LIVE BLOGGING MURTHA

Can't wait, Karen. Thanks.

OT, but just saw this...

Democrats to Delay Alito Confirmation Vote
WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats plan to delay the Judiciary Committee's vote on Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court for at least a week, slowing what could have been a quick confirmation process for President Bush's pick to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter had hoped to hold a committee vote on Alito's nomination on Jan. 17, a little over a week from the Monday start of the federal appellate judge's confirmation hearings.

But Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., on Thursday that Democrats will invoke their right to hold the Alito committee vote over for one week, Senate leadership aides told The Associated Press.

The aides spoke on conditions of anonymity because the move had not been announced yet.
From Yahoo News: http://tinyurl.com/7d834

No wonder the congressional aide gleefully snickered when I called Durbin's office today to ask him to help delay the Alito hearings... Guess they're waiting for the coals to get hotter on the Abramoff fire. (BTW, keep your eye on this graphic... http://www.dccc.org/houseofscandal/main.html )

The room is huge, and it is packed. I think there must be700 in here already. There were the usual Freepers outside, and the LaRouchians. Isn't America great?

Discussion swings bacak and forth about Iraq, impeachment, Alito...This crowd is here to feel connected, and to build a concerted effort towards change--peace and justice.

madame--some insiders here, so I'll ask about that!

Who put the event together? What's Murtha supposed to talk about?

700 people, that is exciting. I really wish I could be there, but I have Karen who will keep me posted.

Madame if you look at the link you provided, there is a sidebar about Roskam. He is the DeLay hand picked candidate running in the Illinios 6th. Congressional against Cegelis.

oncall,

We talked to someone deep inside the House today who thinks Cegalis will win...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060105/ap_on_re_us/robertson_sharon

This belonged on the last section about Sharon's stroke, but I just thought that, in case anyone on the blog didn't know, God struck Sharon with the stroke because Sharon "gave away God's land."
According to , of course, Pat Robertson.

Have to run, but am going to drop this on.
I can guarantee I'll probably be screaming at least some once I get into my car where no one can here.

Pat Robertson .. he's gone too far.

http://www.comcast.net/news/national/index.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fn=/2006/01/05/297653.html

There is an overflow room and another 500 were turned away. It is being shown on CSPAN.

Standing ovation.

The Florida Supreme Court today outlawed Florida's "opportunity" vouchers program, which allows students to attend private schools with public funding.
Just in case anyone still thinks Jeb Bush is less of an imperial governor than his brother is an imperial president- he has announced he plans to find a way to continue the program despite the state court's ruling.
He still has yet to impliment a constitutional amendment requiring reduced class sizes that the people of this state passed about 3 years ago.
Constitutions, supreme courts, all have no meaning to the Bushes. The whole family believes they are above the law.

Posted by: Karen at January 5, 2006 06:53 PM

Karen,

From your lips to G-d's ear.

It's on C Span 2

This is a cogent and strong analysis of where we are.

Karen,

Thanks for the updates. They sound determined!

And it's GREAT to see so many people show up!

Question up now: Where are the Democrats?

Murtha just said he thinks he waited too long to speak up. He worries about every one of those kids.

First questioner is an Army volunteer. He resents that Murtha says the morale of the troops is low.

Now there is an honorably discharged man who has no job, no health care...

I am gonna watch it on C-SPAN2. Thanks for blogging it Karen.

Good question now: Why hasn't there been a inquiry into the illegal leadup to the war?

Great question by the Iraqi War Vet about why there hasn't been an investigation about why we got into this fraudulent war...

(Karen, where are you sitting?)

MD: I am crouched in a corner, near an outlet, except when I stumble into the profressional photographers trying to do their job...

Question from Crooks and Liar's to Murtha:

"Would you join the army today?"

Murtha: NO

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/01/04.html#a6576

Great point by Moran RE war casualties: this administration wants to keep the casualties as numbers, not as faces or families.

