Some required reading for today:

1.  More example of BushCo's idea of the culture of life in Iraq: U.S. troops kill pregnant woman in Iraq

2.  Just how committed is BushCo. to protecting Washington, DC and New York City (two of the most vulnerable places) from a terrorist attack, when they have slashed their homeland security grants? Homeland Security grants rile D.C., NYC

3. Latest on Haditha: According to a new Washington Post article, an investigation into the killings of innocent Iraqis by U.S. Marines will conclude that some officers gave false information about the incident to their superiors, and that the superiors failed to scrutinize the reports. Haditha probe finds false reports

So as I reported yesterday, Idiot Son Bush's new domestic policy adviser, Karl Zinmeister, admitted that he edited quotes attributed to him, and edited other text as well, from a Syracuse New Times article on him.

He edited text from the article, and re-posted it on his own website, without making note that he had edited text from the original article. (see my post from yesterday here: http://progressiveminds.bloghi.com/2006/05/30/bushco-s-revisionist-history.html)

Now, the Editor-in-Chief of the Syracuse New Times says she plans to consult a lawyer on the matter, regarding possible legal action.  Molly English also said "What is getting lost here is that he changed quotes, that is getting lost here. I find it insulting and his excuse is awfully lame."

UPDATE: Paper May Take Legal Action Against Bush Aide

Why is a convicted GOP phone jammer still working at all in politics?

Charles McGee pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a New Hampshire phone jamming case, in which he came up with the idea of jamming the New Hampshire Democratic Party's phone lines on Election Day 2002 (to prevent them from making get-out-the-vote calls).

Now, McGee is preparing to help host a free "GOP Campaign School," a workshop for GOP candidates. The workshop takes place next weekend, and McGee sent out an email inviting candidates.

Why has the Republican Party not told this man, they want nothing to do with him?

Convicted phone-jammer helping host GOP candidate workshop

When it comes to domestic policy advisers, Bushie sure does know how to pick them!

His last domestic policy adviser, Claude Allen, was arrested over allegations of "refund fraud."

And his current domestic policy adviser now admits to engaging to what essentially amounts to revisionist history.

Karl Zinsmeister now admits that he took a newspaper profile of himself, and altered text (including quotes attributed to him) and then posted it on a website without noting that he alterned the text.

For example, an original article attributed the following quote to Zinsmeister: "People in Washington are morally repugnant, cheating, shifty human beings."  However, he changed the quote to: "I learned in Washington that there is an 'overclass' in this country stocked with cheating, shifty human beings that's just as morally repugnant as our 'underclass.' "

He tried to explain the unexplainable by saying that he has long studied the issue of class and morality, and that he probably would have used more specific language (that appears in the revised quote) that in the original quote.  Huh?

Is anyone in this Administration capable of honesty?  If you made a quote, own up to your quote, instead of trying to engage in revisionist history and change it to what you think you probably should have said, or wanted to say.

New Policy Adviser Admits Altering Text

So, you would think that regarding a situation like the Haditha killings (where our U.S. marines are accused of killing innocent Iraqi civilians without provocation), that the Commander-in-Chief would have learned of this awful tragedy, from a Presidential Daily Brief (PDB).  You might suspect that he would have even learned of it, from the Secretary of Defense. 

Well, you would be wrong.

It seems as though our cluessless Commander-in-Chief learned of the murder of innocent Iraqis by U.S. Marines, after reporters started inquiring about it.  When White House Press Secretary Tony Snow was asked when Idiot Son Bush learned of the Haditha murders, he said "When a Time reporter first made the call."

This level of incompetence on the part of the Administration is really frightening.

When I read of this account of how Bush supposedly learned of the Haditha murders, I was reminded of a similar occurence.

Last year, Idiot Son Bush expressed surprise and over a bill that HE SIGNED INTO LAW, which would require American, Canadian, and Mexican citizens to show passports in order to enter the United States.  Even though he signed the bill into law, he says he learned about the re-entry requirement, after he read the newspaper.  He told the American Society of Newspaper Editors "When I first read that in the newspaper, about the need to have passports, for particularly the day crossings that take place — about a million, for example in the state of Texas — I said, 'What's going on here?"'

Bush Learned of Haditha Deaths From Press

Bush puzzled by U.S. re-entry plan

As if the real news wasn't bad enough....

Seems like the Bush Crime Team has been planting fake news stories within American broadcast media.

According to a report from the Centre for Media and Democracy concluded that over a 10 month period, AT LEAST 77 television stations were airing fake news casts provided by BushCo.  These are known as VNRs (Video News Releases).

In one particular case, the Bushies fed television stations video of an Iraqi-American (residing in Kansas City) was shown saying "Thank you Bush. Thank you USA." In actuality, the footage was produced by the State Department. 

Investigators from the Federal Communications Commission are looking into the matter.

Bush 'planted fake news stories on American TV'

Required reading today: Representative John Murtha, himself a former Marine, speaking on the scandal involving U.S. marines deliberately killing innocent Iraqi civilians.

He commented that this is worse than the Abu Ghraib scandal.

''This is the kind of war you have to win the hearts and minds of the people.  ''And we're set back every time something like this happens. This is worse than Abu Ghraib.''

Murtha: Iraq Killings May Hurt War Effort

If I had a moment with Bush, I think I'd ask him "Have you no sense of decency, sir?"

He used his speech at West Point to compare himself to Harry Truman:

"As President Truman put it towards the end of his presidency, 'When history says that my term of office saw the beginning of the Cold War, it will also say that in those eight years we set the course that can win it.' His leadership paved the way for subsequent presidents from both political parties — men like Eisenhower, Kennedy and Reagan — to confront and eventually defeat the Soviet threat."

"Today, at the start of a new century, we are again engaged in a war unlike any our nation has fought before, and like Americans in Truman's day, we are laying the foundations for victory."

Ok, explain this to me, Bushie. If we were truly "laying the foundations for victory" in this so-called war on terror, don't you think it would help if we were actually fighting the enemy---the Islamic extremists who attacked us on 9/11?

Don't you think it would have helped not to take our eye off the ball in Afghanistan?

How is it that Osama is still out there making audio tapes?

When you prove that you are doing all you can to capture Osama bin Laden, then come talk to me about laying the foundation for victory in this "war on terror."

Oh, one more thing, Bushie. It also might help our standing in the world, if you don't go around using your graduation speeches to threaten Iran: "This is only the beginning. The message has spread from Damascus to Tehran that the future belongs to freedom, and we will not rest until the promise of liberty reaches every people in every nation."

Bush likens war on terrorism to Cold War

Remember earlier this month I talked about "Divine Strake," an experiment in which the government planned to detonate a non-nuclear explosion which would send a mushroom cloud over Nevada. (I talked about it here http://progressiveminds.bloghi.com/2006/05/09/nevada-s-apocalypse-temporarily-delayed.html).

