Rove's Political Activity Being Investigated By Feds

It looks like Karl Rove is in trouble again. Until now, he has been the "teflon" man, with none of his criminal activities "sticking" enough to get him booted out of the government. Maybe this is the investigation that finally gets him!

The Office of Special Counsel verified yesterday that it is investigating the actions of White House aides in the last election. The head of the agency verified that Rove is a central figure in the investigation. This small federal agency has repsonsibility for investigating violations of the Hatch Act, which prevents the coercion of federal employees.

During the time leading up to last year's election, White House aides made presentations to several federal agencies, asking them to find ways to support Republican candidates. Some members of the General Services Agency complained this was coercive, thus kicking off this official investigation.

Scott Bloch, head of the U. S. Office of Special Counsel, promises, "We will do a thorough job. We will not leave any stone unturned. We will be fair, we will be impartial, and we will be thorough."

Bloch says they are investigating whether the Republican actions by Rove and other White House aides violated the Hatch Act by using government resources for partisan political activity, coercing government employees to engage in political activity, or using "official authority or influence" to affect the outcome of an election.

While I am hoping this is the investigation that finally nails Rove for his criminal behavior, I suspect that he will once again put the blame on a subordinate, and survive yet again to commit future crimes.

Also, although Bloch has assured us the investigation will be thorough, he is a Bush appointee and Republicans have never been very good at investigating themselves.

But until Rove slithers his way out, I can always hope and dream.

Will Katie Awards Be Continued ?

It looks like Elizabeth Albanese may have done more damage to the Katie Awards than originally thought. The Katie Award was once regarded as a prestigious accolade for those lucky enough to win one, but now many respectable news organizations in the six-state area (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana) are wondering if the awards even have a future.

Winners at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram are planning to return their awards, and the Associated Press is considering doing the same thing. The managing editor of the Houston Chronicle says a recent Katie is not something their reporters would put on a resume.

Other large news organizations such as the Austin American-Statesman, The Oklahoman and the Arkansas Democrat are considering withdrawing their participation in the annual awards event.

This is very bad news for the Katie Awards, given annually by the Dallas Press Club. If these large news organizations refuse to submit entries, the future of the Katies would be very much in doubt. In fact, the Dallas Press Club has not decided whether to hold the 2007 awards or not.

It seems that Ms. Albanese may have rigged more than just the 2006 awards. The Dallas Press Club is now also investigating whether the awards were also rigged by Albanese in 2005 and possibly 2004 also. So far, they have been unable to find who the judges were for any of these three years.

As for Albanese, it seems that she received as many as 10 Katie Awards over this three year period! Is there anyone out there who believes she won 10 of the awards in a fair and impartial judging? I doubt it.

It also now comes out that she had used for personal purposes about $10,000 of the Dallas Press Club's money, which she has now paid back. It has also been confirmed that she has a criminal history of fraud and theft. She has claimed to have a Harvard degree (not true) and claimed to be a former New York Times reporter (also not true) among numerous other false claims.

I have to wonder just how she came to be in such a position of power with the Dallas Press Club. You wouldn't need to be a great investigative journalist to find these things out - most of them could have been uncovered with a few phone calls.

But that aside, she was put in that position of power, and her self-congratulatory dishonesty may have destroyed a once honored and prestigious award. It's just a damn shame!

Huh?

The winds in Amarillo are once again making me wonder why I moved up here. I'm about sick and tired of eating my hair (why does it always go straight for my mouth?). Two weeks ago, we had an evening of 90 mph winds, uprooting trees and de-roofing some homes. Last Sunday, the thunderstorms made their windy contribution to our little city. Today, they are blowing at a steady 30 mph with gusts up to 42 mph.

I went outside a few minutes ago for a smoke break. While attempting to find the perfect position to stand in without having dust and bugs fly into my eyes as well as trying to keep my cig lit and my hair out of my mouth (not an easy position to find, let me tell ya), I see a man walk around the corner toward me. He has one hand on top of his head keeping his hat in place, and in the other hand...a leaf blower.

After doing a double take, I look at jobsanger and said, "Did I just see a guy carrying a leaf blower on a day like this?"

He looks at the man and laughs, "Talk about a exercise in futility!"

"Um, yeah!"

Thinking that he couldn't possibly be using it, I quickly forgot all about it.

