( – promoted by buhdydharma )

This essay is to consolidate suggestions and comments from my previous essay on the subject. I’m going to keep this to the point, partly because I’m in a rush since I won’t be around tomorrow (Thursday…wait, that’s today), but mostly because it doesn’t need much more. Please reference the last essay for the idea as originally outlined. I’ll be back late in the evening to see what else has developed. If anyone wants to contact me directly, that information is available on my profile.

As BruceMcF said, this isn’t really a new idea. We’re taking an old idea and making it relevant to the times we live in. Use the right tool for the job. This is the tool we need for the job.

—-

kj suggested three positions:

* designer

* editor

* overall decision-maker and advocate

I’m going to modify a bit and add one more position to that:

* Print Designer/Layout Manager

* Website Designer/Maintainer

* Editor

* Lead

Pfiore’s taken the Editor position, and being this is my idea, and I seem to have taken the ball, I guess that makes me Lead by default. (Heh!) So, we need people to fill the other two positions. Here’s how I see them. Let me know if this seems unreasonable.

Website Designer/Maintainer should be obvious. Design and maintain the website we’ll need. Whoever does this may want to take a look at the Slickplan blog on WP, just to learn more about it all. I’m not sure yet what all we’re going to need to do for the site, but I do know we’ll at least want a version of the newsletter available there with links to further reading for the articles we publish. Perhaps we could speak to some website designers jacksonville fl about this.

Print Designer/Layout Manager. Basically, design the print version of the newsletter, and help resolve any layout problems which will almost definitely arise from week to week due to content. Emphasis should be on readability.

I can’t do anything related to website design/maintenence. I can probably handle the print design and layout initially if no one else volunteers, but I’d prefer someone else doing this as I’m flying by the seat of my pants as is.

Last, but most definitely not least, we need writers. Granted, these aren’t “full time” positions, so to speak. Anyone can write something and submit it. However, knowing there are people committed to writing for this project would help a lot. BruceMcF has suggested he might be able to write two or three articles a week. Pfiore mentioned writing an editorial, which, given that she’s the editor, makes sense to me. I’m not sure what I’m going to be able to contribute, but I’ll try for at least one a week, and if I can do more, happy days! So it’s a start, but I’d like to know if there are others so I have an idea what to plan for.

—-

We’re probably going to do this weekly, not daily. BruceMcF and kj made a good argument for that. So what we need to do at this point is decide when to release and how many pages it should be. I think that since it’s going to be a weekly, we can have a couple more pages than planned, so that means six to eight pages. Ria suggested publishing on Wednesday so it’s out in people’s hands by Thursday. Bruce suggested Friday. There’s pros and cons to both positions. Friday offers us a chance to be “complete” for the week, but the downside is people may not be able to distribute until after the weekend, which means two days go by. Wednesday solves the distribution problem, but means people will be reading stories that could be “outdated” by the weekend, when they may be more likely to take the time to read. Depends on what’s happening in the world. Since I don’t need to make a decision on this right now, I’d like to hear any other suggestions or arguments.

—-

Another idea from Bruce “The Idea Machine” McF: provide links to VCDs, youtube playlists, and other multimedia that people can download for further information, as an alternative to the print version, or to be handed out alongside the print version. He provided links to his essays and DK diary on the subjects, so I highly recommend checking them out if you want to better understand what he’s after. Breaking the Silicon Cage. Video Samizdat. How to make a YouTube Playlist into a Video CD. I don’t think we can email media content of that sort, since that would be a bit much, but providing links where people can download the content to view themselves and burn to disc shouldn’t be a problem.

—-

We should also start thinking up names for this little endeavor. BruceMcF (again) thought up one: “The News Review” (He thought up another, but it was silly, and he knows it.) All suggestions welcome! (Including the silly ones.)

—-

Documel was (and likely remains) skeptical, and had a few things to say. I summarized some of it here to avoid taking up lots of space and time rehashing things. For the full dialogue, check the comments in the previous essay. Documel in bold; my response underneath.

Why should anyone trust what we write?

Same reason we trust what bloggers write. Links to sources and encouragement to do your own research. In other words, people don’t have to trust us.

We’re just second-hand reporters, getting our info from other media sources. That makes our info suspect.

