Leave Us Alone!

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T07:34:00.004-05:00

Here's hoping that 2009 will be happier than 2008. If anything, things probably won't get much worse. In addition to the bad economic news, the folks at Reason have put together a video compilation of things that were banned in 2008:

Link via Hit and Run

In lighter news, Santa Claus asks for a bailout:

Link via The Agitator

Please vote NO on Issue 5!

2008-11-03T23:07:00.001-05:00

Ohio voters have an opportunity to overturn House Bill 545, which would set the maximum interest rate on short-term loans so low that payday lenders would go out of business, by voting no on Issue 5.

If an individual decides that $200 right now is worth more to him or her than $230 two weeks from now, that should be his or her free choice. It's none of the State of Ohio's goddamn business.

Like all legislation that creates consensual crime, Issue 5 would have unintended consequences worse than the "harm" it is designed to prevent. If payday loans are made unavailable, Ohioans will pay more in late fees and overdraft fees. Merchants' losses from bounced checks will increase. Maggie Thurber points out that "In both North Carolina and Georgia, the number of bad checks written went up after payday loans were similarly regulated."

Some people, unable to obtain short-term loans from legitimate businesses, might even turn to loan sharks. The state can make a product or service illegal, but it can't eliminate the demand for that product or service, and black marketeers will step in to satisfy the demand. Issue 5 would create yet another revenue stream for organized crime.

Please vote NO on Issue 5.

Mom in the News

2008-10-31T20:10:00.002-04:00

My favorite elected official has been traveling throughout southern Ohio awarding banners to all the excellent school districts in the 10th State Board of Education District, including, among others, Adams County/Ohio Valley, Beavercreek, South Point, Wheelersburg, and Wilmington.

Celebrate Constitution Day with the ACLU!

2008-09-17T07:00:00.001-04:00

Today is the 221st anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. Click on the image below to join the ACLU's "Constitution Voter" effort to get federal politicians to pay more attention to the Constitution that they've ostensibly sworn to protect.

Accountability Now

2008-08-08T05:08:00.002-04:00

Last month, so-called "Democrats" in Congress caved in to the Bush administration and enacted the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. In response, a diverse coalition of liberals, conservatives, and libertarians has formed the Accountability Now PAC to hold the politicians accountable for their failure to uphold the rule of law. Today, August 8, is a moneybomb day for Accountability Now. Please go here today to give securely through Actblue. At Salon.com, Glenn Greenwald explains Accountability Now's strategy and rationale.

Mom's Column

2008-07-31T23:15:00.002-04:00

I was remiss in not linking to my favorite elected official's most recent newspaper column. Luckily, it's still available through the Clermont County Democratic Party.

Urgent: Act Now to Stop the FISA Capitulation!

2008-06-19T06:02:00.000-04:00

The Hill reports that so-called House Democratic "Leader" Steny Hoyer is trying hard to capitulate to the Republicans on legislation that would expand the government's power to spy on Americans and grant retroactive amnesty to the telecommunications companies that helped Bush violate the law:

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Wednesday he remains hopeful that the House and Senate can finish the contentious overhaul of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) this week.
The House could vote on the bill Friday, Hoyer said.

Mona at The Art of the Possible and Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com have more.

Please contact your members of Congress today and tell them to vote NO on any bill that would direct federal courts to grant amnesty to the lawbreakers, or that would allow for warrantless wiretaps of Americans' international calls and e-mails, or both. The ACLU's action alert makes it easy to contact your members of Congress. Democrats.com also has an on-line petition.

Now, there's something else you can do. The Blue America PAC vs Retroactive Immunity is dedicated to holding Hoyer and the other so-called "Democratic" traitors accountable for their capitulation. Please go here and give what you can, then pass the message on to any friends you have who might care about freedom, privacy, and the rule of law.

Tell Your State Senator to Vote NO on House Bill 545

2008-05-12T20:55:00.003-04:00

The Ohio General Assembly appears poised to create yet another consensual crime. The House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 545, which would set the maximum interest rate on short-term loans so low that payday lenders would go out of business.

If an individual decides that $200 right now is worth more to him or her than $230 two weeks from now, that should be his or her free choice. It's none of the State of Ohio's goddamn business.

Like all legislation that creates consensual crime, H.B. 545 would have unintended consequences worse than the "harm" it is designed to prevent. If payday loans are made unavailable, Ohioans will pay more in late fees and overdraft fees. Merchants' losses from bounced checks will increase. Maggie Thurber points out that "In both North Carolina and Georgia, the number of bad checks written went up after payday loans were similarly regulated."

Some people, unable to obtain short-term loans from legitimate businesses, might even turn to loan sharks. The state can make a product or service illegal, but it can't eliminate the demand for that product or service, and black marketeers will step in to satisfy the demand. H.B. 545 would create yet another revenue stream for organized crime.

Please tell your state senator to vote NO on House Bill 545. MyChoiceOhio.com makes it easy to contact your senator, and provides a sample letter. Another sample letter is available from the National Taxpayers' Union.

There's Something I Kind of Have to Admire about Anthony Gutierrez

2008-05-04T22:44:00.000-04:00

Let me first say that I don't condone drunk driving. Nor do I condone reckless use of state property. And I certainly don't condone sexual harassment. I can't emphasize that last point enough.

And yet, there's something I kind of have to admire about Anthony Gutierrez. Take a look at this passage from a Plain Dealer article:

The same woman says in her complaint that weeks later, Gutierrez fell asleep drunk at the wheel of a state-issued Chevy Suburban and struck a guardrail. She told an investigator that Gutierrez showed up at work the next morning, reeking of booze and with vomit caked on his nose.

(entire article here)

That's right. He showed up for work with vomit caked on his nose. A lesser man who had vomit caked on his nose might take a sick day or two. Heck, just feeling like I might vomit is enough for me to call in sick, let alone having my face encrusted in the stuff.

Sure, Mr. Gutierrez is a sleazeball, but I have to give the devil his due. The guy survives a car accident, has vomit caked on his nose, and still shows up for work the next morning, ready to do the people's business. That's dedication.

FISA Immunity Deal - Tell your Representative to Say NO

2008-04-30T22:41:00.002-04:00

At Firedoglake, Jane Hamsher reports a rumor of a deal in the works between Sen. Jay Rockefeller and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to grant retroactive immunity to administration officials who violated FISA and their accomplices in the telecommunications industry:

According to the ACLU, there is rumor of a backroom deal being brokered by Jay Rockefeller on FISA that will include retroactive immunity. I've heard from several sources that Steny Hoyer is doing the dirty work on the House side, and some say it will be attached to the new supplemental.

At Hullabaloo, Digby adds:

They [the telecom companies] really, really want this to go through. In fact, their insistence is becoming so desperate that there is simply no more reason to doubt they are hiding something. Nobody works this hard if all it would take would be a couple of court cases to publicly clear their names. These corporations must be knee deep in spying on Americans and their corrupt congressional puppets must know it.

Please contact your U.S. representative today, and tell him or her to vote against any legislation that includes amnesty for the FISA violators. The ACLU makes it easy to contact your representative.

Mom's Column

2008-03-31T21:37:00.002-04:00

The Community Press has the latest edition of my favorite elected official's quarterly column. The Clermont County Democratic Party has all of her columns for the last two years, in case you missed any of them.

An Opposing View on FISA

2008-02-24T21:40:00.002-05:00

In this video, an administration spokesman argues for telecom amnesty and continued warrantless wiretapping:

(link via the innominate one at Grylliade.org)

FISA Update: Tell Pelosi and Hoyer to Stand Firm

2008-02-18T22:07:00.002-05:00

Here's the latest action alert from the ACLU:

TELL HOUSE LEADERS: KEEP STANDING UP TO BUSH

We will deliver your letter and comments next week to House Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and representatives who stood up to President Bush.

Please go here to sign the petition.

FISA fight moves to House

2008-02-10T21:40:00.000-05:00

From an e-mail I (along with the rest of the ACLU's mailing list) received from Caroline Fredrickson of the ACLU:

Only bold, decisive action from a sizable bloc of House members -- led by the Congressional Progressive Caucus -- can stop warrantless wiretapping of Americans and telecom immunity from becoming the law of the land.
Tell your representative to oppose telecom immunity and warrantless wiretapping.

Then, because time is short, follow up with a phone call.

If the House caves, a bill that ignores the Constitution, condones overreaching executive branch power grabs and provides immunity to phone companies that sold out our privacy will soon reach President Bush’s desk.

If that happens, you can rest assured that the minute Mr. Bush reaches for his pen, ACLU lawyers will be headed to court. Because wherever this fight leads us, we will not let unconstitutional violations of our due process and privacy rights go unchallenged.

Now, though, is no time to concede defeat in Congress.

Demand your representative uphold the Constitution and the rule of law.

Mom's Column

2008-02-10T21:34:00.000-05:00

My favorite elected official's quarterly newspaper column recently appeared in newspapers throughout southern Ohio, including the (Hillsboro) Times Gazette and the Cincinnati Enquirer. I neglected to link to her September column, but it's still available at the Clermont County Democratic Party's site.

If You're Assaulted in Stark County...

2008-02-03T13:53:00.000-05:00

...you might want to think twice before calling 911.

According to WKYC, Stark County sheriff's deputies responded to an assault call by taking the victim to the Stark County Jail, where she was brutally strip-searched by both male and female deputies and left naked in a cell for 6 hours without medical attention or even a blanket. WKYC has a full report, including chilling video footage of the attack. (Link via The Agitator)

The perpetrators of this outrage report to the Honorable Timothy Swanson (D-North Canton) who, according to the Stark County Board of Elections, has a general election opponent. I almost always vote Democratic, but I can think of at least one Democrat I'd vote against if I lived in Stark County.

FISA Links

2008-01-27T19:35:00.000-05:00

Tim Tagaris of Open Left reports that a cloture vote is scheduled for tomorrow at 4:30 pm:

There will be a cloture vote at 4:30 on Monday. There are two potential outcomes here.
a.) Republicans get 60 votes. In which case, there will only be one amendment pending to the final bill, and that is Feingold/Dodd on blanket warrants, I believe. That will get tabled quite easily (much like Judiciary was today), and then the Intelligence Bill as we know it will get a a vote for final passage.
b.) We stop Republicans from getting 60 votes, and we're right back where we left off today -- with no agreement on whether or not there is a 50 or 60 vote threshold to pass amendments.
Why is this a big deal?
Well, because there are a number of amendments out there that would serve as "poison pills," forcing a presidential veto. One or two of those might even get 50 votes (Feinstein's call to make FISA the exclusive means of electronic surveillance).

Julian Sanchez has more at Ars Technica:

While cloture would pass if it garnered the support of all those who voted to kill the alternative FISA reform bill, produced by the Judiciary Committee, at least some Democrats who crossed the aisle for that vote seem unwilling to close off debate just yet. If cloture is defeated, an extension of the Protect America Act seems likely. Meanwhile, any legislation passed by the Senate must still be reconciled with the RESTORE Act approved in the House last year, which contains provisions establishing tighter restrictions and more oversight on surveillance, and lacks the immunity grant for telecoms.

At Salon.com, Glenn Greenwald notes that victory seems possible:

Even just a two-week or one-month extension will allow more time to marshall the opposition to telecom immunity and a new FISA bill and to do what's possible to encourage the House to stand firm behind their bill -- in exactly the way that the Dodd Delay in December prevented quick and easy resolution. The longer this drags on without resolution, the more possible it is to push the opposition to a tipping point, and sometimes unexpected developments or even some luck (such as McConnell's overplaying his hand on Thursday) can prevent it all from happening.

Please keep the pressure on your senators to do the right thing and kill any bill that provides for telecom immunity or wiretaps without warrants based on individualizes suspicion. Once again, here's a link to the ACLU's action alert.

FISA Update 1/24

2008-01-24T21:58:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Senate voted today to table the Judiciary Committee's version of the bill to amend FISA, thus defeating an attempt to strip the telecom immunity provision from the bill. In looking at the roll call, I noticed a couple of prominent names. Senators Clinton and Obama couldn't be bothered to do their jobs. They were too busy pandering to South Carolinians. If these two won't show up to vote on the most important issue to face the 110th Congress, then I'm wondering why I should show up to vote for either of them.

Please keep the phone calls coming to your senators. The ACLU makes it easy to find your senators' phone numbers, and provides talking points.

FISA Update

2008-01-23T22:42:00.000-05:00

Once again, the Senate is taking up legislation to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and, once again, so-called Democratic Leader Harry Reid is doing all he can to help the other side. Glenn Greenwald has the details.

I don't understand why the so-called Democrats in Congress are so eager to do Bush's bidding on this legislation. According to a poll conducted for the ACLU by the Mellman Group, solid majorities oppose warrantless wiretapping of Americans' international telephone calls and oppose immunity for the telecom companies that helped Bush break the law, yet Reid and company are standing firmly against the will of the people and against the rule of law.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-Ct.) has pledged to filibuster Reid's legislation to gut FISA, and Tim Tagaris, formerly of the Dodd campaign writes " I wouldn't bet on Dodd backing down if a bill contains retroactive immunity."

Senator Dodd's actions on this bill have been admirable, but he needs other senators to back his filibuster. Please call or e-mail your U.S. senators, and tell them to vote against cloture on any bill that allows warrantless wiretaps without individualized suspicion, or that provides for retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies, or both. The ACLU makes it easy to contact your senators.

Additionally, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama need to do their jobs and vote against cloture on the FISA bill. Back in December, Senators Clinton and Obama signed onto a letter supporting Senator Dodd's efforts, but couldn't be bothered to show up for work to vote against cloture because they were too busy shaking hands with Iowans. Please contact Senators Clinton and Obama, and tell them that if they want your presidential vote, they'll be there in the Senate to stop this legislation. Senator Clinton can be contacted here. Senator Obama can be contacted here.

Urgent - Tell your U.S. Senators to Filibuster S. 2248

2007-12-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

Please call your U.S. senators this morning and tell them to vote NO on the cloture motion on S. 2248. Your senators' contact information is available here.

