Let them eat cake
TGIF!
-Diane
Friday, February 29, 2008
Elephant Feathers: or Whatever It Is, Mitch Is Against It!
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell celebrates his record of obstruction in song.
-Diane
John McCain TV Ad, Actual audio from a John McCain TV ad, animated by Scott Bateman.
Scott Bateman: "Hillary"
(Actual audio from a Clinton ad)
Scary Treasury Secretary press conference, Actual audio, animated by Scott Bateman.
Pierre's Guide to Love & Politics, animated by Scott Bateman.
-Diane
Israel Warns of a Major Military Offensive in Gaza
"It will be sad, and difficult, but we have no other choice," Matan Vilnai, Israel's deputy defense mister, said Friday, referring to the large-scale military operation he said Israel was preparing to bring a halt to the rocket fire.
"We're getting close to using our full strength. Until now, we've used a small percentage of the army's power because of the nature of the territory," Vilnai told Army Radio on Friday.
The Guardian noted that Vilnai also warned that "Palestinians could bring on themselves what he called a 'holocaust.'"
-Diane
Labels: Gaza
A new study says that one out of every 100 Americans is behind bars, more than any other nation in the world.
-Diane
I came across this photo yesterday, and I know it was taken in Ohio, but why Hillary's posing in front of a picture of satan, I dunno.
-Diane
Lil' Bush
ASUNCION, Parguay – Neil Bush, younger brother of U.S. President George W. Bush, called on Paraguay's president as the guest of a business federation founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
A presidential press office source, who spoke on condition of not being named, confirmed the younger Bush met President Nicanor Duarte on Thursday along with a delegation from the Universal Peace Federation, a group associated with Moon.
Duarte himself had no statement on the meeting.
Antonio Betancourt, a spokesman for the federation, said that Bush visited Duarte and later met with an opposition congressional leader, Sen. Miguel Abdon Saguier, and that both expressed interest in the Bush family and discussed local matters.
The Lil' one is truly a lost one, isn't he? Traveling the world with the Universal Peace Federation...so sad. Hopefully, his parents won't even bother to try to buy the White House for him.
-Diane
A presidential press office source, who spoke on condition of not being named, confirmed the younger Bush met President Nicanor Duarte on Thursday along with a delegation from the Universal Peace Federation, a group associated with Moon.
Duarte himself had no statement on the meeting.
Antonio Betancourt, a spokesman for the federation, said that Bush visited Duarte and later met with an opposition congressional leader, Sen. Miguel Abdon Saguier, and that both expressed interest in the Bush family and discussed local matters.
The Lil' one is truly a lost one, isn't he? Traveling the world with the Universal Peace Federation...so sad. Hopefully, his parents won't even bother to try to buy the White House for him.
-Diane
Coffee Break Concert...Sweet's for the Sweet Edition...
Awful pun, I know...
I'll kill myself...click...click...BANG!
~S(uicided)Squirrel
Gettin' Paid While The Gettin's Good
The chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, Deborah Platt Majoras, plans to step down next month, the agency announced yesterday.
Majoras, 44, will join Procter & Gamble in June as vice president and general counsel, with primary responsibility for its global antitrust and litigation practice areas, company spokeswoman Robyn Schroeder said.
The White House has not named a replacement, FTC spokeswoman Nancy Judy said. A successor will likely be one of the two other Republican commissioners, William E. Kovacic and J. Thomas Rosch. Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour is an independent, and Jonathan Leibowitz is the panel's lone Democrat. The commission can function without a chair, Judy said.
"She adopted a light touch, deregulatory approach that is completely consistent with where we stand," said Danielle Coffey, head of government affairs for the Telecommunications Industry Association. "She was wise to be so cautious."
Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said the agency ignored its 2004 request to investigate data broker practices. In 2006, the FTC fined ChoicePoint, the nation's largest data broker, $10 million, but only after news reports surfaced that the company had sold the dossiers of more than 100,000 consumers to identify thieves.
But by *Glory of Bush" Brigade standards, probably viewed as an under-performer...Much harder to find women who'll completely sell out...
~SSquirrel
Majoras, 44, will join Procter & Gamble in June as vice president and general counsel, with primary responsibility for its global antitrust and litigation practice areas, company spokeswoman Robyn Schroeder said.
The White House has not named a replacement, FTC spokeswoman Nancy Judy said. A successor will likely be one of the two other Republican commissioners, William E. Kovacic and J. Thomas Rosch. Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour is an independent, and Jonathan Leibowitz is the panel's lone Democrat. The commission can function without a chair, Judy said.
"She adopted a light touch, deregulatory approach that is completely consistent with where we stand," said Danielle Coffey, head of government affairs for the Telecommunications Industry Association. "She was wise to be so cautious."
Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said the agency ignored its 2004 request to investigate data broker practices. In 2006, the FTC fined ChoicePoint, the nation's largest data broker, $10 million, but only after news reports surfaced that the company had sold the dossiers of more than 100,000 consumers to identify thieves.
But by *Glory of Bush" Brigade standards, probably viewed as an under-performer...Much harder to find women who'll completely sell out...
~SSquirrel
Nuts(and Bolts) of The Senate Races
The Fix
3. New Hampshire: Remember last month when we disregarded an American Research Group poll that showed Sen. John Sununu (R) leading former governor Jeanne Shaheen (D) by 11 points? Take a look at a new survey from the University of New Hampshire that puts Shaheen at 55 percent and Sununu at 37 percent. Um, yeah. It's clear that unless something drastic changes in this race, Sununu is in serious trouble of losing his re-election bid. (Previous ranking: 3)
2. New Mexico: The race between Reps. Steve Pearce (R) and Heather Wilson (R) is the early front-runner for primary campaign of the cycle. Both candidates have real electoral bases, both will raise plenty of money and neither is afraid of throwing a punch. Watch for this race to heat up considerably between now and the June 3 primary. While The Fix is fascinated with the prospects for the primary, the contest is less appetizing for Republican strategists. That's because Rep. Tom Udall (D) has cleared out his side of the race and starts the general election against either Wilson or Pearce with a clear advantage. (Previous ranking: 2)
1. Virginia: Mike Henry, former deputy campaign manager for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, just inked a deal to manage former governor Mark Warner's 2012/2016 bid for president. What's that? Oops. Henry is managing Warner's sure-thing bid for the Senate seat being vacated by John Warner (R) this fall. Riiiiiight. (Previous ranking: 1)
Chris covers the top ten most competitive, here's the top three...
S(enator)Squirrel
3. New Hampshire: Remember last month when we disregarded an American Research Group poll that showed Sen. John Sununu (R) leading former governor Jeanne Shaheen (D) by 11 points? Take a look at a new survey from the University of New Hampshire that puts Shaheen at 55 percent and Sununu at 37 percent. Um, yeah. It's clear that unless something drastic changes in this race, Sununu is in serious trouble of losing his re-election bid. (Previous ranking: 3)
2. New Mexico: The race between Reps. Steve Pearce (R) and Heather Wilson (R) is the early front-runner for primary campaign of the cycle. Both candidates have real electoral bases, both will raise plenty of money and neither is afraid of throwing a punch. Watch for this race to heat up considerably between now and the June 3 primary. While The Fix is fascinated with the prospects for the primary, the contest is less appetizing for Republican strategists. That's because Rep. Tom Udall (D) has cleared out his side of the race and starts the general election against either Wilson or Pearce with a clear advantage. (Previous ranking: 2)
1. Virginia: Mike Henry, former deputy campaign manager for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, just inked a deal to manage former governor Mark Warner's 2012/2016 bid for president. What's that? Oops. Henry is managing Warner's sure-thing bid for the Senate seat being vacated by John Warner (R) this fall. Riiiiiight. (Previous ranking: 1)
Chris covers the top ten most competitive, here's the top three...
S(enator)Squirrel
Must Be Sadie Hawkins Day...
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday threatened to take the Bush administration to court if it fails to prosecute contempt citations against two White House aides.
The House has held White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers in contempt for their failure to appear and produce documents in the congressional investigation into the firing of several U.S. attorneys.
Administration officials have indicated that they will not allow U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeffrey Taylor to prosecute the contempt citations, but Pelosi said they have no legal right to block such a prosecution.
“There is no authority that permits a President to advise anyone to ignore a duly issued congressional subpoena for documents,” Pelosi said. She added that a formal assertion of executive privilege cannot be made in this case.
