Capitalist perfection

Marilyn's Muffs does some serious shit-talking:

Women who worked in the Marianas Islands’ factories were tricked into signing contracts by being told they would work in “U.S. factories” and some faced forced abortions when they became pregnant. Marilyn helped make this possible.

WTF?!?!?!

Alright. Part of the Tom DeLay-Jack Abramoff scheming was to the Marianas Islands, a US protectorate, exempt from national labor and immigration laws. Can you spell, S-W-E-A-T-S-H-O-P, boys and girls? Only in this case, it's got an American flag sown on it.

As Tom DeLay preached his pro-business/anti-regulation theology in the US, his model of perfection was far from the mainland. The U.S. protectorate of the Northern Mariana Islands -- 14 islands in the North Pacific -- have become something of a free-enterprise petting zoo for DeLay and those he wishes to convert to his way of thinking.

Who can be against these guest workers?

Despite the growing public awareness of work conditions in the islands, Tom DeLay's defense of the status quo remained unshaken. In 1998 DeLay co-authored a letter with House Majority Leader Dick Army (R-TX). The two men, writing to the islands' governor, expressed how "impressed" they were with the Marianas' "commitment to advancing the principles of free markets, enterprise, tax reform and other innovative approaches to governance."

Ship in the Chinese labor. Seize their passports. Keep in sweatshops. Abuse them. Tell them to get backroom abortions if they want to keep their jobs. Ms. Magazine blew the lid off all of this crap.

With few economic options, pregnant workers often feel they have no choice but to visit one of Saipan’s underground abortion providers. At least four acupuncture clinics offer pills to induce abortions, according to a local translator and former garment worker.

“I’ve driven four Chinese women to get abortions here,” he says, pointing to an inconspicuous cement building with red Chinese lettering and an English sign that reads “Acupuncture, Herbs, Massage Oils.” “I see girls whose bleeding did not stop, and on two incidents I had to take the girls to the hospital.”

Now that's what we call Right To Work!

How did Tom DeLay, who called this the "perfect petri dish of capitalism," keep his Congress Cronies from doing anything about this?

Abramoff, using his close ties to Republicans in the House, worked mightily to block such reforms.

Many of his efforts focused on the House Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over U.S. territories, including the Marianas. Although members of both houses of Congress and both political parties repeatedly pushed to bring the Marianas under federal immigration and minimum wage laws, not a single legislative attempt has succeeded—most killed in the House Resources Committee.

Hello, Mr. Pombo!

Miller has also requested that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the current House Resources Committee chair, Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), launch a full investigation of Abramoff’s dealings in the Marianas. So far, Pombo has yet to hold a hearing, but Miller says he will continue to push.

“It’s so ironic that people who talk about themselves as having family values are allowing these guest workers to be exploited in the harshest possible ways,” says Miller. “Their money and lobbying allowed the continuation of the worst of human behavior. Hopefully, now DeLay’s influence is diminished and there’s an opportunity to provide some protections.”

Guess who else sits on the House Resources Committee!

America's own Chastity Belt: Marilyn Musgrave.

Which one is the clown?

Somebody at Scripps Howard thinks Bob Martinez is full of crap:

Congressional Republicans turned a private tragedy into a political circus last year when they intervened in the case of Terri Schiavo.

Against the wishes of her husband, the judgment of her physicians, the weight of public opinion and more than a decade of court rulings, Congress attempted to overturn an order allowing Terri Schiavo's feeding tube to be removed, 15 years after she fell into a brain-damaged, "persistent vegetative state," with no hope of recovery.

It was an undisguised campaign of pandering to "pro-life" zealots, made all the more disgraceful by the rhetoric that accompanied it. Politicians spoke as if they were better qualified than Schiavo's own doctors to evaluate her condition. Some trafficked in innuendo about the motives of her husband, Michael Schiavo, who believed that he was carrying out his wife's own wishes when he sought to have artificial nutrition and hydration removed.

