Delaware Senate Rules - ALL HANDS ON DECK

WNJ letter shows exactly where we need to be keeping our eye on which ball this year in pursuit of open government (link):

What if the newly elected state Senators Brian Bushweller, Bethany Hall-Long and Michael Katz dared to make a difference when the new Legislative session begins?

All three had campaign platforms that placed open government at the top of their wish list yet all three of them elected to anoint the faulty leadership who won notoriety for keeping open government bills stuffed in desk drawers during the last legislative session.

How could these three legislators think that casting a vote for these dictatorial figures would lead them down the path to open government? I’m sure it must be tough to actually stand up and be counted when you’re the new guy on the block but if you can’t bring yourself to be a leader for change, how can you be an agent for change?

Maybe the leadership vote is a done deal already, but the Senate rules have yet to be approved. You do have an opportunity to make an early impact by voting against the rules under which the Senate operates. Sure, you might lose favor with the leadership but at least you will have the honor on which you sought to be elected.

Victoria S. Bandy, Wilmington

New Castle County's Creek Valleys Deserve Special Status

Newark Post - valleys
DelDOT, Nature Society affirm support for Red Clay Valley

Officials from DelDOT and the Delaware Nature Society met at the Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin on Monday to sign an agreement for the preservation and enhancement of the Red Clay Valley.

“The purpose of this document is to develop and expand a framework of cooperation between the Department of Transportation and the Delaware Nature Society,” said state Transportation Secretary Carolann Wicks. “Through this endeavor we can pursue beneficial programs to preserve, promote, and enhance the character-defining features of the Red Clay Valley.”

The Red Clay Valley Scenic Byway, which is part of the Delaware Scenic and Historic Highways program, recognizes roadways for their scenic beauty, environmental value and historical significance. Wicks approved a management plan for the Red Clay Valley Scenic Byway’s in May 2008. Monday’s event brought Wicks and Delaware Nature Society executive director Michael Riska together for a final approval.

While most roadways designated as state scenic and historic highways involve a single road corridor, the Red Clay Valley Scenic Byway includes 28 secondary roads that form an interconnected and interdependent network closely linked to the Red Clay Creek and its watershed area.

The Red Clay Valley scenic byway includes the remnants of the 19th century grist, snuff and paper milling industries in Yorklyn, historically known as Auburn or Auburn Mills, a steam train that runs from Greenbank to Hockessin and the mature forest and steep slopes of the Red Clay Ravine Natural Area.

This watershed-based planning effort is unlike any other scenic byway designation in the United States and puts this region at the forefront of innovative byway and watershed management efforts, according to state transportation officials.

The agreement signed on Monday establishes a commitment between DelDOT and the Delaware Nature Society to work closely on the area’s preservation, with the assistance of a Byway Steering Committee/management entity.

“Since moving its headquarters to the Ashland Nature Center in 1976, the Delaware Nature Society has placed high priority on the preservation of the Red Clay Valley,” Riska said. “The Red Clay Valley Scenic Byway designation, the corridor management plan, and this Memorandum of Understanding, provide us with additional tools to achieve this goal.”

The agreement is effective for one year, after which time it will expire, unless extended.

For additional information concerning the State Scenic and Historical Highway’s program, including a map of the Red Clay Valley, please visit www.delawarenaturesociety.org/red_clay.html.

Delaware ACORN's Darlene Battle Writes: Town Hall Meeting

‘Jobs and Economic Recovery Now!’

Together lets tell our Congressional members to Support the Obama Jobs and Economic Recovery Plan

SPECIAL GUEST GOV. ELECT JACK MARKELL

Delaware – Amid a worsening economic crisis that has left nearly 2 million Americans without jobs and over 2.5 million more without homes this year, State Representatives, Advocacy Groups, Community Leaders will participate in a Town Hall meeting call on January 7^th at 6:00PM urging Congress to stand up for struggling out-of-work Delaware families by supporting the jobs and economic recovery package being proposed by President-Elect Barack Obama and Congressional Leaders.

