Ain’t No Time To Wonder Why

Support out poorly trained, frightened, trigger-happy troops. Several investigations have been launched into why a civilian contractor in Iraq was shot and killed by American troops as he drove toward a U.S. military checkpoint last week. Truck driver Donald Tolfree, 52, of St. Charles, drove through a U.S. military checkpoint Feb. 5 before realizing he was in the wrong convoy, attorney Patrick Greenfelder, who represents Tolfree’s daughter, told The Associated Press on Sunday. Tolfree turned around and was driving back toward the checkpoint when he was shot and killed, Greenfelder said. Tolfree was a driver for KBR, a contracting subsidiary … Continue reading Ain’t No Time To Wonder Why

Let’s hear it for the Women

WooHoo! LOS ANGELES, Feb. 11 — After death threats, boycotts and a cold shoulder from the country music establishment, the Dixie Chicks gained sweet vindication Sunday night at the 49th annual Grammy Awards, capturing honors in all five of the categories in which they were nominated. And the wonderful Irma Thomas took the Grammy for best contemporary blues album for “After the Rain” Continue reading Let’s hear it for the Women

Your President Speaks!

Just a couple of quickies as Your President participates in a photo-op with President Valdas Adamkus of Lithuania. Sorry Squire, I’ve Scratched The Record – Sorry Squire, I’ve Scratched The Record I was very pleased by the strategy that you and others in the Baltics are working to achieve to achieve energy independence. Tarzan Talk Visa Waiver Secondly, the President was quite adamant about visa waiver. I can understand your strong position, Mr. President. I thank you very much for your clarity of thought. There should be no doubt that here in the Oval Office that President Adamkus represented the … Continue reading Your President Speaks!

In the ‘heh-heh’ department

Britain needs a declaration of independence from America Opponents of the war in Iraq get daily vindication that the invasion was a terrible mistake. Supporters of the removal of Saddam feel betrayed by the appalling mess the divided and incompetent Bush administration has made of the aftermath. Tony Blair is an increasingly lonely voice when he pleads that Britain and America must remain each other’s indispensable allies. ‘We shouldn’t give that up in any set of circumstances,’ the Prime Minister declared when he appeared before senior MPs last week. ‘The relationship with America is what opens lots of doors everywhere.’He … Continue reading In the ‘heh-heh’ department

Respect for Religious Freedom

Comments from another site taken at random from Michelle Malkin’s blogroll. These all follow pictures of Muslims at prayer or observances: All we would need is one smart-bomb to fry those Freaks. Just One Bomb dear God Yet another great target opportunity, missed. Did they kiss Allah’s black vagina yet? Where is a suicide bomber when you need one? This is the most visual argument I’ve seen yet for nuking Meccä. A. Continue reading Respect for Religious Freedom

Food, not bombs.

“Future catastrophes” — you mean like US foreign policy? The final design for a “doomsday” vault that will house seeds from all known varieties of food crops has been unveiled by the Norwegian government. The Svalbard International Seed Vault will be built into a mountainside on a remote island near the North Pole. The vault aims to safeguard the world’s agriculture from future catastrophes, such as nuclear war, asteroid strikes and climate change. Continue reading Food, not bombs.

“Only a fool would want to be a champion.”

“You want a hero.” I have heard that, or some expanded concept, many times during the drama of this past week, almost always followed by “It’s not going to happen.”   Disclaimer: I myself said it several times as well. I said it when I was feeling cynical, which was frequently. Also when I was trying to be realistic about the practicalities of politics. The “none of it matters if your side doesn’t get elected” practicalities. I found myself more often than not on the receiving end of the charge above, and very much less concerned about practicalities. This was … Continue reading “Only a fool would want to be a champion.”

Guest blogging

Do not be alarmed! In case you missed her Meta post below, Athenae (in a possible lapse of judgment) has asked me to guestblog in her absence this week. Rest assured, I’m all about the “going along to get along” and I don’t want any trouble. I’m clean and well-mannered and I’ll try to pick up after myself while here. FYI, and keep this on the d-low, it’s very different, to say the least, here “on the other side,” than you might think. Nobody answered when I knocked, and the door was unlocked, so I let myself in. Judging from … Continue reading Guest blogging

Lolis sums it up

A reader emailed me the link to an excellent column by the Times Picayune’s Lolis Eric Elie that appeared in the Washington Post today. It’s a great read and summary of what has and still is happening in New Orleans. It’s hard to even pull one part out to highlight but here is the end… Earlier this month the Corps released the locations of 122 levees that are at risk of failing. They are located in 27 states and the District of Columbia. We New Orleanians have suffered much in the past 18 months. We wouldn’t wish such devastation on … Continue reading Lolis sums it up

Third Carrier Group?

