Dubya Disobeys the Courts, Again Update

It's all about "the green stuff" for George and friends...

Watch Dubya and his weasels try to worm their way out of the Gitmo Supreme court decision.

Will America allow the world's beacon of human liberties and dignity the US used to stand for- to be permanently extinguished from her shores?

Surely, if Dubya ignores the ruling of the court, there will be no doubt left in the minds of those who can think that Bush believes himself to be the supreme ruler of at least the United States.

His claim of power which supersedes the Constitution and Bill of Rights is without regard to precedent or statute. His claim to such authority will be complete. Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald may end up indicting the "unindictable" should court rulings be rendered meaningless in Bushworld...No the law will prevail-see the juicy stuff below.

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Dearest Readers, look at this. Prissy would put a bet down that this is what Fitz did with Rover...Find law To Proffer Or Not To Proffer? White Collar Crime

Unlike an immunity agreement or a plea bargain agreement, a proffer agreement will not protect you from the government's later derivative, or indirect, use of your statements. In other words, the prosecution is free to use your statements to follow investigative leads and to advance the case. The proffer itself, which is given in a proffer session attended by you, your attorney, the prosecutor and the case agent, is almost always informally seen as a prelude to a written immunity or plea bargain agreement, provided that the government, in its sole discretion, finds your proffer truthful. (In fact, there is no reason for you ever to make a proffer absent this informal understanding.) But the informal understanding will not be contained in the written proffer agreement. The written proffer agreement will instead recite that the proffer is being given without any assurances whatsoever. Traditionally, written proffer agreements allowed the government to use your statements against you for impeachment purposes in a subsequent proceeding, but only if you took the stand and gave testimony materially inconsistent with your proffer. In recent years, government drafted proffer agreements also allow use of your entire proffer statement against you at trial, even in the government's case-in-chief, if any portion of your trial defense (including your attorney's opening statement or cross-examination questions) is in any way materially inconsistent with anything you said in your proffer session.

Remember the long session between Fitz and Rove's lawyer reported by Wayne Madsen and Jason Leopold? This would also cover the supposed agreement that Special prosecutor Fitzgerald "faxed" to Luskin's office.

Why would you ever want to proffer? Because, and only because: 1) you have exposure; 2) indictment is a foregone conclusion if you don't work out a plea deal or immunity agreement; 3) you want a plea deal or immunity agreement; and, 4) the prosecutor will not give you either without first hearing your proffer. Even in this scenario, as noted above, proffering is a high-risk venture.

Prissy thinks it all of the above-which is why proffer would work for Rover. Prosecutors love it, of course.

Explains too, why mums the word from Fitz. He has nothing to announce-but indeed he will when it is indictment time. Rove is not out of the clear and proffer won't be high risk for the prosecution.

And gee, it's a little too late for Rover's lawyers to take this sound advice:

Also be aware that your white-collar defense attorney's statements to the media may be used against you, as an admission by an authorized agent, if the federal prosecutor assigned to your case is very aggressive. This is rare, but it does happen.

He is right to let them talk it up...and Rove's lawyer will have some 'splainin' to do...Maybe Fitz really is Batman.

See another superhero below:

Watch the Navy Lt. Commander JAG who kicked some legal butt...Telling Chris Matthews like it is-Crooks and Liars Lt. Commander Swift v. Unknowing Chris Matthews Matthews really shows what shilling is all about.

But it still wasn't enough to suffocate the truth- a must watch and pass along to any Bushies. These are facts they cannot ignore if they want America to be a democracy.

Findlaw Guantanamo ruling raises questions on other Bush assertions of wartime powers

Legal and presidential scholars saw the decision as a check on the president's assertion of expanded wartime powers.

They likened it to the court's 1952 rejection of President Truman's efforts to take over a strike-closed steel mill by claiming its steel production was necessary to the U.S. war effort in Korea. Similarly, the Supreme Court rejected President Richard Nixon's claim in the early 1970s of broad wartime power to authorize warrantless wiretap surveillance of domestic groups opposed to the Vietnam war, such as the Black Panthers.

"The Supreme Court normally does not reverse the president during wartime," said Stephen J. Wayne, a Georgetown University professor and presidential expert. "But this president has claimed a lot of power, much of it under the guise of the state of war that we are in against terrorists. And I think what the Supreme Court is saying is that you've gone too far."

The president and Vice President Dick Cheney have aggressively defended anti-war programs that have been criticized by Democrats, human rights groups and many legal scholars.

Editor and Publisher, more shame from the president who thinks violence solves problems although diplomacy was never on the menu. AP Embed Gets Scoop on Latest Alleged U.S. Atrocity in Iraq

Lenz reported this morning that five U.S. Army soldiers are being investigated for allegedly raping a young woman, then killing her -- and three members of her family in Iraq. He learned this from a U.S. military official.

And...The killings appeared to have been a "crime of opportunity," the official said. The soldiers had not been attacked by insurgents but had noticed the woman on previous patrols.

Bloomberg Bird Flu Kills Younger People, Copying 1918 Pandemic, WHO Says

June 30 (Bloomberg) -- Bird flu tends to kill younger people, mirroring the pattern of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, and the risk of the virus causing a worldwide outbreak in humans remains high, a World Health Organization study said.

The median age of confirmed cases of the H5N1 avian flu strain was 20 years, the WHO said in a report published today in the Weekly Epidemiological Record. The death rate among patients aged 10 to 19 years was 73 percent, the highest of any age group, it said. Overall, the fatality rate was 56 percent.

``The differences in the age-related case-fatality distribution among H5N1 cases are reminiscent of those observed during previous influenza pandemics, particularly in 1918, where case-fatality rates were higher among young adults,'' the study said.

Remember this? Scientists study revived 1918 flu virus

While lauding the researchers' goals, critics question the wisdom of reviving the virus. They fear it could be accidentally or deliberately let loose into the population.

"That can come about if a disgruntled or disturbed laboratory worker releases it," said Richard Ebright, a chemistry professor at Rutgers University.

"That can come about if a person of ill intent follows the procedures in the published work and reconstructs and releases it. It's worth bearing in mind that this virus killed 1 percent of the earth's population."

The scientists insist they have imposed tight security measures and say the potential to save lives makes the risk worthwhile.

Not to worry, look what the CDC is talking about-newly released June 28, 2006Prevention and Control of Influenza

This report updates the 2005 recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) regarding the use of influenza vaccine and antiviral agents (CDC. Prevention and control of influenza: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices [ACIP]. MMWR 2005;54[No. RR-8]:1--44). The 2006 recommendations include new and updated information. Principal changes include 1) recommending vaccination of children aged 24--59 months and their household contacts and out-of-home caregivers against influenza; 2) highlighting the importance of administering 2 doses of influenza vaccine for children aged 6 months--<9 years who were previously unvaccinated; 3) advising health-care providers, those planning organized campaigns, and state and local public health agencies to a) develop plans for expanding outreach and infrastructure to vaccinate more persons than the previous year and b) develop contingency plans for the timing and prioritization of administering influenza vaccine, if the supply of vaccine is delayed and/or reduced; 4) reminding providers that they should routinely offer influenza vaccine to patients throughout the influenza season; 5) recommending that neither amantadine nor rimantadine be used for the treatment or chemoprophylaxis of influenza A in the United States until evidence of susceptibility to these antiviral medications has been re-established among circulating influenza A viruses; and 6) using the 2006--07 trivalent influenza vaccine virus strains: A/New Caledonia/20/1999 (H1N1)-like, A/Wisconsin/67/2005 (H3N2)-like, and B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like antigens. For the A/Wisconsin/67/2005 (H3N2)-like antigen, manufacturers may use the antigenically equivalent A/Hiroshima/52/2005 virus; for the B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like antigen, manufacturers may use the antigenically equivalent B/Ohio/1/2005 virus. A link to this report and other information can be accessed at

News Target Wellness news Recent bird flu is reminiscent of the 1918 worldwide epidemic; New York officials taking precautions to prevent disaster

"When avian virus evolved to form the 1918 [Spanish] flu strain that caused the global pandemic, it didn't happen overnight," said CDC chief Julie Gerberding.

