FITZ!

One organization that I really like is Kiva: microloans to individual specific businesses in many countries, and you get to follow how the business is doing. When your loan is repaid, you can lend it out again, or donate it, or get it back. Really very gratifying.

I really should not of read that Lawyers, Guns & Mondy crap on Pat Tillman. My kids know friends of Pat from ASU. What does the parents religious beliefs have to do with wanting to know the truth of how their son died?

It is the same “look at the shinny object” so that they do not have to answer the questions!
The Pat Tillman incident and lies have turned a LOT of stallard Republicans in AZ against the Bush Wars. It was our Katrina moment.

Tillman was well liked, just one of those great kids and very sad loss.

Re: Lawyers, Guns and Money — The whole Tillman incident is just one item in a long list of atrocities that those in power will never take responsibility for. The worst part of it is BushCo exploited his murder and used it to their advantage, pretending it was something it was not and covering up the horrible truth.

Another thing that has caused me a high level of pissed-offedness is this article:

Soldiers Say Ordered to Kill Young Men

OT and on a lighter note – it looks like Floyd Landis, former Mennonite from PA has just won the 2006 Tour de France.

My wife and I have been supporting Heifer International and CCF for several years. Both allow you to pick geographical areas and/or specific humanitarian self-help projects. Both have low bureauocratic ‘overhead’and keep in touch with donors.

hating samsara…

Thanks for a nice post. Lots of stuff I can sink my teeth into here.

The Sarah video hit the spot – thanks

twolf1 #5

When I was stationed in Greece, I visited a village that had been occupied by the Nazi during WWII. There is a heroic story of the village hiding Brittish soldiers from the Nazi and the price they paid.

http://www.yelavich.com/photos…..230509.htm
The original village of Anoya was destroyed by the Nazis in retaliation of the actions against them. Many males were killed by the Nazis attempting to curtail the actions of the resistance ’soldiers’.

This is an age old battle techique that can be tracked back to the beginning of time. It may be the reason you are seeing women taking up arms….

Heart you always Christy and your uniquely quietly gentle yet kickass thought and writing, and thanks, very necessary post – the Buddha said this world is a burning house – well now we got it on crack with these maniacs. HOW. DO. WE. STOP. THIS.

Lieutenant Colonel Kauzlarich should have his military career ended. He was the commander who made the bad decisions that directly led to Tillman’s death. With his derogatory comments to Tillman’s family he proves he is unworthy of his rank.

What’s more disturbing is how much the US military is becoming the Christian military under Bush. We don’t need fanatics trained as professional killers serving at the behest of a lunatic fringe neocon government.

Personally I think it’s time to consider eliminating the professional military. It would be a lot harder to wage wars of choice in foreign lands if an army has to be raised first.

Dowd says this:

“The more W. and his tough, by-any-means-necessary superbabe have tried to tame the Middle East, the more inflamed the Middle East has become,” writes Dowd.

“Now the secretary of state is leaving, reluctantly and belatedly, to do some shuttle diplomacy that entails little diplomacy and no shuttling,” Dowd continues. “It’s more like air-guitar diplomacy.”

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2….._0722.html

Hey LeisureGuy! Going to read yer link.

Oh and fuck cleaning the house for now I guess…

puppethead, betcha we see the draft back before Christmas. And God only knows what else . . .

I hate to pile on with more depressing news, but I can’t ignore these.
Top Secret World Loses Blogger.

Christine Axsmith, a software contractor for the CIA, considered her blog a success within the select circle of people who could actually access it.

Only people with top-secret security clearances could read her musings, which were posted on Intelink, the intelligence community’s classified intranet.
[snip] But the hundreds of blog readers who responded to her irreverent entries with titles such as “Morale Equals Food” won’t be joining her ever again.

On July 13, after she posted her views on torture and the Geneva Conventions, her blog was taken down and her security badge was revoked. On Monday, Axsmith was terminated by her employer, BAE Systems, which was helping the CIA test software.

Heaven forbid someone mention their belief that torture is bad, we can’t have that in the US of A now, can we?

Then we have Little Boots taking a big swing at any and all federal programs he doesn’t like, with a Sunset Commission.
A Presidentially-appointed “Sunset Commission” could decide to axe such perpetually threatened programs as Head Start — or even Veterans benefits and Social Security. Both bills have been fast-tracked and could be voted on as early as next week.

Great. While everyone’s distracted with the meltdown in the Middle East, he wants to destroy everything that makes America what it is. The land of opportunity.

In Bushworld, opportunity is only for the rich and well connected.

What a combination, the Christian military, Neo-Nazi and skin heads. Lordy…

How do we stop this?
If anyone critizes Israel then you anti-semitic. Having lived in the Greece 1977-1980, “a real fun time in that region”, that area is a tender keg, an explosion waiting to happen.

Doing NOTHING is not a POLICY!

Steve Gilliard — The Stupid Festival

http://stevegilliard.blogspot……tival.html

U.S. Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis

The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, American officials said Friday.

The decision to quickly ship the weapons to Israel was made with relatively little debate within the Bush administration, the officials said. Its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others because of the appearance that the United States is actively aiding the Israeli bombing campaign in a way that could be compared to Iran’s efforts to arm and resupply Hezbollah.

EPU’d, here’s the link to the leaky-Rasmussen kos diary. I guess subscribers pledge to keep Rasmussen numbers secret, but this diarist broke the promise. Kinda exciting numbers in Connecticut:

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/7/22/94755/3899

TOWA, holy jeez, that “Sunset Commission” needs to be renamed “Doomsday Commission”!

Er, no, truth-in-advertising doesn’t work for Chimpy.

What was I thinking?

Waking up late. Missed pull up a chair. :(

Christy, you are a truly beautiful person.

Going to try to get Sarah M video on my sad home dialup.

There is indeed a clash of civilizations here – ordinary Americans and ordinary people of the world vs. fucked up badly raised deranged Cheney neocon junta and their corporate money/propaganda juggernaut.

ZOWIE

Well, if Rasmussen’s gonna take Joel’s money, they’re gonna have to take Joel’s mouth too, huh, Teddy?

“Kewl” doesn’t begin to cover it!

PNAC just keeps rolling along…right into Lebanon with an assist from Israel…

and the president of the DNC doesn’t want to use war as an issue. How much madness can you stand? Chaos on the ground is a direct illustration of what’s in charge.

A year ago I was convinced we’d see a draft. But now I don’t think we will. The major reason is that Bush has lost control of Congress. The GOP won’t rubber stamp a draft as easily as they might have before Bush’s approval hit the 30s and DeLay was deposed. There’s also the real fear the GOP will be routed in the elections this year.

I also don’t see a draft because it’s not in the nature of the neocons. Recall that almost all of them are draft dodgers avoiders (”other priorities”). No, the Rumsfeldian fantasy of transformed warfare will most likely lead to a belief that we can fight wars without ground troops ( la “shock and awe”). This will, of course, be a disaster. But never expect the Bush government to act rationally.

