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The Decider Says He Doesn't Have to Follow Certain Laws
After signing two bills into law this week, President Bush said that he could bypass numerous parts of the laws. In a signing statement Bush said a military authorization act and a measure giving inspectors general greater independence from the White House unlawfully constrained the president's constitutional powers.
So which parts will Bush ignore?
Senate Adds Billions of Domestic Programs to War Bill
Eying its last chance to pass a spending bill this term, the US Senate has loaded up the Iraq and Afghanistan war funding bill with projects related and unrelated to the wars. Senate Leader Harry Reid's strategy includes separating the two types of funding, while recognizing that it will be difficult to overcome President Bush's looming veto.
The tangent projects, added by Senators of both parties, include:
- $50 billion expansion of veterans benefits under the GI Bill
- $100 million for local law enforcement to fight drug trafficking along the Mexico border
- $50 million to track down child predators
- $400 million for rural schools
- $1 billion for heating subsidies for the poor
- $350 million to fight western wildfires
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Très Bizarre: Arnold Schwarzenegger Creatively Drops F-Bomb
Either the governor of California has the sense of humor of a high schooler, or the profanity gods have joined forces to help Arnold Schwarzenegger send a curt message to a political rival. In this letter meant for assemblyman Tom Ammiano, the Governator explained why he vetoed funding for San Francisco's waterfront. If you look closely, you notice that the first letter of each line spells out a phrase that effectively gets the overall message across.
DC Spiritual Leaders Protest Torture Veto
Members and supporters of the Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture dressed as detainees yesterday during a demonstration orchestrated to "demand Congressional action to stop torture" on Capitol Hill. President Bush's veto of HR 2082 over the weekend — a bill that would prohibit all US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, from subjecting detainees to waterboarding, stress positions, hypothermia, and other forms of torture — was at the center of their protest.
The protest calls attention to broader spiritual concerns that reach beyond the walls of the Pentagon.
Schwarzenegger Vetoes Climate Change Curriculum Bill
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill last week that would have required all future science textbooks to discuss climate change as a distinct subject. High school science material already includes the sometimes-controversial topic in the weather unit.
Governor Schwarzenegger explained that he supports teaching climate change in schools, but does not think state lawmakers should dictate specific curriculum.
Harvey Milk: OK For a Movie, but Not For the Classroom
When California sixth-grader Natalie Jones put together a research project about Harvey Milk, it received a near perfect grade. But, when it came time to share the Powerpoint presentation, Natalie's principal said parents would have to sign a permission slip before her classmates could see it during a special lunchtime period.
The principal explained that since Harvey Milk was gay, parents might object to their children learning about his life.
Vermont Legislature Is the First to Legalize Gay Marriage!
Not even the veto of Governor Jim Douglas could stop the Vermont legislature's true love for gay marriage. Today, the state house and senate overrode a veto by 100-49 and 23-5, to become the first state to legislatively approve same-sex marriage. In other words, Vermont is the first state where the elected legislature, and not the court, legalized gay marriage.
Parting Gift For George W. Bush: Children's Health Care
With 289 votes and no looming veto, the brand new House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday to expand the successful State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). During his presidency, Bush whipped out his veto twice to kill similar legislation. Bush argued that the bill would extend coverage to high income children and eventually increase taxes by more than Congress planned.
Front Page: Number of New Unemployment Filings Takes a Dip
- The number of US workers filing new unemployment claims fell last week, offering a hint of recovery. The job market and income growth are still weak. — Reuters
- During his press conference last night, President Obama said that he believes waterboarding is torture.
Should We Scrap Marriage Altogether?
This week we talked a lot about marriage. Vermont's legislature overrode the governor's veto to legalize gay marriage, and Washington DC pushed forward a law that would recognize legal same-sex marriages from other states.
Back on the straight marriage front (am I making a statement by calling it that?), one columnist said we should all be doing more of it, specifically those with kids.
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