Holy Shiite, Batman: Death Toll in Iraq Much Higher for Past Few Days Than Reported

Try more than 1,300 in just a few days. And then consider that this is probably just some since it takes ages to determine how many died in anything (note Katrina) and how hard the Bushies work to hide numbers they don't like.

From WaPo:

Grisly attacks and other sectarian violence unleashed by last week's bombing of a Shiite shrine have killed more than 1,300 Iraqis, making the past few days the deadliest of the war outside of major U.S. offensives, according to Baghdad's main morgue. The toll was more than three times higher than the figure previously reported by the U.S. military and the news media.

Hundreds of unclaimed dead lay at the morgue at midday Monday -- blood-caked men who had been shot, knifed, garroted or apparently suffocated by the plastic bags still over their heads. Many of the bodies were sprawled with their hands still bound -- and many of them had wound up at the morgue after what their families said was their abduction by the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Good Night and Good Luck, Redux

I'm going to bed with "Joe McCarthy and the American Press" by Edwin R. Bayley, a relatively old book now that I've been meaning to read for years. It was in my bookcase when I bought the house and on the night I've decided to sell it (the house, not the book), it seems like high time.

I'll let you know how it is.

In The "Gee, This Isn't Torture" Department

Posted at Crooks and Liars (and sheesh to the max):

FDL:
Knight Ridder reports (via Kevin Drum) that:

Military interrogators posing as FBI agents at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, wrapped terrorism suspects in an Israeli flag and forced them to watch homosexual pornography under strobe lights during interrogation sessions that lasted as long as 18 hours, according to one of a batch of FBI memos released Thursday.

ReddHedd goes on to give us more information, but this is sickening.

As Larry Johnson notes, what movies are these guys watching? He thinks "Man on Fire."

Andrew Young - When He Sells Out, He Sells Out BIG

Attaturk at Rising Hegemon points out - quite sadly - that Andrew Young, former Carter Admin man and (I believe) the second black mayor of mostly black Atlanta, has not only defended Bush's fool performance at Coretta Scott King's funeral, Young is ALSO outfront as a defender of Wal-Mart against its critics.

When the mighty fall, they fall very hard, very loud, and all too often, in the direction of the closest large checkbook. Sigh!

Andy? Karma's going to get you.

Just look at me. I'm convinced I must have been Evita Peron in one life and Eva Braun in another to deserve my current run of luck.

Karma: Die Now, Pay Later

Jill Carroll

Definitely one to put in the aw shit category:

The U.S. Ambassador to Iraq says he has it on good intelligence Jill Carroll is still alive and OK.

Remember all the "good intelligence" we got cooked up by the White House test lie kitchens? Things like:

• Saddam was about to launch missiles at the West Coast which could strike us in just 45 minutes?
• Saddam had a huge nuclear program?
• Saddam had WMD everywhere?
• Iraq would fucking pay for itself? Would be a cakewalk? Our soldiers would have flowers - rather than road bombs - tossed at their feet? We'd be in and out of there in 3-6 months?

IOW, hearing the US Ambassador toady to Bushies say Christian Science Monitor journalist Jill Carroll, now captured many weeks ago, is still alive is tantamount to ... well... it's ain't good, boys and girls.

Our National Symbol: Let's Forego the Eagle In Favor of the Owl

You know, when men like Ben Franklin, John Adams, and Tom Jefferson were helping found this country, an eagle seemed like a really appropriate national symbol which is probably why the eagle beat out the turkey for that honor.

Think eagle, and you think wide wing span, fierce, cranky, independent, and assuredly aggressive when needed. That's to some degree who we needed to be to survive.

But perhaps the time of the eagle has long since passed. Oh, not that we aren't still cranky, aggressive, and eager to flex our wings right in somebody else's face - just look at our little bantamweight rooster of a president and he does it daily (and twice on Sunday when he naps instead of attends prayer).

I ask with no mock seriousness: why not replace the eagle with the owl?

Yes, the owl has in some mythologies been seen as a purveyor or overseer of death and destruction (but then, so has the U.S.). Yet the owl is also rooted in a concept of wisdom, of smarts that come from watching, and - er, yeah - of being able to swoop down and murder a kitten in record time. You know, sorta like the United States.

But my thought behind the owl as a new national symbol is that:

1. it's harder to take with the same two-dimensional egotestical (a word I coined for my first male editor who stood towering over me as he raged, "If you don't register as a Republican, you aren't worth anything! It's like kissing your vote goodbye!") fervor that some like Ollie North pray to the eagle
2. it would symbolize the American citizen's need and RESPONSIBILITY to watch over the action of its leaders and both the treatment of and treatment by its soldiers
3. it stands more for smarts than for brawn and after six years of Psycho Cowboy from Crawford, we can all stand a bit more intelligence - even
   most of Texas
4. the owl looks less like Donald Rumsfeld

What say ye?

And no, stop looking at me askance. I haven't consumed alcohol in like years.

GOP Governors Worried About Bush

Like the rest of us aren't?

From the Conservative Nut Network (CNN):

Republican governors are openly worrying that the Bush administration's latest stumbles -- from the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina to those of its own making on prescription drugs and ports security -- are taking an election-year toll on the party back home.

The GOP governors reluctantly acknowledge that the series of gaffes threatens to undermine public confidence in President Bush's ability to provide security, which has long been his greatest strength among voters.

"You've got solid conservatives coming up speaking like they haven't before, it's likely that something's going on at the grass roots," said Republican Mark Sanford of South Carolina. "Whether it's temporary or not remains to be seen."

The unease was clear in interviews with more than a dozen governors over the weekend, including nearly half of the Republicans attending the winter meeting of the National Governors Association. The annual conference was taking place in a capital enthralled by the political firestorm over government plans to approve takeover of operations at some terminals at six U.S. ports by a company owned by the United Arab Emirates government.

Apparently Not Everyone Forgot About Bush's Spying OR the Probable Cause Clause in the Fourth Amendment

CNN is asking:

Should a special counsel be appointed to investigate the legality of the Bush administration's eavesdropping program?

Right now, 71% of nearly 130K respondents say YES.

Go vote.

That's go vote, not how to vote. :) Not being a Republican, I don't feel obligated to tell you what to do and, perhaps not being a Republican yourself, you aren't waiting to see what Karl Rove tells you to say. ;)

Bush Administration: Corporate Interests Always Prevail Over National Security

David Sirota is on this like a cheap suit on the 80s Ralph Nader:

A little-noticed Wall Street Journal story confirms what I've written about the UAE port scandal: that it has everything to do with Big Money's efforts to prioritize the free trade agenda over national security concerns. And now, the second Bush administration security official is admitting as much.

Here is the excerpt from the print edition (some of the excerpt is only in print and not online):

"Behind the scenes, business lobbyists are pushing for a compromise to resolve the Duvai deal without reopening the legislation that governs foreign takeovers at a moment when the issue is so hot politically...

A number of lawmakers, among them Senate Banking Chairman Richard Shelby (R., Ala.), have called for the committee [that approves such deals] to operate with more transparency, and some have urged that the law be changed to allow Congress to override any deal.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business interests, backed by the administration, oppose such changes, arguing they could harm the climate for foreign investment in the U.S. and disrupt U.S. companies' ability to invest overseas."

Luckily, Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has already released details of legislation that he is going to be introducing that would force national security concerns to take precedent in trade and commerce negotiations. Incredibly, though, even the Bush administration's top national secuirty officials are toeing the corporate line. Here's White House National Secuirty Adviser Stephen Hadley quoted in the Wall Street Journal piece:

"What the Congress and the companies are able to work out, we'll support and cooperate with so long as it does not involve a summary decision by the Congress that blocks this transaction."

This is the second Bush security official to publicly prioritize the corporate agenda over national security (the first one being Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff). And their message is disgusting:

The supposedly "tough on terrorism" White House will only support Congressional national security legislation as long as it doesn't mess with the administration's corporate agenda.

Emphasis mine after I tossed my cookies listening to Hadley on "Face the Nation" yesterday morning. And no, this is not a euphemism, except I had a slice of toast rather than cookies for breakfast.

Iraq in Civil War

CBS News tonight says that if it's not already in outright civil war, it is hard on the brink.

Seven soldiers killed just on Wednesday and more than 200 Iraqis since.

What does Bush do? He calls for an end to violence.

Too bad the president doesn't take his own advice.

Good Night and Good Luck, Jill Carroll

Another deadline passed tonight and nothing has been heard from Christian Science reporter Jill Carroll in more than two weeks. Considering the violence in Iraq, I wonder if she is alive. I hope so. But I don't know for how much longer.

Indict. Impeach. Imprison.

I like this motto (Indict. Impeach. Imprison.), seen on a t-shirt at Blah3.

