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::fuzzy and blue --political musings by a proud Democrat::
::Author::  Name::Tina From::United States Married college graduate and parent who lives in the Mid West View my complete 
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Wednesday, May 31, 2006 FoxNews' Gibson is Pro-Massacre Idiot  The "Haditha/ American" flag appeared in the London Times for May 30, 06. John Gibson appears just in his natural state of Faux News idiocy. Here is his latest lunacy in regards to the Haditha massacre (hold nose please, via Fox): "Those people who oppose the war and want to make those who supported it pay w/ shame, embarrassment & a complete loss of credibility and reputation, want desperately for this massacre -if it turns out to be what happened- to be the name this war is known by forever. Haditha/ My Lai. Iraq/ Vietnam: it all fits together neatly in a slime fest designed to win elections and set the direction of the history books." Uh no asshat, this war will be known as your beloved Bush's biggest chosen blunder, a complete waste of America's resources, and 1 of the most indescribably clusterfucked conflicts known to Amer history. Gibson's lunacy continues: "The Iraq War may not be the best war we ever fought. When the dust settles we'll know for sure. But it accomplished a great goal that no one else had managed for the last 15 yrs at least: Ridding the world of Saddam. No matter what the political spinners say, that was a great thing." Oh, so by that logic dickhead, next we'll be invading Belarus to get rid of Lukachenko, Burma to get rid of the SLORC, Zimbabwe to get rid of Mugabe, Uzbekistan to get rid of Kiramov, Libya to get rid of Qaddafi, and Saudi Arabia to get rid of King Abdullah, right? Oh damn... the last 3 are our good allies. Hmm, allies just like Saddam was when Rummy presented him w/ hugs & kisses, and Reagan's gift of golden spurs? And another thing Gibson the assclown, you say this: "The Iraq War should be known for that fact: Saddam is gone, not for 1 incident of alleged revenge killing in a place called Haditha." Hmm, since you lying liars use that reason as the sudden justification for this chosen war, it seems to me that we have done just that. WE HAVE REMOVED Saddam from his position of power. GREAT. That then means WE'RE DONE! Mission accomplished! (again!) Now, let's get the fuck outta there before 1000s more of our troops are killed and/or maimed, and we kill/ maim/ massacre how many more 1000s of Iraqis? 
The new Iraqi ambassador to the US has accused US Marines of "intentionally" killing a cousin in the Iraqi town of Haditha last yr during an interview on CNN's Situation Room w/Wolf Blitzer, just hrs after the ambassador met Prez Bush (via ABCNews): "Amb. Samir al-Sumaidaie said his 21 yr old cousin was shot dead 5 mos before the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha. The ambassador told how Mohammed al-Sumaidaie, an engineering student, was killed after opening the door of the family house to US Marines on June 25: "I believe he was killed intentionally. I believe he was killed unnecessarily. The Marines were doing house-to-house searches, and they went into the house of my cousin. He opened the door for them. His mother, his siblings were there. He let them into the bedroom of his father, and there he was shot." The ambassador added that he was also suspicious about the deaths of 3 other youths in Haditha shortly after that of his cousin. "They were in a car, they were unarmed, I believe, and they were shot." Holy crap! So when exactly will the smear of this ambassador begin? Here's the CNN transcript: "BLITZER: But even months before the incident in Nov, you lost a cousin at Haditha in a separate battle involving Marines. SUMAIDAIE: Well, that was not a battle at all. Marines were doing house-to-house searches, and they went into the house of my cousin. He opened the door for them. B: Who shot him? S: A member of the Marines. B: Why did they shoot him? S: Well, they said that they shot him in self-defense. I find that hard to believe b/c he is not at all a violent -- I mean, I know the boy. He was in a 2nd-yr engineering course in the university. Nothing to do w/ violence. All his life has been studies and intellectual work. Totally unbelievable. And, in fact, they had no weapon in the house. They had one weapon which belonged to the school where his father was a headmaster. And it had no ammunition in it. And he led them into the room to show it to them." Sadly, here is the numb Iraqi rection to the Haditha killings: "People in Baghdad could spare little more than subdued expressions of sympathy after hearing reports of the killings." Sadder yet, I'm sure Gibson and his wingut ilk will say the new ambassador is just ungrateful for all of this "liberating" and ask why should we even care b/c sheesh, that engineering student would've just turned out to be a suicide bomber anyway, right? Dear God... I need to consider drinking heavily.
Here's a question that begs to be answered: If the Marines were NOT at fault for killing those innocent civilians in Haditha, why exactly did this happen?: "A month after the massacre, the military paid compensation for each person killed. Victim compensation requires approval from the "highest authority" and is not provided unless the military is at fault."
AssocPress: "A convicted lobbyist described Tues how he obtained insider infor and advice from Bush admin procurement chief David Safavian to advance 2 projects for Republican influence-peddlar Jack Abramoff, who then took the official on a lavish golf trip to Scotland.A partner of Abramoff's at the time, Neil Volz also outlined in US District Crt how the Abramoff team received assistance from several Republican congressmen or their aides including: Bob Ney of OH, Shelley Moore Capito of W VA, Don Young of AK and Steven LaTourette of OH." Hmm, guess we should expect their Congressional offices to be raided just like Rep Jefferson(D-LA)?
Disabled Vets: GOPers throw us to wolves  It's good to see that the GOP can always spew yet another bullshit lie about their love for the military (via FightingDems): Based on votes cast in 2005 on issues of concern to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), House & Senate GOPers, combined, have an average rating of 10% with many scoring zero, while Dem senators and reps score an average of 92%. The House Veterans Affairs committee: the 14 GOPers have an average DAV rating of 1.53% while the 13 committee Dems average 92.30%. In the Senate Veterans Affairs committee, GOP members have an average rating of 47% while their Dem colleagues average 92 %." Oh yeah... the GOP will send 'em off to dangerous places like war, but if they dare to come back mangled and in need of help, the disabled vets are given the GOP finger and told to piss off. Just visit Vets for Justice if ya doubt that the prevailing GOP belief is that disabled vets are bums, and that the VA benefits they earned are a form of welfare.
As Bush spewed his "the war is great and we need to honor our war dead by making sure more of 'em die"crapola, he told this WHOPPER of a lie that made my jaw drop open in disbelief: "In this place where valor sleeps, we are reminded why America has always gone to war reluctantly, because we know the costs of war." Can you believe this fucking guy? So you went to war relunctantly by trumping up and lying about about all pre-war evidence and intelligence? And as far as the costs of war... don't worry Bush, you and yours will never pay 1 cent for this war in money or blood. And as he spewed this latest lie, anti-American protesters were staging riots in Afghanistan after a US military convoy rammed into several civilian cars, 100s of troops (currently in Kuwait) have to be deployed at multiple hotspots in the Anbar Province due to uprisings, and 2 from a CBS News crew were killed in Iraq, making the total number of journalists killed since the start of the war in 2003 to 71. That figure that does not even include the more than 2 dozen members of news media support staff who have also died. That number is more than the 63 killed in Vietnam, the 17 killed in Korea, and even the 69 killed in WWII." Well, this would be the ONLY record the deserter Bush has ever broken during a time of war.
Paul Craig Roberts, the former Assist Sec of the Treasury in the Reagan Admin, knocks this op/ed outta the park (via AntiWar): "Is the Bush Regime a state sponsor of terrorism? Bush damns the "axis of evil." But who has the axis of evil attacked? Iran has attacked no one. N Korea has attacked no country for more than a half century. Iraq attacked Kuwait a decade and a half ago, apparently after securing permission from the US ambassador. Isn't the real axis of evil Bush- Blair- Olmert? Bush and Blair have attacked 2 countries, slaughtering their citizens. Olmert is urging them on to attack a 3rd country – Iran. The former terrible tyrant Saddam Hussein, is on trial for killing 150 people. The US govt murdered 500,000 Iraqi children prior to Bush's invasion. When the US govt murders people, whether Serbs, Branch Davidians at Waco, or Iraqi women and children, it is "collateral damage." But we put Saddam Hussein on trial for putting down rebellions. Gentle reader, do you believe that the Bush Regime will not shoot you down in the streets if you have a rebellion?" I see the writing on the wall, buddy. My eyes have been wide open since the yr 2000.
