Tuesday, July 31, 2007

"A blueprint for instituting martial law in the United States."

"The old blue bloods have taken over."
 
These are just a few of the claims being bandied about by bloggers on the Internet and radio talk-show hosts alarmed by President Bush's plan for the federal government's survival in the aftermath of a catastrophic attack or natural disaster.
 
The plan, embodied in National Security Presidential Directive 51, was issued without fanfare by Bush on May 9. It draws upon blueprints prepared by past administrations stretching back to the Truman administration. The latest directive underscores long-standing presidential authority to declare a "catastrophic emergency" and coordinate "enduring constitutional government."
 
But it also awards the president broader authority to take over disaster recovery from state officials and calls on federal authorities to provide "appropriate support" to the vice president to orchestrate any post-attack recovery, if necessary.
 
 


  
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Monday, July 30, 2007

Jersey Girls Letter About Alberto Gonzales

 An Open Letter To All Senate Judiciary Committee Members

By Patty Casazza
Monica Gabrielle
Mindy Kleinberg
Lorie Van Auken

July 26, 2007

Watching Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testify before Congress on July 24, 2007, for the third time, was excruciatingly painful.

During Gonzales' testimony, it became abundantly clear that Americans were witnessing the unraveling of the fabric of America. We do not feel that this is an overstatement.

The Attorney General, a man who supposedly personifies America's rule of law, obfuscated, committed perjury, and belittled the very institution, the Congress, which makes America a great Democracy. Over and over, we publicly witnessed Gonzales' refusal to answer the questions posed by you - a Committee authorized to conduct oversight duties. You were made to look frustrated and foolish as your attempts at Executive Branch oversight were thwarted by the bizarre, circular non-answers of Attorney General Gonzales. For the third time, you were unable to penetrate his stonewalling.

We want to know, is it not a crime to mislead and outright lie to the Congress? How many more opportunities will you give Attorney General Gonzales to make a farce of our system by denying Congress information that would allow you to do your job and properly perform your oversight role?

The Bush Administration has repeatedly told us that American troops are fighting to spread democracy in Iraq. Ironically, here in America we seem to be losing the core principles that make us one. Mr. Gonzales' testimony and the Administration's refusal to have key people testify at the hearings, without any accountability, make a mockery of our system of checks and balances. We are supposed to have three equal branches of government: the Executive, Judicial and Legislative. While they are often on opposite sides of an issue, the three branches are to be unified in the maintenance of American civil liberties, not working in concert to covertly undermine and rescind them. Again, no one branch is supposed to have absolute power, nor should any combination of the other two be cowed or manipulated into consensus against the interests of the American people.

And, while we support these inquiries and applaud your patience and attempts to solicit truthful and substantive answers to your questions during all of the Gonzales hearings, it was disconcerting to watch the disdainful contempt that the Attorney General exhibited for the entire process.

Sadder still, it appears that you are becoming unwittingly complicit in your own undoing. It is evident that what we are watching is the U.S. Congress in the process of making itself irrelevant. When the Executive Branch alone is allowed to act without any oversight, or any accountability, then what we will become is a dictatorship. And once all Americans realize that Congress is unable to perform any oversight, whether it is due to lack of will or complicity, you will no longer be needed. Once it becomes apparent that the Executive Branch is not only making the laws but also deciding which laws to follow, the Congress will be just a quaint, unnecessary and useless artifact.

This Administration, aided and abetted by some members of Congress, has repeatedly deceived the American people by allowing the Executive Branch to ignore the rule of law and divisions of power specifically stated in the Constitution. This Administration's "constitutionally and legally challenged" activities include, but are certainly not limited to: taking America into a pre-emptive war on false pretenses, warrantless wiretapping, illegal torture, and the political firing of attorneys. Where are those who took an oath to uphold the Constitution and are supposed to represent us in our government ... our Congress?

While we understand that you only have limited tools in your arsenal to address these matters, what we don't understand is why you have yet to use them. We also understand that using these tools may involve a lengthy and highly contentious process that we will all have to endure. Yet in the annals of history, the only thing that will count is whether or not you upheld the rule of law and fulfilled your Constitutional responsibilities. The mere countenance of argument and eventual capitulation will only ensure our collective demise, and the continued abuse of power by others in the future. But by seeking the truth and reestablishing the balance of power you can negate the current Administration's unilateral quest for domination, and hopefully, begin to restore the United States' international and regional standing in the world.

Thus, all options for achieving these goals should be put back on the table.

Show the American public and the world that our democracy has been reinstated. That the system put in place by our forefathers, the system that this Administration says it wants to spread throughout the world is once again viable and indeed worth saving. Fight with all that you have to save our democracy here in America. You owe it to every American, but most of all you owe it to the men and women in the military that have been repeatedly put in harm's way attempting to establish a democracy overseas.

The future of our Democracy is in grave danger. It is imperative that you act immediately.

