42% Would Impeach Bush

quote[And, in a sign of continuing polarization, more than two-in-five voters (42%) say they would favor impeachment proceedings if it is found the President misled the nation about his reasons for going to war with Iraq.]

And, this is despite the lack of media coverage of the Downing Street memos.

Your Guide To The Plan

quote[Q: So what's the plan?
A: The plan is to stick with the plan! If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Q: Why do we need the plan?
A: To stop terrorists like Saddam bin Laden from building another World Trade Center in Iraq - just so they can blow it up again.
Q: That would be horrible! How is the plan stopping them?
A: The plan is the central front in the war against terror! We invaded Iraq to get Iraqis to fight us in Iraq so they wouldn't fight us at home.
Q: The plan has cleverly lured them to where they already were, only in terrorist form!
A: Now you're catchin on!
Q: Hey, I know! We should invade like a small cardboard box. When all the terrorists attack there, we'll jump out of the way, tape up the box, and throw it in the ocean! No more terrorists!
A: Hey! No peeking ahead at the plan!]

Sounds like a Karl Rove primer. :)

For U.S. Troops, The Question Is ‘Who Can You Trust?’

quote[A uniformed Iraqi with all the proper credentials walks up to an armored Humvee in Hawijah, levels his AK-47 at the window and fires off a clip, seriously injuring a U.S. servicemember.]

As I hear it, at least the SVA (south Vietnam) could be trusted during that war.

How To Nip A Budding Political Career

quote[A New York state lawmaker says he's embarrassed, after he mistakenly sent out an e-mail message that referred to his constituents as "idiots."]

Any surprise that he's a repug?

MOVE TO SEIZE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE'S HOUSE -- FOR HOTEL!

quote["This is not a prank" said Clements, "The Towne of Weare has five people on the Board of Selectmen. If three of them vote to use the power of eminent domain to take this land from Mr. Souter we can begin our hotel development."]

That is awesome. I hope it passes.

Bush's Speech: Let's Count the Lies

quote[Bush added to his lies tonight, as he does every day in which he maintains silence on key points about which the media will not ask him. He did not say tonight that there will be no permanent US military bases in Iraq. He did not say tonight that the Iraqi people will get to keep their oil. He said he would give no exit date until "the job is done" and the "mission" is "complete," but he did not provide any way for a mortal to measure whether that state of affairs has been reached or not.]

I really liked this article. I think it was right on point.

The Party's Over For Betrayed Republican

quote[We're poisoning our planet through gluttony and ignorance.

We're teetering on the brink of self-inflicted insolvency.

We're selfishly and needlessly sacrificing the best of a generation.

And we're lying about it.]

Great article.

State Guard SPying On Dead Soldier's Moms

quote[Although Guard officials said the new unit would not collect information on American citizens, top National Guard officials have already been involved in tracking at least one recent Mother's Day anti-war rally organized by families of slain American soldiers, according to e-mails obtained by the Mercury News.]

That is just disgusting.

Rove on the Couch

quote[As you all have heard, Karl Rove said liberals wanted to offer the terrorists therapy after 9/11. I know a lot of liberals. None of them were talking about counseling Osama bin Laden in that terrible time. But there is one person liberals would like to see in therapy: Karl Rove. How else to understand the enemy?]

I never could understand why he likes the nickname 'turd-blossom' so much.

A 'Preacher' Of Hatred

quote[Phelps is gleeful in the chaos of war, hell-bent on sowing hurt with hateful words. And just to make sure the families of Piper and Maloney know the men they love will burn in eternal damnation, he and his followers plan to picket outside their funerals, adding an additional layer of stress to the grieving families.]

People like this make me sick.

Here Come The Zombies!

quote[SCIENTISTS have created eerie zombie dogs, reanimating the canines after several hours of clinical death in attempts to develop suspended animation for humans.]

Creepy.

Also, I don't quite believe their claims that human trials should be conducted within a year.

House Repub's Want To Further Interfere With Free Enterprise, Baseball

quote["I think Major League Baseball understands the stakes," said Government Reform Chairman Tom Davis (R), the Northern Virginia lawmaker who recently convened high-profile steroid hearings. "I don't think they want to get involved in a political fight."

