ThinkFast: June 4, 2007
ThinkFast: June 4, 2007
“The protests in Europe started even before President Bush’s scheduled departure Monday morning for an eight-day visit to six countries, including the G-8 summit in Germany. Over the weekend, demonstrators in Germany were out protesting many issues, but Bush and Iraq are near the top of their list.”
“House Oversight and Government Reform Committee staffers appear close to an agreement that would limit the number of e-mails the panel will demand from the Republican National Committee as part of an investigation of political presentations given to federal agencies.”
War critics in Congress “plan a summer of repeated Iraq-related votes” designed to force Bush supporters “to abandon the White House before the fall.” The votes will be linked to expanded local campaigns to pressure members in their own states. “Our job is to go into the congressional districts of members and create a political environment that is toxic,” said Tom Matzzie of Americans Against Escalation in Iraq.
A legal battle with global implications begins tomorrow with the Guantanamo Bay arraignment of Omar Ahmed Khadr, accused of killing a U.S. soldier with a grenade in 2002, when he was 15 years old. “A range of legal experts describe as the first child fighter in decades to face war-crimes charges.”
“After promising unprecedented openness regarding Congress’ pork barrel practices, House Democrats are moving in the opposite direction as they draw up spending bills for the upcoming budget year.” Democrats are sidestepping their own rules and adding earmarks when it is “too late for critics to effectively challenge them.”
More than four years into the Iraq war, the Defense Department “has formed a task force comprised of military and federal law enforcement agencies” to “investigate contract fraud and public corruption related to Iraq reconstruction.”
The Senate architects of a “delicate immigration compromise are increasingly convinced that they will hold together this week to pass an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, with momentum building behind one unifying theme: Today’s immigration system is too broken to go unaddressed.”
Due to the growing climate crisis, the Weather Channel “has seen its primary subject turn into a hot-button issue,” and “has decided not to tread gingerly,” covering climate change and related science. “If The Weather Channel isn’t talking about climate change and global warming, who is?” a network executive said.
And finally: Last week at a conference, a colleague of actor Ben Affleck asked former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay if he’d sign a copy of ‘No Retreat, No Surrender‘ for the Hollywood actor.” Even though Affleck is outspoken on liberal issues, DeLay admitted that he is a big fan of Affleck’s 1995 film “Mallrats.” DeLay’s inscription to Affleck: “Ben and Jen — Loved you in Mallrats, this book is kind of like that. Keep the Faith — Tom DeLay.”
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Dear Tom,
Loved you in ‘HallRats’, keep the faith & a stiff upper lip.
BTW, if you run into Paris in the slammer, tell her the same.
Cordially,
June 4th, 2007 at 9:14 amZimzone
Bush nuncle, give me an egg, sirrah, and I’ll give you two crowns.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:15 amMaybe Tom DeLay can do a movie about his years in Congress, and call it “Hallrats”
June 4th, 2007 at 9:15 amAnother day of Bush Regime corruption and another day of corporate press stupidity.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:16 amRegarding the headlines – ho hum, ho hum.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:17 amAt least, ThinkProgress was considerate enough to not include Paris’ quest for glory.
Status quo = no change from last week, last year.
The protests in Europe started even before President Bush’s scheduled departure Monday morning for an eight-day visit to six countries, including the G-8 summit in Germany. Over the weekend, demonstrators in Germany were out protesting many issues, but Bush and Iraq are near the top of their list.
The King must be so confused…..afterall, everyone close to him loves him so…
June 4th, 2007 at 9:22 amWhy would Affleck want a copy of Delay’s book with a personal note to him? Is Ben really a Republican masquerading as a Liberal/Progressive?
June 4th, 2007 at 9:22 amAfter promising unprecedented openness regarding Congress’ pork barrel practices, House Democrats are moving in the opposite direction as they draw up spending bills for the upcoming budget year.†Democrats are sidestepping their own rules and adding earmarks when it is “too late for critics to effectively challenge them.
This is why we don’t trust you, idiots.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:24 amMore fun here…
London 2012 has just unveiled its (dreadful) Olympic logo, and our limey cousins are ready to grab their pitchforks:
http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/change-the-london-2012-logo.html
June 4th, 2007 at 9:24 amMore than four years into the Iraq war, the Defense Department “has formed a task force comprised of military and federal law enforcement agencies†to “investigate contract fraud and public corruption related to Iraq reconstruction.
The barn door is open, the horse has escaped, varmints moved into the barn, the barn rotted and fell down, and someone set a match to the rubble……….now, lets check that door…
Jeebus….
June 4th, 2007 at 9:27 amDeLay nuncle, you lucked out! I bet you thought he was with J.Lo, sirrah!
