I know there are already lots of active topics up in the news & politics section and I haven't even been able to keep up with all of those, but I really couldn't pass this story up.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...&feed=rss.news

Sen. Specter Readies Bill to Sue Bush

(07-25) 04:19 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

A powerful Republican committee chairman who has led the fight against President Bush's signing statements said Monday he would have a bill ready by the end of the week allowing Congress to sue him in federal court.

"We will submit legislation to the United States Senate which will...authorize the Congress to undertake judicial review of those signing statements with the view to having the president's acts declared unconstitutional," Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said on the Senate floor.

Specter's announcement came the same day that an American Bar Association task force concluded that by attaching conditions to legislation, the president has sidestepped his constitutional duty to either sign a bill, veto it, or take no action.

Bush has issued at least 750 signing statements during his presidency, reserving the right to revise, interpret or disregard laws on national security and constitutional grounds.

"That non-veto hamstrings Congress because Congress cannot respond to a signing statement," said ABA president Michael Greco. The practice, he added "is harming the separation of powers."

Bush has challenged about 750 statutes passed by Congress, according to numbers compiled by Specter's committee. The ABA estimated Bush has issued signing statements on more than 800 statutes, more than all other presidents combined.

Signing statements have been used by presidents, typically for such purposes as instructing agencies how to execute new laws.

But many of Bush's signing statements serve notice that he believes parts of bills he is signing are unconstitutional or might violate national security.

Still, the White House said signing statements are not intended to allow the administration to ignore the law.

"A great many of those signing statements may have little statements about questions about constitutionality," said White House spokesman Tony Snow. "It never says, 'We're not going to enact the law.'"

Specter's announcement intensifies his challenge of the administration's use of executive power on a number of policy matters. Of particular interest to him are two signing statements challenging the provisions of the USA Patriot Act renewal, which he wrote, and legislation banning the use of torture on detainees.

Bush is not without congressional allies on the matter. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a former judge, has said that signing statements are nothing more than expressions of presidential opinion that carry no legal weight because federal courts are unlikely to consider them when deciding cases that challenge the same laws.

__________________

he should be suing rick fucking santorum for his idiotic campaign commercials.

I don't live in his neck of the woods, what are they about? (I can imagine.....gay couples morph into a man and an aardvark or something? )

__________________

Gotta love his new (against) immigration commercials. To paraphrase: My grandfather bust their asses when they immigrated (illegally I'm sure, but he doesn't say that) to this country. But now that I've gained success off the toils of their labor, and I have more money than they will ever have...all those mexicanos can keep their mexican asses in Mexico!! I'm Rick Santorum, and I approve this message.

God! He is so white bread, I'm sure he has a skeleton in his closet, and Tom Cruise help you if you are gay (although, he doesn't dislike homosexuals, just homosexual acts).

You can go to ricksantorum.com and see some of his ads. And probably search CNN for his views on everything else.

HAHAHA. last year maureen dowd coined the term "to santorum" which alluded to a gay sex act. he is a certified douche.

Can you say impeachment? Because I can. I.M.P.E.A.C.H.M.E.N.T! Woot!

Sounds similiar to our campaigns here.

"Hi, I'm Ernest Istook [a bunch of bullshit is said here]. I have been married for [however many horrible years], believe that marriage is between a woman and a man and have always been prolife! Vote for me! Yeah!"

Okay, well maybe I added the "Yeah" part, but it seemed to have fit. He's against illegal immigrates too. His ad did everything to turn me away from voting for him. Hahaha... and our Democratic governor right now (imagine that... in Oklahoma?) wound up receiving about 5 times as many votes in the primaries the other day then Republican Istook. Haha, this is great. So November will bring it down to Istook v. Henry, I wonder who is going to win?

www.istook.com

Did anyone catch 30 Days last night? A crazy minuteman went to live with a family of 7 illegal immigrants in Los Angeles for 30 Days. What a fantastically wonderful family they were. They lived in a one bedroom, *500 sq ft apartment*... all seven of them. The second to oldest daughter was frickin' brilliant. Graduated high school with a 3.8 GPA and applied for Princeton and Santa Clara (Princeton turned her down and Santa Clara accepted her). But this minuteman guy went to her high school graduation party that her TEACHER THREW FOR HER and started screaming with the teacher at the top of his lungs about minutemen being better than illegal immigrants. Happy graduation honey.