Well, miracles do happen. Because somehow, common sense seems to have prevailed with BushCo., and now Devine Strake has been postponed indefinitely, due to fears of possible radiation.  (I can almost hear the Bushies saying, how unreasonable of the people of Nevada!  How dare they not want radiation exposure and a mushroom cloud!)

The National Nuclear Security Administration, an entity within the Department of Energy, originally gave its blessing to the planned explosion. Now, they've changed course, saying that it withdrew its earlier finding of "no significant impact" relative to the test.  (If this were the John Kerry Administration, our Republican friends might call it a flip-flop!)

Nevada blast put on hold indefinitely

Residents fear 700 tons of explosives could kick up radiation

Normally, professional or graduate schools do not admit students who don't even have an undergraduate degree.

But Harvard Business School is making an exception in the case of Blake Gottesman.

Who is Blake Gottesman, you ask?

He's a college dropout who makes peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches for George W. Bush, and carries Bushie's breath mints around.  He also dated one of the Bush Twins.

And now, he's on his way to Harvard Business School.

I guess it really does help to have friends in high places.

If Gottesman was your average Joe Citizen, do you think Harvard Business School would have admitted him?  My guess is no.

This is surely going to win the hearts and minds of Iraqi citizens....NOT!

United States Marines apparently committed unprovoked murder last November, when they killed approximately 24 innocent Iraqi civilians.

That's the conclusion that investigators have come to in their ongoing investigation of the matter, a Pentagon source has said.  And murder charges could soon be coming against the Marines involved.

What's more, the Marine Corps originally blamed the civilian killings on a roadside bomb (read: they blamed the deaths on insurgents). But investigators are reviewing photographs in the case, and say the photographs are inconsistent with how the Marines first said the civilians were killed.

I've asked this question before, but it bears repeating: how is it that we have murdered the very same people we claimed to have wanted to liberate?

At least according to the Bush Crime Team, I thought we went into Iraq to liberate them from a brutal dicatator.  Did we somehow reach the conclusion that the only way to liberate them was to kill them ourselves? 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Sadaam Hussein on trial for murdering Iraqi citizens? 

And we wonder why we haven't won the hearts and minds yet! 

Pentagon sources: Civilians likely killed without provocation

Photos from scene said to be 'inconsistent' with Marine account

Official: Marines could be charged with murder

Pentagon has no comment on case involving alleged Iraqi civilian killings

No article link yet, but Breaking News Banner on MSNBC's website:

Prosecutor in CIA leak case says Cheney could be called to testify.

More to come once an article is up...

On edit--The Associated Press has an article up & running:

-snip-

One of the things that Republicans were very effective at post-9/11, is cultivating an environment that basically said if you criticized the policies of the Bush Administration, you were unpatriotic.

It's a theory that, sadly, they continue to advance today.

The Republican Party of today has no tolerance for dissent.  Sometimes I think they would be perfectly happy to round up all of us God-less, commie lefties who criticize the Bush Crime Team, and send us to concentration camps.

Towards the end of his Fox News show Your World on yesterday, host Neil Cavuto was giving viewers a taste of what would be discussed on today's show. 

As a teaser for today's show, he said "Are Democratic leaders who criticize the war in Iraq actually aiding the terrorists? Why Nevada Senator John Ensign [R] says, 'You bet they are.' "

So Democratic critics of the war are aiding the enemy, hey?  Well what is your solution, Sen. Ensign?  Would you have them arrested for war crimes?  Or would you impeach these Democratic leaders for high crimes and misdemeanors?

Since he obviously is lacking in common sense, I would like to offer Sen. Ensign another school of thought.

I believe that dissent, and speaking out against the policies of the incumbent Administration, is the greatest rebuke to Osama bin Laden and Islamic extremism.

And just in case he still doesn't get it, here's something he may understand better.  Thankfully and mercifully, Republicans will not always be in the majority. One day (let's say in November of this year), they will once again be relegated to the minority.  And they will be criticizing the policies of the Democrat-controlled House and/or Senate.  Will that all of a sudden make them unpatriotic?  Would Denny Haster be un-American if, next year, he criticizes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi? 

Most importantly, though, the right to speak out against your government, is the hallmark of any democracy.  And that right is one that I am not willing to give up, ever!

Cavuto teaser: "Are Democratic leaders who criticize the war in Iraq actually aiding the terrorists?"

You can almost feel the chill in the air!

When Idiot Son George Bush was asked if he would see former Vice President Al Gore's movie on global warming (An Inconvenient Truth), he responded with an abrupt "Doubt it."  (Bush gives thumbs down to Gore's new movie; President says he's unlikely to watch documentary on global warming)

And that response, I believe, gets at the heart of one of Bush's most dangerous characteristics.  If I might borrow a phrase from his mother, Bushie doesn't want to bother his "beautiful mind" with hard, cold facts. Especially when those facts challenge his preconceived notions, and tell him he's been wrong all along.  Stephen Colbert had it right when he said at the White House Correspondent's Dinner "When the President decides something on Monday, he still believes it on Wednesday--no matter what happened Tuesday."

What is Bush so scared of, when it comes to viewing President-Elect-But-Not-Allowed-To-Serve Al Gore's movie on global warming? Is he afraid he will be presented with some, well, inconvenient truths about how global warming is destroying our Earth at an alarming rate? 

I guess Bushie believes if he doesn't see something, that means it's not happening.

This is a trait I find quite common among Republicans.  Close your eyes and ears to the truth, so you won't have to be confronted with the facts.

As I was thinking about Bushie's refusal to see An Inconvenient Truth, I was reminded of when right-wing zealot Janet Parshall appeared on C-span with Air America Radio's Randi Rhodes.  Parshall didn't like being confronted with the facts, so she literally closed her ears like a little child.

Here's a screen capture of the incident:

Libby Prosecutor Focuses on CIA Officer's Status

Filings Say Ex-Cheney Aide Knew That Plame Was Classified, Giving Him Reason to Lie to Grand Jury

For me, the most important line in the story:

"Fitzgerald has said that at trial he plans to show that Libby knew Plame's employment at the CIA was classified and that he lied to the grand jury when he said he had learned from NBC News's Tim Russert that Plame, the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, worked for the agency."

"I apologized for disrespecting the office of the President. But I don't feel that way anymore. I don't feel he is owed any respect whatsoever."

-Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, speaking out on Idiot Son Bush.

Thank you, Natalie, for the courage of your convictions and telling the truth about how George W. Bush has defiled the Office of the Presidency.

In the Line of Fire

Mr. Torture Man (otherwise known as Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, has threated the media.

Today, he stated his belief that journalists can be prosecuted for publishing classified information.  He said "There are some statutes on the book which, if you read the language carefully, would seem to indicate that that is a possibility. We have an obligation to enforce those laws. We have an obligation to ensure that our national security is protected."

In other words, this is his attempt to scare the media into being silent about the crimes of the Bush Administration.

The Bush Crime Team believes it is ok for them to give information about Iraq to Judith Miller of the New York Times, so she can help carry the WMD water for them. 

And they believe it's alright for them to use members of the media to out a covert CIA operative with unofficial cover, for purely partisan, political purposes.

