Evil Darth sure has been quiet lately, and that’s not a good thing, ya think?
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zed!
LET THEM EAT CAKE!!!
TSF!
No fair, Teddy, you cheated.
Well, it is your birthday…
another post? cool! but I can’t stay. Need to get some sleep tonight.
Enjoy the rest of your birthday Teddy.
Night pups.
Teddy! It is your birthday — of course you are NUMBER ONE. Happy Birthday.
C
completely OT – geez! did anyone else notice the guns on Glenn Close?? that girl has been working out!
Happy Birthday, Teddy! sounds like you had great cake!
From deepest EPU land,
Happy birthday, Teddy!
And hi to everyone;-)
pain free sleep wishes, tex
6??
Happy Birthday Teddy….
{{{{{{{{{{{{{TEDDY}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
I do have a recent quote from Cheney, though don’t know that he’s been around much.
Cheney: chaos if US pulls out too soon from Iraq
Washington Post 9/14
By Tabassum Zakaria GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan
http://news.google.com/news/ur…..rgPytrjfCg
(Reuters) – Vice President Dick Cheney on Friday accused critics of the administration’s war strategy of ignoring the bloodshed and chaos he said would follow a premature US troop withdrawal.
TexBetsy @ 12
Yes, but, um, what about the bloodshed and chaos that followed Cheney’s Iraq invasion?
happy birthday, teddysanfran.
53 is young.
i can remember 53 still.
barely.
i’m 56.
till feb.
i think all your posts are brilliant.
thanks!
-snip-
*uck Cheneymort!
from a 1954 pup to another, it was a very good year
A guy from Mesa Arizona was arrested with OJ… OMG it is going to be OJ 24/7 in the next few weeks.
I started reading Charlie Savage’s book today while riding the LifeCycle earlier today (episode 83 in a continuing series of attempts to get a regular exercise program going — episodes 1 through 82 having been sabotaged by the Professional Services Lifestyle).
Took him all of a page and a half to establish to my satisfaction that Cheney lied through his teeth to the 9/11 Commission.
Where is Buffy when we need her?
yellowdog jim @ 14
you youngsters!
TexBetsy @ 12
As opposed to the bloodshed and chaos his policy has created there already, which is, I suppose, okay by him?
“premature US troop withdrawal.”
Oxymoron alert!
katymine @ 17
it was OJ or nothin, britney flamed out, paris is in private rehab and linsey is hiding. can’t blame her. and no celeb was kind enough to a) off themselves b) appear naked on Tee Vee or c) be revealed as a gay restroom sex addict.
OJ was the fail safe. He always has been.
petwrecker @ 15
link
fahrender @ 19
for sooth!
TexBetsy @ 12
I hate when the circus of either one of those two come to GR. Let me dig up the local article on it. The GRand Rapids Press actually got a bit snarky about the cherry picked audience on the whole thing. Which amazed me, considering how conservative this city is on the whole politically.
burnspbesq @ 21
Haliburton condoms strike again!
(hey its late late night. a little freud is okay now and then, and sometimes a mouse is just a mouse…)
i am remembering spidey saying something about cheney having a bad october in his stars – the weight of heavy planets or such and health issues
perhaps she will pop in and give us an update
yellowdog jim @ 24
like the “six feet under” commercial said:
“every day above ground is a good day” (maybe not, but still ……)
ohh yes – OJ – the gift that gives forevah… anything to ignore greenspan’s mea culpa – and what is the deal with these books? just asking…of course no news has taken place here in shangri la la land….
burnspbesq @ 18
Ha! Thanks for teh visual and the chuckle. I’m sure she’d have some witty banter for him, too ;-)
Hereit is.
Every time they show up, the town grinds to a halt. I live within miles of the airport, and drive on the main highways to get anywhere. No such thing as avoiding them, unless i’m far away out of town working.
aliasofwestgate @ 25
Tricky Dick actually emerged from his undisclosed location…?!!! ;-)
Suzanne @ 27
October…? Don’t tell me I share a month with this…this…erk…
fahrender @ 28
this is as young as i’m going to get.
we are star dust.
Yes Impeach Cheney First
could a resignation be coming? We have been hoping, praying and pushing hard
http://www.democrats.com/node/14272
Another perspective on the Barksdale nukes
http://www.counterpunch.org/vest09132007.html
Suzanne @ 16
Same here.
Thanks to you all for the birthday wishes. I had a wonderful birthday! The vintage car owner gentlemen of the Bay Area always have their car show near (or ON) my birthday, on the Park&Rec ballfield in the Castro. Lots of pretty Cadillacs, Buicks, Oldsmobiles, a Stingray or two, along with the odd LaSalle and Chrysler Airflow, and two Mercury station wagons from the fifties. Plus a lovely purplish Eldorado convertible, in great shape, that was for sale, but not to me.
For a car nut like me who (due to garage lack) is without my own car, the Freewheelers’ Car Club Annual Show is a real treat. Lots of fun pix, which I’ll try to upload for another post.
Also two wonderful books — Chris Hedges’ and Scott Wilsey’s — and a fabulous cake courtesy of my fiance.
And tomorrow is the seventh anniversary of our first date — how about that!?
Evil Darth sure has been quiet lately, and that’s not a good thing, ya think?
I don’t even hear crickets chirping.
BTW, Happy Birthday, TeddySF!
*firmly affixing tin foil hat*
was it really cheeney or was it the current version of the cheeneybot?
althespook @ 26
Or a gerbil is just a gerbil?
FunnyDiva
How’s your dad, spooky?
althespook @ 26
Halliburton condoms?
Oh … overpriced and don’t work … like everything they’ve built in Iraq.
I get it now. I’m a little slow sometimes.
Before Cheney got his hands on it, back when it was just an oilfield services company, Halliburton was a well-respected, well-run business. Everything the guy touches, he f**ks up.
Go see “No End In Sight”
New film about Iraq
http://www.noendinsightmovie.com/
TeddySanFran @ 37
I’d say that is a pretty fucking good birthday, Teddy
*putting quarter in swear jar
Phew. Jan 30th. Interesting, his name is pronounced CHEE-nee in his family though the name is normally pronounced CHAYnee. (I’ve always pronounced it the latter, myself.)