One week before the new 111th Congress in sworn into office, the Campaign for Jobs and Economic Recovery will discuss why their very first act in Congress should be casting a key vote to pass the Obama jobs and economic recovery plan which will create millions of jobs through smart public investments that will also ensure a stronger American economy down the road.

Addressing the worst economic crisis the nation has seen since the Great Depression, President-Elect Obama, during his December 6th radio address, outlined a plan that will create or save at least three million jobs in 2 years by making sound long-term investments in energy conservation, renewable energy technologies, schools, healthcare and transportation, including the single largest investment in U.S. national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s. The plan includes careful, targeted spending with strong “use it or lose it” accountability measures. Following 8 years of misguided economic policies that gave priority to tax breaks for multimillionaires and big corporations; the Obama plan will get America’s disappearing middle-class working again.

WHO: Governor Elect Jack Markell, State Representatives John Kowalko, The Jobs and Economic Recovery Coalition in Delaware is comprised of AFL-CIO, ACORN, DESA, AFSMCE, APRI, Teamsters, Local 32BJ, UAW, SIERRA Club, SEIU, CBTU, UFCW, MoveOn, CTAC, and of others. We are working to ensure swift passage of an economic recovery package that will save and sustain our communities, our businesses, and our nation.

Advocacy Groups, and Community Leaders

WHAT: Town Hall meeting, urging Congress to Support the Obama Jobs and Economic Recovery Plan

WHEN: Wednesday January 7, 2009, 6:00 – 8:00PM

408 East 8^th Street, Wilmington

Get involved:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gptkv5

Darlene Battle
Delaware ACORN
Head Organizer
302-656-3699 office
302-588-1782 cell
deacorn@acorn.org

Biden's Work Touted In Controling Violence In Black Communities

A recent report on the rise of young black males being killed in the U.S. continues to raise concern among youth, parents and community leaders. Some say the findings reflect a much larger problem, the failure of society on many levels (link).

NPR.org, December 29, 2008

The number of homicides involving black youths — as victims and perpetrators — surged by more than 30 percent from 2002 to 2007, even as overall murder rates across the U.S. have been relatively stable, according to a study released Monday by researchers at Northeastern University.
The study showed that the number of black murder victims rose by more than 31 percent from 2000 to 2007. The number of murders involving young, black perpetrators rose by 43 percent over the same period, according to the study by criminal justice professors James Alan Fox and Marc Swatt.
The report also noted that guns were the weapon of choice in most of the killings.
Last year, 426 black males ages 14-17 died in gun crimes — 40 percent more than in 2000; nearly 1,000 young black males used guns to kill someone in 2007 — 38 percent higher than in 2000.
Fox said the homicide rate for blacks — especially teenagers — has risen steadily and across geographic regions. He said one reason could be the profound shift in priorities since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which means police departments have taken on homeland security duties — often at the expense of community policing.
"Now, I don't want to weigh one life against another, but when you look at it, many more people are murdered every single year in ordinary street violence than were killed on Sept. 11, 2001," Fox said.
Fox also said communities' complacency because of the overall decrease in crime may also be a factor. The study found the number of police officers in major cities
has dropped more than 8 percent, and funding for crime prevention programs is down.
Fox said funding cuts disproportionately affect black communities, which suffer from broken families, bad schools and active gangs.
"I know people want their tax rebates and stimuli checks, but you know, a few extra dollars in your pocket is of little consolation if you're staring down the wrong end of a gun," Fox said.
Not all criminologists agree on the difference federal funding could make, but Fox said he hopes the Obama administration will increase funding. Vice President-elect Joe Biden was a driving force behind legislation that put 100,000 cops on the streets in the mid-1990s.

