Presidents' Day Links

The Angry Progressives hope you're enjoying Presidents' Day. Here are some links to help you take your mind off the village idiot who currently resides in the White House.

• Dems taking care of business, Part I: NJ Democraic Rep. Rush Holt says he's optimistic about achieving his longstanding legislative priority this year -- requiring electronic voting machines to have paper backups so election results can be verified.

• Dems taking care of business, Part II: Last week, Democratic senators Christopher Dodd (CT) and Bob Menendez (NJ) introduced the Effective Terrorists Prosecution Act to reform the system of terrorism detainee prosecutions. The bill would reintroduce habeas corpus protections to Guantanamo Bay detainees; create an independent court review to military commission rulings; and bar information obtained through "coercion."

• Building off of the successful anti-escalation vote in Congress this past week, MoveOn.org members are going to show up on Thursday at hundreds of Congressional offices to deliver letters asking Congress to stop the escalation. Add your name to the petition here.

• King George? As a lame-duck President facing a Democratic Congress, White House advisers are casting about for ways to jump-start Bush's final two years, including issuing executive orders to get things done without having to ask for support from the Democratic-controlled Congress.

• I know February has been freezing, but don't let that fool you. Despite what anti-environment conservatives are saying about global warming, the fact that January 2007 was the warmest January EVER is sobering.

• So, against the will of the American people and Congress and the better advice of the military and the Iraq Study Group, Bush is sending at least 20,000 more soldiers to Iraq. Even worse, he's sending them while there's already a shortfall of advanced Humvee armor kits designed to reduce U.S. troop deaths from roadside bombs. Now that's what I call supporting our troops.

• Yesterday I lamented the fact that Tennessee Republicans have introduced legislation that would likely would create public records identifying women who have abortions. This makes me feel a little better about being from Tennessee: Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen has said his state budget request for next fiscal year will include money to help preserve about 124,000 acres of forestland currently owned by a timber company.

• Georgia will stop enrolling new children in its health insurance program for low-income families because federal funds are running out. Again, so you don't forget, the GOP is all about family values.