TeddySanFran @ 37
congratulations!
Happy Birthday TSF!!! long time no see! My fault I’m usually hanging out here much earlier in the morning.
burnspbesq @ 21
Along with “precipitous withdrawal”. How precipitous can it be after we’ve been there for four years?
peanutbutter @ 33
“Richard Bruce “Dick” Cheney (born January 30, 1941…” Wikipedia
Suzanne @ 39
I think there’s a series of them. That way, when one’s down for heart maintenance, one of the others can always be powered up to replace it.
Kathleen @ 35
Life imitates art: Dr. Strangelove: “Mr. Cheney, I presume?”
peanutbutter @ 44
***
Hmmm. For what it’s worth, I believe FDL “favorite” (G) Chris Matthews uses the “CHEE-nee” pronunciation. Maybe he considers himself family…
Suzanne @ 27
I was just thinking about Spidey today. Thought I’d probably gone to sleep before she appeared.
Hi, gang -
No can sleep so came to visit with you guys. How’s the water temp?
Happiest birthday yet, TSF. Did I miss the cake and ice cream?
burnspbesq @ 18
Bought that Friday; was hoping somebody else had started reading with some feedback.
peanutbutter @ 44
Tweety always makes a *special* point of pronouncing it like that. ;-)
Kathleen @ 35
The air force captain lies through his teeth, apparently on orders or from a sense of loyalty or something.
a) W80’s are NOT stored in a loaded configuration for one reason, The ACM fuel. If it exploded spontaneously (and they do) it would scatter nuclear contamination all over the air base. so the idea that the W80’s were “left” on their ACM’s is crap.
b) W80’s have to be loaded AND unloaded in a convoy situation with many guards and i tell you twice security. See my Ratiocinations post for details.
Sorry, but they are still lying to us about this. Oh, and one of the updates I saw today said that Gates AND Bush are STILL getting daily updates on the investigation (he mentions it too but since he’s a big fat liar I don’t trust ANYTHING he says, including whether the sun is really a star…)
Happy Birthday, Mr San Fran. Remember to keep the silly-putty away from the candles! *s*
Oil executives can get violent, if they don’t get their way.
Waccamaw @ 53
Good thing I never watch his show, then! :-)
impeach cheeknee furst!
aliasofwestgate @ 31
Condolences, Alias. To be inconvenienced as well as screwed by Dick is insufferable.
I know this idea will sound crazy…to Darth but whats wrong with a peace treaty with Iran? Israel has enough nukes to blow them and several other arab countries up so whats the harm? It would take them a few decades to catch up especialy if Israel joins them in an arms race.
No one side will attack unless it thinks it can win.
If Darth is so sure the USSR was defeated by an arms race that wrecked their economy shouldn’t we let a little MAD do its supposed magic again? Doesn’t Darth and the GOP presidential candidates believe in Saint Reagen?
Loo Hoo. @ 52
Spidey said something about Darth having a Black Hole in his chart a while back. I would love to hear more about that.
Alrighty, running up the little white flag of surrender and heading to bed. Have fun, y’all! Don’t splash too much around the lake – gets muddy ;-) And the cake/beefcake/*ahem* — all delicious, thank you Aunt Betsy!
Gunga Djinn @ 56
external combustion?
Loo Hoo. @ 59
yeah. Usually why if i don’t work on the days they show up, i’m holed up in my apartment.
may @ 63
commonly referred to as blowing a gasket
Gunga Djinn @ 56
Suzanne @ 65
as opposed to blowing a seal? (old joke, sorry, slinks away in shame…)
And tomorrow is the seventh anniversary of our first date — how about that!?
(((Teddy and Patrick!)))
AK -
Any word on the soldier from the base who just died within the last couple of days?
Apologies if that’s already been asked in prior threads and I missed it.
Nite all…. have an 8am MD appointment.
The one rotten thing about working from home, have no clue about traffic and how much time I need to build in making appointments…
Happy Birthday Teddy!!!!
Waccamaw @ 69
he said nothing new.
peanutbutter @ 44
Tweety always pronounces it Chee-nee. He must know something really important, as do you, PB!
Crawler on CNN:
Mukasey has accepted Bush’s offer to be the new AG. Official announcement likely on Monday.
Bob in HI
speaking of birthday, bob in hi has one coming up any day now…
when cheeny is silent – there’s iran planning being mapped out…covert actions have already begun….danger danger y’all…
Waccamaw @ 69
not really but his disappearance is suspicious and the timing is right for him to have potentially been involved in the RUMORED C and C security false flag op at Minot. If he was involved, he was then suicided to cover the tracks of whoever ran the op. i was criticized for sounding like a clancy novel by saying that, but it happens. and not all of clancy’s stuff is fiction.
Thanks, ET -
So glad to see you here. Didn’t know if you saw a note I left for ya sometime recently but here it is again:
[Can you give me your recipe for making and freezing pesto……hopefully with fairly specific quantities of ingredients?
Have four plants in pots and no idea whether that will produce anywhere near enough leaves.
Also, any nut possibilities other than pinenuts or walnuts?]
Iirc, you said something about making pesto so thought you might be a good source.
althespook @ 22
LOL
I picture this crowd of people who are undercover, all over the country, paid to pop up and be famous for a day, a week, maybe longer. Paid by Some Agency, Inc.
“But Mama, I don’t need rehab, I’ve never used drugs.”
“Young lady, you will do your duty. Your country needs you!”
lolo @ 71
(((LOLO)))
Sorta OT, but…remember the country music duo that performed at Hannity’s “freedom” bash last week? Turns out, one of them is a big-game hunter of the Cheney/Repub persuasion:
Country Singer Kills Captive Bear
Ed*ard Teller @ 72
except as noted in 77. evening, ET. New Ravings post on the endgame for the Irawk wah.
Margot @ 79
You’ve SEEN Wag The Dog, then. :)
Gunga Djinn @ 56
707
althespook @ 54
Sounds like you know a thing or two about this.