Pelosi formally referred the House contempt citation to Taylor Thursday, saying Taylor is legally obligated to bring the case before a grand jury.
In a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey also sent Thursday, Pelosi asked for a formal decision within one week. After that, she said the House intends to file a civil lawsuit.
Oh baby...I love it when you get demanding...Nancy gives 'em a week...Nancy "The Hammer" Pelosi?
I'm in Luv!
~S(adie)Squirrel
The House has held White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers in contempt for their failure to appear and produce documents in the congressional investigation into the firing of several U.S. attorneys.
Administration officials have indicated that they will not allow U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeffrey Taylor to prosecute the contempt citations, but Pelosi said they have no legal right to block such a prosecution.
“There is no authority that permits a President to advise anyone to ignore a duly issued congressional subpoena for documents,” Pelosi said. She added that a formal assertion of executive privilege cannot be made in this case.
Pelosi formally referred the House contempt citation to Taylor Thursday, saying Taylor is legally obligated to bring the case before a grand jury.
In a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey also sent Thursday, Pelosi asked for a formal decision within one week. After that, she said the House intends to file a civil lawsuit.
Oh baby...I love it when you get demanding...Nancy gives 'em a week...Nancy "The Hammer" Pelosi?
I'm in Luv!
~S(adie)Squirrel
Dumb criminal files...
Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz, was indicted last week on 35 federal counts of extortion, money laundering, wire fraud, insurance fraud, and conspiracy (see excerpts below and on the following five pages). According to the charges, Renzi "needed a substantial infusion of funds to … maintain his personal lifestyle" (Page 6) and saw an opportunity to do so by expediting payment of an old debt owed him by a former partner in the real estate business.
Land owned by the U.S. government is not generally for sale. But a privately owned piece of property "attractive to the federal government" (Page 4) can sometimes be swapped for a tract of federal land, provided Congress signs off on the deal. In 2005, a mining company wanting to extract copper from federal land in Arizona came to Renzi, who held a slot on the House natural resources committee. According to prosecutors, Renzi steered the mining firm (called "Company A" in the charging document but identified elsewhere as Resolution Copper) to property it could offer the government in trade. The land, 480 acres along the San Pedro River, was owned by his ex-partner James Sandlin, who in turn owed Renzi more than $700,000. Although Resolution Copper backed out of the deal, Renzi quickly found another buyer, Preserve Petrified Forest Land Investors (referred to as "Investment Group B" in the indictment; see Page 4), which was also seeking a federal-land swap. Preserve Petrified Forest bought Sandlin's land, and Renzi collected on his debt. But Renzi then declined to sponsor land-exchange legislation for Preserve Petrified Forest, allegedly because the deal was drawing unwanted scrutiny. Eventually, Renzi sponsored a land swap for Resolution Copper instead, claiming (through his lawyer) that he'd only been "trying to do the best possible thing for all the various possible constituencies." Feeling "somewhat victimized," Preserve Petrified Forest, unsurprisingly, took its story to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"somewhat victimized"...Teh Hee...Ya think?...
~S(heriff)Squirrel
Land owned by the U.S. government is not generally for sale. But a privately owned piece of property "attractive to the federal government" (Page 4) can sometimes be swapped for a tract of federal land, provided Congress signs off on the deal. In 2005, a mining company wanting to extract copper from federal land in Arizona came to Renzi, who held a slot on the House natural resources committee. According to prosecutors, Renzi steered the mining firm (called "Company A" in the charging document but identified elsewhere as Resolution Copper) to property it could offer the government in trade. The land, 480 acres along the San Pedro River, was owned by his ex-partner James Sandlin, who in turn owed Renzi more than $700,000. Although Resolution Copper backed out of the deal, Renzi quickly found another buyer, Preserve Petrified Forest Land Investors (referred to as "Investment Group B" in the indictment; see Page 4), which was also seeking a federal-land swap. Preserve Petrified Forest bought Sandlin's land, and Renzi collected on his debt. But Renzi then declined to sponsor land-exchange legislation for Preserve Petrified Forest, allegedly because the deal was drawing unwanted scrutiny. Eventually, Renzi sponsored a land swap for Resolution Copper instead, claiming (through his lawyer) that he'd only been "trying to do the best possible thing for all the various possible constituencies." Feeling "somewhat victimized," Preserve Petrified Forest, unsurprisingly, took its story to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"somewhat victimized"...Teh Hee...Ya think?...
~S(heriff)Squirrel
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Land of the Free
More than one in 100 adults Americans is in jail or prison, an all-time high that is costing state governments nearly $50 billion a year, in addition to more than $5 billion spent by the federal government, according to a report released today.
With more than 2.3 million people behind bars at the start of 2008, the United States leads the world in both the number and the percentage of residents it incarcerates, leaving even far more populous China a distant second, noted the report by the nonpartisan Pew Center on the States.
The ballooning prison population is largely the result of tougher state and federal sentencing imposed since the mid-1980s. Minorities have been hit particularly hard: One in nine black men age 20 to 34 is behind bars. For black women age 35 to 39, the figure is one in 100, compared with one in 355 white women in the same age group.
In addition, when it comes to preventing repeat offenses by nonviolent criminals -- who make up about half of the incarcerated population -- alternative punishments such as community supervision and mandatory drug counseling that are far less expensive may prove just as or more effective than jail time.
Pfft! Repukes are assholes, Dims are cowards...
~SSquirrel
With more than 2.3 million people behind bars at the start of 2008, the United States leads the world in both the number and the percentage of residents it incarcerates, leaving even far more populous China a distant second, noted the report by the nonpartisan Pew Center on the States.
The ballooning prison population is largely the result of tougher state and federal sentencing imposed since the mid-1980s. Minorities have been hit particularly hard: One in nine black men age 20 to 34 is behind bars. For black women age 35 to 39, the figure is one in 100, compared with one in 355 white women in the same age group.
In addition, when it comes to preventing repeat offenses by nonviolent criminals -- who make up about half of the incarcerated population -- alternative punishments such as community supervision and mandatory drug counseling that are far less expensive may prove just as or more effective than jail time.
Pfft! Repukes are assholes, Dims are cowards...
~SSquirrel
Bloody Scarves?
ABOARD A US AIR FORCE JET (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that Turkish officials had got the message to wrap up their incursion in northern Iraq quickly, even though they refused to give a pullout timetable.
"In the sessions that we had, there was no specific mention of a date. I think they got our message through," Gates told reporters on a flight back to Washington after talks in Ankara.
Asked what made him think that, he said with a laugh: "Because they heard it four times."
"In the sessions that we had, there was no specific mention of a date. I think they got our message through," Gates told reporters on a flight back to Washington after talks in Ankara.
Asked what made him think that, he said with a laugh: "Because they heard it four times."
____
Turkish officials expect the United States to request return favors when Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visits here Thursday. Many Turks believe the Bush administration will ask for more troops in Afghanistan, where European members of the NATO alliance have been increasingly reluctant to commit forces.
The intelligence collaboration has also boosted normally dismal Turkish support for the United States.
Still, the U.S. actions have put Washington in the position of backing one of its allies, Turkey, against another, the Kurds. U.S. support has helped Iraqi Kurds establish a semiautonomous homeland in Iraq's north. Turkish leaders have assured Iraqi Kurdish leaders that this month's operation was aimed only at PKK targets, not at destabilizing Kurdish northern Iraq.
"I don't understand why the United States would make an enemy of its only friend in the Middle East," said Nazmi Gur, a Kurdish analyst and a former vice president of the Kurdish political party in Turkey.
Many people in Turkey suspect the invasion was used to deflect attention from the end of a ban on religous scarves at universities. The military regards itself as a protector of secular policies, while the President, who removed the ban on religous scarves is obviously not. Trading war for scarves? That's fucked up...
~SSquirrel
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Iraq'd
A recently divorced airman who served with distinction in Iraq chased his ex-wife out of military housing with a pistol before killing his two young children and himself.
-Diane
-Diane
A Truly Rare Bird...
Jess Bravin writes in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required): "A principal architect of the Bush administration's detainee policies is stepping down, just as military officials gear up for the Guantanamo Bay trial of alleged planners of the Sept. 11, 2001, conspiracy.
