Condi still looking.....

Let's see...there's Britain, Mongolia...Latvia..uh...Armenia..uh, New Zealand..no, that's right, we stopped paying and New Zealand left, uh Hungary..no, that's right.., they left, too...uh..mmmm..let's see... "The international community's effective boycott of Saddam's trial is only harming the Iraqi people, who are now working to secure the hope of justice and freedom that Saddam long denied them," Rice said. Come on, Condi, we have zero credibility left around the world when it comes to Iraq. Actually, your boss has zero credibility, period, around the world...

Bush's Buddy, "Kenny Boy" Pleads Case to Public

George Bush's very close and personal friend, Ken 'Kenny Boy' Lay, who is by far Bush's biggest campaign contributor, and the man who scammed billions from those who worked for Enron, made a public speech trying to worm himself out of a lengthy prison term.

"Former Enron Corp. Chairman Kenneth Lay, facing trial on fraud charges related to the $60 billion collapse of the company, will make his case publicly in a speech to business executives in Houston today. Lay, free on $500,000 bond, is facing as much as 30 years in prison and criminal fines of as much as $5.75 million on charges that he oversaw the fraud at the company. The indictment alleges that Lay, after resuming his joint role of CEO and chairman at Enron in August 2001, deceived banks, employees and industry analysts by concealing billions in losses".

*A little review of the facts about Kenny Boy and Dubya

from 7/04 "The White House is trying to put at least an arm's length between President Bush and indicted Enron executive Kenneth Lay, a campaign benefactor Bush nicknamed "Kenny Boy" when the two were up-and-comers in Texas. It has been "quite some time" since Bush and Lay talked with each other, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Thursday, brushing off questions about whether the two were friends. "He was a supporter in the past and he's someone that I would also point out has certainly supported Democrats and Republicans in the past," McClellan said. Lay clearly favored the GOP. He and his wife, Linda, donated $882,580 to federal candidates from 1989-2001, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. All but $86,470 went to Republicans. The Center for Public Integrity, a Washington-based nonprofit group, said the Lays had given $139,500 to George W. Bush's political campaigns over the years. Those donations were part of $602,000 that Enron employees gave to Bush's various campaigns, making Enron the leading political patron for Bush at the time of the company's bankruptcy in 2001. In addition to Lay's political campaign donations, he and his wife contributed $100,000 to Bush's 2001 inauguration. Lay also was a fund-raiser for Bush, bringing in at least $100,000 for the president's 2002 campaign. That put Lay in "Pioneer" status as one of the president's top money-raisers".

Yeah, you see, Dubya and 'Kenny Boy' hardly even knew each other.

Katrina victims: Acting Like Spoiled Brats!

Henry "Junior" Rodriguez

"More than three months after thousands of people lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina, local and federal officials are trading blame over the slow delivery of trailer housing. "We got a serious situation in St. Bernard Parish," its president, Henry "Junior" Rodriguez,told CNN on Tuesday". "We got people living in tents and automobiles. We got people living in barns. We got people living in their houses --in tents," he said on "American Morning."

Hey look, 'Junior', shut the hell up! Don't you realize we have Iraqi reconstruction and bombings to pay for? Not to mention extending the tax cuts on dividends. We're spending $6 billion a month to upgrade the Iraqi sewers and other utilities and your projects down there in New Orleans are going to have to wait. Money's tight, Junior. Goddamn whiney asses! Forty-one degrees? That's not even freezing so what the hell are you guys complaining about? Get a job... and a life! The American people have moved on. Hurricane Katrina is soooo 'yesterday's news'!

Delay & the Dukstir

Prosecutor Issues Subpoenas in DeLay Case "A Texas prosecutor has issued subpoenas for bank records and other information of a defense contractor involved in the bribery case of a California congressman as part of the investigation of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. District Attorney Ronnie Earle issued subpoenas late Monday afternoon for California businessmen Brent Wilkes and Max Gelwix, records of Perfect Wave Technologies LLC, Wilkes Corp. and ADCS Inc. in connection with a contribution to a fundraising committee at the center of the investigation that led to DeLay's indictment on money laundering charges. Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham resigned in late November after pleading guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes to steer defense contracts to companies. Perfect Wave contributed $15,000 in September 20, 2002 to Texans for a Republican Majority, a fundraising committee founded by DeLay, R-Texas".

Bomb Kills Four U.S. Soldiers in Iraq

On the last day of campaigning, a roadside bomb killed four American soldiers Tuesday and gunmen assassinated a candidate for parliament in this week's election. A Shiite politician escaped injury in a bombing south of Baghdad. A U.S. military statement said four soldiers from Task Force Baghdad died in a blast northwest of the capital, but did not specify the location. That brought to at least 2,150 the number of U.S. service members to have died since the start of the war in 2003, according to an Associated Press count. *Note-The DOD did report that our soldiers and Marines were still able to get school supplies to the Iraqi children and there were no major oil wells damaged.

DOD News Release(s) 5 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/nr20051213-5244.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1291-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 13, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Jared W. Kubasak, 25, of Rocky Mount, Va., died in Baghdad, Iraq on Dec. 12, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle during patrol operations. Kubasak was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/nr20051213-5243.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1288-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 13, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Lex S. Nelson, 21, of Salt Lake City, Utah, died in Tikrit, Iraq on Dec. 12, when he fell from a guard tower. Nelson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051213-5242.html On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051213-5242.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1289-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 13, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Staff Sgt. Keith A. Bennett, 32, of Holtwood, Pa., died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on Dec. 11, as the result of a suicide, vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. Bennett was assigned to the Army National Guard's 28th Military Police Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Johnstown, Pa. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051213-5241.html On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051213-5241.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1290-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 13, 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. 10, as a result of enemy small arms fire. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. Killed were: Staff Sgt. Travis L. Nelson, 41, of Anniston, Ala. Sgt. Kenith Casica, 32, of Virginia Beach, Va. --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Come on, Mrs. Holly

I'm very saddened to be the one to break this to you, Mr and Mrs. Holly, but do you really think George W. Bush, Condoleeza Rice or Donald Rumsfeld really care how your heroic fallen son comes back from Iraq? To them, he is of no use anymore. Oh, of course, now that you've pointed this travesty out to everyone you will be hearing all of the contemptible right wing chickenhawks, the warmongering Republican politicians and those who support them, but they actually couldn't care less about your son now that he can no longer fight their made-up 'war on terror'. I am sincerely saddened by your loss Mr. And Mrs. Holly. But since you had only one child to give to our country, the loudmouths on the 'right', don't have much use for your family anymore. God Bless your son, Mr. & Mrs. Holly. And, thank you.

