ThinkFast: June 30, 2008
ThinkFast: June 30, 2008
The Bush administration had issued a secret plan last year allowing Pentagon’s Special Forces to kill or capture al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan. But more than six months later, the Special Ops forces “are still waiting for the green light. The plan has been held up in Washington by the very disagreements it was meant to eliminate.”
“Our enemies will test the new president early,” said Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) on CBS yesterday. “Remember that the truck bombing of the World Trade Center happened in the first year of the Clinton administration. 9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration.”
Bogus claims that China is drilling for oil off the Florida coast “continue to circulate almost three weeks after a senator representing the state derided the claims as ‘akin to urban legends.’” The truth is China’s oil company, Sinopec, has an agreement with Cuba, but its lease is for an onshore site and no actual drilling has taken place.
Gas prices rose to a record high last night, reaching an average of $4.086, up seven-tenths of a cent from $4.079 the previous day. Prices “have risen 2.9% in the last month and are almost 38% higher than where they were a year ago.”
On the trail today: Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will deliver a speech in Independence, MO, on “what patriotism means to him and what it requires of all Americans who love this country and want to see it do better.” Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will be in Bucks County, PA, this afternoon for a town-hall meeting.
The Pentagon is refusing orders from the EPA to clean military bases where dumped chemicals pose “imminent and substantial” dangers to public health and the environment. “Experts in environmental law said the Pentagon’s stand is unprecedented.”
The White House is trying to stop the EPA “from publishing a document that could become the legal roadmap for regulating greenhouse-gas emissions in the U.S.” The document outlines how the government can regulate emissions under the Clean Air Act, but the White House wants instead “the document to show that the Clean Air Act is flawed” and that regulations should be developed under new legislation.
Nine in 10 Americans expect the “ballooning costs” of gasoline “to squeeze them financially over the next half year, an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll said Monday. Nearly half think that hardship will be serious.”
“A nearly 700-page study released Sunday by the Army found that [in early 2003], U.S.-based commanders prematurely believed their goals in Iraq had been reached and did not send enough troops to handle the occupation.” This faulty view was reinforced by President Bush’s May 1, 2003 “Mission Accomplished” declaration, the report said.
And finally: Ari Fleischer’s father does not love that his son became a Republican. In remarks to the Freemasons of the Nation’s Capital, the former White House press secretary said that his father once told a local paper that, “if his son was going to rebel, it’s better I became a Republican than a drug dealer — but not by much.”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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US Issues Health Warning over Mercury Fillings
Amalgam dental fillings – which contain the highly toxic metal mercury – pose a health risk, the world’s top medical regulatory agency has conceded. After years of insisting the fillings are safe, the US government’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a health warning about them. It represents a landmark victory for campaigners, who say the fillings are responsible for a range of ailments, including heart conditions and Alzheimer’s disease.
Earlier this month, in an unprecedented U-turn, the FDA dropped much of its reassuring language on the fillings from its website, substituting: “Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses.” It adds that when amalgam fillings are “placed in teeth or removed they release mercury vapour”, and that the same thing happens when chewing.
The FDA is now reviewing its rules and may end up restricting or banning the use of the metal. Mercury is placed in tens of millions of teeth worldwide each year. The association continues to insist that amalgam is “safe, durable and cost-effective” and “does not pose a risk of systemic disease”, though it advises pregnant women to avoid “any dental intervention or medication”. However, Norway and Denmark banned mercury from fillings earlier this year. Sweden has cut its use by more than 90 per cent over the past decade.
Mercury makes up about half of an amalgam filling, where it is mixed with silver and small amounts of copper and tin. Opponents argue that the metal accumulates in the body and no safe level is known. Some research suggests that mercury from dental fillings may be linked to high blood pressure, infertility, fatigue, disorders of the central nervous system, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. Dentists have been found to have high levels of mercury in their bodies as well being more susceptible to brain tumors and problems with concentration and manual dexterity.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/29/9964/
The really sad part is that this news story is from the UK, a blip on the radar for the US newspapers. I had all of my fillings changed out awhile back. The one thing they don’t tell you in this article is that those fillings expand and contract. This causes your tooth to weaken and can form hairline cracks also. This is big news that should have come out long ago. There are too many bad side effects from Mercury; the FDA dragged it’s feet again instead of protecting the public.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:02 amToxic Smoke and Mirrors
Overexposure to manganese has caused Parkinson’s-like symptoms for thousands of welders. So why does the welding industry still get a free chemical pass? THE SHAKING IN Jeffrey Tamraz’s right hand began in 2001. It was intermittent, so he paid it little mind. But by 2004, the twitching had grown too persistent to ignore, and the 47-year-old felt sluggish and clumsy. He consulted a neurologist and was stunned to get the diagnosis: parkinsonism. Upon learning that his patient had been welding for 25 years, and knowing that welding fumes contain manganese, a toxic metal, the specialist suggested the symptoms were work related.
Since then, Tamraz has lost not only his livelihood, even the most mundane tasks—brushing his teeth, applying deodorant¬—now require a mental run-through. Following Jeff’s diagnosis, the couple, who live in Grants Pass, Oregon, hired a lawyer and sued Lincoln Electric and four other makers of manganese-containing welding wire and electrodes—also called rods or sticks. Since the lawsuits began in the 1970s, the position of the $5 billion welding-products industry had remained consistent: There are no reliable scientific data to prove welding fumes cause the Parkinson’s-like syndrome known as parkinsonism—or “manganism” if manganese-related—that many longtime welders experience.
