Stripe’s been given a clean bill of health by the Best Vet Ever. He’ll be rejoining his new brother in their common cage probably this weekend, as his staples all came out and he’s doing pretty well, gorging himself on kibble and being fairly energetic. Except in this picture, of course. A. Continue reading Friday Ferretblogging: Sleepyhead Edition
I’m going to do a long bit from today’s gaggle on Cheney’s assertion that the Office of the Vice President is not part of the Executive Branch, but first I have to give Les Kinsolving his props.
Les Asks A Good One
Q Thank you, Dana. Two questions. In his statement, “all human life is sacred,” the President deplored what he termed, “the deliberate destruction of human embryos.” And my question: If a pregnant woman is medically diagnosed as facing death, unless she has a therapeutic abortion, does the President believe it is wrong to destroy the fetus to save the life of the mother?
MS. PERINO: I think that we’ve made public comments on this before regarding the health of the mother. And you’re raising complex ethical questions, which I’d refer you to the NIH to ask.
Q Well, all right. Is the President opposed to the destruction of any embryo resulting from gang rape or incest?
MS. PERINO: I think we’ve made comments on that, too, Les. We’ll get you those from before.
Q He’s made them before?
MS. PERINO: Yes, I’ll get those for you. Go ahead.
Continue reading “Today On Holden’s Obsession With The Gaggle”
Because the man gets more awesome all the time. A. Continue reading Happy Democrat Photo: Waxman Edition
Good news, for a change. The wife of a Soldier missing in Iraq no longer faces deportation, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said Wednesday. Army Spec. Alex Jimenez, who has been missing since his unit was attacked by insurgents in Iraq on May 12, had petitioned for a green card for his wife, Yaderlin, whom he married in 2004, Boston’s WBZ-TV reported. Their attorney, Matthew Kolken, said Yaderlin illegally entered the United States from the Dominican Republic in 2001. Her husband’s request for a green card and legal residence status for her alerted authorities to her situation, Kolken … Continue reading Deport Our Troops! — Update
Americans think America is a Looser! A new Gallup Poll reveals that fewer than 3 in 10 Americans saying the United States is winning the war on terror — the lowest figure since the 9/11 attacks. Further, while most Americans consider the war in Afghanistan part of the war on terror, more than half reject the idea that the war in Iraq is. Results of the June 11-14 national survey of 1,007 adults find that that 29% of Americans say the United States is winning, while 20% say the terrorists are winning and 50% say neither side. Independents and Democrats … Continue reading Loosers!
From the Times Picayune we learn that the Bush administration has made it clear they do not support Louisiana’s plan to build a new health care facility to replace Charity Hospital. HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson wrote a laundry list letter of his problems with the plan. In it he even claimed the state had “inflated” local demand for hospital beds. Of course the Bush administration had been pushing the state to implement the Bush administration’s new plan of health care for the poor—government subsidized private health insurance rather than the Charity Hospital system. There’s some irony. In the rest of … Continue reading For Bush… New Orleans’ recovery is local…until it’s not
The Hill says it may all come to a head next Thursday. House Judiciary Committee Democrats warned yesterday they would pursue a contempt of Congress motion if the White House fails respond to subpoenas for testimony and documents related to the firings of U.S. attorneys last year. The deadline for a response is Thursday, June 28. If the White House does not comply, it opens the possibility of a constitutional showdown between the two branches. In an ironic twist, the Department of Justice (DoJ) would be called on to enforce the contempt motion. [snip] One of the contempt motions would … Continue reading Contempt!
(photo: scout) For background…there has been some battling on this. Dr. Kevin Stephens the director of the New Orleans Health Department is the lead author of the study reported on below. Stephens had testified before Congress in March on his findings. State epidemiologist Raoult Ratard challenged those findings with the May release of “a study showing that the death rate has not drastically escalated.” Now Dr. Stephens has published his study in the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. From USA Today… Hurricane Katrina’s tragic aftermath lingered for at least a year after the storm abated, boosting New Orleans’ … Continue reading Study: New Orleans Deaths Up 47%
Yesterday, in Athens, Alabama, on energy. The Global War On Subjects Begins Put a good man who understands nuclear power as the head of the Energy Department, Sam Bodman. When Other Words Go Bad In order to keep pace with our nuclear energy needs, experts believe it will be necessary to build an average of three new plants per year starting in 2015. In other words, it’s one thing to talk about nuclear power; it’s another thing to have — understand the strategy necessary. Move Forward Nucular Power I appreciate the fact that the TVA is making decisions to move … Continue reading Your President Speaks!
