How is News Consumed: Four Election Cycles

"How about this for an idea about "when" change will occur -- when the bloggers figure out how to reach out beyond the blogosphere ghetto."

That's easy. Use the traditional media against itself.

They will not let you have good press, so buy some from them.

Instead of depending on the net to be self perpetuating, take out ads announcing your site, who you are. Hell, take out a billboard. Use already established, traditional meathods.

The problem areas, like the Deep South, should be high priority markets to infiltrate and spend extra to advertise extra.

The msm wants to keep the blogosphere in a ghetto. The blogosphere at some point forgot they were part of a larger already more established world and thought the internet would radically naturally evolve to self perpetuate.

It will happen eventually, but you can rapidly speed up that evolution with simple advertising and PR.

You want new members in DCP..?..Then buy an ad announcing who we are, what we do, and INVITE THEM using the very newspapers or publications who would rather you never get a mention at all.

Advertise its FREE and anyone can join at any time.

You do not want to get out of the ghetto. You need to move the ghetto right into the territory of those who create them.

In summary, the majority of Americans are at most marginally engaged in the political process. A small activist group keep close tabs on what is going on. They follow the trajectories of the campaigns and try to influence them as they can. Such people represent no more than 7% of the population.

So it's no wonder that people who participate in the political blogosphere always seem to be going on about how much more aware and better informed we are than practically everybody else around us -- because we are.
Posted by DiAnne Grieser at July 1, 2007 02:17 PM

Only seven percent of the general population follows political events that have ramifications that extend to our daily lives...?

Ah. That explains the lonely and frustrated feeling I get when I make any political statement and the person I'm trying to engage in simple conversation gets that glazed-over look in their eyes....

There is a distinct disadvantage in having quite a lot of specialized knowledge and major amounts of curiosity. The word 'isolated' comes to mind. I don't have all the answers and don't expect to; there simply isn't enough time. But it is more pleasant to have a simple conversation with people who keep themselves informed and aware of world events, people who never lose the ability to ask 'why, what, where, when, and how' questions. The exchange of knowledge is vital to connect the dots (world events, people making decisions about world events that can affect our daily lives - like illegal wars, for example), and it helps keeps one's mind active and engaged well into old age.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070701/ap_on_go_co/congress_subpoenas

Leahy ready to fight White House

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman said Sunday he was ready to go to court if the White House resisted subpoenas for information on the firing of federal prosecutors.

"If they don't cooperate, yes I'll go that far," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. He was asked in a broadcast interview whether he would seek a congressional vote on contempt citations if President Bush did not comply. That move would push the matter to court.

"They've chosen confrontation rather than compromise or cooperation," Leahy said. "The bottom line is in the U.S. attorney investigation, we have people manipulating law enforcement. Law enforcement can't be partisan."

~~~~~

Legal experts have been somewhat divided over the scope of a president's power to shield information and ensure candid advice from top aides. The dispute, if it does head to court, could take months and ultimately outlast the remaining term of Bush's presidency, which ends in January 2009.

~~~~~

On Sunday, Leahy dismissed the White House's proposal for private briefings because, he said, it forecloses Congress' right to subpoena additional information should officials fail to provide meaningful information.

Leahy said he might be open to an offer in which White House officials were to agree to private briefings that were both sworn and committed to a transcript. But ultimately, the public have a right to hear what's been done, he said.

Leahy's committee also has summoned Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to testify this month on the eavesdropping program and an array of other matters that have cost a half-dozen top Justice Department officials their jobs.

"The president and vice president are not above the law anymore than you and I are," Leahy said.

{{{More theatre of the absurd on link. This would all be ever so much easier if Georgie and Dickie would cooperate with Congress... per the Constitution!!! Our republic is supposed to be transparent. This fanatic and paranoid secrecy on the part of Georgie and Dickie and their criminal cabal goes way out of the bounds of normal and rational behavior.}}}

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/01/leahy-if-bush-and-cheney-dont-cooperate-with-subpoenas-he-will-push-to-find-them-in-contempt-of-congress/
Leahy: If Bush And Cheney Don’t Cooperate With Subpoenas He Will Push To Find Them In Contempt Of Congress

{{{Fourteen-minute exchange between Leahy & Russert. Gasp! Fourteen whole MINUTES (not a mere fourteen-second sound byte!) without a neoCon dissing any of Leahy's answers or calling him names or saying he is a partisan hack! Get out the smelling salts; I am feeling light-headed with an attack of the vapours coming on.... I almost didn't click on the video link because I was sure it would yield a neoCon whining and interrupting as Leahy was trying to make any points and neoCon interruptions only annoy me. This was a pleasant surprise. Leahy is a calm and deliberate fellow who is at least trying to do something good for this country (although he's capable of losing his patience when he's stonewalled with 'I don't remember' answers from people who seem to develop instant amnesia in front of a congressional committee). Leahy's speeches on the floor of the Senate regarding habeas corpus just prior to the MCA '06 vote brought me to tears. He's trying. He may not succeed, but he's trying.}}}

Dad's Gonna Kill Me

Richard Thompson

Out in the desert there’s a soldier lying dead
Vultures pecking the eyes out of his head
Another day that could have been me there instead
Nobody loves me here
Nobody loves me here

Dad’s Gonna Kill Me
Dad’s Gonna Kill Me

You hit the booby trap and you’re in pieces
With every bullet your risk increases
Old Ali Baba, he’s a different species
Nobody loves me here
Nobody loves me here

Dad’s Gonna Kill Me
Dad’s Gonna Kill Me

I’m dead meat in my HumV Frankenstein
I hit the road block, God knows I never hit the mine
The dice rolled and I got lucky this time

Dad’s Gonna Kill Me
Dad’s Gonna Kill Me

I’ve got a wife, a kid, another on the way
I might get home if I can live through today
Before I came out here I never used to pray
Nobody loves me here
Nobody loves me here

Dad’s Gonna Kill Me

Dad’s in a bad mood, Dad’s got the blues
It’s someone else’s mess that I didn’t choose
At least we’re winning on the Fox Evening News
Nobody loves me here

Dad’s Gonna Kill Me
Dad’s Gonna Kill Me

Dawn Patrol went out and didn’t come back
Hug the wire and pray like I told you, Mac
Or they’ll be shovelling bits of you into a sack

Dad’s Gonna Kill Me.

And who’s that stranger walking in my dreams
And whose that stranger cast a shadow ‘cross my heart
And who’s that stranger, I dare speak his name
Must be old Death a-walking
Must be old Death a-walking

Dad’s Gonna Kill Me

7 muzzle monkeys standing in a row
Standing waiting for The Sandbox to blow
Sitting targets in the wild west show

Nobody loves me here

Dad’s Gonna Kill Me

Another angel got his wings this week
Charbroiled with his own Willie Pete
Nobody’s dying if you speak double-speak

Dad’s Gonna Kill Me

(Dad = GI slang for Bagdad)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_congress
Contempt of Congress

FYI.... We may need to know the difference between Contempt and Inherent Contempt of Congress if push comes to shove. It "looks like" Inherent Contempt is what will be necessary when the criminal cabal continues their stonewalling and refusal to turn over documents. Inherent Contempt gets around the Contempt that would have to go through the AG's office.... And SCOTUS ruled on that during the Nixon administration, so there is precedent for upholding Inherent Contempt....