For several years, US District Judge Kathleen O’Malley ordered both sides to fess up and provide a “full and complete” accounting of any such payments. It’s hardly uncommon for an industry to pay for research—think Big Pharma—but the payouts unearthed by O’Malley’s order provide an exceedingly rare view of the system at work. “This has every appearance of the industry buying science,” observed Erin Bigler, a professor of psychology at Brigham Young University who studies brain trauma, aging, and autism, after reviewing the documents. “I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve suspected it forever, but I’ve never seen it.”
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company distributed a welding-safety booklet describing manganese as an “important poison” that “causes a disease similar to paralysis agitans”—Parkinson’s. (The welding industry responded by demanding MetLife rewrite the booklet to tamp down the “scare” it had created; the insurer obliged.) In 1943, Occupational Hazards Inc. of Cleveland published an industrial-safety handbook warning of the metal’s paralyzing effects. “Manganese victims usually remain life-long cripples, unfit for gainful employment,” the authors wrote.
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2008/07/witness-smoke-and-mirrors.html
The Welding Suppliers knew of these problems all the way back to 1932 when a German paper was released by Dr. Beintker. This is another continuing saga of how Big Corporations not looking out for it’s workers. Anymore than they did for the men exposed to asbestos. The fact that they funded biased research to support their false claims and for use in court cases, that manganese was safe, is just criminal. They should have been pushing the use of safety gear to protect these workers and insured proper ventilation. Instead, we have thousands of men who can no longer lead a normal life; proving once again that many industries look at the American Worker as “disposable”.</em
June 30th, 2008 at 9:05 amOur enemies will test the new president early,” said Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) on CBS yesterday. “Remember that the truck bombing of the World Trade Center happened in the first year of the Clinton administration. 9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration.”
“We have met the enemy and he is US”
June 30th, 2008 at 9:08 amDoes LIEberman know something we don’t know? Like another false-flag attack to keep Isreal h-a-p-p-y?
Wesley Clark Hammers McCain’s Experience
Wesley Clark was on Face the Nation today, and he took aim at the idea that McCain’s Vietnam War experience makes him more qualified to be president. “He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee. And he has traveled all over the world. But he hasn’t held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded, that wasn’t a wartime squadron,” Clark said.
Host Bob Schieffer said that Barack Obama hasn’t had these experiences either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down. Clark replied that, “I don’t think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president.” With one swoop, Clark attacked the entire basis for the McCain presidential campaign.
http://www.politicususa.com/en/Clark-FTN
It’s about time someone attacked McCain’s position of his qualifications. The media sure isn’t going to do it; they don’t want to lose out on all that free beer and barbaques.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:12 am“A nearly 700-page study released Sunday by the Army found that [in early 2003], U.S.-based commanders prematurely believed their goals in Iraq had been reached and did not send enough troops to handle the occupation.” This faulty view was reinforced by President Bush’s May 1, 2003 “Mission Accomplished” declaration, the report said.
___________
We had goals in Iraq?
June 30th, 2008 at 9:12 am…”it’s better I became a Republican than a drug dealer — but not by much.” -Ari Fleischer
That pretty well sums up the Grand Old Pigs, eh? Look at Addington & Yoo’s sideshow before Congress last week.
Arrogant, aloof & full of themselves, they are now experiencing ‘Bush Syndrome’, or loss of memory.
Addington was especially combative, trying to avoid answering by pulling a ‘Dumsfeld’ & offering scenarios completely unrelated to the question. This dude is seriously full of himself.
Yoo, ‘the professor’, couldn’t begin to justify his torture writings, but clung to idealistic & improbable outcomes.
These two should be kept in the House basement to await treason & torture charges that will eventually come forth.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:14 amThat there is a missing post here already must mean the trolls are up early. They must really be upset at something to have a post deleted in the first 4.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:16 amWesley Clark made a bold – and accurate – comment about McCain’s war record. Watch for the media to poune all over it today, tomorrow and Wednesday.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:17 amThey will be indignant that their fair-haired boy is criticized – after all he was a POW, don’t you know?
McCain, the man of low personal character, low intelligence, and low enough to be the repugnican candidate – but the media likes the food he serves them – and he praises them as his “base.”
When a person reveals himself – believe him.
watch the media pounce sorry
June 30th, 2008 at 9:17 amcaption:
“Headquarters? This is Delta Charley, we need assistance. We’re out of gas.”
June 30th, 2008 at 9:18 am………
“No sir, GAS…… the closest station is out, sir, besides, we can’t afford more than 3 gallons, sir.”
………
“Yes sir, we’ll stand by.”
………
“Sir? No, sir, we’re the ones at the back of the white SUV… no airstrike, sir, please, I repeat, do not attack the white SUV… mayday…..MAYDAY!”
Zimzone,
June 30th, 2008 at 9:19 amThe brazen arrogance and defiance of Addington and Yoo were outrageous, even for them.
I’m guessing “the plan” will be executed in late October, close enough to the election for the hope of success to outshine the probable reality of failure.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:19 amFreedom Rebel,
Any complaint by the right that attacking a presidential candidate’s war record is beyond the pale should be met with the response that they should have thought of that 4 years ago. It’s too late to put that horse back in the barn.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:19 amI watched the Wesley Clark interview. VP?
