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MoDo in NYT: of Siblings, Surprises, and "W.'s Reign of Error"
The widely read and often acerbic New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd -- who is particularly well-versed in the internal psychology of the extended Bush family dynasty, and who as a result of that knowledge is not exactly one of Bush 43's greatest fans in the mainstream media's polipunditbobbleheadosphere -- wrote a rather interesting column last week in which she shared her acutely non-progressive siblings' gradual changes of heart regarding the corrosive regime of our current Decider-In-Thief.
What MoDo had to say in that column is especially relevant to us here in the DCP community, since several of us have reported encountering similar situations in our own extended families over the past several years...
W.’s odyssey is one of the oddest in history, a black sheep who leapt above expectations and then crashed back down. It must be a crushing burden for President Bush to have wrought the opposite of what he intended in so many profound ways.
For me, one of the most amazing reversals brought about by W.’s reign of error is this: He may have turned my sister into a Democrat.
As a girl, Peggy shivered in the bitter cold through a coatless John Kennedy’s inaugural speech, and when she saw W. “debone” Ann Richards in a Texas debate in ’94, she thought: “This guy will be the greatest president since J.F.K. He’s so good looking, bright. He’s got everything going for him.”
[snip]
She canceled her Times subscription when I wrote about the rigged buildup to the Iraq war, and called “Bushworld” (my chronicle of W.’s warped reality) “that silly book.”
She once told a reporter that she couldn’t totally choose W. over me because she knew if she were dying “he won’t come and hold my hand, and I know Maureen will.” So imagine my surprise when she started talking about voting for Barack Obama or John Edwards, if they stop “pussyfooting” around Hillary.
“W.’s loyalty to Cheney has hurt his presidency,” she says sadly. “When Cheney picked himself as vice president, W. should have said, ‘Bug off.’ He could have made his own banquet instead of choosing leftovers. If only he had dialed his father or listened to Powell instead of Cheney and Rumsfeld on Iraq. Not only has W. brought himself down, he’s brought down John McCain, who I wanted to support but can’t because of the war.
“I grew up in the shadow of Walter Reed and was used to seeing servicemen without limbs. But recently after watching a special on soldiers coming home from Iraq with brain injuries, I picked up a picture of my four nephews and I know how I would feel if they had fought in Iraq and came home without limbs or in body bags.
“We are spending billions on this war, and yet veterans and their children are practically getting nothing. I’m no longer a Republican. I’m an American, and I will cast my vote for the person I believe will start the process to get out of Iraq —- unless, of course, it’s Hillary.”
[snip]
{My brother Kevin] supported W. on Iraq but agrees that “one of the president’s greatest assets, loyalty, has turned into his Achilles’ heel. When I started my sales career, an older rep advised me: ‘Stay away from the mean drinkers in the bar. They start the fight but someone else always gets hit.’ George Bush is getting hit because he won’t move away from ‘the mean drinkers.’ ”
“The word neocon bothered me because I have an aversion to zealotry,” he continues. “An uncomfortable visual of Cheney, Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld manning the Situation Room in a scene reminiscent of Dr. Strangelove and Gen. Buck Turgidson —- ‘No more than 10 to 20 million killed, tops, uh, depending on the breaks’ —- began to haunt me. How could we have underestimated the postwar situation in Iraq so badly? Is our intelligence that poor, or did the people making the decisions even care?
“The Republicans got exactly what they deserved in the last election. They fell on the same sword they had brilliantly wielded to gain power. Tom DeLay was as corrupt as Jim Wright, Dennis Hastert as inept as Tom Foley.”
Even in his demoralized state, Kevin warns Democrats: “Memo to Nancy and Harry —- a default blind date to the prom is not the basis for a long-term relationship.”
My sister still has her picture of W. up. But Cheney is face down in the laundry room.
As much as I like MoDo, this article just seems like a big fat family 'I Told Ya So!' moment.
If that were my brother or sister being called out like that in such a public way, they would kick my **.
BTW, in the interest of disclosure, is anyone else aware that Huffingtons daughter is an intern for none other than Senator Harry Reid?
Mining of Data Prompted Fight Over Spying
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/072907Z.shtml
"A 2004 dispute over the National Security Agency's secret surveillance program that led top Justice Department officials to threaten resignation involved computer searches through massive electronic databases, according to current and former officials briefed on the program," report Scott Shane and David Johnston
in Sunday's New York Times.
Former Vice President Walter Mondale talks about how Cheney has changed the office of the Vice President.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/27/AR2007072702126.html
Foreign Policy is Central in 2008
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-iraqviews29jul29,0,2858677.story?coll=la-home-center
More on NSA Data Mining (spying on our emails)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/28/AR2007072801401.html
"Washington Post spends 746 words on Clinton's cleavage"
And, to think, it isn't even very good cleavage.