Lotus, that’s kind of what I was thinking. These clowns want to return America to early 20th century rules. No income tax, no SEC, no social security, no safety net of any kind. Survival of the fittest.

Since they’ve raided our treasury for themselves, they’re set up to be “fittest” for a couple generations at least. Bastards. All of them.

-ck-
re: Gillard quote. I commented elsewhere more or less:
“Bombs for Israeli destruction of Lebanon = fast delivery”

U.S. Citizens evacuation of Lebanon war zone…not so much.

I agree with the sentiment expressed in the video. Think of all the resources consumed every time some a crappy two-hour movie is made. The movie sets! The equipment! The gasoline! My God, what a waste, so that we can sit on a couch and feel good for a couple of hours.

The planet doesn’t need anymore of that kind of excess.

George Galloway says:

Imagine if Lebanon destroyed every bridge in Israel, blew up the international airport, blockaded the ports, severed every arterial road, ordered people to leave their homes and then bombed them to pieces when they did… Do you think any Western leader would utter the words “Lebanon has a right to defend itself”?

This is the basic truth that every news bulletin seems designed to obscure. It is the reality that is enraging hundreds of millions of people across the globe as Israel launches its barbaric action against the people of Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

And it is not just Israel, of course. Barely commented on in the British media is the fact that it was Britain and the US that prevented the G8 summit from calling for a ceasefire.

Tony Blair and his ministers were again instrumental on Monday in preventing the European Union from issuing a condemnation of Israel’s aggression. No one should be in any doubt why – George Bush and Blair want Israel to continue its assault on Lebanon.

Green light

The US state, with the craven support of Blair’s government, is giving Israel a green light. This is not because of some imagined stranglehold on Middle East policy exercised by a supposedly omnipotent Zionist lobby.

It is because Israel is doing what it has always done – serving the interests of US imperial power in the Middle East.

http://www.informationclearing…..e14113.htm

Urban Pirate at 20 — there’s no missing Pull up a Chair — we keep it going all day. :) Some days, you need the thread more than others and I think today is going to be one of those days…SIGH.

Here’s a proposal at the California Roots blog (”Californians for The Common Good”) by member sherocket. She runs her ethernet cable out her front window, sets up her laptop on the front stoop, and registers neighbors and passersby to vote. According to this website, at least the first part of voter registration can be done online in California.

Reaching out to neighbors who may not be registered to vote, especially sharing with them our privilege of online access and computer technology: rootsy, both grass- and net-!

Check out your own Secretary of State’s website for details on whether this “hang the cable out the window” voter registration idea will work in your area. Here’s California’s site:

http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm

What does one say or do? Our “opposition” party lines up in literal lockstep with President Psycho Cheney (Nixon Was A Pussy) to say, “how high, Massa Israel?”

Jesus, jesus. Damn damn damn.

Christy – thanks for highlighting Heiffer International! They are an awesome group …I give Heiffer gifts each holiday to family who don’t need more stuff … giving a flock of ducks or a beehive for a family aiming at subsistence survival somewhere is a great present. I also have a monthly debit set up for Medecins Sans Frontiers (doc w/o borders) who I trust to get help to those in need no matter the politics … it’s a nice, easy way to keep helping.

in and out today … have friends from LeSpeakeasy.org coming from all over for a little social – my pre-FDL family – woohoo!

Christie, you’re right. We have to take charge and do some good in this world, whatever we can. Gotta keep the spirits up.

Escalating mideast conflict: the unreported threat to the U.S. and the world.

Few Americans are aware of this potential disaster. An escalating conflict with nukes only needs one or two nukes to go over high over the US to create a disaster of epic proportions. It should be stressed that stateless “terrorists” do not have the capability to deliver such a strike, nor do Iran, Syria, or North Korea. This conflict, which will likely draw Russia or China into the fray, threatens everyone on the planet, not just “terrorists” (or freedom fighters, or defenders of their homelands, take your pick) in the Middle East.

Excerpt:

Q. The United States is the dominant space-faring nation with more military satellites in orbit than every other nation combined. How difficult would it be to disrupt or destroy U.S. space-based systems?

A. Any nation. Military satellites are very vulnerable. As we learned at our conference the easiest way to paralyze the entire U.S. space satellite system in low Earth orbit is by detonating a nuclear weapon at that level above the Earth to produce radiation in the belt where the satellites orbit. The satellites built to function for 10 years will then all die a slow death over just a few weeks as they pass through the most irradiated areas.

And if you detonate a single nuclear weapon in the upper atmosphere you will produce an electric magnetic pulse, or EMP. One nuclear weapon detonated in near space would therefore melt down the entire electronic communications network of the United States.

This would of course ruin the U.S. economy and utterly disrupt society across the country. But it would have even more grave consequences. There are 103 nuclear power plants across the United States. They all rely on external electricity supply that powers their water-coolant systems. If these were all knocked out, you would run the risk of more than 100 Chernobyl-scale nuclear core meltdowns across the United States.

All the power plants have their own back-up generators, of course, but they would all need time crank up and too often their testing and maintenance has been neglected because they so seldom, if ever, have had to be used in the past, and some of them don’t work when they’re supposed to. Therefore there would indeed be a real risk of many Chernobyls all over the place. Thus a single EMP detonation in space aimed against U.S. military space-based assets could produce a truly cataclysmic outcome, and it would be very easy to do.

More on viewing the Webb vs. Allen debate today via Ray McAllister at the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

“. . .Good luck. It’s at The Homestead, in the far western reaches of the state, an overnight trip for most Virginians.

And you’d better sleep in your car if you go. Taking a room at The Homestead practically requires taking out a loan. A couple spending just two weekend nights will be charged $1,040.

And that’s the cheap room.

And even if you get to The Homestead, there’s a catch. You have to go to law school first because this is a Virginia Bar Association event.

Lawyers only, please.

We’ve got as much access to Allen and Webb as Dorothy had to the Wizard of Oz.

Pay no attention to the men behind the curtain.

The candidates will get to define themselves by their campaign commercials.”

I’m glad you posted this. I didn’t click it on Eschaton. I’ve sworn off of Adtrios’ blind You Tube links.

DoubleSpeak is alive and well.

Hezbollah and Hamas are terrorist organizations. But Israeli targeted attacks and killing of Lebanese and Palestinians civilians is self-defense and protecting Israel’s right to exist.

When Syria or Iran provide financial and material support to Hamas and Hezbollah – then it is cause for the US and Israel to attack them. But it is perfectly normal when US taxpayers finance the purchase of US weapons and aviation fuel by Israel and it is delivered as a rush order.

While the US corporate media continue to label Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations they fail to note that both are elected representatives of their people. Hamas was elected by the Palestinians to form their government. Hezbollah has a large number of seats in the Lebanese parliament and represent the Shia community which is around 50% of the Lebanese population.

