The Fringe Element

2011-01-10T08:43:00.000-10:00

After Giffords Shooting, Other Threatened Politicians Decry Arizona's History Of Extremism

YouTube - Fox News Jokes About Killing Obama

2008-05-25T14:05:00.000-10:00

YouTube - Fox News Jokes About Killing Obama

Bush is a fool and knave!

2008-05-19T09:05:00.000-10:00

Is Hillary Pure as Ivory Snow?

2008-03-05T11:57:00.000-10:00

Have any of her Democratic opponents, including Obama, sought more detailed answers from her about stories such as:

Norman Hsu and his bundling of money for her campaign?

How "dishwashers, waiters and others" poured "$1,000 and $2,000 contributions into Clinton's campaign treasury?"

Bill's trip to Kazakhstan with Canadian magnate, Frank Giustra, that netted Giustra $3 billion and Bill's foundation a $131 million contribution from Giustra?

How powerful foreign donors to Bill's presidential library, such as the Saudis, may pose a serious conflict of interest to Hillary's foreign policy actions as president?

How Bill's tangled ties to an investment concern of Clinton friend, Ron Burkle, and it's dealings with Dubai may yet, again, threaten to compromise Hillary Clinton's execution of foreign policy as president?

The fact that the with all of these questionable financial dealings, the Clintons have been unwilling to release their tax returns, especially in light of Hillary Clinton claiming that the $5 million she lent the campaign was "her own money?"

And, finally, though we, as Democrats, don't care who Bill schtupps (and, no, none of us believe he has kept his fly zipped the last seven years), you can be damn sure the Republicans will be digging hard (no pun intended) to see just what Bill has been up to since leaving office.

Saudi Human Rights Official Slams Vice Cops in Yara Case

2008-02-10T02:36:00.000-10:00

Bush's butt buddies eh?
Saudi Human Rights Official Slams Vice Cops in Yara Case:

"RIYADH — The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), Saudi Arabia’s non-governmental rights body, will address the Governorate of Riyadh regarding Yara, a 36-year-old Jeddah-based businesswoman who was apprehended by the religious police and thrown in Al-Malaz Prison on Monday.

Yara said she endured a humiliating and frightening hours-long ordeal that began with her arrest by a member of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice for having coffee with an unrelated man in a Starbucks cafe in Riyadh."

Worldwide Sawdust:: U.N. says waterboarding should be prosecuted as torture

2008-02-09T10:00:00.000-10:00

Congratulations mr bush we are now officially fringe elements. America is the fringe. The torturing fringe that is ........
Worldwide Sawdust:: U.N. says waterboarding should be prosecuted as torture

From TheArab News: Our friends

2008-01-29T07:08:00.000-10:00

Vote Dem?

2008-01-25T04:57:00.000-10:00

more: A rough three weeks and it is getting worse

I have major doubts about Senator Clinton, and yet, I am sure that if she is the nominee that I will mark an "X" for her in November. I used to think I could do more, but now just voting for her seems like a moral compromise—a dirty task that tactically must be done.

For me it would be a purely tactical vote. It would be about the thousands of Democrats that any Democratic President would bring into the bureaucracy and appointments any Democrat would make to the Courts. On the basis of these tactical points, I feel that one has an almost moral obligation to vote for the Democrat.

This would be true of Senator Clinton, but it would also be true if our Nominee was Joe Lieberman or even Zell Miller. And to me there is very little difference between them and Senator Clinton right now. All three have placed their own pursuit of power above the needs of unity, the Party and America. All three have consciously chosen division over unity and fear over hope. Yeah, I could tactically vote for such a Democrat, but I do not have to like it.

Daily Kos: The Story We've All Been Waiting For

2008-01-21T04:09:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: The Story We've All Been Waiting For:

"A week or so ago I wrote a diary here: Chris Floyd ties Bush and BCCI to Sibel Edmonds bombshell

It received 465 comments and was on the recommended list for quite a while. It seemed there was a real interest in this explosive story. At the time, I didn't realize that the kossack Lukery had been all over this, and has an amazing record of reporting about this case here.

So when his follow-up happened, today -- an even more explosive revelation, again from the Times in the UK -- that the FBI is deliberately covering up the existence of its case file which implicates US government officials in corruption and the trading of black market nuclear weapons, I expected it to get some notice here."

Daily Kos: Bush's departure will not make Reagan go

2008-01-20T08:21:00.000-10:00

Sadly, Bush's departure will not make Reagan meme go away:

"# Reagan's legacy is, altogether, a bad thing for most Americans: stagnant wages, widening inequality, the glorification of greed and debt, narrow-minded 'values', impunity for crimes at the top, a massive build up of the militaro-industrial complex and, more worring, the development of the propaganda apparatus that promotes all of the above as good things and Reagan as the savior of America (implicitly: from anti-American liberals);

# these practices have been amplified under Bush Jr, and Reagan glorified beyond caricature by the rightwing noise machine and carried, whether by complicity or cluelessness, by most of the media;

# the fact that things are now going wrong is not seen as a logical consequence of Reagan's ideas, as dutifully implemented and now expanded by W., but to Bush's incompetence. The 'obvious' solution, as peddled by the right and, still, large chunks of the punditry, is thus more of Reagan's wonderful ideas;"

Daily Kos: Bush's departure will not make Reagan go

2008-01-20T08:18:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Bush's departure will not make Reagan go:

"# Reagan's legacy is, altogether, a bad thing for most Americans: stagnant wages, widening inequality, the glorification of greed and debt, narrow-minded 'values', impunity for crimes at the top, a massive build up of the militaro-industrial complex and, more worring, the development of the propaganda apparatus that promotes all of the above as good things and Reagan as the savior of America (implicitly: from anti-American liberals);

# these practices have been amplified under Bush Jr, and Reagan glorified beyond caricature by the rightwing noise machine and carried, whether by complicity or cluelessness, by most of the media;

# the fact that things are now going wrong is not seen as a logical consequence of Reagan's ideas, as dutifully implemented and now expanded by W., but to Bush's incompetence. The 'obvious' solution, as peddled by the right and, still, large chunks of the punditry, is thus more of Reagan's wonderful ideas;"

How the Banks Were Fleeced -- A Primer to Mortgage Fraud | Wise Bread

2008-01-14T03:57:00.000-10:00

How the Banks Were Fleeced -- A Primer to Mortgage Fraud | Wise Bread: "The Professional Scheme -- A Ring of Realtors, Loan Officers, and Appraisers Working Together To Rob the Lenders"

The Indian Kennedy's

2007-12-31T08:15:00.000-10:00

Posted on Dec 30, 2007

news.bbc.co.uk

Bilawal Bhutto will finish at Oxford University before assuming the responsibilities of party chairman.

Benazir Bhutto’s teenage son has been named the chairman of her Pakistan People’s Party, although her husband will run the PPP until Bilawal finishes college. Asif Ali Zardari refused to allow his wife to be autopsied but has asked the U.N. and Britain to investigate her assassination.

