Sunday, May 28, 2006

What's Democracy Got to Do With it?

Fallujah

We do not forget the sacrifice of those who came before and it is on Memorial Day that we honor their sacrifice for our American republic’s democracy.

When coalition forces arrived in Iraq, the Iraqi people were given assurances, and told about ‘this democracy’, by the Coalition Provisional Authority.

They were told; democracy, as it is commonly understood, is about more than free and fair elections. It requires "independent courts, equality before the law, and constitutional limits on the powers of government. It establishes independent institutions to control and punish corruption and abuse of power." No one in a democracy "may be arrested, imprisoned, or exiled arbitrarily. No one may be denied freedom without a fair and public hearing by an impartial court.1

We honor these fallen, which believed a principled democratic society guided by the United States Constitution, was possible. We honor their faith that America would continue beyond them in freedom and liberty, for generations yet to come.

1.Passages from the explanations given to Iraqis of the requisites of democratic government by Larry Diamond (Senior Fellow-Hoover Institute), when an advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in early 2004, as recounted by Larry Diamond in Squandered Victory, pp 106, 111.

(**) A WARMONGER EXPLAINS WAR TO A PEACENIK

Free Iraq (An anti-American site-that doesn't mean we cannot learn anything from it)

PN: Why did you say we are we invading Iraq?

WM: We are invading Iraq because it is in violation of security council resolution 1441. A country cannot be allowed to violate security council resolutions.

PN: But I thought many of our allies, including Israel, were in violation of more security council resolutions than Iraq.

WM: It's not just about UN resolutions. The main point is that Iraq could have weapons of mass destruction, and the first sign of a smoking gun could well be a mushroom cloud over NY.

PN: Mushroom cloud? But I thought the weapons inspectors said Iraq had no nuclear weapons.

WM: Yes, but biological and chemical weapons are the issue.

PN: But I thought Iraq did not have any long range missiles for attacking us or our allies with such weapons.

WM: The risk is not Iraq directly attacking us, but rather terrorists networks that Iraq could sell the weapons to.

PN: But couldn't virtually any country sell chemical or biological materials? We sold quite a bit to Iraq in the eighties ourselves, didn't we?

WM: That's ancient history. Look, Saddam Hussein is an evil man that has an undeniable track record of repressing his own people since the early eighties. He gasses his enemies. Everyone agrees that he is a power-hungry lunatic murderer.

PN: We sold chemical and biological materials to a power-hungry lunatic murderer?

WM: The issue is not what we sold, but rather what Saddam did. He is the one that launched a pre-emptive first strike on Kuwait.

PN: A pre-emptive first strike does sound bad. But didn't our ambassador to Iraq, April Glaspie, know about and green-light the invasion of Kuwait?

WM: Let's deal with the present, shall we? As of today, Iraq could sell its biological and chemical weapons to Al Qaida. Osama Bin Laden himself released an audio tape calling on Iraqis to suicide-attack us, proving a partnership between the two.

PN: Osama Bin Laden? Wasn't the point of invading Afghanistan to kill him?

WM: Actually, it's not 100% certain that it's really Osama Bin Laden on the tapes. But the lesson from the tape is the same: there could easily be a partnership between Al Qaida and Saddam Hussein unless we act.

PN: Is this the same audio tape where Osama Bin Laden labels Saddam a secular infidel?

WM: You're missing the point by just focusing on the tape. Powell presented a strong case against Iraq.

PN: He did?

WM: Yes, he showed satellite pictures of an Al Qaida poison factory in Iraq.

PN: But didn't that turn out to be a harmless shack in the part of Iraq controlled by the Kurdish opposition?

WM: And a British intelligence report...

PN: Didn't that turn out to be copied from an out-of-date graduate student paper?

WM: And reports of mobile weapons labs...

PN: Weren't those just artistic renderings?

WM: And reports of Iraqis scuttling and hiding evidence from inspectors...

PN: Wasn't that evidence contradicted by the chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix?

WM: Yes, but there is plenty of other hard evidence that cannot be revealed because it would compromise our security.

PN: So there is no publicly available evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?

WM: The inspectors are not detectives; it's not their JOB to find evidence. You're missing the point.

PN: So what is the point?

WM: The main point is that we are invading Iraq because resolution 1441 threatened "severe consequences." If we do not act, the security council will become an irrelevant debating society.

PN: So the main point is to uphold the rulings of the security council?

WM: Absolutely. ...unless it rules against us.

PN: And what if it does rule against us?

WM: In that case, we must lead a coalition of the willing to invade Iraq.

PN: Coalition of the willing? Who's that?

WM: Britain, Turkey, Bulgaria, Spain, and Italy, for starters.

PN: I thought Turkey refused to help us unless we gave them tens of billions of dollars

WM: Nevertheless, they may now be willing.

PN: I thought public opinion in all those countries was against war.

WM: Current public opinion is irrelevant. The majority expresses its will by electing leaders to make decisions.

PN: So it's the decisions of leaders elected by the majority that is important?

WM: Yes.

PN: But George Bush wasn't elected by voters. He was selected by the U.S. Supreme C...-

WM: I mean, we must support the decisions of our leaders, however they were elected, because they are acting in our best interest. This is about being a patriot. That's the bottom line.

PN: So if we do not support the decisions of the president, we are not patriotic?

WM: I never said that.

PN: So what are you saying? Why are we invading Iraq?

WM: As I said, because there is a chance that they have weapons of mass destruction that threaten us and our allies.

PN: But the inspectors have not been able to find any such weapons.

WM: Iraq is obviously hiding them.

PN: You know this? How?

WM: Because we know they had the weapons ten years ago, and they are still unaccounted for.

PN: The weapons we sold them, you mean?

WM: Precisely.

PN: But I thought those biological and chemical weapons would degrade to an unusable state over ten years.

WM: But there is a chance that some have not degraded.

PN: So as long as there is even a small chance that such weapons exist, we must invade?

WM: Exactly.

PN: But North Korea actually has large amounts of usable chemical, biological, AND nuclear weapons, AND long range missiles that can reach the west coast AND it has expelled nuclear weapons inspectors, AND threatened to turn America into a sea of fire.

WM: That's a diplomatic issue.

PN: So why are we invading Iraq instead of using diplomacy?

WM: Aren't you listening? We are invading Iraq because we cannot allow the inspections to drag on indefinitely. Iraq has been delaying, deceiving, and denying for over ten years, and inspections cost us tens of millions.

PN: But I thought war would cost us tens of billions.

WM: Yes, but this is not about money. This is about security.

PN: But wouldn't a pre-emptive war against Iraq ignite radical Muslim sentiments against us, and decrease our security?

WM: Possibly, but we must not allow the terrorists to change the way we live. Once we do that, the terrorists have already won.

PN: So what is the purpose of the Department of Homeland Security, color-coded terror alerts, and the Patriot Act? Don't these change the way we live?

WM: I thought you had questions about Iraq.

PN: I do. Why are we invading Iraq?

WM: For the last time, we are invading Iraq because the world has called on Saddam Hussein to disarm, and he has failed to do so. He must now face the consequences.

PN: So, likewise, if the world called on us to do something, such as find a peaceful solution, we would have an obligation to listen?

WM: By "world", I meant the United Nations.

PN: So, we have an obligation to listen to the United Nations?

WM: By "United Nations" I meant the Security Council.

PN: So, we have an obligation to listen to the Security Council?

WM: I meant the majority of the Security Council.

PN: So, we have an obligation to listen to the majority of the Security Council?

WM: Well... there could be an unreasonable veto.

PN: In which case?

WM: In which case, we have an obligation to ignore the veto.

PN: And if the majority of the Security Council does not support us at all?

WM: Then we have an obligation to ignore the Security Council.

PN: That makes no sense (**)

WM: If you love Iraq so much, you should move there. Or maybe France, with the all the other cheese-eating surrender monkeys. It's time to boycott their wine and cheese, no doubt about that.

PN: I give up.

Hot Links

Capital Hill Blue Childish squabble between Congress & Justice Department led to Presidential action

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and his deputy, Paul McNulty, were said to be ready to quit if the Justice Department was asked to return the Jefferson documents, the senior administration official said on condition of anonymity. The resignation of FBI Director Robert Mueller also was implied, the official said.