" database" searches are often the cover for specific trawling of individuals information.
Cheney, is finding out everything he can about my opponents and enemies before he leaves office.
He needs to have as much leverage as possible.
Sorry, HIS opponents and enemies
Simplest summary: (from WaPo above)
In March 2004, James B. Comey, who was acting attorney general, warned the White House that the Justice Department could not certify the legality of the intelligence activities at issue. That prompted Gonzales, the White House counsel at the time, to accompany then-White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. to Ashcroft's bedside, seeking his approval of the program. Ashcroft rebuffed the two men.
Here is that NY Times article calling for Torture Boy to be impeached.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/opinion/29sun1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
The only reason they would have for keeping FISA out of it, is because they don't want us to know who they are spying on.
I think he is spying on congressional and senate dems, press, SCOTUS and the UN. Then everyone else. Those that can not be bought CAN be blackmailed.
Why would he bother reading my email to my mommy when he could be checking to see what Nancy and Harry are saying?
I miss the days of Carter/Mondale (lst people I voted for).
So Cheney, according to a man who once held the same job:
set out to create a largely independent power center in the office of the vice president
shaped policy
limited policy options of the President
put friends in key positions
got Bush to deny access to court for foreign suspects
got Bush to ignore the Geneva Conventions for detainees
went ahead regardless of the Constitution, with Court having to try to overturn
held secret meetings in contempt of Congress
invoked executive privilege when asked for information by Congress
ignored public opinion
ignored the fact that the VP is supposed to do what he's delegated to do
took charge of the entire intelligence operation of the government
"The real question is why the president allows this to happen."
Christy
The FBI used to have the wierdest people under surveillance for just nothing, especially musicians, actors, etc.
Anyone they defined as not supporting the current Administration could be under scrutiny. Without reading the specific emails unless a question developed, they could easily find out all the sites an individual has visited and how often, who they have emailed, who they have called and then dig down further.
The telecommunications companies cooperated with them. They don't have to be reading each piece of email for it to be creepy that they are in a mass database and they could.
There is a police agency where local police voluntarily work with military and they bar city council members and press from their conferences. There are camps being built by Halliburton that are supposed to be for INS but could hold anyone named a dissident.
Security guards have started to carry arms. The line between public servant and police state is diminishing.
They can now seize the assets of anyone deemed incorrect.
No habeus corpus.
& did I say that there are biometrics in new passports, especially those of military age?
Is national ID card still in the works? Checkpoints easy to implement.
I am not known as a "black helicopter" person but am alarmed.
There is a meeting at a local Methodist church tomorrow night for people who are similarly concerned and outraged.
PBS Special/Cheney - "Darkside"
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darkside/
I have been meaning to check this out.
If Bush were impeached, and Cheney were President, nothing would change. If Cheney was impeached, you could probably put in a Democratic Vice President and Bush would blindly do whatever the person said.
Sen. George McGovern was the keynote speaker at our district's fundraiser last night. What a great gentleman.
He presented 10 things on his agenda, if he were running for president today, "which I hasten to add, I'm not!"
1. Comprehensive health care for every American citizen. He would extend Medicare right now to every child from birth to 5 years old, then progressively add other age spans in 2 year increments (6-18 year olds, 19-35 year olds, & 36-64 year old).
2. Build in the U.S. the fastest, safest, cleanest, & most comfortable train transportation system in the world.
3. Provide government paid higher education for all qualified American students.
4. Systematically, within 6 months, withdraw every soldier from Iraq.
5. Reduce Pentagon arms spending by 5% annually over the next 10 years.
6. Establish a national energy policy based on conservation & alternative sources of energy. Make Al Gore the Energy Czar.
7. Cancel the remaining tax cuts for high-end individuals.
8. Prohibit any individual, corporation, union or private entity from contributing to federal elections. Provide public financing similar to the European system.
9. Work for a balanced budget & future reductions in the national debt.
10. Uphold the Constitution. This should be the number 1 priority for our country right now.
Ellen of the Tenth has her analysis of the event here:
http://ellenofthetenth.blogspot.com/2007/07/good-day.html
Well if it should be our number ONE priority why did he list it at NUMBER 10?
Hmmmmm.
What is it with Dems.... with US as a people...?
WHY CAN'T WE uphold the US Constitution first and THEN everything else after?
Ever fell down a rabbit hole? I think I must have somewhere.
Posted by: Christy at July 29, 2007 11:48 AM
Christy, he saved the most important point for last.
Holy Crap.
Hide the children.
http://www.correntewire.com/refresh_your_memory_the_gop_has_always_been_the_party_of_perverts
M D, I dig it.
It just seemed strange. And omnipotent.
Posted by: Christy at July 29, 2007 12:02 PM
Many public speakers save the best & most important for last; they want to keep you in the audience until they're done.