September 11th Advocates

Patty Casazza
Monica Gabrielle
Mindy Kleinberg
Lorie Van Auken



  
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Senator Russ Feingold called for a special prosecutor to investigate potential false statements by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

Today on Fox News Sunday Senator Russ Feingold called for a special prosecutor to investigate potential false statements by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
"The only way it can be done fairly is through the request that four of us have made which is that a Special Counsel be appointed through the Bush Administration, through the Attorney General's office and that they look at it and determine whether something has happened here that I think has happened, which is, I think, perhaps a crime has been committed by the Attorney General on this matter."
Chris Wallace went on to question Senator Feingold on the call for revision of the current FISA laws, the contempt citations for White House staffers, and the upcoming vote on censuring the President.
Wrapping up the segment, Wallace noted that the show had offered the administration and Republican Judiciary Committee members to appear on the show to defend Attorney General Gonzales, "We had no takers."
The following video is from Fox's Fox News Sunday, broadcast on July 29.


  
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Fred Thompson's Campaign Lays a Big: Goose EGG

 
Likely GOP presidential contender Fred Thompson raises just over $3 million in June, substantially less than some backers had hoped, according to Republican sources. Full story:

'The Assault on Reason'

Today's News 7-30-07: Why Low Congress Approval Rating Isn't Good News For GOP

 

A Mountain of Made-in-America Post 9/11 Disasters

Haroon Siddiqui - The Star - Jul 30th, 2007
It is now widely acknowledged that the world has infinitely more terrorism than before George W. Bush started his war on it ...more

Why the White House is Hiding Behind General Petraeus

Frank Rich - AlterNet - Jul 30th, 2007
The White House's effort to hide behind General Petraeus, is really an attempt to shield Bush from the failure in Iraq ...more

Bush's Folly

Editorial - Los Angeles Times - Jul 30th, 2007
His fixation on Al Qaeda's role in Iraq reveals the shallowness of his thinking -- and of the U.S. strategy on fighting terrorism. ...more

Congress Must Continue to Resist Bush's Disdain for the People's Rights

Editorial - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Jul 30th, 2007
The attempts of the Congress to obtain information from the White House are worthy of respect and necessary to defend our democracy ...more

Why Low Congress Approval Rating Isn't Good News For GOP

Marc McDonald - Beggars-Choosers - Jul 30th, 2007
If Republicans take a hard look at the reason why Americans are fed up with this Congress, it's actually bad news for the GOP ...more

Billions of Dollars Might Flow if Kids' Health Care Had Iraq Appeal

Cynthia Tucker - Atlanta Journal - Jul 30th, 2007
Far more Americans have jobs that don't provide health care; even more have seen their premiums skyrocket. They're not afraid to try a new system ...more


  
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More Bad News For The DLC

Despite what you hear from the DLC, the biggest problem facing the Democrats, and the nation, is not the party's liberal activists ...more

 
 
Down Low Conservatives that is.......

Sunday, July 29, 2007

The Bush Family: They are Fascists

It's been long known that Prescott Bush - President George W. Bush's grandfather - was an extremely dishonorable man. That he was a fascist who wanted to overthrow the U.S. government and have the U.S. join forces with Hitler and Mussolini, just show the true personality of the Bush patriarch.



The coup was aimed at toppling President Franklin D Roosevelt with the help of half-a-million war veterans. The plotters, who were alleged to involve some of the most famous families in America, (owners of Heinz, Birds Eye, Goodtea, Maxwell Hse & George Bush's Grandfather, Prescott) believed that their country should adopt the policies of Hitler and Mussolini to beat the great depression.

Mike Thomson investigates why so little is known about this biggest ever peacetime threat to American democracy.


Click here to go to the BBC site and listen to the report.


  
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Saturday, July 28, 2007

Fox Attacks Bloggers!

 

 

Fox Attacks Bloggers! You Can Fight Back

 

In recent months, Fox noise has implied that Barack Obama is a terrorist, called black churches cults, and denied the existence of global warming. This week, Bill O'Reilly declared war on the blogosphere and its advertisers like JetBlue.
Enough is enough. It's time we hit Fox where it hurts...their bottom line.
Watch Fox Attacks Bloggers:
Imagine a world where every time Fox said something truly outrageous, that very day thousands of people across the country called local Fox advertisers (who had already been identified), alerted them of the outrage, and urged them to pull their ads immediately.
We put together the Fox Attacker tool to do just that... it will become a database of all Fox's local and national cable advertisers compiled by literally thousands of volunteers who are signing up at FOXAttacks.com to monitor local Fox cable advertisers. You could even TiVo Fox and skip through the hatred and propaganda to just watch the ads!
Soon, we'll have a solid, verified database of Fox cable advertisers and we can start calling, and calling, and calling. And winning, and winning, and winng. See, we're pretty sure that a lot of local advertisers out there aren't making a conscious decision to support Fox's hatred and distortions, and if we just let them know what's going on, they will reconsider.
That's important. This isn't a boycott, we're just informing Fox's advertisers... nothing is more terrifying to Fox than the truth.
So if you're willing to identify advertisers, or willing to call or email them, then


  
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Today's News 07-28-07 :Bush's Pro-Nazi Plot Against America

 

Grandpa Bush's Pro-Nazi Plot Against America

Scott Horton - Harper's - Jul 28th, 2007
In 1934, federal investigators uncovered a plot involving Prescot Bush, to topple the government of the U.S. and install a fascist dictatorship ...more

