Top Scientist Rails Against Hirings

By Juliet Eilperin and Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Bush Appointees Land Career Jobs Without Technical Backgrounds
The president of the nation's largest general science organization yesterday sharply criticized recent cases of Bush administration political appointees gaining permanent federal jobs with responsibility for making or administering scientific policies, saying the result would be "to leave wreckage behind."
"It's ludicrous to have people who do not have a scientific background, who are not trained and skilled in the ways of science, make decisions that involve resources, that involve facilities in the scientific infrastructure," said James McCarthy, a Harvard University oceanographer who is president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "You'd just like to think people have more respect for the institution of government than to leave wreckage behind with these appointments." Read all about it.

Wolves and Heavy Metal Music are a good match

Joe Conason: Get over it, Clinton Haters

Obama's choice of rival Hillary Clinton for secretary of state shows his political wisdom. And the vetting suggests the Clintons -- surprise! -- have little to hide.
snip
Whatever the merits of any of the president-elect's particular personnel choices, he has hardly betrayed the faith of his supporters -- and in fact has displayed the very character and maturity that they always attributed to him. To say the least, he has showed that he cannot be swayed from exercising his own judgment by the petty backbiting of Washington at its worst. Read Joe Conason's entire article at Salon.com.

God Bless you, President Kennedy. We still miss you.

Obama's Appointees Raise Questions in the Drug Reform Community

"Like other interest groups, the drug reform movement has the Obama transition under a microscope, searching for clues on the new administration's intentions as it scrutinizes those appointments for positions that are going to be key to advancing the cause. Some of the Obama transition team's early moves have some drug reformers sounding alarm bells, but other reformers -- not so much.
Eric Holder -- not the reformer's dream pick Drug reformers were not particularly enthralled with Obama's vice-president selection, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE), who made a career authoring drug war legislation. Biden can rightfully claim to be the father of the drug czar's office, he was a big fan of harsh sentencing laws, he crafted the horrid RAVE Act. Never encountering a "drug problem" that couldn't be fixed with another federal criminal law, Biden most recently authored a bill that would criminalize being on board a home-made submarine carrying drugs.
While Biden may have begun to see the light in recent years -- he is author of one of the best bills seeking to address the crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity (which he helped create) -- drug reformers remain deeply suspicious of a man who built a political power base on the shoulders of the assembled ranks of law enforcement."
I never knew this about Senator Biden and I must say I am disappointed. I see that Eric Holder probably won't be counted on to release all the people arrested for marijuana when he becomes the next Attorney General. I was thinking, "great, finally a black man that will release all the poor black men who are in jail for small misdemeanor drug charges." Obama, Obama, Obama. Please decriminalize drugs. We could get out of debit quickly just on the taxes that would be charged on marijuana if it were to become legal with the same sentences imposed on drunk drivers if you smoke and drive.

Palin, the moron, claims she is a "friend to all creatures, great and small"

As a Thanksgiving side dish her family can gnaw on the severed wolves legs that she pays $150 bounties for out of Alaska's state budget. Just when I was beginning to feel a teensy bit sorry for her because I am obviously not the only one who thinks she is a detestable human being, she just added to her collection of cruel and inhumane actions again with this latest incident with a turkey. Pain and suffering of any creature means NADA to her. I would like to see her feel some of that pain and suffering to her own person. And sooner rather than later. Actually, she is too dumb to be insulted. Is she the anti-Christ we've been reading about for decades due in 2012? She showed up early.

Dennis Kucinich attempts to save languishing elephant in LA Zoo

This is a heartbreaking story about a lonely elephant that is exhibiting pathological behavior from being confined.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich has written to the LA Zoo asking them to close their elephant exhibit and release the lone elephant Billy to a Sanctuary. Read about Billy, the Asian elephant here.

Endangered Species Act may become extinct tomorrow

President Bush and Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne could care less about endangered species. All they care about is giving drilling, mining, raping the earth for profit rights to our most treasured magnificent wilderness to their corporate friends. They received over 250,000 petitions within 32 hours to back off this proposal but NO. They didn't care about the millions of people that protested going to war in the first place either. They are so arrogant as if you didn't already know that. Please read this story at Daily Kos. This alone is reason enough to impeach Bush.

