Think Progress

ThinkFast: April 4, 2008

By Think Progress on Apr 4th, 2008 at 9:01 am

ThinkFast: April 4, 2008


mlk.jpg

On the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., “several scholarly reports have been released charting the nation’s uneven social and economic progress during the past 40 years,” specifically focusing “on the two issues — war and poverty — that were consuming him at the time of his death.”

80,000: Number of jobs the U.S. economy shed in March, “the biggest monthly job decline in five years. … The March unemployment rate jumped to 5.1% from 4.8%, highest since a matching rate in September 2005.” These numbers were “more bleak than expected“; economists had predicted a decline “of 60,000 in non-farm payrolls and a rise in the unemployment rate to 5%.”

Americans are more dissatisfied with the country’s direction than at any time since the New York Times/CBS News poll began asking about the subject in the early 1990s.” The new survey found that “81 [percent] of respondents said they believed ‘things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track,’ up from 69 percent a year ago and 35 percent in early 2002.”

Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA) have asked DNI Mike McConnell “to release an unclassified summary of the latest National Intelligence Estimate” before Gen. David Petraeus testifies on April 8. The public does not “have the essential information needed for an informed public debate,” they wrote.

A new report has found that Improvised Explosive Devises (IED) — common in Iraq and Afghanistan — are on the rise in other countries, prompting concerns by military experts that the tactic is becoming the weapon of choice by terror groups worldwide. There are 200 to 300 IED attacks each month outside Iraq and Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, the House voted “to triple to more than $10 billion a year U.S. humanitarian spending on fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and other stricken areas of the world.” Tom Coburn (R-OK) has now said that he will block the bill in the Senate, calling it “irresponsible” to spend so much on these humanitarian issues “in the middle of a war.”

“A bipartisan group of 20 senators unveiled a $6 billion bill that would extend renewable-energy tax credits for one year” that could “save as much as $20 billion in new project investment planned by renewable-energy companies.”

The Senate killed a housing proposal sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) by a vote of 58-36 “that would have provided the most direct aid to homeowners facing foreclosure,” instead “keeping alive a delicate compromise on a sweeping housing bill.”

“Members of Congress have as much as $196 million collectively invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department, earning millions since the onset of the Iraq war,” according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

And finally: House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has “returned from Libya with a new pair of sunglasses courtesy of his host, Col. Muammar Gaddafi. … En route to Tripoli, Boehner’s plane was diverted to Surt, Gaddafi’s hometown on the Gulf of Sidra.” Boehner eventually met the colonel inside “a big white tent” in the desert. At one point, a Gaddafi aide “entered the tent with a box of sunglasses.” Gaddafi told Boehner that the “desert [is] not kind to blue eyes.”

What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.




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138 Responses to “ThinkFast: April 4, 2008”

  1. 2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda Says:

    It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.

    - Martin Luther King, Jr.


  2. 2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda Says:

    As Guantanamo Trials Near, Pentagon Limits What Can Be Reported

    As the U.S. government edges toward war-crimes trials by military commission all sides are grappling with what information can be made public and what must be kept secret.

    Consider: A new courtroom here sequesters Pentagon-approved spectators behind a soundproofed window. If a terror suspect tries to shout about his treatment in U.S. custody, a military censor can mute the audio feed that observers hear.

    Under rules that protect interrogation techniques, the Pentagon’s war court won’t let the reputed 9/11 architect, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, say he was waterboarded - something the CIA director, Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden, confirmed on Feb. 5.

    ...‘There is no remotely legitimate basis for the government to withhold these prisoners’ account of their mistreatment,” says Ben Wizner, an ACLU staff attorney. ”I would simply note that governments don’t censor information to conceal lies,...They censor information to conceal the truth.”

    Information edited from:
    http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/03/8069/

    ** To call this a Kangaroo Court would be an insult to marsupials everywhere.


  3. 2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda Says:

    "...I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continued to draw men and skills and money like some demonic, destructive suction tube. So I was increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such.”

    - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1967


  4. bluefish Says:

    On Wednesday, the House voted “to triple to more than $10 billion a year U.S. humanitarian spending on fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and other stricken areas of the world.” Tom Coburn (R-OK) has now said that he will block the bill in the Senate, calling it “irresponsible” to spend so much on these humanitarian issues “in the middle of a war.”

    Coburn then added, "But of course it is entirely responsible to cut taxes during war. Go shopping America!"


  5. misshusseinmolly Says:

    Tom Coburn (R-OK) has now said that he will block the bill in the Senate, calling it “irresponsible” to spend so much on these humanitarian issues “in the middle of a war.”
    ________________________________________

    This phony-baloney manufactured "war" seems to have come in quite handy for the Republicans. Not only has it given our leaders flimsy excuses for trampling all over our rights at home (Bush just LOVES playing "commander in chief in time of war"), but it's now being used as an excuse to eradicate the last vestiges of what made us look good in the eyes of the rest of the world.

    Way to go, GOP!


  6. misshusseinmolly Says:

    Why is Boener meeting with Ghaddafi? Didn't Billy Carter get into trouble for going to Libya? What's changed?


  7. gummitch Says:

    At one point, a Gaddafi aide “entered the tent with a box of sunglasses.” Gaddafi told Boehner that the “desert [is] not kind to blue eyes.”

    "No one knows what it's like . . . behind blue eyes." Nothing, really. Not these blue eyes.

    Did the blue eyes fill with tears?


  8. McWars Says:

    April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death and How It Changed America
    by Michael Eric Dyson

    http://www.michaelericdyson.com/april41968/buy.php


  9. Dumb_Hussein_Fox Says:

    Improvised Explosive Devises (IED) — common in Iraq and Afghanistan — are on the rise in other countries, prompting concerns by military experts that the tactic is becoming the weapon of choice by terror groups worldwide.

    An IED is a bomb. Terrorists have always used bombs. The more obvious conclusion must be that if there are more bombs being used around the world, there are more terrorists out there.

    Draw your own conclusions about the effectiveness of George Bush's war on terr.


  10. cavjam Says:

    Tom Coburn (R-OK) has now said that he will block the bill in the Senate, calling it “irresponsible” to spend so much on these humanitarian issues “in the middle of a war.”

    Tax cuts benefiting inordinately the wealthy during war - good.
    Humanitarian spending benefiting the fatally impoverished- bad.


  11. misshusseinmolly Says:

    .” The new survey found that “81 [percent] of respondents said they believed ‘things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track,’ up from 69 percent a year ago and 35 percent in early 2002.”
    _______________________________________

    And yet Bush resolutely continues to forge ahead in the wrong direction. He reminds me of the stereotypical guy who refuses to ask for directions and refuses to admit he's lost. And like that stereotypical guy we all hear about, he's not fooling anyone.


  12. Lungman424 Says:

    Nicely hidden in the jobs report was that January and Febuary unemployment report was revised upwards by 67000. Don't be surprised next month when March is revised upwards by another 30,000...McBush has a plan though, he just ain't telling anyone about it...Isn't the president due to go on vacation? or at least tell us that the economy is "sound"


  13. Dumb_Hussein_Fox Says:

    misshusseinmolly Says:
    He reminds me of the stereotypical guy who refuses to ask for directions and refuses to admit he’s lost.

    I, a stereotypical guy, take this personally. What you say is absolutely true, of course, but to be reminded I might share a common trait with Genghis Bush is really troubling.


  14. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    These numbers were “more bleak than expected“; economists had predicted a decline “of 60,000 in non-farm payrolls and a rise in the unemployment rate to 5%."

    These numbers are worse than that. Remember, if your unemployment runs out and you still haven't found a job, somehow you are magically no longer unemployed. I'll bet if the true number was known it would be closer to 10%.

