It Always Feels Like, Somebody's Watching Me...
Dearest Readers, even the republicans here in Ohio are angry that Dubya listens in on their calls. They aren't terrorists and they consider it a personal invasion.
All republican senators and congress are in deep, deep trouble. Rumor is they are spied upon too-thus their voting to stay the course no matter what, sending America straight into the abyss...Stand-up at the same time, for Heaven's sake!
Someone without a name, sent Prissy a paper on war protesters and why Iraq should not be protested. The poor lamb could not stop attempting the stretch-comparing Iraq to WWII. Good luck getting anyone to buy that one...
Prissy will return Friday evening with news and more!
Hot Links
TruthOut Why Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame Filed By Jason Leopold
An all too willing Brit Hume, and for that matter the rest of the Washington press corps, lapped up Novak's version of the truth, and have treated the Wilson story as a non-issue, without so much as disclosing the documentary proof that has surfaced during the course of a three year federal investigation that would prove Novak and others in the media have been peddling lies in hopes of manipulating public perception about the truth regarding White House officials' roles in the Plame leak.
A month ago, Robert Luskin, the attorney defending Rove in the CIA leak case, claimed he received a faxed correspondence from Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald indicating that Rove would likely not be charged with crimes - barring any additional evidence - related to his role in the leak.
Fitzgerald's office would not confirm that the prosecutor sent such a letter nor would his office confirm that Rove is truly free from the burden of a criminal indictment. But that has not stopped the media and even some naïve bloggers from taking Luskin at his word and printing news stories with sentences like "Fitzgerald said Rove won't be charged" when in fact Fitzgerald said no such thing.
In helping to carry the message Rove and Novak are disseminating, the mainstream media and a slew of extreme right-wing bloggers have helped shield this administration from accepting responsibility for one of the most egregious crimes that has taken place since the presidency of Richard Nixon.
NO confirmation or denial from Fitzgerald. Remember what Prissy told you about proffer? It still fits with everything we know regarding this case.
And now the Wilsons have sued. Despite the msm media spin, their case is solid. Check out their org: Joseph and Valerie Wilson Support Trust Prissy gave-it's a good cause.
Prissy must study Fitz more, to see what else she thinks he is thinking...
Dubya being questioned by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald
Google has been good to Prissy- but gentlemen, please use your acquired strength... no one expects you to personally reform China Amnesty Charges Web Companies
BEIJING -- Amnesty International accused Yahoo, Microsoft and Google on Thursday of violating human rights principles by cooperating with China's efforts to censor the web and called on them to lobby for the release of jailed cyber-dissidents.
The London-based human rights group also called on the internet companies to publicly oppose Chinese government requests that violate human rights standards. "The internet should promote free speech, not restrict it. We have to guard against the creation of two internets -- one for expression and one for repression," said
Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty's U.S. branch, in a statement.
The companies "have violated their stated corporate values and policies" in their pursuit of China's booming internet market, the statement said. It appealed to them to "call for the release of 'cyber-dissidents.'"
UN rights commissioner warns of war crimes liability in Middle East conflict
Lebanon Daily Star Lawyers lodge complaint against Israel for crimes against humanity
BEIRUT: Israeli warplanes on Tuesday hit residential areas, bridges, churches and roads, leaving behind nothing but wreckage, prompting Lebanon's lawyers to file a complaint against Israel for crimes against humanity to the UN.
Following a meeting of the Beirut Bar Association on Tuesday, the association's president, Butros Doumit, said he was discussing with government officials the "possibility to file a complaint with the UN against Israeli political and military leaders, who are committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide on Lebanese territory."
The Israeli forces hit two trucks during a pre-dawn bombing raid on the coastal town of Jbeil, about 30 kilometers north of Beirut, Lebanese police said. There were no reports of casualties.
A truck carrying medical supplies donated by the United Arab Emirates was hit and its driver wounded on the Beirut-Damascus highway, the Health Ministry said.
