Once and for all, let's tackle the big issues of our day. The flag-burning epidemic must be stopped (sarcasm).

It's a sad day in the USA.

sigh.

Mr. David Corn,

Yep, flag burning! Or is the most important issue gay marriage? (over 2,500 dead troops) Oh yeah, flag burning. The GOPhers prove again they cannot lead. When the going gets tough they deflect, deride, demean, distract, demand and dissemble.

War? There is no war. The "WAR" was over a couple of years ago, we now have only a failed occupation. If we just use the right terms we win the argument.

Thanks for all of your work.

Kirk

As a proud conservative, I must say that this flag-burning amendment is the biggest bunch of nonsense I have ever seen.

However, the process may have some salutary effect. The longer the Congress spends on this pipedream, the less time it can spend screwing up my life.

Retiring Old Glory

When the United States flag (Old Glory) becomes worn, torn, faded or badly soiled, it is time to replace it with a new flag, and the old flag should be "retired" with all the dignity and respect befitting our nation's flag. The traditional method of retirement is to incinerate the flag, but this does not mean that one should simply drop the entire flag (intact) into a fire.

A flag ceases to be a flag when it is cut into pieces. In addition, it is easier to completely incinerate the flag, if it is cut into smaller pieces. A flag should never be torn up like an old bed sheet. It should be cut up with scissors or shears in a methodical manner. The corners of the flag should be stretched out over a table top and someone should cut the flag in half, vertically (be careful not to cut up the blue star field (see the figure). Then, place the two halves together and cut them in half, horizontally. You will end up with four pieces of flag, one being the blue star field.

More HERE

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

Now what?

capt

Retiring Old Glory

Just a simple piece of colored cloth, sewn together in a red, white, and blue design. A piece of cloth that of itself does nothing more than hang or blow in the wind. But too many thousands of people though out our nations glorious history, it has stood tall, standing as a monument of Freedom, for all Americans. Men and woman have given their lives for it, fought for it, cried for it, and revered it as a symbol for the greatest country on earth. Books, songs, and poems have been written for it, and our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner was inspired by it. Each day our children are encouraged to pledge their allegiance to it, and when ever it is raised or passes by, we all place our hands over our hearts or salute it. It stands for the freedom we all share and the pride and patriotism we feel for our country.

But when the flag has served its usefulness and no longer is suitable to represent our country, it must be retired and replaced. I believe that a task of this magnitude warrants a well thought out plan and a guide to properly dignify this event. The only "official" resource that I was able to find was in the United States Code that simply states:

"Soiled flags may be renovated by either washing or dry cleaning. Worn out flags should be destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning."

More HERE

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

I am assuming none of the politicians have ever retired a flag properly?

capt

Pandemoniac,
Remember the old Grouch Marx line, "Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?"

You can quote me all the interpretation, all the opinions, all the nuances you want. Here is what the memo said.

"Because the counterintelligence investigation will involve the use of surveillance techniques authorized under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) against targets that, in some instances, had been subject to surveillance under Title III, and because it will involve some of the same sources and targets as the criminal investigation, we believe that it is prudent to establish a set of instructions that will clearly separate the counterintelligence investigation from the more limited, but continued, criminal investigations. These procedures, which go beyond what is legally required, will prevent any risk of creating an unwarranted appearance that FISA is being used to avoid procedural safeguards which would apply in a criminal investigation."

Let's not you and I try to interpret the memo. Let's just let the people read it and decide for themselves.

249
Mr Pandemoniac at post 148
I've read your comments about our troops and do not find any humor in what you or others here have said. My brother died in Iraq one year ago and I find everything you post about this war to be extremely insulting and juvenile. I would ask that you refrain from future comments about our slain brothers and sisters in arms. If you oppose the war, fine. Just don't smear my brothers memory with this kind of sick behavior.
Posted by: Kelly at June 25, 2006 12:17 AM

Any chance the moderator will check in the thread "Cheney's Lousy Numbers" to determine whether this post was a spoof post by another corn blogger? If it is, I find the behavior disgusting. I asked factchecker if he had posted as Kelly but he did not to respond.

Pandemoniac,

One more quote to let the people read for themselves to see whether or not the Gorelick memo created a wall.

"This AUSA (Assistant United States Attorney) will also serve to ensure, in conjunction with the FBI and OIPR, that information which reasonably indicates that a significant federal crime has been, is being, or may be committed is appropriately disseminated to criminal investigative personnel, the USAO (United States Attorney's Office)and the Criminal Division pursuant to the procedures set forth above. That AUSA will continue to be 'walled-off' from participation in the on-going criminal investigations and cases will continue to abide by all FISA dissemination provisions and guidelines."

Neither you nor I have to comment on this. People can read the quote and decide for themselves.

down with the flag

Respect the flags and all they become. Fuck the flag waivers and the ribbon displaying scum. If there is one thing this country is about, it’s got nothing to with phony religious clout. This country was built that us boys and girls are equal. Our founders ran from the fundamentalists and their burning lake sequel. Respect the flags and all they’ve become. We are not alone in this world.

David Corn, Just how much per year of our taxes goes to supporting Congress? We would like that money to be well spent, say on the meaningful and important issues you mentioned today.

Talk about crepitation...

4 Votes Shy

Pretty sad day when they can quickly come to a vote on what would start the slippery slope of quashing free speech and come only 4 votes(a quick bribe or armtwist) shy.

Fitz @ #8,

We can call each other names, we can argue, we can do a lot of things. What we cannot due is falsely post as the grieving relative of a dead soldier. Such an abomination would be beyond and beneath utter contempt for anyone from either side of the political spectrum.

No, I did not make that or any similar type post.

McCain, Feingold Co-Sponsor Chain Of Integrity-Themed Eateries

WASHINGTON, DC—Éiting a longstanding need to "restore honor and dignity to the American food-service industry," Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Russ Feingold (D-WI) announced the public debut of their joint business venture Monday, a chain of integrity-themed restaurants which opened in 12 locations nationwide.

Russ & John's flagship location in Stevens Point, WI.

The new Russ & John's chain, which the two senators funded privately via small financial donations of no more than $2,000 per investor, was founded on the idea that "today's customers want quality food without all the lies and exaggerations that all too often accompany it," according to McCain.

"When we say we've got the best burger in town, you can be sure that we can back up that claim with documented evidence," Feingold said to an estimated crowd of 4,000 at the grand opening of a Russ & John's in Stevens Point, WI. "We've done the research, our staff has interviewed hundreds of burger lovers, and I can truthfully say that nothing compares to our mouthwatering Bleu Cheese 'N Bacon Burger."

Feingold described what he called the eateries' three bedrock principles. "First, we will never mislead customers with pictures on our menus that make a sandwich look bigger, juicier, or more out-of-this-world delicious than it actually is," Feingold said. "Second, we consider all customers equal and will extend the same service to influential diners and retirees on fixed incomes who stop by just for the salad bar. Third, we will offer full, voluntary disclosure on the ingredients of all our dishes, including our world-famous secret pancake recipe, as our customers have the right to know exactly what makes them so darn fluffy."

More HERE

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

I hear there is new competition for H&R Block - a chain of tax prepares (well connected) called Sarbanes-Oxley & sons.

