Monday
The Year in Review: The planet - Independent Online Edition > Climate Change
The Year in Review: The planet - Independent Online Edition > Climate Change: "an area of 1.2 million square kilometres, or more than 385,000 square miles. This represents an extra area of ice five times the size of the United Kingdom. Gone in a single summer. If you consider that and you don't think the world is rapidly warming up, what do you need to convince you?"
Natural disasters increase as climate change takes effect
Natural disasters increase as climate change takes effect: "Nine-hundred-and-fifty natural catastrophes have been recorded during 2007, the highest number since Munich Re records began, in 1974."
Sunday
Saturday
Friday
Los Angeles Times: A West Bank struggle rooted in land An articulate, non-polemical primer on the conflict - great reading for anyone unversed in the issues.
Thursday
Tuesday
Monday
Saturday
Friday
Tuesday
Sunday
The Cincinnati Post - Ohio report: Electronic voting has problems: "critical security flaws that make them vulnerable to tampering"
Tuesday
Democrat may scuttle spending bill - Yahoo! News
Democrat may scuttle spending bill - Yahoo! News: "It is extraordinary that the President would request an 11 percent increase for the Department of Defense, a 12 percent increase for foreign aid, and $195 billion of emergency funding for the war, while asserting that a 4.7 percent increase for domestic programs is fiscally irresponsible"
Monday
Sunday
Saturday
Friday
$1B In Military Equipment Missing In Iraq, Exclusive: Report Shows Vehicles, Machine Guns And More Meant For Iraqi Forces Unaccounted For - CBS News
$1B In Military Equipment Missing In Iraq, Exclusive: Report Shows Vehicles, Machine Guns And More Meant For Iraqi Forces Unaccounted For - CBS News: "the military could not account for 12,712 out of 13,508 weapons, including pistols, assault rifles, rocket propelled grenade launchers and machine guns."
Thursday
Monday
5 Myths About the Bomb and Us
5 Myths About the Bomb and Us: "Sure, we may never quite achieve total nuclear disarmament. But it is still the ultimate goal supported by every president during the Cold War and post-Cold War period -- except George W. Bush."
Saturday
Friday
Strategic Security Blog
Strategic Security Blog: "The greatest danger from uranium from such a device would be having large chunks of uranium metal fall on your head."
Thursday
Mukasey: FBI's Gun Ban List Doubles - washingtonpost.com
Mukasey: FBI's Gun Ban List Doubles - washingtonpost.com: "The vast majority of the new individuals were identified by California, which provided more than 200,000 names to the FBI in October, the Justice Department said. Ohio provided more than 7,000 new names, while the number of states reporting mental health data to the FBI grew from 22 to 28."
CJR: Is Perry Bacon Serious?
CJR: Is Perry Bacon Serious?: "Obama story has no place in the Washington Post" so they put it on the front page.
Wednesday
Los Angeles Times: The autonomous warbird
Los Angeles Times: The autonomous warbird Another step closer to kill-by-wire.
Declaration of Principles for a Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship Between the Republic of Iraq and the United States of America
Declaration of Principles for a Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship Between the Republic of Iraq and the United States of America:
While everyone's eyes were on Annapolis....
"The Iraqi Government in confirmation of its resolute rights under existing Security Council resolutions will request to extend the mandate of the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter for a final time. As a condition for this request, following the expiration of the above mentioned extension, Iraq's status under Chapter VII and its designation as a threat to international peace and security will end, and Iraq will return to the legal and international standing it enjoyed prior to the issuance of U.N. Security Council Resolution No. 661 (August, 1990)"
While everyone's eyes were on Annapolis....
"The Iraqi Government in confirmation of its resolute rights under existing Security Council resolutions will request to extend the mandate of the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter for a final time. As a condition for this request, following the expiration of the above mentioned extension, Iraq's status under Chapter VII and its designation as a threat to international peace and security will end, and Iraq will return to the legal and international standing it enjoyed prior to the issuance of U.N. Security Council Resolution No. 661 (August, 1990)"
Media Matters - ABC's Nightline walks away from Iraq
Media Matters - ABC's Nightline walks away from Iraq: "for 18 straight weeks (or one-third of the calendar year), Nightline effectively walked away from Iraq. What took its place? Lots of Nightline reports on pets and pop music."
Tuesday
Monday
Zogby International
Zogby International: "General election match-ups show the New York Senator would lose against every top Republican"
Secrecy News
Secrecy News: "AIPAC Court Rules on Classification Markings, Juror BiasAIPAC Court Rules on Classification Markings, Juror Bias"
Friday
Thursday
Wednesday
Government Gets More Expensive: Cocaine Just Gets Cheaper
Government Gets More Expensive: Cocaine Just Gets Cheaper: "Hey, do you think we can get the government to start a War on Gas?"
Monday
Saturday
Wednesday
Welcome to KucinichTV--A Real Conversation with America
Welcome to KucinichTV--A Real Conversation with America: "The New Constitutional Convention with Congressman Dennis Kucinich! Wednesday, November 14 9 PM EST"
Tuesday
Climate - Drought - Global Warming - American West - Arizona - Utah - Colorado - New Mexico - Nevada - New York Times
Climate - Drought - Global Warming - American West - Arizona - Utah - Colorado - New Mexico - Nevada - New York Times: "“You can’t call it a drought anymore, because it’s going over to a drier climate. No one says the Sahara is in drought.”"
Media Views Permalink
Media Views Permalink Associated Press: At Summit, Spain’s King Tells Chavez to 'Shut Up' (11/10/07) by Eduardo Gallardo
A dramatic exchange in which Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez "repeatedly referr[ed] to former Spanish Prime Minister José Maria Aznar as a 'fascist'" gets the typical soap opera treatment from AP. The wire service report treats Chavez's remark as a self-evident slur--but in fact, Aznar had been part of the fascist youth movement, and his party is the one formed by fascist sympathizers after Franco's death—facts that would have helped AP's readers understand the exchange.
A dramatic exchange in which Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez "repeatedly referr[ed] to former Spanish Prime Minister José Maria Aznar as a 'fascist'" gets the typical soap opera treatment from AP. The wire service report treats Chavez's remark as a self-evident slur--but in fact, Aznar had been part of the fascist youth movement, and his party is the one formed by fascist sympathizers after Franco's death—facts that would have helped AP's readers understand the exchange.
Press Releases
Press Releases: "African Americans, Low-Income Voters, Students and Seniors Least Likely to Have Valid Voter ID "
Sunday
Broken Supply Channel Sent Weapons for Iraq Astray - New York Times
Broken Supply Channel Sent Weapons for Iraq Astray - New York Times: "There were inquiries from soldiers finding enemy weapons caches, finding AK-47s, and they would ask, ‘Did we give these to them?'"
Saturday
Archives: Story
Archives: Story: "Lawrence County Board of Elections Deputy Director Eric Bradshaw said the results were flipped, that Bill Robinson is the actual winner with 374. Allan Blankenship got 170 votes. “It was a programming error and that race got recorded exactly opposite,” he said. “I don’t know what happened. We have people coming in from ES&S software in Omaha and a programmer from Columbus....I think somebody just mixed up their As and Bs because it is supposed to go in alphabetical order. But that is just my guess.”"
