific time.

Daily Kos and ThinkProgress.org have both commented on this developing story.

Moreover, ThinkProgress.org question whether President Bush will now keep his word concerning a statement last January regarding U.S. troop withdrawal if prompted by the Iraqi government.

Posted by at 04:16 PM | Comments (12)

November 21, 2005

If We Leave Iraq, Osama Bin Laden Will Take Over the Country

Vice President Dick Cheney made a speech at the American Enterprise Institute on Monday where he claimed if the United States withdraws its troops from Iraq Osama Bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi will take control of the country.

This latest claim by Cheney conflicts with a statement made by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that states the Iraqi security forces are "doing a good job" and are "well respected by the Iraqi people."

As ThinkProgress.org points out, Cheney offers no evidence to support his claim.

It seems the Bush administration wants it both ways. On one hand they claim the Iraq security forces are making substantial progress and its capabilities are being underestimated. Yet at the same time they claim if American troops immediately withdraw, terrorists will take control of Iraq.

Crooks and Liars provides a downloadable video clip of Cheney's speech

Posted by at 05:19 PM | Comments (100)

Demand for Tax Cuts May Increase In 2006

State and local tax revenue has increased 7.2 percent for the first nine months of this year, according to USA Today. Many states are flooded with cash. New Mexico is projected to have a $1 billion surplus, while Florida is expected to have a $3 billion surplus.

With many states holding elections next year, there is increase pressure to provide tax cuts. States are not looking to make significant reductions in income tax rates, but instead smaller cuts in property taxes, business taxes and food sales taxes, according to USA Today. Some states, like New Mexico, are giving out a one-time income tax rebate.

States such as West Virginia, South Carolina, and Utah are looking to use their respective surpluses to reduce their sales tax on food.

Tax reform groups advocate that the states' recent tax surpluses should be returned to the people. Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, said, "They need to go over every tax increase of the last few years and repeal them one by one."

Many states have decided to use the surplus to increase spending. Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski wants to increase education spending by 8.7 percent per pupil, as reported in USA Today. Other states are looking to expand eligibility in healthcare programs for the poor.

Posted by at 04:26 PM | Comments (6)

Massachusetts To Force Individuals to Buy Health Insurance

To help reduce the number of uninsured, the state of Massachusetts is looking to require individuals who can afford health insurance to purchase some type of coverage or face penalties such as the loss of their driver's license.

Robert Brendon, from the Harvard School of Public Health defended the two proposals by stating, "We have entered an age when there is more of a sense that there should be individual responsibility for your life and your family, that you owe it to your community to have coverage."

The proposal backed by Governor Mitt Romney would have insurance companies offer lower-cost plans, estimated to cost $200 a month. Those individuals who make less than $28,710 would be eligible for a state subsidy. A competing plan proposed by the Massachusetts House of Representatives, would mandate employers to provide insurance or face a payroll tax. Residents would face the loss of their driver's license under this plan.

Many critics are skeptical of mandating employers to provide health insurance and individuals to carry health coverage. Howard Berliner, a health policy professor, states, "The fear with individual mandates is that you drive people out of state. Essentially it's a tax no matter how it gets worked out."

Michael Craven, a small business owner in Boston's South End, doesn't like the government telling people where they should spend their money. He commented, "Some people need a car more than health insurance." Others question how "affordability" will be defined in the program.

Posted by at 04:21 PM | Comments (35)

November 18, 2005

Bingo Halls Need Protection From Terrorists

A Department of Homeland Security grant has been awarded to the Kentucky Office of Charitable Gaming to prevent terrorists from raising large amounts of money from playing bingo or running a charitable game, according to John Holiday, the Office of Charitable Gaming's enforcement director.

Holiday, who applied for the grant, admitted terrorists currently do not participate in charitable gaming, such as bingo. In defense of his application, Holiday said, "But the potential there, to me, is just huge. You can earn a lot of money very fast and deal entirely in cash."

The Homeland Security grant will pay for five investigators equipped with laptop computers and access to a commercially operated law-enforcement database, according to Holiday.

Mike Nelson from HammerofTruth.com also wrote about this story, you can check out his post by clicking here.

