Congressional Votes

Congress passed a measure "...expressing condolences to and solidarity with Haiti..." in regard to the recent earthquake there. Only one member voted no: he was Ron Paul a Texas republican and Libertarian (why I would wonder). Congress also passed a resolution to "...improve international cooperation in locating nuclear and radiological materials held by terrorists". Ten members of the House voted against the bill (again I would wonder why).

The Senate failed to "...end the Troubled Assets Relief Program, which the Bush administration started to halt economic collapse". The $ 320 billion still in the program would have gone to reduction of the US debt. The bill needed 60 votes to end TARP and got 53. The bill is HJR-45 (it would interesting to know how each senator voted).

(Source: "North Jersey Tally" taken from Thomas Voting Reports. Taken from The Record on 1/24/10).

Update. Thomas Voting Reports notes that on the TARP spending legislation that failed republicans and some democrats voted to end the program and use the remaining money on the deficit. The yes votes were 40 Rep and 13 Dem. The no votes were no reps and 43 dems. 13 democrats broke with the party to vote yes and some of them were Diane Feinstein (Cal), Bill Nelson (Fl), Evan Bayh (Ind), Jon Testor (Mont), Ron Wyden (Ore), Jim Webb (Vir) and Russ Feingold (Wis) and 6 others.

TARP was established in Oct 2008 by Bush and funded with $ 7oo billion. Obama kept the program and expanded it to include auto companies and small businesses. TARP will expire in Oct 2010 and hopes to get back $ 175 billion.

(Source: This update based on the internet site "Thomas Voting Reports" on 1/25/10)

Update: On the House legislation on nuclear materials 9 rep and 1 dem voted No. 14 reps and 12 dems did not vote. Source was Thomas Voting Reports on this date.

WASPS

The Women Airforce Service Pilots of the World War II era are finally getting recognition-65 years after the end of the war-for their service. These women flew "...planes across the country, hauled targets for shooting practice..." and also trained male pilots. Their service freed up male pilots for front line duty. About 25,000 signed up for training but only 1074 completed it. 38 died in service. It seems their contribution was not appreciated at the time and some may still resent them. This source states, "At many of the bases where they were stationed, there was intense prejudice. WASPS...didn't receive veterans benefits until 1977". Even now some male pilots have written protest letters saying that "...if the medals-Congressional Gold Medals-were given to women, they would send theirs back". The recognition this spring will be the awarding of Congressional Gold Medals to some 200 surviving WASPS. Other groups receiving the medals in the past have been the Navajo Marine Corps Radio Operators or "Code Talkers" and the Tuskegee Airmen. Individuals getting the award have been Robert Frost and Dr Jonas Salk.

(Source: "WWII women fliers now up there witht the greats" by Nancy Bartley of The Seattle Times. In The Record on 1/24/10).

Citizens United v. The Federal Election Commission

The US Supreme Court has ruled that restrictions on political spending by companies is a violation of 1st Amendment speech rights, thus unconstitutional. Companies may use "...their treasuries to spend as much as they want to support or oppose individual candidates". GOPers favored the ruling saying it was a "...victory for free speech". Pres Obama opposed it saying it was a "...green light to a new stampede of special-interest money". The previous rule-dating to TR in 1907-prohibited companies spending "...their own treasury funds..." to support or attack "...a federal candidate". The McCain-Feingold Act of 2002 further restricted spending one month prior to an election. The court ruled that corporations "...have the same rights as individuals". A previous precedent stated that corporate money could not target a candidate. (I don't know this case: the article did not name it). Till now Political Action Committees (PAC) raised money that had restrictions. The ruling overturns state bans on corporate spending.

The majority: AK, JR, SA, AS, CT. The minority: JPS, SS, RBG, SB.

The case developed from a 2008 federal ban on showing the documentary film, "Hillary: The Movie".

A NYTimes editorial claims this is a "blow to Democracy" which will return the US "...to the robber-baron era of the 19th century". A writer for "commentarymagazine.com" says this is a "...tremendous victory for free speech". In the past politicans were protected from "...political speech that they did not like"

(Source: "US High Court Rejects a Limit on Corporations' Political Spending" from Pilot and wire reports. The Virginian Pilot on 1/22/10. The Virginian Pilot editorial page on 1/23/10)

Student Rights

In Texas a 4 year old boy has been on suspension since November (he sits with a teacher aide in the library) because his hair is too long. The public school dress code says "boy's hair must be kept out of the eyes and cannot extend below the bottom of earlobes or over the collar of a dress shirt". It also says that hair style "designed to attract attention to the individual or to disrupt the orderly conduct of the classroom or campus is not permitted". The school board said it would allow the 4 year old to wear his hair in "tight braids but keep it no longer than his ears". His mother rejected that plan. The boy is in pre-kindergarden.

(Source: "Parents Reject School's Deal on Son's Long Hair" the AP. In The Virginian Pilot on 1/13/10).

Medical Marijuana Law

The NJ legislature has approved a law to allow the use of medical marijuana "to help patients with chronic illnesses". Governor Corzine is set to sign it as he leaves office this month (it seems doubtful that the new governor would do so). This will make NJ the 14th state to pass such a law and "one of the few on the East Coast". The illnesses meant to be covered are "cancer, AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis"; the drugs would be provided "through state-monitored dispensaries". The vote in the General Assembly was 48 to 14 and in the state Senate 25-13. Opposition came from "some educators and law enforcement advocates".

(Source: "New Jersey Legislature Approves Medical Marijuana" by David Kocieniewski of The NY Times. In The Virginian Pilot on 1/12/10)

Hot Coffee Lawsuits

In Virginia Beach, Virginia a woman is suing Burger King Corp. for selling her coffee that was so hot and is such poor packaging that when it spilled it burned her left thigh. She wants $ 50,000. This happened on Dec 7, 2007. The employee handed the woman the coffee in a paper bag instead of in a cup holder. The "...most famous (hot coffee) case" was in New Mexico in 1992 when a jury awarded a woman-also burned by hot coffee-a judgment of $ 2.9 million. This award was reduced by a judge to $ 640,000 and a final settlement was reached by the company and the woman for an undisclosed amount.

(Source: "Woman Files Suit Against Burger King in Hot Coffee Case" by Shawn Day of The Virginian Pilot on 1/11/10)

White Messiah Fable

New York Times columnist David Brooks writes about this "fable" tendency in US movies. He notes it was found in "A Man Called Horse" and "Dances with Wolves" and is now a main theme in the movie "Avatar". The fable is of a white hero who becomes part of a native culture and leads them to victory over his own more powerful society. Brooks says: "It rests on the sterotype that white people are rationalist and technocratic while colonial victims are spiritual and athletic. It rests on the assumption that nonwhites need the White Messiah to lead their crusades". He says this fable is "...kind of offensive".

(Source: "Messiah complex on film" by David Brooks of the New York Times. In The Virginian Pilot on 1/11/10)