Davis, whose panel also oversees District of Columbia issues, said that if a Soros sale went through, "I don't think it's the Nats that get hurt. I think it's Major League Baseball that gets hurt. They enjoy all sorts of exemptions" from anti-trust laws.]

Is there no limit to their shame?

Big Media Interlocks with Corporate America

quote[Mainstream media is the term often used to describe the collective group of big TV, radio and newspapers in the United States. Mainstream implies that the news being produced is for the benefit and enlightenment of the mainstream population-the majority of people living in the US. Mainstream media include a number of communication mediums that carry almost all the news and information on world affairs that most Americans receive. The word media is plural, implying a diversity of news sources.]

Bush Administration Crafting New Message On Iraq

quote[At this point, 91.5 percent of all American military deaths have occurred since Bush declared on May 1, 2003, that "major combat" was over.]

I think the quote above says it all.

U.S. Plans Radioactive Project

quote["The real reason we're starting production is for national security," Timothy Frazier, head of radioisotope power systems at the Department of Energy, said at the end of a recent interview.]

Doesn't this violate the non-proliferation treaties in place? Oh wait, I almost forgot, the Bush administration doesn't give a flying fuck about the international community.

Taking The Fight To Karl

quote[Karl, it’s time you shut up and listened. My father was a decorated veteran of FOUR WARS – he fought fascism in Spain, he fought for Israeli independence, and he fought in World War II and Korea with HIGHEST distinction. His chest could have been full of his medals, but he kept them in a drawer out of modesty. My son is CURRENTLY in the Navy, a Democrat fighting Bush’s understaffed and underhanded mother-of-all-messes. “Patriotism is not a showy burst of emotion, but the slow and steady dedication of a lifetime.” -- remember THAT next time you’re feeling like making a stupid remark.]

American Service Men And Women Mad At Karl Rove.

Remember This?

quote["I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today would last five days, or five weeks or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that," he said.]

Well, I guess you could argue that the war was short. Unfortunately, the quagmire isn't.

Deputy Tasers 90-Pound 13-Year-Old Girl At Hospital

quote[April Rene Burleson, who is 4-foot-9 and weighs 90 pounds, had a blood alcohol level of 0.175 percent and was under the influence of marijuana and the prescription drug Xanax, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.]

I don't know what bothers me more, the fact that they tasered her or the fact that she was so fucked up in the first place.

Senators Call for Investigation of Downing Street Minutes

quote[Senator Kerry (D - MA) sent a letter yesterday to the Senate Intelligence Committee pressing for answers on the Downing Street Minutes and related documents. The letter, obtained by RawStory.com, is also signed by Senators Johnson, Corzine, Reed, Lautenberg, Boxer, Kennedy, Harkin, Bingaman, and Durbin.]

It's about time Kerry woke up and did what he said he would.

Italy Judge Orders Arrest of 13 CIA Agents

quote[Minale said the suspects remain at large and Italian authorities will ask the United States and Egypt for assistance in the case.]

Yeah, right, that will happen...

Soap Box

Lawsuit Against Rumsfeld to Be Heard in Federal Court in the District of Columbia

quote[A lawsuit that seeks to hold Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and others directly responsible for the abuse and torture of detainees in U.S. military custody will be heard in a federal court in the District of Columbia, a seven-judge panel ruled yesterday. The lawsuit, which was the first to name Secretary Rumsfeld in the ongoing torture scandal in Afghanistan and Iraq, was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First on behalf of eight Afghan and Iraqi men who were tortured while they were held in U.S. detention facilities.]

Nothing will probably come of this, but at least it's being heard in court.

The Return Of '1984'

quote[In what was then the futuristic, nightmare world of ''1984," written in 1949, Orwell introduced the concepts of ''newspeak," ''doublethink," and ''the mutability of the past," all concepts that seem to be alive and well in 2005, half a century after Orwell's death. In the ever-changing rationale of why we went to war in Iraq, we can imagine ourselves working in Orwell's ''Ministry of Truth," in which ''reality control" is used to ensure that ''the lie passed into history and became the truth."]