To prevent the disease from spreading from bird to man, officials in several Southeast Asian countries have slaughtered and incinerated millions of chickens, domesticated ducks and other flu-infected fowl.

"In the event of an avian flu outbreak they would be shut down immediately." Meanwhile, the feds are gearing up to test the first doses of an experimental vaccine against the H5N1 strain and stockpiling antiviral drugs to be used in case of an emergency.

The Spanish flu got its name because Spain was devastated early on by the pandemic, which killed 20 million worldwide from 1918 to 1919.

Feeling better? Take precautions for your families, Dearest Readers. We cannot trust the Dubya to take care of anyone...

WOTs it Good 4 Blogspot with Lukery Bush is impeachable on the bare facts of the case

"It'’s true: Bush is impeachable on the bare facts of the case, without any recourse to party differences. Back on Planet Earth, he'’s invulnerable as long as his party continues to control both houses of the Congress. If these Democrats and their supporters are serious about bringing him to account, they'’ll need to learn how to win elections. To make that happen, they might start by impeaching a few of their own leaders —not for high crimes and misdemeanors, just for incompetence."

Common Dreams Shameful Debate on Iraq Pullout by Trudy Rubin (Baltimore Sun)

The debate in the Senate last week over when to exit Iraq was disgraceful. Americans deserve an honest airing of the most important foreign policy issue facing the country. But this congressional circus had little to do with policy and everything to do with election-year politics.

Democrats looked hapless, and many Republicans were flat out dishonest. The Pinocchio prize for devious discourse went to Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. I'm surprised his nose didn't grow a foot when he claimed a recent Army intelligence report proved Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The report, released under Republican pressure in the midst of the debate, says that since 2003, about 500 munitions have been recovered in Iraq that contain "degraded" mustard or sarin gas.

Mind you, these munitions were picked up in ones and twos and date to Iraq's war against Iran in the 1980s. Such weapons deteriorate over time. According to David Kay, the head of the U.S. team that hunted for WMD in 2003 and 2004, these gases by now would be "less toxic than most things that Americans have under their kitchen sink." Their "poor condition" was affirmed by intelligence officials in a media briefing.

Trudy may tell some truths, but she is not for a pull out. Trudy wants to think she's "one of the guys" and doesn't have the guts to stand in opposition of republicans.

Baltimore Sun Pickets support accused Marines

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. // As hundreds of protesters picketed outside Camp Pendleton yesterday in support of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman charged with murder in the death of an Iraqi man, defense attorneys began preparing for a long legal battle.

Waving American flags and holding signs saying "God Bless Our Heroes" and "Liberate the Pendleton 8," demonstrators shouted and whistled as Marines entered and left the base. Many of the Marines honked their car horns, apparently in appreciation.

"I think they should all be freed - it's unjust what's happening to them," said Jani Tubis, 46, a real estate agent from San Diego. "They were just doing their job." Marie Grischuk, 72, of Oceanside, the widow of a Marine, said she joined the protest "because it's just not right that they're in the brig. They were protecting our country against terrorists."

Protecting this country, 6,000 miles away-from a five-month-old baby terrorist? What would be his method of terror? Spitting-up on them?

Prissy is really torn on this issue. If the Marines did this, they should pay the price. If guilty, the have disgraced the uniform and this country.

But the people who ordered them sent them to Iraq must also be held accountable.

WTOL, Toledo Investigator Looking at Noe's Donations to Gov. Taft

Prosecutors said Perz and three others received money from Noe and then contributed it to Bush's campaign in their own names, allowing Noe to skirt laws limiting individual contributions to $2,000. Perz and the others pleaded no contest Wednesday and fined the maximum $1,000 each.

Noe pleaded guilty last month to giving $45,000 directly or indirectly to two dozen friends and associates to donate at a 2003 Bush fundraiser at a Columbus hotel.

Noe is at the center of political that has been a major embarrassment for Ohio's Republican party and led to charges against 14 people, including Gov. Bob Taft who pleaded no contest last year to failing to report gifts.

The most despised governor in the United States-STILL refuses to resign. Elections coming up in November you know-apparently Taft wanted to go out on a "high note." HA.THIS is what a deserter looks like. See below for a soldier refusing to follow unlawful orders given by this deserter.

From John Zogby-the world's most honest poll taker! Lt. Watada's War Against the War

In a remarkable protest from inside the ranks of the military, First Lieut. Ehren Watada has become the Army's first commissioned officer to publicly refuse orders to fight in Iraq on grounds that the war is illegal. The 28-year-old announced his decision not to obey orders to deploy to Iraq in a video press conference June 7, saying, "My participation would make me party to war crimes."

An artillery officer stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, Watada wore a business suit rather than his military uniform when making his statement. "It is my conclusion as an officer of the armed forces that the war in Iraq is not only morally wrong but a horrible breach of American law," he said. "Although I have tried to resign out of protest, I am forced to participate in a war that is manifestly illegal. As the order to take part in an illegal act is ultimately unlawful as well, I must as an officer of honor and integrity refuse that order."

A native of Hawaii who enlisted in the Army after graduating from college in 2003, Watada differs from other military personnel who have sought conscientious-objector status to avoid deployment to Iraq.

This is a sticky point, Prissy knows, for military personnel. But Lt.Watada is not a stupid man-we all know, on paper-the war and occupation of Iraq is illegal.

Now even Prissy gets antsy when others don't "follow orders."

However, refusing to follow illegal orders is another matter-and it isn't a stand for sissies. Lt. Watada is truly doing the right thing and Prissy believes he is doing it for all of our soldiers-not just himself. Prissy sent the Lt.'s supporters the case from the German courts which support the belief that the war in Iraq is illegal according to their constitution... (that's right, the one we helped write)

The Prissy Patriot supports officers willing to take a stand against illegal orders.

Global Research Is the Bush Administration Planning a Nuclear Holocaust?

The stated objective is to: "ensure the most efficient use of force and provide US leaders with a broader range of [nuclear and conventional] strike options to address immediate contingencies. Integration of conventional and nuclear forces is therefore crucial to the success of any comprehensive strategy. This integration will ensure optimal targeting, minimal collateral damage, and reduce the probability of escalation." (Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations p. JP 3-12-13)

The new nuclear doctrine turns concepts and realities upside down. It not only denies the devastating impacts of nuclear weapons, it states, in no uncertain terms, that nuclear weapons are "safe" and their use in the battlefield will ensure "minimal collateral damage and reduce the probability of escalation". The issue of radioactive fallout is barely acknowledged with regard to tactical nuclear weapons. These various guiding principles which describe nukes as "safe for civilians" constitute a consensus within the military, which is then fed into the military manuals, providing relevant "green light" criteria to geographical commanders in the war theater.

Wayne Madsen

A former top Defense Department official has told WMR that he fears the Bush administration will pull off another "911" before the November election. The official stated that the next 911 will be used as a pretext for shipping U.S. citizens of Middle East descent to mass detention camps, establish martial law, impose strict censorship, and finally eliminate the power of the Congress and the Supreme Court over the president. "The next 911 will be much more like the Reichstag fire in terms of creating a dictatorship," said the official.

RAW Story Gitmo win likely cost Navy lawyer his career'Fearless' defense of detainee a stinging loss for Bush

Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift -- the Navy lawyer who beat the president of the United States in a pivotal Supreme Court battle over trying alleged terrorists -- figures he'll probably have to find a new job.

Swift made the analogy to the court, saying President Bush had overstepped his authority when he bypassed Congress and set up illegal military tribunals to try Guantanamo detainees such as Swift's alleged al-Qaida client, Salim Ahmed Hamdan.

The justices agreed, ruling 5-3 Thursday in favor of dismantling the current tribunal system.

Oh that just makes Prissy ill with fury...Lt. Commander Swift is an American hero. May God Bless him for standing up for American values.Lt. Commander Swift,JAG & American Hero

Watch Lt. Commader Swift take on neorepublican and Bush apologist Fox news

Gretz v. Swift

Prissy will return over the weekend...

Washington Post Prosecutors Seek Assets Of Two Enron Chiefs

Federal prosecutors asked a judge yesterday to order former Enron Corp. executives Jeffrey K. Skilling and Kenneth L. Lay to turn over $182.8 million, arguing that their homes and other assets were acquired by fraud.