First, that’s jumping to conclusions. Second, even if that makes our info suspect, that also means the source media’s info is necessarily suspect since it’s their info in the first place. So whether or not we’re second-hand reporters doesn’t enter into it, and we aren’t the ones who originated the suspect info. Further, we’re analysing the source material. Checking for veracity, consistency, etc. Just like what you’d expect out of a good blog post. Some writers are going to use sources to support their work. Others’ are going to tear sources apart. It’s the job of the rest of us to doublecheck the sources before publishing.

We need to pay for good news, and that’s the only way facts will get reported accurately.

We, the people (via the federal government), own the airwaives. (It’s the law. Look it up!) We grant media companies a license to use those airwaves in return for oodles of cash and the promise to use a portion of the broadcast for the public benefit (such as reporting the news). Failure to do so is supposed to result in getting their licenses revoked. (This hasn’t happened due to the corruption within our current government.) We’ve also lost the Fairness Doctrine, which was what helped to enforce good reporting.

Furthermore, media companies make shitloads of money, already. If they don’t have enough to do quality reporting now, they never will. The money’s not the problem.

If we want good news, we need to force media companies to provide it. Since we don’t have the power to do so individually, we need to get people to join with us. In order to do that, we need to get our message out. This newsletter is how we get the message out so people will join us – by spreading the message to more than just those who have internet access and chance upon our minute little corner of the tubes.

If this becomes successful, Murdoch would put one out and confuse the hell out of everything.

I can’t wait to have that “problem.” (Seriously. I’m actually getting goosebumps from the excitement just thinking about it.) Besides, if Murdoch gets that worried, I don’t think he has to emulate us to confuse things. He’s got plenty to work with already. Media owned by Rupert Murdoch.

I don’t see how this can be successful.

The same way any media are successful. Good writing and good distribution channels. The difference is in the type of articles we publish and the way we’re distributing the content. Not to mention the cost to produce (which is mostly time and effort) and the price readers pay (negligible except for subscribers). Subscribers promise to commit time and materials to help distribute rather than pay money for each new issue. I figure some will renege on the promise, but if we’re publishing good work, there should be enough subscribers who keep their promise to ensure more uptake. If we can also form a community around our effort, I think that’ll improve our odds, too. Basically, it’s a lot of little things, and we’re going to have to remain on our toes to keep it going.

—-

And I think that covers everything. If I missed something, LMK! And we’d still like your help, so anything you can offer to improve this project’s chance of success would be greatly appreciated.

Reprinted by permission from THE ENVIRONMENTALIST

A study of NASA satellite data, overlaid with reported cancer statistics, has identified nighttime exposure to lighted areas as a risk factor for breast cancer:

Women who live in neighborhoods with large amounts of nighttime illumination are more likely to get breast cancer than those who live in areas where nocturnal darkness prevails, according to an unusual study that overlaid satellite images of Earth onto cancer registries.

“By no means are we saying that light at night is the only or the major risk factor for breast cancer,” said Itai Kloog, of the University of Haifa, who led the new work. “But we found a clear and strong correlation that should be taken into consideration.”

Recommendation below the fold…

The mechanism of such a link, if real, remains mysterious, but many scientists suspect that melatonin is key.

A tumor suppressing hormone long known to be impacted by the nighttime illumination, melatonin requires darkness for its synthesis and release.

Melatonin is a neurohormone produced in the brain by the pineal gland, from the amino acid tryptophan. The synthesis and release of melatonin are stimulated by darkness and suppressed by light, suggesting the involvement of melatonin in circadian rhythm and regulation of diverse body functions. (Mayo Clinic)

According to the Washington Post, the World Health Organization has been studying the hormonal impact of nighttime illumination, focusing on breast cancer rates among female night shift workers. When the studies revealed a 60% greater incidence of breast cancer among nurses, flight attendants and others, they classified such night shift work as a possible carcinogen.

Note from stormchaser:  This is not a recommendation to starting taking melatonin.  The mechanism has not been completely identified.  The Environmentalist’s recommendation is to keep one’s bedroom dark at night.  I’d add: reset your internal clock to match light and dark, so that you’re getting the maximum benefit of the body’s natural protective processes.



More on this important story, including recommendations, here.  

