what a zinger. in a story about the iowa supremes making it clear that open records is vital to a democracy.
DesMoinesRegister.com: "It would be wrong for public foundations to become secret hiding places for public money and private influence."
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Friday, February 04, 2005
this should prove interesting...
U.S. 'in for a shock' / In early election results, Shiite cleric's alliance trouncing Washington's favorite: "'Americans are in for a shock,' he said, adding that one day they would realize, 'We've got 150,000 troops here protecting a country that's extremely friendly to Iran, and training their troops.'
The partial totals so far show the Iraqi List headed by Allawi, a secular Shiite and onetime CIA protege, trailed far behind with only 18 percent of the votes, despite an aggressive television ad campaign waged with U.S. aid. A lopsided majority of votes, 72 percent, went to the United Iraqi Alliance list, topped by a Shiite cleric who lived in Iran for many years and whose Sciri party has close ties to Iran's clerical regime. More than a third of the alliance's vote came from Baghdad, the cosmopolitan capital where Allawi had been expected to fare well. "
U.S. 'in for a shock' / In early election results, Shiite cleric's alliance trouncing Washington's favorite: "'Americans are in for a shock,' he said, adding that one day they would realize, 'We've got 150,000 troops here protecting a country that's extremely friendly to Iran, and training their troops.'
The partial totals so far show the Iraqi List headed by Allawi, a secular Shiite and onetime CIA protege, trailed far behind with only 18 percent of the votes, despite an aggressive television ad campaign waged with U.S. aid. A lopsided majority of votes, 72 percent, went to the United Iraqi Alliance list, topped by a Shiite cleric who lived in Iran for many years and whose Sciri party has close ties to Iran's clerical regime. More than a third of the alliance's vote came from Baghdad, the cosmopolitan capital where Allawi had been expected to fare well. "
this should prove interesting...
U.S. 'in for a shock' / In early election results, Shiite cleric's alliance trouncing Washington's favorite: "'Americans are in for a shock,' he said, adding that one day they would realize, 'We've got 150,000 troops here protecting a country that's extremely friendly to Iran, and training their troops.'
The partial totals so far show the Iraqi List headed by Allawi, a secular Shiite and onetime CIA protege, trailed far behind with only 18 percent of the votes, despite an aggressive television ad campaign waged with U.S. aid. A lopsided majority of votes, 72 percent, went to the United Iraqi Alliance list, topped by a Shiite cleric who lived in Iran for many years and whose Sciri party has close ties to Iran's clerical regime. More than a third of the alliance's vote came from Baghdad, the cosmopolitan capital where Allawi had been expected to fare well. "
U.S. 'in for a shock' / In early election results, Shiite cleric's alliance trouncing Washington's favorite: "'Americans are in for a shock,' he said, adding that one day they would realize, 'We've got 150,000 troops here protecting a country that's extremely friendly to Iran, and training their troops.'
The partial totals so far show the Iraqi List headed by Allawi, a secular Shiite and onetime CIA protege, trailed far behind with only 18 percent of the votes, despite an aggressive television ad campaign waged with U.S. aid. A lopsided majority of votes, 72 percent, went to the United Iraqi Alliance list, topped by a Shiite cleric who lived in Iran for many years and whose Sciri party has close ties to Iran's clerical regime. More than a third of the alliance's vote came from Baghdad, the cosmopolitan capital where Allawi had been expected to fare well. "
didn't dicky blurt out factcheck during his debate with edwards? like factcheck was always going to back his ass up or something? oh yeah, he said factcheck.COM. haha, oh the irony.
FactCheck.org Bush's State of the Union: Social Security "Bankruptcy?": "In his State of the Union Address, President Bush said again that the Social Security system is headed for 'bankruptcy,' a term that could give the wrong idea. Actually, even if it goes 'bankrupt' a few decades from now, the system would still be able to pay about three-quarters of the benefits now promised.
Bush also made his proposed private Social Security accounts sound like a sure thing, which they are not. He said they 'will' grow fast enough to provide a better return than the present system. History suggests that will be so, but nobody can predict what stock and bond markets will do in the future.
Bush left out any mention of what workers would have to give up to get those private acounts -- a proportional reduction or offset in guaranteed Social Security retirement benefits. He also glossed over the fact that money in private accounts would be 'owned' by workers only in a very limited sense -- under strict conditions which the President referred to as 'guidelines.' Many retirees, and possibly the vast majority, wouldn't be able to touch their Social Security nest egg directly, even after retirement, because the government would take some or all of it back and convert it to a stream of payments guaranteed for life."
FactCheck.org Bush's State of the Union: Social Security "Bankruptcy?": "In his State of the Union Address, President Bush said again that the Social Security system is headed for 'bankruptcy,' a term that could give the wrong idea. Actually, even if it goes 'bankrupt' a few decades from now, the system would still be able to pay about three-quarters of the benefits now promised.
Bush also made his proposed private Social Security accounts sound like a sure thing, which they are not. He said they 'will' grow fast enough to provide a better return than the present system. History suggests that will be so, but nobody can predict what stock and bond markets will do in the future.
Bush left out any mention of what workers would have to give up to get those private acounts -- a proportional reduction or offset in guaranteed Social Security retirement benefits. He also glossed over the fact that money in private accounts would be 'owned' by workers only in a very limited sense -- under strict conditions which the President referred to as 'guidelines.' Many retirees, and possibly the vast majority, wouldn't be able to touch their Social Security nest egg directly, even after retirement, because the government would take some or all of it back and convert it to a stream of payments guaranteed for life."
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
so this administration wants to turn the clock back a few decades eh?
globegazette.com - North Iowa Local News Headlines: "'In the 1950s, rock 'n' roll had a tradition of driving old folks up the wall' --John Cunningham"
globegazette.com - North Iowa Local News Headlines: "'In the 1950s, rock 'n' roll had a tradition of driving old folks up the wall' --John Cunningham"
globegazette.com - North Iowa Local News Headlines: "Alexander Technologies is taking its manufacturing operation to Malaysia.
Need for increased profit margin and the weakening of the dollar are major factors in the decision to off-shore manufacturing, Jay Miller, senior vice president of marketing and engineering, said Tuesday.
(wait now, it gets good)
Alexander Technologies is coming off its most profitable year, with sales continuing to rise, according to Tania Cooper, vice president of operations and finance."
Need for increased profit margin and the weakening of the dollar are major factors in the decision to off-shore manufacturing, Jay Miller, senior vice president of marketing and engineering, said Tuesday.
(wait now, it gets good)
Alexander Technologies is coming off its most profitable year, with sales continuing to rise, according to Tania Cooper, vice president of operations and finance."
Monday, January 31, 2005
from the des moines register:
released from active duty huh. pray tell, exactly what does that mean when our president is none other than george walker bush. this is one of those things that make you think one thing, and it's really something else.
A homecoming event is planned for 5:30 p.m. today at Camp Dodge for 15 members of the Iowa National Guard's 767th Firefighting Team that is returning from 12 months of duty in Iraq. They will be accompanied by 45 soldiers from the Guard's 1088th Personnel Services Detachment which has spent the past year in Kuwait, processing American soldiers headed into and out of Iraq.
...