"Since becoming Defense Department general counsel in 2001, William J. Haynes pushed the Pentagon toward a near-revolution in military law, away from traditional procedures for enemy prisoners and through a series of experiments in detention, interrogation and prosecution of suspected terrorists outside the Geneva Conventions or domestic law.
Highlights of a truly fascist asshole:
"Since becoming Defense Department general counsel in 2001, William J. Haynes pushed the Pentagon toward a near-revolution in military law, away from traditional procedures for enemy prisoners and through a series of experiments in detention, interrogation and prosecution of suspected terrorists outside the Geneva Conventions or domestic law.
Highlights of a truly fascist asshole:
"In 2004, key Republicans, including Arizona Sen. John McCain, now his party's likely presidential nominee, joined with Democrats to derail Mr. Haynes's nomination to a federal appeals court, in large part over dissatisfaction with his role in detainee policies. . . .
----
"When asked if he thought the men at Guantanamo could receive a fair trial, Davis provided the following account of an August 2005 meeting he had with Pentagon general counsel William Haynes -- the man who now oversees the tribunal process for the Defense Department. '[Haynes] said these trials will be the Nuremberg of our time,' recalled Davis
"'I said to him that if we come up short and there are some acquittals in our cases, it will at least validate the process,' Air Force Col. Morris D. Davis continued. 'At which point, [Haynes's] eyes got wide and he said, "Wait a minute, we can't have acquittals. If we've been holding these guys for so long, how can we explain letting them get off? We can't have acquittals, we've got to have convictions."'"
----
Blogger Hilzoy writes that "Haynes led the working group that wrote one of the most appalling torture memos. This memo argues that the President 'enjoys complete discretion in the exercise of his Commander-in-Chief authority', and that 'In light of the President's complete authority over the conduct of war, without a clear statement otherwise, criminal statutes are not read as infringing on the President's ultimate authority in these areas.' Also: 'Any attempt by Congress to regulate the interrogation of unlawful combatants would violate the Constitution's sole vesting of the Commander-in-Chief authority in the President.'
Hilzoy also brings up Haynes' brief in Center for Biological Diversity v. Pirie.
"Haynes argued that bombing a nesting site for migratory birds would benefit birdwatchers, since 'bird watchers get more enjoyment spotting a rare bird than they do spotting a common one.' Moreover, he added, the birds would benefit as well, since using their nests as a bombing range would minimize 'human intrusion'. The judge's comment on this novel line of argument: 'there is absolutely no support in the law for the view that environmentalists should get enjoyment out of the destruction of natural resources because that destruction makes the remaining resources more scarce and therefore more valuable. The Court hopes that the federal government will refrain from making or adopting such frivolous arguments in the future.'"
"'I said to him that if we come up short and there are some acquittals in our cases, it will at least validate the process,' Air Force Col. Morris D. Davis continued. 'At which point, [Haynes's] eyes got wide and he said, "Wait a minute, we can't have acquittals. If we've been holding these guys for so long, how can we explain letting them get off? We can't have acquittals, we've got to have convictions."'"
----
Blogger Hilzoy writes that "Haynes led the working group that wrote one of the most appalling torture memos. This memo argues that the President 'enjoys complete discretion in the exercise of his Commander-in-Chief authority', and that 'In light of the President's complete authority over the conduct of war, without a clear statement otherwise, criminal statutes are not read as infringing on the President's ultimate authority in these areas.' Also: 'Any attempt by Congress to regulate the interrogation of unlawful combatants would violate the Constitution's sole vesting of the Commander-in-Chief authority in the President.'
Hilzoy also brings up Haynes' brief in Center for Biological Diversity v. Pirie.
"Haynes argued that bombing a nesting site for migratory birds would benefit birdwatchers, since 'bird watchers get more enjoyment spotting a rare bird than they do spotting a common one.' Moreover, he added, the birds would benefit as well, since using their nests as a bombing range would minimize 'human intrusion'. The judge's comment on this novel line of argument: 'there is absolutely no support in the law for the view that environmentalists should get enjoyment out of the destruction of natural resources because that destruction makes the remaining resources more scarce and therefore more valuable. The Court hopes that the federal government will refrain from making or adopting such frivolous arguments in the future.'"
Jeezus, where do these people come from? I have met some truly complete and total assholes in my time, but damn, these people just are on a totally different level. Do their mothers read the newspapers and proudly beam "that's my boy!". They let these people wander around in public? Near children? OMG!
~SSquirrel
Poor, Poor, Pitiful, Me...
Zachary Coile writes in the San Francisco Chronicle: "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told Bush administration officials Monday that he is tired of the Pentagon treating the California National Guard like a stepchild by using its equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan without returning or replacing it."
~SS
~SS
"The Finger...Yes, I know the finger Goose..."
"Many of us have grown used to the White House attacking any congressional or independent study that conflicts with President Bush's policies. This is the first time I can remember the White House using those same tactics on itself. It is remarkable.
"But that's not all. The White House is also refusing to cooperate with the National Archives. For almost a year the nonpartisan National Archives has been urging the Bush White House to assess the problem of missing e-mails and to take "whatever action may be necessary to restore any missing emails. . . .
"The Archives also asked the White House to start recovering official e-mails that the Republican National Committee deleted pursuant to its policy of regularly purging e-mails from its servers. These repeated requests have also been rebuffed. In fact, the RNC has informed our Committee that it has no intention of trying to restore the missing White House e-mails from backup tapes containing past RNC e-mail records."
Why the National Archives and Congress didn't subpeona these e-mails a year ago totally baffles me...it's like they're deliberatly walking in sand...
~S(anndcastle)Squirrel
"But that's not all. The White House is also refusing to cooperate with the National Archives. For almost a year the nonpartisan National Archives has been urging the Bush White House to assess the problem of missing e-mails and to take "whatever action may be necessary to restore any missing emails. . . .
"The Archives also asked the White House to start recovering official e-mails that the Republican National Committee deleted pursuant to its policy of regularly purging e-mails from its servers. These repeated requests have also been rebuffed. In fact, the RNC has informed our Committee that it has no intention of trying to restore the missing White House e-mails from backup tapes containing past RNC e-mail records."
Why the National Archives and Congress didn't subpeona these e-mails a year ago totally baffles me...it's like they're deliberatly walking in sand...
~S(anndcastle)Squirrel
Progressiness Marches On...Thin Ice...
BAGHDAD - Iraq's presidential council rejected a measure Wednesday setting up provincial elections, sending it back to parliament in the latest setback to U.S.-backed national reconciliation efforts.
The White House said it does not believe the setback for the provincial election law has dealt a fatal blow to the measure. White House press secretary Dana Perino said the Bush administration would have liked the law to move forward without complications, but added: "This is democracy at work."
Abdul-Mahdi is a senior official in the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, the country's largest Shiite party. He objected to the measure and was supported by the Kurds, according to lawmakers who attended the council meeting where the elections law was discussed. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The sticking point was control of the provincial governor's offices. A provision in the measure allows the Iraqi prime minister to fire a provincial governor, but Abdul-Mahdi's bloc wants that power to rest with the provincial councils, or legislatures, where his party has a strong base of support around the country, the lawmakers said.
I've noticed that the worshippers of the "Glory of Bush" use the word "believe" quite often. They don't do things, they don't know things, they don't confirm or deny things. They "believe" things...
~S(ister Mary Katherine)Squirrel
The White House said it does not believe the setback for the provincial election law has dealt a fatal blow to the measure. White House press secretary Dana Perino said the Bush administration would have liked the law to move forward without complications, but added: "This is democracy at work."
Abdul-Mahdi is a senior official in the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, the country's largest Shiite party. He objected to the measure and was supported by the Kurds, according to lawmakers who attended the council meeting where the elections law was discussed. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The sticking point was control of the provincial governor's offices. A provision in the measure allows the Iraqi prime minister to fire a provincial governor, but Abdul-Mahdi's bloc wants that power to rest with the provincial councils, or legislatures, where his party has a strong base of support around the country, the lawmakers said.
I've noticed that the worshippers of the "Glory of Bush" use the word "believe" quite often. They don't do things, they don't know things, they don't confirm or deny things. They "believe" things...
~S(ister Mary Katherine)Squirrel
The "Other" Iraq War...
CUKURCA, Turkey - Turkish troops have killed 77 Kurdish rebels in night-long clashes in northern Iraq, the military said Wednesday. Five soldiers were also killed.
