Pursue Them - Pursue Them to The Grave - The Smirking Chimp: "...If you want your grandkids dying in the next Vietnam or Iraq then do nothing and they will. Let Bush administration officials leave office on January 21, 2009 to pursue normal lives and we will assure another Vietnam, and another Iraq, and another, and another...
The only way to make sure that is not the future we hand to our kids and grandkids is for you and I and the international community to dedicate ourselves to the notion that January 21, 2009 is not the end of anything, but just the beginning. To pledge we will pursue civil and criminal justice against the men and women directly and personally responsible for the crimes committed in Iraq -- and right here at home.
And if that means pursuing them to their graves, as the citizens of Chile have done to General Pinochet, well -- bring it on."
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Glowing Under Diogenes' Lantern
The Raw Story | Billionaire Buffett still complaining his taxes are too low
" Multi-billionaire Warren Buffett has been complaining for years that his taxes are too low. Last June, he said at a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton that he was taxed at only 17.7% last year on his $46 million in income, while his secretary paid 30% of her $60,000..."
" Multi-billionaire Warren Buffett has been complaining for years that his taxes are too low. Last June, he said at a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton that he was taxed at only 17.7% last year on his $46 million in income, while his secretary paid 30% of her $60,000..."
Pinging The Gaydar
Talking Points Memo | NGRs = Not Gay Republicans: "Unsolicited advice from TPM to closeted Republican politicians: if you offer to pay a guy $1000 to have sex with you, don't try to wriggle out of paying the thousand dollars.
More advice: if you get into a payment dispute with the guy you paid to have sex with you, contacting the authorities to get them involved to hassle the guy is a very bad idea..."
More advice: if you get into a payment dispute with the guy you paid to have sex with you, contacting the authorities to get them involved to hassle the guy is a very bad idea..."
Blackwater Scooter
Senior Democrats Want Blackwater Case Details - washingtonpost.com
'The State Department said yesterday that it had provided "limited protections" to Blackwater Worldwide security guards under investigation in the deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians but insisted that its actions would not preclude successful prosecution of the contractors.
Signed statements the guards provided to State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 16 shooting deaths included what law enforcement officials said was a standard disclaimer used in "official administrative inquiries" involving government employees. It said that the statements were being offered with the understanding that nothing in them could be used "in a criminal proceeding...."'
Woops. I guess everyone gets a happy face for murder.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Analogy Schooling Bushbots
Be sure and read the comments. A Tiny Revolution: Back To Analogy School For Paul Burgess
The Boss Dixie-Chicked
Radio Boycotts Bruce Springsteen's Latest - Entertainment on The Huffington Post: "Bruce Springsteen should be very happy. He has the No. 1 album, a possible Grammy for Best Album of the Year, for 'Magic,' an album full of singles, and a sold-out concert tour.
Alas, there's a hitch: Radio will not play 'Magic.' In fact, sources tell me that Clear Channel has sent an edict to its classic rock stations not to play tracks from 'Magic.' But it's OK to play old Springsteen tracks such as 'Dancing in the Dark,' 'Born to Run' and 'Born in the USA...'"
Alas, there's a hitch: Radio will not play 'Magic.' In fact, sources tell me that Clear Channel has sent an edict to its classic rock stations not to play tracks from 'Magic.' But it's OK to play old Springsteen tracks such as 'Dancing in the Dark,' 'Born to Run' and 'Born in the USA...'"
Prez Hillary From 2000
Hullabaloo: "I don't know if anyone's noticed, but George W. Bush is being disappeared from the presidential campaign and everyone's running against incumbent Hillary Clinton..."
Excellent post. Click the link.
Excellent post. Click the link.
With Friends Like This...
Talking Points Memo | Creeping Kerikism : "Rudy has picked up the endorsement of Joe Allbaugh, the Bush insider who put Mike Brown in charge of FEMA and left the government to set up a consultancy to bag Iraq contracts."
Monday, October 29, 2007
UFO Redux
NASA Will Re-Open Kecksburg UFO Files on Wired Science: "In a victory for UFO enthusiasts, NASA has agreed to search for documents related to a mysterious incident that the government has tried to downplay -- or, some would say, cover up -- for decades.
On the night of December 9, 1965, a sonic boom-causing 'fireball' streaked across North American skies before crashing in the woods near Kecksburg, Pennsylvania. The military promptly swarmed area, hauling Volkswagen bus-sized object away to an Air Force base in Ohio..."
On the night of December 9, 1965, a sonic boom-causing 'fireball' streaked across North American skies before crashing in the woods near Kecksburg, Pennsylvania. The military promptly swarmed area, hauling Volkswagen bus-sized object away to an Air Force base in Ohio..."
Krugman On Islamofascismcaliphatism
Fearing Fear Itself - New York Times: "...Beyond that, the claim that Iran is on the path to global domination is beyond ludicrous. Yes, the Iranian regime is a nasty piece of work in many ways, and it would be a bad thing if that regime acquired nuclear weapons. But let’s have some perspective, please: we’re talking about a country with roughly the G.D.P. of Connecticut, and a government whose military budget is roughly the same as Sweden’s.
Meanwhile, the idea that bombing will bring the Iranian regime to its knees — and bombing is the only option, since we’ve run out of troops — is pure wishful thinking. Last year Israel tried to cripple Hezbollah with an air campaign, and ended up strengthening it instead. There’s every reason to believe that an attack on Iran would produce the same result, with the added effects of endangering U.S. forces in Iraq and driving oil prices well into triple digits..."
Meanwhile, the idea that bombing will bring the Iranian regime to its knees — and bombing is the only option, since we’ve run out of troops — is pure wishful thinking. Last year Israel tried to cripple Hezbollah with an air campaign, and ended up strengthening it instead. There’s every reason to believe that an attack on Iran would produce the same result, with the added effects of endangering U.S. forces in Iraq and driving oil prices well into triple digits..."
Majority Says No Apology
The Raw Story | CNN Poll: 88% say Rep. Stark should not apologize: "CNN is reporting that 88% of those voting in their Friday morning online poll say there is no reason Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) should apologize for remarks blasting President Bush on the floor of the House of Representatives..."
Here's another example of how spinelessness will drive you down in the polls. Stark is probably more popular now with his base than he ever was.
Here's another example of how spinelessness will drive you down in the polls. Stark is probably more popular now with his base than he ever was.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
The Real Rudy
Talking Points Memo | Dangerous All By Himself: "Check out David Greenberg's piece on Giuliani in tomorrow's Post. The basic point is a simple but very accurate one: the talk of Rudy as too moderate or liberal for the GOP is malarkey. Rudy's reputation for liberalism is based on three factors -- abortion rights, gay rights and serial adultery. In which order, I'm not certain. But those basically cover it. On most other key issues Rudy is fundamentally an authoritarian, and thus a right-winger on the key issues of the day. And that's a product Republicans are buying..."
Crooks and Holy Joe
Galante Donors Gave To Senator -- Courant.com: "Contributions from associates and friends of now-indicted garbage executive James Galante to the 2004 presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman have sparked the interest of federal investigator..."
Religion and Voters
A long but very well-writen article. Evangelical Movement - Religion and Politics - Presidential Election of 2008 - Christians and Christianity - Voting and Voters - New York Times: "...Today the movement shows signs of coming apart beneath its leaders. It is not merely that none of the 2008 Republican front-runners come close to measuring up to President Bush in the eyes of the evangelical faithful, although it would be hard to find a cast of characters more ill fit for those shoes: a lapsed-Catholic big-city mayor; a Massachusetts Mormon; a church-skipping Hollywood character actor; and a political renegade known for crossing swords with the Rev. Pat Robertson and the Rev. Jerry Falwell. Nor is the problem simply that the Democratic presidential front-runners — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Barack Obama and former Senator John Edwards — sound like a bunch of tent-revival Bible thumpers compared with the Republicans..."
Saturday, October 27, 2007
The Wisdom of the Small Town Press
ptleader.com: "THE COMMON PEOPLE It took common people - farmers, brewers, printers, silversmiths - to write the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights some 218 years ago. And it looks as if it's up to the common people to try to defend those principles.
Somebody has to step up here.
The Bush administration mocks each provision of the Bill of Rights that protects private citizens from their government, and likewise pushes past constitutional constraints that protect other branches of government from the presidency. Meanwhile, most federal courts equivocate their way to approve most of these actions, and Congress, even though in control of the opposition party, dithers and compromises away our basic rights for fear of accusations of being soft on terror. The media, meanwhile, fawns and yawns its way through this immense power grab, distracted by the search for another faux pas by Britney Spears or startling new evidence about who killed Princess Diana.
The good news comes out of 12 jurors in a Dallas courtroom on Monday. The jury sat and listened for two months to the testimony of federal agents, Israeli intelligence officers, wiretaps, videotapes and saw thousands of documents produced by government prosecutors. They worked their way through 197 counts of charges against a charitable fundraising organization called the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a Muslim organization that says it directs funds to the construction of hospitals and providing food for the poor in Palestine.
The Bush Administration closed the group down and froze its assets in December 2001 for supposedly financing terror attacks and murder around the world. The case against the Holy Land Foundation was the largest prosecution case by the U.S. government against an Islamic fundraising group.
Instead, a jury of common people told the judge, after two months of testimony and 19 days of sifting through testimony and evidence, that they were ready to acquit three of five defendants on almost all charges and could not reach a verdict on the other defendants or charges. The judge declared a mistrial and threw the case out.
The U.S. attorney involved said the government will attempt to retry the case. We'll see how another group of common people deals with this intricate set of facts and assumptions in the future.
One must thank God - or Madison, Adams and Jefferson - that the judgment of common people was written into our Constitution and basic legal codes. It was done for times like these, when almost every branch of officialdom gets stampeded into dangerous over-reaction..." (more)
Somebody has to step up here.
