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Day By Day by Chris Muir
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Senator Joe Biden – Frequent Flyer
Photo courtesy Sen. Joe Biden
AFGHANISTAN: Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., visited there in January 2002, not long after the fall of the Taliban.With all of the discussion of House Majority Leader Tom Delay’s ethics and his travel schedule comes this story out of Delaware about Senator Joe Biden:
….From 2000-2004, Delaware’s congressional trio of Biden, Carper and Castle have taken hundreds of trips, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to House and Senate records examined by The News Journal. The trips range from official taxpayer-funded fact-finding missions into war zones, to privately funded trips for speaking engagements or seminars at luxury resorts.
In 2004, for instance, Biden took 16 privately funded trips, worth a total of $48,482. Carper took five paid trips, for a total of $7,740. And Castle took just one, which cost $4,088…
…Biden has the highest travel profile in the delegation, in part because he is in demand as a guest on television news programs like “Meet the Press.” More than half of the privately funded trips he’s taken in the past five years were paid for by news organizations…
…Last September, Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism examined more than 4,800 trips that members of Congress had taken at private expense from 2000-2004. The study ranked members according to the number of trips taken, and the amount of travel money accepted from business groups, think tanks and other organizations.
As of September 2004, Medill ranked Biden 26th out of 582 members of Congress, with 48 trips in four years, worth a total of $90,906. Castle, who took fewer trips, but visited expensive destinations, ranked 41st in Congress with 16 trips valued at $69,671. Carper took 11 trips, at a cost of $10,402 to private interests, ranking him 356th out of 582 members.
Biden racked up the largest single-trip tab of the three Delaware politicians: the investment firm Forstmann, Little & Co. paid $17,000 to send a private jet to deliver Biden to a four-day conference in Aspen, Colo., last September…
Ok, are we going to apply the conflict of interest rules fairly?
How is Biden’s travel so different than Delay’s?
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Star Wars Episode 3 – Clip
Ok, I like Star Wars!
Here is a bootleg clip. I really think it was released by Lucas Films like the stills many weeks ago.
But, enjoy anyway.
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Clinton Supports Blair and Labour Party
Former President Clinton puts in a campaign appearance (via satellite) for Prime Minister Tony Blair:
Former US president Bill Clinton rallied in support of Prime Minister Tony Blair‘s Labour Party, urging British voters to turn out in force for a May 5 general election.
Appearing on a giant screen at a Labour Party meeting in London, the former Democrat leader warned that when a country has “a progressive government in power, our people get a little easily disillusioned.”
“They don’t like this policy or that policy. They sometimes fall into the trap of thinking it doesn’t matter and there are no consequences.”
“But if you believe that look at the difference in the US between now and four years ago,” he said, in a reference to the election of President George W. Bush, a Republican, in the United States.
Clinton’s remarks were made after Blair gave a speech outlining his party’s ambition to combat poverty in the developing world.
In the fight against global poverty, Clinton argued that global leadership was key to making a real difference.
“We just need leadership and Tony Blair, (Chancellor of the Exchequer) Gordon Brown and New Labour are providing that leadership,” he said.
“I’m just here to say thank you, amen and go get ’em,” he concluded……
Meanwhile the White House has already weighed in:
Answering a question on whether Bush wanted Blair to be triumphant on May 5, White House spokesman Scott McClellan had said earlier this month that the issue would be “decided by the people in the United Kingdom”.
“We don’t tend to get involved in internal political matters,” he said.
“But Prime Minister Blair has been a good friend of the president and a strong ally in the war on terrorism and we appreciate the partnership that we have with Prime Minister Blair and his government.”
No matter who challenges Blair he would be safe. So, why not take support from both sides…..LOL…..
The real election battle will be to choose his successor.
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Hugh Hewitt et al vs MSM (LA Press)
Hugh Hewitt and other bloggers will face off in a “Blogs and the Commentariat evening”. The event will be held at the Los Angeles Press Club:
Meet Hugh Hewitt, author of “Blogs: Understanding the Information Reformation That’s Changing Your World”
PRESENTED BY: The Los Angeles Press Club, Amy Alkon, Emmanuelle Richard, and Cathy Seipp
WHAT: A Blogs and the Commentariat evening, starring guest-of-honor Hugh Hewitt: author, radio host, constitutional law professor, blogger and opinion columnist (for the Weekly Standard‘s online site The Daily Standard.) Hugh will discuss his new book “Blogs: Understanding the Information Reformation That’s Changing Your World,” along with related topics such as bloggers vs. the mainstream media — which means in particular of course, our own favorite mainstream media the Los Angeles Times.
PLUS: Special appearance by L.A. Times Sunday Opinion editor Bob Sipchen, who edits the Times-criticizing Outside the Tent feature, along with Outside the Tent contributors Mickey Kaus, Matt Welch and others to be announced.
WHEN: Tuesday, Apr. 26, 7-10 p.m. Short talk and Q&A session at 8:30 p.m.
