so the bushites are keeping us safe eh?

The Post fronts news that the company charged with manufacturing 25 million doses of a new anthrax vaccine by November is behind schedule and seeking an extension from the government. The VaxGen corporation's troubles typify the logistical problems that plague Project Bioshield, the federal biowarfare defense program that largely relies on small, underfunded companies to fulfill its contracts. Big Pharma wants no part of Project Bioshield, (shouldn't they have participated as a means of returning the favor that Medicare Part D gave them?) so smaller companies like VaxGen struggle to meet their deadlines with little government funding and almost no experience in projects of this magnitude.

(today's papers)

and for your St. Patrick's Day pleasure

St. Patrick Revealed
The man behind the green beer and myth.
--HERE

Letter Of The Day

President Bush laying a wreath at - of all places - the Mahatma Gandhi memorial is probably the most perfect example of hypocrisy I've ever seen.
- John Stiles, Granger.

attribution

cbsnews tonite must be out to satisfy the reich-wing

because their news tonite was nothing but a bow-down to karl rove.

shame on you cbs. shame on you.

the numbers

• Republicans are happier than Democrats.
• People who worship frequently are happier than those who don't.
• The rich are happier than the poor.
• Whites and Hispanics are happier than blacks.
• Married people are happier than the unmarried.
• Dog owners and cat owners rate the same.
• Sunbelt residents are happier than everyone else.

• 
  --source

the numbers

Do you favor or oppose the United States Senate passing a resolution censuring President George W. Bush for authorizing wiretaps of Americans within the United States without obtaining court orders?

All Adults: Favor 46% Oppose 44% Undecided 10%
Voters: Favor 48% Oppose 43% Undecided 9%
Republicans (33%): Favor 29% Oppose 57% Undecided 14%
Democrats (37%): Favor 70% Oppose 26% Undecided 4%
Independents (30%): Favor 42% Oppose 47% Undecided 11%

Do you favor or oppose the United States House of Representatives voting to impeach President George W. Bush?

All Adults: Favor 42% Oppose 49% Undecided 9%
Voters: Favor 43% Oppose 50% Undecided 7%
Republicans (33%): Favor 18% Oppose 80% Undecided 9%
Democrats (37%): Favor 61% Oppose 30% Undecided 9%
Independents (30%): Favor 47% Oppose 40% Undecided 13%

http://americanresearchgroup.com/

the bushites use our men in unform as cannon fodder

The top U.S. military intelligence officer at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq testified yesterday that he inappropriately approved the use of dogs for interrogations without consulting higher-ranking officers, accepting responsibility for giving his subordinates an aggressive tool that was used to terrify detainees.

--source

oh really? shame on the post for forgetting:

The techniques, approved by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld for use in interrogating Mohamed Qahtani -- the alleged "20th hijacker" in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks -- were used at Guantanamo Bay in late 2002 as part of a special interrogation plan aimed at breaking down the silent detainee.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35612-20...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...
http://globalization.about.com/od/humanrights/a/rumsfel...
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-06/23/con...

anybody see what's wrong with this picture?

The Post and NYT go inside with local officials in a town north of Baghdad saying a U.S. raid that included airstrikes killed about a dozen members of one family, including five children and six women. The military said it was just returning fire. One GI was also killed in an attack elsewhere.

--today's papers

Letters of the WeeQ

Let’s just start a list: Lies about the weapons of mass destruction, an illegal war and now civil chaos in Iraq, loss of our best in the military, bungled Katrina response, suppression of information and illegal wiretapping of U.S. citizens, Medicare prescription-plan fiasco, encouraging nuclear capabilities in India while blacklisting other countries, attempting to “reclassify” information as classified to hinder research, etc.

Now tell me again why 26 percent of the country supports this man? Never in our history has there been such an accumulation of disasters both in this country and worldwide created by a U.S. president.
— Diane Lansink, Cedar Falls.

and

Richard Doak is discovering who the enemy is in the war on terror in “What If Gitmo Detainees Aren’t Really Terrorists?” (March 5 column). Libertarians (yes, the party kept out of the gubernatorial debates in 2002) have known that all along.