I'll be damned if the same man didn't come arount the other corner a couple of minutes later, aiming his now turned on leaf blower at the sidewalk, which had not one single leaf on it.

Okaaaaaaay.

College President Asks Students To Commit Suicide

Paige Patterson is the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. I knew he wasn't the brightest bulb on the college president christmas tree, but now it looks like he's completely lost his mind.

At last Wednesday's chapel service, he told the SBTS male students that if something happened on their campus like the shootings at Virginia Tech, he expected them to "charge the shooter", sacrificing their lives if neccessary.

This is nothing more than asking his students to commit suicide. A committed shooter with two loaded semi-automatic pistols can easily take out a whole classroom charging at him. A college president does not have the right to demand his students act in a suicidal manner.

Many students at Virginia Tech did act bravely and saved classmates, by blocking doors and kicking out windows to help classmates escape. I applaud their actions. But no one has the right to demand someone charge a loaded gun.

Patterson should resign immediately. If not, then if a shooter ever comes on his campus, Patterson should put a bullet thru his own empty head. It is only right that we should expect him to commit suicide as he has demanded that his students do.

What a moron!

Wiccan Religion Wins Battle Against U.S. Gov.

The Wiccan religion has won its court battle with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The Wiccans had sued the VA to allow its believers in the U.S. military to have the symbol of their religion placed on their headstones when they died. The American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State had backed the Wiccans in their court battle.

The VA said they had agreed to the court settlement in the interest of the soldier's families, and to save the American taxpayers the cost of further litigation. This means the Wiccan symbol, a five-pointed star, will join 38 other symbols that have been approved by the VA to put on the graves of American soldiers.

Rev. Barry Lynn, director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said, "This settlement has forced the Bush Administration into acknowledging that there are no second class religions in America, including among our nation's veterans."

There are currently 11 requests pending for the Wiccan symbol to mark the graves of American soldiers. The VA says these requests will be honored within 14 days.

This is a victory for religious freedom in America. In a truly free country, citizens should be allowed to practice the religion of their choice, or choose not to practice any religion at all. The government should not interfere. It has no business telling Americans that any religion or religious symbol is not approved.

These soldiers honored America with their military service. It was wrong for the U.S. Government to dishonor their memory by denigrating their religion. The VA was right in its decision to stop the court battle and recognize the Wiccan symbol.

This small victory for Wicca is a huge victory for all Americans.

Texas 3rd In Donations For 2008 Presidential Race

Even without a home-grown candidate in the race, Texas is proving to be a contribution-rich place for donations to those in the race for the 2008 presidential nomination for both parties. So far, Texas is the third largest contributor.

In the recent past, Texas donations have leaned heavily in favor of Republican candidates, but that is not true this year. Republicans have raised about $4.1 million, but Democrats have nearly equaled that by raising $3.9 million.

This is how the top five states break down according to the Center for Responsive Politics:

California.............$19,794,009

New York.............$18,205,240

Texas....................$8,076,240

Florida.................$6,625,101

Illinois.................$5,860,058

There are four Democratic candidates that are doing much better than the rest of the field here in Texas according to the CRP. This is how Texas donations look for Democratic candidates:

John Edwards..........$1,495,075

Hilary Clinton..........$1,233,254

Barack Obama..........$695,289

Bill Richardson........$396,946

Christopher Dodd....$53,525

Joseph Biden............$35,647

Dennis Kucinich.......$2,480

Mike Gravel..............$135

As you may know, I am a Bill Richardson supporter. While I am gratified that he is in the top four and getting some good money from Texas, the West Texas numbers look especially good for Richardson. In the areas of Texas that know him best, Richardson is leading all candidates in donations.

This makes me think that Bill Richardson has a really good chance of making up a lot of ground when the debates start, and he is able to get his message out to a wider audience. Here are the combined totals from the West Texas cities of Abilene, Amarillo, El Paso, Fort Worth/Arlington, Lubbock and Midland/Odessa:

Bill Richardson........$127,996

John Edwards..........$50,880

Hilary Clinton..........$18,775

Barack Obama..........$10,514

Dennis Kucinich......$205

A "Prayer" From James Randi

I submit the following "prayer" from skeptic James Randi in response to President Bush's prayer to a "loving God", regarding the massacre of 32 innocent people on the campus of Virginia Tech. This response can be found at Randi's own website, dedicated to exposing fraud and foolishness.

