One of the "Disappeared!"

quote[Penny has been detained with no specific charges since July 1, 2004. The official reason for her detention is for what is called a "deferred inspection." This resulted from a cruise Penny took in June of 2003. She had left the States and then re-entered within a 4 day period. Legally she should have had her resident alien card taken at that time and substituted with a temporary card to be updated to a more permanent ID card later. This did not happen. Instead, she was allowed to leave and re-enter within a short period of time during those dates, again in September of 2003 and then again in May of 2004.]

America is officially fucked.

New Details About U.S. Military Shooting of Italian War Correspondent in Iraq

quote[One of the things that we keep hearing is that she was fired on on the road to the airport, which is a notoriously dangerous road. In fact, it's often described as the most dangerous road in the world. So this is treated as a fairly common and understandable incident that there would be a shooting like this on that road. And I was on that road myself, and it is a really treacherous place with explosions going off all the time and a lot of checkpoints. What Giuliana told me that I had not realized before is that she wasn't on that road at all. She was on a completely different road that I actually didn't know existed. It's a secured road that you can only enter through the Green Zone and is reserved exclusively for ambassadors and top military officials. So, when Calipari, the Italian security intelligence officer, released her from captivity, they drove directly to the Green Zone, went through the elaborate checkpoint process which everyone must go through to enter the Green Zone, which involves checking in obviously with U.S. forces, and then they drove onto this secured road. And the other thing that Giuliana told me that she's quite frustrated about is the description of the vehicle that fired on her as being part of a checkpoint. She says it wasn't a checkpoint at all. It was simply a tank that was parked on the side of the road that opened fire on them. There was no process of trying to stop the car, she said, or any signals. From her perspective, they were just -- it was just opening fire by a tank. The other thing she told me that was surprising to me was that they were fired on from behind. Because I think part of what we're hearing is that the U.S. soldiers opened fire on their car, because they didn't know who they were, and they were afraid. It was self-defense, they were afraid. The fear, of course, is that their car might blow up or that they might come under attack themselves. And what Giuliana Sgrena really stressed with me was that she -- the bullet that injured her so badly and that killed Calipari, came from behind, entered the back seat of the car. And the only person who was not severely injured in the car was the driver, and she said that this is because the shots weren't coming from the front or even from the side. They were coming from behind, i.e. they were driving away.]

WTF???? So what the hell can we believe from the govenment? This is fucking ridiculous!

Two-Thirds of World's Resources 'Used Up'

quote[The human race is living beyond its means. A report backed by 1,360 scientists from 95 countries - some of them world leaders in their fields - today warns that the almost two-thirds of the natural machinery that supports life on Earth is being degraded by human pressure.]

But the neocons want to tear up Alaska.

If Jesus Returns, Karl Rove Will Kill Him

quote[Christ was a long-haired peace activist who would have been sickened to his soul by the war in Iraq.  "Blessed are the peacemakers"  Jesus said in his defining Sermon on the Mount.  "Turn the other cheek...Love thy neighbor."

Such hippie-radical ideals are the "Christian" right wing's worst nightmare.  The GOP would never tolerate an upstart like Jesus gathering a following in the face of their corporate-fundamentalist crusade.  These are self-proclaimed Christians who love power but would despise the actual Christ, just as they love a Zionist Israel but believe  actual Jews are doomed to Hell. ]

Yep, they're a bunch of hippocrites.

U.S. Holds About 10,500 Prisoners In Iraq

quote[The United States is holding about 10,500 prisoners in Iraq, more than double the number held in October, the military says. About 100 of those prisoners are under age 18, said Army Lt. Col. Guy Rudisill, a spokesman for detention operations in Iraq.]

At what point do you admit that the people simply don't want you there?