The troops returned to the United States several days ago from the Persian Gulf and have been undergoing processing at Fort McCoy, Wis., to be released from active duty. The homecoming celebration is at the Iowa National Guard's headquarters facility at Camp Dodge.
released from active duty huh. pray tell, exactly what does that mean when our president is none other than george walker bush. this is one of those things that make you think one thing, and it's really something else.
and speaking of smart iowans..... the rev is surely the faucet of God's voice.
DesMoinesRegister.com: "The search for Iraqi WMD is over. None is likely to be found. This is the White House report. Will an apology be forthcoming? Will the White House admit questionable sources and hasty decisions were used to justify the rush to war?
If the White House were CBS, the chief spokesperson would resign and many top subordinates would be fired. Who will apologize to the kin of fallen soldiers and the countless Iraqi dead? Impeachable acts have been committed.
When will someone in Congress have the courage to call for the president to answer for this illegal Bush war? When will Americans see how much they have been deceived?
-The Rev. Oren A. Peterson,
Des Moines."
DesMoinesRegister.com: "The search for Iraqi WMD is over. None is likely to be found. This is the White House report. Will an apology be forthcoming? Will the White House admit questionable sources and hasty decisions were used to justify the rush to war?
If the White House were CBS, the chief spokesperson would resign and many top subordinates would be fired. Who will apologize to the kin of fallen soldiers and the countless Iraqi dead? Impeachable acts have been committed.
When will someone in Congress have the courage to call for the president to answer for this illegal Bush war? When will Americans see how much they have been deceived?
-The Rev. Oren A. Peterson,
Des Moines."
too bad everybody in iowa wasn't this smart.
DesMoinesRegister.com: "Now that his old excuses for military aggression - such as WMDs in Iraq - have been discredited, President Bush trumpets 'spreading freedom' as his goal. Substitute fascism for freedom, and you have his true goal.
-Jay Miller,
Hills."
DesMoinesRegister.com: "Now that his old excuses for military aggression - such as WMDs in Iraq - have been discredited, President Bush trumpets 'spreading freedom' as his goal. Substitute fascism for freedom, and you have his true goal.
-Jay Miller,
Hills."
Sunday, January 30, 2005
the pushing is getting a bit more ... er, um, more.... republicon than normal. and that should be enough to scare the hell outta anybody.
Israel, United States say Iran an imminent threat: "Israel's Knesset and the U.S. Congress have begun a joint effort to convince European Union parliamentarians that Iran's nuclear weapons program is an imminent threat, the Middle East Newsline reported Saturday. The Knesset and Congress plan to send representatives to meetings in Brussels with EU parliamentarians on defense and security committees.
The program began in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Members of the committee have discussed the effort with leading members of Congress, and Sen. Jon Kyle, a Republican from Nevada, has been appointed to lead the Congress-Knesset panel.
Kyle has said the EU is necessary for any diplomatic offensive to stop Iran's weapons program. "
Israel, United States say Iran an imminent threat: "Israel's Knesset and the U.S. Congress have begun a joint effort to convince European Union parliamentarians that Iran's nuclear weapons program is an imminent threat, the Middle East Newsline reported Saturday. The Knesset and Congress plan to send representatives to meetings in Brussels with EU parliamentarians on defense and security committees.
The program began in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Members of the committee have discussed the effort with leading members of Congress, and Sen. Jon Kyle, a Republican from Nevada, has been appointed to lead the Congress-Knesset panel.
Kyle has said the EU is necessary for any diplomatic offensive to stop Iran's weapons program. "
everybody's ranting and raving about how the iraqs "for the first time in 50 years' got to vote. that's a lie. saddam had elections, and in fact, garnered some 90% of the vote the last time, which was only a few years ago.
so this whole bruhaha about the novelty of iraqis 'finally' being able to vote, is preposterous. and very republicon.
so this whole bruhaha about the novelty of iraqis 'finally' being able to vote, is preposterous. and very republicon.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
i cant stop laughing at the hypocrisy of these pissants.
U.S. Newswire : Releases : "Gannongate: Media Matters for America Uncovers White...": "WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Talon News Washington bureau chief and White House correspondent Jeff Gannon, who accused his colleagues in the press corps of 'work(ing) off of the talking points' provided by Democrats, has used Bush administration and Republican National Committee (RNC) documents and releases in his Talon 'news reports' verbatim and without attribution. In at least two of his articles, Gannon lifted more than half of the text directly from GOP 'fact sheets.' Moreover, as Media Matters for America has pointed out, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh proclaimed that Gannon repeated a fabricated assertion of Limbaugh's in asking a question at President Bush's January 26 press conference."
U.S. Newswire : Releases : "Gannongate: Media Matters for America Uncovers White...": "WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Talon News Washington bureau chief and White House correspondent Jeff Gannon, who accused his colleagues in the press corps of 'work(ing) off of the talking points' provided by Democrats, has used Bush administration and Republican National Committee (RNC) documents and releases in his Talon 'news reports' verbatim and without attribution. In at least two of his articles, Gannon lifted more than half of the text directly from GOP 'fact sheets.' Moreover, as Media Matters for America has pointed out, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh proclaimed that Gannon repeated a fabricated assertion of Limbaugh's in asking a question at President Bush's January 26 press conference."
mr. strentz, you win today's cigar!
DesMoinesRegister.com: "All those approaches make as much sense as what Anderson is proposing - a selfish and self-serving way of avoiding our mutual responsibilities and mutual risks in a participatory democracy.
-Herb Strentz,
Urbandale."
DesMoinesRegister.com: "All those approaches make as much sense as what Anderson is proposing - a selfish and self-serving way of avoiding our mutual responsibilities and mutual risks in a participatory democracy.
-Herb Strentz,
Urbandale."
bush to oil buddies: g'head, be my guest. i didnt ever like those rocky moutain oysters anyway.
It's Not All Blue Skies for Drilling Project: "The federal Bureau of Land Management, under pressure from the White House to fast-track energy production, approved the drilling plan two years ago without incorporating any requirements to reduce the resulting air pollution.
Government scientists expect that the drilling expansion, combined with a planned increase in coal mining and oil drilling in the northern Great Plains, will nearly double smog-forming emissions and greatly increase particulate matter pollution in a thinly populated region that has produced less than 3% of the amount of unhealthful air found in Los Angeles."
It's Not All Blue Skies for Drilling Project: "The federal Bureau of Land Management, under pressure from the White House to fast-track energy production, approved the drilling plan two years ago without incorporating any requirements to reduce the resulting air pollution.
Government scientists expect that the drilling expansion, combined with a planned increase in coal mining and oil drilling in the northern Great Plains, will nearly double smog-forming emissions and greatly increase particulate matter pollution in a thinly populated region that has produced less than 3% of the amount of unhealthful air found in Los Angeles."
torture-gate?
Daily Kos :: Homeland Nominee Chertoff on Torture: Many Questions: "Michael Chertoff, who has been picked by President Bush to be the homeland security secretary, advised the Central Intelligence Agency on the legality of coercive interrogation methods on terror suspects under the federal anti-torture statute, current and former administration officials said this week.
Depending on the circumstances, he told the intelligence agency, some coercive methods could be legal, but he advised against others, the officials said.
Mr. Chertoff's previously undisclosed involvement in evaluating how far interrogators could go took place in 2002 and 2003 when he headed the Justice Department's criminal division. The advice came in the form of responses to agency inquiries asking whether C.I.A. employees risked being charged with crimes if particular interrogation techniques were used on specific detainees.