I tend to believe that is why so many public speakers fail to truly connect with their audience 9 times out of ten.
If you begin with a jolt, everything after is bursting with energy. It is contagious.
So are yawns.
You know that thing we do silently with our mouths while waiting for them to get to the point.
madame defarge
Thanks for reporting about McGovern's talk. I lived in South Dakota for many years and worked on his Presidential campaign before I could vote. We had the same instructor in the Communications department. My boyfriend's sister was best friends with his daughter. He's one of the best people ever to come out of South Dakota, a red state. He advocated for leaving Vietnam, using just enough funding to move out the troops. No one really listened then, nor did they elect him. Not so long after, they were forced to admit he was right and follow his recommendations.
I will send the report on to friends and relatives who will be very pleased. George McGovern is a true hero.
By the way, I like the way the speech was done.
I agree with every single point.
I am a liberal Democrat.
A McGovern one.
Look at thinkprogress.org.
Later in the show, host Chris Wallace revealed that no conservative would willingly defend Gonzales on Fox. “By the way, we invited White House officials and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to defend Attorney General Gonzales,” said Wallace. “We had no takers.”
Watch it:
"The efforts of right-wingers to distance themselves from Gonzales have reached a fever pitch in the wake of his disastrous Senate testimony last week. "
Keeps going. Sounds real bad for Torture Boy.
Real bad. I love it.
MoneyWeb reports that Cheney came out ok.
All the sponsors make defibrillators.
http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/page95?oid=150309&sn=Detail
See Tom Delay discuss the Rapture with Max Blumenthal, on the way to the Rapture tour to Israel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjMRgT5o-Ig
They point out that the antiChrist is believed by them to be whoever negotiates peace between Israel and the Muslim nations.
They say he will be a man of peace and that it's a trick.
See Lieberman in the video, with his friend Santorum. If someone said that I was antiSemitic or antiIsrael for posting this video, I'd say that was like saying that if I criticized Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson, I was antiAmerican.
These Christians and Jews and attacking the rest of American and Israel, along with Muslims. They are the antiChrist.
By the way, Max Blumenthal is very courageous.
Actually, from watching the video, it fits that the antiChrist is probably Lieberman himself.
Boy this story needs (and is getting) legs.
Bush Appointee Blocked Surgeon General's Report
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/072907Y.shtml
Christopher Lee and Marc Kaufman of the Washington Post report in Sunday's edition that a 2006 report urging Americans to help tackle global health problems was kept from public view largely because it did not promote White House objectives.
By the way, to those who have criticized me for my comments on religion, I have no problems with the liberal church. I am going to a Methodist Church event r/t our civil liberties and I support the Church of the Brethren down the street. I am a Buddhist technically.
Let me be clear.
I am against fanaticism in any religion.
It destroys humanity and the planet over time.
Yeah.
What she said.
Holy friggin crap.
http://www.armchairsubversive.org/
Got an opinion on the "massive" arms deal with Saudi Arabia?
As I hoped, it has to be approved by the Senate.
Time to contact your Senators - read up on the deal:
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/US_plans_massive_arms_deal_for_0727.html
Posted by: DiAnne at July 29, 2007 01:48 PM
That's the one question I wanted to ask Sen. McGovern last night, but sadly didn't get a chance. I hope it's one we get to address with the candidates at YearlyKos.
See Tom Delay discuss the Rapture with Max Blumenthal, on the way to the Rapture tour to Israel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjMRgT5o-Ig
Posted by: DiAnne at July 29, 2007 12:36 PM
Please, everyone, watch that video. It is chilling and concerning.
Discuss here.
The Bible never uses the word Rapture, or teaches the theology of Rapture occuring. It was created by an enterprising 19th Century religious travelling fire and brimstone preacher.
These people dont read their Bible, they listen to someone else interpret it for them.
The same problem exists in Government. People dont read the constitution, they dont get involved, they dont read the federalist papers or bill of rights...they listen to someone else interpret it for them.
Very easy to manipulate entire populations when they are too lazy to open a book, or to rig elections, or pass laws that strip away inalienable rights...
These folks have popularized The Rapture into a movement with their fiction series, which rivals Harry Potter and Star Wars etc. for popularity.
http://www.leftbehind.com/
Check out their military series:
http://www.leftbehind.com/channelbooks.asp?channelID=54
Too many armed fanatics of all stripes with wierd, phantasmagorical belief systems.
& we are paying for it, psychically and literally.
This is my stock response to that particular piece of rather odd theological reasoning:
"Okay, well, then -- when The Rapture comes, can I have your stuff?"
Posted by: madame defarge at July 29, 2007 01:49 PM
You have given me an idea - to contact McDermott's office.
(besides my 2 Senators..)
I have trust in him, like I did in McGovern.
