Ashcroft Is Denied Immunity in Case

quote[A federal judge in Idaho has ruled that former attorney general John D. Ashcroft can be held personally responsible for the wrongful detention of a U.S. citizen arrested as a "material witness" in a terrorism case.

U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge, in a ruling issued late Wednesday, dismissed claims by the Justice Department that Ashcroft and other officials should be granted immunity from claims by a former star college football player arrested at Dulles International Airport in 2003.

Attorneys for the plaintiff in the civil suit, Abdullah al-Kidd, said the decision raises the possibility that Ashcroft could be forced to testify or turn over records about the government's use of the material witness law, a cornerstone of its controversial legal strategy after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Justice Department officials did not respond to telephone messages yesterday seeking comment. A spokeswoman for Ashcroft also did not respond to requests for comment.

Robin Goldfaden, one of Kidd's attorneys at the American Civil Liberties Union, said the case "could be the launching point for more fully documenting how the government is misusing the material witness statute."]

Good!

F-ing Hamsters On A Plane

quote[It wasn't "Snakes on a Plane," but an Austrian Airlines jet made an unscheduled stop Friday after a passenger sneaked a hamster aboard and the rodent escaped. The flight from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, to the southern Austrian city of Graz made a stop in Innsbruck so officials could search for the hamster and make sure it didn't gnaw through any wiring, the airline said.]

NEW: Progressive Pirates!

Web design and technical consulting by Plunderer.

Check it out!

(And visit again soon, as I'll be adding much more to it in the near future).

Porn star's name may ring a 'Bell'

quote[He may have played nerdy eighth-grader Samuel (Screech) Powers in the sitcom "Saved by the Bell." But former TV geek Dustin Diamond can now take his place with Colin Farrell, Tommy Lee and Kid Rock as the star of his very own sex tape.

Everyone who remembers Diamond as a lovable putz is in for a shock once they see a 40-minute video in which he engages in a kinky three-way with two women, sources tell us.

We can't get too graphic here, but word is that the action includes some bodily functions and an act known as a "Dirty Sanchez."]

Eww, gross.

Apologies to anyone eating when they see this. It sure makes me want to vomit.

Art Teacher Loses Job After Kids See Nude Sculpture

quote[An award-winning Texas art teacher who was reprimanded after one of her fifth-grade students saw a nude sculpture during a trip to a museum has lost her job.

The school board in Frisco has voted not to renew Sydney McGee's contract after 28 years. She has been on administrative leave.

The teacher took her students on an approved field trip to a Dallas museum, and now some parents are upset.]

This is seriously fucked up.

I AM NOT A TERRORIST

quote[After reading about blogger Raed Jarrar's experience at JFK (he was forced to take off a shirt with Arabic writing on it or miss his flight; new BBC article), I finally stopped being depressed about the war on terror and began being proactively pissed off. I made this shirt, which says "I am not a terrorist" in Arabic. I plan to wear it every time I go to the airport from now on.

We have already given away too many freedoms in the name of war on terror. Freedom of speech cannot be one of them.

To quote Bruce Schneier:

"The point of terrorism is to cause terror, sometimes to further a political goal and sometimes out of sheer hatred. The people terrorists kill are not the targets; they are collateral damage. And blowing up planes, trains, markets or buses is not the goal; those are just tactics. The real targets of terrorism are the rest of us: the billions of us who are not killed but are terrorized because of the killing. The real point of terrorism is not the act itself, but our reaction to the act."]

Great idea.

Diane Farrell For Congress

quote[Why is beating Chris Shays so important? Because this Congress desperately needs a fresh voice-one with ideas, and one that represents real, meaningful, systemic change.

As bad things were in Congress two years ago, they’ve only gotten worse since. The Republican majority that controls Congress-with Chris Shay’s help-has completely lost its way.

The one issue I think we can all agree is the need for fiscal responsibility-here’s what the Hartford Courant said: “Republican-controlled Congress… has turned into a crew of the proverbial drunken sailors on leave. Inflation-adjusted spending on the combined budgets of the 101 largest programs that Republicans vowed to eliminate in 1995-when the GOP took control of the House for the first time in over 40 years-has grown by 27 percent. That’s a startling record compiled by a Republican president and a Republican-controlled Congress, heirs to a party that once stood for limited government and fiscal restraint.”

Forget mortgaging our future and our children’s future: President Bush and the Republican-led Congress-with Chris Shays as a loyal friend-are in the process of mortgaging our grandchildren’s future!]

