They Think You're Stupid...

White House denies calling for probe THE White House said overnight it had no role in the Justice Department's decision to investigate the leaking of classified information indicating that President George W. Bush authorised a secret government wiretap program. "The Justice Department undertook this action on its own, which is the way it should be," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said in Crawford, Texas, where the President was enjoying a year-end vacation on his ranch. But he added: "The White House was informed of the decision, as was the president." Mr Duffy stressed that "the leaking of classified information is a serious issue." And he defended the use of wiretaps, warning that "Al-Qaeda's playbook is not printed on page one, and when America's is, it has serious ramifications."

The 'White House' wants the public to think they had nothing to do with the Justice Department's investigation into who leaked the wiretap information. Bush and other Republicans also want you to think that al-Qaeda just realized they were being monitored since that leak. They think you're stupid......And, if you believe either one of those-then they're right...you are stupid. Get your head out of your ass!

Death Toll for the American Military in Iraq in 2005 Is 844

At least 844 American service members were killed in Iraq in 2005, nearly matching 2004's total of 848, and the number of service members wounded in 2005 was significantly higher than in the previous year, according to information released by the United States government and a nonprofit organization that tracks casualties in Iraq. In 2005, the number of Americans wounded in Iraq, 9,157, exceeded the number wounded in 2004, when the total was 7,956. The deaths of two Americans announced by the United States military on Friday - a marine killed by gunfire in Falluja and a soldier killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad - brought the total killed since the war in Iraq began in March 2003 to 2,178. The total wounded since the war began is 15,955. In 2005, the single bloodiest month for American soldiers and marines was January, when 107 were killed and nearly 500 were wounded. At the time, American forces were conducting numerous operations to secure the country for the elections on Jan. 30. The second worst month was October, when 96 Americans were killed and 603 wounded. More than half of all 2005 American military deaths, 427, were caused by homemade bombs, most of them planted along roadsides and detonated as vehicles passed. American commanders have said that roadside bombs, the leading cause of death in Iraq, have grown larger and more sophisticated. Many, for instance, are triggered by remote detonators and are large enough to destroy heavily armored tanks and troop carriers. The totals were compiled by Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, a nonprofit group that tracks American service members killed and wounded in Iraq. The Associated Press, which keeps its own statistics, reported the year's death toll as slightly lower, saying that 841 had been killed.

House Republicans go after wrong group

You want to stop illegal aliens from coming to the U.S.? Make it a $100,000 fine and 1 year in jail for the employer of each illegal alien they hire and we will see the problem go away in six months. But, that will never happen because the Chamber of Commerce folks have the Republican Party in their back pockets so it's much easier to go after Catholic and private social services. Oh sure, the bill mentions 'stiffening the penalties for employers' but we all know how that will work. Add to that 'House border-security bill' provisions that state 'One year in jail plus $100,000 fine for every illegal alien hired' and we will see how fast those Republican phony-bastards pull that bill.

Bill on Illegal-Immigrant Aid Draws Fire "Churches, social service agencies and immigration groups across the country are rallying against a provision in the recently passed House border-security bill that would make it a federal crime to offer services or assistance to illegal immigrants. The measure would broaden the nation's immigrant-smuggling law so that people who assist or shield illegal immigrants would be subject to prosecution. Offenders, who might include priests, nurses or social workers, could face up to five years in prison. The proposal would also allow the authorities to seize some assets of those convicted of such a crime. Proponents of the legislation have argued that such provisions would make it harder for illegal immigrants to thrive in the United States by discouraging people from helping them".

Inquiry to Find Person Who Exposed Crime

Who is investigating the Justice Department? Why is Alberto Gonzales investigating the person who exposed the crime rather than those who actually committed the crime? Gonzales needs to step aside and allow an independent investigation of not only George Bush, but his own Justice Department as well. The whistle-blower who exposed the illegal eavesdropping deserves and should be granted immunity for bravely coming forward and exposing a clear violation of the law. Justice Dept. Opens Inquiry Into Leak of Domestic Spying

The Justice Department said today that it had opened a criminal investigation into the disclosure of classified information about a secret National Security Agency program under which President Bush authorized eavesdropping on people in the United States without a court warrant. The investigation apparently began in recent days following a formal referral from the agency regarding the leak, federal officials said on condition of anonymity. The program, whose existence was revealed in an article in The New York Times on Dec. 16, has provoked sharp criticism from civil liberties groups, some members of Congress and some former intelligence officials who believe it circumvents the law governing national security eavesdropping. Privacy advocates said today that the leak investigation should be set aside, at least for now, in favor of an investigation of the warrantless eavesdropping itself. "President Bush broke the law and lied to the American people when he unilaterally authorized secret wiretaps of U.S. citizens," said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "But rather than focus on this constitutional crisis, Attorney General Gonzales is cracking down on critics of his friend and boss. Our nation is strengthened, not weakened, by those whistle-blowers who are courageous enough to speak out on violations of the law."

U.S. Planning 2006 Attack on Iran?

CIA Director Porter Goss Meets Turkish Police Officials in Ankara, Dec. 13.

