John Kerry Comments On New bin Laden Tape

Saturday, 21 January 2006 Opinion: Scoop Blogwatch blog entry by Senator John Kerry on Daily Kos 'Real Hardball' "There's something that doesn't sit right with me when, on the day Osama Bin Laden resurfaced in a disturbing audio tape, cable television ends up in a game of name calling as a war protester is compared to Osama Bin Laden. That's reason to be outraged - but even more outrageous is the fact that in a flurry of sound bites what was lost was a real discussion of the fact that more than four years after the devastating attacks of 9/11, more than four years after George Bush boasted we wanted Osama "dead or alive," more than a year after Osama Bin Laden showed his hateful face in yet another video, this barbarian is still very much alive and boasting of additional attacks against the United States. Here's what I'd like to see debated on Hardball. President Bush's mouthpiece Scott McClellan can claim this administration puts terrorists out of business, but yesterday's tape reminds us that instead of being out of business, Osama is still out there. If this administration had followed through on the opportunity to capture Osama Bin Laden at Tora Bora in 2001, the world would be a better place with Osama Bin Laden brought to justice -- and we wouldn't be having this discussion today. And here's what the media should insist we discuss. President Bush and his defenders continue to claim that Osama Bin Laden didn't escape at Tora Bora. But Gary Bernstein's book Jawbreaker documents what I said early in 2002 and during my debates with George Bush: that because Donald Rumsfeld's Pentagon didn't use American troops to do the job and instead outsourced the job of killing the world's #1 terrorist to Afghan warlords, this cold blooded killer got away. So what's the truth? There's a question that the full force of cable television should demand be answered. Press accounts over the last month have raised new concerns about the reliance on Afghan forces at Tora Bora in 2001. One account cited a Department of Defense document said to summarize the case against a suspected al Qaeda militant. The militant was believed to have helped Osama bin Laden escape from Tora Bora. More recently, August Hanning, the head of German intelligence, has said bin Laden bribed Afghan forces at Tora Bora to make his escape. The evidence keeps mounting: http://www.csmonitor.com/... http://www.washingtonpost.com/... Among the people who say Osama Bin Laden escaped at Tora Bora: Gary Schroen, former senior CIA agent, Author of First In: How seven CIA officers opened the war on terrorism in Afghanistan http://www.msnbc.msn.com/... Gary Berntsen, former CIA operative in Afghanistan, requested additional U.S. troops for the assault on Tora Bora, author of Jawbreaker. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/... Peter Bergen, terrorism analyst and author of The Osama bin Laden I Know http://www.vanityfair.com/... U.S. DOD, in a legal brief summarizing evidence against a suspect in U.S. custody at GTMO http://www.cnn.com/... Still - the Administration toes their party line. In 2004 they even dispatched their surrogate General Tommy Franks to dismiss all those who say otherwise. Isn't it time we had the truth? Yes or no, did Osama Bin Laden escape from Tora Bora in 2001? Here's a subject suited for true hard ball, on Hardball: four years of failure - enough is enough - why hasn't Osama Bin Laden been captured or killed, and how will he be destroyed before he next appears on tape to spread his disgusting message? That discussion -- rather than criticizing American citizens who exercise their right to free speech and express dissenting opinions - is the discussion that America needs. That would be the kind of debate on Hardball to which we should all tune in. John Kerry READ FULL DISCUSSION OF JOHN KERRY'S BLOG POST AT http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/1/20/175232/080 Thank you, thank you very much...

Yahoo caved

Yahoo admits it let White House access its databases Yahoo has admitted that it granted the US Government access to its search engine's databases this summer, as a battle develops over the right to privacy in cyberspace. Google, by contrast, promised last night to fight vigorously the Bush Administration’s demand to know what millions of people have been looking up on the internet. It emerged this week that the White House issued subpoenas to a number of US-based search engines this summer, asking to see what information the public had accessed in a two-month period. It said that it needed the information in order to help create online child protection laws. But Google refused to comply with its subpoena - prompting the US Attorney General this week to ask a federal judge in San Jose for an order to hand over the requested records.

"Talk about timing"

'As nervous Republicans raced this month to introduce lobby reform bills in the wake of the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling scandal, U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg and his wife, Sandie, were on a five-day, all-expenses-paid trip to a Hawaii conference on an interest group's dime'.

11 Indicted in 'Eco-Terrorism' Case

SEATTLE, Jan. 20 -- After taking nine years to penetrate what they called a "vast eco-terrorism conspiracy" in Oregon and four other Western states, federal prosecutors announced on Friday the indictment of 11 people in connection with a five-year wave of arson and sabotage claimed by the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front. The 17 attacks, which occurred from 1996 to 2001, caused no deaths but resulted in an estimated $23 million in damage to lumber companies, a ski resort, meat plants, federal ranger stations and a high-voltage electric tower. The ALF was created in the mid-1970s in Britain as a radical outgrowth of the animal rights movement. The group became active in the United States in the late 1980s. Its Web site says that one of its primary goals is "to inflict economic damage to those who profit from the misery and exploitation of animals." The ELF emerged in Britain in the mid-1990s, and its organization and tactics are modeled after those of the ALF. Members of the two organizations often work together, Perlstein said. "These people have the ability to hide and stay away from law enforcement in a way that traditional criminals are not able to do," Perlstein said. Among those arrested in connection with the 17 attacks are college students from Virginia and Arizona, a firefighter from Oregon, and a woman who works in a group home for the developmentally disabled. The defendants were listed as Joseph Dibee, Chelsea Dawn Gerlach, Sarah Kendall Harvey, Daniel McGowan, Stanislas Meyerhoff, Josephine Overaker, Jonathan Christopher Mark Paul, Rebecca Rubin, Suzanne Nicole "India" Savoie, Darren Todd Thurston and Kevin Tubbs. Dibee, Overaker and Rubin have not been arrested. An unindicted co-conspirator in the case -- William C. Rodgers, 40, who was arrested in December in Arizona on related arson charges -- killed himself shortly after his arrest.

No Deposit, No Return

Iran's leader challenges Europe to take back Jews in Israel DAMASCUS - In a new attack on the existence of Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has challenged Europe to take back the Jews who emigrated to Israel, adding that no Jews would remain in Israel if Europe were to open its doors. Ahmadinejad delivered the challenge after arriving in Syria for a two-day visit on Thursday. Addressing Europe, he asked: "Would you open the doors of your own countries to these (Jewish) immigrants so that they could travel to any part of Europe they chose?" "Would you offer the necessary guarantees that you would provide for their security when they came to your countries and not allow another anti-Semitic wave in Europe?" he added in an apparent reference to recent attacks on Jewish cemeteries and properties in European states.

And we're going to negotiate with this guy? Certainly can agree that Ahmadinejad is a complete nut, but his question here to the West is thought-provoking nonetheless. Israel was founded in-part because of the deplorable acts of some Europeans not so long ago, and there are still problems.

