Drunken Ravings

Bush Protected terrorists

2005-06-28T21:34:00.000-05:00

From the WSJ, NBC and Media MAtters:

JIM MIKLASZEWSKI (NBC News chief Pentagon correspondent): With today's attacks, al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant with ties to Al Qaeda, is blamed for more than 700 terrorist killings in Iraq. But NBC News has learned that long before the war, the Bush administration had several chances to wipe out his terrorist group, Ansar al-Islam, perhaps kill Zarqawi himself, but never pulled the trigger. June 2002, U.S. government officials say intelligence revealed that Zarqawi and members of Al Qaeda had set up a weapons lab at Kirma in northern Iraq, producing deadly ricin and cyanide. The Pentagon quickly drafted plans to attack the camp and sent them to the White House, where, say government sources, the plans were debated to death.

[...]

MIKLASZEWSKI: Four months later, intelligence showed Zarqawi was planning to use ricin in terrorist attacks in Europe. The Pentagon drew up a second strike plan, and the White House again killed it. By then, the administration had set its course for war with Iraq.

ROGER CRESSEY (NBC terrorism analyst): People were more obsessed with developing the coalition to overthrow [former Iraqi leader] Saddam [Hussein] than to execute the president's [Bush's] policy on preemption against terrorists.

War on terror? They wanted Iraqs oil. And they were willing to allow as many people die as necessary to get it. Go read for yourselves. The deciet is stunning. This borders on Treason.

Howard Dean Speaks for me

2005-06-11T03:50:00.000-05:00

Howard Dean Speaks for me
And for a lot of other democrats. Not From and his DLC Corporacrats. Not Biden and his Me-ocrats. Not Lieberman and his slimeocrats. Dean. Doctor Howard Dean.

Go HERE to sign the petition.

Michael Colby: Bush v. Kerry, the Power Elite's Dream Ballot

2004-02-16T14:36:00.000-05:00

Michael Colby: Bush v. Kerry, the Power Elite's Dream Ballot

Guardian Unlimited | US elections 2004 | Hi-tech voting machines 'threaten' US polls: "Hi-tech voting machines 'threaten' US polls "

The taking of american democracy 1,2,3

2004-02-16T12:36:00.000-05:00

RuminateThis: News, Views, Activism and a Smattering of Something Else

"In an election for a seat in the Florida house of representatives last month, touch-screen machines recorded 127 blank ballots. The race was won by 12 votes. No recount was possible because there was nothing to recount. (The Guardian)
2. In an election in Indiana last year, an electronic system recorded more than 144,000 votes in an election with fewer than 19,000 registered voters. (The Guardian)
3. Maryland's 16,000 machines all had identical locks for two sensitive mechanisms. The hackers found that they would have been able to have copies of the keys for these locks cut at a locksmith, although ultimately they found it easier simply to pick the locks. It reportedly took less than 10 seconds"

Instapundit comes out of the Closet

2004-02-16T12:25:00.000-05:00

Instapundit gleefully reports that :

"THE BOSTON GLOBE REPORTS that the Bush AWOL story is collapsing, as a key witness turns out to have lied. Capt. Ed observes"

and is deeply upset that the press doesnt broadcast the apparently baseless acusations Kerry had an affair :

"Yeah. And if this infidelity story were about Bush, with the woman in question out of the country, they'd be running with it in a big way already"

Unfortunately he, as usual gets it wrong. As TAPPED points out

"So -- are the charges collapsing? No. For one thing, the article in question only speaks to one of several issues surrounding this question -- Burkett's allegation that Bush's military records were "cleansed" at the behest of the then-governor's political operation. The question of whether or not Bush ever showed up to do his duty in Alabama remains totally unaffected by this, as do the questions of how it was that so many officials in the National Guard seemed eager to do favors for young Lt. Bush"

And of course anyone looking deeper into the issue knows that the preponderance of evidence is that Bush repeatedly played hooky and in all likelyhood was eventually shipped off to a punishment posting for this and other behavior.. possibly having to do with drunkenness or drug problems.
But that wont Instapundit, whos claim to fame is actually the fact that he never does any real research and relies on glossing over press accounts to issue murky proclamations on how it all bores him if its not picking at some anti-left story.

But the interesting thing here is that a blogger who has for a very long time made pretenses at being unbiased and a critical thinker finally
outed himself as just another Gop apologist. Something many of us on the left have known for a very very long time.

Miss ethics class much Glenn? Or was it just all the 'journalism' classes you slept through?

Body and Soul

2004-02-15T13:09:00.000-05:00

Body and Soul
(The brilliant Jeane De Arc)

"Isn't it amazing the way that many of the same people who swatted away the 'loony left,' when it complained about the effect sanctions were having on the health of Iraqis before the war are now acknowledging that effect?"

Intern tales make them feel alive! If you doubt it, read man-or-mouse Kaus

2004-02-15T13:06:00.000-05:00

Intern tales make them feel alive! If you doubt it, read man-or-mouse Kaus
(Daily Howler)

"The point we made yesterday is quite important. When one follows the current reporting on Bush and the Guard, it?s hard to believe that this is the second time Bush has run for the White House. Why is the reporting being done now? Because the press corps went in the tank for Bush during Campaign 2000"

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Ex-judge on Iraq inquiry 'involved in cover-up'

2004-02-15T10:32:00.000-05:00

Ex-judge on Iraq inquiry 'involved in cover-up'
Guardian Unlimited

Laurence Silberman, a retired judge nominated by the Bush administration as the co-chairman of the commission investigating pre-war intelligence on Iraq, was involved in a major cover-up during the Reagan era, his critics alleged yesterday

2004-02-12T13:36:00.000-05:00

Did Robert Novak willfully disregard warnings that his column would endanger Valerie Plame? Our sources say 'yes.'

TAP via ATRIOS

If accurate Bob Novak should spend his retirement in a federal prison.

John Kerry's shifting stands

2004-02-12T12:35:00.000-05:00

Kerry's shifting stands

Boston Globe / Opinion / Op-ed

The editorial really says it all. Add to that the 'bimbo eruption. If you were wondering why the press has pushed Kerry so hard.. now you know.

Just back from Australia.. where their far right makes our Democrats look.. republican. Where politics are civil. Where people disagree on issues without calling each other the antichrist. Where government leaders dont start wars just to get votes or leech oil. A magnificent place. If my choice is Kerry or Bush i might just be going back .. for a long long time if they'll have me.

Jesus' General

2004-01-26T07:01:00.000-05:00

Jesus' General: "Preemption House

A Brilliant new Reality show for fox!!

(Im STILL laughing you have to read this!)

Yahoo! News - Dennis Miller to Give Bush a Free Pass

2004-01-25T15:59:00.000-05:00

Dennis Miller to Give Bush a Free Pass
Dennis Miller has usually been happy to spray his acerbic wit across the political spectrum, but things will be different on his new CNBC talk program. President Bush is in a mock-free zone.

'I like him,' Miller explained. 'I'm going to give him a pass. I take care of my friends.'"

The word you are looking for is Weasel.

Powell casts doubt on Iraq WMDs

2004-01-24T18:01:00.000-05:00

Powell casts doubt on Iraq WMDs

"US Secretary of State Colin Powell has conceded that Iraq may not have possessed any stocks of weapons of mass destruction before the war last year. "

Mary Steenburgen Nails Novak

2004-01-24T10:22:00.000-05:00

Mary Steenburgen NAILS Novak

"NOVAK: Ms. Steenburgen, I'm just dying to know if you agree with your candidate, General Clark, that the president of the United States is a deserter? Desertion is one of the most heinous crimes. It's a felony. You put people in prison. Do you think -- do you think -- do you agree with that?
STEENBURGEN: Well, I don't agree with the spin you just put on it.
If I understand correctly, it was Michael Moore that said that, not Wesley Clark. And I would also say that, if being critical of an administration was a crime, I don't know what you would have had to do during the Clinton administration. So -- so, you know, I think you better keep it straight who said what. "

Mary Steenburgen officially joins Molly Ivans as a woman who's mind i lust after.