HA!

capt

The Republicans are worried about the flag, gay marriage and the terrible burden of the estate tax on the rich. The rest of us are obviously unnecessarily worried about war, peace, the economy, the environment and civilization. Another reason to vote Republican—they have a shorter list. - Molly Ivins

The rest of us are "picky, picky, picky," to quote Pat Paulson.

Legal Experts to Senate Committee: Bush "Signing Statements" Unconstitutional, Impeachable

In a hearing today, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on presidential signing statements, which Ranking Member Leahy called "a grave threat to our constitutional system of checks and balances." Recent reports have highlighted how Bush has issued these orders in record numbers and exercised unprecedented overreach by giving himself the authority to ignore certain parts of the laws he signs.

Because of the extralegal nature of the signing statements, there is nothing for Congress or the Supreme Court to actually overrule. Nevertheless, the statements are binding for policy implementation.

Bruce Fein, attorney and renowned legal scholar, told the committee that Bush has essentially given himself a line item veto power by declaring portions of new laws unconstitutional and offering his own revisions.

"These statements, which have multiplied logarithmically under President George W. Bush, flout the Constitution's checks and balances and separation of powers. They usurp legislative prerogatives and evade accountability," Fein said. "The President does not enjoy a constitutional option of unilaterally pronouncing a provision he has signed into law as unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it on that count."

Citing Bush's behavior as "alarming," Fein suggested that the President could be impeached for "political crime(s) against the Constitution."

More HERE

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

Something tells me flag burning is not the hot topic today!

capt

US literary couple unite in death

The remains of the wife of 19th Century US writer Nathaniel Hawthorne have been reburied next to those of the author, after more than a century apart.

Sophia Peabody Hawthorne left the US with her children after her husband's death in 1864. She went to England, where she died six years later.

Her remains and those of daughter Una were exhumed from a London cemetery, after their plot fell into disrepair.

One of Nathaniel Hawthorne's best known works was the novel The Scarlet Letter.

Maintenance of the plot in Kensal Green cemetery in north-west London was paid for by a Catholic order, the New York-based Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, which was founded by the Hawthornes' daughter, Rose.

More HERE

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

File this one under "Time is nothing as love conquers all"

capt

Dang,
I sang Happy birthday to hajji and David posted right away. May I repeat....
Ehem...me me me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOOOOOOO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR HAJ...........
HAPPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YOU.

AND MANY MORE....

How many US flags got burned in the last five years? Talk about a non issue. Wonder how much that cost us in useless man hours for the dweebs in congress. Can't they do anything right? Oops forgot, NO. Time to change them and get fresh blood. Remember to vote early and often.

Good post David.
Amen.

There's also this issue of Iran and North Korea and Bush's sword rattling. I loved Chuck Hagel basically telling the white house to shut up.

Hamas 'implicitly accepts Israel'

Palestinian militant group Hamas has agreed to a document backing a two-state solution to the conflict with Israel, officials say.

The initiative, devised by Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, implicitly recognises the Jewish state.

Hamas's charter currently calls for Israel's destruction by force and rules out peace negotiations with it.

The deal comes amid heightened tension with Israel following the capture of an Israeli soldier by militants on Sunday.

More HERE

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

A glimmer of hope? Maybe they will be able to come up with an answer or one of the answers? Neighbors can live in peace, if they both choose to do so.

capt

#20
WTF,
I agree with you. Non issue. Waste of time. Waste of our taxpayer dollars. Stupid. They sound like a bunch of old men waving and pointing their fingers. "Oh yeah....well."

It is obvious to me that they are side tracking the congress. Don't get anything done. Don't discuss illegalities of the congress and white house. What a joke.

Ronaldo breaks all-time scoring record at World Cup with goal against Ghana

Ronaldo scored his 15th World Cup goal Tuesday to become the tournament's all-time scoring leader.

Emergency Petition to Congressional Leaders: Pass the Voting Rights Act!

"For more than 40 years, the Voting Rights Act (VRA) has protected the right of every American citizen to cast a vote. Equality in voting is fundamental to the American democratic system. Stop the stalling and pass the Voting Rights Act now!"

*****

A little keyboard activism.

capt

And let me add my birthday greetings, from forty wonderful to forty doublewonderful.

See, its all in the wording...

War On Medicine

Steph Sherer is executive director of Americans for Safe Access, a 30,000-member organization fighting for safe and legal access to cannabis for treatment and research.

Today, Congress will consider whether to prevent the DEA from raiding, arresting and prosecuting patients who use medicinal cannabis in those states that have passed laws supporting this medical therapy.

The House will be deciding on an amendment to the Department of Justice appropriations budget sponsored by Reps. Maurice Hinchey, a New York Democrat, and Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican, that would prevent the Department of Justice from using its ever-shrinking DEA budget dollars on actions against medical cannabis patients. The amendment is simple in scope and effect. It does not change any federal laws regarding medicinal cannabis. It does not cut any funds from the DEA budget. This amendment only directs that precious DEA dollars be used for other, more pressing matters.

Garry Silva, a patient who uses medicinal cannabis, spent two days in mid-June wheeling his way through the halls of the Capitol in support of the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment. Gary is a member of Americans for Safe Access—° group dedicated to defending patients’†access to medical cannabis—°nd suffers from chronic pain due to a degenerative back condition and the effects of a violent federal raid on his house. He traveled from his home in California to plead with members of Congress to stop the DEA from raiding and arresting seriously ill patients in the 11 states that allow doctors to recommend and patients to use medicinal cannabis.

More HERE

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

Seems reasonable to me.

capt

I agree 100% with Factchecker on Flag burning.

As Leno said:
"Republicans in the Senate have announced they are moving on from gay marriage ... to a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning. ... We would join the only three other countries who have banned flag burning: China, Cuba and Iran. We can stand with our brothers on this issue."
--Jay Leno

On the Gorelick Memo... not so much. But then again, the FISA court and the DOJ are on my side; so I don't feel so bad.

As I noted before, you obviously don't know the first thing about the FISA court, the history or their requirements. I quote the facts (not opinions) laid out by the FISA Judicial Review and the Ashcroft DOJ.

Letting that quote lie unaddressed is like letting all those Wilson quotes taken out of context lie unaddressed. Ain't gonna happen.

Since you like lists, let's review:

1. The FISA court and DOJ both say the wall was created by the 80s-era DOJ. You still have not disproven their contention. If you have a bone to pick, it's with the Republicans. Take it up with them.

2. The Gorelick memo was called "Procedures for Contacts Between the FBI and the Criminal Division Concerning Foreign Intelligence and Foreign Counterintelligence Investigations" because (as the FISA court and DOJ noted) it established a procedure for passing information over the wall. You still have not addressed this contention.

3. The Thompson memo in the Ashcroft DOJ built the wall higher. Not a word you've written has ever addressed this.

You want to leave the quote unaddressed as a direct appeal to ignorance. That is an insane proposition.

The Assistant US Attorney's job was to pass information accross the wall. The only thing he was walled off from (as the FISA court and the DOJ both note) is "controlling or directing" the investigation on either side.

On one point, you are correct. People here are reading your nonsense and you are allowing them to decide for themselves. Unfortunately for you, they have come to discover that you prefer ignorance to information -- that you prefer opinion to fact.

It reflects poorly on you. But that's the choice you've made.

"Neither you nor I have to comment on this. People can read the quote and decide for themselves."
Posted by factchecker at June 27, 2006 06:56 PM

Indeed.