Docudharma Note:  When I set up an account here, I originally intended NOT to simply cross-post my dKos diary.  That said, this is different.  I'm proud to be part of the 24 hours of blogging for Gilda Reed, progressive candidate for Congress from LA-01.  This is my entry in the round-the-clock blogging on dKos:

I was two years old when my family left Methuen, MA, for New Orleans. My mother, a NOLA native, didn't care much for Boston winters. She told my dad she was going back home with us kids and he was welcome to join us. My parents initially rented a house on Bonnabel Blvd., in Old Metairie, then bought a house not far away on Dream Ct. They moved closer to the lake when we outgrew that house, and that's where they lived out their lives.

T. Hale Boggs represented Metairie/Jefferson until his death in 1972. His wife Lindy succeeded him in the LA-02 seat and continued to represent the suburbs until the 1980 redistricting put Metairie/Jefferson in LA-01. There are still more Democrats registered in LA-01 than Republicans. It's just a matter of reminding them that Dems have done better by them historically than Republicans ever have or ever will.

This is what they will remember:

They'll remember the mold that covered the walls when they returned after evacuating for the storm.

They'll remember how they ripped out the walls of the houses they worked most of their lives to build and pay for.

They'll remember how so much of what they owned was carried away by trash collectors as worthless. (BTW, these photos are from my house.)

But most importantly, they'll remember the man who did absolutely nothing to help:

and they won't be too well-disposed towards those who think he did a good job.

Like Steve Scalise.

Gilda's opposition on the Republican side consists of Steve Scalise of Jefferson, Ben Morris of Slidell, and Tim Burns of Covington. Polls indicate that Scalise currently leads this field, with Morris five points behind him. (There is a 33% “Uncertain” in this race.) In spite of the large Uncertain percentage, my money is on Scalise, because the Republican money is on him.

Steve Scalise is 42 years old, from Jefferson, LA. He is married and has one daughter. His degree (from LSU) is in Computer Programming, and he lists his employment as a Computer Systems Analyst with Diamond Data Systems, a Metairie company specializing in DoD work.

In actuality, Scalise is a career politician, having been elected to office for the first time at age 30. He has been a Louisiana State Representative for the past 12 years (District 82). Scalise was unable to stand for a fourth term because of Republican-initiated/supported term limits. In spite of numerous expressions of interest in running for LA-01, Scalise ran for the State Senate (District 9), in the fall of 2007. His opponent in that race, former JP School Board member Polly Thomas (R-Metairie), predicted the exact situation that is unfolding now–that if PBJ were to win the LA-GOV race, Scalise would immediately qualify for LA-01, in spite of not even having been sworn into the office for which he was currently running. Thomas was savagely attacked by Scalise in the campaign for suggesting that he would abandon District 9 (if he were to win LA-01, Scalise would serve in one legislative special session and never represent the district in a regular session). Since the general election for LA-01 is 8-May, Senate 9 will be without representation, since there will be no time for a special election to fill the remaining 90% of Scalise's term.

Scalise is Roman Catholic, a graduate of Archbishop Rummel High School.

Scalise's positions on various issues:

Iraq

Scalise lists “Strong National Defense” as an issue for his campaign, but there is absolutely no reference to the current Middle East wars on his website. The disrespect this does to our troops as well as the intelligence of the voters of LA-01 is incredible.

Guns

Scalise has been the NRA's go-to guy in the LA legislature for over a decade. He has authored legislation for the gun lobby on several occasions, most notably a bill to retroactively prohibit municipalities in the state from suing gun manufacturers.

Abortion

Scalise is pro-life and has a 100% pro-life voting record with the Louisiana Right to Life Federation. The Louisiana Family Forum named Steve Scalise “Outstanding Family Advocate.” The LFF closely aligns themselves with Radical Cleric Dobson and Focus on the Family as well as Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council. Favors no exceptions for rape and incest.

Flood Protection

Scalise's campaign website says he supports funding 100-year-storm protection for Southeast Louisiana, yet he stands by the records of his predecessors. His friend David “Diaper Dave” Vitter, and PBJ both fully supported the Cheney Administration's ongoing underfunding of flood control projects for Southeast Louisiana. Scalise offers no explanation for this conflict in his words and actions.

Housing

Opposed re-building of affordable housing initiatives post-storm.