Curing Obesity Through Sterility

quote[Beginning last November, the city of San Francisco began a program whereupon clinically obese men between the ages of 18 and 55 could undergo a procedure whereupon approximately 1/2 an inch is removed from each vas and the ends are sealed - commonly referred to as a vasectomy - completely free of charge. The overwhelming turnout led the State of California to follow suit, and now California is the first state in the Union to offer state-funded vasectomies to men who have been diagnosed as obese.]

Jesus Christ! I can't believe they are getting away with this in America.

I guess this is what happens when you elect an Austrian as Governor.

List of Schiavo Donors Will Be Sold by Direct-Marketing Firm

quote[The parents of Terri Schiavo have authorized a conservative direct-mailing firm to sell a list of their financial supporters, making it likely that thousands of strangers moved by her plight will receive a steady stream of solicitations from anti-abortion and conservative groups.]

Just goes to show that it isn't about her right to life, it's about money. It's disgusting that her parents would exploit her like this.

What Is A Cable Modem, And Who Decides

quote[Telephone companies and others have argued that cable companies should be regulated and subject to the same fees that are paid by traditional telecom companies, but the FCC and U.S. Congress have so far held that less regulation for cable will help drive competition and broadband growth.]

Interesting. I think it would be great if cable companies could be forced to open their lines to competition. Levelling the playing field will mean lower prices for the consumer.

Supporting The Troops

quote[Sgt. John J. Savage III, an Army reservist, was about to climb onto a troop transport plane for a flight to Iraq from Fayetteville, N.C., when his wife called with alarming news: "They're foreclosing on our house."]

Yeah, I'm sure these companies don'y know about the law.[note sarcasm]

Army to Use 'Patriotic' Appeal After Missing Recruiting Goals Again

quote[The Army probably will fall short of its monthly enlistment goals again in March and April but expects a new emphasis on patriotic pitches to make up the difference later, Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey said Wednesday.]

Here comes the draft.

Bush Approval Slips To Lowest Of His Presidency

quote[Independent political analysts said the drop may reflect opposition to the White House and Congress intervening in the Terri Schiavo matter.]

Don't you just love it when political connivery backfires?

BJ Services

Just read the caption above the ticker.

70-Million-Year-Old Fossil Yields Preserved Blood Vessels

quote[A 70-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex fossil dug out of a hunk of sandstone has yielded soft tissue, including blood vessels and perhaps even whole cells, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.]

Take that, bible thumping creationists!

Capitol Bill Aims To Control ‘Leftist’ Profs

quote[Republicans on the House Choice and Innovation Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to pass a bill that aims to stamp out “leftist totalitarianism” by “dictator professors” in the classrooms of Florida’s universities.]

How do these moronic assholes even get elected, much less tie their own shoes in the morning?

Denouncing DeLay Without Delay

quote[Believe it or not, these are some of the best days Democrats have had on Capitol Hill in years. Considering the drubbing they took last November, they are having more fun than they have any right to expect. This may be out of necessity. They have stopped pretending that they are only temporarily in the minority, and they have begun acting like the opposition, at least on Social Security and ethics.]

Good news for democrats??

More AIR AMERICA Stuff

quote[LEFT OF THE DIAL chronicles the trials and tribulations involved in starting up - and sustaining - a nationwide radio network during a highly charged election year.]

It's a good thing I get HBO. This should be interesting to watch.

Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

quote[JERRY Springer is trying to hook up with the all-liberal Air America network — meaning his new radio talk show could soon be heard in New York.]

I hope this gets picked up. When Rhandi was off the air, my local affiliate carried his show and I was surprised as to how intelligent and well put together it was.

Call/Write your local Air America station and let them know that you'd like to hear Springer on the radio (just not at the expense of Randi Rhodes).

Credit Card Prank Part 2

quote[Having learned from my Best Buy experience, I logged onto the Circuit City Web site to find out which models they had in stock. Then I put on a suit, because you can get away with anything if you're wearing a suit. Suits lie.]

This was quite funny. However, I think someone needs to let this guy know that the signature is really for the merchants protection: that is why it is their perogative to verify it.

