Watching America:
"IN the 'you must be joking!' domain of international affairs, The New York Times reports [] that 'long running' efforts by the United States to repatriate prisoners held at Guantanamo have been 'stymied' because the returnees might not be treated humanely by their own governments! These are detainees, who have been held without trial and subjected to who knows what horrors for years (if Abu Ghraib is anything to go by) and are now (presumably) being released for lack of evidence against them. The U.S. State Department's human rights bureau is apparently insisting that any transfer deal include clear assurances that prisoners will not be tortured and will be treated in accordance with international humanitarian law, and that those pledges can be verified. The Times has one unidentified Middle East diplomat quoted as saying: 'It's kind of ironic that the U.S. government is placing conditions on other countries that it would not follow itself at Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib.' "
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Former NSA Director Hayden Lied To Congress And Broke The Law
Hey, you sorry ass Senators had better be listening! All of you. I frankly don't give a damn which party.
This guy lied in your faces and you will be needing to remember that when you are asked to confirm him.
Think Progress � Former NSA Director Hayden Lied To Congress And Broke The Law:
"As Think Progress documented back in December, Hayden misled Congress. In his 10/17/02 testimony, he told a committee investigating the 9/11 attacks that any surveillance of persons in the United States was done consistent with FISA.
At the time of his statements, Hayden was fully aware of the presidential order to conduct warrantless domestic spying issued the previous year. But Hayden didn't feel as though he needed to share that with Congress. Apparently, Hayden believed that he had been legally authorized to conduct the surveillance, but told Congress that he had no authority to do exactly what he was doing. The Fraud and False Statements statute (18 U.S.C. 1001) make Hayden's misleading statements to Congress illegal. "
This guy lied in your faces and you will be needing to remember that when you are asked to confirm him.
Think Progress � Former NSA Director Hayden Lied To Congress And Broke The Law:
"As Think Progress documented back in December, Hayden misled Congress. In his 10/17/02 testimony, he told a committee investigating the 9/11 attacks that any surveillance of persons in the United States was done consistent with FISA.
At the time of his statements, Hayden was fully aware of the presidential order to conduct warrantless domestic spying issued the previous year. But Hayden didn't feel as though he needed to share that with Congress. Apparently, Hayden believed that he had been legally authorized to conduct the surveillance, but told Congress that he had no authority to do exactly what he was doing. The Fraud and False Statements statute (18 U.S.C. 1001) make Hayden's misleading statements to Congress illegal. "
Bush Advises Graduates on Technology
What the hell is this idiot talkiing about now?
ABC News: Bush Advises Graduates on Technology:
"STILLWATER, Okla. May 6, 2006 (AP): President Bush advised college graduates on Saturday to use technology but not become enslaved by it.
'Science offers the prospect of eventual cures for terrible diseases and temptations to manipulate life and violate human dignity,' Bush said during commencement exercises at Oklahoma State University. 'With the Internet, you can communicate instantly with someone halfway across the world and isolate yourself from your family and your neighbors.'
The nation's young generation will wrestle to resolve these dilemmas, he said. "
ABC News: Bush Advises Graduates on Technology:
"STILLWATER, Okla. May 6, 2006 (AP): President Bush advised college graduates on Saturday to use technology but not become enslaved by it.
'Science offers the prospect of eventual cures for terrible diseases and temptations to manipulate life and violate human dignity,' Bush said during commencement exercises at Oklahoma State University. 'With the Internet, you can communicate instantly with someone halfway across the world and isolate yourself from your family and your neighbors.'
The nation's young generation will wrestle to resolve these dilemmas, he said. "
Rumsfeld Uses Colin Powell as a Human Shield
Yep, this was really priceless. Old Rummy just can't help despising Powell.
But was he gouging Junior, too?
When did Junior spend days and days with the CIA people? Hell he was on vacation most of that time, wasn't he?
Rumsfeld Uses Colin Powell as a Human Shield:
"Challenged by veteran CIA analyst Ray McGovern to explain why he had claimed to 'know' before the invasion of Iraq that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction when that suggestion had been repeatedly called into question, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld tried to use former Secretary of State Colin Powell as a human shield.
From the crowd at an Atlanta gathering of the Southern Center for International Studies, McGovern asked: 'Why did you lie to get us into a war that caused these kind of casualties and was not necessary?' "
Contractor 'knew how to grease the wheels'
Can't help but wonder if any DLCers will get caught up in this, since it has been going on for all these years.
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro -- Contractor 'knew how to grease the wheels':
"In government documents, he is referred to as 'co-conspirator No. 1': a man who gave more than $630,000 in cash and favors to former Rep. Randy 'Duke' Cunningham for help in landing millions of dollars in federal contracts"
Poll shows conservative revolt against Bush
Where the hell have they been all this time?
Somewhere is Bush fantasyland with their heads up their butts no doubt.
Maybe they were all sitting around in their wet diapers from their fear of AL Qaeda.
Weenies!
Poll shows conservative revolt against Bush:
"Six months out, the intensity of opposition to Bush and Congress has risen sharply, along with the percentage of Americans who think the nation is on the wrong track.
The AP-Ipsos poll also suggests that Democratic voters are far more motivated than Republicans. Elections in the middle of a president's term traditionally favor the party whose core supporters are the most energized.
This week's survey of 1,000 adults, including 865 registered voters, found:"
Somewhere is Bush fantasyland with their heads up their butts no doubt.
Maybe they were all sitting around in their wet diapers from their fear of AL Qaeda.
Weenies!
Poll shows conservative revolt against Bush:
"Six months out, the intensity of opposition to Bush and Congress has risen sharply, along with the percentage of Americans who think the nation is on the wrong track.
The AP-Ipsos poll also suggests that Democratic voters are far more motivated than Republicans. Elections in the middle of a president's term traditionally favor the party whose core supporters are the most energized.
This week's survey of 1,000 adults, including 865 registered voters, found:"
Senior official says Goss resignation 'all about the Duke Cunningham scandal'
Can't help but wonder just how kinky the latest GOP scandal is going to get.
The Raw Story Senior official says Goss resignation 'all about the Duke Cunningham scandal':
"According to a senior law enforcement official quoted in an article in Saturday's NY Daily News, the resignation of Porter Goss is tied to the scandal enveloping a Republican congressman convicted for taking bribes in exchange for government contract hand-outs.
'It's all about the Duke Cunningham scandal,' the unnamed official tells the Daily News.
Excerpts from the article written by Richard Sisk and James Gordon Meek:"
The Raw Story Senior official says Goss resignation 'all about the Duke Cunningham scandal':
"According to a senior law enforcement official quoted in an article in Saturday's NY Daily News, the resignation of Porter Goss is tied to the scandal enveloping a Republican congressman convicted for taking bribes in exchange for government contract hand-outs.
'It's all about the Duke Cunningham scandal,' the unnamed official tells the Daily News.
Excerpts from the article written by Richard Sisk and James Gordon Meek:"
National Oil Boycot
This is a start!
DON'T DRIVE ON SUNDAY www.dontdriveonsunday.com WELCOME:
"Why are we paying more than Three Dollars per Gallon? GREED.
Why is every oil company raking in billions of dollars in profits? GREED.
Why has the current administration allowed this to happen? GREED!
Why are we at war in Iraq? Where is the Oil that our soldiers were sent to protect? Who's reaping all the Oil Profits at the cost of American Lives?
GREEDY OIL COMPANIES and the CORRUPT
POLITICIANS THAT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN!
Virtually everyone in elected office, from the President on down, has taken campaign contributions from Oil Companies. Every corporation involved with the production and distribution of oil and gasoline, is reaping huge profits on the backs of the American People. The working citizens of this country are lining the pockets of Politicians, Oil Company Executives and the Wealthy Stockholders of these companies because of their greed. "
Delay's world grows darker
KTRE-TV - Lufkin/Nacogdoches, TX - Abramoff DeLay:
"WASHINGTON Prosecutors have e-mails showing Congressman Tom DeLay's office knew lobbyist Jack Abramoff (AY'-bruh-mahf) arranged financing for a controversial European golf trip in 2000.
Delay reported to Congress that a Republican advocacy group had paid for the trip that DeLay, his wife and top aides took to Scotland and England.
E-mails obtained by The Associated Press show DeLay's staff asked Abramoff -- not the advocacy group -- to account for the costs that had to be legally disclosed on congressional travel forms. The e-mails state DeLay's office was worried that the group being cited as paying the costs might not even know about them."
"WASHINGTON Prosecutors have e-mails showing Congressman Tom DeLay's office knew lobbyist Jack Abramoff (AY'-bruh-mahf) arranged financing for a controversial European golf trip in 2000.
Delay reported to Congress that a Republican advocacy group had paid for the trip that DeLay, his wife and top aides took to Scotland and England.
E-mails obtained by The Associated Press show DeLay's staff asked Abramoff -- not the advocacy group -- to account for the costs that had to be legally disclosed on congressional travel forms. The e-mails state DeLay's office was worried that the group being cited as paying the costs might not even know about them."
VIDEO: Zahn Interviews McGovern, Defends Rumsfeld
Well, Paula, you ignorant slut!
Think Progress � VIDEO: Zahn Interviews McGovern, Defends Rumsfeld: "The media is framing McGovern�s tough questioning as the act of a 'hostile war critic.' CNN's Paula Zahn took that approach, posing leading questions that criticized McGovern while defending Rumsfeld. Salon's War Room points us to some of the 'fair and balanced' questions Zahn had for McGovern:
Did you go to this speech today with the intent of challenging Secretary Rumsfeld?
How much of an ax do you have to grind with Secretary Rumsfeld?
Donald Rumsfeld encouraged whoever I think had their hands on you at the time to let you stay there. Does he get any credit for that today?"
Josh has the full transcript and the Video
Iraq: Get out now
Bush and Cheney; Impeach them now!
Iraq: Get out now - Los Angeles Times:
"WITHDRAW immediately or stay the present course? That is the key question about the war in Iraq today.
American public opinion is decidedly against the war; even in the 'red states,' more than half of Americans want out. That sentiment is understandable."
Washington's abuser in chief
But there is a problem; Bush doesn't undestand the American people any more than he understood the Iraqi people.
He is facing another insurgency. This one is closer and far more dangerous to him and his war criminal, abusing buddies than he thinks.
Washington's abuser in chief - Los Angeles Times:
"MOVE OVER, battered women! There's a new syndrome in town. It's called 'battered Congress syndrome,' and it was first identified by Norman J. Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute. It's strikingly like those of 'battered women's syndrome,' only the abusive partner is the Bush administration.
I know. You're thinking, 'Come on. Aren't we talking about consenting Republicans here? Sure, there's an occasional spat between Congress and the White House, but it's just a minor domestic dispute. We shouldn't interfere.' But that trivializes
both the abuse and its broader societal ramifications. "
Spy Czar, Rumsfeld in a Turf War - Los Angeles Times
Maybe Porter should have checked with Powell before be bicked Rummy and Cheney.
No one gets around those two, or any of the other insiders.
Spy Czar, Rumsfeld in a Turf War - Los Angeles Times:
"WASHINGTON: After a little more than a year in his newly created job, John D. Negroponte, the director of national intelligence, has won an initial battle to establish authority over the vast U.S. intelligence community, Porter J. Goss, who resisted Negroponte's moves to limit the autonomy of the CIA, is gone.
But Negroponte faces a larger and much more difficult challenge: a struggle with Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's Department of Defense, which runs more than 80% of the nation's intelligence budget and is busy expanding its role even further."
Reshuffle fails to silence Blair's critics - Yahoo! News
It's not working for Tony, either.
Reshuffle fails to silence Blair's critics - Yahoo! News:
"LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair's swift overhaul of his government after dismal local election results failed to reassure critics within his Labour Party who called for him to make clear when he will step down. "
Reshuffle fails to silence Blair's critics - Yahoo! News:
"LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair's swift overhaul of his government after dismal local election results failed to reassure critics within his Labour Party who called for him to make clear when he will step down. "
Being an American is bad for your health
Hell, I've been saying this for over 20 years, and I did not need a study to tell me.
tbe Progressive American:
"Is being an American bad for your health? That's the apparent implication of a study just published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
It's not news that something is very wrong with the state of America's health. International comparisons show that the United States has achieved a sort of inverse miracle: we spend much more per person on health care than any other nation, yet we have lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality than Canada, Japan and most of Europe.
But it isn't clear exactly what causes this stunningly poor performance. How much of America's poor health is the result of our failure, unique among wealthy nations, to guarantee health insurance to all? How much is the result of racial and class divisions? How much is the result of other aspects of the American way of life? "
tbe Progressive American:
"Is being an American bad for your health? That's the apparent implication of a study just published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
It's not news that something is very wrong with the state of America's health. International comparisons show that the United States has achieved a sort of inverse miracle: we spend much more per person on health care than any other nation, yet we have lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality than Canada, Japan and most of Europe.
But it isn't clear exactly what causes this stunningly poor performance. How much of America's poor health is the result of our failure, unique among wealthy nations, to guarantee health insurance to all? How much is the result of racial and class divisions? How much is the result of other aspects of the American way of life? "
Libby lawyer to argue Bush's role in leak�|�Reuters.com
Libby lawyer to argue Bush's role in leak��Reuters.com:
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The lawyer for former White House aide Lewis 'Scooter' Libby said on Friday he would argue that his client revealed intelligence on Iraq after Vice President Dick Cheney authorized it and President George W. Bush declassified the information.
At a hearing on what documents the prosecution must turn over to the defense, lawyer Theodore Wells also said he believed there may be testimony or statements by Bush and Cheney that the disclosure of the intelligence was authorized.
Wells said he was entitled to any such information from the special prosecutor investigating who in the Bush administration leaked the identity of a CIA operative, Valerie Plame, to the news media. "
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The lawyer for former White House aide Lewis 'Scooter' Libby said on Friday he would argue that his client revealed intelligence on Iraq after Vice President Dick Cheney authorized it and President George W. Bush declassified the information.
