fitz ‘em all: the long, and the short and the tall

“Sha-na-na-na, hey hey hey, good-bye!”

There’s an honorable public servant who is very much in need of our support:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..1636/85527

Bruce Funk, the Elections Clerk of Emery County, Utah, has now been locked out of his office because he is daring to protect the integrity of the votes of the people of Emery County… Absolutely sickening treatment — I hope he can sue.

Please give that Daily Kos diary a recommend — it’s languishing over there so far. Thanks.

Raw story says several thugs will come out against the war today. A bit late IMO. Impeach em ALL.

This “happiness” is just as fake as the booking photo. More dirt will come out from former “pals” who’ve hated him but had to work with him, on penalty of career death.

“Let the prisoners pick the fruits”

Sorry, got in here late this morning, just want to make a comment on the DHS thread.

Setting aside the moral issues and deep disturbance of the whole episode, I want to comment on a practical aspect. Many people think that the purpose of a security background check is to make sure someone is not a spy. (Here I use “spy” as a generic term for anything bad: betrayal, leakage, info-selling, contract selling, whatever.) This is pretty much backwards.

The purpose of security checks is to make sure that you don’t have pressure points to be made into a spy. For instance, bad finances are a security flag because you might be bribable.

It goes without saying that Osama would love–LOVE–to have the pedophile goods on someone in DHS. Pressure points don’t come much more tender than that.

OT but important – democrats are beginning to line up winning wedge issues. Kos has a piece on a democratic proposal regarding access to contraception. This is great because it emphasizes something that democrats stand for and puts republicans on the defensive on an issue where the vast majority of americans are aligned with democratic values. More of this please! Here’s the link:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/4/5/114351/8186

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/4/5/114351/8186

OfT:”Amid Scrutiny at Duke, Details Emerge of ‘05 Assault”
By JULIET MACUR
Published: April 5, 2006
DURHAM, N.C., April 4 — A member of the Duke University lacrosse team was charged last fall with assaulting a man in the Georgetown section of Washington.
Collin Finnerty, 19, of Garden City, N.Y., is one of the 46 members on the 47-man lacrosse team who submitted DNA samples two weeks ago in a rape investigation here that has rattled the community and brought increased scrutiny of the players.
No charges have been filed in the rape case, but the lacrosse team’s season has been suspended.
Finnerty and the rest of the team members have not spoken with reporters since the party. In the meantime, the woman’s accusations and the players’ silence and reports of their past conduct have prompted questions about the culture of the lacrosse program.
Soon after the party, a local newspaper published a report that 15 team members had records in Durham County of offenses like public urination and underage drinking. Finnerty, a sophomore, was not one of them.
He and two of his teammates from high school lacrosse were arrested on Nov. 5 in Washington. At 2:30 a.m. that day, Jeffrey O. Bloxgom told the police that the men had “punched him in the face and body, because he told them to stop calling him gay and other derogatory names,” according to records at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04…..ref=slogin

california_reality_check — while at first elated over Kerry’s show of spine, I got these nagging doubts when asking the question, “Why now?”. If in fact some Repubs also want us out, well, the answer may well be: IRAN.

Kind of like out of the frying pan into the fire.

Only worse. Far. far. worse.

And among other malodorous instigator/beneficiaries, I would expect to find AIPAC, front and center.

Boyoboy, do I hope I’m wrong!

dannyboy – Sure. They want to put our boys to better use in Iran. Iraq has been lost from the beginning. They must be stopped.

It’s the end of an era, all right. The end of one possum-eyed, venal little manque mobster’s era of taking a flying dump on the institutions of our Republic with the tacit, if not overt, support of an entire political party. They must decrease, and we must increase.

Tony at mtanga.com sums it up nicely:

“Tom DeLay is, as most of you know, the largest of multiple, malignant tumors to have grown and thrived in our diseased political system in recent years. And like a fetid piece of tissue being removed from the body, DeLay emits a most foul odor as he prepares to retire from politics.”

http://mtanga.com/

Redd — a somewhat indelicate question for you on this Duke lacrosse team rape issue: when DNA samples are provided, is there some way to guard against a potential defendant cheating by handing in someone else’s instead?

dannyboy -

It’s called forensic procedure chain of custody.

california_reality_check — yes. I am having serious, serious problems with blood pressure and teeth grinding over this one. Hideous, just plain hideous, and it’s like (well, you know this) plate tectonics: we just sit back and watch it happen, inexorably.

