Thursday, December 29, 2005

A Prissy Patriot Evening Special...Updated

Now that Prissy's own young relative is home safe and sound, Prissy may cut the cabal a little slack...but probably not much.

She spoke with too many soldiers who knew their time and talents given over there are all for naught. Prissy will be posting some of their pictures from Iraq later this the weekend.

Iraq is going to take a long, long time to rebuild. There are few buildings left untouched by this war. With no security, trash is piled as high and long as the eye can see. More than half do not have access to clean water. What a great way for disease to spread. Prissy is grateful our soldiers have the food and water they need, but the people of Iraq are suffering, with little relief in sight if the occupation continues.

The Chickenhawks running this show should hang their heads in shame.

Hot Links

Great site called Educate-Yourself-The Freedom of Knowledge, The Power of Thought educate-yourself.org/cn/chertoff911propaganda06mar05.shtml Ben Chertoff: Propagandist & Illuminati Disinformation Tool- March 6, 2005-Original title: How The Bush Administration Uses Nepotism To Conceal Its Dark Secrets About 911 Exclusive to American Free Press

The Defense Department defines nepotism as the situation when relatives are in the same chain-of-command.

An egregious example of dictatorial-style nepotism occurred when George W. Bush won the White House - twice - thanks to the key "swing state" of Florida, where the presidential candidate's younger brother is governor. In 2000 and 2004, against all odds, Florida swung decisively, the Bush way.

The official canvass from the 2004 election in Florida, certified less than a fortnight after the election by three hand-picked lieutenants of Governor Jeb Bush, shows Republican Members of Congress winning, such as Tom Feeney, without congressional seats without even appearing on the ballot. In other races, a handful of candidates for the Florida state house won with 100 percent of the vote against write-in candidates who didn't even receive 1 vote.

With high federal offices being given to the wives, sons and daughters of senior members of the Bush administration, the Hearst Corporation executives that publish Popular Mechanics magazine probably didn't worry about the ethical considerations of hiring a cousin of Michael Chertoff, a former Assistant Attorney General and the new Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as senior researcher.

But the March 2005 issue of Popular Mechanics (PM) plumbs new depths of nepotism and Hearst-style "yellow journalism" with its cover story about 9/11. PM's senior researcher, 25-year-old Benjamin Chertoff, authored a propagandistic cover story entitled "Debunking 9/11 Lies" which seeks to discredit all independent 9/11 research that challenges the officialversion of events.

Blair Watch- Here is the page with documents, which Blair's government threatened papers with violation of the Official Secrets Act. As you can see, the people will not let their government continue to interfere with their freedom, nor will they tolerate being lied into a war...www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/716 users.pandora.be/quarsan/craig/npaper.jpgLink directly to document regarding intelligence information obtained by torture. As we know, illegally obtained evidence is not admissible anywhere in the American justice system. In Criminal Justice lingo, this is known as "the fruit of the poison tree doctrine"

That is a doctrine I am sure most neoRepublicans are not familiar with...

www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1839453,00.html From Germany's DW World-Al Qaeda Responsible for Kidnap Says Freed Hostage Osthoff

It is unclear whether Germany paid a ransom for her release but many officials have noted the expense of the effort to free her, including the establishment of a round-the-clock crisis team operating at the foreign ministry.

Hmm...

Flashback- www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=6793&hed=Carlyle's+WayCarlyle's Way Making a mint inside "the iron triangle" of defense, government and industry. December 11, 2001

Despite its VC troubles, however, the Carlyle Group's core business is set for some good times ahead. Though the group has raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill in the past, the firm's close ties with the current administration and its cozy relationship with several prominent Saudi government figures has the watchdogs howling. And it's those same connections that will keep Carlyle in the black for as long as the war against terrorism endures.

For the 11th-largest defense contractor in the United States, wartime is boom time. No one knows that better than the Carlyle Group, which less than a month after U.S. troops began bombing Afghanistan filed to take public its crown jewel of defense, United Defense, a company it has owned for nearly a decade. That this company is even able to go public is testament to the Carlyle Group's pull in Washington.

Hi Dubya! Prissy is here to say End the war... news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051229/ap_on_hi_te/white_house_bug_1 Dec 29, 2005.NEW YORK - Unbeknownst to the Bush administration, an outside contractor has been using Internet tracking technologies that may be prohibited to analyze usage and traffic patterns at the White House's Web site, an official said Thursday.

"Unbeknownst"- Oh, Come Now...

www.freedom4um.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=16869

The information received via the phone call, was to inform the families that the base did not condone the site, nor the Army, and that it was not to be used; the gist was, families were not allowed to use the site, or they could get into "trouble". Some members reported their soldier calling from Iraq, telling them to be careful about using the site as the Army was monitoring it.

As Web Mistress of the site I needed to respond and qualify this information, as well as to educate this commanding officer as to the rights and liberties of a private web site, which I did. I was told I would have to let a commanding officer on the site to monitor the messages; I did allow this, but I also informed the officer that this was a courtesy, as there is no such law, or right of the military to monitor, shut down or exclude our web site.

We were a group of 77 families from all over the country, at the time of the call. Every single family was phoned and told not to use the site; and I believe some 150 other families were phoned as well, as it was an official order from a commanding officer.

I have waited to speak of this situation, until my son was home safe and sound and also after his transfer to another base. Yes, I was afraid of repercussions that could have harmed him, one way or another. I called my local senators office, 4 months ago, following up every 10 days to 2 weeks, and still have no answers or support.

I admit I am not comfortable writing this, as required to, as I am still concerned for my son and the other soldiers and families involved on the site.

Readers this article of intimidation and possible civil rights violations are important to learn about. Who will be next? Is this more evidence of Dubya's wiretapping? Prissy will refer this article and the author for further assistance. There are people out there willing to help. Prissy is shocked this happened-it is certainly worthy of an explanation from the Pentagon and/or DOD.

Maybe these folks were making calls? www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001772051 Harris Survey: Many Americans Still Think Saddam Was Behind 9/11

NEW YORK More than four years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 22% of adults believe that Saddam Hussein "helped plan and support the hijackers who attacked the United States on September 11," according to a new Harris Poll. And nearly one in four (24%) of all adults wrongly believe that "several of the hijackers who attacked the United States on September 11 were Iraqis."

In other results bearing on support for the Iraq war, 26% of adults believe that Iraq "had weapons of mass destruction when the U.S. invaded," and 41% believe that Saddam Hussein had strong links to Al Qaeda."

Granted the 911 Report was a whitewash-but Geez, it did state there was no 911/Iraq connection, nor did Saddam knock boots with binLaden. Speaking of bin Laden, did you see Rummy hint he may be dead? "If bin Laden is still even alive..." Rummy said a few days ago. Guess the "boogey-man" has served his purpose.

english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6E01FA17-D63D-4687-BC54-48117A8B457F.htm Al-jazeera- Rice backs Iraq poll probe

Sunni representatives have claimed that the elections were tainted by widespread fraud and led street demonstrations demanding a new election. Iraq's electoral commission has ruled out rerunning the election but it may reject ballots found to have been tainted by fraud.

Rice said she welcomed statements from Iraqi parties that had issued complaints supporting the electoral commission's decision to invite international monitors back for a review.

"The Electoral Commission has once again demonstrated its commitment to fair and credible elections that meet international standards," Rice said. "The United States strongly supports the election review process."

Condi is quite the card...they support a review in Iraq-yet they do not support the election review process in their OWN country!

Minister goes in Iraq oil crisis-30 December 2005

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4569360.stm BBCIraqi Oil Minister Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum has been released from his post and the Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi has assumed control.

Mr Bahr al-Uloum had publicly objected to the government's decision earlier this month to triple fuel prices.

Iraq's largest oil refinery has been shut since last week following death threats to tanker drivers.

A ministry spokesman told reporters that "production in the north, centre and south is about to suffocate."

From Constant-all about the warrantless National Security Agency searches. Nice work! constantpated.blogspot.com/

All NSA information showing NSA or other officials have known about war crimes -- but have engaged in coverups, or have refused to take action on war crimes -- is also admissible. * * *

GCHG's (Katherine)Gunn has already released information. We have copies of the Downing Street Memos. (See Prissy's archives about the Gunn case www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1156048,00.html)

And more information from other overseas government officials.

If you destroy the files, there are backups.

The US Attorney can bring charges for evidence destruction, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice. Those who know of war crimes -- and cover it up -- are presumed to be accessories. The punishment for war crimes includes the death penalty.

