Saturday, May 30, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Data.gov Answers Calls for Transparency
The Obama Administration, in keeping with President Obama's campaign promise of more governmental transparency, has launched Data.gov.
Jake Brewer of the Sunlight Foundation heralds Data.gov as a means of fighting voter apathy.
Citizens must demand the same levels of transparency at the state and local levels. Open and transparent data is the strongest tool the public has at its disposal to lessen political corruption, particularly where money and politics are concerned.
The purpose of Data.gov is to increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. Although the initial launch of Data.gov provides a limited portion of the rich variety of Federal datasets presently available, we invite you to actively participate in shaping the future of Data.gov by suggesting additional datasets and site enhancements to provide seamless access and use of your Federal data.The British Speaker of the House of Commons just resigned because a tenacious freelancer publicized FOIA records of British politicians' wasteful expenditures.
Jake Brewer of the Sunlight Foundation heralds Data.gov as a means of fighting voter apathy.
Citizens must demand the same levels of transparency at the state and local levels. Open and transparent data is the strongest tool the public has at its disposal to lessen political corruption, particularly where money and politics are concerned.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Video: Sec. Clinton Holds Global Press Conference
Sec. Clinton holds a press conference at the Foreign Press Center in Washington, D.C.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Testimony on Violence Against Women in Conflict Zones
Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer testifies at the Senate Subcommittee on African Affairs and Human Rights, Democracy and Global Women's Issues.
Verveer speaks about rape as a tool for armed conflict in regions like Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC].
Friday, May 1, 2009
Bankruptcy Foreclosure Bill Killed in Senate
As I predicted, while the media has been 24/7 on the hot-button issues of torture and swine flu, Democrats in the Senate helped kill a bill that would enable homeowners renegotiate mortgages under bankruptcy protection guidelines.
This is a major win for the banking industry and a blow to struggling homeowners... which happened while our eye was off the ball.
The left-leaning media needs to take some responsibility for this.
While torture is a sexier, ratings-grabbing topic, there is no need for this to become the sole focus of commentators like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow and progressive groups like MoveOn, which is using opposition to torture as a rallying and fundraising tool. We have a very important domestic agenda that needs support and scrutiny.
Here is the list of Democratic senators who voted against the bill.
The Senate's main number is 1-800-962-3524. Please be cordial to the switchboard operators, but let the congressional staff know exactly how you feel.
Max Baucus, Montana: http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue
Michael Bennet, Colorado: http://bennet.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=TransitionalSiteEmai lSenatorBennet
Robert Byrd, West Virginia: http://byrd.senate.gov/
Tom Carper, Delaware: http://carper.senate.gov/index.cfm
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota: mailto:senator@dorgan.senate.gov
Tim Johnson, South Dakota: http://johnson.senate.gov/contact/
Mary Landrieu, Louisiana: http://landrieu.senate.gov/2009/index.cfm
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas: http://lincoln.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Ben Nelson, Nebraska: http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Mark Pryor, Arkansas: http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania: http://specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
John Tester, Montana: http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/
This is a major win for the banking industry and a blow to struggling homeowners... which happened while our eye was off the ball.
The left-leaning media needs to take some responsibility for this.
While torture is a sexier, ratings-grabbing topic, there is no need for this to become the sole focus of commentators like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow and progressive groups like MoveOn, which is using opposition to torture as a rallying and fundraising tool. We have a very important domestic agenda that needs support and scrutiny.
Here is the list of Democratic senators who voted against the bill.
The Senate's main number is 1-800-962-3524. Please be cordial to the switchboard operators, but let the congressional staff know exactly how you feel.
Max Baucus, Montana: http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue
Michael Bennet, Colorado: http://bennet.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=TransitionalSiteEmai lSenatorBennet
Robert Byrd, West Virginia: http://byrd.senate.gov/
Tom Carper, Delaware: http://carper.senate.gov/index.cfm
Byron Dorgan, North Dakota: mailto:senator@dorgan.senate.gov
Tim Johnson, South Dakota: http://johnson.senate.gov/contact/
Mary Landrieu, Louisiana: http://landrieu.senate.gov/2009/index.cfm
Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas: http://lincoln.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Ben Nelson, Nebraska: http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Mark Pryor, Arkansas: http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania: http://specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
John Tester, Montana: http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/
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