after bush

Senate Should Pursue Truth About Bush-Cheney Abuses

Proposing the creation of a "truth commission" to examine the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush-Cheney administration, Senate Judiciary Committee chair Patrick Leahy declared Monday that, "The past can be prologue unless we set things right."

Posted in after bush, torture, war crimes

First, Jail All of Bush's Lawyers

If new Attorney General Eric Holder really means what he said in his oath - that he will "support and defend the Constitution of the United States" - then he must give serious consideration to prosecuting crimes committed by the Bush administration, including its torturing of detainees.

And Holder might be advised to begin the process at his own agency, the Department of Justice. To paraphrase Shakespeare, Holder might start by first jailing all of George W. Bush's lawyers.

Posted in after bush, torture, war crimes

Keeping The Bush Era Viable

Rest assured, there are powerful interests that will not put up with an Obama presidency if it's about even half the changes it threatens - I mean, promises - to make.

Watch them circle, yipping at his integrity. "Obama's moralizing tone may not wear well," a Wall Street Journal headline archly surmised a few days ago. "How often do Americans want to hear how misguided they were before his arrival?"

Posted in after bush, guantanamo, torture

Lifting of 'Gag Rule' Helps Restart Much-Needed Health Services in Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya - Nairobi's sprawling Kibera slum is far from America but not from America's battle over abortion.

Aid workers and experts say President Barack Obama's decision to allow aid money to flow again to international groups that offer abortion counseling will help restart programs desperately needed in Africa, the continent hardest hit by a so-called "gag rule."

Posted in after bush, Health, healthcare, reproductive rights, Africa

George Bush’s Gift To The World: The End of American Imperialism

George W. Bush was unquestionably the worst American president in the two and a quarter centuries of the country's existence.

After all, James Buchanan, the previous aspirant to the title, merely did nothing while the South seceded. Hah! You'll have to do better than that, Jimmy, if you want to wear this crown!

Posted in after bush, War/Empire

What Would Molly Think?

AUSTIN, Texas -- The question I have been asked most often during the last two years is, "What would Molly think about this?" Molly Ivins would have loved this election. She would have loved the beautiful sight of "We the People" finally stepping up to become the real deciders. She would have loved the drama, the comedy and the characters.

We miss her regular twice-weekly comments and insights, and want to hear her dissect, slice and dice, and make fun of the events and revelations of the week. No one could do it like she did.

Posted in after bush, beyond obama

Too Big to Fail, Too Big to Jail

Karl Rove recently described George W. Bush as a book lover, writing, "There is a myth perpetuated by Bush critics that he would rather burn a book than read one." There will be many histories written about the Bush administration. What will they use for source material? The Bush White House was sued for losing e-mails, and for skirting laws intended to protect public records. A federal judge ordered White House computers scoured for e-mails just days before Bush left office.

Posted in after bush, war crimes

ACLU Tests Obama With Request for Secret Bush-Era Memos

WASHINGTON — Dozens of secret documents justifying the Bush administration's spying and interrogation programs could see the light of day because of a new presidential directive.

The American Civil Liberties Union asked the Obama administration on Wednesday to release Justice Department memos that provided the legal underpinning for harsh interrogations, eavesdropping and secret prisons.

Posted in after bush, Government Oversight, torture

On Roe v. Wade Anniversary, GOP Lawmakers Press Obama

WASHINGTON - Republican lawmakers on Wednesday urged President Barack Obama to reconsider his support of legal abortions as anti-abortion activists arrived in Washington for a protest on the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling.

As many as 200,000 people were expected to join the "March for Life" to the Supreme Court building on Thursday on the 36th anniversary of the 1973 decision legalizing abortion.

Posted in after bush, reproductive rights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2009
1:15 PM

CONTACT: Center for Biological Diversity
Noah Greenwald, (503) 484-7495

Obama Administration Freezes Finalization of Midnight Regulations: Worst of Bush Administration Regulations Already In Effect

PORTLAND, Ore. - January 21 - The Obama administration announced yesterday a freeze on publication of all proposed and final rules in the Federal Register until they are reviewed by an agency or department head appointed by the new administration. Many of the midnight regulations, such as changes to the rules implementing the Endangered Species Act and relaxation of rules restricting mountain top removal, have already gone into effect and will need to be undone by other means.

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At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature - to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law, and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters, and climate that species need to survive.

Center for Biological Diversity Links:

Posted in after bush, biodiversity, Environment, mountain top removal