    Right now I know three people who have been unemployed for over a year.


  15. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    ” The new survey found that “81 [percent] of respondents said they believed ‘things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track,’ up from 69 percent a year ago and 35 percent in early 2002.”

    Well, there's always that 19% who are either too rich to care or to stupid to care what's going on with the rest of us.


  16. McWars Says:

    Tom Coburn (R-OK) has now said that he will block the bill in the Senate, calling it “irresponsible” to spend so much on these humanitarian issues “in the middle of a war.”

    Oklahoma is the go-to state for America's wingnuts. They sure have their priorities in check. What a state.


  17. Freedom Rebel Says:

    In 1983, McCain voted against passing a bill to designate the third Monday of every January as a federal holiday in honor of King. Four years later, then-Arizona Governor Evan Mecham rescinded Martin Luther King Day as a state holiday, saying it had been established through an illegal executive order by his Democratic predecessor.

    McCain said he thought Mecham was correct in his decision.

    Two years after that, McCain’s viewpoint began to change, but only gradually. In 1989, he urged lawmakers to make Martin Luther King Jr. day a state holiday, but said he was “still opposed to another federal holiday.”

    Well we can see how McCain feels about Martin Luther King Day in his own words. He is always missing the point..


  18. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    Tom Coburn (R-OK) has now said that he will block the bill in the Senate, calling it “irresponsible” to spend so much on these humanitarian issues “in the middle of a war.”

    Typical Republican. He would rather spend our money to kill people than to save them. Disgusting.

    It's time for Congress to do something about the arcane rules they have that will allow one person to block legislation. That is definitely not democratic.


  19. DRxJ Says:

    The new survey found that “81 [percent] of respondents said they believed ‘things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track,’ up from 69 percent a year ago and 35 percent in early 2002.”

    I am an optimist by nature (the beer glass is half full kinda guy), so you 19%'ers here, please explain to us how we are currently on the "right track", and how the Bush Administration has made this a wonderful and envious country the last 7 years.


  20. misshusseinmolly Says:

    Dumb_Hussein_Fox Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 9:23 am
    I, a stereotypical guy, take this personally. What you say is absolutely true, of course, but to be reminded I might share a common trait with Genghis Bush is really troubling.
    ________________________________________

    Oh dear -- I hope I didn't offend any of the guys here. When I said "stereotypical guy who refuses to ask for directions" I was referring to a characature that doesn't really exist, but everyone makes fun of. Sort of like the "dumb blonde" who resides in many a joke but also doesn't truly exist in real life.

    I do know one guy (a friend of mine) who doesn't like asking for directions, but he will admit he took the wrong road after it's become painfully obvious to everyone around him. I can't say the same about Bush.


  21. specialist f Says:

    progressisok Says:
    Another sock puppet???We're watching you.


  22. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    Advocates said this would help as many as 500,000 people who will lose their houses, but Republicans as well as some Democrats were worried the proposal would be perceived as a "bailout" for people who got in over their heads with home loans.

    So, even some Democrats think it is fine to bail out the predatory lenders but to hell with their victims. I would like to know who the Democrats were who voted against this bill.


  23. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    “Members of Congress have as much as $196 million collectively invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department, earning millions since the onset of the Iraq war,” according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

    I would like to see a breakdown to see how many of these people are Democrats and how many are Republicans. Then I would like to see their voting record on the occupation of Iraq.


  24. DRxJ Says:

    Sort of like the “dumb blonde” who resides in many a joke but also doesn’t truly exist in real life.

    Ummm, no! She exists alright! I dated her in the early 90's.
    Huge mistake! She was eye candy, but that was about it. It was an ego boost, for sure, but she didn't stimulate my mind. As I grew older, I found that just as important as beauty, if not more so.


  25. specialist f Says:

    I can’t say the same about Bush.misshusseinmolly Says
    You mean "stay the course" bush. Who continued down the same road,past a wrong way sign,through wall, and over the cliff?


  26. Kay Says:

    OT :

    On the front page of TP there is a picture of Bush under "Bush Last Lap" : I couldn't help but think more people would be more happy with "Bush's Last Breath"...


  27. Bluedahlia Says:

    On Wednesday, the House voted “to triple to more than $10 billion a year U.S. humanitarian spending on fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and other stricken areas of the world.” Tom Coburn (R-OK) has now said that he will block the bill in the Senate, calling it “irresponsible” to spend so much on these humanitarian issues “in the middle of a war.”

    Oh, I see, but no bid contracts on anything to do with the war or an illegal border fence is "responsible". No taxation without representation. No more spending our money when you break the people's laws to do it.


  28. Dumb_Hussein_Fox Says:

    Molly @ 23

    Don't worry at all! No offense taken. My obstinance is a problem I am still working on... And that caricature you mentioned, it exists. It's me. (Sometimes...)

    BTW, Specialist f @ 28 has Bush nailed.


  29. 5th Estate Says:

    #2 2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda re: Gitmo trials----

    Meanwhile the blighters in Old Blighty somehow manage to bring their suspected terrorists to public court, and do so in about two years—a time-frame typical to other types of cases. How’d they do that? Hmmmmm……

    All the heavily publicized US plots have been farces from the get-go, whilst the Gitmo “detainees” against whom the US is supposed to have its strongest and most dramatic cases will have their “trials” essentially in camera.

    Gitmo of course has been under a near complete news blackout
    from day one. With all the other more visible problems the imperial Bush presidency have created and all the other laws they have broken neither the press nor the candidates are in a position to give the the crime of Gitmo the attention it deserves.


  30. DRxJ Says:

    Tom Coburn (R-OK) has now said that he will block the bill in the Senate, calling it “irresponsible” to spend so much on these humanitarian issues “in the middle of a war.”

    Chalk another one up to George Carlin's "OxyMorons" comedy bit!


  31. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    progressisok Says:
    Another sock puppet???We’re watching you.

    Yep, it's one of it 90 identities on TP. It will keep popping up here like a noxious weed until TP starts banning trolls by their IP address. I can't figure out if they just don't want to do that or don't know how. All they need to do is to go to a local high school computer class. Most students in the class can tell them how to block an IP address.


  32. TheRadicalRightisRadicallyWrong Says:

    Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 9:28 am
    It’s time for Congress to do something about the arcane rules they have that will allow one person to block legislation. That is definitely not democratic.

    'Morning Bilbo,
    Except when that 1 person is, someone like Chris Dodd or Russ Feingold, is all that stands in the way of VERY BAD illegal legislation like Telecomm Immunity!

    No that rule has a place. It's time that the Human Beings that remain in Congress ridicule the sub-humaniods like the Jackass from Oklahoma and expose them for what they are!



  33. misshusseinmolly Says:

    specialist f Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 9:35 am
    I can’t say the same about Bush.misshusseinmolly Says
    You mean “stay the course” bush. Who continued down the same road,past a wrong way sign,through wall, and over the cliff?
    ___________________________________

    Yes -- and without even blinking!


  34. specialist f Says:

    80,000 lost jobs...This is Clintons fault right? ;)


  35. TheRadicalRightisRadicallyWrong Says:

    DRxJ Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 9:29 am

    they can't...


  36. Freedom Rebel Says:

    The Senate killed a housing bill that would have provided the most direct aid to homeowners facing foreclosure.

    The provision, backed by consumer groups and leading Democrats, would have allowed bankruptcy judges to restructure mortgages — lowering principal and interest payments — for people facing foreclosure on their homes. Advocates said this would help as many as 500,000 people who will lose their houses.

    They killed the bill because you didn't want the public to think you were going soft on homeowners who deliberately got in over their heads. That's their excuse. Most of them got tricked and lead into subprime loans. Please don't help the people...we might get the wrong impression that you actually care..