By the way, I guess Feingold was on Fox today. My husband said they set him up right off the bat, asking him as first question why he didn't acknowledge that the "surge" is working, as less soldiers were killed this month than last and some tribal leaders in the south are fighting insurgents.
Disgusting, as they don't interview, they don't debate, they don't present news.
More on Saudi arms deal:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6920458.stm
It looks like we are going to sell the "moderate" Arab countries and Israel weapons to fight the Shiites in Iran (& wherever else they reside).
For centuries, the Arabs have fought the Persians and we are taking advantage of the situation for oil and profits. Perhaps we are gearing up for a "lame duck" invasion. The P has his colon and the VP has his heart - they're ready to roll.
Otter
I've seen those cars up north with stickers that say "When the Rapture occurs, this vehicle will be unmanned."
To me, the hardest part to feel hopeful about, in this experiment called humanity, has been about those folks who WANT to be disembodied spirits, and who believe that the yearning for some paradise will make all the challenges of the here and now somehow better.
To me, this is a form of child abuse. I am not trying to stomp on anyone's beliefs here, because I am close to many deeply religious people who celebrate life and who are loving problem-solvers. But the people in the Max Blumenthal video are selling their souls for our children's future.
Rev. Hagee is doing very little for Israel or for the US. In the end, he is another greedy and misguided "leader", who is stuck in his own hell-on-earth--that of profiteering.
Iran's leaders are baiting us, and to a certain extent, I get it. They know they can reach right around that "love thy neighbor" mask and strike enough fear into the stomachs of the faithful so that those faithful are distracted into war.
But wasn't it Jesus who proclaimed that thing about peace?
I don't think Jesus is taking the warmongers to heaven. Maybe they need to go off for a few new lessons for a couple of millennia. A few seminars with Gandhi and King, who really did promote peace, despite the empires, might be really helpful on that getting into heaven thing.
And what did Jesus say about how easy it is for a rich man to get into heaven? Hagee seems to be reading selectively...
I didn't see anything at DailyKos about the Rapture video, so I put up a diary:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/29/142849/424
I also found out Max Blumenthal is the son of Sydney Blumenthal from the Clinton administration, another hero of mine and frequent Guardian contributor.
Karen
I also do not believe Iran really wants war.
The Rapture stuff seems to me like a deathwish, a desire for oblivion, similar to what some people seek in drugs, alcohol, mindless self-destruction.
Prophesy is easier for some to deal with than logic. Everything is pre-ordained and they don't have to make decisions. A form of Koolaid drinking.
Frank Rich | Who Really Took Over During That Colonoscopy
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/072907C.shtml
The New York Times columnist Frank Rich says, "There was, of course, gallows humor galore when Dick Cheney briefly grabbed the wheel of our listing ship of state during the presidential colonoscopy last weekend. Enjoy it while it lasts. A once-durable staple of 21st-century American humor is in its last throes. We
have a new surrogate president now. Sic transit Cheney. Long live David Petraeus!"
The president now hammers in the false litany of a "merger" between Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda and what he calls "Al Qaeda in Iraq" as if he were following the Madison Avenue script declaring that "Cingular is now the new AT&T."
(good line from above article)
Now, there’s one party in America that’s made the United Nations the enemy. And I don’t know how many of you have ever read that series of books that’s published by the Christian right that’s called the "Left Behind" series? Probably nobody’s read it up here. But don’t feel bad, I’m not recommending it to you. I’m just telling you that according to the book cover that I saw in the airport, 55 million copies have been printed. And in it, the Antichrist is the United Nations. And so there’s this huge, ill-informed body of sentiment out there that’s just grinding away against the United Nations.
–- Wesley Clark
Posted by: karen at July 29, 2007 01:50 PM
Scary stuff.
How about Lieberman introducing his good friend Rick Santorum.
Beastiality, and all.
No wonder our country is so messed up. Half of Texas is part of a cult.
And the other half isn't.
Not sure which strikes me as more disturbing in the long run.
:0)
kinky friedman for president,
Otter
Video on Fox Not News' attack on blogs:
http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/8660-our-new-video-fox-attacks-bloggers-is-live?play=1
Blogger fest a magnet for liberal politicos
Murdoch's Minions Smear Bloggers
Convention attendance shows Democrats' flight from center
Is Fox News Out To Get Bloggers?
Liberals pressure Fox News advertisers
Liberals Going After Fox Advertisers
Helping Clinton Make Up With the Nutroots of Daily Kos
Dem hopefuls snub centrist leadership group
JetBlue withdraws YearlyKos support
Kristol Rips YearlyKos
They are getting worried!!!
More on Saudi Arms deal
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20025108/
Also a 25% pay raise for Israel (arms contribution)
I thought we were in debt as a nation and that our military was stretched to the limit.
We are either complete prostitutes or these countries are being made into mercenaries.