Bin Laden's taunt personifies Bush's failures

Boo! U.S. intelligence officials say the voice heard on an audiotape aired Thursday on Arab television is indeed that of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. In the taped message, he threatens more attacks on the United States, but says there can be a truce in the war on terror if U.S. forces pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq. Damn, just when we almost had all the sheep back in the pen, Osama speaks! ... And now, all the sheep go running for Dubya and Dick Cheney again. If Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and Tommy Franks had done their job and not 'outsourced' it to the Afghan Northern Alliance at Tora Bora, we wouldn't have to be listening to Osama bin Laden as we are now. "Outsourced" the job? Kerry said that same crap during the 2004 campaign, didn't he? Well, you don't have to take Kerry's or my word for it. You can get that information from Gary Berntsen, who was the 'CIA field commander for the agency's Jawbreaker team at Tora Bora' that day when bin Laden was allowed to slip away. We wouldn't have to be listening to Osama bin Laden taunt Bush and spook the flock if Bush had not needlessly led us into Iraq. We've averaged around 15,000 troops in Afghanistan over the last 4+ years in tracking down those who were actually responsible for the 9/11 attack. In comparison, we've averaged over 150,000 troops in Iraq for three years now; and we've known for quite some time that it is not, and was not, a threat. How is that rational? George Bush invading Iraq was the second best thing that could have happened to Osama bin Laden. The best was when Bush and Tommy Franks went with the Northern Alliance over our guys at Tora Bora. Bush and bin Laden feed off each other. Bush benefits by Osama scaring the sheep--What? Do you think he would've been re-elected on his fiscal record? Or his negative job-growth record? No,...Bush was re-elected because the spineless amoeba in this country out-number us. That's 'bout as simple as it gets . And bin Laden feeds off Bush's diversion of our military's focus on him and al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and into our quagmire in Iraq. Why wouldn't bin Laden and Bush use each other to the other's advantage? They each extended the other's career for at least another four years.... And as Jon Stewart said on the Daily Show last night, Osama. About your comment on the polls showing that most Americans want to pull out of Iraq? Yeah well, that's Iraq. We're still at 100% that want to kick your fucking ass in Afghanistan! "I would not take my eye off of the goal: Osama bin Laden. Unfortunately, he escaped in the mountains of Tora Bora. We had him surrounded. But we didn't use American forces, the best trained in the world, to go kill him. The president relied on Afghan warlords and he outsourced that job too. That's wrong" John Kerry-third 2004 presidential debate;

DOD News Release(s) 4 Soldiers, 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/2006/nr20060119-12337.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 054-06 January 19, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifes 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 Jan. 16 when their AH64D (Apache) helicoptor was shot down while they were conducting aerial patrols. Both pilots were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment (Attack), Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Killed were: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Rex C. Kenyon, 34, of El Segundo, Calif. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ruel Mamaril, 34, of Wahiawa, Hawaii. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060118-12329.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 048-06 January 18, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pfc. Kasper A. Dudkiewicz, 22, of Mangilao, Guam, died in Mosul, Iraq, on Jan. 15, when his HMMWV was involved in a vehicle collision. Dudkiewicz was assigned to the 511th Military Police Company, 91st Military Police Battalion, 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/2006/nr20060117-12319.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 043-06 January 17, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Marine Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lance Cpl. Jonathan K. Price, 19, of Woodlawn, Ill., died Jan. 13 from wounds received as a result of enemy small arms fire while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Cpl. Justin J. Watts, 20, of Crownsville, Md., died Jan. 14 from an apparent non-hostile gunshot wound in Haditha, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. His unit was attached to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. His death is currently 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/2006/nr20060117-12324.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 044-06 January 17, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Spc. Dustin L. Kendall, 21, of Conway, Mo., died in Baqubah, Iraq on Jan. 15, when his HMMVW accidentally struck an M1A2 Abrams tank and rolled over. Kendall was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

A future Jack, Karl, Grover or Ralph?

Andrew Jones, a 24-year-old former student and a former leader of the college's Republicans at the University of California Los Angeles, is offering $100 to current students to 'spy' and report any 'leftist bias' in the classroom. Remember that name, Andrew Jones. Being a leader in the 'college Republicans' has brought to us of late such notable men as Karl Rove, Jack Abramoff, Grover Norquist and Ralph Reed, to name a few. ...A real reputable group of men.....

Rightwing Group Offers Students $100 to Spy on Professors · Republican graduate's site prompts witch-hunt fears · 31 academics listed as 'worthy of scrutiny' 'It is the sort of invitation any poverty-stricken student would find hard to resist. "Do you have a professor who just can't stop talking about President Bush, about the war in Iraq, about the Republican party, or any other ideological issue that has nothing to do with the class subject matter? If you help ... expose the professor, we'll pay you for your work." For full notes, a tape recording and a copy of all teaching materials, students at the University of California Los Angeles are being offered $100 (£57) - the tape recorder is provided free of charge - by an alumni group. Lecture notes without a tape recording net $50, and even non-attendance at the class while providing copies of the teaching materials is worth $10. But the initiative has prompted concerns that the group, the brainchild of a former leader of the college's Republicans, is a witch-hunt. Several targeted professors have complained, figures associated with the group have distanced themselves from the project and the college is studying whether the sale of notes infringes copyright and contravenes regulations. The Bruin Alumni Association's single registered member is Andrew Jones, a 24-year-old former student who gained some notoriety while at the university for staging an "affirmative action bake sale" at which ethnic minority students were offered discounts on pastries'.

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An Ombudsman needs to get it right

The Washington Post's ombudsman, Deborah Howell is taking a heavy beating over at one of the Post's blogs. When you're the paper's ombudsman you need to get the story straight and when you screw up, you need to come clean. Her fuck-up has been used by a whole lot of little neo-Nazi wannabes this week and the Post should expect the heat when their ombudsman issues blatantly false information.

'Washington Post' Suspends Comments on One of its Blog NEW YORK Jim Brady, the executive editor at washingtonpost.com, notified users of the post.blog that the public comment feature had been suspended "indefinitely" after "a significant number of folks" posted personal attacks, profanity, and hate speech. Attempts by E&P to reach Brady have been unsuccessful so far. It seems likely the move is related to controversy in recent days over Sunday’s Post column by ombudsman Deobrah Howell. She has been heavily criticized by some political Web sites and bloggers for writing that indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff gave money to both political parties, when most research shows he only gave directly to Republicans. By E&P Staff

The Right to Vote (& a whole lot more!@#!%@#!!!)

Jesse Jackson Jr. "The vote" is a human right. It is seen as an American right. In a democracy there is nothing more fundamental than having the right to vote. And yet the right to vote is not a fundamental right in our Constitution. Some liberals argue that the fundamental right to vote for every American citizen is implied in the Constitution, based on Supreme Court precedent. Yet when I ask them about the denial of voting representation in Congress to District of Columbia citizens, or about the denial of ex-felons' voting rights in most states, many liberals concede that the current structure of our Constitution limits the ability of the courts and Congress to adequately address important voting-rights issues. It is amazing to me that many Democrats failed to grasp the most fundamental finding in Bush v. Gore: "The individual citizen has no federal constitutional right to vote for electors for the President of the United States." Our voting system's foundation is built on the sand of states' rights and local control. We have fifty states, 3,141 counties and 7,800 different local election jurisdictions. All separate and unequal. In four states, if you're an ex-felon you're barred from voting for life. There are 5 million Americans (including 1.8 million African-Americans, mostly in Southern states--where 55 percent of African- Americans live) who have paid their debt to society but are prohibited from voting. At the same time, in Maine and Vermont you can vote even if you're in jail. We need to build our voting system on a rock--the rock of adding a Voting Rights Amendment to the US Constitution. The amendment I have proposed in each of the last several Congresses (HJR 28) would provide the American people with a citizenship right to vote. It would also give Congress the authority to craft a unitary voting system for federal, state and local elections--one that guarantees all votes will be counted in a complete, fair, free and efficient manner. Democrats have been made so defensive by right-wing Republicans' constant stream of absurd amendments--anti-gay, antichoice, anti-flag "desecration"--that we've developed a negative rationale and posture about the Constitution: It's fine just the way it is. But fights over "rights" and constitutional amendments are where elections are being won and lost. And when Democrats don't fight for common laws, defending human rights, we're just reaffirming states' rights and local control, both of which are inherently separate and unequal. Building a more perfect union by turning human rights into American rights--that's what Democrats should be fighting for. Let's wage this fight one issue at a time, rolling out a sort of second Bill of Rights. After the Voting Rights Amendment, we might add public education and equal-quality healthcare to every American's citizenship rights. An equal rights for women amendment. An affordable-housing amendment. A clean, safe and sustainable environment amendment. A fair taxes amendment. A full-employment amendment. An amendment for direct election of the American President and Vice President. Fighting for human and constitutional rights is a theme, and a strategy, that could keep Democrats together for the next fifty years, election after election. It's time to begin a lofty fight to add the right to vote to the Constitution--and paint a truer picture of most Republicans as undemocratic. It's time to stand up and insure every American's right to vote to have that vote fully protected and to have it fairly counted. I was reading this piece on 'the right to vote' here by Jesse Jackson Jr. and I was with him through the part about allowing ex-felons the right to vote and how right-wing Republicans' and their anti-gay, antichoice, anti-flag "desecration" amendments, blah, blah... and then Jesse goes off on all these other goofy amendments and I realize---He must be a lot like his old man!!

