wonder why i hate george bush junior as much as i do?

CLEVELAND -- Managers at a downtown mall stopped a performance by a band whose members wore T-shirts critical of President Bush.

Mifun, an Afro-beat band, had been playing for about 20 minutes Friday as part of a jazz festival when the sound system was cut off at Tower City Center.
"They didn't like that all the band members wore a T-shirt with a picture of George Bush with a line through it," said band leader Jacob Fader, 28, of Cleveland Heights. "They said we either remove the shirts, turn them inside out, or get off the stage. I said that doing so would be against our core principles and free speech. We told the audience what happened from the stage after the microphones were cut. The crowd booed."

Tower City general manager Lisa Kreiger said the band's attire was distracting and inappropriate.
"The purpose of the show was to provide musical entertainment," she said.

Fader said the band was stopped during a performance of "Supercrush," which he described as a "song about how the Bush administration separates the wealth, causing the elimination of the middle class."

"When my father started to say that it was wrong to silence us, a security cop told him to shut up," Fader said. "My dad said he had the right to free speech and the security guy said, 'Not in here you don't.'"

--source

talk about gestapo technics. adolf would be so proud of kreiger. even that name sounds nazi.

what? no republican protesters?

Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Burlingame), a Holocaust survivor and human rights advocate, was one of the lawmakers who were willingly arrested. Lantos was taken into custody by the U.S. Secret Service along with Democratic Reps. Jim McGovern and John W. Olver of Massachusetts, James P. Moran of Virginia and Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas. Also arrested were six members of religious and humanitarian aid organizations.
--story

so george bush junior is making us safer eh?

then what the hell is this about?

The WP fronts the latest annual State Department Country Reports on Terrorism that reveals the number of terrorist attacks increased four times in 2005 to a total of 11,111, which resulted in the death of 14,600 noncombatants.

--story

Letters of the Day

today there are 3 winners:

Driver education teaches students not only the rules of the road but also the hazards. They often are shown pictures of horrific crashes and mangled bodies.

Do schools use the same philosophy in sex-education classes? Are they shown pictures of the final days of a 25-year-old man dying of AIDS? If not, why not?

— Jack Banghart, Des Moines.

and

I agree with Jim Nussle: We need an inspector general. Maybe an inspector general could figure out what Nussle and the Republicans did with President Clinton’s surplus.

— D.A. Benda, Toledo.

and

G.W. Bush: “I listen to the voices.” The only voices Bush hears are the ones in his head.

— Keith Nichols, Perry.

attribution

a new source for decent music

Imogen Heap performed on the tonite show. her singing wuznt all that (it was good), but it was her being the only member of her 'group' and doing it live. very kewl.

i'm going to mexico

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Owning marijuana, cocaine and even heroin will no longer be a crime in Mexico if the drugs are carried in small amounts for personal use, under legislation passed by the Congress.

Police will not penalise people for possessing up to 5 grams of marijuana, 5 grams of opium, 25 milligrams of heroin or 500 milligrams of cocaine, under a bill passed by senators late on Thursday and earlier approved by the lower house.

- source

ever see double without reason?

i'm seeing double now, and i'm not sure why, but it's sure disconcerting. calld the doctor's office, and of course, they would like me to come in.

Letter Of The Day

I am pleased to see that the Iowa Legislature finally banned anti-gay demonstrators like Fred Phelps from protesting within 500 feet of funerals. But where were they for almost 10 years when Phelps and his clan protested funerals of gay people and people with AIDS? Where were they when Phelps and his clan protested graduation ceremonies of gay high-school students?

Where are they now as Phelps, the Iowa Family Policy Center and the rest of the pro-bully lobby continue to protect bullies in Iowa schools?

Don’t our young people deserve the same protections from name-calling, violence and harassment as our veterans and their families?
— Brad Clark, Des Moines.

attribution

will the elevation of snow to a somewhat prominent state

what will tony's cost to get that post be the 10% of Americans who believe fox is the only source for news. even that 5% that watch it for masochistic value.
'

well, DUH

if the media isn't playing it, then it doesn't seem to matter to the American people. we need to make everyone aware of the scandal.