At a hearing on what documents the prosecution must turn over to the defense, lawyer Theodore Wells also said he believed there may be testimony or statements by Bush and Cheney that the disclosure of the intelligence was authorized.
Wells said he was entitled to any such information from the special prosecutor investigating who in the Bush administration leaked the identity of a CIA operative, Valerie Plame, to the news media. "
Mainstream Media Treatment of CIA Chief Resignation is Astounding and Pathetic
Why, on this God's green earth, would a government at war want to make so damn many enemies at home?
Mainstream Media Treatment of CIA Chief Resignation is Astounding and Pathetic:
"You know, the mainstream media is so far up the butt of the Bush Administration that you wonder if they can see the near-beer floating around in his stomach.
Take the startling, astonishing Porter Goss sudden resignation on a fabled Friday afternoon (when the news won't have as much impact because the weekend breaks up the news cycles).
The New York Times ran an editorial as if it were all due to a poor peformance on Goss's part. True to form, they didn't hold Bush or Cheney accountable at all. "
Mainstream Media Treatment of CIA Chief Resignation is Astounding and Pathetic:
"You know, the mainstream media is so far up the butt of the Bush Administration that you wonder if they can see the near-beer floating around in his stomach.
Take the startling, astonishing Porter Goss sudden resignation on a fabled Friday afternoon (when the news won't have as much impact because the weekend breaks up the news cycles).
The New York Times ran an editorial as if it were all due to a poor peformance on Goss's part. True to form, they didn't hold Bush or Cheney accountable at all. "
Whiskey Bar: The Night Porter Checks Out
Agreed! There is something even more rotten in Bushmark than usual
Whiskey Bar: The Night Porter Checks Out:
" definitely have the feeling that we don't even know one quarter of the story behind Porter Goss's resignation:
'There has been an open conversation for a few weeks, through Negroponte, with the acknowledgment of the president' about replacing Goss, said a senior White House official who discussed the internal deliberations on the condition of anonymity. Another senior White House official said Goss had always been viewed as a 'transitional figure' who would leave by year's end. His departure was accelerated when Bush shook up his White House staff in hopes of beginning a political turnaround.
It's not implausible that Goss was fired for incompetence, rather than his involvement in Fornigate -- now that holding people (or at least some people) accountable for their job performance has become the hot new fad in Washington. But trying to spin the dumping of a CIA director in wartime as simply part of Bush's spring cabinet cleaning doesn't pass the smell or the laugh test."
Whiskey Bar: The Night Porter Checks Out:
" definitely have the feeling that we don't even know one quarter of the story behind Porter Goss's resignation:
'There has been an open conversation for a few weeks, through Negroponte, with the acknowledgment of the president' about replacing Goss, said a senior White House official who discussed the internal deliberations on the condition of anonymity. Another senior White House official said Goss had always been viewed as a 'transitional figure' who would leave by year's end. His departure was accelerated when Bush shook up his White House staff in hopes of beginning a political turnaround.
It's not implausible that Goss was fired for incompetence, rather than his involvement in Fornigate -- now that holding people (or at least some people) accountable for their job performance has become the hot new fad in Washington. But trying to spin the dumping of a CIA director in wartime as simply part of Bush's spring cabinet cleaning doesn't pass the smell or the laugh test."
Looks Like Rummy And Shooter Will Get Direct Control Of The Agency
They are circling the wagons big time...pun intended
The Left Coaster: Looks Like Rummy And Shooter Will Get Direct Control Of The Agency:
"Time magazine reported late today that NSA director General Michael Hayden will be announced early next week as Porter Goss's replacement as Director of Central Intelligence. Hayden, who has already shown an inability to testify truthfully and accurately in his current job as NSA chief, will fit right in over at the Agency. In essence, Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld gain direct control of the CIA with Hayden's ascension. Even with that, Hayden will be an improvement over Goss, who seemingly took his appointment at CIA as a green light to install his congressional lackeys at the Agency to set fire to the place, on the assumption that Goss knew best from his time as chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Hayden values the technical side of intelligence gathering, which makes you wonder what makes him the best choice for the human intelligence side of the equation, aside from his loyalty to Rummy."
Bush calls terror fight WWIII
Bush is an idiot, chapter 1,998!
Problem he is an idiot in power, so we all get to go down with this ship of state, turned into a ship of fools, by the Fool-in-Chief.
Bush calls terror fight WWIII - North America - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au:
"US President George W. Bush has said the September 11 revolt of passengers against their hijackers on board Flight 93 had struck the first blow of 'World War III'.
In an interview with the financial news network CNBC, Mr Bush said he had yet to see the recently released film of the uprising, a dramatic portrayal of events on the United Airlines plane before it crashed in a Pennsylvania field.
But he said he agreed with the description of David Beamer, whose son Todd died in the crash, who in a Wall Street
Journal commentary last month called it 'our first successful counter-attack in our homeland in this new global war, World War III'.
Mr Bush said: 'I believe that. I believe that it was the first counter-attack to World War III."
Problem he is an idiot in power, so we all get to go down with this ship of state, turned into a ship of fools, by the Fool-in-Chief.
Bush calls terror fight WWIII - North America - Breaking News 24/7 - NEWS.com.au:
"US President George W. Bush has said the September 11 revolt of passengers against their hijackers on board Flight 93 had struck the first blow of 'World War III'.
In an interview with the financial news network CNBC, Mr Bush said he had yet to see the recently released film of the uprising, a dramatic portrayal of events on the United Airlines plane before it crashed in a Pennsylvania field.
But he said he agreed with the description of David Beamer, whose son Todd died in the crash, who in a Wall Street
Journal commentary last month called it 'our first successful counter-attack in our homeland in this new global war, World War III'.
Mr Bush said: 'I believe that. I believe that it was the first counter-attack to World War III."
FROGMAN MARCHING?
FITZMAS!
Dare we hope? Should we make party plans or wait until the last minute?
The way things have been going with the Teflon Toad, we will believe it when we see it.
Crooks and Liars:
"via 'Coundtown,' with Keith Olbermann. David Shuster tonight talked about more problems for Libby, which possibly could open up a charge for leaking, but a potential blockbuster on Rove. (rough transcript)
Olbermann: And movement in one of the other major scandals' investigations underway in the capital, Scooter Libby denied access to records documenting Ambassador Joseph Wilson's trip to Niger, and a revelation that in July 2003 Libby was warned about the potential damage of outing Valerie Plame's name and identity. The judge also signaling that the prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation into Karl Rove might be nearing the close, noting that he expects resolution in the foreseeable future of the problem of documents in the case that have been withheld because they touch on Rove, and because he is part of an ongoing investigation."
Cantwell's stance on Iraq keeps volunteers away, party chief says
It is becoming more and more apparent how oblivious DCers are about the level of anger there is, out here in the hinterlands.
Democrats, as well as Republicans had better wake up.
There is a freakin' volcano getting ready to errupt.
The Seattle Times: Cantwell's stance on Iraq keeps volunteers away, party chief says:
"Sen. Maria Cantwell's continued support for the occupation of Iraq, and her lack of regret for voting for the invasion in 2002, is making it hard to recruit volunteers for her re-election campaign, the chairman of the state Democratic Party says.
The liberal activists who dominate the party's grass roots oppose the war and have been looking for Cantwell to distance herself from President Bush's position.
'Definitely right now there are a lot of activists who are not signing up to work on her campaign, and that's very clear,' state party Chairman Dwight Pelz said Thursday."
Democrats, as well as Republicans had better wake up.
There is a freakin' volcano getting ready to errupt.
The Seattle Times: Cantwell's stance on Iraq keeps volunteers away, party chief says:
"Sen. Maria Cantwell's continued support for the occupation of Iraq, and her lack of regret for voting for the invasion in 2002, is making it hard to recruit volunteers for her re-election campaign, the chairman of the state Democratic Party says.
The liberal activists who dominate the party's grass roots oppose the war and have been looking for Cantwell to distance herself from President Bush's position.
'Definitely right now there are a lot of activists who are not signing up to work on her campaign, and that's very clear,' state party Chairman Dwight Pelz said Thursday."
Cohen criticizes Colber: Not so funny
What makes this guy, or anyone else think that Colbert meant to be funny?
Media Matters - Cohen -- who never criticized Bush's 2004 skit mocking lack of Iraqi WMDs -- called Colbert "a bully " for his "rude" and "insulting" correspondents dinner routine:
"Summary: In a column titled 'So Not Funny,' Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen declared that comedian Stephen Colbert's scathing routine at the White House Correspondents Association dinner was 'rude' and 'insulting,' and added that Colbert was 'a bully.' However, Cohen offered no criticism of Bush when, in a pre-taped skit at the 60th annual dinner of the Radio and Television Correspondents Association (RTCA) in 2004, he made light of the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."
Media Matters - Cohen -- who never criticized Bush's 2004 skit mocking lack of Iraqi WMDs -- called Colbert "a bully " for his "rude" and "insulting" correspondents dinner routine:
"Summary: In a column titled 'So Not Funny,' Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen declared that comedian Stephen Colbert's scathing routine at the White House Correspondents Association dinner was 'rude' and 'insulting,' and added that Colbert was 'a bully.' However, Cohen offered no criticism of Bush when, in a pre-taped skit at the 60th annual dinner of the Radio and Television Correspondents Association (RTCA) in 2004, he made light of the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."
McGovern interview with Anderson Cooper
Ironic and sad, very sad.
CNN.com - Transcripts:
"See, Rumsfeld is -- is above the fray. And he believes that the audience, and most of the audience there today, of course, was -- fits this mold -- they won't question him on these things. Who knows these details? Well, we know them. Why? Because it was our profession to follow such details.
And we used to be able to apply our techniques and our tradecraft to foreign leaders. And it's ironic in the extreme that we need to do media analysis and leadership studies on our own leaders to find out whether they're telling the truth or they're telling lies. "
: A huge conflict of interest for the Frogman
In a word, NO!
We should not be paying Karl Rove's salary if he is a political hack with an office in the White House.
Let him work for the RNC. I am sure they will not mind having an indicted traitor working for them. It's par for the course, right?
TownOnline.com - Opinion & Letters: York: A huge conflict of interest:
"The Bush administration is making some changes at the White House: a shake-up to bring new faces into the political fray.
Karl Rove has been re-assigned and will now concentrate exclusively on the upcoming congressional mid-term elections to ensure the Republican majority rule in the House and Senate lives on. He will retain his phony title for cosmetic purposes only.
The question arises: should Rove be paid by the American taxpayers to run a political campaign or should he be paid by the Republican National Committee and quit the White House?"
We should not be paying Karl Rove's salary if he is a political hack with an office in the White House.
Let him work for the RNC. I am sure they will not mind having an indicted traitor working for them. It's par for the course, right?
TownOnline.com - Opinion & Letters: York: A huge conflict of interest:
"The Bush administration is making some changes at the White House: a shake-up to bring new faces into the political fray.
Karl Rove has been re-assigned and will now concentrate exclusively on the upcoming congressional mid-term elections to ensure the Republican majority rule in the House and Senate lives on. He will retain his phony title for cosmetic purposes only.
The question arises: should Rove be paid by the American taxpayers to run a political campaign or should he be paid by the Republican National Committee and quit the White House?"
Inside Bay Area - Senate: No permanent bases in Iraq
Well, this certainly makes Bush's entire venture a moot point, except for the corporate war profiteering, which has aready looted our treasury.
Inside Bay Area - Senate: No permanent bases in Iraq:
"The U.S. Senate accepted an amendment Wednesday mirroring Rep. Barbara Lee's House measure to prevent creation of permanent military bases in Iraq.
The Senate amendment to the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill to bankroll the war, introduced by U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., puts the chamber on record against permanent U.S. military bases or control of oil in Iraq. The House unanimously approved a similar amendment by Lee, D-Oakland, on a March 16 voice vote.
'Despite all of the division and the partisanship about when to leave Iraq and under what circumstances, I think there is one thing that everyone ought to be able to agree on, namely that we should not be in Iraq permanently,' Lee said in a statement issued Wednesday. 'As long as we keep the door to a permanent military presence open, we will continue to fuel the insurgency, undermine the
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security situation and keep the targets on our troops' backs.' "
U.S. defends new Internet wiretap rules in appeals court
This will, of course, be appealed to the Supremes, where Alito, Scalia, Thomas and Roberts will all wet on their robes in their excitement to make Bush Emperor; or rather, to put the Judicial stamp on what already is.
U.S. defends new Internet wiretap rules in appeals court:
"WASHINGTON: A U.S. appeals panel challenged the Bush administration Friday over new rules making it easier for police and the FBI to wiretap Internet phone calls. One judge told the government its courtroom arguments were 'gobbledygook' and invited its lawyer to return to his office and 'have a big chuckle.'
The skepticism expressed so openly toward the government's case during a hearing in U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia emboldened a broad group of civil liberties and education groups who argued that the U.S. improperly applied telephone-era rules to a new generation of Internet services."
Goss Was Told to Resign, Sources Say
Yeah, Yeah...what sources? The ones who are spinning their brains out or legitimate ones?
So, how does Negroponte get away with telling someone to resign when that someone was appointed by our supposed preznit and confirmed by the Senate? Just wondering.
ABC News: Goss Was Told to Resign, Sources Say:
"But now, sources told ABC News, National Intelligence Director John Negroponte told Goss it was time to go.
'As my friend for almost 50 years,' Negroponte said in a statement after Goss's announcement, 'I will miss Porter's day-to-day counsel. I salute his service to our country, and I want to thank him for his outstanding work on behalf of the men and women of our nation's intelligence community.'