The Failed Neoconservative Ideology

Brent Budowsky - Hill's Pundit - Jul 28th, 2007
Never has any philosophy been proven so wrong, so fatal, so disastrous for our country and so deadly for our troops as neoconservativism ...more

'Do-Nothing Congress': Corporate-Owned Media Repeating GOP Talking Points

Media Matters - Jul 28th, 2007
Republicans have blocked bills at an unprecedented rate, putting into action a strategy Senator Lott (R-MS) described as 'obstructionist' ...more

FOX Attacks Bloggers - You Can Fight Back

Jim Gilliam - Huffington Post - Jul 28th, 2007
In recent months, Fox noise has implied that Obama is a terrorist, denied the existence of global warming and now they're attacking bloggers ...more

Vote Fred Thompson and Get Another Four Years of Neocon Insanity

David Corn - The Nation - Jul 28th, 2007
He has a strong claim on the neoconservative heart, and if he ends up in the White House, the moribund neocons will rise again ...more

The Centrists Did Not Hold

Noam Scheiber - New York Times - Jul 28th, 2007
Despite what you hear from the DLC, the biggest problem facing the Democrats, and the nation, is not the party's liberal activists ...more


  
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Fred Thompson: Swift-boating of Mitt Romney

 
With onetime Republican presidential frontrunner Senator John McCain in meltdown, Mitt Romney suddenly finds himself under fire from some of the Christian right's most influential activists. Romney's evangelical critics claim the former Massachusetts governor and devout Mormon was complicit in the Marriott hotel chain's sale of pay-per-view porn on its in-room television sets when he served on the corporation's board of directors from 1992 to 2001. Two Christian-right operatives involved in orchestrating the charges have enlisted as Internet organizers for former Senator Fred Thompson, who is preparing to enter the race formally. The tactics of these religious-right players, targeted below the radar against Romney, are calculated to alter decisively the outcome of the Republican primary contest.

Friday, July 27, 2007

Romney Fears Youtube Debate

This two minute video of Mitt Romney on C-SPAN today represents much that is wrong with his candidacy. He gives lame answers to easy questions like claiming to be unable to participate in a Republican YouTube debate as "September is a tough month" because "it is the end of a quarter." Thus, he must fundraise rather than answer questions from possibly the most egalitarian media outlet on the planet that is comprised mainly of the nation's youth trying to do their civic duty by participating in the political process. His message is clearly that it is all about the money and not the people.
Romney then seems to imply that he wouldn't participate in a YouTube debate anyways because the format was not (cough) respectful enough. Laughable on its face coming from a member of the party of the Swiftboat, Southern Strategy and Voter Caging, Romney adds to the foolishness by admitting that he never even watched the recent Democratic CNN/YouTube debate but for a couple of excerpts. Finally, after first being too busy and then claiming that the format was not proper, he kinda sorta backtracks and says he would not rule out doing a more respectful YouTube debate in the future.
And Then.....

And a bit later in the day, now speaking in a townhall meeting in Iowa, Romney slammed YouTube again. This time he asked his audience if they watched the debate before saying, "No, I didn't think so. You were peeling carrots or, you know, something else critical at that time...and, ah, just like me, I was doing something else. But you saw the excerpts, and perhaps on YouTube, you saw one of the presidential candidates on the left talk about what he'd do in his first year in office."


  
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Gay Border Patrol Officer Fights His Firing

 
Robert Rhodes was acquitted in 2005 of charges he violated the tourist's civil rights by pushing her head into the pavement as several officers sought to control her after she ran from a checkpoint. But instead of returning to work, the 17-year veteran of Customs and Border Protection said he was fired. His lawyer said Rhodes considered expendable because he had filed a federal complaint against his employer alleging unfair treatment because he is gay.

John Kerry wants YOU to write the script for a Radio ad



Your ad can be the one pressuring Republican Senators in some key states. Submit your script as soon as you can write it!


I've said it before and I'll say it again: the Republicans are feeling the pressure for change on Iraq. But I'm not a patient person. Especially when the lives of our troops are at stake. I refuse to wait around for the Republicans to move without giving them a little more pushing.

Quite simply, we want to take an unusual step - and we want to do it early. I think we need to run radio ads in the states of the Roadblock Republicans, making it crystal clear that they don't deserve to be reelected because of their continued support for the Bush Doctrine of escalation without end.  We need to turn up the heat even higher.

It's the pressure of activists and the voice of the people that have gotten us this far in the Iraq debate, not the cookie-cutter ads and thirty second soundbites of Madison Avenue media firms.

So we decided, why don't we let you speak in this radio campaign?  If user generated content can change presidential debates, I know it can help change the next election on the most pivotal of issues.

That's why we're running a contest. We want you to send in a script for a 30 second radio spot (that's about 65 words long), we'll whittle it down some to the top 20, and then we'll open up the voting to everyone. The winner that's chosen by the people will be what we air in the states. And we'll fundraise for the airing of that spot, with each of you able to choose with your contribution where you think we should run the ad. No political professionals making the spot, or choosing where to run it. It's all done by you.

