Touring the Blogosphere with THK

Nice schedule of visits!

Will THK be on the blog or in the irc at the DCP?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/13/AR2007041301979.html
NIH Drops Contractor For Conflict of Interest

The federal government yesterday fired a contractor it had hired to review the safety of chemicals after discovering the company has been simultaneously working for the chemical industry.

Alexandria-based Sciences International was in the fourth year of a $5 million, five-year contract to run the federal Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction. It has reviewed 20 chemicals to date, helping the government determine whether they pose dangers to reproduction and newborn babies.

At the same time it has been advising the federal government, Sciences International has been on the payroll of Dow Chemical, BASF, 3M and other companies that produce some of the chemicals under scrutiny.

The government took action after questions were raised by the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization. The group complained that Science International was reviewing bisphenol A, a chemical widely used in plastic that has been found to cause cancer and reproductive damage in animals. Dow Chemical and BASF, two manufacturers of bisphenol A, have been among Science International's clients.

Richard Wiles, the group's executive director, said the potential conflict of interested points to a larger problem of the federal government delegating too much authority to private contractors.

"Protecting the public health is one of those jobs that can't be farmed out to contractors who have huge conflicts of interest with polluters and chemical makers," he said.

{More on link.}

Can anyone help me locate a specific diary at Kos. It was on the rec. list a few days ago. It spoke about why rich people shouldn't be so supportive of neocons (republicans) and gave a historical perspective.

I have no idea who the author is or what other key words I can use in the tags. But I promised a friend that I'd send that link. (Just didn't realize I wouldn't be able to find it.)

The discussion from yesterday/today was just great--so good to see the level of thinking here!

We just got back from a trip to visit a college my son is thinking of attending next year. The writer George Saunders was speaking, and he was so very good, I had to share the last piece he read, which many of you may have seen when it first came out, but which was new to me:

People Reluctant To Kill for an Abstraction
Manifesto Zero -- A press release from PRKA
by George Saunders
Aug. 2004

Last Thursday, my organization, People Reluctant To Kill for an Abstraction, orchestrated an overwhelming show of force around the globe.

At precisely 9 in the morning, working with focus and stealth, our entire membership succeeded in simultaneously beheading no one. At 10, Phase II began, during which our entire membership did not force a single man to suck another man's penis. Also, none of us blew himself/herself up in a crowded public place. No civilians were literally turned inside out via our powerful explosives. In addition, at 11, in Phase III, zero (0) planes were flown into buildings.

...

The rest is here:
http://www.thirdtablet.com/articles/ManifestoZero.html

[but this is the important part, because this is about the DCPers]

Who are we? A word about our membership.

Since the world began, we have gone about our work quietly, resisting the urge to generalize, valuing the individual over the group, the actual over the conceptual, the inherent sweetness of the present moment over the theoretically peaceful future to be obtained via murder. Many of us have trouble sleeping and lie awake at night, worrying about something catastrophic befalling someone we love. We rise in the morning with no plans to convert anyone via beating, humiliation, or invasion. To tell the truth, we are tired. We work. We would just like some peace and quiet. When wrong, we think about it awhile, then apologize. We stand under awnings during urban thunderstorms, moved to thoughtfulness by the troubled, umbrella-tinged faces rushing by. In moments of crisis, we pat one another awkwardly on the back, mumbling shy truisms. Rushing to an appointment, remembering a friend who has passed away, our eyes well with tears and we think: Well, my God, he could be a pain, but still I'm lucky to have known him.

This is PRKA. To those who would oppose us, I would simply say: We are many. We are worldwide. We, in fact, outnumber you. Though you are louder, though you create a momentary ripple on the water of life, we will endure, and prevail.

Join us.

Resistance is futile.

George Saunders is the author of CivilWarLand in Bad Decline and Pastoralia.

What a good idea! THK was one of the first blog-aware people I knew of, back in 2002 or so was it? I remember that she also was fond of cartoonists and maybe spoke at one of their conventions?! Why am I not surprised, but this is so cool!

On another note, I just spent first of two days learning how to administer electrical stimulation to human beings and we did work with subjective ratings for "how it feels" - it was awful that I could not avoid thinking of torture. This is for medical use, and is in fact used with swallowing dysfunction that some Iraq vets have. We were dealing in milliamperes, very small.

I also met people who came in from out of state and there has been a big change in conversations that happen and how quickly things turn political. It can be an instructor, another student - emails are exchanged. People care that Rove is arriving at another hotel. I have always been in a fairly conservative and politically neutral field and the world is changing this fast.

All in all, an interesting day.

"Long after I'm dead there'll be only one memory of me," said Rove. "Me on YouTube making a fool of myself."

Karl Rove

http://www.komotv.com/news/7029367.html
Karl Rove's Visit to Seattle Draws Protesters

More:

The high-profile Bush aide - who has come under increased scrutiny because of his possible role in the outing of CIA spy Valerie Plame - also charmed the crowd with stories from his childhood as he greeted aunts and cousins who were in the audience.

He also made light of his dance moves at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner last month in Washington, D.C., when he joined in performing an improvised rap song that since has been lampooned on television and Web sites.

--
Then he has the nerve to say American Generals have been "handcuffed."

We all know who should be frog-marched out of the WH in handcuffs.

Not a good week to be a Ho...