Quotes of the Day

"President Bush is being criticized by right wing groups because this Christmas cards to friends this year did not say 'Merry Christmas". Instead they said, 'Sorry about the indictment.'" --Conan O'Brien

In his 318th speech in Iraq on Sunday, the President said that the terrorists view the world as a giant battlefield. As opposed to us, who view the world as a giant oil field." --Jay Leno

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.~ Mark Twain

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.~ Mark Twain

The history of our race, and each individual's experience, are sown thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal. ~Mark Twain

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Will the Real Traitors to America Please Stand Up?

We know who they are...does Fitzgerald? Only time will tell. Let Prissy remind you of this; the non-answers from the White House strongly indicate some people silently invoking the Fifth Amendment...Just think, dear readers- one day the Office of the President may again be held in esteem and respect in the world.

Prissy hopes anyone clinging to illusion this will work out in Dubya's favor seek reality therapy immediately...Prissy's favorite reads are a good place to start.

Prissy is pleased to announce her own young relative has returned to the United States. He brings with him a purple heart, Meritorious service award and combat badge. High speed indeed...

Welcome Home soldiers . Thank you for your commitment-our commitment to you is that in the future, there will be a more responsible use of our military might. That is a promise neoRepublicans can take to the bank. Military Families Speak Out is far more determined than any politician to see this through to its conclusion.

It greatly saddens Prissy and other MFSO members to reflect on the fallen ones from this needless war.

Hot Links

Financial Times news.ft.com/cms/s/74970858-7713-11da-a7d1-0000779e2340.html Bonds spark fears of US slowdown-December 27 2005

According to analysts at Bank of America, the past six US recessions have been preceded by an inversion of the yield curve, which plots the yields on Treasury bonds against their maturities. The most recent inversion, in late 2000, came just ahead of the recession that began in March 2001.

Twice in the past 40 years, however, an inversion of the yield curve has not been followed by a recession. Many economists and Alan Greenspan, chairman of the US Federal Reserve, do not think this inversion is the prelude to a major slowdown.

The Nation-www.thenation.com/doc/20060109/editors From the Editors-Bush's High Crimes

For the generations who came of age after the mid-1970s, it is worth recalling why warrantless domestic surveillance so shocks the political system. It needs to be repeated that the same arguments cited by Bush--inherent presidential power and national security--sustained the wiretapping of Martin Luther King Jr., unleashed illegal CIA domestic spying and generated FBI files on thousands of American dissidents. It needs to be repeated that in 1974, the articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon included abuse of presidential power based on warrantless wiretaps and illegal surveillance. It needs to be repeated that a few months later, presidential aides named Cheney and Rumsfeld labored mightily to secure President Ford's veto of the Freedom of Information Act, in an unsuccessful attempt to turn back post-Watergate restrictions on homegrown spying and government secrecy.

www.mezomorf.com/emailed/news-18259.html MEZOMORF NEWS OF THE WORLD-Word for Word: The Truce of Christmas, 1914

Rifleman Graham Williams of the Fifth London Rifle Brigade recalled how the mood spread:

Then suddenly lights began to appear along the German parapet, which were evidently make-shift Christmas trees, adorned with lighted candles, which burnt steadily in the still, frosty air! … First the Germans would sing one of their carols and then we would sing one of ours, until when we started up "O Come, All Ye Faithful" the Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words Adeste Fideles. And I thought, well, this is really a most extraordinary thing - two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war.

The shared carols inspired Capt. Josef Sewald of Germany's 17th Bavarian Regiment to make a bold gesture:

I shouted to our enemies that we didn't wish to shoot and that we make a Christmas truce. I said I would come from my side and we could speak with each other. First there was silence, then I shouted once more, invited them, and the British shouted "No shooting!" Then a man came out of the trenches and I on my side did the same and so we came together and we shook hands - a bit cautiously!

Prissy read in A Chorus of Stones, the men from these units were eventually sent home-they had too much difficulty after this experience in dehumanizing the enemy. They lost the will to kill. Interesting, as the enemy we fight continues to be human...

www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7894.shtml Capital Hill Blue-For those who remain skeptics on Bush calling the Constitution, "a g**damn piece of paper."

In a situation like this, false modesty usually kicks in and I say something like “well, sometimes we just get lucky” but to hell with false modesty. Luck had nothing to do with this story just as luck has had nothing to do with many other stories that we all too often break long before the so-called “mainstream media.”

Are we that good? Damn right we are.

On January 22, 2003, before President Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq, we ran a story, Role reversal: Bush wants war, Pentagon urges caution. Among the points in that story:

But conversations with sources within the Bush administration, the Pentagon, the FBI and the intelligence community indicate a deepening rift between the professionals who wage war for a living and the administration civilians to want to send them into battle.

Sources say the White House has ordered the FBI and CIA to “find and document” links between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

“The implication is clear,” grumbles one longtime FBI agent. “Find a link, any link, no matter how vague or unproven, and then use that link to justify action against Iraq.”

We followed that story up the next day, January 23 with this one: Intel pros forced to fabricate Iraqi intelligence:

U.S. intelligence professionals, under pressure from the Bush administration to provide proof needed to justify war with Iraq, say they have been forced to fabricate evidence of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction as well as the location of non-existent hidden chemical weapon warheads.

The fabricated documentation, shared for the first time with the White House on Thursday, provides the basis for material the administration requires to justify an attack on Iraq.

It was two years, repeat two years, before the same information appeared in mainstream media.

Last year, June 7, 2004, we reported on the U.S. government’s spying on American citizens with the story: Where big brother snoops on Americans 24/7:

He certainly makes his case... www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/23/AR2005122301480.htmlF FBI Whistleblower Coleen Rowley-A Zeal to Defend Secrecy

More important, and contrary to Kristol and Schmitt's assertion that "the Justice Department decided there was not sufficient evidence to get a FISA warrant to allow the inspection of his computer files," no evidence of Moussaoui's suspicious flight training and ties with terrorism was presented to the Justice Department. The department was never contacted and so did not decide anything; therefore, no decision was ever made regarding the given evidence and its subsequent application to FISA standards.

Answers the "But Clinton did it too!" This is worse, Bush outright ignored the law...On Rense-Original on KOS- www.rense.com/general69/warr.htm

Here's what Clinton signed:

Section 1. Pursuant to section 302(a)(1) <50> of the Act, the Attorney General is authorized to approve physical searches, without a court order, to acquire foreign intelligence information for periods of up to one year, if the Attorney General makes the certifications required by that section.

You don't have to be a lawyer to understand that Clinton allowed warrantless searches if and only if the AG followed section 302(a)(1). What does section 1822(a) require?

the "physical search is solely directed at premises, information, material, or property used exclusively by, or under the open and exclusive control of, a foreign power or powers." Translation: You can't search American citizens.

and there is "no substantial likelihood that the physical search will involve the premises, information, material, or property of a United States person." Translation: You can't search American citizens.

Moreover, Clinton's warrant waiver consistent with FISA refers only to physical searches. "Physical searches," as defined by 1821(5), exclude electronic surveillance.

robertdreyfuss.com/blog/ The Dreyfuss Report-December 20, 2005-Interview: Baath leader calls for peace talks

The following is a slightly edited transcript of an interview with Salah al-Mukhtar, an Iraqi Baath Party official who has belonged to the party for 47 years. At the time of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Mukhtar was Iraq’s ambassador to Vietnam. Previously, he served as ambassador to India, at Iraq’s mission to the United Nations in New York, and as an official in Iraqi information ministry. Although he stressed that he is not an official spokesman for the party or for the resistance in Iraq, it is clear from his comments that he remains close to those leading the fight in Iraq. Before 2003, Mukhtar was close to Tariq Aziz, the former Iraqi foreign minister, who is currently in U.S. custody.

In the interview, Mukhtar calls for talks between the United States and the Baath Party, and he strongly denounced Al Qaeda in Iraq for its attacks on civilians, going so far as to accuse Zarqawi of operating under U.S. and Iranian intelligence control.

At present, Mukhtar lives in Yemen.

Great interview, Dreyfuss asks informative questions.

Quotes of the Day

"Today three wise men arrived at the White House. They're lawyers trying to help President Bush avoid impeachment. They brought gold and other things." --Jay Leno

"Over the weekend, Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Iraq, it was yesterday. Cheney was there, and he gave the troops one of his warm holiday sneers. And if you think about it, when you're at war in some far off corner of the world, what better than a visit from a guy who got five draft deferments? Iraqi officials met with Dick Cheney, or as they call him over there, Lawrence of Arythmi." --David Letterman

"President Bush is trying to put the best spin he can on this eavesdropping scandal, like he said today: "This proves we have a government that listens to the people." --Jay Leno

Friday, December 23, 2005

Wishing You a Merry Fitzmas and a Happy New Year

Dearest Readers,

Prissy is sure the next year will bring more justice than the last. When Joe Lieberman whines about how we must allow that Dubya will be president for three more years, you know that Joe- like the others- either does not have the facts or ignores them. Three more years of Dubya? Only if democracy in America has succumbed to the rule of one man.