The Bush administration mocks each provision of the Bill of Rights that protects private citizens from their government, and likewise pushes past constitutional constraints that protect other branches of government from the presidency. Meanwhile, most federal courts equivocate their way to approve most of these actions, and Congress, even though in control of the opposition party, dithers and compromises away our basic rights for fear of accusations of being soft on terror. The media, meanwhile, fawns and yawns its way through this immense power grab, distracted by the search for another faux pas by Britney Spears or startling new evidence about who killed Princess Diana.
The good news comes out of 12 jurors in a Dallas courtroom on Monday. The jury sat and listened for two months to the testimony of federal agents, Israeli intelligence officers, wiretaps, videotapes and saw thousands of documents produced by government prosecutors. They worked their way through 197 counts of charges against a charitable fundraising organization called the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, a Muslim organization that says it directs funds to the construction of hospitals and providing food for the poor in Palestine.
The Bush Administration closed the group down and froze its assets in December 2001 for supposedly financing terror attacks and murder around the world. The case against the Holy Land Foundation was the largest prosecution case by the U.S. government against an Islamic fundraising group.
Instead, a jury of common people told the judge, after two months of testimony and 19 days of sifting through testimony and evidence, that they were ready to acquit three of five defendants on almost all charges and could not reach a verdict on the other defendants or charges. The judge declared a mistrial and threw the case out.
The U.S. attorney involved said the government will attempt to retry the case. We'll see how another group of common people deals with this intricate set of facts and assumptions in the future.
One must thank God - or Madison, Adams and Jefferson - that the judgment of common people was written into our Constitution and basic legal codes. It was done for times like these, when almost every branch of officialdom gets stampeded into dangerous over-reaction..." (more)
From The Good Work...
If You Can Get It Department: The Price of Any Departure Will Be at Least $159 Million - New York Times
Merrill Lynch’s directors may be weighing E. Stanley O’Neal’s future, but one thing is already guaranteed: a payday of at least $159 million if he steps down...
“I lay the blame at the foot of the board,” Frederick E. Rowe Jr., a money manager and president of Investors for Director Accountability. “He was paid a tremendous amount of money to create a loss that is mind-boggling, and he obviously took risks that should never have been taken...
Veto Explained
Bush's strategic failure on S-CHIP - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth: "The brilliant Amanda Terkel -- of ThinkProgress fame -- takes to the pages of the American Prospect to debunk the Republican spin over Bush's veto of S-CHIP, demonstrating the weakness of the veto in particular and the administration's agenda in general. Terkel incisively sifts through the self-congratulatory Bush administration rhetoric to get at the truth about the veto: It was the act of a weak, failing administration, an ever-lamer duck quacking feebly in an effort to remain relevant..."
Friday, October 26, 2007
Crying Wolf
The Daily Dish: Bush and Cuba
"A reader writes:
Babalu Blog completely misses the point on Bush's Cuba speech. It's not that Bush is wrong about Cuba -- clearly, he's right. But unlike Reagan in 1987, Bush in 2007 has as much credibility lecturing about the human rights of prisoners as the Catholic Church would have advising schools on how to prevent child molestation."
Cafferty Goes KO
The Raw Story | Cafferty File viewers: Let's start another revolution: "CNN commentator Jack Cafferty speculated on Wednesday about how George W. Bush's unilateral grab for presidential power might be reversed.
'The president of the United States didn't have the power to spy on Americans ... operate secret prisons ... suspend due process ... torture ... hide the conduct of the government from the public,' Cafferty stated. 'It's not like anybody gave President Bush any of these powers -- he took them, as a brain-dead Congress just stood there and watched...'"
'The president of the United States didn't have the power to spy on Americans ... operate secret prisons ... suspend due process ... torture ... hide the conduct of the government from the public,' Cafferty stated. 'It's not like anybody gave President Bush any of these powers -- he took them, as a brain-dead Congress just stood there and watched...'"
Two Truths
Dodd and Paul keep telling the truth ... and are ignored - The Smirking Chimp: "There seems to be an unwritten and immutable rule in American politics that the candidate who stands little or no chance of being elected gets to tell the truth. This holds as true on the local level as it does in the race for the White House. For a variety of reasons, we simply do not gravitate to the truth tellers.
Perhaps it's as simple as this: they make us think too much and, for that sin, they must be slapped down as too smart for their own good. Or they put too much of the burden of governance on us, telling us, in effect, 'Hey, just electing me isn't going to solve the problems ... to keep our democracy alive, you're going to have to do some work too.' This does not sound promising to the majority of Americans already stretched thin working two jobs to pay off the credit card cartel's monthly interest charges on a debt they'll never clear..."
Perhaps it's as simple as this: they make us think too much and, for that sin, they must be slapped down as too smart for their own good. Or they put too much of the burden of governance on us, telling us, in effect, 'Hey, just electing me isn't going to solve the problems ... to keep our democracy alive, you're going to have to do some work too.' This does not sound promising to the majority of Americans already stretched thin working two jobs to pay off the credit card cartel's monthly interest charges on a debt they'll never clear..."
Thursday, October 25, 2007
How-To Hissy Fitting
The Art Of The Hissy Fit | Campaign for America's Future
"I first noticed the right's successful use of phony sanctimony and faux outrage back in the 90's when well-known conservative players like Gingrich and Livingston pretended to be offended at the president's extramarital affair and were repeatedly and tiresomely "upset" about fund-raising practices they all practiced themselves. The idea of these powerful and corrupt adulterers being personally upset by White House coffees and naughty sexual behavior was laughable.
But they did it, oh how they did it, and it often succeeded in changing the dialogue and tittilating the media into a frenzy of breathless tabloid coverage.
In fact, they became so good at the tactic that they now rely on it as their first choice to control the political dialogue when it becomes uncomfortable and put the Democrats on the defensive whenever they are winning the day..."Missing bin Laden, Again
This is enough to make you scream. Crooks and Liars » Did The White House Miss A Chance To Catch OBL Again?: "Col. David Hunt (ret.) on FOXNews.com (I’m citing the relevant portion if you don’t want to give them the hits):
Besides, these things are of little consequence when you realize how we missed, squandered, screwed up, made a mess of and were massively risk adverse - again - when we did not kill Usama bin Laden in Afghanistan just two short months ago..."
Big Bro Wants To Know Before You Go
Prior Permission From Government to be Required for Each Flight - 10 Zen Monkeys: "The Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security are quietly pushing for a set of crazy new rules. All travellers in the U.S. will be required to get government-issued credentials and official clearance before every flight, both within the United States as well as internationally..."
Return of SCHIP
Firedoglake - Firedoglake weblog: "Last night Speaker Pelosi announced she would bring a slightly revised SCHIP funding bill to the House floor for a vote — today. The revised bill still provides $35 billion in additional funds and health coverage for 10 million children, but it makes a few changes to counter the Bush Administration’s misrepresentations and opponent’s alleged concerns.
As Pelosi promised last week, the plan is to enact the full SCHIP funding again, and if the President is foolish and heartless enough to veto it again, attempt another override, with the opposition having even fewer excuses to vote no. This type of strategy is exactly what many progressives have been hoping from the Democratic leadership when they know the public is solidly behind them against an out-of-touch, unpopular President. It’s not just good politics; it’s good public policy, because this program deserves passage and has the overwhelming support of the American people..."
As Pelosi promised last week, the plan is to enact the full SCHIP funding again, and if the President is foolish and heartless enough to veto it again, attempt another override, with the opposition having even fewer excuses to vote no. This type of strategy is exactly what many progressives have been hoping from the Democratic leadership when they know the public is solidly behind them against an out-of-touch, unpopular President. It’s not just good politics; it’s good public policy, because this program deserves passage and has the overwhelming support of the American people..."
About Waxman
Rep. Henry Waxman: "The Bush administration's worst nightmare" - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth:
"Henry Waxman -- The name that strikes fear into the hearts of the Bush administration:
'Waxman has become the Bush administration's worst nightmare: a Democrat in the majority with subpoena power and the inclination to overturn rocks. But in Waxman the White House also faces an indefatigable capital veteran -- with a staff renowned for its depth and experience -- who has been waiting for this for 14 years...'"
"Henry Waxman -- The name that strikes fear into the hearts of the Bush administration:
'Waxman has become the Bush administration's worst nightmare: a Democrat in the majority with subpoena power and the inclination to overturn rocks. But in Waxman the White House also faces an indefatigable capital veteran -- with a staff renowned for its depth and experience -- who has been waiting for this for 14 years...'"
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
San Diego Burning
From someone in San Diego right now, a modicum of sense surfaces amidst all the racist claptrap flapping about in the blogosphere.
TBogg - "...a somewhat popular blogger": "...This is one of the reasons why the San Diego fires are so different than the devastation caused by Katrina in New Orleans. The devastation is not city wide. Therefore we have the resources and the luxury of being able to take care of those who need help, and things have run smoothly because of lessons learned from the Cedar fires a few years ago. Using what is going on down at Qualcomm Stadium with the debacle at the Superdome during Katrina is like comparing apples with ....stadiums.
So, please stop. It's not cultural. It's just a different situation in a different climate."
TBogg - "...a somewhat popular blogger": "...This is one of the reasons why the San Diego fires are so different than the devastation caused by Katrina in New Orleans. The devastation is not city wide. Therefore we have the resources and the luxury of being able to take care of those who need help, and things have run smoothly because of lessons learned from the Cedar fires a few years ago. Using what is going on down at Qualcomm Stadium with the debacle at the Superdome during Katrina is like comparing apples with ....stadiums.
So, please stop. It's not cultural. It's just a different situation in a different climate."
OK Tasing
Talking Points Memo | Don't Tase Me, Bro!: "State investigation finds University of Florida police were justified in using taser in that much-publicized incident during a John Kerry speech."
Have the police ever not been found harmless for using a taser on someone?
Have the police ever not been found harmless for using a taser on someone?
