Gonzales Lied During Confirmation Hearings

quote[In a letter to the attorney general yesterday, Feingold demanded to know why Gonzales dismissed the senator's question about warrantless eavesdropping as a "hypothetical situation" during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in January 2005. At the hearing, Feingold asked Gonzales where the president's authority ends and whether Gonzales believed the president could, for example, act in contravention of existing criminal laws and spy on U.S. citizens without a warrant.]

Are you surprised?

New System Administrator For The Ed Schultz Show Message Board

quote[Where America Comes To Talk...]

I just wanted to let everyone know that I've taken over as the system administrator for The Ed Schultz Show Message board (hence, the absence of posts here the past few days, as I was getting my feet wet there).

I encourage any visitors to sign up and take a look over there. If you want expedited validation, shoot me an email or post a comment here with your intended user name after registering.

Thanks, and have fun!

Iraq says treating 12 possible human bird flu cases

quote[Officials in northern Iraq said on Tuesday they were treating 12 patients suspected of having bird flu as a World Health Organization (WHO) team prepared to travel to the area to give urgent assistance.

Iraq‘s health minister said on Monday the country feared it had its first human bird flu victim after preliminary test results showed a 14-year-old Iraqi girl who died two weeks ago had the H5N1 virus.]

This is not good. It's only a matter of time now before it hits the states.

Majority in U.S. Say Bush Presidency Is a Failure, Poll Finds

quote[A majority of Americans said the presidency of George W. Bush has been a failure and that they would be more likely to vote for congressional candidates who oppose him, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.

Fifty-two percent of adults said Bush's administration since 2001 has been a failure, down from 55 percent in October. Fifty- eight percent described his second term as a failure. At the same point in former President Bill Clinton's presidency, 70 percent of those surveyed by Gallup said they considered it a success and 20 percent a failure.]

Buyers remorse?

What Was He Thinking?

quote[Kitchens said the business card had an image of what appeared to be an alarm clock being hit by a boxing glove and said: "For a quick hit on time call the boss."

"When he answered, we agreed to buy some crack from him, we went up there, and we arrested him," Kitchens said.]

What happens when you (obviously) use your own product.

The BEAST 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2005

quote[31. Rita Cosby

Charges: Unholy pastiche of fearmongering and celebrity ringworm with the brain of a moth, the integrity of a tapeworm, and the appearance and larynx of a sugar-addicted, glass-eating drag queen.

Exhibit A: Her banter with Joe Scarborough kills children.

Sentence: Kicked in the nuts.]

This was freakin' awesome, though I'd personally rearrange the top ten.

Gen. Hayden: "4th Amendment and wrong"

quote[Keith Olbermann posted this video clip of Gen. Hayden botching the fourth amendment- which Keith says:

OLBERMANN: To quote the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States in its entirety, the one the general and the NSA folks are so familiar with and know is about reasonableness and not about probable cause, quote, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Well, maybe they have a different Constitution over there at the NSA.]

I saw this last night and couldn't believe the arrogance/ignorance of this guy. A third grader could have corrected him.

Dodd will oppose Alito; Lieberman mum on decision

quote[In Judge Alito's America, the president would act with radical new powers _ unchecked by either the Congress or the courts as envisioned by the framers of our Constitution," Dodd, D-Conn., said in a statement.

Dodd expressed concern that Alito would seek to overturn the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision...

...Connecticut's other Democratic senator, Joe Lieberman, has not said how he will vote on Alito.]

I'm pretty sure Lieberman will vote to confirm.

Here's more info on what you can do to help stop the confirmation from progressing.

You can also call your Senators at 888-355-3588, 888-818-6641, 800-426-8073. THESE ARE TOLL FREE NUMBERS.

It May Look Authentic; Here's How to Tell It Isn't

quote[At The Journal of Cell Biology, the test has revealed extensive manipulation of photos. Since 2002, when the test was put in place, 25 percent of all accepted manuscripts have had one or more illustrations that were manipulated in ways that violate the journal's guidelines, said Michael Rossner of Rockefeller University, the executive editor.]