BBC NEWS | Business | Halliburton admits $6m kickbacks

2004-01-24T07:09:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS Halliburton admits $6m kickbacks

Halliburton has a number of contracts to help rebuild Iraq
Energy services giant Halliburton has admitted that it has fired two members of staff in Iraq for taking kickbacks of up to $6m (£3.3m). "

BBC NEWS | Americas | US chief Iraq arms expert quits

2004-01-24T07:08:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS | Americas | US chief Iraq arms expert quits

Mr Kay cast doubt on Iraq's weapons programmes
The head of the team searching for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, David Kay, has resigned"

Body and Soul

2004-01-22T17:20:00.000-05:00

Body and Soul: "More concerns about voting
We don't have enough worries already with Diebold?
About 100,000 Americans abroad -- most of them in the military -- will be voting over the internet this year, and according to a new report, the system 'has numerous . . . fundamental security problems that leave it vulnerable to a variety of well-known cyber attacks, any one of which could be catastrophic.'"

Andrew Sullivan : Democrat?

2004-01-21T05:37:00.000-05:00

From Andrew Sullivan:
(no i wont link it i refuse to promote idiots)

"Abstinence only for prevention of STDs? Whatever else this president is, he is no believer in individuals' running their own lives without government regulation, control or aid. If you're a fiscal conservative or a social liberal, this was a speech that succeeded in making you take a second look at the Democrats. I sure am. "

For the love of god. Please please merciful god. If you have any pity on us please please do NOT let Andrew Sullivan become a democrat. Heavenly father we have endured a quarter century of right wing lies and abuse. We dealt with having to accept Zell Miller as a democrat. We dealt with having to hold our nose with not one, but two hands while we voted for republicrats. We dealt with having to listen to a clueless corrupt media. We even dealt with having to accept a corrupt cowardly lying deserter being forced on us in a legal coup. But lord.. dont drop Andy on us.. its just too big of a cross to bear!

TAP: Vol 15, Iss. 2. America as a One-Party State.

2004-01-19T16:45:00.000-05:00

"Today's hard right seeks total dominion. It's packing the courts and rigging the rules. The target is not the Democrats but democracy itself."

MSNBC - Fresh Recruits

2004-01-19T16:44:00.000-05:00

MSNBC - Fresh Recruits: "The government is being held together with chewing gum and baling wire while Bush muses about a moon shot that would not occur until Jeb Bush's second term in office--if then. He'll strut down the aisle of the House chamber like a victorious war president while the Pentagon issues 'stop-loss' orders to bar more than 200,000 members of the military from leaving even though they have fulfilled their service requirements"

A Dishonest War (washingtonpost.com)

2004-01-19T16:41:00.000-05:00

(Ted Kennedy)

"Of the many issues competing for attention in this new and defining year, one is of a unique order of magnitude: President Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq. The facts demonstrate how dishonest that decision was. As former Treasury secretary Paul H. O'Neill recently confirmed, the debate over military action began as soon as President Bush took office. Some felt Saddam Hussein could be contained without war. A month after the inauguration, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said: 'We have kept him contained, kept him in his box.' The next day, he said tellingly that Hussein 'has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction.'"

A Dishonest War (washingtonpost.com)

2004-01-19T16:35:00.000-05:00

"Of the many issues competing for attention in this new and defining year, one is of a unique order of magnitude: President Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq. The facts demonstrate how dishonest that decision was. As former Treasury secretary Paul H. O'Neill recently confirmed, the debate over military action began as soon as President Bush took office. Some felt Saddam Hussein could be contained without war. A month after the inauguration, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said: 'We have kept him contained, kept him in his box.' The next day, he said tellingly that Hussein 'has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction.'"

mediareform.network issue: Antitrust & Media

2004-01-19T14:54:00.000-05:00

"The past two decades have seen the number of major corporations which dominate movies, music, cable, radio, newspapers, books, magazines, the Internet and TV dwindle from 50 to less than two dozen, with much of the control concentrated in fewer than ten massive conglomerates. The largest firms today do well over ten times the business of the largest media firms of the late 1980s. The result is a cartel-like arrangement in which a few closely-linked industry giants call the shots to maximize profits by reducing competition and lowering risk. "

The FCC, Big Media and You"

The Nation : The big ten media

The Global Media Giants:
The nine firms that dominate the world"

"This list is from 1997. Since then there has been further consolidation as well as the dominance of US radio and cable by a handful of corporations"

The Third Annual Report
How power shapes the news

FAIR ACTION ALERT: Why Were Government Propaganda Experts Working On News At CNN?

"Reports in the Dutch newspaper Trouw (2/21/00, 2/25/00) and France's Intelligence Newsletter (2/17/00) have revealed that several officers from the US Army's 4th Psychological Operations (PSYOPS) Group at Ft. Bragg worked in the news division at CNN's Atlanta headquarters last year, starting in the final days of the Kosovo War. "

FAIR ACTION ALERT:New CNN Chief Trying to Please GOP Elite: "
New CNN Chief Trying to Please GOP Elite
August 15, 2001
Early this month, new CNN chairman Walter Isaacson met with top Republican lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to discuss how to improve relations between the cable news network and conservative Republicans. "

9/11 Panel Unlikely to Get Later Deadline (washingtonpost.com)

2004-01-19T12:05:00.000-05:00

"President Bush and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) have decided to oppose granting more time to an independent commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, virtually guaranteeing that the panel will have to complete its work by the end of May, officials said last week. "

What does the Bush administration fear so deeply about the 9/11 investigation that they not only refuse to cooperate, but are now in effect killing it?

For anyone to argue this administration cares about public safety, democracy, or terrorism at this point becomes ludicrous.

Intelligence: Hussein Warned Iraqis to Beware Outside Fighters, Document Says

2004-01-14T13:13:00.000-05:00

Intelligence: Hussein Warned Iraqis to Beware Outside Fighters, Document Says: "

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13

Saddam Hussein warned his Iraqi supporters to be wary of joining forces with foreign Arab fighters entering Iraq to battle American troops, according to a document found with the former Iraqi leader when he was captured, Bush administration officials said Tuesday.
Advertisement

The document appears to be a directive, written after he lost power, from Mr. Hussein to leaders of the Iraqi resistance, counseling caution against getting too close to Islamic jihadists and other foreign Arabs coming into occupied Iraq, according to American officials."

How much more evidence do we need before the press notices Bush is a Liar as well as a deserter and protector of traitors?

Salon.com News

2004-01-13T07:33:00.000-05:00

The media vs. Howard Dean

"Democrats haven't voted yet, but reporters have got the story: The former Vermont governor is angry, gaffe-prone and unelectable. How do they know? Republicans, and anonymous Democrats, told them so."

Salon.com Nails it. Courtesy of Roger Ailes (the other one) excellent blog.

Op-Ed Columnist: The Awful Truth

2004-01-13T06:19:00.000-05:00

Paul Krugman nails it once again:

Op-Ed Columnist: The Awful Truth: "So far administration officials have attacked Mr. O'Neill's character but haven't refuted any of his facts. They have, however, already opened an investigation into how a picture of a possibly classified document appeared during Mr. O'Neill's TV interview. This alacrity stands in sharp contrast with their evident lack of concern when a senior administration official, still unknown, blew the cover of a C.I.A. operative because her husband had revealed some politically inconvenient facts"

ajc.com | News | Sept. 11 commission will request Bush, Clinton to meet with panel

2004-01-13T06:15:00.000-05:00

(New York Daily News)
...
He also said that because of alleged stonewalling by the Bush administration and by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office, some commissioners want to extend their probe past the May deadline for the final report, while others are against any extension, Felzenberg said.

.....

The White House proposed greenlighting the extension if the commission would agree to release the report after the November election, but then officials pulled back the offer, Newsweek reported Sunday

For those who think the administration isnt hiding something about 9/11. Bush has stonewalled the 9/11 commission and tried to gut it. It becomes clearer daily why.

The Observer | International | Bush aims to dodge tough poll issues

2004-01-10T11:56:00.000-05:00

The Observer | International | Bush aims to dodge tough poll issues: "There may be a conflict raging in Iraq that is killing US soldiers on a daily basis. There may be the threat of an economic crisis, too much unemployment and political debate infused with vitriol levels unseen for years. Yet President George W Bush is planning to win re-election by turning reality on its head."

Truer words were never spoken

Army Allows Halliburton to Supply Iraq Fuel Without Giving Price Data (washingtonpost.com)

2004-01-07T04:51:00.000-05:00

New Administration tactic to combat Halliburton Corruption:
Dont make them tell us what we are paying.

"Army Allows Halliburton to Supply Iraq Fuel Without Giving Price Data

By MATT KELLEY
Associated Press Writer
(Washington Post)

Tuesday, January 6, 2004; 10:58 AM
The Army has allowed Halliburton to increase the supplies of fuel delivered to Iraq without giving the usual data to justify its cost, a spokesman said Tuesday.

