Blogged by Brad Friedman on 12/21/2005 11:33AM  
A By-Request Open Thread...

Unfortunately, I'm likely off the grid for the bulk of the day/evening today. So, unless the mighty fine Guest Bloggers jump in, feel free to Be the Blog! BRAD BLOG regular, "Dredd" requested an Open Thread recently, so Happy HOLIDAYS, old boy!

In my stead, it'll be as if I'm here by my kicking the Open Thread off with a few things "BRAD" that all have roughly something to do with your occasionally humble host, but that I otherwise don't know what to do with...

Hometown Boy Does Good-ish
Jo Mannies of my one-time hometown paper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch blogs about me. Please note that the commenters in St. Louis on both that item, and the one preceeding it about the city of St. Louis choosing Diebold (the county has yet to make their final determination), need some education and some help. Feel free to offer it to them politely.

Thanks for the Honor Danny!
The notable author/filmmaker Danny Schecter, currently of MediaChannel.org has taken note of The BRAD BLOG as one of the notable blogs listed amongst his notable list of "Media Heroes". Coming from someone such as Schecter, that is no small honor. Given the company we share on his list, we are about as humbled as we are cable of being. We'll not even note he called us "Brad's Blog" since humble beggars shouldn't be choosers. (For more on humble begging, read on to the end of this item...)

FINALLY! A Good Excuse to Go Out and Buy Hustler!
I've got a short piece in the January February issue, on stands now, so I'm told, about DIEB-THROAT! Go get it! Lemme know you think, since I've yet to see the final version. Finally, you can tell people you really did buy it for the articles!

FINALLY! A Good Excuse to Go Out and Buy Mother Jones!
I've got an article about Dan Borchers --- he the Conservative (real one) working on an Anti-Ann Coulter documentary as first discussed in this BRAD BLOG Exclusive --- in the January issue. Now also out on stands, or so I'm told. If you prefer to save your money, for a CHRISTMAKKAKWANZA DONATION to your friendly neighborhood BRAD BLOG, you can read the MoJo article online here. Be sure to note the cool Spewing Ann graphic with it!

And Speaking of Donations...and Beggars...
Remember, just a few days left to make your end of year tax-deductible donations! Of course, we're not tax-deductable as far as I know, but really...Who does more good for the world? Those losers over at Save the Children or The BRAD BLOG? ;-)

Okay. After you send the tax-deductible part to them, feel free to share whatever might left with us. We could use the end o' year help.

Alternately, a monthly subscription of any amount you choose (see the blue form on the right of this page) is also a very lovely way to end one helluva roller-coaster ride of a year!

(And don't forget the swell merchandise in The BRAD STORE! Though who knows if it'll get there in time for the Holidays...Well, hell, there's eight full days of Chanukah to come! So, sure! It'll make it!...Maybe.)

Discuss all or none of the above...in comments below...

Buzz this story! C2NN: Submit it!


READER COMMENTS ON
"Dredd's Thread..."
(116 Responses so far...)

COMMENT #1 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 12/21/2005 @ 12:30 pm PT...


Thanks bro.


COMMENT #2 [Permalink]
... bluebear 2 said on 12/21/2005 @ 12:57 pm PT...


Dredd Rules!

Now we have to think of something to comment on!


COMMENT #3 [Permalink]
... bluebear 2 said on 12/21/2005 @ 1:17 pm PT...


Here's something on the 9/11 black boxes

What's interesting is the author's comment that the black boxes had been found at the Pentagon.

Is that another coverup since there is no other evidence of a passenger jet at that location?


COMMENT #4 [Permalink]
... Floridiot said on 12/21/2005 @ 1:25 pm PT...


How about Turd Stevens, did you see that pout when the ANWR / Defence bill got shot down?

I thought he was going to cry

And I think there was a Frist Vaccination add-on of some sort in their too, S 2053 Read here, he's trying to slip another one through


COMMENT #5 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 12/21/2005 @ 1:44 pm PT...


Bluebear #3

I always wondered how they could claim to have found Atta's passport, made of paper, and not to have found the black boxes, which like you pointed out, are made to survive

Floridiot #4

Ted did go to his room and cry his eyes out.


COMMENT #6 [Permalink]
... bluebear 2 said on 12/21/2005 @ 2:28 pm PT...


Merry Christmas From Bushco and Friends


COMMENT #7 [Permalink]
... bluebear 2 said on 12/21/2005 @ 2:31 pm PT...


Take that O'Rielly


COMMENT #8 [Permalink]
... A Concerned Citizen said on 12/21/2005 @ 3:14 pm PT...


I guess my thought today would be that it looks like my son won't have to go back to Iraq again - possibly ever!!!! We'll know for sure on the 1st, but it's looking good!!!! He already spent a full year there. They were supposed to be gone by now, but they delayed and now possibly cancelled them. *doing the happy dance*

Best Christmas present I've ever had in my life. I can't help but feel that there is a HUGE-GIANT-MEGA thank you due to all the bloggers who tirelessly have fought to make the facts about this war heard. Thank you!! You are all finally being heard! There is a road ahead and 150,000 others who need to be home from Iraq soon, but it's a start! I don't know how many still in Afghanistan, but they need to get home too, including my son's best friend who entered the service with him.