During contentious conversations between the Department of Justice and the House, top law enforcement officials indicated that they'd rather quit than return documents FBI agents, armed with a warrant, seized in an overnight search of Jefferson's office, the administration official said.

Until last Saturday night, no such warrant had ever been used to search a lawmaker's office in the 219-year history of Congress. FBI agents carted away records in their pursuit of evidence that Jefferson accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for helping set up business deals in Africa.

Gonzo quit? Not a chance-he'd fire the rest of them first...every one of them. Do it Gonzo, Prissy wants to watch what happens next...

RAI News The story of Operation Vigilante Resolve and is called 'Fallujah - the hidden massacre' -a documentary from RAI News 24, Italy

PBS Flashback 4/09/04 Bill Moyers Interviews Kevin Phillips

KEVIN PHILLIPS: Keep fighting. I think there are signs that it's turning now. To me one of the most important milestones will be if people, and I include the media here, have the courage to document and put on the front page what they won't really touch now, which is ...

BILL MOYERS: Which is?

KEVIN PHILLIPS: All the examples of the Bush family's role in the rise of Enron. Here, we're running around, we're blaming these accountants, these tricksters that were in Enron, but George W. and George H.W., his father, were very much involved in the whole rise of Enron's influence and power in this country. But you ... you don't see that. People in the press have a lot of trouble touching these issues right where the rubber hits the road.

BILL MOYERS: Well, when you've got anchors making eight, nine, ten million dollars a year, when you've got a handful of huge media corporations owning over half of the outlets in this country, do you expect much populism from those people?

KEVIN PHILLIPS: No. And that's the fundamental problem. How do you get dynasties to talk about other dynasties? I think it's a real difficulty. Unfortunately, that means that some of us have to start talking about stuff we'd rather not do all the time because if you don't make a lot of friends by doing it ... it's tough, but a dynasty is a dynasty is a dynasty and these problems are there, and this incredible amount of money is ... is just staring this country's historical role in the face

Australia Herald Sun Iran accepts nuclear cap

IRAN is willing to accept a cap on its uranium enrichment capability to ensure fuel produced is not used to develop nuclear weapons, its ambassador to the UN said yesterday.

Ambassador Javad Zarif said the cap should be below the enrichment level of 10, ensuring it would be suitable for reactors.

"Iran is prepared to put in place other measures to ensure fuel produced is not re-enriched and used for nuclear (weapons) purposes," he said.

Now what will the Dubya's excuse be to invade another cooperating country?

USA Today Murtha: Fallout from killing of Iraqi civilians will exceed prison scandal

"Who covered it up, why did they cover it up, why did they wait so long?" Murtha said on This Week on ABC. "We don't know how far it goes. It goes right up the chain of command."

A bomb rocked a military convoy on Nov. 19, killing a Marine. Marines then shot and killed unarmed civilians in a taxi at the scene and went into two homes and shot other people, according to Murtha, who has been briefed by officials.

Marines then shot and killed unarmed civilians in a taxi at the scene and went into two homes and shot other people, he said.

Murtha said high-level reports he received indicated that no one fired upon the Marines or that there was any military action against the U.S. forces after the initial explosion. Yet the deaths were not seriously investigated until March because an early probe was stifled within days of the incident, he said.

Keep looking up the food chain for the CYA crew...probably the same CYA crew that "assisted" with the Pat Tillman incident.

Media Transparency Neoconning the Media

At least until Francis Fukuyama completes his plans to replace The National Interest with a new Neocon foreign policy journal, to be called, "The American Interest," the neocons will have to make do with the following media and governmental institutions: * Commentary * The Weekly Standard * Most of National Review * Half The New Republic * City Journal * The New Criterion * The Washington Times * Insight * The New York Post * The New York Sun * The editorial pages of The Wall Street Journal * 60 or so percent of the Washington Post op-ed page * A twice-a-week appearance on the New York Times op-ed page * All of Fox News * Much of MSNBC * A bit of CNN * More and more of PBS * The American Enterprise Institute * The Heritage Foundation * The Hoover Institution * The Project for the New American Century * The US National Security Council * The Department of Defense * Parts of the World Bank and the UN Ambassador's office * A healthy chunk of the State Department * The Vice-President's office * And an unknown percentage of what is politely referred to as "the president's mind."

Wired Bloggers Win, Apple Loses

A California appeals court has smacked down Apple's legal assault on bloggers and their sources, finding that the company's efforts to subpoena e-mail received by the publishers of Apple Insider and PowerPage.org runs contrary to federal law, California's reporter's shield law, and the state Constitution.

The Sixth District Court of Appeals on Friday roundly rejected (.pdf) Apple's argument that the bloggers weren't acting as journalists when they posted internal document about future Apple products. "We decline the implicit invitation to embroil ourselves in questions of what constitutes 'legitimate journalis(m).' The shield law is intended to protect the gathering and dissemination of news, and that is what petitioners did here," the court wrote.

"Beyond casting aspersions on the legitimacy of petitioners’ enterprise, Apple offers no cogent reason to conclude that they fall outside the shield law’s protection."

The Age Too much secrecy on Afghanistan, says expert

"We're getting lots of complaints about this. The defence public affairs organisation isn't handling this well and to an extent the political direction they're getting isn't good."

Mr James said there was no operational security reason to maintain such secrecy about overseas deployments. "I had 25 years in military intelligence and I can tell you that operational secrecy can be taken too far.

"There's absolutely no reason why general accounts of what they're doing, in far more detail on some of their contacts, can't be given. There's really no military reason," Mr James told Channel Ten's Meet the Press program.

"As a number of the fathers and mothers of people deployed in Afghanistan … have pointed out to me, it's a bit silly when they can read things on the Centcom (US Central Command) website that tell them about contacts the Australians have been having, or they have to follow the New China Newsagency to learn what our own forces are doing …

CNN-Dubya, always picking from bad to worse... Bush pal Donald Evans may succeed Snow

Evans traveled with Bush on his trip to West Point, New York, Saturday to address graduates at the U.S. Military Academy.

A source with ties to the White House speculated that Evans' chances of being picked were particularly high if Snow decided to resign within the next several days.

But if Snow delays quitting to allow the White House to complete a fuller search for a replacement, chances rise for another frequently mentioned contender, U.S. Ambassador to India David Mulford.

Evans, 60, is a former Texas oilman like Bush and has long had a tight relationship with the president. He chaired Bush's 2000 presidential campaign, expanding a role he played when Bush successfully ran for governor of Texas in 1994 and 1998.

Notice when Bush made the West Point speech, graduates facial expressions were not shown. Hmm, wonder why...

Common Dreams The Hardest Word by Scott Ritter

Both politicians were playing to their respective electorates, Blair in an effort to forestall his inevitable departure from government, Bush trying against hope to prevent a democratic landslide in the mid-term elections upcoming in November. But they both forgot that, to paraphrase an old military saying, "the enemy has a vote, too." And the Iraqi insurgency votes on a daily basis, its ballots counted in the bodies of those killed because of the violence brought on Iraq thanks to the decision by Bush and Blair to invade.

That decision, based upon lies and deceit, and done in pursuit of pure power (either in the form of global hegemony, per Bush, or a pathetic effort to ride Bush's coattails in the name of maintaining a "special relationship", for Blair), underscores the reality that when it comes to Iraq, both are resting on a policy that is as corrupt as one can possibly imagine.

Void of any genuine reflection as to what actually went wrong, and lacking in any reality-based process which seeks to formulate a sound way out of Iraq, these two politicians are simply continuing the self-delusional process of blundering down a path in Iraq that can only lead to more death and destruction.

Perhaps the advisors of Bush and Blair thought they were going to put a human face on two leaders who had been so vilified over the Iraq debacle. If so they failed. The joint press conference was little more than a pathetic show where two failed politicians voiced their continued support of failed policies, which had gotten their respective nations embroiled in a failed war. To quote Blair: "What more can I say? Probably not wise to say anything more at all."

BBC Bush invokes resolve of Cold War

"The war began on my watch but it's going to end on your watch," he said.