This is important on a number of levels. While Homeland Security has no charge regarding foreign terrorist activity - can Homeland Security 'render' terrorism suspects to the CIA? This is important because Alberto Gonzales has stated that the CIA is not bound by the prohibitions of the UN Convention on Torture. Can Homeland Security 'render' to the CIA for 'interrogation'? Many questions must be asked of and answered by Chertoff.
Here's a particular question: is the following true:
In responding, Mr. Chertoff's division said that whether the techniques were impermissible depended on the standards outlined in an August 2002 memorandum from the Office of Legal Counsel that has since been disclosed and which defined torture narrowly. That memorandum, signed by Jay S. Bybee, then the head of the legal counsel's office, said that inflicted pain, for example, qualified as torture only if it was of a level equivalent to organ failure or imminent death.
Cuz if it is, we got a problem. "
Daily Kos :: Homeland Nominee Chertoff on Torture: Many Questions: "Michael Chertoff, who has been picked by President Bush to be the homeland security secretary, advised the Central Intelligence Agency on the legality of coercive interrogation methods on terror suspects under the federal anti-torture statute, current and former administration officials said this week.
Depending on the circumstances, he told the intelligence agency, some coercive methods could be legal, but he advised against others, the officials said.
Mr. Chertoff's previously undisclosed involvement in evaluating how far interrogators could go took place in 2002 and 2003 when he headed the Justice Department's criminal division. The advice came in the form of responses to agency inquiries asking whether C.I.A. employees risked being charged with crimes if particular interrogation techniques were used on specific detainees.
This is important on a number of levels. While Homeland Security has no charge regarding foreign terrorist activity - can Homeland Security 'render' terrorism suspects to the CIA? This is important because Alberto Gonzales has stated that the CIA is not bound by the prohibitions of the UN Convention on Torture. Can Homeland Security 'render' to the CIA for 'interrogation'? Many questions must be asked of and answered by Chertoff.
Here's a particular question: is the following true:
In responding, Mr. Chertoff's division said that whether the techniques were impermissible depended on the standards outlined in an August 2002 memorandum from the Office of Legal Counsel that has since been disclosed and which defined torture narrowly. That memorandum, signed by Jay S. Bybee, then the head of the legal counsel's office, said that inflicted pain, for example, qualified as torture only if it was of a level equivalent to organ failure or imminent death.
Cuz if it is, we got a problem. "
Friday, January 28, 2005
headline #5... Mother Nature Bitchslaps Human Nature:
News: "Global warming is 'twice as bad as previously thought'"
News: "Global warming is 'twice as bad as previously thought'"
headline #5.... coalition meltdown:
FT.com / News in depth / Iraq - Coalition pull-out from Iraq gathers pace: "Several allied countries, many of them eastern European, that were part of the original 'New Europe' group backing the Iraqi war have said they will either completely withdraw or substantially reduce their forces in Iraq after the January 30 elections. "
FT.com / News in depth / Iraq - Coalition pull-out from Iraq gathers pace: "Several allied countries, many of them eastern European, that were part of the original 'New Europe' group backing the Iraqi war have said they will either completely withdraw or substantially reduce their forces in Iraq after the January 30 elections. "
headline #4.... that health savings accounts that we're no longer allowed to use the word private... is just another one of the things that republicans are posterboys for the ones that "just don't get it."
Yahoo! News - Health Savings Accounts Hurt Poor, Care - Report: "CHICAGO (Reuters) - Health plans with high patient-paid deductibles, embraced by many Republicans as a market-based solution to quell soaring medical-care costs, lead to poorer quality care and increasing patient debt, a study released on Thursday said.
With the new plans, individuals typically pay the first $1000, or $2000 for families, spent on medical care each year. The plans are coupled with so-called health savings accounts, or HSAs, which allow patients to set aside tax-free funds to defray health expenses.
But a survey of data from 4,000 adults with health insurance found that about half of patients with a high-deductible plan racked up medical debt and were faced with other billing woes, compared with 31 percent of those with more traditional health plans, according to the research group Commonwealth Fund, which studies health policy issues. "
Yahoo! News - Health Savings Accounts Hurt Poor, Care - Report: "CHICAGO (Reuters) - Health plans with high patient-paid deductibles, embraced by many Republicans as a market-based solution to quell soaring medical-care costs, lead to poorer quality care and increasing patient debt, a study released on Thursday said.
With the new plans, individuals typically pay the first $1000, or $2000 for families, spent on medical care each year. The plans are coupled with so-called health savings accounts, or HSAs, which allow patients to set aside tax-free funds to defray health expenses.
But a survey of data from 4,000 adults with health insurance found that about half of patients with a high-deductible plan racked up medical debt and were faced with other billing woes, compared with 31 percent of those with more traditional health plans, according to the research group Commonwealth Fund, which studies health policy issues. "
headline #3.... propaganda-gate update
Third Columnist Implicated with Payola Charges: "NEW YORK Michael McManus, whose syndicated column, 'Ethics & Religion,' appears in 50 newspapers, was hired as a subcontractor by the Department of Health and Human Services to promote an administration marriage initiative, according to an article posted yesterday by Salon.com, the online magazine.
Senior writer Eric Boehlert wrote that Salon had confirmed that McManus ?championed the plan in his columns without disclosing to readers he was being paid to help it succeed.? "
Third Columnist Implicated with Payola Charges: "NEW YORK Michael McManus, whose syndicated column, 'Ethics & Religion,' appears in 50 newspapers, was hired as a subcontractor by the Department of Health and Human Services to promote an administration marriage initiative, according to an article posted yesterday by Salon.com, the online magazine.
Senior writer Eric Boehlert wrote that Salon had confirmed that McManus ?championed the plan in his columns without disclosing to readers he was being paid to help it succeed.? "
headline #2.... not much better, but it still explains how America is no longer the solution, it's the problem.
News: "How sectarian is the resistance? The Salafi or militant fundamentalist Sunni wing of the insurgency has repeatedly targeted Shia with suicide bombs in Baghdad, Najaf and Kerbala, causing horrendous casualties. These attacks ensured that the uprising remains confined to the Sunni Arabs.
Since early 2004 the US has promoted Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as the man behind the uprising. This probably began as a propaganda ploy but Zarqawi revelled in the publicity and American denunciations meant local groups began to call themselves al-Qa'ida.
At any rate, the invasion - and the lack of planning - has created the very conditions the US cited as reason for going to war. Trouble was, they never existed then."
News: "How sectarian is the resistance? The Salafi or militant fundamentalist Sunni wing of the insurgency has repeatedly targeted Shia with suicide bombs in Baghdad, Najaf and Kerbala, causing horrendous casualties. These attacks ensured that the uprising remains confined to the Sunni Arabs.
Since early 2004 the US has promoted Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as the man behind the uprising. This probably began as a propaganda ploy but Zarqawi revelled in the publicity and American denunciations meant local groups began to call themselves al-Qa'ida.