A Houston jury last month convicted Skilling of 19 criminal charges including conspiracy and securities fraud and found Lay guilty of a half-dozen other counts. The government said both men had misled investors about Enron's financial health at the same time they sold stock at inflated prices before the energy company collapsed in bankruptcy. Lay and Skilling face extensive prison terms when they are sentenced this fall.

They can take assets gained by treasonists too...

Quotes of the Day

"If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?"-- Abraham Lincoln

It is not easy for men to rise whose qualities are thwarted by poverty.--Juvenal, Ancient Roman Satires

Who will guard the guards themselves? (quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)--Juvenal

Fortune can, for her pleasure, fools advance, And toss them on the wheels of Chance.--Juvenal

Man perfected by society is the best of all animals; he is the most terrible of all when he lives without law, and without justice.--Aristotle

Their Plan to Overthrow the United States Government has been Cancelled

Some people call their plan Project for a New American Century. Prissy and others call it a neocons written goal to overthrow our government. They cannot have our government, it does not belong to them-although they clearly want it gone.

What else would you call it when Grover Norquist suggests to "shrink the United States government so that it could be drowned in a bathtub." Why Grover, why would you wish to do such a thing? Don't you like being an American?

That is the thing about neocons-they wish to have plenty of freedom for themselves-with none left over for you and I. That includes our world neighbors...it isn't really about America for this gang. Or "freedom" being on some march...

Alas for them, they fail to recognize what America is really about-liberty and justice for all. Even if it isn't all the time...we are supposed to strive for it-not contribute to liberty and justice' demise.

But not this gang-they intended to destroy the American system of government. Intentional? According to their previous works, it was is no accident.

Some neoconservatives have since abandoned the "Project" -others now deem it a failure of ideology.

Like communists and the tyrants before them, they failed to consider the reaction of those whose lives and liberties would be laid to ruin. They failed to consider previous successors were only temporary powers at best.

The world has seen the likes of them before and dealt with them accordingly. Important to note that in the end, nearly all lost power- often their lives as well as their ill-gotten fortunes.

Hot Links

Oh My News Korea Complaint filed in 32 countries against U.S. bank data mining Civil liberties group Privacy International demands half to 'unacceptable' monitoring

Privacy International said "the scale of the operation, involving millions of records, places this disclosure in the realm of a fishing exercise rather than legally authorized investigation." The complaint, sent to regulators in all 25 European Union nations as well as Canada, Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway and the semiautonomous Chinese territory of Hong Kong, asks authorities to “intervene to seek the immediate suspension of the disclosure program pending legal review.'"'All of these countries have the potential to suspend, disrupt, paralyze the system," said the group's director, Simon Davies.

An industry-owned cooperative, SWIFT oversees about 11 million financial transactions a day among banks and financial institutions worldwide, recording customers' names, account numbers and other identifying information.

In a statement, SWIFT said it had responded to subpoenas from the U.S. Treasury for "limited sets of data" and had received assurances about "the purpose, confidentiality, oversight and control" of the information.

Truthout Cindy Sheehan, Dick Gregory, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn and Hundreds More Launch Hunger Strike to End the Iraq War

We've marched, held vigils, lobbied Congress, camped out at Bush's ranch. We've even gone to jail. Now it's time to do more, says peace mom Cindy Sheehan. While others are celebrating July 4th with barbeques, we'll be showing our patriotism by putting our bodies on the line to bring our troops home.

Hundreds of celebrities, veterans, mothers, and concerned citizens across the country will participate in a rolling fast. Strikers include musicians Willie Nelson and Michael Franti, actors Danny Glover, Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, Gold Star parents Cindy Sheehan and Fernando Suarez, legendary faster and comedian Dick Gregory, environmental activist Diane Wilson, Iraq war veteran Geoffrey Millard and Gulf War vet Michael McPherson, labor leader Dolores Huerta and CODEPINK cofounders Medea Benjamin, Jodie Evans and Gael Murphy.

The organizers call on a long history of fasts for political purposes, claiming their place among the Suffragettes, Mahatmas Gandhi and Cesar Chavez. In honor of this rich history, the fasters will gather at the Gandhi memorial statue a Massachusetts and 21st NW on July 3 at 3pm, then march to Pennsylvania Avenue for the meal and press conference at 5pm. In other parts of the country, people will engage in rolling fasts, passing the fast from person to person every 24 hours.

CNN Syria chases Israeli jets out of airspaceIsraeli raids continue in Gaza to save kidnapped soldier

Syria says it chased Israeli warplanes out of its airspace Wednesday after what it called a "hostile and provocative act," Syrian state television reported Wednesday. Israeli jets flew over the country home of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Ladekye, the Israeli military reported. Israeli television reported that al-Assad was at home at the time.

A banner on Syrian television reported that the Syrian air force intercepted the Israeli aircraft and "forced them to separate and leave the area." It called the Israeli airspace breach "an unacceptable, hostile and provocative act."

Haaretz, Israel Ultra-Orthodox Jews attack Christian tourists in Jerusalem

A group of 50 pro-Israel Christian tourists came under attack Wednesday from some 100 residents of the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Mea She'arim in Jerusalem.

Three of the tourists and a police officer were wounded in the attack. They received treatment at the scene.

The tourists arrived at Mea She'arim wearing orange T-shirts with the words "Love your neighbor as yourself" printed across them.

More from HaaretzIAF warplanes buzz palace of Syrian President Bashar Assad

Meshal is responsible for the Sunday attack on an IDF base, in which two soldiers were killed and a third kidnapped, Ramon said. Israel launched a "limited" ground offensive into the southern Gaza Strip early Wednesday in an effort to force the kidnappers to free the soldier.

In a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Wednesday morning, Ramon said that he was in no doubt that if it were Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden who was orchestrating terrorist attacks from Damascus, the international community would take decisive action to put an end to it.

In response, Gonzales expressed his understanding of the issue, and promised to pass the message along. He mentioned U.S. President George Bush's statement, following the 9/11 terror attack in the United States, in which he said "anyone who aides terror is a terrorist himself."

Why is Gonzo's DOJ advising foreign countries or in any way participating in foreign policy? How can that be ethical? Where is the ABA on this?

Foreign Policy in Focus Commentary Iraq '—Fool Me Twice' by Col. Daniel Smith, U.S. Army (Ret.) | June 23, 2006

In October 2002 the White House deceived the Congress and the public, inducing Congress' in the administration's interpretation, —to abandon its constitutional responsibilities in matters of war-making.

This '“fool me once' has inflicted on the world 39 months of bloody occupation and war in Iraq.

Now the House has once again, in effect, abandoned its role in any future decision about the need for and the wisdom of initiating war in the name of the people they represent,—creating a vacuum the administration will eagerly fill.

It seems high time that the people call to account those whose votes against the amendment 215 Republicans and 47 Democrats'—expose the nation to a repeat of October 2002 and its legacy. The United States cannot afford being '“fooled twice' by Congress or the White House.

Nor can the world.

Reuters Pentagon says homosexuality not a mental disorder

The Pentagon said in a statement: "Homosexuality should not have been characterized as a mental disorder in an appendix of a procedural instruction. A clarification will be issued over the next few days."

"Notwithstanding its inclusion, we find no practical impact since that appendix simply listed factors that do not constitute a physical disability, and homosexuality of course does not," the Pentagon added.

They may be slow, but they eventually catch on...these must be the same ones who really know what happened on 911.

From the Wilderness-marked as a threat to dishonest doings Urgent Message From Mike Ruppert

Between the hours of 7:30 P.M. Sunday, June 25 and 7:30 A.M., Monday, June 26, the FTW offices were burglarized. Four interior doors were smashed with a sledgehammer. All seven FTW computers were transported to a central location in the building. Their covers were removed and they were also smashed with a sledgehammer. No other significant property was taken and there was no other damage to any other fixtures or furnishings.

An active police investigation is underway with a named suspect. I do not believe that this incident was the work of the U.S. government. I do believe that this is the work of an organized meth ring that I prevented from infiltrating my business. As Dmitri Orlov has noted in Post-Soviet Lessons for a Post-American Century, when societies collapse, organized crime becomes much more assertive. As beautiful as Southern Oregon is and as happy as I am to be here, the challenges that will be facing all of us as Peak Oil hits are making themselves known.