In a wide-ranging speech, Mr Bush talked of his aim of spreading peace through the Middle East, saying repression there was creating conditions for global terrorism.

"We will complete the mission" --George W Bush

"We're still in the early stages of this struggle for freedom and, like those first years of the Cold War, we've seen setbacks and challenges and days that have tested America's resolve, yet we've also seen days of victory and hope," he said.

Prissy bets security was extra-tight for that visit...

Wa Po From Public Life to Private Business

During his legislative career, Cohen stood for "purity of the political process," according to the Almanac of American Politics. He made his name as a young Republican voting to impeach President Richard Nixon over Watergate, and, he said in an interview, passed up lucrative options to stay in public life. He sponsored lobbying reforms.

Now, his firm promotes itself by touting its connections.

"We Specialize in Access, Insight and Intelligence into the Defense Industry, DoD and Government programs," the Web site for a Cohen investment advisory service said until recently. The Web site said the Cohen Group's "Competitive Advantage" included

"Senior level relationships throughout industry and government." One day Cohen is appearing at a Lockheed Martin Corp. event in India, smoothing the way for a fighter-jet sale; another, he's attending a charity ball at the request of a company that wants him at its table because, an executive at the company says, "You are judged by the friends you keep."

Moscow Times. Graft:"It's what's for dinner"... Ustinov Warns of New Cases

The country's top prosecutor warned of possible new corruption investigations as he steps up a fight against graft demanded by President Vladimir Putin.

"The fight against corruption in Russia remains urgent," Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov said Thursday in remarks broadcast by Rossia. "Don't be surprised if in the near future you see new, major cases opened."

Harper's “Fairy Tales”

A number of current and former intelligence officials have told me that the administration's war on internal dissent has crippled the CIA's ability to provide realistic assessments from Iraq. “The system of reporting is shut down,” said one person familiar with the situation. “You can't write anything honest, only fairy tales.”

The New York Times and others have reported that in 2003, the CIA station chief in Baghdad authored several special field reports that offered extremely negative assessments of the situation on the ground in Iraq—assessments that later proved to be accurate. The field reports, known as “Aardwolfs,” were angrily rejected by the White House. Their author—who I'm told was a highly regarded agency veteran named Gerry Meyer—was soon pushed out of the CIA, in part because his reporting angered the See No Evil crowd within the Bush administration. “He was a good guy,” one recently retired CIA official said of Meyer, “well-wired in Baghdad, and he wrote a good report. But any time this administration gets bad news, they say the critics are assholes and defeatists, and off we go down the same path with more pressure on the accelerator.

Quotes of the Day

[I]n such a world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people, not to be on the side of the executioners.--French writer and philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960)born in Algeria

There never was a good war or a bad peace.-- Ben Franklin

In peace the sons bury their fathers, but in war the fathers bury their sons.--Croesus,last king of Lydia, of the Mermnad dynasty, (560-546 BC)

The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations. --David Friedman,children's entertainer

I know war as few other men now living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition, as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a method of settling international disputes.--General Douglas MacArthur

Unconditional war can no longer lead to unconditional victory. It can no longer serve to settle disputes. It can no longer be of concern to great powers alone. For a nuclear disaster, spread by winds and waters and fear, could well engulf the great and the small, the rich and the poor, the committed and the uncommitted alike. Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind.--John F. Kennedy

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Memorial Day...How Much Do You Remember?

(Corrections done-what a mess-Prissy is so sorry about this)

This isn't the first time politicians in power have abused the people and our military-created for our protection.

Those with all the power and control over American policy must take responsibility, and get to accept all the blame for their many failures to democracy, the country and our soldiers.

The policies they created and supported have harmed the very people they were entrusted to protect.

They must pay the price-the rest of us certainly are. And we did not endorse their destructive ways.

Bring our troops home now, take care of them upon their return.

Legislation must be in place with a new House and Senate, so future presidents cannot misuse the military might of the United States.

See below for its intended use...

Hot Links

Indictment UPDATE: Between May 10 and May 17, the grand jury that meets in the leak case returned four sealed indictments. Three of those indictments have since been unsealed and have to do with non-related cases. One indictment remains sealed and is filed in the courthouse as SEALED v. SEALED.

Which explains the lack of formal announcement. And the Sealed v. Sealed? Prissy will have to do some research on that one...Fitz v DOJ aka Gonzo??

From the Evans-Novak Political Report: (Yes that Bob "traitorgate" Novak)

Novak on New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin:This election has few ramifications beyond New Orleans, but it is important as a leading indicator of the political future of the state of Louisiana. It marks the total disintegration of the Democratic machine that ran New Orleans prior to Nagin's first election. That Nagin could be re-elected despite his dreadful performance after Hurricane Katrina -- and that he could do it against one of the state's rising political stars, with one of the state's most revered political names -- is simply astounding.

As expected, Nagin held together the black votes he had received in the first round. The question was always whether conservative whites would give him their support again despite his pandering to the left. In the end, conservative voters decided that the pandering over keeping a "chocolate city" and other racial matters was harmless, and black voters liked it enough to support the black candidate over the Democratic machine candidate.

Chicago Tribune GOP to put war up for debate

"It could be a good thing to do if people listen and the arguments are well made," said Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), who is in charge of structuring the debate as chairman of the International Relations Committee. "On the other hand, it could end up in a shouting match."

Other House Republicans are downright hostile to the idea of dredging up such an aggravating deep wound.

"It doesn't take a political mental giant here to figure it out--why would we want to have a 24-hour or a 60-hour debate on the thing that's pulling our party down and pulling the president down? It's a bad idea," said Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.).

According to a Gallup poll, the public believes the war in Iraq is the biggest problem facing the nation. Despite rising concerns about gas prices and immigration, the percentage of people who say the war is the nation's top problem has steadily gone up from 23 percent in January to 29 percent in May.

Prissy suggests republicans look busy on this one. People are sick of this war-they know it was a lie and believe it or not-many are appalled that most neorepublicans "representatives" continue to sacrifice our soldiers to save their own rears...they won't buy a pre-election draw-down troop special, either. Get them all home.

The Washington Note Rove Indictment? from May 14

It was still unknown Saturday whether Fitzgerald charged Rove with a more serious obstruction of justice charge. Sources close to the case said Friday that it appeared very likely that an obstruction charge against Rove would be included with charges of perjury and lying to investigators.

An announcement by Fitzgerald is expected to come this week, sources close to the case said. However, the day and time is unknown. Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the special prosecutor was unavailable for comment. In the past, Samborn said he could not comment on the case.

But if he's on target, this is huge news.-- Steve Clemons

Jason Leopold broke the Enron story early too-and we saw that happy ending today. Let us not worry about Kenny boy getting an pardon...Will he still have a close friend in office to assist?

Kenny probably won't be footing the bill for the next presidential inauguration-like he did for Dubya ...

Korea Herald Stocks tumble below 1,300 on foreign selling

Market experts say the level of resistance is foggy at this point, as the market's response will depend on the leading U.S. economic and employment indicators, and most importantly the key interest rate and the comments by the Federal Reserve, all of which are to unfold next month.

However, most analysts agreed 1,200 to 1,280 to be the margin of resistance.

"I really cannot say at this point how far the index will fall - it has already fallen well below the forecast resistance level," said Oh Hyun-suk, a market strategist at Samsung Securities Co.

"The market tumbling is not confined to the local market, but it is happening globally; investors worldwide seem to be in a state of panic, and we will have to wait until they settle down," he added.

What does a world wide depression look like? Grow your own victory garden, dearest readers and do the can-can. Prissy has notice canning jars and supplies are available in regular grocery stores- after being a hard to find item for years. Take care, Dearest Readers-we may be in for a rough ride between weather and the lasting effects of Bush doctrine policies.

Wake Up From Your Slumber Boom & Bust cycle officially in BUST mode

Stock markets around the world tumbled yesterday, extending last week's heavy selling as investors continued to bail out of riskier assets in favour of safe havens such as government bonds. Emerging markets were hardest hit, with the MSCI emerging markets index on track for a 10th consecutive decline, its worst run since the Russian default in August 1998 triggered worldwide market turmoil.

