and the beat goes on and on:
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of our money and "at least 2,578 " 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.
01 August, 2006
31 July, 2006
who are the killers?
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.
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.
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.
30 June, 2006
promises, promises
President Bush's plan for stemming illegal immigration by using National Guardsmen in a support role called for 2,500 troops to be on the border by June 30, and 6,000 by the end of July.
The National Guard said Friday that only 483 were in position and working with the U.S. Border Patrol as the Bush administration had directed, which is another false and failed Bush plan. It sounds like the Republican plan for Iraq.
The National Guard said Friday that only 483 were in position and working with the U.S. Border Patrol as the Bush administration had directed, which is another false and failed Bush plan. It sounds like the Republican plan for Iraq.
Republicans don't respect our laws
Officially, President Bush has not vetoed a single piece of legislation. But in reality, he has used a radical theory of constitutional power to ignore much of what Congress has passed through the mild-sounding power of "signing statements" -- 750 of which he has issued during his term in office, more than any of his predecessors.
Essentially, this means that when the President signs a bill into law, he attaches a statement indicating which pieces of the new law he intends to obey, and which he does not. This practice gives the President unchecked power to decide which parts of the law will be followed based on his interpretation of their constitutionality.
Henceforth, let's choose which laws we obey.
Essentially, this means that when the President signs a bill into law, he attaches a statement indicating which pieces of the new law he intends to obey, and which he does not. This practice gives the President unchecked power to decide which parts of the law will be followed based on his interpretation of their constitutionality.
Henceforth, let's choose which laws we obey.
29 June, 2006
torture at gitmo
The Road to Guantanamo." It is as good as the reviews say. It opens June 23 in theaters in some cities and you should definitely see it. It's part documentary and part drama. It's very fast-paced and the scenes in Afghanistan and Guantanamo are very real -- and frightening.
It also will make you very angry -- and drive home the realization that not all the detainees at Guantanamo can be the "worst of the worst" because many don't belong there at all. And yes, they were tortured. The four subjects of the film, Asif Iqbal, Ruhel Ahmed, Shafiq Rasul (pdf), and Monir Ali were British teens of Pakistani descent who went to Pakistan because one was getting married in an arranged marriage.
Almost on a whim, they naviely decided to go to Afghanistan. The U.S. started its bombing campaign right afterwards. They get captured by the Northern Alliance and three of them get turned over to the Americans who won't believe they aren't al-Qaeda and send them to Guantanamo where they are held for two years without charges before being returned to England and finally freed.
They appear in the film as narrators while actors re-create their ordeal. The fourth, Monir Ali, got separated and has not been heard from again, although he may be in a Pakistani prison.
It also will make you very angry -- and drive home the realization that not all the detainees at Guantanamo can be the "worst of the worst" because many don't belong there at all. And yes, they were tortured. The four subjects of the film, Asif Iqbal, Ruhel Ahmed, Shafiq Rasul (pdf), and Monir Ali were British teens of Pakistani descent who went to Pakistan because one was getting married in an arranged marriage.
Almost on a whim, they naviely decided to go to Afghanistan. The U.S. started its bombing campaign right afterwards. They get captured by the Northern Alliance and three of them get turned over to the Americans who won't believe they aren't al-Qaeda and send them to Guantanamo where they are held for two years without charges before being returned to England and finally freed.
They appear in the film as narrators while actors re-create their ordeal. The fourth, Monir Ali, got separated and has not been heard from again, although he may be in a Pakistani prison.
republicans overstepping authority
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees.
The ruling, a rebuke to the administration and its aggressive anti-terror policies, was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and Geneva conventions.
The ruling, a rebuke to the administration and its aggressive anti-terror policies, was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and Geneva conventions.
26 June, 2006
amnesty
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's national reconciliation plan, involving amnesty for opposition fighters except those who had killed Iraqis, were involved in terrorism or committed crimes against humanity.
Al-Maliki's plan, disclosed Sunday, was thought to have denied amnesty to any insurgent who had killed American forces, though the wording was vague.
SPECIFIC ABOUT KILLED IRAQIS BUT VAGUE ON KILLING AMERICANS. Right???
Al-Maliki's plan, disclosed Sunday, was thought to have denied amnesty to any insurgent who had killed American forces, though the wording was vague.
SPECIFIC ABOUT KILLED IRAQIS BUT VAGUE ON KILLING AMERICANS. Right???
estate taxes
It turns out that 18 of the richest families in the USA are the major behind the scene funders of the campaign to abolish the estate tax all the while rejecting proposals to exempt $100 million from the tax. Doesn't that just figure.
25 June, 2006
update Iraq
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of our money and "at least 2,515" 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 June, 2006
Republicans for sale, just the surface
Wanted: Face time with President Bush or top adviser Karl Rove. Suggested donation: $100,000. The middleman: lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Blunt e-mails that connect money and access in Washington show that prominent Republican activist Grover Norquist facilitated some administration contacts for Abramoff's clients while the lobbyist simultaneously solicited those clients for large donations to Norquist's tax-exempt group.
"Can the tribes contribute $100,000 for the effort to bring state legislatures and those tribal leaders who have passed Bush resolutions to Washington?" Norquist wrote Abramoff in one such e-mail in July 2002.
The tribes got to meet Bush at the White House in 2002 again and then donated to Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, or ATR.
After the tribes' 2002 event with Bush, Norquist pressed Abramoff anew for tribal donations. "Jack, a few months ago you said you could get each of your Indian tribes to make a contribution. ... Is this still possible?" Norquist asked in an October 2002 e-mail.
Abramoff became one of Washington's rainmaker lobbyists before allegations that he defrauded Indian tribes led to his downfall and a prison sentence. He is cooperating with prosecutors.
For instance, several months after donating $25,000 to Norquist's group, Saginaw officials attended a reception in the summer of 2003 at Norquist's home. They posed for a photo with Norquist and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.
A few weeks earlier, then-Saginaw tribal chief Maynard Kahgegab Jr. had been appointed by Chao to a federal commission, according Labor Department and tribal documents obtained by the AP.
The Saginaw used the Chao photo, the commission appointment and photos they took with Bush at the White House to boast on their internal website about the high-level Washington access that Abramoff's team had won.
Blunt e-mails that connect money and access in Washington show that prominent Republican activist Grover Norquist facilitated some administration contacts for Abramoff's clients while the lobbyist simultaneously solicited those clients for large donations to Norquist's tax-exempt group.
"Can the tribes contribute $100,000 for the effort to bring state legislatures and those tribal leaders who have passed Bush resolutions to Washington?" Norquist wrote Abramoff in one such e-mail in July 2002.
The tribes got to meet Bush at the White House in 2002 again and then donated to Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, or ATR.
After the tribes' 2002 event with Bush, Norquist pressed Abramoff anew for tribal donations. "Jack, a few months ago you said you could get each of your Indian tribes to make a contribution. ... Is this still possible?" Norquist asked in an October 2002 e-mail.
Abramoff became one of Washington's rainmaker lobbyists before allegations that he defrauded Indian tribes led to his downfall and a prison sentence. He is cooperating with prosecutors.
For instance, several months after donating $25,000 to Norquist's group, Saginaw officials attended a reception in the summer of 2003 at Norquist's home. They posed for a photo with Norquist and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.
A few weeks earlier, then-Saginaw tribal chief Maynard Kahgegab Jr. had been appointed by Chao to a federal commission, according Labor Department and tribal documents obtained by the AP.
The Saginaw used the Chao photo, the commission appointment and photos they took with Bush at the White House to boast on their internal website about the high-level Washington access that Abramoff's team had won.
23 June, 2006
9/11
Families of those killed in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said Thursday that excessive secrecy by the government is keeping from them what went wrong before the hijackings.
"All we want is the truth," said Michael Low of Batesville, Ark., whose daughter Sara was a flight attendant on one of the airplanes that flew into the World Trade Center. "We believe in freedom and open government, but at times it seems like we're getting the old Soviet Union."
A handful of family members held a news conference in the Capitol to push for a law that would unlock secrets kept by the Transportation Security Administration.
"All we want is the truth," said Michael Low of Batesville, Ark., whose daughter Sara was a flight attendant on one of the airplanes that flew into the World Trade Center. "We believe in freedom and open government, but at times it seems like we're getting the old Soviet Union."
A handful of family members held a news conference in the Capitol to push for a law that would unlock secrets kept by the Transportation Security Administration.
22 June, 2006
update afghanistan
Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged the international community to reassess its approach to the war on terror Thursday, saying the deaths of hundreds of Afghans in fighting with U.S.-led forces was "not acceptable
More than 600 people, mostly militants, have been killed in recent weeks as insurgents have launched their deadliest campaign of violence in years. At least 14 coalition soldiers have been killed in combat since mid-May.
"It is not acceptable for us that in all this fighting, Afghans are dying. In the last three to four weeks, 500 to 600 Afghans were killed. (Even) if they are Taliban, they are sons of this land," he said. Our boys are over there dying and they are, at best, ungrateful.
More than 600 people, mostly militants, have been killed in recent weeks as insurgents have launched their deadliest campaign of violence in years. At least 14 coalition soldiers have been killed in combat since mid-May.
"It is not acceptable for us that in all this fighting, Afghans are dying. In the last three to four weeks, 500 to 600 Afghans were killed. (Even) if they are Taliban, they are sons of this land," he said. Our boys are over there dying and they are, at best, ungrateful.
21 June, 2006
update Iraq
The Pentagon has notified about 21,000 Army soldiers and Marines that they are scheduled to be sent to Iraq late this year as part of the latest deployment rotation.
The units are: 3rd Corps Headquarters, 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters, the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, and the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, all from Fort Hood in Texas; the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune, N.C.; the 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division from Fort Richardson in Alaska; and the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Carson in Colorado
The units are: 3rd Corps Headquarters, 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters, the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, and the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, all from Fort Hood in Texas; the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune, N.C.; the 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division from Fort Richardson in Alaska; and the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Carson in Colorado
20 June, 2006
republican war update
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of your money and "at least 2,503" 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.
19 June, 2006
US and human rights
The United Nations inaugurated its new Human Rights Council on Monday, vowing to uphold the highest standards of human rights and erase the tarnished image of its predecessor. The 47-member council replaces the Human Rights Commission, which became discredited in recent years as rights-abusing countries conspired to escape condemnation
The new council will hold more meetings than the commission, comprising 10 weeks a year — greater than the current six weeks. It will also be easier to convene special sessions to respond quickly to human rights crises. Furthermore, any member that "commits gross and systematic violations of human rights" can be suspended from the council by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly. Why do you suppose that the US did not campaign for a seat on the new council???????????
The new council will hold more meetings than the commission, comprising 10 weeks a year — greater than the current six weeks. It will also be easier to convene special sessions to respond quickly to human rights crises. Furthermore, any member that "commits gross and systematic violations of human rights" can be suspended from the council by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly. Why do you suppose that the US did not campaign for a seat on the new council???????????