Entertainer Don Ho dead at 76
‘Tiny Bubbles’ singer suffered heart failure, publicist says

Here Today, Don Tomorrow

"Long after I'm dead there'll be only one memory of me," said Rove. "Me on YouTube making a fool of myself."

Karl Rove

http://www.komotv.com/news/7029367.html
Karl Rove's Visit to Seattle Draws Protesters

Posted by: not my president at April 14, 2007 11:59 PM

nmp,

He gives himself too much credit. He'll be forgotten for his lousy dance moves but will be remembered as a traitor.

And his frog march will draw more crowds than his silly rap-dance.

April 15, 2007
Conclusions Are Reported on Teaching of Abstinence
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON, April 14 (AP) — Students who participated in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex as those who did not, according to a study ordered by Congress.

Also, those who attended one of the four abstinence classes reviewed reported having similar numbers of sexual partners as those who did not attend the classes. And they first had sex about the same age as other students — 14.9 years, according to Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

The federal government spends about $176 million a year promoting abstinence until marriage. Critics have repeatedly said they did not believe the programs worked.

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/washington/15sex.html

Watch Maher blast the 150 lawyers hired from Robertson's law school.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/04/14/maher-blasts-regent-law-schools-transformation-of-the-doj/

In the spring of 2006, Domenici told Gonzales he wanted Iglesias out.
Gonzales refused. He told Domenici he would fire Iglesias only on orders from the president.
At some point after the election last Nov. 6, Domenici called Bush's senior political adviser, Karl Rove, and told him he wanted Iglesias out and asked Rove to take his request directly to the president.
Domenici and Bush subsequently had a telephone conversation about the issue.
The conversation between Bush and Domenici occurred sometime after the election but before the firings of Iglesias and six other U.S. attorneys were announced on Dec. 7.
Iglesias' name first showed up on a Nov. 15 list of federal prosecutors who would be asked to resign. It was not on a similar list prepared in October.
The Journal confirmed the sequence of events through a variety of sources familiar with the firing of Iglesias, including sources close to Domenici. The senator's office declined comment.

http://www.abqjournal.com/news/special/554986nm04-15-07.htm

BURNING BUSH
Can he take more heat?

by Gene Weingarten, Washington POst
Sunday, April 15, 2007

Once upon a time, no one criticized George W. Bush. That was about five years ago, when questioning the president was unpatriotic. Then, gradually, liberals began to voice grievances, then moderate Democrats, then liberal Republicans, then moderate Republicans, and now we're seeing uber-conservative hammerheads such as Bob Novak and Rich Lowry using the I-words: "inept" and "incompetent." Foreign heads of state have started to take potshots at Bush when he's standing right next to them, during photo ops.

It's as though we've reached a tipping point. Any day we're going to see Laura in an "I'm With Stupid" T-shirt.

You almost feel sorry for the guy, 'cause there's no indication this is going to get any better. In fact, it'll probably get worse, and the heat is liable to come from anywhere.

[More here: http://tinyurl.com/2p2pnv ]

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

when frogs march,
Otter

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2007/4/15/104615/733/130#c130

But, consider this:

In mid-march, Bush flatly denied giving Gonzales specific instructions to fire Iglesias. Today we learn that Gonzales refused to fire Iglesias unless given specific instructions from Bush.

New York Times, March 15

As Mr. Gonzales defended himself in television interviews, Mr. Bush, in Mexico on the last day of his Latin America trip, offered reporters his first explanation of his own role, saying that although he had relayed complaints to Mr. Gonzales about federal prosecutors, "I [Bush] never brought up a specific case nor gave him specific instructions."
Today. Now, consider this from the Alberquerque Journal (same link as diary):

In the spring of 2006, Domenici told Gonzales he wanted Iglesias out.

Gonzales refused. He told Domenici he would fire Iglesias only on orders from the president.

At some point after the election last Nov. 6, Domenici called Bush's senior political adviser, Karl Rove, and told him he wanted Iglesias out and asked Rove to take his request directly to the president.

Domenici and Bush subsequently had a telephone conversation about the issue.

OMG--Gonzalez says,

"I have nevertheless asked the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility to further investigate this matter. Working with the department's Office of Inspector General, these nonpartisan professionals will complete their own independent investigation so that Congress and the American people can be 100 percent assured of what I believe and what the investigation thus far has shown: that nothing improper occurred."

~~ Wapo Op-ed entitled, "Nothing Improper"

tiny url:
http://tinyurl.com/2888d5

Sorry, I hit post too soon. Meant to add that Jesselyn Radack was fired from that dept.

Will THK be on the blog or in the irc at the DCP?

Posted by: sparrow at April 14, 2007 05:05 PM

Good question... I'm anxious to find out too.

Very nice of THK to address the bloggers.

From the previous thread:

Chicago is U.S. candidate for 2016 Olympics. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing yet... The IOC will select the 2016 host in October 2009.

Posted by: madame defarge at April 14, 2007 05:04 PM

I've noticed too.

Los Angeles was in the running for its third Olympics (and we did a good job in '32 and '84), but I'm sure Chicago could do a good job as well.

LA's Memorial Coliseum, which hosted the '32 and the '84, can no longer host the Olympics, btw, because it had been turned into a football-only stadium in a failed bid to keep our two football teams (both of which moved away a decade ago anyway).

I never thought of the Atlanta '96 games as a well run example, I have to say.

Racism is alive and well, even in "civilized" Europe:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6556643.stm

German military trainers told their soldiers to visualize shooting hostile black mob in NYC.