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Shuler Joins GOP
DownWithTyranny!: REPUBLICAN HYPOCRITES FAIL IN THEIR ATTEMPT TO FORCE CONGRESS TO CONDEMN PETE STARK
"...You might be interested in knowing that 5 Democrats voted with the Republicans on condemning Rep Stark and another 8-- mostly reflexive reactionaries-- voted "Present," refusing to come to Stark's defense. You can probably guess the names of the disgraceful 13 Democrats. But just in case... the 5 who voted-- as they so often do-- with the GOP:
Jason Altmire (PA), still not kicked off the DCCC Front Line list
Chris Carney (PA), still not kicked off the DCCC Front Line list
Joe Donnelly (IN), still not kicked off the DCCC Front Line list
Brad Ellsworth (IN), still not kicked off the DCCC Front Line list
Heath Shuler (NC), still not kicked off the DCCC Front Line list..."
"...You might be interested in knowing that 5 Democrats voted with the Republicans on condemning Rep Stark and another 8-- mostly reflexive reactionaries-- voted "Present," refusing to come to Stark's defense. You can probably guess the names of the disgraceful 13 Democrats. But just in case... the 5 who voted-- as they so often do-- with the GOP:
Jason Altmire (PA), still not kicked off the DCCC Front Line list
Chris Carney (PA), still not kicked off the DCCC Front Line list
Joe Donnelly (IN), still not kicked off the DCCC Front Line list
Brad Ellsworth (IN), still not kicked off the DCCC Front Line list
Heath Shuler (NC), still not kicked off the DCCC Front Line list..."
Obama's Bad Vibes
To say there is unhappiness, is to say that the surface of the sun is warm. Reader mail on Obama's embrace of anti-gay bigot McClurkin. It ain't pretty. - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth
Torture Orders?
The Raw Story | General claims Bush gave 'marching orders' on aggressive interrogation at Guantanamo
'...President Bush gave "marching orders" to Gen. Michael Dunlavey, who asked the Pentagon to approve harsher interrogation methods at Guantanamo, the general claims in documents reported in the book.
'...President Bush gave "marching orders" to Gen. Michael Dunlavey, who asked the Pentagon to approve harsher interrogation methods at Guantanamo, the general claims in documents reported in the book.
The ACLU also found that an Army investigator reported Rumsfeld was "personally involved" in overseeing the interrogation of a Guantanamo prisoner Mohammed al Qahtani. The prisoner was forced to parade naked in front of female interrogators wearing women's underwear on his head and was led around on a leash while being forced to perform dog tricks...'
Monday, October 22, 2007
When One Is Most
Talking Points Memo | Mostest
"I've sort of gotten tired of explaining that, no, the Founding Fathers actually weren't all born-agains and bible thumpers. Not hardly. (Probably better to say that the great majority ranged from believers in an entirely impersonal God -- Deists -- to believing Christians who nonetheless viewed popular religious enthusiasm with a polite and paternal disdain.) But presidential candidate and former Arkansas Governoer Mike Huckabee, himself a Baptist minister, actually told a crowd yesterday that "most" of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were "clergymen."
"I've sort of gotten tired of explaining that, no, the Founding Fathers actually weren't all born-agains and bible thumpers. Not hardly. (Probably better to say that the great majority ranged from believers in an entirely impersonal God -- Deists -- to believing Christians who nonetheless viewed popular religious enthusiasm with a polite and paternal disdain.) But presidential candidate and former Arkansas Governoer Mike Huckabee, himself a Baptist minister, actually told a crowd yesterday that "most" of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were "clergymen."
As these folks at Politifact.com point out, one out of 56 were clergymen.
It's a creative definition of most."
When Operatives Are Not
Glenn Greenwald - Political Blogs and Opinions - Salon
"...For the moment, leave aside the fact that Kurtz is so desperate to defend Republican operatives that he just recklessly asserts things as fact here even though he has no idea whether they are true. Kurtz has absolutely no idea who leaked the NSA story to Jim Risen and Eric Lichtblau and whether they are "Democrats." The same is almost certainly true for Dana Priest's sources for her CIA "black site" story, whom Priest described as "U.S. and foreign officials" and "current and former intelligence officials and diplomats from three continents" -- not "Democrats."
"...For the moment, leave aside the fact that Kurtz is so desperate to defend Republican operatives that he just recklessly asserts things as fact here even though he has no idea whether they are true. Kurtz has absolutely no idea who leaked the NSA story to Jim Risen and Eric Lichtblau and whether they are "Democrats." The same is almost certainly true for Dana Priest's sources for her CIA "black site" story, whom Priest described as "U.S. and foreign officials" and "current and former intelligence officials and diplomats from three continents" -- not "Democrats."
Worse, the Abu Grahib whistleblower was U.S. Army Sgt. Joseph Darby, not a Democratic Party operative. And the Bush DUI story was uncovered by a local reporter in Maine through actual old-fashioned reporting -- pursuing a copy of the arrest record and interviewing the arresting officer. But Kurtz, like most Betlway journalists, has such a compulsion to assert equivalencies that he literally just invented facts -- Democrats leaked these stories -- in order to support his "balance" mantra. And this is CNN's and the Post's "media critic."
But far more significant than Kurtz's willingness to invent facts is that he sees no distinction between (a) revelations that the Bush administration is torturing detainees, holding them in secret prisons, and spying on Americans in violation of the law and (b) what Digby described as "stories about Edwards and his hair and Hillary and her cold, calculating cleavage." Digby's whole point was that Republicans dominate political press coverage because they feed vapid, slothful, tiny-minded "journalists" with vapid, tiny-minded, malicious gossip that reporters eat up and spew out in lieu of reporting on actual matters of substance. To rebut Digby's claim, Kurtz argued that Democrats do it, too -- and then cited the leaks about torture, secret prisons, and warrantless surveillance as his proof...."
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Gonzo Gotcha
SR.com: Gonzales could be prosecuted, McKay says: "The U.S. Inspector General may recommend criminal prosecution of departed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales at the conclusion of an investigation, possibly as early as next month, the fired former U.S. attorney for Western Washington told a Spokane audience Friday..."
On Dodd Daring
The Poor Man Institute » Wow
"...As Kagro X explains, Dodd has already taken a great risk - both personally and for his constituents in Connecticut - by putting this bill on ‘hold’. A filibuster would be a hundred times worse. Just threatening a filibuster is a total slap in the face to Harry Reid and the rest of the 11%-approval Get Along Gang in Congress, the telecom lobby, and President 24%. Clinton and Obama are probably still arguing about the correct diplomatic etiquette for public discussions of bombing our allies. This strange, shrill and unBroderian spectacle is what was once called “leadership”. Dodd has my vote, and my cash, and my time. Hint, hint.
"...As Kagro X explains, Dodd has already taken a great risk - both personally and for his constituents in Connecticut - by putting this bill on ‘hold’. A filibuster would be a hundred times worse. Just threatening a filibuster is a total slap in the face to Harry Reid and the rest of the 11%-approval Get Along Gang in Congress, the telecom lobby, and President 24%. Clinton and Obama are probably still arguing about the correct diplomatic etiquette for public discussions of bombing our allies. This strange, shrill and unBroderian spectacle is what was once called “leadership”. Dodd has my vote, and my cash, and my time. Hint, hint.
… It working."
Mexico In Iraq
US to build border fence between Iraq and Iran - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth
Considering the brilliant work that has been done along the US-Mexico border, including the high tech "virtual fence" that the great minds of Boeing have sold to taxpayers, despite no sign of its ability to track much beyond stray cows, coyotes and perhaps a few dogs, why does anyone think the US ought to spend any more money in Iraq to build some kind of a fence to stop Iranians? Heck, they can't even manage to cover 10% of the US-Mexico border despite it being right there in the US so how in the world could such a project even be completed in Iraq?..."
Considering the brilliant work that has been done along the US-Mexico border, including the high tech "virtual fence" that the great minds of Boeing have sold to taxpayers, despite no sign of its ability to track much beyond stray cows, coyotes and perhaps a few dogs, why does anyone think the US ought to spend any more money in Iraq to build some kind of a fence to stop Iranians? Heck, they can't even manage to cover 10% of the US-Mexico border despite it being right there in the US so how in the world could such a project even be completed in Iraq?..."
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Blackwater Tale
Blackwater and me: A love story it ain't -- chicagotribune.com: "I know something about Blackwater USA. This opinion is both intellectually driven as well as moderately emotional. You see, during my own yearlong tour in Iraq, the bad boys of Blackwater twice came closer to killing me than did any of the insurgents or Al Qaeda types. That sort of thing sticks with you. One story will suffice to make my point..."
On GOP Hissy Fits
In a post about Rep. Stark's Bush critical remarks--Talking Points Memo:
"...There's just no reason for apoplexy here. Stark said something mean about Bush during a congressional debate. The president is a big boy; I think he can handle it. But by throwing a tantrum, congressional Republicans are suggesting that they can't handle it. They're not grown-ups. Random, intemperate criticism of Bush is just too much for the fragile, virgin ears.
In other words, by throwing a fit, Republicans end up looking weak and hysterical. Indeed, it reinforces the least flattering GOP caricature of all -- these guys can't govern, but they can fall onto a fainting couch like nobody's business..."
Friday, October 19, 2007
Looking For Values In D.C.
The Haters convene this weekend at the Values Voters Summit to hear from GOP candidates - AMERICAblog:
"Big weekend in DC for the ultra-right wingers. They're having their "Values Voters Summit" at the Washington Hilton, conveniently located in the gayest neighborhood in the city.
All the GOP presidential candidates are going to be here to kiss the butts of the religious right..."
To inside-out Truman, "Get a dog."
"Big weekend in DC for the ultra-right wingers. They're having their "Values Voters Summit" at the Washington Hilton, conveniently located in the gayest neighborhood in the city.
All the GOP presidential candidates are going to be here to kiss the butts of the religious right..."
To inside-out Truman, "Get a dog."