You can make the spot sad, or satirical, or hard-hitting. Whatever you want to do. You can make it a personal story from your life (maybe you know someone in Iraq or have a family member there or maybe you are one of the many veterans in this community), or you can make a factual case on why voters should consider someone else because of this issue, or anything else you'd like. You get it -- it's up to you. And what you do can be the ad that goes on the air targeting the Roadblock Republicans.

So click here to submit your script.

You have until midnight ET on Saturday August 11th to get your script in, so get thinking and start writing. And forward this email to everyone you think might be interested in submitting a radio spot to this contest. If you know someone who has a way with words and wants to make a difference, send this along. We'd love to get their scripts.

Thank you, and let's make sure we get a change in course in Iraq very soon.

Good luck,

John Kerry


  
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Today's News 07-27-07: Come September, Who You Gonna Believe, Petraeus or Your Own Eyes

 

Attorney General Gonzales' Apalling Testimony

Editorial - Miami Herald - Jul 27th, 2007
Congress should take whatever steps are necessary, from a contempt citation to pursuing criminal charges, to remove Gonzales from office ...more

Gonzales Hangs On and the Stink Gets Worse

Editorial - Sacramento Bee - Jul 27th, 2007
There is plenty - perjury, the U.S. attorney firings, the derailed insurance probe - for a special prosecutor to pursue ...more

America and the Conqueror's Syndrome

Matthew Carr - First Post - Jul 27th, 2007
Train young men for violence and send them to carry out an illegal and unwanted occupation and they will slip into illegality and immorality ...more

Bush's Dark Powers

Rosa Brooks - Los Angeles Times - Jul 27th, 2007
Bush issued an order declaring, as a matter of policy, that a single man has the authority to detain any person anyplace in the world ...more

Come September, Who You Gonna Believe, Petraeus or Your Own Eyes

Arianna Huffington - Jul 27th, 2007
For Bush and his minions, the question to the American people has become: Who you gonna believe on Iraq, Petraeus or the facts ...more

Dems Turning Red-State America Purple

Bob Moser - The Nation - Jul 27th, 2007
Of course, we know why Republicans oppose taxes: They want all the tax breaks. Let the rich man go, let the poor man pay ...more


  
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Another Phony Terror Threat

 
Olbermann Debunks Latest 'Cheese Bomb' Terror Warning
 
' The Shady Bunch'

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Today's News 07-26-07: Will Media Cover Larry Flynt's Latest Revelations

 

Rupert Murdoch's FOX News Crackpots

Joe Conason - New York Observer - Jul 26th, 2007
Liberals can only hope that crackpots like Kristol maintain their influence over the Republicans, reducing the GOP to a permanent minority ...more

Republicans Bragging About their Obstructionist Schemes

Minneapolis Star-Tribune - Jul 26th, 2007
Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., boasted recently, 'The strategy of being obstructionist can work or fail ... and so far it's working' " ...more

Defying the Imperial Presidency

Editorial - New York Times - Jul 26th, 2007
Congress has already turned up an array of acts by administration officials that may have been criminal ...more

Will Media Cover Larry Flynt's Latest Revelations

Marc McDonald - Beggars-Choosers - Jul 26th, 2007
It's downright Orwellian, the way the Bush abortion story has been consistently ignored and even covered up by our nation's media ...more

War Crimes and the White House

P.X. Kelley and Turner - WaPo - Jul 26th, 2007
The president has given the CIA carte blanche to engage in "willful and outrageous acts of personal abuse" against detainees ...more

Bush Continues to Mislead Troops About Who They Are Fighting In Iraq

National Security Network - Jul 26th, 2007
Most intelligence estimates state that the vast majority of Sunni insurgents are Iraqi. They are not driven by an ideology of destroying the West ...more


  
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Wednesday, July 25, 2007

House Judiciary holds Bolten, Miers in contempt

   The House Judiciary Committee voted to hold White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers in contempt of Congress, setting up a constitutional showdown between the two branches of government.

The vote followed a heated debate over the facts of an ongoing investigation into the Justice Department's firing of several U.S. attorneys. Miers and Bolten refused to comply with Judiciary Committee subpoenas for testimony in the matter. Democrats are trying to find out whether politics played an improper role in the prosecutors' dismissals and what role, if any, White House officials played.

 Read More



  
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Moore V. Chris Matthews on Health Care

The MSNBC host and Michael Moore debate the pluses and minuses of the American Health Care system, and are joined by an anti-universal health care audience member.
 
 
On Hardball, Moore weighs in on the Presidential candidates views on nationalized healthcare, and how our system compares to other countries in the world. He and Matthews talk about what the trade offs are to go to nationalized healthcare. He also weighs in on how doctors who are general practitioners are paid in this country.
click on screen below
 
 
 
           A Republican audience member of the who doesn't agree with Moore weighs in. Watch Matthews desperately try to defend America's for profit system until he realizes he's beaten, and then turns aggressive on an innocent (if incredibly wrong) audience member who's on the spot. Check out the video to your right for more.