The media continues to refer to creeps like Delay as “conservatives.”
Delay wouldn’t recognize traditional American conservatism if it bit him in the ass.

This has got to stop– calling radical right wing reactionaries ‘conservatives’ gives them aid and comfort and legitimacy.
It happens here in the blogosphere as well- even our most enlightened pundits and bloggers continue to make this strategic error. Let’s stop it already, OK?

Christy,
How can you categorize this as “GOP ethics”? That’s an oxymoron, for sure.

Have we learned a lesson from the selling of the Iraq War? Apparently not,since the same thing is currently happening in selling the need to bomb Iraq – outrageous silence once again in the media about the real reasons for the US wanting to subdue another oil-rich Middle Eastern country.To the streets.

Loan activity grew along with borrowing costs. Thirty-year fixed-rate mortgages, excluding fees, averaged 6.49%, up 0.13 percentage point from the prior week, a peak not reached since 6.53% in the the week ended June 14, 2002.

(USA Today)

30 year fixed mortgages are now precisely one hair below 6.5%.

Somewhere between 6.5% and 7%–the bottom will fall out of the real estate market. Coming soon to a community near you- the housing bust. Will it happen before the elections?

here’s the lesson i learned:
if you self-identify as a christian and a conservative, while making a name for yourself by being a dick, then you can claim that people don’t like you because you’re a ‘christian’ and ‘conservative’, not because you’re a total dick.

High fives went out of date in 1994. All the cool people are knocking knuckles these days.

Well, maybe not inside the beltway. It’s another world in there, isn’t it?

Gotta share this:

How to keep masturbation within healthy Bible based limits

pow wow #3

I’ve sent this email to Countdown. I figure even a mention on ‘Worst Person In The World’ would be a start.

“Please tell me you’re aware of this.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..1636/85527

I would love to see Keith make some comments at the national level to address this issue on behalf of this apparently brave upstanding citizen. Every bit on his behalf helps shed light on some very unsavory practices.

Sorry, but I can’t help feel that this is of higher importance then following Barry Bonds around to every single stadium.

Regards,”

pgw – Makes sense to me. Also there’s this.

http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot…..to-be.html

OT
Aspartame is Good For You

Add AP to the same credibility bin as WaPo, NYT…
~

kirby 17

Christy,
How can you categorize this as “GOP ethics� That’s an oxymoron, for sure.

now that’s an insult to intelligent oxen everywhere…..associating them with the GOP – how could you? :-)

TPM Muckraker has this to report:
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000288.php
Could get really hot really soon…..the popcorn will pop itself!

rw, imo the communities hardest hit by Delphi, GM layoffs would be the most vulnerable.

Thanks hapkidokid – great idea. Since Bruce Funk is a Republican, I believe, maybe Keith will feel he has “permission” from the corporate honchos to take his side. Hope so.

Thanks FDLers – it looks like you helped power this diary to the recommended list. I hope that will help to get Bruce the attention and support he needs.

I’ve been saying this for months now. That the early rumblings amongst repugs about pulling out of Iraq, was only to free up some forces to attack Iran. This next war will be mostly an air campaign, similar to the “Shock and Awe” we saw in Baghdad. The main difference will be the ground campaign will only be quick strikes at strategic targets that need some control on the ground.

Doesn’t this just seem eerily familiar ? With Bush and Cheney and Condi rattling their swords complaining to the UN that Iran has a nuclear weapons program ? Next will be the ties to Bin Laden, and the “imminent threat” BS that we heard just before the Iraq invasion/occupation.

Why are we doing this ???? About twenty years ago, this same nuclear “threat” came from Iran. The Israeli Air Force took care of the suspect facility in an air raid. DONE..

Why can’t we just let the Israeli’s defend themselves again ?

Iran is roughly three times the size of Iraq.

