The Post goes inside with the head of military intel telling senators things are going downhill in Afghanistan. Suicide attacks increased "almost fourfold" last year, and the number of roadside bombs, long the insurgent weapon of choice in Iraq, "more than doubled."
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
if you think it's only iraq going down the drain
think again
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
the shotgun cheney challenge
The vice president told an American Legion conference today that those who are against the war should make it known if they think the U-S should "break our word and abandon our Iraqi allies."--source
He also told the conference that the U-S must treat Iraq as the "central front on the war on terror."
IRAN WATCH
A report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency shows there is no proof Iran's nuclear program is aimed at producing nuclear weapons, Iran's foreign minister said Tuesday in Japan.
They could not find evidence which shows that Iran has diverted from its peaceful purposes of nuclear activities in Iran," said Manouchehr Mottaki, who was in Tokyo to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
A confidential International Atomic Energy Agency report made available to The Associated Press Monday said that a more than three-year probe has not revealed "any diversion of nuclear material to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices."
--source
DELAY WATCH
The Austin nonprofit group whose complaint sparked U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay's indictment on campaign finance charges accused one of his allies of dirty tricks, saying Monday that U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson of Plano used his influence to prompt a tax audit.--source
"It's intimidation," said Craig McDonald, founder and director of Texans for Public Justice, which was cleared this month after a 13-month inquiry into whether it violated a ban on partisan activity by tax-exempt groups. "The IRS has every right to audit nonprofit organizations, but we think this was an abuse."
tom delay - the face of republiconism
cattle call for video enthusiasts
We are looking for cool, fun, funny, smart, sick, sublime, irreverent, crazy, disturbing, hip, erotic, important, trippy, and/or subversive, self-contained 3-5 minute video bits to show on this program.contact rusirius@well.com & Jeff Diehl jeffdiehl@gmail.com
the numbers
from zogby
Le Moyne College/Zogby Poll shows just one in five troops want to heed Bush call to stay “as long as they are needed”
While 58% say mission is clear, 42% say U.S. role is hazy
Plurality believes Iraqi insurgents are mostly homegrown
Almost 90% think war is retaliation for Saddam’s role in 9/11, most don’t blame Iraqi public for insurgent attacks
Majority of troops oppose use of harsh prisoner interrogation
Plurality of troops pleased with their armor and equipment
the numbers
from zogby
- Le Moyne College/Zogby Poll shows just one in five troops want to heed Bush call to stay “as long as they are needed”
- While 58% say mission is clear, 42% say U.S. role is hazy
- Plurality believes Iraqi insurgents are mostly homegrown
- Almost 90% think war is retaliation for Saddam’s role in 9/11, most don’t blame Iraqi public for insurgent attacks
- Majority of troops oppose use of harsh prisoner interrogation
- Plurality of troops pleased with their armor and equipment
that's the way i like it, uh huh uh huh
AFL-CIO leaders on Monday approved an ambitious and expensive political strategy aimed at mobilizing their members to put Democrats back in control of Congress and several state legislatures.
While a few Republicans may get labor backing, the $40 million plan -- the biggest ever for the labor federation in a non-presidential election year -- would target 21 states and 40 congressional districts where union officials believe Democratic candidates can win in the November election.
--source
you mean we were lied to?
The Washington Post leads with a near-banner headline announcing that"more than" 1,300 Iraqis have been killed since last week's attack on a Shiite shrine. The WP got the number, which is about four times more than has been widely reported, from a visit to Baghdad's main morgue.
could this be why?
Open street-fighting and bombings are easy to spot. With late-night abductions and executions, it's hard to know they've happened ... until of course the bodies turn up at the morgue.
Monday, February 27, 2006
from the "well DUH" file
Republican governors are openly worrying that the Bush administration's latest stumbles — from the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina to those of its own making on prescription drugs and ports security — are taking an election-year toll on the party back home.--source
NYT sues DOD over NSA
tee hee
lets see where this goes. from yahoo:
lets see where this goes. from yahoo:
The New York Times sued the U.S. Defense Department on Monday demanding that it hand over documents about the National Security Agency's domestic spying program.
from the GOOD NEWS file
The latest CBS News poll finds President Bush's approval rating has fallen to an all-time low of 34 percent, while pessimism about the Iraq war has risen to a new high.--source
Americans are also overwhelmingly opposed to the Bush-backed deal giving a Dubai-owned company operational control over six major U.S. ports. Seven in 10 Americans, including 58 percent of Republicans, say they're opposed to the agreement.