More on Impeachment

From Carl Sheeler, the RI senatorial candidate trying to spearhead impeachment (whose phone number I omitted because some nut cases don't need help:

February 24, 2006
Honorable Members of the RI General Assembly,

Approximately ten days ago, I called upon the Democratic Members of the RI General Assembly to support an impeachment initiative to prepare a resolution to be forwarded to the US House of Representatives.

This occurred after no response form Congressmen Langevin and Kennedy to join Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) in his efforts. I sent each of you a letter making this request as well as a draft of articles outlining the reasons for impeachment. I also called on my US Senate opponents Shedon Whitehouse and Matt Brown to join me in this effort.

There has also been no response.This most recent effort was covered by the local media, Fox News and the Associated Press as well as dozens, if not hundreds of blogsites.

I hope you agree leadership is not achieved by entering political office, but by applying the simple principal of doing the right thing on behalf of the public and the citizens of Rhode Island. This places public interest before personal and political agendas.

I believe Rhode Island and our nation deserve nothing less. It is not a partisan issue.

Let me call your attention to Daily Kos, the largest political website in the United States, and the conservative Magazine Harpers - March 2006 edition.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/19/1730/42036

I have not yet heard from any member from the State Senate or House. This is disappointing. It would be embarrasing if either another state precedes us or impeachment proceedings occur in Congress due to US Representative Conyer's efforts. It is a reasonable to state your reasons for not supporting this request in writing in the next 10 working days, if your unable to concur with this patriotic effort.

With Respect,

Carl L. Sheeler
Sheeler for US Senate http://www.carlsheeler.com

For equal time, a Vermont REPUBLICAN (yes, you read the color correctly) candidate is also trying to get 100 like-minded people together to launch an impeachment effort against Smirk Truly (Bush - I can't call him a chimp because a chimp knows what to do with his opposable thumbs AND can probably, if trained, pronounce nuclear correctly). If you're interested, I'll dig up the candidate's name.

South Dakota Works Overtime to Turn Back Time, Make Women Third Class Citizens Again (Men First, Unborn Cells Second)

Apparently South Dakota - which makes no real provision for the health of the mother since, their legislators say, would mean that if a woman sniffed, she could "kill" the baby - not only wants to give the Kansas School Board a run for its devolution money, but they want to test what good players new Supremes John (my wife is against abortion) Roberts and Sam (my wife CRIES strategically!) Alito are for the Bushie nutcases.

Feel Good Story: Autistic Teen's Hoop Dreams Come True

Sent by Barb (aka Goddess with the Electric Cattle Prodess):

Senior Jason McElwain had been the manager of the varsity basketball team of Greece Athena High School in Rochester, N.Y.

McElwain, who's autistic, was added to the roster by coach Jim Johnson so he could be given a jersey and get to sit on the bench in the team's last game of the year. Johnson hoped the situation would even enable him to get McElwain onto the floor a little playing time.

He got the chance, with Greece Athena up by double-digits with four minutes go to. And, in his first action of the year, McElwain missed his first two shots, but then sank six three-pointers and another shot (video), for a total of 20 points in three minutes.

Selective Scrutiny: Venezuelan Crude Oil and the Bushies

Anyone else finding it just incredibly convenient - not to mention brashly, really quite brazenly - that Condi Rice came out today to say we need to scrutinize Venezuelan oil imports and Citgo?

Condi, who has a major oil tanker named for her because of the "great assistance" she gave oil bigwigs during the Bush I administration, is amazingly selective in her scrutiny.

Do I think Hugo Chavez is some angel? No. But with what I know of the Bushies, I'm very suspicious of the efforts to eliminate him as a player, given what the Bushies tell us.

It was Chavez - albeit it with a big finger aimed at the Bushies - who came through for many of the poor this winter with budget oil, not Exxon, not the Texans, not the other pieces of manure that pass for America's energy companies and drive up prices like crazy.

And one more thing. Before you blame the new spike in prices just on the attack on the world's largest oil refinery (we're told al Qaeda is claiming responsibility but who knows?), consider that the price jumped right after Condi's big announcement of an investigation into Venezuelan fuel imports.

The stink you smell comes from those two Texas oil men in the White House. Impeach 'em.

So What's Your Take on Iraq?

Are they finally in a civil war (with help from the Bushies) or were they two years ago, when our (cough) intrepid media began mentioning the term?

"Corruption Comes at a Cost"

From Jesse at DCCC:

Corruption Has a CostFebruary 24, 2006
• Corruption Comes at a Cost• The Pombo Whirlwind Continues - With Your Help• The Republican Pre-9/11 Mindset• News From the Blog
Corruption Comes at a Cost
A new report released this week from Democrats on the House Rules Committee, led by Rep. Louise Slaughter, hits the nail on the head.

Entitled "America for Sale: The Cost of Republican Corruption," examines the real world implications of the Republican scandals unfolding every day. The report documents the ways in which Republican corruption has infiltrated a multitude of political arenas ranging from healthcare to education to national security.

Republican members of Congress are reaping the benefits that their special-interest friends have to offer while simultaneously putting the American people at a loss. Rather than representing their constituents, they are instead representing the "highest bidder."

Despite billions of dollars that have thus far been spent on Homeland Security, the 9/11 Commission repeatedly questions the utility of these funds. Airport security is deemed insufficient, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction has not been stymied, and the United States government has been given a failing grade for its overall security by the Commission. As the report documents, the Republicans seem to have been cherry picking national defense contractors with one standard - will this contractor support the Republican Party?

The Government Accountability Office has questioned whether the 250 billion dollars for the Iraq war has been put to its best use. Despite this astronomical amount, there is a lack of sufficient, safe supplies. Among other problems, military Humvees do not offer adequate means of transportation, and the drinking water delivered to the soldiers is grossly contaminated

Another pressing issue is America's source of energy. The rising energy costs are putting a great amount of stress on American families across the nation, but energy companies have racked up excessive profits. And we're to believe that the millions of dollars in campaign contributions given to Republicans are a mere coincidence.

There are other salient issues that are affecting Americans on a day-to-day basis. Millions of Americans have essentially been left to fend for themselves after the passage of Medicare Part D. By intertwining private insurance companies with red tape, the federal government has once again chosen its own best interest - political support from large private insurance companies - over the basic needs of its citizens.

Lastly, the circumstance surrounding America's higher education is dismal. It too is entangled with the Republican's special interests. The Republicans are vehemently fighting against direct loans because it eliminates the need for financial institutions that offer a great amount of political support from this organization. Overall, if the Republicans are able to continue their pay-to-play gambit, the constituents' interests will be represented less and less. More and more, only lobbyists and wealthy special interest groups are being represented in what is supposed to be "the People's House." As long as the Republican culture of corruption continues, the remedies to the problems facing American families.

The American Chronicle published the key specific findings of the report...

No, I am not a Democrat. ;)

The Dubai and US Ports Debacle

Just to be clear, I'm not unilaterally opposed to the operation of certain US ports by the UAE just because Arabs are part of the UAE. These days, I suspect I'd be much happier to allow moderate Muslims to operate something than any of our nutso fascist Christian idealogues.

In fact, I wasn't opposed to the whole ports thing at all until President (man, it still hurts to type his name six-plus years later) Bush told us we WERE going to have UAE control of U.S. ports NO MATTER WHAT.

His reticence to hear any dissenting opinions on this - no surprise from this administration - bothers the hell out of me. Which makes me wonder who the fuck is behind all this.

27 Members of the House Support This: Impeach the Bum (Bush)

From Impeach.org:

There are now 27 members of the House of Representatives, including John Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee who are supporting a bill, H. Res 635, calling for "a select committee to investigate the Administration's intent to go to war before Congressional authorization, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, encouraging and countenancing torture, retaliating against critics, and to make recommendations regarding grounds for possible impeachment."

"Our principles are enshrined in our Constitution and a system of duly enacted laws, and in a government where all are accountable and no one is above the law," stated Rep. Barbara Lee of California, one of the co-sponsors of the impeachment inquiry. "Our Constitution gives us a system of checks and balances and divided power because our founders were bitterly familiar with dealing with an unaccountable executive and were determined that our nation should not have a king," said Congresswoman Lee.

At the same time the Congressional inquiry moves forward, recent polls reveal that the majority of the country now favors impeachment if the President either lied about the reasons for going to war or broke federal law with his illegal wire-tapping program. This is a clear-cut sign that the impeachment movement is becoming a decisive factor in U.S. politics.

Help place the next major impeachment ad by clicking here.

We have exciting new opportunities for the impeachment movement to grow to new heights. It would be a monumental mistake to sit back and assume that Congressional representatives or other politicians will proceed with the impeachment campaign without grassroots pressure and community support. Impeachment will only become a reality if the people lead this movement.

Of course, with our luck, we'd get President Denny Hastert. Urm.

