Call Sensenbrenner's Office

June 27, 2005


As you all know by now, the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee Rep Sensenbrenner refused Rep Conyers the right to hold a hearing on the Downing Street Memo. It is Sensenbrenner's prerogative to decide what is, or is not, heard in the Judiciary.

It is reasonable that Sensenbrenner would not wish to have a formal hearing on the Downing Street Memo since it shows, with no ambiguity, that President Bush and senior members of his administration lied to Congress and the American people to justify a premeditated war of aggression based on intelligence and facts being fixed around the policy.

Under Article II Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Lying to Congress and the American People to engage in a premeditated war of aggression is an impeachable offense.

Who owns the House judiciary? The Republicans do. Who owns the Congress? We the People do. If there is any chance of justice being served, short of the Democrats taking control of the House in 2006, the only way to get Sensenbrenner to act is via pressure from the people.

Call him now:
2449 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4905
Telephone: (202) 225-5101

Email: sensenbrenner@mail.house.gov

They're just making it up as they go along

Hit by friendly fire
With his polls down, Bush takes flak on Iraq from a host of critics--including some in his own party
By Kevin Whitelaw

Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel is angry. He's upset about the more than 1,700 U.S. soldiers killed and nearly 13,000 wounded in Iraq. He's also aggravated by the continued string of sunny assessments from the Bush administration, such as Vice President Dick Cheney's recent remark that the insurgency is in its "last throes." "Things aren't getting better; they're getting worse. The White House is completely disconnected from reality," Hagel tells U.S. News. "It's like they're just making it up as they go along. The reality is that we're losing in Iraq."

That's strikingly blunt talk from a member of the president's party, even one cast as something of a pariah in the GOP because of his early skepticism about the war. "I got beat up pretty good by my own party and the White House that I was not a loyal Republican," he says. Today, he notes, things are changing: "More and more of my colleagues up here are concerned."

Indeed, there are signs that the politics of the Iraq war are being reshaped by the continuing tide of bad news. Take this month in Iraq, with 47 U.S. troops killed in the first 15 days. That's already five more than the toll for the entire month of June last year. With the rate of insurgent attacks near an all-time high and the war's cost set to top $230 billion, more politicians on both sides of the aisle are responding to opinion polls that show a growing number of Americans favoring a withdrawal from Iraq. Republican Sens. Lincoln Chafee and Lindsey Graham have voiced their concerns. And two Republicans, including the congressman who brought "freedom fries" to the Capitol, even joined a pair of Democratic colleagues in sponsoring a bill calling for a troop withdrawal plan to be drawn up by year's end. "I feel confident that the opposition is going to build," says Rep. Ron Paul, the other Republican sponsor and a longtime opponent of the war.

Sagging polls. The measure is not likely to go anywhere, but Hagel calls it "a major crack in the dike." Whether or not that's so, the White House has reason to worry that the assortment of critiques of Bush's wartime performance may be approaching a tipping point. Only 41 percent of Americans now support Bush's handling of the Iraq war, the lowest mark ever in the Associated Press-Ipsos poll. And the Iraq news has combined with a lethargic economy and doubts about the president's Social Security proposals to push Bush's overall approval ratings near all-time lows. For now, most Republicans remain publicly loyal to the White House. "Why would you give your enemies a timetable?" asks House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. "[Bush] doesn't fight the war on news articles or television or on polls."

Still, the Bush administration is planning to hit back, starting this week, with a renewed public-relations push by the president. Bush will host Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari and has scheduled a major speech for June 28, the anniversary of the handover of power to an Iraqi government from U.S. authorities. But Congress's patience could wear very thin going into an election year. "If things don't start to turn around in six months, then it may be too late," says Hagel. "I think it's that serious."

Bush's exit strategy--which depends on a successful Iraqi political process--got a boost last week when Sunni and Shiite politicians ended weeks of wrangling over how to increase Sunni representation on the constitution-writing committee. Now, however, committee members have less than two months before their mid-August deadline. And given how long it took to resolve who gets to draft the document, it's hard to imagine a quick accord on the politically explosive issues they face.

No, Rove You Prick, Liberals Didn't Want Therapy, They Wanted This...

No, Rove You Prick, Liberals Didn't Want Therapy, They Wanted This...JUNE 24, 2005 – Sorry Karl boy, but now there is actually a place - The Moderate Independent - where a real, actual liberal gets to say what liberals believe, not fake liberals or "progressives" or lying right-wing scum like you.



So, to correct the truly deranged, completely inaccurate dribble you spewed about what liberals wanted to do in response to 9/11, let me straighten a few things out for you.



While in your sick little world where the fictional liberals you beat down everyday are little wusses afraid to stand up to anything, real liberals like myself are the ones who were working to prevent 9/11 to begin with by trying to stop people like Bush, Sr. from doing things like arming Saddam in the first place, from working with butchers like Osama bin Laden in the first place, from participating in covert actions that kill innocent people abroad and come back to bite America in the ass by killing innocent Americans down the road.



We tell you not to be killing people in Colombia right now. We tell you not to be trying to overthrow governments in Central America.



We want criminals like John Negroponte held accountable - not with therapy, but with punishment - for the thousands of deaths and torture stories they are accountable for.



We want idiots like you to get the fact that your stupid little ideology is completely flawed, that your, "They don't understand what needs to be done," rhetoric is bullshit, and that it is you moronic conservatives that keep creating the problems that you then say we need more of the same stupid policies to fix.



In reality, we know your ultimate goal is to never have peace, to have constant war. After the Cold War, all you could talk about was, "What will be the next Cold War," because you are all so cowardly you can't face yourselves or your lives but instead need, at all times, someone to hate and blame. It doesn't matter who and there doesn't have to be any fact or logic behind it. Tell a conservative to hate the French, they hate the French. Hate the Chinese, they hate the Chinese. Arabs? Fine. Indians? Sure. Mexicans? Why not. The Dixie Chicks? Of course, if you say so. Hate on command. All that is required is a constant target of hate.



And so today, in desperation, with all of your ideologies having been proven flawed, be it your stupid economic lying scheme that said we have to give lots of money to rich people in order to help us all, or your stupid war scheme that really believed the Iraqis would "greet us with flowers" and that the oil there would pay for the war and rebuilding, you turned again to making dumb conservatives hate the fake version of liberal that only exists in your mind..



Today, Americans can plainly see all of your stupid right-wing schemes are just bogus games to turn America into what you have helped create all throughout South and Central America, nations of a permanent wealthy, ruling class and a powerless, desperate underclass; a propaganda-machine-fed society. And so you trotted out, in utter desperation, your fictional version of what a liberal is. You claimed that we, on 9/11, simply wanted to sit down a give therapy to those responsible for the attacks, to issue a few indictments.



No Karl, on 9/11, we wanted the wholesale rounding up and cruelest of punishments for those responsible - except we really wanted it for those who armed and trained Osama in the art of terrorism to begin with, with those we built up Saddam and then were involved in the mess that led to the first Gulf War, and for all of this bullshit that led directly to 9/11. From Eisenhower deciding to overthrow the government of Iran back in the fifties right up until September 11, 2001, the idiotic conservatives of our nation have been playing illegal, covert games that our nation has been paying the price for again and again.



And on 9/11, only we liberals had the balls to want the heads of those truly responsible, and to want to take the only actions that actually could prevent future 9/11's from occurring.



The Bushes armed and trained Osama, the Bushes were friends with bin Laden's and Saudis, many in previous administrations have been criminally involved in covert actions that our nation has been paying for and will continue to pay for for years to come.



While cowardly, deranged conservatives took their orders to hate on command without question as always and allow you morons to again make things worse, only we liberals - and there were but a handful of us, just check the Iraq War vote - had the balls to face the truth. The problem was not in Iraq. The problem was in the White House, in Texas, in the CIA.



Sounding familiar? Oh yeah, this is what actual liberals say, Karl boy.



Conservatives like to pretend they are Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, saying that liberals, "...can't handle the truth." In fact, the whole world knows it is only American conservatives who can't handle the truth. Every sheep farmer in every hill of the most remote part of the most remote nation and every person in every city of every nation knows what you - the biggest pussies on the planet - American conservatives don't have the balls to face: 9/11 rests on your hands.