Friday
The Record on CURVEBALL
The Record on CURVEBALL: "Declassified Documents and Key Participants Show the Importance of Phony Intelligence in the Origins of the Iraq War"
Thursday
Press-Telegram - Anti-war vets slam parade ban
Press-Telegram - Anti-war vets slam parade ban "We do not want groups of a political nature, advocating the troops' withdrawal from Iraq."
Strategic Security Blog
Strategic Security Blog White House Guidance Led to New Nuclear Strike Plans
Wednesday
Investors agree: Anything but the dollar - International Herald Tribune
Investors agree: Anything but the dollar - International Herald Tribune: " In financial market jargon, a 'flight to quality' when times are uncertain used to be synonymous with 'buy dollars.' Not anymore."
Tuesday
Sunday
Front page news - newsjournalonline.com
Front page news - newsjournalonline.com: " The company conducted a survey of 27 Florida counties that use its machines but refused to release the results, calling them 'proprietary business information.'"
Wednesday
Tuesday
Monday
"exception of Dennis Kucinich" - Google Search
"exception of Dennis Kucinich" - Google Search For the beneift of Mr. Kite there will be a show tonight, with the exception of Dennis Kucinich.
FEMA Official Apologizes for Staged Briefing With Fake Reporters - washingtonpost.com
FEMA Official Apologizes for Staged Briefing With Fake Reporters - washingtonpost.com: "He has been named as the new head of public affairs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence"
China economy seen to remain strong
China economy seen to remain strong: "The feel-good factor will also contribute to a rise in consumerism."
The Cincinnati Post - Ohio AG targets Wall Street
The Cincinnati Post - Ohio AG targets Wall Street: "Dann, a onetime Gary Hart campaign staffer and divorce lawyer, says he is trying to fill a void left by federal regulators, who he says haven't thoroughly probed how mortgages were turned into securities and sold to investors."
Sunday
AlterNet: War on Iraq: Neocons Embrace Islamic Terror Group
AlterNet: War on Iraq: Neocons Embrace Islamic Terror Group: "Here you have virtually everything the Right claims to oppose all rolled into one: Islamism, Marxism, terrorism, and Saddam. Naturally, then, neoconservatives would utterly deplore the Mujahideen el-Khalq and everything it stands for, right?"
Wednesday
War costs may total $2.4 trillion - USATODAY.com
War costs may total $2.4 trillion - USATODAY.com: "$8,000 per man, woman and child in the country"
Sunday
Part II: The Blow-Up: "the separation of the holder of a loan from the writer of a loan tended to create an overgenerous breed of loan officer"
Part I: The Blow-Up In Wall Street's summer of scary numbers, all eyes were on the mathematically trained financial engineers known as "quants."
Monday
Gore Derangement Syndrome - New York Times
Gore Derangement Syndrome - New York Times: "the personality cult the right tried to build around President Bush and the often hysterical denigration of Mr. Gore were, I believe, largely motivated by the desire to expunge the stain of illegitimacy from the Bush administration. "
Saturday
'No end in sight' in Iraq, retired general says - Los Angeles Times
'No end in sight' in Iraq, retired general says - Los Angeles Times: "Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, who led U.S. forces in Iraq for a year after the March 2003 invasion, accused the Bush administration Friday of going to war with a 'catastrophically flawed' plan and said the United States is 'living a nightmare with no end in sight.'"
Sliming Graeme Frost - New York Times
Sliming Graeme Frost - New York Times: "a perfect illustration of the modern right-wing political machine at work, and in particular its routine reliance on character assassination in place of honest debate"
Sunday
Annals of National Security: Shifting Targets: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker
Annals of National Security: Shifting Targets: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker: "President Bush and members of his Administration have redefined the war in Iraq, to an increasing degree, as a strategic battle between the United States and Iran."
Las Vegas SUN: 125 Nev. farm workers sickened by chemical
Las Vegas SUN: 125 Nev. farm workers sickened by chemical Like industrial poisonings, farm chemical poisonings are reported only when they induce immediate acute effects on a mass scale. Unlike industrial poisonings, even under those circumstances they're not considered news outside their local area.
Saturday
Head of IAEA defies criticism on Iran - Yahoo! News
Head of IAEA defies criticism on Iran - Yahoo! News: "I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons"
Friday
Thursday
POLITICS-US: Anti-Iran Hawks Win Partial Victory in Congress
POLITICS-US: Anti-Iran Hawks Win Partial Victory in Congress: "Among those voting for the measure was the Democratic front-runner for the 2008 presidential election, Sen. Hillary Clinton." Hillary dances to the Neo Con's tune.
Wednesday
Tuesday
Monday
CLIMATE CHANGE: 'Fifteen Years and C02 Still Rising'
CLIMATE CHANGE: 'Fifteen Years and C02 Still Rising': "Not surprisingly, U.S. President George W. Bush decided not to attend the one-day conference, although his country is known to be the largest polluter of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet. "
Sunday
Israeli Rabbis to Shun Christian Event - Los Angeles Times
Israeli Rabbis to Shun Christian Event - Los Angeles Times: "the chief rabbinate urged Jews to stay away from the event, saying some of the groups want to convert them to Christianity"
"The ICEJ has never conducted any missionary programs in Israel and we clearly instruct our Feast pilgrims against such activity during their stay here." But everywhere else it's OK.
"The ICEJ has never conducted any missionary programs in Israel and we clearly instruct our Feast pilgrims against such activity during their stay here." But everywhere else it's OK.
Police take up assault weapons; some fear an arms race -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Police take up assault weapons; some fear an arms race -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com: "The result is an escalating war of weapons one-upmanship, as the men and women of law enforcement try to avoid being outgunned on the street "
SignOnSanDiego.com > In Iraq -- Generals opposing Iraq war break with military tradition
SignOnSanDiego.com > In Iraq -- Generals opposing Iraq war break with military tradition: "In op-ed pieces, interviews and TV ads, more than 20 retired U.S. generals have broken ranks with the culture of salute and keep it in the family. Instead, they are criticizing the commander in chief and other top civilian leaders who led the nation into what the generals believe is a misbegotten and tragic war. "
Friday
CJR: A Tale Of Two Scandals
CJR: A Tale Of Two Scandals: "What’s remarkable is that key moments in the two cases have three times arrived on the same day—and that on every one of those days, Hsu’s gotten more play and more ink."
Thursday
180,000 private contractors flood Iraq - Yahoo! News
180,000 private contractors flood Iraq - Yahoo! News Mercenaries outnumber military.
McClatchy Washington Bureau | 07/22/2007 | Senate tied in knots by filibusters
McClatchy Washington Bureau | 07/22/2007 | Senate tied in knots by filibusters: "This year Senate Republicans are threatening filibusters to block more legislation than ever before, a pattern that's rooted in — and could increase — the pettiness and dysfunction in Congress."
Wednesday
Diplomatic convoys curtailed in Iraq - Yahoo! News
Diplomatic convoys curtailed in Iraq - Yahoo! News "The United States on Tuesday suspended all land travel by U.S. diplomats and other civilian officials throughout Iraq, except in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone." Four years on and they can't leave the Green Zone. What progress?