CD @ 81
If these guys want a moving target they should take up skeet shooting.
ak, you might wanna run a reader’s digest version of your cv for those pups here who may be unfamiliar with it…
althespook @ 77
Do you have links to articles about these deaths. all the links I see seem questionable
Waccamaw @ 78
Impeach Cheney first.
And, on the other nut issue, pecans make good pesto too.
Kathleen @ 35
The Counterpunch article is not believable. If nukes were being transfered from one base to another to decommission, you don’t hang them on the wings in release position, you load them as cargo. There’s something very fishy that went on with that flight, and it needs a Congressional investigation.
Bob in HI
ok wait for the outcry from peta….
Here’s an interesting read from the Nation, a summary of a new book that argues, rather persuasively in my view, that our strategy in the War on Terra has been a failure (and may have been doomed to failure from the get-go).
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070924/cole_lobel
See also Marty Lederman’s discussion at Balkinization.
http://balkin.blogspot.com/200…..sense.html
Loo Hoo. @ 80
((((LooHoo))))
althespook @ 77
Talk to Dr. Hillhouse about that…!!!
Sometines Barron’s Business can be such a source for comedy. Newt is quoted as saying “Why do they hate us ” ” they do hate us he concludes but we should not waste too much time wondering why”
Know yourself and your enemy Sun Tze said and you will win.
We need to acknowledge that yes Palestine is an issue that matters because it helps Al Quieda recruitment by generally making the entire Arab world hate us.
We also need to acknowledge that this is a war for oil. Sure we know that, but the 30%ers still believe that we are bringing democracy to Iraq. The 30%ers need to acknowledge that this is a war for oil.
Then we could have an honest debate with them on a shared agreement of premise, then we could ask them is this war worth it.
Which it might be unless we start promoting alternatives to solving our oil addiction cheaper less costly in lives and cash alternatives like hybrid cars.
Good evening, everyone. I’m enjoying lurking tonight.
CT, you see that writeup Dr Hillhouse got in Forbes – calling her today’s Tom Clancy?
AK -
i was criticized for sounding like a clancy novel by saying that, but it happens. and not all of clancy’s stuff is fiction.
No such from me, darlin’. In *my* book, if that question didn’t arise immediately in the mind of everyone, they. have. not. been. paying. attention the last seven years.
*rubs hands in anticipation*
New post! Oh, lor’, you really are tryin’ to keep me awake, aren’t ya?
Kathleen -
Can’t remember where I read it but do know it sure *seemed* like a reputable site.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/…..r-14-2007/
The mother of Sgt. Omar Mora, the soldier who co-authored a New York Times op-ed critical of the Bush administration’s policies in Iraq, is calling on the Army to explain her son’s death. “I want to know all the details of how he died. I want to know the truth,” said Olga Capetillo.
We need to get behind Olga Capetillo, call your reps tell them you want both young soldiers deaths investigated
Kathleen @ 85
I was a SIOP (Single Integrated Operational Plan, although we called it by its original inhouse name Strategic Integrated Operations Plan) game runner and developer for twenty years. I went to work as a DOD civilian employee, clocked in, and destroyed the world. again.(I was always the Red team. I was GOOD too. I am not a nice man.)
Kathleen @ 88
There is only one death so far, and what we have on it is also questionable; the data is coming from a service person in the area where his body was found but the web site is offline a lot so I don’t have a linky right now. This problem is called Nacht Und Nebel (night and fog) in Teh Spook biz, BTW. Things are always uncertain, ludicrous, unbelievable, right before you take one in the kisser. The trick is figuring out which ones are going to end that way and ducking.
Al, wasn’t it McNamara, who, upon being informed of the total-launch nature of the US nuclear response plan, supposedly said,”General you don’t have a war plan! What you have is a kind of horrible spasm!”
Going back to bed. Night all
Suzanne @ 87
yep, see my 100. It still makes me twitch to be so public about it, but since NORAD stood down, my minder says don’t sweat it…
althespook,
Actually I haven’t. Just a voracious Cold War spy novel reader, and child of the Sputnik and duck and cover drill era.
RonD @ 102
Close. My version is he said “You don’t have a war plan! What you have is a cookbook for ending the world!”
Right too.
saw it and thanks :)
Loo Hoo. @ 73
My immediate thought when i read that was Mrs Bouquet who always insisted it was pronounced differently than the bunch of flowers we all know. *grins* Keeping Up Appearrances. Classic Britcom. XD Presumptious and cute, though Darth is not the latter.
Margot @ 104
Ah. got it. I absolutely adored Robert Ludlum’s stuff. I’m still debating whether it was The Matarese Circle or the Scarlatti gang that did him in…:)
Just a quick stop–up late finishing a proposal that’s due later today.
First, good wishes to Teddy SanFran for his birthday, from one September baby to another [a year and 3 days younger].
Second, I’d like to tap into the usual wisdom of this crowd. I know someone has mentioned a book recently about how to cope when someone close to you has a difficult [life changing and/or terminal] diagnosis: cancer, stroke, Parkinson’s. I can’t remember the title or the author, and am hoping someone here can. Mr. NJP’s mom is not recovering from colon surgery [back in May, and the doctors think she’s given up; her surgeon says he doesn’t expect her to last another 6 months in her current condition].
Many thanks to all.
Work for peace, every day.
Waccamaw @ 98
It is going to get worse. The endgame is coming, a lot faster than we thought. I intend to live blog it on Ravings and Ratiocinations.
njprogressive @ 109
get in touch with petrocelli on facebook. his gift is real and it brought ME back from the brink.
Suz, Has Dr. Hillhouse been around lately? I haven’t seen her since I disagreed with her about de-privatizing the intel agencies..
althespook @ 100
But you are a damn good person to have on our side. I’d be proud to be your friend.
althespook @ 111
I don’t do facebook. Any other way of getting in touch?
althespook @ 54
I’m trying to get my Congress critter, Neil Abercrombie, interested in this incident. The Air-Land Forces Subcommittee he chairs has specific oversight responsibility for the U.S. Army and Air Force. I haven’t heard back from him on this yet, however.
