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PostPosted: 10/22/09 5:21 am • # 1 
Rep. Alan Grayson has established a site to identify and honour those who have died because they had no coverage,
(Almost 45,000 per year, according to a Harvard study).

http://www.namesofthedead.com/

Finally, someone is addressing, head on, the very real and personal cost of accommodating the avarice of the insurance companies and that each day the status quo remains, the numbers continue to rise at an alarming rate. (122 per day).

Just imagine if those were the casualty rates coming out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Who in their right mind would be tolerant of that continuing?

Plaudits to the man for having the courage and commitment to drag the debate back on-topic.







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PostPosted: 10/22/09 6:04 am • # 2 
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Grayson seems to have found his voice and is making it heard ~ I wish more Dems would follow his lead, not only on health care but on every obstruction-for-obstruction's-sake tactic being used�~ the following is interesting as well ~ and Paul Broun is a VERY deserving candidate for derision ~ Sooz


By Zaid Jilani at 1:43 pm

Rep. Alan Grayson Grills Republican Congressman On Constitutionality Of Anti-ACORN Crusade

One of the right's loudest crusades has been their effort to undermine the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now (ACORN). Following the release of a series of videos showing a handful of ACORN employees behaving inappropriately, conservatives in Congress have done everything they can to single out ACORN for being stripped of all federal funding (while engaging in apparent opposition to defunding companies that cover up rape). Many legal experts have warned that these measures may be unconstitutional because lawmakers cannot punish a group or individual without a trial.

Yesterday, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) challenged the constitutionality of one of these anti-ACORN measures being supported by Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) during a hearing of the Science and Technology committee. Grayson repeatedly questioned Broun about the constitutionality of "bills of attainder" - which are punishments that single out a group or individual without a court trial. The Georgia Republican was unable to offer a coherent rebuttal:

Quote:

GRAYSON: I'd like to ask the gentleman from Georgia a few questions, and I'll yield to him for the purpose of having answers to these questions. Does the gentleman from Georgia know what a bill of Attainder is?

BROUN: A bill of, the answer's yes, in fact it's been very explicitly described by the court's.

GRAYSON: What is it?

BROUN: [long pause. Scrambling through papers.] The courts have applied a two pronged test. Number one, whether specific individuals or entities are affected by the staute, Number two, when the legislation affects a "punishment," on those individuals, it serves no legitamate regulatory purpose.

GRAYSON: What, um, does the Constitution says about Bills of Attainder?

BROUN: Oh, I suggest that this is not a Bill of Attainder. It's, um, certainly does focus on a specific entity, but it does not inflict punishment by any means. In fact…

GRAYSON: Will the gentleman from Georgia explain what the Constitution says about Bills of Attainder?

ANOTHER CONGRESSMAN: Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield for a second? The gentleman from Florida?

GRAYSON: No. I'd like an answer to my question. [...]

GRAYSON: The question is, will the gentleman from Georgia agree with me that the Bill of Attainder clause was intended not as a narrow or technical provision, but as an implementation of the seperation of powers, and a general safeguard against legislative exercise of the judicial function, or more simply, trial by legislature. Will the gentleman agree to that?

BROUN: No, sir, I will not, and I ask counsel to help us with this. I think all this is determination of the court and I'd like to appeal to Mr. Sensenberner.

GRAYSON: Well, I'm sorry, but it's my time, not yours or Mr. Sensenberner's, so I will reclaim my time, and I will point out that what you just you would not agree to is from a Supreme Court case called the United States v. Brown, something I would expect you might know about, given your name.

Watch it:

Grayson ended his remarks by noting that the conservative crusade against ACORN isn't based in principle but politics: "We are trampling on people's Constitutional rights. And I think it's unfortunate that the mania that exists on the other side of the aisle regarding this one organization, and we know why that mania exists, it's because they've registered an awful lot of Democrats, continues to distort and waste the time of this committee and many other committees here in Congress. Enough is enough."

(HT: MinistryOfTruth at Daily Kos)

http://thinkprogress.org



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PostPosted: 10/22/09 6:20 am • # 3 
I have to say that Grayson is one of the few Democrats who have impressed me lately. He's a hard hitter and you better come prepared if you want to take him on.

This speech is a seminary on accurate combination punches ........

�

Ding, Ding!



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PostPosted: 10/22/09 6:34 am • # 4 
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Wowza!


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PostPosted: 10/22/09 7:39 am • # 5 
Brilliant! I like him!


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PostPosted: 10/22/09 8:32 am • # 6 
I have seen him on Maddow and Maher...This is one smart dude. He made the "gentlemen" from Georgia look stupid!