Posted by at 01:37 PM | Comments (26)

November 17, 2005

Corruption Uncovered in Iraq Reconstruction Contracts

In a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court, businessman Philip H. Bloom is accused of paying officials at the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) "bribes, kickbacks and gratuities, amounting to at least $200,000 per month" in order to obtain reconstruction contracts through a bid-rigging scam, reported MSNBC.com. The complaint stated that Bloom "conspired with the United States government contract employees and military officials to obtain fraudulently government contracts."

In some instances where a Bloom-owned company was awarded a reconstruction contract in Iraq, they performed no work, according to MSNBC.com. The criminal complaint alleges Bloom bought North Carolina real estate, vehicles, and expensive jewelry, for at least two CPA officials. Patrick McKenna Jr., a federal investigator stated that Bloom made bank deposits on behalf of the same two CPA officials that totaled $353,000.

There have been previous allegations of corruption that have been leveled against the Coalition Provisional Authority when it was run by former Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III from March 2003 to June 2004. This is the first criminal case being brought in an U.S. court that charges CPA officials.

Posted by at 04:14 PM | Comments (12)

U.S. Rep Cardin Wants to Build More Affordable Housing

U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) is advocating that the federal government provide a tax credit to developers who build or renovate homes in below-median income areas. Cardin's proposal is part of the Renewing the Dream Tax Credit Act that is currently being reviewed in a House subcommittee.

The tax credits would be funneled through the states. If the tax credit is passed, each state would receive a tax credit allotment based on population, This allotment would be $1.80 per person or $2 million for states with small populations that don't automatically meet the minimum, according to FoxNews.com.

Despite the fact that homeownership nationally is at an all-time high, Cardin believes many middle-income families are being priced out of buying a home, therefore the government should encourage the availability of affordable housing.

This new federal affordable housing credit is the latest in a series of federal government policies to encourage homeownership. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers the Homeownership Voucher Program, which allow individuals who reside in public housing assistance in buying their first home. The Veterans Administration provides guaranteed loans for veterans who wish to construct or purchase a new home with "favorable loan terms" and competitive interest rates. The Internal Revenue Service offers the Mortgage Interest Credit, which allow lower-income individuals to receive partial tax credit on mortgage interest paid. These programs do not include the popular mortgage interest deduction that is available for almost every homeowner, which allows an individual to deduct his or her mortgage interest paid from federal taxes.

A major criticism of the new affordable housing tax credit is the enormous cost. It has been estimated the proposal will cost $17 billion over 10 years, according to John Hughes, a senior legislative and policy associate for the National Council of State Housing. The high cost has prevented a similar proposal from getting out of committee before, even though the proposal had 300 co-sponsors, according to FoxNews.com.

Posted by at 04:01 PM | Comments (14)

November 16, 2005

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. Has $22.8 Billion Shortfall

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.(PBGC), the federal agency that guarantees the private pensions of 44 million workers, announced in its recent annual report that it has $56.5 billion in assets to cover $79 billion in pension liabilities, thereby creating a $22.8 billion deficit.

It is feared that the current PBGC deficit will only grow larger in the years to come and trigger a taxpayer bailout. An increasing number of companies, especially those in the airline and steel industries, have transferred their pension liabilities to the PBGC. United Airlines and US Airways were able to move their employee pension liabilities to the PBGC during bankruptcy court proceedings.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. only covers defined-benefit pension plans that are prevalent in industries such as airline, automobile, and steel. The industries have experienced economic downturn as a result of increased competition and higher fuel costs. This adds to the speculation that the number of private pension plans being transferred to the PBGC will increase in the coming years. It has been estimated that traditional employer-paid pension plans are underfunded by as much as $450 billion, as reported on FoxNews.com.

Posted by at 04:14 PM | Comments (13)

27 Percent of Americans Do Not Identify With Either Major Party

Mike Nelson from HammerofTruth.com has pointed out that a recent poll shows almost a third of Americans do not identify with either political party.

A recent Rosner Interactive Services poll shows that a large percentage of people are either becoming apolitical or they have recently discovered third parties...