One of the problems with the Middle East is that the US is not an honest broker. And both the Repub and Dem parties overwhelmingly support and encourage Israeli actions. The last Dem to suggest an even handed approach to the Middle East – Howard Dean was attacked mercilessly as a terrorist sympathizer. Since both our political parties are effectively agents of the State of Israel we will continue to see more DoubleSpeak and more violence that will not get the parties to the conflict in the Middle East to like or respect each other. And the acquiescent American people get surprised when there is blowback.

I finally wandered over to NYT. What’ll ya have –

NASA’s Goals Delete Mention of Home Planet?

Or

Queens Probably Will Not Have Power by Sunday?

Or how about

Bolton’s Ways Foil Goals, U.N. Envoys Say?

Maybe some

Cuts in Africa Aid Thwart U.S. Goals?

But since there’s more than enough thwarting to go around, perhaps I could interest you in

this.

God save us from evangelical Christians who think they need to support conflict in the Middle East so the world can end.

The City of Las Vegas has passed a law making it illegal to feed homeless people in city parks.

If you feed a homeless person in a city park, you’re breaking the law.

It’s a cold-blooded, heartless and immoral.

Must reading – Dahr Jamail was on his way back to Iraq to provide more independent coverage … his flight took him via Lebanon and he has instead been reporting from there – he is the most astonishing journalist and always worth reading but his piece today is beyond that …

Read here:
“War Savages Everything”
http://dahrjamailiraq.com/weblog/

Then sign up for his email service … I rely on him to tell the truth.

siun 38 – thanks and total yep on Dahr

GOTV – the absolutely single most important effort we all can make. Kos has recently reported on the abysmal turnout in some primaries. Thanks for stressing what is seemingly so easily overlooked.

ab initio– very well put, thank you.

siun– dahr is one of our national treasures.

I am in moderation above, not sure why…

Wow, siun 38.

Hey sharkbabe, how goes the housecleaning? Apparently as well as my Saturday morning chores, eh?

Don’t feed the homeless:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/l…..89438.html

Well, I finally made it over to NYT, so what’ll ya have (apologies to the Mod Goddess)?

Queens Probably Will Not Have Power by Sunday

Or . . .

Bolton’s Ways Foil Goals, U.N. Envoys Say

Or maybe . . .

Cuts in Africa Aid Thwart U.S. Goals

How about some . . .

I.R.S. to Cut Tax Auditors

And since we’ve got more than enough foiling and thwarting to go around, perhaps I could interest you in . . .

In G.O.P. Fund-Raising, Dole’s Star Power Dims

Teddy – ok seriously shutting down and to chores, I mean it!

Whoops — what I thought had disappeared on me has ended up a double post. Apologies. (In the meantime, the NASA story also disappeared from NYT’s home page.)

That reminds me. Have you guys noticed that, since NYT’s reformatting a few months ago, they slap most of Sunday’s paper up there by mid-day Saturday, so now we’re stuck with the same homepage stories all weekend? Cost-cutting, no doubt. Necessary to the ongoing care and feeding of shareholders, no doubt. (Among whom, I’m certainly glad that I stopped numbering a couple of years ago.) Pity party for the Sulzbergers, anyone?

Sharkbabe – I reward myself with 5 minutes of FDL for every room swept and dusted … helps!

Glad Dahr gets props … I rely on him and the selection of news from Http://www.InformationClearingHouse.org

to know what’s really going on … between Dahr and Fisk and MFI, I feel like I get a pretty humane view rather than a dogmatic one.

Where’s the love? Where’s the outrage. I want to make the suffering stop.

Sharkbabe – ok but seriously return soon.

I adore Liddy Dole’s smackdown of Ken Mehlman “choking”:

Her recruiting effort in the Michigan Republican Senate primary has put her at cross-purposes with Ken Mehlman, the Republican National Committee chairman. Mrs. Dole has actively pressed the candidacy of a white candidate, Michael Bouchard, who is in a primary against a black candidate, Keith Butler, to challenge Senator Debbie Stabenow.

“I think Ken might have choked a little bit on that one,” Mrs. Dole said with a soft laugh of her Michigan maneuverings. She said she applauded Mr. Mehlman’s overall effort to improve the party’s appeal to blacks, but argued that it was essential for Republicans to field the strongest possible challenger to Ms. Stabenow, and that Mr. Butler was simply a weaker candidate.

But he just choked a little bit.

heh heh.

Oh, and I found this at Lawyers, Guns and Money this morning…and it pissed me off beyond my ability to explain why. Just go read it. Appalling is only a starter word

Sadly that is typical of todays active duty Army officers. Well not typical most of them are smart enough not to say stupid shit like that to a reporter. They’ll say it to each other and to the troops but usually not openly.

If you want to help with immigration issues, two groups that are worthwhile are Catholic Relief and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. (I’ll be doing some volunteer work for the latter soon on a regular basis.) Even in the Age of Bush, they are the only two religous groups that have the support and ear of the Feds in this area.

siun at 9:58 am – I use this link to ICH:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/

dot org, as in your link above doesn’t redirect for me. But yes, it’s a must read several times a day.

Re: Ck at 18

I saw that this AM and though to myself, that the only way for yhe arab street to interpret that headline about the US rushing delivery of bombs to Isreal, coupled with Condi’s very strange position that in immediate ceasefire would be conterproductive (I watched Andrea Mitchell trying to explain this lunacy last night, and even a shill like Mrs. Greenspn was having a hard time coming up with spin that didn’t sound like the ravings of mass murderer)

The insane predictions of Osama Bin Ladan about a showdown between Islam and Christian crusaders are being brought to fuflliment by this wako adimistration.

The rushing the bombs to Isreal the no immediate ceasefire retoric = Isreal is our servant doing our evil work for us.

How else can a regular labanese in the street see this?

When did my country become genocidal?

Any word from Zennurse?

Re: my 58

Am I over reacting?

No word from zennurse yet, Anne H, but at least we’ve got lhp back!

How was the trial, dearie, and how’s Baby Mittens, and how’s YOU?

JWR – thank you for supplying the right link!

and Anne, no word that I’ve seen but she would be working this weekend – I’m suspecting RevDeb will find a way to get news.

hey

is it just me or are the words ‘Tony Snow’ showing up more and more in news releases? Functionally, he is like the last liar What’s-his-name, except far more telegenic, blow-dried. On NBC, he came on just after David Gregory and it was hard to tell if he was reporting the news or spinning.

btw, in case anyone is asking themselves: what kind of busy day is George Bush having? MSNBC says he’s at the faux ranch in Crawford today.

Being born with a silver spoon in your mouth so that you can escape to a family compound purchased with family money to escape your job any time you like? Priceless.

Had enough? I sure as hell have…

lhp

I don’t think you are overreacting. I wonder the same thing myself. And when I look backward into our history, I see that we have been genocidal for sadly, a long time.