I agree with every word Mr. Randi has written.

To God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, God of Abraham, Jehovah, whoever or whatever:

God, You in Your omniscience – You know everything, past present and future – and also in Your omnipotence – You can do anything You want to do – why, 23 years ago, did You create this deluded man Seung-Hui Cho, then allow him to buy the guns, go to the Virginia Tech campus, and slaughter all those students and faculty? That took long-term planning, determined intention, and careful nurturing of Cho’s delusions and hatred, by You. God, what’s “loving” about that? Our President may labor under the delusion that such an act somehow shows Your “loving” nature, but in my admitted ignorance, I cannot see that. Help me to understand.

Or was this – forgive my suggestion, God – yet another failure of Your Intelligent Design, along with tobacco, cancer, spina bifida, and Crohn’s Disease?

A better plan, God – in my humble opinion – would have been to prevent that horrendous, senseless, slaughter, and then You would have had no reason to have to “comfort” those parents, friends, fellow-students and so many others who will now have to do without the delight of knowing these beautiful people. You see, God, You could have saved the lives – and futures – not only of those 32, but of Mr. Cho, as well! This deranged young man, angry and desperate, reacted to a society he felt was opposing him. He murdered 32 persons because he felt he had to, in answer to impulses he could not control. But You, Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, etc., etc., could have intervened – “omnipotent,” remember? – and there would be far less sorrow in our nation today.

Why did You do this to us? The figures show us that most of us believe in You, believe in Your loving nature, and appeal to You for Your comfort even after You have decided to allow tragedies such as this to happen; doesn’t that count? Personally, I don’t believe in You, but don’t the numbers count?

God, I’m sure that Dr. Richard Roberts, president of Oral Roberts University, speaks for You when he says, “…there’s no doubt that this act was Satanic in origin." He calls Cho's recently-revealed writings, “just words,” which he says are “one of Satan’s tools to bring about Man’s destruction.” Now, this fits the Christian idea of demonic possession, which says that human existence is predicated on the narrative of Man’s Fall from Grace in the Garden of Eden, and that wherever there is good, Satan is trying to destroy it.

Please, God, try to get Your act together, or there may be fewer people out there willing to appease a jealous, callous, vindictive, cruel, obviously insecure deity such as Yourself. And what would You do then?

God only knows…

Airline Unions Deserve Our Thanks

American Airlines followed through on their promise to screw their rank-and-file employees last week. While their employees work for reduced pay (which they agreed to in an effort to save the airline from bankruptcy), American rewarded these employees by using their reduction in pay to finance huge bonuses for management.

The five top executives at American Airlines split about $20 million, while 874 other executives and managers split another $160 million. This is a real slap in the face for the employees who sacrificed to save the airline by agreeing to work for severely reduced pay.

Now the airline wants these workers to continue working for less while management gets richer off their sacrifices. It's no wonder that the airline unions are protesting this outrage! If they let the company get away with this, they will be marginalized forever and forced to work for ridiculous wages.

But these unions are fighting the corporation, and I believe they will continue the fight when union contracts start coming up for renewal next year. That is why I say we owe these unions our thanks. The airlines are not the only corporations trying to get away with this kind of selfishness.

Corporations all over America are treating their workers like crap while rewarding management with ever larger bonuses. Corporations seem to think there are two classes of people in their organizations - the "real" people in management who deserve to get rich, and the "peons" who do the work and deserve as little as management can get away with paying them.

The airline unions are taking a stand not only for themselves, but for all of America's working people. We need to remember this next year if the unions decide they must strike. Workers all over this country need to step up and back these workers when the time comes.

We need to take what the airline unions have started, and spread it all over this country. It is time to let the corporations know that workers are not going to stand for the abuse any longer!

Scandal Brewing With Katie Awards ?

For the last 48 years, the Dallas Press Club has been honoring the best journalists in a six-state area (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana) with an award called the Katie. It's kind of like a regional version of a Pulitzer.

In the past, this has been considered a very prestigious award and can result in a career boost for those receiving the award. Now it looks like there may be a scandal brewing over last years awards.