The troubling results for the Bush administration come amid reminders about the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina and negative assessments of how the government and the president have handled it for six months.
In a separate poll, two out of three Americans said they do not think President Bush has responded adequately to the needs of Katrina victims. Only 32 percent approve of the way President Bush is responding to those needs, a drop of 12 points from last September’s poll, taken just two weeks after the storm made landfall
Mr. Bush's overall job rating has fallen to 34 percent, down from 42 percent last month. Fifty-nine percent disapprove of the job the president is doing.
foxnews and the saudis
According to the publication Trading Places (not to be confused with the movie of the same name), which offers news and commentary about "exchanges and trading values worldwide," Shadi Sadeek Sanbar, Special Advisor to Kingdom Holding Company, joined the Board of Directors of the DIFX on September 1, 2005.
In addition to Kingdom Holding Company and Kingdom Hotels Investments, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal owns 5.5% of News Corporation stock.
News Corporation owns FOX News Channel.
--source
no WONDER fox is pushing the UAE deal
CORRUPTION DEFINED
Although a Pentagon audit determined that a Halliburton subsidiary submitted $262 million worth of questionable costs as part of a fuel-delivery contract, the Army still plans to pay the company the bulk of the money, the NYT reports. Only 3.4 percent of the reimbursement will be withheld—an amount more than 50 percent below the average amount of money withheld by the military on disputed contractor charges.
that flip-flopper bush
being the grand hypocrite, it's only fitting that we expose his flip-flopping he so grandly accused john kerry of being.
The Los Angeles Times leads with President Bush's decision to reopen the federal investigation into a Dubai-based firm's bid to gain control of six U.S. ports. Bush's reversal comes after significant bipartisan criticism of the deal and the firm's own suggestion that the matter be reexamined.
Letter Of The Day
In response to Roger Engebretson letter “Deception is Democrats’ Way”: It appears you need to advance forward a few decades to present time and deal with real facts and not fiction.attribution
The American people (regardless of party affiliation) need to acknowledge our administration ranks among the top in corruption and deceit, and apparently has little conscience as is evidenced by loss of lives, and the many thousands maimed for life in Iraq.
Each day brings a new scandal. Are we all just going to sit back and continue to accept this? I shudder to think of our country’s image and stability by 2OO8.
And, for the record I am registered as an independent.
--MYRNA MARNIN, Rockwel
Sunday, February 26, 2006
from the "well DUH" file
the ex-we-used-to-prance-around somethings telling whomever would bother to listen:
"We suggest you decline an invitation to a civil commitment ceremony," Melissa Fryrear told a group of parents. Some busily took notes; a few others wiped away tears. "So many Christians are yielding on this part,"--source
perhaps they recognize democracy has no limits
that the u.s. would work to suppress a duly elected government when they're running around the world beating their chests like monkeys proclaiming that freedom is on the march. they're finding out that they can not be selective when it comes to who that freedom represents.
The US effort to isolate the Palestinian militant group Hamas has suffered serious setbacks in recent days , as countries around the world have expressed a reluctance to block financial aid and rule out diplomatic ties with the group.
from time magazine
Buried in the huge budget-reconciliation bill, on which House and Senate conferees are putting the final touches right now, are a few paragraphs that accomplish an extraordinary feat. They roll back the price of a barrel of crude oil to what it sold for two years ago. They create this pretend price for the benefit of a small group of the politically well connected. You still won't be able to buy gasoline for $1.73 per gal. as you did then, instead of today's $2.28. You still won't be able to buy home heating oil for $1.60 per gal., in place of today's $2.39. But a select group of investors and companies will walk away with billions of dollars in tax subsidies, not from oil but from the marketing of a dubious concoction of synthetic fuel produced from coal and dependent on government tax credits tied to the price of oil.one only has to wonder if all those mining accidents lately had anything to do with this.
