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Documenting An Epidemic
There's been an epidemic of mental failure in Congressional hearings lately. But unless you're addicted to watching C-SPAN (and you know who you are), you may have missed seeing the initial symptoms of the outbreak.
But with the internet and easy-to-use video editing tools available, user-generated content has stepped up to fill the gap between long & boring and short & entertaining.
Those suffering from the affliction have appeared in a number of Congressional hearings and can be identified by their heavy repetition of the phrases, "I don't remember" and "I don't recall".
Of the more recent outbreak, Kyle Sampson was the first notable case.
Then Kyle's boss caught it.
Gonzales had weeks to prepare for yesterday's hearing. But the man who sat at the witness table sounded like the sort of person who forgets where he parked his car.
Explaining his role in the botched firing of federal prosecutors, Gonzales uttered the phrase "I don't recall" and its variants ("I have no recollection," "I have no memory") 64 times. Along the way, his answer became so routine that a Marine in the crowd put down his poster protesting the Iraq war and replaced it with a running "I don't recall" tally.
Take Gonzales's tally along with that of his former chief of staff, who uttered the phrase "I don't remember" 122 times before the same committee three weeks ago, and the Justice Department might want to consider handing out Ginkgo biloba in the employee cafeteria.
Actually Dana did more than just write an article. He also narrated a washingtonpost.com video which provided a surprisingly up, close and personal look for those of us not inside the hearing room.
Then DOJ official Bradley Schlozman caught it per this item from Thinkprogress:
But wait, wait....
someone may have found a remedy for this epidemic that's felling one DOJ official after another.
Each of these videos (with the exception of the wapo video) is a great example of captivating, user-generated content built from a venue that many of our fellow citizens regard as boring. Yes, if you watch C-SPAN for more than an hour a day and wouldn't miss the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings or the House Oversight Committee hearings, you are, in the words of my daughter, 'a nerd'. But as these videos prove, nerds do know how to make a point.
And now once more with music (and an angry cat)….
Do You Remember These
by Statler Brothers
Saturday morning serials chapters 1 through 15
Fly paper penny loafers Lucky Strike Green
Flat tops sock hops Studebaker Pepsi please
Ah do you remember these
Cigar bands on your hand your daddy's socks rolled down
Sticks snow floats and aviator caps with flaps that button down
Styx nose plugs and aviator caps with flaps that button down
Movie stars on Dixie Cup tops and knickers to your knees
Ah do you remember these
The hit parade grape Tru-Aid The Sadie Hawkins Dance
Pedal pushers duck tail hair and peggin' your pants
Howdie-Doodie Tutti-Frutti the seam up the back of her hose
HOWDY - DOODY
Ah do you remember those
James Dean he was keen Sunday movies were taboo
The Senior Prom Judy's mom rock and roll was new
Cracker Jack prize stars in your eyes as daddy tore the keys
Ask Daddy for the keys
Ah do you remember these
The boogey man lemonade stand and takin' your tonsils out
Hindenburg and wait your turn and four foul balls you're out
Indian burn and wait your turn........
Cigarette loads and secret codes and savin' lucky stars
Can you remember back that far
The boat neck shirts and fender skirts and crinoline petticoats
Mum's the word and a dirty bird and a double root beer float
Moon hub caps and loud heel taps and he's a real gone cat
Ah do you remember that
Dancin' close little moron jokes and cooties in her hair
Captain Midnight Ovaltine and The Whip at the County Fair
Charles Atlas Course Roy Roger's Horse and only The Shadow knows
Ah do you remember those
Gable's charm Frog in your arm loud mufflers pitchin' woo
Going steady Veronica and Betty white bucks and Blue Suede Shoes
Knock Knock jokes and who's there Dewey Dewey who
Do we remember these yes we do ah do we do we remember these
Religious leaders testify in Senate on warming
Those called by Democrats urge action; GOP witnesses aren't so sure
WASHINGTON - Several religious leaders — Episcopal, Catholic, Jewish and evangelical Christian — agreed on Thursday on the need to confront global warming, while other faith representatives questioned the climate change threat.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and a former oceanographer, told the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee that most religious people have reached accord on the need to act.
"While many in the faith community represented here today may disagree on a variety of issues, in the area of global warming we are increasingly of one mind," Schori said. "The crisis of climate change presents an unprecedented challenge to the goodness, interconnectedness and sanctity of the world God created and loves."
There was a clear divide between witnesses called by the Democratic majority on the committee, chaired by long-time environmentalist Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, and those chosen by the Republican minority, led by Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the Senate's most vocal climate change skeptic.
In addition to Schori, other witnesses summoned by Democrats were John Carr of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Rev. Jim Ball of the Evangelical Climate Initiative and Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism.
"We believe the science is settled and it's time to fix the problem," Ball told the committee in a statement characteristic of this group of witnesses, who all noted that the consequences of global warming would disproportionately hit the world's poor.
Witnesses called by Republicans were Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Rev. Jim Tonkowich of the Institute on Religion and Democracy and historian David Barton.
Moore said Southern Baptists favor environmental protection but are not united in supporting any "specific legislation to combat global warming."
"Many of us ... are not convinced that the extent of human responsibility is as it is portrayed by some global warming activists, or that the expensive and dramatic solutions called for will be able ultimately to transform the situation," Moore said.
This is in line with the current position of President Bush, who last week unveiled a long-term climate strategy that called for no mandatory limits on the greenhouse gases that spur global warming.
Instead, Bush planned to meet this year with leaders of the 15 countries that emit the most greenhouse gases, and to agree on a way forward to cut emissions by the end of 2008.
The Bush administration has been under fire for its stance on climate change, and at a summit of the Group of Eight richest countries on Thursday in Germany, world leaders agreed to pursue substantial but unspecified cuts in greenhouse gases and work with the United Nations on a new deal to fight global warming by 2009.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19099776/from/RS.3/
Oh yeah, this baby is gonna make the frontpage of the Sunday Fundies section...
Oh yeah, this baby is gonna make the frontpage of the Sunday Fundies section...
Posted by: monkey at June 7, 2007 06:26 PM
And Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday and....
Gee, I didn't know the religious "leaders" did a double major in college: divinity studies and climatology with a minor in environmental studies....
Who'da thunk it?
Oh, and our senators need to be asked:
Have you lost your freakin' minds by calling clergy to talk about climate or environmental changes in the environment... rather than climatologists and others who have actually studied these topics...?!?!?!?!?
Our political "leaders" have SO derailed a serious topic by getting comical over asking religious "leaders" to talk about a subject in which they have absolutely NO expertise!!!
Reminder to Senators: SEPARATION of church and state... First Amendment... LOOK IT UP!!!
http://www.pbs.org/now/index.html#poll
Is the 30-month prison sentence handed down to "Scooter" Libby too severe?
{{{When I voted in this online poll, 88% had said 'No.'}}}
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/07/breaking-senate-judiciary-committee-votes-to-restore-habeas-corpus-rights/
Breaking: Senate Judiciary Committee Votes To Restore Habeas Corpus Rights
Okay. Passed the Committee.... It remains to be seen if our Congress Critters will stand by the rule of law and what's best for the people of this nation and reinstate habeas corpus.