The President, the Arabs, and the Port Security Debacle

You know, considering how completely unprotected our ports ARE under Bush and in the wake of 9/11, it's very hard to entitle this post "port security". But just as I was about to post to ask WHY Mr. Bush - besides his great financial ties to the bin Ladens and the Saud Royal Family - would boldly promise to veto any attempts to quash the deal, comes this from David Sirota at Working for Change:

Politicians and the media are loudly decrying the Bush administration's proposal to turn over port security to a firm owned by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - a country with ties to terrorists. They are talking tough about national security - but almost no one is talking about what may have fueled the administration's decision to push forward with this deal: the desire to move forward Big Money's "free" trade agenda. That's not conspiracy theory - the administration is pushing this deal at the very same time it is trying to finalize a corporate-written "free" trade agreement with the UAE.

Sanctimonious Rick Santorum: Czar of Ethics or Con Man on the Take?

American Prospect has done some homework, starting with:

Exclusive: An investigation into the private and public finances of Rick Santorum suggests that the Senate GOP might want to reconsider making him its ethics czar.

“In far too many families with young children, both parents are working, when, if they really took an honest look at the budget, they might find they don’t both need to.”
-- U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, in his 2005 book, It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good

And then:

Initially, according to Loudoun County property records, the purchase was financed with a $405,000 mortgage from a conventional lender, Westminster Mortgage Company. But a year later, the couple refinanced for $500,000. That was not unusual in the fall of 2002, when many homeowners were refinancing to take advantage of plunging interest rates, while also cashing in on the rising equity in their homes. What was curious was the source of the increased mortgage. It was a new private bank catering to “affluent investors and institutions” -- whose officers have contributed $24,000 to Santorum’s political action committees and re-election campaign -- called Philadelphia Trust Company.

Rick and Karen Santorum do not appear to fit the profile of customers to whom the financial institution would normally issue a loan of any kind. According to information currently posted on Philadelphia Trust’s Web site, banking services “are offered at no additional charge to our clients” and “are available only to investment advisory clients whose portfolios we manage, oversee or administer. Interest rates on loans and deposits are competitive. Loan payments will be customized to match each client’s specific needs. Approved loans will be collateralized by your investment portfolio.”

Santorum’s financial disclosure forms filed with the clerk of the Senate show that he has never maintained an investment portfolio with Philadelphia Trust. For that matter, the senator would hardly fit the profile of the “affluent investor” that the Philadelphia bank seeks -- namely, people with investment assets of at least $250,000. On his 2002 disclosure form, Santorum listed liquid assets, primarily retirement accounts and life insurance, in a range no greater than $140,000.

Santorum’s campaign refused to disclose any specific information about the loan, and neither would officials from Philadelphia Trust. Bank Chairman George Marlin claimed that discussing any customer’s transaction would violate not only banking privacy laws but also, curiously, the USA PATRIOT Act. A bank director, Karen Iacovelli, who has a background in public relations, also refused to answer any questions in detail. Asked whether Philadelphia Trust does any loan business with non-investment clients, she said, “Yes and no -- it’s a judgment call.” Michael Crofton, the ceo of Philadelphia Trust, did not return three phone messages.

You remember Ricky, don't you? The one who told The Times last spring he lives paycheck to paycheck and relies on checks sent by his retired Mom and Dad to support his SIX kids? The one who travels everywhere in Wal-Mart jets but is just loved by Hispanics for understanding where they are coming from (Rick probably thinks it's Hispanics who CLEAN the Wal-Mart corporate jets).

Kansas is Getting Sick of Pat Roberts' Constant Kiss Up to the Bushies

Good for Kansas:

Many Kansans, including members of The Eagle editorial board, have long admired Sen. Pat Roberts for his plainspokenness and reputation for fair brokering of issues.

So it's troubling that Roberts, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is fast gaining the reputation in Washington, D.C., as a reliable partisan apologist for the Bush administration on intelligence and security controversies.

We hope that's not true. But Roberts' credibility is on the line.

From Abu Ghraib abuses to secret CIA detainee prisons to the Valerie Plame affair, critics say, Roberts has become a dependable shill for the White House, ever ready to shield Bush policy from criticism and ever willing to compromise Congress' legitimate oversight role.

A prime example: He has dragged his feet on a promised but long-delayed Senate investigation into whether the White House cherry-picked and amplified prewar intelligence to fit its preconceived goal of invading Iraq.

This week, Roberts sidetracked a Senate Intelligence Committee inquiry into the possibly illegal National Security Agency wiretap program, saying the White House had agreed to brief lawmakers more regularly and to work with him on a behind-the-scenes "fix" of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

That prompted a scathing New York Times editorial Friday headlined "Doing the President's Dirty Work," which opined: "Is there any aspect of President Bush's miserable record on intelligence that Senator Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is not willing to excuse and help to cover up?"

Roberts' complete falldown on the wiretap issue, Abu Ghraib and more is deplorable. Oust the bastard.

Uh... How Long Has My Blogroll(s) Been Missing?

That's a rhetorical question. They're in the template, but they aren't showing up.

I'll tinker ASAPwhich may be as soon as hell freezes over

But really, with the Bushies' initiative to kill the biocycle with more coal and nukular (who knew a cell had both a nucleus AND a nukulus???), this could happen anytime between now and say... April Fool's Day.

Hell freezing over, I mean... not when I fix the template.

Civil Liberties and Privacy Board: If Only They Did Any Work

From today's LA Times:

WASHINGTON — For Americans troubled by the prospect of federal agents eavesdropping on their phone conversations or combing through their Internet records, there is good news: A little-known board exists in the White House whose purpose is to ensure that privacy and civil liberties are protected in the fight against terrorism.

Someday, it might actually meet.

Initially proposed by the bipartisan commission that investigated the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board was created by the intelligence overhaul that President Bush signed into law in December 2004.

More than a year later, it exists only on paper.Foot-dragging, debate over its budget and powers, and concern over the qualifications of some of its members — one was treasurer of Bush's first campaign for Texas governor — has kept the board from doing a single day of work.

$500 Million for WHAT?

A faith-based, bigot-based initiative for Mr. Bush's purile pals.

Say Hello to...

Rational Resistance, and thanks to Odum at Green Mountain Daily for the link.

"They're From the Government and They're Here to Preach to You"

From Friday's WaPo - and speaking of the Department of Homeland Suckurity under the Bushies:

Two uniformed men strolled into the main room of the Little Falls library in Bethesda one day last week and demanded the attention of all patrons using the computers. Then they made their announcement: The viewing of Internet pornography was forbidden.

The men looked stern and wore baseball caps emblazoned with the words "Homeland Security." The bizarre scene unfolded Feb. 9, leaving some residents confused and forcing county officials to explain how employees assigned to protect county buildings against terrorists came to see it as their job to police the viewing of pornography.

After the two men made their announcement, one of them challenged an Internet user's choice of viewing material and asked him to step outside, according to a witness. A librarian intervened, and the two men went into the library's work area to discuss the matter. A police officer arrived. In the end, no one had to step outside except the uniformed men.

Rhode Island Doesn't Seem to Enjoy Mr. Bush's (Cough) Leadership Either

From the folks at Daily Kos:

Little Rhode Island may have the loudest voice!

There is a movement to begin the impeachment of the President and it may just work!

Articles of Impeachment for President George W. Bush for High Crimes and Misdemeanors

Rhode Island's Carl Sheeler is leading the charge for Impeachment

Perhaps the backer will beat our Newfane, VT at Town Meeting Day.

It's worth a read. Whether it will amount to a tinker's dam... well, we'll see.

We could impeach every politician in Washington (with good cause, I might add) and the Bushies would just declare marshal law and stay. They've proven 2 or 3 times now how easy it is to steal elections with jerry-rigged electronic machines. And we keep letting them.

In other words, we as a voting populace need to grow a pair and stop handing them over to the Department of Homeland Sweetheart Deals for Security Companies"We Put the Suck in" SUCKurity.

Bush Really HAS Made America Poorer

For those of you who don't catch the press across the pond, it's often a bit more insightful than what passes for media whores here.

From the UK Observer:

Americans have always believed that hard work will bring rewards, but vast numbers now cannot meet their bills even with two or three jobs. More than one in 10 citizens live below the poverty line, and the gap between the haves and have-nots is widening...

A shocking 37 million Americans live in poverty. That is 12.7 per cent of the population - the highest percentage in the developed world. They are found from the hills of Kentucky to Detroit's streets, from the Deep South of Louisiana to the heartland of Oklahoma. Each year since 2001 their number has grown.

Under President George W Bush an extra 5.4 million have slipped below the poverty line. Yet they are not a story of the unemployed or the destitute. Most have jobs. Many have two. Amos Lumpkins has work and his children go to school. But the economy, stripped of worker benefits like healthcare, is having trouble providing good wages.

