Matty Moroun spreads cash to GOP allies

Republican billionaire benefactor and Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun was busy distributing campaign cash to those willing to stand up for the billionaires and against 10,000 Michigan job and oppose the much-needed planned Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) bridge over the Detroit River between Canada and Windsor.

In an effort to keep his monopoly on the 81-year old Ambassador Bridge, Moroun has spent lots of money on mostly Republican politicians that has earned him the loyalty like that of State Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt. In a Detroit Free Press article called “Matty Moroun spends big on politicians: Dishes donations amid bridge fight,” it reports “Moroun and his family have doled out more than $110,000 in political contributions to Michigan candidates and committees since the beginning of the year.”

The article shows Morouns spent his money on most -- but not all -- of the gubernatorial candidates from both parties, as well as a lobbyist-run committee in Lansing that in turn contributes to Republican campaigns and causes. That’s one reason why not a single Michigan House Republicans voted yes on legislation clearing the way to build the DRIC bridge and authorize Michigan to enter into a public-private partnership with Canada and a private sector developer/financier to build the DRIC bridge, and why Senate Republicans are trying to kill it in committee.

According the Free Press, “the Morouns gave to all of the Republican gubernatorial candidates except former Gateway computers head Rick Snyder, who supports DRIC as long as Michigan taxpayers aren't on the hook. U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra -- who has since said he favors a public-private partnership to build a new span -- received four $3,400 contributions worth a total of $13,600 on May 5. Attorney General Mike Cox, who has more concerns about DRIC, received the same on June 25.”

But Mike Bouchard appears to be the new Cropsey, and he got the lion’s share of the Moroun cash.

“On top of the $10,200 he received on the last day of 2009, the Bouchard Victory Fund received $13,000 in May. And Capitol Affairs PAC, which is run by former Bouchard staffer and lobbyist Robert Kennedy, has received $35,000 from the Morouns since the middle of May. The PAC has contributed to several funds committed to electing Republicans, as well as giving about $34,000 to Bouchard's gubernatorial run and another $34,000 to a committee called Friends of Mike Bouchard -- which according to the filing is a fund for his re-election in 2012 as Oakland County sheriff.”

Most troubling, at least to me, was that the Morouns also gave “two $3,400 contributions to Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, who is running for the Democratic nomination for governor. His rival, House Speaker Andy Dillon, didn't receive a donation. Dillon supports DRIC; Bernero opposes it.”

“Also of note, two of Lansing's most vocal opponents to DRIC received contributions:” Republican State Reps. David Agema of Grandville received $1,000, and Paul Opsommer of DeWitt got $1,500.

Millions already spent on TV ads in gubernatorial campaign is chump change compared to Amway guy cash

Despite seemingly incessant political TV ads from Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidates attacking each other, television advertising is lagging far behind the pace of Michigan’s last two gubernatorial campaigns, according to Rich Robinson of the non-profit Michigan Campaign Finance Network.

In fact, five candidates and one nonprofit organization have spent $3.3 million so far, with Republicans “Manoogian” Mike Cox and Rick Snyder accounting for 79 percent of that total. Snyder’s television advertising started three months before any other candidates this year but his spending has slowed dramatically over the last month, as has his support. Since Memorial Day, Cox has outspent Snyder, $634,726 to $161,030, although Snyder has spent more overall, $1,4 million to $1,1 million.

But that’s chump change compared to what the Amway guy – AKA Republican Dick DeVos – spent in 2006 trying to by the governorship. At the end of June in 2006, DeVos had already spent $7 million despite the fact he did not have a primary opponent. The Michigan Democratic Party had spent $2.3 million for gubernatorial television advertising over the same period. The two parties spent nearly $13 million by the time of the primary election in 2006.

Among the other Republican candidates, Mike Bouchard has spent $98,000, including $48,000 in the last month. All of Bouchard’s spending has been on cable. ”Twitter” Pete Hoekstra’s television spending has been limited to $5,470, all on one Sunday in May.

The remaining advertiser on the Republican side is a group known as “Americans for Job Security.” AJS has spent $273,000, all in the Grand Rapids market, for ads attacking Hoekstra. The ads appear to be synchronized with the Cox campaign.