Istanbul/Berlin: The news item put a major damper on the pre-holiday (Christmas) spirit: Washington is preparing its closest allies for the likelihood of an air assault on Iran. This was reported by DDP (Deutsche Depeschendienst, Germany's second leading news agency after DPA), which put out an article to this effect written by Udo Ulfkotte, a former editor for one of Germany's main dailies Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) and an intelligence service expert. However, considerable doubt about this claim is warranted. Ulfkotte's controversial sources are named as "Western security circles," and he never gets more specific. According to him, CIA Director Porter Goss, on a visit to Istanbul, asked Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to support the air strikes against Iranian nuclear and military installations by stepping up the exchange of intelligence. As it stands, the strikes are planned to occur in 2006. Furthermore, DDP reports that during the past few weeks the governments of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman and Pakistan have also been approached regarding the military plans. Air strikes were characterized as "an option" in these discussions, but a time frame was not mentioned. On his Istanbul visit, Goss is alleged to have given Turkish security services three dossiers that prove Iranian cooperation with al-Qaeda. In addition, there was a fourth dossier focusing on the current state of Iran's nuclear weapons program. According to information from German intelligence sources, the CIA director assured the Turkish government that it would be informed several hours ahead of any attack, and also green-lighted almost simultaneous Turkish attacks on camps in Iran run by the PKK, the Kurdish separatist organization. This go-ahead appears rather strange since the PKK runs its camps out of northern Iraq and has no such installations in Iran. The apparent escalation, as DDP reports it, is above all the outcome of the latest anti-Semitic outbursts by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His verbal attacks on Israel have supposedly convinced the U.S. government that Teheran will not back down in the nuclear stand-off, and that Iran is simply dragging its feet. A high-ranking German military officer, wishing to remain anonymous, is quoted as saying: "It would surprise me enormously if the Americans did not use this pretext supplied by Teheran. The Americans must attack Iran before it develops nuclear weapons. Afterwards, it would be too late."

DOD News Release(s)- 2 Operation Enduring Freedom, 1 Iraq

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051229-12246.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1399-05 December 29, 2005 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casulaty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier, who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. 1st Sgt. Tobias C. Meister, 30, of Jenks, Okla., died south of Asadabad, Afghanistan on Dec. 28, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat patrol operations. Meister was assigned to the Army Reserve's 321st Civil Affairs Brigade, San Antonio, Texas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051229-12245.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 6313-05 December 29, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier, who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Pfc. Jason D. Hasenauer, 21, of Hilton, N.Y., died near Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Dec. 28, when his HMMWV accidentally rolled over during patrol operations. Hasenauer was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051230-12247.html On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051230-12247.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1340-05 December 30, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier, who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Aaron M. Forbes, 24, of Oak Island, N.C., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 28, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Forbes was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

They're going to burn in Hell!

'Cheap Monday' Brand Jeans Are a Hot Trend in Sweden, Despite Their Anti-Christian Skull Logo

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Cheap Monday jeans are a hot commodity among young Swedes thanks to their trendy tight fit and low price, even if a few buyers are turned off by the logo: a skull with a cross turned upside down on its forehead. Logo designer Bjorn Atldax says he's not just trying for an antiestablishment vibe. "It is an active statement against Christianity," Atldax told The Associated Press. "I'm not a Satanist myself, but I have a great dislike for organized religion." In more religious countries, that might raise a furious response, maybe even prompt retailers to drop the brand. Not in Sweden, a secular country that cherishes its free speech and where churchgoing has been declining for decades.

You would think from reading something like this that Sweden would be a country filled with crime, low standards of living and general mayhem, but quite the opposite is the reality of Sweden.

Jeep For Sale -- Cheap/OBO

Willys/M151 I purchased this Jeep a few years ago and since then have added a new stereo, new floor mats, new head-lamps, new top, new wipers, new hubcaps and washed, but didn't wax it and added air to all 4 tires and will sell it to the first $100,000 bidder. And, of course, 2 1/2% of the proceeds will go to the Republican politician of your choice.

'The Marine Corps is paying $100,000 apiece for a revamped military jeep that some critics call a rip-off of taxpayers, according to a news report Thursday. The Marines budgeted to buy more than 400 vehicles, called Growlers, under a contract that could total $296 million including ammunition, USA Today said, citing Pentagon records. Built by Ocala, Florida-based American Growler, the Growler is made partly from salvaged M151 jeep parts and is available in several versions. Four years ago, the Dominican Republic paid $33,000 for a version of the Growler, the paper said citing US Export-Import Bank records. A commercial version of the jeep costs just $7,500'.

It's a shot in the dark to imply or accuse a company that has these sweetheart government deals of being a Republican-Party campaign contributor, but odds are they do grease the palms of some politician and since it's money being ripped-off through military spending, I guess I automatically assume. I tried looking at Florida's campaign contributors on-line disclosure site but nothing came up for 'American Growler' or its two co-owners, 'Bill Crisp' or 'Col. Curtis Crews'. 'Bill and the Col.' are either paying somebody kick-backs or they've got one hell of a sales pitch. By the way.....I'll take $98,000 for the Jeep.

Free Saddam to end woes in Iraq

Saddam's lawyer has a deal for George Bush. Free him and he will settle things down for you in Iraq. There you have it. Maybe we can get our $300 billion back, too.

The United States should free Saddam Hussein if it wants to end its problems in Iraq and earn the friendship of Arabs, the former Iraqi president's lawyer wrote in a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush.

Bush's Bubble Bursting?