18 June, 2006
they torture, we torture
The U.N. Committee Against Torture issued a series of recommendations to bring the U.S. into compliance with the Convention Against Torture. Included is a direct charge to "Cease the rendition of suspects, in particular by its intelligence agencies, to States where they face a real risk of torture.
"Recently, a special committee of the European Parliament issued an interim report concluding that the CIA has on several occasions illegally kidnapped and detained individuals in European countries. The report also found that the CIA detained and then secretly used airlines to transfer persons to countries like Egypt and Afghanistan, which routinely use torture during interrogations.
Members of the European investigative committee came to the United States last week meet with the ACLU and Members of Congress. A parliamentary inquiry into El-Masri's kidnapping is also currently ongoing in Germany.
The ACLU has also called on a United Nations human rights investigative body, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, to conduct a full investigation into the United States' "extraordinary rendition" program.
"Recently, a special committee of the European Parliament issued an interim report concluding that the CIA has on several occasions illegally kidnapped and detained individuals in European countries. The report also found that the CIA detained and then secretly used airlines to transfer persons to countries like Egypt and Afghanistan, which routinely use torture during interrogations.
Members of the European investigative committee came to the United States last week meet with the ACLU and Members of Congress. A parliamentary inquiry into El-Masri's kidnapping is also currently ongoing in Germany.
The ACLU has also called on a United Nations human rights investigative body, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, to conduct a full investigation into the United States' "extraordinary rendition" program.
republican smear and sneer
Coulter has outdone even her trash-mouthed self. In her new book, she directs a stream of venom at four women who lost their husbands in the World Trade Center. Their offense? They’ve dared to criticize President Bush for ignoring pre-9/11 warnings about an al Qaida attack, and questioned how he’s conducted the war on Islamic terrorism.
Coulter responds to this heresy by calling the widows “witches” and “harpies” with big mouths and bigger victims’ fund payouts. “These broads are millionaires,” she writes, “reveling in their status as celebrities. I’ve never seen people enjoying their husbands’ deaths so much.”
The republican smear and sneer is alive and well.
Coulter responds to this heresy by calling the widows “witches” and “harpies” with big mouths and bigger victims’ fund payouts. “These broads are millionaires,” she writes, “reveling in their status as celebrities. I’ve never seen people enjoying their husbands’ deaths so much.”
The republican smear and sneer is alive and well.
republicans expanding government
For the past four years, some of the most powerful republican politicians in America have made it their mission to accumulate unchecked government power, relentlessly undermining civil liberties. In unprecedented ways, they are invading our privacy, undermining our Constitution and squelching dissent. All too frequently, they are shamelessly using the “war on terror” as cover for their assault.
republicans-homeland security
The New York Times reported Sunday that dozens of members of President Bush's Republican security team assembled after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, are now working for companies that sell security products and services to the government agencies they once helped manage.
"People have a right to make a living," Clark Kent Ervin, the former inspector general of the Homeland Security Department told the newspaper. "But working virtually immediately for a company that is bidding for work in an area where you were just setting the policy — that is too close. It is almost incestuous."
The Times found that at least 90 former Republican officials in the department and the White House Office of Homeland Security now work for companies that do billions of dollars worth of business in the homeland security industry. Loopholes in federal law make it easy for former bureaucrats to quickly capitalize on their government work Its only your money.
"People have a right to make a living," Clark Kent Ervin, the former inspector general of the Homeland Security Department told the newspaper. "But working virtually immediately for a company that is bidding for work in an area where you were just setting the policy — that is too close. It is almost incestuous."
The Times found that at least 90 former Republican officials in the department and the White House Office of Homeland Security now work for companies that do billions of dollars worth of business in the homeland security industry. Loopholes in federal law make it easy for former bureaucrats to quickly capitalize on their government work Its only your money.
17 June, 2006
republican party war
U.S. price tag of $320 billion of your money and "at least" 2,501 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.
16 June, 2006
republicans, Iraq
Iraq is not the center of the global war on terrorism, and nor is it overwhelmed by foreign terrorist groups, as this administration would like Americans to believe. Iraqis are fighting Iraqis in sectarian violence, and U.S. troops have become the target.
On Thursday, we heard House Republicans argue that the United States cannot change the policy in Iraq. But a change in direction is in the best interest of the United States and Iraq. Saying we must "stay the course" amounts to an open-ended commitment, one that we can not afford in terms of human and financial sacrifice.
Republicans say we must stay in Iraq. Iraq has formed a government, trained 265,600 Iraq security forces and the Iraqis want to govern themselves. We have more than 20,000 deaths from this war, and yet terrorist attacks rose sharply last year to more than 10,000. By the end of this year, we will have spent $450 billion U.S. taxpayer dollars on this war. Enough is enough. Our nation deserves better.
Instead of sticking with a failed policy, I propose a new policy. Instead of "stay and pay," which is what this administration continues to argue, I propose that we "redeploy and be ready." We must redeploy American troops out of the cities to the periphery and create a quick reaction force ready to attack only when the national security of the United States or its allies in the region is at risk.
The American people are not naive. They know a failed policy when they see one. Iraq is a failed policy. It's time to redeploy.
On Thursday, we heard House Republicans argue that the United States cannot change the policy in Iraq. But a change in direction is in the best interest of the United States and Iraq. Saying we must "stay the course" amounts to an open-ended commitment, one that we can not afford in terms of human and financial sacrifice.
Republicans say we must stay in Iraq. Iraq has formed a government, trained 265,600 Iraq security forces and the Iraqis want to govern themselves. We have more than 20,000 deaths from this war, and yet terrorist attacks rose sharply last year to more than 10,000. By the end of this year, we will have spent $450 billion U.S. taxpayer dollars on this war. Enough is enough. Our nation deserves better.
Instead of sticking with a failed policy, I propose a new policy. Instead of "stay and pay," which is what this administration continues to argue, I propose that we "redeploy and be ready." We must redeploy American troops out of the cities to the periphery and create a quick reaction force ready to attack only when the national security of the United States or its allies in the region is at risk.
The American people are not naive. They know a failed policy when they see one. Iraq is a failed policy. It's time to redeploy.
republicans, religion
Once, black people, women and homosexuals were viewed the same way by the leading theologians of the times: They were all cursed by God in Scripture, inferior in moral character and willfully sinful and deserving punishment. Eventually, most churches found a biblical basis for changing their stance on race and gender.
Jesus knew the Hebrew Scriptures, and he departed from them. He was not faithful to the Scripture of that time, and today the Bible teaches us the book is not the final authority. ... The spirit is moving; Scripture is not the only measure.
Too many people sink into vitriol, wielding words of faith as weapons. People of all ages are really tired of all this religious fighting. Most people just want to get on with thinking about Jesus.
Jesus knew the Hebrew Scriptures, and he departed from them. He was not faithful to the Scripture of that time, and today the Bible teaches us the book is not the final authority. ... The spirit is moving; Scripture is not the only measure.
Too many people sink into vitriol, wielding words of faith as weapons. People of all ages are really tired of all this religious fighting. Most people just want to get on with thinking about Jesus.
republicans,preemptive nuclear strikes
The new “National Security Strategy for the United States” published by the White House strengthens the role of nuclear weapons in preemptive military strikes against terrorists and hostile states armed with chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. In stronger language than used in the previous strategy from 2002, the new strategy speaks more directly about the importance of nuclear weapons and lumps them together with other military action in a preemption scenario.
"The National Security Strategy was the Bush administration's last opportunity to demonstrate that it has reduced the role of nuclear weapons after the Cold War," said Hans M. Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). "Instead it has chosen to reaffirm their importance and in the most troubling way possible: preemption."
Under the headline "The Need for Action," the new National Security Strategy says: " Safe, credible, and reliable nuclear forces continue to play a critical role. We are strengthening deterrence by developing a New Triad composed of offensive strike systems (both nuclear and improved conventional capabilities)... These capabilities will better deter some of the new threats we face, while also bolstering our security commitments to allies....
If necessary, however, under long-standing principles of self-defense, we do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy's attack. When the consequences of an attack with WMD are potentially so devastating, we cannot afford to stand idle by as grave dangers materialize. This is the principle and logic of preemption." Now this is scary.
"The National Security Strategy was the Bush administration's last opportunity to demonstrate that it has reduced the role of nuclear weapons after the Cold War," said Hans M. Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). "Instead it has chosen to reaffirm their importance and in the most troubling way possible: preemption."
Under the headline "The Need for Action," the new National Security Strategy says: " Safe, credible, and reliable nuclear forces continue to play a critical role. We are strengthening deterrence by developing a New Triad composed of offensive strike systems (both nuclear and improved conventional capabilities)... These capabilities will better deter some of the new threats we face, while also bolstering our security commitments to allies....
If necessary, however, under long-standing principles of self-defense, we do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy's attack. When the consequences of an attack with WMD are potentially so devastating, we cannot afford to stand idle by as grave dangers materialize. This is the principle and logic of preemption." Now this is scary.
15 June, 2006
those who care about you?
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., holds blind trusts worth $7.5 million to $36 million. He reported making $5 million last year from the largest, worth between $5 million to $25 million.
Rep. Charles Taylor, R-N.C., founder and chairman of Blue Ridge Savings and Loan in Asheville, N.C., reported stock in a holding company for the bank worth more than $50 million. He also purchased 80% of a Russian bank and founded a Russian investment company.
Republican Tom DeLay of Texas, who resigned his House seat last week, showed his legal troubles have led him into sizable debt. DeLay reported owing $250,001 to $500,000 to four separate lawyers and law firms.
Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., under investigation by the FBI for bribery, owns two tracts of farmland in Louisiana, each worth $50,001 to $100,000. He loaned $100,001 to $250,000 each to his mayoral and gubernatorial campaigns, as well as $50,001 to $100,000 to "Jefferson Interests." His office would not provide additional details. Jefferson also reported three major liabilities. He owes between $50,001 and $100,000 each to Dryades Bank and Noah Samara, chairman and CEO of Worldspace Satellite Radio. He also has a $15,001 to $50,000 loan from Liberty Bank of New Orleans.
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., earned $103,095 in royalties for Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant President. He used the money to pay for medical care for his wife, Erma, who died in March, spokesman Tom Gavin said
Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, under investigation at the Justice Department and the House ethics committee for his ties to Abramoff, reported no major assets or liabilities, nor any major outside sources of unearned income. Ney, one of the recipients of an Abramoff golfing trip to Scotland, also reported no privately funded travel. He and his staff have said they stopped allowing any outside groups to pay for trips.
Rep. Charles Taylor, R-N.C., founder and chairman of Blue Ridge Savings and Loan in Asheville, N.C., reported stock in a holding company for the bank worth more than $50 million. He also purchased 80% of a Russian bank and founded a Russian investment company.
