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The Best Last Word
Michigan's primary is tomorrow and as a result, I ended up having an interesting conversation with a few of my coworkers about universal healthcare, social security, jobs, taxation, and illegal immigrants.
As always, I am careful at work to not say "Republican" or "Democratic" so instead our conversation was issue driven.
It began when Jane mentioned to me that she is working full-time for less than ten dollars an hour to get health insurance for her and her husband. That's when I piped up that I was 100% behind universal healthcare and that I was sorry if it seemed political but that in my book universal healthcare and social security should be entitlements and not 'welfare' programs.
Jane argued with me that she didn't believe universal healthcare should be single-payer and government sponsored, but that the government should mandate that all employers pay for their employees to have healthcare no matter how much they earn or how many hours they work.
But my response back to her was that employers are already shipping jobs overseas to avoid paying for healthcare insurance as it is. At that point, I argued that a tax would pay for the program, it could be regulated, that more jobs would pay into the system and thus would keep the system going.
However, Jane's response to my points was that illegal immigrants and their children would have access to our healthcare with her tax dollars. (It always boils down to money!) She also pointed out that there were lazy people out there who didn't want to work. Why give them something for free?
A heated debate ensued that lead to all the other items mentioned above: jobs, slave labor overseas, and the elimination of the middle class.
At that point, I said that I was willing to pay for the few illegal immigrants (or lazy people) in order to give healthcare to all. I also pointed out that for a 7% or so tax increase, to cover everyone, that people would save over 300% on pharmaceuticals alone because it would be government regulated. Of course I threw in the line, "Murder by spreadsheet."
Jane's response was that it would probably be a 20% increase in the taxes. And of course my response was that 20% was still less than 300%!
In the meantime, another staff member had arrived during the conversation and made a very convincing argument. She said, "Of course we could save some money by not covering illegal immigrants, but what does it say for us or for society when you are not willing to help someone else and instead chose to let people suffer."
And that, my friends, was the best last word.
Jane left after agreeing to vote for ....well, I shouldn't say since this is a nonpartisan website. But you do know who supports single payer universal healthcare, right?
Well, he's getting her vote tomorrow in the Michigan primary.
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Just want to point out the link for the photo goes to cemetaries.wordpress.
Dollar Sign - IHS
This symbol, which looks like a dollar sign ($), is actually the letters I, H, and S superimposed over each other. These represent the Greek letters Iota (Ι), Eta (Η) and Sigma (Σ), which are the first three letters of Jesus in Greek. See IHS Monogram for more information.
Photo: from the grave marker of Atala Blow Noble (1862-1909) and Louis S. Noble (1865-1934), Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colorado
Given the discussion of taking care of the poor, murder by spreadsheet, and who will get the 'value voter', and also the 'theocrats', well...I found the picture to be exactly right for the discussion.
"'In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." - Benjamin Franklin
V said:
V--I also think that small towns have more neighborly discussions as you go in to vote. (Or out.) So you're more likely to discover if something funky has happened via the grapevine.
(maybe) Of course the grapevine isn't going to be 100% but if you have 50 families voting, you're not going to be able to steal as many votes.
Of course...I could be wrong too.
Religion Gone Wild and Amok
House Passes, Considers Evangelical Resolutions
By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t | Report
Monday 14 January 2008
A Republican congressman, who has spent the better part of the past two years on a mission to ensure Jesus Christ has a place in all aspects of federal government, has introduced a resolution to designate a week every year to honor the nation's "rich spiritual, and religious history."
House Resolution 888, sponsored by Congressman Randy Forbes (R-Virginia), is currently before a House committee and has 31 co-sponsors. It purports to be free from singling out a specific religion, yet contains dozens of proclamations with clear fundamentalist Christian overtones. Five pages of footnotes cite specific Bible passages, the Gospels, churches, and include Biblical references taken from historical monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial.
One such proclamation states, "Whereas in 1777, Congress, facing a National shortage of 'Bibles for our schools, and families, and for the public worship of God in our churches,' announced that they 'desired to have a Bible printed under their care & by their encouragement' and therefore ordered 20,000 copies of the Bible to be imported 'into the different ports of the States of the Union'."
Forbes, who in 2005 founded the Congressional Prayer Caucus in an effort to ensure Christianity's place in politics, told the Virginian Pilot he introduced his resolution to combat a "well-orchestrated movement" by "radicals" to keep Christianity and religion in general separate from government.
