The Wickedness of the GOP

Again the Grand OLD Partisan republicans are setting it up to steal the election. Poll numbers are all over the place. McCain internal polls are saying the race is "essentially tied." Election fraud and voter suppression stories are popping up even on in the corporate media despite the right-wing drivel about "voter fraud " and ACORN. All a set-up for the fourth election in a row to be stolen by the immoral GOP. My only hope lie in the extraordinary registration and turn-out of new (and old) Democrats and if the darkside seems to pull it off, on November the Fifth, the American people will pull a "V for Vendetta" of some kind. Is this really America? Have we all been asleep this long?

Incurious George and His Imperial Presidency

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia hosted political writer and former Clinton administration senior advisor, Sidney Blumenthal just before the last midterm election. His talk recounts the content of his book, How Bush Rules, and is both prescient and insightful, speaking to the radical departure from constitutional protections and and precedent as exercised by the Bush administration. This 50 minute presentation is extraordinary documentation of the unprecedented attempt of the Bush administration to undermine our democracy and recent-history revisited that should be required listening for any American who cares about our country. Listen. Please. This segment appears about a quarter of the way down the page.

Diebold Voting Machines for Mississippi

Mississippi's Republican Secretary of State, Eric Clark has certified Diebold touch screen voting machines for the next election. Can someone explain to me how past CA Sec. of State Kevin Shelly and current California Secretary of State Debra Bowen decertified the same machines because they can easily be tampered with to change the outcome of an election, while Mr. Clark says they are A-OK?

'Public Service' announcements running on local tv and radio stations tout how reliable and easy to use Diebold's machines are. I haven't heard word one about all the problems with flipping votes and the many states that have decertified the touch-screen voting. If you have any doubts, check on the Diebold machines yourself. Many articles, tests and expert testimony exists.

Fucking criminals. But then who gives a shit? It's just Mississippi, right? The reddest of red states, the dumbest, the most fat. What possible difference could it make to give your opinion, vent your outrage. Remember, they want us disenfranchised, impotent, weak, afraid. Prove them wrong.Call or email Eric Clark and raise hell about the blatant attempt by the GOP to steal another election.

Consumer Safety Approved

One reason I'm grateful I don't have children:

Consumer Product Safety Commission chief Nancy Nord and her predecessor "have taken dozens of trips at the expense of the toy, appliance and children's furniture industries and others they regulate," according to internal records. Earlier this week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called on Nord to resign.

Former Reichmarshall of "New Mexico Lawyers for Bush," Nancy Nord was made head of the government agency that is currently making sure all those lovely lead toys make it into your kid's mouth. WaPo has the scoop and Jon Carroll at SF Gate piles on. If I had children, they would be screaming, "Mommy make the scary lady go away!!"

Get Me My Gun

Clearly the American people don't give two shits about what goes on in their own country and with its leadership. The story of the waste and fraud occurring during the is illegal, immoral invasion and occupation of Iraq has been tantamount to the biggest boondoggle in American history, yet is barely glanced upon in the mainstream media, and virtually ignored by congress.

Did you know of the nearly 1/2 a trillion war dollars spent, 88 BILLION dollars of "contractor money" is under investigation for fraud? Did you realize the 630 private companies are under contract to the US government to deliver "services" to Iraq? Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater:The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, sat in on a DOD authorization hearing and listened to representative after representative ask scores of military and government officials,"How many contractors do we have? What are they doing? How much are they being paid? What nations are they drawn from? The answers were, 'I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know' ". Would you let ANYONE spend your money like this?

Bill Moyers does a great intense round-up of the national treasure wasted on this futile exercise called the Global War on Terror. Best of the Left compiles a podcast "best of" moments from around the blogosphere about the discussion. All the while the republicans can't fund health care for children which amounts to 40 days in Iraq spending.

Preaching to the choir I guess, but I wonder when people will be angry enough to act.