Local television stations pulled the AJA ads after Hoekstra's lawyers complained the ads were false and misleading. The Cox campaign has denied any connection, but with Cox’s troubles with the truth it’s pretty clear he is behind them.

On the Democratic side, Speaker of the House Andy Dillon, D-Redford, has spent $335,380. Dillon has spent $282,880 on broadcast outlets in Detroit. The remainder of his spending has been on cable. Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero have not purchased television advertising.

The candidates have not filed a complete campaign finance report since year-end 2009. Their next reports are due on July 23.

The Michigan Campaign Finance Network (MCFN) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that conducts research and public education on money in Michigan politics.

We have Barton’s apology but still waiting for the apology from the rest of the House Republicans

Some times the Republicans' actions are so out there that even the conservative corporate media can’t ignore it, and the editorial in Tuesday’s edition of the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus on the right’s apology for the massive oil spill and wrecking the Gulf coast ecosystem is one of those times.

You will recall last week that of U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, the ranking Republican on the House and Commerce Committee, apologized to BP for its treatment by the President and having to pay for the damage they caused. He called the President’s Obama’s securing of a $20 billion escrow account from BP to pay for the clean up and compensate Gulf Coast residents who have lost their livelihoods and way of life a “shakedown.”. Barton was quickly forced to apologize for the apology, but make no mistake about it, that is the official position of a number of House Republicans.

That is also the official policy of the Republican Study Committee, the caucus of House Conservatives with some 117 members, including Barton. Its membership also includes Michigan Congressman Dave Camp, R-Midland; “Mad” Thad McCotter, R-Livonia; and “Twitter” Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland.

The editorial got it right:
“Remember when conservatives were nearly fainting in horror when Obama made civil gestures to foreign nations early in his administration? Why, he was apologizing to foreigners. That was silly, but that was the claim.”
“So one would think that there would be praise for a president who negotiated a minimum $20 billion escrow account from BP. Instead, Barton went overboard, publicly criticizing our nation’s president while abjectly apologizing before a foreign business leader.”

Good job conservative editorial board. We also need to remember this in November.

Senate Republicans ignore the pollution of CAFOS

LANSING – The Gulf oil disaster demonstrated less regulation and oversight is not a good thing. Someone better tell that to the Michigan Senate Republicans.

On Wednesday, the Senate approved resolution 158 that urges “the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to rescind rules that would require dairy farms to have oil spill prevention plans for milk storage tanks.” It passed – unfortunately, with bipartisan support – by a vote of 24-10.

Eric Barren at Michigan Liberal had a good on this a few days before Wednesday’s vote:

“The definition of oil is not "petroleum." Oils are substances that at room temperature are viscous liquids that don't mix with water. Alas, the critical, illuminating piece of science is buried under reverse Ripperisms ("Ice cream, Mandrake, childrens' ice cream?"), accusations of government run amok and the standard objection of seemingly insensitive environmental lobbyists.
Those objections, incidentally, make a good deal more sense if you highlight the -- you know -- fundamental science of the issue rather than descending into the same lousy environmental reporting that has helped slow our collective response to global warming for two decades. Instead, we get some tired old narrative about gummint bureaucrats run amok, and policy direction that pretends that calling something an oil is the same thing as calling it petroleum, which itself places policy at odds with basic science definitions.”

The sponsor of the resolution, Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, said if the EPA does not act to rescind the rules, we should ignore the law.

Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, noted the irony of that position. Kuipers is running for Congress in the seat vacated by “Twitter” Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland.

“I find it ironic that the previous speaker says we should disregard federal law, yet he is on a mission to go there and make it,” Whitmer said. “With regard to this resolution in front of us, this is a resolution and I think it is odd timing to ask that the EPA not require prevention plans for oil spills; anyone watching C-SPAN around here?”

Whitmer said milk is a wholesome product in a child’s body but not in Michigan’s waterways. Milk can have very serious environmental consequences once released into our surface waters.