Family Upset Over Soldier's Body Arriving As Freight There's controversy over how the military is transporting the bodies of service members killed overseas, 10News reported. A local family said fallen soldiers and Marines deserve better and that one would think our war heroes are being transported with dignity, care and respect. It said one would think upon arrival in their hometowns they are greeted with honor. But unfortunately, the family said that is just not the case. Dead heroes are supposed to come home with their coffins draped with the American flag -- greeted by a color guard. But in reality, many are arriving as freight on commercial airliners -- stuffed in the belly of a plane with suitcases and other cargo. John Holley and his wife, Stacey, were stunned when they found out the body of their only child, Matthew John Holley, who died in Iraq last month, would be arriving at Lindbergh Field as freight.

*Update-Matthew Holley's body was finally transferred to another aircraft and treated with the honor and dignity he deserved only after Barbara Boxer's office got involved. After being alerted to what was happening by Mr. & Mrs. Holly, a staff member of Senator Boxer interceded and Matthew Holly's body was finally removed from the 'freight' or cargo section of a commercial airliner at a stop-over in Kentucky. Democrats care and respect our soldiers and Marines even after they've given everything they have to give.

More justice-this time for 'Pig Boy'

Judges rule Limbaugh not above the law Rush Limbaugh has stalled long enough. Doctor shopping is a felony in Florida and Limbaugh needs to be prosecuted, just like everybody else would be, for committing that felony. Isn't it ironic that the fat blowhard who likes to talk about how felons should not be allowed to vote, will soon be a felon who won't be allowed to vote? It couldn't happen to a bigger asshole than the hypocrites' biggest hypocrite!

Justice and a Deterrent

Poor Tookie. Justice was served this morning and a multiple murderer was executed. He wrote children's books that deterred children from joining gangs? The best deterrent for children NOT to join gangs is to watch the gang's founder and murderous leader die strapped to a gurney for his murders. Unfortunately, it's not much of a deterrent when it takes 24 years for justice. He should have been executed 20 years ago and that may have deterred a lot of misery perpetrated over the last 20 years by the gang he founded. The young punks who followed him may have learned something. Don't go around murdering innocent people and then attempt to get out from paying for your crimes by writing children's books. That's lame. Take your punishment chump. In case you're interested in what the victims of Tookie's murders went through, let's take a look at them;

Not only were his crimes atrocious, they were hate crimes, as commonly understood. In describing the shooting of the Asian motel owners, he called them "Buddhaheads". From about.com: The People's case rested on strong physical evidence, eyewitnesses, and a series of incriminating admissions made by Williams himself. The following is a summary of some of the evidence in this case, as well as the witnesses that testified against Williams. It was this evidence that led the trial judge to deny the defense 18 motion to dismiss, to deny the defense motion for a new trial, to affirm the jury's verdict of death, and to finally conclude that the evidence: Established highly aggravating circumstances in that the defendant (Williams) shot gunned and killed three people in one robbery, and a fourth person at the other robbery. The victims, who were defenseless, and offered no resistance, were killed with blasts from defendant's shotgun for the purpose of preventing the victims from ever being witnesses against the defendant These four killings were deliberate, premeditated, and with malice aforethought, as well as being robbery murders…the defendant used force and violence against the four victims for its own sake. (TT 3088-3089). Layduane Douglas In 1974, Layduane Douglas worked as the gun supervisor at Western Surplus. (TT 1478). As the gun supervisor, Mrs. Douglas was familiar with the record-keeping process utilized at the store. (TT 1478-1487). Mrs. Douglas, through her testimony and through documentation, proved that on February 25, 1974, Stanley Williams purchased the shotgun used in these murders. (TT 1478-1489). Despite Williams' claims in his clemency petition, Douglas was not an accomplice, she was not a jailhouse informant, she was not facing a lengthy prison term or death, and she was not granted freedom or a reduced sentence for her testimony. She was simply a citizen testifying to facts within the scope of her knowledge. James Garrett In 1979, Stanley Williams lived with James Garrett. In fact, Williams typically stayed there between 5 and 7 days a week. (TT 1673-1674). He also kept, among other things, his shotgun at the residence. (TT 1673, 1691-1693). On March 13, 1979, just two days after the Brookhaven motel murders, Williams asked Mr. Garrett if he had heard about the motel murders. (TT 1675-1677). Williams went on to explain that some "Chinese people" or "Buddhaheads" had been killed. (TT 1677-1678, 1720). Williams also stated that the murderer must have been a professional because he picked up the shotgun shells and did not leave behind any witnesses. (TT 1678, 1687). Williams later provided Mr. Garrett with even more details. Williams explained that a big guy knocked down the door and "blew away" a guy on a couch (Mr. Yang), a woman near the register (Mrs. Yang), and a third person who came out from behind (Ms. Lin). (TT 1682). Eventually, Williams admitted he was the actual murderer. He stated, in referring to committing a future robbery, he will "blow them away just like I blew them Buddhaheads away on Vermont." (TT 1720). In addition to admitting his involvement in the Brookhaven murders, Williams also admitted killing Albert Owens. Specifically, Williams told Mr. Garrett that he had used his shotgun to blow away a white guy at a store, that Blackie (Alfred Coward) was with him, and that Blackie was a "punk" because Blackie couldn't eat after the murder. (TT 1688-1690). Considered Killing Witness Williams also told Mr. Garrett that he was considering killing Blackie. (TT 1689). Of course, this was subsequently corroborated by Williams' jailhouse note where he indicated Blackie was a "heartbeat away from death." (Trial Exh. 78). James Garrett was not an accomplice, he was not a jailhouse informant, he was not facing a lengthy prison term or death, and he was not granted freedom or a vastly reduced sentence for his testimony. This is not to say Mr. Garrett had an unblemished past. At the time of trial, Mr. Garrett was facing sentencing for receiving stolen property. This crime carried a sentence of either one year in county jail or a maximum sentence of three years in state prison. Mr. Garrett also had a pending extortion case.

Killing "Buddhaheads" and "white-guys" (testimony actually used the term 'whiteys') because he didn't like them. They weren't black. Those are hate crimes. I wonder if Jamie Foxx or Jesse Jackson would be going to all the trouble if it was a white guy convicted of killing people because they were 'blackies'? We know that answer, don't we? Don't bring that whine over here. Tookie wrote 'children's books". So fucking what? He got what he deserved. Just 20 years later than he should have the way I see it. Next.

