Articles of Interest 6-14-06
Reminder: Pizza and Politics this Friday and our County Chairs meeting at the Kellogg Center on MSU. State Committee meeting Saturday.
The Democrats won’t have Karl Rove to kick around anymore….what will Mark Brewer talk about next…maybe Granholm’s record as Michigan’s Governor???
If you look at the facts, it's pretty clear that Karl Rove not only did nothing wrong, but he did everything right in terms of cooperating with this investigation.
What is so incredible is that the folks on the other side of the aisle, people like Howard Dean, Mark Brewer, Harry Reid and others owe Karl Rove an apology. They took this good man and they prejudged him. They said we're going to presume he's guilty.
What you saw from the Democrats was a rush to judgment for political gain. On a lot of different issues this year you're seeing Democrats playing politics as opposed to letting the facts bear out. No charges, no accusations, no issues.
In case you missed it, there was an editorial in today’s Detroit News, talking about Granholm’s Department of Education, and their plans for a new curriculum. The editorial says:
“The State Board of Education must decide today whether it is in the education or political indoctrination business.
“The proposed curriculum for high school social studies students sounds like it was put together by environmental and political ideologues…
“There's worse: The state that put the world on wheels will teach school students about the environmental evils of the automobile.
“Michigan's education leaders want students to "analyze how ownership and use of automobiles in the United States has contributed to natural resource scarcity and global warming." In addition, the geography part of the standards obsesses about world population change, urbanization, the suburbs, land use policy, food and energy, plants and animals -- even the West Nile virus.
“Global warming and the environment are among a variety of important public policy issues that the proposed curriculum deals with, says Martin Ackley, the press spokesman for the Michigan Department of Education. It has an impact on the nation, he says, and students need to understand these issues.
“Discussing or debating environmental issues might make sense in a science class. Otherwise, the social studies approach smacks of environmental indoctrination.”
This is an outrage. Granholm says out one side of her mouth that ‘There is no version of Michigan's future that does not include a vibrant auto industry,’ and ‘the auto industry is what gave Michigan its reputation for innovation,’ but then allows her Department of Education to vilify the industry to our young minds. The Governor tries to please everyone and as a result, pleases no one and succeeds only in hurting Michigan.”
You can view the entire editorial at:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060613/OPINION01/606130312/1008
We are actively recruiting volunteers statewide to fully utilize our Victory Centers. Calls are being made daily…we need you help.
Saul Anuzis
State Stories
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/OPINION01/606140311/1008
Message, not money, moves governor's race
DeVos' campaign theme resonates with Michigan voters
The message, not the money, is moving the poll numbers in favor of Dick DeVos in Michigan's gubernatorial race.
Democrats reacted to the latest Detroit News/WXYZ-TV survey showing DeVos leading Gov. Jennifer Granholm 48 percent to 40 percent by saying the Republican challenger is trying to buy the election with a steady barrage of campaign ads.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/NEWS01/606140332/1001/news
AFL-CIO leaflet takes aim at DeVos
But mailing mistakenly blames Bush for Amway's tax break
By Kathy Barks Hoffman
Associated Press
A leaflet being mailed to union members in the state says GOP gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos has been a major contributor to President Bush and once used his influence to win a tax break benefiting Amway Corp.
There's only one problem with the leaflet prepared by the Michigan State AFL-CIO: It says the tax break was "signed into law by President Bush in 1997."
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/NEWS06/606140442/1008
Maybe there's no official designation, but this week is Trade Issues Week for Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
By week's end, she will have devoted five public appearances to trade policy. It has given her the chance to take President George W. Bush's administration to task for its trade policies, and although she doesn't mention Dick DeVos, the Republican gubernatorial challenger, by name, she's linking him to Bush.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/POLITICS/606140354/1022
QB crash highlights helmet debate
Pittsburgh Steelers' Roethlisberger injured as Mich. bill giving riders choice heads to governor
The horrific car-motorcycle crash that left Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with severe facial injuries gave pro-helmet advocates in Michigan new ammunition in their fight to keep Michigan's 37-year-old law on the books.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/OPINION03/606140373/1022/POLITICS
Daniel Howes
Can a long-awaited DeVos strategy alter Michigan's reality?
