We killed 190 people in Lebanon, most of whom were refugees, during the month of April, 1996. Many of them were women, old people and children. We killed 9 civilians, one a 2 year old girl and one, a centenarian, in Sahmour, on April 11th. We killed 11 civilians, including 7 children, in Nabatyeh, on April 18th.
In the UN Camp in Cana, we killed 102 people. We made sure to inflict death from a distance. In a very secular manner, without the archaic idea of sin, without the tediluvian worry to consider man in the image of God, and without the primitive proscription, "You shall not kill!"
We didn't fly those planes, you say. Oh, you are correct, we just made the bombs. Our Bush won't even ask to stop the killing.
31 July, 2006
30 July, 2006
our republican idiot
Bush's recent trip to Europe to visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel and meet with world leaders in Russia at the annual Group of Eight summit of industrialized nations caused a stir and showed what an idiot he really is.
He could be heard cursing over a live microphone, talked longingly about "slicing the pig" at a barbecue in his honor, and gave an impromptu neck massage to a startled Merkel that was seen around the world via the Internet.
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He could be heard cursing over a live microphone, talked longingly about "slicing the pig" at a barbecue in his honor, and gave an impromptu neck massage to a startled Merkel that was seen around the world via the Internet.
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more killing of children
Israeli missiles hit several buildings in a southern Lebanon village as people slept, killing at least 56, most of them children, in the deadliest attack in 19 days of fighting.
The Lebanese Red Cross said the airstrike in Qana, in which at least 34 children were killed, pushed the overall Lebanese death toll to more than 500.
Infuriated Lebanese officials said they had asked Rice to postpone the visit after Israel's missile strike. But she still did not call for an immediate cease-fire in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militias
The Lebanese Red Cross said the airstrike in Qana, in which at least 34 children were killed, pushed the overall Lebanese death toll to more than 500.
Infuriated Lebanese officials said they had asked Rice to postpone the visit after Israel's missile strike. But she still did not call for an immediate cease-fire in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militias
29 July, 2006
Republican Sleeve Christians
On Saturday, Israel made its closest strike to Hezbollah ally Syria yet. Warplanes hit the Lebanese side of a Syrian-Lebanese border crossing, forcing the closure of the main transit point for refugees fleeing and humanitarian aid supplies entering Lebanon. Two more missiles hit the area early Sunday.
Another portent of what more fighting could bring came in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre, where volunteers lowered 31 wooden coffins into a mass grave, victims of Israeli bombardment in past days. A tiny coffin held the body of a 1-day-old girl killed when a missile smashed her family's white-flagged car as they fled their home village
Don't any of these Sleeve Christians in the Republican party/government care????
Another portent of what more fighting could bring came in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre, where volunteers lowered 31 wooden coffins into a mass grave, victims of Israeli bombardment in past days. A tiny coffin held the body of a 1-day-old girl killed when a missile smashed her family's white-flagged car as they fled their home village
Don't any of these Sleeve Christians in the Republican party/government care????
27 July, 2006
Republican "Grand Oil Party"
Net income in the second quarter was $10.36 billion, or $1.72 a share, compared to $7.64 billion, or $1.20 a share, in the year earlier quarter. It was the second largest quarterly profit ever recorded by a publicly traded U.S. company.
Revenue rose to $99.03 billion from $88.57 billion in the prior-year quarter. That was short of ExxonMobil's record third-quarter revenue of $100.72 billion — which also stands as record revenue generated by any U.S. public company ever in a single quarter.
Indeed, the profit increase at Royal Dutch Shell, Europe's second-largest oil company, was even better than ExxonMobil's on a percentage basis. Second-quarter earnings jumped 40% as high oil prices offset production difficulties in Nigeria and the Gulf of Mexico. Net profit rose to $7.32 billion from $5.24 billion a year earlier. Sales rose less than 1% to $83.1 billion.
These reports come a day after another large U.S. oil company, ConocoPhillips (COP), said it earned more than $5 billion in the quarter and at a time when many drivers in the U.S. are paying $3 for a gallon of gas
Revenue rose to $99.03 billion from $88.57 billion in the prior-year quarter. That was short of ExxonMobil's record third-quarter revenue of $100.72 billion — which also stands as record revenue generated by any U.S. public company ever in a single quarter.