Amount Abramoff gave to Democrats

Post ombudsman Howell twice falsely claimed Democrats received contributions from Abramoff Jack Abramoff did not give one flat dime, not one red cent to any Democrat. ZERO.

Rice: No Point in More Iran Negotiations

Natanz nuclear facility in Iran

'France, with the support of the United States, rejected Iran's request for more negotiations on the Islamic republic's nuclear program, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying Wednesday "there's not much to talk about" after Iran resumed atomic activities. Iran must return to a complete suspension of these activities." In Washington, Rice and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana also rejected any return to talks. "There's not much to talk about," Rice said during a photo session at the State Department with Solana'.

There is not much of a point in negotiating with Iran. As I wrote last month, we need to do a strategic strike against all of their uranium enrichment facilities if these most recent talks don't accomplish what we want. Bush should give them 30 days. A strike is a strike and not an invasion using any ground forces into Iran. Air Force B2 Bombers and Tomahawk missiles from Navy submarines. Put our troops in Iraq on alert near the Iranian border and if the Iranians get out of line, let the Air Force pound them some more. If 'diplomacy' works, great. But we've already wasted a lot of time-at least two years-talking with Iran and they've done what they've wanted to do right from the start. Their current president, Ahmadinejad, is a total kook and who if is the final say on whether Iran starts enriching weapons grade uranium or not, then negotiating any longer is just wasting time.

Abramoff and Turd Blossom by Scott

If you haven't read the transcript or seen it on TV already, I think you'll find this part of a transcript of White House press secretary Scott McClellan and a reporter, to be pretty interesting. Before you read what McClellan said on Tuesday read this piece of information by Knight-Ridder on Wednesday; "The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Abramoff and his associates had nearly 200 contacts with the White House during Bush's first 10 months in office". Transcript from Tuesday Jan 17. at the White House Q Scott, what was the subject matter when Jack Abramoff met with staff here? MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry? Q What was the subject -- MR. McCLELLAN: I just indicated earlier to Elisabeth's questions that we just don't get into discussing White House staff-level meetings. We never really have. Q Can you say who Mr. Abramoff was representing when he came in here? MR. McCLELLAN: No. Again, we don't get into discussing staff-level meetings. If you have something specific to bring to my attention, I'll be glad to try to look into that. But I'm not aware of anything specific that you have. Q What got him in the door here? How did he qualify for meetings here? MR. McCLELLAN: Again, I checked on this. What I was asked is to go and check on this, and I did. And there were only a couple of holiday receptions that he attended, and then a few staff-level meetings on top of that. And that's the way I would describe it. Now, what I can't do is go and say with absolute certainty that he did not have any other visits. We did a check at your request and what I have learned from that request is exactly what I am telling you. Q Was it senior staff, at that level? MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry? Q Would you qualify it as senior staff that he met with here? MR. McCLELLAN: I'm just saying staff-level meetings is the way I would describe it. And if you have anything specific, I'll be glad to take a look into it. Q Well, we're counting on you for the specifics -- MR. McCLELLAN: Well, if there's any reason for me to check into it, please bring it to my attention. Q He's pled guilty to some serious charges. MR. McCLELLAN: And so are you insinuating something? Q We're just trying to find out the facts. MR. McCLELLAN: Well, if you've got something to bring to my attention, do so, and then I'll be glad to look into it. Q Scott, that's not a fair burden to place on us. This is a guy who is a tainted lobbyist, and he has connections -- we want to know -- with whom in the White House. You shouldn't demand that we give you something specific to go check it out. I mean, this guy is radioactive in Washington. And he knows guys like Karl Rove. So did he meet with him or not? MR. McCLELLAN: I know of nothing that -- Q Don't put it on us to bring something specific. It's a specific question about a specific individual. Q Can you tell us if he met with Karl Rove? MR. McCLELLAN: Because we don't discuss staff-level meetings -- Q Of course you do, whenever you want to discuss staff-level meetings. And if Karl Rove, who has ties to Ralph Reed, which he does, we want to know if he has ties to Jack Abramoff, and if they met -- MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I can answer that. Q Oh, great. Well, before you said -- MR. McCLELLAN: No, I mean, about if he knows -- yes, he knows -- he knows Mr. Abramoff. They are both former heads of the College Republicans. That's how they got to know each other way back, I think it was in the early '80s. And my understanding is that Karl would describe it as more of a casual relationship, than a business relationship. That's what he has said. But if you've got specific matters that I need to look into, it's my point that I think it's your obligation to bring that to my attention and I'll be glad to take a look into it. Q Well, I don't -- MR. McCLELLAN: There's been no -- Q -- no, no, but I don't think it's our obligation to do anything. If we want to know whether there was pending business that Abramoff represented to members of the staff here at the White House, what do we need -- MR. McCLELLAN: There's been no suggestion of anything like that out of this White House. Q -- some kind of an affidavit to bring you to -- MR. McCLELLAN: There's been no suggestion of anything like this in this White House. Q I'm just asking. I'm not suggesting. MR. McCLELLAN: No, you're insinuating. Go ahead. 'Insinuating, 'suggesting' or just plain lying like hell? Karl Rove and Jack Abramoff didn't do any scamming when they met at the White House all those times? Release the information. The White House is public property, you have documentation of everything that goes on there and it's public domain. What is it you're hiding?

They didn't get the memo

Obviously USAid didn't get the memo the Bush administration sent out. You know, the one to Fox News and the rest of the sheep who are constantly whining about not getting all the 'happy news' that's not being reported in Iraq? Read the report sheep and grow a pair!

Official US agency paints dire picture of 'out-of-control' Iraq · Analysis issued by USAid in reconstruction effort · Account belies picture painted by White House An official assessment drawn up by the US foreign aid agency depicts the security situation in Iraq as dire, amounting to a "social breakdown" in which criminals have "almost free rein". The "conflict assessment" is an attachment to an invitation to contractors to bid on a project rehabilitating Iraqi cities published earlier this month by the US Agency for International Development (USAid). The picture it paints is not only darker than the optimistic accounts from the White House and the Pentagon, it also gives a more complex profile of the insurgency than the straightforward "rejectionists, Saddamists and terrorists" described by George Bush.

Getting Rid of Lieberman

About the only thing sweeter than a Republican losing their seat in Congress this fall would be to have Joe Lieberman beaten by another Democrat in the August primary! Would love to see that!!

CT-Sen: Lieberman freaking out about Lamont Ned Lamont is not a fringe candidate, and this isn't a hopeless battle. Uphill, yeah. Improbable, yup. But not hopeless. And given that he's promised to spend 7-figures of his own money, as well as possible support from DfA and MoveOn, and we've got ourselves quite an epic showdown brewing. Old world politics versus new. Insurance and corporate interests versus people-power. A Fox News Democrat versus a real one. kos

2,222

2,222

Surface-to-Air Missiles

....and a thanks to the Gipper!...

Surface-to-Air Missile Downed U.S. Chopper in Iraq Attack Has Ominous Implications, Marking First Time Insurgents Shoot Down U.S. Aircraft With Missile "Pentagon officials tell ABC News they believe Iraqi insurgents used a Russian-made SA-7 surface-to-air missile to shoot down a U.S. military helicopter on Monday. The AH-64 Apache crashed north of Baghdad, killing the two crew members. It was the third American chopper to go down in 10 days. It's a troubling new development because there are hundreds -- and by some estimates thousands -- of SA-7 missiles that are unaccounted for in Iraq".