Rep. Moran was referring to Capt. Ian Fishback's letter to Sen. McCain and mentioned that because of Fishback's brave actions, his military career is over... Here's the letter:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/27/AR2005092701527.html

These stories are incredibly difficult to hear.
It is like a hearng in court.

BIG positives on IMPEACHMENT!!

"Why shouldn't you impeach Bush-Cheney?" ...question from the audience, with wild applause & standing ovation!

"Impeachment is inconsistent with the democratic process..." according to Moran. "It's a matter of grassroots process, if you choose..."

Karen,

The people crowded into that room: are there any current military or vets in that room? (other than Murtha, of course.) And are there other Representatives with him? Also, what are the ages in the room?

And does the party have a caucus trying to reach across the aisle to Republicans to gain support for a realistic goal--not the fake cut and run stuff?

Sorry, no cspan--and can't watch the cspan live on the computer.

Posted by: sparrow at January 5, 2006 08:01 PM

It's on C-SPAN now if you can watch. Only Rep. Moran (D-VA) is there with Rep. Murtha, from what I can see at the panelist table. They're also panning the room so that you can see the people there...all ages.

Many of the questioners are military.

Posted by: Karen at January 5, 2006 08:04 PM

Karen,

Has anybody asked about the funding and the recent "cut backs" that Bush proposed?

for those who can and consider it worthy, please give this diary a recommend at kos

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/5/201332/9152#1

thanks

sparrow, The line was drawn between the War and joblessness, lack of healthcare, etc.

Posted by: Karen at January 5, 2006 08:19 PM

Sorry I wasn't clear enough...I meant on the reconstruction.

Also,

What about the U.N. Will the U.N. be able to come in and help? Or won't they until Georgie gets his incompetent hands off of it...

One questioner, a retired Air Force colonel who was a Forward Air Controller in Vietnam, just made reference to this organization and its web site:

Veterans' Alliance For Security and Democracy

http://www.vetpac.org/

The group's masthead motto on its web site:

"One generation of soldiers should never abandon another generation...
One generation of Americans should never abandon another..."

make love not hate,
Otter

Question about the warrantless wiretapping...

Moran: "One thing to do is to not renew the Patriot Act. We never imagined they'd use it as they did...It's unpatriotic to assume people are guilty because of association..."

Rep. Moran just said the Patriot Act should not be renewed.

"The democratic party is not the answer. YOU are the answer..the American people..." - Moran

Posted by: madame defarge at January 5, 2006 08:32 PM

What was the question again?

Posted by: marc trager at January 5, 2006 08:34 PM
Doesn't matter. That's the answer. ;)

marc:

"Who's on first?"

make peace not war,
Otter

That was just Travis speaking. In the yellow/green sweatshirt.

Moran: "We are generating more terrorists than we can possibly kill over there... and that is a compelling reason to withdraw our troops from Iraq."

make beignets not bombers,
Otter

The Honorable Representative Moran has the right ideas..The DNC should be making tapes and distributing them to every democrat on its rolls so others have an idea what a Leader sounds like when they speak.
He has studied middle eastern History and answers questions with authority and conviction.
Its about time.

"Impeachment is not worth talking about...what is worth talking about is holding people accountable at election time." - Moran

Moran: "I know it sounds like a touchy-feely concept, but we've got to relate to other people around the world. We have to look for the good in others, and we've got to lead by example."

make news not noise,
Otter

"I have faith in our troops but I don't have faith in our government because the reasons we were given to go to war were not accurate." - Moran in response to an angry former Vietnam vet who was claiming that Murtha's statements have incited more insurgency and has harmed the troops.

In response to how/why to get involved in elections/voting, Moran said (paraphrased) "American Indians used to plan for 7 generations...we're lucky if we plan for 7 months...that has to change...we have to look beyond the immediate horizon and plan for our children and our grandchildren..."

"You've got to be the front line troops. You've got to get mobilized. You've got to keep informing people. You've got to keep leading. You can't rely on others to do it. You've got to do it."

*snip* I don't agree that the Democratic and Republican parties are alike.