The New York Times: Abuse of Executive Privilege
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070107Y.shtml
An editorial in The New York Times this morning takes the Bush administration to task for its recent claims of "executive privilege" but, the Times notes, "Congress is finally challenging President Bush's campaign to trample all legal and constitutional restraints on his power. Congressional committees have issued subpoenas for documents and witnesses in two major cases and have asked for the first - and likely not the last - criminal investigation of an executive branch official who might have lied to Congress."

Excerpt:
Last week, in a bit of especially mendacious spin, Tony Fratto, the White House deputy press secretary, responded to the subpoenas on the illegal wiretapping by saying, "It's unfortunate that Congressional Democrats continue to choose the route of confrontation."

Actually, Mr. Bush chose that route long ago by defining consultation as a chance for lawmakers to hear about decisions he had already made, bipartisanship as a chance for Democrats to join Republicans in rubber-stamping those choices and Congressional oversight as self- serving and possibly seditious. At this point, confrontation is far preferable to the path the Republican majority in Congress chose for so many years - capitulation.

{{{Is it only my imagination, or is the NYT *finally* starting to wake up from its stenographic 'patriotic' fear- and warmongering propaganda slumber to realize that they need to be a responsible fourth estate and report reality for a change (even if only in an editorial column)? Over the last few months their editorial columns seem to be trying to make up for their egregious pieces by Miller, et al., that supported the illegal war in Iraq and the lies that got us there. Every time I read a NYT editorial like the above I can't help but wonder if I'm only imagining what I'm reading....}}}

Posted by: NonnyO at July 1, 2007 05:48 PM

Here's a good diary to read about this. It lays out the options very well, including inherent contempt.

So the subpoenas are out. What are we looking at?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/27/2059/71147

Email of the Day

via Nonny Mouse in the UK:

BBC is remarking on how calm the public was during the ‘car bomb’ attack on the Glasgow airport, how little panic or ‘terror’ there was - mostly just people whipping out their mobile phone cameras and filming everything in sight.

Arrests made on the M6 motorway in Cheshire last night as well. People got out of cars and offered to HELP the police.

Glasgow Airport is back up and running, passengers being interviewed coming off planes have said things are running smoothly, no problems. A bit of a hassle walking around the cordoned off bits of the airport, but no one’s complaining. Lots of smiling faces.

It’s almost psychology in reverse - the more fanatics try to terrorise the British, the more the British refuse to be terrorised. We’re more worried about the goddamned rain at the moment.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/01/email-of-the-day-2/

I saw quite alot of people out today with "Impeach Cheney First" signs and such. One intersection had them at all four corners. They were mostly elderly people. They seem to be most responsible at keeping informed, voting and trying to keep us safe. The Pew research above substantiates some of it. They are inspirational. They should be able to relax and enjoy their retirement years but I can envision it as a struggle from now on out. We cannot relax.

I guess this is about 4 days old but I just received it from Paris France and it's about an American newscaster's attempted refusal to cover Paris America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VdNcCcweL0
What a sad commentary on American journalism and kudos to this "talking head" who tried.

I supposed I'm almost a week late on this, since I didn't watch tv but still want to comment on it.

Posted by: Christy at July 1, 2007 07:56 PM

A person on one of the e-lists I belong to has a daughter traveling in England and Scotland with a group of other kids, wrote to the list... and a person in England (whose hubby works for the British railraod) wrote back that everyone in Great Britain has been dealing with periodic episodes of 'terrorist acts' for many years - the Irish before they declared a truce, now the newest ones who happen to be Muslims. It's part of their daily reality. But she noted that more people are killed by car accidents every year than by criminal acts....

That's the thing we've forgotten in this country. Car accidents, criminal activities, and other things kill more people than "terrorists" of any kind every year. I think because we don't have our cities in the same kind of condition as Baghdad where these kinds of incidents (perpetrated by US military, plus internal factions killing each other) happen daily, Lamestream Media blows these things out of proportion (I read a blog entry by David Johnson on the improbability of any danger from the car bombs in Britain)... AND then there's the never-ending, virtually daily, brainwashing propaganda put out by Bu$hCo to instill major fear and paranoia into the general population here since 9/11 that politicians talk about almost daily (are they really THAT scared?), especially sound bytes of Georgie and Dickie and their ilk. There is NO "war on terror" (the synonym would be "war on fear" - it's illogical, since "terrorists" - aka international gang members - are not part of any country's organized army). The sooner politicians from both sides of the aisle figure that out, the sooner they can return to using their brains for logical thinking processes and stop the illegal war crime going on in Iraq.

Thankfully, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert and others like Keith Olbermann put it all into perspective for us, and often with humor. Bloggers regularly note that when Bu$hCo wants a red herring diversion from their crimes, the 'ter'rist talk' ratchets up several notches so Lamestream Media doesn't pay any attention to the Bu$hCo lies and crimes. Whenever I read a blogger saying 'here we go again with the terror talk to divert our attention away from their crimes' I envision them rolling their eyes in a 'not again!' way as they type the words; we all know Lamestream Media seeks out the red herrings and ignores the real news right under their noses. Does anyone even know what that idiotic color coded 'terrorist threat' is at? We all ignore it and get on with our daily lives. The Brits have been dealing with this a lot longer than we have.

Posted by: madame defarge at July 1, 2007 06:51 PM

Thanks, Madame!!! That link gave me lots to think about, and I even read most of the comments. Lots and lots of "food for thought" from that Kos diary....

Protest Pics from Kennebunkport
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1226079

(Dad = GI slang for Bagdad)

Posted by: not my president at July 1, 2007 05:25 PM

Ahh. Thanks nmp. I wondered all the way through, if I'd finally get it. I didn't. So I read it again with that knowledge.

A president besieged and isolated, yet at ease

Bush, grasping for answers and fixated on Iraq, remains resolute

WASHINGTON - At the nadir of his presidency, George W. Bush is looking for answers. One at a time or in small groups, he summons leading authors, historians, philosophers and theologians to the White House to join him in the search.

Over sodas and sparkling water, he asks his questions: What is the nature of good and evil in the post-Sept. 11 world? What lessons does history have for a president facing the turmoil I'm facing? How will history judge what we've done? Why does the rest of the world seem to hate America? Or is it just me they hate?

These are the questions of a president who has endured the most drastic political collapse in a generation. Not generally known for intellectual curiosity, Bush is seeking out those who are, engaging in a philosophical exploration of the currents of history that have swept up his administration. For all the setbacks, he remains unflinching, rarely expressing doubt in his direction, yet trying to understand how he got off course.

Seems alone, isolated
These sessions, usually held in the Oval Office or the elegant living areas of the executive mansion, are never listed on the president's public schedule and remain largely unknown even to many on his staff. To some of those invited to talk, Bush seems alone, isolated by events beyond his control, with trusted advisers taking their leave and erstwhile friends turning on him.

"You think about prime ministers and presidents being surrounded by cabinet officials and aides and so forth," said Alistair Horne, a British historian who met with Bush recently. "But at the end of the day, they're alone. They're lonely. And that's what occurred to me as I was at the White House. It must be quite difficult for him to get out and about."

Friends worry about that as well. Burdened by an unrelenting war, challenged by an opposition Congress, defeated just last week on immigration, his last major domestic priority, Bush remains largely locked inside the fortress of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in the seventh year of a presidency turned sour. He still travels, making speeches to friendly audiences and attending summit meetings, such as this weekend's Kennebunkport talks with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. But he rarely goes out to dinner, and he no longer plays golf, except occasionally chipping at Camp David, where, as at his Texas ranch, he can find refuge.