She has my support!

New York City’s Reservists Are Asked to Return Iraq Pay

quote[When they were called up for military service in the wake of 9/11, hundreds of uniformed city workers in the Reserves faced the suspension of their city health and pension benefits. The city offered them an option: it would keep paying their salaries and continue their benefits, but when they returned they would have to repay the city their city salary or their military pay, whichever was less.

On its face, the offer made sense. And many reservists had only a few days to get their affairs together before shipping out — hardly enough time to consult accountants. Nearly all took the deal. As the war dragged on, more than 1,600 city employees, mostly police officers, signed up for the benefits program.

Now the bills from the city are coming due, for far more than many veterans imagined they would have to pay — as much as $200,000 — and often for more money than they ever received.]

Is this how we fucking support the troops?

Torture Victim Had No Terror Link

quote[Paul J. J. Cavalluzzo, lead counsel to the Arar Commission, said he found the American actions inconsistent. “On Saturday,” Mr. Cavalluzzo said, “you have the F.B.I. saying, ‘We don’t have enough to charge him.’ On Monday, he’s a member of Al Qaeda. Well, if he’s a member of Al Qaeda, in your country he can be charged.”

Even after Mr. Arar arrived in Syria, American officials did not tell their Canadian counterparts. Only two weeks later, on Oct. 21, did Canada get confirmation, when a Syrian military intelligence officer phoned the Canadian ambassador in Damascus to say he was in custody.

Mr. Arar spent 10 months in the custody of Syrian interrogators who beat him repeatedly with a heavy metal cable and held him in a dank cell scarcely larger than a coffin, according to the commission report. In October 2003, he was released and returned to his wife and children in Canada.]

This ought to make you sick.

What's Wrong WIth This???

Where's the freedom of "our" press?

GOP aide busted for fake blog posts on liberal sites

quote[Liberal bloggers in New Hampshire busted an aide to Rep. Charles Bass (R-N.H.) who was posing as a liberal blogger on such blogs as Blue Granite, NH-02 Progressive and others. Bass’ office admitted culpability to HOH and said the staffer would be “appropriately disciplined.”

The unnamed aide to Bass — who, like many others in his party, faces a tough re-election fight — was routinely trolling liberal New Hampshire political blogs calling himself “IndyNH” and more commonly IndieNH, pretending to be a progressive.]

That's pathetic.

Early October New Deadline for Iran

quote[With Iran still resisting a freeze on its nuclear activities, the United States and five partners have decided to set yet another deadline in hopes that Iran will finally agree to terms paving the way for substantive talks on its nuclear program.

Under the plan, reached by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterparts from five other nations over a late-night dinner Tuesday, Iran will have until early October to agree to suspend its nuclear activities as the negotiations take place, diplomats said. At the meeting, Rice backed off the U.S. demand that the U.N. Security Council begin imposing sanctions over Iran's failure to meet previous deadlines, but noted that there is intense interest in the issue on Capitol Hill.]

Is the overall picture clear?

Am I beating a dead horse?

Iran could cut West's oil supplies in event of war, warns American chief in Gulf

quote[Iran could trigger a global terrorist campaign and choke the West's oil supplies in the event of war with America, the top US commander in the region has warned.

In a rare public discussion of how a war with Iran might unfold, Gen John Abizaid, the chief of the US Central Command, gave a sobering assessment of Iran's military potential.

He warned that in a war Iran would rely on unconventional means to challenge America's superiority.]

It's going to be a fun winter!

Senior intel official: Pentagon moves to second-stage planning for Iran strike option

quote[The Pentagon's top brass has moved into second-stage contingency planning for a potential military strike on Iran, one senior intelligence official familiar with the plans tells RAW STORY.

The official, who is close to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest ranking officials of each branch of the US military, says the Chiefs have started what is called "branches and sequels" contingency planning.

"The JCS has accepted the inevitable," the intelligence official said, "and is engaged in serious contingency planning to deal with the worst case scenarios that the intelligence community has been painting."]

October surprise???

Conservative websites claim Rove has been promising GOP insiders an 'October surprise'

quote[According to two conservative websites, White House political strategist Karl Rove has been promising GOP insiders that there will be an "October surprise" before the midterm elections.

"In the past week, Karl Rove has been promising Republican insiders an 'October surprise' to help win the November congressional elections," reports Ronald Kessler for Newsmax.]

Iran, anyone?

Fucking scumbags...

A Few Quotes For You To Chew On...

