My thought today was: What will airport security do if a terrorist is suspected of designing explosive clothing or a hidden weapon in a body cavity or a surgically-implanted explosive? Will they try to slam those barn doors?

The real reason for humiliating airport searches is to remind people daily to be very afraid.

I'm thinking American airport security should target foreign looking men for intense scruntiny instead of putting everyone through it.
I know it's racial profiling, but I've never personally agreed that that is so bad.
Yeah, innocent people will be scruntinized.
So?
Everyone is being scruntinized now for what a handful of foreign men have done.
I mean, if it were found that black or hispanic men commit 90% of the crimes, it seems to me you'd be stupid not to stop black & hispanic men to see what's up if you want to stop crime.
If blue haired old ladies commit 90% of the crimes, it seems to me you'd be stupid not to stop blue haired old ladies to see what's up if you want to stop crimes.
Anyway, all the violent acts have been committed by foreign men--so why punish us all--why not just pressure the foreign men?
Foreign men should understand why & be more than happy to prove they are not terrorists.

My thought today, riffing off "V for Vendetta", was that we should all put on Martin Luther King, Jr. masks and march into the White House, our house, to pluck the beams out of that mote-watching terrorist eye.

Instead of an "Avalanche of Bullshit", and open thread for an "Avalanche of the Truth"!

"They’ve taken the government over. And what’s amazing to me, and what really is troubling, is how fragile our democracy is. Look what happened to us."

Seymour Hersh

Right on, Big Dan! You've been a one-man-avalanche-of-truth today! Thanks. (Where'd you get the Hersh quote?)

BRADBLOG POP-QUIZ!

Who made the following proclamation:

"For too long, the culture of corruption has undercut development and good governance and bred criminality and mistrust around the world. High-level corruption by senior government officials, or kleptocracy, is a grave and corrosive abuse of power and represents the most invidious type of public corruption. It threatens our national interest and violates our values."

A. Al Gore
B. Ted Kennedy
C. George W Bush
D. Brad Friedman
E. Winter Patriot
F. Micky Mouse

ANswer Here!

Wait for the avalanche of bullshit on September 11. Think I'll stay in bed that day. (Well, I might hit BradBlog.)

My September 11 thought is - aside from the stark reality that it looks like an inside job - is how many lives is a great representative democracy worth? 2400? 3000? 30,000? 3,000,000? Can you put a number on it? I don't see how it is possible, yet the Constitution balances on a neverending stirred-up fear that some Americans may lose their lives. What a bunch of hysterical cowards this tv generation is.

But the gorilla in the room is visible, and that is really what is causing the hysteria (although most people don't want to look.) The gorilla is the acknowlegment that we've been fooled for decades and we have given our lives to a rapacious monster opposed in fact to everything our nation is supposed to stand for, that we have been constantly told that it stands for. This mainly semi-conscious perception (and consequent unreconcilable mental split) produces all kinds of psychic pain, guilt, and reaction in our nation --- and fear. Americans aren't a happy people, as a rule.

(I wish I could find the article, but a number of years ago I saw a psychological survey that covered much of the world with the purpose of determining the level of happiness in various populations. The happiest people in the world?...economically poor Cubans.)

On the brighter side, if we can get it together, we can be happy and fulfilled in a common purpose of bringing about a renaissance of democracy. But we need a charged vision that will overwhelm thoughts of defeat.

#7 - BB2 - Yeh, sure...I'm pretty sure it was Mickey Mouse. Am I close?

Arry #9

I wish it were so! Your "gorilla in the room" is closer.

Agent BB2

Arry was darn close! I heard a guy once state that * speaks "antonymically", meaning that whatever he says, you can be sure the opposite is true, or that what he's saying about others, while a total lie, is perfectly true about himself.

Actually, I think that particular move, co-opting the opposition's language, is known as the "Clintonian Maneuver". The Republicans had to be so fried when he used their own shtick on them that they became determined to rig the vote so nobody could ever do it again!

Heads up Guys

August 12th Noon PT on Court TV, "Beyond the Patriot Act"
presented by the ACLU. Tivo, tape it and share.

A HELL OF A TIME UP AT THE PALACE

"Darkness had already enveloped Honolulu when a pair of well-dressed conspirators knocked on one of the most imposing doors in town. The man they came to visit held the key to their revolution. He was not a warrior or a warlord, not a financier, not a politician, not an arms dealer. John L. Stevens was the American minister to Hawaii, and that night he joined an audacious plot to overthrow Hawaii's queen and bring her country into the United States."

