Tuesday, May 2, 2006

I'M WITH STUPID "Pet Shop Boys performed their new single, I'm with Stupid on Top of the Pops. If anyone watching was wondering about the masks being worn by the dancers they were of Tony Blair, George W Bush, Bill Clinton, David Cameron (current UK Conservative leader) and Menzies Campbell (current UK Liberal Democrat leader). Originally there were three Tony Blairs and Three George Bushs but the BBC insisted that for 'political balance' the other UK political party leaders had to be shown and that there could be only one Blair and one Bush. Luckily Putin and Clinton masks were acquired from a party shop while PSB management and make-up staff made quick Cameron and Campbell masks from newspaper photographs!" You can also watch it here. 3:33:05 PM

SOMETHING IS MOVING IHT: "President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution. Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, whistle-blower protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research. Legal scholars say the scope and aggression of Bush's assertions that he can bypass laws represent a concerted effort to expand his power at the expense of Congress, upsetting the balance between the branches of government. The Constitution is clear in assigning to Congress the power to write the laws and to the president a duty 'to take care that the laws be faithfully executed'. Bush, however, has repeatedly declared that he does not need to 'execute' a law he believes is unconstitutional. After the media and the lawmakers have left the White House, Bush quietly files 'signing statements' - official documents in which a president lays out his legal interpretation of a bill for the federal bureaucracy to follow when implementing the new law. The statements are recorded in the federal register. In his signing statements, Bush has repeatedly asserted that the Constitution gives him the right to ignore numerous sections of the bills - sometimes including provisions that were the subject of negotiations with Congress in order to get lawmakers to pass the bill. He has appended such statements to more than one of every 10 bills he has signed." EPI: "President Bush was routed in his attempt to privatize Social Security, but he's found a new battleground. His latest attack on retirement security: attempting to force Department of Energy (DOE) contractors to switch from a real pension to 401(k)-style retirement benefits. The same investment companies that would have benefited from Social Security privatization will earn big fees handling the individual accounts of employees who would otherwise belong to pension plans. The other part is ideology. Bush dislikes collective solutions and would rather see every worker fending for himself. A 401(k) will pay only the benefits employees are able to accumulate through their own investments. If the market falls, if their investment choices are poor, if they borrow from their account, or if management and administrative fees diminish their return, retirees can be financially ruined." George W. Bush is a danger for America. But something is changing. The POTUS is getting flak. And not only from Stephen Colbert. On May 1 millions of immigrants took to the streets. Just imagine what will happen when more millions will stand up for their rights all over America. And Tony Blair is feeling the heat as well. 12:07:36 PM

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