America is NOT toast. We are going to make it....

Thank you Brad, Cindy, Arianna, Jon Stewart, John Conners, and others, for your unrelentless efforts with the war. (Thank you Jon for cracking my ass up inbetween the tears.) I truly thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. You helped save my son's life, I hope you are as proud of yourselves as you should be. Sure hope you have a Merry Christmas, you certainly helped make mine the best one ever.


COMMENT #9 [Permalink]
... Soul Rebel said on 12/21/2005 @ 3:26 pm PT...


For RL Mills: Didn't know you were an author. I buy a lot of left-wig and alternative media books. Can you give a synopsis of your Lindbergh text?


COMMENT #10 [Permalink]
... MMIIXX said on 12/21/2005 @ 3:39 pm PT...


Any comments about all this spying and how it could also be used to give political and commercial advantage to anybody with access to the "raw data" ,its got to be the ultimate "insider trading".
I wonder about the demise of Raymond Lemme and how he told Clinton Curtis the following (from Brad) "In his 2004 affidavit, Curtis describes a mid-June 2003 meeting with Lemme in which he claims that Lemme told him he "had tracked the corruption 'all the way to the top' and that the story would break in the next few weeks and I would be satisfied with the results."

On July 1, 2003 --- just two weeks later --- Raymond Camillo Lemme was found dead in a bathtub, with his arm slashed twice with a razor blade near the left elbow in Room #132 of the Knights Inn motel in Valdosta, Georgia; a border-town some 80 miles from Tallahassee, Florida where Lemme lived and worked."

Can you get FOIA for anything with "Lemme" as the keyword ?


COMMENT #11 [Permalink]
... MMIIXX said on 12/21/2005 @ 3:47 pm PT...


To...A Concerned Citizen MERRY CHRISTMAS Great to hear your son is still home ,here's hoping you and your family have a wonderful time together.


COMMENT #12 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 12/21/2005 @ 3:50 pm PT...


Evidently the administration is not aware of its lack of credibility. The always present and good American skepticism seems to elude them. In loosing self awareness, and awareness of what country they are in, the admin argues one set of facts one place, and another set of facts in another place. "That part of the world" seems to mean everywhere.

Recently, a right-leaning panel of the Federal 4th Circuit Court of Appeals rebuked the administration for telling different stories at different times (link here).

The president had called defendant Padilla an "enemy combatant" even tho Padilla was an American citizen.

Instead of charging Padilla with a crime by indictment, arresting and booking him, having bail hearings, and moving on thru the process of a jury trial, the administration took him to a military prison somewhere and detained him. Without an indictment or formal charges, denying him any phone calls, denying him a lawyer, denying him access to the courts, and denying any request by anyone to see him.

The problem with this is the same with the NSA Domestic Spying, and the Torture Memo's written for the president by Gonzales and other "yes men" lawyers of the neoCon administration.

The problem is that the checks and balances ... the "what does the other branch of government think about this", the "what do you think about it" asked of congress, and of the judiciary, to them is just a waste of cyber time, admin time, and neoCon time.

I mean, they seem to be saying "Hey you got us, what more do you need?"

I mean ... hey ... no one branch of government can demand that Americans "trust" them. The only people to be trusted under our system of government is the people, that is, those not in power. That is because we believe our forefathers and foremothers who told their children ... in love, in truth, and in their experience that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Anybody.

So the true government of the people says "don't trust me", but here is the record, the full, open, and comprehensive documentation and record of what we have done.

Believe what we do, not what we say. And check and balance us fully. That is the American way.

Other nations trust their government without checks and balances. They suffer accordingly.


COMMENT #13 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 12/21/2005 @ 4:17 pm PT...


Soul Rebel #9 (sounds like love potion number nieeeyiyiyine; 'nine')

Hey dude, RLM is a good writer. A good blogger. And a good American.

I think his book will be safe to read ... which is more than I can say, in good conscience, about things the admin says ...

I remember some good reviews posted about RLM's book ... a few days ago ... and there were some ads about it ... He is a modest blogger, so he may say nothing ... so I suggest you get a link or something from him where there are some third party descriptions or reviews of the book ...

All I can say is that RLM rocks!!!


COMMENT #14 [Permalink]
... bluebear 2 said on 12/21/2005 @ 4:23 pm PT...


A Concerned Citizen #8

Joy to you and your son. So glad to hear he will be staying home. It must truely be the best Christmas gift.


COMMENT #15 [Permalink]
... bluebear 2 said on 12/21/2005 @ 4:30 pm PT...


Soul Rebel #9

A link to a review of RLM Here you go

I have seen his posts here often and his name seemed familiar although I couldn't place it. After reading his bio at the above link I'm sure that I have heard of him and his works before.