Tuesday
Monday
Beyond the Beyond - Wired Blogs
Beyond the Beyond - Wired Blogs: "the project tests a more ambitious plan to reduce all shopping to the essential act of money changing hands. 'Whether in an art gallery or a mall, spending is existential,' he says. 'By eliminating the merchandise that nobody really wants anyway, this crucial human activity becomes environmentally sustainable.'"
Think Progress » Fox censors Sally Field’s anti-war speech at Emmy’s.#comment-4079687
Think Progress » Fox censors Sally Field’s anti-war speech at Emmy’s.#comment-4079687 What a set up. Sally Fields knows “god damn” is as good as an f bomb and that’s what pushed the censor's button. Fields has worked in TV a long time and knows exactly what gets bleeped and she knows “god damn” gets bleeped every god damn time.
Sunday
North Korea-Syria nuclear ties: déjà vu all over again? | FP Passport
North Korea-Syria nuclear ties: déjà vu all over again? | FP Passport: "The real story is how quickly the New York Times and the Washington Post snapped up the bait and ran exactly the story the officials wanted, thereby feeding a mini-media frenzy."
Saturday
Friday
Democracy Now! | From Freedom Watch to Petraeus, A Look at the Bush Administration's Iraq War PR Campaign
Democracy Now! | From Freedom Watch to Petraeus, A Look at the Bush Administration's Iraq War PR Campaign: "Most Americans get most of their news from television. And in April of 2003 and early May of 2003, Americans literally saw the weapons of mass destruction being discovered, because these embedded reporters, whether we’re talking Judith Miller at the New York Times, other major print media, the three networks, PBS, all wanted to be the first to break the story that the troops they were with discovered the weapons of mass destruction. So, as we point out in The Best War Ever, Americans actually saw the weapons discovered. They read about the discovery of the weapons. Of course, every one of those stories was 100% wrong, but Americans were promised by the President, the Vice President, that they were there, the media delivered them, and the media has never corrected or fixed this big lie that’s fixed in the minds of Americans. "
Thursday
Tuesday
BBC NEWS | Middle East | US surge has failed - Iraqi poll
BBC NEWS | Middle East | US surge has failed - Iraqi poll: "nearly 60% see attacks on US-led forces as justified" So much for "greeted as liberators."
San Francisco Bay Guardian : Article : Censored!
San Francisco Bay Guardian : Article : Censored!: "The top 10 big stories the US news media missed in the past year "
Congressman Dennis Kucinich To Oppose September 11 Resolution, Says It Is Incomplete
Congressman Dennis Kucinich To Oppose September 11 Resolution, Says It Is Incomplete WASHINGTON - September 10 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) released the following statement in opposition to today’s September 11 resolution:
“I honor the memory of those who died on September 11 and extend sympathies to their family members and to those who lost their lives trying to save lives,” Kucinich said.
“I support the troops. I believe the best way to honor the memory of those who died on September 11 is to tell the truth of what the Administration did in the wake of September 11. The Bush Administration launched a war against Iraq, conflating the true tragedy of September 11 with lies about weapons of mass destruction.
“On this, the sixth anniversary of September 11, it is important that Congress wake up to the truth and exercise its obligation under the Constitution to save our nation from being destroyed from the lies that took us into Iraq, the lies that keep us there, the lies that are being used to set the stage for war against Iran and the lies that have undermined our basic civil liberties here at home. The September 11 resolution that Congress considers today should have made reference to those matters. It does not, so I cannot support it.
“This Administration long ago politicized the September 11 attacks, distorted it and dishonored it. If Congress really wanted to honor the memory of those who died on September 11, we would cause the full truth to be told to the American people. If Congress really supported our troops we would bring them home and not provide more funding for the war.”
“I honor the memory of those who died on September 11 and extend sympathies to their family members and to those who lost their lives trying to save lives,” Kucinich said.
“I support the troops. I believe the best way to honor the memory of those who died on September 11 is to tell the truth of what the Administration did in the wake of September 11. The Bush Administration launched a war against Iraq, conflating the true tragedy of September 11 with lies about weapons of mass destruction.
“On this, the sixth anniversary of September 11, it is important that Congress wake up to the truth and exercise its obligation under the Constitution to save our nation from being destroyed from the lies that took us into Iraq, the lies that keep us there, the lies that are being used to set the stage for war against Iran and the lies that have undermined our basic civil liberties here at home. The September 11 resolution that Congress considers today should have made reference to those matters. It does not, so I cannot support it.
“This Administration long ago politicized the September 11 attacks, distorted it and dishonored it. If Congress really wanted to honor the memory of those who died on September 11, we would cause the full truth to be told to the American people. If Congress really supported our troops we would bring them home and not provide more funding for the war.”
Monday
TNR Online | Feast of the Wingnuts (1 of 3) (print)
TNR Online | Feast of the Wingnuts (1 of 3) (print) "American politics has been hijacked by a tiny coterie of right-wing economic extremists, some of them ideological zealots, others merely greedy, a few of them possibly insane."
Sunday
Saturday
Melting ice cap triggering earthquakes | Environment | The Guardian
Melting ice cap triggering earthquakes | Environment | The Guardian: "predictions this February by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change far too low. "
Friday
Trying to Glimpse the Future of Iraq
Trying to Glimpse the Future of Iraq: "one of the dirty little secrets about Iraq is that Iraq has increasingly been ethnically cleansed. It's sad to say, but the American Army has presided over the largest ethnic cleansing in the world since the Balkans"
POLITICS: U.S. Viewed as Turkey's "Greatest Threat"
POLITICS: U.S. Viewed as Turkey's "Greatest Threat": "Nearly two-thirds of the Turkish public named the United States as their country's greatest future threat, a recent Pew Global Attitudes Project survey has revealed -- the highest percentage of any Middle Eastern or Islamic country polled."
Thursday
Madeleine K. Albright - How To Change Iraq - washingtonpost.com
Madeleine K. Albright - How To Change Iraq - washingtonpost.com: "President Bush could do his part by admitting what the world knows -- that many prewar criticisms of the invasion were on target. Such an admission would be just the shock a serious diplomatic project would need. It would make it easier for European and Arab leaders to help, as their constituents are reluctant to bail out a president who still insists that he was right and they were wrong. Our troops face death every day; the least the president can do is face the truth."
Experts Doubt Drop In Violence in Iraq - washingtonpost.com
Experts Doubt Drop In Violence in Iraq - washingtonpost.com Have you any idea why they're lying to you?
Wednesday
Nuclear bombs mistakenly flown over US - Yahoo! News
Nuclear bombs mistakenly flown over US - Yahoo! News: "The plane was carrying advanced cruise missiles from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La." where they are now in position to be launched against Iran.
POLITICS-US: Bush Appointee Campaigns for Evangelicals
POLITICS-US: Bush Appointee Campaigns for Evangelicals: "Evangelicals have been working through the military and government agencies since the Cold War as part of the fight against 'Godless Communism', but they tried to follow certain boundaries' said Chip Berlet, a senior analyst of Political Research Associates in Boston. 'With the Bush administration we've seen many egregious examples of officials stepping way out of line of any kind of boundary, of which this promotional video is a particularly notable example"
Tuesday
In Chertoff's record, shades of politics - Los Angeles Times
In Chertoff's record, shades of politics - Los Angeles Times: If the nominee "is political in nature and susceptible to the importuning of the White House," said Senate Judiciary Committee member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), "you can be sure that individual would not be confirmed."