The resolution, which was first reported on the blog Talk2Action by Chris Rodda, author of the book "Liars for Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternate Version of American History," and the senior research director at the government watchdog organization The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), was introduced by Forbes on December 18, the last day Congress was in session before lawmakers left for their winter break. Rodda first discovered the resolution after researching Congress's legislative web site for work she has been doing on behalf of MRFF.
Resolution 666
Judge Threatens To Stop Dem Debate If Kucinich Isn't Included
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20080114/kucinich-debate/
Just read an interesting article positing that some "vote-switching" went on with NH Diebold machines.
Pre-vote opinion polls: 39% Obama, 30% Clinton
Hand-counted ballots: 39% Obama, 35% Clinton
So the opinion polls were relatively accurate in predicting the results of hand-counted ballots, but obviously this was not the final result - what is interesting is when you look at the ballots just cast for Clinton and Obama. Out of just those ballots:
Hand-counted: 47.07% Clinton, 52.93% Obama
Machine-counted: 52.95% Clinton, 47.05% Obama
Too close for coincidence?
=======
Request For NH Recount Granted
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kirsten-anderson/request-for-nh-recount-gr_b_81306.html
Oh, By the Way
The Iraqis Don't Really Want Us
By William Blum
Did you miss this? It should have been the lead story in every newspaper and radio and TV program in America. In the Washington Post it was on page 14. In virtually all of the rest of the media it was on page zero, channel zero, 0000 AM or 00.0 FM.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19067.htm
Pentagon, Big Pharma
Drug Troops to Numb Them to Horrors of War
By Penny Coleman
The DoD is flirting with the idea of medicating soldiers to desensitize them to combat trauma -- will an army of unfeeling monsters result?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19065.htm
Mysterious Crowd Suddenly Stopped Bhutto's Car, Officer Says
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011408N.shtml
Saeed Shah and Jonathan S. Landay report for McClatchy Newspapers: "Two new reports on the assassination last month of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto suggest that the killing may have been an ambitious plot rather than an isolated act of violence and that the government of President Pervez Musharraf knows far more than it's admitted about the murder."
Good discussion sparrow - this is why you have to go out to work - in order to hear that great last word and then share it with us!!
Well done. The rest of the western world has free health care. We survive. If you want it done immediately, if it's not urgent, you can still pay insurance and go to a private hospital. Best services are in the public hospitals - which are the teaching hospitals - so, if you've got plenty of money - pay insurance and go to a private hospital and get better food if not better services. The rest of us will take our chances.
test
While in Saudi Arabia, Bush also issued a stern warning to Iran in the wake of a January 6 confrontation between U.S. Navy and Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
"So the Iranians ... better be careful and not be provocative and get out there and cause an incident," Bush told reporters. "Because there's going to be serious consequences. What I said in my statement was, if they hit one of our ships there's going to be serious consequences. And I meant it."
Top Iranian officials have slammed Bush's Mideast tour -- one of them saying the American leader was attempting to stir up "Iranophobia," a state-run Iranian news agency reported.
Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency on Monday cited the comments of Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Ala'eddin Boroujerdi, head of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.
Bush, in a speech Sunday in Abu Dhabi, labeled Iran as the "world's leading sponsor of terror" and asked allies to join the United States in confronting Iran "before it's too late."
But Mottaki -- who made his remarks to Al-Jazeera news network Sunday -- said the United States "was the main cause of extremism in the region as it has been supporting terrorist and extremist groups during the past six years."
more...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/15/bush.mideast/index.html
Monkey -
I just found out the Radiators are playing here on March 5th!
We could have a DCP gathering!
Ok. So I'm trying to push myself out the door to vote in the primary.
The chatter on all the 'left' blogs is to vote for Romney so that McCain and Huckabee don't win. They're really pushing for it.
But then I saw Rayne at FDL go against Jane Hamshire and say "NO! Michigan is in dire straights. This is too important to Michigan to just **** around with our primary."
And you know...I agree with her comment. It's easier for others to play their games when their jobs, homes, healthcare, and whole existence isn't at stake.
I was debating about if I would vote on the Repub. side or on the Democratic side. I really think I might vote for Kucinich if only to make those policies he stands for be more reasonable. I do not understand why any democrat would vote 'uncommitted'. To me that seems like a huge waste of time.
Where is here, Carol?
(sorry, I'm geographically challenged this morning!)
Carol, I can't travel much yet, but the Rads are coming to my new hometown of Raleigh Feb 23rd...
So I say unto Thee, bring thy DCP to me!
aka Come n' git it!