At any rate, the invasion - and the lack of planning - has created the very conditions the US cited as reason for going to war. Trouble was, they never existed then."
it's headline time... first up
No U.S. accountability in propaganda scandals: "No U.S. accountability in propaganda scandals "
No U.S. accountability in propaganda scandals: "No U.S. accountability in propaganda scandals "
gives a 'four-letter word' a whole new meaning.
newtimesbpb.com | Prostrate Loyalty | 2005-01-27: "So when North Palm Beach lawyer Thomas Dougherty tried on December 13 to register the company name To Hell With Bush Inc. with the State of Florida, it didn't surprise him that Hood's flunkies denied his request a day later. 'As you could probably gather, I'm not a big Bush supporter,' says Dougherty, who planned to use the company to start an anti-Bush website. 'So I wasn't shocked they would try something like this.'
Hood's office claimed the name was 'slanderous or immoral.' Hood spokeswoman Jenny Nash says the decision is not about politics. 'It could have said To Hell With Jane Doe and we wouldn't have registered it,' she told Tailpipe.
But a quick search of company names approved by Hood's office shows that, as the 'Pipe has observed, morality is often in the eye of the beholder. How about Damn Inc., Screw Co., and TITS Inc.? How did they pass muster in the era of state-sanctioned evangelism? Then there're the rivals Boobs Inc. and Boobs of Florida Inc. (soon to appear on a resurrection of CNN's Crossfire). There's also ASS Inc. and, from Ocala, the questionably spelled Pusy Inc. Maybe most startling of all: a pair of companies out of Orlando named Friggin Inc. and Balls on Your Forehead Inc. Those were founded by DJ Robert 'Taco Bob' Miller, who thinks he got one by Hood and her flunkies. "
newtimesbpb.com | Prostrate Loyalty | 2005-01-27: "So when North Palm Beach lawyer Thomas Dougherty tried on December 13 to register the company name To Hell With Bush Inc. with the State of Florida, it didn't surprise him that Hood's flunkies denied his request a day later. 'As you could probably gather, I'm not a big Bush supporter,' says Dougherty, who planned to use the company to start an anti-Bush website. 'So I wasn't shocked they would try something like this.'
Hood's office claimed the name was 'slanderous or immoral.' Hood spokeswoman Jenny Nash says the decision is not about politics. 'It could have said To Hell With Jane Doe and we wouldn't have registered it,' she told Tailpipe.
But a quick search of company names approved by Hood's office shows that, as the 'Pipe has observed, morality is often in the eye of the beholder. How about Damn Inc., Screw Co., and TITS Inc.? How did they pass muster in the era of state-sanctioned evangelism? Then there're the rivals Boobs Inc. and Boobs of Florida Inc. (soon to appear on a resurrection of CNN's Crossfire). There's also ASS Inc. and, from Ocala, the questionably spelled Pusy Inc. Maybe most startling of all: a pair of companies out of Orlando named Friggin Inc. and Balls on Your Forehead Inc. Those were founded by DJ Robert 'Taco Bob' Miller, who thinks he got one by Hood and her flunkies. "
and you can get a vivid look inside the man they call the chimp-in-chief.
James Wolcott: Dubya's Zippity Do-Dah Day: "The White House announces a press conference in the morning. After the announcement comes the news that 31 Americans died in a chopper crash in Iraq (6 others died today in seperate incidents). The president takes the podium fresh with the knowledge of that tragedy--and radiates a cheerful disposition bantering with the press about senior citizens and their faulty memories. She can't see something scarily wrong with that? She doesn't spot some sort of emotional disturbance or disconnect? Imagine if Bill Clinton had been chirpy and chipper having just received the news of 31 soldiers dying in the theater of combat--Rush Limbaugh would have devoted three hours to it, and Fox News would have dragged Dick Morris out of the all-you-can-eat buffet for his 'expert analysis.'
When Bush did address the soldiers' deaths, he said that we 'weep and mourn' when Americans die, but as he was saying it his hand was flatly smacking downwards for emphasis, as if he were pounding the table during the business meeting, refusing to pay a lot for a muffler. The steady beat of his hand was at odds with the sentiments he was expressing--he didn't look or sound the least bit mournful or sombre. And why should he? Death doesn't seem to be a bringdown for him. There isn't the slightest evidence that he experiences the anguish LBJ did as casualties mounted in Vietnam. His record as chief executioner in Texas is of a man for whom the death of another is an administrative detail, a power exercise. As Sister Helen Prejean wrote in The New York Review of Books:
'As governor, Bush certainly did not stand apart in his routine refusal to deny clemency to death row petitioners, but what does set him apart is the sheer number of executions over which he...presided. Callous indifference to human suffering may also set Bush apart in his routine refusal to deny clemency to death row petitioners, but what does set him apart is the sheer number of executions over which he...presided. Callous indifference to human suffering may also set Bush apart. He may be the only government official to mock a condemned person's plea for mercy [Karla Faye Tucker's], then lie about it afterward, claiming humane feelings he never felt. On the contrary, it seems that Bush is comfortable with using violent solutions to solve troublesome social and political realities."
James Wolcott: Dubya's Zippity Do-Dah Day: "The White House announces a press conference in the morning. After the announcement comes the news that 31 Americans died in a chopper crash in Iraq (6 others died today in seperate incidents). The president takes the podium fresh with the knowledge of that tragedy--and radiates a cheerful disposition bantering with the press about senior citizens and their faulty memories. She can't see something scarily wrong with that? She doesn't spot some sort of emotional disturbance or disconnect? Imagine if Bill Clinton had been chirpy and chipper having just received the news of 31 soldiers dying in the theater of combat--Rush Limbaugh would have devoted three hours to it, and Fox News would have dragged Dick Morris out of the all-you-can-eat buffet for his 'expert analysis.'
When Bush did address the soldiers' deaths, he said that we 'weep and mourn' when Americans die, but as he was saying it his hand was flatly smacking downwards for emphasis, as if he were pounding the table during the business meeting, refusing to pay a lot for a muffler. The steady beat of his hand was at odds with the sentiments he was expressing--he didn't look or sound the least bit mournful or sombre. And why should he? Death doesn't seem to be a bringdown for him. There isn't the slightest evidence that he experiences the anguish LBJ did as casualties mounted in Vietnam. His record as chief executioner in Texas is of a man for whom the death of another is an administrative detail, a power exercise. As Sister Helen Prejean wrote in The New York Review of Books:
'As governor, Bush certainly did not stand apart in his routine refusal to deny clemency to death row petitioners, but what does set him apart is the sheer number of executions over which he...presided. Callous indifference to human suffering may also set Bush apart in his routine refusal to deny clemency to death row petitioners, but what does set him apart is the sheer number of executions over which he...presided. Callous indifference to human suffering may also set Bush apart. He may be the only government official to mock a condemned person's plea for mercy [Karla Faye Tucker's], then lie about it afterward, claiming humane feelings he never felt. On the contrary, it seems that Bush is comfortable with using violent solutions to solve troublesome social and political realities."
under the radar....
Xinhua - English: "BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States is preparing a future invasion of Venezuela to control the petroleum of the South American country as it did in Iraq, said Venezuela's acting ambassador to Paraguay, Elmer Nino.
Nino, cited Thursday by local Paraguayan daily ABC Color, said the present diplomatic crisis between Venezuela and Colombia was created by the United States as part of its future plans for an invasion.
The Venezuelan oil reserves have a strategic value as they will last 350 years at the present exploitation level, the diplomat was quoted as saying.
