Dave Bruderly for Congress

Stock Market Performs Better When Democrats Are In Power....Ka-Ching!

2004-10-07T21:47:00.000-04:00

Surprise: Dems are better for rallies
Despite 'market friendly' Republican policies, stocks rise more and volatility dips under Democrats.

January 22, 2004: 2:11 PM EST
By Alexandra Twin, CNN/Money Staff Writer
NEW YORK (CNN/Money)

Plenty of Wall Streeters are Republicans. The party's policies are seen as better for big business and therefore better for the stock market.

"Democrats are seen as being pro-regulatory, and more willing to enact laws against Wall Street and laws against CEOs," said Don Luskin, chief investment officer at Trend Macrolytics.

But here's Wall Street's strange little irony -- studies show the stock market performs better and tends to be less volatile when Democrats are in power. This discrepancy was explored recently in a study by two finance professors at the University of California at Los Angeles, Pedro Santa-Clara and Rossen Valkanov.

According to their paper, entitled, "The Presidential Puzzle: Political Cycles and the Stock Market" and published in the October issue of the Journal of Finance, stock market returns are on average about 5 percent higher when the White House is run by a Democrat than during Republican rule.

Looking at the 72-year period between 1927 and 1999, the study shows that a broad stock index, similar to the S&P 500, returned approximately 11 percent more a year on average under a Democratic president versus safer, three-month Treasurys. By comparison, the index only returned 2 percent more a year versus the T-bills when Republicans were in office.
The study also looked at how the index responded under both Democrats and Republicans, using two portfolios tracked by the Center for Research in Security Prices, a research outfit affiliated with the University of Chicago's business school.

The "value-weighted portfolio" ranks all the stocks in the index according to their total market value, whereas in the "equal-weighted portfolio" the stocks are all ranked the same.
On average, value-weighted portfolios returned 9 percent more under Democrats than Republicans during the 72 year period, while equal-weighted portfolios returned 16 percent more under Democrats.

"I think plenty on Wall Street would be pretty shocked to hear that," said Barry Ritholtz, a market analyst at Maxim Group. The study examined a variety of reasons that might have caused this discrepancy. One particularly interesting finding was that markets seemed to show more surprise in reaction to economic or stock-related decisions made by Democratic administrations.

"It thus seems that the difference in realized returns can be attributed to the market being systematically positively surprised by Democratic policies," the professors wrote.
According to their study, the difference in stock returns becomes gradually obvious through the course of a presidency, rather than in the period immediately surrounding an election.

Volatility down under Dems, too

Critics say that if the Democrats should win the presidential election in November, the almost year-old stock rally could be in trouble, largely because many of the Democratic candidates have vowed to scale back some or all of the $1.3 trillion in tax cuts that President Bush enacted in 2003.

In addition, critics fear that a Democratic administration would make markets more volatile. This is because of extensive research showing that gross domestic product growth is slower during Republican presidential mandates and that higher interest rates are more common during Democratic mandates.

However, volatility is actually lower during Democratic presidencies, according to both the UCLA study and another recent study by two political science professors -- David Leblang of the University of Colorado and Bumba Mukherjee of Florida State University.

The study -- which tracks stock market returns since the first day the Dow Jones industrial average was calculated in 1896 through the fall of 2001 -- shows that market volatility decreases during Democratic administrations.

The paper argues that the expectation that inflation rates will rise under left-wing presidential administrations does indeed have an impact on trading, as older studies have suggested, but in a different way than those studies proposed.

"Our model predicts that rational expectations for higher interest rates under left-wing administrations decreases demand for stocks among traders," the professors write. "This decrease in demand leads to a decline in stock price volatility not only during the incumbency of left-wing governments, but also when traders expect the left-wing party to win elections."

Alternately, the statistics also show that expectations of lower inflation under right wing administrations make the market more volatile. This is because traders increase their inflow of capital and investment into the stock market when they believe the interest-rate environment is more friendly for stocks. More money at work translates into more volatility in the markets.
The study showed this trend was consistent regardless of whether a right wing administration was in office or whether traders merely expected the Republican party to win the presidential election.

The War We Never Hear About

2004-09-29T09:17:00.000-04:00

Jesse Ventura Speaks About War.
Windows Media File

Click Here

Bush's Hometown Newspaper Endorses Kerry

2004-09-28T18:20:00.000-04:00

Kerry Will Restore American Dignity

Publisher's 2004 Iconoclast Presidential Endorsement
West Texas Iconoclast
9-28-2004 - Crawford, Texas

Few Americans would have voted for George W. Bush four years ago if he had promised that, as President, he would:

• Empty the Social Security trust fund by $507 billion to help offset fiscal irresponsibility and at the same time slash Social Security benefits.

• Cut Medicare by 17 percent and reduce veterans’ benefits and military pay.

• Eliminate overtime pay for millions of Americans and raise oil prices by 50 percent.

• Give tax cuts to businesses that sent American jobs overseas, and, in fact, by policy encourage their departure.