This strikes me as such… There were no takers for a piano signed by Fats Domino in an auction to raise money for the rebuilding of New Orleans. Not one offer. Man. Christ. {{hangs head}} Here is the great Fats Domino singing “Ain’t that a Shame” Continue reading Emblematic of it all
Bradley Schlozman should be in jail. Karen Stevens, Tovah Calderon and Teresa Kwong had a lot in common. They had good performance ratings as career lawyers in the Justice Department’s civil rights division. And they were minority women transferred out of their jobs two years ago — over the objections of their immediate supervisors — by Bradley Schlozman, then the acting assistant attorney general for civil rights. Schlozman ordered supervisors to tell the women that they had performance problems or that the office was overstaffed. But one lawyer, Conor Dugan, told colleagues that the recent Bush appointee had confided that … Continue reading When Munchkins Attack
16 seconds of Willie B Continue reading Just because kitty blogging
Via Froomkin, Sid Blumenthal… In private, Bush administration sub-Cabinet officials who have been instrumental in formulating and sustaining the legal ‘war paradigm’ acknowledge that their efforts to create a system for detainees separate from due process, criminal justice and law enforcement have failed. One of the key framers of the war paradigm (in which the president in his wartime capacity as commander in chief makes and enforces laws as he sees fit, overriding the constitutional system of checks and balances), who a year ago was arguing vehemently for pushing its boundaries, confesses that he has abandoned his belief in the … Continue reading Not EVERYTHING We Did Was Illegal
Via Atrios, Chimpy falls flat on his ass in the latest Newsweek poll. In 19 months, George W. Bush will leave the White House for the last time. The latest NEWSWEEK Poll suggests that he faces a steep climb if he hopes to coax the country back to his side before he goes. In the new poll, conducted Monday and Tuesday nights, President Bush’s approval rating has reached a record low. Only 26 percent of Americans, just over one in four, approve of the job the 43rd president is doing; while, a record 65 percent disapprove, including nearly a third … Continue reading Worse Than Carter
Aquickie on board Air Force One as Chimpy flies to Alabama to raise money for Senator Jaif Sayshuns (funny how we taxpayers get to foot the bill for Chimpy’s Republikkkan fundraising travel expenses, ain’t it?). Apparently No One Told Dana Peroxide That The Vice President Is Not Part Of The Executive Branch Q This is from the House Oversight Committee, this is Waxman’s people. The committee says it has learned that over the objections of the National Archives, Vice President Cheney exempted his office from the Presidential order that establishes government-wide procedures for safeguarding classified national security information. The Vice … Continue reading Today On Holden’s Obsession With The Gaggle
Oh brother. Tommy Thompson stated he would nominate Colin Powell as his Secretary of State. Wow bold new idea there. Of course he’s not talked to Powell about it. Meanwhile according to a new Badger Poll, WI’s favorite son isn’t favored in WI… Giuliani had the highest favorable rating among Republicans at 64 percent, beating out Thompson at 58 percent. John McCain came in a distant third at 16 percent. Here’s Scout’s Badger related poll question: At present who is more embarrassing to Wisconsin? A) Tommy -I didn’t hear teh gay question-Thompson B) Ann -the Onion Rings are Vaginas– Althouse … Continue reading Sure plays a mean pinball
This has become a daily event.
Pony Gets A Face Full Of Helen, And In Response Claims That Everyone Who Attacks US Forces In Iraq Is 1) A Terrorist And 2) Not From Iraq
Q A study shows that Iraq is the second-most unstable country in the world. Do we have anything to do with that?
MR. SNOW: Do we have anything to do with that? Yes, I saw the study —
Q — the killing?