I'm pretty amazed that 25% have been manipulated, but then again, maybe I shouldn't be.

Note: The Daily Link! Will Be Down For About 15 Minutes On Wednesday the 25th at 7pm ET

Sorry for the inconvenience. I have no control over this, but this should be brief.

Conservative Magaizine Now Discussing Impeachment

quote[The Bush administration is bracing for impeachment hearings in Congress.

"A coalition in Congress is being formed to support impeachment," an administration source said.

Sources said a prelude to the impeachment process could begin with hearings by the Senate Judiciary Committee in February. They said the hearings would focus on the secret electronic surveillance program and whether Mr. Bush violated the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.]

Note the Insight is published by the same company as the Washington "Moonie" Times.

Isikoff Confirms Abramoff Shopped Bush Photos

quote[Over the weekend, Time magazine and the Washingtonian both reported on five photos of President Bush with Jack Abramoff, but neither publication revealed its source.

Yesterday, ThinkProgress laid out the case for why the source for the photos was likely Abramoff himself. Last night, our hunch was confirmed.

Appearing on MSNBC, Newsweek correspondent Michael Isikoff reported that it was indeed Abramoff who floated the photographs to Washingtonian.]

Interesting. What are Abramoff's motives on this one? Is he looking for a pardon??

Study: Army Stretched to Breaking Point

quote[Andrew Krepinevich, a retired Army officer who wrote the report under a Pentagon contract, concluded that the Army cannot sustain the pace of troop deployments to Iraq long enough to break the back of the insurgency. He also suggested that the Pentagon's decision, announced in December, to begin reducing the force in Iraq this year was driven in part by a realization that the Army was overextended.]

Like we didn't already know this...

The price of domestic spying: Infiltrated by feds, antiwar group turns on photographer

quote[So last month, when NBC revealed that the federal government had been spying on antiwar groups around the country, including several in South Florida, it confirmed what Broward Antiwar Coalition members had suspected for more than two years: that Big Brother had been watching all along.

And it left them with a simmering rage -- and paranoia from being spied upon -- that exploded on the streets of Miami earlier this month when one of its members allegedly attacked a photojournalist, landing the activist in jail. The incident revealed the untold price of domestic surveillance: that people who feel they are being spied upon are liable to turn on each other.]

I don't condone the physical attack, but I understand the outrage.

Is it harmful to eat baby powder?

quote[This is so weird to me because i never thought that there were so many other people that love to eat baby powder as much as i do. its so addictive, i have tryed to stop eating it many times, but i just cant, just the thought of it makes me crave it. the main things that draw me to it is the smell for one and the texture, then theres the taste.i dont know whats wrong with me...i have just always ate and love baby powder.but i do worry about my health sometimes,i hope it doesnt leave any long term damage...baby powder is like a drug, once you start its VERY hard to quit...]

Good God! Read some of the responses. I think some of them are genuine!

Iceland the First Country to Try Abandoning Gasoline

quote[Iceland has energy to spare, and the small country has found a cutting-edge way to reduce its oil dependency. Volcanoes formed the island nation out of ash and lava, and molten rock heats huge underground lakes to the boiling point.

The hot water — energy sizzling beneath the surface — is piped into cities and stored in giant tanks, providing heat for homes, businesses and even swimming pools.

The volcanoes melted ice, which formed rivers. The water runs through turbines, providing virtually all the country's electricity.

Iceland wants to make a full conversion and plans to modify its cars, buses and trucks to run on renewable energy — with no dependence on oil.]

Awesome!

Libby Wants to Use Classified Evidence

quote[Lawyers for a former top aide to Vice President
Dick Cheney on Monday made their first request to use classified evidence at his trial, launching a highly secretive court process that could bog down the case.
ADVERTISEMENT

In the filings made under seal in federal court, lawyers for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby put the judge and prosecutors on notice that they want a jury to hear evidence the government now says is classified.]

