ThinkFast: October 18, 2006
ThinkFast: October 18, 2006
“Ten U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq on Tuesday, one of the bloodiest days of the war for American forces outside of major combat operations.” At least 68 soldiers have been killed in October, on pace to “make it the deadliest month for U.S. forces since January 2005.”
“Gerry Studds, the nation’s first openly gay congressman, pushed the country to another landmark development when he died Saturday: the federal government for the first time will deny death benefits to a congressman’s gay spouse.” Studds and Dean Hara were partners for 15 years and legally married in Massachussetts in 2004.
23: Percentage of Americans who approve of job Congress is going, according to a new Gallup poll. Only 30 percent are satisfied with the country’s direction. “Both figures are on the low end of what Gallup has measured historically.”
Federal agents are investigating ties between Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA) and Bogoljub Karic, “a wealthy Serbian businessman who had been barred from visiting or trading with the United States because of his close ties to former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.”
Larry Diamond, a former advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq and a member of the Iraq Study Group, warned the U.S. “could have just weeks, not months, to avoid an all-out civil war.” “The civil war is already well along,” Diamond said. “We have no way of knowing if it’s too late until we try a radically different course.”
A Government Accountability Office report found the Homeland Security Department “ignored its own tests” showing radiation detectors at ports and border crossing “could not meet a standard of detecting enriched uranium 95 percent of the time.” “When the nuclear material was shielded, detection rates ranged from 17 percent to 53 percent.”
A University of Wisconsin study of TV coverage found that Midwest broadcasters “allocated an average of less than 30 seconds per 30-minute news broadcast to election coverage” compared to “two minutes for crime stories, seven minutes for sports and weather, and 10 minutes for advertising.”
One in four children around the world still live in extreme poverty. The “share of children now living in extreme poverty ranges from 5 per cent in some SEE (South Eastern Europe) countries to a startling 80 per cent in the poorest Central Asia countries.”
Dr. O’Reilly will see you now. “On his radio show, Bill O’Reilly falsely claimed that it ‘is never the case’ that a ‘mother’s life is in danger’ during pregnancy because ‘you can always have a C-section and do those kinds of things.’”
And finally: In his new book, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) “recalls a meet-and-greet encounter at the White House with George W. Bush, who warmly shook his hand, then ‘turned to an aide nearby, who squirted a big dollop of hand sanitizer in the president’s hand.’ (’Good stuff,’ he quotes the president as saying, as he offered his guest some. ‘Keeps you from getting colds.’)”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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Oh boy – the OBama factoid’s a killer. I bet W just hates those colds he gets from black people!
October 18th, 2006 at 9:04 amO’Reilly is as qualified to give medical advice on pregnancy as a pig is to give advice on flying. Is there any real evidence that Bill O’Reilly is an intelligent educated member of homo sapiens sapiens?
October 18th, 2006 at 9:10 amusing that stuff after shaking hands (Especially if it’s with alot of people) is very common…
October 18th, 2006 at 9:10 am10 dead. I wonder what the death count would be if things weren’t going remarkably well?
October 18th, 2006 at 9:11 amI’m still unclear whether posting on progressive sites like TP makes me an Unlawful Enemy Combatant in Bush’s eyes? With the passage of the Military Commissions Act yesterday we now live in a country where we could have our door kicked down, be renditioned to some 3rd world country and tortured forever. And the president can have this done to you with absolutely no checks, balances or reviews.
So I ask again, is posting on progressive sites like TP the act of Unlawful Enemy Combatant’s in Bush’s eyes? If you say NO, could you please explain.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:12 amIs the government also denying benefits to the underage page’s studds had sex with?
October 18th, 2006 at 9:19 am#6
October 18th, 2006 at 9:30 amTerry King,
First it is page(singular). Get your facts in order before typing. Second, the government would be just as responsible for that page’s benefits as they would be for Rep. Dan Crane’s (R-Ill.) underage page that he had sex with in the same scandal. If you were trying to be funn, congratulations you are funny.
Using that hand lotion during a meet and greet is exceptionally rude.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:30 amYou do it before the session and after, but not during – especially if you are greeting senators in the WH.
‘Keeps you from getting colds.’
Everyone in the Bush administration should have hand sanitizer injected into their hearts.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:35 amSomething you missed:
Discuss Military Commissions Act
My questions:
Why do legal immigrants lose the protection of the Constitution under the Military Commissions Act of 2006?