Even families with two working parents are often one slice of bad luck - a medical bill or factory closure - away from disaster. The minimum wage of $5.15 (£2.95) an hour has not risen since 1997 and, adjusted for inflation, is at its lowest since 1956. The gap between the haves and the have-nots looms wider than ever. Faced with rising poverty rates, Bush's trillion-dollar federal budget recently raised massive amounts of defence spending for the war in Iraq and slashed billions from welfare programmes...

During the 2004 election the only politician to address poverty directly was John Edwards, whose campaign theme was 'Two Americas'. He was derided by Republicans for doing down the country and - after John Kerry picked him as his Democratic running mate - the rhetoric softened in the heat of the campaign.

37 million poor hidden in the land of plenty Americans have always believed that hard work will bring rewards, but vast numbers now cannot meet their bills even with two or three jobs. More than one in 10 citizens live below the poverty line, and the gap between the haves and have-nots is widening...

A shocking 37 million Americans live in poverty. That is 12.7 per cent of the population - the highest percentage in the developed world. They are found from the hills of Kentucky to Detroit's streets, from the Deep South of Louisiana to the heartland of Oklahoma. Each year since 2001 their number has grown.

Under President George W Bush an extra 5.4 million have slipped below the poverty line. Yet they are not a story of the unemployed or the destitute. Most have jobs. Many have two. Amos Lumpkins has work and his children go to school. But the economy, stripped of worker benefits like healthcare, is having trouble providing good wages.

Even families with two working parents are often one slice of bad luck - a medical bill or factory closure - away from disaster. The minimum wage of $5.15 (£2.95) an hour has not risen since 1997 and, adjusted for inflation, is at its lowest since 1956. The gap between the haves and the have-nots looms wider than ever. Faced with rising poverty rates, Bush's trillion-dollar federal budget recently raised massive amounts of defence spending for the war in Iraq and slashed billions from welfare programmes...
During the 2004 election the only politician to address poverty directly was John Edwards, whose campaign theme was 'Two Americas'. He was derided by Republicans for doing down the country and - after John Kerry picked him as his Democratic running mate - the rhetoric softened in the heat of the campaign.

But, in fact, Edwards was right. While 45.8 million Americans lack any health insurance, the top 20 per cent of earners take over half the national income. At the same time the bottom 20 per cent took home just 3.4 per cent. Whitaker put the figures into simple English. 'The poor have got poorer and the rich have got richer,' he said.

Dealing with poverty is not a viable political issue in America. It jars with a cultural sense that the poor bring things upon themselves and that every American is born with the same chances in life. It also runs counter to the strong anti-government current in modern American politics. Yet the problem will not disappear. 'There is a real sense of impending crisis, but political leaders have little motivation to address this growing divide,' Cynthia Duncan says.

Is Cheney an Asset or a Liability

Well, yeah, you have to compare him TO the rest of this piss poor, corrupted beyond all comprehension administration BUT....

CNN wants your opinion in the poll. You know what to do.

Right now, Duck! It's Dick! is not doing well.

From Josh Marshall:

Roll Call (sub.req.): "The Department of Justice has instructed the Senate Ethics Committee to steer clear of any investigations into actions involving ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, warning the panel it has “concerns” that any such probes could interfere with its long-running investigation."

Guantanamo Bay, Torture, and Bush's America

From the UK Guardian:

A high court judge yesterday delivered a stinging attack on America, saying its idea of what constituted torture was out of step with that of "most civilised nations".

The criticism, directed at the Bush administration's approach to human rights, was made by Mr Justice Collins during a hearing over the refusal by ministers to request the release of three British residents held at Guantánamo Bay.

The judge said: "America's idea of what is torture is not the same as ours and does not appear to coincide with that of most civilised nations." He made his comments, he said, after learning of the UN report that said Guantánamo should be shut down without delay because torture was still being carried out there.

KUBARK. Learn about it. Denounce it.

49% of America Beiieves Bush/NSA Broke Law in Wiretaps

.... while the other 51% was too busy shooting their fellow hunters or watching American Idol to hear about the story.

From Gallup:

The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds nearly half of Americans believe that President George W. Bush and his administration were right in wiretapping telephone conversations between U.S. citizens in the country and suspected terrorists living in other countries. The public is also divided on whether or not Bush himself broke the law by authorizing the wiretaps.

What Exactly the Fuck is Wrong with Wyoming?

They give Dick Cheney a standing ovation for almost killing a man?

The man wasn't even bin Laden, although as a Texas multimillionaire, he might be almost as dangerous.

Bush Says Thank You for Military Sacrifice: Lowest Pay Increase Since 1994

Mr. Bush's budget includes a paltry 2.2% pay raise for the military which does not even cover the rise in price of bandaids.

Green Mountains Go Black

With wind speeds of in excess of 143 mph (not a typo) and sustained wind clocked at over 70 mph, it's no surprise much of the Green Mountain state is in the dark tonight. Burlington went from a daytime high of 51 to a projected low of negative numbers tonight.

First time I've ever seen emergency shelters set up throughout more than a half dozen towns (although often fairly far flung; I think our closest is about 50 miles away). But that's also no surprise; many homes and businesses lost roofs and, without power, furnaces won't be running to heat those in the sub-zero cold. At last count, more than 30,000 homes were out and more expected to go dark overnight. For a state with just 660,000 people, that's a good-sized chunk with power outages, or more than 10% of all homes.

The "great" thing about Vermont power outages (and you have to realize that Vermont ranks dead last in affordable electricity in the nation; a big chunk of our lights come from either that dreadful Vermont Yankee Nuclear plant or Quebec) is that you can be out of electricity for days and, when you next get your bill, it will actually be higher than normal. The two late summer outages we had, where we were out for more than two days each, our bill was 15-25% bigger than normal. Verizon does about the same with phone service here.

Try getting them to explain it, however, and you're no longer a "co-op member" but an unpleasant customer they give the heave.

The better news is that the big power outage that hit the Northeast in 2004 did not kill us; we were spared because the part of Canada that supplies our power stayed on while tens of thousands of other Quebecois were out.

Arlen Specter's Magic Bullet Lobbyist Paid Earmark Theory

Arlen's had an interesting life. Not only is he "the senator from Scotland", but he was the one who promoted the "magic bullet" theory to explain how Oswald's shot managed to go weaving in and out and back again from JFK and then Texas governor John Connelly. Arlen also represented a counterculteral homicidal maniac who killed his girlfriend because she had the nerve to leave him.

When Arlen tried to show he had a pair of testicles upon becoming chairman of the Senate Judiacy Committee, Karl Rove and Company bitch slapped his balls right down his throat and Arlen, like a good little paid-for whore, ate them.

Now there's this, which sure sounds like something Tom DeLay would admire Specter for:

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has asked that the Senate Ethics Committee begin an investigation to determine whether Vicki Siegel, a staff member employed by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) on the Senate Committee on Appropriations, has violated the Senate Rules of Conduct.

According to a USA Today story, Ms. Siegel is married to lobbyist Michael Herson, who is a co-founder of the firm American Defense International (“ADI”). ADI has apparently received nearly $1.5 million in lobbying fees since 2002 from six clients who, as a result of 13 earmarks offered by Senator Specter, received a total of $48.7 million in set asides. The article states that Senator Specter claimed credit for all of the earmarks in various news releases.

Given that the companies that received the $48.7 million in earmarks paid Mr. Herson’s firm nearly $1.5 million in fees, it appears likely that they paid ADI, at least in part, to lobby for those earmarks. As Mr. Herson’s spouse, Ms. Siegel indirectly derived a substantial financial benefit from Mr. Herson’s representation of those clients. And, as the primary Appropriations Committee staff member for Senator Specter, it also appears likely that Ms. Siegel was involved in securing the passage of those earmarks. As a result, CREW has asked that the Committee immediately commence an investigation into the circumstances that led to the passage of those earmarks and Ms. Siegel’s involvement in securing them.

Wow... 1.5 million got them 48.7 million in business? That's quite a return on their investment.

How much was Arlen Specter paid, anyway?

Cheney Shoots Three Presidents in Oval Office Mishap

From Steve Martin at Huffington Post:

Vice President Dick Cheney, while hunting wild geese in the Rose Garden, accidentally shot President Bush twice, once in the heart and once in the head. "I didn't really shoot the President twice," said Cheney. "The second time I shot him, I was president. It wasn't until my third shot, where I accidentally shot my own foot, that I had shot the president twice.

I was officially injured and unable to govern, when Dennis Hastert came in, and stepped on the butt handle of the rifle causing it to swing up like a rake and shoot his hair off. I guess I'm officially responsible for that too, meaning I shot the acting president for a total of three occupants of the oval office. I'm not proud, but it is a record."