Tom Stewart, current president of the Dallas Press Club, says, "I am now of the opinion that the 2006 judging was bogus." Stewart believes that past president, Elizabeth Albanese, didn't bother to appoint impartial judges, but just gave the 2006 awards to whoever she wanted (including 4 awards to herself).

Albanese wound up with Katies for:

Best Speciality News Reporting

Best Investigative Reporting

Best Business News Story

Best Business Feature Story

It does look kind of strange that the person who organized last year's banquet and awards, and was responsible for picking the judges, wins more awards than anyone. But it doesn't stop there.

The Dallas Press Club has commissioned a group of former reporters, headed by Hugh Aynesworth (former bureau chief of the Washington Times). They asked Albanese for a list of all the judges, but only received seven names and e-mails. No one recognizes any of the names, and e-mails to them have not been answered. Aynesworth said, "We've never heard of them. We've e-mailed them. We've tried to call them. We've Googled them. They are suspect, let's put it that way."

Albanese has been unable to come up with the names of any judges that can be contacted. She said she sent entries to the New York City and Washington, D.C. press clubs, but both say they never received any entries to judge. She was also unable to come up with any UPS receipts showing she sent the entries anywhere. What was her excuse? "I guess I was sloppy."

But it's now looking like it goes much farther than sloppiness. Many members now believe she didn't send the entries to any judges, but just chose the winners herself (including her own four Katies). She has put a black mark on the organization and their awards.

This is a real shame. Most journalists don't get paid all that much, and a Katie means an awful lot to the recipients. I feel sorry for the rest of 2006's winners. Their award will be suspect now, whether they deserved it or not.

Going Out Of Town

My employer is sending me out of town for the next couple of days. I won't have access to a computer, so I won't be able to do any posts until at least Saturday.

But this is only temporary! Should be back to regular posting this weekend.

Bush To Veto Cheaper Drugs For Elderly

Why do Republicans hate old people?

Democrats were set to begin a debate Tuesday on allowing Medicare to negotiate cheaper drug prices with drug companies. I can understand why the huge drug companies don't want this to happen - it would cut into their exorbitant drug profits. After all, they can now charge the elderly whatever they want. They don't seem to care whether the elderly can afford their overpriced drugs or not.

But why are Republicans opposing a move that would result in cheaper drugs for America's elderly? Do they just not care whether the elderly can afford to buy their medication or not? Or is it that they have sold their souls (and their votes) to the huge drug conglomerates.

Bush has threatened to veto the bill if it survives the Senate. He says that's because it would make little difference in the price of drugs. Once again he shows that he thinks that Americans are stupid. Does he really believe that if Medicare could negotiate cheaper drug prices, that drug prices would not be cheaper? No one could believe that - he's just trying to protect the outrageous profits of his corporate buddies.

Other Republicans say it is not neccessary because the current Medicare drug plan is working so well. If you believe that, then you don't know anyone who has to depend on Medicare. Just ask those on Medicare if the program is working well. They'll tell you the program is a mess and almost impossible to understand.

We used to respect the elderly in this country and tried to help them. But since the Republicans came to power that has changed. All they want is ever larger corporate profits, and the elderly be damned.

Personally, I don't think allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices goes far enough, but it is a good start and would lead to cheaper drug prices.

I would have thought the Republicans were in enough trouble in the upcoming election with their support of the war. It's certainly not going to help them to now oppose cheaper drugs for the elderly.

Do you suppose they're making so much from the drug companies that they don't care about getting re-elected? Or maybe they're making so much they think they can buy the election?

Bush Still Refuses To Accept Reality About Iraq

Bush and Cheney are evidently still unwilling to accept the reality of the situation in Iraq. Bush is still threatening to veto the Iraq spending bill that sets a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. He wants another $100 billion to conduct an unpopular and open-ended war.

Bush says he is willing to talk to Democrats about the bill, but will not negotiate. He says he will not talk about a timetable and will not discuss the extra funding in the bill (much of it concerning improved benefits for veterans).

I have to ask, what is the point of having the talk at all? If he is not willing to discuss any of the points in contention, then the talk would be pointless. But this is what Bush always does. It is how he tries to conduct "diplomacy" as well. He says he is willing to talk, but only if you first agree with him on all points. That's not discussion, negotiation or diplomacy - it's a demand for unconditional surrender!