Whitmer said according the University of Wisconsin Extension Service, milk has a high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). BOD measures the amount of oxygen consumed when organic matter, such as milk, is broken down by bacteria. In streams and lakes, bacteria would need the dissolved oxygen from 1,600 gallons of water to break down the organic matter in one pint of milk. Because it depletes oxygen, discharging milk into surface waters can upset biological communities and kill fish. The minimum tank size of 1,320 gallons would be enough to deplete the oxygen in almost 17 million gallons of water.

“Milk also has a high concentration of phosphorus, a nutrient that causes the growth of algae and aquatic plants which can deplete oxygen levels in our lakes and streams, exacerbating an existing problem with excess phosphorus in our waterways,” she said. “In today’s world, it’s especially true that it is not unreasonable to ask that emergency plans be in place in case of milk spills or the failure of bulk milk storage tanks.”

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) have been cited for polluting rivers and streams in Michigan with runoff from manure, and these are huge factory farms. A small CAFO would have 1,000 cows that would result in, at the rate of 20 gallons a day per cow, a volume of milk reaching 20,000 gallons a day. But the largest CAFO in this state hosts 3,000. So we are talking about 60,000 gallons of milk a day.

“Now just to put this in perspective, we are not talking about a few cows and a pretty red barn with a dairy maid sitting on a stool with a little bucket milking a cow,” said Sen. Liz Brater, D-Ann Arbor. “That is not what happens on these farms these days. We have, unfortunately, in this state made it all too easy for CAFOs to operate in this state after they were expelled by the country of the Netherlands.”

Fieger Time fires up the troops at MDP convention

DETROIT -- One important function of any political convention is to energize and fire up the troops, and super attorney Geoffrey Fieger did just that on Saturday at the first ever Michigan Democratic Party Endorsement Convention in Cobo Hall.

The 1998 Democratic Michigan Gubernatorial candidate spoke to a standing room only crowd at the Justice Caucus, and he hit on everything from the current budget situation to the Republican majority on the Michigan Supreme Court once known as the “Gang of Four.”

Fieger lost to former Governor John Engler in 1998, and the only candidate who won on the Democratic slate was current Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who won as Michigan Attorney General. Fieger said he was proud to have had a hand in selecting her as the AG candidate.

He pointed out Republicans have blamed her for all of the state’s economic troubles, despite it was the Bush Administration that ran the country into the worst recession since the Great Depression. Because Michigan has so many manufacturing jobs, Michigan feels any economic downturn, first hurts the worst and is the last state to come out of it. He asked how Granholm can be blamed for General Motors and Chrysler declaring bankruptcy.

“As you know, she walked into a deficit of $500 million that was left to her by Mr. Engler intentionally, intentionally,” he said. “She has never been able to get out from under that.”

Fieger said when the voters know the facts they will never vote for a Republican,and it’s up to the Democrats to get the facts out.

“Why anyone would vote for a Republican in this election cycle is beyond me,” he said. “It’s only possible by the complacency of the Democrats, and it’s only by the Democrats sitting on their keisters.”

He said he was amazed by the Republican gubernatorial field. He said “Twitter” Pete Hoekstra thinks the biggest issue facing Michigan is terrorism. He said Republicans always have to have a boogyman. The current one is terrorists, yet the country was not shut down and freedoms were not taken away after the Oklahoma City bombing, which occurred 15 years ago today.

“When I was a kid it was the communists; like the communists were going to invade Iowa or Montana, but the communists in China are OK,” Fieger said. “They will still take you into a stadium and shoot you in the back of the head in front of 10,000 people, but that’s OK.

“The communists in Cuba are evil, but they can’t hurt a fly, and they don’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

He took on the Michigan Supreme Court and especially Justice Bob “Sleepy” Young, who is up for reelection in November. He said Young was the former general counsel for AAA Insurance Co. and a friend of the Michigan chamber, and that’s why he rules for insurance companies more than 80 percent of the time.

“I, and other trial lawyers, represent the victims,” Fieger said. “We are the people’s warriors. Being a trial lawyer is more than my profession to me, I care about my clients.”