Why is it necessary to hold someone indefinitely, even for life, without habeus corpus, pending a determination of whether or not the person even is an “unlawful enemy combatant?”
How is it that the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which covers activities occuring before, during or after September 11, 2001, not an ex post facto law?
What is the definition of “hostilities against the United States” according to the Military Commissions Act of 2006?
The Military Commissions Act of 2006 gives the President the authority to interpret the Geneva Convention. Since the Geneva Convention, as a treaty, is part of the supreme law of the land, isn’t this giving the Executive Branch the power to do that which has been the exclusive perview of the Judicial Branch, that is, the power to interpret the law?
In addition, the Military Commissions Act of 2006 states that the Executive Orders issued by the President interpreting the Geneva Convention will have the force of Law. Doesn’t that mean the Executive Branch now also is writing the law? How does this comport with the separation of powers doctrine in the Constitution?
Does the clause allowing evidence seized without a warrant or any other proceedural safeguards violate the 4th Amendment?
Does the clause allowing an individual’s statement obtained through coercion violate the 5th Amendment?
Do the clauses allowing classified evidence violate the 5th Amendment?
Do the clauses eliminating habeus corpus and allowing a closed trial violate the 6th Amendment?
What happens to United States Citizens who are determined to be “unlawful enemy combatants?”
Can Congress pass and the President can enforce a law which strips jurisdiction from the courts from ever hearing a constitutional challenge to that law?
Can the Courts hear a constitutional challenge to the habeus corpus provisions in the Military Commissions Act of 2006?
If not, hasn’t Congress by statute nullified significant consitutional protections afforded legal immigrants?
Since the Military Commissions Act of 2006 allows the government to keep its methods of obtaining evidence through coercion classified, what guarantees are there that evidence elicited through torture won’t be used?
October 18th, 2006 at 9:36 amBriseadh+na+Faire-
October 18th, 2006 at 9:39 amI forget-How many Democrats voted for the MC Act?
Klyde
As you say, ten dead. The Republicans nod in agreement with what Bush says while only one of the Democrats out of the 22 that Rahm Emanuel is pushing in this November’s elections is calling for an immediate withdrawal of those troops from that abattoir in Iraq. The Bush administration knows that it can continue to sacrifice the military for no legitimate reason because virtually no one in either of the two major parties objects to those troops getting shot at and blown apart on a regular basis in Iraq. No one in either party can claim to support those troops if they are not demanding that those troops be removed from that slaughterhouse post haste.
It was Waist Deep in the Big Muddy
October 18th, 2006 at 9:40 amand the Big Fool said to push on
#8 – All Sen. Obama had to say is “Yes, Mr. President, I’d appreciate some of the sanitizer! Who know’s who you’ve been shaking hands with, right!?!?”
October 18th, 2006 at 9:42 am’Good stuff,’ he quotes the president as saying, as he offered his guest some. ‘Keeps you from getting colds.’
October 18th, 2006 at 9:45 amIs the same lotion Mark Foley used with Pages? I think
Hasturd & Welldone could use some right now.
11 – why don’t you google it and find out. But take Leiberman off the list of Democrats. He’s running as an Independent now, with Republican support.
And while you’re at it, you can find out how many Republicans voted for it as well.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:46 amBriseadh+na+Faire,
October 18th, 2006 at 9:50 amWell, you know, one would expect that a “non-partisan”website like TP would have these numbers on hand. It is after all the gutting of our constitution we’re talking about…
1. Studds’ spouse get nothing, but since Ken Lay died after conviction but pending appeal, his family gets to keep “tens of millions of dollars” he stole from investors.
2. Foley’s and Studd’s pages were of consentual age in Wash. DC. (16 y.o. – why? cuz congressmen determine DC law, or course) But foley violated the Adam Walsh Act, which he sponsored. And the age specified in that law is 18 y.o. Don’t wanna hear about Studds anymore. Irrelevant. Happened in an age when you could still hear “Sweet Little Sixteen” on the radio.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:52 amIs the government also denying benefits to the underage page’s studds had sex with?