Meanwhile, more than 40 military trucks ferried troops toward the Iraqi border Wednesday, a day after heavy snow slowed down Turkey's ground incursion against Kurdish rebels.
F-16 warplanes and helicopters were seen flying over the border town of Cukurca toward Iraq.
The death toll for the rebels reached to 230, the military said. The death toll for soldiers stood at 24. The military said three pro-government village guards were also killed during the operation that began last week.
Iraq has demanded an immediate end to the operation. Turkey, however, says it will continue the incursion until it achieves its military goals.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, before his arrival in Turkey later Wednesday, said in India that he will tell Turkish leaders they need to wrap up their military operations in northern Iraq quickly, and that the ongoing assault must not last longer than a week or two.
Gee, our dead guys get much nicer caskets than their dead guys...
~SS
Countdown
Olbermann's Worst Person in the World from 2-26-08. Here's a hint for #1...doughy pantload.
-Diane
MSNBC Democratic Ohio Debate : Clinton-Obama
Part One.
Part Two.
Part Three.
Part Four.
Part Five.
Part Six.
Part Seven.
Part Eight.
Part Nine.
Part Ten.
February 26, 2008
-Diane
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Obama at the University of Toledo
This was on Sunday, 2-24-08 as Obama discusses NAFTA. I wanted to be there, but as UT was overflowing with 10,000 people, I wasn't able to get it. According to the Toledo Blade, another 5,000 were turned away. I saw people in tears leaving, they wanted so much to stay and be part of the event.
Senator Obama visited several key businesses in the Toledo area, the Blade, as well as manufacturing areas. This is another area very deeply hit with job loss, foreclosures, and recession, and of the people I've had contact with they felt truly touched by the time he spent in the city...and I dare say people are starting to have hope.
How dare they.
-Diane
Darth Cheney: Surge good, torture good, Halliburton profits excellent.
FORT HOOD, Texas — Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday thanked thousands of soldiers who recently returned from Iraq, saying "we must press on" so progress in the war on terror won't be lost.
About 19,000 1st Cavalry Division soldiers were deployed to Iraq about 15 months ago.
Even more troops — none from Fort Hood — were sent in early 2007 as part of President Bush's troop surge, and about half of those were under the 1st Cavalry's command in Baghdad.
"It was time for a new strategy, backed up by a surge of forces ... and you did in fact turn things around," Cheney told the crowd of about 9,000 soldiers. Many stood; others sat on bleachers in front of enormous American flags draping walls covered with camouflage netting.
Cheney said the surge helped stem violence, resulting in fewer U.S. troop and Iraqi civilian casualties. He also said it paved the way for political progress, which "would not have been possible in the violent atmosphere 15 months ago."
"All of you have been part of an effort that will go down in military history. Because of you, the people of Iraq will see a better day ahead," Cheney said. "There is, of course, more to be done. Progress is undeniable, but it is reversible. We must press on."
...
Cheney said the U.S. has avoided another terrorist attack not because of luck but hard work and improved security.
"Yes, we have interrogated high-value detainees and gotten information that has saved American lives," Cheney said. "It's good that we captured them, and it's good that we found out what they knew."
There was no comment in the report as to whether there is any truth to the rumor that the Jack-in-the-Box clown has been extraordinarily renditioned to an undisclosed location that has previously been denied existed for enhanced interrogation methods.
It is also unclear what secrets the clown may -- or may not -- possess.
-Diane
CBC...Princess Memorial Edition...
Blackwater has quite reasonable rates, just don't ask for the "guv'mint" discount, sheee-it...
S(moke em if ya got em)Squirrel ;)
"Gasoline Soaked Quagmire" Prophecies...
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government demanded for the first time that Turkey immediately withdraw from northern Iraq, warning Tuesday it feared an ongoing incursion could lead to clashes with the official forces of the semiautonomous Kurdish region.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the operation would only end "once its goal has been reached."
Turkish troops have seized seven rebel camps and have pushed more than 12 miles into Iraq, a Turkish government official and military official who are familiar with the incursion plans told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Earlier Turkish media reports had put Turkish troops nine miles inside northern Iraq.
Turkish media reports have said that thousands of troops are inside Iraq.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the first confirmed Turkish military ground operation in Iraq in about a decade was a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.
"The Iraqi Cabinet has denounced the Turkish army's incursion," al-Dabbagh said after the government met to discuss the issue. "The Cabinet calls on Turkey to withdraw its troops immediately and stop the military intervention."
Al-Dabbagh warned that tensions could escalate if the Kurdish military forces known as peshmerga were drawn into the fight.
This is how "unintended consequencs" gets lots of innocent people killed, eleven months...too fucking long...
"Gasoline Soaked Quagmire"...is trademark and copyrighted by me...So there...Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah...
*lol*
Take that Pat Riley, ya big pussy!
~S(three-peat)Squirrel
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the operation would only end "once its goal has been reached."
Turkish troops have seized seven rebel camps and have pushed more than 12 miles into Iraq, a Turkish government official and military official who are familiar with the incursion plans told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Earlier Turkish media reports had put Turkish troops nine miles inside northern Iraq.
Turkish media reports have said that thousands of troops are inside Iraq.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the first confirmed Turkish military ground operation in Iraq in about a decade was a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.
"The Iraqi Cabinet has denounced the Turkish army's incursion," al-Dabbagh said after the government met to discuss the issue. "The Cabinet calls on Turkey to withdraw its troops immediately and stop the military intervention."
Al-Dabbagh warned that tensions could escalate if the Kurdish military forces known as peshmerga were drawn into the fight.
This is how "unintended consequencs" gets lots of innocent people killed, eleven months...too fucking long...
"Gasoline Soaked Quagmire"...is trademark and copyrighted by me...So there...Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah...
*lol*
Take that Pat Riley, ya big pussy!
~S(three-peat)Squirrel
Missing SSquirrel...
Sorry I haven't posted anything today...My dad went into the hospital Sunday night and I was up all night, then my grandmother needed to go to the hospital at quarter to six this morning and in my spare time I'm apparently trying to kill Diane.
Been kinda a busy week, considering it's Tuesday... Shame about Diane too...I was hoping to actually meet the girl someday.
Not sure how I'm trying to kill Diane, unless she's a big Pussycat Dolls fan, or maybe she knows Kathy...Naah! That'd just be too weird. Might have something to do with my theory that politicians, Democrat or Repuke, do not possess qualities such as leadership, bravery, vision or any thing similar. Competence and intelligence is nice, even a vague sense of ethics is bonus points. Honesty and compassion is immediate disqualification if you're running for President though, way too much money involved there.
Should be posting again tommorow(sp? hate that word), somewhere anyway...conveniently Dad's on the fifth floor and Grandma's on the fourth just four miles South of here. The debate should be fun, what with Hillary being pissed and Tweety asking questions (maybe). Just home to feed the cats and birds and monster dog, drink some of my coffee, and brush my teeth...
~SS
Been kinda a busy week, considering it's Tuesday... Shame about Diane too...I was hoping to actually meet the girl someday.
Not sure how I'm trying to kill Diane, unless she's a big Pussycat Dolls fan, or maybe she knows Kathy...Naah! That'd just be too weird. Might have something to do with my theory that politicians, Democrat or Repuke, do not possess qualities such as leadership, bravery, vision or any thing similar. Competence and intelligence is nice, even a vague sense of ethics is bonus points. Honesty and compassion is immediate disqualification if you're running for President though, way too much money involved there.
Should be posting again tommorow(sp? hate that word), somewhere anyway...conveniently Dad's on the fifth floor and Grandma's on the fourth just four miles South of here. The debate should be fun, what with Hillary being pissed and Tweety asking questions (maybe). Just home to feed the cats and birds and monster dog, drink some of my coffee, and brush my teeth...
~SS
Monday, February 25, 2008
No comment.
Barack Obama has accused Hillary Clinton of using "shameful" smear tactics after a picture of him wearing tribal robes and headgear in a Muslim region of Kenya was circulated on the internet.
The photograph of the Illinois senator, which was taken in 2006 during an official trip to Wajir, a majority ethnic Somali area in Kenya, appeared on the front page of the Drudge Report, where rival campaigns typically try to place damaging material.
Mrs Clinton's campaign team declined to deny that it had sent the photo to Drudge, whose report said the campaign was responsible for circulating the email.
