ThinkFast: November 1, 2007
ThinkFast: November 1, 2007
A USA Today/Gallup poll finds “a nation of discontent.” 72 percent say they are dissatisfied with how things are going in the USA while just 26 percent are satisfied. “Not since April have even one-third of Americans been happy with the country’s course, the longest national funk in 15 years.”
As Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld wrote 20 to 60 “snowflakes” — his trademark missives for developing policy — each day. In a sampling of them obtained by the Washington Post, Rumsfeld “argued that Muslims avoid ‘physical labor’ and wrote of the need to ‘keep elevating the threat,’ ‘link Iraq to Iran’ and develop ‘bumper sticker statements’ to rally public support.”
The number of Americans without health insurance “rose by nearly 8.6 million to 47 million from 2000 to 2006, with children and workers from every income level losing coverage,” according to the Economic Policy Institute. The increase was “driven primarily by the continued erosion in employer-provided health insurance.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold its vote on Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey on Tuesday, Nov. 6. CQ writes, “Once again, a controversial nomination in the Judiciary Committee may hinge on” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who was “noncommittal” Wednesday.
Senate Judiciary Committee leaders said yesterday that they had “serious concerns” about immunity for telecoms who participated in the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) called immunity “an after the fact free pass” while Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) said those suing the telecoms “ought to have their day in court.”
Earlier this week, John Ashcroft wrote to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and urged him to grant immunity for telecomm companies that cooperate with the government’s spying program. It is “a necessary policy for promoting the national security interests of the United States,” he wrote. But as OpenLeft points out, AT&T employs the Ashcroft Group as lobbyists.
67 percent: Americans who “support giving contraceptives to students, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll. About as many – 62 percent – said they believe providing birth control reduces the number of teenage pregnancies.”
And finally: Yesterday, the Senate was full of “bipartisan Halloween spirit.” Right before “a hearing on nuclear-waste storage,” Boxer “donned a white angel halo in the anteroom just off the committee floor. After good-natured prodding from Madam Chairwoman, Inhofe happily donned the red devil horns Boxer gave him, relishing his role as Beelzebub to enviros enraged by his pro-business views on global warming.” A top aide wore “bunny ears.”
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A USA Today/Gallup poll finds “a nation of discontent.†72 percent say they are dissatisfied with how things are going in the USA while just 26 percent are satisfied. “Not since April have even one-third of Americans been happy with the country’s course, the longest national funk in 15 years.â€
Wait until this winter, when the skyrocketing cost of oil (over $96/barrel this morning) hits the plebes in the form of astronomical heating bills. People will riot just to keep warm.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:07 amAs Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld wrote 20 to 60 “snowflakes†— his trademark missives for developing policy — each day. In a sampling of them obtained by the Washington Post, Rumsfeld “argued that Muslims avoid ‘physical labor’ and wrote of the need to ‘keep elevating the threat,’ ‘link Iraq to Iran’ and develop ‘bumper sticker statements’ to rally public support.â€
A blizzard of snowflakes equals the biiggest snowjob in American history.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:08 amah, the cowardly namestealer P has moved on to pollute another thread. no surprise, it’s the way they lose wars and cower under their beds as well.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:17 amI hate America. It would be a healthy idea for it to sede to mexico and arab insurgents.
Comment by Lefty Patriot — November 1, 2007 @ 9:15 am
oops, bush already did that. sorry, it’s hard for me to keep up in mom’s basement. I’m P, by the way, and today’s role is as a namestealer, because real patriots scare me and make me feel stupid.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:19 amI wonder how many more losing wars Bush is going to start? He’s so used to being a loser that he just doesn’t care if he destroys the USA.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:29 amjust finished my morning reading of the previous day’s daily news…
saving the best for last, the comics strips…
yesterday’s DILBERT put many issues into perspective:
http://dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/dilbert-20071031.html
it’s that simple…
November 1st, 2007 at 9:31 am.
As P, I am disrespected anywhere I go, so I have tried to steal the identity of Lefty Patriot, whose shoes I am not fit to shine. fortunately for him, you liberals can spot me immediately by my blathering ignorance and hatred of all things American.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:33 amI wonder if Bush will be successful in killing all American troops. he sure is trying hard, and getting no help from his “base” of cowards. Oh, well, leave it to a Republican rightard to lose every war he starts.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:35 amNamejacking –> typical tactic of the right whiners as they continue a downward spiral in every aspect of their lives.