Yet, in their mind, it's very bad for the media to report on an illegal domestic spying program, or to report about secret CIA prisons in Europe.

Combine this with the recent revelation that the government is tracking reporters' calls...and what you have is an all-out assault not just on the media, but on our democracy as a whole.

We might as well hold the funeral now..because we no longer live in a democracy.  We live in a facist dictatorship under King George.  Either you're for King George or you're against him.

Attorney Gen.: Reporters Can Be Prosecuted

Thinking about NOLA's election today, it really makes me no difference whether incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin, or challenger Mitch Landreau, wins.  That's for the voters of New Orleans to decide.

What is foremost on my mind, is their access to the ballot box, to make their wishes known.

Reading the press reports today, it seems as though some evacuees were bused in from places like Atlanta, Georgia and Houston, Texas in order to vote.  And some were expected to drive to NOLA in their own cars for the vote.

But the real question is: why should they have to go through all that trouble?

Why should someone displaced by Hurricane Katrina, now living in Atlanta, have to treck all the way to New Orleans to cast a ballot?

Satellite voting stations should have been established in all of the major cities where evacuees have taken up residence.

This country set up satellite voting stations for Iraqi-Americans, in order to allow them to cast votes in Iraq's elections.  ABSENTEE IRAQI VOTERS

Yet, we failed to do that for our own displaced Americans.

Are we spreading democracy over there, so we don't have to spread it over here?

New Orleans run-off election too close to call

Less than 100 votes separate mayor Nagin, challenger Landrieu  

Well, this is an article that really did my heart some good this evening: A Washington Post article on MSNBC's web site, about the new visibility of the religious left!

Religious liberals gain new visibility

Left-winged group no longer overshadowed by Christian right

It's good to see those on the religious left finally find their footing, and speak out on the critical issues of the day.

I've often said before that it is because of my religious values, not in spite of them, that I am a progressive.

Do I believe that as Christians we have an obligation to speak out against gay marriage?  Absolutely!

But we also need to speak about the steady increase in poverty.  And I believe we also need to speak about the growning number of uninsured Americans.  These are Christian values too, I believe.

And now, these issues are finally finding their place in our national dialogue.

This will be a quick post tonight, since I'm under the weather.

But here's the Required Reading for today:

1. A few days ago, I talked about the ethnic cleansing occuring in New Orleans, after results from the city's first post-Katrina election showed a significant drop in the African-American vote.  (Read my entry here: http://progressiveminds.bloghi.com/2006/05/10/ethnic-cleansing-in-new-orleans.html). 

Well, it seems like I was on to something (although I wish I was wrong in this case).  The Washington Post is carrying an article today, about the changing face of New Orleans.  The Post article confirms what some of us have already suspected: that race and wealth are dictating which neighborhoods in NOLA are being reborn and rebuilt, and which neighborhoods (i.e. the Ninth Ward) are being relegated to the history books.

We've committed our troops overseas to help fight ethnic cleansing before, and now it's happening right in our own backyard.

A City's Changing Face

Wealth, Race Guiding Which New Orleanians Stay, and Which Never Return

2.  Wow---this certainly will do a lot to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis. Not!  The Pentagon has investigated the deaths of civilian Iraqis last November, and Rep. John Murtha says the probe will show that U.S. Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood." 

According to one Iraqi girl, Marines killed six members of her family, including her parents.  She said: "The Americans came into the room where my father was praying, and shot him."   Rep. Murtha says her story is true, and millitary officials have confirmed it. 

It's wonderful to see our American values at work, isn't it?    I've asked this question before, but I think it bears repeating.  How is it that we ended up murdering the very people we said we wanted to liberate from Sadaam's brutal dictatorship?

Lawmaker: Marines killed Iraqis ‘in cold blood’

Navy conducting war crimes probe into November violence in Haditha

Remember during the 2000 Republican Convention when Dick Cheney stood at the podium and said in reference to the Clinton Administration "They have not lead.  We will."

Well, it seems some Americans are coming to terms with a fact that many of us in the reality-based community have understood for some time now: The only "leading" that the Bush Crime Team has done, is to lead us in the wrong direction.

A brand new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows th at public confidence in the Republican Party is at a new low.

According to the poll, 69% say that the country is headed in the wrong direction (jeez, you think?), and 56% say they want Democrats in control of Congress after this year's mid-term elections.

So, you see, like so many other issues they've lied about, BushCo. was lying in 2000 when they said they would lead. They wouldn't know the meaning of leadership, if it bit them in the...well, you get the picture!

Confidence In GOP Is At New Low in Poll

Democrats Favored To Address Issues

What a great find from the good folks over at DailyKos!

It appears as though Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was against National Guard Troops at our nation's boarders, before he was for it.

In December 2005, Bill O'Lielly of Faux News floated the idea of Guard Troops at the boarder to Chertoff. 

O'Reilly asked him: "Why don't you put the National Guard on the border to back up the border patrol and stop the bleeding, and then start to increase the Border Patrol, the high-tech and all of that?"

Chertoff responded "Well, the National Guard is really, first of all, not trained for that mission.  I mean, the fact of the matter is the border is a special place. There are special challenges that are faced there."

Chertoff: Against Guard at Border Before He Was For It

Just in time to give you nightmares as you prepare for bed, here's a glimpse into life in America, under the Bush Crime Team.

• Idiot Son Bush wants to militarize our boarders by placing up to 6,000 National Guard troops at the boarders.  (I guess our nation's boarders will start to look like shoot-outs at the OK corral)

              Bush ordering up to 6,000 in Guard to border       

                  Bush calls for 6,000 troops along border

• In what can only be described as an effort to intimidate members of the journalistic community, the Bush Crime Team has been tracking the telephone numbes that journalists call, supposedly in an effort to "root out confidential sources."  In other words, it was ok for the Bush Crime Team to leak information about Iraq to Judith Miller of the New York Times, so she could help carry the WMD water for them.  And it was OK for them to use journalists to help out a covert CIA operative with unofficial cover.  But in their view, it's not OK for journalists to report on secret CIA prisons in Europe.  A lot of people have been asking the question "are we there yet" in reguards to facism in America.  Now I unequivocally say: YES.                         

    Federal Source to ABC News: We Know Who You're Calling

• And now we learn that Dick Cheney aka Darth Vader, served as the Administration's top advocate for circumventing the law in order that the Bush Crime Team might intercept purely domestic phone calls and emails without first obtaining a warrant.

          Cheney reportedly pushed for eavedropping without warrants   

This is our life in George Bush's America.  Facism.  Eavesdropping on ordinary Americans not accused or suspsected of any crime.  Intimidating the media.

To borrow a phrase from Edward R. Murrow, "good night, and good luck."

A new poll conducted by the Opinion Research Group for CNN, shows that a majority of Americans are nestalgic for the Clinton years (you can certainly count me in that group)!