While the Bush administration is certainly in its last throes, their officials still have a significant amount of damage left to inflict on our country.
Furthering the Republicans war against science, the Bush administration is near finalizing a regulatory overhaul of the Endangered Species Act that will fundamentally change the way threatened plants and animals have been protected in the U.S. since December 1973.
We started this; we want to finish this," Tina Kreisher, an Interior Department spokeswoman, said.
"This proposed regulation is another in a continuing stream of proposals to repeal our landmark environmental laws through the back door," she said. "If this proposed regulation had been in place, it would have undermined our ability to protect the bald eagle, the grizzly bear and the gray whale," Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said in August responding to Kempthorne announcement.
"This is a shining example of the brash giveaways to industry we expect to see during the Bush administration's final days, and a new Congress will stand at the ready to use our authority to overturn this and other harmful rules," said Rep. Edward Markey, (D-MA), chairman of the House select committee for energy independence and global warming, to the AP.
By publishing the rule changes this Friday, they will take effect before Bush leaves office. Only Congress could still reverse the rules through the Congressional Review Act. However, if by some change the Bush administration misses Friday's deadline, then President-elect Barack Obama can undo them with with his signature.

A How To Fix the EPA for President Elect Obama

From Jeff Ruch of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
HOW TO RESUSCITATE THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY — EPA Employees Want Committed Leaders Able to Resist Political Pressure
Washington, DC — Rebuilding a battered Environmental Protection Agency will require more than merely importing a new set of politically-connected technocrats, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) which today proposed a “Green Dream Team” for the agency. Besides the top slot, PEER urges the Obama administration should look at whistleblowers and proven reformers as catalysts to transform this large, complex and increasingly demanding organization.
PEER contends that EPA needs new leadership that will both inspire its demoralized work force and restore the agency’s credibility with the public. The challenge for the Obama transition team will be having the courage to choose appointees with the courage to say “no” to the Obama White House. Among the people that PEER submits for consideration are –
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as EPA Administrator. If ever EPA needed a forceful advocate at the helm, it is now. Kennedy has been a leader in fights against destructive mountain-top removal mining, toxic contamination of neighborhoods and lax enforcement of pollution laws.
Entire EPA candidate list for President Elect Obama here.

Yikes! I just found out I have Lyme Disease

I have been complaining of aching legs and knees for months now. I recently fell down right in my mud room onto a steep step and got many bruises plus more pain in my legs and knees. My memory is an embarassment but I chalk it up to the chemotherapy I went through for breast cancer. I just started reading about Lyme Disease now that I finally have a diagnosis from last week's blood work and it says it affects memory big time. I am not at all scared,
After going through cancer treatment all I have to do is take Doxycycline twice a day for a month. Hopefully my symptoms will go away and I can get back to my energetic self. I knew something was wrong because I am always tired and get breathless attempting to do any kind of garden work or even house work. Just emptying the kittylitter pans winds me but when I do all seven at once, I really get tired. I am happy that I finally know what's wrong and I can get on with the treatment and the rest of my life. Hurray.

President Elect Obama may choose John Brennan to be his new CIA Director

I am watching Democracy Now with Amy Goodman who is interviewing Melvin Goodman, author of "A Failure of Intelligence" and former CIA and State Department analyst. He stated that President Elect Obama is bringing back Jami Miscik who wrote the infamous speech given by Colin Powell at the UN which was the reasons (lies) given to start the Iraq War and John Brennan who worked with George Tenet at the CIA and who is possibly going to be Barack Obama's new CIA Director. He's serving as Obama's top adviser on intelligence and head of his intelligence transition team and it was he who convinced Barack Obama to vote for the current FISA Bill which had his supporters at mybarackobama.com in an uproar. I joined that group at that time myself.
Also on the show was Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights who talked about the closing of Guantanamo which President Elect Obama has promised as recently as last night on 60 Minutes. Michale Ratner said the 255 prisoners currently being held are in what is known as a preventative detention scheme and Obama plans to continue this scheme. The prisoners will have no legal rights and be brought before National Security Courts just for being perceived as being dangerous. Please, President Elect Obama, do not make any of the mistakes of the Bush doctrine and please do not hire these Bushies as part of your new administration.
See Frontline's Darkside article about him here.

The Moose Stops Here by Frank Rich of NYT

ELECTION junkies in acute withdrawal need suffer no longer. Though the exciting Obama-McCain race is over, the cockfight among the losers has only just begun. The conservative crackup may be ugly, but as entertainment, it’s two thumbs up! Read all of the article here. Requires login.