Bush-State of the Union Address Initiatives

• Bush envisions making the 20 percent gasoline reduction goal happen by instituting heavy increases in ethanol production along with other alternative fuels.


• Bush also seeks to raise fuel economy standards for passenger cars, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joel Kaplan told reporters Tuesday.


• The president will offer a $7,500 tax deduction for individuals and $15,000 for families, including those who are covered by employer health plans. Those who have employer-sponsored health plans, however, could be subject to a new tax, depending on whether their policies are more or less than the tax deduction. *

"...Bush will spend a "significant amount of time" in the State of the Union discussing Iraq and the global War on Terror."

Bush's "Agenda" for 2007

Jim Web will be offering the rebuttal-

• most likely only focusing of the troop "surge"


• Democratic party leaders gave him an outline to follow


• Webb will speak for about five minutes after the president concludes his speech

Tonight will be the President's first time, before a Democratic Congress in control of power and an audience stocked with more than a dozen presidential hopefuls.

Sen. Bernie Sanders

Sen. Bernie Sanders: If You Are Concerned About Health Care, Iraq, the Economy, Global Warming You Must Be Concerned About Corporate Control of the Media

Sen. Bernie Sanders: If You Are Concerned About Health Care, Iraq, the Economy, Global Warming You Must Be Concerned About Corporate Control of the Media
Perhaps earlier than any other member of Congress, Bernie Sanders has been leading the charge against the growing consolidation of media in America and the dangers imposed on our democracy when a handful of corporations control what we see, hear and read. During the last year Bernie held the first Congressional Town Meeting on Corporate Control of the Media and has invited such media activists as Bob McChesney and John Nichols to Vermont. He has also introduced legislation that would rescind the terrible FCC decision of June 2, 2003 that would allow for more media consolidation and has presented the Speaker of the House with a letter signed by over 200 members demanding a vote on a Resolution of Disapproval with regard to that FCC decision.http://bernie.org/

Note: While Senetor Sanders does not support Corporate ownership and control of the media, he is also against censorship of the media because it takes away our right to free expression.

Corporate Media Ownership

• NBC is owned by General Electric, one of the largest corporations in the world — and one with a long history of anti-union activity. GE, a major contributor to the Republican Party,


• ABC is owned by the Disney Corp., which produces toys and products in developing countries where they provide their workers atrocious wages and working conditions.


• CBS is owned by Viacom, another huge media conglomerate that owns, among other entities, MTV, Showtime, Nickelodeon, VH1, TNN, CMT, 39 broadcast television stations, 184 radio stations, Paramount Pictures and Blockbuster Inc.

http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0615-03.htm

with all these companies owning the media

Troop "Surge"

President Bush laid out his upcoming "plan" for Iraq. This "plan" included sending over 20,000 more troops to Iraq in yet another "surge". This time those troops will be used a bit differently. Instead of acting on their own, they will be intergrated into the Iraqi army in order to help train them and keep watch over them.



Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), expressed their support for a troop "surge" in Iraq - the plan reportedly being developed by the Bush administration to address growing insurgent violence.
McCain said withdrawing troops would leave Iraq without security, making it impossible for the nation to make political progress and economic development.
In a letter to Bush Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wrote that a troop surge would be more of the same of Bush's "failed" policy.-http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200701/NAT20070105d.html

To read House Speaker Pelosi's letter to Bush Click Here

Libby's "conveiniant" memory-loss

"Libby says he never lied — but that if he said things that were incorrect, it was because his memory was faulty." wow....


"Libby's defense is built around the premise that when he told the grand jury things that were not true, he was not lying -- that he was not hoping that no one would ever be able to prove that what he testified to was a lie. Instead, Libby says, he was so busy with so many urgent matters that he simply misremembered events." -npr

Jury for Scooter Libby's Trial

SCOOTER LIBBY

Libby, who was Cheney's chief of staff and national security adviser, is charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal agents investigating the illegal disclosure in 2003 of former CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity.

Tuesday was the first day of jury selection.
Of nine prospects questioned, three were excused.
Twelve are needed for trial, with four alternates.
The court session ended about 3 p.m., and the process is to resume at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.
There is a jury pool of about 60 people.

Libby is accused of lying about his knowledge of Plame's confidential status at the CIA and his contacts with journalists following allegations leveled by Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson.
Wilson said the Bush administration "twisted" a piece of intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq.
Libby is not charged with leaking Plame's identity, which was the original focus of special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation.

Questions being asked to thecould be jury
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/01/16/voir.dire.questions.pdf





a list of high-profile witnesses that may be called during the course of the trial.
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/01/16/listofnames.pdf

hello.

welcome to my blog! This will be used for my class at SCAD in CONTEMP ISSUES/AMERIC POLITICS-POLS-110-A01. Ciao!