Sometimes, even the horrors of Nazism are not enough to convince people that prejudice is wrong.

Yo, woz -- is this person really telling the truth about you people?

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=51075857&blogID=253545666

because inquiring mindless wants to know,
Otter

No, the '96 Olympics in Atlanta were not particularly well organized or operated at all. It was fine from the standpoint of the athletic competitions themselves, but the years of buildup to it and the tens of millions of dollars hemhorraged on staging it and the poorly-planned aftermath of it were totally bollixed. Oh, yeah, and then there was that little kerfluffle with the exploding-backpack-in-the-park thingie, too.

On the other paw, I did make a serious pile of money lighting, gripping, and staging the damn thing.

As for the THK virtual blog tour, my take on it is that she might get time to read & respond to comments after the fact but the questions and answers themselves are being handled offline at all the stops rather than her hanging around each site in person for live-blogging in real time.

But then again, this is Teresa after all, so ya never know. Stranger things have happened.

'96 olympikz wuz da bomb,
Otter

Cheney: Democrats likely to blink on war spending

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Vice President Dick Cheney says he is "willing to bet" that Democratic lawmakers will back down and approve a war-spending bill that doesn't call for U.S. troops to leave Iraq. A top Democratic leader shot back that Cheney has lost all public credibility.

With President Bush and Congress in a stalemate -- he plans to veto legislation that orders U.S. troops home, which the House and Senate plan to send him -- both sides are looking ahead. In an interview broadcast Sunday, Cheney predicted the Democrats will blink.

He said Congress will end up passing a "clean" bill that funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan without any troop withdrawal timetables. Democrats control Congress, but they do not appear to have the votes to override a presidential veto.

"They will not leave the troops in the field without the resources they need," Cheney said of the Democrats.

Asked what would happen if they don't back down, Cheney said: "I'm willing to bet the other way -- that, in fact, they will."

"There may be some people who are so irresponsible that they wouldn't support that," Cheney said. But the majority will send Bush the bill he wants "once they've gone through the exercise and it's clear the president will veto the provisions that they want in," he said.

However, the Senate Armed Services Committee's Democratic chairman said Congress won't relent in winding down the war.

If Bush vetoes a bill calling for troop reductions, Democratic lawmakers would likely come back with a second try that requires the Iraqi government to meet performance benchmarks or face consequences, said Chairman Carl Levin, D-Michigan. Iraq's leadership is struggling to make the progress it has promised on political reconciliation, distribution of the country's oil wealth and other vital goals.

"We are very, very serious about what the American people said in November," Levin said, referring to the election that put Democrats in charge of Congress. "They want a change of course."

Cheney's blistering criticism of Democrats, the latest in a series of recent speeches and interviews, drew harsh words from Levin.

"He has misled the people consistently on Iraq," Levin said. "He has misstated. He has exaggerated. And I don't think he has any credibility left with the American people."

The uncooperative tone comes just as Bush plans to meet bipartisan leaders of Congress this week at the White House.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/15/cheney.iraq.ap/index.html

'96 olympikz wuz da bomb,

Posted by: Otter at April 15, 2007 02:28 PM

Heard the lunch at the Iraqi Parliament cafateria is too.

Cheney con Carnage

Ex-generals: Global warming threatens U.S. security
April 15, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Global warming poses a "serious threat to America's national security" and the U.S. likely will be dragged into fights over water and other shortages, top retired military leaders warn in a new report.

The report says that in the next 30 to 40 years there will be wars over water, increased hunger instability from worsening disease and rising sea levels and global warming-induced refugees. "The chaos that results can be an incubator of civil strife, genocide and the growth of terrorism," the 35-page report predicts.

"Climate change exacerbates already unstable situations," former U.S. Army chief of staff Gordon Sullivan told Associated Press Radio. "Everybody needs to start paying attention to what's going on. I don't think this is a particularly hard sell in the Pentagon. ... We're paying attention to what those security implications are."

Gen. Anthony "Tony" Zinni, President Bush's former Middle East envoy, says in the report: "It's not hard to make the connection between climate change and instability, or climate change and terrorism."

The report was issued by the Alexandria, Virginia-based, national security think-tank The CNA Corporation and was written by six retired admirals and five retired generals. They warn of a future of rampant disease, water shortages and flooding that will make already dicey areas -- such as the Middle East, Asia and Africa -- even worse.

"Weakened and failing governments, with an already thin margin for survival, foster the conditions for internal conflicts, extremism and movement toward increased authoritarianism and radical ideologies," the report says. "The U.S. will be drawn more frequently into these situations."

Joining calls already made by scientists and environmental activists, the retired U.S. military leaders call on the U.S. government to make major cuts in emissions of gases that cause global warming.

The Bush administration has declined mandatory emission cuts in favor of voluntary methods. Other nations have committed to required reductions that kick in within a few years.

"We will pay for this one way or another," writes Zinni, former commander of U.S. Central Command. "We will pay to reduce greenhouse gas emissions today, and we'll have to take an economic hit of some kind. Or we will pay the price later in military terms. And that will involve human lives. There will be a human toll."

Top climate scientists said the report makes sense and increased national security risk is a legitimate global warming side-effect.

The report is "pretty impressive," but may be too alarmist because it may take longer than 30 years for some of these things to happen, said Stanford scientist Terry Root, a co-author of this month's international scientific report on the effects of global warming on life on Earth.

But the instability will happen sometime, Root agreed.