Venezuela is Latin America's second largest oil producer behind Mexico and the principal oil exporter in the region. "
Xinhua - English: "BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States is preparing a future invasion of Venezuela to control the petroleum of the South American country as it did in Iraq, said Venezuela's acting ambassador to Paraguay, Elmer Nino.
Nino, cited Thursday by local Paraguayan daily ABC Color, said the present diplomatic crisis between Venezuela and Colombia was created by the United States as part of its future plans for an invasion.
The Venezuelan oil reserves have a strategic value as they will last 350 years at the present exploitation level, the diplomat was quoted as saying.
Venezuela is Latin America's second largest oil producer behind Mexico and the principal oil exporter in the region. "
Troops Mobilize for Iraqi Balloting (washingtonpost.com): "Citing Iraq's profound insecurity, foreign countries and international organizations mustered only a single accredited observer, and she is expected to remain in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. "
however, the article does attribute this good news: 10,000 civilian iraqi volunteered to stand around polling places and make sure everything's kosher (no pun intended, of course).
while i applaud those who are clearly risking their lives to take part in what is the bedrock of democracy, one can hardly imagine that they are indeed trained properly in the processes of voting. maybe they had a seminar last week and nobody reported on it.
however, the article does attribute this good news: 10,000 civilian iraqi volunteered to stand around polling places and make sure everything's kosher (no pun intended, of course).
while i applaud those who are clearly risking their lives to take part in what is the bedrock of democracy, one can hardly imagine that they are indeed trained properly in the processes of voting. maybe they had a seminar last week and nobody reported on it.
get ready for freedom and liberty all you iraqis. george w. bush is bringing it to you in his own special style:
Iraqis Get Ready for the Worst: "Starting Saturday, borders will be sealed and the airport will be shut down. Government offices and most companies will take a three-day holiday. Nightly curfews begin at 7 p.m. and last until 6 a.m.
In addition, cars will be banned from roads unless occupants have special election badges, except in cases of medical emergency.
Traffic in Baghdad, a city that loves cars as much as Los Angeles does, appeared Thursday to be down by about half. Road closures and police checkpoints made navigating the capital difficult. Many drivers said they wouldn't risk taking to the roads, noting that insurgents had threatened to attack anyone attempting to vote or assisting in the election."
Iraqis Get Ready for the Worst: "Starting Saturday, borders will be sealed and the airport will be shut down. Government offices and most companies will take a three-day holiday. Nightly curfews begin at 7 p.m. and last until 6 a.m.
In addition, cars will be banned from roads unless occupants have special election badges, except in cases of medical emergency.
Traffic in Baghdad, a city that loves cars as much as Los Angeles does, appeared Thursday to be down by about half. Road closures and police checkpoints made navigating the capital difficult. Many drivers said they wouldn't risk taking to the roads, noting that insurgents had threatened to attack anyone attempting to vote or assisting in the election."
yesterday, georgie said that we would leave iraq if the new 'iraqi government' (one can only assume that's what they'll call themselves after the selection, er election on sunday) asked us.... then added but they won't.
just how in God's name does he know they won't?
and starting here, i'm going to keep track of just how many MSM outlets have such direct access to the oval office. nytimes just got 40 minutes. who's up next?
just how in God's name does he know they won't?
and starting here, i'm going to keep track of just how many MSM outlets have such direct access to the oval office. nytimes just got 40 minutes. who's up next?
Thursday, January 27, 2005
propaganda-gate?
Salon.com News | Third columnist caught with hand in the Bush till: "One day after President Bush ordered his Cabinet secretaries to stop hiring commentators to help promote administration initiatives, and one day after the second high-profile conservative pundit was found to be on the federal payroll, a third embarrassing hire has emerged. Salon has confirmed that Michael McManus, a marriage advocate whose syndicated column, 'Ethics & Religion,' appears in 50 newspapers, was hired as a subcontractor by the Department of Health and Human Services to foster a Bush-approved marriage initiative. McManus championed the plan in his columns without disclosing to readers he was being paid to help it succeed. "
Salon.com News | Third columnist caught with hand in the Bush till: "One day after President Bush ordered his Cabinet secretaries to stop hiring commentators to help promote administration initiatives, and one day after the second high-profile conservative pundit was found to be on the federal payroll, a third embarrassing hire has emerged. Salon has confirmed that Michael McManus, a marriage advocate whose syndicated column, 'Ethics & Religion,' appears in 50 newspapers, was hired as a subcontractor by the Department of Health and Human Services to foster a Bush-approved marriage initiative. McManus championed the plan in his columns without disclosing to readers he was being paid to help it succeed. "
IT'S CALLED PROPAGANDA, AND IT HAS GOT NO PLACE IN AMERICAN POLITICS.
Yahoo! News - Report: PR spending doubled under Bush: "The Bush administration has more than doubled its spending on outside contracts with public relations firms during the past four years, according to an analysis of federal procurement data by congressional Democrats."
Yahoo! News - Report: PR spending doubled under Bush: "The Bush administration has more than doubled its spending on outside contracts with public relations firms during the past four years, according to an analysis of federal procurement data by congressional Democrats."
hurtful? i can't believe i'm reading this.
Veterans' Benefits "hurtful" to National Security, says Pentagon :: Alternative Press Review :: Your Guide Beyond the Mainstream: "The Wall Street Journal describes the pittance set aside for veteran's benefits as 'Congress' generosity,' even as the Republican-controlled Congress and Bush Pentagon get set to slash billions more from Veterans Administration's (VA) programs. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (1-25-05), Pentagon official David Chu, in a mockery of the contribution of veterans, defended a new round of cuts by ironically describing funding for programs like veterans' education and job training, health care, pensions, VA housing and the like as 'hurtful' to national security.
Despite Republican pretense that spending increases for the VA budget under the Bush administration have been large, new spending neither has matched inflation over the same period, nor does it keep pace with growing need. "
Veterans' Benefits "hurtful" to National Security, says Pentagon :: Alternative Press Review :: Your Guide Beyond the Mainstream: "The Wall Street Journal describes the pittance set aside for veteran's benefits as 'Congress' generosity,' even as the Republican-controlled Congress and Bush Pentagon get set to slash billions more from Veterans Administration's (VA) programs. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (1-25-05), Pentagon official David Chu, in a mockery of the contribution of veterans, defended a new round of cuts by ironically describing funding for programs like veterans' education and job training, health care, pensions, VA housing and the like as 'hurtful' to national security.
Despite Republican pretense that spending increases for the VA budget under the Bush administration have been large, new spending neither has matched inflation over the same period, nor does it keep pace with growing need. "
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
you can bet your life on the fact that this story hasn't ended. God what an injustice, and at the hands of the American government, er rather, NOT the "American" government, but bush's jaunta government. proud to be American is really a hard thing to do when stories like this surface.
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Police release Guant?namo four without charge: "Four Britons who were returned to the UK after being detained at Guant?namo Bay for up to three years were released tonight without charge, police said.
Moazzam Begg, from Birmingham, Feroz Abbasi from Croydon, south London, Martin Mubanga from Wembley, north-west London, and Richard Belmar from St John's Wood, north-west London, were all released from Paddington Green station.
The men have been escorted to a location of their choice to be reunited with their families.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Shortly before 9pm four men arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 on January 25 were released without charge."
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Police release Guant?namo four without charge: "Four Britons who were returned to the UK after being detained at Guant?namo Bay for up to three years were released tonight without charge, police said.
