20 most corrupt members of Congress

I thought you might enjoy this site which lists the twenty most corrupt legislators and five dishonorable mentions.


http://www.beyonddelay.org/

Debate Report

I have the transcript of the mock debate that was put on earlier this evening in beautiful East Jonesboro:

Asa: Beebe sucks!

Beebe: Asa sucks worse!

Asa: I'll cut all taxes to 0%

Beebe: I have a vision for Arkansas

Asa: Your record in the Senate tells us you suck.

Beebe: Your record at Homeland Security tells us you suck even more.

Asa: God, Guns, Gays

Beebe: Pass

Asa: You're a douche

Beebe: You, sir, are a douche bag

Asa: My wife had to pinch pennies when we first got married (audible laughs).

Beebe: I grew up poor too!

Beebe: How about a lottery?

Asa: Jesus says no!

Beebe: We are going to stop meth!

Asa: No, WE are going to stop meth! (audible laughs at both)

Beebe: Thank you Diana Davis, for being so buxom.

Asa: Diana, I wish you weren't so buxom.

Debate tonight

The first of the Arkansas goobernatorial "debates" is tonight at 7:00. I use the term loosely since General Beebe and lobbyist Hutchinson have paid off the network to not include the other two candidates (Jim Lendall and Rod Bryan). This is a travesty for real democracy. Both candidates for the two major parties should be drawn and quartered in a public setting for this transgression.

More flip-floppery from the Asa? camp

Asa changes his mind about black people, since it is politically expedient at present:

On the Asa for Governor site, I found something that made me almost fall out of my chair with laughter. This picture was next to the link for joining one of Asa's "coalitions." This particular one was called "African-Americans for Asa." What really surprised me was that they were actually able to fit a picture of the entire coalition into one photo. It is amazing what staffers can do when they have some initiative, isn't it? http://www.asaforgovernor.org/join/coalition/

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Asa go to college at Bob Jones University, the unaccredited college for bigots over in South Carolina?

1. Although it admitted Asians and other minorities from its inception, BJU refused to enroll black students until 1971, eight years after the University of South Carolina and Clemson University had been integrated by court order. From 1971 to 1975, BJU admitted only married blacks, although the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had already determined in 1970 that "private schools with racially discriminatory admissions policies" were not entitled to federal tax exemption. Late in 1971, BJU filed suit to prevent the IRS from taking its tax exemption, but in 1974, in Bob Jones University v. Simon, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the University did not have standing to sue until the IRS actually assessed taxes. Four months later, on May 29, 1975, the University Board of Trustees authorized a change in policy to admit "students of any race," a move which occurred shortly before the announcement of the Supreme Court decision in Runyon v. McCrary (427 U.S. 160 [1976]), which prohibited racial exclusion in private schools. The university did not admit unmarried blacks until 1975.

2. The University, and I use that term loosely, did not reverse its NO interracial dating policy until the year 2000, just a short 135 years after Lincoln freed the slaves, supposedly.

I guess somewhere between his college years at Bob Jones and now, Asa has softened on black folks, at least enough to be photographed with them. Knowing his type though, I would bet that Hutchinson would pose for a photo op with Osama Bin Laden if he thought there was some campaign cash in it for him.

Asa? the flip flopper

Our country has a rich history of whimsical politicians who will do and say whatever they think will get them elected and in that fine tradition, I give you Asa? Hutchinson.


Illegal immigration: Just two years ago Asa's stance on illegal immigration was from what I can tell, so what. For months, Hutchinson worked feverishly to get illegals to buy into the Bush plan of amnesty for upwards of 12 million illegals. On September 9th of 2004 Hutchinson said: "We've outlined a number of incentives to encourage aliens to support the plan including provisions freeing them from arrest and deportation, giving them access to tax-deferred savings accounts and Social Security credits and allowing them unrestricted travel to and from their home countries. We're trying to bring 8 million illegals out of the shadows and give them legal status."

Now in 2006, with a super majority of Americans, and more importantly, a super majority of Arkansans firmly against any type of amnesty plan, Hutchinson has changed his position dramatically. He has offered up a weak plan to bring state forces to bear against the scurge of illegal immigration. From the Hutchinson for Governor website:


Springdale, Ark. – Asa Hutchinson, the 2006 Republican candidate for Arkansas Governor, today laid out a four-point plan he would implement as Governor to fight illegal immigration in the state.
In a news conference at the Springdale Police Department, Hutchinson said state and local government can – and should – play a vital role in combating illegal immigration.
“There are still too many who say that immigration is a federal matter only, and that states have no role in enforcing our laws. That’s an old way of thinking, and one that simply isn’t acceptable anymore,” Hutchinson said. “In a post-9/11 world, we must acknowledge that border security does not stop in El Paso or New York City. Illegal immigration impacts states like Arkansas by straining state resources and undermining the rule of law.”
Hutchinson emphasized the importance of immigrants to the history, culture and success of America and insisted that the United States must remain an open and welcoming nation even as we step up efforts to secure our borders.
“Those who come to the United States and Arkansas legally, who have respected our laws and have worked to achieve the American dream, they represent many of the very success stories that have made our country great,” Hutchinson said. “But we need to send a clear message to those who do not respect our laws, who have cheated others who have followed the rules, that they will not be rewarded for their behavior. We must also send a message that those who facilitate illegal activity will also be held accountable.”
Noting the explosive growth of illegal immigrants in Arkansas in recent years, Hutchinson said that Arkansas taxpayers were the ones shouldering the costs of such illegal activity. “When Arkansas taxpayers are footing the bill, when our state’s law-abiding employers are left uncertain of the status of their workers – clearly, this is a state problem,” he said. “As Governor, I’ll work with our law enforcement agencies to give them the tools they need to partner with federal immigration authorities and to fight illegal immigration here in Arkansas.”

