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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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Friday, June 30, 2006 SupremeCrt blocks BushCo Tribunals but Defense Dept says So What?  In a suprising 5 to 3 vote, the "Supreme Court on Thurs repudiated the Bush admin's plan to put Gitmo detainees on trial before military commissions, ruling broadly that the commissions were unauthorized by fedrl statute and violated internatl law." Ouch, that had to hurt, but I'm sure Bush, Cheney & Abu Ghraib Gonzales then looked at each other and grunted: "Internatl law? What's that?" Justice Stevens, writing for the majority in a 73-pg opinion, shredded each of the admin's arguments, including the assertion that Congress had stripped the crt of jurisdiction to decide the case. A principal but by no means the only flaw the crt found in the commissions was that the pres had established them w/o Congressional authorization. Stevens said: "The executive is bound to comply w/ the Rule of Law that prevails in this jurisdiction." I'm sure that Bush, Cheney, & Abu Ghraib Gonzales then looked at each other and grunted: "Congressional authorization AND the executive is bound to comply? What the hell is that?" Oh don't worry boys. Rumsfeld and his minions at the Dept of Def have got you covered: "The Def Dept asserted that the crt's sweeping ruling against the tribunals did not undermine the govt's argument that it can hold foreign suspects indefinitely and w/o charge, as "enemy combatants" in its declared war on terror, and officials added that they may soon begin to look harder for an alternative site for the detainees held at Guantánamo Bay." See boys? You just need to find some nice remote place far, far away where those pesky 7 out of 9 Republican appointed Sup Crt Justices can't rule. Somewhere like... 1 of those secret rendition prisons? And while I'm shocked that the SCOTUS ruled the way it did, one absolutely amazing quote stands out among all of the many pundit discussions about the ruling. It comes from James Carville, who was debating Bay Buchanan on The Situation Rm: BLITZER: Bay, what the Sup Crt said, which is a major setback for the admin's stance, is the Geneva Conventions & internatl law apply to these 450 detainees. BUCHANAN: And what was the decision? If the chief justice was voting, we all know it would be 5 to 4. So, the 4 conservatives were voting w/ the pres. The key here is, the Americans are going to side w/ the pres. They want an aggressive, tough stance against terrorists. CARVILLE: You just didn't say -I didn't hear that. I didn't hear you say it was a 5 to 4 decision. It was a 5 to 3 decision, but Bush is president b/c of a 5 to 4 decision. I am absolutely speechless, that someone would say that a 5 to 4 decision carries any less weight. BUCHANAN: This is the courts trying to say what a pres, who is a commander in chief at a time of war, can or cannot do. CARVILLE: Can you imagine a Sup Crt saying what the Constitution means? I can't imagine that they would actually try to interpret the Constitution." Heavens no? Can ya imagine that? I detest your despicable GOPer wife, Carville, but those bitchslaps were stone cold accurate and fierce. 
Speaking of that entire "we have to detain folks forever b/c of the war on terror" thing.... Newsweek asks: Is al-Qaeda just a myth? and they examine how Washington helped to build it into a global threat, primarily for personal gain and the ability to bamboozle America into giving them unfettered power thru fearmongering. Newsweek just says what so many of us have been saying since 2004, especially those of us who watched "The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear," a 3 hr documentary by Adam Curtis was aired by the BBC. (Read about Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 or download it from Amazon here.) I downloaded it for free in '04 from this amazing site. Watch it. Spread it far and wide.
When it comes to rights, Sen Conrad Burns (R-MT) says (via YouTube): "The Liberal mind, says: 'You know, we don't want to take away anyone's rights.' Well I'll tell you what - these people are trying to kill us - and I want to take away their rights. Period. I want to take 'em all out." Yikes! While this latest entire conservative foaming at the mouth outrage at the NY Times' BushCo/banking spying story rages (an outrage orchestrated by the WH), the House has been busying itself w/ passing a resolution condemning newspapers. Jeeze... ya know, things were so much easier for Mussolini: He was a member of the newspaper staff of Avanti! ("forward" in Italian) which was dubbed the "Central Organ of the Socialist Party" and his brother Arnaldo became the editor of Il Popolo d'Italia, the official newspaper of Mussolini's Fascist Party.
Now I think this guy certainly qualifies for a nice spot in Hades.... but who knew?: "The merger of Gates & Buffett may spell doom for the families of the developing world," said the Rev Thomas Euteneuer, a Catholic priest who is president of Human Life Internatl. Referring to Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi death camp doctor, Euteneuer said Buffett "will be known as the Dr. Mengele of philanthropy unless he repents." Yeah, and refusing to let Africans use condoms so that they may prevent acquiring AIDS (24.5 million are infected in Africa, 19 million have died) would put the Church on the same footing of someone in between Mao ze Dong (who killed 49 million via the "great leap forward" and "cultural revolution") and Jozef Stalin (who killed 13 million via "the purges"). Hmm, seems to me that God is going to damn every last one of these vapid, wingnut, theocratic morons to hell, huh?... and I'm Catholic.
GOP Frenzy: Attack & Blame the Media  ATTENTION CRAZED VILLAGERS: Get your torches and misplaced frenzy ready! Your GOP needs you to attack and blame that MYTHICAL liberal media again. Read Keith O's Countdown transcript here or watch this clip of Keith, as he succinctly sums up the bogus and insane frenzy here (via Crroks & Liars): Keith takes on the SWIFT banking spy program and all that attack the NY Times. What's the problem w/the GOP attack? The SWIFT program was not such a secret after all. Count all the times Bush told the world that he was chasing down the terrorists' money. Looks to me, Keith and Roger Cressey, former Natl Security Council official and now MSNBC terrorism expert, like there has been no damage done by the NY Times. Especially since there is a magazine called Dialogue, which is devoted to the SWIFT program, as well as the SWIFT website-- www. swift.com-- which explicity says the purpose of the program was to globally track down money that may be used for illegal purposes. Well, that would be all of the money that is not being transferred and laundered by the much preferred and utilized Hawala method. And keep in mind: The SWIFT website and magazine I just linked to are NOT password protected. Go ahead... check it out yourself. This GOP drama queen/ trumped up outrage is just YET another con game for this administration, yet they will do anything to rally their base. And today, at the House of Reps, a 7 page document that has been whipped up by the crazed Repuke villagers to officially blame the media will be whored/ debated to decide if certain members of the press should have their press passes, credentials, and privileges revoked. Combine that w/ the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen Arlen Specter, being compelled to hold hearings on whether Pres Bush has exceeded his constitutional powers (uhh, Earth to Arlen... the answer is a resounding YES but I'm sure you'll cave in) and we are well on our way to that long-dreamed of BushCo dictatorship. Aaaahhh... dontcha just love the smell of fascism in the morning?
The fact that an investigative report uncovered the harsh truth that "As Workers' Pensions Wither, Those for Executives Flourish" is not shocking. What is shocking is that this investigative report came from the corporatist loving Wall St Journal.
This is from former Repub FL congressman Joe Scarborough's MSNBC blog for Mon June 27th: "Last month I warned Americans that this NSA phone records program could lead us to a point where the feds would go after bank records next. I was, unfortunately, correct. It’s scary, more so to those of us who know how Washington works and know how power can corrupt and be abused. I believe we are in dangerous times for those of us who believe, like Jefferson, that Washington is not to be trusted with unlimited police power." Wowza. Seems like somebody needs to be re-indoctrinated, no? Ever seen A Clockwork Orange, Joe?
Is there any freakin peace offer that BushCo would say yes to?: "11 insurgent groups in Iraq have offered to stop their attacks against Iraqis and Americans if the US will agree to a cessation of hostilities and withdrawal of troops w/in 2 yrs. The groups who've made contact have largely shunned attacks on Iraqi civilians, focusing instead on the coalition forces. Their offer coincides w/ PM al-Maliki's decision to reach out to the Sunni insurgency w/ a reconciliation plan that includes an amnesty for fighters. What is Rumsfeld's bloodthirsty response?: "Pres Bush's view has been and remains that a timetable is not something that is useful. It is a signal to the enemies that all you have to do is just wait and it's yours. The goal is not to trade something off for something else to make somebody happy, the goal is to succeed." Oh, so STAY and PRAY = success to BushCo" That could work if you had infinite resources of humans and money to keep this bloodletting going. So, Rummy, when we've killed everyone in Iraq, can our troops come home?... if any are left alive.
This news is sooo not good: Israel sent tanks into N. Gaza and arrested the Palestinian deputy prime minister and more than 30 of other Hamas govt officials early Thurs, escalating its response to the abduction of one of its soldiers. The moves came after 1000s of troops moved into S. Gaza Weds and Israeli warplanes roared over the summer home of Syria’s president, who is blamed for harboring Hamas leaders. Witnesses said Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered N. Gaza before daybreak, adding a 2nd front to the Israeli action in Gaza. No deaths or injuries were reported in the Israeli actions so far. But the warplanes knocked out Gaza’s electric power plant, raising the specter of a humanitarian crisis. The Hamas-led govt warned of “epidemics and health disasters” because of damaged water pipes to central Gaza and the lack of power to pump water." Add to that bad news this REALLY bad news: "Gaza militants (the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Pres Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement) say they fired a chemical-tipped rocket at Israel early Thurs morning." Holy Pope on a rope... I f-ing hope al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade is blowing smoke on this WMD claim b/c it's hard not to believe that Israel won't be sorely tempted to flex their defensive muscles and flatten the entire place if the Martyrs insanely used WMDs. But here's the weird thing: In Iraq, the US said the Iraqis had WMD's, but the Iraqis said they didn't. In Gaza, Israel says the Gazans don't have WMD's, but the Gazans say they do. We already know how the US claim panned out. My money is on the Israelis being right on this. But the implications of these latest moves are huge: Israel is absolutely entitled to respond when provoked/ attacked, but it should do so wisely and respect the laws of war. Destroying the power station and the water system will primarily hurt and punish the civilians, not the militant leaders. Also, Israel is on the brink of dissolving the govt of the Palestinians unilaterally-- despite the appalling fact that Hamas won the election-- but like or not, they were duly elected. The consequences of this will have enormous long-term implications for both peoples. Israel needs to make it clear that it has no intention of remaining in Gaza, must allow the Palestinians to become a complete sovereign nation & must devote their policies to not killing civilians, and the Palestinians need to make it clear that they will recognize the state of Israel, stop being dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state, and then take concrete action towards that end, including severe punishments for those who attack Israel and her citizens. Let's hope cooler heads prevail on this one. Plus, since the US always promises to back Israel up if attacked, our troops are just a hop, skip, and jump away. Good to see how BushCo's democracy is spreading like wildfire in the Middle East, no?
GOPers: Collect taxes from Pimps & Ho's  Well, besides the mythically urgent flag burning amendment, the GOP wants to push this: Collecting taxes from PIMPS and WHORES. Yeah. I'm serious: Sen Charles Grassley (R-IA) is hoping to stamp out the sex trade by taxing pimps and prostitutes, then jailing them when they don't pay. The Sen Finance Comm is expected to vote Weds morning on the pimp tax. The bill also calls for more jail time for sex workers (B/c really guys, jonesing crack whores practically giving away bj's for $2 don't have miserable enough lives, huh?) If passed, the provision will authorize at least $2 million toward the establishment of an office in the IRS Criminal Investigation unit to prosecute unlawful sex workers for violations of tax laws." Well, if the GOP wants to collect taxes from their hard work (and whores certainly work harder than any politician or any of the GOP's beloved Estate Tax pukes ever has, will, or could even dream of actually doing in their teeney-tiny uber-wealthy nirvana) then you had better damn well LEGALIZE their profession. That means a set living wage, healthcare benefits, protection from injury and exploitation, mandatory STD testing, and the option to unionize.
Bush pledges to try to phase out Social Security again after the November election. Gee, given that hordes of military widows & children of BushCo's wars are getting bent over without a kiss over desperately needed death benefits, I can certainly see how destroying Soc Sec will help out the elderly, widows and orphans, can't you?
Please do yourself a favor and read American journalist Nir Rosen's eye-opening take on "The Occupation of Iraqi Hearts and Minds." It makes Tuesday's mass release of 450 detainees from Abu Ghraib prison all the more telling on what a colossal mistake mass arrests have been for the US as an occupier. As an American who has a Jewish mother and Iranian father, Rosen has a unique perspective on Iraq and he also is the author of a book called In the Belly of the Green Bird.
ThePrinciples: Many will consider it a cheap insult to call the pres an alcoholic. But recovering alcoholics, w/ steady doses of humility and rigorous honesty, can become extraordinary human beings. It is no insult to be an alcoholic. However, an alcoholic who simply controls his drinking, w/o taking the time to examine the many defects of character that fueled his destructive behavior, only grows more dangerous. There is a term for this unhappy creature -dry drunk. Bush's problems are not only personal. By necessity, they have become the problems of our entire country. And our country is like the family of an alcoholic, devastated by the drinker's actions but powerless to stop them. Having observed the prez's behavior in office, I wonder if perhaps not only the pres, but also his administration, suffers from alcoholism. After all, arrogance & the inability to take responsibility for one's actions (classic alcoholic traits) have become trademarks of the Bush presidency." Could explain many unbelievable arrogances, no?
Holy crap! Dave Chappelle's special psychic Negrodamus was correct about a serious career change on the horizon at The View.... Q: Negrodamus, what's going to happen to Star Jones on The View? Negrodamus: I'm getting something, First she's going to host The View, and then she'll take off her wig, and do the weather. Funny, but Negrodamus didn't mention Jones' hatred of upcoming host Rosie O'Donnell as the cause of this career move. Oh... that would be b/c he was too busy predicting this about Rosie: "Rosie O'Donnell will get a sex change, marry Liza Minelli's ex-husband David Gest, and will beat him." I wonder if Negrodamus picked up on an upcoming catfight vibe when comedian Sandra Bernhard handed The View's Kool-Aid drinker Elizabeth Hasselbeck her ass when asked about Lithium Laura Bush?
Viagra that is NOT Limbaugh's is Confiscated  You couldn't make this crap up if you tried: "Less than 2 mos after striking a deal to avoid criminal prosecution, conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh was detained for more than 3 hrs Mon at Palm Beach Internatl Airport after customs agents found a bottle of Viagra prescribed to someone else in his luggage. Limbaugh arrived on a private plane from the Dominican Republic about 2pm and walked into a private terminal. A US Customs & Border Protection officer checked his luggage and found the bottle containing 29 blue Viagra tablets. The label listed the names of 2 doctors; Limbaugh told officials they were his personal physicians in FL. Limbaugh's name was nowhere on the bottle, sheriff's office said. The incident comes as Limbaugh waits in legal limbo, a felony charge of doctor-shopping still hanging over his head. Prosecutors charged him w/ the crime in late April, but entered an agreement w/ him whereby the charge would be dropped after 18 mos upon completion of substance-abuse treatment. He is required to submit to random drug analysis. According to the deferred-prosecution agreement, Limbaugh must refrain from violation of any law. If prosecutors determine the Viagra possession to be a crime, Limbaugh could again face the felony doctor-shopping charge. Doctor-shopping is a 3rd-degree felony punishable by up to 5 yrs in prison." Whatever will the Religious Fright crowd say about the thrice drug re-habbed, thrice divorced and very single Rush taking Viagra along w/him on a vacation to the Dominican Republic-- the place where the pimps roam free and the child prostitutes are cheaper than a steak? Probably nothing. B/c according to them, a man (even a rapist) using an Rx to get it up is OK, but a female using an Rx to abort, or to prevent pregnancy, or obtaining a vaccine to prevent cancer is sinful. Think he was up to some sexual hijinks of the Neil Bush variety when doing a bit of travel in a 3rd World nation? Or maybe he was just being his regular fat- conservative- butthead- self- with- the- face- of- a- horse's -ass?
So, the Bush cabal wants to kill the messenger (only The NYT & LA Times, though... notice the conservative WSJ gets a pass) and cry "treason!". Well, it appears that Bush personally has done a "heckuva job" repeatedly letting the wartime secret surveillence kittens out of the bag all by himself, not to mention what about this from CounterTerrorismBlog?: "Reports on US monitoring of SWIFT transactions have been out there for some time. The information was fairly well known by terrorism financing experts back in 2002. The information was incorporated in our report to the UN Security Council in Dec '02. That report is still available on the UN Website. Paragraph 31 of the report states: "The settlement of internatl transactions is usually handled thru correspondent banking relationships or large-value message and payment systems, such as the SWIFT, Fedwire or CHIPS systems in the US. Such internatl clearance centres are critical to processing internatl banking transactions and are rich w/ payment info. The US has begun to apply new monitoring techniques to spot and verify suspicious transactions. The Group recommends the adoption of similar mechanisms by other countries." The fact is that there is really very little privacy today when it comes to the internatl transfer of funds. (And as I have been screaming from the rooftops for the past few days)... That is why criminal networks, money launderers and terrorist groups have increasingly turned to Hawalas and cash couriers for such transactions. Oh, but that's right... leaks are only OK when BushCo does it.
Want to learn about how morally depraved BushCo's war has made doctors become? (via TIME): On June 27th, a book called Oath Betrayed by medical ethicist Dr. Stephen Miles is coming out. It is a harrowing documentation of how the military medical profession has been corrupted by the Bush-Rumsfeld interrogation rules at detention centers and prisons." Now, as if violating the Hippocratic Oath isn't bad enough, imagine having one of these doctors take care of you or your child after committing these acts... no thanks. That's a lil too Dr Mengele-esque for me.
Via YouTube, a Prison Planet interview (Part One and Part Two) w/ former infantry soldier and Loose Change producer Corey Rowe. He discusses his experiences in Iraq, including mistaken civilian killings, the insurgency, how soldiers are kept in the dark thru media blackouts, violations of the Geneva Conventions, and how the military and the media set up "fake" battle scenes and broadcast/ report on them as a media- propaganda push. After watching this interview, I am more convinced than ever that DivaJood and I were absolutely correct when we said we fear for these brave Loose Change film producers' lives.
The top Amer commander in Iraq, Gen Goerge Casey, has drafted a plan that projects sharp reductions in the US military presence there by the end of 2007, with the first cuts coming this Sept (hmm, just in time for the Nov elections?). Let's try to put aside that this Pentagon troop withdrawal plan is the twin of the rejected Dem plan that was touted by the Repukes as a "cut and run" plan... but did Cheney know of Casey's redeployment plan when he said that the Dems' redeployment plan was "the worst possible thing?" Oh my, that just couldn't be true, could it? Why that would mean that The Big Dick was putting partisanship above natl security policy? No wonder Sen Biden said this to Wolf Blitzer about Cheney when The Big Dick said it would be horrible to pull our troops out of Iraq: " BLITZER: You want to respond to the vice president, Sen Biden? BIDEN: No, I don't want to respond to him. He's at 20% in the polls. No one listens to him. He has no credibility. It's ridiculous." Uh... yep.
Would you like ice with that?  First we find out that due to BushCo's reversal of Clinton era protections to keep deadly mercury out of our oceans, lakes, rivers, etc that now women who are of childbearing age (ya know... all of us "pre-pregnant" females) should avoid eating fish at all b/c the mercury levels are off the charts. Now we have this next BushCo environmental jawdropper: "Factory farms could decide if they need a fedrl permit to discharge animal waste into lakes, rivers and streams under a proposal issued Thurs by the EPA. The agency said the proposed rule "furthers the statutory goal of restoring and maintaining the nation's water quality," but critics contend it lets some of the nation's largest polluters off the hook... Some of the largest facilities have capacities that exceed one million animals and EPA estimates the nation's CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) produce some 500 million tons of animal waste annually. CAFOs store waste in massive open-air lagoons or dispose of it on land, where spills and runoff can contaminate drinking water supplies, kill fish and spread serious life threataning diseases. The revised proposal allows CAFO operators to define what constitutes pollution discharge and to decide if they should apply for a Clean Water permit." Boy that sure is reassuring huh? THEY get to decide if they need to apply for a Clean Water permit. So how appealing is this phrase gonna sound at restaurants & lemonade stands?: "Would you like ice w/that glass of poop?"
In an unexpected move, the published plan of Iraq's al-Maliki removed a demand for the Govt to agree upon a timeline for the withdrawal of foreign forces based on the readiness of Iraqi troops. Makes me wonder if al-Maliki suddenly woke up to a bloody horse head on his pillow?... freshly delivered to him from an undisclosed horse ranch in a state, say like perhaps Texas or maybe Wyoming, of course.
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep Peter King (R-NY), urged the Bush admin on Sunday to seek criminal charges against The New York Times for reporting on a secret financial-monitoring program used to trace terrorists: "I am asking the Att Gen to begin an investigation and prosecution of The NYTs -the reporters, the editors and the publisher. We're at war, and for the Times to release info about secret operations and methods is treasonous." Oh yes, there is that magic Neo-Con word: Treasonous. King also said the paper is "pompous, arrogant, and more concerned about a left-wing elitist agenda than it is about the security of the American people." Funny, but the EXACT same thing could be said of the Repukes and their beloved empty-headed Emperor Bush. Let's examine Bush's MANY pompous, arrogant, and more concerned about a Rightwing corporatist, racist, religious, and pro- wealthy agenda than he is about the security of the Amer people actions, shall we?: 1) Has absolutely not secured America's borders & ports, and instead has made them more porous. 2) Engages in 750+ signing statements so he can selectively ignore and cherry pick which parts of the law he chooses to. 3) Trumped up "evidence" to launch a FIRST EVER pre-emptive war-- a war which has left our military and our economy decimated. 4) Violates every tenet of the separation of church of state, and since our Founding Fathers were Deists NOT Christians, don't even try that spew of "we're a Christian nation". 5) Violates internatl laws and treaties to torture and detain. 6) Acts like he is a King by treating Congress as an unwanted step-child-- and willingly violates the respect and equal powers that are given to all the branches of govt, NOT just the Executive Branch. 7) Is purposefully bankrupting our nation's economic future with out of control spending. 8) Is putting our natl security at risk by making America drown in debt to Communist China. 9) Violates every American citizen's Constitutionally guaranteed right of the 4th Amendment in regard to illegally warantlessly spying on us. 10) Quietly enters the US into a trade agreement (with no consent from we the people or our elected officials) w/ Mexico's Vincente Fox and Canada's then PM Paul Martin that will erase our sovereignty, further decimate our economy, and form a N American union that mimics the EU. So, Pete King, who is the REAL treasonous enemy of our natl security?
GuardianUK: So, it appears that an IT expert provided evidence to and tried to warn police about those homegrown London bombers, but he and his evidence were completely ignored. Makes ya wonder who wanted the bombings to happen so the propaganda could be cranked out, eh? At least some people get how ridiculous this BushCo dog an pony show is: "The alarming news flashed across America's TVs: govt agents had thwarted an al-Qaeda plot by home-grown Amer terrorists, who wanted to blow up the Sears Tower. When the dust had settled barely 24 hrs later, a rather more modest version of events had emerged. The 7 men arrested had never been in touch w/ al-Qaeda, and had no explosives. Their "plan" to destroy America's tallest building was little more than wishful thinking, expressed by one of them to an FBI informant purporting to be a member of bin Laden's terrorist organization. Even the FBI admitted as much. But that didn't deter Att Gen Gonzales from summoning a press conference where he denounced an attempt to "wage war against America". But the threat, even he admitted, was not immediate - and those who posed it were in fact merely a few semi-unemployed men, most of them petty criminals, from a poor black neighborhood of Miami." B/c God knows, when there is an opportunity to hype and whore fear out to the masses, Abu Ghraib Gonzales is the man to call upon. We gotta herald BushCo's "triumphs" in the war on 'terra, no matter how trumped they are, ya know.
Army age limit: Age 42 now. Chickenhawks, Keyboard & Couch Commandos Enlist!  While Afghani Prez Karzai asked us to "stop killing his nation's civilians," our VP Cheney jaw droppingly announced that the US would NEVER be leaving Iraq ("If we pull out, [the terrorists in Iraq] will follow us. It doesn't matter where we go. ... And it will continue-- whether we complete the job or not in Iraq --only it'll get worse. Iraq will become a safe haven for terrorists.") I guess we should have expected this, no? (via Military.Com): For the 2nd time in 6 mos, the Army is raising the maximum enlistment age for new recruits, this time from age 40 to 42. The increase to age 42 applies to both men & women, and older applicants are eligible for the same enlistment bonuses/ other incentives available to any other applicant. Adding an additional 2 yrs to the entry limit "expands the recruiting pool, provides motivated individuals an opportunity to serve, and strengthens the readiness of Army units," spokesman for the Army’s Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, KY said." Now there are some who think this is great. They'll say: Older folks can offer a lot of life experience -especially prior military service experience. What do I say to that? Umm... ok, sure. But they're not talking about prior service, they are taking about 1st time enlistees up to age 42. That in and of itself smacks of desperation. In addition to that, the tech/support positions that would be so obvious for a "seasoned" yet eager vet to fill are exactly the jobs that are being axed under Rumsfeld's decree of the "transformation of the military" These jobs are all being pimped out to private contractors. So, it looks like grandpa will have to strap on his combat boots and brave the IEDs of Iraq afterall. Well, grandpa alone can't fight this war. So, to all of those age 30 & 40+ Chickenhawks, Keyboard & Couch Commandos: Buh-bye. To quote the ever eloquent Bill Maher: "New Rule: The people in America who are most in favor of the Iraq war must now go there and fight it. If they're that certain these days that George Bush is always that right about everything, then going to Iraq to fulfill the glorious leader's vision would seem the least one could do. Now, I know you're thinking, but, Bill, I already do my part with the "Support Our Troops" magnet I have on my Chevy Tahoe. How much more can 1 man give? It's been over a yr since the Bush Twins graduated. Why don't they sign up? Do they hate America or just freedom in general? And that goes for everybody who helped sell this war. You've got to go 1st. Brooks & Dunn, drop your cocks and grab your socks! Ann Coulter, darling, trust me, you will love the Army. You think you make up shit! Curt Schilling, b-bye! You ended the curse on Boston. Good. Let's try your luck in Falluja. Oh, and that Republican Baldwin brother, he's got to go so that Ted Nugent has someone to frag. But mostly, we have to send Mr & Mrs Britney Spears. B/c Britney once said, "We should trust our president in every decision that he makes, and we should just support that & be faithful in what happens." Ok, somebody has to die for that. Or at least go." Yeah, buh-bye Britney. And say howdy to those yellow chickenhawks who herald the killing and bloodletting, yet have refused to serve and/or pay for the war with a pound of their own flesh or their own money.
My oh my... whatever will the Neo-Con War Fans say about this turn of events? (via MSNBC): "A timetable for withdrawal of occupation troops from Iraq. Amnesty for all insurgents who attacked US and Iraqi military targets. Release of all security detainees from US and Iraqi prisons. Compensation for victims of coalition military operations. Those sound like the demands of some of the insurgents themselves, and in fact they are. But they're also key clauses of a natl reconciliation plan drafted by new Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki"... ya know, yet another male world leader whose eyes Bush deeply looked into and assessed his soul... and then wrongly predicted what that man's political policy would be. Wow. How many Repukes are gonna rally behind this plan? Will they now start smearing and accusing al-Maliki of wanting to "cut & run"? Hmm, I also wonder if Coulter will hope that al-Maliki is fragged for "daring" to demand these things for his OWN country? If al-Maliki were to become unexpectedly dead, I guess the War Fans would just nonchalantly tally it to the Iraqi Death Toll which tops over 50,000 (and I seriously wonder if that number is anywhere near high enough). We lost 3K on 9/11. 50K divided by 3K = 16. How would we feel if we had over sixteen 9/11's happen to us? Only that number of 50K dead is much worse in Iraq b/c they are a nation of 26 million. America is a nation of 298 million. Big difference, no?
TelegraphUK: "Wives & family members of UK soldiers fighting in Iraq have received telephone calls, believed to include death threats, from insurgents, according to military documents. The "nuisance" calls have been made with increasing frequency over the past few wks after insurgents managed to obtain home numbers from soldiers' mobile telephones. Man, I am no Nostradamus, but did I predict this on my post on June 1 or what when I said: "Personal info on 26.5 million vets that was stolen from a Veterans Affairs employee this month not only included Soc Sec numbers and birth dates but in many cases phone numbers and addresses. Hmm, I bet that info could be mighty handy to a terrorist if they wanted to seek revenge for Bush's beloved war, no?" And BushCo wonders why we libs are so fucking pissed off over these incompetents possessing our info thru the NSA and financial data mining banks?
The "Miami Muslim" Gravytrain  Now, I'm not about to say that the FBI arresting folks who are ACTUAL terrorists is a bad thing. Quite the contrary, but this entire "Miami/ Muslim terrorist ring" smells to high heaven. Here's why: 1) When a bit of fearmongering is needed, the admin knows that they cannot raise the terror alerts as they did during previous campaigns b/c that ruse is old, tired, and worn out. Plus, we've already been told by former DHS Dir Tom Ridge that he raised those rates to scare people at the behest of BushCo. 2) Isn't it just waaay too convenient that this all went down in brother Jebby's state? Ya know, it'll make both Bush bros look like terrorist-ass kicking heroes? Now, I'd like to claim that this next compendium of "fishy facts" about the "Miami Muslims" as mine, but they're not. These dazzling gems of fact belong to BuzzFlash: The Bush Admin's claim of foiling an attempt to destroy the Sears Tower was propaganda exaggerated to distract and mislead us. While we have not denied there were indeed rumors and boasts of committing acts of terror, a careful examination of the facts makes it clear that the Miami group was not as serious a threat as portrayed in the media. They had no operational ability beyond their mouths. Here is what we found: A) No terrorist connections: Group "never met Bin Laden or had any contact with the terror kingpin's henchmen… In fact, they had no connection to any known terrorist organization." (NY Daily News). B) No actual terrorist actions: No bomb making materials were found in the raids." (CNN.com), "Only overt acts described in the indictments were swearing oaths of allegiance to Al Qaeda and taking video footage of the F.B.I office." (NY Times), 6 of the 7 men indicted "are described only as driving (the leader) or the informer places or as attending meetings between the two." (NY Times), "Only devised a plot on paper." (Chicago Sun-Times). C) Officials dismiss serious risk: Chicago Police: There was "No credible threat… They had no capability to (destroy the Sears tower). They never got to that pt – or could have." (NY Daily News), Sears Tower executive: "Law enforcement continues to tell us that they have never found evidence of a credible terrorism threat against Sears Tower that has gone beyond criminal discussions." (Chicago Sun-Times), Senior federal law-enforcement source: "No means" to attack Sears Tower or other buildings. "There was no threat at all." (Chicago Tribune), Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communication Exec Director: "The plan developed in FL was never an actual plan, and therefore, nobody was in danger" (CBS News). Bush has said for yrs that the pt of going to Iraq was to draw out terrorists there to prevent them from coming here. If anything, the most newsworthy aspect of this story is that the suspects were largely Americans, operating w/in our borders, and not even Arab, which means that our focus on War in Iraq does not address threats that could be more immediate." What do I think? I think this entire thing was trumped up by BushCo so they could justify domestic spying and further eradicate our civil rights. They know that the war in Iraq has accomplished nothing, except made the US look like internatl warmongers and has hindered our ability to defend our nation from others. But, since the London bombers were homegrown, the Madrid train bombers were homegrown, & the Canadian group were homegrown, BushCo figures they had better hop on this fearmongering gravytrain while the gettin' is still good. So you have to ask yourself this blood curdling question: Who are the real terrorists?
So, since when does Ricky Santorum gets to wave around CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS at a Fox News' camera while being interviewed? (but oh yeeeah... Cheney says it is the NYTs who is "aiding the enemy" by going foward w/the news that BushCo has been warantlessly perusing the financial records of 1000s of Americans and businesses??). Oh... silly me... Ricky gets to do that when BushCo suddenly decides to "newly declassify those documents" in the middle of a political dog and pony show (AND while Iraqis are forced to call a state of emergency in Baghdad b/c everything's coming up roses over there). Take a gander at this flash video that stomps Santorum's WMD fantasy. And listen to this ex-Marine bitchslap that GOP-whore /criminal Col Ollie North as he tries to WMD-pimp for Pious Ricky.
What a pathetic & spineless jackass Tony Snowjob truly is: "Helen, will you stop heckling and let me conduct a press conference... Well no, I'm making an argument, and you're, you're pestering the teacher..." God bless that Old Bat's heart... I wish our beloved Helen would grip that sniveling worm by the snowballs and make him squeal like the bitch he really is.
GOP:We don't need no stinking troop withdrawals  Sure more will be killed. But rest assured, none of the dead will be loved ones of the cabal at the White House. So, 5 Deferments Dick lies thru his teeth about having an actual plan in Iraq, and 2... count 'em, 2 Dem proposals to withdraw troops were tossed aside as the Repukes revealed their "strategy." No silly... not in Iraq, but one to fight the Dems (via NYTs): "A sr Bush adviser said the WH had concluded that it was better to plunge aggressively into the debate on Iraq than to let Dems play upon clear, public misgivings about the war. "This is going to be a big issue in this election," said the adviser, who was granted anonymity in exchange for agreeing to describe strategic considerations about the war. "Better to shape and fight it- as good and strongly as you can- than to try to run away from it." Oh, I see. Don't actually come up with a plan to stop the bloodletting, but instead keep spewing out the old and tired mantra of "Dems just want to cut and run." Umm, could someone please tell me WTF is the diference between "standing down as they Iraqis stand up" and cutting & running? And everything uses timelines and benchmarks. For example: When you graduate from high school, you have some goals to reach, or else you will never leave your parents' home, or face them tossing you out. You have to decide if you want to: a) Go to college/ get some kind of training. b) Forget school and get a job. c) Go to school part time and work OR d) Do none of the above, just hole up in mom/ dad's basement, smoke pot, and be a creepy online loser/ stalker. See? Everything has benchmarks and timetables before full independence happens. When will BushCo say that a free and democratic Iraq exists? When we have 1 wk or month or yr free of car bombings, beheadings, police run torture, and zero secular violence? Oh... so I guess we're NEVER leaving, are we?
As if we needed more proof of that obvious fact? (via CNN): A Wash Post op-ed piece by William Perry (Clinton's sec of def) and Ashton Carter (Clinton's assistant sec of def) advocates a pre-emptive strike to destroy the N Korean test missile: "The US should immediately make clear its intention to strike and destroy the N Korean missile before it can be launched." Cheney said: "While I appreciate Bill's advice, such an action could worsen the situation. I think, at this stage, we are addressing the issue in the proper fashion ... obviously, if you are going to launch strikes at another nation, you better be prepared to not fire just 1 shot. The fact of the matter is, I think, the issue is being addressed appropriately." Now, I am 100% pro-diplomacy until blue in the face, but the pt here is the complete hypocrisy: In Bush World, pre-emptively taking out a nuclear test missile is NOT appropriate, but pre-emptively invading and now occupying a nation that possessed no WMDs at all (despite what insanity fellow shit-bag Santorum spews) was appropriate? I guess that means there is no bloodmoney for the war profiteers to be made in N Korea, huh? Or maybe the real truth is this: We are up to our hairlines in this bloodletting in Iraq and the Taliban has returned stronger than ever in Afghanistan, so we are so bogged down and battle weary, that we are incapable of being "prepared to not fire just 1 shot," huh? Not being able to defend the US or diplomatically work it out. Wow, how do the Repukes honestly say they are stronger on defense? Oh... key word is HONESTLY.
Oh yeah... this latest WARANTLESS Big Brother move is exactly what we need to add to the pile of BushCo spying (via NYTimes): "Under a secret Bush admin program initiated wks after the Sept 11 attacks, counterterrorism officials have gained access to financial records from a vast internatl database and examined banking transactions involving 1000s of Americans and others in the US, according to govt and industry officials. The program is limited, govt officials say, to tracing transactions of people suspected of ties to Al Qaeda by reviewing records from the nerve center of the global banking industry, a Belgian cooperative that routes about $6 trillion daily between banks, brokerages, stock exchanges & other institutions. The records mostly involve wire transfers and methods of moving money overseas, or into/ out of the US. Most routine financial transactions confined to this country are not in the database." Oh yeah, and merely telling us that "most financial transactions in this country are not in the database" is supposed to be reassuring and credible? No thanks. I wouldn't trust them w/my cat's info, plus BushCo has burned up all credibility. And do they really think they will "catch" financial transactions involving members of al-Qaida. Guess they are not familiar with the preferred method of terrorist money laundering: Hawala? While they're busy persuing financial records, think they could track down that missing $21 billion in Iraq?
Guess 'ol Al Gore appears pretty damn vindicated now, eh?: "A panel of top climate scientists told lawmakers that Earth is heating up, that the warmth is unprecedented for at least the last 400 yrs, but that it may be 2000 yrs and possibly much longer since Earth has run such a fever, and that "human activities are responsible for much of the recent warming." Whatever will the GOPers say? 1st they said global warming wasn't happening. Then they said it was happening, but it wasn't humans causing it. Then they said humans might be causing it, but it wasn't a big deal. Then they said it might be a big deal but there was nothing we could do about it. Then they said that global warming would be great because we could grow crops in regions where they never grew before. What's next? They will offer to put duct tape over Coulter, Hannity, Limbaugh, Malkin & O'Reilly's mouths since they expel such massive quantities of HOT, NOXIOUS gas?
Bob Novak (yes, the CIA Plame leaker, CNN cursing, and general GOP douchebag ) has this to say about Rep Murtha: "Jack Murtha proves there are 2nd acts in American politics. I had forgotten that federal prosecutors designated him an unindicted co-conspirator in the Abscam investigation 26 yrs ago." Oh, so that is how Novak wants to play things. Forget that this "revelation" is well known. C'mon... Wikipedia has it. Did Novak "scoop" their "scoop"? But I guess this means that any and all past unindicted transgressions & sins of GOPers are fair game, huh? When will Novak dig up dirt on Iran-Contra? What about those Iran-Contra criminals who served BushI & Bush II? The US trained assassins at the School of the Americas? The Cntrl American death squads paid for by Reagan? What about the boy-sex ring that took place in the Reagan/Bush I White House? Need I go on? And if this is how the Repukes want to play, then by all means, Rove's unindicted co-conspirator status should be mentioned in every sentence his name appears.
The Wash Post says that Bob Ney (R-OH) apparently lied to Senate investigators about help he had given one of Jack Abramoff's tribal clients. The Ney story is part of the 357-pg report and document dump coming out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. As the scandals rack up with those with the "R" next to their name, it makes blowjobs & cold cash in a freezer pale in comparison, no?
Well, it looks like Lou has decided that this topic is in fact very important and worthy of attention (via CNN:) DOBBS: "The Bush WH, supported by corporate America and special interests, is building a superhighway dividing this country, a superhighway that will run between Mexico and Canada. Bill Tucker is reporting: "The NAFTA Superhighway trade route begins at Mexico's ports on the W Coast and runs all the way up to Kansas City, w/ facilities there known as the K.C. SmartPort. The combo of reduced inspections at the borders and surging Chinese goods coming thru Mexican ports are raising concerns about security. And while proponents tout the benefit of capitalizing on the trade flow, critics see a darker reality. It reduces economic growth & drives our need for imports. Which means that the once proud Amer economy is now relying on the output of other countries for goods that were once made in America. DOBBS: It also means that the ports of the US, particularly along the W Coast, will be augmented by those Mexican ports. And those goods will be shipped in Mexican trucks, driven by Mexican drivers, through the heart of the US. What are the odds this is going to be stopped? TUCKER: None. DOBBS: Well, let's change the odds. It's America." America indeed. I hope Lou keeps beating this drum daily. Again: Thanks Earl. By blogging the truth and asking the media to look into it, you and I can keep spreading facts and important info.
I Contacted Lou Dobbs. He Listened!  On Monday, I wrote a post called NAFTA Super Highway: Soon to Screw You. Earl's post called Have You Heard about the NAFTA Super Highway? at his Radio Blog was the inspiration for the post b/c I had never heard about this devious Bush/ Vincente Fox/ Paul Martin under the radar assault on the middle class. Well, late Sunday night while preparing my post for Mon, I went to Lou Dobbs' CNN site (I may not always agree w/ what Lou says, but he is always pro-union & pro-mid class) and I contacted him w/ a short synopsis of the NAFTA Super Highway info, links to Earl's blog & to the Kansas City Smart Port site (which will be the hub of anti-union activity and slave labor goods from Mexico & Cntrl America), and I included a question for Lou: Were you aware of this Bush plan, and if so, could you please cover it so more people could learn about it? I then emailed Earl to tell him that I had passed on his post's info and links to Lou. (Ask Earl. He can verify all of this.) Well... Weds night we are all in the kitchen getting dinner ready while Lou is on and he announces this: "Also tonight, the Bush administration is pushing ahead w/ a plan to create a N. American union w/ Canada & Mexico. You haven't heard about that? Well, that's b/c Congress hasn't been consulted, nor the American people. We will have that special report." I couldn't believe it! Lou listened to me. Little 'ol me in podunk Ohio. Read the show's transcript here for the full report by Bill Tucker. And guess what? Lou used this very topic for his nightly poll question: "It brings us to the subject of our poll tonight: Do you think maybe somebody should take a vote if we're going to merge the US with Canada and Mexico, maybe, you know, people like you and me vote? Yes or no." Holy crap! Little 'ol me in podunk Ohio inspired Lou Dobbs' poll question... now I wonder if Lou will give me one of those damn books he always gives to his viewers whose comments are read on the air?
Forget that ONLY Fox decided to pick up this "news"... but embarrassingly, Sen Rick Santorum with Rep Peter Hoekstra, announced Weds that newly declassified evidence proves the existence of WMDs in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. Santorum went on the Senate floor and touted this "new" info. And also forget the fact that of course there were some chemical weapons somewhere in Iraq. However, just as was found (and was conclusively proven in the following reports 1.) The Final Report of the Iraq Survey Group (aka the Duelfer Report) released in Sept/ 04. 2.) The Addendums to the Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the DCI on Iraq’s WMD released in Mar/ 05. and 3.) The Report to the Pres from the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the US Regarding WMD (aka the Silberman-Robb Commission) released in Mar/ 05.), the age and state of decay of the chemical weapons was a clear indication that they had been made before 1991 and that there was no active Iraqi WMDs program as his fellow GOP forked tongued evildoers in the Oval Office had so blatantly fabricated in order to illegally launch and profit from war. I guess when Bush himself admitted in '04 that there were no WMDs, that he was mistaken, huh? My take on why Ricky would make such a public ass of himself (as if that greasy hair & face of his isn't enough): Ricky can't read and/or is incapable of cognitive thought. C'mon, the guy obviously can't read a map either. How else can you explain him ignoring his requirement to ACTUALLY LIVE IN PA in order to be a Pennsylvania Senator when he really lives in VA?
The GOP can't for 1 second think of the average American voter: "The Republican-controlled Senate refused Weds to raise the minimum wage, rejecting a proposal from Dems for the 1st increase in nearly a decade. The vote was 52-46, eight short of the 60 needed." (See these fascinating "minimum wage state by state" maps here). But isn't it amazing that "the House Repub leadership scurried up to the Rules Committee hearing rm for an EMERGENCY meeting they convened w/ 5 mins notice? Literally. Wonder where the fire was? Well the topic the GOPers chose for emergency consideration ... H.R. 5638, the Repub Estate Tax Relief bill, to further reduce the estate-tax after the yr 2011. Yes, estate-tax reduction, which would benefit less than 1% of the population."
The GOP = Racists. Period. End of discussion: "The nation's most successful civil rts law, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which has enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress for over 40 yrs and has been reauthorized 4 times by both Dem & GOP presidents, was derailed Weds in the House. A small group of House Repukes, incl Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) hijacked an important vote to renew key protections in a law that has changed the face of Amer politics. Ya remember Westmoreland, no? He is the guy who wants the 10 Commandments on display in the House of Reps & in the Senate, yet when asked by Stephen Colbert to name all 10 of the Commandments, he can only "piously" name 3. What is the problem w/ the VRA of '65? The group of Repukes claims that it is punitive." "The reversal represented a significant embarrassment for the GOP leadership, which had promised a vote to extend the act, the '65 law that is credited w/ ending rampant discrimination at the polls and electing black officeholders throughout the South." Hey GOP assclowns: Wanna know what is actually punitive? Nasty racist electoral fraud in the '04 election and in the 2000 Sup Crt presidential "selection" in the very Southern state of FL. Let these despicable Good Old Boys hear from us about their odious vote.
In case any of you didn't happen to catch or TIVO PBS's Frontline on Dick Cheney aptly called The Dark Side, I highly recommend you view it online in its entirety here. It is chilling. It is frightening. But most of all, it is accurate and that is why it is so damn depressing. But... w/all of that being said, it treated Bush like almost like an incompetent child who is somehow not as responsible as his cabal, and it may explain HOW Cheney, Rumsfeld & the PNAC got us into Iraq, but what it doesn't explain is WHY we went into Iraq. For that, I suggest you check out Antonia Juhasz's interview at Democracy Now!, and Juhasz's site and speaking tour about her book called The Bush Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time. If Juhasz's info doesn't convince you of the "WHY" behind the Iraq invasion and occupation, then please check out John Perkins' interview on Democracy Now!. He is the author of "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man", and his take on the true BushCo agenda will make your blood run cold.
My beautiful Summer Solstice baby  "Little girls are precious gifts, wrapped in love serene. Their dresses tied with sashes and futures tied with dreams." Happy Birthday my beautiful BabyGirl. I love you with all my heart, and while I happily celebrate the day of your birth, it makes me so sad to realize that the years have flown by so quickly. You are no longer my tiny baby, but you will always be my beloved BabyGirl. I pray you never get tired of me hugging you, kissing you, telling you how very proud I am of you and how much I love you.
TheAustralian-News: The mutilated bodies of 2 MIA soldiers (Pvt Thomas Tucker, 25, from OR & Pvt Kristian Menchaca, 23, from TX) were found. The discovery of the bodies came as 3 US soldiers were charged w/ premeditated murder after being accused of shooting three detainees north of Baghdad on May 9 and then threatening to kill a fellow soldier if he told the truth about the incident. In an exclusive interview w/ The Australian, former US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage has given a gloomy assessment of the Iraq situation: He said he believed the Iraqis would soon ask the US to leave their country. The most optimistic scenario following a US withdrawal would be that Iraq would become a loose federation -- although the term federation would not be used because it upsets neighboring Turkey -- w/ a weak central govt. Armitage was equally gloomy about Afghanistan, especially in the south, where violence was worsening, and he said several factors were driving the renewed violence in Afghanistan including drugs which provided money for numerous warlords, the fierce return of the Taliban, and this: "Five yrs after the overthrow of the Taliban, the ordinary people don't see much change in their lives." As depressing as this assessment is, at least 1 Republican isn't trying to blow sunshine up our asses and can see the forrest thru the trees. Unfortunately, he no longer works in the WH, so Bush and his cabal could care less.
Well... we knew it would it happen. The uncle of Pvt Menchaca is attacked for not bowing down at Bush's feet in thankful praise for his nephew's death. B/c God knows, if you aren't deleriously clapping your hands and praising the Lord and King George Bush for putting your loved one in harm's way in this BushCo debacle and mammoth clusterfuck, then you deserve to be smeared. And of course... Limbaugh lies... and lies. I wish that bloated son of a Republican whore had overdosed on some that hillbilly heroin he was/is so fond of. Instead of smearing the grieving relative of the dead soldier, why aren't these War Fans and Couch Commandos asking these questions?: Why were 3 privates left ALONE on a security detail?? WTF kind of security detail is that in a known combat zone?? Add to this egregious loss this: 1 additional soldier was killed and 12 were injured while searching for the 2 MIA soldiers.
On a day when we hear news like this: "2 California soldiers shot to death in Iraq were murdered by Iraqi civil-defense officers patrolling w/ them, military investigators have found." we hear news like this: NYTimes: "The Senate's debate over the war in Iraq turned highly emotional Tues afternoon, as the lawmakers reacted to reports of the killing, torture, and mutilation of 2 US soldiers by adopting 2 measures opposing amnesty for Iraqis who attack US troops. By a vote of 79 to 19, the Senate voted to declare that it objects to any such amnesty. Read the text of the measure here. And just who are the 19 who voted to give amnesty to KNOWN persons who attack/kill our US troops? ALL REPUBLICANS. See the list of 19 here. Now I am not arguing about the morals, ins, outs, rights, or wrongs of the situation in terms of amnesty for the Iraqis who attack/kill our troops (many would say that if our troops hadn't have killed, tortured, maim Iraqis, the Iraqis might not be vengeful) but in terms of political fodder, this is a serious piece of ammunition. I sure wouldn't want to be 1 of these 19 at election time and have to explain why you felt that the killers/torturers of Pvt Tucker and Pvt Menchaca deserved amnesty.
Now I ask you: WTF is going on here? (via CNN): "JAMIE MCINTYRE: Well, the claim made on an Islamist Web site that traditionally broadcasts messages from the insurgency, the claim, is that the replacement for al-Zarqawi, a man named as Abu al-Masri, personally killed these 2 soldiers." BUT... last night on Countdown, Keith mentioned that Richard Clark said that the "terrorist/NYC cynanide claim" was all bogus, and that Clark also said that al-Masri is NOT Al-Qaida's new leader, and Evan Kohlmann of Counter Terrorism Org said this: "Within days of Zarqawi's passing, the Pentagon focused its attention primarily on a little-known Egyptian called Abu al-Masri--who, for most of us, first surfaced in a CENTCOM most wanted list about a yr and a half ago. When Al-Qaida subsequently announced that Zarqawi's actual successor would actually be another unknown named Abu al-Muhajir, the Pentagon revised their earlier statement and Maj Genrl William Caldwell explained to a press conference, "We think that al-Masri is in fact, probably al-Muhajir. They are probably one and the same." Unfortunately, this conclusion has been called into serious doubt by a host of fairly credible sources. Many in the jihadist community that support Al-Qaida are openly scoffing at Caldwell's latest press conference and they have called upon the Al-Qaida-umbrella group the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) to issue a new statement and clear up these "lies." Kohlmann also says that w/the deaths of the 2 MIA soldiers, that the media has fallen for the apparant hoax. Ya know what I think? I think the US currently has al-Masri in a glass box w/these words on it: Do Not Open til Bush's Poll Numbers are Circling the Bowl, and then like a thunderbolt on a sunny day *poof* we will be seeing al-Masri's dead and bloated face in a lovely gold framed picture. Why the hell not? Robert Suskind on CNN (hawking his new book) admitted that the CIA determined the bin Laden tape released the weekend before the '04 election helped Bush and that Osama wanted him re-elected.
Aljazeera: "US warplanes bombed a house and a poultry farm in a village in N.E. Baquba, then dropped soldiers to kill the survivors of the attack. AFP reports that an Iraqi police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the workers had been sleeping in the fields of the village when the attack occurred." Officially here, the US says it only killed insurgents. But here's the ABC News version of events: "Iraqi police have accused the US military of killing 15 farm workers during a raid near Baquba, north of Baghdad. The US Army says the dead men were all insurgents who had opened fire on soldiers during an operation in the area. The US military says its troops came under small arms fire from a rooftop as they approached a house during a raid. It says soldiers and attack helicopters returned fire, killing 15 insurgents. But Iraqi police and relatives of the dead men say the victims were poultry farm workers who had been sleeping in the fields when US troops attacked." Hmm. What is the truth? Who the hell knows anymore? I want to believe our soldiers, I really do. But when I see them composing songs called "Hadji Girl" and applauding when the Marine sings about pulling the lil sister of "Hadji Girl" in front of him so the lil girl can take the bullets coming at him... it is really hard to know what to believe anymore... and to not feel sickened.
Pentagon lists homosexuality as disorder  "For many centuries, homosexuality has been considered a deviant form of behavior. In the early 20th century, w/ the advance of medicine and the emergence of psychology, the view of homosexuality shifted. It went from being an immoral way of life to constituting a health condition probably caused by biological and developmental factors rather than by lack of morality. Homosexuals went from being immoral to being sick. Later, after the removal of homosexuality from the list of mental disorders by the American Psychiatric Assoc in 1973, people have increasingly come to regard homosexuality as a legitimate variation of sexual orientation." That is UNTIL now: "The Pentagon classifies homosexuality as a mental disorder on a document, decades after mental health experts abandoned that position. The document, called a Def Dept Instruction, was condemned by medical professionals, members of Congress and other experts, including the Amer Psychiatric Assoc. The document outlines retirement or other discharge policies for service members w/ physical disabilities, and in a section on defects lists homosexuality alongside mental retardation and personality disorders." Well, they got one tiny part right: People are born mentally retarded, AND people are born gay. People do not choose to be mentally retarded OR gay. But I guess when the military is just searching for an excuse to ditch gay service members, this provides them with a way to do it. huh? Interestingly, Congress members noted that other Pentagon regulations dealing w/ mental health do not include homosexuality on any lists of psychological disorders. And in a letter to Rummy on Mon, 9 lawmakers asked for a full review of all documents and policies to ensure they reflect that same standard. Maybe it's just me, but when N Korea is just about to launch a nuclear test missile, doesn't the Pentagon have more pressing issues to engage in than gay bashing? Like maybe this?: Dubai STILL controls 22 US ports.
Monday, over a 1 yr since he made this statement the 1st time, we have Cheney delusionally reiterating his insane bullshit spew of "the insurgency is in it's last throes", we also tragically have 2 US troops missing (which by the way, Tony Snowjob says is receiving too much media coverage... unlike the really important missing people like say Natalee Holloway or the Buggy Eyed Bride, eh Snowjob?), and we have this horror show from the Times UK: "The Al-Tub al-Adli morgue, whose nondescript appearance belies the horrors w/in, has become synonymous w/ the seemingly unstoppable violence that has turned Baghdad into the most frightening city on earth. Bodies from the nightly slaughter are dumped here each morning. The stench of decaying flesh, mingled w/ disinfectant, hits you at the checkpoint 100 yards away. Each corpse tells a different story about the terrors of Iraq. Some bodies are pocked w/ holes inflicted by torturers w/ power drills. Some show signs of strangulation; others, w/ hands tied behind the back, bear bullet wounds. Many are charred and dismembered. Arriving in a pickup truck, stacked on top of each other like "animal carcassses" are two 12 yr old boys: "Each had a piece of knotted green cloth tied around his neck and I could see they’d been strangled," the doctor said. He also noticed round holes that were slightly inflamed in several parts of their body, a sign that they had been tortured with electric drills before being killed. "Even their eyes had been drilled and only hollow sockets remained," he said." Oh yes, Big Dick. Things just can't get any rosier. If ya don't want to listen to Bill O'Reilly, maybe you could lend Iraqi Ambassador Khalilzad your ear. He already told you on in a cable sent back on May 6th how horrific things are in Iraq, but since when do you listen to Iraqis?
A giant hat tip goes to Earl's Radio Blog for this info that I was unaware of until he informed me: NAFTA's Super-Highway. Ever heard of it? Probably not. But fear not... unless of course you actually thought that securing our natl security was a post 9/11 priority and that having middle class Americans working and feeding their families meant something (via Earl): "Once complete, the new road will allow containers from the Far East to enter the US thru the Mexican port of Lazaro Cardenas, bypassing the Longshoreman's Union in the process. The Mexican trucks, w/o the involvement of the Teamsters Union, will drive on what will be the nation's most modern highway straight into the heart of America. The Mexican trucks will cross border in FAST lanes, checked only electronically by the new SENTRI system. The first customs stop will be a Mexican customs office in Kansas City, their new Smart Port complex, a facility being built for Mexico at a cost of $3 million to the US taxpayers in Kansas City. As incredible as this plan may seem to some, the first Trans-Texas Corridor segment of the NAFTA Super Highway is ready to begin construction next yr. Various US govt agencies, dozens of state agencies, and scores of private NGOs (non-govt orgs) have been working behind the scenes to create the NAFTA Super Highway, despite the lack of comment on the plan by Bush. None of this would be possible w/o the extensive work by the US Dept of Commerce working groups charged w/ implementing new regulations by the Strategic & Prosperity Partnership of N America, or SPP. The SPP agreement was reached between Bush, Mexico's Pres Vicente Fox and Canada's then PM Paul Martin during their March 05 summit meeting in Waco, TX. The Bush admin plan is to create a N American Union along the model of the EU, put in place by administrative regulations and departmental working groups under the SPP umbrella." Not fully scared and/or enraged? The Kansas City Smart Port site (on pdf) lays it all for you in gory -- yet sun shiney-- details.