• Give away billions of tax dollars in government contracts without competitive bids.

• Involve this country in a deadly and highly questionable war, and

• Take a budget surplus and turn it into the worst deficit in the history of the United States, creating a debt in just four years that will take generations to repay.

These were elements of a hidden agenda that surfaced only after he took office.

The publishers of The Iconoclast endorsed Bush four years ago, based on the things he promised, not on this smoke-screened agenda.Today, we are endorsing his opponent, John Kerry, based not only on the things that Bush has delivered, but also on the vision of a return to normality that Kerry says our country needs.

Four items trouble us the most about the Bush administration: his initiatives to disable the Social Security system, the deteriorating state of the American economy, a dangerous shift away from the basic freedoms established by our founding fathers, and his continuous mistakes regarding terrorism and Iraq.

More...Click Here

Jimmy Carter says Florida still has voting problems

2004-09-27T11:07:00.000-04:00

President Jimmy Carter published this piece in Washington Post about Florida fair election prospects in 2004. It was published on September 27th.

Washington Post Op-Ed: Still Seeking a Fair Florida Vote

2004-09-22T20:40:00.000-04:00

Ironically there was a forgery story that would've implicated the Bush administration about Iraq. But CBS bumped it in favor of the Texas Air National Guard story.

MSNBC - The Story That Didn't Run

Censorship Comes to Public Radio

2004-09-20T16:31:00.000-04:00

I recently viewed the disturbing documentary, "Out-Foxed", where innovative journalistic practices in our mainstream broadcast media are scrutinized by seasoned media experts like Walter Cronkite who's incriminating opinions are supported by former FOX News anchors and employees.

I became equally disturbed when I learned that our District 6, Congressional candidates' remarks were being censored from the WUFT/Classic 89 delayed broadcast of the League of Women Voters (LWV) candidate forum held in Gainesville, Florida on September 18th.

Dave Bruderly, Congressman Cliff Stearns and write-in candidate, Newell O'Brien were invited to participate in this year's LWV forum for congressional candidates, but Stearns declined to attend.

When I heard the LWV staff announce a "change of rules" to exclude candadates' remarks, I went across the room to WUFT's, Bill Beckett who confirmed that Bruderly's and O'Brien's remarks would be censored from the Classic 89 re-broadcast. When asked why, Mr. Beckett replied that this was a "journalistic decision".

Mr. Stearns first declined to attend the LWV forum in 2002, and instead sent a surrogate to read a prepared statement. That was the Congressman's decision -- a decision that he made of his own free will citing a previous commitment. I recall that Congresswoman Brown and her opponent attended the same forum and their remarks were broadcast by Classic 89.

Classic 89 made a decision then not to broadcast Dave Bruderly's remarks citing Classic 89's equal access policy. As a result, only the people attending were given the opportunity to hear objective, uncensored and open public discussion of the issues. I believed then that a decision to edit out portions of an open forum was improper and a violation of the spirit, if not the letter of the law and the Constitution.

If a candidate's job or some other commitment does not allow them to personally participate in a candidate forum that would be unfortunate. However, once given the opportunity for equal access, it is discriminatory to censor one or more candidates if the other candidate elects to not participate in person. Mr. Stearns' standing as the incumbent Congressman gives him no special privileges with respect to the Fairness Doctrine or Equal Access. In fact, he has paid staff who are capable and knowledgeable and who have represented him at more than ten public candidate forums during the 2002 and 2004 campaigns, including the LWV forum in 2002 and at least four other candidate forums that were broadcast live on the radio with a surrogate standing in for Mr. Stearns. In addition, Dave Bruderly participated in several forums that were taped for re-broadcast on public television. Failure of Mr. Stearns to personally participate has never been an issue in these other candidate forums - only at Classic 89.

It discriminates between audiences and individuals when some people are privileged to hear Bruderly and O'Brien's live remarks, while a journalistic decision made by Classic 89 blocks that same information from reaching an audience that they have a regulatory obligation to serve.

The Media Bureau of the FCC states "Under the First Amendment and the Communications Act, the FCC cannot tell stations how to select material for news programs and we cannot prohibit the broadcasting of an opinion on any subject." The Media Bureau further states that "When a qualified candidate for public office has been permitted to use a station, the Communications Act requires the station to "afford equal opportunities to all other such candidates for that office." The Act also states that the station "shall have no power of censorship over the material broadcast by the candidate."

Under the law and equal access policy Classic 89's only obligation is to give all candidates the opportunity to participate. If one candidate chooses not to appear at the LWV forum in person and instead sends a representative, it is a violation of the Communications Act to censor the broadcast. If Classic 89 elects not to broadcast the session that would be a matter of LWV or Classic 89 policy, not a matter of the equal time provision of the law.

I must protest the policy decision that the LWV and Classic 89 consistently decide on this matter. If all qualified candidates are invited to participate in a candidate forum and one or more of the candidates decides not to participate in a candidate forum, Classic 89 does not have the right to censor the broadcast. In my opinion, such a policy decision would violate the Communications Act, not to mention the fundamental principles of free speech under the First Amendment on which this Country was founded.

