Month: November 2007

Terrorism2 Comments

Extraordinary Rendition On Trial

holdencaulfieldfd

Chimpy may be a bit uncomfortable in Italy tomorrow. The first trial involving the CIA’s extraordinary renditions program opens Friday in the absence of all 26 American defendants accused of kidnapping an Egyptian terrorist suspect. The trial, which has been an irritant in the historically robust U.S.-Italy relationship and coincides with the arrival in Rome of President Bush, was expected to ground to a halt before taking off. The government has asked Italy’s highest court to throw out indictments against 26 Americans — all but one of them believed to be CIA agents — accused of abducting Osama Moustafa Hassan … Continue reading Extraordinary Rendition On Trial

Your President Speaks7 Comments

Your President Speaks! Again!

Today, inWashington, at the State Department. Ink As A Typewriter Ribbon One Cuban journalist asked foreigners who visited him for one thing: a pen. Another uses shoe polish as ink as a typewriter ribbon. Wrong Guy Joining us here are family members of political prisoners in Cuba. I’ve asked them to come because I want our fellow citizens to see the faces of those who suffer as a result of the human rights abuses on the island some 90 miles from our shore. One of them is Olga Alonso. Her brother, Ricardo Gonzalez Alonso [sic], has been harassed by Cuban … Continue reading Your President Speaks! Again!

War in Iraq5 Comments

Huh-Oh

holdencaulfieldfd

Trouble with the “Holy Father”. Pope Benedict XVI and US President George W. Bush will discuss the Iraq war when they meet next weekend, the Vatican’s secretary of state said Sunday. Tarcisio Bertone told Avvenire, a newspaper for Italian bishops, that the United States was “a great country” and praised Bush for his anti-abortion stance, but said problems remained. “Such as the war in Iraq and also the dramatic situation for Iraqi Christians, which continues to get worse,” he said. Continue reading Huh-Oh

Hurricane Katrina & Federal Flood7 Comments

Katrina Kids: 10,000 displaced kids now suffering from clinically diagnosed depression — a 400 percent increase from before the storm

scoutprime2014

The negative impact on children of the very slow recovery on the Gulf Coast continues.USA Today reported the following example… BATON ROUGE — The leader of Louisiana’s largest school system says she believes that up to 200 children in the state’s biggest hurricane evacuee camp are not registered in local schools. And she says the U.S. government — citing privacy laws — is doing little to help officials identify the youths. Other examples comes from a recent report by Columbia University and the Children’s Health Fund which found… Up to 35,000 children– one-third of those across the Gulf Coast still … Continue reading Katrina Kids: 10,000 displaced kids now suffering from clinically diagnosed depression — a 400 percent increase from before the storm

War in Iraq3 Comments

Tenet Talks

scoutprime2014

CBS has a preview of Tenet’s interview on 60 Minutes this coming Sunday… Tenet says what bothers him most is that senior administration officials like Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice continue using “slam dunk” as a talking point. “And the hardest part of all this has been just listening to this for almost three years, listening to the vice president go on ‘Meet the Press’ on the fifth year [anniversary] of 9/11 and say, ‘Well, George Tenet said slam dunk’ as if he needed me to say ‘slam dunk’ to go to war with Iraq,” … Continue reading Tenet Talks

Law/Justice, Scoutprime3 Comments

OK maybe that’s not scary but what about…

scoutprime2014

I hadn’t written about the Presidential directive on continuity of power which sounded quite scary because I was not sure there was all that much there, there. TPM takes a look at with this post and found experts that seem to think that is the case… When a presidential directive appeared on the White House’s Web site on May 9, seemingly expanding the president’s powers after a catastrophic attack, readers began emailing us asking why there had been no uproar in the media or amongst civil liberties groups. The consensus amongst experts seems to be that the directive, aimed at … Continue reading OK maybe that’s not scary but what about…

War in Iraq3 Comments

‘The Center of the ABC News Revival’

Allison Hantschel

Good God: I asked [ABC News President David] Westin what he most proud of and what represented his biggest regret at ABC News. He said that his greatest satisfaction stemmed from pairing Gibson and Sawyer on “Good Morning America.” His biggest disappointment centered on conversations he had had with Jennings before the U.S. invasion in 2003. “Peter said, ‘Don’t count on WMDs.’ I said, ‘Peter, I guarantee you, there are WMDs.’ I regret not listening to him.” If Westin could do it over again, he said: “I’d assign Brian Ross to investigate the WMDs.” Westin said that the intelligence reports … Continue reading ‘The Center of the ABC News Revival’