We need a sea change in government. Not just a different candidate here or there, but the whole premise of the way we are governing has to change.

No, you’re not overreacting, lhp.

You’re. Not. Overreacting.

The. USA. Has. Lost. Its. Soul.

lhp — no, no, I don’t think you are over-reacting. Hell, I’m in the streets of San Francisco and I see it exactly the way you described. Why wouldn’t the Lebanese street put 2 and 2 together and get 4?

I also absolutely agree with your assessment of Andrea’s reporting — she was having a tough time getting the faxed positions outof her mouth, although I think it helped that she was speaking to New Brian. Not sure Keith wouldn’t have called Andrea on her shit. Or Condi’s shit.

========
Had Enough?
========

Beautiful video-

On a more upbeat note but sort of along the same lines check out the WherethehellisMatt video Ezra Klein linked yesterday-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiGDSr_DFlE

The world just isn’t that big a place.

well I guess the FDL jury is back on the over-reacting possibility…..

Hey CHS, remember, it ain’t a ranch it’s a pig farm.

Ranches have scary horsies!

it used to be a pig farm — now its a home for swine …

lotus at 66 and everyone else — don’t you dare define this nation as a whole based on the policies of the neocons. Their view of the world and this nation is not mine, nor is it the perspective that most Americans take. Do not allow yourself to define this country by their actions — they bear responsibility for what they do, but they are not the whole of America. Words have strong meaning, and we need to be very careful what words we use in this — the neocons, the Bush Administration and their failed policies are not the best of America. Don’t define the whole by the parts that are failing the rest of us.

he’s at the faux ranch in Crawford today.

But..but..it’s not August yet! I wonder what PDB’s he’ll ignore this weekend?

I’m

Teddy — you genius!

When Chimpy is convicted at The Hague, we must see to it that he’s sentenced to life in a stall with the biggest, unfriendliest Clydesdale in Europe.

Bush becoming President in 2001 was seen by the world as a stupid mistake but when he got re-elected, then folk began to think Americans really meant it …

You’re right, Christy. Despair overtook me for a moment. Thank God you are here to slap us out of it.

*ilson, I don’t believe the shrub has been elected even one time.

From this day forward, the neocons opinions should be limited to their nuclear families.

I do think it’s important that anonymous bureaucrats leaked to the NYTimes the story about US guided missiles and bombs being rushed to Israel. It’s good the NYTimes felt it important to publish the info too…

Still, it’s despicable rushing armaments to Israel while decrying a ceasefire !

neocons when around nuclear families look for big red buttons …

Reporters from Al Jazeera and Al Arabia were attacked by Israeli forces today … looks like Israel learned that lesson from us …

Good point, *ilson. DC insiders aren’t hemming and hawing for months before ratting out these skeezers any more. They’re reaching critical mass promptly now — but too late? God, I hope not.

Has everyone seen the latest CT numbers from Rasmussen?

You’ll like ‘em, I promise.

Chimp hiding behind the US flag on scary Lippizanner!

http://community.webshots.com/…..4433dhqULF

Thanks Eli.

everybody’s gone leaky on Rasmussen, I guess….

A diary at DailyKos has had an advance look at some new Rasmussen Poll numbers. Lamont has a double digit lead in the primary and is tied with Lieberman in the general.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..94755/3899

Well that video sure made me cry.

I’ve been planning and working my whole life to help children in poor countries. For me it’s based on Christian beliefs, but there are lots of other good reasons to help.

Now my dream has come true, after years of education and dreaming and planning. I work in a children’s hospital in a country where a dollar goes a long, long way.

People here might not realize that so much good can be done for such a small amount of money, properly targeted.

For a very good use of your funds, donate to Doctors Without Borders/MSF to help kids around the world. They specialize in finding the most disastrous situations, and are very strongly independent of government interference. These are the good guys, hope you will help support them.

DWB/MSF are fighting the alligators, I am helping drain the swamp. For more info see my homepage under the link at my name, then right hand side “Working for peace.” It’s right there under “Mothership: firedoglake” :)

Don’t despair. Everyone can do something, even if it is encouraging others who are going out there. Start with one small step and build from there. Keep going.

I like what I see Eli. Go bulldogs!

Pore ol’ Joel. Broke his plate over to the Rasmussens’.

Mother Teresa said that small deeds done with love will be greatly blessed.

In spite of all our (usually well founded) grousing about the credulity of the MSM, CNN is doing a pretty good job of showing what’s actually happening with the situation in Lebanon. It isn’t all Iraeli-Bushco propaganda, perhaps because the reporters are on the ground in Lebanon and Israel, rather than embedded in the Israeli military. So although there are plenty of pundits saying the Lebanese Prime Minister is talking tough but won’t actually do anything, a CNN reporter who actually talked to some Lebanese soldiers posted in southern Lebanon just said that their orders are to fight the Israelis if they invade. So much for the fantasy that somehow the non-Hezbollah Lebanese will be happy to see the advancing foreign troops. Apparently they aren’t grateful for the “help” in establishing control of their territory.

Go bulldogs!

Hee. Cardinal, actually. We won the Director’s Cup for the most successful sports program in the country *again*.

The Rasmussen numbers do look great for Ned — but the poll numbers have been all over the map on this (MyDD has some good comparisons up today between the Quinnipeac and Rasmussen numbers on this primary.) Bottom line, things look good momentum-wise going into the primary — but NOTHING can be taken for granted in this race, including the pull out the stops dirty tricks that someone likely has up their sleeve that we haven’t even seen yet. The best way to combat that is to volunteer with the Lamont campaign, if you live anywhere nearby — boots on the ground and personal contact are essential in the last two weeks of a race, and your efforts could make all the difference!

Christy, what about a Pull Up A Chair morning on the theme of volunteer work both here and overseas?

Since we invite lurkers, it might be a good opportunity for them to jump in and share how they are volunteering. Lotta good stories out there.

Lebanese soldiers posted in southern Lebanon just said that their orders are to fight the Israelis if they invade. So much for the fantasy that somehow the non-Hezbollah Lebanese will be happy to see the advancing foreign troops. Apparently they aren’t grateful for the “help” in establishing control of their territory.

Why is this always a surprise to the neocons???

Bottom line, things look good momentum-wise going into the primary — but NOTHING can be taken for granted in this race, including the pull out the stops dirty tricks that someone likely has up their sleeve that we haven’t even seen yet.

I’m feeling pretty good about the primary right now, and a win there would buy Ned another three months to build the name recognition he needs in the general (which I don’t feel good about if it were held today, which it isn’t).