Scott McClellan Presser

quote[If the presidential press conference is nothing more than a bullshit-shoveling session — which it almost certainly is — why not send your newsroom interns to the conference, and have your reporters spend their time digging into archives, hunting for disgruntled sources, and talking to policy experts?]

Great article.

U.S. Gives Halliburton Another Billion

quote[The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contract was awarded to Halliburton subsidiary KBR despite ongoing allegations of overbilling by the unit, the largest U.S. contractor in Iraq. Halliburton has consistently denied wrongdoing.]

PETV People for the Ethical Treatment of Vegetables

quote[If god didn't want people to eat animals, why did he make them out of meat?]

Yankees Embrace Gay Pride

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I hope I don't piss off any Yankee's fans.

They Just Keep Popping Them Out

quote[The Duggars are letting God dictate how many children they have...When we need clothes, we simply go to the family closet....laundry is made easier when we wear matching colors (Mon- red, Tues- blue, etc …We call it our ‘homeschool uniforms’. We feel unified & more serious about school, like a team!) We keep socks simple, too. The girls wear white & the boys wear black.]

...And on the eighth day God made guns, so that Man could kill the dinosaurs...and the ho-mo-sexuals. (Bad movie reference)

Punishing The Poor: Mass. Gov. Eyes Penalties For Those Lacking Insurance

quote[If they refuse, the state could recoup the medical costs in several ways, Romney said yesterday: The state might cancel the personal tax exemption on their state income taxes, which is worth about $175. It could withhold some or all of their state income tax refund and deposit it in what Romney called a ''personal healthcare spending account." Or, it might take money out of the person's paycheck, as it does now to collect child support.]

So, is he a republican or a socialist, because this is the first step to socialized medicine?

Bush Continues Pandering To The Religious Right

quote[Bush renewed his call for Congress to pass a law that would allow religious groups with federal contracts to consider questions of faith when making employment decisions. With such legislation long stalled, the president has bypassed Congress and made more money available to such groups through executive orders and regulations.]

Just more evidence that we are losing our freedoms.

Swearing On Q'uran Not Good Enough, Judge Says

quote[Guilford Senior Resident Superior Court Judge W. Douglas Albright told the News & Record last week that an oath taken on the Quran is not a lawful oath under state law. The law refers to laying one's hand on the "Holy Scriptures."]

You've got to love the American Taliban.

It's Rathergate all over again!

quote[Here it comes.

Just as the Downing Street memo is starting to get a little traction in the United States -- the mainstream press has at least begun to write about why it hasn't been writing about it, and John Kerry is apparently pushing his Democratic colleagues to call for an investigation in the Senate -- bloggers on the right are rising up to declare the memo a fake. "Did Lucy Ramirez find the Downing Street memos?" asks Captain's Quarters, and you can pretty much guess where it goes from there.

The nugget of nefariousness from which the right builds its case: Michael Smith, the reporter who first obtained the Downing Street memo, has told the Associated Press that he protected the identity of the source who gave him the memo by typing a copy of it on plain paper and destroying the original. Little Green Footballs picked up the thread, Captain's Quarters jumped right on it, and the National Review Online's Jonah Goldberg piled right on top. "Is the Downing Street memo real?" Goldberg asked over the weekend. "There's no way of knowing."

But of course, there is a way of knowing. As Kevin Drum notes, "There are quite a few principals in this case who either wrote or received these memos and therefore have absolute knowledge of whether or not they're genuine." And while Goldberg apparently disagrees, we think it's more than a little telling that not one of those principals has raised a single question about the authenticity of the memo. If the memo were a fake, Tony Blair certainly would have had every reason to say so by now. And if the memo were a fake, why would British sources have confirmed its authenticity for the Washington Post?

Goldberg, at least, seems to have backed away from his initial enthusiasm for the faked-memo theory. On Sunday, he said that, if he had to bet, he'd bet that the memo is real. But really, he says, who can be bothered? "I haven't invested much time or energy in the Downing Street memo brouhaha as I've had more important personal stuff to deal with," Goldberg writes. It all sounds a little familiar: Goldberg is too busy living his own life to fight in the war for which he's shilled or even to take seriously what he calls the "countless conspiracy theories" about why we're in Iraq in the first place. If only he were too busy to stop spreading conspiracy theories of his own. . . .