SOUTHFIELD -- A new poll says Dick DeVos has gone from West Michigan glamour boy to gubernatorial front-runner in the race with glamour girl Gov. Jennifer Granholm, which is mildly interesting if what matters are polls taken six months before Election Day.
But they mostly don't. What matters is the doing part of governing a state in free fall.
http://www.mlive.com/news/statewide/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1150279814187820.xml&coll=1
Race to the finish on renaming trail
By Peter Luke
Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- Today's race to be the first to rename the 92-mile White Pine Trail State Park after retailer Fred Meijer pits the Granholm administration against the Legislature.
The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board this morning was expected to accept Meijer's gift of $1 million and rename the 92-mile linear state park in West Michigan the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park, Liz Boyd, Gov. Jennifer Granholm's spokeswoman, said Tuesday.
At about the same time, the Michigan Senate was expected to pass a bill, approved unanimously by the House last week, that also renames the trail after Meijer.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/BUSINESS06/606140316/1019
Biodiesel fuel plant is job boost for Bangor
First facility in state to also help soybean farmers
BANGOR -- This small, western Michigan town, known primarily for its local pickle factory and bumper blueberry crop, will soon be one of the state's gateways for the production of biodiesel fuel.
Michigan Biodiesel LLC is building the state's first biodiesel plant in Bangor. Scheduled to come online in July, the plant will create 25 jobs and be a boon for hundreds of Midwest farmers. It takes one bushel, or 7.3 pounds, of soybeans to make 1.4 gallons of biodiesel, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And the new plant will produce about 40 million gallons of biodiesel fuel a year. That's a lot of soybeans.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/OPINION01/606140307/1008
Michigan Democrats don't practice equal rights
'Until African-American voters break the cycle of dependency, we will continue to be an afterthought'
Adolph Mongo
S ome Democrats in Michigan have a distorted view of affirmative action. It's one thing to advocate giving minorities an opportunity. It's another thing to actually practice it.
Just recently some hard-core members of the party told me that any opposition to Gov. Jennifer Granholm in November is also a vote for the anti-affirmative action ballot measure known as the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative.
In other words, Democrats are the only people who support equal rights for people of color in Michigan. I don't think so.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/NEWS01/606140331/1001/news
Munoz confirmed as state police director
Lt. Col. Peter Munoz was unanimously confirmed by the state Senate on Tuesday as the next director of the Michigan State Police.
Munoz was Gov. Jennifer Granholm's choice for the job. He replaces Col. Tadarial Sturdivant, who is leaving for a job with the Wayne County Department of Children & Family Services.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/NEWS01/606140338/1001/news
Election 2006: On the trail ...
Anuzis criticizes Granholm on SBT
Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis isn’t prepared to give Gov. Jennifer Granholm much credit for Ann Arbor-based Xoran Technologies’s decision to invest $3.7 million to expand in Michigan, creating 171 new jobs.
Anuzis said the company made the decision only after getting a Single Business Tax credit worth $7.1 million.
“The lesson: Republicans are right to insist on giving every Michigan employer relief from the SBT, and Gov. Granholm was wrong to veto that bill (eliminating the SBT),” he said.
Granholm insists that if the Single Business Tax is eliminated, the $2 billion in revenue be fully replaced and that the burden not be shifted to families.
http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-3/11502079299090.xml&coll=2
Lincoln school board has $3.3 million deficit to resolve
Superintendent told to develop list of possible cuts
The Lincoln Consolidated Schools board is faced with making $3.3 million in staff and program cuts or taking the money from the district's savings in order to balance next school year's budget.