Zaman Turkey US Secretary of State Rice in Afghanistan

Rice poured lavish praises on Karzai, saying, "I don't know anyone who is more admired and respected in the international community than President Karzai, for his strength, for his wisdom and for his courage."

Afghan President Karzai noted that terrorists want to destroy the country; nevertheless, the government was getting the upper hand in the fight against terrorism. "We have won and won extraordinarily in Afghanistan",” said Karzai citing the achievements of his government, though acknowledging Afghanistan is still experiencing security problems.

There has been no progress in Afghanistan. Prissy believes now- the real plan was to make sure the pipeline for Unicol went smoothly. They did not go there to install democracy or "get Osama". Osama was said to be a CIA asset in the 1980's when Russia was making war with Afghanistan. Often referred to as "Russia's Vietnam." Prissy isn't the only one questioning this ongoing involvement.

Ansa- Italy Rebel senators threaten to vote against Afghan mission funding

The Communists and Greens in Prodi's coalition have been against Italy's military involvement in Afghanistan from the start and have recently repeated calls for Italian troops to be pulled out. The rest of the coalition is committed to keeping the 1,840 soldiers there for the time being, in line with commitments made to Nato allies by the previous government of Silvio Berlusconi .

A meeting of government allies on Tuesday had appeared to forge an accord making it possible for the nine allies to vote compactly in favour of the funding decree. Under the agreement no new troops or military equipment would be sent to Afghanistan and

Italy's civilian aid programmes would be boosted. But this was not enough for the eight dissidents, as they wrote in a letter to Prodi .

"If the decree on Afghanistan remains as it is, we are against it and we will vote no," they said, complaining that there was no "discontinuity" with the position of the previous centre-right government .

The senators' initiative underlined the deep problems that their parties - all avowedly pacifist - have in accepting Italy's military presence in Afghanistan .

Katherine Crier Report A must see video, gives us some hope!

She talks about voter fraud in America.

BBC BP accused of price manipulation

BP is facing legal action in the US over the charge that it tried to manipulate propane prices in 2004.

Regulators allege its BP Products North America subsidy artificially forced up prices by buying up huge propane stocks only to withhold them from the market.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission said the propane had been needed to fuel homes in rural areas.

BP has denied the civil charges and said it intended to defend itself, yet it added that staff had been dismissed.

From Financial Times:

Propane abuse allegations hit US heartland By Doug Cameron in Chicago Published: June 28 2006 23:34 | Last updated: June 28 2006 23:34

The political sensitivity of alleged rigging of propane prices stems from its role as a fuel of the American heartland, providing heating and cooking for almost 7m US households which lack access to mainstream gas supplies.

Villiage Voice

"You say something," said Hanley, "and someone in the back of the room says, 'Sit down. You're doing all right. You're working, ain'tcha?' "

Last spring, Hanley, who for years lost out on hours and promotions because he refused to pay off the mob's henchmen, was elected a shop steward at Global Terminal, the local's largest employer, replacing a long line of mob-selected enforcers.

"It was the first legit elections I seen in my 49 years on the piers," said Hanley.

The unlikely revolution at Local 1588 began three years ago when U.S. District Court Judge John Martin was presented with evidence of massive corruption at the union and agreed to appoint a federal administrator to run the 450-member local's affairs. The judge's orders were to do whatever was necessary to rid the local of mob influence and set it on a path to self-rule.

KXXT-TV Governor Rick Perry Welcomes Supreme Court Ruling

Governor Rick Perry (R-TX) is welcoming today's U.S. Supreme court ruling affirming most of the pro-Republican Texas congressional map.

But justices say part of the updated map fails to protect minority voting rights in district 23 and must be redrawn.

And...

The congressional map was engineered by former house majority leader Tom Delay. Delay quit congress this month. He faces money laundering-related charges in Austin and says he is innocent.

NYT New Rules Force States to Curb Welfare Rolls

Another welfare recipient, Laura L. Kegerreis, 33, receives $497 a month for herself and her three children while she takes job-preparation courses at Harrisburg Area Community College in Pennsylvania. Mr. Kegerreis said the new work requirements could force her to take fewer classes, prolonging her stay on welfare and delaying her ability to get a professional credential.

The new law reauthorizes welfare programs through September 2010. The basic federal block grant remains $16.5 billion a year and is not adjusted for inflation or changes in the number of people on the rolls.

"Welfare" used to mean a monthly check that could be immediately converted to cash. But more than half of the money now goes into child care, education, training and other services — a huge shift since 1996.

Under the new rules, the federal government will spend $150 million a year on programs to help couples form "healthy marriages." Up to $50 million of this amount can be spent on activities promoting "responsible fatherhood." These activities could include seminars on the causes of domestic violence and child abuse.

Domestic violence and child abuse are dangerous fields for Bushites or "compassionate conservatives" to get into. The have a consistent pattern of making bad situtations worse...

Global Research Canada Restoring the Draft: The Universal National Service Act of 2006

"Rangel opposes war with Iraq and seeks to make the point that many soldiers are volunteers from low-income and minority families. Political leaders, his reasoning goes, would think twice about sending into war the sons and daughters of a more complete cross-section of America. But whether or not one agrees with Rangel's rationale, many Americans would agree that universal service can be a great leveler and a unifying force in society."

Despite Rangel's antiwar resolve, the bill supports Washington's stated objective to extend the war into new frontiers and to ultmately send an entire generation of young Americans to fight an illegal, and unjust war. It is worth noting in this regard that the Neoconservative Project for a New American Century calls for increasing active duty strength from 1.4 to 1.6 million.

The bill also supports Big Brother. Those who are not sent overseas to the war theater would, according to the clauses of the bill, be inducted into the civilian homeland defense corps and other civilian duties, including the Citizens Corps, the "Neighborhood Watch Teams" and the "Volunteer Police Service" established in partnership with local law enforcement. (see http://www.citizencorps.gov/pdf/council.pdf )

OK- kids up to age 42! Is that enough to scare you into the "anti-war" thing with Prissy? Ready to have him as your Commander-in-Chief?

TEXT

Scottsman Murdoch media could back Cameron at next election

THE media mogul Rupert Murdoch could switch support to the Conservatives at the next general election, he said last night.

The news will be a blow to Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, who is known to set great store by the support of Mr Murdoch's stable of newspapers, including the Sun and the Times.

ABC Bush Promotes War, Candidate in MissouriBush Visits Missouri to Promote War, Candidate in State That Has Become GOP Trouble Spot

CLAYTON, Mo. Jun 28, 2006 (AP)— President Bush accused Democrats of waving "the white flag of surrender" with proposals that would bring the troops home from Iraq and insisted that he will keep combat forces fighting as long as they are needed to achieve victory.

Offering a spirited defense of his national security policies, Bush also said there was "no excuse" for newspapers to disclose a secret government program that tracked millions of financial records in search of terrorist suspects.

Bush said the program had been a vital tool in the war on terror when it was reported last week in the media.

"There can be no excuse for anyone entrusted with vital intelligence to leak it, and no excuse for any newspaper to print it," Bush said.

Illegal spy programs "vital intel" ...oh come now, Dubya. What there is no excuse for is the msm which has given you a ticket to ride for five years. They should print everything they know about what has been done in the name of your erratic WOT.

Al-Jazeera Iraqi armed groups set terms for truceEleven armed groups opposed to the Iraqi government, working through mediators, have offered to immediately stop attacks on US-led forces in Iraq if a two-year timetable for the withdrawal of US soldiers is set, AP reports.

But there are believed to be about two dozen organisations, meaning the 11 that are in contact with the government represent nearly half of the known groups.

A key Sunni politician, however, predicted a big majority of anti-US fighters could be enticed to the negotiation table.

"If the reconciliation initiative is implemented properly, 70% of the insurgent groups will respond positively," said Naseer al-Ani, an official with the largest Sunni political group, the Iraqi Islamic Party of Tariq al-Hashimi, an Iraqi deputy president.

Poll on Al-Jazeera: Will the Iraqi prime minister's national reconciliation plan quell violence?