-- Tim Grieve

(09:44 EDT, June 20, 2005)]

US 'concealing' Saddam's secrets

quote[Iraq's justice minister has accused the US of concealing information about deposed president Saddam Hussein that could be damaging to "many countries".]

Gee, I wonder what they are so afraid of.

Summer Moon Illusion

quote[When you look at the moon, rays of moonlight converge and form an image about 0.15 mm wide in the back of your eye. High moons and low moons make the same sized spot. So why does your brain think one is bigger than the other? After all these years, scientists still aren't sure why.]

Interesting. I'll have to check this out this evening.

Yes, The Patriot Act IS Used To Spy on Library Records

quote[Law enforcement officials have made at least 200 formal and informal inquiries to libraries for information on reading material and other internal matters since October 2001, according to a new study that adds grist to the growing debate in Congress over the government's counterterrorism powers...The Bush administration says that while it is important for law enforcement officials to get information from libraries if needed in terrorism investigations, officials have yet to actually use their power under the Patriot Act to demand records from libraries or bookstores.]

Don't listen to those crazy republicans.

What The Evening News Refused To Air

quote[Symbolman from Take Back the Media travelled to Washington DC to videotape the Downing Street Minutes Hearing, the Rally, and Representative Conyers delivering the petition and signatures to the White House. While there, Sybmolman teamed up with Flux who captured Rep. John Conyers at the White House gate with the petition signed by over 560,000 Americans and 122 Members of Congress.]

Shit, that was a lot of signatures.

Note: Video File

Bush May Bypass Senate on Bolton

quote[White House press secretary Scott McClellan did not rule out that Bush would consider a recess appointment if the Senate does not approve Bolton's nomination. He blamed the Democrats for "obstructing progress" by stalling a vote on Bolton.]

Who the fuck really cares about democracy anyways?

What's So Funny?

quote[Video Content...]

Thanks Longhair.

PETA Killing Animals

quote[Two employees of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals were arrested on animal cruelty charges in Ahoskie, N.C., after investigators saw dead dogs being thrown into a grocery store garbage container Wednesday, according to the Ahoskie Police Department.]

Iraq threatens Iran with military action as tensions flare

quote[The newspaper says threats of military action have been made, attributing its source to a senior member of Iraq’s security forces.]

Sure, Iraq will attack Iran.

I think it's more likely the U.S. will attack.

US lied to Britain over use of napalm in Iraq war

quote[Mr Ingram said 30 MK77 firebombs were used by the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in the invasion of Iraq between 31 March and 2 April 2003. They were used against military targets "away from civilian targets", he said. This avoids breaching the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which permits their use only against military targets.]

Shocking! There are even more lies...

Scientists Make Blood From Human Stem Cells

quote[Writing in the U.S. journal Blood, the researchers said they were able to turn human embryonic stem cells into red and white blood cells using a system that makes more blood cells more rapidly and more safely, with fewer animal ingredients, than others have done.]

And the neocons don't want research like this to be done.

House Votes To Curb Patriot Act

quote[Bush has threatened to veto any measure that weakens those powers. The surprise 238 to 187 rebuke to the White House was produced when a handful of conservative Republicans, worried about government intrusion, joined with Democrats who are concerned about personal privacy.]

Finally, a victory with meaning.

Oregon's Weird Landslide

quote[The election required three paid poll workers to be on duty for 13 hours, even though Way cast the lone ballot just 17 minutes after the poll opened at 7 a.m.}

That is seriously fucked up.

The Lost Boys Of Utah

quote[Gideon is one of the "Lost Boys," a group of more than 400 teenagers — some as young as 13 — who authorities in Utah and Arizona say have fled or been driven out of the polygamous enclaves of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City over the last four years.]

Just when I though my faith in humanity couldn't be shaken any further...

Judiciary GOP Pulls The Plug On Conyers 'Forums'

quote[“I’m sitting here watching your ‘forum’ on C-SPAN,” McLaughlin wrote. “Just to let you know, it was your last. Don’t bother asking [for a room] again.”]

This is fucking ridiculous! When the media finally starts waking up and half a million people are outraged, the repug's decide to try and prevent any sort off investigation possible.

