Erma Ora Byrd, the wife of Senator Robert Byrd, died yesterday at age 88 at their home in McLean, Virginia following an illness of five years. Senator Byrd and members of his family were with Mrs. Byrd when she passed on.
Senator Byrd and his wife were married for 69 years. They met in grade school and married at age 19.
Mrs. Byrd did not seek the limelight. She did not give an interview to the press until 1982, insisting that the voters elected her husband and not her.
A number of current members of the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit are scheduled to testify on behalf of the confirmation of Judge Alito as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court before the Senate Judiciary Committe. Are they acting ethically?
The Third Circuit judges scheduled to testify are Judges Anthony Scirica, Edward Becker, Maryanne Trump Barry (whose brother is Donald Trump), Ruggero Adisert, Leonard Garth (who employed Judge Alito as a law clerk), and retired Judges John Gibbons and Timothy Lewis).
Wagering on the World Series is a Senate tradition of long standing. This year, the wager has a special edge: Blue State vs. Red State
Democratic Illinois Senators Richard Durbin and Barack Obama, wagering on behalf of the Chicago White Sox, anted up a basket filled with Chicagoland goodies: Al's Italian beef, Polish sausages and Vienna beef hot dogs. For desert, the basket includes Chicago-made Tootsie Rolls and Eli's Cheesecake.
And what did Texas Republican Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, offer to wager on behalf of the Houston Astros?
David Safavian, the former Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy who was arrested on Monday based upon a three-count criminal complaint, may have answered the questions posed by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee in a misleading way.
The form questionnaire completed by David Safavian on February 9, 2004, asked the following question:
"To your knowledge, have you even been investigated, arrested, charged or convicted (including pleas of guilty or nolo contendre) by any federal, State, or other law enforcement authority for violation of any federal, State, county or municipal law, other than a minor traffic offense? If so, provide details."
David Safavian, the recently resigned Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, was arrested on three counts of filing false statements and obstructing an investigation into the actions of a lobbyist, identified by some newspapers as Jack Abramhoff. The Report of the Senate Governmental Affirs Committee on Mr. Safavian's confirmation hearing on April 29, 2004, establishes a host of potential links between Mr. Safavian and Jack Abramhoff, as well as between Mr. Safavian and Grover Norquist.
Between the lines, the Report on Mr. Safavian's confirmation hearing also demonstrates a pattern of "inadvertent errors" by Mr. Safavian in preparing his biographical information for the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.
One of the opinions written by Judge Roberts during his brief tenure as a judge on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is colloquially known as the "french fry case." In this case, the mother of a 12-year old girl, Ansche Hedgepeth, brought an action under 42 U.S. C. 1983, alleging that her daughter's Constitutional rights were violated when she was arrested in a DC Metro (subway) station for eating a single french fry. Hegdepeth v. Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 386 F. 3d 1148 (D. C. Cir. 2004)
On November 14, 2003, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial containing excerpts from memoranda to Senators Edward Kennedy and Richard Durbin concerning strategies for blocking the confirmation by the Senate Judiciary Committee of judicial nominations made by President Bush. The editorial sparked a controversy that became known as Memogate. A central figure in Memogate is Manuel A. Miranda, a Republican Judiciary Committee staffer who became Judicial Affairs Counsel to Senate Majority Leader Williams Frist.
This diary provides a glimpse into the ongoing investigation of Mr. Miranda and his attempts to block that investigation through a civil action filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
As Congress contemplates private acccounts for Social Security, you should know that your 401(k) plan faces an increasing threat from theft. The Wall St. Journal reported that for the fiscal year ending September 30, the U. S. Department of Labor found 1,269 instances of missing 401(k) money. This is a 37-fold increase from 34 violations found in 1995.
In some cases, your employer may fail to send the money it deducts from your paycheck to an investment provider. Lodging and Gaming Systems, Inc. of Reno, Nevada failed to deposit $237,295 in 401(k) contributions. The company is reported to have used the money for "operating expenses." The company now is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
James Guckert a/k/a Jeff Gannon was interviewed on the Canadian Broadcasting Company's radio program "As It Happens." Mr. Guckert told the CBC interviewer that he did not see the internal memo relating to Valerie Plame. He said he "could" have overheard some other people talking about it or he "could" have been told to ask the question. He did not say who he overheard or who might have asked him to ask Ambassador Wilson the question.
Mr. Guckert seemed evasive in some of his responses. He avoided discussion of his journalism experience, saying that he had published over 500 articles over the last two years.
Mr. Guckert denied that he was a "plant" to ask softball questions. He said he had asked some tough questions. In particular, he cited a question he had asked in a White House briefing about the President's abrogation of his Constitutional authority by entering into an agreement with Senator Daschle not to make judicial recess appointments.
Stark County, Ohio is an election bellweather. Hit hard by outsourcing and the demise of the manufacturing economy, Stark County also is the home of Jeff Seemann, a Democratic candidate for Congress against an entrenched Republican, Ralph Regula.
My husband and I arrived last night. This morning, after checking in with Jeff Seemann, we went to Stark County Democratic Party headquarters to join a slew of other volunteers.
Do you have a friend or relative in the hospital? If you do, please ask if they have requested an absentee ballot or if they would like some help.
A dear friend of mine is hospitalized following an opportunistic infection (that took hold after a summer of chemotherapy). I realized she was feeling better after she asked if I could help her get an absentee ballot.
The Kerry/Edwards campaign is focused on winning this election. To support this effort, teams of lawyers are being sent to key battleground states. At a reception tonight in Washington, the legal strategy of the Kerry/Edwards campaign was outlined.
For all of you DC Daily Kos fans, the Kerry campaign is sponsoring a road trip to beautiful, scenic Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, this Saturday. Buses begin loading at 7:30 AM at the McPherson Square headquarters, 901 15th Street, Washington, DC and leave at 8:00 AM. (A return time is not specified) Buses will load in front of the Starbucks. Volunteers will be doing outdoor canvassing and should dress appropriately. If you are interested, you should sign up through the Kerry website, www.johnkerry.com.
The Kaiser Family Foundation recently issued its 2004 report on employer-provided health care. The report shows that health care costs for employers have increased 59% during the last four years. During that same period, five million employees have lost employer-provided health care.
A new AP story asserts "Documents that should have been written to explain gaps in President Bush's Texas Air National Guard Service are missing from the military records released about his service in 1972 and 1973, according to regulations and outside experts."
The Turn Virginia Blue Barbecue got off to a terrific start this afternoon thanks to the organizational skills of Maura Keaney (aka Maura from Va.). Four of Virginia's Democratic Congressional candidates, including Congressman Jim Moran and challengers Al Weed, Jim Socas, and Ken Longmyer, spoke to a crowd of about 250 people, along with Virginia Delegate Chap Petersen .
UAL Corp. (the parent of United Airlines) is dropping strong hints that it is "likely" United will terminate its four pension plans as part of its effort to cut costs and get out of bankruptcy. The termination of United's pension plans would put tremendous strain on the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), the independent governmental agency that stands behind defined benefit pension plans, and, more importantly deprive thousands of United employees of the pensions they expected.
An Associated Press story written by Stephen Graham reports that three U. S. citizens who ran a private jail in Kabul, Afghanistan insisted they had contacts with the U. S. Department of Defense.