All That Blogs is Not Golden

If any of you Vahmontahs happen upon VermontSenateRace and notice that there's a real slant against socialist Indy candidate Bernie Sanders, understand that - according to a program on VPTV just now - its blogger is tied to wealthy, wealthy Republican businessman Rich Tarrant who just happens to be Bernie's biggest competition.

You remember Mr. Tarrant who, until just recently, listed Vermont as a "vacation" residence and Florida as his primary. Then he got off with a small slap on the wrist for not doing right on his taxes related to his real residence.

Vermont doesn't need a Bushie in Jeffords' old seat. Like or loathe Bernie, he's sometimes been the only one to stand up for civil rights in a post-9/11 U.S. He's a decent man, if not always perfect.

And - unlike, apparently, the VermontSenateRace.com folks with "Very" Rich Tarrant - I'm not being paid to endorse Bernie. Nor would I accept money to do so.

My work is for sale but my vote and my opinion never are.

***Being paid to endorse a candidate just doesn't smell right. In fact, it smells more like the way they do things in Florida and Texas. We wouldn't want to live in either place, and we don't need that smarm here.

KUBARK

Go to Google, type in the word KUBARK.

Open the manual and read the footnotes that describe the psychological interrogation of prisoners under the control of the U.S.

Then tell me the abuses and photos we see in Abu Ghraib are "a few bad apples" and "not indicative of a plan and policy from top of the Pentagon" and "random incidents".

Democracy Now!, discussing KUBARK and other issues now, will spend an hour tonight (7 PM on Free Speech TV), detailing material like this.

NSA Spying

So Washington DC decided the problem with NSA spying wasn't that they were breaking the law - like that little fourth amendment to the US Constitution by performing a search without probable cause - but in the constitutional law itself? So the assholes in Congress, paying no attention to the anger of the American people, just rewrite the law to make it easier for the Bushies to spy against the Constitution.

Why haven't we fired all of Washington yet? Why?

And while you're at it, say hello to Unclaimed Territory by Glenn Greenwald.

The Increasing Politics of Pain Control

Story here.

For those who have known me for a bit, I spent a long time working with cancer patients as well as serving as a hospice volunteer. I've been an advocate for proper control of pain; there are better ways to reduce the potential for or the access to drugs due to addiction than by denying those with true pain the medications or treatments they need.

Indeed, prohibition of many painkillers will do nothing more than drive addiction into greater rampancy while creating even more suffering among those who really require relief from pain. You hear a lot about Big Pharma controlling what drugs you can take without a prescription and some of this is accurate. The Partnership for a Drug Free America is funded, in large part, by companies like pharmaceutical manufacturers, and the alcohol and tobacco industries that don't want "illicit" drugs to compete with their markets.

But too little is appreciated about what the extreme right and some fundamentalists are doing. Remember how they went nuts that Terri Schiavo might be getting morphine to ease her passing? They're throwing up roadblocks all over for the use of drugs in pain control (probably while they guzzle their alcohol and Viagra and Propecia).

Er.. Yes...

(Some nice person just - although I am not sure how - contacted me via MSN Messenger to ask but then Mess. took itself offline so I could not answer.

But the answer is yes)

to help keep this blog running, donations are mightily appreciated. You can use the Amazon link at the lower right sidebar or go to Paypal where the name is katejchase@cut-to-the-chase.net. Thank you.

Is Attorney General Brown Noser Gonzales Withholding Plame Outing Emails?

From TruthOut:

Sources close to the investigation into the leak of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson have revealed this week that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has not turned over emails to the special prosecutor's office that may incriminate Vice President Dick Cheney, his aides, and other White House officials who allegedly played an active role in unmasking Plame Wilson's identity to reporters.

Moreover, these sources said that, in early 2004, Cheney was interviewed by federal prosecutors investigating the Plame Wilson leak and testified that neither he nor any of his senior aides were involved in unmasking her undercover CIA status to reporters and that no one in the vice president's office had attempted to discredit her husband, a vocal critic of the administration's pre-war Iraq intelligence. Cheney did not testify under oath or under penalty of perjury when he was interviewed by federal prosecutors.

The emails Gonzales is said to be withholding contained references to Valerie Plame Wilson's identity and CIA status and developments related to the inability to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Moreover, according to sources, the emails contained suggestions by the officials on how the White House should respond to what it believed were increasingly destructive comments Joseph Wilson had been making about the administration's pre-war Iraq intelligence.

Facial Shots, or Duck! It's Dick! Part Three

Posted by Frank at FiredogLake:

When Bill Clinton lied about shooting someone in the face, he was impeached. Shouldn't Dick Cheney get the same treatment?

Yes, but Bill (if I recall correctly from the infamous blue dress) missed, not the case with Deadeye/Deaddick Dick.

George S. Will: No Checks, Many Imbalances

George S. Will, no less:

Terrorism is not the only new danger of this era. Another is the administration's argument that the president alone, as commander in chief, may conduct the nation's foreign affairs.

And this:

The next time a president asks Congress to pass something akin to what Congress passed on Sept. 14, 2001 -- the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) -- the resulting legislation might be longer than Proust's "Remembrance of Things Past." Congress, remembering what is happening today, might stipulate all the statutes and constitutional understandings that it does not intend the act to repeal or supersede.

But, then, perhaps no future president will ask for such congressional involvement in the gravest decision government makes -- going to war. Why would future presidents ask, if the present administration successfully asserts its current doctrine? It is that whenever the nation is at war, the other two branches of government have a radically diminished pertinence to governance, and the president determines what that pertinence shall be. This monarchical doctrine emerges from the administration's stance that warrantless surveillance by the National Security Agency targeting American citizens on American soil is a legal exercise of the president's inherent powers as commander in chief, even though it violates the clear language of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was written to regulate wartime surveillance.

Secretary of Skank Condi Rice Wants $75 Million to Promote Democracy and Opposition in Iran

Well, there's another declaration of war; from WaPo:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asked Congress yesterday to provide $75 million in emergency funding to step up pressure on the Iranian government, including expanding radio and television broadcasts into Iran and promoting internal opposition to the rule of religious leaders.

The request would substantially boost the money devoted to confronting Iran -- only $10 million is budgeted to support dissidents in 2006 -- and signals a new effort by the Bush administration to persuade other nations to join the United States in a coalition to bolster Iranian activists, halt Iran's funding of terrorism and stem its nuclear ambitions, State Department officials said.

Imagine how the U.S. would respond if Iran earmarked $75 million (as just seed money, mind you) to promote the fundamentalist Islamification of Iowa or Indiana or one of those other silly I states?

Tell you what: I won't give Condikins the money if you won't.

Duck! It's Dick! Part Duh!

So do you suppose that Dick Cheney, tanked (and man, the stories of what he drank or didn't drink that weekend are wide apart, changing hourly, and seem both inconsistent with Cheney's history of DUI charges and known booziness as well as all the meds he takes for his heart), thought the Texas lawyer friend was Osama bin Laden Forgotten so he shot him?

Yeah, me neither. Dick wouldn't lift a gun for his country; just for his trophy case. He has other priorities.

Still, it's awfully hard to have birdshot lodge in the heart directly (vs. traveling through the bloodsteam) considering the "facts" of the case. Cheney and Rove are saying pellet gun, which he was NOT using since he had a fairly high powered shotgun. A distance of many yards does not work for that kind of bodily entry. Quite honestly, it sounds close to point blank which would mean the VP either wanted to hurt this man (unlikely) or was not in any shape to be shooting (far more likely).

You want this man a heart beat (not his; he does not have a heart) from the red button? I don't.

I liked what Jack Cafferty said, however, about Cheney only appearing on Faux News today with that great Fox (wheeze), Brit Hume.

To paraphrase,

"Having Brit Hume interview Cheney is like having Bonnie interview Clyde."

More Grisly Abu Ghraib Torture Images Surface

And we haven't begun to see - or learn about - the worst of them.

Why I Hate the Olympics!

I'm already getting um.... well, hate mail isn't quite the word but it's close.

Newfane, Vermont to Vote for Impeachment Proceedings Against the President of the United States

Gotta love Vermont Town Meeting Day which is - as always - the first Tuesday in March, come blizzard or Siberian Express swept in from Hudson Bay. (Vahmontahs know to come early and plan to spend the entire freakin' day because we WILL discuss every $20 allotment given to everything and lunch WILL be served, breakfahst too, don'tchaknow and durin' the break, we can chew about Ethel's new teeth and isn't that a hairpiece Rudyard's wearin'? With his money, you'd think he'd buy from a bettah catalog than Monkey Wards. Oops, sorry, I've lived here too long, haven't I?)

