BREAKING NEWS
4:48 pm MDT

BOISE — Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig will announce Saturday he will resign from the Senate amid a furor over his arrest and guilty plea in a police sex sting in an airport men’s room, Republican officials said today, according to The Associated Press. The Idaho Statesman independently confirmed the report.

Craig’s office declined to confirm or deny a resignation.

Craig’s communications director Dan Whiting told the Idaho Statesman, “I won’t say either way.”

http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/147154.html

UPDATE: Craig Resigns

Your thoughts?

Filed under: National-US | 5 Comments »

Wow. How could I have ever known how crazy this week would be? How could I have ever known that I would be lobbying for universal health care on Monday, finding my mother on Tuesday and Wednesday, preparing for my grandmother’s passing away on Thursday, and dealing with my computer’s total meltdown today? Ah, the wonders of life!

Well, I guess none of us really knows what will happen to us next. We never know when our grandmother becomes deathly ill, or when our mother is in desperate need of mental health services, or when our family finances become so tight that we can’t afford that monthly HMO premium. These were all reasons why I joined the Orange County chapter of It’s OUR Healthcare on their lobbying trip to Sacramento on Monday. I just didn’t know that over the next few days, I would truly come to realize why my lobby trip was so important.

Follow me after the flip for more… (more…)

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And yes, it has nothing to do with Orange County but it does back my belief that Gay marriage will eventually be the law of the land on constitutional grounds.  Notice that its Republican legislators here, the same one always chest thumping personal freedom and the rights of the individual, who want to jump in with a constitutional amendemtn to ban Gay marriage. 

BREAKING NEWS: Polk judge rules against gay marriage ban

A Polk County judge on Thursday struck down Iowa’s law banning gay marriage.  

The ruling by Judge Robert Hanson concluded that the state’s prohibition on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and he ordered the Polk County recorder to issue marriage licenses to six gay couples.

“This is kind of the American Dream,” said plaintiff Jen BarbouRoske, of Iowa City. “I’m still feeling kind of shaky. It’s pure elation, I just cannot believe it.”

Camilla Taylor, an attorney with Lambda Legal, a New York-based gay rights organization, said the ruling requires “full equality for all Iowans including gay and lesbian Iowans and their families.”

“The Iowa Constitution has lived up to its promises of equality for everyone,” she said.

Gay couples from anywhere in Iowa could apply for a marriage license from Polk County. The process takes three days, however.

Polk County is expected to appeal the ruling to the Iowa S upreme Court.

County Attorney John Sarcone said the county would immediately seek a stay from Hanson, which if granted would prevent anyone from seeking a marriage license until an appeal could be heard. (more…)

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Filed under: California, National-US | 3 Comments »

Hillary Clinton called it a “vast right-wing conspiracy.” Conservatives call it “message discipline.” Others call it the “right-wing noise machine.” Here at TheLiberalOC.com we call it “crap.” And from time to time, we will bring their swill to you in our forum called…

I pondered yesterday’s post in the Flash Report where Jon Fleischman discusses a rumor about the Governor’s Chief of Staff Susan Kennedy possibly leaving to join Hillary Clinton’s presidential team.  Jon wants her to go of course, but that’s not in the cards.

As a regular reader (I read the Flash Report so you don’t have to), I have to admire Jon’s tenacity on sticking with Newt Gingrich’s plan of constantly using negative language by which to describe liberals and Democrats.  Take this paragraph for example.

The Republican Party worked hard to elect and re-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Our Republican Governor having a Chief of Staff who isn’t repulsed by what Hillary Clinton stands for is problematic, let alone the opposite — admiration for her.  We’ve picked up a lot of new readers lately who weren’t around when I spent quite a bit of time being critical of the Governor’s hire of Ms. Kennedy (the Gov. called me before he made the announcement, and I made the case that there are millions of Republicans in California, and that he should confine his search for a new Chief of Staff to one of them — ahh, to no avail.)  Kennedy’s qualifications were so far from what we needed that it boggled the mind that she would be in consideration…  Deputy Chief of Staff to the recently disgraced and recalled Democrat Governor Gray Davis…  Former Executive Director of the California Democratic Party (under former CDP Chairman Phil Angelides no less)…  Former senior staff with the California Abortion Rights Action League…  Former senior staffer for ultra-liberal Senator Dianne Feinstein…  I could go on…  But we all get the point.

(more…)

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Last night Harald Martin submitted his resignation from the Anaheim Union High School District, effective Saturday. The board is expected to decide on September 13th whether to hold a special election to fill the vacancy, or appoint someone elese.