It seems the Connecticut Post doesn’t like the Lieberman campaign lying to them about Halliburton stock….

http://www.myleftnutmeg.com/sh…..aryId=2253

Lotus

You are so sweet to me:

Trial continues with no end in sight. Tis should have been a 1 day event. We have had 3 full days and are only just string the defendant’s case. MY opponent keeps going into 1/2 rants (mistating both the law and the record of testimony–I have lost my poker face at least twice and snickered–so ashamed)

Baby mittens is a constant wonder. mama dog has to be remined to feed puppy, but with no compwetition fo rmilk, puppy is huge. only a week old and trying to walk up =on it’s feet like a real dog. Eyes won’t open for a fews days yet, but she is already very mobli can do the whole length pf a large room (very brave puppy) and tries to play. She has sense of humor.

Already likes to be scritched on the belly.

She is upstairs living withthe peopple and the big dogs, not really having the puppy and mama experience. She is going to very very bonded to humans.

Me, am tired, but going to spend the weekend expercsining and trying to finish first draft of election fraud book. Hope to have a working draft in time for DNC meeting in mid-August.

Hope being the operative word

BarbaraB, thanks for that update. I haven’t turned on the teevy today, a certain image from yesterday still being all I can stand.

Has anyone on CNN (or elsewhere) speculated that this may have been what’s delaying the full ground assault that so many expected to launch last night?

so Baby Mittens will be a Democrat in a few days — after she opens her eyes !

Ah, you fooled me with the Eli. At least you’re not a Hahvahd man!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5206470.stm

Thousands flee southern Lebanon

Thousands of people are struggling to leave southern Lebanon, as Israel continues air strikes and ground raids.

Civilians in 10 villages were told to leave by Saturday evening, a day after leaflets were dropped warning locals to flee a broad swathe of the south.

But a BBC correspondent in the city of Tyre says many residents are too afraid of continued bombing to flee.

The UN humanitarian chief is en route to Beirut, as the UN seeks to secure safe routes out for fleeing civilians.

The UN’s Jan Egeland said half a million people needed assistance – and the number was likely to increase.

As concerns about hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians grew, Israel eased restrictions on the country’s blockaded ports to allow aid into the country.

Stagehands?

Broken linky in 39 or 40 killing Safari.

aHA! Also in the Connecticut Post:

Lamont’s wealth confirmed in 2005 tax documents

btw, Howie has a fantastic candidate coming up in Blue America today: Bruce Braley from IA-01. Great progressive and a really great guy. And he’ll be hear to chat with all of us today — Blue America will begin at 11:00 am PT/2:00 pm ET.

There won’t be a draft, IMO, because then, when liberals say how could you send soldiers over there to die, they couldn’t say, “hey, they volunteered….”

Well I read on one of teh Internets that the Israeli brass is surprised and amazed that their air offensive against Hezbollah was not effective. Sheesh they really are playing out of the same book that our neocons are (who could have foreseen THAT!).

Every time I watch these things play out, I keep asking myself…are they really that stupid, or is their plan really to cause as much wreckage as possible, to prolong their Forever War? I go back and forth on how I answer that hehe.

Ah, you fooled me with the Eli. At least you’re not a Hahvahd man!

Yeah, I figured that was what happened. But no, I’m not that kind of Eli. Never even considered it, it would have been too weird.

Condoleezza will not be meeting the Syrians. She has said, they know what to do. This is an example of the Administration new emphasis on telepathic diplomacy. So far it has been unsuccessful although there has been a run on shoes in Damascus.

Rice has also angered many Evangelicals by her talk of seeking a “long term solution” to the crisis. They accuse her of a lack of faith in the imminence of the End of Days.

RevDeb at 102 — Got it. :) Refresh your browser and you should be okay.

Christy at 71

Can’t remeber the last time I had to disagree with you, especailly in public

WE ARE LETTING THEM DO IT

We are not taking to the streets. The is no Orange Revolution. Hell there isn’t even a national candlelight vigil for those poor people being bombed for no reason.

Whatever Isreal’s problem with Hezbollah (and they are real problems) what has that got to do with bombing civilians back to the stone age?

By the by, Ann Curry was reporting last night about how Hezbollah has won the hearts of the local populace by rpoviding garbage pick up and getting the electricty to work and providing working helath clinics and water purification

In short hezbollah engaed in acts of competetn good government. If the US did that in Iraq, well maybe they would great us with flowers and candy.

Believe you me, if US backed …anything..actually provided decent competetn government services, we would not have ideologocal wars. People vote for their own happiness and well being…and their children’s.

Whatever dreadfull things Hezbollah does to the Isrealis, it engages in good government policies at home. All the average arab in the stret knows is that the US goverment is RUSHING more instruments of death and destruction to Isreal, not telling isreal to even pause to take a breath, and the Amrican populace is just standing by and letting it happen

Why am I less culpable than was a “good german” in WWII?

lhp –

No, you are not over-reacting — although I prefer a more sanguine approach to the news. The warmonger lunatics are in control, and we are just spectators.

Some movie metaphors might be helpful. Remember the scene in The Blues Brothers where the Nazi drives his Pinto off the viaduct and falls thousands of feet to the street below? Well, instead of a Pinto, it’s a bus with Bush (or Cheney or Condi or Rummy) in the driver’s seat, while Bush whoops it up like Slim Pickens riding the bomb in Dr Strangelove.

Anyone for a game of hearts, while we are waiting?

Thanks Christy.

Just called zennurse again and got her! She seriously couldn’t talk– 3 people on hold, but said she’d call me tomorrow.

Anyway, she’s OK. whew!

I would feel more like “just a spectator” if I did not know that my tax dollars pay for the Israeli bombs killing those children.

Christy: your comment about George being born with a silver spoon in his mouth reminds me of Ann Richards’ comment: “Poor George, he was born with a silver foot in his mouth.”

RevDeb – thanks for the good news re Zenn! phew is right!

Ck-

What gives us the right, in a particpatory democracy, to sit on our rer ends and be spectators to murder?

What gives us the right, in a particpatory democracy, to sit on our rer ends and be spectators to murder?

We have the right to *not* participate. Doesn’t mean it’s a good idea, though.

Nut[meg] grafs from ConnPost’s Lieberman/Lamont/Halliburton story:

On Tuesday, Lieberman told the Post’s editorial board that he wondered why Lamont had not divested, given his opposition to the war in Iraq.

Lieberman’s own financial disclosure form, however, shows that he has invested as much as $30,000 in two mutual funds that hold Halliburton stock. Victory Diversified Stock Fund has 4.7 percent, and Columbia Marsico Focused Equity 3.3 percent of its equity in the company.

For Lieberman, that would work out to as much as $1,200.

Lamont has $50,000 invested in Halliburton through an account managed by Goldman Sachs. The account holds investments in more than 260 corporations including large investments in Exxon-Mobil, Citigroup and Bank of America.

Marion Steinfels, a spokeswoman for Lieberman’s campaign, said Thursday that the campaign was not aware that Lieberman’s mutual funds were invested in Halliburton. She did not know if Lieberman knew.