When it comes to Bush and the economy one of the few bright spots has been the housing industry. Already having the depreciative distinction of being the first president since Herbert Hoover to have negative job growth during a 4 year term in office; Bush will now see the industry that's given him 50% of the dismal number of new jobs created in his first five years start to stagnate. George W. Bush has borrowed more money from foreign sources in his five years in office than all of the previous 42 presidents before him. That's right, Bush borrowed more money from 2001-2005 than what was borrowed from 1776-2000. (And they call themselves 'conservatives'! What a joke.) But unfortunately, the American consumer has played a stupid game of 'follow the leader' over those last five years in mortgage refinancing and borrowing and a downturn in housing values could spell disaster for many. Prepare yourself for a more Bush and Republican style economy when the housing market starts to slow down.

US housing market starts to cool 'Sales of existing homes declined in November while price increases slowed, adding to mounting evidence on Thursday that the red hot US housing market is starting to cool. Thursday’s data show that the stock of unsold houses has continued to rise steadily. The number of existing homes for sale is at an all time high, up 14 per cent on the same month last year. At the current rate of sales, it would take 5 months to sell the 2.9m existing homes on the market. Sales of new homes have also weakened and prices have stagnated '.

Two Americans Killed in Afghanistan

Two soldiers, an American and an Afghan, were killed and two U.S. service members were wounded in a roadside bomb attack Wednesday in eastern Afghanistan, a U.S. military spokesman said. Another U.S. service member was killed and four were injured when their armored vehicle overturned in an accident in the southern province of Kandahar, a military statement said. The accident was not caused by hostile activity, the statement said. A Taliban spokesman asserted responsibility for the attack that killed the American and the Afghan in Konar province, which borders Pakistan. More than 50 U.S. soldiers have been killed in combat in Afghanistan this year, the most deadly period for U.S. forces since the overthrow of the Taliban militia in 2001. The Bush administration announced this month that it planned to cut U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan to about 16,500 from 19,000 by next spring.

Reducing troops in Afghanistan? Have we completed the mission in Afghanistan? It would seem practical to me to increase our troop level there until we completed what we sat out to do well over 4 years ago and to do otherwise shows an obvious weakness from the Bush administration. We should have 'accomplished the mission' on the real war on terror instead of making one up in Iraq where it wasn't needed. Why the 'sheep' don't get that is truly astounding to me.

Jack Abramoff

Very well written and in-depth look at Jack Abramoff and the criminal case the government has against him. With close connections to Tom Delay, Conrad Burns, Bob Ney, Grover Norquist, Ralph Reed, and even a possible connection to minority leader, Harry Reid, the Abramoff scandal is going to rock Washington D.C. Jack Abramoff faces trial Jan. 9 in Florida in a fraud case involving the purchase of a $147 million casino ship company and his partner in that, Adam Kidan, has agreed to testify against him. The man on the other end of the casino ship deal, Gus Boulis, ended up dead shortly after from a gangland hit and the three men later arrested for the murder had some association to Adam Kidan. It should interesting. Many believe Abramoff will cop a plea before Jan. 9, but what does he have to give up on Delay, Ney or Grover Norquist that's bigger than the crimes he may have committed? I'll guess we'll have to wait and see. Again, great article...well worth reading. How a Well-Connected Lobbyist Became the Center of a Far-Reaching Corruption Scandal

Jack Abramoff liked to slip into dialogue from "The Godfather" as he led his lobbying colleagues in planning their next conquest on Capitol Hill. In a favorite bit, he would mimic an ice-cold Michael Corleone facing down a crooked politician's demand for a cut of Mafia gambling profits: "Senator, you can have my answer now if you like. My offer is this: nothing." A reconstruction of the lobbyist's rise and fall shows that he was an ingenious dealmaker who hatched interlocking schemes that exploited the machinery of government and trampled the norms of doing business in Washington -- .

So Many Republican Hypocrites, So Little Time

It's always interesting to know who a married "family values" Republican is dating. Santa and his elves didn't just bring stockings full of goodies for the kiddies on Christmas, he also brought with him a bountiful bag of Republican hypocrisy. Take Tennessee Republican State Senator Jeff Miller, your average "family values" GOP poseur. The family always comes first to senator Miller, except when you are going through a divorce and a local newspaper talks about your dating. Then family values takes second place to threatening advertisers in the local newspaper -- the Bradley News Weekly to be specific. Miller told local retailers in a town about 20 miles from Chattanooga, "Myself and many others are going to be watching in the next several weeks to identify and remember those in this community that wish to subsidize the destructive nature of this type of publication in our community." Whoa! This guy is a Dick Cheney wannabe! BuzzFlash GOP Hypocrite of the Week

the Truth About the War

Tell the Truth About the War Video - Unembedded: Four Independent Photojournalists on the War in Iraq By Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Kael Alford, Thorne Anderson and Rita Leistner

"Much of what is shown in Unembedded will probably disturb many Americans who have generally watched a sanitized version of the war and occupation unfold on their TV screens. Unembedded captures the whole range of Iraqi life under US occupation from joyful wedding scenes to the carnage of civilian casualties. Its a stunning book." —Peter Bergen, author of Holy War Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden

Kael Alford Born in Middletown, NY, 1971. Kael is a freelance photojournalist who has spent more than eight months of the last year and a half in Iraq. She was based in Baghdad during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Her recent work from Iraq focuses on the growing culture of resistance, conservative religion and the grass roots movements developing since the invasion of Iraq. Thorne Anderson Born in Montgomery, Alabama, 1966. Thorne has been covering international news with Corbis/Sygma since 1999. Thorne's photographs are regularly published in magazines and newspapers including Time, Newsweek, Stern, New York Times, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Times (London), The Guardian, and others. Thorne has spent ten months of the last two years in Iraq. He is among the few active journalists who worked in Iraq during the sanctions period before the most recent war. Rita Leistner Born in Toronto, Canada, Rita Leistner is a graduate of the International Center for Photography in New York, and has a master’s degree in comparative literature from the University of Toronto. She spent 10 months covering the war in Iraq between April 2003 and September 2004. With a focus on in-depth, long-term projects, her feature work includes a profile of an American Cavalry Unit during a three month embed in the spring and summer of 2003. Ghaith Abdul-Ahad Born in Baghdad, Iraq, 1975. Ghaith studied architecture in Baghdad University and had never travelled outside Iraq until after the recent war. A deserter from Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army, Ghaith lived under ground in Baghdad for six years, changing his residence every few months to avoid detection and arrest. He began making street photography in 2001 and determined to document conditions in Baghdad during the war.

"Working outside the U.S. military’s official “embedding” program, the authors bring us face-to-face with the people of Iraq. They combine photographs and essays with excerpts from two years of personal letters, journal entries, and feature stories to take us across front lines and cultural barriers into the lives of a nation in crisis. Theirs is a path to understanding the cost of war".

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE UNEMBEDDED VIDEO

Loosen up...Don't be so uptight

'Porno posters' embarrass new EU head

Spoof images of Queen, Bush, Chirac raise eyebrows in Austria Spoof posters depicting Britain's Queen Elizabeth having sex with the U.S. and French presidents that are displayed across Vienna are causing embarrassment just days ahead of Austria's taking over the EU presidency. The images show two naked female models wearing masks of President George W. Bush and the queen, and a male model with a President Jacques Chirac mask, positioned as if they are having sex.

George is down there somewhere.....

Fear destroys what bin Laden could not

"It appears to me that the Congress understands we got to keep the Patriot Act in place, that we're still under threat, there's still an enemy that wants to harm us."

DOD News Release(s) 8 Soldiers

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051228-12230.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1333-05 December 28, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers, who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died in Baghdad, Iraq on Dec. 26, when their Apache helicopter collided with another military aircraft in mid-air and then crashed. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Killed were: Chief Warrant Officer Richard M. Salter, 44, of Cypress, Texas. Chief Warrant Officer Isaias E. Santos, 28, of Ancon, Panama. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051228-12238.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1335-05 December 28, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 27, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their dismounted patrol. Both soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Killed were: Spc. Lance S. Sage, 26, of Hempstead , N.Y. Pvt. Joshua M. Morberg, 20, of Sparks , Nev. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051228-12229.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1332-05 December 28, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Dane O. Carver, 20, of Freeport, Mich., died in Khalidiyah, Iraq on Dec. 26, when his HMMWV came under attack by enemy forces using small arms fire. Carver was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Saginaw, Mich. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051228-12237.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1334-05 December 28, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Dominic R. Coles, 25, of Jesup, Ga., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 26, when his HMMWV came under attack during combat operations by enemy forces using small arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. Coles was assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051227-12222.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1328-05 December 27, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Anthony O. Cardinal, 20, of Muskegon, Mich., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 25, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Cardinal was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051227-12223.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1329-05 December 27, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Sergio Gudino, 22, of Pomona, Calif., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 25, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1A1 tank during combat operations. Gudino was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, the Supreme Court will act on Padilla

We'll see who the real "Constitutionalists" on the Supreme Court are Attorney General Alberto Gonzales wanted a U.S. appeals Court to just forget about the 3 1/2 years they've held Jose Padilla locked in a military prison, without charge and without an attorney, and let them now try Padilla in a civilian court. Jose Padilla is an American citizen, arrested on U.S. soil, and his rights under the 6th Amendment are very clear and trump any law or executive power maneuver by Bush or Alberto Gonzales to label some one an 'enemy combatant'. We will see which Supreme Court Justices follow the Constitution when they rule on whether the 6th Amendment pertains to all American citizens regardless of your alleged crime. Any bets on Scalia and Thomas voting for the government and against the Constitution?

Supreme Court asked to transfer Padilla The U.S. government on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to transfer American "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla from U.S. military custody to federal authorities in Florida -- one week after an appeals court refused a similar request. In a filing to the high court, Solicitor General Paul Clement asked for Padilla's release so he can stand trial on charges of being part of a support cell providing money and recruits for militants overseas. Padilla was indicted last month in Florida for conspiracy to murder and aiding terrorists abroad but the charges make no reference to accusations made by U.S. officials after his arrest in May 2002 that he plotted with al Qaeda to set off a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the United States. Last week, in a rebuke to the Bush administration, a U.S. appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, denied the Justice Department's request to approve his transfer from military to civilian custody.

Continued Killing and Mayhem 'is inevitable'

'Kurdish leaders have inserted more than 10,000 of their militia members into Iraqi army divisions in northern Iraq to lay the groundwork to swarm south, seize the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and possibly half of Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city, and secure the borders of an independent Kurdistan. Five days of interviews with Kurdish leaders and troops in the region suggest that U.S. plans to bring unity to Iraq before withdrawing American troops by training and equipping a national army aren't gaining traction. Instead, some troops that are formally under U.S. and Iraqi national command are preparing to protect territory and ethnic and religious interests in the event of Iraq's fragmentation, which many of them think is inevitable'.

