Lies And The Lying Liars

By the way, hey Monkey!

I love you man.

Posted by: Christy at August 21, 2006 01:00 PM

I should have known from the start, she's got the monkey in her heart.

Back atcha, sister ... and stay strong.

Text of Bush speech with the nothing in it and your right Casey MSM wont cover this like it should.

QUESTION: What did Iraqi have to do with that?

BUSH: What did Iraq have to do with what?

QUESTION: The attacks upon the World Trade Center.

BUSH: Nothing. Except for it's part of -- and nobody's ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a -- Iraq -- the lesson of September the 11th is: Take threats before they fully materialize, Ken.

Nobody's ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq. I have suggested, however, that resentment and the lack of hope create the breeding grounds for terrorists who are willing to use suiciders to kill, to achieve an objective. I have made that case.

And one way to defeat that -- you know, defeat resentment -- is with hope. And the best way to do hope is through a form of government.

Now I said, going into Iraq, "We've got to take these threats seriously before they full materialize." I saw a threat.

Catch this little gem of an exchange from todays God & Phony Show....

Question: Mr. President, I'd like to go back to Iraq. You have continually cited the elections, the new government as progress in Iraq, and yet the violence has gotten worse in certain areas. You have to go to Baghdad again. Is it not time for a new strategy? And if not, why not?

BUSH: You know, Martha, you've covered the Pentagon; you know that the Pentagon is constantly adjusting tactics because they have the flexibility from the White House to do so.

QUESTION: I'm talking about the strategy.

BUSH: Well, the strategy is to help the Iraqi people achieve their objectives and their dreams, which is a democratic society. That's the strategy.

The tactics -- now, either you say, yes, it's important that we stay there and get it done, or we leave. We're not leaving so long as I'm the president. That would be a huge mistake. It would send an unbelievably, you know, terrible signal to reformers across the region. It would say we've abandoned our desire to change the conditions that create terror. It would give the terrorists a safe haven from which to launch attacks. It would embolden Iran. It would embolden extremists. No, we're not leaving.

The strategic objective is to help this government succeed. That's the strategic -- and not only to help the government -- the reformers in IraQUESTION: succeed, but to help the reformers across the region succeed, to fight off the elements of extremism. The tactics are which change.

Now, if you say, are you going to change your strategic objective, it means you're leaving before the mission is complete, and we're not going to leave before the mission is complete. I -- I agree with General Abizaid: We leave before the mission is done, the terrorists will follow us here.

And so we have changed tactics. Our commanders have got the flexibility necessary to change tactics on the ground, starting with plan Baghdad, and that's when we move troops from Mosul into Baghdad and replace them with a Stryker Brigade so we're not -- we increase troops during this time of instability.

QUESTION: Sir?

BUSH: Suzanne?

QUESTION: Sir, that's not really the question. The strategy is --

BUSH: Sounded like the question to me.

QUESTION: You -- you keep -- you keep saying that you don't want to leave, but is your strategy to win working, even if you don't want to leave? You've gone into Baghdad before. These things have happened before.

BUSH: If I didn't think it would work, I would change the -- our commanders would recommend changing the strategy.

They believe it'll work. It takes time to defeat these people. The Maliki government's been in power for, you know, less than six months. And, yeah, the people spoke. I've cited that as a part of -- of -- the reason I've cited it is because it's what the Iraqi people want. And the fundamental question facing this government is whether or not we will stand with reformers across the region. It's really -- it's really the task. And we're going to stand with this government.

And, you know, obviously I wish the violence would go down, but not as much as the Iraqi citizens would wish the violence would go down. But incredibly enough, they showed great courage, and they want our help. And any sign that says we're going to leave before the job is done simply emboldens terrorists and creates a certain amount of doubt for people so they won't take the risk necessary to help a civil society evolve in the country.

And this is the campaign -- I'm sure they're watching the campaign carefully. There are a lot of good, decent people saying, get out now. Vote for me. I will do everything I can to, I guess, cut off money is what they're trying to do to get our troops out. It's a big mistake. It were to be wrong, in my judgment, for us to leave before the mission is complete in Iraq.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Bush_calls_Lebanon_aid_troops_0821.html

Posted by: monkey at August 21, 2006 01:33 PM

He wouldnt call the anti war people un-American just cowards huh, amazing. I havent heard a lot about anyone taking funding away, what I have been hearing more about is people wanting an accounting of the were the money is going because we have billions missing, and if they can not get one halting any funding till they do.

Now I said, going into Iraq, "We've got to take these threats seriously before they full materialize." I saw a threat.

I wander if this is like saying "I see dead people?"

Bush evidently sees threats where there arent any and ignores threats that are actually real.

Thats just my opinion and I guess I am just one those "people who do not understand the world we live in"

That press conference doesn't make alot of sense. He's really hard to follow & contradictory. It makes my head spin. I keep telling myself - he is the President of the United States (supposedly), but even after 6-1/2 years, it doesn't really sink in. I mean, he doesn't go with the image I grew up with of this country, although the country has changed too. It just seems like a dream that someone that inarticulate could be president of the United States, even through fraud.

-----
Then there is Lieberman. John Kerry is like an Energizer Bunny - he just keeps plugging along, doing what he can. It's inspiring. Everyone has an idea of what he could or should have done diffrently, but when does the man even sleep?!