The December action by the Army Corps of Engineers does not exonerate Vice President Dick Cheney's former company in a dispute with the Pentagon over fuel prices, Army corps spokesman Ross Adkins said Tuesday. "

Bush’s Budget for 2005 Seeks to Rein In Domestic Costs

2004-01-04T10:22:00.000-05:00

Bush’s Budget for 2005 Seeks to Rein In Domestic Costs:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 — Facing a record budget deficit, Bush administration officials say they have drafted an election-year budget that will rein in the growth of domestic spending without alienating politically influential constituencies.

They said the president's proposed budget for the 2005 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, would control the rising cost of housing vouchers for the poor, require some veterans to pay more for health care, slow the growth in spending on biomedical research and merge or eliminate some job training and employment programs. The moves are intended to trim the programs without damaging any essential services, the administration said.

After filling Halliburton coffers and handing big oil a new 'american protectorate' to play with, and handing the upper upper class the biggest handout in history .. Bush finds himself with a problem. He actually has to come up with the money. Of course.. being a republican, and worse a chickenhawk neocon.. Bush did what right wingers always do: attack the very people sacrificing the most. The very men fighting his war for oil, the poor whove seen the government become more and more openly hostile, and those Bush's incompetant economic leadership has thrown out of work will be the ones paying.

Nothing to see here.. move along...

In a site note.. CNN is teaming up with the ConDems to spin and attack Dean. The new mantra? "He's unelectable" and "He's mean". Of course he beats every other democrat by every measurable standard.. including electability. At which point the spin becomes "Dean is mean".. strangely coming from Gephardt, Kerry and Lieberman. Can you spell Hypocrit?

Nothing to see here... move along.. move along

Oliver Willis: Like Kryptonite To Stupid

2003-12-29T11:42:00.000-05:00

Oliver Willis: Like Kryptonite To Stupid: "The New Republicans

The most striking thing about the new Republicanism is the way it embraces big government. The Bush administration has presided over a $400 billion expansion of Medicare entitlements. The party that once campaigned to abolish the Department of Education has produced an education plan that involves unprecedented federal involvement in local public schools. There is talk from the White House about a grandiose new moon shot. Budgetary watchdogs like the Heritage Foundation echo the Republican Senator John McCain's complaint about 'drunken sailor' spending"

TalkLeft: The Politics of Crime

2003-12-29T11:39:00.000-05:00

TalkLeft: The Politics of Crime: "In a new interview with journalist Craig Oliver, Canadian Maher Arar and his wife renew their call for a full inquiry into his seizure at JFK by American authorities who transported him to Syria where he was imprisoned and tortured. "

TAP: Web Feature: Bush's 'ownership' scam. by Robert Kuttner. December 24, 2003.

2003-12-29T11:29:00.000-05:00

TAP: Web Feature: Bush's 'ownership' scam. by Robert Kuttner. December 24, 2003.: "Bush's 'ownership' scam
Why Bush's 'Ownership Society' is just another bait and switch.
By Robert Kuttner
Web Exclusive: 12.24.03
Print Friendly | Email Article
In President Bush's upcoming State of the Union Address, we are going to hear a lot about something called an 'Ownership Society.' The idea is that American workers aspire to be owners - owners of stock for their retirement, owners of homes, owners of businesses, owners of good health insurance, and owners of the skills that they need to navigate multiple changes of jobs and careers. It sounds just great.
Take a closer look, however, and you will recognize the trademarked Bush combination of inspiring themes coupled with a complete absence of useful tools. In other words, bait-and-switch.
Other recent examples include No Child Left Behind (millions were); the Medicare drug bill (covers less than half the costs and mainly subsidizes drug companies) and three rounds of huge tax breaks that went mostly to the wealthy. But I digress.
How does Bush propose to create this 'Ownership Society?' Mainly through….more tax credits. If people lack reliable health care, there will be tax-favored savings accounts to buy health insurance. If we need more secure retirement, there are new tax incentives to set aside savings. If jobs are precarious, there are tax credits to purchase re-training when your job moves to China. "

Hullabaloo

2003-12-29T11:27:00.000-05:00

Hullabaloo: "Matt Yglesias is right when he says:

Everyone must read David Brooks' column and come to the realization that either Brooks is lying to us, or else administration sources are lying to Brooks. The program that Brooks describes sounds reasonable enough, but this bundle of proposals is, in fact, designed to accomplish something rather different. The idea is to shelter from taxation various savings and investment schemes that will provide a minor level of help to average middle class folks. At the same time, however, there will be no caps on the quantity of money that can be thereby sheltered"

Salon.com | Joe Conason's Journal

2003-12-29T11:24:00.000-05:00

Salon.com : "Joe Conason's Journal
Democrats deserve coal this year -- and give the opportunistic Joe Lieberman an extra shovel's worth"

Mad Cow Case Found In U.S. for First Time (washingtonpost.com)

2003-12-24T07:08:00.000-05:00

Mad Cow Case Found In U.S. for First Time (washingtonpost.com): "A Holstein cow slaughtered in Washington state earlier this month was infected with mad cow disease, marking the first time that the dreaded illness that devastated the beef industry in Britain has been detected in the United States, officials announced yesterday.

Meat from the animal, which was slaughtered Dec. 9, traveled through three processing plants before a test revealed the problem 13 days later. But officials at the Department of Agriculture insisted that infectious portions of the animal were removed at the slaughterhouse and diverted to a rendering plant. "

The Memory Hole > Senior US Officials Cozy up to Dictator Who Boils People Alive

2003-12-18T10:31:00.000-05:00

Senior US Officials Cozy up to Dictator Who Boils People Alive

Independent human rights groups estimate that there are more than 600 politically motivated arrests a year in Uzbekistan, and 6,500 political prisoners, some tortured to death. According to a forensic report commissioned by the British embassy, in August two prisoners were even boiled to death.

The US condemned this repression for many years. But since September 11 rewrote America's strategic interests in central Asia, the government of President Islam Karimov has become Washington's new best friend in the region

The Memory Hole > Senior US Officials Cozy up to Dictator Who Boils People Alive

2003-12-18T10:30:00.000-05:00

MSNBC - Dubious Link Between Atta and Saddam

2003-12-18T10:25:00.000-05:00

Dubious Link Between Atta and Saddam
A document tying the Iraqi leader with the 9/11 terrorist is probably fake. PLUS, how terror financiers manage to stay in business "

Dec. 17 - A widely publicized Iraqi document that purports to show that September 11 hijacker Mohammed Atta visited Baghdad in the summer of 2001 is probably a fabrication that is contradicted by U.S. law-enforcement records showing Atta was staying at cheap motels and apartments in the United States when the trip presumably would have taken place, according to U.S. law enforcement officials and FBI documents.

9/11 Chair: Attack Was Preventable

2003-12-18T10:08:00.000-05:00

CBS News 9/11 Chair: Attack Was Preventable
CBS December 18, 2003 07:38:02

For the first time, the chairman of the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks is saying publicly that 9/11 could have and should have been prevented, reports CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston.

This is a very, very important part of history and we've got to tell it right," said Thomas Kean.

"As you read the report, you're going to have a pretty clear idea what wasn't done and what should have been done," he said. "This was not something that had to happen."

Appointed by the Bush administration, Kean, a former Republican governor of New Jersey, is now pointing fingers inside the administration and laying blame.

"There are people that, if I was doing the job, would certainly not be in the position they were in at that time because they failed. They simply failed," Kean said.

NYPress - Cage Match - Matt Taibbi - Vol. 16, Iss. 48

2003-11-27T12:10:00.000-05:00

Chickenhawks and war.

NYPress - Matt Taibbi

(this is the funniest damn thing ive ever read)

Alleged Chinese double agent indicted in Los Angeles

2003-11-17T06:24:00.000-05:00

More Republican (republican fundraiser in this case) traitors:

Alleged Chinese double agent indicted in Los Angeles (AP):

Thursday, May 8, 2003

(05-08) 17:24 PDT LOS ANGELES (AP) --
A federal grand jury Thursday indicted alleged Chinese double agent Katrina Leung on charges that she illegally took, copied and kept secret documents obtained from an FBI agent who was her chief contact and alleged lover."

Buffalo News - Bench warrant issued for Satan's poor play

2003-11-17T05:58:00.000-05:00

I SWEAR i didnt make this up

Buffalo News - Bench warrant issued for Satan's poor play: "Satan clearly was annoyed being asked to explain his substandard work. Yet he viewed it as a good omen.
'Usually, when you guys start talking about it (the slump ends),' Satan said.
'This kind of stuff evens itself out. I'm waiting for that kind of breaking moment. Hopefully, that's going to be (tonight).' "

Daily Kos || Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation.

2003-11-12T08:27:00.000-05:00

Daily Kos says it all : "Unless you have been a veteran, you don't know what it's like to wear our nation's uniform. The sense of pride, the sense of responsibility it inspires. We love our country, and put our lives on the line on its behalf. We believe in what our country stands for -- notions of democracy, and freedom, and truth and justice. We are most intimately aware of the ultimate sacrifice paid by so many of our brothers in arms, because we ourselves were prepared to pay it.
Yet few of the people in charge made that sacrifice. Rather, they went out of their way to avoid serving their country. Cheney had 'better things to do', Bush went AWOL. Virtually all of the 'pundits' cheerleeding this war found creative ways to avoid serving. Wars are for the poor and the stupid to fight. Not for exhalted members of society like themselves.
Well fuck them.
Today is not for them. It's for those of us who wore that uniform, and those who continue serving our country even as their leaders fail them, lie to them, and use them as pawns in their great political and economic chessboard.
And for those of our brothers and sisters in uniform who gave their lives on behalf of noble causes, and those not so noble.
Nobody dare take out their frustrations on our men and women in uniform. They are doing their job, best they can, under impossible conditions.
The political 'leadership', on the other hand, can rot in hell. "

Veterans Day: The Things They Wrote

2003-11-12T08:21:00.000-05:00

From the NY Times

Veterans Day: The Things They Wrote: "Excerpt of a letter from Army Pfc. Jesse A. Givens, 34, of Springfield, Mo. Private Givens was killed May 1 when his tank fell into the Euphrates River after the bank on which he was parked gave way. This letter was written to be delivered to his family if he died. Melissa is his wife, Dakota his 6-year-old stepson and Bean the name he used for his son, Carson, who was born May 29.
My family,
I never thought that I would be writing a letter like this. I really don't know where to start. I've been getting bad feelings, though and, well, if you are reading this. . . .
The happiest moments in my life all deal with my little family. I will always have with me the small moments we all shared. The moments when you quit taking life so serious and smiled. The sounds of a beautiful boy's laughter or the simple nudge of a baby unborn. You will never know how complete you have made me. You saved me from loneliness and taught me how to think beyond myself. You taught me how to live and to love. You opened my eyes to a world I never dreamed existed.
Dakota . . . you taught me how to care until it hurts, you taught me how to smile again. You taught me that life isn't so serious and sometimes you just have to play. You have a big, beautiful heart. Through life you need to keep it open and follow it. Never be afraid to be yourself. I will always be there in our park when you dream so we can play. I love you, and hope someday you will understand why I didn't come home. Please be proud of me.
Bean, I never got to see you but I know in my heart you are beautiful. I know you will be strong and big-hearted like your mom and brother. I will always have with me the feel of the soft nudges on your mom's belly, and the joy I felt when I found out you were on your way. I love you, Bean.

Melissa, I have never been as blessed as the day I met you. You are my angel, soulmate, wife, lover and best friend. I am sorry. I did not want to have to write this letter. There is so much more I need to say, so much more I need to share. A lifetime's worth. I married you for a million lifetimes. That's how long I will be with you. Please keep my babies safe. Please find it in your heart to forgive me for leaving you alone. . . . Teach our babies to live life to the fullest, tell yourself to do the same.

I will always be there with you, Melissa. I will always want you, need you and love you, in my heart, my mind and my soul. Do me a favor, after you tuck the children in. Give them hugs and kisses from me. Go outside and look at the stars and count them. Don't forget to smile.

Love Always,
Your husband,
Jess

As KOS KOS put it :

And just a reminder -- Bush hasn't attended a single funeral. He doesn't have the balls to stand up to these grieving families and tell them his war was worth the sacrifice these families are paying.

2003-10-28T00:42:00.000-05:00

Grover Norqist and GOP Ties to the Taliban

Yet another story the mainstream media cant ignore for much longer.

2003-10-27T22:46:00.000-05:00

CHER c-span transcript
Peter Slen, C-Span Moderator: Good Morning Miami Beach

caller: good morning! thank you for c-span, i watch it every day!
uh, i would like to say i had the occasion the other day to spend the entire day with troops that had come back from iraq & had been wounded &..um...i also visited troops during the vietnam era...but the thing that i was most shocked by...um...as i walked into the hospital the first person i ran into was a boy about 19 or 20 years old who'd lost both of his arms...& when i walked into the hosptial & visited all these boys all day long...uh...everyone had lost either one arm...one limb or two limbs or had lost one limb & there were...there were a lot of legs that seemed to be missing & a couple of the boys told me it was because that their vehicles ...that the rockets pierce the vehicles so much its like being kind of in a tin can...it doesnt have...there isnt...the walls of the humvees are very soft & theres no protection...but three guys in the same vehicle have lost a leg.
...& another thing that i saw was that...um...if theyd lost one leg that... that shrapnel that had hit the other leg had been so devatating that they were having to pull like the thigh...you know...the muscle & the thigh around the bottom of the calf to try to make the leg workable but in some cases these boys had lost one leg & the other leg was so damaged that they werent sure what they were gonna be able to do.

C-Span Moderator: where did you spend tthe day?

caller: walter-reed.

C-Span Moderator: & youre down in miami beach, back in miami beach?

caller: i'm down here today.

C-Span Moderator: what were you doing @ walter -reed? are you a volunteer?

caller: no, i was just asked to come & spend the day. i was working that day in washington dc &...

C-Span Moderator: what kind of work do you do?

caller: um, i'm an entertainer.

C-Span Moderator: oh, what kind of entertaining? are you USO?

caller: no, i actually was called by the USO but i'm...i'm...i'm just...i'm an entertainer. & i really dont want to go much past that but...um...

C-Span Moderator: is this CHER?

caller: yeah.

C-Span Moderator: (worshipful silence) ok. & you spent the day @ walter-reed.

caller: yeah. & i spent the day with, i mean they were great guys...&...& the the men that took me around were in the...you know...the services,you know, they were fabulous men...uh...mike & john &...& they these boys had unbelievable courage & they still said for the most part hat they were glad that they they did it, they felt that it was their duty...& there were a few of the national guards that felt it was their duty that once they were over there but they wondered why they were taken out of america to spend that much time as as actual service men when they really felt that their job was to be, you know, protecting this country.
...but i i have to say that they had the most unbeleivable courage & it took everything that i have as a person to...to not...you know... break down while i was talkin to these guys...but i just think that if there was no reason for this war this was the most heinous thing i'd ever seen...& also i wonder why...why are none of cheney, wolfowitz, bremer, the president, why arent they taking pictures with all these guys...coz...i dont understand why these guys are so hidden & why...& why there arent pictures of them because you know, talking about the dead & the wounded...thats two different things but these wounded are so devastadley wounded...you know...that i think that... the wounded...its just... its unbelievable...its just unbelieivable to me & i'm an independant but i....

C-Span Moderator: are you supporting anyone yet for 2004?
you supported ross perot, correct? in 92?

caller: yeah, i mean when i heard him talk right in the beginning i thought that he would bring some sort of common-sense business approach & also less partisianship but then of course...you know...i was completley disappointed like everyone else when he just kind of cut & run & no one knew exactly why ...you know...being that maybe he couldnt have withstood all the investigation that goes on now...but...um...you know...i'm not a bush supporter, that for sure...& im definitley not ashcroft or cheney or any of them...but i would just like to see them have...you know, if youre going to send these people to war then dont hide them, you know &...&...& have some... have some news coverage where people are sitting & talking to these guys & seeing how they are & seeing their spirit & its just...i just...
i think its a crime

C-Span Moderator: when you were up here for your farewell concert earlier this month, is that when you went to walter reed?

callr: yeah.

C-Span Moderator: ok well thanks for your time this morning, thanks for watching

callre: oh i have to tell you i watch you every day & i really appreciate it because i go all over the world & i must say that the news we get in america has nothing to do with the news that you get outside of this country & i think thats why people dont..people dont understand why so many of the allies did not...you know, our usual allies did not join us because if you get outside the united states you hear a different kind of news you know & so...

C-Span Moderator: whats your favorite news source outside the US?

caller: well theres a source that i really like inside the US that gives you special documentaries called WORLDLINK but i think my favorite source outside the US is BBC because they are our allies but you still get...on the nightly news you get...you know, much more coverage & i think much more honest coverage...I dont know, i guess they're not...well...they're independant so they're not owned by any of the major corporations that are... you know, have vested interes in this war.