“We are looking into this,” she said.

Stumblebums.

WE are supplying the bombs.

WE are RUSHING the bombs to the middle east, so they civilians can die sooner

WE ARE DOING THAT, not the Isrealis

US

Well, it was kind of weird. But isn’t college like that for everyone? In any case, I gained a lot of great friends, a couple of whom have parents living in Ct. I am going to see if I can GOTV for Ned.

Why is it that protesting in the streets is always the throw-back on action? Why isn’t working on election campaigns to throw the bums out an equally viable option? Or letters to the editor? Or talking to folks at work? Or call-ins to local radio? Or speaking up in Sunday School? Or at a dinner party? Or the bazillion other things that can be done…

Is it because taking to the streets is an immediate, visual payback? Because I can tell you, in all honesty, the surge of support for Ned Lamont is pushing a whole lot of establishment Democrats to re-examine their previous “safe” actions…and wouldn’t that change be a kick? I’ve heard it from the mouths of people that you would not believe are re-examining their positions privately — and hopefully soon, publicly.

It’s not that I don’t think that protests are an effective tool, because done well, they can be. But they are ONE tool in a whole kit bag of political possibilities.

And for everyone who thinks there needs to be a protest — why not organize something? I mean, honestly, why not? Someone has to start the ball rolling…if you believe strongly that this is the way to go, why not get something going?

Well, it was kind of weird. But isn’t college like that for everyone?

Actually, I meant it would have been weird to go to a college named after someone with the same name.

Good thing my name’s not Leland…

Anyway, she’s OK. whew!

yay

what, there wasn’t a Mr. Cal Poly?

Heifer is a great charity!!! Give til it hurts!!!

My family “gives” animals to each other for Christmas. The cards are cute and can be sent email.

They are doing some SERIOUS good work, including building capital in the developing world…including the Dine in the Four Corners area and in Appalachia. This kind of capital is particulary important for women in the cultures.

Go to their site and take a tour: you’ll fall in love with the idea.

Hozanner– zennurse heard from!

Theother WA 16 – hoo boy! that sunset commission is a very scary thing indeed… just wrote my idiot congressman (who I’m sure will vote for it).

this is news that should be spread far and wide…

Chris at MyDD is now reporting on the “rumors” of the Rassmussen poll for Ned.

Go take a look-see.

Ned surges into poll position.

lhp & suin –

Passengers would have been a better descriptor than spectators — but neither fully expresses where we are, and neither totally misses the mark.

In 2001, 2002, and 2003, there were huge anti-war demonstrations. John Kerry drew huge crowds at all his rallies; but crowds in street aren’t enough to stop BushCo, and anti-Bush passion was not enough to elect Kerry.

I think the anti-war movement has gotten very discouraged, and has shrunk to the hard core of reliable demonstrators. Even the Mainstreet Republicans and Paleo-Conservatives are freaking out, and coming to realize that BushCo is out of control, and NO ONE has been able to stop them or even slow them down.

When Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, there were no celebrations in Germany — the German people knew what was coming, and knew there would be a terrible price to pay. Are we that different now? The American people have been taken for ride by lunatic warmongers . . .

Christy,

I may just do that. I hadn’t seen the news for couple days (as you may imagine with the tunnel vision one gets while on trial) I spent last night and this AM trying to catch up, and saw this craziness about the rush to ship bombs

–what we can’t rush aid to hurricaine victims, but can easily expidite exporting death?–

and I was so amazed and not in a good way.

I could not believe there was not one sqeak of protest. Even the worst of the shills, even Adrea Freakin Mitchell, spoke in a voice that just sounded dumbfounded. The look on her face last night, the hesitency when asked why Condi doesn’t think a temporary cease fire is a good idea. I thought for a minute Andrea was going to do a Howar Beal “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it any more” kind of thing.

WE, the US. are trying to make sure as many people get killed as possible before international pressure has a chance to build to a point where Isreal is forced to cease fire.

This is horrific. I haven’t finished perusing the papers and the blogs, but I don’t see one howl of outrage. MSM is evidencing shock and disbelief. But that’s all.

It’s the sort of announcement that I would have expected to provoke immediate spontaneous outrage. Instead, there is a towering silence.

THE US IS RUSHING,bombs to the ME. WE are trying to escalate the war and increase casualties. WTF?

unfortunately, it’ll probably take pitchforks and torches showing up at the gate of the WH… (along garlic, sunshine and a few wooden crosses)

bet it would make the news!

(yes, a snarky, snarky joke NSA)

Blue America is up — go take a peek at a fantanstic progressive candidate: Bruce Braley. :)

Yeah the irony is hard to miss. We can rush bombs to Israel, but we can’t rush our citizens out of harm’s way in Lebanon.

I think the neocon priorities are pretty clearly visible to all by now.

After chimp stole the second election and so many of us, worldwide, were heartbroken, (then rage filled as reports of vote rigging made it through the dense wall of denial that was our media) there was a great site – Sorry.com -that was a spontaneous outpouring of grief.

The format was simple: you posted a picture of yourself holding a sign with your message of sorrow. It started with Americans apologizing for the result of the elections to the rest of the world, apologizing for the harm that chimp had already wreaked, and the harm to come (though I don’t anyone could have imagined the extent of it). Then people from around the world joined it to express their sorrow, and their belief that we would get it straightened out the next time.

Did anyone anyone else love that site? Everynight for a month or so, I took great comfort in gazing at the faces of people around the world, young, old, couples, friends, parents and kids, sharing their belief that America could do better, that we were not defined by this stupid criminal who stole the his way to the White House.

The Other WA 16

I’m tellin’ ya, the underlying motivation for the wars, the tax cuts, the power grabs is all about transferring wealth from us workers to the stratospherically rich.

The chaos BushCo has created – - in every corner of our government – - has resulted in the greatest transfer of wealth in history.

I agree with Christy at 11:02 am –

Ned Lamont is like the two by four, smacking the Beltway Democrats and cocktail weenie pundits right between the eyes: “Wake up, you stupid SOB’s!!! There’s a war on, and we are not talking about Iraq and Lebanon. The war is to save America, from the warmonger fascists that control our government. You are either with those of us fighting to Democracy and the Constitution, or those who support the Bush GOP Dictatorship — your choice. Strong hearts, brave hearts to the front, weak hearts and cowards to the rear.”

And that’s why Ned Lamont is so important . . .

Amazing video. Also note the environmental degradation in every single one of those images of poverty.

Several friends have commented this week that they find it almost impossible to turn the news on; their comments exhbit a deeper sense of terror than I heard from them even following 9/11.

Theme of the Week from my small part of the world: “government is broken.” No one seems clear about solutions.

This video is dense with Tea Leaves. Many thanks.

I have been slowly gathering cultural trend information, and it includes large sectors of American culture. If you get the distinct feeling that a tip-over is about to happen across all sectors of American society, you are right.