As our benevolent dictatorship creates enemies worldwide in its phony quest of the “evil-doers,” we will discover that once the line between defense and offense is crossed, anyone can become the enemy of the state.

But Doak still doesn’t get it. It’s not this administration. Democrats and Republicans both voted for the Patriot Act and the war in Iraq. And most of them didn’t read the bills first.

When people can be held without being charged or tried, our own government is the enemy.
— Fritz Groszkruger, Dumont.

attribution

Letter Of The Day

It appears state legislators and those who hate government intervention (except when it intervenes in your life because they know you have to be watched over), have latched onto another issue to demagogue — TouchPlay gambling machines.

Excuse me, I have to check my online gambling account — hey, a winner.

Now, back to the machines — how dare these “altars of the devil’s worship” remain in our state. I have to run get my Powerball ticket, a few pull tabs and scratch tickets.

Back to the demon machines. Darn those electronic bandits. Is that the mail carrier I hear. Great, I got my quarterly stock reports. My gamble on growth stocks is paying off — sorry, poor choice of words. No gamble to the stock market — that’s why they call your money “investments,” see? Speaking of the stock market, did you see where the Enron guys are coming up for trial?

Back to those machines that beckon like a siren’s song as you happen by one. Diabolical inventions! Don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait to get some bets down in the NCAA pools (pick your location: work, friends, bar, etc.). Does anyone know when the new casino opens west of Northwood? If it’s anything like the tracks and casinos we already have, I’m sure it will turn over a few “entertainment” dollars. Incredible “economic growth” measure, that new casino — and it promises to be more fun than my bingo nights.

Speaking of bingo, I love church picnics — you know, the ones with the paddle wheels, poker hands, ring tosses and even the cakewalks for the kids. Does anyone know where I can get my hands on a few of those charity raffle tickets I keep hearing about?

We need to get rid of those machines — they’re corrupting influences. Gambling — who needs it?
--Roger Crimmins, Mason City

attribution

the numbers

Most Americans (58%) believe Congress acted appropriately in strenuously opposing the deal, while just 24% say lawmakers made too much of the situation. While there is broad support for the way Congress handled the dispute, more Americans think Democratic leaders showed good judgment on the ports issue than say the same about GOP leaders (by 30%-20%).

The new Pew survey underscores the public's alarm over the prospect that an Arab-owned company could have operated U.S. ports. Fully 41% say they paid very close attention to news about the debate, which is unusually high interest for a Washington story and is only slightly lower than the number tracking Iraq war news very closely (43%). There was broad opposition to the proposed deal from across the political spectrum, including two-to-one disapproval among conservative Republicans (56%-27%).

Bush's overall approval measure stands at 33%, the lowest rating of his presidency. Bush's job performance mark is now about the same as the ratings for Democratic and Republican congressional leaders (34% and 32%, respectively), which showed no improvement in spite of public approval of the congressional response to the ports deal.

--source

the abu ghraib files

279 photographs and 19 videos from the Army's internal investigation record a harrowing three months of detainee abuse inside the notorious prison -- and make clear that many of those responsible have yet to be held accountable.

--salon

and finally, to Mike Wallace

Good Night and Good Luck!

and if you believe that one, i've got a bridge to sell

(from today's papers)

The Palestinian prisoners taken by Israel had been held at a jail where British and American monitors were tasked with keeping a watch on things. Since Hamas won the elections, the monitors had been complaining of slackening security. They pulled out yesterday; soon after Israeli forces went in—though the U.S. and Britain said they didn't coordinate with Israel.

what a line of bullshit.

