Waxman And The Dems Start Investigations

    The Democrats have begun their investigative hearing since taking the store over from the children in Congress. Their sights have been pointed at the 'spin' that the White house has been churning out about global warming.

    Advocacy groups have been saying that Federal scientist have been pressured by the White house to downplay global warming.

Rep. Henry Waxman ( voting record), D-Calif. said, "It appears there may have been an orchestrated campaign to mislead the public about climate change."

At the House hearing, two private advocacy groups produced a survey of 279 government climate scientists showing that many of them say they have been subjected to political pressure aimed at downplaying the climate threat. Their complaints ranged from a challenge to using the phrase "global warming" to raising uncertainty on issues on which most scientists basically agree, to keeping scientists from talking to the media.

The survey and separate interviews with scientists "has brought to light numerous ways in which U.S. federal climate science has been filtered, suppressed and manipulated in the last five years," Francesca Grifo, a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the committee.   Yahoo News

     It is about time that some of the investigations have begun, but, could the committees have not found a more important subject to start with? Oh well, I guess that starting at the bottom is as good a start as any. Maybe this will work it's way up to the top of the chain.      

         

Technorati tags: Waxman, Democrats, Investigations

 

Feingold, Obama, and Senate Republicans

   From Daily Kos: < Original Article

by kos

Tue Jan 30, 2007

Feingold is moving aggressively to cut off funding for the Iraq War forcing Bush to withdraw the troops, and he's doing so amidst Republican claims that only the president can decide on troop deployment.

Of course, Republicans were making exactly the opposite arguments during the Clinton presidency, as Glenn Greenwald digs up.

Sen. John McCain - October 19,1993

There is no reason for the United States of America to remain in Somalia. The American people want them home, I believe the majority of Congress wants them home, and to set an artificial date of March 31 or even February 1, in my view, is not acceptable. The criteria should be to bring them home as rapidly and safely as possible, an evolution which I think could be completed in a matter of weeks.

Our continued military presence in Somalia allows another situation to arise which could then lead to the wounding, killing or capture of American fighting men and women. We should do all in our power to avoid that.

I listened carefully to the President's remarks at a news conference that he held earlier today. I heard nothing in his discussion of the issue that would persuade me that further U.S. military involvement in the area is necessary. In fact, his remarks have persuaded me more profoundly that we should leave and leave soon.

Dates certain, Mr. President, are not the criteria here. What is the criteria and what should be the criteria is our immediate, orderly withdrawal from Somalia. And if we do not do that and other Americans die, other Americans are wounded, other Americans are captured because we stay too long--longer than necessary--then I would say that the responsibilities for that lie with the Congress of the United States who did not exercise their authority under the Constitution of the United States and mandate that they be brought home quickly and safely as possible [...]

I, along with many others, will have an amendment that says exactly that. It does not give any date certain. It does not say anything about any other missions that the United States may need or feels it needs to carry out. It will say that we should get out as rapidly and orderly as possible.                       More HERE

                                     * * * *

    Once again we have the Republicans doing an about face as the circumstances fit their agenda. Of course, they have to work towards the goals provided by the anti-Christ up in the White house even if they have to backtrack on past views and statements.

    As if you haven't noticed, anything goes as far as this group of idiots are concerned.

                            IMPEACH! INDICT! IMPRISON!

 

Technorati tags: Feingold, Obama, Senate Republicans

 

The Vanguard Conservative Website.

    Robert Novak, a conservative columnist, reported over the weekend that TheVanguard.org hired Jerome Corsi as a senior political strategist.

    The Vanguard is a new right-wing advocacy group which describes itself as a online community of Americans who believe in conservative values an Novak says it is right-wing version of the leftist MoveOn.Org.

    Corsi is one of the characters that helped launch the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth attacks against Sen. Kerry, back in 2004 and will probably attempt to do the same, with Vanguard, against Hillary Clinton.

   Corsi is your typical GOP supporting pig who happens to like calling people names and making up shit about them so we should expect nothing from this group but below the belt bullshit!

   So far as The Vanguard is concerned, here is part of their statement of beliefs.

TheVanguard.Org is an online community of Americans who believe in conservative values, the free market and limited government as the best means to bring hope and ever-increasing opportunity to everyone, especially the poorest among us. We empower regular people to exercise their rights and fulfill their civic responsibilities, by organizing with them for effective action; by training candidates and citizens in the nuts and bolts of how to win; and by promoting policy ideas calculated to reshape America and the globe.

At TheVanguard.Org, every member has a voice in what we do, and everyone has a chance to participate. We mean to build a new governing coalition in America based on shared values rather than single issues, where the little guy outweighs the monied establishment. We hope you'll join us too.

   Regular people to exercise their rights? Do we still have some of those? they are pulling for the little guy? A GOP group pulling for the little guy is certainly not going to happen in our lifetimes as the GOP and their followers do not even acknowledge the little guy.

   I especially liked the message that the chairman (Rod D. Martin) has posted on the site. The message is a good one but since they could not come up with anything on their own to make this message or the site work, they are stealing the tactics of MoveOn.org.

