Republicans are concerned that Rudy, Mitt, Fred, and the rest aren't sufficiently cruel and unusual - not real Republicans. Where oh where can they turn?
From Dancewater
Dr. Thomasson is the President of Physicians for Social Responsibility.
She has been doing a tour of the southeast
The government of
About 95% of the population is Shi’a, with seven or eight different fractions. About 3% of the population is Sunni, and there are Jews, Zoroastrians, and Christians in the country also.
About 63% of the university students are women, and 35% of physicians are women. Women are now allowed to divorce. Fifteen women are in Parliament, however, in the last election, no women were allowed to run for office. There is one Jew in Parliament also.
Eisenhower authorized the first CIA overthrow of a
democratically elected leader. The
The Iranian president does not determine foreign polity. The Supreme Leader determines a foreign policy. They have had a Fatwa against nuclear weapons.
Dr. Thomasson recommended joining the Campaign
Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in
Dr. Thomasson does not feel that
Here's a Good Reason NOT to vote for
Hillary...
From Amy Branham for Amy's
Head
I'm sure you can find others. A big factor in deciding who I will
vote for is who contributes to the candidates. Big defense industry
contributions? Big business contributions? In my mind, the candidate is
being bought out and the candidate will be loyal to those who contributed
the most. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clinton Bucks Trend, Rakes in Cash From Weapons Industry
By Leonard Doyle
The Independent UK
Friday 19 October 2007
The US arms industry is backing Hillary Clinton for President and has all
but abandoned its traditional allies in the Republican party. Mrs Clinton
has also emerged as Wall Street's favourite. Investment bankers have
opened their wallets in unprecedented numbers for the New York senator
over the past three months and, in the process, dumped their earlier
favourite, Barack Obama.
Mrs Clinton's wooing of the defence industry is all the more remarkable
given the frosty relations between Bill Clinton and the military during
his presidency. An analysis of campaign contributions shows senior defence
industry employees are pouring money into her war chest in the belief that
their generosity will be repaid many times over with future defence
contracts.
Employees of the top five US arms manufacturers - Lockheed Martin, Boeing,
Northrop-Grumman, General Dynamics and Raytheon - gave Democratic
presidential candidates $103,900, with only $86,800 going to the
Republicans. "The contributions clearly suggest the arms industry has
reached the conclusion that Democratic prospects for 2008 are very good
indeed," said Thomas Edsall, an academic at Columbia University in
New York.
Republican administrations are by tradition much stronger supporters of US
armaments programmes and Pentagon spending plans than Democratic
governments. Relations between the arms industry and Bill Clinton soured
when he slimmed down the military after the end of the Cold War. His wife,
however, has been careful not to make the same mistake.
After her election to the Senate, she became the first New York senator on
the armed services committee, where she revealed her hawkish tendencies by
supporting the invasion of Iraq. Although she now favours a withdrawal of
US troops, her position on Iran is among the most warlike of all the
candidates - Democrat or Republican.
This week, she said that, if elected president, she would not rule out
military strikes to destroy Tehran's nuclear weapons facilities. While on
the armed services committee, Mrs Clinton has befriended key generals and
has won the endorsement of General Wesley Clarke, who ran Nato's war in
Kosovo. A former presidential candidate himself, he is spoken of as a
potential vice-presidential running mate.
Mrs Clinton has been a regular visitor to Iraq and Afghanistan and is
careful to focus her criticisms of the Iraq war on President Bush, rather
than the military. The arms industry has duly taken note.
So far, Mrs Clinton has received $52,600 in contributions from individual
arms industry employees. That is more than half the sum given to all
Democrats and 60 per cent of the total going to Republican candidates.
Election fundraising laws ban individuals from donating more than $4,600
but contributions are often "bundled" to obtain influence over a
candidate.
The arms industry has even deserted the biggest supporter of the Iraq war,
Senator John McCain, who is also a member of the armed services committee
and a decorated Vietnam War veteran. He has been only $19,200.
Weapons-makers are equally unimpressed by the former New York mayor
Rudolph Giuliani. Despite a campaign built largely around the need for an
aggressive US military and a determination to stay the course in Iraq, he
is behind Mrs Clinton in the affections of arms executives. Mr Giuliani
may be suffering because of his strong association with the failed
policies of President Bush and the fact he is he is known as a social
liberal.
Mrs Clinton's closest competitor in raising cash from the arms industry is
the former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who raised just $32,000.
"Arms industry profits are so heavily dependent on government
contracts that companies in this field want to be sure they do not have
hostile relations with the White House," added Mr Edsall.
The industry's strong support for Mrs Clinton indicates that she is their
firm favourite to win the Democratic nomination in the spring and the
presidential election in November 2008. In the last presidential race,
George Bush raised more than $800,000 - twice the sum collected by his
Democratic rival John Kerry.
Mr Edsall's analysis of the figures reveals that, over the past 10 years,
the defence industry has favoured Republicans over Democrats by a 3-2
margin, making Mrs Clinton's position even more remarkable.
A Real Republican
From Blogenfreude for Agitprop
More. Worse.
Everyday now. With 15 months left.
