Padding his fake townhall meetings with partisan backers of his proposed changes in Social Security at the taxpayers expense and refusing to allow anyone in with the slightest inclination to disagree with him is not only avoiding reality but illegal.   The Denver 3 were not the first that were treated in this manner but they will hopefully be the last due to the scrutinty his dirty tricks have drawn in the last few weeks.   As reported in the Denver Channel and earlier in the Denver Post the Secret Service are conducting an investigation into the incident.   The Denver channel reports that the Secret Service know who the person was that instructed the D3 to leave the meeting.   Fox News reports concerning the story that: "He is the president, and regardless of affiliation, everybody should have the opportunity to go and see the president," said Aaron Johnson, spokesman for Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo. "It shouldn't be the job of anybody to make sure the crowd is 100 percent sympathetic."   BuzzFlash quotes the same Fox News article as stating : "Duffy said the White House sends advance teams to deal with logistics for any official event" - which the Denver town hall meeting was. "These teams typically handle the screening for speakers and audience members who will be sitting with or addressing the president during the event. They also keep an eye on the crowds for possible troublemakers."   This pretty well gives the impression that the white house is in control of the people ejecting folks from these fake townhall meetings.

Earlier the Tuscon Citizen reported that a student was refused admittance to a meeting because of the tee-shirt he was wearing.   This was standard operations during the 2004 campaign to shield bush from real questions from real people because of his inability to think on his feet and respond without making himself look worse than he normally did.   That ploy was seen through by most people but accepted blindly by the sheeple in his rallies.   The Daily Show has an informative interview with Frank Lunz, where he explains that a townhall meeting that gets out of control can make a speaker look very bad.   Needless to say, it takes very little to burst bush's bubble to answer a question that is not rehearsed or coached by speech writers or the master himself, Karl Rove.   In the case of these Social Security Townhall Meetings the tactics used on the Denver 3 are not acceptable and if allegations are proven correct, quite illegal considering it is the general public who is financing them.   With this administration's vigor at avoiding responsibility for practically any of it's actions, these alleged breaches impune the integrity of all citizens of this country that abide by the law.   This issue as was alluded to on the Election04 bbs had weak legs but now has garnered strength and with their walking papers in hand, will not just go away, because more and more people are saying no to bush.

Many of the blogs including DailyKOS and War and Peace have comments on this issue as well as the following sites:   blog for america   •   summit daily   •   Keep watching the watchers   •   Stepford Town Meetings 4-10-05   •   Phish Fan in Jeezus Land   •   Denver 3.org   •   Helen Thomas at Common Dreams

• Online Freedom of Speech Act introduced in House • M Krempasky • dailykos • 04.13.05

• The Long Emergency • James Howard Kunstler • Rollingstone • 03.24.05

• Neoconning the Media • Eric Alterman • for MediaTransparency.org • 04.05.05

• Who's Better Off? • Ron Paul • (R) U.S. House of Reps • 04.06.05

• GOP Heading Over Political Cliff • John Conyers, Jr. • BuzzFlash • 04.08.05

• Losing Our Heads Over the Brain-Dead: • Stephen J. Ducat • BuzzFlash • 04.08.05

• Over 1 million say no to nuclear option • Common Dreams • 04-07-05   _ Senate Republicans' Bid to Destroy the Filibuster Option • John W. Dean • FindLaw • 04.08.05

• The Potemkin President • Bob Perr • PERRspectives • 04.04.05

• FDR Librarian Suppresses the Public Sphere • Librarian • permalink • 04.04.05

• Montana State 'House' condemns Patriot Act • Jennifer McKee • Gazette St Bureau • 04.02.05   _ No-To-Bush List material here...   -   DU Thread

• Secret US plans for Iraq's oil • Greg Palast for BBC News • 03-17-05   _ Greg Palast.com • BBC News • talking points memo intro • Harry Shearer