C-Span Moderator: thanks for your call this morning.

caller: ok, thank you!

Why hasnt Bush attended any Soldiers funerals.. or visited the wounded?

Buchanan and Press from late August

An exchange between Four Star General. BARRY MCCAFFREY; BILL PRESS and JOE GALLOWAY, a veteran correspondent, who's probably best known for his book and movie, "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young".

MCCAFFREY: Joe, why aren't we getting news on the number of wounded? Like you, I spent more than two years in Walter Reed as a patient. Why aren't we hearing more visibility on numbers and types of wounds, is there a fear to get, you know, touched by the genie of the bottle, too many wounded...

GALLOWAY: Well, you can find the numbers out, but you've got to go to Walter Reed or you've got to the hospital at Landstuhl and you'll find out that there have been 1,300 wounded American soldiers, GIs, pass through Walter Reed since the beginning of Afghanistan.

To me that's the real failing of the media is that they lose sight of things like that and not enough people go over to Walter Reed and walk through the wards and talk to these kids.

PRESS: Joe, I want to ask you a related question. To my knowledge, and I've talked to a couple of reporters about this. President Bush has not attended the funeral of even one American soldier killed in Iraq. Is that a significant story? And why hasn't there been any media attention to that at all?

GALLOWAY: I don't know the answer to that. I've not seen any story that said he has been to one of those funerals. I think he should. I think it would be-even if it's just a symbolic one guy, go to the funeral.

PRESS: I mean imagine if President Clinton were president now or Al Gore were president now and did not attend the funeral of one American killed in Iraq.

GALLOWAY: I think there would be a firestorm.

MCCAFFREY: Yes, tough issue.

2003-10-26T15:46:00.000-05:00

9/11 Commission Could Subpoena Oval Office Files
By PHILIP SHENON

Published: October 26, 2003

ADISON, N.J., Oct. 25 — The chairman of the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks says that the White House is continuing to withhold several highly classified intelligence documents from the panel and that he is prepared to subpoena the documents if they are not turned over within weeks.

Vietnam killing spree revelations shock US

Atrocity to rival My Lai is exposed - after 36 years

Tiger Force operated out of control in the Vietnamese highlands for seven months in 1967. Moving across the region, the platoon of 45 paratroops slaughtered unarmed farmers and their wives and children. They tortured and mutilated victims. A litany of horror has emerged - a baby decapitated for the necklace he wore, a teenage boy for his tennis shoes. A former Tiger Force sergeant, William Doyle, told reporters of a scalp he took off a young nurse to decorate his rifle. The Blade investigation concluded that hundreds probably died. 'We weren't keeping count,' Ken Kerney, a former soldier who is now a California firefighter, told the paper. 'I knew it was wrong, but it was an acceptable practice.' Another, Rion Causey, then a 19-year-old medic and now a nuclear physicist, talked of how villagers were routinely shot: 'If they ran we shot them, and if they didn't run we shot them anyway

..........

Bill Carpenter, a former special infantryman with Tiger Force, believes the self-styled death squad's former commander, Lt James Hawkins, should be held accountable. He 'thoroughly enjoyed killing' and, now retired to Florida, still defiantly defends his platoon's wartime activities. 'I don't regret nothing,' Hawkins has said

Someone needs to shoot this son of a bitch.

2003-10-24T16:13:00.000-05:00

The Diebold Memos' Smoking Gun
Volusia County Memos Disclose Election 2000 Vote Fraud

The Diebold Memos' Smoking Gun
Volusia County Memos Disclose Election 2000 Vote Fraud

Even more evidence of massive florida voter fraud and evidence the GOP Bush backers running DIEBOLD are actively aiding the GOP steal elections. And its going ot get worse.

Bush claiming Iraq has ties to Al Qaeda :
The regime has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East. It has a deep hatred of America and our friends. And it has aided, trained and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda

Claiming Iraq has WMD:
In the case of Iraq, the Security Council did act, in the early 1990s. Under Resolutions 678 and 687 -- both still in effect -- the United States and our allies are authorized to use force in ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction. This is not a question of authority, it is a question of will

Claiming Iraq is an imminent threat :

With these capabilities, Saddam Hussein and his terrorist allies could choose the moment of deadly conflict when they are strongest. We choose to meet that threat now, where it arises, before it can appear suddenly in our skies and cities.

Claiming Iraq is an imminent threat and that Saddam supports terrorists :

Terrorists and terror states do not reveal these threats with fair notice, in formal declarations -- and responding to such enemies only after they have struck first is not self-defense, it is suicide. The security of the world requires disarming Saddam Hussein now.

2003-10-24T13:38:00.000-05:00

Bush Appeals Court Choice Under Fire
The California justice is challenged for remarks on the New Deal and Bill of Rights' rea

California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown, President Bush's nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia, ran into skeptical questioning Wednesday from Senate Democrats for speeches in which she referred to the New Deal era as "the triumph of our socialist revolution" and disputed whether the Bill of Rights applied to the states.

Thats just too mindboggling for words.

Too Low a Bar
By PAUL KRUGMAN

Bear in mind that the payroll employment figure right now is down 2.6 million compared with what it was when George W. Bush took office. So Mr. Snow is predicting that his boss will be the first occupant of the White House since Herbert Hoover to end a term with fewer jobs available than when he started. This is what he calls success?

2003-10-19T13:21:00.000-05:00

Documentation of Bushco LIES trying to link Saddam to Al Qaeda

Documentation of Bushco LIES claiming Iraq had WMD

You may note the right and Bushco are trying to claim they never said any of this.
At the same time you may note that Cheney is still claiming the lies are true. Even as Bush says he never said it and that its not true. Doublethink is a wonderful thing.

2003-10-19T13:13:00.000-05:00

Tax Break for Gas Drilling May Be Restored

aka : Feeding hungry kids is wrong... Corporate welfare is just dandy though.

2003-10-19T12:46:00.000-05:00

Sen Robert Byrd :

In 1837, Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen, wrote a wonderful fairy tale which he titled The Emperor's New Clothes. It may be the very first example of the power of political correctness. It is the story of the Ruler of a distant land who was so enamored of his appearance and his clothing that he had a different suit for every hour of the day.

One day two rogues arrived in town, claiming to be gifted weavers. They convinced the Emperor that they could weave the most wonderful cloth, which had a magical property. The clothes were only visible to those who were completely pure in heart and spirit

2003-10-19T11:11:00.000-05:00

Experts Downplay Bioagent
The vial of bacteria found in Iraq probably was bought legally and its type has never been turned into a weapon, scientists say.

2003-10-19T11:09:00.000-05:00

Plans for the Queen and George W Bush to make a triumphant procession along the Mall during the president's state visit next month have been abandoned because of fears of anti-war protests.

......

No palace parade for Bush as Blair gets cold feet
By Tim Walker
(Filed: 19/10/2003)

Plans for the Queen and George W Bush to make a triumphant procession along the Mall during the president's state visit next month have been abandoned because of fears of anti-war protests.

The decision, taken by Downing Street after consultations with Buckingham Palace, the White House and Scotland Yard, has disappointed the president and his senior aides.

The procession is traditionally the public high point of a state visit. A senior Palace official said yesterday that detailed plans had been made. "But Downing Street, anxious about possible anti-war protests from the start, has now decided to pull the plug on it," said the official.

"We are liaising with the White House and they have made no attempt to hide their disappointment. They saw it, obviously, as a great photo opportunity."

President Bush's trip is the first full state visit of an American president since the Queen came to the throne 52 years ago. He will travel by helicopter to avoid protesters who line road routes. Other proposed events have also been curtailed or cancelled, and he will not address Parliament because of fears of a boycott by MPs.

With anti-war campaigners, including militant Muslims, determined to make a protest during the visit, Downing Street has decided to stage photo events that they can control. The President and the Queen are expected to be photographed together during tea at Buckingham Palace and inspecting the guard.

2003-10-18T09:57:00.000-05:00

I removed Instapundit because.. well.. he's not particularly bright.

2003-10-18T07:30:00.000-05:00

Paul Krugman

What we have here is a form of looting." So says George Akerlof, a Nobel laureate in economics, of the Bush administration's budget policies — and he's right. With startling speed, we've blown right through the usual concerns about budget deficits — about their effects on interest rates and economic growth — and into a range where the very solvency of the federal government is at stake. Almost every expert not on the administration's payroll now sees budget deficits equal to about a quarter of government spending for the next decade, and getting worse after that.

.....

George W. Bush is like a man who tells you that he's bought you a fancy new TV set for Christmas, but neglects to tell you that he charged it to your credit card, and that while he was at it he also used the card to buy some stuff for himself. Eventually, the bill will come due — and it will be your problem, not his

2003-10-18T07:22:00.000-05:00

Sick, wounded U.S. troops held in squalor (UPI)

2003-10-17T08:15:00.000-05:00

From Black Box Recorder

Bush told his senior aides Tuesday that he "didn't want to see any stories" quoting unnamed administration officials in the media anymore, and that if he did, there would be consequences, said a senior administration official who asked that his name not be used.

And BBR on the rights defense of astronomic CEO salaries while cutting worker pay :

Following this logic, capitalism means installing companies with the BEST management, and the WORST labor. And by BEST we mean best-paid, hence, RICH. And by WORST we mean least-paid, and hence, POOREST. In other words, capitalism, in the words of its own advocates, is about impoverishing the working class, and enriching the upper class. Think prison labor, think perpetually impoverished and brutalized third-world labor. Think waving good-bye to the middle class. And say hello to neo-feudalism.

Its' really too bad very very Very few of the right even understand what Capitalism actually is. (And by that i mean the technical definition)

2003-10-17T07:51:00.000-05:00

"It's all 9/11s' fault!" is the new screed from the right to defend Bush's incompetant handling (or perhaps i should say competant destruction) of the US Economy. The theory seems to be that 9/11 damaged our economy so deeply that we are still suffering economically because it. Of course.. it all make sense now. Our Half a Trillion dollar deficit, massive corruption of our financial institutions, huge tax cuts to the only group who wont use it to help the economy and Bushco's seeming total lack of a real economic plan.. those have nothing to do with it. Its the terrarists i tell ya! We gotta fight the Terra!

2003-10-17T07:15:00.000-05:00

You know, people often ask if there's a God. Apparently there is a God, and He has a gambling debt to George Steinbrenner
(The Hamster)

I spit my coffee all over the place when i read that. Scroll down from there to see the hamster dissect REAMS of Coulter lies. Parsing Coulter is similar to monitoring Limbaugh. It requires large amounts of pepto bismol to fight the nausea and a fast pen to document the lies. By the way i just called Coulter and Limbaugh LIARS. If its not true thats Libel (or slander i forget which is which). I'd really.. really..really.. like to be sued. Pretty please?

2003-10-17T07:13:00.000-05:00

The country's leading editorial pages are ignoring the Plame scandal

(TAPPED)
If you've been feeling that the Bush administration may be skating free of having to wrestle with the Valerie Plame controversy and are wondering why this is happening, let me submit one possible explanation: The major media are putting no pressure whatsoever on the administration, or the president, to do anything

2003-10-17T07:12:00.000-05:00

Students, Nuns and Sailor-Mongers, Beware
Atty. Gen. Ashcroft is pulling out all the stops to prosecute protesters
(La Times)

Ashcroft has pulled out an obscure century old law against "sailor mongering" to attack GreenPeace for daring to protest against illegal logging.

2003-10-17T07:06:00.000-05:00

That evil Liberal rag, Stars and Stripes :
"Many servicemembers say morale is low; leaders say job is getting done"

2003-10-17T07:02:00.000-05:00

Looting the Economy: Bushs' economic policies

(Paul Krugman - NY Times)
What we have here is a form of looting." So says George Akerlof, a Nobel laureate in economics, of the Bush administration's budget policies — and he's right. With startling speed, we've blown right through the usual concerns about budget deficits — about their effects on interest rates and economic growth — and into a range where the very solvency of the federal government is at stake. Almost every expert not on the administration's payroll now sees budget deficits equal to about a quarter of government spending for the next decade, and getting worse after that

2003-10-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

Paul Krugman in the Texas Observer :
“It’s America. Really bad things don’t happen here. You don’t really have drastic radical movements taking over the country.” It’s been apparent to me for some time we’re really talking about some radical anti-American people who are now running Congress and the administration. It isn’t even a case of there’s a conspiracy out there and you don’t see it. It’s out in the open, but you don’t want to see it because that’s not the way things are supposed to be. So when Tom DeLay says something really very extreme, liberals and moderates discount it and say, “He doesn’t really mean that. He doesn’t really intend to go through with what he’s talking about.”

2003-10-15T20:51:00.000-05:00

Why is the Bush Administration fighting the 9/11 Investigation?

WASHINGTON - Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., Wednesday issued the following statement in response to the statement released by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States regarding its intention to subpoena the Federal Aviation Administration and perhaps other agencies.

“The message from the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States is clear: This Administration is standing in the way of a thorough and searching inquiry into the worst attack upon our nation in its 227 year history.

“It’s time for the Administration to be held accountable for its promises of support. The American public and the families of the September 11th victims have waited a long time for answers. President Bush must now show his leadership and demand that all relevant agencies cooperate with this essential inquiry.

2003-10-15T14:30:00.000-05:00

Maxspeak is calmly and rationally pointing out yet another area Bushco is nailing the so called 'conservatives' claims to love less regulation.

May i mention here that he supports the Assault weapons ban, hired a felon to come up with the very Big Brother Total Information Awareness program, gutted the bill of rights with the patriot act, is holding both American and foreign citizens in a military base in cuba without trial, access to counsel, or any of the other rights the SC used to claim were universal rights, has run up a 500 billion a year deficit, has us involved in occupations in Two nations with no exit strategy, apparently has a Traitor in his cabinet (and is protecting him), has close ties to and recieved funds from Ken lay.. and lies every time he opens his mouth?

Sure sounds like "conservative ideology" to me eh?

By the way the next target is Syria. People are hinting Iran and Cuba but i have psychic powers. Shhhhh dont tell anyone.

2003-10-15T13:29:00.000-05:00

Brad Delong : "Yet another science experiment that would never have been undertaken if the scientists involved had watched a normal number of late-night movies"

(im dyin over here!)

2003-10-15T11:52:00.000-05:00

This is something Every leftist and conservative in america should read. I have many conservative friends whom i respect and like and disagree with. This says openly what they and i have said in private a thousand times
"consider:

Can you, as a defender of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, support the Patriot Act, and the fact that under its provisions, at least three of your fellow citizens are today incarcerated without charge, without access to counsel, with no prospect of a trial and release – all this in violation of the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth articles of the Bill of Rights?

Can you support an Administration that assumed power through election fraud, the disfranchisement of thousands of our fellow citizens, the violent disruption of official vote counting, and an arbitrary and incoherent ruling by five partisan judges?

Can you, as an opponent of “foreign entanglements” support a war of aggression, launched under demonstrably false pretenses, and provoking a world-wide hostility toward the United States administration?

Can you, as a conservative, sanction a federal deficit this year of half a trillion dollars and several trillion dollars over the next several years, causing an unbearable financial burden upon the generations that follow?

If conservatives believe in limited government, then can you, as a conservative, accept without protest, government surveillance of your book purchases and your e-mail? ...."

2003-10-15T11:39:00.000-05:00

Apparently only Republican Senators are allowed to tour Iraq.

"On returning from a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan, a group of Senate Republicans said yesterday that the Bush administration deserves a lot more credit for successful reconstruction efforts in those war-torn nations.

Meanwhile, several Senate Democrats complained that they were denied access to a plane for a inspection tour of their own"

I wonder when the Military became an arm of the Republican party?

2003-10-15T09:39:00.000-05:00

Uggabugga has the best documentation of BUSH LYING ive seen yet.. with documentation.

A brilliant plan to save the human race

2003-10-15T09:27:00.000-05:00

From Tapped:

(O'Reilly) "The far left has a jihad against Fox News Channel, and I'm pretty much the standard-bearer," O'Reilly said. "They don't like the fact that I'm powerful and that I speak my mind."

(tapped)
Well, if by "speak my mind," O'Reilly means "run away like a sissy when the questions get tough," then yes, he does speak his mind. Maybe it's time for O'Reilly to retire the tough-guy act.

I think i just gave myself a concussion i was laughing so hard.

2003-10-15T05:10:00.000-05:00

The Future of Citizenship

Currently citizenship is geocentric. You are born, or live somewhere for a certain length of time and are then granted the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in that place. One of those rights being the right to hold a job in that location. But that may not be true for very long.

