With all the stimulus money we were promised 3.5 million new jobs and instead we’re down 3 million jobs.

The Federal Cloud Blog has been telling you all about Apps.gov — the new Web site dedicated to getting the federal government into the cloud.

We told you here yesterday about Jason Miller’s story regarding the Web site reveal:

The Office of Management and Budget’s vision for federal information technology [began] with the launch of Apps.gov.

The cloud computing storefront is part of a decade long plan to reduce costs, lower the environmental impact and improve how Americans receive government services.

Read the whole story here.

And here’s video of federal CIO Vivek Kundra making the Apps.gov announcement, which aired on today’s In Depth with Francis Rose.

On today’s Daily Debrief, Chris Dorobek and Amy Morris talked with two of the biggest players on Apps.gov — Google and SalesForce.com.

Matt Glotzbach is Google’s Product Management Director — and Dan Burton is Senior Vice President for Global Public Policy at SalesForce.com.

They talked about helping the federal government move to the cloud — and you can read the full story here.

By Brad Friedman

September 07, 2009 “Huffington Post” — It has now been over a week since the video tape and transcript from the remarkable 8/8/09 deposition of former FBI translator-turned-whistleblower Sibel Edmonds was publicly released. Previously, the Bush Administration invoked the so-called “state secrets privilege” in order to gag Edmonds, in attempting to keep such information from becoming public.

The under-oath, detailed allegations include bribery, blackmail, espionage and infiltration of the U.S. government of, and by current and former members of the U.S. Congress, high-ranking State and Defense Department officials and agents of the government of Turkey. The broad criminal conspiracy is said to have resulted in, among other things, the sale of nuclear weapons technology to black market interests including Pakistan, Iran, North Korea, Libya and others.

Even as many of these allegations had been previously corroborated to varying extents, by a number of official government reports, documents and independent media outlets (largely overseas), not a single major mainstream media outlet in the U.S. has picked up on Edmonds’ startling claims since her deposition has been made fully available.

Granted, last week was a busy news week, with the death of Ted Kennedy, the release of the CIA Inspector General’s report on torture, and the announcement that Michael Jackson’s death was ruled a homicide. And, it’s true, a 4-hour deposition and/or 241-page transcript [PDF] is a lot of material to review, particularly given the wide scope of the charges being made here. Still, given the serious national security issues at stake, said to have the been among the most important matters of the past 8 years, one would think someone in the corporate MSM might have taken the time to go through the material, and report on it. Particularly as Edmonds’ claims have previously been found “credible” “serious” and “warrant[ing] a thorough and careful review,” by the DoJ Inspector General, and confirmed as such, on several occasions, by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and many many others.

So for the benefit of the U.S. media, and other readers, who may find it helpful for this large body of newly-available information to be culled down into more digestible pieces, I will attempt to break down the deposition, a bit, into some of its subject matter-based component parts. I will try to go through the major disclosures from the deposition, one-by-one, in a series of pieces which might help others to further report and/or investigate these breathtaking disclosures from a former FBI official who, following 9/11, listened to and translated wiretap recordings made from 1996 through 2002, in the FBI’s counterintelligence and counterterrorism departments, under top-secret clearance.

In this first break-down article, we’ll look at the answers given by Edmonds during her deposition in regard to bribery and blackmail of current and former members of the U.S. Congress, including Dennis Hastert (R-IL), Bob Livingston (R-LA), Dan Burton (R-IN), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Stephen Solarz (D-NY), Tom Lantos (D-CA, deceased) and an unnamed, currently-serving, married Democratic Congresswoman said to have been video-taped in a Lesbian affair by Turkish agents for blackmail purposes.

In further breakdown articles, we’ll look at her disclosures concerning top State and Defense Department officials including Douglas Feith, Paul Wolfowitz and, perhaps most notably, the former Deputy Undersecretary of State, Marc Grossman, the third-highest ranking official in the State Department. Also, details on the theft of nuclear weapons technology; disclosures on Valerie Plame Wilson’s CIA front company Brewster-Jennings; items related to U.S. knowledge of 9/11 and al-Qaeda prior to September 11, 2001; infiltration of the FBI translation department and more.

Though Edmonds was careful to not “discuss the intelligence gathering method by the FBI,” she notes in her deposition that her claims are “Based on documented and provable, tracked files and based on…100 percent, documented facts.”

Among the specific charges she levels against current and former U.S. Congress Members in the deposition:

Dennis Hastert: “[S]everal categories. The acceptance of large sums of bribery in forms of cash or laundered cash … to make it look legal for his campaigns, and also for his personal use, in order to do certain favors … make certain things happen for foreign entities and foreign governments’ interests, Turkish government’s interest and Turkish business entities’ interests. … other activities, too, including being blackmailed for various reasons. … he used the townhouse that was not his residence for certain not very morally accepted activities. … foreign entities knew about this, in fact, they sometimes participated in some of those not maybe morally well activities in that particular townhouse that was supposed to be an office, not a house, residence at certain hours, certain days, evenings of the week.”
Stephen Solarz: “[A]s lobbyist … acted as conduit to deliver or launder contribution and other briberies to certain members of Congress, but also in pressuring outside Congress, and including blackmail, in certain members of Congress.”

Bob Livingston: “Until 1999 … not very legal activities on behalf of foreign interests and entities, and after 1999 acting as a conduit to, again, further foreign interests, both overtly and covertly as a lobbyist, but also as an operative.”

Tom Lantos: “[N]ot only … bribe[ry], but also … disclosing highest level protected U.S. intelligence and weapons technology information both to Israel and to Turkey. … other very serious criminal conduct.”