  37. Peter C Says:

    You are right, Miss Molly; Bush refuses to budge an inch. It is also valuable to note that he and the Republicans have still managed to get most everything that they have said we needed to make things better. Despite gains in 2006, the Democrats have not succeeded in rolling back most of the disaterous policies that Bush imposed. Thus the blame for our current situation is crystal clear; it is a direct result of misguided/criminal Republican policies.

    During the Reagan/Clinton years, the allocation of blame for problems and the credit for successes was debateable since Government was divided. But there can be no debate about the first six years of Bush. The Republicans had no impediments. They held all the cards and ran the show with autocratic fury - shutting off even the microphones of those who would speak against their policies.

    Now that the consequences of their misrule are so apparent, it is time to make the tide turn decisively. We must retake the reins of government with majorities to prevent the obstructionism of the past two years. I think this means winning not just the Presidency, but enough of Congress to prevent the foot-dragging and dilution of the good we can do.

    If 81% are dissatisfied, we need to do more than use the power of the blue states to squeak-by. We should make our case boldly and oust the worst of the entrenched Red-state cronies.

    There has never been a better time for a strong nation-wide campaign. We could make this a sea-change election. We've been denied the impeachment which would have established the guilt of this administration. We need to insist that we are allowed a campaign which proves the practical consequences of their crimes. If we can't teach them a legal lesson, we need to inflict a practical lesson so that their excesses are not tried again.


  38. Kay Says:

    It's amazing how much this Administation has destroyed in 7 years. Bush as Gov in Texas destroyed their economy -- now this War Criminal is just doing it on a much grander scale. Not only has this Admin ruined our economy but our spirit. I just feel it. This great country was hijacked (literally) 8 years ago and stealthfully this Krime Kabal has set out with it's PNACian fangs and destroyed our spirit. This Admin is a cancer on this Great Country that must be stopped. And if McBush (100 years in Iraq) get's in: it's over folks. Economically, spiritually we are lost. But, also morally. Our standing in the world is almost nil because of "quaint" notions such as the Geneva Conventions. Anyone that still supports this neoCON agenda are either really rich, hate Muslims etc.

    Unless we face the biggest lie of all and the Mother Issue of Our Time: 9/11 is a cover-up -- this country will never, ever heal. And we will continue to sink economically, spiritually and morally.


  39. specialist f Says:

    Peter C Says@41
    Yep,we have to give props to the spineless congressfolk(D and R)that gave the monkey the revolver. If more people had stood up to chimpy,maybe we wouldn't be in this Quagmire,as 5 deferment dick called it in 94.


  40. misshusseinmolly Says:

    Peter C Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 9:46 am
    If 81% are dissatisfied, we need to do more than use the power of the blue states to squeak-by. We should make our case boldly and oust the worst of the entrenched Red-state cronies.
    _________________________________________

    And the more McCain morphs his position to that of Bush, the easier he makes our job for us. He seems determined to capture the votes of that 19%, at the cost of abandoning every position he ever had that would appeal to any part of the 81%.

    But you're right -- while it looks like victory is being laid in our laps, we must not let it get away.


  41. Freedom Rebel Says:

    Jon Stewart rips on FOX News’ Chris Wallace for starting an “Obama Watch” clock — complete with “24?-like sound effects and ticker — that tracks how long it’s been since Obama promised he would appear on FOX News Sunday. Tweety catches flack too for some of the mindless questions he asked the Senator during Wednesday’s Hardball College Tour.

    You go Jon...give Chris hell..


  42. 5th Estate Says:

    Regarding Coburn’s objection to humanitarian aid:

    So I guess we can add some Africans (another 200,000 or so?) to the Iraq Body Count?

    “The U.S. is on track to increase total assistance to Africa to $8.7 billion by 2010, double the level of assistance in 2004. In addition, the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), launched in 2005, is adding to PEPFAR's efforts to combat disease in Africa and is estimated to have already reached 25 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa to help in the fight against malaria.”
    http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/africa/trip2008/

    Why does Tom Coburn hate George Bush?


  43. DRxJ Says:

    I would like to say on this saddened anniversary of MLK's assassination:

    My parents taught me at an early age to respect others, no matter skin color, gender, or (now) sexuality. I thank them for teaching me equality, and tolerance (even my conservative, born again-Catholic mother).

    My first true books that I read, over and over, were about Martin Luther King and Abe Lincoln. I was in awe (even in 4th grade), of his compassion for his beliefs (which I shared), and his goal of equality through non violence. Unfortunately, I was "cocooned" in an all white neighborhood as a child. I really didn't understand the struggles that he wanted set free, until I grew older.
    MLK will always be my hero. He was a great man, a true Christian, a role model, and arguably, the most powerful man of 20th Century America.
    We, as a nation, now more than ever, need more leaders like MLK!


  44. TheRadicalRightisRadicallyWrong Says:

    What did we miss?

    News results for Pelosi Olympics boycott on the table
    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3659651.ece

    Now I know why we can't impeach! Nancy doesn't have enough room on her table...

    sheesh!


  45. Freedom Rebel Says:

    WORST PRESIDENT EVER Survey by historians..

    In an informal survey of 109 professional historians conducted over a three-week period through the History News Network, 98.2 percent assessed the presidency of Mr. Bush to be a failure while 1.8 percent classified it as a success.

    Asked to rank the presidency of George W. Bush in comparison to those of the other 41 American presidents, more than 61 percent of the historians concluded that the current presidency is the worst in the nation’s history. Another 35 percent of the historians surveyed rated the Bush presidency in the 31st to 41st category, while only four of the 109 respondents ranked the current presidency as even among the top two-thirds of American administrations.

    At least two of those who ranked the current president in the 31-41 ranking made it clear that they placed him next-to-last, with only James Buchanan, in their view, being worse. “He is easily one of the 10-worst of all time and—if the magnitude of the challenges and opportunities matter—then probably in the bottom five, alongside Buchanan, Johnson, Fillmore, and Pierce,” wrote another historian.

    Even the historians rank him in the bottom 5.. A very good place for him.


  46. specialist f Says:

    progressisok Says
    Flagged for being an OT sock puppet.


  47. Tired of being lied to Says:

    On the anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr.:

    My favorite of his statements, and so painfully applicable even today:

    "The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows."

    And is it true that he was only 39 years of age at his death? How much he accomplished in such a short period of time. How little we have learned in our old age.

    RIP MLK Jr.. May your memory live long and strong, and may we yet learn from your wisdom and efforts.


  48. 5th Estate Says:

    Regarding Lincoln, DRxJ :

    Lincoln actually had no intention of doing anything about the slaves--he declared so when he became president. The Civil War was not about slavery per se, but about politics and economics --the state of the Union. The SOuth made slavery an issue ( like the NRA constantly harping that "they wan;t to take away our guns" ). Lincoln took calculated advantage of that. I;d say the important thing was that he did not renege on the Emancipation. That MLK had to figth for practical equality and social justice a hundred years later, is testament to how inherently insincere Lincoln and many others really were. JFK accepted MLK's challenge and acted upon it and the modern Democrats coniued to repsent African Americans from then on.


  49. Ms_Joanne Says:

    If you read a single article, I strongly suggest reading this one: False Flag Prospects, 2008 -- Top Three US Target Cities by Captain Eric H. May. The following are exerts:

    The easiest way to carry out a false flag attack is by setting up a military exercise that simulates the very attack you want to carry out.

    My aim, as a former military intelligence officer who spent five years with the U.S. Army 75th Division conducting military war games, is to convince the American people that the "next 9/11" -- constantly promised by officials and the media -- is likely to be carried out under the guise of future military exercises. If the American people are aware of pending exercises and the danger they represent, then the exercises cannot "go live" and effect the very terror events that they are supposed to be rehearsing against.