From Chuck Buckley for The
Divided States of bu$hmeriKa
 "It's not worth as much as it used to be." "The main driving factor today is ... the dollar
making an all-time low against the euro."
|
Tom
at Politics Plus has written a blog entry titled Harry Potter Boasts
Gay Character
Posted by Phil in NY for E-News
Daily
NEW YORK- After reading the story in this morning's
USA Today, I just had to share it with you all. I enjoy the Harry
Potter series, as many adults do these days. At a big seminar here
in New York at Carnegie
Hall, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling came out with a little
secret:(AP NEW YORK ) — Harry Potter fans, the rumors are true: Albus Dumbledore, master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is gay. J.K. Rowling, author of the mega-selling fantasy series that ended last summer, outed the beloved character Friday night while appearing before a full house at Carnegie Hall.
After reading briefly from the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she took questions from audience members.
She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds "true love."
"Dumbledore is gay," the author responded to gasps and applause.
Isn't that sweet? Taking a break from serious news and politics, I felt this would be a great opportunity for a weekend, lighthearted post.
Photo courtesy of:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mirka23/876358604/
Come Saturday Morning: Blackwater Did
WHAT?!
From Phoenix Woman for Firedoglake
From
a recent
issue of Newsweek:
The colonel was furious. “Can you believe it? They actually drew their weapons on U.S. soldiers.” He was describing a 2006 car accident, in which an SUV full of Blackwater operatives had crashed into a U.S. Army Humvee on a street in Baghdad’s Green Zone. The colonel, who was involved in a follow-up investigation and spoke on the condition he not be named, said the Blackwater guards disarmed the U.S. Army soldiers and made them lie on the ground at gunpoint until they could disentangle the SUV. His account was confirmed by the head of another private security company.
They did WHAT?!
Holy. Crap. I’ve heard of road rage, but this is ridiculous.
No wonder the regular troops hate these mercenaries so much.
When I say “mercenaries”, I’m being strictly correct, as Siun’s recent piece showed. Considering how many of them are not Americans, but actually Serbian mercenaries fresh from killing Muslims in Kosovo, or South African thugs who got their jollies using violence to uphold apartheid back when whites controlled the country, I really shouldn’t be surprised that they have no qualms about firing on US troops, their alleged allies.
But of course nothing must interfere with Erik Prince’s getting his wingnut welfare checks from the Federal government. Gotta build that Christian Crusader army, and Amway money alone won’t do it.
Head of the RNC quits
From Dusty for It's
My Right to Be Left of the Center
Mel
Martinez, a Cuban-American, has stepped
down from his position as co-chair of the RNC. This came as a
surprise to many of the Rethugs since Martinez wasn't expected to step
down until a Republican candidate for President was picked.Mel states he needs to concentrate on his own campaign in south Florida. Seems his ratings are in the toilet...down to a sterling 38% approval rating.
He had only been on the RNC job for 10 months..
Oh well..another one bites the dust..and on a Friday at that..tsk tsk..I know you will join me in wishing Mel the best...meaning I hope the voters blow his republican ass out of that congressional seat in 2010.
BLOG RECOMMENDATION
If there's one thing I like, it's strange and Doctor Fong's House of Mysteries is one of the strangest blogs I've ever seen. It's like a train wreck, you jut can't help but look.
Detachment
From Proud Progressive for Some
Notes on Living
Buddhists are onto something very important : a concept called
equnimity , dispassion in the face of stuff that bombards our senses
daily. We americans are conditioned to be passionate , jingoistic,
nationalistic , to vote, to take action lots and lots of action. We are
doers, oh yeah ! go get em tiger..blah blah blah..
Look at the power of memes , big business of advertising and all the tons
of psychological studies that go into what is called "effective
advertising." for every concievable demographic that can be dug up.
Lately I have noticed , while bracing for the onslaught of impending
holiday advertising what is fed to us , while we are relaxed and
"taking in" our tv shows. Our lives are supposed to be a
constant succession of "fresh experiences" (even if that means
getting the latest frozen food from the grocery store) promising a new
twist/"fresh" on dinner. Ironically the foods are frozen NOT
fresh. Ok. How about the concept of being grateful to have food to eat in
the first place, given the state of the world. ( i read many books on
hermits, monks who actually eat the same meager meals for yrs on end,
inspirational really) AS for our homes, can we be grateful to have a roof
over our head period ? vs. the latest flooring and plumbing fixtures ?
Cars, isn't enough to have a dependable car vs . one that is an ego
statement? Apparently the answer is No, in our culture. Meanwhile the tv
would us have believe thanks to easy credit "Why everybody is just
doing so damn well financially, what is wrong with me that i cannot afford
all of these things" that is the subtle or not so subtle message. And
generates endless internal chatter of our minds. Buddhist teachings
address this normal, and persistent inner chatter. (our inner
"movies", if you will) Taming the chariots of the mind , is job
one, paying attention to our inner dialog , not wiping it out per se.
Our traditional ? holidays are coming, those with children on tight
budgets, face misery and pressures. Its quite sad to me really.
We can expect the predictable tying of material goods many of us cannot
afford to be tied with --- wait for it...love.
As for the endless personal appearance ads, obviously the message is
"if love has not found you - your hair color, or perfume must just be
wrong etc." Try this stuff ! Never mind if its a poisonous chemical
soup, it makes you more attractive.
If you are tired or aging you need to try new potions with names like
Elation. Gaak ! Feeling "OK" is not enough - we are supposed to
be elated..oh for fuck sakes....
I try to avoid commercial television but it gets through anyhow.