The scandal surrounding disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff has been a Washington obsession for months, but Republican lawmakers who returned from a two-week recess this week said they felt free to pass a relatively tepid ethics bill because their constituents rarely mention the issue.
--source

ya think this could be why iraq is such a mess?

The LAT says on Page One, "VISIT BY RUMSFELD, RICE SETS OFF CRITICISM IN IRAQ." That's interesting, but the piece buries a crucial and fascinating bit of nuance: It was Shiite politicians who were complaining. The Sunni politicians who were quoted welcomed the swing-by.

--today's papers

one can only guess at the reason the U.S. are aiding the sunnis. wasn't saddam a sunni?

a bushite dream come true

Everybody notes inside that E.U. investigators have concluded that the CIA has had about 1,000 undeclared flights in European airspace since 2001. Nobody, except of course the CIA, is sure how many of the flights were used to transport "ghost prisoners."

--story

ROVE WATCH

from the Washington Monthly

77% feels the economy is cause for concern

The Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox leads with an in-house poll in which 77 percent of respondents called themselves "uneasy about the state of the economy."

--source

pro-war vs anti-war

take a look at these protests.

this one is of the pro-war contingent.

this one is of the anti-war contingent.

you decide.

the CIA's proter goss should recheck his to-do list

He has taken no disciplinary action against CIA personnel identified by his inspector general as having played a part in the failure to prevent the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He has taken no action against CIA interrogators known to have participated in the torture and killing of foreign detainees, or against those who knowingly violated the Geneva Conventions in Iraq.

but he wants to stop leakers cold. dictators do things that way.

Quote of the Day

"Crude oil supplies are at an almost eight-year high. The price is obviously not reflecting that. It's reflecting the worries about the future."
-- John Kilduff, a senior vice president at commodities firm Fimat USA Inc. in New York.

attribution

i don't drive, so the price of gas is only hitting me at the shelves of things i buy. but it just seems to me that since supply isn't the culprit, the only thing that can be done is reigning in the traders' speculation about oil. they're the evil monsters of high prices.

saddam would be proud

dictators hold people without charges.

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - Nearly 30 percent of the Guantanamo detainees have been cleared to leave the prison but remain jailed because the U.S. government has been unable to arrange for their return to their home countries, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The Pentagon refused to identify these 141 men despite having released on Wednesday its first comprehensive list of detainees held at the prison for foreign terrorism suspects at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Of these 141 detainees among the 490 still at Guantanamo, various military reviews have cleared 22 to be freed in their home countries and the remaining 119 for transfer to the control of their home governments.

"It's just an outrageous situation where people have gone through this system that has been established, such as it is, and the (U.S.) government itself has found there's no reason for them to be held any longer, and yet they continue to be held," said Curt Goering, a senior Amnesty International USA official.

--source

a man i almost fell in love with, gets arrested

MASON CITY — A Mason City man has been arrested by the North Central Iowa Narcotics Task Force and charged in a three- count federal indictment.

James Mariner, 38, is charged with conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and a mixture of cocaine; and money laundering.

If convicted, according to a news release from the drug task force, Mariner faces 40 years in prison and $12.5 million in fines.

The investigation has been ongoing since 2003, according to authorities.

In addition to the task force, the case was investigated by the Mason City Police Department, Mason City Drug Enforcement Unit, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department, Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, Clear Lake Police Department and Iowa Army National Guard.

Mariner was held in the Cerro Gordo County Jail and taken to Cedar Rapids for his initial appearance in federal court.
--link

i remember first meeting jim in 2003 when he was a close friend to one of my employees. i remember his stunning handsome good looks and how i fell head over heels for him. then there was the time i went to his house and spent some time fixing his computer. we came this close to actually getting it on, but it never happened. i had since then tried to see him several times, but never could find him home. now he'll never be home. and i'm really saddened by this development.

more good newes

HARTFORD, Conn. --A Hartford Courant/Connecticut poll shows that President Bush's job approval rating has dropped to 24 percent among Connecticut residents.

-source

from the good news files

Brokerages and fund managers for the first time since 1994, helped by support from hedge funds and companies such as Merrill Lynch & Co.