Bob in HI
Eureka Springs @ 112
she was on vacation last i knew
burnspbesq @ 92
A dear friend Peggy Gish
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4066835.stm who has been in Iraq four years including before the invasion with the Christian Peace maker team, came back her second time in Iraq saying that many of the Iraqi people believed that the “Cakewalk’ zealots wanted chaos, and destruction. (this was in late 2003 after the Bush administration got rid of Jay Garner and replaced him with Bremer. Peggy and her CPTeam started documenting people being released from Abu Gharib and concerned family member of prisoners in Abu Gharib three months after the invasion. CPT would go to the US military with these reports and they would be ignored. This was at least a half a year or more before the media broke this story. I was able to pester Talk of the Nation long enough to get Peggy on as a guest and on as a caller of the Diane Rehm show where she was able to make a connection with the New Yorker’s Seymour Hersh. Mr. Hersh was able to use some of CPT’s reports in stories about Abu Gharib. Anyway I trust Peggy’s insights, and she came to believe within the first year of being in Iraq that chaos was the intention.
Every time she would return to Athens Ohio from Iraq we would hear stories from her that would take 2-4 months to hit the media. The Christian Peace Maker Team is an amazing organization http://www.cpt.org/
It sure makes sense after you start adding it up, lie lie about WMD’s, go in with a smaller force than recommended, only protect oil refineries, allow looting of museums etc, do not protect the borders, get rid of Garner who supported keeping the Iraqi army, disbanded the Iraqi army, underfund and understaff people sent in for political reconstruction.
So what do you do if you’re a conservative presidential candidate whose totally alienated the theocon case and whose campaign has been written off by your staff? .. why you make the most ridiculous, craven brown-nosing pronouncement of the decade:
“McCain Says He’s Been Baptist for Years
By BRUCE SMITH – 2 hours ago
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who has long identified himself as an Episcopalian, said this weekend that he is a Baptist and has been for years.”
um… yeah. So now you’re born again. Want a resurrection? Get an account on Second Life.
bobschacht @ 115
good. please read my ratiocinations post again if you haven’t recently because we can now saw fairly definitely that the conspiracy was also at Barksdale and is very likely still in place. this could happen AGAIN if we don’t plug the rat hole.
things come undone @ 61
Its prolly right where his heart, or maybe his conscience, is supposed to be.
Bob in HI
(((NJProgressive)))
Suzanne @ 75
Sh-h-h-h-h-h! :-)
Bob in HI
njprogressive @ 114
my emergency email is michaelkilgallen158 at gmail.com; please email me there and i’ll grab your email and send to petro on FB tomorrow.
bobschacht @ 122
I’ve gotten so good at ignoring mine that I’m shocked when I find out how old I am.
althespook @ 100
Heh, I used to coise you Red Teamers, during BBX’s and Div-ex’s ya’ll didn’t play fair…!!! :P!!!
CD @ 81
Jerry Lee Lewis?
Bob in HI
Thanks, Loo Hoo.
Mr. NJP’s mom never seemed the type to just give up. This news came as a bit of a shock today, and I still can’t quite process it.
Got to get back to writing.
Be kind to one another.
althespook @ 101
That is what got to me before the invasion, how many military officials were saying this is nuts and entirely unnecessary. Before the invasion I was at a cousins wedding where four of my uncles who had been engineers at WPAFB (all retired now,two graduates of MIT and one other from Amherst,not sure where the other one went) All completely against the invasion based on their knowledge, along with so many experts, Ritter, El Baradei, General Clark, Ziggy Brezinski, etc etc. It just did not make fucking sense, and then when they did not follow recommendations on troops etc etc, one has to wonder was it death, destruction, refugees and chaos that they wanted?
bobschacht @ 122
Happy happy do something special for yourself!
“Evil Darth sure has been quiet lately, and that’s not a good thing, ya think?”
I’m sure he’s off in Albania making horcruxes or something.
TJ @ 113
Rosh Hashanah sounds like a good holy day..Most of us have plenty of reflecting and atoning to do
Hey, Bob! The 18th is my dad’s birthday too!
Goodnight pups.
Later lakers
CTuttle @ 125
That was our job (altho of course i did all mine on a com-poo-ter (with emphasis on the “poo”). Never did military service, bad heart…
and in real life (i assume you have seen Teh Elephant, you certainly sound like you have) war ALWAYS cheats. “No plan of battle ever survives contact with the enemy”.
BTW, every play board wargames, the ones by avalon hill and strategic publications inc (Jim Hill)? My boss is the reigning champion at Advanced Squad Leader, the best ww 2 small unit simulation ever done (by don greenwood). he was the co-designer on the first edition. my boys WORSHIPPED him when they were younger. I warned them he was only mortal. Then i ended up working for the little sh*t (after he married my youngest daughter and I retired, that is…)
bobschacht @ 122
Certainly an inordinate amount of Virgos congregate here at the Lake!!! *g*
OK, I’m out. Y’all have the best Monday possible under the circumstances (a wish full of legal mumbo-jumbo, to be sure, but I am after all of the lawyer persuastion).
Two parting gifts:
(1) Scott Horton’s definitive posting (from Balkinization) on why the US Attorney scandal matters.
http://balkin.blogspot.com/200…..rayed.html
(2) The Flying Burrito Brothers, “Sin City.”
Kathleen @ 131
belated thank you, TJ (busy answering comments on other threads and Teh Blogs). I view myself as a useful monster (like Hellboy). He’s prettier than I am tho…
althespook @ 134
Were ya ever TDY at Schofield, or, Red Cloud in the ’90s? We mighta have had dueling pucks…!!! *g*
Is it an authoratarian thing to obey orders without question or apparent reason EVER being given, or is it a just a trait that Con Artists look for in Marks.
Newt does not want us to wonder why they hate us, Bush says they hate our freedom. Also The Great and Powerful OZ says don’t look behind the curtain.
I wonder if more Americans knew the Palestian’s troubles wether they might sympathise.
I wonder how Americans would feel if foreigners were trying to take their jobs and or oil how they would react.
Americans should realize that the appeal that Lou Dobbs has whipping up the antiimmigrant issue is the same appeal Al Quieda uses to recruit.
Americans should ask themselves if they would like living in an Arab country supported by America with secret police, government control of the press, sham elections, religous fundementalists telling everybody else how to live,…in poverty.