Unnamed Congresswoman: (Though not identified as such during the deposition, Edmonds has since confirmed her to be a Democrat) “[T]his Congresswoman’s married with children, grown children, but she is bisexual. … So they have sent Turkish female agents, and that Turkish female agents work for Turkish government, and have sexual relationship with this Congresswoman in her townhouse … and the entire episodes of their sexual conduct was being filmed because the entire house, this Congressional woman’s house was bugged. … to be used for certain things that they wanted to request … I don’t know if she did anything illegal afterward. … the Turkish entities, wanted both congressional related favoritism from her, but also her husband was in a high position in the area in the state she was elected from, and these Turkish entities ran certain illegal operations, and they wanted her husband’s help. But I don’t know if she provided them with those.”

Roy Blunt: “[T]he recipient of both legally and illegally raised donations, campaign donations from …Turkish entities.”

Dan Burton: (And others) “[E]xtremely illegal activities against the United States citizens who were involved in [covert] operations that were … against … foreign government[s] and foreign entities against the United States’ interests.”

Hastert, Livingston and Solarz, as Edmonds notes in her deposition, would all go on to become highly-paid lobbyist for Turkey and/or Turkish public interest groups after they left the U.S. Congress.

Campagne de vaccination Gardasil

Une controverse qui pique

Lisa Melia DOSSIER REFLET DE SOCIETE

Depuis septembre 2008, les jeunes Québécoises sont vaccinées en 4e année et en 3e secondaire contre le cancer du col de l’utérus. Or, plusieurs, dont des professionnels de la santé, remettent en cause le bien-fondé d’une campagne de vaccination qui a le soutien financier des gouvernements québécois et canadien.

Annabelle Morin avait 14 ans, vivait à Laval et était en parfaite santé. Le 24 octobre 2008, elle est sortie de sa chambre complètement perdue, incapable de parler ni de se souvenir de son nom ou de sa date de naissance. Ses parents s’inquiètent: «Ma première réaction a été de lui demander si elle avait pris des médicaments. On aurait dit une overdose. Ma fille ne prenait pas de drogues, mais, à 14 ans, on ne sait jamais», raconte Linda Morin, la mère d’Annabelle.

À l’hôpital, elle passe des tests et reste une nuit en observation. Les médecins concluent à une migraine basilaire (induisant des problèmes de coordination des mouvements). Ses parents doutent du diagnostic. La mère d’Annabelle insiste alors pour faire passer un scanner à sa fille, sans résultat concluant. Six semaines après, Annabelle rentre chez elle et va prendre son bain. Linda  Morin retrouve le corps sans vie de sa fille dans la baignoire trente minutes plus tard.

La première autopsie montre qu’elle ne s’est pas noyée, mais n’identifie pas la cause du décès. Les parents attendent encore la seconde autopsie. «Il ne s’est rien passé entre les deux incidents, explique sa mère. Quand je l’ai vue dans la baignoire, ça a été un choc.» Linda Morin a ensuite pris connaissance du retrait d’un lot de Gardasil en Espagne, en février dernier, suite au malaise de deux jeunes filles ayant reçu le vaccin contre le papillomavirus humain. Elle s’est renseignée et a appris qu’Annabelle avait été vaccinée à l’école. À partir de 14 ans, les élèves sont en effet libres d’accepter ou non un traitement médical, incluant la vaccination.

Les premiers troubles et la mort sont survenus à chaque fois deux semaines après l’administration d’une dose de vaccin. Janelle Marquis, l’infirmière qui a suivi la famille pendant plusieurs années, croit que le lien est plausible. Une réaction allergique suite à l’administration d’un vaccin peut prendre deux semaines avant d’atteindre son pic. «Je ne peux pas totalement exclure le vaccin comme cause du décès, mais je ne suis sûre de rien», dit pour sa part Linda Morin.

La famille d’Annabelle tente maintenant de prévenir les autres jeunes filles des dangers potentiels de la vaccination. Selon Mme Morin, celles qui auraient voulu refuser le vaccin ont été convaincues par les médecins et les infirmières scolaires de la nécessité de l’accepter.

Un virus qui fait peu de victimes

Le papillomavirus humain (PVH) est une maladie transmissible sexuellement (MTS) qui peut provoquer un cancer du col de l’utérus. Abby Lippman, chercheure au département d’épidémiologie de l’Université McGill, explique que le PVH est l’une des MTS qui s’attrapent le plus facilement: à peu près toutes les femmes ont été infectées au moins une fois. La probabilité d’être touchée par les souches de la maladie qui provoquent des cancers est cependant de moins de 3 %. De plus, cette infection est l’une de celles dont on guérit le plus facilement. «Dans 90 % des cas, même pour les formes les plus dangereuses, le système immunitaire élimine spontanément la maladie», explique Abby Lippman.

Le gynéco-oncologue Philippe Sauthier explique que le nombre de cancers du col de l’utérus est stable dans les pays développés, voire en baisse, grâce au frottis (test Pap), un examen gynécologique généralement pratiqué. Toutefois, une situation de pauvreté et un système immunitaire affaibli augmentent considérablement les risques que l’infection aboutisse à un cancer. «Le problème en est un de conditions socioéconomiques, explique-t-il. C’est le deuxième tueur dans le tiers-monde. Si l’on cessait tout ce qui existe maintenant, du vaccin au dépistage, il reviendrait au premier plan.» D’où l’intérêt du vaccin, car c’est le moyen de prévention susceptible de toucher le plus grand nombre de femmes.