With most of the attention focused on the struggles between the Sunni and the Shia, the Kurds have steadily 'laid the groundwork' to their long-sought after 'Kurdistan' dream with Kirkuk as its capital. It's going to get even uglier in Iraq when the Kurds make their move for independence, which could even possibly drag Turkey into this mess. Let's just hope our soldiers and Marines aren't asked to referee that one, too. But unfortunately, don't bet they won't. Time to leave and time to re-deploy to Afghanistan.

Dubya's close friend going to prison

Enron's former chief accounting officer, Richard Causey, has struck a plea bargain with federal prosecutors and will avoid going to trial with the fallen energy company's two top executives, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. Causey was expected to plead guilty Wednesday to one or more of the 34 criminal charges pending against him, this person told The Associated Press Tuesday on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the discussions. Causey, 45, agreed to testify against his former bosses, Enron Corp. founder Kenneth "Kenny Boy" Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling, in exchange for a much lesser prison sentence than he would receive if convicted on all counts.

2,172

2,172

Iran

'Nonetheless, they said, they were concerned that Iran was strengthening its missile technology at the same time that its new president had declared that Israel should be "wiped off the map," and that new evidence, acquired from a stolen laptop computer in Iran, suggested that Iranian engineers were grappling with the technical difficulties of fitting a nuclear device atop a missile'.

U.S. to Punish...Iran...

take the battery out

CIA agents' use of cell phones during mission lets police in Italy identify them, spurring agency review. Milan - The trick is known to just about every small-time crook in the cellular age: If you don't want police to know where you are, take the battery out of your cell phone when you're not using it. Had that trick been taught at the CIA's rural Virginia training school for covert operatives, the Bush administration might have avoided much of the crisis in Europe over the practice the CIA calls "rendition." When CIA operatives assembled here nearly three years ago to abduct an Egyptian-born Muslim preacher named Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, and "render" him to Cairo, they left their cell phone batteries in. Even when not in use, a cell phone sends a periodic signal, enabling the worldwide cellular network to know where to look for it in case of an incoming call. Those signals allowed Italian police investigating Abu Omar's disappearance to construct an almost minute-by-minute record of his abduction in February 2003, and to identify nearly two dozen people as his abductors. CIA director Porter Goss, "horrified" at the sloppiness of the Milan rendition, has ordered a "top-down" review of the agency's "tradecraft," the nuts and bolts of the spy business.

Cheney's secretive approach....

...it's an 'approach' to screw the government and taxpayers at the same time. Typical Dick Cheney...Where's the outrage?

Over the past four years, Cheney has made 275 speeches and appearances, including 23 speeches to think tanks and trade organizations and 16 to colleges and universities, according to the center's research. By calling it "official travel," the center said, the public has been footing the bill rather than the group sponsoring his speech. If outside groups -- such as trade associations and schools -- aren't paying the tab for Cheney's appearances, then who is? The taxpayers, according to the Center for Public Integrity. "Cheney's office also appears to have stuck taxpayers with untold millions in travel costs rather than accepting trip sponsors' funds that the rules would require to be disclosed," the center's report states. Government ethics experts say Cheney's approach to travel disclosure is emblematic of his approach to government. "His approach is to provide as little information as possible and to look for ways to avoid public accountability," said Kathleen Clark, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert on government ethics. "Certainly, it is emblematic of his secretive approach to governance."

Is the I-word gaining ground?

"This nation sits at a crossroads. One direction points to the higher road of the rule of law...The other road is the path of least resistance" in which "we pitch the law completely overboard when the mood fits us...[and] close our eyes to the potential lawbreaking...and tear an unfixable hole in our legal system." House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, 1998 Fast forward to December 2005. Not one official in the entire Bush Administration has been fired or indicted, not to mention impeached, for the shedding of American blood in Iraq or for the shredding of our Constitution at home. As Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter put it--hours after the New York Times reported that Bush had authorized NSA wiretapping of US citizens without judicial warrants--this President has committed a real transgression that "goes beyond sex, corruption and political intrigue to big issues like security versus liberty and the reasonable bounds of presidential power." But the times they are a' changin'. The I-word has moved from the marginal to the mainstream--although columnists like.....C

A pill they won't swallow

Boston University medical students Chen Kenyon (right) and Dustin Petersen discuss their opposition to doctors accepting freebies from pharmaceutical companies.

Their pens read "PharmFree," which means they don't take personal gifts of any size from the pharmaceutical industry. And that is touching off a quiet ethics war reverberating through the halls of academia and hospitals across the country. Messrs. Kenyon and Petersen are among a growing band of stethoscope-wearing students who believe the medical profession needs more detachment from big pharmaceutical firms.

(Drug companies seem to be finding plenty of takers though: spending on marketing to physicians jumped from $12.1 billion in 1999 to $22 billion in 2003 ($16 billion of which was in free samples)

Memories of the 80's

Will George W. Bush reign over two recessions like Ronald Reagan did?