I think even Dumbass Dubya is smart enough not to invade/occupy that kinda hornet’s next…

But I’ve been wrong before :-)

Delay’s resignation dominated the questions that the WaPo’s online chat published today.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..00888.html

Christy,

The GOP doesn’t even understand what ethics are and besides, they wouldn’t apply to them anyway. DeLay is just another one of the narcissistic, pseudoaristocratic republica-lizzards who feel they are entitled to whatever they want. We all are just insignificant peasants who exist to provide them the money and adulation they feel they deserve.

I just read the previous post on the DHS pedophile. It makes me want to shelter the grandkids till they are grown up. When I was a federal employee, I had to undergo a background check and I was just a clerk. My job gave me access to sensitive information about staff performance as well as patient information. I didn’t deal with national security information. My background check involved completing an 11 page questionnaire, asking extremely personal information—family, financial, and medical. Then I had to undergo a 1 hour interview with an inspector general. My point is—if background checks are done for feds with relatively insignificant positions, why in hell aren’t they done for all people in high level government jobs?

So many scoundrels are being indicted…but will justice be done? Does anyone wonder if Bush will start pardoning his friends?

Can anyone explain more about presidential pardons, the limitations if any? Because I sure would hate to see these scum get off free!

Real estate bust–

It already happening–insider info, but loss serverity is going through the roof in residential mortgage companies. During the boom they shortsaled a lot of under-performing assets. Now that the volume is falling, the finger pointing starts.

WRT background checks: the amount of checking that’s done depends a lot on the clearance level required. The average check probably only looks for arrest records; you could lie about it and maybe get away with the lie. For very high level clearances, they’ll want to know about your siblings and parents, and you have to explain every answer to every question, even if you weren’t born yet. I know one person whose father had to explain, every time a check was run, why he had no first grade school record. Maybe the DHS checks were run at the wrong level; maybe they didn’t look very hard.

Mojo, #30

One major reason why Bush and the neocons are serious about an Iran strike is that they have made a horrific mess out of Iraq without being called to account by the media and the public. Therefore, they are emboldened to do it again in Iran. They just are convinced they will get away with it again, regardless of the consequences.
Bush has already said that cleaning up the mess in Iraq is a problem for a future president. Why not throw Iran in the laundry pile too? Also, his approval ratings are so low, at this point he feels he has little to lose and a lot to gain. You can be sure his timing will be synchronized with the Nov. election, and they are seriously at work at preparing the rationale to ramp-up to a strike.

Meanwhile the MSM is out to lunch.

Please give that Daily Kos diary a recommend — pow wow

Kos is too technically challenging for me. How do you recommend a diary?

Watch what Delay said to Matthews “off camera” What a jerk.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..18506.html

John Kerry has drawn a line in the sands of Iraq and has forcefully and specifically laid down a marker for the administration, the Democratic party, and the nation.

ADVERTISEMENT

No other public official to date has had the courage to face the truth, that Iraqi democracy is now, finally, up to the Iraqi people, not the United States.

The Bush administration must now be required to respond to the Kerry time-table, to refute it with more than slogans and rhetoric, and to tell the American people, once and for all, when and how we intend to extricate ourselves from this Vietnam-in-the-desert.

Other Democratic leaders must now be heard on the question of whether they agree or disagree, in specific terms, with the Kerry initiative.

By revealing the brutal truth, that we cannot impose liberal democracy on a people that will not achieve and protect it for themselves, Senator Kerry has gone a very long way toward filling the vacuum in Democratic party leadership felt by too many Americans.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpo…..hdA–

Delay caught on tape w/ Tweety saying that ” there is nothing worse than a know-it-all woman…” Talking of Hillary Clinton

Matthews says to him,”I really owe you one, really I mean it…”

I BET HE DOES!!!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..18506.html

Orangejumpsuit #36

At least Iran will be safe until November. I can NOT imagine even THIS evil regime would do something so self-destructive as another unilateral unprovocked attack before then. If they did, the Repugnicans would lose so big, they would be out of power for the rest of my limetime…. em… I like the sound of that…

Sort of OT:

Apropos of Iran, many bloggers have been touting opinions about the underlying reason for our imminent invasion of Iran being its move toward a new oil bourse (euros) rather than the publicly stated (BushCo) nuclear threat. Supposedly, this same move on the part of Saddam Hussein precipitated, at least in part, our attack on Iraq. Just came across this article on Alternet that I found interesting. It debunks the oil bourse move as the casus belli for an American attack on Iran. It’s likely that the truth lies somewhere in between.