Envoy’s Letters Counter Bush on Dismantling of Iraq Army - New York Times "President Bush was told in advance by his top envoy in May 2003 of a plan to “dissolve Saddam’s military and intelligence structures,” a plan that the envoy, Mr. Bremer, said referred to dismantling the Iraqi Army.
Mr. Bremer provided the letters to The New York Times on Monday after reading that Mr. Bush was quoted in a new book as saying that American policy had been “to keep the army intact” but that it “didn’t happen.”
Mr. Bremer provided the letters to The New York Times on Monday after reading that Mr. Bush was quoted in a new book as saying that American policy had been “to keep the army intact” but that it “didn’t happen.”
Sunday
Friday
Lawmakers Describe 'Being Slimed in the Green Zone' - washingtonpost.com
Lawmakers Describe 'Being Slimed in the Green Zone' - washingtonpost.com: "At one point, the three were trying to discuss the state of Iraqi security forces with Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, but the large, flat-panel television set facing the official proved to be a distraction. Rubaie was watching children's cartoons. When Moran asked him to turn it off, Rubaie protested with a laugh and said, 'But this is my favorite television show"
Food demand and climate straining soils - Yahoo! News
Food demand and climate straining soils - Yahoo! News "Sustainable agriculture" isn't just a catchword - it's a reminder to think about what it means that so much of modern agriculture is unsustainable.
Wednesday
The Gavel » Blog Archive » The Cost of the Iraq War So Far…
The Gavel » Blog Archive » The Cost of the Iraq War So Far… The Democrats making believe they had nothing to do with it.
Tuesday
Domestic Use of Spy Satellites To Widen - washingtonpost.com
Domestic Use of Spy Satellites To Widen - washingtonpost.com A little video to go with the audio.
Iraq Weapons Are a Focus of Criminal Investigations - New York Times
Iraq Weapons Are a Focus of Criminal Investigations - New York Times: " the largest ring of fraud and kickbacks "
Monday
Craig Arrested, Pleads Guilty Following Incident in Airport Restroom
Craig Arrested, Pleads Guilty Following Incident in Airport Restroom Any US Senator that pleads guilty without consulting an attorney earns lifetime membership into the Kakistocracy.
GIs' morale dips as Iraq war drags on - Los Angeles Times
GIs' morale dips as Iraq war drags on - Los Angeles Times: "they feel leaders are out of touch with reality"
Sunday
Thursday
Think Progress » Gen. Batiste’s Op-Ed That The WSJ And The Washington Times Didn’t Want You To See
Think Progress » Gen. Batiste’s Op-Ed That The WSJ And The Washington Times Didn’t Want You To See: "It is disappointing that so many elected representatives of my party continue to blindly support the administration rather than doing what is in the best interests of our country."
Bush to cite Vietnam in defense of Iraq - Los Angeles Times
Bush to cite Vietnam in defense of Iraq - Los Angeles Times: "the disaster is the consequence of going in, not getting out"
Friday
Thursday
Judges Skeptical of State-Secrets Claim - washingtonpost.com
Judges Skeptical of State-Secrets Claim - washingtonpost.com: "At one point, Garre argued that courts are not the right forum for complaints about government surveillance, and that 'other avenues' are available. 'What is that? Impeachment?' Pregerson shot back."
Wednesday
Los Angeles Times: How lawyer navigates sea of secrecy in bizarre case How he navigates? Try blindfolded, without a rudder. Fulminate all you will about our elitist system of justice and its biased decisionmakers - and they are those things - but these Star Chamber proceedings are a qualitative change, and a real threat.
Monday
Jeremy Scahill: The Mercenary Revolution
Jeremy Scahill: The Mercenary Revolution: "the Bush administration has created a shadow army that can be used to wage wars unpopular with the American public but extremely profitable for a few unaccountable private companies"
In Fundraising's Murky Corners - washingtonpost.com
In Fundraising's Murky Corners - washingtonpost.com: "donors who remain largely unaware of where their money goes"
Sunday
Democrats Say Leaving Iraq May Take Years - New York Times
Democrats Say Leaving Iraq May Take Years - New York Times The Cheney-Bush regime wanted all war all the time so whoever comes next will be stuck with the mess.
Human Space Flight (HSF) - Sightings
The Perseid meteor shower will happen early Monday morning.
Here's NASA's Perseid page.
This "Your Sky" application shows what's overhead on a clear night, where to look for constellations & planets. Either select a nearby city or use Google Earth to find your coordinates. Make sure they are in the correct format: Degrees, Minutes & Seconds. Decimal degrees don't work.
Since the Space Shuttle is in orbit, when it's docked to the Space Station it is easy to see. Here is NASA's Java realtime tracking page.
From this link you can find out when to look up & see it.
Click through from state to nearest city. Look in the duration column. The longer the duration, the more likely it is you can see the shuttle.
Keep looking! Keep watching the skies!
Here's NASA's Perseid page.
This "Your Sky" application shows what's overhead on a clear night, where to look for constellations & planets. Either select a nearby city or use Google Earth to find your coordinates. Make sure they are in the correct format: Degrees, Minutes & Seconds. Decimal degrees don't work.
Since the Space Shuttle is in orbit, when it's docked to the Space Station it is easy to see. Here is NASA's Java realtime tracking page.
From this link you can find out when to look up & see it.
Click through from state to nearest city. Look in the duration column. The longer the duration, the more likely it is you can see the shuttle.
Keep looking! Keep watching the skies!
Saturday
Cheney urging strikes on Iran - Yahoo! News One dumb, disastrous, lost war isn't enough for the Cheney-Bush regime.
Think Progress » Right-Wing Media Give Favorable Platform To ‘Another 9/11′ Columnist
Think Progress » Right-Wing Media Give Favorable Platform To ‘Another 9/11′ Columnist Republicans continue praying for another 9/11.
Friday
FT.com / In depth - Republicans ‘caught in a bind’ over Bush
FT.com / In depth - Republicans ‘caught in a bind’ over Bush: "We are caught in a bind,” says a senior staffer on one of the campaigns. “We cannot attack George Bush because we would be punished for disloyalty by the party base. And we cannot endorse him because that would be suicide. So we tip-toe around."
Wednesday
Tuesday
Monday
Thursday
Collapse Spotlights Weaknesses in U.S. Infrastructure - washingtonpost.com
Collapse Spotlights Weaknesses in U.S. Infrastructure - washingtonpost.com: "We're falling further and further behind"
Wednesday
EPA TRI Explorer: Chemical Report
EPA TRI Explorer: Chemical Report EPA toxics release inventory: search by geographic location, by chemical, or by industry
Monday
Another Poke in the Eye to Islam - Early Warning
Another Poke in the Eye to Islam - Early Warning: "There isn't one weapon in the package that will enhance American interests or security -- or Saudi security, for that matter -- and there certainly isn't one that threatens Israel. The real threat is the army of contractors and U.S. service members that will have to go to Saudi Arabia to support the deal. They will just fuel more Arab anger and more terrorism."
Sunday
U.S.-tribal alliances draw Iraqi ire - Los Angeles Times
U.S.-tribal alliances draw Iraqi ire - Los Angeles Times: "Petraeus said the U.S. military is authorized to provide weapons only to official security forces, but his commanders help the volunteers with food, fuel and occasionally ammunition."