Yesterday i saw a movie, called A Very Serious Person - in it a character
says : "What is it , with you Americans you expect to be happy all of
the time, one is lucky to have five minutes of true happiness in a life
time." WOW - that sums it up perfectly for me. And what is happiness
anyhow , what is it really for each of us its different. But we are
conditioned to have such pie in the sky expectations - many of them
materialistically based.
The Constant brainwashing we get about pharmaceuticals, new improved
products the pathologizing of existential discontent and moods, Take this
pill , that pill if your stomach gurgles etc. The endless diet
commercials. Ends up pathologizing regular "nothing special"
human life. (Joko Beck a Buddhist teacher wrote a book called, Nothing
Special. Its a fav of mine) Pema Chodren also is another great Author with
book titles such as "When things fall Apart" spoiler alert - it
can be a good thing !
One could rightfully assess given all the advertising, that indeed, the
American "dream" and happiness is found in a "product"
of some kind..you just got to shop harder ! All the while Nivana is right
here, right now, in our bodies, in our hearts. ( the products include
bible give a aways by some
religion happy to recruit you in your misery and discontent) Ironically
everything mystical we could possibly need we are born with, it is drilled
out of us as we get incolcated into our american consumer culture. And
trained to be workers, who work hard and identify more with our job
functions , than our own humanity. i.e. the famous sad question at parties
- is not how are you , but "What do you do ? " Conditioning us
to forget we are Human Beings vs. "Human Doings." Its the
content of our hearts , not what we do , that make us who we truly are,
our essential natures.
On the plus side - we are free in our minds if we want to be. Truth ,
Beauty, and Goodness can be found in less stuff not more. Less to protect,
less to lose.
As for politics , emotional detachment is a must. Engagement however is
essential, paying close attention but without the emotional investment -
sounds hollow but that is the paradox - the Koan or riddle for those of us
who do pay attention to politics and public policies. We can learn a lot
from the Burmese monks. We can maintain , endure even flourish - if we
have the mind set on simpler things. Simpler practices. And be what is
called "mindful".
Buddhism (and there are dozens of sects and practices) itself has much to
offer us americans as we struggle to pay our heat bills, to feed our
families, to find meaning in our lives.(as if meaning were lost). The
essential message of Buddhism is that there is nothing to be found ,
because in fact nothing has been lost.......Go figure !
I'm not trying to "sell it" to you by any means , just relaying
whats been a benefit to me - in my ongoing philosophical journey past and
present. Its about being the change we want to see. And remembering
emotions are in fact a biological phenomenon of vibrations within our own
bodies, often provoked by our thinking or visa versa. Paying attention
with detachment is one way to survive these "interesting times"
we live in , here on this geographic spot, called "america" on
this planet Earth. The Monks in Burma show us, that contrary to popular
opinion- Buddhists can be very engaged in social change - not obliviously
sitting in meditation while the world goes to hell in a hand basket. They
have taken the AUM to the streets. That is the action of Bodhisattvas -
Thank You George!...
From Sumo for Sumo
Merriment
Have I told you lately George that I love you? I love what you've done to the national debt. You should be proud...in fact, you're Daddy must just be thrilled nearly to death by it. It will look so nice in your Presidential Library. Bet you can't wait to see it all finished and shiny like a new button.
I love it that you are so caring about other nations' business that you lend a helping hand of freedom to them...that can't hurt now can it? The oil prices per barrel ought to be making you happy right now...you know a deal when you see it. You fixed Iraq really good...and now you have Iran in the background waiting for a sweet deal of democracy. They're ready for it...I just know it.
I always knew you were interested in Global Warming, though you didn't make it apparent. You care that those little tots don't get poisoned paint on their toys or get the poisoned toothpaste from China. That's just how caring you are.
But George...it was really mean and naughty of you to draw Hillary on a broomstick flying across the moon. That's poor manners mister! She's probably cold up there poor dear. Come on George...give her a nice warm coat to wear...you know first hand how cold and lonely it is up there barking at the moon now don't you George?!
Bye-bye, dickhead
By JJ for Unrepentant
Old Hippie
The would-be Austin womens' clinic bomber got 40 years today:
"HOUSTON (Reuters) - A Texas man who earlier pleaded guilty to the attempted bombing of an Austin health clinic where abortions were performed was sentenced on Friday to 40 years in prison, officials said.
Paul Evans, 27, left a nail-packed bomb in the parking lot of the Austin Women's Health Center on April 25, but it failed to go off.
Prosecutors have not disclosed why he wanted to bomb the clinic, but the Austin American-Statesman said Evans admitted in court on Friday he wanted to harm abortion providers.
"I never meant for anyone, except for the abortionists, to get hurt," Evans told U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks."
Forty years. Heh. If I'm not mistaken that means the Federal Pen... the sweetest facilities this side of Guantanamo (which is really where he should be, given he's a fucking terrorist). Oh well, I suppose we can be thankful for small favours. With that baby face he'll be the most popular item on the tier.
A Rare Sighting in Congress: Vertebrae
By Tom Harper for Who
Hijacked Our Country
No you aren't hallucinating. “Congress” and “vertebrae” in the
same sentence — for this brief moment anyway — is not
an oxymoron.