Oh yeh... I'm sooo sure these current asshats in the Pentagon can be trusted to use this wisely (via NYT): "The Pentagon plan calls for deploying a new nonnuclear warhead atop the submarine-launched Trident II missile that could be used to attack terrorist camps, enemy missile sites, suspected caches of biological, chemical or nuclear weapons and other potentially urgent threats." So we should just trust you guys w/ the capability to launch missiles against "suspected" sites? Just like those WMDs in Iraq were a sure thing, eh?
Ever wonder if the Religious Fright is a hate group that encourages death & destruction in the name of theocracy? If so, you're correct, and then read this... YIKES... killing infidels for Jesus.
Happy Memorial Day  I think that Memorial Day is a rather somber holiday, and this yr is certainly no exception.. Hubby, BabyGirl & I have had an incredibly BUSY weekend thus far (Kommandos project, graduation parties, yardwork & gardening) and today will be busy visiting friends. But I will also take some time to reflect upon those who have served our nation (which includes many in my family), those who have lost their lives while serving our country, and this clusterfuck we call the Iraq War and what kinds of sacrifices have been made and have yet to be made for it. I know all of you have good hearts and will do the same. So, that said, let's reflect upon some harsh facts, shall we? (via Iraq Coalition Casualties): US Deaths Confirmed By The DoD in Iraq: 2464. Also at that link are some gruesome headlines that truly drive the somber point home with a very sharp stick: 1) Five US troops killed in Iraq, 2 missing. 2) Three severed heads hurled from car in Baquba. 3) An Iraqi groom celebrating on the dance floor was dragged off and later found beheaded in a field (along w/ his beheaded father, uncle, and cousin). What in God's name have we done? What horrors have we tossed on our own soldiers and the Iraqi people? I really do want to have a nice holiday w/ friends and family, but how can we truly enjoy this Memorial Day and not think of what kind of hell on earth has been unleashed in our names and on our taxpaying dime? I hope that Bush and his evil cabal of warmongers choke at their cookout today. They should be made to wash down their barbequed food w/a heaping glass of blood and a chaser of oil on the side.
Mr. "What 4th Amendment?" Hayden is Leading the Stasi... ooops... the CIA Now  Well, the Dems did it. They rolled over, which is pretty easy when you have no spine, and let Chicken Little's look-alike become the head honcho at the CIA. Thanks. Dems couldn't even stand up and fight against the very guy who took a giant whiz on the 4th Amendment and actually said that probable cause does not have to exist in search and seizure AND who happily lead the NSA into illegally spying on Americans. Oh, yeah... and the next time you Dems call my house, like you just did Fri evening, this time from the DCCC, please remember what I told you on the phone tonight: "The Dems bent all of us over with Alito. Now they did it again with Gen Hayden. Why should I give money to the people who bend me over & stick it to me with sand on the end of it? What would my money goes towards? A lube fund so it doesn't hurt so much next time?" Stunned silence was all I heard, followed by a few nervous coughs, and then: "We'll try you back in a few months, okay Mrs Fuzzy & Blue?" To which I said: "Why? Am I going to suddenly begin to like anal rape?" He hung up.
Old Priest's Dying Wish: An old priest lay dying in the hospital. For yrs he had faithfully served the people of the nation's capital. He motioned for one of his aides to come near. "Yes father," said the aide. "I would really like to see George Bush & Dick Cheney before I die," whispered the priest. "I'll see what I can do father," replied the aide. The aide sent the request to the White House and waited for a response. Soon the word arrived. Bush and Cheney would be delighted to visit the priest. As they went to the hospital, Cheney commented to Bush,"I don't know why the old priest wants to see us, but it will certainly help our images." Bush couldn't help but agree, and hoped for a jump at the polls. When they arrived at the priest's room, the priest took Bush's hand in his right hand and Cheney's hand in his left. There was silence and a look of serenity on the old priest's face. Finally Bush spoke, "Father, of all the people you could have chosen, why did you choose us to be with you as you near the end?" The old priest slowly replied "I have always tried to pattern my life after our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." "Amen," said Bush. "Amen," said Cheney. The old priest continued..."He died between two thieves. I would like to do the same."
Kommandos... let's get ready to rumble  Here's 2 of my 40 lil green men for the Kommandos Project. The front of my label reads: Iraq = Death. Debt. Deceit. Bring them Home NOW! And the back of my label reads Against the War- Not the Warrior. Plus site address info to educate people who come across them. BabyGirl, Hubby and I have plenty of errands to run Friday evening, plus my best friend is going to take some of the lil green guys and distribute them, too. So this entire holiday weekend, our mission is: Inundate and invade N.E. Ohio.
BFD. Bush actually admitted "some misteps" next to his lap bitch Blair. Here's my question: These were the only things you regret??? He's had how many yrs to think what his biggest mistakes were and all he came up w/was a few times when he shoved his foot in his mouth? How about starting the fucking warand lying to the American people? How about outing a covert CIA operative to cover for your lies? (read this about Plame/ Rove/ Novak/ Ashcroft-- it is killer, and this about Libby's testimony/ Cheney) How about not letting the weapons inspectors finish the job? How about not trying diplomacy first before killing/ maiming 10s of 1000s of people? How about eroding our rights to fight this bullshit war? (read Top 10 Signs of US Police State) How about stealing our elections? (read BushCo lays groundwork for elections) How about bankrupting our kids/ grand kids' futures? How about pissing on our Constitution almost daily? (read this about prosecuting jrnalists) How about staying on vacation while an entire city drowned? How about being the. worst. president. ever? How about being born, you lying, vile, soulless prick?
And Bush though he had problems? (via Independent UK): "MP George Galloway has said it would be morally justified for a suicide bomber to murder Tony Blair: "It would be entirely logical and explicable. And morally equivalent to ordering the deaths of 1000s of innocent people in Iraq - as Blair did." Well Blair, ya just may want to beef up the old security gig b/c this (also via Independent UK) smells like a play from Bush's how to play dirty handbook: "The Att Gen's office was ordered to disclose info leading to his advice on the legality of invading Iraq in '03. Info Commissioner Richard Thomas upheld requests for an explanation of Lord Goldsmith's statement to Parliament on 3/17/03. So, he's ordered to release the stuff, but he decides he'll release what he wants to: "The Att Gen, Lord Goldsmith, breached his Govt's own freedom of info laws by refusing to make public how he came to the controversial conclusion that war with Iraq would be legal." After reading that article it doesn't appear that the Brit media will just roll over and play dead like our corporate whores do. So, was Bush just trying to soften us up w/ his "kinder, gentler" warmonger schtick before the "Iraq war is illegal" Brit cat might be let out of the bag?
Skilling and Lay were found guilty of orchestrating the fraud that destroyed Enron Corp. Lay was convicted of all 6 counts of conspiracy/ fraud & faces a max of 45 yrs in prison. Skilling was found guilty of 19 counts of conspiracy, fraud, insider trading & making false statements which, combined, carry a max sentence of 185 yrs. Good. But I have to wonder if Bush feels bad for his good friends, despite spewing a bunch of Enron lies to distance himself from them. Lay, who gave $651,760 to Repukes, and Skilling, who gave $162,750 to Repukes. Eh, maybe he'll just miss the amount these cash cows gave to his coffers. This from the NYTs sums up their crimes nicely: "Lay testified that the Enron collapse was largely caused by short sellers, critical articles in The Wall St Jrnl, and a resulting panic in the marketplace. That argument is a bit like blaming a match for igniting a basement filled with gasoline." Who knows if these 2 will ever see the inside of a prison cell, let alone if they will ever truly repay their debt to society, but I hope that they do learn this lesson if they go to prison: Being violated is devastating, painful, and crushes the soul.
1st, peruse this new info from The Progress Report on the FDA officials "overruling their own scientists' decision about non-Rx sales of Plan B. 2nd, I want you to meet TX teen Shelby Knox. Despite her conservative Baptist upbringing and her own virginity pledges to her parents & God, Knox looked around her heavily promoted abstinence-only high school and noticed a helluva lot of pregnant girls, and rightly asked some serious questions. So, Knox decided to do something about it and has made a movie. "The Education of Shelby Knox is a coming of age story about a teenage girl who joins a campaign for comprehensive sex ed in the high schools of Lubbock, TX. As she is swept into the fight, she begins to question her deeply conservative and Baptist upbringing; and when the campaign broadens to include a fight for a gay-straight alliance, Shelby confronts her family and her pastor, in the end declaring herself a feminist and a liberal Christian." Good for you Shelby, and it is amazing that a TX teen can figure out how that religious/ political concerns, rather than scientific or health concerns drive the decisions of so many, yet such a large percentage of adult Americans are duped into drinking from the overflowing sheeple Kool-Aid trough.