Fieger’s distaste for the Supreme Court is personal. On a radio appearance a few years ago he referred to the Michigan appellate judges as "jackasses" for overturning a $15 million medical malpractice judgment he had won. A lower court reprimand based on these comments was eventually upheld by the Michigan Supreme Court.

He also talked about his selective prosecution on campaign finance charges. In 2007, Fieger was indicted on federal charges of funneling illegal contributions to the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, and he was acquitted of all charges on June 2, 2008. He said Goldman Sachs employees were awarded for doing the same thing he was charged for, yet the Bush Administration went after him alone.

“All it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing,” he said.

Michigan can’t afford eight more years of the same old sleepy judge. Young was voted the worst justice on the Supreme Court by the magazine Michigan Lawyers Weekly, he supported drug company immunity when their drugs harm or kill and his decisions have protected polluters who despoil our waters.

“Those four justices never overturned a verdict in favor of an insurance company, and they never overturned a verdict against a criminal defendant,” Fieger said.

Senate Republicans play election politics with health care reform

Even though the state budget is facing a shortfall and Michigan residents are hurting and need help, that didn’t stop Senate Republicans from flagrantly playing election politics on the Senate floor today.

The Senate took up Senate Joint Resolution K today, a proposed constitutional amendment designed to exempt Michigan from the health insurance reform bill moving through Congress.

It would “Prohibit a Federal law or rule from compelling any person, employer or health care provider to participate in any health care system,” and it is clearly aimed at the current health insurance reform bill being reconciled in Washington, D.C. and playing to the Republican base that has taken an extreme right turn.

The amendment required a two-thirds majority to go before the voters, and it only got 24 of the 26 required votes. Every single Republican voted for it, and two Democrats crossed over to vote yes.

Sen. Gilda Jacobs, D-Huntington Woods, called the Republicans out for playing politics with federal law, and she said it was unconscionable when we are facing major problems and the Senate has not yet addressed the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Individual Market Reform package of bills.
“This joint resolution feeds into the fear-mongering that is paralyzing Congress and the Legislature here in Michigan,“ she said. “The irony of all this, as we hear the debate that says the state should be taking care of things themselves, we are not doing that.”

The resolution was introduced by Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, who is running for U.S. Congress in the seat vacated by “Twitter” Pete Hoekstra, who is running for Governor. At least three other Republicans are considering a run for the seat, and because he has a tough primary, he is playing to the base with this ridiculous resolution.

Senate Minority Leader Mike Prusi, D-Ishpeming, recognized that.

“I also further believe that underlying this joint resolution was a lot of cynical politics, and I find it sad that we would use such a critical issue that affects nearly every one of the people we represent here to advance in an election year; cynical politics of fear” he said.

Obviously, the Supreme Court has spoken the state’s rights issue long ago, and this could have some serious negative effects on the state.

“I think one of the further un-discussed ramifications of this may have been what it could cost the state of Michigan if we are making this statement and trying to contravene what is going on in Washington,” Prusi said. “That's the potential withholding of Medicaid payments, SCHIP payments and other health care dollars that flow from Washington to the states.”

Republicans continue to push lies about the underwear bomber case

Republicans continue to disrespect the U.S. Justice system, and it took a comedian and the host of a fake TV news show to put them in their place.

Since last fall Republicans have been whining about holding the trial for the accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks in New York City where the crime occurred, and recently they have been trying to paint the Obama Administration as soft on terrorism in its handing of the Underpants bomber, who tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight from Amsterdam to Detroit Metro Airport on Christmas Day.

Like the Bush Administration who tried more than 300 suspected terrorists in federal court, according to the Bush Justice Department, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab of Nigeria will also be tried in federal court. His case is almost exactly like that of the Shoe Bomber, Richard Reed.

On December 22, 2001 he tried to blow up a U.S. airline flight with a bomb hidden in his shoe, and he was also subdued by passengers, just like the underwear bomber. Three days later he was charged in U.S. federal court at Boston in a criminal complaint. Reid pled guilty to all eight criminal counts on October 4, 2002, and on January 31, 2003, he was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole with three life sentences to be served consecutively. During the sentencing hearing Reid stated that he was an enemy of the United States and in league with Al-Qaeda. He is serving his sentences at a Supermax prison in Colorado.