Culture War Causality
Firedoglake - Firedoglake weblog » Late Nite FDL: It’s Time to Pull the Plug on the “Culture of Life”:
"“Republicans believe that life begins at conception and ends at birth.” (Rep. Barney Frank)
“Nnnnnggghhhh….” (Terri Schiavo)
Folks, it’s time we did away with one of the strangely persistent myths about the Republican Party. You know the one I’m talking about. Yes, that one, that Republicans are somehow the “pro-life” party. I guess they are, at least in the sense that they oppose a woman’s right to control her reproductive organs and of anyone’s right to die with dignity in the wake of brain-death, but in no other sense could Republican policies be construed to be”pro-life”, could they? Am I missing some big part of the Right that isn’t about killing people and blowing things up?"...
"“Republicans believe that life begins at conception and ends at birth.” (Rep. Barney Frank)
“Nnnnnggghhhh….” (Terri Schiavo)
Folks, it’s time we did away with one of the strangely persistent myths about the Republican Party. You know the one I’m talking about. Yes, that one, that Republicans are somehow the “pro-life” party. I guess they are, at least in the sense that they oppose a woman’s right to control her reproductive organs and of anyone’s right to die with dignity in the wake of brain-death, but in no other sense could Republican policies be construed to be”pro-life”, could they? Am I missing some big part of the Right that isn’t about killing people and blowing things up?"...
First Amendment Challenge
Phoenix - News - Breathtaking Abuse of the Constitution: "...In a breathtaking abuse of the United States Constitution, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, and their increasingly unhinged cat's paw, special prosecutor Dennis Wilenchik, used the grand jury to subpoena 'all documents related to articles and other content published by Phoenix New Times newspaper in print and on the Phoenix New Times website, regarding Sheriff Joe Arpaio from January 1, 2004 to the present...'"
The arrogance of power? From the "I Abuse Criminals Therefore I Can Do No Evil" Department, one presumes. It's a sorry mess. Get more at the link.
The arrogance of power? From the "I Abuse Criminals Therefore I Can Do No Evil" Department, one presumes. It's a sorry mess. Get more at the link.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Mitt Befuddled By Cancer Patient
You'll see it tomorrow-- upstate South Carolina-- Mitt confronted by a cancer patient who is near to losing everything because she qualifies for no aid. Mitt stumbles around. Tells her some people don't make good choices in life. Hard cheese, lady. On the same tour, McCain criticizes "Washington" for spending money, but not for making war.
Dodd Derails
Dodd temporarily stops "telecom immunity/domestic spying" bill - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth: "Senator Dodd (D-CT) just threw a wrench in Democratic plans to pass George Bush's 'it's okay if AT&T and Verizon spied on you' bill. Dodd just put a hold on the bill, which means they'll need 60 votes (out of 100 senators) in order to proceed to the bill, and even then, it will take them 30 hours to do so. And if Dodd wants to really be a mensch, he can object to the final vote on the bill, the motion to go conference, and then on the conference report as well - coming to a grand total of, at least I'm told, 120 hours of debate that will be needed to finish this bill. A real pain in the butt..."
Wingnut In Charge
Think Progress » Bush Family Planning Appointee Called Contraceptives Part Of The ‘Culture Of Death’
" On Monday, President Bush appointed Susan Orr to oversee federal family planning programs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Orr, who is currently directing HHS child welfare programs, was touted by the administration as “highly qualified..."
" On Monday, President Bush appointed Susan Orr to oversee federal family planning programs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Orr, who is currently directing HHS child welfare programs, was touted by the administration as “highly qualified..."
On Stalkin' Malkin'
Hullabaloo: "It occurs to me that I haven't seen a bunch of conservative writers and thinkers publicly rending their garments over how the Stalkin' Malkin brigade and Rush Limbaugh have hurt the GOP cause with their jihad against the SCHIP kids. Sure, there have been some mentions, as with this WSJ article, about 'the controversy.' But to the best of my knowledge, there have been zero long think pieces about how these extremists are going to alienate the Republican party from Real Americans or how they are dragging the party over the cliff with their impulsive and impolitic activities...."
Illegal Polling
Talking Points Memo | Views on Illegal Immigrants: "...The breakdown of views? 7% of Americans want more illegal immigration. 22% are fine how it is. And 16% want it decreased 'a little.' In other words, 45% of Americans are bothered by the issue little or not at all." But 65% are bothered by it-- some of us more than others but still...
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Bush Low; Congress Lower
Voters unhappy with Bush and Congress | Reuters: "...Bush's job approval rating fell to 24 percent from last month's record low for a Zogby poll of 29 percent. A paltry 11 percent gave Congress a positive grade, tying last month's record low..."
Sullivan On Craig
The Daily Dish: "I forced myself. It was excruciating. Beyond embarrassing. Extraordinarily painful - especially for his wife. Why on earth they decided to subject themselves to prolonging this agony is a question worth asking. And the answer, I think, is: they have to. At this point in their lives, to allow the possibility that Craig is indeed homosexual, that he has sustained, lived, internalized a fundamental lie for his entire life, and involved his wife and children in that lie, would be to destroy themselves. I am not going to exonerate the man from hypocrisy because it is impossible. But I do think his problem is far deeper.
He grew up in a different time, and a different place, where even the possibility of being gay was inconceivable. I don't think he even thinks of himself as gay, or has any idea what being gay might actually mean. I think he thinks of his sexual orientation as a "lifestyle" (to use that hideous term Lauer kept referring to) that can be overcome the way one overcomes smoking or poor eating or sexual compulsion. And he constructed an identity in opposition to this "lifestyle" early, out of pain and defensiveness and terrible fear. He is now wedded to this life he created - more than to his wife, which is why she was kept in the dark for two months after the arrest, as he went through the terror of feeling caught finally in his own contradiction. He cannot break free of it at this point without psychic collapse. And so, even though it becomes absurd to everyone around them, the Craigs keep going. They have no choice, apart from total breakdown..."
He grew up in a different time, and a different place, where even the possibility of being gay was inconceivable. I don't think he even thinks of himself as gay, or has any idea what being gay might actually mean. I think he thinks of his sexual orientation as a "lifestyle" (to use that hideous term Lauer kept referring to) that can be overcome the way one overcomes smoking or poor eating or sexual compulsion. And he constructed an identity in opposition to this "lifestyle" early, out of pain and defensiveness and terrible fear. He is now wedded to this life he created - more than to his wife, which is why she was kept in the dark for two months after the arrest, as he went through the terror of feeling caught finally in his own contradiction. He cannot break free of it at this point without psychic collapse. And so, even though it becomes absurd to everyone around them, the Craigs keep going. They have no choice, apart from total breakdown..."
It's All About Me
Bush Says He Is Relevant - on The Huffington Post
"...Bush said his veto pen was "one way to ensure that I am relevant; that's one way to ensure that I am in the process. And I intend to use the veto..."
"...Bush said his veto pen was "one way to ensure that I am relevant; that's one way to ensure that I am in the process. And I intend to use the veto..."
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Jeb Carville
CNN.com - CNN Political Ticker Carville: Jeb Bush will be GOP nominee «: "...At CNN's America Votes 2008 Breakfast, the chief architect of Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential run predicted that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will be the Republican nominee in 2008. Jeb is a younger brother of President Bush.
Carville bolstered his prediction, highlighting Jeb Bush's career: He was a successful governor of a large state, he enjoys the support of social conservatives, he speaks Spanish, and 'he's somebody the party could rally around,' Carville said..."
Carville bolstered his prediction, highlighting Jeb Bush's career: He was a successful governor of a large state, he enjoys the support of social conservatives, he speaks Spanish, and 'he's somebody the party could rally around,' Carville said..."
Boots-On-The-Ground Speak
The War as We Saw It - New York Times: "VIEWED from Iraq at the tail end of a 15-month deployment, the political debate in Washington is indeed surreal. Counterinsurgency is, by definition, a competition between insurgents and counterinsurgents for the control and support of a population. To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched. As responsible infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd Airborne Division soon heading back home, we are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day. (Obviously, these are our personal views and should not be seen as official within our chain of command.)..."
The Deepening, Widening Gap
Sen. Bernie Sanders: We Can Do Better Than This - Politics on The Huffington Post: "...The statistics on income distribution in the U.S. are staggering in their inequality. According to the latest analysis, in 2005 the top 1 percent earned more income than the bottom 50 percent of Americans -- with the top 300,000 earners making more money than the bottom 150 million. While the top-earning 0.01 percent received an average income increase of $4.4 million in 2005, the bottom 90 percent saw their average income decline by about $172..."
Spying On US
Verizon, like AT&T, illegally gave the government YOUR phone records - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth
"Surprise!
Verizon spied on your phone records too! Without a court order! Simply because the government said "give em to us."
Why didn't Verizon go to court and demand a court order to release your private phone records, like the law says they need? Oh, let's have a look at how the Washington Post characterized what Verizon told them:
"Surprise!
Verizon spied on your phone records too! Without a court order! Simply because the government said "give em to us."
Why didn't Verizon go to court and demand a court order to release your private phone records, like the law says they need? Oh, let's have a look at how the Washington Post characterized what Verizon told them:
The company said it does not determine the requests' legality or necessity because to do so would slow efforts to save lives in criminal investigations.... Verizon and AT&T said it was not their role to second-guess the legitimacy of emergency government requests..."