Le Réseau québécois d’action pour la santé des femmes estime au contraire que le vaccin peut s’avérer nuisible car celles qui le reçoivent peuvent avoir un faux sentiment de sécurité. Les jeunes filles qui ont reçu une dose de Gardasil penseraient alors pouvoir cesser de se protéger lors de relations sexuelles. Or, le vaccin ne protège que contre 70 % des formes du virus pouvant causer un cancer et n’est d’aucune utilité contre d’autres MTS ou une grossesse non désirée.

Effets secondaires controversés

Par ailleurs, les effets secondaires du vaccin soulèvent des questions: un rapport du National Vaccine Information Center américain estime que plus de 5 000 vaccinées ont dû consulter en urgence à cause de troubles cardiaques, convulsions ou vertiges. À ce jour, 29 décès de jeunes filles dans le monde pourraient être reliés au Gardasil.

Jointe par Reflet de Société, Merck Frosst, la firme qui commercialise le vaccin, s’en tient à la décision de Santé Canada, en juillet 2006, d’autoriser le Gardasil et refuse de faire davantage de commentaires. «Que le vaccin entraîne des discussions et des controverses, c’est normal. Ça a été le cas pour tous les vaccins. Mais il n’y a pas d’effets secondaires graves», affirme Philippe Sauthier, qui est membre de l’Association des gynécologues du Québec, une organisation dont le «partenaire officiel» est la firme Merck Frosst. Le ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec appuie cette affirmation et rappelle que la décision de mener une campagne de vaccination n’a pas été prise à la légère mais dans un but de prévention.

Abby Lippman souligne la nécessité d’une «collecte de données fiables pour évaluer les risques liés au Gardasil». Elle estime que pour réduire la transmission du VPH, il faut considérer d’autres solutions que le vaccin et travailler sur la prévention et l’éducation sexuelle. «Le vaccin peut jouer un rôle, mais il ne peut pas être le seul acteur.»

Encadré

Silence, on vaccine

Devant la caméra de Lina B. Moreco, réalisatrice du documentaire Silence, on vaccine (2008), plusieurs médecins s’interrogent sur les impacts négatifs potentiels des 48 doses de vaccins que reçoivent, avant l’âge de six ans, les enfants nord-américains. Des éléments chimiques comme le thimérosal et l’aluminium auraient des effets néfastes très importants sur la santé. Serge Rivest, chercheur au CHU de Québec, explique que la réponse à un vaccin est différente selon les personnes. Il faudrait donc prendre systématiquement en compte l’historique médical des vaccinés.

Lina B. Moreco ne rejette pas les aspects positifs de la vaccination mais met en garde contre la fermeture du milieu médical à reconnaître leurs dangers. Une situation accentuée par l’influence des firmes pharmaceutiques. Le député américain Dan Burton, qui a enquêté sur les vaccins, affirme que «c’est probablement le groupe de pression le plus puissant à Washington.»

Compagnies omniprésentes

La multinationale Merck Frosst, qui commercialise le Gardasil, dirige toute la chaîne d’informations, de la rémunération des experts à la tenue des colloques, selon Lina B. Moreco, et empêche les chercheurs indépendants de mener des recherches.

Ken Boessenkool, lobbyiste de Merck Frosst, est l’ancien conseiller à la santé du premier ministre canadien Stephen  Harper, dont le gouvernement a débloqué 300 millions de dollars pour la campagne de Gardasil. 70 millions$ ont été alloués au Québec. Pour Lina B. Moreco, les pharmaceutiques ont fabriqué une peur sociale de mourir si l’on n’a pas été vacciné, en plus de renvoyer une image d’irresponsable à ceux qui refusent un vaccin.

Reflet de Société, Vol. 17, No. 4, Juin/Juillet 2009, p. 22-23

Victimes et conséquences de la vaccination au Gardasil.

Controverses sur la campagne de vaccination au Gardasil.

Ce texte est dédié à Juste un peu frustré qui avait écrit un billet sur la campagne de vaccination Gardasil. Ce billet m’en inspiré les deux billets dont les liens sont présentés ici. J’ai ensuite demandé à Lisa de préparer ce reportage. Connu sous le nom de La Félée, cette blogueuse d’expérience vient de fermer son blogue et nous n’aurons plus la chance de la lire.

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It looks like comedian Jeff Foxworthy has a new punchline to add to his “you just might be a redneck” routine. It goes like this:

If you believe Barack Obama was born in Kenya, (altogether now) you just might be a redneck!

Apparently 23% of Americans polled by Research 2000 are either unsure of the President’s citizenship or outright deny that he is a citizen. The geographic breakdown of the numbers is sadly predictable:

          Yes   No   Not sure
Dem       93    4    3
Rep       42   28   30
Ind       83    8    9

Northeast 93    4    3
South     47   23   30
Midwest   90    6    4
West      87    7    6

A whopping 53% of Southerners polled are not convinced that Barack Obama was born in the United States.

It took until 1865 and a civil war that almost wrecked our country for Southerners to figure out that slavery was not “ok”. It then took another 100 years or so before the government forced the imbeciles in charge of things to give equal rights to blacks. And now here we are in 2009 and the South once again shows its profound ignorance.

This does not come as a complete surprise to me. When I visited Atlanta a decade or so ago I turned on the hotel television to be greeted by an advertisement to tour a nearby plantation and get a taste of Southern culture. When in Germany, a tour of Auschwitz is meant to be a lesson in man’s inhumanity to man. In Georgia, the South’s past of dehumanizing Africans was celebrated as a culture for which we should be nostalgic.

As a black man, when I hear that great cacophony popularly called rap “music”, I cringe with embarrassment. Quite often, pure garbage passes as “culture”. I can only hope that the 47% of Southerners who think, are equally mortified by their brain dead brethren. It’s high time the South embraced intelligence and joined the company of educated men and women who can tell foolishness from fact.