While the Saudia elite in particular spends the oil money being wealthy playboys chasing Princess Di and not living like Muslims.
Granted G.W is doing his best to change America into Saudia Arabia.
But would the average American really want to lay down his life fighting to keep oil sheiks safe.
Only if the 30%ers don’t think about the real reasons we are at war does the GOP maintain there support.
Shifting reasons why we went to war are the razzle dazzle keeping the mark distracted. No sooner do we lefties discredit one lie that Bush has another 3 lies/reasons why we went to war at the ready.
But 6 years of no results in the war are making this tired con old and even worst uninteresting. Even a new Terror attack is unlikly to elict a positive GOP response now, after all Bush still hasn’t won in Iraq, he hasn’t caught Osama, heck Opium production is up in Afghanistan.
Even the 30%ers doubts must be growing about wether any GOPer can do anything to keep them safe from Osama. The GOP’s constant talk about Terror is counter productive when after 6 years they haven’t accomplished anything.
By not breaking with Bush in a big way they get linked to him and his failures.
joyeux anniversaire, Teddy!
AK -
Don’t see the new post on Ravings; read hurriedly thru’ the first one again (including updates). Where’d I miss it? Maybe time for an eye?brain exam. *g*Ahhhhh, there it is on the other link you provided; nothing like multiple tries. Reaction at this end of the toobz: Oh, spit!
FWIW, the graphics on my screen push the contiguous text to amost nonexistence.
What *exactly* is a “minder”?
CTuttle @ 138
No i was at the denver fedeal center then and didn’t do any details. Can’t discuss WHAT i was doing, unfortunately, but didn’t go anywhere else. I go offered the top slot in my section, but it would have meant going to live in DC. My wife said no. I retired rather than be passed over (at my pay grade it works just like officers, once you’re passed over for promotion, you retire. period.)
Waccamaw @ 141
crapola. will fix that tomorrow. I run a widescreen setup and didn’t notice.
“minders” are a british term for people who “babysit” people with dangerous knowledge or access. (for example, if you are a journalist in say, Iran, you have a “minder” who goes with you to “help” you.) In our case, we have people who make sure we don’t spill secrets on open channels or write books or posthumous memoirs. Its all quite legal, just not discussed much, part of the retirement issues for any dod civvie who had high level access.
mine is a serving officer in my old unit whose daddy worked with me. we get along fine. now to go into more detail…[redacted by minder. nanny nanny boo boo.]
It cracks me up when people blanch at the suggestion that Cheney would become president if Bush were impeached and convicted. It is like saying Bush is the lesser of two evils and there is no reason to intervene. Ha! As if anyone, R or D, actually believes Bush is really in charge!
It is so screwy — in a Daffy Duck sense — that people even think Bush is president for any reason other than to do Dick’s bidding. And guess what… As soon as Dicky sez to Dumbya, “Happy Trails to you” it is as if congress never existed to deliver the justice he so richly deserves.
Therein lies a worst case scenario which we, the American public, may experience — the wake-up call heralding a new national nightmare… UberLeader Cheney unleashed. And I can’t see any reason not to believe the worst is yet to come. Impeaching Cheney first is a great idea, but who is going to make it happen?
I wish the best case scenario in which we actually elect the next president comes to pass, but things may not turn out that way if October yields its surprise wherein BusChen fissions and Ubertator DickChen walks out from behind the curtain, preening and smiling his grimace like Prince basking in the glow of a sold-out house. Talk about a madmadmadmadmad world!
CTuttle @ 135
I still find that amusing. *grins*
Hi mods (lurking/otherwise)
riseup’s email is sposhed today…
so I can’t send this directly:
Er..uh…
…shuffles feet, mumbles, feels chagrined…
If I gave y’all cause to delete an entire comment of mine a few threads back, I apologize to y’all and the Lake for being offensive.
(if not, perhaps the farmers’ market needs to spot-check the matustake bin.
..sure thought I saw the comment earlier…
or perhaps I just had some bad shrooms off the barbie)
Doo, doo, doo,
Lookin’ out my back door.
There’s a giant doing cartwheels,
a statue wearin’ high heels.
Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn.
hey Eureka Springs – still around? SF Chronicle travel section today:
COLOR OF THE OZARKS
and
Wow, CNN’s ‘Lifting the Veil’ is a powerful documentary…
kirk murphy @ 146
everything’s fine as far as i can tell, kirk. and i still need your spell checked post and those pictures for ravings tomorrow inbetween postings on the endgame for the iraq war.
nobody is mad at you at all. if they are, they’ll answer to me. and as i keep pointing out, i am not a nice man.
stop worrying. that’s MY job.
al the spook@149
ok i am afraid of you ;o)
Cujo359 @ 38
He’s probably sucked out their life force, like Renfield!
AK -
Pretty much what I thought, then; have read way too many spy novels in a previous life.
[waves to Al’s nice minder]
Even if the person you’re minding claims *he* isn’t. *g* Personally, it makes me feel better knowing there’s somebody on our side who knows where to dig up the dirty tricks, if need be.
well pups i’m done for this day – night to all – think peace
Blub @ 118
link
If you’re too old and forgetful to remember your religion, you’re too old and forgetful to be President.
juslin @ 153
Nite, Juslin!
Al,
I was afraid of The Bomb, but then we got New Math. I forgot entirely about the bomb. Say…don’t tell me, that was its purpose all along? ;)
Teddy, hope you had a pleasant yesterBirthday.
Good night, everyone.
Well, I need to tend to my better half and her cracked rib(already fed her)! I shall bid Ya’ll a fond adieu! Aloha Oe!!! *g*
punaise, That’s Little Switzerland aka Eureka Springs… the place I call home. Are you familiar with Fay Jones work? One nice photo of Thorncrown Chapel (his design) in the article you linked. I always thought you might or probably do like his work.
Hi Al, working on the spell check
(email provider crashed twice today). Don’t follow re pics….I don’t recall any for my comment here at FDL.
Sometimes I must triage:
Hi njp!
sorry for bold – far down comment.
I used to spend part of each workday treating depression in patients after intestinal surgery. [My sub-specialty training was in consultation-liaision psychiatry…meeting the psych needs of patients (and families/physicians, nurses, etc) with acute or chronic medical illness.]