Monday, October 15, 2007
Rush Venom Origin
James Wolcott's Blog: Calista Flockhart Confronts Cornholio: Wolcott's Blog: vanityfair.com
"...Rush Limbaugh and his fellow talk-radio troll dolls didn't "pervert" conservatism--he didn't lay siege to some maiden fair and debauch her virtue. Rush Limbaugh didn't inject an "ideology of hate" into conservatism, he extracted the contemptuous, divisive animosity inherent in the Gingrich doctrine and sugared it up with comedy and his own personal saga for popular consumption. He, like Clarence Thomas, was just what the Republican overseers ordered. Rush Limbaugh is modern mainstream conservatism in all its bullying bluster, hypocrisy, jolly ignorance (global warming etc), slavish submission to military, corporate, and executive power, and slimeballing of political opponents. To believe otherwise is like putting your faith in those few remaining Republican moderates who always manage not to come through in the clutch, who put up a brief show of conscience or faint dissent before the inevitable capitulation. It's a little late to suddenly look around and realize what sleazebags you've got on your team, especially since those sleazebags were there before you arrived. The only difference between Limbaugh and the orc pit of the right blogosphere is one of degree, or perhaps I should say radius."
"...Rush Limbaugh and his fellow talk-radio troll dolls didn't "pervert" conservatism--he didn't lay siege to some maiden fair and debauch her virtue. Rush Limbaugh didn't inject an "ideology of hate" into conservatism, he extracted the contemptuous, divisive animosity inherent in the Gingrich doctrine and sugared it up with comedy and his own personal saga for popular consumption. He, like Clarence Thomas, was just what the Republican overseers ordered. Rush Limbaugh is modern mainstream conservatism in all its bullying bluster, hypocrisy, jolly ignorance (global warming etc), slavish submission to military, corporate, and executive power, and slimeballing of political opponents. To believe otherwise is like putting your faith in those few remaining Republican moderates who always manage not to come through in the clutch, who put up a brief show of conscience or faint dissent before the inevitable capitulation. It's a little late to suddenly look around and realize what sleazebags you've got on your team, especially since those sleazebags were there before you arrived. The only difference between Limbaugh and the orc pit of the right blogosphere is one of degree, or perhaps I should say radius."
Armeniacide
The Reaction -- by Michael J.W. Stickings
"What happened to Armenians in the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1917 was genocide -- an estimated 1.5 million killed, a brutal and systematic process of deportation and slaughter aimed at wiping out the Armenian population -- but you wouldn't know it if you got your history from the Turks, who committed the genocide (now known as the Armenian Genocide, or Holocaust), or from their present-day apologists in the Bush Administration, from Bush and Rice and Gates, the Holocaust deniers who sit at the top of the U.S. government. The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a resolution last week, calling what happened to the Armenians what it was, genocide, but the deniers wanted none of it:.."
"What happened to Armenians in the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1917 was genocide -- an estimated 1.5 million killed, a brutal and systematic process of deportation and slaughter aimed at wiping out the Armenian population -- but you wouldn't know it if you got your history from the Turks, who committed the genocide (now known as the Armenian Genocide, or Holocaust), or from their present-day apologists in the Bush Administration, from Bush and Rice and Gates, the Holocaust deniers who sit at the top of the U.S. government. The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a resolution last week, calling what happened to the Armenians what it was, genocide, but the deniers wanted none of it:.."
Wide Stance About Mitt
Talking Points Memo | Sen. Craig to Appeal
"...Sen. Craig told Lauer it was a "tough call" not to tell anyone about the incident. "I didn't want to embarrass my wife, my kids, Idaho and my friends," Craig said. "And I wrestled with it a long while. ... I should have told my wife. I should have told my kids. And most importantly, I should have told counsel."
"...Sen. Craig told Lauer it was a "tough call" not to tell anyone about the incident. "I didn't want to embarrass my wife, my kids, Idaho and my friends," Craig said. "And I wrestled with it a long while. ... I should have told my wife. I should have told my kids. And most importantly, I should have told counsel."
The senator also discussed his relationship with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Craig was Senate liaison for Romney's campaign, a post he abandoned when the scandal came to light.
"I was very proud of my association with Mitt Romney," Craig told Lauer. "... And he not only threw me under his campaign bus, he backed up and ran over me again..."
Sunday, October 14, 2007
More Gore, II
The American Street » Blog Archive » Now will Al go to Disneyland?: "Like Jimmy Carter before him, he’ll be denigrated forever by spiteful rightists, not one of them capable of rising from their pool of venom to achieve 1/10th of the visionary things he’s moved towards fruition. That’s not to say he’s a messiah nor even a saint. But he’s been doing positive things for others since before he entered politics and he’s going to do more still.
In spite of the gnashing teeth to the right of his stage."
In spite of the gnashing teeth to the right of his stage."
The Rich Get...Sigh
The Raw Story | Income inequality worst since 1920s, according to IRS data: "The superrich are gobbling up an ever larger piece of the economic pie, and the poor are seeing their share of earnings shrink: new IRS data shows the top 1 percent of Americans are claiming a larger share of national income than at any time since before the Great Depression. The top percentile of wealthy Americans earned 21.2 percent of all income in 2005, up from 19 percent in 2004, according to new Internal Revenue Service data published in the Wall Street Journal Friday..."
The graph shows all.
The graph shows all.
Write Your Own Joke
Embattled Sen. Craig Honored in Idaho - Politics on The Huffington Post: "BOISE, Idaho — Sen. Larry Craig was named Saturday night to the Idaho Hall of Fame, marking the Republican lawmaker's first ceremonial appearance back in his home state since his arrest in an airport bathroom sex sting became public in August..."
If Idaho were in the South...
If Idaho were in the South...
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Edwards Wants Advice, Input
In New Hampshire, Edwards to propose cut in maximum donations - The Boston Globe: "Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards was expected to propose today a democracy initiative that calls for creating a citizen congress to advise him as president, allowing Election Day voter registration to boost turnout, and cutting the maximum campaign contribution from $2,300 to $1,000 to increase the influence of small donors.
'The government belongs to the American people,' Edwards says in remarks obtained by the Globe, prepared for delivery at a town hall forum in Keene, N.H. 'It's time we put the power back in their hands...'"
'The government belongs to the American people,' Edwards says in remarks obtained by the Globe, prepared for delivery at a town hall forum in Keene, N.H. 'It's time we put the power back in their hands...'"
More Gore
The Trivial Pursuit - New York Times: ..."When I heard that Mr. Gore had won the Nobel, my thoughts wandered to the younger Mr. Bush and to Rudolph Giuliani, who is leading the current field of Republican presidential candidates.
Mr. Bush came to mind because, for all of the obvious vulnerabilities he exhibited in 2000, it was not him but Mr. Gore who was mocked unmercifully by the national media. And the mockery had nothing to do with the former vice president’s positions on important policy issues. He was mocked because of his personality.
In the race for the highest office in the land, we showed the collective maturity of 3-year-olds. Mr. Gore was taken to task for his taste in clothing and for such grievous offenses as sighing or, allegedly, rolling his eyes. It was a given that at a barbecue everyone would rush to be with his opponent.
We’ve paid a heavy price. The president who got such high marks as a barbecue companion doesn’t seem to know up from down. He’s hurled the nation into a ruinous war that has cost countless lives and spawned a whole new generation of terrorists. He continues to sit idly by as a historic American city, New Orleans, remains wounded and on its knees. He’s blithely steered the nation into a bottomless pit of debt.
I could go on..."
Mr. Bush came to mind because, for all of the obvious vulnerabilities he exhibited in 2000, it was not him but Mr. Gore who was mocked unmercifully by the national media. And the mockery had nothing to do with the former vice president’s positions on important policy issues. He was mocked because of his personality.
In the race for the highest office in the land, we showed the collective maturity of 3-year-olds. Mr. Gore was taken to task for his taste in clothing and for such grievous offenses as sighing or, allegedly, rolling his eyes. It was a given that at a barbecue everyone would rush to be with his opponent.
We’ve paid a heavy price. The president who got such high marks as a barbecue companion doesn’t seem to know up from down. He’s hurled the nation into a ruinous war that has cost countless lives and spawned a whole new generation of terrorists. He continues to sit idly by as a historic American city, New Orleans, remains wounded and on its knees. He’s blithely steered the nation into a bottomless pit of debt.
I could go on..."
Generally Spreaking
My thoughts regarding General Sanchez - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth
Posted by John Bruhns: "I'm quite pleased that General Ricardo Sanchez finally came out and called Iraq what it is - a "nightmare" for the United States.
I especially liked his catchy statement - “I think once you are retired, you have a responsibility to the nation, to your oath, to the country, to state your opinion.”
I couldn't agree more.
I'm sure we all remember the controversy surrounding the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. General Sanchez took a lot of heat for that atrocity being that he was in charge of all ground forces in Iraq during that time.
General Sanchez maybe a little late with his voice of opposition to the war. However, every little bit helps, especially when it comes from one of the commanders on the ground.
I applaud his efforts to shed some new light Bush's disastrous Iraq policy..."
Posted by John Bruhns: "I'm quite pleased that General Ricardo Sanchez finally came out and called Iraq what it is - a "nightmare" for the United States.
I especially liked his catchy statement - “I think once you are retired, you have a responsibility to the nation, to your oath, to the country, to state your opinion.”
I couldn't agree more.
I'm sure we all remember the controversy surrounding the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. General Sanchez took a lot of heat for that atrocity being that he was in charge of all ground forces in Iraq during that time.
General Sanchez maybe a little late with his voice of opposition to the war. However, every little bit helps, especially when it comes from one of the commanders on the ground.
I applaud his efforts to shed some new light Bush's disastrous Iraq policy..."
Friday, October 12, 2007
Blackwater Draws On Troops
Does Blackwater Play By Its Own Rules in Iraq? - Newsweek: World News - MSNBC.com: "Oct. 15, 2007 issue - The colonel was furious. 'Can you believe it? They actually drew their weapons on U.S. soldiers.' He was describing a 2006 car accident, in which an SUV full of Blackwater operatives had crashed into a U.S. Army Humvee on a street in Baghdad's Green Zone. The colonel, who was involved in a follow-up investigation and spoke on the condition he not be named, said the Blackwater guards disarmed the U.S. Army soldiers and made them lie on the ground at gunpoint until they could disentangle the SUV. His account was confirmed by the head of another private security company. Asked to address this and other allegations in this story, Blackwater spokesperson Anne Tyrrell said, 'This type of gossip has led to many soap operas in the press...'"