June 4th, 2007 at 9:28 amZooey > both parties have gone nuts. They seem to be owned by the same corporate creeps and just want to feather their own bank accounts.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:28 amThe Senate architects of a “delicate immigration compromise are increasingly convinced that they will hold together this week to pass an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, with momentum building behind one unifying theme: Today’s immigration system is too broken to go unaddressed.
Yup, gotta do….something.
The solution to EVERY problem facing this country today — SOMETHING.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:29 amMr. Obey should obey the rules.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:30 amIf he’s too busy to review these, just put them up on a public web site, and we’ll do it for him.
No more secrecy, what part of s e c r e c y can’t you spell?
#10 ~ ROFLMAO~!
June 4th, 2007 at 9:31 amHouse Democrats are moving in the opposite direction as they draw up spending bills for the upcoming budget year.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:32 amThe more things change the more they stay the same. Democrats received a mandate last year on a whole host of issues and have done absolutely nothing on them. You can’t trust any politician.
I always knew Damon was the brilliant one.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:36 am‘The Worst President Ever’ is a start.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:38 amHow ’bout ‘The Worst Government Ever’.
More than four years into the Iraq war, the Defense Department “has formed a task force comprised of military and federal law enforcement agencies†to “investigate contract fraud and public corruption related to Iraq reconstruction.â€
Two words sum this all up…
June 4th, 2007 at 9:38 amDick Fcuk’en Cheney
Juan > Affleck and Damon were Gay lovers, but Hollywood just likes to cover-up untidy relationships. Nice touch they both got married to females now.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:43 amHouse Democrats are moving in the opposite direction as they draw up spending bills for the upcoming budget year.
The more things change the more they stay the same. Democrats received a mandate last year on a whole host of issues and have done absolutely nothing on them. You can’t trust any politician.
Comment by leftcoast — June 4, 2007 @ 9:32 am
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss……..
June 4th, 2007 at 9:43 amTwo sides – same coin.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:45 am‘The Worst Government Ever’.
Comment by Keith H. — June 4, 2007 @ 9:38 am
The Best Government Money Can Buy!
June 4th, 2007 at 9:46 amZooey has made some wonderful, insightful points this morning. The dems really do seem to think that they can talk the talk but not walk the walk and no one will notice. The dems can always dismiss the net as irrational and leftist fringe anyway.
I looked at the session on Firedoglake with Joe Sestak. He and Amb. Joe Wilson danced and spun on Sestak’s rollover on the no requirements funding bill. Sestak said something to the effect that his affirmative vote was different than his predecessor’s affirmative vote would have been. However you cut it, affirmative is affirmative. We are supposed to understand that his affirmative vote now helps to force w to change course.
There is no reason why the dems couldn’t start impeachment proceedings against w, cheney, or gonzo (any one would do at this point) in the House. Being able to pass the bill or even convict is not really the issue. The debate should be begun.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:47 amHow about a series of IMPEACHMENT votes???
June 4th, 2007 at 9:49 am24 – agreed.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:50 amTHE BIG STORY this week is Greg Palast handing over evidence of Republican voter caging of minorities to Judiciary Committee head John Conyers. (Full story/picture GregPalast.com)
Greg Palast said on Randi Rhodes’ show on Friday that this story is headlining Newscasts around the world. It is not even being mentioned in the U.S.
Tim Griffin, Karl Rove’s former right-hand man resigned immediately on Thursday. The evidence Greg Palast submitted ties him to the alleged crime. The media reporter the former. But not the latter.
The big question is does this evidence also ensnare Karl Rove? It may.
Please contact any and all media and DEMAND coverage of this story. If we don’t they’ll ignore it like so many other stories that could’ve delivered the knockout blow to Bushco.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:53 amWhy is it with gun control, the argument is to just enforce the laws we have, but with immigration, we need to re-write the whole system?
Are there not laws which punish employers for hiring illegal immigrants? If they were enforced, would that not cut down on the number of employers willing to break the law, thus reduce the pull factor of employment?
Instead of cracking down on the immigrants, who just want a better life for themselves and their children, why not a nation-wide crack-down on employers, who just want to exploit cheap labor?
June 4th, 2007 at 9:54 am“Our job is to go into the congressional districts of members and create a political environment that is toxic,†said Tom Matzzie…
tom – ILLINOIS 19th (shimkus) … HURRY!!!
June 4th, 2007 at 9:54 amThe Dems shouldn’t count on blind loyalty. Go ahead and pad the budget, and watch what happens next election cycle. Thought things would have been gettin’ better by now. Hard to believe the “leadership” allows this kind of crap.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:56 amYup, gotta do….something.
The solution to EVERY problem facing this country today — SOMETHING.