Healthcare

Voted last year to cut 1,532 state jobs from the budget, most coming from the Department of Health and Hospitals. Adamantly opposed to rebuilding Charity Hospital New Orleans, even though it was one of the state's largest employers, teaching hospitals, and the primary source of healthcare for the metro area's uninsured.

Education

Voted last year to cut $177 million in education funding from the state budget. Supports tuition tax deductions for families that have children in parochial schools.

Marriage/Gay Rights

Chief architect of the 2004 “Defense Of Marriage Amendment,” which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The amendment overwhelmingly passed in the legislature and at the polls. It was upheld in several court challenges and is now a part of the state constitution. Supports restricting no-fault divorce.

Voting Rights

Took the lead in deveoping “ballot integrity programs” for the LA Republican Party. The plans included increasing the number of Republican “poll watchers” for the 2002 Landrieu-Terrell Senate race.

Smoker's Rights

Opposed a ban on smoking in Louisiana restaurants (the ban passed and went into effect on January 1, 2007). What is significant about Scalise's opposition is that he did what one of his primary benefactors, the Louisiana Restaurant Association, told him to do. In many states, state-wide smoking bans are welcomed by restaurants, lest a county-by-county patchwork create inequities. In Louisiana, however, restaurants are gambling venues. By banning smoking, video poker players who want to drink, smoke, and gamble, have to go someplace else. That has caused a huge drop in restaurant gambling revenue. Scalise conveys the impression that he is a gambling opponent, but he serves a special interest that has made a lot of money from video poker in the last 15 years.

The Company He Keeps

There are numerous “whispers” floating around Scalise, the sort of stuff that sounds like it comes right out of a Karl Rove-operated campaign. We cannot confirm any of these sorts of allegations at the present time, so we will not dignify them here. No doubt his Republican opponents will pull out those guns before the 3-March closed primary.

Rebuilding Louisiana: Gilda Reed 24-Hour Online Fundraiser

Help us support Kossack Candidate Gilda Reed for Congress in Louisiana's 1st District! She's running in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Bobby Jindal. We'll be posting diaries about Gilda for the next 24 hours to raise support and bring attention to her candidacy. Please join us and learn more about this great Democratic candidate!

Donate to Gilda securely via ActBlue.

David Sirota has a very interesting article in the February edition of In These Times. It is also available for viewing online.

While I don’t agree with everything he says in it I think it is a good point to bring up and a fascinating article. In it he talks about why “Empowering Capitol Hill progressives is just as important as presidental campaign platforms.”

It is a good start to the broader discussion of what the end results of each canidate would be. A discussion that should not only include congress and platforms but also electoral coattails and working style among other things. But those will have to later. In this essay I will just be focusing on the arguments Sirota makes.  

Let’s get going.

In this epic race for the Democratic nomination, the most minute policy differences are extrapolated into bombastic TV ads, direct mail pieces and debate one-liners. Amid the noise, few remember that what candidates say or propose can bear little resemblance to what ends up happening once they are in the Oval Office.

…For voters trying to distinguish between Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Obama, the question should be who is more apt to empower a Democratic Congress whose seniority and power rests in the hands of committed progressives.

Hard to argue with that. Can you think how little one debate matters in this context? And yet it was a main storyline of the campaign for the last week.

Seniority and ideology

His first section deals with seniority and ideology in the congress. Let’s take a look at it.

A look across the committee structure on Capitol Hill highlights a unique opportunity for exponential change under a Democratic president.

Liberal Reps. David Obey (D-Wis.) and Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) chair the two most powerful panels in Congress: the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees federal spending, and the Ways and Means Committee, which oversees taxes.

Another liberal, Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), heads the Education and Workforce Committee that will be charged with reforming No Child Left Behind and strengthening labor laws. And progressive stalwart Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) heads the Judiciary Committee that could reform or scrap the Patriot Act.

…Committee chairs like Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Pat Leahy (D-Vt.). These three, respectively, run the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee overseeing climate change legislation; the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee involved in most domestic policies; and the Judiciary Committee impacting both civil liberties and nominations to the federal bench.

…The less these progressives are inhibited by the executive branch and the threat of presidential vetoes, the more progressive change will come from Washington. In other words, the more Ted Kennedy is allowed to be Ted Kennedy, the better.