"I don't know how he copes with it," said Donald Burnham Ensenat, a friend for 43 years who just stepped down as State Department protocol officer. Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-Tex.), another longtime friend who once worked for Bush, said he looks worn down. "It's a marked difference in his physical appearance," Conaway said. "It's an incredibly heavy load. When you ask men and women to take risks, to send them into war knowing they might not come home, that's got to be an incredible burden to have on your shoulders."

Bush is fixated on Iraq, according to friends and advisers. One former aide went to see him recently to discuss various matters, only to find Bush turning the conversation back to Iraq again and again. He recognizes that his presidency hinges on whether Iraq can be turned around in 18 months. "Nothing matters except the war," said one person close to Bush. "That's all that matters. The whole thing rides on that."

And yet Bush does not come across like a man lamenting his plight. In public and in private, according to intimates, he exhibits an inexorable upbeat energy that defies the political storms. Even when he convenes philosophical discussions with scholars, he avoids second-guessing his actions. He still acts as if he were master of the universe, even if the rest of Washington no longer sees him that way.

"You don't get any feeling of somebody crouching down in the bunker," said Irwin M. Stelzer, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who was part of one group of scholars who met with Bush. "This is either extraordinary self-confidence or out of touch with reality. I can't tell you which."

more on the moron...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19542993/

For all of us aging women--not matter how fabulous we still look!

July 2, 2007

Heinz Foundation/ Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement Releases “How To” on Retirement
Innovative Online Book Targets Women Planning Financial Future

Washington, DC – The Heinz Family Philanthropies and the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) today announced the release of an innovative online book entitled, What Women Need to Understand About Retirement. Available for free on the Internet, this book will provide the reader with a blueprint to both get started planning a retirement and to grow that investment.

“Today we are offering a free online publication to help ensure that all Americans have access to sound financial planning advise that is often too expensive and out of reach for working families,” said WISER Chairman Jeffrey R. Lewis. “In particular, we are targeting women with this free book with the understanding that women often sacrifice retirement planning as the result of their traditional roles as mothers and family caretakers. We hope that this substantive guide allows women to get what they need to know without having to pay for a book, and to hopefully use those dollars instead towards their retirement future.”

What Women Need to Understand About Retirement contains seven easy-to-read chapters, each written by an expert on retirement security issues. The book was written as an acknowledgment of the fact that poverty in old age is most often the face of a woman, for example:

• Two-thirds of working women earn less than $30,000 a year.
• Nearly half of all women work in low-paying jobs that do not offer any retirement plans or 401(k) plan.
• The median income in 2004 for retired women was $12,080 compared to men’s income of $21,102.
• Social Security continues to be the only source of income for 30% of non-married women over 65 and 46% rely on it for 90% of their income.

“Over the years we have found that most people ---and most women--- simply don’t have enough information about how to build a secure retirement. It doesn’t have to be this way,” said WISER Chairman Emeritus Teresa Heinz Kerry. “While there are no quick fixes, or simple solutions, the road to financial security begins with the understanding of why and how you need to plan for your retirement.”

The book is available to download or read online at www.womensretirement.org

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Four U.S. soldiers and a Marine were killed Sunday during separate combat operations in Baghdad and Anbar province, west of the Iraqi capital, according to the U.S. military.

Their deaths bring the American death toll in Iraq to 3,582, including seven civilian contractors to the U.S. military.

U.S. troops are mounting a major effort to pacify Baghdad and its surrounding provinces, with nearly 30,000 additional soldiers and Marines dispatched to the country as part of the effort.

American commanders say the push is bearing fruit despite U.S. death tolls of 100 or more for the past three months. The number of Iraqi civilians killed in June dropped to 1,227, down from 1,949 in May; 1,501 in April; and 1,872 in March, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said Saturday.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/07/02/iraq.main/index.html

...isolated by events beyond his control, with trusted advisers taking their leave and erstwhile friends turning on him.
"Nothing matters except the war," said one person close to Bush. "That's all that matters. The whole thing rides on that."
...philosophical discussions with scholars
"You don't get any feeling of somebody crouching down in the bunker," said Irwin M. Stelzer, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who was part of one group of scholars who met with Bush. "This is either extraordinary self-confidence or out of touch with reality. I can't tell you which."
Posted by: monkey at July 2, 2007 07:20 AM

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!! This is one of the FUNNIEST pieces of CRAP I've read in a long time (when parts of it didn't make my blood pressure zoom out of control).

Peter Baker is the MORON who wrote this FICTITIOUS DRIVEL...! Why do "authors" like this imbue the MORON pretzelnitwit with traits they wish he had, may imagine he has, but traits which Georgie has ALWAYS lacked and can never acquire? (Is Baker a Rovian stoolie?) Baker and others like him are the ones who are just as out of touch with reality as the "man" who considers himself above the law. I do wish they would see Bush for the psychopath he truly is. "Resolute," my big fat arse! He's just a dictatorial control freak who wants his own way to the point he acts like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum, and he has no conscience at all. If he possessed a conscience, none of the lies he's told or the illegal things that have happened since 2000 would have been possible.

WHAT events beyond Bush's control?!? 9/11 could probably have been avoided if the MORON would have read the August 6, 2001 PDB; he (and Chinkster) LET it happen. The illegal invasion of Iraq [a war crime under the Geneva Conventions!] is an illegal is war of CHOICE, not a war foisted upon him or this nation, not a defensive war (no country declared war on us or invaded us after all). His illegal war of choice has always been under his "control" - the only mystery is why Congress keeps giving him money for it, keeps allowing him to send guard and reserve troops to serve in his illegal war, keeps allowing him to extend their illegal service in Iraq (and Afghanistan), keeps allowing Bush to make US military personnel into war criminals because of Bush's war of choice based on lies for control of Iraq's oil....

Nothing matters to Georgie except the WAR HE STARTED (so he could go down in history as a 'war president') and can't possibly win because it's impossible to "win" anything in the commission of a war crime (and he's making the US military personnel war criminals because of his actions!).

PHILOSOPHICAL discussions?!?!?!? PHILOSOPHICAL?!?!? Baker is just plain NUTZZZZ or living in an alternate reality if he thinks anyone with an IQ above a rock is going to believe that LIE!!! Puh-LEEZE...!!! Credit average Americans with SOME intelligence!!! (Well, okay. Everyone who is not part of the 28% who still "approve" of him, at least.) The only "philosophy" Georgie has is egocentric and narcissistic: 'what's good for Georgie is good for everyone, as long as Georgie is the dictator....' (Baker has obviously missed the three quotes by Georgie referring to wishing he were the dictator, starting when he was still governor of Texas. Dictatorship has been on Georgie's mind for a very long time.)

Aaaaargh! Articles like this that portray an entirely fictitious image of Georgie are just the most disgusting pieces of "writing" imaginable....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19528276/

Iraq's private realm of intelligence-gathering
Firms extend U.S. government's reach
BAGHDAD - On the first floor of a tan building inside Baghdad's Green Zone, the full scope of Iraq's daily carnage is condensed into a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation.