But sources tell ABC News that Negroponte told Goss just last week that it was time for him to resign. A senior CIA source said that the two men had at least three management disputes, including Negroponte's desire to move personnel out of the CIA Counterterrorism Center into the new National Counterterrorism Center, and Negroponte's perceived micromanaging in which he wanted a say over CIA station chiefs."
DeFazio Sends Letter Directing Bush to Get Congressional Authorization Before Military Strikes on Iran
Looks like the gauntlet has been thrown down!
DeFazio Sends Letter Directing Bush to Get Congressional Authorization Before Military Strikes on Iran:
"WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio organized a bipartisan group of 62 members of Congress to send a letter to President Bush today calling on him to seek congressional approval before making any preemptive military strikes against Iran.
'When Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was White House Counsel, he came up with a novel legal theory that the president can take whatever military action he wants without getting prior authorization from Congress,' DeFazio said. 'My letter calls on the president to follow the law as set by Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution and get authorization from Congress before taking military action against Iran. Members of the House of Representatives have been elected by their constituents to participate in major decisions like initiating military strikes against other countries, and it is an injustice to the American people to deny them that prerogative. Our founders intentionally put the responsibility for deciding whether to send our troops into battle into the hands of the Congress because they did not want the president to have the power of a king. The president saying otherwise does not make it so.' "
DeFazio Sends Letter Directing Bush to Get Congressional Authorization Before Military Strikes on Iran:
"WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio organized a bipartisan group of 62 members of Congress to send a letter to President Bush today calling on him to seek congressional approval before making any preemptive military strikes against Iran.
'When Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was White House Counsel, he came up with a novel legal theory that the president can take whatever military action he wants without getting prior authorization from Congress,' DeFazio said. 'My letter calls on the president to follow the law as set by Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution and get authorization from Congress before taking military action against Iran. Members of the House of Representatives have been elected by their constituents to participate in major decisions like initiating military strikes against other countries, and it is an injustice to the American people to deny them that prerogative. Our founders intentionally put the responsibility for deciding whether to send our troops into battle into the hands of the Congress because they did not want the president to have the power of a king. The president saying otherwise does not make it so.' "
Bush Clears the Way for Corporate Domination
Corporatism is just another word for fascism, according to Mussolini, who should have known well about such things. I am sure Old Benito would have been in hogs heaven in the midst of today's corporate criminals.
AlterNet: Bush Clears the Way for Corporate Domination:
"When George W. Bush says that he wants to spread freedom to every corner of the earth, he means it.
But of course the president that turned Soviet-era gulags into secret CIA prisons in order to do God-knows-what to God-knows-whom isn't talking about individual freedom. He means corporate freedom -- freedom for the great multinationals to extract everything they can from the world's resources and labor without the hindrance of public interest laws, environmental regulations or worker protections.
Bush's vision of a free world actually looks just like the corporate globalization agenda pushed by a succession of American presidents in institutions like the World Trade Organization."
AlterNet: Bush Clears the Way for Corporate Domination:
"When George W. Bush says that he wants to spread freedom to every corner of the earth, he means it.
But of course the president that turned Soviet-era gulags into secret CIA prisons in order to do God-knows-what to God-knows-whom isn't talking about individual freedom. He means corporate freedom -- freedom for the great multinationals to extract everything they can from the world's resources and labor without the hindrance of public interest laws, environmental regulations or worker protections.
Bush's vision of a free world actually looks just like the corporate globalization agenda pushed by a succession of American presidents in institutions like the World Trade Organization."
Soda Deal with Clinton Foundation Latest PR Stunt
Clinton is full of shit, as usual.
Soda Deal with Clinton Foundation Latest PR Stunt:
"The headlines certainly sound impressive: 'Companies pulling sodas out of school' claimed the Associated Press; 'Bottlers agree to a school ban on sweet drinks' said the New York Times.
These and hundreds of other news stories around the nation this week gave the impression that the beverage industry had an epiphany and magically, all soda will disappear from schools forever.
Only one problem: nothing could be further from the truth. On Wednesday, Big Cola announced yet another voluntary school sales policy, this time, one brokered by the Clinton Foundation (the former president has made childhood obesity one of his post-presidency causes) and the American Heart Association. "
Soda Deal with Clinton Foundation Latest PR Stunt:
"The headlines certainly sound impressive: 'Companies pulling sodas out of school' claimed the Associated Press; 'Bottlers agree to a school ban on sweet drinks' said the New York Times.
These and hundreds of other news stories around the nation this week gave the impression that the beverage industry had an epiphany and magically, all soda will disappear from schools forever.
Only one problem: nothing could be further from the truth. On Wednesday, Big Cola announced yet another voluntary school sales policy, this time, one brokered by the Clinton Foundation (the former president has made childhood obesity one of his post-presidency causes) and the American Heart Association. "
"Terror War" Begets Devil's Bargains
Literally!
"Terror War" Begets Devil's Bargains:
"NEW YORK - U.S. Pres. George W. Bush's 'global war on terror' has produced the unintended consequence of bringing the United States ever-closer to some of the world's most repressive regimes. "
Bush Administration Refuses to Talk Directly with its Main Foes
It is impossible to have confidence in a foriegn policy which is selfish, unsustainable and flat out wrong for this country.
If an administration has to consistently lie to the American people about what it is doing, it is obvious that the policy is wrong-headed, if not criminal.
Bush Administration Refuses to Talk Directly with its Main Foes:
"WASHINGTON - Last month, the chief U.S. negotiator with North Korea wanted to meet privately with his North Korean counterpart, hoping he could persuade Pyongyang to return to talks on eliminating its nuclear weapons program.
But the meeting between U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and North Korean Vice Premier Kim Kye Gwan on the sidelines of a conference in Tokyo never took place.
Hill's superiors in Washington forbade him from talking directly to the North Koreans, said three U.S. officials, a conference participant and another knowledgeable expert. All requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. "
If an administration has to consistently lie to the American people about what it is doing, it is obvious that the policy is wrong-headed, if not criminal.
Bush Administration Refuses to Talk Directly with its Main Foes:
"WASHINGTON - Last month, the chief U.S. negotiator with North Korea wanted to meet privately with his North Korean counterpart, hoping he could persuade Pyongyang to return to talks on eliminating its nuclear weapons program.
But the meeting between U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and North Korean Vice Premier Kim Kye Gwan on the sidelines of a conference in Tokyo never took place.
Hill's superiors in Washington forbade him from talking directly to the North Koreans, said three U.S. officials, a conference participant and another knowledgeable expert. All requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. "
Friday, May 05, 2006
Politics of oil: Cheney visits Kazakhstan - South and Central Asia - MSNBC.com
Vice: the human oil-sucking freak!
I really don't think that Cheney gives a hoot about Kazakhstan's civil rights record. He didn't care about it when Halliburton was doing business in Iran and Iraq.
He only began talking about tyrants when he was in a position to steal their oil, with the help of the largest military on earth, and at the tax payers expense, of course.
Put this man and his idiotic bossman in prison along with Moussawi !
What they have done, is much worse than anything Moussawi could even make up and they have done it with our blood and treasure and in our name.
Politics of oil: Cheney visits Kazakhstan - South and Central Asia - MSNBC.com:
"ASTANA, Kazakhstan - Vice President Dick Cheney traveled to Kazakhstan on Friday for talks with President Nursultan Nazarbayev, seeking to maximize access to the vast oil and gas reserves in the central Asian nation with a troubled human-rights record.
Cheney became the fourth top administration official to visit the former Soviet republic in recent months, underscoring the importance placed on a country that is strategically located and an ally in the war on terror, as well as rich in energy resources."
Baghdad anger at Bush's undiplomatic palace | The World | The Australian
AHSOoo, the Monkey House is drawing scorn, eh?
It should ring scorn.
Probably looks a lot like the Kremlin.
Baghdad anger at Bush's undiplomatic palace The World The Australian:
"THE question puzzles and enrages a city: how is it that the Americans cannot keep the electricity running in Baghdad for more than a couple of hours a day, yet still manage to build the biggest embassy on earth?
Irritation grows as residents deprived of airconditioning and running water three years after the US-led invasion watch the massive US embassy they call 'George W's palace' rising from the banks of the Tigris.
In the pavement cafes, people moan that the structure is bigger than anything Saddam Hussein built. They are not impressed by the architects' claims that it will be visible from space and cover an area larger than Vatican City. They are more interested in knowing whether the US State Department paid "
It should ring scorn.
Probably looks a lot like the Kremlin.
Baghdad anger at Bush's undiplomatic palace The World The Australian:
"THE question puzzles and enrages a city: how is it that the Americans cannot keep the electricity running in Baghdad for more than a couple of hours a day, yet still manage to build the biggest embassy on earth?
Irritation grows as residents deprived of airconditioning and running water three years after the US-led invasion watch the massive US embassy they call 'George W's palace' rising from the banks of the Tigris.
In the pavement cafes, people moan that the structure is bigger than anything Saddam Hussein built. They are not impressed by the architects' claims that it will be visible from space and cover an area larger than Vatican City. They are more interested in knowing whether the US State Department paid "
"DIEBOLD DISASTERS DEEPEN: Pennsylvania Issues 'Security Vulnerability' Alert for Diebold Electronic Voting Systems!"
Paper Ballots and Indelible ink!
How hard can this be, people.?
Who cares about Diebold and if it goes bottom up? Get rid of those evil machines; all of them. I don't give a damn who makes them.
It is our Democracy that is at stake. That should be worth all the corporate wealth in America.
THE BRAD BLOG: "DIEBOLD DISASTERS DEEPEN: Pennsylvania Issues 'Security Vulnerability' Alert for Diebold Electronic Voting Systems!":
"Electronic Voting Systems!
Several Counties 'Locking Down' Machines as Company Promises Last Minute Software Fix Just Before Upcoming Primary Election
Election Integrity Advocates Suggest Warning May Stem from Recent Independent Voting Machine Analysis Revealing Major Security Flaws in Diebold Hardware and Software"
How hard can this be, people.?
Who cares about Diebold and if it goes bottom up? Get rid of those evil machines; all of them. I don't give a damn who makes them.
It is our Democracy that is at stake. That should be worth all the corporate wealth in America.
THE BRAD BLOG: "DIEBOLD DISASTERS DEEPEN: Pennsylvania Issues 'Security Vulnerability' Alert for Diebold Electronic Voting Systems!":
"Electronic Voting Systems!
Several Counties 'Locking Down' Machines as Company Promises Last Minute Software Fix Just Before Upcoming Primary Election
Election Integrity Advocates Suggest Warning May Stem from Recent Independent Voting Machine Analysis Revealing Major Security Flaws in Diebold Hardware and Software"
MoDo: Iraq has turned into 'The Ransom of Red Chief'
Thank God, for MoDo.
I needed to lighten up, before I start slapping peoples' ears off
tbe Progressive American:
"The invasion of Iraq has turned into 'The Ransom of Red Chief.'
The famous short story by O. Henry, published in 1910, begins, 'It looked like a good thing: but wait till I tell you.'
The tale is about a couple of guys who have a bold, illicit scheme they assume will be easy, but it ends up backfiring. The idea, one confesses afterward, must have struck them 'during a moment of temporary mental apparition.' "
I needed to lighten up, before I start slapping peoples' ears off
tbe Progressive American:
"The invasion of Iraq has turned into 'The Ransom of Red Chief.'
The famous short story by O. Henry, published in 1910, begins, 'It looked like a good thing: but wait till I tell you.'
The tale is about a couple of guys who have a bold, illicit scheme they assume will be easy, but it ends up backfiring. The idea, one confesses afterward, must have struck them 'during a moment of temporary mental apparition.' "
Justices hear challenge to lethal injection
For Christ's sake, just stop killing people and then we won't have to have this stupid debate!
What is wrong with us, in this country?
We are the only "first world nation' that still executes people. Are we so sick with a desire for vengeance.
This is not a Christian nation! It would be laughable to even hear that suggested to be true, if it were not so damn sad. Christian is as Christian does.
Oh and by the way, the inhumane treatment of prisoners in Iraq comes as no surprise to many who know what goes on in the jails and prisons in this country.
Some times I think my head will explode from over exposure to congnitive dissonance and hypocrisy in this country!
KR Washington Bureau 04/26/2006 Justices hear challenge to lethal injection:
"WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court appeared split Wednesday over how a lower court should handle a Florida death row inmate's contention that the state's method of lethal injection is unconstitutional because it could cause him great pain.
Clarence Hill, who shot and killed a Pensacola police officer in 1982, has exhausted the appeals regularly afforded to inmates who challenge their sentences. But his lawyers say his complaint about the lethal injection procedure is a civil rights claim that doesn't directly challenge his sentence, just the way it's going to be carried out. The state says essentially that Hill's claim is a ruse, an indirect way back into court to stop the state from taking his life.
Two lower courts have rejected Hill's claims, but that has happened against the backdrop of a mounting national debate over how cruel or humane lethal injection is. Eight executions have been delayed this year to consider the issue, thanks in part to medical studies that suggest some inmates may feel terrible pain when intravenous drugs are used to end their lives. "
Report blames top U.S. officials for alleged torture of detainees
Oh, hell, we have been knowing this for two years. If you have the proof, please God, take it to the Hague, Interpol., anyone; just help us get rid of these murdering thieves
KR Washington Bureau 05/03/2006 Report blames top U.S. officials for alleged torture of detainees:
"BERLIN - Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees by U.S. forces is widespread and, in many cases, sanctioned by top government officials, Amnesty International charged Wednesday.
The allegations, contained in a 32,000-word report released in New York and London and posted on the human rights organization's Web site, are likely to influence a U.N. hearing on U.S. compliance with international torture agreements that begins Friday in Geneva. Amnesty International sent a copy of the report to the U.N. Committee Against Torture, which is holding the hearings.
