Think Progress

ThinkFast: April 29, 2008

By Think Progress on Apr 29th, 2008 at 9:00 am

Three years before Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was arguing for a 100 year presence in Iraq, he told MSNBC, “I would hope that we could bring them all home.” “I think one of our big problems has been the fact that many Iraqis resent American military presence,” McCain said. “[A]s soon as we can reduce our visibility as much as possible, the better I think it is going to be.”

Yesterday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) threatened to subpoena Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff David Addington and former Justice Department officials John Ashcroft and John Yoo, all of whom have refused to testify at a hearing on interrogation policies.

Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan come home to find that the GI Bill is “quite different from the comprehensive benefits that once covered all the costs of an education” after World War II. Veterans’ advocates say “[t]he current GI benefit covers just half the national average cost for tuition, room and board” and “falls dramatically short.”

Col. Morris Davis, the former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay, took the witness stand for accused terrorist Salim Ahmen Hamdan to “declare under oath that he felt undue pressure to hurry cases along so that the Bush administration could claim before political elections that the system was working.” Davis also said former Gitmo inmate David Hicks should never have been charged.

While some people marry for love, companionship, or even status, a poll released today finds a new reason: health insurance. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation survey, 7 percent of Americans say that “they or someone in their household decided to marry in the last year so they could get healthcare benefits via their spouse.”

“Home foreclosure filings jumped 23 percent in the first quarter…and more than doubled from a year a earlier,” according to new RealtyTrac data. “One of every 194 households received a notice of default, auction sale or bank repossession between January and March, for the seventh straight quarter of rising foreclosure activity.”

A UNICEF report says the world’s poorest children are the most vulnerable to global warming. “The report said climate change could add 40,000-160,000 extra child deaths a year in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa through lower economic growth” and that “if temperatures rose by two degrees…up to 200 million people globally would face hunger.”

In remarks in Kansas City, Colin Powell said that “the military was being stretched and a lot was being asked of the all-volunteer force at a time when the entire country isn’t committed to war,” the AP reports. “I think it would be hard to respond to another crisis if it was like these two,” Powell said.

CIA Director Michael Hayden said yesterday that the “suspected Syrian reactor bombed by Israel had the capacity to produce enough nuclear material to fuel one to two weapons a year.” “The plutonium reactor was within weeks or months of completion when it was destroyed in an air strike last Sept. 6.” After one year of operation “it could have produced enough material for at least one weapon.”

And finally: Some lawmakers just aren’t up on the latest celebrity gossip. At the White House Correspondents Association dinner on Saturday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) was shocked at all the screaming fans, thinking they were there to greet politicians. “I thought, ‘Wow, those are some serious political junkies,’” she said. She soon realized that the fans were there to greet the Jonas Brothers, not the lawmakers. “I don’t even know who they are,” Klobuchar marveled.

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

Comments
150

115 Responses to “ThinkFast: April 29, 2008”

2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda says:

Ecuador’s Leader Purges Military and Moves to Expel American Base
The New York Times

Manta, Ecuador – Chafing at ties between American intelligence agencies and Ecuadorean military officials, President Rafael Correa is purging the armed forces of top commanders and pressing ahead with plans to cast out more than 100 members of the American military from an air base here in this coastal city.

Mr. Correa – who this month dismissed his defense minister and commanders of the army, air force and joint chiefs – said that Ecuador’s intelligence systems were “totally infiltrated and subjugated to the C.I.A.” He accused senior military officials of sharing intelligence with Colombia, the Bush administration’s top ally in Latin America.

The dismissals point to a willingness by Mr. Correa, an ally of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, to aggressively confront Ecuador’s military, a bastion of political and economic power in this coup-prone country of 14 million people.

This month his supporters approved a measure that would go a step further and effectively outlaw foreign military bases in Ecuador. Since the American post at Manta is the only foreign military outpost in Ecuador, it was clear the move was a deliberate and very public swipe at the United States.

We must get past our legacy of relying too much on military relations with the United States, with President Bush showing little regard for national borders or sovereignty,…The risk of remaining too close to such a partner is one of ideological contagion.” said Javier Ponce, Ecquador’s new Defense Minister.

Full unedited story:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042108O.shtml
April 29th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Freedom Rebel says:

Probing a Political Paradox: Why the Discredited Right Still Sets the Agenda and Dominates the Debate

It’s a paradox: the political center has clearly shifted; what used to be considered “left wing” positions have now become part of the mainstream, and the views of the Right are now at odds with the majority of the American public — and with reality.

Think about it: on Iraq and the exercise of American power, on economic fairness, on corporate responsibility, on the environment and climate change, on the universal right to healthcare, the progressive policies and positions long championed by the left have moved from union halls and MoveOn emails to the sidewalks, backyards, and kitchen tables of Main Street, USA.

Nevertheless, the traditional media — and most politicians — continue to insist on looking at every issue through a right vs left frame, then assume the answer is found by splitting the difference.

And I concluded that there are three main areas to look at, but also to help us get out: the media, the role of fear in our politics, and the failure of political leadership. So that 28 percent of the population that continues to support George W. Bush no matter how many bodies pile up in Iraq, how many jobs disappear overseas, how many For Sale signs go up on their block, or how high gas prices get, continues to dominate our politics.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/probing-a-political-parad_b_99038.html

Arianna’s book Right is Wrong; is being released today (April 29). In her new book she explores the three main reasons, not just how we got here, but to understand why. I agree with her assessment of the media. They are always trying to explain both sides of a story. When in fact; the truth usually lies on one side or the other, not in the middle. “Democratic leaders need to re-define the center of American politics. Right is no longer the opposite of left. It is the opposite of wrong.” I couldn’t agree more, they have a big challenge ahead of them. Democrats need to embrace the Independents that are motivated for change. Becoming more vocal and active would be a good start. No more backing down on important issues or shelving important legislation. We can’t afford to waste anymore time on Democrats that are going to side with Republicans.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:05 am
2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda says:

CIA Director Michael Hayden said yesterday that the “suspected Syrian reactor bombed by Israel had the capacity to produce enough nuclear material to fuel one to two weapons a year.” “The plutonium reactor was within weeks or months of completion when it was destroyed in an air strike last Sept. 6.” After one year of operation “it could have produced enough material for at least one weapon.”
———————–
Except for the fact that it probably wasn’t a reactor producing nuclear material at all.

As Larisa Alexandrovna (Raw Story) passionately argues:

The claims regarding a Syrian nuclear facility are patently false. How do I know? Because I was on the story for months. It is not true that North Korea is helping Syria build a nuclear reactor. What is true, however, is that Syria has a chemical weapons program – that for some reason no one seems much interested in. But I suppose for the Cheney mechanism to move forward, introducing a whole new type of WMD to the mix might confuse the propaganda.

Furthermore, anyone from the CIA who testifies to Congress that Israel bombed a nuclear facility in Syria last year will be all-out lying.

Full story and sources at:
http://www.atlargely.com/2008/04/massive-propaga.html

**It’s very important to refute this story as Bushco appears to be using it as justification to start a wider war in the Middle East.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Freedom Rebel says:

DynCorp Manager Used Armored Car
To Transport Hookers in Iraq

Some explosive testimony this afternoon from a panel of whistleblowers testifying before a Senate committee on contractor abuse in Iraq.

A contractor died when a DynCorp manager used an employee’s armored car to transport prostitutes, according to Barry Halley, a Worldwide Network Services employee working under a DynCorp subcontract.