Saturday
Friday
Tuesday
GOP senator to Rove: Bush legacy on the line in Iraq "In private, Voinovich is more blunt, using a profanity to describe the White House’s handling of Iraq by charging the administration “f—ed up” the war."
Monday
Cunningham report portrays entangled panel "describes breakdowns in leadership and controls that it says allowed Cunningham — the former congressman (R-Rancho Santa Fe) who began an eight-year prison term last year for taking bribes and evading taxes — to use his House position to steer millions of dollars to corrupt contractors."
Sunday
Thursday
SCOTUSblog
SCOTUSblog: "A federal judge suggested on Thursday that President Bush had come very close to acting unconstitutionally in the way he fashioned legal relief for former vice presidential aide I. Lewis Lobby"
Wednesday
Tuesday
Democrats Move to Withhold Funds From Cheney's Office - Yahoo! News
Fifteen minutes later...
Officials worry of summer terror attack
Anyone surprised?
Fifteen minutes later...
Officials worry of summer terror attack
Anyone surprised?
Jerry Kroth: Democratic Defectors and the Israel Lobby
Jerry Kroth: Democratic Defectors and the Israel Lobby: "In the end, though, 37 Democratic senators capitulated and gratuitously gave the President his $100 billion no-strings- attached blank check . . . enough money to pay tuition and fees for 1.3 million college students for four solid years"
TheHill.com - Ex- convicts and addicts may get DoD clearance
TheHill.com - Ex- convicts and addicts may get DoD clearance: "At the Pentagon’s request, Senate defense authorizers tucked deep within a defense bill a repeal of the department’s restriction on granting security clearances to ex-convicts, drug addicts and the mentally incompetent."
Gonzales Was Told of FBI Violations - washingtonpost.com
Gonzales Was Told of FBI Violations - washingtonpost.com Perjury: the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn statements in writing.
Monday
Report: War costing US $12B a month - Yahoo! News
Report: War costing US $12B a month - Yahoo! News: "the total for Iraq alone is nearing a half-trillion dollars"
The Denver Post - Bush justice is a national disgrace
The Denver Post - Bush justice is a national disgrace: "In more than a quarter of a century at the DOJ, I have never before seen such consistent and marked disrespect on the part of the highest ranking government policymakers for both law and ethics."
True or False: U.S.'s Broadband Penetration Is Lower Than Even Estonia's - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com
True or False: U.S.'s Broadband Penetration Is Lower Than Even Estonia's - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com: "But in Japan, customers pay $30 a month for 50Mbps"
Sunday
Nieman Watchdog > Commentary > 'Supporting the troops' means withdrawing them
Nieman Watchdog > Commentary > 'Supporting the troops' means withdrawing them Gen. Odom joins the call for immediate de-funding of the war and impeachment.
Saturday
POLITICS-US: Bush Shielding of Musharraf Policy at Risk
POLITICS-US: Bush Shielding of Musharraf Policy at Risk: "The growing crisis over Islamic extremism in Pakistan is drawing attention to the complicity of that country's military government in the rise of the biggest haven for Islamic terrorism in the world."
Friday
American Research Group
American Research Group: "Question:
Do you favor or oppose the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush?"
Do you favor or oppose the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush?"
Thursday
Nonprofit subsidizes Schwarzenegger travel frills - Los Angeles Times
Nonprofit subsidizes Schwarzenegger travel frills - Los Angeles Times: "By giving to the foundation, donors avoid having their identities made public, because charities are not governed by the disclosure rules that apply to campaign contributions. And they can donate unlimited amounts to the nonprofit, which is not subject to contribution ceilings the way campaign accounts are"
Wednesday
House balks at Bush order for new powers - Yahoo! News
House balks at Bush order for new powers - Yahoo! News: "The order requires federal officials to show that private companies, people or institutions failed to address a problem before agencies can write regulations to tackle it. It also gives political appointees greater authority over how the regulations are written."
New Drug Deletes Bad Memories - Yahoo! News
New Drug Deletes Bad Memories - Yahoo! News These aren't the droids you're looking for.
Tuesday
Monday
Sunday
Los Angeles Times: Selling the threat of bioterrorism
Los Angeles Times: Selling the threat of bioterrorism What's Russian for Chalabi?
In Steps Big and Small, Supreme Court Moved Right "It is not often in the law that so few have so quickly changed so much."
Friday
Thursday
Wednesday
Taxpayers Lose, Halliburton Gains
Taxpayers Lose, Halliburton Gains: "the merchants of death profit"
CORRUPTION: Bandar Bribery Case Crosses the Atlantic
CORRUPTION: Bandar Bribery Case Crosses the Atlantic Along with the Bin Ladens, Bandar is another Saudi with close ties to Bush & Cheney.
Leaving No Tracks | Cheney | washingtonpost.com "His genius," Hoffman said, is that "he builds networks and puts the right people in the right places, and then trusts them to make well-informed decisions that comport with his overall vision" ... a vision Adolph Hitler would be proud of, if only Hitler were as greedy as Cheney.
A GOP Plan To Oust Cheney - washingtonpost.com
A GOP Plan To Oust Cheney - washingtonpost.com: "As the reputed architect of the war in Iraq, Cheney is viewed as toxic, and as the administration's leading proponent of an attack on Iran, he is seen as dangerous. As long as he remains vice president, according to this thinking, he has the potential to drag down every member of the party "
Tuesday
A Strong Push From Backstage | Cheney | washingtonpost.com
A Strong Push From Backstage | Cheney | washingtonpost.com "When Bush tapped Cheney to be his running mate" Oh yeah, like that might have happened and not Cheney chose Bush because he'd make a good dummy.
Monday
Pushing the Envelope on Presidential Power | Cheney | washingtonpost.com
Pushing the Envelope on Presidential Power | Cheney | washingtonpost.com: "Powell remarked admiringly, as they emerged, that Rice dressed down the president's lawyer 'in full Nurse Ratched mode,' a reference to the ward chief of a mental hospital in the 1975 film 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.'"
Sunday
Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Congressman Dennis Kucinich Kucinich attempted to insert into the Congressional Record two independent translations of the speech from The New York Times and Middle East Media Research Institute, which contain significant differences in the translations of the speech compared to the resolution before the House. However, Members objected formally and the attempt was blocked.
Rolling Stone : The Secret Campaign of President Bush's Administration To Deny Global Warming
Rolling Stone : The Secret Campaign of President Bush's Administration To Deny Global Warming Secret campaign? Maybe if you only read Rolling Stone.
'A Different Understanding With the President' | Cheney | washingtonpost.com
'A Different Understanding With the President' | Cheney | washingtonpost.com Like a puppeteer understanding a puppet.
Saturday
Bush claims oversight exemption too - Los Angeles Times
Bush claims oversight exemption too - Los Angeles Times "Bush amended the oversight directive in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to help ensure that national secrets would not be mishandled, made public or improperly declassified."
Tuesday
Security researchers uncover massive attack on Italian web sites
Security researchers uncover massive attack on Italian web sites ...just as the CIA goes on trial in Italy.
House panel drops auto fuel standard from plan - washingtonpost.com
House panel drops auto fuel standard from plan - washingtonpost.com Congress once again caves to the auto industry. Americans are screwed.