I misjudged Harry Reid. After Congress voted "temporarily" to gut FISA back in August, I merely thought he was weak and useless. But, no. The "Democratic" leader isn't just failing to stand up to the traitors in the Bush administration. He's actively helping them. Glenn Greenwald summarizes:

...there were two competing bills which Reid could have brought to the floor -- the Senate Intelligence Committee version engineered by Jay Rockefeller and Dick Cheney which gives the administration most of what it wants, and the Senate Judiciary Committee, which does not contain telecom amnesty and contains far more extensive oversight protections. Reid could have brought the bill to the floor using whatever process he wanted, and he has decided -- contrary to weeks of assurances -- that the SIC bill will serve as the "base" bill, meaning that improving it (by removing amnesty and increasing oversight) will require 60 votes, rendering such efforts virtually impossible. In doing so, Reid is brazenly ignoring the demands of 14 Senators -- including all of the Democratic presidential candidates -- to have the Judiciary Committee bill be the base bill.

Worse still, Reid is completely disregarding the "hold" placed by Chris Dodd on any amnesty bill -- simply refusing to honor it, even as he respectfully honors literally scores of "holds" from GOP Senators such as Tom Coburn.

Mr. Greenwald further states:

The criticism isn't that Harry Reid is being insufficiently aggressive in opposing the White House. It's that he's doing what he can to support the White House, serving as their key ally. I suppose one option is to cheer on Democrats anyway, no matter what they do. But I can't understand how anyone who actually believes in anything other than partisan power for its own sake would consider that option to be an attractive one.

(entire post here, link via Unqualified Offerings)

Please call your U.S. senators this morning and tell them to vote NO on the cloture motion on S. 2248. Your senators' contact information is available here.

Freedom Cartoons

2007-12-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of cool animated cartoons for Bill of Rights Day:

Links viadead_elvis and Randolph Carter of Grylliade.org.

Happy Holidays!

2007-11-30T23:01:00.000-05:00

December is almost here, and with it, my two favorite holidays. No, not Christmas or New Year's Eve, but Repeal Day and Bill of Rights Day.

Next Wednesday, December 5, is Repeal Day, which commemorates the ratification of the 21st Amendment, which repealed the prohibition of alcohol.

Bill of Rights Day, which commemorates the ratification of the Bill of Rights, is on December 15, two weeks from tomorrow. JPFO has more information on Bill of Rights Day.

Open Letters to Charles Schumer and Chris Van Hollen

2007-10-28T20:23:00.000-04:00

Senator Charles Schumer (D - New York) is the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to the U.S. Senate. Here's a copy of an e-mail message I sent to Senator Schumer:

Dear Chairman Schumer:

Every year I make contributions, totaling several hundred dollars, to various Democratic candidates and committees, including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. However, I was extremely disappointed in the Democratic leadership's bringing the so-called "Protect America" Act to a vote, and Senate Democrats' failure to filibuster it, back in August.

The so-called "Protect America" Act will soon come up for renewal. If Congress sends President Bush a bill that either allows for warrantless wiretapping of Americans without individualized suspicion, or provides retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in Bush's illegal, warrantless wiretapping scheme, or both, then I will not contribute to the DSCC for the 2008 election cycle. Furthermore, I will withhold all contributions from congressional Democrats in general election campaigns, and instead contribute to primary challengers who run against Democrats who vote to gut FISA.

There aren't many issues that are absolutely non-negotiable as far as I'm concerned, but this is one of them. If you want me to continue to contribute to your effort to elect a Democratic Senate, then you will make sure that Congress does not capitulate to Bush on either of these two points.

Sincerely,
Jason Sonenshein

cc:
The Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader
Mr. J. B. Poersch, Executive Director

Senator Schumer's counterpart in the U.S. House is Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Here's a copy of an e-mail I sent to Rep. Van Hollen

Dear Chairman Van Hollen:

Every year I make contributions, totaling several hundred dollars, to various Democratic candidates and committees, including the Democratic Congressionial Campaign Committee. However, I was extremely disappointed in the Democratic leadership's bringing the so-called "Protect America" Act to a vote, and House Democrats' failure to defeat it, back in August.

The so-called "Protect America" Act will soon come up for renewal. If Congress sends President Bush a bill that either allows for warrantless wiretapping of Americans without individualized suspicion, or provides retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in Bush's illegal, warrantless wiretapping scheme, or both, then I will not contribute to the DCCC for the 2008 election cycle. Furthermore, I will withhold all contributions from congressional Democrats in general election campaigns, and instead contribute to primary challengers who run against Democrats who vote to gut FISA.

There aren't many issues that are absolutely non-negotiable as far as I'm concerned, but this is one of them. If you want me to continue to contribute to your effort to elect a Democratic House, then you will make sure that Congress does not capitulate to Bush on either of these two points.

Sincerely,
Jason Sonenshein

cc:
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker
Mr. Brian Wolff, Executive Director

My contributions alone won't matter much to the DCCC and the DSCC. However, there probably are others who believe as I do. If you're a Democratic contributor, or a potential Democratic contributor, and you agree that another FISA cave-in would be a deal breaker, please let Senator Schumer and Representative Van Hollen know.

General Assembly Rushes to Halt Skill Game Emergency

2007-10-15T07:02:00.000-04:00

In its continuing quest to stamp out fun in Ohio, the Ohio House of Representatives approved emergency legislation to ban skill games. Jim Siegel and James Nash of The Columbus Dispatch report:

The Ohio House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to put an immediate end to the proliferation of slot machine-like games in the state.
The bill would ban games with cash payouts or prizes with values of more than $10. It also bans tournaments, such as those for Golden Tee Golf machines, darts or pool, in which the house takes a cut of the proceeds.
[...]
If enacted, the law will be "devastating" to bars and other businesses that draw in customers with pool and dart tournaments and games such as Golden Tee Golf and Silver Strike Bowling, said David P. Corey, executive vice president of the Ohio Coin Machine Association. Many of those bars already are losing business because of the statewide smoking ban, he said.

(entire article here)

But wait, it gets worse. Mr. Nash also reports:

As written, the bill declares illegal any "mechanical, video, digital or electronic device" that pays out any amount of cash or merchandise with a wholesale value of $10 or more. It also bans tournaments in which the house takes a cut of the proceeds.

The restrictions alarm some bowling-alley proprietors, who say it's not hard to conceive of authorities defining a bowling alley as a mechanical device and a tournament purse as a cash payout. Several bowling operators are lobbying state senators to explicitly exempt them from the proposed law.

"This legislation appears to be extending way beyond just the skill-game issue," said Lee Zavakos, who owns a Dayton bowling alley and is an officer with the Bowling Proprietors Association of America. "They claim they're not coming after us, but there's language that's definitely going to hurt us."

Nearly all bowling leagues issue cash prizes to winners, said Jo Dimond, manager of the central Ohio chapter of the U.S. Bowling Conference.

(entire article here)

That's right, under this legislation, nearly all bowling leagues in Ohio could be illegal. This is emergency legislation, meaning that it would take effect immediately and opponents would not have the opportunity to collect signatures for a referendum to repeal it.

Our last chance to stop this legislation may be in the Ohio Senate. No Fun Ohio has an action alert, with contact information for your state senator. However, the correct bill number is 177, not 117, as No Fun Ohio states.* Please call or e-mail your state senator today and ask him or her to vote NO on Amended Substitute House Bill 177. Please also contact Governor Strickland and ask him to veto H.B. 177.

In its rush to curb the gambling menace, the General Assembly is poised to outlaw bowling, dart, and pool tournaments. Meanwhile, the West Virginia Lottery Commission recently approved 24-hour-a-day table game operations at three locations, including two on Ohio's shores.

* Update: No Fun Ohio has since corrected the bill number.

Today is Your Last Chance

2007-10-04T00:33:00.000-04:00

If you're an Ohio voter, today is your last chance to protect Ohio's economy against the loss of a quarter billion dollars of economic activity and 10,000 jobs. It's your last chance to protect your community's power to regulate adult entertainment as it sees fit. It's your last chance to protect the free choice of consenting adults. It's your last chance to protect your neighborhood from the proliferation of residential adult entertainment.

Today is the deadline to sign the petition to allow Ohio's voters to repeal Senate Bill 16. The Buckeye Association of Club Executives has a list of locations where you can sign the petition. If you've not yet signed the petition, please go to one of these places today and sign it.

Last Chance to Stop Senate Bill 16

2007-09-27T22:57:00.000-04:00

It's not looking very good for the referendum to overturn Senate Bill 16. The Plain Dealer reports:

State election officials said Friday that only 125,430 valid signatures had been gathered by the Vote No on Issue 1 Campaign - slightly more than half of the 241,366 needed to make the fall ballot. However, supporters of the ballot push have 10 days from Monday to continue collecting signatures.

"Obviously, those percentages are a lot lower than we had expected," said Sandy Theis, a spokeswoman for the strip club owners pushing for the vote. "I still think we have a very good chance to be on the ballot."

If you have not yet signed the petition, please do so as soon as possible. The Buckeye Association of Club Executives has a list of locations throughout the state where you can sign.

Also, you can download a petition and circulate it among your friends. The Citizens for Community Standards provide instructions. Thanks to the good folks at the Ward 20 Democratic Club who signed my petition this past Tuesday night.

Last Chance to Put It on the Ballot

2007-08-22T22:23:00.000-04:00

If you haven't yet signed the petition to put the Cuyahoga County sales tax increase to a vote, I'll be at the Fairview Park Regional Library from 6:30 to 9:00 pm tomorrow. PutItOnTheBallot.com also has a list of locations where you can turn in outstanding petitions tomorrow.

Put It on the Ballot

2007-08-05T20:25:00.000-04:00

I'm helping to circulate petitions to let the voters decide on the sales tax increase recently passed by the Cuyahoga County commissioners. I'll be at the following west side rapid transit stations from 7:00 am to 8:00 am this week:

Tuesday - W. 150th and Puritas
Wednesday - West Park
Thursday - Trisket

For more locations where you can sign the petition, and for more ways to help, please visit PutItOnTheBallot.com. Any registered Cuyahoga County voter may sign the petition, and any Ohio resident may circulate petitions.

Act Now to Stop Warrantless Wiretapping

2007-08-01T19:48:00.000-04:00

Jame Risen of The New York Times reports:

Under pressure from President Bush, Democratic leaders in Congress are scrambling to pass legislation this week to expand the government’s electronic wiretapping powers.
Democratic leaders have expressed a new willingness to work with the White House to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to make it easier for the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on some purely foreign telephone calls and e-mail. Such a step now requires court approval.
It would be the first change in the law since the Bush administration’s program of wiretapping without warrants became public in December 2005.

This is an outrage. Bush has provided no evidence that his illegal domestic spying scheme has made Americans safer against terrorism, and congressional Democrats appear likely to cave in to his demands. Worse yet, I have not been able to find any details of this legislation. Congress should not rush to pass any legislation amending FISA without allowing citizens to review and comment on it.

Please call or e-mail your members of Congress today and tell them not to rush to enact any legislation that would amend FISA. The ACLU provides talking points and an action alert that makes it easy to find your members' contact information. If you are a liekly Democratic primary voter, please contact Senators Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, and Joseph Biden. These for senators are running for president. Let them know that if they want your presidential vote next year, they will not vote to amend FISA before the August recess.

Hinchey Amendment Update

2007-07-24T22:34:00.000-04:00

According to the Drug Policy Alliance, the Hinchey Amendment is scheduled to come to a vote this week, perhaps as early as tomorrow. The Hinchey Amendment would block funding for federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in states where medical marijuana is legal under state law. If you haven't yet taken action on this, please do so now. Last year's vote on the Hinchey Amendment was the closest ever. Here's an excerpt from the DPA's action alert:

What to Do: Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to speak to your U.S. Representative. If you're not sure who represents you, the operator can tell you. You can also look up your Representative by entering your zip code at the top of the page.

What to Say: Once the operator transfers you to your Representative's office, give the person who answers the following message:

"Hi, I'm a constituent. I'm calling to urge my Representative to vote for the Hinchey medical marijuana amendment to the Commerce-Justice-Science ('CJS') spending bill, which will be voted on this week. This issue is very important to me."

(Hinchey is pronounced Hinchee.)

Then forward this alert to friends and family.

Some Quotes

2007-07-24T22:20:00.000-04:00

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." -Samuel Adams

"The best jockey hinders the horse the least." -Eddie Arcaro

"Democracy means that when there's a knock in the door at 3 am, it's probably the milkman." -Winston Churchill

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." -Jeff Cooper

"The Prohibitionist must always be a person of no moral character; for he cannot even conceive of the possibility of a man capable of resisting temptation." -Aliester Crowley

"When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny." -Thomas Jefferson

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." -Friedrich Nietzsche

Act Now to Stop the DEA's War on Sick Americans!

2007-07-17T22:13:00.000-04:00

At the Drug War Rant, Pete Guither reports that the Hinchey Amendment, which would stop the Justice Department from arresting or prosecuting users and providers of medical marijuana in states where medical marijuana is legal under state law. Please take a few minutes to clikck on one of the following links and tell your U.S. representative to vote yes on the Hinchey Amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill. The Marijuana Policy Project, NORML, and StopTheDrugWar.org all make it easy to contact your congressman via e-mail. If you prefer to make a telephone call, Paulie Cannoli provides the number for the Capitol Hill switchboard, along with a brief telephone script.

Sign the Petition!

2007-07-11T22:32:00.001-04:00

The Buckeye Association of Club Executives has a list of locations where you can sign the petition to overturn Senate Bill 16.

Mom's Column

2007-07-11T22:07:00.000-04:00

My favorite elected official's quarterly newspaper column recently appeared in newspapers throughout southern Ohio, including the Chillicothe Gazette.

Senate Bill 16

2007-06-07T19:25:00.000-04:00

The Ohio General Assembly approved Rep. Lou Blessing's (R-Colerain Twp.) watered down version of Senate Bill 16, and Governor Strickland let it become law without his signature.

Jill Miller Zimon of Writes Like She Talks calls Governor Strickland's action "a mistake." I'm not so sure. I would have liked to have seen the governor stand up to the CCV and their porn-addicted ayatollah, but I think the governor's action here was understandable. The bill passed by veto-proof majorities in both houses. It probably wouldn't have been good for the governor if this had been his first veto override.

At The Audient Files, Audient points out a hilarious loophole in the new law:

(1) No patron who is not a member of the employee's immediate family shall knowingly touch any employee while that employee is nude or seminude or touch the clothing of any employee while that employee is nude or seminude.