Bush says 30,000 Iraqis killed since war began

Bush's 'estimate' of '30,000 Iraqis killed' since we needlessly invaded their country is low but let's use that figure anyway. Thirty-thousand is 10 times more people killed than were killed here in the United States on 9/11/01. And, let's not forget, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. The United States' population is 295,734,134. Iraq's population is 26,074,906. With the United States having 11 1/2 times more people than Iraq, having 30,000 killed would be the equivalent of the United States losing 340,251 people. Maybe that is why "More than two-thirds of the Iraqis oppose the presence of troops from the United States and its coalition partners and less than half, 44 percent, say their country is better off now than it was before the war". Just a couple of months ago over 50% of Iraqis thought killing our troops was justified, so did you think they'd change their minds? Bring them home.

The Republican Prescription Drug Ripoff and Scam the American People Plan of 2003

I caught a news segment on the Republican's new Medicare prescription drug plan on TV Sunday. Most of the segment dealt with many elderly complaining about the difficulties of understanding it but there were also a number of complaints about the wasteful amount of money 'Congress' has laid out for this new prescription drug benefit. Let's be perfectly clear here about one thing. The Medicare prescription drug plan that George W. Bush crammed down America's throat back in late 2003, is ALL Republican. No revisionist bullshit on who gave us this prescription drug plan. No, no, sorry Granny, this is Bush's and the Republicans' prescription drug plan. You know, the one where the administration lied their way through Congress by low-balling what the real cost would be? Presented to Congress at $395 billion before the vote, but then suddenly $523 billion after the vote, then $724 billion and now projected to cost over $1.3 trillion over the next 10 years. Do you know why the cost of the Republican plan is so high? It's because Bush and the Republicans gave a sweetheart deal to the pharmaceutical companies that just so happen to contribute close to 70% of their campaign contributions to Republicans. A sweetheart deal by writing into the law that the government couldn't negotiate wholesale pricing for the drugs purchased through the plan. So, you have doubts that it's a 'Republican' prescription drug plan? Well, let's review just how Republican it actually is; The vote in the Senate was 54-44. Forty-three Republican Senators voted 'yes', 11 Democrats voted 'yes'. Thirty-four Democrat Senators voted 'no', nine Republicans voted 'no', and Jim Jeffords, an Independent from Vermont, voted 'no'. The vote in the House was 220-215. Of the 220 'yes' votes, 204 were Republicans. Of the 215 'no' votes, 189 were Democrats. Twenty-five Republicans, and Bernie Sanders, an Independent, voted 'no'. Sixteen Democrats voted 'yes'. In total, in the House and Senate combined, 91% of the Republicans voted 'yes' and 89% of the Democrats voted 'no'. So, when you refer to this wonderful piece of legislation over the next 10 years, when the actual cost ends up actually being $2 trillion or more, just remember who gave it to you...... Suckers!

DOD News Release(s) 6 Soldiers, (1 Woman)

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051212-5233.html On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051212-5233.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ No. 1287-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Staff Sgt. Milton Rivera-Vargas, 55, of Boqueron, Puerto Rico, died in Kalsu, Iraq, on Dec. 8, from a non-combat related cause while on guard duty. Rivera-Vargas was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 296th Infantry Regiment, Sabana Grande, 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/nr20051212-5232.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ No. 1286-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Adrian N. Orosco, 26, of Corcoran, Calif., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 9, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted position during combat operations. Orosco was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, 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/nr20051212-5231.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1285-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Julia V. Atkins, 22, of Bossier City, La., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 10, when an improvised explosive device detonated near her HMMWV during patrol operations. Atkins was assigned to the 64th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051212-5230.html On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051212-5230.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1284-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. 1st Class James S. Moudy, 37, of Newark, Del., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 11, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Moudy was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/nr20051212-5229.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1283-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Spencer C. Akers, 35, of Traverse City, Mich., died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 8, of injuries sustained in Habbaniyah, Iraq, on Nov. 21, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Akers 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 www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051212-5228.html On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051212-5228.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1282-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 12, 2005 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Clarence L. Floyd, Jr., 28, of Newark, N.J., died in Taji, Iraq, on Dec. 10, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations. Floyd was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Texas Republicans to lose 5 seats?

Gerrymandering-To divide (a geographic area) into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party in elections. Tom Delay blatantly and unabashedly broke the law by redistricting in mid-decade. We'll see if the Supreme Court has the integrity to rule constitutionally this time. They failed the people of Pennsylvania the last time they ruled on gerrymandering. With a little luck, and some new found common sense, maybe Justice Kennedy learned something from the Pennsylvania case. Court to Hear Dispute on Texas Redistricting The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would decide the validity of the much-disputed Congressional map that Texas Republicans pushed through the State Legislature two years ago in a highly unusual mid-decade redistricting that led to the loss of five Democratic Congressional seats. The court agreed to hear appeals brought by four groups of plaintiffs representing Democratic, Hispanic and black voters as well as the city of Austin and its surrounding county. The justices will hear the cases on an expedited basis on March 1, in time to issue a decision by the end of the current term in late June, but not in time to avoid the prospect of turmoil in Texas politics should any aspect of the 2003 plan be overturned. The state's Congressional primaries are March 7. Not since Bush v. Gore, the decision that resolved the 2000 presidential election, has the Supreme Court ventured so deeply into a legal dispute at the core of partisan politics.

Good Night, Tookie....

Gov. Rejects Williams' Appeal for Clemency Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today rejected clemency for Stanley Tookie Williams, convicted murderer and one of the founders of the Crips. The decision was announced moments after a federal appeals court in San Francisco turned down Williams's request for a stay of execution. Williams is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. Terminator terminating

the McCain Amendment

What does it say for a country who says it's spreading freedom and democracy around the world all the while its vice-president is doing everything in his power to allow torture and inhumane treatment against his country's captives? Frist and Lindsey Graham act like we have to make a 'deal' with the Bush and Cheney on this? The vote was 90-9 in the Senate. Pass the damn amendment and if Bush vetoes it, so what, there's a enough votes to override the veto. The world already knows how pathetic Bush and Cheney are but at least the rest of country will still be viewed as civilized.