Cathy Secor, the district's director of business services, told school board members Monday night that revenues for 2006-07 are projected at $45.8 million and expenses at $49.1 million.
Levin, Stabenow report personal financial statements
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unlike many of their Senate counterparts, Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow have modest financial portfolios beyond their government salaries, according to records filed with the Senate.
Levin and Stabenow, D-Mich., who have spent most of their careers in government, list in their financial reports conservative investments such as 401(k), IRA and other investment plans, along with some real estate holdings.
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/061306/loc_2006061306.shtml
Dems poised to make changes in Legislature
By SVEN GUSTAFSON
ROYAL OAK - Seeking to outline a cohesive election-year platform, state legislative Democrats on Monday went on a blistering offensive, assailing what they described as a "broken" Republican Legislature and pledging change.
Republicans fired back, arguing that Michigan is suffering through a single-state recession under the watch of Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Republican reaction was swift and unambiguous. Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis likened the Democrats' plan to "a fresh coat of paint on a bunch of tired ideas."
"The only thing they are fighting is Republican efforts to create a pro-growth environment in Michigan," he said in a statement. "Now they want the voters to believe they have a real plan to grow Michigan's economy. This is nothing but an election-year gimmick."
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/NEWS04/606140350/1005/news04
Concealed arms carriers' privacy protected with Senate approval of bill
The state Senate on Tuesday passed a bill to make personal information about concealed weapons carriers exempt from public disclosure.
The bill passed 32-5. Five Democratic senators voted no: Liz Brater of Ann Arbor, Irma Clark-Coleman of Detroit, Bob Emerson of Flint, Gilda Jacobs of Huntington Woods and Martha Scott of Highland Park. Sen. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, was absent and didn't vote.
http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1150204940205700.xml&coll=9
Violent crime up in cities
Saginaw may keep growing smaller by population measures, but it's acting more like the nation's big cities in one important way: killings.
FBI statistics confirmed Monday what big cities such as Philadelphia, Houston, Cleveland and Las Vegas know. Violent crime in the United States is on the rise, posting its biggest one-year percentage increase since 1991.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-30/1150210127136010.xml&coll=6
West Michigan job market expected to grow
Need a job? Stick around West Michigan.
This region has the healthiest economy in the state, and the outlook appears relatively rosy for future hires. That's the consensus of Manpower Inc. and its analyst, Joe Ross.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-18/1150212103229830.xml&coll=7
Challenge to moderates: Take back GOP Get involved, ex-N.J. guv tells Republican women here
Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman came to Kalamazoo on Monday to mobilize middle-of-the-road Republicans and encourage them to get more involved in politics.
Whitman told a luncheon group that the Republican Party's far-right wing has driven the party's agenda for too long and that it is time for moderate voices to be heard.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006606140427
UAW CONVENTION: Union votes $60 million for growth, survival
It will also fight trade deals
LAS VEGAS -- To fight the decades-long decline of UAW membership, union delegates voted in favor Tuesday of spending up to $60 million to organize and recruit more members and battle trade agreements.
Spending more on organizing efforts is key to the future of the UAW, whose membership has dropped from a peak of 1.5 million in 1979 to under 600,000 today, delegates said.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/POLITICS/606140376
Affirmative action ban a dead heat
As debate intensifies over constitutional amendment in Michigan, support wanes.
Charlie Cain and Mark Hornbeck / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
A November ballot proposal to bar affirmative action from university admissions and government hiring and contracts is in a statistical dead heat, a new Detroit News/WXYZ-TV poll shows.
According to the survey of 600 likely voters conducted June 5-9, 43 percent favor the ban and 42 percent oppose it.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/SCHOOLS/606140353
Top Detroit teachers want raise
Union's 15.6% pay hike request may prompt contract fight with destitute district.