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt Jan. 1933

“It’s a dangerous world…Time is running out….The enemy wants to attack us again.” - George W. Bush 9/15/06

“This war will be difficult, this war will be long, and this war will end in the defeat of the terrorists and the tola tari tari to tal tarians –( totalitarians), and a victory for the cause of freedom and liberty.”- Bush in Salt Lake City 8/31/06

I know Bush wants us to be scared, but I don't think he meant for us to be scared because of him.

Congress Considering Strip Searching Students

quote[Imagine an America in which school officials could strip search every student in their school based on the unsubstantiated tip that one of them might have a joint. Congress is voting on a bill Tuesday or Wednesday that could make these police state tactics more common.

We can stop Congress in its tracks, though. Call your representative RIGHT NOW and tell them to vote against this dangerous bill.]

Not only do we have the worst president in U.S. history, we also have the worst Congress.

Bush Appoints Former ‘Big Dig’ Manager As Special Envoy To Darfur

quote[Who is Andrew Natsios?

– As director of U.S. Agency for Intenational Development Natsios promised that the U.S. contribution to reconstruction of Iraq would be no more that $1.6 billion. Congress has already appropriated nearly $20 billion for reconstruction in Iraq. The CBO estimates the total cost of reconstruction will be between $50 and $100 billion.

– Natsios was the manager of Boston’s “Big Dig,” widely considered one of the most mismanaged public works projects in history.]

Great choice! I'm sure he'll do a heckuva' job.

So, when does he get the Medal Of Freedom?

Reed, Norquist in 100+ meetings inside White House

quote[Republican activists Grover Norquist and Ralph Reed landed more than 100 meetings inside the Bush White House, according to documents released Wednesday that provide the first official accounting of the access and influence the two presidential allies have enjoyed.

The White House released the Secret Service visit records to settle a lawsuit by the Democratic Party and an ethics watchdog group seeking visitors logs for the two GOP strategists and others who emerged as figures in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.]

Interesting...

Mike Malloy Is An Unprofessional HACK -- Almost Literally

quote[He didn’t really hack in. It sounds like the morons just forgot to delete his username and password after they canned him … three weeks ago. Not only that, but they forgot to delete the page on the site devoted to his show.

So he logged in last night and left them a message.]

I mean, this is kinda' funny, and does highlight the incompetence of AAR management. But, still, is this how you'd go about looking for a new job???

Taking It To A New Level

quote[Then things really go off the rails. I ask Shayler if it's true he has become a "no planer" - that is, someone who believes that no planes at all were involved in the 9/11 atrocity. Machon looks uncomfortable. "Oh, fuck it, I'm just going to say this," he tells her. "Yes, I believe no planes were involved in 9/11." But we all saw with our own eyes the two planes crash into the WTC. "The only explanation is that they were missiles surrounded by holograms made to look like planes," he says. "Watch the footage frame by frame and you will see a cigar-shaped missile hitting the World Trade Center." He must notice that my jaw has dropped. "I know it sounds weird, but this is what I believe." ]

Give me a fucking break!!!

Wal-Mart strides into election fray

quote[Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest employer, is planning to launch a voter registration and education campaign this fall targeted at its 1.3 million employees in an effort to combat growing criticism from Democrats and labor unions.

By doing so, the world’s largest retailer is striding into the national political arena, which until this election cycle it has taken pains to avoid.]

I think, and I hope, that Wal-Mart is shooting themself in the foot.

Machinists Applaud Lamont Victory in Connecticut

quote[IAM President Tom Buffenbarger welcomes Lamont win and urges Sen. Lieberman to abandon independent bid.

“Ned Lamont’s win over Joe Lieberman is an overdue victory for tens of thousands of families in Connecticut who have been victimized for too long by the free trade, pro-privatization policies embraced by Sen. Lieberman,” said Tom Buffenbarger, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). “We call on Sen. Lieberman to abandon his quixotic campaign as an independent candidate and to help unite the Democratic Party in Connecticut and across the country.”

The IAM represents nearly 12,000 members in Connecticut among more than 720,000 active and retired members across North America. For more information about the IAM, visit their website at www.goiam.org.]

Good news!

Ties to GOP trumped skill on Iraq team

quote[After the fall of Saddam Hussein's government in April 2003, the opportunity to participate in the U.S.-led effort to reconstruct Iraq attracted all manner of Americans -- restless professionals, Arabic-speaking academics, development specialists and war-zone adventurers. But before they could go to Baghdad, they had to get past Jim O'Beirne's office in the Pentagon.