A Free Living Will

Giving what we have seen with the Schiavo case, I felt it would be a good time for folks to create a living will.

Now, I must say that I agree with the attempts to keep her [Schiavo] alive (it is what I would want), but I am not sure as to her [Schiavo's] own thoughts when she was capable of them. This is why it is so important to prevent yourself (or your corpse, if you see it that way) from being a political pawn between the repug's and dem's.

Honestly, though I find it unconscionable to starve and dehydrate this woman, I think the neocons are trying to use her as a strangely sickening example of religious hypocrisity to muster, fool, and concentrate their neoconservative base even further.

It is worth mentioning though, that despite the neocon attempts, Bush signed into law as Governor of TX a bill that gave hospitals the authority to pull the plug from similar type patients (after a ten-day appeal reprieve). THEY ARE A BUNCH OF FUCKING HIPPOCRITES!!


Aside from this, your own beliefs and thoughts are what are important. This is why it is important to document them as early and often as possible; don't ever let yourself (or body) become a pawn for political maneuvering.

Personally, I've got my form filled out and awaiting two friends signatures. But, I still think I'm going to see an attorney to make absolutely sure things are as I WANT them.

I suggest you do the same...

Rumsfeld: It's All Turkey's Fault

quote[ Rumsfeld told "Fox News Sunday" that if the United States had able to get its 4th Infantry Division into northern Iraq through Turkey, more of Saddam's Baathist regime would have been captured or killed, diminishing the insurgency.]

What a complete jackass. Isn't this opposite of what he said at the beginning of the war?

Two Labs Confirmed Pentagon Anthrax

quote["It is a fact that we had a presumptive positive test come up," he said. "That presumptive positive test was confirmed by us and by at least two other labs as being a true positive."]

And yet Michael Jackson's antics continue to top the headlines...

Scott Ritter Says Get Ready For The Draft

quote[...That, he says, will mandate the inevitable reinstitution of a draft. “A breakdown of our military’s ability to handle these adventures. Congress will be confronted with that and congress will have to take action. So, the blame will be thrust on the shoulders of congress, and the Bush administration will say ‘Well, we didn’t want this’. But, it had to happen.”]

Just brilliant. Blame it on congress.

Lost File Reveals Hitler's Paranoia

quote[Adolf Hitler was so crippled with anxiety during his final days that he would scratch his neck and ears until they bled and demanded that his toilet water, as well as the water in which his eggs were boiled, be constantly analysed for traces of poison. ]

As if we needed further proof that this guy was nuts...

No ID Required To Fly

quote[Because the requirement for ID is in your contract of carriage with the airline, not with the Gestapo. There is no statutory or regulatory requirement for anyone to show photo ID to the TSA. It flat out does not exist.]

Interesting, if true. Also, see this related link (from the story).

Clinton Adviser Critiques Kerry Campaign

quote[The Kerry campaign had "a different message every two or three weeks," Ann Lewis, director of communications for Clinton's political action committee, said in Friday's issue of the Forward, a Jewish weekly published in New York City.]

Personally, I don't think that Clinton wanted Kerry to win last Nov. She's had her sights on '08 for quite a while now.

Lawmaker Seeks to End Sexy Cheerleading

quote["It's just too sexually oriented, you know, the way they're shaking their behinds and going on, breaking it down," said Edwards, a 26-year veteran of the Texas House.]

Surprisingly, I think this guy is a democrat.

St. Petersburg 5-year-old Cuffed After School Outburst

quote[A 5-year-old girl was arrested, cuffed and put in back of a police cruiser after an outburst at school where she threw books and boxes, kicked a teacher in the shins, smashed a candy dish, hit an assistant principal in the stomach and drew on the walls.]

Sounds like the kid was being a brat. But that's still nor reason to shackle her.

