Seriously Creepy

Well no, actually THIS is way beyond seriously creepy.

Is Waterboarding Torture?

It's a very simple question really. I know none of you have a problem answering this. Neither does Eric Holder, our new Attorney
General. I'm very happy to finally be able to say that. If you think Holder should appoint a special prosecutor to look into this, you may want to do as i have done, and sign THIS PETITION.
While it is abhorrent to me that we have to ask our government to do the right thing--not only ask, but fight, and fight, and ask, and fight, and ask again, and then fight some more--it doesn't obviate any of us of our responsibility to do so. Oh the times in which we live.

Don't Let the Shoe hit you in the Head

as you walk out the door. THIS is why i love Arianna Huffington. She does not mince words when it comes to the Boy in the Bubble.

BTW, Arianna, we'd be BFF if i could see that one revised to, say, the Criminal in the Cocoon? How does that grab u? Or, how about the Lunatic on the Ledge? Freak on the Faith? Dick with the Delusions?

Help George Pack

I hope they will have an interactive gallery--no, make that airplane hangar--in the Bush Library for the brazillions of nice interactives like this that culminate HERE.

The Perfect Gift

Just in Time for Xmas. Oh yes, THISwill keep me occupied for hours. Thank you, Gil.

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Fly

Anybody else think this was choreographed? I see Karl Rove lurking...

More Leadership from George Bush :: Backdoor Welfare for Banks

The Washington Post published a story HERE this morning exposing yet another example of the Bush Administration's flagrant disregard for the rule of law. Buried in the so-called bailout bill is a provision to nullify section 382 of the tax code, which was established 22 years ago to prevent corporations from acquiring other corporations to use as tax shelters. Unbelievable. It's nothing more than backdoor welfare for banks. Why doesn't he just issue an executive order abolishing all taxes on business and corporate activity, period? Will anyone do anything to stop him? Certainly not Charles Grassley. You'd think by now, leaders like Grassley and Schumer would have their staff scrutinize anything from the White House with a fine tooth comb, as a matter of course, before they agree to anything. These guys bear as much responsibility for not even knowing such a provision was part of the bailout, and therefore supporting it.

What Do You Wish the Candidates Would Talk About?

HERE is what i wish Obama would steer the conversation to in tonight's debate. Silly me, assuming the conversation between our two potential Commanders-in-Chief is steerable:

"And after 9/11, in the wake of this massive failure, they started sweeping up everything. Everything in the entire world. They are recording everything, building a giant facility in Texas the size of the Alamodome to store all the data. The warrantless eavesdropping was authorized at the very top be Justice Department legal opinions so secret that the NSA's OWN LAWYERS were not allowed to look at them. They are getting this information by setting up big rooms at telecommunications facilities to tap the major switchers of the top companies (they have outsourced the tapping to a group of tiny companies, many from Israel), and they even built a large submarine to directly feed into the undersea cables which house overseas communications.

It is an unbelievable and infuriating story. What I am writing right now, what all of you are writing, every word you say on the phone, every text message, every email - the government has it. Locked up in a room in Texas. And the legality is so murky that it's basically indemnified.

An Obama Administration faces challenges in the economy at home and with failing occupations abroad. But there's the very real question of whether there's a functioning Constitution to begin with. If the government can sweep up the communications of every man, woman and child on the planet, if the government can sign off on torture and indefinite detention, and if the Congress can essentially indemnify the government for doing so, what is this state that Obama would inherit?

If this isn't discussed openly before the election, it becomes that much harder to actually reverse these policies, which have been growing through inertia for at least six years, if not longer, and which Congress has basically rubber-stamped. Obama has agreed to look at every executive order and throw out the ones that are unconstitutional. That is not a specific enough answer. Signals intelligence and the NSA needs to be addressed. Torture and rendition need to be addressed. We practically don't have a country to lead anymore, or at least one worth leading. The Constitution, the founding document, has become a non-issue in this election or really any election. No President has tarnished it as much as this one, and yet we continue on, muddling through, talking about tax cuts or who has the more comfortable demeanor. This election may repudiate conservatism but it's necessary to define terms. Is it a rollback of torture? A rollback of the surveillance state? A rollback of official secrecy and lost civil liberties? I don't think we know. And I think we need to have that conversation out in the open.

Are we ever going to talk about our loss of honor as a nation?"

What do YOU wish the Candidates would talk about in tonight's final debate? Tell me by leaving a comment.

Newsclipping of the Day :: Naomi Klein Interview

If you haven't read Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism this is a really good INTERVIEW with her today.

Socialized Losses, Privatized Profits

If anybody wants to actually see the bill, HERE it is.