Frist sees deal on bill to ban torture by US "The U.S. Congress will reach an agreement with the White House on a defense bill that would ban the torture and inhumane treatment of detainees, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said on Sunday. Degrading The amendment, pushed by Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, had passed the Senate with a 90-9 majority, but the White House fiercely opposed it. Vice President Dick Cheney led an unsuccessful bid to exempt the CIA from the torture ban, saying it would hinder the war on terrorism". Frist said on Fox News Sunday that negotiators were discussing the issue of "degrading" suspects. "What does degrading mean"? asked Frist*. Sen. Lindsey Graham said the Bush administration and amendment supporters were still negotiating. "We're not close to a deal," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "There is a breakdown along how to best protect the troops. There is a philosophical difference here I don't want to divulge," the South Carolina Republican said, when asked if the White House was seeking immunity for possible past torture. "The vice president is not the vice president of torture," he said. "He is trying to create exemptions, in my opinion, to protect our people who go too far."

* The McCain Amendment spells out the guidelines to be used in determining what 'degrading' is, Mr. Frist. Try reading it. (d) CRUEL, INHUMAN, OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT DEFINED.--In this section, the term ''cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment'' means the cruel, unusual, and inhumane treatment or punishment prohibited by the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, as defined in the United States Reservations, Declarations and Understandings to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment done at New York, December 10, 1984.

Ultra-Conservatives Rally in Toledo Again

Nazi rally sparks protest, prayer

"Members of a neo-Nazi group staged a rally at City Hall on Saturday, two months after plans for an earlier march set off a four-hour riot in which a mob attacked businesses and police. Hundreds of officers stood guard to make sure there was no repeat of the October melee as about 60 white supremacists shouted at counterdemonstrators and held placards, including one reading: "White race, stand up and take back your neighborhood." The cost of policing the small rally was expected to reach $300,000 for the city alone, not counting the cost for state troopers and sheriff's deputies".

*Initial reports that the City of Toledo will bill the Republican National Committee for the $300,000 in costs of containing their constituents during Saturday's rally have not been confirmed at the time of this post. WW

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DOD News Release(s) 4 Soldiers, 1 Marine

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/nr20051209-5224.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1277-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. 1st Lt. Kevin J. Smith, 28, of Brandon, Fla., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 8, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Smith was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 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/nr20051209-5223.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1276-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Michael C. Taylor, 23, of Hockley, Texas, died in Balad, Iraq, on Dec. 7, when an improvised expolsive device detonated near his Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck while his unit was conducting combat operations. Taylor was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery, 214th Field Artillery Brigade, III Corps Artillery, Fort Sill, Okla. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051209-5221.html On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051209-5221.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1274-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Marine Corps Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Cpl. Joseph P. Bier, 22, of Centralia, Wash., died Dec. 7 from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces 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, Bier’s 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 www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051208-5204.html On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20051208-5204.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1271-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 8, 2005 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pfc. Thomas C. Siekert, 20, of Lovelock, Nev., died in Bayji, Iraq on Dec. 6, from non-combat related injuries. Siekert was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. The incident is under investigation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/nr20051208-5203.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1272-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 8, 2005 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Brian A. Wright, 19, of Keensburg, Ill., died in Ramadi, Iraq on Dec. 6, when his HMMWV struck a mine during combat operations. Wright was assigned to the Army National Guard's 135th Engineer Company, Lawrenceville, Ill. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

More Evidence for the Prosecution

French Told CIA of Bogus Intelligence "More than a year before President Bush declared in his 2003 State of the Union speech that Iraq had tried to buy nuclear weapons material in Africa, the French spy service began repeatedly warning the CIA in secret communications that there was no evidence to support the allegation. The previously undisclosed exchanges between the U.S. and the French, described in interviews last week by the retired chief of the French counterintelligence service and a former CIA official, came on separate occasions in 2001 and 2002. The French conclusions were reached after extensive on-the-ground investigations in Niger and other former French colonies, where the uranium mines are controlled by French companies, said Alain Chouet, the French former official. He said the French investigated at the CIA's request". ...And the German Intelligence Told Them too "It was not the first time a foreign government tried to warn U.S. officials off of dubious prewar intelligence. In the notorious "Curveball" case, an Iraqi who defected to Germany claimed to have knowledge of Iraqi biological weapons. Bush and other U.S. officials repeatedly cited Curveball's claims even as German intelligence officials argued that he was unstable and might be a fabricator".

Bush knew he was lying when he stated in his 2003 SOTU address, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa". George Tenet had told him that rumor was unverified in October of 2002 and Bush removed it from a major speech he gave in Cincinnati. France, Germany and Joe Wilson were telling the Bush administration the Niger documents were forged. So, you state, but Bush said "the British government" said it, not the French, Germans or Wilson, and why shouldn't he believe the British over those three? Well, that's simple enough to answer. Because our CIA intelligence was telling the British that the information wasn't credible. Proof that Bush quoted the British when our own intelligence had told him, and the British, that it wasn't true. Sixty percent of Americans know now Bush 'intentionally misled' the country in the run up to the invasion of Iraq. Where I come from, 'intentionally misleading' is not a phrase used too often. We generally call a lie, a lie here.

He's searching all right....

Bush Searches for a New Groove "The yuletide decorations at the White House are simpler this year. Guests at the holiday parties are noticing a different tone to George Bush too. Bush has freed himself from the photo line to circulate with an intensity his friends haven't seen before. He's listening a little more because he's looking for something new".

Yeah, poor George, he's looking all right. He's looking for a clue and for someone who'll believe his miserable lying ass!

U.S. Supreme Court must rule on Jose Padilla

The Bush administration should not be allowed to get away with their blatant violation of Jose Padilla's constitutional rights. After holding Padilla without charge and without an attorney for 3 1/2 years they now want to disregard those charges and start new criminal procedures and thereby avoid a Supreme Court ruling. Bullshit! The 6th Amendment is very clear on the rights an American citizen has when the government accuses you of a crime. If Jose Padilla committed a crime he should have received counsel immediately, had the right to a speedy trial and been able to face his accusers. He's been denied all of those. Is Jose Padilla guilty of conspiring with al Qaeda to blow up apartment buildings in Chicago? Or was he just a street thug who got in too deep? No one knows, but Jose Padilla, as an American citizen, has been denied his constitutional rights and the Supreme Court needs to acknowledge the Bush administration's flagrant violation of those rights. The 6th Amendment; the law of this land since 1791, far outweighs some stupid cowboy and his band of unconstitutional, America-hating, right-wing nuts who think they can do things their way by scaring the public into giving up their rights! The Supreme Court needs to rule on this. We'll see how those crotchety old bastards rule on something so obviously unconstitutional...It will end up exposing Scalia, Thomas and maybe the new guy, Roberts, for what they really are. But this case demands a Supreme Court ruling and Alberto Gonzales and Bush's Justice Department need to be taken to the woodshed!