Indeed, the profit increase at Royal Dutch Shell, Europe's second-largest oil company, was even better than ExxonMobil's on a percentage basis. Second-quarter earnings jumped 40% as high oil prices offset production difficulties in Nigeria and the Gulf of Mexico. Net profit rose to $7.32 billion from $5.24 billion a year earlier. Sales rose less than 1% to $83.1 billion.
These reports come a day after another large U.S. oil company, ConocoPhillips (COP), said it earned more than $5 billion in the quarter and at a time when many drivers in the U.S. are paying $3 for a gallon of gas
republican war bungling
Up to two-thirds of the Army's combat brigades are not ready for wartime missions, largely because they are hampered by equipment shortfalls. Nearly every non-deployed combat brigade in the active Army is reporting that they are not ready for combat. The figures, he said, represent an unacceptable risk to the nation.
"I have testified to the facts about our readiness and I remain concerned about the serious demands we face," said Schoomaker, adding that the Army needs more than $17 billion in 2007 and up to $13 billion a year until two or three years after the war ends. Schoomaker and other Army officials have been very vocal about their funding shortfall in recent weeks.
Schoomaker traced the problem's origin to entering the Iraq war in 2003 with a $56 billion shortfall in equipment. The Army managed the situation by rotating in fresh units while keeping the same equipment in Iraq. Over time, he said, the equipment has worn out without sufficient investment in replacements
"I have testified to the facts about our readiness and I remain concerned about the serious demands we face," said Schoomaker, adding that the Army needs more than $17 billion in 2007 and up to $13 billion a year until two or three years after the war ends. Schoomaker and other Army officials have been very vocal about their funding shortfall in recent weeks.
Schoomaker traced the problem's origin to entering the Iraq war in 2003 with a $56 billion shortfall in equipment. The Army managed the situation by rotating in fresh units while keeping the same equipment in Iraq. Over time, he said, the equipment has worn out without sufficient investment in replacements
25 July, 2006
update Iraq
and the beat goes on and on:
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of our money and "at least 2,565 " members of the U.S. military have died, not counting (1)"contractors" (2) Iraqi civilian women and children (3) the tens of thousands that have been wounded, and (4) the one in five surviving soldiers that have lingering mental problems.
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of our money and "at least 2,565 " members of the U.S. military have died, not counting (1)"contractors" (2) Iraqi civilian women and children (3) the tens of thousands that have been wounded, and (4) the one in five surviving soldiers that have lingering mental problems.
24 July, 2006
Republicans vs our laws
President Bush's penchant for writing exceptions to laws he has just signed violates the Constitution, an American Bar Association task force says in a report highly critical of the practice. The ABA group, which includes a one-time FBI director and former federal appeals court judge, said the president has overstepped his authority in attaching challenges to hundreds of new laws.
The attachments, known as bill-signing statements, say Bush reserves a right to revise, interpret or disregard measures on national security and constitutional grounds."This report raises serious concerns crucial to the survival of our democracy," said the ABA's president, Michael Greco. "If left unchecked, the president's practice does grave harm to the separation of powers doctrine, and the system of checks and balances that have sustained our democracy for more than two centuries."
The task force said the statements suggest the president will decline to enforce some laws. Bush has had more than 800 signing statement challenges, compared with about 600 signing statements combined for all other presidents, the group said.
The ABA report said President Reagan was the first to use the statements as a strategic weapon, and that it was encouraged by then-administration lawyer Samuel Alito — now the newest Supreme Court justice.
The task force included former prosecutor Neal Sonnett of Miami; former FBI Director William Sessions; Patricia Wald, former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; former Republican Rep. Mickey Edwards; and former Reagan administration lawyer Bruce Fein; and law school professors and other lawyers.
The attachments, known as bill-signing statements, say Bush reserves a right to revise, interpret or disregard measures on national security and constitutional grounds."This report raises serious concerns crucial to the survival of our democracy," said the ABA's president, Michael Greco. "If left unchecked, the president's practice does grave harm to the separation of powers doctrine, and the system of checks and balances that have sustained our democracy for more than two centuries."
