Staying Up-to-date

Here are is just a tiny sample of what I read today. I actually spend at least a couple of hours a day going through the news. These don't even scratch the surface of the things that interest me at the moment. Maybe next time I'll add a few on Education, Health, Random Cool Stuff...

G.O.P. Senators Say Accord Is Set on Wiretapping
Moving to tamp down Democratic calls for an investigation of the administration's domestic eavesdropping program, Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Tuesday that they had reached agreement with the White House on proposed bills to impose new oversight but allow wiretapping without warrants for up to 45 days.
Full article at:
From the New York Times

Congress cannot legally bypass the Constitution. If they wish to change the Bill of Rights, Congress can initiate a change by a 2/3 vote in both chambers followed by ratification of 3/4 of the states. Absent that, Congress saying it's legal for Bush to wiretap without warrants doesn't make it so.
The Constitution is the original "contract with America". When the government acts outside the Constitution, it ceases to be the legal government of this land.
- Mike Rivera


The Cost of War(s)
US Spending $5.9B In Iraq Per Month...
Monthly expenditures are running at $5.9 billion; the U.S. commitment in Afghanistan adds roughly another $1 billion. Taken together, annual spending for the two wars will reach $117.6 billion for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 -- 18% above funding for the prior 12 months.
Posted Mar 8, 2006 10:19 AM PST
Category: IRAQ
Full article at:
From the Wall Street Journal

Impeachment
A reasonable background article from Harper's magazine:
The Case for Impeachment

I would like to add that for all of the reasons listed in this article (and then some), I would include not only the president but the vice president, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Rove, Rice (and anyone else I may have missed. The list of charges are huge (and vary somewhat from person to person), but I'd settle for whichever stand the best chance for outing the lot of them.

Impeachment
Straight to the article:
30 US Reps for Bush Impeachment Inquiry



For Those Who Served...and continue to pay the price.


Soldiers Back From Iraq, Unable to Get Help They Need
The VA acknowledged some veterans suffer those problems but said most do not.
"Last year, 97 percent of veterans who came to us for a primary care appointment got that appointment within 30 days, and 95 percent of those who came for an acute care appointment got it within 30 days," said R. James Nicholson, secretary of Veterans Affairs.

A thirty day wait for an acute care visit?! Read both pages of the article and you realize how optimistic even that travesty is.

Full article:
From ABC News