Iraq Slashes Food Rations, Putting Lives at Risk - CommonDreams.org

2007-12-29T06:52:00.000-10:00

Iraq Slashes Food Rations, Putting Lives at Risk - CommonDreams.org:

"BAQUBA - The Iraqi government announcement that monthly food rations will be cut by half has left many Iraqis asking how they can survive.1228 03

The government also wants to reduce the number of people depending on the rationing system by five million by June 2008.

Iraq’s food rations system was introduced by the Saddam Hussein government in 1991 in response to the UN economic sanctions. Families were allotted basic foodstuffs monthly because the Iraqi Dinar and the economy collapsed.

The sanctions, imposed after Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Kuwait, were described as “genocidal” by Denis Halliday, then UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq. Halliday quit his post in protest against the U.S.-backed sanctions.

The sanctions killed half a million Iraqi children, and as many adults, according to the UN. They brought malnutrition, disease, and lack of medicines. Iraqis became nearly completely reliant on food rations for survival. The programme has continued into the U.S.-led occupation."

Think Progress » Navy JAG Andrew Williams Resigns Over Torture

2007-12-29T06:47:00.000-10:00

Think Progress » Navy JAG Andrew Williams Resigns Over Torture:

"Navy JAG Andrew Williams Resigns Over Torture

Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Williams, a JAG officer with the U.S. Naval Reserve, recently resigned his commission over the alleged use of torture by the United States and the destruction of video tapes said to contain instances of that torture.

As ThinkProgress reported in December, Brigadier General Thomas W. Hartmann, the legal adviser at Guantanamo Bay, repeatedly refused to call the hypothetical waterboarding of an American pilot by the Iranian military torture."

Huckabee is from the dark side.

2007-12-29T06:31:00.000-10:00

Informed Comment:

"The dark side of Huckabee, the anti-science and anti-gay side of Huckabee, and the anti-Palestinian genocidal side of Huckabee, are all more more dangerous than the incompetent fool side of Huckabee, but the latter is pretty dangerous, too.

The incompetent fool side was on full display in his remarks, apparently provoked by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, about the alleged threat of illegal Pakistani immigration into the United States. He actually thundered about 660 persons, claiming that the Pakistanis came right after Latinos in the ranks of illegals. He also seemed to think that building a wall around Mexico would keep out Pakistanis (the illegals among whom likely mostly just overstayed their visas and landed at LaGuardia)."

TPMmuckraker | Talking Points Memo | Bhutto Adviser: Musharraf Is To Blame

2007-12-27T08:01:00.000-10:00

TPMmuckraker | Talking Points Memo | Bhutto Adviser: Musharraf Is To Blame: "Bhutto Adviser: Musharraf Is To Blame

Bhutto Adviser: Musharraf Is To Blame

By Spencer Ackerman - December 27, 2007, 10:32AM

A longtime adviser and close friend of assassinated Pakistani ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto places blame for Bhutto's death squarely on the shoulders of U.S.-supported dictator Pervez Musharraf.

After an October attack on Bhutto's life in Karachi, the ex-prime minister warned "certain individuals in the security establishment [about the threat] and nothing was done," says Husain Haqqani, a confidante of Bhutto's for decades. "There is only one possibility: the security establishment and Musharraf are complicit, either by negligence or design. That is the most important thing. She's not the first political leader killed, since Musharraf took power, by the security forces."

TPMmuckraker | Talking Points Memo | How Much Did Sen. Ted Stevens' House Renovation Really Cost?

2007-12-27T00:15:00.000-10:00

TPMmuckraker | Talking Points Memo | How Much Did Sen. Ted Stevens' House Renovation Really Cost?: "How Much Did Sen. Ted Stevens' House Renovation Really Cost?
By David Kurtz - December 26, 2007, 2:43PM

A new development this morning in the criminal investigation of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens. The Seattle Times reports on its interview with David Anderson, a foreman for the corrupt oilfield services company, Veco, who supervised the renovation of Stevens' Girdwood, Ak., home. Anderson is the nephew of former Veco chairman Bill Allen, who has pleaded guilty to bribery in the wide-ranging federal criminal investigation into political corruption in Alaska."

Daily Kos: Essential BBC documentaries not shown on US TV

2007-12-23T02:05:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Essential BBC documentaries not shown on US TV:

"Adam Curtis exposes the public manipulation we sense but usually don't understand. His BBC documentaries are legendary in Britain but practically unknown in the US. An American network executive who wouldn't even let his name be used said 'we would be crucified if we showed that here'. These documentaries are like a graduate course in how the American and British public has been herded like cattle since the end of World War I."

Bush’s Class Warfare - CommonDreams.org

2007-12-22T14:55:00.000-10:00

Bush’s Class Warfare - CommonDreams.org:

"Just a week before Christmas, President Bush gave corporate America two big presents. On Tuesday, his Federal Communications Commission changed the rules to allow the nation’s giant conglomerates to further consolidate their grip on the media by permitting them to purchase TV and radio stations in the same local markets where they already own daily newspapers. As a gift to the country’s automobile industry, Bush’s Environmental Protection Agency ruled Wednesday, over the objections of the agency’s staff, that California, the nation’s largest and most polluted state, and 16 other states, can’t impose regulations to limit greenhouse gases from cars and trucks that are stronger than the federal government’s own weak standards."

me two skippy

2007-12-16T06:47:00.000-10:00

skippy the bush kangaroo: freakin' politicians, freakin' purists, freakin' mess we're in, lord love a freakin' duck...:

"politics has a way of rendering one blind as it corrodes every single aspect of one's life. it's certainly taken a toll on my own vision and life -- over the last three years, i've said a lot of mean, unwarranted things to people i disagreed with because of this. things i regret saying, things i can't take back no matter how much i want to. i would love little more than to just wash my hands of the dems and walk away from politics forever. but it's too late for that -- i've already been sucked in, perhaps as far back as 2004, and the only thing i can do now is ride this campaign cycle out."

AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

2007-12-16T06:38:00.000-10:00

AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth: "I don't claim to be an expert on health care policy, and admit that my eyes gloss over when trying to understand the differences between Hillary's, Obama's, and Edwards' health care plan. But I have a gut feeling that none of those plans are meant to help people like me, people in the middle, people who are neither rich nor poor. Just like the sub-prime bail-out, where our politicians are helping to artificially inflate real estate prices so first-time home buyers like me can pay tens of thousands, if not a hundred thousand, more for my first condo (that's called a 'tax'), everything politicians do is meant to help either the rich or the poor at my expense."

New Documents Revealed In Case Of Huckabee's Support For Freeing Rapist - Politics on The Huffington Post

2007-12-11T05:32:00.000-10:00

New Documents Revealed In Case Of Huckabee's Support For Freeing Rapist - Politics on The Huffington Post: "New Documents Revealed In Case Of Huckabee's Support For Freeing Rapist"

Review of Iran Intelligence to Be Sought - washingtonpost.com

2007-12-08T10:25:00.000-10:00

Haven't the Republicans ever heard of "urinating against the wind?"
Review of Iran Intelligence to Be Sought - washingtonpost.com:

"Senate Republicans are planning to call for a congressional commission to investigate the conclusions of the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran as well as the specific intelligence that went into it, according to congressional sources."