Prosecutors call Padilla's 'combatant' complaint not relevant now Specter launches probe of handling of case

"The Justice Department told a federal appeals court Friday that terror suspect Jose Padilla's complaints about being held indefinitely as a "enemy combatant" are irrelevant now that criminal charges have been filed in Florida. And, prosecutors said, it doesn't matter if the charges against Padilla don't include a previously alleged "dirty bomb" plot. Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter has announced that he is launching a formal probe of the Justice Department's handling of the Padilla case and may hold a public hearing. Specter said Thursday: "I think there's a real question raised when you hold a citizen for three and a half years on a charge that he's going to explode a dirty bomb and then, when the Supreme Court is considering taking jurisdiction of the case, to withdraw. That troubles me."

Budget Crisis? It's Simple, Let's Compromise...

CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS DEADLOCKED ON BUDGET

"But virtually every Democrat in Congress opposes the budget bill because of its cuts in popular social programs, so Republican leaders in the House don't have that critical support from across the aisle to carry the vote on Alaska drilling. The impasse threatens plans to deliver to its GOP political base by Christmas about $45 billion in spending cuts over the next five years. The base is uneasy with its party's performance on spending and budget deficits. Passage of the budget bill is also an important step before Congress can extend expiring tax cuts".

THE COMPROMISE Republicans want to drill in ANWR and the Democrats refuse to cut $45 billion (over 5 years-a paltry $9 billion per year) from Medicaid, Medicare, Food Stamps and Student Loans. Nine billion a year? Chickenfeed..Not a problem - But, I'll get to that in a moment. Let's take care of the majority, the Republicans, needs first. Drill in ANWR? Hell yes! It's got to be a great deal for American taxpayers and consumers and it shouldn't cost us a dime to do it. In fact, we should make a lot of money from the 'Big Oil' companies because it is after all, on federal land. And we'll write the contracts up so that if 'Big Oil' earns $20 billion a quarter, the taxpayers will get half. Partners...50/50...Your equipment and labor... Our land and natural resource. So yeah, let's drill at ANWR, and reduce our taxes and gasoline costs for a few short years. Ok, so that's the Democrats' compromise to Republicans. Start drilling. Look out caribou...Let's make some royalties. Now for the compromise on the spending cuts Republicans are demanding. Forty-Five billion over five years? A measly $9 billion a year? The Democrats can do a lot better than that over the next projected five year period. Matter of fact, they could cut spending $6 billion a MONTH real quick and if you multiply that by five years, that's a spending cut of $360 billion! Eight times the paltry $45 billion the Republicans are asking for now!! Eight times! And with so much more in spending cuts than what was asked for we could certainly restore the $45 billion Republicans are now trying to cut from the poor and the elderly, throw in an additional $15 billion for the hungry, and we would still have $300 billion in spending cuts!! Republicans 'compromise' and don't cut social programs and Democrats are happy. Shoot...I'm a goddamn political genius! I'm utilizing natural resources (meat & energy), creating jobs, feeding the poor and elderly and pleasing the compassionate, God-fearing Republicans, all at the same time! And hell, you know how we're going to save that $6 billion a month, don't you? Yeah, all that savings, all that compromising,...all that caribou meat, and no more men and women dying where they don't need to be dying...Everyone's going to be happier than pigs in shit! Damn, I feel like running for the Drain Commission next year!

Eugene J. McCarthy, a great American, dies

Eugene J. McCarthy, the sardonic Senate dove who stunned the nation by upending President Lyndon B. Johnson's re-election drive amid the Vietnam War turmoil of 1968, died early yesterday. He was 89. A courtly, sharp-witted presence in capital politics for half a century, Mr. McCarthy, a Minnesota Democrat, died in his sleep at an assisted-living home in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, where he had lived for the last several years. His son, Michael B. McCarthy, said the cause was complications of Parkinson's disease. "I cannot write Act III"

Countries with Nuclear Weapons Capability

Acknowledged: Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, United States Unacknowledged: Israel Seeking: North Korea,1 Iran, 2 -(Nagasaki, August 9, 1945) Abandoned: South Africa—Constructed but then voluntarily dismantled six uranium bombs. Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine—When Soviet Union broke up, these former states possessed nuclear warheads that they have since given up. 1. In Dec. 2002, North Korea revealed that it had violated its 1994 agreement to freeze its nuclear weapons program and has been developing a nuclear bomb. On April 24, 2003, North Korea announced it possessed a nuclear bomb but this claim has not been verified. 2. In Aug. 2005, U.S. intelligence estimated that Iran would possess nuclear weapons in the next decade. Source: U.S. State Department and TIME magazine thru 'Infoplease'

Will Schwarzenegger Cave in to the Threat?

Does the Terminator have the 'nads', or not?

"LOS ANGELES authorities fear riots will break out if Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger does not spare the life of convicted killer and gang founder Stanley "Tookie" Williams. Schwarzenegger must decide whether Williams lives or dies and LA council members say if he does not save the founder of the notorious Crips gang, there will be violence. Williams is due to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday in California's San Quentin prison. LA government departments have told police, schools and local groups to prepare for violence if Schwarzenegger rejects Williams' last-minute request for clemency. Schwarzenegger is expected to decide in the next 48 hours. Fearing a repeat of the 1992 race riots, LA Councilman Bernard Parks said police would be vigilant as Schwarzenegger considers his verdict".

Let's see what you're made of Girlie-Man...

Mohamed ElBaradei, If only...

ElBaradei Accepts Nobel Peace Prize -- TWO YEARS AND NINE MONTHS EARLIER - Sunday, March 16, 2003, 3 days before invading Iraq;

MR. RUSSERT: And even though the International Atomic Energy Agency said he does not have a nuclear program, we disagree? VICE PRES. CHENEY: I disagree, yes...I think Mr. ElBaradei frankly is wrong.

