Big US Automakers Dropped the Ball, How Much Sympathy Should We Have?

How much sympathy should we have for the big US automakers when that lack foresight and innovation. Both Ford and Chevy had opportunities to become leaders in hybrid and electric car manufacturing. Instead they scrapped their programs when California changed their environmental laws. Now the jokes on them. Toyota and Honda are leaving them in the dust in a time when fuel efficiency is only going to become increasingly more and more important.

Ford pulls plug on electric car - Aftenposten.no



http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=7885

Homegrown terrorism act = Thought Police = Big Brother | Seven Generational Ruminations

Homegrown terrorism act = Thought Police = Big Brother Seven Generational Ruminations

I was really surprised to see Senator Collins co-sponsor this bill in the senate. She has leaned toward the side of civil rights in the past. This bill does include some safeguards but judging by the way our federal government acts, often in contempt of the Constitution, I would not bank on those safeguards preventing abuse of this act. I always worry about the rather broad interpretations the federal government comes up with to put someone under the umbrella of promoting dangerous ideas.

The fact the the bill passed the house with an overwhelming majority without debate is a little disturbing.

Conflict of Interest

Glenn Beck wants to criticize GE and other companies for conflict of interest but his guest turns the table around on his own parent company. I do love it when guests on these propaganda shows turn the tables once in a while.

Court bounces case of Long Island man jailed 17 years for slaying parents

Court bounces case of Long Island man jailed 17 years for slaying parents

It is all too common place to see the police use forceful interrogation tactics to secure confessions or create evidence in cases where they think they know who committed the crime without conducting a full and unbiased investigation.

In this particular case I wonder how the police could not figure out that the man who was murdered's last evening was spend with a man who owed him over 100 grand. Instead they fingered the 17 year old son and extracted a confession from him.

The Duke lacrosse case is another great example of the legal system creating or manipulating evidence to secure their desired verdict. I only wonder what would have happened to those young men if they had not been able to access top notch lawyers. There has to be many other cases that end up with innocents behind bars because they don't have the legal resources.

The police in the confession case above ought to be thrown in jail themselves. It's criminal in my opinion to do what they did. But that won't even come up as a possibility. We need more safeguards against such sloppy police work.

H. Res. 847: Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith (GovTrack.us)

H. Res. 847: Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith (GovTrack.us)

Do we really need a bill to say this kind of thing? Talk about an absurd waste of time and tax dollars. I think we all know that Christmas is an important event in this country both religious and economic. Of course congress does not find any other religious beliefs as worthy of recognition.

Why Does the Judicial Branch Let the Executive Branch Push It Around?

It seems like time and time again the federal government has been asked to provide documents in conjunction with torture, surveillance against the American people, and evidence in terrorist cases, most of the time they flat out refuse in the interest of national security or simply destroy the document.

Every time the federal government ends up in court or before a committee it is the same old story. We don't have the document, it never happened take our word for it, or we can't produce it due to ongoing investigations. (Reminds me of Kafka's The Trial where the investigations goes on perpetually with no progress or evidence ever produced.)

When will the judicial branch take some action? They just get slapped around and around. It's an ongoing joke.

How about finding some top CIA and FBI officials in contempt of court and throw them in jail? That is the only way the judicial branch will get some progress in these issues. Even if Bush just pardons them I think the American public might finally wake up to the obstruction of justice that is currently going on right now by the Executive Branch.

Satellite-Surveillance Plan Aims to Mollify Critics - WSJ.com

Satellite-Surveillance Plan Aims to Mollify Critics - WSJ.com

I figured the federal government would tone back itself in the midst of all of the current criticisms of it's domestic spying programs. Now they want to turn our spy satellites against us. My gut feeling is before we expand any more spy measures we need to get everything that is currently being done out in the open and in front of the American people.

The 10 Worst Presidents

The 10 Worst Presidents

Take a look at US News and World Report's 10 worst presidents and vote on your favorite, or should I say least favorite.

This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow

village voice > news > This Modern World: by Tom Tomorrow

I got a laugh out of this cartoon. What a different set of issues we are dealing with today. And to think we elected Bush as a vote for integrity.