Monkey,
Western Massachusetts - Northampton is where they are playing, at this cool spot called the Iron Horse Saloon.
We could form the DCP Krewe.....
The Taking Liberties Krewe! Great idea! ;-)
Anyway, pls do gather as many people as you can to go to the show, you won't be sorry, and for hard working road warrior musicians, this is how they make their living.
Bless you in advance for supporting live music.
Ex-Officials Benefit From Corporate Cleanup
By Carrie Johnson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 15, 2008; Page A01
Federal prosecutors are steering no-bid contracts to former government officials who earn millions of dollars by monitoring companies accused of cheating investors and other schemes.
A consulting firm led by former U.S. attorney general John D. Ashcroft recently won an assignment, valued at more than $25 million, to ensure that a medical equipment maker stops paying kickbacks to doctors who use its products. Other former government officials with ties to the Bush administration have secured similar deals, which are paid using corporate funds and entail few, if any, checks on spending.
The lucrative arrangements are known as "monitorships," unusual contracts in which an outsider comes into a troubled company with vast power to expose corruption and change business practices. The deals allow scandal-plagued companies to avoid criminal charges -- and they give prosecutors a way to ensure businesses keep their promises and clean up abuses. But legal experts and lawmakers are expressing growing concern about inconsistency and secrecy surrounding the appointments.
The chairmen of the House and Senate Judiciary committees last week demanded that Justice Department leaders provide a list of all such deals and the fees they have generated. The Project on Government Oversight watchdog group has questioned whether the agreements reward "cronies" who share political affiliations or backgrounds with the U.S. attorneys handing out the deals.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/14/AR2008011402939.html?wpisrc=_rsspolitics
Russian media is showing a video of US primary fraud allegations, this after Bush & Rice chided them about nontransparent, rigged elections. It might be tempting for Dems to vote for Romney, to hurt McCain, but wonder if it's fair to Michigan, where Bush repeatedly refused to meet with the automakers?
Suddenly, the winners of the contested primary are leading in "polls" in mainstream media, with growing national leads - predictably, Clinton and McCain. Then the media focusses on the "who's the real racist? Who's the real sexist?" angle, to distract us. Do we even have much impact?
Am I cynical to have little more confidence in our elections than in Kenya's, where disputing tribes are killing each other in the night? & when our media is saying the Iraq war is no longer the top issue in the 2008 race? (They accomplished that by considering "war on terror" and "Iraq war" separately, even though Bush doesn't,quite the slight of hand.)
No one seems to know what to do about healthcare, even though we're ranking #27 internationally, and may die during emergency room waits if we have heart attacks. We're also more likely to contact MRSA now, so not so much talk about bird flu.
In other news, China doesn't want to invest in (bail out, partially own) Citigroup with its "staggering" losses, though Singapore took a chunk, & Abu Dhabi last month. don't have plans to present anyway.
Britney and KFed are in the list of top news items, and why would Mary J. Blige need growth hormones anyway?
"Britney and KFed are in the list of top news items, and why would Mary J. Blige need growth hormones anyway?"
To me, this is just the biggest example of our media acting irresponsibly.
Matt Lauer this morning talking about how sad the whole Britney scenario is, and yet over and over they show her and the papparazzi, and over and over they cover her. If they would stop covering her - all of them - she might be able to regain her sanity. That poor girl is close to the edge and they are doing their level best to send her all the way over.
Why do they expect us to take them seriously on anything?
The seem to be saying - look how powerful we are! We can control election outcomes! We can ruin the lives of the weak and of the young!
We can do WHATEVER we want to do.
Scary.
Musharraf: vote disrupters will be shot
Pakistani president orders anyone disruptive to nation's democratic elections shot.
http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/Musharraf_vote_disrupters_will_be_s_01152008.html
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A nearly $10 billion loss from Citigroup. Weak retail sales last month. Rising inflation pressures. It's ugly out there.
With all that in mind, investors are now betting the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates before its next scheduled meeting, a two-day session that wraps up on Jan. 30.
Some economists have argued that the United States is close to a recession or may already be in one.
"Fundamentally, we're on the verge of a recession. The economy may pull back from the cliff but I wouldn't count on it," said David Wyss, chief economist with Standard & Poor's.
more...
http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/15/news/economy/fed_rates/index.htm?cnn=yes
For what it is worth, Sen. Claire Mackaskill has endorsed Obama.....