Kerry Calls Lieberman Out of Step with Voters

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/08/21/kerry_calls_lieberman_out_of_step_with_voters/

Leah took Charley to see WTC last night and they both said everyone needs to see this movie at least once. We have focused so much on what went wrong on 9/11 and the fear that that event has caused that we are not seeing exactly how great the people of this country are how brave and loving. The words of my 12 year old.

April
I do not understand the world HE lives in! He definitely sees threats where there are none, and misses them when they are present. I have a schizophrenic sister who tends to do that.

April
I only saw the previews but if it embodies the way people can stick together during a tragedy, that's something of a good lesson for a child.

Posted by: DiAnne at August 21, 2006 01:45 PM

I have a theory about Bush I think he actually lives on another planet and teleports in to talk drivel. You know that song "From A Distance" thats how Bush sees this country and the world "From A Distance" Only not the one Midler talks about in the song. He is so insolated from reality its scarey for those of us who actually have to live in the reality he refuses to see.

You know, I stopped by the Grassroots booth when I was handing out voter cards. I was talking to the volunteers and customers. There were these Bush key chains for sale and they have a constant countdown for how long til he is out of office. One customer said she couldn't look at his face any more (she is an artist). Another person said when she hears him come on tv she hits the remote buton. Another said that when she hears him come on NPR through the window from her neighbors' she starts singing loudly. For the same reason, I just can't click the link to watch the video. Some days I listen (NPR address) and I'm kind of analytical about it. I pretend I don't know who he is and that he's a world leader & I wonder if his speech is good, or ratonal or inspiring. Then I always wonder why there aren't people in the streets demanding that the farce be stopped! I don't think I've seen him on tv since maybe the debates. I have heard part of a few speeches or SOTU, read quite a few Press Conference transcripts. Generally I find that to look at a still of his visage is overwhelming. Watching the actual facial tics & so on in an actual video is more demanding yet.

April
Well yes! He even admits it - he's sure the violence is harder for the people in Iraq than for himself. He told the woman who had three jobs that she must be tired, I think. He reminds me of the kid who used to ride his bike alongside me when I was walking home and say profanities at me for no reason. He reminds me of the lead trumpet player in my school who threw rocks at my saxophone for no reason. Same guy tried to chase my boyfriend and I into a semi on the freeway. Same guy got a Purple Heart and then would shoot birds off wires for no reason.
He reminds me of the jocks in my husband's dorm who used to flush small animals down the toilet and laugh. Just being boys. Just fraternity pranks, like the "bad apples" in the military.

The bad boy I was talking about who was the local sadist and smartass & reminds me of Our President - forgot to say that his dad was The Sheriff. The guy he tried to run off the road now plays guitar with Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac.

Posted by: DiAnne at August 21, 2006 01:51 PM

My friend called me a bit ago and told me her son was on lunch break at college and called her and was talking about the press conferance, it actually motivated him to get start looking more into politics, he is 18 and usually listens to his mom and i talk but to him till today it was always just talk he agreed cause he lives in this world but he never really listened to Bush before, but Bush scared him today with how stupid he sounded. So she needed to know some good information sights for him so he could look up stuff himself.

QUESTION: Good morning, Mr. President. When you talked today about the violence in Baghdad, first you mentioned extremists, radicals and then al Qaeda. It seems that al Qaeda and foreign fighters are much less of a problem there and that it really is Iraqis versus Iraqis. And when we heard about your meeting the other day with experts and so forth, some of the reporting out of that said you were frustrated, you were surprised, and your spokesman said, "Nope, you're determined."

But frustration seems like a very real emotion. Why wouldn't you be frustrated, sir, by what's happening?

BUSH: I'm not -- I do remember the meeting; I don't remember being "surprised." I'm not sure what they meant by that.

QUESTION: About the lack of gratitude among the Iraqi people.

BUSH: Oh. No, I think -- yeah -- first of all, to the first part of your question, you know, if you look back at the words of Zarqawi before he was brought to justice, he made it clear that the intent of their tactics in Iraq was to create civil strife. In other words, if you -- look at what he said. He said let's kill Shi'a to get Shi'a to seek revenge and therefore to create this kind of hopefully cycle of violence. Secondly, I think it's pretty clear that the -- at least the evidence indicates that the bombing of the shrine was an al Qaeda plot, all intending to create sectarian violence.

Now, al Qaeda is still very active in Iraq. As a matter of fact, some of the more -- I would guess, I would surmise that some of the more spectacular bombings are done by al Qaeda suiciders. No question there's sectarian violence as well. And the challenge is to provide a security plan such that a political process can go forward. And you know, I know -- I'm sure you all are tired of hearing me say 12 million Iraqis voted, but it's an indication about the desire for people to live in a free society. That's what that means, see. And the only way to defeat this ideology in the long term is to defeat it through another ideology, a competing ideology, one that -- where government, you know, responds to the will of the people. And that's really the fundamental question we face here in the beginning of this 21st century is whether or not we believe as a nation and others believe it is possible to defeat this ideology.

