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Good morning Scarecrow!

Well, the Dems are waffling on gay marriage, but there’s no doubt about Iraq, which BANS OPPOSITE-SECTS MARRIAGE

Morning everyone. Great one Scarecrow. A couple of other things, related: In the Iowa straw poll, Obama came in third for Republican voters. And this is Iowa!

Tinfoil hat perhaps, but there were three other issues that struck me as important (and dangerous): 1) the U.S. spy planes spying on Americans AND 2) the decision that the U.S. gov will take over the decision as to whom can fly on passenger planes (rather than airplane companies using a U.S. list of terrorists to make the determination. This sounds like both a continuation of the FISA spying/control business, and a way to prevent people (say demonstrators or bloggers critical of the admin from flying). Number 3) is the comment by the Wash Post that all they are doing in talking about the Iran war build-up is to keep the public informed, because they were accused of not doing so before the Iraq invasion. B.S. All this is, and Michael Gordon and the NYT are at the center of this, is to drum up acceptance of an Iran engagement by getting the public accustomed to thinking that it is inevitable.

Caw, CAW! G’ Morning Scarecrow and everyone:

Health stories all over the dayam place, but this one goes straight to supporting the troops and torture.

Gadhafi’s son, who regularly serves as the father’s spokesperson, verified that the Tripoli Six – the nurses and physician – were tortured. However, in the US, Bush would not consider what happened to them torture.

This should bring home the vulnerability of the troops now that the Geneva Conventions are on the toilet paper spool along with the Constitution.

Also, recently Leavitt put on a sham HHS pandemic flu “leadership” blog, where the HHS spewed its propaganda and Bush water carrying talking points. No discussion or response to commenters was ever made, except by guest contributor, DemFrom CT, who repeatedly tried to make nice with the HHS and was totally used and abused as his thanks. The Asst. Sec, John Agwunobi, posted information that was wrong and/or misleading. Well, he has now jumped ship directly to Wal-Mart, where he will serve as its propaganda mouthpiece health and wellness director. Meanwhile, an FDL reader provided a great reference link about the actual cost to tax payers when a Wal-Mart hits town.

Need. Coffee. Now.

Richmond @ 6

Morning everyone. Great one Scarecrow. A couple of other things, related: In the Iowa straw poll, Obama came in third for Republican voters. And this is Iowa!

Tinfoil hat perhaps, but there were three other issues that struck me as important (and dangerous): 1) the U.S. spy planes spying on Americans AND 2) the decision that the U.S. gov will take over the decision as to whom can fly on passenger planes (rather than airplane companies using a U.S. list of terrorists to make the determination. This sounds like both a continuation of the FISA spying/control business, and a way to prevent people (say demonstrators or bloggers critical of the admin from flying). Number 3) is the comment by the Wash Post that all they are doing in talking about the Iran war build-up is to keep the public informed, because they were accused of not doing so before the Iraq invasion. B.S. All this is, and Michael Gordon and the NYT are at the center of this, is to drum up acceptance of an Iran engagement by getting the public accustomed to thinking that it is inevitable.

You would prefer that they didn’t report this at all?

The big news for the next few days if not few weeks is the market melt-down. This is serious stuff,folks. We haven’t seen this kind of lender of last resort intervention — on this scale since 1907. That it seems to be working so far we can be thankful for. But it’s far from over.

Fern @ 7

Richmond @ 6

Morning everyone. Great one Scarecrow. A couple of other things, related: In the Iowa straw poll, Obama came in third for Republican voters. And this is Iowa!

Tinfoil hat perhaps, but there were three other issues that struck me as important (and dangerous): 1) the U.S. spy planes spying on Americans AND 2) the decision that the U.S. gov will take over the decision as to whom can fly on passenger planes (rather than airplane companies using a U.S. list of terrorists to make the determination. This sounds like both a continuation of the FISA spying/control business, and a way to prevent people (say demonstrators or bloggers critical of the admin from flying). Number 3) is the comment by the Wash Post that all they are doing in talking about the Iran war build-up is to keep the public informed, because they were accused of not doing so before the Iraq invasion. B.S. All this is, and Michael Gordon and the NYT are at the center of this, is to drum up acceptance of an Iran engagement by getting the public accustomed to thinking that it is inevitable.

You would prefer that they didn’t report this at all?