TheVanguard.Org is about a renewed, improved conservative movement, one that leverages all the technological advantages Democrats have mastered to elect a prinipled President and Congress. Together, we'll use the internet to teach MoveOn, Hillary and the left-wing media some lessons they never imagined. We'll teach a few to certain Beltway Republicans too.     Chairman's Message

  Of course there is the usual message of we need help now so send us your money but they are not asking for just whatever you can afford to send.

P.S. Our opponents get better at what they're doing every day, and their pockets are very deep. Talk is cheap, but this fight is expensive: I'm counting on you to support our 2008 Plan For Victory today with a secure online contribution today of $50, $100, or even $250. For once, let's take the fight to them.

P.P.S. Oh, and if you're still not sure about us, don't take our word for it. Read what Human Events -- America's most respected conservative journal -- has to say about us in its "The Next MoveOn.org?"

    Human Events! Now there's a real trustworthy group for you!

     Check out their Board of Advisors. This makes for an interesting group which I may join just for infiltration purposes.

    After going over The Vanguard website, I can say that it is most certainly another GOP bullshit laden, trashdump!

 

Technorati tags: Thevanguard.org, Novak, Conservative

Arlen Specter Says Bush Is Not the Decider

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer

January 30,2007

"I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider," Sen. Arlen Specter ( voting record), R-Pa., said during a hearing on Congress' war powers amid an increasingly harsh debate over Iraq war policy. "The decider is a shared and joint responsibility," Specter said.

"The Constitution makes Congress a coequal branch of government. It's time we start acting like it," said Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., who is chairing a hearing Tuesday on Congress' war powers and forwarding legislation to eventually prohibit funding for the deployment of troops to Iraq.   

Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer ( voting record) of California, for example, is a sponsor of a bill that would call for troops to come home in 180 days and allow for a minimum number of forces to be left behind to hunt down terrorists and train Iraqi security forces.

"Read the Constitution," Boxer told her colleagues last week. "The Congress has the power to declare war. And on multiple occasions, we used our power to end conflicts."  Entire Article

    Sen. Specter is showing himself to be quite the assailant as of late when it comes to Bush and all of his rhetoric about what he can and cannot do! I never thought I'd see a Republican up in Washington grow some balls!

    Now if we could only get these people to actually do something about Bush and the rest of the Crime Family instead of just flapping their jaws and coming up with non-binding resolutions, we might actually start to get excited over all of their discontent with bush!

 

Technorati tags: Specter, Bush, the Decider

 

New Polls Put Bush In A Sorry State

Following his State of the Union address, President Bush’s approval rating hits a new low in the NEWSWEEK Poll, as Sen. Hillary Clinton enjoys an early lead among the field of likely candidates in the ’08 race.

    From Newsweek:

The president’s approval ratings are at their lowest point in the poll’s history—30 percent—and more than half the country (58 percent) say they wish the Bush presidency were simply over, a sentiment that is almost unanimous among Democrats (86 percent), and is shared by a clear majority (59 percent) of independents and even one in five (21 percent) Republicans. Half (49 percent) of all registered voters would rather see a Democrat elected president in 2008, compared to just 28 percent who’d prefer the GOP to remain in the White House.

   Maybe we could just con the idiot into going home early or either going on a hunting trip with Cheney.

 

Technorati tags: Polls, Bush, Newsweek

 

A Look At The New Upscale Wal-Mart

   As you may well know, Wal-Mart has decided to go upscale with many of their stores. They wish to service a more upscale crowd and not just the working class person who frequents their stores the majority of the time.

    While this is well and good, the story is that Wal-Mart is still continuing with their less than stellar business practices and treatment of their employees.

    From Alternet:

Beneath Wal-Mart's new cosmetic sheen lies the same old ugliness. The average employee toils for $8.23 an hour -- a poverty-level wage that amounts to about $16,700 a year gross (in both meanings of that word). Many don't even make that, for Wal-Mart defines "fulltime" work as 36 hours a week rather than the usual 40. It's common for bosses to hold workers to under 24 hours a week, which reduces gross annual income to only about $10,000.

Meanwhile, fewer than half of Wal-Mart's employees get any healthcare benefits at all -- and those who do must pay 41 percent of the cost for a lousy plan that carries a $3,000 deductible per family plus a $300 pharmacy deductible and a $1,000 in-patient hospital deductible. Honchos at headquarters keep insisting that the health benefits they offer are "competitive" with other retailers. But look no further than Costco, where a good plan covers 80 percent of employees and the company pays 90 percent of the premiums.

The richest corporation in retailing, with $312 billion in sales (more than the next five biggest retailers combined), pushes the bulk of its workers onto public-assistance programs, even telling employees how to sign up for government help in a company bulletin called "Instructions for Associates." In all 23 states that have released data on their state-funded health-care programs, Wal-Mart is the corporation with the most employees and dependents enrolled. Also, in a 2005 internal memo, the company's head of benefits conceded that "46 percent of associates' children are either on Medicaid or uninsured."   Entire Article

        So as you can see, even with going somewhat upscale, Wal-Mart employees and their families will still be getting shafted at every possible turn.

    With $312 billion in sales this company should be ashamed of itself!

 

Technorati tags: Wal-Mart

 

Bush Administration Still Grabbing For Power

    The Bush administration, ever so loyal to the business community,signed a directive which gives the government ( White house)more control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

 From The Washington Post < Original Article

January 30,2007

By ROBERT PEAR

Published: January 30, 2007

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 — President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.

