Dems Drag America Back Down into the Muck

Thanks for nothing Democrats. You didn't save the troops, you funded their demise...we military families won't forget the Dems sold out to corporate interests, yet again.

Dearest Readers, Hope you caught some of Ms. Goodling's testimony. Check out the Comedy Central clip on Raw Story about it. Sums it up very well.

A good girl who got in way over her head, she blindy served her AG and her president knowing full well it could catch up to ensnare them all, but thinking/hoping maybe they knew something she didn't. They of course didn't.

Interesting how Gonzo's DOJ (could there be a lawful, shadow DOJ somewhere?)subordinates Sampson and Goodling-not one of them took responsibility for the list.

McNulty and Gonzo said they didn't do it either. You're darn skippy right knowing it couldn't have come from James Comey.

Who could have possibly had such motive, such cunning, such craft of manipulation?

Isn't it strange how at least two of the US attorneys fired were said by Gonzo's Dept that they were under performing in the area of cracking down on illegal immigration. But wait a minute-doesn't Dubya want to legalize the illegal residents?

Oh well, Prissy learned a long time ago while working in the prisons that crazy peoples actions never make sense. Sometimes not even to them...

Hot Links

Findlaw, the latest from John Dean Recent Developments in the Scandal over the Attorney General's Performance

This week, Gonzales was again shown to have lied to Congress; his ineptitude as Attorney General has resurfaced in litigation that is going to damage the government; and after ignoring a subpoena from the Senate, he made a belated but insufficient response following an angry letter from the Senate. Click here to find out more!

It's been clear for a while - and is becoming ever clearer - that the Attorney General ought to resign, or to be fired. Now, it seems that Congress is determined to force Gonzales from office or send him to jail, whichever they can do first.

This is plainly the right move - and anyone who does not understand why Congress is insisting on getting rid of Gonzales, does not appreciate the important and sensitive role the Department of Justice has in our government.

Statesman UT professor cancels speech, cites antisemitism Steven Weinberg condemns anti-Israel actions in Great Britain

Weinberg, who had been scheduled to speak at Imperial College in July, said in a letter that his decision was triggered by the National Union of Journalists' boycott of Israeli products, the Guardian reported.

"I know that some will say that these boycotts are directed only against Israel, rather than generally against Jews," Weinberg wrote. "But given the history of the attacks on Israel and the oppressiveness and aggressiveness of other countries in the Middle East and elsewhere, boycotting Israel indicated a moral blindness for which it is hard to find any explanation other than antisemitism."

Weinberg canceled a visit to another British university last year over a boycott of Israeli academics.

Well Professor, what do you wish those who disagree with Israeli foreign policy to do? Start a war?

Consortum News flashback Oct 2006 Al-Qaeda's Fragile Foothold

“My judgment is, if we weren’t in Iraq, they’d find some other excuse, because they have ambitions,” Bush said. “They kill in order to achieve their objectives.”

But a growing body of evidence, including the intercepted al-Qaeda letters, appears to undercut Bush’s conclusions about both the prospects for “a totalitarian Islamic empire” and a disconnect between the continuing Iraq War and terrorism.

According to a National Intelligence Estimate, representing the consensus view of the U.S. intelligence community in April 2006, “the global jihadist movement is decentralized, lacks a coherent global strategy, and is becoming more diffuse.” [Emphasis added.]

The NIE also concluded that the Iraq War – rather than weakening the cause of Islamic terrorism – had become a “cause celebre” that was “cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement.”

Good going war prez.

Ashland Daily Tidings Son, soldier and center of congressional controversy May 4, 2007

If we patriotic Americans disagree with the president's denial of reality on the ground in Iraq, then we are accused of being against our troops. That line of reasoning is false, as well as un-American.

Here is our reality.

Shortly before Neil and his unit were deployed from Fort Benning, my wife, Virginia, and I got a call from Neil. During the conversation, he told her his men did not have some basic equipment they needed for combat. He told us that his unit needed a number of essential items.

My wife raised $12,000 so they could be properly equipped for their deployment. Family and friends who support Bush offered no help and one family member told us to quit our whining. All of the money came from people who support the troops but want to de-fund the war.