And while we were saying butchers like Osama should be punished from the beginning, you were saying, "No, he is just misunderstand, let us work with him, we can coach him to come around." Yes, it was you who thought therapy would work with Osama.



And you thought it would work with the Butcher of Baghdad. We said, "Don't give that murderer chemical weapons, don't have anything to do with him." You said, "No, we can coach him, we can steer him in a more positive direction."



So cry, and attack your fake wussy version of liberal which really doesn't exist. We know it is because you can't face yourself or reality and the fact that you are directly responsible for the deaths of those 3,000+ Americans on 9/11. You and your clearly mentally incompetent puppet leader who lives in the White House - yes, go back and watch the tape of the first debate against Kerry; that was reality - the man is undeniably a mental defective.



So there is the simple truth, Karl. I know you can't handle it. So call your names and attack your fake liberal stereotype and issue your threats, keeping up the media's game of deeming anything an actual liberal says as an attack on America - while the actual attacks on America come as a result of your actions and our words seek only to protect and defend our nation against the assaults you bring.



Make your attacks, but make no mistake: we real liberals have never been tricked by your attempts to throw blame here or there, we have never taken our eyes off the real criminals for even a single instant, and we never will until justice comes around. Because we love America, and have the actual courage to stand up in defense of our nation, while you destroy it to keep up your wall of cowardice.



As for Osama - I think, personally, we should have nuked Afghanistan for not being willing to turn him over. But you cowardly conservatives would never do something like that - that would be a solution, when all you really want is perpetual war so you can have a focus for your perpetual need to hate so as to avoid dealing with yourselves and reality.



Pussy.

With our economy in the trash, and our men and women dying in Iraq...why is this ASSHOLE laughing?

Osama in Iran, not Pak: US officials - PakTribune

Osama in Iran, not Pak: US officials - PakTribuneWASHINGTON, June 15 (Online): Terror mastermind Osama bin Laden is in eastern Iran and not the rugged tribal areas of Pakistan's northwestern frontier where many believe him to be on the run, US intelligence officials said on Monday.
In interviews to the Washington Times, the US officials said the Iran theory, which is held by a minority, is based on bits of intelligence information and the fact that months of CIA operations, along with search-and-destroy sweeps by thousands of Pakistani troops have failed to find the al-Qaida chief.

Asked whether the US intelligence community thinks bin Laden may be in Iran, a senior administration official told the paper: "Some people think he is."

Is the Bush regime using Osama as an alibi to bully the world?

Tehelka - The People's Paper
The cia Director, Porter Goss, has made a huge, if also alarming, admission. The admission is huge because it involves Osama bin Laden, the man US President George Bush vowed to get ‘dead or alive’ after the 9/11 terrorist strikes. Goss has now said, in an interview to Time magazine that he has an “excellent idea” of where the world’s ‘terrorist No. 1’ is hiding.

As if that’s not startling enough, Goss has gone on to explain why the greatest power on earth can’t lay their hands on a man they invaded Afghanistan over, a man over whom it launched the global war against terror. “When you go to the question of dealing with sanctuaries in sovereign states, you’re dealing with a problem of our sense of international obligation, fair play,” Goss said. Read what he’s saying again. Ponder over the import of a statement coming from none other than the cia’s top man. America’s sense of international obligation and fair play, he says is coming in the way of accessing “sanctuaries in sovereign states.” This revelation begs many a question. Why was Afghanistan pounded one month after 9/11? Why was Iraq invaded? Are these nations not sovereign? Why is the US still occupying Iraq even though it has admitted — even if grudgingly — that it was misled by its intelligence agencies on the existence of weapons of mass destruction? Where was its sense of fair play when it ordered its troops into Iraq without sanction from the United Nations?

What happens to America’s National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, released with much fanfare by President Bush on February 14, 2003. In the new strategy to combat terrorism, Bush assumed far-reaching powers for the US. As President he gave himself the right to protect his country, even if that meant launching pre-emptive strikes in any part of the world. “The United States’ strategy for combating terrorism focuses on taking the fight to the terrorists themselves. We are using all elements of our national power and international influence to attack terror networks; reduce their ability to communicate and coordinate their plans; isolate them from potential allies and from each other; and identify and disrupt their plots before they attack. The war against global terror will be hard and long. We will not rest until we succeed,’’ he has declared.

So why is there a change? Why is America stopping short of getting Osama when they have an excellent idea of where he is? Actually, is there really a change? Less than two weeks ago, the US cautioned — read threatened — India and Pakistan against going ahead with the Iran Gas Pipeline. Its fear: Iran would use oil revenues to fund its nuclear weapons programme. Also, that will loosen the monopoly the US is trying to gain over the oil market.

Several top American officials have repeatedly said that they believe Osama is hiding in the rugged terrain along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier. Operations have been conducted there in the past. Why, indeed, is the US now citing reasons of fair play? In fact, it would only be fair for them to answer the question and set the record straight. They owe it to all the nations supporting them in their war against terror.

GAO finds shortcomings in Wisconsin voter registration

GAO finds shortcomings in Wisconsin voter registration

WASHINGTON - A congressional report released Thursday found flaws in voter registration systems of several states, including Wisconsin.

The report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, was requested by U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., and Rep. John N. Hostettler, R-Ind. The two lawmakers asked for the review prior to last year's election, in which reports of voter fraud in Milwaukee have since emerged.

The GAO did not get into that in its report, focusing instead on systemic voter registration problems in Wisconsin, Arizona, California, Michigan, New York, Texas and Virginia. The states were selected to represent a cross-section.

The report noted that only one of the seven states, Arizona, had met the Jan. 1, 2004, deadline of the 2002 Help America Vote Act, which requires states to maintain statewide voter registration lists and verification procedures. The other six states received waivers until Jan. 1, 2006.

And it found that with the exception of one state - Virginia - the states in the survey still needed to sign agreements with the Social Security Administration to verify voter registration against Social Security records.

"GAO's determination that states have put in place few safeguards to verify citizenship is dismaying given the millions of people here illegally," said Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "It's past time states get busy cleaning up their voter records - especially in my home state of Wisconsin."

The GAO said that Wisconsin does not have a system in place that lets local election officials receive state felony conviction information. And Wisconsin was the only state in the survey that did not use State Vital Statistics information on dead people to match against voter lists, the GAO said.

Last month, a task force looking into potential voter fraud in Milwaukee found that more than 200 felons voted illegally, people voted twice or used fake names and addresses in more than 100 instances, and some people used dead peoples' names to cast their ballots.

Overall, investigators said 4,600 more ballots than registered voters were counted in the city. This week, two people - one on probation and the other on parole - were charged with voting in last year's election, in violation of a state law that forbids felons under state supervision from voting. Another person was charged with casting two ballots in the election.

Sensenbrenner said that the integrity of the election system will remain susceptible to voter fraud until states become more conscientious in the accuracy of voter registration lists, "especially concerning whether people who are dead or are locked up in prison are still voting."

Kevin Kennedy, executive director of the state Elections Board, called the report "a picture of where things are right now, not where things will be once the Help America Vote Act kicks in" next year.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Jim Doyle, Melanie Fonder, noted that Doyle this spring introduced an election reform proposal. "The proposal would go to directly fix those type of problems," she said.

The GAO recommended two national fixes. One is that U.S. Attorneys share information on felony convictions in a standardized format with election officials. The other is looking into requiring jury administrators to notify election officials of potential jurors who identify themselves as non-citizens.

The Globe and Mail: Launch drive to impeach Bush, activists urge- IMPEACH BUSH...YES!

The Globe and Mail: Launch drive to impeach Bush, activists urge
Launch drive to impeach Bush, activists urge.

By PAUL KORING

Friday, June 17, 2005 Page A13

WASHINGTON -- The emotive and charged word "impeachment" was voiced yesterday on Capitol Hill as a clutch of Democratic congressmen, backed by distraught mothers of soldiers slain in Iraq, put together a piece of theatre that could become the summer's political drama.

John Bonifaz, a self-styled constitutional lawyer and anti-war activist, suggested there are sufficient grounds to launch an inquiry into whether the President should be impeached for lying to Congress about the justification for the war.

"The United States House of Representatives has a constitutional duty to investigate fully and comprehensively the evidence revealed by the Downing Street minutes and other related evidence, and to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to impeach George W. Bush, the President of the United States," Mr. Bonifaz said.