The results of the poll show that Clinton bests Idiot Son Bush in a number of areas:

• On the economy, 63% to 26%
• On solving the problems of ordinary Americans, 62% to 25%
• On foreign affairs, 56% to 32%
• On taxes, 51% to 35%
• On handling natural disasters, 51% to 30%
• On national security, 46% to 42%
• On honesty, 46% to 41%

And remember when Bush rode into office (after being selected by the Supreme Court) and promised to change the tone in Washington?  And said that he wanted to be "everybody's President?"

Well, seems like he's been a miserable failure in that area.  Suprise, Surprise!  A majority of Americans (59%) said that Bushie has done more to divide the country, compared to the 27% who said Clinton was more divisive.

It's about time America woke up from its deep sleep! 

Poll: Clinton outperformed Bush

Now take my polls on the Clinton years, and then comment in this post on your answers.

Poor Laura, living in that White House bubble, not having a clue.

Laura "Permanent Glassy Eyes" Bush showed up on Faux News this morning to say she doesn't believe the polls that show her chimp husband with record low approval ratings.

She said on Faux: "I don't really believe those polls. I travel around the country. I see people, I see their responses to my husband. I see their response to me.  As I travel around the United States, I see a lot of appreciation for him. A lot of people come up to me and say, 'Stay the course'."

See, Laura, it works something like this.  The little worker helper bees inside the White House know that your husband can't take criticism.  So, when he goes out into Middle America and gives speeches, they pre-select his audience.  And only those people who have identified themselves as being in lock-step with your husband's policies, are allowed into these events.

So you see, if someone still has their Kerry/Edwards '04 bumper sticker on their car, they aren't likely to get inside to see your dear Chimp's speech, even though they have a right to.

It's Mother's Day Laura, so I'll offer you some advice: stay off the Xanax or whatever it is that makes your eyes so glassy.  And come join us in the reality-based community.

Laura Bush doesn't believe bad polls

Definitely required reading for today. 

CIA Leak Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald included hand-written notes from Dick Cheney, as part of his court filing on Friday night.

Fitzgerald said in his filing that Cheney's notes (which he wrote in the margins of Ambassador Joseph Wilson's New York Times op/ed "What I Did Not Find In Africa") show that Cheney and Scooter Libby were "acutely focused" on Joe Wilson, and refuting his criticisms of the Administration's rationale for war. 

Of course they were "accutely focused" on Wilson.  In fact, I would describe them as obsessed with him, and his op/ed.  Because it debunked the lies they told in the lead up to the war.

The Bush Crime Team has a zero tolerance level for criticism.  The only opinions that matter are theirs.  You're either with them or against them.  And if you're against them, then surely you must love Osama bin Laden.

Their obsession with Joe Wilson, would explain the motive for Valerie Plame's outing as a covert CIA officer with unofficial cover.

CIA leak probe looks at Cheney writings

Filing: VP's notes on newspaper help establish Libby's motive

A Fresh Focus on Cheney

Hand-written notes by the Vice President surface in the Fitzgerald probe.

CNN.com has a heartbreaking Associated Press story about mentally ill U.S. troops being forced into combat.

Apparently the military is not following very own policies and procedures regarding the screening, treatment and evacuation of mentally ill troops who have been deemed unfit for duty.

The Hartford Courant reports that some troops who "committed suicide" (I assume they mean attempted suicide) in 2004 and 2005 were kept on duty despite their mentall illnesses, and even after being described antidepressants with little or no counseling.  This appears to be in conflict with regulations the Army adopted last year that "caution against the use of antidepressants for 'extended deployments."

Col. Elspeth Ritchie, who serves as the Army's mental health go-to person, says that this practice of sending mentally ill soldiers into combat (or even back into combat for an additional deployment) is in part due to the fact that the Army is facing a recruiting shortage.  Col. Ritchie says "The challenge for us ... is that the Army has a mission to fight. And, as you know, recruiting has been a challenge," she said. "And so we have to weigh the needs of the Army, the needs of the mission, with the soldiers' personal needs."

Well, call me crazy here, but I don't think your recruitment crisis will be helped any by the fact that the Army is showing such disrespect and disreguard for their soldiers' well being.

How is it supporting our troops, to send them into harm's way, and arm them with weapons for crying out loud, when they have these mental health issues?  Who would want to join the Army under these circumstances?

To our government and our friends on the right, I say: You want to support the troops?  Don't just talk about it.  BE ABOUT IT!

The House and Senate Armed Services Committees should take up this matter ASAP.

Report: Mentally ill troops forced into combat

Military not following own rules on deployment, paper says

Paper: Military Ignoring Mental Illness

Jason Leopold of Truthout.org is reporting that Karl Rove was indicted yesterday on charges of perjury and lying to investigators. There was also the possibility that an obstruction of justice charge would be included in the indictment.

According to the article, an announcement is expected this upcoming week by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. 

Karl Rove Indicted on Charges of Perjury, Lying to Investigators

Faux News' John Gibson is down with White power! 

And to our Caucasian friends, he says he wants you to do your part, to keep Hispanics from becoming the majority race in 25 years.

On the May 11 edition of his television show, Gibson said:

GIBSON: Now, it's time for "My Word." Do your duty. Make more babies. That's a lesson drawn out of two interesting stories over the last couple of days.

First, a story yesterday that half of the kids in this country under five years old are minorities. By far, the greatest number are Hispanic. You know what that means? Twenty-five years and the majority of the population is Hispanic. Why is that? Well, Hispanics are having more kids than others. Notably, the ones Hispanics call "gabachos" -- white people -- are having fewer.

Now, in this country, European ancestry people, white people, are having kids at the rate that does sustain the population. It grows a bit. That compares to Europe where the birth rate is in the negative zone. They are not having enough babies to sustain their population. Consequently, they are inviting in more and more immigrants every year to take care of things and those immigrants are having way more babies than the native population, hence Eurabia.

Why aren't they having babies? Because babies get in the way of a prosperous and comfortable modern life. Peanut butter fingerprints on the leather seats in the BMW. The Euros are particular -- in particular can't be bothered with kids. Underscore that second point.

A second story, today, reports that [Russian President] Vladimir Putin is so concerned about the declining and imploding population of Russia, he is paying couples to have babies. Imagine, procreating for cash in Mother Russia. Putin has taken this step because at the rate things are going, Russia will lose close to 45 million in population in the next 45 years. Russia will be two thirds of today's population.

This is not a good trend for Russia and it won't be here either if that should happen. To put it bluntly, we need more babies. Forget about that zero population growth stuff that my poor generation was misled on. Why is this important? Because civilizations need population to survive. So far, we are doing our part here in America but Hispanics can't carry the whole load. The rest of you, get busy. Make babies, or put another way -- a slogan for our times: "procreation not recreation." That's "My Word."

Courtesy of Media Matters for America, who is always on the case!

http://mediamatters.org/items/200605120006?src=item200605120006

 

In his first "press gaggle" with the White House Press Corps, new White House Spokesman Tony Snow (former Faux News anchor) proved he was not ready for prime time.

Snow apparently fumbled badly before his former colleagues in the press.

He said during the gaggle that he did not know when Bushie planned to sign a tax bill. However, he then cited the signing ceremony as being on Bushie's calendar for next Wednesday.

His response to a question about the scandal surrounding HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson also appeared to raise some eyebrows. Snow said: "At this point the president is supporting Alphonso Jackson."  The question then came: "At this point?"

He apologized for his sloppy performance, saying: "It obviously at this point is just a mess."

Hmmm....having a little problem being the Bullsh*ter-in-Chief for the Commander-in-Chief, Tony?

Snow stumbles during first meeting with White House press

The spokesman for the Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's)  Inspector General has confirmed that HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson is under investigation for recent comments he made, in which he said he withdrew a federal contract from a minority CEO because of the CEO's anti-Bush views (which is illegal).

For his part, Jackson told that story on April 28, during a speech in front of a Texas small business forum.

This week, after the Washington Post published an article about the event, he said he made the story up.  Huh?

Inspector General Probes HUD Chief Comment

According to Truthout.org, Karl Rove has informed Idiot Son George Bush and WH Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten that he will be indicted in the CIA leak investigation, and that he'll resign from the White House once Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald officially announces the indictment.

Truthout reports that Rove told Bolten he will be charged with perjury, with respect to when he was asked how and when he realized Valerie Plame worked for the CIA, and whether he discussed her position with reporters.

While I don't want to be perceived as rejoicing in someone else's downfall, it will be refreshing to see the administration of justice be carried out against a White House who believes it is not accountable to the American people.

Rove Informs White House He Will Be Indicted

From my perspective, the most important question Gen. Hayden needs to answer, is why the National Security Agency failed to translate the communication between the Al Qaeada operatives that it intercepted on September 10, 2001.

Just in case some people have forgotten:

On September 10, 2001, the NSA intercepted communication from Al Qaeda members that said "tomorrow is zero hour" and "the match begins tomorrow."

However, they did not translate those intercepts, until September 12, the day after the attacks.

Why was it that the NSA did not do same-day translation of these intercepts?

What good does it do to listen in on Al Qaeda, if you are going to sit on your behind and WAIT to translate what it is you intercepted?

That's the primary question I'm interesting in hearing him answer.

Heard 9/10: 'Tomorrow is Zero Hour'

As I sit here thinking about today's relevations regarding the NSA, I remembered that when Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified before Arlen Specter's Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the warentless domestic wiretap program, he was asked if there were other surveillance programs operating.  He was very evasive in his answer, but he suggested that there might indeed be other programs out there.

And all of a sudden, the dots connected for me!  Is this data mining of phone records one of the other programs that Gonzales alluded to?  If so, just what else don't we know about?

"You should be afraid.  Be very afraid."

Former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough, on today's revelations that the NSA is data mining by collecting the phone records of ordinary American citizens.

You know things are bad in this country, when Joe Scarborough is speaking up for privacy and civil liberties.

Watch the video here: http://www.canofun.com/cof/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=15274

The super-secretive National Security Agency (NSA) has sure been making headlines these past few days, and the news isn't good.

Yesterday, we learned that the NSA is impeding the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) investigation into the domestic spying program.  DOJ is not investigating the NSA.  Rather, it is trying to investigate what role DOJ lawyers have played in the wiretap program.  But they have abruptly ended the investigation, saying they can't conduct a proper investigation because NSA officials won't grant DOJ lawyers security clearances in order to allow them access to information.

It's a sad day for our country when a federal agency can, in effect, say 'screw you' to the Department of Justice, and not allow DOJ lawyers access to information in order to conduct an investigation.

It's even worse that DOJ cowered so easily and just haulted the investigation. Surely there is recourse DOJ could take, to gain the necessary security clearances for their lawyers.

Then this morning, we woke to the news that the NSA is conducting what amounts to data mining. Let's just call it by its name, because that's exactly what it is.

USA Today is reporting that the NSA has been secretively collective the phone call records of "tens of millions of Americans."   Utilzing information provided by many of the major telephone companies (i.e. Verizon, AT&T, etc), the NSA has obtained information about the phone call habits of your average John Q. citizen. In many cases, the person isn't suspected of any crime.

One person with knowledge of the program told USA Today that "It's the largest database ever assembled in the world."

The NSA's reported goal is to create a database that lists every single call ever made within our borders.

So, my fellow Americans, rest assured that we can all go to sleep tonight with peace of mind, knowing that our government is doing all it can to protect us.

While Osama bin Laden, the man largely responsible for the 9/11 attacks, is still out there, probably somewhere making his next audio or video tape, your government is conducting data mining on you and your fellow citizens.

And while you sleep tonight, ask yourself this fundamental question: Does your government have a right to know when you last called your mother-in-law?  Does it have a right to know the date and time you called your child's teacher to check up on your child's grades? 

DOJ Drops Wiretap Investigation

NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls

When Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts worked for Ronald Reagan's Administration, one of the issues on which he advised the Reaganites was affirmative action.

So you might be asking yourself, well how does our nation's Chief Justice feel about affirmative action?

Don't look for an answer any time soon.

John Robert's papers on affirmative action mysteriously disappeared last July, when, surprise, lawyers for the Bush Administration were reviewing them at the Ronald Reagan library in California (before Bush officially nominated Roberts to the Supreme Court).

And, the papers are still missing.

Federal investigators have not been successful in tracking the missing John Roberts affirmative action file.

They have concluded, however, that proper procedures were not followed by Archives staff when BushCo. lawyers were reviewing the file.  For example, the two lawyers who were reviewing the file, were allowed to do so in a private office, as opposed to a public reading room under the supervision of Archives staff.

What's more, in what appears to be a departure from normal policy, they were allowed to bring their personal belongs with them into the room that they used to review the file.

Anyone else find it curious that out of all the papers Roberts accumalated during his Reagan years, it's his work on affirmative action that's seemed to have disappeared into thin air?

Is there a reason why the Bushies didn't want us to know Roberts' views on affirmative action, when they nominated him?

The Case of Roberts's Missing Papers

Investigators Are Still Unable to Locate File On Affirmative Action

Results from New Orleans' first post-Katrina election, held on April 22, show there was a significant drop in the percentage of African-American voters when compared with the city's previous elections.

Only 31% of New Orleans' African-American voters cast votes in the election, compared with 50.7% of the Caucasian population.

Is it any wonder that many of NOLA's African-American voters, many of whom are still displaced and have not returned to the city, were not able to vote?

Let there be no doubt: New Orleans' voters were surpressed.  It would have been a common-sense solution to set up satellite polling places in many of the cities (i.e. Houston, TX) where New Orleans residents fled to in the aftermath of the storm.

The United States set up satellite polling places throughout this country, in order to allow Iraqi-Americans to participate in Iraq's post-Sadaam elections.  Yet, we failed to do the same for our very own citizens who were affected by the worst natural disaster in our country's history.

Incumbent NOLA Mayor Ray Nagin caught a lot of flack when he spoke of his desire to make New Orleans the "chocolate city" that it once was.