Amen To TPM
Talking Points Memo | On Gore: "On Gore 10.12.07 -- 10:05AM By Josh Marshall
"First, before any other yapping and commentary, a big congratulations to Al Gore.
There are several layers of irony and poetic justice wrapped into this honor. The first is that the greatest step for world peace would simply have been for Gore not to have had the presidency stolen from him in November 2000. By every just measure, Gore won the presidency in 2000 only to have George W. Bush steal it from him with the critical assistance of the US Supreme Court. It's worth taking a few moments today to consider where the country and world would be without that original sin of this corrupt presidency.
And yet this is a fitting bookend, with Gore receiving this accolade while the sitting president grows daily an object of greater disapproval, disapprobation and collective shame. And let's not discount another benefit: watching the rump of the American right detail the liberal bias of the Nobel Committee and at this point I guess the entire world. Fox News vs. the world.
"First, before any other yapping and commentary, a big congratulations to Al Gore.
There are several layers of irony and poetic justice wrapped into this honor. The first is that the greatest step for world peace would simply have been for Gore not to have had the presidency stolen from him in November 2000. By every just measure, Gore won the presidency in 2000 only to have George W. Bush steal it from him with the critical assistance of the US Supreme Court. It's worth taking a few moments today to consider where the country and world would be without that original sin of this corrupt presidency.
And yet this is a fitting bookend, with Gore receiving this accolade while the sitting president grows daily an object of greater disapproval, disapprobation and collective shame. And let's not discount another benefit: watching the rump of the American right detail the liberal bias of the Nobel Committee and at this point I guess the entire world. Fox News vs. the world.
And not to forget what this award is about even more than Gore. If half of what we think we know about global warming is true, people will look back fifty years from now on the claims that "War on Terror" was the defining challenge of this century and see it as a very sick, sad joke -- which rather sums up the Bush presidency.
But more than thinking only of what might have been, where can we go from here?"
"Drugged and Deported
Lawsuit: ICE drugging detainees set for deportation - CNN.com: "LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Former detainees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement accuse the agency in a lawsuit of forcibly injecting them with psychotropic drugs while trying to shuttle them out of the country during their deportation.
One of the drugs in question is the potent anti-psychotic drug Haldol, which is often used to treat schizophrenia or other mental illnesses. Doctors say they are required to see patients in person before such drugs are administered..."
One of the drugs in question is the potent anti-psychotic drug Haldol, which is often used to treat schizophrenia or other mental illnesses. Doctors say they are required to see patients in person before such drugs are administered..."
To Rapture, Or Not To Rapture
Preachable Moment « The Opinion Mill: "...Sorry folks, but not only is ”replacement theology” the message underlying that B.C. strip and the walking cartoon character known as Ann Coulter, it’s also the motivating force behind a lot of Christianist support for Israel — they see the return of Jews to their homeland as a necessary step to bringing on the end times. I leave it to you eager readers to delve into Christianist notions about what happens after the Rapture whisks all the faithful out of their Buster Browns and up to heaven, but I’ll give you a hint: things don’t turn out very happily for Jews who refuse to get with the program and start kickin’ it J.C. style..."
If you know where I can find the Rapture in the Bible, please let me know.
If you know where I can find the Rapture in the Bible, please let me know.
Gore Wins
Al Gore, UN Panel Share Nobel for Peace - Technology on The Huffington Post
"OSLO, Norway — Former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change jointly won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Friday for their efforts to spread awareness of man-made climate change and to lay the foundations for fighting it..."
"OSLO, Norway — Former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change jointly won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Friday for their efforts to spread awareness of man-made climate change and to lay the foundations for fighting it..."
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Attack of the Coultergeist
The Raw Story | Ann Coulter calls for Jews to be 'perfected' by converting to Christianity: "The National Jewish Democratic Council called for media organizations to stop inviting arch-conservative Ann Coulter to appear on television after the right wing pundit and author continued her habit of making outrageous, offensive comments on national television.
This time, Coulter said Jews should be 'perfected' by accepting Jesus and America would be better off if everyone was a Christian..."
This time, Coulter said Jews should be 'perfected' by accepting Jesus and America would be better off if everyone was a Christian..."
Mean Mitch Smears
Think Progress » EXCLUSIVE: E-mail Reveals That McConnell Staffer Propagated Smear Campaign Against Graeme Frost
"Yesterday, ThinkProgress reported that there was mounting evidence that a staffer for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) may have been involved in the right-wing campaign to smear Graeme Frost and his family.
"Yesterday, ThinkProgress reported that there was mounting evidence that a staffer for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) may have been involved in the right-wing campaign to smear Graeme Frost and his family.
ABC News reported earlier in the week that an e-mail sent to reporters by “a Senate Republican leadership aide” in McConnell’s office suggested that “GOP aides were complicit in spreading disparaging information about the Frosts.” A McConnell spokesman refused to deny the office’s involvement in the affair.
ThinkProgress has obtained an email that congressional sources tell us was sent to reporters by Sen. McConnell’s communications director Don Stewart..."
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
New Rule For Bill Maher
The Raw Story | '9/11 Truthers' flip the bird at Bill Maher "After being broadly denounced as "crazy people" by HBO's sharp-tongued Bill Maher, some members of the so-called 9/11 Truth movement -- a group convinced that US government accounts of the Sept. 11 tragedies do not fully explain the events of that day -- decided to give Maher a taste of his own caustic medicine..."
Getting The Dems
TPMmuckraker | Talking Points Memo | New Allegations Emerge in Siegelman Case
"...The Birmingham News has some new murky allegations about the lead up to the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D).
"...The Birmingham News has some new murky allegations about the lead up to the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D).
Two Birmingham News reporters reviewed a transcript of a recent House Judiciary panel interview of the Republican lawyer, Dana Jill Simpson, who implicated Karl Rove in the prosecution of Siegelman. According to the document, Simpson recounted how the current Alabama governor's son told her about a plan to threaten Siegelman with a prosecution if he didn't back down from contesting the 2001 gubernatorial election.
Simpson also told investigators that her concerns about the impartiality of the judge assigned to Siegelman's case prompted her to write the affidavit implicating Rove..."
Benefits Denied
WCSH6.com - National Guard Troops Denied Benefits After Longest Deployment Of Iraq War: "...Anderson's orders, and the orders of 1,161 other Minnesota guard members, were written for 729 days.
Had they been written for 730 days, just one day more, the soldiers would receive those benefits to pay for school. 'Which would be allowing the soldiers an extra $500 to $800 a month,' Anderson said.
That money would help him pay for his master's degree in public administration. It would help Anderson's fellow platoon leader, John Hobot, pay for a degree in law enforcement..."
Had they been written for 730 days, just one day more, the soldiers would receive those benefits to pay for school. 'Which would be allowing the soldiers an extra $500 to $800 a month,' Anderson said.
That money would help him pay for his master's degree in public administration. It would help Anderson's fellow platoon leader, John Hobot, pay for a degree in law enforcement..."
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Crazy Is As Crazy Does
Think Progress » Rohrabacher: Blackwater CEO Is ‘An American Hero Just Like Ollie North Was’
"...But not everyone is jumping on the anti-Blackwater bandwagon. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), for whom Prince once interned, is so supportive of the company that he believes Prince “is on his way to being an American hero just like Ollie North was“:
"...But not everyone is jumping on the anti-Blackwater bandwagon. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), for whom Prince once interned, is so supportive of the company that he believes Prince “is on his way to being an American hero just like Ollie North was“:
“Erik Prince is doing everything he can to help his country,” Rohrabacher said. “He could be making ten times the money without anybody calling him names.” […]
Rohrabacher did not attend the Blackwater hearing last week before Rep. Henry Waxman’s oversight committee. Rohrabacher is not a member of that panel.
He did watch it on television, and he likened it to the Iran Contra sessions at which former Col. Oliver North testified during the Reagan administration. Rohrabacher was a Reagan speechwriter.
“Prince,” Rohrabacher said, “is on his way to being an American hero just like Ollie North was...”
The Bell Tolling
No target is too small, or too weak, or too young to be attacked by the right-wing noise machine. The following excerpts concern the kid who gave the rebuttal to Bush's SCHIP veto speech.
from
digby at Hullabaloo:
"...This is so loathesome I am literally sick to my stomach. These kids were hurt in a car accident. Their parents could not afford health insurance --- and sure as hell couldn't get it now with a severely handicapped daughter. And these shrieking wingnut jackasses are harassing their family for publicly supporting the program that allowed the kids to get health care. A program, by the way, which a large number of these Republicans support as well.
They went after Michael J. Fox. They went after a wounded Iraq war veteran. Now they are going after handicapped kids. There is obviously no limit to how low these people will go.
They'd better pray that they stay rich and healthy and live forever because if there is a hell these people are going to be on the express train to the 9th circle the minute they shuffle off their useless mortal coils.
Scum."
from
John Amato at C&L:
Not to mention that she posted Cindy Sheehan’s divorce records to smear her…more reactions to that here."...This is just sick, but not surprising coming from her. On 04/17/06—I broke the story that she posted the phone numbers of some UC Santa Cruz students over the issue of military recruitment on campus and they received a ton of death threats as a result. A few right wing bloggers were so appalled that they de-linked her.
She endangered the life of Jamil Hussein, when she tried to discredit this AP report. The AP then responded: “AP executive editor rips into bloggers who have now endangered Jamil Hussein’s life.”
digby at Hullabaloo:
"...This is so loathesome I am literally sick to my stomach. These kids were hurt in a car accident. Their parents could not afford health insurance --- and sure as hell couldn't get it now with a severely handicapped daughter. And these shrieking wingnut jackasses are harassing their family for publicly supporting the program that allowed the kids to get health care. A program, by the way, which a large number of these Republicans support as well.