Now, I recognize some say that these folks are not ideologically -- but I strongly disagree. I think not only do they have an ideology, they have tactics necessary to spread their ideology. And it would be a huge mistake for the United States to leave the region, to concede territory to the terrorists, to not confront them.

And -- and the best way to confront them is to help those who want to leave in free society. Look, eventually Iraq will succeed because the Iraqis will see to it that they succeed. And our job is to help them succeed. That's our job. Our job is to help their forces be better equipped, to help their police be able to deal with these extremists, and to help their government succeed.

QUESTION: But are you frustrated, sir?

BUSH: Frustrated? Sometimes I'm frustrated, rarely surprised. Sometimes I'm happy. You know, this is -- this is a -- it's -- but war's not a time of joy. These aren't joyous times. These are challenging times. And they're difficult times. And they're straining the -- the psyche of our country. I understand that. You know, nobody likes to see innocent people die. Nobody wants to turn on their TV on a daily basis and see the havoc wrought by terrorists. And our question is, do we have the -- the capacity and the desire to spread peace by confronting these terrorists and supporting those who want to live in liberty? That's -- that's -- that's the question.

And my answer to that question is, we must. We owe it to future generations to do so.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Bush_calls_Lebanon_aid_troops_0821.html

I don't know what they call that in Texas, but everywhere else, it's called bullsh*t.

April

Bush scared him today with how stupid he sounded.
(from your post)

I had quite a few kids say things like that this weekend.
I think it's the flip side of those who are comforted because they think Bush is a regular guy (his image). If I were a young person and had to go on in this world, compete in the global marketplace, hope for peace in my lifetime or even to have the courage to have children - I would not feel safe, secure, or in any way "led" by someone so inarticulate, with such vaguely-formulated ideology and so little effort to back anything up.

btw, Rawstory.com is also headlining same topic as this thread:

Bush: Iraq had no WMDs, no 9/11 ties

Monkey
My read of Bush (above) says that he is blaming Al Quaida for inciting sectarian violence. It doesn't occur to him that the general chaos and anarchy following the aerial part of the war and the failure to have a plan for occupation may have unleashed latent violence. Now the administration admit to "sectarian violence." They will continue to pick hairs in order to avoid calling it "civil war" but what is the difference!

Sectarian violence is violence or confrontation/conflict inspired by sectarianism, that is, between different sects of one religion. In many cases, sectarian violence is caused not only by sectarian differences but is often also a result of a power struggle or has social, economic, or nationalistic aspects

A civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight for political power or control of an area. Some civil wars are also categorized as revolutions when major societal restructuring is a possible outcome of the conflict.

(Wikipedia definitions)

What some historians will say is that civil war must be fought by conventional armies. Situations like Lebanon and Iraq and Vietnam where everybody is kind of all mixed up and dressed normally and hiding out and popping out kind of make all that a little silly - don't they!

You have people within the same country fighting each other and they have different ideologies and loyalties. Let's just admit we've fostered a civil war and they'll go on fighting with or without us. Bush refers to the "Iraqi people" as though they're one entity with one groupthink and he does the same thing here. It's ridiculous! It's quite inappropriate for him to be going on about the "American psyche" or how Iraqis feel.

The end of enlightenment - men want their power base back.

Just received from Jeb Bush's homeland:(but the story takes place in NY state)

Church Fires Teacher for Being Female

The minister of a church that dismissed a female Sunday School teacher after adopting what it called a literal interpretation of the Bible says a woman can perform any job - outside of the church.

The First Baptist Church dismissed Mary Lambert on Aug. 9 with a letter explaining that the church had adopted an interpretation that prohibits women from teaching men. She had taught there for 54 years.

The letter quoted the first epistle to Timothy: "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent."

The Rev. Timothy LaBouf, who also serves on the Watertown City Council, issued a statement saying his stance against women teaching men in Sunday school would not affect his decisions as acity leader in Watertown, where all five members of the council are men but the city manager who runs the city's day-to-day operations is a woman.

"I believe that a woman can perform any job and fulfill any responsibility that she desires to" outside of the church, LaBouf wrote Saturday.

Mayor Jeffrey Graham, however, was bothered by the reasons given Lambert's dismissal.

"If what's said in that letter reflects the councilman's views, those are disturbing remarks in this day and age," Graham said. "Maybe they wouldn't have been disturbing 500 years ago, but they are now."

Lambert has publicly criticized the decision, but the church did not publicly address the matter until Saturday, a day after its board met.

In a statement, the board said other issues were behind Lambert's dismissal, but it did not say what they were.

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/church-fires-teacher-for-being-female/20060821083709990008?ncid=NWS00010000000001

If you go to the site, there is a video about it where the fired female teacher says "My heart is broken" and there is a place to comment.

Told my husband about the article about and when I said "the Baptists" he thought I said "the Baathists" - well both US and Iran are over-run by religious fanatics.

Posted by: DiAnne at August 21, 2006 02:36 PM

Mr. President, how big was the al Qaeda problem inside Iraq prior to your March 2003 invasion?

Is this thing on?

Here is the phone number, website, email and address of the church that won't let women teach men, even one who has taught there for 54 years. They even have a blog.

I just left them a voice mail telling them this may have been PC 500 years ago but not now.

http://www.nnyinfo.com/firstbaptist/

I sent this to the Reverend's personal email (not the church's).