Allowing one candidate to dictate terms of participation in a LWV candidate forum makes a mockery of their effort to provide this essential public service.

This is not a trivial issue; two years ago the Congressional debate centered on the question of the duty of the Congress to declare war and levy taxes; two years later nearly 1,000 American military personnel have died and thousands more have been severely injured and maimed. Tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians have been killed and maimed. Once again, the LWV has allowed one candidate to censor political discussion and debate on these important matters.

It is well documented that Mr. Stearns does not approve of federal support for public broadcasting and that he has made many efforts to reduce federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He has even made attempts to censor certain activities created and sponsored by public broadcasting as well as the availability of books in the public libraries. It appears our LWV chapter is willing to aid the incumbents efforts, and at the cost or eroding their own credibility as a fair and objective host of important political forums that are supposed to be about informing the voting public.

The LWV will surely cease to be relevant if elected officials are allowed to avoid LWV forums, deny other candidates equal access, and isolate themselves from public debate about the important issues in order to conceal their lackluster performance in office.

Bush Administration Riddled with Incompetence - Can't Get the Job Done

2004-09-18T08:53:00.000-04:00

Study Finds Bush Administration Obstructs and Weakens Regulation Across Agencies, Withdraws Over 200 Proposed Rules and Fails to Complete Over 70% of Target Actions

WASHINGTON - September 15 - An analysis of four key federal agencies charged with safeguarding the public's air, water, food, health, transportation and workplaces reveals consistent and widespread obstruction, neglect and weakening of protections. The report attributes the pattern to a pro-corporate bias of the Bush administration and appointed agency heads favoring narrow special interests over the public good.

In "The Bush Regulatory Record: A Pattern of Failure," OMB Watch analysts document the Bush administration's inaction and obstruction since taking office:

* EPA has withdrawn 90 agenda items, most addressing clean air and water, and in the first half of 2004 failed to achieve 73 percent of benchmark items it scheduled for completion.

* FDA has withdrawn 62 agenda items, including one to track contaminated blood, and in the first half of 2004 failed to achieve 70 percent of benchmark items it scheduled for completion.

* NHTSA has withdrawn 31 auto safety agenda items and, in the first half of 2004, failed to achieve 71 percent of the benchmark items scheduled for completion.

* OSHA has withdrawn 24 agenda items, including one to protect workers from exposure to tuberculosis, and in the first half of 2004 it failed to advance 75 percent of benchmark items scheduled for action. It also eliminated data collection on musculoskeletal disorders.

Click Here for the full report

Cliff Stearns and Newt Gingrich want to kill funding for Public Television

2004-09-17T17:24:00.000-04:00

At the center of this controversy is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides significant federal funding for public broadcasting projects. Two Bush appointees to the board last year, Cheryl Halpern and Gay Hart Gaines, are big donors to the Republican Party, and do not hide their political agenda. As Common Cause noted in December 2003, Gaines raised money for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga), and chaired his political action committee, GOPAC: "At the same time that Gaines was raising money for Gingrich's GOPAC, Gingrich was pushing Congress (Cliff Stearns) to cut all federal funds to public TV."

Click Here for the entire article

Dave in the News

2004-09-17T10:40:00.000-04:00

Bruderly at the UF Christian Democrats Event

Preview: Our "Unconstitutional" Patriot Act.

2004-09-17T06:21:00.000-04:00

ACLU Documentary release - See the Movie Preview

Click Here

Another Orange Alert

2004-09-12T13:35:00.000-04:00

Homeland Security Gets Help

2004-09-11T19:59:00.000-04:00

Bush's Concealment of True Cost of Medicare Implicated in Violation of Federal Law.

2004-09-10T14:12:00.000-04:00

As the battle over the Medicare bill was taking place in Congress, the Bush Administration illegally withheld critical data on the cost of the bill from lawmakers, federal investigators said Tuesday. Investigators from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that Thomas Scully, former head of the Medicare agency, should repay seven months of his salary to the government because he threatened to fire chief actuary Richard Foster if he disclosed the true cost of the Medicare bill, which is an explicit violation of federal appropriations law.

While the Bush Administration did not deny the findings, it said it was unconstitutional for Congress to compel the disclosure of data over objections from the executive branch.

"The GAO findings proves that the Bush Administration used strong-armed tactics to ram their phony Medicare law through Congress," said George Kourpias, president of the Alliance for Retired Americans. "Lawmakers from both parties said the law would not have passed in its current form if Congress had known the true cost of the Medicare law. Concealing this information once again demonstrates that George Bush favors pharmaceutical companies over America's seniors."