Now, Republicans are complaining because Abdulmutallab was read his Miranda rights like the law requires of all criminal suspects and just like Reid was. On Tuesday, perennial Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich appeared on the Daily Show with John Stewart to push his latest book where he called the Obama Administration “radical” for reading Abdulmutallab his Miranda rights. When Stewart pointed out that the same thing happened with Reid, Gingrich told an outright lie, saying it was OK because Reid was an American citizen.

That’s simply not true; he’s a British citizen.

When Gingrich asked Stewart what he thought of holding the 9/11 terror trials in New York, Stewart - who lives just blocks from the Twin Towers and did so on September 11, 2001- hit it out of the park.

“I would be happy and I would be proud of New Yorker’s ability to handle whatever inconvenience to show off our resilience and our lack of fear in the face of these idiots,” he said. “I would be delighted.”

No one could have said it better. Stewart has said many times that these guys are simply idiots from the bottom of the barrel, yet we treat them like X-Men with supernatural powers. The fact is they are nothing but common criminals and thugs who should be treated just like muggers, rapists and murderers are. They should not be given any special status as “enemy combatants” or holy warriors. They are criminals and should be given every protection under the law and thrown in prison when convicted.

We have the best, the most just and most humane criminal justice system in the world, and I have no idea why Republicans think so little of it. If we give in to the fear and treat them differently, then the terrorists have won. Hell, that’s their very mission.

Republicans have claimed Abdulmutallab stopped talking when he was read his rights, but that’s another rightwing lie. He has spilled his guts, with the help of his family, and he has given up plenty of intelligence. It’s sad that people like “Twitter” Pete Hoekstra and U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Macomb County, want to torture him. Not only is it against the law and morally wrong, you get unreliable information.

“Twitter” Peter Hoekstra ducks fundraising question on talk show

Once in a while the conservative, mainstream media does its job, like this Sunday when Terry Moran, who was the guest host on ABC’s “This Week With George Stepanopoulos” took “Twitter” Peter Hoekstra task for his disgusting fundraising letter following the attempted attack by the “Underwear Bomber” at Metro Detroit Airport on Christmas Day.

Despite leaking secrets like a rusting ship, Hoekstra is the ranking Republican on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, and he is trying to parlay that into a run for the GOP nomination for Michigan Governor. To that end, just a few days after the failed attack, Hoekstra tried to capitalize on it for fundraising.

Moran called Twitter Pete out on the disgusting attempt.
“Once upon a time, there was a tradition of solidarity in refraining from criticizing the president at the time the nation was under attack, “Moran said. “Three days after this attempt to kill 300 people over the skies of Detroit, you sent out a fundraising letter.”

He then read some of the letter: "I have pledged that I will do everything possible to prevent these terrorists from coming to Michigan, but I need your help. If you agree that we need a governor who will stand up to the Obama-Pelosi efforts to weaken our security, please make a most generous contribution of $25, $50 or $100, or even $250, to my campaign."

I have no idea how Twitter Pete can protect Michigan from terrorists, even if I sent him 25 bucks. Moran asked Hoekstra if he was proud of trying to cash in on a potential national tragedy, and he ducked the question with a practiced talking point.

“Well, I've been leading on national security for the last nine years that I've been on the Intelligence Committee,” Hoekstra said.

To his credit, Moran actually tries to get Hoekstra to answer the question, saying “But I'm asking about raising money off the attempted murder of 300 people three days after it occurred,” he said. But Hoekstra continued to duck the question, and he reverts to the talking point causing Moran to give up.

“I am proud of the role that I have played in making sure that America is safe,” he said.

Michigan Legislature pushing a pair of useless teabagger health care resolutions

The Teabaggers have a new cause to rally for, and they have a new ally in their corporate sponsored Astroturf “tea parties:” the Michigan Legislature.