Bushies must understand this war was already fought and won more than two hundred years ago. American liberties belong to us as our birthright, and the misleaders of today shall never take it from us.

Will they force us to call-up our previous American Revolution allies? They should be available, as one won't find them bogged down in Iraq...

The Prissy Patriot will return on Christmas Day with an evening edition. Happy Holidays to all!

Hot Links

(Check back for updates)

Uh,oh...Italy issues warrant for CIA teamnews.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051223/ts_nm/italy_cia_dc_6 Yahoo

MILAN (Reuters) - A Milan court has issued a European arrest warrant for 22 CIA agents suspected of kidnapping an Egyptian cleric from Italy's financial capital in 2003, Prosecutor Armando Spataro said on Friday.

A EU warrant is automatically valid across the 25-nation bloc and does not require the approval of any government.

The warrant was agreed by the European Union in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 and was hailed as a key part of the bloc's fight against terrorism.

Under the agreement, any EU member state can ask another to hand over a suspect and in most cases, the other state will have to comply.

Spataro told Reuters he had also asked Interpol to try to detain the agents anywhere in the world.

More about how neocons "support the troops." How dare they say those of us demanding their return are failing them...www.sfbayview.com/012605/headsroll012605.shtml SF Bay-Heads roll at Veterans Administration-Mushrooming depleted uranium (DU) scandal blamed-by Bob Nichols-Project Censored Award Winner

Writing in Preventive Psychiatry E-Newsletter No. 169, Arthur N. Bernklau, executive director of Veterans for Constitutional Law in New York, stated, “The real reason for Mr. Principi’s departure was really never given, however a special report published by eminent scientist Leuren Moret naming depleted uranium as the definitive cause of the ‘Gulf War Syndrome’ has fed a growing scandal about the continued use of uranium munitions by the US Military.”

Bernklau continued, “This malady (from uranium munitions), that thousands of our military have suffered and died from, has finally been identified as the cause of this sickness, eliminating the guessing. The terrible truth is now being revealed.”

He added, “Out of the 580,400 soldiers who served in GW1 (the first Gulf War), of them, 11,000 are now dead! By the year 2000, there were 325,000 on Permanent Medical Disability. This astounding number of ‘Disabled Vets’ means that a decade later, 56% of those soldiers who served have some form of permanent medical problems!” The disability rate for the wars of the last century was 5 percent; it was higher, 10 percent, in Viet Nam.

www.waynemadsenreport.com/nsa-archives.htm NSA INTERCEPTS FOR BOLTON MASKED AS "TRAINING EXERCISE"-Wayne Madsen-May 15, 2005 All you ever wanted to know about NSA and intercepts.

www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,1271,-5496560,00.html Guardian 'Bloodshed will last five years'

Sir Jeremy Greenstock also warned it would be "some years" before coalition troops leave Iraq

.

And...Sir Jeremy recently said it was too early to say if the war was worth the violence and lawlessness that has followed the ousting of Saddam Hussein.

MSNBC Live Poll- www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10562904#survey

Do you believe President Bush's actions justify impeachment? 126,686 responses

Yes, between the secret spying, the deceptions leading to war and more, there is plenty to justify putting him on trial-85%

No, like any president, he has made a few missteps, but nothing approaching "high crimes and misdemeanors" -5%

No, the man has done absolutely nothing wrong. Impeachment would just be a political lynching-8%

I don't know-2%

Face it GOP, your horrid reign is over, along with your careers...leaving room for plenty of regular people who simply want good government. www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/3544458.html Houston Chronicle-Dec. 23, 2005-Iraqis March, Say Elections Were Rigged

Several hundred thousand people demonstrated after noon prayers in southern Baghdad Friday, many carrying banners decrying last week's elections. Many Iraqis outside the religious Shiite coalition allege that the elections were unfair to smaller Sunni Arab and secular Shiite groups.

"We refuse the cheating and forgery in the elections," one banner read.

Another Team Bush-whacked election result...

Playing fuzzy wuzzy with numbers again, Rummy? www.afp.com/english/news/stories/051223105053.73k3yowq.html French press-Rumsfeld announces further US troop withdrawal from Iraq-Dec 23,2005

"The effect of these adjustments will reduce forces in Iraq by the spring 2006 below the current level of 160,000 during the elections period and below the 138,000 baseline that existed prior to the most recent elections," Rumsfeld said.

The defense secretary also alluded to further reductions during the course of the year.

"We anticipate future coalition force-level discussions at some point in 2006, after the new Iraqi government is in place and is prepared to discuss the future," he added.

A new government is expected to be installed early next year in the wake of the general elections whose final results are not yet known.

"Let me be very clear: The challenges ahead, military, political, economic, will not be easy. The United States as all you know did not come to Iraq for oil, not to occupy. We came here only to help," Rumsfeld also said.

Rummy, someone needs to help you understand that leveling infrastructure and blowing up water treatment plants isn't most folks idea of "helping."

The numbers he is claiming do not make sense.The number of troops stationed in Iraq is consistent-except when it is "change-over" time, when the fresh troops come in to replace the old ones. It is "change-over" time now. This artificially bumps up the number of troops, which will fall when the old troops leave.

So until we are down to say, 20,000 troops in Iraq-when Rummy talks numbers- Don't You Believe It!

Seen this story in more than one place-these were the soldiers the Brits used bulldozers to rescue them from the police we are training. Must have been very knowledgeable soldiers...From China View (Propaganda? Or do they love it when they catch us?) news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/19/content_3514065.htm Iraqi police detain two British soldiers in Basra

BAGHDAD, Sept. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Iraqi police detained two British soldiers in civilian clothes in the southern city Basra for firing on a police station on Monday, police said.

"Two persons wearing Arab uniforms opened fire at a police station in Basra. A police patrol followed the attackers and captured them to discover they were two British soldiers," an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

The two soldiers were using a civilian car packed with explosives, the source said.

He added that the two were being interrogated in the police headquarters of Basra.

The British forces informed the Iraqi authorities that the two soldiers were performing an official duty, the source said. British military authorities said they could not confirm the incident but investigations were underway.

The American press certainly left this one alone. Our corporate owned media still shill for more war. They will be responsible for their own demise- as their viewer numbers continue to drop. www.truthdig.com/report/item/hussein_trial/ Truth Dig-At Hussein's Hearings, U.S. May Be on Trial by Juan Cole, professor of Modern Middle East and South Asian history at the University of Michigan.

The ongoing trial of Saddam Hussein could prove increasingly uncomfortable for the Bush administration. The first crime of which the deposed dictator is accused, the secret execution of 143 Shiites arrested in 1982, seems an odd choice for the prosecution, and politics may be behind it. Hussein is accused of using poison gas against Iranian troops, of genocide against the Kurds and of massacring tens of thousands to end the 1991 uprising after his defeat in the Gulf War. The problem for the Bush administration with these other, far graver charges, is that the Americans are implicated in them either through acts of commission or omission.

dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2005/12/19/daily9.html Dayton Business Journal-AFL-CIO knocks representatives

"DeWine and Voinovich, as well as their Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives, all too often have stood against working families," said Tim Burga, legislative director for the AFL-CIO during a morning press conference at the Ohio Statehouse.

Union leaders singled out Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Upper Arlington, at the press conference as someone who voted against their agenda 12 out of 13 times. It credited her with one supporting vote, for a $286 highway infrastructure bill.

DeWine will be losing his seat soon to Paul Hackett, Iraq War Veteran and a Democrat...

Quotes of the Day

Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man.~Thomas Paine

My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.~Thomas Paine

For conservatives...Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.~Thomas Paine pictures removed-slowed site too much

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Prissy Doesn't Know Jack...Update

Wisdom, according to the Bible, is a woman...yet Prissy never hears neoRepublicans or even the regular flavor of Republicans state this "Bible fact."

They only seem to use the quotes they find necessary to enforce their flawed logic, warmongering and need to vilify others who disagree with them.

What part of "Thou Shalt Not Steal" did they not understand?

But yet so many of them-so very many- know Jack.

Jack Abramoff, that is.

Connect the dots and see who knows Jack.

Hot Links:

UPDATE: The Prissy Patriot will return Friday after a Holiday break.

Note to neoRepublicans: Feminists do bake and decorate for Christmas, some are more creative than your dark little hearts can imagine...Papa Americana got something for Christmas that a rich man cannot buy; cookies from Prissy's kitchen. But not for the likes of you Scrooges... For O'Reilly and a trip to Dafur "You cannot handle the truth",as per a Prissy Patriot. May the ghost of Christmas, past, present and future visit you soon.

To Prissy's Dearest Readers: Happy Holidays and here's to a brighter New Year...Pray for Fitzmas. I hear D.C. is expecting snow later this week...

Don't forget Bill-the "brilliant heart surgeon" who should have stayed one...www.truthdig.com/uncovered/item/ucvd_frist/

The accusations are Medicare fraud, conflict of interest and insider trading. Bill Frist’s connection to his family’s Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) has landed him in hot water and earned him a subpoena from the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

If you want to know more, search Frist at the top of the page. Prissy has a couple of articles from a UK professional criminal justice magazine about Frist and HCA.

www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=74926&amp;amp;amp;amp;d=19&m=12&y=2005 Arab News-Kingdom Sets Free 400 Detainees

JEDDAH, 19 December 2005 Saudi Arabia has released nearly 400 detainees, held for security reasons, after providing them with intense counseling and making sure they are free of deviant thoughts, the Saudi Press Agency reported yesterday quoting a security official.

"Free of deviant thoughts?" How much of Orwell's 1984 must we live until it is no longer just a book of fiction?

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/domestic_spying;_ylt=AitgV5.FKOH1BUyE2VtbAtCs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ-- Yahoo News-Lawmakers Call for Domestic Spying Probe WASHINGTON - Democrats and Republicans called separately Sunday for congressional investigations into President Bush's decision after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to allow domestic eavesdropping without court approval.

"The president has, I think, made up a law that we never passed," said Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis.

Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), R-Penn., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he intends to hold hearings.

"They talk about constitutional authority," Specter said. "There are limits as to what the president can do.

And Dubya is about to find out those limits-finally. A Prissy Patriot prediction...

www.arabview.com/articles.asp?article=527WashingtonÂ’s Double-Speak in Europe

Now thereÂ’s either one of two explanations for this: IÂ’ve been reading the wrong papers or Condi lives in an alternative universe somewhere where CIA agents adhere vigorously to the guidelines set by the International Convention Against Torture. Madam Secretary, we need to talk.

In the first week of November, the Washington Post, in a scoop by its correspondent Dana Priest, revealed that the CIA maintains a network of Soviet-era compounds in eight Eastern European countries where 100 or more terror suspects are held in underground cells, denied legal rights, outside visitors and checks on their treatment by the International Red Cross. The existence of this network of black sites, as they are dubbed, remained secret from the American people. It was known only to the president and a handful of officials in the US, and in Europe only to the head of state and a few top officials in each host country.

And of course there is the dreadful practice of kidnapping suspects and rendering them to countries known to practice torture, where they disappear for months or years.

When the CIA, a US government agency, outsources torture, what that means is that its agents are party to inflicting on people “cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.” They are as much complicit in the act as the interrogators in the host country to which the suspects are rendered. No two ways about it.

The sad part of it all is that in its zeal to fight “global terror,” the CIA has repeatedly discovered, after the fact, that many of the suspects it had rendered were cases of mistaken identity. These have included the Canadian citizen Maher Arar, snatched in 2002 as he was switching planes in New York and rendered to Syria; the German citizen Khaled Masri, who was nabbed on New YearÂ’s Eve 2003 in Macedonia and flown from there, handcuffed and blindfolded, to Afghanistan; and the Muslim cleric, Hassan Mustafa Nasir, an Egyptian refugee living in Italy as an asylum seeker, abducted off a street in Milan in March 2003 and rendered to Egypt, a case that prompted the city'’s lead prosecutor to call the case "a serious crime against Italian sovereignty and human rights."

Condi speaks a little unknown subculture of American linguistics- Republicanese...

www.truthdig.com/uncovered/item/uncovered_jack_abramoff/ From Truth Dig-Pay to Play With Jack

Jack Abramoff is a loyal GOP supporter to whom Congressman Tom DeLay once referred as one of his "“closest and dearest friends." He's achieved the status of "“Bush Pioneer," having raised more than $100,000 for the Bush 2004 reelection campaign. He'’s also filled the coffers of GOP congressional candidates.

Abramoff has been a good friend to the GOP. But as the list of bad deeds and dirty connections grows by the day, watchers are worrying that this friendship is incompatible with a healthy democracy.

