316 previous thread

Legally, inside the intelligence agencies, a real WHISTLE BLOWER goes to congress first,
a CRIMINAL LEAKER, goes to the press first.
END OF CASE, legally, no more discussion needed.

That may well be true, but if I don't like it, I should be able to slander anyone I want. It is the liberal way.

#1 is from idiot on the last thread-a poseur-listing e-mail@http://frontpagemag.com/, conservative rag. I here your mommy calling you poseur boy, time for your diaper change I think. Bye all!

Why waste any thought on Pat Robertson? It is obvious that he's either insane, on serious zoo-dope, or a bigoted, backwater, fundamentalist ASSHOLE, and anybody who follows him can easily be labeled the same.

-t

...all three make the most sense!

-T

This is my contribution to the world intending to make said world a better place. I put the same item on the previous thread, which seems to be running neck and neck with this one. Anyway, this is it:

I pledge allegiance to the Constitution
of the United States of America

And to the Republic for which it stands

Because both spring from love of liberty
and honor independence

God bless America
and all the people
who make her great

Hajji,
3 Hajji,
can easily be labeled

Labeling, another liberal trait.

Very good Hajji. Throw some slander in next time. As you have proven many times over, slander, lying, and dishonesty are your specialties.

If there is a god....she.he.it...is not a real estate agent.

A bunch of Jewish guys made claim to that land thousands of years ago and then came up with a real estate scam and included the almighty (whatever that is) in the deal.

The land scam is still promoted by radical settlers, christians and zionist when it fits their needs.

What a bunch of Bible/Torah hogwash. Both Palestinians and Jews and others have their historical roots in this part of the world..when will they be forced to share.

Hopefully the radical zionist, christians and muslims will be put back in their corners, and moderate folks will win out. Sure does not look good at this point in time

"forced to share"?!?!?!?!?

Like with a war?

Sounds like Robertson is using some of Sharon's tactics that he used on the Palestinians.

Blame the person or persons injured and on their backs.

If Pat is helping divide Israel up for his superstition theme park, doesn't that mean that god is going to smack the shit out of him next?

# 8 Dean...no by forcing Israel to abide by Un resolutions....and to get out of the occupied territories.

Next..force Israel to sign the IAEA non-proliferation treaty that they want Iraq and Iran to abide by.

Sharon refused to do both.

START THERE.

Robertson made a comment that Sharon's stroke is punishment from God for giving away (I believe?) God's land. Robertson is an idiot. All of Earth is God's land and we are to be steward's of the land and not debase God's creation.

God Is Beautiful

Let me start by saying that God is beautiful. But, why is God beautiful? We have only to look at the Bible for the answer. The Bible is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament.

In the Old Testament we read verses of a punishing and vengeful God. We are also to believe that God's plan was etched from the beginning of time. Yet, what makes God beautiful is that He can change His plans. God changed His plan by being born of human flesh and to walk among us and have similar experiences as you and me. God felt the cold weather, the warm weather, and the temptations as a few examples.

In the New Testament God gave us His words to guide and lead us to Him. He gave us the promise of everlasting life to be with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven. God changed from a punishing and vengeful God to a God of love and mercy. God's plan was not etched in stone. He can change and forgive us seventy times seven. These are some reasons why I believe that God is beautiful.

Here are some beautiful words to remember from our beautiful God. "I have come to serve and not be served." Yes, God is beautiful.

Minister, a Bush Ally, Gives Church as Site for Alito Rally

Holy crapola! No wonder this country is in the shape it's in. What's your price? When bought, this guy stays bought!

"...So God visited a stroke upon Sharon because God is opposed to the Middle East peace process? That's what Robertson is saying. (But if God didn't want progress in the Middle East, why did God let Arafat die? I'm confused.)..."
++++++++

Robertson would tell you, "God works in mysterious ways."

Do not trust Bush because a zebra cannot change his stripes!!!

American Soldiers

More American soldiers are killed in the Middle East.

2,447 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan for Bush's evil lies.

16,000+ American soldiers have been maimed in Iraq and Afghanistan for Bush’≥ evil lies.

40,000+ American soldiers are suffering from PTSD.

Over 100,000+ Iraqis have been killed in Iraq since Bush declared shock and awe bombings on March 19, 2003.

Are you feeling more safe and secure with Bush in the WH and Cheney as his chief hatchet man overseeing America and her people.

American elections are rigged to favor the repugnants.

We will have to see how events play out. Seymour Hersh (when he was asked to comment about the 2004 election)

Bush will declare martial law in 2008 and the elections will be suspended.

Our military men and women are used as cannon fodder for a terrorist American government.

Our enemies are innovative and resourceful and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. George W. Bush, August 5, 2005

There is no sense trying to make sense from those who have no sense.

THE GLORY OF BUSH IS MAN FULLY DEAD!!!

This war in Iraq really pisses me off!!!!!

Rigged elections doom American democracy. American soldiers are being killed and maimed TO PROMOTE AN AMERICAN NAZI STATE.

THE GLORY OF GOD IS MAN FULLY ALIVE. St. Irenaeus

I shall pass this way but once. Any good that I can do let me do it now for I shall not pass this way again. St. Ambrose

We must work tirelessly for man to be fully alive.

American soldiers are being killed like flies for Bush's lies. To date 2,447 American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

DON'T PATRONIZE ME WITH TALK ABOUT HUMAN LIVES. COLIN LAPDOG POWELL

It sounds like human lives are not important to Lapdog.

I was provided with additional input that was radically different from the truth. I assisted in furthering that version. Oliver North

There is no sense trying to make sense from those who have no sense!

Wolfowitz + World Bank = War + Poverty

As Diebold goes, so goes the election!

American democracy is dead as we know it. We are now OUTSOURCING our dead American democracy around the world with our dead and maimed soldiers who are fighting in foreign lands so these lands can revel in our dead democracy.

My fellow Americans, Bush does not view our Constitution as a piece of paper. He views our Constitution as a piece of toilet paper so he can wipe his ass with it.

When God means to punish a nation, He deprives its rulers of wisdom. Linda Schrock Taylor

No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices. Edward R. Murrow

All Americans are accomplices in Bush's murders and war crimes.

To sin is a human business; to justify sin is a devilish business. Leo Tolstoy, Russian author 1828-1910

The incestuous relationship between government and big business thrives in the dark. Jack Anderson

PEACE TAKES COURAGE!

HONOR THE TROOPS, DEMAND THE TRUTH!

The CIC (Coward in Crawford) lies about lying about his lies.

A Real President

A real president goes to a judge first to receive warrants to spy on Americans. A real president goes to Congress for their thoughts on the torture of human beings.

Bush is a murderer and a war criminal. His thought processes are a deadly function. We cannot trust Bush because a zebra does not change his stripes.

Gerald #12

Have you seen the news on the 'Set me free from Jesus' lawsuit filed in Rome? Seems an atheist sued a parish priest who spoke the same way you tend to speak. He, the atheist, says Jesus was an invented character, that none of the writers of the new testament ever met him, and that the gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John were made up out of mythical beings, creating the son of man as a component of those who preceded them all. They were acting in the spirit of those who invented Mount Olympus and Zeus and those gods.

I recommend you check out "Anatomy of Power" by John Kenneth Galbraith from your public library. Professor Galbraith gives an excellent portrayal of the business of Christianity and communism and other bugaboos in that little book.

Happy reading.

Hey #6, why don't you post under your own name you gutless wingnut.

Bushianity makes a mockery of Christ

I read God's love letter to me. Whenever I read God's love letter to me, I have these warm fuzzies all over my body and soul. My God is a warm fuzzy that comforts me.

It makes sense to me. God does not want peace in the middle east and that's why his intelligent design created George W. and Pat Robertson in his image and allowed Arafat to die and Sharon to have a stroke. See how plausible everything is if you embrace the Intelligent Design theory?

A girl asked her mother, "Mom, we are studying government in school and had a test. George Washington was our first president, right? Am I smart or just blond?"

mom "You sure are smart dear."

girl "And there are 50 states, right? Am I smart or am I blond?

mom "You sure are smart dear."

girl "Mom why am I more developed physically and intellectually that the other 5th graders?"

mom "Cause you're 24."

Bush went to War, sent our economy to hell and spies on Americans and imposes his hubris on the planet because he has been empowered by a just cause.

When asked why he went to War, screwed up our economy and spied on Americans and imposed his hubris on the planet, his response is "jus cause"

Have you guys seen this?

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/01/nbc-changes-official-transcript-of.html

Mitchell: Do you have any information about reporters being swept up in this net?

Risen: No, I don't. It's not clear to me. That's one of the questions we'll have to look into the future. Were there abuses of this program or not? I don't know the answer to that

Mitchell: You don't have any information, for instance, that a very prominent journalist, Christiane Amanpour, might have been eavesdropped upon?

Risen: No, no I hadn't heard that.

AND:

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/01/what-it-means-to-john-kerry-wesley.html

But before you say "yeah, go for it," consider the implications of tapping Christiane Amanpour's phones:

1. Such a wiretap would likely include her home, office, and cell phones, and email correspondence, at the very least.

2. That means anyone Christiane has conversed with in the past four years, at least by phone or email, could have had their conversation taped by the US government.

3. That also means that anyone who uses any of Christiane's telephones or computers (work or home) could also have had their conversation bugged.

4. This includes Christiane's husband, former Clinton administration senior official Jamie Rubin, who was spokesman for the State Department.

5. Jamie Rubin was also chief foreign policy adviser to General Wesley Clark's presidential campaign, and then worked as a senior national security adviser to John Kerry's presidential campaign.

6. Did Jamie Rubin ever use his home phone, his wife's work phone, his wife's cell phone, her home computer or her work computer to communicate with John Kerry or Wesley Clark? If so, those conversations would have been bugged if Bush was tapping Amanpour.

7. Did Jamie Rubin ever in the past four years communicate with any elected officials in Washington, DC - any Senators or members of the US House? Any senior members of the Democratic party?

8. Has Rubin spoken with Bill Clinton, his former boss, in the past 4 years?

As I mentioned in my post the other day, the Bush administration is unscrupulous enough to release the name of a NOC CIA agent, so why would they have the tact to not wiretap political opponents.

I rarely agree with anything you people have to say but I agree that Pat Robertson is off his rocker.

Why would anyone follow any religious leader anywhere? Your faith is not well placed, nor duly served, by doing so.

Robertson, Bush, and his cabal are off their rockers!!! You cannot change a zebra's stripes.

Zapped

I was reluctant to share a personal experience because there are some non-believers on this website. The experience occurred on January 4, 2006 around 10:15 am. I went shopping for my wife at a food market. I only had to buy a few items. As I was checking out in the express lane, I became woozy and I fell to my knees. On my knees my defibrillator kicked in. In a second it felt like a horse had kicked me in my chest.

When the heartbeats go down to 40 beats per minute, the defibrillator is programmed to kick in. Being zapped is a very draining experience. I still feel physically and emotionally drained.

The marvels of medical technology have helped to keep me alive but I also believe that God is with me, plus my praying the Holy Rosary does not hurt.

You can believe what you want to believe and I will believe what I want to believe.

Pat Robertson reminds me of the medicine man and bible thumper that comes into town to sell his holy elixer. Lord have mercy. Just like the Bush administration and the bull they're trying to sell.

Lots of holy elixer sellers come into town lately. Boys! get that tar boiling. Girls! Git out there and do some pluckin. We got some thieving, lying, coyotes in our midst.

Those #$#% think we don't see a con when it hobbles into town.

Hope you're feeling better Gerald.

Speaking of men of the cloth....Oklahoma City pastor redefines "pastoring"

An executive committee member of the Southern Baptist Convention was arrested on a lewdness charge for propositioning a plainclothes policeman outside a hotel, police said...Lonnie Latham, senior pastor at South Tulsa Baptist Church, was booked into Oklahoma County Jail...Latham, who has spoken out against homosexuality, asked the officer to join him in his hotel room for oral sex. Latham was arrested and his 2005 Mercedes automobile was impounded...Calls to Latham at his church were not immediately returned Wednesday.

However, when Latham left jail, he said, "I was set up. I was in the area pastoring to police."

He has also spoken out against same-sex marriage and in support of a Southern Baptist Convention directive urging its 42,000 churches to befriend gays and lesbians and try to convince them that they can become heterosexual "if they accept Jesus Christ as their savior and reject their 'sinful, destructive lifestyle."'

This serenity prayer is easier said than done.

Serenity Prayer

#29 Jeanne, I am still quite tired. I tire easily. Cornposters protect your heart for health and love of humanity.

Heaven

Father John Dietzen wrote an article, "On the entrance into heaven," a writer from Ohio shows concern that the rich will receive lesser rewards in heaven. My concern is that just to be in heaven through a merciful God's love is important. We do not have to wonder about heaven upon our death; we need only to look and see parts of heaven on earth as we live.

While we live, we should try to complete God's work of making a heaven on earth. There is one way to pursue a heaven on earth through the reading and the practicing of Matthew 25:31-46.

I hear people from time to time talk about what heaven is like. I cannot give you a definitive description of heaven but I can say that there are parts of heaven all around us.

If you want to experience an immediate part of heaven right here on earth, just go inside of a church. Why should we wait to die to experience heaven, let us look around and see parts of heaven right here on earth and work to complete God's intended goal for us of a heaven on earth.

I also believe that heaven is like a place of total peace. There is no more constant nonsense from Bush and his cabal. We are in total peace without the entire cabal. That would be heavenly.

Robertson's a nut case, but he's unfortunately a powerful nut case. If you want to let him know how you feel, go to: http://www.cbn.com/contact/feedback-700club.asp His antics are reported around the world and shame us every time he opens his mouth. But this one is particularly vile...

My name is Corky. I have no problem admitting I am an idiot. I care not for facts. I am an ignorant blow hard, spewing ridiculous crap every time I open my mouth. I am, just plain F**king Stupid. I am also a cowardly pathetic looser.

Just one more thing. I have a very tiny penis.

There,
you know everything worth knowing about me.

Corky,

Since you tried the truth thing, I will finally give it a try too. Bare ... with me, I have never tried being truthful before.

Here goes, I have given two blow-jobs to each capt, James Ha and one blow-job to Corky. Only one to Corky, because he is so small, it was like sucking on a tooth pick. None of the guys has returned the favor yet, however, capt did want me to do him from behind. I am working up the courage.

I feel better now, getting that off my chin.

Hajji

to #8 Kathleen, you are an idiot. The Jews' historical roots in Israel are stronger than any other people's connections to their land. Also, the Israelis were (and still are) willing to compromise and share the land but it is the Palestinian and their apologists who will be satisfied only when there are no Jews in Israel. Finally, the moral comparison you make between Israeli settlers and Palestinians is vile. The Israeli settlers don't have a policy of murdering Palestinian children or blowing themselves up. How could you honestly compare that? And why do the Palestinians deserve a state more than the Kurds or Armenians? ItÔøΩs not like they have a unique identity separating them from the other Arabs in the Middle East. You are brainwashed so wake up.

Mike, WHO is brainwashed? You have just regurgitated the biggest lie on the planet. Most of the Jews left Palestine over many decades and spent most of their time wandering around Europe making enemies everywhere they settled. They inter-married with Europeans which diluted their semite bloodlines. The Palestinians who remained are the true semites in the region. The state of Israel is the interloper and has been practicing genocide ever since they set foot back in that desert. Instead of repeating the Israel firsters line, how about doing a little research first? Do you tell yourself this same BS about the fate of the American Indians?

#37 #38

Whoa! You both make claims -- and accusations -- that are not backed with historical fact, but are steeped with bias.

So much hostility, so little time.

No long diatribes, must keep comments brief. How 'bout the Thursday night funnies.

=====+=====

I still love the way this guy makes Chimpy look like that Paddington Bear critter.

Chimpy wants to set the tone for the national debate on Scientological learning. At least he's trying to explain his position from planet Dipshit.

Giving-up-my-Liberty Dad doesn't realize what he's doing to our International reputation. Maybe he could see it if he looked in the mirror.

Kanye West was right, George Bush doesn't care about Black people in 2006 either. With the help of his handy dandy NYResolution list, Chimpy's going to do what he always does when the going gets tough: Absolutely nothing.

While Spygate may be dragging Chimpy's poll numbers to Nixonian levels, Republicans have decided to cope like all cowards do: cut and run‚Ñ¢.

Cracker Jack seems to be a Republican favorite; but never, ever turn your back on them when the cookie jar is within reach.

On the plus side, they have tried to revive their image as the "Party of Lincoln." As with all of their other efforts, they have not met with success.

Remember when the Reds took over the Hill and George Will said that we could all sleep better at night knowing that the "Adults" were now in power? Turns out he was wrong. (That one is really, really pathetic)

And if President Cheney let his Secret Energy Taskforce make the rules, no one will sleep safer.

And when your opponent is sinking, hand him an anvil. Thanks BoBo.

# 38 Mike you are in denial..you need to read more historical facts not fiction.

I have witnessed radical zionist demonstrate extreme hate far more often than Palestinians. I have witnessed radical zionist get violent when the truth about Israel's ruthless beginnings and the kiling and displacement of Palestinians. I have witnessed radical Zionist call people who were attending a conference on the Palestinian /Israeli conflict murderers.

The truth hurts. You need to read more ... start by reading about the history of the Zionist.

If Israel and the U.s. do not deal with this conflict in a fair and balanced way..the cycle of violence will continue.

If Israel continues to refuse to sign the NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY, sale military technology to China. If Israel to refuse to abide by Un resolution 242 (Israel has more violations at the UN than any other nation).

If Israel and the U.s. continue to refuse to deal with the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in a fair and balanced way..the cycle of violence will continue. That is the TRUTH.

I have often been surprised by Pres. Bush's words in regard to Israel. He has come out and completely supported a Palestinian state and has let Israel know that he is against the continued expansion of illegal settlements.

I often like the diatribes of the folks who post here more than David Corns DIATRIBES.

Some folks do as much research as the journalist.

chad 23,

I believe you are right about the information that may have been gathered on people called and the people calling. One can only imagine what a corupt bunch like John Kerry, Jamie Rubin and Wesley Clark would do if they knew their crimes, lies and scams were about to be released.

Pres. Bush's words in regard to Israel. He has come out and completely supported a Palestinian state and has let Israel know that he is against the continued expansion of illegal settlements.

and yet they continue to grab more land and they continue to receive financial aid from the U.S.- of all the countries that receive aid from the U.S., Israel is the only one not required to pay it back.
I believe that saladin#39 is correct in her statement.

so. abramoffgate? ha. john Q's mind will scurry around like a hamster forgetting all about the previous outrage of wiretapgate, which caused poor old john Q to forget about torturegate, and before that whitephosphorousgate, and so on and so on. remember gannongate? "what an outrage!" ha. one outrage after another all the way back to the crime of the century 911, which is STILL being ignored by the mcMedia to this day.

someone sed last month - "we have short attention spans" - surely, we do.

We subsidize the country that spends more per capita on their military than any other country on the planet. We are not just occupiers we are occupier enablers.

capt

I had a similar thought, but really, if God is smacking people down according to whether they do what he pleases or not, explain this:

Why is it that every member of the hair band Poison is alive, and yet Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Jimi Hendrix are all dead?

maybe they've been lifted up rather than smacked down

"When the President starts lying he begins to need evidence to back up his lies because in this democracy he is questioned on his statements. It then percolates down through the bureaucracy that you are helping the Boss if you come up with evidence that is supportive of our public position and you are distinctly unhelpful if you commit to paper statements that might leak to the wrong people.

The effect of that is to poison the flow of information to the President himself and to create a situation where a President can be almost, to use a metaphor, psychotically divorced from the realities in which he is acting...." : Daniel Ellsburg to the US Senate on Foreign Relations, May 13, 1970

=
"The only foes that threaten America are the enemies at home, and these are ignorance, superstition and incompetence." : Elbert Hubbard (American editor, publisher and writer, 1856-1915)

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"Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America." : Dwight David Eisenhower (American 34th President (1953-61). 1890-1969)

=
"America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense, it is the other way around. Human rights invented America." : Jimmy Carter (American 39th US President (1977-81). Nobel Prize for Peace in 2002. b.1924)

===
Thanks ICH Newsletter!

The Quiet Death Of Freedom

01/05/06 "ICH" -- -- On Christmas Eve, I dropped in on Brian Haw, whose hunched, pacing figure was just visible through the freezing fog. For four and a half years, Brian has camped in Parliament Square with a graphic display of photographs that show the terror and suffering imposed on Iraqi children by British policies. The effectiveness of his action was demonstrated last April when the Blair government banned any expression of opposition within a kilometre of Parliament. The High Court subsequently ruled that, because his presence preceded the ban, Brian was an exception.

Day after day, night after night, season upon season, he remains a beacon, illuminating the great crime of Iraq and the cowardice of the House of Commons. As we talked, two women brought him a Christmas meal and mulled wine. They thanked him, shook his hand and hurried on. He had never seen them before. "That's typical of the public," he said. A man in a pin-striped suit and tie emerged from the fog, carrying a small wreath. ""I intend to place this at the Cenotaph and read out the names of the dead in Iraq," he said to Brian, who cautioned him: "You'll spend the night in cells, mate." We watched him stride off and lay his wreath. His head bowed, he appeared to be whispering. Thirty years ago, I watched dissidents do something similar outside the walls of the Kremlin.

As night had covered him, he was lucky. On 7 December, Maya Evans, a vegan chef aged 25, was convicted of breaching the new Serious Organised Crime and Police Act by reading aloud at the Cenotaph the names of 97 British soldiers killed in Iraq. So serious was her crime that it required 14 policemen in two vans to arrest her. She was fined and given a criminal record for the rest of her life.

*****end of clip*****

So sad.

capt

The only New Year that counts is the one where you wake up and change your life because otherwise the Ferris wheel is just going to go round again and you’ll just be a year older; a year stupider, a year disappearing into a waistline widening as you go on with the vain hopes you never took the trouble, nor had the faith or courage to manifest; just wishing in one hand and shitting in the other.

you keep believing Gerald!

What do you suppose a pack of criminals has to do when their backs are against the wall? What did they do before? What have they been doing? What do you think they might do? What do you suppose you have to do with the attention when the attention is all over you? When you’re a criminal caught in the headlights you have got a few options. Even if they carry you away, you got a few options. Rats never stop thinking about how to get away and you got to remember… they’re rats.

It should be a very interesting year. I hope you have a good one. I sincerely hope you wake up. It’s always dangerous when you don’t pay attention.

Parties not running from scandal
Both Democrats and Republicans are dealing with the controversy by embracing it

WASHINGTON - In a rush to turn adversity into political advantage, both major parties are hashing out strategies to limit damage from the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal — largely by embracing it.

Because more Republicans, including Rep. Tom DeLay of Sugar Land, are linked to the disgraced former dealmaker, they should take the lead in reforming the lobbying system, GOP consultants and independent analysts said Thursday.

"Republicans have to demonstrate that they are taking this scandal seriously, that they have learned from it and are reforming the system on their own," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
===============
They still get the "they did it too" excuse in there.

The headline of your post is somewhat misleading. Robertson is not a Fundamentalist. He is a Charismatic.

Man Executed in 1992 to Have DNA Test

RICHMOND, Va. Jan 5, 2006 — Gov. Mark R. Warner on Thursday ordered DNA evidence retested to determine whether a man convicted of rape and murder was innocent when he was executed in 1992.

If the testing shows Roger Keith Coleman did not rape and kill his sister-in-law in 1981, it will be the first time in the United States a person has been exonerated by scientific testing after his execution, according to death penalty opponents.
---
---
Coleman's attorneys argued that he did not have time to commit the crime, that tests showed semen from two men was found inside McCoy and that another man bragged about murdering her. Coleman was executed on May 20, 1992.
=====================
This'll be big if it exonerates him.

some more about DNA tests in here...

DNA tests could have national implications

Lynn Swann, Hall of Famer, is running for governor of Pennsylvania as a Republican. ugh!
Reminds me of a story from Charles Barkley. He said is grandma was getting on to him about being a republican now and 'losing his roots'. Said he told her "But grandma, I'm rich now and make alotta money, I have to be a Republican!"

Voices From History Echo Anew
Former Cabinet Officers Offer Advice on Iraq to Commander in Chief

By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 6, 2006; Page A15

President Bush summoned most of the living former secretaries of state and defense to the White House yesterday for what participants described as a cordial but pointed discussion about the future of Iraq.

The bipartisan advice-seeking was virtually unprecedented for this White House, which has drawn criticism even from Republicans for being insular in its deliberations and dismissive of dissenters.
=====================
I'm guessing they berated his azz, and that's why we didn't hear a fkn thing about this while it was happening... least I didn't!

What's up with all the bitching?
Everything is great.
The economy is great, Jobs are up, more people own their homes, gas is way lower than it should be, no more terrorist attacks at home, American soldiers are killing way more terrorists than terrorist killing American soldiers, so the war against terror is going great.

President Bush not only saved saved us from the Clinton recession, he saved our lives.

Life couldn't get much better, and yet you bitch.
What a herd of whining, bitching f--ken assholes you cornholes are.

China signals reserves switch away from dollar

By Geoff Dyer in Shanghai
Andrew Balls in Washington
January 5 2006

China indicated on Thursday it could begin to diversify its rapidly growing foreign exchange reserves away from the US dollar and government bonds –†a potential shift with significant implications for global financial and commodity markets.

Economists estimate that more that 70 per cent of the reserves are invested in US dollar assets, which has helped to sustain the recent large US deficits. If China were to stop acquiring such a large proportion of dollars with its reserves –†currently accumulating at about $15bn (€±2.4bn) a month –†it could put heavy downward pressure on the greenback.

"It is a subtle but clear signal that they are interested in moving away from the US dollar into other currencies, and are interested in setting up some kind of strategic commodity fund, maybe just for oil, but maybe for other commodities," he said.

*****end of clip*****

You wonder if this will hurt? Watch out. Just the pressure will bring $100 per barrel oil.

capt

Spying on Unfriendly Journalists

May 10, 2005

The inquisition side of NSA is the one that Hayden and his advisers do not want the public to see. In fact, NSA maintains a database that tracks unofficial and negative articles written about the agency. Code named "FIRSTFRUITS," the database is operated by the Denial and Deception (D&D) unit within SID. High priority is given to articles written as a result of possible leaks from cleared personnel.

According to those familiar with FIRSTFRUITS, Bill Gertz of The Washington Times features prominently in the database. Before Hayden's reign and during the Clinton administration, Gertz was often leaked classified documents by anti-Clinton intelligence officials in an attempt to demonstrate that collusion between the administration and China was hurting U.S. national security. NSA, perhaps legitimately, was concerned that China could actually benefit from such disclosures.

*****end of clip*****

I think WMR was the first to break the journalist tapping.

capt

Prosperity in George Bush's Economy

Why are folks so pessimistic about our boom-boom American economy? Because for most of us, it's painful to live in.

Consider these numbers from the Economic Policy Institute -- a left-leaning think-tank (this essay leans heavily on EPI's excellent research):

Salaries are still below where they were at the start of the recovery in November 2001. That, while productivity -- the growth of the economic pie -- is up by almost 15 percent. Meaning we're working harder, producing more, for the same money as five years ago.

Since the recession ended in 2001, 50 percent more of the growth in corporate income was sucked up as profits than after past recessions. That's left less for those of us who work for a living.

As a result, median household income has now fallen for five years in a row. It was 4 percent, or $2,000, lower in 2004 than it was in 1999.

That last figure means that Joe and Jane Average American -- the household smack in the middle of the booming go-go American economy -- have gotten a pay cut for five years in a row. Small wonder they're sporting long faces.

And that hasn't occurred in a bubble; health care costs for that same family (with kids) rose over 40 percent -- yeah, 40 percent --between 2000 and 2003.

*****end of clip*****

Just wait until the price of oil goes to $100. It is a financial debacle never seen before.

The economy is so well the Chinese are dumping the dollar. Many will follow that lead.

capt

How Did the U.S. Government Annihilate $1 Trillion of American Wealth?

What needs to be understood, emphasized, and underscored, what needs to be seen as clearly as possible, are the reality and the mind-boggling size of the wealth destruction that our leaders have caused Americans to bear. It is not believable that most Americans, presented with a choice between spending one trillion dollars or achieving the current status in Iraq, would have chosen to spend that sum. One trillion dollars is 100 million $10,000 bills. It is not believable that 100,000,000 families would have willingly given up $10,000 each for the results so far achieved by the Iraq War. I wonder if 10 million or even 1 million families would have given up half that amount.

Where does this $1 trillion figure come from, and how can we be sure that it is accurate? The answers involve new but straightforward ideas and applications of finance.

Leigh, Wolfers and Zitzewitz (LWZ) made their wealth destruction estimates by using a then-existing Saddam Security futures contract trading at TradeSports.com. These securities, which traded between 18,000–≥1,000 contracts a month, were contingent upon the ouster of Saddam by future dates. This was a market in the prediction that Saddam would be removed from office. In other words, the contract traded in the prediction of another Iraq War.

*****end of clip*****

I know where they can find some of the trillion - in the pockets of members of this misadministration and their military-industrial defense contractors and cronies.

capt

November job creation set at 108,000

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The number of U.S. jobs created in December was 108,000, far less than expected, but the unemployment rate dropped to 4.9 percent, the Labor Department said.

The national unemployment rate dropped from 5.0 percent to 4.9 percent, the department said

"Over the month, employment increased in manufacturing, food services, professional and business services, and healthcare," the department said in a statement.

Manufacturing added 18,000 jobs over the month. There were noteworthy gains in wood products and in computer and electronic products. The factory workweek declined by 0.1 hour to 40.7 hours, and overtime was unchanged at 4.5 hours.

Economists had expected an increase of at least 200,000 jobs and the economy delivered about half that. The department, however, revised its November payroll figures to 305,000 new jobs created. That figure was 90,000 higher than the preliminary November number issued a month ago and marked the best hiring month since April 2004, the Labor Department said.

*****end of clip*****

Average monthly job growth? Still a negative number and as the months roll on seemingly impossible for Crusader Bunnypants to achieve a positive number.

Rove colored glasses cannot make negatives into positives.

capt

Faith in God is a good thing for those who live their lives by a code (except of course by those who act in ways harmful to others.) The point is, their faith gives them guidance on how to treat others.

The Faithful who believe they have insight to recognize the motives behind God's "actions" are full of shit. "God did this to punish blaa blaa..." I.E. God hates Tom Delay and Jack Abromoff because he had them indicted.

President Bush not only saved saved us from the Clinton recession, he saved our lives.

Delusional.

Capt shrub doesn't need to achieve those numbers he just has to say he achieved those numbers. See it is all in the smoke and mirror category, like the we are safer and progress in Iraq. Deny reality and substitute feel good rhetoric. Works for those asshats.

#52 James Ha, when I believe in God, I know that He gives to me 100% of His love. When I believe in my government, I will receive maybe 10% of my government's love for me. We cannot fail with God on our team.

Ok you night owls hear this:** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ** ABIOTIC OIL vs. PEAK OIL: THE DEBATE IS ON The much anticipated debate between Michael C. Ruppert and Jerome Corsi, Ph.D. will take place live on George Noory's Coast to Coast AM, January 12th from 11 PM to 2 AM Pacific Standard time. Ruppert is the publisher and editor of the newsletter From The Wilderness, www.fromthewilderness.com, and author of the landmark Crossing The Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil. Corsi is a frequent contributor to WorldNetDaily, and is also the co-author of both Unfit for Command and Black Gold Stranglehold. The two will debate this critical issue on one of America's favorite late night radio talk shows next Thursday evening. Check you local AM stations or XM#165.

micki, 39, excuse me? I have no bias in the matter you accuse me of, and I have plenty of evidence based on historical facts. Have you known me to practice the habbit of making statements that cannot be backed up? Everyone makes mistakes, but I try very hard to get my facts straight. I do not just jump on the bandwagon that sounds good to me! I will be happy to provide you with all the facts you want, if you are really interested.
Kathleen 41, The worst thing the Zionists do is to hide behind the entire Jewish population, using the holocaust, a story which itself is full of lies and is forbidden to investigate upon threat of inprisonment, to commit atrocities against the Palestinians. The Jewish people and the Zionists are two different creatures. I visit the Jews against Zionism website often, they are kind and compassionate people who want no part of the zionist movement and condemn it wholeheartedly. It is this zionist behavior that causes the backlash againgt all the Jewish people. Also, you cannot trust anything bush says about any subject. There is always an ulterior motive.
WTF, even if those numbers were correct, I don't count service sector jobs because they don't PRODUCE anything that we can sell to offset the trade deficit. They are even importing nurses from the Philippines for God's sake! When my husband was in the hospital fully half of the staff were foreign. Don't any Americans want to work at hospitals anymore, or is it that the imports work cheaper?