Today about 55 such plants around the U.S. process 125 million tons of coal or, in many cases, coal waste from an earlier mining era. For owners and operators, the whole point isn't creating a profitable new energy resource for the U.S.; it's about collecting the tax subsidy. Progress Energy Inc. of Raleigh, N.C., which owns electric utilities that serve portions of the Carolinas and Florida, reported in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that in 2002-04 its synfuel-production losses added up to $400 million. No problem: the company claimed $852 million in tax credits, magically transforming a money-losing operation into a money-making business with $452 million in profits—courtesy of the American taxpayer. And that's not all. Like other synfuel producers, Progress Energy can't immediately use all the tax credits it mines because of tax-law limitations. As of Dec. 31, 2004, it was sitting on $745 million in deferred credits that it can write off against future earnings for years to come. And Progress Energy is not alone. Plants run by DTE Energy Co. of Detroit generated $1.2 billion in tax credits during the same years.
--source
from paul bremer's book
in it:
the head of the American occupation harbored doubts about troop levels and Iraqi forces, even though he always sounded sure of himself when he spoke. Bremer reveals that at one point he secretly requested more troops from the Pentagon even though in public he never recognized that he thought it was necessary.isn't that just like this administration. telling the American people one thing, and doing something completely different?
hm, is this good or what?
A senior U.S. diplomat told the Palestinian leader that U.S. aid will continue, despite the appointment of a new Hamas government.
from the UNDERSTATEMENT of the century dept.
At a time when considerable political attention is focused on the Democrats' uphill struggle to recapture Congress, leaders of both parties say Democrats appear to be in a much stronger position on another pivotal battlefield this November, the contests for governors.
--source
and then to find out that the questions being raised now
are not even the proper questions when talking about port security.
tom kean, from the 9/11 commission, argues that in a nyt dispatch.
tom kean, from the 9/11 commission, argues that in a nyt dispatch.
democrats don't matter
the company from dubai is inviting the bush administration over to alleviate any fears of security. the problem seems to be not the dubai company, but the republicans who are standing in the way.
so the democrats don't matter?
The hope is that this announcement will prevent Republicans in Congress from taking any action next week to stop the deal from going through.
so the democrats don't matter?
What Civil War Could Look Like
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/26/weekinreview/26weis.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&oref=login
guantanamo II
Officials who spoke anonymously to the NYT insist that Bagram was never meant to house long-term prisoners, but now some have been there for three years . Although conditions at the detention center seem to have improved since the military decided to renovate the facilities,
by all accounts the situation is still bleak and prisoners are mostly held in large wire cages.
this is sickening. if that's not torture, i don't know what is. imagine a foreign government coming to nab you and put you inside a cage for three years, without being charged or having the opportunity to defend yourself. God have mercy on the souls of those men who are behind this.
Letter Of The Day
On war and mind control:attribution
I have found myself very disturbed as I watch the Olympics by the ad from “Progress for America.” It runs repeatedly and offers the contention that we must support the war in Iraq and continue sending more people there to die so that those already dead will not have died in vain.
Does anyone remember the same logic used for staying in Vietnam? To me, this is faulty thinking, and for love of our country and people, we need to speak back.
The other component of this ad that disturbs me is the attempt to teach us to hate and fear our enemies.
We have a long history of this. I can remember the “Japs” and Germans of World War II, followed by the terrors that soulless communism would unleash against us.
Post-USSR, there was a failed attempt to label secular humanists the enemy; this was followed by an entire summer of Congress trying to figure out a way to punish desecrators of the flag.
Finally, homosexuality was raised to an exalted level of threat to our way of life. Now it seems to me, we are to believe that we must put Islam, Muslims and Arabs on the highest podium.
I do not deny that there are serious problems in our world, and I love my people and my country. But one of my “core religious values” is the belief that all are children of God. This is the strongest influence on my outlook on the world. In this context, I feel that we should not demonize our enemies, and we should call ourselves, our government and any group who would have us hate and fear to task.
--ANNE GANNETT, Mason City
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Barney Fife, Dead at 81
Don Knotts, the skinny, lovable nerd who kept generations of television audiences laughing as bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show," has died. He was 81.
--source
an all-time high
when they say "post-war" exactly when did the war end?
Insurgent attacks in Iraq reached a postwar high in the four months preceding Jan. 20, according to a Iraq progress report issued Friday by the Pentagon.