This is just a stall tactic. So if this case doesn't affect '06, it should affect '08.

Woman Becomes Quadruple Amputee After Giving Birth

quote[A Sanford mother says she will never be able to hold her newborn because an Orlando hospital performed a life-altering surgery and, she claims, the hospital refuses to explain why they left her as a multiple amputee.

The woman filed a complaint against Orlando Regional Healthcare Systems, she said, because they won't tell her exactly what happened. The hospital maintains the woman wants to know information that would violate other patients' rights.]

This is probably the most seriously messed up story I've read in a while.

Google Rebuffs Bush Administration Over Search Data

quote[Google Inc. is rebuffing the Bush administration’s demand for a peek at what millions of people have been looking up on the Internet’s leading search engine — a request that underscores the potential for online databases to become tools for government surveillance.]

More Bush spying...What happens if this goes to Bush's supreme court?

Rice: No Point in More Iran Negotiations

quote[France, with the support of the United States, rejected Iran's request for more negotiations on the Islamic republic's nuclear program, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying Wednesday "there's not much to talk about" after Iran resumed atomic activities.

As European countries pushed ahead with efforts to have Iran brought before the U.N. Security Council for its nuclear activities, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused them of trying to deprive Iran of peaceful technology.]

The writing is already on the wall; the bombs won't be far behind...

2½ months later, Epstein rejoining Sox

quote[Two-and-a-half months after Theo Epstein left the Red Sox, certain that his heart and soul were no longer fully invested in the job of general manager, the Sox last night announced that the 32-year-old Brookline native will be returning to the organization as soon as next week.

Epstein's exact role and title had not been completely determined as of last night. Nor had it been decided exactly how co-GMs Jed Hoyer and Ben Cherington would be recast. The club, in a release, indicated only that Epstein would be rejoining the Sox in a ''full-time baseball operations capacity, details of which will be announced next week." However, expectations within the organization point to Epstein returning as the lead decision-maker within baseball operations, with Hoyer and Cherington working under him.]

Please bear with me if this doesn't interest you. This is huge for Red Sox nation, and I rarely post articles of this nature.

Cell transplant may cure diabetes

quote[Doctors at Oxford's Churchill Hospital are trying to perfect the transplant of insulin-producing clusters of pancreas cells (islets) into patients' livers.

The cells then enable the patient to make their own insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels, like non-diabetics.

It is hoped the new treatment may end the need for patients to have pancreas transplants or daily insulin jabs.]

The Pimping of the Presidency

quote[Four months after he took the oath of office in 2001, President George W. Bush was the attraction, and the White House the venue, for a fundraiser organized by the alleged perpetrator of the largest billing fraud in the history of corporate lobbying. In May 2001, Jack Abramoff’s lobbying client book was worth $4.1 million in annual billing for the Greenberg Traurig law firm. He was a friend of Bush advisor Karl Rove. He was a Bush “Pioneer,” delivering at least $100,000 in bundled contributions to the 2000 campaign. He had just concluded his work on the Bush Transition Team as an advisor to the Department of the Interior. He had sent his personal assistant Susan Ralston to the White House to work as Rove’s personal assistant. He was a close friend, advisor, and high-dollar fundraiser for the most powerful man in Congress, Tom DeLay. Abramoff was so closely tied to the Bush Administration that he could, and did, charge two of his clients $25,000 for a White House lunch date and a meeting with the President. From the same two clients he took to the White House in May 2001, Abramoff also obtained $2.5 million in contributions for a non-profit foundation he and his wife operated.]

Don't believe the lies. Bush KNEW Abramoff very well.

Two Groups Planning to Sue Over Federal Eavesdropping

quote[Two leading civil rights groups plan to file lawsuits Tuesday against the Bush administration over its domestic spying program to determine whether the operation was used to monitor 10 defense lawyers, journalists, scholars, political activists and other Americans with ties to the Middle East.]