LOCATION: The L.A. Athletic Club’s main bar (3rd Floor), 431 W. 7th St. (7th & Olive) validated parking in the garage at 646 S. Olive St. (PLEASE NOTE: The L.A. Athletic Club has a dress code, “casual” for the main bar, but that still means no torn jeans, gym shorts, etc.) L.A. Athletic Club phone: (213) 625-2211. Cash bar, complimentary hot hors d’oeuvres. More info: laac.com.
SPECIAL THANKS TO: L.A. Athletic Club member Jim McCarthy of Gold Star Events who arranged this great location for us. More info: http://www.goldstarevents.com
RSVP: Mandatory. Contact info@lapressclub.org or 323-469-8180
Flap will be attending.
Looking forward to meeting other bloggers and MSM types at the event.
BTW: Hugh the one RSVP link (non-members of LA Press Club) on your site returned the e-mail Flap sent.
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Ventura County Star Editorial: College District Must Be Open
The Ventura County Star (free reg. req.) has this editorial today on the Ventura County Community College District:
If Ventura County Community College District Chancellor James Meznek and the board of trustees truly want to foster mutual respect within the district and community, as they say they do, they need first to respect the public’s right to know.
They need to make critical decisions about the colleges’ future with as much input as possible from faculty, other employees, students and members of the public.
Respecting the public’s right to be informed means not having a secret list of proposed cuts and their rationales, as was the case prior to the March 8 meeting of the college district board of trustees. It was at that meeting trustees voted to lay off 15 full- and part-time employees March 11 and another 117 by June 30 to close a $7.5 million shortfall over the next 14 months.
Fortunately, The Star was able to obtain and publish that list….
Chancellor Meznek everyone know who leaked the list – one of your Trustees or College Presidents.
If you want something to remain private keep it to yourself.
If it is a VCCCD personnel issue or litigation keep it in closed session and number your documents so they do not wander away to the VC Star.
Otherwise, public policy issues such as lay-offs due to budgetary short-falls and the elimination of instructional programs should be discussed in public and by the public – who by the way pays your salary.
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Eagleburger on Bolton
Former Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger has this piece on United Nations ambassador designate John Bolton:
President Bush’s nomination of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has generated a bad case of dyspepsia among a number of senators, who keep putting off a confirmation vote. That hesitation is now portrayed as a consequence of Bolton’s purported “mistreatment” of several State Department intelligence analysts. But this is a smoke screen. The real reasons Bolton’s opponents want to derail his nomination are his oft-repeated criticism of the United Nations and other international organizations, his rejection of the arguments of those who ignore or excuse the inexcusable (i.e., the election of Sudan to the U.N. Human Rights Commission) and his willingness to express himself with the bark off.
As to the charge that Bolton has been tough on subordinates, I can say only that in more than a decade of association with him in the State Department I never saw or heard anything to support such a charge. Nor do I see anything wrong with challenging intelligence analysts on their findings. They can, as recent history demonstrates, make mistakes. And they must be prepared to defend their findings under intense questioning. If John pushed too hard or dressed down subordinates, he deserves criticism, but it hardly merits a vote against confirmation when balanced against his many accomplishments….
These are but two examples of why I believe Bolton possesses the substantial qualifications necessary to be our ambassador to the United Nations. By now it should be obvious to all that the halcyon days when our advice was sought and our leadership welcomed because the security of others depended on the protection we gave are no more. I recognize that John’s willingness to speak bluntly has raised questions. Perhaps there was a time when those concerns had merit — but not now. Given what we all know about the current state of the United Nations, it’s time we were represented by someone with the guts to demand reform and to see that whatever changes result are more than window dressing…
Enough Said.
Give him an up or down vote.
Remember President Bush won the election last November and he wants John Bolton.
Hear this well Republican Senators (the President will enforce Party Discipline!).
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Root Canal Instrument Inventor Sentenced to 15 Years
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Bear Flag League Round-Up Redux Part 1
Justene over at Calblog is completing a quite exhausting treatise on Bear Flag League Members:
Bear Flag Roundup Part 1
The league is large and doing things like filing an amicus brief (yes, I will keep mentioning it until you have all read it). Who are these league members? For those of you not watching the NFL draft, here’s your roundup:
A is for Apple v. Does
Aaron has returned in Aaron’s cc: I’ll break the rules at the beginning and instead of sending you to one of Aaron’s post, take a look at the third, THIRD, year of buy a gun day.
Over at Absinthe & Cookies, Ith is on vacation. You can still get cookies, though. Angela has posted this recipe for Blackberry Jam Bars. She says to cook at 400 degrees and watch for dark edges. I appear to be the only person in the country who cooks by smell. I can tell you if the food smells done, close, or burning and I am generally more accurate than the timer or looking at it.
There are baby pictures at Accidental Verbosity. I love baby pictures.
American Digest is on a ten-day hiatus and has left a list of posts worth reading from his archives. If your new to the League or just new to American Digest, this is a cornucopia of good stuff.
Annika has a good report on Pope Benedict’s early burst of ecumenism.
B is for Bear Flag League
Baldilocks commisserates with Condi over her rusty Russian. Rusty Russian or not, it’s tough to confuse Da and Nyet. Condi forgot it was a secret. She really is running for President (please, please, please).