Republican Tom DeLay of Texas, who resigned his House seat last week, showed his legal troubles have led him into sizable debt. DeLay reported owing $250,001 to $500,000 to four separate lawyers and law firms.
Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., under investigation by the FBI for bribery, owns two tracts of farmland in Louisiana, each worth $50,001 to $100,000. He loaned $100,001 to $250,000 each to his mayoral and gubernatorial campaigns, as well as $50,001 to $100,000 to "Jefferson Interests." His office would not provide additional details. Jefferson also reported three major liabilities. He owes between $50,001 and $100,000 each to Dryades Bank and Noah Samara, chairman and CEO of Worldspace Satellite Radio. He also has a $15,001 to $50,000 loan from Liberty Bank of New Orleans.
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., earned $103,095 in royalties for Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant President. He used the money to pay for medical care for his wife, Erma, who died in March, spokesman Tom Gavin said
Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, under investigation at the Justice Department and the House ethics committee for his ties to Abramoff, reported no major assets or liabilities, nor any major outside sources of unearned income. Ney, one of the recipients of an Abramoff golfing trip to Scotland, also reported no privately funded travel. He and his staff have said they stopped allowing any outside groups to pay for trips.
11 June, 2006
winning the hearts and minds???
Many Saudis denounced the suicide claim as a fabrication, and some accused U.S. authorities of complicity in the inmates' deaths. "There are no independent monitors at the detention camp so it is easy to pin the crime on the prisoners, given that it's possible they were tortured," said Mufleh al-Qahtani, deputy director of the state-sponosred Saudi Human Rights Group.
"Even if the suicide story is true, I have no doubts that they were pushed to it by torture and the lack of attention paid to the health of the detainees," he said. The families of other Saudi detainees also questioned the U.S. version. "They were killed; they were murdered. This was no suicide," said Lulua al Dakheel, whose son, 22-year-old Fahed al Fouzan, has been at Guantanamo for more than four years.
Speaking through tears, she added: "There are no guarantees that my son won't be next. These people (U.S. officials) can't be trusted. They treat their dogs better than they treat our sons." Some people in the conservative Islamic kingdom questioned whether Muslim men would kill themselves since suicide is a grave sin in Islam. But defense lawyers and some former detainees said many prisoners at Guantanamo are wasting away in deep despair at their long captivity.
4 and 1/2 years with no trial creates these doubts.
"Even if the suicide story is true, I have no doubts that they were pushed to it by torture and the lack of attention paid to the health of the detainees," he said. The families of other Saudi detainees also questioned the U.S. version. "They were killed; they were murdered. This was no suicide," said Lulua al Dakheel, whose son, 22-year-old Fahed al Fouzan, has been at Guantanamo for more than four years.
Speaking through tears, she added: "There are no guarantees that my son won't be next. These people (U.S. officials) can't be trusted. They treat their dogs better than they treat our sons." Some people in the conservative Islamic kingdom questioned whether Muslim men would kill themselves since suicide is a grave sin in Islam. But defense lawyers and some former detainees said many prisoners at Guantanamo are wasting away in deep despair at their long captivity.
4 and 1/2 years with no trial creates these doubts.
christ, republicans, hypocrisy
When did it become a Christian view to (1)ignore the plight of the less fortunate, (2) give the most to those that have the most, (3)take from the poor to enrich the rich, (4) become crusaders again (Bush said it), (5)okay our leaders becoming cowboys, declaring "bring it on" thereby appearing to be macho, and (6) to use the smear and the sneer to degrade others views? Have you noticed how arrogant and smug they appear?
The answer is when the international corporations took over the Republican Pary with their money using Christ and hypocrisy to capture the high ground. Have a nice day.
The answer is when the international corporations took over the Republican Pary with their money using Christ and hypocrisy to capture the high ground. Have a nice day.
winning the hearts and minds?
US troops committed another crime against Iraqi civilians.A man is lamenting his mother and his pregnant sister who were killed by the US soldiers near the small town of al-Muatasm north of Baghdad. The women killed were named as Saleha Mohammed, 55, and Nabiha Nasif, 35. She was pregnant and on her way to the hospital for delivery.The US Army issued a statement on Wednesday saying that they killed the two women "by mistake".
It also denied a new accusation from Iraqi officers, that American troops killed unarmed civilians in their home in the northern area of Samarra early this month. But in an initial statement on May 5, the unit had said troops killed three people.
Several witnesses said that US soldiers killed two women, aged 60 and 20, and a mentally handicapped man in their home on May 4 after fighters fired on the troops. This comes at a time of mounting pressure on the Bush administration over the Haditha massacre.
Two separate probes are currently underway by the US Defense. Are we winning the hearts and minds?
It also denied a new accusation from Iraqi officers, that American troops killed unarmed civilians in their home in the northern area of Samarra early this month. But in an initial statement on May 5, the unit had said troops killed three people.
Several witnesses said that US soldiers killed two women, aged 60 and 20, and a mentally handicapped man in their home on May 4 after fighters fired on the troops. This comes at a time of mounting pressure on the Bush administration over the Haditha massacre.
Two separate probes are currently underway by the US Defense. Are we winning the hearts and minds?
09 June, 2006
republicans, attitudes, sleeve Christians
A member of the Sept. 11 commission on Friday lashed out at conservative pundit Ann Coulter for a "hate-filled attack" in saying the widows whose husbands died in the World Trade Center used the deaths for their own political gain.
Former Rep. Tim Roemer, D-Ind., a member of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks, called Coulter's "hate-filled attack on the patriotic heroes of 9/12 — the widows of 9/11 — reprehensible and undignified.
Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, D-Ill., said Thursday on the House floor that Coulter is a "hatemonger" and called on Republicans to denounce her: "I must ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: Does Ann Coulter speak for you when she suggests poisoning not Supreme Court Justices or slanders the 9/11 ... widows? If not, speak now. Your silence allows her to be your spokesman."
'
Don’t be too hard on Ann. That’s the prevailing attitude among Republicans; they just don’t readily express it in public. Remember Mrs. Senior Bush said that Katrina victims were living better than they ever had. They are just sleeve Christians.
Former Rep. Tim Roemer, D-Ind., a member of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks, called Coulter's "hate-filled attack on the patriotic heroes of 9/12 — the widows of 9/11 — reprehensible and undignified.
Rep. Rahm Emmanuel, D-Ill., said Thursday on the House floor that Coulter is a "hatemonger" and called on Republicans to denounce her: "I must ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: Does Ann Coulter speak for you when she suggests poisoning not Supreme Court Justices or slanders the 9/11 ... widows? If not, speak now. Your silence allows her to be your spokesman."
'
Don’t be too hard on Ann. That’s the prevailing attitude among Republicans; they just don’t readily express it in public. Remember Mrs. Senior Bush said that Katrina victims were living better than they ever had. They are just sleeve Christians.
28 May, 2006
support troops by cutting VA benefits?
"Me, I'll recover if my Social Security number's gone, but at least I have my health," said John Norton, 37, who served in a Navy construction battalion from 1988-96. Norton, of Grand Rapids, Mich., said he's not overly concerned whether his data may have been on a laptop stolen from a Veterans Affairs Department employee's home on May 3.
The VA on Monday revealed that the computer contained the names, birth dates and Social Security numbers of 26.5 million veterans who were discharged since 1975. In some cases, spouses' information and data of veterans discharged before 1975 who submitted claims to the agency may have been included.
Norton said there's nothing he can do about it, adding that he thinks it's just one example of how the federal government is failing veterans. "It's one of many things," Norton said as he looked toward the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. "Like the ongoing cutting of VA benefits. You don't see politicians' benefits cut."
If they really supported our troops, they wouldn't be cutting VA benefits.
The VA on Monday revealed that the computer contained the names, birth dates and Social Security numbers of 26.5 million veterans who were discharged since 1975. In some cases, spouses' information and data of veterans discharged before 1975 who submitted claims to the agency may have been included.
Norton said there's nothing he can do about it, adding that he thinks it's just one example of how the federal government is failing veterans. "It's one of many things," Norton said as he looked toward the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. "Like the ongoing cutting of VA benefits. You don't see politicians' benefits cut."
If they really supported our troops, they wouldn't be cutting VA benefits.
27 May, 2006
Lay and Bush
read today:
Lay and Skilling have to pay up their ill-gotten gains to Enron's stockholders, but what about the $9-plus billion owed to electricity consumers?
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Bush's electricity cops, have slapped Enron and its gang of power pirates on the wrist.
Could that have something to do with the fact that Ken Lay, in secret chats with Dick Cheney, selected the Commission's chairmen? Team Bush had to throw the public a bone, so they threw us Lay and Skilling for the crime - note - not of ripping off the public, but of ripping off stockholders - the owner class.
This limited conviction, and the announcement of only one more indictment - of the crime-busters at Milberg-Weiss - is Team Bush's "all clear!" signal for the sharks to jump back into the power pool.
Lay and Skilling have to pay up their ill-gotten gains to Enron's stockholders, but what about the $9-plus billion owed to electricity consumers?
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Bush's electricity cops, have slapped Enron and its gang of power pirates on the wrist.
Could that have something to do with the fact that Ken Lay, in secret chats with Dick Cheney, selected the Commission's chairmen? Team Bush had to throw the public a bone, so they threw us Lay and Skilling for the crime - note - not of ripping off the public, but of ripping off stockholders - the owner class.
This limited conviction, and the announcement of only one more indictment - of the crime-busters at Milberg-Weiss - is Team Bush's "all clear!" signal for the sharks to jump back into the power pool.
26 May, 2006
where is the moral outrage?
Investigators believe that their criminal investigation into the deaths of about two dozen Iraqi civilians points toward a conclusion that Marines committed unprovoked murders, a senior defense official said Friday.
The Marine Corps initially reported 15 deaths and said they were caused by a roadside bomb and an ensuing firefight with insurgents. A separate investigation is seeking to determine if Marines lied to cover up the killings.
On May 17, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a decorated former Marine, said Marine Corps officials told him the toll in the Haditha attack was far worse than originally reported and that U.S. troops killed innocent women and children "in cold blood." He said that nearly twice as many people were killed than first reported, maintaining that U.S. forces are "overstretched and overstressed" by the war in Iraq.
The Marine Corps initially reported 15 deaths and said they were caused by a roadside bomb and an ensuing firefight with insurgents. A separate investigation is seeking to determine if Marines lied to cover up the killings.
On May 17, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a decorated former Marine, said Marine Corps officials told him the toll in the Haditha attack was far worse than originally reported and that U.S. troops killed innocent women and children "in cold blood." He said that nearly twice as many people were killed than first reported, maintaining that U.S. forces are "overstretched and overstressed" by the war in Iraq.