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/detention/30027prs20070607.html
ACLU Applauds Senate Judiciary Committee Action Restoring Habeas Corpus Due Process Rights
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/06/goodling-email/
Goodling In Private Email: ‘Send Directly Up To Me, Outside The System’
{Images of emails online, as well as story.}
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/07/david-sirota-debunks-the-democrats-innocent-bystander-fable/
David Sirota Debunks The “Democrats’ Innocent Bystander Fable”
Video, plus link to this WaPo story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/04/AR2007060401230_pf.html
Discontent Over Iraq Increasing, Poll Finds
Americans Also Unhappy With Congress
{{{Gee, ya THINK?!?!?!? Perhaps we should send this to our Congress Critters....}}}
Posted by dwahzon at June 7, 2007 05:01 PM
Hmmmmmm.......
All these faulty memories make me speculate about who will NOT be writing books after they leave their offices.
If they can't remember anything, what's to write about - unless the millions in advances for book publications are the magic pills that restore memory...???
Hmmmmm.......?
By the by, the DCP sent Albuquerque John some healthy food, to keep him going while he takes care of Linda and he took photos of what he received here:
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r82/kkbradleydc/ABQBasket2.jpg
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r82/kkbradleydc/ABQsBasket.jpg
Looks fab! Thanks to Shelley at Whole Foods in Albuquerque!
Thanks for sending ABQ John a gift of food. Hope he is doing well.
Abraham Lincoln, who in November of 1864, three and a half years after the Civil War began, wrote the following in a letter to Colonel William F. Elkins:
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned, and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war."
Posted by: karen at June 7, 2007 09:59 PM
That is a great basket... I hope John enjoys it, and thanks Karen for the action alert.
Top Diabetes Doctor Says Glaxo Threatened Him
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/060707HA.shtml
The controversy surrounding GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes drug Avandia grew Wednesday as a medical expert told Congress that company executives threatened to sue when he first raised questions in 1999 about the treatment's safety.
William Rivers Pitt | Double, Double, Toil and Trouble
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/060707R.shtml
June 14 is going to be a big day, says William Rivers Pitt, referring to the date that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby will hear the outcome of his appeals process. Bush's decision on whether to pardon Libby presents, "perhaps the most dangerous tipping point facing the Bush administration," declares Pitt. Does Bush pardon Libby to avoid "the kind of terminal public backlash Nixon absorbed after the firing of Archibald Cox during the Watergate scandal," or should he avoid pardoning Libby and risk Libby's decision to "escape prison time by telling Fitzgerald what he knows?"
{{{"Highly Recommended Reading." Pitt goes into several issues, but toward the end he has about six paragraphs that analyze this Libby situation succinctly, something to think about, and wonder just precisely how DimWit will wiggle out of this, short of yet ~ another ~ 'ter'rist threat' that occupies Lamestream Media's nanosecond attention span and regurgitates fearmongering rhetoric to a high pitch. If DimWit lets Scooter go to the Gray Bar Hotel, my jaw may drop in surprise. I think DimWit will pardon Dickie's fall guy, in spite of the long list of negatives and low poll ratings that could dip deeper if Scooter is pardoned. The day to watch for is June 14, apparently (at least there's no mention of more possible legal maneuvers and stalling tactics), so we will just have to stay tuned....}}}
Has anyone seen this yet? More on link.......
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/7/202817/4338
Lynne Cheney, the wife of Vice President Cheney, is "being floated in Senate GOP leadership circles as a possible replacement for the late Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY), who died Monday night."
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/7/12526/68093
Restoring Habeas
I read a couple of days ago, in the ageonline, that Bush will be under pressure to grant Libby a pardon. Has anything seriously arisen, like that?
Lynne Cheney in the Senate?
Heaven help us!
Also read that there was a brawl in the Alabama state Senate and a Republican punched a Democrat.
Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at June 7, 2007 10:15 PM
I wonder. Has the corrupt minority in the world, become the corrupt majority? Or is it only that, through our media and the internet, we witness more corruption which we seem powerless to prevent?
The release of Paris Hilton from jail after 3 days, seems to be a rather pathetic indicator of the ease with which the corrupt can corrupt.
Bush hit by G8 stomach ailment
POSTED: 6:40 a.m. EDT, June 8, 2007
HEILIGENDAMM, Germany (AP) -- Stricken with a stomach ailment that confined him to his hotel room, U.S. President George W. Bush still met Friday with France's new president and prepared for talks in Poland on a new missile defense system.
Bush was already dressed when he began feeling ill in the morning, White House counselor Dan Bartlett said. He said doctors are keeping an eye on him but that Bush's illness -- whether a stomach virus, a light touch of food poisoning or something else -- is "not serious."
He stayed in bed to try to rest and recuperate, missing the morning session of the Group of Eight summit at this northern German resort.
But Bush was not expected to alter his travel plans for later in the day, Bartlett said. After attending the summit's final day, Bush was scheduled to fly to Poland to meet with President Lech Kaczynski and then on to Rome where he was to stay the night.
His sit-down with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the sidelines of the larger summit meetings went ahead as planned -- but in Bush's private chambers instead of a meeting room, Bartlett said.
The summit session Bush missed was a meeting with African leaders. Stepped-up Africa aid was one of Bush's priorities coming to Germany.
It was unclear if, or when, Bush would rejoin the summit. The last session of the gathering is a discussion with leaders from China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, all developing nations, not G-8 members.
Bartlett joked that Bush's decision to steer clear of the other leaders for a while was a "precautionary step" to avoid following in the footsteps of his father, former President George H. W. Bush.
The elder Bush fell ill and collapsed in the international spotlight in January 1992 during a summit in Tokyo. A videotape of Bush's collapse at a state dinner showed him toppling unconscious from his chair and vomiting as Barbara Bush rushed to aid him.
The first sign that something was amiss Friday came when Sarkozy appeared alone before reporters after their meeting.
"President Bush was slightly unwell this morning and will return to the working sessions as soon as he can," Sarkozy told reporters. He said the talks "went well."
more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/08/g8.bushsick.ap/index.html
Hey, this voodoo doll actually works... I love Nawlins.
I coulda had a G8!
One way to stay out of trouble.
Bush laid low at G8 summit
June 8, 2007 - 6:06PM
US President George W Bush came down with a stomach ailment today at the Group of Eight summit in Germany and was resting in his room.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/bush-laid-low-at-g8-summit/2007/06/08/1181089316384.html
Sorry Monkey - I wasn't paying attention.
Posted by: woz at June 8, 2007 07:24 AM
No worries, but you should consider signing up for the DCP pre-paid attention card ;-)
p.s. Bush has no class today due to a dummy ache
You guys are funnier than usual today. I can see how the day will go...
yeah Karen, and I'm just annoyed that I didn't think of the "dummy ache"!
Have to run but got the wierdest email today - G8 related
- the tummy ache of Bush while talking to French Sarko
- a picture of him supposedly drinking a beer (which he's not supposed to be doing) at G-8
- an anecdote about he and Putin talking about their "missiles"
Posted by: monkey at June 8, 2007 07:18 AM
Posted by: monkey at June 8, 2007 07:38 AM
Posted by: karen at June 8, 2007 08:10 AM
Posted by: not my president at June 8, 2007 09:27 AM
Bwahahahahahaaaaaaaaa! Weird and wacky. Are the minds of progressives with an IQ higher than a rock just perverse, or are we so bloody sick and tired of the criminals in charge that we see humor in headlines that were never meant to be humorous?
And here I was wondering if Dumbya was suffering from a simple hangover, being churlish, and playing hookey from the meetings so the bellicose bumbling bully didn't have to do anything for show and tell, like go against his corporate cronies and commit to a firm plan to stop global warming or reduce emissions....