* Dealing on India's stock market was suspended after stocks slumped 10 per cent in early trade. Trading resumed after verbal intervention by officials and a pause to calm the market, and the benchmark Sensex index ended down 4.2 per cent.

* Russian equities plunged 9.1 per cent, the Turkish market tumbled 8.3 per cent, Brazil and Mexico were each about 4.5 per cent down in afternoon trading and Sweden fell by 5 per cent

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Click to enlarge, by political artist Stephen Pitts

From POGO Project On Government Oversight May 24, 2006

A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report has found that the nuclear industry has an inappropriate amount of influence on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission'’s design basis threat process. This influence allows the industry to lobby for lower security standards. For example, power plants do not have to be able to defend against weapons such as rocket propelled grenades and 50 caliber rifles that have armor piercing rounds despite the fact the Department of Energy and the Department of Homeland Security have said these weapons seriously threaten nuclear plant.

Truth Dig Enron Honchos Manipulated Markets, Couldn't Manipulate Jury

The '“smartest guys in the room'” weren't smart enough. On Thursday, a Houston jury convicted former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling on charges of conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud in one of the biggest business scandals in U.S. history. It took the jury six days to sift through the case and reject as lies the protestations of innocence of Lay and Skilling.

Funny investment advice for Prissy's Dear beer drinking readers: Fun2Forward

If you had bought $1000.00 worth of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49.00.

With Enron, you would have $16.50 of the original $1,000.00. With Worldcom, you would have less than $5.00 left.

If you had bought $1,000.00 worth of Budweiser (the beer, not the stock) one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the cans for the 10 cent deposit, you would have $214.00.

Based on the above, the current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.

Kare 1Minnesotaosota Minnesotans who lost their savings applaud Enron verdict

Sara Fleetham's mother, Jan, lived in Bloomington and retired from Enron in the late 1990s. She lost at least $100,000 in savings when the company collapsed. "At first she didn't think Ken Lay could've been a part of it," Sara Fleetham said Thursday.

But a few months later, Jan's attitude changed. "She was quite upset and mad, and felt very personally betrayed that this person who she would've considered a friend had done such damage to the company," Sara said. Jan, a lifelong Republican, stood beside Paul Wellstone to push for 401K reform. She also testified in front of Congress. But in late 2003, Jan was diagnosed with lung cancer. She died eight months later.

Relatives think the stress of Enron's collapse, not to mention the lack of money, accelerated her decline. "Her spirit was broken," her daughter said. "It was completely different the last year of her life."

So Dubya, was that just the cost of doing business with your buddies? Kenny says God will take care of things. But Kenny boy Lay was charged with the task of caring for Jan's pension.

Democracy Now Enron: The Bush Connection

We turn now to the connections between President Bush and Enron. Enron founder Ken Lay and his family rank among President Bush's biggest financial backers of his political career. The family donated about $140,000 to Bush's political campaigns in Texas and for the White House. The president personally nicknamed Ken Lay 'Kenny Boy.'” Overall Enron employees gave Bush some $600,000 in political donations. According to the Center for Public Integrity this made Enron BushĂ‚’s top career donor - a distinction the company maintained until 2004. Shortly after Bush took office in 2001, Vice President Cheney met with Enron officials while he was developing the administrationĂ‚’s energy policies. Our guest Greg Palast examined the connections between Enron and the Bush administration in his documentary '“Bush Family Fortunes.'”

Reuters Bush wants Blair in office until 2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tony Blair may be unpopular at home, but if President Bush had his way, the British prime minister would stay in office until January 2009.

"My attitude is, I want him to be here so long as I am the president," Bush said with Blair by his side at a White House news conference.

Blair's authority has been on the wane since he said he would not seek a fourth term, while anger over the Iraq war and disillusionment after nine years in office have eroded his popularity with the public. Blair's Labour Party was re-elected in May 2005.

He has been under pressure to stand aside, with many in the Labour Party now expecting him to resign in mid-2007.

Dubya, the Brits poodle is in enough trouble with her people, thanks to you already. No wonder Tony had nothing further to say when you did the usual, BS the press photo op.

Al-Jazeera 60 killed as US defends Afghan strike

"At this point the Taliban entered some buildings within approximately a couple of hundred metres from where the strike went in. They started to deliver concentrated machinegun and rocket-propelled grenade fire on our forces."

Collins also said Taliban rebels have grown in "strength and influence" recently and have a hard core of fighters in the south of the country.

He said that Tliban are recruiting poor villagers.

"They prey upon people who don't have a lot of hope. These people may not believe much in the cause, but they need a job," he said.

Mercury News Bush orders FBI-Congress documents sealed

WASHINGTON - President Bush stepped into the Justice Department's constitutional confrontation with Congress on Thursday and ordered that documents seized in an FBI raid on a lawmaker's office be sealed for 45 days

Bush's order "gives us some time to step back and try to negotiate with the Department of Justice," said Hastert. Likewise, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said it would "provide additional time to reach a permanent solution that allows this investigation to continue while accommodating the concerns of certain members of Congress."

The president said he recognized that Republican and Democratic leaders have "deeply held views" that the search violated the Constitution's separation of powers principles. But he stopped short of saying he agreed with them, declaring the end goal was to provide materials relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation to prosecutors "in a manner that respects the interests of a coequal branch of government."

"Our government has not faced such a dilemma in more than two centuries," Bush said in a statement. "Yet after days of discussions, it is clear these differences will require more time to be worked out."

Who created this crisis? Is it Gonzo's alternative world, Dept of justice v. Reality based DOJ?

More Bush staff jumping sinking ship Reuters Snow likely to leave in June: sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow, whose future in the Bush administration has been the subject of intense speculation, is likely to step down in mid- to late June, Republican sources said.

The White House is narrowing its choices for a possible successor, with David Mulford, the U.S. ambassador to India, seen as a strong contender, the sources said.

Dubya can't touch this...when our soldiers don't forget who they are.

To listen to the male choir version (the best version in Prissy's opinion) Click Here

From the UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS HISTORY DIVISION

A serious attempt to trace the tune of the Marines' Hymn to its source is revealed in correspondence between Colonel A.S. McLemore, USMC, and Walter F. Smith, second leader of the Marine Band. Colonel McLemore wrote: "Major Richard Wallach, USMC, says that in 1878, when he was in Paris, France, the aria to which the Marines' Hymn is now sung was a very popular one." The name of the opera and a part of the chorus was secured from Major Wallach and forwarded to Mr. Smith, who replied: "Major Wallach is to be congratulated upon a wonderfully accurate musical memory, for the aria of the Marine Hymn is certainly to be found in the opera, 'Genevieve de Brabant'. . .The melody is not in the exact form of the Marine Hymn, but is undoubtedly the aria from which it was taken. I am informed, however, by one of the members of the band, who has a Spanish wife, that the aria was one familiar to her childhood and it may, therefore, be a Spanish folk song."

The Marine Corp Hymn

"From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli, We fight our country's battles On the land as on the sea. First to fight for right and freedom, And to keep our honor clean, We are proud to claim the title of United States Marine.

"Our flag's unfurl'd to every breeze From dawn to setting sun; We have fought in every clime and place Where we could take a gun. In the snow of far-off northern lands And in sunny tropic scenes, You will find us always on the job The United States Marines.

"Here's health to you and to our Corps Which we are proud to serve; In many a strife we've fought for life And never lost our nerve. If the Army and the Navy Ever look on Heaven's scenes, They will find the streets are guarded By United States Marines."

Prissy is proud to be the daughter of a Marine. Which is why she requires justice for their misuse...and is sickened when incidents that John Murtha referred to is allowed to happen. An unconscionable murder...how dare they call themselves Americans.

They have nothing of the American spirit, their forefathers left as legacy to them.

NY Times Evidence Points Toward Murder by Marines, Official Says

Officials briefed on preliminary results of the inquiry said the civilians killed at Haditha, a lawless, insurgent-plagued city deep in Sunni-dominated Anbar Province, did not die from a makeshift bomb, as the military first reported, or in cross-fire between marines and attackers, as was later announced. A separate inquiry has begun to find whether the events were deliberately covered up.

