ThinkFast: July 22, 2008
ThinkFast: July 22, 2008
A military judge ruled yesterday that prosecutors in the trial of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, Osama bin Laden’s former driver, “cannot use as evidence some statements the defendant gave interrogators because they were obtained under ‘highly coercive’ conditions.” Hamdan’s “allegedly incriminating admissions made up a key part of the prosecution’s case against him.”
The current economic expansion “is the first in 60 years that may end before many Americans have recovered from the last slowdown. Annual family incomes adjusted for inflation have grown just 0.8 percent since the end of 2001.” Median U.S. family incomes, adjusted for inflation, dropped from $59,398 in 2000 to $58,407 in 2006.
The New York Times reports that “for the first time since the women’s movement came to life, an economic recovery has come and gone, and the percentage of women at work has fallen, not risen. … After moving into virtually every occupation, women are being afflicted on a large scale by the same troubles as men: downturns, layoffs, outsourcing, stagnant wages or the discouraging prospect of an outright pay cut.”
More than 100 members of Congress wrote to President Bush yesterday, urging him to “halt all action” on a proposal that “would change the definition of abortion, and drastically limit women’s access to birth control.” The proposal, floated last week, would require recipients of federal aid to certify that they don’t discriminate against people who refuse to provide forms of contraception.
On the trail today: Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will arrive in Amman and meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will address supporters during a noon Town Meeting event at the Rochester Opera House in New Hampshire and then travel to fundraiser in Baltimore, MD.
Though Big Oil companies “insist they’re trying to find new oil” to help bring down gas prices, more than half of the money from their record profits is being spent on stock buybacks and dividends rather than exploration. While spending on stock buybacks and dividends has increased 25 percent since 2000, the percentage spent to find new deposits of fossil fuels “has remained flat for years, in the mid-single digits.”
FEMA reported yesterday that “[f]ederal officials vastly overestimated the value of hurricane relief supplies given away earlier this year. According to the report, the General Services Administration mistakenly counted “a single item as being worth as much as multiple items contained in a package of goods. The original GSA estimate of $85 million should have been $18.5 million.”
“Members of Congress appropriated more than $18 million in Defense Department earmarks in fiscal 2007 for projects that either were not needed or failed to support the Pentagon’s mission,” according to a DoD inspector general report.
Radovan Karadzic, “the wartime leader of Bosnian Serbs, was arrested Monday night” and is being extradited to The Hague where he will be tried by the U.N. war crimes tribunal. Karadzic “faces 11 counts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities committed between 1992 to 1996.”
And finally: Sen. Patrick Leahy’s (D-VT) guest appearance in the new movie, “The Dark Knight,” has been getting quite a bit attention on national blogs. Leahy, a huge Batman fan, appears in the movie “as a brave older gentleman who confronts the Joker after the evildoer crashes a swank party.” Writing on The Hill’s blog yesterday, Leahy expounded further on why he likes the film: “This, more than any earlier film, explores the psychotic nature of the Joker, but also the psychological conflicts in the Batman.” He also pays tribute to late actor Heath Ledger, who played the Joker.
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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Station nixes ‘Savage Nation’
Radio host called autism a ‘fraud, a racket’
The Super Talk Mississippi radio network has canceled The Savage Nation because of comments syndicated host Michael Savage made about autistic children last week. Steve Davenport, president and CEO of Super Talk’s parent company Telesouth Communications, confirmed The Savage Nation had been dropped from the network’s lineup as of Monday. “It was just horrible what he said,” Davenport said Monday.
“When you talk about people in politics, business people, that’s one thing. But when you talk about defenseless children, that’s another.” Savage, a controversial conservative commentator, said during the July 16 broadcast of his show that autism is a “fraud, a racket. “I’ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out. That’s what autism is.
“I think this was the thing to do. I couldn’t see any way not to do it.” The Savage Nation has been replaced by The Dennis Miller Show, Davenport said.