DETROIT -- The teacher's union for the state's largest school district is seeking a 15.6 percent pay increase for its top-tier teachers next year, a bold move that may signal that negotiations with the cash-strapped district could be sticky again this summer.
Janna Garrison, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said the increase would bring the pay of the most senior teachers to the top 10 percent of that in the tri-county area.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/BIZ/606140367
State business aid gets 'D'
Report shows Mich. lax with funding, tax support for entrepreneurs; officials say findings outdated.
SOUTHFIELD -- The fastest-growing entrepreneurs in Michigan are not getting enough of a $400 million state fund aimed at building small businesses, according to an annual scorecard measuring the state's support of small businesses and entrepreneurs.
The state got a "D" in an elaborate rating system aimed at measuring a state's entrepreneurial dynamism. The 2006 Michigan Entrepreneurship Score Card is compiled each year by the Small Business Foundation of Michigan and Edward Lowe Foundation.
National Stories
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060614/POLITICS/606140337/1022
Senate vote on flag-burning ban expected to be close
WASHINGTON -- Supporters of a constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to outlaw flag burning have their best chance ever to win Senate approval later this month.
Although the House has passed such a proposed constitutional amendment six times during the past decade, it has always died in the Senate.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BUSH?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Bush says troops to stay until not needed
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) -- President Bush says he will not bend to political pressure for troop withdrawals from Iraq and says he told worried leaders in Baghdad the United States will not leave until Iraqi forces can do the job.
"I assured them they didn't need to worry," the president said Tuesday. "I am going to do what I think is right. When I tell you these decisions are going to be made by General (George) Casey, I mean it," the president said. Casey is the top U.S. general in Iraq.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/13/AR2006061300267.html
Rove Will Not Be Charged In CIA Leak Case, Lawyer Says
By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 14, 2006; Page A01
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove will not be indicted in the CIA leak investigation, his attorney announced yesterday, a decision that signals that a special prosecutor's probe is unlikely to threaten any other Bush administration officials.
Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald told Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, in a short letter delivered Monday afternoon that he "does not anticipate seeking charges" against Rove in the case, Luskin said. Rove was told about 4 p.m. while aboard a Southwest Airlines flight en route to a campaign speech in New Hampshire, but he waited until early yesterday morning to publicly reveal the news.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/13/AR2006061301463.html
Maybe Not Morning in America, but at Least Out of the Dark
By Dana Milbank
Wednesday, June 14, 2006; Page A02
Within hours of hearing yesterday morning that Karl Rove wouldn't be prosecuted in the CIA leak case, Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), the chief of the Democrats' campaign to retake the Senate, hurried to the press gallery to blunt the damage.
But it was no use. "Senator," MSNBC's Tom Curry needled Schumer, "as you know, the president has nicknames that he applies to people, and one of the nicknames he applied to Karl Rove was 'Turd Blossom.' "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/13/AR2006061300432.html
In Baghdad, Bush Pledges Support to Iraqi Leader
Visit Aimed at Buttressing Newly Formed Government
By Jonathan Finer and Michael Abramowitz
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, June 14, 2006; Page A01
BAGHDAD, June 13 -- President Bush told Iraq's prime minister and his cabinet Tuesday that "we'll keep our commitment" not to withdraw troops from the country until the new government is capable of defending itself.
During an unannounced visit to Baghdad aimed at buttressing the newly formed government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Bush pledged his support for the country's new leader and declared that "the fate of the Iraqi people is in their hands, and our job is to help them succeed."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/13/AR2006061300627.html
Rep. Kennedy Gets Probation After Guilty Plea
R.I. Congressman Is Ordered to Continue Drug Treatment, Undergo Screenings
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 14, 2006; Page A05
Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, who lost control of his car near the Capitol last month in what he says was a drug-induced stupor, pleaded guilty yesterday to driving under the influence of prescription medication and could face 10 days in jail if he fails to comply with a long list of court-imposed conditions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/13/AR2006061301767.html
Spate of Good News Gives White House a Chance to Regroup
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 14, 2006; Page A01
In a White House that had virtually forgotten what good news looks like, the past few weeks have been refreshing. A Republican won a much-watched special congressional election. President Bush recruited a Wall Street heavy hitter as Treasury secretary. U.S. forces killed the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq. And now the architect of the Bush presidency has avoided criminal charges.