'Although the U.S. government continues to assert its condemnation of torture and ill-treatment, these statements contradict what is happening in practice,' said Curt Goering, the group's senior deputy executive director in the United States. 'The U.S. government is not only failing to take steps to eradicate torture, it is actually creating a climate in which torture and other ill-treatment can flourish.' "
KR Washington Bureau 05/03/2006 Report blames top U.S. officials for alleged torture of detainees:
"BERLIN - Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees by U.S. forces is widespread and, in many cases, sanctioned by top government officials, Amnesty International charged Wednesday.
The allegations, contained in a 32,000-word report released in New York and London and posted on the human rights organization's Web site, are likely to influence a U.N. hearing on U.S. compliance with international torture agreements that begins Friday in Geneva. Amnesty International sent a copy of the report to the U.N. Committee Against Torture, which is holding the hearings.
'Although the U.S. government continues to assert its condemnation of torture and ill-treatment, these statements contradict what is happening in practice,' said Curt Goering, the group's senior deputy executive director in the United States. 'The U.S. government is not only failing to take steps to eradicate torture, it is actually creating a climate in which torture and other ill-treatment can flourish.' "
Rep. Kennedy blames medication for crash near Capitol
If this turns out to be true, it will ruin Wolf Blitzer's entire weekend.
Hey, Wolf, this kind of thing sometimes happens with Ambien. It's a bad drug. But don't tell anyone. We would hate for Big Pharma to lose a nickle over it.
CNN.com - Rep. Kennedy�blames medication for crash near Capitol - May 5, 2006:
"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Patrick Kennedy, son of Sen. Ted Kennedy, said Thursday he was apparently disoriented by medication when he crashed his car into a barricade on Capitol Hill overnight.
Rep. Kennedy said in a written statement late Thursday after media reports of the incident emerged that he had returned home after the final House votes around midnight Wednesday and taken 'the prescribed amount' of sleep aid Ambien and an anti-nausea drug."
Hey, Wolf, this kind of thing sometimes happens with Ambien. It's a bad drug. But don't tell anyone. We would hate for Big Pharma to lose a nickle over it.
CNN.com - Rep. Kennedy�blames medication for crash near Capitol - May 5, 2006:
"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rep. Patrick Kennedy, son of Sen. Ted Kennedy, said Thursday he was apparently disoriented by medication when he crashed his car into a barricade on Capitol Hill overnight.
Rep. Kennedy said in a written statement late Thursday after media reports of the incident emerged that he had returned home after the final House votes around midnight Wednesday and taken 'the prescribed amount' of sleep aid Ambien and an anti-nausea drug."
Greenfield: Is anyone listening?
In a word, no, Greenfield!
We are not listening to the liars in the White House, in Congress or in the MSM.
You have all done nothing but lie to us since election 2000 and we are not buying any of it anymore. You are all finished!
CNN.com - Greenfield: Is anyone listening? - May 4, 2006:
"Much of the debate has focused on whether that mission really has been accomplished (a recent CNN poll found that only 9 percent believe that it has), but there's a striking political lesson that's been overlooked. It's not that the president hasn't been taking his case to the public -- indeed, he's done that repeatedly. What's happened is that the public has stopped buying the message. ( See, here is my exact point. Why the hell have we been debating it for the past three years when we all knew three year ago that the entire Iraq mission was bullshit. You had to have known that, Greenfield, if we all did, and yet you never said a word; just kept on debating.
All through the second term, Bush has been using the 'bully pulpit' of the presidency to argue his case on the war in Iraq -- and the broader 'war on terror.' All the power of the White House has been brought to bear -- the speeches have been carried live on cable news and have received major coverage. And what has happened?" (Which brings us to another point of extreme irritation. How did Bush go from being 're-elected' in Nov 2004 to this in May of 2006? We all knew in 2004 everything we know now. Of course you guys in the media were not reporting much of it at all, and when you did any reporting, it was so incredibly lame. We knew that Iraq was a failure the moment an insurgency developed. We knew it, for sure, when we found ot that the Bush administation was busy torturing the people they claimed to be liberating. We also knew that the Bushites had outed a CIA officer and ruined intelligence assets all over the world, so how concerned were they about national security? They were only concerned with covering their own lying asses, and that was sure apparent to many of us. Where the hell were you guys? With your heads up your asses as usual, riding on the swift boat of fools with Captain O"Neil. If you had paid one damn bit of attention, you would have known that the election in 2004 was a farce. Bush is no more the legitimate president of this country than I am.)
We are not listening to the liars in the White House, in Congress or in the MSM.
You have all done nothing but lie to us since election 2000 and we are not buying any of it anymore. You are all finished!
CNN.com - Greenfield: Is anyone listening? - May 4, 2006:
"Much of the debate has focused on whether that mission really has been accomplished (a recent CNN poll found that only 9 percent believe that it has), but there's a striking political lesson that's been overlooked. It's not that the president hasn't been taking his case to the public -- indeed, he's done that repeatedly. What's happened is that the public has stopped buying the message. ( See, here is my exact point. Why the hell have we been debating it for the past three years when we all knew three year ago that the entire Iraq mission was bullshit. You had to have known that, Greenfield, if we all did, and yet you never said a word; just kept on debating.
All through the second term, Bush has been using the 'bully pulpit' of the presidency to argue his case on the war in Iraq -- and the broader 'war on terror.' All the power of the White House has been brought to bear -- the speeches have been carried live on cable news and have received major coverage. And what has happened?" (Which brings us to another point of extreme irritation. How did Bush go from being 're-elected' in Nov 2004 to this in May of 2006? We all knew in 2004 everything we know now. Of course you guys in the media were not reporting much of it at all, and when you did any reporting, it was so incredibly lame. We knew that Iraq was a failure the moment an insurgency developed. We knew it, for sure, when we found ot that the Bush administation was busy torturing the people they claimed to be liberating. We also knew that the Bushites had outed a CIA officer and ruined intelligence assets all over the world, so how concerned were they about national security? They were only concerned with covering their own lying asses, and that was sure apparent to many of us. Where the hell were you guys? With your heads up your asses as usual, riding on the swift boat of fools with Captain O"Neil. If you had paid one damn bit of attention, you would have known that the election in 2004 was a farce. Bush is no more the legitimate president of this country than I am.)
Oh Hell; Duck and Cover
Check out the red letter sentence!
Remember the last time a Rethug said that it would take a major event (like a new Pearl Harbor) for them to be able to achieve their goals?
Is this yet another 'Oh shit' moment?
Conservatives Drive Bush's Approval Down - Yahoo! News:
" The souring of the nation's mood has accelerated the past three months, with the percentage of people describing the nation on the wrong track rising 12 points to a new high of 73 percent. Six of 10 conservatives say America is headed in the wrong direction.
Republican strategists said the party stands to lose control of Congress unless the environment changes unexpectedly.
'It's going to take some events of significance to turn this around,' GOP pollster Whit Ayres said. 'I don't think at this point you can talk your way back from those sorts of ratings.'"
Remember the last time a Rethug said that it would take a major event (like a new Pearl Harbor) for them to be able to achieve their goals?
Is this yet another 'Oh shit' moment?
Conservatives Drive Bush's Approval Down - Yahoo! News:
" The souring of the nation's mood has accelerated the past three months, with the percentage of people describing the nation on the wrong track rising 12 points to a new high of 73 percent. Six of 10 conservatives say America is headed in the wrong direction.
Republican strategists said the party stands to lose control of Congress unless the environment changes unexpectedly.
'It's going to take some events of significance to turn this around,' GOP pollster Whit Ayres said. 'I don't think at this point you can talk your way back from those sorts of ratings.'"
Conservatives Drive Bush's Approval Down
...and a masacre it shall be!
As Howard Dean said, "they will never know what hit them."
Conservatives Drive Bush's Approval Down - Yahoo! News:
"WASHINGTON - Angry conservatives are driving the approval ratings of President Bush and the GOP-led Congress to dismal new lows, according to an AP-Ipsos poll that underscores why Republicans fear an Election Day massacre."
Bullshit Alert
....and the people who believe this, also believed that Saddam and Osama were tennis partners at the Baghdad country club.
Asia Times Online :: Middle East News, Iraq, Iran current affairs:
"The latest US National Security Strategy document, published this year, labeled Iran as the most serious challenge to the United States posed by any country. This should be an indication of just how safe the US is in the post-Cold War world, where the 'most serious challenge' is no longer a rival superpower with thousands of nuclear weapons and sophisticated delivery systems capable of destroying the country, but a Third World nation on the far side of the planet that, according to the latest National Intelligence Estimate out of Washington, is at least 10 years away from actually producing a usable nuclear weapon. "
Asia Times Online :: Middle East News, Iraq, Iran current affairs:
"The latest US National Security Strategy document, published this year, labeled Iran as the most serious challenge to the United States posed by any country. This should be an indication of just how safe the US is in the post-Cold War world, where the 'most serious challenge' is no longer a rival superpower with thousands of nuclear weapons and sophisticated delivery systems capable of destroying the country, but a Third World nation on the far side of the planet that, according to the latest National Intelligence Estimate out of Washington, is at least 10 years away from actually producing a usable nuclear weapon. "
An Unnecessary Crisis
An Unnecessary Crisis:
"In a region already suffering from upheaval and uncertainty, a crisis is being manufactured in which there will be no winners. Worse yet, the hysteria about the dangers of an alleged Iran nuclear weapon program rest solely and intentionally on misperceptions and outright lies. In the avalanche of anti-Iran media commentaries, conspicuously absent is any reference to important facts, coupled with a twisted representation of the developments over the past 25 years. Before the international community is lead to another 'crisis of choice', it is imperative that the public knows all the facts and is empowered to make an informed and sober decision about an impending catastrophe."
"In a region already suffering from upheaval and uncertainty, a crisis is being manufactured in which there will be no winners. Worse yet, the hysteria about the dangers of an alleged Iran nuclear weapon program rest solely and intentionally on misperceptions and outright lies. In the avalanche of anti-Iran media commentaries, conspicuously absent is any reference to important facts, coupled with a twisted representation of the developments over the past 25 years. Before the international community is lead to another 'crisis of choice', it is imperative that the public knows all the facts and is empowered to make an informed and sober decision about an impending catastrophe."
Ahmadinejad: Lost in translation
Holy Crap!
The MSM must be called on this.
As Bush I would say, this will not stand!
Ahmadinejad: Lost in translation:
"But what if the pronouncements by Ahmadinejad that cast him as this season's baddie incarnate had been:
a) Mistranslated and
b) Taken out of context?
When properly translated the Iranian president actually calls for the removal of the regimes that are in power in Israel and in the USA as a goal for the future. Nowhere does he demand the elimination or annihilation of Israel. He called for greater governance for Palestine. The word map does not even feature. And the president makes plain that the Holocaust happened, but, he argues western powers have exploited the memory of the Holocaust for their own imperialistic purposes.
What the mainstream ran with is complete deception."
The MSM must be called on this.
As Bush I would say, this will not stand!
Ahmadinejad: Lost in translation:
"But what if the pronouncements by Ahmadinejad that cast him as this season's baddie incarnate had been:
a) Mistranslated and
b) Taken out of context?
When properly translated the Iranian president actually calls for the removal of the regimes that are in power in Israel and in the USA as a goal for the future. Nowhere does he demand the elimination or annihilation of Israel. He called for greater governance for Palestine. The word map does not even feature. And the president makes plain that the Holocaust happened, but, he argues western powers have exploited the memory of the Holocaust for their own imperialistic purposes.
What the mainstream ran with is complete deception."
Oh, and let's not forget the whack-job to the West
Let's not forget our lessons:
FEAR EVERYTHING AND EVERY ONE!
World Peace Herald:
"SEOUL -- South Korea has pressed ahead with the planned relocation of U.S. bases in the country, cracking down on local residents and anti-American activists.
Some 13,000 riot police were mobilized Thursday to break up protesters who occupied a school complex in an area designated for expanded U.S. military facilities, resulting in violent clashes and injuries. "
FEAR EVERYTHING AND EVERY ONE!
World Peace Herald:
"SEOUL -- South Korea has pressed ahead with the planned relocation of U.S. bases in the country, cracking down on local residents and anti-American activists.
Some 13,000 riot police were mobilized Thursday to break up protesters who occupied a school complex in an area designated for expanded U.S. military facilities, resulting in violent clashes and injuries. "
War Pimp Alert!!!!
Banging the Syria/Iran war drums again.
Isn't this routine getting a little stale by now?
World Peace Herald:
"BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani accused Syria of exporting terrorism to Iraq and Iran of posing a great danger to his country.
In an interview with Arab journalists in the city of Suleimaniya, in northern Iraq, carried Wednesday in Beirut's daily an-Nahar, Talabani also warned against the fallout from a premature withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces"
Isn't this routine getting a little stale by now?
World Peace Herald:
"BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani accused Syria of exporting terrorism to Iraq and Iran of posing a great danger to his country.
In an interview with Arab journalists in the city of Suleimaniya, in northern Iraq, carried Wednesday in Beirut's daily an-Nahar, Talabani also warned against the fallout from a premature withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces"
Ex-CIA analyst condemns Bush 'manipulation campaign' on Iraq - Yahoo! News
This seemingly insignificant story, that is little followed here, in Bush world, and that Ray McGovern refered to yesterday, is what has finally caused the gloves to come off.
The worm has definitely turned!
Ex-CIA analyst condemns Bush 'manipulation campaign' on Iraq - Yahoo! News:
"MADRID (AFP) - A former Middle East specialist of the US Central Intelligence Agency has condemned what he called an organised campaign of manipulation by the Bush administration to justify the Iraq war. "
The worm has definitely turned!