Displayed on a 15-foot-wide screen, the report is the most current intelligence on significant enemy activity. Two men in khakis and tan polo shirts narrate from the back of the room. One morning recently, their report covered 168 incidents: rocket attacks in Tikrit, a cow-detonated bomb in Habbaniyah, seven bodies discovered floating in the Diyala River.

A quotation from Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, concluded the briefing: "Hard is not hopeless."

The intelligence was compiled not by the U.S. military, as might be expected, but by a British security firm, Aegis Defence Services Ltd. The Reconstruction Operations Center is the hub of Aegis's sprawling presence in Iraq and the most visible example of how intelligence collection is now among the responsibilities handled by a network of private security companies that work in the shadows of the U.S. military.

Aegis won its three-year, $293 million U.S. Army contract in 2004. The company is led by Tim Spicer, a retired British lieutenant colonel who, before he founded Aegis, was hired in the 1990s to help put down a rebellion in Papua New Guinea and reinstall an elected government in Sierra Leone. Several British and American firms have bid on the contract's renewal, which is worth up to $475 million and would create a force of about 1,000 men to protect the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on reconstruction projects. Protests have held up the award, which is expected soon.

The contract is the largest for private security work in Iraq. Tucked into the 774-page description is a little-known provision to outsource intelligence operations that, in an earlier time, might have been tightly controlled by the military or government agencies such as the CIA. The government continues to gather its own intelligence, but it also increasingly relies on private companies to collect sensitive information.

Legal questions 'open or dodged'
The deepening and largely hidden involvement of security companies in the war has drawn the attention of Congress, which is seeking to regulate the industry. The House intelligence committee stated in a recent report that it is "concerned that the Intelligence Community does not have a clear definition of what functions are 'inherently governmental' and, as a result, whether there are contractors performing inherently governmental functions."

"There is simply not the management and oversight in place to handle this properly, not only to get the best of the market but to ensure that everything is being done," said Peter W. Singer, a Brookings Institution senior fellow who wrote a book on private security and has been critical of the lack of government oversight. "It leaves a lot of legal questions that are open or dodged."

The government has outsourced a wide range of security functions to 20,000 to 30,000 contractors in Iraq; the exact number has not been disclosed. Contractors protect U.S. generals and key military installations and have served as prison guards and interrogators in facilities holding suspected insurgents, among other responsibilities.

Aegis's intelligence activities include battlefield threat assessments, the electronic tracking of thousands of private contractors on Iraq's dangerous roads, and community projects the company says are designed in part to win over "hearts and minds." The new contract calls for the hiring of a team of seasoned intelligence analysts with "NATO equivalent SECRET clearance." According to a summary of their responsibilities, the analysts are to conduct "analysis of foreign intelligence services, terrorist organizations, and their surrogates targetting DoD personnel, resources and facilities."

Much of this is already being done by Aegis. "We're more of an intel company," said Kristi Clemens, the company's Washington-based executive vice president. "We're not guns for hire."

Effort to garner Iraqis' trust
Known internally as Project Matrix, Aegis's U.S. Army contract has multiple aims. The company, for example, runs more than a dozen Reconstruction Liaison Teams in which contractors armed with assault rifles and traveling in armored SUVs visit reconstruction projects to assess their progress and the levels of insurgent activity. "Their mission is to provide 'ground truth' to the Army Corps," Clemens said.

Aegis has also spent about $425,000 in company money and private donations on more than 100 small charity projects such as soccer fields and vaccination programs. The projects enable the company to build relationships in the communities in which it operates and gather information at the same time. "It's not intelligence as I understand it; it is understanding the water in which we swim," said David Cooper, who directs the program.

The company, for instance, spent $1,300 distributing tracksuits to girls' schools in an area of eastern Iraq where residents routinely pelted Aegis security teams with rocks, according to Justin Marozzi, Aegis's former director of civil affairs, who now is a London-based consultant. Through relationships forged on the project, the company learned of an insurgent cell that was working out of the governor's office, he said. The military "acted on" the tip, Marozzi said. He declined to elaborate.

Aegis recently launched a second charity to operate in Iraq and elsewhere called Hearts and Minds. The charity project "goes back to basic counterinsurgency doctrine," Clemens said. "You need local people on your side."
~~~~~
Contractors offset chronic troop shortages
The military relies on private contractors to offset chronic troop shortages. "If we had a 2 million-man army, we wouldn't be having this conversation," said Ed Soyster, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

But the scope of the contractors' responsibilities is sometimes unclear, particularly in the area of intelligence-gathering. Singer, of the Brookings Institution, said intelligence contracting is growing "in a major, major way" with little government oversight.

Paul Cox, press secretary for Rep. David E. Price (D-N.C.), asked: "Who's overseeing this, and has Congress been informed to the extent that contractors are involved in intelligence activities? . . . We at least need to get an accurate picture of what's being contracted." Price has requested a Government Accountability Office investigation of private security contractors in Iraq, including Aegis. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), a member of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, has requested an audit of Aegis by the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction.
~~~~~
In addition, Blackwater USA and DynCorp International, two of the largest security firms in Iraq and both American companies, refuse to participate in the Reconstruction Operations Center, essentially making their movements invisible to other private security firms. (Blackwater bid on the new contract, then filed a protest with the GAO when it was eliminated from the competition.) Blackwater said that its movements are tracked by the military under separate U.S. government contracts and that it thus does not need to participate. DynCorp said it also is monitored separately.

{{{More on link, including info about criminal activities by Tim Spicer, the owner of this mercenary company; he was arrested when he had another mercenary company by a different name.... IMHO, this WaPo article does a wink-wink nod of approval of the whole concept of former criminals running mercenary companies, and is a propagandistic soft-sell to get people to "admire" mercenaries as heroic and romantic Foreign Legion figures ready to step into a movie about them as soldiers of fortune, blah, blah, blah.... To me it's entirely disturbing to see the recent spate of articles about mercenaries, none of which condemn them for engaging in war for profit.}}}

I knew you'd like that article, Miss Nonny.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/02/the-colbert-report-does-sen-dick-lugar-profiles-in-timing/
The Colbert Report does Sen. Dick Lugar: Profiles in Timing

{{{Ooooooooooooooh!!! Must See Video!}}}

I knew you'd like that article, Miss Nonny.
Posted by: monkey at July 2, 2007 11:48 AM

Well, my simian friend, I'm not quite sure "like" is how I'd describe my reaction, which was more along the lines of:

Disbelief that anyone actually thinks Georgie has a conscience.

Incredulous and astonished disbelief that anyone actually believes Georgie has a brain cell capable of philosophical reflection - or writes like he thinks we'll actually believe he has.

Disgust that fiction like that could actually be considered for publication.

I had to go wash out my eyes after reading profanity like that....

Wanna know how bad off Louisiana law enforcement has gotten?

Trooper Allen is lead detective on 3 cold case murders that suddenly go red hot after a serial killer confesses.

AND on top of that he is recieving his normal load of current cases, including other murders.... AND he is being frequently called to New Orleans to try to re-establish their infrastructure.

Jesus I just want to scream.

I can see already this is going to be one of those weeks.

Wolfowitz joins a Washington think tank
Former World Bank chief scholar at American Enterprise Institute

WASHINGTON - Former World Bank chief Paul Wolfowitz, who resigned amid a furor over his handling of a bank pay package for his girlfriend, has joined the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank, as a visiting scholar.