Senate Rejects Flag Desecration Amendment

By LAURIE KELLMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) - A constitutional amendment to ban flag desecration died in a Senate cliffhanger Tuesday, a single vote short of the support needed to send it to the states for ratification a week before Independence Day.

Scientists Give Gore Movie Five Stars for Accuracy
By Seth Borenstein
Associated Press
posted: 27 June 2006

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

Watch out now, take care, lest the flags you burn in celebration contribute to the increase in caloric output...

lol

Capt, flag burning = "hot" topic ouch, watch out for flying tomaters.

Jeanne, Ronaldo's goal was freekin' amazing. Along with Maxi Rodriguez' goal in the MexvArg game, it has to be the goal of the decade. Let's spin the wheel of adjectives .....

And I'm not looking for an agrument. What's an agruement? (Just funnin' ya'). Neither is Carey.
By Pandy
"That's because she whooped your ass!"
Posted by: LBH at June 27, 2006 06:23 PM

"I love ya Pande!"
Posted by: Carey at June 27, 2006 04:33 PM

LOL. I thought you said you were married? That actually might explain a lot about your frequent whining on this blog. Your wife "loves" you too much.

Congress is wasting man hours and plenty of money on an issue that doesn't even compare to the important issues of the day. Who cares about flag burning. While a few flags have been burned I think that most protesters prefer other forms of protest. What a waste.

Pandemoniac,
If you can find video of the goal can you post it?

Argentina Vs Mexico - 97th, Maxi Rodriguez - Goal Argentina

Is that it?

capt

Four other countries where it is a crime to burn the national flag...

China
Cuba
Iran
Iraq

I bet it is also a crime in North Korea.

Now there are some fine examples of countries making it a crime to burn the flag. Politicians of all political persuasion need to get a clue, and fast.

That one was good Capt, but Ronaldo's goal was freaking amazing. I must see it.

Capt, that is the very goal. Maxi chests the ball and plucks it mid-air and drives it "en el lugar donde las arañas hacen su nido" (in the place where spiders build their webs). That's the goal that killed Mexico.

===+===

It occurs to me that this little gem is another in a long line of painful examples of the inability of the Conservatives here to assimilate factual information:

"We can call each other names...."
Posted by: factchecker at June 27, 2006 07:02 PM

Hmmm. Are you admitting that you missed out on this critical little fact?
---8---
"Another periodic warning to posters: refrain from name-calling or you will be banned...."
Posted by: David Corn at June 27, 2006 01:00 AM

Not that your ignorance should excuse the flagrant display of typical Conservative foaming at the mouth ranting (racial slurs). But with a mooncalf like you, it's par for the course.

Maybe this one:

Cristiano Ronaldo's goal

capt

Very typical of a bunch of worthless politicians. This country has problems plenty so lets waste time and money on 'nothing'! We know the repuglicans will do nothing but what about the so-called democrats? They all look alike to me. I'm still hopeful for Gore/Feingold. They may be helpless with this legislative body but at least they would not bomb Iran or North Korea. BTW, what the hell ever became of the country we grew up in?

Another Ranoldo?

great ronaldo goal

capt

"in the place where spiders build their webs"

Lovely.

Scarborough Chooses Jefferson

For those in the D/FW area:

AMC The Parks At Arlington 18
3861 S. Cooper, Arlington, TX 76015 (972)7248000
An Inconvenient Truth - 12:05 PM, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:35

Probably not showing in many other theaters around here.

The pols just gave themselves ANOTHER raise. How much do we pay them for a day on the floor of complete absurdity?

"So they [the Government] go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent." ~ Sir Winston Churchill, Hansard, November 12, 1936

capt

Conservative Scarborough breaks ranks with Busheviks

As the new wave of conservative outrage explodes on our TV screens, Joe Scarborough stands out almost alone against his fellow colleagues. Author Ron Suskind said that this is all old news. Terrorists have changed the way that they deal with money transactions for years now. You can watch the video here.

Scarborough: You gotta admit-it?s frightening. More so to us who know how Washington works and know how power can corrupt and know how power can be abused. I believe friends, we are in dangerous times for those of us who believe like Thomas Jefferson-that Washington is not to be trusted with unlimited police power.

I disagree with Joe on any number of issues, but he has been consistent on privacy rights and has stood out among the conservatives that want to make the press this administration?s scapegoat.

Jeanne. JINX!

I love the fact that if we have a flag burning amendment, we'll be one of four countries to outlaw such activiity... China Cuba Iran US of Goddammed-A!

Feliz cumpleaños to Hajji. It's great to see that we've made it through another year. The only downside to Hajji's B-day is that mine is soon to follow. Also, Forty Toofrikkinold.

This is the Ronaldo goal against Ghana that broke the record, he jukes the goalie and taps it in. Beautiful. With an assist from Kaka. Funny but Dudu didn't make the squad. Baaaad puns. Good thing Mr. Corn isn't banning folks for bad puns.

Pandemoniac says @ 28.
"The Assistant US Attorney's job was to pass information accross the wall. The only thing he was walled off from (as the FISA court and the DOJ both note) is "controlling or directing" the investigation on either side."

Well, first of all, the AUSA was Mary Jo White, a woman, not a man as you claim. But rather than take your opinion or my opinion, let's see what the actual memo says:

"That AUSA will continue to be 'walled-off' from participation in the on-going criminal investigations and cases will continue to abide by all FISA dissemination provisions and guidelines."

Seems to me the memo says she is walled of from "participation", not just "controlling or directing".

My reading was also the opinion of Mary Jo White, the AUSA, who would seem to know a lot more about this than either you or I.

But, then, I think the people can make up their own minds. Unless you seem to think they can't.

How much for the services and buildings and security? To have these jerks make political gestures while they are "on the clock" to do the peoples business?

$5 maybe $7 million a day?

How can either party afford incumbency?

These politicians are just ripping us off and wasting precious time.

capt

Pre-War Intelligence

JONES: My question is this to all four of you who would like to answer, maybe it?s a very simple question. I apologize if it?s been asked before. But what perplexes me is how in the world could professionals ? I?m not criticizing anybody here at this table ? but how could the professionals see what was happening and nobody speak out?

I?m not saying you did not do your duty, please understand. My point is as a congressman who trusted what I was being told ? I?m was not on the Intelligence Committee, Senator Dorgan, but I am on the Armed Services Committee ? and I was being told this information. And I wish I?d the wisdom then that I might have now. I would have known what to ask. But I think many of my colleagues ? they did not have the experience on the Intelligence Committee ? we just pretty much accepted.

So where along the way ? how did these people so early on get so much power that they had more influence in those in the administration to make decisions than you the professionals.

WILKERSON: Let me try to answer you first. Let me say right off the bat I?m glad to see you here.

JONES: Thank you sir.

WILKERSON: As a Republican, I?m somewhat embarrassed by the fact that you?re the only member of my party here.

JONES: I agree.

WILKERSON: But I understand it. I?d answer you with two words. Let me put the article in there and make it three. The Vice President.

"But, then, I think the people can make up their own minds. Unless you seem to think they can't."

Factchecker,
Very manipulative. Unbecoming of a gentleman.

Carrie,
Isn't that haunting? It sends chills.

