Second meeting for 2007: March 7th

Time: 7:00 to 9:00 pm

Place: Longmont Public Works Building – 375 Airport Road

The program will include a short business meeting, surfing the LAD website led by our webmaster,Doug Wray, and an open forum for members to present, discuss and vote on issues and resolutions. Members must be up to date on their 2007 dues in order to vote.Come and participate

Posted by admin as Events at 7:00 PM UTC No Comments 

From BobGeiger.com

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Democratic Reaction To Libby Verdict

Here are some reactions from leading Democrats to I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, once Dick Cheney’s right-hand man, being convicted Tuesday of perjury and obstructing an investigation in the CIA leak trial:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

“I welcome the jury’s verdict. It’s about time someone in the Bush Administration has been held accountable for the campaign to manipulate intelligence and discredit war critics. Lewis Libby has been convicted of perjury, but his trial revealed deeper truths about Vice President Cheney’s role in this sordid affair. Now President Bush must pledge not to pardon Libby for his criminal conduct.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

“Today’s guilty verdicts are not solely about the acts of one individual.

“This trial provided a troubling picture of the inner workings of the Bush Administration. The testimony unmistakably revealed – at the highest levels of the Bush Administration – a callous disregard in handling sensitive national security information and a disposition to smear critics of the war in Iraq.”

Presidential Candidate John Edwards

“Today’s verdict in the Libby case is an important step in holding the Administration accountable for its consistent misuse and manipulation of intelligence to further its ideological agenda. But there are serious questions about whether the buck actually stopped with Scooter Libby. The American people deserve to know if Mr. Libby has been made a scapegoat in order to protect anyone else.”

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)

“While justice has been served in the Libby case, the real lesson to come from it is that we must be vigilant in ensuring that the intelligence on burgeoning threats to our nation is beyond reproach. Clearly, the Bush Administration wasn’t forthcoming about the intelligence failures leading up to the war in Iraq and as a result damaged the country’s credibility. We need to ensure that our intelligence is accurate, reliable and free of political influence.”

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT)

“What this verdict confirms is the current Administration has shown at every turn, that they favor their own political survival over national security and the truth. This is a just end to an appalling episode and a sobering reminder that no one is above the law.”

Senator John Kerry (D-MA)

“This verdict brings accountability at last for official deception and the politics of smear and fear. This trial revealed a no-holds barred White House attack machine aimed at anyone who stood in the way of their march to war with Iraq. It is time for President Bush to live up to his own promises and hold accountable anyone else who participated in this smear. It is also well past time for Vice President Cheney, who according to the testimony was protected by Scooter Libby’s lies, to finally acknowledge his role in this sordid episode.”

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)

“This verdict sends a very clear message that the abuse of power is not going to be tolerated, and that those powerful figures who think themselves above the law, will be held to the standard of the law.”

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)

“The evidence was pretty clear that Scooter Libby lied to the FBI and the Grand Jury about leaking the identity of Valerie Plame. That was the conclusion reached by the jury. The larger point of this case, though, is the extent to which the Vice President of the United States personally undertook a vendetta to discredit an Administration critic.

“The testimony in the trial made clear that Vice President Cheney was personally involved in the decision to disclose the identity of an undercover agent and jeopardize her contacts and associates. It was done in a desperate effort to hide the fact that the American people had been misled about the justifications for invading Iraq. Scooter Libby, Ari Fleischer and Karl Rove all acted recklessly in leaking information about a CIA agent, but the decision to do so appears to have come from the highest levels of this Administration.”

Posted by admin as General at 3:13 AM UTC No Comments 

Some Republicans have been upset that we are proposing to debate the war. Some say that it is not a state issue. I disagree for several reasons. First, at the beginning of the war, the Republicans ran several resolutions supporting the President’s conduct of the war. We do resolutions to express the view of the General Assembly on numerous national issues.

Finally, Americans soldiers and Iraqi civilians are dying. Over a hundred of the soldiers have ties to Colorado. To argue that we shouldn’t be debating the resolution, because the Iraq war somehow doesn’t affect Colorado, seems like a pretty hard case to make.”

Posted by content as General, Legislature at 12:14 AM UTC 1 Comment 

All:

LAD has become aware that the Longmont City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission are considering a number of large annexation applications related to the relocation of Life Bridge Church from Hwy 66 to Hwy 119 east of town. We have been advised that, as a part of the annexation decisions, the Council and Commission will also be considering use of mixed use development plans, metropolitan districts and building height variances in a manner that may differ from past applications. The application process has not received much recent coverage by the Times-Call, and so you may not be aware of the issues presently before the Council and The Board. If this subject is of interest to you, then now is the time to educate yourself on the issues and to make your position known to our appointed and elected officials. You can learn more by accessing the City Council website, http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/city_council/index.htm.

In April the council will primarily be looking at the question of  extending metro tax district status to “mixed use” development. Previous ordinances have granted special tax districts only to commercial development.

Pat Davis and Marilyn Hughes

Co-Presidents

Longmont Area Democrats

Posted by content as General at 4:13 PM UTC No Comments 

People interested in the Union Annexation (LifeBridge) issue should attend the City Council meeting Tuesday night April 24th 7:00 pm. The Council meeting will be held at the Council chambers, 350 Kimbark St. The council will be voting on the 2nd reading for the ordinance outlining metro tax districts for “mixed use” development. The Lifebridge development is asking for metro tax district status. The proposed ordinance will be published by the city attorney on the website. For more information on the meeting click here

Posted by content as Announcements, General at 3:13 PM UTC 1 Comment 

The House of Represititives passes on Thursday a bill that set a date for the removal of combat troops from Iraq. It was part of a supplemental funding bill for the war in Iraq and Afganistan. Part of the bill states that the combat troops must be withdrawn by the end of 2008.

Posted by content as General, National at 3:47 PM UTC No Comments 

By a vote of 48-50 the Senate rejected a Republican effort to strip from the Military Spending Bill any reference to a American troop withdrawal date. As usual Senator Allard voted for striking the language and Senator Salazar voted for the withdrawal date. Another vote of interest was Senator Lieberman, who vote for removal of the language.

Posted by content as General, National at 12:01 PM UTC No Comments