(2) No employee who regularly appears nude or seminude on the premises of a sexually oriented business, while on the premises of that sexually oriented business and while nude or seminude, shall knowingly touch a patron who is not a member of the employee's immediate family or another employee who is not a member of the employee's immediate family or the clothing of a patron who is not a member of the employee's immediate family or another employee who is not a member of the employee's immediate family or allow a patron who is not a member of the employee's immediate family or another employee who is not a member of the employee's immediate family to touch the employee or the clothing of the employee.

That's right. The law specifically exempts incestuous touching between exotic dancers and customers. Those Republicans with their family values!

I think the interest groups who opposed S.B. 16 should go for a referendum to overturn it. A Quinnipiac University poll found that 45% of Ohio voters supported the original version of S.B. 16 while 46% opposed it. In a referendum, a yes vote would be required for the new law to take effect, and undecided voters tend to vote no on ballot issues. It probably would be possible to swing public opinion against the new law by pointing out the incest exemption, and the possible proliferation of adult entertainment into residential neighborhoods. A referendum would be expensive, requiring over 241,366 signatures* to get on the ballot, but if opponents can afford it, they stand a good chance of winning.

*I think I figured that correctly. The Constitution requires signatures from 6% of voters to get a referendum on the ballot, and the secretary of state reports that 4,022,754 voters voted in last year's gubernatorial election. 6% of 4,022,754 is 241,366.

Legislative Updates

2007-05-09T22:24:00.000-04:00

Aid Elimination Penalty

Still no news on the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee action on amendments to the Higher Education Act. If you haven't yet taken action on this, here's the action alert from the Students for Sensible Drug Policy. The SSDP also provides more information about the aid elimination penalty.

Senate Bill 16

The Ohio House Judiciary Committee held hearings on Senate Bill 16 today. The Associated Press, via The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Chairman Louis Blessing (R-Colerain Twp.) has doubts about the constitutionality of the bill, and has called the 6-foot distance requirement "ridiculous."
At the Progress Ohio blog, Dave Harding catches the Citizens for Community Values in a lie. I guess the CCV doesn't consider the truth to be a community value.
Aaron Marshall of The Plain Dealer reports that Dennis Roche, president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland has weighed in against S.B. 16, saying that Cleveland would be at a competitive disadvantage with convention locations that have a "progressive attitude toward adults and their ability to make their own decisions."
Thanks to Writes Like She Talks, Brewed Fresh Daily, Really Bad Cleveland Accent, Unsought Input, Framed, guidedbynoises.net, and any other blogs that might have linked to my initial post on S.B. 16.
Finally, if you haven't yet taken action, please contact your state representative, or sign the on-line petition at StopTheHouse.com. Also, please contact Governor Strickland and ask him to veto S.B. 16 if it reaches his desk.

Senate Bill 16 Update

2007-04-30T21:02:00.000-04:00

The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony regarding Senate Bill 16 last Thursday, and is scheduled to hold another hearing on the bill on Wednesday, according to the House Committee Schedule.

Some dancers have formed a group called Dancers for Democracy, which is scheduled to hold a press conference tomorrow morning at 10:00. Progress Ohio has the details.

If you have not yet contacted your state representative, please do so. Stop The House has a petition you can sign. If you prefer to compose your own message, you can find your representative's contact information here. Here are some points to make:

Bad for Neighborhoods: Senate Bill 16 would push adult entertainment out of commercial zones and into residential neighborhoods, where it would be harder to regulate.
Bad for Taxpayers: Adult entertainment generates $250 million in economic activity in Ohio. If local governments lose the tax revenue from this economic activity, some of them will have to make up the shortfall, probably by raising taxes.
Bad for Cities: Local governments already have the power to regulate strip clubs. Senate Bill 16 would take this power away by setting a statewide standard that might or might not be right for each individual community.
Bad for Ohio: For the above reasons, Senate Bill 16 is bad for all Ohioans, including those of us who have no interest in the adult entertainment industry.

Aaron Marshall of The Plain Dealer reports that Governor Strickland has not decided whether to sign or veto the bill. Please contact Governor Strickland and ask him to veto Senate Bill 16 if it reaches his desk. Go here to find the governor's contact information

Aid Elimination Penalty Update

2007-04-25T22:12:00.000-04:00

Last week, I posted an action alert from the Students for Sensible Drug Policy regarding the aid elimination penalty, which bars students with drug convictions from receiving federal student aid. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee is considering an amendment to the Higher Education Act that would eliminate the penalty. According to Pete Guither of Drug WarRant, the committee could vote on the amendment late this week or early next week. Ohio's own Senator Sherrod Brown is on the committee. Here is a complete list of HELP Committee members:

Members:	Members:
Kennedy, Edward (MA) , Chairman Dodd, Christopher (CT) Harkin, Tom (IA) Mikulski, Barbara (MD) Bingaman, Jeff (NM) Murray, Patty (WA) Reed, John (RI) Clinton, Hillary (NY) Obama, Barack (IL) Sanders, Bernard (VT) Brown, Sherrod (OH)	Enzi, Michael (WY), Ranking Member Gregg, Judd (NH) Alexander, Lamar (TN) Burr, Richard (NC) Isakson, Johnny (GA) Murkowski, Lisa (AK) Hatch, Orrin (UT) Roberts, Pat (KS) Allard, A. (CO) Coburn, Tom (OK)

Three names on that list stand out. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are running for president, and Senator Chris Dodd seems to think he's running for president. If you're a likely voter in next year's Democratic primaries or caucuses, please call Senators Clinton, Obama, and Dodd and tell them to vote to repeal the aid elimination penalty. Here's a sample script from the SSDP:

* When the receptionist in your senator's office answers the phone, politely say something like: "My name is [YOUR NAME] and I live in [YOUR CITY]. When the HELP Committee revises the Higher Education Act soon, I hope that the senator will make sure to get rid of the harmful and unfair law that takes away financial aid from college students with drug convictions. This law causes more, not less, drug abuse by blocking access to education."

All senators' offices can be reached through the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Senate Bill 16 - Bad for Neighborhoods, Bad for Ohio

2007-04-23T21:22:00.000-04:00

In this post (link probably NSFW), an adult entertainer by the name of Strippergreyson predicts that Senate Bill 16 would lead to more adult entertainment in private residences:

Well, it looks like a win for private dancers such as myself. The US Supreme Court has already stated that governments cannot ban adult entertainment. All this will do is close clubs and push dancers into private homes.

There is only one problem with that for the CCV. It is understood that constitutional freedoms are even stronger and open to less regulation in a private residence.

Like I said, dancers will flee the clubs like rats from a sinking ship if the money dries up. They will simply follow the money to private parties in private homes.

(link via Technorati)
Strippergreyson is probably right. Vice laws don't make vice go away, they just push it underground or behind closed doors, and S.B. 16 would be no exception. The movement of adult entertainment into private residences is disturbing for a couple of reasons.

First, I seem to remember a recent case out of Durham, North Carolina that involved exotic dancing at a party in a private residence. You might have read or heard something about that case. It attracted a fair bit of media attention.

It would be disingenuous to argue that adult entertainment in a private residence proximately caused the Duke lacrosse debacle. It had more to do with a complainant who lied and a prosecutor who withheld exculpatory evidence. And yet, had the Duke lacrosse players gone to a strip club rather than held a private party, things would have been better for all concerned. First, there would probably not have been any underage drinking. Licensed establishments take the prevention of underage drinking very seriously. Otherwise, they don't stay licensed for long. Second, there would have been a lot of disinterested eyewitnesses around. Third, strip clubs have bouncers, so strip club patrons who get out of hand are removed from the premises.

Another problem with the proliferation of residential adult entertainment that likely would result from Senate Bill 16 is the negative effect on neighborhoods. I don't think I'd want one of my neighbors regularly holding adult entertainment parties in my neighborhood, making noise and taking up all of the street parking. S.B. 16 would make such a scenario more likely than it is now.

You can help prevent the proliferation of adult entertainment in residential neighborhoods. Please tell your state representative to vote NO on Senate Bill 16. Go here to find your representative's contact information.

Act Now to Stop Senate Bill 16

2007-04-19T22:48:00.000-04:00

(Scroll down for update.)

If you live in Ohio, please contact your state representative today and tell him or her to vote NO on Senate Bill 16. It's not just bad for strip clubs; it's bad for all Ohioans. The Ohio General Assembly makes it easy to find your representative's contact information here.

On Tuesday, the Ohio Senate approved Senate Bill 16, which would place new restrictions on strip clubs and other adult entertainment establishments. Aaron Marshall of the Plain Dealer reports:

A bill that would effectively end the strip club world as we know it in Ohio passed the Senate Tuesday afternoon in a 24-8 vote.
Senate Bill 16 was proposed by an initiative petition filed by the Citizens for Community Values, a Cincinnati-area group that successfully pushed the gay marriage ban in Ohio. The bill was approved 7-1 Tuesday morning by the Senate's State and Local Government Committee.

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives. Every Ohioan, even those of us who aren't strip club patrons, should oppose this bill. Here are some points to consider:

The organization pushing S.B. 16 is led by self-proclaimed former porn addict Phil Burress. I guess Mr. Burress has trouble conducting himself responsibly when it comes to sexual matters, and so he figures the rest of us do too. As Aleister Crowley said, "The Prohibitionist must always be a person of no moral character; for he cannot even conceive of the possibility of a man capable of resisting temptation."
The adult entertainment industry generates $250 million per year in Ohio, according to Angelina Spencer, who testified in committee against Senate Bill 16. If this economic activity is eliminated, state and local governments will lose tax revenue, and will probably have to raise your taxes to make up the shortfall. If S.B. 16 becomes law, hold onto your wallet!
Ms. Spencer also stated that adult entertainment employs 10,000 people in Ohio. The last time I checked, Ohio didn't have 10,000 extra jobs waiting to be filled. More excerpts from Ms. Spencer's testimony can be found at the Progress Ohio blog.
At Writes Like She Talks, Jill Miller Zimon attacks S.B. 16 on local home-rule grounds. Ms. Zimon points out that the General Assembly just gave townships the power to regulate strip clubs last August, and now is poised to take that power away by setting a statewide standard.
If S.B. 16 becomes law, an exotic dancer who gets within 6 feet of a customer would be committing a first-degree misdemeanor. Some other first-degree misdemeanors in Ohio are assault, theft, domestic violence, aggravated menacing, and negligent homicide. It's more than a little ridiculous to put a stripper getting too close to a customer in the same league with such fairly serious crimes.
S.B. 16 would be futile. Prostitution is illegal in Ohio, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the advertisements in the back pages of the Scene, the Free Times, or other alternative weeklies. If police can't enforce laws against prostitution, what makes anyone think they'll be able to enforce S.B. 16?
S.B. 16 won't keep Ohioans from attending strip clubs. Ohio strip club customers would just go out of state, just as Ohio casino customers currently do. No part of Ohio is more than half a day's drive away from Canada, which offers not only full-contact exotic dancing (or so I've heard), but also legal prostitution.
And speaking of Canada, take a look at these statistics from the Public Health Agency of Canada and compare them to these statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Canada's rates of most of the sexually transmitted diseases that both agencies report are substantially lower than those in the United States. Additionally, Canada has a lower abortion rate than the United States, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute. While correlation doesn't necessarily imply causation, it would seem that Canada's tolerant attitude toward sex work isn't causing too much harm to the health or morals of Canadians.
Finally, and probably most importantly, if you don't like strip clubs, you don't have to go to them. Consenting adults should be free to choose whether and under what conditions they operate, patronize, or work in strip clubs. The State of Ohio has no business making that choice for its citizens.

If you live in Ohio, please contact your state representative today and tell him or her to vote NO on Senate Bill 16. It's not just bad for strip clubs; it's bad for all Ohioans. The Ohio General Assembly makes it easy to find your representative's contact information here.

UPDATE: Daniel Jack Williamson makes a great point in the comments section on this post at Writes Like She Talks. Mr. Williamson points out how S.B. 16 might actually increase prostitution. As Mr. Williamson states, "Those that support this bill haven't understood that more "restrictive" does not equal more effective." If you're on the fence on this, please read Mr. Williamson's entire comment.

Supreme Court Upholds Federal Ban on "Partial Birth" Abortion

2007-04-18T18:37:00.000-04:00

Mark Sherman of the Associated Press reports:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court upheld the nationwide ban on a controversial abortion procedure Wednesday, handing abortion opponents the long- awaited victory they expected from a more conservative bench.
The 5-4 ruling said the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act that Congress passed and President Bush signed into law in 2003 does not violate a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.
The opponents of the act "have not demonstrated that the Act would be unconstitutional in a large fraction of relevant cases," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion.
The decision pitted the court's conservatives against its liberals, with President Bush's two appointees, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, siding with the majority.

(entire article here)

If you voted for Ralph Nader in 2000, especially if you live in Florida or New Hampshire, I hope you're proud of what you helped to accomplish.

Urgent Action Alert from the SSDP

2007-04-17T23:36:00.000-04:00

Here's an e-mail I received today from the Students for Sensible Drug Policy:

As a resident of OH, you can play a huge role in helping Students for Sensible Drug Policy overturn the harmful and unfair law that strips financial aid from college students with drug convictions.

That's because Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is a member of the committee that will be deciding whether to get rid of or keep the aid elimination penalty THIS WEEK!

Thousands of people from all across the country have taken action in our nearly decade-long campaign to repeal this law, but now you and other supporters in OH can help us ensure victory and reinstate financial aid to hundreds of thousands of students.

There are two easy things you can do to help:

1) Members of the Senate HELP Committee need to hear that constituents like you support repealing the penalty, so please speak your mind by making a phone call to your senator's office today.

* Dial the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. When the operator answers, ask to be connected with the office of Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

* When the receptionist in your senator's office answers the phone, politely say something like: "My name is [YOUR NAME] and I live in [YOUR CITY]. When the HELP Committee revises the Higher Education Act soon, I hope that the senator will make sure to get rid of the harmful and unfair law that takes away financial aid from college students with drug convictions. This law causes more, not less, drug abuse by blocking access to education."

2) Once you've made a call, please take another 30 seconds to follow up by sending a pre-written e-mail to your legislators on Capitol Hill. We've made it as easy as possible for you to help; all you have to do is visit http://www.SchoolsNotPrisons.com/help/ and enter your contact information.