Why the Flag-burning Ban Failed

Though advocates tried to turn one more senator, Republican Mitch McConnell's side prevailed

One of the last major accomplishments of Randy "Duke" Cunningham before the Republican Congressman was jailed for taking $2.4 million in bribes was to sponsor an amendment to the 217-year-old Constitution of the United States. The amendment, which would have given Congress the power to outlaw "desecration" of the flag, cleared the required two-thirds majority in the House last year and Tuesday evening the Senate put the amendment to a vote. Both sides in the battle said during the run up to the vote that supporters were one vote short of the 67 required for Congressional passage —†and despite a late push to flip one more Senator, the Amendment did indeed fail, 66-34.

Of all the 34 Senators the amendment's supporters wish they had had on their side, Mitch McConnell is surely the top of their list. McConnell, the Senate Republican Whip, is normally in charge of herding the GOP agenda through the Senate. On this issue, though, with the thinnest of margins, the conservative Kentuckian has been on the other side of the wire.

McConnell took a classically conservative position on the amendment. He argued that Senators have to make a choice: protect the flag, which is a symbol of freedom, or protect the constitution, which is the literal source of American freedoms. In a recent editorial, McConnell wrote, "The First Amendment, which protects our freedom of speech, is the most precious part of the Bill of Rights. As disgusting as the ideas expressed by those who would burn the flag are, they remain protected by the First Amendment."

More HERE

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

I like Mitch McConnell about as much as I like Ann Coulter or Limpbaugh. On this issue he is right. There is a streak of paleo-conservative that runs just below the surface. I think Bush and his cronies have reason to worry. Their wedge issues are splitting the GOP more than anything.

capt

-Flag issue missed by 1 vote
-Vote tallied 66; but 67 needed
-All Corn bloggers cept one, says "waste of time"

Perhaps NOT an issue high on the Silent Majority's To-Do list, it is still an important moral/social, God and Country dividing point.

In a image-heavy world, with foreign protesters burning/descerating our flags routinely, it seems that we ought not help our enemies' cause by burning our own flags. American protesters burning the Stars & Stripes, broadcast on Al-Jazeera--no translation necessary in any language--would not help our nation's causes.

Personally, I would've been honored to cast the 67th vote. Chalk this flag issue to another PLUS for the GOP, now even more entrenched as the God and Country party! Smart and Right move!

Legal Experts to Senate Committee: Bush "Signing Statements" Unconstitutional, Impeachable

In a hearing today, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on presidential signing statements, which Ranking Member Leahy called "a grave threat to our constitutional system of checks and balances." Recent reports have highlighted how Bush has issued these orders in record numbers and exercised unprecedented overreach by giving himself the authority to ignore certain parts of the laws he signs.

Because of the extralegal nature of the signing statements, there is nothing for Congress or the Supreme Court to actually overrule. Nevertheless, the statements are binding for policy implementation.

Bruce Fein, attorney and renowned legal scholar, told the committee that Bush has essentially given himself a line item veto power by declaring portions of new laws unconstitutional and offering his own revisions.

"These statements, which have multiplied logarithmically under President George W. Bush, flout the Constitution's checks and balances and separation of powers. They usurp legislative prerogatives and evade accountability," Fein said. "The President does not enjoy a constitutional option of unilaterally pronouncing a provision he has signed into law as unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it on that count."

Citing Bush's behavior as "alarming," Fein suggested that the President could be impeached for "political crime(s) against the Constitution."

---------------------
But we're worried about flag burning.

#55
SM
The point is, it's not an issue. How many times have you seen people burning the flag? It's not an issue.

Um, #17 & #56?

Are we not reading the thread?

The good ones are always worth repeating.

HUGE lightning and thunder storm. Looks like a UFO is going to land. If they do, what should I tell them if they ask me to take them to my leader?

capt

Capt,
My brain only holds so much especially after a day of data entry.....I am loopy.

Tell them it would be your pleasure.

License to lie

In his devastating new book, Ron Suskind shows how 9/11 allowed George W. Bush and his shadowy courtier, Dick Cheney, to "create whatever reality was convenient."

If there are any observers who still deny that the Bush administration is the most secretive, vengeful, reality-averse, manipulative and arrogant government in U.S. history, they will have a lot of fast talking to do after reading Ron Suskind's new book, "The One Percent Doctrine." A meticulous work of reporting, based on interviews with nearly 100 well-placed sources, many of them members of the U.S. intelligence community, Suskind's book paints perhaps the most intimate and damning portrait yet of the Bush team.
--------------------

tell them that we only have a decider.

Storms ripped off a few roofs yesterday. The lightning (the last hour or so) has been amazing!

Literally hundreds of strikes a minute.

capt

Ironically, incidents of flag desecration increase when meaures are taken to protect it:

"I, for one, have never felt any real desire or inclination to burn an American flag (or any other flag for that matter). Apparently most Americans are in the same boat because, according to one study, there were only 45 reported flag burning incidents in the first 200 years of the republic (h/t Think Progress). That means there are probably more historical incidents of witch-burning than flag-burning. Maybe we should start debating the Witch Protection Amendment.

But I digress. Back to flag-burning. Despite my natural disinclination (apathy?) toward burning flags, if the Flag Desecration Amendment passes, I'm going to be awfully tempted to burn one for the first time, if for no other reason than to protest the passage of such a mind-bogglingly stupid amendment. And I have a feeling I won't be alone. It seems likely, therefore, that the primary consequence of this amendment will be to dramatically increase the level of flag burning in this country.

If you doubt this is true, just ask Professor Robert Goldstein, who's an expert on the subject. This Senate Report quotes Goldstein as saying: "We've had more than twice as many flag burnings since this became a front page issue in 1989 than in the entire history of the American republic." The report continues:

Professor Goldstein has established that the
number of incidents peaked during the period
after the 1989 Flag Protection Act was in effect,
and that the rate of incidents has more than
tripled since the current effort to amend the
Constitution was initiated. Even with the
increase brought on by the agitation for bans
on flag burning, the actual number of incidents
remains exceedingly low. These facts are
undisputed."

More Here

* * *

Some may be happy to protect the flag at the expense of the constitution. That position is antithetical to the foundations on which this country is based. In short, the amendment would convert the flag from a symbol of our freedoms, including the freedom of speech, to a symbol of censorship.

Capt,
What would bush do if you brought some aliens to his doorstep? I would love to see his face. Or Cheney's face. Or Bolton. I don't think they can claim they are the super power of the universe. Wouldn't that make a great SNL skit?

Rick,

Right on!

As Always!

capt

Jeanne,

No Doubt!

With flashbacks to Ronny Rayguns Alien invasion doctrine!

capt

In short, the amendment would convert the flag from a symbol of our freedoms, including the freedom of speech, to a symbol of censorship.
Posted by: RicK at June 27, 2006 11:01 PM

Hot-digitty cogent and pithy. NicE job RicK.

Jeanne 57

May not be a big issue today, but there were lots of Vietnam War protesters burning our flags. Iraq War protesters have not reached that level, but could.

To Corn bloggers, the flag is a non-issue. To the (Silent) Majority, the NSA spying of international communications was a non-issue.

Funny how this flag thing mustered 2/3+ vote in the House and fell 1 vote shy of 2/3 in the Senate. Dems can't win on this one and should just STFU; like me now!

#68
SM
Did you read #63?