Yes:21%

No:67%

Unsure:11%

Number of pollers:8382

Mercury News Hamas leaders arrested; Israeli executed

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli forces rounded up dozens of Palestinian Cabinet ministers and lawmakers from Hamas, increasing pressure on the Islamic militants to release a captured Israeli soldier, and witnesses said tanks moved into northern Gaza, widening Israel's largest military operation in the year since Israel pulled out of the seaside territory.

Adding to the tension, a Palestinian militant group said it executed an 18-year-old Jewish settler kidnapped in the West Bank. Palestinian security officials said they believed the body of Eliahu Asheri had been found in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Hamas officials said more than 30 lawmakers have been arrested in the West Bank. Palestinian security officials said Israeli forces detained the Palestinian deputy prime minister, Nasser Shaer, and three other Cabinet ministers, as well as four lawmakers in Ramallah. Several others were arrested in the town of Jenin, they said.

The fairest poller of all John Zogby Rendell, Casey Jr. hold edge, but it;s too early to count out the Republicans

In the race for Senate, incumbent Republican Rick Santorum lags behind his Democratic challenger, Bob Casey Jr., the son of a popular former governor. Santorum is among the most vulnerable incumbent senators in the nation. Just 39% give him a positive job approval rating.

Except Santorum, count him out. Diebold won't be there to save him by November.

Remembering why gas prices are at an all time high...

Quotes of the Day

Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it.--Henry David Thoreau

Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself than this incessant business.-- Henry David Thoreau

Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared. --Eddie Rickenbacker (1890 - 1973)

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

The Time for Action is Now-Blocking Fascism 101 Update

There is no question the Dubya must go. Dearest Readers, the Center for Constitutional Rights is offering a package that will show you how to support the people's right to proceed with impeachment against Bush, starting on a local level.

Articles of Impeachment

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), America's leading group of constitutional scholarship and activism, has developed a legal case for the impeachment of George W. Bush. Now, in collaboration with Melville House Books and progressives across the U.S., they are sponsoring a 'National Teach-In'” to share their case, what'’s at stake, and what impeachment means for every American.

On this site, you can find a teach-in in your neighborhood, town, or city. Or you can sign-up to host a teach-in and bring this important and non-partisan discussion of impeachment to your home, school, church, or community center.

We have to get out there, Dearest Readers...Military families are doing their share. C-Span featured Mona Parsons, an Ohio military mom with Military Families Speak Out. Mona's 28 year old son is currently in Iraq. She is a passionate advocate to get our troops home and works tirelessly toward action achieve that goal.

Mona told one republican congressman who gave her the feeble "We have to fight them over there or we'll be fighting them over here."

She said "Look, I don't listen to Rush Limbaugh and I don't watch Fox News so don't even try to spin me. I know the truth and I know what is really going on-my son is there in the midst of it." He hugged her before he left. There will be many military families participating in Operation House Call. See Military Families Speak Out for more details. Please help Mona and others (like Prissy!) return to D.C. regularly to bug the House to return our troops and stop the occupation of Iraq. A little gas money helps!

All donations are tax deductible and can be sent to Military Families Speak Out, PO Box 300549,Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. Please specify "Central Ohio" so it will be specified to benefit this chapter. Thank you!

Hot Links

Update: More on Mona, a person Prissy greatly admires for her dedication to end this war. The Nation, great story War Is Personal: Mona Parsons/Age 52/Mt. Vernon, Ohio by Eugene Richards

"If I could end the whole business, I would," Jeremy interrupted, sounding defensive and sad.

"But it's not getting any better over there--it's getting worse."

"I'm all right. For me, it's easy. I sit in an office, work in a headquarters."

"Unless they change where you're at, and that could happen at any time."

"Right, and I volunteer for suicide missions every day."

"In Sunday's newspaper the death toll was 2,319. Today, 2,322. In August, the death toll was 1,820--"

"Can't we stop before we rehash everything--"

"Being your mom, my greatest fear is that you won't come back to me. So I feel that I have to fight, have to argue, do everything I can. You know, when you leave, everything stops--"

The neorepublicans really put military families in a tough spot, especially when the soldier is a younger family member. The instinct is to protect them from placing them in such unjust circumstances...for most of us adults.

Columbus Dispatch OU faces suit over data loss-Alumni seek class-action status, call for university to pay credit monitor

And who keeps stealing this stuff from Ohio University, the Veterans Administration, banks, insurance companies...some claim the thieves sell it to our own government so their goon squad can add it to their Total Information Awareness spyware files they keep.

Prissy thanks her fellow alumni for taking care of us, since our college did not...

Telegraph CIA has access to your bank records

CIA agents and US treasury officials have been secretly monitoring financial transactions routed through Swift, the Brussels-based, industry-owned co-operative that links 7,800 financial institutions in more than 200 countries.

Swift, an acronym for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, provides electronic instructions for transfers between virtually every bank, brokerage house, and stock exchange and routes 11 million transactions each day.

The Terrorist Finance Tracking Program was disclosed by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, which said they had been pressed by the administration not to divulge its existence.

American officials denied that it amounted to an invasion of privacy and said it was vital to anti-terrorism operations. It means Washington may have access not only to financial data on its own citizens but everyone else's too.

Note: The seven terrorists arrested in Florida didn't have any money, Dubya.

Editor and Publisher Tony Snow Tells E&P: 'NYT' Deserves Special Criticism

Snow declined to comment on other criticism of The New York Times from outside the White House, such as New York Republican congressman Peter King's assertion that the paper should be prosecuted and National Review's Monday editorial urging that the Times' White House press credentials be revoked. "They are not going to lose their credentials," he said.

"Congress acts on its own without White House direction," he added about King's comments. "I don't want to get in any further on this than we have. We have said what we are going to say."

No they won't lose their press credentials, because they know the truth-even when they haven't always printed it.

Rense Resume - George W. Bush

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in Midland , Texas , in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas . The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock. I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry, including Enron CEO Ken Lay, I was elected governor of Texas .

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union . During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money. I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history. With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida , and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.

ABC News Bush Ignores Laws He Inks, Vexing Congress

Instead, he has issued hundreds of signing statements invoking his right to interpret or ignore laws on everything from whistleblower protections to how Congress oversees the Patriot Act.

"It means that the administration does not feel bound to enforce many new laws which Congress has passed," said David Golove, a New York University law professor who specializes in executive power issues. "This raises profound rule of law concerns. Do we have a functioning code of federal laws?"

Signing statements don't carry the force of law, and other presidents have issued them for administrative reasons, such as instructing an agency how to put a certain law into effect. They usually are inserted quietly into the federal record.

Bush's signing statement in March on Congress's renewal of the Patriot Act riled Specter and others who labored for months to craft a compromise between Senate and House versions, and what the White House wanted. Reluctantly, the administration relented on its objections to new congressional oversight of the way the FBI searches for terrorists.

Rush too? Why must they claim to be republicans? From Friends of Liberty ST. LOUIS MAN CLAIMS RUSH LIMBAUGH AFFAIR

Dec. 8, 2002 A 46 year old music store owner from the St. Louis area, Elliot Sanders, is claiming that while a college student at Southeast Missouri University in 1971, he had an affair with Rush Limbaugh. Sanders claims that he and Limbaugh, the well known talk radio star, had an affair that went on for about 3 months in the fall of 1971...

Sanders stated that he met Limbaugh in a class he was taking, but it was only after meeting his sister, who was openly gay at that time, that he found out Rush himself was gay. "Rush was a charming man privately," says Sanders, "I met him in a class I was taking, and got on a first name basis with him. I didn't realize he was gay until his sister came to visit him. She was gay, and like, we hit it off, and she seemed shocked that I didn't know Rush was gay as well. When I found out I was like ... wow!"

MSNBC Iraq Govt. Plan Calls for U.S. Withdrawal Timetable

June 24, 2006 - A timetable for withdrawal of occupation troops from Iraq. Amnesty for all insurgents who attacked U.S. and Iraqi military targets. Release of all security detainees from U.S. and Iraqi prisons. Compensation for victims of coalition military operations.

This is the third "democratically elected" goverment and Prime Minister who has asked that we leave. They have asked since June 2005.