Ex-CIA analyst condemns Bush 'manipulation campaign' on Iraq - Yahoo! News:
"MADRID (AFP) - A former Middle East specialist of the US Central Intelligence Agency has condemned what he called an organised campaign of manipulation by the Bush administration to justify the Iraq war. "
U.S. Releases New Zarqawi Images
What is it with Zarqawi and his love for nice clean, white American running shoes? He was wearing them the day he supposedly beheaded Nick Berg.
He was also remarkably nimble, that day, for a man with a prosthetic leg.
U.S. Releases New Zarqawi Images:
"BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military command Thursday released previously unseen images of a video purportedly posted by al-Qaida in Iraq's leader, showing him decked out in American tennis shoes and unable to operate his machine gun.
The video, discovered in a series of raids in April on purported al-Qaida in Iraq safe houses in the Youssifiyah area, 12 miles southwest of Baghdad, gave a view of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi that the Jordanian-born militant chose not to show the world, said Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, spokesman for the U.S. command.
But as the previously unseen video was shown, Lynch mocked al-Zarqawi, suggesting his weapon jammed and he was unable to fix it. "
He was also remarkably nimble, that day, for a man with a prosthetic leg.
U.S. Releases New Zarqawi Images:
"BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military command Thursday released previously unseen images of a video purportedly posted by al-Qaida in Iraq's leader, showing him decked out in American tennis shoes and unable to operate his machine gun.
The video, discovered in a series of raids in April on purported al-Qaida in Iraq safe houses in the Youssifiyah area, 12 miles southwest of Baghdad, gave a view of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi that the Jordanian-born militant chose not to show the world, said Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, spokesman for the U.S. command.
But as the previously unseen video was shown, Lynch mocked al-Zarqawi, suggesting his weapon jammed and he was unable to fix it. "
The Salvador Option has been invoked in Iraq
Other than the one stated here, there was another big Bushite need for Al Zarqawi:
The need to continuously connect Al Qaeda to Saddam and Iraq. Zarqawi had nothing to do with Al Qaeda, until the U.S. government propaganda machine made it so.
That is the one thing that made the invasion of Iraq somewhat legitimate given the resolutions passed by Congress.
That is why the Bush administration continues to insist on this story being true, even though it makes no sense at all, and never has.
The Salvador Option has been invoked in Iraq:
"The lifts in the New York Hilton played CNN on a small screen you could not avoid watching. Iraq was top of the news; pronouncements about a 'civil war' and 'sectarian violence' were repeated incessantly. It was as if the US invasion had never happened and the killing of tens of thousands of civilians by the Americans was a surreal fiction. The Iraqis were mindless Arabs, haunted by religion, ethnic strife and the need to blow themselves up. Unctuous puppet politicians were paraded with no hint that their exercise yard was inside an American fortress.
And when you left the lift, this followed you to your room, to the hotel gym, the airport, the next airport and the next country. Such is the power of America's corporate propaganda, which, as Edward Said pointed out in Culture and Imperialism , 'penetrates electronically' with its equivalent of a party line.
The party line changed the other day. For almost three years it was that al-Qaeda was the driving force behind the 'insurgency', led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a bloodthirsty Jordanian who was clearly being groomed for the kind of infamy Saddam Hussein enjoys. It mattered not that al-Zarqawi had never been seen alive and that only a fraction of the 'insurgents' followed al-Qaeda. For the Americans, Zarqawi's role was to distract attention from the thing that almost all Iraqis oppose: the brutal Anglo-American occupation of their country. "
The need to continuously connect Al Qaeda to Saddam and Iraq. Zarqawi had nothing to do with Al Qaeda, until the U.S. government propaganda machine made it so.
That is the one thing that made the invasion of Iraq somewhat legitimate given the resolutions passed by Congress.
That is why the Bush administration continues to insist on this story being true, even though it makes no sense at all, and never has.
The Salvador Option has been invoked in Iraq:
"The lifts in the New York Hilton played CNN on a small screen you could not avoid watching. Iraq was top of the news; pronouncements about a 'civil war' and 'sectarian violence' were repeated incessantly. It was as if the US invasion had never happened and the killing of tens of thousands of civilians by the Americans was a surreal fiction. The Iraqis were mindless Arabs, haunted by religion, ethnic strife and the need to blow themselves up. Unctuous puppet politicians were paraded with no hint that their exercise yard was inside an American fortress.
And when you left the lift, this followed you to your room, to the hotel gym, the airport, the next airport and the next country. Such is the power of America's corporate propaganda, which, as Edward Said pointed out in Culture and Imperialism , 'penetrates electronically' with its equivalent of a party line.
The party line changed the other day. For almost three years it was that al-Qaeda was the driving force behind the 'insurgency', led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a bloodthirsty Jordanian who was clearly being groomed for the kind of infamy Saddam Hussein enjoys. It mattered not that al-Zarqawi had never been seen alive and that only a fraction of the 'insurgents' followed al-Qaeda. For the Americans, Zarqawi's role was to distract attention from the thing that almost all Iraqis oppose: the brutal Anglo-American occupation of their country. "
"Our Descent Into Hell Has Begun"
Actually, our descent into hell began in December of 2000, when we allowed an unelected numb-skull to sit in the White House, though we did not know it at the time.
Our current nightmare was set from that moment on.
"Our Descent Into Hell Has Begun":
"05/04/06 'Counterpunch' -- -- A few weeks ago we got a friendly letter from Tony Swindell, a newspaper editor in Sherman, Texas. 'Begin paying attention,' Swindell urged, ''to stories from Iraq like the very recent one about U.S. Marines killing a group of civilians near Baghdad. This is the next step in the Iraq war as frustration among our soldiers grows -- especially with multiple tours.
''I served with the 11th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, and My Lai was not an isolated incident. We came to be known as the Butcher's Brigade, and we also were the birthplace of the Phoenix Program. The brigade commander and a battalion commander were charged with murdering civilians (shooting them from helicopters, recorded in some of my photos), although both skated. If you recall from his autobiography, Colin Powell served briefly with the 11th in Duc Pho before going to division HQ in Chu Lai.
''The atrocities against Iraqi civilians are slipping under the media radar screen, but they're going to explode in America's face not too long from now and dwarf the Abu Ghraib (sic) incident. That was a fraternity beer bust by comparison. The Ft. Sill episode [described in JoAnn Wypijewski's piece from April, 'The Army Slays Its Own.'] is another one of the same storm clouds on the horizon. I sincerely fear for our country.''
We asked Swindell to expand these thoughts. Here's his powerful response. AC/JSC"
Our current nightmare was set from that moment on.
"Our Descent Into Hell Has Begun":
"05/04/06 'Counterpunch' -- -- A few weeks ago we got a friendly letter from Tony Swindell, a newspaper editor in Sherman, Texas. 'Begin paying attention,' Swindell urged, ''to stories from Iraq like the very recent one about U.S. Marines killing a group of civilians near Baghdad. This is the next step in the Iraq war as frustration among our soldiers grows -- especially with multiple tours.
''I served with the 11th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, and My Lai was not an isolated incident. We came to be known as the Butcher's Brigade, and we also were the birthplace of the Phoenix Program. The brigade commander and a battalion commander were charged with murdering civilians (shooting them from helicopters, recorded in some of my photos), although both skated. If you recall from his autobiography, Colin Powell served briefly with the 11th in Duc Pho before going to division HQ in Chu Lai.
''The atrocities against Iraqi civilians are slipping under the media radar screen, but they're going to explode in America's face not too long from now and dwarf the Abu Ghraib (sic) incident. That was a fraternity beer bust by comparison. The Ft. Sill episode [described in JoAnn Wypijewski's piece from April, 'The Army Slays Its Own.'] is another one of the same storm clouds on the horizon. I sincerely fear for our country.''
We asked Swindell to expand these thoughts. Here's his powerful response. AC/JSC"
Why won't the government try the real criminals of 9/11?
....like Bush, Cheney, Rummy, etc, etc, ad nauseum
Attytood: Why won't the government try the real criminals of 9/11?:
"This entire Moussaoui trial was a side show. The Justice Department indicted him at the time, they thought he might have been the 20th hijacker. They later learned he was not. But there was a feeling, that for altogether understandable reasons, that the country needed a trial, the cathartic effect of a trial to deal with the most horrific crime in American history.
But the point is that after the time that they indicted Moussaoui, we came to get into custody the people who were directly responsible for that crime, the architect, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (pictured here at top), Ramzi bin al-Shibh, who was Mohammed Atta`s collaborator at every step of the way -- twice in 2001, Atta leaves the country to consult with Ramzi bin al-Shibh about the for the attack -- the financier who was also in custody, Qualli bin Atassh (phonetic) who helped planned it at the Malaysia meeting.
But the government has been completely stymied about what do to with these people. Why -- and this is the one where it is really worth connecting the dots. It goes straight into the White House, the Oval Office and the vice president`s office because key decisions were made about aggressive interrogation techniques that were going to be used on these people."
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Key Bush judge under ethics cloud
....and this is a surprise, why?
I am beginning to think that the Bushites only nominate people who are corrupt, so they can be blackmailed and kept in line in the future.
Key Bush judge under ethics cloud Salon.com News:
"May 3, 2006 Key Democrats denounced Terrence Boyle on Capitol Hill Monday and Tuesday, after a Salon report revealed that the controversial judge, nominated to one of the nation's highest courts by President Bush, violated federal law on conflicts of interest. As the debate over Boyle heated up, the White House acknowledged that Boyle should have recused himself in cases involving companies in which he owned stock -- but continued its support of the nominee.
Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat of the Judiciary Committee, blasted Boyle on the floor of the Senate Monday, calling him 'somebody who has violated every judicial ethic you can think of.' "
I am beginning to think that the Bushites only nominate people who are corrupt, so they can be blackmailed and kept in line in the future.
Key Bush judge under ethics cloud Salon.com News:
"May 3, 2006 Key Democrats denounced Terrence Boyle on Capitol Hill Monday and Tuesday, after a Salon report revealed that the controversial judge, nominated to one of the nation's highest courts by President Bush, violated federal law on conflicts of interest. As the debate over Boyle heated up, the White House acknowledged that Boyle should have recused himself in cases involving companies in which he owned stock -- but continued its support of the nominee.
Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat of the Judiciary Committee, blasted Boyle on the floor of the Senate Monday, calling him 'somebody who has violated every judicial ethic you can think of.' "
New frontline in the war on terror
Bush, the idiot king, has already started WWIII, Iran is just stage two.
What's more; he is losing.
Guardian Unlimited Special reports New frontline in the war on terror:
"As hideouts go, the Shawal Valley in northern Pakistan is a militant's dream. Lonely goat trails wind through a rocky 25-mile corridor that nudges the Afghan border. Its fiercely conservative tribesmen and forbidding high-walled compounds have sheltered Taliban fighters and probably al-Qaida fugitives.
Last weekend Brigadier Imtiaz Wyne, a Pakistani army commander, stood on the top of one of its highest peaks and declared his 5,000 troops had tamed the wild valley - almost. 'This border is sealed,' he said, pointing to a line of observation posts along the border.
But the cornered militants were fighting back, he admitted. His soldiers had suffered five major attacks in the previous month; on one occasion a captured soldier was gruesomely mutilated before being executed."
What's more; he is losing.
Guardian Unlimited Special reports New frontline in the war on terror:
"As hideouts go, the Shawal Valley in northern Pakistan is a militant's dream. Lonely goat trails wind through a rocky 25-mile corridor that nudges the Afghan border. Its fiercely conservative tribesmen and forbidding high-walled compounds have sheltered Taliban fighters and probably al-Qaida fugitives.
Last weekend Brigadier Imtiaz Wyne, a Pakistani army commander, stood on the top of one of its highest peaks and declared his 5,000 troops had tamed the wild valley - almost. 'This border is sealed,' he said, pointing to a line of observation posts along the border.
But the cornered militants were fighting back, he admitted. His soldiers had suffered five major attacks in the previous month; on one occasion a captured soldier was gruesomely mutilated before being executed."
Fake TV News: Widespread and Undisclosed - Center for Media and Democracy
TURN OFF YOUR TVs NOW!
Before you all become as brain-dead as Fox News Vewers.
Fake TV News: Widespread and Undisclosed - Center for Media and Democracy:
"A multimedia report on television newsrooms' use of material provided by PR firms on behalf of paying clients
April 6, 2006
This report includes:
Video footage of the 36 video news releases documented in this report, plus footage showing how actual TV newscasts incorporated them and/or a related satellite media tours.
A map showing the locations of the 77 television stations throughout the United States that aired this fake news.
An itemized list of the 77 television stations that aired this fake news, by state. "
Why Kent State is important today
I would say that it is important because it is probably going to happen again, except worse.
Why Kent State is important today - The Boston Globe:
"THIRTY-SIX years ago today, Ohio National Guardsmen shot 13 college students at Kent State University who were protesting US incursions into Cambodia as part of the Vietnam War. Nine victims survived, including one who is confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Four students -- Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, Bill Schroeder, and Sandy Scheuer -- were killed."
Why Kent State is important today - The Boston Globe:
"THIRTY-SIX years ago today, Ohio National Guardsmen shot 13 college students at Kent State University who were protesting US incursions into Cambodia as part of the Vietnam War. Nine victims survived, including one who is confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Four students -- Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, Bill Schroeder, and Sandy Scheuer -- were killed."
Blackwater in the Crosshairs: The Families of Four Private Security Contractors Killed in Fallujah File a Ground-Breaking Lawsuit
Well, this is interesting....
Democracy Now! Blackwater in the Crosshairs: The Families of Four Private Security Contractors Killed in Fallujah File a Ground-Breaking Lawsuit:
"The families of four private security contractors killed in Fallujah in March 2004 have filed a ground-breaking lawsuit charging Blackwater USA with fraud and wrongful death. Blackwater has fought to have the case dismissed by claiming that all liability lies not with the company but the U.S. government.
