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["Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>]

Well, all thos cynical right wing looneys are pulling their hair out this
morning!

Over the weekend Colin Powell was interviewed.  Out of that interview came a
few things that are making some folks nash their teeth today!

One, he said there is NO direct link between Saddam and 9/11.

AND, talk about not goose stepping the party line, when asked how John Kerry
would respond to terrorism, he answered "robustly!"

Lynda
----- Original Message -----
From: Tvoivozhd <tvoivozd AT infionline.net>
To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 10:26 AM
Subject: [Homestead] Flagburning bullshit


> Anything to divert voter attention from matters that seriously affect
> their lives, another Red Herring accompanied by a flood of Red Herrings
> from the cynical right wing looneys..
>
> The flag going up on Iwo was gratifying, though almost all the
> flag-raisers died within days.  But back home, where the flag is used
> primarily to wrap politicians and other dead fish, you have to be really
> brain-dead to give a flag "desecration" any consideration whatsoever.
>
>
>
>
> *washingtonpost.com* <http://www.washingtonpost.com/>
> *Kerry, Edwards and Daschle May Face Vote on Flag*
>
> By Helen Dewar
> Washington Post Staff Writer
> Monday, September 13, 2004; Page A19
>
> For some Republicans it is the perfect political storm: a Senate vote on
> a constitutional amendment to protect the U.S. flag that would put
> Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry, running mate John Edwards
> and Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle on the spot just a few weeks
> before the Nov. 2 elections.
>
> The Senate GOP leadership has not scheduled a vote on the proposed
> amendment, but Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) noted last week that
> it is a high priority for veterans groups. Other Republicans say a vote
> is likely before the Senate's Oct. 8 target date for adjournment.
>
> As senators, Kerry (Mass.), Edwards (N.C.) and Daschle (S.D.) have voted
> against the amendment and are described by colleagues as still opposed
> to it. But Kerry and Edwards, who rarely leave the campaign trail for
> Senate votes, are not expected to show up for the flag debate unless it
> appears their votes would be decisive.
>
> As it appears now, the vote could be close enough to focus attention on
> Kerry and Edwards if they do not suspend campaigning to return for the
> roll call or if they do return and their votes turn out to be critical
> in defeating the amendment. Similarly, if Daschle turns out to cast the
> make-or-break vote, Republicans will almost certainly use it against him
> in his close race for reelection in South Dakota.
>
> Some Republicans believe the three Democrats' votes against the proposal
> -- or absence when the roll is called -- can be used against them
> effectively at a time of war, terrorism threats and heightened
> patriotism. If Kerry and Edwards vote against the amendment or fail to
> show up for the vote, "they're going to have to explain why," said Sen.
> John Cornyn (R-Tex.), a key backer of the proposal.
>
> But Democrats describe the GOP strategy as a cynical ploy that could
> backfire among voters who are fed up with "gotcha" politics and
> congressional inaction on other issues. They also say such divisive
> initiatives could dash any prospects for serious business being
> accomplished over the next month.
>
> "All they're doing is setting the stage for 30-second ads for the
> campaign," said Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), a foe of the measure.
>
> Amendment supporters contend the flag deserves special protection as an
> important national symbol, while opponents, including Kerry, have argued
> that flag desecration can be punished under criminal statutes without
> tampering with the Constitution.
>
> The flag proposal, which would empower Congress to ban desecration of
> the U.S. flag, would be the second GOP-sponsored constitutional
> amendment to come to a vote in the Senate this year. A measure to bar
> same-sex marriages drew 48 votes in a procedural showdown in July,
> nearly 20 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to amend the
> Constitution.
>
> The flag amendment has considerably more support, though it has yet to
> garner enough votes for passage, senators on both sides of the issue say.
>
> When it was considered in 2000 (another presidential election year), the
> amendment got 63 votes, four short of the 67 needed when all 100
> senators are present. Based on statements and previous votes, both sides
> count 64 senators in support of the amendment this year.
>
> Without Kerry and Edwards, the number required for approval would drop
> to 66, or even lower if other senators also were absent. The reason is
> that two-thirds of the senators present and voting are required to amend
> the Constitution, rather than two-thirds of the full membership of 100.
> Kerry and Edwards could come under heavy pressure to return if it
> appears that the amendment might pass in their absence.
>
> The House has already approved the amendment. If the Senate follows
> suit, the proposal will go to the 50 states for ratification. Approval
> by three-fourths of the states, usually by legislative action, is
> required to amend the Constitution.
>
> *In Memoriam: *Two Democratic House members want the Capitol Rotunda to
> serve as a temporary memorial for the more than 1,000 U.S. military
> personnel who have died in Iraq.
>
> But the idea of placing the dead troops' names and photos at the
> geographic center of the deeply divided Congress a few weeks before
> Election Day strikes some lawmakers as overtly political, and House
> leaders are responding warily.
>
> Reps. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Jim Turner (D-Tex.) proposed the idea
> last week to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). Emanuel, noting
> that the Bush administration has barred news photos of military coffins
> returning to U.S. soil, said in an interview, "I'm asking them to make a
> gesture to the families" of the dead.
>
> He said Hastert suggested a memorial event on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
> That would be nine days after the election, and Emanuel is pressing the
> GOP leadership to act more quickly. Hastert's office said the speaker is
> weighing the request.
>
> *The Week Ahead:* The Senate will try to finish work on the homeland
> security bill for next year. The House also will take up the 2005
> appropriations bill for the Treasury and Transportation departments,
> which includes a 3.5 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees,
> and also legislation to penalize those who file "frivolous" lawsuits.
>
> The Senate and House do not plan to conduct any votes after Wednesday
> afternoon in observance of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, although
> the Senate plans to be in session without votes through Friday.
>
> /Staff writer Charles Babington contributed to this report./
>
> © 2004 The Washington Post Company
>
>
>
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