-Diane
The photograph of the Illinois senator, which was taken in 2006 during an official trip to Wajir, a majority ethnic Somali area in Kenya, appeared on the front page of the Drudge Report, where rival campaigns typically try to place damaging material.
Mrs Clinton's campaign team declined to deny that it had sent the photo to Drudge, whose report said the campaign was responsible for circulating the email.
-Diane
Fearmongering
HOUSTON -- A billboard went up along the Southwest Freeway depicting the Bayou City as a terrorist target. It is a bright orange fire cloud over Houston.
It's a campaign billboard for Brian Klock, a Republican candidate for U.S. Rep. District 22.
"I don't want people scared. I don't want anyone upset. I want people to be aware," said Klock.
Klock is a latecomer to the political scene.
Spending roughly $10,000 on the billboard, the reserve navy commander said he stands by his platform that Houston is a target for terrorism.
"I used to read the threat. I knew what was going on locally right here in Houston. I believe it is a real threat," he said.
The billboard depicts Houston's economic heart under attack -- the ship channel, refineries and the skyline all seen through the scope of a gun.
"It's a depiction of a worse case scenario I want people to know it's out there," Klock said.
Don't be afraid of the bright orange fireball over Houston, and don't be afraid of the little republican standing behind the photo of the fireball on that billboard. It's just all he's got to offer. Fear, that is.
-Diane
It's a campaign billboard for Brian Klock, a Republican candidate for U.S. Rep. District 22.
"I don't want people scared. I don't want anyone upset. I want people to be aware," said Klock.
Klock is a latecomer to the political scene.
Spending roughly $10,000 on the billboard, the reserve navy commander said he stands by his platform that Houston is a target for terrorism.
"I used to read the threat. I knew what was going on locally right here in Houston. I believe it is a real threat," he said.
The billboard depicts Houston's economic heart under attack -- the ship channel, refineries and the skyline all seen through the scope of a gun.
"It's a depiction of a worse case scenario I want people to know it's out there," Klock said.
Don't be afraid of the bright orange fireball over Houston, and don't be afraid of the little republican standing behind the photo of the fireball on that billboard. It's just all he's got to offer. Fear, that is.
-Diane
Priorities
The latest from VoteVets:
Senator McCain has to give America straight talk. What won't we be able to do, both at home and in the war against al Qaeda, because we're stuck in endless war in Iraq.
-Diane
Premature vote tabulation
Embarrassed Diebold officials apologized after one of their electronic voting machines prematurely revealed the winner of our upcoming sham election.
-Diane
QOTD
"It's hard to believe, I know, but there is now an entire generation of 20- and 30-something Americans who don't know that Ralph Nader wasn't always a total asshole."
-- Marty Kaplan
~SS
-- Marty Kaplan
~SS
Kinsley Makes me Laff Again...
Michael Kinsley
For example, as the Times reports (a bit late), on Friday, Dec. 10, 1999, McCain wrote a letter to the chairman of the FCC demanding action on two Pittsburgh television licenses of interest to his friend and contributor, Bud Paxson. Paxson was also a client of the lobbyist with whom McCain may have created the possibility of an appearance of having an affair that he wasn't having. In this letter, McCain demanded -- a bit imperiously for a man who wasn't having an affair with a lobbyist -- that "each member of the commission" write to him "no later than the close of business on Tuesday, December 14, 1999, whether you have already acted upon these applications¿" and if not, "whether you will, or will not, be prepared to act" by Dec. 15. And he wanted these answers in writing. He would accept no oral communications.
But McCain added: "I emphasize that my purpose is not to suggest in any way how you should vote -- merely that you vote." And no one can doubt that the members of the commission, as they wrote on the chalk board 500 times, "I will vote before next Tuesday on two TV license applications from Paxson Communications, I will vote before next Tuesday on two TV license applications from Paxson Communications¿," had absolutely no idea how McCain (who was chairman of the Commerce Committee) might want them to vote on these applications. Indeed it is clear from this letter that McCain himself had absolutely no opinion on how the commission should vote on this issue of concern to his friend, and to the woman with whom he was creating the appearance of having an affair. McCain clearly wasn't attempting to influence the commission's vote one way or another.
Hang on dude...We need you...
~SSquirrel
For example, as the Times reports (a bit late), on Friday, Dec. 10, 1999, McCain wrote a letter to the chairman of the FCC demanding action on two Pittsburgh television licenses of interest to his friend and contributor, Bud Paxson. Paxson was also a client of the lobbyist with whom McCain may have created the possibility of an appearance of having an affair that he wasn't having. In this letter, McCain demanded -- a bit imperiously for a man who wasn't having an affair with a lobbyist -- that "each member of the commission" write to him "no later than the close of business on Tuesday, December 14, 1999, whether you have already acted upon these applications¿" and if not, "whether you will, or will not, be prepared to act" by Dec. 15. And he wanted these answers in writing. He would accept no oral communications.
But McCain added: "I emphasize that my purpose is not to suggest in any way how you should vote -- merely that you vote." And no one can doubt that the members of the commission, as they wrote on the chalk board 500 times, "I will vote before next Tuesday on two TV license applications from Paxson Communications, I will vote before next Tuesday on two TV license applications from Paxson Communications¿," had absolutely no idea how McCain (who was chairman of the Commerce Committee) might want them to vote on these applications. Indeed it is clear from this letter that McCain himself had absolutely no opinion on how the commission should vote on this issue of concern to his friend, and to the woman with whom he was creating the appearance of having an affair. McCain clearly wasn't attempting to influence the commission's vote one way or another.
Hang on dude...We need you...
~SSquirrel
More Bush Progress
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A suicide bomber hit a car carrying the army's surgeon general along a busy road south of the capital Islamabad Monday, killing him and at least seven others, the army said.
In the north, gunmen opened fire and threw grenades inside the office of the British-based aid group, killing four local staff, the group and police said.
Lt. Gen. Mushtaq Ahmed Baig appeared to be the highest-ranking military official to have died in an attack since President Pervez Musharraf sided with the U.S. after September 11.
Suicide bombers have struck repeatedly over recent months in Rawalpindi, a city just south of the capital where the military has its headquarters. Most of the bombings have targeted security forces but a gun and suicide bomb attack killed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in the city on Dec. 27.
The latest attack is likely to revive concern about Islamic militancy in Pakistan just days after the opposition won parliamentary elections.
If the world can just hold it together for 11 more months...
~SS
In the north, gunmen opened fire and threw grenades inside the office of the British-based aid group, killing four local staff, the group and police said.
Lt. Gen. Mushtaq Ahmed Baig appeared to be the highest-ranking military official to have died in an attack since President Pervez Musharraf sided with the U.S. after September 11.
Suicide bombers have struck repeatedly over recent months in Rawalpindi, a city just south of the capital where the military has its headquarters. Most of the bombings have targeted security forces but a gun and suicide bomb attack killed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in the city on Dec. 27.
The latest attack is likely to revive concern about Islamic militancy in Pakistan just days after the opposition won parliamentary elections.
If the world can just hold it together for 11 more months...
~SS
SNL OPEN...9 minutes...
A cold open, but they pull it off..."Nut'n but net" is gonna be Campbell"nut'n but net"Brown's new nick...Teh Hee...
~SS
SNL...
Goddamn power outages, Haloscan needs autosave...
Hee, hee, heee
~SS
PS The management thinks I'm a clueless pinhead and in no way endorses anything I might say. I'm inclined to agree with her... *lol*
Sunday, February 24, 2008
There Will Be Blood...
Iraqi soldier watches over Shiite pilgrims as they leave Baghdad on their way to Karbala, Iraq, Sunday Feb. 24, 2008, for Arbaeen, which marks the 40th day following the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, one Shi
(AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed )
BAGHDAD, Feb. 24 -- A suicide bomber killed at least 40 people Sunday in southern Iraq when he attacked a crowd of pilgrims marching to commemorate one of Shiite Islam's holiest days, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.
The suicide attack occurred near the town of Iskandariyah at a tent set aside for pilgrims belonging to the movement of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, police said. The Sadrists were among hundreds of thousands of pilgrims marching to the holy city of Karbala for the holiday of Arbaeen on Thursday, the end of a 40-day commemorative period of mourning for Imam Hussein, the prophet Muhammad's grandson who died in battle in 680.
