News You Can Use: Trust, But Verify

Rick, thanks for the info on NewsTrust-- definitely sounds useful. BTW, do you have a link for that Martian invasion story? ;)

Nice article. You might know I would have to come home from work and put in my two cents about this before I hit the gym.

I know that on 9/11/01, I was very confused and had already stopped watching television for 10 years because I thought coverage of the lst Gulf War was very propagandistic. It helped me on that day and it has helped me since to compare some of the stories as written or translated in English but from outside the US. My favorites are The Guardian, The Independent, Ha'aretz and The Age and I can read in French. It's helpful anyway.

I'm very thankful to blogs, which analyze, synthesize, digest, deconstruct the news as soon as it happens, and so that when I get a newspaper, alot of it I've already read on-line AND seen discussed, with questions raised. I'm grateful to NPR, which though imperfect, still seems far and away the best I can find with balance. Democracy Now and Air America are good but they obviously do have a left bias and the latter has much commentary, which is fine but I want to know basically what happened in facts and numerics before it is discussed much.

What to do about television news? Of course, Fox has an offensively far right bias and seems straight out of the mouth of Rove and the like. I think the other thing that I find most offensive, and which first led me to just turn the damn thing off for news is the wild editing and flashiness. I cannot tell the difference between a news show and an entertainment show. The ads for upcoming news programs don't seem that different than the ads for an upcoming sporting event or game show. We don't have cable and to watch tv, it means hooking an old computer and we have some sort of receiver which makes it temporarily like a tv (with rabbit ears).

I don't want too seem too closed minded and as an experiment, I spent a week watching only tv news when at my mother's in ND, and I had no internet access unless I wanted 1/2 hour at a time at the library. I sat there with the remote and tried all the stations and all I heard about for a solid week was the student who disappeared in Aruba. All I wanted was to find out the equivalent of what I'd have read in a larger newspaper and it wasn't available. & the local paper had minimal national news (& outdated/right-biased) & virtually no international news.

I guess everyone needs a system. Mine is a combination of public radio, internet comparatie newspapers (reading several versions of same story), blogs (this is after news has been gone over by myself first) and things people email to me (this alone has become massive), then emailings also from American Progress, Huffington Post, TPM etc. and a bunch of candidate, organizaton and issue sites. This all has to be filtered in such an amount of time that I can still work full time and commute. It's pretty crazy and I'm sure you all have a challenge too.

I do sometimes watch television but it's 60 Minutes, NightLine - that sort of thing. That's it. & generally, on the computer, I can catch some of that or the odd Jon Stewart or offensive bit from Fox or video someone has made (like the ones from Global Village). Most of these are sent to me but some I get off websites, and I really don't mind the tiny screen viewed on the computer. Even with this, I need to limit myself because of time & often save things for a later time & never get to them - by then they are outdated.

Then there are the book signings, political speakers and issue/events that come through town, many of which I like to cover for this site, as that stretches them perhaps a bit further. I do long for the days when I could read the paper casually and perhaps spend more time with hobbies and an actual social life that was not limited pretty much to trying to help our system survive.

There are days too when I come to this site and trust that there will be good excerpts and a quick update, from people whose judgment I trust.

I also value the sites like TruthOut but by the time I get to them have often seen most of the articles before and they do kind of have a left bias in the selection, but that doesn't detract from the value of much of them & they also are a needed balance to the right bias of the mainstream media. Of course, rightwingers will say the media has a left bias, but that seems like a joke.

"Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge .. I'm tryin' not to lose my head .. it's like a jungle sometimes .. makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under" - The Message, Grandmaster Flash.

Very interesting... wonder where you've been hanging out. At any rate, good story and thanks for letting all us news-deprived people know about it.

There is an extremely disturbing audio interview which I feel belongs to this thread. An American deserter Joshua Key, now living in Canada, is interviewed on an ABC radio program called Late Night Live. The first half of the program involves the wonderful Phillip Adams - who has the best laugh of any radio broadcaster - chatting with Bruce Shapiro, an American journalist. They discuss the life and loss of Molly Ivans, so I think that you'll be glad to listen to the entire program.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/latenightlive/stories/2007/1864061.htm

Is it any wonder that there are so many brain injuries coming home from Iraq? How do these young men live with these actions and memories? One more day for this war is too many.

Happy International Women's Day to all -- even the men & monkeys!

Hey, when International Women are happy, everyone is happy.

So sayeth the simian.

If it's International Women's Day, why am I up at 6:07 heading out into the rain? LOL

This is just so outrageous... when people who take an oath of office put the welfare of their political party above the welfare of the country, something is seriously wrong.

Check out this article which shows that the Pentagon's #2 man, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, has laid out a schedule to end the Global War on Terror by October 2008.

Pencil In That End-of-War Date

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/27/AR2007022702109.html

hattip to Raw Story for excerpt
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Pentagons_number_two_suggests_terror_war_0228.html

Good summary at the link, to send to people who need to know this connection:

What do you get when you mix Halliburton and health care? Walter Reed.

To cut costs, the support services and facilities management at Walter Reed were outsourced to a company called IAP -- which is run by a former Halliburton official and whose board consists of people like Dan Quayle. If IAP sounds familiar, that's probably because it's the same contractor that was asked to deliver relief services to Katrina victims but came up short.

http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/walterreed

Watch this ABC news report about Jim Nicholson, the secretary of the VA. When he took the office two years ago, he killed a program that would help vets returning from war... Nice guy. Just another example of doing a heckofajob & supporting our troops. Damn, I'm pissed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXJg7brRmLE

Greg Palast: US Attorney replacement played roll in voter suppression

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/7/81651/41812

I like to think that by coming to this site, a person can share in a project where more bases have been covered, and some thought has been put into digestion of news. It's a pleasure.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush is challenging a widespread perception in Latin America of U.S. neglect that has helped fuel leftist leader Hugo Chavez's rising influence in America's backyard.

Bush and his wife, Laura, left Thursday on a five-nation tour to argue that strong democratic governments hold the promise of prosperity. He hopes his journey will resonate with the one in four Latin Americans who live on fewer than $2 a day and wonder whether democracy will ever deliver them a better life.