    "Good morning. At this moment, somewhere in the world, terrorists are planning new attacks on our country. Their goal is to bring destruction to our shores that will make September the 11th pale by comparison." -- George W. Bush, Feb. 13, 2008

    > We can only stop the deadly drift of America by understanding 9/11 and anticipating the next 9/11. Many of the vociferous voices impeding our understanding and anticipation are performing a vital service for treason. The federal government once used counterintelligence programs (COINTELPRO) against the Vietnam era antiwar and civil rights movement, and common sense would suggest that they are using it again in the post-9/11 era, this time against the antiwar and 911 truth movement. The most dangerous voices of all our those from false friends who have infiltrated us to confuse us until the traitors who carried out 9/11 can repeat their performance.

    Read this article. It’s quite frightening.

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8165

    And then this one for a little perspective on the Republicans Plan for a Double Whammy and why Obama scares the crap out of them so badly.

    http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8412


  50. upright left Says:

    ------
    Kay Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 9:36 am
    OT :

    On the front page of TP there is a picture of Bush under “Bush Last Lap” : I couldn’t help but think more people would be more happy with “Bush’s Last Breath”…
    ------
    Most people just wish for the removal of politicians with whom they disagree. It's only the extremists who wish for their deaths. ;)

    upright hussein left


  51. Freedom Rebel Says:

    Renault-Nissan, and California-based Project Better Place, are working together with the government of Israel to make the country oil independent by 2020. Denmark has already signed on to implement the sinews of this major electric car initiative.

    In broad outline, Renault-Nissan will build cars powered by lithium-ion batteries running purely on electricity and delivering performance on par with a 1.6 liter gas engine. These electric car models will become available as of 2011. A key component will be the preparation and development of a national infrastructure to access electric power.

    It is estimated electric power charging costs for the lifetime of this car will approximate the cost of fueling an equivalent gasoline powered vehicle for some two years at current gasoline prices.

    Will it work? Yes, the cars here described will be limited in size and range (about 120 miles). But since when has evolving greater size and broader scale been an American limitation? Conceptually, it sets the broad outline of what could be replicated here. Especially now that the price of energy is pushing us toward recession and stagflation, and that Detroit and the American auto industry's business is at the lowest ebb in years, with U.S.-based automakers share of their home market dropping to only 48.4% of cars sold. What a boon it would be to have a renaissance of our historic "Detroit Arsenal", with our government and the automobile industry working together once again on a program critical to the nation's future.

    I hope our leaders jump on the band wagon. Not only would this help our Global Warming Crisis, this country could be free of our shackels to all the BIG OIL Companies. We wouldn't be dependent on the Middle East for their oil anymore. We would have cleaner air and a better environment. I consider that a win win situation.


  52. ralph the wonder llama Says:

    “Americans are more dissatisfied with the country’s direction than at any time since the New York Times/CBS News poll began asking about the subject in the early 1990s.” The new survey found that “81 [percent] of respondents said they believed ‘things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track,’

    Let's have More of the Same™!

    McCain '08!


  53. ralph the wonder llama Says:

    upright left Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 10:22 am

    Most people just wish for the removal of politicians with whom they disagree. It’s only the extremists who wish for their deaths.

    Yeah, like wishing someone would poison a Supreme Court Justice, right? Or calling for the assassination of a duly-elected foreign leader?


  54. Freedom Rebel Says:

    #51 tired of being lied to-

    Well put. He was a great man, with a beautiful vision of our future.


  55. barfly Says:

    Freedom Rebel, I'm curious; does Denmark plan on using many small electical generation plants, to fuel these cars? I had always heard that since 1/3 of generated electricity is lost to resistance, it wasn't necessarily energy-efficient. Has Denmark overcome this obstacle?


  56. pbg Says:

    #11:
    Great? It's a direct quote from the book of Isaiah--and familiar to anyone who's heard Handel's Messiah.
    You seem easily pleased.


  57. Kay Says:

    Most people just wish for the removal of politicians with whom they disagree. It’s only the extremists who wish for their deaths. ;)

    At this point I believe most people think like me: after all the people that have died on this man's watch (9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan etc.) - a headline that talking about the Nazi Chimp's last breath -- I would breath a sigh of relief.


  58. Kay Says:

    I write too fast :

    A headline talking about the Nazi Chimp’s last breath – I would breath a sigh of relief.


  59. Freedom Rebel Says:

    #60 barfly

    Denmark plans to provide the power supply for electric cars with wind power. Israel is planning huge mirrors in the Negev Desert to capture the solar energy needed for its electric cars. With an extensive grid of plug-in locations there will be no need for lengthy charge periods so that charging up shouldn't take much more time than tanking up currently.

    This is what Denmark and Israel plan to do. All this country needs to do is built an infrastructure for electric cars. They are going to have to change the mentality they currently have or it will be our ruination.

    Even Europe has great Mass Transportion. This country is so far behind.


  60. Fred Says:

    progressisok Says:
    I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

    Archibald Carey

    What a great speech!

    Everyone should flag this troll at every post. His post quoted above implies that Dr. King plagerized his "I have a dream" speach and it has been debunked repeatedly but this troll wants to try to besmirtch the reputation of a truly great American with lies and inuindo.

    Please flag this un-American bigot starting at post #11

    This poster does not deserve anyone's respect or reply.


  61. upright left Says:

    ralph the wonder llama Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 10:27 am
    upright left Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 10:22 am

    Most people just wish for the removal of politicians with whom they disagree. It’s only the extremists who wish for their deaths.

    Yeah, like wishing someone would poison a Supreme Court Justice, right? Or calling for the assassination of a duly-elected foreign leader?
    ------

    Exactly, it's only the extremists who wish for their deaths.

    upright hussein left


  62. Kay Says:

    Then I guess you can call me an extremist.


  63. barfly Says:

    Link from Raw Story:

    'No Sun link' to climate change

    By Richard Black

    Cloud cover affects temperature - but what determines cloud cover?

    Scientists have produced further compelling evidence showing that modern-day climate change is not caused by changes in the Sun's activity.

    The research contradicts a favoured theory of climate "sceptics", that changes in cosmic rays coming to Earth determine cloudiness and temperature.


  64. And the beat goes on Says:

    US Military Strike on Iran Set for the Week of April 6, 2008?

    While developments such as any US military strike on Iran are difficult to predict with certainty, an array of factors the Editor considers to be potentially important have recently emerged such that the he felt a responsibility to issue this alert in good faith, intended to heighten awareness of the significantly increased possibility, even likelihood, that the US will soon act on Iran. The factors that obliged the Editor to issue this alert are listed below. The reader should be aware of these, evaluate their importance for his/her self, and watch unfolding developments closely as the week of April 6, 2008 approaches

    http://www.geostrategymap.com/Free/Alert_080328.html

    False flag? Conspiracy theory? There are logs of alarms going off in my head right now. I hope it's just a bunch of false flags.


  65. Juan C. Says:

    upright left Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 10:48 am

    Exactly, it’s only the extremists who wish for their deaths.
    upright hussein left

    I have never ever heard GWB say that he wishes the death of Iraqis, nonetheless there were once one million alive before 2003.

    Carpetbombing, torture and White Phosphorous is far more telling than a death wish...unless you are a hypocrite.


  66. And the beat goes on Says:

    Sorry, there are lots of alarms...darn fingers!


  67. Wayne Says:

    IEDs have been used in war since gunpowder was invented. I still have an old army manual on making IEDs.
    What bullshit...


  68. barfly Says:

    Exactly, it’s only the extremists who wish for their deaths.

    This assumes that no leader in history ever deserved to die for their acts. Is that also your assertion?