Iran, China and markets challenging US laxity and lawlessness

2007-12-08T02:10:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Iran, China and markets challenging US laxity and lawlessness:

"International investors are incandescent with rage that MBS (mortgage backed securities) and CDO (collateralised debt obligation) contracts freely negotiated will now be unilaterally amended by those who sold them in the first place. I have never seen the economics blogs - usually dry and staid in their acceptance of capitalism's injustices - so heaving with indignation and abuse. 'Crony capitalism' and 'privatise profits, socialise losses' are phrases that are now appearing even on macroeconomics sites normally free of such liberal-leaning bias."

Glenn Greenwald - Political Blogs and Opinions - Salon

2007-11-29T06:27:00.000-10:00

Glenn Greenwald - Political Blogs and Opinions - Salon:

"Court orders Bush administration to disclose telecom lobbying ties. What about senators? The Electronic Frontier Foundation has won another significant legal battle, as a federal judge in California yesterday ordered the Bush administration (.pdf) to comply with EFF's FOIA demand and disclose documents revealing its 'communications with telecommunications carriers and members of Congress' regarding efforts to amend FISA and provide amnesty to telecoms. Better still, the court imposed an extremely quick deadline for release of these documents -- December 10 -- so that 'the public may participate in the debate over the pending legislation on an informed basis.' Needless to say, the Bush administration raised every argument it could to avoid having to disclose this information. These disclosures will reveal -- among other things -- which telecom lobbyists and other representatives were meeting with DNI Michael McConnell in order to secure telecom amnesty, as well as which members of Congress McConnell and other Bush officials privately lobbied."

A Physician's View of John Edwards

2007-11-26T05:58:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: A Physician's View of John Edwards:

"Do you know which two United States senators took in the most money from HMOs this current cycle? #1. Hillary Clinton #2. Barack Obama First and second place-- out of all 100 senators, Republican and Democrat."

Foreign Fighters in Iraq Are Tied to Allies of U.S. - New York Times

2007-11-22T07:07:00.000-10:00

Foreign Fighters in Iraq Are Tied to Allies of U.S. - New York Times:

"BAGHDAD — Saudi Arabia and Libya, both considered allies by the United States in its fight against terrorism, were the source of about 60 percent of the foreign fighters who came to Iraq in the past year to serve as suicide bombers or to facilitate other attacks, according to senior American military officials."

Foreign Fighters in Iraq Are Tied to Allies of U.S. - New York Times

2007-11-22T07:06:00.000-10:00

Foreign Fighters in Iraq Are Tied to Allies of U.S. - New York Times:

"BAGHDAD — Saudi Arabia and Libya, both considered allies by the United States in its fight against terrorism, were the source of about 60 percent of the foreign fighters who came to Iraq in the past year to serve as suicide bombers or to facilitate other attacks, according to senior American military officials."

Daily Kos: Frameshop: How 4 Words From Basra Will Change Everything

2007-11-17T07:37:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Frameshop: How 4 Words From Basra Will Change Everything:

"A recent article about British troops leaving Basra (the second largest city in Iraq) suggests that the Iraq debate is about to experience a seismic change--a shift in the way every American talks and thinks about the most pressing issue of our time. The change can be summed up in 4 simple words: troops leave, violence drops As the deafening hubbub of propaganda drowns out every attempt to talk real policy change on Iraq, this simple descriptive formula--troops leave, violence drops--cuts through it all. And here's why it is so powerful..."

Daily Kos: The dollar has lost 1/3 of its value

2007-11-07T03:48:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: The dollar has lost 1/3 of its value

2007-11-07T03:47:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: The dollar has lost 1/3 of its value

Daily Kos: John Edwards: The Moral Test of our Generation (major speech, full text)

2007-10-29T08:17:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: John Edwards: The Moral Test of our Generation (major speech, full text): "John Edwards: The Moral Test of our Generation (major speech, full text)"

CNN.com - Study: New study shows that fellatio may reduce the risk of breast cancer - Oct. 2, 2003

2007-10-27T04:44:00.000-10:00

CNN.com - Study: New study shows that fellatio may reduce the risk of breast cancer - Oct. 2, 2003:

"'I think it removes the last shade of doubt that fellatio is actually a healthy act,' said Dr. A.J. Kramer of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who was not involved in the research. 'I am surprised by these findings, but am also excited that the researchers may have discovered a relatively easy way to lower the occurrence of breast cancer in women.'"

Daily Kos: Is it too late for outrage?

2007-10-20T06:20:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Is it too late for outrage?: "Erik Prince does NOT get really challenged by Congress. Michael Mukasey says the president is not bound by some laws and yet will be confirmed overwhelmingly Despite Dodd's noble threat to filibuster, the horrid bill agreed to by the likes of Jay Rockefellar will probably be approved The Treasury Department intervenes to bail out Citibank's multibillion dollar exposure because of really bad decisions The FCC is moving to give media conglomerates even more ability to concentrate ownership And all that is the tip of the iceberg, because EVERYTHING is being privatized. You should have watched Jeremy Scahill on Bill Moyers last night. I did, and hence this diary."

Dennis Hopper Wanted For Questioning: Tanker Hijacked, D.C. Could Be Blown Up

2007-10-19T08:00:00.000-10:00

Dennis Hopper Wanted For Questioning: Tanker Hijacked, D.C. Could Be Blown Up:

"dennis hopper wanted for questioning Tanker Hijacked, D.C. Could Be Blown Up [OMFG it's an unrelated picture of an explosion!!1!] Here’s something to make you feel a little less comfortable about your life and the chances of it continuing beyond today: Some lunatic in Baltimore hijacked a tanker truck carrying 7,100 gallons of diesel. The truck is a bright-red Peterbilt carrying a metal tanker — both have “Baltimore Tank Lines” painted on the sides."

European Tribune - Gore and America's place in the world

2007-10-14T05:20:00.000-10:00

European Tribune - Gore and America's place in the world: Clean, well written article about global crisis.

Rasmussen Reports™: The most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a mid-term election.

2007-10-11T11:16:00.000-10:00

Rasmussen Reports™: The most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a mid-term election.: "Iraq Troop Withdrawal Support Growing for Iraq Troop Withdrawal"

unbossed.com

2007-10-11T11:02:00.000-10:00

unbossed.com:

"A forgotten anniversary Five years ago today the House passed J. H. Res. 114, which authorized the President (presumably in perpetuity) to use any force “necessary” against the “continuing” threat to the nation posed by Iraq…just in case Iraq did in fact pose a threat. The vote was 296-133. On Oct. 11, 2002 the Senate followed suit, by a vote of 77-23. So began the quagmire."

AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

2007-10-10T06:52:00.000-10:00

AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth:

"Either these guys are terrorists or they're not. But for the Bush administration to claim that they're terrorists, then for the Saudi government to give them a Willy Horton holiday, and thousands of dollars to boot, is beyond sickening. It never ceases to amaze me that with all the talk of the 'all-powerful' Jewish lobby, no one has been able to ever take down Saudi Arabia. These kind of stories should mark the end of any special relationship between Saudi Arabia and America, but they never are because no one with any money and power and influence ever takes full advantage of them."

Daily Kos: State of the Nation

2007-10-09T20:20:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: State of the Nation:

"It's long past time for people to stop treating Fox-style, Malkin-style, Limbaugh-style conservatism as merely a 'political' phenomenon. It may once have been, but it isn't now. As of this millennium, it's nothing but a hate movement with neckties. Protofascism with bright, patriotic logos. Stop treating it with anything but revulsion and disdain. Stop pretending for even a bare moment that they are anything more than thugs."

Pelosi Says US Appears Guilty of TortureUS House Speaker says violent interrogation methods do not work, harm US reputation - CommonDreams.org

2007-10-07T11:08:00.000-10:00

Pelosi Says US Appears Guilty of TortureUS House Speaker says violent interrogation methods do not work, harm US reputation - CommonDreams.org:

WASHINGTON — The United States appears to be illegally torturing terror suspects contrary to denials by President George W. Bush, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday.

The country’s highest ranking Democrat also said that she still hoped to get most US troops out of Iraq by the end of 2008, despite the party’s repeated failure to win over enough Republicans in Congress to an exit strategy.

Interviewed on Fox News, Pelosi said reported interrogation tactics such as simulated drowning, head slapping and exposure to extreme temperatures would amount to banned torture.

“There is a legal definition of torture that I believe this would fit. The president says it is not,” she said.

Daily Kos: GOP shocker: Republican Sens. knew about Craig for years

2007-10-07T09:48:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: GOP shocker: Republican Sens. knew about Craig for years

Daily Kos: When Chickenhawks Attack

2007-10-05T05:30:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: When Chickenhawks Attack:

"Earlier this week, someone on the Republican side of the aisle put out the word: The best way to discredit combat veterans who disagree with the President’s policies is to insinuate (or directly say) that they are being 'used' by the nefarious Left, that they are being 'fed' information, and that they can’t think for themselves. The idea is to suggest that common soldiers couldn’t possibly formulate the complex, nuanced, and knowledgeable opinions on military and foreign policy needed to compete on the national scene—at least not to the extent that Beltway sophisticates like Joe Watkins can. Or hypocritical draft-dodgers like Rush Limbaugh."

Daily Kos: To Congress: You Suck

2007-10-02T04:01:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: To Congress: You Suck:

"To the Democrats, I would like you to please re-read the First Amendment. I give up. This is beyond madness. This is beyond stupidity. Do you guys wonder why no one likes politicians? Anybody? This country has serious issues. We have a war that a majority of Americans oppose, yet we continue to fight. (crickets chirping) We have a mountain of debt that we have to pay-off sometime. (crickets chirping) We have millions of Americans who have no health insurance. (crickets chirping) We have an ever-increasing gap between rich and poor. (crickets chirping) We have students leaving college with debt levels so high that they can't climb the socio-economic ladder. (crickets chirping) So, to Congress...please, take this very personally. You suck."

Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines

2007-10-01T06:45:00.000-10:00

Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines:

facebook.com

Israel’s Toy Soldiers

By Chris Hedges —

If you are a young Muslim American and head off to the Middle East for a spell in a fundamentalist “madrassa,” or religious school, Homeland Security will probably greet you at the airport when you return. But if you are an American Jew and you join hundreds of teenagers from Europe and Mexico for an eight-week training course run by the Israel Defense Forces, you can post your picture wearing an Israeli army uniform and holding an automatic weapon on MySpace.

Daily Kos: War With Iran? We Can't Afford It!

2007-10-01T06:21:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: War With Iran? We Can't Afford It!:

"There have been five increases in the debt ceiling since Bush took office. The bottom line is we can't afford the current military actions in Iraq. Adding another war would do nothing be make the current situation worse."

Glenn Greenwald - Political Blogs and Opinions - Salon

2007-09-28T06:05:00.000-10:00

Glenn Greenwald - Political Blogs and Opinions - Salon:

The Susan Estrich Complex

Several days ago, Susan Estrich of Fox News "debated" Rich Lowry of Fox News and National Review regarding race and gender, and afterwards, Lowry gave Estrich what, to her, is the Ultimate Compliment, the pat on the head for which she lives:

Richmond [Rich Lowry]
Thanks for everyone who came. It was a nice night. Susan Estrich was hilarious and the very model of a reasonable liberal.

Sic Semper Tyrannis 2007: All mercenaries in Iraq should be subject to UCMJ..

2007-09-23T06:47:00.000-10:00

Sic Semper Tyrannis 2007: All mercenaries in Iraq should be subject to UCMJ..:

"All mercenaries in Iraq should be subject to UCMJ.."

Blackwater Attack: they fired without provocation.

2007-09-23T06:39:00.000-10:00

Informed Comment:

"Sunday, September 23, 2007 Iraq: Videotape of Blackwater Attack Jaafari Maneuvers in Najaf Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they have a videotape of the shootings in Nisur Square last Sunday by Blackwater security guards, which shows that they fired without provocation. The company has maintained that its personnel were responding to incoming fire. There is now talk in Baghdad of trying the guards, though a decree by US viceroy Paul Bremer may hold the US nationals harmless. Meanwhile, charges surfaced that Blackwater employees had shipped weapons to Iraq without proper paperwork, which could be interpreted as a form of arms smuggling. The company denies the charges."

Daily Kos: Why I am a Radical

2007-09-22T14:34:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Why I am a Radical:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/426004689_9670a35a2f_o.jpg

Daily Kos: The REAL Story of Blackwater's Bloody Sunday in Baghdad

2007-09-22T08:46:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: The REAL Story of Blackwater's Bloody Sunday in Baghdad: "The REAL Story of Blackwater's Bloody Sunday in Baghdad Hotlist by markthshark [Subscribe] Sat Sep 22, 2007 at 10:39:51 AM PDT Six days ago, at least 28 civilians died in a shooting incident involving the US security company BlackwaterUSA. But what actually happened? Since the Baghdad incident, details emerging from the scene have been sketchy at best. Until now, that is. Writing for the Independent, U.K. reporter Kim Sengupta journeyed to Baghdad and returned with a bone-chillingly realistic story of a suburban center caught up in a lawless, 'wild-west' atmosphere, overflowing with weapons and dubious non-law enforcers alike. What follows is Kim’s recap of what occurred that particular bloody Sunday."

Daily Kos: We've Got it ALL WRONG!