"The believing mind is externally impervious to evidence. The most that can be accomplished with it is to induce it to substitute one delusion for another. It rejects all overt evidence as wicked" ~ Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956) U. S. Editor and Critic.

"A fool cannot be protected from his folly. If you attempt to do so, you will not only arouse his animosity but also you will be attempting to deprive him of whatever benefit he is capable of deriving from experience. Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig." ~ Robert A. Heinlein

Tom DeLay: A Voting Double Threat

Tom DeLay may have retired from Congress, but he is still a voting force to be reckoned with.

Texas Democrats are suing to force Tom DeLay to stay on the November ballot -- or, more accurately, to block Republicans from naming a successor. For the legal gambit to work, the Dems need to show DeLay, who says he has since moved to Virginia, is in fact still a Texan.

To prove himself a Virginian, DeLay registered to vote in the Lovers' State (actually a Commonwealth).

But he has yet to take his name off the rolls in Texas: he's still registered to vote down in Fort Bend County, as you can plainly see on the county's online records.

DeLay simply needs to notify the county in writing that he won't be voting around there no more -- but he hasn't done it. "We’≤e up to do date on what we’≤e getting in on a daily basis," the nice lady at the county election administration office said, "and we haven’¥ received anything from him asking us to cancel." Until then, she told me, he's considered "active."

That certainly won't help DeLay convince a Texas judge that he's really a resident of Virginia.

Also -- doesn't it seem like there should be a law against this sort of thing?

Update: Actually, according to a helpful fellow in the Fort Bend County DA's office, this probably would not be a crime, unless DeLay tried to come back and vote in Texas after having voted in Virginia.

More HERE

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Neocon culture of corruption - the gift that keeps on giving.

capt

The flag burning bill will rise again from the ashes like the phoenix. It will rise again when Congress reinstates the military draft. Reinstatement of the military draft will create many flag burning incidences. This time the Supreme Court will uphold the bill that will be sent to the states for our 28th amendment.

Big Week in Court for DeLay

OK, so rarely a week goes by where Tom DeLay doesn't have some sort of important court date, but this next couple of weeks will have some real repercussions for the country.

Sometime this week, the Supreme Court is expected to decide on the constitutionality of DeLay's 2003 redistrictring. If the court decides against it, the state would revert to the former districts and electoral chaos would ensue. If the court decides that the redistricting was constitutional, then we may soon see a whole lot more gerrymandering in blue as well as red states.

And according to lawyer for the Texas Democrats Chris Dunn, a federal judge in Texas is expected to decide next week whether Republicans can constitutionally replace DeLay as their candidate. If DeLay loses, he'll be stuck on the ballot. And what happens then? Will he let the Democrat Nick Lampson run unopposed?

More HERE

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Not my state or district but I am hoping Lampson prevails.

capt

What the president and his spokesmen are once again asserting is that the prosecution of this ill-defined, open-ended 'War on Terror' inevitably trumps basic democratic rights in general and the constitutionally enshrined freedom of the press in particular. (link)

This is a very good article to read.

Bush and the Ten Commandments

if i make an american flag into a cape for my super-hero costume, is that considered a desecration? - i must admit that it looks quite striking with swimming goggles and a 'where's waldo' shirt.

Back to the original list....

I will take your lack of response to mean that you have tacitly agreed to the following:

1. The FISA court and DOJ both say the wall was created by the 80s-era DOJ. All problems can be traced back to their idiocy.

2. The Gorelick memo was called "Procedures for Contacts Between the FBI and the Criminal Division Concerning Foreign Intelligence and Foreign Counterintelligence Investigations" because (as the FISA court and DOJ noted) it established a procedure for passing information over the wall. So what was Mary Jo's job, as AUSA? [as per the directive titled "Procedures for Contacts Between the FBI and the Criminal Division Concerning Foreign Intelligence and Foreign Counterintelligence Investigations"]:
"This AUSA will also serve to ensure, in conjunction with the FBI and OIPR, that information which reasonably indicates that a significant federal crime has been, is being, or may be committed is appropriately disseminated to criminal investigative personnel, the USAO, and the Criminal Division pursuant to the procedures set forth above.

If she was having problems with the "wall," it didn't show in the Bin Laden indictment. I'm not saying that her legal record was the cause of her problems; but she obviously wasn't cut out to be AUSA for her district. She had a track record of letting the big fish get away.

3. The Thompson memo in the Ashcroft DOJ built the wall higher. Not a word you've written has ever addressed this.

IF there is any blame to be cast for the failures of the FBI and FIC, we can lay them at the feet of the AUSA who failed to pass on the relevant information (as she was tasked to do): Mary Jo White.

"Seems to me the memo says she is walled of from "participation", not just "controlling or directing"."

Read the whole memo, you're missing several key facts by ignoring the rest of the directive. It may seem to you that she was walled off from the investigation; but as the FISA court noted and the Ashcroft DOJ reiterated, she was the conduit of the process known as “passing information over the wall.”

"My reading was also the opinion of Mary Jo White, the AUSA, who would seem to know a lot more about this than either you or I."

Yes, she does have experience with it; but if you go back and read that original story that you cut and paste you'll read of other folks who had to deal with the "wall." They said it was cumbersome but manageable. I guess it depends on the skill of the AUSA. Obviously, Ms. White wasn't up to the task.

"But, then, I think the people can make up their own minds. Unless you seem to think they can't."
Posted by: factchecker at June 27, 2006 10:06 PM

I don't have the slightest shadow of a doubt that folks have already made up their minds. Experience with the highly discerning folks here on this blog tells me that that the expertise of the sources I cited (the FISA Court Review and the Ashcroft DOJ report) is valued much more highly than the interpretation of an inveterate mythomaniac like you. Don't you agree?

Thank you all for the birthday wishes! Nice pipes Jeanne, where'd you learn such an unorthodox style?
++++++++++++++++

Flag Desecration, eh? As obvious a political waste of time and energy as we'll ever see.

"It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."

Why should I care if someone wants to burn a flag as a reverent retirement or to display disgust with the troubled nation we're watching go up in flames?

I don't care if some private person wants to fly the "Stars and Bars",(civil institutions are another matter, entirely) either. It is EXPRESSION, and hurts no one. Burning flags, burning crosses, burning bras, burning effigies of political and/or religeous figures, burning weed...why, exactly, should anyone have any say in how I choose to express myself, so long as it is the flag, cross, bra, effigy or weed that I OWN! (and doesn't set anybody else's on fire)

So why should I give a flying, flaming fajita?

That the congress takes up such rubbish is the tell.

I'm gonna go burn a bible, a flag, a bald eagle and a dashboard Jesus...and then sleep!

Ike, the prodigal puppy, is coming home to momma tomorrow!
Kill the fatted can of Kenn'L Ration!

g'nite!

-T

78 Amen

Pande,

My magic 8-Ball is sqarely in your corner.

I think you should starve Fastchecker of attention until he can attribute that Lt. Wazzisname who supposedly wrote that silly letter to the NYTimes.

It is really like watching a cat batting around a rat just severely enough to keep it (barely) alive, just for its own entertainment. I can only take the cruelty for so long before I have to say "Finish it off, or I'll stomp on its little head".

But, I guess I shouldn't try to rob the (soon to be) OLD Tomcat of his fun!

carry on...(nothing equals the splendor)

-T

When my Dad died in December - he was 82 - the funeral director gave my Mom a flag at the gravesite.