June 30th, 2008 at 9:20 am“Our enemies will test the new president early,” said Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) on CBS yesterday. “Remember that the truck bombing of the World Trade Center happened in the first year of the Clinton administration. 9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration.”
If what he says is true, then it will happen if McBush is elected too. So, who do you want as our President if AQ or someone pretending to be AQ strikes us again. Personally I would rather have it be Obama because I’m fairly sure he won’t invade an unrelated country in response to an attack.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:20 am“S_Mart Says:
Judge upholds illegal alien sanctuary in L.A.
Siding with the ACLU, a judge dismissed a taxpayer lawsuit that sought to repeal a directive barring L.A. police officers from asking arrestees about their immigration status
This is Amorica you idiot, we have the right to not be offended.”
Waaaah!!!!! another sniffly racist who’s afraid of brown people.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:22 amThe document outlines how the government can regulate emissions under the Clean Air Act, but the White House wants instead “the document to show that the Clean Air Act is flawed” and that regulations should be developed under new legislation.
January 2009 can’t come soon enough. All that Congress should be doing until then is to try to stop Bush & Company from doing any more damage to this country.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:23 amGood point Bilbo. on the other hand, you can’t surrender if you can’t raise your hands above your head, and that’s all the rethug sheeple care about.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:23 amNine in 10 Americans expect the “ballooning costs” of gasoline “to squeeze them financially over the next half year, an Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll said Monday. Nearly half think that hardship will be serious.”
They are dreaming if they think this is only going to happen for another half year. The high price of gasoline is here to stay unless we can do something to stop the speculators on Wall Street who are pushing up the price and keeping it there.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:24 amGas prices rose to a record high last night, reaching an average of $4.086, up seven-tenths of a cent from $4.079 the previous day.
______________________________________________
When I first read this, my first thought was “wow — I’m sure glad I filled up yesterday.”
And then it occured to me that it’s probably a good idea to fill up whenever you can, before the prices take another jump tomorrow. This is exactly the same mindset that went on at the beginning of the Weimar Republic hyperinflation of 1923. I hope the rate of gas price increase doesn’t wind up coming anywhere close to that.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:25 amIt’s time to nationalize energy production and distribution. The free market isn’t free.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:25 amKay Says
June 30th, 2008 at 9:20 am
I watched the Wesley Clark interview. VP?
____________________________________________
I hope so.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:26 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
I hope the rate of gas price increase doesn’t wind up coming anywhere close to that.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:25 am
______
Unfortunately, there are plenty of hedge-fund managers who have an exactly opposite hope.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:27 amTorture is torture, no matter how deep in legal opinion or layers of law they wrap around it.
Torture is torture, and America stood proud for 250 years without using it.
Torture is torture and now we face the very real possibility of our young soldiers being tortured by others as a consequence.
Bushits have tortured America’s reputation and honor.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:28 amKay Says:
I watched the Wesley Clark interview. VP?
I’m wondering if Obama is sending these people out there as his surrogates to test them for the VP job. I would be happy with Wesley Clark. I much prefer him over Webb. Webb is too much of a Republican for my taste.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:30 amS_Mart
June 30th, 2008 at 9:32 amIsn’t it about time for a new pic and name? Got any more porn links or are you done with that weirdeness?
S_Mart Says:
Ok, taking bets. What banned troll is this one? God I wish that TP with ban them by their IP. It sure would make their moderator job easier.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:34 amS_Mart Says:
Blah blah blah. If you’re going to quote wingnuts, at least have the courtesy to provide a source. You know, a link?
Or, better yet, don’t bother to quote anyone. Just go back to sleep.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:36 amlock box etal
June 30th, 2008 at 9:37 amThere`s trader doing some fearmongering for the SHRUB and the old man(johnny), he keeps forgetting that it doen`t work anymore………
June 30th, 2008 at 9:39 amChill out dude! This is Amorica, I can do what I want!
–
June 30th, 2008 at 9:39 amThis is humorous in many different ways. Ah the days of kids and CB radios
America may have been ready for a Woman as President, but are
we ready for our first President with PTSD? It’s become obvious
McCan’t has some real internal emotional issues that could
inhibit sound decision making. Although the 71 year old can do
some amazing flip flops, his memory of the past and his actions
exhibit quirks that are quite disturbing.
The McChurian candidate…what will he do next?
June 30th, 2008 at 9:40 amFinally glad to see someone with some real cred standing up and calling out McCain for his “I got shot down so no one else but me is allowed to be president” BS.
Clark for VP..wohoo..
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/29/clark.mccain/index.html
June 30th, 2008 at 9:44 amS_Mart Says:
Bobwurst Says:
So you agree with Bush on Immigration? Cheep labor for the big bad greedy corporations.
So you agree with HItler that the police can ask anyone for their papers for any reason?
June 30th, 2008 at 9:45 am“S_Mart: Where trolls buy their stupid.”
June 30th, 2008 at 9:46 amI was wondering what the S_ stood for!
June 30th, 2008 at 9:48 amIf memory serves our friend suggested it stood for Smart Shopping. I wasn’t sure then what they ment and I still am not.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:49 am#39, lol, Bobwurst!
I’m picturing a small credit card, issued to those with room temperature IQ’s & Republic credentials.
The credit limit is 5 bucks, as no bank will back them, and it’s
only good for ‘buying stupid’.