This won't go anywhere with Bush controlling the supreme court.

Selling Another War? Or An Attempt To Revive Sagging Popularity?

quote[There is a "very high" probability that a terrorist group will strike using nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, a senior U.S. counterterrorism official said in comments published Tuesday.]

Blah, blah, blah...Does anyone even listen to these assholes anymore?

What? Isn't Wolf Blitzer Enough?

quote[Summary: CNN's Headline News has reportedly hired radio host Glenn Beck in spite of his history of making controversial comments.

Some of his quotes (from the link):

* On families of the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks: "[T]his is horrible to say, and I wonder if I'm alone in this -- you know, it took me about a year to start hating the 9-11 victims' families? Took me about a year."

* On Hurricane Katrina survivors who remained in New Orleans: "And that's all we're hearing about, are the people in New Orleans. Those are the only ones that we're seeing on television are the scumbags -- and again, it's not all the people in New Orleans. Most of the people in New Orleans got out! It's just a small percentage of those who were left in New Orleans, or who decided to stay in New Orleans, and they're getting all the attention."

Even the FBI Was Involved in Wiretapping

quote[In the anxious months after the Sept. 11 attacks, the National Security Agency began sending a steady stream of telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and names to the F.B.I. in search of terrorists. The stream soon became a flood, requiring hundreds of agents to check out thousands of tips a month.

But virtually all of them, current and former officials say, led to dead ends or innocent Americans.]

Specter Says G.O.P Will Scrutinize Domestic Spying

quote[The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Arlen Specter, said today that Republicans would not grant President Bush "a blank check" in seeking to determine whether the domestic eavesdropping program that Mr. Bush authorized after the Sept. 11 attacks violated the law.

"Just because we're of the same party doesn't mean we're not going to look at this closely," Senator Specter said in an appearance on "This Week" on ABC. Mr. Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, plans to hold committee hearings on the matter next month, with witnesses to include Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.

The program authorized by Mr. Bush bypassed a special federal court whose approval is required under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for domestic eavesdropping operations. Mr. Specter has said he does not agree with the White House view that Congress effectively authorized the surveillance, which was carried out by the National Security Agency, in a resolution passed shortly after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.]

Is the tide turning against the Bush administration?

Gore to Address "Constitutional Crisis"

quote[It sounds as if Al Gore is about to deliver what could be not just one of the more significant speeches of his political career but an essential challenge to the embattled presidency of George W. Bush.

In a major address slated for delivery Monday in Washington, the former Vice President is expected to argue that the Bush administration has created a "Constitutional crisis" by acting without the authorization of the Congress and the courts to spy on Americans and otherwise abuse basic liberties.]

This sounds like it's going to be good.

Oh My God Is This Guy Nuts!

quote[George Lucas quite naturally believes that he wrote "Starwars", when, in reality, he was told telepathically what to write in the original first three Episodes (4-6), by the very "Force" to which the films refer, and was "forced" to make only episodes 4-6, first, as a very important step in the preparation of mankind for the long-awaited TRUTH, about the real reasons for human life on Earth ("what on earth am I doing here?"), the meaning of life and its purpose, contained in "The Way home or face The Fire", from which episodes 1-3 should have been made, as I did my best, frequently, to tell him.

Unfortunately George Lucas has exercised his "Free-will"; ignored me and made Episode 1 - "The Phantom Menace"; with arrogant actors who publicly ridicule the real message and the real fans, which undermines the original theme and Divine Message; contradicts it and is mere fiction (lies), telepathically fed to him by the Dark-side force (Satan), to try to confuse everyone and undo the good (God's) message contained in the earlier three films (Episodes 4-6). This is Satan's standard-practice and very predictable. He has done it with the Old Testament; New Testament and Koran and the three major religions who claim to be based on them.

