Thursday, Dec 12th
Last update09:49:37 PM GMT
Political Glance
An organization that promotes sexual abstinence for teens received a federal grant of over a million dollars, twice what it had requested, despite the skepticism Department of Justice staffers had about the group and the fact that it refused to participate in a congressionally mandated study.
So why did the Best Friends Foundation receive the grant from the Justice Department's juvenile justice office even though dozens of competing organizations were rated higher by the office's own reviewers?
The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to send articles of impeachment against President Bush to the Judiciary Committee for review.
The impeachment resolution’s sponsor, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, requested a recorded vote on the motion around 3 p.m. Wednesday, and 24 Republicans joined nearly all Democrats in voting to send the impeachment measure to the committee. The motion passed 251-166.
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Arlen Specter said the Bush administration is "drastically hindering" the Food and Drug Administration's ability to quickly get an important boost in funding.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, Sen. Specter said the FDA's request on Monday for an additional $275 million wouldn't give them any money until March or April 2009 "at the earliest."
The full pdf text of the Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush has been posted on the web.
Is the government compiling a secret list of citizens to detain under martial law?
Few Americans—professional journalists included—know anything about so-called Continuity of Government (COG) programs, so it's no surprise that the president's passing reference received almost no attention. COG resides in a nebulous legal realm, encompassing national emergency plans that would trigger the takeover of the country by extra-constitutional forces—and effectively suspend the republic. In short, it's a road map for martial law.
TVNL Comment: THIS IS A MUST READ!!!
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Economic and political sanctions against Iran must be "dramatically increased" if the international community hopes to stop the Iranian regime from obtaining nuclear weapons, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday.
The issue of Iran is expected to top the agenda of talks between Olmert and President Bush when they meet on Wednesday.
Both Olmert and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice used their speeches to the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) -- the largest pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. -- to urge the international community to do more to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power.
TVNL Comment: Normally, lobbying groups try to influence politicians. Where AIPAC is concerned, every politico must grovel for its approval. Anyone seeking or holding a top public office in the US is required to pledge unconditional support to everything Israel does... including amass nuclear weapons to the exclusion of any other nation in the Middle East. When will anyone question Israel's role in causing so much of the unrest and frustration in the region? Probably, never.
AIPAC maintains a virtual stranglehold over the US Congress. Critics of the Israel lobby other than Walt and Mearsheimer also contend that AIPAC essentially prevents any possibility of open debate on US policy towards Israel.
AIPAC should not be crossed. It rewards those who support its agenda, and punishes those who don't. In the end, it's all about money - specifically campaign contributions. From 2000 to 2004, according to the Washington Post, AIPAC honchos contributed an average of $72,000 each to campaigns and political committees. For pro-AIPAC politicians, money simply pours from all over the US.
Every member of the US Congress receives AIPAC's bi-weekly newsletter, the Near East Report. Walt and Mearsheimer stress that Congressmen and their staff "usually turn to AIPAC when they need info; AIPAC is called upon to draft speeches, work on legislation, advise on tactics, research, collect co-sponsors and marshal votes".
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