'Thousands unaccounted for'? I know what you thought when you read that-- no, those were not considered 'wmds' by the U.S. or the United Nations before the invasion. These are hand-held surface to air missiles just like the ones Oliver North, through Ronald Reagan of course, sold to the Iranian terrorists during Iran/Contra. Who knows where these Iraqis are getting these types of weapons but Iran is supplying the insurgency. Some of that smell from the Reagan administration stills has a lingering affect. Ronald Reagan authorized the sale of thousands of TOW missiles to Iranian terrorists and there is a possibility that one of those could be used to shoot down our aircraft that are patrolling Iraq. Thanks Gipper...

Get it Right! Shut the Liars Up!

Alberto Gonzalez and all the mouthpieces for the liars in the Bush administration that say "Clinton did the same thing" are just repeating a lie that has been proven to be just that. When Gonzalez alludes to the Aldrich Ames case he needs to get his timeline straight. Clinton went after Aldrich Ames in 1993 and the "FISA amendment requiring warrants for physical searches" took effect in 1995. This information has been out there for weeks and it's very easily attained. Quit repeating the lies assholes! Media repeated Gonzales's false claim that Gore speech was "inconsistent" with Clinton administration policies Summary: Numerous media outlets echoed Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales's criticisms of former Vice President Al Gore's January 16 speech, which was highly critical of President Bush's authorization of warrantless domestic espionage in apparent violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Gonzales argued that Gore was being "inconsistent" because the Clinton administration did the same thing; in fact, Clinton's use of warrantless physical searches, which Gonzales cited, did not violate FISA because at the time FISA did not address physical searches.

Three Blind Mice

Supreme Court Upholds Oregon Assisted Suicide Law The Supreme Court rejected the Bush administration's challenge to the nation's only right-to-die law today and ruled Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft overstepped his authority when he sought to punish the Oregon doctors who helped terminally ill people end their lives. The 6-3 decision was a victory for states and their independent-minded voters, and a defeat for social conservatives. New Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., in his first significant decision, joined Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas in dissent.

The three blind mice will soon be joined by a fourth.

Civil Rights Act of 1964 and how the South was lost

"We have lost the South for a generation." — Lyndon Johnson, to an aide, immediately after signing the Civil Rights Act LBJ signs Civil Rights Act of 1964 as MLK looks on It almost never fails that every Martin Luther King Day you hear some of the same old tired Republicans say, it was because of them that the 1964 Civil Rights Act even passed. That is partly true because if all Republicans had voted 'no', then of course, the Act would not have passed. But, it's just as, or even truer, that without 'Northern' Democrat votes, and support, it would not have passed. Below are some statistics on the vote for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As you can see, the group that led the opposition to the Civil Rights Act was by far 'Southern' Democrats. Senate and House 'Southern' Democrats voted overwhelmingly 'no', 8-108. But, also note that not a single 'Southern' Republican voted 'yes', either. Another significant glimpse of those times in terms of Party politics is that Barry Goldwater, a vocal opponent of the Civil Rights Act, was the Republican nominee for president in 1964. Hardly seems like the Party of race relations. Lyndon Johnson's quote from above about "We", (meaning Democrats) have just lost the South for a generation", is off by about a generation and a half; It's been 42 years and Democrats are still 'lost' in the South. Those 'Southern Democrats' who voted 'no' on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became Republicans and that's what they remain today. So when you hear that same tired old rant every year on MLK Day about how Republicans saved the day for the American Negro back in 1964, just show them the statistics and remind them of who probably constitutes nearly 65-75% of their Party today. Former ‘Southern’ Democrats who called themselves Dixiecrats. Vote statistics Vote totals: The Original House Version: 290-130 The Senate Version: 73-27 The Senate Version, as voted on by the House: 289-126 By Party: The Original House Version: Democratic Party: 153-96 Republican Party: 138-34 The Senate Version: Democratic Party: 46-22 Republican Party: 27-6 The Senate Version, voted on by the House: Democratic Party: 153-91 Republican Party: 136-35 By Party and Region: The Original House Version: Southern Democrats: 7-87 Southern Republicans: 0-10 Northern Democrats: 145-9 Northern Republicans: 138-24 The Senate Version: Southern Democrats: 1-21 Southern Republicans: 0-1 Northern Democrats: 46-1 Northern Republicans: 27-5 Wikipedia

How desperate are we?

Marine Sentries at Naval Academy Sent to Iraq A Naval Academy tradition that lasted 155 years has come to an end. The gates and crypts of Revolutionary War Capt. John Paul Jones at Annapolis have been guarded by Marine sentries since before the Civil War. The military has now withdrawn Marines from that post and redeployed them to Iraq. The four dozen Marines will be replaced by Navy enlisted personnel.

One of the problems you will get when the unnecessary war being fought is one that is supported almost entirely by Republicans is, you won't find enough people to fight it. The 30-35% of those who still support this war are unfortunately the same people who have never served the country and therefore, their children would never consider it either. I think to remedy that problem is to simply pass an emergency order that states those who still support this war need to be drafted. Disregard any age-limits because as we all know, M-16's are very light and riding around Baghdad in a light-armored Humvee doesn't take a whole lot energy. I'd say everyone under 65 years old who supports the war in Iraq needs to go fight it. That way you can make up for not serving your country ever before and you can put your money where your chickenshit mouths are. Implement that policy and we would be leaving Iraq by midnight of the day it started...guaranteed!

DOD News Release(s)

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060116-12316.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 040-06 January 16, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died near Al Sukar, Iraq, on Jan. 13, when their OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter came under attack by enemy forces using small arms fire. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. Killed were: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mitchell K. Carver, Jr., 31, of Charlotte, N.C. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle E. Jackson, 28, of Sarasota, Fla. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060115-12315.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 039-06 January 15, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Navy Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Petty Officer First Class Michael Anthony Jordan, 35, of Augusta, Ga., died in an automobile accident Friday, Jan. 13, 2006, in Manama, Bahrain. Jordan was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 50, Bahrain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where did he get that sign?

A Pakistani activist from Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal holds a placard during a protest in Islamabad January 15, 2006. Thousands of people rallied across Pakistan on Sunday to protest against a U.S. airstrike in a tribal region that killed at least 18 people but missed its apparent target, al Qaeda's number two, Ayman al Zawahri. Has anyone asked the question, where did that guy get that sign? What is 'MMA'? Zawahri missed dinner

"Can This Elephant Be Cleaned Up?"

...."We Don't Know Jack"... The Republicans hope Tom DeLay's successor will repair their reputation, but the stink of the lobbying scandal clings hard to the G.O.P.

'The spreadsheet, bristling with million-dollar totals, jumped from flat screen to flat screen last winter in the Washington underground of fund-raising consultants and political-action committees. It had been created by allies of Congressman John Boehner, an Ohio Republican known for massive, raucous late-night parties. A window into the science of the shakedown, the spreadsheet calculated the "efficiency" of fund-raising committees headed by various leaders of the House, showing which were most generous to other Republicans. Boehner's backers were thrilled when the widely forwarded spreadsheet produced a front-page headline in The Hill, a newspaper focused on Congress, saying boehner boasts of big bucks. Eight months later, his team smiled again when the paper ran a list of Boehner's "K Street Cabinet," loyal lobbyists and other power brokers who would help run the show if he achieved his longtime ambition of becoming House Speaker or majority leader. With Tom DeLay's machine still in charge of the Capitol, those were the credentials that would get an aspiring lawmaker taken seriously. Now, a few indictments and plea agreements later, the political landscape has shifted mightily, and Boehner is seeking to replace DeLay by running for majority leader as Mr. Clean, an outsider bent on shaking up the system that superlobbyist Jack Abramoff mastered and that then snarled him and, so far, mainly the Republican Party in scandal. "Boehner Outlines Plan for Reform, Renewal and Changing the Status Quo," blared a statement Boehner issued less than 48 hours after DeLay announced he would not seek re-election to the House's No. 2 post. "We're kind of stuck in neutral, and we need to renew ourselves," Boehner told TIME.