Quote of the Day

"I don't think in the annals of criminal law there has ever been a case with this many significant problems."
--Judge Leonie M. Brinkema, in the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui

attribution

is there ANYTHING this administration can do without bungling it to shreds? iraq, katrina, medicare, 9/11, and now the moussaoui trial (the only part of 9/11 to be resolved in court)

oh and speaking of the administration's record on terrorism:

The LAT focuses on the administration's near-perfect record of blowing—and overselling—terrorism cases. "There have been a lot of flubs," said one law prof. "The good news may be that there are not as many threatening people out there as we once thought."

from today's papers

ya mean, the bushites made up all those boogie men?

from today's papers

The New York Times leads with the Israeli army raiding a Palestinian jail in Jericho and seizing six men, most implicated in the 2001 killing of Israel's tourism minister. Two Palestinians were killed, including a prison security guard, and about a dozen were wounded.

so let me get this straight: israeli's raided a JAIL? and look at what resulted: more palestinian violence. so when you hear about palestinian terrorists, think about the israeli terrorists who forced them first.

The incursion was the biggest in the West Bank in months, and in response, Palestinian militants and mobs attacked a handful of Western-affiliated offices and kidnapped nine foreigners, most of whom were quickly released.

then we have this:

The Wall Street Journal tops its world-wide newsbox with, and others front, as many as 85 bodies turning up in Baghdad, most shot execution-style or strangled. USA Today leads with an interview with a top U.S. general who tells the paper that Iraqi investigators recently uncovered a kidnapping and extortion gang comprised of Iraqi police and apparently led by a general.

so the next time bush talks about how they've trained the police and security forces, think about what he's really telling you.

Letter Of The Day

Old-timers would say the current health system in the United States is “cattywampus.” If you hope to switch health insurance companies to get a savings on premiums, you are out of luck.

A new insurance company will exclude coverage on any pre-existing conditions.

So you are stuck with your existing insurance company, who knows it has you by the throat. Your existing company knows you cannot switch and get coverage so it continues to strangle you with escalating premiums.

I have never been a fan of governmental interference in commerce, but something must be done.

The very people who built this great country are being trampled on by insurance companies. Is anyone listening?
— Philip Schneider, West Des Moines.

attribution

i'm watching cbs' new show, the unit

and i'm thinking.... nobody can make this shit up.

there's some truth to this show.
the idear is how much.
*snicker*

always blame someone else

and of course, iran is convenient and all the more to get our natives riled up against a county ya wanna bomb.

President Bush has accused Iran of helping Shi'ite militias in Iraq build more effective roadside bombs, the most lethal weapon against U.S. forces and Iraqi civilians.
--source

seems to me, it was the unguarded ammo dumps is where all the roadside bombs were getting their materials from.

talking out both sides of their mouths

on one side:

US ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said Saturday that his country did not want permanent military bases in Iraq.

"We want Iraq to stand on its own feet, we have no goal of establishing permanent bases here," he said in an interview with Iraq's Ash-Sharqiya television, according to a transcript obtained by AFP.

"Our goal is a working, a workable government, so that we can leave Iraq and let Iraqis handle all their circumstance themselves. That's our goal, and were very serious about this, we mean it," he said.

on the other side:

The United States may want to keep a long-term military presence in Iraq to bolster moderates against extremists in the region and protect the flow of oil, the Army general overseeing U.S. military operations in Iraq said on Tuesday.

"Clearly our long-term vision for a military presence in the region requires a robust counter-terrorist capability," Abizaid said. "No doubt there is a need for some presence in the region over time primarily to help people help themselves through this period of extremists versus moderates."

Abizaid also said the United States and its allies have a vital interest in the oil-rich region.

who's telling us the truth? i'm beginning to think THEY don't even know what the fuck is going on.

so things are going "very very well" in iraq eh general pace?

American forces have dramatically increased airstrikes in Iraq during the past five months, a change of tactics that may foreshadow how the United States plans to battle a still-strong insurgency while reducing the number of U.S. ground troops serving here.

--source

Quote of the Day

Democrats are Doers
Republicans are Reactors

and then there was katrina

i've always maintained that bush will suffer the effects of katrina.

and sure enough, kudos to the nytimes who posted lots of emails and documents

is cherry picking intel to go to war

the same as lying to the American people about the necessity for war?

you decide

Summary: During the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, writes the intelligence community's former senior analyst for the Middle East, the Bush administration disregarded the community's expertise, politicized the intelligence process, and selected unrepresentative raw intelligence to make its public case.