What is most sickening about this particular brand of flip floppery is that the problem would not be nearly as bad as it is now had Asa actually done the job he was hired for at Homeland Security. It was on his watch, that a large chunk of these illegals crossed the border he was supposed to be securing. How are we supposed to believe that he can get the illegal immigrant problem under wraps as the governor of Arkansas when he couldn't even do it at the federal level when the problem was actually in his title, "Undersecretary for Border and Transportation Security."

I couldn't make this shit up if I tried, it just goes to show you that the truth IS stranger than fiction.

Bush Lies

President Bush and his right wing spin machine at Faux News do a wonderful job of distorting the facts to meld with whatever opinion they have for the day but I found a wonderful website that straightens out much of the Bush lies, half truths, distortions, and weasels. This site has the top 22 Bush lies and their corresponding truths. Check it out for yourself! http://bushlies.net

THE POLITICS OF FEAR AND SMEAR

George w. Bush and the rest of the neocons are at it again, trying to sell a war that is already more than 3 years old. The hard sell from Bush and the echo-chamber of neoconservative think tanks has begun in earnest this week with the short term goal of keeping Republicans off the endangered species list. The latest, in a seemingly endless stream of reasons to continue the occupation of Iraq, is that islamofascists are trying to take over the world, much like the third reich during the middle years of the twentieth century. Now, this line of reasoning from the 4th reich is not entirely new but the following is: The new twist is that the Bush administration (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bush, and Snow, among others) is now saying that anyone disagreeing with his policy and his bogus war on terror in Iraq are basically appeasers of the terrorist movement. He says the press and most Americans are just like the Europeans that appeased the Nazis. To liken close to 70% of the American populous (the number that feels we should not be in Iraq) to terrorist sympathizers is not only foolish from a political standpoint but also dangerous to the democracy that we have enjoyed for the last two centuries. This new master plan is obviously hatched by the White House's hatchet man, Karl "my daddy was gay" Rove. This is a classic move from Rove: Whatever you are doing that is illegal or wrong just accuse your enemy of the same crime. Some of you may recognize the layman's version of this move, which is most commonly used by a cheating spouse or significant other (blame them before they accuse you). This man never met a page in Joseph Goebbels playbook that he didn't try to use at some point or another. Goebbels once said:

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State." -- Joseph Goebbels, German Minister of Propaganda, 1933-1945

Another one of Karl's favorite plays from the Nazi playbook:

"Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don't want war neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." - Herman Goering



Well, Karl, the latter might have worked from the outset but the American people are a resilient bunch and they have figured you and our puppet president out. The economic and military consequences cannot be shielded from the public much longer, my dastardly little lawn jockey. The wheels of the economy are coming off for real working people and the middle class is in an all out fight for its right to even exist. Soon the bell will toll for you and the rest of the Christofascists running our government and I can only hope that your deaths will not be as peaceful as Goebbels, who took the chickenshit way out with cyanide.

I humbly ask, Who is the real Nazi among us Mr. President?

George Allen: Racist or Dullard?

With Allen reeling from the macaca incident where he called out a citizen of Virginia by welcoming him to America and to Virginia with an ethnic slur, he is now having to explain a photograph taken in 1996 of him with the leadership of the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC). The CCC is a white supremacist hate group, as if the picture didn't give it away. The CCC is known in all white power circles as part of the movement despite their level of secrecy. The CCC is not the hooded racists of the past, as they have tried to retain some level of respect and legitimacy in the public's eye. The past ten years have seen a rise in the profile of the CCC among the white supremacist movement because of their button up approach to racism and the progress they have made in helping get like minded people like George Allen get elected to public office. So is George Allen a bonafide racist of the Strom Thurmond variety or is he just stupid? In either case he does not belong on the floor of the United States Senate. Here is a link to the CCC's blog site: http://www.cofcc.org . If you don't believe me, just read for yourself.

New poll shows Democrats set to sweep in Arkansas

The latest poll from Constituent Dynamics shows Dems set for landslide victories in all but one race. The Lt Gov race was the lone exception with Halter leading Holt 44% to 40%, respectively. The other results are as follows:

Governor

Mike Beebe-48%
Asa Hutchinson-34%
Jim Lendall-1%

Attorney General

Dustin McDaniel-51%
Gunner Delay-37%

The methodology of this poll should not be questioned as with other similar polls because Northwest Arkansas was well represented in this poll of 1004 likely voters. From the polling company:

About our Constituent Dynamics poll:
Constituent Dynamics polled 1,004 likely Arkansas voters over the course of three nights this past Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening, August 29-31. Here’s a breakdown of the composite of our voter sample: Female/Male: 51% to 49% Our age groups break down as follows: 27% between the ages of 18 & 44; 44% ages 45-64; 15% 65-74; and 14% 75+. Party affiliation: 30% of our 1,004 likely voters declared themselves Republican. 40% say they are Democrats and 30% claim they are Independents. By race, 79% of our likely voters were white. 15% African-American and 6% claimed a different racial background. By congressional district, our poll is weighted as follows: 24% of these numbers are from the 1st Congressional District; 26% from the 2nd district. 25% from the 3rd district and 25% from the 4th district. Because of our large sample size, Constituent Dynamics predicts the margin of error in this poll at +/- 3.09%. Note: We also asked the questions in random order so as to mix up which names were asked first, either Republican or Democrat. And, we included the titles of each candidate, if they had one - such as State Senator Jim Holt or Attorney General Mike Beebe - because that is how they will appear on the ballot to the voter.