No SEC Action On Madoff Despite Warnings Back To At Least 1999

Catch the Madoff/SEC oversight hearings on the hill today on C-SPAN. They should be replayed throughout the evening. I am wondering what our Mike Castle will have to say.
~~~~~
NPR's Day to Day, says (link): January 5, 2009 · Regulators investigated Bernard Madoff's investment fund at least eight times before the scheme was exposed. And Wall Street firms have advised against dealing with him for years. Noah Adams talks to Financial Times reporter Henny Sender about why regulators were unable to bust the scheme before dozens of people lost billions of dollars.

Jud Bennett Writes: January Environmental Summit

Delaware Environmental Summit
You are invited to a gathering of Delaware's environmental advocates
Sponsored by the Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club

Saturday, January 17, 2008
8:30 a.m. to 12 noon
Wilmington University
Dover, Delaware

We are inviting leaders and activists from environmental organizations across the state to join us for a session to discuss the most important environmental issues coming up in 2009.
We are planning a format in which each organization will be given a chance to discuss their priorities for the coming year, either in a general session or in break-out groups organized around topic areas. We ask that attendees share their priorities in writing before the meeting, which will be compiled and distributed by e-mail to all participants just prior to the meeting.
From there we hope to develop and strengthen alliances on issues of common concern so that we can get a quick start as the new governor and legislature take office later this month. We will distribute notes from the Summit to all participants.
We are asking organizations to contribute $25 and unaffiliated individuals $5 to defray the cost of the Summit. The Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club is covering most of the expenses. Please bring your check or cash with you to the registration table at the Summit.
For questions, please contact Tom Noyes at politics@delaware.sierraclub.org

Program
8:30 Registration
9:00 Opening Session
Program and process
9:30 Breakout Session 1
Topics: Energy, Water quality, Air quality, Land use, Solid waste & recycling, Nature & wildlife, Health, Climate change, Emerging issues
10:20 Breakout Session 2
Topics: Energy, Water quality, Air quality, Land use, Solid waste & recycling, Nature & wildlife, Health, Climate change, Emerging issues
11:10 Closing Session
Reports from breakout sessions
Next Steps
……………………….
Directions to Wilmington University in Dover:
http://www.wilmu.edu/dover/directions.aspx

The Dover campus is located on Route 13 North (at Scarborough Road), at the intersection of Exit 104 from Delaware Route 1, just north of the Dover Mall and Dover Downs.
------------------------------
Registration:
All registrations are due by 5:00 pm January 9th
Please copy and paste the following (highlighted in green) into a new email message and email to politics@delaware.sierraclub.org:
Affiliation or organization:
Name:
E-mail:
Address:
City: State: Zip:
Phone:
Issues of interest: Please rank from 1 (most important issue to you and your group) to 9 (less important)
___Water quality
___Air quality
___Land use
___Health and the environment
___Energy
___Solid waste & recycling
___Nature & wildlife protection
___Climate change
___Other (please describe)

Organizations are asked to offer a brief (two pages only please!) summary of their policy objectives for the year. Please send it to politics@delaware.sierraclub.org by January 9, 2009.

Please bring a mug with you, as coffee and tea will be available.

Take The National Academy Of Science Educational Materials Survey

Happy New Year! Our friends at the National Academies would like your opinion on which 5 areas they should focus on when developing upcoming print and web-based educational materials. Please take a 2-minute survey:
Take 2 minute NAS survey
At the end, you can see the results - and you can enter a drawing to receive a National Academies tote bag (woo hoo!)!
Thanks, as always, for supporting our efforts to elevate science in the American national dialogue.
-The team at ScienceDebate2008.com

Markell Names Jim Sills III To IT Post

Gov.-elect Markell Picks Banking Executive, Software Entrepreneur as State's Chief Information Officer James H. Sills III nominated to lead Delaware Department of Technology and Information
WILMINGTON – Citing his nominee's unique mix of public, private and small business experience, Governor-elect Jack Markell on Monday asked James H. Sills III to lead the state's Department of Technology and Information. With growing numbers of Delawareans requiring support services from the state at the same time the government faces historic budget shortfalls, Markell said Sills and the department will play a critical role in creating cost savings and improving quality for citizens."