Any body that has not seen the new DNC video can find it here you need Quicktime to view it.

Capt,
After reading your posts all I can say is "Now I'm mad."

Really mad. And I knew it was bad. Think of the people who have been sticking their heads in the sand. Jeeezz.

Sal, #39 was not micki, I believe it was the troll grabbing our ID's and posting shyt. Micki has more sense than that.

OK anyone willing to take bets on how long it will be before Abramoff is "Suicided", I give him 2 weeks max.

Capt 65,

It is important to remember that those jobs numbers are actually below what is needed to keep up with the population.

Also, the unemployment figures only count the people recently out of work. People out for more than 2 months (or is is 4?) are not included anymore. Also, this is just the number of people who are getting unemployment benefits. It doesn't include people just out of school who cannot find a job.

DEN, that didn't sound like the idiot troll who's been doing that, but if you are right I apologize to micki.

Sal, only micki knows for sure but the troll posted as me, hajji and Gerald. Juvenile at best.

Falwell Confirms Lewinsky
Affair Linked To
Israeli Lobby Intrigue

By Michael Collins Piper
1-6-6

Television evangelist Jerry Falwell couldn't resist bragging and finally admitting the truth: he and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu did conspire-at a critical time-to trip up President Bill Clinton and specifically use the pressure of the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal to force Clinton to abandon pressure on Israel to withdraw from the occupied West Bank.

Regarding Falwell's recounting of how he worked with Netanyahu in undermining Clinton's pressure on Israel, Vanity Fair reported:

On a visit to Washington, D.C. in 1998, Netanyahu hooked up with Jerry Falwell at the Mayflower Hotel the night before [Netanyahu's] scheduled meeting with Clinton. "I put together 1,000 people or so to meet with Bibi [Netanyahu] and he spoke to us that night," recalls Falwell. "It was all planned by Netanyahu as an affront to Mr. Clinton." . . . The next day, Netanyahu met with Clinton at the White House. "Bibi told me later," Falwell recalls, "that the next morning Bill Clinton said, 'I know where you were last night." The pressure was really on Netanyahu to give away the farm in Israel. It was during the Monica Lewinsky scandal . . . . Clinton had to save himself, so he terminated the demands [to relinquish West Bank territory] that would have been forthcoming during that meeting, and would have been very bad for Israel." (END OF VANITY FAIR EXCERPT)

What Falwell did not mention-at least as reported by Vanity Fair-is that his meeting with the Israeli leader took place on the very evening before the mass media in America broke open the Monica Lewinsky scandal with much fanfare. Nor did Falwell mention-as this author pointed out at the time- was that one of Netanyahu's leading American media publicists, neo-conservative power broker, William Kristol, the first American media figure to publicly hint (in the days before the scandal was officially unveiled) that there were forthcoming revelations regarding a White House sex scandal that was about to be unleashed.
------------
You DON'T mess with Israel. Remember what happened to Kennedy right after he refused to go along with Israel's plans to aquire nuclear weapons? That, plus his intention to cut the central bankers, AKA The Federal Reserve, out of the money maker loop by forcing the US to resume minting it's own coin and returning to the gold/silver standard, as required by the constitution, sealed his fate.

DEN, the trolls stand out like a sore thumb! I know within the first line and scroll right past! That is an old tactic anyway, I guess they have run out of original ideas!

"So God visited a stroke upon Sharon because God is opposed to the Middle East peace process?"

This comment carries the implication that Sharon's approach was the only approach to reaching a lasting peace in the region. I'm defending neither Robertson nor his boneheaded comment, but it is thsi sort of white/black nonsense from supposed open minded people that has always turned me off of the "liberal" message.

Remainder of excert from above.

In addition, this author pointed out that at least six days before the first news of the Lewinsky scandal began breaking in the media at midnight on Tuesday, January 20, 1998, an advertisement appeared in the January 15 edition of the distinguished Washington Jewish Week newspaper accusing President Clinton of having "turned his back on Israel."

What made the advertisement so striking was that it used a rear view of President Clinton (first captured on video in 1996) that had never been published but which, in the wake of the Lewinsky scandal, became very familiar. It was a view of the president, his back to the camera, clearly taken from the video in which he was seen hugging the soon-to-be infamous Miss Lewinsky when she was in a receiving line at the White House some two years before. This was an image that Miss Lewinsky had bragged about among her associates prior to the time that the scandal broke. So clearly, Clinton's critics among the hard-line pro-Netanyahu forces in the United States-who sponsored the advertisement in question-were already tuned in to the fact of the Lewinsky-Clinton liaison and of the fact that it was soon to be unleashed against the president to undermine him.

This author can now reveal, for the first time, that two figures at the very highest level of the Clinton White House were personally given copies of The Spotlight's articles regarding these matters and that, at the time, they quietly acknowledged that the articles were "probably right."

The fact that Jerry Falwell's acknowledgment of how the Lewinsky affair was used as a club against Clinton-in tandem with "Bibi" Netanyahu's appearance at the White House, following the meeting with Falwell-was published in Vanity Fair is interesting in and of itself. That magazine is owned by the far-flung publishing empire of the billionaire Newhouse brothers ("Si" and Donald) whom Forbes dubbed the 25th richest family in America and who are known to be generous contributors to the Anti-Defamation League and other elements of the pro-Israel lobby. --
---------
Falwell, a Christian? These people are as foul and vile as they come.

Time for mommy to hide the booze? Hiccup! Urp!.

I was thinking about the NSA this morning. Think of the career people at NSA who have been trying to do a fairly honest job for their country. They always thought they worked for the people. Now they work for Bush and his administration.

Think about working on something and realizing that what you are doing is illegal and you are ordered to continue. Then think about knowing that you could go to prison for what you are doing. And then think about realizing that your president and his administration are ordering certain activities to be done and if you end up in trouble...they don't care. They will sell you down the river for their own needs.

And then you remember that the POW camps in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Cuba were ordered to do things that were against the Geneva Conventions and some soldiers went to jail. And the Bush administration to this day demands the right to torture.

And think of the rendition policy and the fact that there are people within the CIA that may end up in prison for committing crimes while working for the CIA. They were doing what was ordered. Where are Cheney and Bush when they need help?

Bush and his administration demand the right to spy on Americans even though it is illegal. And they won't go to jail you will. Think about that.

#60
...jobs are up...

what jobs are up exactly? fast food workers? great. look at the manufacturing industry- dwindling. auto industry - dwindling. aircraft industry - dwindling. oh, you know which jobs ARE up? the construction industry and the tree trimmer industries, except in those fields americans are being replaced with illegal immigrant workers who are willing to work for less -
where did you get your info that jobs are up? because I don't think that they are.

#75
It doesn't matter. I have to believe the prosecution has recorded everything he is saying. The damage he could do to people has been done. I'm sure he's even dotted the i's and crossed the t's for them. Everything is tied up with a neat little bow. Evidence made pretty.

I meant #76

Drunken poster screwed up the link, try this Hic!

Oh damn...nevermind.

Jeanne, what bothers me more than the govt. spying is the attitude exibited by intelligent, middle class people like the friends I described the other day, that it is perfectly OK by them! Remember 25 years ago when it was the Communist threat we were under? There was nothing worse than the thought of Communist Russia spying on it's citizens and arresting people to throw in jail without charges or trial, forever. "Oh, that could NEVER happen here" everyone thought! 9/11 sure has been a great tool, all around.

DEN, #78

"It is not the SODOMY,
It is the HYPOCRISY
That GETS to me!

Jesus didn't have much to say about sodomy,
but he SURE had a lot to say about HYPOCRITES!"

-Ron Shock, regarding the downfall of Jim and Tammy Baker's PTL club and religeous themepark.

Bugger the Trolls!

-T

American Soldiers

More American soldiers are killed in the Middle East.

2,453 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan for Bush's evil lies.

American Soldiers

More American soldiers are killed in the Middle East.

2,453 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan for Bush's evil lies.

Saladin,
I remember you posting about the price of beer going up. I think they always kept the price of Vodka down in the Soviet Union. That made for a healthy nation.

Jeanne, if the price of beer ever goes over $8.00 a six pack, I know that sounds pricey, but you get what you pay for, I am able to make my own! It's fun and cheap.

Look James, I found all the New Job Opportunities
In America!

And you won't need a college education!

Saldin,

With the "Buck Fush" and "Impeach Now!" stickers on the Jeep, I continuously invite commentary from the masses.

When I point out the change in their own (blind) support for the war in Iraq, the socio-economic policies that are driving them further and further into debt and threatening their own healthcare, as well as their jobs IN the healthcare profession, all I get is "Well, it's just disrespectful..."

And then we discuss the increase in food, fuel, rents and just about every other price increase, (except for beer, of course) invasion of privacy, erosion of civil liberties. "Well, that's the cost of security."

Members of my family, just across the river from Ohio, (Brother's Chemo and Radiation in WV, cutting off the extreme tip of Ohio is quickest) were taken aback when I asked them if they had all their ID and that they'd BETTER, since they're trying to pass a law that anyone must show ID when approached by Law Enforcement, for ANY reason. (Papers, please!)

Even Lindsey Graham (repug, SC) has spoken of the changing attitudes of his constituents from "the most patriot state I know..." toward the foibles of Bushco.

Question is...will he or any other member of congress put such words into holding Bunnypants accountable for their actions and/or inactions?

My guess is that they'll do whatever their handlers tell them is most likely to get them re-elected without strangling the influx of corporate (bribes) "contributions".

-T

#78 DEN, if they can't defeat us, they join us in name only but not a loving heart that loves all of God's children.

From: Antiwar.com

Libby, Franklin, the OSP and Sibel Edmonds - What's It All About?

`DeLay Inc.' Lobbying Firm Has Links to Three Capital Scandals

Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Representative Tom DeLay's campaign to get Republicans to dominate Washington lobbying may have worked too well for Alexander Strategy Group.

The firm has links to no fewer than three of the scandals convulsing the U.S. capital. One partner, former DeLay aide Tony Rudy, is now a focus of a federal investigation of lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The group's founder, former DeLay chief of staff Ed Buckham, set up a South Korea junket for his old boss that violated ethics rules. And the firm represents a company whose owner, prosecutors allege, bribed former Representative Randy Cunningham.

Alexander Strategy's links to lawmakers are an outgrowth of a decade-long effort by DeLay, 58, to force lobbying firms to hire more Republicans, who can direct corporate money to the party. The system, known as ``DeLay Inc.'' or ``the K Street Project,'' has fueled a surge of money in politics, and critics say it has also created the potential for greater corruption.

``Alexander Strategy Group is really part of DeLay Inc. and Abramoff Inc.,'' said Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor who now heads Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, an ethics watchdog group. ``There have been some aggressive prosecutors trying to unravel those ties. I am sure that Alexander Strategy is going to have more than Tony Rudy as a problem when this is over.''
-----------------------
Al Capone went down so will DeLay.

Congress asks Whitehouse Straight out

Whitehouse, no doubt considers it "Rhetorical"

__________________

In light of recent disclosures by NBC that CNN Reporter Christiane Amanpour's telephone calls may have been intercepted by the Bush Administration -- a fact caught by AmericaBLOG's John Aravosis. The Democrats asked for information regarding whether any reporters or other members of the media have had phone calls intercepted under the NSA program.

The congressmembers also asked the President to propose statutory language that would specifically authorize the program so that it could be considered as part of a possible extension of the USA PATRIOT Act scheduled to sunset Feb. 3.

-Raw Story
___________________

Absolute Despotism

antiwar.com for January 6, 2006 has several great articles in the Highlights and News sections.

Katrina vanden Heuvel

I am honestly impressed by you Regulars' passion on politics; however misguided I think you are on most, but not all, issues.

This being a politcial Blog, I've come to accept your preachings, mostly to each other, as outlets for your passions & for ?entertainment? However, when I see comments on economic matters, the urge to jump in and `shock and awe' you just kills me but...I need to exercise will power and just Let it Be. As this is the start of 2006, with my own Predictions on the line, I do want to interject some general observations:

The economy is clearly doing well OVERALL and no amount of spin can change that. When you even `jump' on this `battle', perhpas the least worthy of a 100, you lose and further discredit the Left.

The stock market is up a bunch in just 4 traading days. I spend at least an hour a day and prepare my investments accordingly. What could you do by spending an hour, or even a half-hour, per day on studying up on investments? Most of you know next to nothing; remember what I declared as to Zero potential to learn Economics? The incremental return you would get would be phenominal.

James Ha: Your logics on economics is below Zero! The only thing you got right is the Quiz but did you act on it? Being 27% invested in the Energy sector, I am already up by 4~5% for 2006 due to overall rising market and an even better rise in Energy.

Please don't attack anything I say. I mean all of you well personally (not politically) and I am, like you, a little pissed off at some of the Right that abuses David's hospitality.

Jack booted thugs snooping in your mailbox? Oh yea, govt. paranoia is getting worse. Everywhere

From that liberal bastion Free Market News

Go-go GDP

It's not just that the growth in GDP over the past four years has been skewed towards investors -- it has -- it's that much of it is a chimera. Defense spending, consumer spending -- financed largely by debt -- and rising home values have been the growth engines for the current recovery. Author James Howard Kunstler estimates that from "2001 through 2005, consumer spending and residential construction had together accounted for 90 percent of the total growth in GDP."

That growth hasn't been free and isn't sustainable. U.S. household debt, adjusted for inflation, rose by more than a third over the last four years. Mortgage and consumer debt equals 115 percent of after-tax income, and the amount American families spend paying off those debts is at an all-time high of almost 14 percent of their paychecks. In other words Americans are all paying a hefty monthly debt tax to banks and creditors on top of what we already pay the government.

Wealth, wealth everywhere

The National Review's Jerry Bowyer blames the "mainstream media" for "obsessing over the level of debt of the average American family, which they only look at in a vacuum, [and] completely ignoring the growth of family net worth." If they were honest, he argues, they'd have to acknowledge "the highest level of household wealth in our nation's history."

But much of that newfound wealth is in our homes, and all signs point to a bubble in the sky-high housing market (although it varies widely by region). According to the Center for Economic Policy Research [PDF] -- a progressive think tank -- the current market "has created more than $5 trillion in bubble wealth, the equivalent of $70,000 per average family of four." Housing prices are way above their historic pattern when you look at demand, population and earnings. What's more, the price for home sales has been way out of step with the rental market -- something one wouldn't expect to see if the high prices were based on economic fundamentals. The estate might be real, but its value isn't.

Unemployment

The headline is that the unemployment rate is low and holding steady at around 5 percent. But it's a tricky statistic: people who give up trying to find a job aren't counted, nor are people who are underemployed. Private sector jobs have increased by only about 1 percent since the start of the current economic recovery. Four years into previous recoveries, private sector job growth had averaged almost 9 percent and it's never been less than 6 percent. According to EPI, "The percent of the population that has a job has never recovered since the recession and is still 1.3 percent lower than in March 2001."

The data tell the tale. While one can spin all day long according to his or her worldview and offer up grand theories about Americans' pessimism, the truth is that for about eight out of 10 people on American payrolls, the economy sucks.

Add in high fuel costs and large, highly visible rounds of layoffs in some of America's leading firms, especially in the auto industry. Then consider the latest tactic sweeping across corporate America: using bankruptcy to "seek relief" from pension and health care obligations. As the Wall Street Journal reported:

Whether an assembly-line worker or middle manager, an employee can no longer assume that promises made earlier -- health benefits or fully funded pensions -- will be there when he or she retires. The loss of security arising from Chapter 11 reorganizations has introduced a new element of anxiety into the lives of baby boomers who are approaching 60, not to mention younger workers just starting out in their careers.

That's just part of a growing trend. Of course, last year's bankruptcy reform bill will prevent most working families from enjoying similar "relief."

None of these issues are of any concern to people earning a couple of hundred grand to discuss the economy on Fox or MSNBC. Contra the right's liberal media conspiracy theories, the major media from across the spectrum are reporting the good news about America's booming economy with zeal.
----------
Happy, you are obviously one of those people who can't see the forest for the trees! Most of the growth and wealth they rave about is nothing but false credit illusion. But bushbots are completely oblivious to that fact. Let's not screw up the fantasy with reality! I assume you consider yourself a conservative republican, if that is the case I advise you to read articles by true conservatives like Richard Daughty of 321 Gold. He will set you straight, if that is even remotely possible.

Al Jazeera Asks Questions About Israeli Intelligence Ties To 911

a number of intelligence officials have raised questions about BIN LADEN's capabilities. "This guy sits in a cave in Afghanistan and he's running this operation?" one CIA official said at the time. "It's so huge. He couldn't have done it alone."

BIN LADEN himself denied any involvement in the attacks. The BBC published his denial in which he clearly stated: "I was not involved in the September 11 attacks in the United States nor did I have knowledge of the attacks. There exists a government within a government within the United States. The United States should try to trace the perpetrators of these attacks within itself..." (Most of us never heard that quote on our nightly newscast).

Happy wrote:

Most of you know next to nothing; remember what I declared as to Zero potential to learn Economics?

And exactly what are your qualifications? The fact that you spend "at least an hour per day" on your investments? (That in and of itself sounds like bullshit to me.) Does that make you Warren Buffet or something?

And the guy who made the phony admission was obviously NOT OBL!

Sal #107,

I would've done that myself, but I didn't think Happy was worth it. Good job.

happy:: James Ha: Your logics on economics is below Zero! The only thing you got right is the Quiz but did you act on it?

what the devil are you talking about? I never put forth any logics on economics . and while I'm happy for you that you're doing so well, I honestly don't care about your investments. I DID say something about jobs, to which Saladin posted a very good link located at #96

Don, I do not like it when total strangers draw conclusions about people they do not even know. He assumes that everyone posting here is a socialist liberal with no economic sense whatsoever. I would challenge his assertions any day of the week because I DO have knowledge of the economic climate and the hurricane on the horizon. But as that article pointed out, financially comfortable people have no clue what it is like out there for the everyday WalMart shopper. I would suggest he read the book "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich, but I know he never would. This lady put her money where her mouth is, she walked the walk, but the happy's of the world couldn't care less because all is rosy in their little world.

Jack Abramoff, Super Zionist

As usual, the corporate media is ignoring the larger picture, this time in regard to the criminal Jack Abramoff.

But, as the blogger Juan Cole, professor of History at the University of Michigan, tells it Abramoff represents something far more sinister and threatening: he is a super-Zionist, according to Mike Issikoff of Newsweek, and not only did he spread his illicitly gained money around the halls of Washington, but the illegally occupied territories of the West Bank as well.

Abramoff spokesman Andrew Blum told Issikoff that his boss is an especially strong supporter of Israel and has tried to find ways to help Israelis and others to be less susceptible to terrorist attacks. Of course, terrorist attacks is code for the Palestinians defending themselves (and retaliating) against the encroachment and violence of Jack's sociopathic friends who invade and shoot up Arab villages with Uzis (often courtesy of the Israel Defense or rather Occupation Forces) and shoot solar panels on roofs of buildings, torch automobiles, shatter windowpanes and windshields, destroy crops, uproot trees, abuse merchants and owners of stalls in the market, and other various forms of terrorist activity (see B'Tselem for more disgusting details).

It should be no secret to those who pay attention that extremely (and fanatically) strong supporters of Israel control the foreign policy of the United States government. Unfortunately, a whole lot of Americans don't pay attention.

Jack Abramoff, super Zionist, is emblematic of the indisputable fact that Jabontinsky Likudites have subverted our government, although the corporate media would have you believe all of this is simply a garden variety corruption scandal. Moreover, it should come as no surprise that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is able to steal American secrets and fork them over to Israel and this act of treason is essentially little more than a blip in the corporate media news cycle. As Juan Cole notes elsewhere, AIPAC has a virtual stranglehold over the government in the United States.
-----------
The love of money may be the root of all evil, but zionism represents the branches that produce such rotten fruit. Everywhere it raises it's ugly head, the innocent Jewish people are made to suffer. Zionists sacrificed their own people to the cause before, I have no doubt they are perfectly willing to do it again.

Happy-

spare us the ownership society tripe

From: Unknown News

Justice Dept asks court to abandon US system of justice
by Neil A. Lewis, The New York Times
Summary: The Department of Justice is seeking the immediate dismissal of over 180 cases filed by Guantanamo inmates, arguing that prisoners have no right to habeas corpus. That's the right to challenge one's imprisonment, one of the key foundations of our justice system since centuries before America was founded. A last-minute amendment to the anti-torture bill says that Guantanamo prisoners have no such rights.

Jan. 4, 2006

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 -- The Bush administration notified federal trial judges in Washington that it would soon ask them to dismiss all lawsuits brought by prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, challenging their detentions, Justice Department officials said Tuesday.

The action means that the administration is moving swiftly to take advantage of an amendment to the military bill that President Bush signed into law last Friday. The amendment strips federal courts from hearing habeas corpus petitions from Guantanamo detainees.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department sent notices to all the federal judges in Washington who have cases involving challenges brought by Guantanamo inmates, informing them of the new amendment. The officials said the department would file formal notices within several days asking the judges to dismiss more than 160 cases involving at least 300 detainees.

If the administration wins its argument it would mean an abrupt end to a wide effort by dozens of lawyers to use the right of habeas corpus in federal courts to challenge the imprisonment of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo as enemy combatants.
-----------
Will this set a precedent? Will habeas corpus then be eliminated for anyone who opposes the US Govt? bushco has threatened to prosecute the NY Times for revealing that American citizens are being illegally spied upon, while the illegal spying continues unchecked. Has our country been shanghaied and moved to Red China while I was asleep??

Lou Rawls dead at 72
CNN - 40 minutes ago
Lou Rawls sings the national anthem before Game 2 of the 2005 World Series in his Chicago hometown. (CNN) -- Lou Rawls, whose mellifluous baritone was featured on hits ranging from his own "You'll Never Find ...

Another RIP.

James, I just stumbled onto this article describing FBI actions against Urban Moving Sytems. I wonder what ever became of the info they collected. Did they know of these people and tried to capture evidence of their existance that would be incriminating, or were they honestly pursuing suspected terrorists? A very suspicious company UMS.

Sal #113,

...the happy's of the world couldn't care less because all is rosy in their little world.

More likely, his right palm is the only thing that's rosy.

Anyway, you're correct about the trolls in general on this blog. Very presumptuous little buggers.

Lew Rawls Rocked! He will be missed.

Absolute Despotism

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness –†That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government..."

~ The Declaration Of Independence

George Bush and his Party have asserted absolutely that they have total power granted by the Constitution to them to do whatever they decide is necessary to protect the American people. They have seized these totalitarian powers to spy massively upon the American people in total secrecy for totally secret reasons and in totally secret ways, to abrogate domestic laws and precedents and procedures to protect the rights of the American people, to abrogate Constitutionally legislated foreign treaties and agreements, to carry out massive kidnappings and transportations of citizens to foreign lands to be tortured and murdered in obvious violation of the laws of America under the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution, to carry out imperialist invasions and annihilations of foreign nations under the pretenses of Lies that they were threats to our existence, to carry out massive other war crimes of every conceivable form, to terrorize ("Shock and Awe") the world by veiled threats of nuclear attacks and conventional annihilations from the skies, to carry out a secret war against science to distort and eviscerate its findings and conclusions of fact, and to launch a Permanent World War Against undefined "terrorists" and "Evil Ones" which in turn is used in false justification of the overturning of the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and the laws and treaties of the American people in all of these and many other ways.

*****end of clip*****

Commander Codpiece will lose the "I am king of the world" argument if the premise is tested. The real question is: has it been too long? Did the character of America die when the Supreme Court decided Bush v. Gore? We have clearly lost our way but have we also lost our ways, our values, our heart and soul dedicated to peace and freedom?

capt

DEN, The 5 Israelis that were arrested filming the collapse of the WTC's were sent back to Israel, even though witnesses reported seeing them dancing and celebrating the event. The videos they took are now classified, the Govt. refuses to release them, just like the Pentagon videos. I wonder, is it possible that those guys actually caught on film the first plane that crashed into the WTC? And if so, is that why they are keeping the tapes classified? That would definitely prove that they had prior knowledge of the attack and were set up and ready to go. They admitted on Israeli television that they were there to film and document the event. The only answer we ever got was "information pertaining to the Israelis is classified." Typical response from a lying govt!

I would suggest he read the book "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich, but I know he never would.

that's a very good point, and it should be elaborated on - for him the economy IS good, so of course he will say "the economy is good", all the while either not aware that for many it is NOT good, or else not caring that for many it is not.
I have a friend who hates the mere thought of a welfare state; he thinks all social programs should be eliminated and people should either succeed or fail based on their own moxie. but, he is not afraid to come right out and say so.
I think that many 'haves' in the govt. don't care that people don't have enough to eat or a place to live or any meds, but they can't come right out and say "too bad", because it's all the 'have-nots' that are their constituents - they want all the poverty people to quietly go away but they are unwilling to admit it - thus, the endless political bickering about funding for social programs. it would be a simple matter to create many good jobs and feed everyone here in america, but the 'uber-haves' can't have that! because it goes against their grain to not squeeze every drop of everything for themselves while at the same time being afraid to admit it.

OH! we didn't mean to spy on her...it was inadvertent maybe

Did y'all catch where an unidentified senior U.S. intelligence official has assured CNN that Christiane Amanpour had never been "targeted" for eavesdropping, but he also said that if any of her calls had been recorded "inadvertently" the recordings would have been deleted because that is the "law."

Holy baloney! How can you "inadvertently" wiretap someone -- unless, of course, the wiretaps were meant for her husband, Jamie Rubin, and the bushspooks even screwed up THAT and "inadvertently" eavesdropped on Amanpour, too.

Carol's prediction of "doom" may be prescient.

Diplomacy stalled

In the protracted standoff between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear program, diplomacy appears to be heading down a dead-end, but it's not too late to reverse the situation.

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has declared his country's position on nuclear development non-negotiable, and this week Iran refused to attend a meeting in Vienna called by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for Tehran to explain its latest move - a plan to resume nuclear-fuel research next week.

There is a widespread belief that Iran is bent on building a nuclear arsenal, although it insists that its program is a peaceful one and

in line with its obligations as a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

*****end of clip*****

What if Iran is telling the truth? I think they (whomever the powers that be - are in Iran) might make that play. Imagine the support they could rally, worldwide.

You know that Busheney will trot out pictures of "dual-use" equipment and torture confessions out of "captured" scientists after an Am-Israeli invasion.

Will Busheney actually bring the WMD’≥ when they invade?

Will any other country actually believe the liars.

capt

Happy sez: I'm RICH biach! I got mo money, mo money! countin my money, countin money. Gonna go buy me a Hummer to carry my money, HA!

James, I do not like the idea of a welfare state either, but neither do I like the overt hindrance tactics they use to PREVENT people from the ability to make it by their own moxie. Whenever I hear people make the claim that this is capitalism, like it or not, it makes me want to gag! Capitalism is fine when it is fairly supported and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. The facist style corporatism that is the reality in this country guarantees that only those with money will continue to make money. The rest will slave away and die with nothing, and their children will do the same.

All I have to say about this wire tapping thing is, I certainly do not want to know if Al Qaeda has sympathizers here in America helping plan out attacks. If there are Al Qaeda sympathizers here talking to Terrorist in the Middle East planning attacks, I think we should not listen in. We should respect their privacy and we should supply them with lawyers, and give them every chance to blow us up and get away with it. How dare America spy on our enemies and try to stop them from killing us. I would rather die a horrible death than ever let George Bush be right about anything, even when he is in the right. We should give the terrorists plenty of privacy and time to kill Americans, so after thousands more Americans are dead, we can blame Bush for not listening in.

Call Senator Feinstein Today
Ask Her to Vote 'NO' on Alito She's on the Judiciary Committee.

Please call Senator Feinstein today and ask her to vote 'NO' on Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court. The Senate Judiciary Committee begins confirmation hearings on Judge Alito Monday.

Let her know that Alito's record and lack of candor about his judicial philosophy have failed to earn the trust of Americans.

Call Senator Dianne Feinstein Today
Fresno: 559-485-7430
Los Angeles: 310-914-7300
San Diego: 619-231-9712
San Francisco: 415-393-0707
Please reply to let us know you called!
info@equaljusticesociety.org

I was thinking about the NSA this morning. Think of the career people at NSA who have been trying to do a fairly honest job for their country. They always thought they worked for the people. Now they work for Bush and his administration.

Think about working on something and realizing that what you are doing is illegal and you are ordered to continue. Then think about knowing that you could go to prison for what you are doing. And then think about realizing that your president and his administration are ordering certain activities to be done and if you end up in trouble...they don't care. They will sell you down the river for their own needs.

DEN, man that is such a can of worms! those 5 israelis must have had prior knowledge of 911 at the very least. I believe that the towers were brought down with controlled demolitions and the highjacked planes were used as cover for that, with a variety of benefits for bushco as a result.(the war on terror, patriot act, etc.) - but even if the israelis knew about it before hand, they weren't the ones who used the NORAD FAA confusion to enable the planes to hit the towers::
super genius?. nor were they the ones who dreamed up such a plan in the first place:: 1976 plan to bring down the WTC, complete with boxcutters.
the FBI has been revealed as the ones behind the '93 WTC bombing, so anything they 'investigate' is immediately suspect in my book.

Kennedy fate divides Welsh party

Several prominent Welsh Liberal Democrats have urged Charles Kennedy to step down over his drink problem.

Cardiff Central MP Jenny Willott added her name to a letter signed by 25 Lib Dem MPs urging him to resign.

Also urging him to go were AMs Peter Black and Kirsty Williams and former parliamentary candidates Alison Goldsworthy and John Dixon.

But he was backed by two of the Lib Dems' four Welsh MPs: Welsh party leader Lembit Opik and Roger Williams.

The pressure was growing on Mr Kennedy after he owned up to his alcohol difficulties and called a leadership election.

*****end of clip*****

Not picking on the UK or the politicians but I always thought about half of all politicians are drinkers. I do not mean to minimize the concern or make fun of addictive behavior but if we kicked the obvious drunks out of office our government would come to a halt.

I have always assumed (for no real reason) that the politicians drink to ease the internal dialogue that condemns and convicts them if sober.

capt

Will Busheney actually bring the WMD’s when they invade?

didn't brewster jennings already foil a plot to do exactly that? - wasn't a shipment of nerve gas that was headed for Iraq to be planted as evidence captured in Turkey?

# 60 james ha,
except in those fields Americans are being replaced with illegal immigrant workers who are willing to work

I think you nailed the problem right on the head. The key is:

workers who are willing to work

We have way to many Americans that would rather collect welfare than actually work for a living. I bet they would take those jobs if we took their welfare. Why do most illegalls have pride enough to do labor jobs, and so many spoiled American parasites think that just because they were born, the government owes them a living?
The illegalls work, live, even have extra sent back to Mexico. Our group of liberal lazy Americans don't want those jobs, they want free stuff. Lazy f--ken parasites.

Bush is stupid

Cohen, the former defense secretary under Clinton, talked about this wonderful meeting thirteen or so former defense and state secretaries had with Bush. Bush talked for 55 minutes and 5 minutes were open for questions. Bush talked and the others listened. That is not a dialogue for sharing of information.

Bush only allowed 5 minutes for questions because he is too stupid to grant more time. He does not have a command or a handle on what is going on in the world. He is too stupid and dumb to comprehend anything. Bush is a total loser.

Saladin

Capitalism is fine, as long as everyone gets to share in it equally.

Stupid commie.

The meeting with the defense ans state secretaries was only a photo-op for our idiot emperor.