The task force said the statements suggest the president will decline to enforce some laws. Bush has had more than 800 signing statement challenges, compared with about 600 signing statements combined for all other presidents, the group said.
The ABA report said President Reagan was the first to use the statements as a strategic weapon, and that it was encouraged by then-administration lawyer Samuel Alito — now the newest Supreme Court justice.
The task force included former prosecutor Neal Sonnett of Miami; former FBI Director William Sessions; Patricia Wald, former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; former Republican Rep. Mickey Edwards; and former Reagan administration lawyer Bruce Fein; and law school professors and other lawyers.
23 July, 2006
Lebanon from US evacuees
US evacuees speaking at a news conference accused Israel of killing innocent civilians by bombing Lebanon indiscriminately in its campaign to cripple Hezbollah.
"Israel is trying to punish the entire country of Lebanon," said Stephen McInerney, 31, a graduate student at American University of Beirut. "It's like childish revenge that doesn't accomplish anything."
Tom Charara, 50, of Long Beach, Calif., had taken his wife and children to visit the grandparents. "I've seen little kids being burned alive," he said. "There is nothing that calls for that kind of force."
"Israel is trying to punish the entire country of Lebanon," said Stephen McInerney, 31, a graduate student at American University of Beirut. "It's like childish revenge that doesn't accomplish anything."
Tom Charara, 50, of Long Beach, Calif., had taken his wife and children to visit the grandparents. "I've seen little kids being burned alive," he said. "There is nothing that calls for that kind of force."
abuse ok
The group Human Rights Watch said in a report released Sunday that U.S. military commanders encouraged abusive interrogations of detainees in Iraq, even after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal called attention to the issue in 2004. Between 2003 and 2005, prisoners were routinely physically mistreated, deprived of sleep and exposed to extreme temperatures as part of the interrogation process, the report said.
"Soldiers were told that the Geneva Conventions did not apply, and that interrogators could use abusive techniques to get detainees to talk," wrote John Sifton, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
The organization said it based its conclusion on interviews with military personnel and sworn statements in declassified documents.
The group Human Rights Watch said in a report released Sunday that U.S. military commanders encouraged abusive interrogations of detainees in Iraq, even after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal called attention to the issue in 2004. Between 2003 and 2005, prisoners were routinely physically mistreated, deprived of sleep and exposed to extreme temperatures as part of the interrogation process, the report said.
"Soldiers were told that the Geneva Conventions did not apply, and that interrogators could use abusive techniques to get detainees to talk," wrote John Sifton, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
The organization said it based its conclusion on interviews with military personnel and sworn statements in declassified documents.
"Soldiers were told that the Geneva Conventions did not apply, and that interrogators could use abusive techniques to get detainees to talk," wrote John Sifton, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
The organization said it based its conclusion on interviews with military personnel and sworn statements in declassified documents.
The group Human Rights Watch said in a report released Sunday that U.S. military commanders encouraged abusive interrogations of detainees in Iraq, even after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal called attention to the issue in 2004. Between 2003 and 2005, prisoners were routinely physically mistreated, deprived of sleep and exposed to extreme temperatures as part of the interrogation process, the report said.
"Soldiers were told that the Geneva Conventions did not apply, and that interrogators could use abusive techniques to get detainees to talk," wrote John Sifton, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
The organization said it based its conclusion on interviews with military personnel and sworn statements in declassified documents.
22 July, 2006
another Republican scam at our expense
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt on Friday defended his family's charitable giving, as two senators called for tighter regulation of private foundations.
The Washington Post reported Friday that Leavitt and his relatives have claimed million of dollars in tax deductions through a charitable foundation that until recently paid out little in actual charity
The Post reported that the Leavitt family, along with the other tax breaks recently passed for the wealthy, used nearly $9 million in assets to set up a charitable foundation in 2000. But unlike standard private foundations, it is not required to give away at least 5% of assets to charitable causes.
While Mike Leavitt alone has claimed about $1.2 million in tax write-offs since 2000, the foundation gave away only $49,000 in 2002 and $52,000 the next year, the Post reported.
Working families should be disturbed by these types of stories that keep appearing in the papers about wealthy people who take a big charitable deduction to get a significant tax break, yet retain control of the funds, benefit from that control, and little to nothing actually goes to real charities doing important work.