From WhatReallyHappened.com:

And as reported by KKCI Des Moines on 21 May, 2007, (http://www.kcci.com/news/13358786/detail.html), the Iraq war itself is creating an ammo shortage, which is having an impact on local US police departments.

The article states: "Experts said ammunition shipments are being delayed for up to a year because the Army has more than tripled its demand for small-caliber ammunition."

Dearest Readers, do you suppose Blackwater's ammo is on back order?

CNN, in part responsible for this young mans health problems Iraq vet: 'My brain will not let go'

A year after coming home from Iraq, AJ Jefferson is still fighting the war in eerie nightmares about the bomb that left him and two comrades seriously wounded.

"I've been told it's normal," the Army specialist said with a smile, "considering what I've gone through."

The 21-year-old soldier has been diagnosed by doctors with several ailments blamed on the attack, including severe post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. He's also been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, or TBI, which often is accompanied by forgetfulness and restless sleep.

"I have the dreams every night," said Jefferson, who also suffered severe leg wounds that left him unable to run or stand for long periods. "There are nights when I can't sleep because all I'm thinking about is just re-enacting what happened in my head. My brain will not let go of it."

Emotional trauma is more difficult to recover from than physical trauma many victims have told Prissy. Understandable.

Look, Dubya has given himself new powers, just like a real dictator NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/NSPD 51, HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/HSPD-20

The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government. In order to advise and assist the President in that function, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (APHS/CT) is hereby designated as the National Continuity Coordinator. The National Continuity Coordinator, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), without exercising directive authority, shall coordinate the development and implementation of continuity policy for executive departments and agencies. The Continuity Policy Coordination Committee (CPCC), chaired by a Senior Director from the Homeland Security Council staff, designated by the National Continuity Coordinator, shall be the main day-to-day forum for such policy coordination.

(7) For continuity purposes, each executive department and agency is assigned to a category in accordance with the nature and characteristics of its national security roles and responsibilities in support of the Federal Government's ability to sustain the NEFs. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall serve as the President's lead agent for coordinating overall continuity operations and activities of executive departments and agencies, and in such role shall perform the responsibilities set forth for the Secretary in sections 10 and 16 of this directive.

The gist of it is, he decides what is an emergency and then he takes full control.

Truthout Bush Anoints Himself as the Ensurer of Constitutional Government in Emergency

The subject of the document is entitled "National Continuity Policy." It defines a "catastrophic emergency" as "any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government function."

This could mean another 9/11, or another Katrina, or a major earthquake in California, I imagine, since it says it would include "localized acts of nature, accidents, and technological or attack-related emergencies."

The document emphasizes the need to ensure "the continued function of our form of government under the Constitution, including the functioning of the three separate branches of government," it states.

But it says flat out: "The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government."

We know what a fine job he's done with the constitution so far...

The Future of America Has Been Stolen

Investigative reporter Greg Palast says 4.5 million votes will be shoplifted in 2008, thanks largely to the “Rove-bots” that have been placed in the Justice Department following the U.S. Attorney firings. Being the guy who uncovered the voter “purge lists” of 2000 that disenfranchised black voters, he’s worth listening to, even if the mainstream press chooses not to.

This time around, he claims to have 500 emails that the House subpoenaed and Karl Rove claims were deleted forever. They prove definitively, says Palast, that the Justice Department is infested with operatives taking orders from Rove to steal upcoming elections for Republicans and permanently alter the Department.

The “clownocracy” of Bush and Rove is criminal and even evil in its attempts to steal past and future elections, according to Palast, and can only be stopped if “Democrats…find their souls and find their balls.”

And the interview with Palast, a Prissy Patriot hero!

JD: Talk a little bit about the relevance of Tim Griffin — the perp who became prosecutor — and Arkansas in 2008.

GP: It was Griffin who directed the “caging” ops for the GOP. Caging, by the way, is illegal. Law Professor Bobby Kennedy pointed out it violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — and I’d add, as a former racketeering investigator, mail fraud statutes. So Griffin’s a felon — now U.S. Attorney.

JD: Is Kennedy still actively publicizing this?

GP: Yes. The incriminating email is reproduced right in Armed Madhouse. That’s why Griffin and Goodling were high-fiving over the fact that no one’s picked up the investigations of that “British reporter” Palast.

