Requiscat en pace, Steve Gilliard

Wouldn't it have been a pure joy to sit and chat with such a common-sense, thoughtful, rational thinker like Steve...?

I was unaware of Steve until I read kos' tribute yesterday. It's possible I read something of Steve's within the last few years, but forgot to note the author's name.

Still, Steve's article touches on many, if not all, of the things we've discussed on this blog through the years, so his words are comforting, even now.

May he rest in peace.

I've been unaware of Steve myself until this very post. But this is an extremely moving post from him.

Thank you so much for sharing this. This is a big loss - but we shall move on and carry his words.

And I sincerely hope that people of conscience in both major political parties listen to what Steve has had to say.

And I sincerely hope that people of conscience in both major political parties listen to what Steve has had to say.

Posted by: Ally McRepuke at June 5, 2007 01:33 PM

Me too.

Re: Libby sentence

I guess that means no waterboarding for Scooter.

Re: He's so unpopular at home let's send him overseas and have him preach to other countries.

Can't they just leave Jr. home to jump on the bed?

Thanks Rick, for putting this tribute together.

Steve was an amazing fixture in the lefty blogosphere. It's hard to imagine that he won't be posting again.

His shoes will be tough to fill.

Thanks for the thoughtful interesting thread header.

On another note, there is alot of shifting of media attention, as to missile shields, but..

Bin Laden Alive and Well, Says Taleban
http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,,2095974,00.html

Monbiot on G8
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2095677,00.html
British activist points out the hypocrisy between what the leaders of the world's countries say they'll do and what they actually do, with respect to the world's poor

Michael Moore's movie "Sicko" is being previewed right this minute on "Oprah". (No, I don't sit home and watch tv all day, I saw it was going to be on today and today is my day off.

Really good point: Republicans and Fundies are watching this too, and will be BIG TIME!!!!!

U.S. economy's fate in Saudi hands
Forget the Fed and Washington, D.C. Because of its swing position in the world's oil market, Saudi Arabia wields the real power over our economic future.

Saudi Arabia is running the U.S. economy.

I'm not sure the Saudis want the task, but they've got it. Because the United States still doesn't have a national energy policy, we've thrown decisions about how fast our economy grows and whether our standard of living rises or falls into the hands of Saudi Arabia's oil ministry.

That's risky, since the economic self-interest of Saudi Arabia and the United States aren't always aligned, and because keeping the fractious and often dysfunctional governments of the world's oil producers on the same economic course is a whole lot harder than building consensus among the governors of the Federal Reserve.

Fed ain't what it used to be
Remember the good ol' days? Back when the U.S. Federal Reserve and its chairman were in charge of our economy? The Fed would try to find a delicate balance in setting interest rates: High enough to control inflation and low enough to encourage economic growth. Once upon a time, those policy changes were actually the most important decisions anyone made about the U.S. economy.

By the Fed's own admission, the growth of global liquidity has reduced the U.S. central bank's ability to control interest rates -- and thus the economy -- in the United States. Think about this: The Fed raises short-term interest rates relentlessly from their 1% low in June 2003, and yet long-term rates sink as global cash flows overwhelm the Fed's domestic policy shifts.

snip

BTW...read the whole article. It's well worth the effort.

Sparrow
I'm sure you will put up the link ..

Remember that Cheney was summoned over their recently and went post-haste despite his venous or arterial problem in his leg.

Also, it was last week when the stock market took a big hit in Shanghai and the only reason our markets weren't affected much was because some big mergers happened at the same time. Experts marvelled. When companies merge, workers lose but CEOs and richest stockholders win. Same with outsourcing and exploitation of immigrant illegal labor, or with child labor if they use foreign sweatshops. Then there is the matter of unregulated ingredients and misleading labelling.

Consumers and retirement investers beware!

Also totally creepy

Will Our Mercenaries Turn Against Us
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/060407J.shtml

Excerpt:

The word contractor helps launder the fear and threat out of a more accurate term: "paramilitary force." We're not supposed to have such forces in the United States, but we now do. And if we have them, we have a potential threat to democracy. On U.S. soil, Blackwater so far has shown few signs of being an out-and-out rogue retainer army, though they looked the part in New Orleans. But were this country to become even a little less stable, outfits like Blackwater might see a heyday. If the United States falls into a period of instability caused by another catastrophic terrorist attack, an economic meltdown that triggers social unrest, or a series of environmental disasters, such paramilitary forces, protected and assisted by fellow ideologues in the police and military, could ruthlessly abolish what is left of our eroding democracy. War, with the huge profits it hands to corporations, and to right-wing interests such as the Christian Right, could become a permanent condition. And the thugs with automatic weapons, black uniforms and wraparound sunglasses who appeared on the streets in New Orleans could appear on our streets.

Posted by: not my president at June 5, 2007 06:35 PM

Do you have examples of profits from war being handed to the Christian Right? I never have seen any, unless, of course, you mean the faith-based initiatives - but I don't think we can really count them because we actually give much more money as a whole to secular institutions. Please clarify. Thanks.

nmp...

oops!

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/JubaksJournal/DoYouTrustTheSaudis.aspx

IMPEACH GONZALES PETITION OVER 70,000

(BTW if you are asking, it IS POSSIBLE for the Congress to impeach Gonzales - I double checked on this constitutional question)

If George Bush won't fire U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, then Congress can.

Demand Congress impeach Gonzales now:
http://www.ImpeachGonzales.org

First, Alberto Gonzales and Karl Rove worked together to fire at least seven U.S. Attorneys because they weren't "loyal Bushies" and pushed several others to resign in an unethical crusade to make the U.S. Justice Department a partisan arm of the Bush administration.

Then they worked together to cover it up.

Gonzales went so far as to testify to Congress that he "was not involved in seeing any memos, was not involved in any discussions going on." When White House e-mails exposed his involvement, Gonzales changed his tune in an interview with 60 Minutes then changed his tune again by hiding behind, "I don't recall" more then 60 times in his second Congressional testimony. Time's up for Alberto Gonzales!

http://www.ImpeachGonzales.org

Democracy for America has teamed up with Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films to get the message out. Robert has created a hard hitting video short that exposes Gonzales' attempts to mislead Congress. In a few weeks, DFA members around the country will deliver your signature and thousands of others directly to your representative in Congress. Check out the great video, then sign the petition:

http://www.ImpeachGonzales.org

Karl Rove wants this scandal over. Rove knows that an impeachment investigation of Gonzales will open the door to a lot more then just the U.S. Attorneys scandal.

Impeachment puts everything back on the table. Illegal domestic eavesdropping, illegally deleted government e-mails, voter suppression, signing statements, torture recommendations, you name it -- if Gonzales had his finger prints on it Congress will shine the spotlight at it.

Join thousands of Americans demanding accountability and ethical leadership in the U.S. Justice Department. Please sign the petition now:

ANOTHER DOJ OFFICIAL GETS GRILLED B-4 COMMITTEE

SEN. LEAHY SLAMS SLIPPERY WITNESS FOR EVASIVE ANSWERS

and lack of cooperation

This is interesting video - the Dems are going full bore on the U.S. attorney firings. The Bushies tried to hijack the Justice Department...

http://www.c-span.org

Go to "110th Congress" recent video

Senate Judiciary Cmte. Hearing on the Firing of U.S. Attorneys (06/05/2007)

Posted by: not my president at June 5, 2007 06:35 PM

Thanks to The Military Commissions Act of 2006 (where the (p)resident can determine who, if anyone, is a 'terrorist threat' to this country), the Patriot Acts, our government spying on us illegally, the control of the national guard and reserve troops now in the hands of the (p)resident, the last executive memo he issued that lets him, and him alone, determine what, if anything, is a national disaster and just cause to declare martial law (which is also found in MCA '06, along with our habeas corpus rights taken away), the past news items that talk about Halliburton building Gitmo-like prisons on US soil (allegedly for illegal immigrants), courts stacked in the neoCons' favor... and mercenaries with a zeal for combat only matched by the alleged terrorists who are like-minded in the mix (egged on by the extreme religious reich, our own Christian Taliban who are getting taxpayer dollars for their so-called faith-based charities - I wonder how much of that goes to reichwingnuttia political causes, not charities, or if any of that money gets siphoned off to paramilitary organizations?).... We could have an official dictatorship by November, 2008. Our Congress Critters are the most wilfully blind fools if they didn't see this coming. Bloggers figured this out years ago and are ten steps ahead of Lamestream Media (by the time 'news' like this reaches Lamestream Media, bloggers yawn because it's old news). Why haven't our Congress Critters figured all this out? In 18 months I wonder if bloggers will be saying "We told you so!!!"

Thanks for the link. I'm sending the story to several people.... This is truly scary $*!t.

On Leahy today:

Richard was so impressed with Leahy's rage: "I've never heard anything like that before!" he told me as I got into the car tonight.

That and Scooter in Gitmo orange makes for some satisfying thoughts anyway.

Posted by: Ralpheh at June 5, 2007 07:54 PM

Unfortunately, the liberal camp is too scared of looking racist, by firing a Latino cabinet member.

Political correctness is a disease that will KILL us, if we don't fight it hard now.

This is what a wrote in a blog to a rightwinger about corruption and elections under the Republicans:

You better start getting used to the facts and the truth (and they ain't pretty). The facts are that over the last 4 elections starting in 2000, the Republicans and Karl Rove pulled all kinds of tricks to tamper with these elections. Vote caging, phone jamming, scrubbing voter roles, spoiled ballots, electronic voting machine anomalies, voter intimidation, violations of the Hatch act, long lines and lack of machines etc....

It is disgusting that the Repubs have to pull all this baloney to win elections (they already have more money than the Dems etc...)

Posted by: Ralpheh at June 5, 2007 07:54 PM

Unfortunately, the liberal camp is too scared of looking racist, by firing a Latino cabinet member.

Political correctness is a disease that will KILL us, if we don't fight it hard now.

Posted by: Ally McRepuke at June 5, 2007 09:56 PM

@@@@@@@

I don't think so; Schumer has already called for Gonzales's resignation (so has Clinton I believe and some others both Democrats and Republicans).

Specter and Leahy are furious at not just Gonzo but the whole Bushie machine which couldn't care less about the advice and consent of Congress or the oversight role of Congress.

There will be a no-confidence vote on Gonzales in the Senate ( and the House, I believe). Schumer says many Republicans (all the Repubs on the Judiciary except Hatch) will vote for the no-confidence resolution.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070604/military-protest-hearing/
Discharge Suggested for Anti-War Marine

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/05/leahy-schlozman/
Leahy To Schlozman: ‘You’re Trying To Break Gonzales’ Record’ Of Saying ‘I Don’t Recall’
{{{Ooohh, I wonder what Jon Stewart and/or Keith Olberman will say if they do any reporting on this...?}}}

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/05/theres-a-problem-its-called-net-neutrality/
“There’s a problem. It’s called Net Neutrality”

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/05/ron-paul-on-the-daily-show/
Ron Paul on The Daily Show
{{{Hmmm... okay. I see why Paul's not high in the poll ratings, even if he is correct about Georgie's illegal war.}}}

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/05/jon-stewart-analyzes-the-cnn-democratic-debate/
Jon Stewart Analyzes the CNN Democratic Debate

http://www.americanprogress.org/cartoons/2007/06/g8.html
G8 Gets Serious

The shanghai exhange wont affect world markets than spreading fear due to the controls placed by China's government on foreign investment.
Shanghai exchange is overwhelming domestic investors, while the NYSE and other world bourses have much more foriegn investors in them.
The Government here is attmepting to cool down the stock markets, and reduce the expectation investing in them is fail safe.

The largest export the USA has right now is the US dollar, which is a terrible position to be in. If Iran, Venuzeula and Russia move to Eurodollars to close petroluem contracts instead of USD...it will bring the NYSE to a crashing halt. I sometimes wonder if this was not the underlying reason for the invasion of Iraq, as Saddam had moved to Euro to settle Oil deliveries.

The USA tries to keep itself afloat by selling the dollar, which is now back by debt being purchased mostly by China, Japan and Europe. Our government is selling itself out to the lowest bidder, and then paying the bidder interest on purchase.

US assets will start being sold; mining companies, institutions such as banks and security houses, manufacturing and research facilities....the backbone of the economy, just to fund deficit spending next quarter.
The Federal Reserve stopped disclosing M3 Money supply a few months ago because they could not justify the numbers.

Gonzales / Rove / Libby / are flys in a rotten bowl of soup.