South Florida teens turned themselves in for murder

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Two South Florida teens suspected in the beatings of three homeless men turned themselves in to police Sunday, authorities said. Family attorneys negotiated the surrender of Brian Hooks, 18, and Thomas S. Daugherty, 17. They will face murder charges in the death of Norris Gaynor and aggravated battery charges in the videotaped beating of Jacques Pierre, said Capt. Michael Gregory of the Fort Lauderdale police. They also are suspects in the beating of a third man, Raymond Perez, 49, whose case remains under investigation, Gregory said. The teens were in police custody pending official charges from a grand jury, Gregory said. Police also were investigating whether the two may have been involved in other beatings and if they had accomplices. "We do know there have been other assaults of homeless in Fort Lauderdale," Gregory said. Names of the teens' attorneys were not immediately available. Pierre, 58, was beaten on the Fort Lauderdale campus of Florida Atlantic University. Gaynor, 45, was killed a few blocks away, and Perez, 49, was beaten in a Church-by-the-Sea garden. It was not clear if Perez and Pierre remained hospitalized Sunday.

Martin Luther King & 1968

"One of the most visible advocates of nonviolence and direct action as methods of social change, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta on 15 January 1929. As the grandson of the Rev. A.D. Williams, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist church and a founder of Atlanta's NAACP chapter, and the son of Martin Luther King, Sr., who succeeded Williams as Ebenezer's pastor, King's roots were in the African-American Baptist church. After attending Morehouse College in Atlanta, King went on to study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and Boston University, where he deepened his understanding of theological scholarship and explored Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent strategy for social change. King married Coretta Scott in 1953, and the following year he accepted the pastorate at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. King received his Ph.D. in systematic theology in 1955. In late 1967, King initiated a Poor People's Campaign designed to confront economic problems that had not been addressed by earlier civil rights reforms. The following year, while supporting striking sanitation workers in Memphis, he delivered his final address "I've Been to the Mountaintop." The next day, 4 April 1968, King was assassinated". And a whole lot in between... Stanford University's 'The Martin Luther King Research & Education Institute' 1968 Martin Luther King was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee, in April 1968, at 39 years old.....Robert Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles just two months later...The Tet Offensive was in 1968-- LBJ wasn't running for re-election and George Wallace, the admitted segregationist governor of Alabama, was trying to win the Democrat nomination for president--The Detroit Tigers won the World Series and OJ Simpson won the Heisman -- Tommie Smith's and John Carlos's black power salute at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics added deeply to the tension..---It was a very, very tumultuous year and sort of confusing, exciting and gripping all at the same time as a wide-eyed 15 year old. A lot of racial tension, a lot of body bags on the 6 o'clock news, and a lot of anti-war sentiment and racial demonstrations - - 1968 is a very significant year in American history...and one with a whole lot of memories... ...Happy birthday, Dr. King

Spade a Spade

Hajj deaths dismay Arab press The Arab press in the Middle East has reacted with horror to the deaths of hundreds of pilgrims, crushed during the stone-throwing ritual at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. "The terrible truth, which we should face, is that the pilgrims came from cultures which - with great regret - cannot organise themselves. They have come from cultures which do not recognise queues, therefore we shall remain mere human waves, the last of which kills the first in a stampede... If the bridge is going to become a nightmare every year, then demolish it and leave in its place virgin land as it used to be... With every large or small gathering we prove to the world that we have a culture of chaos and impetuosity". COMMENTARY IN SAUDI'S AL-WATAN "I believe that the issue is multifaceted. Expanding the stone-throwing area and building new bridges will not radically solve the problem. A comprehensive study, in which there is no objection to the participation of some foreign expertise, is needed so that every year we are not surprised by the unexpected and continue to move inside the same vicious circle". COMMENTARY IN EGYPT'S AL-JUMHURIYAH

Aspirin factory...?

Pakistani tribesmen marched Saturday near Damadola to protest the airstrike. Local officials in the region, the Bajaur district, said the attack destroyed three houses in the village and killed at least 18 civilians. Those unmanned drones...Looks like we may have missed al-Zawahiri but word is that the $25 million reward for him is looking better and better to some people in that area. Supposedly al-Zawahiri is not as well beloved as al-Qaeda's number 1, Osama bin Laden, and we are close on his tail. I guess from the sounds of things, we have to start aiming better. Can you imagine an unmanned drone flying over your neighborhood in the middle of the night and unleashing 10 warheads? Do you think you would join the street protest the next day?

"Exit Mr. Warner"

Nice editorial on former Virginia Governor, Mark Warner. He's a Democrat in the mold of Bill Clinton in that he makes the tough decisions to pay for what is spent while spending less at the same time. Unlike the current situation in Washington where they spend like fools and don't bother to pay for it-choosing to let some other generation pick up the tab. Mark Warner sounds a bit green, ... but, after 8 years of George Bush and a Republican Congress for far too long, it couldn't go anywhere but up...

"IN AN AGE of relentless partisan venom and scarce civility in public life, Mark R. Warner, the outgoing governor of Virginia, provided a new template -- or revived an old one. The example he set in four years in office -- at once bipartisan and resolute, managerially competent and politically astute -- is a real achievement. It will stand as a model for future governors, in Virginia and elsewhere. It is tempting to hypothesize that it was Mr. Warner's education in the corporate suites of the business world, not the ideologically charged arena of state politics, that accounted for his bipartisan brand of governance in Richmond. Whether the byproduct of experience or temperament, though, the Democrat's pragmatic style fit the bill in a centrist-to-conservative state with a political character that has always been somewhat more genteel than others'. Virginia governors are limited to a single four-year term in office; almost by definition, their accomplishments are circumscribed by the brevity of their mandates. Mr. Warner's signal achievement, in 2004, was a package of tax reforms -- including a higher sales tax, lower income tax and elimination of the food tax -- that yielded $1.5 billion in additional funding over the next two years. That measure revived Virginia's public schools, preserved its top-ranked credit rating and set the stage for the state's robust public finances. The tax package was a triumph not only because of its salutary effects on the state treasury but also as an act of political statesmanship. It is important to remember the political context in which it occurred. Reversing course despite his campaign promise not to raise taxes, Mr. Warner acted at a time of financial peril in Virginia -- the state was facing a $6 billion budget shortfall -- and profound political polarization. His Republican predecessor, Gov. James S. Gilmore III, had gutted the state's revenue base with deeply irresponsible tax cuts and left behind a poisonous atmosphere in Richmond. Then Mr. Warner got to work, crossing party lines to woo moderate Republicans. It took two months of legislative overtime, agile maneuvering and uncommon determination, but in the end Mr. Warner got his package through the Republican-controlled legislature. Republican hard-liners moaned that the governor had hoodwinked everyone and foisted an unneeded tax increase on the state. They missed the essential point: that Virginians, like Mr. Warner, are centrist, flexible and practical-minded by nature, with little time or patience for the strident partisan warfare so popular in Washington. It was a measure of the thirst for a consensual, cooperative political approach that so relatively straightforward an achievement -- a tax package enacted with bipartisan support -- could lift Mr. Warner, by no means the world's most irresistibly charismatic politician, to approval ratings at or above 70 percent. Of course, Mr. Warner did more than retool Virginia's tax system. He also pushed for the enactment and adoption of better and more efficient management techniques throughout state bureaucracy, maybe most importantly in the state transportation department, which badly needed it. Although somewhat cautious by nature, he gambled politically by going out on a limb to campaign for his able No. 2, Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, to succeed him. Now Mr. Warner is weighing a presidential campaign. Voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and beyond may soon be asked to judge whether his four years in elected office suffice to make him a credible candidate. Whatever that outcome, his admirable comportment and success in Virginia will carry their own legacy".

Washington Post editorial

You didn't miss me?