The fact that many voters ( a majority of them African-American) were suppressed because they did not have adequate access to the ballot box, proves that Nagin was right to be concerned.

We have a name for what has happened in New Orleans.  It's called ethic cleasing.

Activists: Significant Drop in Black Voter Turnout in New Orleans Alarming

Did HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson cancel a government contract because of the contractor's anti-Bush views?  During an April 28 speech, he told an audience that he did just that.  Speaking about the contractor, Alphonso said:

"He had made every effort to get a contract with HUD for 10 years. He made a heck of a proposal and was on the (General Services Administration) list, so we selected him. He came to see me and thank me for selecting him. Then he said something … he said, ‘I have a problem with your president.’

“He didn’t get the contract,” Jackson continued. “Why should I reward someone who doesn’t like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don’t get the contract. That’s the way I believe."

But today, Jackson apologized for his remarks, saying they were just anecdotal! Huh?

"I deeply regret the anecdotal remarks I made at a recent Texas small business forum and would like to reassure the public that all HUD contracts are awarded solely on a stringent merit-based process."

Ok, for the benefit of Secretary Jackson, who obviously doesn't have an intelligent bone in his body or else he wouldn't make such ignorant statements, let's go to Merriam-Webster's dictionary for the definition of the word "anecdote."

 an·ec·dote: a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident (http://m-w.com/dictionary/anecdote)

I find it curious that he would use the word "anecdotal" to describe his remarks.  There is nothing amusing about canceling a government contract because of the personal views of a company's CEO.  In fact, it's illegal under the Federal Acquisition Regulations.

There are reports that HUD Inspector General Kenneth H. Donohue is opening an investigation into the matter.

Of course, Alphonso Jackson has a history of inflammatory and what I consider to be downright outrageous statements.

My favorite one?  When he said that in 2004, he was advising the Bush campaign on how to get the Black vote.  And he told them to forget about older African-Americans who came up during the civil rights movement, and concentrate their efforts on younger Blacks.  He said: "You can't rise as a class. You have to rise individually. It's what many of the civil rights-era people don't understand. They want us to rise together, they keep telling us that we are victims. If they keep telling us they are victims, then there is a role for them to play."

In other words,  you're on your own.  If you reach a position of prominence, you have no moral obligation to bring bring people up the ladder with you; to help usher them into the room.

One thing for sure, Alphonso never gives you a dull moment.  He's what I would politely call bat sh&t crazy.

Jackson apologizes, investigation reportedly planned

Housing Sec. Canceled Contract Because Contractor Criticized Bush, Apparently Violating Law

HUD chief denies spiking Bush critic's contract

Last week, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights held a panel session recently to discuss the "educational effectiveness" of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

During that session, Raymond C. Pierce, Dean of the North Carolina Central University School of Law, spoke in part on what he believes is the greatest challenge and threat to our nation's HBCUs today.

He said the greatest threat to HBCUs is the practice of some PWIs (Predominantly White Institutions) of illegally copying academic programs from existing HBCUs. 

This practice of stealing academic programs from HBCUs leaves the HBCUs underfunded, and violates certain portions of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. What's more, some states have allowed this to continue.

HBCU COURSES ILLEGALLY COPIED BY WHITE COLLEGES: Civil Rights Panel says practice poses ‘greatest threat’ to existence of black schools.           

Seems like Divine Strake, an experiment in which the government is planning for a non-nuclear explosion which would generate a mushroom cloud over Nevada, will be delayed by 3 weeks.

But wait?  I thought the Bushies were scared of mushroom clouds?  Didn't Condi say we didn't want the first evidence of Sadaam's WMDs to be a mushroom cloud? So why in the world would we want to force a mushroom cloude over Nevada?

Read on...

Mushroom Cloud Blast in Nevada Delayed

Darker-complexion African-American males accused of murdering Whites, are more likely to be sentenced to death, than fairer-complexion African-Americans.

That's the conclusion reached by Standford University researchers.

They rated the facial features of 44 African-American males who stood trial for murder in Philadelphia over the past 20 years.  What did they find? That 57.5% of the men who had "stereotypically" African-Amiercan features (i.e. dark skin) were sentenced to death.

Comparitively, only 24.4 percent of African-American men with less stereotypical features were sentenced to death.

One of the researchers involved in this study said the findings suggest that jurors use stereotypes of African-American features, as a "proxy" for criminality, and punish those with said features accordingly.

Another interesting footnote about the study: When the researchers looked at Black on Black crime, they found no relationship between the defendent's features, and their sentencing.

While I am a proponent of the death penalty, I believe there should be a moratorium on the death penalty, until we can say with certainty that is is by justice, and justice alone, that someone is sentenced to the death penalty.

Report: Execution likelier for darker murderers

Study finds link with stereotypical features in cases with white victims

When Idiot Son George Bush appointed Gen. Michael Hayden to head the CIA this week, he said: "He's the right man -- at this critical moment -- in our nation's history."

Well, if you're thinking "Gee, didn't I hear those words before?"--you're on to something.

It turns out that Bushie used almos those exact some words, when he appointed Porter Goss to the very same position!

Who, what's going on, Bushie?  Who's really the man?

Watch the video of Bush announcing his nominations of both Goss and Hayden, and check out the language. It's almost exact.

TDS: Hayden/Goss-Bush speak

In Michael Brown's world, why worry about an unprecedented hurricane, and people literally drowning and dying, when you've got hair to worry about?

Newly released emails show that in the days preceeding and after Hurricane Katrina's landfall, then FEMA Director Michael Brown, and others in FEMA, were obssessed with media coverage.

Apparently Michael Brown didn't have enough work to occupy his day in the midst of the worst natural disaster to hit American soil.  At one point early in the morning of August 29, he told an aide that he was "sitting in the chair, putting mousse in my hair," while waiting for the commencement of media interviews.

Thank you, Mr. International Arabian Horses Association, for being more concerned about your hair and your image while people were drowning and dying in a major American city.  We are all in your eternal debt and gratitude.

He also disputed reports that Katrina's floodwaters had breached NOLA's leeves.  Shortly before 10:00 on the morning of August 29, a FEMA staff at the National Hurricane Center sent department officials an alert from a local t.v. station reporting a levee breach along the industrial canal near NOLA's 9th Ward.

After 12 Noon that same day, Brown sent a message to an aide saying: "I'm being told here water over not a breach."

Two words will sum up this story: willful neglect. 

E-Mails Show Brown Disputed Levee Breach

Appearing on The Countdown With Keith Olbermann, NBC's David Schuster proclaimed: "I am convinced that Karl Rove will in fact be indicted."

In part, Schuster explained that it's been a week and a half ago since Rove last appeared before the grand jury.  After that appearance before the grand jury, prosecutors failed to give him any indication that he was in the clear, and he subsequently hasn't received any such assurances.

Lawyers not familiar with the case told Schuster that if Rove was in the clear, he would have been told so by now.