COMMENT #16 [Permalink]
... MMIIXX said on 12/21/2005 @ 4:31 pm PT...


COMMENT #17 [Permalink]
... SisTwo said on 12/21/2005 @ 4:45 pm PT...


The link to the Mother Jones article is missing. Try here:
http://www.motherjones.c.../01/counter-coulter.html


COMMENT #18 [Permalink]
... Jo said on 12/21/2005 @ 4:56 pm PT...


#8
Christmas blessings to you and your son! I wish you many a Merry Christmas with your son and a long and healthy life to both of you. Give him a big holiday hug (and thank you) from us. I'll be praying for the safe return of everyone's sons and daughters, husbands and brothers.


COMMENT #19 [Permalink]
... Robert Lockwood Mills said on 12/21/2005 @ 5:04 pm PT...


For Soul Rebel, Dredd, and Bluebear 2: Thanks for the invitation to me to plug my book.

"The Lindbergh Syndrome: Heroes and Celebrities in a New Gilded Age" wasn't written with the Bush administration in mind, specifically. Believe it or not, the project started in 1988, after my third expedition with the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery in Downeast Maine, seeking the remains of a French bi-plane, L'Oiseau Blanc, that had disappeared in 1927 just 11 days before Charles Lindbergh's successful New York-Paris flight. The Frenchmen, Nungesser and Coli, were competing with Lindbergh for the Orteig Prize.

I told Ric Gillespie, head of TIGHAR, that I wanted to tell the story because the Frenchmen had been every bit as heroic as Lindbergh...just unluckier. I knew that Franco-American relations in the 1920s (what I call the second Gilded Age) had been tarnished by post-World War I politics (the United States thought France hadn't been grateful enough for our saving their butts). The book discusses this element at length. What I never anticipated was that history would repeat itself, or that John Kerry would become the 21st century equivalent of Nungesser and Coli...hated for being "too French."

The book is about more than this. But I count myself lucky that after 17 years it finally arrived in print when it did. Details (and a sample chapter) are available at robertlockwoodmills.tripod.com. I'm offering a free signed copy (postage paid) to anyone who contributes $50 or more to Bradblog.

Thanks again, guys. And thanks to Jim Cirile for his review at Amazon. I'm humble and very grateful.


COMMENT #20 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 12/21/2005 @ 5:25 pm PT...


A Concerned Citizen #8

Like your fellow bloggers here have said, it is a form of happiness that this situation worked out for you and yours.

I remember going for the first time to the movie Schindler's List.

After crying for several hours it ended. I worked my way toward the exit, and finally, had to confront my son.

I tried to talk but could not. I tried again ... and again ...

Finally I was able to gurgle out the words "now you know what greatness is".

I meant, and my son understood, that I felt that Mr. Schindler was a great man.

Because he cared for the oppressed, the needy, the downtrodden, the you and the me ... somewhere some time.

And he laid down his life toward that end. And we do not ... nay dare not ... bring up his race, color, nor political persuasion before concluding his legacy.

I love the man.


COMMENT #21 [Permalink]
... Roger Drowne EC said on 12/21/2005 @ 5:44 pm PT...


IMPEACH BUSH IMAGES

... BUSH TREASON TRIAL

30 X 60 Oil, Color Paper on Canvas 2001

FREE 2 COPY E Send AT...

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Copy - Paste - Away - U - All


COMMENT #22 [Permalink]
... Truth Seeker said on 12/21/2005 @ 6:25 pm PT...


John Kerry had some interesting comments about voting machines and wiretaps today on the Ed Schultz Show. Look for more bombshells about the BCFOL in the coming weeks. Also, Abramof is about to explode and Fitzmas II is coming.


COMMENT #23 [Permalink]
... onyx said on 12/21/2005 @ 6:39 pm PT...


The only reason the Bush assministration would take the enormous political risk of bypassing the FISA court is if they knew the court would turn them down.

There is no way, and the record supports this, that the court would turn down any legitimate surveillance of terrorist suspects and since they have 72 hours after the fact to apply for approval there are no timeliness issues.

This leads to the inescapable conclusion that they are spying on people they have no legitimate reason to be spying on.

My guess is journalists, politicians, and maybe Fitzgerald.

What do you think?


COMMENT #24 [Permalink]
... Jo said on 12/21/2005 @ 7:31 pm PT...


I think they were spying on people that they had no legitimate reason to spy on. This is just my opinion. We will have to wait to see if this is true. It does seem to smell a trifle...
I also heard John Kerry on the Ed Schultz show today. I agree, It was interesting.


COMMENT #25 [Permalink]
... des said on 12/21/2005 @ 7:43 pm PT...


good question, Onyx (#23)...What is the "end", when the "means" consists of circumventing a fairly simple law?

ignoring BushCo's official explanation for the moment, which may or may not have been truthful at some point in the program, this is all pure speculation on my part, of course.