Americans save British hostage no one knew was missing 'A British man kidnapped in Iraq and held for five days by armed men who threatened to behead him was rescued last week by American special forces and astonished to discover that no one had noticed he was missing. Phil Sands, 28, a freelance journalist, was held by gunmen who ambushed his car in Baghdad. He said the worst aspect of his ordeal was imagining the anguish of his family. But his parents were holidaying in Morocco and knew nothing of his sufferings until he called them after he was released during a chance raid by US forces on a farm outside Baghdad. For Sands, the escape came after he had surrendered all hope. 'I thought with absolute certainty, "I'm dead - it's now just a matter of the technical details,"' he told The Observer. 'I was strangely calm - there was no point in panicking.' But the US army, on a routine mission, came to the rescue. He recalled: 'I was in bed and heard helicopters, which I assumed would move on. But then there were footsteps and a banging at the door. It burst open and two young American soldiers came in with flashlights. They woke up my guard and shone a torch in my face. One of them said, "What the fuck?" I said: "I'm a Brit, dammit."'

DOD News Release(s) 5 Marines, 1 Soldier and a Civilian

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060111-12293.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 030-06 January 11, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Marine Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of five Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom: Lance Cpl. Kyle W. Brown, 22, of Newport News, Va. Lance Cpl. Jeriad P. Jacobs, 19, of Clayton, N.C. Lance Cpl. Jason T. Little, 20, of Climax, Mich. Cpl. Brett L. Lundstrom, 22, of Stafford, Va. Lance Cpl. Raul Mercado, 21, of Monrovia, Calif. All five Marines died on Jan. 7. Mercado was killed when his vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Al Karmah, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Little was killed when his tank was attacked with an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Ferris, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Brown, Jacobs and Lundstrom were killed by enemy small arms fire in separate attacks while conducting combat operations near Fallujah, Iraq. They were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Media with questions about Brown, Jacobs, Little, or Lundstrom can call the 2nd Marine Division Public Affairs Office at (910) 451-9033. Media with questions about Mercado can call the 2nd Marine Logistics Group Public Affairs Office at (910) 451-3577. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060112-12298.html On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060112-12298.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 032-06 January 12, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Department of Defense Civilian Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Department of Defense civilian who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Darren D. Braswell, 36, of Riverdale, Ga., died Jan. 7 near Tal Afar, Iraq, when the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter in which he was a passenger crashed. Braswell worked for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060112-12301.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 034-06 January 12, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Michael J. McMullen, 25, of Salisbury, Md., died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 10 of injuries sustained in Ramadi, Iraq on Dec. 24, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position. McMullen was assigned to the Army National Guard's 243rd Engineer Company, Baltimore, Md. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walton, Wal-Mart Employees & You

Sam Walton (March 29, 1918 – April 5, 1992) A former "J.C. Penney clerk who opened his first discount store in Rogers, Ark. 1962. Took Wal-Mart public 1970". Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer with more than 5,100 stores, 1.3 million employees and close to 7.2 billion customers per year. Annual sales last year were approximately $285 billion. "Family controls 40% of Wal-Mart. Son Rob serves as chairman; other children not active in company".

The Waltons When Sam Walton died in 1992 he left a widow, Helen R. Walton, and four children, S. Robson "Rob" Walton, John T. Walton, Jim C. Walton, and Alice Walton. John T., the second oldest, a Vietnam War hero, who as a Green Beret medic won the Silver-Star for "saving lives under fire", died tragically in a plane crash on June 27, 2005 at the age of 58. John was survived by his wife, Christy, and a son Luke. (Walton's ultralight aircraft, right) As you can see from their mini-bios there from Forbes, Sam Walton left his very gracious family with a great deal of wealth. I don't know much about the Walton family. I remember feeling surprised at John's heroic military service when reading about his death last year. I don't know why I was surprised other than the simple fact that not many sons of billionaires were volunteering to serve in the Army special forces during 1968. That sort of leads me to believe the Walton family, more than likely, had a pretty good upbringing. But, that's based primarily on what I read about John and as I said, I don't know much else about the family...And sort of learned a 'lesson' about not prejudging them from last June. Currently, the 5 Waltons have a combined net worth of $77,900,000,000 and are ranked numbers 6 thru 10 in Forbes' " top 400 richest Americans ". To put that much money into a little perspective; If you never made another dime on that $77.9 billion, you could spend $1 million a DAY for the next 213 YEARS....If you earned a mere 1% on that $77.9 billion, that 1% would earn you $779 million in INTEREST each year so you could spend $2 million+ per day, every day, for that same 213 years and never touch the principal! I think the Walton family is pretty well set, don't you? ...I mean, real nice people,....and, you know, not hurting for money and certainly getting very fine health care attention when needed. And the family is the perfect example of the American Dream of what hard work and, a good family inheritance, can get you in this great country of ours. Sam Walton was quite a man, and one of the most influential Americans of the 20th century. And, we all wish he was our Daddy... Wal-Mart Employees As you know, Wal-Mart is big news again. The retail giant, the nation's largest employer with 1.3 million employees, 'lost' a huge battle in Maryland that could eventually have a dramatic effect on the way they compensate their employees nation-wide. The Maryland state Legislature overrode Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr's. veto on a bill known as the 'Fair Share Health Care Plan', that "requires companies employing more than 10,000 people to spend at least eight percent of their payroll on health care benefits. Wal-Mart is the only company of that size in the state that does not already do so, though the giant retailer does offer health insurance to its employees". The Maryland General Assembly needed a three-fifths vote (60%) to override the governor's veto and they got almost 64%, at 118-67. The argument about what effect raising wages, or compensation for employees has on the increase in prices to consumers, versus what the cost to the public, the same consumers of course, that Wal-Mart is passing on by not providing health care benefits to their many employees, is worth looking at; Wal-Mart has 1.3 million employees. As was said, they are now the nation's largest employer. They don't pay their employees very well and they offer a very inferior health care package to them. Well, what they do offer doesn't equal '8%' of their compensation and many of the people employed at Wal-Mart are on Medicaid and/or Medicare, which of course is paid for by you. And, we know how expensive Medicaid and Medicare are to the American 'consumer'. Let's say the average salary at Wal-Mart is $25,000 per year. It's not that high by the way, but let's use it nonetheless. If you multiple $25,000 by the total 1.3 million employees you get a total payroll of, $32.5 billion. Maryland's new law, if applied to the entire nation, would require Wal-Mart to spend 8% of that total payroll expense, or $2.6 billion, on employee health care. So you obviously say, "See how much your consumer costs are going to go up' because of that stupid new law in Maryland"! 'Wal-Mart is going to pass that $2.6 billion onto the consumer and prices will skyrocket!... Well, hold on a minute.. Remember, Wal-Mart had sales last year of $285,000,000,000. That's $285 billion. If they had to increase next year's sales by that new $2.6 billion cost of employee health care, that would equal a less than 1%, (.091%) increase in prices to consumers. So, that pack of gum you bought for a dollar at Wal-Mart will now cost you $1.01. That $100 microwave you bought last year will now cost you $100.91. And, since Wal-Mart says they are already paying somewhere between 1% - 8% on employee health care, that increase is much lower to consumer prices. That increase is probably not even half of 1%. Your microwave is probably more like, $100.45 this year. YOU Do you think you pay more for the cost passed on to Medicaid and Medicare by the segment of those 1.3 million employees that use it, or do you chew an awful lot of gum?

Move On

Dems may stall on Alito, but OK likely

'The Senate Judiciary Committee wrapped up its weeklong confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito on Friday with civil rights advocates warning that he would turn the clock back, while a diverse group of former aides and colleagues praised his fairness. The committee's top Democrat indicated that the panel's vote on Alito, scheduled next Tuesday, would likely be delayed for a week '.

Hey, 55-45, Vote!...get the show on the road and move on. Your vote will be recorded history on what you thought. Turn off the cameras and vote!

Airstrike May Have Hit Al Qaeda No. 2!

