First up is one that all of those with BDS are going to be frothing at the mouth about saying "you just KNOW those people at Wake Up America are going to be all FOR this because Bush can do no WRONG (insert appropriate levels of frothing and snarling, foaming at the mouth, and wild, crazed looks here). WRONG. First the bits of the article and then my thoughts on it.
Control sought on military lawyers
Bush wants power over promotions
By Charlie Savage
Globe Staff / December 15, 2007
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is pushing to take control of the promotions of military lawyers, escalating a conflict over the independence of uniformed attorneys who have repeatedly raised objections to the White House's policies toward prisoners in the war on terrorism.
The administration has proposed a regulation requiring "coordination" with politically appointed Pentagon lawyers before any member of the Judge Advocate General corps - the military's 4,000-member uniformed legal force - can be promoted.
A Pentagon spokeswoman did not respond to questions about the reasoning behind the proposed regulations. But the requirement of coordination - which many former JAGs say would give the administration veto power over any JAG promotion or appointment - is consistent with past administration efforts to impose greater control over the military lawyers.
The former JAG officers say the regulation would end the uniformed lawyers' role as a check-and-balance on presidential power, because politically appointed lawyers could block the promotion of JAGs who they believe would speak up if they think a White House policy is illegal.
Okay, BAD idea. You can't take one corps of the military and change the rules and it not affect the other corps adversely. From my own experiences with the Graham-Rudman budget cuts on into the Clinton fiasco of hatred for our armed forces through until today, we've finally gotten our military back into a place where it's able to do what it needs to do more effectively and efficiently than at any time in our nation's history (that's my opinion, and is so stated as such, so DON'T start in with all your left leaning statistics and anti-military frothing and snarling, ok? good). In any event, there is already a system in place for the promotion of military lawyers, as they ARE military officers. There is no need for a separate system of promotions for JAG than for, say, the Corps of Engineers, the Infantry Corps, of the Armored Corps.
Next we move to Bolivia where we see that not all is well in relations between state and industry.
Four Bolivian regions declare autonomy from government
From Helena DeMoura
CNN
Tensions were rising in Bolivia on Saturday as members of the country's four highest natural gas-producing regions declared autonomy from the central government.
Thousands waved the Santa Cruz region's green-and-white flags in the streets as council members of the Santa Cruz, Tarija, Beni and Pando districts made the public announcement.
The officials displayed a green-bound document containing a set of statutes paving the way to a permanent separation from the Bolivian government.
Council representatives vowed to legitimize the so-called autonomy statutes through a referendum that would legally separate the natural-gas rich districts from President Evo Morales' government.
The move also aims to separate the states from Bolivia's new constitution, which calls for, among other things, a heavier taxation on the four regions to help finance more social programs.
"The statutes will be ratified," said Oscar Ortiz, Santa Cruz senator. "With a public referendum, the people of our region will legitimize their will."
About 35 percent of Bolivia's 9.5 million people live in the four states, according to The Associated Press.
Democratic Presidential candidates take particular notice at why these four regions are moving to secede from Bolivia; "a heavier taxation on the four regions to help finance more social programs." Taxing the productive to benefit the non-productive PISSES OFF the productive. In Ayn Rand's terms, this is what you call "looting." WE don't like that happening to us in THIS country, either.
Here's a story that should have all you Huckayucks out there reexamining your support of the former governor from Arkansas (like we really NEED another former Arkansas governor in the White House any time soon, oy vey).
Huckabee's theology degree? Now says ain't necessarily so
Campaign admits candidate doesn't have claimed religious credential
Posted: December 14, 2007
7:20 p.m. Eastern
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee told the Christian Broadcasting Network he had a theology degree, he told voters in Iowa he had a theology degree, he repeated the claim in last month's CNN YouTube debate ... but, his campaign now says, it was not true.
Huckabee's claim began unraveling following his offhanded comment about Mormonism in a New York Times interview last weekend.
Reporter Zev Chafets wrote: "I asked Huckabee, who describes himself as the only Republican candidate with a degree in theology, if he considered Mormonism a cult or a religion. 'I think it's a religion,' he said. 'I really don't know much about it.'
"I was about to jot down this piece of boilerplate when Huckabee surprised me with a question of his own: 'Don't Mormons,' he asked in an innocent voice, 'believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?'"
In the interview, Huckabee's account of his education made no mention of his having earned a theology degree.
was ever rebellious or difficult, there's no record of it. He preached his first sermon as a teenager, married his high-school sweetheart and went off to Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. There he majored in speech and communications, worked at a radio station and earned his B.A. in a little more than two years. He spent a year at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Tex., before dropping out to work for the televangelist James Robison, who bought him his first decent wardrobe and showed him how to use television."
Chafets wrote: "If young Mike Huckabee was ever rebellious or difficult, there's no record of it. He preached his first sermon as a teenager, married his high-school sweetheart and went off to Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. There he majored in speech and communications, worked at a radio station and earned his B.A. in a little more than two years. He spent a year at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Tex., before dropping out to work for the televangelist James Robison, who bought him his first decent wardrobe and showed him how to use television."
The problem is, if he's willing to lie about something of such major importance as this...
Just a few thoughts from a pondering wandering man.
Once and Always, an American Fighting Man
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