"Stevens and the men who visited him on the evening of January 14, 1893, fully understood the serious of their mission, but they could not have known what a long shadow they would cast over history. They were the first Americans who ever met to plan and carry out the overthrow of a foreign government. They also opened a tumultuous century of American-sponsored coups, revolutions, and invasions".

Taken from "OVERTHROW" BY Stephen Kinzer

I'm not sure about the "first" part, since I've always had my suspicions concerning who Sam Houston had conversations with in Washington prior to drinking his way to Tejas.

ITMFA

Major wire service softens its coverage of Bush terror exploitation: First version of AFP story about White House political exploitation of foiled terror plot was scathing. Later, softened version just made it seem like normal, partisan political bickering between Dems and Republicans. Spinmeisters at work? Or just “objective” journalism as usual? You decide. Compare and contrast these versions for yourself.

Anybody have any theories on why MSNBC has become the PRISON CHANNEL on the weekends and even on weekdays starting a couple of weeks ago? I think it's creepy!

My take is that it's based on the "scared strait" program that they used to give at high schools. Why is it that all Americans are considered to be "at risk" of going bad.

Hell if we could just change the laws after the fact like Bush plans to do after being classified as a WAR CRIMINAL be the UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT, we wouldn't ever have to BE bad, would we.

remember remember the 5th. of november

... Charlene I'm sure you don't have blue hair ,you would not support racial profiling then...

correction
"They’ve taken the government over. And what’s amazing to me, and what really is troubling, is how fragile our democracy is. Look what happened to us."

WAS not "is".Past tense guy.

Georgia's 4th Congressional District election beteeen Cynthia McKinney and Hank Johnson had lots of reported problems including machines voting on their own and votes flipping. They were reported on by Atlanta Progressive News. Can we get an official Brad Blog link to this story? Lots of documented irregularities.

http://www.atlantaprogre...enews.com/news/0077.html

Ingemar Smith
Atlanta, GA

Agent99: Seymour Hersh said that a while ago, it always stuck with me. A profound statement. How fragile was our democracy to begin with, if a handful of neo-con creeps in the extreme minority could take over our country? They exploited the basic setup of our democracy, which wasn't solid to begin with, if they could do this. Someone needs to get in there, and change the laws that allowed them to do this. Or, did they just break all the laws, using 9/11 as an excuse? Just "disregard" the constitution, and use 9/11 as an excuse.

I just remember, he said that a while ago, and it popped in my head, and I did a search on it with "Seymour Hersh 'how fragile'". That quote is all over the "tubes" on the "internets", as Republicans would say.

That just made me think, the reason the neo-cons and Repubicans didn't take down the "internets" yet, is because they don't understand it, they think it's a bunch of "tubes". Did you see that on Jon Stewart? Some Republican Senator or congressman said, "it's not like a dumptruck, it's like a bunch of tubes." Scarey, these guys are in office, which makes me believe even more in vote fraud. The guy who said that, should've resigned the next day, resign for stupidity.

I figured out why the GOP hasn't taken down the internets: They're looking for a bunch of tubes somewhere!

Here's what we do. We tell the GOP we saw a bunch of tubes up in Alaska near the BP pipeline, to waste their time. Then, we tell them we saw a bunch of tubes near the Mexican border. Illegal immigrants were seen smuggling TUBES across the border!

Then, Rick Santorum will hold a press conference, like with the WMD's, and announce, "WE FOUND THE TUBES!"

Ted Stevens said the internet was a bunch of tubes...from Alaska where the dems. can't obtain data on the '04 election. I think he is chairman of the appropriations commitee. Anybody know. Anyway, he was busy passing one of those 1,000 page budget bills when it was found out an aide wrote in that IRS returns could be used for political reasons. Ted was shocked, just shocked. The way our laws are passed should be changed. They should be posted a couple of weeks prior to the vote so WE could look at them and make comments to oour lawmakers. The lawmakers would also have a chance to read them. Does anybody know if Nixon won the popular vote? I read some where the electoral college voted him in. Maybe we don't need that any more either.

BlueBear2 #7

Big Brother is not only a republican, he is a republican plagiarist.