Savage’s comments also sparked a protest in Manhattan on Monday by Autism United and parents outside WOR radio station, which carries the nationally syndicated show based in San Francisco. They are demanding Savage’s firing and calling for a boycott of all stations carrying his show by parents of children with autism. Talk Radio Network, which syndicates The Savage Nation, reports on its Web site that more than 350 radio stations carry the show.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/NEWS/807220363/1001/news
Talk Radio Network, P.O. Box 3755, Central Point, Oregon 97502, phone number: 541-664-8827 . E-mail address info@talkradionetwork.com. If you go to the Talk Radio Network website you can access your affiliate station information.
Advertisers that have already stopped airing or refuse to air commercials on “Savage Nation” include US Cellular, Sprint Nextel, Sears, Universal Orlando Resorts, AutoZone, Citrix, TrustedID, JCPenney, OfficeMax, Wal-Mart, and AT&T. Newly confirmed advertisers that have dropped their commercials on “Savage Nation” ITT Technical Institute, Chattem, Inc. (owners of Gold Bond, Icy Hot, and Selsun Blue), Union Bank of California, Intuit (parent company of TurboTax and QuickBooks), and GEICO Insurance – dropped their
commercials after being contacted by visitors to the newly-created “No Savage” website. SEE: No Savage nosavage.org/
It is truly amazing and encouraging to see that phone calls and emails to his advertisers and radio stations are making an impact. “Savage says he has lost $1 million in revenue because of the advertiser campaign by nosavage.org.” I sent emails to all of his current advertisers. Plus I sent a transcript of his comments to my local chapter members in the Autism Society. I consider this a minor victory so far; hopefully our campaign will affect his revenue even more in the future.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:01 amRadovan Karadzic, “the wartime leader of Bosnian Serbs, was arrested Monday night” and is being extradited to The Hague where he will be tried by the U.N. war crimes tribunal. Karadzic “faces 11 counts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities committed between 1992 to 1996.”
Not only is this long overdue that Karadzic should go to trial for his war crimes. It gives me hope that the international community will hold Bush, Cheney, Condi, Feith, & Rumsfeld accountable for their complicity in the genocide of over 1.2 million Iraqis.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:02 amThe New York Times reports that “for the first time since the women’s movement came to life, an economic recovery has come and gone, and the percentage of women at work has fallen, not risen. … After moving into virtually every occupation, women are being afflicted on a large scale by the same troubles as men: downturns, layoffs, outsourcing, stagnant wages or the discouraging prospect of an outright pay cut.”
Precisiely what happens when your country is run by a bunch of misogynistic religious freaks who think women are second class citizens.
It’s also why the homocide rate has increased, and our health has declined. Until we value women as equals to men, we cannot improve our standard of living.
Five months four weeks and five days to go until these pigs are past tense!
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:06 amAt first, I was encouraged at the Mississippi station’s cancellation of “Weiner Nation”. But then I read that it was replacing it with Dennis Miller.
I guess we sometimes just need to be satisfied with small progress.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 amThough Big Oil companies “insist they’re trying to find new oil” to help bring down gas prices, more than half of the money from their record profits is being spent on stock buybacks and dividends rather than exploration. While spending on stock buybacks and dividends has increased 25 percent since 2000, the percentage spent to find new deposits of fossil fuels “has remained flat for years, in the mid-single digits.”
Confirmation of these facts can be seen in the lack of any progress on the matter since oh, 1975…
Time for windfall taxes that will provide the financial backing for research for alternative green and renewable energy sources. Time for Big Oil to go the way of the dinosaurs…
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:10 amState Senator Kevin Bryant Posts Osama-Obama Photo
South Carolina State Senator Kevin Bryant has removed a classy photo from his website showing Osama Bin Laden next to Barack Obama with text claiming the difference between them is “just a little B.S.”
I just got ahold of State Senator Bryant over the phone, and asked him whether he thought the image was appropriate. “It was meant tongue in cheek,” he said, adding, “I’ve got some questions about Senator Obama’s ties to — such as his comment that we should negotiate with Iran. Iran’s a country that would like to destroy Israel, that bothers me. But is this picture appropriate? I don’t know.” He let out a loud laugh. “It’s gotten a lot more attention than I would have expected.”
The South Carolina Senate Democratic Caucus today called state Senator Kevin Bryant’s posting of a photo of Osama Bin Laden next to presidential candidate Barack Obama classless. “Senator Bryant’s posting of this offensive photo is classless and it has no place in politics. Bryant should be more concerned about serving his constituents, who pay his salary, than posting garbage like this on his website. The voters of Anderson County deserve a state Senator with better judgment.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/21/kevin-bryant-south-caroli_n_114098.html
I have always wondered how people like this get elected. I feel that Senator Kevin Bryant’s action warrants a Censure by the Senate.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:10 amBetween this:
and this:
I think we can see the swirling waters of the crapper into which our economy has fallen. The sole hope of the GOP is to kick the can, stay the final flush, until Obama gets in the WH. Then they and their shills in media will, having raised memory loss to an art, blame it all on the Democrats.
This economy will get much worse. The two tried and true remedies are government deficit spending and/or Fed monetary easing. There ain’t no room for the latter and the former we’ve been foolishly doing for seven years. There’s no classical solution left.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:11 am“Members of Congress appropriated more than $18 million in Defense Department earmarks in fiscal 2007 for projects that either were not needed or failed to support the Pentagon’s mission,” according to a DoD inspector general report.
Vote these greedy pigs OUT of office in November if they “represent” you.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 amA military judge ruled yesterday that prosecutors in the trial of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, Osama bin Laden’s former driver, “cannot use as evidence some statements the defendant gave interrogators because they were obtained under ‘highly coercive’ conditions.”
So the entire case for torture goes in the dumpster on not only philosophical and ethical basis, but on legal grounds as well.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 amCongrats, Rethugs, you screwed the pooch. Did she kiss you?
Between this:
and this:
I think we can see Cheney’s (and, not incidentally, McCain’s) base, the segment of our perishing republic which is paramount in his beady eyes. It surely ain’t We the People.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:16 amToo bad Leahy can’t stand up to the real evil doers in the white house the way he can stand up to fake evil doers in a movie.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:16 amDidn’t know that the boy Bush could change the definition of words, like abortion. Thought that was up to Webster and other dictionaries.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 amRepublican Senate leaders — terrified by the prospect of losing five or more seats in November — have freed their members to vote however they need to vote to get reelected, even if that means bucking the president or the party’s leadership.
Link
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 amBoy Bush is the decider, remember? If he decides the meaning of a word should be changed, who are we to tell him any differently?
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:19 amOnly eleven? They’ll have to use scientific notation to express the counts against the Cheney admin, a number approaching Avogadro’s. The day cannot come too soon.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:20 amtom Says:
At first, I was encouraged at the Mississippi station’s cancellation of “Weiner Nation”. But then I read that it was replacing it with Dennis Miller.
I guess we sometimes just need to be satisfied with small progress.
Good Morning Tom:)
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:29 amThanks for the laugh! Tom, I agree, I was hoping for a better substitute.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will … travel to fundraiser in Baltimore, MD.
Jeez, didn’t George Bush Sr.’s corrupt fatcat corporate cronys shove enough wads of money into John McCain’s pockets yesterday in Kennebunkport.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:30 amcavjam Says:
Only eleven? They’ll have to use scientific notation to express the counts against the Cheney admin, a number approaching Avogadro’s. The day cannot come too soon.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:20 am
______
In most jurisdictions, all we need is two counts of murder to send Bush to jail for life. Or, if he’s convicted in Texas, his favorite place – the electric chair.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:31 amMembers of Congress appropriated more than $18 million in Defense Department earmarks in fiscal 2007 for projects that either were not needed or failed to support the Pentagon’s mission,” according to a DoD inspector general report.
More than $18,000,000.00??? I’ll bet it’s a whole lot more.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:36 amwoo hoo!
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:40 amSmith & Wessons Creates New Gun in Honor of Supreme Court Ruling
ABC News – 1 hour ago
Smith & Wesson is manufacturing a commemorative revolver in honor of the landmark US Supreme Court ruling that backed the right of individuals to own guns for self-defense.
Smith & Wesson revolver to mark legal win Boston Herald
Coming Soon: The Heller v. DC Commemorative Revolver Wall Street Journal Blogs
The current economic expansion “is the first in 60 years that may end before many Americans have recovered from the last slowdown. Annual family incomes adjusted for inflation have grown just 0.8 percent since the end of 2001.” Median U.S. family incomes, adjusted for inflation, dropped from $59,398 in 2000 to $58,407 in 2006.
The average family is suppose to send their child to college with what money left over? There is no money in the budget for that, not after you pay your mortgage, utilities, car payment & buy groceries. The Republicans are suceeding in making a college education a luxury item most won’t be able to afford. The disparity between the Rich and Middle Class will widen even more.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:41 amFreedom Rebel Says:
Station nixes ‘Savage Nation’
I sent emails to all of his current advertisers. Plus I sent a transcript of his comments to my local chapter members in the Autism Society. I consider this a minor victory so far; hopefully our campaign will affect his revenue even more in the future.
Good morning Freb. I hope this dumba$$ gets run right off the air because he is no longer profitable for the sleazeballs that employ him.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:41 amWikileaks says they are just getting started.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:44 amA military judge ruled yesterday that prosecutors in the trial of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, Osama bin Laden’s former driver, “cannot use as evidence some statements the defendant gave interrogators because they were obtained under ‘highly coercive’ conditions.”
I believe the Bushies made a mistake by waiting to bring this guy to trial. Because Bush will soon be out of office, the military judge feels confident to rule according to law without fear of losing his job. Good on this judge!
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:45 amFreedom Rebel Says:
State Senator Kevin Bryant Posts Osama-Obama Photo
I have always wondered how people like this get elected. I feel that Senator Kevin Bryant’s action warrants a Censure by the Senate.
There are lots of home-schooled flat-earth people in SC :)~
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:46 amhere’s a shocker… ask your lawyers if you can tackle this one, TP:
McCain Urges More Drilling, Blames Obama for Gas Prices
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:47 amWashington Post – 9 hours ago
By Howard Kurtz The Ad: ( Narrator) Gas prices — $4, $5, no end in sight, because some in Washington are still saying no to drilling in America.
Cats r Flyfishn Says:
Didn’t know that the boy Bush could change the definition of words, like abortion. Thought that was up to Webster and other dictionaries.
How ironic that a knucklehead with a 27-word vocabulary would be attempting that.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 amAuthor: Officials against torture memo feared wiretaps, physical danger
According to Jane Mayer, author of The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals, two top lawyers in the Justice Department who attempted to push back against the authorization of torture by Vice President Cheney’s staff became so paranoid that they worried they were being wiretapped and even feared they might be in physical danger.
Mayer told the hosts of MSNBC’s Morning Joe that Cheney’s staff took advantage of 9/11 to enhance presidential power and that — in the words of Republican lawyer and former 9/11 Commission director Philip Zelikow — “fear and anxiety were exploited by fools and zealots.”
Mayer added, however, that there were also opponents of torture and other extreme powers within the administration. “Almost from the start after 9/11,” she stated, “lawyers in the administration have said, ‘That’s not the American way, we can’t do that, it’s criminal, it may be a war crime.’”
Mayer pointed out that “two of the top lawyers in the Bush administration, Jim Comey who was the number two in the Justice Department and Jack Goldsmith who ran the Office of Legal Counsel, were trying really hard to put the country back on what they thought was a legal footing when it came to how to treat prisoners. They were trying to take away the torture memo and replace it with something that was more responsible.”
“As they were working on this,” Mayer continued, “they became so paranoid that the vice president’s office was either trying to push back in some way — they thought they might be being wiretapped, they thought they might be in physical danger. The fights were that intense. I can’t tell you how passionate and hard-fought these fights were inside this government.”
Gotta read the rest:
http://rawstory.com//news/2008/Author_Officials_feared_wiretaps_over_opposing_0721.html
**The more that comes out about Mayer’s book, the more I think this is a must read. I really have no problem believing how paranoid ANYONE might be of retribution from Darth Cheney and his storm troopers. I don’t think it’s any surprise that there have not been many whistleblowers ready to spill it all about the illegal goings on in this administration. Thank goodness that some have managed to set aside their fears and come forward anyway.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:51 am#22 Exit Stage Left Says:
Freedom Rebel Says:
Station nixes ‘Savage Nation’
I sent emails to all of his current advertisers. Plus I sent a transcript of his comments to my local chapter members in the Autism Society. I consider this a minor victory so far; hopefully our campaign will affect his revenue even more in the future.
Good morning Freb. I hope this dumba$$ gets run right off the air because he is no longer profitable for the sleazeballs that employ him.
Good Morning Exit Stage Left :) I couldn’t agree more. The Autism Society Chapters around the country are not going to let up on this one. Not only did he tick me off, but alot of parents that aren’t going to tolerate having their children called “brats” by an idiot that did absolutely zero research into the subject.
It’s good to see you….I hope everything is going well for you!
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:52 amIgnoranceIsNotBliss Says:
Republican Senate leaders — terrified by the prospect of losing five or more seats in November — have freed their members to vote however they need to vote to get reelected, even if that means bucking the president or the party’s leadership.
How about a novel idea…they vote their conscience. That is what I hate the most about the Republicans. If you are elected as a Republican, you are told how to vote. There is no such thing as voting your conscience. The Democratic party is rather messy and often fractious, but I would take that any day over the Lemming Party.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:55 am#25 Exit Stage Left Says:
Freedom Rebel Says:
State Senator Kevin Bryant Posts Osama-Obama Photo
I have always wondered how people like this get elected. I feel that Senator Kevin Bryant’s action warrants a Censure by the Senate.
There are lots of home-schooled flat-earth people in SC :)~
LOL When I read that article it brought to mind a quote by Henry Kissinger “Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation.”
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 amhumorous:
Making fun of Barack Obama: Here goes
By Joel Stein
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-oped0722comedyjul22,0,7443724.story
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 amFreedom Rebel Says:
It’s good to see you….I hope everything is going well for you!
Things are good. They’d be better if I could get this house (FL)sold and make the move to Cincinnati and help you get Ohio straightened out in time for the election :)~
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:58 amFreedom Rebel Says:
The average family is suppose to send their child to college with what money left over? There is no money in the budget for that, not after you pay your mortgage, utilities, car payment & buy groceries. The Republicans are suceeding in making a college education a luxury item most won’t be able to afford. The disparity between the Rich and Middle Class will widen even more.
Not only that, but over the last decades the “conservatives” have succeeded in gutting funding to state colleges and universities which used to offer a leveling effect, allowing kids from lower- and middle-class families an opportunity for a decent education.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 am#28 And the beat goes on Says:
Author: Officials against torture memo feared wiretaps, physical danger
The more that comes out about Mayer’s book, the more I think this is a must read.
Good Morning And the beat goes on :) I agree it is a must read, I’m going to order it from Amazon. It is only $15.13 there the lowest price I have found.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:04 amhttp://www.amazon.com/Dark-Side-Inside-Terror-American/dp/0385526393
Here’s an article about Cindy McCain.
Link
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:04 amGood morning FR! :) Thanks for your response as usual.
I would like to remind everyone that this Friday is finally the day that Dennis Kucinich gets to stand up and make his – OUR – case for impeachment. What can progressive activists do to help turn in a *itching session into a true call for impeachment? I am very curious about the witness who has asked to testify. I hope it is someone with some serious standing in the international community who can help turn things around for us. I agree with anyone who says we cannot base our actions on retribution for all of the crap this crooks have been dishing out for years now. But asking for justice for illegal activities and outright criminal behavior is another story. Anyone who characterizes reasons for impeachment (listening Pelosi?) as just getting even is kidding themselves.
And, finally, those really interested in having a say on the Democratic platform have a chance to do just that. In the next week or two meetings are happening all over the U.S. offering those interested to have a say. I intend to let them know MY opinions (yes, I have more than a few!) More information:
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 amhttp://moveon.org/r?r=3956&id=13297-8582169-kqTHoqx&t=3
#34 gummitch Says:
Freedom Rebel Says:
The average family is suppose to send their child to college with what money left over? There is no money in the budget for that, not after you pay your mortgage, utilities, car payment & buy groceries. The Republicans are suceeding in making a college education a luxury item most won’t be able to afford. The disparity between the Rich and Middle Class will widen even more.
Not only that, but over the last decades the “conservatives” have succeeded in gutting funding to state colleges and universities which used to offer a leveling effect, allowing kids from lower- and middle-class families an opportunity for a decent education.
Good Morning gunmitch :) That is so true. Also, so many families I know have taken huge second mortgages out to help get their children through college. It is just heartbreaking. They are leaveraging everything on the fact that will still have a job in the future to pay it all back. And at the same time taking a huge hit on saving for their own retirement.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:13 amAt first, this looks like a contradiction: the average income has grown .8%, but the median has dropped 1.7%. When one remembers that the median number reflects the half-way point; half the people earn more, half earn less, then you will understand that when the median is higher than the average, a very few high income earners are pulling the average up. The fact that the median is dropping indicates even fewer at the top.
We’re seeing a stratification of the socio-economic divide.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:15 amfrom july18 TP:
McCain: ‘I Don’t Know’ If Obama Is A Socialist»
The Center for American Progress’ lawyers asked us to take down this post for legal reasons that our paranoid lawyers have prohibited us from disclosing.
does anyone remember that last part of the statement in the original?
i looked at that yesterday and don’t remember that part…
i think i’d remember “paranoid lawyers” … ah well…
good one, igor…
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:20 amWhat a nice quiet Think Fast this morning. No trolls and Kay didn’t show up for a bout of Obama bashing. Very peaceful!
OUR – case for impeachment. What can progressive activists do to help turn in a *itching session into a true call for impeachment? I am very curious about the witness who has asked to testify. I hope it is someone with some serious standing in the international community who can help turn things around for us.
It would be great if the person was someone with real, irrefutable evidence of a crime committed by Bush. If that happened, Congress would have to address the issue or look like total idiots (if they don’t already look like idiots).
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:21 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
It would be great if the person was someone with real, irrefutable evidence of a crime committed by Bush. If that happened, Congress would have to address the issue or look like total idiots (if they don’t already look like idiots).
The warrantless wiretaps was such proof, but Congress scrambled to cover up Bush’s a$$ with the FISA and Telco Immunity.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:34 amwhaaa???
ASEAN ministers confront Thai-Cambodia crisis
AFP – 1 hour ago
SINGAPORE (AFP) – ASEAN held crisis talks Tuesday on the military standoff between Thailand and Cambodia, but failed to defuse the row that threatens to escalate into an unprecedented test for the regional bloc.
Cambodia asks UN to intervene in ‘imminent state of war’ with Thailand International Herald Tribune
from the 1st story:
…
More than 500 Thai troops are facing off against at least 1,000 Cambodian soldiers around a small Buddhist pagoda on disputed land near the ruins of an 11th-century temple, which belongs to Cambodia.
[...]
The World Court ruled in 1962 that the Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia but the most accessible entrance lies in Thailand and the surrounding land remains in dispute, stirring nationalist sentiment in both countries.
Tensions flared last week when three Thais tried to enter the temple, leading both nations to send troops to the border.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 am…
Wayne Says:
The warrantless wiretaps was such proof, but Congress scrambled to cover up Bush’s a$$ with the FISA and Telco Immunity.
Enabled by complicit Democratic leadership. Why can’t they just stand up and tell the truth and face the music? I would start to regain some of my respect for them.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:43 amSomeone already has, and that someone was Bush himself:
Bush publically acknowledged violating international law; law made part of our Supreme Law of the Land through treaties to which the United States is a party. That one act alone violated His Oath of Office, and He should have had articles of impeachment filed against him that same day. Instead, Congress passed His Military Commissions Act of 2006, which, by the way, granted ‘merikans criminal and civil immunity for war crimes.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:45 amJason K. Burnett, A washingtron environmental whistle-blower is schedule to testify in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today.
I’m not so sure that he will enlighten us to anything that we don’t already know.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:49 amFreedom Reb,
It’s still up there, it hasn’t been removed, I just saw it 5 minutes ago, someone over on C&L put up a link to it.
I definitely just sent Bryant a scathing message.
Sheer racism and fearmongering. End of story, there is no way to spin it.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:51 amthe trial of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, Osama bin Laden’s former driver,
It would be interesting to see what he’s actually being prosecuted for. I mean, what they hell can they charge a chauffeur with beyond being an accessory?
What can we charge Cheney’s driver with?
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:53 amWhile spending on stock buybacks and dividends has increased 25 percent since 2000, the percentage spent to find new deposits of fossil fuels “has remained flat for years, in the mid-single digits.”
Not totally clear on what this means because you seem to be mixing percentage and nominal terms.
Spending on stock buybacks and dividends hass increased in nominal terms or as a pct of profits?
If the percentage of profits spent to find new deposits has remained flat, that would actually represent a substantial increase in nominal terms because oil company profits have soared in recent years.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d never miss an opportunity to bash Big Oil but this isn’t worded very clearly
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:54 am#47 liberal traitor Says:
Freedom Rebel Says:
——————————————————————————–
State Senator Kevin Bryant Posts Osama-Obama Photo
Freedom Reb,
It’s still up there, it hasn’t been removed, I just saw it 5 minutes ago, someone over on C&L put up a link to it.
I definitely just sent Bryant a scathing message.
Sheer racism and fearmongering. End of story, there is no way to spin it.
Good Morning Liberal Traitor:)
Nico, the journalist that did the story, tried to access the blog post in question at 3PM ET, it had been removed from Bryant’s website. Because of the advertisement’s around the article I didn’t catch the fact it got put back up again.
Thanks, I’m going to send Bryant an email also.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:08 amFreedom Rebel Says:
It is truly amazing and encouraging to see that phone calls and emails to his advertisers and radio stations are making an impact. “Savage says he has lost $1 million in revenue because of the advertiser campaign by nosavage.org.” I sent emails to all of his current advertisers. Plus I sent a transcript of his comments to my local chapter members in the Autism Society. I consider this a minor victory so far; hopefully our campaign will affect his revenue even more in the future.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:01 am
Well done, Freb. :-)
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:25 amHealth officials tout computer prescribing
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080721/ap_on_he_me/doctors_prescriptions;_ylt=AryjzCAY7BSO_KoedWhO4cis0NUE
By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jul 21, 5:34 PM ET
WASHINGTON – Those hard-to-read scribbled prescriptions from doctors could soon become a rarity. Beginning Jan. 1, the federal government will boost Medicare’s payments to doctors that send prescriptions electronically to a pharmacy rather than writing them out on paper and handing them to the patient.
The widespread adoption of electronic prescribing is expected to save taxpayers as much as $156 million over the next five years and save lives, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said Monday.
Yet another evidence of the unnecesary overhead of private healthcare, and why universal healthcare will save much more, straightening the actual overload of bureaucracy.
Radio host angers parents of autistic children
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080721/ap_on_en_ot/savage_autism;_ylt=ApFXBUQU2qOehC5DL5GgnZOs0NUE
By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer
Mon Jul 21, 6:59 PM ET
NEW YORK – Radio talk show host Michael Savage, who described 99 percent of children with autism as brats, said Monday he was trying to “boldly awaken” parents to his view that many people are being wrongly diagnosed.
Some parents of autistic children have called for Savage’s firing after he described autism as a racket last week. “In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out,” Savage said on his radio program last Wednesday.
More news about that “valiant pundit” that is Savage Whiner…
VCs pin hopes on green-tech ‘exits’
By Martin LaMonica, CNET
Tue Jul 22, 12:01 AM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cnet/20080722/tc_cnet/8301111283999371354;_ylt=AunAcs4Z2CIRHPVF3.eqbzus0NUE
Venture capital investors have high hopes for green-tech companies. Not only do they expect clean-tech firms to garner the most attention in the coming year, but they also see them reviving the anemic market for initial public offerings (IPOs).
KPMG is expected on Tuesday to publish results of a survey of almost 300 investors and entrepreneurs. Almost 80 percent thought that IPO activity would start to turn around in 2010 and continue in the following years.
Something is moving, even in the bussiness field…
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:34 am47. I just looked – used the link to his website from the Huffington Post link. Still there.
However, I’d say consider the source – South Carolina. I used to live there. Anderson SC is not far away from where the movie “Deliverance” is based.
When I lived in SC, another Upcountry senator (Mike Fair) was on a crusade to keep tatoos illegal in SC; his charge was that the Old Testament said not to do it (it is in one of the first 5 books, Leviticus is a good guess).