Iraqi police said the attack was carried out by the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq as part of a campaign meant to provoke the Sadrist movement into ending a cease-fire credited with reducing violence in Iraq, police spokesman Capt. Muthanna Ahmed said.
Pilgrims were eating lunch when a man detonated an explosive vest filled with ball bearings. Ahmed said the blast killed 45 people and wounded 68. U.S. officials put the death toll at 40.
Suicide attacks and car bombings are frequently blamed on al-Qaida in Iraq, but James said it was too early to say who was behind Sunday's bombing, pending the investigation.
Separately, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki flew to London for his second round of medical tests in nearly two months.
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said al-Maliki, on his last visit over New Year's, underwent a cardiac catheterization, a routine procedure in which a thin tube is inserted into an artery or a vein to check for heart problems.
"This trip is only for a checkup," al-Dabbagh said. "There is nothing wrong with him. He was asked by the doctor to come back within six weeks, and that is why he is going."
~SS
More friends of Bush
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's government has banned access to the video-sharing Web site YouTube because of anti-Islamic movies that users have posted on the site, an official said Sunday.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told the country's 70 Internet service providers Friday that the popular Web site would be blocked until further notice.
The authority did not specify what the offensive material was, but a PTA official said the ban concerned a movie trailer for an upcoming film by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, who has said he plans to release an anti-Quran movie portraying the religion as fascist and prone to inciting violence against women and homosexuals.
Have you ever seen Bushit spread across the globe at such an alarming rate?
-Diane
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told the country's 70 Internet service providers Friday that the popular Web site would be blocked until further notice.
The authority did not specify what the offensive material was, but a PTA official said the ban concerned a movie trailer for an upcoming film by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, who has said he plans to release an anti-Quran movie portraying the religion as fascist and prone to inciting violence against women and homosexuals.
Have you ever seen Bushit spread across the globe at such an alarming rate?
-Diane
Bush fearmongering proven to be lies
Imagine that. Bush is able to continue to gather information on terrorist activity simply by going through the FISA court, 'course that would be legal. From ABC News last night.
-Diane
Teh surge is awesome
KERBALA, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide bomber targeting pilgrims heading to one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest festivals killed 40 people, including women and children, south of Baghdad on Sunday, police said.
Police and the U.S. military said the bomber struck in the town of Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, hours after militants killed three pilgrims and wounded 36 others in an attack in southern Baghdad, police said.
Yeah, boy, we sure wouldn't want to pull out of there now that things are going so well and leave the Iraqis vulnerable to attacks.
-Diane
Police and the U.S. military said the bomber struck in the town of Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, hours after militants killed three pilgrims and wounded 36 others in an attack in southern Baghdad, police said.
Yeah, boy, we sure wouldn't want to pull out of there now that things are going so well and leave the Iraqis vulnerable to attacks.
-Diane
Saturday, February 23, 2008
What's that tapping noise?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration said on Saturday U.S. telecommunications companies have agreed to cooperate "for the time being" with spy agencies' wiretaps, despite an ongoing battle between the White House and Congress over new terrorism surveillance legislation.
The Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a joint statement saying wiretaps will resume under the current law "at least for now."
They paid the phone bill?
-Diane
Kibongo, a baby crowned lemur (Propithecus verreauxi coronatus), makes its first official appearance at a zoo in Vincennes, near Paris, February 21, 2008. Kibongo, which was born December 24, 2007, belongs to the Indridae family and is considered vulnerable to extinction by conservationists. REUTERS
-Diane
*Healthcare* providers take note.
LOS ANGELES - A woman who had her medical coverage canceled as she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer has been awarded more than $9 million in a case against one of California's largest health insurers.
Patsy Bates, 52, a hairdresser from Lakewood, had been left with more than $129,000 in unpaid medical bills when Health Net Inc. canceled her policy in 2004.
On Friday, arbitration judge Sam Cianchetti ordered Health Net to repay that amount while providing $8.4 million in punitive damages and $750,000 for emotional distress.
"It's hard to imagine a situation more trying than the one Bates has had to endure," Cianchetti wrote in the decision. "The rug was pulled out from underneath, and that occurred at a time when she is diagnosed with breast cancer, one of the leading causes of death for women."
Your patients are not going to quietly slink away into a corner to die when you cut off their insurance so you can boost your quarterly profit margins. They will fight, their friends and family will fight, attorneys will fight, and judges won't tolerate you.
-Diane
Patsy Bates, 52, a hairdresser from Lakewood, had been left with more than $129,000 in unpaid medical bills when Health Net Inc. canceled her policy in 2004.
On Friday, arbitration judge Sam Cianchetti ordered Health Net to repay that amount while providing $8.4 million in punitive damages and $750,000 for emotional distress.
"It's hard to imagine a situation more trying than the one Bates has had to endure," Cianchetti wrote in the decision. "The rug was pulled out from underneath, and that occurred at a time when she is diagnosed with breast cancer, one of the leading causes of death for women."
Your patients are not going to quietly slink away into a corner to die when you cut off their insurance so you can boost your quarterly profit margins. They will fight, their friends and family will fight, attorneys will fight, and judges won't tolerate you.
-Diane
Shrub Allies
Prosecutors in Saudi Arabia have begun investigating 57 young men who were arrested on Thursday for flirting with girls at shopping centres in Mecca.
The men are accused of wearing indecent clothes, playing loud music and dancing in order to attract the attention of girls, the Saudi Gazette reported.
They were arrested following a request of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
I doubt we'll hear any statement of admonishment from the Condi puppet anytime soon.
-Diane
The men are accused of wearing indecent clothes, playing loud music and dancing in order to attract the attention of girls, the Saudi Gazette reported.
They were arrested following a request of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
I doubt we'll hear any statement of admonishment from the Condi puppet anytime soon.
-Diane
Forever Iraq
The former Marine who vanished over two weeks ago during a flashback to his service in Iraq may have called an old friend a second time.
Eric Hall, 24, who left his aunt's house in Deep Creek on Feb. 3 and has not been seen since, is believed to have called a childhood friend and former girlfriend in his native Indiana after 6 p.m. Thursday. It is the second call he is believed to have made to the friend, although he did not identify himself either time.
"He is reaching out, and it just renews my efforts," said Becky Hall, Eric's mother, who came to Florida from Indiana shortly after his disappearance.
In the first phone call, which was placed Wednesday morning, the caller seemed disoriented and would not reveal his location, relatives said. The caller's number was listed as private. During the second call, also from a private number, the caller said things that made it seem as though he was still trapped in the flashback that spurred his disappearance weeks earlier.
"Basically what he said was, 'Jessica, Jessica, now they're after you, you have to duck, you have to hide," Becky said. Eric's father, Kevin Hall, said he also asked about a dog the family had owned, although that dog died 10 years ago.
Ths administration has put so many people through hell, and for what?
-Diane
Eric Hall, 24, who left his aunt's house in Deep Creek on Feb. 3 and has not been seen since, is believed to have called a childhood friend and former girlfriend in his native Indiana after 6 p.m. Thursday. It is the second call he is believed to have made to the friend, although he did not identify himself either time.
"He is reaching out, and it just renews my efforts," said Becky Hall, Eric's mother, who came to Florida from Indiana shortly after his disappearance.
In the first phone call, which was placed Wednesday morning, the caller seemed disoriented and would not reveal his location, relatives said. The caller's number was listed as private. During the second call, also from a private number, the caller said things that made it seem as though he was still trapped in the flashback that spurred his disappearance weeks earlier.
"Basically what he said was, 'Jessica, Jessica, now they're after you, you have to duck, you have to hide," Becky said. Eric's father, Kevin Hall, said he also asked about a dog the family had owned, although that dog died 10 years ago.
Ths administration has put so many people through hell, and for what?
-Diane
Labels: Veterans
We *need* to be there for security's sake...
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Rockets or mortars hit the U.S.-protected Green Zone early Saturday, the day after powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his Mehdi Army militia to extend its cease-fire by another six months.
Starting about 6:15 a.m., about 10 blasts could be heard in the sprawling area along the Tigris River that houses the U.S. and British embassies, the Iraqi government headquarters and thousands of American troops.
It was not immediately clear whether there were casualties.