Via Think Progress is this from Newsweek… At least one former White House official contends that some Bush advisers secretly want an excuse to attack Iran. “They intend to be as provocative as possible and make the Iranians do something [America] would be forced to retaliate for,” says Hillary Mann, the administration’s former National Security Council director for Iran and Persian Gulf Affairs. … A second Navy carrier group is steaming toward the Persian Gulf, and NEWSWEEK has learned that a third carrier will likely follow. Here is some background on the carrier groups and Here is a Guardian article … Continue reading Third Carrier Group?

Columnwhoring: William Donahue Edition

It’s been in the tank for a while, but with Bigot Bill opening his crazy mouth about Amanda and Shakespeare’s Sister today, I feel I need to highlight this bit: What truly ridiculous people Musgrave and Allard are, and what a truly ridiculous conversation they started. The little war on gay marriage they started gave rise to some of the more sincerely stupid political moments of the past six years: Now-former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) compared homosexual relationships to “man-on-dog” sex while speaking with a reporter. Catholic League president Bill Donohue said lesbians were “something I’d expect to see in … Continue reading Columnwhoring: William Donahue Edition

Today On Holden’s Obsession With [Yesterday’s] Gaggle

Sorry, had to bug out yesterday before the gaggle transcript was posted in order to take a cat to the vet. Severe anal gland infection, you don’t want to know.

Anywho, let’s kick offyesterday’s gaggle with our Dearest Helen.

Q Does the President think that the role of the Commander-in-Chief is so powerful that he can ignore the will of the people as manifested in the election and also in Congress?

MR. SNOW: Helen, if you can find somebody who says that they want us to fail in Iraq, then perhaps —

Q That’s not the question. I —

MR. SNOW: No, what you asked was a very vague question about the will of the people.

Q It’s not vague.

MR. SNOW: Yes, it is, because if you want to talk —

Q I want you to — do you think the power of a Commander-in-Chief is so all powerful that he can ignore the people?

MR. SNOW: The President never ignores the people. And that’s why it’s a tendentious assumption on your part that somehow the President runs roughshod over the will of the people. But he does have an obligation to keep the people safe —

Q — ignored —

MR. SNOW: No, he doesn’t — if you get a non-binding resolution, he certainly is not going to ignore it. But on the other hand, he’s going to do what it takes to keep you safe, and everybody in this room safe.

Q That’s not the question.

MR. SNOW: Oh, yes, it is. Au contraire, Helen.

Q It is, is he going to ignore —

MR. SNOW: I got to tell you, you’ve got to understand in this particular case, when the President is thinking about national security, he understands the importance of opinion. He shares people’s opinion that what’s going on is —

Q (Inaudible.)

MR. SNOW: What do you think —

Q — responded to it?

MR. SNOW: He’s responded to it. He’s responded to it by laying out a new way forward —

Q (Inaudible.)

MR. SNOW: Well, it will be interesting. Let’s see how the debate unfolds and let’s also see how facts on the ground unfold in Baghdad.

Whoa, Nelly!

Obsession continues…

Continue reading “Today On Holden’s Obsession With [Yesterday’s] Gaggle”

Who does Donohue speak for?

Atrios has a post asking does Bill Donohue speak for you? If you’re Catholic, he does, in fact, speak for you. If that’s an unhappy state of affairs, it’s time to start thinking about what to do about it. That reminded me of a recent incident in New Orleans when the Catholic Church apparently objected to Donohue speaking out for them. In September 2006 Donohue sent an “inflammatory message” to members of the Louisiana Recovery Authority” accusing the board of “anti-Catholicism” and “bigotry” for rejecting a request by the Archdoicese of New Orleans for millions to repair local Catholic schools. … Continue reading Who does Donohue speak for?