2007-09-22T07:48:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: We've Got it ALL WRONG!: "They are really, really, stupid people - one and all. They keep giving away the store, they cringe, and fail, and wimper, and stumble, and try to disregard our pleas by accepting the 'Far Left' lable we have been awarded by the Republicans and their foot washing pundits. They ignore all of the evidence that the vast majority of people in this country are demanding a 'Far Left' agenda. They are not smart enough to figure out either the right thing to do, or how to do it."

the right approach

2007-09-20T10:09:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Cold water. 72-25

This means Darcy Burner and Donna Edwards get paid. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi do not.

Harry Reid refuses to force the republicans to filibuster.

Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table.

Cardin, Johnson, Webb, Landrieu, Pryor, McCaskill, Feinstein, Casey, Salazar, Nelson (FL), Nelson (NE), Conrad, Lincoln, Mikulski, Leahy, Dorgan, Baucus, Carper, Tester, Kohl... and about 10 more... all just said you were condemnable.

Nobody has done a single thing to end the war.

Nobody has done anything to hold anyone accountable for the crimes of the last 7 years (do not confuse accountability with oversight - Dems are plenty good at campaigning - that's all oversight amounts to without accountability - campaigning on your tax dime).

These people have BETRAYED US.

MoveOn gets paid. (If you haven't joined MoveOn, this would be a great time to do so). BlogPac gets paid. BraveNewFilms gets paid. DemocracyForAmerica gets paid.

DSCC does not. DCCC does not.

‘Giving’ and Taking

2007-09-18T08:57:00.000-10:00

Truthdig - Reports - ‘Giving’ and Taking:
‘

Giving’ and Taking
Posted on Sep 17, 2007

AP Photo / Pablo Martinez Monsivais

By Chris Hedges

Bill Clinton has written a new book. It is called “Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World.” He will give a portion of the proceeds to charity. Giving, the former president informs us, gives us fulfilment in life and is “the fabric of our shared humanity.”

America: a view from abroad

2007-09-17T07:55:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: America: a view from abroad:

"Alas, we have little of that left. Our State Department is anemic, our diplomats are a joke, our Preznit is clearly an idiot, Condi Rice is looked upon as a clown, we're a debtor nation. We are the bozos of the diplomatic circuit. The drunk uncle at the party, prompt to get into a fight, politely ignored."

Informed Comment

2007-09-16T11:15:00.000-10:00

Informed Comment:

"Sunday, September 16, 2007 Sadrists withdraw from Government; Say they Will not Bring Down al-Maliki; Iraqi Military called Unprepared The unstable al-Maliki government is on its last legs. The Sadr Movement (32 seats) has now formally withdrawn from the United Iraqi Alliance, the Shiite fundamentalist bloc that is the largest in parliament (though no longer by much). The Sadrists had withdrawn from al-Maliki's cabinet a few months ago, but had said they would still vote with him in parliament as part of the UIA. They complain that he has cut them off, ceased consulting them, and is targeting their Mahdi Army militia over violence in Karbala during a recent holy festival."

Latest Gay Republican Outing - Condoleezza Rice | Wake Up From Your Slumber

2007-09-15T08:47:00.000-10:00

Latest Gay Republican Outing - Condoleezza Rice | Wake Up From Your Slumber:

Condi's "Closest Female Friend"

Yesterday on the show I had an interesting conversation with Washington Post diplomatic correspondent Glenn Kessler, whose new book is The Confidante: Condoleezza Rice and the Creation of the Bush Legacy.

There have long been questions about Rice's sexual orientation and her personal life in general. As Kessler notes, "She has built a wall of privacy around her that is never breached." But Kessler had access to Rice's closest friends and to Rice herself, and he reveals some eyebrow-raising information that hasn't been out there before.

Kagan comes from a family of Chicken Hawks

2007-09-15T08:29:00.000-10:00

Glenn Greenwald - Political Blogs and Opinions - Salon:

Fred Kagan, along with his writing partner Bill Kristol, specializes in planning and advocating more wars, always from afar. His family has a tradition of doing the same. His dad, whose career he has copied, is Donald Kagan, whom The Washington Post described as "a beloved father figure of the ascendant neoconservative movement." Several years ago, Fred co-wrote a book with his dad arguing that America is too afraid to fight wars and "that it will be in the world's ultimate interest for the United States to remain militarily strong and unafraid of a fight." Neither has ever fought anything.

ABC to air anti-Sicko program, ABC sucks

2007-09-13T14:34:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: ABC to air anti-Sicko program: "The fact is, virtually no one comes to the US from Canada for medical care, but many Americans travel to Canada and other countries for care. The healthcare system in this country is just too expensive for most people. We pay more and more every year for less and less."

Informed Comment

2007-09-11T05:09:00.000-10:00

Informed Comment: "The central question is whether the Democrats can force a significant reduction of troops from Iraq on Bush's watch, so as to avoid Iraq becoming exclusively their headache when they (as is likely) take over the White House in January of 2009. If they could, this drawdown would be the best option. Certainly, that is what a majority of Iraqis thinks, according to the new BBC/ABC poll."

Key Republican Questions Iraq Strategy - The Huffington Post

2007-09-11T05:03:00.000-10:00

Key Republican Questions Iraq Strategy - The Huffington Post: "WASHINGTON — A prominent Republican on Tuesday said he remains deeply skeptical of the U.S. war strategy in Iraq, comparing the long and bloody military campaign to a farmer risking his savings to plant on a flood plain. 'In my judgment, some type of success in Iraq is possible, but as policymakers, we should acknowledge that we are facing extraordinarily narrow margins for achieving our goals,' Sen. Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the top U.S. military commander and the American ambassador there."

Glenn Greenwald - Political Blogs and Opinions - Salon

2007-09-09T07:40:00.000-10:00

Glenn Greenwald - Political Blogs and Opinions - Salon: "The Washington Establishment has spent the last several months glorifying Gen. David Petraeus, imposing the consensus that The Surge is Succeeding, and most importantly of all, ensuring that President Bush will not be compelled to withdraw troops from Iraq for the remainder of his presidency. The P.R. campaign to persuade the country that the Surge is Succeeding has been as intense and potent as any P.R. campaign since the one that justified the invasion itself. While this campaign has worked wonders with our gullible media stars and Democratic Congressional leadership, it has failed completely with the American people."