• Activists use Web to nudge the left • By John F. Harris • Washington Post • 03.28.05   _ site linked to in the article   - Principles Project   • related site   -   DemSpeak

• Tom DeLay :: No Morals, No Ethics, No Problem   :: It's Own Page :: blog link     _ DeLay Likens GOP Contract to Magna Carta • by Juan-Carlos Rodriguez • ABC News • 04-13-05   _ Make-or-break weeks for DeLay and Frist • by Tom Curry • MSNBC • 04-13-05   _ Gingrich Criticizes DeLay • CBS News • 04-13-05   ::   commonblog   _ ask your rep about DeLay • at our future.org • 04.12.05

• The Social Security Crisis     :: It's Own Page   • Note : This issue now has it's own seperate page. Many more links.   _ strengthening social security   u.s. gov site - use their contact form   _ Pelosi's Demand, 'Stop Robbing Social Security Trust Fund,' • forbes • • 03.03.05   _ protect your check   •   Alliance for Retired Americans   _ National Women's Law Center   •   Nat Committee to Preserve SS   _ National Academy of Social Insurance   •   Citizens with Disabilities

• State of Ohio Invests in Coins with High Ranking Republican       _ Major GOP scandal developing in Ohio • Joe in DC • AmericaBlog • 04.09.05   _ Ohio agency sinks millions into rare coins • Mike Wilkinson / James Drew • Toledo Blade • 04.03.05   _ Rare-coin fund spurs call to revise Ohio law • Mike Wilkinson / James Drew • Toledo Blade • 04.06.05   _ Govenor of Ohio defends investment   •   Democrats call for state probe   _ State of Ohio opens probe   •   Mr Noe the coin dealer awaits ethics ruling

• The Energy Crisis       _ oil depletion • by Ralph Dratman • newsfare • 03.14.05   • More info about oil depletion at energy bulletin   _ Anything Into Oil - discover.com   •   Anything Into Oil: From Turkey to Crude Oil   _ Fixing the Energy Crisis - Energy Alternatives   •   Peak oil primer   _ oil industry info   •   gulf importers   •   gas and oil.com

• Schiavo Memo Moved To : Archives Page   :: blog link     _ Media Matters identifies unresolved questions on Martinez memo • at MediaMatters • 04.08.05   _ Dissecting a right-wing smear • at MediaMatters • 04.07.05   _ I'm in shock. Michelle Malkin, um, gets it • by John in DC • americablog • 04.07.05   _ Schiavo GOP Memo Real • at Talk Left • 04.06.05   _ Brian Darling, Republican Senator Martinez, and the Schiavo memo • at MyDD • 04.07.05   _ Counsel to GOP Senator Wrote Memo On Schiavo • by Mike Allen • at WaPo • 04.07.05   _ Florida senator's aide resigns over Schiavo memo • CNN Inside Politics • 04.07.05   _ With Martinez, the buck stops elsewhere • by kos • 04.07.05   _ Waiting on mea culpas • by kos • 04.07.05   _ Wingers claim GOP Schiavo memo was forged: UPDATE • at dailykos • 03.23.05   _ The Memo - (pdf) • at Talking Points Memo • 04.07.05

Read More > my links page

Regards
fc

News comes from startchange.org that the FCC has ruled that government ads must be labeled as such.   This is in part due to an email petition at stop fake news, which has managed over 26,900 emails to the FCC, mine included.   The fcc ruling - pdf.

Washington Post : 04-14-05

Television broadcasters must disclose to viewers the origin of video news releases produced by the government or corporations when the material runs on the public airwaves, the Federal Communications Commission said yesterday.

The FCC's ruling comes as video news releases produced by the Bush administration and aired as part of local television news reports have come under attack from critics who call them unlabeled Republican propaganda.

"We have a responsibility to tell broadcasters they have to let people know where the material is coming from," said FCC Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein, a Democrat. "Viewers are hoodwinked into thinking it's really a news story when it might be from the government or a big corporation trying to influence the way they think. This will put them in a better position to decide for themselves what to make of it."