There have actually been two — TWO! — spinal sightings in Congress in
the past two days. Enjoy the moment. The one that’s really gotten the
wingnuts’ panties in a bunch is Pete
Stark’s comment:
“I’m just amazed that the Republicans are worried that we can’t pay
for insuring an additional 10 million children. They sure don’t care
about finding $200 billion to fight the illegal war in Iraq. Where are you
going to get that money? You are going to tell us lies like you’re
telling us today? Is that how you’re going to fund the war? You don’t
have money to fund the war or children, but you’re going to spend it to
blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for
you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President’s
amusement.”
Pow!! You Go Pete! And that’s not all:
“I have nothing but respect for our brave men and women in uniform and
wish them the very best. But I respect neither the commander-in-chief who
keeps them in harms way nor the chicken-hawks in Congress who vote to deny
children health care.”
John Boehner whined: “I’m just a pitiful chickenhawk but I’m
supposed to sound manly and come up with a soundbite about ‘our
troops’ and ‘al Qaeda’ Our troops in Iraq are fighting against
Al Qaeda and other radical jihadists hell-bent on killing the people we
are sent here to represent.”
Technically,
Boehner isn't a chickenhawk. He spent eight weeks in Navy boot camp and
then got released for a “bad back.” How conveeeenient. Pete
Stark served in the Air Force from 1955-57.
Mother Superior Nancy Pelosi had to spoil the fun by
reprimanding Stark for his outburst. But Stark so far hasn’t apologized,
and according to an online poll (not scientific), 88% say he should stand
his ground and not apologize.
And now, the other spinal sighting: Sen.
Chris Dodd has put a hold on that Godawful bill that pretty much says
large telecom companies are above the law. The bill seemed like an
unstoppable force plowing through a sea of invertebrates until Dodd put a
hold on it. He says he's prepared to filibuster the bill if his hold is
not honored.
Why the Democrats
Almost Lost the Tsongas Race
By Libhom for Godless
Liberal Homo
The corporate media are working feverishly to right-spin the close
results of the by election that the Democrats barely won in
Massachusetts. They seem determined to ignore the real cause: the sense
of outrage and alienation in the core constituencies of the Democratic
Party.
Here are some of the reasons why so many Democrats are angry, demoralized, and disgusted with the party "leadership."
Here are some of the reasons why so many Democrats are angry, demoralized, and disgusted with the party "leadership."
- Acting as if AIDS no longer exists.
- The refusal of House or Senate Democrats to cut off funding for the Iraq war.
- The absence of impeachment hearings for Cheney or Bush.
- The inability of House Democrats to pass the Armenian genocide resolution, one of the most obvious "yes" votes in the history of Congress.
- Inaction on Hurricane Katrina that borders on being both Republican and criminal.
- Trying to sabotage ENDA and divide the queer community.
- Funding abstinence only scams that promote HIV infections and unplanned pregnancies rather than honest and accurate sex education which prevents them.
- Efforts by corrupt "Democrats" to push more corporate-controlled trade deals that create economic insecurity and poverty at home while creating malnutrition, disease and misery abroad.
- A lack of interest, much less action, on global warming.
- Confirming Bush's most dangerous and extreme appointees after ceremonial hand-wringing.
- Consistently refusing to acknowledge the fact that the past two presidential elections were stolen.
- Doing nothing to replace touch screen voting machines with paper ballots.
- Continuing draconian drug laws that waste tax money and peoples' lives.
- Reauthorizing the Unpatriotic Act.
- Avoiding action on making the rich pay their fair share in taxes.
Sigh!
Democracy Is
Perfectly Ghastly, Lovey
From Darkblack
BUSH LUSTS FOR WAR, DISCARDS CHILDREN
SAYS PETE STARK
From Lydia
Cornell
THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE: Bush's approval rating is at 23%, the lowest of
any president in history. And 80% of all Americans, want low-income
children to have health coverage. But only one president and 14
Republicans with 14 votes stand in the way of the will of the people. What
kind of man is President Bush?
Rep.
Pete Stark (D-CA) was more than a little upset after the SCHIP veto
override failed. The 18-term lawmaker, stirred the pot Thursday when he
attacked President Bush and congressional Republicans for backing hundreds
of billions of dollars for the Iraq war, but blocking a $35 billion
expansion of a children's health insurance program.
"You're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get
enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads
blown off for the president's amusement," Stark told Republicans on
the floor of the House.
The remarks during the debate over Bush's veto of the children's health
bill drew howls of outrage from House Republicans and conservative
commentators. His words were replayed endlessly on cable news and talk
radio. By Friday, even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - who praised Stark for
his leadership on the children's health bill a day earlier - was
distancing herself from his comments.
What Pelosi also meant: Stark had handed Republicans an easy way to
distract the public from what Democrats view as a winning stance on the
popular children's health bill. Stark, 75, declined a request Friday for
an interview.
He began: "First of all, I'm just amazed that the Republicans are
worried that we can't pay for insuring an additional 10 million children.
They sure don't care about finding $200 billion to fight the illegal war
in Iraq. Where are you going to get that money? You are going to tell us
lies like you're telling us today? Is that how you're going to fund the
war?
"You don't have money to fund the war or children, but you're going
to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow
old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the
president's amusement."
He went back to the same point moments later: "But President Bush's
statements about children's health shouldn't be taken any more seriously
than his lies about the war in Iraq. The truth is that Bush just likes to
blow things up in Iraq, in the United States, and in Congress."