In an expose in the new issue of the Nation magazine, independent journalist Jeremy Scahill tells the story of the struggle of the four families of the slain Blackwater contractors to hold those responsible for their deaths accountable. "
Democracy Now! Blackwater in the Crosshairs: The Families of Four Private Security Contractors Killed in Fallujah File a Ground-Breaking Lawsuit:
"The families of four private security contractors killed in Fallujah in March 2004 have filed a ground-breaking lawsuit charging Blackwater USA with fraud and wrongful death. Blackwater has fought to have the case dismissed by claiming that all liability lies not with the company but the U.S. government.
In an expose in the new issue of the Nation magazine, independent journalist Jeremy Scahill tells the story of the struggle of the four families of the slain Blackwater contractors to hold those responsible for their deaths accountable. "
Electronic voting switch threatens mass confusion
What those damnable, Democracy stealing machines will cause, if they are not dispensed with NOW, is trouble that will make the Brooks Brothers Riots in Fla, 2000, look like a picnic.
If the people believe that their votes are not being counted again, they may well decide to get rid of the machines on election day, with sledge hammers and chain saws.
FT.com / World / US - Electronic voting switch threatens mass confusion:
"The last three election cycles in the US have been marked by controversy not only about candidates, but also about the fairness and accuracy of the voting process. And as voters head to the polls today for primaries in some jurisdictions, the coming cycle promises more of the same.
With about 8,000 separate election authorities managing approximately 175,000 polling places and perhaps as many as 150,000 different ballot forms that include choices for everyone from senator to dogcatcher, American elections are complex even when all goes well. But this cycle sees many states and smaller jurisdictions making last-minute efforts to switch to electronic voting, and early signs of trouble are appearing."
If the people believe that their votes are not being counted again, they may well decide to get rid of the machines on election day, with sledge hammers and chain saws.
FT.com / World / US - Electronic voting switch threatens mass confusion:
"The last three election cycles in the US have been marked by controversy not only about candidates, but also about the fairness and accuracy of the voting process. And as voters head to the polls today for primaries in some jurisdictions, the coming cycle promises more of the same.
With about 8,000 separate election authorities managing approximately 175,000 polling places and perhaps as many as 150,000 different ballot forms that include choices for everyone from senator to dogcatcher, American elections are complex even when all goes well. But this cycle sees many states and smaller jurisdictions making last-minute efforts to switch to electronic voting, and early signs of trouble are appearing."
Kennedy Confirms Car Crash Near Capitol - Yahoo! News
Can't say what the real story about this is, but I can say that this story caused Wolf Blitzer's voice to go up to near soprano, monotone.
Poor old Wolfie. He has been noticably depressed, of late. Seems like all the bad news for Bush was really getting to him.
But tonight he seemed exultant over the Kennedy crash and the reports that Kennedy was toasted.
Maybe this will save the boy-king! You could almost hear Wolfie's mind turning, in great delight
Another self-indulgent Kennedy gets himself into a drunken car crash. Yep that will take us all back to another time, when three Kennedy brothers were finally out of the way and the last one had killed his political career along with a young female intern, in another car crash.
Maybe now, our current, dark dynasty, will live on.
Well, think again, Wolf.
Kennedy Confirms Car Crash Near Capitol - Yahoo! News:
"WASHINGTON - Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had had no alcohol before the accident. "
Poor old Wolfie. He has been noticably depressed, of late. Seems like all the bad news for Bush was really getting to him.
But tonight he seemed exultant over the Kennedy crash and the reports that Kennedy was toasted.
Maybe this will save the boy-king! You could almost hear Wolfie's mind turning, in great delight
Another self-indulgent Kennedy gets himself into a drunken car crash. Yep that will take us all back to another time, when three Kennedy brothers were finally out of the way and the last one had killed his political career along with a young female intern, in another car crash.
Maybe now, our current, dark dynasty, will live on.
Well, think again, Wolf.
Kennedy Confirms Car Crash Near Capitol - Yahoo! News:
"WASHINGTON - Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had had no alcohol before the accident. "
Ridicule and contempt
It was at that!
....and well deserved, I must say.
Ridicule and contempt for a lying, seemingly sociopathic administration and its leader; ridicule and contempt for a Washington Press Corp that is almost as out of touch as their boy-king.
Elitist, fearful; not of losing their lives, like in many countries, but their outrageous salaries, which, by the way, I have not seen any of them earn.
Most bloggers seem to know more than they do.
The Washington press corp can go straight to hell, as far as I am concerned, where they can continue to laugh at Junior's sick jokes, because he will, no doubt, be the boy-king there as well.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian daily comment Ridicule and contempt:
"The most scathing public critique of the Bush presidency and the complicity of a craven press corps was delivered at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday by a comedian. Bush was reported afterwards to be seething, while the press corps responded with stone-cold silence. In many of their reports of the event they airbrushed out the joker.
Stephen Colbert performed within 10 yards of Bush's hostile stare and before 2,600 members of the press and their guests. After his mock praise of Bush as a rock against reality, Colbert censured the press by flattering its misfeasance. 'Over the last five years you people were so good - over tax cuts, WMD intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out ... Here's how it works: the president makes decisions ... The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spellcheck and go home ... Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know - fiction!'."
....and well deserved, I must say.
Ridicule and contempt for a lying, seemingly sociopathic administration and its leader; ridicule and contempt for a Washington Press Corp that is almost as out of touch as their boy-king.
Elitist, fearful; not of losing their lives, like in many countries, but their outrageous salaries, which, by the way, I have not seen any of them earn.
Most bloggers seem to know more than they do.
The Washington press corp can go straight to hell, as far as I am concerned, where they can continue to laugh at Junior's sick jokes, because he will, no doubt, be the boy-king there as well.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian daily comment Ridicule and contempt:
"The most scathing public critique of the Bush presidency and the complicity of a craven press corps was delivered at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday by a comedian. Bush was reported afterwards to be seething, while the press corps responded with stone-cold silence. In many of their reports of the event they airbrushed out the joker.
Stephen Colbert performed within 10 yards of Bush's hostile stare and before 2,600 members of the press and their guests. After his mock praise of Bush as a rock against reality, Colbert censured the press by flattering its misfeasance. 'Over the last five years you people were so good - over tax cuts, WMD intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn't want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out ... Here's how it works: the president makes decisions ... The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spellcheck and go home ... Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know - fiction!'."
Rumsfeld Called Out On Lies About WMD
Josh has the video. This is amazing.
Word is that it was McGovern, doing the questioning of Rumsfeld.
Somebody has to. The Rethug controlled Congress refuses to ask anything of anyone.
Think Progress � VIDEO: Rumsfeld Called Out On Lies About WMD:
"Speaking in Atlanta today, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was sharply questioned about his pre-war claims about WMD in Iraq. An audience member confronted Rumsfeld with his 2003 claim about WMD, 'We know where they are.' Rumsfeld falsely claimed he never said it. The audience member then read Rumsfeld's quote back to him, leaving the defense secretary speechless. "
Word is that it was McGovern, doing the questioning of Rumsfeld.
Somebody has to. The Rethug controlled Congress refuses to ask anything of anyone.
Think Progress � VIDEO: Rumsfeld Called Out On Lies About WMD:
"Speaking in Atlanta today, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was sharply questioned about his pre-war claims about WMD in Iraq. An audience member confronted Rumsfeld with his 2003 claim about WMD, 'We know where they are.' Rumsfeld falsely claimed he never said it. The audience member then read Rumsfeld's quote back to him, leaving the defense secretary speechless. "
Team Abramoff Visited the White House over 200 Times in Bush's First 10 Months in Office
Holy crap!
What did Abramoff do, set up an office in the White House?
Pensito Review: Politics & Media � Team Abramoff Visited the White House over 200 Times in Bush�s First 10 Months in Office:
"The Secret Service released logs showing the comings and goings of convicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff and members of his staff at the White House that present a jaw-dropping level of access to the Bush Administration after the 2000 election:
Abramoff was a $100,000 fundraiser for Bush [in 2000] and lobbying records obtained by the AP show his lobbying team logged nearly 200 meetings with the administration during its first 10 months in office on behalf of one of his clients, the Northern Mariana Islands.
As Keith Olbermann pointed out last night, someone from Abramoff's firm was at the White House every business day for 10 months through October 2001.
That's a whole lotta access. "
Justice Ginsburg: Congress's Watchdog Plan "Scary"
I wonder how many young people in this country know how very unusual it is for a Supreme Court Justice to speak out in this way?
It is a sign of just how much trouble we are in, as a nation.
Justice Ginsburg: Congress's Watchdog Plan "Scary": "
Washington - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Tuesday that a Republican proposal in Congress to set up a watchdog over the federal courts is a 'really scary idea.'
Ginsburg told a gathering of the American Bar Association that lawyers should stick up for judges when they are criticized by congressional leaders.
'My sense now is that the judiciary is under assault in a way that I haven't seen before,' she said."
You said it, Maddam Justice, and we intend to keep it up unitil all of you left-wingers are dead or retired, take yor pick.
We love ya, but you are going to hell.
Sincerely,
The Christan Right.
It is a sign of just how much trouble we are in, as a nation.
Justice Ginsburg: Congress's Watchdog Plan "Scary": "
Washington - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Tuesday that a Republican proposal in Congress to set up a watchdog over the federal courts is a 'really scary idea.'
Ginsburg told a gathering of the American Bar Association that lawyers should stick up for judges when they are criticized by congressional leaders.
'My sense now is that the judiciary is under assault in a way that I haven't seen before,' she said."
You said it, Maddam Justice, and we intend to keep it up unitil all of you left-wingers are dead or retired, take yor pick.
We love ya, but you are going to hell.
Sincerely,
The Christan Right.
Bill Maher to Der Monkey
Mr. Maher is, as always, damned right on!
William Rivers Pitt A Turning Point:
" Bill Maher, host of the HBO program 'Real Time,' threw a thought for George W. Bush against the wall during his closing monologue the other night. 'You govern like Billy Joel drives,' said Maher to Bush. 'You've performed so poorly I'm surprised that you haven't given yourself a medal. You're a catastrophe that walks like a man. Herbert Hoover was a s****y president, but even he never conceded an entire city to rising water and snakes. On your watch, we've lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four airliners, two trade centers, a piece of the Pentagon, and the City of New Orleans. Maybe you're just not lucky. I'm not saying you don't love this country. I'm just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the other side.'
Indeed. "
William Rivers Pitt A Turning Point:
" Bill Maher, host of the HBO program 'Real Time,' threw a thought for George W. Bush against the wall during his closing monologue the other night. 'You govern like Billy Joel drives,' said Maher to Bush. 'You've performed so poorly I'm surprised that you haven't given yourself a medal. You're a catastrophe that walks like a man. Herbert Hoover was a s****y president, but even he never conceded an entire city to rising water and snakes. On your watch, we've lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four airliners, two trade centers, a piece of the Pentagon, and the City of New Orleans. Maybe you're just not lucky. I'm not saying you don't love this country. I'm just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the other side.'
Indeed. "
150,000 American Hostages
Baghdad Burning:
It was around the 10th or 11th of April, 2003. There had been no electricity in our area since the last days of March. The water was also cut off and most Iraqis still didn�t have generators. We spent the days- and nights- listening to American and British war planes, listening for the tanks as they invaded the city, and praying. We also tried desperately to follow the news.
The state-controlled Iraqi channels had, seemingly, ceased to exist. Transmission had been bad since the war began- sometimes, we�d be able to access the channel clearly, and at other times, it was only a fuzzy blur of faces and scratchy national anthems. The official Iraqi radio station was no better- sometimes it seemed like they were transmitting from Mars- it was so far away. When we did get it clearly, none of it made sense: Sahhaf, the Minister of Information, would say, �There are no tanks in Baghdad!� and yet, explosions and the carcasses of burnt up cars with families still inside, said otherwise."
It was around the 10th or 11th of April, 2003. There had been no electricity in our area since the last days of March. The water was also cut off and most Iraqis still didn�t have generators. We spent the days- and nights- listening to American and British war planes, listening for the tanks as they invaded the city, and praying. We also tried desperately to follow the news.
The state-controlled Iraqi channels had, seemingly, ceased to exist. Transmission had been bad since the war began- sometimes, we�d be able to access the channel clearly, and at other times, it was only a fuzzy blur of faces and scratchy national anthems. The official Iraqi radio station was no better- sometimes it seemed like they were transmitting from Mars- it was so far away. When we did get it clearly, none of it made sense: Sahhaf, the Minister of Information, would say, �There are no tanks in Baghdad!� and yet, explosions and the carcasses of burnt up cars with families still inside, said otherwise."
The inspiration of George Bush
The GOP deserves to be consigned to the dust bin of history, if there is a history to be lived, after thier turn at absolute power.
WorkingForChange-The inspiration of George Bush:
"Apr. 25 -- The president may turn to God when it comes to shaping his foreign policy, but his energy policy is strictly courtesy of the Men Upstairs at Big Oil.
Which is why it is beyond comical to watch Moe, Curly and Larry -- sorry, I mean Bush, Hastert and Frist -- getting all blue in the face about skyrocketing gas prices, and calling on the Energy and Justice Departments to look into possible market manipulation by oil companies.
It's the least believable call for an investigation since O.J. set out to find the real killers. "
WorkingForChange-The inspiration of George Bush:
"Apr. 25 -- The president may turn to God when it comes to shaping his foreign policy, but his energy policy is strictly courtesy of the Men Upstairs at Big Oil.
Which is why it is beyond comical to watch Moe, Curly and Larry -- sorry, I mean Bush, Hastert and Frist -- getting all blue in the face about skyrocketing gas prices, and calling on the Energy and Justice Departments to look into possible market manipulation by oil companies.
It's the least believable call for an investigation since O.J. set out to find the real killers. "
Cheney sought Rice's role at National Security Council, Vanity Fair to report
Guess he didn't think the maid could handle the job...