I don't see how anyone could live through these last five years and even suggest that. I honestly don't.*end snippet*

Posted by: Matthew Carnicelli at January 3, 2006 06:18 PM

Guess who took 61,000.00 of Jack Abramoff's money...NONE OTHER THAN OUR OWN HARRY REID!!!

Still cant see how ppl might not be able to tell the difference between these guys Matthew??

Almost 40% of the city is up and running.

60% or more looks like the pictures in the video.

It is not pretty so if you are sqeemish...don't look.

http://www.ou812videos.com/media/katrina.wmv

Posted by: Indy at January 5, 2006 02:07 PM

Indy,

I just had a chance to watch the video. It is powerful. As to Ira's suggestion, after watching that video, I don't care who has their national convention in NOLA, but I sure hope somebody does.

Posted by: pcdoc at January 5, 2006 09:31 PM

Doc, Reid got money from Abramoff's clients, not from Abramoff directly. That is legal. What remains to be seen is if the money was a bribe. And from what I've seen of Reid so far, I highly doubt that. Say what you will about the parties being alike, but please understand the difference between getting money directly from Abramoff (illegal) vs. getting money from his clients (legal). Otherwise you are just feeding the spin & talking points.

We covered this yesterday... [copied from prior thread]

Posted by: oncall at January 4, 2006 05:42 PM

I believe the distinction is that there are no direct contributions from Abramoff to any Democrat. The Democrat donations that are listed on the ThinkProgress site were made by organizations that were clients of Abramoff as part of a campaign but did not come from Abramoff himself.

I believe that Harry Reid was targeted in that campaign because one of his state's major income industries is the Las Vegas casinos et al.

Posted by: dwahzon at January 4, 2006 05:48 PM

There are no direct donations from Abramoff to any Democrat.

M...Im just tired of picking nits...AND settling for the lesser of two evils...its time for ppl to take a stand on what they believe. Our country is at stake...no time for "political correctness" Some people may NEED to be alienated.

Direct vs. indirect donations may or may not turn out to be a distinction without a difference, depending on the players and playbooks involved.

Here's a local hook to the story from my small corner of the state. By way of background -- Phil English is well known for being particularly good at pulling his pork in the back halls of the House, and for being very friendly towards the numerous tribal casinos that cluster around the western tier of New York and that draw a steady stream of gamblers from northwest Pennsylvania:

------

WASHINGTON -- Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty in Miami Wednesday to federal fraud charges stemming from his purchase of a South Florida fleet of gambling ships. That court appearance followed his guilty plea on Tuesday in the Washington public-corruption case.

Those pleas sent lawmakers from across the country, and even President Bush, scrambling to distance themselves from the lobbyist or his clients.

But Rep. Phil English of Erie, R-3rd Dist., said he will not return donations connected to Abramoff and Indian tribes the lobbyist once represented.

Chief of Staff Bob Holste said tribal donations given to English totaled $5,000.

"We've always had some tribal supporters, there are tribes near the district in New York. I don't see anything wrong with those donations that would merit returning them, nor have there been any accusations that they've done anything wrong," Holste said.

-----

direct dancers not dollars,
Otter

Posted by: dwahzon at January 5, 2006 09:37 PM
Posted by: pcdoc at January 5, 2006 09:41 PM

As long as my previous posts are being rehashed, I have re posted (incorrect grammar and all) what I posted very early this A.M. regarding the discussion you are having:

I stand corrected about my earlier post. However, perceptions of improprierty will be difficult to extinguish. I think many people will have difficulty distinguishing between Abramoff's contributions vs. contributions from his clients.

Posted by: Ira at January 4, 2006 06:44 PM

As Ira says, it is true there is no quid pro quo as regards to any contributions to Sen. Reid, but no doubt a letter from Sen. Reid does carry significance influence.

Posted by: oncall at January 5, 2006 01:07 AM

Oncall:

Your comment about Reid and Abramoff has basis in fact, but you are mistaken about the legality of Abramoff's personal contributions. Those appear to be perfectly legal.