The question is whether this latest updraft in Bush's fortunes will last much longer than the president's surprise trip yesterday to Iraq. Bush took full command of the political stage with his five-hour appearance in Baghdad, just days after the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and used it to showcase a new Iraqi government he hopes to turn the war over to eventually. Yet in the end, some analysts noted, it will matter only if this new government can heal societal schisms and stand up effective security forces.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/13/AR2006061301449.html
Liberal Activists Boo Clinton
Rejection of Iraq Timetable Gets Cool Reception at Conference
By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 14, 2006; Page A10
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) drew boos and hisses from an audience of liberal activists yesterday as she defended her opposition to a timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq, and later she received an implicit rebuke from Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) for failing to acknowledge that her support for the war was a mistake.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/13/AR2006061301338.html
Webb Wins Democratic Nomination In Virginia
Ex-Republican to Face Allen for U.S. Senate
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 14, 2006; Page A01
Virginia Democrats yesterday chose Vietnam War hero James Webb to challenge Sen. George Allen (R), siding with their party's national leadership, which had declared the former Republican to be the only candidate with a chance to beat Allen in November.
Webb's support from Democratic senators such as 2004 presidential nominee John F. Kerry (Mass.) swamped the textbook campaign of his opponent, former lobbyist Harris Miller, who used $1 million of his own money to question Webb's commitment to the Democratic Party's core principles.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/13/AR2006061301262.html
GOP Scraps Vote on Mine Agency Nominee
By NANCY ZUCKERBROD
The Associated Press
Tuesday, June 13, 2006; 5:59 PM
WASHINGTON -- Republicans scrapped a vote Tuesday on President Bush's pick to head the agency in charge of mine safety after it became clear he didn't have enough support to win Senate approval.
Democrats opposed the nomination of Richard Stickler to head the Mine Safety and Health Administration, saying he had spent too many years as a coal mining executive and failed to demonstrate that safety is his top priority.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/13/AR2006061301500.html
For the GOP, a Base Hit Isn't Enough
By Sarah Chamberlain Resnick
Wednesday, June 14, 2006; Page A23
The inside-the-Beltway crowd has been chattering about the need for Republicans to reconnect with the "conservative base." Columnists, talking heads and other so-called experts have been going on at length about the need for the GOP to motivate this base to save our congressional majorities in the fall. While this may make for interesting banter on the Sunday morning talk shows, the reality is that Republican majorities in the House and Senate do not rest on the base alone. While keeping that segment of the party motivated is certainly an important factor in the November midterms, it isn't enough. To maintain our majorities, particularly in the House, our party must reach out to independent and swing voters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/12/AR2006061201492.html
Schumer Gets Cold Shoulder for Endorsement
By Chris Cillizza
Tuesday, June 13, 2006; Page A09
It's not yet clear whether Sen. Charles E. Schumer's endorsement of James Webb over Harris Miller in today's Democratic Senate primary in Virginia will help move votes. But it did move money -- away from Schumer (N.Y.) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee he leads.