As the Magna Carta was to individual rights, this bill may very well be to the Fall of the American Empire.

Surely disaster will result, despite Nancy Pelosi's self-congratulation and smiles today at the press conference.

It Just Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!

THIS is better than any drama from The West Wing. I sincerely hope that Obama is, indeed, already on a course to take Olbermann's advice. Be sure to stick around for the second second chance portion of the program.

Newsclipping of the Day :: War with Iran??

Here's another little tidbit Congress has been working on:

"Over the last four weeks 102 House Democrats and 117 Republicans have agreed to cosponsor a new resolution against Iran that demands that President Bush “initiate an international effort” to impose a land, sea, and air blockade on Iran to prevent it from importing gasoline and to inspect all cargo entering or leaving Iran."

Unbelievable. I've read and heard alot recently about how we have enough hardware amassed all around Iran to start a full-scale war within hours. People get a clue!! Don't let the warmongers get their way again! We can not constantly start wars around the world for no good reason! Has the entire city of Washington gone nuts??

Here is a link to the Just Foreign Policy PAC and a link to find out what you can do to oppose the madness.

Have any of you read Seymour Hersh's latest that is in this week's New Yorker? I have not yet, but we heard him being interviewed about it by Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air, while driving around the hills of the Laurel Highlands in SW Pennsylvania Monday. DDAY over at Hullabaloo has a GREAT PIECE on the whole horrible affair, and some interesting background. Especially a quote from Dick Cheney advising that Hersch's apartment be raided and his research siezed (from 1975 though, not now. Now he makes sure no one quotes him.) . . .

FISA Vote in the Senate :: Retroactive Immunity for Telcos

Thankfully, the Senate vote on the horrible FISA "compromise" has been delayed till after the July 4th recess. I've read so much lately about the Democrats in the House who voted for this, and how the Telco campaign contributions form exact causation links. Those who got alot, voted yes for the "compromise."

I can not believe that Obama says now that he supports this bill. I've heard rumors that he supports it so he can do a Trojan Horse on it, but that is just nonsense. The Dodd/Fiengold amendment would remove the retroactive immunity portion of the bill, as part of the Senate reconciliation. We all need to do what we can to stop this from passing the Senate. You can go HERE
to sign on and become a Citizen co-sponsor of the Bill. After that, call your Senators. I put a handy-dandy list up last week of all Senate Contact Info. If any of you have any other ideas of what to do, petitions to sign, megaphones to scream through, please let me know.

Remember folks: the original FISA statutes from 1978 have worked for a long time. 99.9% of all wiretapping requests were approved, and quickly. This is about our Commander-in-Chief wanting the power to not even have to ask a judge. It is not about stopping terrorism. It is wrong, and i for one am ready for a leader who will propose a Constitutional Convention to explore, debate, and codify limits on Executive power. This entire country is going mad.

Newsclipping of the Day :: LOTS of Democrats Cave on FISA

Last Friday, 105 spineless, ennabling, idiot Democrats voted with nearly the entire Republican Party on the FISA "compromise," HR 6304. Including the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Including Charlie Wilson, my Representative from Ohio. None of these Democrats deserve to keep their seats. Granting these corporate telecom giants retroactive immunity for breaking the law has always been a bad idea. They know they are guilty and they know they've ennabled a lawless fool of a president. These Democrats are so dependent upon contributions from big business that they have no idea what is right or wrong anymore, like the entire Republican Party (except for Johnson, from Illinois apparently).

Click HERE to see how your Representative in Washington voted. Please check it out and please be sure to contact your Senators to make sure this does not make it through that body.

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By the way, if any of you need phone numbers for your Senators, I just came across this comprehensive listing:

Direct Phone Numbers to Senators (Listed by State)

Alabama
Sen. Richard Shelby (R) (202) 224-5744; 224-3416
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) (202) 224-4124; 224-3149

Alaska
Sen. Ted Stevens (R) (202) 224-3004; 224-2354
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) (202) 224-6665; 224-5301

Arizona
Sen. Jon Kyl (R) (202) 224-4521; 224-2207
Sen. John McCain (R) (202) 224-2235; 228-2862

Arkansas
Sen. Blanch Lincoln (D) (202) 224-4843; 228-1371
Sen. Mark Pryor (D) (202) 224-2353; 228-0908

California
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) (202) 224-3553; (202)228-2382
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) (202) 224-3841; 228-3954

Colorado
Sen. Wayne Allard (R) (202) 224-5941; 224-6471
Sen. Ken Salazar (D) (202) 224-5852; 228-5036

Connecticut
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D) (202) 224-2823; 224-1083
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I) (202) 224-4041; 224-9750