Al-Jazeera Annan calls for Lebanon ceasefire
Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary general, has called for an immediate ceasefire between Israeli and Hezbollah, criticising both sides for the conflict that has left more than 300 people dead.
Annan urged Israel and Hezbollah to stop the violence and "prevent further loss of innocent life and the infliction of further suffering."
He condemned Hezbollah for their actions that "hold an entire nation hostage" and called Israel's response "excessive."
But Israel's UN Ambassador Dan Gillerman told reporters after Annan's speech that there would be no ceasefire
A result of Dubya's creative thinking course, with the "Leave No Child Behind" act-.
WaPoGOP Lawmakers Edge Away From Optimism on Iraq
Last week, House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) issued a statement hailing the turnover of Iraq's Muthanna province to Iraqi security forces under the headline "Progress in Iraq . . . Despite Doomsday Democrats."
On Tuesday, there was little talk of progress as he insisted that the rising sectarian violence was "nowhere close to civil war."
"Look, you have got one of two options," Boehner said. "We can pull out, walk away and watch everything that we've worked for and the Iraqis worked for fall apart and watch pure civil war break out, or we can stay the course. . . . As difficult as the problems are on the ground, it is either one of two options."
Boehner is one of those neorepublicans, who grates on Prissy's nerves...these trips to DC prove what Prissy has long suspected-we rarely elect smart people to run the government. Some of them are even nutty acting-think "mean Jean" Schmidt and Katherine Harris. Schmidt complained to Capitol police that one military mom harassed her by asking her a question regarding the war. The mom that asked is a very mild mannered person-Schmidt must have quite a bit on her conscience.
Especially after the election results that she took in the race for Rep over Paul Hackett...Don't wig out Jean, just step down.
Rocky Mountain News Welker blasted again for e-mail
State Rep. Jim Welker is once again drawing criticism for forwarding an e-mail in which black conservatives and religious leaders blame "black culture" for problems surrounding Hurricane Katrina.
The Loveland Republican forwarded an article to constituents titled "Black Culture is responsible for Hurricane Katrina woes."
The article from CNSNews .com is about an upcoming conference in Washington, D.C., sponsored by ministers and political conservatives.
It quotes them as saying black New Orleans residents rely too much on government, and, in the words of the Rev. Grant Storm, who is white, "When the government doesn't come and help them, frankly all they do is yap and complain.
Gee, no wonder Dubya had to give in and go speak at the NAACP today...about six years too late.
Also from Al-Jazeera Israelis against the war
Arab-Israelis, many of whom live in northern areas under threat from Hezbollah rocket attacks, are some of the strongest critics of Israeli airstrikes that have left at least 270 Lebanese dead.
"We are very concerned about what is happening," said Hassan Jabareen of Adalah - a body that campaigns for the legal rights of Arab-Israelis.
"I live in Haifa - but Haifa is a paradise compared to what is happening in Lebanon.
"This government has one policy - no negotiations - and if you have this policy then there is no room for diplomacy."
IC News Wales Turkey threatens to invade Iraq
Turkish officials have signalled that they are prepared to send their army into northern Iraq if US and Iraqi forces do not take steps to combat Turkish Kurdish guerrillas there.
Such a move could put Turkey on a collision course with the US, which has repeatedly warned against unilateral moves in Iraq.
But Turkey is facing increasing domestic pressure to take some kind of action after 15 soldiers, police and guards were killed in fighting with the guerrillas in the past week.
"The government is really in a bind," said Seyfi Tashan, director of the Foreign Policy Institute at Bilkent University in Ankara. "On the one hand they don't want things to break down with the US. On the other hand, the public is crying for action."
Bangkok Post US finds no sign of bribes in airport bomb scanner deal
The US has found no evidence of any party paying bribes to Thai authorities in the CTX 9000 bomb scanner procurement scandal, according to the spokesman for the Office of the Attorney-General. But Atthapol Yaisawang yesterday revealed only some parts of the report from the US Department of Justice (DoJ), saying the Thai-US Treaty on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters restricted the public airing of information that was shared among the agencies involved.