In the following fantastic commentary, HBO’s Bill Maher says, “In America there is no idea so patently absurd that it can’t catch on”. He goes on to say that foolishness like the Birther movement gains traction by “dummies talking to other dummies”. According to Maher, we ignore this nonsense at our own peril. It grows like a weed, fed on ignorance and a dash of racism.

Above all, who do I hold accountable for the spread of this nonsense? Eleven names come to mind. Eleven Congressmen who don’t have the guts to call their constituents nutjobs when the label fits. I’m talking about the author and co-sponsors of the so called “birther bill”, H.R. 1503. This is a hall of shame that should be on the front of every paper in America, eleven elected officials who should never see elected office again.

Rep Posey, Bill [FL-15]
Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7]
Rep Burton, Dan [IN-5]
Rep Campbell, John [CA-48]
Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31]
Rep Culberson, John Abney [TX-7]
Rep Gohmert, Louie [TX-1]
Rep Goodlatte, Bob [VA-6]
Rep Marchant, Kenny [TX-24]
Rep Neugebauer, Randy [TX-19]
Rep Poe, Ted [TX-2]

We have two wars, a crushing deficit, record unemployment and more than enough legitimate grounds for debate about the Obama administration’s policies, to spend even a minute on this insanity, second only in absurdity to the “Hollywood studio moonwalk” conspiracy. And once again, we can count on the South to lead the way in xenophobic, if not outright racist diversions.

I’m sure there are Southerners who will read this piece and accuse me of being disrespectful. I’m sorry, but respect is earned through enlightenment, not ignorance. At least 53% of you are an embarrassment to our nation. You’ll get respect when you get a clue.

Respectfully,
Rutherford

WordPress.com Political Blogger Alliance

Dear Birthers,

Yes, I’m speaking to you, Birthers. All of you Republican right wing wackos convinced that our President, Barack Obama, is not a naturally born citizen. Including your fellow Stupid Person, honored on this blog, Major Stephan Frederick Cook.

You see…you’ve been…

Presented before the House of Representatives yesterday, one HRES 593 IH, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the entry of the State of Hawaii into our Union.

Each and every one of who who are members of the House of Representatives voted for this resolution in a voice vote. That would be a vote of 378-0. Included in the list of Congressmen who voted YAY are:

Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL), the lead sponsor of the infamous “Birther Bill” to require presidential candidates to present their birth certificates, and who had previously said he wouldn’t “swear on a stack of Bibles” that Obama is a natural-born American citizen.

Several other co-sponsors of the Birther Bill also voted yes: Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Dan Burton (R-IN), John Culberson (R-TX), Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), and Ted Poe (R-TX).

Heck. Even super-wacko-nutso Michelle Bachmann voted YEA!

The Resolution:

111th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. RES. 593

Recognizing and celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the entry of Hawaii into the Union as the 50th State.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 26, 2009

Mr. ABERCROMBIE (for himself and Ms. HIRONO) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

RESOLUTION

Recognizing and celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the entry of Hawaii into the Union as the 50th State.

Whereas August 21, 2009, marks the 50th Anniversary of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s signing of Proclamation 3309, which admitted Hawaii into the Union in compliance with the Hawaii Admission Act, enacted by the United States Congress on March 18, 1959;

Whereas Hawaii is `a place like no other, with a people like no other’ and bridges the mainland United States to the Asia-Pacific region;

Whereas the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, was born in Hawaii;

Whereas Hawaii has contributed to the diversity of Congress in electing the first Native Hawaiian member of Congress, Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana`ole, the first Asian-American member, Hiram Fong, the first woman of color, Patsy T. Mink, and the first Native Hawaiian to serve in the Senate, Daniel Kahikina Akaka;

Whereas Hawaii is an example to the rest of the world of unity and positive race relations;

Whereas Pearl Harbor is a strategic military base for the U.S. in the Pacific and also a historical site for the Nation, being the location of the December 7, 1941, surprise Japanese aerial attack that thrust the Nation into World War II;

Whereas Hawaii is home to 1/4 of the endangered species in the United States;

Whereas Hawaii has 8 national parks, which preserve volcanoes, complex ecosystems, a Hansen’s disease colony, and other sites of historical and cultural significance;

Whereas Kilauea ranks among the most active volcanoes on Earth;

Whereas President Bush nominated the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Centre for consideration to the World Heritage List;

Whereas Hawaii has produced musical legends ranging from traditional favorites such as Alfred Apaka, Don Ho, and Genoa Keawe, to Hawaii renaissance performers such as Eddie Kamae, Raymond Kane, Gabby Pahinui, Israel Kamakawiwo`ole, the Brothers Cazimero, and the Beamer Brothers, and continuing on to contemporary stars such as Keali`i Reichel, Ledward Kaapana, Jake Shimabukuro, and Raiatea Helm;

Whereas Hawaii is culturally rich, as the Hawaiian culture has been protected through Hawaiian language immersion schools, hula competitions such as the Merrie Monarch Festival, canoeing voyages undertaken by vessels like the Hokule`a, and the continuing historic preservation of Hawaiian traditions;

Whereas the Hawaii Statehood Commission has held a Joint Session of the Hawaii State Legislature in honor of statehood and will be celebrating this milestone with a public discussion and with the arrival of the USS Hawaii; and

Whereas for all of these reasons Hawaii is a truly unique State: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes and celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the entry of Hawaii into the Union as the 50th State.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has informed Congress that he will waive for six months a 1996 law that permits lawsuits against foreign companies who use Cuban property once owned by Americans.

The letter from Obama came as Bush’s final waiver was about to expire. It also came on the same day that the State Department said the U.S, and Cuba are renewing negotiations on the U.S.-Cuba migration accords. The talks’ focus will be on promotion of safe, legal and orderly migration between the two countries.

