Alberto Gonzales was appointed to the post as Attorney General in February 2005 by President George W. Bush. Under Gonzales's leadership, the Justice Department and the FBI have been accused of improperly, and illegally, using the USA PATRIOT Act to uncover personal information about U.S. citizens.
As of November 1, 2007 five senators –
had all announced their intention to vote against Mukasey's confirmation due to concerns about his stance on torture. Mukasey's confirmation as attorney general next week will apparently hinge on his refusal to state that water-boarding (drowning torture) is indeed torture.
The Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Michael Mukasey's nomination is scheduled for Tuesday, November 6, 2007. The announcement came a day after Mukasey replied via letter to the committee, to questions and requests for clarification.
Leahy and the other nine Democratic committee members had indicated the week before, via letter, to Mukasey that they were "deeply troubled by your refusal to state unequivocally that waterboarding is illegal during your confirmation hearing..."
By holding an unusual Oval Office meeting with journalists on November 1, 2007, President Bush signaled his concern that the nomination which was previously judged to be a sure bet, is in peril, primarily over what is and is not considered illegal torture.
Mukasey has refused to state an unequivocal legal position on the interrogation technique known as waterboarding
There are several concerns on multiple levels, the first and foremost being why does Mukasey not admit that waterboarding is torture? A follow up question would be why do so many people think it's acceptable for Americans to conduct torture when the history of our own country has shown that it is a deplorable act that the American people and historical American governments have defined as being unacceptable.
The CIA claims that they do not utilize torture, yet they still conduct water-boarding in the pursuit of their own goals. Yet, Senator John McCain, himself a torture victim during the Vietnam War, states that water-boarding is a "very exquisite torture" that should be outlawed.
Counterterrorism consultant Malcolm Nance trains soldiers on water-boarding so that they will know what to expect if they are ever captured. Nance states that water-boarding is indeed torture and goes against everything that the United States stands for.
... yet sycophants continue to parrot that it is ok to torture.
Yet what of our own Constitution? What of the Geneva Convention? What of the 1984 Convention Against Torture that the US has signed on board with?
Are ideals and morals something to be shelved when it is too inconvenient to grapple with as our cognitive dissonance prevails? Do we set these same values next to our coffee, to be pulled down and presented as virtues that we hold sacred only when we are pointing the fingers at others that are in the way of our economic growth?
How hard is it for us as Americans to walk the moral talk?
This image is of the Salem, Albany, Eugene Mid-Willamette Measure 37 Claims: Linn and Benton Counties In the Willamette Valley there are over 2,200 Measure 37 development claims. Here is a map of claims in Linn and Benton Counties
God I hate liars. Almost as much as I hate 6 hit die bugbears. Especially republican lying, self interest rat bastard liars.
This little diddy is from Measure37Watch.com. All of those commercials out there opposing measure 49... nothing but self interest rat bastard liars, in case you missed it when I said it up above.
"The same timber companies and developers who funded the "Yes on 37" campaign in 2004 are spending a fortune trying to defeat Measure 49. As part of that campaign - in television ads, mailers, flyers and in the voter's pamphlet - the Stop 49 Campaign has offered up "spokespeople" who claim that Measure 49 would prevent them from undertaking modest developments on their property. But the claims they are making are very different than the claims they have actually filed. Below is a chart of some of the "Stop 49" spokespeople in ads from the last several weeks. Read the real facts behind these spokespeople, and why they are working for the "Stop 49" Campaign."
Is the surge working? Let's see what you think once you look at the numbers. Above is a graph of the cumulated deaths (Civilian and US) in Iraq comparing 2005 through 2007, June through October (assuming that no more deaths occur in October).
The numbers used to generate the graphs are below. They were found on these two pages US deaths, Civilian Deaths.
If you look at the numbers, and please double check them if you will, you will see that the total deaths are as follows.
Even though the graph will show that, "Yes the number of deaths have dropped from September through October 2007, the total number of deaths is still higher than 2005 and even 2006.
I can see how one group of people might consider this something to be ecstatic about, that our numbers have dropped over the last two months. This might incline a person to say, "Yes, the surge is working" since the graph does show a decrease in casualties from August 2007 on.
But at the same time, I can see how another group of people would question, "Why are you ecstatic when our overall numbers are not only unacceptable... but actually worse than the last two preceding years?"
Does the successful surge take precedence over the total casualties accumulated?
Which group are you? Are you the Cheerleader over the successful surge? Or are you unhappy with our overall accumulated numbers?