Senate backs oil drilling in Alaskan reserve

quote[Supporters of a plan to drill for oil in an Arctic wildlife reserve won an important victory in the US Senate yesterday, bringing the hugely controversial scheme a step closer to reality.]

Ahh, the neocons are realizing their dreams...

This Asshole Should Be Nailed To A Wall

quote[While the Toronto poser may not go down in history as a multidisciplinary master, thanks to director Zev Asher's creepy documentary Casuistry: The Art of Killing a Cat, Power's fame will live a little longer than the friendly neighbourhood kitty that he and two friends nailed to a wall, beat, and disembowelled. When faced with charges of cruelty to animals, Power wisely pled art, stating the videotaped ceremony was a protest against the hypocrisy of meat-eating pet owners.]

Ancient Practices "Suck"

quote[The public health department's initial conclusion was that there was a reasonable suspicion that all three babies had been infected by Fischer when he drew blood with his mouth. The authorities immediately forbade Fischer from performing any more oral procedures, ordered him to work only while wearing sterile gloves, and filed a complaint against him at the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, demanding that he cooperate with the investigation and refrain from drawing blood orally until the matter is resolved.]


Sorry for the title...

Fake News Gets White House OK

quote[Then at the mid-day briefing, Press Secretary Scott McClellan officially confirmed that the White House is blowing off the Government Accountability Office's finding that prepackaged administration video news releases constitute illegal covert propaganda.]

This is a shameless waste of taxpayer money.

See post below...

Stop News Fraud

quote[“State-run media” is a phrase normally reserved for regimes such as North Korea that manipulate and censor all public information. Media in the United States were thought to be free of such autocratic control, but recent maneuvers by the Bush administration should make all of us stand up and take notice.]

If any of this were to have occured under Clinton, the repug congress would have had a shit-storm.

Also make sure to sign the petition...

Snow Shovel Activism in Connecticut

quote[Welcome to the Official Website of the Soggy Boot Gang - a semi-secret cadre of snow-shovelling revolutionaries bringing its message of peace and progress to the Storrs, Connecticut community through a variety of peace symbols and signs etched in the new-fallen snow.]

Israel plans strike on Iranian nuclear plant

quote[The plans have been discussed with American officials who are said to have indicated provisionally that they would not stand in Israel’s way if all international efforts to halt Iranian nuclear projects failed.]

Really, what is taking them so long? I truly expected the fireworks to have started by now.

DeLay’s Dirty Dozen

quote[House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has been a busy man these last few years. Whether bribing congressmen, threatening political opponents, vacationing with lobbyists, or gutting House ethics rules, it’s been hard to keep up with all the Hammer’s activities. Here are twelve highlights from DeLay’s illustrious career.]

Baseball Fights Inquiry Into Steroids

quote[The legal audacity of subpoenaing someone who's been a grand jury witness before there has been a trial in the case in California is just an absolutely excessive and unprecedented misuse of congressional power," Brand said in a conference call with reporters late yesterday afternoon. ''Not even the Iran-contra committee attempted to do that, and when it did, it tainted irreparably the prosecution that came out of that investigation.]

I actually find this quite interesting since I have long suspected that this inquiry into a private enterprise is unconstitutional. I wonder how it will eventually play out.

Arnold Proves He's A True Repuglican

quote[A week after Democratic legislators faulted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for using taxpayer money to produce "propaganda" in the form of a mock news video, the administration on Wednesday acknowledged making several others to advance its policies.]

These repugs are disgusting.

Ex-Marine Says Public Version of Saddam Capture Fiction

quote[Ex-Sgt. Nadim Abou Rabeh, of Lebanese descent, was quoted in the Saudi daily al-Medina Wednesday as saying Saddam was actually captured Friday, Dec. 12, 2003, and not the day after, as announced by the U.S. Army.]

Who knows, or really cares, whether this is real or not? The real question should be, why would they fake it?

