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