The poll provides further evidence that more and more Americans are dissatisfied with Republicans and Democrats. Many of these people could very well be receptive to the Libertarian Party's message.

Posted by at 03:48 PM | Comments (53)

U.S. May Face the Worst Financial Crisis In Over Twenty Years

David Walker, the Comptroller General of the United States, told USA Today that the federal government is heading towards the worst fiscal crisis since 1983. This is due largely in part to the promised Medicare and Social Security benefits that will be paid out to retiring baby boomers in the coming years.

A number of factors have contributed to the looming perfect storm of financial disaster. Congress and the White House have not done enough to rein in federal spending. They have discussed cutting $50 billion from the federal budget over five years, which consists of only 3 percent of the projected $1.6 trillion deficit for the same period. Without major spending cuts, tax increases, or both, the national debt will grow more than $3 trillion by 2010, to $11.2 trillion, according to the USA Today. The interest that will be paid on the debt in 2010, $561 billion, will be the same as the total budget for the Pentagon.

Many people are sounding the alarm about the pending financial crisis. Alice Rivlin from the Brookings Institution, said it will take an "economic scare" such as the 1987 stock market crash to spur action. Stuart Butler of the Heritage Foundation argues that tax revenue will remain stable as a share of the economy, but Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security spending will skyrocket. He further added, if the government wants to avoid a large tax increase, it will have to "renegotiate" the social contracts it has made with its citizens.

Many economists have painted a dim picture of the future of the American economy if significant, fundamental changes are not instituted. The negative consequences of federal government's current spending policy include higher interest rates, shrinking pensions, slower economic growth, a lower standard of living, less savings, declining stock and bond prices, and recession.

Posted by at 02:27 PM | Comments (19)

November 15, 2005

New Hampshire Residents Pay Extra For the View

In New Hampshire, town officials are permitted to levy an additional tax on homeowners with scenic views, as such views are considered a bonus feature. This additional tax levied on New Hampshire residents has become to be known as a "view tax."

Residents are questioning how local officials determine the value of a scenic view, especially with high value properties. One local official admits the process is somewhat subjective. Thomas Holmes, the assessor for the town of Conway, N.H., stated, "It's more of an 'I know it when I see it' kind of thing."

There are no formal guidelines in determining if one scenic view is more valuable than another scenic view. Various informal guidelines have been developed. One appraisal company said that if the property has a view of a well-known mountain such as Mount Washington, it would be worth more than if it was a view of a less-known peak, according to the Washington Post. Additionally, other subjective standards apply, for example, a view with hills and rivers are worth more than a view with just hills.

Some New Hampshire property owners have seen their property tax assessment jump solely because it has a scenic view. Brad Wilder, who owns a house in Plainfield had to pay an extra $4,700 for his view of Mount Ascutney and the Connecticut River Valley. Property tax assessments have risen so high, many longtime residents are that worried that they will have to sell their homes. Bennet Nicholson, a homeowner in Winchester, N.H. said, "There's no way that I could keep on paying $10,000 a year in taxes."

Posted by at 05:18 PM | Comments (33)

November 14, 2005

Alaska May Be Ready to Give Up the "Bridge to Nowhere"

Mark Tapscott reports in his blog that Alaska could be ready to give their "Bridge to Nowhere".

We welcome your thoughts on this issue.

Posted by at 04:01 PM | Comments (13)

Medicare Drug Plan Confuses Seniors

A survey released last week by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found only 20 percent of seniors plan on participating in the new $750 billion Medicare prescription drug benefit. The survey also found that 37 percent plan on not enrolling in the program and one-third say the plans being offered are too complicated.

Many seniors are confused about the Medicare prescription drug benefit even after Bush administration officials conducted a summer public advertising campaign to promote the new program, according to FoxNews.com. One of the authors of the survey, Dr. Mollyann Brodie, stated, "It is still clear that many seniors still don't understand the benefits. There seems to be a good deal of confusion."