"They're basically sitting on all this money, getting a charitable write-off and doing nothing with it," said Rick Cohen, executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. Cohen reviewed the foundation's records and tax returns at the Post's request. Another Republican scam.
The Washington Post reported Friday that Leavitt and his relatives have claimed million of dollars in tax deductions through a charitable foundation that until recently paid out little in actual charity
The Post reported that the Leavitt family, along with the other tax breaks recently passed for the wealthy, used nearly $9 million in assets to set up a charitable foundation in 2000. But unlike standard private foundations, it is not required to give away at least 5% of assets to charitable causes.
While Mike Leavitt alone has claimed about $1.2 million in tax write-offs since 2000, the foundation gave away only $49,000 in 2002 and $52,000 the next year, the Post reported.
Working families should be disturbed by these types of stories that keep appearing in the papers about wealthy people who take a big charitable deduction to get a significant tax break, yet retain control of the funds, benefit from that control, and little to nothing actually goes to real charities doing important work.
"They're basically sitting on all this money, getting a charitable write-off and doing nothing with it," said Rick Cohen, executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. Cohen reviewed the foundation's records and tax returns at the Post's request. Another Republican scam.
19 July, 2006
US Economy, your vote, mad as hell
Did you know:
1. The United States now has the largest gap between the poor and the wealthy since 1929 which was just before the Great Depression.
2. For the first time in our history, we are an exporter of raw materials in value greater than manufactured goods inported. The definition of an industrial country is just the opposite; that is, when manufactured goods exported is greater than raw materials inported.
3. The Chinese and others are beginning to dump their excess dollars into the Euros.
4. Excess dollars held be foreigners are also being used to buy up US assets, toll roads, port facilities, farmland, companies, manufacturing, motels, you name it. The profits, of course, go back to the foreign owners.
5. The National Debt when Carter left office was $0.9 Trillion, now it is $8.5 Trillion, AND who owns the bulk of it? It used to be owned to our citizens, now the bulk of the debt is owed to foreigners, mostly Chinese. Nice isn't it. That's what we get when corporations take our jobs overseas.
We are well on the way to becoming a third world country. We are going down the tubes. Have you "HAD ENOUGH?" The solution? Your US Representatives and Senators have to be voted out of office. Don't complain if you don't vote.
Join those of us who are "Mad as hell, and aren't going to take it anymore"
1. The United States now has the largest gap between the poor and the wealthy since 1929 which was just before the Great Depression.
2. For the first time in our history, we are an exporter of raw materials in value greater than manufactured goods inported. The definition of an industrial country is just the opposite; that is, when manufactured goods exported is greater than raw materials inported.
3. The Chinese and others are beginning to dump their excess dollars into the Euros.
4. Excess dollars held be foreigners are also being used to buy up US assets, toll roads, port facilities, farmland, companies, manufacturing, motels, you name it. The profits, of course, go back to the foreign owners.
5. The National Debt when Carter left office was $0.9 Trillion, now it is $8.5 Trillion, AND who owns the bulk of it? It used to be owned to our citizens, now the bulk of the debt is owed to foreigners, mostly Chinese. Nice isn't it. That's what we get when corporations take our jobs overseas.
We are well on the way to becoming a third world country. We are going down the tubes. Have you "HAD ENOUGH?" The solution? Your US Representatives and Senators have to be voted out of office. Don't complain if you don't vote.
Join those of us who are "Mad as hell, and aren't going to take it anymore"
17 July, 2006
shooting Iraqi civilians with impunity
Written by Columnist Trudy Rubin:
"Just over a year ago, my translator, Yasser Salihee, was shot dead by an American soldier. Salihee, a 30-year-old medical doctor and aspiring journalist, was working for Knight Ridder News Service to make extra money. He was driving home after a haircut when a U.S. sniper mistook him for a potential car bomber. He couldn't stop in time and was shot between the eyes.
I arrived in Baghdad right after Salihee died and told his story to several Iraqi officials. The reactions were astonishing. Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi told me that an elderly friend of his had just been shot dead by U.S. soldiers. Kurdish parliamentarian Mahmoud Othman told me that he knew of 10 civilians who had been shot dead by U.S. soldiers.
Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations, Samir Sumaidaie (recently appointed ambassador to the United States), complained bitterly to reporters that U.S. Marines had killed his unarmed 21-year-old cousin.These cases came to light because the victims were well connected. But Salihee's death was investigated only after pressure from Knight Ridder. "
No one knows how many similar cases are never even reported. And armed civilian contractors there are notorious for shooting at Iraqi civilians with impunity."
"Just over a year ago, my translator, Yasser Salihee, was shot dead by an American soldier. Salihee, a 30-year-old medical doctor and aspiring journalist, was working for Knight Ridder News Service to make extra money. He was driving home after a haircut when a U.S. sniper mistook him for a potential car bomber. He couldn't stop in time and was shot between the eyes.
I arrived in Baghdad right after Salihee died and told his story to several Iraqi officials. The reactions were astonishing. Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi told me that an elderly friend of his had just been shot dead by U.S. soldiers. Kurdish parliamentarian Mahmoud Othman told me that he knew of 10 civilians who had been shot dead by U.S. soldiers.
Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations, Samir Sumaidaie (recently appointed ambassador to the United States), complained bitterly to reporters that U.S. Marines had killed his unarmed 21-year-old cousin.These cases came to light because the victims were well connected. But Salihee's death was investigated only after pressure from Knight Ridder. "
No one knows how many similar cases are never even reported. And armed civilian contractors there are notorious for shooting at Iraqi civilians with impunity."
16 July, 2006
modern conservative
"A modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." -- by JKG
Iraq update
and the beat goes on and on:
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of our money and "at least 2,547 " members of the U.S. military have died, not counting (1)"contractors" (2) Iraqi civilian women and children (3) the tens of thousands that have been wounded, and (4) the one in five surviving soldiers that have lingering mental problems.
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of our money and "at least 2,547 " members of the U.S. military have died, not counting (1)"contractors" (2) Iraqi civilian women and children (3) the tens of thousands that have been wounded, and (4) the one in five surviving soldiers that have lingering mental problems.
borrow and spend republicans
"By pursuing pro-growth policies and restraining government spending, we will keep our economy the envy of the world," Bush said in his weekly radio address.
Earlier in the week, the White House released figures estimating that the difference between what the government spends and what it collects in revenue for the budget year ending Sept. 30 will be $296 billion, an improvement over the $423 billion that was predicted in February.
This is the fourth time they have high-balled the estimate so that they could claim improvement. $296 billion is the fourth highest defecit ever. And "restraining government spending" give me a break. Another snow job by these borrow and spend republicans.
Earlier in the week, the White House released figures estimating that the difference between what the government spends and what it collects in revenue for the budget year ending Sept. 30 will be $296 billion, an improvement over the $423 billion that was predicted in February.
This is the fourth time they have high-balled the estimate so that they could claim improvement. $296 billion is the fourth highest defecit ever. And "restraining government spending" give me a break. Another snow job by these borrow and spend republicans.
15 July, 2006
14 July, 2006
another republican lie
Another Repubican lie in their efforts to control and silence the press:
News reports on the terroist financing program elicited furious republican criticism of the New York Times and other publications from those who want us to believe that classified information had been improperly and damagingly disclosed.
But "closely similar" accounts were publicly presented years ago in open congressional hearings, the Washington Post reported today.
News reports on the terroist financing program elicited furious republican criticism of the New York Times and other publications from those who want us to believe that classified information had been improperly and damagingly disclosed.
But "closely similar" accounts were publicly presented years ago in open congressional hearings, the Washington Post reported today.
Cheney,Rove,Libby, Plame,Wilson
Former CIA officer Valerie Plame and her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, said Friday they decided to sue Vice President Dick Cheney and presidential adviser Karl Rove because they engaged in a "whispering campaign" to destroy her career.
The Wilsons' lawyer said in the lawsuit that it "concerns the intentional and malicious exposure by senior officials of the federal government of ... (Plame), whose job it was to gather intelligence to make the nation safer and who risked her life for her country."
Instead of confronting Wilson on his criticism, the lawsuit said, the White House officials "embarked on an anonymous 'whispering campaign' designed to discredit ... (the Wilsons) and to deter other critics from speaking out."