The DSCC's decision to break with custom and wade into a primary battle on behalf of a Reagan administration official against a longtime Democratic loyalist outraged many influential Democrats, including some who raise a lot of money that now won't be going to the DSCC.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/14/washington/14spend.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
House Approves Funds for Wars and Hurricane Aid
WASHINGTON, June 13 — The House of Representatives approved a $94.5 billion emergency spending bill on Tuesday to provide more money for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and to finance the recovery of Gulf Coast states battered by hurricanes last year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/14/washington/14mollohan.html
Congressman in F.B.I. Inquiry Corrects Errors in Financial Disclosure Forms
WASHINGTON, June 13 — Nearly two months after stepping down as the top Democrat on the House ethics committee, Representative Alan B. Mollohan on Tuesday filed some two dozen corrections to his past six annual financial disclosure forms, saying his accountant had uncovered "a relative handful of unintentional and immaterial mistakes."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/14/world/14pew.html
Global Image of the U.S. Is Worsening, Survey Finds
WASHINGTON, June 13 — As the war in Iraq continues for a fourth year, the global image of America has slipped further, even among people in some countries closely allied with the United States, a new opinion poll has found.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/14/nyregion/14hillary.html
Clinton Opens Debate on Family Planning
WASHINGTON, June 13 — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton moved on Tuesday to shift the debate over abortion rights to the subject of access to family planning services, saying that the nation's focus should be on preventing unwanted pregnancies.
Mrs. Clinton's remarks, made to members of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association in Washington, reflect the degree to which Democrats around the country are trying to find a middle ground on the polarizing issue of abortion rights since their party's defeats in the November 2004 elections.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/14/nyregion/14rudy.html
Giuliani Says Nation Lacks Energy Policy
Challenging fellow Republicans in Washington, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani said yesterday that the Bush administration lacked an energy policy and that greater reliance on nuclear power, ethanol-based fuels and hybrid vehicles was more realistic than President Bush's goal of independence from foreign energy sources.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/14/world/middleeast/14mideast.html
Israeli Missiles Kill 10 in Gaza
GAZA, June 13 — Eight Palestinian civilians were killed and more than 40 wounded Tuesday by an Israeli missile strike on Islamic militants riding in a van that Israeli officials said was carrying rockets to launch at Israel. Two men in the van were also killed, including a man the Israelis consider an important rocket maker.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/14/world/asia/14bashir.html
Cleric Linked to 2002 Bali Nightclub Bombings Is Released
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Wednesday, June 14 — A radical Islamic cleric, whom the Bush administration has portrayed as an important operative for Al Qaeda in Southeast Asia, walked out of prison on Wednesday morning, after serving just over a year for criminal conspiracy.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008513
Frogs Aren't Marching
The Rove prosecution vanishes into partisan air.
So much for having Karl Rove "frog-marched" out of the White House "in handcuffs." That's the fate Democratic partisan Joe Wilson once predicted for President Bush's political guru, and yesterday his hope and accusations vanished like fog on the Potomac.
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald informed Mr. Rove's lawyers on Monday that he'll bring no charges as part of his investigation into who leaked the CIA identity of Mr. Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame. Mr. Wilson's original claims that Mr. Bush lied about Iraq intelligence have been discredited many times over, including in a bipartisan report from the Senate Intelligence Committee. And now we know that even the relentless Mr. Fitzgerald has concluded that the charge that Mr. Rove criminally blew Ms. Plame's CIA cover is false.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/federation/feature/?id=110008511
Free to Press
Does the First Amendment allow the media to publish classified information?
BY JOHN C. EASTMAN
Good morning, Chairman Hoekstra and members of the Committee. I am delighted to be with you today as you explore the extremely important constitutional issues surrounding recent disclosures of highly-classified intelligence-gathering programs that the president has authorized as critical to the war on terrorism and to our national security. I am the Henry Salvatori Professor of Law & Community Service at Chapman University School of Law in Orange, Calif., specializing in American constitutional law and legal history. I also direct the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, the public interest law arm of the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy, the mission of which is to restore the principles of the American founding to their rightful and pre-eminent authority in our national life. One of those principles concerns the scope of the freedom of the press recognized by the First Amendment, and particularly how that freedom operates in a system of government designed to protect the inalienable rights of citizens, including the right of collective self-defense.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/hjenkins/?id=110008514
Spitting Into the Wind
When it comes to immigration, be careful what you wish for.