This is our best chance to overturn the aid elimination penalty since it was enacted in 1998, so please forward this message to all your friends and family so they can take action too.

I checked Thomas, which doesn't show any action on this, so I hope I'm not too late. If you live in Ohio, please call Senator Brown's office as soon as possible and tell him to vote to get rid of the harmful and unfair law that takes away financial aid from college students with drug convictions. For those of you in other states, here's a link to the SSDP's action alert.

Using the Dead to Make a Point

2007-04-16T20:41:00.000-04:00

The victims of the shooting earlier today in Blacksburg haven't been dead for a full day, and already Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign to Prevent ~~Self Defense~~ Gun Violence can't wait to use them to score political points. Here's an excerpt from a quote by Mr. Helmke in a Brady Campaign press release:

"...we've done nothing as a country to end gun violence in our schools and communities. If anything, we've made it easier to access powerful weapons.

"We have now seen another horrible tragedy that will never be forgotten. It is long overdue for us to take some common-sense actions to prevent tragedies like this from continuing to occur."

Contrast the Brady Campaign's exploitation of this horrible crime with this statement from the National Rifle Association:

The National Rifle Association joins the entire country in expressing our deepest condolences to the families of Virginia Tech University and everyone else affected by this horrible tragedy.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.

We will not have further comment until all the facts are known.

I'm almost always up for a spirited debate on gun control, but now really isn't the time. Now is the time to mourn the dead and keep those they left behind in our thoughts.

Mom's Column

2007-04-11T20:17:00.000-04:00

My favorite elected official's quarterly newspaper column recently appeared in several fine publications throughout southern Ohio, including the Lawrence Herald and the Community Press.

How Does an Asshole Walk his Dog?

2007-04-02T20:31:00.000-04:00

Go here to find the answer. (link via Brewed Fresh Daily)

The Vice Fund

2007-03-11T23:35:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to something interesting I heard on NPR last weekend. Debbie Elliott interviewed Charles Norton, manager of the Vice Fund, which invests in tobacco, alcohol, gambling and defense companies. Finally, a socially responsible fund I can get behind.

To Serve and Protect Terrorize and Endanger

2007-03-08T23:11:00.000-05:00

Carl Chancellor of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

Georgette Prince was making a quick run to the store last Thursday morning for orange soda and lottery tickets -- a venture that should have been an uneventful five-minute trip but became a terrifying 20-minute ordeal.

The unsuspecting Prince was caught in the storm of a SWAT team raid that had her in fear for her life.

"I thought I was going to be shot. I thought I was going to die," Prince recalled over the weekend as she sat in the living room of her Grace Avenue home.

She said she was just stepping out the front door of Mr. Pantry, a Copley Road convenience store, when her world became a frantic, frightening blur of guns, shouts and shoves of helmeted, armored men with guns.
[...]
Prince said she and her 12-year-old son, Davonte, drove to the store around 10 a.m. He waited for her in the their Jeep as she made her purchases and started back.

"I was holding the pop in my arms and was backing out the door, pushing it open with my back," Prince said.

"The next thing I know, I'm being shoved back into the store and someone is pointing a rifle at me, yelling at me to get back, get back and to get down on the floor."

With the rifle trained on her and an officer clad in helmet and body armor advancing toward her, Prince went to the floor face-down. She said her hands were pulled behind her back and she was handcuffed.

"I was crying and telling them my son was outside in the car," she said.

According to Prince, another customer, a man, ran toward the cooler when officers barged in and she saw the owner of the store at the counter.

"He had a gun on his hip... ," Prince said. "I was just hoping he didn't do anything. I was thinking if the owner made any kind of move, I was going to get killed.

"They (the officers) kept yelling: 'Tell us where the guns and money are.' I was so scared."

Outside the store, Prince's son found himself in an equally frightening situation as he stared down the barrel of a rifle.

"I was just sitting in the car waiting for my mom" when a SWAT officer pointed a rifle at him, Davonte said.

"He was looking at me through the rifle's scope and telling me to get out of the Jeep, get on the ground and put my hands behind my back," Davonte said.

The Perkins Middle School student said he complied and lay on the ground, which was wet from the morning's rain.

(entire article here, link via Hit and Run)

Not only did the sheriff's deputies terrorize Ms. Prince and her son, they also recklessly exposed the Princes, and any other customers who might have been in the store, to unnecessary danger.

[Captain] Roach and [Inspector] Thornton explained that a SWAT entry was used because the "target," the store owner, allegedly had a violent background and carried a gun.

Roach said it was understood that there was "the potential for customers" inside the store.

In other words, the deputies knew of the risk that the suspect would be armed and violent, and they knew of the possibility that customers would be in the store, but they recklessly chose to risk putting those customers in the crossfire between a SWAT team and an armed, allegedly violent, suspect.

The perpetrators of the assaults on Ms. Prince and her son report to the Honorable Drew Alexander, whose contact information is as follows:

Phone: (330) 643-2181

Fax: (330) 434-3513

e-mail: drewalexander@summitsheriff.com

Sheriff Alexander is up for re-election next year.

"First God made the idiot for practice...

2007-02-10T07:34:00.000-05:00

...and then He made the school board." So said Mark Twain. I'm not going to name any names, but watch this video of a Mason Board of Education meeting and see how true Mr. Twain's words still are.

Words of Wisdom from Dennis Kucinich

2007-01-25T21:34:00.000-05:00

My congressman on the drug war:

I have studied the issue for decades and recognize that our "War on Drugs" has failed. In fact, because our War on Drugs drives up the price, it encourages violence. Prohibition simply doesn't work. It only creates thousands and thousands of Al Capones. Prison should be for people who hurt other people, not themselves. We don't jail people for merely drinking. We jail people when they drink and drive or hurt another human.

[...]

The shredding of our rights to privacy and property promoted by the Drug War is inconsistent with a free society. Criminalization of private or self-destructive behavior is not acceptable in a free nation.

(entire statement here, link via StopTheDrugWar.org, via To the People)

Mom's Column

2007-01-10T20:36:00.000-05:00

My favorite elected official's quarterly newspaper column recently appeared in newspapers throughout the Ohio valley, including the Huntington Herald Dispatch. The Clermont County Democratic Party also provides links to my favorite elected official's last four columns.

Act Now to Protect Your Second Amendment Rights

2006-12-11T06:53:00.000-05:00

Governor Bob Taft recently vetoed House Bill 347, which would protect your gun rights against local anti-gun ordinances. The governor's veto was overridden by the House of Representatives and awaits an override vote by the Senate tomorrow. The Buckeye Firearms Association has more.

House Bill 347 answers a very simple question: Who should decide what kinds of firearms you own? You, or your city or village council? If you think that you are smart enough to make that choice for yourself, then please call or e-mail your state senator today, and ask him or her to override Governor Taft's veto of House Bill 347. The Buckeye Firearms Association makes it easy to send your senator an e-mail. If you prefer to make a telephone call, then go here to find your senator's contact information.

Not That You Needed a Reason to Drink, but...

2006-12-05T19:35:00.000-05:00

...Ron Bailey of Hit and Run notes that today is the 73rd anniversary of the end of prohibition. I'm going to go and celebrate now.

Vote Early, Vote Often...

2006-11-06T21:03:00.000-05:00

...vote all the way down the ballot! Especially if you live in Ashtabula, Portage, Summit, or Trumbull County, where there's a low-profile, but nonetheless important race for the Ohio Board of Education between Deborah Owens-Fink and Tom Sawyer. Here's what other bloggers have written about this race.

Yellow Dog Sammy of Ohio 2006:

In yet another descent into mud-slinging by desperate Republican candidates at the end of this election cycle, Debbie Owens Fink (R) is dumping much of her extraordinarily large war chest (about $90,000, incredibly huge for this kind of race) into an ugly and misleading negative campaign of mailers and robo-calls, claiming that Tom Sawyer (D) failed to pay taxes while he was a member of Congress. This distorted charge is debunked in an editorial in the Akron Beacon Journal here...

Ed Brayton of Dispatches from the Culture Wars:

The New York Times reports that a group of 75 scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio has endorsed the candidacy of Tom Sawyer in his race against creationist Deborah Owens Fink for a spot on the Ohio Board of Education. That group includes Lawrence Krauss and Patricia Princehouse. Amusingly, Owens Fink tries to give the idea that she's not really an advocate of ID creationism

Pho of Pho's Akron Pages:

Sawyer will be running against crypto-creationist and charter school honk Deborah Owens Fink. Through nothing but sheer luck and coincidence, I've been privy to much of the backstory as foes of Fink have looked for a champion. A number of university science professors have been actively seeking a candidate since D'Oh Fink led the unsuccessful Intelligent Design charge this past spring.
[...]
I have to give some serious credit to Sawyer for taking this on. He certainly saw the politics as ugly as it gets in the Ohio 13 primary. He is walking into a race that, given the stakes for the players, promises to be plenty ugly in it's own right. Anyone in politics will tell you that elected officials never run for a "lower" office, as a matter of etched-in-granite political law. Sawyer jumping back in this soon after a bruising campaign is a selfless, party-and-principle-first move -- one that makes me doubt some of the street gumbling I heard in the primary.

Last-Minute Notes on Ballot Issues

2006-11-06T18:57:00.000-05:00

Issue 3
Issue 3 is far from perfect. First, it would establish a state-protected oligopoly. Second, it would legalize only slot machines, and give only Cuyahoga County the option of legalizing table games at a later date. Third, as Jill Miller Zimon points out, there are some unanswered questions about the scholarship program that Issue 3 would establish.

Still, for all its flaws, voted yes on Issue 3 earlier today. Sure, I'd rather see an open market for casino gaming, rather than a state-protected oligopoly. I'd also rather legalize full-service casinos, complete with table games and sports books, than just slot machines. But you go to the polls with the gaming amendment you have, not the gaming amendment you might wish for, and I've decided that a state-protected oligopoly is a lesser evil than the complete prohibition of casino gaming that exists under current law.

Vote yes on Issue 3

Issues 4 and 5

If you haven't voted yet, please read this article by Julian Sanchez on the economics of smoking bans. Here are a couple of excerpts:

...it's nevertheless true that a welter of studies have not found a dramatic decline in aggregate hospitality sales in many areas that have enacted smoking bans. In some, business even appears to be up.

Yet aggregate data can be misleading. It may be that aggregate revenue doesn't show a drop in business, but that doesn't mean that particular restaurants aren't hurting. In fact, you can count them. The pattern emerging in nearby Montgomery County is that business is steady or improving in big chains like Ruby Tuesdays, while small independent businesses are taking a hit. In an industry with paper-thin profit margins, those places may eventually have to closeÂa danger that's not visible if you lump together all bar and restaurant revenues, treating them as a mega-business, rather than a collection of separate businesses.

Mr. Sanchez further states:

It seems fairly clear that, at present, the market mix of smoking and non-smoking establishments is suboptimal: It does not yet fully reflect the public's growing preference for smoke free dining and carousing. If we imagine an inverted-U curve, with the relative proportion of smoking and non-smoking establishments on the X-axis and restaurant revenue (and, presumably, customer satisfaction with the available options) on the Y-axis, it's fair to suppose that, at present, localities that permit smoking are well to the left of the optimum, with the mix biased too heavily in favor of smoke-friendly joints. Smoking bans effectively jump the curve, apparently landing at a higher point far to the right of the optimum.

The problem is that, while the market process seeks to approach that optimum over time, uniform prohibition locks in an extreme, almost certainly suboptimal mix. Ironically, an excellent argument for the repeal of these restrictions is provided by the fact that some bar owners have reported with delight that, contrary to their expectations, business picked up in the wake of the ban. Those businesses now know that, given their clientele, a non-smoking policy is optimal for them. The unlucky losers, the bars whose chimneyesque customers have deserted them, discovered the opposite.

Please read Mr. Sanchez' entire article, then vote yes on 4 and no on 5.

Vote Yes on Issue 4. Vote No on Issue 5.

2006-11-06T06:39:00.000-05:00

Here's what I wrote about the smoking ban proposals back in April:

Neither Cleveland nor any of the suburbs in Cuyahoga County has banned smoking in bars and restaurants yet, but that hasn't stopped several establishments from going smoke-free. ... If given a chance, the free market will provide both smokers and non-smokers with drinking and dining options that suit their preferences.

The free market might not get that chance, though. A gang of busybodies calling themselves "Smoke Free Ohio" recently submitted petitions to put the issue of a smoking ban before the Ohio General Assembly. In a rare moment of sanity, the General Assembly appears unlikely to enact Smoke Free Ohio's proposal, the Ohio University Post Online reports, so the issue probably will go to the voters in November.

Meanwhile, the Ohio Licensed Beverage Association is gathering signatures for a saner smoking ban proposal, which, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer, would:

...require lawmakers to ban smoking in public places but exempt certain establishments such as bars, bingo halls, racetracks, bowling alleys and closed-off smoking areas in restaurants, hotels and nursing homes. If the language is certified, the group must collect nearly 323,000 signatures to get it on the ballot.

Ideally, the State of Ohio would not concern itself at all with smoking in privately owned buildings, but the OLBA's proposal looks to be the best way to stop the total ban that Smoke Free Ohio is pushing.

Both issues will appear on the ballot tomorrow. Smoke Free Ohio's proposal is Issue 5. The OLBA's proposal is Issue 4. I still oppose government-imposed smoking bans on moral grounds, but there's also a major practical reason to vote no on Issue 5 tomorrow. Issue 5 would favor upscale and outer suburban establishments.

In the wake of Washington's smoking ban, Sharon Pian Chan of The Seattle Times reported:

The effects of the ban seem to vary widely. In some upscale Seattle bars, the ban has attracted new, nonsmoking customers. But owners of some blue-collar neighborhood joints say their business has fallen by half.

Here on the west side of Cleveland, I live within staggering distance of several blue-collar neighborhood joints, and I'd like to keep it that way.

Then there are the loopholes in Issue 5, which tend to favor establishments in the outer suburbs. First, Issue 5 does not ban smoking in vehicles. In Edmonton, Alberta, some bar owners have taken advantage of a similar loophole in that city's smoking ban by parking buses outside their establishments for the use of smoking customers. There's no reason to think that some Ohio tavernkeepers won't do the same, but where is there room to park a bus outside a bar? Not in Cleveland. Not in inner suburbs like Lakewood and Cleveland Heights.