Jim brings best practices from the private sector and a record of innovation to the table. Having run a small business and been a senior executive at several banks, he has had to put himself in the shoes of his customers and delivered time and again. He will do the same for the state," Markell said. "He understands how technology can make government more accessible, affordable and responsible."
Before launching the company i9Direct.com, a provider of Web-based employment eligibility verification tools for businesses, Sills spent five years as an Executive Vice President at MBNA (now Bank of America), where he directed the implementation, global service delivery and communications of all technology related projects for the $77 billion US Card subsidiary."
The state of Delaware is experiencing extraordinary challenges. It will take new ideas and people with diverse backgrounds to address these challenges. Governor-Elect Markell's efforts to rethink business strategies and processes and implement new solutions to move the state forward were what attracted me to join his team,"
Sills said. "It is my desire to contribute to this effort using my unique combination of business and technical experience in developing and implementing technology solutions to increase efficiency, enhance customer service and reduce costs."
Sills' 15 years in banking and finance included roles as President of Memphis First Community Bank and as Chief Operating Officer at First Tuskegee Bank. He spent several years as a Revenue Division Manager for the City of Wilmington and began his career as a Statistician for the State Department of Finance during the DuPont administration. He holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh and graduated from Morehouse College.
"As Chief Information Officer, I look forward to working with all three branches of government and the school districts to put the users' needs first and provide the technology vision and leadership to help determine the best solutions for the state of Delaware," Sills said. "
In addition, I look forward to working with the management and staff of DTI to foster innovation, improve cost effectiveness, and improve service quality."

I Love Me Some Community Crossfire!

If you didn't catch Norman Oliver and Hazel Plant last night, you really missed a great show. Their frank discussion about the murder rate in the city and the lack of direction of the Hope Commission is the kind of teevee that makes Channel 28 THE BEST!

Ingleside's Demonlition By Neglect Of Brown Mansion Being Taken Up Thursday

I found this photo of H. Fletcher Brown online. Newarkers and UD students are already very familiar with this person insofar as that his name graces the Chemisty Department's building on the UD's Mall next to Memorial Hall.

His gracious home in Cool Springs and its surrounding landscape have a less fitting history in-the-making, I'm afraid, with the current occupants taking exception to the stipulations for perserving his mansion and desiring to emprofit their non-profit by building a new senior tower in its stead.

Keeping the mansion intact is a must. The City of Wilmington will address the issue this Thursday.

The issue was first publicized in the WNJ in the fall ,well after the Crestview senior tower fire had strained the available affordable housing for the city's seniors. In the article Adam Taylor wrote about an elderly gentleman seeking housing after troubles condemned his east side home, Taylor presented Ingleside's desire to expand housing on their Broom Street property as if it were the end-all-be-all solution for housing senior in the City of Wilmington.

Shortage of housing for seniors exposed Mon Sep 29, 2008
The News Journal WILMINGTON -- The house on the East Side was in such bad shape when city code inspectors arrived, they assumed it was vacant.

Good luck with that.

Rare Opportunity To Meet Public Service Commissioner Tonight

As noted in the WNJ:
Residents of the Bear area are invited to attend the monthly meeting of the civic group 7&40 Alliance at 7 p.m. Monday in the Bear Library, Governors Square Shopping Center.
The guest speaker will be Dave Bonar from the Public Service Commission in Dover.
Next month's meeting will be Feb. 9. New members are welcome.

Best Argument For Sports Gambling

Quote from WNJ:

Chris Baker, 33, of Wilmington, said that if sports better were legal, "I won't have to go to a bookie and be worried he'll break my legs

heh. I am kidding about this argument's merit but I do think that the arguments against Delaware's incorporating sports betting into the program are specious. With the racinos here already, let's not pretend that this will particularly impact the addicted.

Wall Street Ailing From Systemic GREED

Bushie's legacy hallmark will be the economics catastrophe he has presided over, wars be damned. As summed up in today's WNJ:

It was a year of record misery: the largest bankruptcy, bank failure and alleged Ponzi scheme in U.S. history; $720 billion in writedowns and losses by financial institutions; $30.1 trillion in market valuation wiped out.

Webster's -
catastrophe theory
Mathematical theory developed by René Thom in 1972, in which he showed that the growth of an organism proceeds by a series of gradual changes that are triggered by, and in turn trigger, large-scale changes or ‘catastrophic’ jumps. It also has applications in engineering - for example, the gradual strain on the structure of a bridge that can eventually result in a sudden collapse - and has been extended to economic and psychological events.

(Frieda's image)

DEDO's Tourism Office Wants YOU!

Delaware Tourism Office to Host
Grant Information Workshops

DOVER, Del. (Jan. 5, 2009) – The Delaware Tourism Office is preparing to open the grant applications for fiscal year 2009. The tourism grant regulations were recently updated in order to streamline the process and better serve the needs of Delaware ’s tourism industry. DTO will host free tourism grant information workshops throughout the state. These workshops will be held on the following dates:

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009 from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at the Sussex County Administrative Office, West Complex, located at 2 The Circle in Georgetown
Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at Delaware Economic Development Office, located at 99 Kings Highway in Dover .
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at the Delaware Economic Development Office, located in the Carvel State Office Building , 820 N. French Street , 10th Floor in Wilmington .

Register early. Seating is limited. Contact Catherine Kreppein at 302-672-6842 or by e-mail at http://us.mc313.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Catherine.Kreppein@state.de.us to register. For more information, visit http://dedo.delaware.gov/Tourism.shtml.

About Delaware Tourism Office The Delaware Tourism Office, a division of the Delaware Economic Development Office, promotes tourism and economic growth in Delaware . DTO is dedic at ed to fulfilling the requests and needs of travelers by offering inform at ion and resources about Delaware activities, at tractions and destin at ions. For more inform at ion, visit the official Delaware Tourism Web site at http://www.visitdelaware.com/ or call toll-free 866-284-7483.

Frieda Berryhill Writes: Thanks to TIME

This weeks TIME
Nuclear's Comeback: Still No Energy Panace

After the still glowing but false promises by Alex Flint , the top Lobbyist at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) such as
“.an alternative to fossil fuels that can generate electricity when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. No carbon emission……….etc.
TIME Magazine comes in with an honest analysis of nuclear power

Excerpts:

………But some little-noticed rain has fallen on the nuclear parade. It turns out that new plants would be not just extremely expensive but spectacularly expensive. The first detailed cost estimate, filed by Florida Power & Light (FPL) for a large plant off the Keys, came in at a shocking $12 billion to $18 billion. Progress Energy announced a $17 billion plan for a similar Florida plant, tripling its estimate in just a year. "Completely mind-boggling," says Charlie Beck, who represents ratepayers for Florida 's Office of Public Counsel. "A real wake-up call," says Dale Klein, President Bush's chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC

The math gets ugly in a hurry. McCain called for 45 new plants by 2030; given the nuclear industry's history of 250% cost overruns, that could rise to well over $1 trillion. Ratepayers would take the main hit, but taxpayers could be on the hook for billions in loan guarantees, tax breaks, insurance benefits and direct subsidies--not to mention the problem of storing radioactive waste, if Congress can ever figure out where to put it.

This sticker shock has unnerved Wall Street. A Warren Buffett--owned company has scrapped plans for an Idaho nuclear plant; banks and bond-rating agencies are skeptical as well. In fact, renewables attracted $71 billion globally in private capital during 2007 while nukes got zero. The reactors under construction around the world are ALL Government financed "I have to keep explaining: France and China are not capitalist countries!" says Congressman Ed Markey, an antinuclear Massachusetts Democrat. “ Nobody wants to put their own Money into this so-called renaissance – JUST OURS”

Meanwhile, radioactive waste languishes in temporary storage pools and casks at plants around the country. (No clean=up cost has ever been forecast.F)