PAUL R. PILLAR is on the faculty of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. Concluding a long career in the Central Intelligence Agency, he served as National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia from 2000 to 2005..

a MUST READ

http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2006/1294

on the feingold censure ...

onebluesky writes:

Republicans = Chickenhawks . . . Democrats = Chickenshits .

Senate Democrats on Monday blocked an immediate vote on a call by one of their own to censure President Bush for his eavesdropping program.
--source

like someone also mentioned, it's the republicans who want the vote NOW. and this is only a way of keeping it alive.

who knows.

oooops

Sea ice in the Arctic has failed to re-form for the second consecutive winter, raising fears that global warming may have tipped the polar regions in to irreversible climate change far sooner than predicted.
--source

laws gone awry

or in bushspeak: right on target.

Kevin Kjonaas set up a website with details about businesses that use animals for research information, and now he and five other activists have been convicted of inciting terrorism
--source

like all things repuke, it backfires

... the WP goes Page One with Iranian dissidents inside the country complaining, as many have suggested from the outset, that the U.S.'s funding of opposition groups is counterproductive. "This is something we all know, that a way of dealing with human rights activists is to claim they have secret relations with foreign powers," said one activist in Tehran. "This very much limits our actions. It is very dangerous to our society."

Asswipe of the Day

Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton did not quite suggest it (the possibility of nuclear negotiations with iran) was there, saying, "I don't think we have anything to say to the Iranians."
--source

Question of the Day

"Why is it that Moussaoui's story hasn't changed much in four years, while the government has downgraded him from hijacker to secret-keeper?"
--Dahlia Lithwick

source

Quote Of The Day

"It’s not as important that people change immediately as that seeds are planted."
--Dotti Berry

attribution

Quote of the Day

and it pains me to have a republican win QOTD, but this was rich.

"They (GOP activists) look like young Hitlers to me. … They’re so grim and deadly serious about the cause.
--Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH)

attribution

once a liar, ALWAYS a liar

and ken mehlman is no exception:

So the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Ken Mehlman, who like everyone else says he barely knows Abramoff was actually killing nominations for him only a few short years ago.

--source

R.I.P. MAUREEN STAPLETON

one of my favorite actresses. and i watch her daily on tvland..

Maureen Stapleton, the Oscar-winning character actress whose subtle vulnerability and down-to-earth toughness earned her dramatic and comedic roles on stage, screen, and television, died Monday. She was 80.

--source

one has to wonder why she's resigning

Sandra Day O'Connor, a Republican-appointed judge who retired last month after 24 years on the supreme court, has said the US is in danger of edging towards dictatorship if the party's rightwingers continue to attack the judiciary.

In a strongly worded speech at Georgetown University, reported by National Public Radio and the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Ms O'Connor took aim at Republican leaders whose repeated denunciations of the courts for alleged liberal bias could, she said, be contributing to a climate of violence against judges.

Ms O'Connor, nominated by Ronald Reagan as the first woman supreme court justice, declared: "We must be ever-vigilant against those who would strong-arm the judiciary."

She pointed to autocracies in the developing world and former Communist countries as lessons on where interference with the judiciary might lead. "It takes a lot of degeneration before a country falls into dictatorship, but we should avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings."

--source

why wasn't this reported in our own media?

watching cbs 60 minutes, on tal afar

and kimberly dozer, who i knew was a puppet of the administration, delivers her best. showing pictures of streets abandoned, and making it appear that the terrorists are responsible.

read what they didn't tell you. read the truth. kimberly, you are now a full fledged mediawhore. did they pay you enough for your soul dear?

i'm trying to find out who's doin it

the song bang a gong in penney's new commercials.

and it appears i'm not the only one who noticed it:

Penney’s is using “Bang A Gong” in its commercials. The end of the world is near. - http://www.balloon-juice.com/?p=6819

no the end of the world is not here, and it certainly wouldn't be due to the latest rendition of BAG. but i sure wish i could get a comment on who's doing it

do you have something to say?

http://www.popcultmag.com/huh/guidelines/guidelinesdefault.html

what's their reasoning for such gouging?

from the new york times:

On Feb. 3, Joyce Elkins filled a prescription for a two-week supply of nitrogen mustard, a decades-old cancer drug used to treat a rare form of lymphoma. The cost was $77.50.