Iraq deaths
Investigators believe that their criminal investigation into the deaths of about two dozen Iraqi civilians points toward a conclusion that Marines committed unprovoked murders, a senior defense official said Friday.
The Marine Corps initially reported 15 deaths and said they were caused by a roadside bomb and an ensuing firefight with insurgents. A separate investigation is seeking to determine if Marines lied to cover up the killings.
On May 17, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a decorated former Marine, said Marine Corps officials told him the toll in the Haditha attack was far worse than originally reported and that U.S. troops killed innocent women and children "in cold blood." He said that nearly twice as many people were killed than first reported, maintaining that U.S. forces are "overstretched and overstressed" by the war in Iraq.
The Marine Corps initially reported 15 deaths and said they were caused by a roadside bomb and an ensuing firefight with insurgents. A separate investigation is seeking to determine if Marines lied to cover up the killings.
On May 17, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., a decorated former Marine, said Marine Corps officials told him the toll in the Haditha attack was far worse than originally reported and that U.S. troops killed innocent women and children "in cold blood." He said that nearly twice as many people were killed than first reported, maintaining that U.S. forces are "overstretched and overstressed" by the war in Iraq.
23 May, 2006
bush and turning points
Yesterday May 22, President Bush gave a public speech and hailed the creation of a new democratic government in Iraq: "We have now reached a turning point in the struggle between freedom and terror."
But this isn't the first "turning point" Bush has declared in Iraq. A trip down memory lane:
March 19, 2004, on the anniversary of when military forces entered Iraq to enforce United Nations demands: "Today, as Iraqis join the free peoples of the world, we mark a turning point for the Middle East, and a crucial advance for human liberty."
June 16, 2004, on the transfer of the Iraq governing authority to a sovereign interim government: "A turning point will come two weeks from today."
January 29, 2005, on Iraqis heading to the polls: "Tomorrow the world will witness a turning point in the history of Iraq."
December 12, 2005, in a speech looking back at the year in Iraq: "Thanks to the courage of the Iraqi people, the year 2005 will be recorded as a turning point in the history of Iraq, the history of the Middle East, and the history of freedom."
May 1, 2006, on the prospects of a new government in Iraq: "This is a -- we believe this is a turning point for the Iraqi citizens."
If he says it enough, some people will believe anything.
But this isn't the first "turning point" Bush has declared in Iraq. A trip down memory lane:
March 19, 2004, on the anniversary of when military forces entered Iraq to enforce United Nations demands: "Today, as Iraqis join the free peoples of the world, we mark a turning point for the Middle East, and a crucial advance for human liberty."
June 16, 2004, on the transfer of the Iraq governing authority to a sovereign interim government: "A turning point will come two weeks from today."
January 29, 2005, on Iraqis heading to the polls: "Tomorrow the world will witness a turning point in the history of Iraq."
December 12, 2005, in a speech looking back at the year in Iraq: "Thanks to the courage of the Iraqi people, the year 2005 will be recorded as a turning point in the history of Iraq, the history of the Middle East, and the history of freedom."
May 1, 2006, on the prospects of a new government in Iraq: "This is a -- we believe this is a turning point for the Iraqi citizens."
If he says it enough, some people will believe anything.
21 May, 2006
data mining by the LNSB
Read today:
“He didn’t get the contract,” Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alfonso Jackson said,. “Why should I reward someone who doesn’t like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don’t get the contract"
Remember, Haliburton's no-bid contracts in Iraq.
This data has been mined by the LNSB for patterns.
“He didn’t get the contract,” Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alfonso Jackson said,. “Why should I reward someone who doesn’t like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don’t get the contract"
Remember, Haliburton's no-bid contracts in Iraq.
This data has been mined by the LNSB for patterns.
Gitmo, torture and the U.N.
read today:
The Taliban fought back when we invaded their country (their leaders were harboring the al-Qaeda) as we would have if they had invaded our country. Both sides were justified at that point.
Some of them were scooped up and after 4 years are still being held captive by us without any charges, which suggests no or weak grounds for charging. About 460, some just former Taliban fighters, are incarcerated at the Cuban prison camp.
A U.N. panel said Friday the indefinite detention of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo violates the world's ban on torture. In issuing its report, the Committee Against Torture said the United States should ensure that no prisoner is tortured.
Our generals have said this is not a war that can be won militarily. Do you get it?
The Taliban fought back when we invaded their country (their leaders were harboring the al-Qaeda) as we would have if they had invaded our country. Both sides were justified at that point.
Some of them were scooped up and after 4 years are still being held captive by us without any charges, which suggests no or weak grounds for charging. About 460, some just former Taliban fighters, are incarcerated at the Cuban prison camp.
A U.N. panel said Friday the indefinite detention of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo violates the world's ban on torture. In issuing its report, the Committee Against Torture said the United States should ensure that no prisoner is tortured.
Our generals have said this is not a war that can be won militarily. Do you get it?
Republicans selective law enforcement
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales denied that authorities would randomly check journalists' records on domestic-to-domestic phone calls in an effort to find journalists' confidential sources. "We don't engage in domestic-to-domestic surveillance without a court order," Gonzales said, under a "probable cause" legal standard.
But he added that the First Amendment right of a free press should not be absolute when it comes to national security. If the government's probe into the NSA leak turns up criminal activity, prosecutors have an "obligation to enforce the law."
Why don't these Republicans enforce laws when it comes to employers??
But he added that the First Amendment right of a free press should not be absolute when it comes to national security. If the government's probe into the NSA leak turns up criminal activity, prosecutors have an "obligation to enforce the law."
Why don't these Republicans enforce laws when it comes to employers??
do they really care
Another explosion rocks a coal mine. Five more men die. And the burning question is the same as it was in the Sago Mine disaster. Some of the six workers caught in Saturday's blast in an eastern Kentucky coal mine had survived the initial blast and put on their oxygen devices, but only one made it out alive, Gov. Ernie Fletcher said. And a brother of the survivor said he passed out a couple of times as he escaped because his "self-rescuer" wasn't working properly.
The details echo those of West Virginia's Jan. 2 Sago Mine explosion, the only survivor of which said he and some of his 12 doomed co-workers had to share their breathing apparatus because at least four of the packs didn't work.
The real question is do the owners and the politicians who they finance really care???
The details echo those of West Virginia's Jan. 2 Sago Mine explosion, the only survivor of which said he and some of his 12 doomed co-workers had to share their breathing apparatus because at least four of the packs didn't work.
The real question is do the owners and the politicians who they finance really care???
19 May, 2006
the end game in Iraq
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read--"Suport our troops, oppose the war". I guess they mean the one in Iraq.
If that country eventually survives, it will be controlled by shiites who are sixty percent of the population and will control most of the oil reserves, and they hate us and are allied with Iran.
They are already blaming us for the tens of thousand of civilian deaths while we are there, that includes women and children.
Nice isn't it.
If that country eventually survives, it will be controlled by shiites who are sixty percent of the population and will control most of the oil reserves, and they hate us and are allied with Iran.
They are already blaming us for the tens of thousand of civilian deaths while we are there, that includes women and children.
Nice isn't it.
16 May, 2006
Iraq update
"At least" 2,443 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 the one in five surviving soldiers that have lingering mental problems.
15 May, 2006
casualties in Iraq
"At least" 2,443 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 the one in five surviving soldiers that have lingering mental problems.
I say at least as this is an Associated Press count. Our "free country" Defense Department does NOT publish numbers.
I say at least as this is an Associated Press count. Our "free country" Defense Department does NOT publish numbers.
14 May, 2006
world of Republican Conservatives(neocons)
President Bush told the public Thursday in a brief appearance aimed at quelling the instant outrage provoked by the story. He assured Americans that their civil liberties were being "fiercely protected" and that the government was "not mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent Americans."
In other words, never mind appearances. Trust us.
Well, that is not all it means. Nor can the president's promise to protect privacy be reliably kept.The fact that the government is trying to track (but not wiretap) every call you make and every call you receive — at home or on your cellphone is, to say the least, disturbing.
It means that your phone company tossed your privacy to the wind and collaborated with this extraordinary intrusion, and that it did so secretly and without following any court order.That is, unless you're lucky enough to be served by Qwest, the one major phone company that had the integrity to resist government pressure.
These types of databases invariably have errors. The federal terrorist "watch list," which is used to screen airline passengers, has ensnared a number of innocent travelers, for example, a 23-month-old toddler whose names are similar to, or the same as, suspects on the list. Once you're mistakenly targeted, the error can be nearly impossible to fix and your life can be turned upside down.
It means that unless public opposition changes the government's course, this database will be compiled, updated and expanded into the indeterminate future, through countless administrations with who-knows-what interests and motives. Only the most naive and unsuspicious soul could trust that it will remain safe, secured and for the eyes only of those hunting terrorists.
Combined with a separate NSA program (revealed in December by The New York Times) to eavesdrop without warrants on international calls from the USA, it raises the question of what other secret and constitutionally suspect programs the Bush administration might still be shielding.
Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, who headed the NSA for six years and is now Bush's nominee to be CIA director, is a master of evasion. Speaking in January about the international eavesdropping, he said the program is not a widely cast "drift net" but is narrowly "focused" and "targeted."
Over time, this vast quantity of data is a potentially irresistible tool for government officials who want to zero in on individual Americans. Welcome to the world of these Republican Conservatives.
In other words, never mind appearances. Trust us.
Well, that is not all it means. Nor can the president's promise to protect privacy be reliably kept.The fact that the government is trying to track (but not wiretap) every call you make and every call you receive — at home or on your cellphone is, to say the least, disturbing.
It means that your phone company tossed your privacy to the wind and collaborated with this extraordinary intrusion, and that it did so secretly and without following any court order.That is, unless you're lucky enough to be served by Qwest, the one major phone company that had the integrity to resist government pressure.
These types of databases invariably have errors. The federal terrorist "watch list," which is used to screen airline passengers, has ensnared a number of innocent travelers, for example, a 23-month-old toddler whose names are similar to, or the same as, suspects on the list. Once you're mistakenly targeted, the error can be nearly impossible to fix and your life can be turned upside down.
It means that unless public opposition changes the government's course, this database will be compiled, updated and expanded into the indeterminate future, through countless administrations with who-knows-what interests and motives. Only the most naive and unsuspicious soul could trust that it will remain safe, secured and for the eyes only of those hunting terrorists.
Combined with a separate NSA program (revealed in December by The New York Times) to eavesdrop without warrants on international calls from the USA, it raises the question of what other secret and constitutionally suspect programs the Bush administration might still be shielding.
Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, who headed the NSA for six years and is now Bush's nominee to be CIA director, is a master of evasion. Speaking in January about the international eavesdropping, he said the program is not a widely cast "drift net" but is narrowly "focused" and "targeted."