AEI’s president, Christopher DeMuth, made the announcement Monday. Wolfowitz will work on entrepreneurship and development issues, Africa and public-private partnerships, the group said in a release.

Wolfowitz’s last day as head of the World Bank, a major poverty-fighting institution, was on Saturday, ending a stormy two-year run.

He was essentially forced to step down from the World Bank after a special panel found that he broke bank rules in arranging a hefty pay raise for Shaha Riza, his girlfriend and bank employee. Wolfowitz’s handling of the pay package prompted a staff revolt and calls by Europeans and others for him to resign.

Before taking over the World Bank, Wolfowitz had served as the No. 2 official at the Pentagon, where he played a key role in mapping out the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

AEI’s stated mission is to “defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism.” The nonprofit institution, founded in 1943, is oriented to research and education on range of government, political, economic and social issues.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19551763/

“A fool and his monkey are soon parted.”

All the misery these creeps are responsible for and they end up in conservative think tanks to design more heinous projects.

Here is another scam - you know - the financial group the Bush family is affiliated with..rock and roll just died..

Carlyle Group in Talks to Acquire Virgin Media
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070207N.shtml
"The Carlyle Group is in discussions with Virgin Media, the British cable company whose largest investor is Richard Branson, over a potential bid worth around $20 billion, a person familiar with the negotiations said today," write Michael J. de la Merced and Julia Werdigier of The New York Times.

Hey Hey, My My
by Neil Young

Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye.
Hey hey, my my.

Out of the blue and into the black
You pay for this, but they give you that
And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black.

The king is gone but he's not forgotten
Is this the story of johnny rotten?
It's better to burn out 'cause rust never sleeps
The king is gone but he's not forgotten.

Hey hey, my my
Rock and roll can never die
There's more to the picture
Than meets the eye.

Instead of depending on the net to be self perpetuating, take out ads announcing your site, who you are. Hell, take out a billboard. Use already established, traditional meathods.

The problem areas, like the Deep South, should be high priority markets to infiltrate and spend extra to advertise extra.

The msm wants to keep the blogosphere in a ghetto. The blogosphere at some point forgot they were part of a larger already more established world and thought the internet would radically naturally evolve to self perpetuate.

You do not want to get out of the ghetto. You need to move the ghetto right into the territory of those who create them.

Posted by: Christy at July 1, 2007 02:54 PM

@@@@@@@@

Here is the problem with traditional media - it's damned expensive!!!! Let's just take print media (at least in my city - I bet the prices are much higher in other, larger cities). To get an ad in the daily newspaper (which only about 15% - 20% of the people here read) costs about $500 for a one day ad.

We also have a weekly shopper newspaper. This is free and more people read it than the daily paper. To take out a small ad in the shopper is between $250 and $300. Larger ads are $300 to $400. Color ads are even more expensive etc...

We had also thought of taken out a billboard ad. The problem with billboards is the set-up cost - printing the ad and hanging it. The rest of the cost is just renting the space.

There is also robo-calling which, however annoying, is very cheap. Local candidates for minor offices are using the robo-call around my area.

Posted by: karen at July 2, 2007 09:31 AM

"A study in the Washington Post says that women have better verbal skills than men. I just want to say to the authors of that study: "Duh."
--Conan O'Brien

Posted by: not my president at July 2, 2007 01:35 PM

Carlyle = Pappy Boosh's company.... Gee, I wonder what they want with a British cable company... Hmmm??? [snark] I'm assuming they want to have yet another media company that they can use for broadcasting more propaganda about 'bringing more freedom and democracy' to the rest of the world. Maybe they think the British press has too much freedom....

I note the second one-sentence paragraphs indicates the deal may not happen, but it still bothers me that a bid was even made....

Christy
Take the message into culture - get good lyrics that'll spread like wild fire. I've been studying YouTube, MySpace etc. alot and catching Ralpheh's looks into texting on cell phones. These things don't have to be expensive. There's a guy who has gone around the country freeway blogging. That involves sacrifice as he essentially has to live as a hobo or travelling monk and depend on the goodwill of strangers. We can't all get away to attend out of town or out of state actions either. I did see some admirable work at street corners (on impeachment, antiwar) lately. I do also notice that alot of the people are older - they have strong convictions and are not leaving it all to others. Also, if they are retired, they have more time - though I'm sure that's not how they're spending it by choice. I mean, they are making that choice but it's not the world they probably would have chosen to leave to their descendants.

Posted by: Ralpheh at June 30, 2007 08:04 PM

I'm saying that Nixon was pardoned for his crimes, which was obviously the plan when he resigned in August 1974. Nixon was never impeached.

Of course his crimes were worthy of impeachment. He was charged with high crimes and misdemeanors.

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/impeach.html

Posted by: madame defarge at June 30, 2007 08:35 PM

@@@@@@@

As people have argued over at DKos, impeachment is now a matter of of saving the constitution, our system of government and the country not a petty political concern or calculation.

If we look back, Nixon was an extremely dangerous and bad president, not only was he breaking laws, Nixon had a semi-paranoid personality and was frequently drunk and taking prescription mood-altering drugs. It was such a relief when Nixon resigned. As young as I was during this time, I sensed that Nixon was cracking emotionally. On television Nixon looked awful (when he was proclaiming his innocence).

BTW: Almost all of Nixon's cronies did jail time: Colson, Liddy, Ehrlichman, Haldeman, and, I believe, Howard Hunt. I am glad these guys served time, but strangely I was so happy to see Nixon gone that I didn't care about charging Nixon with a crime in court. The country, at that point, was stunned and exhausted about all of the Watergate revelations and wanted to "move on" and move forward.

I was concerned about a long legal fight to get Nixon into jail.

"Just for fun...."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6259760.stm
Viking ship sets sail for Dublin
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/vikingvoyage/index.shtml
(Video plus more stories on second link.)

NonnyO
British cable company?

Virgin has controlling interest in airlines, banking, cinemas, cosmetics, digital, drinks, electronics, fuel, jewellery, media, mobiles, money services & credit cards, charity foundation, wines and vodka, travel voucher comanies, as well as balloon flights, trainline, package holidays, limobike, records, books, interactive media, music, FM radio, festivals, bride services, megatores, spas and these are trans-continental. It'll be alot to boycott but watch me!

OBAMA OUT FUNDRAISES HILLARY THIS REPORTING PERIOD..

That is a nice sign. Heck, I threw him some money just to make the campaign competitive....

NonnyO
Branson looked to be pretty clean but he's worth $8 billion US and I'm sure can be bought. I get the feeling he's like a Murdoch with a disco lifestyle.

Wikipedia shows:
Branson was honoured by the Conservative government in the 1980s, and was briefly given the post of "litter tsar" by Margaret Thatcher – charged with "keeping Britain tidy.

He was again seen as close to the government when the Labour Party came to power in 1997.

In 2005 he declared that there were only negligible differences between the two main parties on economic matters.

He reputedly considered running for Mayor of London in 2004, but decided not to. Branson has described himself as a libertarian.

Female Ex-Employees Sue KBR, Halliburton For Rape, Harassment
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070207O.shtml
Reuters reports, "KBR Inc. and its former corporate parent Halliburton Co. have been sued by four women claiming they suffered sexual harassment and, in two cases, rape, by co-workers while working for KBR in Iraq, the Houston Chronicle reported on its web site Friday."

