This week has turned out to be quite a disappointment for us Liberals…
First, Obama has stated that he will try to block the justice department from releasing the horrific detainee abuse pictures in a recent ACLU court case that the judge mandated be released by the end of the month. Second, Obama late Friday nominated a well-known corporate lawyer, Ignacia S. Moreno to the post of Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division in the Department of Justice. Moreno is currently a corporate environmental counsel for Chevron, the top environmental polluter, and has helped in obstructing the clean up of several superfund sites. (See links below for more info).
How is this the change we asked for? The erosion of his campaign promises of transparency, the contraction of executive powers, and stringent regulations regarding corporate accountability and consumer protections are still going awry. Nevertheless, I will hold off on forming any concrete conclusions here, As yet, it has only been a few months since Obama has taken office, but I have to say that I am concerned with what we have seen so far. There were very clear promises he made to the American people regarding consumer environmental protection and reversals of the bush's war on terror; I hope he will commit to making these promises a reality otherwise, he will be regarded by his loyal followers as just another politician who used rhetoric and half-truths to get elected... This is not the hope I envisioned nor the change I am still seeking...
Links
Obama Blocking Release of Detainee Photo's
Obama Naming Top Polluter Lawyer to DOJ Post
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Comment sent to Obama Regarding Public vs. Corporate Lobbyists
I sent the following comment to President Obama last week after I read the following article:
Read The Article Here: Obama anti-lobbyist Policies
My Response and Comment To Obama Sent via the whitehouse website:
I am questioning the validity of not making a distinction between public lobbyists vs. corporate lobbyists and/ or special interest groups. To ban lobbyists who work in the public sector who for example help poor people get their basic needs met is counter-productive and quite frankly harmful to your presidency and to achieving your own administrations goals. Public interest lobbyists are quite different from the corporate and many special interests groups that have taken over Washington. I believe this policy needs to be updated, revised or waived to reflect this distinction.
Many of our most informed, and experienced policy people lobby with public interest groups. We need their talent, intellect and experience in your administration if you are to pull off your great and far reaching agenda. It's possible you may not even have to revise your lobbyist rules. You can add a clause in your waiver policy that creates a distinction between public and private lobbying thus allowing public sector lobbyists to work for your administration. Please read this article as it covers all the points I have made here and more regarding this issue much more eloquently...
Read The Article Here: Obama anti-lobbyist Policies
My Response and Comment To Obama Sent via the whitehouse website:
I am questioning the validity of not making a distinction between public lobbyists vs. corporate lobbyists and/ or special interest groups. To ban lobbyists who work in the public sector who for example help poor people get their basic needs met is counter-productive and quite frankly harmful to your presidency and to achieving your own administrations goals. Public interest lobbyists are quite different from the corporate and many special interests groups that have taken over Washington. I believe this policy needs to be updated, revised or waived to reflect this distinction.
Many of our most informed, and experienced policy people lobby with public interest groups. We need their talent, intellect and experience in your administration if you are to pull off your great and far reaching agenda. It's possible you may not even have to revise your lobbyist rules. You can add a clause in your waiver policy that creates a distinction between public and private lobbying thus allowing public sector lobbyists to work for your administration. Please read this article as it covers all the points I have made here and more regarding this issue much more eloquently...
Friday, March 13, 2009
Comments on the Justice Department's Window Dressing of the Enemy Combatant Doctrine...
UPDATE: 6:25pm:
It's been three hours since my rant below. I have since calmed down and read the Justice Departments actual memos regarding detainees and enemy combatants. The language is extremely vague and says nothing of the implications of moving the jurisdiction of holding detainees to congress. However, there is a glimmer of hope as Obama has mandated that there be a complete review of all detentions and that this will take six months to complete.
Supposedly an independent team will relate its findings back to Obama and the Justice Department. We can only hope that this memo is just a very small first step in reclaiming our civil liberties. I still have faith in Obama, but we cannot be complacent. Please let him know how you feel by sending him posts on his website demanding that he keep his promise of upholding our constitution and protecting our civil liberties.
Would love to hear from you as well...
Send your comments here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Earlier Post: 3:15pm
I just read this article on Huffingtonpost.com: Check it out
Dropping the "Enemy Combatant Language"
We cannot continue Bush's Enemy Combatant Doctrine by dressing it up with new language and having Congress in charge....this is not what we had in mind when we voted for Obama in November! I am outraged and sickened...We have got to come together and fight this....
I had this to say in the comment section of the article after I read the post....
Well, I am sickened by what I have just read....so much for doing
things differently. Same old thing just dressed up with new PC
language. We need to uphold all rights of people held in our jails,
otherwise how are we any different than our enemies. What allows us to
rise above the rest is our constitution and our moral and ethical
values. Without these we are no better than the ones who want to kill
us. Based on our constitution, We have no right to deny an individual
the right to habeas corpus that actually works; a speedy trial; be
charged in a timely manner and be allowed to address his/her accuser.
To detain an individual indefinitely in our prisons regardless of
whether they are a citizen or not or if they are held on U.S soil or
not violates our most fundamental rights. We have sunk to the level of
our enemies, as one interesting Libertarian, Jacob G. Hornberger,
commented; We have shifted from being "a Nation of Laws to a Nation of
Men"....Today is a sad day for liberty for all people of all walks of
life... The united States used to set the standard when it came to
civil liberties and the upholding of rights of all individuals....This
is an unconscionable precedent to continue to set for all people to
witness around the world. A sad, sad day indeed...
It's been three hours since my rant below. I have since calmed down and read the Justice Departments actual memos regarding detainees and enemy combatants. The language is extremely vague and says nothing of the implications of moving the jurisdiction of holding detainees to congress. However, there is a glimmer of hope as Obama has mandated that there be a complete review of all detentions and that this will take six months to complete.
Supposedly an independent team will relate its findings back to Obama and the Justice Department. We can only hope that this memo is just a very small first step in reclaiming our civil liberties. I still have faith in Obama, but we cannot be complacent. Please let him know how you feel by sending him posts on his website demanding that he keep his promise of upholding our constitution and protecting our civil liberties.
Would love to hear from you as well...
Send your comments here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Earlier Post: 3:15pm
I just read this article on Huffingtonpost.com: Check it out
Dropping the "Enemy Combatant Language"
We cannot continue Bush's Enemy Combatant Doctrine by dressing it up with new language and having Congress in charge....this is not what we had in mind when we voted for Obama in November! I am outraged and sickened...We have got to come together and fight this....
I had this to say in the comment section of the article after I read the post....
Well, I am sickened by what I have just read....so much for doing
things differently. Same old thing just dressed up with new PC
language. We need to uphold all rights of people held in our jails,
otherwise how are we any different than our enemies. What allows us to
rise above the rest is our constitution and our moral and ethical
values. Without these we are no better than the ones who want to kill
us. Based on our constitution, We have no right to deny an individual
the right to habeas corpus that actually works; a speedy trial; be
charged in a timely manner and be allowed to address his/her accuser.
To detain an individual indefinitely in our prisons regardless of
whether they are a citizen or not or if they are held on U.S soil or
not violates our most fundamental rights. We have sunk to the level of
our enemies, as one interesting Libertarian, Jacob G. Hornberger,
commented; We have shifted from being "a Nation of Laws to a Nation of
Men"....Today is a sad day for liberty for all people of all walks of
life... The united States used to set the standard when it came to
civil liberties and the upholding of rights of all individuals....This
is an unconscionable precedent to continue to set for all people to
witness around the world. A sad, sad day indeed...
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