Over time, this vast quantity of data is a potentially irresistible tool for government officials who want to zero in on individual Americans. Welcome to the world of these Republican Conservatives.
13 May, 2006
government excuse to spy on you
The massive government data base of telephone calls was built without court warrants or the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a panel of federal judges established to issue secret warrants, according to people with direct knowledge of the arrangement.
The administration's warrantless programs apparently violate the Constitution's Fourth Amendment, which bars "unreasonable searches and seizures" and requires warrants for searches, as well as the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that established the secret court.
Harold Koh, dean of Yale Law School and author of The National Security Constitution, called the scope of the database "quite shocking."
"If they had gone to Congress and said, 'We want to do this without probable cause, without warrants and without judicial review,' it never would have been approved," said Koh, a former law clerk for the late Supreme Court justice Harry Blackmun, "I don't think any FISA court would have approved this kind of scale of activity."
As a general rule, telecommunications companies require law enforcement agencies to present a court order before they will turn over a customer's phone records. Under Section 222 of the Communications Act, first passed in 1934, phone companies are prohibited from giving out information about their customers' calling habits.
Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, questioned why the phone companies would cooperate with the NSA."Why are the telephone companies not protecting their customers?" he said. "They have a social responsibility to people who do business with them to protect our privacy as long as there isn't some suspicion that we're a terrorist or a criminal or something."
The administration's warrantless programs apparently violate the Constitution's Fourth Amendment, which bars "unreasonable searches and seizures" and requires warrants for searches, as well as the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that established the secret court.
Harold Koh, dean of Yale Law School and author of The National Security Constitution, called the scope of the database "quite shocking."
"If they had gone to Congress and said, 'We want to do this without probable cause, without warrants and without judicial review,' it never would have been approved," said Koh, a former law clerk for the late Supreme Court justice Harry Blackmun, "I don't think any FISA court would have approved this kind of scale of activity."
As a general rule, telecommunications companies require law enforcement agencies to present a court order before they will turn over a customer's phone records. Under Section 222 of the Communications Act, first passed in 1934, phone companies are prohibited from giving out information about their customers' calling habits.
Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, questioned why the phone companies would cooperate with the NSA."Why are the telephone companies not protecting their customers?" he said. "They have a social responsibility to people who do business with them to protect our privacy as long as there isn't some suspicion that we're a terrorist or a criminal or something."
11 May, 2006
you and big brother
USA TODAY reported that the NSA has been collecting data from AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth since the Sept. 11 attacks to search for patterns that might help identify terrorist networks. NSA collected records from landlines and cellphones at homes, businesses and government offices across the country, including calls by individuals not suspected of wrongdoing.On Capitol Hill, Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy expressed outrage. "These are tens of millions of Americans who are not suspected of anything."
The telephone database was built without court warrants or the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a panel of federal judges established to issue secret warrants, according to people with direct knowledge of the arrangement.
One major telecommunication company, Qwest, refused to participate in the NSA program because of concerns about the expansiveness of the program and the lack of judicial oversight, USA TODAY reported.
"This is an outrageous invasion of privacy and a frightening expansion of government power," said Bob Barr, a former Georgia congressman and conservative Republican who served as one of the House managers of President Clinton's impeachment.
Ralph Neas, president of the liberal group People for the American Way, used similar language, calling the program "an unconscionable infringement on the rights and freedoms that are the birthright of every American." He added, "We can destroy the terrorists without shredding the Constitution and the Bill of Rights." Big brother is monitoring you.
The telephone database was built without court warrants or the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a panel of federal judges established to issue secret warrants, according to people with direct knowledge of the arrangement.
One major telecommunication company, Qwest, refused to participate in the NSA program because of concerns about the expansiveness of the program and the lack of judicial oversight, USA TODAY reported.
"This is an outrageous invasion of privacy and a frightening expansion of government power," said Bob Barr, a former Georgia congressman and conservative Republican who served as one of the House managers of President Clinton's impeachment.
Ralph Neas, president of the liberal group People for the American Way, used similar language, calling the program "an unconscionable infringement on the rights and freedoms that are the birthright of every American." He added, "We can destroy the terrorists without shredding the Constitution and the Bill of Rights." Big brother is monitoring you.
01 May, 2006
democratic solutions for medicare and SS
Funding shortfalls for Social Security and Medicare should be viewed in the context of Bush's drive to make the tax cuts of his first term permanent.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said that if Congress approved Bush's request to make his tax cuts permanent and enacted a permanent fix for the alternative minimum tax, which was designed to tax the wealthy but is falling on more middle-class tax payers, that would represent a cumulative revenue shortfall equal to 2% of the total economy over a 75-year period.
That is three times the shortfall estimated by the trustees for Social Security over the same period, Reed said.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said that if Congress approved Bush's request to make his tax cuts permanent and enacted a permanent fix for the alternative minimum tax, which was designed to tax the wealthy but is falling on more middle-class tax payers, that would represent a cumulative revenue shortfall equal to 2% of the total economy over a 75-year period.
That is three times the shortfall estimated by the trustees for Social Security over the same period, Reed said.
26 April, 2006
Bush contradicts Bush, when it suits him
During a Feb. 4 speech in Tampa, Florida, President George W. Bush pointed to a chart showing the Social Security system running out of money by 2042.
"What are you going to do about that chart?'' he urged the crowd to ask their senators and representatives.
What Bush didn't tell his audience was that if the forecast is correct, the U.S. will have its worst economic performance since the Great Depression.
He also didn't say that his own White House economists disagree with some of the basic assumptions of the chart, which was drawn up by the Social Security Administration.
"What are you going to do about that chart?'' he urged the crowd to ask their senators and representatives.
What Bush didn't tell his audience was that if the forecast is correct, the U.S. will have its worst economic performance since the Great Depression.
He also didn't say that his own White House economists disagree with some of the basic assumptions of the chart, which was drawn up by the Social Security Administration.
media control by conservatives
Conservative control of the "media"
Like every other institution, the conservative dominated Fox News Channel, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, New York Post, National Review, Weekly Standard, American Spectator, Policy Review, Commentary, Human Events, the entire talk radio spectrum and most major cable television talk shows operate with conservative propaganda and control.
They include, but are not limited to, a near-universal shared conservative adherence to the belief that the Family Research Council, and the Christian Coalition are mainstream positions.
They include a belief that tax cuts aimed at the top 2 percent of earners solve the nation's problems; that tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy pay for themselves and are good ways to cut the deficit and slash social spending and don't have a negative effect on economic growth; and that emotional examples of suffering (provided by the Chamber of Commerce and major polluters) are good ways to illustrate economic statistic stories.
More systematically, the conservative media structure believes that ignoring most pressing social problems, like 35 million Americans in poverty and 45 million without basic health insurance, is better than attempting to explain and address these issues; that the White House line on the economy and Iraq is more interesting than the rising mountain of contrary facts; and that the president’s use of $10 million in taxpayer money to put ads on the air promoting his Medicare plan that was written by the Drug Companyies – produced by the same media consultant who made the PhRMA ads ripping Democrats for opposing the flawed prescription drug bill – seemed fair, somehow.
It does not accept the fact that President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy provided almost no stimulus to the economy and are primarily responsible for massive budget deficits over the next decade.
It remains fixated on stories of economic recovery even though 2.3 million people have lost jobs since President Bush took office in 2001 and hundreds of thousands of Americans have stopped looking for work altogether.
Like every other institution, the conservative dominated Fox News Channel, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, New York Post, National Review, Weekly Standard, American Spectator, Policy Review, Commentary, Human Events, the entire talk radio spectrum and most major cable television talk shows operate with conservative propaganda and control.
They include, but are not limited to, a near-universal shared conservative adherence to the belief that the Family Research Council, and the Christian Coalition are mainstream positions.
They include a belief that tax cuts aimed at the top 2 percent of earners solve the nation's problems; that tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy pay for themselves and are good ways to cut the deficit and slash social spending and don't have a negative effect on economic growth; and that emotional examples of suffering (provided by the Chamber of Commerce and major polluters) are good ways to illustrate economic statistic stories.
More systematically, the conservative media structure believes that ignoring most pressing social problems, like 35 million Americans in poverty and 45 million without basic health insurance, is better than attempting to explain and address these issues; that the White House line on the economy and Iraq is more interesting than the rising mountain of contrary facts; and that the president’s use of $10 million in taxpayer money to put ads on the air promoting his Medicare plan that was written by the Drug Companyies – produced by the same media consultant who made the PhRMA ads ripping Democrats for opposing the flawed prescription drug bill – seemed fair, somehow.
It does not accept the fact that President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy provided almost no stimulus to the economy and are primarily responsible for massive budget deficits over the next decade.
It remains fixated on stories of economic recovery even though 2.3 million people have lost jobs since President Bush took office in 2001 and hundreds of thousands of Americans have stopped looking for work altogether.
25 April, 2006
another Bush scam
Bush said the nation's strategic petroleum reserve had enough fuel to guard against any major supply disruption over the next few months. "So, by deferring deposits until the fall, we'll leave a little more oil on the market. Every little bit helps," he said
So Bush is doing what he should have been doing anyway and to quote, "Every little bit helps' Since his family and the Cheneys (Haliburton's no-bid contract in Iraq) are heavy in oil, you can expect the snow job that will make it appear that (1) he cares and (2) he is taking action.
So Bush is doing what he should have been doing anyway and to quote, "Every little bit helps' Since his family and the Cheneys (Haliburton's no-bid contract in Iraq) are heavy in oil, you can expect the snow job that will make it appear that (1) he cares and (2) he is taking action.
the Republicans are coming
HOUSE POISED TO GRANT ARREST POWERS TO CIA, NSA The House version of the 2007 intelligence authorization bill would grant CIA and NSA security personnel the authority to make arrests for "any felony" committed in their presence, no matter how remote from the foreign intelligence mission it might be, the Baltimore Sun reported today.
Section 423 of H.R. 5020 "appears...to grant to CIA security personnel powers that have little to do with the primary mission of 'executive protection,' and potentially creates a pretext for use or abuse of these powers for the purposes of general domestic law enforcement -- something no element of the CIA has ever been empowered to perform," wrote Danielle Brian of the Project on Government Oversight in a letter to members of the House Intelligence Committee opposing the provision.
Section 432 of the bill grants similar authority to NSA security personnel.
Section 423 of H.R. 5020 "appears...to grant to CIA security personnel powers that have little to do with the primary mission of 'executive protection,' and potentially creates a pretext for use or abuse of these powers for the purposes of general domestic law enforcement -- something no element of the CIA has ever been empowered to perform," wrote Danielle Brian of the Project on Government Oversight in a letter to members of the House Intelligence Committee opposing the provision.
Section 432 of the bill grants similar authority to NSA security personnel.