- a J.Edgar Hoover-style dossier on Americans, in readiness to feed into the Republican attack machine at a moment's notice, or for simple blackmail. for example, i seem to recall Bolton's unusual access to classified files, pre-CIA leak, of American citizens... like Joe Wilson & Valerie Plame, hmmmm? for that matter, he could have been looking at any American's dossier, for information that could be useful now or later...

- it's a great opportunity to listen to any conversation of any ambassador to the U.S. or to the U.N., for strategies and, of course, blackmail

- an idea i heard floated today: the illegal taps were used to gather enough evidence to then ask the judge for wiretap approval

- frankly, the list of potential targets, and their relative worth, could be endless

BushCo has been working on stacking the Supreme Court with loyalists, presumably to lurch the country even further to the right. of course, that also stacks the court in their favor, should any cases come before the court dealing with wrongdoing or abuse of power. Friends in high places are very good to have, indeed.

we already know from this administration that they traffic in moral relativism --- the end justifies the means, any means. they will contort common sense and morality, ethics and responsibility, not to mention the very laws of the land, to achieve their goals.


COMMENT #26 [Permalink]
... Jo said on 12/21/2005 @ 7:52 pm PT...


This is an excerpt from a NYTimes article. If it is already posted somewhere on the blog I apologize. Catholic social worker terrorists? I think he may have had trouble getting a warrant to wiretap nuns helping the poor.

"But the documents, coming after the Bush administration's confirmation that President Bush had authorized some spying without warrants in fighting terrorism, prompted charges from civil rights advocates that the government had improperly blurred the line between terrorism and acts of civil disobedience and lawful protest.

One F.B.I. document indicates that agents in Indianapolis planned to conduct surveillance as part of a "Vegan Community Project." Another document talks of the Catholic Workers group's "semi-communistic ideology." A third indicates the bureau's interest in determining the location of a protest over llama fur planned by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals."


COMMENT #27 [Permalink]
... Brad said on 12/21/2005 @ 10:22 pm PT...


SisTwo - Thanks for posting a not-broken link (as my originally one was previously). I've now fixed that original link. Much appreciated!


COMMENT #28 [Permalink]
... Sandy D. said on 12/21/2005 @ 10:28 pm PT...


Speculation on the motive for avoiding the FISA court, which makes sense to me, is that they are using very sophisticated electronic "mining" technology which picks up "magic words" or "magic numbers." This is the ultimate "fishing expedition" which is ALWAYS rejected by the court.

It is thought that the FISA judge that resigned (and the three that are really upset) feel they were manipulated and used by the intelligence community. That mined evidence (obtained illegally) was used in affidavits to obtain warrants. These warrants are then illegal because they are based upon illegally obtained evidence (the proverbial "fruit of the poisonous tree"). I would rather have seen the judge order the perpetrators into court and hold them in contempt. But, perhaps these judges have such narrow jurisdiction that they can't do that. Will Gonzalez's Dept. of Justice do their job and investigate these crimes? Can Patrick Fitzgerald "interpret" his investigative/prosecutorial charge broadly enough to include this? (Gonzales is broadly interpreting the Senate Resolution for Presidential War Powers to include warrantless searches.)

Ah, yes. We do live in interesting times.


COMMENT #29 [Permalink]
... Sandy D. said on 12/21/2005 @ 10:46 pm PT...


Raw Story has an excellent article about the FISA judges planning a meeting to discuss the warrantless searches. If I knew how to make a link, I would. Link here


COMMENT #30 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 12/22/2005 @ 4:54 am PT...


There are three layers in the public dialogue, concerning spying or surveillance.

That is the Patriot Act, the FISA, and the NSA. The NSA has been historically only foreign spy work, FISA is spying on foreign activity in the US, and the Patriot Act is spying on activities in the US by al Queda types mainly, if I understand correctly.

What throws me and makes me suspicious is that the admin demands the patriot act, and perhaps FISA, then does not use them.

They use NSA, avoid the courts, and tell us how important the things are that they are avoiding anyway.

It does not make sense and it looks quite clearly like they are making it up as they go along.


COMMENT #31 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 12/22/2005 @ 5:40 am PT...


A federal prosecutor, lawyer, and legal scholar's view of the presidential claim to have plenary power to spy on Americans:

"But even worse, such a scheme threatens basic democratic principles. This Administration wants virtually unlimited power with essentially no accountability. I might almost be able to stomach Bush's 'just trust me' claims of Executive power, if the President could be made truly accountable for his decisions down the road. But Bush wants the power with no public debate and a minimum of public disclosure.

I wouldn't trust any Administration with such a blank check. And this isn't just any Administration. It's an Administration with a deeply troubling history of mistakes and obfuscation, an Administration that seems to expand its definition of terrorism however it finds convenient, an Administration that brooks none of the internal dissent that might check authoritarian impulses.

Against that backdrop, the new revelations of warrantless wiretapping, and the Administration's latest set of explanations, sound less like a plan to fight terror than like tyranny's engines, raring to go." (link here).

This legal scholar's position is clearly justified, especially in the light of the president and the NSA leader having been caught lying in public by saying they were not spying on Americans (link here).