Makes on wonder why they even try anymore. It’s obvious the right-whiners are flailing as they lose their relevance.
I guess right-whiners feel the need to polute everywhere, not just in politics, the environment, and their own lives. Now they have to (attempt) to take others with them as they, and their ultra-radical extremist agenda, are flushed away by reason and truth.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:37 amFill my shoes, “pâ€, as it shouldn’t be too hard because I’m a bratty 35-year-old man going on to be 5.
I’m a nutcase. Not even the progressive commenters here like me.
Comment by Lefty Patriot — November 1, 2007 @ 9:36 am
Gee, that makes me 2 years ahead of you. P, you’re such a loser that you have to resort to namestealing and lies to get any attention at all, except when your dad visits to show you some of that larry craig republican attention. your butt must be sore today, but we know you love it.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:38 amuh oh…
on the google news page, i see a headline:
Turkey closes airspace to N.Iraq flights – NTV
Reuters – 3 hours ago
but the link went to a reuters canada story… a search for that headline brought these:
Turkey denies N Iraq airspace shut
Aljazeera.net, Qatar – 1 hour ago
Turkey’s prime minister has denied television reports the country has closed its airspace to aircraft bound for northern Iraq. …
Turk PM says sanction on N.Iraq not yet in force Reuters Canada
November 1st, 2007 at 9:40 amTurkey closes airspace to N.Iraq flights: NTV Reuters Canada
Turkey denies airspace shut to N.Iraq, no steps yet Reuters
…
Rumsfeld “argued that Muslims avoid ‘physical labor’ and wrote of the need to ‘keep elevating the threat,’ ‘link Iraq to Iran’ and develop ‘bumper sticker statements’ to rally public support.â€
There you have it. Proof that Neocons subverted, inverted & perverted this fake war.
Phase 2 is emerging before our very eyes, linking Iran to Iraq. They’ve turned our vision of what America is into a nightmare, and believe the Sheeple can be indoctrinated via bumper stickers.
Thanks, Rummy. That special place in Hell for you is being prepared.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:40 am“Lefty Patriot” sez:
If you don’t even have the courage to post without namejacking, coward, you bet we’ll ignore you.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:41 amFunny about the long line of Republican scum under indictment and investigation, but no Dems are in that position. Oh, well, that’s the way of the world. Republicans are crooks, cowards and traitors, dems are always saving the USA from their ineptness and cowardice. the 24% is getting embarrassed, as evidenced by the namestealing here. Too bad, P, you’re afraid of everything. Being beaten up by your sister every day did a lot of damage to you; in her defense, you deserved it.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:41 amNamejacking –> typical tactic of the right whiners as they continue a downward spiral in every aspect of their lives.
Makes one wonder why they even try anymore. It’s obvious the right-whiners are flailing as they lose their relevance.
Comment by Democrat Soldier — November 1, 2007 @ 9:37 am
What else have they got to do? The futility shouldn’t bother them; they’ve been steeped in it all their lives. They’re miserable and won’t be happy until everyone around them is just as miserable as they are. In fact, they’d probably feel like they “won” if they made everyone around them MORE miserable than they are.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:43 amand i heard nothing here about this story:
Church ordered to pay $10.9 million for funeral protest
(CNN) — A federal jury in Baltimore, Maryland, Wednesday awarded $10.9 million to a father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by members of a fundamentalist church carrying signs blaming soldiers’ deaths on America’s tolerance of homosexuals.
The family of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder — who was killed in a vehicle accident in Iraq’s Anbar province in 2006 — sued the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, and its leaders for defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:44 am[...]
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/31/funeral.protest/?iref=mpstoryview
.
America has frostbite from all of Donald Chumpsfelds snowflakes.
As to the state of the national mood…Of course, the nation is being run by a petulant and arrogant dry drunk and a power hungry master of secrets.
Yet the Bush-fascists are happy about things.
-GSD
November 1st, 2007 at 9:44 amIn fact, they’d probably feel like they “won†if they made everyone around them MORE miserable than they are.