Cindy Sheehan, mother of a soldier killed in Iraq and founder of the Gold Star Families for Peace, accused Mr. Bush of waging a "needless, senseless" war and "betraying" servicemen like her son, Casey, killed in action in Baghdad in April of 2004.

"I believed before our leaders invaded Iraq in March, 2003, and I am even more convinced now that this aggression on Iraq was based on a lie of historic proportions, and was blatantly unnecessary," Mrs. Sheehan said.

"The so-called Downing Street memo, dated 23 July, 2002, only confirms what I always suspected: The leadership of this country rushed us into an illegal invasion of another sovereign country on prefabricated and cherry-picked intelligence."

The memo, written by an aide to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, summarizes the view of a senior British intelligence officer who just returned from Washington. "The intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy," the memo says. The document is regarded by some as the "smoking gun" that proves the Bush administration bent the facts to justify the war.

Both Mr. Blair and Mr. Bush have flatly denied that accusation, and rejected that interpretation of the memo.

So far, neither the memo, nor the anti-war movement has generated a groundswell of opposition to Mr. Bush, although the latest polls show his approval levels sagging.

In yesterday's meeting, Michigan Democrat John Conyers presided over an elaborate and effective media event that focused attention on the still-unexplained discrepancies between Mr. Bush's public pronouncements in the months before the Iraq war and documents suggesting he had made up his mind to go to war long before.

Not since the impeachment blotted out all else in former president Bill Clinton's second term, has the term been bandied about on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Conyers's pseudo-hearing yesterday was a bit of a sham. The majority Republicans rejected his call for formal hearings into the Downing Street memo. Still, with more than a dozen of his fellow Democrats crammed into a small, flag-bedecked room, an effort was made to give the meeting the appearance of a hearing. In spite of the cameras and microphones and congressional niceties, it was, in fact, devoid of legality and had no powers of subpoena.

But the political stakes remain high for the President.

So far, no groundswell of opposition to the war, or doubts about the reasons that led to it, has seriously shaken his presidency. Even the stunning absence of any concealed weapons of mass destruction has failed to produce the kind of anti-war momentum that forced the United States to quit Vietnam more than 30 years ago.

Yesterday, the White House dismissed Mr. Conyers's "hearing" as a stunt of no importance. "This is simply rehashing old debates that have already been discussed," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

But just like the sex scandal that besmirched Mr. Clinton's presidency and resulted in his impeachment, and the Watergate break-in that doomed Mr. Nixon, some on Capitol Hill believe an obscure British memo could be the spark that ignites the kind of anti-Bush wildfire that the Democrats failed to produce in last year's election.

"It reminds me of the little blurb that appeared in the paper that said there was a break-in at the Watergate," said another mother of a slain U.S. soldier.

The Raw Story | Outrage after GOP cuts off microphones at Patriot Act hearing

The Raw Story | Outrage after GOP cuts off microphones at Patriot Act hearing



Outrage after GOP cuts off microphones at Patriot Act hearing
RAW STORY


UPDATED: Chairman walked off with gavel, Democrats 'were shouting'

A furor erupted after Republican House Judiciary Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner shut off the microphones during a hearing on the Patriot Act Friday, accusing Democrats of raising issues unrelated to the Act such as treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, RAW STORY has learned.

The Democrats' leader in the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), called the move a "shameful attempt today to silence Democrats at hearing this morning on the impact of the Patriot Act," and demanded the Republican leadership force Sensenbrenner to apologize.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Advertisement



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Democrats have slammed Sensenbrenner before, and had success. Earlier this year, the chairman's staff rewrote Democratic amendments on an interstate abortion bill. Sensenbrenner was forced to retreat, returning the language to its neutral wording.

House Judiciary ranking Democrat John Conyers (D-MI) had no comment on the move.

The hearings were held under a rarely-invoked Congressional rule which allows the minority party to call for an additional day of hearings and to choose witnesses if they feel hearings held by the majority party were unsatisfactory.

AP reported that Sensenbrenner walked off with the gavel, leaving Democrats shouting into turned-off microphones.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) raised his voice as his microphone was switched off, AP said.

"We are not besmirching the honor of the United States, we are trying to uphold it," he remarked.

A video clip of Sensenbrenner's statement on adjourning the hearing can be seen here.

More information is available at The Brad Blog.

Pelosi's statement follows.

#
"The Republicans' abuse of power reached a new low this morning when they tried to silence Democrats at a hearing on the Patriot Act by cutting the microphones.

"Chairman Sensenbrenner proved again today that he is afraid of ideas, and that Republicans will stop at nothing to silence Democrats. It is quite ironic that at a hearing on the impact of the Patriot Act on civil liberties, the Republicans attempted to suppress free speech.

"This is part of Republican abuses of power: to silence Democrats and the voice of the minority, to deny millions of Americans a voice in Congress. Republican leaders dictate the party line and ram bills through committees, and permit few if any amendments on the floor. Republicans are unwilling and unable to compete in the marketplace of ideas, so they have chosen to arbitrarily and capriciously abuse their power simply because they can.

"Democrats will not be silenced when we uphold our oath of office to protect and defend our Constitution and civil liberties as we protect and defend the American people. I commend Judiciary Committee Democrats for continuing to question witnesses after the Republicans' shameful behavior, and for standing up for the institution of the House.

"This incident is the latest in a series of disgraceful conduct by Mr. Sensenbrenner. Last month, he misused an official committee report to mischaracterize in a derogatory manner amendments offered by three Democratic Members. As a result, the House was required to authorize the filing of a supplemental report, which contained significant changes, to correct the record.

"As House Democratic Leader, I expect all Members to be treated by the majority with dignity and respect. I will ask Speaker Hastert to order Mr. Sensenbrenner to apologize for his behavior to the witnesses at the hearing today, and to promise that this will never again happen."

MORE FROM AP:

"Democrats asked for the hearing, the 11th the committee has held on the act since April, saying past hearings had been too slanted toward witnesses who supported the law. The four witnesses were from groups, including Amnesty International USA and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, that have questioned the constitutionality of some aspects of the act, which allows law enforcement greater authority to investigate suspected terrorists.

Nadler said Sensenbrenner, one of the authors of the Patriot Act, was "rather rude, cutting everybody off in mid-sentence with an attitude of total hostility."

Tempers flared when Rep. Mike Pence (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., accused Amnesty International of endangering the lives of Americans in uniform by referring to the prison at Guantanamo Bay as a "gulag." Sensenbrenner didn't allow the Amnesty representative, Chip Pitts, to respond until Nadler raised a "point of decency."

James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, speaking immediately after Sensenbrenner left, voiced dismay over the proceedings. "I'm troubled about what kind of lesson this gives" to the rest of the world, he told the Democrats remaining in the room.

What could the "F" in James F. Sensenbrenner stand for? I say it stands for big F'ing baby!

What could the "F" in James F. Sensenbrenner stand for? I say it stands for big F'ing baby!

Doing the "Gavel Walk"- by Sensen Baby

Big F'ing BABY Sensenbrenner takes his toy gavel and runs home to cry to Mommy that the big bad Democrats asked to many "hard questions".

BIG F'ING BABY

Sensenbrenner Floor Statement Regarding Question of Personal Privilege

http://press.arrivenet.com/pol/article.php/654963.html
WASHINGTON, June 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) delivered the following remarks on the House floor regarding a question of personal privilege (Part 2 of 2):

My repeated admonishments and reminders about House Rules concerning the permissible scope of the hearing were ignored by witnesses and Members of the Committee. In the face of this refusal by witnesses and Members to appropriately conform their testimony to the subject matter of the hearing requested by the minority, I exercised great patience in permitting witnesses and Members to weigh in on issues totally unrelated to the reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act. I recognized all four witnesses, as well as each majority and minority Member present at the hearing for five minutes. The record clearly shows that I evinced no favoritism in providing time to either witnesses or Members.

the conclusion of the hearing, when each witness and Member had been provided equal time to raise questions, and witnesses asked and received permission to submit their complete testimony into the hearing record, I expressed my great disappointment that opponents of the PATRIOT Act have used it as a vehicle to assert broad, sweeping, and sometimes wildly unsubstantiated allegations concerning matters totally unrelated to the legislation.