This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats.  More

   Once again we have the president still dishing out favors for his politically connected business who have to deal with government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

    Of course, the general counsel at the White house,Jeffrey A. Rosen said,“This is a classic good-government measure that will make federal agencies more open and accountable.”

     Since when has any agency in the Bush administration been open or accountable?

 

Technorati tags: Bush Administration, EPA

 

 

Minimum Wage Increase Is Good For Business

               From Alternet

By Chuck Collins, TomPaine.com. Posted January 29, 2007.

A growing number of business owners are supporting the minimum wage increase, which the Senate may vote on tomorrow.               The Article

        The Senate should pas this wage bill without worrying about the tax cuts that the GOP wants added to the bill. This is just the same example of the GOP thinking that the Democrats will turn this bill down as they did last year with GOP bullshit added to it! I think that is what the GOP is hoping for once again.

 

Technorati tags: Minimum Wage, Business, GOP

 

Yes, Virginia, There Is accountability

  From Daily Kos:         Original Article

Yes, Virginia, There Is Accountability
by SusanG
Mon Jan 29, 2007   

The truth apparently has a liberal bias in the Virginia State Legislature these days, according to ABC:

Anger over Republicans killing bills without recording the vote, Democratic operatives began videotaping early morning and late-night statehouse proceedings and posting them on their assembly's blog and the Internet-based video site YouTube.

"We're providing openness and access to Virginia government," said Mark Bergman, spokesman for the Virginia Democratic Party.

Bergman argues that the videos are the only way for Virginians to see these committee proceedings because the Republican majority changed the rules in 2006 to allow off-hour committee and subcommittee votes to go unrecorded.

Last week, House Republicans in Virginia defeated a Democratic measure without recording the vote that would have raised the state's minimum wage.

Interesting as it is to find out what your representatives were doing in your name while you were sleeping, the Virginia GOP is calling it "gotcha politics," objecting to having the proceedings recorded.

"It's an effort to demonize Republicans," said Shaun Kenney, communications director for the Virginia Republican Party. "It's about targeting and embarrassing Republican delegates," he said.

Kenney said the presence of video cameras inside the committee hearing is hampering political discourse and debate.

Yes, having votes and committee meetings on public matters accessible to state residents is "demonizing," "targeting" and "embarrassing" Republicans. Kinda makes you wonder what they’re up to, doesn’t it?

    The Republicans got their asses kicked and mostly kicked out of office back in November and it looks as if they did not learn anything.

    The GOP politicians that some of you were stupid enough to vote for are still attempting to fuck you all!

 

Technorati tags: Virginia State Legislature

   

Late Night News Roundup

By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent
January 29,2007

WASHINGTON -
President Bush said Monday the United States "will respond firmly" if Iran escalates military action in Iraq and endangers American forces. But Bush emphasized he has no intention of invading Iran.

   Right. Bush had no intention of placing a permanent war force in Iraq either, but he has done so.

                                             * * * *

By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq -
Iraq's army announced Monday it killed the leader of a heavily armed cult of messianic Shiites called "the Soldiers of Heaven" in a fierce gunbattle aimed at foiling a plot to attack leading Shiite clerics and pilgrims in the southern city of Najaf on the holiest day of the Shiite calendar.

Senior Iraqi security officers said that as part of the plot, three gunmen were captured in Najaf after renting a hotel room in front of the office of Iraq's most senior Shiite spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, with plans to attack it.

The fierce 24-hour battle was ultimately won by Iraqi troops supported by U.S. and British jets and American ground forces, but the ability of a splinter group little known in Iraq to rally hundreds of heavily armed fighters was a reminder of the potential for chaos and havoc emerging seemingly out of nowhere. Members of the group, which included women and children, planned to disguise themselves as pilgrims and kill as many leading clerics as possible, said Maj. Gen. Othman al-Ghanemi, the Iraqi commander in charge of the Najaf region.    The Article

    It is truly amazing how well the Iraqi has finally done with the backing of the additional 'escalation' troops provided by the United States!  The U.S. hasn't even sent them all to Iraq yet! What a difference a few extra thousand troops can make in just a few weeks after 130,000 or so couldn't do this kind of backup in 4 years!

    If things continue to go this well in Iraq, maybe we can get our people  back home by the summer? I'm being a wise ass so don't take this to seriously.

 

Technorati tags: News, Iran, Iraq, Troops, War

 

250 killed In Major Iraq Battle

    From The New York Times

By DAMIEN CAVE   January 29,2007

An American helicopter was shot down in fighting near Najaf between gunmen and Iraqi forces backed by U.S. firepower.

The Article

                                        * * * *

Iranian Reveals Plan to Expand Role in Iraq

By JAMES GLANZ  From   NYT

Published: January 29, 2007

BAGHDAD, Jan. 28 — Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad outlined an ambitious plan on Sunday to greatly expand its economic and military ties with Iraq — including an Iranian national bank branch in the heart of the capital — just as the Bush administration has been warning the Iranians to stop meddling in Iraqi affairs.     The Article

 

Technorati tags: Iraqis, War, Iran

 

Twisting Arms In War Does Not Work

    Here is an interesting study if wars that the major powers have been involved in since World War 2.