The USA is being sold out from under everyones feet, and not a single responsible party is willing to discuss or even acknowledge the danger to the economy and stability of the USA.
The rest of the world watches and waits.

LOVE LETTERS FOR LIBBY:

(I think letters from these folks may have, in fact, hurt Libby!!!!!! LOL)

Kos has more:

Let’s see what company he’s in: Donald Rumsfeld, Henry Kissinger, Paul Wolfowitz, John Bolton, Richard Perle, and Douglas Feith. Quite a rogue’s gallery, a virtual “who’s who” of the neocon cabal, proving once again that “national security” is only of concern when it furthers their own agenda.

Giuliani campaign’s post-debate statement
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s campaign released a statement after Tuesday’s Republican presidential debate in Manchester, New Hampshire:

“Tonight, Rudy Giuliani once again demonstrated why he should be the next President of the United States. Whether it’s staying on offense in the terrorists’ war against us, securing our nation’s borders or keeping our economy strong, Rudy knows what it takes to make government accountable and efficient. He is the strong, optimistic and proven leader our country needs during these challenging times.”

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/05/giuliani-campaigns-post-debate-statement/

What is an American?

WASHINGTON (CNN) — What is an American? Some of the Republican presidential candidates weighed in with their perspectives.

Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, a major illegal immigration foe, said people who come to the United States from other countries need to assimilate, and that they won’t be considered Americans “until we no longer have to press one for English and two for any other language.”

“It means, number one, cut from the past,” Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo added. “If you come here as an immigrant, great, welcome. If you come here legally, welcome. It means you’ve cut your ties with the past, familial, especially political ties with the country from which you came.”

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he was “very uncomfortable with” Tancredo’s response.

“We should always be open to legal immigration,” Giuliani said. “It reforms us. It makes us better. It brings us people who want to make a better life for themselves and their families. If we lose that, we lose the genius that has made America what it is.”

Arizona Sen. John McCain also strongly disagreed with Tancredo’s response, saying that “it’s beyond my realm of thinking.”

“Look, America is a land of opportunity,” McCain said. “The question was just asked, what is it to be an American? It’s to share a common goal that all of us — a principle — are created equal and endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights.”

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/05/what-is-an-american/

Pardon a sensitive topic for White House
Bush faces dilemma in case of ex-Cheney staffer Libby

The sentence imposed on former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby yesterday put President Bush in the position of making a decision he has tried to avoid for months: Trigger a fresh political storm by pardoning a convicted perjurer or let one of the early architects of his administration head to prison.

The prospect of a pardon has become so sensitive inside the West Wing that top aides have been kept out of the loop, and even Bush friends have been told not to bring it up with the president. In any debate, officials expect Vice President Cheney to favor a pardon, while other aides worry about the political consequences of stepping into a case that stems from the origins of the Iraq war and renewing questions about the truthfulness of the Bush administration.

The White House publicly sought to defer the matter again yesterday, saying that Bush is "not going to intervene" for now. But U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton indicated that he is not inclined to let Libby remain free pending appeals, which means the issue could confront Bush in a matter of weeks when, barring a judicial change of heart, Cheney's former chief of staff will have to trade his business suit for prison garb. Republicans inside and outside the administration said that would be the moment when Bush has to decide.

"Obviously, there'd be a significant political price to pay," said William P. Barr, who as attorney general to President George H.W. Bush remembers the controversy raised by the last-minute pardons for several Iran-contra figures in 1992. "I personally am very sympathetic to Scooter Libby. But it would be a tough call to do it at this stage."

At the same time, some White House advisers said the president's political troubles are already so deep that a pardon might not be so damaging. Those most upset by the CIA leak case that led to the Libby conviction already oppose Bush, they noted. "You can't hang a man twice for the same crime," a Republican close to the White House said.

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19058717/

MANCHESTER, N.H. - President Bush drew startling criticism Tuesday night from Republican White House hopefuls unhappy with his handling of the Iraq war, his diplomatic style and his approach to immigration.

“I would certainly not send him to the United Nations” to represent the United States, said Tommy Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor and one-time member of Bush’s Cabinet, midway through a spirited campaign debate.

Arizona Sen. John McCain criticized the administration for its handling of the Iraq war, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said, “I think we were underprepared and underplanned for what came after we knocked down Saddam Hussein.”

Rep. Duncan Hunter of California said the current administration “has the slows” when it comes to building a security fence along the border with Mexico.

Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado recalled that White House aide Karl Rove had once told him “never darken the door of the White House.” The congressman said he’d tell Bush the same thing.

The Republicans sprinkled the criticism of Bush throughout a two-hour debate that ranged over topics from war to immigration legislation pending in Congress to religion.

Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas and Hunter both said they would pardon Vice President Dick Cheney’s former aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, sentenced to 30 months in prison earlier in the day for lying and obstructing a CIA leak investigation.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a former prosecutor, said the sentence was excessive, which “argues in favor of a pardon.”

Iraq intelligence
Much of the debate focused on Iraq.

McCain and Brownback both admitted they voted to authorize the U.S. military invasion of Iraq without reading the formal national intelligence estimate in advance.

The confession drew a jab from former Gov. Jim Gilmore of Virginia. Members of Congress “ought to read at least that kind of material,” he said.

Click for related content
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Hunter said he had, the only member of Congress on the debate stage to make the claim.

Both McCain and Brownback said they had received numerous briefings on the situation in Iraq before they cast their votes in 2002.

National intelligence estimates are compilations of the best thinking of U.S. intelligence agencies, meant to provide the broadest guidance to government policymakers.

But they can be wrong. A 2002 assessment, for example, concluded that Iraq had continued its development of weapons of mass destruction, held arsenals of chemical and biological weapons, and “probably will have a nuclear weapon during this decade.”

Jab at Sen. Clinton
McCain drew loud applause from the partisan debate audience when he turned a question about the war in Iraq into criticism of one of the leading Democratic presidential hopefuls, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

“When Senator Clinton says this is Mr. Bush’s war, President Bush’s war,” she is wrong, he said. “When President Clinton was in power, I didn’t say Bosnia was President Clinton’s war,” the Arizona senator said.

“Presidents don’t lose wars. Political parties don’t lose wars. Nations lose wars,” he added.

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19055570/

Um, message to Sen. McSheetferbrains, President Clinton didn't INVADE Bosnia illegally...