Dennis Hastert: #1 recipient of Abramoff Money  Apparently, Hastert may want to sing "If I only had a shredder" instead. Despite being the number 1 recipient of Abramoff money, and despite Hastert saying the story is "absolutely untrue" and demanding ABC retract its story, ABC is standing by their Hastert/ Abramoff story and backing it up w/ this: "Law enforcement sources told ABC that convicted lobbyist Abramoff has provided info to the FBI about Hastert that has broadened the scope of the investigation. "You guys wrote the story very carefully but they are not reading it very carefully," a sr official said. Imagine all that will ya? A politician who is incapable of reading something carefully. And the very story in question? It is this (via ABC): "Fedrl officials say the Congressional bribery investigation now includes Dennis Hastert, based on info from convicted lobbyists who are now cooperating w/ the govt. Part of the investigation involves a letter Hastert wrote 3 yrs ago, urging the Sec of the Interior to block a casino on an Indian reservation that would have competed w/ other tribes. The other tribes were represented by Abramoff. The letter was written shortly after a fund-raiser for Hastert at a restaurant owned by Abramoff. Abramoff and his clients contributed more than $26,000 at the time." Of course, Denny denies any wrongdoing. But maybe we know why he is so up in arms over the FBI raid on Jefferson's office and why Hastert is demanding that the FBI return the documents taken in the raid, no?
Oooh... this might be good news (via CNN): "VP Cheney could be called to testify in the perjury case against his former chief of staff, a special prosecutor Fitzgerald said in a court filing Weds. Fitz suggested Cheney would be a logical govt witness b/c he could authenticate notes he jotted on a July 6/03, NYTs opinion piece by Joe Wilson. Fitz said Cheney's "state of mind" is "directly relevant" to whether Scooter Libby lied to the FBI & the grand jury about outing Valerie Plame." Then again... it could be a sign of bad news to come b/c if Fitz is calling Cheney to testify, it could mean he's given up on indicting Cheney. And WTF good will it do if Cheney testifies anyway? That immoral son of a bitch will probably refuse to even show up on the claims that "this is natl security. It is classified. So there!", OR the pompous ass will just take the 5th and we'll learn nothing, OR the dumb bastard will see this as just another perfect opportunity to take a public nap.
 Here is BabyGirl on the family rm couch, watching SpongeBob w/ her "tiny" kitty. UPDATE: Hubby and I took BabyGirl to see her eye surgeon/ ophthlamologist Weds afternoon. Good news: Her eye muscles appear to be healing nicely, and in fact, she now needs a brand new Rx for her glasses... at half of the strength that they were before. Bad news: Our insurance will NOT be covering this new Rx at all. Even though her medical surgery has caused her to need new glasses, their reason is this: We only pay for 1 pair of new lenses/ frames once per calendar yr. She is not eligible for new lenses/ frames until Sept. No exceptions. We somewhat expected this given that they tried in vain to say that her eye surgery might be considered "cosmetic", despite the fact that if she didn't get the surgery, she would eventually go blind. But then some good news came about while discussing this w/ BabyGirl's doc: He is a vociferous liberal. We were discussing insurance and he said is 100% pro-universal healthcare. In addition to hating wedge issues and theocrats, he said he is tired of having insurance companies strongarm him into accepting their payments of pennies on the dollar, is tired of watching working class people who desperately need care slipping thru the cracks, and he brought up the story I posted yesterday about the "unlimited immigrant nurses" to say this: "How about we have unlimited educational opportunities for our own children so that there won't be a nursing shortage?" Give 'em hell Doc... and thanks for taking good care of our precious princess.
OMFG. DeLay simply CAN'T be this stupid... can he?? Then again, who in the hell knew Frist the Cat Killer was still this ghoulish?
MarineTimes: Marine Corps Commandant Gen Michael Hagee confirmed Weds what Rep John Murtha said last wk: "While not revealing who will be charged, or the severity of the charges, Hagee said 2 investigations show mistakes were made that will result in courts-martial of a dozen Marines for the Nov 19/05 incident in Haditha that left 24 Iraqi civilians dead. At least 7 of the victims were women and 3 were children, and 5 of the victims -all unarmed- were shot in a car with no warning." This entire awful incident is sickening. It is beyond horrifying for the loved ones of the victims and the Iraqi nation, but it is sickening for us and our troops. What kind of monsters have we made, and what kind of monsters make this war what it has become? Seriously: WTF have we Americans done? And what has been done in our names to the Iraqi people? I'm tired of paying for this bloodletting. I'm tired of asking our troops to become monsters. I'm tired of feeling ashamed of this nation that I love so much. I want America back.
Swiftboating Al Gore: B/c he tells the truth about Global Warming  Ever wonder how destroying the very thing that sustains all life forms is pro-life? Guess we shouldn't pose that question to the Kool-Aid drinkers at BushCo's personal propaganda mouthpiece Fox News (via Think Progress): "Sterling Burnett is a sr fellow at the Natl Center for Policy Analysis, an org that has received over $390,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998. Tues afternoon on Fox, Burnett compared watching Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth, to watching a movie by Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels to learn about Nazi Germany." And how 'bout this smear of Gore, also on Fox and also (via Think Progress): "This weekend on Fox News, host David Asman asked his guests to discuss the following question: "If people buy into Al Gore’s global warming hysteria, will it put him in the WH and our economy on the skids?" Steve Forbes answered yes- it will put our economy on ice, and called Gore’s new movie "a real recipe for more socialist regulation." Oh yeh. Demanding that corporations not destroy our planet is so socialist, no? Well, since our own prez said he doubts he'll see Gore's movie and then Bush added that we need to "set aside whether or not greenhouse gases have been caused by mankind or b/c of natural effects," I'm sure we're all gonna need to purchase some of that canned air President Skroob breathed in when he was oxygen deprived in the movie Spaceballs.
Sadly, this is now a familiar tale of the long arm of the Stasi policing themselves w/ that brushoff of : You can't investigate our plethora of questionable activities. No can do. It's classified. Just as the Justice Dept was thwarted investigating the NSA's domestic spying program because the NSA wouldn't provide security clearance to investigate, we now have this same spew from the FCC: The Fedrl Communications Commission will not pursue complaints about the NSA's access to millions of telephone records because it cannot obtain classified material. "The classified nature of the NSA's activities makes us unable to investigate the alleged violations," FCC Chrmn Kevin Martin said. So despite the citizen lawsuits, Dem Rep Edward Markey of MA, and the lone Dem on the FCC, Commissioner Michael Copps, all demanding that the FCC investigate, the minions of Il Duce Bush squelch it asap. Who is this Martin guy? Why he would be none other than the Repuke chair of the FCC, and a former Bush-Cheney campaign lawyer. of course.
This fucking GOP moron is not only the Spker of the House, but he is also the 2nd person in the succession line behind VP Cheney to be prez if Bush's chimpyness were to cease to exist. Here's Hastert's idiocy (via Capitol Times): "During debate on the House budget proposal, Hastert, who famously proposed bulldozing NOLA after Katrina hit, announced that working families should not be looking for any tax breaks. Why? B/c Hastert does not think that working families pay taxes: "Well, folks, if you earn $40K per yr and have a family of 2, you don't pay any taxes. So if you don't pay any taxes, you are not going to get a big tax cut. Now, if you earn $1 mill a yr, you are going to pay about $400K of taxes. Maybe you'll get a $40K tax cut." Just to clarify, working families pay: 1) Fedrl income taxes, 2) State income taxes, 3) Local income taxes, 4) Soc Sec taxes, 5) Sales taxes, 6) Gasoline taxes and most of the other taxes that rich people pay. While some very poor families got a bit of tax relief during the Clinton yrs, working families of the sort Hastert was talking about still pay more than their fair share. The people who do not pay their fair share are those very rich folks to whom Hastert wants to give another tax break. Maybe Hastert the Moron should try reading this from CSM: "Why the rich get the most tax goodies."