As I concluded my remarks, at least two minority Members who had been accorded their time to speak again sought recognition, and I adjourned the hearing in a manner inconsistent with the spirit of comity that has and should continue to inform Committee deliberations. While I concede this point without qualification, Members should also be aware that the practice of Democratic Chairmen of the Judiciary Committee, as well as the practice of Ranking Member Conyers during his Chairmanship of the Committee on Government Operations, was to adjourn hearings without motion and without expressly seeking the unanimous consent of Committee Members.

Since this hearing, I have been unfairly characterized by several Members of this body. In a press release dated June 10, 2005, Minority Leader Pelosi stated:

"Chairman Sensenbrenner proved again today that he is afraid of ideas, and that Republicans will stop at nothing to silence Democrats and the voice of the minority, to deny millions of Americans a voice in Congress. Republicans are unwilling and unable to compete in the marketplace of ideas, so they have chosen to arbitrarily and capriciously abuse their power simply because they can."

In a similar statement, Minority Whip Hoyer stated that the Committee's June 10, 2005 hearing represented a "quintessential example of shutting up, shutting down opposition, dissenting views, democracy." This grossly unfair and distorted depiction of my conduct demands correction. I am not afraid of diverse ideas - I welcome them. I have never attempted to stifle democracy - and never will.

The Committee's bipartisan consideration of the PATRIOT Act under my leadership underscores the malice that motivates these accusations. There is a difference between spirited debate and partisan vitriol that transgresses the bounds of decency and maligns the integrity of a Member of this House.

Following the hearing, the gentlewoman from Florida, Ms. Wasserman-Schultz, the newest Member of the Judiciary Committee, issued a press release asserting that I had acted in an "illegal" manner under a headline stating: "Democracy thwarted at Judiciary Committee Hearing on the Patriot Act." In the course of this hearing, I did nothing that remotely resembles conduct that could be described as "illegal," and as Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, I take particular umbrage with this mischaracterization.

The gentleman from New York, Mr. Nadler has also contended that I Chaired the hearing in a manner that was "with an attitude of total hostility." In addition, it has been inaccurately reported that I "abruptly pulled the plug . . . when a hearing on the PATRIOT Act turned to prisoners and anti-immigration militia on the Mexican border." These statements are clearly false. I permitted each witness an opportunity to complete his or her oral remarks, and the hearing was concluded only when each Member had been provided an equal opportunity to speak.

Following this hearing, I met with Ranking Member Conyers to discuss ways in which the Committee could respond to concerns expressed by some Members of the minority, and we reached a resolution that might have averted this impasse. However, some in the minority preferred a political issue to a workable solution. I trust that by fully and fairly examining the record of the June 10 hearing, as well as my demonstrated, longstanding record of bipartisan consideration of matters relating to the PATRIOT Act and other issues before the Committee, Members of this House and the public at large will reject the false, malevolent, and derogatory allegations leveled against me by certain minority Members of this body.

Mr. Speaker, the American people expect and deserve Members of Congress to approach terrorism-prevention in a thoughtful, factual, and responsible manner. All too often, opponents of the PATRIOT Act have constructed unfounded and totally unrelated conspiracy theories, erected straw men that bear no relation to reality, engaged in irresponsible and totally unfounded hyperbole, or unjustly impugned the law enforcement officials entrusted with protecting the security of America's citizens. While the PATRIOT Act was drafted and passed by both Houses of Congress with wide bipartisan majorities, it has been transformed by some into a political weapon of choice to allege a broad range of violations having nothing to do with the legislation. These efforts coarsen public debate and undermine the responsible, substantive examination that must inform congressional consideration of this critical issue.

I will not be deterred by malicious attacks or minority obstructionism. In the coming months, I will continue to energetically discharge my responsibilities as Chairman to ensure thorough, bipartisan, and thoughtful consideration of issues relating to the PATRIOT Act and other legislation before the Committee.

This House, and the American people who have elected us to represent them, expect and deserve no less.

I yield back.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

Sensenbrenner, he takes his gavel and runs home.

Sensenbrenner, he takes his
gavel and runs home.

Storm erupts over Patriot Act

http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/7231/1/274
WASHINGTON — House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) was so enraged by a witness from Amnesty International USA, who linked the Patriot Act to torture at secret U.S. detention facilities around the world, that he gaveled a June 10 hearing to an end. He ordered microphones turned off and stormed out of the hearing room.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) blasted Sensenbrenner for being “rude” and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called it a “shameful attempt today to silence” witnesses against the Patriot Act.

Eric Sears, manager of Amnesty USA’s grassroots project, “Denounce Torture,” told the World his organization stands behind their charges. “The Patriot Act and these abuses around the world are all part of a clamp-down on human rights justified under the ‘war on terror.’ But we say the best way to promote security is through a human rights agenda.”

The Patriot Act, as well as White House memos condoning torture, “have certainly helped to foster an environment under which these abuses were practiced and at higher levels of the government, condoned,” Sears said.

He hailed legislation introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) that would ban the practice of “extraordinary rendition,” the kidnapping and transport of detainees by the CIA to other nations which use torture as a method of interrogation. “We call it ‘outsourcing torture,’” Sears said. “We’re beginning to get some traction in Congress on the issue. People need to call their senators and representatives and ask them to support laws banning torture and abuse.”

On June 26, the UN Day of Support for Victims of Torture, Amnesty International will convene teach-ins and forums on the torture and abuse of detainees.

The Republican majority in Congress met in secret to draft the legislation renewing clauses in the Patriot Act set to expire under sunset rules demanded by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) when the bill was rammed through a few days after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack. Amnesty and others have called for the “sun to set” on the repressive clauses.

Several hearings were held with handpicked supporters of the Patriot Act as witnesses, but Conyers, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, then invoked a little-known rule that allows the minority party to convene one day of hearings and choose the witnesses if they are unhappy with earlier hearings.

The lead-off witness, Chip Pitts, Amnesty International USA’s chairman of the board, told the hearing the Patriot Act created a climate for human rights violations at home and abroad. In its annual report, Amnesty International accused the Bush administration of operating a “gulag” at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq; and other secret sites around the world.

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said the report was “irresponsible and the type of rhetoric that endangers American lives.” He demanded that Pitts retract the word “gulag.”

But Pitts, holding up a sheaf of government documents, snapped back, “It’s not Amnesty that is putting the United States in this position and it’s not just Amnesty’s reports. It’s the government’s own reports. It’s the reams of government memos that show we created a black hole … disappearances, stripping them, beating them — these are practices people are now seeing at Guantanamo.”

Pitts cited evidence of a surge of terrorism since the Patriot Act was enacted. “I think its more than just a correlation, it’s causation,” he said. “I think it’s absurd for the United States to create a legal black hole. It’s time to fill in that black hole and shut Guantanamo.”

Sensenbrenner, his face red with anger, told the hearing that the Armed Services Committee, not the Judiciary Committee, has jurisdiction over Guantanamo. Conyers retorted, “The issue here is civil liberties and constitutional rights and the Judiciary Committee does have jurisdiction.”

Sensenbrenner demanded that Deborah Pearlstein, director of the U.S. Law and Security Program, supply a list of library-goers whose rights have been violated by a section of the Patriot Act that requires librarians to turn over to the FBI the names of people and the titles of books they checked out. Pearlstein said thousands of library-goers, as well as librarians have protested this snooping into peoples’ reading habits.

Arab American Institute President James Zogby said the Patriot Act has legalized massive profiling of Arab Americans and Muslims, “spreading fear and intimidation” among these loyal, law-abiding Americans.

“This, in turn, has created an image around the world of the Bush administration as a human rights abuser,” Zogby said. “When there is this much hatred towards America, it makes it more difficult for us to gain allies in the [Middle East] region and damages our national security,” he said.

Arizona Republican Trent Franks assailed Zogby “for suggesting that American personnel are torturing detainees.” Zogby retorted, “Don’t blame me. I’m not the one who wrote the memos.”
greenerpastures21212@yahoo.com

Sensenbrenner Embraces NEW WORLD ORDER

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20050615-113346-6953r
EU biometric passports running behind
By UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
Published June 15, 2005


WASHINGTON -- Only six EU countries will meet the U.S. deadline of issuing biometric passports by Oct. 26, while France and Italy have even greater travel document problems.

Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg and Sweden are reported ready to start issuing biometric passports by Oct. 26, while Britain, Ireland, France and Japan have indicated they will not meet the deadline, Washington Technology reported.


Biometric passports contain computer chips with digitized biological information such as facial images and fingerprints.

As a show of softening on the United States' part, in an April 7 letter to the European Commission, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., proposed that passports that met the International Civil Aviation Organization standard in effect in 2002 would be acceptable under the law.

However, passports from France and Italy don't even meet the ICAO standard.

Big F'ING BABY Sensenbrenner needs some cheese with his WHINE!

I watched the big F'ing baby NO SENSE SENSENBRENNER on CSPAN, LIVE tonight, around 8:20 (20:20) Central Time, WHINE because Sheila Jackson Lee, and Nadler complain about his HITLERIAN , Big BABY way he acted during the Patriot Hearing and the unprecedented way he gaveled the hearings because he didn't like the TRUTH coming out.

I believe a FULL INVESTIGATION of the BIG F'ING BABY SENSENBRENNER is IN ORDER!

I agree with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz!!!!!!!

~code

Bill Sponsored by Sensenbreener to Repeal limitation of president to two terms

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution. (Introduced in House)

HJ 24 IH


109th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. J. RES. 24
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution.


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 17, 2005
Mr. HOYER (for himself, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. SABO, and Mr. PALLONE) introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


JOINT RESOLUTION
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution.


Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

`Article --

`The twenty-second article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is repealed.'.

Bill Sponsored by Sensenbreener to Repeal limitation of president to two terms

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution. (Introduced in House)

HJ 24 IH


109th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. J. RES. 24
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution.


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 17, 2005
Mr. HOYER (for himself, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. SABO, and Mr. PALLONE) introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


JOINT RESOLUTION
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution.


Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

`Article --

`The twenty-second article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is repealed.'.

Sensenbrenner Wants Dictator for Life in the USA

by CONSPIRACY PLANET

Is it really possible? Bush For Life? House Judiciary Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.)has sponsored legislation to amend the Constitution by repealing the 22nd Amendment, which confines the President to two terms.

Sensenbrenner, architect of the National ID requirements, which are a violation of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, is also a prime supporter of the repeal of the Bill of Rights using the USA PATRIOT Act.

If the Republicans hold their current strength, or increase it, in the 2006 Congressional elections, US citizens can expect this measure to pass allowing Bush to remain President.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution.

Bill introduced in House http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.J.RES.24.IH:

Notice this is on the Library of Congress server, where the current Congressional record is maintained)

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution.

(Introduced in House)

HJ 24 IH
109th CONGRESS
1st Session

H. J. RES. 24
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 17, 2005

Mr. HOYER (for himself, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. SABO, and Mr. PALLONE) introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


JOINT RESOLUTION
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd amendment to the Constitution.


Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

`Article --

`The twenty-second article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is repealed.'.

fROM http://www.conspiracyplanet.com/channel.cfm?channelid=96&contentid=2303&page=2

4-year-old dies after riding Disney attraction - U.S. News - MSNBC.com

4-year-old dies after riding Disney attraction - U.S. News - MSNBC.com

SENSENBRENNER...AT THE BECK AND CALL OF SPECIAL INTERESTS

excerpt from NYT Times article
http://nytimes.com/2005/06/13/politics/13travel.html

"Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., a Wisconsin Republican
elected in 1978, has accepted more money in privately financed trips
than any other member of Congress since 2000, according to
PoliticalMoneyLine.

Interest groups have spent almost $177,000 on Mr. Sensenbrenner's
travels, including trips to Japan, Thailand, France, Germany, Belgium,
Liechtenstein, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai. His domestic
travels included a $4,800 trip to Las Vegas sponsored by the National
Association of Broadcasters and a $3,900 trip to San Francisco sponsored
by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, both in April.

Mr. Sensenbrenner said his role as chairman of the House Judiciary
Committee required fluency in national security issues - including
"intellectual property and developing technology" - some of which reach
across national borders.

"Privately funded trips are an effective way for me to learn about these
issues and press for international cooperation without having taxpayers
foot the bill," he said in a statement.

For special interest groups, the trips represent an unparalleled
opportunity to spend time with lawmakers and members of their staff in
rarified settings. Companies like Microsoft, General Electric, Walt
Disney and AT&T have spent tens of thousands of dollars on Congressional
travel, as have industry groups like the Nuclear Energy Institute and
the United States Chamber of Commerce.

BLOWJOB FROM A BLOW HARD

blowjob from a blowhard.

Parents could do 10 years for selling a joint under proposed drug law

http://www.bloggingbaby.com/entry/1234000080046079
Parents could do 10 years for selling a joint under proposed drug law
Posted Jun 9, 2005, 10:05 AM ET by Jim McQuiggin
Related entries: Health & Safety, Lifestyle

Remember the scene in Poltergeist where, after the kids are in bed, mom and dad settle down with a glass of wine and a few tokes? According to Wisconsin Congressman James Sensenbrenner, those parents are deserving of ten years in prison.

With Sensebrenner’s proposed House Bill H.R. 1528, `Defending America’s Most Vulnerable: Safe Access to Drug Treatment and Child Protection Act of 2005’, a mother who sells her neighbor a joint would get a 10-year minimum sentence, even if her kids were at school at the time. However, there is much, much more to the bill. The bill virtually eliminates the ability of federal judges to give sentences below the minimum sentence recommended by federal sentencing guidelines, essentially creating a mandatory minimum sentence for every federal offense (including both drug and non-drug offenses).

The bill also stipulates a 10-year minimum sentence for anyone 21 or older who gives marijuana or others drugs to someone under 18 (i.e. a 21 year old college students gives a joint to his 17-year old brother). A second offense would be life in prison. ”Drug-free” school zones would be expanded to include almost any place in an urban area including hospitals, drug rehabs, video arcades, public libraries, or day-care centers. It would increase penalties for selling or distributing drugs in that area (enhancing penalties for people in inner cities, while people in rural and suburban areas get less time for the same offense).

Worse than that, the bill mandates that you inform on loved ones and friends. If you have knowledge of any kind of drug offense and don’t pass that knowledge onto the police within 24 hours, you would face an automatic five years in prison.

As a therapist who deals primarily with substance abuse clients, I think this bill is nuts. If I were aware of a meth lab in my neighborhood, I’d inform the cops in a New York minute. But threatening me with a mandatory 5 years of prison for not reporting someone smoking weed is absolute insanity.

Fortunately, I’m also a citizen and I can make sure this bill dies a quick and certain death.

Sensenbrenner's Senseless Real ID ACT

About the REAL ID Act
http://www.savannahnow.com/stories/061105/3093776.shtml

Under the REAL ID Act, millions of Americans will see new rules affecting how they get their driver's licenses and identification cards. States, which have been mostly in charge of setting standards for their own licenses, will now have to follow the federal mandates or face not having their ID cards recognized by the federal government.

When will the new license requirements be in place?

The federal rules for state driver's licenses and identification cards are scheduled to take effect May of 2008.

What will you have to show to get a driver's license?

Drivers will have to show at least four documents: a document such as a birth certificate that shows a person's date of birth, proof of a Social Security number, something with the person's home address on it like a utility bill and a photo ID.

Foreign documents other than a passport cannot be used so U.S. citizens born in another country can no longer use their birth certificates when getting a license.

What will states have to do with the documents?

Motor vehicle office workers will have to verify each of the documents to make sure they are authentic and to check the driver's U.S. residency and citizenship status. That work will likely involve verifying the information with records from the federal government. But some new systems might have to be created to check the legitimacy of birth records and current addresses.

State licensing officials then will have to make digital copies of the original documents and save paper copies of them for seven years or electronic images for 10 years.

Can't they just switch my current license?

Because states do not currently keep copies of the identification documents, all drivers will have to show up at least once and have those required records verified. States probably will be able to return to online and mail renewal programs once a driver's information is on file.

How will states protect the records they will now be storing?

The law requires that states ensure the physical security of where the cards will be made and the documents people turn in but doesn't say how to do that. Also, motor vehicle workers will have to receive security checks.

Will states share the information?

In order to receive federal money to help with the program, states will have to agree to share driver information electronically with other states. A state's motor vehicle database has to include at least the basic information printed on a person's license as well as driving history, such as violations, suspensions and license points.