Libby is the only administration official charged in connection with the leak investigation. He faces trial in January on perjury and obstruction-of-justice charges, accused of lying to FBI agents and a federal grand jury about when he learned Plame's identity and what he subsequently told reporters
The Wilsons' lawyer said in the lawsuit that it "concerns the intentional and malicious exposure by senior officials of the federal government of ... (Plame), whose job it was to gather intelligence to make the nation safer and who risked her life for her country."
Instead of confronting Wilson on his criticism, the lawsuit said, the White House officials "embarked on an anonymous 'whispering campaign' designed to discredit ... (the Wilsons) and to deter other critics from speaking out."
Libby is the only administration official charged in connection with the leak investigation. He faces trial in January on perjury and obstruction-of-justice charges, accused of lying to FBI agents and a federal grand jury about when he learned Plame's identity and what he subsequently told reporters
13 July, 2006
republicans,Plame,retaliation,revenge
The CIA officer whose identity was leaked to reporters sued Vice President Dick Cheney, his former top aide and presidential adviser Karl Rove on Thursday, accusing them and other White House officials of conspiring to destroy her career.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Valerie Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador, accused Cheney, Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby of revealing Plame's CIA identity in seeking revenge against Wilson for criticizing the Bush administration's motives in Iraq.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Valerie Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador, accused Cheney, Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby of revealing Plame's CIA identity in seeking revenge against Wilson for criticizing the Bush administration's motives in Iraq.
the Halliburton scam
Halliburton subsidiary KBR, also known as Kellogg Brown & Root, provides food, water, shelter, laundry service and other logistical support for troops under a 2001 contract that has been extended several times.
Halliburton is a Texas-based oil services conglomerate once led by Vice President Dick Cheney, who owns stock and still receives deferred compensation from the company. Bush administration officials have come under fire since the beginning of the war in Iraq for awarding more than $10 billion to the company and its subsidiaries in 2003 and 2004, some of it in no-bid contracts. There have been allegations of fraud, poor work, overpricing and other abuse.
"It has taken them far too long," Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said of the Army. "I believe literally hundreds of millions, and probably billions, of dollars have been wasted — it's almost an unbelievable amount of waste and abuse and likely fraud."
Earlier in the day in a speech on the Senate floor, he held up a hand towel that he said cost double what it should have because the company "wanted its name embroidered on the towels given to the troops."
"Taxpayers can breathe easier knowing that the days of $45 cases of soda and $100 bags of laundry are coming to a close," said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.
Now that we are trying to get out of the Iraq mess, Halliburton has reaped all it can, so these Republicans will put what's left out for bids. Cute.
Halliburton is a Texas-based oil services conglomerate once led by Vice President Dick Cheney, who owns stock and still receives deferred compensation from the company. Bush administration officials have come under fire since the beginning of the war in Iraq for awarding more than $10 billion to the company and its subsidiaries in 2003 and 2004, some of it in no-bid contracts. There have been allegations of fraud, poor work, overpricing and other abuse.
"It has taken them far too long," Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said of the Army. "I believe literally hundreds of millions, and probably billions, of dollars have been wasted — it's almost an unbelievable amount of waste and abuse and likely fraud."
Earlier in the day in a speech on the Senate floor, he held up a hand towel that he said cost double what it should have because the company "wanted its name embroidered on the towels given to the troops."
"Taxpayers can breathe easier knowing that the days of $45 cases of soda and $100 bags of laundry are coming to a close," said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.
Now that we are trying to get out of the Iraq mess, Halliburton has reaped all it can, so these Republicans will put what's left out for bids. Cute.
11 July, 2006
anoher republican lie
Columnist Robert Novak said publicly for the first time Tuesday that White House political adviser Karl Rove was a source for his story outing the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame.
Triggering the criminal investigation, Novak revealed Plame's CIA employment on July 14, 2003, eight days after her husband, White House critic and former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, accused the administration of manipulating prewar intelligence to exaggerate the Iraqi threat from weapons of mass destruction.
The White House denied Rove played any role in the leak of Plame's CIA identity and Novak, with his decision to talk to prosecutors, steered clear of potentially being held in contempt of court and jailed. ANOTHER REPUBLICAN LIE.