Civility

A site picked entirely at random from Michelle Malkin’s blogroll: Unlike that silly woman who was hired (and later fired/not fired) as The Ambulance Chaser’s “web outreach adviser” (or whatever title they gave her), I have no illusions about whether I would or could ever be offered any kind of position within a candidate’s campaign—hell, even “junior stamp-licker” would be too hot a seat for me to hold. This is because over the years, I’ve said many inflammatory things about liberals, Marxists and, for that matter Republicans (the Stupid Party) for me ever to be considered. “Hanging liberals from light … Continue reading Civility

Time Out

Maybe this is a good time for a meta post. First Draft sucks. It used to be awesome, but then the ponies took over. Or the inside jokes. Or the ferrets. Everybody posts too much, and not enough, and not about the stuff I want. The blogroll’s too long. The blogroll’s too short. The blogroll is tasty when toasted and covered in butter, but we’re out of butter, and I think it’s a conspiracy to deny butter to me and other right-thinking bloggers. Whither the blog community? What is the true meaning of community, anyway, and how does it apply … Continue reading Time Out

Your President Speaks!

Yesterday, at the Department of Homeland Security in DC. The Doctor Said I Wouldn’t Have Nose Bleeds If I Kept My FInger Out Of There I appreciate very much, Ralph, you and your department’s hard work of doing a difficult job, and that is doing what the American people expect and that is to have secure borders. And The Ones That Did Not Need To Be Modernized? We’re modernizing a border that needed to be modernized, whether it be through fencing or the different types of high-tech investments. Enable To Be Able I firmly believe that in order for your … Continue reading Your President Speaks!

The Neverending Story of the Bush Crime Family

Uncle Bucky slapped stockholders on the ass. President George W. Bush’s uncle, William H.T. “Bucky” Bush, was part of a group of outside directors at a defense contractor who realized about $6 million in unauthorized pay from an options backdating scheme, according to U.S. securities investigators. Bush and other non-employee directors who served on the board of Engineered Support Systems Inc., now owned by DRS Technologies Inc., are not accused of any wrongdoing in a civil complaint filed on Tuesday by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC complaint, however, says the non-employee directors benefited from stock options not … Continue reading The Neverending Story of the Bush Crime Family

Your President Speaks!

Fasten your seatbelts, here we go again. Today, in Manassas, Virginia. Like Wow, Man Secondly, trade. Like, if you’re confident in what you make, you ought to be for trade, because people are going to want to buy what you make. Because It Says So I submitted a budget yesterday that says we can balance the budget by 2012 without raising your taxes. I’m going to explain how it works. It’s probably counterintuitive to some, particularly those who tend to trust government, but, see, I believe it is not only possible, we have proven it through a document, that by … Continue reading Your President Speaks!

Embassy Meets Helicopters

Sidney Blumenthal: Deep within the bowels of the Pentagon, policy planners are conducting secret meetings to discuss what to do in the worst-case scenario in Iraq about a year from today if and when President Bush’s escalation of more than 20,000 troops fails, a participant in those discussions told me. None of those who are taking part in these exercises, shielded from the public view and the immediate scrutiny of the White House, believes that the so-called surge will succeed. On the contrary, everyone thinks it will not only fail to achieve its aims but also accelerate instability by providing … Continue reading Embassy Meets Helicopters

“Friendly” Fire

Most of us may have forgotten about the rescue of kidnapped Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena in which Sgrena was wounded and her savior Italian intelligence agent Nicola Calipari was killed by US soldiers. The Italians haven’t forgotten. A judge Wednesday ordered a U.S. soldier to stand trial in absentia for the fatal shooting of an Italian intelligence agent at a checkpoint in Baghdad, the prosecutor said. Spc. Mario Lozano is indicted for murder and attempted murder in the death of Nicola Calipari, who was shot on March 4, 2005, on his way to the Baghdad airport shortly after securing the … Continue reading “Friendly” Fire

Edwards Statement

Statement from Edwards regarding Amanda and Shakespeare’s Sister… “The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte’s and Melissa McEwan’s posts personally offended me. It’s not how I talk to people, and it’s not how I expect the people who work for me to talk to people. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign, whether it’s intended as satire, humor, or anything else. But I also believe in giving everyone a fair shake. I’ve talked to Amanda and Melissa; they have both assured me that … Continue reading Edwards Statement