Political scientist Patricia Sullivan recently decided to take a different tack than the political pundits.

Her findings will probably surprise you -- and would make for sober reading at the White House: Although the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China were militarily superior to their opponents in every one of the 122 conflicts that Sullivan studied, these powerful countries failed to win an astonishing 39 percent of their wars against weaker opponents.            WaPo for more

    This study shows that when it comes to trying to force other countries into doing it your way, the U.S. and other bigger powers, have a dismal success rate.

 

Bush's National Guard Tour, Better Known As "Where Was He?"

    You might want to think about this for a while.

    I was just browsing around on the Internet as I often do, and I came across some of the news stories on President Bush's National Guard desertion during the Vietnam war.

   We all know that Bush was/is a deserter but we do not know what to do about it as all of his National Guard records were scrubbed. Big daddy Bush no doubt pulled some weight to make that happen because his son would never had made it to the presidency if it could have been proved that junior was a chicken shit war dodger!

    Having little George's records scrubbed did two things. 1) It got rid of the evidence and, 2) it left only hearsay about his service.

    What I found out though, is that there is no statute of limitations  when deserting one's country during a time of war.

   From the Department of  Defense: ...because of the nature of the crimes; deserting one's country during a time of war, that there is NO statute of limitations, and these crimes, if proven, can still be prosecuted today.

   Do you see where I am going with this? Maybe the American citizens of this country should call, fax,write, or email those members in Congress and the Senate to push them into re-opening this matter with a full investigation of our Presidents service record.

   See HERE for more on Bush's AWOL story.

   Just for the hell of it, I threw in John Kerry's military record comparing it to Bush's record. I am, happy to state that at least Kerry has a service record! Kerry/Bush service records

                                 IMPEACH.INDICT.IMPRISON.

Technorati tags: Bush, National Guard, Record, AWOl, Kerry

 

Israel's First Muslim Cabinet Minister,Lieberman Not Necessarily Voting Democrat In 2008

    The wingnuts must be in therapy after hearing about the Israeli government overwhelmingly approving a Muslim Cabinet minister on Sunday.

Majadele told AP Television News that his goals as a Cabinet minister would be "promoting coexistence between the two peoples inside the state, and promoting dialogue between the Palestinians and the Israelis toward negotiations and political agreement."

                                       * * * *                                              

 Sen. Joe Lieberman was on "Fox News Sunday"  and told host Chris Wallace that he would not necessarily vote for a Democrat in the 2008 election.

WALLACE: Let's look ahead to 2008. Are there any Democrats who appear to be running at this point that you could support for president?

LIEBERMAN: Are there any Democrats who don't appear to be running at this point? Look, I've had a very political couple of years in Connecticut, and I'm stepping back for a while to concentrate on being the best senator I can be for my state and my country.

I'm also an Independent-Democrat now, and I'm going to do what most Independents and a lot of Democrats and Republicans in America do, which is to take a look at all the candidates and then in the end, regardless of party, decide who I think will be best for the future of our country.

So I'm open to supporting a Democrat, Republican or even an Independent, if there's a strong one. Stay tuned.

 

Technorati tags: Israel, Muslim.Lieberman, 2008, Voting

 

Sunday Morning News Roundup

   From The New York Times we have this on why Bush's Iran adventure will be different than his fiasco in Iraq.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 — As President Bush and his aides calibrate how directly to confront Iran, they are discovering that both their words and their strategy are haunted by the echoes of four years ago — when their warnings of terrorist activity and nuclear ambitions were clearly a prelude to war.

This time, they insist, it is different.

                                      * * * *

   Here  is a look at how Iraq has fallen apart, from a reporter who has been there quite often.

                                      * * * *

Yesterday,Guiliani compared Bush to Lincoln.

Making the case on impeaching Bush can be found Here

Technorati tags: Sunday News

 

Dutch Iraq Suspect in The U.S.

   This may be something to keep your yes on.

Dutch authorities say an Iraqi-born Dutch citizen, suspected of plotting attacks on American forces in Iraq, has been extradited to the United States.

Wesam al-Delaema was put on a plane and flown to an undisclosed location in the US after losing his final appeal against extradition in December.

He is set to become the first suspect tried in a US court for allegedly plotting attacks on US forces in Iraq.

   This will be interesting as a Dutch judge siad he had no reason to believe that the citizen would not be deprived of his fundamental rights.

   This judge must have been out of the planet the past 3 years? Guess he doesn't know about Bush yet.

 

Technorati tags: Iraq Suspect, U.s.

 

The New Way Forward: A Progress Report

    I have already commented on Bush's new way forward but here is a little extra from DailyKos

The New Way Forward:  A Progress Report

by BarbinMD

Sat Jan 27, 2007

It's been two weeks since George W. Bush announced his new way forward in Iraq and results are already being seen. During Thursday's White House press briefing, Tony Snow said:

Before we begin, let me just -- a couple of comments on developments in Iraq. The Prime Minister today has given an address --

...it demonstrates the kind of vigor we've been talking about and that the American people expect, and also responds specifically to concerns members of Congress have been expressing, in terms of the aims of and the determination of the government of Iraq.