There's no evidence to date that Abramoff directed the tribe to contribute to Reid, not to mention the fact that Dems have always supported NA causes. Reid, as legislator from a state with a large NA population, and a longtime member of the Indian Affairs committee SHOULD be involved.

The GOP folks from Ohio and Virginia, on the other hand - the ones who wrote letters to Gail Norton (Sec. of the Interior) on behalf of Abramoff's clients - THOSE are the ones who engaged in illegal quid pro quo activities.

Posted by: Dem in VA at January 5, 2006 09:52 PM

Dem,

I don't think you mean Abramoff's contributions were legal, but instead that the tribes were legal. That is true, but unfortunately I heard the talking heads on T.V. tonight also talking about the contributions that the Dems accepted. It is the "appearance of improprierty" that the dems will have to endure.

Doc, here's a diary on DailyKos you might want to read...
Stop saying Abramoff didn't give any money to Democrats
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/5/212522/2468

Well I am a Democrat and I didn't get one cent from Abramoff, but Preston Gates law firm in Seattle is sweating it ..

.. home from work now & anticipating a "democracy cell" meeting of sort here tonight!

Also listened to all the BBC & NPR on Sharon & Israel that I could. It still sounds the way I thought - Sharon had gone more moderate, if only because it was the will of the majority of the people of Israel & a pragmatic move. His party is new, without a platform or infrastructure yet but was anticipated to do well in the upcoming elections. Now it's up in the air - there really isn't a successor with name recognition like his & the Likud party always creep me out.

I always think back to the RFK assassination in 1968 when we ended up with Humphrey vs Nixon and Nixon won. It's hard to scrabble together a candidate and party at the last minute. I feel for the people of the region, & us too.

Teresa Heinz Kerry pointed out that Bush didn't chime in to censure the antiSemitic remarks by Iran's head goon. I'll bet Bush won't do much to distance himself from Pat Robertson either, though it certainly must be an embarrassment. On the other hand, maybe he's done with those religious fundamentalists, since they helped keep him in power. He may feel he owes them nothing since they can't really do much except rally their constituency.

Also heard the head of the National Archives on Terry Gross "Fresh Air" - he pointed out that only a couple of documents r/t domestic spying have been declassified - letters from Rockfeller and from Pelosi. The rest is all "secret" but actually "fake secrets" - the 9/11 Commission Report (which I bought but didn't finish) had as their main finding that at least half of stuff Bush has classified isn't really "secret" in the usual sense of protecting our security. It's just stuff they don't want people like us to know.

oncall you are absolutely right, the GOP will push to blure any distinction and I don't want to be a part of that. Delay and Noe's will use that as their defense, well the Dems took money as well.
There are 100s of millions thrown at politicans by lobbyists every year. The question needs to be framed what legislation did the lobbyist get or expect in return? That amounts to bribery. Return the money to the tribes with the message that your money doesn't buy influence in this body.

oncall I threw out the idea of a N.O. DNC Convention. The amenities(Superdome)may not be appropriate for a national convention but if we think it is realistic maybe we ought to craft a letter or petition to Howard Dean. Site selection starts 2 years out and may be relevant by the end of this year. Believe me if the RNC likes the idea of a N.O Convention(Robertson and Falwell would throw a fit)they will pursue it, lock it up and publicize asap before Dean even thinks about it.

Also the problem of Americans' short attention span. We may not care about Katrina by this summer much less by Aug. '08.

Corruption is likely to be with human beings for the foreseeable future. It has little to do with politics and everything to do with the imperfections inherent in human nature. Give some allegedly virtuous third party complete control of Congress for a decade and they'll end up feeding like swine – just like the Democrats did in the early 90s, and the GOP is doing today.

Congress will likely pass new regulations in the wake of the current scandal, and within a few years some smart political operative or lobbyist will have figured out a new way to circumvent it.

I have zero faith that "independent" government will prove more virtuous than the current two party system - since the well from which any such party draws its water must be the same that the others draw from as well. We are the water. Change the water, and you change the world.