It's time Bush, and his cohort Cheney, realized that his support is almost non-existent. A huge majority of Americans now oppose our involvement in Iraq's civil war (even if it was started by Bush). A huge majority of people outside this country also agree that it is time we withdrew from Iraq. They consider our misadventure in Iraq to be one of the greatest threats to world peace.

I'm not even sure why he wants to stay in Iraq anymore. It's certainly not to protect the Iraqi people. If that is the supposed reason, then we're doing a very poor job of it. The Iraqis know we're not there for their protection, and they want us to leave.

The Sunnis have always wanted us to leave, and now the Shiites agree with them. This may be the only thing they can agree on, but both groups want us out of their country. The most popular Shiite leader in the country has withdrawn his support of the government in an attempt to get America to set a timetable for withdrawal.

So if we're not there for oil (as Bush and Cheney claim) and we're not there to protect the Iraqis (as the Sunnis and Shiites both believe), then why are we still there? Evidently we are there just to prevent further embarrassment to Bush and Cheney. They know that Iraq will go down in the history books as a black mark against them unless they can either pull off a miracle (extremely unlikely) or pass the problem to a new president (and hopefully the blame also).

Personally, I don't think Bush's attempt salvage his reputation is worth the life of a single American soldier. The Iraqis want us out. The world wants us out. The American public wants us out.

It is time to get out of Iraq!

Thinking Of Virginia Tech

Tonight our thoughts are with the students, staff and teachers of Virginia Tech University. Today their campus was attacked by a depraved coward. This coward killed 32 people and wounded many others.

I call him a coward because that's what I consider him to be. It certainly takes no courage to attack unarmed, innocent and defenseless people with a firearm. Then after the attack, he again showed his cowardice by committing suicide.

As a gunshot victim myself, I can understand the pain and terror experienced by the victims of this senseless crime. I wish the suvivors a speedy and full recovery, but I know they will be haunted by this terrible experience for many years to come.

I have seen today that some are already parceling out blame for this horrible crime. That is wrong. The administration of VT is not responsible for this crime. The security department of VT is not responsible. The gun laws of Virginia are not responsible.

There is only one person responsible - the craven coward who did the shooting. It would be nice to know why he did it, but personally I'm just glad he's dead.

Our condolences and best wishes go out to the good people of Virginia Tech University.

Dallas Morning News Opposes Death Penalty

Opponents of the death penalty have just gained a powerful new ally. Yesterday, the Dallas Morning News changed its editorial opinion and came out against the death penalty. This is important because the Morning News is not only one of the largest newspapers in the state, its editorial board is generally regarded as one of the most conservative.

This new and important voice against the death penalty does not come from the liberal end of the political spectrum (where there are many death penalty opponents). No one could accuse the Dallas Morning News of having any liberal tendencies. In the past, the Morning News has been one of the staunchest supporters of the death penalty.

Why did they change their position? It has to do with the imperfection of our system of justice. While we may have one of the better systems of justice in this country, it is far from perfect.

We have always known that innocent men (and women) are sometimes convicted and sent to prison. But with the advent of DNA evidence, we are finding that it is far more common than we once believed. It is no longer an unusual occurrence to hear about an innocent man being released from prison.

The DMN points out that at least 13 innocent people have been released from Texas prisons in the recent past. They also point to the case of Carlos De Luna, who was executed even though the evidence now shows he was probably innocent.

The DMN believes (as I do) that the state has the obligation to protect its citizens from violent offenders - especially those who may re-offend in a violent way. But since the passage of "life without parole", we now have an option other than the death penalty.

The DMN points out that the death penalty is not reversible once it has been carried out. They also point out that any system of justice run by human beings is going to be imperfect, because humans are imperfect. That means there will always be instances of innocent people being convicted. Because of these two facts, they have come out in opposition of the death penalty.

I agree with them, but I would also point out that it is not just the imperfection in humans that is at fault - it is also the glaring imperfection of our society in general. Like it or not, the following facts are true and have an effect on our system of justice:

Rich people and poor people are treated differently.

White people and minorities are treated differently.

Men and women are treated differently.

Straights and Gays are treated differently.

Natural-born and naturalized citizens are treated differently.

As long as the above facts are evident in our society, we have no business executing people. Our justice system is not only imperfect, it is inherently unfair. The Dallas Morning News editorial is right - it is time for Texas to stop using the death penalty.