We hadn't been reporting on Congressman Bill Janklow's unfortunate collision in his home state of South Dakota in which a motorcyclist was killed because, well, accidents can happen to anyone. It's that one moment in time you can't take back, the "what if I had gone through the intersection thirty seconds earlier," etc., etc. Whether fault is involved or not, a fatal accident is not one in which the driver wishes harm to occur. It occurs either because the driver was careless or reckless or because fate designed it that way. Think of all the times you've sped or indadvertently ran a stop sign, but thankfully, no one got hurt. Isn't that a "simple twist of fate?" (line by Bob Dylan.)

That being said, we have just finished reading this BuzzFlash report on other allegations in Janklow's past, and we are very concerned about them. Paticularly about his past record of treatment of Native Americans. And this comment, which he allegedly made to noted First Amendment attorney and author Martin Garbus, which Garbus published in his book, Tough Talk:

Garbus notes: "On his [Janklow's] way to election as attorney general [of South Dakota] in 1974, he began issuing statements aimed at endearing himself to white, anti-Indian voters. 'The only way to deal with the Indian problem in America,' he admitted saying, is to put a gun in the AIM [American Indian Movement] leaders' heads and pull the trigger."

Like Buzzflash, we don't know if the allegations against Janklow are true. But if they are, unlike the motorcyclist's death, there's no way they can be chalked up to an unfortunate accident.

Update: Is the reinvestigation into the death of Indian activist Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash just a coincidence?

Buzzflash says,

If Bush Really Wants to Investigate the Cause of the Largest Blackout in American History, He Should Start with the Vice-President, Tom DeLay and Himself

For example, last night, the President said:

We'll have time to look at it and determine whether or not our grid needs to be modernized. I happen to think it does, and have said so all along."

The truth is,

In June of 2001, Bush opposed and the congressional GOP voted down legislation to provide $350 million worth of loans to modernize the nation's power grid because of known weaknesses in reliability and capacity. Supporters of the amendment pointed to studies by the Energy Department showing that the grid was in desperate need of upgrades as proof that their legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) should pass. [Roll Call Vote #169, 6/20/01].

Read the whole thing.

What a great sign--the LA Times reports that Republicans in Congress are increasingly defying Bush.

The GOP-controlled Congress has in recent weeks defied Bush on domestic policies ranging from drug imports to media deregulation to tax credits for the working poor.

Congress is also presenting new challenges to Bush in foreign affairs. Members of both parties have expressed qualms about postwar policy in Iraq. The No. 2 House GOP leader has questioned Bush's "road map" to peace in the Middle East. And the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee last week criticized the president's policy on Liberia.

The article also explains how we the populace have been affecting Congress and the Republicans --such as on the media deregulation issue. We recommend reading the whole thing.

Does this remind you of anyone today?

Those who failed to oppose me, who readily agreed with me, accepted all my views, and yielded easily to my opinions, were those who did me the most injury, and were my worst enemies, because, by surrendering to me so easily, they encouraged me to go too far... I was then too powerful for any man, except myself, to injure me. --Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, (1769-1821)

Could it get any worse for the kids of Neil and Sharon Bush, brother and sister-in-law of President Bush? Neil and Sharon should be ashamed . Their sniping about each other and parading the dirty details of their divorce in the press is worse than a made- for- tv movie. Get a grip, guys and zip it. We don't care what happened in your lonely mansion. Your tawdry behavior is demeaning to you both. If you don't care about yourselves, give a thought to your three kids, who certainly deserve better.

In Leave No Millionaire Behind, Arthur I. Blaustein writes for Mother Jones today that "Driven by hollow political priorities, the Bush administration's disastrous economic policies are undermining our national ideals."

A professor of economic and social policy at the University of California, Berkeley, Blaustein served as chair of the President's National Advisory Council on Economic Opportunity during the Carter Administration.

Colorado journalist and blogger Dave Cullen, writing for Slate, says that the Air Force Academy's sexual assault court martial proceeding against cadet Douglas Meester may just be a show trial.

Meester appears increasingly like a convenient scapegoat. After Meester's Article 32 hearing in May—the military analogue of a grand jury—the presiding investigating officer found the charges so flimsy that he recommended the court-martial be scuttled. And Weida's own legal adviser, Staff Judge Advocate Col. James Moody, advised the commandant of the court-martial's futility in a June memo: "To be frank, the rape and forcible sodomy charges are unlikely to result in findings of guilty."