So how should we produce our juice? The answer may sound a bit unsatisfying: more wind, less coal but mostly the same electricity sources we're using, until something better comes along. The key will be reducing demand through energy efficiency and conservation. Most efficiency improvements have been priced at 1¢ to 3¢ per kilowatt-hour, while new nuclear energy is on track to cost 15¢ to 20¢ per kilowatt-hour. And no nuclear plant has ever been completed on budget.
Now that's an unsatisfying answer--especially since we'll be paying the bills. End of excerpts.

Thank you TIME. Next time maybe you dare to tell us about all the spills, the unplanned shut-downs due to equipment failures and operator error, the shortage of cooling water for future reactors , the damaging effects to aquatic life and human health, and more….

Media Matters Writes: The Coultergeist

Is NBC going to help Coulter sell this book?NBC has repeatedly provided Ann Coulter a platform to spew her inflammatory rhetoric even as NBC-affiliated hosts and anchors have expressed disapproval of her statements or criticized the media for promoting her. Coulter's latest book, Guilty, is rife with such inflammatory comments, including saying that the Democratic primaries were a contest of "Who's the Biggest Pussy?"; calling children whose parents divorce "future strippers" in a chapter titled "Victim of a Crime? Thank a Single Mother"; and calling former White House press secretary Scott McClellan "retarded." Nevertheless, Coulter has announced that she is scheduled to appear on Today on January 6. Read More

Guilty: Coulter's latest book filled with falsehoodsMedia Matters has examined a copy of Ann Coulter's new book, Guilty, and presents a sampling of the book's numerous falsehoods. These falsehoods include her defense of claims made against Sen. John Kerry by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth; her assertion that "Fox News has never been caught promoting a fraud"; and her claim that President-elect Barack Obama was referring to Gov. Sarah Palin when he said "you know, you can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig." Read More

TMP Cafe: America's Top 10 Young Progressives

This 'Progressives On The March' post by Andrew Golis made me happy :-) (link):

I'm convinced that progressives own the future. Not because Obama won (although that was pretty nice), but because the intellectual energy in America today is young and on the Left.
To make this case (and in light of the timeless practice of end-of-the-year list-making), I've put together a list of 10 young (under 40) intellectuals who I believe to be shaping a progressive future that is forward-looking, effortlessly intersectional, technologically sophisticated and engaged in not just the world of ideas but the world as it is lived. In other words, they're of the left, they're brilliant and they're helping to get shit done.

The Golis List (in no particular order)
1. Rachel Maddow
2. Jay Smooth
3. Samantha Power
4. Jacob Hacker
5. Van Jones
6. Rebecca Traister
7. Rinku Sen
8. Chris Hayes
9. danah boyd
10. Rick Perlstein

Checking Out The 'Delaware Business Blog'

I recently stumbled onto the Delaware Business Blog and liked what I found. Go take a gander and see what's going on. It offers a refreshing mix of current business and government affairs, including the very useful Delaware Executive Branch Meetings and Events link, all in one place online.

Godspeed Michelle Newton Smith

The Middletown Transcript provides a beautiful testimony in Shauna McVey's article: Remembering Michelle Newton Smith (link). [Obituary]

Recycle VHS Tapes To Christiana Care

WNJ letter today from Alan Haines, Christiana Care Video Doctor Program, Wilmington

In a recent article, it was stated that VHS tapes would no longer be made or distributed. If any readers have VHS movies that they no longer want, the Christiana Care Video Doctor Program would love to have them. This program, staffed by volunteers, provides patients with movies during their stay at no cost. To donate VHS tapes (and also DVDs ), contact the volunteer office at 733-1284 and the movies will be put to good use.

Battlefields Dishonored Or Not: Our Choice

An AP story today, "Same field, new kind of battle - Fresh development fight looms at Va. Civil War site" has its Delaware counterpart over on the Friends of Historic Glasgow website, for anyone who wasn't familiar with the group I co-founded that tried to save the lands near Iron Hill and the Battle of Cooch's Bridge, Delaware's Revolutionary War site, from development.

More People Are Coping With ADHD Beyond Simply Downing Drugs

Good news is here for those afflicted with ADD/ADHD: someone has taken it out of the context of a classic disease model (link).

Edward Hallowell is a psychiatrist with ADHD himself whose latest book, Superparenting for ADD(Random House, $25), is aimed at convincing parents, teachers, and kids thatattention deficit hyperactivity disorder (or attention deficit disorder) is a trait, not a disability.

Addiction, Second Cellar Edition

Anyone ever addicted to anything or who knows and loves someone addicted to anything should read this.
