Hearings this week: Updates

[TayTay]

Keep checking back. This stuff can change.

Thursday has two hearings:

Business Meeting http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2005/hrg050512a.html
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HEARING before the

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION

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Thursday, May 12, 2005

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Time: 10:00 AM
Place: 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Presiding: Senator Lugar

The Committee Will Consider And Vote On The Following Agenda Item:
Nomination:
John R. Bolton
To be US Representative to the United Nations with Rank of Ambassador and US Representative to the United Nations Security Council and to be US Representative to Sessions of the United Nations General Assembly during his tenure of service as US Rep to the United Nations

AND AT THE SAME TIME, of course
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http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1497
This is a hearing on the Lautenberg-Kerry bill to prohibit the * Admin from distributing phony news stories.

S. 967 -- Pre-packaged News Stories
Full Committee Hearing
Thursday, May 12 2005 - 10:00 AM - Russell 253


Webcast: Click here to view a live webcast of this hearing.
Description: Senate Commerce Committee Co-Chairmen Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) have scheduled a Full Committee hearing on Thursday, May 12, 2005, at 10a.m., on S. 967 and issues related to the broadcast of prepacked news stories produced by government agencies.

Witnesses will be posted here when available.

[whometense]

1. Thanks!

Hope you're feeling better.

Evidently, on Thursday two brains will be required. I'd suggest we split duty so we can report on both, but nothing could keep me from watching the Bolton (hopefully) dismantling.

[TayTay]

2. They will both be recorded on the Senate web sites

I am going to watch the Bolton hearing, (Who could pass up those fireworks?) and catch the other one on a web broadcast. (Available anytime after the hearing.) I want to skim the Video-News hearing, but I want watch the Bolton one.

[whometense]

3. After the last one,

who could stand to miss it?

The other one should be really interesting, though.

[TayTay]

4. Hearing on May 10in Commerce: Data Security

Hearing on Identity Theft/Data Broker Services
Full Committee Hearing
Tuesday, May 10 2005 - 2:30 PM - SR-253

Webcast: Click here to view a live webcast of this hearing.http://commerce.senate.gov/hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=1491
Description: Senate Commerce Committee Co-Chairmen Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) have scheduled a Full Committee hearing on Tuesday, May 10 at 2:30 p.m.on identity theft in room 253 of the Russell Building. The hearing will focus on data broker services, and the treatment of such services under existing state and federal privacy laws.

Witnesses are listed below.

Panel 1:

Mr. Kurt Sanford
President & CEO, U.S. Corporate and Federal Government Markets, LexisNexis

Mr. Douglas C. Curling
President and Chief Operating Officer, ChoicePoint, Inc.

Panel 2:

Ms. Jennifer Barrett
Chief Privacy Officer, Acxiom Corporation

Mr. Paul Kurtz
Executive Director, Cyber Security Industry Alliance

Mr. Marc Rotenberg
President and Executive Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center




Ms. Mari Frank
, Mari Frank, Esq. & Associates

[karynnj]

5. Won't this be a problem for Kerry?

How can HE be in both places at the same time. (I know he's amazing and I don't doubt his capabilities, but even if he stayed in his office viewing both at the same time would be tricky. They are in the same building - so maybe he can run back and forth) It seems very weird that the Lautenberg/Kerry bill hearing was set at the same time as the Bolton hearing.

[TayTay]

6. Yeah, doesn't that sceduling seem strange

The hearings are scheduled by the Chairman. In this case it's Ted Stevens (R-Alaska.) Didn't Sen. Kerry clash with him earlier this year about the Artic Wildlife Refuge bill and didn't Sen. Stevens appear on the floor of the Senate in a Hulk tie and denounce Kerry? Hmmm. And the Lautenbergy-Kerry bill, doesn't that, by definition, denounce the * Admin for, in effect, lying to the American people through releasing fake video-news without dislaimers?

The Bolton Hearing will be one of the most followed events in the Senate this year. I wonder why (oh why) Sen. Stevens would then put a committee hearing on the docket at the exact same time as the Bolton Hearing that will be critical of Admin policy. Perhaps he wishes to bury the bill and bury any attention that Sens Lautenberg and Kerry might get from pushing it in Committee. (Remember when the * Admin always released bad news at 4:00 pm on a Friday during the campaign. Same thing, only different.)

There is always nasty political petty pushback. It is a raw use of power and a raw reminder of who is in the majority and who is in the minority. Dems have to just eat it or go without a hearing all together.

[karynnj]

7. Yeah, there seems no love lost between them

Even when Kerry presented the military amendments, Stevens made asinine comments. On ANWR, though it was obvious on both sides - though one became a raving lunatic. So you may be right that this is payback. But Lautenberg is great. Can they read a statement from Kerry? It would be cool if they could play a pre-recorded video tape. Do you want to take bets on whether someone on DU will lamblast your Senator for not showing up just like those Republicans warned us about him. :)

Relative to seeing your own Senator in the Berkshire Eagle thread, Lautenberg was one of our Senators for years. I did see him once - During the time he was out of office, he spoke at a large event when the Lautenberg family Jewish Community Center (our local JCC - Jewish equivalent to YMCA) opened.

I MAY get to see him later this month, because the Senators are invited to attend a ceremony where 120 high school seniors will get the Governor's award in the Arts. Dependent on schedule they sometimes come. (My daughter will get one for Language Arts - except she will be out of state then doing her senior project in western PA. Her school wants us (her parents) to attend even without her to get her award.)

[TayTay]

8. Congrats!

I love Sen. Lautenberg. Did you see his appearance for Social Security in NYC in early March? He was wonderful! I love him. I hope you get to see him soon, it sounds like it would be fun.

It also sounds like I will have many chances to see my Junior Senator soon. I wouldn't be surprised if he calms this tempest with a few soothing appearances at home between now and July. (Hey, he's getting an honorary degree from BU. Not everybody back home is restless and feeling neglected.) I also wouldn't be surprised if he changes his mind and comes to Lowell this weekend. (He's done stuff like that in the past.) Or not. But he might.

[karynnj]

9. Thanks

I saw it on TV and loved how all of them worked together. I think they should just have Lautenberg and the elderly gentleman who he was with him should be used all over the country. I hope he does come. Corzine is running for Governor so he will be easy to see.

I hope you see Kerry (but if not you will see Kennedy). It's cool that he's getting an honorary degree. It's nice that he gets these nice awards to balance out all these people bashing him. I do see what you and Rox are saying about making both runs. I guess the risk would be he could lose in both primaries if he tries to do both and another strong Democrat runs against him and actually campaigns over the whole state. As a non-MA person that would be very painful to see.