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PostPosted: 10/22/09 8:37 am • # 7 
the monster wrote:
I have seen him on Maddow and Maher...This is one smart dude. He made the "gentlemen" from Georgia look stupid!
For sure ....

Grayson was born in the Bronx, New York and grew up in the tenements. He graduated from Bronx High School of Science and worked his way through Harvard University, graduating in three years, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He worked as an economist for two years, but then returned to Harvard for graduate studies. Within four years, he earned a law degree with honors from Harvard Law School, a masters in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and completed the course work and passed the general exams for a Ph.D. in government.[3][/sup][4][/sup] After writing his master's thesis on gerontology, Grayson founded the Alliance for Aging Research, and served as an officer of the organization for more than 20 years.


Pretty impressive academic credentials.

Source:


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PostPosted: 10/22/09 8:49 am • # 8 
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the monster wrote:
I have seen him on Maddow and Maher...This is one smart dude. He made the "gentlemen" from Georgia look stupid!

monster, search "Paul Broun" on our general board ~ the "gentleman" from Georgia IS stupid ~ and just plain hateful ~

FF, Grayson's "academic credentials" are stellar ~ and he has used those credentials well ~ he is also in the enviable position of now being exceptionally wealthy, and doesn't have to worry about unemployment if he were to not be reelected ~ which, if my hazy recollection is correct that he represents a fairly conservative area, could easily happen ~ maybe Jabra can confirm my recollection ~

Sooz


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PostPosted: 10/22/09 5:24 pm • # 9 
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wow. that is some powerful stuff. Grayson rules.

um....what is a Bill of Attainder?


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PostPosted: 10/22/09 8:08 pm • # 10 
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macroscopic wrote:
wow. that is some powerful stuff. Grayson rules.

um....what is a Bill of Attainder?

punishments that single out a group or individual without a court trial.


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PostPosted: 10/23/09 2:26 am • # 11 
I'm confused. What does ACORN have to do with health insurance?

On the topic of bills of attainder, I really am not so sure that just cutting Federal funding for a project would count as punishment. If they asked for repayment of prior funding, or enacted a law that would prevent them from seeking alternative forms of funding, yes, that would be punitive, but I don't think there is any obligation to provide federal funding in such situations that it would be punitive to just stop future funding of a particular project.

So, I'm not sure I like Grayson's tactic at all of trying to box someone in on a false premise, and then taking a personal swipe at him for his name. To me, that's the same dirty crap I don't like about the way many members of the GOP play their politics games, and I don't think it's something to be praised in a Democrat just because you're all cheering that he cut down a Republican. It also illustrates the blinders a lot of people wear when condemning or praising those who oppose or agree with their personal choice of party affiliation.


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PostPosted: 10/23/09 3:11 am • # 12 
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Calluna, Congress is [allegedly] working on more than just health care ~ and ACORN is a favorite target for Rs ~ pulling funding from a non-profit during a funding cycle before there is any investigation or judicial trial IS punitive ~ a bill of attainder seeks to protect separation of the powers ~ this legislation, which was rammed thru within days, is nothing more than trial by Congress, based fully on what are likely illegally obtained videoclips ~ and definitely oozes into the judicial function ~ so there is no "false premise" to Grayson's "tactic" ~

As for Grayson's tactics generally, I see him "answering in kind" ~ and that is the only thing some understand ~ and when there is any D "answering in kind", the Rs whine about "dirty tactics" ~ so I do applaud the very few D voices raised in debate ~

Sooz


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PostPosted: 10/23/09 6:07 am • # 13 
Grayson can go overboard.

Answering in kind to me equates to advocating two wrongs making a right. Two wrongs never make a right , however.

I think there are limits on doing something to illustrate a point and to draw attention to a point and taking what starts there to an over the top level.


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PostPosted: 10/23/09 6:43 am • # 14 
The Republicans have learned that sometimes "over the top" is all that the public understands. It seems Democrats are increasingly understanding that social truth.


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PostPosted: 10/23/09 6:57 am • # 15 
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No argument from me, except to threshhold ~ I just don't feel the threshhold is anywhere near "two wrongs" yet ~ anyone "can go overboard" ~ I've certainly done it ~ I'm not happy with the "tone" in WDC ~ I'm not happy with the strict partisan lines, that so few dare to cross for fear of retribution ~ I'm definitely not happy that what is in the best interest of the public is being lost in all that ~ and I am appalled to finally recognize just how UNinformed and basically UNinterested a huge segment of the public is ~ everything being reduced to the lowest common denominator is not the road to fixing what needs to be fixed or improving what needs to be improved ~ but if it takes an Alan Grayson or someone else standing up and yelling "hey, wake up" to make people take note, then I don't have much of a problem with that ~

Sooz


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