Another loophole in Issue 5 is the retail tobacco store exception, which allows smoking in businesses that derive more than 80% of their sales from tobacco products. However, § 3794.03 (E) states:

Any retail tobacco store that begins operation after the effective date of this section or any existing retail tobacco store that relocates to another location after the effective date of this section may only qualify for this exemption if located in a freestanding structure occupied solely by the business...

If I owned a bar, and I were losing business as a result of the smoking ban, I might consider building a small building in my parking lot and putting a cigarette machine in said building, making it a retail tobacco store. But where is there sufficient land for businesses to exploit such a loophole? You guessed it, in the outer suburbs.

You can find the full text of the proposed law here.

Not only would Issue 5 be an unjust infringement on property rights, it would also hurt businesses in central cities and favor those in outer suburbs. Vote NO on Issue 5, and vote YES on Issue 4.

Words of Wisdom from Barney Frank

2006-10-15T23:05:00.000-04:00

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) on internet gambling:

If an adult in this country, with his or her own money, wants to engage in an activity that harms no one, how dare we prohibit it because it doesn't add to the GDP or it has no macroeconomic benefit. Are we all to take home calculators and, until we have satisfied the gentleman from Iowa that we are being socially useful, we abstain from recreational activities that we choose?... People have said, What is the value of gambling ? Here is the value. Some human beings enjoy doing it. Shouldn't that be our principle? If individuals like doing something and they harm no one, we will allow them to do it, even if other people disapprove of what they do.

(quoted in Unclaimed Territory). Go here to read more from Glenn Greenwald on the GOP's war on the private sphere.

Vote Early and Vote Often

2006-10-12T18:43:00.000-04:00

Here are pictures, front and back, of a card I received from the Clermont County Board of Elections. It includes helpful information, such as my polling place, the date of the election, and a reminder of the new requirement to bring identification to the polls.

There's just one problem. I don't live in Clermont County. I last voted there in May of 2001, over five years ago. I've been registered to vote in Cuyahoga County since August of 2001, shortly after I moved to Cuyahoga County. Here's a similar card I received a few weeks ago from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections:

How many other Ohioans are receiving invitations to vote in two different counties? Don't you think that maybe our secretary of state should have done something about this? And now Secretary Blackwell wants to be our governor, so he can run the rest of Ohio's government the way he's run our elections for the past eight years.

Internet Gambling Update

2006-10-02T21:28:00.000-04:00

In a last-minute, back-room deal, Congress sneaked provisions designed to make it harder for Americans to gamble on the internet into a port security bill, which passed last Friday night. The Poker Players Alliance's press release has more:

"This last minute deal reeks of political gamesmanship. The American people should be
outraged that Congress has hi-jacked a vital security bill with a poker prohibition that nearly three fourths of the country opposes," said Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance, a grassroots advocacy organization of more than 110,000 poker enthusiasts. "Allowing this bill to become law, would run contrary to public opinion and would damage an already fractured relationship between government and the electorate. The millions of Americans who enjoy playing this great game will have the last voice in this debate come Election Day."

Bolcerek pointed to research which shows that 74 percent of Americans oppose federal
attempts to ban Internet poker.

The PPA also has a brief analysis of the legislation.

At Dispatches from the Culture Wars, Ed Brayton explains why the law will be ineffective:

You can transfer money to Neteller, either directly from your bank account with an online check or wire transfer, or with a credit card, and they will transfer it to the gaming site. If you want to cash out, they pay it in to your Neteller account and you can then transfer it to your bank.

How this new bill will affect Neteller is still up in the air. Neteller, like Paypal, facilitates exchanges for a wide range of things, not just online gaming sites. And because Neteller is an offshore company, located on the Isle of Man, there is no way for the banks or credit card companies to know which money sent to them is then sent on to a gambling site and which money is used for other, non-regulated purchases. The best case scenario is that the banks continue to transfer funds to such services for that reason; the worst case scenario is that they cut off all transfers to such services completely (or Neteller decides on its own that it better not accept transfers from American banks, as some online gambling sites have done).

But even if the worst case scenario comes true, will this really stop money from going to and from the gambling sites? Nope. What will happen is that people will have to transfer those funds to offshore banks in Canada, the Cayman Islands, or elsewhere. As long as there are millions of people wanting to transfer such funds, and willing to pay a 3% charge to do so, someone is going to facilitate those transactions. All this bill will do is force players to build one more intermediate step into the process: send money to an offshore account (such transfers are perfectly legal), then from those accounts to the gambling sites or to Neteller and then to the gambling sites.

At Hit and Run, Nick Gillespie writes:

Arguably the most idiotic element of the new legislation, which would clarify what has been a gray area for a very long period of time, is that everyone involved knows that it's only a matter of time before online gambling is made fully legal in the U.S. As Greg Beato wrote in our May issue, legalized gambling has already moved from the Vegas Strip to Main Street. The question isn't if online gambling will be allowed, only when.

I certainly hope Mr. Gillespie is right. In the meantime, this new law shows the contempt that the Republican-controlled Congress has for its constituents. Not only do the Republicans want your bank to babysit you on behalf of the government, they sneaked this legislation through the back door rather than put it to a full and open debate. As disappointing as congressional Democrats have been in recent weeks, I can't wait to vote a straight Democratic ticket this fall.

Operation Iraqi Freedom, Part XI

2006-10-02T20:29:00.000-04:00

At Grylliade.org, Cicero Salad links to this column by Tom Curley of the Associated Press:

Bilal Hussein, an Iraqi photographer who helped the Associated Press win a Pulitzer Prize last year, is now in his sixth month in a U.S. Army prison in Iraq. He doesn't understand why he's there, and neither do his AP colleagues.

The Army says it thinks Bilal has too many contacts among insurgents. He has taken pictures the Army thinks could have been made only with the connivance of insurgents. So Bilal himself must be one, too, or at least a sympathizer.

It is a measure of just how dangerous and disorienting Iraq has become that suspicions such as these are considered adequate grounds for locking up a man and throwing away the key.

After more than five months of trying to bring Bilal's case into the daylight, AP is now convinced the Army doesn't care whether Bilal is or isn't an insurgent. The Army doesn't have to care. Bilal is off the street, and the military says it doesn't consider itself accountable to any judicial authority that could question his guilt.

But Bilal's incarceration delivers a further bonus. He is no longer free to circulate in his native Falluja or in Ramadi, taking photographs that coalition commanders would prefer not to see published.

(entire article here)

So now we're locking up journalists for taking pictures. Yep, freedom is on the march! How long before our government tries to pull that shit here?

Jon Tester - My Kind of Democrat

2006-10-01T22:19:00.000-04:00

At Freedom Democrats, Logan Ferree links to this account, by Gwen Florio of the Great Falls Tribune, of a recent U.S. senatorial debate in Montana. Here are a couple of quotes from state Senate President Jon Tester, who is challenging incumbent U.S. Senator Conrad Burns:

"I don't want to weaken the Patriot Act, I want to repeal it. What it does, it takes away your freedom ... and when you take away our freedoms, the terrorists have won," Tester said.

He came back to the subject near the end of the debate, when Burns tried to link him to New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, who is, Burns said, pro-gun-control.

"With things like the Patriot Act," Tester said, "We'd damn well better keep our guns."

(entire article here)

Here's a statement from President Tester's website:

Jon Tester believes in freedom first. Under the PATRIOT Act, the FBI could obtain records on every video you ever rented and every book you ever checked out. They can obtain your bank statements and medical records; they can even keep tabs on our guns. What's worse is they can request this information for any reason at all, without your knowledge.

Tester believes we should be fighting terrorists, not invading the lives of innocent Americans. In Washington, Tester will fight for more human intelligence, a greater investment in our Special Forces, and closing backdoors to terrorism like the one left open by the Burns-Abramoff immigration policy in the Marianas Islands.

President Tester sounds like my kind of Democrat. I think he'll get some of the money I had intended to send to Sherrod Brown.

Operation Iraqi Freedom, Part X

2006-10-01T19:00:00.000-04:00

At Ravings of a Feral Genius, Jennifer links to this BBC report:

Torture may be worse now in Iraq than under former leader Saddam Hussein, the UN's chief anti-torture expert says.
Manfred Nowak said the situation in Iraq was "out of control", with abuses being committed by security forces, militia groups and anti-US insurgents.
Bodies found in the Baghdad morgue "often bear signs of severe torture", said the human rights office of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq in a report.
The wounds confirmed reports given by refugees from Iraq, Mr Nowak said.

(emphasis in original, entire article here)

Yep, freedom is on the march!

The Tools He Needs

2006-10-01T18:32:00.000-04:00

Ever wonder how waterboarding works? At DavidCorn.com, Mr. Corn has a description and pictures of an actual waterboard. (link via The Audient Files) No, not one of our waterboards. The waterboard pictured here is in a former prison, now a museum, in Cambodia, and was operated by the Khmer Rouge. That's the company we're keeping now, thanks to Bush and 317 members of Congress, the fucking Khmer Rouge. God bless America.

An Open Letter to the Honorable Harry Reid

2006-09-28T22:04:00.000-04:00

Dear Senator Reid:

Here's a snippet of your speech earlier this evening against S. 3930:

Second, this bill authorizes a vast expansion of the President's power to detain people – even U.S. citizens – indefinitely and without charge. No procedures for doing so are specified, no due process is provided, and no time limit on the detention is set. . . .

History will judge our actions here today. I am convinced that future generations will view passage of this bill as a grave error. I wish to be recorded as one who voted against taking this step.

(quoted by Glenn Greenwald at Unclaimed Territory)

That's great, Senator, really super. My, you're quite the orator. I'll bet you feel really good about yourself for having fought the good fight to defend the rule of law.

But what would have been even better would have been if you and the party you ostensibly lead had had the guts to filibuster this thing.

In my letter to you earlier this week, I wrote that if this bill "...makes it to President Bush's desk, you'll have a hard time convincing civil libertarians like me of the importance of voting Democratic." You and I both know that was just a bluff. I'll vote a straight Democratic ticket, as usual. But, just once, I'd like to be able to vote for the Democrat rather than against the Jesus freak for Pinochet across the aisle.

Sincerely,
Jason Sonenshein

Remember When Conservatives Had a Conscience?

2006-09-27T23:06:00.000-04:00

Andrew Sullivan quotes from Barry Goldwater's book, The Conscience of a Conservative:

Our tendency to concentrate power in the hands of a few men deeply concerns me. We can be conquered by bombs or subversion; but we can also be conquered by neglect - by ignoring the Constitution and disregarding the principles of limited government. Our defenses against the accumulation of unlimited power in Washington are in poorer shape, I fear, than our defenses against the aggressive designs of Moscow. Like so many other nations before us, we may succumb through internal weakness rather than fall before a foreign foe.

If the Republicans were the party of Barry Goldwater, I'd probably be a Republican right now. Sadly, though, the Republicans have become the party of Augusto Pinochet.

Sherrod Brown Let Us Down

2006-09-27T20:39:00.000-04:00

U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Avon) ostensibly wants my vote, but he sure isn't acting like it. Earlier today, Rep. Brown sided with the America-hating Republicans, voting in favor of H.R. 6166, the House version of George Bush's torture bill.

I'll still vote against Mike DeWine this November, but with much less enthusiasm than before. The $50 I had intended to send to Rep. Brown's campaign will go to a more worthy Democrat. It's too bad Lisa Renee of Liberal Common Sense is no longer selling her "F*** Sherrod but I'll still vote for him" merchandise.

Tell Senate Democrats to Grow a Pair

2006-09-26T23:50:00.000-04:00

Last week, Senators Warner, McCain, and Graham capitulated to the Bush administration on the issues of torture and indefinite detention. Today Senators Craig, Murkowski, and Sununu capitulated on the domestic spying bill. Both of these capitulations show that Republicans, even those few Republicans who respect American freedom, can't be counted on to stand on principle. If the domestic spying, torture, and indefinite detention bills are to be stopped, it's up to the Democrats in the Senate.

If you have one or more Democratic U.S. senators, please contact them today and urge them to filibuster any and all legislation that would legalize warrantless domestic spying, torture, or indefinite detention without charge or a fair trial. If you live in a state with a potentially competitive U.S. Senate race, please contact Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Charles Schumer with the same message. Contacting the Congress makes it easy to find your senators' contact information.

Here is the text of an e-mail I sent to Senators Reid and Schumer:

Dear Senator:

Two bills currently under consideration by the U.S. Congress, S. 2453 and S. 3901, threaten the freedom and security of all Americans. S. 2453 would authorize warrantless wiretaps against U.S. Citizens. S. 3901 would abrogate our responsibility under the Geneva Conventions, and would threaten both citizens and aliens alike with indefinite detention without charge.

Not only do these bills threaten our freedom, they also threaten our security. Security doesn't just mean security from terrorism. It also means security from one's own government. While these bills purport to strengthen national security against terrorists, they actually make Americans less secure by giving our government too much power over us.

There are enough Democrats in the Senate to filibuster S. 2453 and S. 3901, and I expect Democrats to stand firm against both bills. If either bill makes it to President Bush's desk, you'll have a hard time convincing civil libertarians like me of the importance of voting Democratic.

Sincerely,
Jason Sonenshein

Downsize DC is focusing its action on Senator Russ Feingold, figuring that if there's a Democratic filibuster, it will probably start with him. This is probably also a good idea. Go here for more information.

Why Does Congress Hate America?

2006-09-26T23:10:00.000-04:00

R. Jeffrey Smith of The Washington Post reports:

Lawmakers and administration officials announced last week that they had reached accord on the plan for the detention and military trials of suspected terrorists, and it is scheduled for a vote this week. But in recent days the Bush administration and its House allies successfully pressed for a less restrictive description of how the government could designate civilians as "unlawful enemy combatants," the sources said yesterday. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of negotiations over the bill.

The government has maintained since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that, based on its reading of the laws of war, anyone it labels an unlawful enemy combatant can be held indefinitely at military or CIA prisons. But Congress has not yet expressed its view on who is an unlawful combatant, and the Supreme Court has not ruled directly on the matter.

As a result, human rights experts expressed concern yesterday that the language in the new provision would be a precedent-setting congressional endorsement for the indefinite detention of anyone who, as the bill states, "has engaged in hostilities or who has purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States" or its military allies.