Prince of Tides

And the tide is turning: Blackwater likely to be out of Iraq

Of Armies and Statesmen

In light of the breakdown of our military from overuse and the rise of private, mercenary armies like Blackwater USA, Dwight D. Eisenhower's Farewell Address to the Nation seems timely.

On a related note, McClatchy News has this 'feelgood' story. (At least it made me feel good... H/T to Lotus for the linky.

Complete 9/11 Timeline

Professional researcher Paul Thompson has painstakingly assembled, through various media accounts and FOI documents, a thorough timeline of the events on September 11, 2001. This work is extraordinary in "connecting the dots" and pointing out the lies and inconsistencies of the 9/11 (C)Ommission Report and the lies repeated by the administration regarding the events of 9/11.

I've touted the 9/11 truth movement films like Loose Change and a multitude of other inquiry documentaries. I am convinced by my own research and the exhaustive research of others that 9/11 was an inside job. If you have doubts, or maybe have considered the many problems and unanswered questions arising from the "official story of record" explanation, take a look at the timeline and see what you come up with. Let yourself really look at the issue with objective eyes. Don't be afraid of the truth, it will set you free.

The timelime is dense with information, so look around a bit. It has complete links to the media reports and documents from which it was constructed. Here's one I like:

(9:26 a.m.): Cheney Given Updates on Unidentified Flight 77 Heading toward Washington; Says ‘Orders Still Stand’

According to some accounts, Vice President Cheney is in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) below the White House by this time, along with Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and National Security Adviser Rice. Mineta says that, while a suspicious plane is heading toward Washington, an unidentified young man comes in and says to Cheney, “The plane is 50 miles out.” Mineta confers with Acting FAA Deputy Administrator Monte Belger, who is at the FAA’s Washington headquarters. Belger says to him, “We’re watching this target on the radar, but the transponder’s been turned off. So we have no identification.” According to Mineta, the young man continues updating the vice president, saying, “The plane is 30 miles out,” and when he gets down to “The plane is 10 miles out,” asks, “Do the orders still stand?” In response, Cheney “whipped his neck around and said, ‘Of course the orders still stand. Have you heard anything to the contrary?’” Mineta says that “just by the nature of all the events going on,” he infers that the order being referred to is a shoot-down order. Nevertheless, Flight 77 continues on and hits the Pentagon. [BBC, 9/1/2002; ABC News, 9/11/2002; 9/11 Commission, 5/23/2003; St. Petersburg Times, 7/4/2004] However, the 9/11 Commission will later claim the plane heading toward Washington is only discovered by the Dulles Airport air traffic control tower at 9:32 a.m. (see 9:32 a.m. September 11, 2001). But earlier accounts, including statements made by the FAA and NORAD, will claim that the FAA notified the military about the suspected hijacking of Flight 77 at 9:24 a.m., if not before (see (9:24 a.m.) September 11, 2001). The FBI’s Washington Field Office was also reportedly notified that Flight 77 had been hijacked at about 9:20 a.m. (see (9:20 a.m.) September 11, 2001). The 9/11 Commission will further contradict Mineta’s account saying that, despite the “conflicting evidence as to when the Vice President arrived in the shelter conference room [i.e., the PEOC],” it has concluded that he only arrived there at 9:58 a.m. It also claims that Condoleezza Rice only entered the PEOC shortly after Cheney did. [9/11 Commission, 6/17/2004] According to the Washington Post, the discussion between Cheney and the young aide over whether “the orders” still stand occurs later than claimed by Mineta, and is in response to Flight 93 heading toward Washington, not Flight 77. [Washington Post, 1/27/2002]

9/11 claims more victims

As a direct result of the lies and negligence of Rudy Ghouliani, BushCo and its cronies, more people are dying every year from various respiratory illnesses related to the Twin Towers demolition on September 11, 2001.

South Mississippi Keeps On Post Katrina

The Gulf Coast of Mississippi received the full force of Katrina's wrath 2 years ago today and a paucity of the federal recovery monies and support. We relocated to Southern Mississippi recently. We live within walking distance of FEMA trailers.