Stupidity may not be illegal, but it sure flourished under Bush.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:50 amThere’s a boarded up convenience store in a nearby town, the sign used to read Snappy Mart until the ‘nappy’ fell off…
June 30th, 2008 at 9:53 amSo this is how the Chickenhawk BushCo Regime fights the GWOT; by ignoring OBL and making sure al Qaeda and the Taliban get stronger.
I am sure it has nothing to do with the upcoming elections, does it? Maybe wanting to make a ‘big announcement’ just before November?
Naw, probably not. Just their typical lack of judgment, skill and integrity, nothing new.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:53 amswans and geese look sort of like ducks…
June 30th, 2008 at 9:53 amChocolate Jesus Says
June 30th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Finally glad to see someone with some real cred standing up and calling out McCain for his “I got shot down so no one else but me is allowed to be president” BS.
___________________________________________________
McCain’s marketers should be taking a look at the experiences of George HW Bush and Bob Dole, and from that know that getting shot down and/or injured during a war doesn’t get one elected President.
George HW also got shot down in a plane, but that didn’t resonate with the voters in 1988 (although Willie Horton did). It didn’t score enough points in 1992 either, and Bush lost the election that year.
Bob Dole was seriously injured during WWII, but that didn’t get him elected (even though he was running against a “draft dodger”).
I suspect voters are going to be much more concerned with what kind of president McCain would make today than what kind of POW he was years ago.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:55 amS_Mart says:
I agree with the Law of the land!
So if a cop suspects me of being drunk in public he doesn’t have the right to approach me and ask for my ID?
If it walk’s like a duck, and quacks like one well…..
No you don’t agree with the law of the land. The law prohibits unlawful search and seizures. Arresting someone for one thing and then investigating another crime without cause is an unlawful search and seizure.
The police have every right to ask you for your id when the catch you stumbling down the sidewalk on the way to your traniset hotel room, as you well know from personal experience. They don’t have the right to to question your citizenship based on your skin color.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:56 ammisshusseinmolly Says: And then it occured to me that it’s probably a good idea to fill up whenever you can, before the prices take another jump tomorrow. This is exactly the same mindset that went on at the beginning of the Weimar Republic hyperinflation of 1923. I hope the rate of gas price increase doesn’t wind up coming anywhere close to that.
Had Bush been even remotely competent, we’d have become a full-blown Weimar Republic by 2004. Fortunately for us, he’s just as bad at creating his dictatorship in America as he was at drilling for oil in Texas.
If Americans are united on anything these days – it’s the fact that Bush is the worst President ever, having done more to ruin our country than imaginable.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:57 amIraq fails to sign contracts with foreign oil majors
Iraq said on Monday it has failed to sign technical support agreements with global oil majors which were aimed at helping boost the war-torn country’s oil production. “We did not finalise any agreement with them because they refused to offer consultancy based on fees as they wanted a share of the oil,” he said.
“The TSAs (technical support agreements) are only simple consultancy contracts to help us raise the production during the interim period” before the ministry enters into long-term contracts to develop the oil and gas fields.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080630/ts_afp/iraqoil_080630132523
Big Oil Companies greed is just obscene. They just want to get their production back to what is was before our invasion. I’m glad to see that they aren’t just going to capitulate to these Oil Companies and are making demands first.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:59 amS_Mart Says:
dbadass Says:
From a distance the desert looks like it has water. Whats your point?
What’s yours?
June 30th, 2008 at 9:59 amBogus claims that China is drilling for oil off the Florida coast “continue to circulate almost three weeks after a senator representing the state derided the claims as ‘akin to urban legends.’” The truth is China’s oil company, Sinopec, has an agreement with Cuba, but its lease is for an onshore site and no actual drilling has taken place.
Yet the Neocons seem okay with the fact that most of the oil extracted from Alaska goes to China, and not the US, where we’d help our own supply. Profits over country every single time…
June 30th, 2008 at 9:59 amS_Mart,
June 30th, 2008 at 10:02 amif you want to write poetry like Sylvia Plath you need to do more than wear black and stick your head in the oven.
unbelievable Says:
Yet the Neocons seem okay with the fact that most of the oil extracted from Alaska goes to China, and not the US, where we’d help our own supply. Profits over country every single time…
If they could, they would sell our National Parks, our major buildings (Oops, already doing that), anything else of value, to make a few more dollars, no matter the longer term impact.
Gotta love the BushCo Crime Family. They make the mafia look like saints.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:03 am#30 dbadass Says:
S_Mart
Isn’t it about time for a new pic and name? Got any more porn links or are you done with that weirdeness?
Thank you so much for the laugh dbadass. It is so good to see you this morning. I love your sense of humor :)
June 30th, 2008 at 10:04 amHowever, wearing black and sticking your head in the oven would be a good start….
June 30th, 2008 at 10:04 amWell mostly just that looking and walking like a duck doesn’t neccessarily make a duck. The desert thing was sort of weird…
June 30th, 2008 at 10:05 am> I suspect voters are going to be
> much more concerned with what
> kind of president McCain would make today
Personally, I used to like the guy, back in 2000, but then i started realizing his whole life has pretty much been a charade, trying to make himself out to be some fonzie “rebel with a cause” type. Ugh….I guess “genuine” and “politician” arent really two qualities you almost ever find in the same person, huh?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:06 am“Our enemies will test the new president early,” said Sen. Joe Lieberman
June 30th, 2008 at 10:07 am.
According to Lieberman, we are “doomed” no matter who is elected president.
All of the economic indicators in the US are about as good as they are in Zimbabwe.
G.W. Mugabe presiding.
-GSD
June 30th, 2008 at 10:07 amS_Mart Says:
Bobwurst Says:
What benefit does our country gain by treating our boarders like a suggestion?
First off, I don’t usually rag on other people’s typos (glass houses and all) but it took me a few readings to figure out that you weren’t making a clever aside about guest workers, that you really meant “borders” (home-schooled crackpot).
Second off, what benefit does our country gain by treating our Constitution like a suggestion? Really. Get someone to read you the 4th Amendment before you respond, please.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:08 amS_mart,
so, what’s your big plan on immigration and the 12 million folks here illegally? And they are from almost EVERY country in the world, they are black, brown, yellow, white. How are you going to recognize them and if you do round them up, what are you going to do with them?
Where will you get the hundreds of thousands of police to do this? We are stretched a little thin in Iraq, where the US has illegally crossed a foreign border.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:09 amNevar, I doubt S_Mart gets the allusion, but I’m glad someone did.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:10 amGood morning, unbelievable, #53,
I agree. Most Americans don’t know that nearly all the oil pumped in Alaska goes to Japan & China.
Where would all this ‘newly drilled’ oil go?…to the foreign oil market, of course.
Big oil stopped being ‘American’ years ago. They’re global now, and just because they drill here, the oil will go where they decide; not based on need.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:11 amS_Mart Says:
dbadass Says:
The same can be said about any suspicious activity.
What suspicious activity are you referring to?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:12 amupside99 Says: If they could, they would sell our National Parks, our major buildings (Oops, already doing that), anything else of value, to make a few more dollars, no matter the longer term impact.
I never heard what happened to that bill they were proposing to allow major highways be built through several western National Parks. They probably passed it at 3:00 am on a Sunday night and threatened the press to be quiet until they were completed…
Definitely all about money. Disgusting.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:13 amZimzone Says:
Big oil stopped being ‘American’ years ago. They’re global now, and just because they drill here, the oil will go where they decide; not based on need.
Exactly!
BP is British, Shell is Dutch, Total is French, EnCana is Canadian. It is indeed a global industry.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:14 amMcCains Defaulted On Home Taxes For Last Four Years, Newsweek Reports
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/28/mccains-failed-to-pay-tax_n_109785.html
Shortly after NEWSWEEK inquired about the matter, the McCain aide e-mailed a receipt dated Friday, June 27, confirming payment by the trust to San Diego County in the amount of $6,744.42. County officials say the trust still owes an additional $1,742 for this year, an amount that is overdue and will go into default July 1. Told of the outstanding $1,742, the aide said: “The trust has paid all bills shown owing as of today and will pay all other bills due.”
June 30th, 2008 at 10:14 amThe Bush administration had issued a secret plan last year allowing Pentagon’s Special Forces to kill or capture al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan.
Didn’t Nixon have a ’secret plan’ to end the VietNam war?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:15 amI wonder if Obama will talk about civil liberties and the Fourth Amendment when he gives his speech on patriotism today. Probably not. What a shame and how disheartening it is to see him change his stance on such a core issue.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:16 amRUCerious Says:
The Bush administration had issued a secret plan last year allowing Pentagon’s Special Forces to kill or capture al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan.
Didn’t Nixon have a ’secret plan’ to end the VietNam war?
Did Michelle Bachmann write the ’secret plan’? Is so, we’re in deep dooh dooh!
June 30th, 2008 at 10:17 amChocolate Jesus Says:
> I suspect voters are going to be
> much more concerned with what
> kind of president McCain would make today
Personally, I used to like the guy, back in 2000, but then i started realizing his whole life has pretty much been a charade, trying to make himself out to be some fonzie “rebel with a cause” type. Ugh….I guess “genuine” and “politician” arent really two qualities you almost ever find in the same person, huh?
You have to admit CJ that the McCain of 2000 is not the McCain of today. I agree he is full of BS. But he at least made more sense back then and didn’t support Bush. Now no one knows what he is doing; and he is continually committing political suicide with his voting base.
Remember in 2000 the vicious attacks by Bush against McCain, here is one of them:
Bush Campaign Used Code Words to Question McCain’s Temper.
“A smear campaign of the ugliest sort is now coursing through the contest for the presidency in 2000. Using the code word “temper,” a group of Senate Republicans, and at least some outriders of the George W. Bush campaign, are spreading the word that John McCain is unstable. The subtext, also suggested in this whispering campaign, is that he returned from 5 1/2 years as a POW in North Vietnam with a loose screw. And it is bruited about that he shouldn’t be entrusted with nuclear weapons.”
It makes one wonder why McCain would support Bush after the smear campaign he launched against him.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:17 amS_Mart Says:
upside99 Says:
A very simple solution would be to punish the employer.
That part almost everyone agrees on. Except the CHamber of Commerce, and the other K Street lobbyists, who don’t want any infringements on corporations hiring cheap labor.
We have the laws, they just aren’t consistently enforced.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:19 amS_Mart Says
June 30th, 2008 at 10:03 am
What benefit does our country gain by treating our boarders like a suggestion? Also what kind of message does this send out to the people who actually get into the country the legal way? Rewarding people for breaking the law only makes sense to Bush and Dems!