Evidence indicates that the civilians were killed during a sustained sweep by a small group of marines that lasted three to five hours and included shootings of five men standing near a taxi at a checkpoint, and killings inside at least two homes that included women and children, officials said.

That evidence, described by Congressional, Pentagon and military officials briefed on the inquiry, suggested to one Congressional official that the killings were "methodical in nature."

Moscow News Belarus to Bar U.S., Canadian Overflights

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is to bar flights over the territory of his country by U.S. and Canadian aircraft, the Foreign Ministry said. The move, suggested by President Alexander Lukashenko earlier this week, was in response to a refusal by both countries to allow an aircraft carrying BelarusĂ‚’s prime minister to refuel last month on its way to and from Cuba, Reuters news agency reported Thursday.

"“Belarus strictly observes symmetry in adopting any sort of retaliatory measures,"” Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Popov told a news conference Thursday. "These restrictions will apply only to two countries "the United States and Canada."

The West has intensified its criticism of Lukashenko in recent months, singling out his landslide re-election in March as blatantly rigged. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney this month repeated Washington'’s accusations that Lukashenko led the "“last dictatorship in Europe". The United States and European Union barred entry to Lukashenko and other officials after the election, which sparked unprecedented opposition protests.

From Mehr News, Iran Anti-Zionist rabbis in Tehran to set the record straightFrom 3/3/06 -Muslims and Jews have lived side by side for centuries: Neturei Karta

In a news conference on Sunday, Cohen and other rabbis said that censorship in the Western media creates an obstacle for coverage of anti-Zionist news. Public opinion plays an important role in the decision-making process of U.S. policymakers, so the Islamic Republic should make efforts to neutralize the false message that Muslims and Jews are enemies, they said.

Muslims and Jews have lived side by side for centuries, and it is only the illegitimate group of Zionists that has created all the differences between Muslims and Jews over the past century, they told reporters.

Stan Goff Murtha'’s My Lai

Murtha is telling the public that the Pentagon investigation will show that the US Marines massacred civilians in Haditha in November 2005. That is why I am grateful to Representative John Murtha for not adhering to what is considered good manners. He is not only defying the spineless and oportunistic Nancy PelosiĂ‚’s directive to avoid the issue of the Iraq war, when he says saying we need to get our troops out of there pronto; he is now being very explicit about why. The fact that he is a former Marine with scar tissue from Vietnam only makes his public statement, that the result of the investigation will confirm a massacre at Haditha, discomfit the war-boosters of the right and the Schumer-Pelosi sales managers of the center that much more.

They know Murtha has an inside line to the Pentagon. That's why he prefigured the rebellion of the Generals earlier this year with his declaration last year that the aggression in Iraq is a disaster that will only improve by ending it. Murtha knows what I know, and a lot of veterans who are willing to tell the truth know. Imperial occupations are by their very nature " in the words of Daniel Ellsberg"— atrocity producing situations.

The war in Iraq is an atrocity itself " and no Democrat who fails to oppose it deserves to ever hold public office again.

The antagonism between the Iraqi population "— over 85% of whom want the US out "— and those whose job description is to "“control"” that population by any means necessary, is inherent, and therefore inescapable.

Winter Soldier shows what happens when you allow discipline to falter in an unjust cause. But one will never have discipline within the ranks, in an illegal war...it's mission impossible. Most of our soldiers are so young...

In Memory of all our soldiers

This bronze sculpture of a 19-year-old combat soldier symbolizes the youth and innocence lost in war. His youth is representative of the average age of soldiers killed in Vietnam. (Capitol Museum in California)

NZ Scoop Reports Reconfirm Hatch Said He Condones Polygamy

"I expect people, whether they're in polygamous or monogamous relationships, to protect children," said Hatch. "I personally don't believe in polygamy. But I'm not going to judge others who feel differently."[Emphasis added]

Findlaw Judge: Endless ban on speech sought for terror investigations likely unconstitutional

Recently, Congress changed the law to specify that a national security letter can be reviewed by a court and to explicitly allow those who receive the letters to inform their lawyers about them. Because of the changes, the appeals court dismissed a Connecticut case Tuesday involving librarians who received an FBI demand for records about patrons. A district judge had ruled the gag order unfairly prevented them from joining a debate over the rewriting of the Patriot Act.

The appellate judges said changes in the law rendered the case moot.

In a second case, a district judge in New York had ruled the national security letters violate the Constitution because they amount to unreasonable search and seizure. He found that the nondisclosure requirement violated free speech.

Reuters Hayden confirmed as CIA director

Hayden was NSA director when Bush ordered the program in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Critics say it exceeds the president's constitutional powers and violates a federal law requiring court warrants for eavesdropping inside the United States.

But most Democrats appeared to take the lead of influential party members including Sen. John Rockefeller of West Virginia, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who has called Hayden an experienced and independent leader capable of restoring the CIA's credibility.

Whadduya know? So Hayden knows all about what really went down on 911...

Bloomberg Police Check Sound of Shots in U.S. House Building (Update8)

Police were probing a report by two women coming out of the Rayburn building's basement gym that they saw a man with a gun inside, CNN said, citing a senior law enforcement official. The man may have been a plainclothes policemen, the network said.

The Capitol police maintains a shooting range in the basement of the Rayburn building, according to its Web site. CNN reported that the shots may have come from there.

Steven Broderick, an aide to Representative William Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, told CNN he was in the Rayburn parking garage around 10:45 a.m. and saw several police officers with guns drawn searching for something.

Confusing story...

Quotes of the Day

When a nation's young men are conservative, its funeral bell is already rung.--Henry Ward Beecher

Part of the happiness of life consists not in fighting battles, but in avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory.--Norman Vincent Peale

Strange as it seems, no amount of learning can cure stupidity, and higher education positively fortifies it.--Stephen Vizinczey, An Innocent Millionaire

It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.-- Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

Let bravery be thy choice, but not bravado.-- Menander,Greek playwright (342 BC - 292 BC)

Fortune favors the brave.--Virgil (70 BC - 19 BC), Aeneid

Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.--William Faulkner

There are laws to protect the freedom of the press's speech, but none that are worth anything to protect the people from the press. -- Mark Twain

Army green book definition of democracy: Democracy, as it is commonly understood, is about more than free and fair elections. It requires "independent courts, equality before the law, and constitutional limits on the powers of government. It establishes independent institutions to control and punish corruption and abuse of power." No one in a democracy "may be arrested, imprisoned, or exiled arbitrarily. No one may be denied freedom without a fair and public hearing by an impartial court."

What would they say about Iraq? It is in their honor, that we must fight our leaders, and never allow the misuse of another American soldiers' life ...

From Vassar document collection The Senate Debates the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, August 6-7, 1964

That the Congress approves and supports the determination of the President as Commander in Chief, to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.

MR. GRUENING: [Ernest Gruening, Dem.-Alaska] . . . Regrettably, I find myself in disagreement with the President's Southeast Asian policy. . . The serious events of the past few days, the attack by North Vietnamese vessels on American warships and our reprisal, strikes me as the inevitable and foreseeable concomitant and consequence of U.S. unilateral military aggressive policy in Southeast Asia.... We now are about to authorize the President if he sees fit to move our Armed Forces . . . not only into South Vietnam, but also into North Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and of course the authorization includes all the rest of the SEATO nations. That means sending our American boys into combat in a war in which we have no business. which is not our war, into which we have been misguidedly drawn, which is steadily being escalated. This resolution is a further authorization for escalation unlimited. I am opposed to sacrificing a single American boy in this venture. We have lost far too many already....

MR. MORSE: [Wayne Morse, Dem.-Ore.] . . . I believe that history will record that we have made a great mistake in subverting and circumventing the Constitution of the United States. . . I believe this resolution to be a historic mistake. I believe that within the next century, future generations will look with dismay and great disappointment upon a Congress which is now about to make such a historic mistake.

SOURCE: Congressional Record. August 6-7, 1964. pp18132-33. 18406-7. 18458-59, and 18470-71.

Too Stupid to Be President-Friday Funny Logrolling with Dubya and Tony

Friday, May 19, 2006

Is It Time to Call In the "Calvary" to Save the Constitution? Not Just Yet

That number would be 2,456 American soldiers, countless Iraqi civilians 35,000-100,000+

Lay alma mater rebuffs endowment request

Deaton responded on Oct. 28 that the university "does not deem it appropriate to relinquish the monies."

That decision had support from the state attorney general's office and the university's Board of Curators, records show.

Lay was born in 1942 in the southern Missouri town of Tyrone. When he was 16, the family moved to Columbia, where Lay's father was pastor of a Baptist church.

He graduated from Missouri in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in economics, earning a master's degree in economics the following year. He was named Enron's chairman and chief executive officer in 1986.

Granny says the preachers kid is usually the worst...

Mehr News Iran Ahmadinejad, Chavez discuss ties, nuclear rights over the phone

Ahmadinejad expressed his appreciation to Chavez for his government’s support for Iran’s inalienable right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Iran and Venezuela have scores of common objectives that have caused a strong bond between the two nations, he added.

Chavez, for his part, vowed to keep on backing the Islamic Republic’s nuclear rights, adding unity between independent states enables them to resist against the bullying powers’ pressure and move toward global peace.

Zogby Poll: Over 70 Million American Adults Support New 9/11 Investigation

According to Janice Matthews, executive director of 911truth.org, "To those who have followed the mounting evidence for US government involvement in 9/11, these results are both heartening and frankly quite amazing, given the mainstream media's ongoing refusal to cover the most critical questions of that day. Our August 2004 Zogby poll of New Yorkers showed nearly half believe certain US officials 'consciously' allowed the attacks to happen and 66% want a fresh investigation, but these were people closest to the tragedy and most familiar with facts refuting the official account. This revelation that so many millions nationwide now also recognize a 9/11 cover up and the need for a new inquiry should be a wake up call for all 2006 political candidates hoping to turn this country around. We think it also indicates Americans are awakening to the larger pattern of deceit that led us into Constitutional twilight and endless war, and that our independent media may have finally come of age."

Poll co-author, W. David Kubiak concurs, saying: "Despite years of relentless media promotion, whitewash and 9/11 Commission propaganda, the official 9/11 story still can't even muster 50% popular support. Since this myth has been the administration's primary source of political and war-making power, this level of distrust has revolutionary implications for everyone working for peace, justice and civil liberties. If we ever hope to reclaim this country, end aggression and restore international respect, we all must finally scrutinize that day when things started to go so terribly wrong. The media and movement leaders ignore this call at their peril, because tens of millions are clearly telling us here they are ready for 9/11 truth."

SCOPE: The poll covered five related areas: 1) Iraq - do Americans think the Bush administration exploited 9/11 to attack Iraq? (44% do, 44% don't); 2) Cover up - did the government and its 9/11 Commission conceal or refuse to investigate evidence that contradicts their official story? (only 48% said no); 3) the collapse of WTC 7, which was not even mentioned by the 9/11 Commission and has seldom been reported in the media---had respondents been aware of this collapse and, if so, did they think it should be investigated (only 52% had known about it, but over 70% of this group believe it should have been investigated); 4) new investigation of official complicity - do respondents think we need one? (only 48% said no); and 5) mass media - how do people rate its performance, including its coverage of alternative 9/11 theories, unanswered questions and inquiry issues? (43% rate it positively, 55% negatively). (The poll sponsors see knowledge of the collapse of World Trade Center Building 7 as a bellwether issue, because if people do not know this elementary fact, they have probably not been exposed to any independent 9/11 research at all. Because the number of respondents who support a new investigation of 9/11 (45%)) is roughly the same as the number who knew about the collapse of Building 7 (52%), it can reasonably be extrapolated that if the entire public were exposed to independent 9/11 research, about 90 percent would support a new investigation of the events of that fateful day.)

SPONSOR: 911truth.org is a coalition of researchers, journalists and victim family members working to expose and answer the hundreds of still unresolved questions concerning 9/11, especially the nearly 400 questions that the Family Steering Committee filed with the 9/11 Commission. Initially welcomed by the commissioners as their "road map," these queries cut to the heart of 9/11 crimes and accountability, specifically raising the central issues of motive, means and cui bono (who profited?). The Commission ultimately ignored 80% of these issues, however, opting only to explore system failures, miscommunications and incompetence. The victim families' most incisive questions remain unaddressed to this day.

For more information on the Chicago "9/11: Revealing the Truth, Reclaiming our Future" conference and other developments, see http://www.911truth.org and http://911revealingthetruth.org

It's over for all of them now...John Edwards, be glad you were not in your Senate seat-there was nothing you could have done. With the angst of the voters Prissy seen as of late, she has a feeling if you were in-you are out-unless you are in the very select few.

Ted Strickland, John Conyers, Barbara Boxer,Cynthia McKinney, Russ Feingold are but a few that stood up and got creamed by the bullies they work beside. Al Gore will be rewarded for being a true American patriot too. All their trials and troubles will pay off. The meetings Prissy has been show republicans are onto them in the worst way. The solid republican base has turned. The neorepublicans left can only hang their heads in shame and attempt to help America dig out of this mess, for the rest of their term.

Coming back from Washington D.C. Prissy had a delightful conversation with one Democrat, one Marine also Republican and Prissy the Independent. This two time Bush voter, Marine, Gold star Uncle (Iraq, his nephew) Gold star nephew (a favorite 20 year old Uncle) told Prissy he was duped by the Dubya. He isn't a violent man, but he believes Dubya should be tried for what he has done to the world and to his own country. We met him while out for coffee on his way to go turkey hunting.

Randy of Pennsylvania told us this war is wrong and it makes him ashamed because this isn't what America is about. This is coming from a man that still doesn't like Bill Clinton. Randy said he is a Christian and he does indeed now see that George Bush is not. Randy was suspect of the way 911 was handled too...

When Randy left us that evening, he proudly wore the buttons we had given them "Impeach Bush" "Support Our Troops, Bring Them Home NOW" and "I Support Iraq Veterans Against the War"

During the first "Local Progressives" meeting, originated by a few democrats, there were mostly independents-but a fair number of republicans too. The true democracts of our citizenry, God Bless Them, are very angry at anyone who identifies themselves as republican. Prissy certainly understands their anger-after all, they blindly followed an incompetent politician into where we now are...

But regardless, in speaking to them -this is what made them not like Dubya. 911-That's right, they don't believe him in the ways we were made to believe it happened. Quite frankly, their knowledge stunned Prissy and the fact that they would not overlook physical evidence-these are the republicans Prissy used to know when she was out in the field. Turns out there is a whole bunch of them who know.

And boy are they mad.

TruthOut and other reliable news sources, are still claiming Jason Leopold, while not correct on all the details-will be vindicated in the end. Prissy agrees it really cannot end any other way. Rover was a little fish compared to the major bad boys.

Some say Leopold simply jumped out too far in front and Rover indictment is sealed, thus lack of formal announcement. UPDATE: Here is the latest on the Rover indictment situation TruthOut!Information Sharing on the Rove Indictment Story by Marc Ash, Executive Director - t r u t h o u t

Further, we know - and we want our readers to know - that we are dependent on confidential sources. We know that a report based solely on information obtained from confidential sources bears some inherent risks. We know that this is - by far - the biggest story we have ever covered, and that we are learning some things as we go along. Finally, we know that we have the support of those who have always supported us, and that must now earn the support of those who have joined us as of late.

We now move on to what we believe. (If you are looking for any guarantees, please turn back now.)

We believe that we hit a nerve with our report. When I get calls on my cell phone from Karl Rove's attorney and spokesman, I have to wonder what's up. "I" believe - but cannot confirm - that Mark Corallo, Karl Rove's spokesman gave Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post my phone number. I believe Howard Kurtz contacted me with the intention of writing a piece critical of our organization. I know that Anne Marie Squeo of the Wall Street Journal attacked us and independent journalism as a whole in her piece titled, "Rove's Camp Takes Center of Web Storm / Bloggers Underscore How Net's Reporting, Dynamics Provide Grist for the Rumor Mill." We believe that rolling out that much conservative journalistic muscle to rebut this story is telling. And we believe that Rove's camp is making a concerted effort to discredit our story and our organization.