Democrats got $13.6 million, or 52 percent of the financial industry's $26.3 million in political donations in 2005, said the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan Washington group that researches the influence of money on elections and public policy. In the two years leading up to the 2004 presidential election, Republicans received 52 percent of the $91.6 million given by the industry.

``Wall Street wants change'' on issues such as the Iraq war and the budget deficit, said James Torrey, chairman of the Torrey Funds, which manages about $1 billion. `∏`I'm finding people who are registered Republicans who are saying to me, `what can I do to help?''' The securities and investment industry is among the biggest sources of campaign cash in U.S. politics. The industry's 2004 contribution total to candidates and parties was higher than any group except lawyers, health professionals and the real estate industry, according to the center, which studied Federal Election Commission records.

--story

create a bad situation, then be the white knight to the rescue

the American people can't be so dumb as to swallow this:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush, his popularity sinking while gas prices soar, hopes to stave off a potential election-year problem for fellow Republicans with a drive to stop price gouging and push alternative fuels.
--story

incompetence defined

The NYT's off-lead looks at a key oil pipeline in Iraq that was supposed to be rebuilt as part of a Halliburton no-bid contract. The method planned was just a touch short of insane. "No driller in his right mind would have gone ahead," said one Army geologist who inspected the site. Halliburton didn't give the government a clear heads-up about the concerns, and the Army didn't seem to care much anyway. So, project went ahead ... and failed.

down in gitmo, where the military gets to play dictators

The Los Angeles Times leads with an official at Guantanamo Bay saying the Pentagon is planning to "release" 141 prisoners from there and bring charges against only about a dozen more. That would leave about 300 prisoners who "face neither imminent freedom nor a day in court." Reuters has a slightly different take, saying the military has suggested most of those being "released" will be transferred to prisons back in their home country—an issue this TPer raised in the Wash Post last month. Meanwhile, the LAT could have benefited from flagging a few recent studies and reports that strongly suggest, as Slate's Dahlia Lithwick put it, "most of the prisoners are guilty only of bad luck."
--today's papers

Letter Of The Day

the brownshirt brigade is alive and well.

On April 11 [the day of President Bush’s visit to Iowa], I walked on the sidewalk on Grand Avenue across the street from Wesley Acres carrying an “Impeach Bush” sign.

After the president arrived, Polk County officers told the spectators that the Secret Service wanted us to move east, away from the corner. We did.

A few minutes later the officers told us that the Secret Service wanted us to move back from the curb to the sidewalk. We did.

A few minutes later the officers told us that the Secret Service wanted us to move east to the next block. Some of us argued that this was the third contradictory instruction in five minutes.

Immediately the sergeant called for help on his radio. In moments an SUV arrived and four SWAT officers got out to confront us. They were wearing body armor and carrying assault weapons, although they did not point the weapons at the crowd. We were told “move or we will move you.” An 80-year-old man sitting in a lawn chair in his own front yard was told to move to the next block or go inside his house.

The president’s visit had been carefully planned, and it would have been simple for authorities to string yellow tape in advance, clearly marking areas where spectators were allowed.
— John Ousterhout, Windsor Heights.

attribution

in other words THEY LIED

The Central Intelligence Agency tried to warn the Bush administration on the eve of the 2003 invasion of Iraq that Saddam Hussein did not appear to have weapons of mass destruction but the warning was dismissed because the US political leadership was not interested in what the intelligence showed, according to a retired senior CIA operative.

--SOURCEΩ

saddam would be proud

The WP fronts the news that six joint U.S.-Iraqi inspections of Iraqi detention centers between November and February found abuse of prisoners at all of them. In the past, detainees have been removed from abusive sites, but this time, the detainees have remained in place, prompting concerns that they could be victims again. Two of the sites showed signs of "severe abuse," including "broken bones, indications that they had been beaten with hoses and wires, signs that they had been hung from the ceiling, and cigarette burns" at one and "scars, missing toenails, dislocated shoulders, severe bruising, and cigarette burns" at the other.

--story

Letter of the Day

Richard Doak was spot-on in his criticism of massive CEO salaries when he suggests it has a negative effect on American morale ("CIETC Director and Most CEOs Have Quite a Bit in Common," April 16 column). The free-market economy is often used as a justification tactic by the rich to acquire more wealth at the expense of the poor.