The cause of the confusion is the complexity of the federal rules that seniors must follow in order to be eligible for the prescription drug benefit. An individual can enroll in a standard plan that pays for prescription drugs after paying a $250 deductible. The Boston Globe reported that for annual expenses between $2,250 and $5,100, there is no coverage, a gap commonly referred to as the "doughnut hole." Private companies are offering plans based on the government model that fill in the coverage gap. Many of the plans require several levels of co-payments depending on how the drugs are categorized, according to the Boston Globe.

Many states offer more than 40 different plans that incorporate the new prescription drug benefit. State Senator Mark C. Montigny from New Bedford, Mass. commented on the dizzying array of drug plans, "This is the ultimate example of public policy gone awry. In every state of the country, there's such confusion that we'll be lucky if there isn't a national implosion."

Posted by at 02:25 PM | Comments (12)

November 11, 2005

Is Judge Alito a Libertarian?

Ilya Somin, an assistant professor at the George Mason University School of Law, wrote a column that was posted on the Cato Institute's website that noted the many libertarian leanings of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.

...it is important to recognize that Alito has a substantial libertarian dimension to his jurisprudence as well as a conservative one. In several key fields of law, he is more likely than Scalia and other conservatives to be skeptical of assertions of government power. More important, there is much in his record that should appeal to libertarians and -- to a lesser extent -- even left-wing liberals.

To read the entire column click here.

Posted by at 03:12 PM | Comments (47)

November 10, 2005

Senators Have Difficulty Understanding Supply and Demand in the Oil Industry

On Wednesday, oil industry executives appeared before a joint meeting of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Senators asked the oil executives why their companies have earned record profits, while gasoline prices have jumped 20 percent this year. During the joint committee hearing, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D - California) stated, "To my constituents, today's hearing is about shared sacrifices in tough times versus oil company greed. Working people struggle with high gas prices and your sacrifices appear to be nothing."

Oil executives from Chevron, BP America, ConocoPhillips, Shell Oil, and ExxonMobil defended their record profits, citing supply and demand as the cause. Oil executives told the senators the best way to lower prices is to reduce government regulation within the oil industry.

ConocoPhillips Chairman James Mulva said government at all levels should streamline the permitting and environmental review processes so oil companies can make the investments to add to refining capacity, pipelines and other critical energy infrastructure. Mulva commented, "The private sector will make these investments without need of any new government incentives." Oil executives also said that reducing the number of "boutique fuels", which are special gasoline mixes that states and regions require due to regulations, would help reduce gasoline prices.

Senators presiding at the hearing, showed their lack of understanding of supply and demand by proposing more government regulation to correct the problem of high gasoline prices. Some of the solutions proposed include a new federal price-gouging law and a windfall profits tax.

Senator Boxer asked if the oil executives would make personal or corporate contributions to an energy assistance program that would help individuals with low incomes pay their heating bills. Mulva responded, "As Americans, we all feel for those who are less fortunate. We want to make sure they get the energy they need." He felt it was not his company's responsibility to fund such a program and would set a bad precedent.

ExxonMobil CEO Lee Raymond stated that even though oil companies were making record profits the industry has invested billions in developing new sources of energy and faces repair costs of between $18 billion to $30 billion from Hurricane Katrina and Rita, according to CNN.com.

Posted by at 02:23 PM | Comments (39)

Church Punished for Expressing Anti-War Views

An All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California was given notice by the Internal Revenue Service that they were at risk of losing their tax-exempt status for giving an anti-war sermon in 2004, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Rev. George F. Regas gave a sermon at the church on the Sunday before the 2004 presidential election that criticized the Bush administration. He stated, "Mr. President, your doctrine of preemptive war is a failed doctrine. Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster." The pastor has previously expressed anti-war views in his sermons, opposing the Vietnam War and the 1991 Gulf War, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The pastor never told the congregation which candidate to vote for in the 2004 election. He imagined what Jesus might say to John Kerry and George Bush during a debate. In the sermon, Regas said, "President Bush has led us to war with Iraq as a response to terrorism. Yet I believe Jesus would say to Bush and Kerry: 'War is itself the most extreme form of terrorism. President Bush, you have not made dramatically clear what have been the human consequences of the war in Iraq.'"