Speaking of that moron Dennis Hastert, he suddenly-- like fellow Repuke John Boehner-- is up in arms over BushCo disregard for the Constitution. NO, it is not over the NSA, or torture, or lying to launch the Iraq war, or threatening to prosecute journalists who report on the govt's evil deeds. It is over the FBI raid of Rep Jefferson's office, of course. Why should they care if a Dem had his office raided by the FBI? B/c they are really afraid that their offices could be raided, too. My fav parts of their quotes? This hypocrisy just cracked me up: Boehner: "The Justice Dept employees take the same oath that I did, so somebody better start reading the Constitution down there." and Hastert: "It would appear that the Att Gen himself was aware that Separation of Powers concerns existed b/c in seeking the warrant the FBI suggested to the judge procedures it would follow to deal with Constitutionally protected materials." Suddenly the Constitution counts for something? How sanctimonious!
Ah yes. This must be YET another example of one of those damned jobs Americans just won't do, huh? (via NYTs): "Sponsored by Sen Sam Brownback (R-KS) a little-noticed provision in their immigration bill would throw open the gate to nurses and, some fear, drain them from the world's developing countries." Ah yes... but guess what else it would do? It will allow the hospitals- who don't want to pay nurses more- or pay what the nurses' union demands, to find it cheaper to import immigrant nurses who will work for less. We can't get universal healthcare, but the GOP makes sure that the critical healthcare giver-- the nurse-- is insourced into oblivion at our expense & the healthcare system of the immigrant nurses' homeland.
Of course my fellow Catholics prefer to keep company w/ these ghouls rather than do the right thing and be an actual Christian (via NYTs): "4wks ago, 50 prominent conservative Christian and Jewish leaders, incl evangelicals and Catholic cardinals/ archbishops, signed a petition backing the amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage. Those leaders also promised to distribute postcards to their congregants to urge support of the amendment. The Kof C alone is distributing 10 million postcards to Catholic churches." But, it is news like this (via NYTs) that offers a ray of hope that not all clergy and lay people are theocrats & wingnuts: "An interfaith coalition of lay/ clergy members, Clergy for Fairness, said at a news conference that more than 1600 clergy members had signed an online petition aimed at blocking a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. The Protestant, Jewish, Sikh, and Unitarian clergy members said that although the groups opposing the amendment were not of one mind on homosexuality or same-sex marriage, passage of the amendment would give deference to a single pt of view and would make the Constitution an instrument of discrimination against a class of citizens." While I am shocked that any religious leader would not feel the exact same way, I must say that I'm especially startled that any Jewish leaders would back a vehicle for discrimination. Rabbi Craig Axler of PA says it best: "When one group is singled out for discrimination, it's not long before other groups will be singled out, too. It's the first time we see the Constitution in danger of enshrining discrimination against one party, one class, and to remain silent as a Jew is unconscionable." Rock on Rabbi. Keep the faith.
Pastor: Lord Revealed Next FL Governor  Holy crap! This Godly prediction just may even rival the predictions of Psychic Friend/ Holy Weatherman Pat Roberston!: The Rev O'Neal Dozier introduced GOP gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist during a breakfast w/ other pastors, and said the Lord came to him in a dream 2 yrs ago and told him Crist would be the state's next Gov: "I introduce to you, as the Lord Jesus has said, the next gov of the state of FL, Charlie Crist." Dozier said that before the dream he did not know Crist, nor had Crist made known his plans to run for gov. "The Lord Jesus spoke to me and he said 'There's something I want you to know,'" said Dozier, pastor of the Worldwide Christian Cntr in Pompano Beach. "'Charlie Crist will be the next gov of the state of FL." Since then, Dozier has spent time with Crist and talked w/ him at length about policy. He told the group that Crist would be uncompromising in his Christian faith." Translation: THEOCRAT on board who will do our bidding. Karl Rove would be so proud. And it takes some of the Lordly load off of Rove's shoulders... who is WAY busy wooing his own theocrats for GOP control against the evils of porn.
Personal info on 26.5 million US veterans was stolen from an employee of the Dept of the Vets Affairs who took the data home w/o authorization, exposing them to possible identity theft. The computer records included names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth for the military veterans and some spouses, the dept said. The electronic data related to everyone discharged from the military since 1975. Lawmakers and vets' advocates expressed alarm that the govt failed to safeguard the data, which could be used in credit card fraud and other crimes." What? Identity theft? Oh don't fear... Att Gen Abu Ghraib Gonzales said: "We have no reason to believe at this time that the data has been exploited for identity theft." Well, besides the fact that the draconian '05 Bankruptcy Bill that the GOP couldn't support enough doesn't allow for a person to declare bankruptcy if they are victims of ID theft, here's the eye- popping statistics on ID theft: According to 2 studies done in '03, approx 7 million people became victims of ID theft in the prior 12 ms. That equals 19,178 per day, 799 per hr, 13.3 per min. Average losses of ID victims = $17000. Oh yeh... no need to worry here. Yet another example of BushCo looking out for vets... after bending them over yet again.
Oh yeh... we've turned such an amazing corner in Iraq (via MSNBC): "In Ramadi whole neighborhoods are lawless, too dangerous for police. Some roads are so bomb-laden that US troops won’t use them. Guerrillas attack US troops nearly every time they venture out & hit their bases w/ gunfire, rockets or mortars when they don’t." How do our troops feel about this?: "It’s out of control,” says Army Sgt 1st Class Britt Ruble, behind the sandbags of an observation post in the capital of Anbar province. "We don’t have control of this ... we just don’t have enough boots on the ground." WHAT? Not enough boots on the ground to stop this out of control situation? Oh... that must be why Bush & Blair were just saying on Monday that we are going to reduce the number of troops in Iraq. And what about the Iraqi troops? Certainly THEY say all is well, no? NOPE: "We just go out, lose people and come back,” said Iraqi Col Ali Hassan, whose men fight alongside the Americans. "The insurgents are moving freely everywhere. We need a big operation. We need control." Well Col Hassan, you had just better buck up and accept your fate and your nation's fate: It is fucked w/o a kiss b/c it is now simply too dangerous to report on how dangerous it is in Iraq.
According to a new natl Zogby Poll, 42% of Americans believe the 9/11 attacks smack of a coverup. 10% are unsure. So... I guess tin foil hats need not be passed around, eh?
Ridding Afghanistan of the Taliban is good, but how exactly does bombing an Islamic religious school will win over hearts & minds? It's beyond me: (via Scotsman): "At Kandahar city's hospital, a man w/ blood smeared over his clothes and turban, said insurgents had been hiding in the village's madrassa (Islamic religious school) after fierce fighting in recent days. "Helicopters bombed the madrassa and some of the Taliban ran from there and into people's homes," Haji Ikhlaf said. "Then those homes were bombed. I saw 35 to 40 dead Taliban and around 50 dead or wounded civilians." Now remember that the Taliban threatens to kill the Afghani civilians if they do not allow the Taliban to hide in their homes, and no one is protecting these civilians from these violent Taliban members, so what does the governor of Kandahar "wisely" say?: "These sort of accidents happen during fighting, especially when the Taliban are hiding in homes. I urge people not to give shelter to the Taliban." So Gov, how exactly should they stop them from barging in? Ask them nicely? Would that be before or after they and their family is shot to death or beheaded?
Crooks & Liars: "Matthews: How come nobody seems to know who this crime...this, this mistake was committed. How come everybody -- and maybe it'll look like a crime at some pt b/c we were chasing bin Laden, we still haven't caught him, the Pres said at 9/11 "We're going to catch the guys that knocked down these buildings," but we have lost that pursuit. The top people in al-Qaeda are out there somewhere in Pakistan and yet we're stuck in Iraq with a course that had nothing to do with the people who attacked us on 9/11, right?" Easy does it Chris. You've already used up your 1 truth per week quota... and this is only Tuesday.
This is NOT shocking: Drudge lied about a Dem (via RAWStory): Conservative nitwit Matt Drudge has all but retracted a story about Dem Natl Comm chairman Howard Dean after receiving a letter from the DNC's lawyers. DNC comm dir Karen Finney said the move came only after the Committee's lawyer had penned a note to Drudge asking him to take the story down that claimed that Dean had intervened in NOLAs' mayoral race by supposedly throwing his support behind candidate & sitting Lt Gov Landrieu over sitting mayor Ray Nagin. Finney said: "B/c of the seriousness of the inaccuracy and the reckless disregard of the facts I did ask our lawyer to send a note to Drudge asking him to take the story down. I’m disappointed that Drudge would run such a grossly inaccurate story particularly when it comes to protecting the people’s right to vote." Ouch. Guess that makes up for the Leopold says Rove was indicted story, huh Howard Kurtz? (For additional wingnut insanity and hypocrisy surrounding this topic, please refer to Helen's place & her resident wingnut troll's comments about the Drudge sludge. Yes. I am referring to crazy Sassy von Pissypants Chimpanzee and his greasy hair flap.)