Mohamed ElBaradei won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize today. He should have been given the chance to win the honor two years ago. If only George W. Bush had not wanted to invade Iraq so anxiously, he would have won it two years ago. ElBaradei pleaded with the United States before our invasion on March 19, 2003, to give the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) more time for inspections. Saddam Hussein had agreed to give them access to virtually any area they wanted to inspect. George W. Bush and the neocons didn't want verification, they wanted to go to war. They told ElBaradei and the IAEA to get out of Iraq, that they had other plans and that when came right down to it, Iraq not having nuclear capabilities really didn't have anything to do with it. That 'nuclear threat' part was only being used to scare the 'sheep'. Mohamed ElBaradei and Hans Blix were telling us that the weapons were not there. The rightwing warmongers (those who knew they wouldn't have to go and fight) laughed and ridiculed ElBaradei and Blix. I remember Blix being called Mr. Magoo... But, who was right, ElBaradei, Mr. Magoo or Bush? Below are a couple excerpts, actually a paragraph and the conclusion, to a speech given before the UN on January 27, 2003 by ElBaradei where he pleads for time to avoid war and to 'invest' in peace. If only. If only we had allowed a little more time. There was no excuse not to allow more time since Saddam had given in to the inspectors...But that wasn't what Bush had planned. We would rush in, be greeted as 'liberators', it would only ' take weeks, not months', and junior could kill the man who tried to kill his daddy. Was it worth the cost? No, and you're a liar if you said yes. Mohamed ElBaradei should have won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. If only....

"First, we have inspected all of those buildings and facilities that were identified, through satellite imagery, as having been modified or constructed over the past four years. IAEA inspectors have been able to gain ready access and to clarify the nature of the activities currently being conducted in these facilities. No prohibited nuclear activities have been identified during these inspections". CONCLUSION "To conclude: we have to date found no evidence that Iraq has revived its nuclear weapons programme since the elimination of the programme in the 1990s. However, our work is steadily progressing and should be allowed to run its natural course. With our verification system now in place, barring exceptional circumstances, and provided there is sustained proactive cooperation by Iraq, we should be able within the next few months to provide credible assurance that Iraq has no nuclear weapons programme. These few months would be a valuable investment in peace because they could help us avoid a war. We trust that we will continue to have your support as we make every effort to verify Iraq’s nuclear disarmament through peaceful means, and to demonstrate that the inspection process can and does work, as a central feature of the international nuclear arms control regime". Statement to the United Nations Security Council New York 27 January 2003 Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY

Attacks in Iraq Kill Four U.S. Soldiers

Four American soldiers were killed in separate attacks in the Baghdad area Saturday, the day kidnappers of four Christian peace activists set as a deadline for killing the hostages unless U.S. and Iraqi authorities released all prisoners. Two of the soldiers were killed by small-arms fire southwest of the capital, the U.S. command said in a statement. The others died in a roadside bombing in the Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah and by small arms fire north of the city, the command said. Also Saturday, the U.S. military said an American soldier was killed and 11 others wounded the day before in a suicide car bombing in the Abu Ghraib district of western Baghdad. At least 2,140 members of the U.S. military have died since the war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

*Our soldiers were able to hand out some school supplies to the Iraqi children and no oil wells were reported damaged.

The Libertarian Party-Founded December 11, 1971

Are you a Libertarian? - Take the quiz! Tomorrow marks 34 years since the formation of the Libertarian Party. Below is a link to a 'quiz' that will help determine where you fall on the political spectrum. My results are below.

"The Libertarian Party was formed in the home of David Nolan on 11 December 1971, after several months of debate among members of the Committee to Form a Libertarian Party, founded July 17th. This group included John Hospers, Edward Crane, Manual Klausner, Murray Rothbard, R.A. Childs, Theodora Nathan, and Jim Dean. Prompted in part by price controls implemented by President Richard Nixon, the Libertarian Party viewed the dominant Republican and Democratic parties as having diverged from what they viewed as the libertarian principles of the American founding fathers. By the 1972 presidential election, the party had grown to over 80 members and had attained ballot access in two states. Their presidential ticket, John Hospers and Theodora Nathan, earned fewer than 3,000 votes, but received the first and only electoral college vote for a Libertarian ticket, from Roger MacBride of Virginia, who was pledged to Richard Nixon. His was the first vote ever cast for a woman in the United States Electoral College. MacBride became the party's presidential nominee in the 1976 presidential election".

World's Smallest Political Quiz The ORIGINAL Internet Political Quiz My PERSONAL issues Score is 100%. My ECONOMIC issues Score is 50%. Which categorizes me as a "LIBERAL LIBERTARIAN" (Note to Republicans who are now making their vain attempts to call themselves "Libertarians" because your boy, George Bush, has made you look like dumbasses. The Libertarian Party is adamantly pro-choice, pro legalization of drugs, pro-environment, against the Patriot Act, for homosexual rights, and opposed to the war in Iraq, so your narrow-minded asses need to find yet another hole to crawl into.) Libertarians Rally for Peace in New York during the No War for Oil Peace Protest Happy Birthday Libertarians!

Your Honor, the defense calls Donald Rumsfeld

Saddam Hussein-Damn, he was once such a great guy. What went wrong?

"Of course the crimes of the Saddam Hussein regime were not just in the future when Rumsfeld came bearing gifts in 1983. Saddam's large-scale atrocities had been going on for a long time. Among them were the methodical torture and murders in Dujail that have been front-paged this week in coverage of the former dictator's trial; they occurred 17 months before Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad. As the most senior U.S. official to visit Iraq in six years, Rumsfeld had served as Reagan's point man for warming relations with Saddam. In 1984, the administration engineered the sale to Baghdad of 45 ostensibly civilian-use Bell 214ST helicopters. Saddam's military found them quite useful for attacking Kurdish civilians with poison gas in 1988, according to U.S. intelligence sources. "In response to the gassing," journalist Jeremy Scahill has pointed out, "sweeping sanctions were unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate that would have denied Iraq access to most U.S. technology. The measure was killed by the White House."

Squeezing Turd Blossom

Time Reporter Testifies in Leak Case Rove Lawyer Was Deposed Last Week by Special Prosecutor A special prosecutor questioned Time magazine reporter Viveca Novak under oath yesterday about a conversation she had with the attorney for presidential adviser Karl Rove that has become part of the CIA leak investigation, according to a top editor at the magazine. In another twist, the lawyer, Robert D. Luskin, was deposed on the same issue last Friday, a source close to the case said. Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald's questions in both sessions focused on the same subject: the conversation that Luskin and Novak, longtime friends, had over drinks sometime in the first half of 2004 about Rove's potential exposure in the probe. Sources familiar with their conversations say Novak's and Luskin's accounts to Fitzgerald appear to conflict on when they spoke.

