ThinkFast: August 13, 2008
ThinkFast: August 13, 2008
Former Virginia governor Mark Warner will be keynoting this year’s Democratic National Convention taking place in Denver later this month. Warner will be speaking on Tuesday, Aug. 26, the same night as Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY).
New figures from the Treasury Department show that the “federal budget deficit soared in July,” totaling $102.8 billion, “nearly triple the $36.4 billion deficit recorded in July 2007.” July’s deficit was pushed higher by “economic stimulus payments and $15 billion in outlays to protect depositors at failed banks.”
Randy Scheunemann, Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) top foreign policy adviser, “prepped his boss for an April 17 phone call with the president of Georgia” and then helped McCain “prepare a strong statement of support for the fledgling republic.” That day, Scheunemann’s lobbying firm “signed a $200,000 contract to continue providing strategic advice to the Georgian government.”
McCain is “ignoring calls from several watchdog groups” including Public Citizen, CREW, and Campaign Money Watch, “to cancel an Atlanta fundraiser promoted by Ralph Reed, a longtime friend and business partner of imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff.”
On the trail today: McCain will campaign in Michigan today, accompanied by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is vacationing in Hawaii.
Russia and Georgia continue fighting this morning, accusing each other of “violating a cease-fire only 24 hours after it was agreed.” Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said “Russian tanks were attacking and ‘rampaging’ through the Georgian town of Gori,” but a “Russian military official disputed Georgia’s claim.”
A top U.S. government counterterrorism official said yesterday that “Al-Qaeda has exploited recent political turmoil in Pakistan to strengthen its foothold along the country’s border with Afghanistan” and “warned of a heightened risk of attack during the upcoming U.S. election season.” The official, Ted Gistaro, said “Al Qaeda is more capable of attacking inside the United States than it was last year.”
“The percentage of working poor in large metropolitan areas soared by 40 percent during the first half of the decade, reversing gains from the 1990s in the fight against poverty, according to a report released Tuesday by the Brookings Institution.”
“Almost one-third of U.S. homeowners who bought in the last five years now owe more on their mortgages than their properties are worth,” according to Zillow.com, an Internet provider of home valuations. “Second-quarter home prices fell 9.9 percent from a year earlier, giving 29 percent of owners negative equity.”
“More than one-fourth of Hispanic adults in the U.S. lack a regular health care provider,” according to a new Pew Hispanic Center report. The study found that “about 42 percent of Hispanics who have no health insurance lack a regular…provider, compared with 19 percent of the insured.”
And finally: Steven Howards, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting Vice President Cheney and is now suing the Secret Service, “has renewed his attempt to subpoena the vice president to tell a judge what happened.” “I feel confident the vice president will be deposed,” said Howards’s attorney. The AP reports that Cheney’s attorneys now have 20 days to respond to the latest motion.
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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It’s Not Just Immigrants On Sheriff Joe’s List — It’s Everyone
This right-wing nut job dubbed by the ACLU as “America’s Toughest Sheriff”, reminds him that he’s not above the law.
PHOENIX – The American Civil Liberties Union is in a federal district court beginning today seeking to rebuff an attempt by Maricopa County and its sheriff, Joe Arpaio, to terminate a federal consent decree mandating that he maintain conditions at the Maricopa County Jail that meet constitutional minimums.
The ACLU will argue in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona that deteriorating conditions within each of the jail’s five facilities that house pre-trial detainees – people who have been arrested but not yet tried or convicted – necessitate federal court oversight to ensure that Arpaio and other county officials maintain safe and humane conditions and provide the thousands of pre-trial detainees held there basic levels of medical and mental health care.
… Pre-trial detainees at Maricopa County Jail are regularly given moldy bread, rotten fruit and other contaminated food. Detainees with serious medical, mental health and dental needs receive inadequate care, and they are routinely denied beds or bunks at intake, forcing them to sleep on the floor. Additionally, severe overcrowding in three of the jail’s facilities has created extremely dangerous environments by significantly increasing the potential for violence among inmates.
In one recent and particularly galling example, jail officials chose to punish rather than treat the bizarre behavior of a young and severely psychotic African immigrant. Jail officials put him in disciplinary segregation and chose to house him with other inmates, resulting in his being so severely beaten by his cell mates that he had to be taken to the emergency room.
http://www.aclu.org/prison/conditions/36387prs20080812.html
As if that wasn’t bad enough, “Sheriff Joe” has to always take it one step further. He was taken last week to court by the ACLU because he was in contempt for disobeying a court order that would allow women prisoners to obtain timely, safe, and legal abortions. See Sheriff Joe has an unwritten policy at his jail, prohibiting jail officials from transporting a prisoner to obtain an abortion unless she first got a court order. His non-compliance delayed Mary’s abortion by 4 weeks, hence the ACLU had to step in.
“This is the same wingnut sheriff who has been rounding up every Latino in Maricopa County, transforming his department into an immigration bureau and incapacitating his office’s normal law-enforcement duties. I guess it shouldn’t be a big shocker that someone who thinks brown people’s rights are expendable would feel the same about women. This is just the right-wing approach to the “rule of law” in action — it’s only the law if a right-winger says it’s so.” Also no surprise that “Sheriff Joe’s” jurisdiction is where John McCain and Cindy are plunking down $4.66 million for a luxury condo in a high-end area of Phoenix. This republican sheriff is also beloved by the people of Phoenix because he painted the jail cells pink and made the inmates wear pink prison garb in the past.
Poor Manuel De Jesus Ortega Melendres, a Mexican citizen, entered the United States legally last fall, using a visa valid until 2016, didn’t know about “the Reign of Sheriff Joe”. His first misstep–being brown in Maricopa County. The problem is that “Sheriff Joe” and his men aren’t too particular about how they identify illegal immigrants. “We know how to determine whether these guys are illegal,” Mr. Arpaio told the Chicago Tribune recently, “the way the situation looks, how they are dressed, where they are coming from.”
Manuel had barely been in the United States three weeks when “Sheriff Joe’s” deputies stopped the vehicle he was riding in. He showed the officers his visa, they handcuffed him anyways; then Manuel was treated roughly and jailed. During the nine hours Mr. Ortega spent in custody, no one offered him a translator, or any explanation for his treatment, or food or water. Nor did anyone advise him of his Miranda rights. He was finally turned over to federal immigration officials, who promptly released him.
His experience is included in a class-action lawsuit filed last week in federal district court in Arizona against “Sheriff Joe”, his office and Maricopa County. The complaint recounts similar episodes, including one involving Velia Meraz and Manuel Nieto, U.S. citizens who say they were ordered from their car at gunpoint, handcuffed and menaced by sheriff’s deputies who seemed to take offense that the pair were listening to music on a Spanish-language radio station. **Only in McCain’s hometown is this kind “Orwellian” rule of law considered acceptable**
August 13th, 2008 at 9:00 amPelosi Clashes With Protesters Over Impeachment
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s appearance Monday at a West Los Angeles college to discuss her recently published book was marred by dozens of protesters and several angry outbursts by audience members who demanded Pelosi immediately authorize a House committee to hold impeachment hearings against George W. Bush.
The Speaker made it clear she would not support any effort to hold impeachment hearings against George W. Bush Bush saying that he “will be gone in a hundred days.” The topic shifted to Congress’s historically low approval rating and how it reflected on Pelosi’s tenure as Speaker.
An outbreak of protest ensued leading to one protester being escorted out of the event by the Secret Service. Later, blogger Alan Breslauer was similarly removed by Secret Service agents, after attempting to ask a question of the House Speaker. Judaism’s Rabbi Robert Wexler asked Pelosi to analyze a recent Rasmussen poll that found nine percent of individuals polled believed Congress was doing a good job.
Pelosi responded by defending her performance and the performance of her Democratic colleagues in Congress. “I preside over the greatest collection of integrity and idealism,” Pelosi said. CNN’s Larry King interviewed Pelosi; she told King she was willing to drop her staunch opposition to offshore drilling and would likely allow the House to vote on the issue. She said, in her opinion, the reason behind Congress’s low approval rating was largely due to the fact that Democrats could not muster up the votes to end the Iraq war, which Pelosi said she could not do much about because of the Democrats’ razor-thin majority in both Houses.
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6268
Protester’s hit a sore spot with Pelosi, a member of Code Pink said “insisted Pelosi brush up on her reading regarding evidence of the Bush administration’s long list of alleged constitutional violations.” Pelosi angrily replied “I take an oath of office to uphold the constitution of the United States and don’t tell me that I don’t do that,” Pelosi said. “Why don’t you go picket the Republicans in Congress that will not allow us to have a vote on the war.” **Pelosi personifies all qualities that are wrong within the Democratic Party**
“Who gave you the right to take the constitution and shove it down the toilet? Who gave you the right to take impeachment off the table? Nobody told them to do this,” Thottam shouted at Pelosi moments before Secret Service agents removed him from the packed auditorium. Also, “One million Iraqis are dead. Five thousand Americans are dead. You have destroyed the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth and Eighth Amendments.”
I believe that part of the problem is, that she is unaware of the fact she is extremely disliked because she was stunned by Thottam’s questions. She hasn’t kept any of her promises, the most important campaign promise made was to cut off funding for the war. Instead, she signed off $300 billion dollars for Iraq. That makes her a liar. She deserves all of this heat from protesters and more. Kudos to Thottam for saying what we all would have loved to express to Pelosi. I’m just sorry the Los Angeles Police arrested him.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:04 amI doubt his lawsuit will go anywhere, but good on Steve Howards for exercising his First Amendment.
Cheney is reprehensible and his policies are a clear extension of his twisted and evil worldview.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:07 amRussia & Georgia are apparently waiting to see who blinks first.
Meanwhile, McNoVote still can’t even pronounce his ‘good friend’s’ name.
The NYT this morning has Tom Freidman pointing out that McCan’ts ads during the Olympics feature wind trubines peacefully turning in the background.
The trouble with that scene is McCain missed ALL 8 VOTES on a clean energy bill. He was in D.C. for one of the votes, but never came out of his office.
McCain / Lieberman – 1908
August 13th, 2008 at 9:12 amYeah, we are winning this war on terrorism.
What a failure this administration has been in every respect but this admission on thier part should trigger some kind of consequenses by the American people. Too bad it will be buried in news of the olympic farce and no one will ever know.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:15 amThe official, Ted Gistaro, said “Al Qaeda is more capable of attacking inside the United States than it was last year.”
August 13th, 2008 at 9:16 amMore proof the “surge” is working.
A top U.S. government counterterrorism official said yesterday that “Al-Qaeda has exploited recent political turmoil in Pakistan to strengthen its foothold along the country’s border with Afghanistan” and “warned of a heightened risk of attack during the upcoming U.S. election season.” The official, Ted Gistaro, said “Al Qaeda is more capable of attacking inside the United States than it was last year.”
More likely, they exploited the fact that Bush was distracted by something shiny ( Iraq ), so there were not enough troops to finish the job in Afghanistan.
Bush abandoned the real fight against Al Qaeda to invade Iraq over lies. Then they started the “Al Qaeda in Iraq” BS, while the real Al Qaeda and the Taliban regained control of about 50% of Afghanistan.
Our “War on Terra” has been the stupidest military blunder of the century, and will go down in history as such, while the stupid neocons are clamoring for more war, such as the stupid idea to defend Georgia against Russia when Georgia was the aggressor, killing civilians.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:17 amMcCain gorging at the campaign money trough with plate passing Ralph Reed? Now that’s the Double Talk Express Lane to sleaze…
August 13th, 2008 at 9:21 am“The percentage of working poor in large metropolitan areas soared by 40 percent during the first half of the decade, reversing gains from the 1990s in the fight against poverty, according to a report released Tuesday by the Brookings Institution.”
All thanks to George Bush & Dick Cheney for not promoting growth or a real stimulus package in the US. But we now have more billionaires than we did 8 years ago. 5 months seems like a long time to wait to get rid of this traitor.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:22 amwhat did we miss:
Check out this picture of your illustrius leader at the olympics. Everything about it says drunk on his ass. No simple explaination can cover for it.
One commenter tried to think of a way to explain it:
bush representing
August 13th, 2008 at 9:22 amRe: Jailin’ Joe
August 13th, 2008 at 9:23 amThe people of Maricopa Country keep electing the fascist phuque. Send him a message, right to his home. He REALLY hates that.
That day, Scheunemann’s lobbying firm “signed a $200,000 contract to continue providing strategic advice to the Georgian government.”
No conflict of interest there..no…nope.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:27 amFred Says:
Check out this picture of your illustrius leader at the olympics. Everything about it says drunk on his ass. No simple explaination can cover for it.
He has been a drunk the whole presidency. Several of his speaking gaffs have been attributed to him appearing to be drunk when speaking. Every time something happens while he is “on vacation” in Crawford, it takes days for him to dry up enough to even make an appearance. And he is always falling down hurting himself, then blaming it on fighting brush. From the looks, the brush always wins.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:32 amBut mccain says we are all better off after 8 years of the bush administration, could that be a precursor to what we can expect if he gets elected, yes.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:33 amAnybody catch the shot on Google’s homepage this morning of Curious George Bush at the olympics? Looks like he had a few too many and decided to go for the gold and take a try on the rings (the “Google” header)! They even captured his combover and devil may care smirk!
August 13th, 2008 at 9:33 amhttp://www.google.com/
The official, Ted Gistaro, said “Al Qaeda is more capable of attacking inside the United States than it was last year.”
And why would that be? Could it be because Bush has virtually ignored AQ in Pakistan and allowed them the ability to build their organization? Anyway, I thought that Bush has us covered and there is no way that AQ could get inside the US to strike.
For the life of me I can’t understand how anyone could think that another attack would be good for the Republicons. I believe that most people would blame it on them and blame them for not protecting us well enough.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:34 amFreedom Rebel
August 13th, 2008 at 9:00 am
FR, good morning. I’ve got my own resistance to most illegal (and surplus) immigration, based on environmental and economic concerns that I find hard to kick, but this “sheriff” is casting himself to be the Hitler of the immigration debate — literally. There’s some real potent bigotry here. NO human being should be treated like this in our jail/prison system.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:36 am“Almost one-third of U.S. homeowners who bought in the last five years now owe more on their mortgages than their properties are worth,” according to Zillow.com, an Internet provider of home valuations.
My daughter who is a bankruptcy attorney calls this being “upside down”. She also said that this is the main source of bankruptcies these days, along with medical bills. Her company has more work than they can handle.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:36 amThe official, Ted Gistaro, said “Al Qaeda is more capable of attacking inside the United States than it was last year.”
But I thought Putin was the new neocon bogeyman??
August 13th, 2008 at 9:37 am“Almost one-third of U.S. homeowners who bought in the last five years now owe more on their mortgages than their properties are worth,” according to Zillow.com, an Internet provider of home valuations.
If the homeowner walks away from the home and the bank sells it for less than the loan amount, the IRS will come after the homeowner for the difference between the value of the loan and what the bank sold the home for. For some strange reason the IRS considers the difference to be “income”.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:38 amI know it’s not classic Thinkfast fare, but Michael Phelps probably deserves a mention, no?
August 13th, 2008 at 9:41 amMortgage Giants in Critical Care
Part 1: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Look Close to Terminal
snip
Why are they in such trouble? Fannie and Freddie were created to lubricate the home mortgage market by buying mortgages from lenders; wrapping them with a guarantee, and packaging them up as tradeable securities sold to long-term investors — like pension funds and foreign central banks.
The guarantee works because there are strict rules about the credit quality of the mortgages they buy. “Conforming,” or guarantee-eligible, mortgages must be well-documented, conservatively structured and held by borrowers with good credit. Default rates are low, so guarantee fees are modest.
Together, Fannie and Freddie guarantee $4.1 trillion in mortgages. The business is profitable, but not egregiously so, and almost everyone agrees that it works fine.
What got them into trouble is their other business, that wags call their “$1.6 trillion hedge fund.” Because global investors assume that Fannie and Freddie debt is “implicitly” guaranteed by the government, they can borrow at below-market rates. After all, their executives reasoned, if Goldman Sachs can make so much money trading for their own account, why shouldn’t they? They had stockholders, they sincerely lusted after Goldman-scale paychecks and the implicit government guarantee would let them tap almost unlimited capital.
snip
http://www.washingtonindependent.com/view/fannie-mae-freddie
Mortgage Giants Need Dose of Reality
Part 2: As Home Prices Continue to Fall, Bail-out Raises Questions
snip
A realistic approach to a collapse of the mortgage giants might be: Federalize their outstanding senior debt, upholding the implicit guarantee. Recognize all their likely losses in fell swoop, which will wipe out current shareholders. (The taxpayer owes no obligation to investors who let their company run rampant.) Then create a new federal entity, with a high-quality board of directors, to run off the existing business in an orderly way, perhaps over the next 5-10 years, to minimize market disruptions.
The total effect would be to increase mortgage rates, and force new buyers to build more savings to become mortgage-eligible. Consumption of big-ticket furniture and electronic appliances would probably drop. None of those is a bad thing.
From 2000 through 2007, the United States spent 105 percent of what it produced. The resulting trade deficits have put some $5 trillion into the hands of foreigners, so the dollar has been falling and commodity prices spiking. Worse, a huge share of the overseas dollar trove is in the hands of states like Russia, China and the Middle Eastern petro-kingdoms — which have little love for the United States, and often shadowy ties to terrorism.
Everyone knows that we have to change our ways. The way we deal with Fannie and Freddie will show how serious we are.
snip
http://www.washingtonindependent.com/view/mortgage-giants-need
**Many economists are saying if we bail out the giants and ignore the “average” citizen we will seal our financial meltdown. Most Americans ONLY have their homes as their sole “investment.” We have got to get someone who really understands the economy and is willing to make the hard decisions to fix this mess.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:45 amH?T: Calibleu
Bilbo Hussein Baggins at 9:38 am
In a bankruptcy, any discharged debt is considered income as well. In a repossession, any money lost by the financial institution can still be sued for, unless the defendant has entered bankruptcy (here in Ala.). Sure is kicking a person while they are down.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:48 amIt is like the IRS pretends they GAVE you the money to pay off the note, but you lost instead of gained.
tokin librul Says:
Re: Jailin’ Joe
The people of Maricopa Country keep electing the fascist phuque. Send him a message, right to his home. He REALLY hates that.
Good Morning tokin librul:)
This is what one of his devoted followers had to say about him. I just couldn’t believe that he has such a fan-base.
Tough guy, no nonsense, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s posse arrested 73 illegals during March and April. Most of you have heard of Joe Arpaio and his old school ways of running a prison, a tent city prison. He has managed to save taxpayers thousands upon thousands of dollars by denying perks to criminals. Let’s not forget that he likes to humiliate the criminals by making them wear pink underwear, tee-hee.
The part that will make you laugh, here is the name he posted under: michiganredneck ….. Scary People
August 13th, 2008 at 9:48 am#raynman Says:
The official, Ted Gistaro, said “Al Qaeda is more capable of attacking inside the United States than it was last year.”
But I thought Putin was the new neocon bogeyman??
He is. AQ and Osama aren’t working for them any longer so they had to find a new bogeyman.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:50 am“The percentage of working poor in large metropolitan areas soared by 40 percent during the first half of the decade, reversing gains from the 1990s in the fight against poverty, according to a report released Tuesday by the Brookings Institution.”
I have yet been unable to find a Conservative who can explain to me why it’s okay for a person to work 40 hours a week and still live in poverty so that the CEO of the company can make billions of dollars.
Any takers?
August 13th, 2008 at 9:51 amMichael Phelps, the individual athlete, is a wonder.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:51 amMichael Phelps, the ALL-TIME WORLD/OLYMPIC MURKIN GOLD MEDAL CHAMPEENN, is just another manifestation of Murkin Exceptionalism. Spare me. I have nothing about which to be proud in his performance. I had nothing to do with it.
I’d celebrate his individual accomplishment, no matter where he called home…
He has managed to save taxpayers thousands upon thousands of dollars by denying perks to criminals.
Yeah, you know those perks like food and water.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:51 amFreedom Rebel Says: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s appearance Monday at a West Los Angeles college to discuss her recently published book was marred by dozens of protesters and several angry outbursts by audience members who demanded Pelosi immediately authorize a House committee to hold impeachment hearings against George W. Bush.
Yes, protesting works! Keep up the good job of protesting America. We might just fix our country yet!
August 13th, 2008 at 9:52 amWhen will voters realize that McCain is serious about nuking Russia the day he is sworn in?
http://www.sunstateactivist.org
August 13th, 2008 at 9:53 am‘Where Are the Weapons of Mass Destruction?’
by Scott Ritter
snip
Seated on a couch in the middle of the elaborately furnished villa was a small, thin woman in her late 30s with short blond hair who introduced herself as Carol. On the table before the couch were plates full of sweets and fruit slices, imported from Kuwait, which Carol invited Mohammed to taste. Stacey joined them, and soon she and Carol began questioning Mohammed. About five minutes into the session, the two women were joined by a third person, an Army lieutenant colonel who introduced himself as Dave. Dave was dressed in the same khaki trousers as Stacey and Carol, but sported a gray T-shirt emblazoned with the seal of the United States and the words “U.S. Embassy Kuwait.” A short, athletic-looking man with gray hair, Dave quickly took over the proceedings, with Carol and Stacey taking notes. For four hours Dave questioned Mohammed about various matters dealing with the Iraqi’s former work.
The final line of questioning focused on weapons of mass destruction. Dave was on his feet, pacing before Mohammed, before turning to him and asking straight out, “Where are the weapons of mass destruction?” Mohammed, who had intimate knowledge of certain aspects of the Iraqi WMD effort, replied straight back: “There are no WMD in Iraq.”
Dave continued pacing back and forth in front of Mohammed. “My president,” he said, “is in trouble. Can you help him?”
Mohammed was taken aback by the question. “Excuse me?” he asked. “Could you repeat yourself?”
Dave sat down next to the Iraqi. “George Bush is in trouble. Our people did not find any WMD in Iraq. Can you help us?”
Mohammed looked back at Dave. “How?”
“Can we prepare something for that? We could bring in some nuclear material from the former Soviet Union, and pretend they are Iraqi.”
snip
Read the entire stunning article at:
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/08/12/10954/
**So, as far as I can tell, neos all over the world were scrambling to fake evidence that Iraq had WMD and therefore our illegal invasion was suddenly “poof” justified.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:55 amMcWars Says:
Freedom Rebel
August 13th, 2008 at 9:00 am
FR, good morning. I’ve got my own resistance to most illegal (and surplus) immigration, based on environmental and economic concerns that I find hard to kick, but this “sheriff” is casting himself to be the Hitler of the immigration debate — literally. There’s some real potent bigotry here. NO human being should be treated like this in our jail/prison system.
Good to see you McWars :) He is a whole new level of As@hole for racial profiling. Plus what he does to detainees that haven’t even gone to trial yet, some of them are innocent, but not in his eyes. How he treats women is even worse. But he has a loyal fan base that support his style of “cleaning up their town”. It is truly sickening. I agree with you it is inhumane.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:56 amDumb_Hussein_Fox Says: I know it’s not classic Thinkfast fare, but Michael Phelps probably deserves a mention, no?
Sorry, I’m boycotting ths Olympics.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:58 amPelosi angrily replied “I take an oath of office to uphold the constitution of the United States and don’t tell me that I don’t do that
Let’s hope this one is gone in a hundred days. I don’t know if this will ruffle some feathers, and I wouldn’t bring it up if it didn’t go hand-in-hand with her refusal to allow impeachment proceedings, but think Pelosi is too occupied with giving interviews in vanity magazines and inserting expensive cuisine into the congressional menu over distinguishing herself from Gingrich and Hastert. This only gives Republicans cheap “elitist” ammunition.
I have hopes that Cindy Sheehan will best Pelosi, but is she picking up any steam, fundraising and otherwise?
Take your own advice and “Know Your Power,” Pelosi. 100 days has nothing to do with it. Setting the precedent for some college republican to ascend to the White House and repeat the crimes of this administration is our top danger. Pelosi’s action will put a democratic presidency in danger of only being a temporary reprieve. Again, the best we can hope for after all of this is for Obama to be a super-liberal president — to sponge the super-conservative damage.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:59 amtokin librul Says:
Michael Phelps, the individual athlete, is a wonder.
Michael Phelps, the ALL-TIME WORLD/OLYMPIC MURKIN GOLD MEDAL CHAMPEENN, is just another manifestation of Murkin Exceptionalism. Spare me. I have nothing about which to be proud in his performance. I had nothing to do with it.
I’d celebrate his individual accomplishment, no matter where he called home…
Mkay, I’m not suggesting anyone use Phelps as justification for starting another war or other stupid extensions of exceptionalism, I just think his accomplishments are worthy of mention.
Just think it is the sort of achievement we should be applauding, it is the Commander Codpiece nonsense that we need to cut out.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:01 amunbelievable Says:
Freedom Rebel Says: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s appearance Monday at a West Los Angeles college to discuss her recently published book was marred by dozens of protesters and several angry outbursts by audience members who demanded Pelosi immediately authorize a House committee to hold impeachment hearings against George W. Bush.
Yes, protesting works! Keep up the good job of protesting America. We might just fix our country yet!
Good Morning unbelievable:) So good to see you.
I hope they protest every single appearance she makes in public. Just maybe the point will finally hit home that we are pissed off and not going to take it anymore. My fondest wish is that Cindy wins and proves that all elected officials will be held accountable for their actions.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:02 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says: He is. AQ and Osama aren’t working for them any longer so they had to find a new bogeyman.
After I found out that my parents had been lying to me about Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny for all those years, I found it difficult to just believe them anymore. (And those immaginary characters were bringing me gifts.)
I gotta imagine it’s not much different for the Average American with Bush’s boogeymen. Can’t keep crying “WOLF!” and expect people to fall for it yet again (excluding the 23%ers who lack a functioning brain).
August 13th, 2008 at 10:04 amWhat did we miss? This was on NPR this morning, also transcripted on their website:
So, to move on to domestic questions, Steve Schmidt, who is running your campaign, has said something kind of simple and understandable. He said that a campaign needs one positive message about its candidate and then one good, strong negative message about the opponent. Your camp —
I never heard that statement, and I’d have to know who attributed it to him before I would agree with that. We’re not sending any negative message in our campaign. We’re drawing differences in positions between myself and Sen. Obama, which are significant. He wants to raise taxes; I want to keep them low. He doesn’t want to drill offshore or have nuclear power; I want both. I’ve never heard Steve Schmidt say we need a negative message in the campaign.
I’m quoting The Wall Street Journal here.
I’ve run many, many campaigns, and I have never believed that we need a strong negative message. And I’ve been in –-
However, do you not consider it a negative message, though, when a campaign ad goes on TV that blames your opponent, Barack Obama, for high gas prices or –-
I believe strongly that if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. And he voted for the energy bill that had all kind of tax breaks and giveaways for the oil companies. I believe if you’re not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. And it’s a big problem in America today.
So, it looks like John the Slacker is lying and also part of the problem as he is just way too busy to bother to show up for work.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:05 amMcWars Says:
I have hopes that Cindy Sheehan will best Pelosi, but is she picking up any steam, fundraising and otherwise?
McWars I so agree with you. Here is an update from the AP on August 11th.
Cindy Sheehan Qualifies to Challenge Pelosi
Cindy Sheehan, an icon of the anti-war movement, has qualified to challenge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her seat in Congress.
Sheehan, 51, says Pelosi failed to persuade her party to end funding for the Iraq war after Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2006 midterm elections. She also accused the speaker of failing to hold the administration accountable for the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/08/11/cindy-sheehan-qualifies-to-challenge-pelosi/
Here is the link for the rest of the story…
August 13th, 2008 at 10:10 amI’m with unbelievable. The olympics are political farce.
They have always been infected with cheaters and it is rampant now. This is the same message being sent to our childeren attenting public school in America.
When the win at any cost mentality takes over then the contest becomes irrelivant.
What ever happened to the charactor building aspect of athletics. Wasn’t it supposed to be noble and pure at one point?
When an athelete who is capable on nothing else in life is the star and best example of what you want your child to aspire to be then we have lost our way.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:10 amThanks for post, FR. Fascists think women are easy to pick on. They twist kindness to be weakness.
Take one of our great souls, Zooey, for example. Reich-wing trolls take a courteous short biography posted at The Zoo and try to poke holes in it. Zooey, to them, isn’t one of their “strong women.” Any person with a head on his/her shoulders would appreciate her interesting, while sometimes challenging, background. But the trolls want to “put it out there” to percieve her as weak. They themselves think they look better doing so, but we think there’s unflushed shit in the toilet.
Doesn’t it feel great to be one of the party with facts on its side?
August 13th, 2008 at 10:12 amFreedom Rebel Says: I hope they protest every single appearance she makes in public. Just maybe the point will finally hit home that we are pissed off and not going to take it anymore. My fondest wish is that Cindy wins and proves that all elected officials will be held accountable for their actions.
Good to see you too!
Yeah, I agree that replacing a rich “Representative” with an average American will also send a message to the other “Representatives” that no one is immune, no matter how much Big Oil campaign money they have.
Protesting has gotten many European countries a democracy that truly represents the people. I know our country is much bigger, but we also have more people. We can do this city by city, and take back our power.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:12 amIt’s a little more than a week old, but I was reading an interview from Democracy Now regarding the anthrax case. It’s a great read and leaves far too many unanswered questions:
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/8/4/anthrax
Amy Goodman talks with Glenn Greenwald andDr. Meryl Nass, expert on anthrax and editor of the blog AnthraxVaccine.blogspot.com
One big piece of the puzzle that I was not aware of was that Dr. Bruce Ivins, the Gov’ts main suspect, was a recipient in 2003 of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is important when you note all the others in the Bush circle who also have recieved this once prestiegious award. It’s been handed out like tic-tacs to people who have gone above and beyond the law to help the Administration either break laws, cover up criminal activity or general incompetence. Was the President acting in plain sight again in “thanking” Dr. Ivins for all his help in scaring the media, the Democratic leadership and the American people into going along with his Iraq invasion plans?
Further down the rabbit hole we go…
August 13th, 2008 at 10:13 amAh, thanks so much for that link, Freb. Please excuse me while I take a moment to read.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:15 amFred Says: When the win at any cost mentality takes over then the contest becomes irrelivant.
Well said. It makes these empty victories when you know many of them will have their metals stripped in a matter of time.
I also have a huge problem with China as a violator of human rights, advertiizing endorsements, and watching George Bush make an even bigger ass of himself (didn’t know that was possible).
August 13th, 2008 at 10:19 amunbelievable Says:
Dumb_Hussein_Fox Says: I know it’s not classic Thinkfast fare, but Michael Phelps probably deserves a mention, no?
Sorry, I’m boycotting ths Olympics.
I mostly boycott all Olympics since they relaxed all their old rules about amateur status. The last straw, I suppose, was when we packed “the dream team” of NBA millionaires off. I don’t want to return to the days when they stripped Jim Thorpe of his medals for a tiny bit of semipro ball but still, this is crap.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:20 amMcWars Says:
Take one of our great souls, Zooey, for example. Reich-wing trolls take a courteous short biography posted at The Zoo and try to poke holes in it. Zooey, to them, isn’t one of their “strong women.”
I agree with you they do take alot of potshots at Zooey. I have seen them be very cruel, they are truly narrow minded trolls. She is a sweetheart and a good person. Also, we share a common bond because of our sons.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:25 amWill be offline for a while for “extensive” EMG tests. Anyone who has not experienced these really needs to! Think torture is not alive and well in the US? Think again!
August 13th, 2008 at 10:32 amMcWars Says:
Ah, thanks so much for that link, Freb. Please excuse me while I take a moment to read.
Anytime for you. You are a good man, sorry if I been remiss in telling you that lately.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:36 amAnd the beat goes on Says:
Will be offline for a while for “extensive” EMG tests. Anyone who has not experienced these really needs to! Think torture is not alive and well in the US? Think again!
I’m sorry to hear that and the beat goes on. I hope everything turns out well. I will dearly miss you. :)
August 13th, 2008 at 10:41 amMany blessings for the kind comment, Freb. I sense that motherhood has been very good to you. I’ve noticed that libruls are more effective parents over the yawpking wingnuts who can’t shut up about “family values.”
I really do hope that Cindy can pick up her fundraising, and for her prospective constituents to be convinced that they don’t need to see her as the underdog just because Pelosi is the well-oiled machine who’s the Speaker of the House. The country didn’t fall for it with Clinton. Sheehan is much more articulate and spot-on than Pelosi on progressive views.
Question — can people outside of her district make a small donation? I don’t have a vast knowledge of election finance laws.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:50 amAlthough I understand the reason for unb and others regarding their Olympic boycott, I will respectfully disagree.
Because of my genetic makeup (male), there’s a little “competitive” genome that keeps me interested in sports (whether participating or watching).
I eagerly watched Phelps because
1) He may be the “greatest” competitive swimmer of all time, a natural like Jordan or Woods.
2) He’s an American. But to be honest, had he been Canadian, or even (gawd forbid…snark) Russian, I still would have watched.
3) He has an affiliation with the University of Michigan. With the piss poor economy of the state, it’s stories like this (and the Red Wings) that can bring hope up from the duldrums.
I do however, agree, that there should be separation for sports and politics, just as there should be for religion and politics.
But where else can you find pics of Dubya making a complete and total a$$ of himself???
August 13th, 2008 at 10:58 amMcWars Says:
Question — can people outside of her district make a small donation? I don’t have a vast knowledge of election finance laws.
Yes, you can no problem. I have donated to her. Here is her website: http://www.cindyforcongress.org/
You are right, motherhood has been very good to me. I have two great children. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:59 amMcWars; I do believe that you can send donations to Cindy’s campaign. I want to do that myself(it will have to be a small one though-$50). I get requests for donations from Al Franken’s campaign.
August 13th, 2008 at 11:00 amNot sure of the maximum amount that can be legally donated though.
Freb posted the link as I was writing my previous post.
Thanx, Freb.
August 13th, 2008 at 11:09 amThanks, Uncle and Freb. I will donate.
August 13th, 2008 at 11:17 amGreat post’s today as alway’s..Freedom, Fred, Unbelievable, McWar’s oustanding..Sorry if I missed someone…
Question’s…Anyone seen RUCerious posting of late.? Concerned..
Anyone have infor on the Plame case other than the posting by Winter Patriot.? I recieved an email that said a 3 judge panel shot them down again and ineffect gave cheney/libby etall a free pass for crime’s comitted…Sad day’s we live in.
I have been boycotting the olympic’s as well….It all seems to weird to me,,,,I know these young people work hard and plan for their entire life to be based on a single win of a gold medal but thing’s are not like they were 20 year’s ago…I think the true meaning of an olympian has been lost to commercial and political insanety..I would much prefer to watch the special olympics where there is no possible drug’s involved and where everyone win’s….The mere fact the olympic’s are being held in china with all their strife going on turn’s me off totaly as well.
Gonna be a scorcher here the rest of the week, hope you all have pleasent weather…P.B.& J
August 13th, 2008 at 11:19 amFreedom Rebel Says:
McWars Says:
Take one of our great souls, Zooey, for example. Reich-wing trolls take a courteous short biography posted at The Zoo and try to poke holes in it. Zooey, to them, isn’t one of their “strong women.”
I agree with you they do take alot of potshots at Zooey. I have seen them be very cruel, they are truly narrow minded trolls. She is a sweetheart and a good person. Also, we share a common bond because of our sons.
Heh. Zooey can give as good as she takes, or better. She gets credit for “p!ss-soaked trolls”, after all.
I think she’s taken a lot of heat from the trolls because, for a long time, she was the only visible female on TP and trolls trend to misogyny.
August 13th, 2008 at 11:31 amI think that’s a more fine-tuned defense of Zooey, Gummitch, in that she needs no defense. She left these trolls with bruised egos a long time ago.
August 13th, 2008 at 11:38 amShe’s the shits…
August 13th, 2008 at 11:43 amWhat thread did I miss.? Note lot’s of refrence’s about our Lady Zooey…She does not need me to come to her defence but I will and would anyway…Anyone that bashes her is a troll in my book…P, B, & J
August 13th, 2008 at 12:01 pmWatch this video:
The Terror that would be President McCain.
If you’re not thoroughly petrified after watching this, you’re simply not breathing.
August 13th, 2008 at 12:47 pmGood to see you as always Witch1. Quite day no trolls on this thread.
August 13th, 2008 at 2:08 pmGood point gunmitch. I haven’t been here very long, but you are right she can definitely defend herself.
Have a good day :)
August 13th, 2008 at 3:40 pmBack at ya Freedom Rebel…just can’t pass this one up, it’s Wed. hump day, guess the troll’s are out humping..LOL….P, B, & J
August 13th, 2008 at 3:40 pmMs Joanne that is truly a scary video. Thank you for posting it. Further proof he can’t become our next President, we would lose an entire generation of men to his war-mongering.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:48 pm