Comment by Terry_King — October 18, 2006 @ 9:19 am
And “page’s” is not the plural form of “page.” It’s possessive. Go back to school, young man.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:55 am16 – perhaps you would expect some else to do your research for you, but most of us post our own links to information. If you really want TP to provide the numbers, all you have to do is look back through the treads. They’ve been posted already.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:57 amDr. O’Reilly will see you now. “On his radio show, Bill O’Reilly falsely claimed that it ‘is never the case’ that a ‘mother’s life is in danger’ during pregnancy because ‘you can always have a C-section and do those kinds of things.’â€
Ok, right off the top of my head, these three:
Ectopic pregnancy
Preeclampsia
Toxemia
Bill O’Reilly — STFU, you moron.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:58 am#10 BNF, What is the definition of “hostilities against the United States†according to the Military Commissions Act of 2006?
This is the big question IMO.
Bush sees the world in Black and White. Bush once said, “You’re either with us or against us”. His former press secretary Ari Fleisher once said “All Americans need to watch what they say”.
So are those who speak out in disagreement with Bush’s Straussian Neo-con beliefs Enemy Combatants in his eyes?
My questions to Alberto Gonzales would be simpler than yours.
My Question: Alberto, I don’t wish to be an Enemy Combatant and shipped to a secret prison and tortured forever. So I humbly ask you Alberto to help me understand what I’m allowed to do.
1) Am I allowed to write, speak and think ideas that are in direct opposition to the Presidents’?
2) Can I donate money to causes and organizations whose purpose is to elect officials who oppose your views?
3) Can I organize protests to try and defeat your ideas?
4) Can you provide a list of people/groups that you currently consider enemies of the U.S. so that I can decide BEFOREHAND whether or not I want to associate with them.
These are just a few of my questions for Elian oops I mean Alberto Gonzales.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:59 amAir America failed because of the duplicitous nature of it’s message.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:59 amThey couldn’t intellectually discuss Israel without suffering a deluge of callers angry at American Imperialism, and so on.
Of course, TP doesn’t have that problem. TP has taken duplicity to unimaginable heights…
After the mid-terms – widen the scope of my investigations and broaden my subpoena power – I will bring all these evildoers to their knees.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:00 amBriseadh+na+Faire,
October 18th, 2006 at 10:01 amI think you’re losing it, dude. More than 25% of Senate Democrats and God, a higher percentage? of House Dems voted for it?
TP knows the exact numbers…
Here’s a refresher on the Dem’s that voted for the Military Commissions Act.
12 Democrats voted for.
Carper (D-DE)
Johnson (D-SD)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Salazar (D-CO)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Stabenow (D-MI)
1 republican voted against.
Chafee (R-RI)
1 republican did not vote.
Snowe (R-ME)
Found these on the US Senate website.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:05 amhellinabucket,
October 18th, 2006 at 10:10 amThanks for those numbers of Senate Democrats who voted for the Military Commissions Act which gutted our constitution.
Expose+the+Pedaphile+Protectors,
Right, because Democrats clearly have the majority right now…
October 18th, 2006 at 10:11 amA Government Accountability Office report found the Homeland Security Department “ignored its own tests†showing radiation detectors at ports and border crossing “could not meet a standard of detecting enriched uranium 95 percent of the time.†“When the nuclear material was shielded, detection rates ranged from 17 percent to 53 percent.â€
How do you feel about this one Expose+the+Pedaphile+Protectors? Feeling all warm cuddly in your bed at night?
October 18th, 2006 at 10:12 amDemocrats in favor
Carper (Del.),
Johnson (S.D.),
Landrieu (La.),
Lautenberg (N.J.),
Lieberman (Conn.),
Menendez (N.J),
Pryor (Ark.),
Rockefeller (W. Va.),
Salazar (Co.),
Stabenow (Mich.),
Nelson (Fla.),
Nelson (Neb.)
Republicans against
Chafee (R.I.)
Independents against
Jeffords
So basically the bulk of the Democrats actually voted against it, (34 against, 34-2(Chafee and Jeffords) means 32 Democrats voted against it. It is better then just the 1 Republican (who as a man has earned my respect, it couldn’t have been easy going against his party like that) but still grounds for getting rid of the 12 Democrats.
I know Katy is going to say “But we need every seat, blah, blah, blah” but the fact is that these guys voted against oversight and against the US Constitution, to vote for them after that and claim to be voting for oversight and the constitution is just stupid. If they are willing to stab you in the back over torture, they are willing to stab you in the back for anything.