Watch the rest of Schuster's explanation here: http://www.canofun.com/cof/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=15104&posts=1&start=1

Then, take this poll on Rove's future, and afterwards, coment here on the blog to explain how you voted.

Gee, the Bushies are an ungrateful group of people!

You would think that Jebbie, in particular, would be thankful to his former Secretary of State Katherine Harris, for helping steal the 2000 election by not allowing votes to be counted and part of the final tally.

But no, it's not enough for Jebbie that Katherine made sure his big brother became President of the United States.

Jeb Bush is writing the obituary for Katherine Harris' campaign for the Senate, saying: "I just don't think she can win."

Since when did it matter if she wins, Jebbie?  She's already proven she can find end-runs around the wishes of the voters.

UPDATE: Harris: "We know we can win"

"We must get out of our political foxholes and be willing to clearly and specifically point out what a strategic error the Iraq invasion has been."

- Sen. Russ Feingold, during a National Press Club appearance.

Nothing left to say but amen, Sen. Feingold!  Here's hoping your colleagues on the Hill take heed!

Feingold to Democrats: Stand Up to Bush

"This administration may be over. By and large, if you want to be tough about it, the relevancy of this administration on policy may be over."

Lance Tarrance, during a gathering last week of journalists and politicos.  The Washington Post describes Tarrance as a "chief architect of the Republicans' 1960s and '70s Southern strategy."

No sir.  This Administration is not over.  This Administration will be over on the day it is FINALLY held accountable for its high crimes and misdemeanors.  This Administration will be over when justice is done, and George W. Bush is impeached in the House of Representatives, and removed from office by the United States Senate.  In a just world, this is what would happen.

Pollster Suggests Bush Moves Might Be Too Little, Too Late

Once again, Rep. John Conyers brings the point right home.

In an op/ed on the Huffington Post, this American patriot talks about the lack of oversight that the Bush Administration has enjoyed, and about the need for checks and balances.

In part, he says:

"Perhaps, if we had a little oversight, we wouldn't be mired in a war based on false pretenses in which we have lost thousands of our brave men and women in uniform and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis.

Perhaps we would not have had an energy policy drawn up in secret with oil company executives that has led to gas prices of more than three dollars per gallon.

Perhaps, if we had a little oversight, we wouldn't have a prescription drug plan written by the pharmaceutical companies, that prohibits the government from negotiating for lower prices with the same drug companies, and that no one really understands.

Perhaps, if we had a little oversight, we would know the extent to which our own government is spying on our phone calls, emails and other communications, contrary to the law of the land.

Oversight should not be a partisan undertaking. As we saw in the late 90's, when oversight is used out of anger or spite, or to gain partisan advantage, the American people express their strong disapproval."

His op/ed (required reading, IMO) can be found here:

It's Checks and Balances, Mr. Russert

Recently ousted CIA Director Porter Goss said his departure from the CIA is "just one of those mysteries."

But is it really?

But Truthout.org is reporting that there may be more to the story.  At issue was growing concern that Porter Goss and Kyle (Dusty) Foggo, the No.3 official at the CIA, were tied into the ever-growing Duke Cunningham bribery/prostitution scandal.

Behind the Goss Toss

So when I went out this evening to run a few errands, I saw a bumper sticker I loved.

"A worker voting for a Republican is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders!"

So funny, and yet so true!

I almost hate to cover this story tonight because there's so much else going on in the world.  More U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq today.  Porter Goss is out at the CIA.  There's no shortage of hard news to cover.

But then I began to feel compelled to talk about this situation with Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who as we all know announced today that he will enter rehab for addiction to prescription drugs.

Before our conservative friends make a&ses out of themselves, I thought I'd give them a friendly FYI reminder that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

The good folks in Neo-Con land are having a field day with the fact that Rep. Kennedy was not given a field sobriety test yesterday after he crashed his car on Capitol Hill.  And to hear the neo-cons tell it, the Kennedy family carries a lot of weight and, of course, he was given preferrential treatment. 

It's funny that the Republicans can get on their soap box and complain about Rep. Kennedy not being given a sobriety test.  Yet, no one questioned why Dick Cheney, the Vice President of the United States, wasn't given a sobriety test after he accidentally shot a fellow hunter recently.

And before the Republicans get too deep into conspiracy land and start accusing Capitol Hill Police of a cover up, let me remind them that Alberto Gonzales, now Attorney General of the United States, years ago helped then Governor George W. Bush conceal HIS arrest on a DUI.

Gonzales: Did He Help Bush Keep His DUI Quiet?

A new AP-Ipsos poll concludes that many angry conservatives experiencing buyer's regret are plunging Bushie's poll numbers to new lows.  They are doing the same for the Republican-conrolled Congress as well.

The poll also shows that the intensity of the opposition to Bush has increased, and many fear that our country is on the wrong track.  (Gee, wonder whatever gave them that idea.  Maybe it's two failed wars on Bushie's watch. Maybe it's the fact that the Idiot Son has issued signing statements declaring he's not compelled to follow the law.  Or perhaps it's the illegal domestic spying.  And just maybe, fiscal conservatives are realizing that this 'President' wouldn't know the meaning of fiscal discipline if his life depended on it.  So many choices...)

The majority of Americans surveyed said they want Democrats to control Congress; even 31% of the conservatives surveyed said they want their party out of power).

I think I'll resist the urge to tell our conservative friends that we they are just discovering about their hero, those of us in the reality-based community knew all along. 

Conservatives Drive Bush's Approval Down

Please take the following poll on the 2006 mid-term elections, and then leave a comment in this post, to discuss how you answered the poll.

El Presidente's Espanol no muy bueno?

Well, that's what the Bush White House wants you to think!

Recently, Bush said he believes the National Anthem should be sung in English, not Spanish.  I agree with him.

However, it appears that he's a bit hypocritical on this issue.  I know, right?  What a shocker!

In the book American Dynasty, author Kevin Phillips wrote that during the 2000 campaign, Bushie would go to various Hispanic events, and would join in singing the National Anthem in, you guessed it, SPANISH!

Well, today, outgoing White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said his boss' Espanol no muy beno.

"The president speaks Spanish, but not that well. I'm saying that not only was that suggestion absurd, but that he couldn't possibly sing the national anthem in Spanish. He's not that good with his Spanish."

Well, if this blog were live tv....I would say "let's roll the tape!"

But, in this case, let's play the audio.

If you visit the White House website, you'll happen to hear Bushie giving his weekly radio addresses in yes--Spanish!!

In fact, he appears to do better speaking in Spanish, than he does speaking the English Language.

Bush's Spanish "not that good": spokesman

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/05/ (scroll down and look for the various Spanish versions of the radio addresses)

BlackAmericaWeb.com is carrying what I consider to be required reading from Rep. John Conyers.

Rep. Conyers, one of the truly great patriots of our time, writes for Black America Web about the importance of the Voting Rights Act, and why it is still relevant today.

Among other issues, Rep. Conyers notes that the Bushies have only brought ONE lawsuit under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Amazingly, it happens to be a lawsuit alledging discrimination by a majority-Black county, against Whites.  This is the best they can do to help promote free and fair elections?