On the left, Stark's comments drew rave reviews. They were posted on the
blog, DailyKos, stirring applause from the site's anti-war, anti-Bush
readers: "Wow, this guy kicks ass" wrote one blogger.
But Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, who followed Stark on the floor, said:
"It is despicable to have a member of this Congress accuse this
president, any president, of willfully blowing the heads, quote, blowing
the heads off our young men and women over in Iraq and Afghanistan."
The GOP spin machine went into hyperdrive. House Republican Leader John
Boehner's press aides alerted reporters to Stark's comments. The National
Republican Campaign Committee issued a press release, titled:
"Democrat Disgrace: Pete Stark Drags SCHIP Political Circus to
All-Time Low."
But Stark continued: "What are you going to do for that 200 or 300
billion bucks, folks, that you're spending to kill these kids when they
grow up? You can't answer that, can you? You look at your shoes, look up
here, you don't know," he said.
"So you don't even want to talk about 200 or 300 billion bucks to
kill innocent Iraqis and young men and women. There is no member of this
House that has an enlisted child over there. There is no risk for you
guys."
Republican tried unsuccessfully to have his words stricken from the
official record.
***
From Arianna Huffington: At Wednesday's press conference, President Bush
insisted that he is still "relevant." Normally, it's an
immutable law of politics that if you have to say you're relevant, you're
not. But in Bush's case, his role as the primary Decider on the war in
Iraq is keeping him tragically relevant -- in the same way that the driver
of a bus careening toward the edge of cliff is extremely relevant to his
passengers. Okay, so Bush is relevant. And deeply deluded if he truly
believes, as he also claimed, that he and Congressional Democrats are
"finding common ground on Iraq." Beating your opponent into the
ground with vetoes and filibuster threats is not the same as finding
common ground.
* No Child Left Alone: 2-year-old S-CHIP recipient Bethany Wilkerson is
new target of right-wingers.
* Mitch McConnell’s staff DID write emails interested in smearing the
Frosts, and then lied about doing so.
My Letter to Congressman Pete Stark:
Thank you for standing up to Bush on his atrocious, un-Christian,
warmongering behavior. Over 80% of the country agrees with you and
believes Bush does not have his priorities straight. He cares about frozen
fetal cells and the unborn, but cares nothing about real, live BREATHING
CHILDREN! He cares nothing about the poor or "the least among
us." Bush flies across the country in the middle of the night to
intervene in the Terry Schiavo case, a private family matter, but sees no
reason to help the low-income families and children of America — or the
Katrina victims for that matter.
Many Americans believe George Bush is not only un-American, but is a war
criminal. We also believe Bush, Cheney, Haliburton and Blackwater among
others, are all guilty of war profiteering — a treasonous crime. They
are guilty of dividing our country through politicizing this war, of
breaking the Geneva Convention, of illegally wiretapping U.S. citizens and
of violating our 2nd and 4th Amendment rights, and of myriad of other
crimes including breaking the right to writ of Habeas Corpus.
You are right Congressman Stark — Bush should should apologize for lying
in a rush to war, for violating our Constitution, and for never being
honest about his reasons for this war.
Bush has also chipped away at our freedoms and the morale of our troops by
hiring private mercenary armies like Blackwater — at taxpayer expense
— whose only loyalty is to cash.
WE THE PEOPLE are horrified at what has become of our beautiful democracy.
Congressman Stark, though we may not have chosen the provocative words you
chose, we applaud you for your strength in STANDING UP TO the CORRUPT,
FRAUDULENT, UNCHRISTIAN BUSH ADMINISTRATION. Our war planes bombed small
children in Iraq. Countless children are dead because of this "war on
an abstract noun" the so-called 'war on terror.' Why are Iraqi
children less valuable than American children? Why doesn't Bush care about
human life?
ON WIRETAPPING:
A caller on Randi Rhodes show called in to say "if you're innocent,
what does it matter if they wiretap you?" Randi let him have it. She
said, "My father would roll over in his grave to hear you say he
fought in vain. He fought in WWII, marching over Normandy to fight for our
freedoms — for our Constitutional rights of privacy, freedom of speech,
freedom to assemble, freedom to protest." My theory is this: who is
to say they won't accuse you or take you away for "perceived liberal
bias or treason in speaking out against our Fuhrer (Bush) one day, or
misinterpret one of your phone calls? But all of our freedoms are being
stripped away right now. We are no longer allowed to assemble except in
organized "pens" far away from the object of our protest. We are
afraid to speak out loud on the phone or in our homes for fear we will be
misunderstood or taken as an enemy of the STate for disagreeing with this
absurdly unAmerican president.
If Bush, Cheney and the NSA went to Qwest, Verizon and AT&T to put
wiretapping in place seven months before 9/11 doesn't this mean they ied
when they said they were wiretapping Americans to catch terrorists as a
result of 9/11? Isn't this treason?
Thank you,
Lydia Cornell
www.LydiaCornell.com
www.Basham and Cornell Progressive Talk
www.BashamandCornell.com
The ONLY Progressive Talk show in Las Vegas, broadcasting live daily at 8
AM on KLAV 1230 AM.
***
As you know, media consolidation poses a tremendous threat to authentic
journalism and diversity of opinion.