Here’s a excerpt:

“Since 1979 the US power establishment, from Wall Street to Washington, has maintained the status of the dollar as unchallenged global reserve currency. That role, however, is not a purely economic one. Reserve-currency status is an adjunct of global power, of the US determination to dominate other nations and the global economic process. The United States didn’t get reserve-currency status by a democratic vote of world central banks, nor did the British Empire in the 19th century. They fought wars for it.

“For that reason, the status of the dollar as reserve currency depends on the status of the United States as the world’s unchallenged military superpower. In a sense, since August 1971 the dollar is no longer backed by gold. Instead, it is backed by F-16s and Abrams battle tanks, operating in some 130 US bases around the world, defending liberty and the dollar.”

Get it? The world uses the dollar at gunpoint. And have you noticed, the USA spends more on guns than anybody else?

And the link: http://www.alternet.org/blogs/echochamber/33349/

I am not convinced that an attack on Iran is imminent or likely. There is no stomach for it in the military. Unlike the Iraq build up, we are no longer being fed steadily more frightening reports of how dangerous Iran is to US security. And the credibility of the Administration on anything having to do with the Mideast in in shambles. Moreover, it is doubtful that even this Administration believes in a scenario in which inflaming Islam by bombing Iran would help matters in Iraq, where our military (and Bush’s legacy/polls) are bogged down, or help anywhere else. It seems more likely to me that right now, Bush needs Iran to support stability, and that a “wag the dog” option does not help him. Iran has tremendous leverage right now, and everyone knows it. That is why the bombastic statements have become less frequent from the Cheney-types, why the Administration has played a secondary role to Russia and EU efforts at the UN and in bilateral negotiations, and why the US accepted a no-sanctions watered down resolution from the UN with little more than a peep. The Bush Administration is in an extremely weak international position right now; they know it and are doing their best to hide this, partly through occasional belligerent statements to our public, but no follow up. I can’t imagine the US military would remain silent if they though the Pentagon was pushing for another front, and the fact that you don’t hear anything from the military on this point tells me there’s nothing serious being planned. JMO.

That huffingtonpost video of DeLay talking to Matthews is enlightening as to what really goes on between the MSM and politicians like DeLay–at least in Tweety’s case. The air of intimacy and joviality is disgusting. No wonder he doesn’t ask tough questions–he doesn’t want to burst the bubble of congeniality.

one possum-eyed, venal little manque mobster

OMG that phrase is a work of art. Who are you, Tommy Yum?

and there’s this

Iran / Dem Skepticism on Intel

linked text

OT but worth a read– Al Franken nails Coulter and check out his opening statement that he links to as well for a good read!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..18529.html

scarecrow, I hope you’re right. Nice reasoning. Assumes Bushco rationality, though.

“Why are we doing this ???? About twenty years ago, this same nuclear “threat†came from Iran. The Israeli Air Force took care of the suspect facility in an air raid. DONE..”

just a clarification: in the early ’80s, israel bombed nuclear facilities in iraq, not iran

BobbyG — I could be totally wrong (wouldn’t be the first time), and I assume there are still neocon wackos still arguing that American hegemony is the answer to everything. I’m not counting on Bush’s rationality; I’m counting on the military’s willingness to speak up, this time, to stop wacko delusions from becoming official policy.
btw, the message Iran is sending with recent tests is: “Your Gulf fleet is not invulnerable, so if you’re thinking of a pre-emptive strike on our nuclear facilities, be prepared to lose a couple of carriers, and then explaining that to your public.” The Iranians are not stupid, and this is not Saddam’s army/navy. Our military surely gets this. Mutual deterrence works.

scarecrow,

First let me say that I respect your opinion , a lot. Second, I was very encouraged after hearing Jack Murtha speaking on MTP two Sunday’s ago with regard to your point, that the military brass knows that an attack on Iran isn’t an option. However, last Sunday I heard Condoleeza Rice beating the war drums and today I see articles about British officials seeing an attack on Iran as “inevitable”, see here: http://www.btcnews.com/btcnews/1254