In essence, rooms that are paid for by your tax dollars are not being allowed to be used to investigate and discuss possible impeachable offenses.

Mind you, The Hill, is a very conservative magazine.

ANTI GAY PHONE COMPANY

quote[Starting in late December I began to get phone calls from what I thought was a phone company (United American Technologies) trying to get me to switch from my phone company to a Christian one that didn’t support gay marriage and pornography. It was so weird and creepy that I decided to record them. There are three calls (I, II, III). It turns out that they are from a non-profit that works with United American Technologies and calls people on their behalf. UAT then donates money to them. I think this non-profit stopped making these calls, but UAT still has many other organizations making the calls for them I believe. Though they claimed to donate 10% of their profits to ministries I think the money actually went into an Oklahoma Republican political campaign, but some of it may go to Churches and ministries, I’m not sure. The whole thing is confusing and spooky. But enjoy the calls. You can also read this article from the New York Sun for more information.]

Those were just hilarious.

The FINAL list of Senators refusing to oppose lynching

quote[Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Michael Crapo (R-ID)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Craig Thomas (R-WY)
George Voinovich (R-OH)]

Some Perspective.

And, an interesting perspective from the deep south.

Repuglican "Freedom Fries" Warmonger Now Anti-Iraq War

quote[A pro-Iraq war US congressman who campaigned for French fries to be renamed "freedom fries" is now calling for US troops to return home from Iraq.]

Is it just me or are we all hearing the lame sounds of a duck quacking?

Senator: U.S. Will 'Have to Face' Military Draft Dilemma

quote["The truth of the matter is, it is going to become a subject, if, in fact, there's a 40 percent shortfall in recruitment. It's just a reality," he said.]

I told you so...

Guess What? Another Leaked Memo

quote[Just as the U.S. media -- albeit a month late -- scramble to get on top of the so-called “Downing Street Memo,” the Sunday Times in London unveiled another leaked document which confirms and goes behind the message of the memo. Meanwhile, Walter Pincus of the Washington Post has a related, front-page report on Sunday.

“Ministers were warned in July 2002 that Britain was committed to taking part in an American-led invasion of Iraq and they had no choice but to find a way of making it legal,” the Sunday Times reports.]

Bush, Cheney and the gang SHOULD be impeached.

Al Franken catches Bill O'Reilly doing a little funny editing

quote[So much O'Reilly, so little time. This one is particularly egregious. The Spark Notes summary: O’Reilly took video from Senator Joe Biden’s Sunday appearance on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, edited it to misrepresent what Biden said, then advocated his now edited-out position (all the while criticizing him)...]

Holy fuck, O'Reilly is a disgusting waste of flesh.

I actually heard this on Franken's show earlier this week, but wasn't quite paying attention, so I didn't notice how disgusting it was.

I recommend the Video-QT link (quicktime). It appears to be of better quality, but might suck (take way too long to load) if you're on dial-up.

Leave My Child Alone!

quote[DID YOU KNOW... that the infernal Leave No Child Behind Act has a sneaky Pete section requiring high schools to turn over student information to military recruiters?]

In response to my earlier post.

Deep Throat Today

It's pretty much the truth.

Texas governor suggests gay veterans should leave state

quote["I'm going to say Texas has made a decision on marriage and if there's a state with more lenient views than Texas, then maybe that's where they should live," the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Perry said Sunday.]

Fucking repugs!

When Marine Recruiters Go Way Beyond The Call

quote[At about 3:30 in the morning, Alex was awakened in the motel and fed a little something. Twelve hours later, without further sleep or food, he had taken a battery of tests and signed a lot of papers he hadn't gotten a chance to read. "Just formalities," he was told. "Sign here. And here. Nothing to worry about."]

Christ, they're getting mighty desperate!

Star Wars III: A Steaming Pile Of Sith

quote[By the way, if you haven't seen this movie yet, don't read the previous sentence.]

Actually, I liked the movie. But this was just too rich not to share. (Just so you know, this contains a fair amount of profinity).

Ask the God Damn Question!

quote[George W. Bush, during his press conference with Tony Blair, 6/7/05 said Saddam would not comply. (Comply to what? We are never told! But apparently whatever he did not comply to was important enough to start a war over but not important enough to ever explain to the world!)]