Well long story short, your comment about the grandfather immigrating over here reminded me of the show. This guy said that his family immigrated "LEGALLY" from Cuba when he was seven. However later in the show when the mother was crying because her parents had died in Mexico and she couldn't leave America (because she probably wouldn't have been able to get back in again) to be with them, he made this comment:

"It reminded me of my mother and how she couldn't leave and go back to Cuba when my grandmother was sick." But I thought they entered legally? Why wouldn't they have been able to leave if they had entered legally?

Santorum 1. The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex.
2. Senator Rick Santorum.

Because the USA has only sporadically allowed people to travel to Cuba.

__________________

Perhaps you're right and if that's the case, then fine. However I had a hard time believing this guy. Besides, when it comes to the death of family member, would this country really have stopped his mom from going to see her? I imagine it's possible.

No, Dan Savage, or his readers, actually. He had a contest.

__________________
We are sorry, the mind you have reached is not a working mind.
Please hang up and die again.
Please hang up,
And die again.

I have a hard time imagining anything getting in between me and a family member if they needed me, but as to the "I may be right" comment, yes, I'm right, I try not to talk out of my ass too often.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1023/p04s01-woam.html

October 23, 2003

HAVANA – Cubans have become accustomed to foreign tourists in recent years, but the procession of vintage Chevrolets and cute Cuban coco-taxis ferried an unusual group along the Malecón seafront last weekend.

Three dozen US travel executives, the first American travel delegation in 40 years, hit the streets of Havana Sunday. The group was on an unprecedented mission: to explore the potential of the Cuban tourist market, but also to thumb their nose at the US government's travel restrictions to the communist island.

Coming as it did just days after President Bush's announcement of a tightening of loopholes in the travel ban, the group's one-day foray stands as a stark reminder that most Americans favor having the right to travel wherever they choose - including to the Caribbean dictatorship.

__________________

Oh no, sorry. lol I didn't mean that as "maybe you're right that people weren't allowed to Cuba". I meant, "maybe you're right that, that's what his mother's situation was". lol Yeah, no I know that, that is an issue. This man was so in-your-face about how amazing his family is and got so offended when the daughter mentioned that technically the pilgrims were immigrants. Yeah, I just had a hard time believing that his family came here legally. That's all I meant, and yes you are right with the Cuba part.

Yes, I have a hard time believing too, because it's my understanding that leaving Cuba legally is not an easy thing to do. Isn't that why so many people do it illegally?

__________________

It sure is, but apparently (just like our homeless Vegas people) it's more important that we're not bothered with immigrants issues in this country. ::rolls eyes:: I mean honestly, what the crap do these people think is happening? Do they REALLY seriously think that these immigrants are coming here illegally because they think it's cute and fun? Yes, I can see how living in a tiny little apartment, underground and nonexsistant to this country would be what anyone would leave their country for.

I saw that one last night, and was weepy. I loved the college-bound daughter, and the mom was cool too. But, I knew at the end he wasn't going to change. He was so far removed from their lifestyle (not working for a living, but busting your ass for less than minimum wage; communication differences, etc.), that even his trip to see the father's brother and the rest of his family, you could tell that he was thinking "thank god this isn't my life". It wasn't his reality. I wonder, if his parents are still alive, if they are ashamed of his views or if they support them.

When the mother received money for the cans and plastic she collected, he just looked amazed, like, wow, they still do this type of thing? And all the yelling at the daughter's party, what a buzz kill -- I felt so bad for her. You're ruining the party of a girl who got a 3.8 GPA, which his kid(s) probably couldn't get even if they cheated. But he is obviously a stubborn and selfish man.

Yup...

Pronunciation: san-TOR-um
Function: noun
Etymology: Savage Love - 05/29/03
1. The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex.