Politics Schmalitics

Obama and McCain Paper Dolls

2008-08-09T23:26:00.000-07:00

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Waterboarding, U.S.A.

2008-07-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

Destination Scandal from the Washington Post

2008-07-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

From sexual peccadilloes to Cold War conspiracies, we bring you Washington's more entertaining, more human, more seamy side. We've also compiled the Post stories that covered -- and in many cases exposed -- the scandals. Our curious observation: almost every sex scandal results in a tell-all memoir. We'll give you the book titles for your next trip to the library.

The two tours that follow will take you to the list of homes, office buildings and offices that make up Washington's Worst Addresses. Locations marked with the are within easy walking distance in downtown Washington, so you can take a short detour from your trip to the White House or the Smithsonian to check out some or all of these infamous sites. Or join local comedy group Gross National Product for the official Scandal Tours bus trip.

VISIT THE WASHINGTON POST DESTINATION: SCANDAL WEBSITE

Gifts for the Political Junkie

2008-07-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Can George Bush be charged with war crimes?

2008-07-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

There is precedent for charging a sitting President of a sovereign nation with war crimes: SEE THIS STORY.

The latest findings by Congress in the build-up to the Iraq War proves beyond any doubt that the Bush Regime lied and bullied their way into collecting the false "intelligence" that supposedly justified invading a country that never committed any act of war against us (as scummy as their President was and make no mistake, Saddam and his spawn were scum).

Shouldn't that alone be a war crime? And what about the hired help over in Iraq, acting on behalf of Halliburton and other Bush-Cheney "protected" clients? Can their murders of innocent civilians be considered war crimes? And then there's that little thing called Abu Ghraib which destroyed America's internatonal honor and image.

Can there be an international tribunal of Bush and Cabal and the things they've done that are contrary to American law, our Constitution, our military code of conduct, the Geneva Convention and other treaties and international laws that may apply?

And where do our own soldiers go to sue for their destroyed lives and injuries for a war based on false pretenses? Who do they sue for being deliberately given spoiled food and tainted drinking water? That's right, it was Dick Cheney's company... Halliburton and yes, he still collects millions from them.

Number of disabled veterans rising

2008-05-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - Increasing numbers of U.S. troops have left the military with damaged bodies and minds, an ever-larger pool of disabled veterans that will cost the nation billions for decades to come — even as the total population of America's vets shrinks.

...The number of disabled veterans has jumped by 25 percent since 2001 — to 2.9 million — and the cause really is no mystery.

...VA and Census Bureau figures show the previous six-year period, before hostilities in Afghanistan and Iraq, saw a more modest increase of 4 percent in the number of disabled vets.

...The American Legion's Smithson says the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are resulting in more severe injuries — amputations and traumatic burns — the kind of injuries that troops in Vietnam and earlier wars would not have survived.

Smithson says today's veterans also are filing claims for more disabilities.

...Annual benefits run from $1,404 for a veteran rated at 10 percent to about $30,324 for those at 100 percent. Severe disabilities, such as the loss of a limb, draw additional compensation.

READ THE WHOLE STORY (link will expire)

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Should government agencies funded by public tax dollars sponsor religion or a particular religious belief?

2008-05-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Fla. lawmakers debate 'believer's' license plate

MIAMI (AP) — Florida drivers can order more than 100 specialty license plates celebrating everything from manatees to the Miami Heat, but one now under consideration would be the first in the nation to explicitly promote a specific religion.

The Florida Legislature is considering a specialty plate with a design that includes a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words "I Believe."

...If the plate is approved, Florida would become the first state to have a license plate featuring a religious symbol that's not part of a college logo. Approval would almost certainly face a court challenge.

The problem with the state manufacturing the plate is that it "sends a message that Florida is essentially a Christian state" and, second, gives the "appearance that the state is endorsing a particular religious preference," said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

READ THE WHOLE STORY (link will expire)

Democrat Delegate Count

2008-05-09T15:04:00.001-07:00

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National Parks Picture of the Day

2008-05-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

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America the Beautiful

2008-05-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

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The Chimp-o-matic

2008-05-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

CLICK REFRESH FOR ANOTHER BUSHISMWell, at least George will enjoy his retirement in Abu Dhabi where he's already purchased a home, the better to please his corporate Halliburton masters who've already transferred corporate headquarters to this same Arab country... you know, Abu Dhabi. The very same country whose leadership enjoys taking hunting vacations with a Mr. Osama bin Laden, of the bin Laden family that bailed George out of business failure after business failure. The same country that George wanted to take over the security of our American ports. Them.

Hillary's "white Americans" comment causing a quick firestorm

2008-05-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

In another bad sign for Hillary Clinton's sinking campaign, the blogosphere is all over her racially divisive comments to USA Today about her white support (read alvernon90's diary), and the verdict is not good. The broad consensus is that Hillary's comments are clearly deepening rifts in the Democratic party and hurting the party's chances in the fall. Are you listening superdelegates?

READ MORE...

Jury in Sears Tower terrorism case asks if oath to al-Qaida a crime

2008-04-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

Excuse me? Why is this even a question? What possible debate could there be?

If, during WWII, someone within the boundaries of the United States had taken the sacred blood oath to join Hitler's SS, would they not then be treated as an enemy of the United States and perhaps even a traitor?

If a person takes an oath to murder as many Americans as possible in fulfillment of their membership in a terrorist organization, and indeed that terrorist organization (Al Qaeda) has already murdered thousands of innocent Americans, would the new terrorist member's promise to do more murders, to support more terrorism, not be part of a criminal conspiracy?

Since when is aiding and abetting NOT a crime? Since when is giving support to the enemy NOT a crime?

Hello... why is this even an issue?

READ THE STORY.

Trial of US citizens charged with plotting to train terrorists begins

2008-04-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

Opening statements were to begin Tuesday in the trial of three men charged with plotting to recruit and train terrorists to attack US and allied troops overseas.

Federal prosecutors say the men, who all lived in the Toledo area for a while, attended a Muslim convention in Cleveland during the summer of 2004 where they talked about training in explosives, guns and sniper tactics.

The men were there with a former US military man who worked undercover and helped foil the plot, prosecutors said.

Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi and Wassim I. Mazloum are accused of conspiring to kill or maim people outside the United States, including military personnel in Iraq. They have all pleaded not guilty.

All are US citizens except Mazloum, who came to the US legally from Lebanon while El-Hindi and Amawi are Jordanian-Americans.

LINK

Cheney's former company named in report on soldier illnesses

2008-03-14T04:54:00.000-07:00

Dozens of U.S. troops in Iraq fell sick at bases using "unmonitored and potentially unsafe" water supplied by the military and a contractor once owned by Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, the Pentagon's internal watchdog says.

A report obtained by The Associated Press said soldiers experienced skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections, diarrhea and other illnesses after using discolored, smelly water for personal hygiene and laundry at five U.S. military sites in Iraq.

Halliburton Co., then KBR's parent company, disputed the allegations even though they were made by its own employees and documented in company e-mails. In March 2006, the AP obtained an internal Halliburton report that, in one instance, the company missed contamination that could have caused "mass sickness or death" at Ar Ramadi.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE... PLEASE.

No link between Saddam and Al Qaeda: Pentagon study

2008-03-14T04:18:00.000-07:00

A detailed Pentagon study confirms there was no direct link between Iraqi ex-leader Saddam Hussein and the Al Qaeda network, debunking a claim President George W. Bush's administration used to justify invading Iraq.

The US administration on Thursday tried to bury the release of the study, limiting distribution of the report and making it available only at individual request and by mail -- instead of posting it on the Internet or handing it out to reporters.

Other reports by the blue-ribbon September 11 commission and the Pentagon's inspector general in 2007 reached the same conclusion but none had access to as much information.

Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and top aides have insisted there were links between Saddam and Al-Qaeda, citing the alleged ties as a rationale for going to war in Iraq.

"The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al-Qaeda is because there was a relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda," he told reporters in June 2004.

MORE...

Geraldine, come on.

2008-03-11T23:49:00.000-07:00

Do these people (all politicians of all stripes) know when they start slogging through the muck they don't exactly come out spotless themselves? Always, always, always the purely personal insult and attack is a hallmark of extreme weakness on the part of the one doing it.

And if it is perceived that they speak on behalf of another candidate, even unofficially but simply perceived as being on "the other guy's side," they sure do leave an embarrassing stink in their wake that threatens to overwhelm their would-be leader's own message.

Today, Ms. Ferarro successfully weakened the Hillary Clinton campaign by standing up as a Hillary Clinton supporter to say she thinks Barak Obama is where he is because he's black. She thinks Barak Obama would not be running for President if he was a white guy.

And now Geraldine is parsing and re-parsing and re-shaping her remarks into a noble battle over freedom of speech. Geraldine, honey, certainly you have a right to hold any political view and share your opinions and especially to share your opinions about any politician.

The only people at this point who have a righteous motive for wanting to shut you up are the wise heads (if there are any) in the Hillary campaign.

Because, you see, just because you have the right to say something stupid doesn't always mean you should say it. Not if you care about the impression you make on behalf of the candidate you hope you are helping because remarks like that are like using a big fat crayon to draw a circle around your candidate and then a big fat arrow pointing to her with the caption, "This candidate is in trouble so let's try something desperate."

The more you throw the muck, the more you get on yourself and your candidate.

What you did was really, really dumb. Poor Hillary. With friends like you...

READ THE NEWS ARTICLE HERE.

Head of 9/11 panel had friends in White House

2008-02-04T01:53:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The September 11 commission's executive director had closer ties with the White House than publicly disclosed and tried to influence the final report in ways that the staff often perceived as limiting the Bush administration's responsibility, a new book says.

Philip Zelikow, a friend of then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, spoke with her several times during the 20-month investigation that closely examined her role in assessing the al-Qaida threat.

He also exchanged frequent calls with the White House, including at least four from Karl Rove, Bush's chief political adviser at the time.

The commission's executive director once tried to push through wording in a draft report that suggested a greater tie between al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and Iraq, in line with White House claims but not with the commission staff's viewpoint, according to Philip Shenon's "The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation."

Shenon, a New York Times reporter, says Zelikow sought to intimidate staff to avoid damaging findings for President Bush -- who at the time was running for re-election -- and Rice. Zelikow and Rice had written a book together in 1995 and he would later work for her after the commission finished its job and she became secretary of state in 2005.

MORE...

The only thing left that still surprises me are those suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome - those twisted misguided sick puppies who will follow their leader right off the edge of the cliff.

Barak Obama TV

2008-01-29T18:21:00.000-08:00

PLEASE NOTE: Internet Explorer may not automatically display the contents of Google Gadgets and IE users might have to click on the blank space (inside an iframe) and hit "Refresh" before you can enjoy the gadget.

Political Bumper Stickers for the Internet

2008-01-26T20:56:00.000-08:00

Download to your own computer by right-clicking and saving the image. You can use these in your own blogs or emails or website or forums or anywhere else that strikes your fancy. Please, NO DIRECT LINKING TO THE IMAGES HERE. Thanks. Enjoy!

Can We Impeach Him Now? PLEASE?

2008-01-22T23:53:00.000-08:00

There is no doubt. The American people have known it for a long time. We are spending American blood in Iraq for George Bush's lie. We have spent billions on useless empire-building to fulfill the neocons' wet dreams.

Can the criminals who hijacked our country finally be brought to justice?

Study: False statements preceded war

WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

...The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

THE COMPLETE ARTICLE

You Got to Love This Debate Moment

2008-01-22T17:31:00.000-08:00

GO HERE to relive the magic moment when Hillary and Barak were zapping each other (although, I do believe Barak had the best "zap" -- heh heh, Hillary, so you were a corporate lawyer on the Board at Walmart?)

Supreme Court denies Kucinich bid

2008-01-21T06:26:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Friday allowed Texas to print presidential primary ballots without Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich's name.

The court refused to step into a dispute between Kucinich and the Texas Democratic Party over a loyalty oath all candidates must sign to make the ballot.

Kucinich and singer-supporter Willie Nelson objected to the party oath that a presidential candidate must "fully support" the party's eventual nominee. Kucinich crossed out the oath when he filed for a spot on the primary ballot.

MORE...

I'm with Kucinich on this one. Why should he have to abdicate his thoughts, his personal beliefs, his convictions on what's good for the future of this country to some "higher authority" when that authority is merely a political party bent on self interest?

Of course, Mr. Kucinich could start a write-in campaign (if that's even possible for this State's primary).

This is just another example of why I am an independent and why I don't much care for any of the major political parties.

Fight the Lies, Part Deux

2008-01-21T06:10:00.000-08:00

As a follow-up to my post below, "Fight the Lies..."

Obama takes on question of faith

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Barack Obama is stepping up his effort to correct the misconception that he's a Muslim now that the presidential campaign has hit the Bible Belt.

...Obama tried to set the record straight from an attack circulating widely on the Internet that is designed to play into prejudices against Muslims and fears of terrorism.

"I've been to the same church — the same Christian church — for almost 20 years," Obama said, stressing the word Christian and drawing cheers from the faithful in reply. "I was sworn in with my hand on the family Bible. Whenever I'm in the United States Senate, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. So if you get some silly e-mail ... send it back to whoever sent it and tell them this is all crazy. Educate."

Obama is referring to a debunked chain e-mail circulating widely on the Internet that suggests he is hiding his Islamic roots and may be a terrorist in disguise. It says he was sworn into the Senate on the Quran and turns his back on the flag during the pledge.

There are some truths in the e-mail's details. Obama's middle name is Hussein. His father and stepfather were Muslim. And he spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, a largely Muslim country. But he attended secular and Catholic schools, not a radical madrassa.

His campaign has been pushing back against the false rumors all year. His aides decried an incorrect news report that Obama was educated in a Muslim madrassa and a section of his Web site is devoted to correct that and other false rumors circulating on the Internet.

But they are stepping up the effort now that the campaign has hit South Carolina and soon turns to other southern states where religion is so important to voters. The campaign distributed an open letter from seven Jewish senators this weekend condemning the attacks; aides are planning an event this week to respond directly to the e-mails; and campaign representatives blanketed South Carolina churches Sunday with literature that touted Obama's Christian faith.

MORE...

The campaign of lies against Barak Obama reveals the desperation and fear felt by his opponents. To have to resort to such ridiculous lies... have they nothing of substance of their own? Nothing to recommend themselves? No truth of their own to say, "Here, this is why you should vote our way..."

The Great Republican Screw-Up in California

2008-01-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

Has the Republican Party really, truly been 100% infested by morons? Who thought this was a great idea? I used to think that the Bush Cabal had merely strong-armed itself into power but this sounds like the party as a whole has gone over to the Stupid Side (possibly even worse than the Dark Side, because at least then there'd be some intelligence at work even if for evil purpose).

I also used to think of the Democrats as the political party bent on self-destruction but now it seems the Republican Party has overtaken them in that particular race, too.

This will no doubt delight many Democrats but it really is not a good thing for America. I truly believe the bulk of the regular folks who are registered Republicans are basically the same as the bulk of the just plain folks who are registered Democrats. Families, working people, individuals trying to keep one foot in front of the other, trying to muddle through Life with some little measure of security and comfort.

Some folks think being a Republican is the surest way to arrive at their destination while others think being a Democrat is the way.

It's only because I think leadership in both parties is so mired in the doo-doo that they no longer hear the voices of the people (like me) that I no longer feel any loyalty to any political party. They're all full of shit.

But, when it comes to elections, it's independents like me that need convincing that one candidate or another, one political party or another, is the right choice for this country.

You see, it's precisely because I love my country that I'm an independent. Being independent doesn't always have to mean every act, every thought, every vote is a protest against one party or another.

And now, the Republicans have declared they don't want me. They don't need me. The vote of independents is of no consequence to the Republican Party. At all.

Okey-doke. If that's how they really want it...

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES:

Shut out by GOP, independents may tilt Democratic

SAN MATEO -- -- Medea Bern, once a registered Republican, is one of a growing number of California voters who shun party membership and declare themselves independent. In the upcoming presidential election, that makes her the kind of voter all the candidates would like to reach.

But when it comes to California's Feb. 5 primary, there is only one major party where she's welcome: the Democratic Party. She isn't allowed to cast her ballot in the Republican primary, and that upsets her.

She might be inclined to vote for Republican Sen. John McCain, but instead finds herself weighing a choice between Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"It really makes me mad," she said. "I haven't decided which candidate to vote for, but I'm not happy that my voice is eliminated on the Republican side. Don't they trust the independent vote?"

Unlike the New Hampshire primary, where huge numbers of independents were embraced by both parties, California's independents will be limited to the Democratic or American Independent Party primaries.Some political analysts -- including some Republicans -- say the California Republican Party blundered when it decided last year that only registered Republicans could vote in its presidential primary, unlike 2004.

"It's pretty hard to build a big tent if you don't let anybody else in," said Dan Schnur, a veteran Republican political consultant. "It doesn't make sense for a party that wants to and needs to broaden its base to throw this kind of obstacle in the path of an independent voter who wants to hang out with us."

Not surprisingly, the Democratic Party is delighted at the prospect of attracting hundreds of thousands of independents to vote for one of its candidates next month. Democratic strategists believe that an independent who votes Democratic in February is likely to vote for a Democratic candidate in November too.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

Say, what??? BOTH Hillary and Barak won in Nevada?

2008-01-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

So Hillary "won" the Nevada primary? But, she got only 12 delegates to Barak winning 13. Huh? So how does that make her the winner?

READ MORE HERE

Giuliani Loses Lead In New York

2008-01-19T20:44:00.000-08:00

This is, obviously, not a good sign for the Rudy Giuliani campaign. A poll set to be released next week will have the former New York City mayor trailing Sen. John McCain in his home state.

New York Post writer Fred Dricker announced on Tim Russert's show this Saturday morning:

"Tim, you'll find this interesting. One poll that's going to come out here next week, I'm sworn to secrecy on some of the details, but not on this part -- it is going to show John McCain overtaking Rudy Giuliani in his home state, I am told. That would be extraordinary."
LINK

Yes, indeed. I guess Rudy shouldn't have filled in all those potholes with firemen remains. His campaign was tanking, anyway, but this about flushes it down the toilet.

[How humiliating... for him to be beaten in his home State and by the candidate that was supposedly dead in the water.]

Fight the Lies

2008-01-17T21:44:00.000-08:00

I was discussing on political messageboards this lame-o attempt at smearboating Barak Obama a very, very long time ago. I thought this had been thoroughly debunked... a very, very long time ago.

Apparently not. Perhaps the smear is being resurrected in time for that superbad Tuesday primary.

The problem for Mr. Obama's campaign is this go-round is not being openly touted as the rabid extreme right-wing cause du jour but instead is snaking its way through "decent Christian America" -- by email and through prayer forums and at church meetings.

The underlying message is that if you are a Christian, you must do your Christian duty to turn back the Moslem hordes from taking over our Christian nation's halls of leadership. And that means voting against Barak Obama.

As we saw with the Smearboat liars vs. John Kerry, even if you go to the source and discover the actual truth, if it does not suit your agenda, a lie may be substituted in place of reality. I don't think I probably would have voted for Kerry, anyway (yes, he does look like Herman Munster but that's not why I wouldn't have voted for him). But, the lies and disgraceful way the Smearboat liars attacked the patriotism and sacrifices made of all who were actually on those boats with Kerry was one of the most "bottom-feeding moments" in American politics.

Until now.

Now the same old long-stale debunked bullsh*t about Barak Obama having attended a madrassah school and being a secret Moslem and part of a wahhabist Moslem conspiracy to take over America is raising a fresh stench among apparently unsuspecting victims.

They are unsuspecting because it is being fed to them through genuinely decent channels. Why would they NOT trust it?

And that's what should have Barak Obama and his campaign people worried. These are the decent family-values folks now who are being thinned out of the Obama ranks because they are being fed this diet of lies from sources they trust.

And how do I know about this quiet resurrection of the same old lies? Because one of my dearest friends, as honest and true as a human can be, forwarded the old fake email from the fake Yalie telling the same old fake crap that was exposed as lies so very long ago.

She is "concerned." And she is decent. She is NOT a liar and not one to engage in smearing innocent people. And she forwarded that email to me.

Like me, she is also disgusted with the Washington "establishment." And we were both despairing, hoping that somebody decent would show up in the political game who would represent our basic values. I believe, so far, Barak Obama is the closest match and I am an Independent and quite party-neutral.

My friend has now crossed Barak Obama off her list. And she's not a stupid person.

How many more will fall victim to the lies and will America endure even more years of nightmare because of a smear?

How do you put a lie to rest? The answer is, you can't. You can confront it, however. You must confront it. At every opportunity.

If you see a lie headed your way, don't be complacent. Confront. Confront. Confront. What America is going to be for future generations must be protected from the liars.

You're the soldiers, America. Fight the lies.

RESOURCES FOR THIS POST:

I won't reprint my friend's email because that would be a violation of her privacy, but you can read the lying lies put forth by the non-existent Yale staffer here (source: The Yale Daily News - apparently, they do not appreciate someone pretending to represent any official position from Yale in order to spread the cow manure). Do note their link to the Snopes.com page debunking the fake missive.

I urge you to also have a look here at one blogger's response to this same smear.

Has the CIA been spying on you?

2008-01-16T11:08:00.000-08:00

Under the FOIA and/or the Privacy Act, you might be able to find out. If you are interested in requesting to see copies of what records the CIA may have on you, go to this webpage for some helpful hints on how to obtain that information.

The webpage also details what information may NOT be shared with you. Some of that is interesting and makes me wonder how the Bush bots in his administration squared what the law demands with their own actions. Oh, that's right. One of them ended up a convicted felon.

From the CIA:

Personal Information Which Must Be Denied by Law
Unless "officially" acknowledged by executive acknowledgment or official release, an intelligence organization like the CIA takes exemptions under the PA to protect sources and methods and national security information by neither confirming nor denying the existence of those records and denying records on, but not limited to, the following:

Privacy information on other US citizens unless granted permission by the individual or can prove person is deceased.

CIA operational activities.

Specific confidential or covert relationships.

So let's see, that means our law-abiding President and his bots showed the media, especially the ratfink traitorous Bob Novak who obviously did an America-hating act by publishing Valerie Plame's name and identifying her as a CIA operative, proof that she'd granted permission for her name to be used in that way or proof that she was deceased... according to the law, the Bushbots - namely Cheney, Rove and Libby - absolutely would have had to have done that. Oh, that's right. One of them is a convicted felon.

And, of course, no one EVER told the media anything at all about any CIA operations, such as, how did Robert Wilson get sent to Niger.

And all persons in the CIA or elsewhere who ever worked with Valerie Plame were all deceased at the time she was outted so none of them could be harmed after she was outted.

Aw, shucks, I just can't quite twist myself into the Republican pretzel.

Well, maybe such aggregious crimes against the American people and Ms. Plame will eventually be resolved to the satisfaction of the American people. Maybe.

Anyway, thought you might like to look up anything the CIA snooped out on you.

I wonder if they know I once sneaked a look at my Dad's Playboy magazine when I was a little girl?

Again, here's the webpage to those helpful hints on getting that information.

Rep. Doolittle to retire from Congress

2008-01-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

Rep. Doolittle to Announce Retirement From Congress Amid Lobbying Scandal Investigation

Republican Rep. John Doolittle of California, who is under investigation in a congressional lobbying scandal, said Thursday that he'll retire from Congress at the end of his current term.

...The development comes as Doolittle, in his ninth term, faced growing political pressure from fellow Republicans who considered him a liability because of his involvement, along with his wife, in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling investigation. House Republicans, still smarting from losing control of Congress in 2006, are eager to put that ethics taint behind them and welcomed Doolittle's announcement.

...Doolittle came close to losing re-election in 2006 in one of the most conservative districts in California, and some in his own party believed he couldn't survive this time around.

...Party leaders pointedly declined to encourage Doolittle's re-election plans and his fundraising lagged.

...For months, Doolittle resisted suggestions that he retire, branding his GOP critics "weasels."

...Doolittle will be the latest in a string of House Republicans to announce their retirements, although most don't have his legal problems. Nearly 20 others are headed into voluntary retirement.

...The Abramoff investigation already has led to a dozen convictions, including a guilty plea from now imprisoned former Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio.

MORE...

PRIORITIES: How would you spend $150,000?

2008-01-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

Ron Paul not so crushed in Iowa?

2008-01-07T06:35:00.000-08:00

This blog entry titled, "Ron Paul Crushed in Iowa," makes one point but the comments section has a few interesting points of its own. First, the main point ofthe original blog entry:

No surprise, of course, but some vindication for our own Michael Learmonth, who caught hell's full fury earlier for observing the obvious--that Iowa would be the beginning of the end for the president of the web.

And some of the comments:

"Crushed? Double Digits is alot better than anyone expected him to do just a few weeks ago. What about Rudy, is his campaign over now?"
"...he more than exceeded my limited expectations..."
"...it was almost a three way tie for 3rd."
"Wyoming on 01/05/2008 may be a good showing for Rep. Ron Paul (although probably little media coverage). New Hampshire, with it's libertarian leanings, may be really big for Paul. Also, I suspect that Nevada on the 19th will be good for Paul especially if N.H. is big on the 8th."
"...Lastly, Paul's fund raising has been increasing at an exponential rate and far surpasses Huckabee."
"10 percent is not crushed. 10 percent with no mainstream media coverage is impressive."

And so on. Some of the commenters seemed a bit "testy" or upset at the notion that Ron Paul should be portrayed as any sort of loser.

Yes, if 10% of the judges at a beauty pageant said I was drop-dead gorgeous, that still wouldn't get me the Miss America crown. I'd be merely dropped dead from shock, lol.

A three-way tie for third place is still third place. It ain't winnin.'

Huckabee gaffes tarnish credibility

2008-01-05T23:29:00.000-08:00

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Republican Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses by campaigning as an honest conservative, yet he has made a series of blunders that raise questions about his credibility.

..."He's not plastic," said GOP strategist Greg Mueller. "He speaks American, not Washingtonian. The way he communicates is coming off as a person who understands and can connect with middle America."

...For all his directness, Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, sent a series of conflicting messages in the days before the caucuses:

_He decided not to air a commercial attacking Romney but played it for journalists, anyway.
_He said he supports the Hollywood writers' strike but crossed the picket line to appear on the Jay Leno's "Tonight" show.
_He campaigned at a casino in Burlington, Iowa, despite his opposition to gambling.

Even his senior aides have had trouble keeping their story straight.

LINK TO ARTICLE

O'Reilly Bashes (Yes, Physically) an Obama Staffer

2008-01-05T22:55:00.000-08:00

Fox's O'Reilly gets pushy at Obama event

The above linked story goes into detail of how O'Reilly, the Faux News blowhard, showed up at a Barak Obama event and muscled his way around the Secret Service security barricade to get at Senator Obama and when he was stopped by one of the Senator's staffers, he physically assaulted the staffer.

O'Reilly is damn lucky he didn't get wrestled to the ground or pepper-sprayed or handcuffed. What an ass.

From the article:

..."Then he grabbed me with both of his arms and tried to push me out of the way," Nicholson said after the campaign agreed to make him available to reporters.

...The scene was hard to miss. O'Reilly is about 6-feet-5-inches tall. Nicholson is 6-feet-8-inches tall.

"I told him, 'Sir, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't shove me anymore.'
"He called me 'low class.' He was pretty upset."

Secret Service agents assigned to protect Obama ordered O'Reilly back behind the barricade.

..."I've never seen a member of the press lay hands on a staffer before," he said.

Obama, Huckabee sweep to Iowa victories

2008-01-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

DES MOINES, Iowa - Sen. Barack Obama swept to victory in the Iowa caucuses Thursday night, pushing Hillary Rodham Clinton to third place and taking a major stride in a historic bid to become the nation's first black president. Mike Huckabee rode a wave of support from evangelical Christians to win the opening round among Republicans in the 2008 campaign for the White House.

Obama, 46 and a first-term senator from Illinois, told a raucous victory rally his triumph showed that in "big cities and small towns, you came together to say, 'We are one nation, we are one people and our time for change has come.'"

Nearly complete returns showed the first-term lawmaker gaining 37 percent support from Iowa Democrats. Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina appeared headed for second place, relegating Clinton, the former first lady, to a close third.

MORE HERE...

What ALL other candidates of any party need to address now is the magnetic attraction Barak Obama has with the American people and the REASONS FOR IT. Here's a hint: People regard Mr. Obama as a family man who speaks for REAL family values -- not the kind of "family" values that the Republicans push that entails sex scandals and blatant corruption and a crazy man who wants to be Emperor of the World occupying the Oval Office -- and not the slick political machine that is the now stopped-dead-in-its-tracks Clinton "juggernaut."

The just plain folks of America, especially those of independent mind, those who cherish real family values are sick unto death of the stinking pile of shit that our government has become.

Americans are going to vote for the candidate they believe actually cares about their family and the struggles that most working families must face on a daily basis.

Oh, the reality may very well be that Barak Obama is as heartless as the rest of them but that's not what he represents. And people will vote for the representation.

TPM´s Great List of Scandalized Administration Officials

2008-01-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

They've updated. So, folks, if you choose to vote Republican, this is the style of governing you will be voting for as represented by the character and the actions of the following individuals...

FROM TPM:
Since a complete catalog of administration officials who've been accused of some form of corruption or abuse of power would be endless, we tried to maintain a high standard for inclusion. Most of those below were the subjects of criminal probes, but we also included officials who were credibly accused of acts that, if not criminal, were a corruption of office (like the U.S. attorney scandal). And even then, such officials were only included if their accusers had them dead to rights (which is why Karl Rove didn't make the cut). We also limited ourselves to officials who were either political appointees or whose actions were so political that they were effectively political appointees (like John Tanner).

SEE THE LIST

Dropping Fast In Polls, Rudy Unveils New Campaign Tack: Call For More War

2008-01-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

With his candidacy cratering in multiple polls, Rudy Giuliani has hit on a new campaign strategy designed to turn things around: He's calling for more war on multiple fronts.

READ THE ARTICLE

Are Candidates Telling LIES? Eek. Who'da thunk it?

2008-01-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

FROM POLITIFACT...

Fast and furious finish
With just two days until the Iowa caucuses, the candidates are unleashing a flurry of charges -- and making a few slip-ups. We find that Biden is overstating his role on Bosnia, that Romney never got an NRA endorsement and that Obama is wrong about gas prices. >>more

More from PolitiFact:
Pardon me: Huckabee vs. Romney: The two former governors have been criticizing each other about pardons. We find their claims are accurate and reveal starkly different approaches on clemency.

He didn’t stand in the way, but he didn’t always lead: The former Arkansas governor says he had the “most impressive” education record among the GOP pack. But open-ended superlatives are tough to prove, especially when you’ve got critics.

New Video of Bhutto's Assassination Raises Questions

2008-01-02T06:59:00.000-08:00

Do see the video for yourself here at this webpage. Do see the assassins. Do hear the gunshots fired. Do see Benazir Bhutto's head scarf go flying. Do see her fall back inside her bomb-proof vehicle BEFORE the explosion of the suicide bomber. None of the other persons inside that vehicle were killed.

And the official Pakistani version of events says there were no bullet wounds on Benazir Bhutto. The official government version says that Benazir Bhutto was "accidentally" killed when she hit her head on the sunroof of her vehicle.

Video proof and eyewitness accounts show otherwise. It is obvious the Pakistani government is lying.

WHY?

See the article and the video

And this: Meanwhile, The Chicago Tribune had a good rundown yesterday on the government's "bizarre" inquiry into Bhutto's assassination. Beyond the now-infamous decision not to perform an autopsy, there was the decision to cordon off the crime scene and wash it down with fire hoses afterward. [item found on TPM Muckraker]

Who Can Win in November? A guide to 'electability,' as the voting draws nigh

2008-01-02T04:58:00.000-08:00

Even at this late date, more than half of all voters in and say they have not made up their minds for sure. Many are still deciding which candidate they think would make the best president. But thousands of others are wrestling with a more cold-blooded question: who can win in November?

Most early head-to-head polls show John McCain and as the strongest candidates in a general election, a reflection of their slight edge over their primary opponents among independents, who make up at least a third of the electorate and often determine the outcome.

But "electability voters" need more than polls. With the stipulation that 10 months is an eon in politics, let's make some educated guesses about the pros and cons of how each of the plausible candidates would do in the Big Show.

READ THE ARTICLE

I probably won't have my mind made up with 100% certainty until the moment I mark my ballot but in all likelihood, I think I would prefer to vote for Barak Obama even though I do not believe he can win a general election. I don't think the scum of society with all its racist blatherings (which you can find in plentiful supply on many right-wing messageboards) is enough to keep Barak Obama from winning. I do believe a general lack of confidence in his ability to lead just because he doesn't have much of a track record in national leadership will keep him from winning an election.

Hillary is fifty-fifty. I think she is the best qualified in terms of national and world experience for the job but she has a lot of negatives. If she was the only name on the ballot, I think there would still be a significant portion of the voting public who would come out to vote against her if that was an option on a Hillary-only ballot.

I can't think of a single Republican candidate that I would consider voting for. I think I am most closely aligned, politically speaking, with the candidacy of Rudy Guiliani but I think his past numerous ethical challenges are good reasons to be concerned. I don't think I can vote for him. Pity.

Even with all the rats scurrying to desert the sinking Bush ship, I do believe he is going to drag the entire Republican Party down with him. The Republicans have not seen an election disaster like this looming since the Watergate era.

It's all up to the Democrats now. Will they follow their own usual course and shoot themselves in the foot, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory? Really, '08 is the Democrats' election to lose.

Sources: Bhutto was to give U.S. lawmakers vote-rigging report

2008-01-02T04:29:00.000-08:00

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- On the day she died, Benazir Bhutto planned to hand over to visiting U.S. lawmakers a report accusing Pakistan's intelligence services of a plot to rig parliamentary elections, sources close to the slain former Pakistani prime minister told CNN Tuesday.

Bhutto was assassinated Thursday, hours before a scheduled meeting with Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-Rhode Island, and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania.

A top Bhutto aide who helped write the report showed a copy to CNN.

"Where an opposing candidate is strong in an area, they [supporters of President Pervez Musharraf ] have planned to create a conflict at the polling station, even killing people if necessary, to stop polls at least three to four hours," the document says.

The report also accused the government of planning to tamper with ballots and voter lists, intimidate opposition candidates and misuse U.S.-made equipment to monitor communications of opponents.

"Ninety percent of the equipment that the USA gave the government of Pakistan to fight terrorism is being used to monitor and to keep a check on their political opponents," the report says.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

This could grow into a nasty problem for the United States and President Bush. Musharraf is an "ally" who plays both ends against the middle but he's still our guy in Islamabad. They can't all be our bestest buddies.

However, if evidence mounts that Musharraf was behind Bhutto's assassination, how will that affect Pakistan's instability and its vulnerability to terrorists and how will it ultimately affect its relationship to the United States and the role it plays in helping us as an ally?

If Musharraf gets his ticket punched due to scandal, will the replacement dictator also be our ally?

Ron Paul Doesn’t "Accept" Evolution

2008-01-02T02:51:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting opinion put forth on an Alternet blog by Manila Ryce who is (obviously) not a Ron Paul supporter.

This line is kind of funny: "I guess Paul decided to keep Huckabee company amongst the presidential candidates who think the Flintstones was a documentary."

The blogger goes on to mention some of the paradoxes that make up the paradox that is Ron Paul... voting for the border fence while claiming to be a libertarian, for example. I don't really know enough about the Libertarian Party to understand that. I'm pretty sure that Libertarians are against any sane gun laws and they are for the legalization of marijuana but that's really all I know about them.

This one makes a little more sense: the paradox of voting against the impeachment of Dick Cheney while claiming to love the Constitution. Dick Cheney is only Public Enemy Against the American People Number Two by virtue of the fact that he is Vice-President and not sitting in the Number One spot.

I don't understand the blogger here: "He's against the occupation of Iraq, yet claims to be from Texas." Hello?

The blogger states, "Understanding Paul is like trying to nail jello to a tree..." which is another very clever turn of phrase but couldn't the same be said of almost every politician?

"Despite eyebrow-raising revelations that continue to surface, such as Paul not believing in the separation between church and state or the donations he accepts from white supremacist groups, nothing is stronger than the love a Paul fanboy has for his golden idol." Yes, I have seen this devotion in action. And why does Ron Paul not seem to mind being associated with Nazis?

The blogger finishes by making the point that Ron Paul's background in and avocation for matters scientific seems to be woefully inadequate and the American people ought to consider electing someone with "at least an elementary school understanding of what constitutes scientific fact this time around, and not someone who thinks "both sides" are equally credible [re: evolution]." I agree with that.

We've had enough of morons and I'm not necessarily speaking of intellectual capacity (although, that may play into it). If you don't respect the Constitution, you're a moron. And you shouldn't be President of the United States.

Anyway, here's a link to the blog post.

Looking at America

2008-01-01T19:38:00.000-08:00

There are too many moments these days when we cannot recognize our country. Sunday was one of them, as we read the account in The Times of how men in some of the most trusted posts in the nation plotted to cover up the torture of prisoners by Central Intelligence Agency interrogators by destroying videotapes of their sickening behavior. It was impossible to see the founding principles of the greatest democracy in the contempt these men and their bosses showed for the Constitution, the rule of law and human decency.

...This sort of lawless behavior has become standard practice since Sept. 11, 2001.

...Out of panic and ideology, President Bush squandered America’s position of moral and political leadership, swept aside international institutions and treaties, sullied America’s global image, and trampled on the constitutional pillars that have supported our democracy through the most terrifying and challenging times. These policies have fed the world’s anger and alienation and have not made any of us safer.

...We can only hope that this time, unlike 2004, American voters will have the wisdom to grant the awesome powers of the presidency to someone who has the integrity, principle and decency to use them honorably. Then when we look in the mirror as a nation, we will see, once again, the reflection of the United States of America.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

For real Americans, those who actually cherish this nation and those G-d given rights that are our birthright, what's been done to our nation in the name of greed and zealotry is absolutely heartbreaking. We are shattered and it is nearly incomprehensible that an American President could so utterly betray the American people. It is to be hoped that our long national nightmare will begin to be over after this November. It's only the beginning for there is much damage to repair.

If you are an American and you love your country, it is your sacred duty to vote. Please, don't sit this one out and assume your vote doesn't matter. You matter. Your vote matters. America matters.

Is Huckabee his own worst enemy?

2008-01-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

Huckabee's latest antic truly belongs in the bizarre column. It was "The Great WTF Moment" of his campaign.

It seems Romney launched an ad campaign that highlighted questionable things that Huckabee had done in his political past. All of the factual data in that ad was correct even if presented as negatives against Huckabee. Pretty much, par for the course in politics.

A source from Huckabee's own campaign said Huckabee went "white-hot" with rage over the political ad. So, Huckabee fired back with his own disturbing and nasty anti-Romney ad.

The problem with Huckabee's ad is that it was not entirely truthful. At least, Romney stuck with the facts. Huckabee, it seems, did not.

Probably, also par for the course in politics but there's just one problem when it comes to Iowans and their elections: they tend to turn against negative campaigners.

Somebody must have whispered same into Huckabee's ear so he thought to launch a preemptive strike against negative campaign ads in general by featuring his own negative campaign ad!

Are you still following this? LOL.

What Huckabee did was to hold a news conference in which he played his negative campaign ad for all the assembled media types stating something along the lines of, this is not the sort of ad he would be using in the media for his campaign.

HUH????

Dude, that's exactly what you just did! Huckabee claims he was using his negative attack ad for demonstration purposes only and not as an actual negative attack.

From the article:

Huckabee showed off the spot to the journalists, knowing full well his negative message would seep out of the room. He told the media to pay close attention.

"You're not going to get a copy of it," he warned, "so this is your chance to see it, then after that you'll never see it again."

The media laughed.

This man is indeed his own worst enemy.

READ THE ARTICLE

2008 Political Dashboard

2008-01-01T06:43:00.000-08:00

This is a nifty little webpage from Yahoo. Includes "key indicators" on all the major candidates.

GO HAVE A LOOK

Bush signs Sudan divestment bill

2008-01-01T06:35:00.000-08:00

Hey! Bush does something right! Give the man credit where credit's due. Well, how many people have died or been raped while waiting for the world to give a shit? Oh well, at least this is a step in the right direction...

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush signed legislation Monday to allow states and local governments to cut investment ties with Sudan because of the violence in Darfur.

But in doing so, Bush made clear that he will construe the law as he chooses to make sure that lower governments do not try to intrude on the powers of the federal government.

...Bush's administration has for weeks objected to letting state and local governments adopt divestment policies that delve into foreign policy, a traditional federal role.

Nevertheless, Bush signed the bill, which was approved with strong support in Congress.

READ MORE...

Is this like bill signing under duress?

Clinton holds lead as Romney slips in Iowa

2008-01-01T06:31:00.000-08:00

Interesting. See post below that proclaims Obama beating Clinton by a handy margin.

link to this article

Poll: Obama, Huckabee leading rivals

2007-12-31T22:57:00.000-08:00

DES MOINES, Iowa - Presidential contenders rang in the 2008 election year with near-constant campaigning on Monday as a poll showed Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee leading their rivals with three days remaining before the Iowa caucuses.

The poll by the Des Moines Register showed Obama, an Illinois senator, with the support of 32 percent of those surveyed, compared to 25 percent for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and 24 percent for former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

Among Republicans, Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, had the backing of 32 percent of those surveyed, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had 26 percent.

MORE...

Electronic voting is questioned

2007-12-31T16:50:00.000-08:00

DENVER - With the presidential race in full swing, Colorado and other states have found critical flaws in the accuracy and security of their electronic voting machines, forcing officials to scramble to return to the paper ballots they abandoned after the Florida debacle of 2000.

In December alone, top election officials in Ohio and Colorado declared that widely used voting equipment is unfit for elections.

"Every system that is out there, one state or another has found that they are no good," said John Gideon of the advocacy group Voters Unite.
"Everybody is starting to look at this now and starting to realize that there is something wrong."

MORE...

Islamic Rage Boy Sings "Infidels" (Jingle Bells)

2007-12-29T22:14:00.000-08:00

Kathy Griffin on Ann Coulter

2007-12-29T15:34:00.000-08:00

What???? Now the G.O.P. is BRAGGING about illegal campaign practices???

2007-12-29T11:52:00.000-08:00

"Voter caging," according to the Brennan Center for Justice, "is the practice of sending mail to addresses on the voter rolls, compiling a list of the mail that is returned undelivered, and using that list to purge or challenge voters’ registrations on the grounds that the voters on the list do not legally reside at their registered addresses."

The problem with all of the above is that voter caging is so extremely unreliable as an indicator of the legitimacy of a voter's right to vote that its use has been eradicated. Except by the Republicans.

And do you know why voter caging is near and dear to Republican hearts? Because they ONLY target minorities or any voting constituency they perceive as being likely to vote Democratic.

And THAT'S against the law. Republican abuse of voter caging was so extreme, the Grand Old Party was forced by federal court to sign a consent decree never to do it again.

They lied. That, and denying Americans the right to vote is a crime. But, it gets worse. Now, the Republicans are BRAGGING about it.

From "Crooks and Liars" and "Blue Tide Rising" we learn that the head of the Republican Party for the State of Kansas sent out an email bragging of the following, "To date, the Kansas GOP has identified and caged more voters in the last 11 months than the previous two years!”

Slate.com also has a write-up on the Republican Party's attempt through voter caging to subvert yet another American election.

If you are curious about the Republican chairman whose big mouth has put the spotlight square on Republican efforts to steal America away from Americans, his name is Kris Kobach and you can learn more about him here and here. America may actually owe this bigmouth a huge debt of gratitude for being the practical whistleblower that he's turned out to be.

Here's yet another instance of Karl Rove and his bot interfering with the 2004 election. It begins: "For years, Tim Griffin, the former aide to Karl Rove who’s been at the center of the U.S. attorney controversy, has been dogged by allegations that he was a part of a 2004 scheme to block African-Americans in Florida from voting."

This article poses the very believable scenario that Tim Griffin, Karl Rove protege and champion vote-supressor, was persuaded to withdraw his name from Senate consideration to be permanently appointed as a United States attorney purely to avoid having to answer questions under oath about his illegal voter-suppression activities.

Then there's this article about Mr. Griffin's illegal activities on behalf of his master, Karl Rove.

And here's another report on how the Republicans are focusing on disenfranchising minority voters in Ohio and Florida for the 2008 election.

The PBS program, "Voter Caging & Housing Works" attempts to answer the following: "Was there a White House plot to illegally suppress votes in 2004? Is there a similar plan for the upcoming elections? This week NOW examines documents and evidence that points to a Republican Party plan designed to keep Democrats from voting, allegedly by targeting people based on their race and ethnicity with key battleground states like Ohio and Florida of particular interest." Here is their video (in addition to the linked article).

The PBS program makes reference to David Iglesias, one of the fired U.S. Attorneys, who was ordered to go out "fishing" for likely targets for voter caging and when all his investigating failed to turn up enough dirt, he was fired. Here is that interview with David Iglesias.

RELATED LINKS:

E-mails between National Republican Party headquarters and Ohio State Republican Party officials about plans to challenge voters in Ohio [pdf]

List of people in the Cleveland, Ohio area who the Republicans planned to stop on Election Day, 2004 [pdf]

Guidebook for Republicans interested in becoming poll monitors[pdf]

"Truth About Voter Fraud"

BBC: "New Florida vote scandal feared" by Greg Palast

"In 2004, BBC reporter Greg Palast obtained two e-mails -- prepared for the executive director of the Bush campaign in Florida and the campaign's national research director -- that listed '1,886 names and addresses of voters in predominantly black and traditionally Democrat areas' of the Jacksonville, FL Naval Air Station. Palast explains: "Here's how the scheme worked: The RNC mailed these voters letters in envelopes marked, 'Do not forward', to be returned to the sender. These letters were mailed to servicemen and women, some stationed overseas, to their US home addresses. The letters then returned to the Bush-Cheney campaign as 'undeliverable.'"

SO THE REPUBLICANS SUNK SO LOW THAT THEY SOUGHT TO DISENFRANCHISE OUR SOLDIERS. Who's the traitor now?

Here's one of those anti-American traitors...

Please, don't let them steal America again. This country belongs to the people!!! And 70% of us want the current crooked regime OUT OF THERE ALREADY!!!!

Permission is granted to repost my words in this specific article (only) on any blog or website or forum or messageboard. If you do copy this article, please keep "fair use" and "copyright" in mind and do not copy more of the excerpted articles than what you see here and please leave a link back to the original sources as I have done.

One of the 50 most loathsome people in America: YOU

2007-12-29T08:24:00.000-08:00

One of the 50 most loathsome people in America: YOU
by John Aravosis (DC)
· 12/28/2007 03:48:00 PM ET ·

Charges: You believe in freedom of speech, until someone says something that offends you. You suddenly give a damn about border integrity, because the automated voice system at your pharmacy asked you to press 9 for Spanish. You cling to every scrap of bullshit you can find to support your ludicrous belief system, and reject all empirical evidence to the contrary. You know the difference between patriotism and nationalism -- it's nationalism when foreigners do it. You hate anyone who seems smarter than you. You care more about zygotes than actual people. You love to blame people for their misfortunes, even if it means screwing yourself over. You still think Republicans favor limited government. Your knowledge of politics and government are dwarfed by your concern for Britney Spears' children. You think buying Chinese goods stimulates our economy. You think you're going to get universal health care. You tolerate the phrase "enhanced interrogation techniques." You think the government is actually trying to improve education. You think watching CNN makes you smarter. You think two parties is enough. You can't spell. You think $9 trillion in debt is manageable. You believe in an afterlife for the sole reason that you don't want to die. You think lowering taxes raises revenue. You think the economy's doing well. You're an idiot.

Exhibit A: You couldn't get enough Anna Nicole Smith coverage.

Sentence: A gradual decline into abject poverty as you continue to vote against your own self-interest. Death by an easily treated disorder that your health insurance doesn't cover. You deserve it, chump.

Strange... this post very much describes the majority of posters at the Bully Pulpit forum at Delphiforums. They become apopletic with insane rage if you suggest they follow the Golden Rule... you know, if you wouldn't like it if someone hijacked your own threads because they politically disagreed with you and if you didn't like it when people launched personal attacks against you, then you probably should not do that to others.

In fact, the frothing-at-the-mouth extremists at the Bully Pulpit will even insist that anyone who dares to suggest the Golden Rule ought to be a guideline for forum behavior absolutely must be banned from that forum.

They really, really hate you for posting the real facts. Truth is anathema to extremists because it is not bendable to extremist talking points.

Pity.

Priests brawl at Jesus' birthplace

2007-12-28T15:51:00.000-08:00

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) -- Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests attacked each other with brooms and stones inside the Church of the Nativity as long-standing rivalries erupted in violence during holiday cleaning on Thursday.

The basilica, built over the grotto in Bethlehem where Christians believe Jesus was born, is administered jointly by Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic authorities.

Any perceived encroachment on one group's turf can touch off vicious feuds.

On Thursday, dozens of priests and cleaners were scrubbing the church ahead of the Armenian and Orthodox Christmas, celebrated in early January. Thousands of tourists visited the church this week for Christmas celebrations.

But the clean-up turned ugly after some of the Orthodox faithful stepped inside the Armenian church's section, touching off a scuffle between about 50 Greek Orthodox and 30 Armenians.

Palestinian police, armed with batons and shields, quickly formed a human cordon to separate the two sides so the cleaning could continue, then ordered an Associated Press photographer out of the church.

LINK

WWJD?

Well, I guess this is one endorsement Rudy won't be getting...

2007-12-28T11:14:00.000-08:00

Rudolph Giuliani, Oxycontin Defender

2007-12-28T07:47:00.000-08:00

One way that Rudy used his post-9/11 hero status was to go to bat for the makers of the drug Oxycontin. They were being criminally investigated for misleading the public and health care professionals about the potential dangers of using the drug. As head of Guiliani Partners, the lobbying firm hired by the Oxycontin makers, it was Rudy's job to thwart that criminal investigation. How is that representing the best interests of the American people? If he was President, what highest bidder would he sell us out to as George Bush has done vis-a-vis being owned in business by the bin Ladens and the Carlyle Group?

In western Virginia, far from the limelight, United States Attorney John L. Brownlee found himself on the telephone last year with a political and legal superstar, Rudolph W. Giuliani.
For years, Mr. Brownlee and his small team had been building a case that the maker of the painkiller OxyContin had misled the public when it claimed the drug was less prone to abuse than competing narcotics. The drug was believed to be a factor in hundreds of deaths involving its abuse.
Mr. Giuliani, celebrated for his stewardship of New York City after 9/11, soon told the prosecutors they were wrong.
In 2002, the drug maker, Purdue Pharma of Stamford, Conn., hired Mr. Giuliani and his consulting firm, Giuliani Partners, to help stem the controversy about OxyContin. Among Mr. Giuliani’s missions was the job of convincing public officials that they could trust Purdue because they could trust him.
READ MORE...

Rudy would never tell a lie... would he?

2007-12-28T07:35:00.000-08:00

Two Items on Benazir Bhutto

2007-12-28T06:46:00.000-08:00

...both from "The Huffington Post."

First, Arianna Huffington's personal recollection of Benazir Bhutto who might have preferred to be a housewife and mother but who put aside her personal wants to serve the people of Pakistan.

Then, a startling email from Benazir Bhutto herself, read on-air by Wolf Blitzer and which had been kept secret, to be revealed only in the event of her assassination. Ms. Bhutto makes the point in her email that any assassin who could get past all the protection and security that surrounded her would have to have official help and so she points the finger at Musharaff in the event she is killed.

"The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends" - Soldiers Speak Out

2007-12-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

SEE THE TRAILER:
"The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends," takes an unflinching look at the training and dehumanization of U.S. soldiers, and how they struggle to come to terms with it when they come back home.

This film overrides familiar images of heroic soldiers in battle, and overjoyed returning faces, reunited with their families with one effortless stroke. Instead, we see a scenario that can include illness, amputation and injury, depression and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), of which Iraq has become a fertile breeding ground. While America's poor treatment of veterans is not news to most, "The Ground Truth" makes it so personal and real, it is impossible to dismiss its characters simply as war statistics.

The film gives us glimpses into a Marine Corps boot camp that allows us to comprehend how a man or woman can kill as part of their job. We get hit with more understanding of our soldiers' dehumanization by seeing Iraq combat footage that shows routine indiscriminate killing. Their jobs over, the confusion, guilt and shame that comes home with these "killers" is the tip of the iceberg.

Left with few resources and families that cannot understand what they have seen or done, their anguish only intensifies. Foulkrod's graphic footage and still-photographs of the ground conflict in Iraq, should forever shatter the sanitized images found on the nightly news and provide a much needed wake-up call for all of us.

PBS Frontline: Cheney's Law

2007-12-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

Watch the documentary and afterwards decide for yourself if we in America still live in a "free country." When your country has been taken over by a cabal of powergrabbing greedy corrupt criminals and they seemingly are not answerable to the Constitution and the laws of this land, that they are in effect, a dictatorship, so how free can the country be?

It was Cheney's "energy advisors" and good buddies who had such a rip-roaring good time manufacturing an "energy crisis" in California that didn't have to happen but which "made the grannies cry" according to Cheney's energy advisors. The more grannies that cried, the richer they got.

Now Cheney wants to block our Republican Governor's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the state of California. Seems Cheney's energy advisors have struck again. Since when did the federal government have the authority to stop a State from trying to be more environment-friendly?

The crooks are so blatant, they don't give a shit what anyone thinks and they believe they will never be held to account. They don't even care if they've destroyed the Republican Party for a generation or more.

A Conservative Republican's View of the events of 9/11

2007-12-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

This link leads to a short trailer for this conservative Republican's documentary (also downloadable from this page) on his view of the events of 9/11.

Perhaps his next video will be showing his proof that creationism is an earth/physical science?

Stop Rape Now

2007-12-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

STOP RAPE AS A WEAPON OF WAR

Sexual violence in conflict is an atrocity affecting millions of people, primarily women and girls. It is employed by soldiers and other combatants in conflict to humiliate opponents, terrify individuals, and destroy societies. Yet, rape remains largely ignored in conflict prevention and peace-building efforts. Many still view sexual violence as an inevitable consequence of conflict - an attitude that encourages impunity for perpetrators.

But, we can end this.

Be a part of the growing movement to encourage governments and support civil society organizations to end sexual violence in conflict.

VISIT THE WEBSITE

Bush says US economy is safe and sound

2007-12-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - President Bush worked to reassure Americans on Monday about the economy but said "there's definitely some storm clouds and concern" because of the nation's credit crunch and mortgage problems.

"But the underpinning is good," Bush told business and community leaders at a gathering of Rotary Club members.

"We've had a pretty good economic run," the president said in a speech intended to show he is aware of the public's edgy mood these days. Consumer confidence has eroded as turmoil in the housing and credit market have battered the economy.

READ THE ARTICLE

Do you suppose he's aware that 70% of Americans think he's full of shit?

Saudi king pardons rape victim

2007-12-17T04:51:00.000-08:00

Abdullah reportedly spares woman in sex-assault case from jail and lashes

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has pardoned a female rape victim who had been sentenced to six months in prison and 200 lashes for being alone with a man who was not related to her, a Saudi newspaper reported Monday.

...The victim in the case, known only as the "Girl of Qatif" after her hometown in eastern Saudi Arabia, was in a car with a man in 2006 when they were attacked and raped by seven men.

She was initially sentenced in November 2006 to several months in prison and 90 lashes for being alone in a car with a man with whom she was neither related nor married, a violation of the kingdom's strict segregation of the sexes.

The woman, who was 19 at the time of the rape, has said she met the man to retrieve a picture of herself from him because she had recently married.

The case sparked international outcry, especially after the court more than doubled the sentence last month to 200 lashes and six months prison in response to her appeal.

READ MORE

Yep, Saudi Arabia sure does have a HUGE public relations problem with the rest of the world. A few of their nasty bits of business:

"Death of a Princess" - This story, which generally went around as a girl who willingly accepted to die rather than compromise over a love she felt for a boy, that touched buttons. It's a crucifixion story. It has that same sort of resonance. And that stirred things in people. And that was what the film was about, was about that stirring. At the same time, it was trying to find the girl herself. Who was she?

Saudi Arabia: Religious Police Role in School Fire Criticized - Eyewitnesses, including civil defense officers, reported that several members of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (mutawwa'in, in Arabic) interfered with rescue efforts because the fleeing students were not wearing the obligatory public attire (long black cloaks and head coverings) for Saudi girls and women.

...The report noted that mutawwa'in were at the school's main gate and, "intentionally obstructed the efforts to evacuate the girls. This resulted in the increased number of casualties."

The religious police reportedly tried to block the entry of Civil Defense officers into the building. "We told them that the situation was dangerous and it was not the time to discuss religious issues, but they refused and started shouting at us," Arab News quoted Civil Defense officers as saying.

"Whenever the girls got out through the main gate, these people forced them to return via another. Instead of extending a helping hand for the rescue work, they were using their hands to beat us," Civil Defense officers were quoted as saying.

The officers also said they saw three people beating girls who had evacuated the school without proper dress. A Saudi journalist told Human Rights Watch that the mutawwa'in at the scene also turned away parents and other residents who came to assist.

Sex slave trafficking in Saudi Arabia - Today the State Department released a list of countries that are not doing enough to prevent international trafficking of people, especially women and children. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, who has previously led the efforts to track and punish international human traffickers, urged immediate action by the State Department to insure that countries, including some U.S. allies, take responsibility for putting an end to this horrific practice of buying and selling women and children.

...Sen. Schumer continued, “I am particularly disturbed that Saudi Arabia, according to today’s report, ‘does not comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, particularly its failure to protect victims and prosecute those guilty of involuntary servitude.’”

“This only serves to strengthen the arguments many have made that this Administration is too close to the Saudi government and has not held them accountable to the most basic standards of humanity,” Schumer concluded.

Anti-Americanism in Saudi Arabia - Several developments have contributed to the rise of anti-Americanism in Saudi Arabia since the end of the Cold War, including the steady growth of American influences on Saudi society and mores and the decline of common external threats. There were also a series of events that highlighted or symbolized two realities in conflict with the Kingdom's self-concept as the hub of Islam: dependence on the United States for external security, and American cultural influence. These events include the Persian Gulf War in 1990-91, the second Palestinian intifada, the terror attacks of September 11, and the second American war with Iraq.

Saudi Schools Indoctrinate Their Children with Hate : ...However, these textbooks are part of the official curriculum for Saudi students and are a fundamental part of their education. Approximately 35% of school studies is devoted to compulsory Saudi religious education. (For more on Saudi religious education, see FRONTLINE's interviews with Ali al-Ahmed, Mai Yamani, and Hassan Youssef Yassin.).

SOME EXAMPLES FROM SAUDI SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS:

"The last hour won't come before the Muslims would fight the Jews and the Muslims will kill them so Jews would hide behind rocks and trees. Then the rocks and tree would call: oh Muslim, oh servant of God! There is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only "Gharkad" tree, it is of Jews' trees."

"It's fate decided by Allah that the Muslims and Jews will fight till the end of the world."

"The Hadith predicts for the Muslims God's victory over the Jews."

"The opposition of God and his Apostle and the opposition of His Sharia- is a reason for retribution of Allah that is what happened to the Jews of Ibn-Nadhir. God Says: "That is because they acted in opposition to Allah and His Apostle, and whoever acts in opposition to Allah, then surely Allah is severe in retributing (evil)"

"It's allowed to demolish, burn or destroy the bastions of the Kufar (infidels)- and all what constitutes their shield from Muslims if that was for the sake of victory for the Muslims and the defeat for the Kufar."

The Kingdom of Corruption - The Saudi Connection: But Wahhabism remains the state religion of Saudi Arabia, imported with petro-dollars to fund extremism elsewhere in the world. During the war against the Soviet Union, Pakistani military intelligence requested the presence of a Saudi prince to lead the jihad in Afghanistan. No volunteers were forthcoming and the Saudi leaders recommended the scion of a rich family, close to the monarchy. Ossama Bin Laden was despatched to the Pakistan border and arrived in time to hear President Carter's National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brezinski, turban on head, shout: "Allah is on your side."

The religious schools in Pakistan where the Taliban were created were funded by the Saudis and Wahhabi influence was very strong. Last year when the Taliban decided to blow up the old Buddhas there were appeals from the ancient seminaries of Qom and al-Azhar to desist on the grounds that Islam was tolerant. A Wahhabi delegation from the Kingdom advised the Taliban to execute the plan. They did. The Wahhabi insistence on a permanent jihad against all enemies, Muslim and non-Muslim, was to leave a deep mark on the young boys who later took Kabul. The attitude of the United States in those days was sympathetic. A Republican Party packed with Christian cults could hardly offer advice on this matter and both Clinton and Blair were keen on advertising their Christianity.

The Corruption of Corporate America By The House of Saud - This site is dedicated to the Royal House of Saud, and to the web of corruption it has spun around corporate America. And while it has become evident, even without those secret excerpts from the official U.S. Government 9/11 Report, that the House of Saud has been instrumental in the spread of hateful Wahhabism, that is not the main theme of this web page. The purpose of this site is to open up the discussion on an even more insidious aspect of the corrupt House of Saud, that is the influence it holds within the highest levels of the U.S. Government and American corporations.

Odor of Corruption Over Saudi "Contract of the Century" - Last year, Tony Blair, then still prime minister, blocked an investigation of financial embezzlement involving the Saudi royal family in the negotiation of this fabulous contract. The investigation had begun in 2004 and established that BAE had transferred a billion pounds sterling (1.4 billion euros) to the private account of Prince Bandar, who was Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington for twenty years, and another billion pounds to the Swiss accounts of other royal family members. The British Serious Fraud Office (SFO), a theoretically independent agency, was not authorized to pursue its investigations.

London has succeeded in keeping a lid on this scandal, to finally end up signing this contract.

The Corner House and CAAT win landmark ruling on BAE-Saudi corruption case - This past Friday, 9 November 2007, just before 1 pm, two High Court judges granted permission to Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) and The Corner House for a full judicial review hearing against the UK Government's decision in December last year to cut short a Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation into alleged corruption by BAE Systems in recent arms deals with Saudi Arabia.

U.K. politician to boycott official Saudi visit to protest handling of corruption probe - The acting leader of a British opposition party said Sunday he will boycott a state visit by Saudi King Abdullah to protest the handling of a British investigation into claims that members of the Saudi royal family received kickbacks as part of a massive arms deal. It begins Monday and is to include a banquet held by the Queen Elizabeth II in his honor at Buckingham Palace.

... "I have introduced three debates in Parliament this year expressing serious concerns over the al-Yamamah contract and the corruption allegedly involved. I have, in my arguments, also been very critical of members of the Saudi royal family and the Saudi record on human rights, including its maltreatment of British citizens," the letter said.

"In my opinion, it is quite wrong for the British government to have proposed a state visit at this time. Therefore, it would, I believe, be inappropriate for me to participate in a ceremonial state visit against this background."

Human rights in Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia is one of a number of countries where courts continue to impose corporal punishment, including amputations of hands and feet for robbery, and lashings for lesser crimes such as "sexual deviance" and drunkenness.

...In 2002, the United Nations Committee against Torture criticized Saudi Arabia over the amputations and floggings it carries out under its interpretation of Sharia.

...Saudi Arabia also engages in capital punishment, including public executions by beheading and stoning. While some are also executed in private by firing squad, many executions are popular public attractions.

...Individuals accused of crimes are not provided with representation, and according to Amnesty International, some defendants are convicted based on confessions obtained under duress, torture or deception.

...Saudi women face severe discrimination in many aspects of their lives, including education, employment, and the justice system and are clearly regarded as inferior to men. Although they make up 70% of those enrolled in universities, women make up just 5% of the workforce in Saudi Arabia, the lowest proportion in the world. The treatment of women has been referred to as "gender apartheid."

...In the legal system, women face discrimination as the criminal laws of Saudi Arabia adhere to strict Islamic precepts. The testimony of a woman is not regarded as fact but as presumption.

As a result of these laws women are particularly vulnerable in cases of assault and/or rape, as their testimony is treated as a presumption, while that of their attackers is accepted as fact. In some cases, victims of sexual assault are punished on the grounds that they should not be alone with unrelated males.

Women are not allowed to drive or ride bicycles on public roads in large cities.

Women cannot be admitted to a hospital, examined by a doctor, travel abroad or leave the house without the express permission and/or company of an immediate male relative.

After their first menstrual cycle, women must cover their entire body in a long black cloak (abaaya) as according to tradition. Failing to do so results in severe punishment. Foreign women are also expected to wear abaya, violators may face caning, harassment or fines.

Women are forbidden from voting.

"Freedom of religion does not exist," the U.S. State Department's 1997 Human Rights Report on Saudi Arabia states. "Islam is the official religion, and all citizens must be Muslims. The government prohibits the public practice of other religions." However, at the U.N. Third Millennium Summit in New York City, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz defended Saudi Arabia's position on human rights, saying "It is absurd to impose on an individual or a society rights that are alien to its beliefs or principles."

Saudis prepare to behead teenage maid - Human rights campaigners yesterday urged the authorities not to behead a 19-year-old Sri Lankan maid found guilty of killing a baby in her care.

According to the Saudi authorities, Rizana Nafeek admitted strangling the four-month-old boy while feeding him with a bottle.

But Nafeek, whose job was not meant to include child care, has denied making any such admission. She claims the child had begun to choke before losing consciousness in spite of her desperate efforts to clear his airway.

Tonight is the deadline for appeals in the case. Unless the Saudi authorities change the sentence or the parents of the victim offer clemency, Nafeek will have her head cut off by an executioner wielding a sword in front of a crowd of onlookers.

On September 11, 2001, 15 out of the 19 hijackers who carried out the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were Saudi citizens.

On Iran, Bush faces questions of what he knew when

2007-12-16T11:02:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush faced questions on Tuesday about whether he knew of intelligence that Iran had ended its nuclear arms program when he warned in October that Tehran could trigger World War Three.

"Can't you be accused of hyping this threat?" Bush was asked at a news conference a day after his administration released a new National Intelligence Estimate concluding that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

"I was made aware of the NIE last week," Bush replied.

But it was his next remark that drew attention from Democrats, the news media and intelligence experts: "In August, I think it was (U.S. intelligence chief) Mike McConnell came in and said, 'We have some new information.' He didn't tell me what the information was."

Increasingly strident U.S. rhetoric over Iran's nuclear program reached a peak on Oct. 17 when Bush warned that a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to World War Three.

A day later, Vice President Dick Cheney announced his own warning of "serious consequences" for Iran if it refused to abandon its nuclear activities.

The comments stirred fears of a possible U.S. military confrontation with Iran and helped send world oil prices soaring toward the $100 a barrel mark.

On Tuesday, some former intelligence officers said Bush and other top White House officials were probably briefed about the intelligence findings long before the NIE was published.

"I can't imagine that McConnell ... would tell the president about this and not tell him what the information actually said," remarked Flynt Leverett, a former member of Bush's National Security Council.

"I think they certainly played fast and loose with the facts," he said in an interview with CNN.

READ THE ARTICLE

ALSO SEE: Kucinich questions Bush's mental health over Iran

Hamas Plans New War of Aggression Against Israel

2007-12-16T10:58:00.000-08:00

Hamas' charter calls for the complete destruction of the state of Israel. They will not be satisfied until Israel and the United States both cease to exist.

The numbnut left-wingers in this country who know Israel is not the aggressor but who persist in their anti-Semitic diatribes against our ally Israel have to do some real pretzel-twisting to continue to support terrorist Hamas.

I'll spell it out. The numbnuts are FOR Hamas because the numbnuts claim to want peace. But, that doesn't jive with the reality of Hamas' constant bombardment of rockets into Israel. Hamas = murder and aggression. The numbnuts want Hamas to be weak and defenseless and the poor simple victims of Israeli self-defense moves... that were started by Hamas rocket attacks/aggression. Whatever lie fits the numbnuts program, that's the one they promote.

Okay. Enough pretzel-twisting. For now.

So, now Hamas is threatening another war of aggression. They warn they should be allowed to launch their rockets against innocent civilians without facing any repercussions whatsoever. They warn if Israel defends itself in this war, "Jews, go back, because we have already dug graves for you."

And the numbnuts will still call Hamas the peaceful ones.

READ THE REUTERS STORY ON HAMAS' PLANS OF AGGRESSION

HORROR UNDER THE HIJAB

2007-12-16T09:07:00.000-08:00

HORROR UNDER THE HIJAB

A Canadian Muslim teenager was murdered this week for trying to establish her own identity by moving out of her family home and for reportedly defying her father’s command to cover her head. Meanwhile, Canada’s largest daily newspaper, the Toronto Star, disgracefully hid its own head in the sand.

Pakistani-Canadian Aqsa Parvez, 16, was strangled by her father in an honor murder last Monday in the Toronto-area city of Mississauga. Refusing to wear the Islamic hijab, Parvez, who was herself born in Pakistan, wanted to live the normal lifestyle of a Canadian teenage girl, but ran into conflict with her strict, religious father. One friend and schoolmate said the Canadian teenager was afraid of her father and often came to school wearing bruises, the result of his violence.

“She was scared of her father; he was always controlling her,” the friend told the National Post, a Canadian national newspaper. “She wasn’t allowed to go out or do anything.”

Nevertheless, the Grade 11 student, according to friends, would leave home wearing the hijab but arrive at school in western-style clothes, having changed on the way. This was part of her courageous desire to live her own life and overcoming the fear in which she lived.

Despite the Canadian public’s disgust and outrage over this murder and in contrast to Parvez’s courage, the Toronto Star avoided tackling head on the issue of Muslim male intolerance and violence toward female family members who wish to establish their independence and lead their own lives.

READ THE ARTICLE

My Delphi Forums Sig File

2007-12-16T04:50:00.000-08:00

I hang out at a lot of different forums at Delphi because they have every possible interest covered there. A lot of wacky people run forums at Delphi and it's a great deal of fun to be an observer to human behavior there. I've actually been able to create and flesh out characters for my writing from some of the folks who post at Delphi, especially the rabid fanatics of various political stripes.

Ha ha ha ha... the most fun I had was posting factual data on the rabid right-wing forum, "The Bully Pulpit," where they finally banned me for suggesting that people ought to follow the Golden Rule. I'd been discussing how the forum owner and her moderators permitted "pile-on thread hijacking" whenever anyone posited a middle-of-the-road or liberal or Democratic view of issues but the threads of the rabid ones were vigorously protected with constant "clean up" when the right-wing talking points were challenged.

I'd mentioned to one rabid right-winger that if he truly was the Christian he pretended to be then he believed in the Golden Rule. Makes sense, doesn't it? So... when he burst into threads with vicious personal attacks and insults and the aforementioned thread hijacking, he was proclaiming to all that was how he wished to be treated. It follows logically the concept of the Golden Rule, does it not?

So they banned me because the rabid dog whined that I'd made a terrorist threat. Ha ha ha ha ha ha... I love it. Only the brain dead would not see the humor here.

Anyway, this is the "sig file" that attaches to the bottom of all my postings in any forum at Delphi that permits sig files...

My Blogs:

The Politics Schmalitics Blog
"Where Truth will never be silenced by liars, hypocrites, or any other hater of American values!"

The Writer Blog
"Do you write? Want to write? Screenplays? Novels? Short stories? Poetry? I've got the resources for you!"

Brain Juice Blog
FOR ALL WRITERS: Ideas, Challenges, Story Starters, oh man, I have a whole crapload of stuff to get the juices flowing and the batteries running!

The Brain Farts Blog
"A little of this, a little of that... Whatever it is, it's a surefire cure for boredom!"

The X-Shikseh Files
"A Jewish blog from a
genuine Zionist hoodlum."

Spectacular Israel

Join the Blue Ribbon Online
Free Speech Campaign!

The last bit in there about free speech was just to tweak the beaks of the rabid dog extremists. In fact, the very last one, a smilie custom made by me, was put into my sig after a long list of links to posts of mine that had been censored by a left-wing anti-Semite who hosts a forum at Delphi. For example, he made up a bunch of crap or linked to crap from either white power websites or terrorist sponsored websites (or websites run by people who also were involved with terrorists or the general left-wing anti-Israel movement) and for every lie he posted, I would have the annoying habit of digging up the actual truth. Which he would promptly delete. LOL. So when my friend Randy started a Delphi Form to discuss Islamofacism from an American point of view, I started re-posting every censored post there with that little smilie.

Oh, man the rabid dogs sure hate you when you tell the truth and back it up. Makes me feel good all over. Proof of success comes in various forms such as the responses that include the personal attack. But, nothing beats getting banned for proof of success! Yee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!!!! LOL LOL LOL!!!!

More Free Political Bumper Stickers for Your Blog, Website, forums, emails, etc.

2007-12-13T19:37:00.000-08:00

You can find more in my earlier post here. Please download images to your own computer. Do not directly link (hotlink) to any images here. I often reorganize and change folders and file names and you may end up with a broken image link if you hotlink any images here. Also, I sometimes change the image to something embarrassing to the hotlinkers. You do not have to link back to my blog to use the images but it would be nice if you could. Don't sweat it, though.

CIA destroyed tapes despite court orders

2007-12-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

Several issues involved here even though the opposite extremist ends of the political spectrum would desire that folks only paid attention to one issue or another or one very narrow view of an issue.

The Bush administration was under court order not to destroy videotapes of prisoner interrogations. Knowing they were forbidden to destroy those tapes, the Bush administration went ahead and destroyed them, anyway.

One has to ask, is this a "high crime" or "misdemeanor?" Is it an impeachable offense or, when taken together with other offenses committed by the Bush administration, is all of it "impeachable offenses?"

Is it scary that a President thinks he is above the law and entitled to make up his own laws as he goes along? Should America be concerned about this?

Is a President answerable to the law of the land?

There are also the debates over what constitutes torture and how to safeguard the secrecy of C.I.A. operations, something the Bush administration has clearly demonstrated little regard for when it suited their vengeful political purposes. Can they now hide behind the same protection they denied to a loyal C.I.A. operative and all she came into contact with as a part of her job?

Even if making public knowledge of the torture tactics used by the Bush regime was something that still required debating behind closed-to-the-public top secret doors, should not the evidence/issues to be debated have been preserved?

The Bush Derangement Syndrome suffered by the right-wing extremist zealots will have them scurrying like obedient little lemmings to defend any crime comitted by their leader. At this point, I truly do have to question their love for this country. How can they advocate for criminal behavior and dictatorship and say they love America? The truth is, they only love agenda and be damned to America and her laws... and her democracy.

FROM THE ARTICLE:

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration was under court order not to discard evidence of detainee torture and abuse months before the CIA destroyed videotapes that revealed some of its harshest interrogation tactics.
Normally, that would force the government to defend itself against obstruction allegations. But the CIA may have an out: its clandestine network of overseas prisons.
While judges focused on the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and tried to guarantee that any evidence of detainee abuse would be preserved, the CIA was performing its toughest questioning half a world away. And by the time President Bush publicly acknowledged the secret prison system, interrogation videotapes of two terrorism suspects had been destroyed.

READ THE ARTICLE

Free Political Bumper Stickers for Your Blog, Website, forums, emails, etc.

2007-12-07T11:50:00.000-08:00

Please download any image you wish to use to your own hard drive (usually by RIGHT-clicking on the image). Do not DIRECT LINK (hotlink) to these images. I often change directories or delete items and occasionally will substitute something rather embarrassing for the hotlinkers, so thanks for not doing that. You don't really have to link to my blog for using these images, but it would be nice if you did. Enjoy!

Military Families Turn on Bush

2007-12-06T23:18:00.000-08:00

Bush loses ground with military families
A majority disapprove of the president's handling of the war in Iraq and come closer in line with the views of the general public

WASHINGTON -- Families with ties to the military, long a reliable source of support for wartime presidents, disapprove of President Bush and his handling of the war in Iraq, with a majority concluding the invasion was not worth it, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

The views of the military community, which includes active-duty service members, veterans and their family members, mirror those of the overall adult population, a sign that the strong military endorsement that the administration often pointed to has dwindled in the war's fifth year.

Nearly six out of every 10 military families disapprove of Bush's job performance and the way he has run the war, rating him only slightly better than the general population does.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

Is the President of our country mentally ill? Is he under the influence of the Carlyle Group (Bin Ladens) or Cheney-Halliburton or any of his father's old cronies? Exactly who's running the show in Washington?

Presidential Sex Tapes

2007-12-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

Description: President George W. Bush needs money bad to pay for the war in Iraq, so former president Bill Clinton has an idea - they should make a "Sex tape, baby!" just like Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton! Sung to Kid Rock's "Cowboy," George and Bill just need a hi-8 and some drunk interns for their presidential sex tape, then the girls can come "and take a ride on Air Force One." Now if they can just keep Hillary away.....

SEE THE VIDEO

Olbermann Reads Irreverent O'Reilly Comic Strip On-Air, Mocks Falafel Scandal

2007-12-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

Friday night on "Countdown," Keith Olbermann closed the program with a dramatic reading of a Tom Tomorrow comic strip mocking Bill O'Reilly. To adequately channel the voice of the cartoon, Olbermann read the comic as O'Reilly himself. The comic happened to mention O'Reilly's superior ratings and Olbermann's small penis, as well as a few references to Bill O'Reilly's phone sex/falafel scandal of years past. Watch, and try to keep from laughing out loud if you're at the office.
SEE THE VIDEO

Republicans Call Bush's Bluff On War Funding Threats

2007-12-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

This would be funny except it's not funny. Know what I mean? On the heels of Congress passing the largest Defense spending bill ever, Bush and his bots are crying "poor" and were threatening to "lay off" 200,000 Pentagon employees if Bush didn't get everything he asked for.

Well, the Republican lawmakers called his bluff.

But in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Virginia Republicans Tom Davis and Frank Wolf say the administration's threat is baseless, because the Pentagon has the authority to make shifts in its budget to avoid forcing employees to take leaves of absences.
...The letter -- also signed by Reps. Jim Moran, D-VA, Chris Van Hollen, D-MD, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-MD, Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC, John Sarbanes, D-MD, and Elijah Cummings, D-MD -- comes less than a month after Congress passed a $459 billion defense spending bill. The Pentagon has "general transfer authority of $3.7 billion" and can also reallocate $8 billion of "excess working capital fund cash" to meet other budget, the letter states.
Citing this monetary flexibility, Rep. Moran labeled Gates' doomsday furlough proclamation an "old budget showdown tactic." Indeed, President Bush, himself, has been ramping up the rhetoric, repeatedly warning of severe damages to the Defense Department in the absence of an agreement on Iraq War funds.
"Given that the administration's threats were announced on the heels of Congress passing the largest defense spending bill ever, their cries of poor mouth raise a red flag the size of the North Pole," Moran said.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

Lawn work at Romney's home still done by illegal immigrants

2007-12-04T16:39:00.000-08:00

Oh, Mitt. You've been a very bad boy. READ THE ARTICLE.

Deal near on mortgage defaults

2007-12-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

The right-wing extremists must be in a tizzy over this one because they do not acknowledge the housing market, much less the general economy, is in any kind of a "slump." The right-wing extremists get their marching orders - talking points - from the pundits who know how to make a buck off the true believer.

It's a real head-spinner indeed when the titular head of the gang of true believing agenda pushers, George Bush, not only betrays their loyalty by having his regime acknowledge yes, indeed, there just might be a problem with the economy and specifically with the housing market, but here's what my administration proposes to do about it...

And once the extremists recover from that body blow and regain their wind (gas?), then they have only their old standard of "If you're having financial hard times, it's your own fault" to fall back on and that supreme selfishness is not well served by a President whose regime actually appears to be trying to do something to relieve the problem.

It should be noted the extremists never have any real solutions to real problems and any attempt to address Reality is considered by them to be clearly un-American and treasonous.

Well, here's their bad news for today:

Deal near on mortgage defaults

WASHINGTON - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Monday he is confident there will soon be an agreement to help thousands of homeowners avoid mortgage defaults by temporarily freezing their interest rates.

Paulson told a national housing conference that this effort involved a "pragmatic response" to current realities as the economy goes through the worst housing slump in more than two decades. The number of homeowners struggling to meet higher payments because their initial introductory rates are resetting is currently soaring.

Paulson and other top Treasury officials have been holding talks with major players in the mortgage industry over the past several weeks to hammer out an agreement that would freeze the lower introductory rates to keep them from resetting to higher levels for a period of years.

"We are working aggressively and quickly, utilizing available tools and creating new ones, to help financially responsible but struggling homeowners," Paulson said in a speech to a national housing conference sponsored by the Office of Thrift Supervision.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

Yeah, it would be nice if we lived in a perfect world and there were no hungry people or working families who had a hard struggle to make ends meet.

Chavez loses constitutional vote

2007-12-03T03:20:00.000-08:00

CARACAS, Venezuela - Humbled by his first electoral defeat ever, President Hugo Chavez said Monday he may have been too ambitious in asking voters to let him stand indefinitely for re-election and endorse a huge leap to a socialist state...

...Foes of the reform effort — including Roman Catholic leaders, media freedom groups, human rights groups and prominent business leaders — said it would have granted Chavez unchecked power and imperiled basic rights.

READ MORE HERE

I understand that Chavez and Bush have a hard-on for each other but from the average Venezuelan citizen's P.O.V., why is this Chavez guy who provides government housing for poor people a bad guy and how did the Venezuelan opposition manage this startling achievement of handing Chavez his first major defeat? And when it comes time for him to leave office (2012), will he go?

George W. Bush Joke

2007-12-02T22:24:00.000-08:00

One night, George W. Bush is tossing restlessly in his White House bed. He awakens to see George Washington standing by him Bush asks him, "George, what's the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Set an honest and honorable example, just as I did," Washington advises, and then fades away.

The next night, Bush is astir again, and sees the ghost of Thomas Jefferson moving through the darkened bedroom. Bush calls out, "Tom, please! What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Respect the Constitution, as I did," Jefferson advises, and dims from sight...

The third night sleep still does not come for Bush. He awakens to see the ghost of FDR hovering over his bed. Bush whispers, "Franklin, What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Help the less fortunate, just as I did," FDR replies and fades into the mist...

Bush isn't sleeping well the fourth night when he sees another figure moving in the shadows. It is the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. Bush pleads, "Abe, what is the best thing I can do right now to help the country?"

Lincoln replies, "Go see a play."

Saudi Court to Review Case of Rape Victim

2007-12-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

The Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister announced on Tuesday that the case of a rape victim who was sentenced to 200 lashes and prison time will be reviewed by the Saudi judiciary. The case has drawn international outrage over the harsh sentence handed to the 19 year old woman, who was abducted at knife-point and gang-raped, because she was in a car with a man she is not related to at the time of the attack.

The announcement is a change in direction from the Saudi Justice Ministry’s Saturday announcement defending the sentence and claiming that the woman had confessed to adultery. The victim, who was recently married, states that she was meeting with a high school friend to retrieve a picture of herself, reports the Associated Press.

The Saudi court originally sentenced the woman to 90 lashes, but more than doubled it to 200 lashes and six months in prison when her lawyer appealed the case, claiming that she was trying to use the media to influence them. The appeals court also increased the rapists’ sentences, from one to five year prison terms to two and nine year prison terms.

Media Resources: Feminist Daily Newswire 11/26/07; Associated Press 11/27/07; AFP 11/27/07

Experts Urge Congress to Cut Abstinence Only Funding

2007-12-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

Ten top public health researchers urged Congressional leaders last week to cut funding for failed abstinence only programs. The letter, signed by researchers from universities like Columbia and Yale, as well as from the Guttmacher Institute, was sent to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. It warned that abstinence only programs withhold "potentially life-saving information" about contraceptives and ignore the health needs of homosexual, bisexual and transgender youth, reports the Washington Times. Abstinence only programs also omit information on the use of condoms, which would aid in the prevention of spreading sexually transmitted diseases.

Abstinence only programs have come under increasing fire as studies reveal how ineffective they are. The US has spent about $1 billion on failed abstinence only programs in the past decade.

Many states, including New York, Maine and Pennsylvania, have rejected the matching federal abstinence only funds in favor of teaching comprehensive sex education. Virginia recently became the 14th state to do so, cutting the $275,000 from the state budget that is required to match federal abstinence-only funding.

Media Resources: Daily Women’s Health Policy Report 11/28/07; Washington Times 11/28/07; Feminist Daily Newswire 11/26/07

SEE ALSO:

Bush Pushes for More Abstinence Only Funding

President Bush is pushing for more funding for abstinence only programs even as a Congressional study shows they are ineffective. The US has spent about $1 billion on failed abstinence-only sex education programs over the past decade and President Bush proposes a 2008 budget of $204 million for such programs, reports Women’s eNews.

In fact, a November 7th study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy showed that programs that combine abstinence and contraception were most effective.

Many states are now rejecting the matching federal abstinence only funds in favor of teaching comprehensive sex education. Just this month, Virginia became the 14th state to do so, cutting the $275,000 from the state budget that is required to match federal abstinence-only funding.

Bush Cuts Food Program for Women and Children

2007-12-02T20:10:00.000-08:00

President Bush’s proposed budget for 2008 would cut half a million people from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, which provides, among other things, food vouchers for low-income pregnant women, new mothers, and children.

Bush has proposed $5.4 billion in funding to serve about 8.3 million people. However, the caseload has increased to 8.5 million. Also, prices for products like milk and cheese, which account for about 40% of WIC food costs, have increased. Because of that, the proposed spending level will cut about 500,000 people from the WIC program, reports USA Today.

WIC was created in 1974 and provides vouchers for nutritious foods, counseling on healthy eating, and health care referrals to low-income pregnant women and new mothers, infants, and children under age five who are at nutritional risk. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, WIC has been acclaimed for its effectiveness in reducing the incidence of low-weight births, reducing child anemia, and improving nutrition and health outcomes.

100 Examples of GOP Corruption, Lies, and Ignorance

2007-12-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

Biden To Bush: Bomb Iran And I'll Impeach

2007-12-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

PORTSMOUTH — Presidential hopeful Delaware Sen. Joe Biden stated unequivocally that he will move to impeach President Bush if he bombs Iran without first gaining congressional approval.

Biden spoke in front of a crowd of approximately 100 at a candidate forum held Thursday at Seacoast Media Group. The forum focused on the Iraq war and foreign policy. When an audience member expressed fear of a war with Iran, Biden said he does not typically engage in threats, but had no qualms about issuing a direct warning to the Oval Office.

"The president has no authority to unilaterally attack Iran, and if he does, as Foreign Relations Committee chairman, I will move to impeach," said Biden, whose words were followed by a raucous applause from the local audience.

Biden said he is in the process of meeting with constitutional law experts to prepare a legal memorandum saying as much and intends to send it to the president.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE

More gay men describe sexual encounters with U.S. Sen. Craig

2007-12-02T12:14:00.000-08:00

David Phillips. Mike Jones. Greg Ruth. Tom Russell.

Four gay men, willing to put their names in print and whose allegations can't be disproved, have come forward since news of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's guilty plea. They say they had sex with Craig or that he made a sexual advance or that he paid them unusual attention.

They are telling their stories now because they are offended by Craig's denials, including his famous statement, "I am not gay, I never have been gay." Those words, spoken on live national TV on Aug. 28, are now memorialized on a just-released-for-Christmas Talking Senator Larry Craig Action Figure.

David Phillips is a 42-year-old information technology consultant in Washington, D.C., who says Craig picked him up at a gay club in 1986 and that they subsequently had sex.

Mike Jones is a former prostitute who told the world he had sex with the Rev. Ted Haggard last year. The former Colorado Springs evangelist at first denied it but eventually confessed. Jones says Craig paid him for sex in late 2004 or early 2005.

Greg Ruth was a 24-year-old college Republican in 1981 when he says he was hit on by Craig at a Republican meeting in Coeur d'Alene.
Tom Russell, now 48, is a former Nampa resident who lives in Utah. Russell said his encounter with Craig occurred at Bogus Basin in the early 1980s.

A fifth gay man, who is from Boise but who declined to be named for fear of retaliation, offered a recent and telling account: He was in a men's restroom at Denver International Airport in September 2006 when the man in the next stall moved his hand slowly, palm up, under the divider. Alarmed, the man said he waited outside the restroom and then identified the man in the adjoining stall as Craig, whom he had met in Idaho.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

Also on this page:

NOVAK VOICES DOUBTS

Conservative columnist Robert Novak has raised doubts about Sen. Larry Craig's truthfulness. In his syndicated column Sept. 3, Novak wrote that "several Republican senators and staffers were not a bit surprised" by Craig's guilty plea in connection with a sex sting.

On Oct. 5, the day after Craig reversed his pledge to resign, Novak elaborated on Bloomberg Television, saying he'd spoken to several Senate sources about Craig.

"They knew about it," Novak reported. "They knew he had this problem, and it was in the closet and it was not just a homosexual relationship, it was this weird, weird conduct."

UPDATE! The number is now up to eight men.

Rove Confronted Over Iraq War Lie

2007-12-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Farther down here, you'll find the post about Karl Rove's insane claim that poor little President Bush never wanted to go to war with Iraq but that nasty mean old Congress forced him into it.

These delusions would be laugh-out-loud hysterically funny except it's the current lie being pushed by the lunatics running our country.

They really think America is living their delusion with them. That's scary.

From Nico Pitney:

This morning on Fox News Sunday, Rep. Chris Van Hollen called out Karl Rove for his false claim that Congress, not President Bush, had pushed for a speedy vote on the 2002 Iraq war resolution.
"Clearly things have not gone right in Iraq and you've tried to revise history," Van Hollen told Rove, demanding he "retract the outrageous statements you made."
Rove refused to back down, instead reading off a series of quotes by then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) that Rove claimed backed up his point. But as ThinkProgress documents, "None of the quotes that Rove used suggested Daschle was desperately trying to force a war authorization vote."
Van Hollen then laid down his trump card: a quote by former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer in today's Washington Post: "It was definitely the Bush administration that set it in motion and determined the timing, not the Congress. I think Karl in this instance just has his facts wrong."

Read the rest of the confrontation here.

The Hypocrisy of Extremists

2007-12-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

I got to thinking about this after making the post just two posts below this one, the post about waterboarding and is it torture or not. It seems the American people do view it as torture but what's pretty incredible is that a goodly portion of those have no problem with that.

Guess which political party most of them belong to and know that they would be screaming and whining and frothing at the mouth if a President of the other major political party had been the Waterboarder-in-Chief.

You see, it's not about the waterboarding. It's not about the torture. It's not about any single moral belief or article of faith other than the one that states the hypocrite's view of the world must reign supreme and all others must be utterly destroyed. It's all about pissing and who can make the fanciest pictures in the snow.

If you dare to challenge the machismo posturing (yes, even of the female fanatics), then you are the anti-American traitor, you are the one aiding and abetting America's enemies and you can be dehumanized and marginalized and ultimately discounted. It's the only way to maintain the Bubble World where the fanatics live.

I call it "Bush Derangement Syndrome," though the scope of this mental disorder goes far beyond one individual man.

The extremist hypocrites practice the most unAmerican of behaviors in the name of fighting whatever they deem as being unAmerican.

In fact, their extremist agenda is so all-important they eat their own as a matter of course if that lawmaker or business icon or even President should stray off the agenda's officially proscribed path.

And so, it is not America that matters to them at all. Not when they are fond of threatening our American society with open declarations of weapons stockpiling for the Armageddon against our own government that's sure to come if anyone not blessed by them should be elected to high office by the American public they swear they live to defend (except, not very many of these bigmouths seem to be active duty military or would even be eligible for service to this country, preferring instead to act as bullies behind the anonymous internet).

No, agenda comes first, even before America and American values. And for that alone, these gasbag fact-spinners of the new and old media are indeed hypocrites.

Getting back to waterboarding, Abu Ghraib, and various other truths... it would almost have been amusing to watch the extremists sizzle on the end of their hypocrisy stick - defending America by denying what America is - except there is nothing amusing about watching cancer grow.

So, according to the latest extremist talking point, if you're against torture you are positively unAmerican.

Hypocrites.

US says it has right to kidnap British citizens

2007-12-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

Now, here's a helluva way to treat your friends... the Bush regime declares it has a right to kidnap the citizens of our most loyal ally in this world and NOT for purposes of snatching terrorists but for OTHER CRIMES the suspect may be accused of having done... such as bank fraud.

Hey, World, we the American people (at least over 70% of us) do not respect the criminal currently occupying the Oval Office and we do not support his policies. Please keep that in mind. We are even more horrified by his antics than you are.

Bush has no regard for the sovereignty of even our allies.

AMERICA has told Britain that it can “kidnap” British citizens if they are wanted for crimes in the United States.

A senior lawyer for the American government has told the Court of Appeal in London that kidnapping foreign citizens is permissible under American law because the US Supreme Court has sanctioned it.

The admission will alarm the British business community after the case of the so-called NatWest Three, bankers who were extradited to America on fraud charges.
...Until now it was commonly assumed that US law permitted kidnapping only in the “extraordinary rendition” of terrorist suspects.
The American government has for the first time made it clear in a British court that the law applies to anyone, British or otherwise, suspected of a crime by Washington.

Poll results: Waterboarding is torture

2007-12-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

A majority of Americans consider waterboarding a form of torture, but some of those say it's OK for the U.S. government to use the technique, according to a poll released Tuesday.

Obama pulls ahead for Democrats in Iowa Poll

2007-12-02T05:45:00.000-08:00

I think we are seeing a contest between Obama's "positives" versus Clinton's "negatives." Obama's main positive point is that he makes a good showing for himself as an advocate of the American family because he, himself, is a family man and treasures his loved ones. Every time he talks, this comes through and it makes people take notice of this guy.

Hillary's main negatives are that she is thought of as almost a carbon copy of George Bush when it comes to Iraq and that a vote for her is a vote for George Bush's policies and the country is sick unto death of that.

She's also got a huge negative in being thought of as a major player in the Slime Machine of American Politics. She's not much more than pond scum when it comes to that and the only thing beneath her are the scum who have actually been convicted of corruption. Never mind that they're Republicans - all pond scum is starting to look alike anymore.

If Obama gets caught with a mistress or Hillary can vault herself out of the pond and show clear evidence of having a conscience, then things may change.

Unfortunately for Obama, his JFK-esque fresh image also makes the average person wonder if he's a bit too pure for Washington and world politics. Once there, could he kick ass?

Anyway, have a peek at what the Des Moines Register has t o say:

Barack Obama has pulled ahead in the race for Iowa's Democratic presidential caucuses, while the party's national frontrunner Hillary Clinton has slipped to second in the leadoff nominating state, according to The Des Moines Register's new Iowa Poll.
Despite the movement, the race for 2008's opening nominating contest remains very competitive about a month before the Jan. 3 caucuses, just over half of likely caucusgoers who favor a candidate saying they could change their minds.
...The lead change appears after weeks of increasing criticism of Clinton by Obama and Edwards about her position on U.S. policy toward Iran and questions of her candor.
Meanwhile, Clinton has recently begun accusing Obama of inexperience and criticizing his proposal to expand health insurance coverage.
The poll shows what has continued to be a wide gap between the top three candidates and the remainder of the field.

Security Cameras Capture Female Suicide Bomber and her Bra Bomb -- Do You Know This Woman?

2007-12-01T14:32:00.000-08:00

Also see: Security clampdown in Sri Lanka capital after deadly blasts: police

Soldiers Escorting Body Home Are Strip-Searched, Treated Like Terrorists by TSA Employee

2007-12-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

What was your first clue they were American soldiers, you damn dickwipe?

Was it their uniforms? Their combat medals? Or was it the Honor Guard they formed as their fellow soldier's remains were lowered out of the plane?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? Then after the ceremony, the soldiers were ordered into the terminal where they were ordered to strip in front of an apparent crowd and they were treated like criminals.

SOMEBODY NEEDS TO LOSE THEIR JOB.

Big Brother Wanted to Track Your Used Book Purchases

2007-12-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

Government Drops Pursuit of Online Used-Book Buyers

Federal prosecutors have withdrawn a subpoena seeking the identities of some people who bought used books through Amazon.com, newly unsealed court records show.

The withdrawal came after a judge ruled that the customers have a First Amendment right to keep their reading habits from the government.

The subpoena's "chilling effect on expressive e-commerce would frost keyboards across America," U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker wrote in a June ruling.

"Well-founded or not, rumors of an Orwellian federal criminal investigation into the reading habits of Amazon's customers could frighten countless potential customers into canceling planned online book purchases," the judge wrote in a ruling he unsealed last week.

Amazon, based in Seattle, said in court documents that it hopes Crocker's decision will make it more difficult for prosecutors to obtain records involving book purchases. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Vaudreuil said yesterday that he doubted that the ruling would hamper legitimate investigations.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE HERE.

Hey! Big Brother and Uncle Karl's Sock Puppet/Current-Occupier-of-the-White-House! I JUST BOUGHT SOME USED BOOKS AT AMAZON! Come and get me you big bullies! You can kiss my all-American ass, you idiots. I am descended from Robert Treat Paine, who signed the Declaration of Independence and I'm not giving up one iota of my G-d given rights to paranoid jerks like you! Screw you. And if that's a federal crime, then COME AND GET ME.

Meanwhile, I'll keep reading and whatever the hell it is I'm reading is none of your damn business.

For the rest of you, I'm currently reading Nelson DeMille's "Wild Fire," which is shaping up as a right-wing extremist's wet dream. The villian in the story sounds a helluva lot like some of the rich powerful right-wing extremist garbage that's currently ruining this country.

Beware! The White House wants your Christmas list (especially if you are investigating Karl Rove)!

2007-11-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch has the job of investigating Karl Rove's illegal deployment of government employees in Republican political campaigns. Naturally, the White House is battling back in every possible way to protect and defend their boy Karl. We already know how the White House feels about allowing convicted felons to escape responsibility for their felonious acts, right? So, it should come as no surprise that the White House would launch a seek and destroy mission against the Special Counsel charged with bringing yet another Bush minion to justice.

The laptop computers in Special Counsel Bloch's office suffered either a virus or some other network or hard drive malfunction and the hard drives had to be wiped (erased) and operating system reloaded. This was done.

At some point in this process, Special Counsel Bloch asked the "geek squad" tech guys who were handling the laptop business if they could save any of his personal files such as his Christmas shopping list, personal family photos, private communications with Bloch's personal attorney, and so on. The usual non-job-related stuff one might accumulate on a computer.

Whether or not Special Counsel Bloch ought to have been using a work computer to store personal files may be a question to answer at some point.

For this latest installment of the Rove scandal, however, it is enough to say that Special Counsel Bloch was able to transfer some personal files to a "thumb drive" that he now keeps on his keychain.

And because he was able to save his Christmas shopping list, the White House wants to completely derail the investigation of their boy Karl and his illegal activities.

The White House wants possession of those personal files and Special Counsel Bloch refuses to turn them over.

You see, when Special Counsel Bloch began investigating Karl Rove, the White House began a retaliatory investigation of Special Counsel Bloch. The "Office of Personnel Management" has even demanded access to Special Counsel Bloch's personal emails.

This White House agency claims they are investigating Bloch for the very thing Bloch himself is charged with investigating - government retaliation against whistleblowers.

A tangled web indeed...

READ THE STORY HERE.

Highlights from the CNN/YouTube GOP Debate

2007-11-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

This is actually quite a good little collection of quips and sound bites and worth listening to if you want to get some measure of who the candidates are. I think the most genuine and honorable of the GOP candidates, as they appear on this video, are Huckabee and Ron Paul. I think Mitt Romney has the looks and style and grace of a Presidential candidate but when he turns sideways, so to speak, there's little substance there. Fred Thompson, while seemingly genuine, does not make a great impression for himself as "President material" and Rudy Guiliani comes off as the uber-slick politico and I think our country is sick unto death of the uber-slick ones.

Ha ha ha ha ha... Bernie Kerik, Character Witness

2007-11-29T23:26:00.000-08:00

Bernie Kerik vouches for Rudy on the Shag Fund (from the Times) ...

Bernard B. Kerik, who was Mr. Giuliani’s police commissioner when some of the charges were billed, said in an interview yesterday that the security detail’s travel expenses would normally come out of the Police Department’s budget.

“There would be no need for anyone to conceal his detail’s travel expenses,” said Mr. Kerik, who was indicted earlier this month on unrelated federal tax fraud and corruption charges. “And I think It’s ridiculous for anyone to suggest that the mayor or his staff attempted to do so.”

MORE...

Well, with a character witness like Bernie vouching for you, who needs credibility?

For more info on Bernie's qualifications as an expert character witness, see, "Ultimate Kerik Scandal List."

Rove Can't Claim "Executive Privilege" in U.S. Attorney Scandal

2007-11-29T23:18:00.000-08:00

Looks like Rove and others in the Bushbot Gang are going to be on the hot seat:

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate chairman acknowledged explicitly on Thursday that President Bush was not involved in the firings of U.S. attorneys last winter and therefore ruled illegal the president's executive privilege claims protecting his chief of staff, John Bolten, and former adviser Karl Rove.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy directed Bolten, Rove, former White House political director Sara Taylor and her deputy, J. Scott Jennings, to comply "immediately" with their subpoenas for documents and information about the White House's role in the firings of U.S. attorneys.

"I hereby rule that those claims are not legally valid to excuse current and former White House employees from appearing, testifying and producing documents related to this investigation," Leahy wrote.

The ruling is a formality that clears the way for Leahy's panel to vote on whether to advance the citations to the full Senate.

The executive privilege claim "is surprising in light of the significant and uncontroverted evidence that the president had no involvement in these firings," Leahy, D-Vt., wrote in his ruling. "The president's lack of involvement in these firings — by his own account and that of many others — calls into question any claim of executive privilege."

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

The Rudy Canoodle Mistress Story Keeps Going... and Going... and Going...

2007-11-29T22:01:00.000-08:00

In a previous post, I discussed how Rudy bilked New York City taxpayers for the expense of his mistress and that not-so-little item keeps growing. It seems Rudy's mistress really did use New York City Police as a taxi service:

Well before it was publicly known he was seeing her, then-married New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani provided a police driver and city car for his mistress Judith Nathan, former senior city officials tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

"She used the PD as her personal taxi service," said one former city official who worked for Giuliani.

Read more about it here.

Ex-NY city-mayor Ed Koch says it looks like a cover-up to him:

Koch, who served as the mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989, said that the episode gave off the appearance that Giuliani, who was at the time married to his second wife Donna Hanover, was trying to hide his affair. He also argued that providing Judith Nathan her own personal protection (when she was not a member of the first family) constituted an even more flagrant misuse of taxpayer money.

"I found it strange that his lady friend was given protection," said the long-time New York politico. "That was bizarre. She's not the city's responsibility. Rudy is the city's responsibility. Your wife and his children get protection, and that's understood. But certainly not your lady friend."

As for Guiliani's current run for President:

"I'm just amazed that Giuliani is doing as well as he's doing," said Koch. "He doesn't deserve it."

Read more about it here.

Even the NYC Comptroller states that Guiliani "stonewalled" auditors over his mistress' expenses:

City Comptroller William Thompson said Thursday his auditors were "stonewalled" by the Giuliani administration when they inquired about the unusual billing procedures, which he called "disturbing."

Read more from that story here.

Gosh, would that be equivilant to Bill Clinton billing the U.S. taxpayer for Monica's dry-cleaning bill? In other words, if this was a Democrat politician, I do believe we would be hearing the Republican screeching over it from one end of the country to the other.

Where are those upholders of family values now? Lurking in public restrooms? Donning diapers for prostitutes? Masturbating online with children? What's a Republican to do these days? The crowd of viable - and acceptable - Presidential candidates is thinning out. Who'll be the last comic standing?

Prescott Bush and the Nazi Overthrow of America

2007-11-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

BBC: Bush's Grandfather Planned Fascist Coup In America
New investigation sheds light on clique of powerbrokers, including Prescott Bush, who sought to overthrow U.S. government and implement Hitlerian policies
From Paul Joseph Watson at Prison Planet

A BBC Radio 4 investigation sheds new light on a major subject that has received little historical attention, the conspiracy on behalf of a group of influential powerbrokers, led by Prescott Bush, to overthrow FDR and implement a fascist dictatorship in the U.S. based around the ideology of Mussolini and Hitler.

In 1933, Marine Corps Maj.-Gen. Smedley Butler was approached by a wealthy and secretive group of industrialists and bankers, including Prescott Bush the current President's grandfather, who asked him to command a 500,000 strong rogue army of veterans that would help stage a coup to topple then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

According to the BBC, the plotters intended to impose a fascist takeover and "Adopt the policies of Hitler and Mussolini to beat the great depression."

The conspirators were operating under the umbrella of a front group called the American Liberty League, which included many families that are still household names today, including Heinz, Colgate, Birds Eye and General Motors.

Butler played along with the clique to determine who was involved but later blew the whistle and identified the ringleaders in testimony given to the House Committee on un-American Activities.

However, the Committee refused to even question any of the individuals named by Butler and his testimony was omitted from the record, leading to charges that they were involved in covering the matter up, and the majority of the media blackballed the story.

Did Rudy bill taxpayers for his adulterous trysts?

2007-11-29T07:31:00.000-08:00

You can SEE THE VIDEO of Rudy being grilled over who paid the expenses for his private security as he carried on his adulterous affair with Judy Nathan, the woman who now wants to be America's First Lady and representative of Amercan family values.