Maj. Brad Leighton, a U.S. military spokesman, confirmed the Green Zone was hit by indirect fire -- the military's term for a rocket or mortar attack -- but could not immediately provide more details.
It was the fourth time this week that U.S. outposts in Baghdad appeared to be the targets of rocket or mortar attacks, killing at least six people and wounding both Iraqis and Americans, including at least two U.S. troops.
The flurry of attacks has followed a substantial lull in such assaults as security has increased and violence around the capital has dropped over the last half-year.
Earlier in the week, the U.S. military blamed Iranian-backed Shiite militias that have broken away from al-Sadr's block for the rocket attacks. Tehran denies that it sponsors extremists in Iraq.
As the U.S. praised al-Sadr for extending his cease-fire it also pledged to pursue the breakaway militias, which it calls "special groups."
"Those who dishonor the Sadr pledge are regrettably tarnishing both the name and the honor of the movement," it said.
Separately, the head of the Iraqi Journalists Union was shot Saturday.
Union chief Shihab al-Tamimi was attacked, police and union officials said, as he was being driven to an art gallery in Waziriya, near central Baghdad. He had just left the nearby headquarters of the union.
AP Television News footage showed him with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the chest and bandaged shoulders and arms. Al-Tamimi, who is in his mid-70s, was elected president of the union in 2004.
-Diane
Labels: Iraq
Fun With Captions...
George W. Bush and Vicki "Sticky" Iseman photographed at a fundraiser after "stumbling out of the coatroom" looking "kinda drunk" and "rather sweaty"
~S(nickering)Squirrel
OT Fun With Gravatar..."Diane Naked"
I'm kinda bored so, for fun I did a Google photo search for "Diane Naked" and this is the first thing that came up. I thought, "Say, that'd make a fine Gravatar, perfect square, only nine k...why not? Not sure who Diane Kruger is...looks like the SI swimsuit idiocy is involved somehow...and Gravatars are like, sooo Hillary now...
Now if everybody used this pic this week, that would be kinda funny...
~SS
"Show Me The Money!!!"
"Yes We Can!!!"
~Barak Obama
McCain's attempts to build up his campaign coffers before a general election contest appeared to be threatened by the stern warning yesterday from Federal Election Commission Chairman David M. Mason, a Republican. Mason notified McCain that the commission had not granted his Feb. 6 request to withdraw from the presidential public financing system.
The implications of that could be dramatic. Last year, when McCain's campaign was starved for cash, he applied to join the financing system to gain access to millions of dollars in federal matching money. He was also permitted to use his FEC certification to bypass the time-consuming process of gathering signatures to get his name on the ballot in several states, including Ohio.
The six-member commission lacks a quorum, with four vacancies because of a Senate deadlock over President Bush's nominees for the seats. Mason said the FEC would need to vote on McCain's request to leave the system, which is not possible without a quorum.
If the FEC refuses McCain's request to leave the system, his campaign could be bound by a potentially debilitating spending limit($54 mill) until he formally accepts his party's nomination. His campaign has already spent $49 million, federal reports show. Knowingly violating the spending limit is a criminal offense that could put McCain at risk of stiff fines and up to five years in prison.
~Barak Obama
McCain's attempts to build up his campaign coffers before a general election contest appeared to be threatened by the stern warning yesterday from Federal Election Commission Chairman David M. Mason, a Republican. Mason notified McCain that the commission had not granted his Feb. 6 request to withdraw from the presidential public financing system.
The implications of that could be dramatic. Last year, when McCain's campaign was starved for cash, he applied to join the financing system to gain access to millions of dollars in federal matching money. He was also permitted to use his FEC certification to bypass the time-consuming process of gathering signatures to get his name on the ballot in several states, including Ohio.
The six-member commission lacks a quorum, with four vacancies because of a Senate deadlock over President Bush's nominees for the seats. Mason said the FEC would need to vote on McCain's request to leave the system, which is not possible without a quorum.
If the FEC refuses McCain's request to leave the system, his campaign could be bound by a potentially debilitating spending limit($54 mill) until he formally accepts his party's nomination. His campaign has already spent $49 million, federal reports show. Knowingly violating the spending limit is a criminal offense that could put McCain at risk of stiff fines and up to five years in prison.
With Obama raising a million dollars a day the phrase "Screwed, Blued, and Tattooed" comes to mind...I don't even know what that meansexactly, maybe it's screwed blue...whatever...I do know the phrase "thoroughly fucked" is synonymous...and not in the good way...
~S(ister Mary)Squirrel
Year of the Rat?
A rat laser lantern near the Love River in Kaohsiung, southern city of Taiwan during the annual Lunar Chinese New Year.
(AFP/Sam Yeh)
~SS
John McCain, Liar and Corrupt Pol...
Broadcaster Lowell "Bud" Paxson yesterday contradicted statements from Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign that the senator did not meet with Paxson or his lobbyist before sending two controversial letters to the Federal Communications Commission on Paxson's behalf.
Paxson said he talked with McCain in his Washington office several weeks before the Arizona Republican wrote the letters in 1999 to the FCC urging a rapid decision on Paxson's quest to acquire a Pittsburgh television station.
Paxson also recalled that his lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, likely attended the meeting in McCain's office and that Iseman helped arrange the meeting. "Was Vicki there? Probably," Paxson said in an interview with The Washington Post yesterday. "The woman was a professional. She was good. She could get us meetings."
The McCain campaign said Thursday that the senator had not met with Paxson or Iseman on the matter. "No representative of Paxson or Alcalde and Fay personally asked Senator McCain to send a letter to the FCC regarding this proceeding," the campaign said in a statement.
But Paxson said yesterday, "I remember going there to meet with him." He recalled that he told McCain: "You're head of the Commerce Committee. The FCC is not doing its job. I would love for you to write a letter."
McCain attorney Robert S. Bennett played down the contradiction between the campaign's written answer and Paxson's recollection.
"We understood that he [McCain] did not speak directly with him [Paxson]. Now it appears he did speak to him. What is the difference?" Bennett said. "McCain has never denied that Paxson asked for assistance from his office. It doesn't seem relevant whether the request got to him through Paxson or the staff. His letters to the FCC concerning the matter urged the commission to make up its mind. He did not ask the FCC to approve or deny the application. It's not that big a deal."
...
Not "a big deal". Totally contradicts what we said yesterday, but nobody in the media is gonna call us big, fat outrageous liars, so fuck you...
Don't you just love Bob Bennett? He's the "ethical" brother.
...
The two letters he wrote to the FCC in 1999 while he was chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee produced a rash of criticism and a written rebuke from the then-FCC chairman, who called McCain's intervention "highly unusual."
McCain had repeatedly used Paxson's corporate jet for his campaign and accepted campaign contributions from the broadcaster and his law firm.
...
After listening to Morning "AssHo" Joe and Tweety yukking it up about how the NYT had fucked up and tarnished their rep cuz they had no follow up, one day story, blah, blah, blah..."Nothing here folks"...I find two things about his story very interesting. And of course they are kinda buried.
The first is the second letter, sent to all five members of the FCC, from the Chairman of the Comittee that oversees them and their budget. This was not some standard TV station sale, this was turning a PBS station into a religous station. Lots of pissed off people involved. Here is the "nut quote"
"The second letter came on Dec. 10, a day after the company's jet ferried McCain to a Florida fundraiser aboard a yacht in West Palm Beach, Fla. The fundraiser was arranged by Hector Alcalde of Alcalde & Fay and was hosted by a cruise line that Alcalde had represented, Paxson said. Paxson said he attended the fundraiser."
Female lobbyist, luxury jet, party on large yacht, briefcase full of money as parting gift...cost? 150k easy, not your rubber chicken at the VFW type of thing...So not just one personal meeting, meetings plural, $40 mill jet, yacht party fundraiser.
But the other quote, the one that jumps up and bites you on the ass in all it's understated and casual elegance is this unexplained little gem:
Iseman, 40, was raised on a farm outside of Homer City, Pa., and attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1990 with a degree in elementary education.
She went to Washington and got a job as a receptionist at Alcalde & Fay in Northern Virginia. Within a year, she had risen to special assistant to the firm's president. She was later promoted to lobbyist and was made the youngest partner in the firm in the late 1990s.