The funeral director said some nice words, and explained the flag was from the President of the United States. My Dad was a veteran of WWII and had served in the 82nd Airborne.

My mother accepted it gracefully, not becuase it was from George Bush but because my father had risked his life to serve his country. She would have preferred it was a gift of anyone but "W" who risked nothing and who failed to perform his duty even in the guard.

We are not blind. We see what he has done and it is not good.

Hajji has the memory of the GOP mascot. I tend to agree. Show us the money.

I think you should starve Fastchecker of attention until he can attribute that Lt. Wazzisname who supposedly wrote that silly letter to the NYTimes.

Lt. Tom Cotton writes this morning from Baghdad with a word for the New York Times:

Dear Messrs. Keller, Lichtblau & Risen:

Congratulations on disclosing our government's highly classified anti-terrorist-financing program (June 23). I apologize for not writing sooner. But I am a lieutenant in the United States Army and I spent the last four days patrolling one of the more dangerous areas in Iraq. (Alas, operational security and common sense prevent me from even revealing this unclassified location in a private medium like email.)

Unfortunately, as I supervised my soldiers late one night, I heard a booming explosion several miles away. I learned a few hours later that a powerful roadside bomb killed one soldier and severely injured another from my 130-man company. I deeply hope that we can find and kill or capture the terrorists responsible for that bomb. But, of course, these terrorists do not spring from the soil like Plato's guardians. No, they require financing to obtain mortars and artillery shells, priming explosives, wiring and circuitry, not to mention for training and payments to locals willing to emplace bombs in exchange for a few months' salary. As your story states, the program was legal, briefed to Congress, supported in the government and financial industry, and very successful.

Not anymore. You may think you have done a public service, but you have gravely endangered the lives of my soldiers and all other soldiers and innocent Iraqis here. Next time I hear that familiar explosion -- or next time I feel it -- I will wonder whether we could have stopped that bomb had you not instructed terrorists how to evade our financial surveillance.

And, by the way, having graduated from Harvard Law and practiced with a federal appellate judge and two Washington law firms before becoming an infantry officer, I am well-versed in the espionage laws relevant to this story and others -- laws you have plainly violated. I hope that my colleagues at the Department of Justice match the courage of my soldiers here and prosecute you and your newspaper to the fullest extent of the law. By the time we return home, maybe you will be in your rightful place: not at the Pulitzer announcements, but behind bars.

Very truly yours,

Tom Cotton
Baghdad, Iraq

Posted by: factchecker at June 26, 2006 10:07 AM

As Vice President Dick ("Last Throes") Cheney said Thursday, redeployment of our troops would be ìthe worst possible thing we could do. ... No matter how you carve itóyou can call it anything you wantóbut basically it is packing it in, going home, persuading and convincing and validating the theory that the Americans donít have the stomach for this fight.î

Then right in the middle of CutíníRun Week, the top American commander in Iraq, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., held a classified briefing at the Pentagon and revealed his plan to reduce the 14 combat brigades now in Iraq to five or six. And hereís the best part: Rather than wait till the end of this year or, heaven forefend, next year, Casey wants to start moving those troops out in September, just before whatever it is that happens in early November. They donít call him George W. Jr. for nothing.

Ivans

Ivans = Ivins = link = tired = g'nite.

Wrong about Judy Miller
Right about the 1st Amendment
Keller speaks his peace

[ . . .] It's an unusual and powerful thing, this freedom that our founders gave to the press. Who are the editors of The New York Times (or the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and other publications that also ran the banking story) to disregard the wishes of the President and his appointees? And yet the people who invented this country saw an aggressive, independent press as a protective measure against the abuse of power in a democracy, and an essential ingredient for self-government. They rejected the idea that it is wise, or patriotic, to always take the President at his word, or to surrender to the government important decisions about what to publish.

The power that has been given us is not something to be taken lightly. The responsibility of it weighs most heavily on us when an issue involves national security, and especially national security in times of war. I've only participated in a few such cases, but they are among the most agonizing decisions I've faced as an editor.

more HERE

ok g'nite

If Congress had banned burning the US flag, protesters could simply start burning the Jolly Roger--because as long as the right wing runs this country (off a cliff), the two flags will mean much the same thing. Of course, Native Americans (the misnamed "Indians") might well say they always meant the same thing. After all, we got this country by murdering the "Indians" and stealing their land, thus violating two of the Ten Commandments--so much for "God and Country"! Gerald is right; this country has nothing to do with the will of God. To be fair, though, NO country can do the will of God, because all countries are composed of human beings, and all human beings are sinners. To speak of any nation being righteous, or chosen of God, is patent nonsense.

Back to mining NaCl, Kid Charlemagne

#30 Thanks Robert

The news I was watching today had a crawler at the bottom that said just the opposite. I'm like waiting for this segment of the news... I gotta hear this. Some techie spun the hell outta that crawler. No wonder the story didn't actually come up on the news.
Nice link and thanks again.

The source on the Cotton letter is . . .

POWERLINE

Waddo I win?

capt

I should have linked it in the first place. I am too petty:

The "Cotton" letter

There you go!

capt

"Unless you seem to think they can't"

Listed under passive/aggressive psycho-babble?

capt

While we're at it, let's criminalize the burning of all holy books, the bible, qu'ran(sp), torah, the big blue book(aa), the dalai lama's writings, all disney books/movies/dvds, the constitution(bush has a signing exception, here), any beatles records, photos, the stones...the point is, any icon that anyone clings to, for security and self identification. How many Iraqi flags have been burned during the war? how many pregnant women, pro-lifers? How ridiculous do you want to get? and congress is voting a pay raise for themselves? I have not had a raise for almost 2 years, and I work for one of the most successful global financial services companies in the world, Lehman Brothers. Do I dare say it in public? is this a violation of free speech to restrict me from stating the name of my employer while telling the truth? we will see, won't we.

Blessings,
st john

Female killer who cooked partner appeals

The only woman in Australia serving life in prison without the hope of parole is appealing against the severity of her sentence for murdering and mutilating her partner.

Abattoir worker Katherine Knight stabbed her de facto husband, John Price, 37 times and served his flesh to his children for dinner.

In February 2000, Knight skinned Mr Price at their home at Aberdeen, in the Hunter Valley, and put his head in a pot on the stove.

More HERE

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The sales of her cookbook "How to serve Your Husband" never took off. On the brighter side, at least she cooked the head before serving the children.

capt

Pleezz. I'm not in a mood to hear fairy tales about how Congress didn't know, but did know. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060628/pl_nm/security_leaks_dc">Link

LINK

I'm afraid I've lost my patience.

There is no "Kelly"; do I have to say why?

There is no Kelly. There are people who suffer like this, but we are doing no wrong in trying to get them out of this quagmire.

The Cabal, Outed

The spies who lied us into war are at it again

The looming conflict between Iran and the United States has a nightmarish quality about it: it is like one of those dreams in which a horrific series of events is endlessly reenacted, while the dreamer is powerless to stop it. You scream and nothing comes out.