Triggering the criminal investigation, Novak revealed Plame's CIA employment on July 14, 2003, eight days after her husband, White House critic and former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, accused the administration of manipulating prewar intelligence to exaggerate the Iraqi threat from weapons of mass destruction.
The White House denied Rove played any role in the leak of Plame's CIA identity and Novak, with his decision to talk to prosecutors, steered clear of potentially being held in contempt of court and jailed. ANOTHER REPUBLICAN LIE.
Tony Snow continues Republican lies
The Bush administration said Tuesday that all detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and in U.S. military custody everywhere are entitled to protections under the Geneva Conventions.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said the policy, outlined in a new Defense Department memo, reflects the recent 5-3 Supreme Court decision blocking military tribunals set up by President Bush. That decision struck down the tribunals because they did not obey international law and had not been authorized by Congress.
The policy, described in a memo by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England reverses the administration's earlier insistence that the detainees are not prisoners of war and thus not subject to the Geneva protections.
"It's not really a reversal of policy," Snow asserted, calling the Supreme Court decision "complex.". Another lie.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said the policy, outlined in a new Defense Department memo, reflects the recent 5-3 Supreme Court decision blocking military tribunals set up by President Bush. That decision struck down the tribunals because they did not obey international law and had not been authorized by Congress.
The policy, described in a memo by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England reverses the administration's earlier insistence that the detainees are not prisoners of war and thus not subject to the Geneva protections.
"It's not really a reversal of policy," Snow asserted, calling the Supreme Court decision "complex.". Another lie.
10 July, 2006
republicans don't like freedom of the press
Anyone who believes an inquisitive and free press is essential to America"s democracy, especially in times of war, should be concerned.
Offering no proof, the republican administration has claimed the terrorist financing stories in the NY Times, which the LA Times and the Wall Street Journal also published, have harmed security.
In fact, the all-out efforts to cut off terror financing had been well publicized long before the latest stories ran.
The stories raised legitimate issues about the administration"s cult of secrecy, its sweeping surveillance operations and its refusal to comply with constitutional checks and balances.
They played an important role in informing the public-- and Congress-- about what the executive branch is doing in the name of the "war on terror".
That's exactly the role of the press in a free society and precisely why it was protected from censorship by our Founding Fathers.
Offering no proof, the republican administration has claimed the terrorist financing stories in the NY Times, which the LA Times and the Wall Street Journal also published, have harmed security.
In fact, the all-out efforts to cut off terror financing had been well publicized long before the latest stories ran.
The stories raised legitimate issues about the administration"s cult of secrecy, its sweeping surveillance operations and its refusal to comply with constitutional checks and balances.
They played an important role in informing the public-- and Congress-- about what the executive branch is doing in the name of the "war on terror".
That's exactly the role of the press in a free society and precisely why it was protected from censorship by our Founding Fathers.
09 July, 2006
How Republicans steal elections
Any election, of course, will have anomalies. America's voting system is a messy patchwork of polling rules run mostly by county and city officials. ''We didn't have one election for president in 2004,'' says Robert Pastor, who directs the Center for Democracy and Election Management at American University. ''We didn't have fifty elections. We actually had 13,000 elections run by 13,000 independent, quasi-sovereign counties and municipalities.''
But what is most anomalous about the irregularities in 2004 was their decidedly partisan bent: Almost without exception they hurt John Kerry and benefited George Bush. After carefully examining the evidence, it is convincing that the president's party mounted a massive, coordinated campaign to subvert the will of the people in 2004.
Across the country, Republican election officials and party stalwarts employed a wide range of illegal and unethical tactics to fix the election. A review of the available data reveals that in Ohio alone, at least 357,000 voters, the overwhelming majority of them Democratic, were prevented from casting ballots or did not have their votes counted in 2004. -- more than enough to shift the results of an election decided by 118,60 votes.
In what may be the single most astounding fact from the election, one in every four Ohio citizens who registered to vote in 2004 showed up at the polls only to discover that they were not listed on the rolls, thanks to GOP efforts to stem the unprecedented flood of Democrats eager to cast ballots.