Not understanding that he was being told telepathically, Lucas thinks that "Starwars" came from his imagination, which is a perfectly normal human reaction that many people have had over the centuries. Rudyard Kipling thought that he wrote "IF"; Oscar Wilde thought that he wrote "The Picture of Dorian Gray"; Joe Darion thought he wrote the words to "The Impossible Dream"; Steven Spielberg thinks he wrote "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and the list is endless.

Although "Starwars" (Episodes 4-6) is set as science-fiction and in a distant galaxy to make it entertaining, it actually refers to this galaxy and life on Earth.]

Have fun!

No Joke. What Happens When The Pentagon Can't Afford Armor...

quote[When the stress of the war in
Iraq becomes too severe, the
Pentagon has a suggestion for military families: Learn how to laugh.
ADVERTISEMENT

With help from the Pentagon's chief laughter instructor, families of National Guard members are learning to walk like a penguin, laugh like a lion and blurt "ha, ha, hee, hee and ho, ho."

No joke.]

AMERICAblog just bought General Wesley Clark's cell phone records for $89.95

quote[I reported the other day that your cell phone records are on sale online for anyone to buy, without your permission. Well, this morning AMERICAblog bought former presidential candidate, and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO (SACEUR), General Wesley Clark's cell phone records for one hundred calls made over three days in November 2005, no questions asked. (Clark's cell phone provider is Omnipoint Communications, which seems to be related to T-Mobile.)

All we needed was General Clark's cell phone number and our credit card, and 24 hours later we had one hundred calls the general made on his cell phone in November. The calls included a number of calls to Arkansas, to foreign countries, and at least one call to a prominent reporter at the Washington Post. To ensure that we actually had General Clark's correct cell phone number, we called the number this morning and the voice mail recording that answered said:

"Hi, this is Wes Clark, leave a message [unintelligible]."

We have subsequently called that number and spoken to a real person to confirm its authenticity, and to make sure General Clark was aware of this issue and what we were doing.]

The fact that this is possible is completely outrageous.

Why? Oh Why?

quote[It's no secret Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman supports the war in Iraq.

Although many people disagree with him, a new Quinnipiac University poll shows overwhelming support for his re-election.}

Am I the only dem. in CT who doesn't want to re-elect lieberman?

Connecting the Dots: Abramoff and Rove

quote[Did you know that Jack Abramoff and Karl Rove shared an executive assistant?

In 2001, Karl Rove needed a Gal Friday, someone to help oversee the "strategic planning, political affairs, public liaison, and intergovernmental affairs efforts of the White House."

He chose Susan Ralston, who came highly recommended from a friend: Jack Abramoff. Ralston performed similar duties for the Don of K Street -- that is until Abramoff realized she'd be far more useful embedded in the West Wing. (Ralston had also previous worked for Abramoff and Rove's fellow College Republican crony Ralph Reed.)]

But you won't see this on CNN.

Prison Term of 55 Years for Drugs Is Upheld

quote[ A federal appeals court has upheld a 55-year prison term imposed on a Utah man with no criminal record who was convicted in 2003 of selling several hundred dollars worth of marijuana on three occasions.

The case of the man, Weldon H. Angelos, a record producer from Salt Lake City who was 22 at the time of his crime, has become a benchmark in the debate about sentencing rules and justice. The trial judge in the case complained in issuing the sentence, which was required by federal statutes, that he thought it excessive, and 29 former judges and prosecutors agreed, in a brief filed on Mr. Angelos's behalf.

But a three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, in a decision issued here late Monday, rejected those arguments. The sentence properly reflected the will of Congress, the court said, and was not cruel or unusual punishment. Mr. Angelos was reported by a witness to have been armed with a pistol during two of the drug sales - and requiring stiffer sentences in cases where drugs and violence are linked, the court said, is legitimate social policy.]

But, repeated rapists get 60 days. Go figure!

I Was A Scapegoat For Bush, Bremer Claims

quote[The Bush administration is under more pressure over its handling of the war in Iraq after Paul Bremer, the former head of the coalition provisional authority, claimed his request for more troops was rejected by the Pentagon and the White House.