Call Senator Dianne Feinstein Today and tell he she is a stupid cunt. She's on the Judiciary Committee.

Please Call Senator Dianne Feinstein Today and tell he she is a stupid cunt. The Senate Judiciary Committee begins hearings Monday. Let her know Americans know she is a stupid cunt. Call Senator Dianne Feinstein and tell her she is a stupid cunt
Fresno: 559-485-7430
Los Angeles: 310-924-7300
San Diego: 619-221-9712
San Francisco: 415-343-0707
Please reply to let us know you called!
info@equallustinsociety.org

That End-Of-Empire Feeling

Is the US in the last throes of empire? That sounds like an ideologically loaded, fatalistic and defeatist question. But it's what I've been wondering about this holiday season.

Might future historians look back at the Bush II days and ask if this was the point when the country started slipping? Might the war in Iraq be regarded as a desperate act of a superpower that had already peaked? Will economists of the latter 21st century examine our economic decisions and say, "What were they thinking?" Or has the Grinch gotten to me?

Treasury Secretary John Snow says 'tis the season to be merry because the malls are crowded and the American economy, under the watchful gaze of George W. Bush, is on the move. But perhaps a touch of foreboding is merited.

The White House and its conservative pals, trying to take advantage of the cheery season, have recently started a new campaign that claims Bush has been denied the credit for an economy that is expanding at a decent clip and that produced 215,000 jobs in November.

In fact, polls show that most Americans -- whether they're happy in the malls or not -- have a downbeat view of the economy. And there are solid reasons why Americans should not put aside concerns about the country's long-term economic prospects and why Bush should not be pronounced the savior of the American economy.

*****end of clip*****

From The Progressive Populist, Jan. 1-15, 2006

Looks familiar! (Originally Tompaine.com December 07, 2005)

HA!

capt

#104, Katrina vanden Heuvel has a great article and everytime I read her information I want to hug her. Katrina, there is one big problem why the Democrats will not pick up congressional seats. With our rigged electronically voting machines that favor the repugnants picking up seats is impossible.

#133,

Right you are! And the bonus for the WH is - anybody that thinks they can tell the truth this time knows what is in store for them.

They will go after any whistleblowers family, maybe wreck a career or two.

Typical crime family - intimidation substituted for leadership - coercion in place of loyalty.

capt

141 capt
anybody that thinks they can tell the truth this time knows what is in store for them.

They will go after any whistleblowers family, maybe wreck a career or two.

Destroy those who disagree. Exactly, reminds one of the Clinton's doesn't it?

By the way, in the intelligence agencies, a whistleblower is one who first goes to Congress. A criminal leaker is one who first goes to the press.

boo hoo - I never sed that illegal immigrants don't work hard nor did I say that there aren't a large number of american parasites - but you can't deny that jobs are fleeing overseas and the jobs remaining here are slowly being replaced with illegal immigrant labor.

142 whistleblower -
it DOES remind one of the clintons doesn't it? are you saying that it's ok that it's happening now because the clintons did it too? or are you saying that it's not happening now?

Yeah, the Abu Graib whistleblower was not a whistleblower since they whistleblew to their chain of command and not congress.

What a simple but completely fabricated and erroneous definition. Read a book, you are rotting your mind on the internets. You have become a legend in your own mind and just spew lies and BS that makes no sense or you just spew your pathetic insults. Nobody is buying your made up stuff here. (notice "your" not "you're")

Piffle, piffle, piffle.

capt

144 james ha

I am saying;

"I want American's, talking to terrorists in the middle East, to be tapped, then killed". "I want anyone who hinders that effort, to be killed then burned !!!"

capt
Yeah, the Abu Graib whistleblower was not a whistleblower since they whistleblew to their chain of command and not congress.

You always purposly mislead. I said first to the PRESS, not chain of command, or anything else. You knew that, but tried, as usual, to distort. You are either very dishonest, or maybe just really really stupid. I think dishonest.

but how do they know who to tap until they DO tap? - should they tap everyone at random and hope they uncover something? should they only tap people on this blog? it pisses me off if they tap me, but I'm not doing anything wrong so they would be wasting their time if they did. my guess is that if there are people over here talking to al qaeda, then they are either here illegally or the govt. knows who they are anyway. my other guess is that members of our own govt. are playing both sides and are the ones who would be doing all the talking to al qaeda, not the ordinary people like you and I.

NO, you are just confused with your made up definitions.

Whistle-blower

Main Entry: whis?e-blow?
Pronunciation: -"blO(-&)r
Function: noun
: one who reveals something covert or who informs against another
- whis?e-blow?g /-"blO-i[ng]/ noun

***********

In the real world we use definitions of words based upon the meaning of the word. Not some made up definition to suit your personal misunderstandings.

"You always purposely(sp) mislead. I said first to the PRESS"

Right, I mislead, well troll, look up the definition of the word. You just make yourself look less than smart. Try a spell checker too, you will not suffer for doing so and you might not be so obviously uneducated. See, books, books and more books.

You can calculate the balance of your piffle post on your own.

I am still praying for you and your family.

capt

they've already claimed that al qaeda has a fleet of freighter ships with which a nuclear device could be delivered to our door. that has to be nonsense because any al qaeda fleet would be sunk to the bottom immediately. which means that they either made that crap up to scare us or they are going to sit idly by as al qaeda blows up our freedoms and then say 'we told you so'. they've also claimed that al qaeda is building a headquarters in gaza. ha. if there was a real al qaeda headquarters being built in gaza it would be destroyed immediately.
it's just a bunch of boogie man scare tactics to get us all terrified and willingly reliquish our rights.

My father was dirt poor, and could not afford to send me to college. He died of cancer when I was eighteen. Mother died long before Dad died.

I have never worked for anyone other than myself. I have never taken welfare, or any other form of free money.

In college, which I paid for myself, I went to the local newspaper and got a copy of their price list, and independently sold advertising to local business people. I turned it into the news paper like an ad agency, for a commission only. To help my sales, I would wash the front display window, at no extra cost, of the stores that bought from me.

I am now retired, on my own life's savings, and donate my entire social security to cancer charities.

No adult should ever be out of work if they are physically and mentally sound.

No adult should ever get anything free if they are physically and mentally sound. It makes them weak and worthless.

The Pimping of the Presidency: Jack Abramoff and Grover Norquist Billing Clients for Face Time with G.W. Bush

The Dems better get their collective butts in gear and make this the biggest Repuglican Corruption Scandal of the Century! Abramoff, Norquist are PIMPS -- That makes GWB a PROSTITUTE

Looks like GWB allowed his official residence at the White House to be used as a venue for Grover Norquist to raise money for his "Americans for Tax Reform." And THEY bitched and moaned for years about who slept in the Lincoln bedroom!! Hypocrites.

"The Press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of the government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people."

~Justice Hugo L. Black - (1886-1971) US Supreme Court Justice - Source: New York Times v. United States (Pentagon Papers) 1971

***********

"And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people"

The "press" (such as it is) serves an important fuction in a free society and call it a leak or whistle-blowing the "press" has a duty with regard to government. They have failed miserably but they are in the leak/whistle-blower loop whether you like it or not.

It is still a free country (suppose to be) with free speech (suppose to be) and in such a free society (suppose to be) any whistle-blower can blow their whistle in any forum they see fit, with or without your tortured made-up definition.

Try to stick with the facts, you make a fool of yourself each and every time you deviate from reality and expose your fantasy-world of gross misunderstanding. Again, books, books, books! You will be a better troll for it.

Thanks

capt

Gerald, you are right about Katrina's article @104 -- good piece. But, as I said just above, the Dems better not drop the ball on this scandal. This is a priceless opportunity for them to show the Repug scoundrels for what they are.

But, I concur...you make a good point about the elections.

PS I hope you're feeling better...if you're not, what will Pat Robertson have to say to you?! (Just kidding)

149 capt,

That was another of your dishonest attempts at trying to cover your dishonest ass. Try to stick on subject. You always try to mislead, by adding your extras to other's statements in order to change the meaning, hoping your fellow cornies don't notice, or like you, don't care about truth.

James, don't be so sure about the nukes on ships not existing. I don't trust the chimpy cabal any farther than I could throw them. After reading the article regarding planning in 1976, I believe the ship story with one exception, the chimpy cabal OWNS it, not AQ. Old ships are readily available as old airliners. I NEVER underestimate the evil power of these scoundrels. Congress needs to start impeachment proceedings NOW! The cabal needs to be stopped. There is too much stuff being published about the admin. involvement in 9/11. They will NOT be denied their power and control, especially after all the effort they put into it.

No adult should ever be out of work if they are physically and mentally sound.

I agree entirely. but the jobs are fleeing overseas, and illegal immigrants are slowly replacing healthy and mentally sound adults here at home. who is to blame for this? the american workers? no. congress and the executive branch are to blame.

whistleblower is ted, baf, et al. Wonder why these trolls change their name but continue to spew the same crap? Makes me wonder.

DEN 156 -
exactly. that's pretty much exactly what I think as well, but it's hard to come right out and say things like that directly without then having to defend oneself against labels of wackiness. it also doesn't help that when one DOES say something like that directly, no one else ever makes a comment about it either way, leading one to wonder what other people really DO think and believe about it!

Personal stories do not excuse the petty insults and name calling.

If you were half the person you claim to be you would be far more respectful.

Why you cannot be respectful to others with whom you disagree is a very telling thing - called immaturity. It does not matter your chronological age your intellectual and emotional age is in the low teens when you think calling me dishonest, phony or whatever is meaningful political or issue oriented discourse.

Grow up and try to fly right. No personal stories are offered here to gain favor or respect. No personal attacks to make up for being uninformed. You have to earn respect the old fashioned way, you have to earn respect by being respectful, gain favor by being believable. That is if you care about that kind of a thing. Clearly you do not.

That is why this post is a waste of bandwidth. All apologies to my like minded friends.

capt

Don, Den, James, Saladin:

Of the Lefty Regulars, you are the most predictable and unworthy of Mr. Corn's bandwidth! I clearly asked NOT to be attacked since I believe, ?you do agree? I am entitled to my `spin' of the news.

As for qualifications of my opinions, as before, when I challenge you to compare smarts & no one stood up, let's compare! You have an MBA? I do. How about almost 10 years spent in an investment firm? I Did.

Home appreciation is no differnt than stock price appreciation; paper gain until sold! How many will have the foresight (the future, my mantra) to sell and rent for a while and buy it back cheaper later? I often buy and sell the same stocks over and over, making 20%+ often. Just sold some oil stocks today; making $10+ per share. By the way, it's kicking ass to end the week!

You are true whinners and flat out losers! I started life w/degree but not much else! Definitely no Silver Spoons! I was in the Middle Class and through work, some smarts, and risk-taking, I've made it into where you would like to be. But given your sourpous mentality and resistance to good news and facts, none of you will never make it!

I have tried to be a decent-hearted Reublican but have come to realize that there are some of you that are truly hopeless! You need to immigrate to somewhere so that your old age won't be a burden to the tax-paying, donation-minded folks like me & whistleblower!

The troll comes to a blog where he knows he disagrees and the others will disagree with him.

It is the most odd mental pathology I have even encountered and I have seen some odd stuff.

It really fails the "WHY" test in my book.

Just my opinion but. . .

capt

James, I was a sceptic when I first posted on this blog but participating here has allowed me to see the error of my thought about 9/11. The knowledge gained here is priceless. I read somewhere that if you present an absurdly unbelievable story such as our own govt. causing 9/11, which is against all we were taught, people will not believe it. I think the cabal was counting on that to hide their complicity. Another major event IS coming, why? Because more and more people are opening their eyes and see the unbelievable can and did happen. The cabal will not be denied their POWER!

'Bush's Brain' author on no-fly list

Rove biographer grounded en-route to Ohio

The author of a critical biography of Karl Rove ended up on a no-fly list. James Moore, an Emmy-award winning journalist and author of Bush's Brain was recently barred from boarding a flight from Texas to Ohio.

An airline employee gave Moore an 800 number to check on his no fly status. Moore posted this excerpt from their conversation at the Huffington Post:

"Mam, I'd like to know how I got on the No Fly Watch List."

"I'm not really authorized to tell you that, sir," she explained after taking down my social security and Texas driver's license numbers.

"What can you tell me?"

"All I can tell you is that there is something in your background that in some way is similar to someone they are looking for."

"Well, let me get this straight then," I said. "Our government is looking for a guy who may have a mundane Anglo name, who pays tens of thousands of dollars every year in taxes, has never been arrested or even late on a credit card payment, is more uninteresting than a Tupperware party, and cries after the first two notes of the national anthem? We need to find this guy. He sounds dangerous to me."

"I'm sorry, sir, I've already told you everything I can."

"Oh, wait," I said. "One last thing: this guy they are looking for? Did he write books critical of the Bush administration, too?"

*****end of clip*****

Land of the free and home of the brave, eh?

Why, oh why would anybody worry about the wiretaps? This misadministration would never abuse the power of their office to mess with citizens in opposition, right?

capt

Happy #105:

Most of you know next to nothing; remember what I declared as to Zero potential to learn Economics?

Happy #161:

I clearly asked NOT to be attacked since I believe, ?you do agree? I am entitled to my `spin' of the news.

Don't insult people and then ask not to be insulted.

I promise to go back to ignoring you, Mr. Buffet.

happy, I didn't attack you, I merely pointed out where you were unfoundedly attacking me! it WOULD be an attack on you if I had sed you were an idiot for making up words and then trying to put them in my mouth (#105), but I didn't say that yet did I?

Ps
capt,

As for my imperfect typing. Most of that comes from the fact that I have only four digits on my right hand, and three on my left. Caused from doing work, other did not want to do, and turned down so they could get free money from the government.

I'll take my life with seven fingers over their weak and worthless lives any day.

DEN, were your eyes opened by postings on this blog? I hope so! that's why I post 911 stuff here all the time - I could comment at 911blogger.com to my heart's content, but there's no point in that. it would be like preaching to the choir. we might never learn all the details about 911, but one thing needs to be made patently clear to all:: our govt., with the help of the mcmedia, has lied from the beginning about 911.
I feel that if enough people come to realize that, and there is eventually enough outrage about it, the cabal(whoever they are) will have no choice but to do it again in order to further cover up and distract from 911 - except next time, there will be no mistakes or obvious trails to the perpetrators like there was with 911.

We have way to many Americans that would rather collect welfare than actually work for a living.

I thought this tired old trope went out of style after Reagan left office. I'm not saying that lazy people don't exist, of course. But we've been cutting "welfare" now for the better part of two decades. The right-wingers have had control of Congress for over 15 years; the only significant welfare I see is going in the pockets of Halliburton, Pfizer, Mobil, etc., shareholders. That's a really lame post ya got there, boo-hoo/whistleblower/baf/so on ad infinitum...

Micki: "Abramoff, Norquist are PIMPS -- That makes GWB a PROSTITUTE"

That's why Abramoff's fedora was perfect. It should have been in something a little more Superfly, though, like purple.

I keep fighting this image of W in heavy mascara and miniskirt smiling demurely from a storefront window in some place that looks a lot like Amsterdam.

Clinton got a blowjob in the Oval Office; W gives them. And we all get screwed.

Happy can never have TOO much money. Making more every day. Money will make happy, happy. Happy has a MBA (dime a dozen). Happy likes to blog with loosers. When happy dies he is like everyone else that ever lived, equal. Go count your blessings, hug your children, embrace life not money.

Good enough at what you do to lose fingers and you think that makes for credibility?

HA!

SO THAT justifies the pity party of petty pleadings?

You could lose all of your fingers you would not sound smart nor be any more convincing.

PATHETIC & TRAGIC - A 2-fer.

Thanks

capt

james ha
no. congress and the executive branch are to blame.

NO NO NO People who turn down jobs, because they want to be paid more than the job is worth, is the reason jobs are leaving the country. That is also why illegal workers, WORK, and lazy, wanna be paid to much, Americans collect welfare.

Do the job that's offered for the pay offered, or leave, and don't gripe because the employer does not want to pay you more than the job is worth.

Delivering The FOIA Requests

Shortly after the New York Times publicized the president's domestic-spying-without-a-warrant program, over 160,000 Americans signed a Freedom of Information Act Request along with Governor Dean in an attempt to determine just why President Bush believed he had the authority to undermine the Constitution. Earlier today Joe Sandler, DNC attorney, delivered each and every one of those FOIA requests to the Department of Justice. Here are some of the photos

*****end of clip*****

A bunch of pictures not much else.

capt

James, I am amazed daily by the postings on this blog. Sorry I never ordered the free CD, not necessary to convince me. If you know anybody with connections to the TV biz, a commercial similar to the one done by the DNC I posted earlier might be the ticket to advance this cause. Like everything else it costs money. Maybe happy has some to spare,HA!

Fundamentalism Over Profits.
Hey, maybe God just doesn't like religious theme parks!

capt,

I want no pity from you or anyone else. I love my life. It is weak and worthless life that disgusts me. It is quite evident from your comments, you are one of the weak and worthless.

Capt, I type with TWO fingers, still got all ten too.

I am fascinated by a deity that can't stop actions it disapproves of but will punish the actors long after the fact, sometimes decades after. The minions of this deity, e.g. Robertson & Fallwell, tend to be incapable of rational exercises as well. Why choose such incompetent oafs as representatives? I just don't get it.

Talk about wacky labels, I'm a commie?? That's a hoot! James, I hope you won't spend one second defending yourself against such idiotic bullshit that comes from the happy camp. He got his MBA out of a Cracker Jack box!

Pat Robertson et al. will launch a Christian theme park on the Sea of Galilee. They will name it, "Six Flags Over Jesus."

THE CORRUPTION FILES

Very graphical but not video so it should be cool on a dial-up.

capt

RE: The Corn blog: I learn something new all of the time here. Some of the things I learn are not new to others but always something new to me. I am always playing catch-up as there is so much out there.

It is weak and worthless life that disgusts me.

So much for compassionate conservatism.

To put everybody to work we need a president like Clinton (not Hillary) to create jobs.

22 million jobs created means 22 milion more employed people. Bush still has a net month by month loss of oppotunities for employment.

just sayin'

capt

I just heard that Ohio Republicans are calling for Boby Ney to step down...

Lookin' for the story.

-T

CNN has hired Bill Bennett as a political analyst, known for this outrageous statement:

"it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime...you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down."

Bennett is to replace Robert Novak.

Egads! Next we'll hear that Ann Coulter "replaces" Judith Miller at the NYT!

Jobs Created By US Presidents

Bush vs other presidents on job growth post WWII. Source: Beurau of Labor and Statistics (www.bls.gov).

A picture speaks a thousand words.

capt

House GOP Calls for DeLay Replacement

WASHINGTON - Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay's hopes of reclaiming his post as House majority leader suffered a setback Friday as fellow Republicans called for new leadership in the midst of a congressional corruption scandal.

Days after lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty in courtrooms in two cities, a pair of GOP lawmakers circulated a petition calling for elections to pick a permanent replacement for DeLay. The Texas lawmaker temporarily relinquished his leadership post last year following indictment on campaign finance charges in his home state.

Separately, Rep. John Kline (news, bio, voting record), R-Minn., said there was no room in the leadership for DeLay.

"The situation is that Tom's legal situation doesn't seem to be reaching clarity," Kline told The Associated Press. "There are stories of more indictments or questions associated with Jack Abramoff. And I think that Tom DeLay is going to have to concentrate on that."

Spokesman Kevin Madden said DeLay "appreciates that a majority of his colleagues recognizes that he remains committed to fulfilling his responsibilities as majority leader and that he'll be quickly exonerated in Texas."

"And he appreciates that a majority of his colleagues won't give in to what is essentially character assassination by insinuation," Madden said.

Rep. Roy Blunt (news, bio, voting record), who is formally the GOP whip, has been filling in as DeLay's temporary replacement.

Republican rules permit an election to fill the vacancy, and aides to Reps. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Charles Bass of New Hampshire said the two men were circulating a petition that would allow the rank-and-file to pick new leadership quickly.

*****end of clip*****

Blunt is every bit as corrupt as Delay. The culture of corruption will survive.

capt

Can you believe the remarks from Pat?

Imagine the state of the state had he been elected? *perish the thought*

capt

God is insane.

Dear Kirk,

Thank you for your message about impeaching President George W. Bush over the Iraq War.

Under article 1, section 5, clause 4 of the United States Constitution, the House of Representatives has the sole authority to begin the process of impeachment on a President for high crimes and misdemeanors.

In addition to the Senate review of WMD intelligence, the independent Silbermann-Robb Commission conducted a comprehensive review of intelligence on weapons of mass destruction, and the UK Butler commission did as well. What every review has found is that there was a globally held belief that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. All of these reviews were critical of the quality of the intelligence. None of them found any indication that there was pressure on analysts to slant their intelligence. Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Sandy Berger and Senators Biden, Byrd, Kennedy, Levin, and Rockefeller all stated they believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and those weapons constituted a major threat. Other countries, including those that did not support U.S. military action, held similar views.

These reviews, which run to several thousand pages, combined with the findings of the Joint House-Senate review of intelligence before and after September 11 th , 2001, and the 9/11 Commission report led to comprehensive legislation in the fall of 2004 to reform the intelligence community. That legislation, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, was the biggest change to our intelligence collection and analysis system since the creation of the CIA in 1948.

I believe that the energies and resources of Congress in general and the Intelligence committees in particular should remain focused on the safety of American lives by reconstituting and overseeing a strong intelligence community to detect and counter the threats our nation continues to face every day.

I understand that you don't like the President. That is your right. You can be as critical as you want to be of your government. But that is not grounds for impeachment.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please continue to contact me about issues that are important to you. While I commute from my home in Albuquerque to Washington D.C. , for voting and committee hearings, you can always check my web site for upcoming community events to find where you can catch me around town.

Sincerely,

Heather Wilson

Member of Congress

*********************

First I got this letter (above) in response to a letter (email) I sent. I sent a reply explaining the falacy of the above and her office sent the same letter again.

Heather must be thrown out but the black boxes will defy reality.

capt

#152 micki, Bush, a prostitute! I can believe it! Is being a prostitute enough to have him impeached?

micki, God is my co-pilot and I shall not weep!

G.K. Chesterton said, "Jesus speaks sanity to a world of lunatics."

"If God lived on earth, people would break his windows." ~ Jewish Proverb

"Call on God, but row away from the rocks." ~ Indian Proverb

"God made everything out of nothing, but the nothingness shows through." ~ Paul Valery (1871 - 1945)

hi, i'm nobody particular..just a blogger, ( http://jeannie411.blogdrive.com ) i got online this morn and found an article and felt the need to spread it far and wide on the net.. so here ya go.. enjoy..

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-moore/branded_b_13272.html

James Moore is an Emmy-winning former television news correspondent and the co-author of the bestselling, Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential. He has been writing and reporting from Texas for the past 25 years on the rise of Rove and Bush and has traveled extensively on every presidential campaign since 1976.
This author was placed on the no fly list. Two points: there's nothing you or I can do to help him but make this public, and two- we are all targets here.
**********************************************************
This week last year I was preparing for a trip to Ohio to conduct interviews and research for a new book I was writing. My airline tickets had been purchased on line and the morning of departure I went to the Internet to print out my boarding pass. I got a message that said, "Not Allowed." Several subsequent tries failed. Surely, I thought, it's just a glitch within the airline's servers or software.

I made it a point to arrive very early at the airport. My reservation was confirmed before I left home. I went to the electronic kiosk and punched in my confirmation number to print out my boarding pass and luggage tags. Another error message appeared, "Please see agent."

I did. She took my Texas driver's license and punched in the relevant information to her computer system.
"I'm sorry, sir," she said. "There seems to be a problem. You've been placed on the No Fly Watch List."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm afraid there isn't much more that I can tell you," she explained. "It's just the list that's maintained by TSA to check for people who might have terrorist connections."
"You're serious?"
"I'm afraid so, sir. Here's an 800 number in Washington. You need to call them before I can clear you for the flight."

Exasperated, I dialed the number from my cell, determined to clear up what I was sure was a clerical error. The woman who answered offered me no more information than the ticket agent.

"Mam, I'd like to know how I got on the No Fly Watch List."
"I'm not really authorized to tell you that, sir," she explained after taking down my social security and Texas driver's license numbers.
"What can you tell me?"
"All I can tell you is that there is something in your background that in some way is similar to someone they are looking for."

"Well, let me get this straight then," I said. "Our government is looking for a guy who may have a mundane Anglo name, who pays tens of thousands of dollars every year in taxes, has never been arrested or even late on a credit card payment, is more uninteresting than a Tupperware party, and cries after the first two notes of the national anthem? We need to find this guy. He sounds dangerous to me."
"I'm sorry, sir, I've already told you everything I can."
"Oh, wait," I said. "One last thing: this guy they are looking for? Did he write books critical of the Bush administration, too?"

I have been on the No Fly Watch List for a year. I will never be told the official reason. No one ever is. You cannot sue to get the information. Nothing I have done has moved me any closer to getting off the list. There were 35,000 Americans in that database last year. According to a European government that screens hundreds of thousands of American travelers every year, the list they have been given to work from has since grown to 80,000.

"God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically." ~ Albert Einstein

BJ, isn't that about the same amount as the number on the Terrorist watch list? I've read there are babies on that list, and once on you will never be removed. This is the only step I've seen taken in the so-called prevention of terrorist attacks, if you count being fondled by airport security prevention! What allows this to continue are people like whistleblower above who obviously spend way too much time watching reruns of Fox's 24 series!

"Everyone has faith in God though everyone does not know it. For everyone has faith in himself and that multiplied to the nth degree is God. The sum total of all that lives is God. We may not be God, but we are of God, even as a little drop of water is of the ocean." ~
Mohandas Gandhi

Whistleblower: ". . . weak and worthless. . .weak and worthless. . . weak and worthless, etc."

Classic con stuff. They become so full of their own virtue that they lose any ability for compassion.

Then they try to hide their callousness behind hollow slogans like "compassionate conservatism" and "pro-life."

And by the way Whistleblower, I delivered papers in the snow when I was 10 years old, paid my own way through college, and have worked for myself for years. I suspect many others here can make the same boasts. But they can still acknowledge that others sometimes face circumstances that prevent them from being as self-reliant as themselves.

So what the hell is wrong with you? Indulging in a little too much self-pity perhaps?

Interceptor OTV Body Armor Cost Lives

Jan 05, 2006

Interceptor OTV Body Armor Cost Lives, An Internal USMC Reports Shows

A recent United States Marine Corps forensic study obtained by DefenseWatch slams the interceptor OTV body armor system, claiming "as many as 42% of the Marine casualties who died from isolated torso injuries could have been prevented with improved protection in the areas surrounding the plated areas of the vest. Nearly 23% might have benefited from protection along the mid-auxiliary line of the lateral chest. Another 15% died from impacts through the unprotected shoulder and upper arm," the report says.

The internally produced report revealed that a random sample of 93 Marine deaths studied for the report showed that 60 percent of the fatalities suffered by the Marines who were killed in Iraq between March 2003 and June 2005 died from gunshot wounds received while wearing Interceptor OTV body armor. Another 38 percent died from wounds sustained in Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks while wearing Interceptor gear and roughly two percent died from unknown causes.

The findings in the inquiry, reportedly classified as "For Official Use Only," also bring into question the Pentagon's consistent assertion that the principle cause of death among war fighters in Iraq comes from IEDs the insurgents are using with ever increasing ferocity.

Interceptor OTV body armor was designed by a joint US Army/USMC development team and issued by all the services beginning in 1999. After the Global War on Terror began in 2003 it was issued to the vast majority of the war fighters currently engaged in the fighting the Global War on Terror. Almost 2,200 American service members have died in combat since the war began and almost all of them were killed while wearing Interceptor body armor.

*****end of clip*****

We should put Interceptor body armor on Rumsfeld and every other chicken-hawk, line them up and see if they can survive an AK-47 round. This is what happens when they chose to illegally invade a country on the cheap. Our troops deserve far better than this WH has given. In more ways than one.

capt

whistleblower - let me tell you something about doing the job offered for the pay offered - for a long time I was a partner in a company chopping and selling firewood - very very hard work - since our lot was located right around the corner from where the illegal immigrant day laborers hung out, we thought we would avail ourselves of what we thought would be good workers - at 50 bux cash per day for 8 hours, we offered honest pay for honest hard work - not a single one of these non americans would work more than 2 days before they gave up and went back to their corner. - soon, rather than crowd around my trucks clamoring for work, they would all turn their backs and pretend not to see us - was I unreasonable to these productive non americans? no. I was right there doing the lions share myself. I expected no one to work harder than myself. and you're right ... most americans were too lazy to handle it which is why we tried illegals at all.

but my point earlier was that jobs are fleeing overseas and illegals are flooding our society, not who was lazy and who was not.

A very smart man on humility and appreciation of the contribution of others:

"A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving." ~ Albert Einstein

"Our job this day is to become part of the answer to the world's immense and protracted suffering rather than continuing our ancient task of being part of the difficulty.": Hugh Prather - Author, minister

=
There is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you're fighting for: Paulo Coelho:

=
Suffering and joy teach us, if we allow them, how to make the leap of empathy, which transports us into the soul and heart of another person. ln those transparent moments we know other people's joys and sorrows, and we care about their concerns as if they were our own.: Fritz Williams

=
...when we finally know we are dying, and all other sentient beings are dying with us, we start to have a burning, almost heartbreaking sense of the fragility and preciousness of each moment and each being, and from this can grow a deep, clear, limitless compassion for all being.: Sogyal Rinpoche

=
"By far the most dangerous foe we have to fight is apathy - indifference from whatever cause, not from a lack of knowledge, but from carelessness, from absorption in other pursuits, from a contempt bred of self satisfaction" : William Osler (Canadian Physician, 1849-1919)

=
"My generation's apathy. I'm disgusted with it. I'm disgusted with my own apathy too, for being spineless and not always standing up against racism, sexism and all those other -isms the counterculture has been whinning about for years." : Kurt Cobain (American Musician and Singer of the grunge rock band Nirvana. 1967-1994)

=
"Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand" : Bodie Thoene

===

Thanks ICH newsletter!

Capt, I am quite dismayed at the letter you recieved from H.W. Since when is is OK to circumvent the UN and bomb the hell out of another country. The inspectors were doing their jobs correctly. Weapons were being destroyed under UN guidance. Her argument does not hold water, just the reich wing talking points. No wonder we are having trouble getting anywhere with our elected officials. We don't need mindless kool-aid drinking drones we need real people that CARE. I hope you folks don't have those Diebold bushbot voting boxes. We are so screwed.:-(

The Opposite of Good is Apathy

"The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal and hasten the resurrection of the dead."
-- William Lloyd Garrison

By Cindy Sheehan

06/01/05 "ICH" -- - The apathy of most of America is stunning and appalling to me. When I found this quote I was filled with wide-eyed wonder that there is one statue left in America complete with statue, or one grave or tomb still occupied.

On October 26th, as MoveOn.org was holding its candlelight vigils across the country to mourn the death of the 2000 th American soldier in Iraq, I, and two dozen others, were being arrested in front of the White House protesting the carnage done in our name by the illegitimate residents therein.

Now, counting the 11 American soldiers who were pointlessly killed in George's unconscionable and brainless war of terror in the Middle East, the American "official" death toll is up to 2193: 200 more families ruined in less than three months!

My son, Casey, was in the first 1000 to be killed in Iraq. We reached that dismal mark by September 2004. MoveOn.org conducted candlelight vigils for that occasion. Then a little over a year later, MoveOn.org conducted candlelight vigils to commemorate the 2000th soldier. If we don't get off of our collective apathetic and complacent backsides to stop the barbaric killing in Iraq, when will the next candlelight vigil be? George Bush and the evil neocons are killing our precious soldiers at the rate of 2.78 per day. By my calculations, we should be lighting our candles again and singing "Kum bah ya" by October.

This article is not intended to be an indictment of MoveOn.org which does some amazing work and were big supporters of Camp Casey. But my point is this, America: the longer we let the illegitimate pretender to the White House and his conniving and callous gang of co-conspirators to continue, the more our collective humanity is damaged. Apparently, candlelight vigils do very little to stop, or even slow down a little, the carnage committed by the war criminals in DC.