Cliff Stearns' War Agenda: "JESUS SAVES"

2004-09-10T05:37:00.000-04:00

Cliff Stearns - Congressman in Florida's sixth District believes Christians should be optimistic that the US invasion of Iraq has brought new opportunities for missionary work and proselytizing of western religions.
_________________________________________________________________

A Town Meeting was held on Saturday, June 12, 2004 in Starke, Florida from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. inside the County Commission Chamber at the Bradford County Courthouse.

I attended this meeting where Cliff Stearns delivered a power-point presentation which summarized the Bush administration's propaganda on the foreign and domestic agenda, including the economy and war in Iraq.

The Power Point presentation did not include reference to religious and missionary work in Baghdad, but Stearns departed from the prepared presentation to speak with evangelical conviction about Christian opportunities in downtown Baghdad.

Stearns reveals a disturbing trend that penetrates to the highest offices in our government; to justify war on the basis of a personal, religious ideology.

The quote below is not a joke or parody - but was transcribed from an audio recording of Cliff's June 12th town meeting - a meeting funded by your tax dollar$.

Here is the quote:

"There's so much good news coming out of Iraq that you never hear. The press over there goes to Al Jazeer which is the TV station, and that's where they get all their news. There's a lot of missionary work done. If you're a Christian you'll be happy to know that in downtown Baghdad they have a sign on one of the churches that says "Jesus Saves", and it's a flashing light. Now this never, never would have occurred if we hadn't gone in."

Click Here if you would like to see this congressman defeated in the Nov. 2 elction.

Bush was AWOL - Mission Accomplished

2004-09-10T04:04:00.000-04:00

The media has rarely made it clear that George W. Bush was not even qualified to be a candidate for the Air National Guard (ANG) because he had no previous pilot training.

The ANG's mission is to recruit and re-capture seasoned pilots who have already earned their wings with a committed full-time tour of duty with thousands of hours of flight training already behind them. The ANG allows proficient pilots to remain proficient through week-end excersizes and updates. The ANG was never intended to be a training resource for "rooky" pilots.

So Bush not only recieved preferrential treatment, but piggishly occupied a critical position as little more than dead-weight in a period of intense military fighting and casualties in Viet Nam.

Click Here for the Fact-Check Analysis

Click Here for the Update

2004-09-09T05:02:00.000-04:00

Ben Barnes:

"I got a young man named George W. Bush in the National Guard when I was Lieutenant Governor of Texas, and I’m not necessarily proud of that, but I did it.

And I got a lot of other people in the National Guard because I thought that was what people should do when you’re in office: you helped a lot of rich people.

And I walked through the Vietnam Memorial the other day and I looked at the names of the people that died in Vietnam , and I became more ashamed of myself than I’ve ever been. Because it was the worst thing I did, was help a lot of wealthy supporters and a lot of people who had family names of importance get in the National Guard. And I’m very sorry of that, and I’m very ashamed. And I apologize to you as the voters of Texas."

The rich get more than Tax Breaks Click Here

Cliff Stearns Score on Civil Liberties (ACLU)

2004-09-08T06:52:00.000-04:00

Click Here

GOP Makes Bid for State Veterans

2004-09-07T14:53:00.000-04:00

GOP Makes Bid for State Veterans | theledger.com:

"U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, a member of the House Veteran Affairs Committee, said the Democrats will attract some veterans' votes by arguing that they would spend more on veterans' programs.

'The point is the Republicans have increased the budget, but the Democrats are saying it should be mandatory (spending) like Medicare or Social Security,' he said.

'The bottom line is for a lot of veterans is that Kerry served,' Stearns said. 'He volunteered.'"

Ben Barnes expresses remorse for special handling of GW Bush

2004-09-07T09:56:00.000-04:00

Former lieutenant governor of Texas Ben Barnes admits that he pulled strings to enrol George W. Bush in a unit of the Texas National Guard known as the Champagne Unit, because it had so many sons of prominent Texas politicians and businessmen.

Click Here to view the video.

Cliff Stearns and War Profiteering

2004-09-06T20:40:00.000-04:00

Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) isn’t the first politician to use the war in Iraq for political gain, but so far at least he could be the most enterprising. A recent “Friends of Stearns” mailer contained a letter from the Florida lawmaker attacking “quagmireologists” for criticizing the war and a pledge card featuring a photo of Saddam Hussein’s statue coming down next to a smiling picture of Stearns.

The best part, though, is the premium. For a $50 donation, contributors get “a deck of ‘Iraqi Most Wanted’ playing cards (Quantities are limited. Please act now).” If that’s the same deck of cards advertised on the Internet for $5.95, that would be a 700-percent markup.

The Gainesville Sun said the come-on “smacks of war profiteering.” Stearns’s office had no comment, and at last check the congressman’s friends were still dealing.

Source Document

Bush Score on Poverty - Like Father, Like Son

2004-09-06T19:45:00.000-04:00

US suffers deadliest attack in Iraq since may.

2004-09-06T12:50:00.000-04:00

full article

Concentration Camps for U.S. Citizens?

2004-09-05T03:25:00.000-04:00

Aschcroft has apparently proposed them more than once. I guess it's being kept quiet to not embarrass the GOP.