The way this is written kinda puts a whole new spin on "Bud" Paxson's use of the word "professional". It seems to imply something..."within a year", "youngest partner". And to anyone who thinks I'm being sexist, I will say this is DC...famous for gay(and straight) prostitutes, underage interns, blowjobs and assfucking. Any reporter writing this sort of thing knows that one of two phrases are missing from that graph..."hard-work" or "brilliant"...
~SSquirrel
Friday, February 22, 2008
Breaking News...
DALLAS - A Dallas police motorcycle officer crashed Friday while escorting Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton's motorcade to a campaign rally.
There's no word on the officer's identity or condition, but aerial video showed emergency medical technicians laboring to treat the officer on the Houston Street viaduct between the downtown and Oak Cliff sections of Dallas.
Dallas police spokesman Sgt. Gil Cerda said he had no information on the crash, which happened shortly after 9 a.m.
___
Update:The officer has apparently died from his injuries
~SS
There's no word on the officer's identity or condition, but aerial video showed emergency medical technicians laboring to treat the officer on the Houston Street viaduct between the downtown and Oak Cliff sections of Dallas.
Dallas police spokesman Sgt. Gil Cerda said he had no information on the crash, which happened shortly after 9 a.m.
___
Update:The officer has apparently died from his injuries
~SS
Mmm, freedom...
Lawyers for five Iraqis have accused British soldiers of mass executions and torture and called for a police investigation into an "atrocious episode" in British army history.
Phil Shiner and Martyn Day, who have brought several cases against the British
military for its actions in Iraq, produced statements on Friday from five men who say they were detained by British forces after a battle in southern Iraq in May 2004.
The men, who were blindfolded and bound, said their captors repeatedly beat and abused them, including forcing them to strip naked. While detained, they said they heard the systematic torture and execution of up to 20 other detainees.
"On the basis of the evidence currently available, we are of the view that our clients' allegations -- that the British were responsible for the torture and deaths of up to 20 Iraqis -- may well be true," Day told a news conference.
"Whether or not there is enough evidence to prosecute individual soldiers, it will only be by an open public inquiry that this question will be answered."
The military has already conducted its own investigation into the events surrounding the intense, two-hour battle between British troops and Iraqi insurgents, in which it says 28 Iraqi fighters were killed, and concluded there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
Shiner and Day say, on the basis of the witness statements and other evidence, that 29 people were detained, of whom 20 were killed in detention and nine were later freed.
A second investigation, also by Britain's military police, was opened last December after the families of some of the victims called for a judicial review. It is not known when that investigation will be concluded.
As well as the witness statements, Shiner and Day produced photos, video footage and death certificates signed by Iraqi doctors that they said together painted a picture of violent, deadly abuse perpetrated by British troops.
They said there was evidence that two detainees had their eyes gouged out, one had his penis cut off, several were strangled or mutilated, some were shot in the back of the head and others had body parts systematically broken.
This should assure folks that Iraq does not need us -- or our 'allies' -- spreading democracy, or anything else.
-Diane
Phil Shiner and Martyn Day, who have brought several cases against the British
military for its actions in Iraq, produced statements on Friday from five men who say they were detained by British forces after a battle in southern Iraq in May 2004.
The men, who were blindfolded and bound, said their captors repeatedly beat and abused them, including forcing them to strip naked. While detained, they said they heard the systematic torture and execution of up to 20 other detainees.
"On the basis of the evidence currently available, we are of the view that our clients' allegations -- that the British were responsible for the torture and deaths of up to 20 Iraqis -- may well be true," Day told a news conference.
"Whether or not there is enough evidence to prosecute individual soldiers, it will only be by an open public inquiry that this question will be answered."
The military has already conducted its own investigation into the events surrounding the intense, two-hour battle between British troops and Iraqi insurgents, in which it says 28 Iraqi fighters were killed, and concluded there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
Shiner and Day say, on the basis of the witness statements and other evidence, that 29 people were detained, of whom 20 were killed in detention and nine were later freed.
A second investigation, also by Britain's military police, was opened last December after the families of some of the victims called for a judicial review. It is not known when that investigation will be concluded.
As well as the witness statements, Shiner and Day produced photos, video footage and death certificates signed by Iraqi doctors that they said together painted a picture of violent, deadly abuse perpetrated by British troops.
They said there was evidence that two detainees had their eyes gouged out, one had his penis cut off, several were strangled or mutilated, some were shot in the back of the head and others had body parts systematically broken.
This should assure folks that Iraq does not need us -- or our 'allies' -- spreading democracy, or anything else.
-Diane
"Culture" club Reunion Tour...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal grand jury has indicted Republican U.S. Rep. Richard Renzi of Arizona on 35 criminal counts including conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and official extortion, according to court papers unsealed on Friday.
The indictment stems from plan by Renzi and an associate to benefit from a land-exchange plan in order to receive Renzi's support for necessary federal legislation, court documents said.
"It was an object of the conspiracy for Renzi to enrich (his associate) and personally benefit himself," the indictment said.
It also accuses Renzi of embezzling premiums from clients of an insurance business to fund his congressional campaign.
Renzi was first elected in 2002.
Renzi is not seeking re-election this term...very sad...
Donations for his legal defense fund can be sent to me, I'll see he gets it. Make checks payable to "cash"...
~S(ecretary)Squirrel
Not Progress...
Turkish tanks and armoured vehicles move near the southeastern Turkish town of Silopi, near the Iraqi border, February 22, 2008. Turkey has sent two brigades numbering "thousands of troops" into northern Iraq as part of its ground offensive against Kurdish rebels,
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Turkish troops launched a ground incursion across the border into Iraq in pursuit of separatist Kurdish rebels, the military said Friday — a move that dramatically escalates Turkey's conflict with the militants.
"The Turkish Armed Forces, which values Iraq's territorial integrity and its stability, will return as soon as planned goals are achieved," the military said. "The executed operation will prevent the region from being a permanent and safe base for the terrorists and will contribute to Iraq's stability and internal peace."
Fouad Hussein, a spokesman for the semiautonomous Kurdish government in Iraq, said the Kurdish Peshmerga forces had been put on alert.
"The government of Kurdistan ordered the Peshmerga forces to be on alert in fear of any Turkish incursion on Iraqi territory," he said, claiming that Turkish military monitors had tried to leave their bases in violation of the accord.
"Those troops tried to move out, but the Peshmerga forces forced them to return to their camps within half an hour," he said.
Turkish media reports said Friday that a total of 1,200 Turkish monitors in four camps in Iraq were helping to coordinate the ground offensive.
If the Kurds pull their troops north to the border, US troops are going to be stretched very thin...The Peshmerga are one of the few reliable parts of the "Iraqi" Army...If this turns ugly, It's gonna turn real ugly, and fast...
~SS
"The Turkish Armed Forces, which values Iraq's territorial integrity and its stability, will return as soon as planned goals are achieved," the military said. "The executed operation will prevent the region from being a permanent and safe base for the terrorists and will contribute to Iraq's stability and internal peace."
Fouad Hussein, a spokesman for the semiautonomous Kurdish government in Iraq, said the Kurdish Peshmerga forces had been put on alert.
"The government of Kurdistan ordered the Peshmerga forces to be on alert in fear of any Turkish incursion on Iraqi territory," he said, claiming that Turkish military monitors had tried to leave their bases in violation of the accord.
"Those troops tried to move out, but the Peshmerga forces forced them to return to their camps within half an hour," he said.
Turkish media reports said Friday that a total of 1,200 Turkish monitors in four camps in Iraq were helping to coordinate the ground offensive.
If the Kurds pull their troops north to the border, US troops are going to be stretched very thin...The Peshmerga are one of the few reliable parts of the "Iraqi" Army...If this turns ugly, It's gonna turn real ugly, and fast...
~SS
Praise W!
Iraqis burn the US flag in Muqtada al-Sadr's stronghold in Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq, after prayers Friday, Feb. 22, 2008. Anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced Friday that he has extended a cease-fire order to his Shiite Mahdi Army by another six months,
BAGHDAD - Anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced Friday that he has extended a cease-fire order to his Shiite Mahdi Army by another six months, giving Iraq a chance to continue its fragile recovery from brutal sectarian violence.
Great news short term. He'll make a fine dictator, I'm sure. Probably name one of his kids George...poor girl...
~SSquirrel
Great news short term. He'll make a fine dictator, I'm sure. Probably name one of his kids George...poor girl...
~SSquirrel
Thursday, February 21, 2008
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