The leaders of other nations must be relieved not to have to listen to the viper's verbal vomit.
Dumbya did grab another person by the shoulders, however. I saw a video clip on BBC news (TV news, PBS in the evening here), looked like the 'world leaders' were walking in a sort of line somewhere on a sidewalk (seemed to be a waist-high hedge between them and the media), Dummy saw the cameras, grabbed the shoulders of the man next to him (like what one would do with a child), stopped, posed for cameras, and then moved on. The other man looked faintly surprised, but did a dutiful smile and they continued to walk on after a second or two. I have no idea who the man is that Dumbya grabbed by the shoulders; but, like when I saw Dumbya grab Merkel, I just cringed in shame because we have such a boor as a "leader."
I've held the opinion for several years now that since we have a spoiled frat brat at the helm and no one in Congress seems to think he needs to be removed from office because of his lies and war crimes, and before he starts a world war, that the rest of the world should carry on with grown-up plans and decisions and exclude the US from anything (what used to be referred to as 'shunning' - although I'm not sure that would work on a stupid bully; he likely wouldn't even know he was being shunned)... and hope they're patient until we have a change in regime, since they exhibit a maturity far above Dumbya's. If we ever get a person with a common-sense, grown-up mentality who acts responsibly and ethically to lead this country again, then the rest of the kids on the block can start inviting us back to the sandbox to participate in decisions that affect the globe....
Posted by: woz at June 8, 2007 12:22 AM
See my previous post above regarding potential problems for our less-than-esteemed "leader" if he pardons Libby:
Posted by: NonnyO at June 7, 2007 11:09 PM
William Rivers Pitt | Double, Double, Toil and Trouble
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/060707R.shtml
As MUCH as I want to see Libby incarcerated, I ALMOST hope Dumbya does the brashest thing possible and pardons ol' Scooter who has lied for his bosses and been such a faithful fall guy for the crimes of others. It might (only might! - I'm not holding my breath) make the more moderate Republicans wake up and see what kind of a lying fool they've blindly supported all these years. But I really, really want Libby to spend the entire 30 months behind bars and pay the heft fine that was levied against him (I wonder who will really pay the fine if he doesn't have the money to do so?).
- a picture of him supposedly drinking a beer (which he's not supposed to be doing) at G-8
Posted by: not my president at June 8, 2007 09:27 AM
If that picture exists, I want to see it plastered all over every web site I can think of!!! There's no chance it would ever get air time in Lamestream Media....
PARIS, France (AP) -- The CIA ran secret prisons in Poland and Romania from 2003 to 2005 to interrogate detainees in its war on terror, European investigator Dick Marty said in a report released Friday.
The report, citing unnamed CIA sources, said top terror suspects Abu Zubaydah and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were secretly held and interrogated in Poland, and that the "highest state authorities" in countries involved knew of the alleged detention centers.
Sheikh Mohammed is the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. Abu Zubaydah is a suspected senior al-Qaeda operative.
Marty also accused Germany and Italy of obstructing his probe into the alleged secret detentions by the CIA.
The report said collaboration by U.S. allies was critical to the secret detention program, which took place in the framework of NATO's security policy.
"The secret detention facilities in Europe were run directly and exclusively by the CIA," said the report. "While it is likely that very few people in the countries concerned, including in the governments themselves, knew of the existence of the centers, we have sufficient grounds to declare that the highest state authorities were aware of the CIA's illegal activities on their territories."
Poland and Romania hosted the prisons under a special post-9/11 CIA program to "kill, capture and detain" so-called high value terrorist suspects, wrote Marty, a Swiss senator investigating the alleged role of Council of Europe states in the CIA program.
Evidence of secret flights -- at least 10 flights to Poland between 2002 and 2005 -- show the pivotal role played by Poland and Romania as drop-off points, the report says.
"There is now enough evidence to state that secret detention facilities run by the CIA did exist in Europe from 2003 to 2005, in particular in Poland and Romania," the report said.
more patriotic activity here...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/08/poland.cia.ap/index.html
Re the post above with:
Top Diabetes Doctor Says Glaxo Threatened Him
I heard part of the Congressional hearings on Avandia recently. It's not just Glaxo threatening him. The Republicans on the committee were badgering him as if he was a trouble maker trying to harm Glaxo and their role was to protect Glaxo.
The question of the risks from Avandia is up in the air, with the recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine being intended to note our state of knowlege and promote necessary further studies. Rather than being concerned with getting to the truth of the matter, Republicans were (as usual) more interested in protecting a company which i s a big contriubtor to them.
Posted by: monkey at June 8, 2007 11:15 AM
As I stated before, I will NEVER forgive Poland.
I'm also pretty sure that the Poles have become the Nicaraguans and the Koreans of this decade, getting back door amnesties from the W regime in immigration matters.
Posted by: Ally McRepuke at June 8, 2007 11:48 AM
I'll bet the list of nations & peoples who will NEVER forgive US is growing by the day as well.
Mission Accompliced
A Piece of the Past Hitches a Ride on Next Space Shuttle Mission
HAMPTON, Va. -- A small piece of early American history will become the latest space traveler with the liftoff of NASA's space shuttle Atlantis. Atlantis is scheduled to launch Friday, June 8 at 7:38 p.m. EDT for the STS-117 mission to the International Space Station.
A nearly 400-year-old metal cargo tag bearing the words "Yames Towne" and some commemorative mementoes are packed in Atlantis' middeck floor cargo space for the roundtrip flight to the International Space Station. Their hitchhike through the galaxy honors this year's 400th anniversary of Jamestown, Va., the first permanent English settlement in North America.
"We found the tag at the bottom of a well during a dig at the James Fort," said William M. Kelso, director of archaeology at Historic Jamestowne for the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. "It appears to be a discarded shipping tag from a crate or trunk that arrived from England around 1611. The artifact clearly marks Jamestown as a destination - our nation's first address."
NASA has teamed with Jamestown 2007 to promote the spirit of exploration then, now and in the future. The artifacts' out-of-this-world trip is just one of a number of events held during the last 18 months that have commemorated the nation's pioneering spirit.
When the one-inch in diameter artifact lands back on Earth, it will have logged more than four million miles spanning four centuries. It will have traveled from England to Jamestown, then to and from the space station. Two sets of Jamestown commemorative coins, authorized by Congress and issued by the U.S. Mint, also are on Atlantis.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html
Weather is iffy, but should it clear, we should get a great view of tonites launch...
T minus 1 hour to main blender start...
Top Joint Chiefs of Staff leaders being replaced
Citing war and Congress, Gates to change chairman and vice chairman
BREAKING NEWS
NBC, MSNBC and news services
Updated: 7 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday he has decided to replace the chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff rather than have them go through contentious renomination hearings before Congress.
Speaking to reporters, and referring to the debate over the war in Iraq, Gates said he envisioned "a confirmation process that would not be in the best interest of the country" were he to renominate Marine Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Adm. Ed Giambiastiani as vice chairman.
"I concluded that because Gen. Pace has served as chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the last six years, the focus of his confirmation process would have been on the past rather than the future," Gates said.
"There was the very real prospect the process would be quite contentious," he said. "A divisive ordeal at this point is not in the interest of the country."
Gates said he had recommended that President Bush nominate Adm. Mike Mullen, chief of naval operations, to replace Pace, whose term expires in September.
Gates said Mullen has the "vision, strategic insight and integrity to lead America's armed forces."