Rightwing Michigan lawmakers have introduced a pair of grandstanding resolutions aimed at much needed health care reform that means little or nothing just to play to the base. The resolutions would amend the Michigan Constitution, and they “state that no federal law shall compel any person, employer or health care provider to participate in any public or private health care system. The resolution also says “the purchase or sale of health insurance or coverage in private health care systems shall not be prohibited by federal law or rule.”

We have seen how the right will push any lie to stop health care reform to protect the huge profits of insurance companies, and it’s sad the Legislature is wasting time on this useless stuff and enabling them. They disrupted townhall meetings held last summer because they don’t want people to hear anything but their misinformation, and this is just an attempt to rev up that misgauged hate we saw at townhall meetings put on by Democratic lawmakers.

Senate Joint Resolution K was introduced by Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, on Aug. 27, 2009, and it was referred to the Health Policy Committee where it is awaiting action. Kuipers is running for the 2nd District Congressional seat that will be vacated by “Twitter” Pete Hoekstra who is running for Governor. This is just a grandstand play to the extreme righting base that is taking control of the GOP.

House Joint Resolution Z was introduced by Rep. Justin Amash, R-Kentwood, on Aug. 19, 2007, and it too was referred to the House Health Policy Committee where is awaiting action. I don’t know much about Amash. He is a freshman with no record, so I don’t know what he’s running for. But he is a teabagger and has spoken at some of the Astroturf “tea parties.” It’s sad that he endorsees the blatant racism that goes on at these “tea parties,” but that’s where the GOP is headed.Just to be to be placed on the ballot either resolution must pass both the Michigan Senate and House with two-thirds of the members in each chamber voting yes.

This is nothing but another bone to the extreme teabaggers. It resembles the 10th Amendment resolutions approved by the Michigan Legislature last summer that “affirm Michigan’s sovereignty under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”

There is nothing in the federal health care reform bills that compel anyone to give up their private health insurance.

Republican spin on Detroit foiled terrorist attack is out of control

Right-wingers are spinning so hard on the attempt on Christmas day to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight from Amsterdam to Detroit Metro Airport they are in danger of spinning themselves into the ground.

We had rightwing U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C, who apparently hates union members and police and fire fighters more than he does terrorists. He is filibustering President Obama’s nominee for the position of administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) because he has not answered questions on his position on unionizing TSA employees. First, it’s not up the TSA administrator. If a majority of workers say they want a union they have one; it has nothing to do with who is in charge. Unions are the most democratic thing in the workplace.

His excuse is they will less flexible. Democratic strategist James Carville had a very good point on a talk show. The hundreds of fire fighters and police officers who died in the World Trade Center during 9/11 were union members. Did that stop them from sacrificing their lives?

Then we have “Twitter” Pete Hoekstra shamelessly using it to raise money for his Michigan Gubernatorial run. This is a guy who held a press conference to tell the world the U.S. had found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and the ranking Republican on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee has compromised more classified information than Mata Hari. It’s amazing he still has a security clearance.

But the most recent outrageous spin is that of U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Macomb County, leading a lynch mob against the “Underpants Bomber.” According the to the AP, “Miller urged the Justice Department to immediately classify the Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a packed Detroit-bound plane as an enemy combatant and turn him over to the military for enhanced interrogation and trial.”

“Enhanced interrogation?” That is a code word for torture, and there are two things wrong with this. First, information obtained from torture is unreliable. Second, torture is illegal as well as immoral. A friend of mine, also a military veteran like me, was angry when he heard Miller’s comments on WJR. See, there is this thing called the Geneva Convention that makes torture illegal, and it protects combatants.

Now, I know terrorists ignore it, but how can we expect other countries to respect the Geneva Convention when the U.S. - the shining example of fair play and freedom - ignores it? My friend has a grandson who just graduated from Navy boot camp, and he is angry that Miller is putting him in danger. Apparently, Republicans have been watching too many episodes of “24.” I saw rightwing tool Pat Buchanan on TV recently saying we should deny the underwear bomber his pain medicine. That’s called torture, Pat.

But the “Underwear Bomber” is a criminal, and he should be treated as such; not raised to the level of a soldier like he wants. He should be tried as a civilian in U.S. District Court in Detroit just like the Justice Department is doing just like the 6th amendment says.

