Have you heard about Postville, Iowa? The story came out because of this essay (pdf file) by Erik Camayd-Freixas, Ph.D., who was employed by ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) as an interpreter at the raid of Agriprocessors, Inc., in Postville. ICE went in and charged hundreds of hard-working undocumented workers with the "crime" of working without the proper papers, and forced them into jail for months before they are deported. Jail time we taxpayers will pay for. Formerly such individuals would just be deported immediately. ICE is just trying to justify the enormous amounts of money we have pumped into our ridiculous Homeland Security agency. And of course ICE didn't go after the owners who are making money by destroying formerly middle class jobs and making illegal immigrants into the peasants of today.
Digby reminds us that Jimmy Carter was right. The Republicans jumped all over him 30 years ago for daring to say we need to break our dependence on foreign oil and conserve. And look where we are now. In 1979 the average price of a gallon of gas was $.86 cents. When Bush took office, it was $1.44. Today the average price is $4.12. And Bush wants to drill more as a solution. Moron. There isn't enough oil offshore to affect the price of oil one bit.
You could call the Bush era The Squander Years. What hasn't he done wrong? It's a very short list.
All those bailouts of Wall Street firms? They love capitalism until they've bankrupted their companies, then they love socialism. Why are we bailing out these crooks and letting them keep their ill-gotten gains?
The Bushies are making another end-run against reproductive rights. They're trying to change rules so all health organizations that receive federal funds must hire workers even if they oppose birth control. (so a hospital couldn't fire a nurse or a pharmacist who refused to tell teenage patients about birth control, for example.) Tristero at Hullabaloo explains it all, with a NSFW headline that is entirely accurate.
For you haiku and limerick buffs, check out firedoglake's Ted Stevens Poetry Contest!
My entries:
Ted Toobz in winter
Free renovations cause fall
Contemplates prison
Ted’s twilight years
Marred by thoughts
Of maximum security retirement plan
Ted Stevens regrets
His bridge to nowhere
No Toobz in jail for Ted.
My favorite, submitted by Ripley:
Toobz abandon Ted
Indictments fall like snowflakes
Midnight sun has set
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