Thank you, Congressman Burton.  Read this.

Indiana congressman Dan Burton has been in office for 14 terms.

Even as a total crackpot advocating for things such as the death penalty for drug addicts (*before* his own son was arrested for growing 30 marijuana plants and illegal possession of a shotgun, charges which up and vanished.*), and missing key votes including the Iraq war reauthorization bill in 2007 because he was out on a golfing outing sponsored by drug company lobbyists, Dan Burton has always had an unassailable lead over even less corrupt Republicans trying to take his seat.

*source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Burton#Controversies

(Though to be honest, with the record of the comparatively few votes he hasn’t been AWOL on, he’s probably better serving the American people and the Hoosiers that elected him to Congress better on the golf course)

So this article mentioning Republicans contesting Burton for his seat in Congress  in the primary next year may persuade me to vote as a Republican in the “open primary” just to try to make sure that if we do get another Republican (this is a pretty hick area of a fairly hick state, so that’s likely), at least it won’t be him.

So if you live in Indiana Congressional District 5 (which includes Fort Wayne,  Huntington, Marion, Kokomo, and juts south clear past the east side of Indianapolis I believe.), you may want to vote as a Republican for this seat in 2010 for one of Burton’s contenders.

There’s virtually no chance of taking that  seat for the Democrats, so we should at least try to get a slightly more reasonable Republican elected. Failing that I suppose we could just drop him off at the “coast of Bolivia”. *grin*

The four candidates share a common purpose: Get rid of Burton. After 28 years in Congress, a mediocre legislative record, a tarnished personal past and mockable leadership history, Burton should be retired, the candidates contend, albeit not in such stark terms. Presumably, they agree with the Indianapolis Star’s editorial board, which called on Burton to take his congressional pension and go home .

The Star said Burton offers his constituents naught but “a record of self-serving, sometimes bizarre behavior that has drawn national negative press and cost the veteran lawmaker in terms of party favor and committee assignments. Antics such as the missed votes to play golf in 2007 and the ‘no’ vote on a House ethics bill that passed 430-1 are now legend.”

La estatua de Che Guevara solamente ha durado 7 meses en la entrada del Central Park de Nueva York. Se puso en noviembre del año pasado pero legisladores republicanos la han eliminado rapidamente.  Un grupo de legisladores republicanos de Estados Unidos, entre ellos cuatro de Florida, ha remitido recientemente una carta al alcalde de Nueva York, Michael Bloomberg, en la que reclamaba la retirada inmediata de esa estatua.
Realizada en bronce y a tamaño real, la escultura en realidad no reflejaba directamente al revolucionario argentino (1928-1967), sino a una de las conocidas como “estatuas vivientes” que a menudo se ven en las calles de las grandes ciudades.
“Un reconocido enemigo de Estados Unidos”
La prensa estadounidense se ha hecho eco en los últimos días del envío de esa carta, impulsada por el republicano Dan Burton y firmada también por otros nueve legisladores. En ella, se aseguraba que el revolucionario argentino fue “un reconocido enemigo de Estados Unidos”, que acogió “el totalitarismo y las políticas represivas de la Unión Soviética”. “La icónica imagen de este hombre no es una moda o una obra de arte para las víctimas o sus familiares, sino más bien un terrible recordatorio de la brutalidad que se sufrió en sus manos”, añadía el escrito.Con independencia de esta polémica y de las críticas de algunos ciudadanos que no vieron con buenos ojos su instalación en un lugar tan emblemático de la ciudad, la escultura se retiró tal y como estaba previsto desde que el pasado noviembre se colocó.
“La escultura forma parte de una exposición temporal llamada ‘Esculturas Vivientes’ inspirada en los artistas callejeros de Barcelona. No es una estatua del ‘Che’, sino que representa, con gran realismo, una ‘estatua viviente’ haciendo del ‘Che’, que no es lo mismo”, dijo a Efe la portavoz de Public Art Fund, Gabby Fisher.

Members of the U.S. Congress long ago figured out a way to give themselves raises every year without having to vote on it each time, but this year the mechanism has served to further tarnish their already horrendous image. From a PR standpoint, this story offers another illustration of the dangers of clamming up in the face of uncomfortable media inquiries.

From your perspective as a business owner, PR person, head of a non-profit, or someone else whose image and reputation impact your effectiveness, the short version of the lesson is this: if you are faced with media scrutiny that threatens to make you look bad, the last thing you should do is refuse to respond, either by telling the reporter you have nothing to say, or simply by being inaccessible. Why? Because it allows others – primarily your detractors – to tell your story for you.

In the case of Congress and its 2.8 percent “cost of living” raise, the issue is a no-brainer: almost everyone around the country – that is to say, the people represented by Congress – are losing jobs, reducing work hours, going without raises, wondering if their businesses will survive; in this climate, for Congress to give itself a raise to $174,000 is extremely unseemly. I understand fully the argument that we need high-salaried positions in Congress to ensure that we can attract qualified people and provide at least a modicum of disincentive to bribery and kickbacks.

However, this is an issue of perception during one of the hardest economic downturns in a generation. Surely these people can come up with something to say about it, right? Apparently not:

Finding anyone brave enough to defend the pay hike in Washington these days is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. When they’re asked to comment, usually accessible members quickly go missing, are on vacation, are extremely busy with family members or can’t be reached on their cell phones because they’re in remote locations.

And…

Pelosi’s office declined to comment on the raise.