BY HOLMAN W. JENKINS JR.
Fuss in Washington notwithstanding, there's an easy way to reduce illegal immigration. It doesn't involve building fences or spending hundreds of billions to create an intrusive bureaucracy to hunt down illegals one by one and deport them. Just introduce a fraud-proof national ID card with biometric information; make it illegal, with real penalties, for employers to hire anyone, citizen or immigrant, who doesn't have one.
Presto. Businesses would no longer be able to profess the impossibility of judging who's legal and who isn't. Most of the jobs illegal immigrants do would disappear, and many if not most of the immigrants would leave for the same reason they came--better opportunities elsewhere.
Before we go down this road, however, would we really like the consequences?
MIRS Capitol Capsule, Tuesday, June 13, 2006
John Reurink (517) 482-2125
Gov Likes Same-Sex Schools
Put Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM down as a supporter of segregating boys from girls in an academic setting because she favors "the things that causes children to learn better."
The governor told reporters that any constitutional difficulties could be resolved. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Organization for Women (NOW) has opposed earlier legislative efforts to put this idea into law.
"I think it would have to be done carefully, but it can be done in a way that does not violate the constitution," she said.
Putting girls in a classroom with no boys is a "good idea," the governor added.
"The choice (for parents) is something worth pursuing," she told Lansing reporters on Monday.
The governor said getting students to focus on learning is preferable to all the other messages they get from the mass media.
Other backers of the idea say girls in particular do better in science and math when boys are not around. Sen. Mickey SWITALSKI (R-Roseville) has been pushing the idea for six years and recently got the tentative endorsement of some key Senators. The Senate Education Committee reported out a bill last week that gives school districts the option to separate the kids (See "Same-Gender Bill Leaves Committee," 6/8/06).
The State Board of Education will not wade into the controversy surrounding the creation of so-called single-sex or same-sex schools, but the state superintendent said he believes schools should explore the option.
"I think 'explore' is an OK word. I don't want to leave the feeling that I think it is the answer, but people need to explore everything that might move kids," Mike FLANAGAN told MIRS.
He said he thinks this is a local control issue, but cites research that suggest young girls do better in science if boys are excluded from the classroom. "There are distractions," Flanagan said about the sexes learning in the same environment.
"Women get more involved … they answer questions and are more active" when the boys are not around, he continued.
The chair of the House Education Committee said he expects to move a measure out of his committee on Wednesday.
Rep. Brian PALMER (R-Romeo) said, "I've been a fan of this for some time."
He said he believes single-sex classrooms have worked in the private and religious schools around the state and "It's a parent's choice … it's not a mandate. It's voluntary."
Palmer credited the new Detroit School Superintendent Dr. Bill COLEMAN for helping to move this measure along. The two discussed the issue on Mackinac Island during a recent conference.
The House Education Committee chair said he does not see a mass movement to this alternative, but he does expect some urban schools to push the idea.
Sen. Liz BRATER (D-Ann Arbor) is a likely no vote when the Senate votes on this on Wednesday. She agrees with NOW that "separate but equal" did not work for civil rights and it may not work in education.
"I don't think it necessarily discriminates … but separate but equal didn't work very well … we worked hard for gender equity," she said.
Brater said mixing the sexes is part of the education process of learning how to live together.
NOW put out a press release going after SB 1296 and HB 4264. They noted that Judge George WOODS ruled in a 1991 suit by NOW and the ACLU against same-sex academies in the Detroit Public Schools because they violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
"While the purpose for which the male academies came into being is an important one, the objectives, no matter how compelling, cannot override the rights of females to equal opportunities," Woods said.
DeVos Would Sign No-Helmet Bill
Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVOS would sign a bill that would repeal the state's 37-year mandatory motorcycle helmet law, a campaign spokesman said today.