And this NATION isn't f*cking up this war or this world, George W Bush and Dick Cheney and and the scumbags who support them are the ones who are losin it, LITERALLY.

Oh, and 'Clinton left office with polls revealing that while most questioned his morals and ethics, he also retained a 65% approval rating, the highest end-of-presidency rating among all the Presidents that came into office after World War II.'[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton]

Suck that.

"in a matter of weeks when, barring a judicial change of heart, Cheney's former chief of staff will have to trade his business suit for prison garb."

Posted by: monkey at June 6, 2007 07:36 AM

OH I want him in orange...

I usually want to slap Dana Milbank around (and I think I am taller than he is, so that would be possible--despite his making fun of Dennis Kucinich's height!), but this morning he made me chuckle:

"You knew Scooter Libby was in trouble at yesterday's sentencing hearing when his lawyer decided to read the judge a character reference -- from Paul Wolfowitz."

NASA chief regrets remarks on global warming
In video, Griffin says he wishes he’d stayed out of debate on climate effects

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19058588/

Since laughing has been a topic recently, you may enjoy this as an encouragement to do so more.

Someone did a great job on this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp-yRI_HJoM

Enjoy...

Lightning zaps Giuliani's abortion answer

When former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was asked to respond to recent comments from a religious leader likening him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who condemned Jesus to be crucified, lightning from outside the debate site briefly cut off his microphone.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

Things that make you go "Hmmmmm..."

Posted by: madame defarge at June 6, 2007 09:01 AM

He didn't happen to have a transmitter strapped to his back, did he?

Spare The Rod

U.N.: More than 4 million Iraqis displaced
Refugee agency warns number forced to leave because of violence will rise

GENEVA - More than 4 million Iraqis have now been displaced by violence in the country, the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday, warning that the figure will continue to rise.

The number of Iraqis who have fled the country as refugees has risen to 2.2 million, said Jennifer Pagonis, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. A further 2 million have been driven from their homes but remain within the country, increasingly in “impoverished shanty towns,” she said.

Pagonis said UNHCR is receiving “disturbing reports” of regional authorities doing little to provide displaced people with food, shelter and other basic services.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19055852/

Bush says Russia won't attack Europe despite rhetoric
June 6, 2007

HEILIGENDAMM, Germany (AP) -- President Bush on Wednesday discounted Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to retarget missiles on Europe, saying "Russia's not going to attack Europe."

Bush, in an interview with The Associated Press and other reporters, said no U.S. military response was required after Putin warned that Russia would take steps in response to a U.S. missile shield that would be deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic.

"Russia is not an enemy," Bush said, seeking not to inflame a heated exchange of rhetoric between Washington and Moscow. "There needs to be no military response because we're not at war with Russia. ... Russia is not a threat. Nor is the missile defense we're proposing a threat to Russia." (Watch Bush describe Russian democratic reforms as "derailed" )

Bush spoke before heading off to lunch with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is hosting the annual meeting of the world's seven richest industrial democracies and Russia. Merkel has made global warming the centerpiece of her G8 leadership and is pushing for specific targets for reducing carbon emissions.

The meeting is being held under tight security on the Baltic Sea coast in northern Germany. Police used water cannons to scatter an estimated 10,000 demonstrators who swarmed a seven-mile fence that encircles the site. At one section, hundreds of protesters chanted "Peace" and "Free G8! Free G8!"

Bush, who met with reporters for nearly an hour in a sun-drenched garden, also discussed Iran, the suffering in Darfur, global warming and this week's sentencing of a former White House aide.

The president said he would like to see other countries follow the United States in taking steps against the government of Sudan to stop the misery in Darfur.

"I'm frustrated because there are still people suffering and the U.N. process is moving at a snail's pace," Bush said.

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/06/bush.summit.ap/index.html

Now you know how the people of New Orleans feel, you phuque.

WE ARE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE.

IT HAS BEGAN.

Turkish troops cross Iraqi border

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/03/22/sprj.irq.turkey/

Well, as Stewart noted last night, the only good thing about the Rep. Jefferson indictment bidniss is that for a change the Bush administration is *finally* paying attention to a black man from New Orleans...

Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, a major illegal immigration foe, said people who come to the United States from other countries need to assimilate, and that they won’t be considered Americans “until we no longer have to press one for English and two for any other language.”

“It means, number one, cut from the past,” Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo added. “If you come here as an immigrant, great, welcome. If you come here legally, welcome. It means you’ve cut your ties with the past, familial, especially political ties with the country from which you came.”

Posted by: monkey at June 6, 2007 07:24 AM

F'ing baloney.

Why, then, are your Korean buddies NEVER cutting their ties to the old, instead inflicting their old fascism on the once-great United States of America?

WTF...?

2003

I just got bounced around the strangest internet circle.

Arizona Sen. John McCain also strongly disagreed with Tancredo’s response, saying that “it’s beyond my realm of thinking.”

“Look, America is a land of opportunity,” McCain said. “The question was just asked, what is it to be an American? It’s to share a common goal that all of us — a principle — are created equal and endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights.”

Posted by: monkey at June 6, 2007 07:24 AM

McCain has benefited too much from Vietnamese immigration to betray the Vietnamese community. This is a community that's redefining American foreign policy illegally, by forcing some states to recognize the flag of their illegitimate loser regime as being representative of their country.

On the topic of South Vietnamese immigrants forcing America to recognize their illegitimate loser regime as rightful, here's the latest, from Michigan:

http://www.angryasianman.com/2007/06/michigans-vietnamese-americans.html

Officials: Turkish troops hunting Kurds in Iraq

NBC News and news services
Updated: 4 minutes ago

ANKARA, Turkey - Several thousand Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq early Wednesday to chase Kurdish guerrillas who operate from bases there, Turkish security officials told The Associated Press.

Snip....

Meanwhile, U.S. officials told NBC News that Ankara has told the United States that there has been “no Turkish incursion into Iraq.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19070463

Christy
Creepy - I just came here to post this
Source: AP

Turkey says troops crossing into Iraq

1 minute ago

ANKARA, Turkey - Several thousand Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq early Wednesday to chase Kurdish guerrillas who operate from bases there, Turkish security officials told The Associated Press.

Two senior security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the raid was limited in scope and that it did not constitute the kind of large incursion that Turkish leaders have been discussing in recent weeks.