23 April, 2006
bush is scary
The Bush administration has scared a lot of Americans by saying it is going to follow its plan in Iraq despite the evidence that it isn't working. I think there'd be a lot more confidence in President Bush if he seemed to have the capacity to admit mistakes and move to correct them.
And Bush's supporters aren't helping him when they rush to attack the sanity, integrity and motives of anyone who criticizes his policies.
These critics include lifelong public servants such as former White House counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke and former ambassador Joseph Wilson, longtime republican elitists such as William F. Buckley and George Will, and now even American military generals, including those who actually led ground troops in Iraq as recently as 2004.
And Bush's supporters aren't helping him when they rush to attack the sanity, integrity and motives of anyone who criticizes his policies.
These critics include lifelong public servants such as former White House counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke and former ambassador Joseph Wilson, longtime republican elitists such as William F. Buckley and George Will, and now even American military generals, including those who actually led ground troops in Iraq as recently as 2004.
22 April, 2006
conservatives vs. liberals
Conservatives often claim that liberals love to divide us by economic class.
That's not true at all. The giving of a $400 million retirement package to an executive by Exxon/Mobil which netted $36 billion last year "divides us by economic class."
And that my friends is just the "tip of the iceberg." Have a nice day!
That's not true at all. The giving of a $400 million retirement package to an executive by Exxon/Mobil which netted $36 billion last year "divides us by economic class."
And that my friends is just the "tip of the iceberg." Have a nice day!
replace Bush, Republicans, or Rumsfeld?
I read this today: "Rumsfeld should go because he invaded Iraq without a decent plan for the aftermath. ... Rumsfeld should go because ... U.S. troops brought unimaginable shame to our nation by torturing terrorist suspects in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and at Guantanamo Bay. ... Rumsfeld should go because he sent U.S. soldiers to war without equipping them sufficiently.
And Rumsfeld should be replaced because of the atmosphere he has created in the Pentagon, a stifling one that mirrors the worst tendencies of the Bush administration."
Replace the name Rumsfeld with these 'current republicans' and we have the real solution to the problem
And Rumsfeld should be replaced because of the atmosphere he has created in the Pentagon, a stifling one that mirrors the worst tendencies of the Bush administration."
Replace the name Rumsfeld with these 'current republicans' and we have the real solution to the problem
21 April, 2006
facts of Iraq that are not heard
The number of U.S. Army soldiers who took their own lives increased last year to the highest total since 1993, despite a growing effort by the Army to detect and prevent suicides.
"These numbers should be a wake-up call on the mental health impact of this war," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "One in three soldiers will come back with post traumatic stress disorder or comparable mental health issues, or depression and severe anxiety."
"You don't get much time to rest and with the increased insurgency, your chances of getting killed or wounded are growing," he said. "The Army is trying harder, but they've got an incredibly long way to go." He added that while there are more psychiatrists, the soldiers are still in a war zone, "so you're just putting your finger in the dam." ONE IN THREE, YOU DO THE MATH.
"These numbers should be a wake-up call on the mental health impact of this war," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "One in three soldiers will come back with post traumatic stress disorder or comparable mental health issues, or depression and severe anxiety."
"You don't get much time to rest and with the increased insurgency, your chances of getting killed or wounded are growing," he said. "The Army is trying harder, but they've got an incredibly long way to go." He added that while there are more psychiatrists, the soldiers are still in a war zone, "so you're just putting your finger in the dam." ONE IN THREE, YOU DO THE MATH.
republicans in congress
For more than three years, Congress has given President Bush a rubber stamp on his Iraq plans. Even now, as a civil war explodes, the Republican leaders in Congress won't allow a debate on whether we should change course. The idea that Congressional leaders would refuse to even discuss the most important issue in the country is amazing
18 April, 2006
current Republican Inquisition
The word, inquisition, is not exclusive to Spain in the Middle Ages. It is a useful term for historians to characterize phases of history that are distinguished by religious intolerance, by Christian holy war and Islamic jihad, by racial profiling and xenophobia, by show trials, and by snooping of secret police.
Read today:---This country is seized with collective paranoia. President Bush knows, as Ferdinand, Isabella and Torquemada knew, that constant warnings about secret terrorists are a powerful deterrent to dissent and a useful tool for consolidating political power.
Bush, like his Spanish precursors, presses for a unity of faith and a credo of purification. His faith mixes the secular and the spiritual. Its hallmarks are Jeffersonian democracy for all the world, unquestioning patriotism and revitalized Christianity. Unbelievers in this holy trinity are to be ferreted out. Not to subscribe to the methods in the war on terrorism is not so much dissent as heresy.
The American Inquisition began on Sept. 16, 2001, five days after the monstrous attack, when Bush proclaimed his "crusade." That was the defining moment for this era of U.S. history.
In the years since, Bush has demonstrated all the passion and single-mindedness of King Ferdinand. The American secret police force is not called the Holy Brotherhood as it was in 1492, for today's brotherhood is more electronic than human. On Capitol Hill, Cabinet members, past and present, call search warrants obsolete. Beware. We are all "mined" for our "data."
How different is this really from the spying that went on in the Spanish Inquisition? Suspect words or acts do not change that much with time. In Inquisitional Spain, neighbors were supposed to report a suspicious neighbor to the Holy Office. Now, symbolic words or actions are detected electronically.
In the past few months, Americans have been treated to the extraordinary spectacle of a U.S. president arguing for torture in the lofty staterooms of the U.S. government. Memos float around his Department of Defense, stressing that U.S. interrogators should cease their persecution if their victims come close to "organ failure."
The world wants to know what is going on in the star chambers of secret U.S. prisons around the world. The U.S. administration scoffs. The Geneva Conventions are called quaint, and the court in The Hague, Netherlands, cannot touch us. Standards for war crimes and crimes against humanity are for non-Americans.
For the historian, symbolic acts such as torture often define an era, and the American brand of torture has a particularly medieval quality.
"Waterboarding," as it is called (as if it were a sport like surfboarding or skateboarding), uses cellophane instead of gauze with water to subject the suspect to near drowning and suffocation. So today this is called an "enhanced" technique of interrogation. But the pitcher and gauze were just as effective in the 15th century. The intent is really no different from that of Torquemada's interrogators: to make the subject talk even though that talk might be drivel.
It is not surprising that a leader, who believes that his Christian God chose him to be president at this moment in history and that his Almighty speaks directly to him, should preside over this American Inquisition. Bush's messianic bent came to light vividly in June 2003, when he announced that his God had inspired him to go fight those terrorists and to end the tyranny in Iraq. What, one wonders, is his God telling him now about the chaos?
This supposed pipeline to heaven is, of course, not new for kings and potentates. On his deathbed in 1516, King Ferdinand told his minions that he could not die yet: God had told him that he would move on from the conquest of Granada to lead a great crusade that would recapture Jerusalem. The messianic impulse is commonplace in history.
Now, we are just a few years into the Iraq era. The situation is getting worse, and there is no end in sight. When this nightmare ends, years of self-examination are sure to follow as happened after the Vietnam disaster. The Iraq syndrome will be lengthy. In the meantime, American Inquisition takes root. It is more hard-edged and mean-spirited than the Vietnam crackdown ... for one reason.
Though Bush's explanations for his wayward adventure may constantly change, though the enterprise may show itself to be a military and moral catastrophe of historic proportions, this American leader and his circle of illuminati are utterly convinced of their righteousness.
Toward their detractors they misappropriate, like inquisitors before them, the verse of John 15:6: "If any abide not in me, he should be cast forth as a branch and shall wither, and they shall gather him up and cast him into the fire, and he shall burn."
Read today:---This country is seized with collective paranoia. President Bush knows, as Ferdinand, Isabella and Torquemada knew, that constant warnings about secret terrorists are a powerful deterrent to dissent and a useful tool for consolidating political power.
Bush, like his Spanish precursors, presses for a unity of faith and a credo of purification. His faith mixes the secular and the spiritual. Its hallmarks are Jeffersonian democracy for all the world, unquestioning patriotism and revitalized Christianity. Unbelievers in this holy trinity are to be ferreted out. Not to subscribe to the methods in the war on terrorism is not so much dissent as heresy.
The American Inquisition began on Sept. 16, 2001, five days after the monstrous attack, when Bush proclaimed his "crusade." That was the defining moment for this era of U.S. history.
In the years since, Bush has demonstrated all the passion and single-mindedness of King Ferdinand. The American secret police force is not called the Holy Brotherhood as it was in 1492, for today's brotherhood is more electronic than human. On Capitol Hill, Cabinet members, past and present, call search warrants obsolete. Beware. We are all "mined" for our "data."
How different is this really from the spying that went on in the Spanish Inquisition? Suspect words or acts do not change that much with time. In Inquisitional Spain, neighbors were supposed to report a suspicious neighbor to the Holy Office. Now, symbolic words or actions are detected electronically.
In the past few months, Americans have been treated to the extraordinary spectacle of a U.S. president arguing for torture in the lofty staterooms of the U.S. government. Memos float around his Department of Defense, stressing that U.S. interrogators should cease their persecution if their victims come close to "organ failure."
The world wants to know what is going on in the star chambers of secret U.S. prisons around the world. The U.S. administration scoffs. The Geneva Conventions are called quaint, and the court in The Hague, Netherlands, cannot touch us. Standards for war crimes and crimes against humanity are for non-Americans.
For the historian, symbolic acts such as torture often define an era, and the American brand of torture has a particularly medieval quality.
"Waterboarding," as it is called (as if it were a sport like surfboarding or skateboarding), uses cellophane instead of gauze with water to subject the suspect to near drowning and suffocation. So today this is called an "enhanced" technique of interrogation. But the pitcher and gauze were just as effective in the 15th century. The intent is really no different from that of Torquemada's interrogators: to make the subject talk even though that talk might be drivel.
It is not surprising that a leader, who believes that his Christian God chose him to be president at this moment in history and that his Almighty speaks directly to him, should preside over this American Inquisition. Bush's messianic bent came to light vividly in June 2003, when he announced that his God had inspired him to go fight those terrorists and to end the tyranny in Iraq. What, one wonders, is his God telling him now about the chaos?
This supposed pipeline to heaven is, of course, not new for kings and potentates. On his deathbed in 1516, King Ferdinand told his minions that he could not die yet: God had told him that he would move on from the conquest of Granada to lead a great crusade that would recapture Jerusalem. The messianic impulse is commonplace in history.
Now, we are just a few years into the Iraq era. The situation is getting worse, and there is no end in sight. When this nightmare ends, years of self-examination are sure to follow as happened after the Vietnam disaster. The Iraq syndrome will be lengthy. In the meantime, American Inquisition takes root. It is more hard-edged and mean-spirited than the Vietnam crackdown ... for one reason.
Though Bush's explanations for his wayward adventure may constantly change, though the enterprise may show itself to be a military and moral catastrophe of historic proportions, this American leader and his circle of illuminati are utterly convinced of their righteousness.