Sianews/Friends of Liberty - Concentration Camps for U.S. Citizens: Ashcroft's Hellish Vision

Graham book: Inquiry into 9/11, Saudi ties blocked

2004-09-05T03:20:00.000-04:00

Herald.com | 09/05/2004 | Graham book: Inquiry into 9/11, Saudi ties blocked

Here's the Text:

Posted on Sun, Sep. 05, 2004

Graham book: Inquiry into 9/11, Saudi ties blocked

By FRANK DAVIES

fdavies@herald.com

WASHINGTON - Two of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers had a support network in the United States that included agents of the Saudi government, and the Bush administration and FBI blocked a congressional investigation into that relationship, Sen. Bob Graham wrote in a book to be released Tuesday.

The discovery of the financial backing of the two hijackers ''would draw a direct line between the terrorists and the government of Saudi Arabia, and trigger an attempted coverup by the Bush administration,'' the Florida Democrat wrote.

And in Graham's book, Intelligence Matters, obtained by The Herald Saturday, he makes clear that some details of that financial support from Saudi Arabia were in the 27 pages of the congressional inquiry's final report that were blocked from release by the administration, despite the pleas of leaders of both parties on the House and Senate intelligence committees.

Graham also revealed that Gen. Tommy Franks told him on Feb. 19, 2002, just four months after the invasion of Afghanistan, that many important resources -- including the Predator drone aircraft crucial to the search for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda leaders -- were being shifted to prepare for a war against Iraq.

Graham recalled this conversation at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa with Franks, then head of Central Command, who was ``looking troubled'':

``Senator, we are not engaged in a war in Afghanistan.''

''Excuse me?'' I asked.

''Military and intelligence personnel are being redeployed to prepare for an action in Iraq,'' he continued.

Graham concluded: 'Gen. Franks' mission -- which, as a good soldier, he was loyally carrying out -- was being downgraded from a war to a manhunt.''

Graham, who was chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee from June 2001 through the buildup to the Iraq war, voted against the war resolution in October 2002 because he saw Iraq as a diversion that would hinder the fight against al Qaeda terrorism.

He oversaw the Sept. 11 investigation on Capitol Hill with Rep. Porter Goss, nominated last month to be the next CIA director. According to Graham, the FBI and the White House blocked efforts to investigate the extent of official Saudi connections to two hijackers.

Graham wrote that the staff of the congressional inquiry concluded that two Saudis in the San Diego area, Omar al-Bayoumi and Osama Bassan, who gave significant financial support to two hijackers, were working for the Saudi government.

Al-Bayoumi received a monthly allowance from a contractor for Saudi Civil Aviation that jumped from $465 to $3,700 in March 2000, after he helped Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhdar -- two of the Sept. 11 hijackers -- find apartments and make contacts in San Diego, just before they began pilot training.

When the staff tried to conduct interviews in that investigation, and with an FBI informant, Abdussattar Shaikh, who also helped the eventual hijackers, they were blocked by the FBI and the administration, Graham wrote.

The administration and CIA also insisted that the details about the Saudi support network that benefited two hijackers be left out of the final congressional report, Graham complained.

Bush had concluded that ''a nation-state that had aided the terrorists should not be held publicly to account,'' Graham wrote. ``It was as if the president's loyalty lay more with Saudi Arabia than with America's safety.''

Saudi officials have vociferously denied any ties to the hijackers or al Qaeda plots to attack the United States.

Graham ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination and then decided not to seek reelection to the Senate this year. He has said he hopes his book will illuminate FBI and CIA failures in the war on terrorism and he also offers recommendations on ways to reform the intelligence community.

On Iraq, Graham said the administration and CIA consistently overplayed its estimates of Saddam Hussein's threat in its public statements and declassified reports, while its secret reports contained warnings that the intelligence on weapons of mass destruction was not conclusive.

In October 2002, Tenet told Graham that ''there were 550 sites where weapons of mass destruction were either produced or stored'' in Iraq.

''It was, in short, a vivid and terrifying case for war. The problem was it did not accurately represent the classified estimate we had received just days earlier,'' Graham wrote. ``It was two different messages, directed at two different audiences. I was outraged.''

In his book, Graham is especially critical of the FBI for its inability to track al Qaeda operatives in the United States and blasts the CIA for ``politicizing intelligence.''

He reserves his harshest criticism for Bush.

Graham found the president had ''an unforgivable level of intellectual -- and even common sense -- indifference'' toward analyzing the comparative threats posed by Iraq and al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

When the weapons were not found, one year after the invasion of Iraq, Bush attended a black-tie dinner in Washington, Graham recalled. Bush gave a humorous speech with slides, showing him looking under White House furniture and joking, ``Nope, no WMDs there.''

Graham wrote: ``It was one of the most offensive things I have witnessed. Having recently attended the funeral of an American soldier killed in Iraq, who left behind a young wife and two preschool-age children, I found nothing funny about a deceitful justification for war.''