And it may soon be worse. At this very moment, the FCC is trying to pass
new media ownership rules that will hand Big Media a Big Win. If the
changes are approved, one company could own the major daily newspaper,
eight radio stations and three television stations in the same market.
Worse yet, once the digital television transition is completed in 2009 --
allowing stations to broadcast multiple signals - a single company could
control up to 18 television channels in one market.
As it stands now, six huge conglomerates - whose combined 2006 revenues
reached more than $293 billion - dominate media ownership.
You can bet those six companies are more interested in turning a profit
than in publishing or broadcasting a diverse range of news and opinions.
And the progressive viewpoint? Forget it!
That's why it's more important than ever for progressives to unite online.
By harnessing the power of the Internet, we can share information and
inspire each other to take action.
Unlike the General Electrics, the Viacoms, and the Walt Disneys of the
world, CommonDreams.org isn't interested in making a profit.
God Bless you!
Coming to
Israel's rescue, the water wars, or Bush's forever wars, which will be the
excuse to Declare martial order and finish our America off?
By James Joiner for An
Average American Patriot
The excuses to steal the last remnants of our America are stacking up! For years now to much ridicule for whatever reason I have said that Bush will attack Iran before he can be stopped and he would most likely use coming to Israel's rescue to do so. His excuse use to be to stop Iran's nuclear aggression. With the bombing task being 1,200 sites, the task enormous, and the public against it, Bush came up with another reason to attack Iran. He was going to use precision strikes to take out Revolutionary Guard interests that were killing American's. That was something the public would fall for as they did in Iraq.
However with the world lining up against him as well as an increasingly hostile democratically controlled Congress, Bush will not stop and in following his unbending new world order we have other fears and concerns now and have to only wonder what excuse Bush will use in order to Declare Martial Law and cancel elections so he can keep his abusive Presidential powers, attack Iran and embroil the entire world in his new world order Forever Wars? He is getting more desperate by the day!
This gets worse and we are closer to world war and martial law every day. We discussed the world coming together in order to take on Bush and stop him from attacking Iran and further his militaristic warmongering in Russia unites the world against Bush
Well, as you know Bush wants a permanent military presence in Iraq and the middle east to me until he can find the excuse to attack Iran and further his middle east order but now we have Putin upping the ante as expected. Putin used a live Russian TV and radio broadcast to criticize U.S. policy in Iraq, which he said was aimed in part at seizing oil reserves. The Russian leader's latest broadside against U.S. foreign policy came during his annual question-and-answer session with the Russian people.
Putin said the American battle in Iraq was
"useless" and "totally counterproductive" because it
was against the Iraqi people. It is against the Iraqi people but it is
so Bush can attack Iran and further his middle east order and it isn't
useless!
Putin said he agreed with President Bush that U.S.-led coalition forces should only withdraw once the Iraqi government was in full control of the country. However, he said the lack of a deadline for withdrawal meant there was no impetus for the Iraqi leadership to take control of the security situation. That I am afraid is part of the plan.
Putin said he agreed with President Bush that U.S.-led coalition forces should only withdraw once the Iraqi government was in full control of the country. However, he said the lack of a deadline for withdrawal meant there was no impetus for the Iraqi leadership to take control of the security situation. That I am afraid is part of the plan.
"It's totally unacceptable to keep occupation forces
there forever," he added. He also repeated his warning against U.S.
efforts to put elements of a missile defense system in Eastern Europe
and confirmed his plans to step down from the presidency next year. I
have to agree with Putin there too but what he doesn't realize is those
MDS are designed to supply Bush the excuse to have to fight and
implement his new world order. Putin
demands Iraq pullout date
You know a pullout date will not happen though Russia and the worlds anti Bush rhetoric is ratcheting up. Like Congresses increasing anti Bush rhetoric it too will not matter to Bush and for a reason.
In a heated floor speech, Stark repeatedly made the charge that the president would rather use government revenues to send U.S. soldiers to war than to pay for low-income kids' health care. A longtime war critic, Stark said the president couldn't find $35 billion to expand SCHIP but at the same time had requested an extra $200 billion to pay for military operations in Iraq.
"Where are you going to get that money? Are you going to tell us lies like you're telling us today? Is that how you're going to fund the war? You don't have money to fund the war or children. But you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old, enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement," Democratic Senator Stark said.
"President Bush's statements about children's health shouldn't be taken any more seriously than his lies about the war in Iraq. The truth is that Bush just likes to blow things up in Iraq, in the United States, and in Congress. I urge my colleagues to vote to override his veto," he continued. I happen to agree with Stark but look at exactly what he said and the irresponsible Republican Partisan response
Anyway amidst the increasing rhetoric from the world and Congress it will not make Bush change his destructive course but Bush's anxiety is beginning to show.
Bush's comments at his Wednesday news conference only fueled the discussion and may have also signaled a shift in his personal redline in Tehran's progress toward a nuclear weapon. With most attention focused on the doomsday scenario he invoked, another part of his answer may be telling. Although in the past he has said it is "unacceptable" for Iran to possess a nuclear bomb, Bush said Wednesday that it is unacceptable for it to even know how to build a bomb.