RON PAUL GETTING HAMMERED FOR STUPID STATEMENTS ABOUT LINCOLN AND THE CIVIL WAR....
My video response to Paul's statements:
We can do WHATEVER we want to do.
Scary.
Absolutely, they are pirias
It is deplorable that such insignificant little men and women, can hold such power over a Nation
Home of the brave, my ass.
Home of the brave, my ass.
Amen
Well, the latest massacre in Gaza shows us all just exactly what Bush and Olmert discussed about how to rid the world of the democratically elected Hamas government of Palestine, doesn't it? Bush had barely stepped across the border, than it was on. In fact Bush had gone to sell arms to Saudi at the time - conditional probably - to be used against Iran, no doubt.
He's such a helpful guy in the middle east. He hasn't quite got them all fighting for Amerka - but hey - there's still 11 months. He fancies himself a king. Just like the one he sold the arms to. King of Amerka. Yes - don't worry too much about your primaries and new president election. Those are to keep you distracted whilst the real agenda is put into place.
SICKO!
Warning: Chuck and other's who don't like Al Jazeera English because, unlike the American media, it is biased. Or worse. It lies. This is from that media - the biased one; the one built on lies. Fox? No.
NEWS MIDDLE EAST
Abbas: Israeli raid 'a massacre'
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has described as "a masscre" Israel's latest deadly incursion into the Gaza Strip which left 17 Palestinians dead.
At least 50 Palestinians were also injured in the military operation on Tuesday which had started the previous night while US president George Bush was in Saudi Arabia.
David Chater, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem, said: "Apache helicopter gunships, armoured bulldozers, tanks and ground troops were all involved in this incursion.
"There are also reports of another incursion in the industrial zone near the Erez crossing."
Incursion 'a massacre'
Israel's incursion came a week after Bush said he wanted a peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians by the end of his presidential term at the end of 2008.
Hamas officials blamed Bush's presence in the region for the violence.
David Chater reports on the Israeli raid
Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, has reportedly ordered a series of such "sharp and short" incursions, into Gaza and the West Bank.
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, said on Tuesday: "What happened today is a massacre, a slaughter against the Palestinian people.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0787158A-D180-44F4-9327-7BE8DBBB197D.htm
Abbas? Abbas said this? But Abbas is acceptable to Israel. Abbas is the only Palestinian group worth peace. Abbas said this? It may be true, but whoever would have thought that Abbas would suddenly decide that Hamas groups are Palestinians too.
How utterly deplorable, make you proud, to be an American.
Wonder if he brings it home to hang it in the Oval Office in the White House with the trophy of Sadams head and gun.
He was also given a gold medallion - huge thing - to hang round his neck. It seemed way too loose to me. It should have been really tight.
He was also given a gold medallion - huge thing - to hang round his neck. It seemed way too loose to me. It should have been really tight.
=====
He conveniently forgets 15 of the so called Hyjackers on 9/11 where Saudis.
He didn't forget, 'roo, he just doesn't give a shit.
Check THIS quote out from His Stupidness, bottom paragraph...
US President George W. Bush on Tuesday appeared to distance himself from what he called an "independent" US intelligence finding widely seen as dousing the likelihood of armed confrontation with Iran.
"I just made it clear that all options are on the table, but I'd like to solve this diplomatically -- and think we can," Bush, in Saudi Arabia as part of a week-long Middle East trip, said of talks with Saudi King Abdullah.
The US president said he told his host that he still views Iran as "a threat" despite a US National Intelligence Estimate, released last month, that found that Tehran shelved its nuclear weapons program in 2003.
The NIE, the consensus finding of all 16 US spy agencies, damaged the Bush administration's claim that the Islamic republic was actively seeking to get an atomic arsenal -- though it also noted that Tehran has refused to suspend uranium enrichment, which can be a key step in that direction.
"I defended our intelligence services, but made it clear that they're an independent agency; that they come to conclusions separate from what I may or may not want," said the president.
more on...
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Bush_takes_distance_from_key_Iran_f_01152008.html
WTF!?!?!?!
Seen on a brand-new Kia minivan today on my way home:
HOME OF THE FREE, BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE.
What the hell was the driver smoking? American freedoms are being eroded, because too few people are brave enough to stand up to the criminals in the government.
monkey
W sounds a lot like Rummy in that quote.
Chertoff says Europe is now a big threat against the US, thanks to domestic Islamic terrorism there:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7190788.stm
Honestly, I am more concerned about domestic Christian terrorism in the USA.