Note what those from whom the words were stolen said:

"Fighting the culture of corruption starts here at home," responded Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton. "We're pleased to see the President come around to support our call for an end to the Republican culture of corruption that has plagued Washington, and we will, of course, do our best to get rid of corrupt Republicans in the fall."

(Raw Story, bold added). And the dems have a point. The republicans have been not only caught but convicted, sentenced to prison, and now are being sued for damages:

As part of their ongoing law suit against the New Hampshire Republicans regarding the jamming of Democratic phone banks on Election Day, 2002, the Democrats alleged a "deliberate cover up" by the GOP in a filing earlier this week. Notes from FBI interviews indicate that that a number of senior officials with the New Hampshire Republican State Committee [NHRSC] knew of the jamming and consciously covered it up, they say.

(link here, bold added). Evidently the republicans are extrapolating from the notion of "family values" and doing it together.

It's a republican "family" thang.

#24 BigDan,
What creeps me out lately (well, among alot of other horrible things) are the glimpses we get of just how low the level of intelligence of our "leaders" really is. Bush is the poster boy for this, of course, but there are so many examples.

I was pretty horrified when I found out that lawmakers routinely don't read the bills they sign. Maybe it's NOT just because they're busy.
I was horrified at Lindsay Graham blithely displaying his ignorance of history when questioning John Dean.

And who was it that thought "spam" still just meant canned meat? And was perplexed about why people were sending so much of it through the mail?

Here's a little tidbit of lawmaking from February 09, 2005:

"Low Riders will cost you in VA

Wearing pants that expose your underwear in a lewd or indecent manner will cost you $50 if the bill becomes law. The House passed it 60-34.

Here is the text of the law:

'Any person who, while in a public place, intentionally wears and displays his below-waist undergarments, intended to cover a person's intimate parts, in a lewd or indecent manner, shall be subject to a civil penalty of no more than $50...'"

This is where their mentality so often seems to hover, right in keeping with banning gay marriage & flag-burning & changing the name of french fries to freedom fries.
Pathetic.
My vote for best recent bumper sticker:
Ban the Marriage of Church & State.

I watched part of one of my favorite movies--'Enemy of the State'--last night. That movie was made in '96 or '98. I wonder if some of the claims made in it are true: that NSA surveillance of its own citizens has been with us since the '40's.
I remember how when it first came out, such "paranoia" seemed like just typical Hollywood high-tech excess & exaggeration to embellish a good story.
Just another good old "conspiracy theory"!
"See? It's only a MOVIE! Hahaha! That stuff doesn't really HAPPEN!"

Re Ted Stevens & his "tubes":
link

Joan #28 --- But they often seem so energetic when passing legislation that will benefit their benefactors at the expense of U.S. citizens. When it comes to the people --- well, no more "low riders".

Following up on my #8 --- One way (a cop out, of course) to overcome guilt and the fear that we've fallen for a sham is to "see the light". Yep, to use Jesus to purge the truth and its consequent pain. (Poor Jesus) To live in a '50's fantasy world, a world where we know nothing about the direction we are being taken and prefer to know nothing. A world far from the open book the U.S. almost became in the '60's. But wait...we can go further. We can go completely nuts (heck, why not --- we're nuts already) and revel in death and degradation...get off on it. In the name of Jesus.

I'm only saying this, of course, because it has nothing to do with the teachings of Christ but is a malignant growth born of childish (not childlike) urge to ignore problems that an adult would face and deal with.

In regard to the "gorilla in the room" I spoke of...we can be grateful that many Americans throughout our history have have pointed it out and have faced the fact and tried to do something about it. Those Americans are our true compatriots.

have have pointed it out Weird. I can't seem to get through a post without stuttering.

Big Dan #22

I think you answered your own question there!

Re #22 BigDan & Bluebear2,
So why are we ("we" meaning Congress & the people in our legal system) not applying those laws? I know, we've talked about fear, threats, blackmail, bribery...
Still, I guess I expect lawyers to come forward, or prosecutors. SOMEBODY. Somebody with warrants & handcuffs. Isn't that what is SUPPOSED to happen when laws are broken? Who indicts? Who convenes a grand jury? I'm woefully ignorant of our legal processes, but they sure seem broken to me when the president can just retroactively change the law so that he & his cohorts "didn't break it".
Of all the insults, absurdities & obscenities that make up the george w. bush presidency, the stink of THAT one really makes one retch.