A senior Democratic source within the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmed to NBC that Democrats had made it clear that Pace would have been challenged.
NBC News' Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski said that critics were calling Gates' announcement phase two of the administration's attempt to clean house at the Pentagon after Donald Rumsfeld was forced to resign as defense secretary last November.
Some Pentagon and military officials have quietly criticized Pace for not standing up to Rumsfeld and being what they considered blindly supportive of the former secretary, Miklaszewski reported.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19112660/
Wouldn't have anything to do with that nice letter that Gen. Pace wrote to the judge about how Scooter Libby is a really nice man and didn't mean to do anything bad?
Can't imagine that wouldn't have come up in a confirmation hearing.
NonnyO
Bush Taken Ill After Bonding With Blair Over a Beer
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/news/headlines.html?in_page_id=1770&ito=1490
If it is gone or opens to a main page, we have it archived.
Here's the direct link for the Guardian article that nicht mein präsident referenced above:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=460708&in_page_id=1811
Great vid links (and cool commentary), dwahzon. Thanks!
Beer, you say?
http://rising-hegemon.blogspot.com/2007/06/huh.html
("Stomach virus", my furry otter asterisk.)
June 8, 2007
Gonzales to face ‘no confidence’ vote Monday
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Senate will hold a “no confidence” vote on embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales this Monday, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, announced.
In a statement released Friday, Schumer said if all senators followed their conscience, “this vote would be unanimous.”
“However, the president will certainly exert pressure to support the attorney general, his longtime friend,” Schumer added. “We will soon see where people’s loyalties lie.”
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/08/gonzales-to-face-no-confidence-vote-monday/
Posted by: Otter at June 8, 2007 02:24 PM
The top photo featured on that page looks to me like he's drunk. The second photo he "only" looks like the evil viper he is sipping beer (and NOT the 'non-alcoholic' beer the caption notes - that looks like real beer to me!).
I think the frat boy was suffering from a hangover....
Posted by: Otter at June 8, 2007 02:32 PM
Yupper-doo.... That boy's drunk.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/07/jonathan-turley-slams-bush-republicans-on-habeas-corpus/
Jonathan Turley Slams Bush, Republicans On Habeas Corpus
{{{I couldn't get this to play last night just before I had to shut my computer down when a thunderstorm came through. Excellent points by Turley, so this five minute clip is worth listening to if you haven't already. Am I the only one who feels incredulous when I hear people speak in clear, concise, rational and logical sentences in any kind of media sound bytes...??? So often when I listen to Olbermann or Stewart or Colbert (and/or their guests) I have this thrilling and titillating sensation that I'm enjoying forbidden pleasures by actually understanding everything they're saying and, in reality, they are mostly only reinforcing past education and reading I've done. The repetition I hear on TV if I bother to tune in to even PBS's News Hour, or even listening to a "news teaser" if I am watching the fewer than six shows I actually still watch on TV, just bores me senseless because (to me) it's so obviously propaganda and innuendo designed to brainwash people into believing Bu$hCo fictions that have been imposed on us for the last seven years by bobbleheads in Lamestream Media.}}}
BTW, has anyone else noticed this strange phenomenon that I have for the last few weeks..?
I used to get Google search results within mere seconds. The last few times I've done a Google search I've waited what seems like forever....
So, today when I did a Google search, I timed it, watched the clock on my computer taskbar. Two whole minutes to get the results on screen...!!! And, as with some other searches I've done in the last few weeks, the Wikipedia information came up as first on the list for the Google search.
Have the media conglomerates already clogged our "internets' tubes" with slowdowns? (My ISP is not one of 'theirs' but a local phone company.)
Things that make me go hmmmm.......
Cynical Girl
by Marshall Crenshaw
Well I'm goin' out
I'm goin' out lookin' for a cynical girl
Who's got no use for the real world
I'm lookin' for a cynical girl
Well I hate TV
There's gotta be somebody other than me
Who's ready to write it off immediately
I'm lookin' for a cynical girl
Well I'll know right away by the look in her eye
She harbors no illusions and she's worldly-wise
And I'll know when I give her a listen that she
She's what I've been missin'
What I've been missin'
I'll be lost in love
And havin' some fun with my cynical girl
Who'll have no use for the real world
I'm lookin' for a cynical girl
Well I'm goin' out
I'm goin' out lookin' for a cynical girl
Who's got no use for the real world
I'm lookin' for a cynical girl
Yeah I'll know right away by the look in her eye
She harbors no illusions and she's worldly-wise
And I'll know when I give her a listen that she
She's what I've been missin'
What I've been missin'
I'll be lost in love
And havin' some fun with my cynical girl
Who'll have no use for the real world
I'm lookin' for a cynical girl
In a statement issued Friday, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, an author of the no-confidence resolution, said if all senators followed their conscience, ‘this vote would be unanimous.’”
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/08/gonzales-to-face-no-confidence-vote-monday/
Posted by: monkey at June 8, 2007 02:56 PM
Memo to Chuckie: Do any neoCon senators have a conscience...? Seems to me any uneasy conscience any of them has is eased considerably with money from Bu$hCo's corporate cronies and/or blackmail from the administration (and some Dem senators, too).
Posted by: monkey at June 8, 2007 01:47 PM
Anyone who mixes his personal religious biases with public service, like Pace, is NOT qualified to serve as the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman.
Posted by: Ally McRepuke at June 8, 2007 04:18 PM
So, what, better suited for President then? ;-)
Cheney's pacemaker needs fresh battery
Vice president to have surgery this summer to replace entire unit
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney's routine checkup on Friday revealed no new blockages in his heart, but doctors said he needs a new battery for a special pacemaker he has in his chest, a spokeswoman said.
The battery in his implanted cardiac defibrillator is reaching its limit, said Megan McGinn, deputy press secretary for the vice president. She said doctors must replace the entire device to replace the battery, and that the surgery will be scheduled this summer at a convenient time for the vice president.
more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19116128/
Did I mention I loved my voodoo doll?
Posted by: monkey at June 8, 2007 04:08 PM
Bwahahahahaaaaaa....
Love the song lyrics! I think many women on this blog (and men, too!!!) relate.
Wouldn't have anything to do with that nice letter that Gen. Pace wrote to the judge about how Scooter Libby is a really nice man and didn't mean to do anything bad?
Can't imagine that wouldn't have come up in a confirmation hearing.
Posted by: dwahzon at June 8, 2007 01:55 PM
@@@@@@@@
That's exactly what I thought. First the Bushies tried very hard to keep the Libby Love letters secret. Then you see the strange collection of people writing in support of Libby. Why would an active duty General write a letter about a White House political appointment? Shouldn't the active duty military stay out of partisan politics and judicial matters that don't concern them?
Did I mention I loved my voodoo doll?
Posted by: monkey at June 8, 2007 04:22 PM
Awwwww.... Are you putting that poor little voodoo dolly through the same torture that detainees at Gitmo and elsewhere have to endure...?
Tsk, tsk, tsk....
During the Senate Committee's questioning of Schlozman, Leahy asked if Schlozman would turn over a document to the committee and Schl. replied by saying that he would have to "check" with the Department (DOJ) first. Leahy had had enough at this point. Leahy who was almost yelling at Schl., says "you can either provide the document now or we will subpoena you and have you up here again with the document. We will subpoena both you and the document. It is your choice."
Did I feel vicarious pleasure at Schl. being slapped around by Leahy like a naughty schoolboy!!!!!!