"It is not a major offensive and the number of troops is not in the tens of thousands," one of the officials told the AP by telephone. The official is based in southeast Turkey, where the military has been battling separatist Kurdish rebels since they took up arms in 1984.

more...

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070606/ap_on_re_mi_ea/turk... ;

The Turks Iranians Shiia and Sunni all have the same problem...The Kurds.

This time their slaughter will be totally our fault and in our name.

God help us.

Kurds are probably in solidarity across all three boundaries (Iran, Turkey, Iraq), wanting sovereignty, but are on contested land. This is the ugly story of civilization. Seems like we are kind of repeating in the middle east what we did coming to the US from Europe - displacing locals and taking over resources, building our Empire up as a last gasp before it falls to China in a couple of decades.

Gorbachev to U.S.: Let's not repeat the Cold War

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said Wednesday that U.S. plans to build a missile defense shield in Europe are arrogant and threaten to usher in a new Cold War.

Speaking to CNN from Moscow as the Group of Eight Summit got under way in Germany, Gorbachev said the U.S. proposal -- which includes installations in Poland and the Czech Republic -- means that Europe is becoming a target again.

"I do hope the Cold War is not going to be repeated," he said. "We must take advantage of opportunities to avoid that."

He said polls in the Czech Republic suggested that more than 70 percent of people opposed the missile defense program. (Watch why Russian-U.S. tensions could make the G8 Summit awkward )

"There is the possibility that self-confidence, arrogance, will lead to a situation similar to that with the war in Iraq," Gorbachev warned in a wide-ranging discussion of American policy. "The U.S. is driving itself into a corner -- they've lost credibility in the world."

He said Washington's "intimidating" behavior is different from the spirit that existed after the end of the Cold War. "Europe is not a guinea pig," he said.

Gorbachev added that Russian President Vladimir Putin was right to say the anti-missile project is an attempt to set Europe against Russia. "We are being drawn into another arms race," he said.

Gorbachev was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until its dissolution in 1991. He presided over a thaw in his country's icy relations with the United States and its move toward glasnost, or openness, in the 1980s. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

On Iran, Gorbachev agreed that a nuclear-armed Tehran must be opposed. But he said that starting a war would be a "catastrophic mistake."

"Some people think that missiles can solve everything," he said, without specifying. "We were told in this way the problem of Iraq would be resolved."

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/06/gorbachev.missiles/index.html

Bush/Cheney: Pairastrykah

Iraqi Lawmakers Pass Resolution That May Force End to Occupation

While Washington lawmakers play procedural games with an out-of-control executive branch, Iraqi legislators are working to bring an end to the occupation of their country.

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/53230/

Posted by: madame defarge at June 6, 2007 03:56 PM

Tune in next week for another predicatable episode of "The Decider"...

Same bad time, same bad station.

My family and the State Police just had another go round of calls.

I swear every time we shake a tree another unsolved murdered body falls out.

We are up to 30 so far. All left unsolved by the same police department.

Alines case is really starting to freak me out.

Bush says Russia won't attack Europe despite rhetoric
Posted by: monkey at June 6, 2007 11:33 AM

Errrrrrr.... WHY would Captain Codpiece have to assure Europe that Russia 'won't attack Europe'...?

Putin is only re-arming "in response to a U.S. missile shield that would be deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic."

If Putin ever did "attack" anything it would be the locations where Captain Codpiece is putting missiles and arms in Poland and Czechoslovakia. [Haven't people in those countries suffered enough already since WWII...? We "should" be kicked out of those countries because the US with Georgie and Dickie at the helm are a danger to the people in those countries.]

*^&%$#*^# MORON with $h*t for brains...! He's starting the "arms race" and renewing the Cold War all over again. IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!

Don't hold back, NonnyO. Share your feelings...

Posted by: monkey at June 6, 2007 11:33 AM

I think they should keep Georgie at home and give him busy work to do.

He reminds me of Peanuts' Pig Pen. Everywhere he goes a mess swirls around him.

Posted by: NonnyO at June 6, 2007 05:37 PM

I have very little sympathy for Poland, given its extreme homophobia.

Without doubt, the late Pope John Paul II and George W. Bush have been fanning its flames.

Czechoslovakia was the most depressing place I have ever been. Everything was bare and very plain and old and it had a "sterile" look to it. Barren I guess you would say. I suppose it gets much worse seeing people in Africa, because at least the relatives we were visiting had food, even if it was rationed.

Fox News ran a story on Jefferson and showed the picture of Conyers?! They need their a$$es sued.

Don't hold back, NonnyO. Share your feelings...
Posted by: karen at June 6, 2007 06:01 PM

Because most of my thought processes have acquired so much profanity over the last seven years, most of what I think can't be put in print.

But I'll share what I can. ;-)

Thanks for letting me vent...!

Lewis Lapham on Impeachment and the Bush Adminstration:

3 hour interview on C-Span Book TV

http://www.booktv.org/feature/index.asp?segid=7989&schedID=491

More on Lewis Lapham:

Description: Lewis Lapham will be our guest for In Depth on Sunday, June 3rd (LIVE from Noon - 3 pm ET). Mr. Lapham was the editor of Harper's magazine for nearly thirty years and is currently a national correspondent and editor emeritus who writes a bi-monthly essay. He is also the editor of Lapham's Quarterly, a journal of history. He is the author of several books including "Theater of War," "Pretensions To Empire," "30 Satires," "Waiting for the Barbarians," and "Gag Rule." Call Mr. Lapham with your questions during the program.

Author Bio: Lewis Lapham is the author of "Fortune's Child" (1980), "Money and Class in America" (1988), "Imperial Masquerade" (1990), "The Wish for Kings" (1993), "Hotel America" (1995), "Waiting for the Barbarians" (1997), "The Agony of Mammon" (1998), "Lapham's Rules of Influence" (1999), "Lights, Camera, Democracy!" (2001), "Theater of War" (2003), "30 Satires" (2003), "Gag Rule" (2004), "With The Beatles" (2005), "Pretensions to Empire" (2006). Lewis Lapham’s Favorite Books

Well now here's an interesting poll from CNN...

Are our national leaders dividing or uniting us as a nation?

Dividing 97% 93902 votes
Uniting 3% 2578 votes
Total: 96480 votes

http://www.cnn.com/

HILLARY CLINTON GETS LAZY:

In 2002, the Bush administration produced, at the last minute, a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq's WMD. This report was given to all of Congress. The report was skewed and biased of course, but it contained hints of the truth in the footnotes and caveats.