Not being Sen Frist, I can’t diagnose over the toobz (well, not on dial-up, anyway *g*).
Yet in anyone with FTT (failure to thrive) after abdominal surgery – especially body image altering surgery – once the surgeons and internists have ruled out problems, sub-specialized psychiatry care can be very effective.
The local med school can help direct to the nearest C/L shrink.
I hope your mom recovers soon, whether she bothers with shrinks or not.
And I hope you are well as can be.
Good wishes,
Kirk
althespook @ 119
Thanks. I am assuming you mean
The Strange Case Of The Six Misplaced Nuclear Warheads
Bob in HI
Margot @ 156
Naw, it was to make you forget the alien invasion and occupation. And here you thought Britney was *human*. silly monkey.
bobschacht @ 161
that’s correct. please scroll down to the very end, the last update. i find it as scary as the rest of the whole frakking thing.
TJ @ 124
Me, too! But I’m paying a bit more attention lately as I near retirement age.
Bob in HI
I cannot imagine one person could handle the job of being AK’s minder. *g*
back from my phone call.. did i miss anything?
kirk murphy @ 160
kirk, in re pix; sorry, fdl email. please send to michaelkilgallen158 at gmail.com the spell checked post, your formal name (ie Dr. Kirk Murphy, Phd. Md. Thd. Lld. or whatever) and if you have them, a couple nice pics of the area you used as the basis for the dichotomies of your post. i would prefer that to generic pix scraped off Teh Toobz.
Feel better, whatever it is.
Al – Did you happen to catch the article on Bae’s thruster? Link
Not that I know of…
(but – OT
does the kevlar swimsuit let you feel the fog come in?)
kirk murphy @ 169
yes, but dulls it from stingy to thuddy
Eureka Springs @ 165
[AK’s Minder]
We farmed it out to Blackwater. They threw in the towel after a week and gave us back the money. we made them double it to take him back. (See The Ransom Of Red Chief for details.)
[AK’s Minder]
Kathleen @ 117
The old saying “From chaos, comes opportunity” is very popular in diplomatic circles.
Eureka Springs @ 159
nice patch of the world you got there! I’m familiar with that beautiful structure – positively Wright-eous. don’t know much about Fay Jones, however.
Waccamaw @ 152
If chimpy doesn’t fear anything else, he ought to fear The Omega Sector. We don’t fool around.
“The Math” by Rove/Bush over looks old math. How much does it cost to keep our army in Iraq, and our abilty to borrow money to keep them there is much greater than the cost of Al Quieda and the Iraqi rebels to fight us to a stand still.
I wonder if there are any estimates on how much all our enemies in Iraq spend to fight us? The comparision should shock the American people. Because unless there is a real plan to change that equation we will lose because we can’t afford to stay, much less win.
If Bush had any real plans to win I think he would have tried them out by now.
But by not understanding the enemy we underestimated them. By not understanding why we fight the public has turned against this war they never would have fought in the first place if the real reasons were known.
TJ @ 168
yes but there are issues. this “article” is little more than a press release to get government money during the appropriations cycle. the fact they would say it could get a ship to mars in a week is an indication this isn’t serious science, at least not yet. and their “demonstrator” can nudge a satellite. a little bit. in a lab.
Pardon me if my early enthusiasm has waned a bit, or if i’m grumpy about it. I REALLY want space travel. I have friends waiting for me out there (as do we all).
Okay, so I was hooked on star trek when it came out. so sue me. :)
Kathleen @ 35
Thanks for the reads. People of all SORTS of persuasions continue to have conflicting thoughts as to what this was all about.
Check out the last comment by Pundit, at 11:39am, from ArmscontrolWonks site:
http://www.armscontrolwonk.com…..d-routines
I walked thru all those links, there are some real notable fallacies . . ONE died in July of ‘07, before this event even took place.
Still . . . .
And of course, Mr. Spook has a huge new update on HIS Ravings Of A Rational Mind site.
WELL worth reading . . .
I’m of course, hoping that the Shooter Version comes to play, and that Congress investigates this B-52 incident QUICKLY and DEEPLY!!!
I don’t buy it was a mistake, per Scott Vest via Counterpunch . . . I buy it was a covert ops. But then, I LOVE a good mystery.
My, we live in interesting times! What did I WISH for!?!?!?!?! lol
And, Happy 53 from a 54 Sacto
juslin @ 150
don’t be. I’m a teddy bear. I just talk tough to scare off the trolls. if they get really close, i hide behind suz’s skirts. A wimp, really. trust me. would I lie?
I don’t know if teddy is still around but i just remembered the car show he was talking about earlier. Every year behind Cala Foods on 18th street.. Man I even remember that El Dorado..
We had a huge car convention here this week and Little Feats “Feat Fest.” Members of the band live here.. the guy who used to play with Zappa.
Anyway, punaise, yes he is very wrighteous.. Now you can see why I was able to consider leaving my favorite big city in the US, for the smaller version..)
(laughing) spook, not all of my outfits are kevlar
althespook @ 163
Thanks. I’m interested in the whole chain of command thingy that needs investigating. Or are you suggesting that a legitimate chain of command was meddled with, and used to provide cover for the plot? If that’s the case, then you really have to put people all up and down the chain in Minot (and in Barksdale, too) under oath.
Bob in HI
althespook @ 176
My thought was that my former colleagues in the satellite world would probably be taking advantage of this in 5-7 years. But that wouldn’t be in the public eye.
althespook @ 171
Does that include the hot baked potatoes incident?
Bob in HI
kirk, i can’t speak for the mods, and i am not sure what comment you mean, but i wouldn’t presume to answer the question you addressed to the mods, either.
Teddy, you are still here? I thought for sure you would be uhhh tsk ahhh occupied what with it being only 3 minutes left of your birthday.
okay, mods, suz, everyone, I have to post a warning here.
Serious Egoboo ahead.
I about swallowed my teeth.
Les Enrages latest post on the Combined anti-terror operation in October.
My boss will love it; he promised me bonuses for being linked to. I *may* be able to afford another bratz for Teh Granddaughter. Woo Hoo!
dayam sweet, al – and FDL got a hat tip too…
Happy birthday prime, Teddy!