One of Americas biggest problems, from the point of view of the lower and middle classes, is illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants allow businesses to hire people at a radically lower wage scale, and even threaten to have them deported if they object. It is sortof a reverse serfdom. Opponents of illegal immigration also cite the burden on social and civic systems, though a rational analysis shows that illegal immigrants actually put much more into the system than they get out. Its hard to claim social security, unemployment or welfare benefits when doing so would get you deported. Even if you did pay into these systems.

The solution to this problem might actually be exactly the opposite of what one expects. A shocking one in fact. That is allowing anyone to work anywhere.. without regard to citizenship. Though counterintuitive, the advantages of this system are actually many. First it is no longer necessary to spend huge sums of money arresting and transporting illegal immigrants. There is simply no reason for them to attempt to settle here in the numbers they do. They can, in border states, keep their homes in their native countries and simpy commute to the US. In fact saving themselves a lot of money. Employers can no longer use them as a form of serf-slave labor, because they can, and most likely will, report those attempting to break labor laws to the authorities. As for taking jobs.. illegal immigrants would in fact take fewer jobs as it became harder and harder for employers to force incredibly low wages on them. Americans could compete evenly, and for a fairer wage.

In addition there would likely be some huge political benefits. The US would be much more interested in improving the Mexican economy and allowing mexicans control of their own government once it is in our economic interest to do so (Note: the US has interfered with the mexican political system covertly and overtly for over a hundred years). Racism would likely subside as the worst problems of immigration went away. And the standard of living in mexico would rise. Which in and of itself helps America and americans in the long run.

But what stops this from happening? First is the very fact its so counterintuitive. People will expect waves of commuting workers to flood america. The argument shooting this down is that we already have that. Secondly racism. A certain amount of those so strongly critical of illegal immigration are indeed racists. And thirdly, while this would strongly benefit the lower and middle classes in america in time, it would have just the opposite effect on the upper class.. who arent as some wise people have noted.. even slightly opposed to illegal immigration. Cheap labor puts money in the pockets of the upper class and business owners. And getting rid of this cheap labor means they have to compete on the open market for labor.. and provide fair wages and working conditions.

Of course the last argument is probably the telling one in the US. But one can always hope that at least the argument gets a hearing.

2003-10-15T04:32:00.000-05:00

As Joe Conason notes in Salon the originator of the "Letters from home" was none other than Battalion commander Lt. Col. Dominic Caraccilo , who was also prominent in one of the reports of wmd discoveries that turned out to be false

For those who dont know, in the Army having your Battalion or Brigade commander suggest something might be a good idea is akin to the CEO of the company you work for suggest something. Of course your CEO cant have you digging trenches in antarctica for the next year. Which actually says a lot considering only a few letters were actually sent.. and one of those was a forgery.

Black Box Recorder on Palestein, Bush, the Neocons and whats Really going on in the middle east.

2003-10-15T04:18:00.000-05:00

Bush would only lose slightly against an unnamed democrat if the election were held today

From ABCNews:
Net result: If the 2004 presidential election were today, 46 percent of Americans say they would vote to re-elect Bush, while 47 percent would favor the Democratic candidate — the president's weakest showing to date in this so-called generic horse race. (It's 44 percent to 49 percent among registered voters). Bush's lead in this test is down from +13 in April, +8 in August and +5 last month

Whats strange about this (ok actually not strange at all.. more like...normal) is that the press is touting polls claiming "everything is OK and isnt His Divine Self Wonderful"

If you believe the liberal press myth i really REALLY have this GREAT business plan i think youd be interested in...

2003-10-15T04:09:00.000-05:00

Safire tries to revive Dean media myth (10/14)
By Bryan Keefer(Spinsanity)

In what has now become an all-too-common occurrence, a lazy press corps, combined with intellectually dishonest partisan pundits, have once again combined to invent a story about a presidential candidate. New York Times columnist William Safire took Democratic presidential candidate and former Vermont governor Howard Dean to task yesterday for supposedly attempting to deny a comment he made disparaging the killing of Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay. Safire and a number of other reporters are the ones who should be taken to task, however, for spinning another media myth.

2003-10-15T03:18:00.000-05:00

Ex-Aide: Powell Misled Americans

Greg Thielmann tells Correspondent Scott Pelley that at the time of Powell’s speech, Iraq didn’t pose an imminent threat to anyone – not even its own neighbors. “…I think my conclusion [about Powell’s speech] now is that it’s probably one of the low points in his long distinguished service to the nation,” says Thielmann.

Pelley’s report will be broadcast on 60 Minutes II, Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Thielmann also tells Pelley that he believes the decision to go to war was made first and then the intelligence was interpreted to fit that conclusion. “…The main problem was that the senior administration officials have what I call faith-based intelligence,” says Thielmann.

2003-10-13T13:34:00.000-05:00

Frank Rich has the best description of Post Coup American democracy

"that vision of a hermetically sealed simulation of democracy"

2003-10-13T13:25:00.000-05:00

Israel deploys nuclear arms in submarines (The London Observer)

Israeli and American officials have admitted collaborating to deploy US-supplied Harpoon cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads in Israel's fleet of Dolphin-class submarines, giving the Middle East's only nuclear power the ability to strike at any of its Arab neighbours.

Apparently its acceptable for the Bush administration to aid the proliferation of WMD's. Just not anyone else. The administration just turned the middle east from a tinderbox into a powderkeg. Before this if an enemy attacked Israel there was a risk of a middle east wide war. Now there is a risk of nuclear war. Good job Bushco.

2003-10-13T07:38:00.000-05:00

Ashcroft is using the "patrot act" to do exactly what the neofascists in office always planned .. to sidestep the Bill of Rights.
Two business owners, legal residents have apparently committed two of the most
hideous crimes the right knows of.. excercising the First Amendment and daring to be critical of Isreali's (increasingly genocidal) policies.

A gold miner came to an environmental awakening when his dog was nearly killed by the very chemicals his job poured into the environment daily.

Many in DC and the bigger cities.. which includes most big media, seem to think environmentalists are all liberals in california, new york and the upper class suburbs of america. They dont seem to understand that many of us who truely grew up in and around the woods simply arent willing to sacrifice nature to corporate greed.. or even our own greed. It's hard to argue with a DC based republican who's total involvement with nature consists of perhaps a visit to yosemite on a weeks vacation once or perhaps his interaction with his landscaper as he has his estate reworked. To those of us who have spent a lot of time wandering the woods, fishing, hiking, and even hunters and sportsmen nature is one of the things we love most about life. No square megalith building can compete with the site of morning dew on a jack in the pulpit in some far off valley. No maze of concrete pathways can compete with a trail built by deer or rabbit over years for beauty.

2003-10-13T07:31:00.000-05:00

From Bill Moyers and Common Dreams : Tom Delay wont allow congress to overturn the FCC's attempt to stop limits on media ownership

Now the most powerful Republican in Congress, Tom Delay, the House Majority Leader, won't let a vote happen. The effort to reverse the FCC is dead in the water, sinking the democratic process with it.

The effort to return the astoundingly corrupt media grab by the big media corporations was widely supported by both parties.

2003-10-12T10:28:00.000-05:00

Security Around U.S. Embassy Strains Relations With Berlin
By REUTERS (NY Times)

BERLIN, Oct. 11 (Reuters) — The tight security that has sealed off the American Embassy here from the rest of Berlin and brought a once bustling block in the heart of the German capital to a standstill has an eerie cold war feel to it.

To make this comparable.. imagine the German embassy in DC surrounded by barbed wire and (presumably) german military officers armed with machine guns cutting off traffic through Washingtons major arteries. Perhaps its time the worlds nations made an "embassy row" located out of the main traffic areas in their capitols where extremely high security wouldnt be a hardship.

2003-10-12T10:24:00.000-05:00

Is America building its very own Palestine?

An Anti-American Iraqi Cleric Declares His Own Government
By IAN FISHER (NY Times)

Published: October 12, 2003

AGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 11 — An anti-American cleric, whose forces clashed on Thursday with American soldiers and killed two of them, has proclaimed his own government in Iraq.

2003-10-12T10:22:00.000-05:00

Eric Margolis has an amazing analysis of not the effects.. but the cause of Turkey's desire to send troops to Iraq. Quite simply.. cash. Turkey has the second largest army in nato.. and one of the worst economies.

2003-10-12T10:14:00.000-05:00

Pat Robertson as usual practices his so called "christian values".

VIRGINIA BEACH, Oct. 11 -- The State Department has condemned an on-air suggestion by religious broadcaster Pat Robertson that the agency ought to be blown up with a nuclear device.