COMMENT #32 [Permalink]
... Robert Lockwood Mills said on 12/22/2005 @ 5:53 am PT...


For Onyx: Immediately after 9/11 Bush had an 80% approval rating. If he had thought FISA was out of date and didn't protect us adequately, he could have asked Congress to update it quickly, maybe as part of the Patriot Act. Congress would have rubber-stamped his request in a heartbeat.

He didn't do that, did he? Either he was so fixated on invading Iraq (which had no connection to 9/11),
or (as you suggest) he wanted to spy on people for political reasons, as Nixon did (and, to be honest, as Robert Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson did, also).

The chickens are coming home to roost. And with his approval rating around 40%, Bush is no longer the fox in charge of the coop.


COMMENT #33 [Permalink]
... Soul Rebel said on 12/22/2005 @ 6:24 am PT...


This administration has been asking for blank checks almost since day one, and congress has been all too willing to dole them out. Except for a few. the more I think about what this administration has pushed on congress (and the despicable way they have done it), the more I am convinced that Paul Wellstone was assassinated. There's no way he wouldn't have been leading some kind of movement for sanity in congress. God I miss him. When did his plane go down? Oct 25, 2002. When did we invade Iraq? Mar 19th, 2003. Somebody knows something.

There will be only a very few congresspersons who will (or should) receive recognition for demanding truth. Conyers, of course. Boxer. Byrd, for his magnificent prewar speech, perhaps. Cynthia McKinney. Most, however, were silent and passive when it could have made the most difference.


COMMENT #34 [Permalink]
... Mugzi said on 12/22/2005 @ 7:00 am PT...


It would be very interesting to see the names of these so called dangers to society - terrorists? Isn't that what they are implying?


COMMENT #35 [Permalink]
... bluebear2 said on 12/22/2005 @ 7:49 am PT...


Onyx and Jo

I too think they very well may be spying on their competion.

MSNBC Survey

Should Bush be impeached?
87% yes
12% no


COMMENT #36 [Permalink]
... big dan said on 12/22/2005 @ 8:33 am PT...


I think there should be a discussion, about how the Republicans, led by Cheney's tie-breaking vote, just "robbed from the poor, and gave to the rich" again with this latest budget they passed in the senate. The Republicans voted for cutting medicare/medicaid/college grants.

Here's my question: Does there exist any footage of ANY REPUBLICAN on TV, stating that this budget includes 70 billion worth of tax cuts for the rich? While they're claiming we (who's "we") all have to tighten out belts to cut the budget??? What are the super-rich sacrificing to cut the deficit? They're getting billions in tax cuts, coming from cuts in medicare/medicaid/college grants.

I will repeat my question: DOES THERE EXIST ANY TV FOOTAGE OF ANY REPUBLICAN MENTIONING THE BILLIONS OF TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH, IN THE REPUBLICAN-PASSED SENATE BUDGET???"

All I see is the Republicans saying, "We have to tighten our belts, we're spending too much money."


COMMENT #37 [Permalink]
... bluebear2 said on 12/22/2005 @ 10:16 am PT...


For all those good repug "Christians"


COMMENT #38 [Permalink]
... bluebear2 said on 12/22/2005 @ 10:19 am PT...


Big Dan

The ONLY place I've seen the tax cuts mentioned have been at the progressive blogs!


COMMENT #39 [Permalink]
... merifour said on 12/22/2005 @ 10:55 am PT...


So the Patriot Act was extended for six months, as a result of Spector (single bullet theory in JFK assasination)who worked tirelessly all day to 'fix' the problem, so all could be home for the Holidays. Six months....when I was watching all the speeches on C-Span, the R's were adament that bush would not sign any extension, none, period. Guess bush was happier than a fly on shit to get 6 more months to finish the job and install himself as leader for life. The next 6 months will be interesting as we watch the Bill of Rights and Constitution thrown out the window, total and complete obliteration of everything this Nation was founded on and replaced by God knows what.

GWB: "I'm the comander-see, I don't need to explain-I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explantion." quoted in Bob Woodward "Bush At War".

Very interesting quote, very telling, from an unselected president. Only a dictator would say such a thing. bush answers to no one, not Congress, the Courts, or the people he works for, oops that was fruedian slip, he doesn't work for 'we the people.' He DOES answer to his Handlers and does everything they tell me to do, just does not need to explain that the puppet strings that operate him are not Made in America. M4 (who has to control the urge to vomit everytime she sees his face on tv)


COMMENT #40 [Permalink]
... bluebear2 said on 12/22/2005 @ 11:05 am PT...


M4 said:

"who has to control the urge to vomit everytime she sees his face on tv"

Ain't that the truth!


COMMENT #41 [Permalink]
... Dredd said on 12/22/2005 @ 11:07 am PT...


I wonder if the troops are being replaced with the oil baron armies?

Are they using our tax dollars to build an army to protect their own business in oil? (link here).


COMMENT #42 [Permalink]
... bluebear2 said on 12/22/2005 @ 11:16 am PT...