If you are in Conneticut, vote Lamont. With the primaries passed in those other states, vote independent. Even a real Republican is better then a fake Democrat.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:15 amIf they are willing to stab you in the back over torture, they are willing to stab you in the back for anything.
Right on, brother.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:20 amKeith Olbermann is doing a special comment tonight on his show about the death of Habeas Corpus.
Make sure to watch. Last night he had Jonathan Turley on the show to talk about this, and he was visibly upset about the turn this country has taken.
Once we lose rights, it’s very difficult to get them back, much more difficult than simply taking back power in November. Starting today, this is The New United States of America, and it ain’t pretty.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:24 amETPP here is the list of the Republicans who are gutting the constitution:
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
That’s 53 Republican Senators that would rather be in lock step with this Administration then to stand up for what is right.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:27 amMr. Expose (can I call you X?):
October 18th, 2006 at 10:32 amI don’t normally do this, but, y’know, It really takes a special kind of person to misspell their own name…
You might want to take care of it?
[...] Original post by Think Progress [...]
October 18th, 2006 at 10:37 amAnd Darth Cheney says Iraq is going “remarkably well.”
October 18th, 2006 at 10:38 amLast time I checked AAR was still on the air. They got into financial trouble because as a former executive producer implies the people at the top early on had no financial acumen. In other words the first CEO didn’t know what he was doing.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:42 am#31, Zooey,
October 18th, 2006 at 10:44 amTurley has been a staunch defender of the Constitution and last night was not the first time I have seen him visibly shaken and dismayed (is that word strong enough?) at this turn of events by the Chimp in chief.
I am also looking forward to Keith’s essay tonight.
I don’t understand the apathy of Americans in this regard. I think it shows an embarrassing ignorance by the populace.
This habeus corpus is a rule of law that goes back hundreds of years – more than 800, I believe – and the wanton writing off of this important protection is unconscionable.
Can this law be used to ship this Admin to GETMO after the election as enemy of the state. I think it’s laws like that that enable dictator to rule.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:45 am#36 AAR is still on the air. Just like United Airlines are still flying after filing. Restructuring is very common. Something I believe the republicans have used for a shield for many years.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:47 amI am particularly incensed at Warner and Graham and McCain for their personal sell-out to Bush&Co in writing off the writ of habeus corpus.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:47 amDo not believe what they say – you see what they do.
I heard that the Bushies have purchased a huge tract of land in South America (Paraguay?) Do you think that is because if he is to be tried for war crimes, he is safer there?
October 18th, 2006 at 10:49 ampbg –
As far as I can tell he meant pedophile. That’s certainly the closest matching word.
That would mean that he wants us to expose people who have a foot fetish. Because, damn, you don’t want any of those foot fetishists forgetting which way they were supposed to vote because Condi just bought a pair of open toed stilletoes…
Z.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:50 am68 soldiers dead? Hmmm……..
October 18th, 2006 at 10:51 amUsing Bush Chisenbop that comes tooo….. ummm…….. 5.
How about Joe Barton, Congressman from Texas. Here is a man who’s actions are not affecting teenage pages, but instead his actions are affecting autistic children of all ages, race, and sex. This man’s actions of hijacking the “Combating Autism Act†are deplorable. This thing raced through the house, it’s in line to do great things for this disease that affects so many kids, so he takes actions to stall and kill it.
What a clown. It’s amazing no one is covering this.. .
October 18th, 2006 at 11:09 amOLiely is a obstetrician/gynecologist now? We are all aware of his obsession with women and their reproductive organs, but heretofore, it has been only in relation to his own pleasure. I see he has extrapolated his fascination now to the medical perspective.
October 18th, 2006 at 11:11 amPerhaps he will add medical advice in his syndicated columns.
And finally: In his new book, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) “recalls a meet-and-greet encounter at the White House with George W. Bush, who warmly shook his hand, then ‘turned to an aide nearby, who squirted a big dollop of hand sanitizer in the president’s hand.’ (’Good stuff,’ he quotes the president as saying, as he offered his guest some. ‘Keeps you from getting colds.’)â€
Do you think the smell of alcohol makes Georgie want to go hit the Jim Beam?