Since the article went up on the web, Dave has received a torrent of hate mail.

But the pleasant military responses were not half as surprising as the level of venom coming from a lot of young men and women. Many staunchly believe that if you have sex with a drunk woman you're automatically a rapist. I find that perplexing. Then with all the people hooking up at singles bars, getting drunk and going home together, all the men are rapists? And what are the women?

Take Back the Media has suggested Bush is impeachable for having sworn an oath and lied to Congress during an official duty. Snowdog writes he has filed a class action lawsuit to impeach President Bush and Veep Cheney. He is looking for people to sign on. Details here, just type in the case number is 214493. If you want to sign up by e-mail, send your message to info@bigclassaction.com. Oh, and the site says Snowdog is looking for a lawyer to represent the class.

[comments now closed]

Washington may be trying to ignore Westar, but it's still news in Kansas, as the public watchdog group Public Citizen, founded by Ralph Nader, seeks the release of more internal documents pertaining to the company's campaign contributions to determine if they were made with the intent of seeking to influence federal legislation.

On an unrelated note, check out Garrison Keller's new song, Where are All the Democrats, sung to the tune of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone."

Lyrics include

- Where are all the journalists? (are they having too much fun, embedded down in Washington?)

- Where are all the weapons of -- mass destruction?

- Where are the Republicans? (We're happy in the GOP, where the food and drinks are free.)

[link via Conclusive Evidence]

Public Citizen is all over the Westar Energy Bribery Scandal . They have asked for an investigation and filed complaints with the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct and with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section. You can read both on their website.

Yesterday, Public Citizen sent this letter to the Westar Board of Directors seeking "all internal communications relating to the company’s efforts to win an exemption from the Investment Company Act in exchange for more than $50,000 in campaign contributions between May and October 2002."

We haven't been following the Westar energy company's fundraising controversy, but we're going to get on it now, as questions continue to mount about the company's campaign contributions and lobbying efforts--and its influence.

The Boston Globe today recaps the story, and explains how it may "touch" Attorney General John Ashcroft .

The controversy involving campaign contributions and lobbying practices of Kansas-based Westar Energy Inc. has seeped beyond the four Republican lawmakers cited in initial news accounts. It now touches, even if tangentially, Attorney General John Ashcroft and a gathering of energy company executives at a Virginia resort sponsored by House majority leader Tom DeLay, Republican from Texas.

....Ashcroft, meanwhile, is being asked by some liberal and Democratic groups to launch an investigation -- either by the Justice Department or a special counsel -- into possible connections between the Westar campaign contributions and legislative action on the energy bill. The groups say Ashcroft should recuse himself from the investigation, because his 2000 Senate campaign received $2,000 from former Westar executive Carl Koupal. Koupal also gave $1,000 to Ashcroft's Spirit of America PAC. Koupal managed two of Ashcroft's campaigns in Missouri and was Ashcroft's director of economic development in the late 1980s, when Ashcroft was Missouri governor.

Westar gave donations to seven Republicans in close re-election races last year. "The company wanted a change in regulations that could have saved the company billions of dollars."

Two consumer groups have called for investigations and the resignation of the three remaining Directors.

David Wittig, the former chief of Westar, goes on trial Monday for fraud and money laundering activities while although unrelated to the company, were discovered through grand jury investigation into Wittig and the company. He was indicted along with Clinton Odell Weidner II, a former president of Capital City Bank.

Update: June 30--Clinton Odell Weidner II pleaded guilty to two counts of making false bank entries right before trial today and said that Wittig had nothing to do with his fraud.

After 9/11, Bush pleaded with citizens to participate in public service. He promised funds for Americorps programs. Now he's renegged, and the programs are on the brink of closure from lack of funds.

Bush and Congress need to pass a $200 million supplemental budget to restore AmeriCorps funding to 2002 levels....Members of AmeriCorps provide valuable — even critical — services to our schools and neighborhoods. AmeriCorps members mentor children in at-risk schools, build homes for the poor and clean up blighted areas of communities across America.

E.J. Dionne's commentary on Americorps in the Washington Post, available here tells the story of the cuts--and the enormous support for the program.