Dredd

Thanks for the link - looks like Ike knew what he was talking about!


COMMENT #43 [Permalink]
... bluebear2 said on 12/22/2005 @ 11:30 am PT...


Another Bush Lie revealed!

"President Bush asserted this week that the news media published a U.S. government leak in 1998 about Osama bin Laden's use of a satellite phone, alerting the al Qaeda leader to government monitoring and prompting him to abandon the device.

The story of the vicious leak that destroyed a valuable intelligence operation was first reported by a best-selling book, validated by the Sept. 11 commission and then repeated by the president.

But it appears to be an urban myth."


COMMENT #44 [Permalink]
... bluebear2 said on 12/22/2005 @ 11:50 am PT...


More Bushco highjinks!

"The National Weather Services Duties Act (S.786) would ban NWS from "competing" with private entities by making it unlawful for the agency to publish user-friendly weather data and barring NWS experts from speaking one-on-one to news agencies. Why? Because Senator Santorum believes that companies like AccuWeather would make more money if they didn't have to compete with "free.""

sign the petition and get yourself on the NSA list!


COMMENT #45 [Permalink]
... MMIIXX said on 12/22/2005 @ 12:40 pm PT...


Able Danger ?


COMMENT #46 [Permalink]
... Arry said on 12/22/2005 @ 12:40 pm PT...


#40 - M4 - GWB keeps saying he is commander and he brought up Article II of the Constitution. But you will see that it is quite clear that he is commander-in-chief of the army and navy and militia (when called into service). He is not commander-in-chief of the American people.


COMMENT #47 [Permalink]
... Paul said on 12/22/2005 @ 12:52 pm PT...


The Des

> BushCo has been working on stacking the Supreme Court with loyalists, presumably to lurch the country even further to the right. of course, that also stacks the court in their favor, should any cases come before the court dealing with wrongdoing or abuse of power. Friends in high places are very good to have, indeed.

Conservative presidents get to pick conservative judges.

> we already know from this administration that they traffic in moral relativism --- the end justifies the means, any means. they will contort common sense and morality, ethics and responsibility, not to mention the very laws of the land, to achieve their goals.

That is just your opinion! Subjective opinion! Where is your proof?


COMMENT #48 [Permalink]
... Soul Rebel said on 12/22/2005 @ 1:21 pm PT...


Saint Paul - there is so much. But you would refuse to admit it even if we spelled it out for you (which this blog has done on many issues.

How about the Plame leak - anyone who was involved would no longer work for the administration...where did that go??

How about WMD to fighting terrorists there instead of here to liberating Iraqis and installing democracy...when we weren't going to do nation building.

There's so much more - but you're not interested...you never were.

This administration baits and switches like the professional con men that they are. Chump.


COMMENT #49 [Permalink]
... Savantster said on 12/22/2005 @ 1:33 pm PT...


"Conservative presidents get to pick conservative judges."

So, here's a question for you, Paul.. If it was "proved" that Bush didn't really win the election, that the entire election was rigged (not by Bush, but by psycho republicans) and Bush was NOT the "duely elected president of the United States".. Would you call for the removal of those judges appointed by him? (and so you don't wet yourself, I would fully support removing -any- judges put up by -any- president that was found to have -not- be duely elected.. This isn't a partisan question, though I'm sure you'll try to spin it into a partisan context)..


COMMENT #50 [Permalink]
... Jo said on 12/22/2005 @ 1:44 pm PT...


Ok, here is some Ha Ha's and ho ho ho's from late night humor.

"I was coming to work this morning, and they're playing Christmas music on the radio, and they were playing that song, "He knows when you've been sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows when you've been bad or good ..." So apparently Santa works for the National Security Agency." --Jay Leno

"President Bush is trying to put the best spin he can on this eavesdropping scandal, like he said today: "This proves we have a government that listens to the people." --Jay Leno

"Over the weekend, Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Iraq, it was yesterday. Cheney was there, and he gave the troops one of his warm holiday sneers. And if you think about it, when you're at war in some far off corner of the world, what better than a visit from a guy who got five draft deferments? Iraqi officials met with Dick Cheney, or as they call him over there, Lawrence of Arythmi." --David Letterman


COMMENT #51 [Permalink]
... MMIIXX said on 12/22/2005 @ 1:48 pm PT...


Where is your proof? With the WMD's


COMMENT #52 [Permalink]
... Joan said on 12/22/2005 @ 2:15 pm PT...


Concerned Citizen,
That is great news! So happy for you!


COMMENT #53 [Permalink]
... vermillion truth seeker said on 12/22/2005 @ 2:47 pm PT...


hey, my group could use a donation too. i need 650 dollars to put an ad on the local transit bus advertising 911 truth. lol


COMMENT #54 [Permalink]
... Doug Eldritch said on 12/22/2005 @ 2:54 pm PT...


Where is your proof?

YOU are my proof Paul, you asshole.

YOU are living proof, and those brainless twits like you who think they are following ANYTHING that is either conservative or liberal!!!!