Each passsing day, I grow more furious at the American news outlets.

American media no longer accept Bushs war lies

quote[A strange phenomenon is occurring in national American papers, with many editors beginning to condemn the war in Iraq, when previously many of them "accepted" it.]

Okay, I'm not so sure this source (Aljazeera) has any credibility on this subject, never mind that there is little evidence brought out in the story.

But the reader's comments are hilarious:

"i think most american now ised that they have voted a lier president.i believe he is born a natural lier.all his lifes full of lies.anyway is not to late yet to send him to the hague for trial with all his gangs."

~or~

"the white house is still the control by crazy whiteman, no matter how many different races of people in the cabinet, the people that run the country all still the same with some better than others, but this group is by far the worst the world has ever seen. lie lie lie. the end of story. what a ahole to let so many people die to prove what, so much money spent for what. to free the iraqis or to bring democracy to the me. if some is good and people see it is good then they will want it and do whatever they can to get it. now the iraqis are free to go anywhere they want, but americans a free people are not. sleep well bush and blair because god says what go around comes back around." --From Craig in The U.S., no less.

Terminal Futility

quote[Is there anyone reading this column who would agree with Mark O. Hatfield Jr., spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, that in the past year "the average peak wait time at [airport] checkpoints has dropped a minute ... to about 12 minutes"? This is what he was cited as having said, in a New York Times report of a confidential document from the Department of Homeland Security. The last time I was at Dulles Airport, the line for security began at the entrance to the terminal and wound itself in several rope-line convolutions, like a clogged intestine, for about 40 minutes. I had allowed the usual two hours and was checking no luggage, but this and other banana-republic conditions almost made me miss my plane. Nor was it a "peak time." In any case, a passenger cannot know what a "peak time" will be. Only the TSA knows how many people are booked on how many flights at a given hour and can make provision of enough machines and personnel. Or not, as the case may be.]

Taking away our liberties doesn't actually protect us?? Who knew?

The Downing Street Memo Story Won't Die

quote[Bolton flew to Europe in 2002 to confront the head of a global arms-control agency and demand he resign, then orchestrated the firing of the unwilling diplomat in a move a U.N. tribunal has since judged unlawful, according to officials involved, " Hanley said in a story published this weekend by The Guardian in London and carried by Canadian TV.]

..Even though the media won't report it.

Feds: Science paper a terrorist's road map

quote[The federal government has asked the National Academy of Sciences not to publish a research paper that feds describe as a "road map for terrorists" on how to contaminate the nation's milk supply.]

Comment from Karen:

For Crying out loud!!! Fucking censoring scientists!!!! The really stupid thing is that they are advertising the article even more. I doubt Ossama is sitting there reading PNAS looking for terrorism procedures. What Fuck Heads! I'm sure he does read CNN, and will be curious about this little piece of info. This should not stand. I hope the editors have a set of balls.

My Letter To The Editors Of Every American News Outlet I Can Think Of

June 04, 2005

Dear Editor,

There is a gross incompetence associated with the concept of investigative journalism in the mainstream media today. Unfortunately, your editorial enterprise is not untouched by this increasingly sickening phenomenon, though I wish I could say otherwise.

On July 23, 2002 — a full eight months prior to the invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2003 - a document was created that contained devastating words describing a faulty pretense for a false war. What I am discussing, if you are not already aware, is what has come to be known as the "Downing Street Memo," a document that outlines a plot to alter intelligence in order to provide a pretext for the Iraq war. Interestingly, this memo has received extremely little coverage in any of the mainstream American Media (something we hold dear and consider to be a "Free Press").

For example, a simple search of some of the (so-called) top American Press outlets yielded some interesting results. On CNN, a search using the terms "Downing Street" produced 463 responses, not one of which ever referred to the document of interest[1]. A similar search[2] of MSNBC's stories returned 126 stories, only one of which even mentioned the said memo. This article[3], from local San Francisco NBC affiliate KNTV, while admirable in actually mentioning the article, is hardly worthy of an award for hard cutting journalism, as it ends with the dismissive quote[4],

"I think the issue of why the United States went to war in Iraq is now moot, we're there, we've been there. I think the question that matters now is how do we get out."