  69. Fred Says:

    upright left Says:
    Most people just wish for the removal of politicians with whom they disagree. It’s only the extremists who wish for their deaths.

    Yeah, like wishing someone would poison a Supreme Court Justice, right? Or calling for the assassination of a duly-elected foreign leader?
    ——

    Exactly, it’s only the extremists who wish for their deaths.

    upright hussein left

    But there have been 0 conservatives actually assasinated in the US for political reasons......

    We have had several progressives murdered in public for political reasons in recent history. I did the math on this in the 60's.


  70. misshusseinmolly Says:

    I must not be an extremist -- I don't wish Dubya dead, nor do I wish anyone dead. I DO wish Dubya GONE -- someplace where he doesn't have the power or ability to harm anyone. Same goes for Cheney.


  71. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    I see downright wrong is busy spreading fertilizer again this morning.


  72. Kay Says:

    If Bush -or Cheney died this is how I'd respond (very Darthian) : "So."


  73. specialist f Says:

    65Fred Says:
    Thank you Fred. You know there are people here that are right of center. They usually have reasoned thought out posts that while alot of us disagree with,we respect them. Keltoi, and even Exley come to mind. But this idiot doesn't deserve an ounce of our respect because it's an idiot with no honor. We can usually spot it's drivel by the grammar,spelling errors,and overall goofiness! Flag it and move on!


  74. Fred Says:

    “Members of Congress have as much as $196 million collectively invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department, earning millions since the onset of the Iraq war,” according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

    This should be illegal. It is obviously immoral and they should be called on it.


  75. upright left Says:

    Juan C. Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 10:53 am
    upright left Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 10:48 am

    Exactly, it’s only the extremists who wish for their deaths.
    upright hussein left

    I have never ever heard GWB say that he wishes the death of Iraqis, nonetheless there were once one million alive before 2003.

    Carpetbombing, torture and White Phosphorous is far more telling than a death wish…unless you are a hypocrite.
    -----

    None of which changes the fact that most people wish for the removal, rather than the death, of politicians with whom they disagree.

    upright hussein left


  76. Kay Says:

    I am not going to apologize for my "extreme" point of view. It doesn't phase me in the least that people think of me as extreme.


  77. fletc3her Says:

    IED is another one of these made up terms. As someone says above, an IED is simply a bomb. They are "improvised" to the extent that they are not off-the-shelf bombs, but even that is deceptive. An IED may be an off-the-shelf bomb which is being used improperly, like a land mine placed on its side.


  78. DRxJ Says:

    I really was not going to indulge uptight righty with his "extremist" accusation, but alas, work is slow today, so I must (I must):
    Per definition, I am an extremist. I do not wish, or advocate the death of our dear (snark) leader. But, when I think of the young sons and daughters who will never again play with their fathers (or mothers), when I think of the horrific deaths to innocent civilian in Iraq, when I think of the irresponsible response that lead to thousands of deaths in New Orleans, all caused by this man, then yes, a fantasy of Bush's last breath causing no more pain or agony in this world is justifiable, and actually, quite healthy.
    By the way, and in which no way can be proven, I wonder how many "righties" here wished for the Clinton's last breath in the 90's. I mean, slick Willie was like Michael Myers in "Halloween". No matter how many times they tried to kill him, he just kept getting up (and being more popular than ever!)


  79. upright left Says:

    ------
    Kay Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 11:05 am
    I am not going to apologize for my “extreme” point of view. It doesn’t phase me in the least that people think of me as extreme.
    ------

    I didn't expect any change. The only reason that I bothered to point it out is because moderates find such statements, wishing illness and death on those with whom you disagree, to be distasteful and out of place in civil discussion. You drive away people who agree with you on some issues. It won't matter in this election because people want so badly for the war to end. But when there is a close race, such things can drive people to vote for the opposition.

    upright hussein left


  80. ralph the wonder llama Says:

    What the hell is the President of the US doing, meeting with extremists?

    I trust uptight wrong voiced his disapproval of meetings such as this.


  81. barfly Says:

    None of which changes the fact that most people wish for the removal, rather than the death, of politicians with whom they disagree.

    I'll repeat: This assumes that no leader in history ever deserved to die for their acts. Is that also your contention?

    No reasoning person could deny that in history, there were definitely leaders who deserved to die for their acts. In Nazi Germany, "most people" didn't wish for Hitler's death, because they didn't know the true extent of his crimes against humanity. People alive at the time who knew these acts were carried out, and wished the person responsible to get justice for his heinous acts, could hardly be considered out of the mainstream, so Upright's "most people" presupposes that "most people," means those who don't know the full extent of what's going on.


  82. Kay Says:

    When I fantasize about the Nazi Chimp's last breath -- I think of all the men and women that have died for a LIE in Iraq and Afghanistan. I think of all the people in New Orleans during Katrina. I think of people perishing in the Trade Towers. I think of all the people losing their homes during this mortgage crisis. I think of all the Iraqi refugees. I think of the conditions at Walter Reed Hospital. I think of seniors having to take half a dose of their medication. I think of the loved ones left behind after 9/11. I think of the men and women coming home from Iraq with no limbs.

    Last breath sounds good to me.


  83. ralph the wonder llama Says:

    upright left Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 11:12 am

    The only reason that I bothered to point it out is because moderates find such statements, wishing illness and death on those with whom you disagree, to be distasteful and out of place in civil discussion. You drive away people who agree with you on some issues.

    Oh, see.... we had uptight all wrong. He's really just concerned for us and our ability to make our arguments effectively.

    How sweet.

    Thanks for you heartfelt concern. Truly.


  84. upright left Says:

    | Report Abuse
    ------
    DRxJ Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 11:08 am

    By the way, and in which no way can be proven, I wonder how many “righties” here wished for the Clinton’s last breath in the 90’s. I mean, slick Willie was like Michael Myers in “Halloween”. No matter how many times they tried to kill him, he just kept getting up (and being more popular than ever!)
    ------

    I agree there were probably lots righty extremists who wished for Clinton's death.

    upright hussein left


  85. upright left Says:

    ------
    ralph the wonder llama Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 11:17 am

    Thanks for you heartfelt concern. Truly.
    ------

    Anytime. ;)

    upright hussein left


  86. Peter C Says:

    I don't want Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfield, etc dead, I WANT THEM CONVICTED! I want them repudiated to such an extent that their supporters slink to the shadows and live their lives in obscurity and far from the levers of power. I want them scorned by the public and held up as examples for those who would contemplate their crimes in the future.

    If we'd had been smart, we'd have captured and convicted Osama bin Laden in the same way. We'd have put him on trial and shown him condemned by all religions and facets of civilized society. That would have done so much more to end terrorism than our immoral assault in the name of our hypocritical "struggle against violent islamic extremeism" or whatever the current excuse-de-jour seems to be.

    The Iraq War and occupation is a war crime; it must be punished.


  87. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    But when there is a close race, such things can drive people to vote for the opposition.

    upright hussein left
    _____________

    Awwwwww... he's "concerned" for us, guys.

    ***sniff...***

    I'm touched... no, really, I am.

    Hey, Wrongie... I got some "concern" for ya, RIGHT HERE!

    (hypocritical, pus-filled little poison toad, isn't he?)


  88. Kay Says:

    But when there is a close race, such things can drive people to vote for the opposition.

    Yup. I guess this will drive people to vote for McBush (a.k.a
    McBomb, McWars, McSenile etc)


  89. barfly Says:

    I agree there were probably lots righty extremists who wished for Clinton’s death.

    And in that specific case, they would be extremists.


  90. Kay Says:

    ok.

    Last breath after the conviction.

    i'll take that, too.