Guess he was right.
But neither could he, unless his only motive for invading Iraq was the war profiteering.
The Raw Story Cheney sought Rice's role at National Security Council, Vanity Fair to report:
"Bush apparently gave Cheney power to preside over National Security Council meetings
Shortly after taking office, Vice President Dick Cheney fought to take over one of the national security adviser's key duties, claims an unnamed ex-official in the June issue of Vanity Fair.
'At one point early in this Bush administration, a former official tells me, Cheney wanted to chair meetings of the National Security Council 'principals'; the secretaries of state and defense, the C.I.A. director, and so on, in Bush's absence, co-opting the usual role of the national security adviser, then Condoleezza Rice,' writes Vanity Fair national editor Todd Purdum in an advance copy provided by the magazine to RAW STORY."
Guess he was right.
But neither could he, unless his only motive for invading Iraq was the war profiteering.
The Raw Story Cheney sought Rice's role at National Security Council, Vanity Fair to report:
"Bush apparently gave Cheney power to preside over National Security Council meetings
Shortly after taking office, Vice President Dick Cheney fought to take over one of the national security adviser's key duties, claims an unnamed ex-official in the June issue of Vanity Fair.
'At one point early in this Bush administration, a former official tells me, Cheney wanted to chair meetings of the National Security Council 'principals'; the secretaries of state and defense, the C.I.A. director, and so on, in Bush's absence, co-opting the usual role of the national security adviser, then Condoleezza Rice,' writes Vanity Fair national editor Todd Purdum in an advance copy provided by the magazine to RAW STORY."
The Intelligence War Over Iran
Here we go again. But this time there is a bigger hue and cry than last time.
AlterNet: War on Iraq: The Intelligence War Over Iran:
"Intelligence Czar John Negroponte splashes cold water on the neocons who are hot to attack Iran. "
AlterNet: War on Iraq: The Intelligence War Over Iran:
"Intelligence Czar John Negroponte splashes cold water on the neocons who are hot to attack Iran. "
Investigate Big Dick
AlterNet: Investigate Big Dick:
"If the US Senate really wants to earn our respect, I have a suggestion for them: Hold bipartisan hearings into Dick Cheney's 2001 Energy Task Force.
If not now, when?
Low-wage working Americans can't afford to drive to their jobs? Already some folks have been forced to pawn personal items just to fill their tank for another week. How bad does it have to get before you guys up there start asking the questions you should have asked years ago -- and this time, demanding real answers."
"If the US Senate really wants to earn our respect, I have a suggestion for them: Hold bipartisan hearings into Dick Cheney's 2001 Energy Task Force.
If not now, when?
Low-wage working Americans can't afford to drive to their jobs? Already some folks have been forced to pawn personal items just to fill their tank for another week. How bad does it have to get before you guys up there start asking the questions you should have asked years ago -- and this time, demanding real answers."
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Fox, BBC, Al Jazeera most trusted: poll
Good God, no wonder so many Americans are so incredibly out-to-lunch.
Fox News is not news. It is warped opinion!
Fox, BBC, Al Jazeera most trusted: poll - Yahoo! News:
"LONDON (Reuters) - One-quarter of consumers abandoned a news source over the past year because they lost trust in its reporting, according to a new survey that also found the BBC, Fox News and Al Jazeera the most trusted brands in their respective home regions. "
Fox News is not news. It is warped opinion!
Fox, BBC, Al Jazeera most trusted: poll - Yahoo! News:
"LONDON (Reuters) - One-quarter of consumers abandoned a news source over the past year because they lost trust in its reporting, according to a new survey that also found the BBC, Fox News and Al Jazeera the most trusted brands in their respective home regions. "
Our monarch, above the law
Our monarch, above the law - The Boston Globe:
"HAS GEORGE W. Bush come to believe he's king?"
Why not? He believes that God talks to him.
"HAS GEORGE W. Bush come to believe he's king?"
Why not? He believes that God talks to him.
CIA operatives raise intel questions
As much as some Democrats and Republicans say that it doesn't matter how we got into this mess, that the question now is what do we do, it does matter how we went to war.
Misinforming the people and the Congress about reasons to prosecute a war, especially a "pre-emptive" war, is treason, as far as I am concerned.
Disinformation in a Democracy is treason, because it undermines the very pilars upon which a democracy is built.
CIA operatives raise intel questions - Hardball with Chris Matthews - MSNBC.com:
"Did President Bush lead our country to war based on faulty intelligence, or did his administration twist and cherry-pick the information for a war they had already decided to start?
Somebody is responsible for this war. Is it the president, the politicians in Congress who voted to authorize the war, the military who saluted Bush three years ago when the war was popular who are now calling for Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation, or was it cooked intelligence from the administration?
Two high-ranking CIA operatives who were actively involved in the run-up to the war answered this question and more."
$5 a gallon!
It isn't a matter of if, only when.
New York Daily News - World & National Report - $5 a gallon!:
"Tight petroleum supplies amid soaring demand could drive crude oil prices above $100 a barrel by this winter, energy experts warned yesterday.
That could translate into gas prices of more than $5 a gallon at the pump and spike home heating oil an additional 30%, analysts said.
Iran's deputy oil minister, Hadi Nejad Hosseinian, fueled the paranoia yesterday by predicting that crude could hit $100 a barrel by the end of the year - $26 above even yesterday's near-record price."
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
New Scientist Tech - Breaking News - Invention: The riot slimer
New Scientist Tech - Breaking News - Invention: The riot slimer:
"Rioters could soon be in for a slippery surprise. Researchers at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, US, are working on a new non-lethal weapon that could quite literally bring them to their knees ' by sliming them.
The institute has developed a super-slimy substance. When fired at an unruly mob it causes rioters to simply slip over."
"Rioters could soon be in for a slippery surprise. Researchers at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, US, are working on a new non-lethal weapon that could quite literally bring them to their knees ' by sliming them.
The institute has developed a super-slimy substance. When fired at an unruly mob it causes rioters to simply slip over."
Markey introduces Net Neutrality Act
AlterNet: Blogs: PEEK: Markey introduces Net Neutrality Act:
"Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) threw down the gauntlet just moments ago, introducing the Network Neutrality Act of 2006 [full text HERE], which '[offers a] choice between favoring the broadband designs of a small handful of very large companies, and safeguarding the dreams of thousands of inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. This legislation is designed to save the Internet and thwart those who seek to fundamentally and detrimentally alter the Internet as we know it.'"
"Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) threw down the gauntlet just moments ago, introducing the Network Neutrality Act of 2006 [full text HERE], which '[offers a] choice between favoring the broadband designs of a small handful of very large companies, and safeguarding the dreams of thousands of inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. This legislation is designed to save the Internet and thwart those who seek to fundamentally and detrimentally alter the Internet as we know it.'"
Oh, God, here we go; WWIII
Khaleej Times Online:
"ANZI, Iraq - While Turkish Kurdish guerrillas based in northeast Iraq continue to wrestle their foes in Turkey, tensions have been brewing with neighbouring Iran. Lodged in northern Iraq in an area flanked by NATO member Turkey and Washington's foe Iran, elements of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have accused Teheran of attacking their encampments.
The separatists, fighting for the creation of a Kurdish state in Turkey's southeast, said Iranian artillery on April 20 bombed their positions in Iraq killing two fighters and wounding 10 others.
'There is an agreement between Turkey and Iran to attack our positions, the commander of the group, Rustom Judi, told AFP in Anzi, a small village in rugged mountains, located near the Iranian border some 135 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of Sulaimaniyah."
"ANZI, Iraq - While Turkish Kurdish guerrillas based in northeast Iraq continue to wrestle their foes in Turkey, tensions have been brewing with neighbouring Iran. Lodged in northern Iraq in an area flanked by NATO member Turkey and Washington's foe Iran, elements of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have accused Teheran of attacking their encampments.
The separatists, fighting for the creation of a Kurdish state in Turkey's southeast, said Iranian artillery on April 20 bombed their positions in Iraq killing two fighters and wounding 10 others.
'There is an agreement between Turkey and Iran to attack our positions, the commander of the group, Rustom Judi, told AFP in Anzi, a small village in rugged mountains, located near the Iranian border some 135 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of Sulaimaniyah."
Praying for Peace or Preying on Peace?
...and this, my com-patriots, is the most sickening part of it all.
It is about time the Mainstream of Christianity spoke out. But I am afraid it is too little too late.
You should all be ashamed of your own fear, your delusion and self-righteousness, followers of the Prince of Peace.
You mock the Christ!
(Sent in by Winterfire, by email)
Praying for Peace or Preying on Peace?:
"094/30/06 'CounterPunch' -- -- The United Methodist Church should be bringing disciplinary action against President George Bush for war crimes. Evidence continues to mount that Bush, a United Methodist, deliberately used his religious faith to deceive the American people in the run-up to his administration's pre-meditated war against non-threatening, sanctions-weakened, defenseless Iraq. He then continued using his faith in 'the ways of Providence' to justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq. He has violated a long-cherished United Methodist Book of Discipline social principle: that 'war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ . . . [and] we insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute between or among them.' (pages 123, 124, 2004)
Resolving disputes peacefully was the first thing out of President Bush's mouth and apparently the last thing on his mind. His pre-war public posture was that of a man of faith and peace. At his March 6, 2003 news conference, he said, 'I pray daily. I pray for wisdom and guidance and strength. . . . I pray for peace. I pray for peace.' (The New York Times, Mar. 7, 2003) Two weeks later he ordered the bombing of the Iraqi people and the invasion of their country.
President Bush continually justified his administration's pre-emptive war against Iraq by charging that Saddam Hussein threatened America with 'mushroom cloud'-like weapons of mass destruction. When no such weapons were found in Iraq after the invasion, Bush repeatedly used his religious faith again to justify his administration's disastrous and criminal war: 'Freedom is not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to every man and woman in the world.' ('Acceptance Speech to Republican Convention Delega"
It is about time the Mainstream of Christianity spoke out. But I am afraid it is too little too late.
You should all be ashamed of your own fear, your delusion and self-righteousness, followers of the Prince of Peace.
You mock the Christ!
(Sent in by Winterfire, by email)
Praying for Peace or Preying on Peace?:
"094/30/06 'CounterPunch' -- -- The United Methodist Church should be bringing disciplinary action against President George Bush for war crimes. Evidence continues to mount that Bush, a United Methodist, deliberately used his religious faith to deceive the American people in the run-up to his administration's pre-meditated war against non-threatening, sanctions-weakened, defenseless Iraq. He then continued using his faith in 'the ways of Providence' to justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq. He has violated a long-cherished United Methodist Book of Discipline social principle: that 'war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ . . . [and] we insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute between or among them.' (pages 123, 124, 2004)
Resolving disputes peacefully was the first thing out of President Bush's mouth and apparently the last thing on his mind. His pre-war public posture was that of a man of faith and peace. At his March 6, 2003 news conference, he said, 'I pray daily. I pray for wisdom and guidance and strength. . . . I pray for peace. I pray for peace.' (The New York Times, Mar. 7, 2003) Two weeks later he ordered the bombing of the Iraqi people and the invasion of their country.
President Bush continually justified his administration's pre-emptive war against Iraq by charging that Saddam Hussein threatened America with 'mushroom cloud'-like weapons of mass destruction. When no such weapons were found in Iraq after the invasion, Bush repeatedly used his religious faith again to justify his administration's disastrous and criminal war: 'Freedom is not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to every man and woman in the world.' ('Acceptance Speech to Republican Convention Delega"
Failed States
Of course, we have a failed state and have had since 2004 (actually 2000, but not many people recognized it then.)
We are a failed Democracy, from which Fascism will surely arise if something is not done to prevent it.
Failed States:
"04/30/06 'ICH' -- -- Noam Chomsky hardly needs an introduction. Throughout his lifetime as an internationally esteemed academic, scholar and activist he's the rarest of individuals I know. He's world renown twice over - in his chosen field of linguistics where he's considered the father of modern linguistics and as a leading voice for equity, justice and peace for over four decades. Although the dominant US corporate media religiously ignore him (especially on air), the New York Times Review of Books said of him a generation ago that 'judged in terms of the power, range, novelty and influence of his thought, Noam Chomsky is arguably the most important intellectual alive today.' He still is, and someone should inform the Times he's also still alive, but you'd never know it from the silence today from 'the newspaper of record' and the rest of the corporate media as well.
Noam, as his friends call him, is the Institute Professor Emeritus of linguistics at MIT where he taught in his chosen field beginning in 1955. He's written many dozens of books, and despite a nonstop schedule that would challenge most anyone half his age, he still travels the world to speak to large enthusiastic audiences where he's in great demand. He also gives many interviews that appear in print and on air and continues his prolific writing producing many articles and a new book about every year or two. I don't know how he does it, and I lost count of the number of books he's written. But I'm proud to say I've read and have on my shelves at home about 45 of them (the political ones) and always look forward to his newest when it's available.
For those who feel as I do and admire him greatly, it's always with anticipation and great expectation of more vintage Chomsky when his latest book arrives. One just did, called Failed"
We are a failed Democracy, from which Fascism will surely arise if something is not done to prevent it.
Failed States:
"04/30/06 'ICH' -- -- Noam Chomsky hardly needs an introduction. Throughout his lifetime as an internationally esteemed academic, scholar and activist he's the rarest of individuals I know. He's world renown twice over - in his chosen field of linguistics where he's considered the father of modern linguistics and as a leading voice for equity, justice and peace for over four decades. Although the dominant US corporate media religiously ignore him (especially on air), the New York Times Review of Books said of him a generation ago that 'judged in terms of the power, range, novelty and influence of his thought, Noam Chomsky is arguably the most important intellectual alive today.' He still is, and someone should inform the Times he's also still alive, but you'd never know it from the silence today from 'the newspaper of record' and the rest of the corporate media as well.