If such a statement were true, then we have truly failed as a democratic nation. I, personally, would consider the line crossed when we decided it prudent to impeach our elected officials for sexual infidelities and not actual "high crimes and misdemeanors," such as -say- lying about the necessity for a war that has caused the deaths of over 1,600 United States military members and up to 100,000 Iraqi civilians.

Continuing the search for integrity in our beloved American Media, I now turn to Fox News, a source that (by it's own admission[5]) is an outlet sympathetic to the neoconservative agenda. Surprisingly, they actually have a story[6] about the memo, buried amongst 49 other unrelated articles in the search[7].
Unpredictably, this report does essentially treat the story with justice, covering most of the possible angles. However, as with the NBC piece, it can't resist throwing ice into the fire by adding a similar dictum of resignation[8],

"It's a little late," he said of the memo story, adding that people are resigned to the fact that the United States is in Iraq for the long term, regardless of what events led to the war. "We're kind of stuck."

Turning to print, a search of the New York Times[9] over the past 90 days yielded 3803 articles, none of which mentions the memo. Ditto for the Washington Post[10] (619 stories), the Washington Times[11] (5945 stories), and USA Today[12] (7 stories over the past 14 days). Why does no American press outlet seem to think this is a newsworthy story? Is it because it contains no sordid details of sexual affairs, husbands killing their wives, or Michael Jackson plying a minor with "Jesus juice?" Or, is it because the editors are afraid of the backlash that might occur from the heavy-handed Bush administration? I ask, not as a partisan ploy, but because I genuinely wish to know the answer.

Sadly, even the ambitious efforts of one United States Congressman, John Conyers (D-Michigan)[13], to bring the story to light have gone unnoticed by the mainstream media. When an individual congressional website gets up to 5,000 hits every few hours[14], that alone should be enough to make a story. When a congressman elicits over 110,000 signatures (with a revised goal of 250,000) in a petition pleading with the Bush administration to at least address the memo, that alone is worthy of news coverage. Again, I must ask, why are the media not even discussing the story? Clearly, people in this country have expressed an interest, so it cannot be about ratings or readership. Why do they, and you, fail to even mention it?

Such complacency in the media is astonishing, appalling, and reprehensible. When we, as a Nation, are too afraid to examine the improprieties, and possible illegal conduct, of our political officials, we will have desperately fallen into an inescapable well of oppression and repression that strips us of or freedom and dignity. I, for one, expect more from a democratic press and you should too.

Sincerely,

Dr. Richard R. Smith
Wallingford, C.T.


For yours (and your reader's benefit) here is the text of the Document[15].

---


References

1) CNN.com search results can be found at http://search.cnn.com/pages/search.jsp?query=Downing%20Street

2) MSNBC.com search results can be found at http://msnbc.msn.com/?querytext=Downing+Street&id=3053419&searchfromtoc.x=0&searchfromtoc.y=0&action=fulltext

3) The KNTV-TV article can be found at http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7928142/

4) Quote is attributed to Professor Steve Weber, the Director of the Institute for International Studies at UC Berkeley.

5) As reported by Timothy Noah in the Tuesday, May 31, 2005 online edition of Slate Magazine. The article can be found at http://slate.com/id/2119864/

6) The Fox News article, published on June 01, 2005, can be found at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,158228,00.html

7) The Fox News search can be found at http://kevxml2a.infospace.com/_1_V11UP6028HV7WF__info.foxnws/search/inc/fox_more.htm?fastSearch=1&qcat=sitesearch&qkw=Downing%20street&nextPageNum=1&ran=9538

8) Quote attributed to Jim Pinkerton, syndicated columnist and regular contributor to FOX News Watch.

9) New York Times search can be found here (subscription required) http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?srcht=s&srchst=nyt&vendor=&query=downing+street&date_select=past90days&submit.x=15&submit.y=8&submit=Search

10) Washington Post search can be found here (subscription required) http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/Search?keywords=downing%20street

11) Washington Times search can be found here http://search.washtimes.com/washtimes/search.html

12) USA Today search can be found here http://asp.usatoday.com/search/search.aspx

13) John Conyers website can be found at http://www.johnconyers.campaignoffice.com/ There, a petition to President Bush can be found.