DeVos believes the insurance provisions within the bill (SB 0297) is a responsible requirement and that the ultimate decision on whether a motorcycle driver should wear a helmet should be left to the driver, not the government.
The bill heading to Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM for an almost certain veto would allow a rider over 21 who has taken a motorcycle safety course to ride without a helmet if he or she has $10,000 in insurance to help cover the hospital bill in case of an accident.
"It would make us consistent with 30 other states," said DeVos Spokesman John TRUSCOTT.
Truscott was asked if DeVos' position is damaged in any way by news that helmet-less Super Bowl quarterback Ben ROETHLISBERGER broke his nose and chin after crashing his motorcycle into the side of a left-turning car. One physician quoted in a Pittsburgh newspaper said the Pittsburgh Steelers' signal caller may have been able to walk away from the accident had he been wearing a helmet with a face shield.
In a past ESPN interview, Roethlisberger said he would wear a helmet if a state law required it, but in the meantime he prefers to ride without one. He showed up to the hospital Monday in serious condition and underwent seven hours of surgery.
"You might argue that it's not smart to ride without a helmet, but it shouldn't change the basic belief that it's a driver's choice," Truscott said.
Republicans Put Granholm Ad On Web Site
In what may be interpreted as an attempt at psychological warfare, the Michigan Republican Party (MRP) has posted the Michigan Democratic Party's (MDP) TV ad for Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM on its Web site.
John TRUSCOTT, spokesman Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVOS, told MIRS on Monday evening that the idea of posting the Granholm ad was being considered.
"We think their ad is basically an admission that she's waited three and a half years before trying to take action on the economy," Truscott told MIRS Monday.
Meanwhile, Granholm spokesman Chris DeWITT told MIRS Monday evening that if the Republicans did put the ad on their site, the Granholm campaign would consider it just one more channel for spreading their message — that is with the caveat that much would depend on how the Republicans displayed the ad.
"We appreciate them helping to get this in front of more people," DeWitt said. "We'd encourage everyone to take a look at what the Democratic Party has to say."
But DeWitt added that if the Republicans did put the ad on their site, any coverage by the media should include the context and commentary the site included along with the ad.
As it turned out, the only commentary the Republicans put with the ad was a note about how the ad blames President George W. BUSH for the state's economy, which is what most of the media focused on, too. However, only the first few seconds of the 30-second spot focused on Bush-bashing. In fact, one criticism of the ad is that it splits off into multiple messages, which some say results in having no specific message.
The ad was announced last week (See "Dems Go Up With Granholm Ad," 06/08/06). Also included on the MRP's Web site is a point-by-point rebuttal of every point made in the ad.
Gongwer
REPORT NO. 113 VOLUME 45 TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2006
Larry Lee (517) 482-3500
ROETHLISBERGER CRASH HIGHLIGHTS HELMET NEED, INSURERS SAY
The Insurance Institute of Michigan and other groups opposing a bill that would allow motorcyclists to ride without helmets say a recent accident that left Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with a nine-inch laceration on the back of his head, a broken nose, broken jaw and missing several teeth highlights the need for mandatory helmet laws.
“It certainly is a prime example of what can happen,” said Lori Conarton, communications director with the Institute. Ms. Conarton said the group would be working the crash into its campaign to keep the helmet law in place.
Mr. Roethlisberger was riding his motorcycle Monday morning when an oncoming vehicle struck him. He was not wearing a helmet.
The accident is expected to heap additional pressure onto Governor Jennifer Granholm to veto SB 297
In 2005, Mr. Roethlisberger told ESPN’s Andrea Kramer that he didn’t wear a helmet because it was legal not to. “It’s not the law. If it was the law, I'd definitely have one on every time I rode. But it’s the law and I know I don’t have to and you’re just more free when you’re out there with no helmet on,” he said.
In 2003, Pennsylvania amended its motorcycle laws so that licensed motorists over age 21 could not wear one if they choose. The bill was identical to SB 297, which will go to Ms