If a muslim said that he'd be spirited off to the Guantanamo Ghulag for life in the dead of night. And by the way Mister Robertson.. you might want to try actually reading that little book youve made so much money on. It has a lot to say about false prophets and those who harm.. rather than help.. the weakest among us.

2003-10-12T10:08:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post : Probe Focuses on Month Before Leak to Reporters
FBI Agents Tracing Linkage of Envoy to CIA Operative

Rice the wondergirl...isnt?

Rice has proved to be a poised and articulate defender of President Bush's policies. But her management of the National Security Council -- the principal coordinator and enforcer of presidential decision making -- has come under fire from former and current administration officials and a range of foreign policy experts.

From the start, the administration has been riven by ideological disputes on foreign policy. But both neoconservative hawks and mainstream Republican foreign-policy realists say many of the administration's foreign policy headaches are directly related to the interagency process Rice oversees.

A senior State Department official -- voicing an opinion that few in the government disputed -- said: "If you want a one-word description of the NSC since January 21, 2001: dysfunctional."

Whiskey Bar: Bug Juice

2003-10-08T17:30:00.000-05:00

A very thoughtful analysis of David Kay's report

Basically he says he found nothing, but that if he's given another $600 million he'll look harder.

Whiskey Bar: Bug Juice

2003-10-08T17:25:00.000-05:00

"RR, a PhD candidate in pathology and laboratory medicine, wrote in to explain...
Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria which produces botulinum toxin, is a normal soil bacterium. You've probably ingested large quantities of it yourself, if you've ever eaten vegetables straight out of a garden without washing them thoroughly, or if you've ever eaten unfiltered honey. Live C. botulinum is used in undergraduate microbiology labs as a teaching tool...the live bacteria are not dangerous, are ubiquitous in nature, and are ubiquitous in microbiology labs around the globe--even those not hell-bent on the destruction of American liberty & whatnot.
If Kay said that large quantities of purified botulinum toxin had been found, that would be significant. It's difficult to purify the toxin from the bacteria (which produce the toxin in exceedinly small amounts), and there's no good reason to have lots of it. (Although it would not mean much if only small amounts of purified botulinum toxin were found anywhere--small amounts of the toxin are injected by doctors into patients for the treatment of chronic pain and wrinkles--that's what BoTox is.)"

Whiskey Bar: Bug Juice

2003-10-08T17:24:00.000-05:00

Whiskey Bar: Bug Juice: "David Kay, the head of the U.S. team searching for banned weapons in Iraq, said Sunday that his inspectors had found a vial of botulinum toxin...
The only problem is, that's not what the ISG found. What they found was this:
One noteworthy example is a collection of reference strains that ought to have been declared to the UN. Among them was a vial of live C. botulinum Okra B. from which a biological agent can be produced."

Daily Kos: Political analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation

2003-10-08T17:21:00.000-05:00

From The Daily Kos: "Rice: Iraq never disarmed
Apparently, the administration's new 'defend the war' strategy is employing the administration's favorite tactic. The lie.

Condoleezza Rice told a foreign policy forum in Chicago that the team led by chief U.S. weapons hunter David Kay 'is finding proof that Iraq never disarmed and never complied with U.N. inspectors.'
In fact, she suggested, if the U.N. Security Council knew last winter what Kay's group has uncovered now, it never would have rejected the U.S. call for war [...]
'Right up until the end, Saddam lied to the Security Council. And let there be no mistake, right up to the end, Saddam Hussein continued to harbor ambitions to threaten the world with weapons of mass destruction and to hide his illegal weapons activity,' she told the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations.
So there they go again, just making shit up. Literally"

People For the American Way | News From The Right

2003-10-06T01:24:00.000-05:00

How to be an Embarassment to Real christians the world over: "This comes as no surprise. Pat Robertson made comments similar to Limbaugh's in July 2002, during an interview with Mason Weaver, author of The Rope, A New Perspective on Freedom and Success:

Mason Weaver: “His only job (Jesse Jackson) is to get the slaves enough government cheese to be healthy enough to get to the polls to vote for the master.”

Pat Robertson: “The ones I’ve seen always point to the honky that’s got the foot on their neck and don’t say its not the honky who’s breeding little babies out of wedlock and stuff like that.”"

White House to Overhaul Iraq and Afghan Missions

2003-10-06T00:36:00.000-05:00

Does this bring flashbacks or what?: "The new effort includes the creation of an 'Iraq Stabilization Group,' which will be run by the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice. The decision to create the new group, five months after Mr. Bush declared the end of active combat in Iraq, appears part of an effort to assert more direct White House control over how Washington coordinates its efforts to fight terrorism, develop political structures and encourage economic development in the two countries.
.......................................

'This puts accountability right into the White House,' a senior administration official said."

Johnson and his whiz kids took control from the pentagon and controlled the Viet nam war in minute detail from the white house.

FindLaw's Writ - Dean: Missing Weapons Of Mass Destruction

2003-10-05T16:04:00.000-05:00

FindLaw's Writ - Dean: Missing Weapons Of Mass Destruction: "'Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons.'
United Nations Address
September 12, 2002
'Iraq has stockpiled biological and chemical weapons, and is rebuilding the facilities used to make more of those weapons.'
'We have sources that tell us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons -- the very weapons the dictator tells us he does not have.'
Radio Address
October 5, 2002
'The Iraqi regime . . . possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons.'
'We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas.'
'We've also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We're concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVS for missions targeting the United States.'
'The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group he calls his 'nuclear mujahideen' - his nuclear holy warriors. Satellite photographs reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at sites that have been part of its nuclear program in the past. Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.'
Cincinnati, Ohio Speech
October 7, 2002
'Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent.'
State of the"

Chicago Tribune | Left waiting in Iraq

2003-10-05T15:41:00.000-05:00

Chicago Tribune | Left waiting in Iraq: "Morale among my son-in-law's unit, already low, has plummeted even further. When he was first deployed, he was apprehensive but willing, as he said, 'to serve my country.'

He no longer believes what he is doing is serving his country in any way.

'We just patrol and do guard duty,' he says. 'We're walking targets.'

These men feel that they are viewed by the Bush administration as expendable bodies.

'Bring 'em on,' says our president. Lie to them, mislead them--no big deal. One or two killed each day--no big deal."

MoveOn.org: Democracy in Action

2003-10-05T15:19:00.000-05:00

MoveOn.org: Democracy in Action: "Defend Democracy in Texas
Impeachment. The 2000 Election. The California Recall. The pattern is becoming clear: there's a group of men in power who will do anything to consolidate that power, including undermining our democratic institutions. We've got to fight back. In Texas, they are fighting back. And while the world is focusing on the California mess, they are fighting alone. They need our help.
A partisan plan pushed by Karl Rove and Tom Delay will redistrict up to 7 Democrats out of Congress. 11 Democratic State Senators hid across state lines -- with the Texas Governor calling for their arrest -- to prevent this illegitimate plan from being strong-armed into law. They put their reputations and careers on the line for all of us"

MoveOn.org: Democracy in Action

2003-10-05T15:18:00.000-05:00

MoveOn.org: Democracy in Action: "Tell Attorney General John Ashcroft to appoint a special prosecutor now. "

Daily Kos: Political analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation

2003-10-04T22:33:00.000-05:00

Daily Kos : Did Bob Novak expose More cia agents? "Bob Novak yesterday on CNN:
“Joe Wilson, the -- everybody knows he has given campaign contributions in 2000 to both Ford -- I mean to both Gore and to Bush. He gave twice as much to Gore, $2,000, $1,000 over the limit. The government -- the campaign had to give him back $1,000. That very day, according to his records, his wife, the CIA employee gave $1,000 to Gore, and she listed herself as an employee of Bruster, Jennings and Associates (ph).
There is there no such firm, I'm convinced. CIA people are not supposed to list themselves with fictitious firms if they're a deep cover. They're supposed to be real firms, or so I'm told. So it adds to the little mystery.”"

the Washington Post reports,

After the name of the company was broadcast yesterday, administration officials confirmed that it was a CIA front…

'Slime and Defend'

2003-10-03T09:50:00.000-05:00

Paul Krugman : 'Slime and Defend'
let's be clear: we already know what the president knew, and when he knew it. Mr. Bush knew, 11 weeks ago, that some of his senior aides had done something utterly inexcusable. But as long as the media were willing to let the story lie — which, with a few honorable exceptions, like David Corn at The Nation and Knut Royce and Timothy Phelps at Newsday, they were — he didn't think this outrage required any action.