The Detroit incident bears a striking resemblance to the incident involving another al-Qaeda bomber, Richard Reid, AKA the Shoe bomber. You will recall that he was arrested on December 22, 2001 for attempting to destroy an American Airlines Boeing 767 bound to Miami from Paris, France with an explosive in his shoe. He was convicted on charges of terrorism and is currently serving a life sentence without parole in the United States.

Why weren’t Miller and the Republicans screaming about the shoe bomber being tried in civilian court? How is the shoe bomber any different than the underwear bomber?

Rightwing Republican puts airports at risk because the TSA workers might unionize

The national news has been all over Michigan since the failed terrorist attack on Christmas day to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight from Amsterdam to Detroit Metro Airport.

“Twitter” Pete Hoekstra is shamelessly using the incident to fundraise for his Michigan Gubernatorial run, and right-wingers have used it to attack the President like they do everything. But MSNBC host and Rhoades Scholar Rachel Maddow reported on a very interesting tidbit over airport security last night.

Apparently, rightwing U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C, is filibustering the President’s nominee for the position of administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) because it could lead to unionizing the TSA workers who check bags and passengers for explosives and weapons.

In this guy’s warped mind, denying the people who keep passengers safe a decent wage, benefits and safe working conditions is somehow going to make them more motivated to do a better job. Is this guy for real?

He is holding up the nomination of counterterrorism expert Erroll Southers simply because the workers might be allowed to organize. Southers is a former FBI special agent, and he is currently the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department assistant chief for homeland security and intelligence. He also is the associate director of the University of Southern California's Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events, and he served as a deputy director of homeland security for California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Two Senate committees have given Southers their bipartisan support, but one member of the minority party is putting the American people at risk for political reasons. All of this just to avoid giving workers a voice. The Republicans hatred of the American worker knows know bounds.

'Twitter’ Pete commits another security breach

There’s one thing for certain: if you want to keep a secret, don’t tell it to Pete Hoekstra.

Hoekstra, the ranking Republican on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, has a history of loose lips. Last February “Twitter” Pete revealed a secret congressional trip to Iraq on Twitter, and the breach of security put the aircraft and the people on it in danger. Putting the words intelligence and Hoekstra together in the same sentence is an oxymoron. But the latest breach of security by “Beadwindow” Pete was a major one. He compromised a sensitive National Security Agency collection program when he blabbed to the Washington Post that Ft. Hood shooting suspect Nidal Malik Hasan had been in e-mail contact with radical Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

MSNBC host and Rhodes Scholar Rachel Maddow really did a great job calling out Twitter Pete. She has been all over his miscues. I don’t know if this guy is just stupid, he’s trying to make a name for himself to win the Michigan GOP primary for governor or his ego is so large he revels in the knowledge he knows something we don‘t.

What’s amazing it that this guy still has a security clearance. This guy wants to be the Governor of Michigan?

Election politics speeds Gitmo resolutions through the Senate

LANSING – Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, may have set a record for getting a piece of legislation through and approved Wednesday; showing what a strong motivation politics and an approaching election are.

Kuipers introduced a pair of Senate Resolutions on the Senate floor in the morning Senate session on Tuesday to ask the President and Congress to declassify intelligence information regarding the Gutantanamo Bay detainees. That afternoon the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Kuipers, took testimony on the resolutions and passed them to the Senate. The next day on Wednesday, the full Senate took them up and passed them.

He already had a receptive crowd of “tea baggers and “birthers” for the committee meeting because he was taking up a pair of resolutions on the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, a favorite cause of extreme right-wingers for years.

Ironically, there was basically only one witness for the Gitmo resolutions; although a few “tea baggers” filled out cards and got a few minutes of mike time. But it was dominated by U.S. Rep. Pete “Twitter Pete” Hoekstra, R-Holland, a harsh critic of the President and for closing Gitmo.

But the really important thing to note is that Hoekstra is giving up his seat in Congress to run for the Republican nomination for Michigan Governor in 2010. Guess who is running for Hoekstra’s open seat and desperately wants his endorsement? If you guessed fellow Holland native Kuipers you get a gold star.