Although we have all been disappointed in the Democratic congress it is hard to stress how important it is having these committee chairs. If we didn’t “I don’t recall” who we would have as Attorney General. We would have the Environment and Public Works Committee spewing out climate change denying crap. We would not be having any hearings. We would still be under the rule of far-right crazies. But this will be even more important when (and if) we have a Democratic president in office. But the importance will also depend on the style of that president. In the next two sections Sirota looks at the two remaining Democratic candidates and their styles.

Clinton: ‘hands-on’

A domineering executive branch under Clinton, however, poses a potential problem, best summed up by one word: triangulation.

The first Clinton administration would position itself against Democrats in Congress when it believed doing so was politically opportune. In a Republican Congress, such triangulation meant the Clinton White House worked with the right to pass initiatives like NAFTA and welfare reform, to name just two.

…Couple Clintonism’s ideological affinity for triangulation with Hillary Clinton’s public defense of corporate lobbyists, and the perils come into full relief. It would be no stretch to imagine a Democratic Congress passing some form of single-payer universal healthcare measure, only to have it crushed by a triangulating Clinton veto (or veto threat).

Fairly harsh. But a good point still. Let’s see what he has to say about Obama.

Obama: Alinsky and lawmaking

The Nation’s Chris Hayes recently wrote that Obama’s overarching “diagnosis of what’s wrong with politics is the way it is conducted rather than for whom.” Put another way, it’s not the “what” but the “how.” Fix how politics is waged-build a “working majority,” as Obama says-and solutions to big problems will come.

This is a theme of famed activist Saul Alinsky, whose community organizations Obama worked with as a young man in Chicago.

As Alinsky wrote in Rules for Radicals, the best organizers possess “a belief that if people have the power to act in the long run, they will, most of the time, reach the right decisions.” A President Obama would probably apply such a principle to Congress.

This goes directly to a point that I have been trying to make but have failed to articulate as well as David. Barack Obama like Paul Wellstone started out as a community organizer. He believes that the principles of organizing can be applied to governing. He knows you have to in the end sit down at the table and get something done even if you hate the guts of the guy across the table. He would rather have a bunch of like minded people sitting around that table though which is why he talks so much about building a “New American Majority.” David also points out that Obama is not perfect and gives him some heat for it.

Certainly, Obama has, on occasion, rhetorically triangulated against fellow Democrats. He once appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” to publicly lambaste proposals to withdraw troops from Iraq. However, his concrete legislative actions (votes, bill sponsorships, etc.) have been solidly progressive, suggesting his general aversion to conflict-charged vetoes would be most pronounced when dealing with progressive legislation.

But then concludes with this.

Though the media’s obsessive focus on presidential politics may lead us to believe the White House is all-powerful, Congress has been central to most of history’s great reforms.

That means this race is not just about which candidate appears more progressive-but also about which candidate will allow progressives in Congress to be strongest.

Though I agree with his central point that congress matters as well I think he misses another big point which is who will elect more progressive congresspeople. Barack Obama has carried twice as many swing districts in the primaries then Hillary Clinton (pre-Wisconsin and Hawaii) and there is some reason to believe he helped sweep progressive hero Donna Edwards into congress. And the incredible activist energy behind his campaign can only mean good things for the future of the Democratic Party. And if we sweep March 4th it’s over.

So please. Join with us and let’s March 4th Together.



Just by clicking that little image you can donate, have someone match you and let the donation is coming from us in the netroots. The Obama campaign is making a huge grassroots effort but it won’t be cheap. So pony up 😉 Also if you are that type, please call random people in March 4th States. And thanks to kath25 you can wear a cool apparel while you are taking action. Check it all out and buy stuff!

But the point of this isn’t just to promote Obama. It is to promote a progressive congress that Obama will need to make real change happen.

One of those candidates who will make that progressive congress is Gilda Reed. There is a 24-Hour Online Fundraiser going on for her right now. Check out the latest one and donate.

Some of my other favorite candidates are Barry Walsh, Heather Ryan, Ed Fallon, Ashwin Madia and Larry Lessig, just to name a few. So if you are for Obama, consider getting involved in a congressional race and help give him the congress he needs. If your for Clinton do the same. Can’t get exited about the presidential candidates? Get exited about a congressional canidate!