  
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Clinton Campaign Smacks Down O'Lieley- Video

click the screen below to view video
This post, written by Taylor Marsh, originally appeared on Taylor Marsh.com
Remember the 2004 election?
Remember Bill O'Reilly telling Democrats that if they'd come on his show their chances would be better in the election? That any candidate who goes on his show stands a better chance with "the folks"?
Remember the fight with Fox "News" over the presidential debate in Nevada? Bill-O went ballistic.
Fox and O'Reilly have made it a point to blather on ad nauseam that Democrats are crazy not to come on Fox. That we ignore Fox at our peril. Of course they believe it's the smart thing and actually offers something for Democrats. It's an absurd proposition, especially given the way O'Reilly and hosts like Sean Hannity treat Democrats and progressives who venture in. Even Alan Colmes sometimes gets into the act when a Democrat takes an opposite opinion on an issue. The latest was a segment on "The Factor," where Bill-O went at Peter Beinart and a foreign policy expert from the Clinton administration on how to deal with Pakistan. Bill-O was insulting from the start, followed by his usual dripping condescension at all things Democratic.
But last night Howard Wolfson laid Bill-O out.
"I think it's unfortunate that in the last week or so you have cherry picked some comments on the Daily Kos site that you or I or others might find objectionable and decided to smear an entire community - hundreds of thousands of people who go to the site every day, who talk to one another, who participate vigorously in our democracy; and you are urging Democratic presidential candidates to stay away from their yearly conference. And unfortunately with all due respect for you, the days where you can dictate where Senator Clinton and other Democrats go, who we talk to, are over." - Howard Wolfson
Going on "The Factor" to talk about Clinton's appearance at YearlyKos afer his comment about O'Reilly's attacks on the convention, as well as Daily Kos, was a brilliant move. That Wolfson left Bill O'Reilly slack jawed was a bonus. Wolfson didn't get combative or argumentative. He didn't offer a laundry list of insults that O'Reilly himself has hurled. Wolfson didn't name all the guests and the outrageous things that get said on "The Factor" either, but only mentioned that reality almost in passing, as an assumption. He didn't have to. Instead, Wolfson stated very matter-of-factly that O'Reilly was wrong to say the things he did and "cherry pick" comments from a blog that has millions of commenters over the last years. He also talked about the thousands of dedicated progressives out here in the blogosphere, as well as stating that he didn't agree with every single comment, but policy disagreements are welcome. Wolfson acknowledged the criticism Clinton takes in the blogosphere, which is an understatement. You've seen the video, so you know how this turned out.
O'Reilly, throughout it all, kept coming at Wolfson, intent on making him blink, back down, come over to Bill-O's side. When O'Reilly read some of the comments placed on Daily Kos, he made sure to read one about "the blue dress," which had a twisted smear that was directed at candidate Clinton. You could see Wolfson close his eyes at that point. It was a disgusting display by O'Reilly to try to goad Wolfson down to his level. But he didn't bite, not once, not ever.
Wolfson treated O'Reilly like just another interview with someone who has a beef with the Clinton camp, but he had no intention of giving an inch to the Fox "News" prima donna, something that clearly irked Bill-O. It was priceless and particularly devastating because of Wolfson's calm dismantling of Fox's chief pontificating gas bag.
But let's face it. You don't need a bazooka to brush away a nat.
 
 
 


  
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Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Today's News 07-24-07:Five Ways Bush's Era of Repression Has Stolen Your Liberties

 

All About the Oil

Jake Bernstein - The Guardian-UK - Jul 24th, 2007
Dick Cheney seems keen to intervene in Iran, especially as the US seems unable to get its hands on the country's oil resources ...more

Bush the Health Care Hypocrite

Editorial - Capital Times - Jul 24th, 2007
When it comes to the health care debate, Bush sees himself as having one responsibility: protecting the profits of insurance companies ...more

Five Ways Bush's Era of Repression Has Stolen Your Liberties

Matthew Rothschild - AlterNet - Jul 24th, 2007
Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Bush has, by word and by deed, erected an edifice of repression here in the United States ...more

Bush Fights To Gut Children's Health Program

Marc McDonald - Beggars-Choosers - Jul 24th, 2007
Even as Bush enjoys state-of-the-art, government-run health care, he's working to gut health care to children in America ...more

After Bush is Thru - A Dangerous World

Editorial - Boston Globe - Jul 24th, 2007
Bush will be leaving his successor a strategic situation, in a wide arc around Iraq, that is far more dangerous than the one he inherited ...more

Wag the Cat ... Or Something

Kathleen Parker - San Francisco Chronicle - Jul 24th, 2007
A high-ranking al Qaeda figure who was captured and then killed - his body displayed on TV - turns out to have been a fiction ...more


  


  
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Monday, July 23, 2007

Today's News 07-23-04: Bush and Republicans Vetoing Children's Health

Censure for Bush and Cheney - Feingold Needs Your Support

Katrina Vanden Heuvel - The Nation - Jul 23rd, 2007
Senator Russ Feingold plans to introduce censure resolutions holding Bush and Cheney accountable for their actions. He needs your support ...more

Patirot Act Abuse

Janet Nocek - Courant - Jul 23rd, 2007
I was gagged by the Patriot Act, while the Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, was free to tell falsehoods about it ...more