GOP Convention Lies are De-bunked

2004-09-04T21:18:00.000-04:00

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (F.A.I.R.)

MEDIA ADVISORY:

The Failure of Fact-Checking at the Republican Convention
September 3, 2004

It is the function of journalism to separate fact from fiction. In covering the Republican National Convention of 2004, the media made isolated efforts to point out some of the convention speakers' more egregious distortions, but on the whole failed in their vital role of letting citizens know when they are being lied to.

Click here for more...

Bush's National Guard Drunkenness Story Told

2004-09-04T15:07:00.000-04:00

International
Tale of Bush's drunken behaviour told
By Gary Younge

Source Link

New York, Sept.3 (Guardian News Service): THE US president, George Bush, was transferred to the Alabama National Guard during the Vietnam war because his drunken behaviour was a political liability to his father in Texas, the wife of one of his father's former confidants revealed yesterday.

Linda Allison told the political website Salon.com that throughout the time Mr Bush was in Alabama she never saw him in uniform and had no idea he was supposed to be in the National Guard.

``Georgie was raising a lot of hell in Houston, getting in trouble and embarrassing the family and they just really wanted to get him out of Houston.'' Asked if she had ever seen him in uniform Mrs Allison said:``Good Lord, no. I had no idea the National Guard was involved in his life.''

Mrs Allison is the wife of the late Jimmy Allison, a former political consultant and newspaper owner from Midland, Texas and one time confidant of the Bush family. Motivated by pride in her husband and pique at the manner in which the Bush family discarded him once they believed he was no longer useful, the interview is the first she has ever given.

On Sunday the former lieutenant governor of Texas Ben Barnes will admit on the CBS primetime news programme 60 Minutes that he pulled strings to enrol Mr Bush in a unit of the Texas National Guard known as the Champagne Unit, because it had so many sons of prominent Texas politicians and businessmen.

Mrs Allison said that in 1972 her husband received a call from Mr Bush's father asking whether he could find a place for his son on a Senate campaign he was managing in Alabama. Mr Bush Sr was the US ambassador to the UN at the time and his son's drunken and occasionally loutish behaviour was becoming an embarrassment.

Mr Allison agreed to take the errant Bush son as his deputy in a Senate campaign to elect the Alabama Republican Winton ``Red'' Blount. Once he had an official reason to be in Alabama, Mr Bush Jr transferred from the Texas National Guard to its Alabama counterpart, although beyond one dental examination there is no proof that he showed up for any service even though it was only a part-time posting. Mr Bush was subsequently given an honourable discharge.

Most involved in the Senate campaign recall Mr Bush Jr turning up late, boasting about how much alcohol he had drunk the night before and then going home early. ``After about a month I asked Jimmy what was Georgie's job, because I could never figure it out,'' recalled Mrs Allison. ``I never saw him do anything.''

GOP Convention Highlights

2004-09-04T09:25:00.000-04:00

Click Here

A must-read fully fact-checked truth about Kerry's Vietnam

2004-09-04T01:32:00.000-04:00

The second attack ad is even more inaccurate and misleading than the first.

FactCheck.org Swift Boat Veterans Anti-Kerry Ad: "He Betrayed Us" With 1971 Anti-War Testimony

Anti-Kerry Vets get jobs with Bush

2004-09-04T00:37:00.000-04:00

Way to take care of the "base" George.

Two Anti-Kerry Vets Get Jobs on VA Panel

Forbes.com: Update 2: Medicare Premiums to Rise 17 Percent

2004-09-03T20:09:00.000-04:00

Bush trying to sneak a fast one past the seniors while everyone is busy watching the convention. We can't let them get away with this.

Forbes.com: Medicare Premiums to Rise 17 Percent

Jacksonville.com: Metro: Rove plots Bush move to suburbs 09/03/04

2004-09-03T11:57:00.000-04:00

Jacksonville.com: Metro: Rove plots Bush move to suburbs 09/03/04: "He singled out the president's August bus trip through the Panhandle as an example of growing communities where Bush wants to swell the voting rolls. But he also repeatedly mentioned Duval County as similar turf. Bush polls well in both North Florida regions but has a tougher course in the rest of the toss-up state. "

White House Adviser Rove Says Florida Will Back Bush: From The Tampa Tribune

2004-09-03T11:50:00.000-04:00

White House Adviser Rove Says Florida Will Back Bush: From The Tampa Tribune

Karl Rove himself is on the case here in Northern Florida. He's mentioned Duval county in particular.

We’re Not in Lake Wobegon Anymore

2004-08-29T22:29:00.000-04:00

Check out this excellent article by Garrison Keillor. Something to keep in mind as we get bombarded with RNC propaganda all this week.

Building Character

2004-08-28T07:21:00.000-04:00

Social Security Privatization Top Priority in 2nd Bush Term.