Sunday
Oil industry scales back refinery plans - Yahoo! News
Oil industry scales back refinery plans - Yahoo! News: "keep gasoline prices high, possibly for years to come"
Wednesday
The Columbus Dispatch : Better off today? Income figures say Ohioans aren't
The Columbus Dispatch : Better off today? Income figures say Ohioans aren't: "poverty marks a new high in Ohio over the past four decades...[statewide] median income was $30,499 in 2004, $40 less than it was in 1993. Income rose during the first seven years of that span, but since 2000, it's dropped every year....[I]ncome fell in all but 25 of Ohio's 612 school districts between 2000 and 2004."
McClatchy Washington Bureau | 06/12/2007 | Senate is close to a deal on a bill to ban the use of asbestos
McClatchy Washington Bureau | 06/12/2007 | Senate is close to a deal on a bill to ban the use of asbestos Didn't think that was necessary, didya? Chlorine bleach (and products such as paper bleached with chlorine): asbestos in, dioxin out. Mmmmmmmm.
Monday
Analysts say uranium may soar to $US200 - Business - Business
Analysts say uranium may soar to $US200 - Business - Business: "The New York Mercantile Exchange started a market for uranium futures last month."
Global military spending hits $1.2 trillion: study - Yahoo! News
Global military spending hits $1.2 trillion: study - Yahoo! News: "The United States spent $529 billion" China spent 1/10th of that.
Friday
New White House plan: Keep US troops in Iraq permanently. - Yahoo! News
New White House plan: Keep US troops in Iraq permanently. - Yahoo! News: "The bill went to conference and then the ban on bases, adopted by both chambers, mysteriously disappeared"
Thursday
Wednesday
Huckabee Slams Bush in Republican Debate
Huckabee Slams Bush in Republican Debate: "Wolf Blitzer, who managed to speak for a whopping 19 minutes - roughly double the time given to leading candidates "
Squabble erupts among opponents of abortion law - Los Angeles Times
Squabble erupts among opponents of abortion law - Los Angeles Times: "Some of the biggest groups in the movement, including Focus on the Family and National Right to Life, are under attack from fellow activists who accuse them of turning the cause into a money-grubbing industry." A sleeping giant awakes?
Tuesday
Monday
MySA.com: Metro | State
MySA.com: Metro | State: "I am absolutely convinced that America has a crisis in leadership at this time and we've got to do whatever we can to help the next generation of leaders do better than we have done over the past five years"
Sunday
Saturday
Judge Halts Award Of Iraq Contract - washingtonpost.com
Judge Halts Award Of Iraq Contract - washingtonpost.com: " U.S. Army veteran filed a protest against the government practice of hiring what he calls mercenaries"
Thursday
McClatchy Washington Bureau | 05/30/2007 | Lieberman talks to troops in Baghdad
McClatchy Washington Bureau | 05/30/2007 | Lieberman talks to troops in Baghdad: "When are we going to get out of here?"
Tuesday
War Without End - New York Times
War Without End - New York Times: "we have grown accustomed to this president’s disconnect from reality "
Sunday
Saturday
Friday
David Vest: So You Thought They'd End the War
David Vest: So You Thought They'd End the War: "What's really evil is being forced to choose between people on the one hand who support the war, and accuse anyone who questions it of 'helping the terrorists' -- and people on the other who oppose the war, criticize the war, pledge to the end the war, and then vote to keep it going."
Evelyn Pringle: Congress Gives War Profiteers Another $100 Billion
Evelyn Pringle: Congress Gives War Profiteers Another $100 Billion: "Congress has demonstrated its unconditional love for the Bush administration by handing the war profiteers another $100 billion worth of good reasons to keep the war in Iraq rolling along at full-throttle."
Thursday
European Growth Could Exceed U.S. in '07: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
European Growth Could Exceed U.S. in '07: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "The recovery in Europe has been stronger than we expected,' OECD Chief Economist Jean-Philippe Cotis said at a news conference. 'The slowdown in the U.S. has been more robust than we anticipated."
Wednesday
Tuesday
Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold On the Iraq Supplemental Conference Report
Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold On the Iraq Supplemental Conference Report: "Under the President’s Iraq policies, our military has been over-burdened, our national security has been jeopardized, and thousands of Americans have been killed or injured. Despite these realities, and the support of a majority of Americans for ending the President’s open-ended mission in Iraq, congressional leaders now propose a supplemental appropriations bill that does nothing to end this disastrous war."
Campaigns & Elections
Campaigns & Elections WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 22) - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) gave the following speech on the floor of the House of Representatives today:
"The Associated Press reports that the latest Iraq Supplemental funding plan, incredibly, will tie an increase in the minimum wage to funding the war through October.
"If this is true, and I hope it is not, it tells American workers that the only way they will get an increase in wages is to continue to support funding the war which is taking the lives of their sons and daughters.
"First blood for oil. Now a minimum wage for maximum blood. Aren't the American people giving enough blood for this war without having to give more to have a wage increase?
"What's happened to our country? We are losing our moral compass. We're losing our sense of justice. We're losing touch with the difference between right and wrong.
"We do not have to fund this war. We must leave Iraq now. Support our troops and bring them home. HR 1234 is a plan to end the war and stabilize Iraq and give Iraqis control of their oil.
"We must take a new path. We must take a path of truth and justice."
"The Associated Press reports that the latest Iraq Supplemental funding plan, incredibly, will tie an increase in the minimum wage to funding the war through October.
"If this is true, and I hope it is not, it tells American workers that the only way they will get an increase in wages is to continue to support funding the war which is taking the lives of their sons and daughters.
"First blood for oil. Now a minimum wage for maximum blood. Aren't the American people giving enough blood for this war without having to give more to have a wage increase?
"What's happened to our country? We are losing our moral compass. We're losing our sense of justice. We're losing touch with the difference between right and wrong.
"We do not have to fund this war. We must leave Iraq now. Support our troops and bring them home. HR 1234 is a plan to end the war and stabilize Iraq and give Iraqis control of their oil.
"We must take a new path. We must take a path of truth and justice."
Monday
Secrecy News
Secrecy News Some recently updated reports of the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf).
Sunday
Nation & World | Iraq a "big moneymaker" for al-Qaida, says CIA | Seattle Times Newspaper Our tax dollars at work.
Foreclosure crisis looms, housing analysts say: South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Foreclosure crisis looms, housing analysts say: South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "As the housing meltdown continues, analysts predict a surge in foreclosures this year and next that will add to the glut of homes already for sale and further depress property values"
Friday
Tuesday
POLITICS-US: Commander's Veto Sank Threatening Gulf Buildup
POLITICS-US: Commander's Veto Sank Threatening Gulf Buildup: "'There are several of us trying to put the crazies back in the box.'"
Monday
Israel marks 40 year rule of Arab east Jerusalem - Yahoo! News
Israel marks 40 year rule of Arab east Jerusalem - Yahoo! News: "'The last 40 years were only the beginning,' Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a special parliamentary session marking the anniversary according to the Hebrew calendar.
'I believe, I hope and I pray that we will continue to work together to reinforce Jerusalem in order to extend its boundaries.'"
'I believe, I hope and I pray that we will continue to work together to reinforce Jerusalem in order to extend its boundaries.'"
