Another Case Of BDS

Hey folks,

Happy Hump Day. Glad to be back in the chair. Hope you enjoyed our guests the last two days. I really did. Anyway, back to reality.

Now this story was from Monday. I have no idea if anyone else have talked about this, but you do not have my take on it even if they have. This is STUPID. Melanie Sloan, Director of CREW, is an IDIOT, along with showing that she also suffers from BDS, and even appears to be anti-Christian?

What am I talking about? THIS from Reuters - White House told to detail Christian leader visits

By Randall Mikkelsen Mon Dec 17, 6:34 PM ET

A U.S. judge ordered the Secret Service on Monday to disclose records of visits by nine prominent conservative Christian leaders to the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney's residence.

The ruling, in response to a legal watchdog group's suit, could shed light on the influence leaders like James Dobson of Focus on the Family have had on President George W. Bush's administration. It may also affect legal efforts to force the release of visiting records of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and other similar cases.

No these are separate. Two, it is NONE of ANYONE’S business when, how many times, and most definitely NOTHING that was said during these meetings. Could you imagine if some idiotic group was to demand times and what was discussed between Sen. Ellison and HIS Spiritual Leaders? Or times and discussions between any Religious Leaders and Clinton, or anyone other than Bush?

"We think that these conservative Christian leaders have had a very big impact," said Executive Director Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which filed the case.

Who CARES what you think?

"The White House doesn't want to talk about how much influence these leaders have, and we want to talk about how much they do have," she said.

It is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! It’s none of my business. It’s none of anyone’s business. Let’s say that they get the times and dates. I would most likely give that out. What’s the point? But just because someone visits someone, how would you determine how much influence they have had without knowing the conversations. The conversations are privileged, so I would say to CREW or Sloan, well, quite simply, screw off.

Dobson is one of the most influential opinion leaders among conservative Christians who are at the heart of Bush's political base.

Others whose visiting records were sought included Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, Gary Bauer, who unsuccessfully sought the 2000 Republican presidential nomination, and Moral Majority co-founder Jerry Falwell, who died in last May.

Falwell, who also visited Clinton? How many times did he visit Clinton? How much influence did he have over HIM? Will you ask that as well?

U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth rejected as "misguided" the Secret Service's arguments that disclosing the records would reveal confidential policy deliberations.

The Secret Service is responsible for presidential security and clears visitors for entry to the White House and Cheney's official residence. It also argued that the records were not under its control but were protected presidential documents.

Lamberth wrote: "The most that can be said is the Secret Service acts as if the White House has legal control over these records. Upon closer inspection, however, even this proposition seems suspect."

The White House has also fought against releasing Abramoff's visiting records. Lambeth's ruling means they cannot be destroyed without permission of the national archivist, Sloan said.

She said she expected the administration to fight the ruling, but if it survives it could mean White House visits will be considered public records.

Their disclosure would then be open to challenge only on a case-by-case basis, for reasons such as state secrecy or attorney-client privilege.

Justice Department spokesman Charles Miller said the agency was reviewing the ruling but had not decided whether to appeal.

So you see, this is really just a political move to attempt to open the Bush Administration to even MORE investigations and more waste of time. They cannot win this though. The ruling is to release time and dates. I would give it to them. Who cares and what is the point? But they will never be able to over come privilege. They will never be able to over come private conversations between Religious Leaders and the President. Like it or not, we do NOT need to, nor are we allowed to, know everything about everything.

If I were the President, use your inhalers, put away your defibrillators, I’m not running. Well, yet anyway, never say never. But if I were President, I would probably give the dates and times when people visited. But if anyone, including Federal Judges, ask to know what was discussed during those meetings, I would put my answer in words that could not be mistaken, even by Liberals. “Screw off.” Especially if it was in reference to my faith and visits by Spiritual Leaders.

Peter