Yields on 10-year US Treasuries fell briefly below those on two-year notes on Tuesday for the first time in five years – a rare event that in the past has often heralded a recession. Longer-term Treasury yields are usually higher than shorter-term ones because of the uncertainties involved in lending at fixed interest rates for long periods. When the situation reverses, or inverts, it suggests that bond investors expect interest rates to fall, a trend often associated with weak growth and low inflation. According to analysts at Bank of America, the past six US recessions were preceded by an inversion of the yield curve, which plots the yields on Treasury bonds against their maturities. The most recent inversion in late 2000 came ahead of the recession that began in March 2001. Twice in the past 40 years, however, an inversion of the yield curve has not been followed by a recession. This is what many economists – including Alan Greenspan, chairman of the US Federal Reserve – think is happening this time. Alan Ruskin, research director at 4Cast, the economic consultancy, said: "Not many people out there think the economy is going to fall off a cliff."

Ronald Reagan, in an artist's rendition of him at Mt. Rushmore

Iraqis smarter than Bush and Neocons

Bush Neocons' Good Buddy Chalabi Lacks Votes Unexpectedly low support from overseas voters has left Ahmed Chalabi -- the returned Iraqi exile once backed by the United States to lead Iraq -- facing a shutout from power in this month's vote for the country's first full-term parliament since the 2003 invasion. With 95 percent of a preliminary tally from the Dec. 15 vote now completed, Chalabi remained almost 8,000 votes short of the 40,000 minimum needed for him or his bloc to win a single seat in the 275-seat National Assembly, according to election officials. Without a seat in the assembly, Chalabi would presumably be unable to obtain a post in the resulting government.

Ahmed Chalabi, the man who played Bush, Cheney, Powell, Rice and the rest of the sheep like a violin, could not get elected as a dog-catcher in Baghdad. Ahmed 'The Manipulator' Chalabi, the man Bush and the neocons said would waltz in - during the same parade the Iraqis would give to our soldiers arriving in Baghdad... And the war would cost very little and, as the great war hero, Dick Cheney declared, Ahmed had everything in order and the conquering of Iraq "will go relatively quickly, . . . (in) weeks rather than months". The man Bush thought would rule Iraq after we invaded and the man can't get the minimum votes need for 1 of 275 seats in the Assembly. Is there anything any of you can think of that Bush has gotten right about Iraq? Do you think we should start the impeachment hearings now or wait until after the 2006 election?

TIME: Best Photos of the Year 2005

You can vote for one of the 24 photos. Guess which photo is leading the voting.

Inspiring...

"Kidan said that while in Washington, he kept up his close friendship with Abramoff, whom he had known since the early 1980s, when they were active in the Young Republicans. They had met when Kidan was an undergraduate at George Washington University and Abramoff was at Georgetown Law School, where he became the national head of the College Young Republicans. Kidan said he had always been a staunch Republican, inspired by Ronald Reagan".

Couple of young inspiring Republicans just trying to get by in life. Sixty-million dollar fraud and one little gangland murder and all of sudden everybody gets a little uptight. Other former College Republican leadersRalph Reed, and Grover Norquist, (former Executive Director of the National Committee)who are now also caught up in the Abramoff scandal were also inspired by Ronnie Reagan. All four agreed they were most inspired by 'the Gipper' when he and Oliver North hid in the White House basement cooking up ways to sell weapons to the Iranian Hezbollah terrorists to get money to arm the Contras.

Another Senate Seat for Democrats?

'Trent Lott within the next week plans to decide between seeking a fourth term in the U.S. Senate from Mississippi or retiring from public life. That could determine whether Republicans keep control of the Senate in next year's elections. For the longer range, Lott's retirement and replacement could signal that Southern political realignment has peaked and now is receding. Mississippi, one of the reddest of the red Republican states, has not even been on the game board of the Washington analysis forecasting the 2006 Senate outcome. But in Mississippi, prominent Republicans are worried sick. They believe Lott will probably retire. If so, they expect the new senator will be a Democrat, former state Attorney General Mike Moore. Republican politicians in Mississippi believe Rep. Chip Pickering, the likely Republican nominee if Lott does not run, cannot defeat Moore'.

Didn't get the memo....

Car bomb explosion in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday Dec. 26, 2005

"Violence increased across Iraq after a lull following the Dec. 15 parliamentary elections, with at least two dozen people including a U.S. soldier killed Monday in shootings and bombings mostly targeting the Shiite-dominated security services. The recent lull in violence ended Sunday, with the deaths of 18 people. On Monday, a suicide car bomber slammed into a police patrol in the capital, leaving three dead, officials said, and a suicide motorcycle bomber rammed into a Shiite funeral ceremony, killing at least two, said Maj. Falah Mohamadawi of the Interior Ministry. A mortar then killed two people in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood. Four other car bombs killed at least two people and gunmen killed five officers at a police checkpoint 30 miles north of Baghdad, officials said. A U.S. soldier serving with Task Force Baghdad was killed when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his vehicle while on patrol in the capital".

Monday Night Football on ABC

Jan. 1972 photo, released by ABC, shows, from left, Don Meredith, Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford,

If you were ready for some football, it was the place to be for 35 seasons on Monday nights. Tonight, the NFL bids farewell to ABC. The second longest-running series on network TV shifts to ESPN beginning next season. The series began in 1970, with Keith Jackson handling the play-by-play. ESPN is paying about $1.1 billion over eight seasons for the Monday night contract.

Cat & Mouse with our Military's Lives

The 101st Airborne Division inspect the site of Dec. 2 car bomb explosion in Samarra.