--source
Joke of the Day
The NYT business section brings word that H&R Block has been forced to restate earnings going back two and a half years. The reason? It made inaccurate estimates of its own tax liability.
from a letter writer in colfax
How dare they go back on their promise to the soldiers who fought so bravely for our country? First, they refuse to give the soldiers the right equipment (such as armor) to protect themselves. Then they make the soldiers pay for their own armor when they are injured before they are released from service. And they had to go into debt to pay off the government. Then, when the men and women get hurt: too bad, you have to also worry about finances.--source
it's nice to see someone else GET IT
Column of the Day
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060225/OPINION01/602250316/1035/opinion
Friday, February 24, 2006
have you ever thought about death
in a way that makes you wanna experience it, only if you could live to tell about it?
c'mon now, be honest. haven't you ever wondered what it was like on the other side? in a non-physical world? or do you believe that there is a heaven and hell, and if you're not good then you'll be dancing with the devil?
or don't you dance?
c'mon now, be honest. haven't you ever wondered what it was like on the other side? in a non-physical world? or do you believe that there is a heaven and hell, and if you're not good then you'll be dancing with the devil?
or don't you dance?
freedom on the march
Late Friday, the Iraqi government ordered the curfew to be extended for a second straight day, state television said. The 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. curfew will remain in effect in Baghdad and the provinces of Diyala, Salaheddin and Babil — the same areas where the daytime movement ban was in force Friday to curb sectarian violence.
--source
from the well DUH file
US President George W. Bush said Friday that Iraqis faced "a moment of choosing" amid violence sparked by the bombing of a Shiite shrine but said he remained hopeful about their country's future.--source
"We can expect the coming days will be intense. Iraq remains a serious situation. But I'm optimistic," Bush said in a wide-ranging speech defending his strategy in that war-torn country and the global fight against terrorism.
tongue planted firmly in cheek
in other words, frivolous legislation but it makes a point.
State Sen. Robert Hagan sent out e-mails to fellow lawmakers late Wednesday night, stating that he intends to "introduce legislation in the near future that would ban households with one or more Republican voters from adopting children or acting as foster parents." The e-mail ended with a request for co-sponsorship.--source
like all things repuke
they backfire
Hillary Clinton has the Senate's biggest war chest, rising poll numbers and her husband's political pit bulls pitching for her. Not that she's officially running for President or anything.
The New York Democrat's numbers are up, suggesting recent Republican attacks on her for being "angry" have backfired, according to a new Hotline poll.
Clinton's favorability rating is up 4% from a poll last month, to 52%, and 82% of voters call her "tough" as opposed to "irrational" (40%) or "angry" (49%).
---source
they wanted iraq within hours of 9/11
don't just take my word for it
for a while now i've been telling you that iraq was on the brink of civil war, and today, i find that i'm not alone.
The American ambassador to Iraq said Friday that the country was on the precipice of full-scale civil war, and that Iraqi leaders would have to come together and compromise if they wanted to save their homeland.
--source
from the "NO SHIT SHERLOCK" file
A new Gallup survey says a majority of U.S. residents are dissatisfied with the United States' position in the world.
Two-thirds believe that President George W. Bush is not respected by his fellow world leaders, although a majority still have at least a fair amount of confidence in the United States' ability to handle international problems.
Before Sept. 11, 2001, most Americans believed the United States was viewed favorably in the eyes of the world. Between February 2002 and February 2003, Americans' perception of how the world sees the United States became much less positive. The percentage saying the United States is viewed favorably dropped from 79 percent to 57 percent over this period.
--source
looks like ohio is going to be another ohio
Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown says he's heard from "all kinds of people in Washington" that President Bush's political mastermind, Karl Rove, "is going to unleash all his attack dogs in Ohio this year."--source
ohio was the scene last election where they closed up the courthouse in one county so they could fuck with the numbers.
well, not all the dogs, as one is headed for the pound
Thomas W. Noe, the coin dealer and prominent Republican contributor whose $50 million state coin investment sparked one of the biggest scandals in Ohio state government history, was indicted today on 53 felonies, including theft of more than $1 million.
Joke of the Day
State Sen. Robert Hagan sent out e-mails to fellow lawmakers late Wednesday night, stating that he intends to "introduce legislation in the near future that would ban households with one or more Republican voters from adopting children or acting as foster parents." The e-mail ended with a request for co-sponsorship.MWAHAHA
--source
and what are we doing about it?
nothing.
"The Americans also abandoned us extremely," said one Sunni politician. "They could have put some of their vehicles to protect the mosques—they have the forces to do that. How does a civil war start? It starts like this."the next time bush or any of his cronys come out saying that 'we're doing this, or we're doing that', you will know, they're lying.
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