aMERICAN fAMILY vOICES - mIRIAM v.

Hot Topics
List of 4 items
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives offered the gun industry
a huge victory yesterday when it passed a bill preventing lawsuits by
victims
of gun violence against gun companies. Not surprisingly, the gun lobby has
been pushing for such a measure for years now. The Senate approved an
identical
bill three months ago, and President Bush has indicated he will sign it into
law. Bush claimed that it is an important stem in halting "frivolous
lawsuits,"
a favorite whipping boy of this administration. The Bush team has warned
against the explosion of litigation in the past, but the numbers just don't
back
it up: According to data released from the Association of Trial Lawyers of
America (ATLA), the number of tort cases resolved by US District Courts has
fallen by 79 percent from 1985-2003.
[link]
FEMA's lone representative in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina
testified before Congress yesterday about his agency's inadequate response.
Marty
Bahamonde sent a series of e-mail messages to his bosses in Washington as
the storm drew near and conditions worsened. The responses he received were
not
at all comforting. Two days after the storm hit, Bahamonde sent a missive
directly to FEMA chief Michael Brown in which he called the situation "past
critical."
One of Brown's aides responded hours later that the chief would need a
restaurant in Baton Rouge for dinner, stating, "It is very important that
time is
allowed for Mr. Brown to eat dinner."
[link]
Well that "Bush Economic Recovery" sure was fun, wasn't it? Leading economic
indicators have dropped again for the month of September - the third month
in a row. Rising energy prices were at least partly to blame, and declining
consumer confidence has made the situation worse.
[link]
The Plame leak investigation has experienced yet another twist: Now
investigators are trying to determine if Bush administration officials
illegally attempted
to cover-up their involvement. Which Bush administration officials are
especially in focus? Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. Be sure to check out this
profile
on Libby's attack-dog mentality against former ambassador Joseph Wilson in
the Los Angeles Times.
[link]
list end

Quote of the Day

"It was sad, it was inhumane, it was heartbreaking, and it was so wrong." -
FEMA Official Marty Bahamonde on the conditions in New Orleans and the
response.

Morning Snark
List of 1 items
As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. But Rep. Tom
DeLay's (R-TX) mug shot? Well that's worth about $190,000 in corporate cash.
Check
it out
here.