Kuipers announced his decision to run in December, along with fellow Republican State Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland. Clearly, the Gitmo detainees will be a campaign issue, both nationally and in the Gubernatorial race. Gitmo will join the budget and the Michigan State Police Headquarters as campaign issues in Michigan in 2010; for the Gubernatorial race, the entire Senate and the entire House.

You have to wonder if Kuipers’ decision to showcase Twitter Pete had anything to do with who he will endorsement for his old seat? I’m guessing heck yes.

As you know, the state is considering housing Guantanamo Bay prisoners at the soon-to-be-closed Standish Maximum Correctional Facility. Most Standish officials, many Standish residents and many state officials favor the move or at least exploring it to help the local economy.

There is a townhall meeting set to discuss the issue in Standish tonight, and it’s no coincidence that some of the GOP Gubernatorial candidates are falling over themselves to hold press conferences in Standish.

State Sen. Tom George, R-Kalamazoo, used the Senate floor to campaign for Michigan governor Wednesday, but he supports at least looking into housing the Gitmo detainees at Standish. I’m not sure that position will serve him well in the GOP primary.

“Some argue that incarcerating enemy combatants here will make Michigan a target, but we are already a target,” George said from the Senate floor Wednesday. “We have a federal center in Battle Creek, Fort Custer, and other National Guard bases. We have Selfridge Air National Guard Base, VA hospitals, federal courthouses and defense contractors. We are already a target.”

Now that the Senate has passed a couple of resolutions that do nothing so quickly in a mere 24 hours, they can now take up some legislation that will help Michigan residents and have an effect on their lives that has been staled for years and months in the Senate, like the budget, the workplace smoking ban the majority of people have been clamoring for, take up laws to make voting easier that has bipartisan support and were passed in the House, auto insurance redlining or take up the unemployment bills that will give Michigan families running out of unemployment access to $140 million in federal funds.

Now that those two resolutions have passed in the Senate, the next question is when will extremist Republican Rep. Paul Opsommer, R-DeWitt, introduce the Gitmo resolutions in the House?

“Beadwindow” Hoekstra still plans to run for Governor after security mishap

Pete “Beadwindow” Hoekstra will be the guest speaker the Livingston County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner on April 15, and apparently his bid to be Michigan’s next Governor is still alive.

Apparently, local media is reporting the U.S. Congressman plans to tour the state on Monday and announce whether he is running for governor. I’m amazed he is still running for governor after his massive security breach last month.

You will recall the ranking Republican member on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee gave away the location of friendly personnel on an unsecured communications device in Iraq. Hoekstra revealed a secret congressional trip to Iraq on Twitter.

The fact that this guy is still running after that massive brain fart is amazing, let alone he is still on the committee and he still has a security clearance.

Hoekstra gets a Beadwindow 05

I am officially giving U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, the ranking Republican member on the U.S. House Intelligence Committee, a Beadwindow 05 for giving away the location of friendly personnel on an unsecured communications device.

The post over on Michigan Liberal that Hoekstra revealed a secret congressional trip to Iraq on Twitter brought me back to my Navy days where I spent 12 hours a day talking on radio telephones in the darkened Combat Information Center (CIC). A Beadwindow was a brevity code word for pointing out a breach of security on the radio with what is called Essential Elements of Friendly Information (EEFIs).

Eric over at Michigan Lib may remember this because he also worked in CIC, but he did a different job than I did. When I heard about Hoekstra's bonehead move the term Beadwindow popped into my brain immediately. Although it's been some 14 years since I used that term, I was afraid it might be classified; that is until I Googled it.

It's amazing this guy is on the Intelligence Committee. I remember how many hoops I had to jump through to get a Top Secret security clearance. I wonder how hard it was for him to get one, and, more importantly, will he keep it?

Hoekstra's people are, of course, denying it was classified, but when you signal your intended movement to a hot zone before hand, you're asking for trouble, and it's an obvious breach of security. I would consider saying "Heading to Iraq and Afghanistan weds (sic) night" an obvious breach of security.

This guy wants to be the Governor of Michigan?