Al-Jazeera Iraq to discuss reconciliation plan

A politician says the Iraqi government will present a 28-point national reconciliation plan to parliament on Sunday that will grant some fighters amnesty and ask for approval of steps for Iraqis to take over security from US soldiers.

Mahmoud Othman, a senior Kurdish politician, said on Friday the plan also would include a timeline for preparing Iraqi forces to take over security from US forces.

That would fit with the overall US-led multinational force's strategy to transfer security to Iraqi forces in certain regions while withdrawing to larger regional bases to stand ready to help in case of emergency.

A final stage would involve the drawdown of US soldiers from those bases.

Asia Times Hollow US defense for an empty threat

This is premature, to say the least, considering North Korea may not even have an ICBM. According to DefenseTech, a leading website on military technology, the North Koreans have previously launched exactly one intermediate-range ballistic missile. That missile, a combination of smaller Nodong and Scud missiles - went about 2,000 kilometers or so.

Now, US intelligence assumes the North Koreans have been working on strapping together more Nodong and Scud engines for an ICBM - something that can reach three to five times as far, and hit the United States. But no one has actually seen the missile. Even how many stages the mystery missile has is unknown; some folks say two, others say three.

But, by far, the most laughable news is the US government announcement that it is activating its missile defense system. This, no doubt, is causing the North Korean leaders to shake - in fits of laughter. One can only imagine some flunky saying, "Good news, Dear Leader: the American imperialists have activated their missile defense system. Now we can launch."

The activation of the system is what one can only call a Pyrrhic readiness gesture, considering the system has a particularly distinguished record of failures in its operational tests to date and is still considered to be in the laughing-stock stage by most impartial experts.

American Free Press BIG SURPRISES AT BILDERBERG

Bilderberg expects interest rates to rise and many Americans to lose their homes in the months ahead. Meanwhile, they hope they can pressure President Bush to refrain from an all-out invasion of Iran while maintaining oil prices at their current record-high levels of about $70 a barrel.

Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, predicted rising interest rates and difficulties for families that have obtained adjustable rate mortgages, or 'variable'” interest rates. Many are likely to lose their homes as rising home mortgage rates add hundreds of dollars to their monthly payments, he said. While most listened solemnly and some expressed concern, one was heard to say, “stupid Americans deserve their fate.'

Many Americans, especially young families, have been buying expensive homes at low but 'variable'” interest rates. Others have been paying just the interest owed on their homes and not the principal. They are the most vulnerable, Geithner said. Some have paid little or nothing down. Some institutions “lend” buyers the down payment.

Detroit Free Press Baghdad in state of emergency

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's government clamped a state of emergency on Baghdad and ordered everyone off the streets Friday after U.S. and Iraqi forces battled insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades and rifles near the heavily fortified Green Zone.

The military also announced the deaths of five more U.S. troops in a particularly violent week for American forces that included the discovery of the brutalized bodies of two soldiers. Twelve U.S. service members have died or were found dead this week.

The fighting in the heart of Baghdad came despite a crackdown launched 10 days ago that put tens of thousands of U.S.-backed Iraqi troops on the streets as the new prime minister sought to restore a modicum of safcapitol'she capital's more than 5 million people.

Iraqi and U.S. military forces clashed with heavily armed attackers throughout the morning Friday within earshot of the Green Zone, which houses the U.S. and British embassies and Iraqi government headquarters.

From ABC the Note

: Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Sen. Dayton, and Sen. Reid hold a 1:30 pm ET Democratic Policy Committee "hearing" focusing on the Bush Administration's "manipulation" of pre-war intelligence. Witnesses include Larry Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, Paul Pillar, the CIA official responsible for coordinating intelligence on Iraq from 2000 to 2005, Carl Ford, Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research, 2001-2003, Michael Smith, reporter for the Sunday Times of London who broke the story of the "Downiing Street Memo," and others.

The Democrats' security message is expected to focus on the amnesty-for-insurgent issue and on Gen. Casey's comments regarding troop withdrawals from Iraq. Sen. Reid is expected to say: "While the Iraqis, our top generals and Democrats are working to change the course in Iraq; Bush Republicans stand alone in staying the course. It is time to start the phased redeployment of US troops by the end of this year. Bush Republicans stand alone in their desire for an open-ended commitment with no goals, no benchmarks and no plan for success. . ."

Well, well Prissy sees our little trips to D.C. are paying off. Prissy would hate to think Military Families Speak Out would have to call on all it's members to shut down D.C.

As one passerby, after reading our flyer said "So you guys are more militant in your approach to get achive peace." Of course, we are military families...

Operation House Call will be going on though until the House recess August 7. We want a pullout and we want it now-this summer.

We are losing two soldiers a day and 20 Iraqi civilians. Military families have been taking two pairs of empty combat boots upstairs to their representatives offices in Washington and explaining to staff this is how many we lost last night. And that this is what "staying the course looks like".

We will not let up on them until the war is ended and our soldiers brought home.

Pravda Al-Zarqawi is not dead, we are

Zarqawi's wife, child and two other bad guys were killed in the attack, if we can believe the head-embedded media. But can we believe a media, can we believe a government, that has yet to utter the word, "impeachment" about President Bush who is wiretapping millions of us outside the Constitution, when they screamed for President Nixon's head for tapping only one office?

The death of Al-Zarqawi may not be what it seems, just like our President is not what he seems. He has already established himself as a dictator, ignoring hundreds of laws, saying that he is a "unitary executive" having the power to set aside any law whatsoever based on his personal interpretation of the Constitution, regardless that Congress and the courts say otherwise. "Unitary executive" is a political theory that any U.S. President has unlimited executive power. Bush has used the theory to expand presidential powers just like any dictator who personally feels he can ignore the rest of the government and the will of the people. Yet no one dares say the word, "impeach," because nearly all of government and the media have been compromised to the point that they no longer have spines nor dignity. Want a tax audit or want to lose your job? Try standing up to American tyranny and see what happens to you.

He's right at least on the last part. Prissy got a big overdue tax bill after starting this blog-too bad it for them it was a city she has never lived or worked in.

There are other things too, like having a mortgage transferred to a company owned by Lehman Brothers, that only accepts payment by mail- a "question" from the I.R.S. about reporting an item that Prissy did indeed report.

DW World Germany German Authorities Deny Knowledge of el-Masri Interrogator

A parliamentary committee looking into the role of German intelligence during the Iraq War was told there was no proof of collusion by German authorities in the abduction of a man who says he was kidnapped by the CIA.

Khaled el-Masri, the Lebanese-born man at the center of the probe, gave the panel his account of what happened to him nearly three years ago. A naturalized German citizen, he insisted he was interrogated by a German agent.

"Based on the way he looked and his accent, he was definitely German," he said. He explained that the man he knew as "Sam" made his first appearance in the Kabul prison where el-Masri was being held in May 2004, and that his treatment improved immediately.

Al-Ahram Weekly EgyptCommentary: Bush in wonderland by Ramzy Baroud

Party in the November elections -- and considering that his faltering ratings stand at an all time low -- President Bush's camp is turning the inconsequential death of Zarqawi into a major turning point in Iraq. Though the president insists that Zarqawi's death doesn't mean an end to violence in Iraq (a clever attempt to avoid another "mission accomplished" faux pas), the PR campaign led by his administration immediately after the Jordanian militant's death suggests a desperate, yet determined, attempt at political recovery. Otherwise, how else can one explain the timing of the following events: Bush's "surprise" visit to Iraq; the announcement of a major military "sweep" meant to parade the US- trained Iraqi military and police as a strong "partner" in quelling the insurgency; the Iraqi government's announcement that "this is the beginning of the end" for Al-Qaeda in Iraq; the call for "national reconciliation" and the release of a few hundred Iraqi prisoners; President Bush's two- day retreat at Camp David to consult with his advisors -- sold by CNN as the president's way of sharing the burden of war responsibility with the people -- and so on and so forth.

Meanwhile, reality on the ground suggests that if Zarqawi's death was of any value, it freed the Iraqi resistance from its burdensome affiliation with a foreign leadership. Aside from that, nothing has changed: bombs continue to blast throughout the country; tortured and mutilated bodies continue to appear daily in ditches and alleyways; gun battles persist almost hourly; new militant groups with confusing names spring forth unabashed, etc. Post-invasion Iraq has not changed and is unlikely to change anytime soon, even if the new Iraqi prime minister has finalised his cabinet and has made an impressive speech or two. Well done.