Joan #34

It seems when some action is taken, if we hear about it at all, it just seems to fade into oblivion. All the hearings Conyers has had, The Plame affair Grand Jury, Cunningham, etc. If action is taken at all it is years later and in the meantime the same crap goes on. Only now they find another way to cover it up or work the system.

I agree - when do the handcuffs come out ant these perps get hauled away?

ITMFA!

9/11 Watch

The government has released some new info to the National Archives:

National Security Archive Update, August 11, 2006

Government Releases Detailed Information on 9/11 Crashes

Complete Air-Ground Transcripts of Hijacked 9/11 Flight Recordings Declassified

(link here). I have not seen them so I don't know what is involved.

Great thread so far!!! But all my thoughts of the day are jumbled, so I'll save and sort and come back later. Arry, GREAT to see you again!

John Dean has written a book review and commentary which I recommend (link here).

He states in passing one of the things I have noticed in my campaign to remind everyone that republicans fully and completely control congress. He says:

Nonetheless, there are numbers of voters who know strikingly little about Congress or their Congressperson. For example, a recent Cato Institute study reveals that only four percent of Americans know the name of their Representative to the House, and only a third of Americans know that Republicans control Congress. As the Cato reports warns: "Ignorance Isn't Bliss."

(bold added). There can be no democracy without accountability, and there can be no accountability without knowing who is in charge and therefore who is to be held accountable.

Joan, it's actually SCAREY that nothing happens to these people. There was a time, Nixon, when a politician broke the law, he was booted. Now, they rewrite the law, like they're doing with torture. Did you read about that?

Another thought: The MSM is not going to change. Don't give them the benefit of the doubt, when they throw us a bone once in a while. The only way the MSM will change, is if corporations don't own it, and that isn't changing.

So we MUST switch to LINK-TV and FSTV. Is everyone as excited about LINK & FS as I am? Do you watch it? Have you watched Democracy NOW!, the INN Rerport, and Liberty News? They are 24×7 and don't just have news. They show things like "Bush's Brain", documentaries about Noah Chomsky (who the MSM has banned covering), etc... There is always something good on, it's addicting, I have them on all the time. They make corporate TV look sick, there is such a big difference.

If you have DISH or directv, you already have LINK-TV and you don't know it. Just start watching it. DISH 9410 & directv 375. DISH additionally has FSTV, which is 9415. Commercial-free, no corporate money.

They are so important, that if you have cable, you should dump it and get DISH, just for these 2 channels.

THEY WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE, THEY CHANGED MINE! Then, you have to spread the news about them. It's here, like a gift, something you would wish for if it didn't exist. After you watch them for a while, go back and watch CNN or ABC, and you will be embarrassed. I actually feel embarrassment when I watch that crap.

Taking America back starts with the truth, and you can't begin unless you chuck corporate TV news. It's fun to compare them too. Watch Democracy NOW! and switch back and forth to ABC, NBC, CBS...you'll laugh your ass off! It's like a Cadillac vs. a Yugo.

Funny thing, is I had DISH for a while, and didn't realize these channels were on it, they came with all the basic packages. I saw Democracy NOW! in St. Louis on a business trip once (I live in Pa.), and I got home, and I told my wife, "Geez, they have the best news down in St. Louis." I didn't even know it was syndicated, I thought is was local news down there. Then a few years went by, and I got DISH (because it's cheaper than cable. LOL!), and I was flicking around and saw Amy Goodman. I realized it was the same news I saw in St. Louis. I was very excited about it. Then, after leaving the channel on after it was over (laziness!), I noticed EVERYTHING on LINK-TV was great, commercial free, and 24×7. Then I discovered Free Speech TV, only because I noticed Democracy NOW! is repeated on it, one hour after it's on at 6pm on LINK-TV. Then I found the same thing with FSTV. 24×7 corporate free TV & news. Why is it so different than corporate news? Because corporate news is only what they want to tell you. The INN Report says, "...and now the news the networks don't want you to know about..."

If you like Brad Blog, and you're here so you like it, you will absolutely LOVE LINK-TV and FSTV...they will change your life. You will realize, like they say, "what democracy looks like" (FSTV)

I'm really glad I came across things like Brad Blog, Raw Story, LINK-TV, FSTV. They go together, in case you don't realize it. Surround yourself with "the truth"...ditch corporate & GOP lies and misinformation. Mediamatters.org and blackboxvoting.org , of course, fit into that "surrounding yourself with the truth"... and some others I probably am not mentioning.