Delaware
Sen. Joseph Biden (D) (202) 224-5042; 224-0139
Sen. Thomas Carper (R) (202) 224-2441; 228-2190

Florida
Sen. Bill Nelson (D) (202) 224-5274; 228-2183
Sen. Mel Martinez (R) (202) 224-3041; 228-5171

Georgia
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) (202) 224-3521; 224-0103
Sen. Johnny Isakson (R) (202) 224-3643; 228-0724

Hawaii
Sen. Daniel Akaka (D) (202) 224-6361; 224-2126
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D) (202) 224-3934; 224-6747

Idaho
Sen. Larry Craig (R) (202) 224-2752; 228-1067
Sen. Michael Crapo (R) (202) 224-6142; 228-1375

Illinois
Sen. Dick Durbin (D) (202) 224-2152; 228-0400
Sen. Barack Obama (D) (202) 224-2854; 228-5417

Indiana
Sen. Evan Bayh (D) (202) 224-5623; 228-1377
Sen. Richard Lugar (R) (202) 224-4814; 228-0360

Iowa
Sen. Charles Grassley (R) (202) 224-3744; 224-6020
Sen. Tom Harkin (D) (202) 224-3254; 224-9369

Kansas
Sen. Sam Brownback (R) (202) 224-6521; 228-1265
Sen. Pat Roberts (R) (202) 224-4774; 224-3514

Kentucky
Sen. Jim Bunning (R) (202) 224-4343; 228-1373
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) (202) 224-2541; 224-2499

Louisiana
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) (202) 224-5824; 224-9735
Sen. David Vitter (R) (202) 224-4623; 228-5061

Maine
Sen. Susan Collins (R) (202) 224-2523; 224-2693
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R) (202) 224-5344; 224-1946

Maryland
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D) (202) 224-4654; 224-8858
Sen. Ben Cardin (D) (202) 224-4524: 224-1651

Massachusetts
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D) (202) 224-4543; 224-2417
Sen. John Kerry (D) (202) 224-2742; 224-8525

Michigan
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) (202) 224-4822; 228-0325
Sen. Carl Levin (D) (202) 224-6221; 224-1388

Minnesota
Sen. Norm Coleman (R) (202) 224-5641; 224-1152
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) (202) 224-3244; 228-2186

Mississippi
Sen. Thad Cochran (R) (202) 224-5054; 224-9450
Sen. Roger Wicker (R) (202) 224-6253; 224-2262

Missouri
Sen. Christopher Bond (R) (202) 224-5721; 224-8149
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) (202) 224-6154; 228-6326

Montana
Sen. Max Baucus (D) (202) 224-2651; 224-4700
Sen. John Tester (D) (202) 224-2644; 224-8594

Nebraska
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) (202) 224-4224; 224-5213
Sen. Ben Nelson (D) (202) 224-6551; 228-0012

Nevada
Sen. John Ensign (R) (202) 224-6244; 228-2193
Sen. Harry Reid (D) (202) 224-3542; 224-7327

New Hampshire
Sen. Judd Gregg (R) (202) 224-3324; 224-4952
Sen. John Sununu (R) (202) 224-2841; 228-4131

New Jersey
Sen. Robert Menendez (D) (202) 224-4744; 228-2197
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D) (202) 224-3224; 228-4054

New Mexico
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D) (202) 224-5521; 224-2852
Sen. Pete Domenici (R) (202) 224-6621; 228-3261

New York
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) (202) 224-4451; 228-0282
Sen. Charles Schumer (D) (202) 224-6542; 228-3027

North Carolina
Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) (202) 224-6342-; 224-1100
Sen. Richard Burr (R) (202) 224-3154; 228-2981

North Dakota
Sen. Kent Conrad (D) (202) 224-2043; 224-7776
Sen. Byron Dorgan (D) (202) 224-2551; 224-1193

Ohio
Sen. George Voinovich (R) (202) 224-3353; 228-1382
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) (202) 224-2315; 228-6321

Oklahoma
Sen. James Inhofe (R) (202) 224-224-4721; 228-0380
Sen. Tom Coburn (R) (202) 224-5754; 224-6008

Oregon
Sen. Ron Wyden (D) (202) 224-5244; 228-2717
Sen. Gordon Smith (R) (202) 224-3753; 228-3997

Pennsylvania
Sen. Arlen Specter (R) (202) 224-4254; 228-1229
Sen. Robert Casey (D) (202) 224- 6324; 228-0604

Rhode Island
Sen. Jack Reed (D) (202) 224-4642; 224-4680
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse(D) (202) 224-2921; 228-6362

South Carolina
Sen. Jim DeMint (R) (202) 224-6121; 228-5143
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) (202) 224-5972; 224-3808