The talk of military options has led to sometimes
feverish speculation that a strike may be imminent, a notion dismissed
by administration officials who say that Bush is committed to diplomacy
at this point. But with 15 months left in office, Bush may eventually
confront the choice of dealing with Iran's program or passing the
problem onto a successor. For now, the White House spent yesterday
trying to douse the flames of Bush's news conference remark. "If
you're interested in avoiding World War III," he said, "it
seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the
knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon." Bush
is getting more desperate in his excuse for war with Iran.
I will guarantee you as I have for years to no avail that Bush will not be dissuaded from his original reason for attacking Iran to get our military in the middle east and that is to attack Iran. and that is only one of his original plans and he will stop for no one or nothing. Remember Perle Wurmser A clean Break
World war three will happen and it is necessary to implement the plan Bush has been following from day one, Russian Doctrine of Destruction
It may be the right thing to do but an Iraq pullout date
will not happen! Bush will not be dissuaded from attacking Iran and
furthering his Forever Wars that the world has allied together to fight.
It will happen and soon and then Bush will declare Martial Order so he
can stay in power and head his WW3 new world order, Forever Wars. I am a
bit disappointed that I have been trying to get every politician and
media outlet in the country to wake up and realize what is being done to
their country, why, and how this will end up.
I am peeved because Robert Rouse received a copy of the video I was sent and I hope he can include it with this on The Blog World Report because I do not have the know how but Ralph Nader has a video where he describes it is worse than we thought and that Senator Olver said impeachment is off the table because Bush is going to attack Iran create havoc and Declare Martial Law as I have been telling my Senator John Olver for years. I am peeved, Why the hell haven't these idiots listened and stopped this instead of doing nothing and letting this unbelievable crap happen? What about the next generation?
[EDITOR'S NOTE: I have included the video James refers to in a post from Chuck Buckley for The Divided States of bu$hmeriKa]
My (Free!) Contribution to the War
Effort
By Bartleby for The
Chestnut Tree Cafe
In the news: the Legions are recruiting scientific help, presumably to figure out why they hate us.
The US military has developed a new programme known as the Human Terrain System (HTS) to study social groups in Iraq and Afghanistan.Well, I guess it's an improvement on "ragheads," but I wonder if Mr. Fondacaro (maybe I can presume to call him "Steve") quite recognizes that he might be sending the wrong signal. Swarthy and non-American though they might be, it still sounds a little odd to refer to people as "human terrain" ... and, given the circumstances, "target population" -- while undoubtedly correct -- is still a bit, ah, tactless, no?
The HTS depends heavily on the co-operation of anthropologists, with their expertise in the study of human beings and their societies.
Steve Fondacaro, a retired special operations colonel overseeing the HTS, is keen to recruit cultural anthropologists.
"Cultural anthropologists are focused on understanding how societies make decisions and how attitudes are formed. They give us the best vision to see the problems through the eyes of the target population," he said.
Farther along in the news story is the information that every "social scientist" employed by the Human Terrain System is costing the national MasterCard a yearly $400K. As a service to my fellow
1. People aren't so apt to hate you if you don't kill, torture, imprison, beat, rape, and humiliate their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins -- and selves.
2. People aren't so apt to hate you if you refrain from invading and destroying their countries, for no good reason at all.
3. People aren't so apt to hate you if you don't behave as if the entire world is yours to mismanage.
As I say ... no charge. You're welcome.
Activists Send Female Underwear To
Burmese Embassies
From NY Texan for BlueBloggin
I found this form of protest clever, humorous and on point. I tried to link the “Panties for Peace” page but just got a picture. Their link is found at Lanna Action For Burma where you can “Make sure your panties reach the intended target.“
Activists exasperated at the failure of diplomacy to apply pressure on Burma’s military regime are resorting to a new means of protest against the regime’s recent crackdown: sending female underwear to Burmese embassies.Embassies in the UK, Thailand, Australia and Singapore have all been targeted by the “Panties for Peace” campaign, co-ordinated by an activist group based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The manoeuvre is a calculated insult to the junta and its leader, General Than Shwe. Superstitious junta members believe that any contact with female undergarments - clean or dirty - will sap them of their power, said Jackie Pollack, a member of the Lanna Action for Burma Committee.
“Not only are they brutal, but they are also very superstitious. They believe that touching a woman’s pants or sarong will make them lose their strength,” Ms Pollack told Guardian Unlimited.
So far, hundreds of pairs of pants have been posted, according to another campaigner, Liz Hilton. “One group sent 140 pairs to the Burmese embassy in Geneva,” she said.
The campaign was a serious attempt to allow ordinary women to express their outrage at the regime’s response to democracy demonstrations led by Buddhist monks, Ms Pollack said.
“Condemnation by the United Nations and governments around the world have had no impact on the Burmese regime. This is a way of trying to reach them where they will feel it,” she said.
“The junta is famous for its abuse of women: it is well documented that they use rape as a weapon of war against ethnic minorities. This is a way for women around the world to express their outrage.”
The Burmese government has claimed that 10 people were killed and nearly 2,100 arrested, but dissident groups estimate that dozens or even hundreds died during the recent crackdown and its aftermath.
A message on the activists’ website reads: “This is your chance to use your Panty Power to take away the power from the SPDC. You can post, deliver or fling your panties at the closest Burmese Embassy any day from today. Send early, send often.”
An official at the Burmese Embassy in London was unable to confirm if any garments had yet been delivered.
Time to toot my own horn
By Robert Rouse for Left
of Centrist and the Blog
World Report
I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO
TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!