Att Gen Gonzales: Prosecute Journalists  Wow. Little did I know that I went sleep in 2006 America and woke up in Mussolini's fascist Italy (via Wash Post): "On ABC's "This Week" Att Gen Alberto "Abu Ghraib" Gonzales raised the possibility that journalists could be prosecuted for publishing classified info, based on the outcome of the criminal investigation underway into leaks to the NYTs of data about the NSA's warrantless eavesdropping surveillance of calls between the US and abroad." Lucy Dalglish, exec dir of the Reporters Comm for Freedom of the Press, said she presumed that Gonzales was referring to the 1917 Espionage Act, which she said has never been interpreted to prosecute journalists who were providing info to the public. "I can't imagine a bigger chill on free speech and the public's right to know what it's govt is up to — both hallmarks of a democracy — than prosecuting reporters," Dalglish said." You said it sister... but in Bush World, ya learn to painfully accept the twilight of democracy. Let's face it: These journalists who are now justifiably horrified and running around screaming like chickens w/ their heads cut off couldn't shove BushCo's fascist agenda down our throats quick enough and tried to convince us we were unpatriotic if we didn't gobble it up. Karmic justice can be a bitch. Sadly, all of us will pay this deadly price, but America the democratic republic takes the hardest hit of all. Is this how the Roman Empire felt in their last days?
If you can even stomach this-- let alone believe it, please read this (via NYT): "The $69 billion tax cut bill that Bush signed this wk tripled tax rates for teenagers with college savings funds, despite Bush's 1999 pledge to veto any tax increase." Bush the Pious broke a pledge? Color me so shocked. Bush the bloodletter TRIPLING the TAX RATES for TEENAGERS w/ COLLEGE FUNDS?... NOT shocked a bit. Of course that heartless prick would bleed the money that middle class teens have squirreled away for college. Dontcha know? Only the kids of priviledge should enjoy such luxuries as a college education. Ahh yes. Ain't aristocracies grand?
Oh yeh Bush... this economy is sooo peachy that our military members would rather face your clusterfuck of a war than go home to their families and children jobless and w/no health insurance since pensions are becoming less common and only 60% of large companies offered health coverage last yr, (down from 69% in 2000) and the coverage that is available costs more. LATimes: "Although the Army missed its recruitment goals last yr, retention continues at record levels. Reenlistments this yr are running 20% above the Army's goal, despite the long overseas deployments. 2 out of 3 soldiers eligible to reenlist do so. For many service members, it's a matter of balancing risk: Within the military, multiple deployments are commonplace, and more than 2,400 troops have been killed in Iraq and 18,000 have been wounded. But outside the military, 46 million people in the US have no health insurance, and those who do pay increasingly higher prices for it." Nice to see that your GOP fascist agendas of handing the nation over to corporations' control is providing plenty of cannon fodder for your wars.
It makes no difference to me if the politiican is a Dem or a Repuke: If they committed a crime, let them have a fair trial and then do the time if the trial deems it so. And although she is not my fav Dem, Nancy Pelosi agreed w/my pt of view back on May 5th when she called for an investigation into Rep Jefferson's activities. CNN: "Jefferson has been under investigation for bribery and was caught on videotape accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an FBI informant whose conversations w/ the lawmaker also were recorded. Agents later found the cash hidden in his freezer. At one audiotaped meeting, Jefferson chuckles about writing in code to keep secret what the govt contends was his corrupt role in getting his children a cut of a communications company's deal for work in Africa." I feel the same way about this as I do about Tom DeLay: If Jefferson did the things he's accused of, then let the chips fall where they may and he can be punished for his crimes. But seriously... this is Louisiana. I stayed a spell in NOLA. 1 thing was clear: Corruption & politics in LA goes hand in hand. How else can the corrupt cops, the NOLA shakeups, and the tribulations and assassination of Huey Long be explained?... (personally, despite some flaws, I think Huey should be sainted.)
Robertson:God says Tsunami possible for US  Yes. The Rev Pat Robertson fancies himself to be quite the Psychic Friend when it comes to Godly weather predictions: "If I heard the Lord right about 2006, the coasts of America will be lashed by storms. There well may be something as bad as a tsunami in the Pacific Northwest." Wow. What's next Rev Pat? There will be births and deaths in 2006? The sun will rise and set in 2006? People will breath, blink, and defecate? Besides making Miss Cleo seem like Tiresias the Soothsayer, the Pensito Review has Rev Pat's number when it comes to those Divine predictions: "But if Robertson’s track record as a divine weathercaster holds true, Oregonians may have less to fear from a tidal wave than citizens of Tidewater, VA-- where Robertson’s rightwing political and religious enclave is headquartered. In 1998, Robertson predicted all sorts of disasters would smite central FL after Orlando city officials voted in 1998 to fly rainbow flags from city lampposts during the annual Gay Days event at Disney World. Instead, God smote Robertson by hurling Hurricane Bonnie directly at Virginia Beach that August... hitting the Rev Pat's home." Hey Rev... leave this stuff to Miss Cleo, because we all know "The cards never lie!" but you wouldn't know the truth if it bit you in your pasty pious ass.
Speaking of shills and scam artists... check this out (via FL Sun- Sentinel): "Newly released 29 pgs of e-mails of former FEMA Dir Mike Brown show top fedrl officials scrambling to explain millions in disaster aid going to Miami-Dade County residents for a '04 hurricane that missed the county and coaching Brown "not to appear defensive" in responding to "ridiculous questions" from the media. "We need you calm cool and collected," former FEMA chf of staff Pat Rhode wrote in '04 after the Sun- Sentinel reported that FEMA had awarded more than $21 million in Miami-Dade for Hurricane Frances, the storm that struck 100 miles away. "We need our best spokesperson to combat these issues in a diplomatic way to wave the flag for the admin." After the 1st story was published, top FEMA officials debated how to explain why the agency had awarded more money in Miami-Dade, which experienced no hurricane conditions, than in counties that received a direct hit. Here's 1 email that went to 7 FEMA officials: "Should we say the density in population in Miami-Dade versus the other affected counties (just sheer numbers) to somewhat explain the disparity in funding? However, FYI -- the reporter and those she contacted have driven around looking for physical damages to justify the funding and that will not be seen because those type of damages just did not occur in Miami-Dade." The Sun-Sentinel's investigation continued for 15 mos, eventually exposing more than $500 million in disaster assistance nationwide to areas w/ little or no damage. What does Brownie have to say?: "I still believe that in those N. portions of Miami-Dade there was some street flooding, there was some legitimate claims paid out. Should we have declared the entire county a disaster area? Probably not. But that's what we're stuck with." Brownie's mighty cavalier with other people's taxpaying money, no?
Murtha: Marines killed Iraqis in cold blood  This is a pix of US snipers at an observation post in Ramadi. The pix is part of a TIME photo essay by Yuri Kozyrev. If you click on the pix you can clearly see what is handwritten near the ceiling. Now I have no idea how incredibly awful it is for them, or what kinds of horrific things they've seen or done, but it can't be a good sign when our troops have that kind of message written at a sniper observation post. It kinda blows that whole "we came to liberate you poor Iraqis from a bloodthirsty dictator" argument right outta the water, no? And it also blows all of Rumsfeld's spew about our troops' situation being just peachy outta the water, too. Add to that this from Murtha: CNN: Rep John Murtha (D-PA), the decorated Marine colonel said that Marines killed at least 30 innocent Iraqi civilians "in cold blood" in Haditha in Nov, suggesting the attack is twice as bad as originally reported. Murtha said that he got his info from US commanders, who said the investigation will show that the Marines deliberately killed the civilians. Murtha said: "There was no firefight. There was no IED that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted b/c of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood. They actually went into the houses and killed women and children." At first, the Marines said the civilians were killed by a roadside bomb. Later, they suggested the victims may have been caught in a firefight. An Iraqi human rights group, Hammurabi Human Rts Assoc, caught the scene on video, which was obtained by TIME. A criminal investigation then ensued."
In light of the post above, I couldn't think of a better time than now to suggest that we take Kvatch's advice and be a part of his Kvatch's Kommandos: A Big Day of Protest project on May 26th. Please click over to see his oh-so-easy instructions. BabyGirl and I have already checked out the price of the lil green guys at a local craft store, and we will be picking up a big bag of them this weekend.
