It’s plainly stupid for the American government to play hardball with people who have been mistakenly imprisoned – people who never had anything to do with terrorism in the first place. Restoring the right to habeas corpus helps our government to finally get smart, and start focusing its efforts on suspects who actually have some likelihood of being connected to terrorist conspiracies.

Apparently, pharmacists dominated personal contributions to Arkansas Representative Marion Berry’s campaign with simultaneous bundling associated with at least one PAC. These contributions came while Marion Berry was shepherding legislation through Congress of financial benefit to pharmacists. Democratic Radio Address by Rep. Marion Berry, March 2006: Today’s seniors helped this country through the Depression, fought two [...]

Republicans didn’t have the votes to make that 60 votes impossible. They only had 40 votes. With a bit of pushing, the Republicans might have had less than that. However, the Republicans weren’t pushed – and among the reasons they weren’t is that Barack Obama didn’t bother to show up to support the Senate Democrats on the vote to stop the filibuster.

The hard work and strong ethics of the American cowboy? Yippie-ti-yi-yo, that’s fine for the movies, but I think that Senator Enzi would be more helpful if he could bring his attention back to 2008, in which cowboys are about as important to the American economy as wandering minstrels and milkmen.

The Special Criminal Contempt of Congress Procedures Act provides another route through which congressional checks against the Executive Branch can be reasserted. The act provides the ability to appoint a special prosecutor to pursue contempt charges when the Department of Justice refuses to do its duty.

When I read that Vermont Congressman Peter Welch would be facing a general election challenge from Thomas Hermann because of Welch’s failure as a progressive in Congress, I have to admit I blanched. It had been my impression that Peter Welch was a progressive. Had I misjudged Peter Welch? A consultation of Welch’s Congressional record [...]

In order to prevent this constitutional erosion from continuing, responsibility rests with the American people to ensure that their representatives in the House and Senate reassert congressional authority over the Executive Branch. If the American people don’t care enough to demand that their representatives show a backbone, then Congress will continue to mimic their apathy, and do nothing to interfere with the growth of American autocracy.

The Larochelles were seeking to separate the flag from the Constitution, and to make it a symbol of religious belief – and officially recognized by Congress as such. Congressman Mike Turner was more than happy to help them do this – and to try to use the boy scout as a tool to push religion as a wedge issue – when he introduced H.R. 3779.

My, my. What a coincidence. On June 9, 2008, Florida Congressman Tim Mahoney received a campaign contribution from AT&T’s federal political action committee. On June 20, 2008, Tim Mahoney voted for the FISA Amendments Act, a bill that gives AT&T retroactive immunity for breaking the law by violating its customers’ privacy. On June 27, 2008, [...]

The problem is in the way that this resolution provides the official recognition and sanction of Congress for Billy Graham’s religious practice and promotion of Christianity. Congress has no place passing legislation respecting that kind of activity. Americans ought to judge for themselves whether one religion is worthwhile, not have Congress lecture them on the subject.