When there is foolish bigots as clueless as you afoot, who have completely disregarded the law and become neoliberals without knowing it, that's proof in itself!

You are an idiot- and enabled this destruction of the constitution. Now we're going to dissolve the whole thing and start over.

Doug E.


COMMENT #55 [Permalink]
... bluebear2 said on 12/22/2005 @ 2:59 pm PT...


Paul #47

Look Here and here and here here's a good one yet another or here another one this is a good one ok - enough

A search of "bush breaks law" yielded 623,000 hits - about 60% of which were directly related to bush and his breaking or stretching the law.


COMMENT #56 [Permalink]
... des said on 12/22/2005 @ 3:01 pm PT...


oh, Paulie (#47).... haven't you been keeping up with the latest revelation that Bush admitted to breaking the law he was sworn to uphold? i am referring directly to his nationally televised speech of only a few days ago in which he admitted to bypassing the law (FISA) of the land, with no checks or balances against his unlimited power from other branches of government (violating the very structure of our government as mandated in the Constitution), and said he would continue to violate that law as often as he chose?

what part of CONFESSION TO A CRIME on national television does not look like "evidence" to you?

regarding your other statement --- thanks for stating the obvious: "who ever is president gets to pick the judges". duh.

WHY each president selects a specific person to be a judge was my point. is it to further the ideals of the Constitution? promote an ideology and direct the future course of the country (as is the right of the one in office, checked and balanced by Congress)? or can it also --- hold onto your hat here --- be an opportunity to put your most loyal friends in high places to ensure that no one will ever be able to get to you, or to anyone on your ideological payroll, for the next three to four decades, even after you and cronies are long gone?

history is written by the victors, i think the saying goes. in my rampant speculation above, for which "proof" is not technically required, i posit the last option as being of the highest priority to Bush. that's my own opinion. there is no way to "prove" the internal thought process of any human being, so it is by definition something for which there is no proof.

the pendulum swings, back and forth. the reason the FISA law had to be passed in the first place was because another enterprising president with a less than stellar moral compass decided he had to lie, cheat, steal and trample on the rights of his fellow Americans --- for their own (his) good.

Bush apologists, many of whom i'm sure attacked Clinton for violating that oft-repeated meme "the rule of law", seem to be mired in hypocrisy. there is no defense for a President to violate the Constitution in word or spirit.

(for the record, i thought what Clinton did was awful and egregious, but somehow perjury on a personal matter does not rise to the level of "high crimes and misdemeanors" in the same way that flagrant violation of the rights of an entire nation does. IMHO)


COMMENT #57 [Permalink]
... bluebear2 said on 12/22/2005 @ 3:07 pm PT...


Des

Well said!


COMMENT #58 [Permalink]
... KestrelBrighteyes said on 12/22/2005 @ 3:18 pm PT...


Okay, my apologies if this has already been posted, but I received it in email today and it's just TOO GOOD not to share. (In fact, this is one time I wish I could start a headline)

I'm not Christian but I celebrate the holiday with my family for cultural reasons. I'll be in Alabama tomorrow, in Virginia next week, and back in Alabama some time after that - not much time to check in here. So, in case I don't make it back before then - may I say that I hope all of you are safe and warm and far from need and hunger during this holiday season.

Merry Christmas to all of you..and a Merry Solstice...and to Bill O'Reilly and the Fox News gang - HAPPY FREAKIN HOLIDAYS!!!

*****

The Grinch factor
by Rosa Brooks

December 16, 2005

THE WHOS down in Who-ville

Were a tolerant lot:

Who Christians, Who Muslims - a Who melting pot.
Who Hindus! Who atheists! Who Buddhists, Who Jews!

Who Confucians, Who pagans,

And even Who Druze! The Who 1st Amendment's Establishment Clause

Said, "No creches in courts," and the Whos loved their laws.

Because somehow . they worked. The Whos rarely fought,
Mostly, each Who did just what he ought.

Every Who down in Who-ville

Loved the Consti-Who-tion a lot.

But the O'Reilly, who lived up in Fox-ville,

Did NOT!

The O'Reilly DETESTED the Who Consti-Who-tion,

He thought it was some sort of liberal pollution.

Now, please don't ask why, for I really don't know.

Perhaps it had something to do with his show.

It could be that his head wasn't screwed on quite right.

Or it could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.

But I think that the most likely reason of all

May have been that his RATINGS

Were two sizes too small.

Well, whatever it was, bad ratings or tight shoes,

He stood there one Christmas, just hating the Whos.

"They're so multicultural," he sneered, "and wherever they're from,

They lack the good sense to just launch a pogrom!

There's no Who ethnic cleansing, no Who Inquisition,

If this PEACE can't be stopped, I may lose my position.

Those sensitive, tolerant Whos! It's quite grating.

I must think of something to fix my show's ratings!"

Then he said with a smirk, "I know just what to do

To destroy all the joy in the land of the Who!

I think I can end that PC Who peace.

This year, not one Who will enjoy his Roast Beast!