Noam, as his friends call him, is the Institute Professor Emeritus of linguistics at MIT where he taught in his chosen field beginning in 1955. He's written many dozens of books, and despite a nonstop schedule that would challenge most anyone half his age, he still travels the world to speak to large enthusiastic audiences where he's in great demand. He also gives many interviews that appear in print and on air and continues his prolific writing producing many articles and a new book about every year or two. I don't know how he does it, and I lost count of the number of books he's written. But I'm proud to say I've read and have on my shelves at home about 45 of them (the political ones) and always look forward to his newest when it's available.
For those who feel as I do and admire him greatly, it's always with anticipation and great expectation of more vintage Chomsky when his latest book arrives. One just did, called Failed"
Depleted Uranium - Far Worse Than 9/11
Every president who has commanded a war, with the use of this godawful stuff should be put in prison for life, no exceptions.
Depleted Uranium - Far Worse Than 9/11:
"Depleted Uranium Dust - Public Health Disaster For The People Of Iraq and Afghanistan
By Douglas Westerman
05/01/06 'Vital Truths' -- - In 1979, depleted uranium (DU) particles escaped from the National Lead Industries factory near Albany, N.Y.,which was manufacturing DU weapons for the U.S military. The particles traveled 26 miles and were discovered in a laboratory filter by Dr. Leonard Dietz, a nuclear physicist. This discovery led to a shut down of the factory in 1980, for releasing morethan 0.85 pounds of DU dust into the atmosphere every month, and involved a cleanup of contaminated properties costing over 100 million dollars.
Imagine a far worse scenario. Terrorists acquire a million pounds of the deadly dust and scatter it in populated areas throughout the U.S. Hundreds of children report symptoms. Many acquire cancer and leukemia, suffering an early and painful death. Huge increases in severe birth defects are reported. Oncologists are overwhelmed. Soccer fields, sand lots and parks, traditional play areas for kids, are no longer safe. People lose their most basic freedom, the ability to go outside and safely breathe. Sounds worse than 9/11? Welcome to Iraq and Afghanistan. "
Depleted Uranium - Far Worse Than 9/11:
"Depleted Uranium Dust - Public Health Disaster For The People Of Iraq and Afghanistan
By Douglas Westerman
05/01/06 'Vital Truths' -- - In 1979, depleted uranium (DU) particles escaped from the National Lead Industries factory near Albany, N.Y.,which was manufacturing DU weapons for the U.S military. The particles traveled 26 miles and were discovered in a laboratory filter by Dr. Leonard Dietz, a nuclear physicist. This discovery led to a shut down of the factory in 1980, for releasing morethan 0.85 pounds of DU dust into the atmosphere every month, and involved a cleanup of contaminated properties costing over 100 million dollars.
Imagine a far worse scenario. Terrorists acquire a million pounds of the deadly dust and scatter it in populated areas throughout the U.S. Hundreds of children report symptoms. Many acquire cancer and leukemia, suffering an early and painful death. Huge increases in severe birth defects are reported. Oncologists are overwhelmed. Soccer fields, sand lots and parks, traditional play areas for kids, are no longer safe. People lose their most basic freedom, the ability to go outside and safely breathe. Sounds worse than 9/11? Welcome to Iraq and Afghanistan. "
American Empire soon dead
We can only hope. The simple fact is that Empire means a lot of hurt for the people. Yes even those in the belly of the beast.
Thank God for the death of Empire or Imperial dreams, for they are the things of Revelations, and hell.
The Whore of Babylon is the U.S. under Bush.
Cuban News Agency- Other Cuba related news:
"Havana, April 30 (ACN) This century will see the end of the US empire, said Hugo Chavez on Saturday during a rally in Havana, where he highlighted the progress of Latin American integration efforts.
Addressing thousands of youth present at a rally, Chavez proclaimed 'you will witness the fall of the US empire, since this century will see the birth of our common homeland.'
Saturday's rally marked the first anniversary of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas agreement (ALBA), a regional integration initiative initiated by President Chavez. "
Thank God for the death of Empire or Imperial dreams, for they are the things of Revelations, and hell.
The Whore of Babylon is the U.S. under Bush.
Cuban News Agency- Other Cuba related news:
"Havana, April 30 (ACN) This century will see the end of the US empire, said Hugo Chavez on Saturday during a rally in Havana, where he highlighted the progress of Latin American integration efforts.
Addressing thousands of youth present at a rally, Chavez proclaimed 'you will witness the fall of the US empire, since this century will see the birth of our common homeland.'
Saturday's rally marked the first anniversary of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas agreement (ALBA), a regional integration initiative initiated by President Chavez. "
Fascism Alert!!!!!
Who's buying cell records online? Cops - Security - MSNBC.com:
"A congressional panel investigating the fraudulent acquisition and sale of mobile phone records by Internet Web firms has collected evidence that indicates law enforcement officials at the local, state and federal levels use the Internet-based services as an investigative short-cut, MSNBC.com has learned. At least one Web-based data seller has told Congress that the FBI is a client.
The phone records are generally acquired by the resellers through fraudulent means and would not be admissible in court as evidence, but they are still helpful as an investigative tool, say officials familiar with the investiga"
"A congressional panel investigating the fraudulent acquisition and sale of mobile phone records by Internet Web firms has collected evidence that indicates law enforcement officials at the local, state and federal levels use the Internet-based services as an investigative short-cut, MSNBC.com has learned. At least one Web-based data seller has told Congress that the FBI is a client.
The phone records are generally acquired by the resellers through fraudulent means and would not be admissible in court as evidence, but they are still helpful as an investigative tool, say officials familiar with the investiga"
The Sins Of Venezuelan President Chavez
The Rethugs have always hated anything that even has the slightest scent of Communism. Capitalism and Communism are constantly at war because tthe extreme of Communisn gives all power to the state and Capitalism gives all power to the corporate structure. Both worhip wealth; their own.
Capitlists don't give a damn about Democracy. They don't give a damn about personal freedom, either. They care about "free markets" and power over others."
Any system, taken to the extreme is exceedingly dangerous
The Sins Of Venezuelan President Chavez:
"05/02/06 'Scoop' -- -- The oil rich despots of Saudi Arabia , the Gulf States and Kazakhstan use the oil wealth of their people to enrich themselves and their ruling elites , set up Swiss bank accounts and in the case of the Royal Saud Family,.finance terrorism. Democratic activists and thinkers are persecuted.
Such regimes, which strip the wealth of their countries for personal gain, are emulated in many countries and supported by the G8 as valuable allies.
In oil rich Venezuela , however, democratically elected President Hugo Chavez and his government are not following the above model. Instead Venezuela's vast oil wealth, under Chavez, is being used for massive poverty eradication programmes to provide health, education, housing and employment to the poorest . Its leaders do not siphon off wealth to offshore banks.
You would think ( wouldn't you?) that the United States with its proclaimed mission of bringing democracy and its benefits to all and fighting corruption would be applauding President Chavez and holding him up as an exemplar for the despotic regimes whose oil and other mineral wealth goes into their own back pockets while the cesspools for terrorism continue to expand."
Capitlists don't give a damn about Democracy. They don't give a damn about personal freedom, either. They care about "free markets" and power over others."
Any system, taken to the extreme is exceedingly dangerous
The Sins Of Venezuelan President Chavez:
"05/02/06 'Scoop' -- -- The oil rich despots of Saudi Arabia , the Gulf States and Kazakhstan use the oil wealth of their people to enrich themselves and their ruling elites , set up Swiss bank accounts and in the case of the Royal Saud Family,.finance terrorism. Democratic activists and thinkers are persecuted.
Such regimes, which strip the wealth of their countries for personal gain, are emulated in many countries and supported by the G8 as valuable allies.
In oil rich Venezuela , however, democratically elected President Hugo Chavez and his government are not following the above model. Instead Venezuela's vast oil wealth, under Chavez, is being used for massive poverty eradication programmes to provide health, education, housing and employment to the poorest . Its leaders do not siphon off wealth to offshore banks.
You would think ( wouldn't you?) that the United States with its proclaimed mission of bringing democracy and its benefits to all and fighting corruption would be applauding President Chavez and holding him up as an exemplar for the despotic regimes whose oil and other mineral wealth goes into their own back pockets while the cesspools for terrorism continue to expand."
Calls for resignation are meaningless without any changes in policy
Guardian Unlimited Columnists Gary Younge: Calls for resignation are meaningless without any changes in policy:
"If the war on terror is a plan to preserve and promote the values of the civilised world against barbarism, then nobody told Mohammed al-Kahtani. Since Kahtani has been incarcerated in Guantnamo Bay, he has been stripped naked and straddled by a taunting female guard, made to wear knickers on his head and a bra, and told that his mother was a whore. He has been shaved, held on a leash and forced to bark like a dog, put in isolation for five months in a cell continuously flooded with artificial light, deprived of heat, treated to a fake kidnapping and pumped with large quantities of intravenous liquids without access to a toilet so that he urinated on himself.
'Just for the lack of a camera, it would sure look like Abu Ghraib,' a military investigator, Lieutenant General Randall Schmidt, told the army inspector general in 2005, referring to Guant�namo."
"If the war on terror is a plan to preserve and promote the values of the civilised world against barbarism, then nobody told Mohammed al-Kahtani. Since Kahtani has been incarcerated in Guantnamo Bay, he has been stripped naked and straddled by a taunting female guard, made to wear knickers on his head and a bra, and told that his mother was a whore. He has been shaved, held on a leash and forced to bark like a dog, put in isolation for five months in a cell continuously flooded with artificial light, deprived of heat, treated to a fake kidnapping and pumped with large quantities of intravenous liquids without access to a toilet so that he urinated on himself.
'Just for the lack of a camera, it would sure look like Abu Ghraib,' a military investigator, Lieutenant General Randall Schmidt, told the army inspector general in 2005, referring to Guant�namo."
Entire nation would respond to a military attack
Entire nation would respond to a military attack:
"TEHRAN, May 1 (MNA) -- Former U.S. national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski has argued that launching a military attack against Iran over its nuclear program would be a serious mistake, the DPA news agency reported on Monday.
Some elements in the Bush administration are beating the drums of war against Iran, he said in a speech in Vienna.
The Iranians will never give up their nuclear program, Brzezinski noted, adding that Iran is pursuing an independent nuclear policy.
The entire Iranian nation would respond to a military attack, the former official stated.
'Iran is capable of harming U.S. interests in Iraq and Afghanistan; it has very high capabilities and can halt oil exports. All this could be damaging to the United States.'
Brzezinski went on to say that direct talks between Iran and the U.S. could help resolve the issue. "
So, Oil prices would soar out of control. Well, that would serve the cause of martial law without actually dclaring it, in the interest of preserving the facade of a Democracy.
If the Bushites attack Iran now, the people of America will have to take them out, or American will go down due to economic pressures, they have created.
"TEHRAN, May 1 (MNA) -- Former U.S. national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski has argued that launching a military attack against Iran over its nuclear program would be a serious mistake, the DPA news agency reported on Monday.
Some elements in the Bush administration are beating the drums of war against Iran, he said in a speech in Vienna.
The Iranians will never give up their nuclear program, Brzezinski noted, adding that Iran is pursuing an independent nuclear policy.
The entire Iranian nation would respond to a military attack, the former official stated.
'Iran is capable of harming U.S. interests in Iraq and Afghanistan; it has very high capabilities and can halt oil exports. All this could be damaging to the United States.'
Brzezinski went on to say that direct talks between Iran and the U.S. could help resolve the issue. "
So, Oil prices would soar out of control. Well, that would serve the cause of martial law without actually dclaring it, in the interest of preserving the facade of a Democracy.
If the Bushites attack Iran now, the people of America will have to take them out, or American will go down due to economic pressures, they have created.
Israeli: World has means to stop Iran
If the Israelis actually believe that China and Russia give a crap about whether Israel exists or not, they are really 'round the bend."
For the most part, Europe doesn't care, either.
Bet Israelis wish that Sharon hadn't gone marching up the hill to the old Temple Mount, now, and that George Bush had not stolen the 2000 election and that the towers had never been hit and that Bush had not invaded Iraq and on and on.
If Bush honestly realized his many sins, he would immediately give all Jews, who wanted their own stae, where they could feel safe, the State of Florida.
All who believe that God is a realistate broker, could stay in Israel at their own risk, and the crusading crackpots good join them for Armageddon.
It would be a sad day for Palestinians everywhere, who would, forever, lose the right of return due to copious amounts of radiation.
I would, personally, give them the Mohave Desert if it would stop the insanity.
No, I don't own the Mohave Desert. But the British didn't own Palestine when they gave it to the Zionists, either.
Israeli: World has means to stop Iran:
"The world has the military might to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, Israel's military chief said in comments published Tuesday, after Iran pressed President Bush to rule out a nuclear strike against Tehran. "
For the most part, Europe doesn't care, either.
Bet Israelis wish that Sharon hadn't gone marching up the hill to the old Temple Mount, now, and that George Bush had not stolen the 2000 election and that the towers had never been hit and that Bush had not invaded Iraq and on and on.
If Bush honestly realized his many sins, he would immediately give all Jews, who wanted their own stae, where they could feel safe, the State of Florida.
All who believe that God is a realistate broker, could stay in Israel at their own risk, and the crusading crackpots good join them for Armageddon.
It would be a sad day for Palestinians everywhere, who would, forever, lose the right of return due to copious amounts of radiation.
I would, personally, give them the Mohave Desert if it would stop the insanity.
No, I don't own the Mohave Desert. But the British didn't own Palestine when they gave it to the Zionists, either.
Israeli: World has means to stop Iran:
"The world has the military might to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, Israel's military chief said in comments published Tuesday, after Iran pressed President Bush to rule out a nuclear strike against Tehran. "
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