Of course BushCo wants to squeak Hayden into the head CIA spot. He is one of the architects who killed the Clinton-era NSA program (called Thin Thread, and was far better at tracking terrorists) that allowed them to obtain phone info legally (via BaltimoreSun): "The NSA developed a pilot program in the late '90s that would have enabled it to gather and analyze massive amounts of communications data w/o running afoul of privacy laws. But after the 9/11 attacks, it shelved the project -- not b/c it failed to work -- but b/c of bureaucratic infighting and a sudden WH expansion of the agency's surveillance powers, according to several intelligence officials." Hey... speaking of 9/11, check out what Hayden said about BushCo trumped up pre-war intell (via Think Progress): "Hayden was asked at his nomination hearing about whether he was comfortable with the Bush admin’s pre-war attempts to link Saddam and al Qaeda. SEN LEVIN: Were you comfortable with Mr. Feith’s office approach to intelligence analysis? HAYDEN: No, sir, I wasn’t. I wasn’t aware of a lot of the activity going on, you know, when it was contemporaneous w/ running up to the war. No, sir, I wasn’t comfortable. Ooops. Guess Hayden makes clear that, despite Bush’s assertion that the pre-war intelligence process “broke down,” the false intelligence about Iraq’s connection to al Qaeda was intentionally fabricated by political leaders, not intelligence analysts."
I wonder how the Religious Fright will fight this truly shocking turn of events? (via Reuters): "The first vaccine to protect young females from a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer won unanimous support from US advisers on Thurs, making approval likely next month. The vaccine, named Gardasil, protects against the 2 types of human papillomavirus (HPV) believed responsible for about 70% of cervical cancer cases. It also protects against two other virus types that cause 90% of genital wart cases. All 4 virus types are sexually transmitted. HPV is the most common STD. It affects more than 50% of sexually active adults. The cervical cancer it can cause kills about 290,000 women worldwide each yr, including 3500 in the US. Merck said the vaccine could be used in females age 9 to 26, but would work best when given to girls before they begin having sex. However, the anticipated cost of the vaccine, administered in 3 shots over 6 mos, is $300 to $500 — a possible impediment to widespread vaccination campaigns." That price may be steep for many, but I don't care how I have to scrimp or save: BabyGirl will be getting this vaccine. Religious Frighters be damned.
While all of the wingnuts and nutcase Neo-Cons scheme to squeeze yet another Constitutional criminal like Gen Hayden in, block gay marriage, force women into the Stone Age, kick up hatred for the border's brown people, reverse horrific poll numbers, we have a slow cancer taking root again: TIME: "Under pressure from the resurgent Taliban insurgency and under the weight of its own dependence on local warlords, the political order installed in Kabul after the Taliban's ouster may be about to collapse." Why? B/c: "The Afghanis have lost trust in constitutional law and parliament, b/c they did not receive any help. So, the Taliban has stepped in and set up its own local justice system. So pervasive is the sense that the Taliban is effectively in charge that the public, fearing retribution, has rejected help from the Afghan govt and US Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs). One source in the Suri District in Zabol province explained why locals had turned down a water-purification project proposed by the local PRT: "I don't want to be put to death by Taliban." Add to that this news Thurs from Kandahar: "More than 100 people were killed in the string of attacks that started Weds: dozens of insurgents, at least 15 Afghan police, an Amer civilian training Afghan forces, and the 1st female Canadian soldier to die in combat. Pres Hamid Karzai said the violence emanated from the mountainous border trial regions of neighboring Pakistan, populated by the ethnic Pashtuns who make up the majority of the Taliban militants and are believed to be hiding Osama bin Laden." Hiding who? Oh yeah. That guy whom Bush doesn't bother to remember.
Menstruating SheDevils or just Pre-Pregnant?  This Wash Post story "Forever Pregnant" was tipped off to me via Karena and Earl. I hadn't yet read the article, but after checking out Karena's post, I am completely disgusted by this concept: "Women, listen up. If you are not pregnant, you are pre-pregnant. Pre-pregnant means you are liable to become pregnant anytime between now and your next menstrual period. That means you should take folic acid supplements and avoid alcohol and smoking if you are not taking birth control. This is a new fedrl guideline." Can you believe this crapola? Of course a woman who is trying to conceive should do everything under the sun to be as healthy as possible for the sake of a baby she may create. When Hubby and I were working on creating BabyGirl, I took a daily vitamin, I avoided fish due to the mercury dangers, I have never smoked, I don't take drugs,and in addition to swearing off alcohol, I didn't drink ANY caffeine. But this new guideline dictates this: "All females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves -and to be treated by the health care system- as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon. This means all women between 1st menstrual period and menopause should: 1. Take folic acid supplements, 2. Refrain from smoking, drinking alcohol and taking drugs, 3. Maintain a healthy weight, 4. Keep chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes under control, 5. Make sure all vaccinations are up-to-date, 6. Have pre-conception visits w/ their doctor (Uhh, what if you have no insurance??) and 7. Avoid contact w/ lead-based paints & cat feces." So where are the fedrl guidelines to treat men from puberty to Viagra age as pre- impregnators? Let's face it, an unhealthy, drug addicted, or chemically poisoned man will not make healthy sperm, which in turn could make an unhealthy baby, no? The article states that since "The US infant mortality rate is higher than those of most other industrialized nations, and b/c half of pregnancies are unplanned and so much damage can be done to a fetus between conception and the time the pregnancy is confirmed... the fedrl guidelines aim to "increase public awareness of the importance of preconception health" and emphasize the "importance of managing risk factors prior to pregnancy." AGAIN: What if you have no insurance and Where are the fedrl guidelines for males? Do we impregnate ourselves? Or is it Immaculate Conception? Isn't it strange that when it comes to dictating how we females should behave when we just might conceive, all of the responsibility is put upon us, but the minute we become pregnant and want to make a choice, it suddenly becomes the business of men, politicians, clergy, etc? Until fedrl guidelines come out treating all males as potential impregnators, I'll just ignore this sexist crap... and remain a menstruating she-devil. Or maybe, I could take Karena's advice: "Remember, according to new govt guidelines, you are pre-pregnant, so you must conduct yourselves as such. Tell the world, "Hey, I'm pre-pregnant, so lay off! I'm pre-pregnant, so move over while I prop up my feet and munch on this vitamin. No, I do not want a hamburger or a beer. Are you out of your ever-lovin' mind? I'm pre-pregnant. No, I do not want a glass of wine, I want folic acid, you swine. Don't you know, I'm pre-pregnant?!"
I can't figure out WTF is going on w/this NSA-phone issue, but I do know this: It stinks to high heaven and somebody is lying. AmerProspect asks: "Why are Verizon and Bellsouth only denying these allegations after the story broke? The USA Today reporters who did the initial story contacted the companies before publishing it. We know this because it contains statements from both companies, each of which declined to comment." Here is what I think is up: 1.) You have to read between the lines of the telecom denials. They don't contract nor provide the NSA private data they collect BUT they do allow the NSA to come in and collect it themselves. And then there is this issue, courtesy of King George (via DailyKos): 2.)Bush signed authorization for the telecom companies to legally lie and deny everything, which explains it all. Think Progress has the goods: "Ordinarily, a company that conceals their transactions and activities from the public would violate securities law. But a presidential memorandum signed by the President on May 5 allows the Dir of Natl Intelligence, John Negroponte, to authorize a company to conceal activities related to natl security. (See 15 U.S.C. 78m(b)(3)(A)). I don't WTF is going on, but thankfully, a judge decided that AT & T have to cough up their records to explain this. I do know this entire thing is fishy, and it is getting fishier.
TruthoutOrg: "For the past few days, we have endured non-stop attacks on our credibility, and we have fought hard to defend our reputation. In addition, we spoke personally yesterday w/ both Rove's spokesman Corallo & Rove's attorney Luskin. Both men categorically denied all key pts of our recent reporting on this issue. We can now report, however, that we have additional, independent sources that refute those denials by Corallo and Luskin. While we had only our own sources to work w/ in the beginning, additional sources have now come forward and offered corroboration to us. We have been contacted by at least 3 reporters from mainstream media (network level orgs) who shared w/ us off-the-record confirmation and moral support. When we asked why they were not going public with this info, in each case they expressed frustration with superiors who would not allow it." Like I said before, I hope it is true, but I will believe it when I see it. So in the meantime, I will just keep checking out the developments via Fitzgerald's site and at Talk Left.