“DynCorp’s site manager was involved in bringing prostitutes into hotels operated by DynCorp. A co-worker unrelated to the ring was killed when he was travelling in an unsecure car and shot performing a high-risk mission. I believe that my co-worker could have survived if he had been riding in an armored car. At the time, the armored car that he would otherwise have been riding in was being used by the contractor’s manager to transport prostitutes from Kuwait to Baghdad.“

Other revelations:

- Kellogg Brown & Root contractors used to destroy countless quantities of still-usable equipment that was difficult to transport in “massive burn pits” that were “burning 24 hours a day.”

- KBR’s ice foreman “was cheating the troops out of ice at the same time that he was trading the ice for DVDs, CDs, food and other items at the Iraqi shops across the street.”

- When KBR whistleblower Frank Cassaday reported weapons looting, he was placed in a jail tent by KBR security.

- KBR employees looted Iraqi palaces for treasure to sell on eBay.

http://www.muckraked.com/wordpress/2008/04/28/dyncorp-manager-used-armored-car-to-transport-hookers-in-iraq/

Our government isn’t doing anything to prevent all this corruption over in Iraq. Everyday it is something new, woman getting gang raped, illegal shootings, and now they are transporting in prostitutes in Armored Vehicles. They need to get rid of these sub-contractors and throw most of them in jail. When are they going to put an end to all of this lawlessness?
April 29th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Freedom Rebel says:

South Dakota to hold abortion referendum

Voters in the midwestern US state of South Dakota will vote in a November referendum on abortion, reviving the country’s already polarized debate on the issue, state officials said Monday.

Voters in the conservative state narrowly rejected a total ban on pregnancy termination in 2006, with 56 percent voting no, but exit polls showed a majority would have backed a ban if it had been less strict.

The 2006 text allowed for exceptions only if the life of the mother were in immediate danger. The 2008 version takes into account cases of rape, incest, or risk of grave health effects for the mother.

“All induced abortions, whether surgically or chemically induced, terminate an entire, unique, living human being, a human being separated from his or her mother, as a matter of scientific and biological fact,” says the text to be voted upon on November 4.

About 11,000 babies are born each year in South Dakota, while just 800 abortions are performed in one clinic by a doctor who comes in once per week from another state.
The referendum aims to press the US Supreme Court to overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that allowed the abortion on the basis of the right to privacy, a legal standing that has been chipped away at by subsequent cases and the nomination in 2005 of two conservative judges to the high court.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080428221321.4zqml7t0&show_article=1

I can not believe in this day and age we still have to fight this battle. Obviously the people in South Dakota have nothing more pressing to worry about. So in the meantime, let’s push a woman’s right to choose back 35 years. What’s next on the agenda, her right to vote??
April 29th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Bilbo Hussein Baggins says:

Three years before Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was arguing for a 100 year presence in Iraq, he told MSNBC, “I would hope that we could bring them all home.”

I’m wondering why this quote was so long coming into the light. McCain made this comment on Matthew’s show. Didn’t Tweety remember McCain saying that? I’m fairly sure that he did. But, being the upright journalist he is, he conveniently didn’t think to mention this bit of hypocrisy on McCain’s part.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:13 am
GeeDubs says:

So Mr. Conyers is REALLY mad now and is THREATENING to ISSUE a subpeona for Addington. Crap! Isn’t this the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result?

And I am shocked…SHOCKED…that the Bush Administration would use dubious data to support a policy they thought would bring them electoral triumph. But under this administration, I suppose they think the ’system IS working.’ Double Crap!!
April 29th, 2008 at 9:14 am
DieNowForPeace says:

At the time, the armored car that he would otherwise have been riding in was being used by the contractor’s manager to transport prostitutes from Kuwait to Baghdad.

Thank God for George W., the shining bastion of equality and legality, he’ll get to the bottom of all these wayward, corrupt collusions!
April 29th, 2008 at 9:16 am
IgnoranceIsNotBliss says:

Ashcroft left the Justice Department in 2005 and now leads a lobby and consulting firm. He cited in his refusal to testify his workload and the likelihood that Congress would ask questions that would breach attorney-client privilege and executive privilege.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong here, but, as the Attorney General, isn’t he supposed to be the People’s Attorney and not the President’s Attorney?

If that’s the case then I give him my permission to break the Attorney-Client privilege and fess up to what he knows were criminal acts perpetrated by the current administration.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:18 am
DieNowForPeace says:

Attn: VOR

ABAR, rinse and repeat, ABAR.

ANYTHING
BUT
A
REPUBLICAN
April 29th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Bilbo Hussein Baggins says:

SAN ANTONIO — More than half the teenage girls taken from a polygamist compound in west Texas have children or are pregnant, state officials said Monday.

A total of 53 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 are in state custody after a raid 3 1/2 weeks ago at the Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado. Of those girls, 31 either have children or are pregnant, said Child Protective Services spokesman Darrell Azar. He didn’t specify how many are pregnant.

“It shows you a pretty distinct pattern, that it was pretty pervasive,” he said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/28/31-of-53-teen-girls-at-fl_1_n_99097.html

I find this story to be very disturbing. I certainly hope that the officials hold out and don’t allow the mothers involved in this sect to have their children back. Any mother who allows herself to be a breeding machine and then turns her female children over to the sect to also be a breeding machine is not a fit mother and should not, under any circumstances, be allowed to obtain custody of her children.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:19 am
hussein toasterhead says:

2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda Says:

Manta, Ecuador – Chafing at ties between American intelligence agencies and Ecuadorean military officials, President Rafael Correa is purging the armed forces of top commanders and pressing ahead with plans to cast out more than 100 members of the American military from an air base here in this coastal city.

April 29th, 2008 at 8:59 am

Crap… I knew I should’ve put Rafael Correa on my Death Pool list this year.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:20 am
2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda says:

GeeDubs Says:
So Mr. Conyers is REALLY mad now and is THREATENING to ISSUE a subpeona for Addington. Crap! Isn’t this the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result?
——————————
Conyer’s subpoenas are worth less than the DOLLAR!
April 29th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Bilbo Hussein Baggins says:

Yesterday, House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers (D-MI) threatened to subpoena Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff David Addington

Why bother. Congress has done nothing about the other Bush sycophants who have ignored subpoena. Why embarrass yourself by issuing another subpoena that will be ignored and then Congress will do nothing about it.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:24 am
GeeDubs says:

Oh, 2Million – that’s sinking way below the belt! I suppose the phrase now would be ‘Another Day, Another 50 Cents,’ instead of ‘Another Day…Another Dollar.’
April 29th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Doc Rock says:

While “a foolish consistency” may be “the hobgoblin of little minds,” a totallack of policy consistency is indicative of the desperation of a hunger for power at all cost and without any scruple!
April 29th, 2008 at 9:26 am
GeeDubs says:

There must be some collective disconnect with the Democrats that they cannot or will not enforce their subpeonas. Are they afraid of confrontation? Sometimes the only way to break through the wall (and it’s only a Buddhist paper wall anyway), is to punch your fist through it. Send your Sergeant at Arms to pick these people up and deposit them in the well of the Congress to finally take RESPONSIBILITY for your actions. Isn’t that what the Republicans are supposedly all about? Responsibility and being held to account?
April 29th, 2008 at 9:27 am
2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda says:

hussein toasterhead Says:
2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda Says:

Manta, Ecuador – Chafing at ties between American intelligence agencies and Ecuadorean military officials, President Rafael Correa is purging the armed forces of top commanders and pressing ahead with plans to cast out more than 100 members of the American military from an air base here in this coastal city.