DOWN GOES FRAIZER!! Oh, wrong Joe

Lieberman better take the Secretary of Defense job because he won't be getting re-elected next year as Senator. Lieberman meets with Rumsfeld amid retirement speculation "Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld hosted Sen. Joe Lieberman for a breakfast meeting Thursday amid speculation that the Connecticut Democrat could be in line to succeed him". A Lieberman aide, meanwhile, insisted the senator is focused on his 2006 re-election

We Don't Torture-Egypt Does it For Us

Qaeda-Iraq Link U.S. Cited Is Tied to Coercion Claim The Bush administration based a crucial prewar assertion about ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda on detailed statements made by a prisoner while in Egyptian custody who later said he had fabricated them to escape harsh treatment, according to current and former government officials. The officials said the captive, Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, provided his most specific and elaborate accounts about ties between Iraq and Al Qaeda only after he was secretly handed over to Egypt by the United States in January 2002, in a process known as rendition.

We not only commit crimes against humanity when we torture, but the information gained by torture is totally unreliable. Of course, Bush and the administration didn't care if it was reliable or not. In fact, the truth wasn't what they were looking for because the truth would not have allowed them to trick the sheep into going into Iraq.

Hugo Chavez Comes Through for American Poor

New York gets Venezuela cheap oil

An oil company controlled by the Venezuelan government has made its first delivery of cut-price heating oil to the Bronx borough of New York City. The firm, Citgo, is supplying fuel to thousands of people in deprived areas in co-operation with charities. The initiative started last month with the delivery of heating oil to Boston. It was announced in August by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez - a vocal critic of President George Bush. Under the deal, Citgo said it would provide heating oil at a 40% discount to fill in tanks at properties owned by three non-profit housing corporations in the Bronx. About 8,000 tenants from 75 buildings will benefit from the project, according to the company and the corporations. Deliveries will continue through the winter months until 1 April.

Can I get an amen?

"QUESTION: Mr. Murtha, what do you say to Senator Lieberman whom yesterday said Democrats need to acknowledge that this president is commander in chief for three more years, that undermining his credibility. . . . "MURTHA: Undermining his credibility? What has he said that would give him credibility?

bush tales

- Although President Bush said Wednesday that residents in Najaf and Mosul are "gaining a personal stake in a peaceful future," critics in the two Iraqi cities cite corruption, undemocratic institutions, persistent violence and stalled reconstruction. - "In a tale of two cities, President Bush yesterday heralded progress in northern Mosul and southern Najaf as new models for rebuilding Iraq. But last Friday, Iraq's government imposed emergency law and a curfew in Sunni-dominated Mosul and throughout Ninevah province, and a senior U.S. official in Baghdad yesterday referred to the city of about 1.7 million as "nasty Mosul."

DOD News Release(s) 6 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/nr20051208-5202.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1270-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 8, 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Cpl. Jimmy L. Shelton, 21, of Lehigh Acres, Fla., died in Bayji, Iraq on Dec. 3, when his forward operating base was attacked by enemy forces using mortars. Shelton was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, 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/nr20051206-5190.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- No. 1263-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 6, 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. 4, when improvised explosive devices detonated near their HMMWV during convoy operations. Both soldiers were assigned to the Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 147th Field Artillery, Yankton, S.D. Killed were: Sgt. 1st Class Richard L. Schild, 40, of Tabor, S.D. Staff Sgt. Daniel M. Cuka, 27, of Yankton, S.D. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/nr20051206-5191.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, on Dec. 2, of injuries sustained earlier that day when their truck accidentally rolled over. The soldiers were assigned to the Army National Guard's 148th Forward Support Battalion, 48th Brigade Combat Team, Forsyth, Ga. Killed were: Staff Sgt. Philip L. Travis, 41, of Snellville, Ga. Sgt. Philip A. Dodson, Jr., 42, of Forsyth, Ga. Spc. Marcus S. Futrell, 20, of Macon, Ga. --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Support the Troops? Walking the Walk

This December, Al will be in the Middle East entertaining our men and women in uniform.

That's eerie..The tale of a .38

John Lennon was shot 25 years ago with this gun. Unearthing a relic of a violent time. On December 8, 1980, at about 10:45 p.m., John Lennon and Yoko Ono were returning to their apartment at the Dakota when Mark David Chapman, who had earlier that day gotten Lennon’s autograph, called out his name again. “Mr. Lennon.” Lennon turned and was shot twice in the back and twice in the shoulder with a Charter Arms .38-caliber pistol.

I was listening to the news a few minutes ago and they mentioned that Mark David Chapman had shot John Lennon 25 years ago today, December 8, 1980, with a "Charter Arms .38 caliber pistol". I bought that same pistol, and still have it, in probably late December 1980 or January of 1981. A month or so after Lennon's murder and I didn't know until a few minutes ago that the gun I bought was the same one used by Chapman. I bought the gun shortly after a young woman, Sarai Ribicoff, was murdered in cold blood on the streets of Venice, California, in November 1980. I was living at the time in Santa Monica, which shares its southern city boundary with Venice. Ms. Ribicoff was the niece of Senator Ribicoff from Connecticut. Two young black men pounced on Ms. Ribicoff and her boyfriend as they were leaving a restaurant. One of the men grabbed Ribicoff from behind and held the pistol to her back while they demanded the boyfriend turn over his wallet. Both the boyfriend and Sarai did what was asked of them but the thug tragically shot her dead through the back. The bullet went through her and into the hand of the assailant who had her in a half bear hug. The idiot went to an emergency room in Marina Del Rey later that evening and was arrested. I decided after that senseless murder that I wasn't going out on the town with my wife anymore without being armed. You always thought that if that situation arose you would just comply and hand over to the punks what they wanted. But it changed for me with the murder of Sarai Ribicoff and I never went anywhere out with my wife without my .38 neatly tucked away. Many times if I had on a jacket and was walking the streets of Santa Monica, Venice, or LA my right hand was in my pocket, on the trigger...ready... My wife wasn't going to end up like Sarai Ribicoff. I still have the pistol. Hardly ever carry it anymore but it's loaded and fairly accessible. Same gun as the one that killed John Lennon and bought right around the same time...just a little bit of irony, I guess...