"An airstrike on a Pakistani village near the Afghan border may have targeted Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri, CBS News reports. The airstrike in a remote Pakistani tribal area killed at least 17 people on Friday, and a senior Pakistani official said the target was a suspected al Qaeda hideout that may have been frequented by high-level operatives. Citing unnamed American intelligence officials, U.S. networks reported that it was a CIA strike and that al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's No. 2 leader, could have been at the compound in the Bajur area or about to arrive. It is not clear if al-Zawahiri or other al Qaeda operatives were there, reports CBS News. A senior Pakistani government official told The Associated Press that "there is 50-50 chance that some al Qaeda personality was at the home" that was hit. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Saturday that he had heard that the al Qaeda figure may have been al-Zawahiri and that the information would be clearer later Saturday".

Interesting....al-Zawahiri hiding out in Pakistan, and not Afghanistan? Or, at least we hope it's him. That would be very sweet, indeed. This is huge.

Shame the Hell out of you

City considers ‘red-tagging’ problem houses 'It’s not a scarlet letter. But it is a bunch of letters on a red tag stuck to someone’s house — if the occupants have gotten into trouble with the law for such things as parties, noise or litter. City leaders are floating the idea of slapping so-called “red tags” on disorderly houses to serve notice to inhabitants, neighbors and landlords that they’re in trouble with the law. And they’d better not get into trouble again any time soon. The idea was suggested by Ed Caudill, a 21-year North Bottoms resident and neighborhood activist who hopes to reduce the parties, litter and noise in his neighborhood, where the many small, old rental houses are popular with University of Nebraska-Lincoln students'.

Damn Ed, you're 21, lighten up. It's a college town. Oh, that's right..it's Lincoln, Nebraska. Ed will make a good republican. Which reminds me, I caught part of a Al Franken joke today-and I say 'part' because I only caught the punch line so I'll make up the rest.. This 90 year old man's doctor tells him he has cancer and only 4 weeks to live. The old man tells his good buddy at the bar he wants to become a Republican and his buddy says, "what do you want to do that for you've been a Democrat for 75 years"? The old man replies, "well, if someone has to do die I want it to be a Republican"...

Sharon situation is "Frightening"

Doctors treating Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon are becoming increasingly worried as they have not yet been able to rouse him from his coma, it has been reported. Mr Sharon has been in an induced coma since suffering a massive stroke, and doctors have been trying to revive him. The longer the process takes the greater the risk he suffered extensive brain damage when his haemorrhage occurred. Surgeons have removed a drain from his brain after a scan showed that most of the bleeding had been absorbed. But medical sources quoted on Israeli public radio described Mr Sharon's condition as "frightening".

Bush Embarrasses Himself Again

Bush goes to New Orleans and by-passes the areas damaged by Katrina and announces how well things are going. The guy is a complete idiot and a total loser. It would be like going to Beverly Hills and announcing that Watts is looking good....

In New Orleans, Bush Speaks With Optimism but Sees Little of Ruin 'Bush made his first trip here in three months on Thursday and declared that New Orleans was "a heck of a place to bring your family" and that it had "some of the greatest food in the world and some wonderful fun." Mr. Bush spent his brief visit in a meeting with political and business leaders on the edge of the Garden District, the grand neighborhood largely untouched by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina, and saw little devastation. He did not go into the city's hardest-hit areas or to Jackson Square, where several hundred girls from the Academy of the Sacred Heart staged a protest demanding stronger levees'.

Nice little white boys out having some fun

BAT BEATING: Surveillance video shows attack on homeless man at Florida Atlantic University in Fort Lauderdale. Young men armed with baseball bats or sticks attacked three homeless men, killing one and hospitalizing the two others early Thursday morning in Fort Lauderdale's downtown and beachside areas, police said. Watch the video if you can stomach it. It's a real fucked-up world out there...

Black sergeant was 'loyal Klansman'

Ron Stallworth carries his KKK membership card as a memento. Dave Chappelle About 25 years ago, Ron Stallworth was asked to lead the Ku Klux Klan chapter in Colorado Springs. "He asked me to take over the lead because I was a good, loyal Klansman," said Stallworth, who had been in constant phone contact with the Klan leader while leading a yearlong Colorado Springs police investigation into the Klan. I couldn't help laughing out loud thinking about Dave Chappelle's character, the blind KKK Grand Wizard, when I read this. Fucking hilarious!

What an asshole

Republicans' idol takes back God's wish Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson has sent a letter apologizing for suggesting that Ariel Sharon’s massive stroke was divine punishment for pulling Israel out of the Gaza Strip. Robertson’s comments drew widespread condemnation from other Christian leaders, President Bush and Israeli officials, who canceled plans to include the American evangelist in the construction of a Christian tourist center in northern Israel.

Isn't it amazing how God can change his mind when there's money to be lost? Republicans' favorite preacher has another vision from God on the Ariel Sharon ordeal now that they might cut off any money he might make out of the deal. Robertson that is,..... not God.

It was only going to be a billion a day

Bush and the White House are going to blame Hurricane Katrina for the deficit when it was already predicted to be well over $350 billion this year. Add that almost $1 billion a day to the $1 billion per day in INTEREST that the Republican created $8 trillion debt costs and smart people start to realize that Republicans are terribly expensive. That's $1.7 TRILLION in deficits in Dumbya's first 5 years, fools. Nice job, Losers!

'The White House said on Thursday deficit spending in the 2006 budget would soar above $400 billion, well over a July forecast, and the election-year jolt was blamed largely on Hurricane Katrina costs. The new deficit projection was likely to further intensify a debate leading up to mid-term elections in November on whether to renew President George W. Bush's tax cuts that he says are essential for economic growth but which Democrats say are a drain on the budget' .

This happens every year!

Stampede Near Mecca Kills 345 Friday, January 13, 2006 MINA, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 12 -- Muslim pilgrims tripped over luggage while hurrying to ritually stone the devil during Islam's annual hajj Thursday, causing a crush in which at least 345 people were trampled to death. I swear this happens every single year at Mecca. How goddamn difficult is it to walk around in a circle? These people ought to buy a clue!

Alito Doesn't Know the Constitution

Charles Schumer asked Scalito a direct and simple question about if a person is born in this country can they have their citizenship revoked and face the possiblity of deportation. Now, I'm sorry folks, but an eighth grader should know that answer but Sam Scalito didn't know it? You must be kidding! U.S. Constitution: Fourteenth Amendment Section. 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

'Schumer fared no better in asking about proposals to deny citizenship to illegal immigrants' children who are born in the United States, the subject of proposed legislation. Schumer asserted that any attempt to deprive those children of citizenship would violate "one of the most direct and clear provisions'' of the Constitution, the 14th Amendment's declaration that all persons born in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are citizens. But Alito -- noting that supporters of the legislation dispute whether the children are under U.S. jurisdiction -- said it would inappropriate for a judge or court nominee to offer an opinion'.

Shut Up!

If you can't take the heat get the hell out of the kitchen. A hell of a lot more people have a lot more to cry about than you do bitch. ...But they're making Sammie answer all those mean questions...

'The wife of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito left today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in tears after her husband underwent withering questioning from Democrats'.

Democracy? Oh no, we said 'Theocracy'

Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq and extremely pro-Iranian As I've said for over three years now, Iraq will be a worse situation for the U.S. now that the Shiites have control than when Saddam Hussein was in power. I will continue to remind those of you who 'I told you so', whether it's today, one year from now, or five years from now on just how wrong you were, and how right I was.

Powerful Shiite Leader Backs Away From Constitutional Compromise Iraq's most influential Shiite politician said Wednesday that he would not allow a new government to "change the essence" of the country's constitution, despite a promise made to Sunni Arabs that opened it to major revision. Apparently emboldened by winning the referendum and the election, Abdul Aziz Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq -- the most powerful group in the ruling coalition of Shiite parties -- backed away from the constitutional compromise Wednesday. "The first principle is not to change the essence of the constitution," Hakim said in a speech on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, according to the Associated Press. "It is our responsibility to form Baghdad provinces and southern Iraq provinces." Compromise was critical to stopping "the violence that has affected both the Sunni and Shia people."