Saturday
Friday
House rejects nine-month Iraq withdrawal - Yahoo! News: " The Democratic-controlled House defeated legislation Thursday to require the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq within nine months"
Zack Space bucking for a "Heckuva Job" medal from Bush.
Zack Space bucking for a "Heckuva Job" medal from Bush.
Wednesday
Jury selected for Padilla trial - Los Angeles Times
Jury selected for Padilla trial - Los Angeles Times: "the only practicing Muslim brought before the lawyers Tuesday was dismissed by the prosecution. Assistant U.S. Atty. John C. Shipley told Cooke the government objected to her service because she had read publications from Yemen, Syria and Iran."
Tuesday
Judge drops charges against Posada - 05/08/2007 - MiamiHerald.com
Judge drops charges against Posada - 05/08/2007 - MiamiHerald.com: "Posada was in El Paso with his lawyer, Arturo Hernandez, celebrating the surprise move by the Bush-appointed judge."
Adam's World: Russell Simmons On "Doing You"
Adam's World: Russell Simmons On "Doing You": "Russell Simmons: I like Dennis Kucinich, how bout that?"
Monday
George Tenet cashes in on Iraq | Salon News
George Tenet cashes in on Iraq | Salon News: "The former CIA chief is earning big money from corporations profiting off the war -- a fact not mentioned in his combative new book or heard on his publicity blitz."
Sunday
Proposed $508-million U.S. sale to Iraq includes explosives - Los Angeles Times
Proposed $508-million U.S. sale to Iraq includes explosives - Los Angeles Times US government finds not enough weapons in Iraq.
Saturday
CJR Daily: Is This What the Army Thinks of Us?
CJR Daily: Is This What the Army Thinks of Us?: "Under 'traditional domestic threats' we find hackers and militia groups, while 'non-traditional' threats include drug cartels, and -- yes -- the media. Just to put that into some perspective, the foreign 'non-traditional threats' are listed as warlords, and Al Qaeda."
Friday
The National Arbor Day Foundation Plant hardiness zones based on 2006 climate, contrasted with 1990 USDA update. The New York Times reports that "[t]he Agriculture Department is in the process of redoing the map itself. But critics have taken issue with the department’s decision to use 30 years of temperature data, saying it will result in cooler averages and fail to reflect the warming climate. The 1990 U.S.D.A. map used 13 years of data; the Arbor Day map used 15 years ending in 2004."
The U.S. Attorney, the G.O.P. Congressman and the Timely Job Offer - New York Times
The U.S. Attorney, the G.O.P. Congressman and the Timely Job Offer - New York Times: "the riskiest job in the Bush administration is being a prosecutor investigating a Republican "
Tuesday
Monday
Saturday
Out of America: Going to college? Watch out for Bush's bandits - Independent Online Edition > Americas
Out of America: Going to college? Watch out for Bush's bandits - Independent Online Edition > Americas: "In a way, the US student loan system resembles the over-layered health-care system here. Just as America rejects the single-payer health system embraced by other advanced countries, in the name of choice and a fictional 'efficiency', so it privatises student loans. But like the health insurers, the private lenders are in business to make a profit.
And as these middlemen prosper, college education costs grow faster than any other sector of the family budget (with the exception, of course, of health care). Thus inflation-adjusted student debt is up 60 per cent in a decade, and the US student loan business is now worth $85bn. "
And as these middlemen prosper, college education costs grow faster than any other sector of the family budget (with the exception, of course, of health care). Thus inflation-adjusted student debt is up 60 per cent in a decade, and the US student loan business is now worth $85bn. "
ARMED FORCES JOURNAL - A failure in generalship - May 2007
ARMED FORCES JOURNAL - A failure in generalship - May 2007 Another left-wing whacko chimes in.
The Gavel » Blog Archive » General William Odom Delivers Democratic Radio Address on Iraq
The Gavel » Blog Archive » General William Odom Delivers Democratic Radio Address on Iraq: "Thus, he lets the United States fly further and further into trouble, squandering its influence, money, and blood, facilitating the gains of our enemies. The Congress is the only mechanism we have to fill this vacuum in command judgment.
To put this in a simple army metaphor, the Commander-in-Chief seems to have gone AWOL"
-Lt. General William E. Odom (left wing nutjob)
To put this in a simple army metaphor, the Commander-in-Chief seems to have gone AWOL"
-Lt. General William E. Odom (left wing nutjob)
Thursday
U.S. and Japan sign nuclear power pact - Los Angeles Times: ""Some kind of nuclear nirvana is the driving force behind this," said Victor Gilinsky, a former member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "It has a certain intellectual appeal until you think about how it would work and what it would cost.""
Malpractice Juries Tend to Side More With Doctors, Researcher Finds: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
Malpractice Juries Tend to Side More With Doctors, Researcher Finds: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "juries are several times more likely to depart from the judgment of the [independent medical] reviewers when doing so will exonerate the defendant than they are to disagree when doing so will lead to liability. The repeated finding that juries rule in favor of defendant physicians more often than physician reviewers do is remarkable given the documented reluctance of physicians to label another physician's care as negligent."
Political Briefings At Agencies Disclosed - washingtonpost.com I got one question. Do you feel coerced? Well? Do ya, punk?
Unidentified witness claims he was offered $100,000 to kill Boulis: South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Unidentified witness claims he was offered $100,000 to kill Boulis: South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Kidan and his former SunCruz partner, fallen super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, are serving 70-month prison sentences for lying "
Wednesday
Tuesday
Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Congressman Dennis Kucinich Supporting Documents for H Res 333 - Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Cheney
Terrorized by 'War on Terror' - washingtonpost.com
Terrorized by 'War on Terror' - washingtonpost.com: "Constant reference to a 'war on terror' did accomplish one major objective: It stimulated the emergence of a culture of fear."
Monday
FT.com / World - Text of World Bank letter
FT.com / World - Text of World Bank letter: "For the good of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz should resign"
Sunday
Why do straights hate gays? - Los Angeles Times
Why do straights hate gays? - Los Angeles Times
Kramer is absolutely correct that heterosexism is the last remaining bigotry that's acceptable to express in public in the US, and the only one with no legal recourse whatever in most jurisdictions. (I say "in public" in full awareness of what I finally, a little tipsy, confronted someone with a few weeks back: it's amazing the things people will say when they assume you're white.)
But even more sadly, at this time in history, his more general comments about prejudice could apply to any racial, ethnic, religious, political, body-morphic or sexual minority. When it comes down to it, "[t]here is not a candidate or major public figure who would not sell" ANY of us down the river, and most of them of both major parties have done so more than once in recent memory.
Kramer is absolutely correct that heterosexism is the last remaining bigotry that's acceptable to express in public in the US, and the only one with no legal recourse whatever in most jurisdictions. (I say "in public" in full awareness of what I finally, a little tipsy, confronted someone with a few weeks back: it's amazing the things people will say when they assume you're white.)
But even more sadly, at this time in history, his more general comments about prejudice could apply to any racial, ethnic, religious, political, body-morphic or sexual minority. When it comes down to it, "[t]here is not a candidate or major public figure who would not sell" ANY of us down the river, and most of them of both major parties have done so more than once in recent memory.