2004-08-28T04:13:00.000-04:00

When the Republicans meet next week for their national convention in New York City, look for President Bush to resuscitate his proposal to privatize Social Security as a part of his second term agenda. But don't expect to find any news of it before then. According to conservative columnist Robert Novak, the development of the party's platform has been so secretive and undemocratic he compared it to the Manhattan Project, referring to the top secret plan to develop the atomic bomb.

The president has good reason to be secretive.

Polls show a vast majority of Americans support the existing Social Security program and want to see it strengthened to cover future generations. But the president's proposal to invest Social Security taxes into the stock market is a risky and expensive venture that few Americans fully understand.

Estimates for the Bush plan to convert Social Security into personal investment accounts are pegged in the trillions of dollars. And with a record federal deficit, mounting costs associated with the Iraq war and revenue losses from tax cuts, Bush may be hard pressed to find the money to complete his privatization plans.

Cliff Stearns will help Bush "Break the Bank" with his vote

Despite Cliff Stearn's claim to be a "fiscal conservative", we can expect the congressman to support Bush's bankrupting privatization plan, as he did with the corporate cash giveaway and failing drug card discount in the Medicare Modernization Act.

Cliff Stearn's Abuse of Franking Privelage - Pt 2

2004-08-27T11:02:00.000-04:00

Click Here for Cliff's Power Point Slide Show.

Cliff Stearn's Unethical Use of the Franking Privelage

2004-08-27T05:47:00.000-04:00

First, we need to understand the "Franking" loop-hole and it's legislative history.

WHAT IS THE FRANK?

The Congressional frank dates back to the English House of Commons in the 17th century.

On November 8, 1775, The American Continental Congress authorized franking privileges to its members as a means of informing their constituents. The first U.S. Congress enacted a franking law in 1789. The franking privilege has remained a necessary and valuable tool of our representative government for more than 200 years.

For the next 150 years, the franking statutes were broadened and limited depending on the mood of the country. During the 19th century Franking privileges were abolished and then reinstated on several different occasions.

During the first half of the 20th century, little was done to modify franking regulations. The General Counsel of the Postal Department (now USPS) would advise Members, on an individual request basis, if a particular mailing was "frankable." In 1968, Postal officials discontinued ruling on congressional materials indicating that it was inappropriate for Postal officials to make such determinations.

The problems and controversies that developed in the next few years could be traced to two basic flaws in the 1895 franking law. First, there were no standards for determining whether or not mail matter should be sent under the frank; Members franked almost anything as "official business." The second flaw was the absence of one authority with clear responsibility for regulating use of the frank.

An onslaught of lawsuits were filed prior to the 1972 congressional elections. Litigants claimed that the incumbents were sending mail under the frank that was not official business, and asked federal courts to assume oversight responsibilities.

With public outcry mounting the first major revision of the franking law since the 18th century was enacted in 1973. Clear principles for official mailings were created and specific types of mail matter were prohibited. Significantly, the 1973 Act established the foundation for the principle of congressional self-regulation. The House Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards was created and authorized to hear and decide cases concerning abuse of franking privilege. Additionally, the Commission was authorized to issue regulations and to provide counsel and instruction to the Members of Congress and their staff.

Since 1973, the Commission has refined and strengthened its self-regulatory mission. In 1977, the Commission amended the House rules to limit the number of postal patron mailings per year, to bar mass mailing during the 60 day period prior to an election, and to require all Members to submit their proposed mailings to the Commission for an advisory opinion. In 1981, these provisions were codified into USC Title 39 to reinforce the authority of the Commission. In 1989, a provision of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act reduced the number of postal patron mailings from six to three per calendar year.

The "Official Mail Allowance" (OMA) instituted in January 1991, represents the most significant change in recent years in the franking policy. For the first time all mail matter bearing a frank would be accessed against an account established for each Member. Prior to this regulation, the total cost of congressional mailings was lumped into a single appropriation. This reform provided accountability for individual Members as well as an avenue for public disclosure. The OMA is calculated on a formula that is proportional to the number of households in that Member's district multiplied by the first class postage rate. The average allowance in 1997 was $112,000.00. With the enactment of the OMA, Members were no longer restricted on the number of mass mailings sent annually. Additionally, "mass mailings' were redefined to include all unsolicited mass mailing over 500 pieces regardless of mail type.

On the heels of the U.S. Court of Appeals ruling, the franking statutes were revised again in September 1992. The provision that permitted Members of Congress to mass mail outside their districts was ruled unconstitutional. Congress passed Public Law 102-392 prohibiting Members of Congress from mass mailing outside the congressional district from which they were elected.

The significant changes regarding the congressional frank were enacted in the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for FY 1997. First, the pre-election prohibition on mass mailing was expanded from 60 to 90 days prior to primary and general elections. Additionally, mass mailings are required to bear disclaimer statements indicating the mailing was paid for at taxpayer's expense. Finally, Members must disclose on a quarterly basis the number of mass mailings sent during that period as well as their costs.