(Full disclosure: Personally, I hate tatoos and find them yucky. I see the possibility of spreading blood borne diseases. etc. But other than hygeine issues, I don’t see where the state has a whole lot of interest in regulating them).
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:46 am#51 Zooey Says:
Freedom Rebel Says:
It is truly amazing and encouraging to see that phone calls and emails to his advertisers and radio stations are making an impact. “Savage says he has lost $1 million in revenue because of the advertiser campaign by nosavage.org.” I sent emails to all of his current advertisers. Plus I sent a transcript of his comments to my local chapter members in the Autism Society. I consider this a minor victory so far; hopefully our campaign will affect his revenue even more in the future.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:01 am
Well done, Freb. :-)
Good Morning Zooey :) Thanks. Great to see you, I knew you would appreciate the effort. One station down, 349 to go. Hopefully, we can shame more advertisers to dump that jerk.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:50 amA military judge ruled yesterday that prosecutors in the trial of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, Osama bin Laden’s former driver, “cannot use as evidence some statements the defendant gave interrogators because they were obtained under ‘highly coercive’ conditions.” Hamdan’s “allegedly incriminating admissions made up a key part of the prosecution’s case against him.”
This still just cracks me up (or depresses me – can it be both?).
After almost 7 years of this terrorist hunt these are the high profile cases: we’ve prosecuted a guy a who filled out a form to join Al-Qaeda, and now we’re going after Osama’s driver.
Yeah, these Republicans are sure tough on terror.
Got Osama?
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:23 pmThe fed must look into the Energy Task Force conspiracy and do it’s job. America is not in the mood to see Exxon/Mobil’s chief grow a still larger jowl at taxpayer expense.
No justice. No peace.
http://www.light-to-dark.com/bush_energy_plan.html
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:05 pmMore than 100 members of Congress wrote to President Bush yesterday, urging him to “halt all action” on a proposal that “would change the definition of abortion, and drastically limit women’s access to birth control.” The proposal, floated last week, would require recipients of federal aid to certify that they don’t discriminate against people who refuse to provide forms of contraception.
– you know what? it has become clear to me, after forty years of continuous monitoring of the US Left, that the attempt to yoke sexual issues to economic ones as if they affected the same people in the same way is dishonest and suicidal. The constituencies are completely different, inherently unlike, and most to the point incapable of alliances that achieve anything whatever. The Democratic Party has in fact avoided the economic Left issues by hiding behind the sexual ones. Thus we get people who will eat any amount of economic shit, especially when instructed to do so by a Dem government, as long as their so-called “abortion rights” are left alone. I don’t expect any of you to have enjoyed reading what I just said, but, I repeat, it’s based on forty years of continuous monitoring of the US Left.
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:52 pmThus we get people who will eat any amount of economic shit, especially when instructed to do so by a Republican government, as long as their so-called “gun rights” are left alone.
I see many more people on the right as one-issue voters, whether that is gun rights, anti-abortion, religion or just tax breaks for the rich.
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:54 pmMeanwhile, wages in all other modern “socialist” countries are going up.
The largest robbery of the worker class has been committed in the last 8 years by the Republican corporate socialists and is still going on. With the loss of so many jobs to outsourcing, the destruction of unions, the mass importation of cheap labor, and the bursting of the credit bubble….I have a huge feeling we won’t see recovery for another 5-10 years, if we recover at all. This is a very serious issue that everyone should be more made aware of.
To get a good picture of whats happening to the working class across America, read “Hunting With Jesus” by Joe Bageant.
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:09 pmUp for a little light reading?
GWB to Divorce over Drunkenness and Infidelity.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:48 pmI guess you mean for example the economic shit we had to endure under Bill Clinton. Try to compare that to the last 8 years or the 12 years prior to Clinton.
I could eat some of that right about now. How’s your porfolio looking? Dow is almost where it was in 2001 and it went from 3000 to 11000 under Bill Clinton….huh.
I guess I just don’t understand what the hell you are trying to say unless you just like republicans and will eat their shit no matter what they do to our economy….
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:10 pmwhat good did clinton do you?
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:46 am