The list of charges and accusations is long enough to warrant a website devoted just to observing Abramoff's complicated dealings. The most recent scandal involving Abramoff broke on Nov. 9, 2005, when Philip Shenon reported for The New York Times that President Bush's meeting with Omar Bongo of Gabon (accused by the United States of human rights abuses) on May 26, 2004, was directly linked to a $9-million fee collected by GrassRoots Interactive, a Maryland lobbying firm that Abramoff's former colleagues say he controlled.

Nice list of updated articles on this subject.

Flashback May, 2003: The Guardian www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,963497,00.html US looks away as new ally tortures Islamists-Uzbekistan's president steps up repression of opponents

Abdulkhalil was arrested in the fields of Uzbekistan's Ferghana valley in August last year. The 28-year-old farmer was sentenced to 16 years in prison for "trying to overthrow the constitutional structures".

Last week his father saw him for the first time since that day on a stretcher in a prison hospital. His head was battered and his tongue was so swollen that he could only say that he had "been kept in water for a long time".

The CIA Airlines Shell Game or how to plan a rendition, the most unAmerican thing to happen since Japanese internment camps. Click to enlarge photo.

Like Randi Rhodes said on Air America last week, "I cannot believe we are debating whether or not to use torture here in America." Indeed, most of us thought that issue was settled upon acceptance of the Constitution and emphasized further with the Geneva Conventions.

www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=10276

Aljazeera-International Homepage-Cheney visits Iraq amid poll fraud complaints

The U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to IRAQ on Sunday, two days after the country's parliamentary election which some Iraqi leaders said was marred by widespread irregularities.

Cheney's visit is the first since the March 2003 U.S.-led INVASION, of which he was one of the main architects.

Didn't hang around long, did you Dick? Must be hard to look real soldiers in the eye...Prissy wishes Dick would stay there for a few days, at least. Can you imagine the security threat THAT would pose? Only 10% (CIA Assessment of Oct 2005) of the fighters found in Iraq were foreign. Prissy would bet that number would go way up if they knew Dick was staying in town for a while.

Prissy wonders if the deadly duo has ever heard of mutiny. However, I do not think it is called that when someone is tossed aside in favor of the Constitution...

Indeed, they bragged too soon, again, about solving Iraq's problems-American style.

english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8612752E-9303-4797-AE9A-C4C3C6F72303.htm Al-Jazeera-Iraq violence picks up-Sunday, Dec 18-2005

At least 10 Iraqis were killed as violence picked up after politicians appealed for unity in government after last week's elections, conducted in relative peace.

Five policemen were among those shot and killed or blown up in a string of attacks in or north of Baghdad, medical and security sources said.

Did Dubya violate your civil rights? Would it surprise you if he did? Find out. (if he did, tell Prissy all about it-our readers would love to know)Here's how: www.usdoj.gov/04foia/

www.wral.com/news/5567538/detail.html Domestic Spying Crowds Bush TV Speech Plans-President Is 'Not King George,' Senator Says

Often appearing angry in an eight-minute address, the president made clear he has no intention of halting his authorizations of the monitoring activities and said public disclosure of the program by the news media had endangered Americans.

Bush's willingness to publicly acknowledge a highly classified spying program was a stunning development for a president known to dislike disclosure of even the most mundane inner workings of his White House. Just a day earlier he had refused to talk about it.

And more..."As a result, our enemies have learned information they should not have," Bush said. "The unauthorized disclosure of this effort damages our national security and puts our citizens at risk."

Indeed- however, Prissy believes in the Republicanese that Dubya speaks, that the American people are his enemy and the citizens at risk are neoRepublicans. He and his neoRepublican policies have damaged national security beyond belief and put the nation at further risk.

Most of us consider Bush's snooping unjustified and a violation of our Constitutional rights. By the way, could this somehow be related to "Able Danger" they did not want the public to know about? Just asking...For more on Able Danger, use the search engine at the top of the page. The Prissy Patriot has cited many little known articles regarding the Able Danger program.

The D.C. wings of some military have used The Prissy Patriot as a source, which is quite a compliment. Thank you.

Quotes of the Day

"Over in Iraq after you vote they paint your finger purple so you can't vote again. It's a flawless system. It works perfectly unless, of course, someone has paint remover." ~Jay Leno "In a recent interview, President Bush said, this is a quote, 'I know a lot of people who are glad that we're in Iraq.' When asked who, the president said the leaders of North Korea and Iran." ~Conan O'Brien

"You know if I had nickel for every time Bush has mentioned 9/11, I could raise enough reward money to go after Bin Laden."