Saturday
Wolfowitz's girlfriend problem | Salon.com
Wolfowitz's girlfriend problem | Salon.com: "The person who did work with Riza in her new position was Elizabeth Cheney, then the deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs. And Riza's assignment fell under the purview of Karen Hughes, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. But these facts raise more questions than they answer.
The documents released by the World Bank do not include any of the communications with the State Department. How did Elizabeth Cheney come to be involved? Did Wolfowitz speak with Vice President Dick Cheney, for whom he had been a deputy when Cheney was secretary of defense in the elder Bush's administration?
Riza, who is not a U.S. citizen, had to receive a security clearance in order to work at the State Department. Who intervened? "
The documents released by the World Bank do not include any of the communications with the State Department. How did Elizabeth Cheney come to be involved? Did Wolfowitz speak with Vice President Dick Cheney, for whom he had been a deputy when Cheney was secretary of defense in the elder Bush's administration?
Riza, who is not a U.S. citizen, had to receive a security clearance in order to work at the State Department. Who intervened? "
Thursday
RIM stays mum on cause of BlackBerry outage | Reuters.ca Deleting Rove's RNC emails from RIM servers ain't like dustin' crops.
Wednesday
Service Problems for BlackBerry System - New York Times
Service Problems for BlackBerry System - New York Times Deleting White House staff emails disrupts Blackberry service.
SCOTUSblog
SCOTUSblog: "For the first time since Roe, the Court blesses a prohibition with no exception protecting a woman's health."
Tuesday
POLITICS-U.S.: Wolfowitz Defenders Double Their Standards
POLITICS-U.S.: Wolfowitz Defenders Double Their Standards: "Some of the same neoconservative institutions that are defending World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz against charges that he unethically promoted the career and compensation of his romantic partner were among the most aggressive in attacking former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan for alleged nepotism on behalf of his son."
Monday
McClatchy Washington Bureau | 04/16/2007 | U.S. challenged on action against key bank
McClatchy Washington Bureau | 04/16/2007 | U.S. challenged on action against key bank The headline says "challenged." The story says that the US' freezing North Korean assets in Banco Delta Asia - resulting in North Korea's walking out of nuclear talks in September, 2005 - had "no basis in fact."
Sunday
Gone Fission: Firms Weigh Nuclear Option: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
Gone Fission: Firms Weigh Nuclear Option: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expecting about 30 applications for new reactors in the next few years....In the past, the approval process could last for years, in part because applicants were required to get two separate licenses for a plant's construction and operation. New rules let applicants get both licenses at the same time..."
Friday
State's drivers are pumping less gas - Los Angeles Times: The federal Energy Information Administration reported that U.S. gasoline consumption rose more than 1% in 2006. But since demand slipped in California — the nation's largest gasoline market — some have doubts about the nationwide figure.
3 Generals Spurn the Position of War 'Czar' - washingtonpost.com
3 Generals Spurn the Position of War 'Czar' - washingtonpost.com: "The very fundamental issue is, they don't know where the hell they're going"
Thursday
Strategic Security Blog
Strategic Security Blog: "Iraq's Looted Arms Depots: What the GAO Didn't Mention"
Secrecy News
Secrecy News: "AIPAC Court Considers 'Silent Witness' ProcedureAIPAC Court Considers 'Silent Witness' Procedure"
Rush to Judgment: Politics & Power: vanityfair.com
Rush to Judgment: Politics & Power: vanityfair.com: "talk radio's most imitated showman, conservatism's minister of disinformation, he has injected millions of semi-vacant American skulls with a cream filling of complacency that has helped thrust this country into the forefront of backward leadership"
Sunday
Thursday
Le Monde.fr Interview with Robert Fisk: "the largest party in the insurrection has communicated to... The Independent... its proposals for a ceasefire in Iraq.... I understand that it is impossible now for M. Bush to disavow M. Maliki, but the declarations I have received show clearly that the insurgents want a negotiated solution, not only a military victory."
Tuesday
Monday
Saturday
Terrorized by 'War on Terror' - washingtonpost.com
Terrorized by 'War on Terror' - washingtonpost.com: "Where is the U.S. leader ready to say, 'Enough of this hysteria, stop this paranoia'? Even in the face of future terrorist attacks, the likelihood of which cannot be denied, let us show some sense. Let us be true to our traditions."
Friday
Not that I've read the whole 168 pages or anything. But a few random thoughts on the Iraq spending bill: (pdf)
(1) The bill gives full props and power to the CiC. §§1908(a), 1909. Does anyone remember Reagan's certifications of "human rights progress" in Guatemala in the '80s? Does anyone doubt that Bush can keep an indefinite number of troops in Iraq indefinitely under the FOUR (count 'em) missions on which the bill permits indefinite deployment? §1904(f).
(2) Out of the $120-some billion in the bill, only about $10 billion is set to expire in 9/08. More of that is earmarked for Afghanistan than for Iraq.
(3) Another several billion dollars in funding is set to expire 9/09, which is utterly symbolic since the spending bills are good for only two years anyhow.
(4) Deadlines on spending merely encourage the Administration to spend the money faster. Then come back for more. Duh. Remember the Great White Fleet? Okay, I'm too young, too. Teddy Roosevelt wanted to send the Navy around the world in a show of force. Congress refused to fund the mission. So as CiC, Roosevelt deployed the Navy to just sail. And, when they ran out of money in Japan, left it up to Congress whether they wanted to fund the return trip or not.
So, are you *still* proud of your Representative for voting for the bill?
(1) The bill gives full props and power to the CiC. §§1908(a), 1909. Does anyone remember Reagan's certifications of "human rights progress" in Guatemala in the '80s? Does anyone doubt that Bush can keep an indefinite number of troops in Iraq indefinitely under the FOUR (count 'em) missions on which the bill permits indefinite deployment? §1904(f).
(2) Out of the $120-some billion in the bill, only about $10 billion is set to expire in 9/08. More of that is earmarked for Afghanistan than for Iraq.
(3) Another several billion dollars in funding is set to expire 9/09, which is utterly symbolic since the spending bills are good for only two years anyhow.
(4) Deadlines on spending merely encourage the Administration to spend the money faster. Then come back for more. Duh. Remember the Great White Fleet? Okay, I'm too young, too. Teddy Roosevelt wanted to send the Navy around the world in a show of force. Congress refused to fund the mission. So as CiC, Roosevelt deployed the Navy to just sail. And, when they ran out of money in Japan, left it up to Congress whether they wanted to fund the return trip or not.
So, are you *still* proud of your Representative for voting for the bill?
Thursday
Wednesday
Politics of Fuel Economy Catch Up to Automakers - washingtonpost.com
Politics of Fuel Economy Catch Up to Automakers - washingtonpost.com: "'Something happened in the last five years, most likely the war in Iraq,' said Mike Jackson, chairman and chief executive of AutoNation, the nation's largest chain of dealerships. 'People see the connection that we went to war for the first time over oil, we stayed around over oil and we're back there over oil.'"
Secrecy News
Secrecy News: "The cost of post-9/11 U.S. military operations has now reached $510 billion"
POLITICS-US: Key Democrat Pressured to Cut War Funding
POLITICS-US: Key Democrat Pressured to Cut War Funding: "Nancy Pelosi some time ago made a conscious decision that she was going to stop representing San Francisco and start trying to be a national figure"
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