Read More >

As a friend pointed out on a message board, it is not really approiate to celebrate this victory until we see it in practice.   Along this same theme, freepress.net provides an additional email petition just to keep the pressure on.   I believe this is a very good idea and ask that you consider joining me in continued activism on this issue.

Regards
fc

Rarely have I said anything good about our present administration in Washington D.C. but this is the exception.   As the article at talking point memo states, modest steps have been taken and the possibility for more progress is present.   This petition calls for Bush and his team to do more in making it happen.   Please sign this petition if you feel as I do that it may make a difference.

Respectfully
fc

Petition To President Bush

Dear Mr. President,

We, the undersigned, believe that resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is critical to U.S. national security interests and essential to reduce the threat posed by international terrorism. We write to underscore American public support for your efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We encourage you to make this a central and sustained objective of American foreign policy. A peaceful resolution of the conflict will enhance our efforts to build a secure, stable, and more democratic Middle East, and in so doing, serve U.S. national security interests.

It is only right that the United States use all the resources at its disposal to help Israelis and Palestinians overcome the differences and fears that divide them in order to reach a settlement that will provide true security for Israel, help the Palestinians to achieve their own democratic state and lead to peace and prosperity for all the peoples of the region.

Although details can only be agreed through negotiations by the two sides, the basic elements of settlement are both achievable and clear: a two-state solution, rigorous security guarantees and the protection of human rights and access to holy sites.

We urge you to mobilize international support for that goal and to pursue progress with determination, fairness and creativity until success is achieved. We fully understand the potential obstacles ahead. We also understand the consequences of failure. Failure must not be an option. You have our strong support to stay the course.

Is it real, is it a fraud or is it damage control - all burners red hot with smoke and mirrors working overtime.   It was bad enough for the wingnuts to actually interfere in the Schiavo Case, and now they are trying to make it look like the dems originated the memos, even though their motives were clearly transparent (use schiavo to gain political capitol).   We are so indoctrinated by their lies and spin that all they have to do is throw it up in the air and the neocon wolf pack devours it for reality.   They needed something to take the heat off of DeLay and this issue turns the tables on them right back to his corruption and by association, the corruption of the entire republican party.   This all falling in with the potus' declining numbers in the polls and the ire of the little people about social security, homeland defense (militia doing the gov's job of patrolling our borders) and not to mention: the econmy, jobs, health care and personal freedoms (constitutional breaches in legal rights stemming from the Patriot Act).   The stench in Washington is spreading all across this great country and finally people are waking up to the reality that there are no morals and ethics in this administration to be proud of.   It took long enough...   Much too long, in my opinion.

GOP Talking Points on Terri Schiavo • the actual memo (pdf) • abc news • 03.21.05

• S. 529, The Incapacitated Person's Legal Protection Act
• Teri (sic) Schiavo is subject to an order that her feeding tubes will be disconnected on March 18, 2005 at 1p.m.

• The Senate needs to act this week, before the Budget Act is pending business, or Terri's family will not have a remedy in federal court.

• This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue.

• This is a great political issue, because Senator Nelson of Florida has already refused to become a cosponsor and this is a tough issue for Democrats.

• The bill is very limited and defines custody as "those parties authorized or directed by a court order to withdraw or withhold food, fluids, or medical treatment."

• There is an exemption for a proceeding "which no party disputes, and the court finds, that the incapacitated person while having capacity, had executed a written advance directive valid under applicably law that clearly authorized the withholding or or (sic) withdrawl (sic) of food and fluids or medical treatment in the applicable circumstances."

• Incapacitated persons are defined as those "presently incapable of making relevant decisions concerning the provision, withholding or withdrawl (sic) of food fluids or medical treatment under applicable state law."

• This legislation ensures that individuals like Terri Schiavo are guaranteed the same legal protections as convicted murderers like Ted Bundy.