Whatfocuseds a focussed campaign of misinformation aimed at defeating Saddam's forces has turned into a much more intense campaign of deceit and trickery aimed at salvaging Bush's political reputation and that of his Republican Party. Thus, what has really changed in Iraq is that the administration and the media have suddenly decided to reinterpret the ongoing conflict for political ends. It has little to do with Baghdad and its Green Zone and much to do with Capitol Hill and its discontented politicians. Simply put: it's politics as usual.* The writer is an Arab-American journalist.

Time Why Joe Lieberman is Fighting for his Political Life

It's extremely difficult to defeat any incumbent, especially an 18-year veteran like Lieberman, but many forces are in place to do just that. Some liberal Democrats in Connecticut have long been frustrated by Lieberman's centrism. When he ran for President in 2004, Lieberman supporters at the time complained that Democrats in his home state wouldn't make the short trip to New Hampshire to work on his behalf. And that opposition began to build early in 2005. Many local Democrats were furious about Lieberman's support of Bush's nominations of Condoleezza Rice and Alberto Gonzales to cabinet posts and his seemingly constant willingness to compromise with the GOP on many issues, such as helping President Bush get some of his conservative judicial nominees confirmed after they had been filibustered by Democrats.

Connecticut party officials were particularly incensed when President Bush kissed Lieberman on the cheek following his 2005 State of the Union address. In meetings with state Dems, Lieberman tried to assuage their concerns, but also kept reminding party officials he had a 70% approval rating. Even so, the attacks on the kiss became so vocal that an exasperated Lieberman told one group of Democrats "I didn't kiss him back," a response that didn't exactly hearten them. (The incident has become so radioactive that Lieberman now denies Bush actually kissed him, telling TIME last week "I don't think he kissed me, he leaned over and gave me a hug and said "thank you for being a patriotic American.")

That is one politician Prissy won't miss. Turncoat Joe...watch Joe backtrack when Team Dubya's business is in the street for all to see.

Toronto Star Attack sparks Mideast crisis

The rare kidnapping of a defence force soldier tweaked arguably the most sensitive nerve in Israel's cultural psyche, reviving memories of the extraordinary lengths to which the Jewish state has gone to retrieve hostages in the past.

No Israeli soldier has been kidnapped since 1994 when Cpl. Nachson Waxman and one of his would-be rescuers died during a special forces attempt to wrest him from his Hamas captors. As recently as 2004, however, Israel approved the release of some 400 Palestinian prisoners in a complex swap that saw the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah return a single living Israeli civilian hostage and the remains of three dead Israeli soldiers.

"If you look at what we've done in the past, the price Israel has been willing to pay just to get back bodies for burial, you understand how serious this is," Regev told the Star. "It probably originates from Biblical sources, but it really is part of the overall ethos of Israel. This isn't just another Qassam missile. This is enormous."

Israeli officials said last night a prisoner exchange for the safe return of Shalit is "simply not on the table."

Military.com Senators Back Plan for Guard

WASHINGTON - The Senate, eager to stanch the flow of illegal immigrants, signaled overwhelming support Monday for President Bush's plan to dispatch National Guard troops to states along the Mexican border.

No tour of duty could last longer than 21 days and troops would be excluded from "search, seizure, arrest or similar activity." They would support the Border Patrol, which has primary responsibility for intercepting illegal immigrants.

The vote was 83-10 on an amendment by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., to authorize governors to order their states' National Guard units to perform annual duty training in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona or California. Administration officials have said Bush has the authority needed to deploy the Guard, making the vote a largely symbolic show of support.

Asia Times Caution: Inflation is higher than you think

However, if the Fed really believes its own official CPI, then it is likely to make a huge strategic error and fall behind in the fight against inflation. The official CPI is intended for public consumption only. FOMC members should regard it with suspicion.

The stakes are enormous now as the US economy simultaneously faces slowing growth and mounting inflation, the kind of impending downturn that is making the big Asian economies, Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East think twice about the desirability of continued US global economic leadership. If Washington stumbles in the fight against inflation, either by letting it get out of control or by killing economic growth as it tries to suppress it, the US government may find that the rest of the world's economies won't simply continue to look for solutions and their future fortunes within the framework of the old US-centered global economic order.

With the noteworthy rise of an ever more powerful Asian economic bloc, the simultaneous rise of Russia and the deepening cooperation of all such players and their growing list of oil- and gas-exporting partners in the energy and economic spheres, the old US-centric order is already set to come unglued. The impending US economic downturn, one likely to involve a heavy dose of stagflation along with significant and lasting pain, may be the catalyst that causes the global economic compass finally to swing fully eastward to Eurasia as the new global economic center of power.

Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Resolution 1433 (2005)1:Lawfulness of detentions by the United States in Guantinamo Bay

1. The Parliamentary Assembly recalls and restates its outrage and disgust at the terrorist attacks on the United States of America of 11 September 2001, the horror of which has not been dimmed by the passage of time. It shares the United StatesÂ’ determination to combat international terrorism and fully endorses the importance of detecting and preventing terrorist crimes, prosecuting and punishing terrorists and protecting human lives.

2. Whilst the Assembly therefore offers its full support to the United States in its efforts to fight terrorism, this must be on condition that all measures taken are fully respectful of human rights and the rule of law. Conformity with international human rights and humanitarian law is not a weakness in the fight against terrorism but a weapon, ensuring the widest international support for actions and avoiding situations which could provoke misplaced sympathy for terrorists or their causes.

3. The United States has long been a beacon of democracy and a champion of human rights throughout the world and its positive influence on European development in this respect since the Second World War is greatly appreciated. Nevertheless, the Assembly considers that the United States Government has betrayed its own highest principles in the zeal with which it has attempted to pursue the "“war on terror". These errors have perhaps been most manifest in relation to Guantinamo Bay.

4. At no time have detentions at Guantinamo Bay been within a "“legal black hole"”. International human rights law has at all times been fully applicable to all detainees. For those captured during the international armed conflict in Afghanistan, protection of certain rights may have been complemented by the provisions of international humanitarian law (IHL) for the duration of that conflict. Since that international armed conflict ceased, however, international human rights standards have applied in the normal fashion.

CNN Bush condemns disclosure of secret anti-terror program

"Public Condemns Bush for Bank Mining Program"

Irish Examiner Reconciliation plan unveiled by Iraqi PM

There was no mention of any timetable for the withdrawal of US-led forces in Iraq. US officials, however, said General George Casey Jr, the top commander in Iraq, had given US President George W Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld a plan for drawing down the American presence by two combat brigades by late summer or early autumn.

The New York Times said the officials indicated the drawdown could involve the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division, which currently oversees a swath of west Baghdad, and the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division, which oversees troublesome Diyala and Salahuddin provinces.

The new Iraqi leader, in power just more than a month, said he was realistic about the difficult road that lay ahead.

AFP French press Bush: North Korea must detail missile payload

US Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, distanced himself from the Bush administration when he suggested the escalating standoff and other issues could be best resolved through direct dialogue between the two countries.

The administration has favored the stalled six-party talks as a venue for contacts with North Korea, which is seen by the United States as a top weapons proliferator and which Bush has said belongs to an "axis of evil."

Some independent foreign policy experts have suggested conducting a preventive strike against a North Korean launch pad, where preparation for a test of a long-range Taepodong-2 missile are said to be under way.

But Lugar said he believed "it would not be advisable" to use military force to take out the missile believed to be capable of reaching US soil.

OK Senator Lugar, let us hope you make sure that Dubya understands the "long term implications" of WAR this time...

Be sure and pass this one along to non-believers FBI says, “No hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11” (It's true, you can see the FBI's "most wanted". Here's what the FBI accuses him of:Usama Bin Laden is wanted in connection with the August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. These attacks killed over 200 people. In addition, Bin Laden is a suspect in other terrorist attacks throughout the world.

Gee, one wouldn't think a man with a $27 million dollar price tag on his head would be too hard to find in a dirt poor nation. Unless, of course, he was buried in a desert someplace...