That said, given the toxic waters in our American well, I’m very comfortable defending the party that takes time out from the feeding frenzy to occasionally represent the interests of working people, minorities, and the otherwise disenfranchised. And a party that acts according to the precept that, all things being equal, diplomacy is a better idea than preemptive war. Five years into the reign of George III, that difference ought to be very clear to everyone.

We've had this discussion, re the differences between Democrats and Republicans for days now, or so it seems.
I'm tired of arguing about it, but I'm not sure how anyone who can't see the difference in the two parties has one iota of hope for the future of this country. There's not going to be a "people's revolution" in America- not in today's lazy society anyway. The best we can hope for is to support the party owned by the nicer donors, as Bill Maher often says. Both parties take money from special interests, that's true. But when you consider who gives the money to the parties, I'd much rather support the Democrats any day of the week. Democrats take money from environmental groups, Republicans take money from the oil industry. Democrats take money from the American Bar Association, Republicans take money from big tobacco and the pharmaceutical industry.
Yes, some of these groups give "token" donations to the opposing party also, just to be sure they cover their bases with their customers and can say so when they're questioned about their donations. But the bulk of donations from corporations that I detest go to the Republican party.
Check out the donors lists if you don't think there's any difference in the two parties.
It's naive to say there's no difference, and to think we're somehow going to rise up and overthrow the two party system in this country, just like it's naive to sit on here and call for the impeachment of the POTUS. As Rep. Murtha said tonight, it's not going to happen. We have a Republican congress, so it's useless to even hope for such a thing. We have to change the system through voting for the candidates who will work for change, and since the Republicans have been in charge for years now and have created this mess, it's pretty obvious who we need to work for this spring and this summer and this fall.
And if you don't see any difference in Republicans and Democrats, I guess you just won't participate in working towards changing our government this November. I can't see why you would bother.
Then, you get to raise your hand next time someone asks you who is responsible for the loss of American democracy.

Stop saying Abramoff didn't give any money to Democrats
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/5/212522/2468

Posted by: madame defarge at January 5, 2006 10:16 PM

madame,

That is a good discussion. Thanks.

Now for some levity

David Letterman:

Dick Cheney's favorite dish is Chicken Gitmo

It is chicken bound and gagged served on a bed of rice.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/04/AR2006010402111_pf.html

worth reading...especially those who seem to think that can sit in judgement...very few have clean hands on either side...that was the point.

The House of Representatives and the Senate gave this president authority without oversight. They opened up the treasury without responsibility. Letters being released today written 3-4 years ago testify that legislators knew our rights were being violated, and yet they did nothing.

A king cannot rule without the acknowledgement and approval of the ruling class, in this case Congress, roughly 45% of which are democrats.

Talking with Dick about the whole Abramoff thing. On the one hand, it is easy to say "A pox on both their houses." That allows us to condemn everyone and lament the systemic problems inherent in the campaign system we have.

On the other hand, it is also easy to see that it is awfully convenient for the Republicans to conflate all the money, as if it is all equally tainted. That might be acceptable if it led directly to reform of the entire process. But one suspects (at least in our house) that they are conflating the issue in order to have us overlook those TRULY illegal golf trips.

And what role do the Indian tribes themselves play? Were they merely playing the game as it is, or contributing to the loosening of principled elections, or were they duped completely?

But the real question comes down to--as it always does--we are the citizens of this country. Is this the government we want? And IF not, what are we going to do about it?

And will we act collectively or individually? In one direction or many?

RETURNED ABRAMOFF DONATIONS ERASE NATIONAL DEBT
Lawmakers Scramble To Shed Trillions in Tainted Cash

SNIP

At the Department of Health and Human Services, a spokesman said that some of the newly returned Abramoff cash would go to treat an epidemic of amnesia among politicians in Washington, many of whom can no longer remember meeting, speaking to, or having dinner with Jack Abramoff.