Clinton didn't even bother to read it... she said she had been "briefed".. I find this excuse to be spin...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10782562
_________________

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/06/colbert-gives-prison-bound-libby-some-advice/

Colbert Gives Prison-Bound Libby Some Advice

:-) Giggle for the day....

LONDON - A coalition of human rights groups is demanding the United States account for 39 terror suspects it believes have been secretly imprisoned and published their names in a report being released Thursday.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and four other groups have drawn up a list of 39 so-called “ghost detainees” — people they claim are held by U.S. authorities and are still missing.

“What we’re asking is where are these 39 people now, and what’s happened to them since they ’disappeared’?” Joanne Mariner of Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said “there’s a lot of myth outside government when it comes to the CIA and the fight against terror.”

“The plain truth is that we act in strict accord with American law, and that our counterterror initiatives — which are subject to careful review and oversight — have been very effective in disrupting plots and saving lives,” Gimigliano said. “The United States does not conduct or condone torture.”

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19081887/

ACTIONS WE CAN TAKE:
(From Democrats.com)

Restore Habeas Corpus TODAY

Shortly after Democrats won majorities in Congress last November, we asked our readers what changes they should make first. From a list of 140 possible changes, your #1 response was "Restore Habeas Corpus - access to courts for all prisoners of the U.S." http://www.democrats.com/change-poll-results-1

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."

Today, Senate Judiciary Committee chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) sent us this message:

"Many of you may recall the hasty passage of the Military Commissions Act in the weeks leading up to last year's election, a bill that set new rules for trying detainees, in particular those currently being held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

"The passage of this bill was a profound mistake, and its elimination of habeas corpus review was its worst error. Righting this wrong is one of my top priorities, and on the first day of this Congress I joined with Senator Arlen Specter to introduce the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act (S. 185). This bipartisan bill already has 17 cosponsors, but it faces a crucial vote in the Judiciary Committee this Thursday so we need your help.

"Please e-mail your home-state Senators today and urge them to protect our fundamental liberties by supporting the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act!"

http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/113

AND ANOTHER:

Iraq Idea: Better Than Calling Congress

We've got to keep the pressure up on Congress to end the occupation of Iraq, but right now it is only Iraq's Parliament that has begun taking steps to legally require that the occupation end. A note from you, as an American, to the Iraqi Embassy in Washington, D.C., might help move the Iraqi government where Congress dares not go. There are always ways to find hope if we look outside the box and reach out to our brothers and sisters across barriers. Please take a moment to sign this petition to the Iraqi government:
http://democrats.com/node/13188

Read about an heroic Iraqi woman who inspired this idea:
http://afterdowningstreet.org/node/23375

HEILIGENDAMM, Germany (CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush tried to calm rising tensions with Moscow over a planned missile defense system ahead of a meeting Thursday with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at a meeting of the world's richest nations.

"It is important for Russia and Russians to understand that I believe the Cold War ended, that Russia is not an enemy of the United States," Bush said at the three-day G8 summit in the resort of Heiligendamm on northern Germany's Baltic coast.

The missile shield plan is "not something we should hyperventilate about," Bush told reporters following a meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

moron... http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/07/bush.putin/index.html

Next, he's gonna tell Pootin 'not to go gettin his panties in a wad'...

Late Second Term Abortion

KUHLUNGSBORN, Germany (CP) - Rock star Bono has been refused a meeting at the G8 summit with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss aid for Africa, sources close to the Irish singer said Wednesday.

"They made several requests," said the source, who has close ties to Bono's development work.

The U2 singer regularly discusses aid issues with world leaders. On Wednesday he met with U.S. President George W. Bush and with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is hosting the summit.

But a spokeswoman for Harper said the prime minister is too busy to meet with Bono at the summit. She said the prime minister would be happy to speak with him at some later date.

"He's really busy, packed for time. He's meeting with world leaders and that's what the G8's all about," said Harper spokeswoman Sandra Buckler.

"Obviously the prime minister has a very full agenda for the next two days but after the G8 I see no problem with them having a chat."

She noted that the prime minister has spoken to Bono in the past. Buckler said the prime minister's office had received a message from Bono and would be returning his call.

Bush held an end-of-day meeting with Bono and the president joked about the encounter before turning in for the night: "Hanging out with good company, aren't I?"

moron...
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=2baeaf9f-643b-4b82-a174-ea161e37d1e2&k=50242

Party Like Iraq Star

Cheney blocked Justice official's promotion
Attorney opposed Bush's warrantless wiretapping program

Updated: 29 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney blocked the promotion of a Justice Department official involved in a bedside standoff over President Bush's eavesdropping program, a Senate committee learned Wednesday.

In a written account, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey said Cheney warned Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that he would oppose the promotion of a department official who once threatened to resign over the program.

Gonzales eventually decided against trying to promote Patrick Philbin to principal deputy solicitor general, Comey said.

"I understood that someone at the White House communicated to Attorney General Gonzales that the vice president would oppose the appointment if the attorney general pursued the matter," Comey wrote. "The attorney general chose not to pursue it."

Comey responded to written questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

Comey's account provides new detail in a sprawling, Democratic-elicited story of how much the White House influences the department's operations.

More hiring details unveiled
Also Wednesday, the department released 39 new pages of internal e-mails and documents that partly detail efforts by the department's former White House liaison, Monica Goodling, in January 2006 to obtain authority to hire and fire political staffers.

"Ok to send up directly to me, outside of system," Goodling wrote in a Jan. 19, 2006, e-mail to Paul Corts, the assistant attorney general for administration.

"Mr. Comey has confirmed what we suspected for a while that White House hands guided Justice Department business," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is leading the Senate's investigation. "The vice president's fingerprints are all over the effort to strong-arm Justice on the NSA program."

Cheney spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, declined to respond, citing the administration's policy of not commenting on personnel matters.

moron...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19089185/

Cheney Strong-Armed DOJ on Domestic Spying Program

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/060707J.shtml
Cheney told Justice Department officials that he disagreed with their objections to a secret surveillance program during a high-level White House meeting in March 2004, former senior Justice official James B. Comey told senators yesterday. Comey's disclosures, made in response to written questions from the Senate Judiciary
Committee, indicate that Cheney and his aides were more closely involved than previously known in a fierce internal battle over the legality of the warrantless surveillance program.