October 18th, 2006 at 11:28 am“10 dead. I wonder what the death count would be if things weren’t going remarkably well?.” klyde
October 18th, 2006 at 11:42 amNext time a right wing Bush-worshipping inbred says “…what about Harry Reid?”…
… so Reid’s indiscretion makes it alright for YOU to support Foley, Bush, Hastert, Weldon, Ney, DeLay, and all of the other Repulsivescum criminals?
…in spite of what they’ve done to our country and world?
…talk about SPECIAL!
October 18th, 2006 at 11:48 amMy condolences to the families of the ten servicemen or women killed in a single day of combat.
October 18th, 2006 at 12:07 pmOn your conscience, Mr President, if you have one.
Thank God the mission has been accomplished. Otherwise, all these deaths might be in vain.
October 18th, 2006 at 12:13 pmoh wait, I forgot. What WAS the mission anyway?
October 18th, 2006 at 12:14 pmGood Morning all,. Well maybe not……..Most of the public don’t even know about the dreadful bill that was signed by heir dictator yesterday….My letter to the editor was not published in the local rag here on the west coast and I would guess several others were not as well..Begged for the paper to run something on the front page or atleast page 2, and nothing…..It went the same way when I called the miserable patriot act to their attention several year’s ago…They rarely run anything about Iraq either. Some times there is a small note at the end of section one…..This is how they dumb down the public……
Now what.?…..This is a night mare I never thought our country would come to…..In answering someone’s post about what (they) can do for posting here, everything we do now put’s all of us at risk. Bull shit bush and rummy have the authority to arrest, incarcerate and hold anyone for ever and execute as well all in secret…..The patriot act gave the madman the authority to go any where and go to war, this bill allow’s them to do what ever they want in secret…….Am I affraid?, no. Will my country protect me?, no….Now we can be called their enemy if they choose…
I din’t see any up side here but there is a thought for the troll’s to consider…What if we get the dem’s back in power and take the black house in 2008 (if we all live that long)…Supose for a moment we get a nut bag dem in power and the roll’s are reversed and the bill’s are still in effect……Then it is them that will be in danger….
Funny how I don’t think of Dem’s or Rep’s when I read these dreadful bill’s and I don’t think of them or us when I scream and holler at representatives to stop a bill or vote against a certain judge. I look at the fact’s and the bill or person’s record and think of all citizen’s and my country….I look to the constitution and how it may affect all my country, sadly I think most people do not think that way…..When the latest madness surfaced I thought of all people, here first and then every where else……
A note to the trolls or republican’s and neo-con’s, do you want to win so badly you are willing to give up all you’re right’s to do it.? I’m not……I don’t realy care about winning the mad race to the black house, I care that all of us have lost and now are in a dictatorship. We are now no better than the Korean run country and we have as big a bunch of wackos running our country as they do……Stop and think out side of you’re talking point’s and fear based hatred for people that don’t agree, think for a moment that there may be a future….Stop, think damn it and look what is realy happening here, you have lost you’re right’s along with us..Blessings all….
October 18th, 2006 at 12:22 pmThe bill I signed yesterday helps lock down this country, and it sends a clear message: This nation is impatient and indecent and unfair, and we will never back down from threatening your freedoms.”
October 18th, 2006 at 1:12 pmCurt Weldon R-PA has been screaming bloody murder about the ‘Able Danger’ military intelligence program. Right up until his offices were raided. Read about it on Wiki.
I’m not saying the Feds shouldn’t look into his daughters lobbying contracts and all that, I’m just saying that the reports talking about the investigation don’t talk about the controversy at all. Weldon’s been a squeaky wheel, why don’t the Repub’s come to his aid? Why would they waste their time defending Foley instead of Weldon?
October 18th, 2006 at 3:06 pmRegarding Post #10. Mr. Gonzales did not answer any of my questions.
The question and answer session is here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/ask/20061018.html
You can compare for yourself the questions he chose to answer and the questions he chose to ignore.
October 18th, 2006 at 5:26 pmIs there any real evidence that Bill O’Reilly is an intelligent educated member of homo sapiens sapiens?
Comment by Skeptic
To date, none has surfaced. That’s why I enjoyed writing a song parody about how Bill-O lies all the time. You can see it on my blog (click on my name.)
October 18th, 2006 at 5:57 pmWayne A.,
I know you’ll appreciate this one…
…last night I sneaked a peak…
…and right at that moment heard Billy O tell his guest…
…”I’m a historian…”
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!
October 19th, 2006 at 11:17 am