The Orange County Register reports today that an attorney for the County Department of Education says that the board has the option of either holding the election or appointing someone new since Martin resigned before the recall petitions were certified. 

Rumors are already flying that the fix is in and that the board plans to appoint former Trustee Rob Stewart to fill the vacancy rather than last years runner-up Jordan Brandman, or hold a special election as the voters have demanded.  As Art Pedroza over at Orange Juice puts it:

Stewart was on the AUHSD board when they blew a $142 million bond measure. They ended up making improvements to only eight schools and dropping fourteen others from the improvement program. They were ultimately audited, and the report indicated that “The audit details major management problems and $42.8 million in cost overruns for the construction and modernization program. District is short $48.8 million to finish the program.”

Replacing Martin with Stewart will be yet another stupid move for the AUHSD board. Clearly they either need to hold a special election or simply appoint the runner up to Denise Reinking, who passed away, allowing the board to previously appoint Martin. The runner up in that race was Jordan Brandman. He is the only one who ought to be appointed to the board. The voters have already spoken.

We’ll have to wait till September to see what the AUHSD board does.  Something tells me that they are still tone deaf to the will of the voters. Or maybe they all want to be recalled.

So in the same fasion that George Burns and Gracie Allen closed their tv show…

Us: Say good night Harald.

Martin: Good night Harald.

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Given the venom on some fo the right wing blogs about a ballot measure to allow Calilfornians to weigh on on the US presecense in Iraq, I was pleasantly surprised to read this editorial in this morning’s Register.

DeVore said no other bill brought to the assembly has ever made him so angry; Flieschman says the governor should veto it and its part of a liberal plot to turn out the base; Matt Cunningham thinks it emboldens the enemy and hurts troop morale.  The Register doesn’t agree.

It is difficult to imagine what great harm would be done by having a measure on California’s ballot in February calling on President Bush to begin the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. It would provide a snapshot of public opinion on what is shaping up to be the key national issue of the day. And it could spark more discussion among the people rather than the politicians.

The state Assembly voted Monday to put such a referendum on the Feb. 5 ballot. Since the Senate passed a slightly different version in June, it has been sent back to the Senate. Once the Senate agrees, it will go the Gov. Schwarzenegger’s desk for signature or veto. The governor hasn’t made up his mind and is said to be a little leery of having to address the issue.

He should go ahead and sign it. (more…)

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Another installment of closeted Republican hypocrites.  I have learned more about public restroom crusing techniques in the last several days, than I have in my 28 years as a out gay man.

Thanks for the info Senator Craig.

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Filed under: National-US | 11 Comments »

The Orange County Register is reporting this morning that Harald Martin may resign his appointment to the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) Board of Trustees in order to avoid a costly election.

“My ego is not so big that I would want the district to bear the cost of a special election because of me,” said Martin, 52. “Even if I’m the guy being thrown around, I respect the process.”

As you may recall, Harald Martin was appointed to the board to fill a vacany on the board.  Martin had previously served on the AUHSD from 1996 to 2004 when voters tossed him out of office.  He ran in 2006 and was soundly rejected as a choice by the voters.  But the current members of the board felt that “his experience” would be valuble and appointed him over several other candidates from the previous election.

The voters turned in 5,000 signatures, more than double the 2,300 needed, on August 20, 2007 demanding that Martin be removed and a special election conducted.  The Orange County Registrar of Voters has until September 19, 2007 to validate the signatures. If there are enough Martin would be immediately removed and a special election held to fill the vacancy. (more…)

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Over at Red County, State Rep. Chuck DeVore is shilling nuclear power as the cure for California’s energy demand.  I still have a serious probem with how and where do we dispose of waste that might be radioactive long after Armageddon.

The Internet is a wonderful thing; here’s what the smart people  at the Harvard International Review think about it:

Combating Global Climate Change
The Case against Nuclear Power

Michele Boyd is the legislative director for Public Citizen’s Energy Program. Public Citizen is a 35-year-old public interest organization with more than 100,000 members nationwide.

Climate change is undeniably the most urgent problem facing the world today. The future effects of global warming depend largely upon the energy path we take now. In a last ditch effort, the declining nuclear industry has seized on the public’s legitimate concerns about climate change, deteriorating air quality, and dependence on foreign oil, claiming that nuclear power must be “part of the mix” for solving these serious environmental, public health, and security problems. But as its history has shown, nuclear power is not a solution.