Toward their detractors they misappropriate, like inquisitors before them, the verse of John 15:6: "If any abide not in me, he should be cast forth as a branch and shall wither, and they shall gather him up and cast him into the fire, and he shall burn."
16 April, 2006
Republican lies about Iraqi Army
Most armies threaten imprisonment or fines for soldiers who abruptly leave their units, but the Iraqi army does not require its soldiers to sign contracts. That means they can quit anytime and casually treat enlistments as temporary jobs. Soldiers can even pick up their belongings and leave during missions — and often do without facing punishment.
The commander said a shortage of troops is the unit's biggest problem — and pinned the blame on both the policy and unmotivated soldiers.
"Under the military agreement, they can leave anytime," said Col. Alaa Kata al-Kafage, while his troops waited for a roadside bomb to be detonated. "After (soldiers) get paid and save a little bit of money, they leave."
"All the soldiers now, they don't care about the country. They care about the money," al-Kafage said. "It's too easy for them to quit. If someone punishes them, they can throw down their uniform and say, 'Have a nice day.'"
Iraqi officials, however, say they have no choice but to allow the policy, or they may gain virtually no volunteers.
The currentRepublicans continue to claim they are making progress in training Iraqi soldiers. B... S...
The commander said a shortage of troops is the unit's biggest problem — and pinned the blame on both the policy and unmotivated soldiers.
"Under the military agreement, they can leave anytime," said Col. Alaa Kata al-Kafage, while his troops waited for a roadside bomb to be detonated. "After (soldiers) get paid and save a little bit of money, they leave."
"All the soldiers now, they don't care about the country. They care about the money," al-Kafage said. "It's too easy for them to quit. If someone punishes them, they can throw down their uniform and say, 'Have a nice day.'"
Iraqi officials, however, say they have no choice but to allow the policy, or they may gain virtually no volunteers.
The currentRepublicans continue to claim they are making progress in training Iraqi soldiers. B... S...
cheney, halliburton, no-bid Iraq contract
I read the following today:
"The Cheneys' 2005 income included the vice president's $205,031 government salary and $211,465 in deferred compensation from Halliburton, the Dallas-based energy services firm he headed until Aug. 16, 2000.
Halliburton received the largest NO-BID contract and continues to operate in Iraq."
"The Cheneys' 2005 income included the vice president's $205,031 government salary and $211,465 in deferred compensation from Halliburton, the Dallas-based energy services firm he headed until Aug. 16, 2000.
Halliburton received the largest NO-BID contract and continues to operate in Iraq."
14 April, 2006
Rumsfeld the next scape goat?
A sixth former general joined the criticism of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Thursday, saying Rumsfeld should resign for mishandling the war in Iraq."We need a new secretary of Defense," retired major general Charles Swannack, former commander of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, said on CNN.
He said Rumsfeld had micromanaged the war.Retired major general John Batiste, who commanded the Army's 1st Infantry Division in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 agreed. He told USA TODAY on Thursday that Rumsfeld should step down because he ignored sound military advice about how to secure Iraq after Baghdad fell.
Batiste first criticized Rumsfeld in a speech last week."Sadly, we started something we weren't prepared to finish," Batiste said Thursday, adding that many senior officers shared his feelings on Rumsfeld.White House spokesman
Scott McClellan said that President Bush still "believes Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a very fine job." Remember when he said “you’re doing a heck of a job Brownie”
Swannack and Batiste are the latest additions to the retired generals who have criticized Rumsfeld. They include:• Marine lieutenant general Greg Newbold, the former Pentagon top operations officer, who called Iraq an "unnecessary war" in a Time magazine column this week.
• Major general Paul Eaton, who was in charge of training Iraqi troops in 2003 and 2004, wrote last month in The New York Times that Rumsfeld is "incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically."Army major general John Riggs, who told The Washington Post that his former colleagues in the military believe Rumsfeld and his close aides "should be cleared out."
Marine general Anthony Zinni, the former command of U.S. Central Command and a longtime critic, said Rumsfeld should retire.
Despite Bush's support, such criticism could be enough to help force out Rumsfeld, said Loren Thompson, a military expert at the Lexington Institute, a Virginia think tank.
"It is so uncommon for senior military officers in the United States to criticize civilian leaders that it has to make an impression on the White House"Thompson said.
However, Kurt Campbell at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said he doesn't "see any sign that the secretary is contemplating stepping down." and I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
He said Rumsfeld had micromanaged the war.Retired major general John Batiste, who commanded the Army's 1st Infantry Division in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 agreed. He told USA TODAY on Thursday that Rumsfeld should step down because he ignored sound military advice about how to secure Iraq after Baghdad fell.
Batiste first criticized Rumsfeld in a speech last week."Sadly, we started something we weren't prepared to finish," Batiste said Thursday, adding that many senior officers shared his feelings on Rumsfeld.White House spokesman
Scott McClellan said that President Bush still "believes Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a very fine job." Remember when he said “you’re doing a heck of a job Brownie”
Swannack and Batiste are the latest additions to the retired generals who have criticized Rumsfeld. They include:• Marine lieutenant general Greg Newbold, the former Pentagon top operations officer, who called Iraq an "unnecessary war" in a Time magazine column this week.
• Major general Paul Eaton, who was in charge of training Iraqi troops in 2003 and 2004, wrote last month in The New York Times that Rumsfeld is "incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically."Army major general John Riggs, who told The Washington Post that his former colleagues in the military believe Rumsfeld and his close aides "should be cleared out."
Marine general Anthony Zinni, the former command of U.S. Central Command and a longtime critic, said Rumsfeld should retire.
Despite Bush's support, such criticism could be enough to help force out Rumsfeld, said Loren Thompson, a military expert at the Lexington Institute, a Virginia think tank.
"It is so uncommon for senior military officers in the United States to criticize civilian leaders that it has to make an impression on the White House"Thompson said.
However, Kurt Campbell at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said he doesn't "see any sign that the secretary is contemplating stepping down." and I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
11 April, 2006
"the zealots rationale for war
Retired Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold said he was outspoken in his criticism before the war, saying the "zealots' rationale for war made no sense." From 2000 until October 2002, Newbold served as director of operations for the Joint Chiefs. The U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003.
At least two other retired generals have raised similar concerns in recent weeks about the administration's war policies, including Gen. Anthony Zinni, former U.S. Mideast commander.Overall there are about 132,000 U.S. forces in Iraq.
At least two other retired generals have raised similar concerns in recent weeks about the administration's war policies, including Gen. Anthony Zinni, former U.S. Mideast commander.Overall there are about 132,000 U.S. forces in Iraq.
10 April, 2006
It was Bush all along
President Bush's quest to muzzle leakers in his administration has always looked a bit odd. In the most charitable interpretation, it's a naïve waste of time and resources. Leaks are part of every administration, and Bush's claims that national security has been undermined appear dubious at best.
It is a Nixonesque attempt to intimidate anyone who dares interfere with administration policy by disclosing facts that it is hiding. Among the leaks that angered Bush most have been disclosures that the administration was engaging in wiretaps without court approval and that someone in the administration leaked the identity of a CIA operative. After two unproductive years, the federal investigation into the 2003 leak of the operative's identity has finally come full circle to wound the instigator of the probe himself — the president. Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's top aide, testified that in the summer of 2003, Cheney told him that Bush had personally approved disclosing parts of the classified National Intelligence Estimate — though not the operative's name — to bolster one of the administration's key claims for going to war — Iraq was trying to buy uranium to produce nuclear weapons. That, like the administration's other rationales for war, proved false.
Presidents can and do declassify such data and that's precisely what Bush did, 10 DAYS AFTER Libby's disclosure, giving the public information it had a right to know. But first, the White House cherry-picked pieces to prop up its case and leaked them to a favored reporter. It's no wonder that the public does not trust these Republicans.
It is a Nixonesque attempt to intimidate anyone who dares interfere with administration policy by disclosing facts that it is hiding. Among the leaks that angered Bush most have been disclosures that the administration was engaging in wiretaps without court approval and that someone in the administration leaked the identity of a CIA operative. After two unproductive years, the federal investigation into the 2003 leak of the operative's identity has finally come full circle to wound the instigator of the probe himself — the president. Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's top aide, testified that in the summer of 2003, Cheney told him that Bush had personally approved disclosing parts of the classified National Intelligence Estimate — though not the operative's name — to bolster one of the administration's key claims for going to war — Iraq was trying to buy uranium to produce nuclear weapons. That, like the administration's other rationales for war, proved false.
Presidents can and do declassify such data and that's precisely what Bush did, 10 DAYS AFTER Libby's disclosure, giving the public information it had a right to know. But first, the White House cherry-picked pieces to prop up its case and leaked them to a favored reporter. It's no wonder that the public does not trust these Republicans.
09 April, 2006
Bush the leaker-in-chief
The president, whose popularity is slumping, is on the defensive because of a prosecutor's disclosure that Bush authorized a former top official, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, to share intelligence data on Iraq in 2003 with a reporter to defend his decision to invade Iraq.
Sen. Arlen Specter said Sunday that "there's been enough of a showing here with what's been filed of record in court that the president of the United States owes a specific explanation to the American people.
The president has criticized the Congress for leaking and now we find out the the White House has leaked. For once the President needs to tell the truth as to why he leaked the information aimed at countering criticism of his reasons for taking America to war in Iraq.
That's my boy "Scooter" Don't let them make you the fall guy. Remember "Brownie"!
Sen. Arlen Specter said Sunday that "there's been enough of a showing here with what's been filed of record in court that the president of the United States owes a specific explanation to the American people.
The president has criticized the Congress for leaking and now we find out the the White House has leaked. For once the President needs to tell the truth as to why he leaked the information aimed at countering criticism of his reasons for taking America to war in Iraq.
That's my boy "Scooter" Don't let them make you the fall guy. Remember "Brownie"!
Bush's love for Delay
Living in and following Texas politics for over 50 years, redistricting was conducted every ten years after the census to reflect voter population changes.When the Republicans took over, they changed it right in the middle of the ten year period(and not for population changes but to secure and increase Republican winners) by Delay's getting campaign money to those in the Texas legislature who voted for the changes.
That is why Delay is Bush's hero.Take a look at a map of Delay's district before and after redistricting (it now looks like the snake he is) and you will understand the problem. That is not what he was indicted for, however.
That is why Delay is Bush's hero.Take a look at a map of Delay's district before and after redistricting (it now looks like the snake he is) and you will understand the problem. That is not what he was indicted for, however.
Bush lies again
Immigration legislation fell victim Friday to internal disputes in both parties. But Bush — echoing earlier complaints from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. — sought to lay all the fault with Reid, D-Nev."I call on the Senate minority leader to end his blocking tactics and allow the Senate to do its work and pass a fair, effective immigration reform bill," Bush said in his weekly radio address. He lied again.