"We're going to have a war over water," Root said. "There's just not going to be enough water around for us to have for us to need to live with and to provide for the natural environment."

University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver said the military officers were smart to highlight the issue of refugees who flee unstable areas because of global warming.

"There will be tens of millions of people migrating, where are we going to put them?" Weaver said.

Weaver said that over the past years, scientists, who by nature are cautious, have been attacked by conservative activists when warning about climate change. This shows that it's not a liberal-conservative issue, Weaver said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/15/warming.military.ap/index.html

Posted by: sparrow at April 15, 2007 01:13 PM

Gonzo heads DOJ, thus has the power to oversee any results anyone on any "committee" comes up with. And why are there so many committees in DC anyway, in all levels of government? There must be ten committees to "study" any given topic within the Beltway Bubble, and nothing of any consequence is ever discovered; it's all just political hoo-rah and vague statements that could mean anything.

Does anyone with an IQ above a rock believe one single solitary word that somes out of the mouths of anyone in this administration? Or even out of the mouths of some Dems who issue pontificating platitudes worthy of a neoCon on the loose looking for corporate donations?

Seriously.

Memo to Nancy Pelosi: WHEN can we discuss IMPEACHMENT...?

It will soon be time for TV reruns, so we need some kind of TV fare to replace the endless infotainment in Lamestream Media. (And I'd like to see a few bobble heads explode as they exercise their brains for the first time since 2000 and try to spin and 'splain the endless Bu$hCo LIES since 2000.) Although I don't watch much TV these days, I'd tune in to watch an IMPEACHMENT trial.... It would be grandly entertaining....

Posted by: monkey at April 15, 2007 04:01 PM

We need to re-visit the notion of Zero Population Growth. Human beings over-populating the planet will surely lead to increasingly worse disasters on a world-wide scale, from starvation when crops fail because of droughts or floods, to lack of potable water. And if the ocean levels rise because of the melting polar ice caps, that's less land for people to live on.

In laboratory settings overpopulated communities of rats killed each other in fights over resources. If we don't curb the human population growth, we will be just like those lab rats....

Posted by: NonnyO at April 15, 2007 04:10 PM

.. and with the right marketing and corporate sponsorship, the potential profits could be huge.

Tastes Great, Less Killing

All fingers on the firings point to Bush.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/013648.php

NonnyO, I know that. But also, the thing to realize is that even 2 years ago, before Gonzo was in charge, I wrote a piece about Bush's DOJ refusing to follow FOIA requests and that they were secretive and partison. This was before I knew about Jesselyn Radack.

But how many people like Jesselyn Radack have 'conveniently' moved on from the DOJ who may have been ax'd by Bush?

Miss Laura at Kos has a graph that even a 3 year old could read the results of. The graph shows the gap between workers pay, profits, and CEO's pay.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/15/154342/469

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/14/AR2007041401490.html
Four Hired Guns in an Armored Truck, Bullets Flying, and a Pickup and a Taxi Brought to a Halt. Who Did the Shooting and Why?
A Chaotic Day On Baghdad's Airport Road

Excerpt:
The U.S. military has brought charges against dozens of soldiers and Marines in Iraq, including 64 servicemen linked to murders. Not a single case has been brought against a security contractor, and confusion is widespread among contractors and the military over what laws, if any, apply to their conduct. The Pentagon estimates that at least 20,000 security contractors work in Iraq, the size of an additional division.

Private contractors were granted immunity from the Iraqi legal process in 2004 by L. Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the U.S. occupation government. More recently, the military and Congress have moved to establish guidelines for prosecuting contractors under U.S. law or the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but so far the issue remains unresolved.

{Lots ore on link, and if you feel like it, check out the comments sent in by people (the article is long, so I'd suggest clicking on 'print article' so it comes up on one page). This is what comes of having corporate mercenaries in a war zone.... Oh, and take out your calculators and tally the two DAILY salaries mentioned by different companies, what Americans are paid vs what one mercenary from another country working for the same US corporation was paid, multiply that out to a year, then multiply that by the number of mercenaries (all of which doesn't begin to cover the overcharges).... That's our tax dollars and our debt, peeps, not to mention our unending shame because the persons who hired these goons are still "leading" this country and our Congress Critters have not listened to us and started IMPEACHMENT proceedings against them....}

Posted by: monkey at April 15, 2007 04:21 PM

And it would make for a terrific Reality TeeVee show!!!

They could open up a web site to vote on who would get kicked out of *our* White House first.

BTW, I've heard nothing about RumDum since he left and took up residence in a room somewhere in the Pentagon. I've had occasion to wonder if he was making Gates his sock-puppet from a secret room somewhere inside the Pentagon.... Anyone know what Rummy's doing these days?

The New York Times | The Fantasy Behind the Scandal
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/041507C.shtml
The New York Times writes: "The more we learn about the White House's purge of United States attorneys, the more a single thread runs through it: the Bush administration's campaign to transform the minor problem of voter fraud into a supposed national scourge."

On Tuesday, All Eyes Will Be on Gonzales
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/041507D.shtml
For Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, his testimony Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee is all about him, and whether he can restore enough credibility to keep his job. But many of the Democrats who control Congress and the committee have already written off Gonzales.

Kelpie Wilson | Global Warming Challenges the Unitary Executive
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/041507Y.shtml
Kelpie Wilson writes: "On April 2, 2007 the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the State of Massachusetts in the landmark global warming case, Massachusetts v. EPA. Environmentalists were pleased that the high court ruled on the merits of the case, agreeing that carbon dioxide meets the definition of a pollutant and that the EPA has run out of excuses for not regulating it. But some legal scholars were even more gratified by another aspect of the case, the court's ruling on the right of the plaintiffs to sue, known as their 'standing.'"

Excerpt:

When we look at the Preamble to the US Constitution, we can see that the Nature's Trust idea is already there. The benefits sought by We the People are to be secured not only for today, but for Posterity. As Congress considers legislation to address global warming, it would do well to incorporate the trust idea into that legislation.

In the face of a threat as overwhelming as global warming, We the People must reject the vain projects of corporate domination and the unitary executive and harken back to our first principles. On that basis we can create a new approach to environmental law that will actually work to protect nature and future generations.

{{{This is the second time today I've read references to corporations having been given person status. Corporations and corporate profits seem to be the root of all evil in this country....}}}

Oh, and take out your calculators and tally the two DAILY salaries mentioned by different companies, what Americans are paid vs what one mercenary from another country working for the same US corporation was paid, multiply that out to a year, then multiply that by the number of mercenaries (all of which doesn't begin to cover the overcharges).... That's our tax dollars and our debt, peeps, not to mention our unending shame because the persons who hired these goons are still "leading" this country and our Congress Critters have not listened to us and started IMPEACHMENT proceedings against them....}

Posted by: NonnyO at April 15, 2007 04:56 PM

@@@@@@

I don't sense a broad outrage in the public for Bush (maybe, as everyone keeps saying, Bush should fall into an affair with an intern and then impeachment will be a done deal...). I had a Meet-Up group in Michigan for Impeaching Bush for about 6 months and I never had more than 10 people signed on.

Democrats.com has an impeachment group here:

http://www.democrats.com/forum/263

NOTICE how INACTIVE this forum is. The last post was three days ago.

Impeachment Forum
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Regarding Al Gonzo:

WHAT'S TO DISCUSS?? Gonzales has already lied to the Senate Committee (see Kyle Sampson's testimony and documents)

QUOTE:
For Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, his testimony Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee is all about him, and whether he can restore enough credibility to keep his job. But many of the Democrats who control Congress and the committee have already written off Gonzales.

@@@@

Instead of listening to Gonzo on that day, I will be calling my two Senators instead... calling for Gonzales to resign..

HOW ABOUT A VIRTUAL PROTEST - CALL IN DAY???

Sunday New York Times editorial:

(on the "destruction" of emails)

QUOTE:

It is vital that Congress get to the truth about these firings. Last week, the Republican National Committee threw up another roadblock, claiming it had lost four years' worth of e-mail messages by Karl Rove that were sent on a Republican Party account. Those messages, officials admitted, could include some about the United States attorneys. It is virtually impossible to erase e-mail messages fully, and the claims that they are gone are not credible.

The only solution is to get these issues out into the open. It is good that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will finally testify in the Senate this week. But Mr. Rove, who seems to be at the heart of this affair, should also be required to testify under oath - and in public. Even the Wizard of Oz eventually came out from behind the curtain.

Well, as far as impeachment goes, this is just in from our friends at the World Can't Wait, who are working closely with Democrats.com and many other groups, all of whom recognize the need for "street heat" if any action towards impeachment is to take place.

Friends,

We are writing to urge you to join Eve Ensler, Daniel Ellsberg, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, Ariel Dorfman, Chris Hedges, Cindy Sheehan, Nyack NY Mayor John Shields, Michael Ratner, Mark Kurlansky, Kathy Chalfant, and others on the Capital Steps this Thursday, April 19th to demand that Congress start impeachment of George Bush. Below are messages from Noam Chomsky, Ariel Dorfman, Daniel Ellsberg, and Mark Ruffalo.

We will gather outside the Capitol at 11 am Thursday April 19 for a one hour press conference demanding impeachment.

** Endorsed by: Edward Asner, Russell Banks, Medea Benjamin, Norman Birnbaum, Jackson Browne, Noam Chomsky, Marjorie Cohn, Kia Corthron, Elizabeth de la Vega, Olympia Dukakis, Niles Eldredge, Frances Fisher, Patricia Foulkrod, Jorie Graham, Sam Hamill, Jim Hightower, Dahr Jamail, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Cynthia McKinney, Ann Marie Macari, Malachy McCourt, Tom Morello, Graham Nash, John Nichols, Marcus Raskin, Mark Ruffalo, Luc Sante, James Schamus, Alice Walker, Frank Wood, Ann Wright, Howard Zinn

Mark Ruffalo:
"What do you do with an Administration that refuses congressional oversight? What do you do with a White House that in treason outs one of its own undercover agents for Political gain and War Profiteering? What do you do with a President that breaks international law and tortures people in the name of America, allows the devastation of New Orleans, tramples the laws of our privacy, lies to the American people about reasons for going to war, politicizes our courts system and at the end of the day says he is accountable to no one? Impeachment is the only cure for such Dictatorship. Don't be fooled. It is a Dictatorship.

OR

Get rid of the BUMS!"

Daniel Ellsberg:
"To restore our constitutional order, it's essential and urgent to identify the many actions of Bush and Cheney violating the Constitution and domestic and international law as impeachable offenses, high crimes and misdemeanors. To FAIL to impeach both of them or to subject them to criminal prosecution following their removal is to endorse their attacks on democracy, the Constitution and the rule of law."

Ariel Dorfman: "Impeach Bush for the sake of the people of the United States. Because in a true democracy nobody should be above the law, and certainly not the man who violates the Constitution he has sworn to uphold.

Impeach Bush for the sake of the people of the world. Because the sooner he is removed from office and prevented from doing more harm, the sooner we will be able to heal our beleaguered humanity.

And, finally, impeach Bush for his own sake. Because nothing is healthier for an accused criminal than to be caught and allowed to defend himself, could be better for any criminal than to be given the chance to understand the extent of his offenses and misdeeds."

Noam Chomsky:
"The list of George W. Bush's crimes is long and grim. Impeachment would be at least one small step towards paying the debt we owe to the victims of his years in power, and to those yet to suffer from what he has done. The April 19 call on the steps of the Capitol is an honorable and courageous effort to overcome the shame and disgrace he has brought to our country."

But now, back on topic, I want to address the photo in the thread header:

What a stunning woman. And the body language sings clearly, doesn't it?

BTW: That reminds me, are any prominent Democrat Senators behind impeachment (like John Kerry for instance)? I can't think of single one....

Who knows what lurks in the hearts of Senators...not me!

Impeachment happens in the House. And nothing will happen there without the street heat.

Who knows what lurks in the hearts of Senators...not me!

Impeachment happens in the House. And nothing will happen there without the street heat.

Posted by: karen at April 15, 2007 10:15 PM

@@@@

As I recall there was a Senator named Sam Ervin who did quite a bit to move forward the impeachment of Richard Nixon.

But if Senators want to be cowardly, followers, led by the nose... so be it!!! to the detriment of the nation...

Wait!!! I know what is lurking in the heart of one Senator... because he has actually mentioned the dreaded "I" word in public!! But, He is from Nebraska and, worse, he is a Republican!!!

Say hello to "Tall Guy" for me!!

But, He is from Nebraska and, worse, he is a Republican!!!

Posted by: Ralpheh at April 15, 2007 11:01 PM

Proof that Republicans are NOT 100% evil 100% of the time.

Another proof: Mark Kirk (IL-10), the guy that Ellen Beth and madame defarge cannot stand, is the Republican co-sponsor for federal hate crimes bill that includes LGBTs.

And remember - though DCP has a pro-Democratic leanings, we are officially nonpartisan, and when there is a courageous Republican with the correct progressive stance on an issue, we need to extend support that way too.

Wednesday is 30 high school walkout in Seattle - and they'll march to a school board meeting and demand withdrawal of troops from Iraq. It'll be interesting to see how this goes!

I had my 2nd day of classs on how to administer electrical stimulation and was encouraged to apply for a job working with head-injured Iraq vets, in San Diego. I don't think I want to move though, but I did hear some about stretched-thin resources. This stimulation method is fairly avant-garde and still controversial but can possibly help stimulate swallow in persons who are the right candidates, to try to get them off tube feedings or make them less likely to aspirate. The FDA has approved it, but NIH studies to support it aren't in place yet and this will move slowly, because the government is slow.

Posted by: karen at April 15, 2007 09:14 PM

More of the very long list of people who know about the war crimes and high crimes and misdemeanors that have been committed by people in this administration from the top down.

It begs the question: What's wrong with our representatives inside the Beltway Bubble?

I was thinking today about the religion thing.

When I travel, I meet people who are very skeptical about the US and I have to preface my being an American with qualifications such as not agreeing with the war. I agree with alot of what they are saying but it gets old having to explain. Today I think I saw a parallel.

I've been meeting people (such as at my class) who say that they are Christians but add a qualification that they are against the war, believe immoral things have happened under this administration that they do not agree with, and that they have no connection with the radical fundamentalists, not even close.

It's a shame that we have to explain ourselves constantly or may be assumed to be something we're not at all.

Posted by: not my president at April 15, 2007 11:58 PM
Posted by: not my president at April 16, 2007 12:54 AM

Please stay put in Seattle. San Diego is so reactionary, you'll go nuts before you can ever make a difference. As much as I would love your presence in SoCal, the state of Washington needs you too.

Very good analogy re: having to explain our positions. It gets old, fast. Even for me, there is some explaining to do, such as my ethnic/family/immigration background which would otherwise easily label me as a reactionary Republican.

Race Candidate Name Winner
AZ-SEN Jim Pederson
AZ-04 Ed Pastor
AZ-05 Harry Mitchell
AZ-07 Raul Grijalva
CA-SEN Dianne Feinstein
CA-GOV Philip Angelides
CA-04 Charles Brown
CA-15 Mike Honda
CA-31 Xavier Becerra
CA-37 Juanita Millender-McDonald
CA-38 Grace Napolitano
CA-50 Francine Busby
CO-03 John Salazar
CO-04 Angie Paccione
CO-05 Jay Fawcett
CO-06 Bill Winter
CO-07 Edwin Perlmutter
CT-SEN Ned Lamont
CT-02 Joe Courtney *
CT-04 Diane Farrell
FL-SEN Bill Nelson
FL-09 Phyllis Busansky
FL-13 Christine Jennings
FL-17 Kendrick Meek
FL-22 Ron Klein
GA-05 John Lewis
HI-SEN Daniel Akaka
ID-GOV Jerry Brady
IL-06 Tammy Duckworth
IL-08 Melissa Bean
IL-10 Dan Seals
IL-14 John Laesch
IN-08 Brad Ellsworth
IN-10 Baron Hill
IA-GOV Chet Culver
IA-01 Bruce Braley
IA-02 Dave Loebsack
IA-03 Leonard Boswell
IA-04 Selden Spencer
KA-GOV Kathleen Sebelius
KY-02 Mike Weaver
KY-03 John Yarmuth
LA-03 Charlie Melancon
ME-GOV John Baldacci
MD-SEN Ben Cardin
MD-GOV Martin O'Malley
MD-07 Elijah Cummings
MA-SEN Ted Kennedy
MA-01 John Olver
MA-02 Richard Neal
MA-03 James McGovern
MA-04 Barney Frank
MA-05 Marty Meehan
MA-06 John Tierney
MA-07 Ed Markey
MA-08 Michael Capuano
MA-09 Stephen Lynch
MA-10 Bill Delahunt
MI-SEN Debbie Stabenow
MI-GOV Jennifer Granholm
MN-SEN Amy Klobuchar
MN-01 Tim Walz
MN-05 Keith Ellison
MN-06 Patty Wetterling
MS-02 Bennie Thompson
MO-SEN Claire McCaskill
MO-04 Ike Skelton
MO-09 Duane Burghard
MT-SEN Jon Tester
NV-SEN Jack Carter
NV-GOV Dina Titus
NV-02 Jill Derby
NV-03 Tessa Hafen
NH-GOV John Lynch
NH-01 Carol Shea-Porter
NH-02 Paul Hodes
NJ-SEN Robert Menendez
NJ-07 Linda Stender
NM-SEN Jeff Bingaman
NY-SEN Hillary Rodham Clinton
NY-01 Timothy Bishop
NY-04 Carolyn McCarthy
NY-06 Gregory Meeks
NY-20 Kristen Gillibrand
NY-24 Michael Arcuri
NY-27 Brian Higgins
NY-28 Louise Slaughter
NY-29 Eric Massa
NC-12 Mel Watt
ND-SEN Kent Conrad
OH-SEN Sherrod Brown
OH-GOV Ted Strickland
OH-01 John Cranley
OH-04 Richard Siferd
OH-11 Stephanie Tubbs-Jones
OH-13 Betty Sutton
OH-15 Mary Jo Kilroy *
OH-18 Zack Space
OR-GOV Ted Kulongoski
OR-03 Earl Blumenauer
OR-06 Darlene Hooley
PA-SEN Bob Casey
PA-GOV Edward Rendell
PA-02 Chaka Fattah
PA-06 Lois Murphy
PA-07 Joe Sestak
PA-08 Patrick Murphy
PA-10 Chris Carney
RI-SEN Sheldon Whitehouse
RI-GOV Charlie Fogarty
SC-01 Randy Maatta
SC-03 Lee Ballenger
TN-SEN Harold Ford
TX-GOV Chris Bell
TX-16 Silvestre Reyes
TX-21 John Courage
TX-22 Nick Lampson
TX-23 Rick Bolanos
TX-23 Ciro Rodriguez
VT-01 Peter Welch
VA-SEN Jim Webb
VI-AT Donna Christensen
WA-SEN Maria Cantwell
WA-08 Darcy Burner *
WA-09 Adam Smith
WV-SEN Robert Byrd
WI-03 Ron Kind
WI-04 Gwen Moore

~~

"JK is gearing up the email list to help out Mary Jo Kilroy and the fight to get all the votes counted in OH-15.

One of these tight races is in Ohio's 15th Congressional District where Mary Jo Kilroy took on Republican Deborah Pryce, a member of the House leadership team and a rubber stamp for George Bush's misplaced priorities and failed polices in Iraq."

~~

Recipient Donors Total $ Won/Lost

Ned Lamont* 9,432 $301,887.03 L
James Webb* 5,557 $193,248.85 W
Jon Tester* 6,814 $185,318.56 W
Joe Sestak* 4,975 $161,881.75 W
Jerry McNerney 4,555 $126,645.51 W
Patrick Murphy* 4,495 $95,062.97 W
Francine Busby* 3,078 $90,215.17 L
Darcy Burner* 3,589 $84,588.84 Counting
Ciro Rodriguez* 1,651 $74,829.51 Runoff
Larry Kissell 3,532 $73,009.99 Counting
Eric Massa* 3,506 $70,121.01 L
Larry Grant 2,625 $60,622.53 L
Paul Hodes* 3,180 $59,731.04 W
Jay Fawcett* 3,308 $57,122.95 L
Gary Trauner 2,568 $55,779.44 L
Linda Stender* 2,549 $48,578.17 L
Tim Walz* 2,164 $44,972.42 W
Dan Seals* 2,341 $41,961.62 L
John Courage* 2,377 $40,239.87 L
Lois Murphy* 1,765 $37,942.12 L
Paul Hackett* 939 $36,003.54 L
Vic Wulsin 1,308 $32,908.71 Counting
Charlie Brown* 1,142 $24,515.86 L
Coleen Rowley 1,065 $22,091.43 L
Angie Paccione* 1,015 $20,273.69 L
John Laesch* 1,022 $20,075.86 L
Chris Carney* 1,111 $17,518.79 W
John Hall 886 $15,714.11 W
Louise Slaughter* 460 $10,712.57 W
Roberto Rodriguez 649 $10,265.86 L
Kirsten Gillibrand* 584 $10,136.43 W
Tony Trupiano 636 $10,070.84 L
David Mejias 637 $9,760.86 L
Donna Edwards 236 $8,307.28 L
Ben Cardin* 752 $8,105.86 W
David Roth 526 $6,745.86 L
Bill Winter* 587 $6,695.84 L
Mike Arcuri* 733 $6,335.86 W
Nick Lampson* 268 $6,322.69 W
Steven Porter 594 $5,630.86 L
Bruce Braley* 693 $5,525.86 W
Amy Klobuchar* 676 $5,491.43 W
Roger Sharpe 499 $5,255.86 L
Mike Caudle 618 $4,005.86 L
Sherrod Brown* 96 $3,573.43 W
Al Weed 508 $3,560.84 L
Rick Penberthy 111 $3,264.05 LP
Marcy Winograd 52 $2,547.15 LP
Randy Koehn 176 $1,870.86 L
Jan Schneider 76 $1,238.24 LP
Chuck Pennacchio 40 $984.21 LP
David Lutrin 18 $464.21 Withdrew
Christine Cegelis 22 $462.79 LP