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Gotta love the wingnut way of thinking. They are always full of suggestions about illegal immigration, completely oblivious to the reality that their suggestions don’t work and often violate freedoms of legitimate citizens.
They suggest that we round all of them up and deport them (never mind the cost, or that most of them will just sneak across the border again).
They suggest that we erect a fence to keep them out (which will slow them down a little bit, until new tunnels are dug). Of course, this does nothing to discourage immigration by boat, plus any fence is going to be full of holes because of Bush’s buddies complaining about it lowering their property values.
And now we get S_mart favoring the idea of law enforcement demanding papers from anyone at anytime, as if this was occupied Amsterdam of 1944 or 1980’s Pretoria. But hey — as long as it only affects brownish people, that’s OK, right?
The one suggestion I never hear from the right about dealing with illegal immigration is the only one what would have any significant effect. And that is to crack down on businesses that employ undocumented workers, instead of just looking the other way or issuing wrist-slaps. The reason people come here illegally is to find work. No work, no immigration. It’s that simple. Unfortunately, the GOP won’t embrace this concept because they know businesses would collapse (as well as entire sectors of our economy) without cheap labor.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:21 amS_Mart Says:
The same can be said about any suspicious activity.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Just any suspicious activity, dumbass, or would you be in favor of cops treating you like they do any criminal?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:21 amWhat did we miss?
It doesn’t appear that freedom writers are free. Nothing like censorship in the 21st century
Rick Sanchez accuses Wes Clark of swift boating McCain. Gee, that certainly didn’t take long
I’m going to have to call my sister and tell her to get her kids out of the Louisiana school system pronto.
Whistler blower Mark Klein isn’t happy. Neither are the rest of us that see this matter in the same light that he does.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:21 amZimzone Says: I agree. Most Americans don’t know that nearly all the oil pumped in Alaska goes to Japan & China. Where would all this ‘newly drilled’ oil go?…to the foreign oil market, of course. Big oil stopped being ‘American’ years ago. They’re global now, and just because they drill here, the oil will go where they decide; not based on need.
Just as America founded the oil industry, we too can found the solar, wind and geothermal industry.
I saw the interview Bill Moyers did with Barbara Boxer on her attempts to fight Big Oil on rthe Global Warming aspect of this whole issue. She cited several companies willing to invest in a green/renewable industry if the Republicans and oil lobbyists didn’t have such a tight grip on Congress.
The last hope at this point is that the November election will give us the real majorities we need to finally bypass the gluttons preventing us from moving toward energy independence, and environmental healing. I don’t yet want to consider the consequences…
June 30th, 2008 at 10:21 amS_Mart Says:
upside99 Says:
Why is everything justified by the “everyone else is doing it” excuse? What makes Europe the end all say all when it comes to running a country?
What did I ever say about ‘everyone else doing it’ or about Europe?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:24 amWhat benefit does our country gain by treating our boarders like a suggestion?
We should treat our boarders better. Why not breakfast in bed?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:26 amlefttown Says: I wonder if Obama will talk about civil liberties and the Fourth Amendment when he gives his speech on patriotism today. Probably not. What a shame and how disheartening it is to see him change his stance on such a core issue.
I am mostly disheartened by the fact that he is changing – on any issue. Part of why I supported him over Hillary Clinton when John Edwards dropped out of teh race, despite the fact that I don’t care for his religiousity, was the fact that he wasn’t afraid to be a liberal who stood firm on liberal issues. He didn’t pander.
Lately, he’s pandering on too much, and becoming more like the Hillary Clinton I couldn’t support. Very disappointing.
I’d like to believe it’s just a ploy to get elected. But, isn’t that the very status quo response we have all been fighting against?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:29 amObama Network Organizes and Revolts Over Spying
Since launching last week, the protest group, “Senator Obama Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity – Get FISA Right,” swelled to one of the ten largest campaign groups on Sunday. (FISA is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which the Democratic Congress is poised to amend under White House pressure.) It is the largest group of its kind on MyBo, which focuses on local networking, official campaign events, and constituency groups like “Women for Obama.” It looks like the group grew through the Obama network, with a few web mentions on liberal sites such as OpenLeft and TPM, and it urges Obama to reject the “politics of fear” and lead Democrats to oppose the White House bill. Blogger Mike Stark says the effort demonstrates the kind of civic engagement and “open government” that Obama espouses, even if it delivers the “sting of social networking” pushback during a tight campaign.
One Democratic Internet consultant predicted that Obama’s reaction could reveal his commitment to meaningful engagement with supporters. “How Obama responds will tell us a great deal about both his willingness to listen to input from his supporters and what influence the MyBarackObama community has on the campaign itself,” said the operative, who wished to remain anonymous while working on another campaign. “In the meantime, this is a huge opportunity for Obama’s supporters to organize around an issue, not just the candidate, and take action beyond using their credit card.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ari-melber/obama-network-organizes-a_b_109882.html
June 30th, 2008 at 10:31 am35. ZimZone
McChurian Candidate. I’m going to have to steal that and start using it.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:33 am“Our enemies will test the new president early,” said Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT
So by pointing out that the WTC I was in the first year of Clinton and WTC II was in the 1st year of Bush and meant to test him, Is Lieverman admitting that WTC wasn’t
June 30th, 2008 at 10:34 am“Clnton’s Fault” ??????