It is a rerun of the run-up to war with Iraq: the "weapons of mass destruction" that may (or, more likely, may not) exist, the exile groups proffering dubious "intelligence," platoons of laptop bombardiers urging us to strike while they sit, sipping a latt?, in the cushioned comfort of their well-subsidized Washington think tanks. The fevered editorials, the presidential posturing, the dramatic showdowns in the UN Security Council, the tragicomic behavior of the proposed target, as its leaders alternately proclaim their innocence and shout their defiance, grimly preparing for the inevitable assault. A creepy feeling of deja vu overcomes me as I contemplate this familiar litany rising from the ranks of the War Party.

How, one wonders, could we be repeating the disastrous series of bad decisions, grossly self-serving projections, and alleged intelligence "failures" that led us into the Iraqi quagmire? And so soon!

The answer is that the foundations for this massive propaganda blitz and subsequent ratcheting-up of war hysteria were laid at about the same time as the Iraqi misadventure was conceived. The same people who lied us into war with Iraq have all along been deeply involved in a similar effort in regard to Iran: indeed, the two projects are intimately intertwined, as Laura Rozen –†a senior correspondent for The American Prospect and one of the most consistently interesting reporters on the international affairs beat in Washington –†reveals in her latest piece, "Three Days in Rome?", which appears on the Web site of Mother Jones magazine.

Both efforts came together at a secret meeting between intelligence operatives of at least three nations, held on Dec. 21, 2001, in Rome. Hosted by SISMI, the intelligence section of the Italian military, this clandestine conclave –†featuring both the storied and the soon-to-be-famous –†had an agenda as varied as the attendants. Over three days, American, Italian, and Iranian participants –†including Manucher Ghorbanifar, the infamous wheeler-dealer at the center of the Iran-Contra scandal –†discussed Middle East politics, exchanged bits of gossip, and then got down to the real business of plotting regime-change in Iran. Rozen writes:

More HERE

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Justin lays it out there for all to see.

"This is like deja vu all over again." ~ Yogi Berra

capt

Bush may allow wiretapping review: Specter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House appears to be leaning toward allowing a secret federal court to look at its controversial warrantless wiretaps, a reversal of previous policy, a top Republican senator said on Sunday.

Sen. Arlen Specter, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had been pressing the Bush administration to seek clearance from the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, court.

The act requires warrants from the court for intelligence-related eavesdropping inside the United States.

"I think there is an inclination (in the White House) to have it submitted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court, and that would be a big step forward for protection of constitutional rights and liberties," Specter, who had harshly criticized the program, told "Fox News Sunday."

More HERE

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"Bush may allow wiretapping review?"

Well if Bush ALLOWS a review? WTF? Time for a little de-crowning of the Neo-king George?

capt

Dems vow to block pay raises until minimum wage increased

I've been waiting and waiting for congressional Dems to do something exactly like this.

Democrats ratcheted up their election-year push for an increase in the federal minimum wage Tuesday by promising to block a congressional pay hike unless some of the lowest-paid hourly workers get their first raise in nearly a decade.

"Congress is going to have earn its raise by putting American workers first: A raise for workers before a raise for Congress," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

Reid refused to spell out exactly how he will block a $3,300 pay raise scheduled for January 1 for members of Congress, who currently earn $165,200 annually. He said with 40 Senate Democrats backing the maneuver, "We can stop anything they (Republicans) try to do with a congressional pay raise."

This makes so much political sense, it's astounding it took this long. The public strongly supports an increase to the minimum wage and strongly opposes lawmakers giving themselves a raise.

Reid and the Dem leadership are making this simple: if members want their cost-of-living-increase, then they better be ready to increase the minimum wage for the first time since 1996. (Since the last minimum-wage increase, salaries for members of Congress have gone up $31,600.)

For Dems, it's a winner: it's not only the right policy for working families and the economy, but it's also the right political stand on two issues that matter to voters. Dems can be a little slow sometimes, but they usually manage to get it right eventually

More HERE

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There was some legislation that would have tied the politicians pay-raises to increases in the minimum wage.

A winning issue but sadly people earning minimum wage never have anything left to bribe their representatives after they pay rent and fill-up the car.

capt

Note to Liberals: Stop Waiting for a Hero

As we get closer to the presidential elections, a conversation will be heard all across America. "Who can liberals choose that will save this country? Is he the one, or is it her?" Lists are being compiled and a debate held over which of the names is America's savior. For liberals, the correct answer is "none of the above."

I say this without knowing who will be the nominee. I say this not because the individuals in question are inadequate. I say this because liberal values cannot be saved by heroes. Liberal values can only be saved by ordinary citizens living up to their principles.

More HERE

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

An interesting piece.

capt

Curtain May Be Closing On Scientific Water Controversy

Water covers 70 percent of the Earth's surface and makes up 60 percent of the human body. Despite water's ubiquitous presence in our lives, it remains a mystery. Whereas most substances contract when they solidify, water expands, making it less dense as a solid than as a liquid. Our lives depend upon liquid water but, given its light molecular weight, water at room temperature should be a gas. The key to understanding the strange but vital properties of liquid water is to fully understand its structure.

A single water molecule is V-shaped, but because the oxygen atom is more electronegative than the hydrogen atoms, the electrons in the molecule tend to gather towards the oxygen end, creating a slightly negative pole there and a slightly positive pole on the hydrogen side. The polarity of each water molecule results in a weak attraction between it and other water molecules, called a hydrogen bond. In the traditional scientific picture of water in the solid ice state, every individual water molecule forms four hydrogen bonds two that are electron acceptors and two that are electron donors through which it connects to its nearest neighbors. The result is a network of tetrahedrons. When ice melts, these bonds may become distorted and up to 20-percent of them broken. Despite these thermal distortions, liquid water still retains its tetrahedral network. This tetrahedral structure, coupled with strong hydrogen bonding, has long been thought to be the source of liquid water's unusual properties.

More HERE

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Some very interesting stuff. It is amazing how little we know about water.

capt

Obama to Dems: Time to court religious zealots

Sen. Barack Obama chastised fellow Democrats on Wednesday for failing to "acknowledge the power of faith in the lives of the American people," and said the party must compete for the support of evangelicals and other churchgoing Americans.

"Not every mention of God in public is a breach to the wall of separation. Context matters," the Illinois Democrat said in remarks prepared for delivery to a conference of Call to Renewal, a faith-based movement to overcome poverty.

"It is doubtful that children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance feel oppressed or brainwashed as a consequence of muttering the phrase `under God,'" he said. "Having voluntary student prayer groups using school property to meet should not be a threat, any more than its use by the High School Republicans should threaten Democrats."

Obama, the only black in the Senate, drew national notice even before arriving in Congress last year, and has occasionally used his visibility to scold members of his own party. Widely sought as a fundraiser for other Democrats, Obama responded with a noncommittal laugh this spring when asked whether he wants a spot on the national ticket in 2008.

His speech included unusually personal references to religion, the type of remarks that usually come more readily from Republicans than Democrats.

"Kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me," he said of his walk down the aisle of the Trinity United Church of Christ. "I submitted myself to his will and dedicated myself to discovering his truth."

Obama said millions of Christians, Muslims and Jews have traveled similar religious paths, and that is why "we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse. ... In other words, if we don't reach out to evangelical Christians and other religious Americans and tell them what we stand for, Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons will continue to hold sway."

Obama coupled his advice with a warning. "Nothing is more transparent than inauthentic expressions of faith: the politicians who shows up at a black church around election time and claps _ off rhythm _ to the gospel choir."

At the same time, he said, "Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering the public square."