Jesus, this reads like a soap opera. Well, Nathan Petrelli, son of Dallas, joined the U.S. Navy as a pilot and served in Serbia, Bosnia, and Rwanda. Ok, we have to give him koodos for this. Everyone knows pilots are the coolest!Nathan ends up becoming a lawyer and works with the District Attorney's office. The District Attorney wanted to expose the Mafia connections between Nathan's father and Linderman. Nathan was all on board until a mysterious car accident which left his wife paralyzed. God she's such a rich-bitch hottie! Aren't all republican wives?
Why Ballot Measure 50 is up for a Constitutional Amendment and not a mere statue (law).
Many people are wondering, but only a handful of people know the deal. Here it is for you... all nice and shiny!
Legislatures (House and Senate) can pass laws all they want. They don't need us to vote on it. But some laws are harder to pass than others. A new tax law is one of those hard laws to pass... for a reason.
In 1996 a law was passed requiring a 3/5 majority of the legislature to pass bills for raising revenue.
In order for the House to pass a bill for a new tax, they need to get a 3/5 Super Majority vote in the Legislature. Remember, we're talking about only our Legislature voting, not a ballot measure.
This 3/5 Super Majority is needed between the Oregon Citizen Legislature comprising of the House of Representatives (60 members) and the Senate (30 members).
At least three-fifths of the members of each house, the Senate and the House of Representatives, must approve a bill for raising revenue in order for it to pass. (Yes, I'm redundant, but this stuff is like making sausage, just bear with me.)
In the 30-member Oregon Senate, the number of Senators required to approve a bill, which raises taxes, is 18 (raised from 16).
In the 60-member Oregon House of Representatives, the number of Representatives required is 36 (used to be 31). Again, this would apply only if a bill has the primary purpose of raising revenue.
Now, I don’t know how many democrats and republicans are in either the House and Senate, but, the important part is that when this was presented to the entire Legislature... the Super Majority was not reached. The democrats were in favor, but the republicans did not get on board.
See, this is key! The republicans had a chance to vote this into a simple law, but they didn't. Remember... the big issue now is "Why is this up for a vote to be on the Constitution?" This is the answer... because the republican Legislature did not want it passed as a law... period!
Now… (again) this was proposed to the House and Senate as a bill to be a statute, not as a constitutional amendment. Basically, in lay man terms, the dems proposed the same damn thing to the House and Senate as a bill to be a Law and it did not pass because they did not receive a Super Majority, thanks to the republicans..
I’m sorry if this is dragging on, it’s not my intention to, but this is important... and to date, nobody on any of these blogs has properly explained exactly why it’s up for an amendment and not a mere statute. Except for me on RINO's blog.
Before we get to the problem of it being on the Constitution it would be good to ask why did it not reach a Super Majority when we had the chance.
Why did they do it? Knowing full well that the dems were left with no other option than to LEGALLY put this measure up for a vote before the people as an amendment to the Constitution where all that is needed to get something up for the public to vote on it being an amendment in the Constitution is a Simple Majority, or 51%, which we now have.
The republicans say that the tax should not be on the Constitution, unlike the gasoline tax and snowmobile tax (for some reason cigarettes are sacred). They say the Constitution should not be a place for petty taxes. They also say they are ALL IN SUPPORT OF KIDS GETTING HEALTH CARE... yet they did not sign on when this was put before them in the legislature.
If Ballot Measure 50 passes and it amends the Oregon Constitution, the republicans are more at fault than the dems for not supporting the bill when they had a chance.
Is health care an end that more than justifies the means of an amendment?
And, yes, yes, I know... the pic above is of our founding fathers for the U.S. constitution and not the Oregon Constitution but it still gets the idea across.
Looks like the Evangelicals have wisened up to being hijacked by the GOP. Many are now distancing themselves from the righties.
Before you read this, first… go read Ballot Measure 49 (Short Version, Long Version ) for yourself so you won't be swayed by any of my rabid hate mongering against the right wing neocons as I force the bile down while I read to you Arguments (Lies) in Opposition in the Oregon Voters Pamphlet.
Let's take a look at the lies in Opposition.
And it goes on and on and on. More of the same. Vacuous Rhetoric spread by the right wing agenda. Am I biased? Damn straight I am. Almost as biased as I am against KKK members and neo nazis. A snake is a snake and bias doesn't matter when you can call bullshit when the right continues to follow in the footsteps of Karl Rove.