"The trip is to remind people that we care," Bush said in an interview Wednesday with CNN En Español. "I do worry about the fact that some say, 'Well, the United States hasn't paid enough attention to us,' or 'The United States really isn't anything more than worried about terrorism.' And when, in fact, the record has been a strong record." (Watch Bush explain how the American taxpayer has been generous with aid "in our neighborhood" )

But Bush, with just two years left in his presidency, has a weak hand. Anti-Americanism and Bush's poor image, tainted by the war in Iraq, have only fueled Chavez's influence in the region and beyond.

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/08/bush.trip.ap/index.html

Arbusto in any language.

Speaker Pelosi's office's statement on the Libby conviction:

Washington, D.C. –Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the guilty verdicts in the CIA leak trial of former White House aide Lewis Libby:

“Today's guilty verdicts are not solely about the acts of one individual.

“This trial provided a troubling picture of the inner workings of the Bush Administration. The testimony unmistakably revealed – at the highest levels of the Bush Administration – a callous disregard in handling sensitive national security information and a disposition to smear critics of the war in Iraq.”

TRANSLATION:

CONGRESS WILL NOT INVESTIGATE THE MATTER FURTHER...

Happy Women's Day! Tonight at Busboys and Poets there is an event I will TRY to liveblog! (B and P gets a little.....close).

Maxine Waters and Barbara Lee will be there, in case anyone wants to sdend them a message!

Monkey
Generous? You mean like CAFTA?
Generous to CEOs as usual.

The Tall Guy has, not surprisingly, thrown his Senate support behind the House Dems' initiative to set a deadline in Iraq:

--------------

WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, Senator John Kerry responded to General Petraeus’s comment that there is no military solution in Iraq, and House Democratic efforts to set a deadline to redeploy American troops, introduced today. The House version includes a deadline and requires the Iraqi Government to meet benchmarks.

“Like General Casey and General Abizaid before him, General Petraeus has made clear there is no military solution to the political differences between Iraqis. President Bush needs to start listening to the advice of his own generals, not just the happy talk of ideologues. Rather than send more and more of our brave men and women into a civil war, all of Iraq’s players need to be brought together to resolve their differences and decide their own future.

“To push that process forward and end the stalling of Iraqi politicians, we need a deadline to bring our soldiers home. Today, leaders in the House of Representatives introduced a plan setting a deadline for troop withdrawal. That’s an excellent start and that’s what I will continue to fight for here in the Senate. Real solutions demand a real exit strategy. American soldiers shouldn’t continue to pay the price for the stubbornness of Iraqi politicians and a stubborn policy from this Administration, which has ignored the Iraq Study Group’s recommendations.”

---------------

hey hey ho ho baghdad bush has got to go,
Otter

NEW PLAN FOR TROOP REDEPLOYMENT FROM IRAQ:

This is the plan from the House Democrats, proposed today by Nancy Pelosi and various chairmen of the relevant House committees. It is confusing because it is rather complicated but it sets several benchmarks and deadlines for progress in Iraq. The first is July 1, 2007. If insufficent progress has been made by that time the troops will begin to be redeployed.

The next deadline/benchmark/certification is October 1, 2007. Once again if little or no progress has been made then the troops will begin to be redeployed out of Iraq.

The ultimate goal, apparently, is to have all U.S. troops out of Iraq by October 2008 - progress or no progress...

Rick:

Last weekend, I finally picked a copy of the Sunday SF Chronicle, and the headline read:

"Newspapers trend towards entertainment and gossip".

It was a DUH moment of the profoundest sort, being that it was the first time I picked up a newspaper in over a year, for that headline's very reason.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070308/ap_on_go_co/democrats_iraq
Democrats want Iraq pullout by fall 2008

WASHINGTON - In a direct challenge to President Bush, House Democrats unveiled legislation Thursday requiring the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the fall of next year. The White House said Bush would veto it.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) said the deadline would be added to legislation providing nearly $100 billion the Bush administration has requested for fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

She told reporters the measure would mark the first time the new Democratic-controlled Congress has established a "date certain" for the end of U.S. combat in the four-year-old war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,100 U.S. troops.

Senior White House adviser Dan Bartlett, accompanying Bush on a flight to Latin America, told reporters, "It's safe to say it's a nonstarter fot the president."

{{{More on link. Memo to Pelosi: Why are you setting the same pipe dream deadline that neoCons have set, which is conveniently just before the next prez election? Why not set an earlier and more reasonable deadline.... say May 1, 2007...? It's a do-able deadline... IF you really want the Iraq war to END...!?! Now, what about stopping torture and closing Gitmo? WHAT ABOUT IMPEACHMENT? Madame Speaker, you and the rest of Congress have not been LISTENING to what ordinary Americans have been saying...!!! You can no longer use the sorry excuse that the 'Publicans are in the majority and they're holding things up. Need anyone remind you that the Democrats are now in the majority? Remember how quickly you all passed legislation for Georgie to start his personal war based on lies for oil to benefit him and corporate oil cronies, not to mention Halliburton, et al? No one in Congress asked questions, but still the lies have been exposed. Now that the Democrats are in a majority, you should be able to move as fast to end the war as you did to let Georgie start the war, no questions asked.... Duh...! There is no one holding things up now except all of you in Congress who don't want to end the war (which, incidentally, leaves less money for domestic programs you wanted installed). People are dying for lies and oil because of all this talk and no action. When are you going to stop talking and DO SOMETHING?!?!?}}}

Posted by: not my president at March 8, 2007 09:16 AM

I am starting to be more and more convinced that the government of the United States of America, and Halliburton/KBR, are ONE AND THE SAME.

Happy International Women's Day to all -- even the men & monkeys!

Posted by: madame defarge at March 8, 2007 08:16 AM

Happy Women's Day - and I'll mark the occasion this weekend by going to an all-women spirituality event in San Bernardino, California.

Posted by: DiAnne at March 8, 2007 12:05 PM

Even worse, CAFTA will soon be eclipsed by another FTA - one between Halliburton (AKA the United States of America) and Samsung (AKA Republic of Korea). We (or rather, our neocons) will soon have a colony in Asia with which to turn the region into another Latin America.