Currently, about 440 nuclear plants are operating worldwide. Experts estimate that about 800 large reactors would have to be built around the world by 2050 just to achieve a significant reduction in the expected increase in carbon dioxide emissions. This would require building as many as one reactor every 18 days for 40 years. Building new reactors requires massive public subsidies, polluting uranium mining, as well as increased proliferation, accident, and terrorism risks. Adding so many new reactors would mean generating five times more highly radioactive nuclear waste than is being generated today, which would require a waste dump the size of the proposed site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada to be created somewhere on earth every three to four years.

(more…)

Filed under: National-US | 40 Comments »

THE COST OF THE IRAQ WAR SO FAR…
The Washington Post reported today that President Bush is preparing a request to Congress for $50 billion more to fund his failed policies in Iraq – policies that have cost the American people dearly both in lives and taxpayer dollars. The American people are demanding a New Direction on the Iraq war not another quarterly invoice. It is time to wind down this war and begin to bring our troops home safely and soon.
PRICE PAID BY U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ
·         June, July, and August 2007 have marked the bloodiest summer so far for U.S. troops in Iraq. [icasualties.org]
·         U.S. casualties in Iraq are 65 percent higher this year than at this time in 2006. [icasualties.org]
·         As of August 29^th, 3,731 U.S. troops have been killed and more than 27,660 have been wounded in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003. [Department of Defense, 8/29/07]
COST TO U.S. TAXPAYERS
·                    Congress has already appropriated nearly $477 billion for the war in Iraq since March 2003.
·                    According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the U.S. is spending an estimated $10 billion per month in Iraq. [CRS, 6/28/07]
COST OF THE WAR BROKEN DOWN      
o        Month:            $10,000,000,000        
o        Week:             $2,307,692,380            
o        Day:                $329,670,330
o        Hour:              $13,736,264
o        Minute:           $228,938
o        Second:           $3,816
·                    The Pentagon cannot account for more than 190,000 weapons – paid for by U.S. taxpayers – given to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005. [Washington Post, 8/6/07]
·                    At least $10 billion in taxpayer dollars has been squandered by the government in Iraq reconstruction contracts according to U.S. auditors. [MSNBC, 2/15/07]
WHAT ELSE WE COULD DO WITH SOME OF THE MONEY SPENT ON IRAQ WAR SO FAR
·        Repair the 70,000+ bridges across the country rated structurally deficient:                $188 billion 
·        Rebuild the levees in New Orleans to withstand a Category 5 hurricane:                   $50 billion
·        Cover all eligible but unenrolled kids in SCHIP for 5 years:                                      $47.5 billion
·        Equip U.S. public safety officials with interoperable communication equipment         $18 billion
·        Enroll 1.4 million more children in Head Start programs:                                          $10 billion
·        Double the annual budget for the National Cancer Institute:                                      $9.5 billion
·        Hire one new librarian for each public school in America:                                         $4.6 billion
·        Screen all air cargo on passenger plans for 10 years:                                                $3.6 billion
·        Hire 51,000 more police officers to help make America’s streets safer:                    $2.3 billion
 

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A rare two-fer from the Flash Report today in regards to the State Senate’s passage of a measure to support a withdrawl from Iraq.

Jon Fleischman writes:  We’ve all read about the recent passage by Democrats of this bill to place a ’straw poll’ vote on the February ballot on whether Californian’s support the war in Iraq.  Well, it doesn’t take much thought to understand that this measure authored by Democrat Senate President Don Perata is a cynical plot to drive up liberal turnout for the election on which the Perata/Nunez Career Politician Term Limits Weakening Initiative will appear.

How Rovian of the Democrats in California.  A cynical plot to bring out the base?  Mmmm.  Republicans would *never* resort to placing wedge issues on the ballot to turn out the base.  Perhaps we can muster up another No Gay Marriage proposition or Amnesty for illegal aliens proposition to turn out conservative voters again. 

And then Jon writes this nugget:  To this we say that our nation’s foreign policy, and the lives of American soldiers should not be chits in political maneuvers surrounding legislative negotiations over anything, period.


But making soldiers chits for anything else political by the Bush Administration is perfectly OK.  Even if you have to photoshop the troops in.  Honestly, Jon should stick to ghostwriting fake memos to Democratic politicians from their consultants as he does on his site.

Most Californians and Americans are against this war and want out.  The measure passed by the Senate is simply a reflection of our representative democracy at work.  California still is a very blue state afterall.  I am reminded about the vast number of Iraq war vets who ran for Congress in 2006 as Democrats.  Republicans do not have that upper hand when it comes to support for the troops.  And you can support the troops without supporting the war.

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