EDWARD MARKEY AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE A BAD DAY AT THE HANDS OF BUSH'S RUBBER-STAMP REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS

Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey and the American people-- or at least the non-billionaires among us-- had a bad day yesterday. Two really important amendments Markey had introduced-- one in the Energy and Commerce Committee and one in the Homeland Security Committee-- were defeated by the Republican rubber-stampers who control Congress on behalf of Bush and his coporate backers.

Energy and Commerce dealt with the Telecoms bid to takeover the running of the Internet with the express purpose of making its operation a corporate profit center. Basically the entire Republican caucus supports this and all but a few bought out Democrats oppose it. The bought out Democrats-- Al Wynn (MD), Charlie Gonzales (TX), Bobby Rush (IL), Ed Towns (NY), and Gene Green (TX), all of whom are scumbags on the Telecom gravy train-- joined with the Republicans and killed Markey's net neutrality bill. Now it will be dealt with by the Senate.

The action in the Homeland Security Committe was even more dire. Committee Chairman Peter King (Long Island GOP sleazeball) utterly sold out his duty to national security by going along with Big Business carrot-and-stick demands that Markey's amendment to require scanning of all shipping containers be killed. King and the rubber-stamp Republicans duly killed it.

Markey, like most Americans not on the payroll of big shipping companies, wants 100% scanning of American-bound containers. After hearing from their corporate masters, King and the Republicans poo-poo-ed the idea. Wow, won't King be embarrassed if an American port winds up with a dirty bomb! A lot of bad stuff happens when Repblican are in power. Have you noticed?