Excerpt:

London’s Daily Telegraph published a story yesterday asserting that British defence officials would be meeting with Downing Street today “to discuss possible military strikes against Iran†because the Brits think “an American-led attack, designed to destroy Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear bomb, is “inevitable†if Teheran’s leaders fail to comply with United Nations demands to freeze their uranium enrichment programme.â€

Sure the U.S. is perceived as weak internationally, this is why the story from Alternet above is important. It discards the theory that currency is a key motivator for the U.S. in imposing its military/political will on foreign entities and replaces it with military action as an ands and a means.

Iran–the Bush administration hasn’t let facts or rational thinking interfere with their war plans in the past.

I hope I’m wrong and just need to adjust my tin foil hat, but an attack on Iran would remind the ‘mericans that Bush & the GOP are protecting us from the terrists, just in time for the November elections.

KO highlighted the GOP talking point about Delay yesterday: that Bugman was among the “most effective” party leaders ever in the House. When your job is counting floor votes and corraling floor votes, and you have the kind of dirty K Street money Delay had to spread around, isn’t “effective” the wrong accolade? Effective, but corrupt? That’s a value now in our culture?

“isn’t “effective†the wrong accolade?”

The New York Times article above has almost an air of nostalgia about it–the quotes from Republicans certainly do. Imagine having to actually persuade members of the House to go along on proposals–not just Hammer them into it.

Looks to me like Chris Matthews is up for some Late-Nite FDL action.

I mean, he all but waved his hand and said “ooooo, Pick Me, Pick Me!!”

grandmatoo -

And, “Iranian-sponsored” “terrist” attacks against us in the wake of any such strike against them would surely, in the operative invere logic of BushWorld, simply be bandied about as JUSTIFICATION for our having hit them “pre-emptively,” ‘eh? “Fightin’ the terrists over there so we don’t have to fight ‘em in our streets…”

From the WaPoO Cillizza chat this morning, completely out of left field while setting up Feingold as heir to Dean in 2008:

—————–
If he can tap into Dean’s vast Internet money operation, the quirky Wisconsin Senator could be a force to be reckoned with.
—————-
So: censure resolution, filibuster against the Patriot Act, vote against the war, support for marriage rights: these are “quirky?”

arrrrrrrh.

39 Sangria says:

April 5th, 2006 at 10:16 am

Off topic, but I just called Kerry’s office and thanked him for calling for an immediate end to the Iraq occupation.

I am now going to call other Congressmen (and women) and ask that they join in with Kerry’s plan.

OT-

Al Franken destroys mAnn Coulter, LOL!!!

http://midwestvaluespac.org/bl…..ull-speech

Did any see the video clip of Matthews and Delay on the pre-Hardball handjob? Matthews is going on about of all things—Hillary–then Mr. Christian says: “There is NOTHING worse than a woman know-it-all.”

Ah yes. Attack, attack, attack. Now he is going after McKinney.

This man should be shown NO-Quarter whatsoever.

-GSD

Well– good for the judge– finally an end to the Cisneros investigation– what a colossal waste of tax dollars!!
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2….._0405.html

Feingold supports Kerry’s call.

And fyi, Kerry bashers, this is from Russ Feingold’s office today:

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
On Senator John Kerry’s Call for an
End to Our Military Mission in Iraq

April 5, 2006

“Since August 18, 2005 I have been calling on the Administration to aim to redeploy U.S. military personnel from Iraq by the end of this year so that we can focus on the threat posed by global terrorist networks. I applaud Senator Kerry’s call today for our combat forces to be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of this year. Senator Kerry has been a strong leader in calling for a clear, coherent strategy to complete our military mission in Iraq while engaging Iraq’s leaders with genuine diplomacy. Having just visited Iraq last month, I witnessed the desperate need for Iraqi politicians to form a unity government to prevent the country from falling deeper into violence. Senator Kerry is absolutely right to say that the end of this year is a reasonable target date for redeploying our troops in Iraq.â€

Way to go, Russ!!! Country before personal ambition.

http://www.feingold.senate.gov…..06405.html

from dictionary.com:

QUIRKY: adj : informal terms; strikingly unconventional [syn: far-out, kinky, offbeat, way-out]

And so it begins: the TradMed Feingold takedown….

neurophius -

You need to be a logged-in member of Daily Kos to recommend diaries (and to comment). Those who just read and lurk do not have access to the recommend button and the other features (says a non-member). Thanks for trying.