Further - and again this is "What We Believe" - Rove may be turning state's evidence. We suspect that the scope of Fitzgerald's investigation may have broadened - clearly to Cheney - and according to one "off the record source" to individuals and events not directly related to the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. We believe that the indictment which does exist against Karl Rove is sealed. Finally, we believe that there is currently a great deal of activity in the Plame investigation.

Makes sense, considering all the laws which have been trashed by neorepublican factions of government. If the special prosecutor follows the law, there is just no way he cannot indict the two biggest felons of all...

But will Fitzgerald really do it? Based on his prior record the answer is yes, of course he will.

All Prissy can say is he had better...otherwise, someone has an obligation to the Constitution and they had best get the plan in gear.

Prissy will give Fitzgerald the benefit of a doubt, as he is an overly cautious professional. Prissy has told you before the press clippings alone can indict these goons and lo and behold, that is exactly what Fitzgerald has used for the defense discovery request in Scooter Libby's case.

Prissy wonders when the editors and owners of corporate financed media will remember to pretend they are loyal to American democracy. Apparently, they are still loyal to "Dubya's crown." Prissy has no love for their kind...

Have they forgotten what happens to traitors? They would not be the first business owners to be held personally liable or criminally negligent for their deeds by those they harmed with their yellow journalism. They are nearly as responsible for this mess as this cretin cabal is, themselves.

Media case law tells us the media can lie (no kidding, think Faux News) but within boundaries. For example: they cannot intentionally lie with a motive to do so, knowing that harm may come from the lie-like say, unnecessary soldier, and civilian deaths.

Just what would big media motive be? Could motive consist of being owned in part, by a defense contractor?

Now dearest readers, you already know the answer to that. Moreover, big media knows too, much like AT&T and other phone services. Was Qwest the only one with lawyers bright enough to state that what the government wanted from them was not legal? Oh, come now!

Corporate greed = bankruptcy- once a class action lawsuit against them is settled. If they don't think it can happen, they should carefully read media case law. It can and will. They have enraged middle America, the main stock of the US military.

They will pay for tossing over the American peoples' rights and human lives for profit. No one but the overpaid CEO's will shed a tear at their demise.

Another topic: Prissy attended a local "progressives" first meeting. More than 30 people turned out and they are mad as can be at the Dubya. Many were former Republicans! More later this evening.

PS- Prissy has had a lot of speaking engagements lined up and as a result wasn't able to post for a couple of days. Lucky for the audience, Prissy speaks better than she writes ;-)

Check back later this week for Betty Buckaneer's funny pictures "Separated at Birth?" as soon as Prissy can figure out how to post them.

Hot Links

Strike the Root Revolt in the Ranks? Be VERY Careful, Neocon by Douglas Herman

A few weeks ago, about the same time those high-ranking US generals were stating-- emphatically--their displeasure with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the conduct of the war in Iraq, Military.com ran a story on the Internet Wounded Soldiers Left in Debt.

The broad range of anger, frustration and regret on the forum surprised me. Three years ago the great majority of servicemen and women accorded the Bush administration carte blanche, out of a misguided sense of patriotism, for a war with a non-belligerent nation that had neither threatened nor attacked the U.S.

Now, three years later, the vehemence of these common soldiers and sailors should give any Neocon a great deal to think about. Dissent is common among unhappy soldiers; disgruntlement as common as the chevrons on our sleeves. Always has been and always will be. But whether any actual revolt in the ranks would ever occur within the US military is debatable. However, the Bush administration should be VERY careful. Just because a large scale mutiny among US soldiers has never occurred does not mean one will not.

Amateur historian and USAF veteran Douglas Herman writes for STR and authored The Guns of Dallas. He opposed the war before it began for dozens of reasons, all of them valid.

Warship built out of Twin Towers wreckage

The USS New York is being built in New Orleans using steel from the September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre (PAIGE EATON) IN A city still emerging from the floods of Hurricane Katrina, a ship has begun to rise from the ashes of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Bringing together America's two great calamities of the 21st century, the USS New York is being built in New Orleans with 24 tonnes of steel taken from the collapsed World Trade Centre.

There is no shortage of scrap metal in New Orleans these days, but the girders taken from Ground Zero have been treated with a reverence usually accorded to religious relics. After a brief ceremony in 2003, about seven tonnes of steel were melted down and poured into a cast to make the bow section of the shipĂ‚’s hull. Some shipworkers say the hairs stood up on the backs of their necks the first time they touched it. Others have postponed their retirement so they can be part of the project.

This somehow seems unholy...

Wired Did Verizon Block U.S. E-Mail?

People who were Verizon customers at the time of the e-mail filtering have until Aug. 9, 2006, to file a claim. Claimants can receive up to $49 if they lost correspondence from Europe and Asia, and Verizon customers who switched internet service providers because of the e-mail filtering and paid early termination fees can receive refunds.

Spam expert and attorney Ben Edelman, who consulted with the plaintiffs, said it is "very important that ISPs filter, but they make a serious effort to get it right." Edelman said he is unaware of other similar lawsuits or incidents of ISPs blocking e-mails based on their region of origin.

"The peculiar facts of how broad the blocking was made (this case) unusual," he said.

Wired Why We Published the AT&T Docs

The judge in the case has so far denied requests from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, or EFF, and several news organizations to unseal the documents and make them public.

AT&T claims information in the file is proprietary and that it would suffer severe harm if it were released.

Based on what we've seen, Wired News disagrees. In addition, we believe the public's right to know the full facts in this case outweighs AT&T's claims to secrecy.

As a result, we are publishing the complete text of a set of documents from the EFF's primary witness in the case, former AT&T employee and whistle-blower Mark Klein -- information obtained by investigative reporter Ryan Singel through an anonymous source close to the litigation. The documents, available on Wired News as of Monday, consist of 30 pages, with an affidavit attributed to Klein, eight pages of AT&T documents marked "proprietary," and several pages of news clippings and other public information related to government-surveillance issues.

The Prissy Patriot supports Wired News in their efforts to expose the truth to We the People!

Political Wire In Ohio, Strickland Keeps Double Digit Lead

In Ohio's gubernatorial race, a new Rasmussen Reports poll shows Rep. Ted Strickland (D-OH) leads Ken Blackwell (R) by 16-percentage points, 52% to 36%.

"The candidates began the year much closer than they are today with Strickland leading just 44% to 40% in our January survey. Since then, his lead has been in double digits every month."

Take that Blackwell! (Hackwell)

Think Progress Bush on Low Approval: Brushes Aside Policy Concerns, Says People Are Just 'Unsettled'

Transcript:

GREGORY: Let me ask you about your leadership. In the most recent survey, your disapproval rating is now one point lower than Richard Nixon's before he resigned the presidency. You are laughing.

BUSH: I'm not laughing .(Yes, he was-pp)

GREGORY: Why? Why do you think that is?

BUSH: Because we are at war, and war unsettles people. Listen, we got a great economy. We've added 5.2 million jobs in the last two and a half years. People are unsettled.

GREGORY: But they're not just unsettled sir. They disapprove of the job you're doing.

BUSH: That's, that's unsettled.

Should you want to see for yourself what an idiot Bush sounds like, if you can stand it this is the clip

Al-Jazeera Kuwait clears Guantanamo inmates

Rights groups in Kuwait welcomed the decision to free the men.

"This ruling underscores what we were sure of all along, that our sons are innocent," Khaled al-Odah, head of a detainee support committee.

"They have been imprisoned unjustly for years at the American base and [this is] a stark breach of international and humanitarian laws by the American administration," he added.

Kuwait is a staunch US ally and host to thousands of US troops. It was the launching pad for the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

TBR News The Voice of the White House Prissy printing this one, due to interesting content.

Like Diebold, the voting machine company, ChoicePoint has been, and is, staunchly Republican, and as a case in point, they became heavily involved in Florida politics, being especially aggressive in the 2000 Presidential campaign. Earlier, in 1998 the state of Florida signed a 4 million dollar contract with Database Technologies (DBT Online), which later was merged into ChoicePoint, for the purposes of providing a central voter file listing those barred from voting. As of 2002, Florida was the only state that hired a private firm for these purposes. Prior to contracting with Database Technologies, Florida contracted with a smaller operator for 5,700 dollars per year. The state of Florida contracted with DBT in November 1998, following the controversial Miami mayoral race of 1997. The 1998 contracting process involved no bidding and was worth 2,317,800 dollars.