They went after Michael J. Fox. They went after a wounded Iraq war veteran. Now they are going after handicapped kids. There is obviously no limit to how low these people will go.
They'd better pray that they stay rich and healthy and live forever because if there is a hell these people are going to be on the express train to the 9th circle the minute they shuffle off their useless mortal coils.
Scum."
Monday, October 08, 2007
Procedure To Death
Diane Ravitch: The Senseless Death of Carol Gotbaum - Politics on The Huffington Post: "...As anyone can see who has watched the airport surveillance video, which is widely available on the Internet, three burly police officers approached Carol, a slender woman of about 105 pounds, and promptly wrestled her to the ground, face-down. One of them appeared to sit on her back while she was handcuffed. Then they pulled her to her feet and dragged her away, with her hands cuffed behind her back. According to the police, they put her into a cell, hands still cuffed, and they shackled her to a wall with a chain.
The police report said that she continuously screamed. The police left her alone in the cell. They left this frightened, terrified woman who was obviously in great emotional distress, chained and cuffed like an animal. Alone, with no way to communicate with anyone she knew. Screaming, screaming, alone, frightened; no one cared. Within a short period of time--maybe 15 minutes, the screaming stopped. This got the police officer's attention. Screaming they could bear; silence was intolerable. A police officer decided it was time to check on Carol to find out why she wasn't screaming anymore. This officer found her unconscious, probably already dead, strangled by the chain that shackled her to the wall..."
The police say they followed procedure and did nothing wrong. Maybe. But it sounds rather like Nazis saying they followed orders. That is an explanation, not an excuse. Click on the link to read the whole sorry account.
The police report said that she continuously screamed. The police left her alone in the cell. They left this frightened, terrified woman who was obviously in great emotional distress, chained and cuffed like an animal. Alone, with no way to communicate with anyone she knew. Screaming, screaming, alone, frightened; no one cared. Within a short period of time--maybe 15 minutes, the screaming stopped. This got the police officer's attention. Screaming they could bear; silence was intolerable. A police officer decided it was time to check on Carol to find out why she wasn't screaming anymore. This officer found her unconscious, probably already dead, strangled by the chain that shackled her to the wall..."
The police say they followed procedure and did nothing wrong. Maybe. But it sounds rather like Nazis saying they followed orders. That is an explanation, not an excuse. Click on the link to read the whole sorry account.
Trouble In Holier Than Thou Land
Scandal strikes Oral Roberts U. :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Nation: "TULSA, Okla. -- Twenty years ago, televangelist Oral Roberts said he was reading a spy novel when God appeared to him and told him to raise $8 million for Roberts' university, or else he would be ''called home.''
Now, his son, Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts, says God is speaking again, telling him to deny lurid allegations in a suit that threatens to engulf this 44-year-old Bible Belt college.
Richard Roberts is accused of illegal involvement in a local political campaign and lavish spending at donors' expense, including home remodeling, use of the school jet for his daughter's senior trip to the Bahamas, and a red Mercedes convertible and a Lexus SUV for his wife, Lindsay..."
Now, his son, Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts, says God is speaking again, telling him to deny lurid allegations in a suit that threatens to engulf this 44-year-old Bible Belt college.
Richard Roberts is accused of illegal involvement in a local political campaign and lavish spending at donors' expense, including home remodeling, use of the school jet for his daughter's senior trip to the Bahamas, and a red Mercedes convertible and a Lexus SUV for his wife, Lindsay..."
From The DSI Department
Don't Sugarcoat It; tell us what you really think.
Balloon Juice: "Screw them... I got out. They can have their party. I will vote for Democrats and little L libertarians and isolationists until the crazy people aren’t running the GOP. The threat of higher taxes in the short term isn’t enough to keep me from voting out crazy people and voting for sane people with whom I merely disagree regarding policy. Hillarycare doesn’t scare me as much as Frank Gaffney having a line to the person with the nuclear football or Dobson and company crafting domestic policy.
That is why the Republican party is in shambles. The majority of us have decided that the movers and shakers in the GOP and the blogospheric right are certified lunatics who, in a decent and sane society, we would have in controlled environments in rocking chairs under shade trees for most of the day, wheeled in at night for tapioca pudding and some karaoke."
Balloon Juice: "Screw them... I got out. They can have their party. I will vote for Democrats and little L libertarians and isolationists until the crazy people aren’t running the GOP. The threat of higher taxes in the short term isn’t enough to keep me from voting out crazy people and voting for sane people with whom I merely disagree regarding policy. Hillarycare doesn’t scare me as much as Frank Gaffney having a line to the person with the nuclear football or Dobson and company crafting domestic policy.
That is why the Republican party is in shambles. The majority of us have decided that the movers and shakers in the GOP and the blogospheric right are certified lunatics who, in a decent and sane society, we would have in controlled environments in rocking chairs under shade trees for most of the day, wheeled in at night for tapioca pudding and some karaoke."
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Religious Right Musings
Crooks and Liars » This Week: George Will Tells Social Conservatives To “Grow Up”
"...While Claire Shipman suggests that this may be a tactical way for the Dobsons and Perkins of the Religious Right to re-assert to the Republican party the need to cater to them, seeing as the Republicans can’t possibly win this election anyway, so splitting off the vote is more statement than a way to win, George Will has just one thing to say to them: Grow up.
Video at the link.
"...While Claire Shipman suggests that this may be a tactical way for the Dobsons and Perkins of the Religious Right to re-assert to the Republican party the need to cater to them, seeing as the Republicans can’t possibly win this election anyway, so splitting off the vote is more statement than a way to win, George Will has just one thing to say to them: Grow up.
Anyone have an idea why the Religious Right isn’t throwing their support behind Huckabee? Seems like he’d be just their type of candidate."Social conservatives should grow up. If they want to rally around somebody, why don’t try that? Huckabee needs support and money now. If the social conservatives are half as important as they think they are, they would rally around one of these people [..] And then decide what you care about. If you care about judges, then you’re gonna get satisfied by Giuliani, then get in line and play politics. But there’s a vanity in this group right now. They call themselves “values voters.” I’ve news for them: 100% of the American electorate are values voters; they vote their values…And this, this, kind of semantic imperialism that they have where they say “we vote values”. Everyone else votes what?
Video at the link.
When Privatization Prevails
Medicare Audits Show Problems in Private Plans - New York Times: "WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 — Tens of thousands of Medicare recipients have been victims of deceptive sales tactics and had claims improperly denied by private insurers that run the system’s huge new drug benefit program and offer other private insurance options encouraged by the Bush administration, a review of scores of federal audits has found..."
Prince of Darkness Drones
TheHill.com: "Columnist Robert Novak said Saturday Ambassador Joe Wilson did not forcefully object to the naming of his CIA operative wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, when Novak spoke to him prior to the publication of a column that sparked a federal investigation and sent White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby to jail. “He was not terribly exercised about it,” Novak said..."
Karma Redux
Former Bush Aides 'Embittered' At Presidency They Helped Build - The Huffington Post: "The White House under the best of circumstances is a pressure cooker that burns out its denizens in short order. Presidential aides arrive at 6 or 6:30 a.m. and do not leave until 8 at night or sometimes later. Even then, they remain tethered to the job through always-buzzing mobile telephones and BlackBerries.
The messages crossing those BlackBerries have been relentlessly negative the last few years. And some have grown embittered at what has become of the presidency they helped build. A key Bush reelection strategist has disavowed him, his former U.N. ambassador has become a vocal critic of key policies, his former defense secretary says he does not miss him, his former speechwriter wrote a harsh takedown of another top aide..."
The messages crossing those BlackBerries have been relentlessly negative the last few years. And some have grown embittered at what has become of the presidency they helped build. A key Bush reelection strategist has disavowed him, his former U.N. ambassador has become a vocal critic of key policies, his former defense secretary says he does not miss him, his former speechwriter wrote a harsh takedown of another top aide..."
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Lest We Forget
The Daily Dish: "'Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner] ... I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause... for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country,' - George Washington, charge to the Northern Expeditionary Force, Sept. 14, 1775."
Bush Jobs, Bill Jobs
Talking Points Memo | A closer look at Bush's record on jobs
"In response to the latest monthly employment report, the White House released a "fact sheet" yesterday bragging about the president's record on job creation. It led Paul Krugman to take a closer look at Bush's numbers as compared to his predecessor's.
Over the whole of the Clinton administration, the economy added 22.7 million jobs -- 237,000 per month.
Over the whole of the Bush administration to date, the economy added only 5.8 million jobs -- 72,000 per month..."
BO Wants Blood
Think Progress » "O’Reilly Lets Loose: Says WH Reporters Need To Be ‘Wiped Out,’ Calls CNN ‘The Pagan Throne’
In an interview with Bill O’Reilly last night, former White House press secretary Tony Snow said that his future career plans may include writing a book on cancer and possibly returning to Fox News.
When Snow revealed his plans to write a book on how to deal with cancer, O’Reilly responded:
O’REILLY: You know what you can do with all respect? You can combine how I deal with cancer with how I deal with the White House press corps. Because they’re both insidious, invasive. They both have to be wiped out..."
Friday, October 05, 2007
The Power of Definition
The meaning of "is" is... The meaning of "torture" is...
Talking Points Memo | Thought of the Day: "Verbal gymnastics are more offensive when they're about oral sex than they are when they're about state-sanctioned torture."
Talking Points Memo | Thought of the Day: "Verbal gymnastics are more offensive when they're about oral sex than they are when they're about state-sanctioned torture."
Rush Rave Revealed
Secret GOP pro-Limbaugh letter uncovered - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth
"You'll recall that we reported yesterday that the Republicans were rallying in support of Rush Limbaugh's bigoted comments about our troops in Iraq. A friend was able to get a hold of the first draft of the email alert the Republicans sent around for Rush yesterday. Here it is (click the image to see a larger, readable version):..."