Comment by Zooey — June 4, 2007 @ 9:29 am
I like this policy and am endorsing Something’s 2008 Presidential campaign.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:56 amThis thing about the earmarks has me seriously concerned. Already, the Iraq funding bill has a lot of good Dems like myself more than a little displeased. The suggestion now that barely five months into the new Congress, they appear to be already looking to “play games” and rationalize actions they previously railed against is disturbing.
June 4th, 2007 at 9:59 amEvery legislator who requests pork should have to spend one day for each thousand dollars showing up in congress dressed in a pig costume.
June 4th, 2007 at 10:08 amPhoto Op!
Mugsy > corruption in DC is out of control now. Both parties just jockey for control to get pork for themselves. Washington has become the new Rome and like the old Rome is destined for destruction.
June 4th, 2007 at 10:09 amLarry from C – right on. I can’t say I’ve seen much coverage anywhere, besides Greg. I’ll scan around again.
June 4th, 2007 at 10:16 amThey can bring as many of the people held at Guantanamo up on charges as they please. It will still be just a dog and pony show. Knuckleheads in the United States may think everything is just fine and dandy but the rest of the world knows that the United States has betrayed it’s own laws. Whatever those imprisoned have done it would have served the cause of justice best had they been brought to trial and given the same rights as anyone else. Why are we afraid of a fair trial? I thought that was what America was all about? Sorry my bad, not anymore. Not since the citizens have turned into little bedwetting cowards who run and hide every time some yells “terrosist”. Willing to give up any freedom for a perception of safety.
June 4th, 2007 at 10:31 amIt’s time to end the special interest “pork” that these two political parties seem to love so much.
June 4th, 2007 at 10:41 amIf they have the will to pass such “sides” to legislation that drain our hard earned tax dollars from our Treasury they should have the will to end the War in Iraq. There is something basically wrong here. It time to respect the will of the people and do what they want rather that hide in the bowels of congress and add their favorite pork by the light of a darkened room.
Vote all these creatures out!
Zooey > both parties have gone nuts. They seem to be owned by the same corporate creeps and just want to feather their own bank accounts.
Comment by Jay Randal — June 4, 2007 @ 9:28 am
Hear, hear… but powerful new information/communication technologies, such as the google and the internets, are making this obvious now. On the ‘metaphysical’ level, this is all part of the now inexorable process of bringing darkness, and all that has for so long festered in it, to light.
From http://www.matthewbooks.com/mm/anmviewer.asp?a=76&z=2
“The first situation is the “caving in by Congress,†terminology I see in several emails, to President Bush’s demand that no timeline for troop withdrawal may be included in the budget bill. I believe all the questions can be summarized as “Why did the Democrats support him?†and “Now what?†I remind you that after the election that gave the Democratic party a slim majority, I cautioned not to expect great changes in policies because, despite appearances, the two-party system is a fallacy. The entire administration, from the president to the junior members of Congress, is one body of elected public servants that for two centuries has been controlled by the dictates of its Illuminati members or heavily influenced by that elitist group.
Most assuredly I do not mean that the extent of their power to swing votes to their liking is the same as prior to last November’s election—it is NOT, their power is steadily decreasing! But if you will remember the many times I have stated that occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan is strategic to their long-range plans of world domination, you can see why committing more fighting personnel and billions of dollars to those countries is paramount, and they used whatever tactics would work to assure the passage of the budget bill. Democrats are no more strong-willed than Republicans to “do the right thing,†just as they are no more immune to threats to their families’ safety or bribes or “pork barrel†favors.
Nevertheless, we do understand why this vote has caused widespread disappointment and discouragement as well as anger, but please do not interpret it as prolonging endlessly a war that benefits only a handful of greedy, deceptive power-mongers; guarantees more death, wounds, and psychological trauma to troops and the same, plus massive property destruction, to the occupied peoples; and imposes serious hardships on US citizens who need vastly improved economic, educational and health care systems. Replacing those kinds of thoughts and images with thoughts and visions of a world at peace, with all people living in harmony with each other and with Nature, will hasten the day when those conditions will prevail. So, while this bill may seem like a big step backwards from what you want and expected after showing with your vote that you want an end to the war, energetically it is only an incremental step, not even a delay, in the playing-out of third density darkness. We see light entering some congressional members of both parties and light increasing in others, and this will become evident to you, too. From now until November 2008, you will see candidates for election and reelection dropping out along the way as their “true colors†are disclosed, and others emerging as wise, honest, trustworthy leaders. I am referring only to the candidacy issue, so please do not take my words as an indication that not until next year’s election will you see evidence of the intensifying light that we see so clearly now. ”
More at http://www.matthewbooks.com/mattstory.htm
June 4th, 2007 at 10:42 am#35 Terry, the reason the corporate networks are blacking out this story is because it opens a pandora’s box of proof of stolen elections in 2000 and 2004. Will they continue avoiding it even as Karl Rove gets led out of the White House in handcuffs?