ChoicePoint has been criticized for knowingly using inaccurate data, and for racial discrimination. Allegations include listing voters as felons for alleged crimes said to have been committed several years in the future. In addition, people who had been convicted of a felony in a different state and had their rights restored by said state, were not allowed to vote despite the restoration of their rights. (One should note Schlenther v. Florida Department of State [June 1998] which ruled that Florida could not prevent a man convicted of a felony in Connecticut, where his civil rights had not been lost, from exercising his civil rights elsewhere) Furthermore, it is argued that people were listed as felons based on a coincidence of names, despite other data (such as date of birth) which showed that the criminal record did not apply to the voter in question

This firm cooperated with Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, and Florida Elections Unit Chief Clay Roberts, in a conspiracy of voter fraud, involving the central voter file, during the US Presidential Election of 2000. The allegations charge that 57,700 people (15% of the list), primarily Democrats of African-American and Hispanic descent, were incorrectly listed as felons and thus barred from voting

ChoicePoint Vice President Martin Fagan has admitted that at least 8,000 names were incorrectly listed in this fashion when the company passed on a list given by the state of Texas, these 8,000 names were removed prior to the election. Fagan has described the error as a "minor glitch". ChoicePoint, as a matter of policy, does not verify the accuracy of its data and argues that it is the user's responsibility to verify accuracy.

Choicepoint and Diebold are bad news for consumers. Let's not forget Wally O'Dell resigned from Diebold whefraudulent fraudlent activity began to make its way around the internet.

Mercury New Israeli prime minister seeks support for border security on U.S. visit

The Gaza pullout nevertheless officially ended Israel's 38 years of military rule over the 1.3 million Palestinians who live in the small territory. America's support was essential for Sharon, and Olmert is looking to follow the same path for the West Bank.

Olmert's meetings in Washington are primarily about building personal chemistry, and no dramatic announcements are expected. Still, the stakes for him "are extremely high," said David Makovsky, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a research center on Middle East affairs. "If he doesn't implement (his plan), his political future is bleak, as is his party's."

Nahum Barnea, a research fellow at the Brookings Institution's Saban Center for Middle East Policy in Washington, wrote Friday in an open letter to Olmert: "You are going to meet the only man who can give you wings. Without him, you are liable to be a fleeting episode. Together with him, you can change the world."

Israeli officials understand that they won't win U.S. support until they give peace talks at least one more chance. But the United States and Israel appear to be at odds over how much legitimacy to bestow on Abbas now that Hamas militants, who refuse to recognize Israel, are in power.

They expect Dubya to be the "negotiator"? But he's the decider...

Hat tip to Fitzgerald SNL: Funhouse with Bush: Real Audio Funny

Salon The virtual moneylender

The virtual world of Prosper offers a far more personal experience. Trading money on the site is an intensely social activity, in which lenders sit in constant judgment of the most intimate aspects of borrowers' lives, scrutinizing their financial histories and making public guesses about their responsibility. Successful borrowers, meanwhile, must convince lenders to part with their money, not only by disclosing their finances, but by pleading their cases directly, promising to work harder at managing their money.

And the process seems to be working. Many of the lenders on Prosper, for instance, know almost nothing about BusyLady52, not even her name (which she asked me not to publish). What they do know about her (a middling credit score, a couple of current delinquencies) is the sort of thing that would render her ineligible for a traditional loan. Yet lenders saw in her story some spark of genuine responsibility, a possibility that she'd do well if given a chance. More than 50 people got together to give her a total of $5,000 at a 16 percent rate. She now says she's determined to set her money straight again, if only to prove herself to those who invested in her. "Grateful?" she says. "When I got up this morning and saw the money in my account --- oh, you have no idea."

RAW Story Bush, Blair to announce 'phased withdrawal' from Iraq

LONDON -- Tony Blair and George Bush will announce that they are to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq at a summit in Washington as early as this week, RAW STORY has learned.

The process has already been carefully choreographed in an attempt to bolster the popularity of both Bush and Blair who have suffered domestically for their handling of the war.

The scope of the phased withdrawal, which will see the 133,000 US force levels cut to around 100,000 by the end of the year and British numbers almost halved, has already been agreed, one senior defence source said.

The actual announcement will come in response to a statement from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that his government believes coalition forces are no longer needed in a number of provinces.

Get them all home, NOW...Prissy would have told you, but thought it best to wait. She heard a couple of months ago, they had started pulling out. Reports of more troops being sent were confusing. Notice Germany stopped the last batch of troops before they were sent into Iraq. Notice Britian is a signer of International Criminal Courts. Apparently the German decision shook Tony up.

India Times Gujarat villages access Pak cell signals

GUNERI (Kutch district): When politicians on both sides of the border thought of confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan, they may not have had this in mind.

For, villages situated in certain pockets of Kutch can access Pakistani mobile phone services. And this is giving security agencies in Gujarat sleepless nights.

Officials are worried because any person using a Pakistani SIM card would be able to communicate with contacts in India and provide classified details to infiltrators without being detected.

These signals could even circumvent radio intercept installations in bases along the Indian border.

Atlanta Progressive Soldiers Led Peace Movement, Film Says

(APN) ATLANTA '– US soldiers led the Antiwar movement which brought an end the Viet Nam War, the movie 'Sir! No Sir!'” has shown. Atlanta Progressive News was on hand as over 300 people packed the Midtown Art Cinema in Atlanta last week, with some standing in the back, for the opening night of '“Sir! No Sir!'”

Many veterans and peace activists were in the audience and the crowd gave a standing ovation as the credits rolled and film maker David Zeiger, Jane Fonda, and Halim Gullahbemi took the stage for question and answer session.

Fonda was apparently overwhelmed by the response and said '“Wow, if I'’d known there would be a theater full of people like you I would have moved to Georgia a lot sooner.

She then called on two young veterans of the US Invasion of Iraq to join them on stage-this brought another standing ovation from the crowd.

Defense Industry Daily Boeing Reaches Settlement with US Government Over Druyun Scandal and

South Korea to Buy Another 20 F-15K Fighters

Now the Korean Overseas Information Service notes that the ROKAF will purchase another 20 more F-15K multi-role aircraft beginning in 2009...

The $2 billion plan was approved during a defense ministry meeting as part of its mid-term arms acquisition project between 2007 and 2011. President Roh Moo-hyun will be required to endorse the plan, but this is deemed very likely. If so it will extend the F-15's production line until mid-2011, giving Singapore up to two more years to decide whether to exercise its option for 8 more F-15SGs.

Government Executive Magazine Earlybird "The classified status of the identity of former CIA officer Valerie Plame will be a key element in any trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President [Dick] Cheney's former chief of staff, according to special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald," the Washington Post reports. "Fitzgerald has said that at trial he plans to show that Libby knew Plame's employment at the CIA was classified and that he lied to the grand jury when he said he had learned from NBC News's Tim Russert that Plame, the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, worked for the agency."

Deconstructing George Bush

Quotes of the Day

If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.-- George Washington

The new constitution established a president with powers unheard of in the republican United States. Some even wanted him to be king, a thought that GW found ludicrous: What astonishing changes a few years are capable of producing! I am told that even respectable characters speak of a monarchical form of government without horror. From thinking proceeds speaking, thence to acting is often but a single step. But how irrevocable and tremendous! What a triumph for the advocates of despotism to find that we are incapable of governing ourselves, and that systems founded on the basis of equal liberty are merely ideal & fallacious!-- George Washington

I know [patriotism] exists, and I know it has done much in the present contest. But a great and lasting war can never be supported on this principle alone. It must be aided by a prospect of interest, or some reward.-- George Washington

"You cannot become thorough Americans if you think of yourselves in groups. America does not consist of groups. A man who thinks of himself as belonging to a particular national group in America has not yet become an American." --Woodrow Wilson