Mr Bremer, the man most commonly associated with implementing postwar policies that led to the rise of the insurgency, has claimed that senior US military officials including the defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, tried to make him a scapegoat for their failings.]

I'm not at all surprised.

Why Not Just Dissolve the Senate?

quote[Much has already been written about President Bush's 17 recess appointments announced on Thursday, many of them extremely controversial. It's an old trick meant to get around those pesky Senate confirmation hearings. Every president uses it to one degree or another. Ronald Reagan made 240 during his two terms. George H.W. Bush made 77 in his one term. Bill Clinton made 140 in his two terms. George W. Bush made 110 in his first term. But these appointments are different. Based on precedent, the appointments would expire at the conclusion of the next session of the Senate at the end of 2006. But this president, in an interpretation that can only be termed bizarre, is insisting that a one-minute ceremonial pro forma meeting of the Senate that occurred on Tuesday, January 3rd, represented the opening meeting of the second session of the 109th Congress, which he interprets as giving life to his recess appointments until the end of 2007 rather than 2006.]

Holy shit, this is messed up!

The article is long, but very interesting. And very important!

Turkey Now Has 15 Human Cases of Bird Flu

quote[Preliminary tests showed five more people in Turkey have been infected with the deadly strain of bird flu that already killed two teenage siblings, officials said Monday as Indonesia and China each reported a new case.

The new results raise the number of human cases in Turkey to 15, although most have not yet been confirmed by the World Health Organization.

However, a WHO official said Turkish patients appear to be catching the disease from infected domestic birds, the normal path of the disease, and not from each other.

But he warned that the chance that bird flu may mutate into a dangerous form transmitted from person to person increases with every new human infection.]

Time to stick with vegi-burgers?

Abramoff Had Close Ties To The Bush Administration

quote[In President Bush's first 10 months, GOP fundraiser Jack Abramoff and his lobbying team logged nearly 200 contacts with the new administration as they pressed for friendly hires at federal agencies and sought to keep the Northern Mariana Islands exempt from the minimum wage and other laws, records show.]

This, despite what Bush says...

Welcome to Mars express: only a three hour trip

quote[AN EXTRAORDINARY "hyperspace" engine that could make interstellar space travel a reality by flying into other dimensions is being investigated by the United States government.

The hypothetical device, which has been outlined in principle but is based on a controversial theory about the fabric of the universe, could potentially allow a spacecraft to travel to Mars in three hours and journey to a star 11 light years away in just 80 days, according to a report in today's New Scientist magazine.

The theoretical engine works by creating an intense magnetic field that, according to ideas first developed by the late scientist Burkhard Heim in the 1950s, would produce a gravitational field and result in thrust for a spacecraft.]

Interesting, but I remain skeptical.

I'll have to look into this more.

4 Reasons to Be Glad Bush Is Still President

quote[I know, it still smarts. At 3 p.m. EST on November 2, 2004, we thought Bush was on the ropes, as did Karen Hughes, who sat the bewildered boy king down to explain they were losing. But by midnight, the awful truth came into focus: the fucker just squeaked by again — or didn’t, depending on what you think happened in Ohio. But with his second term imploding almost immediately, maybe it’s better Bush stayed around long enough for the curtain to drop on his act. Here’s a roundup of reasons to take comfort that Kerry’s not in the White House today.]

US Republicans calling for elections to replace DeLay

quote[About two dozen Republicans have promised to sign a petition calling for elections to permanently replace Rep. Tom DeLay as majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, aides said on Friday.

"We have commitments for about 25 signatures. The letter calls for a leadership election for a permanent majority leader," said Matthew Specht, a spokesman for Rep. Jeff Flake, a conservative Arizona Republican.

Fifty House Republican signatures are needed to call elections, which would occur after the House reconvenes on January 31.]

It's about time...