Angie blog on Kos

Marilyn Musgrave's vote-getting anti-gay amendment got killed again yesterday. Michael of the Musgrave Watch links to a blog post by Angie Paccione on Daily Kos:

As an evangelical Christian, I draw tremendous strength from being able to share my faith. However, I draw the line when it comes to imposing faith on other people. I live my faith, I don't legislate it. That's how the Framers intended it, and it's our duty to honor that. That's what it is to pursue happiness.

Angie raises $60k more than Marilyn!

Uh . . . isn't this the kind of thing that's supposed to be impossible?

ANGIE PACCIONE OUTRAISES MARILYN MUSGRAVE BY $60,000

Sen. Ken Salazar congratulates Paccione on a successful quarter.

FORT COLLINS -- State Rep. Angie Paccione outraised her opponent Marilyn Musgrave by $60,000 in the second quarter.

Paccione raised more than $301,000 to Musgrave’s $241,000, according to the candidates’ second quarter filing with the FEC for Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District. Paccione’s second quarter numbers are nearly double what they were last quarter, while Musgrave’s donations have dropped $34,000 since last quarter.“We’re gaining unbelievable momentum, while Marilyn is actually going backward,” Paccione said.

Michael Schiavo blogs

Michael Schiavo has a great diary up on his visit to Colorado. Come back soon, man!

How much trouble do you think one person can cause in 48 hours in Colorado? Apparently, if you're the pro-life community, big government right-wingers or the Colorado Republican Party, the answer is quite a bit.

Getting up at 3:00am to catch my 6:00am flight, I was in Denver just before 8:00am Wednesday morning Central time. After breakfast at our hotel, I was honored to meet Colorado Rep. Angie Paccione (Pa-cho-nee) who we all hope will defeat far right-wing Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave this November.

Check out some video on Angie and Michael's drop-by.

Leadership at Estes Park

Yup. It's official. Marilyn Musgrave has blown itin Estes Park. The Estes Park Trail Gazette on Angie Paccione:

“The people of the 4th CD cannot endure another term of Marilyn Musgrave,” said Paccione when she announced her candidacy in 2005. “She has grown too close to the special interests in Washington, leaving her out of touch with the people here at home.”

The Fort Collins democrat pointed to Musgrave’s lack of action on designating Rocky Mountain National Park a wilderness area as a perfect example of not acting on behalf of those who sent her to Washington.

“What is she waiting for?” said Paccionne. “Why does she oppose wilderness designation? Everyone else is on board, but apparently Marilyn has missed the train.”

Paccione noted that the Estes Park Mayor and Town Board, July of 2005, voiced their public approval of the wilderness designation. The Park already has been managed as wilderness for decades and draws approximately three million visitors each year.

“Why won’t she listen to the local governments in her district or support the local economy?” Paccione asked. “She’s out of touch with the citizens of Estes Park, and out of touch with all Coloradans, who consider Rocky Mountain National Park a state and national treasure.”

Ningún voto para usted

So the Klan-endorsed Marilyn Musgrave voted for the Voting Rights Act renewal, but not before trying her darndest to gut it. She voted for every anti-American amendment the extremists brought up. They spent all day saying that making it harder for those certain someone Americans to vote was good for America.

At least the Poste de Denver noticed:

Antes de que la ley final pase, los representantes republicanos Bon Beauprez de Arvada y Marilyn Musgrave de Fort Morgan, se unieron a Tancredo de Littleton y a Hefley de Colorado Springs, en la votación para una enmienda fallida que hubiera retirado el requerimiento de una papeleta de votación bilingüe. Esta requiere papeletas de votación bilingües para distritos cuyos votantes tienen limitaciones para leer el inglés.

“Si usted está votando, usted debe ser ciudadano americano,” dijo el viernes el portavoz de Tancredo, Will Adams. “Si usted es un ciudadano norteamericano, entonces usted debe ser proficiente en el idioma inglés.”