No! But what I would like to see is the inclusion of the other side, the horrible impact that this invasion would have. All they are doing is serving the propaganda interests of the admin. I mentioned a while back that 2 years ago I met an upper eschalon person at Homeland Security at bed and breakfast and had a 45 min conversation with him over breakfast. He was a well educated (masters at a premiere university) and thoughtful individual, who was at that point thinking about leaving the agency because it had become so politicized. I was then as now deeply upset about Iraq and said so. I also asked at the end of our conversation. ‘What about Iran, is there any chance we would attack?’ His answer: ‘No. No way on that would be a fiasco.’ I continued ‘Even bombing?’ ‘No he said the consequences would be dire.’ My point is there are professionals out there who have been deeply opposed to this on strategic and other grounds, but as with Iraq, these voices are not being provided through the media. What we get instead is the pro-war, pro-Isr*el crap of Gordon, Pollock etc.- which ironically and sadly could lead to the obliteration of Is*rael.

Thanks for pulling together the morning news for us Scarecrow. Much appreciated.

Posts will be coming faster this a.m. — lots going on. Join us upstairs when you’re ready.

Richmond @ 6

…Tinfoil hat perhaps, but there were three other issues that struck me as important (and dangerous): 1) the U.S. spy planes spying on Americans AND 2) the decision that the U.S. gov will take over the decision as to whom can fly on passenger planes (rather than airplane companies using a U.S. list of terrorists to make the determination. This sounds like both a continuation of the FISA spying/control business, and a way to prevent people (say demonstrators or bloggers critical of the admin from flying). Number 3) is the comment by the Wash Post that all they are doing in talking about the Iran war build-up is to keep the public informed, because they were accused of not doing so before the Iraq invasion. B.S. All this is, and Michael Gordon and the NYT are at the center of this, is to drum up acceptance of an Iran engagement by getting the public accustomed to thinking that it is inevitable.

Heading upstairs, but I wanted to comment on two of these items. A few evenings ago when the sky was exceptionally clear, I saw an object that was closer, brighter, and faster than a satellite traveling overhead. Had no idea what it was at the time, and now with the buzz about the U2’s, I think it could have been one of these. Jeebus, makes me scared to even go out and enjoy the night sky…

And on the inevitability of Iran and the constant beating of drums: I think it may be time to demand Congress question certain “information management” companies as to whether they are creating and publishing any such “promotional” material, or if they are making contracts with organizations that are doing so. Rend*n Group did this in advance of Iraq; do they have the Iran contract, too?

As long as China holds as much US debt as it does, and as long as Russia, China and India are major business partners with Iran, then Cheney can be as much of a blithering neocon idiot as he wants, it won’t come to anything though

This is nothing but easily-debunked rhetoric that has the effect of undercutting US credibility even worse than this Administration has already accomplished, because there is absolutely NO way to attack Iran without paying an astronomical price in return, and no way to attack Iran in a way that does anything but actually strengthen Iran in both the short and long term

The Iranian people are as thoroughly disgusted with their President as we are with ours, the Iranians would much rather Ahmadinejad focus on easing their gas crunch and under-performing economy rather than rattle the world’s cage with talk about a nuclear program

But every time W blabbers on about Iran, all he does is give the theocratic thugs heading the country more ammunition to use to keep as tight a leash as possible on the Iranian people

As long as those US troops are bogged down in the Iraq quagmire, they’re basically armed hostages in the event Iran is attacked, and until the Administration can give some kind of logical case for why those trapped troops wouldn’t be the first ones to catch a very nasty response to an Iran attack, then there’s absolutely NO chance this Admin-already despised by the majority of the US public-will take this kind of a gamble

This is one struggle the lunatic neocons are NOT going to be successful with, no matter how much they wail, whine and gnash their teeth otherwise

This economist blog you refer to…just glanced at the second last posting, that the guys at Wall St are working hard??? Now I don’t know if that blog is generally a bit on the ironic side, but this mess had been building up for a long time, and the role of W.St. was shameful.

Must be ready to roll out the new product time in September. Cheney getting the wheels greased up.

Well apparently it’s not just the NYT revving up the Cheney Iran War call, WaPo’s Robin Wright got into the act yesterday but was “buried” on page 12. Think Progress has more on this. And yesterday McClatchy tells it like is once again very bluntly and clearly with the headline “Cheney urging strikes on Iran”.

Yes let’s give out a rousing cheer for Second-Class Citizenship!!!!
Being black as well as gay I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that things were a lot beter when they were Separate But Equal vis-a-vis race.

And that’s the way it should be with sexual orientation.