I am a 54 year old woman, raised as a Methodist.

I disagree that you should interpret the Bible literally.
The "Word of God" could have been tampered with by mortal men even in the earliest translations. I pray that the controversy which ensues from your decision to prohibit women teaching men shakes you to your foundation. Consider how closely your interpretation of the Bible corresponds with the Taleban's interpretation of the Koran. It is no wonder we have wars and poverty in this world.

If you really feel that we should follow the literal word of God, then you have no business using a telephone, computer or even a microphone in your services.

I would have more respect if you were praying or meditating in a cave, or helping the sick like Mother Teresa or at least volunteering at a military hospital with the wounded from the oil wars fought in the name of God (whether the literal interpretation of the Christians or the other side's God).

Someone please make it stop!

Government Blocking Cold War Military Data
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14431100/

From 1971 - why now?!

Posted by: DiAnne at August 21, 2006 02:58 PM

You dont type 50 lol :)

I read the thing about the woman this am and had fits, this person(I refuse to believe he heads anything having to do with religion.) Is why this country is in bad shape today not moving forwards but running backwards.

As to the government blocking the release I have no clue we do not know whats in there and if they have their way we wont.

Poll: Opposition to Iraq war at all-time high

Monday, August 21, 2006; Posted: 4:28 p.m. EDT

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Opposition among Americans to the war in Iraq has reached a new high, with only about a third of respondents saying they favor it, according to a poll released Monday.

Just 35 percent of 1,033 adults polled say they favor the war in Iraq; 61 percent say they oppose it -- the highest opposition noted in any CNN poll since the conflict began more than three years ago.

A bare majority (51 percent) say they see Bush as a strong leader, but on most other attributes he gets negative marks.

Most Americans (54 percent) don't consider him honest, most (54 percent) don't think he shares their values and most (58 percent) say he does not inspire confidence.

Bush's stand on the issues is also problematic, with more than half (57 percent) of Americans saying they disagree with him on the issues they care about.

That's an indication that issues, not personal characteristics, are keeping his approval rating well below 50 percent.

more on...
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/21/iraq.poll/index.html

Judge drops Padilla terror charge
Prosecutors told to choose between two remaining counts

Monday, August 21, 2006; Posted: 4:07 p.m. EDT

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A federal judge in Miami on Monday dismissed the lead terror count against Jose Padilla, the U.S. citizen once identified as a "dirty bomb" suspect and detained as an "enemy combatant."

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/08/21/padilla.charge/index.html

Church Fires Teacher for Being Female

The First Baptist Church dismissed Mary Lambert on Aug. 9 with a letter explaining that the church had adopted an interpretation that prohibits women from teaching men. She had taught there for 54 years.

Posted by: DiAnne at August 21, 2006 02:40 PM

UN: Iraqi lawyers killed defending women's rights

Iraqi lawyers are being attacked and killed for defending the legal righs of women, according to a report filed by the UN.

The United Nations' IRIN Information Office reports that according to an Iraqi legal association, dozens of lawyers have been murdered and "hundreds attacked" for defending cases percevied to be "against Islam."

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/UN_Iraqi_lawyers_killed_defending_womens_0821.html

It's a small world after all...

Chick N' Little

from Kayakbiker, who posted this at Vets for Peace

John Mark Karr confessed to killing Jon Benet Ramsy 10 years ago. The facts suggest that John Mark Karr had nothing to do with the Ramsey murder, but that hasn't stopped the media from sucking the O2 out of every other story, including the forgotten US soldiers fighting Bush's wars.

Read the diary below by Georgia10:
Priorities and Perspective Hotlist
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/8/21/143935/442

Jason Leopold and Marc Ash | Indictment Still Sealed, Fitzgerald Still Busy
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082106Z.shtml
An indictment first reported by Truthout said to be connected to Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's Plame investigation remains sealed, and Fitzgerald continues to work on the leak case.
~~~~~
Y'know... as terrible as the murder of JonBenet Ramsey was, the nano-second by nano-second account of the trip back to the states of the guy who was taken into custody in Thailand has become tedious beyond even my imagination (he may or may not have done the murder - no one in Lamestream Media is being patient enough to wait on DNA results, and they will look like fools if/when it turns out the guy is a nut case who is out to grab headlines). Ramsey's death technically only affected her family and friends; Lamestream Media seems to think it affects every single citizen in this nation ten years after the fact. Her family has dealt with their grief moved on; why hasn't Lamestream Media??? At very least, Lamestream Media needs to stop talking about the story; I don't want to hear it mentioned again until the DNA results are completed. [How many days has this been the #1 lead news story on every network? Make the lambs stop screaming....]

Ignored by Lamestream Media are stories of things that potentially affect every person in this nation, right now, today, and in the future; the legal decision handed down by Judge Anna Diggs Taylor last week, and the on-going grand jury investigation into the Plame leak when Wilson's story exposed lies about the administration's so-called reasons for the Iraq war; and we now know the invasion and occupation is a war crime, as are the detentions, renditions, and torture - all war crimes done in *our* names by this criminal administration now working to enact legislation that will retroactively legalize their immoral crimes and protect them from being indicted for those war crimes (per the Geneva Conventions and the Nuremberg judgment). Judge Taylor's decision should have still been the #1 story since the day it came out. That would have been worth of discussion on the talking heads shows over the weekend. Did anyone talk about it? If so, I've read nothing of any discussions regarding the Constitutional limits of presidential power....

Lamestream Media has no one investigating those issues and other things that have far-reaching consequences to every citizen of this nation, and they are ignoring those things that are relevant to all of us. Hint: Whether or not Hillary runs for POTUS in '08 is irrelevant, but that's another story both Lamestream Media and the neoCon Republicans insist on shoving down our throats more than two years before the next presidential election.... and no self-respecting Democrat is going to vote for her if she continues her pro-Iraq-war stance anyway. Duh. Why they insist on taking polls about her popularity and chances of winning if she does run is the height of time-wasting stupidity on a monumentally grand scale, but we hear about Hillary weekly, if not daily, if anyone in Lamestream Media talks about future politics. She's a DINO in her support of the illegal Iraq war, and every well-informed Democrat knows it. [When are pollsters going to ask Democrats questions...? Are pollsters ever going to ask straight questions for which there is only a yes or no answer? Will they ever stop push-polling? How can Bu$h even get ratings that are up in the 30s? His IQ is lower than that, so I think any ratings up in the 30s are inflated and false.]

Yet, as of this morning, Lamestream Media dwells on things that have no earth-shattering relevance to anyone but family and friends of a dead little girl, and the investigators in a cold case, and an idiotic story about the latest Time poll about Hillary's chances of winning an election that we aren't even close to having yet, and she hasn't declared whether she will run or not....

That tells me the political situation in this country is FUBAR... and Lamestream Media is a co-conspirator in covering up the impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors and war crimes of the administration that was installed by the SCOTUS decision in 2000....

It really begs the question: Just how stupid are the majority of the citizens of the United States of America???

from the woman responsible for our beautiful pro-voting cards

Here is today's message of hope:

"When I despair, I remember that all through history, the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and, for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it...always."

-Mahatma Gandhi

Often, when we are in the midst of turmoil, and all around us is spinning out of control, it is difficult to believe the storms of life will ever pass. In such times as this, we can, it seems, do nothing but tie a knot in the end of our rope and hang on. And this is all we need to do. We need only to hang on to love, hang on to light and hang on to truth. For when the storm has passed -- and they always do -- these three will remain, as strong and certain and invincible as they have been since time began. As Gandhi said, love always wins.

NonnyO
Since I don't watch tv, all I've seen about the child killer/publicitiy seeker / whatever guy is what I've chosen to read on the internet! I did notice that the story was getting like 5000 plus Google news entries and Lebanon and other hot spots were way down. Maybe the guy didn't want to go to a Thai prison. When the news is this voyeuristic about little girls who disappear (& remember the teen in Aruba), it makes it seem like this must be a nation fascinated by pedophiles. I mean, that might be what someone who dropped down from another planet would think. In reality, pedophiles and child murderers are pathetic and sad and stunted but certainly not more newsworthy than everything else.

QUESTION: What did Iraqi have to do with that?
BUSH: What did Iraq have to do with what?

QUESTION: The attacks upon the World Trade Center.

BUSH: Nothing. . . . .Except for it’s part of — and nobody’s ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a — Iraq — the lesson of September the 11th is: Take threats before they fully materialize.....
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My followup question: If you were so concerned about taking threats seriously before they materialized why in the hell did you ignore the PDB warning about OBL determined to strike in America?

Can somebody please explain what a "freedom agenda" is?

I imagine Rove and Mehlman sitting at a bar and laughing their asses off trying to think of a phrase to describe this clusterf**k.

Mehl: Hey Karl I got one!

Rove: Hit me with it.

Mehl: Freedom Agenda

Rove: Perfect, lets make sure everybody starts using it right after Georgie gives his dog and pony show.

Mehl: Got it. It is going out tonight so that everybody is on the same page.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Next time you hear somebody use the term "freedom agenda" give them a bronx cheer.

Posted by: oncall at August 21, 2006 06:57 PM

Freedom agenda?

Does that include their current plans of supressing voters in the USA?

Oh...that's right. That's their pre-emptive strike!

Bush: Democrats wrong on Iraq

Monday, August 21, 2006; Posted: 4:47 p.m. EDT

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The attitude of many Democrats on Iraq -- a quick pullout of U.S. troops -- shows a lack of understanding of world politics and increases the threat of attacks in the United States, President Bush said Monday.

With the midterm congressional election just over two months away, the Republican president said while he doesn't question the patriotism of his Democratic opponents, he strongly disagrees with their opinions on Iraq.

"There are a lot of people in the Democratic Party who believe that the best course of action is to leave Iraq before the job is done. Period. And they're wrong," Bush said at a Washington news conference.

"I will never question the patriotism of somebody who disagrees with me," Bush said. "This has nothing to do with patriotism. It has everything to do with understanding the world in which we live."

Bush criticized political opponents who applauded a federal judge's ruling last week blocking the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program. The program continues while the administration appeals the ruling.

"Those who heralded the decision not to give law enforcement the tools necessary to protect the American people just simply don't see the world the way we do," he said.

And he chided political opponents for not sharing his vision of how domestic security should be ensured.

"They say, on the one hand, you can't have the tools necessary and herald the fact that you won't have the tools necessary to defend the people and, sure enough, attack would occur, and [they'd] say, 'How come you don't have the tools necessary to defend the people?' "

Voters expect politicians to cooperate in Washington, something he hasn't seen in his time in the Oval Office, Bush said.

"People expect us to come here to solve problems. And thus far, the attitude has been: Let's just kind of ignore what the president has said and just hope somebody else comes and solves it for us," he said.

The president said if he were running now, he would focus on the economy and national security issues.

"I'd be telling people that the Democrats will raise your taxes. That's what they said. I'd be reminding people that tax cuts have worked in terms of stimulating the economy," Bush said.

Bush said the Iraq war has helped improve national security by showing the U.S. is committed to fighting the lack of hope and the resentment that breed terrorism.

And the best way to give people hope is by establishing democracy, he said.

"You don't succeed by leaving before the mission is complete, like some in this political process are suggesting," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/21/bush.political/index.html

Robert Greenwald, the director of last year’s wildly influential Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, has a new film from Brave New Films, “Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers,” to be released this October, and we want you to get involved in its premiere.

The film will expose the hidden truth of rampant profiteering in Iraq through the stories of soldiers, whistleblowers, survivors, and families of loved ones lost to corporate greed. “Iraq for Sale” can trigger a vital debate on our country’s priorities in Iraq just a few weeks before America votes.

This is a huge and unprecedented opportunity for us to have an impact, so Progressive Democrats of America is sponsoring screenings on Saturday, October 14th, during an entire “Patriotism over Profit” week of screenings.

We would like you to host one of these screening in your home, church, business, school, or community center. Learn more and sign up here:

http://iraqforsale.org/screenings.php?track=pda

“Iraq for Sale” will be more than a film – it will inspire everyone to take action because it is a cause that unites both Democrats and Republicans, pro-war and anti-war. There is no excuse or justification for corporations like Blackwater, CACI, Titan, and Halliburton to make obscene profits during war time. No excuse. Simple as that.

We’ve seen clips from the film and are very excited by the impact it can have. The DVD is available for pre-order now (it ships late September) and you should get a copy whether you are hosting a screening or not. Pre-order it for only $12.95:

http://iraqforsale.org/buy.php?track=pda

We’ll have more information and details as October approaches. Please get involved. You will have lots of fun and whether you organize a private screening for family and friends, or a large public community event, you will have made an impact.

"You don't succeed by leaving before the mission is complete, like some in this political process are suggesting," he said.

Posted by: monkey at August 21, 2006 07:39 PM

But...but...but...what about "Mission Accomplished"???

http://www.bartcop.com/mission-accomplished.jpg

Spike Lee's

"When the Levees Broke"

HBO - NOW 8:00 CST

If you want to see some of the TRUTH of what lies beneath the LIES and where we are now.

Peace.

Posted by: Indy_In_New Orleans at August 21, 2006 09:01 PM

The Irreverent Rev. Indy of New Orleans???

Namaste.

Posted by: Indy_In_New Orleans at August 21, 2006 09:01 PM

Yeah man! My bruthah from anuthah muthah (ship) is back in print. Wow, I can now, actually, like, complete a thought.

Quite Revolting

oh, and while Rove was cracking jokes in Texas at Cindy Sheehans expense...

Four US soldiers killed in Iraq

Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Monday August 21, 2006

Baghdad/Cairo (dpa)- Insurgents killed four US soldiers in Iraq, the US military command said in Fallujah Monday. Three of the soldiers died on Sunday during an attack in the western province of Anbar. The fourth soldier was killed Monday north of Baghdad, the statement said.

http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Four_US_soldiers_killed_in_Iraq_08212006.html

King Smutuncommon

AOL Technology Chief Resigns Over Privacy Breach
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082106R.shtml
Two AOL employees were fired and its chief technology officer has left the company following a privacy breach in which the Internet search terms of more than 650,000 subscribers were publicly released.
Excerpt:
The FTC hasn't indicated whether it intends to investigate AOL.

Evan Osnos | They Say It's Global Warming