And here's some more of that vigor from the determined government of Iraq:

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s presentation of a new Baghdad security plan to the Iraqi Parliament on Thursday broke down in bitter sectarian recriminations, with Mr. Maliki threatening a Sunni Arab lawmaker with arrest and, in response, the Sunni speaker of Parliament threatening to quit.

The prime minister’s claim was challenged by Abdul Nasir al-Janabi, who represents a powerful Sunni Arab bloc. “We can not trust the office of the prime minister,” he said over jeers from the Shiite politicians before his microphone was cut off.

Mr. Maliki could barely contain his rage, waving his finger in the air and essentially accusing Mr. Nasir of being a criminal.

“I will show you,” Mr. Maliki said. “I will turn over the documents on you” showing all your crimes, “then you can talk about trust,” Mr. Maliki said.

Well, that should allay any concerns that Congress and the American people have about the Iraq government's will to succeed.  And getting the hydrocarbon law and de-Baathification reform hammered out in the couple of weeks remaining in their legislative session should be a breeze.  

Later during the briefing, Snow said:

We have seen assertive action on the part of Iraqi forces and joint Iraqi-U.S. forces within Baghdad taking on terror.

While some may call it joint forces taking on terror, others describe it this way:

In a miniature version of the troop increase that the United States hopes will secure the city, American soldiers and armored vehicles raced onto Haifa Street before dawn to dislodge Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias who have been battling for a stretch of ragged slums and mostly abandoned high rises. But as the sun rose, many of the Iraqi Army units who were supposed to do the actual searches of the buildings did not arrive on time, forcing the Americans to start the job on their own.

When the Iraqi units finally did show up, it was with the air of a class outing, cheering and laughing as the Americans blew locks off doors with shotguns.

Two allies taking on terror, or American troops in the middle of a civil war...you make the call.

And let's hear from some of the people directly involved in this war, beginning with a U.S. serviceman in Baghdad:

Who the hell is shooting at us? Who’s shooting at us? Do we know who they are?

From a Sunni member of the Iraq  Parliment:

I cannot see how it is possible that a new security plan can work.

Dick Cheney's response to a question about how he feels:

Good.

And finally, the Decider himself to Nancy Pelosi on why the escalation will work:

Because I told them it had to.

You can almost smell victory in the air.

                                       * * * *

   I can smell something in the air and it ain't victory!

 

Hillary Clinton Takes Responsibility For Bush's War

    In an interview with the Associated Press, Hillary Clinton finally took some of the responsibility for authorizing President Bush's war on Iraq.

   I must say that it is about time that she opened up her mouth to say something, even though we already knew it.

By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer   January 27,2007

DES MOINES, Iowa - New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton blamed President Bush on Saturday for misusing authority given him by Congress to act in Iraq, but conceded "I take responsibility" for her role in allowing that to happen.

"I have said clearly and consistently for quite some time that I regret the way the president misused the authority," said Clinton. "He misled Congress and the country on what he was seeking and what he intended to do."

The responsibility Clinton said she accepts was helping clear the way for Bush's path in Iraq.

"I take responsibility for having voted to give him that authority," she said. "My focus is on what we do now. That is the proper debate."           Entire Article

 

Technorati tags: Hillary Clinton, War

 

At Least 3,079 U.S. Service Members Dead Since Bush's 'Mission Accomplished"

    Seven more U.S. military service members were killed on Saturday which brings the total Killed in the Iraq war since 2003 to at least 3,079 according to the Associated Press. The report also states that figure includes 7 military civilians.

    Once again, you can see how well President Bush's escalation is going.

    150 Iraqis, mostly Shiites, were killed in bomb attacks.

Death squads, believed to be primarily Shiite militiamen, continued their butchery on the other side of
Iraq's deepening sectarian divide, with police reporting the discovery of 40 bodies dumped in Baghdad alone. Two of the victims were women and most of the bodies showed signs of torture, police said.

In all, at least 61 victims of Iraq's sectarian warfare were killed or found dead across the country.

   Yahoo News

   Let us see now! The Iraqis do not want us there. The Iraqi government does not want us there. More importantly, the citizens of the United States does not want us there! What part of ' does not ' does Bush not understand?

    The Democrats in both the House and the Senate need to stop the war funding and they need to kick Bush's teeth down his damned throat!

                              IMPEACH. INDICT. IMPRISON.

                          Nothing less will suffice!                              

   

Technorati tags: 3.079 Dead, U.S. Iraq

 

12 Troops Dead In 3 Days,War Protest In D.C.

   From Yahoo News

January 27,2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military reported the deaths of seven more American soldiers Saturday, while Sunni insurgents bombed another market in a predominantly Shiite district, killing at least 13 people in a bid to terrorize Baghdad before a U.S.-Iraqi crackdown

The U.S. deaths raised to at least 12 the number of service members killed in the past three days. The most recent seven deaths were the result of roadside bombs, two in Diyala province, two in Baghdad and three others at an unspecified location north of the capital.

   As you can see, Bush new escalation is going real well! Maybe we can all talk Bush into going over to Iraq to help out!

                                 * * * *

    On Saturday,tens of thousand of Iraq war protestors marched on Washington to get out of Iraq. the marchers consisted of military families, regular citizens and celebrities.