How much will the new requirements cost to implement?

The Congressional Budget Office said the REAL ID Act will cost $100 million over the next five years. The National Conference of State Legislatures instead estimates that states will have to spend at least $500 million to $750 million nationwide to comply with the new requirements.

What if a state doesn't adopt the new rules?

States can ignore the federal guidelines. But if they do, their licenses will not be recognized by the federal government. That means drivers in those states could not use their license at federal buildings, airports, national parks or banks. They also will not be able to use their card when trying to get federal government services, such as collecting Social Security payments.

What information will the licenses contain?

Like most licenses now, the federally approved versions will show at least the person's full legal name, date of birth, gender, license or identification card number, digital photograph of the person, primary address and signature. The cards also will include security features to help prevent counterfeiting and tampering.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will come up with a standard feature for all cards that can be read by a machine and contains information. That could range from a magnetic strip that can be swiped or small computer chips similar to ones soon to be used on passports.

The agency also will decide how much personal information to store on that machine-readable feature. It could be nothing more than what is printed on the card to biometric information, such as fingerprints or retina scans, or Social Security numbers.

How will illegal immigrants be affected?

Ten states, including Michigan, North Carolina and Illinois, now grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants but will have to stop once the REAL ID Act takes effect. In certain cases, foreign visitors will be allowed to have temporary licenses.

Why do supporters want the new federally recognized licenses?

Noting that several of the Sept. 11 hijackers had state-issued driver's licenses made under aliases, the 9/11 Commission recommended improving licensing security and verifying identities. Individual states have been making changes in recent years, such as adding digital photographs and checking Social Security numbers, and planned on working with federal transportation officials for new, national standards. The REAL ID Act put most of those security changes in place, but left many of the implementation details up to the Homeland Security to decide.

How did Congress pass the new requirements?

Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., introduced the REAL ID Act earlier this year and called it a way to disrupt terrorist travel. It ended up being added to a military spending bill that authorized money for the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as tsunami relief. The $82 billion spending bill passed overwhelmingly in both chambers before being signed by President Bush, but critics have complained about the way the REAL ID legislation was included.

Howard Dean Is What We’ve Needed All Along

http://watchingthewatchers.org/index.php?p=515
"Howard Dean, the current DNC chair, is perfect. He is the Democratic version of every right-wing politician. He is willing to fight to win, and he’s not pulling punches.

Last week, when he called Republicans “pretty much a white, Christian party”, Republican Lawmakers and congressional democrats wanted him to apologize for those comments. They wanted him to back down, concede the point, and say that what he was doing was wrong, to say things like that.

Republicans like Jim Sensenbrenner said it was a bad way to do politics, to fire off such vitriolic rhetoric about the other party.

And I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Repubicans were essentially challenging Dr. Dean for using their tactics against them, minus the lies.

When faced with criticism from both parties, and in hot water with the entire political sphere, how did Howard Dean respond?

From ABC News



We need to be blunt and clear about the things we’re going to fight for. I’m tired of lying down in front of the Republican machine. We need to stand up for what we believe in.


No apologies, no pandering to the centrists, nothing but what he was put in his job to do: fight the Republican death-grip on the United States of America.

We need someone like Dean. We have always needed someone like Dean. Stubborn men change the world, while the complacent and the political sissies do nothing but maintain the status quo. All change depends on someone standing up and saying “enough is enough”.

Howard Dean is that person. He is, in his own words, “not very dignified”. He is a scrapper, a fighter for people on the bottom of the pile who don’t have a voice in congress because of the effectiveness of the propaganda machine.

From where I sit, I see Howard Dean doing great things for the party, and not backing down to the people who would like him to do so. Isn’t that what our representatives are supposed to be doing? Aren’t they supposed to be our advocates on Capitol Hill, our voice when no one will listen?

Thanks, Dr. Dean. Some of us out here appreciate your hard work and your unwillingness to back down."
====SNIP===
AMEN!

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/11846439.htm

Sensenbrenner and Dean trade insults over immigration

FREDERIC J. FROMMER

Associated Press


WASHINGTON - Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who has been savaging Republicans recently, set his sights on Jim Sensenbrenner.

In an interview on NBC's "Today" show Wednesday, Dean reiterated his claim that Republicans are not inclusive. "And they are attacking immigrants: Two Republican congressmen, Jim Sensenbrenner and Tom Tancredo, have incredible anti-immigrant legislation," Dean said.

That was a reference to Sensenbrenner's "Real ID Act," which requires states to verify that people who apply for a driver's license are legally in the country. The legislation was signed into law last month.

Sensenbrenner, a Wisconsin Republican who leads the House Judiciary Committee, fired back with a letter to Dean complaining about "your latest outrageous political assault."

"The REAL ID legislation was in response to the 9/11 Commission's work and recommendations regarding securing our borders and improving identity document standards," Sensenbrenner wrote.

He added: "In recent days, your delusional outbursts have forced senior members of your own party to distance themselves from your comments. While I agree with your acknowledgment that you're 'not very dignified,' I sincerely hope you refrain from further personal attacks. These attacks are contrary to the passionate - but respectful - political debate the public deserves."

The Democratic National Committee declined to respond to Sensenbrenner's letter. Officials there referred to comments Dean made about the legislation back in April, when he called it "an attempt to scapegoat immigrants, sidestep the judicial process, and create an atmosphere of hostility within our borders."

Several immigration advocacy groups also labeled the legislation anti-immigrant.

In addition to the driver's license provision, the act also makes it harder for immigrants to gain amnesty and easier to override environmental laws to build a barrier along the border with California.

Tancredo, a Colorado Republican who championed the bill and leads the Immigration Reform Caucus, took issue with Dean's comment that Republicans were "outside the mainstream."

"Howard Dean wouldn't know what's 'mainstream' if he were drowning in it," Tancredo said in a statement.
==================SNIP===================

I've said it before, Sensenbrenner is a BIG, BALD, WHINING, DRAWERS SOILING,
FAT, F'ING BABY!

Sensenbrenner Sends Letter to Howard Dean Regarding His Latest Personal Attack

Sensenbrenner Sends Letter to Howard Dean Regarding His Latest Personal Attack

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=48545
Dean: Your Attacks Are Contrary to the Passionate - But Respectful - Political Debate the Public Deserves
"6/8/2005 1:54:00 PM


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To: National Desk

Contact: Jeff Lungren or Terry Shawn, 202-225-2492, both of the Committee on the Judiciary

WASHINGTON, June 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) today sent a letter to Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean regarding his comments this morning on The Today Show.

During an interview with Matt Lauer this morning, Dr. Dean stated, "(T)hey (Republicans) are attacking immigrants: Two Republican congressmen, Jim Sensenbrenner and Tom Tancredo, have incredible anti-immigrant legislation."

Chairman Sensenbrenner's full letter is below.

June 8, 2005

Dr. Howard Dean

Chairman

Democratic National Committee

430 S. Capitol St., SE

Washington, D.C. 20003

Dear Dr. Dean:

I was extremely disappointed to hear of your latest outrageous political assault this morning on The Today Show. You accused me by name of "attacking immigrants" and having "incredible anti- immigrant legislation," an apparent reference to the REAL ID legislation that enjoyed strong bipartisan support in the House and Senate as well as by the Bush Administration. By implication, the 42 House Democrats who voted for the REAL ID Act and Senate Democrats like Senator Byrd who proved invaluable in moving this antiterrorism legislation through the Senate are also guilty of "attacking immigrants."

The REAL ID legislation was in response to the 9/11 Commission's work and recommendations regarding securing our borders and improving identity document standards. Are 9/11 Commission members also guilty of attacking immigrants? Are the overwhelming majority of law-abiding Americans who want us to get some control of our porous borders also guilty of attacking immigrants?

In recent days, your delusional outbursts have forced senior members of your own party to distance themselves from your comments. While I agree with your acknowledgment that you're "not very dignified," I sincerely hope you refrain from further personal attacks. These attacks are contrary to the passionate - but respectful - political debate the public deserves.

Sincerely,

F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR

Chairman"

Sensenbrenner finds the oddest things in the double folds of his jowls

Here we see old Senseless Sensenbrenner retrieving a pencil which was temporarily lost in the cavernous folds of his fat filled jowls.

