Nothing has exposed the rot at the root of the Republican tree in Washington more than the case of Michael Scanlon. Scanlon is the Tom Delay protégé who is now charged with criminal conspiracy related to his ties to GOP superlobbyist Jack Abramoff. According to The New York Times: Mr. Scanlon is in legal trouble…
Read MoreNew York Times columnist David Brooks gave President Bush a great piece of advice (News and Observer, 11-22-05) about the debate in Congress on Iraq. My problem on Iraq is I’m beginning to suspect we’ve gotten ourselves into a real mess. And the only thing that makes sense is to get out of it. But…
Read MoreHere’s how you can tell just how much George Bush’s political star has fallen. Keep an eye on the political cartoons. Notice how small the drawings of Bush have become. They get tinier and tinier. Now, he barely occupies an itty-bitty corner of the cartoonists’ panel. I first noticed this phenomenon during Jimmy Carter’s administration.…
Read MoreThere is one thing that has mystified me about this whole matter of the White House allegedly unmasking the covert CIA operative. No, not who done it. Or why. Or which reporter got the leak first. Have you seen a picture of the agent? Her name is Valerie Plame. Now, get this picture in focus:…
Read MoreThe Iraq War debate made Democrats and Republicans in Congress act more like Sunnis and Shiites last week. The battle is over whether Congress should set a deadline for the withdrawal of American troops. Republicans say this amounts to a “cut and run” strategy. But don’t worry, if you’re against the war. Thanks to all…
Read MoreExploris is a non-profit museum in downtown Raleigh “dedicated to promoting global understanding” (News & Observer, 11-14-05). How is it doing that? By showing “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” And who paid for Exploris’ IMAX movie theatre? Well, taxpayers. By giving the museum $11.9 in tax money to build it and an annual…
Read MoreYou’ve got to love a beaver. According to the News and Observer (11-14-05) the pesky little critters are causing a problem for the environmentalists who care for the scenic Eno River – by building dams. For some reason I don’t pretend to understand this has provoked a ‘dam war’ between the environmentalists and the beavers.…
Read MoreLottery commissioners are dropping like flies. Gordon Myers of Asheville became the third commissioner to resign. Three of the original seven appointees have now bitten the dust. Myers cited conflicts of interest because he owns stock in Ingles Stores which may want to sell lottery tickets. Myers is also director of the North Carolina Economic…
Read MoreState legislators receive a $104 per diem for expenses (in addition to their salaries). According to the News &Observer, this per diem is supposed to pay for legislators’ board, meals and other costs while they are in Raleigh.But it turns out that’s not how Republican Representative Harold Brubaker sees it. Rep. Brubaker – who missed…
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