Understanding Republicans

2007-09-08T09:04:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: John Dean: Understanding Republicans

Daily Kos: Financial Times: Don't forget role of Bush's policies in asset inflation

2007-09-04T07:49:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Financial Times: Don't forget role of Bush's policies in asset inflation: "Sir, In his article 'Why the Federal Reserve has to keep the party going' (August 22), Martin Wolf refused to acknowledge one obvious cause of the current financial crisis: the policies of the Bush administration, carried out with the open support of the Greenspan Fed. These policies, through tax cuts aimed at the well-off, massive corporate pork made possible by a war of choice, and lax monetary and banking policies, had as their goal making the investment class richer – at the expense of everyone else who participates in the economy. Stagnant wages, made possible by weakening of corporate regulation and increased access to the Chinese labour pool, were instrumental in making higher profits possible, and lax monetary conditions allowed bubbling financial asset values. Lower taxes made capture of that wealth easier for the rich, and share buybacks (instead of investment) have been among the preferred instruments to get it done. The debt bubble also had the great advantage of making it possible to hide from most Americans that they were not sharing in that wealth capture, by hooking consumers on a habit of corrosive easy debt that substituted for real income increases. The fact that spending growth was underpinned by debt and not by income is an inevitable result of the neoliberal polici"

Informed Comment

2007-08-30T21:41:00.000-10:00

Informed Comment: "I personally find the controversy about Iraq in Washington to be bizarre. Are they really arguing about whether the situation is improving? I mean, you have the Night of the Living Dead over there. People lack potable water, cholera has broken out even in the good areas, a third of people are hungry, a doubling of the internally displaced to at least 1.1 million, and a million pilgrims dispersed just this week by militia infighting in a supposedly safe all-Shiite area. The government has all but collapsed, with even the formerly cooperative sections of the Sunni Arab political class withdrawing in a snit (much less more Sunni Arabs being brought in from the cold). The parliament hasn't actually passed any legislation to speak of and often cannot get a quorum. Corruption is endemic. The weapons we give the Iraqi army are often sold off to the insurgency. Some of our development aid goes to them, too."

Daily Kos: Current Credit Problems? Nothing Compared To Future Problems

2007-08-27T20:39:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Current Credit Problems? Nothing Compared To Future Problems: "For the last 7 years, the US economy has been built on a ton of debt. And it’s not just consumer debt – although that has risen at an alarming rate. There’s also government debt which has been piling up at an incredible pace for the last 7 years. As the current credit market problems illustrate, all that debt needs to go somewhere. And at some point, buyers may just stop buying US government debt. When that happens, interest rates will have to increase in order to attract buyers. Higher interest rates mean the economy will probably slow. In short, we have a big problem coming down the pike."

help me turd blossom

2007-08-22T12:39:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Pushing Back on Bush Dog Democrats: Step One

2007-08-22T08:09:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Pushing Back on Bush Dog Democrats: Step One: "Jason Altmire, PA-04 John Barrow, GA-12 Melissa Bean, IL-18 Dan Boren, OK-02 Leonard Boswell, IA-03 Alan Boyd, FL-02 Chris Carney, PA-10 Ben Chandler, KY-06 Jim Cooper, TN-05 Jim Costa, CA-20 Bud Cramer, AL-05 Henry Cuellar, TX-28 Lamar Davis, TN-04 Joe Donnelly, IN-02 Chet Edwards, TX-17 Brad Ellsworth, IN-08 Bob Etheridge, NC-02 Bart Gordon, TN-06 Stephanie Herseth, SD-AL Baron Hill, IN-09 Nick Lampson, TX-22 Dan Lipinski, IL-03 Jim Marshall, GA-08 Jim Matheson, UT-02 Mike McIntyre, NC-07 Charlie Melancon, LA-03 Colin Peterson, MN-07 Earl Pomeroy, ND-AL Ciro Rodriguez, TX-23 Mike Ross, AR-04 John Salazar, CO-03 Heath Shuler, NC-11 Vic Snyder, AR-02 Zack Space, OH-18 John Tanner, TN-08 Gene Taylor, MS-04 Tim Walz, MN-01 Charlie Wilson, OH-06"

Gore Vidal says it right.

2007-08-19T01:15:00.001-10:00

Daily Kos: The politics of the market crash

2007-08-17T08:40:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: The politics of the market crash: "This is what needs to be blamed, again: * the ideology of greed (this is the core of the conservative talking point: the idea that being selfish is somehow good for others as it creates more wealth, and thus that unregulated markets are good for society); * the idea that only financial valuations give worth to anything (again, the cult of the dollar, and the underlying notion that trying to get rich is a good thing for society); * the notion that wage inflation is bad but not asset price inflation (money going to the poor is bad, money going to the rich is good); * the shockingly lax monetary policy of the past decade (when markets go up, fuelled by what is essentially easy public money, it's capitalism at work; when markets go down, because of poor investments by the rich, it's a systemic crisis and the rich need to be bailed out or else); * the cheerleading by politicians of finance as the new engine of growth and wealth creation (industry, balanced budgets, communities are so yesterday and downright communist and evil); * the unraveling of existing regulations (like Glass-Steagall) in the name of market efficiency, and the corresponding death of those old engineering concepts, resiliency, safety margins, redundancies, and of old old ethical ideas"

Looking closer at Snow's history

2007-08-05T07:58:00.000-10:00

Looking closer at Snow's history: "This was how one widely read column at the time summed up the alleged wholesale looting: 'When the loaned aircraft returned to its hangar at Andrews Air Force Base, it looked as if had been stripped by a skilled band of thieves - or perhaps wrecked by a trailer-park twister. Gone were the porcelain dishes bearing the presidential seal, along with silverware, salt and pepper shakers, pillows, blankets, candies - and even toothpaste. It makes one feel grateful that the seats and carpets are bolted down.'

The scary truth, long since made clear, is that this false story had no basis in fact and was simply made up. '(N)one of it happened,' the Kansas City Star reported in May 2001. 'An official at Andrews Air Force Base, which maintains the presidential jets, told the Kansas City Star at the height of the controversy that nothing was missing. Bush himself acknowledged the same a few days later.'"

The Washington Note

2007-08-03T08:22:00.000-10:00

The Washington Note: "Home

August 03, 2007

Wesley Clark to Bush: 'Stop Hiding Behind David Petraeus!'

wesleyclark.jpg

General Wesley Clark delivered a humdinger of a speech this morning in Chicago at YearlyKos.

There's much to it -- and he puts the target for the failure in Iraq not on the military, nor on the Congress, nor other participants in this mess other than President George W. Bush.

Others will get the text and audio file up. I'll try to link later."

YouTube - When Will We Have Had Enough? by PUPPETGOV w/ Billy Vegas

2007-08-02T14:13:00.000-10:00

YouTube - When Will We Have Had Enough? by PUPPETGOV w/ Billy Vegas

Arab News Newspaper

2007-07-31T02:18:00.000-10:00

Arab News Newspaper
http://www.arabnews.com/cartoon/2007/07/31.jpg

Glenn Greenwald - Salon

2007-07-31T01:57:00.000-10:00

Glenn Greenwald - Salon

: "The really smart, serious, credible Iraq experts O'Hanlon and Pollack

(Updated below - Update II - Update III - Update IV - Update V - Update VI)

What is the most vivid and compelling evidence of how broken our political system is? It is that the exact same people who urged us into the war in Iraq, were wrong in everything they said, and issued one false assurance after the next as the war failed, continue to be the same people held up as our Serious Iraq Experts. The exact 'experts' to whom we listened in 2002 and 2003 are the same exact establishment 'experts' now."