The most recent changes to the congressional mailings occurred in July 1998, when the Committee on House Oversight removed the OMA sub-limit within the Member's Representational Allowance. Beginning with FY 1999, Members of Congress may use any portion of their official budget for mailings.

http://www.house.gov/cha/whatisafrank.htm

Who is Rigging the Media?

2004-08-26T04:18:00.000-04:00

Let's see… this Administration, headed by an alcoholic National Guard absentee with no-twelve-step-program-president, along with a draft-deferment vice president, took us into war in Iraq against the wishes of most of our allies and the UN - then, refused (despite loud public outcry) to categorize the Iraqi prisoners as POWs to avoid applying Geneva Convention protections to them.

Now, a new report just out blames Rumsfeld and the Pentagon's failures for the torturing of these prisoners.

Bush's dogmatic ineptness has killed thousands of Iraqis and civilians - with the death of about a thousand American soldiers thus far - many due to the proliferation of un-armored troop transport vehicles (Humvees) used to deploy - by military order - American troops into routine missions under hostile enemy fire.

Without a new commander in Chief next January, this loss of American troops and Iraqi civilian lives will continue with no end in sight.

And get this…the top news story in the country is...(drum roll, please)...a slimy group who call themselves Vietnam veterans - and who have documented connections to the Bush campaign - and who weren't even there claim (contrary to eyewitness accounts) that John Kerry - who volunteered for Vietnam, served two tours and received the silver star, bronze star and three purple hearts, and saved the life of a soldier under his command - really didn't deserve those medals, and therefore is unqualified to be our commander-in-chief.

That is the top story of the last week?!

Seriously, pause and think about this.

It is so crazy that one has to wonder who is rigging the Media .

Bushism and the War Party

2004-08-25T03:32:00.000-04:00

"America's huge footprint in the sacred soil of Saudi Arabia led straight to 9/11. The terrorists were over here because we were over there. Terrorism is the price of empire. If you do not wish to pay the price, you must give up the empire."

Patrick J. Buchanan
Where the Right Went Wrong

Book Review

USATODAY.com - U.S. soldier challenges enlistment extensions

2004-08-19T02:16:00.000-04:00

Is this what it's come down to? Sue your own government to make sure they stay honest about what they said?

USATODAY.com - U.S. soldier challenges enlistment extensions

Stearns Religious War Goal: Missionary Accomplished

2004-08-18T13:54:00.000-04:00

Cliff Stearns - Congressman in Florida's sixth District

Cliff Stearns believes Christians should be optomistic that the US invasion of Iraq has brought new opportunities for missionary work and proselytizing of western religions.

The quote below is not a joke or parody - but was transcribed from an audio recording of Cliff's June 12th town meeting - a meeting funded by your tax dollar$.
_________________________________________________________________

Town Meeting on Saturday, June 12, 2004 in Starke, Florida
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

County Commission Chamber
Bradford County Courthouse

I attended a Town Hall meeting where Congressman Cliff Stearns presented a power-point presentation which summarized the Bush administration's propaganda on the foreign and domestic agenda, including the economy and war in Iraq.

The presentation did not include reference to missionary work in Baghdad, but Stearns departed from the prepared power point to speak with evangelical conviction.

Cliff Stearns reveals a disturbing Bush administration initiative to justify war on the basis of a personal, religious ideology.

"There's so much good news coming out of Iraq that you never hear. The press over there goes to Al Jazeer which is the TV station, and that's where they get all their news. There's a lot of missionary work done. If you're a Christian you'll be happy to know that in downtown Baghdad they have a sign on one of the churches that says "Jesus Saves", and it's a flashing light. Now this never, never would have occurred if we hadn't gone in."

Click Here if you would like to see this congressman defeated in the Nov. 2 election.

Vote for Dave Bruderly - US Congress

2004-08-16T09:34:00.000-04:00

Prosident John Kerry will need a strong Democratic congress to be the most effective President he can be. Don't overlook the opportuntity to vote for Dave.

Kerry pulls ahead in Florida, Quinnipiac University Poll finds; many concerned about voting machines

2004-08-16T02:50:00.000-04:00

Quinnipiac University | August 12, 2004 -- Kerry pulls ahead in Florida, Quinnipiac University Poll finds; many concerned about voting machines

MoveOn.org ad contest winner

2004-08-14T05:06:00.000-04:00

This is from the MoveOn site, very powerful -- and
very appropriate for posting -- along with the
testimony by Marine Major Scott Ritter:

The top rated ad features Lee Buttrill, a MoveOn
member and Marine who has recently returned from Iraq.
In this ad, Sergeant Lee Buttrill simply and
eloquently says:

"We were given these ideas that there were weapons of
mass destruction...It was just a lie. That wasn't a
proper use of American troops. It wasn't a proper use
of my life, or my friends' lives, or the marines who
I've seen die around me."

-Dave

David Bruderly for Congress

2004-08-14T04:50:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone enjoys the new and improved
David Bruderly for Congress website. I look forward to your comments, if you have any.