There will be no compromise. The Shiites will demand a theocracy just like the Shiites have in Iran and they will become allies with a common goal of destroying the U.S. Don't believe me? Read the following and check the source;

"Hakim is the clerical leader of the Iran-backed Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the largest political party in the election. Since he heads the consolidated Shiite ticket, he is guaranteed election and this close ally of Iran will most certainly hold a very high post in the new government. Needless to say, neither of these gentlemen is friendly to the United States and there are few allies on the rest of the ticket either".

I told you so...

Kennedy Makes Specter Look Like a Fool and a Liar

Kennedy Calls Specter’s Bluff

This morning, Sens. Arlen Specter and Ted Kennedy sparred over Kennedy’s request to subpoena documents related to the Concerned Alumni of Princeton. Specter insisted, on multiple occassions, that he had never received a letter from Kennedy, and used that point to disregard the request. "If it’s really a matter of importance — you and I see each other all the time — you’ve never mentioned it to me, and I do not ascribe a great deal of weight [to it]," Specter said. Except Kennedy had sent a letter, and Specter’s office not only received it, but issued a response to Kennedy’s office. Specter later admitted he discussed Kennedy’s letter in a phone call with his Chief-of-Staff.

Think Progress Arlen Specter doesn't make a very good liar but sure does make a wonderful fool. Specter tried to deny that Kennedy had contacted him and his staff about wanting to subpoena documents that would show Scalito was lying about his involvement with the racist organization, CAP, that Scalito was once so proud to be a member of. Specter lied about not receiving Kennedy's letter but there was one small problem for Arlen; Kennedy had a letter that was a response to his letter from Specter's staff. There's nothing like being made to look like a fool and being exposed as a liar on national TV.... Classic...

Bush Holds Open News Conference With Prescreened Audience

In typical Soviet/Republican fashion, George Bush had an 'open' debate that only invited, prescreened and partisan people were allowed to attend. Continuing the method he used during the campaign, Bush fielded 10 softball questions that even Fox News found nauseating. Initial reports did not report if Jeff Gannon-Guckert, Dubya's & Turd-Blossom's gay butt-buddy, or Armstrong Williams were in the audience.

Bush Shrugs Off Spy Program Questions and Admits He Lied in the Run-up to the Invasion of Iraq In Louisville, Bush hosted a casual, town hall-type event reminiscent of his campaign stops. Bush paced, with microphone in hand, like a talk show host in front of signs that left no doubt about the administration's message of the day: "Winning the War on Terror."

Bush said we're winning the war but he also re-stated his and Rumsfeld's position that $260 was way too much to spend on any Marine who needed the proper armor that could have saved the life of any of the many who died because of tight budget constraints. What a guy, huh?

quid pro quo

DeLay Pushed To Shut Casino After 'Contribution' Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay tried to pressure the Bush administration into shutting down an Indian-owned casino that lobbyist Jack Abramoff wanted closed —shortly after a tribal client of Abramoff's donated to a DeLay political action committee, The Associated Press has learned.

Hillary Get's It Right-Calls Bush "Incompetent"

How would you like to be the father or the mother of one of the many Marines that were killed because George Bush, Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld thought the extra $260 was too much money to spend on protecting them?

Sen. Clinton Says Lack of Body Armor is 'Unforgivable' She Has Called for an Investigation Into Why Soldiers Are Not Fully Protected Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called the Bush administration "incompetent" when it came to protecting the troops in combat and called the lack of adequate body armor for soldiers and Marines "unforgivable." So far in Iraq, more than 2,100 American troops have been killed. Critics like Clinton, D-N.Y., say that many of these deaths are the result of inadequate body armor. A secret Pentagon study of 93 Marines who were killed in Iraq found that 74 died after they were hit by a bullet or shrapnel in the torso or shoulders -- areas unprotected by the armor most are issued. "We perhaps could have avoided so many of these fatalities with the right body armor," said Clinton, who recently wrote letters to Sen. John Warner, R-Va., chairman of the Armed Services Committee; Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee; and Francis J. Harvey, secretary of the Army, calling for an investigation into why troops were not being protected. Clinton pointed to President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney as the culprits. Some have said that supplying Marines and soldiers with armor that covers their sides is too expensive -- costing about $260 for each person. Clinton said that considering the United States' defense budget was half a trillion dollars, the additional protection was affordable. She said the administration had refused to listen to people in the field like Paul Bremer, former ambassador to Iraq, who said the United States needed more troops in Iraq to pacify the country. "This is Bush/Cheney policy. … I've been one of the leading critics pointing out all the failures, the incompetencies," Clinton said. "I am just bewildered as to how this president and this vice president continue to isolate themselves from different point of views. He's [President Bush has] got three more years in office. Some of us wish this wasn't the case."

Russ Tice-American Hero

NSA Whistleblower, Russ Tice, Exposes Illegal Spying

Former Employee Admits to Being a New York Times Source Russell Tice, a longtime insider at the National Security Agency, is now a whistleblower the agency would like to keep quiet. For 20 years, Tice worked in the shadows as he helped the United States spy on other people's conversations around the world President Bush has admitted that he gave orders that allowed the NSA to eavesdrop on a small number of Americans without the usual requisite warrants. But Tice disagrees. He says the number of Americans subject to eavesdropping by the NSA could be in the millions if the full range of secret NSA programs is used. "That would mean for most Americans that if they conducted, or you know, placed an overseas communication, more than likely they were sucked into that vacuum," Tice said. The same day The New York Times broke the story of the NSA eavesdropping without warrants, Tice surfaced as a whistleblower in the agency. He told ABC News that he was a source for the Times' reporters. But Tice maintains that his conscience is clear. "As far as I'm concerned, as long as I don't say anything that's classified, I'm not worried," he said. "We need to clean up the intelligence community. We've had abuses, and they need to be addressed."

More like him need to come forward and expose the crimes that have been committed. CIA and FBI agents who were told to keep silent about the trumped and faulty intelligence reports that came out of the White House, need to come forward also.

Bush & the Boys are sweating it

Bush and Abramoff go way back regardless of what lies he's telling now 'Although DeLay's forfeiture of his leadership post makes things easier for the White House, the Abramoff saga will continue to be a problem. Bracing for the worst, Administration officials obtained from the Secret Service a list of all the times Abramoff entered the White House complex, and they scrambled to determine the reason for each visit. Bush aides are also trying to identify all the photos that may exist of the two men together. Abramoff attended Hanukkah and holiday events at the White House, according to an aide who has seen the list. Press secretary Scott McClellan said Abramoff might have attended large gatherings with Bush but added, "The President does not know him, nor does the President recall ever meeting him."

Bush and Jack Abramoff's relationship goes back to as early as 1997 and he has the audacity to say he doesn't know him. Remember, Bush said the exact same thing when his extremely close friend, Kenny Boy Lay was caught embezzling billions from Enron.

DOD News Release-the 8 who died in the Blackhawk crash

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060110-12291.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 028-06 January 10, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of eight soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died near Tal Afar, Iraq, on Jan. 7, when their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed. Killed were: Maj. Stuart M. Anderson, 44, of Peosta, Iowa. Anderson was assigned to the Army Reserve's 3rd Corps Support Command, Des Moines, Iowa. Maj. Douglas A. Labouff, 36, of California. Labouff was assigned to the Army's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo. Capt. Michael R. Martinez, 43, of Missouri. Martinez was assigned to the Army's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo. 1st Lt. Jaime L. Campbell, 25, of Ephrata, Wash. Campbell was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, Anchorage, Alaska. 1st Lt. Joseph D. deMoors, 36, of Jefferson, Ala. deMoors was assigned to the Army's 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Chester W. Troxel, 45, of Anchorage, Alaska. Troxel was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, Anchorage, Alaska. Spc. Michael I. Edwards, 26, of Fairbanks, Alaska. Edwards was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, Anchorage, Alaska. Spc. Jacob E. Melson, 22, of Wasilla, Alaska. Melson was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, Anchorage, Alaska. -------------------------------------------------------------------------