1st we learn of females soldiers dropping dead from dehydration b/c they were afraid to drink fluids past early evening b/c it might require them to go pee in the middle of the night, b/c when they did go to pee, they were being raped by their fellow US soldiers. Now we have this: Suzanne Swift, a specialist with the 54th Military Police Co was arrested at her mother's house in Eugene, OR and held at the county jail before being escorted by military police to Ft Lewis. In a phone interview from the base, Swift said 3 sergeants directly in her chain of command began propositioning her for sex almost from the min she arrived overseas. She was in Iraq from Feb 04 until Feb 05. When her unit was redeployed to Iraq in Jan 06, she refused to go and remained in OR. When Swift complained to the appropriate Army authorities, her complaints were ignored. For rejecting the advances of 2 of the noncommissioned officers, Swift said she was publicly humiliated and forced to do extra work. Swift said she had a sexual relationship w/ her immediate supervisor in Iraq, but that it was a coerced relationship based on his power over her: "In a combat situation, your squad leader is deciding whether you live or die. If he wants you to run across a minefield, you run across a minefield," she said. Swift drove a Humvee in Karbala, a city SW of Baghdad. On combat patrol, she was frequently assigned to visit Iraqi police stations, often the targets of insurgents." This is repulsive and criminal. She didn't want to have coerced sex, but she was afraid her refusal would cause her to lose her life. Maybe someone ought to seriously buy her fellow soldier rapists one of these for their next deployment.
Murtha pokes Rove's deferment doughy ass  Congressman Murtha went on Meet the Press w/ Tim Russert yesterday morning. Here's what ensued (video here and transcript here, both courtesy of Crooks & Liars): MURTHA: What happened w/ Zarqawi could have been done, uh, from the outside.It was done from the outside. Our planes went in from the outside. So there's no reason in the world that they can't redeploy the troops. They've become targets; they're caught in civil war. And I feel very strongly about it. RUSSERT: You sure do, Congressman. But so does the WH. Karl Rove... went to NH on Monday, and he talked about Dems who voted for the war, and who have now changed their opinion. Here's what Rove had to say. ROVE: Like too many Democrats, it strikes me they are ready to give the green light to go to war, but when it gets tough and when it gets difficult, they fall back on that Party's old pattern of cutting and running. (Strange, but when exactly did Dem FDR advocate "cutting and running" in WWII? Truman in Korea? JFK and Johnson in Vietnam? yeah... I thought so) They may be with you at the first shots, but they're not going to be there for the last, tough battles. They are wrong and profoundly wrong in their approach. MURTHA: He's in NH. He's making a political speech. He's sitting in his air-conditioned office with a big, fat backside saying "Stay the course." That's not a plan. I mean, this guy... I don't know what his military experience is, but that's a political statement. (uh, his military experience would be ZERO Rep Murtha. While you and John Kerry were earning combat medals in Vietnam, Rove got repeated deferments, and get this: Rove's opposition to the Vietnam war was political. He considered the conflict a "political skirmish that was not being properly administered." I know... Black pot: Meet kettle.) Murtha continues: "This is a policy difference between me and the WH. I disagree completely w/ what he's saying." Yeah Rep Murtha... so do a helluva lot of us, too. But why should we leave when things are so fabulous? I mean honestly, when was the last time foreign-born US Embassy workers have been so "motivated" (i.e. terrified) to send a shocking cable that reads: "The daily-worsening conditions for those who live outside the heavily guarded internatl zone: harassment, threats and the employees' constant fears that their neighbors will discover they work for the US govt."? My guess? Umm... Sometime during the Vietnam War at the US Embassy located in Saigon.
What if the Kurds bail on this new Americanized clusterfuck version of Iraq and decide to go solo? At Juan Cole's place, he has this: "An editorial appears in a pro- Kurdistan Democratic Party magazine: After 3 yrs of the Kurdish leaders' presence in Baghdad and their logistic, cognitive and political contribution to the reconstruction of the state of Iraq, regrettably there is no hope for a solution for the Kurdish issue within Iraq." Hmm, maybe that is why Turkey recently sent 1000s of troops to its border with Iraqi Kurdistan, amassing what is the largest buildup of Turkish soldiers along the Iraq border since 1999? Translation: NO GOOD can come of this. The US and our oh-so incompetent Bush will have to make a Solomon and the baby kind of choice: Choice 1) Turkey (our long standing allies who eyeball Kurdistan with bloodlust) or Choice 2) the Kurds (who we have supposedly "liberated" from Saddam, which in reality means we have spent billions upon billions of dollars on the insane process of destroying, maiming, and bloodletting.)
Despite widespread media amnesia in regards to this HUGE BushCo blunder, Bush could have accepted Iranian peace overtures in 2003 when Pres Khatami was the Iranian president. Of course Chimpy McClusterfuck didn't do that. That would have impeded his Neo-Con bloodlust for absolute power. B/c lest we forget: The 'liberal' Khatami was elected w/ 70% of the vote in 2001, before Bush made anti-American populism a potent political bludgeon to the emerging anti-clerical movement of Iran at that time and practically handed now Iranian Pres Ahmadinejad the presidency. And if this sounds familiar and you think you've heard this same exact story before, except replace the 'N' in "Iran" with a 'Q'... no, you're not crazy. Bush did the exact same thing to Saddam, b/c when there's bloodmoney to be made, and somebody else's kid will be doing the blood spilling and dying, it's oh- so easy to be a chickenhawk.
Oh yeah, the BushCo soooo wants to stem the tide of illegal immigration (via WashPost): "The Bush admin, which is vowing to crack down on US companies that hire illegal workers, virtually abandoned such employer sanctions before it began pushing to overhaul US immigration laws last yr, govt statistics show. Between '99 and '03, worksite enforcement ops were scaled back 95% by INS, which subsequently was merged into the Homeland Sec Dept. The number of employers prosecuted for unlawfully employing immigrants: Dropped from 182 to 4. The fines collected: Declined from $3.6 million to $212,000." I'd love to see how much of that corporate money was dumped into BushCo's campaign coffers in exchange for NOT fining them for hiring illegal immigrants, wouldn't you?
My BabyGirl Ballerina Bunny's Birthday  I'll be takin a few days off from Fuzzy and Blue because I have 10 million things to do over the next few days. Hubby and I have lots of fun planned with our beautiful BabyGirl Ballerina Bunny (as you can clearly see by her attire) this weekend and next week. Although her birthday isn't officially until next week, my father requested that we celebrate it this Father's Day weekend due to his work schedule. And when my dad puts in a specific request, I am a dilligent and dutiful daughter and try to make him happy. So, have a good weekend all and I'll be back in a few, and to all of you dads out there, may you have a wonderful and Happy Father's Day.
 So via Rawstory on Thursday, we learn: "New documents obtained by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch suggest that the Army Corp of Engineers may have publicly lied regarding the involvement of the Vice Prez's office in awarding a '03 multi-billion dollar, no-bid contract to KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton. The Army had earlier refused to hand over the documents, but Judge Ricardo Urbina released them after Judicial Watch sued, arguing that they were being improperly exempted from the Freedom of Info Act. Judicial Watch said: "The judge had to get personally involved and look at these documents in private before they could be released. And what the judge said when he saw them was, turn them over. They were abusing the FOIA process -- embarrassment is not sufficient cause for exemption." Hmm, sounds like things might get bad for the Veep, huh? Maybe not. It has taken over 3 yrs to get this tiny scrap of truth to surface. Back on April 9, 2003 CNN had this news: "Congressmen Waxman (D-CA) and Dingell (D-MI) asked the GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, to look into contracts received over the last 2 yrs by Halliburton & its subsidiaries, which have totaled at least $600 million. Among the contracts that Waxman and Dingell want the GAO to investigate is 1 awarded last month by the Army Corps of Engineers to KBR to put out oil fires in Iraq, w/o competitive bidding or a price cap." Sounds very familiar, no? And what did Cheney's office have to say back in '03 about this?: "A spokeswoman for Cheney, who was Halliburton's CEO from '95 to '00, said he "has nothing at all to do w/ awarding these contracts, the bidding process or the current work orders. He severed all financial ties w/ Halliburton before he took office." Oh really, so that must mean that Judicial Watch and the judge got those documents all wrong, huh? And what were our esteemed elected Repuke officials doing Thursday as this Halliburton graft info came to light? Perhaps discussing the US reaching the death milestone of 2500 in Iraq? Naw. They engaged in the oh-so-important job of painting all Dem politicians who want to put a tourniquet on the bloodletting in Iraq as traitors & treasonous cowards, and especially targeting Vietnam vets John Kerry and John Murtha as the worst of the worst b/c let's face it: Highly decorated ACTUAL combat veterans know nothing about being put in the middle of a US combat clusterfuck.
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