I like American Free Press, too, as far as newspapers go. They report extensively on 9/11, and they are the ONLY newspaper consistenly reporting on e-vote fraud. They appear to be conservative to me, but real conservative, not neo-con. They hate Bush and the neo-cons, they have a columng by Ron Paul, they regularly have a column by Paul Craig Roberts. They are accused of being "anti-semetic" because they report on Israel. I don't see that... And besides, any paper that reports on 9/11 and vote fraud is great. They must be the only newspaper in America that does that. They do get a bit too conservative for me sometimes, but their non-opinion investigative reporting is great.

My point is, the MSM is not going to change, don't give it one more chance. Not one! Just switch. But, it's still important for Brad Blog, mediamatters, etc... to keep reporting on their lies and misinformation. But I won't watch it anymore, except to point out lies and misinformation in it.

My nomination for the greatest title ever for a Brad Blog article is, "An Avalanche Of Bullshit." That title was a beautiful thing!

Yeah this government is really worried about terrorism......... http://news.yahoo.com/s/...r_explosives_detection_4

WP,

Can you scan in today's Wiley Miller comic strip about Ann Coulter? I thought it was excellent.

FAKE TERROR PLOT

See waynemadsenreport.com. It all makes sense and Prince Charles is involved on our side.

Truth Seeker Check this out........ http://www.total411.info/

Laura,

Thank you. I think we all know that the administration criminals will do anything to control the news cycle from now through November. I hope they are wrong about that volcano in Hawaii.

BigDan,
I get my news mainly from Bradblog & RawStory. Truthout also. I must get whatever it takes to access DemocracyNow. I know you've been talking about it for a long time here, but I haven't looked into it yet. My life's been a little hectic for a while.
TV & newspaper news is mostly maddening shit.

I went to see that Nicolas Cage movie World Trade Center today. It was very uncomfortable sitting there watching a movie about our one day of tragedy, terrible as it was, while my country is inflicting pain & death on thousands in Iraq & not intervening to try & end the violence in Israel & Lebanon.

Bluebear2,
Yes. It's long past time for the handcuffs. The lot of them should have been impeached long ago. It's fucking unconscionable.
Checks & balances my ass.
ITMF'sA (all of 'em)

#37 --- Thanks, Peg. I still haven't really gotten into the rhythm of the open threads, but I'm doin' better than before. As I often find myself dragging other threads OT (not consciously - I always realize it after I post) I'm grateful for the open threads.

As I said in another place, I'll be trying some things that supposedly will speed up connections to "frequently visited" websites. We'll see.

Cindy Sheehan's Fast is taking a toll on her:

Cindy being treated for exhaustion

Joan #48

Here are a few links for you:

Democracy Now Home Page
Clickable Map of radio stations carrying Democracy now. Many of these have 28k streams which work pretty well with dialup! You should be able to find one that works for you in your time zone if you don't get one over the air.
Or even find one in a different time zone to hear it at a more convenient time.

Joan - Comment # 48

Democracy Now is on the web, just Google Democracy Now,
you'll see Amy Goodman,.. The video archives are right
there. On the road often you can find it broad-casted on a college radio station as you travel about.

Google - Liberty News TV,.. if you are not aware of that yet. Nice progressive info news which comes out
at the first of the month.

I don't have cable or dish,.. I send that money to Bradblog so he can continue to get the message out.

This station also does good news coverage... English translations of many different countries' newscasts. Would not have made it through "Shock and Awe" without Link TV. It airs Democracy now and Mosiac World News from the Middle East.

Big Dan, Joan, 99, et.al. -

We've had satellite television for years now because cable isn't in place in our area and aerial reception is so fuzzy from here you might as well not have video. We watch Link T.V. and contribute to its existence on a regular basis. Never miss Mosaic (winner of 2005 Peabody Award) or DemocracyNow!, though Amy Goodman is, I gather, considered to be a "left-wing gatekeeper" blocking discussion of 911 topics.

I don't know. Maybe that's just to keep people watching, all kinds of people, to coverage of humane and factual issues on a day-to-day basis. Because her colleagues, notably Jeremy Scahill, are less reticent.