Bush's Threat to American Democracy

Editorial - Baltimore Sun - Jul 22nd, 2007
After the Republican-run Congress ignored its oversight role, Democrats are now poking into dark corners and exposing shameful secrets ...more

The Republican Party's Summer of Love

Frank Rich - Rune Sentinel - Jul 22nd, 2007
YouTubers are flocking to a new video in which 'Obama Girl' taunts: 'Giuliani Girl', you stop your fussin'- At least Obama didn't marry his cousin ...more

A Safeguard Against Rushing to War with Iran

Editorial - Sacramento Bee - Jul 22nd, 2007
It's time for Congress to pass the Webb Amendment prohibiting the use of funds for military operations in Iran without Congress' consent ...more

Bush and Republicans Vetoing Children's Health

Editorial - New York Times - Jul 22nd, 2007
Bush is threatening to veto any substantial increase in spending for a highly successful children's health program ...more


  
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Sunday, July 22, 2007

Senator Feingold's Bush Administration Censure Proposal

 
 

Mitt Catches S**t Over Hillary-Bashing Sign

Not everyone is a fan of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but comparing them to one of the most dastardly pieces S**T of all time -- that might be bit much. Especially for a presidential candidate.
Mitt

  
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The GOP:Protecting the kids?

CLICK ON THE SCREEN

Senator Feingold Calls for Censure of Bush

Dem Senator Feingold Calls for Censure of Bush Over Iraq & Attack on Rule of Law

Senator Feingold previously on Meet the Press
US Senator Russ Feingold, July 22nd, 2007
U.S. Senator Russ Feingold announced
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sunday that he would introduce two censure resolutions condemning the President, Vice President and other administration officials for misconduct relating to the war in Iraq and for their repeated assaults on the rule of law. Feingold called the resolutions appropriate and necessary steps for Congress to rebuke an administration that is responsible for some of the worst misconduct and the worst abuses of the law in American history.

"Censure is about holding the administration accountable," Feingold said. "Congress needs to formally condemn the President and members of the administration for misconduct before and during the Iraq war, and for undermining the rule of law at home. Censure is not a cure for the devastating toll this administration's actions have taken on this country. But when future generations look back at the terrible misconduct of this administration, they need to see that a co-equal branch of government stood up and held to account those who violated the principles on which this nation was founded."

Feingold will work with his colleagues, as well as seek input from his constituents and the American people, as he crafts the final language of the resolutions. The first resolution will condemn the President and others for misconduct relating to the war in Iraq including:

* Overstating the case that Saddam Hussein had WMD, particularly nuclear weapons, and falsely implying a relationship with al Qaeda and links to 9/11.

* Failing to plan for the civil conflict and humanitarian problems that the intelligence community predicted.

* Over-stretching the Army, Marine Corps and Guard with prolonged deployments.

* Justifying our military involvement in Iraq by repeatedly distorting the situation on the ground there.

The second resolution will focus on the administration's attack on the rule of law with respect to, among other things:

* The illegal NSA warrantless wiretapping program.

* Extreme policies on torture, the Geneva Conventions, and detainees at Guantanamo.

* The refusal to recognize legitimate congressional oversight into the improper firings of U.S. Attorneys.

"At my town hall meetings, online, and everywhere I go, I hear the American people demanding that the President and his administration be held accountable for their misconduct, both with regard to the disastrous war in Iraq and their flagrant abuse of the rule of law. Censure is a relatively modest response, but one that puts Congress on record condemning their actions, both for the American people today and for future generations," Feingold said.

Feingold is encouraging people to email suggestions of what to include in the censure resolution. People can email Senator Feingold at Russell_Feingold@feingold.senate.gov or visit his webpage at http://feingold.senate.gov.

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Tammy Faye Bakker- Messner 1942-2007

 
Looking back on her life a decade ago, Mrs. Messner summed it all up this way:
"When I was a little girl, I used to pray: 'Dear God, please don't let my life be boring.'
"I found that you have to be careful what you pray for."

Saturday, July 21, 2007

IS Bush Hurting The GOP?

   NBC considered on Friday how the Iraq War and President Bush's 29% approval rating might "affect his party's prospects in the upcoming elections." White House correspondent David Gregory pointed out that, if historical trends hold true, a president as unpopular as Bush is unlikely to be succeeded by another Republican. However, the dilemma for potential candidates is that the president remains popular among Republican primary voters, making it difficult for them to distance themselves from him.
Tim Russert said there was nothing the president could do to improve Republican prospects in 2008 short of "a dramatic turnaround" in Iraq, politically as well as militarily, because the Democrats are not allowing the Republicans any middle ground. "You see what's happening in the Senate," Russert explained. "While those Republicans have broken publicly with the president, saying we need a change of policy, the Democrats aren't having anything of the sort. They're forcing them to vote simply 'withdraw' or 'not withdraw.'"
Russert concluded that although the president just wants to run out the clock, Congressional Republicans will have to face the voters in 2008. "They cannot wait and ride this war out," he said.
The following video is from NBC's Today Show, broadcast on July 20.
 