CNN projecting Romney wins Michigan
YES, IT'S OFFICIAL:
MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN PARTY IS LOONEY TUNES RIGHTWING,
The few, moderate Republicans left in Michigan are quickly being eliminated by the rightwing, hate-mongering, war-mongering, fear-mongering "Christian"/conservative base of the party.
I attribute this rightward lurch to RIGHTWING MASS MEDIA:
RUSH LIMBAUGH
FOX NEWS
DAILY XENOPHOBIC PANDERING FROM LOU DOBBS
ANN COULTER
3 HOURS, DAILY, OF SHAWN HANNITY POUNDING AWAY
ETC...
Michigan has become an ugly place to live. It is racially/ ethnically divided (we have large populations of Mexicans and Arabs), under-educated, increasingly poor etc...
Of course he'd win, Monkey. With thousands of Dems crossing over to vote in the Republican side because their Democratic vote won't count. It's expected.
Personally, I'm proud of my Kucinich vote.
Good WAPO article on why Michigan and Florida's votes won't matter. AND as far as I'm concerned another reason to be pissed off at the so-called 'change agents O and E'. When they needed to stand up to NH and IOWA they disenfranchised two states instead of asking for fair play.
Actually, I'm madder at them now today, then I have ever been before.
In a way the Romney win in Michigan just further confuses the Republican race. McCain had expected to do well here. A win for McCain would have made him a clear front-runner. I received a recorded message from Old Joe Lieberman telling me to vote Republican (because voting Dem wouldn't count) and vote for his good friend McCain!!!
Had Romney lost in Michigan, his campaign would not have a single win to its credit.
I ended up voting Kucinich, sending the unmistakable message that I didn't like the war or Hillary... (the Edwards and Obama campaigns were telling Democrats here to vote for "Uncommitted".)
I'm glad Romney beat McCain - native son, businessman & I don't like him either but I can't stand McCain & would love to see him knocked out & also Guiliani. The last standing Dem will then have to beat Huckabee or whoever the last standing Repub is. Sick. I wish Michigan had counted. Why do these states and the national party have to have these squabbled and why do we need all these "experiments" such as changing primary dates? Our system in this country is completely deranged.
YUCK:
Hillary cleaned up:
said, "Whatever it takes, we're in it for the long haul."
In Michigan, with 37 percent of precincts reporting, Romney had 39.4 percent of the vote, McCain had 30 percent and Huckabee 15.4 percent. No other Republican fared better than single digits.
Hillary Rodham Clinton was the only top contender on the Democratic ballot. With 43 percent of precincts counted, she had 58.7 percent of the vote to 35.9 percent for uncommitted delegates to the Democratic National Convention.
Romney's ties to Michigan proved beneficial.
Four in 10 voters said his roots factored into their votes, and more than half of that group backed Romney, according to preliminary results from surveys of voters as they left their polling places, taken for The AP and the networks. He also led among voters who said the economy and illegal immigration were their most important issues, and won a majority of Republicans, conservatives, and voters looking for a candidate with experience.
Wexler put impeachment on the floor today.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0108/Wexler_renews_call_for_Cheneys_impeachment.html
But Pelosi and others left the room.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/15/215851/902/812/437533
monkey posted this quote from *His Stupidness*
His Stupidness outdoes his own Stupidness as time goes on. Every day *His Stupidness* gets even more Stupid.
Sparrow said
Personally sparrow, I too, am proud of your Kucinich vote.nmp said
Oh good. And here I was thinking that I was deranged. Phew.'Freedoms just another word for nuthin left to lose.'
Those words are describing a state of mind.
Anyone notice Lieberman standing right behind McCain while Romney was making his speech, shit I cannot not stand that sleezy, low down, creep.
Bet if Mc Cain is nominated it will be McCain Lieberman, that what all the ass kissing is all about.
But Pelosi and others left the room.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/15/215851/902/812/437533
=======
Shame on them all, the ones that walked out.
Anyone notice Lieberman standing right behind McCain while Romney was making his speech, shit I cannot not stand that sleezy, low down, creep.
==========
That was when McCain was making his speech not Romney
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Army is investigating the possibility three soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division who died in a firefight in Iraq may have been killed by friendly fire, according to U.S. military officials.
Those officials emphasized it is not yet certain how the soldiers were killed January 8, but confirmed their families were notified of the friendly fire possibility.
The incident took place southwest of Samarra, when the unit, on patrol, discovered buildings filled with explosives and weapon-making material. After further searching, they encountered more than a dozen insurgents fighting from a network of tunnels and trenches.