As a result, "I think we make a mistake when we fail to acknowledge the power of faith in the lives of the American people and join a serious debate about how to reconcile faith with our modern, pluralistic democracy."

Obama mentioned leaders of the religious right briefly, saying they must "accept some ground rules for collaboration" and recognize the importance of the separation of church and state.

More HERE

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There goes my opinion of Barak.

The so-called religious zealots are the problem not the answer.

capt

Senator Diane Feinstein is more concerned about the image of returning soldiers from Iraq burning the American Flag than saving their lives. People around the world are burning our flag, if folks in the states join them how would that appear?

Feinstein should be pulled off the Senate Select Committee on INtelligence. Her family has profitted from this war and somehow that seems to be a conflict of interest issue.

#97 Capt..This article reinforces the most serious reasons for holding those responsible for lying us into the quagmire in Iraq. Many of the same individuals, have been free to create more "noble lies" for the american people to swallow about Iran.

Folks should be calling,emailing, visiting their representatives demanding that Phase 2 be completed...including parts four and five. Senator Pat Roberts needs to be hammered for interfering with the thoroughness of this investigation.

Byron York has an update on the status of Phase 2 at National Review.

#51 Carrie..#53Jeanne..Wilkerson's words are haunting. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the whole group responsible for the false pre-war intelligence will be held accountable. They have been able to run free to cook up reasons for pre-emptively attack Iran.

#124 Robert (previous thread) Ditto. The consistency of Scott Ritter's information having to do with the supposed WmD's in Iraq has been proven to be accurate.

LBH is committed to focusing on unsubstantiated claims. Distractions.....

As David has pointed out..What a time of focus on flag burning...

In the Senate, Covering Themselves in Old Glory
By Dana Milbank
Tuesday, June 27, 2006; Page A02
The Citizens Flag Alliance, a group pushing for the Senate this week to pass a flag-burning amendment to the Constitution, just reported an alarming, 33 percent increase in the number of flag-desecration incidents this year.

The number has increased to four, from three.
The naive among us may have trouble appreciating how four flag-burning episodes would constitute a constitutional crisis. But the men and women of the Senate, ever alert to emerging threats, are on the case.

Does flag burning contribute to global warming? If so then ban it immediately. Or does the hot air out of DC contribute much more and can we ban them?

#58 Capt.

They are coming, that is, showing themselves. Just not quite yet.

I would say "Howdy, are you sure you landed in the country of your choice?"

#62 Capt

God has spoken. "Get rid of those dang-ass roofs! I told you, I don't have complete control over the global warming thing. Pay attention. You don't understand. I'm gonna hit Florida-can't seem to control it anymore.

Alburquerque, get a move-on!"

Seriously, we had the storm just before you. Freakin weird, wasn't it?

#71 Capt

Who are we peons to tell DeLay to go away? Messianic, no megalomaniac. Must be a kin of that there Bush person.

#81 Neil

I'm so sorry. It is extremely hard to lose one's Dad.

At least we got the flag from former Pres. Clinton. It must have hurt double to receive it from Bush.

My sympathy to you and your family.

Hajji, yes, I'm done with Factchecker. He's admitted that it was Ms. White's job to pass info over the magical "wall" that the Republicans created in the 80s. I knew he would eventually stumble accross the point I was making. He didn't even have the grace to thank me for interceding on his behalf after he made a stooge of himself with his racist idiocy. Factless and graceless. I wash my hands of the child.

Capt, if you're getting a prize for #90, I want half. I linked it in the previous thread @211.

#84 Carrie

They act like they have balls, don't they? Instead, they're just copying us, now, that is. Well gosh darn, we made a mistake, doncha think? Let's just figure out how to make it a Democratic mistake.

That shouldn't be hard.

KATHLEEN,

God, what Israel is doing with the showdown in the Gaza. The whole thing is a hoax, the Palestinians know it.

I said once before, this is never going away is it? Let religion get into the mix and it's pretty much a gone thing.

Had the amendment passed:

Police Blotter:
Police responded to an anonymous tip that a man was deliberatally mistreating The Flag in front of his home. Upon police arrival the man explained he was wringing The Flag out after having washed it.

#60 Jeanne

My sister sent me that article. I can't wait to get the book. I always let my brother (in law) buy it, read it, then I get it all to myself. My sis only reads fiction. I wish it was that easy.

Certain "herbs" hazardous for your head?

Cannabis is no soft drug, UN warns

June 28, 2006 New strains of highly potent cannabis are as dangerous as heroin and cocaine, and the drug can no longer be dismissed as "soft and relatively harmless", the United Nations has reported.

Article

Has anybody had a problem with that? Just lasts longer with less input required. More fear and hype.

ST. PAUL, Minn. Drinking six cups of coffee per day can lower the risk of type II diabetes, even among people who are obese or don't exercise, according to a University of Minnesota study released Monday.

While the research focused on postmenopausal women, the results likely apply to men as well, said lead author Mark Pereira, an assistant professor in the university's School of Public Health.

Women who drank six or more cups of coffee per day reduced their risk by 33 percent. Results were virtually the same whether the women drank regular coffee or decaf.

The study does not imply that coffee is a substitute for good diet and exercise, or that nondrinkers should start, but the popular beverage can be part of an overall diabetes prevention strategy, Pereira said.

Article

Hopheads rejoice! All that couch sitting can be offset by pounding coffee, beating the diabetes demons. Keeps ya awake too! Scuse me while I go test the theory.

Ava Lowery

Ava Lowery is only 15 years old, but wiser than many politicians and reporters four times her age.

The young Alabaman started a website called "Peace Takes Courage," and populated it with arresting Internet flash presentations and news. Many Internet activists have seen Ava's emotionally wrenching presentation of "Jesus Loves Me" that so movingly depicts the horror inflicted upon children by Bush's Iraq War.

Although many Democratic leaders back down when confronted with hostile questions from the press, Ava has held her own and shown that a backbone comes with character, not age.

As one BuzzFlash reader noted of her appearance on CNN: "Ava was beautiful and gracious and stuck to her talking points. Her poise was remarkable. Folks, this is our future. The right would have us believe that tomorrow holds nothing but darkness for us. But it's just not true. We can move America forward, no matter how small we may feel in the big scheme of things. Ava is a testament to the human spirit, an example of hope for all of us."

Ava Lowery has created more than 70 truthful animations about peace and the deceptions of the Bush Administration. She was the toast of the recent YearlyKos convention, and for good reason.She is a most worthy winner of this week's BuzzFlash "Wings of Justice Award."

More HERE

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A well deserved accolade for Ava, she ROCKS!

capt

Tehran is next

Presbyterian Church Endorses Medical Marijuana

Congress to Vote on Measure to Stop Raids Next Week

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With the U.S. House of Representatives poised to vote on a measure to stop the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from arresting medical marijuana patients in states which permit medical use of marijuana, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has become the latest religious body to endorse legal access to medical marijuana for seriously ill patients.

The resolution, passed by consensus on June 21, affirms "the use of cannabis sativa or marijuana for legitimate medical purposes as recommended by a physician" and urges "federal legislation that allows for its use and that provides for the production and distribution of the plant for those purposes." The full text of the resolution is available at http://72.54.6.218/Business/Business.aspx?iid=134. The Presbyterian Church (USA) now joins the United Methodist Church, Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, Union fo