April 29th, 2008 at 8:59 am

Crap… I knew I should’ve put Rafael Correa on my Death Pool list this year.
————————
Latin America is now dominated by “leftist” leaders such as Correa and Chavez. Only Colombia remains as an ally of the neo-cons.

So of course that means we have to send the 4th Fleet to their shores:

The U.S. Navy plans to re-establish its Fourth Fleet, disbanded in 1950, to oversee ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean and Central and South America, a Defense Department statement said.

“This change increases our emphasis in the region on employing naval forces to build confidence and trust among nations through collective maritime security efforts that focus on common threats and mutual interests,” Roughead said.

The U.S. Navy has been planning to build up its forces in the region. Admiral James Stavridis, who oversees military affairs for Latin America, told Congress on March 6 that he backs plans to designate a new fleet, led by a nuclear aircraft carrier, to patrol the waters of the Caribbean and Latin America in support of counter-terrorism operations.

The move comes as South American nations, including Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador, boost military spending to counter tensions and protect oil reserves.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a094×7Qa8Qeo

** While everybody has their eyes on Iran, war is a brewin’ in Latin America.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:27 am
RantingTommy says:

And the Republican’s cynical use of fear and terror to manipulate their chronically cowardly constituents continues.

Republicans know how to terrorize Americans into voting against their own interests.

It’s a shame that so many are so ignorant as to be so easily frightened.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Doc Rock says:

There is little enough money for providing for the physical and mental health needs of our veterans, let alone a proper education bill. This is because of the long term conservative strategy to “starve the beast” which has bled the treasury dry and multiplied our national debt!
April 29th, 2008 at 9:30 am
RantingTommy says:

Terrorism only works on the terrified.

Refuse to be afraid.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:31 am
McWars says:

Hey VoR, the smallest faults you could find or fabricate within our party don’t stand your party a chance in hell of winning in November. We have plenty of democratic voters to go around to take this election.

Carter’s loss in 1980 wasn’t the result of his nomination battle with Ted Kennedy. People were already chanting ABC (Anybody But Carter).

Ford’s loss in 1976 wasn’t the result of his nomination battle with Reagan. Ford pardoning Nixon doomed him from the start.

The difference here, these two democratic candidates are polished, and by almost every account, either of them stand a very good chance of winning the general. At least 60% Dems, I bet, who unwittingly plan to vote for John McCain if their candidate isn’t the nominee will come to their senses once the dem nominee goes to work full-time on exposing him.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Peter C says:

“Col. Morris Davis, the former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay, took the witness stand for accused terrorist Salim Ahmen Hamdan to “declare under oath that he felt undue pressure to hurry cases along so that the Bush administration could claim before political elections that the system was working.” Davis also said former Gitmo inmate David Hicks should never have been charged.”

This is just disgusting! We’ve put people in charge of our laws who don’t believe in the law. All who have aided this regime and shielded it from criticism are irretrieveably tainted.

I’m so mad I could spit.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:31 am
robertoroberto says:

I know we’re all for progress here and we’re not supposed to go after fellow democracts but i think i thought this would make an interesting developing story :

Obama’s campaign has disavowed Wright’s media tour, and a correspondent notes an interesting detail:

“Wright was invited to the National Press Club by a journalist and minister who supports Clinton.

The Tribune reports that Wright was invited by Barbara Reynolds, a former USA Today editorial board member who has written on personal blog of her support for Clinton.”

There maybe something to it..

Anyone believe Clinton is underhanded/crazy enough to set this whole thing up a week before Indiana?
April 29th, 2008 at 9:32 am
GeeDubs says:

There is a quote from Truman’s time by the head of the committee that was investigating the war profiteering. I don’t remember the guys name but he said, “All the desperate assertions of an embarrassed incompentence have been hurried forth to justify the thing, but the committee is unimpressed.’ THAT is what the Democrats — and particularly Conyers — should be saying about all of this subpeona bull****.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Bilbo Hussein Baggins says:

Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan come home to find that the GI Bill is “quite different from the comprehensive benefits that once covered all the costs of an education”

It’s time for Webb to bring his bill forward. McCain has made it clear that he is not going to support it. Webb has enough support to get it voted on and if the Republicans choose to filibuster this bill, then the Democrats need to make a really big stink about it. Run an ad saying “The Republicans say they support the troops but they are blocking the GI Bill from passing.” While they are at it, the Democrats should come up with a bill that lists all the things the Republicans have done in the last couple of years that are to the detriment of our troops like cutting funding to the VA, sending them to Iraq without proper equipment, etc.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:33 am
robertoroberto says:

When did Iran start beating his wife again? I thought we were done with this insane plan after the NIE? Can anyone explain the resurgence in bellicosity?
April 29th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Wayne says:

CIA Director Michael Hayden said yesterday that the “suspected Syrian reactor bombed by Israel had the capacity to produce enough nuclear material to fuel one to two weapons a year.”

Hmmm, interesting in the light of this story:

Professor William Beeman at the University of Minnesota passed along a note today from “a colleague with a U.S. security clearance” about the mysterious Syrian site targeted in a Sept. 6 Israeli airstrike.

The note raises more questions about the evidence shown last week by U.S. intelligence officials to lawmakers in the House and Senate.

The author of the note pinpoints irregularities about the photographs. Beeman’s source alleges that the CIA “enhanced” some of the images. Link.

So, it looks like the photos the administration has been showing as evidence shows evidence of being Photoshopped.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:35 am
GeeDubs says:

Incompetence, sorry! (I guess I’m an incompetent speller!)
April 29th, 2008 at 9:35 am
DieNowForPeace says:

Can anyone explain the resurgence in bellicosity?

All part of the small-mindedness of people who want to “transform” the Middle East.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:36 am
DallasNE says:

Of course thoes are political trial at Gitmo. And they are being conducted in a kangaroo court. I am embarrassed that my government would stoop to such depths. A legitimate American court would toss nearly all of these cases for either lack of evidence or corrupted evidence. These courts will return guilty verdicts in nearly every case. This is even worse than McCarthyism and carpetbagging. This is the most shameful thing our country has done since it made slavery legal.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:37 am
robertoroberto says:

“CIA Director Michael Hayden said yesterday that the “suspected Syrian reactor bombed by Israel had the capacity to produce enough nuclear material to fuel one to two weapons a year.” “The plutonium reactor was within weeks or months of completion when it was destroyed in an air strike last Sept. 6.” After one year of operation “it could have produced enough material for at least one weapon.”

When will

A) the military forces around the world realize that nuclear weapons are most impotent of all weapons by virtue of their destructive powers?

B)Writers/Journalists/Commentators realize that Israel, a country who has increasingly threatened Iran and Syria in recent times, has about 300 nuclear weapons and unlike Iran, Israel hasn’t even signed the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty?

C)We all realize that just talking about violence is enough to scare people into committing it? I watched Jimmy Carter on the Daily Show last night talking about his Mum. Now, THAT is a man of peace within himself and the world
April 29th, 2008 at 9:42 am
misshusseinmolly says:

Voice_of_Reason Says
April 29th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Democrats increasingly dislike the contender they are not supporting in the bruising nomination fight, an Associated Press- Yahoo News survey and exit polls of voters show. That is raising questions about how faithful some will be by the November general election.
______________________________________________

Ah yes — articles like this one have been appearing frequently as the media have tried to keep this fight as hot as possible. There are a number of variables that need to be factored into the situation, though.