Speaking of 911, here's a link to an article by Michael Chossudovsky I found yesterday, warning of The Pentagon's "Second 911"

#54 Peg,
Re your link: Jesus. Not that it's a surprise, but it is chilling.
A bit from it:
"...The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons...
As in the case of Iraq, the response is not conditional on Iran actually being involved in the act of terrorism directed against the United States..."

Thank you all, guys, for your info on DemocracyNow & etcetera!!

If you get your news from Brad Blog & Raw Story, LINK-TV & FSTV with Democracy NOW! is the perfect compliment.

Another thought, on Raw Story, it says "Snow says on O'Reilly...."

...but, I just thought, when was the last time Snow, Rice, any of them were on Air America Radio? Or Democracy NOW! ? When was the last time Cheney granted an interview to Brad?

The whole Bushco crew ONLY goes on FOX-related shows! Know why? Because then it's an "INFO-MERCIAL"! It just struck me, that Bushco/FOX news relationship allows the "info-mercial" propoganda. Just like Ron Popeil and his stacked audience, Bush & friend on FOX related shows like Hannity, O'Reilly, etc... is the political propoganda "info-mercial." Complete with softball questions, softball callers, etc... We think they're so smart? It's nothing but a Ron Popeil veg-o-matic commercial. Same thing with Bush & Co's speeches with shill audiences.

The whole point, is to "appear" that everyone's 100% in agreement with them. The news, interviewer, callers, etc...

Rice was on Hannity the other day, and this thought crossed my mind. When was the last time Rice was on Air America Radio? Try NEVER!!! Because the "info-mercial" doesn't work, then. You've seen Bush (rarely) with unstacked audiences. He says, "uuummm....that question wasn't agreed upon". Actually, the friggin' QUESTIONS are part of the "info-mercial." This is what the neo-cons have turned democracy into, an "info-mercial."

A non-participatory "info-mercial" that we're not allowed to participate in. Ignore the protests, ignore the polls.......keep going with the "info-mercial" like everything's going alright.

But we're all catching on...I see it...

You know, I knew about depleted uranium, read about it. So I don't know why THIS story affected me so much. Why it makes me feel that our efforts are all just futile, like a teaspoon of water against a forest fire.
Against obscenity like this, what hope is there, really?

I'm sorry. That's really, really negative.

Heard they agreed to a ceasefire today.

Anyway, here's the DU story
link

You have to love George Galloway

Oops
http://www.globalresearc...60807&articleId=2919

#57 Big Dan --- That's it. Personally, I don't have the time or inclination to watch MSM "news" or interviews any more than I would waste my time watching a vegomatic infomercial. (Of course, It's more than that. I don't like to participate in the making of 1984.)

The big questions, the important questions that are the obvious follow-ups are never asked. Say what you will about Ralph Nader or David Cobb, they really wanted to ask the right questions. That's one of the main reasons why they wanted to be in the debates. If they had been (and if the debates had not been structured to stifle real debate) we would have been a lot further along in this country toward what we on this blog are fighting for.

BTW, I used to listen to Democracy Now on the local community radio station (KVMR), but I received Dish network for a year as a gift! So, I watch it on television now.

Sometimes, I'll just tune into Free Speech Network on the spur of the moment and find something really interesting. Just last night, a "peace Christian" (Rev. McCarthy) was speaking about the very subject of one of my posts on this thread. That was kinda cool.

Real news, real subjects, real people.

http://henryrollins.ifc.com/downloads/rants.jsp

Ever watch the Henry Rollins Show in IFC (Independent Film Channel) channel 131 on DISH?

Click on "Episode 20" of Henry "teeing off" on those who want to limit our freedom on the internet.

No, I don't work for DISH!

Arry, ever notice FSTV & LINK-TV are regular people? No movie stars or politicians? People who aren't on MSM TV, people like us. We're shut out...until now, with FSTV & LINK-TV. And they show real people from other countries. Not their leaders.

MSM is one big veg-o-matic commercial. No commercials on LINK-TV or FSTV, either, notice that?

Buy this! Buy that! Losing your hair? Buy this! Drink this!

Our #1 job should be (note to Brad) stopping these creeps from controlling the internet. They're trying!!! Brad, add to your repetoire, articles about Big Brother trying to control the internet.