Total 92,796 $2,230,196.94

LP - lost in primary

Take a look at the list of names above. Identify how many of them are currently in the position to impeach Bush. Identify how many of them have voted to end the Iraq quagmire. Identify how many of them have challenged Bush in a real meaningful way.

Those list of names are the people who JK sponsored in the 2006 election.

Looks to me from that long list of names that it's pretty easy to determine where the tall guys heart is.

Impeachment happens in the House. And nothing will happen there without the street heat.

Posted by: karen at April 15, 2007 10:15 PM

Proof of the "heart" is in the pudding. According to Hotline, John Kerry's donations to the 2006 campaign was bigger than any other candidates donations. We're talking about the money investment, the time investment and the number of speeches given on a candidate's behalf. According to hotline he donated MORE than Edwards, MORE than Clinton, and MORE than Obama to the whole general election in 2006.

Furthermore, John Kerry directly defended House Rep. Patrick Murphey, Rep. John Murtha, Senator Jim Webb...

And though I certainly credit the netroots and Dean as well as Kerry for these victories, I think you ought to remember RalphH that without the donation that JK gave to the National Dems back in 05, the Democratic Party would have still been running in the 'red'.

John Kerry donated money to put them back in the black so that they could run competitive races across this country. I'm fairly certain that his friend and co-worker Dean appreciated the financial boost too.

So, it's time to move on.

I for one support the 'tall guy' as do many people here at this site.

Words... heart... position... whatever.

It ain't just gonna happen.

We Needs Deeds.

We Needs Deeds.

Posted by: uncafmonkey at April 16, 2007 05:36 AM

Deeds would be good. But hopefully some 'deeds' are happening strategically this whole time!

It's one heart and one mind at a time. I am inching closer to getting my Republican brothers convinced that we MUST impeach the chimp.

This is progress!

And when the Republicans want it as badly as the Democrats then it will happen.

Now...uncaf ..ummmm...uncaffeinatedmonkey...whatcha doing up this early?

I looked up Sam Ervin. Apparently Sam Ervin was appointed to chair the Senate investigation of the Watergate (campaign crimes division).

Apparently he was considered a conservative Democrat who Richard Nixon considered "favorable" to his side.

As a 'moderate', the moderate forces which included Ervin determined the outcome of that impeachment process.

And in my view, that's exactly why the moderate forces have to step up and get vocal. Moderate forces such as Sen. Hagel and others in the House.

Personally, I don't think it's so amazing if Kerry, Obama, Clinton, Feingold, Kucincich or Edwards start shouting "Let's impeach" from the highest tower with the loudest microphone. Let's face it...those people have no credibility on this issue in the eyes of Republicans and the independants who would just say, "Oh..they're just partisan..."

Instead, what needs to happen is for people like my brother or Hagel (or whatever courageous House Republicans are left) to grab the microphone and start shouting Impeachment.

I've got news though...when my brother is saying, "They better make sure they impeach by 08" then you know that the current is going to be headed there mighty quickly.

WA State legislature is debating impeachment on the floor tomorrow.

I missed a big environmental rally down on the waterfront yesterday because I was in a class and guess it happened all over the US.

This week is the student walkout and there are more protests coming up.

Need to get organized and prioritized.

Scary Liberals is completed - click on my name.
I worked on it during breaks at my class and got a few stares.

Kerry Affirms Support of DC Voting Rights

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, on Emancipation Day in Washington, DC, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) made the following statement supporting voting rights for residents in the District of Columbia. Senator Kerry has co-sponsored legislation supporting DC voting rights, and currently supports the House bill.

“Those who live in Washington, DC should have the same rights as all other American citizens, period,” Senator Kerry said. “They deserve a voice in legislation that impacts their lives, and they deserve the right to elect their representatives. Every American's vote must be counted equally -- regardless of race, wealth, religion, or gender, and the same goes for place of residence. It’s unfair and undemocratic to deny DC residents this basic right. I will continue to fight for full voting rights for DC residents and want to commend Mayor Fenty and Congresswoman Holmes Norton for their leadership.”

Just got this email:

The Virginia Tech campus police chief says at least 22 are dead after a shooting massacre at the university.

Culture of Violence

Real Money: The Ugly Side of Cosmetics
http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/realmoney/articles/cosmetics.cfm
Contains also suggestions, info about what has been done so far. The government doesn't regulate because the bottom line is the making of money.