The key thing is, Griffin is not just “involved,” he is directing the scheme. His denial was confidential — had to be subpoenaed. Remember, as Goodling testified, the line of the Bushies is that Griffin had nothing to do with caging.

Pre-War Intelligence Was Pretty Good Booman

They predicted electoral success for radical Islamists (see Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Egypt). Also, see Musharraf's current problems in Pakistan.

The Intelligence Community also underscored that "in some countries an increase in Islamist sentiment also probably would take the form of greater support for Islamic political parties that seek to come to power through legitimate means."

They predicted that Iran would cause trouble if not constructively engaged, or if threatened.

The Intelligence Community assessed that "the degree to which Iran would pursue policies that either support or undermine U.S. goals in Iraq would depend on how Tehran viewed specific threats to its interests and the potential US reaction. The Intelligence Community assessed that the "more that Iranian leaders perceived Washington's aims did not challenge Tehran's interests or threaten Iran directly, the better the chance that they would cooperate in the post-war period, or at least not actively undermine US goals."

The Intelligence Community assessed that "guaranteeing Iran a role in the negotiations on the fate of post-Saddam Iraq might persuade some Iranian officials to pursue overt and constructive means to influence reconstruction in Iraq."

Liberty Forum, public forum with a high degree of accuracy Whatever happened to the WTC HARD-DRIVE recoveries?

The CONVAR data salvage has made it completely clear that more than $100 million in insider credit card transactions took place in the hours and minutes before the twin towers collapsed. The mainframe computers in the towers processed these transactions; and the credit card data would have been lost forever had it not been for the successful data reconstruction of the CONVAR specialists.

A German company, CONVAR of Pirmasens near the French border, was given more than 400 computer hard drives from the wreckage of the World Trade Center. These are extremely sensitive computer components that went through the collapse of the World Trade Center. Using blue laser technology, CONVAR succeeded in reconstructing all the data from the computer debris.This includes diverse financial data and telecommunication protocols up to a few seconds before the collapse of each tower. (Source: e-mail from CONVAR Germany on October 16, 2003.) The U.S. government's blatant lie about the allegedly missing black boxes is outright made ludicrous by this fact.

The reconstructed data was given by CONVAR to the FBI. The FBI was held by law to investigate, based on the reconstructed data, who placed the inside transactions. The FBI is doing no such thing.

And from the same forum, isn't this interesting?

Richard Wagner, a data retrieval expert at the company, said illegal transfers of more than $100 million might have been made immediately before and during the disaster.

"There is a suspicion that some people had advance knowledge of the approximate time of the plane crashes in order to move out amounts exceeding $100 million," Wagner said. "They thought that the records of their transactions could not be traced after the main frames were destroyed."

Criminals always make mistakes, even white collar criminals.

Wired 6 Navy Commanders Sacked in 6 Weeks

For the sixth time in as many weeks, the lead officer of a Navy ship has been suddenly relieved of command, DANGER ROOM pal Andy Scutro reports for Navy Times.

Cmdr. E.J. McClure, captain of the destroyer Arleigh Burke... had a “loss of confidence in her ability to command” following the May 15 “soft grounding” of the Burke off Norfolk as the ship was heading back into port. No one was injured in the incident, but damage to the ship is still being assessed, according to the official.

"The Norfolk grounding is especially odd given the well-charted waters," Navy Times adds, in a second story. But it's hardly the only strange incident in recent weeks. On May 10th, the captain of the USS Constitution -- a 19th century warship, serving largely as a floating museum -- was relieved, for unspecified "lost of trust and confidence." Two days earlier, the Navy sacked the commanding officer of the destroyer Higgins for "loss of confidence in his ability to command."

Let us hope they weren't sacked for failure to be "loyal Bushies."

Check out this ad ran in the Washington Post by Gonzo's Harvard law school fellow grads dish it out just how they don't like his ways... 60 of Gonzo's Classmates tell him he failed the law

MN Campaign report Ellison: "Goodling was Forthcoming," but Issues Remain

"Gonzales had 71 lapses in memory his Senate testimony and at least as much trouble recalling key facts before the House Judiciary. But Goodling was candid and admitted that she "inappropriately" used political affiliations in making hiring decisions. I wish Gonzales - and Bush - were that honest," said Ellison, who recently requested Justice Department documents relating to the issues surrounding the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's office.