S_Mart Says:
Why is everything justified by the “everyone else is doing it” excuse? What makes Europe the end all say all when it comes to running a country?
I don’t know, maybe just the fact that 15 of the top 20 countries with the highest living standards are in Europe.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:37 amForget spending billions to round up illegals, we can put policies in place so that the self-deport. It didn’t cost us anything for them to come here, why should it cost anything for them to go back?
I’m a democrat generally conservative on immigration and for ensuring that good intentions on behalf of government are carried out with good timing (i.e., levying new taxes; raising the minimum wage; raising the cap on new immigrants admitted.)
What we don’t want to do is choke off job creation and saturate the market with too many employees.
Government should only work to meet demand where recruitment is difficult at the local level. Agriculture is a good example.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:37 amMapleStreet Says: 35. ZimZone
McChurian Candidate. I’m going to have to steal that and start using it.
Please do. And hooray for Wes Clark. Why is someone who graduated in the bottom of their class, crashed 5 planes, colluded with the enemy, dropped their disabled wife for a rich heiress, changes his mind more often than his Depends and known for explosive verbal threats ‘destined to be President’?
They’re trying to make him untouchable now. Talking heads lying about what Gen. Clark said, and how unfair it is to question his ‘loyalty’. WTF? Clark said being a POW does not automatically qualify you to be President.
Watch how Fux Noise portrays Clark’s statement…soon, they’ll claim Clark has a hit man out for our McChurian candidate.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:40 amS_mart is just another cowering sissy.
Afraid of everything, he is easily frightened and manipulated by the fear mongering of the right-wing terrorists he admires so much.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:41 amThe immigration problem is easy to solve. Adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage should be about $10/hour. We didn’t have a big immigration problem until the minimum wage fell so far behind inflation.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:41 amI’d rather have the decent hard working immigrants I’ve been fortunate enough to meet as neighbors than these bitter, fearful, delusional, greedy people that are so up in arms about immigration.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:51 am“The Pentagon is refusing orders from the EPA to clean military bases where dumped chemicals pose “imminent and substantial” dangers to public health and the environment. “Experts in environmental law said the Pentagon’s stand is unprecedented.”
Isn’t that nice – our Pentagon doesn’t have the money to clean up their own shit.
Why don’t they do some bake sales and car washes and sleeping-with-the-general raffles?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:53 amshoeless Says:
The immigration problem is easy to solve. Adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage should be about $10/hour. We didn’t have a big immigration problem until the minimum wage fell so far behind inflation.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I doubt employers — especially small businesses — would be responsive to such a proposal. It would bring down the teen employment rate further and make it harder for people to start out. First-time jobs would become as daunting as competitive internships for third-year college students to receive. We’re not helping the poor by not making employment easily accessible to them. Market conditions, subject to fluctuate, vary across the country and may not be able to handle such wage requirements.
Employers can also cut jobs and trim hours to deal with the new wage requirements, since any minimum wage increase doesn’t prevent employers from doing so. Government has to respond to the realities of the market instead of taking feel-good action — possibly hurting the people they intend to help.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:53 amunbeleivable 84
“he’s pandering on too much, and becoming more like the Hillary Clinton I couldn’t support. Very disappointing.”
Too-late now. The course is set. Have a drink a raise a toast to the end of the Bush regime.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:54 amunbelievable Says: Just as America founded the oil industry, we too can found the solar, wind and geothermal industry.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:21 am
I agree entirely, unb. It seems like nearly everyone in Washington is wasting their time babbling about oil, oil, oil, when are they going to wake up and join the 21st century? The possibilities are boundless for clean energy industries, but the politicians are hip-deep in big-oil money, and have no reason to want to get out of it.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:55 amjb Says:
I’d rather have the decent hard working immigrants I’ve been fortunate enough to meet as neighbors than these bitter, fearful, delusional, greedy people that are so up in arms about immigration.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I don’t know of any correlation between a suspiciousness of excessive immigration and a reduced work ethic.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:59 amFreedom Rebel
June 30th, 2008 at 11:01 amYou are too kind. I hope the humidity has passed
9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration
So did the anthrax attacks, which President Bush called “a second wave of terrorist attacks upon our country.” As with the 9/11 attacks, he failed to prevent the attacks and has failed to punish the people behind them.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:03 amunbelievable Says:
McCains Defaulted On Home Taxes For Last Four Years, Newsweek Reports
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ 2008/ 06/ 28/ mccains-failed-to-pay-tax_n_109785.html
Shortly after NEWSWEEK inquired about the matter, the McCain aide e-mailed a receipt dated Friday, June 27, confirming payment by the trust to San Diego County in the amount of $6,744.42. County officials say the trust still owes an additional $1,742 for this year, an amount that is overdue and will go into default July 1. Told of the outstanding $1,742, the aide said: “The trust has paid all bills shown owing as of today and will pay all other bills due.”
Ok, what I want to know is how a home in La Jolla is only default for roughly 8k in taxes over 4 years. That is peanuts! Something smells right there. $1742 for one year? Must be the only shack in La Jolla, eh?
June 30th, 2008 at 11:03 amdbadass Says:
Freedom Rebel
You are too kind. I hope the humidity has passed
It has, it is very cool today. I will be able to get alot accomplished. thank you…
June 30th, 2008 at 11:05 amS_Mart Says
June 30th, 2008 at 10:34 am
If you support Illegal workers you have to put yourself into a higher tax bracket to help compensate the massive cost to health care and other public systems strained by the invasion. And if the government doesn’t collect enough money by this voluntary tax system, then the people obviously do not agree with the invasion.