''I can reveal only that the DoJ has not found any evidence, especially from GE InVision, or any of its representatives, of paying or offering bribes to Thai authorities. There is no evidence that shows the financial flow of the alleged bribery,'' Mr Atthapol said. He said his office received a response from the US consul-general on May 31 along with the 50-page report and the four-page conclusion, stamped 'confidential'.
The OAG did not intend to conceal the US reply but, as a co-ordinator, it had no authority to reveal the contents, he said. The OAG had forwarded the report to agencies which asked for the US probe into the row, including the police and the Anti-Money Laundering Office, on July 7.
Wired Judge rules against U.S. in spy suit
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A federal judge Thursday rejected a government request that he dismiss a lawsuit challenging the Bush administration's domestic spying program.
The lawsuit, brought by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, challenges President Bush's assertion that he can use his wartime powers to eavesdrop on Americans without a warrant.
Talk Left Conyers v. Bush: Lawsuit over Federal Deficit Reduction Act
Rep. John Conyer's (D-MI) is suing President Bush over the enactment of the Federal Deficit Rediction Act. Shorter version: The House and Senate passed different versions of the bill and even though they went to conference, the House never voted on the version passed by the Senate as a House clerk changed a provision in the Senate version and Bush signed it into law. Bush can't sign a bill unless it has been agreed to by both the House and Senate.
The Government moved to dismiss (pdf) Rep. Conyer's lawsuit, and last night, he filed his motion and brief in opposition.
First Amendment Center FEMA muzzling La. trailer-park residents
MORGAN CITY, La. " Residents of trailer parks set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to house hurricane victims in Louisiana aren't allowed to talk to the press without an official escort, The (Baton Rouge) Advocate reported. In one instance, a security guard ordered an Advocate reporter out of a trailer during an interview in Morgan City. Similar FEMA rules were enforced in Davant, in Plaquemines Parish.
FEMA spokeswoman Rachel Rodi wouldn't say whether the security guards' actions complied with FEMA policy, saying the matter was being reviewed. But she confirmed that FEMA does not allow the news media to speak alone to residents in their trailers.
"If a resident invites the media to the trailer, they have to be escorted by a FEMA representative who sits in on the interview," Rodi told the newspaper for its July 15 report. "That's just a policy."
Ansa ItalyBerlusconi media criticised anew
(ANSA) - Rome, July 20 - Former premier Silvio Berlusconi faced fresh criticism on Thursday over his grip on the Italian media market .
In its annual report to parliament, Italy's Communications Authority complained once again that the TV system was dominated by Berlusconi's private network Mediaset and state broadcaster RAI .
Authority chief Corrado Calabro' said the two networks, which both have three nationwide channels, held a "position of joint dominance" in which they accounted for 85% of Italy's audience share.
Villiage Voice Lebanon: Peace Group's 'Dear John' Letter
.Reports that the United States plans to allow Israel another few days of bombing Lebanon before Washington calls for a ceasefire have stirred little outrage here, but that's no surprise when dependable lefties like West Side Rep. Jerry Nadler ask stunning questions like, "Since when should a response to aggression and murder be proportionate?" United for Peace and Justice, the umbrella group that has orchestrated protests against the Iraq war, is planning to break that silence from 4 to 5:30 tomorrow afternoon by delivering a letter to the 45th Street office of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton calling for the U.S. to demand an immediate cessation of the fighting that everyone agrees has killed dozens of civilians on either side of the border—and which a top U.N. official says could constitute war crimes. Needless to say, the letter is unlikely to move Bolton, who yesterday said: "Among other things, I want somebody to address the problem of how you get a cease-fire with a terrorist organization" —the examples of Hamas (until recently), the IRA, Basque separatists, and the Tamil Tigers, among others, notwithstanding
Note to Bolton: How do you declare a world war on a gang? Serious people don't...Prissy sees Senator Voinovich has downed the koolaid again. He is shilling for Bolton to stay in place-his best argument seems to be, is that Bolton hasn't thrown items at his co-workers...yet.