 From the AP:

United for Peace and Justice, a coalition group sponsoring the protest, had hoped 100,000 would come. Police, who no longer give official estimates, said privately the crowd was smaller than that.

At the rally, 12-year-old Moriah Arnold stood on her toes to reach the microphone and tell the crowd: "Now we know our leaders either lied to us or hid the truth. Because of our actions, the rest of the world sees us as a bully and a liar."

The sixth-grader from Harvard, Mass., organized a petition drive at her school against the war that has killed more than 3,000 U.S. service-members.

More Hollywood celebrities showed up at the demonstration than buttoned-down Washington typically sees in a month.

Actor Sean Penn said lawmakers will pay a price in the 2008 elections if they do not take firmer action than to pass a nonbinding resolution against the war, the course Congress is now taking.

"If they don't stand up and make a resolution as binding as the death toll, we're not going to be behind those politicians," he said. Actors Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins also spoke.

 

Technorati tags: Troops Dead, Iraqis, WarProtest

 

Stories Worth Reading

   I'm sure that you have noticed over the past week that my posting was very minimal. I have had a very busy week and since I do this by myself, I did not have the chances to keep up with things as I would like to do.  This weekend is no different as I will be out taking care of other obligations that I have.So, I will leave you with some stories to check out from various other sites.

American dead of the Iraq and Afghan occupations come disproportionately from rural America.   War On Iraq

Top 10 Solutions for a More Perfect Union

By Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation.January 27, 2007.

There are ten good bills awaiting passage in Congress that could make a real difference.         Alternet

                                * * * *

The Terrorists of Our Imagination Aren't Muslims ... They're Us   By Anneli Rufus, Alternet. Posted January 27, 2007.

Terrorism is now the stuff of fiction, as a glance at the best-seller lists will attest. But while Islamic plotters make the headlines, the terrorists we find on the bookshelves live in our own backyard.  

                             * * * *

What happens to your emails when you die?

Posted by Heather Gehlert at 1:38 PM on January 26, 2007.

Heather Gehlert: If you don't decide who should gain access to your digital property, a court might for you.    Alternet

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Does The GOP Minority Need Counseling?

    New York Times :

By CARL HULSE

Published: January 27, 2007

CAMBRIDGE, Md., Jan. 26 — President Bush tried to rally House Republicans on Friday as the lawmakers hunkered down on the Eastern Shore and struggled to come to grips with their new minority status and the challenge of the continuing war in Iraq.

Representative Adam Putnam of Florida, chairman of the House Republican Conference, said Mr. Bush told lawmakers that “because I sleep in the White House, don’t think I don’t know what is going on out there.” Mr. Putnam said that that “reminds people that he really does get it and understands what ordinary members are going through.”   More

   I would like to have been a fly on the wall during this get together! Can you imagine Mr. Bush trying to comfort his little minions and offering them encouragement? If you are one of those poor little GOPer's that need comforting from this man, than you have major problems in your head and in your life and I would recommend that you seek counseling.

  Bush made the statement that failure is not an option in Iraq when what he really should have said is that failure is not an option in Bushland. Bush is a lifelong failure and his Iraq mission is a failure and has been from the start. Bush is trying to save face but that will never happen because everything that this punk does turns to crap and this time his daddy or his other powerful friends cannot help him.

NYT

Many House Republican lawmakers and senior aides acknowledged that the sudden loss of the majority had been a shock and that they were having difficulty adjusting. People who once ruled the House find themselves with much less to do and much less power with which to do it. The Republicans also believe they have been badly mistreated by the new Democratic majority in the opening days of the 110th Congress, as Democrats who promised a more inclusive House rammed through their priority legislation with little consideration for Republican views.                                      But the new minority has won little sympathy, given that the Democrats complained bitterly that Republicans ran roughshod over them in the 12-year Republican reign, subjecting Democrats to some of the same treatment.

    I think that I'll get the tissue out now! We had better watch the GOP a little closer as they might feel even more mistreated and report the Democrats to the local police for child abuse!

    GOP, go to your corner and SHUT UP!

 

Technorati tags: GOP, Minority

 

4 Troops abducted and Killed In Iraq

   This is the result of the Bush escalation.

    From Yahoo News

By STEVEN R. HURST and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writers January 26,2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq - In perhaps the boldest and most sophisticated attack in four years of warfare, gunmen speaking English, wearing U.S. military uniforms and carrying American weapons abducted four U.S. soldiers last week at the provincial headquarters in the Shiite holy city of Karbala and then shot them to death.                                                  In a statement issued late Friday, the military said two of the soldiers were handcuffed together in the back seat of an SUV near the southern Iraqi town of Mahawil. A third dead soldier was on the ground nearby. The fourth soldier died on the way to the hospital.                                                        The brazen assault, 50 miles south of Baghdad, was conducted by nine to 12 gunmen posing as an American security team, the military confirmed. The attackers traveled in black GMC Suburban vehicles (the type used by U.S. government convoys), had American weapons, wore new U.S. military combat fatigues, and spoke English, according to two senior U.S. military officials as well as Iraqi officials.

Entire Article

 

Technorati tags: Troops, Iraq

Congress Resolution "Emboldens The Enemy" Says Gates

   From Yahoo News we have more from the White house spin machine.