Comment by ralph the wonder llama — November 1, 2007 @ 9:43 am
That’s the plan, according to Rumsfeld and the rest of the Bush treason cabal. I can’t wait until the hangings at The Hague. Maybe P will jump in to join the party, and we can watch her kick under the scaffold.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:45 amJapan Ends Naval Mission in Afghanistan
November 1st, 2007 at 9:45 amVoice of America – 3 hours ago
By Naomi Martig Japan’s defense agency has ordered ships supporting US-led military operations in Afghanistan to return home from the Indian Ocean, after the country’s main opposition party refused to back an extension of the law supporting the mission …
Japan pulls out of Afghanistan coalition Guardian Unlimited
Japan Pulls Out Support In US-Led Naval Mission In Afghanistan AHN
TP admin, are there plans for intelligent discussion today, or are you just going to allow namejackers to steal the threads?
November 1st, 2007 at 9:47 amWell, the coalition of the willing now consists of republican cowards who refuse to fight for their Deserter-In-Chief. No surprise, Bush has been a loser since his birth.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:47 amSafety Data Is Forthcoming, NASA Chief Tells House Panel
New York Times – 9 hours ago
By MATTHEW L. WALD WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 – The NASA administrator told a Congressional panel on Wednesday that his agency would soon release data from tens of thousands of interviews with pilots about safety issues, information that NASA previously said …
NASA chief will release flight safety data MarketWatch
NASA: Airport safety data to be made public San Jose Mercury News
“we’re not quite finished adjusting the thing…”
November 1st, 2007 at 9:48 am.
Lefty Patriot, I don’t think it’s P. I think P has become a bit of a boogeyman on this site.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:50 amI think it’s the same guy posting as Republicans Hate Facts. His 9:41 post looks just like one of RHF’s… exact same style.
24, Katy,
Thanks for that link. These people go way beyond Trolls & need to be silenced.
They’ve been up here in MN, too. I can’t believe some irate Vets haven’t beat the crap out of them yet; it’s probably just a matter of time.
Religion sure does weird things to people.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:51 am‘keep elevating the threat,’ ‘link Iraq to Iran’ and develop ‘bumper sticker statements’ to rally public support.â€
im puking out of my tearducts & crying out of my throat.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:52 amAnd yet, another GOP sex scandal
November 1st, 2007 at 9:52 amAshcroft has joined Ari Fleischer’s group as a senior advisor. How nice for them. Birds of a feather.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:53 amHeh, the whole Rummy quote on hard work is much more revealing…
“Too often Muslims are against physical labor, so they bring in Koreans and Pakistanis”
Okay. So they bring in Pakistanis. What religion are they likely to follow?
November 1st, 2007 at 9:55 am37, Chris,
Wow!
The sleaze just keeps on sleazing, eh?
GOP ‘08 = Perverts R Us!
November 1st, 2007 at 9:57 am“Not since April have even one-third of Americans been happy with the country’s course, the longest national funk in 15 years.â€
…Hmmm… 15 years? That would put the last “national funk” in, what, 1992? And WHO was president then? …hmmm… interesting…
November 1st, 2007 at 9:58 am“Lefty Patriot” sez:
My disagreements with Bartlebee are none of your concern, troll.
Care to explain the relevance of that question?
November 1st, 2007 at 9:58 amrepublicans read IQ numbers the same as golf scores. the lower, the better, as Rumsfeld has always proven. bush never hires anybody smarter than he, which means the IQ numbers never reach the triple digits.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:59 amThey’ve been up here in MN, too. I can’t believe some irate Vets haven’t beat the crap out of them yet; it’s probably just a matter of time.
Religion sure does weird things to people.
Comment by Zimzone — November 1, 2007 @ 9:51 am
oh, i hope the vets don’t resort to violence… that would be a perfect feather in the westboro cap… most of those people are actual lawyers, just waiting for something like that to happen…
i heard some after trial sound clips by one of the westboro women…
November 1st, 2007 at 10:01 amsheer lunacy…
.
I can’t believe some irate Vets haven’t beat the crap out of them yet; it’s probably just a matter of time.
Religion sure does weird things to people.
Comment by Zimzone — November 1, 2007 @ 9:51 am
Unfortunately, the so-called leaders of this particular “cult” are skilled lawyers, and that is their expectation. They want to be physically attacked, so they can SUE…SUE…SUE!
November 1st, 2007 at 10:01 amPathetic, isn’t it? To use Christ’s name to not only protest a fallen hero, but then to instigate a confrontation for monetary purposes.