"Here's just how I'll do it:

I'll tell each Who Christian

That the liberal Whos have devised a new mission

To take away Christmas!

To mock and destroy

Till no little Who Christian is left with a toy!

And when secular Whos - most likely Who Jews -
"

Attempt to deny it? Why,

I'll just SPIN THE NEWS!

"I'll bluff and I'll lie; I'll sow seeds of mistrust.

Soon they'll form battle lines into

Who 'THEM' and Who 'US,'

Based on which Whos prefer

To sing out, 'Merry Christmas'

And which Whos say, 'Kwanzaa!'

Or 'None of your business!'

"They'll get so confused and so MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD

That they won't even notice the way

They've been HAD!

They'll be so busy squabbling

They won't notice the war!

They won't care if Who rich

Start to trample Who poor!

"Forget torture, and terror, and taxes, and health!

They'll waste all their time on some red-hatted elf.

"And the Who Consti-Who-tion?

They'll stretch it or burn it!

If it came as a gift, they would try to return it!

"The Who Christians will think that they fight the good fight,

They won't know that they're puppets of the Fox-ville Far Right.

They'll forget all that DRIVEL about faith, hope and LOVE

And say 'Merry Christmas' with a sneer and a shove.

"But I? I will prosper! My ratings will soar,

And maybe at last they'll forget I'm a BOOR.

Then for every Who Christmas tree

A most fitting adornament:

My O'Reilly MUG on the tackiest ornament!"

-
. And what happened then?
Well, the rest's up to you.

But I know what I'd like this holiday season:

A little less NOISE and a little more reason.

So Who Christians! Who Buddhists! Who Muslims! Who Jews!

WHOever you are, just say NO to Fox "News!"

If you don't want to lose the whole Who Consti-Who-tion

It's time to reject the Far Right Revolution.

So turn off O'Reilly and everyone shrill,

Let's have some peace

And old-fashioned GOODWILL.


COMMENT #59 [Permalink]
... KestrelBrighteyes said on 12/22/2005 @ 3:25 pm PT...


Wow...that was long.

I sowwy *sheepish grin*

But I swear, it was a good use of bandwidth!!


COMMENT #60 [Permalink]
... big dan said on 12/22/2005 @ 3:50 pm PT...


This is what pisses me off about the MSM: They just hold fucking microphones up to Republicans, and let them say, "Yes, we're the party who's trying to cut the deficit", and the fucking reporters don't say, "Aren't YOU the party that squandered a several-hundred-billion-dollar SURPLUS?", or the reporters hold a mic up for them to say, "See? We're tightening our belts!", but the reporter doesn't say, "Are there billions of dollars of tax cuts for the rich in this budget that's cutting medicare/medicaid/college grants?"

The MSM stinks on ice. THEY SUCK! They just hold microphones in front of Republicans.

When are they going to start a real news channel on TV? I just can't believe there's not one yet!


COMMENT #61 [Permalink]
... big dan said on 12/22/2005 @ 4:03 pm PT...


I was unemployed for about a year and a half. Before that, I was not in tune at all to how the news stinks and is controlled by Corporate America. And Corporate America and the GOP are interchangable, I realized.

I am 100% convinced by the facts that DIEBOLD and electronic voting machine companies are in bed with the GOP, and they stole the last 2 presidential elections, and we don't have a democracy in America. We're being run by Corporate America/GOP. And they are the minority.

I had the time, so I examined literally a hundred different internet news sites, TV news, and radio. I think the best news sites on the internet are raw story and brad blog. The best newspaper is American Free Press, because they don't suppress news, although I think they are conservative (?). And there's a site called rbnlive, that has lots of good articles, I think they are conservative as well. One thing I realized, is that these Republican freaks in power are not conservative. I don't consider myself a conservative. But good, unsuppressed news is great.

I think the Democrats stink less than the Republicans, and I think we need a 3rd party. I'm thinking of joining the Green Party, actually. But I respect the Libertarians, because they are truely conservative, not these freaks who took over the GOP (the neo-cons). I have great respect for both Cobb of the Green Party and Bednarik of the Libertarian. I don't think either of them are pulling any punches like the majority of both Republicans and Democrats.

I also want to know why Cobb, Bednarik, and Nader aren't allowed in the presidential debates. I heard that Corporate America pays for and sponsors the presidential debates, that's why. And Cobb, Bednarik, and Nader would talk about issues that Americans are concerned about, not gay marriage.


COMMENT #62 [Permalink]
... Bluebear2 said on 12/22/2005 @ 4:13 pm PT...


big dan #60:

About the best news outlets I've found - beyond those you've mentioned - are The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

Strange thing is they are on Comedy Central - go figure!


COMMENT #63 [Permalink]
... big dan said on 12/22/2005 @ 4:27 pm PT...


Here's a good topic for discussion:

What is a conservative?

What is a liberal?

They used to call politicians who spent and spent "liberals". But the so-called conservatives/Republicans turned a surplus into a deficit and are spending more than any regime in American history. Conservatives were against pre-emptive strikes, and were for a defen