Am I right or am I right?

And that’s why (chance-of-a-snowball-in-Hell Kuscinich aside)

I’m not voting for any of these motherfuckers.

Besides, it’s all over and Hillary has won.

I’m quite serius about that. She’s won. No other Democrat. And no Republican capable of winnign dogcatcher.

Their only chance of hanging onto the White House is staging a coup and making Dubbya President for Life (and don’t think that isn’t being considered.)

The only suspense in the coming election cycle is in discovering which and/or how many of Romney’s sons are gay.

Re: Lou Dobbs
Lou was in a lather yesterday. I believe I heard Barbara Starr, the Pentagon reporter say that the US Army had killed 30 Iranian terrorists outside of Baghdad. Lou proceeded to call Bush a pussy for not doing anything about the killing of our boys by the Iranians. Then he got me really confused by suggesting Bush should immediately wind the war down. It was surreal.

Tucker hosted “Morning Joe” last night/morning and did a half hour on Richardson’s gay question playing the clip over and over and criticiszing Richardson for what he said. Nothing more ridiculous than one straight person ridiculing another straight person about not knowing what a gay person is and how they happen to be gay. There is no way any straight person can truly understand what it is like to be gay. It was wrong for that question to have even been asked.

Keep the pressure on the Dem leadership, as reported by EJ Dionne in the Wapost today

Why the Democrats Caved

Pelosi has received more than 200,000 e-mails of protest, according to an aide, for letting the bill go forward.

I had very high hopes with Pelosi at the Helm, those are gone now, and while I think she’ll get absolutely creamed viciously if she actually runs, I’m tossing a few dollars Cindy Sheehan’s way

When the dem leadership conspires with the Blue Dogs to stab the numerically superior liberal bloc in the back, then it’s time to realize there’s NO difference between the GOP and the Dem leadership when it comes to standing up for long-established rights under assault from the Freedom Hating traitors currently infesting 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Keep publishing those itineraries, every bit of outrage makes a difference

One other thing

The Administration and it’s lunatic GOP & Chickenhawk neocon enablers love to read comments like “I’m sad about what’s happened to our country”, or “I’m despondent that anything will change” or “I’m more scared of my own Govt than by terrorists”

What these bastards do NOT want to read is that we’re angry, because when we’re angry, we fight back

Do not be sad, despondent or scared, instead, be angry, irate, livid and purely pissed off

Knut Wicksell @ 9

The big news for the next few days if not few weeks is the market melt-down. This is serious stuff,folks. We haven’t seen this kind of lender of last resort intervention — on this scale since 1907. That it seems to be working so far we can be thankful for. But it’s far from over.

Will Congress have to come back into session to deal with it? What and disturb their VACATIONS??????

That story fit nicely with the pictures of al-Maliki in Tehran, holding hands with Iran’s Ahmadinejad. You can imagine what a demogogue like Lou Dobbs did with that one.

If the Iraquis dont stop coddling up to Iran we will have to attack them and invade. But we’ll we greeted as liberators.

wasabi @ 18

Re: Lou Dobbs
Lou was in a lather yesterday. I believe I heard Barbara Starr, the Pentagon reporter say that the US Army had killed 30 Iranian terrorists outside of Baghdad. Lou proceeded to call Bush a pussy for not doing anything about the killing of our boys by the Iranians. Then he got me really confused by suggesting Bush should immediately wind the war down. It was surreal.

I maintain that the fire department must be called immediately. If the fire department is not called it’s sheer insanity. Why have you not called the fire department?
In other news the fire we reported five minutes ago apparently never existed. I repeat, there is no fire.

To bad this thread is not getting more attention. It’s critical. Thank you for your comments and insight though they be few.

And when the markets plummet and our economic systems is shaky, what is the truism out there – We need a war to bring back the economy. Heard this all my life. The more insecure people feel the better the conditions for engaging in another war. Look out Iran. Here come the bankers.

Is it possible that the low The Market goes the higher the probability we strike Iran?

A Must read:

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/

wasabi @ 18

Re: Lou Dobbs
Lou was in a lather yesterday. I believe I heard Barbara Starr, the Pentagon reporter say that the US Army had killed 30 Iranian terrorists outside of Baghdad. Lou proceeded to call Bush a pussy for not doing anything about the killing of our boys by the Iranians. Then he got me really confused by suggesting Bush should immediately wind the war down. It was surreal.

Sounds like a bad case of cognitive dissonance.