What do ya think? Will you put yourself into the new tax system to help support the illegal worker?
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Obviously you need more caffeine this morning, because your cogs are slipping — even more so than for an ordinary troll.
WHAT about my post suggested that I support illegal immigrants? If you read it carefully, you will notice my point was that most of the suggestions about how to deal with them (deport ‘em all, build a fence, have the Gestapo harrass them, etc.) don’t work. The only thing that will have an effect on deterring illegal immigration is to get serious about penalizing the businesses that hire them. How did you managed to extrapolate from this that I support masses of people entering the country illegally?
But you bring up another point, and that is the “massive cost to health care and other public systems strained by the invasion.” Undocumented workers pay billions of dollars in taxes, including paying into the Social Security system (through false identities) money that they will never collect back. The image of gazillions of foreigners invading us to grab freebies without paying anything into the system is a myth. Here is one of many articles written about just that:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/04/15/immigrant.taxes.ap/index.html
June 30th, 2008 at 11:14 amBucks Cty PA is nice country though I remember not Pipersville or whatever it was. New Hope is cool!
Freedom Rebel: Don’t you think you have a few too many counties? Still I have great regard for your states park system
June 30th, 2008 at 11:14 am“U.S.-based commanders prematurely believed their goals in Iraq had been reached and did not send enough troops to handle the occupation “
Really? It’s taken 5 years to figure that out?
Funny I seem to remember a General Shinseki saying something about…oh never mind.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:19 amdbadass Says:
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Bucks Cty PA is nice country though I remember not Pipersville or whatever it was. New Hope is cool!
Freedom Rebel: Don’t you think you have a few too many counties? Still I have great regard for your states park system
We do. I agree we have one of the best state park systems in the US. Around me I have at least 7 I can think of off the top of my head. They are beautiful and well taken care of also.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:23 amDemoCrist Says:
Government should only work to meet demand where recruitment is difficult at the local level. Agriculture is a good example.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Translation: foreing slaves are OK, but damned if they get a qualified job even if they have the capacity and the will.
That worked so well for Sparta…
June 30th, 2008 at 11:24 amAh, so it’s those illegal immigrants who are responsible for the skyrocketing cost of health care!
There’s only one problem with yor proposal, S_Mart–the health care industry is already using that emergency-room excuse to explain why your health care premiums are rising at 20% a year. They’ve got to pay for all that uninsured emergency room use!
So that vast health care cost is already being paid for.
If, under your proposal, I could put myself into a higher tax bracket to relieve the pressure on the health care industry and keep prices stable, I’d do it.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:32 amMatter of fact, that sounds like tax-supported universal health care…..
Freedom Rebel:
June 30th, 2008 at 11:46 amI dig that Old Man’s Cave or whatever it is called…
Evil Spaniard Says:
Translation: foreing slaves are OK, but damned if they get a qualified job even if they have the capacity and the will.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:24 am
If they don’t want to come here, they don’t always have to. Mexicans, for example, have the option of straightening their government out to be more responsive so they can live a better life.
We have plenty of people here with the capacity and will needing qualified jobs. That sentiment is amplified with the current increasing unemployment rate. Supply and demand is compartmentalized.
I don’t buy the excuse that opposition to illegal immigration and excessive overall immigration is linked fully to cultural intolerance. And hiring more workers outside of the country, when absolutely needed, isn’t necessarily slavery. You have groups opposing excessive immigration to keep the environment in check, or the prevention of overpopulation. You can’t give everything the green light from a cultural standpoint.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:47 amDemoCrist Says:
If they don’t want to come here, they don’t always have to. Mexicans, for example, have the option of straightening their government out to be more responsive so they can live a better life.
We have plenty of people here with the capacity and will needing qualified jobs. That sentiment is amplified with the current increasing unemployment rate. Supply and demand is compartmentalized.
I don’t buy the excuse that opposition to illegal immigration and excessive overall immigration is linked fully to cultural intolerance. And hiring more workers outside of the country, when absolutely needed, isn’t necessarily slavery. You have groups opposing excessive immigration to keep the environment in check, or the prevention of overpopulation. You can’t give everything the green light from a cultural standpoint.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:47 am Recommend (0) | Report Abuse
June 30th, 2008 at 11:49 amPrime Minister Nouri al Malikie’s cousin is killed by U.S. Forces.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:53 pmdbadass Says:
Freedom Rebel:
I dig that Old Man’s Cave or whatever it is called…
We have one that is a little too close for comfort for me. I can’t remember the name of the top of my head but I always feel like I should diet before trying to squeeze through it. And I’m considered petite. They do however have some pretty neat caves and some serious rock formations that are great ledges. The ledges make for a very scenic view of the park.
June 30th, 2008 at 1:08 pm91. ZimZone / RE: McChurian Candidate
I’ll even up what you said a notch. McCain admitted to the North Viets basically that he participated in War Crimes.
At the time, this was a treasonous action on the order of Jane Fonda’s visit.
While I have sympathy that he was almost undoubtedly under torture when he made this admission, it is a rather big factor that needs to be included in calculating his label as Hero.
June 30th, 2008 at 2:18 pm