CWNBP (Christ Would Not Be Proud)
A USA Today/Gallup poll finds “a nation of discontent.†72 percent say they are dissatisfied with how things are going in the USA while just 26 percent are satisfied. “Not since April have even one-third of Americans been happy with the country’s course, the longest national funk in 15 years.â€
Notice in that chart that the good numbers went up nearly every year under Clinton until they peaked in 2000, and have gone down every year under Bush (hey, just like they went up under Reagan and went down under Bush the Father!).
November 1st, 2007 at 10:02 amRE: Rummy’s quote on Muslims not liking hard work.
But isn’t part of the mantra of US Business that Americans don’t like hard work so we bring in the Mexicans ????????
November 1st, 2007 at 10:03 amNot only is namejacking irritating, it should be cause to ban IP’s, right?
Maybe this jackass is using ‘Megaphone’?
November 1st, 2007 at 10:04 ami take it that the REAL “lefty patriot” has been clicking on that red flag…
for the benefit of others, i suggest he list the TIMES of his posts and we
November 1st, 2007 at 10:07 amcan all flag the name jacker…
i see some early posts are gone…
it works…
.
Notice in that chart that the good numbers went up nearly every year under Clinton until they peaked in 2000, and have gone down every year under Bush
November 1st, 2007 at 10:08 amComment by gulfwargrunt — November 1, 2007 @ 10:02 am
…and here is why the right continuously attacks Clinton. He was a favorite. He did more for this country then any president since, arguably, Reagan.
The country was prosperous, the country was safe. He was well liked.
After many many years of investigations to fraud this man, they finally got him on……? Consensual sex with an adult! A friggin’ private matter. And yet the majority of the country still favored him! That it was irritates the right so much. He should have gone down in flames after the so-called scandal. Yet his popularity went up during the hearings for impeachment.
They can’t touch him. They never will. And it burns the hell out of them!
Bush Family Governing Style=national discontent.
Losers and tyrants.
-GSD
November 1st, 2007 at 10:13 amgulfwargrunt sez:
Not exactly…Chimpy’s numbers rose to record highs in 2001, after the country unanimously backed him after the horror of the 9/11 attacks. It’s fascinating – morbidly fascinating, but fascinating nonetheless – that Chimpy & Co. has managed to piss away such a surfeit of good will.
Keith Olbermann said it best in one of his Special Comments, entitled “Bush owes us an apology”. Here is a small excerpt:
November 1st, 2007 at 10:16 am
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold its vote on Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey on Tuesday, Nov. 6. CQ writes, “Once again, a controversial nomination in the Judiciary Committee may hinge on†Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who was “noncommittal†Wednesday.
Mukasey’s in.
November 1st, 2007 at 10:33 amhttp://www.wsbtv.com/news/14477433/detail.html
“ATLANTA — Authorities are investigating why two men tried to sneak knives and other weapons onto a flight from Atlanta to New York.
One of the men even made it through security and onto the Delta Air Lines flight.”
November 1st, 2007 at 10:35 am“The number of Americans without health insurance” jumped to 47 million Americans from 2000 to 2006. No wonder the WHO ranked the U.S. 37th among nations around the world regarding health care. America is the only advanced and industrialized country in the world without universal health care and yet Dennis Kucinich is the only presidential candidate from either party who is advocating this sane and sensible solution in making sure that this country’s citizens get their basic health care and even catastrophic health needs taken care of without having to worry if thie bills will be paid. H. Clinton, the savior of the Democratic party, has made sure that the insurance companies are part of her plan, thus making sure that profit is being put ahead of the needs of the people. The issue of health care alone should be enough of a reason to vote for Kucinich but the media and the big corporations are loath to see this happen.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:20 amWell, guess I will start buying the USA Today again. They were so quiet on anything important for so long, I gave up on them.
Does anyone have an idea on how to make the televised news be news again? And where is Michael Ware haven’t heard from him in ages. Where is the old CNN that truly gave us news, like when Poppy Bush fainted into his soup, now that was funny.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:26 amErroll sez:
That’s probably one of the big reasons hired guns Tim Russert and Chris Matthews torpedoed any slim chance Kucinnich may have had by bringing up the UFO sighting, denying him an adequate chance to respond, and then ridiculing him relentlessly during the post-debate discussion.
