Steve’s Weblog

Up until recently, I followed Senator John Cornyn on Facebook, but his obsession with Attorny General Holder got to be a little much, and as his constituent, I expressed my opinion there. Well, it seems that Senator Cornyn can’t take the heat. I’ve had my Facebook account banned from posting comments on his page, and also had my Twitter account blocked by the Senator’s Twitter account.

The Senator questioned the constitutionality of the Obama administration’s change in deportation policy, and seemed to be saying it was the responsibility of Congress:

Art 1, sec. 8 US Const: Congress shall have the power to “establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization… .”

But the Senator appears far too obsessed and busy pursuing his witch-hunt against Attorney General Holder to spend any time on the Dream Act (or any other worthwhile legislation). He’s posted (some might call it spamming) over 25 links to articles this week calling for the resignation of Attorney General Holder on his Facebook page. Meanwhile, it appears that the charges Cornyn has leveled against Attorney General Holder are unfounded: Five Things To Know About The Republican Witchhunt Against Attorney General Holder.

This comment from Facebook sums it up pretty well:

Lori Ratcliff: I LOVE our president and am so happy that he is doing the right thing in spite of all the corporate shills in the Republican party. I am SO SICK of hearing all the hatred and racism spewing from the mouths (and computers) of Republicans. Never forget, Mr. Cornyn, that it is your job to represent ALL of us, not just your personal supporters. The president is doing the right thing in spite of the congress and I say, it’s about damn time.

From the Lone Star Project, comes this tidbit about Republican Congressman John Carter:

Texas Republican leads partisan attack while hiding over a quarter million dollars in personal profits

Texas Republican John Carter (TX31 – Round Rock) is the lead Republican attack dog in a harshly partisan effort to vilify a senior Democratic member for reporting errors on financial disclosure forms. Recent news reports, however, confirm that John Carter himself hid as much as $300,000 in personal profits gained from the sale of Exxon stock. When confronted, Carter’s office denied the profits saying the “disclosure reports are accurate… no capital gain was made.” (Source: Roll Call , October 21, 2009) But, when documents proving the transactions were produced, Carter was forced to change his tune and admit that he had filed false reports and conceded that corrections must be made. Carter’s violations might be seen as inadvertent and even forgivable had they not exposed his utter hypocrisy, especially in light his recent vicious floor attacks against a respected colleague.

Will one of his staffers rise up to defend him again?

I just got an email from MoveOn about Texas senator John Cornyn… check out the radio ad they’ve put together, click here to donate to get it on the air.

In the midst of an economic crisis caused largely by Wall Street greed, our senator skipped this week’s vote on the stimulus plan so he could meet with Republican donors from Wall Street.

He showed us that congressional Republicans aren’t fighting for their constituents who got laid off or watched their retirement savings disappear or lost their health coverage. They’re just looking out for their big-money corporate friends.

By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 25 minutes ago

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Sarah Palin unlawfully abused her power as governor by trying to have her former brother-in-law fired as a state trooper, the chief investigator of an Alaska legislative panel concluded Friday. The politically charged inquiry imperiled her reputation as a reformer on John McCain’s Republican ticket.

Investigator Stephen Branchflower, in a report by a bipartisan panel that investigated the matter, found Palin in violation of a state ethics law that prohibits public officials from using their office for personal gain.

The inquiry looked into her dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, who said he lost his job because he resisted pressure to fire a state trooper involved in a bitter divorce with the governor’s sister. Palin says Monegan was fired as part of a legitimate budget dispute.

The report found that Palin let the family grudge influence her decision-making even if it was not the sole reason Monegan was dismissed. “I feel vindicated,” Monegan said. “It sounds like they’ve validated my belief and opinions. And that tells me I’m not totally out in left field.”

Branchflower said Palin violated a statute of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.

Officials say Gonzales has resigned

boo-hoo.

By JENNIFER LOVEN and LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writers 7 minutes ago

CRAWFORD, Texas – Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned, ending a months-long standoff with Republican and Democratic critics who called for his ouster over the Justice Department’s botched handling of FBI terror investigations and the firing of U.S. attorneys, officials said Monday.

Yahoo!

Setting a great example as Attorney General…

Documents contradict Gonzales’ testimony

By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 52 minutes ago

WASHINGTON – Documents indicate eight congressional leaders were briefed about the Bush administration’s terrorist surveillance program on the eve of its expiration in 2004, contradicting sworn Senate testimony this week by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

The documents underscore questions about Gonzales’ credibility as senators consider whether a perjury investigation should be opened into conflicting accounts about the program and a dramatic March 2004 confrontation leading up to its potentially illegal reauthorization.

A Gonzales spokesman maintained Wednesday that the attorney general stands by his testimony.

Yahoo News

Oh, OK, so maybe he’s not a liar, he’s just extremely forgetful, or just plain dumb, any one of which are great qualifications for that job, take a pick…

Bush, key senator still backing Gonzales

By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer 36 minutes ago

WASHINGTON – The White House and a key Republican senator reaffirmed support Saturday for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales even as Democrats questioned his credibility for apparently misrepresenting his role in firing eight federal prosecutors.

Critics said the latest document disclosure — more than 280 pages of e-mails, calendar notations and other documents sent to Congress late Friday — bolstered their case for Gonzales’ ouster.

Yahoo News

Color him Gone-zales

Senate passes Democrats’ ethics bill

By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer 9 minutes ago

WASHINGTON – The Senate, responding to voter frustration with corruption and special interest influence in Washington, on Thursday overwhelmingly approved far-reaching ethics and lobbying reform legislation.

Under the bill, passed 96-2, senators will give up gifts and free travel from lobbyists, pay more for travel on corporate jets and make themselves more accountable for the pet projects they insert into bills.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who made the bill his first initiative as head of the Senate, called it the “most significant legislation in ethics and lobbying reform we’ve had in the history of this country.”

Yahoo!

Seems that Tom DeLay started up a blog, got hammered in the comments section and had to shut it down, all within about 75 minutes. Sorry Tom, you’re a has been.

The good news is that somebody captured the comment activity before Tom wiped out both the posts and the comments. Check it out here for a good laugh. Tom DeLay; the new football of the blogosphere.

Update: Oops, they left a couple of items still open for comments, and comments are still rolling in… http://www.tomdelay.com/recent-appearances/2006/12/8/hannity-colmes.html#comments

Update: Haggard confesses to his congregation

By COLLEEN SLEVIN, Associated Press Writer 3 minutes ago

DENVER – Less than 24 hours after he was fired from the pulpit of the megachurch he founded, the Rev. Ted Haggard confessed to his congregation Sunday without giving specifics that he was guilty of sexual immorality.

FLAME ON!

Yahoo!

So was America’s top evangelical paying for gay sex or doing crystal meth?
by John in DC – 11/03/2006 10:20:00 AM

He’s admitted to one. But which one? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Today’s Haggard round up:

* Washington Post: Church Leader Resigns After Gay Sex Claim
* Denver Post: Haggard sex allegations could shape votes, political observers say
* Associated Press: Gay sex allegation sidelines Haggard
* Los Angeles Times: Evangelical leader steps down amid allegations
* New York Times: Accused of Gay Liaison, Head of Evangelical Group Resigns

Evangelical leader resigns over sex scandal

By Keith Coffman Fri Nov 3, 2:50 AM ET

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Reuters) – The president of the U.S. National Association of Evangelicals, who has had regular talks with the White House and vocally opposes gay marriage, resigned on Thursday after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a male escort.

Reuters via Yahoo!

hyp‧o‧crite  –noun
1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.