IS Bush Hurting The GOP? CLICK BELOW
 
 

A 'Normal' Day in Baghdad

 I challenge Congress and the President to do my Rotation!"
ABC showed this rare report on 7-16-07, It came from the Guardian Unlimited. ABC only showed 4min of the 10min report, but it was an important 4min's. Listen to both GI's, the first will give you a glimpse into what many are facing and why this country needs to 'Move A Nation To Care' finally.
Imagine going through what these troops do on a daily basis, than compound that with extended tours and being sent back into the Quagmire on Multiple Tours!
Our reporters, unlike our conflict in 'Nam, rarely leave the Green Zone, the few that are actually there, for this Conflict is more Dangerous, it's a take no prisoners
 
WATCH THE ABC VERSION CLICK BELOW
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 THE BBC VERSION CLICK BELOW
Inside The Surge
 

Reactions to Rare Footage of U.S. Troops in Iraq

 
After "World News With Charles Gibson" aired exclusive footage of the troop surge in Iraq from British photographer Sean Smith, we received an extraordinary response on this Web site.
The footage provided an unfiltered look at the front lines of the surge.
In one instance, troops are seen watching a Bradley armored vehicle blown up by an improvised explosive device as six American soldiers died inside.
 
Members of Apache Company were called to help. There was nothing they could do. (Click on the video player in the right hand side of this page to watch the report.)
 
Apache Company was sent to Iraq in June 2006 for a 12-month rotation, which has since been extended to a 15-month tour. The soldiers are seen speaking openly about the effects of the endless combat and the grueling daily routine.
"We got grenades going off, we've got an IED blowing up your vehicle … and then, you are expected to go back in those four to six, four to five hours … and relax!" said Cpl. Joshua Lake, 2nd Infantry Division. "You just don't have time to do it. Your body never gets to come down. You're always on that heightened sense of alertness."
 
Until Monday night's report, Lake's mother had not heard her son's voice in a month.
 
"He's up for hours at a time. He can't sleep because his body is so tense when he comes back, and you know there's no way of laying down," Debbie Lake-McMahon told ABC News. "He said that he lays there and his body just trembles."
 
We also received hundreds of e-mails from viewers, including one who said the report was "so disturbing that I had nightmares after what I saw."
 
For another, the nightmare is real.
 
 


  
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Friday, July 20, 2007

63 pct say Clinton will win US presidency

Nearly two-thirds of voters think Hillary Clinton will become the first female US president if she wins the Democratic nomination, according to a poll out Thursday.
The CBS News/New York Times poll showed 63 percent of people think the former first lady would likely or very likely win. Even among Republicans registered to vote, 53 percent thought so, as did 77 percent of Democrats.
And among men, 59 percent said she was likely to win, as did 65 percent of women, reflecting a gender gap in which more women have positive opinions about Clinton than do men in most of the survey questions.
Clinton still leads the Democratic pack, according to the poll, with a 43-24 percent lead over fellow Senator Barack Obama. Former senator John Edwards is a distant third at 16 percent.
Among Republicans, former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani is the front-runner, with 33 percent preference among registered voters.
He is followed by Fred Thompson -- who has not declared a candidacy -- in second place with 25 percent and Senator John McCain, with campaign money and staff troubles, holding 15 percent. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney had eight percent support.
Those standings can change in the long trek toward Election Day in November 2008.
The July 9-17 telephone poll of 1,554 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.




  
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Are you safer today than you were six years ago?

 
 
  • About 80 percent of Republicans would answer yes. But this week, the nation heard otherwise and from a source that might make even President George W. Bush's base sit up and take notice.
 
       It didn't come from those "defeatist" Democrats living in their "pre-9/11 world." This time, it was Bush's own administration undercutting what has long been his most politically potent rationale for waging war in Iraq -- that we have to fight al-Qaeda over there to keep from having to fight them here; that we've put the "enemy on the run" and "decimated their leadership."
   
 
    Not so fast. The latest National Intelligence Estimate concludes that al-Qaeda and its leader have only grown stronger since the inception of Bush's war.
 
   
 
While the president diverted the military to Iraq, the real terrorist threat in Afghanistan and Pakistan intensified. If he reads the estimate, he will weep for the more than 3,000 lives lost and billions of dollars spent in a war that's only heightened the hatred of Americans in the Islamic world and increased their desire to kill us -- here.
Read the rest of the column here.


  
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Today's News 07-20-07: The Media Continues Right-Wing Hack Job on Gore

 

Bush's Damage Staggering

Dave Zweifel - Capital Times - Jul 20th, 2007
Many Republicans are joining the growing chorus that wants to impeach Bush and Cheney and get rid of them now before they do more damage ...more

Behind Every New U.S. Disaster, Dick Cheney

Rupert Cornwell - The Independent-UK - Jul 20th, 2007
Insofar as one can divine such things in Kremlinesque Washington, Dick Cheney's influence appears as strong as ever ...more

Iraq War Costs Endanger Our Future Security

Georgie Anne Geyer - UExpress - Jul 20th, 2007
Our best thinkers have delved into these costs, which will shake our national security for years to come. Their conclusions are shocking ...more

Bad News That Even Bush Can't Spin

Margaret Carlson - Huffington Post - Jul 20th, 2007
If I were running for president, in every debate I'd crib a question from the Reagan playbook: Are you safer today than six years ago ...more