Things heating up on the Senate floor again, on C-Span 2, re the Immigration Bill.

OfT: “Amnesty Report Fuels Secret Prison Suspicions”
“BERLIN (Reuters) – Three men newly freed from jail in Yemen have given detailed accounts to Amnesty International that suggest they may previously have been held at a secret U.S. prison in Eastern Europe, the rights group said on Wednesday….”
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04…..etain.html
I was very relieved to learn this. Although I have not been monitoring it, I am thrilled to learn that someone actually makes it out of these prisons alive. Secret, domestic NSA spying is simply one leg of the tripod along with secret prisons and torture. Perhaps as Amnesty International publishes their findings wrt these men, the state sponsored terrorism that Cheney/Bush/Rove have engaged in will become clearer.

BobbyG, (comment 56)

Exactly–that’s how the thinking is in BushWorld.

grandmatoo #52

if I can provide a pin hole of hope to ya on where the American people are at

last Sunday night, dinner at the local tavern in our very conservative Central Tx. town – was baiting the bubbas about Iran, and each of them essentially said – ‘let that sumbitch try something like that’ but what about their nukes ? I asked – each and everyone of them expressed doubts as to the veracity of WH claims about any wmd – they also seemed to get that Bushco has run the military in to the ground

not that the Will of the People has ever been an impediment to these pigs, but hopefully Scarecrow is right and unless they vaporize Kansas, I don’t think they’re gonna have much more luck with their serial fear mongering

Neo-Con: “Two B-52’s could take out Iran’s nuclear program”

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/d…..006_pg7_62

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are marching the EXACT same path towards a military attack on Iran as was done with Iraq. The exact same “strategists” are calling the shots and offering the same rosy scenarios.

The nation is in the thrall of warmongering lunatics. The clock is running on this one and America is soon facing a judgement day in the worlds eyes.

-GSD

Its “quirky” to want a One-Payer National Health Care system. Its conservative, right wing and the way of Republican Jesus to tout Medical Savings Plans (Kommander Kodpiece’s soup du jour) and Health Insurance in order to (continue to) line the pockets of Big Insurance Companies.

GSD– read that and it came from a high placed NEOCON who is not named… wonder who???
I said something in the earlier thread re Pat Leahy and the new McCarthyism he spoke of on the Senate floor this morning: this from his website:
http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200604/040506.html

RE Kerry’s statement: I agree with sending Kerry a “thank you,” and please avoid the strong temptation to say, “about time.” Or “why didn’t you do this in 2004?” Just a straight “thanks, you’re right.” Might add that his position is now consistent with, and more detailed than, Murtha, and Kerry could help himselve by say, “yes” when asked if that is true. If he says, No, my plan is different,” it’s the same old Kerry. The statement will help Dems if the public believes Dem leaders are calling for us to get out and putting pressure on the Iraq politicos.
Will be interesting to see how Scotty McClellan reacts to Kerry, and how Mehlman spins this. They are becoming assets to the Dems. If putting the pressure on the Iraqs and refusing to let our troops be caught in the middle of civil war is called “cut and run,” the Repubs will have an even greater credibility problem than they have now. The public has left them.
Feingold’s quick support of Kerry looks like all class, and is in stark contrast with how quickly other Dem’s ran away from him when he got out front. The rest of Dems are now getting a lesson in leadership (and followship), and Hillary is . . . where? IMO, she has about 48 hours to get on this bus, or she remains a decent Senator from New York forever.

Nice props for Kerry from Gary Hart:
John Kerry has drawn a line in the sands of Iraq and has forcefully and specifically laid down a marker for the administration, the Democratic party, and the nation.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..18503.html

Anybody (besides me) read cupholder’s link? It seems that (according to the author) its ok for Christian boys to masturbate as long as they are thinking about Jesus (and not looking at porn or thinking about a sexy cheerleader)while they do it. Hmmm…. Jesus is a man.