And that doesn?t even take into account the troubling evidence of outright fraud, which indicates that upwards of 80,000 votes for Kerry were counted instead for Bush. That alone is a swing of more than 160,000 votes -- enough to have put John Kerry in the White House.
But what is most anomalous about the irregularities in 2004 was their decidedly partisan bent: Almost without exception they hurt John Kerry and benefited George Bush. After carefully examining the evidence, it is convincing that the president's party mounted a massive, coordinated campaign to subvert the will of the people in 2004.
Across the country, Republican election officials and party stalwarts employed a wide range of illegal and unethical tactics to fix the election. A review of the available data reveals that in Ohio alone, at least 357,000 voters, the overwhelming majority of them Democratic, were prevented from casting ballots or did not have their votes counted in 2004. -- more than enough to shift the results of an election decided by 118,60 votes.
In what may be the single most astounding fact from the election, one in every four Ohio citizens who registered to vote in 2004 showed up at the polls only to discover that they were not listed on the rolls, thanks to GOP efforts to stem the unprecedented flood of Democrats eager to cast ballots.
And that doesn?t even take into account the troubling evidence of outright fraud, which indicates that upwards of 80,000 votes for Kerry were counted instead for Bush. That alone is a swing of more than 160,000 votes -- enough to have put John Kerry in the White House.
07 July, 2006
update Iraq, hint to Bush
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of our money and "at least 2,542 " members of the U.S. military have died, not counting (1)"contractors" (2) Iraqi civilian women and children (3) the tens of thousands that have been wounded, and (4) the one in five surviving soldiers that have lingering mental problems.
See " War Casualties" link below for realistic estimates of civilian deaths.
Evidently the President, who did not serve in Vietnam, never learned the custom of paying respect to all the dead from a war. He is happier honoring nobody, and seems to think everybody else is as well. Neither has George Bush ever figured out the significance of mass casualties. Something of their significance (however little) might have impressed itself on his conscience, if he had tried to fit even a few of the more than 2500 funerals into his busy vacation schedule.
Hint to the President: When casualties are so frequent that you can’t find the time to attend the funerals of soldiers killed in a war you started, it’s a clue that the war is not going well.
See " War Casualties" link below for realistic estimates of civilian deaths.
Evidently the President, who did not serve in Vietnam, never learned the custom of paying respect to all the dead from a war. He is happier honoring nobody, and seems to think everybody else is as well. Neither has George Bush ever figured out the significance of mass casualties. Something of their significance (however little) might have impressed itself on his conscience, if he had tried to fit even a few of the more than 2500 funerals into his busy vacation schedule.
Hint to the President: When casualties are so frequent that you can’t find the time to attend the funerals of soldiers killed in a war you started, it’s a clue that the war is not going well.
04 July, 2006
wrong strategy in Iraq
Three years into the war in Iraq, the U.S. Army has nearly completed a thorough revision and update of its official doctrine on counterinsurgency.
The new doctrine begins with a thoughtful presentation of the nature of insurgency and counterinsurgency, their evolution and their characteristic strategies, and proceeds to consider the design of counterinsurgency operations.
Among the "paradoxes of counterinsurgency" are the fact that "the more you protect your force, the less secure you are"; "the more force [is] used, the less effective it is"; and "sometimes doing nothing is the best reaction." Hello Republicans!
The new doctrine begins with a thoughtful presentation of the nature of insurgency and counterinsurgency, their evolution and their characteristic strategies, and proceeds to consider the design of counterinsurgency operations.
Among the "paradoxes of counterinsurgency" are the fact that "the more you protect your force, the less secure you are"; "the more force [is] used, the less effective it is"; and "sometimes doing nothing is the best reaction." Hello Republicans!
02 July, 2006
update Iraq
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of our money and "at least 2,533 " members of the U.S. military have died, not counting (1)"contractors" (2) Iraqi civilian women and children (3) the tens of thousands that have been wounded, and (4) the one in five surviving soldiers that have lingering mental problems.
See " War Casualties" link below for realistic estimates not provided by our present government.
See " War Casualties" link below for realistic estimates not provided by our present government.
republican prosperity
While the rich get richer with tax breaks, more than 13 million children, about 18%, live in poverty . One third of America's children live in homes where none of the parents had full-time, year-round job.
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