To pass muster with O'Beirne, a political appointee who screens prospective political appointees for Defense Department posts, applicants didn't need to be experts in the Middle East or in post-conflict reconstruction. What seemed most important was loyalty to the Bush administration.

...

But many CPA staff members were more interested in other things: in instituting a flat tax, in selling off government assets, in ending food rations and otherwise fashioning a new nation that looked a lot like the United States. Many of them spent their days cloistered in the Green Zone, a walled-off enclave in central Baghdad with towering palms, posh villas, well-stocked bars and resort-size swimming pools.]

This is, indeed, a must read story. I wonder why more people, most of all democrats, aren't crying foul from the rooftops over this. I really had trouble deciding which part of the story to quote here.

Special thanks to the Senior Legal Correspondent from the Ed Schultz Show for bringing this to my attention.

Deadly E. coli outbreak traced to bagged spinach, sickens dozens

quote[The death occurred in Wisconsin, where 20 people were reported ill, 11 of them in Milwaukee. The outbreak has sickened others -- 10 of them seriously -- in Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon and Utah. In California and Washington, health officials were investigating a single case in each of the two states.]

Also, Stop & Shop taking bagged spinach off shelves.

This is why I only eat processed foods!

(only kidding)

Bush Tells Barnes Capturing Bin Laden Is ‘Not A Top Priority Use of American Resources’

quote[Weekly Standard editor Fred Barnes appeared on Fox this morning to discuss his recent meeting with President Bush in the Oval Office. The key takeaway for Barnes was that “bin Laden doesn’t fit with the administration’s strategy for combating terrorism.” Barnes said that Bush told him capturing bin Laden is “not a top priority use of American resources.” Watch it.]

But Saddam was?

Conservatives on why the GOP should lose in 2006

quote[With Republicans controlling Congress and the White House, conservatives these days ought to be happy, but most aren’t. They see expanding government, runaway spending, Middle East entanglements, and government corruption, and they wonder why, exactly, the country should be grateful for Republican dominance. Some accuse Bush and the Republicans today of not being true conservatives. Others see a grab bag of stated policies and wonder how they cohere. Everyone thinks something’s got to change.

Now seven prominent conservatives dare to speak the unspeakable: They hope the Republicans lose in 2006. Well, let’s be diplomatic and say they’d prefer divided government—soon. (Perhaps that formulation will fool Dennis Hastert.) Of course, all of them wish for the long-term health of conservatism, and most are loyal to the GOP. What they also believe, however, is that even if a Speaker Pelosi looms in the wings, sometimes the best remedy for a party gone astray is to give it a session in the time-out chair.]

Some interesting stuff in there.

Air America To Declare Bankruptcy, But Progressive Radio Remains Strong

quote[Air America Radio will announce a major restructuring on Friday, which is expected to include a bankruptcy filing, three independent sources have told ThinkProgress.

Air America could remain on the air under the deal, but significant personnel changes are already in the works. Sources say five Air America employees were laid off yesterday and were told there would be no severance without capital infusion or bankruptcy. Also, Air America has ended its relationship with host Jerry Springer.]

Oh boy! O'Lielly's going to be all over this today.

This hole in the ground

quote[Half a lifetime ago, I worked in this now-empty space. And for 40 days after the attacks, I worked here again, trying to make sense of what happened, and was yet to happen, as a reporter.

All the time, I knew that the very air I breathed contained the remains of thousands of people, including four of my friends, two in the planes and -- as I discovered from those "missing posters" seared still into my soul -- two more in the Towers.

And I knew too, that this was the pyre for hundreds of New York policemen and firemen, of whom my family can claim half a dozen or more, as our ancestors.

I belabor this to emphasize that, for me this was, and is, and always shall be, personal.]

I strongly recommend reading this entire thing.

It couldn't have been said better.

GOP To Concede Rhode Island If Chafee Beaten In Primary

quote[With a barrage of television advertisements and the mobilization of its get-out-the-vote machine, the national Republican Party has lined up in Rhode Island to beat back a conservative primary challenge to the most liberal Republican in the Senate, Lincoln Chafee. The outcome on Tuesday could help determine whether Democrats have a shot at taking back the Senate.
Skip to next paragraph

In an extraordinary pre-emptive announcement, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has said it will concede Rhode Island to the Democrats should Stephen Laffey, the mayor of Cranston, defeat Mr. Chafee in the primary. Citing poll data, Republican leaders said they saw no way someone as conservative as Mr. Laffey could win in a state as Democratic as this; as it is, they are increasingly worried about Mr. Chafee’s hopes in a general election.]

Oh, happy, happy, joy, joy.

ABC 9/11 film ties documentary rerun

quote[An expensive and highly-publicized September 11 ABC "docudrama" was soundly defeated in overnight Nielsen ratings by Sunday Night Football, RAW STORY has learned.

Early indications are that the "miniseries event" actually tied a rerun of a documentary on the same subject, and barely edged out the eighteenth season premiere of The Simpsons.]

Ha!

Can a python bite off more than it can chew? Ewe bet.

quote[A LITTLE bloating after a big meal is an occupational hazard for pythons. But this unfortunate creature found itself unable to slink away and sleep it off.
In fact, after swallowing a pregnant sheep, it couldn't move at all.

Firemen in the Malaysian village of Kampung Jabor, about 190km east of Kuala Lumpur, easily caught it after it was spotted on a road.

Conservationists were yesterday still deciding whether to keep the 90kg snake in a zoo or release it back into the wild. ]

Cool, and gross.

Why is a US defense contractor hosting a known terrorist website?

quote[According to the domain registration record, nasrollah.org is registered to a "Hussein Beydoun", who resides at a Beirut (Lebanon) address. Looks pretty legitimate, but things get fishy when you look at the IP address of their web server.]

Am I missing something here?

Another Reason To Find Clay Aiken Obnoxious (Is this part of his contract with FOX?)

quote[Clay Aiken is in line to be named to the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, the White House said Wednesday.

Aiken, a Raleigh native who gained fame as a runner-up on "American Idol," once worked as a YMCA counselor.

The committee's Web site said it advises the president on issues pertaining to people with intellectual disabilities. The committee was established in 1961 by President John Kennedy as the President's Panel on Mental Retardation.

A White House press release said President Bush intends to make the appointment. Officials did not say when.]

Good Lord!

ABC's Rightwing 9/11 movie is bunk

quote[1. Contrary to the movie, no US military or CIA personnel were on the ground in Afghanistan and saw bin Laden.

2. Contrary to the movie, the head of the Northern Alliance, Masood, was no where near the alleged bin Ladin camp and did not see UBL.

3. Contrary to the movie, the CIA Director actually said that he could not recommend a strike on the camp because the information was single sourced and we would have no way to know if bin Laden was in the target area by the time a cruise missile hit it.]

Rule one for the righties: If Fear, Smeer, Queer doesn't work, blame it on Clinton.

Clinton's response here.

Tell ABC what you think of this tripe here!

Lamont Wouldn't Back Lieberman For Defense

quote[If Ned Lamont is elected to the U. S. Senate, he would probably not vote to confirm opponent Joe Lieberman as President Bush's Defense Secretary, Lamont said Wednesday.

Replacing Rumsfeld with Lieberman, Lamont said, would be "a lateral move."]

Again, I find myself surprised. Yeah, Right!

GOP secretly channeled millions to Lieberman

quote[The White House funneled millions of dollars through major Republican Party contributors to Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s primary campaign in a failed effort to ensure the support of the former Democrat for the Bush administration.

A senior GOP source said the money was part of Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove's strategy to maintain a Republican majority in the Senate in November. The source said Mr. Rove, together with Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, directed leading pro-Bush contributors to donate millions of dollars to Mr. Lieberman's campaign for re-election in Connecticut in an attempt that he would be a "Republican-leaning" senator.]

Well, isn't that a shocker?!

Book: Bush told reporter Jews are 'all going to hell'

quote["You know what I'm gonna tell those Jews when I get to Israel, don't you Herman?" a then Governor George W. Bush allegedly asked a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman.

When the journalist, Ken Herman, replied that he did not know, Bush reportedly delivered the punch line: "I'm telling 'em they're all going to hell."]

This guy is nuts!

Dodd Fights To Get Bolton Out Of U.N.

quote[John Bolton has been the public face and voice of the United States during the recent crises in the Middle East and Iran. Beginning this week, Sen. Christopher Dodd will renew his dogged campaign to get that face out of the picture.

Bolton, the United States ambassador to the United Nations for the past year, has not been confirmed formally for the job by the U. S. Senate, and members will try again when they return from their summer recess today.

...


"My objection isn't that he's a bully," said Dodd, D-Conn., when Bolton appeared before the committee recently, "but that he's been an ineffective bully and can't win the day when it really counts.]

Go Dodd!!!