One member of the All Saints Episcopal Church, Joe Mirando believes that the church may be targeted by the IRS as a result of its well-known liberal stances on social issues. Mirando said, "The question is, is it politically motivated? That's the underlying feeling of everyone here. I don't have enough information to make a decision, but there's a suspicion."

When church members learned of the IRS probe, they were upset that a sermon which promoted peace would be investigated by the government. One church member said, "In a government that leans so heavily on religious values, that they would pull a stunt like this, it makes me heartsick."

Posted by at 02:21 PM | Comments (47)

November 09, 2005

Your Thoughts on...Libertarian Victories in the 2005 Elections

Here's an excerpt from an article published under the What's New section of the LP website:

On Tuesday, November 8, the Libertarian Party scored important electoral victories in Iowa, Georgia, and Oregon. This shows that an increasing number of voters are receptive to the Libertarian Party's message of limited government.

To read the entire article click here.

We would like to hear your thoughts about these libertarian victories and the 2005 races in general.

Posted by at 04:52 PM | Comments (86)

November 08, 2005

FBI Is Using the Patriot Act to Expand Domestic Surveillance

The FBI has expanded its use of domestic surveillance under the Patriot Act. It uses "national security letters" to look at the records of multiple individuals who may not be suspected terrorists themselves, but who may have had casual contact with a suspected terrorist.

National security letters were originally created in the 1970's for espionage and terrorist investigations, as an exception to consumer privacy laws, according to the Washington Post. It allowed the FBI to secretly examine the customer records of suspected foreign agents. The Patriot Act changed the guidelines for the use of national security letters by permitting clandestine scrutiny of American citizens and visitors who are not alleged to be terrorists or spies, according to the Washington Post.

There is little oversight to the 30,000 national security letters the FBI issues every year. The Justice Department or Congress does not review the letters after they have been issued, according to the Washington Post. The White House only maintains statistics that are only found in classified reports and helped defeat legislation that would have required public accounting.

Two years ago, President Bush ended a policy that required agents to destroy their files on innocent American citizens, companies and residents when investigations closed, according to the Washington Post.

The increasing use of national security letters has raised serious privacy concerns. A federal investigator can ascertain where a person lives, where he/she works, what he/she buys online, where he/she travels, and what he/she does on the Internet, according to the Washington Post.

Jeffrey Breinholt, a Justice Department official, downplayed the potential civil liberties abuse through the use of national security letters, calling them "eccentric." He stated that collecting information on innocent Americans does not harm citizens unless "someone decides to act on the information, put you on a no-fly list or something." He further added it would be a "pretty small chance" that the government would commit a serious error such as mistakenly freezing your assets based only on bank or phone records.

Jameel Jaffer, a staff attorney at the ACLU, believes this increased domestic surveillance will have a "chilling effect" on individuals. He said, "If the government monitors the Web sites that people visit and the books that they read, people will stop visiting disfavored Web sites and stop reading disfavored books. The FBI should not have unchecked authority to keep track of who visits al-Jazeera's Web site or who visits the Web site of the Federalist Society."

Posted by at 03:45 PM | Comments (46)

November 04, 2005

Police Murder Man for Unpaid Seat Belt Ticket

Here's an interesting blog entry written by Mike Nelson from HammerofTruth.com:

Keep this in mind the next time you forget to buckle up

Vera died on Aug. 19 in an intensive care unit at Medical Center of McKinney after almost two weeks in a coma. He was doused with oleoresin capsicum "pepper" spray by two Allen police officers during his Aug. 4 arrest for an unpaid seat belt ticket out of Irving.

Apparently police can murder someone and get away with it.

The grand jury report stated, "No probable cause exists to believe that any criminal offense was committed in connection with these events, other than Mr. Vera’s refusal to submit to the lawful authority of the police officers who attempted to effect his arrest."

We would like to get your thoughts on this case.

Posted by at 03:47 PM | Comments (167)

November 03, 2005

Thoughts on CIA's secret prisons

On Wednesday an article was posted on the Libertarian Party website regarding the CIA's use of secret prisons located overseas.

The Washington Post reported that the CIA operates a network of secret prisons in eight countries including Thailand, Afghanistan, Cuba, and several countries in Eastern Europe. These secret prisons were established four years ago to hold al Qaeda suspects, the article explained.