However, when Goodling was questioned about former Minnesota U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger, Ellison says "It appears that Heffelfinger was put on the list because he was spending too much time on the Native American Subcommittee. I'm not sure that I believe that Goodling doesn't know more. I suspect his name was put on that list because of the tribal ID issue that sparked the disagreement between Kiffmeyer and Heffelfinger."

Additionally, regarding Goodling's claims that she never communicated with White House officials Karl Rove and Harriet Miers regarding hiring decisions, Ellison remains skeptical: "I don't buy that. On the level, Goodling was candid and of course it's possible, but I just don't buy that one."

CNN Team working up new strategy for Iraq war

The U.S. military is joining forces with the State Department to prepare a new Iraq strategy that includes negotiating cease-fire and power-sharing agreements with some enemy combatants, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

A "joint campaign plan redesign team" is preparing the diplomatic and military strategy for Iraq, which is expected to be approved by the end of the month.

The team laying out the new course for how to proceed in the four-year-old war is led by Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, the officials told CNN.

One element of the plan is to try to identify groups of people -- possibly including Sunni extremists and militia groups -- with whom U.S. officials feel they can do business, such as negotiating power-sharing and cease-fire agreements and granting economic aid, the sources said.

Yahoo Al-Sadr reappears, says U.S. must leave

While the call for a U.S. pullout was nothing new, al-Sadr also peppered his speech with nationalist overtones, criticizing the government for not providing services, appealing to his followers not to fight with Iraqi security forces and reaching out to Sunnis.

"To our Iraqi Sunni brothers, I say that the occupation sows dissension among us and that strength is unity and division is weakness," he said. "I'm ready to cooperate with them in all fields."

Al-Sadr did not address his reasons for returning.

However, during his time in absentia his militia appeared to have split into a faction calling itself the "noble Mahdi Army" and more extremist elements that it accuses of killing innocent Sunnis and embezzling funds. Some members of the more moderate faction were even willing to provide the U.S. military with information on their rivals in an effort to purge the militia.

WaPoSpecial Prosecutor Seeks 30 to 37 Months in Prison for Libby

Libby "showed contempt for the judicial process when he obstructed justice by repeatedly lying under oath about material matters in a serious criminal investigation," Fitzgerald said.

Libby's attorneys have said their client should be pardoned, something top Democrats have warned against.

President Bush has said he is "pretty much going to stay out of" the case, at least until the legal process has run its course.

Yes indeed, you tell them Fitz. Sure we may have wanted 25 years, but three is reasonable considering. As everyone knows, Libby is the poster boy of a white collar criminal. Most likely he prefers white collar crime because it pays a little better and the sentences are lighter. Don't forget his fines, team Fitz.

NYT, don't you believe it...Bush is silently bumping up troop numbers, he will have 200,000 there by Christmas its said, and will claim a draw down-right back to regular presence of 130,000 troops. White House Said to Debate ’08 Cut in Iraq Troops by 50%

But the ideas under discussion, from the National Security Council to the Pentagon, envision reductions beginning well before then. The last time American troop levels in Iraq were anywhere near 100,000 was in January 2004, when they fell briefly to about 108,000.

One of the ideas, officials say, would be to reduce the current 20 American combat brigades to about 10, which would be completed between the spring of 2008 and the end of the year.

Several administration officials said they hoped that if such a reduction were under way in the midst of the presidential campaign, it would shift the debate from whether American forces should be pulled out by a specific deadline — the current argument consuming Washington — to what kind of long-term presence the United States should have in Iraq.

“It stems from a recognition that the current level of forces aren’t sustainable in Iraq, they aren’t sustainable in the region, and they will be increasingly unsustainable here at home,” said one administration official who has taken part in the closed-door discussions.

Quotes of the Day

In the beginning of a change the Patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot.--Mark Twain

The war on Iraq was a disaster, clearly carried out under false pretences. --Joe Wilson

In most communities it is illegal to cry "fire" in a crowded assembly. Should it not be considered serious international misconduct to manufacture a general war scare in an effort to achieve local political aims?--Dwight D. Eisenhower

All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.--Thomas Jefferson