1) Clinton’s rovian tactics have created animosity toward both her and Obama. These feelings are running quite actively now in the minds of people polled, but will cool. Remember that Rove also accurately predicted the attention span of the average American.

2) Clinton’s and Obama’s positions on the issues and their general political ideology are fairly close — especially when you compare them to McCain. So far, McCain’s statements, gaffes, positions, and ideology have been running like wildfire throughout the blogosphere, but are being largely ignored by the MSM. However, once the Clinton/Obama battle is settled, this will change. And once the general campaign starts, many of the people who said they would vote for McCain over their less favorite Dem candidate will take another look at McCain and say “OMG — no way!”

3) We’ve seen this scenario before. In 1980, Daddy Bush was one of the biggest critics of Reagan’s “voodoo economics” (Bush’s term), and many Republicans agreed with him. Yet, after the convention, the party united and Reagan beat the incumbent Carter by a landslide. (of course, it helped that Reagan chose Bush as his running mate). Even this year, Republicans who couldn’t stand McCain are coming around to support him, since he’s all they have now. Parties tend to unite — especially if the opponent is a diametric opposite.

4) The Democratic battle has caused Democratic voter registrations to skyrocket. These new voters will be turning out in droves to vote in November — especially in states where the race is expected to be close. And most of them will vote for the Democrat.

5) McCain has been flip-flopping on so many issues to appeal to the far right wing of his party that he’s alienating the independents and the unaffiliateds. Since there’s no Perot this year, and Nader’s too stale to have any effect, they’ll vote for the Democrat.

Yes, there will be some who will “sit out” the election and pout because their candidate didn’t get the nomination. I predict this will mostly occur in states like New York or California, where the state will go blue without too much trouble. Expect a different story in the battleground states.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Bilbo Hussein Baggins says:

CIA Director Michael Hayden said yesterday that the “suspected Syrian reactor bombed by Israel had the capacity to produce enough nuclear material to fuel one to two weapons a year.”

How about they provide some sort of proof. Oh, they can’t because it got bombed and ruined. Oh, that’s too bad. But, you will have to take our word for it.

Isn’t it ironic that Bush has been unable to prove any of the assertions he makes about the “terrorists”. He has no solid proof that Iran is supplying Iraq with bombs and other devices, but he says they do so we are supposed to believe him.

He has no proof that what Israel bombed was a nuclear plant of any kind, but he tells us it is true so we are supposed to believe him.

I’ll tell you what Bush. I will believe that everything that comes out of your mouth will be a lie until such time as you prove to us that it isn’t.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:43 am
2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda says:

Wayne Says:
CIA Director Michael Hayden said yesterday that the “suspected Syrian reactor bombed by Israel had the capacity to produce enough nuclear material to fuel one to two weapons a year.”

———————–
Nuclear reactor my a**. Larisa Alexandrovna (Raw Story) has been shouting the truth of this story for months now and no one will listen.

I sent this information to Ed Schultz after he had a CNN teleprompter model on his show spouting the neo-con talking points. He didn’t mention any of it. (He never does. He doesn’t do his homework and often sounds lost and uninformed).

Here’s my link again from my post #4. Read all the facts and then decide.

http://www.atlargely.com/2008/04/massive-propaga.html
April 29th, 2008 at 9:43 am
GSD says:

Apparently the system of justice in the US is a plaything for the president.

-Siegleman’s political prosecution.

-Evidence of a Rezko intervention by threatening to fire Pat Fitzgerald.

-Now Guantanimo prosecutions just in time for the election.

Bush is Saddam.

-GSD
April 29th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Zimzone says:

-4,000+ young Americans dead and many thousands injured.
-Milk & Gas are both at $4.00/gal.
-Health insurance costs increase 10X faster than other costs.
-US Dollar sinking to level of Peso
-US foreclosure rate double that of a year ago
-Pharmaceuticals in our drinking water
-Interstate bridges collapsing
-Global food prices starving children to death

But the #1 issue to the Mean Streak Media is Obama isn’t Christian enough! First, he was a secret Muslim. Now, the Black religious culture isn’t Christian ‘enough’, because they actually address social slavery & corporate greed in Church!

America, wake up. We’re being played as stooges by corporate money interests determined to keep this man out of the WH.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Bilbo Hussein Baggins says:

Florida terrorism case to be retried
Prosecutors accuse the six men of plotting to attack the Sears Tower in Chicago and the FBI headquarters in Miami. There have been two consecutive mistrials in the case.
By Vanessa Blum, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
April 24, 2008
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Federal prosecutors announced plans Wednesday to retry six Florida men on terrorism charges despite two consecutive mistrials in a case once trumpeted as a success in the government’s war on terrorism.

“We’ve worked very hard this past week, reviewing everything in this case and considering it very, very seriously,” prosecutor Richard Gregorie said in Miami federal court. “The United States has decided it’s necessary to proceed . . . one more time.”

The defendants have been detained since their arrests in June 2006. They are charged with four conspiracy counts stemming from an alleged plot to attack Chicago’s Sears Tower and Miami’s FBI headquarters.

Acknowledging that two juries have been unable to resolve the case, Gregorie said the U.S. attorney’s office would agree to the release of four of the accused on bond.

Having two juries deadlock over the same case has never happened in a major terrorism prosecution, leaving officials in a quandary.

In a statement explaining the government’s decision to pursue a third trial, Gregorie said the group’s leader had expressed a desire to kill Americans, telling an undercover informant that he wanted to “kill all the devils we can.”

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-terrortrial24apr24,1,151021.story

I guess they think that the third time is the charm. They just got to get a conviction so they can prove that they are relevant.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:46 am
RUCerious says:

House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers (D-MI) threatened to subpoena

Enough with the threats and letters, John. Use INHERENT CONTEMPT and throw their asses in jail for contempt of the people, their government and the principles on which this country was founded, to include separation of powers.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:48 am
DieNowForPeace says:

I will believe that everything that comes out of your mouth will be a lie until such time as you prove to us that it isn’t.

The idiot-boy-king-Chimperor hasn’t told the truth EVER in his pathetic, looser of a little brother life.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Bilbo Hussein Baggins says:

“I think it would be hard to respond to another crisis if it was like these two,” Powell said.

And that is exactly where Cheney and Bush are headed unless someone does something about it. Invading Iran or even just bombing Iran would be disastrous for this country. If Iran wasn’t helping insurgents in Iraq, they certainly will be doing so after being bombed by the imperialists USA. There is no way we can invade Iran since we simply do not have the man power.

Attacking Iran will do no good, only harm. So why is Congress sitting there silent about what is going on? I sent Nancy Pelosi an e-mail about this and guess what, it bounced! Is she getting so much e-mail that she is now refusing to take any more?
April 29th, 2008 at 9:52 am
DieNowForPeace says:

VOR or dipshit, which is much more apropos, you ever wonder how many weapons bearing the U.S. Military logo have been used to kill our troops?

Have you the mental capacity to consider how the Palestinians feel when Israel bombs them with U.S. made weapons.