Did CIA Give Iran Nuclear Weapons Technology?

quote[George Bush insists that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. So why, six years ago, did the CIA give the Iranians blueprints to build a bomb?]

This is a very interesting, albeit fucked up, read.

Basically, our attempts to feed bad information to the Iranians seriously backfired. What a mess!

The Daily Link, Ariel Sharon Edition

Rumor: PM ARIEL SHARON IS (AT LEAST CLINICALLY) DEAD
quote[Reliable sources indicate to Israel Insider that PM Ariel Sharon died at 11 am. Israeli media channels still report his condition is "very grave." Director of Hadassah Hospital Shlomo Mor-Yosef officially denies "rumors" of death and says Sharon's condition is "serious but stable."

Channel 10 reports those closest to Sharon as saying he has suffered "brain damage." A likely explanation to reconcile the two reports is that Sharon has suffered brain death -- the lack of cerebral activity -- but that his heart continues beating, while he remains anesthetized and respirated.

Mor-Yosef, briefing journalists at the hospital's gate, said that "the prime minister is suffering from low intracranial pressure, and is heavily sedated. He will be respirated for at least the next 24 hours. All the parameters that we can check are as expected, following an operation of this type."]


Iranian leader hopes for Sharon's death
quote[Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted Thursday as saying he was hoping for the death of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.


“Hopefully the news that the criminal of Sabra and Shatila has joined his ancestors is final," the semi-official students news agency ISNA quoted him as telling a group of Shi'ite Muslim clerics in Iran's holy city Qom.]


Robertson 'said Sharon being punished by God'
quote[Rev. Pat Robertson has claimed the deteriorating health of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is divine punishment for a soft stance on Israel. Sharon, who turns 78 next month, is currently believed to be in critical condition following a cerebral hemorrhage.

Robertson also pointed to the November 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin as further evidence that God is punishing leaders willing to divide Israel.]

I should have titled this the "Two Assholes And One Rumor Edition."

Rapist Gets 60 Days For Repated Rape Of Young Girl

quote[here was outrage Wednesday when a Vermont judge handed out a 60-day jail sentence to a man who raped a little girl many,many times over a four-year span starting when she was seven.

The judge said he no longer believes in punishment and is more concerned about rehabilitation.]

I would agree that punishment serves no pupose and the goal should be to rehabilitate or remove dangerous elements from society.

Unfortunately, this man WILL NOT be rehabilitated until someone chops his fucking nuts off. Absent that, he should get life without parole, not for punishment, but for the good of society.

This judge is nuts!

Yet Again, Bush Thinks He's Above The Law

quote[''The signing statement is saying 'I will only comply with this law when I want to, and if something arises in the war on terrorism where I think it's important to torture or engage in cruel, inhuman, and degrading conduct, I have the authority to do so and nothing in this law is going to stop me,' " he said. ''They don't want to come out and say it directly because it doesn't sound very nice, but it's unmistakable to anyone who has been following what's going on."]

When are people going to wake up and realize that Bush has absolutely no regard for the constitution or the idea of checks and balances?

I used to scoff at people who made comparisons beween this regime and Nazi Germany. But, now, I must ask, what is really the difference in how dicatorial control was attained?

Lieberman Called On The Carpet

quote[The Democrats have invited U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman or his designee to the Democratic town committee meeting Tuesday night where they will discuss a resolution reprimanding Lieberman for his stance on the war in Iraq.

District 7 Chairman Joseph Rafala suggested a resolution on Lieberman's stance at a previous committee meeting, but the issue was tabled.

The resolution says Lieberman "is acting more like a Republican than a Democrat, that he's embracing Bush's war and he's not what the Connecticut voters voted him in for," said Rafala, adding that Lieberman is taking his own path rather than that of his constituents.]

It's about time...

US lobbyist Abramoff expected to plead guilty

quote[Embattled U.S. lobbyist Jack Abramoff is expected to plead guilty on Tuesday in a corruption probe that implicates several top Republican lawmakers including former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Justice Department official said.