If you care about achieving a better world then please, please get involved with a congressional canidate. Could be a House canidate or a Senate canidate. Doesn’t matter. But get involved and let’s go change the world.

“I think we can do better. That is what Robert Kennedy always said. I think we can do better too. Won’t you join me in the effort?” – Paul Wellstone

My apologies to Kevin Sullivan.

As I stood on the mountain, I shuddered. Off in the distance, I could see the Golden Pyramid. I was transfixed. I could here the Pyramid calling to me, willing me to come forth a climb its many steps.

As I watched, I saw a man on the steps. I recognized the man, for he was one who was calling for hope. And I saw him climbing the steps of the Golden Pyramid. On one of the landings, there was a large jar, an amphora. The amphora was sealed. The man approached and tried to remove the lid from the amphora, and he cried out through his exertion “I must have Hope. It is what I have sold myself through. If I can gain Hope, then I can the power that I seek.” It was audacity, of course, for Hope had been stoppered away those many years ago, and no man could have her. As the man wearied, for how could he hope to thwart the will of the Gods, he stopped and began climbing to the room at the top of the Pyramid. When he reached it, he entered and did not return.

Soon, I saw a woman climbing the steps. I recognized her, for she had once been crowned with inevitability. She climbed past the landing where Hope waited in her jar with nary a glance. On the next landing, she rested under a potted tree. As she sat, her face showed her weariness. But she got up and began climbing again, reaching the room at the top of the Pyramid not to be seen again.

I did not understand what I was seeing, but the Pyramid continued to call to me. I felt compelled to follow their paths and to clim to the top room of the Pyramid. As I looked down the valley below, my eyes followed to an amazing site. Two mountains stood, with their bases touching. If you looked beyond, where the Pyramid stood, it appeared as if they had been drug together to cut the valley in half. And in the pass between these I saw a wall. The wall rose to a bewildering height, though where I stood on the mountain was much higher. The wall gleamed in the sunlight, for it was made of polished bronze. The wall, interestingly enough, had no gates to allow people to go through. While I could see myriads going over the wall toward the Pyramid, I saw none coming back. I looked back to the Pyramid, and I saw a line of people climbing toward the room at the top. Each person who enetered didn’t come out, and I stayed many hours and saw none return.

It was toward dusk that the solution of what I should do hit me. The Pyramid continued to call, but nobody had returned from it. I was struck by that fact, and knew that the same would happen to me should I go. I chose to leave that place, and the Golden Pyramid. It’s secrets would remain for others to find. I turned and returned upon the path I had climbed in the morning, knowing that what power I might obtain would wed me to the Pyramid forever.

Originally posted here: http://rjones2818.blogspot.com…

C’mon.  You know you want to.

Alaska Report

Arkansas Times

New York Times (registration required)

Did John McCain have an affair with a lobbyist and use his power for her client?

by Peter Cohan, Blogging Stocks

Posted Feb 20th 2008 7:59PM

McCain/Lobbyist Story In The New York Times Finally Drops

Marc Armbinder, The Atlantic.com

McCain linked to attractive female lobbyist

Capitol Hill Blue

For McCain, self-confidence on ethics poses its own risk

By Jim Rutenberg, Marilyn W. Thompson, David D. Kirkpatrick and Stephen Labaton, International Herald Tribune

Published: February 21, 2008

Google News Breaking Updates (you get it as soon as the bots find it)

MSNBC Olbermann crawls-

New York Times Report links McCain To Female Lobbyist Viki Iseman

NT Times: McCain And Lobbyist Both Deny Romantic Relationship

NY Times: Aids To McCain’s 2000 Campaign “Interviened To Protect (McCain) From Himself”

NY Times: McCain Denied Impropriety In Call To Times Executive Editor Bill Keller

And the Right weights in (well I’ve never heard of them, but they’re a member of Pajamas Media and link to LGF in their Blogroll).

NYT: McCain may have behaved unethically and also cheated on his wife, but we’re not sure

Allahpundit, Hot Air.com

8:59

Scout Finch at dK adds the detail that she’s a TelCo Lobbyist, not just a.

FISA anyone?  Bueller?

Another Rightwing site, Death by 1000 Papercuts- Vicki Iseman: Who is Vicki Iseman?