On one of his last days in Iraq, Sgt. Dale Evans looked out over the turbulent city from a rooftop tower piled high with sandbags, manning a machine gun. Below him, rows of Bradley Fighting Vehicles stood at the ready. Dusty streets were lined with coiled barbed wire and abandoned houses pockmarked from gunfire -- a protective no-man's land around a base that U.S. commanders describe as their "battleship" in downtown Samarra. This month, Evans and his company from the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, will leave Patrol Base Uvanni, beginning a third attempt in as many years by U.S. forces to hand this Sunni city over to Iraqi police. It's a major test for the U.S. military in Iraq, and one U.S. commanders here say they can't afford to fail.

We clear the insurgents from their towns only to have them allowed back again after we leave. At what point do we demand the Iraqis 'stand up' on their own? Will we go back into Samarra for a fourth time? Because we know it will be taken over again by the insurgents. We've kicked each of their asses going on 3 to 4 times-our soldiers and Marines have done enough. We need to send 100,000 troops home and re-deploy 40,000 to Afghanistan last week!

Appreciative this holiday season...

The top US military commander, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Marine General Peter Pace admitted Sunday that Iraqis wanted US and other foreign troops to leave the country "as soon as possible." "Understandably, Iraqis themselves would prefer to have coalition forces leave their country as soon as possible," Pace said in a Christmas Day interview on Fox News Sunday.

laura bush

Q&A: Laura Bush On Camp David WASHINGTON, Dec. 24, 2005 (CBS) Q: Mrs. Bush, thank you, always, so very much for agreeing to do this. As you know, my story is about the forthcoming 100th visit by the President to Camp David. Were you surprised that you have been there that often? MRS. BUSH: Well, I guess not, I mean, I don't think of it as that often. But we go several times a year at least. But we love to go there.... It's a great place to go on the weekends..... {'several' - "a number more than two or three but not many" - vs. '100th visit' in 5 years" or, once every 2 1/2 weeks} Add those 100 trips to Camp David to the 50 trips to Crawford (and 350+ days, 20% of his presidency in Crawford) and it's plain to see that the Bush's are simple slackers.

Justice for Kenny Boy may be 'somewhat shorter'

Rick Causey

"The on-again, off-again plea negotiations between federal prosecutors and former Enron chief accounting officer Rick Causey are on again, with a deal possible as early as this week. The two sides have not yet agreed to specific terms, and it's not clear an agreement can even be reached, according to sources familiar with the case. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions. But Causey's cooperation with the government, if a plea bargain is reached, could be damaging to co-defendants Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling and make what is expected to be a lengthy, complex trial — scheduled to begin Jan. 17 in Houston — somewhat shorter".

What a racket....

Republican Congressman, Hal Rogers Benefits From Homeland Security Spending As chairman of the House Appropriations homeland security subcommittee, Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) holds enormous influence over the Department of Homeland Security. Since 2003, a hometown security institute and a consortium of colleges and universities he set up in his home state have received $34 million from the department for security projects.

"As a small start-up company in Massachusetts sought to become a major player in the business of homeland security, it hired a lobbyist and attended a fundraiser for one of the most powerful members of Congress. The company was Reveal Imaging Technologies Inc. The congressman was Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (R-Ky.). The fundraiser, held Oct. 22, 2003, brought in $14,000 from Reveal and was the beginning of a mutually beneficial association. Reveal had just received a government grant to develop smaller, cheaper explosives-detection machines to scan baggage at the nation's airports. Rogers, who chairs the House Appropriations homeland security subcommittee, said he wanted the machines to improve security while saving taxpayers money. In the end, Reveal received a federal contract from the Transportation Security Administration worth up to $463 million. Rogers achieved his goal of launching the next generation of machines. In the process, he received $122,111 in donations to his leadership political action committee from Reveal executives and associates -- and a pledge from the company to move $15 million worth of work to Rogers's poor Appalachian congressional district". Rogers's Homeland Security Consortium

DOD News Release(s) 7 Soldiers

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051225-12218.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1325-05 December 25, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Master Sgt. Joseph J. Andres, Jr., 34, of Seven Hills, Ohio, died in Balad, Iraq, on Dec. 24, of injuries sustained earlier that day in Baqubah, Iraq, when he was attacked by enemy forces during combat operations. Andres was assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051224-12216.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1323-05 December 24, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 22, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their position during a dismounted patrol. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. Killed were: 1st Lt. Benjamin T. Britt, 24, of Wheeler, Texas. Spc. William Lopez-Feliciano, 33, of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051222-12205.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1319-05 December 22, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died in Taji, Iraq on Dec. 20, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during combat operations. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga. Killed were: 1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary, 24, of Dallas, Pa. Spc. Richard Junior D. Naputi, 24, of Talofofo, Guam. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051221-12193.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1316-05 December 21, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Staff Sgt. Johnnie V. Mason, 32, of Rio Vista, Texas, died in Al Mahmudiyah,Iraq on Dec. 19, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Mason was assigned to the 717th Ordnance Company, 184th Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group (Explosive Ordnance Detachment), Fort Campbell, Ky. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051219-12180.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1307-05 December 19, 2005 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Timothy R. Boyce, 29, ofNorth Salt Lake, Utah, died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, on Dec. 15, of a non-combat related cause. Boyce was assigned to the Maintenance Troop, Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