Sensenbrenner Cuts Off Hearing

http://sayanythingblog.com/2005/06/10/sensenbrenner-cuts-off-hearing/
"WASHINGTON - The Republican chairman walked off with the gavel, leaving Democrats shouting into turned-off microphones at a raucous hearing Friday on the Patriot Act.

The House Judiciary Committee hearing, with the two sides accusing each other of being irresponsible and undemocratic, came as President Bush was urging Congress to renew those sections of the post-Sept. 11 counterterrorism law set to expire in September.

Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the panel, abruptly gaveled the meeting to an end and walked out, followed by other Republicans. Sensenbrenner declared that much of the testimony, which veered into debate over the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, was irrelevant."
=============SNIP=====================
See...Sensenbrenner is a F'ing BABY...fat, ball, intolerant, impatient,
and probably messes in his pants and cries for someone to come clean him up!

Here's the Goo-Head's Website

For a laugh...check out his website
http://www.house.gov/sensenbrenner/
Here's his "bio"
http://www.house.gov/sensenbrenner/bio.htm

Here's his "PERSONAL" as it says on his website
"PERSONAL
Born: June 14, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois
Education: B.A. degree, Political Science, Stanford University, 1965;
J.D. degree, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1968

Married Cheryl Warren, (1977); Children: Frank, (1981), and Bob, (1984)

Permanent Residence: Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

Occupation: Full-time legislator; formerly a practicing attorney"

Look for us to make a posting on June 14th, his birthday, and a day we will call...

NO SENSENBRENNER DAY!

Congressman pocketed $18,000 for RIAA ‘lobbying trip’

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/07/17/congressman_pocketed/

Congressman pocketed $18,000 for RIAA ‘lobbying trip’
By Andrew Orlowski in San Francisco
Published Thursday 17th July 2003 23:07 GMT
The powerful Congressman at the center of the controversy over royalty rates for small webcasters took $18,000 from the Recording Industry Association of America.

As chair of the House Judiciary Committee, James Sensenbrenner was instrumental in forcing the deal that could result in an antitrust suit against the RIAA being filed by small webcasters.

The trouble is, Congressmen are forbidden from taking private donations to lobby abroad. Sensennbrenner recorded the visit to Taiwan and Thailand back in January, as a "fact finding mission".

According to the House Ethics Committee's advisory booklet on Gifts and Travel, "Members and staff may not accept expenses from a private source for travel the primary purpose of which is to conduct official business."

"If he's dictating policy, he should be a representative of the United States, not the RIAA," Boycott-RIAA founder Bill Evans told us.

The RIAA has confirmed that the purpose of Sensenbrenner's paid-for jaunt was one of exposition: "so they understand that this is a unified message coming from all levels of the U.S. government," according to an RIAA spokesperson.

"His own description belies that it was a 'fact-finding' trip," says Gary Ruskin, of the Congressional Accountability Project watchdog.

$18,000 can go a long way in Thailand. Sensenbrenner's brief trip was for just five days.

Three months before his five-day RIAA-sponsored trip, Sensenbrenner surprised observers by taking a close interest in the Small Webcasters Settlement Act (HR.5469) which morphed from the anticipated six-month cooling off period into a bill specifying detailed rates and conditions, which many small webcasters found unpalatable. According to participants in the negotiations, Sensenbrenner forced the webcasters to come up with a royalty settlement with the RIAA, threatening to use his staff to write the terms instead. Contacted by The Register this week, Sensenbrenner's office referered us to the House Judiciary Committee.

"It's not for us to say the rule was violated, but the House Ethics Committee should investigate, Ruskin told The Register. However, the Committee can only investigate the representative if asked to so by a fellow Congressman.

Boycott-RIAA and the Webcaster Alliance have produced an electronic form and urge music lovers to fax their Congressional representative so that an investigation can begin. You can find it here.

Groups Call for Public Action to Open Ethics Investigation on Chairman Sensenbrenner

http://www.polarity1.com/pcmisc06.html

Groups Call for Public Action to Open Ethics Investigation on Chairman Sensenbrenner

Two music industry associations want to know why Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner received an $18,000 junket to Thailand and Taiwan - courtesy of the RIAA.

(Embargoed) Las Vegas, NV July 11, 2003 "As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, James Sensenbrenner wields tremendous influence over new legislation as it pertains to Copyright law and the DMCA. If he has committed an ethical violation and has an inappropriate relationship with the RIAA - the American public deserves to know," said Webcaster Alliance President Ann Gabriel today.

Ms. Gabriel, President of Webcaster Alliance, a Las Vegas-based organization dedicated to the concerns of the streaming media industry said, "Today our organizations, Webcaster Alliance and Boycott-RIAA, join together and call on your support. We are concerned and believe that American citizens need to demand accountability from Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) involving the $18,000 trip he took in January on behalf of the RIAA to speak to government officials in Thailand and Taiwan about copyright law."

Records reflect that Representative Sensenbrenner accepted $18,000 from the RIAA for a January trip to Taiwan and Thailand to speak to officials about copyright law. Because there is a House rule against accepting private money to pay for official trips, Gary Ruskin, who heads the Congressional Accountability Project, a non-profit government watchdog group stated, "When the recording industry pays for the chairman of the Judiciary Committee to level threats at these governments, it creates an appearance of influence-peddling."

Ruskin has been trying unsuccessfully to find a Democratic member of the House who would be willing to do what it takes to start the ethics violation procedure against Chairman Sensenbrenner. "We need a House member to provide the Congressional Accountability Project with a letter of transmittal so we can file the ethics complaint," Ruskin said.

But getting a House member to sign that letter of transmittal is virtually impossible at this point. Ruskin claims both parties have an "understanding" between them with regard to ethics complaints and points out, "Since 1997 no citizen or citizens group has filed an ethics complaint in the U.S House of Representatives." When asked why this was, Ruskin stated, "Because both parties are corrupt as hell."

Gabriel says her Webcaster Alliance members, all of whom have already been seriously compromised by Sensenbrenner’s bait-and-switch tactics last October with HR 5469 are concerned and looking for some answers. "The House Committee on the Judiciary has jurisdiction over intellectual property issues and is engaged in keeping our nation's copyright laws up-to-date in the face of new and evolving technological advancements. We believe it is the responsibility of the House Judiciary Committee to ensure that the public is protected against monopolies like the RIAA seeking to manipulate the legislative system, and to control American businesses and American consumers. Therefore it is deeply concerning to us that Chairman Sensenbrenner has put himself in this ethically questionable situation."

“DMCA reform is a major item on our agenda, and we know the RIAA will fight against the types of changes we will be pressing for; changes that are long overdue,” said Gabriel. “We are tired of the RIAA using the DMCA to bully their way into Americans’ lives - it needs to stop.”

Boycott-RIAA's Bill Evans said, "The appalling actions of the RIAA have equally affected independent artists, independent labels, the P2P community, the streaming community and the American consumer. The only way we can stop the RIAA is to demand accountability from all parts of the system. Today we are calling on Americans to call, fax or email your Congressional Representatives IMMEDIATELY. Ask them to step forward, provide the Congressional Accountability Project with the letter of transmittal they need to file the complaint, and stand up against the actions of the RIAA."

Gabriel concluded by saying, "If Chairman Sensenbrenner has nothing to hide, we are sure he will not only cooperate with this process but welcome it, since it will clear up any questions the American public might have over his seemingly inappropriate dealings with the RIAA."

To support the fax campaign visit: http://boycott-riaa.com or http://www.webcasteralliance.com

For more information contact: Ann Gabriel (Webcaster Alliance) - phone (702) 228-7409 or by email at: agabriel@webcasteralliance.com ; Brian Hurley by email at bhurley@webcasteralliance.com ; Perry Narancic by email perry@lexanalytic.com ; or Bill Evans (Boycott-RIAA) - phone (215) 885-3302 or by email at: leflaw@boycott-riaa.com

About Webcaster Alliance, Inc: Webcaster Alliance is a trade organization dedicated to providing information, education, support and services to every aspect of the streaming media community. Founded on the principles of promoting and encouraging growth for all of its members, Webcaster Alliance is committed to promoting the causes, people and technology that drive the streaming media community. For more information visit us on the web at: http://www.webcasteralliance.com

About Boycott-RIAA: Boycott-RIAA is an independent web site dedicated to scrutinizing and commenting on RIAA activities. For more information visit us on the web at: http://www.boycott-riaa.com

GOP chairman walks away as Dems decry Bush policies

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/11/MNG59D78C81.DTL

Washington -- After repeated Democratic criticism of the Bush administration, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on Friday gaveled a hearing to a close and walked out while Democrats continued to testify -- but with their microphones shut off.