Once a tool of the right, always a cesspool dweller, huh?
April 29th, 2008 at 9:54 am
2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda says:

RUCerious Says:
House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers (D-MI) threatened to subpoena

Enough with the threats and letters, John. Use INHERENT CONTEMPT and throw their asses in jail for contempt of the people, their government and the principles on which this country was founded, to include separation of powers.
——————–
I posted a piece, I believe last week. Inherent Contempt has been taken off the table. If I can find the link I’ll post it again.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:55 am
And the beat goes on says:

US uses cluster bombs in Sadr City
An Iraqi member of parliament has revealed that the US forces have used forbidden weapons against Iraqi civilians in Baghdad’s Sadr City.

DPA quoted Leqa Yasin, a Sadrist lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament, as saying that technical and medical examination on the bodies of the victims and wounded of the recent clashes show that US occupation forces have used cluster bombs against civilians in Sadr City.

She said cluster bombs have caused many civilian deaths, with shrapnel left in the bodies of the victims.

Since March 25, the densely populated slum area has come under frequent attacks by US aircraft and artillery, killing hundreds of civilians and wounding many more.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8820

A deadly harvest of cluster bombs in Laos
Viengkeo Kavongsone had lived in fear of such a catastrophe all his life – in the jungle, in the paddy fields, on the mountain – but never in his own back yard. It was late afternoon when it happened, and his wife, Van, and three young children were at home in their village in the province of Xieng Khouang in northern Laos. They were clearing the ditch that drains rainwater from their little wooden house.
The tin shovel scraped upon something hard and metallic – and that was the last thing they recalled.
The explosion peppered shrapnel into the legs of Van and her six-year-old daughter, Phetsida. The oldest boy, Soulideth, took the blast in the face and may lose his sight. Closest to the explosion was the youngest boy, Bounma. “He was the littlest,” his father said as he stood by the hospital beds of his wife and surviving children, “and he was right next to it.” The blast threw the child six metres (20ft) out of the ditch, and he died immediately – the latest victim of a spectral war that came to an end a generation before he was born.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3818771.ece
**We continue to use weapons and methods that have been banned by other countries. It’s like they sit in their little room and think up horrible things to do. Who are the terrorists again?
April 29th, 2008 at 9:56 am
RUCerious says:

John Sidney McCain III doesn’t support a GI bill that would actually pay for veterans education, because they’d actually use it.
Hello, American Legion? VFW? How can all you staunch American Veterans possibly vote for this jerk?
April 29th, 2008 at 9:57 am
kassandrasduplex says:

THE SYRIAN REACTOR STORY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS A REACTOR AND THE BOMBING OF SAID REACTOR WAS OR WAS NOT JUSTIFIED! The Syrians have the RIGHT to build a reactor! The bombing was an ILLEGAL act of war perpetrated by Israel and supported by the United States. DON’T LET THE FASCISTS’ SPIN DISTRACT YOU FROM THE CENTRAL ISSUE! The bombing was an illegal act of war regardless of what the Syrians were building! The fact that Israel is INCREASING its nuclear arsenal (now larger than that of France) is something we should all be concerned with. Apparently Israel is positioning itself to be a world power in concert with the United States.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:57 am
RUCerious says:

Dear Voice of Treason,

Please don’t concern yourself with the apparent schism in the Democratic party.
Come November, whoever the candidate is, will be stomping John Sidney McCain III’s presidential aspirations into the mud.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:58 am
2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda says:

..here’s the piece on Inherent Contempt RUCerious:

Update on Bolton, Miers and Inherent Contempt

Apparently, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers and company have taken their power of “Inherent Contemp” off the table as a means of forcing Josh Bolton and Harriet Miers to testify on what they know about the firing of the U.S. Attorneys.

….Many administration critics, particularly in the blogosphere, have grown frustrated with Democrats on Capitol Hill for not resurrecting a practice known as “inherent contempt”-an arcane authority that allows Congress to prosecute contempt internally and that could, in theory, result in the arrest and incarceration of both Miers and Bolten by the House sergeant at arms.

“There is something of a sense that it is not productive for Congress to use its inherent contempt power,” explained Mark Agrast, a constitutional law expert and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. “It’s just too unwieldy and too untried to be used in the modern era”.

Information from:?http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/32982
April 29th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Bilbo Hussein Baggins says:

Voice_of_Reason Says:
There is plenty of proof Bilbo. You just have to look a bit further than ThinkProgress to find it.

Sorry, I don’t consider that to be proof. The articles say that the “US found weapons bearing Iranian markings”. Well, the US has found weapons in the hands of insurgents who are trying to kill them that have the markings of the US Government. Does that mean that our government is aiding the insurgents? Until such time as the US government has solid proof, i.e. they catch the Iranians in the act of supplying Iraq insurgents with weapons, I will remain skeptical.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:59 am
RUCerious says:

Caption contest:

“Sit on THESE and rotate, you little jerk”!
April 29th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Bilbo Hussein Baggins says:

“There is something of a sense that it is not productive for Congress to use its inherent contempt power,” explained Mark Agrast, a constitutional law expert and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. “It’s just too unwieldy and too untried to be used in the modern era”.

You never know if something will work until such time as you give it a try. We all know how well supboening, threatening letters and taking them to court is working.

God I hope the 111 Congress gets rid of Reid and Pelosi. We really do need fresh blood to lead both houses of Congress.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:01 am
2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda says:

kassandrasduplex Says:
THE SYRIAN REACTOR STORY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS A REACTOR AND THE BOMBING OF SAID REACTOR WAS OR WAS NOT JUSTIFIED!
——————–
You’re correct. Weapons inspectors must come in and be allowed to investigate as a first step. To simply attack and bomb another country is a crime.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:01 am
And the beat goes on says:

FEMA To Help Run 8-Day Disaster & Terror Drill
FEMA announced recently that they will be conducting a national disaster exercise called National Level Exercise 2-08 (NLE 2-08) from May 1st through May 8th. The purpose of this exercise is to prepare and respond to multiple incidents including natural disasters and terrorist incidents. Specifically the exercise involves a Category 4 hurricane impacting the Mid Atlantic Coast and the National Capitol Region as well as multiple terrorist attacks in Washington State, an accidental chemical agent release in Oregon and assorted aerospace events in North American airspace. Considering that the U.S. government conducted drills and exercises like Operation Northern Vigilance, Tripod II, among others to serve as cover for the government sponsored false flag terror attacks of 9/11, we need to pay close attention to these government sponsored drills and exercises.
http://blacklistednews.com/view.asp?ID=6394
**This is never good news. The last drill was for “just-in-case” martial law. Keep a close watch on this one too.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:03 am
robertoroberto says:

And coming fresh from the ‘no shi* sherlock!’ department :

Setting aside farmland to produce biofuels like ethanol may be partly to blame for driving up world food prices, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday.

“There has been apparently some effect, unintended consequence from the alternative fuels effort,” Rice told a meeting in Washington when asked for the US government’s view on skyrocketing food prices.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Wayne says:

Voice_of_Reason Says:

There is plenty of proof Bilbo. You just have to look a bit further than ThinkProgress to find it.

Since most of the AK47s found in Iraq are from Chinese and Soviet manufacturers, I guess we should bomb China and the Russia too, eh?
Since US made weapons are found on insurgents too,maybe we should bomb ourselves also…….

You are such an idiot VOR.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Bilbo Hussein Baggins says:

Zimzone Says:
-4,000+ young Americans dead and many thousands injured.
-Milk & Gas are both at $4.00/gal.
-Health insurance costs increase 10X faster than other costs.
-US Dollar sinking to level of Peso
-US foreclosure rate double that of a year ago
-Pharmaceuticals in our drinking water
-Interstate bridges collapsing
-Global food prices starving children to death

Now this is a Democratic political ad waiting to happen. Have a dark background and gloomy music. Then bullet point each of these and many others. End with “Do you really want another four years of Republican rule” or “Vote Democratic so that we can bring this country out of the darkness and into the light”.