Beware of Suspicious Medicine Men

Garrison Keillor - IHT - Jul 20th, 2007
Starting September 1st, everybody - no exceptions - in the health-services field will be banned from driving anything with an ignition system ...more

The Media Continues Right-Wing Hack Job on Gore

Tim Lambert - Deltoid - Jul 20th, 2007
Connect the dots here. How did the story get from People into an Australian tabloid? And how did it get from there to Jake Tapper ...more


  
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More Bad News For Romney

       The Boston Herald today breaks new ground in the strange tale of Mitt Romney aide Jay Garrity, who is under investigation for his handling of a New York Times reporter on the campaign trail. Garrity made up fake law enforcement-type badges that he and others on the campaign used to "strong-arm reporters, avoid paying tolls and trick security guards into giving them immediate access to campaign venues," according to the Herald article.
The campaign Friday released the following statement in response: "No one on the Mitt Romney for President campaign is authorized to use a badge, nor has the campaign
provided anyone with a badge."
Garrity, who was a travel aide to GOP presidential hopeful Romney when he was Massachusetts governor, was put on leave from the campaign last month after published reports said he had pulled over reporters and told them they were not allowed to follow Romney's vehicle anymore. He also tried to keep a reporter out of the Senate Office Building during a Romney campaign visit to Tallahassee in April, and is under investigation in Massachusetts for allegedly identifying himself as "Trooper Garrity" in a phone call to a plumbing company to complain about the driving of one of its employees.
During the first half of the year, the Romney campaign paid Garrity $24,760, according to filings with the Federal Election Commssion.
 


  
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N.C. pastor asks why religion is being used to deny civil marriage to gays and lesbians

 
 
Rev. Reggie Longcrier, pastor of Exodus Missionary Outreach Church in Hickory, N.C., submitted a question on marriage equality for the CNN's YouTube Presidential debate. It's a powerful, short and simple video.
While Longcrier's question could have been asked of all of the presidential candidates ), he happened to direct the question to former N.C. Senator John Edwards because of his statement that he is unable at this time to "cross that bridge" to support marriage equality.

Sen. Edwards has said his opposition to gay marriage has been influenced by his Southern Baptist background. We know religion was once used to justify slavery, segregation and women not being allowed to vote, all of which today are recognized as unconstitutional and socially and morally wrong. So why is it still acceptable to use religion to justify denying gay and lesbian American their full and equal rights.
 
Read more about ending religion-based bigotry at Faith in America.

This Is Bush's WAR

Olbermann: Special Comment 

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Will Thompson Remember Charging Abortion Rights Group Big Bucks To Lobby For Them?

Maybe the billing records will magically spur his memory?
Billing records show that former Senator Fred Thompson spent nearly 20 hours working as a lobbyist on behalf of a group seeking to ease restrictive federal rules on abortion counseling in the 1990s, even though he recently said he did not recall doing any work for the organization. [...] His representation of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, which was trying to overturn the ban on abortion counseling, put him at odds with the anti-abortion movement, which considered the ban a crucial victory.
Faced with the facts, here's the new spin: If "a client has a legal and ethical right to take a position, then you may appropriately represent him as long as he does not lie or otherwise conduct himself improperly while you are representing him," lobbyist Thompson wrote at a GOP blog. Apparently that includes Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a proponent of the "gruesome practice of execution where gasoline-soaked tires are thrown over a person's neck and set ablaze."


  
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Generation ChickenHawk : Click to watch video




 

Iraq War Games

Conclusion: Time to Leave Iraq

Today's News 07-19-07: Republican Hypocrites Keep Bush's War Going

Intelligence Report Gives Bush a "D" on Fighting Terrorism

Joseph L. Galloway - McClatchy - Jul 19th, 2007
Six years and hundreds of billions of dollars later, Osama's back and he's bigger and badder than ever, according to a new Intelligence Estimate ...more

The President America's Founders Warned About

Robert Scheer - San Francisco Chronicle - Jul 19th, 2007
George W. Bush is the imperial president that James Madison and other founders of this great republic warned us about ...more

Bush's Osama Problem

Dan Froomkin - Washington Post - Jul 19th, 2007
Not only is bin Laden still at large, but he and his al-Qaeda organization have benefited greatly from Bush's decision to invade Iraq ...more

Twilight Zone Republicans

Editorial - New York Times - Jul 19th, 2007
The Iraq war stands apart as a watershed issue - a downward spiral that the public sees as a colossal waste of the nation's blood ...more

Playing the Osama Card

Henry Champ - CBC News - Jul 19th, 2007
It can now be officially said that nearly six years after the Bush administration declared war on terrorism, progress has been minimal ...more

Republican Hypocrites Keep Bush's War Going

John Nichols - The Nation - Jul 19th, 2007
Republicans who delight in holding press conferences to talk about what's wrong with Bush's war are the primary facilitators of continuing the war ...more


  
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Days Since Michael Steele Said He Won't Resign

23 Days, 23 Hours, 32 Minutes, 38 Seconds.

"The Playa" said he wouldn't resign as head of the RNC ("Not me Baby! Nuh-uh. Not happening. No way, no how.")

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