By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer January 26,2007

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday an effort in Congress to pass a resolution opposing President Bush's troop buildup undercuts U.S. commanders in Iraq and "emboldens the enemy."

At the White House on Friday, the president challenged lawmakers not to prematurely condemn his buildup, saying, "I'm the decision maker" on troop levels. Vice President Dick Cheney said earlier this week that the buildup would proceed even if a nonbinding resolution supported by some Republicans as well as Democrats wins Senate approval.

   So here we have "the decider" and sidekick Cheney who are pretty much telling the House and Senate and the American public to go fuck themselves!

   As a side note, Bush is apparently accepting the GOP resolution so far as the 'benchmarks' for the Iraqi government are concerned. Certain amount of time to get a certain amount of things accomplished. Oh, and they also agreed to hold Bush and the Iraqi Prime minister accountable.

   In case the GOP numbnuts haven't noticed. WE,THE PEOPLE, have already held Bush accountable for his lame,lying,incompetent war and other criminal activities! That is why you (GOP) lost in November!

    WE,THE PEOPLE, have not ousted Bush as of yet. We will push the House and the Senate to impeach this idiot until the will of the people is complete! Then WE,THE PEOPLE, will prosecute Mr. Bush!

 

Technorati tags: Congress, Resolution, Gates

Debunking the Bush Escalation Opposition Myths

     With President Bush and the rest of the Crime Family spreading a few myths around about opposing the escalation, the fine people over at the Center for American Progress have turned into myth busters and have set about debunking the Bush bullshit.

    I get this info by subscribing to AmericanProgress.org for email news so I cannot post the link to this. However, I suggest that you get some of this in your email inbox by subscribing. It is free to do so.

Nearly seventy percent of Americans oppose President Bush's escalation plan, as do top military leaders, Bush's staunchest international ally, and the Iraq Study Group. After four years in the shadows, Congress has begun to use its power as a co-equal branch of government to do something about the administration's failed policies in Iraq. On Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a resolution condemning Bush's escalation strategy. "It is not in the national interest of the United States to deepen its military involvement in Iraq," the resolution said, "particularly by escalating the United States military force presence." The Senate will debate this measure along with several others next week, and a "vote could come as early as the week of Feb. 5." Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), who strongly opposes escalation, explained why a healthy debate on the issue is crucial: "I think all 100 senators ought to be on the line on this. What do you believe? What are you willing to support? What do you think?" Americans are mobilizing against the President's plan. A protest rally has been planned for this weekend in Washington, D.C., while other groups such as Americans Against Escalation in Iraq plan to lobby members of Congress "who have spoken out against the war, but who have so far declined to pledge support for a resolution denouncing Bush's plan to increase the number of troops." In response, the White House and others have put out several myths they think will win support for their plan. The Progress Report debunks the right wing's talking points:
MYTH #1 -- OPPOSING ESCALATION UNDERMINES THE TROOPS: A recent Military Times poll of active-duty forces found 39 percent of those polled think troop levels should remain the same or should decrease. Only 38 percent support sending more troops into Iraq, with 13 percent supporting a complete withdrawal. "Our troops are on the Internet constantly," Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) said recently. "They know very well there's a debate going on in this country." Yet the administration and its conservative allies continue to push the false premise that opposition to the administration's failed policies -- which once again became painfully evident last Saturday -- means a lack of support for the troops. "In Iraq, all of this undermines the morale of the military and makes their task that much harder on the ground," the Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial page said about the ongoing debate. Vice President Cheney said of Senate passage of the anti-escalation resolution, "It would be, I think, detrimental from the standpoint of the troops." Hagel hit back hard against the charges. "When I hear...impugning motives and patriotism to our country, not only is it offensive and disgusting but it debases the whole system of our country and who we are," he said. "Can't we debate the most critical issue of our time, out front, in front of the American people? They expect it. Are we so weak, we can't do that?"
MYTH #2 -- PROGRESSIVES DON'T HAVE A PLAN: "It's the only game in town," Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said of escalation. Cheney claimed "the critics have not suggested a policy." Tony Snow added, "If you've got a better proposal that will achieve success in Iraq, help Iraqis get swiftly into the lead, and will demonstrate support for American forces, let us hear it."  Listen closely, Tony. Over a year and a half ago, the Center for American Progress released a responsible Iraq strategy that called for comprehensive strategic redeployment. The strategy, which was updated in May 2006, calls for reducing U.S. troops to 60,000 in six months and to zero in eighteen months, while redeploying troops to Afghanistan, Kuwait, and the Persian Gulf to contain the threat of global terror networks. The plan also calls for engaging in diplomacy to resolve the conflict within Iraq by convening a Geneva Peace Conference, establishing a Gulf Security initiative to deal with the aftermath of U.S. redeployment from Iraq, and putting Iraq's reconstruction back on track with targeted international funds. The American public and the Iraqi public support phased withdrawal.
MYTH #3 -- WE OWE THE PRESIDENT ONE LAST SHOT: "Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq," Bush said during his State of the Union address, "and I ask you to give it a chance to work." "I think it deserves a chance to see if it will work," Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said. "We should do everything in our power to help make it work," Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) said, "and that begins by giving it a chance and not criticizing it before the strategy even has a few days to work out." This talking point ignores the fact that similar strategies have been tried -- and failed -- twice before. During the last six months, the United States has increased -- or "surged" -- the number of American troops in Baghdad by 12,000, yet the violence and deaths of Americans and Iraqis has climbed alarmingly, averaging 960 a week since the latest troop increase. This past summer, Bush announced a major effort to secure Baghdad, stating at a news conference that thousands of U.S.-led coalition troops would be moved into the city. Violence intensified throughout the country, and U.S. deaths in Iraq spiked.