WP Gates Foundation to Get Bulk of Buffett's Fortune

Until now, Buffett has given little to philanthropy, amassing the wealth and leaving the work of philanthropy to others so his money could compound at a higher rate, he told Fortune. He said he had always planned to have his wife oversee his charitable giving after his death. But after she died -- and because he saw an opportunity to invest in an existing, well-respected foundation run by two "ungodly bright" people -- he changed plans to start giving it away this year, he told the magazine.

"Neither Susie nor I ever thought we should pass huge amounts of money along to our children," said Buffett, who said he plans to give away his remaining stock holdings after his death but that he has "quite a bit of cash" he still plans to leave to those close to him. "Our children are great," he told Fortune. "But I would argue that when your kids have all the advantages anyway, in terms of how they grow up and the opportunities they have for education, including what they learn at home -- I would say it's neither right nor rational to be flooding them with money."

Wise words from Mr. Buffett, some parenting tips the Bush clan could use...

Quotes of the Day

CNN is one of the participants in the war. I have a fantasy where Ted Turner is elected president but refuses because he doesn't want to give up power.-- Arthur C. Clarke, Author of 2001: A Space Oddessy

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.-- Thomas Jefferson

Actions lie louder than words.--Carolyn Wells, Mystery Author

For our Dubya...A man's character is his fate.--Heraclitus (540 BC - 480 BC), On the Universe

When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.--Japanese Proverb

And for Rover, now tattling all he knows on dastardly Dick. And that Dick, watch him try to Arial Sharon his way out of taking the fall...Underneath this flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character.--Oscar Levant (1906 - 1972)

Yes, It's Built on a Swamp-But It's Our Swamp

Washington, D.C. was built on a swamp. And we all know what grows in swamps-yes- MONSTERS...only now we refer to them as "neorepublicans."

But none of this stops Prissy from loving it anyway. The row houses, the mix of people, the old government buildings, the metro-it's all here. (pics removed-slows site)

Prissy met two young men in a restaurant; economics majors from Columbia and later, nice young woman from Taiwan and a Fullbright Scholar on her way to Africa.

Very interesting conversation. Guess what-nobody likes Dubya...

Don't dare call Prissy unAmerican, but her next fav city is Toronto. Believe it or not, Prissy is one of the last Americans to have never been to the Big Apple!

Now Dearest Readers, you know Prissy is no snoot-but the last time she slept ten to a room was at camp at age 12! But here at the Quaker House, that is what you will find. Physicians for Social Responsibility were here, too.

The Quaker House

Usually we stay in a hotel, but Military Families Speak Out is planning "Operation House Call" to last until August 7, when the House summer session is over and the Quaker House has kindly opened their accommodations for our org.

MFSO will then follow these warmongers back to their respective home states, for further insistence the war end.

"Operation House Call" On C-Span today

They will eventually get it through their thick heads that we mean business...

By the way, Congressman Sherrod Brown-now running for Ohio Senate and Congressman and next Ohio governor Ted Strickland are very supportive of our efforts. We thank them for that!

Prissy would like to note that these two worker bees were some of the last ones leaving work for the day. Certainly a feather in their caps.

Prissy signing off for now...

PS- Greg Palast in Columbus was excellent...more on that when Prissy gets back.

Once Again in Washington

Prissy will be back in Washington this week, blogging live. Military Families Speak Out will be making an important announcement later this week in D.C. More details will follow.

Thank you to those that emailed and left comments about the podcast. That will be held up a week or so, since the D.C. trip has come up.

Hot Links

Black Commentator for Blackwell, the first African-American republican to run for Ohio governor The Consequences of Believing Your Own Propaganda by Mamadou Chenyalu (who also writes good books)

A new mental disorder has been born. (Either that or its an old disorder with a new application.) Like all newborns, this new mental disorder needs to be named. Its official name should be a catchy, clinical-sounding term. The term should contain reference to each of the multiple characteristics that converge with one another to form this mental disorder. It should be self-definitional and worthy of its uniqueness in human behavior. Those characteristics include (1) ill-fated policy, because that’s the symptom of this mental disorder; (2) self-delusion, because that’s the cause of the disorder; (3) collective, because this behavioral disorder has reached epidemic proportions; and (4) nationalistic, because the common denominator of those in this collective is national origin. Space for this new category should be reserved for inclusion in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Flashback on misuse of the Guard Governor threatens to sue over air base

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Ted Kulongoski threatened on Tuesday to sue the Department of Defense if the government transfers fighter planes and personnel from the Portland Air National Guard base.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Kulongoski cited federal statutes he said required his consent for such a move. "I do not consent to deactivation, relocation or withdrawal of the 142nd Fighter Wing," he wrote.

"Given Oregon's geographic location and unquestionable need for air superiority in the Pacific Northwest, this recommendation places the entire region at risk if it is accepted," Kulongoski wrote.

Zaman Turkey Japan Announces Plan to Withdraw Soldiers from Iraq

The Japanese forces, the largest military deployment since World War II, are stationed in the city of Semawah. (800 soldiers)

According to the Japanese press, once Iraqi soldiers receive responsibility of security in Semawah, the Japanese forces will leave.

Never say the bad guys will win. Here is one of the cabal that did not win today. Washington Post Safavian Guilty of Lying, Obstruction of Justice

Safavian, 38, a former chief of staff of the General Services Administration and top federal procurement officer, was accused of lying about a 2002 golfing trip to Scotland with Abramoff and obstructing an investigation by the GSA inspector general and other investigators. He was also charged with concealing his efforts to help Abramoff acquire control of two federally managed properties in the Washington area.

He became the first person to be put on trial in connection with Abramoff, who pleaded guilty in January to fraud and conspiracy charges. Four other former Abramoff associates also have pleaded guilty so far. As part of their plea deals, they have agreed to cooperate in an investigation of Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) and other lawmakers allegedly embroiled in a broad public corruption scandal involving the acceptance of various inducements in return for official acts. Ney denies any wrongdoing.

CNN U.S. soldiers' bodies mutilated, booby-trapped

Just bring them all home. The Iraqi Prime Minister asked Dubya for a pull out date. Dubya of course, refused his "offer." This is the third time and government that asked coalition forces to pull out.

Prissy guesses that is why Dubya won't let them continue to be "the government".

The Jurist University of Pennsylvania The Devil in the Details: The CIA Leak Case

Each of the crimes charged may be brought ancillary to a primary investigation or alone. Here, the identity of the person or persons who initially disclosed the name of Valerie Plame has not yet been revealed. It was obvious from Fitzgerald’s announcement that this underlying unauthorized disclosure of classified information charge might be forthcoming. Whether it is or not is irrelevant to the present charges which stand alone.

The grand jury is entitled to every person’s evidence if it is to ferret out criminal activity. In this case their critical nature of the lies and obstruction is compounded because of the sensitivity of the information that was compromised. With a typical perjury or false statement case, the lie must be material and central to the investigation. Trivial lies, such as those concerning a sex partner, are not usually prosecuted as a federal offense. By contrast, here, the lie is directly related to critical governmental function: the operation of the CIA and its undercover agents. Plame’s classified status was released by high ranking government officials and this signals to the world that our own government does not stand behind its agents and is willing to compromise operations around the globe. This disclosure gives hostile governments an inside look at the operation of the CIA, something the agency vigorously protected.

Because Plame is an ambassador’s wife, this tells the world that that the CIA uses an ambassador’s spouse as an investigative tool. The fact that Plame’s cover was protected for many years, even from her neighbors and family, puts into question the status of other spouses of ambassadors who might also be working for the CIA. Moreover, the fact that this revelation came from our own government makes it that much more troubling. The serious damage from this leak will be felt for years to come, and it is quite possible that we will never know the extent of the damage, given the fact that an internal CIA investigation into the leak will also be classified. These lies and attempts to prevent a full investigation are of the most serious type.

Quotes of the Day

Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.--Ovid (43 BC - 17 AD)

Do not trust all men, but trust men of worth; the former course is silly, the latter a mark of prudence.--Democritus (460 BC - 370 BC)

You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough.--Frank Crane

When you really trust someone, you have to be okay with not understanding some things.--Real Live Preacher, Real Live Preacher weblog, 07-08-0