It was as good as the Specter-Gonzales exchange where Specter asks Gonzo "Were you prepared for the press conference, attorney general?" ... "Well, you said you prepared yourself..."
This is really good stuff - it reminds me of the Watergate hearings!!!!
I WANT TO SEE SCOOTER LIBBY IN AN ORANGE JUMP-SUIT AND A HOOD OVER HIS HEAD being led off to jail!!!
that would be rich...
So, what, better suited for President then? ;-)
Posted by: monkey at June 8, 2007 04:20 PM
You got me, my simian friend. :)
So, what, better suited for President then? ;-)
Posted by: monkey at June 8, 2007 04:20 PM
You got me, my simian friend. :)
So who put together the U.S. attorney firing list???
Sampson with Gonzales, Goodling and Miers??
It's Subpoena Time
The New York Times | Editorial
Friday 08 June 2007
For months, senators have listened to a parade of well-coached Justice Department witnesses claiming to know nothing about how nine prosecutors were chosen for firing. This week, it was the turn of Bradley Schlozman, a former federal attorney in Missouri, to be uninformative and not credible. It is time for Senator Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, to deliver subpoenas that have been approved for Karl Rove, former White House counsel Harriet Miers and their top aides, and to make them testify in public and under oath.
Mr. Schlozman was appointed United States attorney in Missouri while the state was in the midst of a hard-fought Senate race. In his brief stint, he pushed a lawsuit, which was thrown out by a federal judge, that could have led to thousands of Democratic-leaning voters being wrongly purged from the rolls. Just days before the election, he indicted voter registration workers from the liberal group Acorn on fraud charges. Republicans quickly made the indictments an issue in the Senate race.
Mr. Schlozman said it did not occur to him that the indictments could affect the campaign. That is hard to believe since the Justice Department's guidelines tell prosecutors not to bring vote fraud investigations right before an election, so as not to affect the outcome. He also claimed, laughably, that he did not know that Acorn was a liberal-leaning group.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/060807L.shtml
Posted by: Ralpheh at June 8, 2007 04:52 PM
Oeange jump suit, yes, but nothing over his head. Gotta see the face! Otherwise it could be anyone in an orange jump suit with something over his head being photographed and he could be led in the jail doors via a back entrance. (I do wonder if he will be photographed by Lamestream Media as he goes to jail...?)
Gotta see the face, but I think ol' Scooter would look charming in flame orange, even neon orange.... Same color would look good on Georgie and Dickie and Gonzo and Condi and their criminal cohorts as they are led off to jail when being convicted of their obvious war crimes....
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/6/8/75959/56833
Cheers and Jeers: Rum and Coke FRIDAY!
Excerpt:
JEERS to the enemies of democracy. Yes, yes...it's great that the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act yesterday. But to think there are eight idiots on the committee---Kyl, Brownback, Sessions, Grassley, Cornyn, Graham, Coburn and Hatch---who think our system of government functions just fine without it is scary. There's a word for people like them...and it ain't "American."
JEERS to dirty tricksters. BREAKING: Scientists now say they know what killed that 5,000 year-old man---"Oetzi"---they discovered in the Alps 16 years ago. He was stabbed in the back and bled to death. The fingerprints on the arrowhead? Cheney's.
{{{Much, much more stuff on link; caveat: guffaw warning, so don't be eating or drinking anything while reading it.}}}
Posted by: NonnyO at June 8, 2007 05:48 PM
Thanks for sharing.
The neocon Senators' list is not surprising. And I knew that Brownback isn't really American at all - he's a Moonie puppet.
Posted by: monkey at June 8, 2007 04:08 PM
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.
~ George Bernard Shaw
Posted by: Ally McRepuke at June 8, 2007 06:19 PM
The thing that's baffled me for so many years is the fact that so MANY senators and reps seem to be afflicted with the mass hysteria that caused them to lose their minds nad give Georgie and Dickie and their corporate cronies everything they demand with their silly temper tantrums.
Just... mind-boggling. None seem to think for themselves any longer. Behavior straight out of sixth or seventh grade, caving in to peer pressure....
Impeach Bush.
He has just fired a sane General and installed a crazy one and imperils us all.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/8/154911/3350
No wonder he is supporting Musharrif, the military dictator whose populace is up in arms because he fired their chief justice.
No wonder he is admired by the new right-leaning leaders of Europe and inspired much skepticism with more cautious, thoughtful ones like Chirac and Schroeder.
What is the world coming to?
Restore Habeus Corpus
Habeas corpus, which permits the accused a fair hearing in front of a neutral
judge, is the most fundamental check on executive power in our Constitution. The
United States Supreme Court asserted that habeas "is the fundamental instrument
for safeguarding individual freedom against lawless state action."
HABEAS CORPUS ACTION PAGE: http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/113
a voice of sanity:
Kerry on Pentagon Decision To Replace General Pace
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator John Kerry today issued the following statement on the announcement that Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be replaced rather than reappointed. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said this afternoon that he would recommend Adm. Mike Mullen to replace Pace.
“It is a sad state of affairs when this Administration withdraws a general they believe is qualified simply to avoid having to publicly defend their failed Iraq policy,” Senator Kerry said. “Congress has an obligation to ask tough questions about Iraq, and the architects of this war have an obligation to answer them openly and honestly. We will continue to hold this Administration accountable on Iraq. The next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must tell Congress and the American people the truth about this war.”
a sample of Mullen's mental outlook:
"The enemy now is basically evil and fundamentally hates everything we are -- the democratic principles for which we stand ... This war is going to go on for a long time. It's a generational war."
"enemy"
"evil"
"hates"
My sister lives on a psych ward. I've been around severely paranoid dangerous disturbed individuals periodically for years. That's the language of paranoia and projection and psychotic delusion.
Posted by: not my president at June 8, 2007 07:16 PM
Mullen is definetely one of "them".
Stix & Stoned
Another military piece of work - General Boykin
Appearing in uniform during a speech at the Oregon church, Boykin said: "Why do they [radical Muslims] hate us? Why do they hate us so much? Ladies and gentlemen, the answer to that is because we're a Christian nation." In another speech he recounted the time he chased down a Muslim Somali warlord who was bragging that the Americans would not capture him because Allah would protect him. "My God is bigger than his God. I knew my God was a real God, and his was an idol," Boykin said.
--Onward Christian soldiers -- the Third Crusade
Earth to monkey, earth to monkey...please come it... please liveblog from the Atlantis liftoff...
Source: BRAD BLOG
EXCLUSIVE: PROGRESSIVE LA TALK RADIO HOST TO BUY CINDY SHEEHAN PROPERTY IN CRAWFORD, TEXAS
Former TV News Anchor, Bree Walker, to Purchase 5-Acre 'Camp Casey' Property Near Bush Ranch
Will Keep Property Open to Public as 'Legacy for Peace'; Sheehan to Appear Live in Studio Walker's Program Saturday...
Former Los Angles newscaster turned progressive talk radio host, Bree Walker will be purchasing Cindy Sheehan's 5-acre property near the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas, The BRAD BLOG has learned.
Walker, currently a resident of San Diego, was previously a television news anchor in Los Angles and New York.
She told us moments ago that she intends to keep it "as a ground for freedom and peace" and is considering erecting a memorial there for troops killed in Iraq. She hopes to create a meditation garden on the property and keep it open to the public.
"I'm cashing out my capitalist corporate stocks and buying into a legacy of peace," Walker told The BRAD BLOG moments ago...
