Government and Politics

A Dinner of Hotdogs
For weeks, you dreaded going to a formal dinner party because you knew the main course was liver. No seasonings. No bacon wrap. No fried onions. Just liver. You tried every excuse, but finally realized you just had to take your antacids and go to dinner.[ more ]

The same day that Hillary Clinton was campaigning door to door in Scranton, Bill Clinton was in Lewisburg, Bloomsburg, and Jim Thorpe, three small rural Pennsylvania communities in three different rural northeastern counties. The day before, Chelsea Clinton was in Oregon; the day after, she was at colleges in western Pennsylvania. [ more ]

Gays, God, and Government:
Self-righteousness in the State Capitols
The mantra of almost all conservatives—it makes no difference what political party they belong to—is to keep government out of their lives. But, they don’t mind government interference when it plays to their biases and bigotry. [ more ]

George W. Bush’s ‘Convenient’ Truth
President George W. Bush hosted former Vice-President Al Gore, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and five other Nobel laureates, Nov. 26. This annual handshake photo-op has been an American tradition. [ more ]

During the final debate last week, Barack Obama called John McCain on the negative ads, saying that 100 percent of his radio and TV ads were negative. Not true, replied McCain. True, according to the Advertising Project at the University of Wisconsin. Almost every ad in a one-week period before the debate was negative.
Get Votes>>

Government-Approved Slaughter
Almost every day, a dozen or so wild burros come down from the foothills of the Black Mountains of northwestern Arizona onto the main street of Oatman, a revitalized high desert mining town about 15 miles from where California, Nevada, and Arizona meet. [ more ]

John McCain Won’t Be Looking for the Union Label
Don’t expect any labor union to endorse John McCain for president in the general election. The wounds from the Bush–Cheney Administration are just too deep. But, their reasons aren’t because of social justice issues that once pervaded the labor movement, but on bread-and-butter issues that have dominated unions the past five decades. [ more ]

A Lott of Questions
It was just an off-the-cuff comment. A throw-away line, actually. Just something to honor retiring Sen. Strom Thurmond at his 100th birthday bash.
[ more]

Marshbaum's Fine Line
Surrounded by maps and monitors, Marshbaum was directing the search for Osama bin Laden.
As the only journalist allowed into the super-secret War Room, located 250 yards north of the intersection of routes 45 and 518, just inside Coal Breaker Mountain in Molly Twp., it was my responsibility to observe and report every factoid to the public. I might win a Pulitzer if I did my job well. If not, I would get several offers to be a TV news anchor. [ more ]

There are a lot of scary things in this world, but one of the scariest is that Halloween and the Presidential election are only five days apart. It's hard to miss the parallel between tricks-and-treats and the promises-and-panderings of politicians masquerading as the most caring, most vital, most sincere candidate. While standing behind their lapel flag buttons, they are quick to dress their opponents in something less patriotic.
McGhosts>>

Defibrillator usage increased last week after John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate and only a heartbeat from the presidency. But, shortly after most Republicans were shocked back to life they circled the wagons to declare she was the perfect choice. Apparently, the cure also included a dose of psychotropic drugs as well.
Sarah Palin>>

It was just an old-fashioned case of political log rolling. In this case, the Clinton campaign approached a Democratic county commissioner and held up a political carrot—if the commissioner, the only Democrat of the three commissioners, would endorse Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, they would do their best to provide President Bill Clinton as a speaker in the commissioner’s county.
[more]

President Bush’s Week-Long Adventure
President Bush is in Egypt today to meet with President Hosni Mubarak. It is Bush’s last day of a week-long adventure into the Middle East, where he also met with the leaders of Israel, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority, and Afghanistan. It is probably Bush’s last formal chance to pretend that he’s going to broker a peace between Israel and the rest of the Arab world and secure a legacy that leads to the Nobel Prize. He must be thinking that if Jimmy Carter could do it between Israel and Egypt, it must be time for a neo-con war-mongering Republican to get a few accolades [ more ]

'Pssst. Cigarettes. One Buck Each'
      "Pssst."
      I walked straight ahead, looking neither right nor left in a darkened alley illuminated by a quarter-moon.
      "Pssst."
       I quickened my pace, but there was no avoiding the shadowy figure. [ more ]

The vice-presidential debates proved one thing. At the very least, Sarah Palin can be trained.

For several days, she had camped out in one of John McCain’s Arizona houses, where she underwent Debate Boot camp conducted by drill instructors who make Marine DIs appear to be slaggers.

With a few “darns,” “betchas,” and “ya”s, Palin managed to get all her talking points into the debate, even if she constantly changed the question to suit her note cards.
Palin Debate>>

It was Monday evening and the phone rang—again. It was probably the fifth time in two hours. A pleasant voice said she was from the—oh that really doesn’t make any difference. Both presidential candidates have volunteer minions on the phones and Internet day after day, month after month, for what seems like years.
Seizing America>>

Silent Protest, Vocal Response
“Enraged” would be too mild of an adjective to describe the caller to Spectrum magazine, a national award-winning student-produced magazine for the permanent residents of two rural counties in northeastern Pennsylvania.
“Take my wife off of this circulation list. I don’t know how she ever got on!” he demanded. [more]

Spouting Change to Stay the Same
All of the presidential candidates are spouting “CHANGE” as their “catch-word of the day.” Change the health care system. Change the economy. Change the corporate hold on middle-class Americans. The only thing they’re not relying upon to get votes is spare change. A multi-million dollar campaign needs corporate investment—the kind the candidates say they oppose, but most are taking, nevertheless. [more]

Stampeded by Fear, Scammed by Lies: Why the Bailout FailedSpeaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) “poisoned our conference,” screeched Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the Republican minority leader. He said the House would have voted for the bill “had it not been for the partisan speech the Speaker gave on the floor of the House.” [more]

The FEMA Scheme-a; Or, The Unrepentant Consultant
Clutching a bag of nails in one hand and wielding a hammer in the other, Marshbaum broke out of semi-retirement and into my office. It could mean only one thing.
“I’m going to be rich!”
In the three decades I have known my faux friend, he always had a scheme for how to live the affluent life of a no-talent pop celebrity. [More]

The Politics of Humanitarian Aid
President Bush was justifiably upset. A cyclone four days earlier had destroyed a large portion of Myanmar, and the country’s military junta was still refusing humanitarian aid. “Let the United States come to help you, help the people,” Bush pleaded with the junta. “We’re prepared to move U.S. Navy assets to help find those who’ve lost their lives, to help find the missing, to help stabilize the situation,” said the President, “but in order to do so, the military junta must allow our disaster assessment teams into the country.” [More]

Why Bush Should Have Signed the Children’s Health Act
President George W. (“I-Demand-an-Up-or-Down-Vote”) Bush today [Oct. 3] vetoed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which expired this past week. The highly successful program to aid children was begun in 1997 under the Clinton presidency.

The bipartisan legislation bill to increase funding and continue SCHIP was passed overwhelmingly by the House (265–159) and Senate (67–29). It would have increased health insurance for about two to four million children. Bush vetoed the bill behind closed doors and with no media present.

About 6.5 million children are currently covered by state and federal programs. More than 43 million people are not covered by health insurance, with about six million under the age of 18. [More]