Holy Shit: Something new to worry about: Water dimer

2007-07-24T05:45:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Something new to worry about: Water dimer: "I have been wanting to write a diary on this topic for some time, but did not want to jeopardize my publication by providing 'prior publication'. My paper is in press now at the Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. I wanted to discuss it here with the people who get things going and make a difference... you.

The problem is that temperatures might go up 7 deg F instead of 3 deg F in the next 20 years due to a curious pairing of water molecules called water dimer. Water dimer or some related continuum absorption was predicted by Albert Arking to absorb red and infrared wavelengths in significant amounts based on his climate models in 1996 in Science. In 1999 he published in Geophysical Research Letters his measurements between aircraft and found that there was some significant absorption. He couldn't tell which wavelengths it was with his instruments."

YouTube - "How to Create an Angry American" or a Bush Lies Montage

2007-07-22T03:57:00.000-10:00

YouTube - "How to Create an Angry American" or a Bush Lies Montage

Gore: Human Species in a Race for its Life - CommonDreams.org

2007-07-19T07:53:00.000-10:00

Gore: Human Species in a Race for its Life - CommonDreams.org: "Published on Thursday, July 19, 2007 by the Aspen Daily News (Colorado)
Gore: Human Species in a Race for its Life
by Sarah Gilman

ASPEN, Colo. - “There’s an African proverb that says, ‘If you want to go quick, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ We have to go far quickly,” former Vice President Al Gore told a packed, rapt house at the Benedict Music Tent Wednesday. With many scientists pointing to a window of less than 10 years to moderate the effects of global warming, he said, meaningful change is still possible, but “It is a race.”"

Sabbah’s Blog » Blog Archive » Iran’s Jews not for sale

2007-07-18T21:43:00.000-10:00

Sabbah’s Blog » Blog Archive » Iran’s Jews not for sale:

"Iran’s Jews reject cash offer to move to Israel

· Expats offer families £30,000 to emigrate
· Our identity is not for sale, say community leaders

Robert Tait in Tehran
Thursday July 12, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Iran’s Jews have given the country a loyalty pledge in the face of cash offers aimed at encouraging them to move to Israel, the arch-enemy of its Islamic rulers.

The incentives - ranging from £5,000 a person to £30,000 for families - were offered from a special fund established by wealthy expatriate Jews in an effort to prompt a mass migration to Israel from among Iran’s 25,000-strong Jewish community. The offers were made with Israel’s official blessing and were additional to the usual state packages it provides to Jews emigrating from the diaspora."

Booman Tribune ~ My letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi

2007-07-18T16:13:00.000-10:00

Booman Tribune ~ My letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "My letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi"

Robert Scheer | King George W.: James Madison’s Nightmare

2007-07-18T15:57:00.000-10:00

Robert Scheer | King George W.: James Madison’s Nightmare:

"That last sentence perfectly describes the threat of what President Dwight Eisenhower, 165 years later, would describe as the “military-industrial complex,” a permanent war economy feeding off a permanent state of insecurity. The collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the military profiteers and their handsomely rewarded cheerleaders in the government of a raison d’être for the massive war economy supposedly created in response to it. Fortunately for them, Bush found in the 9/11 attack an excuse to make war even more profitable and longer lasting. The Iraq war, which the president’s 9/11 Commission concluded never had anything to do with the terrorist assault, nonetheless has transferred many hundreds of billions in taxpayer dollars into the military economy. And when Congress seeks to exercise its power to control the budget, this president asserts that this will not govern his conduct of the war."

Daily Kos: [VIDEO UPDATE] I just heard the news and it creeps me out.

2007-07-17T11:19:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: [VIDEO UPDATE] I just heard the news and it creeps me out.: "Here's what creeps me out: I'm talking about the standing ovation they just gave David Vitter at the weekly Republican senator's luncheon. Are they actually endorsing his practice of paying women to put him in diapers? Are they applauding him for showing his face now that everyone knows his dirty little secret? Either way, I'm completely creeped out. Telling me a guy pays for sex doesn't move the needle... telling me he pays women to put him in diapers so he can soil them...that's when I start looking for mental floss to scrub that image out of my head."

AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

2007-07-17T11:15:00.000-10:00

AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth:

"General Pace is a liar who puts his career ahead of country and his own men and women under arms."

Informed Comment

2007-07-15T07:40:00.000-10:00

Informed Comment: "Manan Ahmed gives further insights into the motivations of the Glasgow bombers.

Ned Parker of the LA Times reports that of 19,000 'insurgents' held by the US military in Iraq, only 135 are foreigners.

Think about that when you hear Bush say that the US is fighting 'al-Qaeda' in Iraq or that 'al-Qaeda' would take over Iraq if the US left. The foreigners just are not that important to the guerrilla war. Only .7% of detainees are foreigners, and unless they run faster than Iraqis, that is likely their percentage share in the 'insurgency,' too."

Daily Kos: Sara Taylor: "I took an oath to the President"

2007-07-12T09:46:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Sara Taylor: "I took an oath to the President": "Former White House political director Sara Taylor's testimony today at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing proved her to be yet another Monica Goodling-style drone. We already knew that these people's only allegiance is to Bush and they have no conception of the Constitution or any authority than allegiance to their Great Leader."

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall

2007-07-07T06:27:00.000-10:00

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: "Ideally, this should be routine. A marginal neocon appeared on MSNBC to talk about a column he wrote a month ago. A professional broadcaster, who knew what he was talking about, pointed out the guest's errors of fact and judgment for the benefit of the television audience. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, this is what TV shows are supposed to do."

Pollster.com: POLL: ARG Pardon/Impeachment

2007-07-06T07:26:00.000-10:00

Pollster.com: POLL: ARG Pardon/Impeachment: " * 45% favor 'the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush;' 46% oppose.

* 54% favor 'US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against Vice President Dick Cheney;' 40% oppose."

Daily Kos: Obstruction of Justice Merits More Punishment than Censure

2007-07-06T07:15:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: Obstruction of Justice Merits More Punishment than Censure: "Obstruction of Justice Merits More Punishment than Censure Hotlist
by emptywheel [Subscribe]
Fri Jul 06, 2007 at 06:49:57 AM PDT

Let me say straight out. Punishing Bush's commutation of Libby's sentence with censure would be like punishing Libby's obstruction of justice with just 400 hours of community service. It would simply reinforce the notion that Bush's Administration is above the law. It would be a punishment wholly unfit for the crime that has been committed: Obstruction of Justice. Bush's obstruction of justice piled up on top of Libby's obstruction of justice, all to prevent the American justice system from holding this Administration accountable for its actions."

ePluribus Media Community || Pelosi on Impeachment: "Constitution Is Worth It If You Can Succeed"

2007-06-30T07:50:00.000-10:00

ePluribus Media Community || Pelosi on Impeachment: "Constitution Is Worth It If You Can Succeed": "Pelosi on Impeachment: 'Constitution Is Worth It If You Can Succeed'
by wanderindiana tc3
Sat Jun 30, 2007 at 03:27:04 AM EST
promoted-- cho

Bloggers Mike Stark and Dave Johnson recently grilled Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on the subject of impeachment. Stark has posted audio clips and partial transcript of relevant sections of a June 28th conference call with the Speaker at Brave New Films."