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4665
Posted by: not my president at June 8, 2007 07:38 PM
I'm sorry, but both Boykin's God and the Muslims' God are ONE AND THE SAME - and the same vengeful, hate-filled patriarchal existence.
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator John Kerry today issued the following statement on the announcement that Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be replaced rather than reappointed. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said this afternoon that he would recommend Adm. Mike Mullen to replace Pace.
“It is a sad state of affairs when this Administration withdraws a general they believe is qualified simply to avoid having to publicly defend their failed Iraq policy,” Senator Kerry said. “Congress has an obligation to ask tough questions about Iraq, and the architects of this war have an obligation to answer them openly and honestly. We will continue to hold this Administration accountable on Iraq. The next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must tell Congress and the American people the truth about this war.”
Posted by: not my president at June 8, 2007 07:14 PM
@@@@@@@@@@@@
Pete Pace was Rumsfeld's flunky. He does not deserve to be promoted.
That and the fact that Pace wrote a letter in support of Scooter Libby means that the General is playing politics when he should be more worried about Iraq and the military.
Posted by: not my president at June 8, 2007 07:16 PM
The fact is, progressive "mentally ill" are locked up in our institutions, and truly mentally ill people on the conservative side are in our highest government positions.
No denying about it.
Posted by: madame defarge at June 8, 2007 08:31 PM
Though I' past one hundred thousand miles
I' feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell me wife I love her very much, she knows
Impeach Bush.
He has just fired a sane General and installed a crazy one and imperils us all.
Posted by: not my president at June 8, 2007 07:06 PM
Again?
A 7 and a 9 year old? What information could they possibly provide?
Report names 'missing' US detainees
London
June 9, 2007
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and four other groups are demanding that the US Government accounts for 39 people who they believe have been held at secret CIA prisons since the attacks of September 11, 2001.
[snip]
Yusuf al-Khalid and Abed al-Khalid were aged nine and seven when they were taken into custody in 2002.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/report-names-missing-us-detainees/2007/06/08/1181089329092.html
Hooray for the end of our 2nd media-politico-distorted conglomerate!!!
Ally, sorry you're stuck with Murdoch. We've also parted with the Packers, whose media installed Howard as our PM.
Farewell to the moguls
Matthew Ricketson
June 9, 2007
IN 1995, with a federal election due the following year, Kerry Packer appeared on his own television network and, for all intents and purposes, anointed John Howard as the next prime minister.
More on Pace:
The secretary said his decision to replace General Pace had "absolutely nothing to do" with the general's performance as chairman. The general "has served our country with great distinction and deserves the deepest thanks of the American people," Mr. Gates said. "I am disappointed that the circumstances make this kind of decision necessary," Mr. Gates said. "I wish that were not the case. I wish it were not necessary to make a decision like this."
The secretary said the political figures he had conferred with were unanimous in their respect for General Pace - and unanimous in their feeling that a change in Pentagon leadership was needed.
When he was asked whether the necessity of replacing General Pace signaled waning Congressional support for the Iraq war, Mr. Gates replied, "No, I don't think it says that."
**********************************************
In his time as chairman, General Pace rarely showed any sign of disagreement with civilian leaders.
*************************************************
In public, at least, he backed Secretary Rumsfeld's preference for holding down troop levels in Iraq, until that policy was re-examined by the White House late in 2006. In March, he caused a stir when he said he believed homosexual conduct to be immoral; soon afterward, he said he should not have said that.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Pace does not deserve to be promoted ( he really deserves to be demoted.. LOL )
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/8/3436/22674
Too Drunk to Come Out of His Room
{Poll on page. Also, though the thread is long, certain posters have a LOT of info on alcoholic vs. non-alcoholic beer, one notes the 'lacing' (who knew?). The value of the internet: you can find out everything you wanted to know and everything you didn't want to know about dang near any given subject.}
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/08/giulianis-pa-chairman-is-a-republican-operative-convicted-of-bribery/
Giuliani’s PA Chairman Is A Republican Operative Convicted of Bribery
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/08/olbermann-bill-oreilly-owes-judge-ernest-murphy-an-apology/
Olbermann: Bill O’Reilly Owes Judge Ernest Murphy An Apology
Cheney needs a new pacemaker, not just battery
Christy
Voodoo doll works?
Posted by: not my president at June 9, 2007 02:22 AM
I must be tired. I read, "Cheney needs a new peacemaker, not just battery". He does need a peacemaker though.
Voodoo definately works.
But a bad pacemaker is far more effective.
I've been awake all night and I have to share something.
I was never told not to share any of this, so check this out.
The guy Buddy Huckabee, that was elected sheriff 4 months after Aline disappeared...My cousin told me yesterday that he won that election by 3 votes, and another guy, Atkins I think, that was running against him took him to court and disputed the election saying Huckabee had committed fraud.
There was a man named Perry Casen (sp?), and he was the cousin of a State Trooper. So far that is all I know about him.
That, and I was told, by another cop... that 'minutes after Huckabee was sworn in as sheriff at midnight', Perry Casen was murdered and the crime remains unsolved to this day.
The other 29 unsolved murders we know about are all from the prior admin. of Kerwin Brown.
Huckabee was sheriff for like 20 years, and we have no idea how many unsolved murders he left with because apparently Red River Parish has no records or data that show how many. We've looked.
But, we know within MINUTES of him becoming sheriff, there was already at least one.
What does all this mean...?
I have no idea. But I can't freaking sleep anymore.
Christy, I've been following your story with great interest. This is turning out to be a very long and involved murder-mystery or psycho-drama. I'm not making light of it. Talk about truth being stranger than fiction. These characters go from bad to worse.
I have a question about US appointments for sheriff. Are they elected by the locality that's in need? Is the sheriff the top dog of the police station? If someone is elected how often does he/she have to stand for reelection or is there permanent tenure if desired?
Also lawyers - who appoints them - your judges and leading lawyers? It's all highly political? Is that
right? Is it the local town who appoints their sheriff?
Bush meets pope, defends record
ROME, Italy (CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush defended his humanitarian record around the world at his first audience with Pope Benedict XVI, telling the pontiff on Saturday about U.S. efforts to battle AIDS in Africa.
Dressed in a black suit and tie, with his wife by his side, Bush greeted Vatican officials outside before ascending the red carpeted stairs to meet the pope for the first time.
Once inside, the president was ushered into a large, ornate room where the pope greeted him with an extended hand and smile. The two sat and talked at a desk in the open room while a group of photographers snapped pictures of the encounter.
It was Bush's first trip to the Vatican since attending the funeral of Pope John Paul II, Benedict's predecessor, in 2005.
The pope asked the president about his meetings with leaders of other industrialized nations in Germany and then changed the topic to international aid.
"I've got a very strong AIDS initiative," Bush said, according to The Associated Press.
The president promised the pope that he would work to get Congress to double the current U.S. commitment for combatting AIDS in Africa to $30 billion over the next five years.
At the G8 summit in Germany leaders of the world's richest countries pledged $60 billion to fight diseases such as AIDS in Africa.
The pope also asked Bush about his meeting in Germany with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has criticized a U.S. missile shield in Europe.
"The dialogue with Putin was also good?" the pope asked.
Bush, apparently looking at photographers and reporters who were about to be escorted from the room, replied, according to AP: "Umm. I'll tell you in a minute."
CNN's Ed Henry reported that moving throughout Rome was difficult Saturday due to security barricades and other restrictions implemented in light of the large anti-war protests going on in the city, where about 10,000 police were on duty.