Beautiful Atrocities has lots of good stuff. (Note to self. Read Beautiful Atrocities more often.) This post though best fits the blog title.
Beekeeper gets extra points for mentioning the NFL draft. For some of his analysis, though, check out this post on Sacramento Unified School District’s latest move.
Below Street Level has been quiet for too long. He sneaks some good stuff in if you go looking.
Ben’s Law explains taxes. Someone needs to do it.
Body Parts shares an interesting glimpse into his neighbor’s life. There’s not enough people-watching left in this world.
BoiFromTroy is my only source for news on the Mayoral election. What is that a picture of?
Bear Flag Roundup Part 2
C is for California
California Conservatives 4 Truth reports on the growing acceptance of bloggers.
New member California Mafia falls into a moment of panic. It can’t be that bad.
At California Republic, Eric Hogue reports on the emptiness of the Democrats’ rhetoric on education.
Caltech Girl gets mega-points for mentioning AND analyzing the NFL draft.
Enjoy the pride in Citizen Smash’s post about his wife.
Cobb: Head over for conversation, stay for the comics.
Coffee with Cranky Beach has lots of good hiking photos, though they had trouble loading for me. This post is the most interesting observation of the bunch.
D is for Digger Causes Trouble
Da Goddess has a not-for-the-children joke.
David Brown is posting on Daily Pundit. I missed the memo. Show of hands — how many of you had Dads like this?
You should have seen the email list this week. There was infighting, to put it mildly. On a number of topics. Some of it spilled over into the public eye. By the way, Digger is the cause because he jumped first. He wasn’t the only one though. Even yours truly started arguing over who knows what.
Kasey is in charge of adding new League members. If it’s been quiet lately, get a look at this list of reasons.
Reminding me that I’m old, Drink This blogs about people I have never heard of until she gets to 1959 and Buddy Holly.
Bear Flag Roundup Part 3
E is for the Eastern Half Of the Western Sandwich
e-Claire is on the story of the Minutemen and the ACLU observers. The Minutemen project is a good idea that I fear is doomed to end badly.
Education Wonks host the Carnival of Education. Thusfar, I have spared you my rants on education and the strain it places on me when the girls have to do a 35 page report on the entire Civil War. Go read intelligent posts instead.
F is for Fun
Faute de Mieux follows stories that the rest of the League doesn’t pay that much attention to — like the EU constitution.
Feste has lost inspiration. Perhaps a few visits and a few comments will help.
I is for Individualism
Like many folks, I ordered a couple of Cardinal Ratzinger’s books from Amazon right after he was elected. Infinite Monkeys headed over to Barnes & Noble and found something that surprised me.
J is for Just Missed Him
I was supposed to have lunch with Jeff Doolittle a couple of weeks ago but blew him off to head to SF for a Fox News interview that got cut to about 20 seconds. I should have eaten lunch first. Jeff needs to post more entries like this one on poverty.
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Politician Calls Out a Dentist Over NHS failures
Rhona Brankin really got her teeth into the election campaign this week.
Rhona Brankin accused the dentist of staging “a political stunt”Here is an interesting story from the U.K. where a minister calls out a dentist for a Political Stunt. What did the dentist do? He limited his practice to non-National Health Service (NHS) patients or as they call it across the pond – went private.
The story goes on:
She’s the deputy health minister who launched an astonishing attack on a dentist in Stranraer.
Rhona Brankin accused the dentist of staging “a political stunt”
She didn’t actually bite Kenneth Barr but she stood up in parliament and said his behaviour was “appalling”.
His decision to go private – and leave 3,000 patients without an NHS dentist – was “a political stunt”, she said.
Mr Barr says he has been defamed and is consulting his lawyer.
All he’s doing, he said, is giving patients the time necessary for quality treatment.
“There’s been a steady erosion of funding in NHS dental services over the years,” he told BBC Scotland.
We’ve become used to the SNP using question time to drop yet another embarrassing statistic on the first minister’s head
“We are no longer able to maintain and indeed advance our high quality of service.”
He is taking on 1,000 private patients and will continue only to treat children and special needs cases on the NHS.
Ms Brankin was furious and said: “It’s not good enough for dentists to be able to train at the expense of the public purse, to build up an NHS list, to build up the trust and confidence of patients in Stranraer and then walk away.”
The Scottish National Party’s Roseanna Cunningham – convener of the health committee – was able to make the point that Mr Barr was doing what many dentists have been doing all over Scotland, because the fees paid by the NHS are too low.
Only 3% of Scotland’s 3,700 dentists are expecting to increase their NHS work.
Ms Brankin told MSPs that dentists should stay loyal to the NHS. The executive is investing an extra £150m over the next three years in dental services.
There will be 200 more dentists trained, grants of up to £20,000 to help dentists set up in rural areas and “the biggest tooth brushing education programme in Europe”.
Wow, they are doing a tooth brushing education programme! How about some dietary counseling and an anti-smoking campaign? How about some privitization of your miserable healthcare system?
Will these socialists ever get a clue?
Now, they resort to name calling.
Shame!
