Attorney General declines to investigate Bush advisors

A bedrock principle of the United States legal system is the independence of law enforcement. Whether it be the local police, or the United States Attorney General, the law should serve as guide. So it is a bit disconcerting to learn that, once again, the Bush Administration cares more for loyalty than law.

The Attorney General for George W. Bush -I mean the United States- has determined that Congressional subpoenas are no longer important and need not be heeded. The United States Congress issued contempt citations for Harriet Miers and Joshua Bolton for their failures to meet Congresses demands in their investigation of the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys. Today, the recently appointed Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, has announced he will not enforce those citations.

How convenient it must be for the Bush Administration to break the law. They have created a loyal majority on the Supreme Court, top law enforcement is filled with cronies, and they face a Congress which has forgotten more about the Constitution than they dare invoke.

Are you one of the people who still needs more evidence that Bush should be impeached?

These are the kinds of surveys I find absolutely fascinating. Something with a large group of respondents that can help paint an accurate portrait. And in this case, I think this portrait could be from Kodak.

So the American religious fervor is still in full swing. A full 78 percent of this nation still claims affiliation with some form of Christian church. That's no surprise. But the shift within American Christianity is more important. Catholicism has one of the lowest retention rates of all faiths when it comes to their youth members remaining into adulthood. Similarly, Protestant faiths are also challenges in that area but to a lesser degree. I believe it is safe to assume that the priest abuse scandal is living up to be the true devilish nightmare feared by the Catholic leadership. Children don't trust their faith in those who have none. And, perhaps slightly attributable to the religion vs. homosexuality debate, men are more likely to claim no religious affiliation than women. Nearly 20 percent of men claim no religious affiliation. Strangely for married couples -but perhaps signifying our "religious marketplace", 37% of married individuals are partnered with someone of a different faith.

Similarly interesting are the faiths that are claiming higher retentions. Hindus, for example, have the highest retention rates of all faiths in American at 84 percent. Jews and Mormons make up an equal percentage of the American pie, claiming 1.7 percent each. It's strange that blacks, Muslims, the disabled, and hundreds of other categories can claim recognized minority status in some form or another. But when a Jew says he is a minority, it somehow means less. And when it comes to percentages, it is the "unaffiliated" who are making the largest gains. Twenty-five percent of the population aged 18-29 claims no religions affiliation at all. That number only dips down to 16 percent for the entire American population. A mere 1.6 percent of respondents claim to be atheists, but that number increases to 2.4 percent for those seeking the socially safer road of saying they just aren't sure (agnostics).

When it comes to matters of faith and politics, the United States continues to be one of the most religious countries in the world. Our President has openly and proudly stated his holy direction, given to him from God. Whereas most of Europe has seen rapid decline in religious fervor and attendance, America continues its grasp on religion. Yet we constantly battle with each other and our government over who's faith, how much faith, when is a time for faith, and why to include faith at all.

Survey: Americans switching faiths, dropping out
(Full report)

House finds Bolten, Miers in contempt of Congress

Much to my own amazement, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to hold White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers in contempt for failing to testify in the investigation surrounding eight fired U.S. Attorneys. I also can't believe that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -the person who refuses to exercise her Constitutional DUTY to impeach the President- had the nerve to say this:
“I hope this administration will realize this Congress is serious about its constitutional role of oversight”

Here's what this means for the brewing battle. The Department of Justice must now enforce these orders on Miers and Bolten. If the White House tells the DOJ not to do so, Congress must go to federal court for enforcement.

This is a big step in the battle between a failing Congress and a power-stealing White House. Bush and his Administration do not care about the Constitution and Congress has failed in their duties to "uphold and defend" the Constitution. I hope today's vote signifies a positive change in attitude, but with less than a year left in the Bush Administration, it may be too little, too late.

You might be a terrorist if....

...you are an individual who enjoys doing things.

It's only a matter of time before the children are brainwashed into spying on their own parents.