The president had pledged to be in a "listening mode" during talks with Benedict, which were also expected to touch on the controversial war in Iraq.
"I think His Holy Father will be pleased to know that much of our foreign policy is based on the admonition to whom much is given, much is required," Bush said in a pre-trip interview, according to AP.
He promised to "go in open-minded."
"Sometimes I'm not poetic enough to describe what it's like to be in the presence of the Holy Father. It is a moving experience," said Bush, a Methodist, of the Roman Catholic leader. "He's a good thinker and a smart man. I'll be in a listening mode."
moron...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/09/bush.europe/index.html
Pope-a-dope
Woz, yes it is all highly political, but I am not sure exactly how it works in Red River. We have a horrifically Frech justice system in Louisiana and they've been defrauing voters for generations here. It is all a big confusing mess.
I do know that yes, the sheriff is the top dog, but there is no way sheriffs can get away with it unless the DA is somehow letting it happen.
The DA has absolute authority over the parish and answers to no one.
The District Attorney is the one that ultimately has a responsibility to prosecute someone for it, and they have their own investigative office just in case the police fail to make the case.
Red River has only ever had one single DA. Bill Jones. He is the DA right now and was DA for both Kerwin Brown and Huckabees admin. Came into office in 80 I think and apparently made it a lifelong position.
Here is another Worlds Biggest Coincident.
Since Red River was so unpopulated, another parish did their legal part until a functioning system was 'created' for Red River and jones appointed DA.
As soon as Jones came into office, within 2 months, he had issued an arrest warrant for Katherine 'Fuzzy' Hayes, age 15... With instructions to take her to 'the coroner'.
There is only one reason to take a live person to the coroner, to have her declared not mentally competant.
She apparently eluded the arrest.
Then..4 months after jones taking office, Katherine Hayes was murdered by Robert Charles Browne.
Only her skull was later recovered.
Her murder is also officially still unsolved.
BTW, yes Woz, the locals elect the sheriff.
Provided the election is not rigged, of course.
The DA is suppossed to be elected, but as I said Red Rivers DA office was only created in 79/80 and jones has taken up lifelong residency.
It is hard to believe all of these murders are playing out in a parish that still has less than ten thousand people.
Thanks Christy. You're not kidding that it's way too many for a parish that size. I don't know how it is for you after all this time, but reading it and having one question answered, raises a half dozen more.
I don't know which system is more corrupt - yours with local voting for the position and the possibility of tampering; or ours that come by appointment following advertising of positions and locations; and an interview by a panel of colleagues/inspectors. We've had some appalling police corruption here in Australia - in virtually every state.
Yeah appointments to those positions is just as bad as a corrupted election.
You know, I have ofcourse, like everyone, heard about all kinds of police corruption, but what goes on down here is really some of the most unbelievable things I could ever imagine.
I am not sure I would have believed Aline's story, if I had not seen it unfold with my own eyes. I think all of us always knew this case is about much much more than Aline herself.
I have been asked several times now 'Yeah.. But,...how do we stop it?'.
The answer is 'All together now.'
As individuals, none of us can overcome their power. Aline could not make them stop, nor my grandpa, my mother, myself, nor any of my kids.
Wanda Hudson, Katherine Hayes, Lisa Lowe, Melody Bush, not even Detectives Hess or Nohr can stop them.
Not even Trooper Allen can make it stop without all of the rest coming together for him.
All of that combined will stop them. The sheer weight of it, your eyes watching, they can no longer escape it.
Their very real power becomes an illusion as soon as they are seen for what they are. When EVERYBODY KNOWS, then the pretending will stop.
What truly frightens me is that many victims means multiple killers. Killers the police let get away with murder, maybe multiple times.
How many killers are watching my family even now...? How far will they go to keep the bodies hidden...? How many killers...5...25?
24 years of lies are coming down into a situation where many innocents have already died for no reason at all.
How I feel about it is very simple. I'm tired of it and they piss me off.
I want this to end, it has to stop and stop now.
I want my cousins to get their mommy back.
I am also afraid that it will drag on, and my children will be left to advocate justice in the face of inborn evil. They will have to live with the fear.
Tired, angry, and afraid, but mostly just angry.
Honestly, it is the anger that lasts the longest.
Just for the sake of paying attention to actual details, I'll note that the Pentagon's unexpected decision not to renominate Peter Pace as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has nothing to do with his being "promoted" or not (let alone whether he does or does not deserve to be "promoted"). Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is pretty much the top of the food chain as far as professional military officers are concerned, there's nowhere to be promoted to from there.
And Pace has already held that gig for the last couple of years anyway, so he's got nowhere else farther up the promotion ladder to go now that his handlers in the Pentagon have decided that they don't have the stones to go through a renomination process with him. It'll be interesting to see how the reactions to this play out.
Posted by: Otter at June 9, 2007 12:36 PM
There's a diary that says Pace was "fired" because he opposed plans to go to war with Iran.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/8/154911/3350
madame, are you implying that the current occupiers of the White House might actually go so far as to remove from power those who they feel are not sufficiently toeing the party line? Why, I am shocked, *shocked*, I tell you!
I have a question about US appointments for sheriff. Are they elected by the locality that's in need? Is the sheriff the top dog of the police station? If someone is elected how often does he/she have to stand for reelection or is there permanent tenure if desired?
Also lawyers - who appoints them - your judges and leading lawyers? It's all highly political? Is that
right? Is it the local town who appoints their sheriff?
Posted by: woz at June 9, 2007 08:13 AM
Woz -
In the US here are three levels of law enforcement personnel in most states (I worked in law enforcement when I was young). There may be some regional differences, but mostly, in general, this is the situation most of the time:
City police departments with police officers. The chief of police is hired by city councils. Little or no political process involved, but in larger cities I notice police chiefs are recruited from other large cities if someone from within the department isn't promoted to Chief of Police. Police officers are hired based on qualifications and educational background, usually after a city civil service exam and background check. Jurisdiction for city/town police departments ends at the city limits. (Very small towns might have only three or four police officers, the very smallest have none, but the sheriff's department is called in case of criminal activities, and if investigation then leads to crossing county lines or the like, then they call in the state police or other jurisdictions, depending on what the criminal activity is.)
Sheriff's and Sheriff's Deputies; the sheriff is elected, but there's never a political party designation behind the name on the ballot. They seem to be elected every four years (locally) - might be otherwise in other counties/states. Deputies are hired based on a county civil service application and educational background (most law enforcement, city, county, and state, now require a college education or equivalent, with a major in law enforcement) and background check. Jurisdiction ends at the county line. It's the sheriff's offices that usually have the jails, but large cities might have both a city jail and a county jail. In smaller cities, or maybe the county seat, I notice there are now 'law enforcement centers' which often combine the city and county jails together because the smallest towns usually can't afford to have special buildings for jails. Locally, each town has a chief of police and police officers, but they bring prisoners to the law enforcement center because it's the only place that has a jail. The law enforcement centers also often are the ones that have the dispatchers for both county and city law enforcement officers, and that's the place one gets when they dial 911 in an emergency. The dispatchers find out what the emergency is, then send the appropriate law enforcement officer for any given jurisdiction or fire departments or ambulances to where they're needed, and that could be the local area or way out in the county (if it's a large county) where the emergency is located. There are now areas where a helicopter can be called in when necessary in an emergency. I know my local area has such a thing in dire emergencies because I now live near a hospital and I sometimes hear the helicopter deliver patients to the hospital.