Moazzam Begg, from Birmingham, Feroz Abbasi from Croydon, south London, Martin Mubanga from Wembley, north-west London, and Richard Belmar from St John's Wood, north-west London, were all released from Paddington Green station.
The men have been escorted to a location of their choice to be reunited with their families.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Shortly before 9pm four men arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 on January 25 were released without charge."
this week has been full of instances where images of nazi germany are easily conjured up.
Two Florida Boys Charged With a Felony for Violent Stick Figure Drawings - from TBO.com: "OCALA, Fla. (AP) - Two boys were arrested for making pencil-and-crayon stick figure drawings depicting a 10-year-old classmate being stabbed and hung, police said. The children, charged with a felony, were taken from school in handcuffs.
The 9- and 10-year-old boys were arrested Monday and charged with making a written threat to kill or harm another person. They were also suspended from school. "
Two Florida Boys Charged With a Felony for Violent Stick Figure Drawings - from TBO.com: "OCALA, Fla. (AP) - Two boys were arrested for making pencil-and-crayon stick figure drawings depicting a 10-year-old classmate being stabbed and hung, police said. The children, charged with a felony, were taken from school in handcuffs.
The 9- and 10-year-old boys were arrested Monday and charged with making a written threat to kill or harm another person. They were also suspended from school. "
for reference only
Dick Cheney in April 1991, then Defense Secretary:
If you're going to go in and try to topple Saddam Hussein,you have to go to Baghdad. Once you've got Baghdad, it's not clear what you do with it. It's not clear what kind of government you would put in place of the one that's currently there now. Is it going to be a Shia regime, a Sunni regime or a Kurdish regime? Or one that tilts toward the Baathists, or one that tilts toward the Islamic fundamentalists?
How much credibility is that government going to have if it's set up by the United States military when it's there? How long does the United States military have to stay to protect the people that sign on for that government, and what happens to it once we leave?
http://slate.msn.com/?id=2072479
President GHW Bush, 1998;
"Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."
http://www.rense.com/general43/quote.htm
James Webb, former Sec. of Navy under Ronald Reagan, Decorated Marine Veteran:
"Do we really want to occupy Iraq for the next 30 years? …In Japan, American occupation forces quickly became 50,000 friends. In Iraq, they would quickly become 50,000 terrorist targets…. Nations such as China can only view the prospect of an American military consumed for the next generation by the turmoil of the Middle East as a glorious windfall."
http://www.sftt.org/article09302002a.html
Col. David Hackworth (ret), America's most highly decorated soldier:
"Should the president decide to stay the war course, hopefully at least a few of our serving top-uniformed leaders - those who are now covertly leaking that war with Iraq will be an unparalleled disaster - will do what many Vietnam-era generals wish they would have done: stand tall and publicly tell the America people the truth about another bad war that could well lead to another died-in-vain black wall. Or even worse."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=29786
Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, former Head of Central Command for U.S.:
"It's pretty interesting that all the generals see it the same way, and all the others who have never fired a shot, and are hot to go to war, see it another…We are about to do something that will ignite a fuse in this region that we will rue the day we ever started."
Hawks in the Bush administration may be making deadly miscalculations on Iraq, says Gen. Anthony Zinni, Bush's Middle East envoy.
"I'm not sure which planet they live on"
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2002/10/17/zinni
Republican Dissent on Iraq"
Full page ad in Wall Street Journal by major GOP contributors:
"Mr. President, …The candidate we supported in 2000 promised a more humble nation in our dealings with the world. We gave him our votes and our campaign contributions. That candidate was you. We feel betrayed. We want our money back. We want our country back…. A Billion Bitter enemies will rise out of this war."
- Wall Street Journal, January 13, 2003
http://talkleft.com/new_archives/001444.html
General Joseph Hoare (Ret), the former marine commandant and head of US Central Command:
"The idea that this is going to go the way these guys planned is ludicrous. There are no good options. We're conducting a campaign as though it were being conducted in Iowa, no sense of the realities on the ground. It's so unrealistic for anyone who knows that part of the world. The priorities are just all wrong."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/091704Y.shtml
Col. Mike Turner (ret), Schwarzkopf's personal briefing officer during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm:
“The uniformed Joint Staff in the Pentagon strongly opposed this plan early on...The uniformed Joint Staff was overridden, yet in so many horrifying ways this operation resembles Somalia, not Desert Storm...Perhaps we can pull this off, but here's a far worse scenario that's at least as likely...Photos of American soldiers amid landscapes of Iraqi civilian bodies blanket the world press which aligns unanimously against the US. The US is condemned by NATO and the UN...The war ends within a few weeks, but the crisis deepens...”
http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/transcripts/2003/mar/030311.turner.html
Dick Cheney in April 1991, then Defense Secretary:
If you're going to go in and try to topple Saddam Hussein,you have to go to Baghdad. Once you've got Baghdad, it's not clear what you do with it. It's not clear what kind of government you would put in place of the one that's currently there now. Is it going to be a Shia regime, a Sunni regime or a Kurdish regime? Or one that tilts toward the Baathists, or one that tilts toward the Islamic fundamentalists?
How much credibility is that government going to have if it's set up by the United States military when it's there? How long does the United States military have to stay to protect the people that sign on for that government, and what happens to it once we leave?
http://slate.msn.com/?id=2072479
President GHW Bush, 1998;
"Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."
http://www.rense.com/general43/quote.htm
James Webb, former Sec. of Navy under Ronald Reagan, Decorated Marine Veteran:
"Do we really want to occupy Iraq for the next 30 years? …In Japan, American occupation forces quickly became 50,000 friends. In Iraq, they would quickly become 50,000 terrorist targets…. Nations such as China can only view the prospect of an American military consumed for the next generation by the turmoil of the Middle East as a glorious windfall."
http://www.sftt.org/article09302002a.html
Col. David Hackworth (ret), America's most highly decorated soldier:
"Should the president decide to stay the war course, hopefully at least a few of our serving top-uniformed leaders - those who are now covertly leaking that war with Iraq will be an unparalleled disaster - will do what many Vietnam-era generals wish they would have done: stand tall and publicly tell the America people the truth about another bad war that could well lead to another died-in-vain black wall. Or even worse."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=29786
Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, former Head of Central Command for U.S.:
"It's pretty interesting that all the generals see it the same way, and all the others who have never fired a shot, and are hot to go to war, see it another…We are about to do something that will ignite a fuse in this region that we will rue the day we ever started."
Hawks in the Bush administration may be making deadly miscalculations on Iraq, says Gen. Anthony Zinni, Bush's Middle East envoy.
"I'm not sure which planet they live on"
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2002/10/17/zinni
Republican Dissent on Iraq"
Full page ad in Wall Street Journal by major GOP contributors:
"Mr. President, …The candidate we supported in 2000 promised a more humble nation in our dealings with the world. We gave him our votes and our campaign contributions. That candidate was you. We feel betrayed. We want our money back. We want our country back…. A Billion Bitter enemies will rise out of this war."