MYTH #4 -- HAGEL IS THE ONLY CONSERVATIVE CRITIC: The White House is trying to downplay the growing discontent among conservatives about Bush's policies. Fox News' Chris Wallace asked Cheney recently if they were losing the support from conservatives. "Well, I don't think Chuck Hagel has been with us for a long time," Cheney said. Asked for a comment on the escalation resolution, Tony Snow said there had been "no real surprises" because Hagel voted for it, ignoring the fact that Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) was the only member of the Foreign Relations Committee to express support for the president's plan. Other influential conservative voices -- including those of Sens. John Warner (R-VA), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Sam Brownback (R-KS) -- have said they will not support the plan. (See where all members of Congress stand HERE.)

 

Technorati tags: Bush, Opposition, Escalation

Feingold Chairing Judiciary Hearing On Congress's Power to End A War

    Here is some news worth mentioning.

   Actually, it is a press release from Russ Feingold

   Original release

 FEINGOLD TO CHAIR JUDICIARY HEARING ON CONGRESS’S POWER TO END A WAR

January 25, 2007

Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, January 30th, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold will chair a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, “Exercising Congress’s Constitutional Power to End a War.” Earlier this month, Feingold, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, became the first Senator to call on Congress to use its power of the purse to redeploy our troops safely from Iraq so that we can refocus on the global terrorist networks that threaten our national security. Feingold proposed this action after President George Bush announced plans to escalate our military involvement in Iraq despite the objections of members of both parties, military and foreign policy experts, and the American people.

“Congress holds the power of the purse and if the President continues to advance his failed Iraq policy, we have the responsibility to use that power to safely redeploy our troops from Iraq,” Feingold said. “This hearing will help inform my colleagues and the public about Congress’s power to end a war and how that power has been used in the past. I will soon be introducing legislation to use the power of the purse to end what is clearly one of the greatest mistakes in the history of our nation’s foreign policy.”

Witnesses at the hearing will include:

• Louis Fisher, Library of Congress:
• Prof. Walter Dellinger, Duke University School of Law, former Solicitor General of the United States
• Prof. David Barron, Harvard Law School
• Prof. Robert Turner, University of Virginia Law School

Who: U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on the Constitution

What: Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing -- “Exercising Congress’s Constitutional Power to End a War.” Feingold will chair the full committee hearing.

Where: SD - 226

When: Tuesday, January 30th – 10:00 am ET

Senator Feingold’s remarks from yesterday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting regarding the need to end our involvement in Iraq can be viewed and heard here: http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/statements/07/01/20070124.htm.

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   This has been a long time coming! A little late, but we didn't have real Americans controlling the show as we do now.

 

Technorati tags: Feingold, Hearing, Congress, War

U.S. Military Is Authorized to Kill Iranians Inside Iraq

By Dafna Linzer

Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 26, 2007; Page A01

The Bush administration has authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq as part of an aggressive new strategy to weaken Tehran's influence across the Middle East and compel it to give up its nuclear program, according to government and counterterrorism officials with direct knowledge of the effort.       Washington Post Article

      WaPo also states that for more than a year the U.S. military has been detaining Iranians for a few days at a time while they have been collecting DNA samples, fingerprints, pictures and other things from some of the Iranians, without their knowledge.

   No big deal on those issues since this action is only meant to intimidate the Iran emissaries. I just wonder if the Iranians will instead become more irate and emboldened by the U.S. actions.

    In case you have not noticed, the Iranian government has thus far been fearless and not to concerned, publicly, with the U.S.

 

Technorati tags: U.S., Military, Iran, Iraq

 

Judges Uneasy With Secrecy Issues In Spy Program

By ADAM LIPTAK

Published: January 26, 2007

The Bush administration has employed extraordinary secrecy in defending the National Security Agency’s highly classified domestic surveillance program from civil lawsuits. Plaintiffs and judges’ clerks cannot see its secret filings. Judges have to make appointments to review them and are not allowed to keep copies.

Judges have even been instructed to use computers provided by the Justice Department to compose their decisions.

But now the procedures have started to meet resistance. At a private meeting with the lawyers in one of the cases this month, the judges who will hear the first appeal next week expressed uneasiness about the procedures, said a lawyer who attended, Ann Beeson of the American Civil Liberties Union.         NYT Article

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   This can't be good! This looks like just another way for the Bush Crime Family to keep more of its illegal doings under wraps. Strategically, it makes sense because you cannot be sued if the opposing party has no evidence to use against you.

   Having to use computers provided by the Justice Department is definitely not in the judges best interest. Once again it is in Bush's best interest. I'd bet that those computers have been tampered with and I'd also wager that materials and finding have been or will be erased or changed. I see some of the decisions being changed if they are not favorable to Bushco.

Technorati tags: Judges, Secrecy, ACLU, Spy Program