The definition applies to foreigners living inside or outside the United States and does not rule out the possibility of designating a U.S. citizen as an unlawful combatant. It is broader than that in last week's version of the bill, which resulted from lengthy, closed-door negotiations between senior administration officials and dissident Republican senators. That version incorporated a definition backed by the Senate dissidents: those "engaged in hostilities against the United States."

(entire article here, link via Andrew Sullivan)
This bill threatens all citizens and aliens alike with indefinite detention and torture without charge or trial, on nothing more than the executive branch's allegation that one is an "unlawful enemy combatant." Under the guise of national security, this bill would make us all less secure from our own government.

Andrew Sullivan writes:

Whatever else this is, it is not a constitutional democracy. It is a thinly-veiled military dictatorship, subject to only one control: the will of the Great Decider. And the war that justifies this astonishing attack on American liberty is permanent, without end. And check the vagueness of the language: "purposefully supported" hostilities. Could that mean mere expression of support for terror? Remember that many completely innocent people have already been incarcerated for years without trial or any chance for a fair hearing on the basis of false rumors or smears or even bounty hunters. Or could it be construed, in the rhetoric of Hannity and O'Reilly, as merely criticizing the Great Decider and thereby being on the side of the terrorists?

Act Now to Stop Torture and Warrantless Wiretapping

2006-09-26T06:15:00.000-04:00

Downsize DC has a couple of urgent action alerts regarding torture and warrantless wiretapping. Please contact your members of Congress today and tell them to oppose S. 3901, S. 2453, and H.R. 5825. Downsize DC's petitions make it quick and easy to make your voice heard.

Internet Gambling Update

2006-09-21T21:57:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, I linked to a Washington Post article that reported that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is trying to use the conference committee process to sneak the provisions of H.R. 4411 into a defense appropriations bill. That bill is H.R. 5122.

Please take a minute to look at the list below. If one of your members of Congress is on the list, please take a few minutes to tell him or her not to sneak any restrictions on internet gambling into H.R. 5122. Contacting the Congress makes it easy to find your members' contact information.

Senators:

John Warner (R-Va.)
John McCain (R-Az.)
James Inhofe (R-Ok.)
Pat Roberts (R-Ks.)
Jeff Sessions (R-Al.)
Susan Collins (R-Me.)
James Talent (R-Mo.)
Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.)
John Cornyn (R-Tx.)
John Thune (R-S.D.)
Carl Levin (D-Mi.)
Ted Kennedy (D-Ma.)
Robert Byrd (D-W.V.)
Joe Lieberman (CFL-Ct.)
Jack Reed (D-R.I.)
Daniel Akaka (D-Hi.)
Bill Nelson (D-Fl.)
Ben Nelson (D-Ne.)
Mark Dayton (D-Mn.)
Evan Bayh (D-In.)
Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.)

Representatives:

Duncan Hunter (R-Ca. 52)
Curt Weldon (R-Pa. 7)
Joel Hefley (R-Co. 5)
Jim Saxton (R-N.J. 3)
John McHugh (R-N.Y. 23)
Terry Everett (R-Al. 2)
Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md. 6
Mac Thornberry (R-Tx. 13)
John Hostettler (R-In. 8)
Walter Jones (R-N.C. 3)
Jim Ryun (R-Ks. 2)
Jim Gibbons (R-Nv. 2)
Robin Hayes (R-N.C. 8)
Ken Calvert (R-Ca. 44)
Rob Simmons (R-Ct. 2)
Thelma Drake (R-Va. 2)
Geoff Davis (R-Ky. 4)
Ike Skelton (D-Mo. 4)
John Spratt (D-S.C. 5)
Solomon Ortiz (D-Tx. 27)
Gene Taylor (D-Ms. 4)
Neil Abercrombie (D-Hi. 1)
Martin Meehan (D-Ma. 5)
Silvestre Reyes (D-Tx. 16)
Vic Snyder (D-Ar. 2)
Adam Smith (D-Wa. 9)
Loretta Sanchez (D-Ca. 47)
Ellen Tauscher (D-Ca. 10)
Robert Brady (D-Pa. 1)
Robert Andrews (D-N.J. 1)

H.R. 5295 Update

2006-09-21T21:35:00.000-04:00

The Drug Policy Alliance reports:

The Student Teacher Safety Act of 2006 (HR 5295) would require any school receiving federal funding--essentially every public school--to adopt policies allowing teachers and school officials to conduct random, warrantless searches of every student, at any time, on the flimsiest of pretexts. Saying they suspect that one student might have drugs could give officials the authority to search every student in the building.

DPA supporters and others who opposed this outrageous bill called their members of Congress this week to express their disapproval. However, House leaders circumvented the usual legislative procedure to bring the bill to a quick vote. It did not pass through the committee process, but went straight to the House floor. There, it was passed by a simple voice vote, so constituents cannot even find out how their Representative voted.

The bill moves next to the Senate, but it is unlikely to be considered there this session.

(link via TalkLeft)

H.R. 5295 passed under suspension of the rules, meaning that it required a two-thirds vote. It's disappointing that so few Democrats had the guts to oppose it. However, it's important to remember that under Democratic control, this type of legislation would probably be allowed to die quietly in committee.

This kind of legislation illustrates why federal funding of education is a bad idea. As Mr. Voshell, my high school history teacher often said, "Whence comes money comes control." The search policy that H.R. 5295 would mandate would be tied to federal money. When schools take federal money, they have to play by federal rules.

Please take a few minutes to let your U.S. senators know that you oppose this intrusive, authoritarian legislation. Tell them to vote no on H.R. 5295. Contacting the Congress makes it easy to find your senators' contact information.

Help a Blogger Get Justice

2006-09-21T21:19:00.000-04:00

The Ohio House Republican Campaign Committee illegally used a photograph without the permission of its owner, Jeff Coryell, AKA Yellow Dog Sammy, of the Ohio 2006 Blog. Now, Mr. Coryell asks for your assistance in his copyright infringement suit against the OHRCC:

Meanwhile, I need to monitor what TV stations are broadcasting the Ohio House Republican Campaign Committee attack ad against Matt Lundy on behalf of Rep. Earl Martin in the 57th Ohio House District. If you have seen this ad, please let me know the station on which it aired by leaving a comment to this post, or by emailing me at yellowdogsammy-at-hotmail-dot-com.

Urgent - Don't Let Congress Strip Search Students

2006-09-18T19:38:00.000-04:00

The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote tomorrow on H.R. 5295. Please call your U.S. representative now and urge him or her to vote NO on H.R. 5295. The Drug Policy Alliance makes it easy. So do the Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

According to Students for Sensible Drug Policy,

The so-called "Student and Teacher Safety Act of 2006" (H.R. 5295) would make it easier for teachers and school administrators to search students' lockers and bags for drugs and other contraband. SSDP needs your help to make sure that this bill never becomes law.

H.R. 5295 would allow school officials to search dozens or even hundreds of students based on the mere suspicion that just one student brought drugs to school. This kind of justification allowed police officers to storm a high school in Goose Creek, SC, in 2003, forcing dozens of students to the ground and pointing guns directly at their faces during a misguided raid in which no drugs were found.

This bill is nothing more than another attack on the constitutional rights of young people by the federal government. Students should never have to check their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse door.

According to the Drug Policy Alliance:

Imagine an America in which school officials could strip search every student in their school based on the unsubstantiated tip that one of them might have a joint. Congress is voting on a bill Tuesday or Wednesday that could make these police state tactics more common.

We can stop Congress in its tracks, though. Call your representative RIGHT NOW and tell them to vote against this dangerous bill.

If you don't know who your House representative is, simply call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and give them your address. They'll connect you directly with your representative's office.

Please call your U.S. representative now and urge him or her to vote NO on H.R. 5295. The Drug Policy Alliance makes it easy. So do the Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

Remember that if you live in Ohio, as I do, you effectively have two U.S. representatives in addition to your own. U.S. Reps. Ted Strickland (D-Lisbon) and Sherrod Brown (D-Avon) are running statewide, and need the votes of all Ohioans. Therefore, they should listen to you. Congressman Strickland's telephone number is 202-225-5705. Congressman Brown's telephone number is 202-225-3401.

Finally, the main sponsor of this legislative abomination, U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis (R-Kentucky 4), is in a tight race for re-election. If you've had enough of Rep. Davis' authoritarianism, you can find out how to help his opponent, Ken Lucas.

Internet Gambling Update

2006-09-14T21:52:00.000-04:00

Please take a few minutes today to contact your U.S. senators and urge them to oppose H.R. 4411, or any legislation that contains the provisions of H.R. 4411. The Poker Players Alliance makes it easy, providing a sample letter and easy access to your senators' contact information.

Nancy Zuckerbrod of The Washington Post reports:

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is trying use a bill authorizing U.S. military operations, including in Iraq and Afghanistan, to prohibit people from using credit cards to settle Internet gambling debts.

Frist, R-Tenn., and his aides have been meeting with other lawmakers and officials in both the House and Senate to get the measure attached to a compromise Defense Department authorization bill, according to a Senate GOP leadership aide.

[...]

The bills authorizing defense programs are: S.2507 and H.R.5122.

(entire article here, link via Dispatches from the Culture Wars)

Another Domestic Spying Update

2006-09-14T21:34:00.000-04:00

Please contact your members of Congress today and tell them to reject any bill that would legalize warrantless wiretapping. The ACLU makes it easy to find your members' contact information, and provides a sample letter. So does Downsize DC.

At Unclaimed Territory, Glenn Greenwald reports:

Sen. Harry Reid participated in a conference call with a dozen or so bloggers this afternoon. For the first question, I asked him about the Specter bill -- specifically, what the Democrats' strategy was for preventing its enactment (I wanted to wait until the second question but I couldn't contain myself).

Sen. Reid stated flatly and unequivocally -- and I'm paraphrasing -- that the Specter bill was not going anywhere, that it would not be enacted. I then asked him how he could be so certain about that -- specifically, I asked where the 51 votes against the Specter bill would come from in light of the support it enjoys from both the White House and at least some of the ostensibly "independent" Republicans, exacerbated by the fact that all 10 Republicans on the Judiciary Committee voted in favor of it yesterday (at least they voted in favor of sending it to the Senate floor).

In response, Sen. Reid explained that our system does not allow every bill to be enacted simply because a majority supports it, that Senate rules allow minority rights to be protected, clearly alluding to a filibuster. Indeed, as part of that vow, Sen. Reid specifically referenced the fact that in the Senate, one does not need 50%, but only 40%, to block the enactment of a bill. He explained that rule existed to protect minority rights. When I asked him expressly whether the Democrats are committed to filibustering the Specter bill if doing so is necessary to defeat it, he said he thought that would not be necessary, but repeated that they would make sure the Specter bill did not become law. He was unequivocal about that a second time.

(entire post here)

This is great news, but the Specter bill isn't dead yet. Remember the cave-in on the re-authorization of the so-called USA "Patriot" Act after a few minor changes were made earlier this year. If you have one or more Democratic senators, now is the time to call them and urge them to stand firm in opposition of any bill that would legalize warrantless wiretapping. The ACLU makes it easy to find your members' contact information, and provides a sample letter. So does Downsize DC.

Domestic Spying Update

2006-09-13T21:31:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post reports:

House leaders moved yesterday to temper many of the controls that a bill headed toward rapid passage would have imposed on the Bush administration's program for wiretapping terrorism suspects without court approval.

The bill, set for Judiciary Committee consideration today, would have forced the administration to seek a warrant for surveillance within 60 days and bolstered consultations with Congress on the program. But last-minute changes pushed by senior Republicans may allow warrantless surveillance to largely continue without those controls. Instead, House Republican leaders brought their bill in line with legislation agreed to by the White House and the Senate, which would allow but not require the administration to submit the program to a secret court for a constitutional review.

[...]

"I do not think it is our intent to . . . 'rein in' the NSA," said House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).

(entire article here, link via The Gun-Toting Liberal)

Meanwhile, in the Senate (also from The Washington Post):

A Senate committee today approved a bill supported by President Bush that would enable the administration to continue a warrantless wiretapping program that the White House launched after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The approval came after Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee blocked an amendment by Democrats that would have limited Bush's eavesdropping program and required the National Security Agency to report more often to Congress on its surveillance activities.

(entire article here, link via The Gun-Toting Liberal)
You can read the entire text of the House bill to legalize warrantless wiretapping, H.R. 5825, here, and of the Senate bill, S. 2453, here.

The Post also reports:

A competing measure, written by Flake and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), another committee member, would effectively end warrantless surveillance by insisting that a FISA court warrant remain the exclusive means to conduct domestic surveillance. It would also clarify that Congress's authorization of the use of force after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks was in no way meant to authorize warrantless wiretapping, and it would require disclosure to Congress of information on all Americans subjected to the surveillance.

That bill, H.R. 4976, is currently in the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. You can find the full text here.

Please contact your members of Congress today and tell them to reject any bill that would legalize warrantless wiretapping. The ACLU makes it easy to find your members' contact information, and provides a sample letter. So does Downsize DC.

First, They Came for the Mariachis...

2006-09-07T20:54:00.000-04:00

Those bastards! What'll they ban next?

H.R 4411 Update

2006-09-07T20:33:00.000-04:00

Internet News reports that H.R. 4411, which would invade your financial privacy and censor the internet in a probably futile attempt to crack down on internet gambling, is a priority for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tn.):

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist targeted a ban on Internet gambling as a top priority for the U.S. Senate in the waning days of the 109th Congress.

With little more than 20 working days left before the November mid-term elections, the Senate faces a crowded agenda including 13 different funding bills to keep the government functioning when its new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have a tentative Oct. 9 adjournment date.

(entire article here, links via Dispatches from the Culture Wars and The Agitator)

At The Agitator, Radley Balko writes of congressional Republicans, "These buffoons really do want to control every facet of your life. I hope they get absolutely slaughtered come November."

Ed Brayton of Dispatches from the Culture Wars comments: "Great idea. Let's take away people's rights and extend governmental authority, and let's not even debate it, just slide it in under the door." In another post, Mr. Brayton writes:

I've reached the point where, for the first time in my life, I'm ready to vote for one of the major parties. I'm thinking seriously about voting Democratic this fall and in 2008, regardless of who is actually running, simply because the constituent groups that the Democrats have to please are less frightening to me than the constituent groups the Republicans have to please.