Here you go: NYTimes held wirepapping story until after the 2004 election.

http://www.rawstory.com/...s_for_New_York_0812.html

Remember when the NYTimes apologized for their run up to the Iraq War reporting? Remember when I said that was BULLSHIT? Remember when I said don't give any corporate-controlled news entitiy a 2nd chance? How many more times are we going to see that the NYTimes held a story until after the election? The only one brave enough not to do it, Dan Rather, they ran out of town, because he wasn't part of the "info-mercial".

They didn't tell us, that even though Rather's documents may not have been legit (it's never been proven either way), the story was absolutely true. They kept that part from us. The NYTimes killed a story that Bush had some contraption clearly outlined through the back of his suit during the debates, remember that? Do you believe the NYTimes anymore?

Big Dan,

If you want to protect the internet, you need a Democratic Congress. In the short run, this is the only way. The Dems will protect it. They are certainly not perfect, but they will keep the fascists from taking all of your civil liberties.

Big Dan --- I haven't even looked at Channel 131. I guess I ought to.

Yes, real people - people who refuse to be invisible in the glare of the big phony MSM light show. Real people vs. lowlife salesmen. And I love so many of the people on FSTV and LINK. I really do. Non-hypnotized people. Full-dimensional people.

(And what the hell, I'll make a confession. I'm a male. Male brain, male hormones. That Liberty News anchor - Liz Chambers - turns me on. Evident intelligence, progressive, beautiful...I love the way she looks when she comments on the latest stupidity of the power elite. Wow...I'm not really old and I'm in excellent shape!)

BTW, the Dish network gift was from a person I've had to deal with quite a bit. A friend, but not an old friend. (He is a particular friend of my sister.) Most of our discussions have to do with history or science or technology - in all of which subjects he's a "buff". He knows my political and social views and for the most part doesn't agree with them, but doesn't know their background or depth. I had basically no television at all prior to getting Dish Network. This lack bugged him incessantly. Frankly, I think he thought exposure to numerous channels would make me more "normal". Little did he know with what he was dealing!

Who will you vote for in the US House Election:

POLL...(DATE)..[% R=Republican, D=Democrat]

Newsweek...(8/11)...[39% R, 51% D]
FOX/OD........(8/9).....[30% R, 48% D]
AP/Ipsos.....(8/9)....[37% R, 55% D]

(link here).

Dredd:

You mean Bush didn't get a bump and a bouce out of "TERROR FROM THE SKIES"!

MSNBC Poll:

Do you believe President Bush's actions justify impeachment? * 306860 responses

Yes, between the secret spying, the deceptions leading to war and more, there is plenty to justify putting him on trial.
86%
No, like any president, he has made a few missteps, but nothing approaching "high crimes and misdemeanors."
4.4%
No, the man has done absolutely nothing wrong. Impeachment would just be a political lynching.
7.3%
I don't know.
1.8%

Hey Arry, I was thinking that, too, about Liz Chambers. Funny you should say that. A good looking woman anchor, with brains! Instead of those bimbo's on CNN.

Arry, if my wife saw me write that, she'd KILL ME! Good thing she's not around (winky winky).

don't worry, Dan, I'll send her a link!

You should check out that Henry Rollins link I posted above. He was in a Punk-Metal band called Black Flag, he wrote a book about it, how they had no money but played anyway, and asked people in the crowd if they could stay at their houses, he got in a lot of fights. He's also a very funny stand-up comedian, and he's a "tell it like it is" kind of guy. If you think Bill Maher is, he's nothing compared to Henry Rollins. That link is from a talk show he has on IFC DISH 131, it's a great show. He leads off his show with a political rant called "teeing off". He always has an interesting guest, and they overdub a cartoon over one of his stand-up routines, which is really cool. Also, I think he's a body builder, at least he looks like one. My son who goes to college in Boston is always telling me to watch the Henry Rollins show, and I finally did, and it's great. It's kind of like a cross between the Daily Show and Bill Maher, only Henry is way more volatile than those shows. He's a really smart guy.

Cads, all of you cads!

Big Dan,..

I was going to file a complaint with you about
Dish TeeVee,.. they call me about 10x a day,..
I figured your being the Chairman of the Board
of Directors at Dish TV,.. you could remedy that
daily telemarketing phone call problem.

Are you a major shareholder ? (just kidding)- THX for sharing the links. I found Link TV on the web,.. that will keep me preoccupied and politically entertained.