Sic Semper Tyrannis 2007: The People Are Sovereign

2007-06-30T07:29:00.000-10:00

Sic Semper Tyrannis 2007: The People Are Sovereign: "The People Are Sovereign

By popular demand I am re-posting this item.

Pat Lang

'Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question.' Mr. Jefferson in his First Inaugural Address"

ABC News: Pentagon Funds Gay Bombs, Armed Sharks

2007-06-21T08:12:00.000-10:00

ABC News: Pentagon Funds Gay Bombs, Armed Sharks: "Fringe Science Yields 'Gay Bombs' and Psychic Teleportation"

This is all we need!

2007-06-16T09:17:00.000-10:00

Palestine Divided
Mohamed Mar’i, Arab News


This combo picture shows, on the left, Samih Al-Madhoun holding his son during a Fatah military parade on June 7 in the Gaza Strip and on the right, his mutilated body on Thursday after he was killed and dragged through the streets of Gaza City. (AFP)

RAMALLAH, 16 June 2007 — A day after sacking Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh’s unity government, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday named technocrat Salam Fayyad to head a new government. Hamas rejected Abbas’ order as a Fatah coup and said Haniyeh stays Palestinian prime minister. The standoff risked formalizing a division of Palestine: the West Bank ruled by Fatah and the Gaza Strip by Hamas.

Daily Kos: A lawyer's report from Guantanamo

2007-06-12T17:51:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: A lawyer's report from Guantanamo: "lawyer's report from Guantanamo
by geomoo
Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 07:01:07 PM PDT

My ex-wife, Doris Tennant-Moore, just returned from her second visit to Guantanamo, where she is representing Abdul Aziz Naji. To all appearances, he is one of the unluckiest of the unlucky, in contrast to his characterization by our government. It seems he was arbitrarily captured on the basis either of association with the wrong people or of being turned in for bounty. He claims never to have committed any kind of violence against any US citizen. I am writing this diary to inform, but also in hopes of attracting some emotional and financial support for Doris’ principled commitment to do all she can to represent one detainee and to fight our country's illegal and immoral conduct at Guantanamo."

We need Southern Democrats

2007-06-12T05:37:00.000-10:00

Daily Kos: No Confidence in Politics as Usual: "No Confidence in Politics as Usual
by Larry Kissell
Tue Jun 12, 2007 at 05:47:07 AM PDT

What we see in Washington is once again Politics as Usual. We see gridlock and for the most part party lines being drawn rather than the line on corruption and violations of public trust. "

Jews vandalize Muslim graves near Ariel | Jerusalem Post

2007-06-08T07:17:00.000-10:00

Jews vandalize Muslim graves near Ariel | Jerusalem Post: "Jews vandalize Muslim graves near Ariel
By JPOST.COM STAFF

A Muslim cemetery in the village of Kifl Halith near Ariel was vandalized early Friday morning by a group of Jewish worshippers who had come to pray at the nearby grave of Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Nun.

The vandals spray-painted the slogan 'Death to Arabs' on some graves and broke others. A total of 10 tombstones were desecrated."

Thought Leaders and the Fringe

2007-06-05T02:32:00.000-10:00

The Future of Philanthropy: Innovation, Networks, Thought Leaders and the Fringe: "The Future of Philanthropy: Innovation, Networks, Thought Leaders and the Fringe

Alex Steffen
June 4, 2007 12:25 PM

Last week, I had some great conversations, sitting in the sun on a hillside deck on Vancouver Island, talking about how we might better fund the changing of the world.

I was there to speak to the annual meeting of the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers' Network. They'd asked me to come share some thoughts about how we might better use philanthropy to fuel innovation for sustainability."

Pacific Tribune

2007-06-04T08:05:00.000-10:00

Pacific Tribune: "Is Hillary a big fat liar?

Posted by ione on June 4th, 2007

This is a clearly written article about Hillary Clinton. She is pretty practical and non-spritual, non-idealistic, non-people based politics and pro the same goals and ideals held dear by her Republican cohorts in the Senate. Not only did she vote for the war she worked hard to boost the score of the Bush administration’s justification for the war.

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2007/6/4/11553/00273Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community

Back in 2002, Hillary Clinton committed all the cardinal sins. She hyped the link between Iraq and al-Qaeda, she cherry-picked the intelligence on Saddam’s WMD programs, and she voted against making the president come back for a second vote if he couldn’t convince the U.N. of the need for force. Oh…and she voted for the war."

ePluribus Media Community || Collaborative Media for the Masses

2007-06-01T22:08:00.000-10:00

Ward and June al Cleaver and their two sons, Walli and Beav al Cleaver shown here in their Baghdad home.

The photo above is said to depict the President's vision of "the typical Iraqi family in the "post Saddam era, by that I mean the era that is after Saddam," the President is reported to have said.

The photo was leaked exclusively to Worldwide Sawdust by an anonymous but highly placed source who told this reporter that "this will be the President's final comment on what constitutes victory in Iraq."

An Iraq that has defeated the terrorists and neutralized the insurgency.

An Iraq that is peaceful, united, stable, democratic, and secure, where Iraqis have the institutions and resources they need to govern themselves justly and provide security for their country.

An Iraq that is a partner in the global war on terror and the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, integrated into the international community, an engine for regional economic growth, and proving the fruits of democratic governance to the region.

From the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq - Victory in Iraq Defined

Why Cindy Sheehan ‘Retired’Angered by Democrats, The US Peace Movement’s Most Visible Leader Withdrew From The Public Eye On The Day Her Son Would Hav

2007-06-01T22:02:00.000-10:00

Why

Cindy Sheehan ‘Retired’Angered by Democrats, The US Peace Movement’s Most Visible Leader Withdrew From The Public Eye On The Day Her Son Would Have Turned 28. - CommonDreams.org - Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community: "Why Cindy Sheehan ‘Retired’
Angered by Democrats, The US Peace Movement’s Most Visible Leader Withdrew From The Public Eye On The Day Her Son Would Have Turned 28.
by Laura Flanders

Cindy Sheehan’s done it again. In 2005 she made the invisible visible. The bereaved mom of a US soldier killed in Iraq, Sheehan cried in public, cursed in public and gave public voice to what for many was until then a private question. Why did my son die, she asked the president: “What is the noble cause?”

Two years later, Sheehan’s pushed another question into the public glare. Quitting the Democratic Party and resigning from the front ranks of the US anti-war movement, Sheehan said out loud what hundreds of Democratic voters have been muttering: Democrats in Congress -who do you think you’re working for?

In a letter to Democratic leaders shortly after they permitted a vote in Congress that approved $120 billion more for war, Sheehan wrote: “There is absolutely no sane or defensible reason for you to hand Bloody King George more money to condemn more of our brave, tired, and damaged soldiers"