What do I know?
I'm on the "far left."
I always thought I was a fairly moderate middle-aged Democrat. I have zero piercings or tatoos even.
Kayakbiker's mom says:
They are all a bunch of liars. They are attacking us like Bush's Brain (Karl Rove) taught them.
Once again, where is this guy when we need him? See below:
http://www.posterwire.com/wp-content/images/v_for_vendetta.jpg
Washington Post spends 746 words on Clinton's cleavage"
And, to think, it isn't even very good cleavage.
Posted by: Christy at July 29, 2007 10:52 AM
@@@@@@
Did any of the reporters note that Monica L's cleavage is significantly more ample than Hillary's??? And this comparison could bog the Clinton campaign down?? in messy details??
Washington Post spends 746 words on Clinton's cleavage"
And, to think, it isn't even very good cleavage.
Posted by: Christy at July 29, 2007 10:52 AM
Now I know that I am in Christys company.
and it isn't even good cleavage.
G'day love, how ya been?
Is national ID card still in the works? Checkpoints easy to implement.
Posted by: DiAnne at July 29, 2007 11:10 AM
Real ID Act will not be implemented in some states due to logistical nightmare and the feds' refusal to fund it.
California, however, is in the cheerleading team for Real ID Act, because we are always concerned about those pesky illegals being able to drive.
Snipped
His testimony leaves only two possible conclusions. Either he is the most incompetent attorney to ever hold a government job, or he is hiding something so shocking and dangerous that he's willing to purposely destroy his reputation and even risk perjury charges to keep it secret.
My bet's on the latter.
If Gonzales were this incompetent, I can't see how even his good friend George W. Bush could stand by him. Not only is Bush resisting bipartisan pressure to fire Gonzales, he's giving him a strong vote of confidence, well beyond "Heckuva job, Brownie" status.
You've heard of honor among thieves. It works for liars, too.
At every turn, Bush and his associates are at war with the truth. The president's every utterance on the war in Iraq has to be sifted to remove the falsehoods. He gives Scooter Libby a get-out-of-jail-free card for his lies. Vice President Dick Cheney can't seem to pass up an open microphone without making up claims out of thin air. And the Attorney General, the person who is in charge of the department that prosecutes people for dishonesty, has become so outrageously dishonest that it's a wonder he hasn't been struck by lightening yet.
What Bush, Gonzales & Co. are learning now is the lesson of the boy who cried wolf, that after having been caught lying so many times, no one believes what they say, not even a sizable chunk of their own party. Whatever statements they make - even on important matters of war and national security - are open to increasing skepticism because they continue to abuse the truth, over and over.
That means at a very basic level, they have lost the ability to govern, to carry out policies, and to do the work of the people. We no longer have a viable president, vice president or attorney general. They are dead weight, an anchor on the ship of state that prevents moving forward and repairing the damage they have wrought. If they truly believed in the oath of office they took, they would lock themselves up in prison for the good of the country.
But since they are incapable of holding anyone accountable for their actions, they will continue along their merry, destructive way until Congress grows a backbone and impeaches the lot of them.
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20070729/OPINION/107290086
Welcome back Rossi!
That's now two from the Land Down Under - two who oppose both Howard and Murdoch. :)
I've seen those cars up north with stickers that say "When the Rapture occurs, this vehicle will be unmanned."
Posted by: not my president at July 29, 2007 02:22 PM
Half the cars down here in SoCal will be unmanned in case of the Rapture.
After all, these antisocial f*kheads are not of this world - as their bumper stickers proclaim.
Most are on Toyotas, Hyundais, Fords, and BMWs.
I've decided that next time I drive to San Francisco, it will NOT be in my BMW.
I can't in good conscience drive it there, when the manufacturer wants the city destroyed. (That's what it's saying, through supporting O'Reilly.)
And if I have to worry about where I can take the car and where I can't, perhaps I should stop worrying, and get rid of the car.
I've been spending the entire day on the Web, looking at resale value for my BMW, and information on replacement models from Audi, Mercedes, and maybe more. (Will NOT be a Lexus, however.)
Gearheads are still pro-BMW, because it handles well at the limit; but I never drive my car at the limit, and would rather look at ergonomics and other factors (where BMW falls very short). Plus, Audi's A4 gets fantastic fuel economy.
Rossi I am glad you are back. I know we evolved slower than you hoped but I really wanted you to come back. As you've noticed, the tide is certainly turning back into our favor.
We, wether nancy likes it or not, are about to impeach our president and vice president. And, God willing, arrest them both for war crimes.
You were there all along, I hope you will stay and watch it end with us.
Whatever happens, it should be quite a show.
Hey... About thos Data Mining stories...