(h/t Althouse)

Jack Markell's Transition Team Writes:

Hit the books with Governor-elect Markell

Parents, educators and other interested Delawareans are invited to join Governor-elect Jack Markell on Monday, Jan. 5, for a town hall meeting to discuss ways the state's education system can be made more effective and efficient.

This meeting is the latest in a series of town hall discussions Governor-elect Markell is holding to generate ideas from the public as he prepares to take office facing very challenging economic times.

The meeting will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
at the Kent County Administrative Complex on 555 Bay Road in Dover.
Ideas can also be submited on www.markelltransition.com.--

Bobby Rush's Got Some 'Splainin' To Do

This whole Blago mess is going to get a lot more messy now that a few black Illinois politicians have stepped in it with him.
BarbinMD lays it out:

While there has been no shortage of eye-rolling moments since Rod Blagojevich named Roland Burris to replace President-elect Obama in the U.S. Senate, there's no question that it has been the statements from Bobby Rush that have truly taken the cake.
...Instead of trying to whip up racial tensions, perhaps Mr. Rush should explain why his bottom line has changed so dramatically in just three short weeks.

Gonzales: Worst.Bush/Congressional.Appointee.Evah

Think Progress :Some of Abu G's lowlights:

Politicized the DOJ: – Gonzales approved the firing and hiring of federal prosecutors for political reasons and lied to Congress about the scandal.

Approved torture: In 2002, Gonzales “raised no objections and, without consulting military and State Department experts in the laws of torture and war,” approved an infamous August 2002 memo giving CIA interrogators “legal blessings.” Gonzales witnessed an interrogation at Gitmo in 2002 and approved of “whatever needs to be done” to detainees.

Lied about warrantless wiretapping: Gonzaled lied to Congress multiple times
about the Bush administration’s illegal wiretapping program, saying there wasn’t “any serious disagreement” about the program (there was).

Distorted pre-war intelligence: Last month, the House Oversight Committee revealed evidence showing that Gonzales lied to Congress in 2004 by claiming that the CIA “orally” approved Bush’s claim that Iraq sought uranium from Africa.

Furthermore, it appears Gonzales’s lying streak isn’t over. Gonzales told the WSJ that he didn’t play a central role in drafting the opinions allowing the CIA to use harsh interrogations. “John Yoo had strong views. No one could make him do anything he didn’t want to do,” he said. Gonzales also said he did not lie to Congress about the illegal surveillance program.

Moving "Beyond Salesmanship To Leadership"

Violent death in our community must be met with spiritual leadership. The City of Wilmington is one of the most spiritually alive communities around and it is time to let spiritual forces take the fore and take the reins of hope in this county out of the hands of the empty suits (link).

When word of the shooting spread, local ministers said they would preach unity in the hopes of bringing hope to the city's more violent neighborhoods.
They were reacting to the homicide tallies for 2008, which saw 26 in Wilmington, 14 in New Castle County and one in Elsmere just outside the city.
The Rev. Christopher Bullock, pastor of the Canaan Baptist Church on New Castle Avenue, wants to be a voice of change in 2009 and teach young people the nonviolent principles of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
To stem the violence, city leaders need to empower neighborhood residents to focus on mentoring youth and those re-entering society.
"The failure of the Hope Commission has been a major disservice to the citizenry of Wilmington, particularly in the economically distressed black and Hispanic neighborhoods," he said. "That model might have worked in the '70s and '80s, but now it requires a new model and paradigm."
He was referring to the Hope Commission, which was started by Mayor James Baker to address issues that contribute to the city's crime rate. To date, it has been criticized for being inactive and prone to internal bickering."2009 is a time when we must move beyond salesmanship to leadership," Bullock said. "That's on my prayer list."
The Rev. Aaron Moore also is planning to preach "a new beginning."
"A new beginning involves not only the individual, but the community," said Moore, pastor of Manna Christian Fellowship Church in Wilmington. "I'm believing that God is going to do a new thing in 2009. It will begin with us and we will take it to the community.'
The focus will be on family and church and community, he said.
"If we take that spirit of unity to the community, it will bring about a difference in the community as far as their perception of themselves and then each other," Moore said.