It is terribly unjust that CEOs make 431 times the salary of their employees (in addition to lucrative benefit packages and golden parachutes when they retire), while many of these workers are paying more for health benefits and losing pension plans.

Is it ethical for CEOs and entertainers to bring in dazzling salaries while many toil for the absurdly inadequate $5.15-an-hour minimum wage?

Has George Bush's corporate America lost all compassion for the have-nots? FDR twirls in his grave.

Sadly, many Americans — and most of the rest of the world — perceive the U.S. as the Land of Greed and Home of Excess.

- Rick Burns, Pella.

attribution

the scuttlebutt in the halls of congress

REPUBLICANS are urging President George W Bush to dump Dick Cheney as vice-president and replace him with Condoleezza Rice if he is serious about presenting a new face to the jaded American public.

--source

dept. of moral outrage

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/21/AR2006042101767_pf.html

this bothers me, but to say i'm surprised would be a lie

The Vatican has signaled that it is willing to break its ties with Taiwan in order to set up an official diplomatic relationship with China.
--source

pope benedict is a creep. he looks like one, and now he acts like one.

the numbers

(Angus Reid Global Scan) – The outcome of the 2004 United States presidential election would be different if a new ballot took place this year, according to a poll by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times. 47 per cent of respondents would vote for Democrat John Kerry, while 40 per cent would support Republican George W. Bush.

John Kerry (D) 47%
George W. Bush (R) 40%
Someone else 6%
Would not vote 4%
Don’t know 3%
-source

Letter(s) of the Day

You have to wonder why President Bush allowed millions of dollars to be spent investigating leaks that, he now admits, came from him. Every time Bush was asked about White House leaks, he said that he knew nothing about it, he would get to the bottom of it and would punish whomever did it.

Does it mean nothing to him to waste millions of taxpayer dollars on a needless investigation? Why didn't he come forward sooner and just say "Yes, I declassified it"?

What's even more galling is that the information Bush leaked in order to supposedly "spread the truth" was in fact information that had already been proven wrong months before he authorized it to be leaked. Bush didn't want people to see the truth so he intentionally leaked false information in order to trick Americans into supporting the war in Iraq.

Bush has repeatedly abused power, lied to Congress and the American people, lied to the military, started war on false pretenses, demonstrated the most egregious incompetence and placed the nation in a precarious economic and diplomatic condition.

At least he didn't lie about sex or we'd have to impeach him.
— Alan L. Light, Iowa City.

and

It is amazing how this administration rewrites the rules to the game as it goes along. President Bush stated that he would fire whomever was responsible for outing CIA agent Valerie Plame to the press.

Of course, those of us who were following this media story suspected it would be Vice President Dick Cheney and perhaps Bush himself who authorized Lewis Libby to squawk. Now that the jury will be hearing the details, we hear the defense, "We have the right to declassify information... ."

Talk about flip-flopping nonsense. To put our nation's national security at risk by outing an agent considered to be an expert on weapons of mass destruction and putting people under her at risk also — that should be an impeachable offense. What kind of government condones these tactics?

It appears the Bushies are more dangerous and closer to fascism than some of the regimes they condemn. Who is part of the axis of evil now?
— Lisa Honnold, Ankeny.

attribution

incompetence defined

WASHINGTON - A Senate measure to fund the war in Iraq would chop money for troops' night vision equipment and new battle vehicles but add $230 million for a tilt-rotor aircraft that has already cost $18 billion and is still facing safety questions.
--story

support for the troops must be only lip service for these guys.

from the WELL DUH files

Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice says Americans should be prepared for more violence in Iraq -- even after a government forms there.

--source

this would have never happened under saddam

BAGHDAD, April 19 (Reuters) - Separate groups of gunmen entered two primary schools in Baghdad on Wednesday and beheaded two teachers in front of their students, the Ministry of State for National Security said.
--story

the numbers

NEW YORK — More Americans disapprove than approve of how George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and Congress are doing their jobs, while a majority approves of Condoleezza Rice. President Bush’s approval hits a record low of 33 percent this week, clearly damaged by sinking support among Republicans.