European papers on G8
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2579406,00.html

& I'm looking for the list of Bilderberg attendees, since I like to develop conspiracy theories around that particular group, since it always meets just before the G8. This year it was in Istanbul.

Wolfowitz was there - the video
http://www.dailymotion.com/tag/american/video/x2650n_wolfowitz-at-bilderberg-istanbul-me

The usual suspects - Kissinger, Rockefeller etc.
http://www.danielestulin.com/?op=noticias¬icias=ver&id=318&idioma=en
New World Order theory if you are on the right, Globalization Takeover if you are on the left.

Posted by: not my president at June 7, 2007 10:58 AM

The Far Right is just as afraid of globalization as the left, I must add though.

The difference: while the left is afraid of globalization in economic terms, the right is afraid of global treaties and international organizations (i.e. UN, EU, Geneva Convention) as threats to their way of life.

W hates globalization as much as we do. Trust me. Otherwise, he wouldn't have shredded the Geneva Convention and certainly wouldn't have sent John Bolton to the UN.

Posted by: not my president at June 7, 2007 10:52 AM
Posted by: not my president at June 7, 2007 10:55 AM
Posted by: not my president at June 7, 2007 10:58 AM

And many of those names endorse PNAC 'world dominance.'

Now where did I put my tin foil hat? Or do I have to make a new tin foil hat in a different style?

HEILIGENDAMM, Germany - Group of Eight leaders on Thursday agreed on a plan calling for "substantial cuts" to greenhouse gas emissions, but the compromise with President Bush left France's leader wishing a stronger stand had been taken.

The leaders failed to overcome U.S. resistance to committing to specific numerical targets to curb global warming, but did refer to the European Union goal of cutting emissions by 50 percent by 2050.

"In terms of targets, we agreed on clear language ... that recognizes that (rises in) CO2 emissions must first be stopped and then followed by substantial cuts," German Chancellor and G-8 host Angela Merkel told reporters.

The summit text confirmed that the world's leading industrialized nations would act to stem the rise in global warming gases, followed by "substantial" reductions — the most serious commitment to date by the United States, the world's largest carbon emitter.

Leaders also vowed to pursue a new global climate deal by 2009 that would extend and broaden the U.N.-brokered Kyoto Protocol.

Bush had resisted attempts by Merkel to set a firm goal for cuts needed to combat a warming that most scientists say risks raising sea levels and causing more droughts and floods.

But she secured a partial victory by securing an inclusion of the 2050 target in the text.

"In setting a global goal for emissions reductions in the process we have agreed today involving all major emitters, we will consider seriously the decisions made by the European Union, Canada and Japan which include at least a halving of global emissions by 2050." the leaders said in the statement, which was posted on the G-8 Web site. "We commit to achieving these goals and invite the major emerging economies to join us in this endeavor."

The European Union believes 50 percent cuts are needed to ensure that global temperatures do not rise more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit this century above pre-industrial levels, a threshold it says could trigger "dangerous" changes.

Experts have said that would require a global reduction in emissions of 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

Instead of fixed cuts, Bush last week proposed having the 15 top emitters meet and set a long-term goal whereby each nation decides itself how much to do toward it.

French leader, expert wanted more
French President Nicolas Sarkozy was less enthusiastic than Merkel. "If you want me to say that we could have done better then, yes. I want to speak frankly," he told reporters.

And a leading climate researcher said G-8 leaders should have agreed to a fixed target.

"Agreeing on a numerical target" would have been "a significant first step," said Neil Adger of Britain's Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research. "Not taking that first step is going to condemn us to a lot of pain and suffering in terms of the impacts of climate change."

Environmental groups agreed with them.

"Chancellor Merkel and (British) Prime Minister Blair are trying to portray this as a strong agreement," said Phil Clapp, head of the Washington-based National Environmental Trust. "But President Bush didn't give them an inch. The best they could get from him was a statement that their 50 percent by 2050 emissions reduction proposal would be 'seriously considered.' That's a pretty tiny landmark."

more of less...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19092908/

Bush war-czar nominee was skeptical on Iraq surge; worries Iraq can't do more
Lute doubts Iraqi government's ability to assume control of country

Updated: 10 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Army general picked by President George W. Bush to become his war adviser said Thursday he has serious misgivings about the Iraqi government's ability to take control of the country, no matter how much pressure the United States applies.

"The question in my mind is not to what extent can we force them or lever them to a particular outcome but rather to what degree do they actually have the capacity themselves to produce that outcome," Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"And if produced or if pressed too hard will we, in turn, end up with an outcome that isn't really worth the paper it's written on?" he added.

Call for patience questioned
The grim admission cast doubt on prospects of an easy U.S. withdrawal at a time Americans are increasingly impatient. In an AP-Ipsos poll released Thursday, 28 percent of Americans said they were satisfied with Bush's handling of the war - numbers that are deeply affecting Republicans as well as Democrats on Capitol Hill.

"Wake up," Republican Sen. John Warner said in response to Lute's suggestion that Americans should be more patient with the embryonic democracy in Baghdad. "We're paying a heavy price for them to establish this government."

Democrats, including panel chairman Sen. Carl Levin, say U.S. troops should begin to pull out of Iraq to put pressure on the Iraqis to take more responsibility and make political agreements that could help calm sectarian violence. Republicans have opposed a firm withdrawal deadline, although Warner and others say their patience is wearing thin.

"How much more time should we give after four years in Iraq?" asked Levin.

"Baghdad is burning while the Iraqi politicians avoid accepting responsibility for their country's future," he said. "I believe the only chance to get Iraqi politicians to stand up is when they know we are going to begin to stand down."

-snip-

Earlier this year, Lute questioned Bush's strategy of sending thousands more troops into Iraq.

In a written response to questions by the Senate panel, Lute confirmed news reports that he had voiced doubts during a White House-led policy review before Bush's announcement Jan. 10 that 21,500 more combat troops would go to Baghdad and Anbar province.

"During the review, I registered concerns that a military `surge' would likely have only temporary and localized effects unless it were accompanied by counterpart `surges' by the Iraqi government and the other, nonmilitary agencies of the U.S. government," Lute wrote in a document obtained by The Associated Press.

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19089167/

Use the farce, Lute.

The Ron Paul ‘phenom’?