Congrats on reaching joker 60 sec.
(and no worries on comment – it was some threads ago. sorry for OT reference here)
Suzanne @ 185
Actually, the cake sugar rush is collapsing in on itself, especially after that treacly Emmy ceremony. Thanks for all your kind wishes! No better place to celebrate a birthday except maybe my next destination — bed!
Goodnite, all, and be excellent to one another.
bobschacht @ 182
[AK’s Minder]
HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THAT?
IT’S SCI CODE WORD STUFF!
(Did they tell you the bit about the buttered dog?)
[AK’s Minder]
althespook @ 186
Link early, link often.
althespook @ 186
Way to go. I emailed a couple people your link. Does that count?
Suzanne @ 186
Teh Phd Blog strikes again! (Note that this is Les Enrages, no slouch in the intellect department itself…)
TJ @ 191
Abolutely! We get money from adsense, so it helps pay Teh Bills. But bonuses require links on other blogs or web site, i’m afraid. cheapskate. :)
oops – forgot the “plus” sign disappears on the Lake.
Uncon Conv is your boss, al?
TeddySanFran @ 184
kirk, if it was your long biographical account, caught in passing, I found it compelling. didn’t catch any follow-up however.
kirk murphy @ 195
something to do with the WP software and no symbols i think, kirk
Hillary previews her post-election, pre-Inauguration activities:
Methinks there’s a cart ahead of a horse hereabouts.
Kathleen @ 128
things come undone @ 139
That has been a forbidden subject in polite discussions in the U.S., even though it’s discussed a lot in Israel.
Non-insurgents would be called “traitors.”
Great post Teddy… Had to grab that second video and put it on my blog with a new header photo.
hey nate, ltns
althespook @ 110
I was feeling like that before Labor Day. Took 8 days in the Sierra’s and came home. Caught up with things (thanks to YOU in no large part) and I’m definitely a bit off balance at the speed of how things seem to be working up and out.
Any thoughts as to why any Iran or other ‘nasty’ timelines might have accellerated so rapidly so recently?
Congress Chasing Them?
Screwup’s catching up with them?
Military definitely at ODDS with them?
Fallon’s chickenshit remark to Petraeus really points THAT up . . .
Pub’s and PTB coming down hard on BushCo Crime Family for political reasons?
Something seems to have spurred all this ahead of a timeline I was vaguely thinking about. And ’stuff’ sure seems likes it coming to a head quick.
Not a word so much from Congress, in either House or Senate . . . . post Labor Day.
{{{Suzanne}}} Hiya…
you working on the charlie brown campaign again or are you back in hawaii?
Nate in da house.
hey-o, nate
bobschacht @ 180
The “rumors” I’m hearing suggest that the following scenario happened:
a) a Command and Control (or whatever the AF SOF is called) team showed up for a ‘drill’ at Minot the day of the incident.
b) they went through the process of moving stored W80’s from one nuclear locker to another, to “inspect” storage facilities for possible corrosion which could lead to the locker’s being compromised. As part of this process, they had ‘dummy’ warheads to use to test the strength of the lockers or whatever.
c) at the end of the day, they left. all was well. until someone noticed that one of the id’s used by one of the nco’s in the group was that of a person he happened to know, and IT WASN’T the same guy. he ordered a full security lockdown and they went over the nukes with a fine toothed comb. In one locker six nukes had been replaced with “dummy” warheads. the stickers said they were nukes but they weren’t. apparently during the “inspection” some fast and dirty sticker switching or putting over was done. And our fine “inspectors” trundled six nuclear weapons right out under the noses of the guards set to prevent just such a thing.
d) A bent spear was issued, the base was locked down. by then the plane to Barksdale was well on its way.
e) barksdale got the alert but never connected the plane with the problem. BUT, the crew chief had heard the BS alert and happened to see the ACM’s on the pylons and slid them open to check. The stickers said “inert non nuclear” and he was happy at first, until he noticed one sticker was peeling off. Under it was the “nuc” sticker. He went white slammed to cover shut and told his men to get the hell away from the plane until he could get security.
f) security refused to come. they said he was crazy. It took him TEN hours to get a general or whatever to actually LOOK at the things. All that time the plane sat unguarded on the tarmac at Barksdale. you or I if we could have go on base could have filched those suckers.
Mind you, this is back channel rumor and if i’m forced to confirm it i’ll claim i made it all up to get laid by suz. I won’t compromise my sources. But I trust them.
We got rogered, Bob. I’m scared quietly shitless here.
Gonna try for the land of zzzzzzzz’s again. Catch up with y’all in the daylight.
{{{{{{hugs all ’round}}}}}
er.uhh..
my non-findable comment was a few threads back today on a very conflictual topic.
if it was made to go away, i’m not complaining – i was (and am) apologizing for crossing the line.
I very much appreciate your kind comments, punaise and Teddy.
(and now for something completely different:
Q: why does my canning take longer than kidney-pancreas transplant surgery takes in the OR?
A: oh yes – I have the manual aptitude of a dirt clod)
g’nite Suzanne – sleep well.
I dunno. I think the Cheney effigy thing is over the top.
Eureka Springs @ 195
No my boss is Nathan Wallace, the genius/whack job. Check out his published technical books on amazon.com (last one pubbed early 2000). He lost a close friend in 9/11 and has been fighting the POLICE end of the WOT ever since. I can’t got into too many details there.
But he has a bird up his butt about this blogging thing and promoted me so I could blog full time. He’s married to my youngest daughter so I can’t really complain. and he is a genius. he is also a complete loon. entertaining, tho.
Mind you, this is back channel rumor and if i’m forced to confirm it i’ll claim i made it all up to get laid by suz. I won’t compromise my sources. But I trust them.
dayamit, al, i was totally not expecting that (coffee all over desk)
kirk murphy @ 209
Kirk, GO TO BED. and stop being so down on yourself. Don’t make me come over there. If you have meds, take them. your vibes are bad, sir. I mean it.
Suzanne @ 213
Why do you think i always hide my crotch when you do those dives in the tight bathing suit?