Here is a little snippet of the trend in religion. Scroll down to the data in terms of memberships per 1,000 population and you will see a negative percentage decline (percapita) in all groups but LDS. The data from this site is NOT what I will use in the final compilation, but it does give a glimpse of a trend.

http://www.demographia.com/db-religlarge.htm

More is coming, including social club membership (a la “bowling alone”), values changes, economic infrastructure changes, political changes. This is a slow going process, but I will report results as I get them.

Christy, your 119 is another precise masterpiece just when we needed it. This “New Paradigm” that we are has sneaked up on even us, hasn’t it?

The reason we aren’t in the streets is that we’re more effectively protesting here: our gathering is virtual – (largely) formed, activated, consolidated, delivered and shouted in light itself.

Unspeakably faster and more efficient than the physical demonstrations some of us joined 30 years ago, our protests now whoosh right INSIDE those heads officed in government buildings, as hollering in the streets out front never could.

Yes. We LIKE it.

We must always keep in mind that there are far more followers than leaders at all strata of society throughout the world.

By actively working for progressive change, however and wherever possible, we lead.

Let the followers follow…All we can do is step up the pace.

lhp — IMO, street protests work when they make the invisible visible or give voice to the voiceless. Before the invasion of Iraq, they helped counter the notion that Americans all supported the government. That did not, however, stop the invasion. In the debate over immigration, protesters showed us all a large, vocal group not usually “heard.” Now, however, I’m not sure what a street protest against shipping arms to Israel would accomplish. A majority of Americans (I think CNN said 59%) support Israel. A very small number support Hezbollah, but most of the remaining 41% are against Israel’s response without in any way thinking Hezbollah is right. I would expect those “approve of Israel” numbers to change with each additional days of civilian casualties. Until that happens, though, I’m not sure that street protests would do anything but make the protesters feel better. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) And the Lebanese civilians are neither invisible nor voiceless; their pictures are all over the TV news (which is why the Israeli government is trying to knock out the Arab news organizations and cell phones.) When the numbers change, the politicians may actually do something. In the meantime, and FWIW, I think that election guide may be a more productive use of your time than a march would be right now. But if you decide otherwise, that’s OK too.

Wingunt Definitions

Terrorism – n. violence using weapons not used, made or sold by the USA.

Self Defense – n. violence using weapons used, made or sold by the USA.

Ah, yes, Doctors Without Borders. They are beyond heroic, going into war zones, genocide zones, pestilence zones, armed with nothing but their skills, equipment, and dedication.

Good to know about Zennurse, hear from lhp (that puppy is preternatural!).

lhp– I do feel culpable for all the mayhem that we and now Israel is doing. For me the war is a black and white issue as far as candidates are concerned. This new Israeli aggression will also be a black and white issue for me.

Where the hell is my party when both houses of congress vote to support Israel in this???

They need to start answering questions right now and be held accountable on election day. Grow some courage and dare to say no to mass murder.

Who was it the other day who said, “we are the leaders we have been looking for.” Sharkbabe? Lotus? Don’t remember, but it is spot on.

I’m thinking it was RevDeb, sofistic.

For those with access to TimesSelect, I recommend “A Voice From Kandahar,” by Sarah Hayes, who directs Afghans for Civil Society, a nonprofit group working to help rebuild the country.

Oops, that’s Sarah Chayes, not Hayes.

Bruce Braley has arrived at the Blue America chat above (candidate for the IA-01). I’d really appreciate it if everyone would give him a big hello from FDL, since he has taken the time to come by and chat with us. Thanks!

Does anyone have any info on Senator positions on the Bolton nomination yet? Anyone we should be contacting to try to put a stop to that?

ilson – also despicable so few dare leak at all – even to the battered ole gray lady. Rest assured ATT’s trusty HAL never sleeps.

Finally viewed the week’s videos of Preznut and think it is a safe assumption Pickles has him tucked safely away in wet sheets whatever his current location.

You’d think Big Dog and Babe Boxer have more important work to do than shill for HoJo with WWIII unfolding before our eyes, live and in full color from the middle east.

angie … I’m on the same page.

And saying we cannot find the way to stop it is not the same as saying that we are not guilty for we have allowed our country to do this year after year, dem or repub admin – it may be more stark now but the victims of the death squads in El Salvador just as the victims of our death squads in Iraq do not care … and the people of Lebanon are dying because we have not worked hard enough to keep the forces of evil out of the white house and out of power.

That does not mean that I disagree with Christy – working on campaigns is so slow but perhaps the only way we have at the moment to effectively send the message and I’m pushing my work around and about to use my remaining vacation to go to CT and do just that. But we should also be in the streets – making it clear that we say NO to genocide in our name.

Watching an Israeli spokesman on MSNBC say just now that they will not honor a ceasefire declared by Gaza because they must first wipe out Hamas as they are wiping out Hizbollah … and we are providing the money and bombs to do that. We are guilty … the children’s blood is on our hands and will not come clean until we stop the oppression our country imposes in so many parts of the world.

Kurt I do not know the Senator’s position, but this from Steve Clemons makes me grit my teeth.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It’s hard to imagine something more cynical than the White House exploiting Middle East convulsions — in which many innocents on all sides are dying in real time — to divide Americans at home in order to try and squeeze through the Senate confirmation of the pugnacious radicalizer and international de-stabilizer, John Bolton.

Today, several reports have come to The Washington Note that Jay Zeidman, the influential 24-year old White House liaison to the Jewish community, is putting out the call to prominent American Jewish organizations to support John Bolton — with the arm-twisting innuendo that in this time of crisis in the Middle East, American Jews need to line up behind the guy Jesse Helms said “is the kind of man with whom I would want to stand at Armageddon, if it should be my lot to be on hand for what is forecast to be the final battle between good and evil in this world.”

and this bit of news:

This is unofficial, but word is that Senator Richard Lugar has called a hearing about John Bolton’s confirmation status for next Thursday.

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/

Christy – Thanks for sharing the video – and thanks for the warning, it made me weepy, too. I just sent it out to family & friends.

My high opinion of Sarah M. is now even higher.

Kurt and angie – Bolton hearing link:

http://foreign.senate.gov/hear…..0727a.html

Thanks JWR– perhaps a mass faxing should commence right about now? I suggest howls of outrage at the recess appt that brought us here and against any appt now. Voinivich, et al needs to hear from us!

Momma Earth delivered the best kind of Birthday gift this July 22nd. Last evening the temp dropped about 35 degrees and the high today must be 80. Looks like we may have a reprieve for a few days. During this last Al Gore heat wave the trout stream was a must for a hot afternoon swim. This would keep the body temp down for several hours. Bought a couple of hammocks in Maruaja, Mexico (where black sea turtles hatch in January and face the Pacific head on, smaller than a sand dollar) a couple of years ago and they are permanent fixtures on the back porch for any warm day. I Have a wonderful apple cake recipe and will post it on a different type of baking thread.) Sophistic posted a gazpacho recipe a few weeks back and it is a good one. Beards recipe with fresh tomatoes will of course be tasty. Question? Do experienced gazpacho makers remove seeds from cucumbers or not?