The long-expected plea will give prosecutors extra ammunition as they seek to link the activities of DeLay of Texas, Republican Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio, and other top lawmakers to favors paid for by Abramoff's lobbying clients.]

It still feels like Christmas!

The I-Word is Gaining Ground

quote[But the times they are a' changin'. The I-word has moved from the marginal to the mainstream--although columnists like Charles "torture-is-fine-by-me" Krauthammer would like us to believe that "only the most brazen and reckless and partisan" could support the idea. In fact, as Michelle Goldberg reports in Salon, "in the past few days, impeachment "has become a topic of considered discussion among constitutional scholars and experts (including a few Republicans), former intelligence officers, and even a few politicians." Even a moderately liberal columnist like Newsweek's Alter sounds like The Nation, observing: "We're seeing clearly now that Bush thought 9/11 gave him license to act like a dictator."]

It's about time...

THE 100 MOST ANNOYING THINGS OF 2005

quote[2005 is over and not a moment too soon. We've been doing this since 2000 and I can't think of a year where the bad outweighed the good to this extent in quite a while. And of course, that's great news for putting together a list of annoying things! Let's hope that 2006 will live up to this banner year of annoyingness.]

Okay, so I'm a bit late. Sorry, but I'm just starting to feel more back to normal.

Happy New Year!

And, Enjoy!

What Did They Say When Clinton Was Being Impeached?

quote[Tom Delay (R-TX):

"This nation sits at a crossroads. One direction points to the higher road of the rule of law. Sometimes hard, sometimes unpleasant, this path relies on truth, justice and the rigorous application of the principle that no man is above the law. Now, the other road is the path of least resistance. This is where we start making exceptions to our laws based on poll numbers and spin control. This is when we pitch the law completely overboard when the mood fits us, when we ignore the facts in order to cover up the truth.

No man is above the law, and no man is below the law. That’s the principle that we all hold very dear in this country."



Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.):

"I suggest impeachment is like beauty: apparently in the eye of the beholder. But I hold a different view. And it's not a vengeful one, it's not vindictive, and it's not craven. It's just a concern for the Constitution and a high respect for the rule of law. ... as a lawyer and a legislator for most of my very long life, I have a particular reverence for our legal system. It protects the innocent, it punishes the guilty, it defends the powerless, it guards freedom, it summons the noblest instincts of the human spirit.

The rule of law protects you and it protects me from the midnight fire on our roof or the 3 a.m. knock on our door."



James Sensenbrenner: (R-WI):

"What is on trial here is the truth and the rule of law. Our failure to bring President Clinton to account for his lying under oath and preventing the courts from administering equal justice under law, will cause a cancer to be present in our society for generations. I want those parents who ask me the questions, to be able to tell their children that even if you are president of the United States, if you lie when sworn "to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," you will face the consequences of that action, even when you don't accept the responsibility for them."



Chuck Hagel (R-NB):

"There can be no shading of right and wrong. The complicated currents that have coursed through this impeachment process are many. But after stripping away the underbrush of legal technicalities and nuance, I find that the President abused his sacred power by lying and obstructing justice. How can parents instill values and morality in their children? How can educators teach our children? How can the rule of law for every American be applied equally if we have two standards of justice in America--one for the powerful and the other for the rest of us?"



Bill Frist (R-TN):

"I will have no part in the creation of a constitutional double-standard to benefit the President. He is not above the law. If an ordinary citizen committed these crimes, he would go to jail."



Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas):

"When someone is elected president, they receive the greatest gift possible from the American people, their trust. To violate that trust is to raise questions about fitness for office. My constituents often remind me that if anyone else in a position of authority -- for example, a business executive, a military officer of a professional educator -- had acted as the evidence indicates the president did, their career would be over. The rules under which President Nixon would have been tried for impeachment had he not resigned contain this statement: "The office of the president is such that it calls for a higher level of conduct than the average citizen in the United States."]

Excellent Compilation!