Constant, posting in comments (please don't worry about misspelling my name; I've done in more than once myself... example, "See you, Late!"), pointed me to something going on in my own state I did not know about: a perhaps end-run around at least the first stage at which the fat boys of Congress could quash a state's call for impeachment proceedings against King George the Stupid (so you don't confuse him with the other Kings George) and Arrogant.

To whit, it looks like Newfane (New, not profane, tyvm), Vermont is first to post this to their agenda for Town Meeting Day:

ARTICLE 29: We the voters of Newfane would like Town Meeting, March 2006, to consider the following resolution:

Whereas George W. Bush has:
1. Misled the nation about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction;
2. Misled the nation about ties between Iraq and Al Quaeda;
3. Used these falsehoods to lead our nation into war unsupported by international law;
4. Not told the truth about American policy with respect to the use of torture; and
5. Has directed the government to engage in domestic spying, in direct contravention of U.S. law.

Therefore, the voters of the town of Newfane ask that our representative to the U.S. House of Representatives file articles of impeachment to remove him from office.

Check out the diary at DailyKos on this as well as Odum's Green Mountain Daily here.

Check out Constant's blog regarding the issue here. If I read this correctly, it looks like Oregon and California may join Vermont in continuing on the Bushies shit list. Bring it on.

Or, for you Bushies out there, "Duck! It's Dick!"

White House Steamrolls Over Attempts to Launch NSA Spying Probe

Also from WaPo:

Congress appeared ready to launch an investigation into the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance program last week, but an all-out White House lobbying campaign has dramatically slowed the effort and may kill it, key Republican and Democratic sources said yesterday.

The Senate intelligence committee is scheduled to vote tomorrow on a Democratic-sponsored motion to start an inquiry into the recently revealed program in which the National Security Agency eavesdrops on an undisclosed number of phone calls and e-mails involving U.S. residents without obtaining warrants from a secret court. Two committee Democrats said the panel -- made up of eight Republicans and seven Democrats -- was clearly leaning in favor of the motion last week but now is closely divided and possibly inclined against it.

Terror "Watch" List in the US Stands at 325,000

A number which suspiciously has included, at times, Gore Vidal, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Ozzie and Harriet's son David, and others. Gee... are only non-Republicans on the Watch List?

Today in Bush Reality (Surreal to Most of the World)

... Cheney is expected to speak publicly about his shooting of a man in Texas.

Right. Through whom? Sean Hannity? Bill O'Reilly? Someone else who will phrase it, as Bob Schieffer on CBS did last night, that poor Mr. Cheney was the victim of an accident?

... The GOP is getting mighty concerned about Cheney as a liability. From WaPo:

Marlin Fitzwater, a former Republican White House spokesman, told Editor & Publisher magazine that Cheney "ignored his responsibility to the American people."

Yeah, they're just trying to protect the (cough) boy king, Bush, not to mention the 2006 mid-term elections.

... John Perkins, author of "Confessions of an Economic Hitman", says that he has proof that had Saddam agreed to give the Bushie-friendly oil companies really cheap oil priced in dollars and NOT Euros, he would still be president of the occupied Iraq. Perkins also says we're sending economic hitmen in to threaten Evo Morales in Bolivia.

Sadly, I really don't doubt this at all.

Liberal Media? Fair and Balanced? Yeah, Sure, Right

From Media Matters:

... as this study reveals, conservative voices significantly outnumber progressive voices on the Sunday talk shows. Media Matters for America conducted a content analysis of ABC's This Week, CBS' Face the Nation, and NBC's Meet the Press, classifying each one of the nearly 7,000 guest appearances during President Bill Clinton's second term, President George W. Bush's first term, and the year 2005 as either Democrat, Republican, conservative, progressive, or neutral. The conclusion is clear: Republicans and conservatives have been offered more opportunities to appear on the Sunday shows - in some cases, dramatically so.

Among the study's key findings:

The balance between Democrats/progressives and Republicans/conservatives was roughly equal during Clinton's second term, with a slight edge toward Republicans/conservatives: 52 percent of the ideologically identifiable guests were from the right, and 48 percent were from the left. But in Bush's first term, Republicans/ conservatives held a dramatic advantage, outnumbering Democrats/progressives by 58 percent to 42 percent. In 2005, the figures were an identical 58 percent to 42 percent.

Counting only elected officials and administration representatives, Democrats had a small advantage during Clinton's second term: 53 percent to 45 percent. In Bush's first term, however, the Republican advantage was 61 percent to 39 percent -- nearly three times as large.

In both the Clinton and Bush administrations, conservative journalists were far more likely to appear on the Sunday shows than were progressive journalists. In Clinton's second term, 61 percent of the ideologically identifiable journalists were conservative; in Bush's first term, that figure rose to 69 percent.

In 1997 and 1998, the shows conducted more solo interviews with Democrats/progressives than with Republicans/conservatives. But in every year since, there have been more solo interviews with Republicans/conservatives.

The most frequent Sunday show guest during this nine-year period is Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who has appeared 124 times. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) has been the most frequent guest since 2003.

In every year examined by the study -- 1997 - 2005 -- more panels tilted right (a greater number of Republicans/conservatives than Democrats/progressives) than tilted left. In some years, there were two, three, or even four times as many righttitled panels as left-tilted panels.

Congressional opponents of the Iraq war were largely absent from the Sunday shows, particularly during the period just before the war began.

In short, the Sunday talk shows on ABC, CBS, and NBC are dominated by conservative voices, from newsmakers to commentators. The data from the Clinton years indicate that the disparity cannot be explained simply by the fact that Republicans currently control the government.

Congress Continues to Shirk Its Duties While Forever Voting Itself Raises

Lifted from O'Franken Factor:

Rep. Henry Waxman's Comm on Government Reform:

One of Congress' main constitutional responsibilities is to conduct oversight to check abuses of power by other branches of government. During the last four years, however, Congress has failed to conduct meaningful investigations of allegations of serious misconduct involving the Bush Administration. As described below, Congress has failed to investigate:
• The role of the White House in promoting misleading intelligence about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and ties to al-Qaeda;
  
• The responsibility of senior Administration officials for the abuses at Abu Ghraib;
  
• The role of the Vice President's office in the award of Halliburton contracts;
  
• The role of the White House in withholding the Medicare cost estimates from Congress;
  
• The identity of the energy industry campaign contributors that met with the Vice President's energy task force;
  
• The role of White House officials in leaking the identity of a covert CIA agent;
  
• The influence of industry lobbyists in writing EPA regulations;
  
• Allegations of conflicts of interest at multiple federal agencies and the White House; and
  The role of Attorney General Ashcroft in illegal campaign finance activities.

Very Expensive Lipstick on Those Pigs!

Posted by Pudentilla at Skippy International (which sports a revised look):

it may be lipstick on a pig,

bush admin. spent over $1.6 billion on advertising and p.r. since 2003, gao finds - today rep. henry a. waxman, democratic leader nancy pelosi, rep. george miller, rep. elijah e. cummings, and other senior democrats released a new government accountability office report finding that the bush administration spent more than $1.6 billion in public relations and media contracts in a two and a half year span.

And THAT'S in addition to the billions in "royalty free" oil drilling we're giving energy companies this year that already received BILLIONS more in "incentive" tax breaks. You know, for companies that PAY no taxes.

Remember Enron paid no taxes for years while it got big tax breaks.

Praise to Jesus! And His General!

PatriotBoy is writing letters again!

Dear Pastor Mowery,I just recently learned about the good work you're doing with kids there at Combat for Christ. We need more programs like it. It's certainly the only program I'm aware of where a young "Christian Soldier" can receive the weapons training needed to "engage and eliminate [Jesus'] greatest enemies."

That said, I have a couple of concerns. First, you seem to be missing something in your firearms training. Although your web site features photos of kids firing pistols and shotguns, I couldn't find a single picture of one of these junior Christian soldiers executing the Cheney "swing around and shoot the guy behind you" maneuver. That raises a big red flag for me. I can't trust a man who doesn't show proper respect for the Deputy Leader's innovative shooting style.

Funny, my savior doesn't carry a gun. Why's that?

Do I Hear One Million?

According to The Times of London, the English language will soon anoint its one millionth word. Gee, that only took some centuries.

Please, dear Lord, don't let the millionth word be:

1) Truthiness
2) Nipplegate
3) Nukular
4) Any other Bushism

Now excuse me while I go find a downloadable version of "Drop Kick Me Jesus Through the Goal Posts of Life".

Why the Sudden Interest in Farris Hassan?

I notice the searches are going wild for him.

For those who have forgotten, he's the creepy Florida repugnantcan teen who cashed in his stocks (I don't think kids under 18 are supposed to own any) to go to Baghdad expecting America to protect him so he could become the media darling of the far right nut wing. Anyone who gives him anything more than a smack is a fool.

Duck! It's Dick!