In the ensuing firefight, helicopters and other aircraft were called to attack targets. The officials said it's possible three of the troops died as a result of those airstrikes.
Pfc. Ivan Merlo, 19, of San Marcos, California, and Pfc. Phillip Pannier, 22, of Washburn, Illinois, died at the scene. Sgt. David Hart, 22, of Lake View Terrace, California, died later, the military said.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/15/iraq.friendly.fire/index.html
http://glumbert.com/wii/view.php?name=baddayoffice
White House reused e-mail tapes
White House Tape Recycling Raises Possibility That Some E-Mails Are Gone
PETE YOST
AP News
Jan 16, 2008 12:01 EST
The White House has acknowledged recycling its backup computer tapes of e-mail before October 2003, raising the possibility that many electronic messages — including those pertaining to the CIA leak case — have been taped over and are gone forever.
The disclosure came minutes before midnight Tuesday under a court-ordered deadline that forced the White House to reveal information it has previously refused to provide.
Among the e-mails that could be lost are messages swapped by any White House officials involved in discussions about leaking a CIA officer's identity to reporters.
Before October 2003, the White House recycled its backup tapes "consistent with industry best practices," according to a sworn statement by a White House aide.
Backup tapes are the last line of defense for saving electronic records.
Separately, the statement reveals the extent to which the White House is apparently unable to answer how many e-mails are missing from White House servers.
The White House "does not know if any e-mails were not properly preserved in the archiving process," said the statement by Theresa Payton, chief information officer for the White House Office of Administration. "We are continuing our efforts," said Payton, whose staff is responsible for the White House e-mail system.
If the e-mails were not saved, the White House might have violated two laws requiring preservation of documents that fall into the categories of federal records or presidential records.
White House spokesman Tony Fratto said that "there is no basis to say that the White House has destroyed any evidence or engaged in any misconduct."
more...
http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/White_House_reused_e_mail_tapes_01162008.html
I am shocked... and awed.
Caught RED HANDED!
Starr added that one American boat had been given the order to fire, and the Iranians had moved away just in time.
Porter identifies Bryan Whitman, the Pentagon's top spokesman, as the culprit for the spurious account. Most of Whitman's remarks that formed the basis for Starr's and other stories were drawn from an off the record press briefing that was held on the condition he not be identified as a source.
But, "in an apparent slip-up, however, an Associated Press story that morning cited Whitman as the source for the statement that US ships were about to fire when the Iranian boats turned and moved away - a part of the story that other correspondents had attributed to an unnamed Pentagon official," he writes.
After facing suspicion, the Pentagon released a four-minute, 20-second condensed video clip that appeared to show small Iranian boats swarming around a US Navy vessel. A voice was heard to say, "I am coming to you. ... You will explode after (inaudible) minutes."
In the wake of reports, the Iranians said the footage had been fabricated.
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Bogus_Iran_story_was_product_of_0116.html
Party boy most downloaded on CNN, BBC
By Peter Mitchell in Los Angeles
January 17, 2008 02:00am
Article from: AAPFont size: + -
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AUSTRALIA'S unrepentant teenage party animal has grabbed headlines in the United States after the story of his wild party for 500 people amused and shocked readers.
On a busy news day where Republican US presidential hopefuls contested the Michigan primary, President George W Bush visited the Middle East and Wall St suffered a large fall, the story about a Melbourne teenager wild night topped them all.
American news giant CNN said the story about the party - organised by the teenager who cannot be named while his parents were away on holiday - was the most downloaded on its website yesterday.
The party in suburban Narre Warren on Saturday night saw police cars and neighbours' property damaged. Dozens of police officers, a helicopter and the dog squad had to be called in to restore the peace.
The story included footage of of the teenager wearing his trademark large yellow sunglasses and a hood, being interviewed by reporters outside his home. Video clips also showed broken beer bottles and a male partygoer running down a street naked.
Newsreaders on other US TV networks, ABC and NBC, chuckled on air and shook their heads after they ran the story on their bulletins.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23061669-2,00.html
pics
http://www.news.com.au/gallery/0,23607,5028898-5007150-15,00.html
Bush Exempts Navy From Environmental Law Protecting Marine Animals
WASHINGTON — President Bush exempted the Navy from an environmental law so it can continue using sonar in its anti-submarine warfare training off the California coast _ a practice critics say is harmful to whales and other marine mammals.