June 4th, 2007 at 10:43 amGo Democrats! Spend those taxpayer dollars!
June 4th, 2007 at 10:44 am#
Go Democrats! Spend those taxpayer dollars!
Comment by m12 — June 4, 2007 @ 10:44 am
#
They’ll never be as good at spending money as the republicans before them.
June 4th, 2007 at 10:53 am#41
Tell that to the people planning government health care.
June 4th, 2007 at 11:02 amAt least with government health care it would benefit everyone, not just a few wealthy people, or is that the problem?
June 4th, 2007 at 11:05 am#43
It sure doesn’t benefit young healthy people forced to pay taxes for it.
June 4th, 2007 at 11:21 am#44 — It benefits them when they’re old, or if they need healthcare while they’re young.
I hope you’re very happy together — you and your money.
June 4th, 2007 at 11:26 amU.S. Groups Demand Bush Heed Climate Justice Concerns at G8
A coalition of about 30 U.S. development and environmental NGOs called on President Bush today to stop standing in the way of a landmark deal on climate change at the upcoming G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany.
The coalition, which includes Oil Change International, Friends of the Earth U.S., Oxfam America, the Sierra Club, Action Aid USA and many others, argued that U.S. intransigence is an obstacle to international efforts to avoid dangerous climate change and a threat to global efforts to fight
http://www.priceofoil.org/
THIS BUSH IS A TOTALITARIAN MONSTER – IDIOT
June 4th, 2007 at 11:28 am“Loved you in Mallrats, this book is kind of like that.”
The title of Delay’s book should be All Rats.
June 4th, 2007 at 11:31 amTwo thirds of Baghdad remain out of the US military’s control, three months after an influx of troops to stabilise the city, the New York Times has reported.
The newspaper said on Sunday it had obtained a leaked military report, providing the first examination of a US troop “surge”, ordered by George Bush, the US president in February.
The assessment found US and Iraqi forces were able “to protect the population” and “maintain physical influence over” only 146 out of 457 the capital’s “neighbourhoods”.
June 4th, 2007 at 11:32 am“#35 Terry, the reason the corporate networks are blacking out this story is because it opens a pandora’s box of proof of stolen elections in 2000 and 2004. Will they continue avoiding it even as Karl Rove gets led out of the White House in handcuffs?
Comment by Larry from C — June 4, 2007 @ 10:43 am”
That doesn’t explain the gap in coverage overseas on this issue – although Palast gained a lot of attention (almost unnoticed in the US) in Britain in 2000 and 2004 over his investgations into Choicepoint 2000 and the caging lists of 2004. So now we’ll see if Conyers wants to lift up that rock or not in front of the cameras…
June 4th, 2007 at 11:34 amSpeaking of Governmeny health care, the first estimates of my recent experence are as follows:
Without Medicare: Clyde’s bill in excess of $350,000.
June 4th, 2007 at 11:41 amWith Medicare: Clyde’s bill less than $3500.
Government Insurance approx. $35,000.
Overcharge denied Repug crooks: $310,000.
That doesn’t explain the gap in coverage overseas on this issue –
Comment by TerrytheTurtle — June 4, 2007 @ 11:34 am
Very few Americans get their news from overseas news services. Concerning Conyers…I thought Conyers would be a pit-bull and rip into the Repubs with fury. I would’ve bet the farm on Conyers. But he became Pelosi’s bitch. Lets see how he handles the undeniable evidence Palast dropped on his desk.
June 4th, 2007 at 12:19 pmSo now we’ll see if Conyers wants to lift up that rock or not in front of the cameras…
Comment by TerrytheTurtle — June 4, 2007 @ 11:34 am
June 4th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Very few Americans get their news from overseas news services.
‘The electronic Berlin Wall’ – Greg Palast
June 4th, 2007 at 12:35 pmThe Democrats have done nothing but let us down after the election.
June 4th, 2007 at 1:41 pmI’m sure they’ll look even worse after the corporate-owned networks get finished with Rep. Jefferson indictment, etc.
For the first time since l968, I don’t think I’m going to bother voting in the next election. I’m just tired of the whole lot.
If you believe this, you were born yesterday.
June 4th, 2007 at 1:42 pm“a colleague of actor Ben Affleck asked former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay if he’d sign a copy of ‘No Retreat, No Surrender‘ for the Hollywood actor.”
Matt Damon, that practical joker….
June 4th, 2007 at 3:04 pm