This is fun. I’m really on a roll with possible Democratic political ads.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Bilbo Hussein Baggins says:

as well as multiple terrorist attacks in Washington State

Now, why in the world would terrorists want to attack Washington State? Washington DC I can see, but Washington State? Sheesh.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Zimzone says:

In regard to the faux nuke site in Iran, why isn’t the media asking why it took 8 months for the photos to be released?

Or, is Israel faceing UN sanctions for pre-emptive bombing?

Or, why hasn’t Israel signed the Nuclear non-proliferation treaty?

Or, why is Israel the only ME Nation allowed to have nukes?

Let’s take the $60 Billion in weapons monies back from Saudi Arabia & Israel and initiate National health care.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:08 am
robertoroberto says:

Beat Goes On :Here’s what bothers me about the drill you just reported

An accidental chemical agent release in Oregon and assorted aerospace events in North American airspace.

In a drill, why be at pains to suggest that it will be an “accidental” release? Anyone else bothered by this? Could of course just be a lapse in the thought process of the agents at FEMA. It wouldn’t be the first time those brain signals had trouble finding the stem.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Wayne says:

Zimzone Says:

In regard to the faux nuke site in Iran, why isn’t the media asking why it took 8 months for the photos to be released?

Someone had to learn Photoshop first?
April 29th, 2008 at 10:12 am
2MillionLightYearsToAndromeda says:

Freedom Rebel Says:
DynCorp Manager Used Armored Car
To Transport Hookers in Iraq

Our government isn’t doing anything to prevent all this corruption over in Iraq. Everyday it is something new, woman getting gang raped, illegal shootings, and now they are transporting in prostitutes in Armored Vehicles. They need to get rid of these sub-contractors and throw most of them in jail. When are they going to put an end to all of this lawlessness?

————————–
That’s not lawlessness, that Democracy, Neo-con style! They’re not going to get rid of it, they’re going to re-fund it!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Zimzone says:

Troll puke on aisle #69…cleanup quickly, this one reeks!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:14 am
RUCerious says:

Thanks for the info 2Mil! I am marking afterdowning on my faves.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:17 am
misshusseinmolly says:

RUCerious Says
April 29th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Dear Voice of Treason,
Please don’t concern yourself with the apparent schism in the Democratic party.
Come November, whoever the candidate is, will be stomping John Sidney McCain III’s presidential aspirations into the mud.
_____________________________________________

Here’s a bit more historical precedent that favors the Democrats this fall. Whenever the economy tanks, voters generally go for a changing of the guard. A quick look at recessions and economic crises in the 20th century:

1) 1919-1920 — post-WWI economic slump, augmented with high unemployment due to returning soldiers. Voters turned out Woodrow Wilson’s party and elected Harding in 1920.

2) 1929 — stock market crash, ushering in the Great Depression. Hoover was toast in 1932, as voters elected FDR.

3) 1979 — energy crisis and double-digit inflation paved the way for Carter to get booted in favor of Reagan.

4) 1991 — economic slump caused by a downturn in industrial production and manufacturing erased all the popularity H.W. Bush got from Desert Storm. In 1992, Daddy Bush was out and Clinton was in as a result.

Other recessions occurred far enough away from election time (1953, 1957, 1982) that they didn’t affect the person in office, except to drop their popularity ratings for awhile.

Right now, the economy is the number one issue with Americans. Iraq is number two. Health care is number three. On all three of these issues, McCain is out of step with the majority of Americans. There aren’t enough kool-aid drinkers in the country to get him elected.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:17 am
robertoroberto says:

satirev Says:

Roberto: It was on the Yahoo home page yesterday that this satellite photo of the Iran nukes was done in something as simple as “photoshop”. Another screw job on the people?

Satirev – It obviously takes a while to crop out all the American flags surrounding the facility. HOW STUPID DO THEY THINK WE ARE!!!! Is anyone else personally insulted by all this?

Sometimes when i hear all these “breaking news reports” I feel like i’m talking to Dora the Explorer and she’s being condescending towards me!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:18 am
McWars says:

robertoroberto

It’s known the right is successful in writing the “loony manual”, unfortunately, in that any person who supports the position of criticizing America and advocating needed higher taxes is “out of touch” and “unpatriotic.” Well, I’m not standing for rubes who haven’t served a day in the military.

Reverend Wright served in the military for 6 years. He is a servant. He is a patriot. If there’s one mistake I feel Obama is making, it’s trying too hard to distance himself from his pastor.

The way the system works, when you’re down and out in this country, you have no business complaining. If, for example, you’re among a group of good-hearted college students conducting a sit-in in the President’s office demanding higher wages for critical lower-level employees (a living wage), you deserve to be hauled off to jail. (Read about the UVa case a couple of years back, where 17 students were arrested?)
April 29th, 2008 at 10:20 am
katy says:

is anyone eles seeing what i see on this site?

on all the threads below, and including, the PERINO thread, ALL the copy is underlined – the same look as a link…

it used to be just when my mouse cursor ran over the page, now it’s always…

anyone else? … or is it just MY mac?
April 29th, 2008 at 10:21 am
katy says:

oh… morning…

i’m in a lousy mood, so it’s not “good”…
April 29th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Marie says:

Wright sat next to, and chatted with, Barbara Reynolds, who organized the event – is an enthusiastic Hillary Clinton supporter. She didn’t see any conflict between promoting Wright and supporting Clinton — I really hate that Clinton and her supporters are so low in their level of ethics.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:23 am
robertoroberto says:

“When Comedy Central becomes a valid source for garnering the truth, then we know this country and the truth about what’s occuring is in serious jeopardy.”

Agreed Satirev. Charlie Rose on PBS. Bill Maher on HBO and John Stewart on Comedy Central. Those are the places that truth exists today.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Exit Stage Left says:

GSD Says:
Apparently the system of justice in the US is a plaything for the president.
-Siegleman’s political prosecution.
-Evidence of a Rezko intervention by threatening to fire Pat Fitzgerald.
-Now Guantanimo prosecutions just in time for the election.
Bush is Saddam.

Don’t forget the torture.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:26 am
McWars says:

Marie,

I could only hope that Clinton supporters redeem themselves by voting en mass for Obama once he’s the nominee.

If Clinton is digging for a scandal to take out Obama, I believe it’s too late.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:28 am
VerbalKint says:

VofR wrote: “So much for the “we have two great candidates and just can’t decide” theory.”

Grasping at straws again, I see. The only race you and your fascist ilk should be worried about is the general election, where an imperfect but satisfactory Democratic candidate will square off against that senile war-mongering idiot McCain.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Exit Stage Left says:

RUCerious Says:
Come November, whoever the candidate is, will be stomping John Sidney McCain III’s presidential aspirations into the mud.

I think we’ll get a pretty good idea of whether the repukes themselves think they have a shot in November by their VP choice. If they pick someone not considered to be a rising star, or one who has no stated presidential aspirations, then they’ll be conceding defeat.
However, if they choose a loyal neocon, they may think winning is possible. If they win under this scenario, watch for McCorpse to get “heart-attacked”.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:33 am
robertoroberto says:

Certainly, Satirev both Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow are two of the best mainstream pundits out there. I was talking purely from an institutional point of view. People like Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and Charlie Rose can carry the networks by themselves. These are the guys who in 50 years people will look to as icons of truth in an era of lies. To me, these guys are our views of Edward.R. Murrow. When the media is out discovering new terrorists, these are the people who are trying fight back against the system and run a dialogue which doesnt just encompass good vs evil.