March on Christian Soldiers.
We vote November 6th. Measure 49 has people confused. Hopefully these Measure 37 stories and maps will help inform you about what exactly is going on and why this is a big battle and why you should get involved.
In 2004 Ballot Measure 37 set the stage for poorly planned urban sprawl onto the farms and forest lands surrounding Portland, and throughout Oregon. What this means is that if all the farm owners wanted to sell their land to developers or strip miners, they can. The result is all of our farms would turn into mini Orange Counties and strip mines. It's already been happening.
Measure 37 claimants have filed more than 2,500 residential applications for Measure 37 waivers in the greater Portland area. All of these claims together add up to nearly 34,500 new residents in our "formerly known as" farm land.
Farmers, timber companies and developer landowners have filed more than 7,500 Measure 37 claims, requesting over $15 BILLION Dollars in compensation or the right to develop what ever they want in spite of current farm land and forest statutes and laws.
Sightline.com has the maps of the estimated number of new people and dwellings that would appear in areas that are currently protected as Exclusive Farm Use land and Forest land across Oregon. These maps illustrate the potential Measure 37 development and damage to Oregon's greenery in relation to current growth boundaries. What this means is Urban Sprawl.
Here are some stories of real people affected by the Measure 37 claims. Remember, 37 allows for urban sprawl onto sacred farm and forest land. Sprawl in the form of hundreds of suburbanites packed together like Orange County California. How do we know that?
1) Look at what the claims are for "MAXIMUM UTILIZATION" which means as many houses that they can pack into one spot to get as much money as they can out of the forest land.
2) Common sense. These people want to either develop their land, then sell it, or sell it to a developer. All sellers want the most that they can get from their goods or service, the most being the most houses that can be packed into 200 acres of high value farm and forest land.
Oregon's Property Wrongs
A very clear pdf put together by Sightline of Bad Neighbors in Oregon that "sound far fetched but are actually affecting real people, right now.
Mining in a National Monument
"East Lake...Newberry Crater has always been a peaceful place, with just a few campsites, plus the small summer-only East Lake resort that’s been around since 1915. East Lake is now the focal point of one of Oregon’s biggest Measure 37 claims. A private landowner, James Miller, who holds 157 forested acres inside the National Monument (which includes shoreline along the west side of East Lake) filed a $203 million claim for loss of use under the measure. Because the government couldn’t pay up, the landowner now has approval to build a pumice mine, a geothermal plant, and as many as 150 vacation homes on the property. Geologists hired by the landowner will soon begin looking at where to tap the geothermal energy. "
A Gravel Mine Moves in Next Door"...Susie Kunzman and her husband Wayne love their quiet rural life. They bought the property two years ago to grow their alpaca farm, now with 35 animals which by themselves have an estimated worth of $350,000. But all that could change if a proposed 80-acre gravel mine goes in just over the Kunzman’s fence line. Her neighbors, Charles and Wanda Daugherty, now hold an approved Measure 37 claim that allows the quarry and makes it easier to obtain permits. The county could not pay the Daughertys for loss of use, so under Measure 37 it was forced to approve their claim."
Suburbs in a Working Forest
"... As third- and fourth-generation Oregonians, Jim and Sandy LeTourneux love forests and wildlife. But don’t call them tree-huggers. They’re loggers.
The couple loves what some might see as a tough business: running a 460-acre timber farm in the forested Coast Range of rural Yamhill County.
In 1964, Jim’s father began planting trees; and in 1976, he passed the business down to Jim and Sandy. With their two sons grown and moved away, Jim is the entire labor force these days. He plants and fells the fir, alder, and maple and Sandy keeps the books. The two don’t take traditional vacations. Health insurance is on their dime. Retirement? Not an option, at least not anytime soon. ... But their livelihood, along with their stewardship, could slip away with a Measure 37 claim bordering their property on three sides. The LeTourneux tree farm is nearly surrounded by some 850 acres of forest owned by a Measure 37 claimant. The owner, a developer named Bob Hemstreet, filed a claim for $35 million for loss of use, and if the county doesn’t pay, he may be able to subdivide the property and build as many as 848 homes on 1-acre home sites... "
And it goes on and on and on. It's real simple. If you think it's ok for our farms to be turned into pumise mines and condos... then vote no on Measure 49.
If you think people's property rights are being taken away, even though they can still build up to 10 houses on prime farm land and sell their land for millions of dollars... then vote no on 49.