Reid shot back that Bush and Frist "are flat-out wrong about what happened to the immigration bill," saying Democrats proved their commitment to a comprehensive, bipartisan measure by voting twice in favor of it.
"It was President Bush and Republicans in Congress who lacked the backbone to stand up to the extreme right wing of their party, filibustered reform twice in two days, and put partisan politics ahead of border security and immigration reform," Reid said.
Reid shot back that Bush and Frist "are flat-out wrong about what happened to the immigration bill," saying Democrats proved their commitment to a comprehensive, bipartisan measure by voting twice in favor of it.
"It was President Bush and Republicans in Congress who lacked the backbone to stand up to the extreme right wing of their party, filibustered reform twice in two days, and put partisan politics ahead of border security and immigration reform," Reid said.
08 April, 2006
are they going to get away with it AGAIN?
aIt is not a good time to be a Republican right now – unless Tom DeLay helped gerrymander your district to your Republican rule for life, of course. The GOP’s approval rating is now 30%, and 49% of the public wants to see the Demos take back Congress. For political junkies like me, it is going to be fascinating to see how the GOP plans to pull this one off without resorting to election-fixing or martial law. Whatever they come up with, it had better be good.
As GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio said, "The good news is Democrats don't have much of a plan. The bad news is they may not need one."The shrill jabbering from the Fox News pundits is not a good sign. The best they seem to be able to come up with so far is: (1) the tried and true Fear card (“If you vote Demo, they’ll lynch the President, and al Qaeda will win!”), and (2) the Everyone’s A Sinner defense (“The Democrats are just as corrupt as we are!”)
Which is probably true, but not much of a vote generator. Besides, the only credible Demo scandal competing for air time right now is Cynthia McKinney clocking a cop with a mobile phone. The American People see worse behavior on daytime talk shows.
Still, it’s a long ways yet. We’re still in Iraq, and we may be in Iran by then, and I wouldn’t put it beyond the Bush Posse to invade Iran just so the GOP can say in October 2008, “Who would you rather hand the reins over to now, huh?”
And it could backfire in spectacular fashion. I’m hesitant to call a Democratic(yes I said democratic) victory in 2008, but so far it looks like the only thing the GOP will be able to do to stop it (short of an executive order from Junior Bush declaring himself Supreme Chancellor) is to pull another Florida/Ohio. And what are the odds of them getting away with that three times in a row?
As GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio said, "The good news is Democrats don't have much of a plan. The bad news is they may not need one."The shrill jabbering from the Fox News pundits is not a good sign. The best they seem to be able to come up with so far is: (1) the tried and true Fear card (“If you vote Demo, they’ll lynch the President, and al Qaeda will win!”), and (2) the Everyone’s A Sinner defense (“The Democrats are just as corrupt as we are!”)
Which is probably true, but not much of a vote generator. Besides, the only credible Demo scandal competing for air time right now is Cynthia McKinney clocking a cop with a mobile phone. The American People see worse behavior on daytime talk shows.
Still, it’s a long ways yet. We’re still in Iraq, and we may be in Iran by then, and I wouldn’t put it beyond the Bush Posse to invade Iran just so the GOP can say in October 2008, “Who would you rather hand the reins over to now, huh?”
And it could backfire in spectacular fashion. I’m hesitant to call a Democratic(yes I said democratic) victory in 2008, but so far it looks like the only thing the GOP will be able to do to stop it (short of an executive order from Junior Bush declaring himself Supreme Chancellor) is to pull another Florida/Ohio. And what are the odds of them getting away with that three times in a row?
Republicans lack secuity action
Ports, chemical and nuclear plants and mass transit systems are still vulnerable nearly five years after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The nation also has NOT implemented all of the recommendations of the bipartisan Sept. 11 commission, which recently gave the administration and Congress a report card "filled with Fs, Ds and incompletes. Too often, the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress have failed to back up their rhetoric with robust action.
The American people want and deserve a change of direction. President Bush has cut money in his budget for the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program while the nation is more dependent than ever on foreign oil.
Anti-Americanism is growing, and President Bush has refused to hold civilian leaders in his administration accountable for their incompetence and miscalculations on Iraq.
The nation can no longer ignore the dangerous deficits and exploding national debt, which has grown by $3 trillion over the last five years. Fiscal responsibility is a foundation for our national security,And we cannot continue to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars every year from foreign countries such as China and Saudi Arabia."
The nation also has NOT implemented all of the recommendations of the bipartisan Sept. 11 commission, which recently gave the administration and Congress a report card "filled with Fs, Ds and incompletes. Too often, the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress have failed to back up their rhetoric with robust action.
The American people want and deserve a change of direction. President Bush has cut money in his budget for the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program while the nation is more dependent than ever on foreign oil.
Anti-Americanism is growing, and President Bush has refused to hold civilian leaders in his administration accountable for their incompetence and miscalculations on Iraq.
The nation can no longer ignore the dangerous deficits and exploding national debt, which has grown by $3 trillion over the last five years. Fiscal responsibility is a foundation for our national security,And we cannot continue to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars every year from foreign countries such as China and Saudi Arabia."
Impeachment-a solution?
Read today: This administration is the most corrupt (leagally and morally) in the history of this country. Yet, there they sit with smuggness oozing from every pore.
This administration makes Nixon look like a Boy Scout. All his administration did was break and enter and steal political strategy documents from the Democrats and then try to cover it up.
They didn't leak intelligence information to justify decimating a country for its oil or to get even because Big Daddy Bush couldn't win a war there. They didn't illegally tap the phones of American citizens. They didn't do their best to "burn" the Bill of Rights, etc., etc. Yet, look what happened to Nixon.
Then there was Bill Clinton who was impeached for lying about getting a BJ from Monica. For cripes sake! What is going on in this country? IMPEACH THIS WHOLE LOUSY CROOKED ADMINISTRATION! (a thought for elections in the fall of 2006)
This administration makes Nixon look like a Boy Scout. All his administration did was break and enter and steal political strategy documents from the Democrats and then try to cover it up.
They didn't leak intelligence information to justify decimating a country for its oil or to get even because Big Daddy Bush couldn't win a war there. They didn't illegally tap the phones of American citizens. They didn't do their best to "burn" the Bill of Rights, etc., etc. Yet, look what happened to Nixon.
Then there was Bill Clinton who was impeached for lying about getting a BJ from Monica. For cripes sake! What is going on in this country? IMPEACH THIS WHOLE LOUSY CROOKED ADMINISTRATION! (a thought for elections in the fall of 2006)
polls-people finally waking up
As bad as Bush's numbers may be, Congress' are worse. Just 30% of the public approves of the GOP-led Congress' job performance, and Republicans seem to be shouldering the blame, as they contol everything.
By a 49-33 margin, the public favors Democrats over Republicans when asked which party should control Congress.
By a 49-33 margin, the public favors Democrats over Republicans when asked which party should control Congress.
07 April, 2006
Harry Taylor and Bush
President Bush often holds "town hall" events where he takes questions from a hand picked crowd of "real people." Yesterday one of the people was, well, real, a small business owner named Harry Taylor
Harry Taylor stood up and said to the President of the United States:
"You never stop talking about freedom, and I appreciate that. But while I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water and eating safe food. If I were a woman, you'd like to restrict my opportunity to make a choice and decision about whether I can abort a pregnancy on my own behalf. You are—
I don't have a question. What I wanted to say to you is that I—in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and I would hope—I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration.
I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself, inside yourself. And I also want to say I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I'm saying to you right now. That is part of what this country is about."
Harry Taylor stood up and said to the President of the United States:
"You never stop talking about freedom, and I appreciate that. But while I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water and eating safe food. If I were a woman, you'd like to restrict my opportunity to make a choice and decision about whether I can abort a pregnancy on my own behalf. You are—
I don't have a question. What I wanted to say to you is that I—in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and I would hope—I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration.
I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself, inside yourself. And I also want to say I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I'm saying to you right now. That is part of what this country is about."
06 April, 2006
commander-in-chief or leaker-in-chief
Whatever its significance for the Libby case, the latest filing helps to resolve a lingering question that arose last February regarding the Vice President's role in authorizing the disclosure of classified information (Secrecy News, 02/16/06).
It appears that the Vice President did not direct disclosure on his own authority but on that of the President. "Defendant [Libby] testified that the Vice President later advised him that the President had authorized defendant to disclose the relevant portions of the NIE.
Defendant testified that he also spoke to David Addington, then Counsel to the Vice President, whom defendant considered to be an expert in national security law, and Mr. Addington opined that Presidential authorization to publicly disclose a document amounted to a declassification of the document," the government filing said
It appears that the Vice President did not direct disclosure on his own authority but on that of the President. "Defendant [Libby] testified that the Vice President later advised him that the President had authorized defendant to disclose the relevant portions of the NIE.
Defendant testified that he also spoke to David Addington, then Counsel to the Vice President, whom defendant considered to be an expert in national security law, and Mr. Addington opined that Presidential authorization to publicly disclose a document amounted to a declassification of the document," the government filing said
05 April, 2006
the new Republican budget
The new reverse Robin Hood budget proposal would: cut $167 billion dollars over 5 years from vital domestic services, including health care, education, and family services, give away $228 billion dollars in tax breaks, mostly to the very rich ,and drive up the federal deficit by another $254 billion dollars
04 April, 2006
Republicans, Delay and the money
With accusations of political corruption, former Majority Leader Tom Delay said Tuesday he is resigning from Congress in the face of a tough re-election race, closing out a career that blended unflinching conservatism with a bare-knuckled attack, attack, smear, smear political style. (the chickens are finally coming home to roost.)
"I think I could have won this seat but it would have been nasty.(Bull, Republicans revel in "nasty") It would have cost a fortune to do it," said the Texas Republican, first elected in 1984.
He secured lots of money to legislators in Texas who voted to gerrymander voting districts in Texas so Republicans could win in Texas and in the Congress. No wonder Bush continues to praise him. Down the line they will get Delay his own talk show or something.
That is typical Republican speak, its not about what is good for the country, its only about the money to them . They have most of the money coming in from the folks at the top, and the Republicans are giving it back to them 10-fold in tax breaks, a neat political trick.
"I think I could have won this seat but it would have been nasty.(Bull, Republicans revel in "nasty") It would have cost a fortune to do it," said the Texas Republican, first elected in 1984.
He secured lots of money to legislators in Texas who voted to gerrymander voting districts in Texas so Republicans could win in Texas and in the Congress. No wonder Bush continues to praise him. Down the line they will get Delay his own talk show or something.
That is typical Republican speak, its not about what is good for the country, its only about the money to them . They have most of the money coming in from the folks at the top, and the Republicans are giving it back to them 10-fold in tax breaks, a neat political trick.
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