South Dakota
Sen. Tim Johnson (D) (202) 224-5842; 228-5765
Sen. John Thune (R) (202) 224-2321; 228-5429

Tennessee
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R) (202) 224-4944; 228-3398
Sen. Bob Corker (R) (202) 224-3344; 228-0566

Texas
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) (202) 224-5922: 224-0776
Sen. John Cornyn (R) (202) 224-2934; 228-2856

Utah
Sen. Robert Bennett (R) (202) 224-5444; 228-1168
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) (202) 224-5251; 224-6331

Vermont
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D) (202) 224-4242; 224-3479
Sen. Bernard Sanders (I) (202) 224-5141; 228-0776

Virginia
Sen. John Warner (R) (202) 224-2023; 224-6295
Sen. James Webb (D) (202) 224-4024; 228-6363

Washington
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D) (202) 224-3441; 224-0514
Sen. Patty Murray (D) (202) 224-2621; 224-0238

West Virginia
Sen. Robert Byrd (D) (202) 224-3954; 228-0002
Sen. John Rockefeller IV (D) (202) 224-6472; 224-7665

Wisconsin
Sen. Russ Feingold (D) (202) 224-5323; 224-2725
Sen. Herbert Kohl (D) (202) 224-5653; 224-9787

Wyoming
Sen. Michael Enzi (R) (202) 224-3424; 228-0359
Sen. John Barrasso (R) (202) 224-6441

Newsclipping of the Day :: Kucinich's Articles of Impeachments Advances

HERE , from Elizabeth Holtzman writing at the Huffington Post, is cogent analysis on the Articles of Impeachment that the House voted on yesterday, agreeing to send it on to the Judiciary Committee. I applaud the 20 or so Republicans who joined with all Democrats in making this happen. Even with only 200 days left in office, i agree with Holtzman that these crimes are too big and this is too important to NOT move forward. We should all be pressuring our elected officials to persue this like their lives depend on it. Our Constitution is more important than any President, Vice President, political party, or any individual. Unless we want the door open to future dictators performing Coup d'Etats and taking over the government of the United States of America, we'd better all pursue this like our lives depend on it. Because they do.

Preach It, Brother Bill

We need more citizens like Bill Moyers.

FISA renewal and SOTU showdown

I've been reading alot over lunch today about Harry Reid inexplicably becoming Republican (again) and attempting to whisk the Bush FISA renewal bill through the Senate, while squashing his Democratic colleagues' better proposal. WTF??

Anyhoo, here are SOME GREAT PHOTOS!! Check them out, and then go HERE to leave one of your own. What a great idea. I can't wait to do my own later tonight. I'll post it here; and maybe show some good ones from the flicker page.

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Did you guys click on the photo link above to see all the super cool messages people have made?? Here is mine, just completed. Hope this crap washes off my knuckles (really don't wanna explain that to everyone tomorrow at work...)



Here are some other choice ones. Go check em out!

Newsclipping of the Day :: Schumer, the Ennabler

"...the job will not be finished until we get a strong and independent attorney general. I believe Judge Mukasey is that type of person. Should we reject him, it is almost certain that an acting, caretaker attorney general will take office without the advice and consent of the Senate. Inevitably, that would enable those in this administration, who do not believe in the rule of law, and have done things that caused even former Attorney General Ashcroft to threaten resignation, to have the complete upper hand."

What kind of (IR)rationalization is this? Have all Democrats lost their freakin minds? Why are our "Statesmen" like Schumer and Feinstein all capitulating?

Because they are ALL bought and paid for by our ONE party, the war party of corporate fascism.

*two branches: democrat and republican*

Earth to Chuck Schumer:

reject Mukasey

reject ANY nominee that can dissemble before the United States Congress about torture.

repeat this process, because the justice department will NOT be fixed, not until there is a new president.

this is our chief law enforcement officer for crissakes.

Oh Maureen, How I've Missed You

Thank goodness the Times has lost that silly Times Select thing. I used to read Maureen Dowd's every piece, faithfully, until the NYTimes decided i needed to pay for that priveledge. I buy her books, and i refused to buy Times Select just to read her few entertaining paragraphs weekly.

NOW we can all read Maureen whenever we like. Though this man was certainly not necessary to you Maureen, i'm glad to once again find you necessary.

It's that newspaper you work for that is not really necessary for any of us.

Newsclipping of the Day :: More Bad News for FREE and FAIR Elections in the USA

Forget about the Holt Amendment, there's much bigger--and much more covert and insidious--doins with elections here in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

We're putting more foxes in charge of the henhouse folks. Our entire system is being destroyed from within. This guy Hans von Spakovsky seems like a real patriot, doesn't he? Why even bother with elections anymore?