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/082106EA.shtml
"First, their fathers noticed the palm trees that seemed to be inching toward the water's edge.... Later, researchers came, scribbled measurements, and offered a grim diagnosis: the sea is coming. There is not a power line or factory or air conditioner within a day's walk of this village of 400 people in the southwest Pacific, but these subsistence fishermen are no strangers to the power of industrialization and climate change," writes Evan Osnos.

{{{If I lived on an island or near the coast, I think I'd consider moving inland now to avoid the rush later....}}}

{{{If I lived on an island or near the coast, I think I'd consider moving inland now to avoid the rush later....}}}

Posted by: NonnyO at August 21, 2006 10:07 PM

I'm 300 feet above sea level! LOL

===
I saw a car that said "Freedom of speech is source code."
There were a pair of handcuffs hanging from the rearview mirror - not sure why.

I saw "I have a body like a God .. too bad it's Buddha." Should sell well near the Food Court.

When I don't feel like going back to work, I just go to the mall - and it's so depressing that even the prospect of going back to work is ok. Also can't check the news as often at work, which is a distraction (from the news, usually bad).

I don't think Mark Kirk should be left off a list of lying liars because he has worked so very hard to get on it.

"i want to share that in 2002 I saw Mark Kirk debate Hank Perrit Jr. live at the Waukegan yacht club and he told Mr. Perrit, "You don't support the war because you don't have the security to know about the photographs of the Weapons of Mass Destruction that I know about." I have written him several times asking him if that was a bold faced lie, or if he was dooped too. I haven't gotten a response, i will keep you guys up to date."

There's More: http://ellenofthetenth.blogspot.com/2006/08/mark-kirk-member-of-iraq-war-party-or.html

Dianne we need some of those key chains to sell here. Love it, seeing Bush's time ticking off has got to be a great stress reliever and pick me up.

Welocme back Indy

my typing is as bad as ever:

Welcome Back Indy

Posted by: Ellen Beth at August 21, 2006 10:42 PM

Can't wait to hear his response!

Welcome back Indy. Keep fighting the good fight in NOLA.

Ira
Here is where the keychains come from. Elliott Bay Bookstore here had them & then the Grassroots Dems booth.

http://www.backwardsbush.com

It's ironic to see, on the same day, headlines about how media organizations demand that Jon Benet documents be unsealed, but say relatively nothing about Cold War weapons documents being sealed for no reason.

Oh no - Tories have a nine point lead in Britain. They're like Republican neocons - worse than Blair (he's like the Lieberman of the Labour Party).

It's bad enough Canada putting in a Conservative (Harper) and the Mexican fraud election trying to do so as well (Calderone).
I kept hearing yesterday that if the Obrador/populist situation heats up any more, Bush will sneak support to secure the Mexican oil fields.

I need to read something cheerful before bed. Even my email was about John McCain. Eeeuuuwww.

Posted by: DiAnne at August 21, 2006 11:57 PM

Because they know that the last 6 years are not only sealed but if Democrats take office these documents will be shredded.

Suz
I think one of Bush's first Executive Orders was to go back & seal some of his dad's papers.

Posted by: DiAnne at August 22, 2006 12:01 AM

The UK looks too much like the US now... It's either the Tories, or the Tories Lite (the Labour). Lib Dems need to speak up and replace either party, but they won't get anywhere near that anytime soon.

I know a transgender lesbian couple who moved to London after being fed up with Los Angeles homophobia. I feel sorry for them, knowing that their new home is little better than their old.

It used to be you could read all the Executive Orders with titles - what they were for (though they were ambiguous & Orwellian sounding) - but now there are quite a few that just say "Executive Order" and nothing else. It's creepy.

Ally
There are tradeoffs when you move to UK, Canada, Mexico.
I know some expats hoped one would be a more liberal government. It's a big decision, so when one moves, there is always the possibility that the government in the new country can swing. I think the world is gettng less secure with weapons, terrorism and inequity in the distribution of wealth and resources. I'm afraid the paranoia tends to favor those on the right. Hopefully the pendulum will cycle back, to regain some equilibrium.

Bingo.

Executive Order 13233, which restricts access to the records of former United States Presidents, was drafted by then White House counsel (now the US Attorney General) Alberto R. Gonzales, and issued by President George W. Bush on November 1, 2001, shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Bush administration issued the order just as the National Archives was preparing to release a small portion of Presidential records from the Ronald Reagan administration, some of which might prove embarrassing to the President's father, George H. W. Bush, due to his involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair. Section 13 of Executive Order 13233 revoked Executive Order 12667, of January 18, 1989.

Posted by: DiAnne at August 22, 2006 12:04 AM

Actually, that was his first Executive Order his first few days in office during the first week.

It sealed his father's papers, which also sealed Iran-Contra stuff, which likely points fingers at Poppy Bu$h as culpable in that whole thing (possibly as far back as from when he was head of the CIA), if not pointing to his actually running the show 'cuz Ronnie-Roo was going senile at the time (and I knew he was going senile - my grandfather was doing so at the same time, so I recognized the symptyoms, the blank confused stare when asked a question, the answers to questions that were radically off-topic from the question asked, etc.). And it seals Dead-Eye-Dickie's papers and Rummy's papers from when they had stuff to do with the Reagan administration.

Lots and lots of secrets have been hidden in that first Executive Order...! One of the other first EO's pResNitWit signed that first week funded faith-based charities, so mega-churches are raking in mega-bucks from taxpayers. I suspect even in January 2001 that even Repub Congress-Critters never would have voted to fund faith-based charities because they know that it crosses the line of separation of church and state. I don't know how they're still being funded; could be more Executive Orders that escape mandatory congressional approval, or the funding could be hidden in those "emergency" spending bills that have funded Bu$hCo's Iraq war.