So what’s the result? The story is heavily skewed against the Congressional pay raise, with taxpayer watch-dog groups excoriating Congress members for their perceived perfidy:

“When you look at the rest of the country, people are hoping to hang on to their jobs, much less get a salary increase or a bonus,” said Steve Ellis , the vice president of the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Other critics say that Congress has done nothing to deserve a raise. “The general public can’t help but think that lawmakers are patting themselves on the back, and padding their wallets, for presiding over the worst fiscal-policy blunders in recent history,” said Pete Sepp , the vice president for policy and communications for the National Taxpayers Union.

And this:

While members of Congress will receive a raise, 12 percent of seniors are living at or below the poverty line, said Daniel O’Connell , the chairman of The Senior Citizens League. A senior who receives average Social Security benefits will get a $63 monthly increase in 2009, he said. The congressional pay raise is expected to cost taxpayers $2.5 million next year. “This money would be much better spent helping the millions of seniors who are living below the poverty line and struggling to keep their heat on this winter,” O’Connell said.

So now the story has been framed by Congressional critics. A few folks who have adopted a voter-friendly position come off as heroes in this discussion:

Four members of Congress from Indiana have announced that they won’t accept the pay increase: Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, Republican Reps. Mike Pence and Dan Burton and Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth. In Florida, Republican Sen. Mel Martinez and Republican Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Ginny Brown-Waite said they’d vote to block the raise if congressional leaders allowed a vote. California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein said she wanted nothing to do with the raise. Feinstein, the chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee , intends to donate her raise to charity, spokesman Phil LaVelle said Tuesday.

These folks look good not because they talked to the media, but because they are talking about turning down taxpayer-financed raises. But this illustrates another important point: the more you clam up in the face of scrutiny, the more you’re going to have your story written for you, and your options restricted when you finally decide to talk.

What can the holdouts say, once they become accessible again? Naturally, they’re going to have to toe the line and turn down the raise. They’ll have a hell of a time coming up with messaging that resonates with their constituencies if they take any other position.

The one thing I learned from the investigation of Clinton and Reno and the Department of Justice during that time, if you want to make sure you can do anything at all with impunity, just make sure that one appointment — attorney general — is someone who will back you no matter what. Then you can get [away] with anything.
-Congressman Dan Burton

You can put Congressman Dan Burton down as one vote against Eric Holder’s nomination for Attorney General. The interview, conducted by Ross Kaminsky of Human Events, is pretty straightforward. It also reminds us of why we oppose the Deomcratic Party and the future Obama administration.

ENLACE: Artículo en El Nuevo Día, 13 de noviembre de 2008

Por José A. Delgado / jdelgado@elnuevodía.com

WASHINGTON – Una organización pro estadidad de estudiantes puertorriqueños de universidades estadounidenses anunció hoy que ha comenzado a presionar en el Congreso a favor de un referéndum “estadidad versus independencia”.

“La victoria (del PNP) en Puerto Rico es de suma importancia, pero la verdadera lucha por la estadidad ocurre en combinación con el Congreso y el pueblo de Puerto Rico”, declaró Raúl Vidal, director ejecutivo de la organización (PRSSA, por sus siglas en inglés).

Vidal sostuvo que ya trabajan en coordinación con los congresistas Dan Burton (republicano por Indiana) y José Serrano (demócrata por Nueva York) a favor de que en 2009 se retome el debate en torno al futuro político de Puerto Rico. “Tenemos muy buenas relaciones con Serrano”, indicó Vidal.

En el pasado, el ahora gobernador electo, Luis Fortuño, ha indicado que el nuevo proyecto de ley que promoverán a partir de 2009 debe tomar como base la legislación que se aprobó en el Comité de Recursos Naturales de la Cámara baja federal a favor de un referéndum “territorio sí o no”.

Pedro Pierluisi, comisionado residente electo, por su parte, se ha expresado a favor de un plebiscito entre la estadidad, la independencia y la libre asociación. Pero, esta semana indicó que no han diseñado oficialmente la estrategia en torno a qué tipo de consulta federal van a impulsar.

“Estamos dispuestos a negociar con el partido (el PNP)”, indicó Vidal, estudiante de Derecho en American University y quien sostiene que a través de la página de internet de su organización se han registrado unas 10,000 personas, aunque desconoce cuántos de ellos son estudiantes puertorriqueños.

PUERTO RICO STATEHOOD
STUDENTS ASSOCIATION
www.statehoodpr.org

COMUNICADO DE PRENSA
Jueves, 13 de noviembre de 2008
Contacto: Eduardo J. Soto (787) 536-3014

ESTUDIANTES ESTADISTAS LLEVAN CAMPAÑA AL CONGRESO FEDERAL

WASHINGTON, DC: El Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association (PRSSA) efectuará una campaña “grass roots” a favor de la libre determinación en la Cámara de Representantes federal junto a los congresistas Pedro Pierluisi y José Serrano.  Luego de la abrumadora victoria del Partido Nuevo Progresista, PRSSA se enfocará en educar sobre el estatus de Puerto Rico y facilitar medidas a favor de la Isla.
 
En los pasados meses, PRSSA se ha reunido con las oficinas de los congresistas José Serrano, Dan Burton y Don Young, afiliados con la autodeterminación de Puerto Rico.  Igualmente, PRSSA ha sido un colaborador del Comisionado Residente electo Pedro Pierluisi, quien fue miembro fundador de la Asociación. 
 
“La victoria en Puerto Rico es de suma importancia, pero la verdadera lucha por la estadidad ocurre en combinación con el Congreso y el pueblo de Puerto Rico,” declaró Raúl Vidal, director ejecutivo de PRSSA y delegado en Washington, DC.  “PRSSA tiene miles de miembros que residen en los estados continentales.  Esto hace a los congresistas más receptivos a nuestro movimiento, reconociendo que tienen a constituyentes suyos en nuestras filas”,  concluyó Vidal.
 