  91. RUCerious Says:

    And speaking of polls:
    Bush job approval:
    Pollster - date(s) - Approve - Disapprove - Huh? - Diff
    CBS/New York Times - 3/28 - 4/2/08 - 28 - 64 - 8 - -36

    Pew - 3/19-22/08 - 28 - 63 - 9 - -35

    Heckuva job, chympie!


  92. katy Says:

    Bilbo Hussein Baggins at 9:41 am
    ... until TP starts banning trolls by their IP address.

    i'm all for eliminating pests... but, isn't an IP address shared by many? ...
    i really don't know... surely someone here does...
    eh?


  93. Fred Says:

    upright left please address this before attacking anyone.

    talk is cheap......

    But there have been 0 conservatives actually assasinated in the US for political reasons……

    We have had several progressives murdered in public for political reasons in recent history. I did the math on this in the 60’s.


  94. barfly Says:

    The Iraq War and occupation is a war crime; it must be punished.

    Follow that line of reasoning to it's conclusion. Hitler escaped the tribunal, but his lieutenants did not. Would it have been extremist at that time to wish justice to be carried out for all their victims?


  95. And the beat goes on Says:

    Senate drops bankruptcy aid from housing plan
    Judges could have altered mortgages of homeowners facing foreclosure

    Republicans and business-friendly Democrats on Thursday scuttled a plan to give people threatened with losing their homes more leverage in winning favorable loan terms from their lenders in bankruptcy courts.

    The Senate killed the bankruptcy plan by a 58-36 vote on the first full day of debate on a bill designed to boost the slumping housing market.

    The Democratic-backed bankruptcy law changes, opposed by banks and their GOP allies and a handful of Democrats, would have given judges the power to cut interest rates and principal on troubled mortgages to help desperate borrowers trapped in subprime mortgages keep their homes.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23944893/

    200 billion for crimminal lender corporations but no help to cash strapped home owners. Any questions?


  96. upright left Says:

    ------
    Peter C Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 11:22 am
    I don’t want Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfield, etc dead, I WANT THEM CONVICTED! I want them repudiated to such an extent that their supporters slink to the shadows and live their lives in obscurity and far from the levers of power. I want them scorned by the public and held up as examples for those who would contemplate their crimes in the future.

    If we’d had been smart, we’d have captured and convicted Osama bin Laden in the same way. We’d have put him on trial and shown him condemned by all religions and facets of civilized society. That would have done so much more to end terrorism than our immoral assault in the name of our hypocritical “struggle against violent islamic extremeism” or whatever the current excuse-de-jour seems to be.

    The Iraq War and occupation is a war crime; it must be punished.
    ------

    A fair statement that moderates can respect and that doesn't raise questions about the aims and true feelings of the one who makes it.

    upright hussein left


  97. L. Hussein Annie Says:

    I guess you can call *me* an extremist as well, because I dream of the day when George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, both convicted of treason and war crimes, are executed for their crimes against humanity by a firing squad.


  98. L. Hussein Annie Says:

    And downright ugly, go peddle yer papers on Redstate.com and freerepublic.

    That's where the *real* ugly extremists hang out.


  99. Kay Says:

    So fantasizing about the Nazi Chimp's last breath is not moderate. Which I accept.

    But this does raise questions about my aims and true feelings.

    Not a chance. My true feelings are on the table. Clear and simple.


  100. Fred Says:

    upright left

    A fair statement that moderates can respect and that doesn’t raise questions about the aims and true feelings of the one who makes it.

    Moderates don't murder people in the streets without a trial. Only right wing extremists in the US have had that propensity.


  101. upright left Says:

    ------
    Fred Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 11:24 am
    upright left please address this before attacking anyone.

    talk is cheap……

    But there have been 0 conservatives actually assasinated in the US for political reasons……

    We have had several progressives murdered in public for political reasons in recent history. I did the math on this in the 60’s.
    ------

    I didn't attack anyone. I simply pointed out that most people don't wish death on our unpopular elected officials. I'm sorry that I can't explain the mind of an assassin to you.
    I assume you are alluding to conspiracy being behind the deaths of liberal politicians. It's entirely possible. I've not seen conclusive evidence.

    upright hussein left


  102. The Republic of Stupidity Says:

    A fair statement that moderates can respect and that doesn’t raise questions about the aims and true feelings of the one who makes it.

    upright hussein left
    ______________

    How curious. He seems to be laboring under the impression that somebody here CARES what he has to say.

    Not... very... quick... on the uptake, huh?


  103. katy Says:

    maybe, just maybe, we ARE reaching someone...
    eh?


  104. upright left Says:

    ------
    Kay Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 11:31 am
    So fantasizing about the Nazi Chimp’s last breath is not moderate. Which I accept.

    But this does raise questions about my aims and true feelings.

    Not a chance. My true feelings are on the table. Clear and simple.
    ------
    It's not your aims regarding Bush that are called into question. It's the liberal claim of the desire for fairness, tolerance, respect for the opinions of others and love for your fellow man. It implies that those things are reserved for those with whom you agree.

    upright hussein left


  105. katy Says:

    another good MLK read:

    What if the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had lived?

    (AP) -- The preacher in him would have continued speaking out against injustice, war and maybe even pop culture. He would likely not have run for president. He probably would have endured more harassment from J. Edgar Hoover.

    Four decades after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. fell to an assassin's bullet, colleagues and biographers offer many answers to the question: What if he had lived?
    [...]
    http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/04/03/mlk.what.if.king.lived.ap/


  106. L. Hussein Annie Says:

    So, DownrightUgly, I guess you and yours were "extremists" for wishing death on Saddam Hussein, eh...?

    Or is that ...different?


  107. barfly Says:

    It implies that those things are reserved for those with whom you agree.

    And upright's strawman's ragged pants falls to it's ankles...

    As always, the concern trolls really attempt to show liberal hypocrisy, and succeed only in showing the bareness of their argument. Thanks for ducking me, Lefty. Nothing else says intellectual cowardice quite like ignoring someone.


  108. Kay Says:

    This is my point: I am not advocating the "speeding up of the process" for the Nazi Chimp to die. I just fantasize about his last breath. Whether it's from the stress of being convicted in front of a World Court for Crimes Against Humanity, what have you or from too much booze. (i.e.)


  109. Fred Says:

    Posted thread:

    On the front page of TP there is a picture of Bush under “Bush Last Lap” : I couldn’t help but think more people would be more happy with “Bush’s Last Breath”…

    Your Response:

    Most people just wish for the removal of politicians with whom they disagree. It’s only the extremists who wish for their deaths. ;)

    then you say:

    I didn’t attack anyone.

    sounds like an attack to me....sounds like you are accusing them of being extremists.

    I wished Nixon a horrible death which he sorely deserved.....it happened to work out that way...I am glad.

    Wishing and waiting for the day are not the same as active participation in making something happen.

    You act like you don't believe in capital punishment. I personally believe that there are people who need killing for the crimes they commit but I don't trust any system to be just enough to not make mistakes......I can live with them being in prison for life.


  110. Kay Says:

    Wishing and waiting for the day are not the same as active participation in making something happen

    exactly.


  111. Evil Spaniard Says:

    On Wednesday, the House voted “to triple to more than $10 billion a year U.S. humanitarian spending on fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and other stricken areas of the world.” Tom Coburn (R-OK) has now said that he will block the bill in the Senate, calling it “irresponsible” to spend so much on these humanitarian issues “in the middle of a war.”

    Two thinkings come to my mind: 1) There wasn't a war going on against AIDS alredy? 2) AIDS is an incurable disease, present in the USA. Isn't being "for" USA security fighting against AIDS all around the world?

    “A bipartisan group of 20 senators unveiled a $6 billion bill that would extend renewable-energy tax credits for one year” that could “save as much as $20 billion in new project investment planned by renewable-energy companies.”