--foxnews

imagine that

USAT notices one U.S. construction effort in Iraq that's right on schedule: the $600 million, 104 acre U.S. embassy. As for other projects, a recent Senate report concluded, "No large-scale, U.S.-funded construction program in Iraq has yet met its schedule or budget."

they STILL aren't doing the job

The WP goes inside with a government watchdog report concluding that federal agencies still aren't doing a good job of sharing counterterrorism info.

baghdad blogs

http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/

the numbers

The Journal's latest poll has the president's approval rating at 35 percent, five points down from February.

spoken like a true dictator

"I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense."

--you know who

Quote of the Day

"I don't think we should create a longer wait in line for the majority of people to provide a shorter line for a few people"
--Randy Walker, director of Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport,

attribution

Letter of the Day

In a constitutional democracy with a civilian commander in chief, it would be considered borderline treason for generals to call for a president’s resignation.

Generals rebel against presidents in banana republics and military dictatorships. In the United States, the generals, outraged by the incompetence and arrogance of their commander-in-chief, with thousands of troops either killed or maimed due to bad planning under their watch, call for the resignation of the secretary of defense. It’s the American and courteous way of calling out the man in the White House without actually calling out the man in the White House.

But we should see through this smokescreen. The generals who have called for the removal of Donald H. Rumsfeld are really talking about his boss and their commander-in-chief, George W. Bush. The media side-step this obvious point. But it’s obvious to the White House, and its only rebuttal, which assumes we’re idiots, is to challenge these generals and question why they didn’t speak up before they “retired.” This comes from an administration that labels journalists, members of Congress and other public figures who challenge White House policy in Iraq as unpatriotic Americans who are aiding and abetting the enemy.

And so the White House defends Rumsfeld. It must. The growing Rumsfeld scandal is a thin veil that barely masks the truth. With Rumsfeld gone, who would be left to blame?
— William Stosine, Iowa City.

attribution

what a story

homeless man returns wallet with $900.

from yahoo:

SANTA ANA, Calif. - A homeless man searching through garbage bins for recyclable cans found a missing wallet and had it returned to its owner.

Kim Bogue, who works as a janitor in the city's government buildings, realized that her wallet was missing last week and doubted she'd ever get back the $900 and credit cards inside, she said.

"I prayed that night and asked God to help me," said Bogue, who was saving the money for a trip to her native Thailand.

Days later, a homeless man found the wallet wrapped in a plastic bag in a trash bin, where Bogue had accidentally thrown it away with her lunch. He gave it to Sherry Wesley, who works in a nearby building.

"He came to me with the wad of money and said, 'This probably belongs to someone that you work with, can you return it,'" Wesley said.

Workers at a nearby relief kitchen said the man, who didn't want to be identified, insists on paying for his food.

"He has a very good heart," said Bogue, who gave the man a $100 reward. "If someone else found it, the money would be gone."

cbs: you've got a hit on your hands

and it's called THE UNIT.

this show rocks. from the directors's fabulously styled shooting, to the actors' incredibly smooth professionalism that captures reality in so many ways, it's hard to count.

this show hits a homerun, and home is where the heart is. out of the ballfield home.

one has GOT to ask: why can't we fight this "war" on terrorism with groups like 'the unit' and not with full squadrons of men in tanks. this whole business of what rummy is doing, is actually good, and you know me, i hate the man. but to fight this thing with smaller, more adept units. well, that's the way i would do it. of course, you're going to rattle feathers. i'd be surprised if none did get fluffed. but bush made his presidency upon 'steadfastness' and 'staying the course' and all that. iow, change and bush do not belong in the same sentence.

but that's just me.

the notion of diplomatic immunity

watching ncis, there was a mention of not being able to arrest someone due to diplomatic immunity. this is nonesense.
i can see DI being used in misdemeanor cases, but when it involves murder, no way. man should not be excused for killing another man.

no where. no time. no body.

i normally don't dig dogs

but this one's got my heart down.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/masoncitylife/131059144/

Quote of the Day

"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved through understanding."
--Albert Einstein

for those of you interested in court proceedings

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