I have a new side link urging you to sign a petition for Net Neutrality via Save the Internet.Com. Net neutrality is simply the principle that net users should be able to access any web content they choose, w/o restrictions or limitations imposed by their Internet service providers (such as AT&T, Verizon, BellSouth). The Net Neutrality bill, has been introduced by Dems, is supported by Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and other Internet giants, & will help prevent us from being at the mercy of the internet service providers in terms of cost & content. I subscribe to The Nation, and after reading this article: "Don't Click on this Ad" I was certain I absolutely must put the side link to the petition on my blog. The Nation article warns us about a sneaky and misleading ad that urges readers to "say no to govt regulation of the internet" but is in fact against Net Neutrality: "Please don't click on it b/c it is an attempt to hoodwink Internet users w/a cutesy cartoon at this site: www.dontregulate.org. It is a clever piece of industry propaganda that is riddled with half-truths and conveys a fake populist message that sounds plausible BUT is actually a deceptive campaign created by high-priced consultants and paid for by the cable and phone industries to build opposition to the Net Neutrality bill. Companies like AT&T, Verizon, BellSouth are spending millions every wk to mislead and misinform the American public through tricky ad campaigns such as these at Don't Regulate.Org and Hands Off.Org." Repeat: Do NOT click on nor visit these ads/ sites, but instead click on/ visit this site: Save the Internet.Com and please sign the petition.
Oh yeah Pentagon... this settles it  Call me crazy... but when the just released video of what is supposed to be Flight 77 crashing into the Pentagon says Sept 12, 2001... it does nothing to squelch all of the conspiracy theories. Pix courtesy of the San Francisco Gate.
CNN: BellSouth and AT&T were added to a class-action lawsuit against Verizon that alleges the companies illegally participated in a NSA domestic surveillance program. So, perhaps a denial of doing this is incredibly convenient, no? MSNBC: "Verizon on Tues joined fellow phone company BellSouth in denying key pts of a USA Today story that said the companies had provided records of millions of phone calls to the govt. Hmm... then why did Qwest say they refused the NSA request?: "An attorney for the former chief exec of Qwest on Friday lent support to USA Today’s story. He said the Denver company had been approached by the govt, but had denied the request for phone records because it appeared to violate privacy law. Qwest is a regional phone company with a substantial long-distance business. It was not clear if the govt’s request applied only to Qwest’s long-distance business. Verizon’s statement suggested that USA Today may have erred in not drawing a distinction between long-distance and local telephone calls. "Phone companies do not even make records of local calls in most cases because the vast majority of customers are not billed per call for local calls," Verizon said. Left Coaster wonders if the denials indicate something more sinister is afoot. At this pt, nothing sinister would shock me, especially after reading this at Daily Kos. Call me crazy, but Verizon and BellSouth have much to gain by denying the USA Today claim since 1000s of Americans (53% according to this Newsweek poll, and 85% according to this MSNBC live poll) DISapprove of the NSA data mining our phone calls. I have to wonder how many of those pissed off 1000s called them and told them they were switching to Qwest and/or were suing them? Yeh... I'd deny I did it, too.
HuffingtonPost: Melody Damayo (aka Mimi Miyagi), the former adult film actress, is now running for Gov of NV as a Repub candidate. I wonder if Falwell & Robertson will be encouraging their flock to vote for her? Well, c'mon... She is a divorced single mother. Ya know how strongly the Religious Fright feels about divorce and single moms. Here is her campaign site, here is her blog, and here is more info via Wonkette on her "credentials" and this is her... err... "body of work" resume. And Mimi is clearly a genius. Take for instance this quote of her's : Q: Would you ever consider going back into the industry - as far as making videos is concerned? MIMI: I would say probably softcore stuff. The hardcore, actually having sex with people, no, I would not, not at this day and age, you know. There's so much AIDS going around, it's scary. That was the main reason I left the adult business." Uhh, Mimi, I hate to break it to you, but on your resume at your campaign site, your adult film career is listed from the yr 1992 to 2003. You just became aware of AIDS sometime around '03? And you did porn for 11 yrs?? THAT is beyond scary. Had an HIV test lately, Mimi? And maybe it's just me, but when your claims to fame are films called Amber the Lesbian Queefer, East Eats West, & Anal Asian, how exactly does that prepare you for a job like Gov? Well truthfully, I guess she hasn't been nor will be more of whore than Tom DeLay, right? I say this is what her campaign catch phrase will be: Mimi Miyagi. Just what the GOP needs: Another whore who sucks.
1st, peruse this new WaPo poll on the GOP and Bush: 69% said the nation is now off track, and 56% said they would prefer to see Dems in control of Congress after the elections. Next, take a look at these Survey USA poll numbers for all 50 states on Bush's job approval rating for mid-April and mid-May. Take a gander at this: When 62% in SC, 61% in KS, 58% in GA, and 56% in TX DISapprove of your job, ya know you truly suck. Somebody at the NSA had better listen in on Laura's and Rove's phone conversations to see what kind of drugs they are on b/c how else could you explain these statements: 1) ROVE via WaPo: In explaining Bush's poor standing, Rove kept going back to the war in Iraq. "They're just sour right now on the war. And that's the way it's going to be." 2) LAURA via Huff Post: First lady Laura Bush said she does not believe opinion polls showing her husband's approval ratings at record low levels. She complained: "When my husband's popularity was high, newspapers did not put that on the front pg." Oh... I see. It isn't that Bush's policies and agendas have driven America over a cliff at full throttle. Instead, it is just that damned mythical liberal media bias and that damned war that is in the last throes of it's insurgency.
Fox News poofy yellow headed wingnut John Gibson clarifies his "c'mon America: start screwing b/c the Hispanics pop 'em out like bunnies" statement with perhaps an even more intolerant statement: "My concern was simply that I didn't want America to become Europe, where the birthrate is so low the continent is quickly being populated by immigrants, mainly from Muslim countries, whose birthrate is very high. The overall pt here today is to say people are wrong if they say I am urging white people to have more babies b/c I am afraid of more brown people and I'm racist. Couldn't be further from the truth. If you look at the demographic trends, you could conclude, as I have, that 50 yrs from now Europe will be brown and Muslim, and America will be brown and Christian. I am fine with that America and I have said so many times. I'd rather live w/ the Christians here than live under Sharia law in Europe." Oh, I see... it isn't that they are brown and Hispanic, it is that they are Muslim. So how does Gibson justify that pt when he (upon learning that nearly half off all kids under age 5 are minorities) said this: "You know what that means? 25 yrs and the majority of the population is Hispanic." And by the way John, how many Hispanics are actually Muslim? And since when AREN'T blacks considered minorities? So, lemme get this straight: by Gibson's xenophobic logic, all Jews, Buddhists, atheists, Hindus, agnostics, and Muslims in America should get sterilized, wear chastity belts or masturbate?
ABCNews:Now the FBI & NSA comes for you  Just as NYTimes' Frank Rich warned in his OpEd this past Sunday: "...this NSA phone data collection program may have more to do with monitoring "traitors" like reporters and leakers than with tracking terrorists" we get the tip of the scary-ass iceberg from ABC News: 1) Federal Source to ABC News: We Know Who You're Calling. "A sr fedrl law enforcement official tells ABC News the govt is tracking the phone numbers we (Brian Ross & Richard Esposito) call in an effort to root out confidential sources. "It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick," the source told us in an in-person conversation. ABC News does not know how the govt determined who we are calling, or whether our phone records were provided to the govt as part of the recently-disclosed NSA collection of domestic phone calls. Other sources have told us that phone calls and contacts by reporters for ABC News, along w/ the NYT and the Wa Post, are being examined as part of a widespread CIA leak investigation. The official who warned ABC News said there was no indication our phones were being tapped so the content of the conversation could be recorded. A pattern of phone calls from a reporter, however, could provide valuable clues for leak investigators." AND THIS from ABC News: 2) FBI Acknowledges: Journalists Phone Records are Fair Game: "The FBI acknowledged late Monday that it is increasingly seeking reporters' phone records in leak investigations. "It used to be very hard and complicated to do this, but it no longer is in the Bush admin," said a sr fedrl official. The acknowledgement followed our blotter item that ABC News reporters had been warned by a fedrl source that the govt knew who we were calling." I don't know which is scarier: That our govt is doing this and is getting away w/it, or the un-fucking-believable statements by the "pro-spying" seditionists in the 1st article's thread. If they truly cherish ANY president & govt having this type of control over our civil rights, then they should by all means move to N Korea, China or Iran. I'm sure there that pro-spying Big Brother mentality will be warmly embraced. And to the press, I have this to say: It was your job, for the past 6 yrs to expose the sins of this administration. But you were willing to kiss BushCo's ass, claimed that Bush was the kind of guy we'd like to have a beer with while you turned a blind eye to his plethora of crimes. Now they have come for you; is there anyone left to speak up? And for those of us who value our Bill of Rights, I shall quote Ben Franklin: "He who sacrifices liberty for security gains neither." I have nothing to hide. But my rights are Constitutionally guaranteed... regardless of who is in office or what party they belong to. And isn't it beyond sickening that our military takes an oath to uphold our rights according to our Constitution and sometimes pays w/ their life while defending our rights, while our very own prez & govt is systematically destroying our civil rights and dismantling our Constitution under the lie of "protecting us from terrorists" ?
