Monthly Archives: July 2007

Venting

The Bush Administration is a redolent corpse decomposing in our country’s parlor and no one in Congress seems to have the stomach for the job of taking it out to the trash bin of history.

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Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

The White House press secretary, Tony Snow, suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune trying to justify the Libby commutation during a press conference in which reporters shouted “you’re insulting our intelligence!”  Dana Milbank of the Washington Post captures the moment.

All mimsy were the borogoves

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Scooter Libby

Obama’s statement and commentary by Andrew Sullivan capture my thinking pretty well.

Here’s a summary of the president’s thinking about excessive punishment while he was governor of Texas from Bob Cesca at HuffPost:

What’s excessive? President Bush, who suddenly hates excessive punishments, once refused to commute the death sentence of a 33-year-old mentally retarded black man with an IQ of around 60 and the functional skills of a 7-year-old boy.

10 years ago last May, President Bush and Alberto Gonzales received a request for clemency on the day Terry Washington was to be executed for killing a college student in 1987. President Bush skimmed Gonzales’ incomplete summary and denied clemency.

Terry Washington was dead before the sun went down.

Regarding the record 152 executions during his two terms as governor, Bush “wrote” in his autobiography, A Charge To Keep, “I don’t believe my role is to replace the verdict of a jury with my own.”

This is the statement of Libby’s prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald:

We fully recognize that the Constitution provides that commutation decisions are a  matter of presidential prerogative and we do not comment on the exercise of that prerogative.  

We comment only on the statement in which the President termed the sentence imposed by the judge as “excessive.”   The sentence in this case was imposed pursuant to the laws governing sentencings which occur every day throughout this country.  In this case, an experienced federal judge considered extensive argument from the parties and then imposed a sentence consistent with the applicable laws.  It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals.  That principle guided the judge during both the trial and the sentencing.

Although the President’s decision eliminates Mr. Libby’s sentence of imprisonment, Mr. Libby remains convicted by a jury of serious felonies, and we will continue to seek to preserve those convictions through the appeals process.

Here’s a slice of the Department of Justice Manual on commuting sentences:

Section 1-2.113 Standards for Considering Commutation Petitions

A commutation of sentence reduces the period of incarceration; it does not imply forgiveness of the underlying offense, but simply remits a portion of the punishment. It has no effect upon the underlying conviction and does not necessarily reflect upon the fairness of the sentence originally imposed. Requests for commutation generally are not accepted unless and until a person has begun serving that sentence. Nor are commutation requests generally accepted from persons who are presently challenging their convictions or sentences through appeal or other court proceeding. (Emphasis by blogblah!!!)

If I understand correctly, the president did NOT “vet” this through any attorneys nor in any other way go through normal channels.  It was a decision on his own, except one imagines that he was helped by the Vice President, who has a certain reputation for going around the normal channels.

A Bush appointee named a Bush appointed federal prosecutor as special prosecutor to try this case before a Bush appointed judge.  These are the same crimes they used to impeach Clinton and which resulted in the resignation of President Nixon.  The Bush appointed judge imposed a sentence — strictly between the judicial sentencing guidelines provided by Congress, a Republican effort to rein in “activist” judges and curb illegal drugs — he called based on “overwhelming” evidence of an attempt to cover up the exposure of a CIA agent.  Are we supposed to really believe that Scooter was prosecuted and sentenced to prison as part of a conspiracy of liberals who wish to do Bush harm?

And, by the way, by commuting instead of pardoning, Libby retains a 5th Amendment right to keep his mouth shuts about what he knows (he would not have been capable of incriminating himself if pardoned) all the while with his case up on appeal.

But, what the hell?  He’s down to 27% in the polls.  How much worse can it get?  He’s done it because he can and no one can stop him.  If we don’t like it, so what?

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My year

My birthday is Friday and it’s been a helluva ride this past year.

A year ago, I’d just totalled the Miata and rolled up a few thousand in hospital bills I had no way to pay.

My credit card debt was overwhelming and the income was dribbling and insufficient.

I was depressed, he understated.

This year, I’ve got no credit card debt, I was able to make what for me are substantial donations to my church, AA and both my children and still I have money in the bank.

This year, the kitchen floor is tiled and not just a gray, mottled concrete pad.

I’m driving a much newer and more luxurious convertible.

I’m not depressed.

While my lovelife is neutral, that’s a step up for me.  In the ordinary course of events, I’m making myself miserable because I don’t have a girlfriend, because I do have a girlfriend, because i don’t have the girlfriend I want and the one I want won’t speak to me and the one I have won’t shut up, some other variation on that theme.

I’ve rather recently seen both my children and grandchildren and just completed an absolutely wonderful, terrific, fun visit with my sister MindOverMary.  My mother is in very good health, for which I’m grateful.

I’m not as healthy as I might be, but considering my age I have no complaints.

While I’m not serene, I’m mostly content.

I just celebrated 12 years of sobriety in my 12 step program.

My “hates” are political and aren’t personal — I don’t know of any relationship I have that is a “hot” personal dislike, especially on my part.

I think I’m likely to go to Santa Fe for a summer vacation in a short time.

I’m extraordinarily grateful for the close friendships and connections I have and the weekly get-togethers for exchanging personal news and views.  It’s the best part of my social life by far and very satisfying to me.  Just last night, I had dinner with Oz, Deb and The Gary and it was a wonderful break from my internet obsession of Sunday evening.

Last year, I hated hated hated the work on my desk.  This year, I have fun stuff to do that makes me happy as well as making me money.

Bottom line:  I’ll be happy this birthday.  Thank you.

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TMI, perhaps

Well, I indulged in a little retail therapy Sunday afternoon and bought underwear.  Is there really such a thing as $40 knickers for men?  Anyway, bought some after being amazed that there’s a lot more choices than tighty whities and garish boxers these days.  They are SO damn comfortable!  I couldn’t believe it.  I was dancing around and…

 

well, here’s what it looked like at my house.

 

Looked pretty good shakin’ my ass, bitch, didn’t I?

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They're blindin' me with science

Where did the universe come from?  It’s also the God question.  Several of us touched on it in a Red Cup convo the other night.

Here‘s a primer on “brane” theory about multiple dimension cosmology at Science News Online and then HERE is a bit about what happened before the Big Bang at “Bad Astronomy” blog.

I find this stuff fascinating.

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