WASHINGTON (CNN) — It’s been an exciting week for us at the Ticker – a few days ago, we opened up the comments section of our blog, and since then, we’ve received thousands of responses.

A large number of the ones we’ve posted so far have been from supporters of White House presidential hopeful Ron Paul, R-Texas.

But come Tuesday night’s GOP debate, we were inundated with Paul comments on our ticker post: “Who won the GOP debate?”

Many of the comments we received were supportive of the Texas congressman, while others registered frustration that the flood of Paul posts impeded the general online discussion, likening them to spam.

One thing is for sure: Ron Paul supporters are effective at coordinating and mobilizing online quickly. For the three GOP debates so far, Paul has won or placed high in most of the unscientific online surveys including ABC’s, MSNBC’s, FOX’s, and unscientific polls conducted on a number of blogs.

Paul virtually swept CNN’s unscientific survey after Tuesday night’s GOP debate: not only did participants say Paul won the debate, but also that he knew the most about the issues, had the best one-liner, had the most surprising performance, and got the biggest boost from the debate. (He wasn’t considered the snappiest dresser, however – see Mitt Romney). The topic is getting some play on conservative blogs, too.

These informal polls are unscientific because supporters can often vote more than once, and are not randomly selected, and while they may be useful indicator of a candidate’s ability to organize online, they are not generally an accurate measure of support across the electorate.

The comments section is intended to be informal, of course, but the strain on resources that night prompted us to take down the “Who won the GOP debate” question (though that didn’t stop Paul supporters from commenting; they started adding comments to the “Who won the Democratic debate?” post). The intention was not to censor Ron Paul supporters — right now, you’ll find hundreds of Paul posts on the site.

Given the volume of submissions, we do not post every comment. That said, we will always try to post as many as possible. We know how frustrating it can be to write something thoughtful and never see it published.

Right now “Ron Paul” is among the top-searched terms on Technorati, the popular site that tracks blog posts. According to the community Web site, Eventful, there are more than 16,000 outstanding “demands” for Paul to appear in cities across the country – that’s up 11,000 from just one week ago, leapfrogging him over Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York. Ron Paul video clips get plenty of play on YouTube and there is no shortage of blogs devoted to his support.

What do these numbers mean? How do you reconcile that support with the national poll numbers? In virtually every scientific national poll — generally regarded as the best measurement of public support for a political candidate — Paul registers, at most, between 1 and 2 percent. Do the debate numbers reflect something different than the national polls? Is it too early to tell?

Paul opposes abortion rights, voted to authorize a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexican border, supports withdrawing troops from Iraq, and defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Is he a “true conservative”? If indeed his support is growing, what is it going to take for Paul to break out and challenge the front-runners for the GOP presidential nomination?

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/06/07/the-ron-paul-%e2%80%98phenom%e2%80%99/

A friend thought you'd like this streaming media. Play it now with your RealPlayer:
http://switchboard.real.com/player/email.html?PV=6.0.12&&title=NPC%20Address%20b
y%20Sen.%20John%20Kerry%20%28D%2DMA%29&link=rtsp%3A%2F%2Fvideo.c%2Dspan.org%2Fpr
oject%2Fenergy%2Fenergy060607%5Fkerry.rm%3Fmode%3Dcompact

Note: This content may require the latest RealPlayer, which is not available on Windows 95, Mac OS9 or Linux systems.

link is also: http://tinyurl.com/26pkr2

Ok - neither of those links works for me.
When I go back to my original email and try the link there, it's blocked by a firewall here.

I'll update if I figure it out.

Well this is the guy who sent me the link and this is his most wonderful blog, packed with information.

http://www.free--expression.blogspot.com/

naked protesters vs police at g*
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/07/ap3799705.html

Posted by: not my president at June 7, 2007 03:27 PM

I wonder what it would take to get US protesters out in such numbers to peacefully protest against the illegal Iraq war and the illegal torture and imprisonment of people at Gitmo and elsewhere - and, more importantly, get extensive coverage in Lamestream Media. (Doesn't LSM realize we're bored senseless with the endless repetition of Bu$hCo propaganda, that because they only endlessly repeat the endless lies, they've now rendered themselves irrelevant, even obsolete, that everyone with any IQ above a rock ignores what they have to say...?)

Or are protesters afraid they'll end up in Gitmo with the rest of the other detainees who are being illegally held there...? It's possible, all thanks to MCA '06 where the Decider gets to decide who is or is not a mere "threat" to this country (no actual threat, even, but only a potential threat), at least in his itty bitty mind.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-begala/mitt-steps-in-shit-media_b_51019.html
Mitt Steps in Shit; Media Says it Smells Like Roses
!!!

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/06/07/poor_little_rich_boys_and_girl.php
Poor Little Rich Boys (And Girl)
by Michael Winship, TomPaine.com
You may not have to be rich to run for president, but apparently you have to be rich to win.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/06/07/the_ballad_of_ake_green.php
The Ballad Of Ake Green
by Rick Perlstein, TomPaine.com
How Christian conservative activists spread a vicious lie about a hate crimes bill.
{{{Good deconstruction on how The Big Lies are created and spread, all counting on the lack of curiosity and ignorance of the sheeple who will never read legislation (or anything else), but count on their religious "leaders" to 'tell it like it is' - even if all they hear are Big Lies and misleading innuendo.}}}

Kerry Criticizes Bush Failure to Embrace Emissions Limits at G8 Meeting

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator John Kerry today issued the following statement in response to the announcement that the G8 nations will not make binding commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many European leaders had indicated a willingness to support concrete limits to reverse climate change.

“This appears to be another tremendous missed opportunity by this Administration,” Senator Kerry said. “There was a strong willingness for bold action on climate change by other leading industrial nations, and once again our President offered up more half-hearted talk and refused to commit to any hard and fast reductions. He has repeatedly chosen to punt the serious decisions about climate change to the next administration. In the absence of a commitment from the President, it is all the more critical that the Senate passes a strong energy bill that promotes energy efficiency, increases renewable energy production and address emissions from coal-fired power plants.”

(released to media)

NonnyO
Well we will appear naked here in a couple of weeks, with political intent. I am going to cover it, of course! Expecting at least 250 people! Want to join? Hoping not to end up in Gitmo.

Posted by: not my president at June 7, 2007 04:31 PM

Hey, worst case scenario, you can argue that you were just showin' off your Creationisms.

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