In any case, I think there should be a moratorium on Executive Orders....

Needless to say, archivists and librarians were not happy.

Indy,

Great to see you posting. Obviously you have been busy with your efforts to help New Orleans recover from natural and man made disasters.

I thought monkey was going to pop a banana!

I'm afraid the paranoia tends to favor those on the right. Hopefully the pendulum will cycle back, to regain some equilibrium.

Posted by: DiAnne at August 22, 2006 12:17 AM

I hope so too, DiAnne.

When making a big move, I think the decision needs to be made on the basis of the basic culture of the countries involved, not current politics.

For the US, neocon politics may be temporary, but religious fundamentalism is not. And for Canada and the UK, regardless of who's in power, it's a given that you have a bigger government and higher tax burden.

Ally
You have a bigger government and higher tax burden but you also get more for your money. You get what you pay for. If the state is small enough to be drowned in a bathtub then all you get is roads and military (Grover Norquist model). We will pay one way or the other. For healthcare alone, the lousy overly processed diet and sedentary lifestyle will guarantee that costs go up and up. In the last two days I have had to walk up a lot of hills (because of parking far away from my destination). On both occasions, I was less out of breath than morbidly obese children that I saw having to walk the same paths. I asked my son who is 25 if he remembrs such a thing when he was younger and he said it has changed dramatically.

I thought monkey was going to pop a banana!

Posted by: oncall at August 22, 2006 12:28 AM

Who said I didn't?

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Britain may cut its force in Iraq in half by the middle of next year after handing over security responsibility for the south to Iraqis within nine months, a senior British commander said on Tuesday.

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/08/22/britain.iraq.reut/index.html

Feingold rips 'pile of lies' on Iraq

At listening session here
By Ben Broeren

U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold told a group of Madison area residents this morning that the ongoing U.S. presence in Iraq is the result of an "outrageous pile of lies" and called for more accountability.

"The Bush administration should take accountability for being stuck there and not admitting mistakes," he told a group of about 60 people this morning at a listening session at the Boys & Girls Club on Jenewein Road.

more...
http://www.madison.com/tct/mad/topstories/index.php?ntid=95688&ntpid=0

Posted by: DiAnne at August 22, 2006 12:18 AM

I remember that, Dianne. My question is: sealed or shredded? And can a new President unseal what Bush has sealed?

I sure hope we have nonpoliticals saving everything they get their hands on. Otherwise, I really believe they're shredding them.

Posted by: monkey at August 22, 2006 07:09 AM

So how do bananas & beer go together? I've never tried that one...

(Wow, we mention Indy & he just shows up. Magic.)

So how do bananas & beer go together? I've never tried that one...

Posted by: madame defarge at August 22, 2006 08:44 AM

The Brainy Bunch
The Brainy Bunch
That's The Way, We Became, The Brainy Bunch

I thought monkey was going to pop a banana!

Posted by: oncall at August 22, 2006 12:28 AM

I thought you were going to say you thought monkey was going to go ape!

(sorry)

Hey, Indy! Great to have you back!

I thought you were going to say you thought monkey was going to go ape!

Posted by: Carol at August 22, 2006 09:11 AM

Been there, done that.

e-Volve

"If You Want To Win An Election, Just Control The Voting Machines"

by Thom Hartmann

 
Maybe Nebraska Republican Chuck Hagel honestly won two US Senate elections. Maybe it's true that the citizens of Georgia simply decided that incumbent Democratic Senator Max Cleland, a wildly popular war veteran who lost three limbs in Vietnam, was, as his successful Republican challenger suggested in his campaign ads, too unpatriotic to remain in the Senate. Maybe George W. Bush, Alabama's new Republican governor Bob Riley, and a small but congressionally decisive handful of other long-shot Republican candidates really did win those states where conventional wisdom and straw polls showed them losing in the last few election cycles.

Perhaps, after a half-century of fine-tuning exit polling to such a science that it's now sometimes used to verify how clean elections are in Third World countries, it really did suddenly become inaccurate in the United States in the past six years and just won't work here anymore. Perhaps it's just a coincidence that the sudden rise of inaccurate exit polls happened around the same time corporate-programmed, computer-controlled, modem-capable voting machines began recording and tabulating ballots.

But if any of this is true, there's not much of a paper trail from the voters' hand to prove it.

You'd think in an open democracy that the government - answerable to all its citizens rather than a handful of corporate officers and stockholders - would program, repair, and control the voting machines. You'd think the computers that handle our cherished ballots would be open and their software and programming available for public scrutiny. You'd think there would be a paper trail of the vote, which could be followed and audited if a there was evidence of voting fraud or if exit polls disagreed with computerized vote counts.

You'd be wrong.

The respected Washington, DC publication The Hill (www.thehill.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx) has confirmed that former conservative radio talk-show host and now Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel was the head of, and continues to own part interest in, the company that owns the company that installed, programmed, and largely ran the voting machines that were used by most of the citizens of Nebraska.

Back when Hagel first ran there for the U.S. Senate in 1996, his company's computer-controlled voting machines showed he'd won stunning upsets in both the primaries and the general election. The Washington Post (1/13/1997) said Hagel's "Senate victory against an incumbent Democratic governor was the major Republican upset in the November election." According to Bev Harris of www.blackboxvoting.org, Hagel won virtually every demographic group, including many largely Black communities that had never before voted Republican. Hagel was the first Republican in 24 years to win a Senate seat in Nebraska.

Read the rest at http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/views03/0131-01.htm

(I was given this by a Republican!)

Who said I didn't?

Posted by: monkey at August 22, 2006 07:09 AM

I certainly hope Monkey doesn't have a bruised banana.