OT, courtesey of Maru… Speaking of mAnn Coulter, did anyone see this?

http://www.newshounds.us/2006/….._venom.php

Angie, from the disguntingly arrogant and blustery way it is portrayed, it sounds like pure Richard Perle.

Also, there is apparently a “black-hawk down” style video of what alleges to be a dead US pilot being shown on an insurgent website.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/s…..5-08-50-10

It would be intriguing to compare and contrast the response/reaction to such horrible sight now and how it was played over and over in the 90’s when Bill Clinton was in office.

It is looking grimmer and grimmer by the day. The US is just waking up and coming around, the handful of Republicans–free of the threatening hand of Tom Delay–are now calling for a US troop withdrawl.

We will wake up one of these days to find the US has bombed Iran and that the shit is coming down hard on us all. The Bush Admin. is pushing the throttle full speed ahead and the crazy train aint slowing down.

-GSD

Plano tex -

I simply LOVE being lectured to about my having to take risks, accept limits, and be a “smarter health care shopper” by someone Bush, who will no doubt take EVERY PENNY of generous public retirement funds and platinum-plated taxpayer-funded comprehensive health care for the rest of HIS life.

The link is to a news story, not the video.

-GSD

angie — thanks for the link to Leahy’s statement. I missed the reports about attacks on Salazar, referred to in Leahy’s statement. Know anymore about that?

Plano tex -

That was my thought too. Does Spanking-the -Monkey-for-Jeeeesus make you “gay”?

Plano tex — well that image might work for some, but for others, it sounds like a recipe for carpal tunnel syndrone. ;)

A couple of Iran-points (though I’m getting strong EPU vibes):

1. For dailykos fans, Jerome a Pais has written strongly on the oil bourse question(www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/24/74940/5678). He’s rather the dailykos resident expert on oil and energy-type issues. His take: not an issue.

2. A couple of B-52’s would not take care of the Iranian program. The Iranians learned the lesson of Osirak (Iraq’s bombed reactor.) Their program is dispersed and hardened underground. A sustained air campaign with good intelligence might(maybe, possibly) be capable of destroying the program. However, good intelligence is something we don’t have, and the consequences of landing on the wrong side of “maybe” are awfully high.

3. The Iranian Navy and its magic missiles are not a threat to the US Navy–though could be to conventional shipping. And in a real confrontation it would not be much of a threat to conventional shipping from the bottom of the Gulf.

Plano tex: I skimmed the article, but couldn’t stay too long for fear of bursting into flames. :-)

In my prayers God looks like Minnie Driver (what can I say, I think she’s a babe :)

scarecrow, 78 –

Steve Gilliard comments on the racist shit Senator Salazar is getting:

http://stevegilliard.blogspot……-back.html

=====

scarecrow I only tuned in to CSPAN as Leahy was saying that there is ethnic and religious McCarthyism present in the Senate. I missed Salazar’s remarks and anyone else re Salazar. I did find some articles, though, about threats that he has received, here’s just one:
http://www.thedenverchannel.co…..etail.html

cup and plano,
don’t know about whacking it to glorify God, but it explains why each and everyone of the 101st Fighting Keyboarders wears glasses

ck – thanks for the link. I’ll check it out.

Prof Foland — I accept the view that US Navy may not be threatened by Iran’s tests — but then why conduct them is such public manner. Who was the audience?

EPU’d myself below. See bottom of last thread for some specifics re: FBI background checks

This photo and headline are just ridiculous. Yesterday’s Times had the headline sans photo. The only possible follow-up to the story of his resignation is his actual speech resigning, complete with twitching hands and (surprise surprise) partisan attacks.

But DeLay high-fiving his way out of the halls of Congress in disgrace? This is what the Times picks as it’s lead picture? Give me a break.

The lack of serious, lack of critical thought at what is truly a monumental victory against twelve years of Republican corruption and vicious partisanship is astounding. Yet another depressing example of the decline and fall of the New York Times…

The New York Times’s definition of a “partisan” is any Republican who does not subscribe to the fringe ideology/religios cult of those who write for the New York Times.