But... if you think that 37 was poorly written, allowing for unchecked development outside of the urban growth boundary, allowing undesirable growth in our farming communities and forest land... then you'll want to consider voting Yes on 49.
Your choice. Do your research. Google every name you read to get your own facts. Do your due diligence.
We're voting yes to save our farm lands, yes to save our watersheds, yes to save our forest land. We're voting yes on 49 in November.
So, when a lumber company, that specializes in cutting down trees, goes around cutting down trees, the state makes them plant more trees. ... or at least the state tells them to plant the trees. Maybe it's a strong suggestion in the eyes of the lumber companies. I'm not too sure.
Regardless. Planting a ton of trees cuts into the bottom line when Clear Cutting is your bread and butter. "Dem trees gotta come down! So I's can buy my pick up truck!"
But, why bother to spend a crap load of money planting trees when you can claim that state and county regulations force you to have to plant trees, cutting into your revenue, when you can simply file a claim and get permission to put up a bunch of houses? Sounds like a money maker to me.
In the event we run out of trees or some other source of wood out paces Oregon lumber for a cheaper price, it's always good to have a back up plan to cut every damn tree and throw up row after row of subdivisions.
The last thing a lumber guy wants is to be limited in making a profit when you have thousands of acres that still have resources that can be wrung dry out of the land. "good to the last drop... then you throw up condos and make a crap load of money! YEEEEE HAWWW!"
Stimson Lumber donates $200,000 to fight Measure 49
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
ERIC MORTENSON
The Oregonian Staff
Portland-based Stimson Lumber Co., which has filed the state's largest Measure 37 development claims, has contributed $200,000 to a campaign to defeat Measure 49, which would limit development allowed under the 2004 property rights initiative.
Contributions by Stimson and other timber companies, reported Monday under the state's campaign finance law, pushed Oregonians in Action to $1.15 million in contributions.
Oregonians in Action, based in Tigard, sponsored Measure 37 three years ago and opposes Measure 49, which is on the November ballot. The group reported spending $994,972 on the campaign through Monday.
Stimson's contribution is the largest single donation Oregonians in Action has reported in the current campaign.
"This is consistent with Stimson's very public plans to convert forests into subdivisions," said Shelly Strom, Yes on 49 spokeswoman. "Of course they are contributing to the campaign; they stand to make a lot of money on these subdivisions."
Yes on 49 said a search of records in six counties shows that Stimson has filed claims totaling 59,428 acres. Claims the company has filed with the state Department of Land Conservation and Development affect a total of 109,875 acres, according to Yes on 49.
Stimson CEO Andrew Miller called those figures "preposterous." He said Stimson's Measure 37 claims involve about 57,000 acres. Either figure is the state's largest in terms of acreage.
"They've got us painted as if we're going to urbanize the Coast Range," Miller said. Stimson has pursued only one development, Miller said: the 1,200-acre Iowa Hill project in Washington County, where the company hopes to build 40 homes.
The other claims ask the counties to roll back land-use regulations involving income requirements and minimum lot sizes, but Miller said those are "placeholder" claims intended to give the company options in the future. Stimson has no plans to develop its timber holdings, he said. "We know what it's worth growing trees; we'd be fools to do anything else with it."
Measure 37 allowed property owners to seek compensation if land-use rules imposed after they bought the property restricted its use and reduced its value. That prompted about 7,500 claims for subdivisions and industrial and commercial development, most of it on rural farm and forest land.
Supporters of Measure 49, referred to voters by the 2007 Legislature, say it would allow claimants to build one to three home sites on a fast-track basis or four to 10 home sites if they can prove that land-use regulations devalued the property. The measure prohibits industrial and commercial development.
Both sides have reported more than $1 million in contributions. Yes on 49 listed $2.78 million in contributions and $1.49 million in spending through Monday.
Seneca Jones Timber of Eugene; Swanson Group of Glendale, a wood products company; and A-dec Inc., a Newberg company that makes dental office equipment, have each contributed $100,000 to Oregonians in Action. Hire Calling, a Utah-based employment agency, also contributed $100,000.
Other wood products firms listed as contributors include Freres Lumber, C&D Lumber, Murphy Hardwood Plywood Division, South Coast Lumber Co. and Cascade Timber Consulting.
Read the full article at the Oregonian
Eric Mortenson; 503-294-7636; ericmortenson@news.oregonian.com. For environment news, go to http://blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen
