Bush Orders Staff to Attend Ethics Briefings
White House Counsel to Give 'Refresher' Course
By Jim VandeHeiWashington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 5, 2005; Page A02

President Bush has ordered White House staff to attend mandatory briefings beginning next week on ethical behavior and the handling of classified material after the indictment last week of a senior administration official in the CIA leak probe.

According to a memo sent to aides yesterday, Bush expects all White House staff to adhere to the "spirit as well as the letter" of all ethics laws and rules. As a result, "the White House counsel's office will conduct a series of presentations next week that will provide refresher lectures on general ethics rules, including the rules of governing the protection of classified information," according to the memo, a copy of which was provided to The Washington Post by a senior White House aide.

Quote of note:

...Among the other black politicians featured on the mailer who oppose Proposition 78 are: Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Carson); Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles); Rep. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles); Assemblywoman Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles); Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke; and former Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson.

...Only a notice in small print says that appearance in the mailer does not signify endorsement of the proposition.

Black Politicians Say Mailer Distorts Support
By Noam N. Levey
Times Staff Writer
November 5, 2005

A drug industry-supported campaign, which has been criticized for giving money to people who endorsed its ballot measure, is now under fire for misrepresenting the positions of black politicians.

Key problem of note:

"A majority of NAACP dollars don't come from memberships. They come from corporate America," she said. "A lot of the time we don't agree. But if we can agree on an issue that's mutually supportive of corporate America, I think we should."

Nonsense statement of note:

Huffman said her decision was based on the merits of the two proposals. She said she feared Proposition 79 could deny patients in the state's health care system for the poor access to certain brands of medications.

She's hinting at the provision that would get your butt kicked off the formulary if your pricing is wrong. But California's market is too big...Big Pharma won't abandon that market any more than they abandoned Canada.

Black Leaders Question NAACP on Prop. 78
By STEVE LAWRENCE
Associated Press Writer
8:47 AM PST, November 5, 2005

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The pharmaceutical industry has spent $76.5 million to line up support for its prescription drug initiative on next week's ballot -- and some of the money is causing a rift among black leaders.

The spending includes $1.4 million paid to groups run by blacks, much of it to consulting firms run by two prominent black leaders: Assembly speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and Alice Huffman, head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in California.

Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters said Huffman and others had "dishonored the NAACP."

The industry spending is aimed at supporting passage of Proposition 78, a measure on Tuesday's ballot that would provide discounted medications to uninsured Californians making up to three times the federal poverty level -- about 5 million people.

Although most of the $1.4 million went to the firms run by Brown and Huffman, some of the money went to the NAACP and several other black organizations for Proposition 78 campaign work.

The criticism began after the state NAACP and about 15 local chapters of the organization endorsed the proposal and opposed the competing Proposition 79, which is backed by labor and consumer groups and would cover twice as many people by including uninsured Californians making up to four times the poverty level.

Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas of Los Angeles said Friday that the NAACP endorsements were "starkly inconsistent" with the group's record as an advocate for minorities and the poor.

Huffman said black leaders critical of her position on the two propositions "want the NAACP to be the enemy of corporate America."

"A majority of NAACP dollars don't come from memberships. They come from corporate America," she said. "A lot of the time we don't agree. But if we can agree on an issue that's mutually supportive of corporate America, I think we should."

Anthony Wright, co-chairman of a group campaigning for Proposition 79, said the drug companies recruited black organizations "to find groups with friendlier faces" to carry their message.

"We know that once voters find out that the drug companies are behind Proposition 78, they reject it and are more likely to join consumer groups in supporting Proposition 79," he said.

Huffman said her decision was based on the merits of the two proposals. She said she feared Proposition 79 could deny patients in the state's health care system for the poor access to certain brands of medications.

Business Pushes Its Own Brand Of Justice
Tough Lobbying For Court Seat
By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, July 9, 2005; Page A01

Business likely to back Roberts
Supreme Court nominee argued antitrust case against Microsoft, but record generally pro-business.
July 20, 2005: 7:07 PM EDT

Court Nominee Has Paper Trail Businesses Like
By STEPHEN LABATON
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 - Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. has reliably favored big-business litigants as he has pushed the federal appeals court in Philadelphia in a conservative direction.

Colbert I. King: 

It wasn't Bork's conservatism or his challenge to prevailing legal orthodoxy that did him in. Nor was he an ogre or Neanderthal, as some of his opponents mischaracterized him. But Bork, as with other controversial judicial picks of President Bush, seemed to come to the bar with, as The Post put it, "an almost frightening detachment from, not to say indifference toward, the real-world consequences of his views; he plays with ideas, seeks tidiness, and in the process does not seem to care who is crushed."

Quote of note:

Roads said about 1,000 citizens were still unable to vote in Tuesday's election because of Proposition 200 requirements. "The biggest bloc of people who are impacted are the legitimate citizens," Roads said.

Eligible to Vote in Arizona? Prove It
A new law requires evidence of citizenship. Thousands of legal residents are in a bind.
By Nicholas Riccardi
Times Staff Writer
November 5, 2005

PHOENIX — A stringent new voter identification law being put into effect in Arizona — designed to keep illegal immigrants from voting — will also prevent thousands of legitimate voters from casting ballots Tuesday, election officials say.

Governor Owens of Colorado, having been called a traitor to the cause for supporting the suspension of their absurd budget process, is trying to clean up his reputation on the Right by supporting a similar absurd process in California.

Yeah, that's judgmental. But here's the process, described by Govenor Owens himself.

The spending cap in Colorado is a success story. Added to the state Constitution by referendum in 1992, it helped keep the reins on Colorado's budget, primarily by using a formula based on population growth and inflation. If taxes provided surpluses above that budget, the money was returned to the taxpayers.

Placing appropriate limits on the growth of state spending makes sense. The name given to Proposition 76 in California — the "Live Within Our Means Act" — says it all. Why shouldn't government, just as a business or a family, be required to live within its means? Why should government spending grow at a rate faster that the growth of the economy in general? The answer is easy. It shouldn't.

Quote of note:

The drug manufacturers have spent about $76 million so far in favor of Proposition 78 and against Proposition 79, a competing measure pushed by organized labor and some consumer groups.

"The list of groups saying Yes to 78 grows bigger every day," says an ad airing across California. The spot does not disclose that many endorsers have received payments.

Drug Firms Gave Money to Some Who Endorsed Proposition 78
By Dan Morain
Times Staff Writer
November 4, 2005

SACRAMENTO — The nation's drug makers have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to political leaders and civil rights groups that have endorsed the industry's initiative on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Mr. Krauthammer makes a comparison which can only be considered valid if you equate adult women with inexperienced children.

Pop quiz: Which of the following abortion regulations is more restrictive, more burdensome, more likely to lead more women to forgo abortion?

(a) Requiring a minor to get the informed consent of her parents, or to get a judge to approve the abortion.

(b) Requiring a married woman to sign a form saying that she notified her husband.

...Remember: The question is not whether (a) or (b) is the wiser restriction. The only relevant question is which is more likely to discourage the woman from getting an abortion.

The answer is obvious.

Pop quiz: Whose decisions do you have any right to override? A child's or an adult's?

The answer is obvious.

The full employment plan proceeds as expected.

Youths in Rural U.S. Are Drawn To Military
Recruits' Job Worries Outweigh War Fears
By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 4, 2005; A01

As sustained combat in Iraq makes it harder than ever to fill the ranks of the all-volunteer force, newly released Pentagon demographic data show that the military is leaning heavily for recruits on economically depressed, rural areas where youths' need for jobs may outweigh the risks of going to war.

More than 44 percent of U.S. military recruits come from rural areas, Pentagon figures show. In contrast, 14 percent come from major cities. Youths living in the most sparsely populated Zip codes are 22 percent more likely to join the Army, with an opposite trend in cities. Regionally, most enlistees come from the South (40 percent) and West (24 percent).

Shrink the employee pool.

For Americans, Getting Sick Has Its Price
Survey Says U.S. Patients Pay More, Get Less Than Those in Other Western Nations
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 4, 2005; A02

Americans pay more when they get sick than people in other Western nations and get more confused, error-prone treatment, according to the largest survey to compare U.S. health care with other nations.

The survey of nearly 7,000 sick adults in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Britain and Germany found Americans were the most likely to pay at least $1,000 in out-of-pocket expenses. More than half went without needed care because of cost and more than one-third endured mistakes and disorganized care when they did get treated.

It's possible he a sock puppet, and his handlers, being out of our field of vision, just don't care what we think.

Quote of note:

...as with many federal panels, membership on the board has also been doled out to top campaign contributors and supporters of the president—a move the White House defends since panelists are not required to have significant intelligence experience

In the Company of Friends
Bush may be besieged by charges of cronyism, but they don’t seem to have affected his picks for a panel assessing intelligence matters...
WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY
By Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey
Updated: 6:45 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2005

Two Fictional Families, Neither Colorblind, but Only One Really Sees Black America
By ALESSANDRA STANLEY

Cartoons are sarcastic and seditious about almost everything except black America. Corporate malfeasance is lampooned on "SpongeBob SquarePants," and "Jimmy Neutron" mocks American democracy. (All candidates for the school election are corrupt or stupid.) Even death is fair game: on "Billy and Mandy," a children's series on Cartoon Network, the real star is the Grim Reaper.

It's race that takes the holiday. Cultural clashes are airbrushed out, and neighborhoods are integrated and harmonious. Almost every clique on Disney, Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network includes one nice, smart African-American friend who blends in with the others and doesn't stand out too much. Angelica, the demonically spoiled brat of "Rugrats," has a classmate named Susie who is black, sweet and well brought up. Jimmy Neutron's pal Libby is calm and brainy. Gerald is the best friend on "Hey Arnold!" and a well-intentioned voice of reason.

...which will likely require getting rid of a few more board members... 

Quote of note:

Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, in Washington, said he did not believe the political tussle over public broadcasting had ended, noting that Republicans still dominated the corporation's leadership. Newly elected Chairwoman Cheryl F. Halpern and Vice Chairwoman Gay Hart Gaines have both donated substantial money to GOP candidates and causes, and President Patricia Harrison is a former GOP chairwoman.

Broadcast Board Member Quits Ahead of Report
By Matea Gold
Times Staff Writer
November 4, 2005

Jasmyne Cannick:

Aide's comments to legislator accidentally sent to constituent

A Crestwood accountant who asked her state representative to support gay and lesbian civil-rights legislation next year received a reply not from the lawmaker but from an aide, who mistakenly sent comments meant for the legislator to the constituent.

"This is one of those issues where it's safe to say 'Thanks for writing, I will consider your views' and not go too far about your personal beliefs," wrote Cheryl Long of the Legislative Research Commission and an aide to Rep. David Osborne, R-Prospect. "Seriously, these people really can get out of hand! ... This particular group is much worse than pro-lifers!"

Are folks talking about the SXSW conferences yet? Maybe this year's conference was the one to attend instead of next year's, but I'm considering it.

Sometimes I wonder if I should respond to folks' stuff on their site or on mine. I behave better on their site...

I imagine myself walking into a room of black college students and telling them that I have found a black power amulet. This amulet, I say, is so powerful that it has the effect of instantly changing whitefolks' suspicion to trust and even admiration. If you wear this amulet, you will find that suddenly whitefolks from all over this country will see you in a different light and recognize you for the human being you are. If you wear it, cops will give you a second chance when they pull you over. Job interviews will go better, and all of this is guaranteed. I say this and people shake their heads in disbelief. I tell them that I know it works because it has worked for me.

REEEELY DEEP statement of note:

"Every night, 'Why is she going home?' " Stacey says, referring to her daughter's inability — or unwillingness — to accept Margoth's departure. "I ask myself that very question."

Mommy Shift Begins as Nanny Shift Ends
This Latina immigrant is one of thousands in L.A. County whose time spent with their employers' children is time spent away from their own.
By Anna Gorman
Times Staff Writer
November 3, 2005

Margoth Enriquez looks at the clock. It's 6:03 p.m. — past time to go home.

She sighs.

The nanny feeds 13-month-old Elise a bottle while Elise's twin sister rests nearby. Their 3-year-old brother sits at the table, finishing his broccoli and chicken. Samantha, 2, holds her mom's hand as they walk toward the kitchen.

Quote of note:

Made up of an area stretching from western Riverside County to the southwest corner of San Bernardino County, the Inland Empire used to be a sparsely populated, rural area of ranches, vineyards and farms, where whites were the clear and dominant majority.

All that has changed.

Racism Rising in the Golden State
By David Holthouse, Intelligence Report
Posted on November 3, 2005, Printed on November 3, 2005

CHINO HILLS, Calif. -- Despite all their big talk of honor, pride and the Aryan warrior's code, neo-Nazi Skinheads don't like a fair fight. Cowards by nature, they prefer to travel in packs and gang up on hate crime victims. The trio of Nazi skins laying in wait near a playground in a park here the morning of May 1 proved no different.

Digby: 

Unleashing The Id

Can somebody explain to me why American interrogation techniques seem to always involve sticking objects up prisoners' asses? This has got to be some sort of "method" because it is reported over and over again:

"He had two, 10-hour beatings from the Americans and I said to David, 'Sure they were Americans?' (because) he said he had a bag over his head and he said, 'Oh look ... I know their accents, they were definitely American'," Mr Hicks told Four Corners.

"Some pretty horrific things ... were done to him."

The program reported the abuse had included Hicks being injected and then penetrated anally with various objects.

Hicks' lawyers say they have witnesses relating to the abuse and that the United States has photographic evidence.

His American lawyer, Major Michael Mori, would not comment on the specifics of what information he had.

"I'd say it's an area that I'm investigating and that I've already found some evidence and witnesses that support that occurring," he told Four Corners.

Former Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee, Mamdouh Habib, who was released earlier this year, has also claimed that he was abused while on foreign soil.

In February, Mr Habib detailed how he was tortured in a military airport in Pakistan.

During a particular episode of abuse, Mr Habib said 15 men stripped him, inserted something into his anus, put him in a nappy and tied him up.

Is this some sort of American sexual panic or is it official policy that sexual violence is the best way to "interrogate" prisoners?

Greenspan is stalking to the Joint Economic Committee and some interesting stuff has come up. Does anyone know where transcripts of such hearings can be gotten?

Here's one reason I want the transcript. The attachment, enclosure, whatever is a bit of audio I plucked from C-Span2. They're flipping from the Senate floor to the Joint Economic Committee. It's his response to a question asked by Rep. Carolyn Mahoney, and they switched back to the Senate floor at a truly fascinating point.

And for the record, Greenspan is wrong in calling it an education problem. 

Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program

The Kaiser Family Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2006 Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program in partnership with Howard University in Washington D.C. 
All application materials are available online.

 News Release: Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program Awards Congressional Placements to Students of Color

A Personal Journey Into America's Past
By Bob Thompson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 3, 2005; C01

Tell John Hope Franklin that he's the Rosa Parks of historians and he lets out a long, astonished laugh.

"Please," he says.

Okay, we won't push him on that right now. But the comparison is not as silly as he makes it sound.

Franklin is in Washington this week to talk about his newly published autobiography, "Mirror to America." Now an emeritus professor at Duke, he's a handsome, white-haired man in a gray suit whose upright bearing makes him seem far younger than his 90 years. Fellow historian David Levering Lewis has described him as "a pioneer scholar; a splendid humanist; a shining model to generations of students, scholars, and activists," as well as "a man of prodigious generosity, prudent counsel, and unaffected grace."

Quote of note:

Lawmakers from Mississippi, meanwhile, said thousands of hurricane victims are still living in two-person tents without running water or adequate heat because government contractors haven't finished mobile home parks.

"It's getting cold," said Republican Rep. Charles W. "Chip" Pickering Jr

Katrina Recovery Officials Unsure What's Been Spent
Lack of Detail Irks House Panel Members
By Renae Merle and Griff Witte
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, November 3, 2005; D01

Officials responsible for doling out billions in Hurricane Katrina relief contracts told lawmakers yesterday that they still don't have answers to central questions about why certain recovery efforts have stalled, whether money is being wasted and what's keeping Gulf Coast firms from getting a bigger share of the work.

Quote of note:

Griles, flushed and agitated, denied aiding Abramoff. "I don't recall intervening on behalf of Mr. Abramoff, ever," he said.

Nope. He just intervened on behalf of Abramoff's clients.

Norton Ex-Aides Clash on Lobbyist's Influence
Lawyer Says He Accused Griles of Aiding Abramoff
By Susan Schmidt and James V. Grimaldi
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, November 3, 2005; A19

Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton's former legal counselor yesterday accused J. Steven Griles, the department's recently departed second in command, of improperly trying to meddle in decisions affecting tribal clients of lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Clue of note: 

Last November, Republicans lost control of both chambers of the Legislature for the first time since 1960

Clue purchaser of note:

Gov. Bill Owens, a Republican, then shocked his base by supporting the suspension of the budget restrictions.

How Colorado Got Its Government Back

In 1992, to the unmitigated glee of antitax types everywhere, Colorado voters amended the State Constitution to impose the nation's strictest tax and spending limits. On Tuesday, they decided that government was worth paying for after all. By 52 percent to 48 percent, they voted to suspend the fiscal limits for the next five years and told the state to keep $3.7 billion that would have otherwise been refunded to taxpayers.

If he gets that Associate Justice seat it will become easier to get the machine gun I'll probably need.

Remember the warning the other day about Sony copy protection installing a badly designed rootkit on your system?

They realized you can't do that...though it took getting caught...[LATER: Maybe it's not so good after all...]

SOFTWARE UPDATES/ PLUG-INS

November 2, 2005 - This Service Pack removes the cloaking technology component that has been recently discussed in a number of articles published regarding the XCP Technology used on SONY BMG content protected CDs. This component is not malicious and does not compromise security. However to alleviate any concerns that users may have about the program posing potential security vulnerabilities, this update has been released to enable users to remove this component from their computers.

Coloradans Vote to Give Up Tax Refunds

DENVER, Nov. 1 (AP) - Colorado voters agreed Tuesday to give up $3.7 billion in tax refunds over the next five years to allow the state to bounce back from a recession, ignoring the arguments of fiscal conservatives who say the government does not need more money to spend.

With 83 percent of the expected vote counted statewide, 463,841 voters, or 53 percent, had approved the plan, compared with 419,236 , or 47 percent, who voted against it.Supporters said Colorado could not afford to vote no, not with higher education, health care and transportation already suffering from millions of dollars in budget cuts.

I just saw a commercial for Charmin...it's diaper wipes for adults, I guess. They have these bears, and the bear had car wash brushes cleaning it's butt.

Amazing.

Reminded me of a joke. Guy in an airplane was desperate to g to the john, but only one bathroom, the laides room, was available (this was first class). The stewardess said she's guard the door, "But don't press any of the buttons on the armrest, okay?"

So of course, he presses the buttons on the armrest.

The first of the four made him jump...it was a fine spray of water sprayed across his crotch. He felt so fresh... The second activated a blowdryer to dry off his butt (he's enjoying himself now). The third button extended a powder puff to pat down his ass with talcum powder. Wondering what could possibly come next, he pressed the fourth button, shrieked in pain and passed out.

When he woke up on the stretcher, his midsection swathed in bandages, he asked the nearby stewardess, "What happened?" She said, "You idiot, that was the tampon remover!"

Open thead.