I couldn't agree more with Mr. Balko and Mr. Brayton. If you haven't already done so, please take a few minutes today to contact your U.S. senators and urge them to oppose H.R. 4411. The Poker Players Alliance makes it easy, providing a sample letter and easy access to your senators' contact information.

"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session," Part III

2006-09-06T22:46:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple of legislative threats about which I posted previously. Please take a few minutes to urge your members of Congress to oppose these threats to your liberty. Go here to take action against H.R. 1415 and here to take action against H.R. 4411. For more information, read on.

H.R. 1415

Back in July, I linked to the Gun Owners of America action alert on H.R. 1415, which is currently in the House Judiciary Committee.

According to the GOA, H.R. 1415, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) would require states to "make electronically available to the Attorney General records relevant to a determination of whether a person is disqualified from possessing or receiving a firearm under [federal law]" [Section 102(c)(1)(A)].

The GOA's action alert further states:

Obviously, this starts with a huge computer network of felonies and misdemeanors -- with the FBI trolling through records of bar fights or domestic disputes to determine if you spanked your kids or yelled at your husband and are therefore disqualified from owning a gun under the Lautenberg amendment. Congress should be repealing the Lautenberg gun ban, not extending it to disable even more people from owning guns.

But the problem goes much broader than that:

* Federal law prohibits illegal aliens from owning guns [18 U.S.C. 922(g)(5)]. But, in order to identify illegal aliens, "relevant" records could mean that the FBI would demand state tax returns of ALL American citizens, employment records, or even library records -- all in the name of making sure that you're not an illegal.

* And did you know that veterans who have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder have been deemed as mentally "incompetent" and are prohibited from owning guns under 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(4)? Records of those instances certainly exist; and, in 1999, the Department of Veterans Administration turned over 90,000 names of veterans to the FBI for inclusion into the NICS background check system.

You can read the full text of H.R. 1415 here.

The Gun-Toting Liberal has more on H.R. 1415. So does David Codrea of The War on Guns.

Please contact your U.S. representative today and urge him or her to vote NO on H.R. 1415. The GOA's Legislative Action Center makes it easy to find your representative's contact information, and provides a sample message. Just go here, then enter your ZIP code to find your members' contact information.

H.R. 4411

Back in July I linked to the Poker Players Alliance action alert on H.R. 4777. Since then a similar bill, H.R. 4411, passed the House of Representatives. H.R. 4411 is currently on the Senate calendar. You can read the full text of H.R. 4411 here.

Perhaps the most frightening aspect of H.R. 4411 is that it would force internet service providers to block access to certain websites, thus setting the dangerous precedent for Red Chinese-style internet censorship in America.

Please take a few minutes today to contact your U.S. senators and urge them to vote NO on H.R. 4411. The Poker Players Alliance provides a sample letter and makes it easy to find your senators' contact information.

"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session," Part II

2006-09-04T09:23:00.000-04:00

The Congressional recess was fun while it lasted, but Congress will soon be back at work, threatening your life, liberty, and property. Over the next few days, I'll tell you about some legislative abominations that are working their way through Congress, and what you can do to help stop them.

S. 2453

Senate Bill 2453, a so-called "compromise" bill sponsored by Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), would legalize President Bush's illegal, warrantless, domestic spying scheme. I would provide a link to the text of S. 2453, but Thomas reports that it has not yet been received by the Government Printing Office.

At Salon, Glenn Greenwald examines the details of S. 2453, and finds that:

In reality, Specter does not want to amend the mandates of FISA so much as abolish them. His bill makes it optional, rather than mandatory, for the president to subject himself to judicial oversight when eavesdropping on Americans, in effect returning the nation to the pre-FISA era. Essentially, the president would be allowed to eavesdrop at will, precisely the situation that led to the surveillance abuses of the Nixon White House and J. Edgar Hoover's FBI.

Mr. Greenwald further states:

Beyond its impact on those pending cases, the Specter bill would virtually ensure that all legal questions relating to warrantless eavesdropping -- including the question of whether warrantless eavesdropping violates the Fourth Amendment's requirement of probable-cause warrants for all searches -- be decided by the FISA court, which means that 1) only one side would be present in court to argue these issues (the Bush administration) and 2) all proceedings, including the decision itself, might very well be secret.

Mr. Greenwald's entire article is available here, free of charge if you sit through a brief advertisement first. Mr. Greenwald also has more about the NSA scandal at his blog, Unclaimed Territory.

The ACLU's action center makes it easy to take action against S. 2453. Go here to find telephone numbers for your members of Congress. The ACLU also provides talking points:

The recent terror plot exposed in the United Kingdom highlights the need to make sure our anti-terrorism resources are focused on al Qaeda operatives and not wasted on innocent Americans who have done nothing wrong.
Please oppose Senate bill S. 2453, which would enshrine in federal law the president's claim of inherent, exclusive power to wiretap Americans at will without a warrant or any independent check. It's like the Patriot Act on steroids.
It would also empower government spies to capture and read any emails you send, as long as the government does not know whether all the recipients are physically located in the U.S.
Also oppose S. 2455, which also would make judicial review of each individual wiretap optional, destroying our fundamental Fourth Amendment rights.
Supporters claim this bill is "surveillance we can live with," but the fact is Cheney-Specter vastly expands the government's power to spy on Americans without any individualized warrant, and allows a secret court to rubberstamp surveillance without even knowing the names of Americans to be spied on or whether they've done anything wrong.

If you prefer to contact your elected officials via e-mail, Downsize D.C. makes it easy to to so.

Please take a few minutes to contact your members of Congress and tell them to oppose S. 2453.

"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session."

2006-08-29T20:02:00.000-04:00

That old saying has been attributed to Mark Twain, Gideon J. Tucker, and probably others. Whoever said it first, it still holds true today. Here's an excerpt from a commentary, by Amity Shales, that I heard on Marketplace last Friday:

They call it the Congressional Effect: the fact that Wall Street does better in periods like August, when Congress is on holiday. And not just somewhat better.

Nearly all the gains in the Dow over a century have come when Congress was on holiday. That's what two scholars, Michael Ferguson and H.D. Witte, recently demonstrated. The S&P 500 also shows a strong correlation between Congressional breaks and gains.

The market fears Congress and so tends to keep its head down when Congress is sitting.

You can read or listen to Ms. Shales' entire commentary here.

M___f_ing Lobsters on a M___f_ing Plane!

2006-08-29T19:26:00.000-04:00

From NPR, here's an interesting interview with Tony Jabbour, general manager of a company that sells lobsters to passengers in the Halifax airport.

Are British Drug Warriors Objectively Pro-Hezbollah?

2006-08-24T21:01:00.000-04:00

From the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs:

Israeli forces report finding night vision equipment manufactured in the UK in the possession of Hezbollah forces in Lebanon. News accounts indicate that the equipment was sold by the UK to Iran and was intended to "bolster Iranian efforts to combat heroin smuggling across the Afghan border as part of the UN Drug Control Program."

(entire article here, link via The Volokh Conspiracy)

The Branch of the Linden is Leafy and Green

2006-08-23T19:12:00.000-04:00

This column, by Arthur C. Brooks, which appeared in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, has attracted a lot of attention from the blogosphere. Professor Brooks writes:

Simply put, liberals have a big baby problem: They're not having enough of them, they haven't for a long time, and their pool of potential new voters is suffering as a result. According to the 2004 General Social Survey, if you picked 100 unrelated politically liberal adults at random, you would find that they had, between them, 147 children. If you picked 100 conservatives, you would find 208 kids. That's a "fertility gap" of 41%. Given that about 80% of people with an identifiable party preference grow up to vote the same way as their parents, this gap translates into lots more little Republicans than little Democrats to vote in future elections. Over the past 30 years this gap has not been below 20%--explaining, to a large extent, the current ineffectiveness of liberal youth voter campaigns today.

(entire column here )

Does this mean that we'll be ruled by social conservatives in our old age, as these Republican children reach maturity? I'm skeptical.

If this trend has been going on for the past thirty years, that would mean that voters under the age of thirty would tend to vote Republican, right?

Well, most polls indicate just the opposite. A George Washington University poll of 18-30 year olds found that "...more young voters say they are Democrat than Republican (39% to 31%)." A Pew Research Center poll released earlier this month found 18- to 29-year-old voters to be less likely than their older counterparts to hold conservative opinions on social and cultural issues. In 2004, CNN's exit poll found that 56% of voters under the age of 30 voted for John Kerry.

As these youngsters age, and vote in greater numbers, I don't think they'll give the Democrats too much to worry about.

Quick Links (Security Panic Edition)

2006-08-17T20:19:00.000-04:00

Recommended reading on the latest terror plot and the ensuing panic:

Ron Bailey of Reason magazine, puts your risk of dying from terrorism in perspective.

Also at Reason, Jacob Sullum critiques the new TSA security rules.

At Wolfesblog, Silver makes a good point about a previous liquid bomb attack on an airliner.

Glenn Greenwald of Unclaimed Territory refutes the claim that the liquid bomb plot shows the need for President Bush's illegal, warrantless domestic spying scheme.

Jennifer of Ravings of a Feral Genius laments the demise of the Fourth Amendment. She also makes a good point about all the supposedly potentially dangerous liquids that were confiscated from passengers.

At Boing Boing, Mark Frauenfelder asks "If the liquid could be explosive, why are you dumping it in a crowd?" (link via As Ohio Goes)

Finally, some words of wisdom from Bruce Schneier (link via Battlepanda):

And if you want to know what you can do to help? Don't be terrorized. They terrorize more of us if they kill some of us, but the dead are beside the point. If we give in to fear, the terrorists achieve their goal even if they were arrested. If we refuse to be terrorized, then they lose -- even if their attacks succeed.

Operation Iraqi Freedom, Part IX

2006-08-09T22:07:00.000-04:00

It seems that Saddam Hussein's rape rooms have been re-opened under new management. Here's a link to audio of a report I heard on NPR's Morning Edition last week. Jamie Tarabay interviewed women serving time or awaiting trial in Iraqi prisons and jails. Several of the women report being raped by Iraqi police or tortured into giving false confessions.

These are the people our government helped put into power, and whom our government continues to prop up. Yep, freedom is on the march!

"Or Some Other Candidate?" (Part II)

2006-08-08T22:39:00.000-04:00

I'd have a lot more faith in these Survey USA polls (link via Buckeye State Blog) if they didn't give the respondents the option of selecting "some other candidate." The filing deadline for independent candidates was back in may, so no "other candidate" will appear on the ballot.

Races of the Week, Part II

2006-08-06T07:55:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I promised selections for the Clement Hirsch Handicap and the Haskell Invitational. I also mistakenly identified the Haskell as a handicap race. It always used to be a handicap. When did they change it?

Invasor came through for me yesterday in the Whitney, and in the Hirsch, I'll bet another Argentine import. Star Parade has been winning every other race lately. She likes today's distance of a mile and a sixteenth, and she has tactical speed. The Daily Racing Form provides free past performances.

My selection in the Haskell is Deputy Glitters. Deputy Glitters has tactical speed, and appears to like a two-turn mile and an eighth. Equibase and the Form provide free past performances.

Finally, this is the last "Races of the Week" post here at Leave Us Alone. No, I'm not quitting. I've decided to spin off the weekly horse racing selections into a new blog, The $2 Window. Over there, I'll continue to post weekly selections, and some other stuff relating to racing and gambling. Next week, I'll see you at the $2 Window.

Races of the Week

2006-08-05T08:03:00.000-04:00

It looks like I've started a new streak. Last week, both of my selections finished out of the money again. Sunriver finished last in the Jim Dandy Stakes and Carthage was fifth in the Bing Crosby Handicap. I'll try to break my losing streak this weekend.

This week, the Daily Racing Form's races of the week are the Whitney Handicap, to be run today at Saratoga and the Clement Hirsch Handicap, to be run tomorrow at Del Mar. Equibase's race of the week is the Haskell Invitational Handicap, scheduled for tomorrow at Monmouth Park.

My selection in the Whitney is Invasor. I'm still marveling at the impressive move he made to come back and win the Pimlico Special a couple of months ago. The Daily Racing Form provides free past performances.

I'll post my selections for tomorrow's races later today or early tomorrow morning.

It's Hot Outside. Blame the Mayor

2006-08-01T17:57:00.000-04:00

Here's an item from Andrew Warner's latest litany of grievances against Mayor Mark Mallory (D-Cincinnati):

"And while utility bills and a scorching heat wave are beating the every day person down, Mayor Mallory has offered no relief."

Apparently Mr. Warner wants a mayor who can control the weather. I think that might require a charter amendment.

Security

2006-07-30T23:02:00.000-04:00

Two years ago, I had occasion to attend a street fair in downtown Cleveland, sponsored by the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland. When I got there, I saw that attendees were required to go through a metal detector. At the time, I thought this was ridiculous. I mean, who puts metal detectors at a street fair?

Well, after reading about this horrible crime, perpetrated Friday in Seattle by a self-proclaimed "Muslim American, angry at Israel," I find the JCF's security concerns to be a lot more understandable.

I still think the metal detectors were ridiculous. The lines of unarmed people waiting to go through the metal detectors would have provided a target-rich environment for anyone looking to kill Jews. Still, I now think the JCF's security concerns were perfectly understandable.

Races of the Week

2006-07-29T09:25:00.000-04:00

The streak is over. My selections both finished out of the money last week. Lemons Forever ran fourth in the Coaching Club American Oaks and Live Life finished sixth in the John C. Mabee Handicap. I'll try to rebound this weekend.

The Daily Racing Form's races of the week are the Jim Dandy Stakes, scheduled for today at Saratoga and the Bing Crosby Handicap, scheduled for tomorrow at Del Mar. The Jim Dandy is also Equibase's race of the week.

In the Jim Dandy, I think I'll go with Sunriver. Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez, who train and ride Sunriver, teamed up to win two stakes races at Saratoga last weekend. Preakness winner Bernardini will probably be the heavy favorite, and he certainly looks formidable, but the three consecutive improvements in his Beyer speed figure indicate that he'll probably regress off of the 113 he ran in the Preakness. Also, Bernardini's connections are likely looking ahead to the Travers Stakes in a few weeks, and using the Jim Dandy as a prep. The Form provides free past performances.