Ralpheh, Christy

Low Tech

All I had to do was Google YouTube and Search for Impeach Cheney and you can see what's being uploaded, how many hits, and comments. It's not so hard to upload your own materials. Most I've watched appear to be made from the equivalent of iPhoto and iMovie. Need photo stills from yourself and/or stock sources and some of the video stuff appears to be even from cell phones, pretty low res.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB3JTYfOulk

Posted by: not my president at July 2, 2007 02:36 PM

I know. But the article only mentions the cable company, so maybe it's only the Virgin cable company Carlyle is trying to buy???

If it were a genealogy pedigree chart instead of corporate entitites, I'd say the giant corporations of all kinds - world-wide - are incestuously inbred....

NonnyO
It's ominous that Branson would even deal with Carlyle.

Having any affiliate of the "crime family" buy into the media is troubling.

Carlyle specialized in leveraged buyouts and other shady deals and their investors are all over the world, but very rich people.

They specialize in media but also aerospace and defense so money earned in one sector could theoretically spill into others. Plus their potentially dealing in weapons could surely threaten their objectivity and create a conflict of interest as far as what content is shown in the media they invest in.

Carlyle is too connected to political figures. Companies are in sensitive sectors. Political decisions become linked to pursuit of personal wealth. They benefit from war. Their corporate headquarters is so close to the White House, geographically and influencially. Bin Laden's relatives only sold their interest back after the 9/11 controversy r/t their dastardly relative.

McCain lags in fundraising, cuts staff

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican John McCain reorganized his campaign Monday, cutting staff in every department as he raised just $11.2 million in the last three months and reported an abysmal $2 million cash on hand for his presidential bid.

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/02/mccain.campaign.ap/index.html

Your cash ain't nothin' but trash

Court rejects Libby's bid to delay prison

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby cannot delay his 2 ½-year prison term in the CIA leak case, a federal appeals court unanimously ruled Monday.

The decision is a dramatic setback for Libby, who likely will have to surrender to prison in weeks. The ruling puts pressure on President Bush, who has been sidestepping calls by Libby's allies to pardon the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/02/libby.prison.ap/index.html

Scars & Stripes Forever

The decision is a dramatic setback for Libby, who likely will have to surrender to prison in weeks. The ruling puts pressure on President Bush, who has been sidestepping calls by Libby's allies to pardon the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/02/libby.prison.ap/index.html

Scars & Stripes Forever

Posted by: monkey at July 2, 2007 03:47 PM

@@@@@@@

i would call the White House comment line 202-456-1111 and say Libby belongs in prison.

Posted by: not my president at July 2, 2007 03:09 PM

Yup... incestuous corporate relationships and people who run those mega corporations.... Inbreeding leads to horrible problems....

i would call the White House comment line 202-456-1111 and say Libby belongs in prison.

Posted by: Ralpheh at July 2, 2007 04:27 PM

Yeah, cuz the White House is sooooooo responsive to the wishes of the nations citizens these daze.

1-800-DECIDER

Ralpheh,

Yes, indeed it can be bloody expensive, so you would have to pick your target areas and audiences very carefully.

Instead of buying a 1/4 page or full page add, simply buy a CLASSIFIED ad. A little ad can go a long way.

As NMP pointed out, the Freeway blogger is at play an everybodys noticed.

He wrote a book thats titled something like "How to reach 200,000 people for less than 10$"

And yes he is totally serious.

Flyers do not cost much if you can get friends with paper to spare and extra help with ink. People tend to forget the resources they already have at their disposal. You will wind up spending the money in other ways but none of them will be as effective,

There are people who are very intimidated by the internet, kids I know who really are from the 'ghettos' that never laid hands on a computer in their lives.

It is time to move what happens here onto the framework of the traditional media, and let the evolution of natural selection take over.

We all know for a fact the traditional media is going to change wether they like it or not.

A global conversation, people with cell phone cams and email are changing everything about how we consume news and if traditional media does not learn to incorporate it then they know they are dead in the water.

Instead of hoping for that change or waiting for it, force it to happen. Go ahead and marry the old and new and you will attain a level of effective outreach that will change everything.

Even the msm themselves know it is inevitable that the info superhighway will usurp their power.

People are hungry for news and honest discussion. People WANT to be part of something they feel is part of the solution..but what? Where is that place to do that?

There is nothing being advertised that even remotely resembles that place.

Hey Ralpheh.

Try this...

Instead of spending the money in your local and very expensive papers, consider doing something crazy.

Look up tiny towns papers all over the USA. Put an ad in them at a much much cheaper rate.

I live in a tiny town and all the bussiness owners of everything read every damn word printed in our daily paper. And they all have computers. Even the old farts that only think they are used for cool accounting tricks.

PS,.. it is EXACTLY those people, in tiny towns all over the USA you want to reach.

And advertising in small towns is much cheaper, it does not matter WHERE they are, as long as they have internet access they will find you.

Once they know where to go.

Here are some other phone numbers:

Office of the Vice President 202-456-9000

OVP Scheduling 202-456-6773

OVP Legislative affairs 202-456-6774

For a good joke call the White House operators - 202-456-1414 and ask for Scooter Libby's office ( or Mary Matalin, or anyone else who has resigned recently)...

REGARDING THE ABOVE PHONE NUMBERS:

LIBBY HAS JUST BEEN PARDONED

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush commuted the sentence of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on Monday, sparing him from a 2 1/2-year prison term that Bush said was excessive.

Bush's move came hours after a federal appeals panel ruled Libby could not delay his prison term in the CIA leak case. That meant Libby was likely to have to report to prison soon and put new pressure on the president, who had been sidestepping calls by Libby's allies to pardon the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

"I respect the jury's verdict," Bush said in a statement. "But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison."

Bush left intact a $250,000 fine and two years probation for Libby, and Bush said his action still "leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby."

Libby was convicted in March of lying to authorities and obstructing the investigation into the 2003 leak of CIA operative's identity. He was the highest-ranking White House official ordered to prison since the Iran-Contra affair.

Bush said of Cheney's former aide: "The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged. His wife and young children have also suffered immensely. He will remain on probation. The significant fines imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting."

McDermott to Cheney: "Resign or Face Impeachment"
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070207D.shtml
"The vice president holds himself above the law, and it is time for the Congress to enforce the law," Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) said in a floor speech on Thursday night, reports Chris Good for the Hill. "For the good of the nation, the vice president could leave office immediately."
Excerpt:

Unlike the other impeachment backers, McDermott voted against an amendment proposed by House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) to deny funding to the Office of the Vice President Thursday night. Emanuel proposed the amendment earlier this month as Cheney's document secrecy gained more attention.

The amendment failed 217-209, receiving votes from two Republicans: Reps. Ron Paul (Texas) and Walter Jones (N.C.).

{{{Errrr... double standard? Giving Dickie money for his office on one hand and demanding Dickie leave office on the other hand does not make for any kind of firm consistency.... It's the same as demanding the US leave Iraq by any deadline on one hand and giving Georgie and Dickie money to fund their illegal war with no deadline for withdrawal with the other. It makes no sense whatsoever. This is why people are so da*ned pissed off at Dems since te '06 election. They say one thing, yet still do not hold the executive branch accountable in the next breath, and every time Georgie and Dickie throw a temper tantrum or use fearmongering 'ter'rist' rhetoric, the Dems lose whatever backbone or cajones their words previously said... and they cave in every ****ing time. The only thing predictable about the Dems since '01 is that they always give Georgie and Dickie whatever the hell they want, no matter what the tough talk was before any legislation was passed. No wonder their poll ratings for Congress Critters are in the toilet....}}}

i would call the White House comment line 202-456-1111 and say Libby belongs in prison.