"You'll recall that we reported yesterday that the Republicans were rallying in support of Rush Limbaugh's bigoted comments about our troops in Iraq. A friend was able to get a hold of the first draft of the email alert the Republicans sent around for Rush yesterday. Here it is (click the image to see a larger, readable version):..."
GI Murdered
GI to her family: Ask many questions if I die; ‘I made some enemies,’ Durkin said: "QUINCY - Ciara Durkin was home on leave last month and expressed a concern to her family in Quincy: If something happens to me in Afghanistan, don’t let it go without an investigation. Durkin, 30, a specialist with a Massachusetts National Guard finance battalion, was found dead last week near a church at the Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. She had been shot once in the head, the Army says..."
No Edwards Allowed
The Raw Story | Student mulls lawsuit after being kicked off campus for wearing Edwards t-shirt:
"A Texas high school student is considering a lawsuit after being kicked off campus for wearing a t-shirt supporting Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards..."
"A Texas high school student is considering a lawsuit after being kicked off campus for wearing a t-shirt supporting Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards..."
Kid Haters
Following Bush, GOP Presidential Candidates hate kids, too - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth: "George Bush makes decisions for the GOP. And, he's got the Republican candidates following right behind him -- even on the really stupid political decisions. Giuliani, Thompson, McCain and Romney think Bush was right to veto health care for kids..."
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Speaking of Rush and Clark
Hullabaloo: "...Bennett said today that the Democrats had erred because if they were going to try to kill the king, they'd better succeed, and Rush is the king of talk radio. He's right. And the Democrats should have been working to take him down long ago. It's my belief that the conservative movement of the past decade or so was a three headed hydra: Newt, Delay and Rush. Sure, there are others, including Bush's brain, and Grover Norquist (whom I have sometimes included as the fourth head of the hydra) but those three stood for different things that were hugely important to the success of the movement. Newt was the visionary. Delay was the congressional enforcer. And Rush was the voice, screaming out violent hatred for liberals and Democrats day after day, decade after decade. It took its toll, to the point where we can hardly even stand ourselves.
Newtie's now irrelevant. Delay is gone. Only Rush remains and he is probably the biggest prize. On a purely practical, hardball political basis, the Democrats should have been working to take him out for years. Now is their chance to turn the Republicans' patented hissy kabuki back on them and hoist an avowed political enemy with his own poisonous petard at the same time. There are many others who will happily take his place, no doubt about it. But his voice is uniquely associated with the radical wingnuts, and it is an important symbolic message to But his voice is uniquely associated with the radical wingnuts, and it is an important symbolic message to the country if they can finally make an example of him.
But it is more than just a political knife fight. It's principle..."
Newtie's now irrelevant. Delay is gone. Only Rush remains and he is probably the biggest prize. On a purely practical, hardball political basis, the Democrats should have been working to take him out for years. Now is their chance to turn the Republicans' patented hissy kabuki back on them and hoist an avowed political enemy with his own poisonous petard at the same time. There are many others who will happily take his place, no doubt about it. But his voice is uniquely associated with the radical wingnuts, and it is an important symbolic message to But his voice is uniquely associated with the radical wingnuts, and it is an important symbolic message to the country if they can finally make an example of him.
But it is more than just a political knife fight. It's principle..."
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Vet Becomes Suicide Bomber
Media Matters - Limbaugh: VoteVets lied to soldier in ad: "On the October 2 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh denounced a recent ad by VoteVets.org that featured Iraq war veteran Brian McGough, calling the ad 'a blatant use of a valiant combat veteran, lying to him about what I said, then strapping those lies to his belt, sending him out via the media in a TV ad to walk into as many people as he can walk into.' Limbaugh went on to say that '[w]hoever pumped [McGough] full of these lies about what I said ... has betrayed him.' Limbaugh denounced the ad despite admitting 'I haven't watched the ad...'"
Jimmy Jousts
Jimmy Carter Confronts Sudan Officials - World on The Huffington Post: "KABKABIYA, Sudan — Former President Jimmy Carter confronted Sudanese security services on a visit to Darfur Wednesday, shouting 'You don't have the power to stop me!' at some who blocked him from meeting refugees of the conflict.
The 83-year-old Carter wanted to visit a refugee camp in South Darfur but the U.N. mission in Sudan deemed that too dangerous. Instead, he agreed to fly to the World Food Program compound in the North Darfur town of Kabkabiya, where he was supposed to meet with refugees, many of whom were chased from their homes by militias and government forces.
But none of the refugees showed up and Carter decided to walk into the town, a volatile stronghold of the pro-government janjaweed militia, to meet refugees too frightened to attend the meeting at the compound.
He was able to make it to a school where he met with one tribal representative and was preparing to go further into town when Sudanese security officers stopped him..."
The 83-year-old Carter wanted to visit a refugee camp in South Darfur but the U.N. mission in Sudan deemed that too dangerous. Instead, he agreed to fly to the World Food Program compound in the North Darfur town of Kabkabiya, where he was supposed to meet with refugees, many of whom were chased from their homes by militias and government forces.
But none of the refugees showed up and Carter decided to walk into the town, a volatile stronghold of the pro-government janjaweed militia, to meet refugees too frightened to attend the meeting at the compound.
He was able to make it to a school where he met with one tribal representative and was preparing to go further into town when Sudanese security officers stopped him..."
Mitt Mammaries
Bourgeois Surrender: "The actual germ of this essay about the primary was an instance about a month ago when I happened to be walking on Main Street in the small city where I live and crossed the path of a couple of Mitt Romney's girl storm troopers who were out canvassing for support. Curiously, they did not go out of their way to solicit me, but that is another story. I was immediately struck by the fact that they had, among other superlative physical attributes, the most prominent, roundest, and firmest breasts of any candidates' young female acolytes that I have come across yet..."
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
On Women's Soccer
Women's World Cup soccer--my bold in the excerpt.
Hope Solo's outburst a major topic at Cup tourney - USATODAY.com
"...Solo couldn't play or train with the team and had to take her meals apart as the team shunned her. By Sunday evening, it was unclear if she would even fly back to the U.S. with the team she had been a part of for more than two years.
Hope Solo's outburst a major topic at Cup tourney - USATODAY.com
"...Solo couldn't play or train with the team and had to take her meals apart as the team shunned her. By Sunday evening, it was unclear if she would even fly back to the U.S. with the team she had been a part of for more than two years.
"The circumstance that happened and her going public has affected the whole group," said Kristine Lilly, a 36-year-old forward who played in a record fifth World Cup. "And having her with us would still be a distraction."
While Solo's actions were clearly unacceptable in a team context, there was a touching back-story that made her emotional reaction understandable, at least to one side in the public debate: Her father, Jeffrey, died of heart failure June 15 at 69.
She sprinkled her father's ashes in the goal box before every World Cup game on a mission to take him with her to a world championship.
"The only one who really knew me was my father," she says..."
Solo gets stomped for making some quite uninflammatory comments about it not being the old days and she gets shunned? That is really juvenile for the world's greatest sports franchise. The coach made a bone-head move and she called him on it. Shunned? Isolated? Is this a soccer team or a religious cult? Whew. The sports sites are hot with comments about this and I'd say 80% sympathize with Solo. Women's World Cup Soccer has taken a major PR hit.
Anita Hill Fires Back
The Raw Story | Woman who accused Clarence Thomas of sexual harrassment pens stinging retort in Times: "'I stand by my testimony.' So writes Anita Hill in Tuesday's New York Times, the woman whose sexual harrassment charges unsettled the nomination hearings of Clarence Thomas some 16 years ago..."
Lee Ioacocca On Bush and Gore
Lee Ioacocca blasts Bush - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth
"NY Post's "Page Six":
"NY Post's "Page Six":
LEE Iacocca is no fan of President Bush. "I campaigned for him because I knew his mother and dad for 30 years, and I figured he was from pretty good stock," the auto-industry legend tells Details magazine. "But Jeb was being groomed, too. They got the wrong kid. There's something wrong philosophically with how Bush's brain works. I feel sorry for him. I used to think [Al] Gore was nuts in his worrying about global warming, but he was ahead of his time."Here's the link to the interview in Details."
Who Is Left Behind?
COMMENTS: "There Are More Children Living Below The Poverty Level During Conservative Presidencies
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2006 the years where a Republican President was in office show that there is a Higher Percentage of Children Living Below the Poverty Level than when a Democratic President was in office."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2006 the years where a Republican President was in office show that there is a Higher Percentage of Children Living Below the Poverty Level than when a Democratic President was in office."
Monday, October 01, 2007
Rudy Ruffles Righeous
Hard core right wingers will quit GOP if Rudy is the nominee - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth
"The base of the GOP that Bush and Rove worked so hard to court are saying they may bolt if Rudy is the nominee. Yep, the fundies hate Rudy:
What would Jesus do?
"The base of the GOP that Bush and Rove worked so hard to court are saying they may bolt if Rudy is the nominee. Yep, the fundies hate Rudy:
Alarmed at the possibility that the Republican Party might pick Rudolph W. Giuliani as its presidential nominee despite his support for abortion rights, a coalition of influential Christian conservatives is threatening to back a third-party candidate..."
What would Jesus do?
Watch Freedom Watch
Talking Points Memo | Add It Up
" There are two big articles (AP and NYTimes) on the right-wing pressure Freedom's Watch and two big facts that stand out from them.
" There are two big articles (AP and NYTimes) on the right-wing pressure Freedom's Watch and two big facts that stand out from them.
First, both articles note that Freedom's Watch is made up of Bush-Cheney big-money givers and former staffers at the White House. But the AP makes explicit what the list of personnel makes clear: These aren't people close to "Bush" or "the White House". It's more specific than that: The activists and givers are people close to Dick Cheney.
Second, as the NYT explains, coming off the Petraeus press-rollout, Freedom's Watch's next press campaign is for confrontation (i.e., war) with Iran.
Put the two together, and you understand what's coming."
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