State Police (some states call it State Patrol rather than State Police). The head honcho is given some title like Commander (depends on the state), and he or she is hired from within the ranks by promotion when the previous one retires (mandatory retirement in law enforcement is age 55). Some states have a Commissioner of Law Enforcement above the person in charge of state law enforcement officers (not all states, I think, but where I worked there was). The Commissioner is appointed by the governor, and is not always a state police officer before the appointment (the local sheriff where I worked became a Commissioner for the whole state when the previous one retired at one point). Most states have state police/patrol districts and there's a district 'commander' (often with a military title like Captain, with Lieutenants or Sergeants and Corporals below them, and the entry-level officers are just called 'Officer' until they have enough experience or seniority to be promoted to at least Corporal - hiring is by state civil service exam, qualifications, educational background, and background check), and that is a promotion from within ranks, usually based on a combination of seniority and ability. To avoid local interdepartmental jealousies, by the time an officer gets to that level of years of experience and ability to be in charge of other officers, district commanders are moved to another area of the state when openings arise. Jurisdiction is the entire state. There are now divisions within state law enforcement that deal exclusively with criminal investigation (forensics investigations and drug enforcement and the like if cases cross county/city boundary lines and if more rural city or county law enforcement asks for assistance when the departments are so small they can't afford to hire specialists), rather than simply patrolling highways for traffic violations and investigating traffic accidents, although that is one aspect of state police agencies. In my particular state there are now a mobile crime lab vehicles with forensics investigators that travel to the more rural areas when crimes like murder and drug labs need to be investigated, and they're a division of the state law enforcement agency. There's even a regional crime lab for the state about a three hour drive north of where I live (there may be more, but I only know about the one because there was a news blurb about it on a local PBS news station when it opened).
When criminal cases are involved, the police officers or investigators or deputies (depending on which branch or division they work with) take the facts and evidence to the prosecuting attorney for the city or the county (or district attorney if it's a case involving multiple counties or states), and it's up to the prosecuting attorney for any given jurisdiction to issue arrest warrants and bring the criminals to trial. If the investigation has been done correctly and all evidence is overwhelming, there's usually a conviction once they get to court.
The fourth level of law enforcement is federal, and is usually the FBI. They deal with criminal cases that cross state lines, such as kidnappings, drug rings, child pornography and prostitution (those things now often involve the internet and porno web sites), etc., but when crimes involve crossing state lines, the FBI has jurisdiction, but they often work closely with whatever local law enforcement agencies that first discovered the crime. There's also ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms), and they work closely with the FBI in some cases. Jurisdiction is the entire nation for both, but officers are sprinkled throughout the nation. On occasion they came into the office where I worked in another state, so I once knew people from both of those federal jurisdictions.
The CIA is separate from them entirely, but they're federal and/or work with international law enforcement and/or sometimes they have undercover officers (like what Valerie Plame Wilson used to do). Under normal circumstances, that is. Under Bu$hCo, the CIA has lost whatever 'good' reputation they used to have for catching national and international criminals because now it seems they're involved with the torture that's going on at Gitmo. Mostly, whatever the CIA does is shrouded in mystery because of its association with international spying and the like.
The huge kerfluffe about the 9/11 hijackers and their suspected activities before that day involved the lack of communication between the FBI and CIA. If those departments had communicated better with each other and shared their information (since it seems they were both investigating the same people from different angles), people like Coleen Rowley might have been listened to (she once worked with the FBI and wanted to obtain a legal search warrant regarding Moussaoui who was taking flight lessons at a Minnesota airport and she was turned down for obtaining a legal search warrant - she and two other women made the cover of Time as 'persons of the year' because between them they blew the whistle on lots of things). If those agencies had communicated their intelligence reports with each other, perhaps the whole hijacking plot could have been uncovered before it happened (although I'm still convinced if DimWit had read his Aug. 6, 2001 PDB and acted on it, the hijackings and tragic results could have been prevented; I personally believe he let it happen for his own gain). Coleen Rowley ran for Minnesota state representative last year (not in my district) as a Democrat, but she lost.
There are other things within law enforcement that affect how normal, good officers do their jobs, and in the case of city, county, and state law enforcement officers, their training and education is ongoing, sometimes specialized training as they progress in seniority. Many departments now have K-9 dogs, and on occasion a sheriff in a remote area may have to do something like calling out volunteers or people who have horses to search for lost individuals and they are temporarily deputized to do searches, etc., but those instances are not frequent, so they are not called out often.
The situation in Louisiana is an anomaly. It seems both political and law enforcement corruption has been rife in Louisiana for many years (since at least the days of Huey Long, if not before), and it is not the "normal" situation found in the vast majority of other states. Yes, there are bad apples among some other law enforcement agencies on occasion (and they do make headline news, at least within their states or counties or cities), but when they're discovered, they're fired and not even treated well by former fellow officers for the simple reason most law enforcement officers do not want their good reputations sullied by associating with 'dirty cops.' Those are usually individual cases, however, and do not involve lots of people, or interdepartmental corruption that crosses both political and law enforcement lines (as what seems to have happened where Christy lives?). The cops I knew and worked with were of the 'good cop' variety (a couple of unpleasant individual personalities among the dozens I worked with over many years, but they did their jobs otherwise, and no corruption was involved). Most cops really do enter the profession for all the right reasons of wanting to protect ordinary people from the criminals, and they live their personal lives accordingly. Good cops don't usually make the headline news unless there's some kind of dramatic life-saving event. Most are just ordinary good people who just do their jobs for all the right reasons.
Quite frankly, every time Christy writes anything involving Aline (and the other people murdered in that same area) and the so-called law enforcement people who have so utterly failed to do their jobs, I am horrified beyond words that such things have happened. I know it's all real, but it reads like a surreal crime novel, so I can only barely, barely grasp what she and her family have had to endure all these years. It seems law enforcement in her area has been operating like they're a law unto themselves with no regard for any written laws, certainly no ethical and moral considerations seem to be involved. If such horror had happened in another state, I suspect the person who murdered Aline and the other people would have been caught a long time ago.
HILLARY NOT TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT THE N.I.E. ??
Very frustrated that Hillary Clinton is, apparently, the Dem. front-runner, I have been thinking about her admission that she didn't bother to read the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq before voting to authorize the use of force. (this admission itself should disqualify Hillary from being president...)
Hillary's lame excuse:
She was briefed by "experts" and thus didnt have to read the NIE report
1) I don't believe this talking point
2) Let us say that Hillary's statement is true and let us project into the future that some enterprising journalist (or Republican opposition researcher) decides to look at Hillary's talking point in greater depth and ask the next logical question: who were the "experts" that Hillary talked to?
It is frankly to me, unbelievable, that HIllary didn't have access to much more information about Iraq from her hubby, Bill, who could have told HIllary ALL ABOUT the Project for a New American Century. (Actually, for the enterprising journalist, this would be yet another probing and interesting question to ask Hillary "Did you consult with Bill Clinton on Iraq's WMD and your vote."
Bottomline - I don't think Hillary is telling the truth about her vote....
http://kucinich.house.gov/SpotlightIssues/documents.htm
H Res 333, articles of impeachment on Kucinich's web site.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070609/ap_on_re_eu/russia_us_missiles
Russia wants freeze on U.S. missile plan
Russia's foreign minister urged the United States on Saturday to freeze plans for missile defense installations in eastern Europe during negotiations and warned that the proposal — intended to serve as a buffer against Iran — could backfire.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's comm