Hi all,

Just spoke to zennurse. She’s fine. She fried her motherboard so has been totally out of touch. It may be a while before she’s back with us but she sends her love and was touched that we were concerned.

Whoops wrong thread, my bad *g*

About zennurse…good news indeed. But, I hope she replaces that motherboard with something from the Apple Mothership.

——
aside: what’s the most direct email to Christy? Is it above on the site using FDL, or as I’ve seen ref. to something AOL?

Help/guidance appreciated…

Eureka — I remove the cucumber seeds. :)

‘Dear sir/madam,

I wish to complain about the unAmerican, anti-Lieberman picture on your site.

What fresh, new lows will the frothy left Lunabats stoop to in their mindless, ceaseless quest to vilifacate the record of a great deciderator and his compatriot at arms?

When this peace craze blows over among the hand-wringing sob sisters, these traitors will be held accountable for their pixil-lit pornographeration…If only we could have the sort of frontier justice that they have in foriegn countries, this problem would be dealt with in short order and we can get back to what we do best…Making armaments and using them.

Yours,

Christian White’

;>)

Thanks for calling her Rev Deb.

Blank — you can e-mail me at ReddHedd at AOL dot com.

Happy Birthday Eureka! I do remove the seeds if it’s a regular cuke. I like to salt them a bit, let them stand and then squeeze them and get some of the water out– that way they are crunchier.

Thanks for the news on zennurse!

Andrea Mitchell is part of NBC’s recycling. By the time KO comes on, he “interviews” the NBC mouthpieces who have been spouting the party line all day–Pete Williams, Chris Matthews, Tucker Carlson, Nora O’Donell, military analysts, terrorist analysts. It keeps the party line up and costs down.

ck-137

Exactly right! That’s it in a nutshell. Not that I don’t think Lamont will be a great Senator for my beloved state of Connecticut – I think he will. He is obviously an intelligent, capable business person – a humanitarian – and very grounded in reality (our very own Mr. Smith goes to Washington).

It’s also true that we haven’t been able to get our point across to the Democratic party regulars any other way. I think all of us agree with every word Al Gore has said in the last two powerful speeches he made (as well as his impassioned – An Inconvenient Truth). Each time he has stood up and spoken truth to power we have watched the Democratic Party yawn and go back to business as usual. They are all, including Big Dog, complicit in the takeover of America by the authoritarian radical right and they need to be smacked upside the head. (I found it sobering to hear John Dean (a Goldwater Republican) describe himself in a recent interview as left of center compared to the crazies who are “running” our government right now.)

So, how dare the Dems in office just lie down and roll over, time & time again. God bless Lamont… I’m happy to help him swing that two by four.

Christy, I thought seed removal would be a good idea. Good cooks ask lots of questions and try many variations. *g*

Rev Deb – Wahoo thanks to you for zennurse update!

Eureka Springs – my Robert is the family chef and reports he routinely removes the seeds.

BK

I wish that for her too, but I don’t know if her budget can accommodate it.

I’ve been an apple user since 1981. Haven’t used any microsquish apps for years either. My computer is much happier for it.

Eureka at 169 — I only remove seeds from the regular cucumbers. If I’m using an English cucumber (the ones with tiny seeds), I just don’t bother. *g*

Thanks Christy,

Appreciated seeing it.

Christy -

Thanks, Though I was EPU in a major way.

You’re welcome, angie. This Raw Story post says Voinovich is “back on the reservation” and will back Bolton, so he definitely needs some attention.

My Senator Boxer is a safe NO on sending this to the floor, but any extension of Bolton’s reign as UN rep should prompt the Dems to shut down Congress until the administration puts forward someone acceptable. (Not that I’m holding my breath waiting for either of those things to actually happen, however.)

Agreed, JWR. Steve Clemons said this:

Senator George Voinovich has now flipped his vote. The question is who may flip the other way.

My answer is this.

IF SENATOR LINCOLN CHAFEE WANTS TO WIN in Rhode Island, he better reconsider his qualified support of John Bolton last round. The BOLTON VOTE will be blaringly large in the eyes of Rhode Islanders — all of the other votes on judges and Supreme Court appointments are a blur now — but Bolton is NOW and Bolton is news.

Lincoln Chafee better get ahead of this one. Last time he was dragged through and became a victim of his indecision — caught in a vice between Vice President Cheney and the many who were trying to speak to the more enlightened sides of him.

TWN will have much more on Chafee, his statements on Bolton, and why this matters to Rhode Island soon.

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/

angie, Read your kind comment in PUchaire’. Thanks so much, it is a very good day with a lot of work ahead of us. I went to the county clerks office yesterday for a little introduction and an offer to help out. I mentioned my prior work experience as an election inspector, not my experience as a candidate, some other time. When I offered they asked my party affiliation and I replied first with I don’t worry about party at the booth just a fair open participation. They were very nice and mentioned a lot of rural voting situations are covered by one Republican, no other people at all. So country progressives please check in with or call your county/parrish clerk soon. The clerk mentioned Dems and Reps are allowed four representatives each at a polling area, so shifts might be a possibility. Planning on going back next week for more face to face. Progressive Democrats here are fighting diebold in every way at every level. Someone has to be near the polls.

Rev Deb and BK – count me in for sending some love dough toward getting Zennurse a new Mac or PC – whatever her great heart desires.

So many kind people here. Hope this warm fuzzy crap doesn’t get out about Rabid Leftys. *g*

Anne,
I think zenn would be mortified if we tried to do such a thing. I love the sentiment, but . . . . I just don’t know.

OT, Rasmussen: Ned by 10!

Christy, thank you for the post. By sending bombs to Israel at the very moment that Israel is bombing Lebanon, the Bush administration has destroyed any possibility of holding down the violence. No one in the ME will ever trust us again — if there was indeed any trust left after the invasion of Iraq. I am heartsick and angry. My country is better than this. Damn them.

I too recommend Doctors without Borders and Catholic Relief Services for people who want to donate to humanitarian efforts.

As for street demonstrations; I’d be out there now if I thought it would make a difference, but I don’t think it will. What will make a difference, as you and others here have said so often, is kicking the bastards out in November this year and again in 2008! 4 months to go and we have so much to do. Don’t mourn, organize!

RevDeb – Thanks – got it. Send me your email address when you have some time via

afholliday AT sbcglobal DOT com

Arlen Spector morphs into Britney Spears.

Videos? Yes, by all means.

How about a ‘mass graves for Lebanese’ one?

I apologise if I come across as too sarcastic and heartless, but that’s probably because right now my heart is actually breaking. And it hurts like hell.