My mom just finished a visit here. I told her about all the troubles folks on the Gulf Coast are still embroiled in and all that hasn't been provided by the federal government. We went for a drive down highway 90. I pointed out all the still-present damage and all the empty slabs next to storm twisted remnants of buildings. She was shocked and said,"I didn't realize the devastation, the only reports you hear are about New Orleans..."

The Sun Herald has an article today on the two year anniversary of Katrina detailing among other things, how the the money spent so far could have purchased two houses for each family still displaced by the storm. Someone explain that to the politicians. I hope they have to explain it to God.

Read the Sun Herald article then click onto Jim Yancy's site Jackson County Community Services Coalition and please give whatever you can spare, even if it's just a prayer and a thank you to Jim for all his hard work. One current project is "100 Homes in 100 Days" see how you can help.

Also checkout SouthernStudies.org's Blueprint for Gulf Renewal

Some people are doing A-OK after Katrina. From reader Op99:Gulf Coast Cronyism or "Thanks Haley Barbour!!"...(Daddy, Uncle Haley, etc.)

It Ain't Over til the Fat Lawyer Sings

Beyond good riddance to bad garbage, my only commentary on the resignation of Abu Gonzalez is a reiteration of my, what has been called the highly improbable, poo-pooed notion, that Gonzo was gonna fold and blow the whistle on BushCo. I believe now that Gonzo has been throw to the wolves, and as pressure and more malfeasance in the Bush administration comes to light, Gonzo is gonna squeal like the stuck pig bastard he is.

My conjecture is based on what I perceive as Gonzo's internalized racism, his desperate desire to 'succeed,' and pursue the "American Dream" at any cost. His blind ambition has created a monster.

Alberto Gonzalez, the only child to go to college from a very possibly illegal immigrant Mexican family, hitched his wagon to Dubya in the early 90's. His star soared and he saw this gabacho as his way of setting himself apart from the pack.

Initially, Chimpy's c'mon-and-have-a-beer-with-me persona appealed to Fredo and his conservative Catholic values. His advances in career, all tied to monkey-boy, cemented his loyalty even as the moral ethical line moved. Alberto unconsciously tapped into his deep-seated inferiority complex and acted out all the evil impulses buried inside when egged on by the mean-spirited Bush. He was pulled deeper and deeper into the web of deceit, illicit behavior and depravity of BushWorld.

Now that he's been left outside in the cold, my guess is that he will bite the hand that fed him in an effort to redeem his own soul and possibly keep himself out of jail.

It's just a thought. I could be wrong. But what if I'm right? 'House of cards' will take on a new dimension.

Just for shits and giggles here is an eight minute montage Josh Marshall put together of the the lying liar's greatest hits, followed by a truly crestfallen Arlen Specter and the incredulity of Gonzo and Habeus Corpus.

Republican Ratfuckery

Palau over at Progressive Gold has posted a terrific piece on more GOP malfeasance:

A NY state Republican political thug ‘consultant’, Roger J. Stone Jr., is alleged to have been harassing the 83 year old father of the Democratic attorney general, Elliot Spitzer, with threatening late night phone calls - traceable directly back to aforesaid thug “consultant”.

The title of the article has also given me a terrific new tag for gooper wingnuttery:Modern Mobsterism, or Republican Ratfuckery or “Nice Family You Got there. Shame If Anything Happened to It…” Ratfuckery, indeed.

3701

The number of dead American soldiers today and it's not even noon. Now, 3702.

Welcome to the Matrix

PsyOps, you know, the psychological warfare the military uses to mess with the head; has it been unleashed on the American public? Sure would explain the narcoleptic quality to the American response in losing our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and the rampant criminal activities of BushCo.

Heard today on the Thom Hartman Program, Heather Wokusch, author of The Progressives Handbook. She writes up Welcome to the Jungle an expose on the PSYOP program which very well may be being used on the American public. Watch the video read her article, then WRITE CONGRESS.