    But Bush will veto it. Why? Because environment is too faggy for its voters.

    The Senate killed a housing proposal sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) by a vote of 58-36 “that would have provided the most direct aid to homeowners facing foreclosure,” instead “keeping alive a delicate compromise on a sweeping housing bill.”

    Americans are so fond of their payed taxes, yet let this idiot deny the money to their legitime owners in times of distress, only to favor his corporate buddies?

    “Members of Congress have as much as $196 million collectively invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department, earning millions since the onset of the Iraq war,” according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

    You know? Responsible countries have laws against this behavior, usually called something like Incompatibility Laws. Because is an acepted immoral and criminal behavior since hundreds of years ago, no matter how is disguised.

    And finally: House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has “returned from Libya with a new pair of sunglasses courtesy of his host, Col. Muammar Gaddafi. … En route to Tripoli, Boehner’s plane was diverted to Surt, Gaddafi’s hometown on the Gulf of Sidra.” Boehner eventually met the colonel inside “a big white tent” in the desert. At one point, a Gaddafi aide “entered the tent with a box of sunglasses.” Gaddafi told Boehner that the “desert [is] not kind to blue eyes.”

    It's curious how Republicans dismiss diplomacy with allies but are really cozy with all the dictators, despots and seriall killers they find. It's the way to be isolated when these dictators bite the hand of the USA, and you find your (former) allies are really pissed at you, because you rejected to hear half an hour more their words.


  112. upright left Says:

    -------
    L. Hussein Annie Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 11:44 am
    So, DownrightUgly, I guess you and yours were “extremists” for wishing death on Saddam Hussein, eh…?

    Or is that …different?
    -------
    I wanted Hussein removed from power and tried for the horror that he inflicted on the Iraqi people and the world. That was done. I wouldn't object to procedings against Bush. That's different than wishing he was dead.

    upright hussein left


  113. L. Hussein Annie Says:

    Oh, puhlease. Mere semantics.

    You're just another tiresome, hypocritical troll attempting to hold we on the left to a different standard than the hatemongers on the right.

    Take your stupid sanctimonious fingerwagging over to Rush Limbaugh, to Michael Savage, to Ann Coulter, chastize all the hatemongers on the right - and then maybe - just maybe - we'll take you seriously.

    Until then, STFU.


  114. Fred Says:

    115 Annie

    Like we could ever attain their level of hatred even if we wanted to. They are called the party of hatred and death for a reason.....


  115. Evil Spaniard Says:

    Oh, and the next time and idiot says "But Obama is muslim", here you have a new that will mute the bigmouthed:

    http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/17253794.html

    And a better picture:

    http://www.elperiodico.com/vivo/recursos/fotos/foto_279/foto_279300_CAS.jpg

    Yes, its Obama degusting Spanish cured (with salt) PIG ham. Curiourly, muslims don't eat or touch pig, much less not cooked one.


  116. upright left Says:

    ------
    Fred Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 11:48 am
    ------
    My use of the word extremist was meant to show how moderates react to people who wish for, or express joy about, the death of someone with whom they disagree politically. I don't oppose the death penalty. Neither do I experience happiness at the death of the criminal, no matter how heinous the crime.
    Tony Snow made no policies regarding Iraq, yet libs were gleeful over his cancer diagnosis and apparent suffering. Even if he knowingly lied for Bush, he isn't personally responsible for the suffering or death of anyone. Yet libs felt completely justifed in wishing him continued suffering and death. That's not the desire of a person who cares for his fellow man. That's the desire of a hateful person who reserves his caring for those who agree with him and those who can be used by him. Libs claim to be all about caring. Seems there is more than enough hypocrisy to go around. ;)

    upright hussein left


  117. upright left Says:

    ------
    L. Hussein Annie Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 11:58 am
    Oh, puhlease. Mere semantics.

    You’re just another tiresome, hypocritical troll attempting to hold we on the left to a different standard than the hatemongers on the right.

    Take your stupid sanctimonious fingerwagging over to Rush Limbaugh, to Michael Savage, to Ann Coulter, chastize all the hatemongers on the right - and then maybe - just maybe - we’ll take you seriously.

    Until then, STFU.
    ------

    The usual response of libs when someone points out their hypocrisy regarding how caring they are and how they are so different from the extreme right. I thought you held yourselves to a higher standard than the extreme right. The truth is uncomfortable sometimes, eh, Annie? ;)

    upright hussein left


  118. Evil Spaniard Says:

    upright left Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
    ——
    Fred Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 11:48 am
    ——
    My use of the word extremist was meant to show how moderates react to people who wish for, or express joy about, the death of someone with whom they disagree politically. I don’t oppose the death penalty. Neither do I experience happiness at the death of the criminal, no matter how heinous the crime.
    Tony Snow made no policies regarding Iraq, yet libs were gleeful over his cancer diagnosis and apparent suffering. Even if he knowingly lied for Bush, he isn’t personally responsible for the suffering or death of anyone. Yet libs felt completely justifed in wishing him continued suffering and death. That’s not the desire of a person who cares for his fellow man. That’s the desire of a hateful person who reserves his caring for those who agree with him and those who can be used by him. Libs claim to be all about caring. Seems there is more than enough hypocrisy to go around. ;)

    upright hussein left

    In fact, your use of the words extremist and moderate. As the usual use of "angry" on the Democrats by the Republicans when voice their dissent. Republicans are more war prone and like to act tough, and favor "tough love" doctrines, and are far less kind rejecting oppostion ideas, and these are facts, and facts that Republican pride themselves of practice at every minute. Frankly I find these behaviors far more violent, yet the Republicans aren't described as often as "angry" as the Democrats. Why? Thanks to a PR campaing crated by the Republicans to distort and picture the Democrats in a disfavorable light.

    Why I say all this? Because you're trying to make the same with the world extremist, trying to pin it to the ones on the left of you (by now the 81% of Americans).

    Frankly, your many posts only show a thing, and it's not that Democrats here are "angry" or "extremists", but that you're a dishonest debater.


  119. upright left Says:

    ------
    Evil Spaniard Says:

    Frankly, your many posts only show a thing, and it’s not that Democrats here are “angry” or “extremists”, but that you’re a dishonest debater.
    ------

    I know, evil, anyone who doesn't agree completely with the liberal line is a dishonset debater. I believe Kay, who appears to be a liberal, was even called a troll by a fellow liberal for failing to follow the accepted lib line on an issue. You didn't address my original point, which was that most people wish for the removal, rather than the death, of politicians with whom they disagree. Most of the "by now the 81% of Americans" would find wishing death to politicians to be distasteful.

    upright hussein left


  120. Fred Says:

    upright left Says:
    Tony Snow made no policies regarding Iraq, yet libs were gleeful over his cancer diagnosis and apparent suffering. Even if he knowingly lied for Bush, he isn’t personally responsible for the suffering or death of anyone. Yet libs felt completely justifed in wishing him continued suffering and death. That’s not the desire of a person who cares for his fellow man. That’s the desire of a hateful person who reserves his caring for those who agree with him and those who can be used by him. Libs claim to be all about caring. Seems there is more than enough hypocrisy to go around. ;)

    You say that like it is true and you can prove it......please do. I personally believe snow's cancer is appropriate karma for the choices he made.

    Don't lecture lib's as you call us (funny when you try to come off as a moderate) about caring. You are standing on shifting sand.

    Your party is the party of hatred and death and you hold a patent on hypocrocy.......you just want to attack because if you try to defend you wind up in a corner......

    Tony Snow was and is a propaganda outlet for this criminal administration. There will be no true justice where these criminals are concerned and what you out of choice interpret as hatred is in fact frustration at the lack of justice.....