Howard Dean stole Dubya's line...

NBC, "The Today Show", 8/30/04 MATT LAUER: You said to me a second ago, one of the things you'll lay out in your vision for the next four years is how to go about winning the war on terror. That phrase strikes me a little bit. Do you really think we can win this war of ter--on terror? For example, in the next four years? PRESIDENT BUSH: I have never said we can win it in four years. MATT LAUER: No, I'm just saying, can we win it? Do you say that? PRESIDENT BUSH: I don't--I don't think we can win it. Next.

Bush Hates Christians

(Laura decorating the Hanukka Tree)

Conservatives miffed by Bush `holiday' card Christmas not named in White House mailing WASHINGTON -- What's missing from the White House Christmas card? Christmas. This month, as in every December since he took office, President Bush sent out cards with a generic end-of-the-year message, wishing 1.4 million of his close friends and supporters a happy "holiday season."

Many of Bush's closest supporters finally let loose! Bush "claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian. But he sure doesn't act like one. I'm now going to tell the world what I should have been telling them all along. George W. Bush is actually the anti-Christ and needs to be stopped!" said Joseph Farah, editor of the conservative Web site WorldNetDaily.com. "It bothers me that the White House card leaves off any reference to Jesus, while we've got Ramadan celebrations in the White House and them fucking Jews get everything they want!" Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association "President Bush insulted our nation by saying "happy holidays". After all the goddamn spin I've given his stupid ass on the Factor and he goes and does this to us faithful, phone-sex loving, dirty-talking, soap on a rope-loving, perverts who praise Jesus when in the no-spin zone, supporters"? Bill O'Reilly-Fox News Spiritual Leader "That's it! I've known for some time now that George and Laura have been living in sin-George has been back on the bottle and Laura has been learning how to read tarot cards from Nancy Reagan. But, this 'Happy Holidays' bullshit is the final straw-I'm through with his dumbass!"- James Dobson-Focus on the Family Damn, I guess they're a little pissed, huh?

Indictment Pending for Bush-Advisor Karl Rove?

"Washington DC is abuzz with whispered questions about Karl Rove, the embattled Senior Advisor to and close confidant of President Bush. Posts the Think Progress blog, loosely associated with respected think-tank Center for American Progress, " From the Nelson Report: 'Washington buzz today focused on reports of a three-hour grand jury meeting (presentation?) by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, with no witnesses called. Our legal advisors confess no inside information, but say this sort of an event usually precedes an indictment being handed down. If so, who…whom…might be the lucky winner this time? The afternoon betting line is White House political guru Karl Rove…' " Liberal Politics: U.S.

slithering backwards....

US 'shifts' position on torture The US secretary of state says the UN treaty on torture applies to American interrogators in the US and overseas, in an apparent shift in US policy. The Bush administration has previously said the convention, which bans cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, does not apply to US personnel abroad. Correspondents say a reason for the shift might be pressure from Congress. Condoleezza Rice's European tour has been dogged by claims the CIA used foreign bases to hold terror suspects. Ms Rice said the US was bound by the UN Convention against Torture (CAT). It "extends to US personnel wherever they are, whether they are in the US or outside the US," Ms Rice said in Ukraine. Her comments appear to contrast with the US Attorney-General, Alberto Gonzales, who said last year the convention did not apply to US interrogations of foreigners overseas. US officials travelling with Ms Rice were quoted by Reuters news agency as saying it represented a marked shift in US policy. But, according to AFP news agency, one aide to Ms Rice said her remarks were "a clarification of policy, not a shift". Sure, thanks for 'clarifying' that, Dr. Rice. I told you she would take a beating. She doesn't hold up under stress very well, does she?

Bush will give him the Presidential Medal of Freedom

James Tobin, of Bangor, Maine, arrives at U.S. District Court in Concord, N.H., Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005. Tobin, President Bush's former New England campaign chairman, is on trial on charges he orchestrated an Election Day phone-jamming plot

Ex-GOP Official Faces Conspiracy Charge "A former national Republican Party official played a key role in an Election Day 2002 phone jamming plot against New Hampshire Democrats, the prosecution said Tuesday during opening statements. James Tobin, President Bush's onetime New England campaign chairman, is being tried on one federal count of conspiring against voters' rights and several counts involving telephone harassment. He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. U.S. Attorney Andrew Levchuk said the state GOP's former executive director, Chuck McGee, had Tobin's blessing for the scheme as well as his help in the plot to disrupt Democratic get-out-the-vote phone banks and a nonpartisan ride-to-the-polls line. Tobin, 45, resigned as New England chairman of Bush's 2004 campaign in October 2004 when the phone jamming accusations became public. Tobin also has been political director of the Republican National Committee. McGee, who admitted hatching the plot, completed a seven-month sentence for conspiracy. Another conspirator, Allen Raymond, also pleaded guilty for organizing the jamming, but wants a five-month sentence reduced in exchange for cooperating with prosecutors.

This guy will now be eligible to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bush (nominated by Turd Blossom, of course) for exemplifying good old Republican Party politics. If you can't beat them-cheat them...

Look who's running now......

"The administration's... sensitivity to the "conservative" label for him". The Bush administration running from the word 'conservative'? It's understandable with their track record.

Administration objects to story describing Alito as conservative WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is mounting an aggressive effort to counter a Knight Ridder story that described Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito as a committed judicial conservative. The administration's response - delivered separately Tuesday by the White House and the Justice Department - reflects its determination to defend Alito and its sensitivity to the "conservative" label for him.

December 7, 1941, "A date which will live in infamy"

Pearl Harbor Raid "The 7 December 1941 Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor was one of the great defining moments in history. A single carefully-planned and well-executed stroke removed the United States Navy's battleship force as a possible threat to the Japanese Empire's southward expansion. America, unprepared and now considerably weakened, was abruptly brought into the Second World War as a full combatant. Eighteen months earlier, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had transferred the United States Fleet to Pearl Harbor as a presumed deterrent to Japanese agression. The Japanese military, deeply engaged in the seemingly endless war it had started against China in mid-1937, badly needed oil and other raw materials. Commercial access to these was gradually curtailed as the conquests continued. In July 1941 the Western powers effectively halted trade with Japan. From then on, as the desperate Japanese schemed to seize the oil and mineral-rich East Indies and Southeast Asia, a Pacific war was virtually inevitable". December 7, 1941 "A date which will live in infamy"