Eduardo Soto, director de comunicaciones de la Asociación, añadió que “PRSSA trabajará junto a los congresistas Pierluisi y Serrano para lograr el mandato que dictó el pueblo de Puerto Rico, resolver el problema de estatus.”  “Haremos todo lo posible para que los jóvenes puertorriqueños no hereden un Puerto Rico colonial,” sentenció Soto. 
 
PRSSA es una organización independiente y sin fines de lucro, dedicada a promover la estadidad para Puerto Rico.  Fue co-fundada en el 1979 por los entonces estudiantes Luis Fortuño, Gobernador Electo, y Kenneth McClintock, actual Presidente del Senado.  La Asociación cuenta con capítulos a lo largo y ancho de los Estados Unidos continentales y Puerto Rico y efectuó una campaña de voto estudiantil en Puerto Rico para las elecciones del 4 de noviembre. 
 

# # #

BAD MORTGAGES ... TOO BAD!

It’s time to reach for your trusty governmental failure scorecard.  Hank Paulson over at Treasury says the feds aren’t going to be using bailout money to buy troubled mortgages.  They’d rather fatten up their friends at the big banks.  Christmas bonuses are right around the corner you know.

Excuse me?  Didn’t we endure a classic Bush administration sales pitch, in which we were warned of doom and gloom if we didn’t act fast?  And, I mean overnight fast.  Didn’t dozens upon dozens of doormat Democrats rise to the occasion and support the scam?  Don’t you feel had?

I don’t.  I was against it from the start.  I’ll be glad to proceed, but you first must check any nonsensical partisanship at the door.  This isn’t a Democrat or Republican thing.  Wall Street’s water carriers come in red and blue.

Whom to blame?  Whom to blame?  I’d address the American people as ladies and gentlemen, but somehow suckers and bigger suckers seems more appropriate.  After all, you were warned.

FAB 4

Everyone loves to laugh at Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul.  Warnings from Dan Burton and Marcy Kaptur went ignored.  Among a dedicated few were these two Democrats and two Republicans alerting American suckers everywhere:  DON’T GIVE 700-BILLION DOLLARS TO ONE PERSON UNCHECKED!

No, no … our other patsy Congressional salesmen assured us … the money is urgently needed, if we are to avoid financial ruin.  It will free up the credit markets.  When the thoughtful questioned the sanity of allocating 700-billion to one man for the expressed purpose of buying up bad mortgages … fast talkers told us that we’d get a huge return on our investment or at least close to our money back.  Ha!

It would be easy to equate the sales job done on this bailout fiasco to the one done during the run-up to the Iraq war.  Every rationale under the sun was given to explain the need for military action in Iraq.  We heard about weapons of mass destruction, freeing the oppressed from an evil regime, and the potential perils to the world economy caused by a crazy man controlling so much oil.

SHARK!

I like to think back to the old Saturday Night Live skit in which a shark knocks at the door.  Our toothy friend says anything and everything to get the person on the other side to open up.  And, then in an hilariously horrific moment, the door is opened and the shark is the one opening up, if you know what I mean.

How does it feel to become shark food?  Whom to blame?  Whom to blame?

The entire House of Representatives was on the ballot a week ago Tuesday.  I can think of 263 members who should’ve been sent packing.  A good number of these folks are the same ones who whine about the president’s overreaching war, even though they passed what at the time they called “good faith” legislation to allow him to take the necessary actions in regards to Iraq.

Talk about completely shirking one’s responsibility.  Do they not take an oath?  Have they no understanding of their role?  It’s certainly not to yield to whatever confronts them.  If more than half of our representatives are so impotent, can someone tell me why the hell they’re in Washington.  Are they simply there for picture day?

Good legislation isn’t built on blind trust.  You’d have thought even the dumbest members of Congress would’ve learned that by now.

Most school children discover early on … you’d better read the books you’re assigned.  Guesswork won’t get you very far, except in Congress, where it’s safe to say that very few actually read the stuff on which they vote.

Ultimately, the American people are proved the stupid ones … choosing to be snowed by liars, cheats, and thieves.  People who are essentially saying trust me, even though they’ve done exactly the opposite of earning your trust … again and again.

Over the years, there have been cases of volunteer firefighters who’ve become arsonists on the side, to guarantee themselves continued work.  It seems to me Hank Paulson’s friends burned our houses down, then he promised to help rebuild, took our money, is giving it to them, and is now getting ready to walk away.  Nice job.

It’s a shame you’ll have to wait two years to have your say.  The club of 263 is betting you’ll forget by then.  President Bush will be back in Crawford clearing brush.  Goodwill aside, most will have forgotten that our president-elect also voted for the 700-billion-dollar boondoggle.

Welcome to transition’s version of “Change You Can Believe In.”  It’s kind of like the change on the dollar that’s left in your 401-K, while the titans of corporate America get fancy spa treatments and blissfully float back to their 40-room mansions on beautiful golden parachutes.

What’s on TV tonight?  Should be one of these …

Does this child have ADHD?

In the U.S. today an estimated 25 million people may have Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD.  The now household term brings up images of loud uncontrollable children who struggle to learn and who lack the ability to sit still.  In this article I’d like to talk a little bit about what ADHD is, what it is not, and what every parent, teacher, and physician should know about it.

ADHD is a highly controversial disorder.  There is wide disagreement on whether it exists at all and if it does what we should do about it.  What is known and generally agreed upon is that some children do have trouble keeping still and paying attention in class and that these children often seem to also have trouble organizing their own work.  Proponents of ADHD believe that many students with these issues can be diagnosed with a disorder which is considered at least partially genetic.  The prevailing treatment recommendations for ADHD are prescription stimulants such as amphetamines like Adderall or methylphenidates like Ritalin.  Because these types of drugs are controlled, both in the United States and internationally, for their potentially harmful effects and addictive nature, their use on children contribute to the controversy surrounding the disorder.