Look at this Newsweek article,.. I can not believe a
national periodical of this stature would give this ethnocentric racist a platform to spew his bile. He is
a Fascist Zionist who calls himself a professional Jew.
(Rabbi Marc Gellman) Who chastises Connecticut Jewish voters who chose not to vote for Joe Lie-berman. He states,.. Blacks voted for Barack Obama and Catholics voted for J.F. Kennedy,.. but only 50% of the Jews voted for
Lie-berman. These Jews he contends could only be self hating self loathing Jews. Oh Really,.. could it be
that these Jewish voters were not blind Zionists who
simply felt Lie-berman has proven himself unqualified to be returned to the US Senate ? He might make a better AIPAC weapons and armaments lobbyist for the Israeli government,.. being the warmonger he has proven himself to be.

Link to the Rabbi Marc Gellman ethnocentric/racist Pro Joe Lieberman Article

Portion of above article,..

Please understand, this is not a political rant. Yes, I support the war and yes I support and admire President George W. Bush, but I understand and respect those who have come to another conclusion about how best to fight the war on terror. My disappointment is with my people. I simply do not understand why so many Jews bailed on Joe. I cannot understand why Joe's percentage of the Jewish vote was not in the high 90s instead of the 54-57 percent range (according to Lieberman’s campaign).

Here is what this hypocrite said on December 2000,..

Voting for Lieberman because he is Jewish is just as wrong as voting against Lieberman because he is Jewish. Acceptance means being considered for public office because of where you stand on the issues, not where you stand on the sabbath. Politics isn’t baseball. There is no room in politics for irrational rooting for the hometown team.

Link to above source.

I haven't been keeping up with the comments here...been kinda bummed of late, truth be told.
But I just read about this Spike Lee New Orleans documentary. He's going to premiere it in New Orleans.

Katrina was some kind of turning point for me. I never lived there, but it meant something to me.
I was only there once, with two friends, in my younger days. We were traveling, kind of aimlessly. Didn't have much money but we stayed for awhile. I rented a bike one day & pedaled all around the city, heard alot of good music, met alot of good people. A really memorable time.
The abandoning of that city just broke my heart, & made me so angry, so bloody fucking angry.

So it sounds good. This documentary. I hope it's good.
"...Lee views the tragedy as a national betrayal rooted in class, not skin color. To him, what the victimized share most is that they had very little to begin with and were left with nothing..."
..."I just couldn't believe this was happening right now in America" he says.

Right. I couldn't either. Still can't. But I believe alot of things now that I never thought I would.

link

#78 OldTurk,
Is it me, or is this whole lieberman thing just bizarre? The right seems to have lost its MIND over this. What little mind they had.

#76 --- My dictionary says, "cad: a man or boy whose behavior is not gentlemanly"

Now, I have never claimed to be a gentleman, although I hope I'm a "gentle man" except with trolls and "morans".

Besides, I'm wifeless. I get a pass. Now, Big Dan...

...and in our favor, we are not turned on by bimbos.

Well, let me know when you prize brains and other qualities above the youth and good looks enough to skip the babes in favor of the woman of your dreams. I don't mean to sound harsh or sour. I just see how very messed up we are behind looks in our culture, and we are plenty messed-up enough already without throwing that into the soup.

Pardon me. I just got done watching a couple of serious downer Frontline pieces, that just highlight human greed, stupidity, ignore-ance, delusion, fear.... Pay no attention, I'm just sorta mowed down by the enormity of it right now.

I read a dumb novel by a psychiatrist one time, an exploration of the pitfalls of anima projection. The protagonist falls passionately in love with an ogre woman. He was carrying things a little too far.... But you can be unmarried and still be a cad, actually, there are at least as many unmarried cads as married ones!

Thing is, I'm not really thinking of going after Liz Chambers. But I would be less than honest if I didn't acknowledge an admiration for brains, commitment, and beauty. (And I wouldn't ever characterize someone I admire as a "babe".) That's one person. Other persons, and I know a few, have such strength and beauty of soul that whatever their features, all you see is life and beauty.

I'm so damn busy the last few years trying to know everything there is to know, make sense out of it, and to live a useful life, I'm afraid I haven't developed much of an image of the woman of my dreams.

Alas. It's the first time in my 56 years of life that anyone has called me a cad.

Well, at least you are a "sensitive" cad.