Heck of a Job Bushie

And that other rethuglican hack, Tim Pawlenty. Pawlenty, following the lead of Dubya's response to Katrina, vetoed a transportation infrastructure bill which would have provided funds to fix sagging infrastructure like the I-35W bridge.

The emperor-chimp, was AWOL during an emergency yesterday when this tragedy occurred. He made his statement regarding the Minneapolis bridge moments ago. He spoke about the tragedy for about a minute without mentioning the victims. He used his next few minutes to BLAME Democrats for not prioritizing certain bills in congress and talk about his tax cuts.

I really do hate these people.

Duke Cunningham Sings

Convicted, imprisoned Randy "Duke" Cunningham, the former congressmen from San Diego, has spilled the beans about the depth of corruption in the GOP to the FBI. We can only hope the Duker's dump doesn't fall on deaf ears.

MRAP too good for the US Military but not too good for Blackwater USA

The MRAP, the lifesaving Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle with the v-shaped hull which provides significant protection from IED's has been deemed "too expensive" for US military but just right for the Iraqi soldiers we train. Have I mentioned today how much I hate these people? USA Today finally writes up the obvious.

On Dec. 22, 2004 two weeks after President Bush told families of servicemembers that "we're doing everything we possibly can to protect your loved ones" a U.S. Army general solicited ideas for an armored vehicle for the Iraqis. The Army had an "extreme interest" in getting troops better armor, then-brigadier general Roger Nadeau told a subordinate looking at foreign technology, in an e-mail obtained by USA TODAY.

In a follow-up message, Nadeau clarified his request: "What I failed to point out in my first message to you folks is that the US Govt is interested not for US use, but for possible use in fielding assets to the Iraqi military forces."[Emphasis mine]

Thanks to the US taxpayer though, Blackwater USA has plenty of MRAP's for their highly paid assassins. Thanks BushCo for all your support of the troops.

H/T to Lotus and RF for the linkies.

Private Contractors at Walter Reed fail to deliver mail

WASHINGTON - Turns out the trouble at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the focus of a firestorm of criticism over poor treatment of wounded war veterans, reached into the mailroom.

MSNBC reports.

Snow Job

Via the laptop:File under:AYFKM? (are you fucking kidding me?): Tony Snow presidential spokes-hole, tells us, "President Bush Is ‘On The Frontlines’ Of The Iraq War ‘Every Day’..." After you read the article via Think Progress, please come back and explain WTF.

Can you say subpoena?

TPM is reporting BREAKING NEWS: Top White House Officials Subpoenaed Over Attorney Scandal

Former White House counsel Harriet Miers and former top Karl Rove aide Sara Taylor, who served as White House political director before resigning last month, have been issued subpoenas over their connections to the U.S. attorney scandal.

UPDATE: These are the first subpoenas delivered to the White House regarding the attorney firings. The House Judiciary Committee issued the subpoena to Miers, and the Senate Judiciary Committee issued the subpoena to Taylor. Emails showing Taylor and Miers deeply involved in the Justice Department’s response to the scandal were released last night.

UPDATE II: The AP reports, “The Senate Judiciary Committee’s subpoena for Taylor compels her to testify on July 11, while the House Judiciary Committee’s subpoena for Miers compels her testimony the next day.”

UPDATE III: CNN’s legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin reports, “The White House has made clear it will cite executive privilege for conversations that took place within the White House on the U.S. attorney matter, and if the people with those conversations happen to have subsequently left the White House, that doesn’t matter. They’re still going to cite executive privilege, and these people are not going to be allowed to testify anytime soon, it appears, if the White House remains as it has been. … Even if they want to testify.”

H/T to BB for the linky.

Shoephone over at Evergreen Politics has this posted:Subpeonas Issued, Bush Spews More "Executive Privilege" Garbage Give it a read.