The leak designed to save Alberto Gonzales
(updated below - updated again)
Anonymous sources seeking to protect Alberto Gonzales have leaked to the NYT the claim that what triggered the 2004 DOJ dispute over the NSA program "involved computer searches through massive electronic databases" -- i.e, "data mining" of the "records of the phone calls and e-mail messages of millions of Americans." The Post has amplified the leak.
The claim, passed on by anonymous pro-Bush sources, is rather obviously intended to exonerate Alberto Gonzales by claiming that he told the truth when he said that the 2004 DOJ dispute did not involve the NSA's warrantless eavesdropping program (because, instead, the dispute concerned "data mining"). Like the well-trained followers that they are, authoritarian Bush supporters are already seizing this leak to proclaim Alberto Gonzales vindicated.
For multiple reasons -- many of them obvious -- these stories accomplish no such thing. Can reporters covering the Gonzales story please do something other than write down the claims of pro-Gonzales sources and just use your brains a little bit:
(1) Anonymous Liberal points out the painfully obvious:
Continues..
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/index.html
Hmmmmm.
It's time to impeach Bush, Cheney and the public knows it
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/325316_impeach29.html?source=rss
From Sea. To. Shining Sea.
The world owes the US for its leadership in the war on terror.
That's what Gordon Brown, the new British Prime Minister, says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6920877.stm
I'm staying out of the UK a bit longer.
Or better yet, why not just give up the Queen, and apply for statehood with us?
W will be very happy.
It'll also inspire Mexico and South Korea, and maybe a few other "nations," to do the same thing.
Hey... About thos Data Mining stories...
The leak designed to save Alberto Gonzales
(updated below - updated again)
Anonymous sources seeking to protect Alberto Gonzales have leaked to the NYT the claim that what triggered the 2004 DOJ dispute over the NSA program "involved computer searches through massive electronic databases" -- i.e, "data mining" of the "records of the phone calls and e-mail messages of
@@@@@@@
Will Bu$h find and fire the leakers????
OMG.... Paris Hilton is losing her inheritance!!!
The horror!! It burns!
OMG!!!OMG!!! IT IS ALMOST IMPORTANT!
I am sure CNN will bust a gut to let us know ALLLLLL about it.
Something to watch that relates to all our questions lately:
One Bright Shining Moment: Documentary on George McGovern
You can watch for free if you belong to Netflix...
I highly recommend it--it will show us what we need to do next...
The world owes the US for its leadership in the war on terror.
That's what Gordon Brown, the new British Prime Minister, says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6920877.stm
Posted by: Ally McRepuke at July 29, 2007 10:00 PM
I read that this morning Ally, and wanted to puke, friking liar.
Hey Ally, how you going,
Hi there girlfriend, I will be around, you know me, got to see the deviates go down big time.
Karen and DiAnne
Me either. Iran doesn't want war. Iran just wants America - and Israel - to know that it will NOT be bullied. It probably seems confrontational to your leader. It always does to the Bully. A bully will never allow himself to be bullied. The Bully surrounds himself with the most powerful, violent and immoral options in order to maintain the top position as The #1 Bully of the planet.
The US has military capabilities all over the world. Even down here, in Queensland there are joint military training operations happening between Australia and the US. I don't think that New Zealand - the 3rd segment of the ANZUS treaty - was invited to participate. New Zealand has a rational woman PM - Helen Clarke.
And even with every little nook and cranny of the planet covered by a US military presence, the President is still operating on the paranoia of his closest advisors that there's a tiny gap The Enemy can slide through unseen. Bugged phones and internet usage will seem very minor.
Spread as thinly as the US military is; and losing more and more personnel to physical or brain trauma, Bush is discovering that he can't win in Afghanistan or in Iraq. Eventually the abused and battered child/nation has to operate alone. It has to establish itself as a nation with the diversity that exists in all nations. Only then will it earn the respect of its own people and of the world. We are the abusers and we must leave.
Hey Ally, how you going,
Hi there girlfriend, I will be around, you know me, got to see the deviates go down big time.
Posted by: rossiann at July 29, 2007 11:26 PM
I hope so too.
Please check your mailbox.
My business employees are bugging me to buy a Dell computer for their office tasks.
I don't think I can buy a Dell right now, given its steadfast support of O'Reilly. Especially when I am preparing to part ways with my once-beloved BMW over the same O'Reilly.
If anyone can recommend a major PC manufacturer that doesn't put too much crapware on its products, I would be grateful. (HP is NOT one of them - too much crapware)
And I do need a PC - my CAD programs require Windows, and a Windows dual-boot Mac will be prohibitively expensive.
The Iraqi soccer team includes a player from all the factions in Iraq today. And together they won the Asian Cup by defeating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in Jakarta. Hopefully this celebration won't end in the violence of their semi final win last week. So, it seems that lessons should be taken from this. It is possible for all the groups to unite as a team and win back their country. A huge jump of logic - but ever hopeful, me.