Uh... so the fellow we were told just had a tiny bit of birdshot (the kind of thing where you go to the emergency room, they dig the stuff out, and send you home) and would go right home has now been moved BACK (did we hear he was there in the first place? Uh no...) to ICU because he had a heart attack with shot lodged IN his heart. Now he's expected to be in the ICU for at least another week.

Now, granted, Dick Cheney could never be hurt that way. He has no heart.

But I also noticed that White House medical staff is being widely consulted on the case, which means we're ALL picking up the tab for Dick's dickyness.

Man said he had "much bigger priorities" during Vietnam but loves those guns now.

There is, however, a much bigger issue here. If Cheney lies and counterfeits a shooting incident, what the hell else will he do?

The more this Administration plays out, the less I feel I know about 9/11 and the "official" version we have been given. I'm not even sure how much anyone in Afghanistan - Osama bin Laden Forgotten included - had to do with it. We already know they lied us into Iraq - and continue to lie their way through that "cakewalk" - and are using the exact SAME lies to bring us to Iran. And Iran will open up a whole new can of whoopass that may make these Muslims-Against-Danish-Mohammed-Cartoons riots seem like a game of ring-around-the-Bush-rosy.

Vermont Daily Briefing

I happened on Vermont Daily Briefing today and it's good. Non-Vermonters will enjoy the artwork (gotta love the Rove and Cheney caricatures), but stick around to read the commentary. A lot of non-Green Mountain cash and political clout is being used to turn Vermont's one US Senate opening (with the departure of GOP-turned-Indy) and its ONLY US House of Representatives seat (now held by Indy/Socialist Bernie Sanders who is going after Jeffords' seat) into a showcase for more of the right-wing nutcases we see elsewhere. Not good. Not good at all.

Also say hello to The Peace Garden.

Words of (Cough) Wisdom from Henry Kissinger

"Who controls the food supply controls the people; who controls the energy can control whole continents; who controls money can control the world."
~ Henry Kissinger

*************************************************
"We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth...for my part, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst; and to provide for it." -

Patrick Henry

Smoldering Embers...

You know, I was convinced today was going to go better. But after the chimney fire a little while ago - and my outrage that the Bushies stage scripted another day (apparently successfully), I think I'll just go up to my smoky bed for the first time before midnight since... well... I suspect I was 9.

Toodles.

Oh yes, and congratulations to fellow Vermont blogger, Cathy Resmer, and her significant other on the birth of their new baby boy.

Irony, Another Word Bush Does Not Know

Does anyone find it YET another irony that men like Cheney - and Bush, and Scalia, and Tom DeLay, and Clarence (hardly Darrow) Thomas, et al - did everything in their power to avoid wars they're happy to start themselves (yet not fight in) while they also then can't WAIT to pick up a gun against pheasants and, oh yes, doves?

Yes, the creepy VP loves to shoot doves.

Why am I not surprised?

Only thing a good Bush Republican won't do apparently is pick up a gun to fight in a war he starts. That's always someone else's - like a poor person's (and hopefully for the most rabid GOPers, some "shiftless wetback" or "colored") - cross to bear.

Montpelier and Peace

For those who failed to notice, more than 300 Vermonters braved very cold weather on Saturday to call for an end to the War ON Iraq. I have no doubt many of them included people, like me, whose previous marching and letter writing resulted on us appearing on government watch lists.

Nothing scarier than people who don't believe guns are the answer to everything, of course, and MUCH better to have a draft-dodging gun nut like Cheney in charge.

Impeachment Buzz, Wiretaps, and More

From John Conyers' blog:

First, I see in today's New York Times that Senators Kennedy and Feingold have also made inquiry of telecommunications firms concerning their involvement in the NSA wiretap scandal. I released a letter to numerous firms on the date of our Democratic hearing last month, but am glad to see that others are weighing in to help us get to the truth.

Second, I see the impeachment buzz is not abating. The New York Times writes on the issue (in the context of noting that the DOJ inquiry in the the so-called leak of the story is growing).

John Nichols of the Nation writes on the subject as well, with an extensive discussion of my resolution to investigate Bush Administration wrongdoing and make recommendations regarding impeachment.

Even the nitwit Heather Wilson (GOP, Planet Mud) - remember her? - is also starting to shout for a look into the NSA wiretap debacle.

On Impeachment? Please do!

White House Held News of Cheney's Half-Assed Shooting Incident for More Than 24 Hours...

And now we learn that all control for how things were handled to the public came not from Pennsylvania Avenue but from Cheney on his long, long weekend of shooting. Barf.

Fellow Vermont Blogs I Have Not Noted Before

Say hello to Vermonters First where you can find good stuff on Lake Champlain (the other great lake), Vermont National Guard honcho Martha Rainville's bid for Jeffords' seat, and the endorsement by Dean's Democracy for America of Bernie Sanders for US Senate and State Senate pro tem leader Pete Welch for Bernie's vacating seat).

(Me? I'm still shuddering at the Rich Tarrant - I'm from Florida... wait, NO! I'm from Vermont! Hey, I can buy my way out of tax trouble, too - candidacy for Bernie's current spot. He's already got $2M to "buy" this cheap seat and I do not like him one bit. Vermont only gets ONE US Congressman; let it NOT be Tarrant! I would also LOVE to see Jim Douglas sent back under his rock but 67% of Dems voted for this pompous Bushie ass last time out.)

Also say hello to Vermonters Against the Death Penalty. Vermont does not have the death penalty but the feds forced a death penalty case through up here with - of course - the predictable result of sentencing death. Anyone who has watched fed cases in the era of Ashcroft and Gonzales probably knows exactly how that works. The point with cases in New England was to "reduce the northeast's shyness about executing people. I'd rather just eliminate men like Ashcroft and Gonzales, and not in the death chamber either (TYVM).

Eventually - meaning when I find time and less chaos in my life - I'll get these progressive blogs onto the blogroll.

What is it With the Bushes and Cheneys?

Laura Bush, as a teenager, joy rides over another teenager - there was some question whether Laura and her friend in the car were drunk at the time and I've heard the victim they ran over died. Laura of course was NOT charged, the delicate little flower. Makes you realize how close to the tree Dubya and Laura's twins fell.

NOW VP Dick Cheney shot a friend and fellow hunter not once but SEVERAL times in one of his privileged, energy/oil company funded hunting trips of his. The victim, expected to survive, was a major donor to Bush/Cheney in 2000 and 2004.

The former I feel sorry for; the latter perhaps got what he deserved.

Of course, Mr. Cheney will face no charges either.

It's so nice to be privileged.

Feds Start Massive Data Mining Effort on Us All

Lovely story out of the Christian Science Monitor (Jill Carroll, our hopes are with you).

Funny, the Bushies get ALL the intelligence wrong but they have to know when our last bowel movement was.

Answering Email Including About the Appeal

Since my email is still a bit... uh.. non-functional, let me respond to a few emails here.

First, no, that was no joke in comments about John Bolton being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. There is always a loon somewhere willing to nominate a Bushie.

Second, yes, I am aware that former VP candidate John Edwards is in Vermont for an anti-poverty conference. I'm just too poor to attend. ;)

Third, Olympics? Sorry, I don't watch sports. :>

I also did not catch Tanya Hardin's miracle Hollywood makeover, Sheryl Crowe's breakup with the "energy enhanced" Lance Armstrong (Texas boys feel obligated and privileged to cheat), or the actual cartoon that spawned the Mohammed protests. I did catch O'Reilly once this week, however, and I'm still wretching because of it.

Fourth, no, my emergency situation that resulted in my appeal is not resolved. I was able to cobble together a temporary line but it's running over snow and negative temps so I do not expect it to last more than a day. I could be back offline by Monday but.. who knows...

Four people were very generous of their time, their hopes, and their finances, and it is appreciated. Hopefully, all four have received notes.

If you have money - and please do not try to give if your straits are as dire as mine - and want to donate, there is Paypal.com (address: katejchase@cut-to-the-chase.net) and my Amazon honor box on the lower right sidebar. Doing so will help keep another independent voice speaking. Thank you.

For Someone Who Can't Remember Ever Meeting Disgraced Man Who Bought Washington Jack Abramoff

Our belubbed president, George W. Bush, certainly had his picture taken often enough with lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his clients.

Bush Pushes Social Security Reform On the Sly - You'll Pay $700 Billion (For Starters)

What a sneaky bastard Bush is.

No one wanted it - and told him so loudly - so he slips it into the budget anyway at the same time he proposes billions in cuts for Medicare. Lovely man. You must be so proud if you voted for him. ::choke::

Thanks to MissM for the link.