14) A recent story (in a non-mainstream outlet) can be found at http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Conyers_reaches_extends_signature_goal;_creates_t_06_03_2005_0503pm.html

15) First reported in The Times Of London, May 01, 2005.
Viewable at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1593607,00.html

Amnesty International Responds to Rumsfeld

quote[Twenty years ago, Amnesty International was criticizing Saddam Hussein’s human rights abuses at the same time Donald Rumsfeld was courting him. In 2003 Rumsfeld apparently trusted our credibility on violations by Iraq, but now that we are criticizing the United States he has lost his faith again.]

Very good!

New 'Deep Throat' needed for Iraq, says Nixon rival

quote[The US media needs a modern-day "Deep Throat" within the administration of
President George W. Bush to reveal how America was "misled" on
Iraq, former presidential contender George McGovern said.]

Yeah, it's called The Downing Street memo.

Click here to sign the petition.

Lost In Translation

quote[What happens when an English phrase is translated (by computer) back and forth between 5 different languages? The authors of the Systran translation software probably never intended this application of their program. As of September 2003, translation software is almost good enough to turn grammatically correct, slang-free text from one language into grammatically incorrect, barely readable approximations in another. But the software is not equipped for 10 consecutive translations of the same piece of text. The resulting half-English, half-foreign, and totally non sequitur response bears almost no resemblance to the original. Remember the old game of "Telephone"? Something is lost, and sometimes something is gained. Try it for yourself!]

I thought this was pretty cool.

''Papers, please': I smell the long-forgotten rot of fascism'

quote[Those were the magic words of the time: "Papiere, Bitte." (Translation: "Papers, Please.") Hearing those words, even now, causes dull echoes of sounds akin to bodies hitting dirt, or bullets penetrating flesh to thud into my mind. Because, if those papers weren't correctly in order, or, if you were a Jew sneakily present in any place (including the grocery store) which displayed the usual "NO JEWS OR DOGS ALLOWED" sign, you were dead meat--literally. And, yes, of course I'm talking about my childhood as a little Jewish kid in Nazi Germany.]

Scary, but it seems like it's coming.

Rumsfeld Detainee Numbers

quote[-- Figures cited by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Wednesday in defending the treatment by the U.S. military of detained terrorism suspects:

_Number of detainees in U.S. custody since Sept. 11, 2001: 68,000.

_Number of criminal investigations into alleged mistreatment by U.S. personnel: 370.]

Interesting.

First Amendment? What First Amendment?

quote[An Indianapolis father is appealing a Marion County judge's unusual order that prohibits him and his ex-wife from exposing their child to "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals."]

Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries

quote[HUMAN EVENTS asked a panel of 15 conservative scholars and public policy leaders to help us compile a list of the Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries. Each panelist nominated a number of titles and then voted on a ballot including all books nominated. A title received a score of 10 points for being listed No. 1 by one of our panelists, 9 points for being listed No. 2, etc. Appropriately, The Communist Manifesto, by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, earned the highest aggregate score and the No. 1 listing.]

I found this list (and especially the ordering) quite funny.

Bush's Political Capital Spent

quote[Two days after winning reelection last fall, President Bush declared that he had earned plenty of "political capital, and now I intend to spend it." Six months later, according to Republicans and Democrats alike, his bank account has been significantly drained.]

Not that he ever really had any capital.

The 'I' Word

quote[THE IMPEACHMENT of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, under Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution, should be part of mainstream political discourse.]

If Clinton can be impeached for what he did, then Bush and Cheney should definitely be impeached. But, alas, it will never happen with this Congress.

The Problem With Dubya

quote[A recent American reporter asked "why does the rest of the world hate George Bush so much?" Its a fair question and I thought I`d answer it from my perspective being a non-American.]

Well put.

Fox News Actually Reports On Downing Street Memo

quote[The "Downing Street Memo" — first published by The Sunday Times of London on May 1 — summarizes a high-level meeting between Prime Minister Tony Blair (search) and his senior national security team on July 23, 2002, months before the March 2003 coalition invasion of Iraq.]

Of course, most purveyors of this outlet would probably never actually find the buried story...