The worst thing is that the US MSM has a complete information embargo on the Samsung FTA.

I just had to buy a new computer monitor. Made sure NOT to buy Samsung.

Los Angeles Times blames the California Dems for trying to regulate people's behavior.

Aren't the Republicans the ones who want to actually regulate behavior - i.e. telling us who we can marry, who we need to live with, etc, etc?

Proof that SoCal is a bleeding red state.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-nannybills8mar08,0,5897241.story?coll=la-home-headlines

NonnyO, "May 1, 2007" is *not* a do-able deadline, not by any stretch of the imagination. I understand your enthusiasm for getting us out of there sooner rather than later, but a little reality check is in order here. Even if the decision to exit completely were made today, it would take more than eight weeks just to airlift all the warm bodies out of there, much less their equipment and supplies. Political and military considerations notwithstanding, from a simple logistical standpoint what you're demanding is not even close to being do-able at all.

Maxine Waters and Barbara Lee will be there, in case anyone wants to send them a message!
Posted by: karen at March 8, 2007 11:51 AM

:-) Same message in my above memo to Pelosi.... Why can't they stop Georgie's war in the same amount of time they let him start it? I'm talking about the majority who let the spoiled brat have his way and have done nothing but appease the spoiled brat since the SCOTUS decision of Dec 2000, not the few who voted against the war in the first place, although they now must work a hundred times harder to stop the war (and they're getting no publicity from Lamestream Media, unfortunately!).

If it's about jockeying for power on the part of those who still support Georgie's war and call the rest of us unpatriotic for wanting this illegal war stopped, they aren't going to have any power when they're up for re-election if they sit on their hands and do nothing (and that includes Pelosi). We NEED impeachment back on the table!!! It's the only SANE course of action at this point! I'm tired of feeling like I'm living in Orwell's novel 1984, with the Ministry of Truth changing 'reality' and the insane and changing 'justifications' for war on a daily basis...!

I know Reps Waters and Lee 'get it' - and Conyers, too - but it seems most of the rest of the reps and senators don't 'get it.' By the time the next group of legislators takes office in Jan. 09 (assuming Georgie doesn't cancel elections and declare martial law, thanks to MCA '06, among other bad legislation passed, especially in the 109th Congress), it will be too late to evict the current criminals from office. We NEED impeachment proceedings started to at least slow the insane course of action on the part of Georgie and Dickie. The latest CBS poll had Georgie's rating down to 29%. That is a powerful message "someone" needs to take advantage of...!

Someone needs to put a bug in Pelosi's and Reid's ears... "We The People" want the lying sack of sh!te criminals who started an illegal, unconstitutional, unjustified, unethical, immoral war OUT of office!!! Don't Pelosi and Reid and the rest who mouth platitudes understand just how angry people are that our kids are still dying for lies and oil after all these years, after all the lies were exposed long ago??? Even the 'Publicans should have been screaming to stop Georgie's and Dickie's illegal war years ago when the lies were first exposed years ago. Instead, we've gotten nothing but platitudes. It's revolting.

And, oh, by the way, please REPEAL (in their entirety, not just quick fixes of certain sections) both AUMFs, MCA '06, the Patriot Acts, relaxed FISA rules, put the control of the guard troops back in the hands of state governors, et cetera, and restore our rights and privileges, stop torture, and close Gitmo!!! MCA '06 still sticks in my craw like fish bones because it gives Georgie dictatorial powers, among other things.

Georgie got his bad legislation passed in record time, as well as his war started in record time. I still don't see why a Dem majority can't undo the same things in the same record time (too bad they can't restore the lives of those who died for Georgie's and Dickie's lies, nor restore the limbs and minds of those who have been so injured for those same lies!).... It just takes Congressional action as swift to stop his war and bring the troops home ASAP, and I personally believe that if impeachment proceedings are at least STARTED (which *may* prompt some people who call themselves 'journalists' to do some background research and dig for FACTS to broadcast to the kool-aid drinking war-addicted sheeple), then Congress can do their constitutional duty and get our troops OUT of Iraq (and Afghanistan, too, since the UN now has peacekeeping troops there). Congress has the power of the purse; use it! AUMFs did NOT give Georgie war powers, and Congress needs to symbolically spank Georgie and Dickie and restore the balance of power under the Constitution, as written by the Founding Fathers.

If Congress can get that stupid war based on lies for oil stopped THIS YEAR (the sooner the better - May 1, 2007 sounds good to me), the voters will have a year during heavy campaigning to consider voting for those who are up for re-election, rather than voting for any candidate who has an anti-war campaign, but may otherwise be unsuited for the job of representative or senator. And besides which, all talk and no action is getting really frustrating, since I had hoped to see some progress to ending Georgie's and Dickie's war by now on the part of both the House and the Senate.

You may copy-paste my comment in a separate document and share it with Reps. Waters and Lee and any other anti-war representatives, if you wish. I know they know how sick and tired of this lying administration and their war the majority of US citizens are, but if they need another message, another piece of paper, to add to public opinion about the Bush/Cheney administration (and another message begging for impeachment), so be it.... I know I "should" phrase my message better to reflect the college education I have, not blog language, but ordinary plain language is what feels appropriate since I'm just an ordinary citizen (and the House web site won't let me email them directly since I don't live in their districts or their states, so this is the next best option to pass on my message - the Senate web site will let anyone send a message to any senator, but the House web site doesn't allow for that).

Thanks, Karen! :-)

Posted by: Otter at March 8, 2007 04:25 PM

Okay. Reality check accepted.

I'll opt for any deadline that will get the troops OUT of Iraq in the SAME amount of time it took to get their warm bodies to Iraq.

I just want it to happen AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

All talk and no action on the part of Congress just gets more of our people killed for lies and oil....

Waxman Asks Fitzgerald to Testify Before Congress
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030807Z.shtml
Congressman Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Thursday he wants Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to testify before his committee about his investigation into the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame-Wilson's identity. Plame-Wilson, Waxman's office said, has agreed to testify before Congress on March 16.

{VERY interesting!!! If C-SPAN airs this live, I'll be watching.... And they all better be UNDER OATH!}

http://www.americanprogress.org/cartoons/2007/03/030807_defense.html
You'll Know The Unknowable When It Becomes Known

Posted by: NonnyO at March 8, 2007 05:52 PM

I'd trust whatever Fitzgerald says, even if he isn't under oath. He is one straight-shooting guy & about as honorable as they come.

Vanity Fair wrote a very impressive article about him last year.

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-16649099_ITM

Read it & come to your own conclusions, but I know I'd trust him with my most valuable assets...including chocolate.

Sometimes somebody says something that you just can't possibly quote too many times.

"We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, 'Stop it, now!'"
-- Molly Ivins, 1944-2007

Bush visit ignites violence between police, protesters

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/03/08/bush.protests.ap/index.html

Good to know that we're not the only ones who get emotional about him...

madame defarge
just peeking at news and that's the first thing I saw - he's not so popular down south - I mean WAY down south!

Posted by: madame defarge at March 8, 2007 06:23 PM

Actually, I'd trust Fitz, too. He dots his i's and crosses his t's and gets convictions (no matter which politician from whatever political party is being tried).

But, just so's "the other side" knows he's telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, I want him under oath, too.

Then let the 'Publican neoCon media TRY to lie about the truth as spoken under oath.... And they will TRY, as we well know. Infotainment spinmeisters have succeeded in smearing people with good records before, and they will TRY again to do the same, having had successes in the recent past. Only the very addicted kool-aid drinking sheeple will believe the lying spinmeisters, but the rest of us will know the truth, whether it's under oath or not.

Trust Fitz with my chocolate...? Well, actually, I'd give him all my chocolate (and go buy more for him) just to hear the truth - without even saving a piece for myself! ;-)

Sometimes somebody says something that you just can't possibly quote too many times.

"We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge. We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, 'Stop it, now!'"
-- Molly Ivins, 1944-2007

Posted by: Otter at March 8, 2007 06:31 PM

YES, YES, YES, YES.... What Molly said, what Otter quoted...!

Send that to your favorite Congress Critters! Or, not so favorite, as the case may be....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6428325.stm
US towns seek Bush's impeachment

The British press picked this up. I'm still boycotting Lamestream Media. Did anyone watch them long enough to see/hear whether or not they picked up this story...?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6430147.stm?lsm
Obituary: John Inman

{{{Totally OT... Anyone besides me a fan of the BritCom "Are You Being Served?" and loved his character?}

I am in love with this cartoonist.

http://www.mnftiu.cc/mnftiu.cc/war62.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070308/ap_on_go_co/cia_leak_congress
Valerie Plame to testify before Congress
Excerpt (more on link):
Waxman said Plame has accepted the invitation and Fitzgerald has not responded. In a letter to the prosecutor, Waxman proposed a meeting with ranking Republican Tom Davis of Virginia to discuss the terms of any testimony.

The hearing will be the first public forum at which Plame has agreed to answer questions. At a news conference in July announcing a lawsuit against Libby and other Bush administration officials, Plame read a short statement but did not respond to questions.

"The trial proceedings raise questions about whether senior White House officials, including the vice president and Senior Adviser to the President Karl Rove, complied with the requirements governing the handling of classified information," Waxman wrote in his invitation to Fitzgerald.

"They also raise questions about whether the White House took appropriate remedial action following the leak and whether the existing requirements are sufficient to protect against future leaks," Waxman added. "Your perspective on these matters is important."

Fitzgerald has made clear that, unlike earlier independent counsels appointed under a law now expired, he is not required to submit investigative reports to Congress.

"I think we should conduct this like any other criminal investigation: charge someone or be quiet," Fitzgerald said when he announced Libby's indictment.

His spokesman, Randall Samborn, said he didn't know whether that policy would affect Fitzgerald's response to Congress.

"We've only just received it and we're going to review it," he said. "No decision has been made."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070308/pl_nm/bush_latinamerica_dc_9
Bush's Latin America tour draws protests
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters marched through Brazil's largest city on Thursday calling President Bush a warmonger and planet polluter as he started a tour aimed at winning friends in Latin America.
"No. 1 Enemy of Humanity" and "Get out Bush!" read signs carried by workers, students, peasants and other activists.

To the beat of Afro-Brazilian drums, they demanded an end to the war in Iraq and what they called state-sponsored torture, U.S. imperialism and growing economic inequality.

{{{More on link. Arbusto's "legacy." If so many other people on the planet know the truth, why isn't this talked about more in US Lamestream Media, despite the propaganda and revised 'truth' put out by the Ministry of Truth...? Personally, I'm wondering if he isn't scouting out a country to retire to that does not have an extradition treaty with the US so he can't be tried in the US for war crimes, since it seems obvious no one is going to begin impeachment proceedings against the bam dastard...?}}}

Sitting at Busboys and the progressive community is here--the room is packed. I am sitting with Marcia Jansen of Democracy Rising ( http://democracyrising.us )and Marylou Greenberg of the World Can't Wait ( http://www.worldcantwait.org ) and we are looking at the photos of Bush in South America.

Marylou is sharing a report ( http://madre.org )about the current status of women in Iraq:

From the Executive Summary:

Amidst the chaos and violence of US-occupied Iraq, the significance of widespread gender-based violence has been largely overlooked. Yet, Iraqi women are enduring unprecedented levels of assault in the public sphere, "honor killings," torture in detention, and other forms of gender-based violence. Women are not only being targeted because they are members of the civilian population. Women—in particular those who are perceived to pose a challenge to the political project of their attackers—have increasingly been targeted because they are women. This report documents the use of gender-based violence by Iraqi Islamists, brought to power by the US overthrow of Iraq's secular Ba'ath regime, and highlights the role of the United States in fomenting the human rights crisis confronting Iraqi women today. More here:

http://madre.org/articles/me/iraqreport/execsummary.html

OK, so what needs to happen?

NonnyO
Bush bought a 100,000 acre spread in Paraguay.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1928928,00.html

Paraguay .. where the likes of Josef Mengele went into exile.

The twins have already made forays into South America.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=nation_world&id=4786565

..if the surge isn't working come Labour Day, Petraeus has already said he'll go to Congress and say so, loud and clear. Petraeus is not the guy to carry on a hopeless fight with other people's lives just to provide fig leaves for the naked emperor of Pennsylvania Avenue. Nor, for his own sake, will he want to take the fall for Iraq.

Touchee by Simon Tisdall - read the rest
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/simon_tisdall/2007/03/senior_advisers_to_us_commande.html

relates to "mission creep" as 2000 more troops are added to the "surge"

"The twins have already made forays into South America."

Yeah, but that's old news -- from last November, even. What have they done for U.S. lately?

Posted by: NonnyO at March 8, 2007 06:43 PM

I'd trust & *share* my chocolate with Fitz, but I can't think of anyone on the planet (or in the universe) to whom I'd totally relinquish my entire supply of chocolate... Well, ok, maybe George Clooney or Johnny Depp or even Paul Newman, as long as I got to watch them eat it...in person...

Andy Shallal introducing the powerhouse women of the evening--first up, Gael Murphy of Code Pink.

Gael is talking about the origins of Code Pink--at a vigil in front of the White House before the invasion. I remember this--we were there, often, in the cold, a small group of mostly women, who decided to feminize the message.

Today Joan Stallard and Midge Potts went to fifteen embassies to deliver a letter signed by 6000 women asking them not to allow the US to invade Iran.

Maxine Waters just walked in the room and the crowd goes wild....

Gael asks Maxine: "What the hell is going on?"

Posted by: not my president at March 8, 2007 06:41 PM

Seems like to me the south is defined as anything below the Arctic Ocean...

the comments are great because they are from several countries - this is what I live for - and the internet has made it possible

Posted by: karen at March 8, 2007 08:11 PM

Please tell Rep. Waters & Lee how much we love & appreciate everything they are doing & that we are paying attention & doing our best to help...

Oh yeah, Karen, and wish them "HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!!!"

Otter
I was supporting the idea that Arbusto may go into exile in S America

Posted by: not my president at March 8, 2007 08:14 PM

GWB...hated at home, hated around the world...

Cong. Waters answers:

Thank you for your steadfast support and your focused efforts (to Code Pink).

"I wish I could into the Congress of the United States every day and take them on the way you do."

Today they had a series of meetings with the leadership. They began with a press conference: Lee, Woolsey and Waters.

They met with Pelosi, about Murtha's legislation. What can we do to ensure that the troops have the equipment and the training they need? The bill has a hole in it tho--Bush could waive these requirements. There are benchmarks include what the Iraqi government has to do to keep our troops there. Progress report by July to show that the Iraqis are doing what we want them to do--it's exact--lots of hoops for them to jump through.

It allows us to stay in Iraq longer if "necessary". What they have been saying all day is that they want a clear-cut bill that brings the soldiers home soon. They want to pay for the exit strategy. The date they want is Dec. 31 final exit. They also are arguing for the supplemental funds to NOT fund anything except exiting.

Karen

Did Maxine mention, or get asked, anything about the Holt Bill? I just got a call from Diane Shamis, PDA, who was going over to start the discussion.

Told her to say hi to you!

Lots of negotiating going on in the House. Some of the "Blue Dogs" do not want ANY dates for exit. In the bill there is some language that says Bush has to come back to Congress before invading Iran and some of the blue dogs do not even want THAT. They do not want "the President's hands tied."

They lost a few members of the Out of Iraq Caucus today. There is a lot of pressure on these folks.

There is some money for Katrina victims in the supplemental as well.

Phyllis Bennis pointing out that there is funding in the bill for another year-and-a-half of war. Also, it looks like the President gets to decide who are the "combat troops" and he can decide a group is non-combat and keep them there.

Oh, and apologies, K, for yesterday's rant.

Blue dogs don't Bush's hands tied? As if he's justified more freedom to decide wise exit policy, something he doesn't want to ever do?

Jan Schakowsky is apparently really torn on the supplemental and the Murtha bill. Maxine is saying Jan is strongly anti-war and feels strongly about the waivers in the bill that the President can exercise. But also, going over the statistics, from the Nov. election--new members who ran on that platform will have to go back and explain a convoluted bill that is a real mess.

Two changes today: Mr. Nadler and Mr. Hinchey changed their minds and will vote for the supplemental. They said it's the best they can get.

Marjorie--I cannot explain these guys. Maxine is talking about how nuts the discussions are. "They have a lot of different ways of thinking about it. The newbies are being told 'this is the way to do it' by the leadership. They realize it's a tough situation and the leadership must know what they are doing."

Defense Authorization includes 145 BILLION for Iraq and Afghanistan--this is going to be a long haul, folks.

I am switching to scotch...

Barbara Lee has proposed an amendment to the supplemental bill. She has to go before the Rules Committee first. There is no support from the leadership for this amendment, and they are hoping the people will speak up and tell the leadership to listen to Rep. Lee's amendment. Gist of it is to speed up leaving Iraq. Protect money dedicated to an exit strategy and the amendment gives stronger language and moves up the date.

Marcia just asked what WE can do:

Maxine: insist on the Barbara Lee language. It speaks to what we all agree on: an exit strategy, support the soldiers, protect them. It's straight-forward and clearly responds to what the American people have said they want.

Iraqi Voices for Peace allowed six Iraqi parliamentarians--Sunni, Shiia and Kurds did not agree on a lot but they did agree on US exiting. Cong. Gilchrest (R-MD) asked for more information and was quite visibly concerned about what he heard. He asked for more information. This is a good thing.

The White House is telling people that the Iraqis want us there and need us. Members of Congress believe this. WE need to be telling them what the Iraqis are really saying.

Sorry-did not finish first sentence in last post: they video conferenced the Iraqi parliamentarians into Congress.

Gael pointing out that the reason they (Iraqi parliamentarians) had to be video-conferenced in is that they could NOT GET VISAS to actually come here and meet with Congress.

madame debarge

yes - he's pretty underwhelming

It just boggles the mind that he ever made it into public office.

connections, connections, connections

In case anybody wants to email the newspapers that are still carrying Coultergeist's column and tell them to drop her after her latest egregious violations of good taste and public discourse, here's where & how:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200703080002?src=item2007...

Maxine saying she is worried that we will not lose seven soldiers in one day, but seventy--there will be concerted efforts to get us out from all sides.

Maxine saying we all have to come together to fight the Bush spin. The President feels too comfortable using the word "KILL". She says she has never heard such rhetoric.

Lori Perdue now reading her poetry...women are riled up!

I will get these poems to all of us--these are good, inspiring flames!

Tina Richards, who has been lobbying Congress, is saying that she sees many, many defense industry lobbyists supporting the supplemental budget. She is there alone, speaking about peace. They are there in droves, selling war.

Code Pink has a house here in DC, should anyone decide to help Tina, Lori, Sonia, and the other women who are staying here to speak truth to power, counter the guys in suits.

You see, there is something you can do and you are needed.

Tina Richards, who has been lobbying Congress, is saying that she sees many, many defense industry lobbyists supporting the supplemental budget. She is there alone, speaking about peace. They are there in droves, selling war.

Posted by: karen at March 8, 2007 09:29 PM

That's the sad reality. The US has a large military, and loves to fight wars, because someone gets rich off of it.

I sincerely appreciate all your updates though - looks like a lively scene tonight, and I hope something fruitful comes out of it. Thanks.

Tell Lori it's her turn to write the next threader.

Sure, it's off-topic, but WTF. There is life beyond politics, honest. And all wonk and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Cat heads, cat heads, roly-poly cat heads...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbK1eCt97ag

madame debarge

yes - he's pretty underwhelming

It just boggles the mind that he ever made it into public office.

connections, connections, connections

Posted by: not my president at March 8, 2007 08:53 PM

madame debarge???
Hey I know my butt's big, but I didn't think it was so big that you could see it in Seattle...

Jan Schakowsky is apparently really torn on the supplemental and the Murtha bill. Maxine is saying Jan is strongly anti-war and feels strongly about the waivers in the bill that the President can exercise. But also, going over the statistics, from the Nov. election--new members who ran on that platform will have to go back and explain a convoluted bill that is a real mess.

Two changes today: Mr. Nadler and Mr. Hinchey changed their minds and will vote for the supplemental. They said it's the best they can get.

Posted by: karen at March 8, 2007 08:32 PM

@@@@@@@@@

I watched the press conference that Pelosi gave announcing the compromise language for the supplemental. Apparently there is a good consensus on this bill - IF ENFORCED (which, I think, is where the rub is going to be - i.e. the benchmarks and who decides whether they have been met or not). The first test will be in July 2007.

At the press conference with Pelosi to announce the bill, were prominent critics of the war in the House - Murtha, Skelton, Obey - which was a good sign to me. One thing that is somewhat worrisome, however, is that the Dems have loaded the bill with more spending. This war, successful or not, is going to cost a lot of money....

The Senate is also working on a bill, so it is going to get very complicated.

madame defarge
Sorry! That makes twice now I've done that!
Believe me - it's a typo! I will owe you a few drinks.

I think I have a mental association with the group El DeBarge from back in the day too.

Even Daylight Savings Time is for profiteers. We'll have 8 months of it instead of 7, so only 4 months of "standard time" - it's supposed to save energy but it makes people drive more and spend more. The government has run several expensive studies about whether it saves energy and found out every time that it doesn't. Another 100 million plus study is proposed now. Daylight Savings time is lobbied for by golf club companies, barbecue grill companies, even Halloween candy companies who put a candy pumpkin on the seat of everyone in Congress. If there is an extra day of daylight on 10/31, that makes alot of kids Trick or Treating. (source Marketplace, public radio, today)

Also buried in the articles about Bush in S America - more opportunists. Sure it sounds good to use sugar cane for ethanol but it still feeds our driving habits and kills forests because they're taken down for cane fields. The cane workers are exploited under "free trade" and it sets up a plantation-type system where the CEOs get rich.

There is hardly anything you can name about our government policy that isn't making someone rich.

I think I have a mental association with the group El DeBarge from back in the day too.

Posted by: not my president at March 8, 2007 10:48 PM

* sings "Rhythm of the Night" *

..if the surge isn't working come Labour Day, Petraeus has already said he'll go to Congress and say so, loud and clear.
Posted by: not my president at March 8, 2007 08:07 PM

And how many people will die for lies for oil between now and Labor Day...?

See, the problem with all talk and no action is that people will be dying for NO GOOD REASON between now and whenever the h-e-double-toothpicks the Congress Critters make up their minds to spank Georgie and Dickie on their bums with a paddle painted with the Constitution....

I have a problem with Petraeus' line of reasoning, in other words. Too many people have already died for lies for oil. I don't see the logic behind more people needlessly dying for lies for oil just to give Georgie's and Dickie's "surge a chance to work."

Posted by: madame defarge at March 8, 2007 08:10 PM

George Clooney........................

Ooooooooooohhhhhhhmmmmmmmm......

Dreamiest eyes I've seen on any man since one of the men I dated in my 30s. Just looking at his eyes and that lovely grin can make my knees go weak!

Who the heck is Depp? I keep hearing his name, but I can't place his face among any I'd love to look at 24/7... so I'm assuming he must be one of the younger fellows with greasy bedhead unkempt hair and the unshaved look that I can't place because they all look like bums to me. Don't mind me if I can't place Depp's face. I couldn't remember Brad Pitt's face for the longest time, either until someone finally said he was the unshaved bum-looking punk in Thelma and Louise. To me Pitt's an ugly little twerp for the simple reason he doesn't shave or comb his hair (at least not in any pictures I've seen).

Before a man's worth looking at, he has to have looked like he's had a shower, put on clean clothes that have been ironed or tailored to fit, combed his hair, and cares enough about his looks to either be clean-shaven or have a well-trimmed beard, but not that in-between three-day unshaved stubble-bedhead look. I keep wondering when the unkempt, dirty, bedheaded bum look will go out of fashion....

Posted by: Otter at March 8, 2007 09:51 PM

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!

William Rivers Pitt | Lucky Libby
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030807J.shtml
William Rivers Pitt writes: "In a nation that prides itself on living by the rule of law, Mr. Libby should have been tried for treason. Whether he could have been convicted of this is an open question, one dependent upon the veracity of witnesses and the availability of evidence. But 'treason' is the operative word, and the lies he has been convicted of telling were told in the first place to avoid that potent charge."

Excerpt:

Mr. Libby's lies helped get a lot of people killed, helped undermine our ability to defend ourselves against the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and helped midwife a war that cuts us all to the quick with every passing day. If that isn't treason, then treason simply does not exist as an actionable criminal act.

And he may not ever wind up doing any time at all. That is the living definition of "lucky." Anyone who thinks true justice prevailed with these convictions needs to take a deep knee-bend and reconsider the facts. Mr. Libby has been convicted for the smallest crimes he committed, while his fellow conspirators walk today in broad daylight, free as birds.

There is some money for Katrina victims in the supplemental as well.

Posted by: karen at March 8, 2007 08:23 PM

Whose supplemental...???

Didn't the House try to limit bills to one thing at a time, and that the bills would be issued in time before the votes on them that the House members would have time to read them before voting on them...?

What gives?

Greg Palast | Bush's New US Attorney a Criminal?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030807K.shtml
"There's only one thing worse than sacking an honest prosecutor. That's replacing an honest prosecutor with a criminal. There was one big hoohah in Washington yesterday as House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers pulled down the pants on George Bush's firing of US attorneys to expose a scheme to punish prosecutors who wouldn't bend to political pressure. But the committee missed a big one: Timothy Griffin, Karl Rove's assistant, the president's pick as US attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Griffin, according to BBC Television, was the hidden hand behind a scheme to wipe out the voting rights of 70,000 citizens prior to the 2004 election," writes Greg Palast.

Excerpt:

Over the past weeks, Griffin has said he would step down if he had to face Congressional confirmation. However, the President appointed Griffin to the law enforcement post using an odd little provision of the USA Patriot Act that could allow Griffin to skip Congressional questioning altogether.

Therefore, I have a suggestion for Judiciary members. Voting law expert Neas will be testifying today before Conyers' Committee on the topic of illegal voter "disenfranchisement" - the fancy word for stealing elections by denying voters' civil rights.

Maybe Conyers should hold a line-up of suspected vote thieves and let Neas identify the perpetrators. That should be easy in the case of the Caging List Criminal. He'd only have to look for the guy wearing a new shiny lawman's badge.

{{{Another reason to REPEAL the Patriot Acts...!!! And Even the NY Times wants answers (well, okay - I suspect they're trying to make up for having had Judith Miller in their employ at one time)....}}}

The New York Times | The Gonzales Eight
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030807M.shtml
"It already seemed clear that the Bush administration's purge had trampled on prosecutorial independence," writes the New York Times. "Now Congress and the Justice Department need to investigate possible ethics violations, and perhaps illegality. Two of the fired prosecutors testified that they had been dismissed after resisting what they suspected were importunings to use their offices to help Republicans win elections. A third described what may have been a threat of retaliation if he talked publicly about his firing."

Senate Republicans Deliver Sharp Criticism of Gonzales
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030807S.shtml
Senior Senate Republicans today delivered scathing criticism of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales for his handling of the firing of eight US attorneys, joining Democrats in chagrin that the prosecutors were dismissed without adequate explanation.

Guantanamo Trials Begin Without a Lawyer or Reporter in Sight
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030807N.shtml
The Bush administration plans to begin secret proceedings against fourteen "high-value" terrorism suspects currently being held at Guantanamo Bay. The military tribunals, scheduled to begin tomorrow, will take place behind closed doors and away from the scrutiny of the media. None of the suspects will be able to have a lawyer present.

Pentagon Deploys 2,200 More Troops to Baghdad
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030807R.shtml
The Pentagon has approved a request to send an extra 2,200 troops to Baghdad. The request is in addition to the 21,500 combat troops that President Bush is sending, along with 2,400 support troops. Gordon England, the deputy defense secretary, told Congress this week that the number of required support troops could reach 7,000.

Excerpt (opening paragraph):

Washington - The Pentagon has approved a request by the new US commander in Iraq for an extra 2,200 military police to help deal with an anticipated increase in detainees during the Baghdad security crackdown, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.

~~~~~

"That's a new requirement by a new commander," Gates said of the request for more MPs by Gen. David Petraeus, who assumed command in Baghdad last month. He added that there were other troop requests still being considered in the Pentagon; he gave no specifics.

{{{So, just where are these new "detainees" going to be held/sent...? Are they asking for regular military police... or "private security contractors" (aka mercenaries from Halliburton's subsidiaries or Blackwater or others) who receive a five-figure monthly salary thanks to US taxpayers...??? The extra money Dems are throwing at Bush for his supplemental spending package is a travesty, and why are they voluntarily giving him extra money in a supplemental bill...? - it just keeps Georgie's illegal war going, not STOP his illegal war... and why isn't anyone asking questions about what kind of "troops" or "support" these people are asking for and getting through voluntary monies the Dems are throwing away...? I do NOT favor giving extra money to mercenaries...!!!}}}

CONGRESS CRITTERS OWE US ANSWERS, especially the Dems, if they are voluntarily giving Georgie more money than he was even asking for, and in a supplemental bill at that, which doesn't get counted with the national debt in the regular budget.... Are they INSANE?!?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/08/eveningnews/main2549273.shtml
Danish Island Is Energy Self-Sufficient
~~~~~~~~~~
They are not only self-sufficient on the island, but those who invested in the alternative power are actually making a profit.... See...? It CAN be done, and WITHOUT greedy US corporations...!!!

Nice video, even though the transcript has the spelling of the island incorrect. It's Samsø, not Samso. Those three extra vowels in the three Scandinavian alphabets make a huge difference....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070309/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/national_security_letters

FBI criticized for Patriot Act use

WASHINGTON - An internal Justice Department report accuses the FBI of underreporting its use of the Patriot Act to force telecommunications and financial firms to turn over customer information in suspected terrorism cases, according to officials familiar with its findings.

Shoddy bookkeeping and records management led to the problems, said one government official familiar with the report. The official said FBI agents appeared to be overwhelmed by the volume of demands for information over a two-year period.

"They lost track," said the official who like others interviewed late Thursday spoke on condition of anonymity because the report had not been released.