Look for Kucinich to be the next candidate excluded from debates due to “low polling”. With his relentless honesty and constant calls for impeachment, he’s far too dangerous to be allowed to continue speaking.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:28 amOne theory is that alternative fuel has been around for years, I know those who used alternative fuels 30 years ago, however until the oil companies can figure out how to control it, it won’t be easily available.
Iowans are definitely pushing the corn, fields and fields were planted this last year. There are furnaces that use corn for fuel already on the market. With the price of oil going up farmers will have to have an alternative fuel to break even supplying food .
November 1st, 2007 at 11:39 amOnce again, TMM, thank you for your awesome live-blogging of the debate on the Zoo. :-)
November 1st, 2007 at 11:40 am(Rumsfeld) wrote of the need to ‘keep elevating the threat,’ (and) link Iraq to Iran’.
===================
Well, there you go. There’s really only one reason why you’d want to do that, isn’t there?
November 1st, 2007 at 11:49 amAs John McCain would say “Bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran”
Comment by Zooey — November 1, 2007 @ 11:40 am
You’re very welcome, Zooey. I’m glad I could be of assistance.
Next debate was supposed to be between the Republican candidates on November 6th at the University of Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls, Iowa), but it’s apparently been postponed due to scheduling conflicts among the candidates. Next Democratic candidate debate is on November 15 in Las Vegas. Wolf Blitzer will emcee.
Next time I’ll try to find a live-stream, so you won’t have to depend exclusively on my typing skills. ^_^
November 1st, 2007 at 12:04 pmPlease feel free to call or write the office nearest you, or you can visit one of the offices between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. We are here to serve you.
San Francisco
One Post Street, Suite 2450
San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: (415) 393-0707
Fax: (415) 393-0710
The following counties are served by the San Francisco office: Alameda, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, Yuba.
Los Angeles
11111 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 915
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: (310) 914-7300
Fax: (310) 914-7318
The following counties are served by the Los Angeles office: Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura.
San Diego
750 B Street, Suite 1030
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (619) 231-9712
Fax: (619) 231-1108
The following counties are served by the San Diego office: Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial, San Diego.
Fresno
November 1st, 2007 at 3:59 pm2500 Tulare Street, Suite 4290
Fresno, CA 93721
Phone: (559) 485-7430
Fax: (559) 485-9689
The number of Americans without health insurance “rose by nearly 8.6 million to 47 million from 2000 to 2006, with children and workers from every income level losing coverage,†according to the Economic Policy Institute. The increase was “driven primarily by the continued erosion in employer-provided health insurance.â€
*************************
And what, statistically speaking, is one of the biggest reasons people cite these days for needing to declare personal bankruptcy?!?
Hint: for most people, it’s not because of conspicuous consumption.
Increasingly, it’s the spiraling costs of health care. Even relatively young and moderately healthy people can develop a life-threatening illness such as cancer, a debilitating disorder such as MS, a chronic condition such as Type II Diabetes, or suffer an accident which disables them temporarily or permanently — there’s no way to predict for certain when or even whether such a thing might happen, nor any surefire way to prevent it. Even for those people who are fortunate enough to escape such problems while they’re young, the fact nevertheless remains that many people gradually begin to develop significant health problems as they age — perhaps especially if they’ve always taken their good health for granted. For someone without health coverage, a serious illness or serious accident is nothing less than a nightmare — but even some people with health coverage find that their policy won’t cover all their expenses and/or won’t cover certain kinds of expenses. If a serious illness or serious accident prevents them from returning to work, that only compounds the problem. The fact that the number of people going without health coverage is increasing is worrisome, since that means that increasing numbers of people are living in a state of financial jeopardy — but establishing tougher standards for those who declare personal bankruptcy is not a satisfactory answer to the problem because it penalizes people for circumstances which are at least partially beyond their control — and personal health care accounts are not really a satisfactory answer either because before you can either save or spend money, you first need to have some and it seems reasonable to conclude that at least some of those people who are without insurance would be paying for at least some sort of coverage if they had the money to afford it.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:15 pm>Mukasey’s in.
i dont see as it matters much.. you think bush has anyone in his rolodex who DOESN’T think torture is a good idea?
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:45 am“Mr. Ashcroft’s consulting firm, the Ashcroft Group, is registered as a federal lobbyist for AT&T. A spokeswoman for the firm, Juleanna Glover Weiss, said Wednesday that Mr. Ashcroft did not take part in lobbying for AT&T.”
Shocking…
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:47 am