The hearing's announced topic was the USA Patriot Act, which granted broad new powers to federal law enforcement after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Republicans presented several witnesses who supported the administration's call for reauthorizing the legislation. But when four witnesses handpicked by the Democrats launched into a broad denunciations of President Bush's war on terror and the condition of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., showed his pique.

He urged witnesses to "wrap it up" and repeatedly told Democratic committee members that their time for questioning had expired.

"We ought to stick to the subject," the chairman scolded at the end. "The Patriot Act has nothing to do with Guantanamo Bay."

"Will the gentleman yield?" asked Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas.

"No, I will not yield," replied Sensenbrenner. He completed his reproof of the witnesses and left the Rayburn House Office Building hearing room amid a cacophony of protests from Democrats seeking to be recognized.

Democrats charged that the episode was another example of Republicans abusing their control of Congress and trying to stifle dissent over Bush's approach to counterterrorism. At one point in the two-hour hearing, Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., accused Amnesty International USA of endangering the lives of Americans in uniform by referring to the prison at Guantanamo Bays as a "gulag. " Sensenbrenner refused to allow the Amnesty representative, Chip Pitts, to respond until Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., raised a "point of decency."

James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, speaking immediately after Sensenbrenner left, voiced dismay over the proceedings. "I'm troubled about what kind of lesson this gives" to the rest of the world, he told the Democrats remaining in the room.

Congress is debating what changes it should make when reauthorizing the USA Patriot Act. For the second day in a row, Bush said federal, state and local law enforcement officials will be hamstrung if Congress fails to renew and make permanent the 16 provisions of the act set to expire at the end of this year.

"The Patriot Act has made a difference for those on the front line of taking the information you have gathered and using it to protect the American people," Bush told employees at the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Va.

Bush, meanwhile, tapped Houston lawyer Carol Dinkins on Friday to head a new government panel charged with making sure that fighting terrorism does not take an unnecessary toll on civil liberties.

Panel Chairman Leaves Hearing- F-ing Baby Sensenbrenner

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/10/AR2005061002110.html

After repeated criticism of the Bush administration, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee yesterday gaveled a hearing to a close and walked out while Democrats continued to testify -- but with their microphones shut off.

The hearing's announced topic was the USA Patriot Act, which granted broad new powers to federal law enforcement after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Republicans had presented several witnesses at earlier hearings who supported the administration's call for reauthorizing the legislation. But yesterday, when four witnesses handpicked by the Democrats launched into a broad denunciations of President Bush's war on terrorism and the condition of detainees at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) showed his pique.

He urged witnesses to "wrap it up" and repeatedly told committee members that their time for questioning had expired.

"We ought to stick to the subject," the chairman scolded at the end. "The Patriot Act has nothing to do with Guantanamo Bay. The Patriot Act has nothing to do with enemy combatants. The Patriot Act has nothing to do with indefinite detentions."

"Will the gentleman yield?" Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) asked.

"No, I will not yield," replied Sensenbrenner, 61, the heir to a paper fortune who is known for a brusque insistence on decorum. He completed his reproof of the witnesses and left the Rayburn House Office Building hearing room amid a cacophony of protests from Democrats seeking to be recognized.

Democrats charged that the episode was another example of Republicans abusing their control of Congress and trying to stifle dissent over Bush's approach to counterterrorism. During the two-hour hearing, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) accused Amnesty International of endangering U.S. soldiers because a top official of the group had called the prison at Guantanamo Bay a "gulag." Sensenbrenner did not allow a group official who was testifying, Chip Pitts, chairman of Amnesty International USA, to respond until Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) raised a "point of decency."

C-SPAN2 continued televising the proceedings for six minutes after Sensenbrenner had departed, with lettering on the screen explaining the strange circumstances.

Democrats said the incident was reminiscent of a hearing in 2003 in which Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) summoned a Capitol Police officer during a heated exchange between members of the two parties.

As Sensenbrenner left, Nadler continued talking and was applauded after saying that "part of the problem is that we have not had the opportunity to have hearings on all these other administration policies that have led to abuses."

"The other thing that I wanted to say -- and that I will say at this point, even though the chairman is not going to listen," Nadler said.

Then his voice faded out. "I notice that my mike was turned off," Nadler said, speaking up, "but I can be heard anyway."

One of the witnesses then began giving impromptu testimony. James J. Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, said he thought the turn of events was "totally inappropriate -- no mike on, and no record being kept."

"But I think as we are lecturing foreign governments about the conduct of their behavior with regard to opposition," Zogby said, "I'm really troubled about what kind of message this is going to teach to other countries in the world about how they ought to conduct an open society that allows for an opposition with rights."

The other witnesses arranged by the Democrats were Carlina Tapia-Ruano of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Deborah N. Pearlstein of the U.S. Law and Security Program at Human Rights First.

Congress is debating what changes to make when reauthorizing the Patriot Act, which expanded the power of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to intercept information and share data obtained through foreign and domestic surveillance. Congress passed the act with scant dissent six weeks after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Most of the provisions are not considered controversial.

For a second day, Bush said federal, state and local law enforcement officials will be hamstrung if Congress fails to permanently renew the 16 provisions of the Patriot Act set to expire at the end of this year. "The Patriot Act has made a difference for those on the front line of taking the information you have gathered and using it to protect the American people," Bush told employees at the National Counterterrorism Center in Tysons Corner.

Sens. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) and Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) recently told a congressional committee they have not documented any cases of abuse of the act, but only because the law makes it nearly impossible for Congress to provide thorough oversight and investigate possible misuses of the law.

Sensenbrenner Drunk With Power

EXCELLENT COMMENTARY!
==========================================
http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=1070
Rep. James Sensenbrenner’s behavior at yesterday’s Patriot Act hearings was truly outrageous – but hardly out of character.

This is the same Sensenbrenner who wants to give Congress the authority to ‘police the behavior’ of judges, a full-fledged assault on the separation-of-powers doctrine.

The same Sensenbrenner who negotiated the REAL ID Act in a series of secret backroom deals from which minority party members were barred. The same Sensenbrenner who led efforts to ram through that controversial act without a single hearing in either chamber of Congress.

The same Sensenbrenner who literally rewrote amendments, offered by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and others, to make them appear to have been written to help sexual predators evade the law.

The same Sensenbrenner who was so desperate to obstruct the 9/11 Commission intel legislation that he actually rejected language that he himself had submitted.

The same Sensenbrenner who actually encourages the Patriot Act to be used in cases not related to terrorism.

At some point, one wonders: when does such disregard for limits, such extreme abuse of power, become something other than democracy?

Five bombs killed nine people in Iran on Sunday, local broadcasts say.

Five bombs killed nine people in Iran on Sunday, local broadcasts say.


INDEPTH: Iran

There is no explanation for the attacks, but an Iranian official suggested the bombs were linked to the presidential elections set for Friday.


FROM MAY 10, 2005: Rafsanjani joins Iranian presidential race

Former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani, a pragmatic conservative, is expected to win, beating a group of mainly religious hardliners.

Bombings are unusual in Iran. The attacks were the most serious in more than 10 years.

Eight people died when four bombs exploded in the western city of Ahvaz, near the Iraqi border. Hours later, a bomb in Tehran killed one. At least 40 people were injured in the attacks.

The Ahvaz bombs appeared to be placed outside official buildings or the homes of senior officials, while the Tehran blast was near a public square.

There were riots in Ahvaz in April after the government was reported to be planning to flood the local Arab population by forcing non-Arabs to move to the city.

Arabs are a tiny minority in Iran, where Persians account for about half the population and different minorities the rest.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/06/12/iran-bombs050612.html

James Sensenbrenner - big f'ing baby!

Sensenbrenner acts like a big baby. He obviously thinks he is a dictator.

I watched the end of the hearing he was chairing, and heard the democratic comments after Sensenbrenner walked out like a big baby, and the Democrats make some of the best Sense yet. I think we need to call James Sensenbrenner "No Sense Sensenbrenner"
~Code