- Wall Street Journal, January 13, 2003
http://talkleft.com/new_archives/001444.html
General Joseph Hoare (Ret), the former marine commandant and head of US Central Command:
"The idea that this is going to go the way these guys planned is ludicrous. There are no good options. We're conducting a campaign as though it were being conducted in Iowa, no sense of the realities on the ground. It's so unrealistic for anyone who knows that part of the world. The priorities are just all wrong."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/091704Y.shtml
Col. Mike Turner (ret), Schwarzkopf's personal briefing officer during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm:
“The uniformed Joint Staff in the Pentagon strongly opposed this plan early on...The uniformed Joint Staff was overridden, yet in so many horrifying ways this operation resembles Somalia, not Desert Storm...Perhaps we can pull this off, but here's a far worse scenario that's at least as likely...Photos of American soldiers amid landscapes of Iraqi civilian bodies blanket the world press which aligns unanimously against the US. The US is condemned by NATO and the UN...The war ends within a few weeks, but the crisis deepens...”
http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/transcripts/2003/mar/030311.turner.html
more on the criminal who wants to be America's top law enforcement officer, from today's WP:
In his written answers to questions from the committee, prepared in anticipation of today's vote on his nomination as attorney general, Mr. Gonzales was clearer -- disturbingly so, as it turns out. According to President Bush's closest legal adviser, this administration continues to assert its right to indefinitely hold foreigners in secret locations without any legal process; to deny them access to the International Red Cross; to transport them to countries where torture is practiced; and to subject them to treatment that is "cruel, inhumane or degrading," even though such abuse is banned by an international treaty that the United States has ratified. In effect, Mr. Gonzales has confirmed that the Bush administration is violating human rights as a matter of policy.
...
The CIA today is holding an undetermined number of prisoners, believed to be in the dozens, in secret facilities in foreign countries. It has provided no account of them or their treatment to any outside body, and it has allowed no visits by the Red Cross. According to numerous media reports, it has subjected the prisoners to many of the abuses Mr. Gonzales said "might be permissible." It has practiced such mistreatment in Iraq, even though detainees there are covered by the Geneva Conventions; according to official investigations by the Pentagon, CIA treatment of prisoners there and in Afghanistan contributed to the adoption of illegal methods by military interrogators.
give that guy a cigar!
DesMoinesRegister.com: "The presidential inauguration saw the greatest security force in history monitoring Washington, D.C. The Homeland Security Department issued no color-coded terrorist warning as an alert. Who or what was feared?
-William C. Page,
Des Moines."
DesMoinesRegister.com: "The presidential inauguration saw the greatest security force in history monitoring Washington, D.C. The Homeland Security Department issued no color-coded terrorist warning as an alert. Who or what was feared?
-William C. Page,
Des Moines."
in iowa, the pigs are squealing extra loud this year.
DesMoinesRegister.com: "There's a legislator who wants to outlaw those snazzy hubcaps that keep spinning even after the car stops. One reason given - and the bill's sponsor doesn't seem to be kidding - is to keep somebody from rear-ending the driver with the spinning hubcaps. This is apparently because the legislator thinks the trailing car's driver will see the hubcaps spinning and think that vehicle is still moving. How a driver can see another car's hubcaps from behind is a mystery, but the Iowa Legislature can be a very mysterious place."
DesMoinesRegister.com: "There's a legislator who wants to outlaw those snazzy hubcaps that keep spinning even after the car stops. One reason given - and the bill's sponsor doesn't seem to be kidding - is to keep somebody from rear-ending the driver with the spinning hubcaps. This is apparently because the legislator thinks the trailing car's driver will see the hubcaps spinning and think that vehicle is still moving. How a driver can see another car's hubcaps from behind is a mystery, but the Iowa Legislature can be a very mysterious place."
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
like buzzflash asks: will America have a criminal as its top law enforcement official?
News Release - CREW: "WASHINGTON, DC ? Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the State Bar of Texas requesting an investigation into misrepresentations White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales made in a written response to a question posed to him by the Senate Judiciary Committee which is considering Gonzales?s nomination for Attorney General.
The complaint alleges that Gonzales inaccurately portrayed his role in appearing before a Texas court when President Bush, then Governor of Texas, was summoned for jury duty. Gonzales has claimed that although he appeared in court with the Governor, he merely observed the defense counsel make a motion to strike the Governor from the jury panel and then when asked by the Judge whether the Governor had any views on this, replied that he did not.
In marked contrast, Michael Isikoff, reporting for Newseek, has written that the defense lawyer, prosecutor and judge involved in the case all recall the incident differently. In their version, Gonzales asked to have an off-the-record conference in the judge?s chambers where Gonzales then asked the judge, David Crain, to strike Mr. Bush from the jury, arguing that the Governor might one day be asked to pardon the defendant. Isikoff writes that Judge Crain found Gonzales?s argument ?extremely unlikely? but out of deference, agreed to allow the motion to strike, which the defense lawyer then made.
CREW?s complaint alleges that by misstating the facts surrounding the conversation in the judge?s chambers Gonzales may have violated 18 U.S.C. ?1001, which makes it a federal crime to make false statements to a congressional committee. The complaint further alleges that Mr. Gonzales has violated two Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure: 8.04(a)"
News Release - CREW: "WASHINGTON, DC ? Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel of the State Bar of Texas requesting an investigation into misrepresentations White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales made in a written response to a question posed to him by the Senate Judiciary Committee which is considering Gonzales?s nomination for Attorney General.
The complaint alleges that Gonzales inaccurately portrayed his role in appearing before a Texas court when President Bush, then Governor of Texas, was summoned for jury duty. Gonzales has claimed that although he appeared in court with the Governor, he merely observed the defense counsel make a motion to strike the Governor from the jury panel and then when asked by the Judge whether the Governor had any views on this, replied that he did not.
In marked contrast, Michael Isikoff, reporting for Newseek, has written that the defense lawyer, prosecutor and judge involved in the case all recall the incident differently. In their version, Gonzales asked to have an off-the-record conference in the judge?s chambers where Gonzales then asked the judge, David Crain, to strike Mr. Bush from the jury, arguing that the Governor might one day be asked to pardon the defendant. Isikoff writes that Judge Crain found Gonzales?s argument ?extremely unlikely? but out of deference, agreed to allow the motion to strike, which the defense lawyer then made.
CREW?s complaint alleges that by misstating the facts surrounding the conversation in the judge?s chambers Gonzales may have violated 18 U.S.C. ?1001, which makes it a federal crime to make false statements to a congressional committee. The complaint further alleges that Mr. Gonzales has violated two Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure: 8.04(a)"
looks like your tax dollars are working overtime on the propaganda front. from tomorrow's WP:
In 2002, syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher repeatedly defended President Bush's push for a $300 million initiative encouraging marriage as a way of strengthening families.
"The Bush marriage initiative would emphasize the importance of marriage to poor couples" and "educate teens on the value of delaying childbearing until marriage," she wrote in National Review Online, for example, adding that this could "carry big payoffs down the road for taxpayers and children."
But Gallagher failed to mention that she had a $21,500 contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to help promote the president's proposal. Her work under the contract, which ran from January through October 2002, included drafting a magazine article for the HHS official overseeing the initiative, writing brochures for the program and conducting a briefing for department officials.
"Did I violate journalistic ethics by not disclosing it?" Gallagher said yesterday. "I don't know. You tell me." She said she would have "been happy to tell anyone who called me" about the contract but that "frankly, it never occurred to me" to disclose it.