Due to the secretive nature of the program, very little is known about the CIA's secret prisons. The locations of the prisons are classified and only known to the president and few top intelligence officers in each host country. The CIA, along with the White House has prevented Congress from investigating the tactics that are used to interrogate prisoners and living conditions. The CIA has not officially confirmed the existence of their secret prisons, according to the Washington Post.

Should the CIA be using secret prisons to detain al Qaeda suspects? We would like to hear your thoughts on this issue.

Posted by at 02:14 PM | Comments (73)

November 02, 2005

Senator Ted Stevens Throws Tantrum on Senate Floor

After Hurricane Katrina, public pressure mounted on Congress to cut wasteful spending and relocate money to support the reconstruction efforts. Members of Congress wanted to reconsider some of the pork-barrel projects that were included in this summer's mammoth transportation bill and Medicare bill.

On October 21st, Senator Tom Coburn (R - Oklahoma) proposed an amendment to take the funding for the construction of two bridges in Alaska to a bridge located in Louisiana severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Coburn stated, "It is time we reassess the priorities we utilize in this body."

Senator Ted Stevens (R - Alaska) reacted angrily when the Coburn introduced the amendment to the Senate floor. Stevens threatened to resign from the Senate if the bill with Coburn's amendment passed. He said during the floor debate, "I don't kid people. If the Senate decides to discriminate against our state and takes money only from our state, I'll resign from this body." At one point in the debate, Senator Stevens angrily shouted "No!" in response to a question he posed regarding if he would support Coburn's amendment.

Stevens felt Coburn was singling out Alaska by only targeting transportation projects in his state. As reporter John Stossel pointed out in a recent column, Alaska receives significantly more money for pork barrel projects than other states, even though it is among the least populous in the country. Stossel added that Coburn violated an unwritten rule in Congress; don't threaten the other Congressmen's loot.

The Senate ensured that its unwritten rule was enforced by overwhelming voting 82 - 15 to keep the funding to the two Alaskan bridges, nicknamed "bridges to nowhere."

Because of the way the transportation bill was structured, Coburn's amendment would have only removed $125 million from the total $454 million allocated to Alaska, according to Fairbanks Daily New-Miner.

Senator Stevens apparently will protect his wasteful and unnecessary pet projects to further his own political agenda at any cost, even at the expense of Hurricane Katrina victims.

Posted by at 10:26 AM | Comments (74)

November 01, 2005

Freeing the Blogosphere from FEC regulations

The Online Freedom of Speech Act (H.R. 1606) is scheduled for a vote in the House on Wednesday, November 2nd. If passed, this bill will amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to exempt communications over the Internet from being included under "public communication" that is subject to the Federal Campaign Act.

Additionally, this bill will exempt blogs, emails, and other forms of online speech from being regulated by the Federal Elections Commission. The bill is sponsored by Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R - Texas). Congressman Ron Paul (R - Texas) is one of the nine co-sponsors.

The pending legislation is necessary to prevent the FEC from issuing new regulations regarding online communications. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act only applies to television and radio and does not mention the Internet. As a result of a court ruling, the FEC plans to issue a new set of regulations that would cover online communications.

The proposed regulations would turn group blogs into regulated "political committees," thereby imposing a "code of ethics" regulating bloggers than of talk radio hosts or newspaper columnists. It will decree the amount of time we can spend at work participating in politics online, and label links to candidate Web sites as "in-kind" contributions subject to reporting requirements according to the National Law Journal.

The FEC is trying to fix a non-existent problem. The bureaucratic rationale behind extending its regulations to online communications is to prevent abuse. A blanket exemption would allow the unregulated coordination among state or local committees of political parties; political action committees or 527 organizations; and candidates, according to the Federal Elections Commission.

The Internet empowers the average citizen to make their voice heard in the political process. Any individual can set up their own website relatively quickly, and instantaneously reaching millions of potential readers. The Internet also gives power to small-dollar donors and magnifies their impact, as Howard Dean's presidential bid demonstrated according to the National Law Journal.

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