Elsewhere, a marine who was arrested for not going to Vietnam forty years ago is expected to plead insanity, claiming that he was under the delusion that he was Vice President of the United States.

http://www.borowitzreport.com/

The convoys 'Security Team'...??
WOULDNT THAT BE US SOLDIERS..??
Posted by: Christy at January 5, 2006 09:55 AM

Probably not US soldiers, Christy. Remember, DynCorp and KBR (Kellogg, Brown, & Root), two Halliburton subsidiaries are providing "private security" (mercenaries!) to many of those convoys (at an exhorbitant salary, no less). If there's no news in the US about it, there's the possibility or probability that the people on the convoys were hauling oil from the oil fields, and they are NOT US military, but mercenaries hired with Halliburton subsidiary companies instead. And, no, I would not expect any deaths of people in those convoys to be widely reported except in the local communities where those people lived.

A couple of years ago there was a fellow from MN who worked for DynCorp killed in Iraq; he was ex-law enforcement, etc. That's when I first learned of the Halliburton connection and the first time I heard of "private security" in Iraq, so checked out the spelling from the TV station's web site and Googled it. His widow tried to get a pot luck dinner going for "all" the people (she called them 'heroes') killed in Iraq (whether they were in the military or not) a while back and I wrote to the TV station about the mercenaries, how DynCorp & KBR are connected to Halliburton, the salaries they were getting compared to US military (i.e., the mercenaries are in Iraq for money, not principles or because they were ordered there by the chicken hawk-in-chief. Within the last two or three weeks another "private security officer" from MN was killed in Iraq, also a police officer on leave from his job from a different town. I noticed the local TV stations did not say which "private security" company the last fellow killed was working for, either, but it would not surprise me to discover at some point that whatever company it was is connected to Halliburton.

If it matters, Tuesday night Frontline was supposed to re-run their show "Private Warriors" about the mercenaries in Iraq, according to teasers between PBS shows for the last week and a half. I checked it out (even though I saw the original show), and someone somewhere did some last minute switcheroos... it was a rerun of the Frontline show about Wal-Mart.

And, yes. That does mean The Cretin and the Vice Cretin have a private army at their disposal via Halliburton subsidiaries, and the mercenaries are all being paid by *our* tax dollars.

Bwahahahahahahahaha! Oh, you just have to read the whining comments by The Cretin in this article!!! ROTFLMAO! All together, accompanied by the world's smallest violin, sing now: 'My heart whines for you, pines for you, sighs for you....' Oh, poor baby. A press he isn't able to control!!! He must be throwing temper tantrums...!!! Bwahahahahahaha!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060106/ts_nm/bush_languages_dc
Bush: Arabic TV gives false impression of US
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush complained on Thursday that Arabic television often gave a false impression of the United States, saying Americans needed to do a better job of communicating their ideals.

Interestingly enough, 45% does not a majority make.
It's nice to be an indy- I was one for a couple of years, and it allowed me to feel so superior to my friends who were actually registered in one party or the other.
I couldn't vote in the primary elections, and was disenfranchised because of it. When I decided I wanted to be part of the solution, instead of being part of the problem by sitting on the sidelines, I registered as a Democrat.
Now we're out of power, but that doesn't mean we don't care about what's going on in our country. The Democratic members of congress certainly have opinions, they certainly care.
But 45% is not a majority.
It's really that simple.

A little music to start your morning off right...

Say Goodbye To Tom DeLay -- Song Parody (Sing to "Yesterday")
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Tom DeLay,
He's got troubles. They won't go away.
Jack's pled guilty and he'll have his say.
So say goodbye to Tom DeLay.

Abramoff,
He's pled guilty. Now Tom won't get off.
Yes, they've got him cold, though wingnuts scoff.
Can't wait to hear from Abramoff.

I am
Innocent,
I am pure,
Says Tom DeLay.
Didn't do
Nothing wrong.
How Tom longs
For yesterday.

Go here to sing along with the rest of the lyrics:
http://www.madkane.com/notable01_06a.html#01_04_06

Here's another reason why we are having our Out of Iraq events this weekend...