And I'm not sure that the celebrations warranted gunshots fired into the air. Surely the sound of gunfire by now is not celebratory. Still their win is to be applauded.
Even down here, in Queensland there are joint military training operations happening between Australia and the US.
Posted by: woz at July 30, 2007 12:11 AM
Just the thought of Australia American military training operations, here in my home state, drives me crazy.
Hopefully this celebration won't end in the violence of their semi final win last week.
Posted by: woz at July 30, 2007 01:00 AM
I am afraid it did woz, even a couple of American Soldiers where killed as well, can you just imagine the heartbreak for the families knowing that their sons or daughters died for that reason.
Please check your mailbox.
Posted by: Ally McRepuke at July 30, 2007 12:48 AM
Thanks Ally got the mail
Ally-FWIW I love my ACER laptop
They evan have Chaplins lying for them now.
A chaplain who debriefed the entire unit days after Tillman's death later described this exchange to investigators conducting a criminal probe of the incident. But O'Neal strongly disputes portions of the chaplain's testimony, outlined in some 2,300 pages of transcripts released to the AP this week by the Defense Department in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.
The chaplain told investigators that O'Neal said Tillman was harsh in his last moments, snapping, 'Would you shut your (expletive) mouth? God's not going to help you; you need to do something for yourself, you sniveling ..."
"He never would have called me 'sniveling,"' O'Neal said. "I don't remember ever speaking to this chaplain, and I find this characterization of Pat really upsetting. He never once degraded me. He's the only person I ever worked for who didn't degrade anyone. He wasn't that sort of person."
The chaplain's name is blacked out in the documents.
rossiann, unless there's some independence in the enquiries, there's no hope of getting to the truth. Otherwise they ask the questions and then classify the responses. Either way - useless.
Same happens here, after the latest outrageous terror performances. But it was good to get the rubbishing from the special services in the UK. Australia's terror response was a real hoot to them. Our government is so determined to make us terrified, that it will cry wolf once too often I think. For me once too often happened long before 9/11.
The world's police don't ever catch ALL burglars or ALL murderers. What makes them think they can catch ALL terrorists. It's bull.
And just to be clear on this. What's the definition of *terror* (on which we've waged a few wars) or *terrorist*. I've found about 40. Depends on what the definer is going to gain from the definition. Can't trust anyone it seems.
It's the Aussie blog!
Turning in to bed now.
Daft Punk was great! Good to think of the same show in Istanbul. Also like Infected Mushroom from Tel Aviv.
I think music and dance is the cure for the world's political problems and can't be stamped out.
Unfortunately people like Cheney have no soul or sense of rhythm, and are American Taleban.
sorry nmp early here - evening that is
nmp - you're right - music - the universal language - and dance too
Happened long before 9/11 for me to, but on that night in November 2000, when the supreme court elected Georgie, I knew we where in for a hell of a rough ride.
Rossi,
Welcome back! I tried to post a quick "Hi" to your blog but couldn't because I don't have a blogger account. I hope you have been enjoying your exchange students.
Regarding the video upthread that I just watched. I am speechless. Disgusted! And just how shameful is it that Lieberman would attend and 'receive the biggest applause.'
Hey Rossi... Hows your mom and kids?
My man says hello. Today will be his last day off for two weeks so I will be back to paying attention shortly.
BTW, you know my son that went from 5'7 to 6'2 in less than a year...
Well, he lives with me now. The Union Parish Sherriffs department escorted him to my house.
I am looking at this beautiful bad child thinking...'How in the crap do I intimidate someone who is 6 foot 2...?
It was so much easier when he was smaller than me.
Federal Lawmakers From Coast to Coast Are Under Investigation
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/washington/27inquire.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1185719530-Z3tfydKII3V9yHP5Jmw+Gw&oref=slogin
Do you trust CNN's Sanjay Gupta?
CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a new breed of television “doctor” who has a medical degree and thus must be a health authority. In fact, the opposite is true....
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2007/07/do-you-trust-cn.html
When they turn on each other, finally some truth spills out.
Christy
At first I thought you meant Sanjay the teenager Idol from here!
** artistic new thread for the techno-rat-i **
"You can measure progress in megawatts of electricity delivered."
-- President Bush, 7/14/06
VERSUS
"The hard fact is, Senator, the availability of electricity...in Baghdad is still at very low levels -- an hour or two a day."
-- U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, 7/19/07
Dire Humanitarian Crisis in Iraq
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/world/middleeast/30cnd-Iraq.html?ref=world
Posted by: karen at July 29, 2007 01:50 PM
I wasn't aware that Pastor Hagee was advocating a pre-emptive strike against Iran. That's the first I had heard about that, and I am shocked.
O.K. people, you have all had your say. I have had mine.
