Dick Armey (Bigotry, Un-American) 05/2002

FACT: The United States Senate unanimously passed legislation to provide federal death benefits to survivors of ten fallen heroes from the 9/11 tragedy. The bill was named for Father Mychal Judge, the gay chaplain who died while administering last rites to a firefighter in the World Trade Center. While the Senate did the right thing, bigoted Republicans in the House, led by Dick Armey, couldn't stand the thought of providing assistance to surviving family members of gays and lesbians. The bill cleared the House Judiciary Committee, but Armey pulled it before it could come up for a vote on the House floor. 

COMMENT: Apparently, according to the GOP, being Gay eliminates you from being a person, not to mention a patriot and a hero, even if you've made the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect your fellow Americans. Armey is a pig!

Bush Administration (Corporate Interests, Un-American) 06/2002

FACT: Democrats in Congress have proposed a plan which would prevent US companies from dodging taxes by moving overseas. However, the Bush administration told Congress that not allowing companies to reap the benefits of the American market despite not having to pay American taxes would have "harmful effects on the US economy."

Bush Administration (Undermining Democracy, Lies, Coup, Corporate Interests, Oil)

FACT: President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela (the fourth largest exporter of oil in the world) has serious problems with his country's oil industry, which causes prices to rise. Next, administration officials meet clandestinely with Venezuelan military leaders and opposition activists, including an oilman named Pedro Carmona. Suddenly, dozens of Venezuelan military personnel working in various embassies around the world return to Caracas without explanation. There is a military coup, and the pro-Bush, pro-oil Pedro Carmona is installed as interim leader. Hugo Chavez is sent to an island prison where he sees an American plane, which he presumes is there to take him into exile. Venezuela's neighbors denounce the coup, but the Bush Administration quickly recognizes the new government, announces that Chavez has resigned and calls his actions undemocratic. Much glee and rubbing of hands at the thought of all that lovely oil ensues. Surprise - two days later there is a countercoup and Chavez is reinstalled as President. George W. Bush's response? Sickeningly, to tell Chavez that the US had absolutely nothing to do with the coup, and that Chavez must "embrace democracy" if he wishes to be a successful president. 

George W. Bush (Anti-Civil Rights, Anti-Constitution) 2001 

FACT: When Bush appeared at Legends Field in Tampa, Florida, last week, protesters were herded into a "First Amendment Zone" half a mile away. Three attendees were arrested and dragged out of the stadium after refusing to leave with their anti-Bush signs, because according to the SS "you can't be within eyeshot of the president with those signs because it's a security issue." 

COMMENT: Ah, Remember back when the whole country was a First Amendment Zone. Well, forget it. You're in Bush country now and anything you say can and will be a security breach against our fine president (sic).

Corporate Bastards (Greed, Corporate Interests, Aristocracy, Anti-Patriotic) 

FACT: An article in the New York Times makes note of the latest trend in legalized tax-dodging - incorporating in Bermuda. The best part of the deal is that corporations get to drastically reduce their tax burden while still being able to perform business in the United States. According to the Times, "by moving to Bermuda, their income from outside the United States becomes exempt from American taxes. Also, when the American company borrows from its Bermuda parent, the interest it pays creates a deduction that reduces U.S. taxes, but there is no tax on the interest earned by the Bermuda parent."

COMMENT: Post 9/11, Patriotism has become a big issue. The Bush administration publicly cries foul when someone isn't wrapping themselves in the flag or (God forbid) questioning the motives of the administration even though everything they do is "in the name of national security" (you know, overturning Roe v. Wade, corporate welfare and tax cuts to the rich. The usual.) In the mean time we are learning that "patriotism" doesn't apply to Bush's buddies and/or corporate pocket-pumpers. Indeed, the ever-so-patriotic Kate Barton, an Ernst & Young tax partner, had this to say on the subject of patriotism: "Is it the right time to be migrating a corporation's headquarters to an offshore location? ... we are working through a lot of companies who feel that it is, that just the improvement on earnings is powerful enough that maybe the patriotism issue needs to take a back seat to that." 

Republicans (Election 2000, Undermining Democracy) 

FACT: All nine Republicans on the Senate Rules Committee boycotted the committee meeting where they considered a bill to upgrade our nation's election system. Apparently, the major sticking point was a  provision requiring that states meet minimum standards to ensure that voters would have their ballots counted. Never mind that committee rules allowed the Republicans to offer their own version of the bill to, change the offending provision.

COMMENT: Silly Dems, don't you realize that the election system is the way that it is only after years of careful "upgrading" by the GOP.

Condoleezza Rice (Undermining Democracy, Aristocracy) 

FACT: Last week Condoleezza Rice gave a Republicans-only security briefing, excluding House Democrats from the proceedings. 

COMMENT: Forgive me for my ignorance, but I thought it was the president(sic)'s job to inform all elected federal officials in congress. Partisenship at the expense of the American people seems to typify the GWB administration. The outrage builds.

Robert Hanssen (UnAmerican, Criminal)

FACT: It has been recently revealed that not only was Hanssen a member of the notoriously conservative Catholic group Opus Dei, he was also a key player during Ronald Reagan's administration - gathering information on left-leaning groups for any signs of possible Communist infiltration. According to the New York Observer, "As later Congressional investigations would show, what this often meant in practice was the harassment and sometimes the smearing of Americans engaged in lawful political activity. Among the many groups under surveillance by the F.B.I. in those days were the Gray Panthers, nuclear-freeze advocates associated with SANE - and the left-leaning Catholic adversaries of Opus Dei who opposed the American-backed repression in Central America." Hanssen also provided information to Robert Novak which Novak used to attack Janet Reno.