Kenneth Starr, Again Shown a Liar and a Fraud

This was the man Bush I wanted to put on the Supreme Court after he pushed through the disastrous Clarence Thomas. And because Ken Starr didn't get his appointment, because Clinton said he would NOT nominate Starr, we ended up with an investigation that some peg at costing more than $200 million before it was finished that ONLY proved there was dried semen on the blue dress of a consenting adult woman.

I bring you, Ken Starr, liar and fraud.

From CNN:

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Lawyers for a death row inmate, including former Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth Starr, sent fake letters from jurors asking California's governor to spare the man's life, prosecutors said Friday.

The jurors denied they thought Michael Morales deserved clemency because some of the testimony at his trial may have been fabricated, said Nathan Barankin, spokesman for Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

Kenneth Starr is best known as the special prosecutor in the Monica Lewinsky affair during President Bill Clinton's administration.

Pious, sanctimonious, stinking piece of GOP elephant dung.

One You Won't Believe

Something else from The Carpetbagger Report you probably won't believe even after you read:

Before the president delivered remarks on the war on terror in the National Guard Building in DC, Bush received a nice bronze gift.

Presidents are often memorialized in their most famous moments — George Washington crossing the Delaware, Theodore Roosevelt at San Juan Hill.
Now President Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard has been immortalized in bronze. The National Guard Association of the United States yesterday unveiled a bust of a young Lt. George W. Bush.

Now, if only Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard deserved to be immortalized in bronze, the bust might have been more appropriate.

A review of the regulations governing Bush's Guard service during the Vietnam War shows that the White House used an inappropriate — and less stringent — Air Force standard in determining that he had fulfilled his duty.

Because Bush signed a six-year "military service obligation," he was required to attend at least 44 inactive-duty training drills each fiscal year beginning July 1. But Bush's own records show that he fell short of that requirement, attending only 36 drills in the 1972-73 period, and only 12 in the 1973-74 period. The White House has said that Bush's service should be calculated using 12-month periods beginning on his induction date in May 1968. Using this time frame, however, Bush still fails the Air Force obligation standard.

Moreover, White House officials say, Bush should be judged on whether he attended enough drills to count toward retirement. They say he accumulated sufficient points under this grading system. Yet, even using their method, which some military experts say is incorrect, U.S. News 's analysis shows that Bush once again fell short. His military records reveal that he failed to attend enough active-duty training and weekend drills to gain the 50 points necessary to count his final year toward retirement.

The U.S. News analysis also showed that during the final two years of his obligation, Bush did not comply with Air Force regulations that impose a time limit on making up missed drills. What's more, he apparently never made up five months of drills he missed in 1972, contrary to assertions by the administration.

According the WaPo account of yesterday's event, after receiving the bust, the president "seemed no more eager to talk about [his Guard service] yesterday than he did in his 2004 reelection campaign" and "offered virtually no comment on the bust at all." Sore subject?

A Bushie Week in Review

One more before I go struggle with email (again); this from the good folks at The Carpet Bagger:

* In an unprecedented action, the Environmental Protection Agency's own scientific panel challenged the agency's proposed public health standards governing soot and dust. Scientists found that Bush appointees "twisted" or "misrepresented" their recommendations in an "egregious" fashion, and inserted language into EPA reports from trade associations' lobbyists.

* The White House really did expose the identity of an undercover CIA agent.

* The White House unveiled one of the most irresponsible federal budgets anyone has ever seen and intentionally left out most funding for the war.

* State Department officials appointed by Bush have sidelined key career weapons experts and replaced them with less experienced political operatives who share the White House and Pentagon's distrust of international negotiations and treaties.

* The warrantless-search program Bush uses to capture bad guys isn't actually capturing bad guys.

* The former CIA official who coordinated U.S. intelligence on the Middle East accused the administration of "cherry-picking" intelligence and misusing intelligence "to justify decisions already made."

* The administration knew far more, far earlier about Katrina than they've been willing to admit.

* Jack Abramoff had far more, far closer connections to the president than the White House has been willing to admit.

* Scooter Libby told a grand jury that he was authorized by his "superiors," including the Vice President, to disclose classified information to reporters about Iraq's weapons capability in June and July 2003.

* The president boasted about thwarting a terrorist attack in Los Angeles, but a series of experts and administration officials suggest that Bush seriously exaggerated this threat.

Remember, for some administrations, this might be several months' worth of controversies. And yet, it's just another typical week in Bush's America.

Iraq, Iran, Israel, Oil, The Iranian Oil Bourse and Oh Vey!

Posted at Vermont Commons:

GGreat article providing a neat overview of imperialism and the dollar. With more and more rumblings of a new war with Iran, the need to escape the Empire may soon become much more pressing.

March arrives this year as the date for the establishment of the Iranian Oil Bourse, and coincidentally enough, the month by which Israel plans to attack Iran's alleged nuclear weapons facilities. (Note the statement provided by Netanyahu, "...that if Sharon did not act against Iran, 'then when I form the new Israeli government, we’ll do what we did in the past against Saddam’s reactor, which gave us 20 years of tranquillity.'” One certainly wonders what Sharon's recent stroke implicates.)

Anyway. I think I'll take my annual Spring vacation in February this year.

Waldo...

A free wish on what looks to be a nice little meteor shower going on right now to the first person who can answer this little question.

Google can help you answer the first part of it, but you're probably going to need to go Boolean to adequately answer the second.

What does "waldo" mean and who was the first sci-fi author to coin it?

At least eight of you I'm going to be sorely disappointed in if you do not answer correctly.

Now I'm going to go back and fight with my mailbox which won't send, receive, or [bleeping] shutdown for that matter.

Test

1-2-3- and if you're the governor of Cal-eee-foh-knee-ah (yes, you, Arnold) - 7.

The Iranian Oil Bourse

You NEED to know how this can affect us.

At first blush, you might dismiss the Iranian Bourse, the Iranian oil exchange which is set to open next month. But there are a horde of reasons why you should endeavor to learn more.

Not necessarily exclusive yet certainly not helped by our saber rattling at Iran to complete a stretch of land we started with occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Iranian Oil Bourse will NOT deal with U.S. dollars. Important? You bet.

Some predict this will send the American dollar into a great freefall than it already is. For all the Bush years, the American dollar has had less and less value.

Some links to the Iranian Oil Bourse discussion can be found here, and here, and here, and here, and here. Please add your own links as you find them. You also may want to look at PeakOil.

This warrants our full attention and now.

Bush
Iran
PeakOil
Terrorism

The Bushies' Latest Lie: We Thwarted a Second 9/11

That's what the Bushies suddenly pulled out of their rumps today. It was effective enough to bump the other news - like that Bush told Tony Blair we were going to squash Iraq regardless of diplomatic efforts in the leadup to Bush Gulf War II and that Scooter Libby (sans crutches) said top White House brass signed off on the leak of Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA operative to the press as a means of attack against former Amb. Joseph (Joe) Wilson - off the radar.

Well, folks, isn't it WAY past time we tell the Bushies to put up or shut up?

Dear Mr. Bush:

PROVE WHAT YOU SAY.

Don't hide behind the NSA and Islamic names and Dick Cheney's bravado.

Show us some proof or shut the you-know-what-up.

You're making this stuff up. You're desperate to scare people. You're a bully AND a coward and it's time a few fools realized this, including you and Cheney.

Signed,
Your Less Than Loving Public, the People You Screw More Aggressively Than Anything Bill Clinton Ever Did With Monica Lewinsky

The Mohammed Cartoons

Can you believe this?

Well, even if you can, I found it the height of hubris for Condi Rice to stand there with her Israeli counterpart to demand the violence stop while Bush - the greatest perpetrator of global violence perhaps ever - said to cut it out as well.

But, when all it said and done, it IS a cartoon. The Bushies would love to stop negative attacks against them. I don't think newspaper cartoons should be censored.

Why did Muslims never appear in the streets in such numbers to protest the Bush actions? I think they have much greater cause for concern there.

Thank You!

I am trying - seemingly futilely - to post Web based email to those of you kind enough to offer a bit of assistance at this time of high expenses that has forced me offline at least temporarily. I'm closer to getting back, and want to thank those of you who have helped. If you haven't gotten a personal mail from me, you should receive one today, Web gods willing.

Offline Appeal

Hi folks:

I come to you hat in hand, and embarrassed.

I've got a handful of issues that can all be resolved when someone pays me, but it looks like that may be weeks more. Namely, I've got a dead phone line with an ice-severed cable leading up to it, two dead computers and a third about to die, which means no computer, no access (except for 20 mile trips to the public library).

So, if you've ever been tempted to drop a few dollars to help sustain a blog, now would be an opportune time. As soon as I get the funds, one way or another, I will return. In the meantime, it will be hit or miss as I can get here.

If you want to donate to the blog fund, my paypal address is katejchase@cut-to-the-chase.net. I would not suggest sending me email, however, because it is too difficult to access everything via public computer.