CONFIRMED: Jeff Gannon was an adult porn webmaster

quote[Thanks to  the excellent investigative work of blogslut, here , we now have definite confirmation that James Dale Guckert aka "Jeff Gannon" was an adult porn webmaster.  Read her entire post for the background, but here is the official statement of MALECORPS, one of the sites to which James Guckert signed up as an affiliate:]

Shocking!! (not)

HOW DEMOCRATS CAN OVERTHROW THE HOUSE

quote[The chaos among Republicans over ethics was sweet relief to House Democrats, whose victories in recent years have been few and far between. While Republicans comprise a mere 53 percent of the House, they afford the House's 201 Democrats virtually zero power. Although Republicans promised to bring glasnost to the House when they toppled a heavy-handed Democratic majority in 1994, today they rule with an iron fist. Floor debates are kept to a bare minimum. Democrats have almost no role in writing legislation and are rarely allowed to offer amendments, even when--especially when--their proposals enjoy majority support. Republicans think nothing of ramming through huge bills that have just come back from the printer. "It's crazy what's going on here," says Democrat Jim McGovern of Massachusetts. "Christ, you've got bills coming to the floor that no one reads." Republicans sometimes treat Democrats as if they don't really belong in the House at all. In one defining 2003 moment, House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas, doing his best impersonation of an East German commissar, actually summoned the Capitol Police after a dispute over procedural fairness led Democrats to walk out of a hearing. Things have gotten so bad that even former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who led these Republicans to power a decade ago, has urged them to "loosen up" the legislative process and allow Democrats more say.]

Good God, even Newt Gingrich is telling the repugs to loosen up!

Death Penalty Decision Alarms Texas

quote[The looming problem is not that these 29 now must be integrated into the system's main population, but that some of them actually might be considered for parole soon.]

I didn't realize that Texas didn't even have an option for life without parole. Maybe this is why it has such a high execution rate.

In any case, I think it's about time they stopped executions for minors (it's a mere step, but still a step, in the right direction. And to think that not even Saudi Arabia would send a minor to death,,,

Robert Byrd: Behind the Times

quote[You may have heard the rumblings from the right about Senator Robert Byrd's not-that-helpful historical analogy vis-a-vis the Senate Republicans' threat to disallow filibusters and, uhm, Hitler. Byrd, who is old and scary, said that "Hitler never abandoned the cloak of legality; he recognized the enormous psychological value of having the law on his side. Instead, he turned the law inside out and made illegality legal."]

Ahh, the old double standard...

More TASER Abuse

quote[A woman says police shocked her teenage son 16 times with a stun gun, causing him to temporarily lose his memory, and she plans to seek damages.]

I would say something about the fact that these things are continuosly used for the wrong purpose, but 16 times when he was choking?? Give me a break. This is more like blatant abuse.

What You Can't Say

quote[What scares me is that there are moral fashions too. They're just as arbitrary, and just as invisible to most people. But they're much more dangerous. Fashion is mistaken for good design; moral fashion is mistaken for good. Dressing oddly gets you laughed at. Violating moral fashions can get you fired, ostracized, imprisoned, or even killed.]

This is an excellent treatise on the subject of group-think.

Possible Evidence Found For Superstring Theory

quote[One way to visualise this is to imagine a string coming up through this page. Imagine cutting from the paper a narrow triangle whose tip is at the string, then gluing the paper back together again. The result will be a shallow cone centred on the string. Because of this distortion of space, if a string passes between us and a distant galaxy - a giant collection of stars like our Milky Way - the light of the galaxy can come to Earth along two possible routes: one on either side of the string. Consequently, there will be two identical images of the galaxy only a whisker apart - which is exactly what is seen in the case of CSL-1.]

Mind boggling...

The Price Paid For Blogging Iran

quote["Saminejad was kept in solitary confinement for 88 days, and he was subjected to severe beatings and torture. He was briefly released on 27 January for a short time, but because bail had been set at $125,000, and he wasn't able to pay that, he was rearrested, and his conditions are unknown."]