Olbermann and Maddow are great, but they still support the networks which are trying to sell us war.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:36 am
McWars says:

AMEN, satirev

I always laugh when the media gasps at every Wright clip.

No surprise, Obama’s black…and he’s running for president..and his readiness is in question…is America ready for a black man in the White House…are we equipped?…what special accomodations will we have to make?..

Where was I?

Oh, the American media: HERD OF OVERPAID BUMS ENSLAVED TO POP CULTURE
April 29th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Zimzone says:

Voice of Treason:
I can’t speak for Wayne, but I believe he’d agree with my request to you…STFU.
If we need any shit out of you, we’ll squeeze your head.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:36 am
katy says:

i just love it when the media talking heads say, “the wright problem
just won’t go away”…

he has turned into a bit of a media hog himself, though… not?
even if he’s being put up to it and goaded on…

but, jon stewart last night said, “i just LOVE this guy!”…
April 29th, 2008 at 10:37 am
katy says:

so, no one else sees it?

the front page copy/type, from PERINO down, is all underlined…
just showed up yesterday…

huh…
April 29th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Exit Stage Left says:

robertoroberto Says:
Olbermann and Maddow are great, but they still support the networks which are trying to sell us war.

Speaking of Rachel Maddow….Last night at 6 when her Air America show was starting I was stunned to find that, in place of her normal show, they were simulcasting dipwad David Rove Gregory’s MSNBC crapper of a show Race to/for the White House. It is the very first time I was disappointed with Rachel Maddow. To compound the blasphemy, she was (as usual) on the panel. While it’s good she’s a voice for the good guys on that show, she is typically overshadowed/over-talked by the voices on the right.
Not to mention: what the fu(k is Air America thinking putting that buttwipe Gregory’s show on?
April 29th, 2008 at 10:48 am
robertoroberto says:

Hi Topgun, thanks for link. This is exactly why i love people like Bill Maher et al. He speaks truth to power and gets people upset. Maher understands that in order to facilitate discourse you must first speak uncomfortable truth. Granted, Maher did it in a way which would not be of my choosing. However, much like Jon Stewart ,his comedic talents often mask an underlying intellelect.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:49 am
katy says:

ed schults has been on the ethanol story for a couple of weeks now…
he believes the food shortage/ ethanol ties are erroneous and driven by,
can you guess?, the oilcos…

last week: Brian Jennings, Executive Vice President of the American Coalition for Ethanol, joined the 1st hour of Monday’s show to discuss the impact ethanol has on food and oil prices. Click here for more information.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:52 am
katy says:

the ed schultz comment waasa posted without links because the post WITH links is still awaiting moderation…
go here and scroll down to “Brian Jennings” for links:
http://wegoted.com/
April 29th, 2008 at 10:54 am
robertoroberto says:

katy Says:

so, no one else sees it?

the front page copy/type, from PERINO down, is all underlined…
just showed up yesterday…

huh

Katy, sometimes i see that too and i too have a mac. It comes and goes. For instance as i type this message, all the text is blue and underlined. I think it might just a problem with the mac browser (mine is safari) trying to read the code. Try clicking out of the site a few times onto your desktop and then back in. It might make it go away. Until then, stay patient, stay safe and don’t worry, the grass is still green, the sky is still blue and George W Bush is still POTUS.hmm.. . on second thoughts.. commence worrying NOW!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Wayne says:

Voice_of_Reason Says:

pssst. Zimzone and Wayne. …… the bombing was of a site in Syria, not Iran. Just sayin’.

I was answering your google post of the iranian marked weapons.
Are you such an idiot you cannot remember what you posted?

Never mind, don’t answer, we already know.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Wayne says:

Zimzone Says:

Voice of Treason:
I can’t speak for Wayne, but I believe he’d agree with my request to you…STFU.
If we need any shit out of you, we’ll squeeze your head.

What Zimzone said….

=D
April 29th, 2008 at 11:04 am
robertoroberto says:

Did George W just say he hasn’t been briefed about the GDP being reported tomorrow? How can the PRESIDENT not be briefed about the economy? What ELSE is he doing?!! He’s blaming everything on congress right now.

“we’re witnessing a struggle..”

“Syria helping Hamas.. Iran “rumoured”

Why does he smile while he talks about it?
April 29th, 2008 at 11:08 am
katy says:

Exit Stage Left Says:
Speaking of Rachel Maddow….Last night at 6 when her Air America show was starting I was stunned to find that, in place of her normal show, they were simulcasting dipwad David Rove Gregory’s MSNBC crapper of a show Race to/for the White House. It is the very first time I was disappointed with Rachel Maddow.

me too…

i had a long rant, but it got ate and on to the netherworld…

suffice it to say, i am VERY displeased with AAR these days…

rachel is the best reason to listen, and she’s now down to 1 hour…
SEDER ON SUNDAY and RING OF FIRE (saturday and sunday[rebroadcast]) are
all that’s left, for me…

i can’t believe what has replaced r a n d i… talk about blather…
HOMEWORK, people, do your HOMEWORK!
April 29th, 2008 at 11:11 am
katy says:

thanks, roberto… it must be a safari thing…
but i did try firefox and it was that way also – except just the first comment…

weird…
i have written to the mods…
April 29th, 2008 at 11:12 am
RUCerious says:

Isn’t AAR now owned by ClearAsANeoConBellChannel?
April 29th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Chris L says:

Voice_of_Reason Says:

McCain, Graham and Burr have proposed thier own improvements to the GI Bill.
####

And the troops are not supporting it. I was in DC a few months ago talking to a few senators about the new GI Bill proposed by Sen. Webb. Three other veterans’ groups were there at the same time for the same reason.

This is from Military.com:

The Republican bill would increase monthly GI Bill payments for active duty servicemembers from $1,100 to $1,500 as well as provide a yearly $500 book stipend (S22 would provide a $1,000 yearly book stipend). The Republican bill would also allow the servicemember to transfer up to 18 months of benefits to his or her spouse or child after 6 years of service or 36 months of benefits after 12 years of service, something that S22 lacks. Lastly, the bill make military academy and ROTC graduates eligible for these benefits if they serve an additional five years beyond their initial service obligation.

Clearly the goal of the Republican bill is to provide enhanced benefits for servicemembers who make a career out of the military.

Senator Webb’s bill, S22, however, seeks to bring the modern GI Bill in line with the spirit of previous GI Bills by expanding benefits for veterans regardless of whether they choose to stay in after their initial service obligation. Thus, unlike the Republican version, there are no “strings attached” to the GI Bill expansion of benefits. It also tries to ensure that these veterans have the means to actually USE these benefits–something the majority of contemporary veterans cannot do because tuition costs generally exceed GI Bill payments and there is no housing assistance.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Exit Stage Left says:

katy Says:
suffice it to say, i am VERY displeased with AAR these days…
rachel is the best reason to listen, and she’s now down to 1 hour…
SEDER ON SUNDAY and RING OF FIRE (saturday and sunday[rebroadcast]) are
all that’s left, for me…

I do like listening to Thom Hartmann from noon-3. He is one of the most knowledgeable people out there. No wonder he’s never on any cable news panels.
Oh yea…Roseann Barr from 3-6…are they frikkin kidding me?
April 29th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Exit Stage Left says:

I guess we’ll know AAR has been hijacked if they give Thom Hartmann’s slot to bowtie carlson.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Chris L says:

IAVA – Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America support Webb’s GI Bill, S.22. However, most OIF/OEF veterans (including myself) are rejecting Senator McCain’s proposal.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:32 am
DieNowForPeace says:

topgun Says:

Fcuk the pope, he’s a godd*mn dope.