Rep. Conyers also writes about an issue which I have talked about several times before on this blog.  That is, the politicization of the Voting Rights Division at the Department of Justice.

Political appointees in the Voting Rights Division, have overruled decisions made by career lawyers within the Department.

John Conyers: Forty Years After the Voting Rights Act, It’s as Crucial Now As it Was Then

And here's how I have been covering the issue:

http://progressiveminds.bloghi.com/2006/01/23/bush-appointeees-accused-of-politicizing-doj-s-civil-rights-division.html

http://progressiveminds.bloghi.com/2005/12/02/justice-department-lawyers-overruled-on-texas-re-districting.html

Well, since we do so much coverage of "hard news" here at Progressive Minds, I thought I'd do a human interest story tonight.

People are just sick, I tell you! So I'm listening to As It Happens on Radio Canada International this evening, via my shortwave radio.

And they start interviewing this man from Springfield, Illinois who has kept a partially eaten sandwhich by Richard Nixon all these years.

The way the man tells it, when Nixon was Vice President, he came to the man's hometown for a campaign event, and he ate a sandwhich. He and Pat had to leave and move on to the next event, and he left part of his sandwhich untouched.

So the man takes it home and has kept it in his freezer all this time.

It's things like this that cause you to wonder what makes people tick.

Looks like Donald Rumsfeld had his version of Richard Nixon's "I am not a crook" moment.

During a speech today at the Southern Center for International Studies, our esteemed (not!) Defense Secretary was interrupted by protesters.  One of those protesters was Mr. Ray McGovern, a former CIA analyst.

McGovern asked Rummy: "Why did you lie to get us into a war that caused these kind of casualties and was not necessary?"

Rummy responded: "I did not lie."

Ok, that response is so sad and laughable at the same time that I don't even know where to begin.

Ok, Rummy, walk with me down memory lane, will you?  Let's reminisce on some of your comments regarding Iraq and Sadaam Hussein.

For starters, let's go back to March 30, 2003, when, appearing on ABC, you said in reference to WMDs: "We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat." 

If you will, permit me to go back to September 18, 2002, when, during a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, you testified that Sadaam Hussein  "has amassed large clandestine stocks of biological weapons including anthrax and botulism toxin and possibly smallpox. His regime has amassed large clandestine stockpiles of chemical weapons, including VX and sarin and mustard gas."

The very next day, you told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Sadaam: "has at this moment stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons."

And let's not forget that on February 20, 2003 you told Jim Lehrer that we would be welcomed by the majority of Iraqi civilians.

Lehrer asked:  "Do you expect the invasion, if it comes, to be welcomed by the majority of the civilian population of Iraq?" to which you responded "There is no question but that they would be welcomed."

So you see, Mr. Secretary, when you said today that "I did not lie" you were clearly, well, lying!

Hecklers interrupt Rumsfeld speech

Rumsfeld Retreats, Disclaims Earlier Rhetoric

Mississippi's Republican Governor, Haley Barbour, is refusing to grant a posthumous pardon to an African-American veteran of the Korean War who was wrongfully convicted after he attempted to enroll in an all-White university.

Clyde Kennard was convicted of procuring chicken feed (worth $25) that he knew to be stolen, and was subsequently sentenced to 7 years in prison.

However, the only witness against Mr. Kennard recanted his story, and Governor Barbour agrees that Kennard was wrongly convicted.

But, he refuses to grant a posthumous pardon, and his spokesman commented: "The governor hasn't pardoned anyone, whether they be alive or deceased.  The governor seems to think Kennard's rights would have been restored prior to him being governor, if he was still alive."

Huh??? People have been pardoned this way for years.  This is a B.S. excuse if I ever heard one.  So much for compassionate conservatism.

Miss. Gov. Denies Pardon for Black Veteran

Are these supposed to be our American values at work? If they are, we are in deep trouble!

A newly released report by Amnesty International concludes that torture and inhumane treatment are "widespread" at U.S.-run prisons in Iraq, Cuba, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

What's more, Amnesty International says in its report that the United States is taking NO steps to eradicate torture. In fact, it has cultivated an atmospere for torture and mistreatment to thrive.

It also debunks the Bush Crime Team's claims that the torture is the sole fault of a few misbehaving soldiers.  The report concludes that the torture and mistreament "stemmed from officially sanctioned interrogation procedures and techniques."

Well of COURSE this torture has been sanctioned at the highest levels of government.  Bushie himself used a signing statement to say he doesn't feel he is compelled or bound by law to follow the anti-torture law he signed, which was championed by former POW John McCain.

Now, I can hear some of our conservative friends saying why shouldn't we torture people who want to kill innocent Americans, and who may have information on future attacks against U.S. interests?

Well, I would say because torture is ineffective as an intelligence tool.  It's counterproductive.  Sen. McCain, who was tortured in Vietnam, says: "Subjecting prisoners to abuse leads to bad intelligence because under torture a detainee will tell his interrogator anything to make the pain stop."

Amnesty: Torture ‘widespread’ in U.S. custody

Human rights group says U.S. ‘creating climate’ in which abuse can flourish

DEBATING TORTURE

9/11 families mixed on Moussaoui sentence

Al-Qaida conspirator sentenced to life in prison; 'America, you lost,' he says

Jury spares 9/11 plotter Moussaoui

Trial ends after wrenching images, heartbreaking testimony

Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland and House Minority Whip, took Stephen Colbert to task for his performance at Saturday's annual White House Correspondents Dinner.

He says Idiot Son Bush deserves respect?!   Well, Steny, maybe if Bushie hadn't defiled the Office of the Presidency, he'd have a little respect.

Regarding Colbert's performance, Hoyer said: "I thought some of it was funny, but I think it got a little rough. He is the president of the United States, and he deserves some respect.

"The party needs somebody to stand up to the president."

-Senator (and Chairman of the Judiciary Committee) Arlen Specter, speaking on the need for the Republican Party to challenge the Bush Crime Team's warrantless spying program.

Of course you are right, Mr. Chairman.  But I have one question for you: are you that somebody?

How ironic is it, that you now criticize BushCo's illegal domestic spying program.

But when you had Attorney General Alberto Gonzales before your Committee, you cowered. 

May I remind you, Arlen, that you refused to swear in Alberto Gonzales before his testimony at the spy program.  By refusing to swear him in and put him under oath, you gave him wiggle room to lie, without fear of perjury charges.

What were you so afraid of, that you didn't want Gonzales under oath, even when he said he would be willing to raise his right hand and be sworn in for his testimony?

As your fellow Rethuglicans might say: "Flip-flop! Flip-flop!"

Specter, Target of Republican Revolt, Regains Maverick Stride  

Some great reading for today:

1. Bush challenges hundreds of laws

2.  White House to release logs of Abramoff visits

3.  Commentary: Why Does Colin Powell Always Criticize Bush from Abroad, Not Here at Home?

More updates to the blog tomorrow!