On Feb. 17, Ms. Elkins, a 64-year-old retiree who lives in Georgetown, Tex., returned to her pharmacy for a refill. This time, following a huge increase in the wholesale price of the drug, the cost was $548.01.

there outta be a law against this sordid practice of gouging not only Americans, but SICK Americans.

Quote of the WeeQ

"President Bush ignores the Constitution and the laws of the land, and the cowardly, rigidly partisan majority in Congress helps him out by rewriting the laws he's broken."
--New York Times Editorial Board in their Kabuki Congress editorial

attribution

Quote of the Year

"In their psychotically twisted logic, "reminding me that you exist is an attack on my values"; frankly, I don't see much hope for anyone that insane."
--dicksteele

attribution

the devil is in the details

or in this case, buried in a story about something else. from the article about the previous post:

Mr Griffin's allegations came as

the Foreign Office minister Kim Howells, visiting Basra yesterday, admitted that Iraq was now "a mess".

that's certainly not how we're hearing thing on this side of the pond.

you MUST read his interview.. he is my hero.

holy crap

borrowing a phrase from the ol' man on everybody loves raymond:

from the telegraph in the UK:

An SAS soldier has refused to fight in Iraq and has left the Army over the "illegal" tactics of United States troops and the policies of coalition forces.

After three months in Baghdad, Ben Griffin told his commander that he was no longer prepared to fight alongside American forces.

He said he had witnessed "dozens of illegal acts" by US troops, claiming they viewed all Iraqis as "untermenschen" - the Nazi term for races regarded as sub-human.

what else could explain away the atrocities of abu ghraib?

from the GOOD NEWS file

A liberal Democratic senator (Russ Feingold - WI) who is considering a White House bid in 2008 said Sunday he is seeking to censure President Bush over his domestic eavesdropping program. The Senate majority leader called it "a crazy political move."

A censure resolution, which simply would scold the president, has been used just once in U.S. history — against Andrew Jackson in 1834.

--source

he announced it on ABC's This Week as a first step. hopefully this will put everybody on record before the '06 elections.

and two more stories that deserve keeping around

for later referral:

Drug prices aren't necessarily based on manufacturing costs, finds the NYT ...

... And neither is the price of electricity in states that deregulated their power providers in the late 1990's, according to the WP.

both myths perpetrated by the greed of industry barons.

they should see how much these recruits like it after they join

that's where the real story is,

A simple referral bonus program has helped the Army National Guard post its best recruiting numbers in 13 years, reports the WP. Guard members get $2,000 dollars for convincing a new recruit to sign up, an incentive so effective that the Army Guard is on track to raise its membership by 14,000 before the year's end.

the numbers

from the straw poll at the repuke leadership (sic) fuckfest in memphis:

Sen. McCain came in a distant fifth in the straw poll, however, due to Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., having an overwhelming home-field advantage and President Bush taking a sizable share of the votes, despite not running for office.

these idiots are still passing sickening adulation to a man who's not even running. why? because they're idiots without brains.

gov huckabee on face the nation

the pure definition of repuke.

Quote of the Day

it's a long one today from the editorial board of the des moines register:

The threat of terrorism has given the federal government a new excuse for concealing information from the public. This trend serves neither democracy nor public safety.

Knowledge veiled in terrorism 'war'

The natural response to the terrorist attacks on American soil 4 1/2 years ago was to declare war on terrorism. In hindsight, it is increasingly clear that the war metaphor was inappropriate. Terrorism does not fit the ordinary definition of war as an engagement of sovereign nations on a battlefield. This war has no foreseeable end. Yet it comes with all the trappings of wartime, including an excuse, under the guise of national security, for stuffing all manner of government information into secret compartments.