My main objection (which I voiced two or three times in the past three + years) was that I was tired of respecting everyone else's point of view and being polite to everyone on this blog as they aired their feelings about "some" Christians ad nauseum without respect to my feelings most days.
I went more than the extra mile, and feel that I practically bent over backwards to be honest, and to give each of you the respect you deserve. I asked for the same in return. I have been trying to make some sense of this Hagee teaching, because it is fairly new to me. I don't sit around all day watching Christian tv, and pastors DON'T tell ME what to think. I HAVE read the bible, I don't sit around and wait for people to tell me what it says. I merely was honest enough to say "Hey, this Hagee thing gives me pause to consider......"
It saddens me to think that you respect every single person's right to freedom of religion or not, yet I have had to suck up words of discrimination against my own religion so many times here. But, I am not out on a pity party trying to guilt you guys into anything, so enough said.
I tried to find the common ground, and I think there is a LOT of common ground between what alot of Christians think and what liberals think. I have to disagree on a couple of points, and I am entitled to, and I did, and still do. I won't be swept away by ANY for acceptance sake.
I won't be swinging from any chandeliers any time in the near future, but for those of you who think my experiences are results of Kool-Aid drinking - you are wrong. They have been actual experiences. If they hadn't been so real I would find other things to do with my time.
Since God is so big and we are so small, I don't claim to have all the answers to the world's problems. I tried to come to the table and be as real as I could possibly be, to understand things from another perspective, and to try to eat the meat and spit out the bones. I am not an authority, but I am searching for the most positive and constructive way to use my life, as each of you are.
My main point about this is respect. Isn't that word at the root of it ALL?
I will continue to care for each one of you here. You can check the chandeliers from time to time, you never know when you might see one of us swinging from one.
I don't think, TSP, that my concerns, at least, about Rev. Hagee, have anything to do with your, or anyone else's whom I care about, very real beliefs.
No one here appears to be saying anything to you about swinging from chandeliers or clouds, or leaving the planet any day now. But if you watch the video that Max Blumenthal made (and granted, he has a bratty streak, but on the whole, I thought he was pretty respectful to everyone except Santorum), I think you will see what I think we are concerned about.
Blumenthal confronted Hagee on passages in his book; passages that seemed to blame the Jews for our own struggles. Rather than engaging in a conversation about why he, Hagee, might have written such a comment, he denied writing it or saying it, and had Max thrown out of the conference.
Max then went into how much money Rev. Hagee makes from his ministry, and points out the hypocrisy therein.
As you know, I am Jewish and not well-schooled in Christian beliefs. However, as a Jew, I have to say, in my opinion, I would not want Israel to be defended by such patronizing and ignorant people. They are highly likely to make a bad situation worse.
And it is was not Hagee who wanted to bomb Iran; Hagee just said something about defending Israel against Iran. It was Lieberman who came right out and said we need to bomb Iran. It made my blood run cold.
But my point is this: If your friends are defending you based on some belief that doesn't hold much water (as in some obscure Biblical reference that is, as far as I can tell, off the mark considerably), how likely is it that they will cause you more problems down the road?
Call me crazy, but if Rev. Hagee is not going to engage in dialogue and analysis, he can pocket his gold and stay in his world and stop making things worse. If he wants to join the world of lovingkindness and problem-solving, and make himself useful to humanity, then I would not be so critical. But hate-mongering and closed-mindedness are NOT Christian values.
And my statements have nothing to do with you or your own goodness.
I have listened to Martin Luther King and the Rev. Lennox Yearwood, and many spiritual Christian leaders and felt the promise of that kind of passion for justice for all. This is not that.
I think that we have a semantics and identification issue here.
What's happening to the references to Christians on the DCP is the same in many ways as the references to Muslims that we claim to abhor on other websites. By that I mean those references that smear all Muslims and any country with a majority Muslim population as being terrorists and similar such language.
It is not all Muslims who have extremist, jihadist views. It is a small minority. Being Muslim does not mean being an Al Qaeda supporter.
We do make the attempt to differentiate between the terrorist minority who happen to be Muslim and choose to interpret their religious beliefs as a mandate to attack non-believers versus the vast majority of Muslims who believe no such thing.
In like manner, being a Christian does not mean being a narrowly focused, neocon policy supporting hate mongerer intent on grasping political power.
However, the references on the DCP blog have not differentiated between the small group of Christians who have attempted to steer the US government and policies towards their goals and the much larger population of Christians who have nothing to do with that. We need a name for that group of people so that people understand clearly when a remark is referencing them versus Christians at large in the US.
A Christian who comes to this site has some justification in feeling that it's hostile to Christians in general.
Likewise, any Christians frequenting the DCP need to understand that most of the comments concerning the actions of this small subset of Christians should not be interpreted as applying to all Christians.
At least, that's how I see it.