Later in the day, Gallagher filed a column in which she said that "I should have disclosed a government contract when I later wrote about the Bush marriage initiative. I would have, if I had remembered it. My apologies to my readers."
once again, are we living in saudi arabia or the United States of America?
Rocky Mountain News: Local: "A Denver police sergeant is under investigation for allegedly threatening to arrest a woman Monday for displaying on her truck a derogatory bumper sticker about President Bush.
'He told her that this was a warning and that the next time he saw her truck, she was going to be arrested if she didn't remove the sticker,' said Alinna Figueroa, 25, assistant manager of The UPS Store where the confrontation took place. 'I couldn't believe it.' "
Rocky Mountain News: Local: "A Denver police sergeant is under investigation for allegedly threatening to arrest a woman Monday for displaying on her truck a derogatory bumper sticker about President Bush.
'He told her that this was a warning and that the next time he saw her truck, she was going to be arrested if she didn't remove the sticker,' said Alinna Figueroa, 25, assistant manager of The UPS Store where the confrontation took place. 'I couldn't believe it.' "
pretty soon, it'll be really hard to recognize America.
Newsday.com - Long Island News: "But while that rib and several others on barristers got some giggles from the crowd, the attorney standing in line about five people ahead wasn't laughing.
' 'Shut up,' the man shouted,' Lanzisera said. ''I'm a lawyer.''
The attorney reported Kash and Lanzisera to court personnel, who arrested the men and charged them with engaging in disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
'They put the handcuffs on us, brought us into a room, frisked us, sat us down and checked our driver's licenses to see if there were any warrants out for our arrest,' Lanzisera said yesterday. 'They were very nasty, extremely nasty.'
The men are founders of Americans for Legal Reform, a group of outspoken advocates who use confrontational tactics to push for greater access to courts for the public and to monitor how well courts serve the public. One tactic is driving a truck around the Huntington area emblazoned with the slogan 'Stop The Lawyer Disease.' They said their rights to free speech were violated Monday."
Newsday.com - Long Island News: "But while that rib and several others on barristers got some giggles from the crowd, the attorney standing in line about five people ahead wasn't laughing.
' 'Shut up,' the man shouted,' Lanzisera said. ''I'm a lawyer.''
The attorney reported Kash and Lanzisera to court personnel, who arrested the men and charged them with engaging in disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
'They put the handcuffs on us, brought us into a room, frisked us, sat us down and checked our driver's licenses to see if there were any warrants out for our arrest,' Lanzisera said yesterday. 'They were very nasty, extremely nasty.'
The men are founders of Americans for Legal Reform, a group of outspoken advocates who use confrontational tactics to push for greater access to courts for the public and to monitor how well courts serve the public. One tactic is driving a truck around the Huntington area emblazoned with the slogan 'Stop The Lawyer Disease.' They said their rights to free speech were violated Monday."
ted turner, ever the one to say what's on his mind, had some bitchslappin to do at the National Association for Television Programming Executives' conference:
On Fox News: While Fox may be the largest news network [and has overtaken Turner's CNN], it's not the best, Turner said. He followed up by pointing out that Adolph Hitler got the most votes when he was elected to run Germany prior to WWII. He said the network is the propaganda tool for the Bush Administration. "There's nothing wrong with that. It's certainly legal. But it does pose problems for our democracy. Particularly when the news is dumbed down," leaving voters without critical information on politics and world events and overloaded with fluff," he said.
... snip ....
The war in Iraq: "We've spent 200 billion destroying Iraq. Now we've got to spend 200 billion to rebuild it, if they'll let us -- and all to find a nut in a fox hole -- one guy," Turner said. "He posed no threat to any of his neighbors, particularly with us there with overwhelming military superiority." --"it is obscene and stupid"
pretty soon it'll be illegal to express opinions that are contrary to republicon values.
Rocky Mountain News: Local: "A Denver police sergeant is under investigation for allegedly threatening to arrest a woman Monday for displaying on her truck a derogatory bumper sticker about President Bush.
'He told her that this was a warning and that the next time he saw her truck, she was going to be arrested if she didn't remove the sticker,' said Alinna Figueroa, 25, assistant manager of The UPS Store where the confrontation took place. 'I couldn't believe it.' "
Rocky Mountain News: Local: "A Denver police sergeant is under investigation for allegedly threatening to arrest a woman Monday for displaying on her truck a derogatory bumper sticker about President Bush.
'He told her that this was a warning and that the next time he saw her truck, she was going to be arrested if she didn't remove the sticker,' said Alinna Figueroa, 25, assistant manager of The UPS Store where the confrontation took place. 'I couldn't believe it.' "
busted again. how long will the American people put up with the lies and deceptions by this administration?
BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Secret Pentagon spies confirmed: "Senior officials in the US Defense Department have confirmed reports that the Pentagon ran a secret unit to help gather human intelligence.
The Washington Post first revealed on Sunday that the Strategic Support Branch (SSB) was set up on the orders of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
The Pentagon was re-interpreting US law and trying to bypass the CIA, it said.
But the department denies bending laws, saying the group was set up to provide better support for military forces.
It was in regular touch with the CIA and Congress over its plans, officials say. "
BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Secret Pentagon spies confirmed: "Senior officials in the US Defense Department have confirmed reports that the Pentagon ran a secret unit to help gather human intelligence.
The Washington Post first revealed on Sunday that the Strategic Support Branch (SSB) was set up on the orders of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
The Pentagon was re-interpreting US law and trying to bypass the CIA, it said.
But the department denies bending laws, saying the group was set up to provide better support for military forces.
It was in regular touch with the CIA and Congress over its plans, officials say. "
Monday, January 24, 2005
from Horse with no Name" in response to the news that the supreme court has ruled that dog nsniffers are ok even when the stop is not warranted. (story below)
Small question.the story he was commenting on came from Newsday
Do you carry money in your wallet?
Are you aware of money's 'other' uses...ie being rolled up to snort cocaine, etc?
Do you feel that there aren't traces of that on your hands or clothes when you handle money?
Do you go to the grocery store?
Do you carry grocery bags in your car to get them home?
How do you know that the kid carrying out your groceries isn't a meth cook and have residual all over his hands when he handles your stuff?
If you have children--are you 100% certain they or their friends aren't doing drugs and didn't leave something behind in your car?
Do you lock your car door every single time you get out? Can you be certain that someone didn't slip something under your seat for a joke?
This gives 'probable cause' and could ultimately put you on some type of government watch list if these things are detected in your car and it is not far fetched to think that they might.
There are people in our prison system who are innocent--not just the ones trying to beat raps--but completely innocent and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Can you be 100% certain that someone matching your description wasn't being targeted as a drug lord--then they pull you over and find traces of drugs?
Personally--I would rather it never be allowed to get that far.
Random drug searches using dogs should not be allowed to happen and yes they can infringe on our constitutional rights."
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court gave police broader search powers Monday during traffic stops, ruling that drug-sniffing dogs can be used to check out motorists even if officers have no reason to suspect they may be carrying narcotics.this is george w. bush's idea of 'spreading freedom' and ending 'tyranny' and all that snakeoil talk.
In a 6-2 decision, the court sided with Illinois police who stopped Roy Caballes in 1998 along Interstate 80 for driving 6 miles over the speed limit. Although Caballes lawfully produced his driver's license, troopers brought over a drug dog after Caballes seemed nervous.
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