The White House announced Wednesday that Bush had signed the exemption Tuesday while traveling in the Middle East.
The Navy training exercises, including the use of sonar, "are in the paramount interest of the United States" and its national security, Bush said in a memorandum.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20080116/navy-sonar/
I wonder if Bush's GOD and SAVIOR would put national defense (quote unquote) over good stewardship of Mother Earth, supposedly CREATED by the aforementioned.
Evangelicals, you don't know SQUAT the issues!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sen. John McCain's military record is under attack in South Carolina by a group linked to the Swift Boat Veterans who attacked Sen. John Kerry in 2004.
The Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain are charging in a mailer that McCain has distorted his own record and that he revealed valuable information when he was captured by the North Vietnamese.
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough asked correspondent David Shuster about the charges, saying, "That seems to be about as low of an attack as I've seen."
Shuster agreed emphatically. "They're suggesting, 'Oh, when John McCain was being tortured, he stopped being tortured because he gave up information about US aircraft and their flight patterns over ...' It's crazy!"
"That's disgusting," commented Scarborough. "It's going to obviously blow up and actually ... even help McCain."
Shuster agreed that the incident "helps remind [veterans] of John McCain's service to this country," but he also pointed out that "this sort of isolated group out of Virginia was not working in cahoots with any other campaign. This sort of whackjob of a guy was putting these brochures out."
Tim Russert then chimed in, saying, "John McCain spent five years in a box, baking in the heat. ... And someone is going to attack his patriotism, his courage? Please."
The location of the attacks is particularly striking, because South Carolina is the state where McCain fell behind Bush in the 2000 primaries after being smeared by push-polls suggesting that his adopted Indian daughter was actually his own illegitimate black child. "That was a brutal campaign," Russert recalled. "It was vicious."
more...
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Swift_boat_vets_attack_John_McCains_0116.html
Ex-lawmaker charged in terror funding case
Former Michigan Rep. Mark Deli Siljander has been charged in connection with his work for an Islamic charity accused of funneling money to an Afghan warlord, prosecutors announced today. The Republican also lied about his ties to the group, which allegedly steered $260,000 to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar -- an ally of the Taliban and al Qaeda, the indictment says.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/01/16/former.congressman.indicted/index.html
Re the thread header -
In 1945 there were 43 workers to each Social Security recipient. Now there are 3. We need all the workers we can get, legal or not, if they are paying into Social Security. If they aren't legal, then they still pay in (unless they are being paid cash under the table) and can't collect later on unless they are legal by then and have paid in long enough. We also need to work longer and to have a "means test" to cut off the richest people who don't need Social Security remotely.
You know what else sucks? The Chinese government had a very productive workforce who works for relatively little. Great profit is made and it doesn't, for the most part, go to the people and infrastructure. There is a 50% surplus and the government "invests" it in our Treasury (ie. gives us a loan we can't repay) so we can import their cheap goods. If they paid their people properly, there would be more unemployment there and also the goods would cost more so we'd be less likely to buy them. Read it in the latest Atlantic Monthly. I can explain it better when I have time but it made me feel bad for both the Chinese and the American people.
I hear the candidates say different things to people in industrial states about whether jobs could ever come back, whether investment and ingenuity could make us competitive once again. What's really maddening is to see all the trucks and SUVs around. Why didn't the automakers/government start making & promoting gas-efficient vehicles? Instead Bush refused to meet with the automakers & gave tax incentives to those who bought SUVs.
Why are so many things ass-backwards?
I called Conyers' office today about impeachment and having Libby and Rove testify before the Judiciary Committee. Libby can explain the Plame leak, whether the law was broken, whether the president can wave a magic wand and declassify materials without notifying the CIA.
You could have Condi Rice and Steve Hadley testify about how the "16 words" got into the State of of the Union speech, over the objections of the George Tenet.
Rove could explain about the missing emails, the Attorney Firings and the vote caging activities.. Also violations of the Hatch act.
Gonzales could testify about his visit to the hospital room of John Ashcroft.
Wexler takes the House floor.
Formally calls for impeachment hearings.
Last night, Congressman Wexler took the House floor, calling for hearings on Rep. Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment for Vice President Dick Cheney.
To watch the video, please click play on the player below.
http://www.wexlerforcongress.com/news.asp?ItemID=229
How The Pentagon Planted a False Hormuz Story
Analysis by Gareth Porter
Senior Pentagon officials, evidently reflecting a broader administration policy decision, used an off-the-record Pentagon briefing to turn the Jan. 6 U.S.-Iranian incident in the Strait of Hormuz into a sensational story demonstrating Iran's military aggressiveness, a reconstruction of the events following the incident shows.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19085.htm
The U.S. stock market is in freefall... the economy is about to absolutely tank...