By Mary Ellen for The
Divine Democrat
When I thought of how angry I was, and I saw the frustration in every comment made by all of you, I thought of this movie clip. If you didn't watch it all the way through, do it. The movie, Network, was a piece of genius. It transcends time and brings us to where we are today. Only now...it's worse than ever.
What will it take for ALL Americans to get mad as hell? Do we have to wait for another terrorist attack? Another Katrina? Do we wait for Martial Law, when it's too late?
I don't have an answer as to what to do...I didn't write this to give any solutions as to what to do. I wrote it because...I'M MAD AS HELL AT THIS:
AmericaBlog: THIS WAS A COMPROMISE?
OIL HITTING ALL NEW HIGHS-JOBLESS CLAIMS RISE
DIVIDED STATES OF BU$HMERICA: Posts about a "MARTIAL LAW exercise with the cute little name of VIGILANT SHIELD. Read his links about this story, it's more frightening than any Halloween ghost story you will hear!
POLITICS PLUS: Children's Pennies for Millionaires Our children aren't even safe now? We have to take away their health care for this war? Enough!!!
LET'S TALK: The video Larry has up on this post says it all!
SCARBOROUGH thinks that waterboarding isn't torture, it's the kind of thing that goes on in fraternity hazing! So, I guess he thinks if any of our military soldiers are captured, a little fraternity hazing is in order to get information. Yes, folks, this is our media today!
RAW STORY: This story shows that our Vice President is doing everything he can to ratchet up a nuclear war in the Middle East. He's caught red-handed by our Intelligence Community and HE GETS AWAY WITH IT! WHY CAN'T WE IMPEACH THIS ASSHOLE!
DISTRIBUTORCAP put the final nail in my coffin today. He put up a post, It's a Wonderful Life and this little tidbit was added at the end; "Jimmy Stewart, the actor everybody wanted to have a beer with, was a major hawk on the Vietnam War and was active in promoting a number of right-wing political causes. Stewart also strongly supported blacklisting in Hollywood during the late 1940s and was allegedly a spy for panty-loving queen J. Edgar Hoover."
Jimmy Stewart? NOOOOOOOOOOOO! How will I watch "It's a Wonderful Life" this holiday season and get that same warm and fuzzy feeling all over again? As I put fire in my fireplace and pop my popcorn and drink my hot buttered rum, I'll be thinking about all the actors he screwed over.
This was more than I could bear....I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! I'm dumping "It's a Wonderful Life" from my pile of Christmas movies. I'll watch the Grinch instead. Bah Humbug!
PELOSI SIDES WITH BUSH AGAINST FELLOW
DEMOCRAT
By Christopher for From
the Left
If Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s ineptitude in ending the funding for the Iraq war isn’t enough for the people of San Francisco to launch a recall effort, comes this newest outrage.
Pelosi sided with Republicans and George Bush by rebuking a fellow San Francisco Bay Area liberal Friday for what she said were “inappropriate” comments about Iraq during a congressional debate.
During a debate on children’s health care Thursday, Rep. Pete Stark accused Republicans of sending troops to Iraq to “get their heads blown off for the president’s amusement.”
Condemnations rolled in from Republican politicians, right-leaning bloggers had a field day, and a White House spokesman declined to “dignify those remarks” with a response.
Pelosi issued a statement late Friday rapping Stark, who is in his 18th term representing the liberal East Bay. He’s California’s longest-serving House member.
“While members of Congress are passionate about their views, what U.S. Rep. Stark said during the debate was inappropriate and distracted from the seriousness of the subject at hand—providing health care for America’s children,” Pelosi said.
Stark’s comment came as the House failed Thursday to override President Bush’s veto of legislation to expand the popular State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
“You don’t have money to fund the war or children,” Stark accused Republicans. “But you’re going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president’s amusement.”
Wrong again, Nancy. What is “inappropriate” is your failure to end the funding for Iraq war and issuing unconstitutional bon mots such as “impeachment is off the table.” Pelosi has quickly become the House version of Sen. Joe Lieberman.
Most fake bombs missed by screeners
By Pookieshoehorn for Ramblings
of a Madwoman
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I am no
fan of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). It's not that
I don't think airline security is a good idea — of course it is. But
my personal experience, and that of everyone I talk to, is that the
current restrictions in place on ordinary travelers do little if
anything to make us any safer. Instead, rules such as no more than 3
oz. of liquids in your carry-on luggage and removing your shoes for
screening seem more like attempts at making the public feel safer by
having us experience these “safety” restrictions firsthand.
So I'm not really surprised to read in USA
Today that while the TSA screeners are busy throwing out your 6
oz. bottle of shampoo, they're missing the real safety threats:
Security screeners at two of the nation's busiest airports failed to find fake bombs hidden on undercover agents posing as passengers in more than 60% of tests last year, according to a classified report obtained by USA TODAY.Among the “explosives” missed by the TSA screeners:
Screeners at Los Angeles International Airport missed about 75% of simulated explosives and bomb parts that Transportation Security Administration testers hid under their clothes or in carry-on bags at checkpoints, the TSA report shows.
• Detonator and explosives hidden in briefcase lining
• Inert explosives inside CD players
• Fake dynamite and timer in toiletry kit
• Phony plastic explosive and battery inside hollowed-out book
But remember, they pulled me aside for my granola bar! You can read more here.