I haven't posted about immigration before b/c I wouldn't dare to pretend to have answers for this incredibly difficult issue, and b/c any solutions I could put forth will NOT put a stop to the 3 things that cause illegal immigration in the 1st place: 1) The poverty conditions in Mexico that drive desperate people to illegally enter the US. 2) The US borders being completely porous and unprotected in the 1st place, which is insane for any sovereign nation, but especially post 9/11, and 3) The greedy employers who take advantage of these desperate people by milking them for all they can get w/ sub-minimum pay/ safety/ work conditions AND remain unpunished despite hiring illegals for pennies on the dollar. But, we do have to stop illegal immigration for these reasons: 1) The US is a nation of laws. If we don't believe that, we have no business getting upset that Bush and his goons have broken over 750 laws and continue to have pissing contests w/ our Constitution. And these harsh facts: 2) The US has finite resources, and we the American workers are already at the mercy of the soul-less conjoined twins: Our govt & the corporations. Both are bleeding the middle/poor US citizens dry w/ no natl healthcare, falling wages, hacked away social services, heavier tax burdens due to wealthy tax cuts, and hatcheting away our employment possibilities. That said, what did I think of Bush's speech? It was political posturing and just some *presto!* *chango!* wedge issue introduction to take the heat off of the WH: New evidence of Cheney's handwritten comments about Plame, the NSA spying debacle unfolding, and the possibility of Rove being indicted and Rove's disconnect from reality. Apparantly, the border wasn't such a big deal last yr as the Bush budget scrapped 9,790 border patrol agents and the suddenly concerned in '06 Prez used law's escape clause to drop funding for a new homeland security force on the border. Bush could truly care less. How else could you explain Bush's proposed '06 budget, revealed on Monday, that funds only 210 new border agents? Q: And who will be enjoying $385 million for those new detention beds? A: KBR, the engineering and construction subsidiary of Halliburton has been awarded a contingency contract from the Dept of Homeland Sec to support its Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in the event of an emergency. Let's face it, when Bush gets to stir up his white folks, can still allow his beloved corporate whores w/ their giant campaign donations remain unpunished for hiring illegals, AND there is money to be made for Halliburton, then BushCo suddenly cares.
Nixon's Spying: Bush is a Copycat  Pix courtesy of Scoop NZ. Of course. We knew this was coming, no? The LA Times reports: "The Justice Dept on Sat asked a fedrl judge to throw out an eavesdropping lawsuit against AT&T, citing possible damage from the litigation to natl security. Officials wrote that the lawsuit by AT&T customers would bring up matters too sensitive for public discussion. The 34-pg filing was bolstered by statements from John Negroponte, who is director of natl intelligence, and from Lt Gen Keith Alexander, director of the NSA." Certainly you are shocked, right? And as if we didn't already think Bush & Nixon were long lost twins, we have this from the Pensito Review: "Operation Shamrock came to light in 1975 during investigations by the Senate into govt intelligence abuses in the Nixon Admin. The committee learned that 3 telegraph companies had turned over all their overseas communications traffic, both outbound and inbound, to the NSA on a daily basis for 30 yrs. The spy program was initiated in WWII as part of the govt’s wartime censorship program, but by the 70s, political operatives in the Nixon Admin were using it to collect info on their political enemies such as: A list of more than 600 “dangerous” Americans, including folksinger Joan Baez, pediatrican Benjamin Spock, actress Jane Fonda and civil rights campaigner Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. The NSA claims in 74 it destroyed files on more than 75,000 other Americans it illegally collected during Shamrock." As long as Bush resigns when facing impeachment like Nixon did, we can happily keep the Nixon comparisons coming.
So, it looks like that the previous poll that stated 63% of Americans approved of the NSA phone data collection was misleading, eh? USAToday: "A survey of 809 adults taken Fri and Sat shows a nation wrestling w/ the balance between fighting terrorism and protecting civil liberties. 51% of Americans disapprove of a massive Pentagon database containing the records of billions of phone calls made by ordinary citizens, and 62% said they support immediate congressional hearings to investigate the data collecting. Hmm, seems to me that once people are asked the question in a non-partisan way and have had a few days to mull it over, they aren't so quick to bend over and let BushCo rape their rights, no? And in case you were wondering about that bald Baby Huey bastard Bush is pushing to be our new CIA boss, check out the new TIME article.
Air America's Randi Rhodes put a mighty hurting on a yellow chickenhawk War Fan (via Crooks & Liars): FERGUSON: Randi, I have friends in Iraq, OK? RHODES: Listen, you should be in Iraq. You're 22. When I was 22, I was in the military. Why aren't you there? FERGUSON: I'm 24 yrs old. RHODES: Why aren't you there? Then go. FERGUSON: And just because I support something doesn't mean I have to always go fight. RHODES: You go. You go. Go ahead. You go and then you come back because you know what happens when we come back? FERGUSON: I support the Yankees doesn't mean I wear their uniform. RHODES: Once you've served, you come back, and you're suddenly a liberal. Do you know why, Ben? Because you're only as good as the weakest. And that's why you aren't in the military." Yikes Ben. Looks like a liberal woman handed your yellow balls back to you on a spineless War Fan platter.
NYT: "Sr Army officials have scaled back their planned participation in an advance screening of a documentary about an Army Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad out of concern that its grim medical scenes could demoralize soldiers and their families and negatively affect public opinion about the war, Army officials said. The Army officials said that concerns about the documentary (which includes footage of an amputation and of wounded soldiers undergoing surgery and, in some cases, dying) were also raised by the wives of top Army officers who had seen the film. "Given the subject matter, it's not something you're going to cheer at the end," said one sr Army official." Ya know what? If you are so delusional that you cannot face the hardcore realities of a combat hospital, then you have absolutely no business sending people into combat or asking people to send their loved ones into that battle. When I hear War Fan wingnuts say "Don't like this war, liberal? Well, freedom ain't free" I have this to say: "Don't like people finding out how fucking horrible death, maiming and bloodshed really is? Then don't start wars."
Oh puh-lease. Just STFU and stop pretending you have any principles besides wanting to protect your cut of Daddy's money (Roger Ailes via Firedoglake): "On Fox, dullard Mary Cheney revealed to Chris Wallace that she came this close … this close … to quitting the Bush campaign because of Bush’s support for the Fedrl Marriage Amend. Had it been something important, like the estate tax, she would have been long gone." This from the lesbian cannibal who happily helped her dad and Bush chew up gay rights and spit them out: "Mary Cheney saves her harshest words for Bush's 04 opponents, calling John Kerry a "son of a bitch'' and his running mate, John Edwards, a "total slime'' for discussing her sexual orientation during televised debates during the campaign." And I'm sure this just made her dad, Satan... err, The Big Dick smile: "Sitting in the studio audience when he mentioned her sexual orientation, Mary said she looked at Edwards and mouthed the words 'go F* yourself' a phrase her father had earlier employed against Dem Sen Patrick Leahy." What a chip off the 'ol Cheney block, no? And what did Kerry say about being called a SOB?: "Seems like a suspicious lecture from a political operative who flacked for the most anti-gay admin in history and allowed Karl Rove to divide America for political gain. She’d be more credible if she pushed dad’s admin to support hate crimes legislation and equal rights for gay Americans." Nice try Mary, but I'm not buying what you're selling. You are an absolute hypocrite and lesbian cannibal who willingly helped the GOP "smear the queers."
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