Tom — do you include Bill Kristol and William Safire in that?

I can hear that EPU calling…
I think it is generally agreed that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. Hiding their nuclear activities for 18 years, their connections to AQ Khan, their relations with the IAEA, their bad faith in their negotiations with the Europeans and even the Russians are all indicative.

Put the other way, if the Iranians had no nuclear weapons ambitions, it would not be a big deal to have their nuclear facilities monitored and could be used to argue for access to more sophisticated nuclear technology and greater control of the fuel cycle. This said, the question becomes what we should do about it.

If the decision has been made that we can not accept a nuclear armed Iran, then we will strike regardless of the costs. The strike would be made with the tacit approval and logistical aid of Israel and various Arab governments in the region. It would be layered in that not just nuclear sites would be hit but also those assets in Iran which could be used to defend against the attack but also to respond to it either directly or indirectly as for example against shipping in the Persian gulf. It is for precisely this reason that I do not think that we would support a unilateral strike by the Israelis since they do not have the resources to take out all of these other targets. Even so Iran would retain the capacity to use terrorism and asymmetric warfare to exact a cost for our actions. In addition, any attack would have extreme repercussions on the oil market and could throw the world economy into recession –even if the oil flow underwent no serious disruptions.

Another option which is the one we are currently seeing play out is to draw out and delay Iran’s acquiring nuclear weapons. This does not solve the underlying problem but is useful since it avoids a military confrontation that would be disastrous to both sides(i.e. Iran and everyone else) and leaves open the possibility that the situation will change in some unspecified way before Iran gets nuclear weapons.

A final option would be to accept that Iran will at some point have nuclear weapons. This does not contradict the current approach but can be seen as an extension of it. What we should be looking at in this regard is what the consequences of a nuclear Iran would be. Would it be more stable or less stable? Would the region be more stable or less stable? Before Ahmadinejad came to power, I think the view was that nuclear weapons might make Iran feel less threatened and make it a more responsible regional player. Ahmadinejad’s electoral victory, however, showed how unstable Iran still is and how unpredictable. The last and most dangerous thing you want in nuclear politics is uncertainty and at the moment the uncertainties are increasing not decreasing with respect to Iran.

For now I think we will continue on the current track. If events change: we effectively withdraw from Iraq or the Iranian program accelerates or someone misjudges, then all bets are off.

scarecrow and BobbyG – The Military is still run by dumsfeld. Don’t count on a rational approach to anything. They have had a taste of blood. They will stop at NOTHING.

Bush Lite’s electoral victory showed just how unstable the US is and how unpredictable. The last and most dangerous thing you want in nuclear politics is uncertainty and the uncertainties are increasing with respect to the US and its desire to crush its perceived enemies (enemies are defined as those who refuse to acquiesce to US interests).

OMG that phrase is a work of art. Who are you, Tommy Yum?

Thesaurus,

I’m a pissed-off NC liberal and proud member of this lil’ community. I’m not so sure I want to give my real name; I hope you understand.
Thank you for your kind words. The work of the posters and commenters on this site set a high example indeed.

I sure hope nobody follows this fucktard suit anywhere.

Re: huffingtonpost video on Matthews’ interview with DeLay.

Very interesting. This confirms what I had pointed out here during the show
(“Watching Chris Matthews getting on his knee-pads to service Tom DeLay with softball questions. …This must be the quid pro quo for getting the “heads up†on the news from DeLay. What a disgrace to the profession of journalism!â€)http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/04/04/come-to-jesus-bugman/#comment-55229

Some response to this continuing and ugly display of obsequiousness by Matthews seems definitely warranted. I have sent an e-mail to his blog and to MSNBC. Perhaps other responses should be considered. As ExcuseME suggests above (at 55 ): “Looks to me like Chris Matthews is up for some Late-Nite FDL action.â€

Further note … the video captures perfectly the pernicious role of the incestuous relation between inside-the-beltway “journalism” and the corrupt politics that now holds sway here in Washington.

Sorry to be obtuse, but could someone explain the original comment to me? I mean, what’s the “weird” part? I don’t get it.

“Weird”??
How about “Biased”??
And you call the media “right wing”. Hahaha. This is just too much really…