Critics of ADHD, on the other hand, generally suggest that these symptoms could be the result of any number of other things.  Some suggest that many of the symptoms can be caused by simple normal genetic variance in the human population.  Some children have high energy personalities, or just a low IQ, and there is no reason to medicate them for it.  One theory in this category has been promoted by talk radio host Thom Hartmann.  The theory goes that, in the nomadic history of the human race, some high energy genes became preferable and thus more common.  Since humans became farmers, and eventually industrial-computer using-farmers, these genes and the traits associated with them have become more and more of a nuisance.

Another group of critics believe that ADHD has no genetic basis at all and is primarily caused social and environmental factors.  This view puts the blame on the modern lifestyle and its effects on the family and social lives of children.  In the last 30-40 years children have spent less and less time interacting with parents and more time in structured environments such as daycare, school, after school programs, and organized sports, or even just sitting in front of the tube or computer.  Growing up in such families has lead many young people to question the authority of adults or simply act out in an effort to get more attention.  Other critiques from the environmental side blame diet.  ADHD symptoms have been directly linked to food coloring, and an exciting new study shows that supplementing a child’s diet with Omega 6 & 3 fatty acids can bring about a 25% reduction in symptoms.  Although sugar, a long time suspect, does not seem to directly cause symptoms, the idea that a high sugar diet lacking other foods rich in vitamins and nutrients, especially proteins, is causing a lot ADHD is becoming more popular.

Critics of all stripes agree that, whatever is happening in the lives of these children, medication is not the answer.  The stimulant medications used to treat ADHD could be very dangerous, but we don’t know.  Some studies show that ADHD meds do not improve children’s academic scores and stunt growth.  Drugs in this category, like Adderall or Ritalin, may be addictive, or even cause cancer.  Since there has never been a long term study on the health effects of these medications it is impossible to tell what could result from eight or even twelve years of use.  These concerns have lead the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to recommend that medications be used only as a last resort.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the use of therapy and stimulant medications, with periodic follow up visits to ensure the patient is progressing well, however Congressman Dan Burton suggests the reality is a bit different:

“When you take your child to a doctor, instead of blood tests and a thorough medical evaluation, you have a conversation with a doctor about the school’s checklist. And you leave a few minutes later with a prescription for your young child for a psychotropic drug.”

The congressman is certainly right about one thing.  If you bring your child to the doctor for ADHD, she won’t run any tests, because there is no scientific way to see if a child has the disorder or not.

It seems clear that something doesn’t add up here.  An unheard of, and undiagnosable, psychological condition comes to light and thirty years later millions of children have been diagnosed.  If ADHD is such an immense issue why wasn’t it discovered earlier? How could so many children be found to be sick with a psychological condition that is undefinable scientifically?

Dr. John Breeding, author of The Wildest Colts Make the Best Horses, believes that the answer lies in the pharmaceutical industry which has great economic interest riding on ADHD.  Breeding has been ringing alarms since the mid 1990s, but the news went national this past summer when Harvard professor Dr. Joseph Biederman was exposed for failing to report at least $1.6 million dollars from the pharmaceutical industry and associated lobby groups.  Biederman has authored hundreds of papers on ADHD and was considered among the world’s foremost experts on the matter.  His work helped ADHD’s expansion through America’s homes and classrooms but it was all bought and paid for.  So, for now, it seems, the jury is still out on ADHD’s existence and its implications.

I’m sure many of you have heard about the revolt going on in Washington D.C., where House Republicans refused to vacate on Friday after the congress was adjourned and demanded that congress be re-convened in order to debate energy bills meant to address current gas prices, etc.  I’ve linked the the Twitter feeds of Representatives Pete Hoekstra, John Culberson and GOPLeader John Boehner to cover the proceedings, which continued today when the Republicans returned to the House and began working on energy bills in their shorts.

I’m told they’ve ordered pizza.  Now I wish I was there too.

Additional Link: House Republican Uprising Live Blog

H/T: Michelle Malkin, HotAir

Update via Laura Elizabeth Morales: The “guerilla congress” has a Facebook group and a website supporting them.  Also Twitter links for Representatives Rob Wittman and Dan Burton.  My rss widgets have been updated accordingly.

Last Update: There are too many representatives twittering this now, so I’ll just confine myself to listing the Don’t Go website and rss feed.

Revision: I’ve dropped the Don’t Go rss feed due to lack of activity.

Dan Burton is a tough as nails representative who isn’t afraid to go after the truth like a bulldog. The clip above shows that he is a man of conviction, but even moreso that he is a seeker of the truth. When David Foster was killed by Hillary Clinton a few years back, Burton took a gun and a pumpkin and proved that Foster couldn’t have created suicide. This is exactly the type of take no prisoners attitude that we need to continue to represent us in Congress.

Though Burton has made mistakes like fathering a child out of wedlock, he has owned up to them and didn’t use them as a shield to stop him from getting into the Monica Lewinsky affair. People took his comment calling Bill Clinton a “scumbag” out of context, but frankly it fit. Burton is a strong proponent of a fairer less complicated tax system, expanded oil drilling in Alaska, and family values.  Dan is a social conservative who is solidly backed by the NRA and favors traditional marriage.  Personally, Burton is an avid golfer.  We heartily endorse Dan Burton and hope that anybody in the 5th District in Indiana will support Congressman Burton over Dr. John McGoff in November.