DOD News Release(s) 3 Soldiers (2 Women) 2 Marines

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051225-12217.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1324-05 December 25, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 23, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV. Both soldiers were assigned to the Army Reserve's 351st Civil Affairs Command, Mountain View, Calif. Killed were: Sgt. Regina C. Reali, 25, of Freso, Calif. Spc. Cheyenne C. Willey, 36, of Fremont, Calif. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051225-12219.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1326-05 December 25, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Myla L. Maravillosa, 24, of Wahiawa, Hawaii, died in Kirkuk, Iraq, on Dec. 24, of injuries sustained earlier that day in Al Hawijah, Iraq, when her HMMWV was attacked by enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades. Maravillosa was assigned to the Army Reserve's 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051221-12191.html On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051221-12191.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1315-05 December 21, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Marine Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lance Cpl. Samuel Tapia, 20, of San Benito, Texas, died Dec. 18 from small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in Ar Ramadi,Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms,Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051220-12184.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1310-05 December 20, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Marine Corps Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Cpl. Adam R. Fales, 21, of Cullman , Ala. , died Dec. 16 from a non-hostile gunshot wound in Fallujah, Iraq. He was assigned to Combat Service Support Detachment-21, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ralph Nader Opens His Mouth

"I do not write the headlines for my columns. Someone else does. But if I were to write the headline for one, it would be 'Impeach George Bush'." Shut up Nader!

Spying Said to Be Broader Than Reported

NSA's Domestic Surveillance Much Broader Than White House Has Acknowledged, Paper Says The National Security Agency has conducted much broader surveillance of e-mails and phone calls without court orders than the Bush administration has acknowledged, The New York Times reported on its Web site. Since the Times disclosed the domestic spying program last week, President Bush has stressed that his executive order allowing the eavesdropping was limited to people with known links to al-Qaida. But the Times said that NSA technicians have combed through large volumes of phone and Internet traffic in search of patterns that might lead to terrorists.

Merry Christmas

I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on Earth, good will to men! - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Heap on the wood! The wind is chill; But let it whistle as it will, We'll keep our Christmas merry still. - Sir Walter Scott I do come home at Christmas. We all do, or we all should. We all come home, or ought to come home, for a short holiday - the longer, the better - from the great boarding school where we are forever working at our arithmetical slates, to take, and give a rest. - Charles Dickens Christmas at Monticello As it is for many people today, Christmas was for Jefferson a time for family and friends and for celebrations, or in Jefferson's word, "merriment." He described Christmas as "The day of greatest mirth and jollity." Although no documents exist to tell us how, or if, Jefferson decorated his home for the holidays, Jefferson noted the festive scene created by his grandchildren. On Christmas Day 1809, he said of eight-year-old grandson Francis Wayles Eppes (shown at right): "He is at this moment running about with his cousins bawling out 'a merry christmas' 'a christmas gift & c . . . .'" References indicate that at Monticello, as throughout Virginia, mince pie -- filled with apples, raisins, beef suet, and spices -- was a traditional holiday dinner favorite. Jefferson wrote to Mary Walker Lewis on December 25, 1813: "I will take the liberty of sending for some barrels of apples, and if a basket of them can now be sent by the bearer they will be acceptable as accomodated to the season of mince pies." Music also filled the scene. The Monticello music library included the Christmas favorite "Adeste Fideles." For Monticello slaves the Christmas holidays signaled a break of several days from their work. During that time, slaves might have visited other plantations or nearby towns, and special rations were distributed. In 1808, then-President Jefferson wrote to his overseer approving a holiday trip to Washington for his slave Davy, whose wife Fanny worked as a cook at the President's House: "I approve of your permitting Davy to come at Christmas." For Jefferson's personal servant, Robert Hemings, Christmas 1794 brought freedom. On Christmas Eve, Hemings became the first of two Monticello slaves freed during Jefferson's lifetime. --Mindy Keyes Black, Monticello Department of Development and Public Affairs, November 1996 Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. - Calvin Coolidge Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day. - Helen Steiner Rice I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, Just like the ones I used to know, Where the tree tops glisten And children listen To hear sleigh bells in the snow. - Irving Berlin At Christmas I no more desire a rose Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled mirth; But like of each thing that in season grows. - William Shakespeare Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. - Laura Ingalls Wilder It's silly talking about how many years we will have to spend in the jungles of Vietnam when we could pave the whole country and put parking stripes on it and still be home by Christmas. - Ronald Reagan I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph. - Shirley Temple And remember, it's His birthday - [pause] - not your's. (Traditional Christmas Eve closer) - Paul Harvey In the United States Christmas has become the rape of an idea. - Richard Bach My second favorite, Roses are reddish Violets are bluish If it weren't for Christmas We'd all be Jewish. - Benny Hill Christmas at my house is always at least six or seven times more pleasant than anywhere else. We start drinking early. And while everyone else is seeing only one Santa Claus, we'll be seeing six or seven. - W.C. Fields The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other. - Johnny Carson The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C. This wasn't for any religious reasons. They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin. - Jay Leno A lovely thing about Christmas is that it's compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together. - Garrison Keillor Christmas is the one time of year when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ. - Bart Simpson "The Simpsons" 1989 Merry Christmas, Nearly Everybody! - Ogden Nash If "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts, wouldn't it be a Merry Christmas? - Don Meredith And my favorite, I got up one Christmas morning and we didn't have nothing to eat. We didn't have an apple, we didn't have an orange, we didn't have a cake, we didn't have nothing. - Muddy Waters