(More on link.)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070309/ap_on_go_co/democrats_iraq
White House hangs veto over pullout plan

{{{SOMEONE needs to realize that just because the spoiled brat THREATENS to hold his breath and throw a temper tantrum doesn't mean he will do it. (Hello-o-o-o-o...? Anyone in the House or the Senate...???) Georgie's been blustering and blundering along all these years threatening all kinds of things all over the place and all the while expecting Congress (and the US citizens who feel sorry for him) to be his surrogate daddy and rescue him from himself when his puppetmaster can't do so. WHAT are Congress Critters afraid of?!? Even if he turns blue in the face, that doesn't mean he'll keep holding his breath, y'know. It just means he needs to be whacked on his bum with a paddle painted with the Constutution to start breathing again, only this time with the Constitutional balance restored.... I am WAY past tired of the FACT that Congress Critters have kept on rescuing Georgie from himself and his many f***ups and kept on feeding his addiction to his own delusions of grandeur!!! At the rate Congress Critters are appeasing Georgie and Dickie, not only will 'Publicans lose a lot of seats in '08, but so will a lot of do-nothing Dems who consistently refuse to adhere to the Constitution and smack Georgie and Dickie for their illegal actions and misuse of power....}}}

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/03/08/gay-republican-male-escorts-part-2/
Gay Republican Male Escorts: Part 2

More hypocrisy revealed.... I'm shocked I tell ya, just shocked and surprised (really, only shocked and surprised that so few of these kinds of scandals have come to light, of course...).

On the other hand, sex trumps dead soldiers, torture, and convicted liars, so it's a good diversion for infotainment snooze to dwell on for at least a week, or long enough for most people to forget dead soldiers, torture, and convicted liars, and forget that Georgie's war just isn't going to end any time soon because Congress Critters are not stopping the spoiled brat, but, in fact, giving him more money than he asked for in the supplemental bill, which makes people like me wonder WHY Dems are giving him more to keep his war going, not restricting money to simply bringing the troops home and why aren't "investigative journalists" asking these kinds of questions...?

http://www.msnbc.com/comics/daily.asp?sFile=nq070308
Nopn Sequitur
(Fourth in a series....)

Gingrich admits having an affair in Clinton era
Former speaker who led impeachment push cites ‘periods of weakness’

WASHINGTON - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was having an extramarital affair even as he led the charge against President Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair, he acknowledged in an interview with a conservative Christian group.

"The honest answer is yes," Gingrich, a potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate, said in an interview with Focus on the Family founder James Dobson to be aired Friday, according to a transcript provided to The Associated Press. "There are times that I have fallen short of my own standards. There's certainly times when I've fallen short of God's standards."

Gingrich argued in the interview, however, that he should not be viewed as a hypocrite for pursuing Clinton's infidelity.

"The president of the United States got in trouble for committing a felony in front of a sitting federal judge," the former Georgia congressman said of Clinton's 1998 House impeachment on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. "I drew a line in my mind that said, 'Even though I run the risk of being deeply embarrassed, and even though at a purely personal level I am not rendering judgment on another human being, as a leader of the government trying to uphold the rule of law, I have no choice except to move forward and say that you cannot accept ... perjury in your highest officials."

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17527506/

The most interesting side note in that article, monkey (I read it in its original AP news feed form) is the curious factoid that Gingrinch's (no, that's not a tpyo) first wife, the one he informed of their impending divorce while she was in the hospital recuperating from cancer surgery, was also his high school geometry teacher. Hmm. Paging Dr. Freud, paging Dr. Freud... His current wife, the one he was cheating on wife no. 2 with while he was busy hounding Clinton 42 and getting himself reprimanded by the House ethics panel for financial shenanigans, is 20 years younger than he is. Sounds like he's got some Peter Pan syndrome problems.

He's got peter problems, no doubt about it.

I understand there are pills you can take for that these days.

Great poll/essay over at DU on a subject near and dear to our hearts:

"If the clot forces him out, who gets the job?"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=3148741

Here's another quote from Ms. Molly that seems apropos around here...especially to monkey & otter...You guys need to lighten up & have some fun... ;-)

"So keep fightin' for freedom and just ice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was."
- Molly Ivins

NonnyO
Johny Depp does sometimes look like an unkempt bum but he looks good to me! (By the way, his very sick daughter is doing better, over in France) I had to scroll back through alot of stuff Id didn't expect (LOL) & have to get ready for work, but yes - Johny Depp is fine!

mdf, that's the quote I use as a sig file in all the other venues that let one use a sig file with one's posts.

:0)

The action today is in Ft. Lewis, where the Stryker Brigade is leaving from to join the "surge" - expect arrests.

Here is a new mass mailing:

Dear Friends and Relatives:
I have the distinguished honor of being named to the committee to raise $5,000,000 for a monument to George W. Bush. I am contacting you in hopes you will be willing to contribute to this noble cause. But first, a little about what the committee has been doing to date.
>

We originally wanted to put him on Mount Rushmore until we discovered that there was not enough room for two more faces.

We then decided to erect a statue of George in the Washington, DC,Hall of Fame. We were in a quandary as to where the statueshould be placed. It was not proper to place it beside the statue of George Washington, who never told a lie, or beside Richard Nixon, who never told the truth,since George could never tell the difference.

We finally decided to place it beside Christopher Columbus, the greatest Republican of all. He left not knowing where he was going,and when he got there he did not know where he was. He returned not knowing where he had been, decimated the well-being of the majority of the population while he was there, and did it all on someone else's money.

Thank you.

George W. Bush Monument Committee

> P. S. The Committee has raised $1.35 so far. So please be generous.
>
>
>

SuperRich Get Richer
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2030259,00.html
amazing

More RE: Johnny Depp

He has many different looks, which makes him all the more interesting. Google "photos of johnny depp" & you'll see what I mean. Here's one page with some luscious photos...

http://tinyurl.com/26rffn = johnnydepp-zone.com

Oh Johnny he's so fine...

/me rolls eyes

Oh yeah, otters & monkeys are fine too.

madame defarge
you are so right - looks good in makeup even - pirate costume - on and on and on

During the Clinton impeachment we heard over and over again about the importance of the rule of law. N