My selection in the Crosby is Carthage. Carthage and Bordonaro are both coming into this race off of long wining streaks. Bordonaro will likely be the favorite, but I think Carthage will hold on for the win. The DRF provides free past performances.

Quick Links

2006-07-29T08:38:00.000-04:00

At Michael J. Totten's Middle East Journal, Mr. Totten has a heartbreaking post on the situation in Lebanon.

Former DNC Press Secretary Terry Michael has a good column in The Washington Times calling for an end to the drug war. You can read more from Mr. Michael at TerryMichael.net.

Overkill, Radley Balko's paper on paramilitary police raids, is available for sale at the Cato Institute's site. It is also available as a free download. Mr. Balko also has put together an interactive map showing the locations of botched paramilitary raids on American homes and businesses.

At Reason, Ron Bailey tells of an appalling invasion of medical privacy by the New York Department of Health and Mental hygiene:

In January 2006, the city's health bureaucrats began implementing a surveillance program that will eventually include nearly all of the city's 530,000 diabetics. In the current issue of Science, Columbia University professor of sociomedical studies Amy Fairchild, writes, "If New York comes to serve as a model, public health surveillance will take on a radical new form, entailing a reconfiguration of the relation between public health and medicine."

New York's radical new surveillance system requires mandatory electronic reporting of the glycosylated hemoglobin A1c values of all diabetics tested by all city laboratories to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOH).

(entire article here, link via Hit & Run)

Jennifer, one of my favorite commenters at Hit & Run and Grylliade, finally has her own blog, Ravings of a Feral Genius.

Finally, I don't know what's funnier, this satirical editorial from The Onion, or the fact that an uptight anti-choicer took it seriously. (link via Hit & Run)

Races of the Week

2006-07-22T09:24:00.000-04:00

I couldn't have done much better last weekend. I had three winners from three selections. Go Between won the Virginia Derby, paying $8.60 to win, $4.20 to place, and $3.60 to show. Deputy Glitters won the Ohio Derby, paying $10.20 to win, $5.20 to place, and $3.20 to show. Silver Train won the Tom Fool Handicap, paying $3.60 to win, $2.60 to place, and $2.10 to show. Meanwhile, in the Princess Rooney Handicap, Dubai Escapade showed why I don't bet 1-5 shots.

This week, The Daily Racing Form's races of the week are the John C. Mabee Handicap at Del Mar and the Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont, both to be run today. The Mabee is also Equibase's race of the week. I'll try to keep my three-race winning streak and eight-race in-the-money streak going.

None of the fillies in the Coaching Club American Oaks has gone a mile and a quarter before, so, as in the Kentucky Derby and the Queen's Plate, I'll have to look at the Tomlinson ratings and pedigrees and hope for the best. I think I'll go with Lemons Forever. Teammate and Sugar Shake will put a lot of pressure on each other, setting a fast pace. Lemons Forever showed that she can close, coming from last place to win the Kentucky Oaks in May. She's a daughter of 1999 Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid, so distance shouldn't be a problem. The Form provides free past performances for the Coaching Club American Oaks.

In the Mabee, I think I'll pick Live Life. Live Life finished second to Memorette in last month's Beverly Hills Handicap. Memorette is also in this race, but I think the pace will be more favorable for Live Life today. The Form provides free past performances for the John C. Mabee Handicap.

Vive le Sterling Heights Libre

2006-07-17T21:05:00.000-04:00

How often have you thought that what your hometown needs are language police like they have in Québec? Believe it or not, that's what at least one council member in Sterling Heights, Michigan is advocating. The Detroit News reports:

In May, Councilwoman Barbara Ziarko asked the city's attorney to prepare an ordinance that would require businesses with foreign language signs to have identifiers such as "bakery" or "grocery" included. Fire Department officials were working on a similar requirement at the time, and the city now plans to address the issue through an amendment to the fire code.

Ziarko and Fire Chief John Childs said their concern was public safety.

People passing by the site of a fire or other emergency are better able to inform dispatchers about the location if they can read the signs, they argued.

Almost immediately, critics raised concerns that the proposal was racist and inflammatory during a time of national debate over immigration.

Childs said he has grown frustrated by the perception that the issue has anything to do with race.

"This is about response time," he said.

(entire article here)

I'm skeptical of the public-safety argument. If the address is clearly marked, response time doesn't seem like it should be affected. If foreign signs affect response time, insurance companies would charge higher premia to businesses without English signs, thus incentivizing businesses to include English on their signs without the heavy hand of government.

Aside from the free speech and property rights issues, I can think of a few other problems that this ordinance could cause. Would cafeterias and cantinas have to be re-branded as "coffee shops" and "taverns?" What's the English word for pizzeria? Would Tim Hortons have to put the apostrophe (which it removed to satisfy the Québec language police) back into its logo?

The ACLU of Michigan is urging Sterling Heights to reject the ordinance.

And more importantly, at The Petition Spot, you can sign a petition to put the apostrophe back into Tim Hortons.

Races of the Week

2006-07-15T08:29:00.000-04:00

Last week, Relaxed Gesture finished third in the United Nations Stakes, paying $2.60 to show. Starting with Malakoff in the Queen's Plate, I've had five consecutive selections finish in the money. In retrospect that would have been a nice show parlay, but wagering decisions are not made in retrospect.

This week, the Daily Racing Form's races of the week are the Princess Rooney Handicap, to be run today at Calder, and the Tom Fool Handicap, to be run tomorrow at Belmont Park. Equibase's race of the week is the Virginia Derby, to be run today at Colonial Downs.

Dubai Escapade looks like the prohibitive favorite in the Princess Rooney. She'll probably win, but at too short a price to bet her. I'll pass that race. The Form provides free past performances for the Princess Rooney.

In the Virginia Derby, I'll bet Go Between. Last month in the Colonial Turf Cup, Kip Deville got an uncontested lead, but was passed in the stretch by Showing Up. Go Between closed to within 3/4 length of Kip Deville for third. Today, they'll go 1/16 mile farther. I think that will be enough for Go Between to catch Kip Deville. Steppenwolfer is the morning line favorite, but was unimpressive in his only start on the turf. The Form provides free past performances for the Virginia Derby.

My selection in the Tom Fool is Silver Train. Silver Train likes Belmont Park and has tactical speed. The Form provides free past performances for the Tom Fool Handicap.

At the Tim Woolley Racing site, Alex continues to provide updates on Barbaro's condition. Everyone is hoping for a miracle.

Today is also Ohio Derby day at Thistledown. In the Ohio Derby, I'll bet Deputy Glitters. Thistledown provides free past performances for all Ohio Derby nominees, though only six colts were entered. There are three other stakes races on the undercard, and the Ohio ~~Numbers Racket~~ Lottery Commission is giving free t-shirts to the first 5000 patrons. Maybe I'll see you there.

Operation Iraqi Freedom, Part VIII

2006-07-13T22:34:00.000-04:00

You might have heard or read a story like this one, from CNN, about Iraqis using fake identification cards to avoid sectarian violence:

"I got a fake ID card to protect myself from the Shiite militias who are deploying in Baghdad and hunt Sunnis at fake checkpoints," said Omar Abdul Rahman, a 22-year-old university student. He refused to give the name on his fake ID.
The growing use of fake IDs reflects the spike in violence between Sunnis and Shiites since the February 22 bombing of a revered Shiite mosque in Samarra. The attack triggered reprisal killings of Sunnis and pushed the country to the brink of civil war.

(entire article here, link via Wolfesblog)

At Wolfesblog, Claire Wolfe makes a good point about the fake ID story:

ONCE AGAIN, GOVERNMENT ID CARDS AID KILLERS. It happened in Rwanda, where tribal classifications on government-issued cards enabled Hutus single out Tutsis for slaughter. Now, in Iraq, Shiites are identifying Sunnis by the names on their mandatory government IDs and singling them out for death. Sunnis have done the same in reverse.

...

The linked article (sent by Jon Ford of Paladin Press, my new editor) never even mentions the word "mandatory," never even asks the basic question: Why are people carrying any document that might get them murdered? Do we take it so much for granted now that everyone on earth must carry government ID?

So the new, "free" Iraqi government forces its citizens to carry identification, even if it could get them killed. Yep, freedom is on the march!

Urgent - H.R. 4777 Update

2006-07-08T13:05:00.000-04:00

Click here to take action against H.R. 4777.

Kate Phillips of the New York Times reports that H.R. 4777, which would crack down on internet gambling, will come to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives this summer:

Gambling opponents are pushing for bills to put teeth into enforcement. In the House, proponents of a crackdown merged two bills. The majority leader, Representative John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, announced a few days ago that the measure would be voted on this summer as part of what the Republicans call their American Values Agenda.
The odds of a bill's becoming law this year appear long. Beyond that, nearly everyone agrees that online betting may be unstoppable because of the reach of the Internet and the difficulty in regulating its activity.
David O. Stewart, an analyst and a lawyer who produced a study of online gambling for the American Gaming Association, a client of his firm, paraphrased an adage used by the Supreme Court in a campaign finance case, saying: "Money, like water, will find its way. And I really think that applies to this. The money will find a way to get to the offshore sites."

(entire article here)

At The Agitator, Radley Balko writes:

Because the bill effectively deputizes banks to sniff out and eradicate gambling among their customers (the creepy privacy implications there ought to kill this bill by themselves), it amounts to a piece of blatantly protectionist legislation, in that its practical effect will be to shield a domestic company (PayPal, which is owned by eBay) from foreign competitors like FirePay and Netteller.

Mr. Balko has more about the privacy and trade implications of a ban on internet gambling here.

At To the People, Cicero calls for a boycott of EBay until it reverses its position on H.R. 4777.

The Poker Players Alliance makes it easy to contact your members of Congress regarding H.R. 4777, providing a sample letter. Go here to take action. You can also join the Poker Players Alliance. Your $20 membership fee gets you a lapel pin and a t-shirt.

Races of the Week

2006-07-07T20:49:00.000-04:00

Last week, all three of my selections finished in the money. Invasor won the Suburban Handicap, paying $4.50 to win, $3.10 to place, and $2.50 to show. Three Hour Nap finished second in the Cornhusker Handicap, paying $12.20 to place and $9.40 to show. Ready to Please finished third in the New York Handicap, paying $3.30 to show. A flat $2 across-the-board bet on all three of my selections would have yielded a net profit of $17.00. However, a flat $ 2 win bet on all three selections would have yielded a net $1.50 loss.

This week, the Daily Racing Form's races of the week are the Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap at Hollywood Park and the United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park. The Hollywod Gold Cup is also Equibase's race of the week.

I don't see how they can beat Lava Man in the Gold Cup. However, I also don't see how he can go off higher than 3 to 5. At such a short price, I think I'll pass the race. The DRF provides free past performances for the Gold Cup.

Fortunately, Governor Corzine and the New Jersey legislature reached a budget compromise in time for the U.N. Stakes. My selection in the U.N. is Relaxed Gesture. Cacique, Relaxed Gesture, and English Channel are all coming out of the Manhattan Handicap, in which they finished first, second, and fourth, respectively, all within a half length of each other. Relaxed Gesture was hurt by a very slow pace in the Manhattan, but managed to close to within a head of Cacique. I think Relaxed Gesture should benefit from a faster pace Saturday, and the extra eighth of a mile won't hurt either. The DRF provides free past performances for the U.N. Stakes.

Leave Us Alone!

Happy New Year

Please vote NO on Issue 5!

Mom in the News

Celebrate Constitution Day with the ACLU!

Accountability Now

Mom's Column

Urgent: Act Now to Stop the FISA Capitulation!

Tell Your State Senator to Vote NO on House Bill 545

There's Something I Kind of Have to Admire about Anthony Gutierrez

FISA Immunity Deal - Tell your Representative to Say NO

Mom's Column

An Opposing View on FISA

FISA Update: Tell Pelosi and Hoyer to Stand Firm

FISA fight moves to House

Mom's Column

If You're Assaulted in Stark County...

More FISA Links

FISA Links

FISA Update 1/24

FISA Update

Urgent - Tell your U.S. Senators to Filibuster S. 2248

Freedom Cartoons

Happy Holidays!

Open Letters to Charles Schumer and Chris Van Hollen

General Assembly Rushes to Halt Skill Game Emergency

Today is Your Last Chance

Last Chance to Stop Senate Bill 16

Last Chance to Put It on the Ballot

Put It on the Ballot

Act Now to Stop Warrantless Wiretapping

Hinchey Amendment Update

Some Quotes

Act Now to Stop the DEA's War on Sick Americans!

Sign the Petition!

Mom's Column

Senate Bill 16

Legislative Updates

Senate Bill 16 Update

Aid Elimination Penalty Update

Senate Bill 16 - Bad for Neighborhoods, Bad for Ohio

Act Now to Stop Senate Bill 16

Supreme Court Upholds Federal Ban on "Partial Birth" Abortion

Urgent Action Alert from the SSDP

Using the Dead to Make a Point

Mom's Column

How Does an Asshole Walk his Dog?

The Vice Fund

To Serve and Protect Terrorize and Endanger

"First God made the idiot for practice...

Words of Wisdom from Dennis Kucinich

Mom's Column

Act Now to Protect Your Second Amendment Rights

Not That You Needed a Reason to Drink, but...

Vote Early, Vote Often...

Last-Minute Notes on Ballot Issues

Vote Yes on Issue 4. Vote No on Issue 5.

Words of Wisdom from Barney Frank

Vote Early and Vote Often

Internet Gambling Update

Operation Iraqi Freedom, Part XI

Jon Tester - My Kind of Democrat

Operation Iraqi Freedom, Part X

The Tools He Needs

An Open Letter to the Honorable Harry Reid

Remember When Conservatives Had a Conscience?

Sherrod Brown Let Us Down

Tell Senate Democrats to Grow a Pair

Why Does Congress Hate America?

Act Now to Stop Torture and Warrantless Wiretapping

Internet Gambling Update

H.R. 5295 Update

Help a Blogger Get Justice

Urgent - Don't Let Congress Strip Search Students

Internet Gambling Update

Another Domestic Spying Update

Domestic Spying Update

First, They Came for the Mariachis...

H.R 4411 Update

"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session," Part III

M___f_ing Lobsters on a M___f_ing Plane!