Posted by: Ralpheh at July 2, 2007 04:27 PM

Yeah, cuz the White House is sooooooo responsive to the wishes of the nations citizens these daze.

1-800-DECIDER

Posted by: monkey at July 2, 2007 05:10 PM

@@@@@@@@

When you call the White House operators, What happens is you get connected to a poor, hapless, unpaid volunteer who, oftentimes, has no idea what is going on in the real world.

Frequently - during controversial events - the phone lines are jammed. This is wonderful sign. If you want to create more problems you call the White House switchboard - 202-456-1414 - (who ARE paid) and ask for the comment line. I would love that thousands of calls go to the W. H. switchboard and the comment line.

And it is better than doing nothing....

BTW: if you have a better idea, let's here it...

BUSH THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF SAID HE'D FIRE ANYONE FOR LEAKING, THAT NOBODY WAS INVOLVED.

Asked in June 2004 if he'd stand by his pledge to fire anyone found to have leaked, Bush replied "yes." [Bush Press Conference: Savannah, GA, 6/10/04]

When the White House was asked specifically whether Karl Rove, Elliot Abrams or Lewis Libby told any reporter that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: "Those individuals -- I talked -- I spoke with those individuals, as I pointed out, and those individuals assured me they were not involved in this. And that's where it stands." [White House Briefing, 10/10/03]

"I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action." [Bush Remarks: Chicago, Illinois, 9/30/03]

"The President has set high standards, the highest of standards for people in his administration. He's made it very clear to people in his administration that he expects them to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration." [White House Briefing, 9/29/03]

BUSH THE CANDIDATE PROMISED TO UPHOLD THE HONOR AND INTEGRITY AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

"I will swear to uphold the laws of the land. But I will also swear to uphold the honor and the integrity of the office to which I have been elected, so help me God," said then-Governor George Bush [CNN, “Inside Politics,” 8/11/00]

"Americans are tired of investigations and scandal, and the best way to get rid of them is to elect a new president who will bring a new administration, who will restore honor and dignity to the White House." [Then-Governor George Bush on CNN’s “Burden of Proof,” 9/15/05]

"Americans want to be assured that the next administration will bring honor and dignity to the White House." [Then-Governor George Bush on CNN’s “Capital Gang,” 8/13/00]

"A reformer with results. He will restore integrity and values to the White House." [2000 Bush Campaign Ad aired on CNN’s “Crossfire,” 2/17/00]

BUSH THE PRESIDENT CONTINUED TO URGE HONOR AMONG HIS STAFF.

"Please thank the personnel of your departments and agencies for their commitment to maintain the highest standards of integrity in Government as we serve the American people." [Memo from President Bush to Executive Officials, 1/20/01]

http://www.dscc.org/news/roundup/20051028_leak/

BTW: if you have a better idea, let's here it...

Posted by: Ralpheh at July 2, 2007 06:24 PM

I'm sorry, but it IS time to storm the gates...
F*CK THESE MOTHERF*CKERS AND THE WHORES THEY RODE IN ON

Pardon my ass

Bush Commutes Libby Prison Sentence
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070207Z.shtml
President Bush commuted the sentence of former aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

{{{How NOT surprised are the rest of you?}}}

I should not be surprised about Bush & Libby. It does make claims that anyone is fighting for freedom ring hollow though. Glad to have not fallen for that.

My mom just mailed us Gore's new book, Assault on Reason.

In view of this latest Libby debacle, I wonder if Georgie's poll ratings will go even lower...???

How LOW does this pustule on humanity's @$$ have to go before someone will CONSIDER IMPEACHING one or both of these monsters of depravity?!?!?!? Libby was, after all, a staff member of both Dickie's and Georgie's offices at various times....

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/02/breaking-scooter-libbys-sentence-commuted-by-bush/
Breaking: Scooter Libby’s sentence commuted by Bush…

Video.... I will be VERY interested to see what Jon Stewart, Keith Olbermann, and Stephen Colbert have to say about this....

My guess: Libby blackmailed George & Dick. Told them to do something or he'd sing.

Ah, but...

"I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action." [Bush Remarks: Chicago, Illinois, 9/30/03]

...and now...

"The Constitution gives the president the power of clemency to be used when he deems it to be warranted. It is my judgment that a commutation of the prison term in Mr. Libby's case is an appropriate exercise of this power." [Bush Remarks: Kennebunkport, Maine, 7/2/07]

...well, he did promise that he'd take appropriate action, didn't he?

I don't have the bus fare to make it to Washington D.C. to storm the gates....

Here is the Capitol Hill switchboard

202-224-3121

Here are the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee:

Hon. Berman (D) California, 28th

Hon. Boucher (D) Virginia, 9th

Hon. Nadler (D) New York, 8th

Hon. Scott (D) Virginia, 3rd

Hon. Watt (D) North Carolina, 12th

Hon. Lofgren (D) California, 16th

Hon. Jackson Lee (D) Texas, 18th

Hon. Waters (D) California, 35th

Hon. Meehan (D) Massachusetts, 5th

Hon. Delahunt (D) Massachusetts, 10th

Hon. Wexler (D) Florida, 19th

Hon. Sánchez (D) California, 39th

Hon. Cohen (D) Tennessee, 9th

Hon. Johnson (D) Georgia, 4th

Hon. Gutierrez (D) Illinois, 4th

Hon. Sherman (D) California, 27

Hon. Weiner (D) New York, 9th

Hon. Schiff (D) California, 29th

Hon. Davis (D) Alabama , 7th

Hon. Wasserman Schultz (D) Florida, 20th

Hon. Ellison (D) Minnesota, 5th

Hon. Baldwin (D) Wisconsin, 2n

Enquire of the House judiciary committee about impeaching Cheney...

I'm sorry, but it IS time to storm the gates...
F*CK THESE MOTHERF*CKERS AND THE WHORES THEY RODE IN ON

Pardon my ass

Posted by: monkey at July 2, 2007 06:29 PM

@@@@@@@

No, I mean for real.... as I said previously, I don't have bus fare to storm the gates in Washington D.C....

Oh here's the Speaker of the House's address and phone:

Office of the Speaker
H-232, US Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-0100

I'll spring for bus fare if it'll get you there...

Effergate

... and apologies to all for the foul mouth, but I've had more than enough of this garbage, and on that, I'm totally serious.

Do you agree with President Bush's decision to commute former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison sentence?
* 12351 responses

Yes
17%

No
83%

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19570520/

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Following are reactions to President Bush’s announcement Monday that he has commuted the sentence of former vice presidential chief of staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby:

Melanie Sloan, legal counsel to Joe and Valerie Wilson
“First, President Bush said any person who leaked would no longer work in his administration. Nonetheless, Scooter Libby didn’t leave office until he was indicted and Karl Rove works in the White House even today. More recently, the vice president ignored an executive order protecting classified information, claiming he isn’t really part of the executive branch. Clearly, this is anadministration that believes leaking classified information for political ends is justified and that the law is what applies to other people.”