The Bushies would just love to be able to do this.

The New Arms Race

quote[A year ago, President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) said Russia could build unrivaled new strategic weapons, and in November he said it is developing a new nuclear missile system unlike any weapon other countries have or could come up with in the near future.]

Thanks Bush.

Attorney General Says He Will Prosecute Obscenity Aggressively

quote[In his first lengthy address since becoming attorney general in early February, Gonzales said people who distribute obscene materials do not enjoy constitutional guarantees of free speech.]

This guy really scares me. Also, note what it says at the bottom of the article:
"Among other priorities Gonzales noted...Amending the Constitution to give crime victims the right to participate in prosecutions and sentencings."

Lynch mob anybody??

The New McCarthyism

quote[That ought to have ended any controversy, which should have been seen as a tempest in a paper cup on a slow news day. But the real terrorists that this nation should fear then went to work: the right-wing ideologues in our media and government, who are far more dangerous to our country than al Qaeda could ever be, and, yes, you can quote me.]

A well written article. I fear it's worse than McCarthyism, though.

Trio of Papers Pull Today's 'Boondocks' Referring to Bush and Drugs

quote[At least three of the approximately 300 "Boondocks" clients dropped today's strip mentioning President Bush's alleged former drug use.]

So, where's this liberal media bias I keep hearing about??

No Draft, No Way

quote[Stop the Draft before it starts:

On March 31, the Selective Service System will report to President Bush that it is ready to implement a draft within 75 days. We have to organize now to stop the draft before it starts.

Despite what politicians say, there is a high probability that the Bush Administration will attempt to reinstate the draft.

The U.S. military is in a quagmire in Iraq, facing a national popular uprising against the occupation. Soldiers are dying every day. A report issued in January 2004 by Jeffrey Record, a visiting professor at the Air War College, said the Army is “near the breaking point.” The Pentagon has been forced to issue repeated “stop loss” orders and recall soldiers who had retired or otherwise returned to civilian life.

Out of 10 Army Divisions, part or all of 9 of them are either deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Twenty-one out of 33 regular combat brigades are on active duty in Iraq, Afghanistan, South Korea, or the Balkans. That’s 63% of the Army’s combat strength. This means the Army is extremely overextended. The Bush Administration has been trying to fill the gap with Reserve and National Guard troops, but this is a temporary fix at best. The head of the Army Reserves has recently written a memo saying that the readiness of his forces has been drastically reduced through over-deployment and is “degenerating into a broken force.”

Meanwhile, official U.S. foreign policy is now the doctrine of “pre-emptive war” and “regime change” wherever a leader runs afoul of U.S. corporate interests. An invasion of Iran, Syria, Korea, or Cuba—all of whom are on Washington and Wall Street’s list of targets—would require tens or hundreds of thousands of new soldiers.

Enlistment rates not even able to maintain current force levels, much less provide troops for new invasions and occupations. All four services missed their enlistment quotas last year, and enlistments in the Reserves, National Guard, and regular military are at a 30-year low. Many current members of the armed forces plan to get out as soon as their current enlistment ends. According to a poll conducted by the military newspaper Stars & Stripes, 49% of soldiers stationed in Iraq do not plan to re-enlist.

The President has given the Selective Service System a set of readiness goals to be implemented by March 31, 2005. As part of these performance goals, the System must be ready to be fully operational within 75 days. This means we can look for the Draft to be in operation as early as June 15, 2005.

March 19 is the second anniversary of the war. On the weekend of March 19-20, activists all over the globe will take to the streets to demand and end to the war and occupation. No Draft No Way will be mobilizing to take part in these demonstrations, which will take place just a few days before the Selective Service System reports to President Bush that it is ready to go. We must be in the streets to let them know that we oppose the draft and will not be used as cannon fodder in Iraq or in any new war.]

This site has some great resources about avoiding a potential draft, protests, and online petitions