*****end of clip*****

Cindy Sheehan is a quiet voiced but reasonable force for peace. She is an American peace movement all to herself!

capt

did someone call you a commie saladin? - ha! - everyone, I take what Saladin sez to the bank - her take on everything seems to pan out every time.

#205,

This is what I am up against int the ABQ.

I do take a little pride in her saying "I understand that you don't like the President. That is your right." like I need her permission for my opinion. I have sent literally hundres of letters to her. I am sure I am on a list of seditious Bunnypants haters!

I sure hope so!

capt

Capt, have you tried flying on a commercial airline lately? You might be on the no-fly list too.

#130
Sweets,
Think about this. Plagiarism .

Name calling like commie is just too pathetic for words.

So we are all looney lefties, cornbots, cornnuts, commies, socialists, democrats, etc. for the sake of argument let us accept all of the above. So what? No big deal and it does not make Bunnypants any less the criminal.

Just more schoolyard taunts because the troll cannot make a single point of fact to support their vast delusions.

IMHO

Not to mention if Saladin (and others here) are commies I want my membership card to the club.

Saladin earned my respect and admiration long ago (as have just about all of you guys) I would be honored to be included in that number no matter the label.

capt

#209,

No, I would not even try. I am off the radar (so-to-speak) I do not even go into the airport when my better half fly's. I pick-up and drop off in the parking structure. And that makes me kind of nervous.

capt

Sorry, captian kiss-arse strikes again!

I just enjoy reading Mr. Corn and have a gas reading all of the comments nearly as much!

Sometimes kidding around, other times serious and informative, at times missives and musings, lyrics and memories. To me it is all good!

Well, you all know! HA!

capt

Pimping the Prez

#188
Sounds like musical chairs. One leaves another steps up, that guy leaves, another steps up. That guy leaves, another steps up. Should be a good show.

Bush trumpets new economic numbers

Says economy heading into 2006 with 'full head of steam'
CHICAGO - President Bush shrugged off a report showing weaker-than-expected job growth on Friday and declared that "The American economy heads into 2006 with a full head of steam."
Bush rattled off a string of recent government reports suggesting a growing U.S. economy, and he used his speech to the Chicago Economic Club to prod Congress to extend his administration's tax cuts that are due to expire.

"In 2005, the American economy turned in a performance that is the envy of the industrialized world," Bush said.
------------------
Ahhh....what?

James, commie is the name they use as a fallback when they can't come up with anything more imaginative. Anyone who knows me, especially you regulars here, know that a communist is the LAST thing I am! I really couldn't care less what idiots think, I come here for news, commentary and commiseration. The bushbots can take a leap as far as I'm concerned. I enjoy debate with those who are willing to delve into both sides of an issue. If not, they are not worth the time it takes to respond. Thanks for your vote of confidence, you guys are part of my sanity therapy and my hope for the future. All is not lost, yet.

Now, for something completely off topic, for my good friend Hajji, and anyone else who LOVES a bitter IPA, I found this brew recently, made in Vista CA. from the Reaper Ale Co. called Sleighor Double IPA, all I can say is WOW!!

Enter if you dare!

#38 Saladin

The situation in the Levant is quite complex. Imho,
one ought to read at least enough Eastern European
history to understand something of the origins
of Zionism and enough 20th century history to
appreciate the nature of the Ottoman empire's
administration of what is now called Israel and
Palestine and the ending of that administration.

Bremer says U.S. did not expect insurgency in Iraq

WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Paul Bremer, who led the U.S. civilian occupation authority in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, has admitted the United States did not anticipate the insurgency in the country, NBC Television said on Friday.

Bremer, interviewed by the network in connection with release of his book on Iraq, recounted the decision to disband the Iraqi army quickly after arriving in Baghdad, a move many experts consider a major miscalculation.

When asked who was to blame for the subsequent Iraqi rebellion, in which thousands of Iraqis and Americans have died, Bremer said "we really didn't see the insurgency coming," the network said in a news release....

....Bremer also said he was deeply concerned about fighting insurgents and "became increasingly worried about the Pentagon's push to downsize the number of U.S. forces in Iraq by spring 2004," the network said.

Bremer said he raised his concerns about the numbers and quality of forces with President George W. Bush, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and senior military officials.

But he told NBC "there was a tendency by people in the Pentagon to exaggerate the capability of the Iraqi forces and I felt it was not likely we would have professionally trained forces to allow us to withdraw American forces in the spring of 2004."

Asked if he believes he did everything he could do in Iraq, Bremer replied, "I believe I did everything I could do. ... The president, in the end, is responsible for making decisions," the network reported.
--------------------------
I think they looked at Iraq as a board game. The people were plastic. Nothing existed that they didn't want to exist.
I'm sure Bush is now saying a lot of prayers. Is God listening to him?

MHSA and the Sago Mine Disaster -

How Many Brownies are there in this Administration?

The terrible story from West Virginia that blanketed the nation's television screens this week should be a further reminder of the cost of corrupt and incompetent government. There is virtually no one who will argue that the Sago Mine was operating at an acceptable level of safety. USA Today this morning reports that the mine

"Had been cited for hundreds of federal safety violations since it opened in 1999, government records show. Among the infractions were at least 16 related to failures to prevent or adequately monitor the buildup of explosive gases in the mine."

So why didn't somebody do something? The answer to that is directly attributable to the individuals in whose hands the safety of miners and other workers has been placed by this administration and the prevailing mind set within the administration on any issue in which business interests differs from those of workers.

A year ago last November, President Bush’≥ appointed head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, David Lauriski, resigned his position citing family reasons. His resignation came shortly after a Labor Department Inspector General report confirmed a CBS '60 Minutes' report that under his direction the agency had improperly awarded no-bid, single-source contracts. Two of those companies had ties to Lauriski and one of his assistants.

But Lauriski is best remembered at MSHA for his attempt to push through a change in regulations governing coal dust levels that he proposed and lobbied on behalf of as a senior executive with Energy West Mining Company of Utah. Since the change uniquely benefited only his former employer, it was opposed by not only the Mine Workers but also mine operators other than Energy West. Lauriski was able to side with the other mine operators on a host of other regulatory changes detrimental to worker safety. According to the New York Times, MSHA under his direction

"Rescinded more than a half-dozen proposals intended to make coal miners' jobs safer, including steps to limit miners' exposure to toxic chemicals. One rule pushed by the agency would make it easier for companies to use diesel generators underground, which miners say could increase the risk of fire."
------------------
Wickedness. A dark lot.

capt #211

You forgot to add phony liar!!

Let us PREY -- right-wing rabbi in Seattle shares honors with Christian men of the cloth

Thursday, June 23, 2005
Lobbyist, rabbi talk of tricking the Cosmos --
In e-mails, Abramoff asked Lapin to help pad his resume

Rabbi Daniel Lapin helps Abramoff pad his resume when he Jackal was trying to gain membership into the veerrrrrrrry, verrrrrrrrrry exclusive Cosmos Club in DC.

(BTW, isn't a LAPIN a castrated male rabbit -- not a castrated male rabbi?)

Hillary Clinton Campaign Acknowedges Violation

Looks like Hillary clinton forgot to report $1,000,000 in campaign cash contributions. I thought pukedemic said she was innocent of all those republican lies. Civil suit to follow, should be interesting now that the FEC has found her guilty of being another pathetic liberal liar.

Get this, Clinton used the NSA to wire tap republican Strom Thurmond, a strong critic during impeachment. A 2000 interview on CBS 60 minutes revealed the spying and not a peep from the left.

"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." ~ Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

"The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it deliberately with faulty arguments." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900), The Gay Science, section 191

#227
It's just embarrassing.

A 2000 interview on CBS 60 minutes revealed the spying and not a peep from the left.

really. even though I'm not on the left, here goes nothing:: "peep."

Reports showing Sharon improving. Could be God's way of telling Pat Robertson that his Almighty induced stroke may have gone to the wrong person. Watch out, Pat. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Beyond the Ballot
by Noam Chomsky

Always good!

capt

at #172 SO THAT justifies the pity party of petty pleadings?

whewww! I just set down this bottle of water when I seen that. I'da sprayed the monitor for sure! hahaha
*good one Capt

I try an alliterative flair but seldom achieve it!

Thanks!

capt

Clinton, Carter also authorized warrantless searches of U.S. citizens

Another tactic conservatives have used to defend the Bush administration has been to claim that it is not unusual for a president to authorize secret surveillance of U.S. citizens without a court order, asserting that Democratic presidents have also done so. For example, on the December 21 edition of Fox News's Special Report, host Brit Hume claimed that former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton issued executive orders "to perform wiretaps and searches of American citizens without a warrant."

But as the ThinkProgress weblog noted on December 20, executive orders on the topic by Clinton and Carter were merely explaining the rules established by FISA, which do not allow for warrantless searches on "United States persons." Subsequent reports by NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell and The Washington Post also debunked the conservative talking point while noting that the claim was highlighted in the December 21 RNC press release.

From ThinkProgress, which documented how internet gossip Matt Drudge selectively cited from the Clinton and Carter executive orders to falsely suggest they authorized secret surveillance of U.S. citizens without court-obtained warrants:

What Drudge says:

Clinton, February 9, 1995: "The Attorney General is authorized to approve physical searches, without a court order"

What Clinton actually signed:

Section 1. Pursuant to section 302(a)(1) [50 U.S.C. 1822(a)] of the [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance] Act, the Attorney General is authorized to approve physical searches, without a court order, to acquire foreign intelligence information for periods of up to one year, if the Attorney General makes the certifications required by that section.

That section requires the Attorney General to certify is the search will not involve "the premises, information, material, or property of a United States person." That means U.S. citizens or anyone inside of the United States.

The entire controversy about Bush's program is that, for the first time ever, allows warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens and other people inside of the United States. Clinton's 1995 executive order did not authorize that.

Drudge pulls the same trick with Carter.

What Drudge says:

Jimmy Carter Signed Executive Order on May 23, 1979: "Attorney General is authorized to approve electronic surveillance to acquire foreign intelligence information without a court order."

What Carter's executive order actually says:

1-101. Pursuant to Section 102(a)(1) of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (50 U.S.C. 1802(a)), the Attorney General is authorized to approve electronic surveillance to acquire foreign intelligence information without a court order, but only if the Attorney General makes the certifications required by that Section.

What the Attorney General has to certify under that section is that the surveillance will not contain "the contents of any communication to which a United States person is a party." So again, no U.S. persons are involved.

*****end of clip*****

Really does not matter a lick since Clinton and Carter are not the Coward from Crawford and the buck no longer stops near them.

capt

also at #172
Good enough at what you do to lose fingers and you think that makes for credibility?

Capt, I forgot to tell ya a funny story. Years ago on a construction job, on the roof, an ironworker was showing us where they sewed his finger back on. This guy went by "Boomer"and he wasn't the brightest bulb, but he was nutz! All them ironworkers are fearless, walking the steel like that, but this guy stood out even among that group. So anyways, as he's bragging about the finger, he says "yeah, and I flagged the crane on it myself!" (landing a load, he wasn't watching where he had his own damn hand). My boss immediately said "oh yeah Boomer?" as he reached for his collar, and said "Let's see where they sewed your head back on." LOL Too fkn funneee. Boomer gets riled about it and grabs Jim, picks him up sideways like a newlywed carring the bride over a threshhold. While we're still laughing at him (doofus) he says "well, i'm just gonna throw you off the building!" *toldja he was nutz My boss is laughing and saying "put me down Boomer!" The boss is a pretty big guy, so he didn't get all the way to the edge before tiring out, but being we all thought he was crazy, I had rushed to position between them and the edge of the building, just in case. They were both laughing about it, so it wasn't really serious, but hell, I wasn't taking any chances.
Relayed that story cause it fit our troll. Accidents do happen, and it's not always you're own fault when getting hurt, but most times it is. With fingers, that's pretty much from doing something stoopid yourself.
*at a typical union meeting of our elevator constructor's trade, there was always two or three missing some fingers from all the pinch points with cables and moving equipment 'n shyt.

JBS POLL

Should George Bush be impeached and removed from office?



Yes, because he lied us into war, has used the NSA to eavesdrop on the conversations of Americans without a court order, and has violated the Constitution in other ways.
58%

No, because George W. Bush was justified in going to war and continues to do a good job.
18%

No, because even though he has made mistakes those mistakes do not rise to the level of impeachment.
21%

I don't know.
3%

**********

Talk about out of the mainstream politics our Bunnypants supporters making claims about Clinton are way on the fringe! More Reich-wing than the Birchers? HA!

Talk about no credibility whatsoever!

capt

Alan,

We used "explosives experts" in NC on a job in downtown (westside). What was suppose to be a rolling underground explosion ended up with damage to windows and cars in a 2 radius.

I had not notice before they did the blasting but after the giant mess I noticed not one of them had all of their fingers.

I always wondered why I did not see it before they blasted and would I have still had them do the job.

capt

2 mile radius

Just came aboard and found no posting today. This should be a time of great celebration: Dingdong Delay is dead Delay is dead Dingdong the wicked Delay is Dead Hiho the repugs should go The repugs should go The repugs should go as well And onandonandonandon

I had not notice before they did the blasting but after the giant mess I noticed not one of them had all of their fingers.

hahaha welp, I'm betting it wasn't funny at the time though!

Jan. 6, 2006, 2:08AM
HPD LAB PROBE
3 more dubious cases found — but aren't on retest list
Shoddy analyses of DNA are raising questions on why some convictions go unchallenged

By ROMA KHANNA and STEVE MCVICKER
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Despite more than three years of controversy over problems plaguing the Houston crime lab, three cases that a special investigator identified this week as having questionable DNA evidence were surfacing for the first time.

Others have been cited repeatedly as problematic, and yet they have spurred little legal action.

Three of the 27 cases in which independent reviewer Michael Bromwich cited "major issues" with the Houston Police Department's DNA analyses are not on a list of cases scheduled for retesting by prosecutors in what is supposed to be a comprehensive review, Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal confirmed Thursday.

The unearthing of new cases with shoddy DNA analysis prompted concern this week among defense attorneys and prosecutors. Defense attorneys and scientists familiar with the 27 cases also questioned why little effort has been made to challenge convictions in cases that have come up repeatedly, even though HPD's inaccurate work in some was exposed as long ago as three years.

"Nobody wanted to anticipate how widespread the problem was. So there was a tendency to minimize any problems as exceptions," said Les Ribnik, attorney for death row inmate Juan Carlos Alvarez, whose case Bromwich cited as an example of the HPD lab's poor work. "Now that we see how pervasive the errors were, we must ensure that all DNA cases are retested and that appropriate action is taken on each."

Cooperating since 2002
After problems first were exposed in December 2002, Rosenthal's office began the tedious job of identifying all cases that had DNA evidence and in which the suspects pleaded guilty or were convicted. Prosecutors worked with HPD to find them, ordered retesting of evidence by private labs and alerted defense attorneys.

"The aim is to look at all of them. But yes, I am concerned that we may have missed some cases," Rosenthal said. "I don't know how to make sure we (review each case) because at some point we have to rely on information from HPD."

Any newly identified cases will be added to the DNA-retest list, he said.

The DNA facility is one of five divisions in the crime lab that have come under scrutiny in a scandal that has resulted, thus far, in two men's release from prison and cast doubt on thousands of criminal cases.
---
---
"It's astonishing to me that the results clearing him came out in May 2003 and he's still in prison," said current attorney Terrence Kirk. "But he had a lawyer who did absolutely nothing." more

It wasn't funny at the time though, not much.

HA!

capt

This guy kept an open bible on his desk. On top of that, he had another guy investigated on suspicion of doing what he was doing! It's the self-rightous "squeaky wheel" preaching to others who are all the time living a secret.

Witness:Ex-county official viewed child porn
Testimony came during Paul Donnelly's sentencing hearing

Tom DeLay thought he could screw the law but the law screwed back

In 1990, while running the political programs division for the National Association of Realtors, I met with a brash Republican Congressman from Texas – an up and comer named Rep. Tom DeLay.

DeLay had three items on his agenda:

1—Secure more political action committee money for Republican candidates and members of Congress. He felt business PACs like ours which was, at the time, the largest PAC in town, were being entirely too generous with Democrats;

2—Get more Republicans hired by associations, lobbying firms and political action groups;

3—Con us into inviting him to speak at our upcoming annual convention in Hawaii and make sure the invite included his family and time for a week or so of golf after the convention.

I’d been warned about DeLay. He was, my colleagues in the PAC business said, overtly pushy in a town known for pushy politicians.

*****end of clip*****

Some of my favorite Delay quotes in this piece.

capt

219, Mr. Benson, you assume I haven't read my share. I do not believe it is all that complicated. Tyrants are all the same, and generally have the same goal, power over those who are weaker. The Zionists have proven, over the course of time, that they desire to achieve that which all who thirst for power desire, ultimate control of both territorial and economic destiny. Are we not helping them, both financially and technologically, to accomplish this goal? Are they not betraying us? Maybe it is you who should catch up on your reading.

The tumultuous and tawdry travels of Neil Bush

Scandal-plagued Bush brother returns to spotlight with Russian fugitive and Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Over the past six months, Neil Bush, the son of former President George Herbert Walker Bush and Barbara Bush, and the younger brother of President George W. Bush, has been shepherded around several former Soviet republics by a man wanted for fraud by Russian authorities, and has showed up in the Philippines and Taiwan at the side of a self-styled messiah.

If people know anything at all about the star-crossed Neil Bush, it likely relates to either his role in the failed Silverado Savings and Loan scandal during the 1980s -- which cost taxpayers more than $1 billion -- or, more recently, the lurid details of his divorce from his wife of 23 years.

After a brief hiatus from the spotlight, Neil Bush is back. Within a three-month period, Bush showed up in Latvia, Ukraine and Georgia with Russian fugitive Boris Berezovsky, and appeared at the side of the Unification Church's Rev. Sun Myung Moon in Taiwan and the Philippines.

In September, Bush visited Latvia with Boris Berezovsky, described by the Washington Post as "a fugitive Russian tycoon who made millions in the violent scramble for control of Russian government assets after the fall of communism."

*****end of clip*****

What is with the Bush crime family and "some dumb Moon?"

capt

Some of you like conspiracy theories...not suggesting this is one... but as a person who grew up in Seattle, it bothered me for years that the mighty Bill Gates -- the home-grown, boy makes good, self-made billionaire yada yada -- took a looooooooooong time to start sharing his wealth. He got some really "good breaks" in business from the Justice Department, beating back lawsuits, etc.

His dad, big William Gates, of the law firm, Preston, Gates & Ellis, finally convinced his son that it was incumbent upon him to do something for the greater good, or so we're told.

Anyway...timing is everything...but I think it's worth noting that Jack Abramoff was at Preston, Gates & Ellis when he started his "activities" that has gotten him into deep doo-doo!

oops "have"

Rev. Moon, the Bushes & Donald Rumsfeld

George W. Bush’≥ choice of Donald Rumsfeld to be U.S. defense secretary could put an unintended spotlight on the role of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon –†a Bush family benefactor –†in funneling millions of dollars to communist North Korea in the 1990s as it was developing a missile and nuclear weapons program.

In 1998, Rumsfeld headed a special commission, appointed by the Republican-controlled Congress, that warned that North Korea had made substantial progress during the decade in building missiles that could pose a potential nuclear threat to Japan and parts of the United States.

"The extraordinary level of resources North Korea and Iran are now devoting to developing their own ballistic missile capabilities poses a substantial and immediate danger to the U.S., its vital interests and its allies," said the report by Rumsfeld's Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States.

*****end of clip*****

I think I am beginning to understand.

capt

Poverty, fear dominate life for Iraq's Gypsies

HADID - Among the millions of impoverished Iraqis, Jameel Mahmoud Hassan has the dubious distinction of being among the poorest of all.

One of a group of Iraqi Gypsies who have squatted for years on a fetid patch of land in a village north of Baghdad, he has spent his life in squalor, and now fear.

Home is nothing more than a leaky tent strung up with sticks and torn carpet on a plot strewn with dirty plastic bags, rusted cans and broken bottles. A stack of kerosene cans with mud on top serves as a makeshift oven. Flies swirl everywhere —†on garbage, on the giggling children, on a dog tethered to a tree. Inside the tent, his wife and five children, their ragged clothes caked with dirt, crowd on to carpets and a small cot. A kerosene lamp is the only source of warmth on a chilly winter morning.

A meal of tomatoes, cucumbers and beans is the typical fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Meat is a rare treat every few weeks. More recently, Hassan has worried about being rounded up and forced to move elsewhere by religious militia. "We have nothing," he says. "We are poor. We're just looking for a safe place to hide." Scorned by religious Muslims and barely tolerated by the rest of society, Iraq's Gypsies have a precarious existence. Lacking education or skills, they form one of the lower rungs of Iraq's social system....

....The tribe says it traces its roots to Spain and made Iraq its home more than 150 years ago. Most of Iraq's Gypsies originated in India, while a few came from other Middle Eastern countries.

Although they speak Arabic and profess belief in Islam, their dark complexions and sharp facial features are distinctive and they complain of racial persecution: "We are Muslims and humans, we have Iraqi citizenship," Al Baroodi said. "We just want to live in peace."

HAS REV. SUN MYUNG MOON PURCHASED THE TOP RIGHT-WING EVANGELISTIC LEADERSHIP LOCK-STOCK-BARREL?

Jerry Falwell -- readily admits that he accepted 2.5 million dollars from Moon in 1994 in order to bail out his Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. This was funneled through a Moon organization known as the 'Womens Federation for World Peace' which has been chaired by Beverly LaHaye, Wife of Timothy LaHaye, who is the popular co-author of the "Left Behind" Christian fictional book series and a well known evangelical Christian. The Womens Federation for World Peace paid 3.5 million to the Christian Heritage Foundation, which in turn bought Falwell's $73 million debt, and then frankly wrote it off. The Heritage Foundation then seems to have paid themselves a fee of one million dollars for their trouble.

Since that time Falwell has spoken at many of Moons functions, embracing the cult-leader with unabashed reverence and friendship. Even writings from Moons' Church confirm Falwells comradeship with 'the new messiah' and his cult. Moon has even been a guest speaker in mainline denominational Churches in the past few years. Falwell further praised Rev. Moon calling him, "An unsung hero to the cause of freedom, who is to be commended for his determination and courage and endurance in support of his beliefs."["Unholy Alliances", rense.com, Part 1]

According to official court records of a lawsuit that was filed in Bedford County Circuit Court (West Virginia), it was alleged that Falwell and an associate flew to South Korea, January 9, 1994 to meet with Unification Church officials. This trip came shortly before Falwell was awarded the Moon money. Falwell stated openly, "If the American Atheists Society or Saddam Hussein himself ever sent an unrestricted gift to any of my ministries, be assured I will operate on Billy Sunday's philosophy: The Devil's had it long enough, and quickly cash the check."

*****end of clip*****

These slugs have to assume their Kkkristo-fascist do not read. Do you think we should tell the Kkkristians? Do they already know and do not care? This is from over a decade ago.

capt

The Pimping of the Presidency

Jack Abramoff and Grover Norquist Billing Clients for Face Time with G.W. Bush

Four months after he took the oath of office in 2001, President George W. Bush was the attraction, and the White House the venue, for a fundraiser organized by the alleged perpetrator of the largest billing fraud in the history of corporate lobbying. In May 2001, Jack Abramoff’≥ lobbying client book was worth $4.1 million in annual billing for the Greenberg Traurig law firm. He was a friend of Bush advisor Karl Rove. He was a Bush "Pioneer," delivering at least $100,000 in bundled contributions to the 2000 campaign. He had just concluded his work on the Bush Transition Team as an advisor to the Department of the Interior. He had sent his personal assistant Susan Ralston to the White House to work as Rove’≥ personal assistant. He was a close friend, advisor, and high-dollar fundraiser for the most powerful man in Congress, Tom DeLay. Abramoff was so closely tied to the Bush Administration that he could, and did, charge two of his clients $25,000 for a White House lunch date and a meeting with the President. From the same two clients he took to the White House in May 2001, Abramoff also obtained $2.5 million in contributions for a non-profit foundation he and his wife operated.

Abramoff’≥ White House guests were the chiefs of two of the six casino-rich Indian tribes he and his partner Mike Scanlon ultimately billed $82 million for services tribal leaders now claim were never performed or were improperly performed. Together the six tribes would make $10 million in political contributions, at Abramoff’≥ direction, almost all of it to Republican campaigns of his choosing. On May 9, 2001, when he ushered the two tribal chiefs into the White House to meet the President, The Washington Post story that would end his lobbying career and begin two Senate Committee investigations was three years away. (When the Post story broke in February 2004, however, Abramoff and Scanlon, a former Tom DeLay press aide, were already targets of a U.S. Attorney’≥ investigation in Washington.)

Abramoff brought the Coushatta and Choctaw chiefs to Washington at the request of Grover Norquist. Norquist is founder and director of Americans for Tax Reform, the advocacy group committed to slashing taxes until the federal government is so small you "can drown it in the bathtub." Norquist started ATR in 1985. His power increased exponentially in 1994, when Republicans took control of the House of Representatives and he collaborated with then-Majority Whip Tom DeLay to launch the "K Street Project"—° coordinated campaign to compel lobbyists to contribute only to Republican candidates and ultimately to hire only Republicans. Like Abramoff and Rove, Norquist considered George Bush’≥ victory over Al Gore the culmination of a project the three Washington insiders started 30 years ago as national leaders of the College Republicans.

*****end of clip*****

Still small potatoes. The illegal and unwise invasion of Iraq has killed a minimum of many tens of thousands of people. I still see pardons in the future for those criminals that served their capo.

Anything less than impeachment will not do.

capt

#220 Jeanne, WHEN YOU GO TO WAR, THERE ARE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, SUCH AS THE INSURGENTS WHO LOVE IRAQ.

Prayers are important but they are words. Words without deeds are meaningless. God does hear Bush's prayers but now He wants to see Bush's deeds. Will a heartless amoeba be able to reveal kind deeds?

Since Bush is a pimp, is that an impeachable act?

The prison industry in the United States: big business or a new form of slavery?

HUMAN rights organizations, as well as political and social ones, are condemning what they are calling a new form of inhumane exploitation in the United States, where they say a prison population of up to 2 million –†mostly Black and Hispanic –†are working for various industries for a pittance. For the tycoons who have invested in the prison industry, it has been like finding a pot of gold. They don’¥ have to worry about strikes or paying unemployment insurance, vacations or comp time. All of their workers are full-time, and never arrive late or are absent because of family problems; moreover, if they don’¥ like the pay of 25 cents an hour and refuse to work, they are locked up in isolation cells.

There are approximately 2 million inmates in state, federal and private prisons throughout the country. According to California Prison Focus, "no other society in human history has imprisoned so many of its own citizens." The figures show that the United States has locked up more people than any other country: a half million more than China, which has a population five times greater than the U.S. Statistics reveal that the United States holds 25% of the world’≥ prison population, but only 5% of the world’≥ people. From less than 300,000 inmates in 1972, the jail population grew to 2 million by the year 2000. In 1990 it was one million. Ten years ago there were only five private prisons in the country, with a population of 2,000 inmates; now, there are 100, with 62,000 inmates. It is expected that by the coming decade, the number will hit 360,000, according to reports.

What has happened over the last 10 years? Why are there so many prisoners?

"The private contracting of prisoners for work fosters incentives to lock people up. Prisons depend on this income. Corporate stockholders who make money off prisoners’†work lobby for longer sentences, in order to expand their workforce. The system feeds itself," says a study by the Progressive Labor Party, which accuses the prison industry of being "an imitation of Nazi Germany with respect to forced slave labor and concentration camps."

*****end of clip*****

Just one more thing we would have called un-American just a few years ago. Here in NM I think most of our prison system is privately owned - for profit - corporations. We complain about Chinese prison labor supplying Wal-Mart when we are doing the same thing here.

I am not against the inmates working but if a private corporation is able to exploit a captive cheap labor force it will. It seems like we are our own worst enemy.

capt

Drewp 200

But they can still acknowledge that others sometimes face circumstances that prevent them from being as self-reliant as themselves. So what the hell is wrong with you? Indulging in a little too much self-pity perhaps?

Do you give your entire social security check, or an equal amount, to charity? I do!

I have nothing against choosing to help the unfortunate. I have everything against being forced by a government to give free money to people to lazy to work.

Just like capt, you try to mislead by misstating what I said. You too are a weak and worthless liar. The worst part is, you do it on purpose.

"people too(sp) lazy"

I really resent people too lazy to learn to spell.

Books, young man the ruth will set you free!

Thanks for the chuckle!

capt

Report Questions Legal Basis for Bush's Spying Program

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 - President Bush's rationale for authorizing eavesdropping on American citizens without warrants rests on questionable legal ground and "may represent an exercise of presidential power at its lowest ebb," according to a formal Congressional analysis released today.

The analysis, conducted by the Congressional Research Service, an independent research arm of Congress, is the first formal assessment of a question that has gripped Washington for the last three weeks: Did President Bush act within the law when he ordered the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans?

While the Congressional report reached no bottom-line conclusions on whether the program is legal or not, it concluded that the legal rationale appears somewhat dubious. The legal rationale "does not seem to be as well-grounded" as the Bush administration's lawyers have suggested, and Congress did not appear to have intended to authorize warrantless wiretaps when it gave President Bush the authority to wage war against Al Qaeda in the days after the Sept. 11 attacks, the report concluded.

Bush administration lawyers quickly took issue with the report's conclusions, arguing that President Bush acted within his constitutional and statutory powers in approving the N.S.A. program.

"The president has made clear that he will use his constitutional and statutory authorities to protect the American people from further terrorist attacks," said Brian Roehrkasse, a spokesman for the Justice Department.

"As the attorney general has stated numerous times, the National Security Agency activities described by the president were conducted in accordance with the law and provide a critical tool in the war on terror that saves lives and protects civil liberties at the same time," Mr. Roehrkasse said.

But many Democrats and some Republicans said they found the doubts raised by Congressional report persuasive, pointing to it as another indication that President Bush may have overextended his authority in fighting terrorism.

*****end of clip*****

We are either a country of laws or kings. A democracy or a monarchy.

capt

Santorum asks Bush for panel

Sen. Rick Santorum said in a letter to President Bush Thursday that there is a need to better assess and communicate the progress of military operations in Iraq toward what he calls "our laudable goal" of establishing a stable democracy in the Middle East.

"I strongly believe that the American people should hear objective and unbiased assessments of both military and civil operations ongoing in Iraq," the Penn Hills Republican wrote.

"With his in mind, I join others in Congress in calling for the creation of a commission or panel of experts to objectively and critically report to the American people on the progress being made in Iraq. Importantly, this panel should be forward looking -- focusing on what we as a nation must do to achieve success in Iraq."

*****end of clip*****

Oh my, Ricky Santorum too? Jeeze who is still with Dummypants? His daddy you say? HA!

capt

Analysis: Iraq's dark realities

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The intense wave of killings and bombings that have swept Iraq this week comes as a shock awakening, or hangover, following the unrealistically high expectations and self-congratulations in the administration that surrounded the Dec. 15 parliamentary elections and their immediate aftermath.

The decision of the Sunni Muslim insurgents in central Iraq to largely restrain their forces during the election campaign and the voting period could easily be misconstrued as a weakening of will or loss of morale on their part. But, as was clear even at the time, it was no such thing. Like the Irish Republican Army of two decades ago, the insurgents had not forsaken the bullet for the ballot box. Instead, in the manner of sophisticated -- and all too often, successful -- insurgencies throughout the 20th century, they were following a sophisticated strategy of bullets and ballots.

Nor did the ballot box fail them. On the contrary, it was the failure of the dominant "5-5'5" Shiite coalition that now dominates Iraq with U.S. support, backed by its Kurdish allies in the north of the country, to seek to include the Sunnis in political power that played into the hands of the insurgents.

As Michael Eisenstadt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy warned last year, the very success of the Dec. 15 elections now threatens to backfire by dramatically boosting the popularity and recruitment potential for the insurgents. Its outcome was like pouring gasoline on a burning fire. And this week the fire exploded.

Some 11 U.S. soldiers were killed in a single day in Iraq this week. That meant that in a single 24-hour period the encouraging incremental, but previously consistent, pattern of falling rates of U.S. military deaths in Iraq was dramatically reversed.

Even worse was the slaughter inflicted by two well-placed car bomb blasts. Only two days ago, in our regular weekly UPI Iraq Benchmarks analysis, we noted that the number of multiple bomb fatality (MFB) attacks and the casualties inflicted by them had fallen in December to their lowest level in almost half a year.

*****end of clip*****

No wonder Commander Dipstick has tried to change the subject to the feeble job growth trying to pretend next year it will all get better. Hard to imagine things getting much worse, that is unless we start the war with Iran/Syria.

capt

capt
"people too(sp) lazy"

I really resent people too lazy to learn to spell.

Do you resent people with an old dirty keyboard, that doesn't always punch up every touch?
Do you have anything against people to lazy to learn English, or how to read and spell in English? Sounds like you may be a little racist.

capt
young man the ruth will set you free

the RUTH (sp) will set me free?
learn to spell, I really resent that kind of stupidity.

thanks for the chuckle.

tee hee

I'm sure that, ruth (sp) was because you are stupid, not just a typo, as we all know, at least according to you, no one ever makes typos here.

Violence threatens Iraqi coalition

More than 120 Iraqis, mostly Shiites, were killed Thursday in insurgent attacks.

BAGHDAD - Postelection violence throughout Iraq over the past two days that killed more than 150 mostly Shiite civilians is straining talks intended to forge a new coalition government, say politicians close to the negotiations continuing between newly elected Shiite, Sunni Arab, and Kurdish politicians.

Thursday one official with the largest Shiite political party watched images from the aftermath of a suicide bombing in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, his hometown, that killed at least 50 people and wounded 69. The bomber blew himself up near the shrine of Imam Hussein, whose death during a battle in Karbala cemented the Sunni-Shiite split.

Also Thursday, insurgents, who are mostly Sunni Arab, killed at least 70 people in Ramadi in a suicide attack; more than 30 Shiites attending a funeral were killed Wednesday.

"Did you see what happened in Karbala today? Sunni Arabs must condemn strongly, and clearly, the terrorists," says an official from the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), who asked his name not be used. "We don't want to deal with someone who in the day is with the political process but at night is with the terrorists."

The violence mainly directed at Shiite Iraqis comes at a delicate moment for Iraq as Shiites - who won a majority in the Dec. 15 vote - and Kurds are locked in negotiations to form a coalition government. While Shiites have maintained they want to bring minority Sunni Arabs into the government, the attacks and the inability of Sunni Arab politicians to come out strongly against the insurgents may threaten an inclusive coalition.

The Sunni Arabs are "brothers" and "friends" with us, says the SCIRI official but his group of Shiite leaders, who will hold the majority in the new parliament, are frustrated with Sunni Arab leaders emerging after December's vote who have been ambivalent about denouncing the violence.

"Even the [newly elected Sunni groups] Islamic Party and Tawafaq, they don't condemn terrorism clearly," says the SCIRI official who is directly involved in negotiations to form the new government. "The Sunnis tell us the rationale is that they fear speaking out. It is not justifiable [for them to] say "we are afraid."

*****end of clip*****

Violence in Iraq? I thought we were going to think all happy thoughts and the violence would just stop. I guess the Rove colored glasses are a bit out of focus.

capt

US general gloomy on future for Iraq, Thursday's US losses heaviest since August

WASHINGTON (AFX) - Sectarian rivalries and inefficient Iraqi ministries could turn the Iraqi security forces into 'militias or armed gangs,' Lt. General John Vines, the senior US operational commander in Iraq, told The New York Times.

The comments came as it emerged that US forces suffered Thursday their deadliest day in Iraq since August last year.

In what the newspaper called 'perhaps the bluntest public assessment yet by a senior military officer' of Iraq's future, Vines said in an interview published Friday that the security forces were currently better organized than the Iraqi government.

'The ability of the ministries to support them, to pay them, to resupply them, provide them with water, ammunition, spare parts and weapons is not as advanced as the competence of the forces in the field,' Vines said.

'We must make significant progress in that area before they can conduct independent operations,' he added, referring specifically to the need to develop Iraq's ministries of defence and interior.

Sectarian divides in Iraq could put into question the nascent democratic process, he added.

While the Dec 15 elections for a national assembly attracted a large number of voters, Vines said, 'the vote is reported to primarily along sectarian lines, which is not particularly heartening.'

Meanwhile, the US military today said a total of 11 US servicemen were killed in Iraq on Thursday, when more than 120 people lost their lives in one of the bloodiest days since the US-led invasion.

*****end of clip*****

Crusader Codpiece said things would get worse. This is the only plan I have heard so far: "It is going to get worse" - The question is whatever happened to the plan for things to get better? It either failed, miserably, or it never existed.

capt

Hillary Clinton Campaign Acknowedges Violation

Now that's something I like to see. Maybe it's time to be rid of Big Dawg's wife and replace her with someone who hasn't been infected with the Culture of Corruption that runs rampant through the Grand Ol' torturing Party. That's what she gets for hanging around with crooks like Newt "is it time for a new wife yet?" Gingrich.

more funny stuff from uneducaTED:
"Get this, Clinton used the NSA to wire tap republican Strom Thurmond, a strong critic during impeachment."

Thurmond's wiretapping has been reported by reactionary pinheads for decades. The Echelon tapping of Strom's phone calls happened under a Republican administration. Typical, "eat yer own" style of mismanagement. Leave it to Newsmax to take a Republican crime and blame it on Big Dawg.

uneducaTED drones on:
"A 2000 interview on CBS 60 minutes revealed the spying and not a peep from the left."
Posted by: UNEDUCAted at January 6, 2006 08:07 PM

read the interview. And look at the testimony of officials regarding the ECHELON program. Wow. brainfarTED again.

Happypants, don't forget Rich Lowry's contention that credit card agencies reported a record amount of spending this Xmas. Hmmm. Why would folks use their credit cards instead of cash? Could it be that they're all tapped out? Is that why we have a 0% savings rate in America? Folks don't have anything left to set aside (at least, lower and middle income folks don't). Lowry also points out that big ticket items were bought at higher rates. With increasing numbers of people defaulting or missing credit card payments, who is buying these big ticket items? Hmmm. Who can afford a $1000 piece of electronic equipment? Rich folks. Chimpy's base and Abramoff's client list.

Your "whistling past the graveyard" routine is amusing (like KJLopez telling folks that Chimpy's market is better than Big Dawg's). Chimpy ends 2005 down from when he took office and Clinton's market grew something like 140%. You could use some tips from Jack Snowjob telling folks that Chimpy is a more fiscally responsible leader than Clinton (never mind the fact that Clinton endowed Chimpy with a budget surplus and Chimpy is running the biggest deficit since forever). Sorry if I offended anyone by using "Clinton" and "endowment" in the same sentence.

Finally, I think it's obvious that Mr. Corn left us two threads before he hit the road for a reason. Maybe sometime tomorrow, we should take advantage of his generosity and hop over to the previous thread since it's a lot shorter (you know how we liberals are about recycling). It's hard to keep up with 300+ comments.

ruth or truth, to too or two, your you're or even our. Makes no difference to me.

Why do you always have to make some cheap insult?

You know rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength? Some commie said it so you know it is true. Of course I am every word in the book all of the silly things you like to call people, no big deal to me. I could not muster an iota of concern for what you think, you do not make any reason clear, just insults and such. That reflects badly on you not me so la te da!

Do you feel like you elevate yourself by putting others down? You only show your contempt for yourself. Gain some self-respect and you will be able to respect others.

As I always say, read a book, clean your keyboard and if you are hanging around a bunch of losers, lefties, liberals, democrats, whatever implied insult your very limited and ineloquent verbosity allows, only you can change it. If we are all so bad what are you doing here? You are so much better than the petty crud you seem incapable of not spewing. At least I hope so. It is impossible to tell because all you post is school-yard taunts, ad homonym, and yip-yap at what others offer as commentary. We know you disagree we just cannot figure out why? You need to study up and actually say something. You are better than the anything you have posted here, of that much I am sure.

Grow up, clean up your act! Quit hanging around a bunch of losers like us.

Thanks - no more educational information from me. I am too stupid to make you stop being an arse so I have failed. Good day young man.

capt

Orwell could have a case against Bush

Presidential pronouncements may too-closely reflect a familiar literary style

By Steve Young


Lawyers for the estate of George Orwell have announced their intention to sue President Bush for plagiarism.

"We have long believed that this administration has stolen much of its policy from Mr. Orwell's writings," said attorney Will Bilyalotz.

"Expressly, '1984' and 'Animal Farm.' In some cases, like the illegal surveillance of its own citizens, this administration has lifted the passages word for word from '1984.' Just changing the year doesn't protect the president from copyright laws."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan, while refusing to comment directly because of the "ongoing investigation," reminded reporters that the Patriot Act had given the president the power to suspend copyright laws and, anyway, "No one can own words."

Legal experts believe proving copyright infringement will not be easy. "Even if he is guilty, the president's propensity for adapting Mr. Orwell's '1984' newspeak is so effortless, as if he made up the words himself," said law professor Sue Yu Atdropohat. "Illegal borrowing of words or even fictional characters from published works has a high threshold of proof. The producers of the film 'Being There' have had their lawsuit against the Bush campaign tied up in court since 2000. After all, one man's outright theft of ideas is another man's malapropos."

"Personally, I think this so-called intelligentsia is just jealous," said Newt Gingrich. "Orwell could have only dreamed of great terms like 'defeatist' and 'evil-doer.'"

Bilyalotz differs. "The president's comments like, 'This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. And having said that, all options are on the table,' is plain and simple, Mr. Orwell's 'doublethink' (the power to hold two completely contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously and accept both of them)."

*****end of clip*****

Dictator Duckspeak and his merry band of jackboots should be sued for lifting so much from Orwell. I always maintain that in the end Orwellian will be a gross understatement. I wonder what the ministry of truth would say about that?

HA! The OC Register is a conservative paper.

capt

capt
Jeez capt, when I make a little mistake, you chuckle and jeer. When it is pointed out that you made the same kind of mistake, while pointing out my mistake, you can't handle it?

I guess you follow the thought of, an aggressive offense is the best defense. You got a little carried away when you realized you TOO make mistakes.

"Education is the period during which you are being instructed by somebody you do not know, about something you do not want to know." ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

"A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read." ~ Mark Twain

Good advice.

capt

Homeland Security opening private mail

Retired professor confused, angered when letter from abroad is opened

WASHINGTON - In the 50 years that Grant Goodman has known and corresponded with a colleague in the Philippines he never had any reason to suspect that their friendship was anything but spectacularly ordinary.

But now he believes that the relationship has somehow sparked the interest of the Department of Homeland Security and led the agency to place him under surveillance.

Last month Goodman, an 81-year-old retired University of Kansas history professor, received a letter from his friend in the Philippines that had been opened and resealed with a strip of dark green tape bearing the words "by Border Protection" and carrying the official Homeland Security seal.

*****end of clip*****

Enough is enough. We need to impeach this totalitarian fascist government. Top to bottom, left to right. The whole enchilada.

capt

Bush's drinking and drug use must be investigated

It is my belief that President George W. Bush is drinking again. Even worse, he may be mixing alcohol and anti-depressants -- a dangerous combination for anyone, let alone the so-called leader of the free world.

No, I don’t have any proof of this, just random events and comments from those who work in and around the Bush administration and who tell me the President has acted in ways that suggest the use of alcohol and drugs. I’m a recovering alcoholic (sober 11 years, six months and 24 days) and I’ve run across a lot of relapsed drinkers who show the same symptoms as the President, including:

Blacking out while watching television alone;
Slurred speech and stammering responses to simple questions;
Anger and hostility in front of staff members;
Unexplained bruises on his face;
Trouble remembering recent events or comments.

"According to reports, President Bush may be drinking again," David Letterman said in a late-night monologue. "And I thought, "Well, why not? He's got everybody else drinking."

As a journalist, it is my duty to raise questions about the fitness of any elected leader. One may argue over whether or not it is proper to print speculation but, in this case, I believe it is justified.

I’m doing my job. I just wish the so-called "mainstream" media would do theirs.

*****end of clip*****

The sad thing is: The MSM are doing their job as they see it. If the MSM reported or even asked these questions their job would be axed.

capt

capt,
"Education is the period during which you are being instructed by somebody you do not know, about something
you do not want to know." ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

You are welcome. I am glad you realized I have just trying to teach you.

Of course, I knew your (sp) was as inadvertent as mine. Pointing out you embarrassment was a teaching tool so you realize making fun of people is not something one should take pride in.

out you ? Out YOUR!

I have taken no enjoyment or fun in correcting you. You have made it clear you have nothing to offer. If you want to learn read my posts but allow me the luxury of reading past yours, piffle is such a waste of time and bandwidth.

Why you do not use your energy to say something, anything meaningful. It is beyond my simple minds ability to understand your motivations.

You see, talking about me is not a political discussion. That is why it does not matter that I am dumb, stupid, phony or any of the other wasted words you seem unable to not preddle.

Like I say read a book, the only thing you offer is insults and name-calling. I am sure you can do better if you apply yourself.

Get past the petty pety party of plaintive pathetic pleadings for attention by way of being a an arse for no reason, do that and you will have achieved a personal best!

"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength." ~ Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

You really need to study the one quote above and stop exposing how weak you are. I am whatever you imagine - good/bad/ugly so what? Your opinion of me would only matter if I cared what your opinion was, I do not. So carry on.

I said good day young man. End of class.

capt

"Most people receive very little training on how to live effectively and harmoniously with themselves and others. This I believe is an unfortunate outcome of our parenting beliefs and methods, as well as society's educational systems. It seems to me these beliefs and systems empathize academic and vocational skills and place little or no emphasis or value on providing a person with the essential skills to live a life of personal fulfillment, contribution and self actualization. I believe it would be a safe assumption that the great majority of people work at jobs in which they find very little personal satisfaction. Without proper training on how to make wise choices in one's life, the chances are very slim anyone will make them." ~ Sidney Madwed

"When we are angry or depressed in our creativity, we have misplaced our power. We have allowed someone else to determine our worth, and then we are angry at being undervalued." ~ Julia Cameron, The Vein of Gold

"The good man is the teacher of the bad,
And the bad is the material from which the good may learn.
He who does not value the teacher,
Or greatly care for the material,
Is greatly deluded although he may be learned.
Such is the essential mystery." ~ Lao-Tzu (604 BC - 531 BC)

Bill Maher's Remarks to Mr. Bush:

Maher's closing remarks on a recent show on HBO.

"Mr. President, this job can't be fun for you any more. There's no more money to spend--you used up all of that. You can't start another war because you used up the army. And now, darn the luck, the rest of your term has become the Bush family nightmare: helping poor people. Listen to your Mom. The cupboard's bare, the credit cards maxed out. No one's speaking to you. Mission accomplished.

"Now it's time to do what you've always done best: lose interest and walk away. Like you did with your military service and the oil company and the baseball team. It's time. Time to move on and try the next fantasy job. How about cowboy or space man? Now I know what you're saying: there's so many other things that you as President could involve yourself in. Please don't. I know, I know. There's a lot left to do. There's a war with Venezuela. Eliminating the sales tax on yachts. Turning the space program over to the church. And Social Security to Fannie Mae. Giving embryos the vote.

"But, Sir, none of that is going to happen now. Why? Because you govern like Billy Joel drives. You've performed so poorly I'm surprised that you haven't given yourself a medal. You're a catastrophe that walks like a man. Herbert Hoover was a shitty president, but even he never conceded an entire city to rising water and snakes.

"On your watch, we've lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four airliners, two trade centers, a piece of the Pentagon and the City of New Orleans. Maybe you're just not lucky. I'm not saying you don't love this country. I'm just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the other side.

"So, yes, God does speak to you. What he is saying is: 'Take a hint.' "

the tide done turned, no?
House Republicans Call for DeLay Replacement

"I do not want Tom Delay to return," said Rep. Heather Wilson of New Mexico, who has faced tough challengers in several recent elections.

"Three of his former senior staff members have admitted or have been implicated in corrupt and illegal activities to get money for themselves by influencing legislation," she said. "Whether or not Mr. Delay was involved himself or knew this was going on, he is responsible for his office. I cannot tolerate this."
---
---
Abramoff frequently had stressed his ties to DeLay in the course of seeking business from prospective lobbying clients, and had hired a number of former DeLay aides as employees. One of them, Michael Scanlon, pleaded guilty last November as part of the same investigation that led to Abramoff's confession of guilt this week.

According to papers filed in court, Abramoff paid the wife of another DeLay aide $50,000 over several months as part of an effort to kill legislation opposed by his lobbying clients.

Under GOP rules the signatures of 50 lawmakers on a petition would be sufficient to call a special meeting. Once convened, a majority vote would be required to hold elections.
=================
Last election, I had my first opportunity to vote against that bastard (cause of his illegal re-districting), and I can't wait to vote against that fkr again. *Ron Paul was my rep b4 then.
He's going down this time!
I hope he's in a Texas prison first, but knowing what I know about that, he'll be in isolation to protect him from the general population.
He'd make somebody a good bitch otherwise.
"the Hammer", hahahaha He'd learn a new meaning for that name.

capt
Get past the petty pety (sp)... pity ... party

You still have much to learn. Start with typing.

I've dropped a lil bit, but I'm still in the running

Wanna vote for a Cornblogger? haha

Hell with the prize, I just wanna be known as against that fkr.

capt,
An appropriate quote for you, which applies much to you.

"Those who think they are more learned than they are, still have much to learn." ~ William Grosgerth III (1702 - 1759)

"Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before. He is full of murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by their ignorance the hard way."

-Kurt Vonnegut, The Books of Bokonon

"And God said, "Let Us make living creatures out of mud, so the mud can see what We have done." And God created every living creature that now moveth, and one was man. Mud as man alone could speak. God leaned close as mud as man sat up, looked around, and spoke. Man blinked. "What is the purpose of all this?" he asked politely.

"Everything must have a purpose?" asked God.

"Certainly," said man.

"Then I leave it to you to think of one for all this," said God.

And He went away."

-Kurt Vonnegut, The Books of Bokonon

I wanted all things
To seem to make some sense,
So we could all be happy, yes,
Instead of tense.
And I made up lies
So that they all fit nice,
And I made this sad world
A par-a-dise.

-Kurt Vonnegut, Humanist

NOW Interview with Kurt Vonnegut
__________________
DAVID BRANCACCIO: But just short of that, there must be things that you think the current administration has done wrong that has so upset you.

KURT VONNEGUT: Well, yes, it doesn't know anything about military science. Doesn't know anything about science. You know, global warming, they just don't believe it. And my lord, to send 143,000 soldiers, or whatever it is to occupy a country of what? Several million? Is I-- what, it's seven million, you think?

It's preposterous. I knew better than that. Although the highest rank I ever held was corporal. And so these people don't know anything about anything. They're incompetent. And, so, yes, they are getting a lot of our guys killed. But, also, they've emptied our treasuries. You know, we can't fix our roads. We can't fix the schools.

It's my dream of America with great public schools. I thought we should be the envy of the world with our public schools. And I went to such a public school. So I knew that such a school was possible. Shortridge High School in Indianapolis. Produced not only me, but the head writer on the I LOVE LUCY show.

And, my God, we had a daily paper. We had a debating team. Had a fencing team. We had a chorus, a jazz band, a serious orchestra. And all this with a Great Depression going on. And I wanted everybody to have such a school. And, yeah, we could afford it if we didn't spend all the money on weaponry.
______________

-T

War is what greases the wheels, and educated people prefer to avoid being crushed under said wheels. War or education, you can't have both.
Sal

WhistleBlower: "Do you give your entire social security check, or an equal amount, to charity? I do!

Charity? That's just contributing to the weakness and worthlessness of the "weak and worthless."

Besides, if people like you just use it to sell themselves and others on their virtue, it's not really charity at all.

So save your money and buy yourself some prosthetic fingers, you poor self-pitying schmuck.

Bill Maher (via Capt.): "You're a catastrophe that walks like a man."

Nice.

#254
Only if he lied about it.

Pan, I like your idea about using the previous, shorter thread to post. I've thought about that in the past, but it was always too late because I couldn't get into the current thread to post the suggestion once it got past 350 or so. If David is unable to post a fresh thread this weekend, I will go back to his Note From Paris thread, once this one becomes too lenghty, to offer comments and links. I hope anyone else who is stuck with dial-up will join me, along with all those who feel inclined. I know I miss a lot of info. because of the huge number of comments that I can't access.

CSPAN covered a town-hall style discussion of the Iraq mess with John Murtha the other day. When asked by someone in the audience whether the U.S. was building permanent bases in Iraq, Murtha said, simply, "No.

What happened to the 14 "enduring" installations that were being built? Is Murtha to be believed? Does he even know what he's talking about? After all, he's already admitted he was wrong to have supported the invasion in the first place.

#286 Drewp -- he probably gives to one of Abramoff's phoney-baloney "charities" that benefits the wives of the fat-cats. Their definition of "charity" is odd indeed.

#289 Saladin (and Pande) -- fine idea.

I've installed MSN's "Turbo dial-up". It seems to sacrifice photo and grafix quality to speed up text reception time. Video's right out, but for the purposes of news and information, it seems almost as fact as work.

What would everybody think about a "Registration" to the comments section, at least just so the Troll couldn't post as someone else?

No personal info required...just grab a name and stick to it!?

-T

-fast as work.

Hajji, it wouldn't bother me, though I can smell the trolls a mile away!

Dollar Imperialism

Some of the hidden reasons the demonic cabal invaded and occupied Iraq are:

to reconfigure the Middle East geopolitically

to gain strategic control over Iraq's--and the surrounding territory's--hydrocarbon reserves to establish a cabal-based energy market to replace OPEC

to maintain the U.S. dollar as the monopoly currency for the critical international oil market
Saddam Hussein's cardinal sin had been to tie Iraq's oil sales to the Euro. Saddam announced in September 2000 that Iraq was no longer going to accept dollars for oil being sold under the UN's Oil-for-Food program, and the switch to the Euro as Iraq's oil export currency. This was one of several dangerous steps towards establishing the Euro as an alternative oil transaction currency--the "PetroEuro"--that nations--including those within OPEC--had begun to contemplate seriously. The international cabal felt it had to show the world--through pre-emptive invasion of a sovereign nation without provocation or reason--that it would not tolerate any attempt to displace the U.S. dollar as the sole oil transaction currency. A Financial Times article dated June 5, 2003, confirmed that Iraqi oil sales had returned to the international markets and were once again denominated in U.S. dollars--not Euros.
------------
This is an excellent history on dollar hedgemony. If Mr. happy MBA had the slightest clue what he was talking about he would not be singing the praises of all his dollars. Those on the highest horses will fall the hardest, and deserve what they get. Anyone interested in the hidden history of the world's monetary system and why it is tied to the dollar will enjoy this article.

#290 Q. Wo'?t some troops and "enduring bases" remain?
A. Under the Murtha proposal, the only U.S. base in Iraq will be the U.S. embassy and the only U.S. military personnel will be U.S. Marines at the embassy and the military attaches in the embassy. Eventually, consulates may open, but these are extensions of the embassy.

Drewp -- I did not hear Murtha's remarks, but this site is informative. Maybe the key is "enduring bases" -- but what does that really mean, eh?

voted you a 5 alan - raised your standing by 1/100th of a point - GO TO #279 AND VOTE ALAN A 5 - and then click my name to order the FREE DVD:
'CONFRONTING THE EVIDENCE: Reopen 911'
6-8 weeks for delivery

Stop! Don't Bomb Iran

Coup d'Etat Doesn't Mean Cute

The Magna Carta Is Dead

Forecasts for 2006

From the article linked above.

Petro-Euros and The Dreaded Bourse

The idea of Russia and other countries breaking away from the stranglehold of the U.S. dollar and adopting the euro as a reserve currency in place of the dollar was endorsed by Putin as early as 2004.

"President Vladimir Putin has stated both publicly and privately that invoicing Russia's crude-oil and gas exports to the European Union in euros instead of in dollars makes very good sense for both Russia and the EU. Putin is known to have very close relations with "old Europe", primarily Germany and France. His statements and those of German and French leaders have even on occasion drawn attention to the fact that US global dominance fundamentally rests on the fact that the dollar is the international currency, and that if an exit from the dollar were to occur in the sphere of global petro-transactions, the effect would be seriously to undermine that global dominance.
"Furthermore, a number of oil-exporting countries have already gone on public record as to their preference to make an exit from petro-dollars in favor of petro-euros. They have indicated that if Russia begins such a move to petro-euros, they will rapidly follow Russia's lead. The net effect would be a rapid international abandonment of the dollar as the international currency, which would in turn 'bring down the towers' of the heavily debt-ridden US economy."

The first coalition member nation to actually launch plans to break away from the dollar death-grip is Iran. Beginning in March 2006, the Tehran government has plans to start competing with New York's NYMEX and London's IPE with respect to international oil trades, using a Euro-based international oil-trading mechanism. The proposed Iranian oil bourse portends that without some sort of U.S. intervention, the Euro will become a major competitor with the U.S. dollar in the international oil trade. A bourse is a stock exchange for securities trading; the word is derived from the French stock exchange in Paris, the Federation Internationale des Bourses de Valeurs.

The next offensive in the cabal's dollar imperialism war will thus most likely be the unprovoked attack of Iran. The hidden reason for this attack is Iran's huge energy reserves--and its daring to create an oil bourse linked to the euro.

That such an attack by the cabal on Iran would be insane, does not seem to make any real difference to the neanderthal reactionaries who create cabal policy.

Most of the coalition leaders have said that they would stand by Iran if the American puppet junta attacks it. On December 18, 2005, Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri said Pakistan strictly opposed any expected U.S. attack on Iran, and would stand by Iran if this extreme step were taken by Washington. Japan has indicated its solidarity with Iran--most likely because Japan obtains about fifteen percent of its oil from Iran and has few easy alternative sources to make up the difference in the event of a cabal offensive.

Iran has spent the past few years cementing economic and military ties with Russia, China, and the EU. The leaders of China, Russia--and to a lesser extent even those of the EU--would be acting in self-defense by drawing a line in the sand around Iran. To the point, in 2005 Russia began selling some of its more advanced missiles to Syria, Venezuela, and Iran, just as the cabal amped up its rhetoric against these countries.
-------------
If this cabal isn't stopped, and soon, all the DC scandals they can come up with to distract everyone won't matter one bit. Gerald, an attack on Iran is inevitable if the people in this country don't wake up and see the truth of what's happening. We are in very bad trouble here, and it isn't coming from box cutter wielding, cave dwelling Arabs. The entire world is lining up against us, and it's all because of the psychotic greed for territory and power of those running this country. Our tyranny is growing tiresome, it's only a matter of time before something snaps.

NETANYAHU IS WAITING IN THE WINGS
With Ariel Sharon out of the picture, Benjamin Netanyahu has a better chance to become prime minister of Israel.
He’s media savvy. He knows how to spin on American television. And he’s very dangerous.
^^^^^^^^^^6
remember the london 7/7 bombing where the bomb on the train blew a hole into the train from UNDERNEATH?(the authorities sed the bomb was in a backpack ON the train, but it had been planted UNDER the train ahead of time by someone with a security clearance, so it was obviously NOT an arab terrorist like they sed) - anyway, netanyahu was somehow warned ahead of time to stay away from the area - typical Israeli/Mossad false flag tactics -

Pakistan strictly opposed any expected U.S. attack on Iran, and would stand by Iran if this extreme step were taken by Washington. Japan has indicated its solidarity with Iran--

ha. isn't pakistan our #1 ally in the war on terror in that region? so much for the 'coalition of the willing'

Murders and War Crimes! It's What We Do

A good but somewhat lengthy article!

Too Little, Too Late You Scumbag

James, the power elite are being backed into a corner, and they are becoming desperate. I see the threat of another "terrorist" attack within a US city in the very near future. Iran will not be bullied, and unlike saddam's illusory WMD's, Iran is very capable of launching an offensive attack in retaliation if Israel and/or the US conducts a premptive strike against them. And also, unlike Iraq, they have REAL nuclear powers to back them up. I wonder how much the people of this country are willing to swallow, how many lies will they believe, how many will have to be slaughtered before we say ENOUGH?

before anyone feels sorry for poor old ariel sharon, who bush declared a 'man of peace', they should read THIS account of one of the most shocking war crimes of the 20th century

The Worst Is Yet to Come

sal, you and I and some others on this and other blogs have been saying ENOUGH all along - it's the average John Q who has no idea of what's going on that needs to wake up and say ENOUGH

Gates, Buffett, China 'run from dollar'
Expert sees development as sharp warning to Americans

WorldNetDaily | February 3, 2005

Decisions by the world's two wealthiest men to bet on a further weakening of the U.S. dollar, coupled with China's lack of confidence in American currency should grab the attention of every working person, says Craig Smith, CEO of Swiss America Trading .

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is following the example of Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett, who made a pretax gain of $412 million in the fourth quarter of 2004 by buying foreign currencies.

Citing widening U.S. trade and budget deficits and a federal debt of $7.62 trillion, Gates said in a TV interview at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last weekend he expects the dollar to extend its three-year decline.

"I'm short the dollar," Gates said, according to Bloomberg News. "The ol' dollar, it's gonna go down."

Smith, whose company specializes in tangible assets, told WorldNetDaily he can't believe this news is not the big headline across the nation.

"When I saw this quote, literally I had to catch my breath," Smith said. "This is a clear-cut signal that the people who know money are running -- they are not walking -- in my opinion, they are running from the dollar."
------------
This news reported on this site is a shock to me. The bush cabal and their puppeteers know very well that if the dollar crashes all their plans will go down the drain. No bombs need be launched to sink America. This is the abyss we are balanced over. Gold hit $541 yesterday. I repeat my mantra, invest in physical silver and or gold, if you have dollar savings in the bank to access, pull it out and trade it for precious metal. keep it out of the bank, they are legally able to confiscate it if you leave it there. I cannot stress this enough. We are on the brink, and short of outright revolution we will reach the tipping point. Any investments you may have, including, and especially real estate, is in real danger for significant loss. I sincerely hope we don't reach that point, but if you can, protect yourself. We are being set up for a fall, this deficit is not the result of incompetent bungling, it was intentional.

#265 Pandemoniac, Hillary is dead weight for the Democrats.

#272 capt, how can drunks and drug addicts investigate drunks and drug addicts?

#276 capt, thanks for the info! I have not watched Bill Maher for sometime.

#281 Hajji, thanks for the Kurt Vonnegut's comment!

New Orleans Residents
All Over The Country
Should Be Put On Red Alert:
The Neo Cons Are Trying To
Illegally Bulldoze Your Homes
And Steal Your Property

By Greg Szymanski

"Simply, the city, state and federal government are using their illegal imminent domain powers to take away personal property. There are 14,000 homes in the 9 th Ward ready to be bulldozed and most of the people have been systematically kept away from the city and don't even know what's going on.

Darby said after assessing many of the thousands of homes in the 9th Ward and other poorer neighborhoods, it is his opinion and the opinion of many others that most of the homes are in good enough shape to be repaired, not demolished.

"The media is not telling this side of the story as they all are working together, including New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and others all the way up to the White House, who are intent on paving the way with billions of dollars of redevelopment money to first level the homes and then replace them with casinos, hotels and other expensive type housing," said Darby.

Darby added that Mayor Nagin has been "his worst nightmare" since he has not only catering to rich developers but also allowing federal agencies on the front lines to keep utilities purposely turned off in the poorer neighborhoods, discouraging people from going home.

"Think about it. Whole neighborhoods in the 9th Ward and elsewhere completely empty even though the houses can be repaired with a little hard work and effort," added Darby, who has been busy in the last four months gutting homes with other private relief workers in order to get people back in their homes.

"We have to get the word out to everyone across the country about exactly what is going on here. The government is lying and telling people to stay away in order to take their property out from under them. It's criminal, unconstitutional and we have filed a lawsuit trying to block the bulldozing which is starting as we speak."

And the sinister nature of this complete government rip-off is not being played out the evening news, but is being fought behind the veil of secrecy, as Darby and his band freedom fighters today stood between cranes and a man's house in the 9th Ward set for demolition.

"Our attorney who filed the lawsuit to block the demolitions, received a 24 hour temporary restraining order to stop bulldozing the homes," said Darby. "Guess what happens then? We get a phone call this morning from a man who said the city was now using cranes instead of bulldozers. What nonsense. So we rushed over to his 9 th Ward house, stood between the crane and the house and stopped the demolition.
-------------
I think it is safe to say that Lady Liberty is officially dead. RIP.

NeoCondi shows just how much Israel
Controlls American Foreign Policy!
______________

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice canceled a six-day trip to Indonesia and Australia on Friday, amid uncertainty over the condition of ailing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"She decided because of the situation in the Middle East, it was the right decision to stay here in Washington," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. Rice had planned to leave Saturday.
_______________

They don't have phones or Airports in Indonesia and Australia?!!

Pretty telling who calls the shots, iddn't it?

-T

that really sux; the N.O. land grab -
eminent domain n Law. The right of a government to appropriate private property for public use.
casinos, hotels and other expensive type housing ha. public use.

James ha
it's the average John Q who has no idea of what's going on that needs to wake up

Rather arrogant of you. Like you are not an average John Q.

"Those who think they are more learned than they are, still have much to learn." ~ William Grosgerth III (1702 -
1759)

Drewp & Saladin,

As I stated in earlier posts on this thread, my entire Social Security check, every month for the last six years, has gone directly to the American Cancer Society. Check it out sometime. Walk the walk instead of just talking the talk.
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp

You two should try reading the posts, instead of just making random ridiculous remarks on things you know nothing about. Read, and you won't continue to prove how uninformed you really are.

Hajji,

I agree with the registration idea. Then maybe Capt will realize I am not baf, miku, ted et al.

Delay Gives in to Pressure

-keep the ball rolling!

-T

TRH,

It wouldn't stop someone from posting under multiple (endlessly) names, it would only keep people from masquerading as others...

It isn't like I'm calling for ANY real accountability!

-T

re: china - people think that the eventual democratization of china is a good thing. maybe it's not. for thousands of years china has looked inward on itself, controlling it's people and hiding from the rest of the world. what will happen when more than a billion people are suddenly free with their new capitalist society? they will no longer be looking in at themselves but will instead look outward; the rest of the world ripe for their newfound capitalist expansion.
ha. I'm from lower slobovia, and we had a 4 foot high stone wall to keep those godless upper slobovians out, but no amount of stone walls will keep more than a billion chinese capitalists out, especially after our almighty dollar has been renderred useless!

I have a bit of technoid advice for you all on dial ups. I highly recommend SBC Yahoo DSL. It does not require special cables, it's 15 bucks a month (higher insome areas but not over 20 bucks). I do however recommend installing CAT 5 cable. It comes with four pairs of twisted conductors in the cable. I tied two pair together and installed it as a two wire cable. This will insure a clean, low resistance connection with the phone line. If you install SBC Yahoo, do not use their page as your home page, It is graphics intensive and slows things down, just use your normal home page you use now and just utilize their connection. You dial up folks can test the soundness of your connection by plugging a phone into the jack you normally plug you computer into, then press 2 and listen for any scratchy noise on the line. Do that a few times as it will give a recorded message if their is no other button pressed. If you are experiencing frequent drops off line the likely suspect is the scratchiness on the line. Again, dump your dialup if possible, you will like it a lot more with DSL.

Hajji,

It is rather idiotic for the one who is trying to post as you or the others they have tried to imitate. I can't speak for the others but I can spot the "Hajji" intruder a mile away. There is definitely a lack of wit and wisdom in the imitation "Hajji." What is even more idiotic is that the person doing the imitating says things that the person they are imitating never say or do. Not even close!

yes well, look up arrogance in the dictionary to view a photo of myself.

Micki, Drewp

Had you bothered to read, you would have already see, that the, "Weak and worthless", refereed only to those who are sound physically and mentally, just to lazy to work for a living.

As usual you, impose your distorted meaning to a person's statements, twist it into something denigrating, and pass on your new misleading meaning as fact. Distract and distort facts. Typical Liberal traits of twisting the truth to
suit your vile view of America.

Gee I wish you people would QUIT arguing! The petty squabbling is way back high school crap. Regulars and interlopers as well. PLEASE try to retain an adult level of civility, Thanks!

James Ha,

You, of course meant, UNFOUNDED ARROGANCE, has your picture.

A minor mistake on your part, but I'm sure you knew that. What the Hell, if the truth doesn't work for James, just twist it until it does.

It must be the weekend, the teenager troll is all about playing.

I will be back!

capt

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10704050/

DeLay to give up House majority leader role

Picture on Ariannas site shows "the Hammer" with the lip out. What happened to the smiling dog we all remember? Boo Hoo! The Reich wing is getting smaller by one, NEXT!

Last time I dare post here. EVERYONE GO TO THE PREVIOUS THREAD!!!!

capt,
It must be the weekend, the teenager troll is all about playing.

I will be back!

Don't come back, EVERYONE here is sick of reading your your tired old quotes.

If you do come back, try using your own tiny little brain. It may not produce much, but at least the thoughts would be your own.

My favoite story of last year, The Onion report:With 2005 drawing to a close, the White House held a special ceremony in the East Room Saturday to commemorate its fifth year without any sort of oral-genital contact within its historic confines. "This administration has upheld its promise to restore dignity to the White House," President Bush said. "I can assure that no one—including myself, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, 'Scooter' Libby, or Condi Rice—has been the recipient, or provider, of the kind of unnatural, depraved, and frankly gross sexual act that, not too long ago, disgraced this office in the eyes of the world." Bush was then joined on stage by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and Tom DeLay to cut a perfectly square, frostingless vanilla cake made especially for the occasion.....But, But, who was pretty boy Jeffy giving lip service to?

Pukedemic #265

Hey puke, just can't control yourself on defending an impeached President that was disbarred, can you. Not to mention his corrupt wife who has abused every ethical standard in existence to get into her place of power. It's O.K., we understand how easy it is to get brainwashed by a couple of sleazy politians like the Clinton's.

I here all this talk from you trolls about how you must carry on the fight to keep up the pressure on the Bushbots, but I am still trying to figure out what scandals you have won with all these important links of information? Is Rove out of power? Are we out of Iraq? Is the economy tanking? Have we stopped the spying, how about the torture? I thought pinheads like pukedemic and "quote master of lies" capt, would be able to accomplish at least one victory with all the wasted time, spinning of the truth, that they spend on this site day in and day out.

Hey puke, some of us use our credit cards to get frequent flyer miles and other perks. Savings in a bank account is at a all time low, but this might have something to do with the horrible interest rates you get with a savings account. There are better ways to save wich are not reflected in most savings reports such as home equity, roth IRA's, 401K's, life insurance, etc.

Also, saladin often complains that all these new jobless figures are not correct because most people quit looking. Most of these people have come from the high tech industry and couldn't get a new job that paid the same high salary as before, so they have decided to start their own small business and hire peolple to work for them. I know this doesn't cover manufacturing jobs that have been lost, but a majority of new jobs is coming from these small business's which is at a all time high of start ups. These are not phony dot-com start ups like under Clinton, who had no value.

Capt, you are such a phony, whisteblower has you pegged perfectly. It hurts to hear the truth from someone you consider less read than yourself, doesn't it?

capt #327

"The teenager trolls are out again"

Back to the lame insults again, capt? I thought insults were only for the weak minded?

A Hero and a Toady

It was 1968. Lt. Calley and his troops were raping and killing the peasants in the village of My Lai, South Vietnam. The pilot of a US helicopter, Hugh Thompson Jr., couldn’t believe the scene he and his crew witnessed from the air. Thompson set his bird down on the ground in between defenseless Vietnamese women, children and old men and a murderous gang of American soldiers. He demanded that Calley and his men put down their weapons or Thompson and his crew would open fire on them. He then rescued the wounded in My Lai and took them for medical treatment. Thompson stopped the carnage that day, but not before “America’s finest” had killed 500 people in cold blood.

Thompson put his body on the line that day to save innocent people. He put his reputation on the line by reporting the massacre to his superiors. Superiors who did nothing. One of those superiors was Colin Powell who did his best to cover-up the massacre. If not for the best investigative journalist in America for the past forty years, Seymour Hersh, the Powell cover-up might have succeeded and the village of My Lai would have remained as anonymous as all the other villages in Vietnam.

Calley and three others were court-martialed. Thompson was one of the witnesses called by the prosecution. He was treated like dirt by the military. Branded a traitor until 1998 when he was finally officially honored as a hero. It only took thirty years for our Pentagon to recognize that Thompson was a hero. Maybe the only real hero in the Vietnam War. But he wasn’t the hero that received public acclaim and respect. It was the toady in the office that never put his butt in harm’s way for anybody and defined patriotism in terms of what could be hidden from civilians in America.

Abu Ghraib (and Sy Hersh again) reminded us that our military hasn’t changed. Reminded me of why I distrust and mostly loathe our military. A military that could only convict one man for the slaughter of 500 people and sentence him to a mere few months of house arrest. A military that can exalt the likes of a toady like Colin Powell that assisted in sending a new generation to their deaths in the sands of Iraq for another lie. A military that embraces death, violence and a code of silence. I trust no man or woman that to this day cannot speak ill of the US involvement in Vietnam -- that includes John McCain and Wesley Clark -- because they will always err on the side of overusing military solutions. (If Kosovo was such a success, why the hell do we still have troops there ten years later?)

A real American hero died yesterday. At the age of 62 in a VA hospital in Louisiana. Too young. Too unknown. A man who knew the difference between right and wrong down to the core of his being. A man who needed no official regulation to tell him that an unlawful order should never be obeyed. A man that needed no regulation from Congress that prohibits torture of civilians and prisoners in a time of war. A real man that didn’t hesitate to stand up to gun wielding bullies engaged in slaughtering hundreds of people. Thompson had the right stuff that we embrace in our movies, but in real life, we don’t much like real men, whistleblowers that attempt to put an end to the despicable actions of the powerful in our institutions. In real life we prefer to ignore the Thompsons and celebrate powerful toadies, pretending that they possess the character of a hero without ever having exhibited heroism. From My Lai to the UN, Colin Powell demonstrated that he is nothing but a toady. That cares not for others but only for himself. That exemplifies what is so very wrong with America in the 21st Century.

Hugh Thompson, Jr. was on the side of the angels. He passed with little notice from this world. A world too consumed with a vigil for a mass murderer that has been labeled a “man of peace” to bother with the death of a man like Thompson. When we start properly honoring the lives and deaths of real heros like Thompson, the future of the world will be brighter.

james ha #320

James you need to face your fears instead of hiding from them. You guy's are so afraid of competition that it's a little embarrassing.

I rest my case - only a teenager would think being called a teenager is an insult, it is not and insult just an insight, an observation.

I wish I was a teenager, I would not waste my time on any blog if I were.

I think you need to get out more.

capt

Capt

The only thing you need to rest is your brain!!!

Looks like the new book out by the NYT reporter mr. Risen that details the NSA easdropping has exposed a Clinton scheme to give Iran the blueprint for the Nuclear bomb. Why not, he gave the Chinese the technology to arm everyone one of there nukes to reach the US also. All in a day's work of fund raising for Clinton. To bad Fitzgearald wasn't his prosecuter. Billy bob and Delay would make good brokeback cowboys.

capt,
You say you are a professional journalist. I sincerely doubt your honesty. No one, with a working brain, would pay you to cut and paste others work, and pretend you are writing. Plagiarism, is something you do well. Stick to it, but stop pretending you are a journalist.

The few original thoughts you have written, only prove your deep seeded inferiority complex. You hide behind the words of others, to cover the fact you are a scared, pathetic little worm, with a hatred of anyone who points out your vast inadequacies.

...but I am still trying to figure out what scandals you have won...

and the true motive of #333 is revealed! winning an imagined contest! or could it actually be this::

In opposition there was a powerful campaign by paid disinformation agents to discourage open discussion. You've run into them yourself if you've spent any time at all on any well attended internet forum. They're usually called "professional debunkers" and their only mission is to shut down the exchange of information. They were so useful, that a number of agencies continue to maintain full-time "debunker" squads even today. The main hazard at the time was to get into a lengthy debate with one of these clowns, thinking that somehow you were going to "prove" something, when in fact the guy was getting well paid to waste as much of your time as possible.
from rense.com

DeLay Resigns as Majority Leader

'The Hammer' Falls From Leadership Post

Jan. 7, 2006 It's been quite a fall for Tom DeLay, R-Texas, the House majority leader who formally stepped down today as he awaits trial on charges of conspiracy and money laundering. He retains his seat in Congress but reliquishes his leadership role.

In addition to his own legal troubles, which include charges that he laundered campaign money used in state legislature races, DeLay's association with lobbyist Jack Abramoff has further hurt his reputation. Abramoff pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges of conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion in a corruption probe that has linked him with lawmakers from both parties.

*****end of clip*****

"Leadership role?"

Is that what they call the head crook?

capt

James,

"The main hazard at the time was to get into a lengthy debate with one of these clowns"

No doubt, to what end?

capt

Tribe wants contributions back

The Tigua tribe of El Paso wants campaign contributions it gave while employing disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff returned to the tribe, not given to charity.

Arturo Senclair, governor of the tribe officially known as the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo, said Friday that the tribe isn't demanding its donations back but that anyone returning money should check with the Tiguas first.

"It's up to them and their conscience. They've got to live with it," Senclair said. "But if they are going to donate it back to a charity, I'm sure the tribe would rather have it back than the charity, because we could use the money now."

*****end of clip*****

The tribes have some kind of gall to want their money back. They were buying influence from a crooked lobbyist for some qui pro quo from a crooked government. That makes them crooks too in my book and they should be held to acount. Asking for payola to be returned should be a crime too.

capt

DEN, I can't understand what the attraction is to answering these annoying, misinformed bushbots. I myself have no problem whatsoever scrolling past their insulting comments. If you don't read them, they can't be a nuisance! Capt, I am a bit surprised that you spare even one line in response. I always consider you the best example on how to ignore trolls! I will go check on Carol now, she may be all alone on the last thread.

pukedemic#260

Puke says ECHELON was a republican scandal, but puke does not address the fact that Clinton used it for polictical purposes instead of national security. I aslo didn't hear any comments about Hillary's FEC violation. What's your defense on that one puke?

james ha #341

Boy you're on to something there James. That's almost as good as 9/11 being an inside job. Now why would we want to shut you down from discussion? The more you talk the better it is for us. Your looney ideas expose you as the morons that you are. This is good for us, get it?

Remember when:

Cheney says Iraq not worth the casualties

Worth a read.

I remember.

capt

capt

You should not respond to whistleblower because he is kicking your ass!!!

Dear Cornposters:

This is an open letter to you. There seems to be great excitement and enthusiasm this mid term election because there is anticipation that the Democrats will pick up some congressional seats. I do not share this excitement and enthusiasm because American elections are rigged. Electronically voting machines are most definitely rigged in favor of the repugnants. I do not see the return of an American democracy for our nation.

When I will leave this life I will leave with the knowledge that I have lived at a time where great people were models for me but as a sinner I cannot say that I came close to these disciples for good and for Jesus.

I will name some great disciples but I cannot name everyone. Mother Teresa saw in each person the face of Jesus. From my post I cannot come close to Mother Teresa. John Paul II pursued justice and peace. I have tried to help the cause but I do not have the energy to carry on the great fight for justice and peace. Nelson Mandela went to prison for 25 plus years for his efforts to seek justice for his people. He came from prison not seeking revenge but forgiveness for all parties in the struggle for justice and peace in South Africa. There are American soldiers who would not return for another tour of duty because they no longer wanted to kill human beings. Cindy Sheehan is an one woman peace movement. Teresa Whitehurst in her articles displays true Christian values. Marla Ruzicka gave her life in Iraq trying to help with justice for the Iraqis. These are some names of people who did and are making a difference.

We live in a country that has accepted bushianity and Nazism. We are no longer a Christian or a democratic nation. We have various religions but these religions do not accept Christian values of Jesus and his Words, neither do we follow His Words nor do we practice His Words. Yet, I say to you that we need to recall Jesus' words, "Be not afraid!" John Paul II frequently said to us "Be not afraid." Bill Moyers in his speech on Pentecost said, "Let's get Jesus back." I say to you and the world to not be afraid to let Jesus back into our hearts. Open your hearts for Jesus and all our brothers and sisters in God!

Leo Buscaglia, the Love Doctor from USC, would give talks all over the world. After one of his talks a woman came to him and she said that she wanted to do some good but she did not know where to start. Leo Buscaglia said to her, "Just look around." I will also say and repeat his words. There is so much good that needs to be accomplished in this world that all we have to do is just look around. Our people and our world need very much good to be accomplished.

I have tried to carry on the great fight for justice and peace but I am a sinner. I can only hope that when Jesus gave St. Faustina the words to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy that even the most hardened of sinners would receive God's mercy in praying the Chaplet at the hour of their death. I pray the Chaplet each day and I call upon Jesus to be my lawyer when I stand before God in His judgment of me. Jesus said that He would stand between the person and God whoever prays the Chaplet of Divine Mercy so that God would be merciful in His judgment. As a sinner I can see Jesus vigorously defending me with His sweating blood. Hopefully, God will bestow upon me His ultimate Divine Mercy.

Sincerely,

Gerald

saladin

It is good that you scroll past my posts, I am sure that you have limits on what you can comprehend and I understand that your brain has problably been maxed out.

capt, as an American I only have memories of when America was a great nation. The problem is that we cannot live on memories alone. May America rest in peace. Great countries just fade away. So sad, so very sad!!!

capt,

I may have been mistaken about your courage.

Since the released names of those involved in the ACLU / NAMBLA suit, I now realize you are more courageous than I thought.

I am impressed you allowed the ACLU to list you as a contributing NAMBLA member involved. A rather disgusting group you decided to join, yet courageous of you to admit it in public.

I don't know whether to applaud you or just vomit.

Discovery Challenges Thinking on Key Brain Function

A new study finds that a cell once believed to serve neurons instead may perform the crucial function of regulating blood flow in the brain.

The discovery challenges a basic assumption in neuroscience and could have implications for interpreting brain scans and understanding what occurs during brain trauma and Alzheimer's disease.

Oxygen is the main fuel of biological cells. It is transported throughout the body by way of the circulatory system. Not surprisingly, the brain is one of the most voracious consumers of oxygen, and a basic assumption in neuroscience is that the more active a brain region is, the more oxygen (and thus blood) its neurons require.

This assumption forms the foundation for sophisticated brain imaging techniques such as PET and functional MRI scans. By scanning the brain while subjects perform certain tasks, scientists have been able to pinpoint specialized brain regions for things like emotion or language.

Star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes were traditionally thought of as housekeeping cells that helped nourish the brain under the direction of the neurons. The new study found the astrocytes can directly control blood flow without being told.

*****end of clip*****

Some very interesting stuff.

capt

Net now a fisher of men as faithful tune in for 'godcasts'

BRITNEY Spears, Gorillaz, Missy Higgins, Bernard Fanning, Matthew 4:18-5:16 - The Sermon On The Mount as preached by Dean Phillip Jensen.

All these could be streamed direct to you via your iPod or your MP3 player.

Churches are jumping on the technology bandwagon and parishioners can download sermons to go alongside their favourite tracks on their iPods or MP3 players and meditate on the word of God on the way to school or work, in the bus or while going for a jog.

Sydneyanglicans.net, the website of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, has embraced the new technology as a way to spread the message to as many of the faithful as possible.

Through the website visitors can download a host of sermons from different parishes or organisations in the diocese or meditations or preachings on various topics, including the Archbishop's Christmas message, Dean Jensen's Men's Sexuality Seminar, Bishop Rob Forsyth's address Continue To Walk In Christ, a preaching on The Judgement Of God and another on The Seven Deadly Sins.

Mark Hadley, the editor of sydneyanglicans.net, said close to 5000 visitors a day went to the "Indepth" section of the website, where the MP3 files are stored.

The site also hosts a podcasting service, where interested people can sign up for new material to be automatically downloaded to their computers as soon as it is posted on the site.

*****end of clip*****

Oh my. This could be very interesting. Imagine - what would Jesus podcast?

capt

Top General says 'getting' bin Laden and Zarqawi won't eliminate terror threat

AT AN AIRBASE IN THE PERSIAN GULF While the hunt for Osama bin Laden goes on, one of the top American generals involved in the search says getting bin Laden probably won't eliminate the terrorist threat.

General Allen Peck, the number two officer in charge of the coalition air forces command in Iraq and Afghanistan, says "there's no single face to the enemy that we're fighting" and he doubts whether bin Laden poses the greatest threat to stability in the region.

Peck says Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been striking with far more frequency and lethal force. But even if both "high value targets" were eliminated tomorrow, there are scores of loosely organized groups of people in the region bent on terrorist acts.

Peck believes that standing up an effective Iraqi security force that has the "competence and the confidence" to go after insurgents will be the single most important thing in stabilizing the region.

*****end of clip*****

What is this all about? This WH has not mentioned the name OBL in a long time. Seems odd to hear it again, and why now.

capt

Wow...as predictable as ever...

Today's headlines scream...

"DELAY SHAMED OUT OF LEADERSHIP"
and
"SPYING ON AMERICANS IS (probably) ILLEGAL"
and
"SHARON's STROKE GROUNDS AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY"

and the Trolls come out as viciously as ever.

Bad day for BUSHCO and it simply RAINS Troll-droppings!

-T

Bombing Will Not Settle the Iranian Nuclear Issue

The United States is walking at the edge of a cliff. If it bombs Iran to stem Iranian development of nuclear weapons, it fatally poisons U.S. relationships with the entire world of Islam. If it uses nuclear weapons in the assault, it further seals the fate of future generations of Americans.

Reports of such a strike in preparation go back over a year. Yet the American media are failing to warn of the catastrophic implications of such an attack.

The insurgency in Iraq and movements like al-Qaeda, ready to recruit and rain destruction worldwide, show us what to expect as a consequence of bombing Iran. Islamic moderates will never again ignore fatwas that declare war on America if America bombs Iran.

Muslim Pakistan has nuclear weapons now, and bin Laden hides on its doorstep. If bin Laden hasn’¥ been captured by now, this shows how shaky the U.S. reliance on Pakistan is.

Moderate Muslims could disregard extremists like bin Laden in the past. But after the U.S. and Israel waste dozens of Iranian facilities and kill many innocent civilians, generations will not forgive or forget the brazen aggression.

Future Americans will live in perpetual fear of a nuclear response on American soil. A country that cannot keep drugs out of prisons will not be able to keep terrorists from smuggling nuclear arms onto the continent.

America’≥ children and grandchildren will have President Bush to thank for taking the fatal step over the cliff. They can thank 50 years of American interference in the Middle East, Central Asia, and elsewhere for a bloody fourth-generation war on their soil.

America can step back from the brink at any time it chooses. Our fate is not yet sealed. Changing direction is not the impossibly difficult or complex matter that it seems. Richard M. Nixon went to China. Kennedy pushed for the nuclear test ban treaty.

*****end of clip*****

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

James 3:18
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

I think the two above references pretty much exclude Commander Codpiece and president Cheney.

capt

"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer." ~ Frank Zappa

Capt,

"The hand that stocks the drug stores rules the world.

Let us start our Republic with a chain of drug stores, a chain of grocery stores, a chain of gas chambers, and a national game. After that we can write our Constitution."

K.V., Books of Bokonon

tee hee!
-T

How Much Authority Does the President Possess When He Is Acting as "Commander In Chief"?
Evaluating President Bush's Claims Against a Key Supreme Court Executive Power Precedent

I think in the coming days and weeks, we are going to be seeing and hearing more discussion of bush's arrogant claims of authority "during a time of war" as CiC. He is overreaching in his use of signing statements and in his administration's application of the unitary executive theory.

It is no wonder he hasn't vetoed a single bill. He doesn't have to. He just ignores them and does as he pleases.

In a saner world, bush's actions would be viewed as strangely self-destructive. But, in this world, he just keeps getting away with his destructive decisions -- democracy and the Constitution be damned!

ooops...over to the last thread...

#71 Saladin...just keep stating the facts having to do with the radical actions of the right wing zionist..the truth will not set them free although it may help the U.s. get this gorilla off its back.

#358 Capt...THE PNAC tells it all.... the document "THE CLEAN BREAK.. A NEW STRATEGY FOR SECURING THE REALM" is a must read.

Iran has been on the list since the beginning. One has to wonder if Iran's new leader was part of the plan. All of this happening just before the FRANKILIN/AIPAC/ ROSEN/ TRIAL IN APRIL. (which if the past is any indication the MSM will barely cover this important trial).

Let us continue to hope and pray that the investigations of McNulty and Fitzgerald will shed the light on the crimes that have been committed against our nation and the Iraqi people all in the name of oil, defense contracts and Israel.

The Iranian Threat: The Bomb or the Euro?

By Dr. Elias Akleh

03/24/05 "AMIN" - - Iran does not pose a threat to the United State because of its nuclear projects, its WMD, or its support to "terrorists organizations" as the American administration is claiming, but in its attempt to re-shape the global economical system by converting it from a petrodollar to a petroeuro system. Such conversion is looked upon as a flagrant declaration of economical war against the US that would flatten the revenues of the American corporations and eventually might cause an economic collapse.

In June of 2004 Iran declared its intention of setting up an international oil exchange (a bourse) denominated in the Euro currency. Many oil-producing as well as oil-consuming countries had expressed their welcome to such petroeuro bourse. The Iranian reports had stated that this bourse may start its trade with the beginning of 2006. Naturally such an oil bourse would compete against London’s International Petroleum Exchange (IPE), as well as against the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), both owned by American corporations.

Oil consuming countries have no choice but use the American Dollar to purchase their oil, since the Dollar has been so far the global standard monetary fund for oil exchange. This necessitates these countries to keep the Dollar in their central banks as their reserve fund, thus strengthening the American economy. But if Iran — followed by the other oil-producing countries — offered to accept the Euro as another choice for oil exchange the American economy would suffer a real crisis. We could witness this crisis at the end of 2005 and beginning of 2006 when oil investors would have the choice to pay $57 a barrel of oil at the American (NYMEX) and at London’s (IPE), or pay 37 Euros a barrel at the Iranian oil bourse. Such choice would reduce trade volumes at both the Dollar-dependent (NYMEX) and the (IPE).

Many countries had studied the conversion from the ever weakening petrodollar to the gradually strengthening petroeuro system. The de-valuation of the Dollar was caused by the American economy shying away from manufacturing local products — except those of the military -, by outsourcing the American jobs to the cheaper third world countries and depending only on the general service sector, and by the huge cost of two major wars that are still going on. Foreign investors started withdrawing their money from the shaky American market causing further devaluation of the Dollar.

The keen observer of the money market could have noticed that the devaluation of the American Dollar had started since November 2002, while the purchasing power of European Euro had crept upward to reach nowadays to $1.34. Compared to the Japanese Yen the Dollar had dropped from 104.45 to 103.90 yen. The British pound climbed another notch from $1.9122 to $1.9272.

Economic reports published at the beginning of this month (March) had pointed towards the deep dive of the American economy and to the quick rise of the deficit up to $665.90 billion at the end of 2004. The worst is still to come. These numbers worried the international banks, who had sent some warnings to the Bush administration.

In its economical war Iran is treading the same path Saddam Hussein had started when he, in 2000, converted all his reserve from the Dollar to the Euro, and demanded payments in Euro for Iraqi oil. Many economists then mocked Saddam because he had lost a lot of money in this conversion. Yet they were very surprised when he recuperated his losses within less than a year period due to the valuation of the Euro. The American administration became aware of the threat when central banks of many countries started keeping Euros along side of Dollars as their monetary reserve and as an exchange fund for oil (Russian and Chinese central banks in 2003). To avoid economical collapse the Bush administration hastened to invade and to destroy Iraq under false excuses to make it an example to any country who may contemplate dropping the Dollar, and to manipulate OPEC’s decisions by controlling the second largest oil resource. Iraqi oil sale was reverted back to the petrodollar standard.

There is only one technical obstacle concerning the use of a euro-based oil exchange system, which is the lack of a euro-denominated oil pricing standard, or oil ‘marker’ as it is referred to in the industry. The three current oil markers are U.S. dollar denominated, which include the West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), Norway Brent crude, and the UAE Dubai crude. Yet this did not stop Iran from requiring payments in the euro currency for its European and Asian oil exports since spring 2003.

Iran’s determination in using the petroeuro is inviting in other countries such as Russia and Latin American countries, and even some Saudi investors especially after the Saudi/American relations have weakened lately. This determination had also invited an aggressive American political campaign using the same excuses used against Iraq: WMD in the form of nuclear bomb, support to "terrorist" Lebanese Hezbollah organization, and threat to the peace process in the Middle East.

The question now is what would the American administration do? Would it invade Iran as it did Iraq? The American troops are knee-deep in the Iraqi swamp. The global community — except for Britain and Italy- is not offering any military relief to the US. Thus an American strike against Iran is very unlikely. Iran is not Iraq; it has a more robust military power. Iran has anti-ship missiles based in "Abu Mousa" island that controls the strait of Hermuz at the entrance of the Persian Gulf. Iran could easily close the strait thus blocking all naval traffic carrying gulf oil to the rest of the world causing a global oil crisis. The price of an oil barrel could reach up to $100. The US could not topple the regime by spreading chaos the same way it did to Mussadaq’s regime in 1953 since Iranians are aware of such a trick. Besides Iranians have a patriotic pride of what they call "their bomb".

America has resorted to instigate and encourage its military bastard, Israel, to strike Iranian nuclear reactors the way it did to Iraq. Leaked reports had revealed that Israeli forces are training for such an attack expected to take place next June. Israel is afraid of an Iranian bomb. Such an "Islamic" bomb would threaten Israel’s military hegemony in the Middle East. The bomb would extract some Israeli concessions and would create an arm race that would gobble a lot of Israeli defense expenditure. Further more the bomb would force the US to enter into negotiations with nuclear Iran that may limit Israeli expanding ambitions.

Iran had invested a lot of money and effort to obtain nuclear technology and would never abandon it as evident in its political rhetoric. Unlike Iraq Iran would not keep quiet of Israel strikes its nuclear facilities. Iran would retaliate aggressively which may lead to the destabilization of the whole region including Israel, Gulf States, Iraq, and even Afghanistan.

Dr. Elias Akleh is an Arab writer of Palestinian descent, born in the town of Beit-Jala. Currently he lives in the US.

#335
Hugh,
Thanks for the post. I did a report on that subject while in high school. I remember reading Sy Hersch's article and I remember reading about the courage of Hugh Thompson. People like that remain so quite about the good they do in life but they are the most important people we have. They are the ones who make the difference.

#350
Gerald,
You need to live at least 20 more years. We need your vote.

A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm

Following is a report prepared by The Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies’ "Study Group on a New Israeli Strategy Toward 2000." The main substantive ideas in this paper emerge from a discussion in which prominent opinion makers, including Richard Perle, James Colbert, Charles Fairbanks, Jr., Douglas Feith, Robert Loewenberg, David Wurmser, and Meyrav Wurmser participated. The report, entitled "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm," is the framework for a series of follow-up reports on strategy.

*****end of clip*****

No doubt - a must read.

Thanks Kathleen!

capt

"What no one seemed to notice was the ever widening gap between the government and the people. And it became always wider.....the whole process of its coming into being, was above all diverting, it provided an excuse not to think....for people who did not want to think anyway gave us some dreadful, fundamental things to think about.....and kept us so busy with continuous changes and 'crises' and so fascinated.....by the machinations of the 'national enemies,' without and within, that we had no time to think about these dreadful things that were growing, little by little, all around us.....

"Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained or, on occasion, 'regretted,' that unless one understood what the whole thing was in principle, what all these 'little measures'.....must some day lead to, one no more saw it developing from day to day than a farmer in his field sees the corn growing.....Each act is worse than the last, but only a little worse. You wait for the next and the next.

"You wait for one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, will join you in resisting somehow. You don't want to act, or even talk, alone.....you don't want to 'go out of your way to make trouble.' But the one great shocking occasion, when tens or hundreds or thousands will join with you, never comes.

"That's the difficulty. The forms are all there, all untouched, all reassuring, the houses, the shops, the jobs, the mealtimes, the visits, the concerts, the cinema, the holidays. But the spirit, which you never noticed because you made the lifelong mistake of identifying it with the forms, is changed. Now you live in a world of hate and fear, and the people who hate and fear do not even know it themselves, when everyone is transformed, no one is transformed.

"You have accepted things you would not have accepted five years ago, a year ago, things your father.....could never have imagined."

Milton Mayer, They Thought They Were Free, The Germans, 1938-45 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1955)

===
Thanks ICH Newsletter!

JUST READ AT THE AIPAC WEBSITE " U.S. HAS VOTES TO REFER IRAN TO THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL". deja vu......

capt. 367
that's pretty much how it is, isn't it? I read somewhere that if you throw a frog into boiling water it will just jump out, but if you put the frog into cool water and let it heat up slowly it will be lulled into complacency and boil to death.
if the mcmedia wasn't complicit with the govt. in keeping us complacent, John Q. might actually have a chance at organized dissent. but as things stand now, John Q. is heating up slowly to a boil.

President Bush was in a meeting about the War on Terror one day when an army general came bounding in and said, "Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I just found out from my sources that 3 Brazilian troops were killed by a roadside bomb this morning."

President Bush stared off into space with an absolutely devastated look on his face, and his lower lip started to quiver like he was about to cry.

The general then said, "Sir, what's the matter? Troops have died every day, so why are you reacting like this now?"

He looked back at the general and said, "3 Brazilian? Isn't that a big number?"

At least she gave it a shot!

The other night I was invited out with the girls. I told my husband I would be home by midnight. While the hours passed and the margaritas went down way too easy. At 3am, I went home a bit loaded. Just as I walked in the door the cuckoo clock cuckooed 3 times. Quickly, realizing my husband might wake up, I cuckooed another 9 times.

I was really proud of myself with coming up with a solution to be late when totally smashed.

The next morning, my husband asked me what time I got in. I said midnight. He didn't seem mad at all, and I felt like I got away with it.

But then he said we need a new cuckoo clock. When I asked him 'Why?'

He said.. Well last night the clock cuckooed 3 times, then said 'Oh shiat, cuckooed 4 more times, cleared it's throat, cuckooed another 3 times, giggled, cuckooed twice more, and then tripped over the coffee table and farted'.

James,

I had heard that about frogs, it always makes me wonder if I am heartless to eat lobster? I am conflicted. I have heard lobsters scream but a little clarified butter and Mmmmm.

capt

I'm sure that lobsters scream - - you should hear a tree scream when you apply the chain saw.

it's hard to hear the tree over the volume of the saw's motor

US Propaganda vs. Iraqi Reality

It appears as though the Cheney administration will soon "redeploy" thousands of US troops out of Iraq. While several permanent US military bases are under construction there as I type this, the Capital Hill Cabal, desperate to paint the Iraq disaster in a glorious hue, are working their pundits and spokespeople overtime to convince the ill-informed they have not failed dismally in every aspect of their illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Continue reading "US Propaganda vs. Iraqi Reality"

*****end of clip*****

Dahr has the inside scoop from inside Iraq. Worth a read to stay on top of what is really happening.

capt

#277 It kinda sounds like they do not want Tom Delay back.

As far as I concerned nothing is too cruel in removing that slimy bastard. I would suggest they have him tarred and feathered on the front lawn of the Capital and dragged back to Texas on a wooden rail.

(And the same thing goes for Bush!)

No identity card? You could be fined $2,500 (UK)

Town hall bureaucrats are to be given sweeping new powers to investigate homes for identity card evasion and to impose heavy fines on occupants found without one.

The revelation, in an obscure Whitehall consultation paper, calls into serious doubt the Government's repeated promises that planned ID cards, already hugely controversial, will be voluntary and that no one will be forced to carry one.

*****end of clip*****

We are headed in the same direction.

Coming to a city near you!

capt

#350 Jeanne, I hope I can vote in 2006 and 2008. Voting beyond those years would be nice. Jeanne, will our votes really matter with our rigged elections?

#370 TRH, very good! Says a ton about Bush's mental prowess or lack of it. I can just imagine the humorous jokes that are said about the Coward in Crawford.

The Bible in today's climate

Arianna was brutally attacked by our Nazi bloggers. The Bible study class may have clarified why she was attacked. During the time of Jesus the son would usually follow in the trade of the father. A brighter son or a son of a rich person would study in the temple. Today the sons and daughters of the rich will go to college and the sons and daughters of the poor such as the 90% of Americans will enter the armed forces to fight the Bush wars. The 21st century will be known as the century of the Father of Wars in Bush's honor. There were slaves during Jesus' time and the Hebrews treated their slaves well and some slaves even became part of the family. The neocons have a close alliance with Israel. It is too bad that they are not going to treat the 90% of Americans in the same way as the Hebrews treated their slaves. American slaves today will have to beg for scraps of food from the neocons. The neocons do not have a heart.

Cheney's energy policy has been kept a secret. Today I had the opportunity to find out what will be America's alternative energy policy for the 21st century. Actually it will be similar to the energy policy around the time of Jesus. Cheney and the neocons have a special place under Cheney's alternative energy policy for our women. One of the jobs that women prepared for during Jesus' time was to collect the animal dung and make cakes out of the dung for fuel. Today’≥ women who are not in the armed services will be dung collectors for Cheney's new and great alternative energy policies. Arianna and other intelligent women are attacked because the neocons want women to be dung collectors.

During Jesus' time war was important because war served as a means of keeping the economy going. Today wars are important because with the military draft sons and some daughters who are not dung collectors can fight in the Bush wars and help keep the economy going. Plus, defense companies can keep the Bush war machine going. Plus, fatherland security will receive money to help keep the American economy going and Cheney's alternative energy policy of dung collectors will also help our economy. The future looks bright for America with regard to wars and dung collecting.

Hmmm, What a coincidence! With the drug and alcohol abuse you people engage in all you kooks combined have about 3 Brazilian brain cells left. Heh, heh, heh!

Salidan and Kathleen, #'s 38, 71 and 245

Finally, folks who have the balls to call a kyke a kyke. I'm so sick of all the PC , walking on eggshells BS to protect the Jews. They wern't wanted in Europe and they aren't wanted in the M.E. I salute your guts. Don't let these nutty liberals accuse you of sounding like "skinheads" either.

Dear Cornposters:

This is another open letter to you. I would like to share some information. After my heart attack I tried to read as many books as I could about the historical Jesus. As I read about the historical Jesus, more pieces were put together and more information was available.

From my readings I found that about 70 biblical scholars tried to verify through a consensus what did Jesus actually say during His time on Earth. All the scholars needed to show what parts of the Bible were Jesus’†words. They believe that 25% of the Bible was Jesus' words. Some people would say that 25% is not a good percentage. Actually 25% is a very good percentage when we think that 2000 years have passed since Jesus walked among the people. There were scholars who would say that Jesus said this or that but a full consensus was not reached. There is a belief that Jesus may have actually said 50 or 75% of the words in the Bible.

We, as Christians, believe that the Bible is the Word of God. In the Bible there are no Words that would justify killing. Yet, there are neocons and the religious right who will use the Bible that interprets killing as justified. I say to you that the Bible does not condone the killing of anyone.

When we read the Bible, we are learning about Jesus Christ. Jesus is the truth and the truth is Jesus. God is reality and reality is God. When we are out of touch with God, we are out of touch with reality. People who are removed from reality can be considered a crazy person. This is my perceptual opinion.

The reading and study of the Bible should bring us into unity and intimacy with God. The Bible is God's intimate love for us. God wants us to be like Him and He wants us to be His children. When we learn about God, we come in union with God. God wants us to be with Him. God reveals Himself to us in the Bible. When you love someone, you want to learn about your loved one. We are here to know, love, and serve God so we can be with Him in heaven. Christianity is the Word of God.

The Christian fundamentalists and many neocons who say that they are Christians are not really Christians. Let us look at Matthew 25:31-46. You will recall that these verses say "When you do it for the least of my brethren, you do it for me." If you do not believe in these verses or practice these words, you are not in unity and intimacy with God. Christianity means that we are in union with God. Christians are in union with God.

When we study the neocons and the religious right, we can see that they are not in union with God and they do not want to be intimate with God. They are not Christians. They believe in and follow bushianity. Bushianity is a belief system that is enamored with hatred, murders, torture, and war crimes. They truly feel glorified with endless wars.

Sincerely,

Gerald

P.S. When I say that certain people are crazy because they do not live in reality, these are the people who claim to be Christians. Yet, they do not practice the Word of God. If you do not practice the Word of God, you cannot say that you are Christian. Here are two examples of people who are not Christians - George W. Bush and Pat Robertson.

I have 0 issues with Jewish people.

I wonder about others.

I just don't think ideology should trump logic.

I might believe that someone will come to life and defend me.............this doesn't make it real.

About #341: I have a lot of trouble believing anyone could consider our opinions important enough to pay a handful of brownshirt-wannabes to stink up our blogs. On the other hand, the American plutocratic/neofascist movement (I refuse to call them conservative, since REAL American conservatives loathe huge budget deficits and messianic foreign policies) does have money, money, money, and more money (did I mention money?), and an intense hatred of dissent, so it's just possible.

About #357: Yep, every time the Elephascists have a bad day, we can expect the Trollish Inquisition

*THUD, WHOOSH*

"NOBODY expects the Trollish Inquisition! Surprise is our chief weapon. And fear. Fear and surprise are our TWO chief weapons! Fear and surprise and ruthless efficiency--THREE weapons. Our THREE weapons are as follows: fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, and an almost fanatical devotion to our Dear Leader Chimperor Chickenhawk Bunnypants(Hi, Cap) The Bushgod (Hi, Gerald)! FOUR weapons--ahem, AMONGST our weapons are such diverse elements as fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, and an almost fanatical devotion--oh, we'll come in again."

And since it's a New Year, it seems like a good time to remind everybody of the blog rules:

Rule 1: NO SPAMMERS!
Rule 2: No member of the community is to maltreat the trolls in any way at all--if there's anybody watching.
Rule 3: NO SPAMMERS!
Rule 4: Now this term, I don't want to catch anybody drinking the metaphoric Kool-Aid of the Elephascist McMedia. The literal beverage is OK.
Rule 5: NO SPAMMERS!
Rule 6: There will be NOOO--Rule 6!
Rule 7: NO SPAMMERS!

Anyone caught violating those rules will be seized by the Spanish Inquisition and poked with the soft cushions in the comfy chair. Repeat offenders will be sent to the Argument Clinic, where they will be flogged with a dead parrot, force-fed Crunchy Frog chocolates, Chateau Chunder, and spam, spam, spam, spam, spam...

The Acting Deputy Minister of Silly Walks, Ivory Bill Woodpecker

#384...

I didn't expect THAT!

-T

NOOOOOO ! Not the soft cushions!

I say let the trolls spew! A big difference between us and the neocons is free speech! A right wing blog is a barren, boring place were only Ken Mehlmans talking points are expressed and any dissent is immeadiately eliminated.

Dont be like the Neocons!

Sago puts spotlight on mine safety strategy

Federal inspectors issue citations, but penalties are light

Two winters ago, what had been a mediocre safety record at West Virginia's Sago Mine grew dramatically worse. Over 23 months beginning in February 2004, two dozen miners were hurt in a string of accidents, some of them caused by rock chunks falling from the mine ceiling. Federal safety inspectors slapped the mine with citations 273 times, or an average of once every 2 1/2 days.

Despite this record, the price paid by Sago's operators was light. Government regulators never publicly discussed shutting down the mine and never sought criminal sanctions. The biggest single fine was $440, about 0.0004 percent of the $110 million net profit reported last year by the mine's current owner, International Coal Group Inc.

Whether the mine's documented safety problems played a role in Monday's fatal accident is still unknown. But Sago's recent history illustrates what mine-safety experts say is a long-standing flaw in enforcement of federal mining regulations. While inspectors issue a blizzard of paper citations each year, these violations rarely translate into serious penalties, even for the worst offenders, according to government records and interviews with current and former regulators. Large fines are rare, and the most serious sanctions -- such as mine closure -- are almost never used, documents show.
-------------------------
Heck of a job.

But just six months ago the mine is under new owndership and the miners themselves say that the mine owners are listening to the miners and correcting safety issues. So it is being heard and dealt with. Seems that there is a huge backlog of things that need to be done in order to bring this mines safety up to the industry standards. Still an effort is being made to correct past problems. So not all owners are oblivious to the problems anyway. And ICG has several mines on it's list, all need some upgrading and with coal surging in price it will be in their best interests to upgrade and modernize these mines.

Newspapers Urge President to Quit
By Greg Mitchell

Friday 06 January 2006

Outrageous, out of the question? Of course. Then again, here's what happened in the summer of 1998 when the president was named Clinton. Dozens of editorial pages clamored for him to quit (see this list). "He should resign," the Philadelphia Inquirer declared, "because his repeated, reckless deceits have dishonored his presidency beyond repair."
What did "I" do? On Dec. 21, I wrote a little news story for this site about the sudden appearance of the "I" word - impeachment, that is - in reputable publications. The outrage over revelations about President Bush's approval of spying on Americans without a warrant was then at its height, before subsiding to its current level of what-will-they-think-of-next cynicism.

We got a lot of negative mail about that article, even though we didn't take a position on the matter, but simply pointed out that the "I" word was now being uttered in some surprising places (Barron's magazine?). Certainly, it's no "slam dunk" - to coin a phrase - that the president should be impeached, and most Democrats don't even want it to happen, either because they think they can make hay in the November elections with Bush still in office, and/or they fear a short but perhaps brutal reign of our own King Richard I.
----------------------
These same newspapers are now trying to figure out ways to make Bush's actions look legal. Their lack of credibility is showing. How do you trust a newspaper that demands the impeachment of Clinton over what the Neocon group could finally scrape together as a crime and yet lets crimes against humanity involving the Bush administration go on and on?

#388
WTF,
That's what I like about this blog. You get real information from people who have insight. Thanks for your take on it. It's nice to know things are happening. I hope the same is happening with the EPA. That bothers me too.

I thought posting was happening on the previous thread, whoops.

Can you believe Teddy Kennedy?
Sunday, Kennedy, on the George Stephanopoulos show, was talking about things Alito said in 1985. Kennedy, obviously does not believe people can change after 26 years. I guess Kennedy is admitting, he is still a drunken murderer, and will never change his ways. I hope Ted Kennedy does the world a huge favor by getting drunk, and killing himself this time, in a drunken car wreck.

CCC

CCC stands for Christian, Compassionate, and Conservative. In other words it stands for Bush according to his worshippers. When he ran in 2000, there was excitement because of the three Cs. Now we realize that these Cs are a farce. Every time I hear these three words I want to puke.

Puking reminds me of an experience our youngest son shared with us. Our youngest son went away to college. He lived in a home with seven other students. One of the students is a close friend and he also studied engineering. The home was on the central campus and the engineering department was on the north campus. In order to get to the north campus you had to take the shuttle bus.

Our son and his roommate would take the shuttle to and from the north campus. Our son’≥ friend was not feeling well but he did not want to miss class and the lecture. So, he took the shuttle with our son.

The shuttle is usually packed with students like sardines in a can. Plus the ride is not always smooth. As the shuttle arrived at the north campus, the friend was not feeling well and he had to throw up. He worked his way to get off the bus but a student would not let him leave the bus so Craig said that he was not feeling well and he was about to throw up. The student still did not believe him so Craig puked all over the student.

This puking incidence reminds me of the bus ride that Bush has taken us. We are packed into the bus like sardines and the ride is jumpy. The longer the bus ride, the more I have to puke.

Broken promises and business as usual

Some have fallen already: Scooter Libby, Duke Cunningham and others. Tom DeLay thought he could hold on to his leadership post but scandal-weary moderates forced him to quit his job before they fired him.

But our problems cannot be fixed with a few resignations or a handful of convictions. The system is rotten to the core and the rot is too widespread to just be cut out and thrown away.

This is no longer just a case of one rotten apple spoiling the bushel. The whole damn orchard is infected and the only answer may be to bulldoze the place and start over.

*****end of clip*****

Bulldoze the place and start over!

capt

Cornposters, I need your help. I went to Iraq Coalition Casualties and the soldiers killed in Iraq went from 2,190 to 2210 and with Afghanistan the total is 2,469. Where 20 American soldiers just recently killed?

If someone can repost the notes from the Penquin, please repost. What is the link to the penquin?

Thank you!

#394 capt, we need to Fallujahize D.C.!!!!!

Ministers Say They Blessed Seats Ahead of Alito Hearing

WASHINGTON -- Insisting that God "certainly needs to be involved" in the Supreme Court confirmation process, three Christian ministers today blessed the doors of the hearing room where Senate Judiciary Committee members will begin considering the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito on Monday.

Capitol Hill police barred them from entering the room to continue what they called a consecration service. But in a bit of one-upsmanship, the three announced that they had let themselves in a day earlier, touching holy oil to the seats where Judge Alito, the senators, witnesses, Senate staffers and the press will sit, and praying for each of the 13 committee members by name.

"We did adequately apply oil to all the seats," said the Rev. Rob Schenck, who identified himself as an evangelical Christian and as president of the National Clergy Council in Washington.

Rev. Schenck called the consecration service the kick-off in a series of prayer meetings that will continue throughout the confirmation hearing.

Capitol Hill police said they weren't aware that the three had entered the hearing room earlier, but added that hearing rooms typically aren't locked because "they're not of interest to anyone." Lt. Dominick Costa said the Judiciary Committee room will be swept for bombs and perhaps for electronic bugging equipment before the hearing begins.

The three ministers insisted they weren't taking sides in the Alito debate. "This is not a pro-Alito prayer," insisted the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition. With abortion, public prayer, gay marriage and right-to-life issues among those topping public debate, however, "God…is interested in what goes on" in the nomination hearing, Rev. Schenck said.

The two men, along with Grace Nwachukwu, general manager of a group called Faith and Action, read three Psalms outside the committee room, knelt to say the Lord's Prayer and marked a cross in oil on the committee door before leaving.

Rev. Schenck said he and Rev. Mahoney had blessed the same room before hearings for Chief Justice John Roberts last year. That hearing "went very well," Rev. Schenck said.

*****end of clip*****

The slugs crowned Rev. Sum Dumb Moon "prince of peace" in our senate building. Nobody knew that was happening either.

capt

Gerald -

Penguins?

Is this what you mean?

capt

Incanting Anemic Souls into Heaven

#398 capt, that is it. I have your information.

actioncat.com
petrescue.com
http://postycity.com

Would I be able to call it up with penquins.com?

Having different cards is great.

#400, having different greeting cards would be great.

Gearld,

Puke, just do it! Puke out all of your ridiculous liberal garbage. That would allow you to sit back and realize that our Great President Bush is doing an excellent job of protecting our country, economy, and even traitorous, ignorant citizens like you. He is doing a better job than all the gutless, corrupt, Liberal politicians could ever do.

President Bush understands, if our military was to surrender in defeat, by leaving Iraq, running home and hiding our heads in a hole, the terrorists would not turn into peace lovers. They would know they defeated us in the Middle East, and would come hunting us here in America, because they would know our liberal citizens are cowards and would not help defend America.

If we were to, like you seem to want, declare defeat buy withdrawing from Iraq, Many more people than now, would die. Our defeat, by withdrawing, would only let the terrorists know they can go anywhere in the world, even here in America, and kill at will. That is what they want to do and that is exactly what they would do.

America must not be defeated by leaving Iraq. Americans, to be defeated, so more Americans can be killed here and elsewhere in the world, seems to be what you want. Even as late as yesterday, the terrorists were still killing anyone they could. That, alone, should make you realize, we must stay in Iraq, continue hunting them down and killing them, even more aggressively than we are now.

From a part of Bishop Thomas Gumbleton's homily of January 1, 2006.

On January 1st when Pope John Paul published his peace day statement for the world day of peace, you remember now for thirty some years on January 1st throughout the world we celebrate a world day of special prayer, special work, special commitment for peace. In his peace day statement this year at one point Pope John Paul says, "To attain the good of peace there must be a clear and conscious acknowledgment that violence is an unacceptable evil and that it never solves problems." He's picking up on the message of Jesus. Violence is an unacceptable evil. It never solves problems. He goes on to say, "Violence is a lie. It goes against the truth of our faith, the truth of our humanity, the truth about Jesus. Violence destroys what it claims to defend, the dignity, the life, the freedom of human beings. What is needed is a great effort to form consciences and to educate the younger generation to goodness, to nonviolence, to love." But not just the younger generation, John Paul was looking to the future and is trying to guarantee that we will become a church that will raise our children to reject violence. But each of us must first do that if we're going to be able to be good teachers to our children. We have to reject violence and killing and war. All of that, as John Paul says, is a lie! It can't and never will solve problems.

I mentioned before mass about the Michigan Peace Team and the display in the back of the church. These are people who say no to violence and with such commitment that they're willing to go and place themselves in places of violence, put themselves between violent factions and preach a different message. And as I mentioned the young woman who took these pictures, a Palestinian woman whose home was destroyed, her whole neighborhood was destroyed, but because she was so inspired by the U.S. person on a peace team, Rachel Corrie, who was killed some time ago she has now committed her life to intervene in that terrible conflict there in a nonviolent way. It's an extraordinary example about what we must try to do.

Clearly the violence of war that we know about and is happening right now in the world, the war in Iraq... I read this morning about the mistake that our military made yesterday or last night–†just by thirty miles they drop a 500 pound bomb, missed by thirty miles and it destroys a home and a neighborhood at least 14 people blown apart. That will never bring peace! War only brings hatred and killing and violence. We must as a nation turn away from war. And each of us an individual must say no to war. It can’¥ be. It's violent and it’≥ a lie. It will not bring peace. That's what Jesus is telling us. That’≥ how he lived his life.

But it also comes down to personal violence, violence of the streets. As I mentioned John Harris was killed on Thursday. And what a struggle it is not to want to retaliate, to get even. But somehow we have to go deep into our faith life and find a way to respond as Jesus did–†with love, with forgiveness. That's the only way we can bring healing to our ourselves and to the violence that exists in our city and in our nation. The members of Pax Christi from our parish have mentioned to me that they want to go through, once more, a renewal of ,those who have made it, the vow of nonviolence. And they suggested that perhaps there would be other people in the parish who would like to learn more about this and sometime later on after some preparation and some prayer that others would want to commit themselves, through private, personal vows, to give up violence, to make that commitment. Not that we can guarantee that we never would turn to violence again, but at least to make that commitment, "I want to follow the way of Jesus, the way of nonviolence." Today I ask you to think about that and perhaps in a few week, in a couple of months or so, after some preparation more and more of us will be willing to make that step.

It’≥ a very important way to further commit ourselves through the commitment we've already made in baptism. You see, when we are baptized we enter into the life of Jesus, don't we? We say we want to follow Jesus. We commit ourselves to him and to his life and to this way and on this feast of the baptism of Jesus we will be celebrating the baptism of a new member of our parish community, but as we do it all of us are invited to renew our commitment in baptism by repeating the promises of baptism committing ourselves once more to follow Jesus as faithfully as we can. And as we do it today my prayer, my hope is that all of us will make that commitment in a very special way, a commitment to follow Jesus who heard God saying within his heart, "This is my beloved, my chosen one, in whom I am will pleased. He does not cry out loud in the streets, does not break the bruised reed or the wavering flame, quench the wavering flame, but brings true justice and true peace to the world." We must try to make the same commitment, hear God saying that to us. Make the same commitment to bringing God's justice and peace to the world not through violence but through healing, forgiveness, compassion and love. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Vow of Nonviolence

Recognizing the violence in my own heart, yet trusting in the goodness and mercy of God, I vow for one year to practice the nonviolence of Jesus who taught us in the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. You have learned how it was said, "You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy"; but I say to you, "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this way, you will be daughters and sons of your Creator in heaven."

Before God the Creator and the Sanctifying Spirit, I vow to carry out in my life the love and example of Jesus
By striving for peace within myself and seeking to be a peacemaker in my daily life;
By accepting suffering rather than inflicting it;
By refusing to retaliate in the face of provocation and violence;
By persevering in nonviolence of tongue and heart;
By living conscientiously and simply so that I do not deprive others of the means to live;
By actively resisting evil and working nonviolently to abolish war and the causes of war from my own heart and from the face of the earth.

God, I trust in Your sustaining love and believe that just as You gave me the grace and desire to offer this, so You will also bestow abundant grace to fulfill it.

Bush is not even the equivalent of a pimple on an elephant's behind.

#405 is a nonviolent statement because I did not say to lance the pimple from the elephant's behind or I did not squash the pimple with a ton of bricks.

#396 is a violent statement but it was intended more as a figurative statement and not a literal statement.

Support the troops by bringing them home from this wrong and immoral war in Iraq!!!

Bush's actions upon Iraq label him a murderer and a war criminal.

Bush's obsession with being a 'wartime president'

As the Presidential caravan sped away from the Florida school where President George W. Bush was speaking to children when he was first told about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Bush turned to White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and said, "OK, we’re at war."

It was a phrase Bush would repeat many times in the days following the attacks. Being considered a wartime President is important to him. It allows him to justify, at least in his own mind, the actions he has taken over the last five years.

Play close attention to Bush’s speeches and words and you see this obsession with being a wartime President. Whenever he wants to justify an action that pushes the envelope he refers to himself as the "commander in chief," not the President. In Bush’s world, being commander in chief gives him greater latitude in pursuing actions that may or may not be legal.

"I’m the commander in chief," he told Congressional leaders at a recent White House meeting. "Do it may way."

During his interview last week with Jim Lehrer last week, Bush referred to himself often as the "commander in chief" while discussing the decision to invade Iraq. In his Saturday radio address where he admitted authorizing spying, he again invoked the war president theme.

"This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. It is critical to saving American lives," Bush said in his Saturday radio address address. "The American people expect me to do everything in my power…to protect them…and that is exactly what I will continue to do as long as I am president of the United States,"

"To fight the war on terror, I am using authority vested in me by Congress, including the Joint Authorization for Use of Military Force, which passed overwhelmingly in the first week after September the 11th. I'm also using constitutional authority vested in me as Commander-in-Chief," Bush said.

In his speech to the nation Sunday night, Bush used the word "war" sixteen times and the phrase "weapons of mass destruction" five times. But he did not, in this case, refer to himself as the "commander in chief."

"We saw the same thing in Richard Nixon," says retired political scientist George Harleigh, who served in the Nixon administration. "When he wanted to appear strong, he would call himself the ‘commander in chief.’ When he wanted to appear to be one of the people, he was ‘your president.’"

In Bush’s mind, his role as President is limited by the constitution, the same constitution that he feels gives him greater authority as commander-in-chief so he can "do everything in my power."

The question that must be resolved in coming weeks, in probes demanded by both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, is whether or not President Bush exceeded "everything in my power" when he authorized both the Pentagon and the National Security Agency to spy on American citizens.

THE GLORY OF BUSH IS FOR ALL MEN TO BE FULLY DEAD!!!!!

Bush's claim to fame is leave no persons alive!!!

# 395 Gearld
Keep up the good work of posting Coalition Casualties.

We need people like you to continue showing us, this war on terror, is nothing like Vietnam.

Showing everyone the causalities of Iraq are in the double digit hundreds, not the double digit thousands like Vietnam, we all understand our losses are minor, compared to the importance of this most necessary and crucial military conflict.

Keep up the good work, so we all will realize our losses are minuscule compared to what we could loose if we surrender to terrorism by leaving Iraq.

Penquins

Let's see if my message comes through?

Let us look at the word- MINUSCULE! Close to 17,000 maimed soldiers with mostly brain injuries, 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers suffer from PTSD, and around 100,000 killed Iraqis!!!!! I guess those numbers are minuscule? Since they are minuscule, why don't the people who favor the killing of people and wars volunteer to serve in Iraq?

For me the murder of one human being is too many!!!

THE GLORY OF BUSH IS FOR ALL MEN TO BE FULLY DEAD.

WITH BUSH'S LIES HUMAN BEINGS DIE!!!

Matthew 25:31-46

Let is see if this works!

# 414 Gearld

My point exactly. The Iraq numbers are not even close to the numbers in similar categories of Vietnam.

Maybe your posting of these miscellaneous numbers, will make people understand how important this war against terror is, and why we should not stop, or leave Iraq, until all the middle eastern terrorists are dead.

Here is hoping!

Matthew 25:31-46

The Formula

I am giving you a formula that I believe will bring about justice and peace. Actually, God has given me these ideas directly for a better world. You can accept what I say through Divine Providence or reject what I say. We are all given a free choice. The decision is yours alone.

1. Shalom translated means peace but it is more than peace. Shalom is God's vision of the world. It is God's dream that Shalom comes only to the inclusive embracing community that excludes no one.
2. In each of us there is a Jesus and a Hitler. We should always strive to bring out the Jesus in us.
3. Love is wanting the best for another person or persons.
4. Try to emulate Mother Teresa who saw in each human being the face of Jesus.
5. War is outmoded; no normal person chooses war over peace.
6. From James in the New Testament –†Faith without deeds is worth nothing.
7. Practice your faith that believes in the true God. God wants us to love one another.
8. Read the Bible because it is God's love letter to us.
9. Read Mattie Stepanek's books on Heartsongs.
10. John Kerry says that it is not important for God to be on our side, what is important are we on God's side?
11. Read Matthew 25:31-46! When you do it to the least of my brethren, you do it for me.
12. Read Matthew 5:1-12! The beatitudes!
13. Read Luke 10:25-37! Who is my neighbor?
14. Read Luke 12:13-21! These verses warn us against greed.
15. Be aware of the Just War Theory! Are we in imminent danger?
16. Practice being a Conscientious Objector!
17. St. Ambrose says, "I shall pass this way but once, any good that I can do let me do it now, because I shall not pass this way again."
18. Totus Tuus means all yours. We are all God's children.
19. Paul Wellstone says that politics is not about power. Politics is not only about money. Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning. Politics is about the improvement of people's lives. It is about advancing the cause of peace and justice in our country and in the world. Politics is about doing well for people.
20. Mr. Bourn who built the Filoli Home and Gardens that is south of San Francisco says that we must fight for a just cause; we must love our fellow man; and we must live a good life.
21. When we recite the Lord's Prayer, we are acknowledging that God is the Father and we are all brothers and sisters.
22. The Cross is a sign of contradiction. It is not about death and hatred; it is about life and love.
23. St. Irenaeus says, "The glory of God is man fully alive." Man can only be fully alive when he loves God with his whole mind, body, and soul. And, when he loves his neighbor, as he loves himself.

Many persons will have and will offer various formulas for justice and peace. The end result will center on whether or not we have love and mercy in our hearts. Justice and peace can never move forward unless we have a conversion of the heart.

Leo Buscaglia reminds us that the heart sees what the eyes fail to see. In life we may be called upon to see with our hearts. Our hearts must be filled with love and mercy.

The moral demise of a nation precedes the ultimate demise of a nation. America is in a state of moral demise because Americans do not believe in God. They have chosen the antichrist of money, nuclear weapons, and the words of Bush.

American Soldiers

More American soldiers are killed in the Middle East.

2,469 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan for Bush's evil lies.

16,000+ American soldiers have been maimed in Iraq and Afghanistan for Bush's evil lies.

40,000+ American soldiers are suffering from PTSD.

Over 100,000+ Iraqis have been killed in Iraq since Bush declared shock and awe bombings on March 19, 2003.

Are you feeling more safe and secure with Bush in the WH and Cheney as his chief hatchet man overseeing America and her people.

American elections are rigged to favor the repugnants.

We will have to see how events play out. Seymour Hersh (when he was asked to comment about the 2004 election)

Bush will declare martial law in 2008 and the elections will be suspended.

Our military men and women are used as cannon fodder for a terrorist American government.

Our enemies are innovative and resourceful and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. George W. Bush, August 5, 2005

There is no sense trying to make sense from those who have no sense.

THE GLORY OF BUSH IS MAN FULLY DEAD!!!

This war in Iraq really pisses me off!!!!!

Rigged elections doom American democracy. American soldiers are being killed and maimed TO PROMOTE AN AMERICAN NAZI STATE.

THE GLORY OF GOD IS MAN FULLY ALIVE. St. Irenaeus

I shall pass this way but once. Any good that I can do let me do it now for I shall not pass this way again. St. Ambrose

We must work tirelessly for man to be fully alive.

American soldiers are being killed like flies for Bush's lies. To date 2,469 American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

DON'T PATRONIZE ME WITH TALK ABOUT HUMAN LIVES. COLIN LAPDOG POWELL

It sounds like human lives are not important to Lapdog.

I was provided with additional input that was radically different from the truth. I assisted in furthering that version. Oliver North

There is no sense trying to make sense from those who have no sense!

Wolfowitz + World Bank = War + Poverty

As Diebold goes, so goes the election!

American democracy is dead as we know it. We are now OUTSOURCING our dead American democracy around the world with our dead and maimed soldiers who are fighting in foreign lands so these lands can revel in our dead democracy.

My fellow Americans, Bush does not view our Constitution as a piece of paper. He views our Constitution as a piece of toilet paper so he can wipe his ass with it.

When God means to punish a nation, He deprives its rulers of wisdom. Linda Schrock Taylor

No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices. Edward R. Murrow

All Americans are accomplices in Bush's murders and war crimes.

To sin is a human business; to justify sin is a devilish business. Leo Tolstoy, Russian author 1828-1910

The incestuous relationship between government and big business thrives in the dark. Jack Anderson

PEACE TAKES COURAGE!

HONOR THE TROOPS, DEMAND THE TRUTH!

The CIC (Coward in Crawford) lies about lying about his lies.

Me thinks thou dost protest too much Salidan, #38 on previous thread. You too easily let yourself off the hook by dismissing #381 as a "troll". Consider that your anti-Jew and extremist rhetoric (questioning the holocaust for instance) invites such characters who echo your views. Maybe you do it with suave psudo-intellectual language and white gloves but it still distills into the same hateful ideology. Maybe you should talk to a few survivors of the holocaust and tell them it wasn't real.
Frankly, I'm shocked that self identified "Christian" bloggers here are so passive and permissive of your hatred.

Gearld,

Thank you for all you do. I agree with you and Stu. Without your posts, many people would not understand how minor our losses truly are.

Because of people like you, our potential new soldiers realize how small their chances of being killed in Iraq really are.

Your good causality posting work is like a recruiting advertisement for the military. Keep up the excellent job.

1-800-USA-ARMY

Let me start by saying for all of you who love Bush as your god, join the military services at 1-800-USA-ARMY.

I hate this war with Iraq because it is a wrong and an immoral war. As the death toll of American soldiers rise, I am more furious because these soldiers have been killed for the Bush lies, for oil, for us to bring down Saddam Hussein and replace him with a more corrupt government. In my readings Iraq is a very corrupt government. We have American soldiers killed not to spread democracy but to establish a corrupt government. How do the parents and loved ones feel about their sons, daughters, husbands, and wives being killed for a corrupt government?

Bush, cheney, rumsfeld, and a host of other regime officials are nothing more than scumbags, slime balls, and low life sludges. These people are perverse, demented, depraved, and deranged creatures.

Anyone who voted for these murderous thugs are accomplices in the murder of American soldiers and the Iraqi people.

Words to the bushgod

Here are the words to the bushgod that the neocons, the fundamentalists, and the evangelicals recite on a daily basis.

Dear bushgod may we be like you in every way. May we embrace your thinking and your beliefs so that we can be more like you. You are our emperor and our king. We want to honor you and worship you more and more.

Let us fondly accept the seven wondrous characteristics of you, our bushgod. Please let us always pursue these characteristics daily and keep them close to us. Please let us hate, kill, torture, crave wars, be corrupt, greedy, and incessant liars. We believe that these seven wondrous characteristics will always make us happy.

Why?

One of the Cornposters sent me an article to read. The article was an excellent read. The central theme of the article states that bush believes he must go on with his life. We have a pickle brain idiot for emperor who disrupts thousands upon thousands of lives through cold blooded murder, maiming of people, and mental disorders. How are these people going to go on with their lives? Bush is a selfish amoeba and a low life worm. All he thinks about is his life and going on with his life. Bush is rotten to the core.

Vampires

Here is another view of American Nazis and American Taliban.

I had a dream about the people who voted for bush. They were dipping cotton balls on the fresh blood of our soldiers and Iraqis who were killed. They wrapped these cotton balls in gauze and tied it with strings; they placed these blood soaked cotton balls in the refrigerator to be used as tea bags at some later tea hour with other vampires. I view bush’≥ electorate as blood-sucking vampires.

Like you Gearld, I believe in God's wisdom with all my heart, and would never be so arrogant as to question that devine wisdom. When God placed his hand on George W. Bush, and told him to protect the world from Terrorism, God gave President Bush the plan, and showed him what to do. If President Bush were not supposed to be doing what he is doing, God would not allow it to happen.

God knows best, and puts the right people in the right places to do his bidding.

God is way more powerful than Satan, so if God did not want what to happen in the world right now, it would not be happening.

Gearld is correct in his belief that God is all powerful and all knowing.

Where is Bush?

There was a poster who thought my post was beautiful but he had hoped that I was wrong about Bush. I cannot be wrong about Bush because Bush has a trail of evil and misadventures. Bush has too much baggage attached to him.

David Corn's book, "The Lies of George W. Bush," is a must read. In his hardcover book the last paragraph on the last page is a must read paragraph. I cannot recall the words. Hopefully, someone who reads this post can share those words with us.

I am going to give you my take on Bush in comparing him with The Formula for justice and peace.

1. Shalom is God's vision of the world that includes all of His children. Bush is only concerned with the rich and the wealthy persons.
2. Bush seems to be concerned with an eternal Hitler within him.
3. Bush only wants the best for rich and wealthy people.
4. Bush does not emulate Mother Teresa. He sees in the poor and middle class in America as cannon fodder to fight in his endless wars.
5. Bush craves to be the war president and to continuously fight his wars. He cherishes the opportunity to have a preemptive nuclear war upon any country he chooses.
6. Bush leaves weak minded people with the impression that he has faith but he does not match faith with good and honorable deeds.
7. Bush does not want us to love one another. He wants to divide us with fear and hatred.
8. I doubt if Bush ever reads the Bible. If he does, he views the Bible as a hate letter and not a love letter.
9. In one of Mattie Stepanek's books he has a letter for Bush. Mattie passed away before his thirteenth birthday. He reveals more intelligence than Bush.
10. Bush says that God speaks through him. His god says to do evil in America and throughout the world. Bush and his cabal prowl the earth seeking the ruin of souls.
11. Bush does not do to the least Americans. He hates the poor and the middle class. They are only cannon fodder to him.
12. Bush is not a peacemaker. He wants endless wars.
13. Bush does not know the poor and the middle class. He is only concerned for the rich and the wealthy neighbors.
14. Bush gives to the rich and wealthy and he takes away from the poor and the middle class.
15. We were not in imminent danger against Iraq. Bush is a murderer and a war criminal.
16. We must practice being peacemakers and oppose wars. Bush does not want conscientious objectors. He wants cannon fodder to fight in his endless wars.
17. Even though Bush will live only once, he is not practicing good deeds for the people.
18. Bush is all for himself, the rich, and the wealthy.
19. Bush does not practice Paul Wellstone's politics.
20. Bush does not follow Mr. Bourn’≥ philosophy and the name that he gave to the Filoli Home.
21. Bush does not know the meaning of the Lord's Prayer that we are all brothers and sisters in God.
22. Bush does not view The Cross as assign of life and love. The cross for Bush is to place upon cannon fodder's graves in fighting his endless wars.
23. For Bush the glory of man is to be dead cannon fodder in fighting Bush's endless wars.

Bush has never had a conversion of the heart and so he perpetuates murders and war crimes. Bush is part of the antichrist of money, nuclear weapons, and his practices and policies of evil.

From my readings I found that about 70 biblical scholars tried to verify through a consensus what did Jesus actually say during His time on Earth. All the scholars needed to show what parts of the Bible were Jesus' words. They believe that 25% of the Bible was Jesus' words. Some people would say that 25% is not a good percentage. Actually 25% is a very good percentage when we think that 2000 years have passed since Jesus walked among the people. There were scholars who would say that Jesus said this or that but a full consensus was not reached. There is a belief that Jesus may have actually said 50 or 75% of the words in the Bible.

We, as Christians, believe that the Bible is the Word of God. In the Bible there are no Words that would justify killing. Yet, there are neocons and the religious right who will use the Bible that interprets killing as justified. I say to you that the Bible does not condone the killing of anyone.

When we read the Bible, we are learning about Jesus Christ. Jesus is the truth and the truth is Jesus. God is reality and reality is God. When we are out of touch with God, we are out of touch with reality. People who are removed from reality can be considered a crazy person. This is my perceptual opinion.

The reading and study of the Bible should bring us into unity and intimacy with God. The Bible is God's intimate love for us. God wants us to be like Him and He wants us to be His children. When we learn about God, we come in union with God. God wants us to be with Him. God reveals Himself to us in the Bible. When you love someone, you want to learn about your loved one. We are here to know, love, and serve God so we can be with Him in heaven. Christianity is the Word of God.

The Christian fundamentalists and many neocons who say that they are Christians are not really Christians. Let us look at Matthew 25:31-46. You will recall that these verses say "When you do it for the least of my brethren, you do it for me." If you do not believe in these verses or practice these words, you are not in unity and intimacy with God. Christianity means that we are in union with God. Christians are in union with God.

When we study the neocons and the religious right, we can see that they are not in union with God and they do not want to be intimate with God. They are not Christians. They believe in and follow bushianity. Bushianity is a belief system that is enamored with hatred, murders, torture, and war crimes. They truly feel glorified with endless wars.

When I say that certain people are crazy because they do not live in reality, these are the people who claim to be Christians. Yet, they do not practice the Word of God. If you do not practice the Word of God, you cannot say that you are a Christian. Here are two people who are not Christians - George W. Bush and Pat Robertson.

The Lord's Prayer

Never forget that we all fall under the umbrella of being interconnected and interdependent as brothers and sisters in God.

I would like to start with the Lord's Prayer.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.

As Christians, when we recite the Our Father, we must remember that the prayer is more than just words. The prayer is a powerful prayer.

Let us look at the words beyond rote memory. When we say the Our Father, we are acknowledging God as the Father, Our Father. This acknowledgement means that God is the Father of all His children but it is more than the fact that we are His children. We are united in God as brothers and sisters. We are all brothers and sisters.

We know that God is in heaven and that His name will be revered on earth as in heaven. His kingdom is the earth and heaven. We are also asking God for nourishment. As we ask God for nourishment to sustain us, we are asking God to forgive any transgressions and we are to also forgive people who have transgressed against us. Father John Corapi in his lectures equates the daily bread with the Eucharist that Catholics receive at daily Mass. Catholics have a double concern when they recite the Our Father and for Catholics to want to kill their brothers and sisters is a clear indication of irreverence to God. As I have said in some previous posts, that irreverence to God is eternal perdition. I have asked that all of God’≥ children to never show irreverence to God but I especially appeal to my brothers and sisters to never worship a false god which would show irreverence to the true God.

We are also asking God to not be sinful but to keep us away from sin.

The prayer is not just words but it is a powerful statement that we are accepting God as Our Father and as Christians we are united in God as brothers and sisters.

To recite the Our Father and to hate, kill, and revel in wars we really are not Christians. We are instead dishonoring God and we are separated from Him through our sinful ways. To separate ourselves from God, we are on the road to eternal damnation.

In praying we must ask ourselves the question. How can I give glory to God? We can give glory to God by loving and showing mercy to all our brothers and sisters. We are united with God as a family and a community as His children for all eternity.

Assessing the President

There are generals and church people who say that George W. Bush was chosen to be president by God. I cannot prove or disprove what people are saying. So, I offer you my assessment with some trepidation.

George W. Bush and his regime have been an experiment in mendacity with the American people. His disciples claim that he is the messianic messenger but his message has obfuscated the American people. His character lacks the probity to be a leader and his actions are more reflective of a nefarious person. George W. Bush expects Americans and the media to obsequious to what he says because he says it.

Before I accept the hyperbole that George W. Bush was chosen by God to be president and that God speaks to him, he must possess the virtues of my God which are humility, love, mercy, and patience. Personally, Mr. Bush does not possess any of these virtues. I see him more as a controlling, punitive, and vengeful person, totally lacking in compassion.

George W. Bush displays a depraved indifference toward the killing of living human beings.

Gearld,

My mistake Gearld.
So you believe Satan is all powerful, and God is just a cowardly, limp dick, sitting in the back seat letting Satan have his way with God's children? Is God is to frightened, or busy, or cowardly to help his children, while Satan does as he pleases, to anyone he pleases?

I hope you are not one of those who believe God is such an egotistical God, that he says, " do as you will, but if I don't like it, forget that forgiveness shit, I will burn you in Hell forever, if you don't agree with me and kiss my ass on a regular basis".

I hope you are not one of those who believe God says, "my children or not, if you cross me, I will destroy you, and you will burn in Hell for ever and ever and ever." "There will be no forgiveness, no mercy, just infinite fire and pain for those who don't bow down before me and kiss my feet".

God works in mysterious ways.

It is God's will, that to some people, it appears that George W. Bush displays a depraved indifference toward the killing of living human beings.

Of course, those who do not truly believe in God's wisdom, and would question God's decissions on what God not only allows, but what GOD MAKES HAPPEN in this world, are the true sinners.

Blasphemy

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness and a person is guilty of an eternal sin. Blasphemy is showing contempt or lack of reverence for God. Since Jesus is the Son of God, a person who is showing contempt and lack of reverence for Jesus, commits an eternal sin and never has forgiveness. Irreverence to God damns a person's soul.

Worshipping Bush, as we have read from recent posts by the trolls, is blasphemy.

I must be discombobulating the trolls so much that they are committing blasphemy.

Bush has a free will. The sins that he is committing are through his free will. It is Bush and not God who chooses evil.

I can visualize it now as Bush goes before God in judgment. Bush says to God that it was You who wanted me to kill Your children.

God will answer Bush, "Where in the Bible have I granted you or anyone permission to kill my children who are your brothers and sisters in Me."

Bush's defense before God is lame!

The trolls on this website must all belong to Robertson's 700 club.

If there is to be any punishment, it will be God who punishes and not some anemic amoeba called Bush through preemptive wars.

I hope that Rev. Pat Robertson plans on living forever, because otherwise, any future illness, disability, or death on his part, will be construed as the Almighty pushing the Smite button again. Bob in North Dakota

Trust David Corn to focus on one of the silliest Pat Robertson gaffes. As if it's important to anybody. Oh, right; to the PC anti-religious folk, it's clearly making Pat a joke (again). Thus, atheism is great! The need of atheists to watch, follow, and ridicule the most radical/ ridiculous of Christian fundamentalists is amazing. Too bad so little of that time is spent looking at Iranian fundies; or those in Saudi Arabia. Waste of time; mine too.

(try again) Robertson was talking nonsense about God giving Sharon his stroke becuase he's dividing Israel. Robertson is pathetic in this; Corn thus becomes half-pathetic.

Robertson is news because he wants to give everyone the impression of being a good Christian. His asinine comments will make the news.

Losing the War on Terrorism

Our Incompetent Commander-in-Chief

President Bush has lost the support of most Americans when it comes to the economy, the environment, and the war in Iraq, but he continues to enjoy majority support in one key area: his handling of the war on terrorism. Indeed, many analysts believe that Bush won the 2004 election largely because swing voters concluded that he would do a better job at this than John Kerry. In fact, with his overall opinion-poll approval ratings so low, Bush's purported proficiency in fighting terror represents something close to his last claim to public legitimacy. But has he truly been effective in combating terror? As the war on terrorism drags on -- with no signs of victory in sight -- there are good reasons to doubt his competency at this, the most critical of all his presidential responsibilities.

Consider, for a moment, the President's view of the global war on terror. While the White House keeps trying to stretch this term to include everything from the war in Iraq to the protection of oil pipelines in Colombia, most Americans wisely view it in more narrow terms, as a global struggle against Muslim zealots who seek to punish the United States for its perceived anti-Islamic behavior and to free the Middle East of Western influence through desperate acts of violence. These zealots -- or "jihadists" as they are often termed -- include the original members of Al Qaeda along with other groups that claim allegiance to Osama bin Laden's dogmas but are not necessarily in direct contact with his lieutenants. It is in fighting these adversaries that the public wants Bush to succeed, and it is in this contest that he is failing.

Why is this so? Consider the nature of the commander-in-chief's primary responsibilities in wartime. Surely, his overarching task is to devise (with the help of senior advisers) a winning strategy to defeat, or at least pummel, the enemy and to mobilize the forces and resources needed to successfully implement this framework. Choosing the tactics of battle -- the day-by-day management of combat operations -- should not, on the other hand, fall under the commander-in-chief's responsibility, but rather be delegated to professionals recruited for this purpose. Bush has failed on both counts, embracing a deeply flawed blueprint for the war on terror and then meddling disastrously in the tactics employed to carry it out.

*****end of clip*****

Incompetent Coward in Crawford.

capt

steinman, 420, you know nothing about me. I have no issues with Jews, just Zionism, just like I have no issues with Christians, just the bushco version. If the stories about the holocaust are true, why are people jailed for questioning? Why don't they simply bring forth the evidence, which should be easy to produce in light of the alledged atrocities, rather then passing laws that forbid the slightest doubt? The very fact that they pass laws to prevent research and analysis makes me very suspicious. The fact that the Red Cross has contradicted many holocaust claims, but no one seems to care, also makes me suspicious. Hatred has no place in my research. I am only interested in the truth. And anyone who threatens to put people in jail for simply asking questions, and refuses to allow evidence to be entered during testimony, has something to hide, that much I am sure of.

"The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence, if they lack understanding. On the whole, men are more good than bad; that, however, isn't the real point. But they are more or less ignorant, and it is that we call vice or virtue; the most incorrigible vice being that of an ignorance which fancies it knows everything and therefore claims for itself the right to kill." Aalbert Campus: The Plague, Modern Library Edition, p. 120

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War creates peace like hate creates love: David L. Wilson

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During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism: Howard Thurman

===

Thanks ICH newsletter!

Bush Advisor Says President Has Legal Power to Torture Children

This part of the exchange during the debate with Doug Cassel, reveals the logic of Yoo’s theories, adopted by the Administration as bedrock principles, in the real world.

Cassel: If the President deems that he’s got to torture somebody, including by crushing the testicles of the person’s child, there is no law that can stop him?
Yoo: No treaty.
Cassel: Also no law by Congress. That is what you wrote in the August 2002 memo.
Yoo: I think it depends on why the President thinks he needs to do that.

The audio of this exchange is available online at revcom.us

Yoo argues presidential powers on Constitutional grounds, but where in the Constitution does it say the President can order the torture of children ? As David Cole puts it, "Yoo reasoned that because the Constitution makes the President the 'Commander-in-Chief,’ no law can restrict the actions he may take in pursuit of war. On this reasoning, the President would be entitled by the Constitution to resort to genocide if he wished."

What is the position of the Bush Administration on the torture of children, since one of its most influential legal architects is advocating the President’s right to order the crushing of a child’s testicles?

The 'fin de regime'?

An out-of-touch George Bush now presides over a lost foreign war and a morass of influence peddling

By Eric Margolis

WASHINGTON -- China's Taoists philosophers warned that you become what you hate. We see this paradox in Washington, where the current administration increasingly reminds one of the old Soviet Union.

The U.S.S.R. went bankrupt after spending 40% of national income on the military. President George Bush's administration will spend a staggering $419.3 billion US on the military this fiscal year. An additional $130 billion US has been budgeted in 2006 for the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.

That's $10.8 billion a month -- 40% above previous estimates -- and somewhat more than the monthly cost of the Vietnam War at its height. Add to this huge sum an estimated $1.5 billion in monthly secret expenditures in Iraq and Afghanistan by CIA and Pentagon intelligence.

Astoundingly, U.S. military spending in 2006 will equal the rest of the world's total combined military expenditures. I just saw an ad for the new, $115-million F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, trumpeting how its radar can "intercept communications of insurgents." Using a $115-million aircraft to listen to cellphone calls by a bunch of jihadis in Waziristan staggers the imagination.

Meanwhile, Moscow on the Potomac is in an uproar over government spying on citizens, torture, and what appears to be the mother of all influence-peddling scandals. Revelations that the super-secret National Security Agency and FBI have been monitoring domestic as well as international telecommunications have roused even the deadheads in Congress and the lapdog media. FBI agents are reportely spying on such nefarious "terrorists" as vegetarians and animal rights activists.

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Of course the neocons are rooted in neo-liberal thinking and communist leanings. It is what they are. There is not one thing conservative about Busheney or the neo-conservative movement. They are reactionary radicals the exact opposite of conservative. They are big government, pro-war, deficit spending chicken-hawks that have gotten everything wrong thus far and they claim all success? Nothing conservative about anything they have done.

capt

The Word Jewish Does Not Begin With A "Z"

Capt, bravo! James, that was exactly the article I was thinking of. When all else fails, spew empty rhetoric, and God help anyone who dares to question. I wonder, what would people like steinman think if the US govt. issued a decree forbidding any and all public doubt or questioning of all policy and official mandates on pain of inprisonment? Would they be OK with that? Would they feel that debate would be a bad thing? Would they be afraid that evidence to the contrary would prove damaging to the cause? Does truth, however painful, matter at all, or is officially ordained dogma what we must endure? I, for one, will not stand for lies, I want to know both sides of an issue, and damn the torpedoes. A nation cannot stand on falsehood and deception. Just look at what is happening to us.

I want to know both sides of an issue, and damn the torpedoes. A nation cannot stand on falsehood and deception. Just look at what is happening to us.

I have to agree with you once again saladin. people immediately equate anti-zionism with anti semitism without even thinking twice. you know what? fuck 'em! - another thing that pisses me off? 911! the idiots that think that the skepticism towards the official fairy tale stems from hatred of bush are just that:: idiots. - it doesn't occur to a single one of them to look things up for themselves and that maybe, just maybe, the hatred of bush stems from the skepticism and the unanswered questions.
fuck them too!

As a Jew, that conflation is offensive in the extreme. My father is a Holocaust refugee who feels the same. Even worse are those who call us "self hating Jews". Believe me, we both have healthy egos and plenty of self love.

Saladin,
Are you aware of the Susannah project, in which the Mossad bombed U.S. interests in Egypt to try and rally us against them and possibly foment a coup against Nasser. Nasty dealings.

Sorry to have been incomunicado for a while. Was hopping in and out of town again for a while an the factory farm project. Need to catch up with all messages.

Solly

solly, I had to look 'conflation' up in the dictionary - now I'm trying to intuit if what you mean is the conflation of anti-zionism and anti-semitism is offensive, or if you believe saladin and myself to be anti-semitic? -- I'd like to believe the former.

Solly!

Good to know you are here and there!

Saladin, - what James said! F'em!

The pathetic ploy of being completely disgusting never deserves a moment of concern. The trolls will get ever more outrageous if we can continue to just ignore them.

You are not anti-Semitic or anti-Jewish by speaking out against the liars and slugs in ANY country- including Israel- any more than you are anti-Christian because you speak out about the failings of Busheney.

I see it as a ploy to blur the lines between religion and politics. I think of that every single time I hear "Israel is a Jewish state" - as I do when I hear that America is a Christian country. It is not true.

But - I think you know what I think! HA!

Fuck 'em!

The David Duke post needed no reply, whomever that might be is a disgusting example of hate speech.

Nobody, no matter how delusional could say that about you with a straight face. Not if they know anything about you.

capt

#448 capt, Bush's tortured childhood with his nutcracker mother and distant father brings out the monster that resides inside numbnuts Bush.

#449 capt, Bush has a latent hatred of himself because he is inferior with an inferior brain.

Feingold won't rule out Bush impeachment

BURLINGTON — If Pres. George Bush broke laws when ordering wiretaps and secret spying on U.S. citizens, a key Senate Democrat said he would not rule out calling for his impeachment.

"I think there is an orderly and dignified way to find out what happened," said Russ Feingold of Wisconsin. "And, if there was a legal violation there needs to be accountability ... you can't put the cart before the horse, but I would not rule out any form of accountability."

That would include impeachment, Feingold told reporters.

Project for the Old American Century

They got some articles there, but the picture of Doofus is worth the trip by itself. It says...

Secret courts Keep us Safe
Bypassing secret courts to spy on American citizens keeps us
Super Safe!

Remember folks,
The terrorists hate us for our freedoms.
The less freedom you have, the safer you are!

James,
The former for sure! Sorry to be a snob.

#458 Alan, Bush is really a numbnuts.

Capt,
Thanks, as usual it is good to read your stuff.

Alan,
Funny material, man.

Solly

Hey Solly !
Good to hear from you. Don't be a strangerrrr!

Oh man, there was a 'flow chart' of Abramoff's corruption in our Sunday paper today. Dunno if it was local, or if others printed it too. Did any of you guyz see that? Not really a flow chart, it was more like a 'web'. I'll hit the Houston Chronicle's site, but I doubt they posted it. Took half a page, with a 'link' to it on the front page.

They got it posted! It's a .pdf, but it's just one page.

The Abramoff Connection

ehhh, it doesn't show the lines connceted to each, from the big gear that was next to Abramoff's mug. Like a clock's inner workings 'n shyt. A gear was next to Delay, etc...

Bush Wants Abramoff Photos Back

President denies he knows big donor

by Jennifer Monroe

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- (OfficialWire) -- 01/08/06 -- Jack Abramoff who according to several accounts including his own has collected more than $120,000 on behalf of George W. Bush was once considered a 'pioneer' for the Bush/Cheney election/re-election machine. Today, he's persona-non-grata—°t least at the White House.

TIME magazine reports that aides to Bush are trying to determine whether or not there are any photos of the President and the fallen lobbyist together.

According to the article, administration officials have obtained from the Secret Service a list of all the times Abramoff entered the White House, and they're busy trying to determine whether or not Bush would have been photographed with Abramoff.

Press secretary Scott McClellan said Abramoff might have attended large gatherings with Bush but added, "The President does not know him, nor does the President recall ever meeting him."

Well, they missed this photo and I'm not giving it back.

*****end of clip*****

Sure, I believe Bunnypants. He never knew Key Lay, and denies knowing Jack.

capt

This discussion about one's beliefs about Zionism, antisemitism, protected/hate speech, what appears to be (possibly) even support for Holocaust-deniers, etc. strikes me as possibly rooted in the Latin aphorism, Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus meaning, "untrue in one thing, untrue in everything" or "one thing mistaken equals all things mistaken." There sure is a whole lot of misinformation and misunderstanding and painting with a broad brush on those subjects.

While it leads to suspicion, and one can wonder, if someone lies to you once, what if anything, do you credit as the truth from that person henceforth? Personally, I don't subscribe to Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus" as absolutely true.

Perhaps one reason this world is torn with so much divisiveness and hatred, is too many of us think in black and white, with no shades of gray -- or putting things into the proper historical perspective.

Belafonte Calls Bush 'Greatest Terrorist'

The 78-year-old Belafonte, famous for his calypso-inspired music, including the "Day-O" song, was a close collaborator of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and is now a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. He also has been outspoken in criticizing the U.S. embargo of Cuba.

Chavez said he believes deeply in the struggle for justice by blacks, both in the U.S. and Venezuela.

"Although we may not believe it, there continues to be great discrimination here against black people," Chavez said, urging his government to redouble its efforts to prevent discrimination.

Belafonte accused U.S. news media of falsely painting Chavez as a "dictator," when in fact, he said, there is democracy and citizens are "optimistic about their future."

*****end of clip*****

When I think of discrimination in the USA I am reminded that mixed marriage was not legal until 1967.

The dream that MLK had has not come to pass. There is much work to be done to find equality for race, gender, class, etc.

Equality is one of those things that gets set aside by institutions forged in inequality. Those that resist think they are better, more deserving, it is just ego entitlement.

It is amazing to hear some of the things Chavez says and does. Returning land to the people sounds more American than our government taking land by process from private citizens.

I think they hate the guy for good reason. Chavez is not one of them. That makes me like the guy even more!

capt

A few days ago I caught a statement by a Jihadist-type -- possibly Al-Zawahiri -- saying that he and his people believed Sharon was being punished by Allah for his crimes against Palestinians and the Arab people! Oh, the delicious taste of fundie irony! Birds of a feather. Or is it zealots unite??

URGENT APPEAL TO SAVE IRAQ'S ACADEMICS - Read and sign the petition

Urgent call for action

A little known aspect of the tragedy engulfing Iraq is the systematic liquidation of the country's academics. Even according to conservative estimates, over 250 educators have been assassinated, and many hundreds more have disappeared. With thousands fleeing the country in fear for their lives, not only is Iraq undergoing a major brain drain, the secular middle class - which has refused to be co-opted by the US occupation - is being decimated, with far-reaching consequences for the future of Iraq.

Already on July 14, 2004, veteran correspondent Robert Fisk reported from Iraq that: "University staff suspect that there is a campaign to strip Iraq of its academics, to complete the destruction of Iraq's cultural identity which began when the American army entered Baghdad.

"The wave of assassinations appears non-partisan and non-sectarian, targeting women as well as men, and is countrywide. It is indiscriminate of expertise: professors of geography, history and Arabic literature as well as science are among the dead. Not one individual has been apprehended in connection with these assassinations.

According to the United Nations University, some 84 per cent of Iraq's institutions of higher education have already been burnt, looted or destroyed. Iraq's educational system used to be among the best in the region; one of the country's most important assets was its well-educated people.

This situation is a mirror of the occupation as a whole: a catastrophe of staggering proportions unfolding in a climate of criminal disregard. As an occupying power, and under international humanitarian law, final responsibility for protecting Iraqi citizens, including academics, lies with the United States.

*****end of clip*****

Keyboard activism if you like.

capt

"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. " ~ Steven Weinberg (1933 - ), quoted in The New York Times, April 20, 1999

"A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism. " ~ Carl Sagan (1934 - 1996), Contact

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts. " ~ Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

"Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life. Thus people haunted by the purposelessness of their lives try to find a new content not only by dedicating themselves to a holy cause but also by nursing a fanatical grievance. A mass movement offers them unlimited opportunities for both. " ~ Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

"The opposite of the religious fanatic is not the fanatical atheist but the gentle cynic who cares not whether there is a god or not. " ~ Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

Quotationspage.com

I just hit Arlen Specter's web site and sent him a note asking him to set aside the Alito confirmation hearings until 'we' investigate the Constitutional issue of the NSA's spying without a warrant on Americans. Mentioned the oath they take to defend the Constitution too.
Not 3 minutes later I got an automatic response saying i'm not from Penn. and he wouldn't be responding. It gave contact info tho.
yeah right, like he'd take my call
haha

Bremer's Iraq by the Book

Today's the day that L. Paul "Jerry" Bremer 's book, "My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope," goes on sale. Early buzz was that the former Iraq reconstruction chief and Medal of Freedom winner is going to say that Washington ordered him to disband the Iraqi military -- widely seen as perhaps the most colossal strategic blunder of the Iraq war.

There's also said to be some score-settling with a senior Pentagon official whose last name rhymes with "held."

Well, why not let it all out? What could they do? Take back the medal?
=====================
the page b4 that was a 'name that scandal' contest for Abramoff.

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week.

Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey," Died peacefully at age 93. The most traumatic part for his Family was getting him into the coffin.

They put his left leg in... then the trouble started.

Shut up. You know it's funny

That is one man who really KNEW what it was ALL about!

-T

solly, I didn't think you were a snob in the least! conflate is a good word, It just took me 2 score + years to learn it -

micki, I think black and white are just two extremes of grey -

What leaker would want to go to this republican congress and tell them anything. They a bunch of right-wing dingbats, with marching orders from the and wrong-headed white house that can't shoot straight.
I'd rather see the bumbling Tony Soprano to try to get things in order in place of these clowns.