MR. SNOW: We don’t — I’m not sure I got the —
Q I’m talking about Petraeus, also, intensifying — is he trying to build a kill record before September?
MR. SNOW: No. No. In point of fact, Helen, if you take a look at the record of the last two months, the people who have been trying to put together the kill record are al Qaeda. Go to the mosques —
Q Is everybody who resists our occupation a terrorist?
MR. SNOW: Do you think somebody who goes in and blows up 50 people in a mosque is resisting occupation?
Q What have we done for five years?
MR. SNOW: What we have been trying to do is to work with folks to deal with a highly volatile situation in Iraq in the wake of a murderous regime —
Q We’ve killed thousands of people, tens of thousands —
MR. SNOW: Many have died, and hundreds of thousands died under the previous regime. This is a place that has too long been wracked by violence. And the fact that in fighting —
Q We’re not supposed to be comparing, are we?
MR. SNOW: Unfortunately, if we fought evil guys who simply would say, you caught us, we’re evil, we give up, we’ll be good — that would be great, that would be wonderful.
Q Everybody isn’t evil who fights for his land.
MR. SNOW: A lot of the people we’re talking about, Helen, aren’t fighting for their land, because it’s not their land. They don’t even come from Iraq.
Q Are we fighting Iraqis, inherently, in their own country?
MR. SNOW: Are we fighting Iraqis inherently? I think if you take a look at what General Petraeus is saying, is that increasingly Iraqis are joining with us to defend their country from the onslaught of outside fighters, whether they be from al Qaeda or Iran.
Q Good, but we have to admit we’re killing a lot of Iraqis who are against our presence.
MR. SNOW: I’m not sure. I mean, that requires the kind of canvas of those who have died that I’m not capable of doing.
Continue reading “Today On Holden’s Obsession With [Yesterday’s] Gaggle”
The economy is chucking gears all over the road. The number of newly laid off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits shot up unexpectedly last week, rising to the highest level in two months. The Labor Department reported that unemployment claims totaled 324,000 last week, up 10,000 from the previous week. The big increase was unexpected. [snip] The increase last week pushed claims to the highest level since they stood at 325,000 for the week ending April 21. The four-week average for claims rose to 314,500, the highest level since the first week in May. That increase reflected the fact … Continue reading Oh, We’re Booming Now!
Acollision of winger priorities. The wife of a soldier missing in Iraq could face deportation, her lawyer told a television station. Army Spec. Alex Jimenez, who has been missing since his unit was attacked by insurgents in Iraq on May 12, had petitioned for a green card for his wife, Yaderlin, whom he married in 2004, Boston’s WBZ-TV reported Tuesday. Their attorney, Matthew Kolken, said Yaderlin illegally entered the United States from the Dominican Republic in 2001. Her husband’s request for a green card and legal residence status for her alerted authorities to her situation, Kolken said. The attorney said … Continue reading Does Your Yellow Ribbon Magnet Say “Deport Our Troops”?
Seriously: No wonder so many people listen to Limbaugh when he talks trash about journalists — he’s the only one doing the talking. How should journalists, and especially news executives like Neuharth, greet those who perpetuate attacks on their profession, their integrity, their necessity? He could have started by having at least the minimal self-respect to defend himself. Or, if that isn’t enough, to defend his employees. Inaction in the face of attack sends a message to the reporters and editors and photographers and artists — the hundreds and hundreds of people doing their jobs to inform the public, who … Continue reading Column: Have Some Pride, Bitches
A couple of quickies from Dear Leader. First, at the White House, announcing his veto of a bill designed to provide federal funding for stem cell research. Fancy Paragraph This science which does not cross ethical lines requires money. I believe it is a good use of taxpayers’ money to spend money on this kind of science and research. And Michael is going to expedite it, that’s what that means — it’s a fancy paragraph for saying he’s going to get it done. Next, also at the White House, after meeting with Republikkkan Congressmen Lord, Deliver Me And so, to … Continue reading Your President Speaks! Again!
