The Prissy Patriot: 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...

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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

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 BushÂ’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 administrationÂ’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 BelarusÂ’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 PelosiÂ’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.