Your President Speaks11 Comments

Make Sure You Pick Up All The Trash

holdencaulfieldfd

Chimpy, yesterday at the Congressional Picnic. THE PRESIDENT: I thank Tony Snow and his bunch of, well, mediocre musicians — (laughter) — no, great musicians. Beats Workin, thanks for coming. (Applause.) Kermit, come up here. Kermit, we’re proud to have you. MR. RUFFINS: Well, thanks for having us. THE PRESIDENT: Kermit Ruffins and the Barbeque Swingers, right out of New Orleans, Louisiana. (Applause.) MR. RUFFINS: Thank you. Thanks for having us. We’re glad to be here. THE PRESIDENT: Proud you’re here. Thanks for coming. You all enjoy yourself. Make sure you pick up all the trash after it’s over. Here’s … Continue reading Make Sure You Pick Up All The Trash

Stupid Republican Tricks6 Comments

Cheney Agrees That The Senate Judiciary Committee Is “Stalinist”

holdencaulfieldfd

Dick Cheney calls into the Rush Limpbaugh program whenever the Assministration is really desperate. For instance, he called Rush back in October of 2005 in a vain attempt to rescue Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination. They must be very worried about their Iraq War funding because Cheney called Limpy again today. Right off the bat Cheney agrees with Rush when he says that Deomcrats “devoted… to the concept of US defeat.” LIMPBAUGH: Now, you and the President both have derided the theatrics of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and a number of the Democrats, and I don’t know if you’re … Continue reading Cheney Agrees That The Senate Judiciary Committee Is “Stalinist”

So Called Liberal Media7 Comments

Waaah, People Asked Me Questions

Allison Hantschel

God, SACK UP, Gwen Ifill: Henderson, N.C.: As a PBS bigwig, can you explain the reasoning behind Frank Lutz serving as an analyst for PBS following the Democratic Debate. Why does your network expect this known Republican pollster (author of terms like “death tax” and “healthy forests initiative”) to fairly evaluate candidates from a party that he has spent much of his professional life fighting against? Do y’all have any comparable Democratic pollsters signed up for the Republican debate? Thank you for your time and I hope you have a good day. Gwen Ifill: I see Media Matters has gotten … Continue reading Waaah, People Asked Me Questions

Political Crack3 Comments

Find Something To Care About

Allison Hantschel

Yesterday was election day in Chicago and many of the surrounding suburbs.A sleazeball won even though Obama himself called him out in public, King Richard got his ass kicked by proxy and some anti-immigration freaks are making a whole town look bad: As many expected, the Illegal Alien Immigration Relief Act sponsored by Humpfer and Sigwalt and supported by Hinz was foremost in many voters’ minds. As introduced by the trustees in October, the proposal would fine village landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and deny licenses to businesses that hire them. The trustees also proposed to make English the … Continue reading Find Something To Care About

Your President Speaks8 Comments

Your President Speaks! Again!

holdencaulfieldfd

Yesterday, in Mobile, Alabama, at a fundraiser for Sentaor Jaif Sayshuns. It’s Like They Don’t Understand English These people are dangerous, they’re lethal, you can’t make any — can’t talk common sense to them. Why He Calls It What He Calls It We face threats from around the world. That’s why I call it a global war on terror. What This Kind Of Battle Has Got And in Iraq, this is a tough fight in Iraq. It really is. It’s the kind of battle that has got the capability of shaking the will of the American people. Home, Home On … Continue reading Your President Speaks! Again!

Hurricane Katrina & Federal Flood, Scoutprime11 Comments

Oh My! Government Bid Solicitation for those Defective New Orleans Pumps Used Specs from Catalog of Company that got Bid

scoutprime2014

The Army Corps of Engineers used pump specs for bid solicitation right out of the catalog of Jeb Bush’s old company–MWI…the company that ended up getting the bid. NEW ORLEANS—A review of documents by The Associated Press found that when the Army Corps of Engineers solicited bids for drainage pumps for New Orleans, it copied the specifications — typos and all — from the catalog of the manufacturer that ultimately won the $32 million contract. SNIP While it may not be a violation of federal regulations to adopt a company’s technical specifications, it is frowned on, especially for large jobs … Continue reading Oh My! Government Bid Solicitation for those Defective New Orleans Pumps Used Specs from Catalog of Company that got Bid

Your President Speaks4 Comments

Your President… Wait For It… SPEAKS!