Arbusto all over again.
Bob Cesca: President Bush Shouldn't Play With Sharp Objects
President Bush, who has resolved to both reduce our addiction to oil and to spread democracy to the Middle East, had to skulk around with the Saudi royals this week, begging for more precious evildoer oil. In this effort to inject more foreign oil into the desperate American economy, he played with swords inside the garish walls of a Saudi palace. The implicit hazard of Bush waving a sharpened blade fails to underscore the true danger and indignity of the event -- the real-world horror of our constitutional defender and chief diplomat dancing and smirking while brandishing those Saudi weapons.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/president-bush-shouldnt-_b_81998.html
Army Deploys Ailing GIs
Ft. Carson sent ailing GIs to meet deployment goals, notes say
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_7991922
First batch of pics in from Monkeyball VII... there's a ton, but notice the big grins all around!
http://picasaweb.google.com/jacqleroc/2008_01_12Monkeyball7TheRoadToRADemption
NMP
China is the worst of both communism (one-party police state) and capitalism (no glory for the working class). Of course, China likes to say that it's improving human rights by making the entire nation richer (and having wealth trickle down to everyone), but that argument was used by other Asian "tiger" economies - and didn't work.
Most illegals get paid in cash under the table, at least where I am. Another way to not only evade taxes for the employers, but to damage the economy for legal workers (union or otherwise).
As for rewarding purchase of gas guzzlers for "farms and businesses" - that rule must go. The death grip of the oil industry on the US government must be broken.
monkey
Thanks for sharing those wonderful pics! Too bad you couldn't be there... :(
First batch of pics in from Monkeyball VII... there's a ton, but notice the big grins all around!
Good pics Monkey, Everyone looks like there having a ball.
monkey
W is America's version of South Korea's Park Chung-Hee and Taiwan's Chiang Kai-Shek, both notorious fascists. The only difference is that Park and Chiang knew their economics much better than W ever did.
The two practiced what China is trying to practice now - "human rights improvement" through trickle-down economics. It worked to a degree, because both countries were extremely piss-poor to start with.
Even then, neither was good at redistributing that wealth, and the rich are putting the fascists back into power in both countries (Taiwan just elected a 3/4 majority of Chiang's party to its legislature this week).
In any case, Park, and to a lesser degree Chiang, get their praises, only because they stimulated their respective economies. This is something fellow fascist W will never be able to claim. Neither W nor his father did well in the economic arena.
Call for Cheneys' impeachment hearings
202393signed up
and counting...
http://www.wexlerwantshearings.com/
Canada puts Israel, US on torture list
Government document lists countries where prisoners run risk of being tortured.
OTTAWA, Jan 17 (Reuters) - An official Canadian government document has put both the United States and Israel on a watch list of countries where prisoners run the risk of being tortured, CTV television reported on Thursday.
The revelation is likely to embarrass the minority Conservative government, which is a staunch U.S. ally.
The document mentions the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba where a Canadian man is being held.
CTV said the document was part of a course on torture awareness given to Canadian diplomats to help them determine whether prisoners they visited abroad had been mistreated.
It said the document mentioned U.S. interrogation techniques such as "forced nudity, isolation, and sleep deprivation."
Other countries on the watch list include Syria, China, Iran and Afghanistan, CTV said.
A spokesman for Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier tried to distance Ottawa from the document.
"The training manual is not a policy document and does not reflect the views or policies of this government," he said.
The mention of Guantanamo Bay is particularly sensitive, since the Canadian government rejects allegations that a citizen may have been mistreated there.
Omar Khadr has been in the facility for five years. He is accused of killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan in 2002, when he was 15.
Right groups say Khadr should be repatriated to Canada, an idea that Ottawa firmly rejects.
A spokeswoman at the U.S. embassy said she was looking into the report. No one was immediately available for comment at the Israeli embassy.
The torture awareness course started after Ottawa was strongly criticised for the way it handled the case of Canadian engineer Maher Arar, who was deported from the United States to Syria in 2002.
Arar says he was tortured repeatedly during the year he spent in Damascus prisons. An inquiry into the case revealed that Canadian diplomats had not received any formal training into detecting whether detainees had been abused. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN17629871
New thread.
Nothing nice about it.