Of course if we had never invaded Iraq these cards would not be necessary. The Pentagon is sending another deck of playing cards to troops in Iraq – this time showing some of the country’s most precious archaeological sites instead of the most-wanted former regime officials. Some 40,000 new decks of playing cards will be sent to troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan – as part of an awareness program so troops can help preserve the heritage of those countries, said Laurie Rush, archaeologist at Fort Drum in New York. It’s aimed at making troops aware they shouldn’t pick up … Continue reading Better Late Than Never
From the NYT… After nearly two years of work, the Army Corps of Engineers disclosed for the first time today which New Orleans neighborhoods and blocks were the most vulnerable to flooding and which were the best protected. The report shows that large swaths of the city are still likely to be flooded in a major storm. If a 100-year storm were to hit today, for example, parts of the Gentilly and Lakeview neighborhoods, in the northern part of the city, would probably still take on at least 8 feet of water. But the report shows that the vulnerable areas … Continue reading Army Corps of Engineers Sort of Releases Report
It’s Not Easy Being [The] Green [Zone] The U.S. military acknowledged “an increasing pattern of attacks” against the Green Zone, a day after a mortar barrage against the heavily fortified area sent soldiers and contractors scrambling for cover. Militants fired a volley of mortar rounds into the Green Zone, which houses the U.S. and British embassies, as well as the Iraqi government on the west bank of the Tigris River, officials said. The U.S. Embassy said no casualties were reported, but the attack was the latest in what has become a nearly daily occurrence despite stringent security measures aimed at … Continue reading As Long As We Can Land A Helicopter On The Roof We’re Cool
OK what’s your favorite Beatles’ song? The Beatles’ didn’t write this one of course but I remember spending a bit of time learning to play it and it was such a fun song to play. Continue reading Your Favorite?
I took a little break from the Internets yesterday, but today I’m back and so is Pony Blow. Pony Blow: Professional Ass Q How do you respond to critics who say that the United States should have done a lot more for Abbas a lot sooner? And do you think the administration feels any responsibility at all for the split, Palestinian split? MR. SNOW: I think what you really need to be thinking about is the President of the United States did not bind people’s hands behind their back and throw them from rooftops. The President of the United States … Continue reading Today On Holden’s Obsession With [Yesterday’s] Gaggle
I believe Holden was previously engaged today with one of his ponies doing this… So I’ll just post away and BTW Willie has been on a terror lately. He got out today and I was chasing him up and down the hall. I know how those those cow pokes feel. Continue reading Just because kitty blogging
Yesterday, at the White House, with Israeli PM Olmert. What You’re Seeing Now Will Be Played Out Over Time Matt, what you’re seeing now in this part of the 21st century is going to be played out over time. When Sentences Collide And the challenge is, for those of us who believe there’s a — democracy can help yield the peace is to continue to move forward. What We’ll Be Discussing About And that’s what we’ll be discussing about today, how to do so. Only One Palestinian Territory The Prime Minister said he’s willing to have discussions with the forces … Continue reading Your President Speaks!
There’s a new Gallup Poll out. According to a new Gallup Poll, conducted June 11-14, 2007, just 32% of Americans say they approve of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president, while 65% disapprove. Bush’s current job approval rating is among the most negative of his entire presidency and is just one point higher than his all-time low as president, measured in May 2006.His current 65% disapproval rating ties for the highest of his entire tenure in the White House, the same as measured in May 2006 and in February 2007. The president’s 32% approval rating … Continue reading Breathing Down Tricky Dick’s Neck
Previously… Oyster wrote poignantly of a tenant working as a dishwasher in New Orleans who had received a letter from FEMA demanding re-payment of 18 months of hurricane aid…$10K…the equivalant of 2/3 of his yearly income. At the same time 8 insurance companies have been named in a lawsuit as having defrauded the now bankrupt National Flood Insurance Program of potentially billions of taxpayers dollars. That doesn’t make the news. But in a JUST America they would receive a letter too… FEMA500 C Street SWWashington, D.C. 20472 Edward Liddy Former CEOPresent Chairman of the Board Allstate Insurance Company P.O. Box … Continue reading The FEMA Letter I’d Like To See Go Out…