Today, inWashington, at the Herritage Foundation [time elapsed: 27 minutes; 9/11 mentions: 8]. They Hate Them For Their Freedom They’re at war with America because they hate what they stand for — and they understand we stand in their way. The Global War On Plurals Continues I can’t tell you how important it is to have good centers of thought in Washington, D.C. — people who are willing to look at today’s problems and come up with innovative solution based upon sound principle to solve those problems. America Is The Only Free Nation In pursuit of their imperial aims, these … Continue reading Your President… Wait For It… SPEAKS!

Your President Speaks2 Comments

Your President Speaks!

Yesterday, inWashington. Wrong Both Times I believe the legislation I’m going to talk to you today — about which I’m going to talk to you today is a path to government-run health care, which I believe is the wrong path for the United States. Take Investment In other words, I’m the kind of person who believes that it’s important for those of us in government to encourage people to take risk and to take investment. How Many Of Us Have “Treasuries”? I believe if you’ve got more money in your treasuries to spend, it’s more likely somebody is going to … Continue reading Your President Speaks!

Your President Speaks4 Comments

Your President Speaks! Again!

Today, at theWhite House. Poor Michael Mucousy I believe that the questions he’s been asked are unfair; he’s not been read into a program — he has been asked to give opinions of a program or techniques of a program on which he has not been briefed. I will make the case — and I strongly believe this is true — that Judge Mukasey is not being treated fairly. Holy Crap! And then finally, I’ll conclude the speech by reminding people that this concept of stability has — in other words, that foreign policy ought to promote stability as opposed … Continue reading Your President Speaks! Again!

Pony, Bitches!1 Comment

Permanent Republikkkan BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

NewPew Poll: Based on nearly 20,000 interviews conducted between January and October of this year, half of Americans say they think of themselves as Democrats (33%) or as independents who lean toward the Democratic Party (17%). By comparison, just 36% identify as Republicans (25%) or as independents who lean to the GOP (11%). This 14-point advantage is the largest in nearly 20 years of surveys by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Just five years ago, in 2002, the balance of partisanship was even, with 43% identifying with or leaning toward each political party. George W. … Continue reading Permanent Republikkkan BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

So Called Liberal Media8 Comments

More On How Blogs Are Destroying Journalism

Because it seems to me that laziness, privilege and shortsightedness are doing plenty to fuck it up on their own: This isn’t meant to cast aspersions on the folks at The State covering the fire that killed seven people. But: I think it’s important to talk about race and class and how it relates to coverage. The dead were all young college students, and at least six were white (the seventh was not pictured). A reasonable person can ask if the newspaper would open up its entire front page — two days in a row — for seven middle-aged black … Continue reading More On How Blogs Are Destroying Journalism

Uncategorized8 Comments

Do you like Vlogs?

For the most part I don’t care for them. WingnutDebbie Schlussel has taken it up and reports… Yesterday’s video ranked as the54th Most-Linked-To News & Politics Video on YouTube, with 820 links and at least 1,244 views at the time I wrote this. Not bad for a debut. Below is a video of Willie B talking in his sleep. It has 11,169 views and comes up second on a very selective search of YouTube for “kitty sleep.” [WooHoo let’s make it No. 1] As it is about 6 months old and of a different “genre”– a statistical comparison to yesterday’s … Continue reading Do you like Vlogs?

War in Iraq1 Comment

US Prison camp in Iraq once listed to close now sees major upgrades

FromStars and Stripes: The largest U.S. military prison in Iraq is undergoing more than $110 million worth of work that will allow the military to expand the prison’s population from 20,000 to 30,000, officials said Tuesday. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing the Camp Bucca projects. The camp “has grown steadily since its inception in 2003 as a British-run camp, growing even in the face of now long-abandoned plans to close it down,” the release read. A break down of “how a sizable portion of the funds will be spent:” $35.3M — Housing $22M — Waste water treatment … Continue reading US Prison camp in Iraq once listed to close now sees major upgrades

Uncategorized4 Comments

Boo!

I got nuthin for Halloween but this… (Photo:REUTERS/Jason Reed) This morning I was with the Vice President. I was asking him what costume he was planning. He said, well, I’m already wearing it. (Laughter.) Then he mumbled something about the dark side of the force. (Laughter.)—Bush October 31, 2007 IOKIYAR Continue reading Boo!