11 U.S. Troops Killed in One Day in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The U.S. military on Friday announced the deaths of six more American troops killed in the recent barrage of violence that has swept Iraq, bringing to 11 the number of troops killed on the same day.
--snip--
It was the fourth deadliest day in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, with at least 136 total deaths, including the U.S. troops.

The 11 U.S. deaths were the most in a single day since 11 troops were killed on Dec. 1, when 10 Marines were killed by a roadside bomb while on a foot patrol near Fallujah.

At least 2,194 members of the U.S. military have died since the war began, according to an Associated Press count.
--snip--
In other violence Thursday, a suicide car bomb killed three Iraqi soldiers in Baghdad, Lt. Col. Thamir al-Gharawi said, and gunmen killed three people in separate incidents, police said, raising Thursday's toll to 136.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5527592,00.html

Check out this new ad from the DNC that compares George to Tricky Dick (the original Dick)...

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/01/05.html#a6589

(This is not an endorsement for the DNC; instead it is to be used for informational purposes only.)

It's most definitely not looking good for Mr. Sharon...

Sharon back in operating theatre
Last Updated: Friday, 6 January 2006, 13:50 GMT
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been undergoing emergency surgery after a scan revealed bleeding in his brain.

Some TV reports said the operation had ended, but the hospital has reportedly denied it. The results of the procedure are not yet known.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4586488.stm

Here's the BBC's perspective on the future of Kadima:
Can Kadima survive without Sharon?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4585686.stm

Karen

Great photo - wow!

Re. the political contributions & scandal:
I think until this country has REAL Campaign Finance Reform, with enforcement, legal elections, balanced media and transparency in government - we can expect people to continue to "buy" their way into government & take bribes.
This country has a corrupt government. This country has a corrupt business culture which runs the government (think Enron, WorldCom, Quest & also entities such as Halliburton).

Veritas was here & we had a great time! They brought a bunch of Kosher food for Sebastien, the Clinton intern, & we laughed alot, exchanged tales, ideas. They're on the road & I'm off to work but you'll be hearing from us! I didn't yet meet her bro-in-law who has an antiwar blog here but that is in the works.

Thanks NonnyO for writing what I had intended to, as I had the same thought about the "security officials" and you know, fatalities among the corporate mercenary types are not included with war dead. Contractors are not included under jurisdiction of US, military or their host country. That's why Dyncorp personnel didn't get prosecuted for rapes in eastern Europe. The owner is also from TX & a friend of he who shall go nameless this morning.

David from afterdowningstreet.org asked me to put up a podcast at Empire Burlesque (I did for Conyers too) and I managed to compress it down from 70mb's to 10mb.

It's available here...

http://www.chris-floyd.com/loudblog/

and quite nice as you can start listening to the stream right away rather than downloading it all first.

Posted by: RichardK at January 6, 2006 09:58 AM

Thanks Richard.

Thank you everybody.

Having pc problems for over a week recently lent me to spending more time than usual trying to glean a few grains of truth from the MSM broadcasts on television.

The Spin Miesters are alive and well. I can see why the American public gets duped - huge corporations are paying extremely big bucks to get their versions of the "truth" (their political versions) broadcast to an unsuspecting American public. I don't think we should be so harsh on people who have been duped. They are in Oz, and don't even know it.

I am so thankful I can come here and catch up, and be on the "cutting edge" of real news, thanks to each of you who labor researching and posting reliable sources and articles of those of us in cyberspace.

Karen, thank you for going to all the meetings - to keep us all informed. Thank you too for all your efforts to join with other groups in a homogenous way to make our voices stronger. You are a gem!

I would have loved to have been there last night to meet Murtha. He has his head on straight and has the guts to say so. The henchmen of Rovian slime and smear are probably going over his bio with a fine tooth comb - he is indeed the biggest threat this administration has encountered thus far, IMHO.

Meanwhile, in the land of Oz, Bush held a huge meeting yesterday with former Secretaries of State who supposedly support his staying in Iraq to "finish" the job. More disappointment in Powell for taking part, unless he can help us get out of this quagmire.

But, of course, the administration is spinning it that they all back Bush and are helping him "stay the course".