A prominent organization of social conservatives not only aims to derail legislation aimed at curbing abuse of school-age students, it is attempting to do so by attacking the sexual orientation of a high-ranking Department of Education official. The Family Research Council (FRC) wants the Senate to defeat the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (H.R. 4247). The House approved the bill Wednesday by a vote of 262 to 153. It now moves to the Senate for consideration....
Monthly Archives: March 2010
Republicans Now Even Block Judges They Like
The Senate GOP is blocking the confirmation of even those Obama judicial nominations that Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee supported unanimously. In fact, Republicans have allowed even fewer of President Obama’s nominated judges to even reach an up-or-down vote on the floor of the Senate than they did for Bill Clinton back in the 1990s. Although the Senate voted Tuesday unanimously to confirm Barbara Keenan to fill a vacancy on the federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals,...
Union Cheers Broad Push To Repeal NAFTA
One of the nation’s oldest and largest labor unions is praising new, bipartisan legislation that would withdraw the United States from NAFTA, and vanquish one of the biggest enemies of American organized labor for more than 15 years. A remarkably broad coalition of lawmakers from across the political spectrum came together Thursday to sponsor a bill to repeal U.S. participation in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). “The lives of average workers in Mexico and in the U.S....
Senate Armed Services Probe Adds To A Long List of Blackwater Misdeeds
The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee wants the Justice Department and the Pentagon to investigate an already-notorious private military contractor for potential fraud and mismanagement related to its work to conduct training for the Afghan National Army. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) Thursday publicly released letters written last month to Attorney General Eric Holder and Defense Secretary Robert Gates alleging a pattern of misconduct by a firm known as “Paravant,” but which is in reality a shell firm...
RIP Jon Swift aka Al Weisel
I’ve just learned the sad news that “The great Jon Swift has died”: In reality, the voice of Jon Swift – the hilarious faux conservative blogger whose talent and passion were evident in every post – belonged to Al Weisel… Al was on the way to his father’s funeral in Virginia when he suffered a sudden aortic aneurysm and underwent several surgeries in an attempt to save his life. Sadly, they did not succeed. Heartbreakingly, Al’s mother has posted...
ANALYSIS: How Many Reasons Do You Need To Reform Unemployment Benefits?
When it comes looking at the reasons why U.S. unemployment benefit programs need reform, proponents of reform could simply add up the millions of Americans out of work for 26 weeks or longer. Now they can add one more: Sen. Jim Bunning. The nation’s unemployment rate stands at a pernicious 9.7 percent, but even that doesn’t tell the worst of it because more than 40 percent of those jobless Americans have been out of work for 27 weeks or...
Sen. Jim Bunning Called Out For Hypocrisy As The Damage of His Obstruction Widens
Republicans continued to support Sen. Jim Bunning‘s effort to block an extension of unemployment benefits and other federal funding programs this week, even as a Democratic spokesman called the Kentucky Republican a hypocrite for his stance. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) tried again Tuesday to bring legislation to a vote that would extend unemployment insurance, healthcare benefits for the jobless, as well as federal funding for highway construction and other ongoing federal programs. Bunning once again prevented the bill...
It’s Snow News
Up to two feet of snow hit the Mid-Atlantic and New England states last week, the second storm within two weeks. Wind gusts of up to 50 miles an hour and temperatures in the 20s created severe wind chill and extreme hazardous driving conditions. Pennsylvania ordered all commercial trucks off many of its major highways and Interstates. Schools and colleges throughout the Northeast cancelled classes, many for two days. We were warned that this would be a severe storm,...
Recent Comments