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and presidential candidate
“This decision to commute the sentence of a man who compromised our national security cements the legacy of an Administration characterized by a politics of cynicism and division, one that has consistently placed itself and its ideology above the law. This is exactly the kind of politics we must change so we can begin restoring the American people’s faith in a government that puts the country’s progress ahead of the bitter partisanship of recent years.”

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York
“As Independence Day nears, we are reminded that one of the principles our forefathers fought for was equal justice under the law. This commutation completely tramples on that principle.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada
“The President’s decision to commute Mr. Libby’s sentence is disgraceful. Libby’s conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq War. Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone. Judge Walton correctly determined that Libby deserved to be imprisoned for lying about a matter ofnational security. The Constitution gives President Bush the power to commute sentences, but history will judge him harshly for using that power to benefit his own Vice President’s Chief of Staff who was convicted of such a serious violation of law.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California
“The President’s commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison sentence does not serve justice, condones criminal conduct, and is a betrayal of trust of the American people. The President said he would hold accountable anyone involved in the Valerie Plame leak case. By his action today, the President shows his word is not to be believed. He has abandoned all sense of fairness when it comes to justice, he has failed to uphold the rule of law, and he has failed to hold his Administration accountable.”

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, and presidential candidate
“Last week Vice President Cheney asserted that he was beyond the reach of the law. Today, President Bush demonstrated the lengths he would go to, ensuring that even aides to Dick Cheney are beyond the judgment of the law. It is time for the American people to be heard — I call for all Americans to flood the White House with phone calls tomorrow expressing their outrage over this blatant disregard for the rule of law.”

Former Sen. John Edwards, presidential candidate
“Only a president clinically incapable of understanding that mistakes have consequences could take the action he did today. President Bush has just sent exactly the wrong signal to the country and the world. In George Bush’s America, it is apparently okay to misuse intelligence for political gain, mislead prosecutors and lie to the FBI. George Bush and his cronies think they are above the law and the rest of us live with the consequences. The cause of equal justice in America took a serious blow today.”

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, presidential candidate
“It’s a sad day when the President commutes the sentence of a public official who deliberately and blatantly betrayed the public trust and obstructed an important federal investigation,” said Governor Richardson. “This administration clearly believes its officials are above the law, from ignoring FISA laws when eavesdropping on US citizens, to the abuse of classified material, to ignoring the Geneva Conventions and international law with secret prisons and torturing prisoners.

There is a reason we have laws and why we expect our Presidents to obey them. Institutions have a collective wisdom greater than that of any one individual. The arrogance of this administration’s disdain for the law and its belief it operates with impunity are breathtaking.

Will the President also commute the sentences of others who obstructed justice and lied to grand juries, or only those who act to protect President Bush and Vice President Cheney?”

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/07/02/libby-commutation-washington-responds/

I'm mad as hell too. But look at it this way: this guarantees a Democratic president in 2008, unless the Democrats really screw it up.

Oh, I shouldn't have said that...

Monkey
As for the foul mouth, I'm getting several emails about this and EVERY ONE of them has bad words in it, with qualifiers that they are angry. Some are taking the two days after 4th of July off and so am I and we will make calls and protest in any way we can.

That Al Gore's 2000 presidential candidacy was treated unconscionably by most members of the mainstream media is not really arguable by sentient beings. The very idea that a candidate like George W. Bush — extremist, incompetent, unprepared for office, addicted to cronyism and incapable of admitting even the simplest human error — could have been held by so many reporters to be a better choice for President than the two-time Vice President, Senator, Representative and environment and nuclear weapons expert, to say nothing of his central role in the Clinton Administration's successful two-term presidency, would be laughable were its consequences less tragic. And yet in that election, the media made Al Gore out to be a liar because so many reporters chose to misreport his remarks or take them out of context. To top it off, they made a joke of their maliciousness, mocking Gore for alleged mendacities that were largely the results of their carelessness and deliberate misrepresentation.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/29/opinion/main2999116.shtml

Go figure. Paris Hilton served time & Scooter doesn't. Only in America.

Posted by: 1pissedmonkey at July 2, 2007 08:05 PM

Compared to Fred Flintstone Thompson...

"I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President's decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life."

Just as two wrongs don’t make a right, all the good service you have done shouldn’t clear you from doing the jail time that a jury of your peers felt you deserved. It was a CONSERVATIVE judge who passed down the sentence. Must feel good to be with the White House click. This shows me and many Americans that the rules of justice don’t apply to everyone the same way. Hey! Maybe Scooter can do a duel interview with Paris Hilton or even make a nice videotape together…

Posted By Will, Nashville TN : July 2, 2007 7:05 pm

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/07/02/libby-commutation-washington-responds/#more-682

He still gets to appeal the whole process and is up for pardon in January 2009 so, in effect, he's been pardoned.

Drop Dead Fred

Speaking of Free Speech, my blogmate Kayakbiker participated in a Christmas political theater event at Mall of America a couple of years ago with Reverend Billy. (It's in our archives)

Now: http://gothamist.com

Reverend Billy was arrested and detained last night while reciting the First Amendment in Union Square. The police claimed his preaching it at this month's Critical Mass constituted "Harassment of a Public Official". The NYPD has a history of some controversial arrests at the Critical Mass events, and at last night's the number of police practically outnumbered the riders. From the press release we received:

"...even unaffiliated riders were ticketed as they approached the park. Reverend Billy and his partner Savitri D were reciting the First Amendment to the United States Constitution to the gathered police force when Lieutenant Daniel Albano, head of the NYPD's Legal Division, ordered the Reverend's arrest and detention at the 13th Precinct station. It is believed Albano is the public official Reverend Billy has been charged with harassing."

This brings up ongoing concern over protecting civil liberties and rights to free assembly and political action. However, it also draws attention to selectively enforced Parade Laws, drafted by the police and passed into law by the City Council earlier this year. The law criminalizes gatherings of more than 50 people that do not have permits. Something the press release points out is that "while the NYPD surrounded and intimidated last night's Critical Mass cyclists, a line of several hundred shoppers formed just across the street to purchase the new iPhone, blocking pedestrian traffic and forcing people to walk in the street."

Scooter, Elliot Abrams, John Poindexter....

The list is long and undistiguished. Anybody have a link to download the "Family Jewels?"

Chuck in Houston

Drop Dead Fred

Posted by: monkey at July 2, 2007 08:20 PM

I'm Too Sexy
Right Said Fred

I'm too sexy for my shirt too sexy for my shirt
So sexy it hurts
And I'm too sexy for Milan too sexy for Milan
New York and Japan

And I'm too sexy for your party
Too sexy for your party
No way I'm disco dancing

I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk

-- Do we need another movie star running for President?
-- Did you hear Romney left his dog on top of his car while driving for hours?

aarrrgh!!

Here you go, Chuck.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB222/index.htm

Chuck
Family Jewels should be in here

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/
The National Security Archive

My mom: "I'm not celebrating the 4th. We don't have freedom here anyway."

madame defarge
You beat me and a more specific link LOL
No flies on us!

Show Joe Wilson & Valerie Plame some love:

http://www.wilsonsupport.org/

I have called Pelosi and Conyers and have told them that the choice to not impeach means that a traitor is allowed a get out of free card by the same guy who encouraged him to be a traitor. That means they are both traitors.

Impeachment is the only option now.

Here's what we all need to do on the 4th of July...

Show up at your local celebrations wearing a black armband with si