John Bolton, an angry little neocon man
Chicago Tribune Experts rip Rove stem cell remark
The field of stem cell medicine is too young and unproven to make such judgments, experts say. Many of those researchers either specialize in adult stem cells or share Bush's moral reservations about embryonic stem cells.
"[Rove's] statement is just not true," said Dr. Michael Clarke, associate director of the stem cell institute at Stanford University, who in 2003 published the first study showing how adult stem cells replenish themselves.
If opponents of embryonic stem cell research object on moral grounds, "I'm willing to live with that," Clarke said, though he disagrees. But, he said, "I'm not willing to live with statements that are misleading."
Crooks and Liars Daily Show: Must See About Net Neutrality
Dar al hayat The Economy and Security
Lebanon was afflicted by the civil war (1975-1991), which crippled its economy. Businessmen were forced to flee the country, and they took their money with them. Professionals and experienced people fled, too. The result was that the economic capabilities of the country were depleted. When the civil war ended, the Lebanese authorities borrowed from foreign and local organizations in order to bankroll infrastructure and other projects to enhance the basic services. This has led, however, to a cumulative public debt amounting to about $40 billion. During the last war, the Lebanese lira's rate of exchange dramatically declined from 3.5 liras against the US dollar to 1500 liras against the US dollar. The financial authorities were unable to improve the lira's rate of exchange, now that the sovereign debts had accumulated and revenues of exports and tourism had gone down. After the Syrian forces pulled out of Lebanon, many observers expected that the situation would lead to an improved business environment and attractive Lebanese ventures. However, Lebanese and some Gulf investors focused on the real estate sector, with the result that there were no investments in other, basic sectors. Cash flow is still limited and ineffective, especially as far as the development of the economy and the creation of jobs are concerned. The severe Israeli reaction against Lebanon after Hezbollah had captured two Israeli soldiers will inevitably aggravate the deterioration of the Lebanese economy. A few days after the military operation, it has become obvious that Lebanon's infrastructure needs considerable capital investments.
The estimated loss to the economy so far exceeds $2.5 billion, according to Lebanese reports. Losses will not stop at this point; most Lebanese will suffer for a long time, even when an agreement to stop military operations is reached. Undoubtedly, the unemployment rate will rise, while the standard of living will decline and the revenues of tourism and trade will dry up for some time to come.
Bloomberg Israel Tries to Kill Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah (Update1) <
P> Israel has largely avoided land operations against Hezbollah in favor of air strikes since it began its attacks on the Islamist group that abducted two of its soldiers.Israeli forces made ``limited'' ground incursions into Lebanese territory by the central and western sectors of the border, UN spokesman Milos Strugar said in an interview. The fighting, including artillery fire, is continuing and Israeli forces are holding onto the advance they made yesterday, he said.
Israeli offensives in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip may last ``a long time,'' Israel's military chief, Lieutenant General Dan Halutz, told his troops, Agence France-Presse said, citing a letter distributed to troops. Israel has been conducting operations in Palestinian-ruled Gaza since June 28.
``We have as much time as possible,'' said Tourism Minister Yttzhak Herzog, ``we've instructed the army to complete the operation.'
Dearest Readers, Mike from Whatreallyhappened reminds us the Israeli soldiers captured were in uniform within the Lebanon border.
Quotes of the Day
If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert saying it can't be done.--Peter Ustinov (1921 - 2004)
The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.--Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967), (attributed)
The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.--Carl Jung (1875 - 1961)
All love that has not friendship for its base, is like a mansion built upon sand. --Ella Wheeler Wilcox, O Magazine, February 2004