Why come all(sic) the trolls seem to come from and/or link to Virginia?

Vestiges of Mr. Pee???
April 29th, 2008 at 11:36 am
McWars says:

Voice_of_Reason Says:

122. I don’t think so. AAR fired Randi Rhodes, and Clear Channel hired her.

Rhodes voluntarily RESIGNED.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:37 am
RUCerious says:

Chris L ~ I think it’s so damned unfair that the GI bill is a fraction of what it was when I used it. McCain wants every soldier to be a lifer, or no bennies. What a bad joke he is.

Exit ~ If Thom or Steph are out, we’ll know the complete fix is in…
April 29th, 2008 at 11:46 am
RUCerious says:

I listen to 1090 in Seattle on my way to work, and they’ve got some center/left guy named Bill Press on the 5AM time slot.
He’s a complete dipshit, name dropper and corporate stooge.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:48 am
impeachcheneythenbush says:

“When Comedy Central becomes a valid source for garnering the truth, then we know this country and the truth about what’s occuring is in serious jeopardy.”

Agreed Satirev. Charlie Rose on PBS. Bill Maher on HBO and John Stewart on Comedy Central. Those are the places that truth exists today.

Don’t forget Bill Moyers on PBS. A serious journalist and one of the remaining few.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Ms_Joanne says:

To follow up on And the beat goes on at 10:03 am. A False Flag operation is exactly what these FEMA exercises are. If none of our elected officials stand up against this administration, one can only imagine what is going to happen to America. And I, personally, wonder who is going to come to our rescue.

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.

And then this one for a little perspective on the Republicans Plan for a Double Whammy:
April 29th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
katy says:

exit – thom hartmann! yes! how could i forget him… sorry!
but i listen on XM and that’s when ed comes on… it’s handier, and i’ve grown to enjoy ed’s show enough these days (took a while)…
hartmann comes on the XM scedule at 8/7pm and that’s when olberman comes on, which i make a point to watch because they changed HIS schedule…
jeesh! what a life i have… ugh…

randi’s show is rotating guest hosts, feeling out the audience i guess…

SAM SEDER would like to have a daily show again – and THAT would be fantastic!
sign the petition, please:
http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/35493-give-sam-seder-a-daily-show

Want to do more? Send pcollins@airamerica.com an email.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Shayne says:

Marie Says:

Wright sat next to, and chatted with, Barbara Reynolds, who organized the event – is an enthusiastic Hillary Clinton supporter. She didn’t see any conflict between promoting Wright and supporting Clinton — I really hate that Clinton and her supporters are so low in their level of ethics.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:23 am

Joe Scarborough on his show this morning said to Mika, “You think the Clintons paid of Reverend Wright don’t you?”
April 29th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
DieNowForPeace says:

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.

You mean EXACTLY HOW 9/11 occurred, during operation Vigilant Guardian, or some such????

The sheeple are asleep, and willing allow mass-murder for the benefit of only a few.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Shayne says:

RUCerious Says:

I listen to 1090 in Seattle on my way to work, and they’ve got some center/left guy named Bill Press on the 5AM time slot.
He’s a complete dipshit, name dropper and corporate stooge.

I have him on my station too, he is really annoying.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
DieNowForPeace says:

This is only true in your mind because it fits you political ideology. You’re only looking at one side of the political spectrum.

Wrong again, dipus oshiticus.

Wise people from any political ideological background find Moyers quite a engaging journalist and Stewart a wry comic. It’s you pissed-on-boot-lickers who only see things in high contrast, black or white only. You’re totally colorblind to nuances.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
DieNowForPeace says:

(cont.)

and blind to reality.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Ms_Joanne says:

DieNow, that’s just it…reality and truth have a liberal bend. That we have next to no voices of truth (other than Amy Goodman and a few other real investigative journalists – very, very rare on any of the MSM flavors [print, tv, radio]), everything is opinion under the guise of news.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Ms_Joanne says:

Confessions from an Economic Hit Man. GREAT segments. I recommend all of them.

In brief: The conspiracy of corruption by the US including assassination of elected officials that wouldn’t play ball in the corporate takeover of the world.

http://www.democracynow.org/2007/6/5/john_perkins_on_the_secret_history

http://www.democracynow.org/2006/2/15/self_described_economic_hit_man_john

http://www.democracynow.org/2006/1/3/former_economic_hit_man_john_perkins (this one goes to what was said about Latin America above)

http://www.democracynow.org/2005/5/17/confessions_of_an_economic_hit_man
April 29th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Exit Stage Left says:

Ms_Joanne Says:
Read this article. It’s quite frightening

Reaffirms what I’ve believed since 9-12-01. Frightening indeed.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Exit Stage Left says:

katy Says:
SAM SEDER would like to have a daily show again – and THAT would be fantastic!

I think Sam Seder would be an excellent choice.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Shayne says:

Wise words topgun from somebody who uses Fox News as their source for “truth”. Save it for somebody who gives a crap what you think.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
DieNowForPeace says:

With a name like topgun, you know you’re dealing with a high school drop-out.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Ms_Joanne says:

DieNowForPeace Says at 2:42 pm

With a name like topgun, you know you’re dealing with a high school drop-out.

Or a Tom Cruise wannabe. :-D
April 29th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
DieNowForPeace says:

T. Boone Pickens is funding solar and wind farms to replace fossil fuel power plants. He’d rather use natural gas to power automobiles, while cleaning up the dirty and costly coal plants, and he’ll make a fortune doing it.

Next month, Pickens’ company, Mesa Power, will begin buying land and ordering 2,700 wind turbines that will eventually generate 4,000 megawatts of electricity – the equivalent of building two commercial scale nuclear power plants – enough power for about 1 million homes.

“These are substantial,” said Pickens, speaking to students at Georgetown University on Thursday. “They’re big.”

Pickens knows a thing or two about big. He heads the BP Capital hedge fund with over $4 billion under management, and earned about $1 billion in 2006 making big bets on commodity and equity markets.

Though a long-time oil man, Pickens said he has embraced the call for cleaner energy sources that don’t emit heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

“I’m an environmentalist – I can pass the saliva test,” he said.

But Pickens is not out to save the planet. He intends to make money.

Though Pickens admits that wind power won’t be as lucrative as oil deals, he still expects the Texas project to turn at least a 25 percent return.

“When I go into these markets, I expect to make money on them,” Pickens said. “I don’t expect to lose.”

LINK
April 29th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
DallasNE says:

If that was truly a nuclear facility in Syria would not the Israeli bombing have released radiation into the air and created a smoking gun against Syria? Where is the credible evidence that this was a nuclear facility? I see none. Even our own CIA said they had low confidence that Syria had the ability to make a bomb. So what goes on with this sabre rattling? Every indication is that this is just another pack of lies coming out of the Bush administration.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:50 pm

ThinkFast: April 29, 2008

ThinkFast: April 29, 2008

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