  121. Evil Spaniard Says:

    upright left Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
    ——
    Evil Spaniard Says:

    Frankly, your many posts only show a thing, and it’s not that Democrats here are “angry” or “extremists”, but that you’re a dishonest debater.
    ——

    I know, evil, anyone who doesn’t agree completely with the liberal line is a dishonset debater.

    Thanks for proving my point so quickly.


  122. upright left Says:

    ------
    Fred Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
    You say that like it is true and you can prove it……please do. I personally believe snow’s cancer is appropriate karma for the choices he made.

    Don’t lecture lib’s as you call us (funny when you try to come off as a moderate) about caring. You are standing on shifting sand.

    Your party is the party of hatred and death and you hold a patent on hypocrocy…….you just want to attack because if you try to defend you wind up in a corner……

    ------
    I see no need to go back through the Snow threads and copy comments for you. We all know they are there and are readily available to you if you somehow managed to miss them all. The new search feature works much better than the old one. It won't take you long at all. Is the karma comment meant to excuse happiness at the suffereing of others? Not very caring, I must say.
    As for my party, I was unaware that there is a moderate party. I thought we just have to try to find suitable candidates among the Dems, Repubs and the ocassional sane Independent.

    upright hussein left


  123. upright left Says:

    ------
    Evil Spaniard Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
    upright left Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
    ——
    Evil Spaniard Says:

    Frankly, your many posts only show a thing, and it’s not that Democrats here are “angry” or “extremists”, but that you’re a dishonest debater.
    ——

    I know, evil, anyone who doesn’t agree completely with the liberal line is a dishonset debater.

    Thanks for proving my point so quickly.
    -------

    I'll attribute that to the language difference and leave that one alone. ;)

    upright hussein left


  124. jmcdonough120 Says:

    from swimming freestyle:

    Two disappointing and, undoubtedly, related statistics. And stinging indictments of a Bush Administration that is so ideologically bent on deregulation, they've given up any stewardship of the American economy. As a consequence, we continue to drift towards an economic downturn European analysts refer to as depression-like while Mr. Bernanke dances nervously in Congressional hearings afraid to say the "R" word and President Bush goes AWOL to a NATO conference. It will require some real Houdini like moves on the part of the Administration and their minions to squirm out of accountability for this gigantic mess.

    Democrats need to loudly remind voters the consequences of leaders allowing outdated and disproven ideological considerations to interfere with the business of managing the government and the, now obvious, implications for the American people.

    Loudly. Very loudly.

    http://swimmingfreestyle.typepad.com


  125. tombaker Says:

    Righties have a very badly messed-up backyard to take care of before they can start looking around to their neighbors' yards launching criticisms.

    Real conservatives should have their public mouths shut, and their private ones working overtime to clean house and restore some of the tons of credibility they've lost in recent years.

    Until that is done, judgemental sanctimony directed from Right to Left will be no more than laughed at, and taken as confirmation that whomever is flinging it from the right is merely an asshat wingnut dittohead.


  126. Zooey Says:

    On Wednesday, the House voted “to triple to more than $10 billion a year U.S. humanitarian spending on fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and other stricken areas of the world.” Tom Coburn (R-OK) has now said that he will block the bill in the Senate, calling it “irresponsible” to spend so much on these humanitarian issues “in the middle of a war.”

    Actually, it's irresponsible to spend so much on war when we're in the middle of dealing with humanitarian issues.


  127. Fred Says:

    Upright, you just go ahead and chase your tail. I'm through with your slant on things.

    You want to make liberals out to be hateful human beings compared to what? Republicans!! Seriously. Give it up, that is a fools errand. Oh yeah.


  128. Zooey Says:

    Members of Congress have as much as $196 million collectively invested in companies doing business with the Defense Department, earning millions since the onset of the Iraq war,” according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

    Which is why we're still in Iraq -- there's profit to be made!


  129. Zooey Says:

    Fred
    April 4th, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    There is no one better suited to a fool's errand than upright left.


  130. Fred Says:

    Zooey Says 127

    Hey Zooey, how come it wasn't irresponsible to issue huge tax cuts in the middle of a ""WAR""


  131. Zooey Says:

    Fred Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 1:02 pm

    Zooey Says 127

    Hey Zooey, how come it wasn’t irresponsible to issue huge tax cuts in the middle of a “”WAR”"

    IOKIYAR


  132. Evil Spaniard Says:

    upright left Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
    ——
    Evil Spaniard Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
    upright left Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
    ——
    Evil Spaniard Says:

    Frankly, your many posts only show a thing, and it’s not that Democrats here are “angry” or “extremists”, but that you’re a dishonest debater.
    ——

    I know, evil, anyone who doesn’t agree completely with the liberal line is a dishonset debater.

    Thanks for proving my point so quickly.
    ——-

    I’ll attribute that to the language difference and leave that one alone. ;)

    upright hussein left

    So you believe blanket statements aren't dishonest or maybe you believe I don't see your duplicity over the language barrier?

    He, dishonest and pedant.


  133. Evil Spaniard Says:

    upright left Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
    ——
    As for my party, I was unaware that there is a moderate party. I thought we just have to try to find suitable candidates among the Dems, Repubs and the ocassional sane Independent.

    upright hussein left

    Oh, and this is really rich. Matey, you've being posting here for years now, and the adjective that I would choose for ideology isn't moderate. And, "moderate" what? This simple adjective means nothing, and everything if you don't describe to what is related. You want "moderate" tax cuts? Or "moderate" tax hikes? Etc.


  134. Evil Spaniard Says:

    *ideology* = *your ideology*



  135. pete Says:

    House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has "returned from Libya with a new pair of sunglasses courtesy of his host, Col. Muammar Gaddafi. ... En route to Tripoli, Boehner's plane was diverted to Surt, Gaddafi's hometown on the Gulf of Sidra." Boehner eventually met the colonel inside "a big white tent" in the desert. At one point, a Gaddafi aide "entered the tent with a box of sunglasses." Gaddafi told Boehner that the "desert [is] not kind to blue eyes."

    So now the House Minority Leader is visiting, and accepting gifts from, a proven terrorist? The man Saint Reagan proclaimed to be, "the mad dog of the Mideast".

    But, as a friend pointed out to me, "we have always been at war with Eurasia".


  136. upright left Says:

    ------
    Evil Spaniard Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
    upright left Says:
    April 4th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
    ——
    As for my party, I was unaware that there is a moderate party. I thought we just have to try to find suitable candidates among the Dems, Repubs and the ocassional sane Independent.

    upright hussein left

    Oh, and this is really rich. Matey, you’ve being posting here for years now, and the adjective that I would choose for ideology isn’t moderate. And, “moderate” what? This simple adjective means nothing, and everything if you don’t describe to what is related. You want “moderate” tax cuts? Or “moderate” tax hikes? Etc.
    ------
    Evil, I'm sure your definition of far right is anyone who is a Christian and who opposes abortion. I'm moderate because I want the govt to do more to help those who can't care for themselves while requiring that those who can, do. I want our people out of Iraq. I want taxes on the wealthy increased but not dramatically. We don't need to punish success, we just need everyone to pay their fair share. I want taxes increased slightly overall to get rid of the deficit. I want the govt to help everyone get healthcare without putting govt in charge of healthcare. I want the govt to take decisive action on the immigration problem so that we don't have huge numbers of people crossing the border illegally and we do provide work permits for the millions that want to work here. I do believe that abortion is murder, but I accept the fact that our society has chosen to protect the right to kill unborn children. I have never based my vote on that issue. I accept the fact that there are some areas where govt interference and regulation are necessary. I don't think bigger govt is the key to all our problems. Perhaps one of the main positions that makes a person moderate is not demonizing people who hold opposing views. ;)

    upright hussein left



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