(Hey it’s late late nite! I’m allowed.)
punaise @ 210
ka da dump
John McCain and Holy Joe insist that they saw the real Iraq and that they saw progress with troops and attack helicopters protecting them every step of the way.
In a “Bright Shining Lie ” Pg 61-62 Neil Sheehan descibes how John Vann would handle staff officers who wanted to see the real war. He would take them for a drive at 4:30 in the dark alone.
“The staff officer would have assumed that they would have an ARVIN squad or platoon to escort them, or at least another jeep of advisors along for company.”
Instead he got “this wild man behind the wheel shouting at him above the wind to be prepared to open fire with his own weapon if they hit a Viet Cong roadblock, because he, Vann, was going to smash through; he had no intention of being taken alive to be exhibited in a cage like a monkey.”
“If he turned out to be a kindred sort who laughed at this initiation, he was welcomed at his next visit”
I wonder why John McCain who has probably seen military dog and pony shows for the bigwigs before is letting himself be snowed?
I wonder if John McCain thinks letting himself be snowed is really buying himself any cred with the troops who know better?
Now if John ever stopped hiding behind troops and helicopters and faced Iraq under the same conditions our troops do, then maybe his words about progress in Iraq would have some creditabilty.
Thank you for suggesting I read “A Bright Shining Lie ” Raven (I’m still getting through it) I think the time has come to hit Bush with parallels to Viet Nam at every oppertunity.
kirk, i wasn’t working so i really don’t know since it was not a late nite thread BUT i do know that your apology is sincere. self flagellation time is over, ok?
Suzanne @ 214
You should have seen the big smile I got when I read that!
In San Francisco, putting out the self-flagellation light can make for fighting words..
not to mention the beatings
kirk murphy @ 220
thank you sir, may i have another please
yellowdog jim @ 216
no, no … believe it or not, I actually meant it at face value. as in, too much. doesn’t sit quite right. hard to describe. and I’m as virulently anti-Cheney as most.
Al, all week you’ve been warning us about WW III..
no wonder my vibes are bad….contmeplating plasma….
*g*
TJ @ 219
tj, i’m trying to figure out if that is a good thing or a bad thing….
punaise @ 212
Yet I will defend their right to do it.
Lindy @ 226
yes, of course
kirk murphy @ 223
that isn’t the vibes I meant and you know it. however, you are better now (or are masking really well) so we’ll let it go for now. Come to think of it, aren’t you a psychiatrist yourself? am I taking coals to newcastle here?
things come undone @ 175
Hmmmmm:
later, all. be nice to suzanne!
punaise @ 221
it falls and its head comes off …
“over the top”
well, sometimes the punai se will wax teh subtle.
they could have stood the effigy up for the full abu graib treatment.
water boarding would have been tricky.
what was not to like then?
I’d think a Cheney effigy would be oozing around the bottom.
That’s where cadavers are said to first decompose.
OK – who said Santorum?
define nice, pun
OT
The site of Larry Craig’s arrest has become a tourist attraction:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/…..59879.html
althespook @ 186
Well, I don’t like the sound of “full range of exercise scenarios.” I need to flag this to my friends in Arizona.
Bob in HI
Margot @ 233
ROFLMAO!
bobschacht @ 234
And this is in the period our “talented” friends here at the lake have dubbed “cheney’s black hole”. Hmmmm.
Yep.
But despite the global warming debts, I appreciate the concern for my health :)
Suzanne @ 235
Not to mention all the “wits” who now find it funny to play footsie under the stalls. The man is a frakking social weapon of mass disgustion, i sweartaghod…
Suzanne @ 233
hmmm…gallant, chivalrous
kirk murphy @ 237
okay. i’m hyper for some reason tonight anyways.
Suzanne @ 234
now, if only the silhouette of the virgin mary would appear on the larry craig stall door.
punaise @ 239
(whew) ok, thanks – ak kinda threw me for a loop there = i’ve never been an excuse to get laid before
Suzanne @ 242
i hope i didn’t offend you suz. it was meant as a compliment…
no offense taken at all, al, just at my age… (laughing)
YDJ!
LOL
By the way, that sort of reminds me of visiting a friend’s house in Santa Fe, and taking a shower under the watchful eyes of a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Painted on the tiles.)
sfpptppt!
spew alert!
Suzanne @ 244
you are only as old as the men you … chat on the internet with…:)
kirk murphy @ 246
except it would be liberace.
Suzanne @ 245
it’s just that she’s already got her hands full with certain admirer(s), n’est-ce pas?
Suzanne @ 241
well, i hear you there.
uh, no i don’t.
if there is anyone out there who needs to use me as an excuse to get laid, go for it.
use protection;
safe sex;
care about people you’re with;
but
go for it
and
i’ll be your excuse.
you can blame me.
how’d i do?
Wigwam you are brillant we need to get that Sun Tze quote out in the media and force the GOP talking heads to answer it.
The talking heads all have the same response to every question (probably given to them by Rove) I bet they avoid answering that question with a long winded nonanswer.
But we need to force them to give a real answer! If they give a nonanswer we ask them again and point out the GOP is running from this issue. We want to spread the perception that they are afraid.
Afraid of no benefits from the prolonged Iraq war! Afraid of Americans asking why we went to war! Afraid of Americans asking why do the Arabs really hate us?
I see Rev Deb called it right.. Fox did censor Sally Field at the Emmys… C&L has the clip up
I didn’t think you were the excuse, Suz. I thought you were the goal!
punaise @ 249
When one is older than dirt, the admirer(s) are like dust in the wind. Is why I figure I am now just a consultant.
althespook @ 208
I’m told that Rep. Abercrombie’s committee is investigating.
Bob in HI
bobschacht @ 255
Let’s hope so. I don’t like this one bit.
TJ @ 253
Ding!
Suzanne @ 204
Hi all…
I’m still here in the CA-04th Suzanne. I’ve found a good job here and I’m definitely sticking around for Charlie’s run this time. Lots of work to be done. Including a regular and more professional video news blogcast from this district. Right now just collecting content about Charlie, Doolittle, the potential new (R) challengers etc.
(sorry to have stepped away without a follow up conversation but I had to get some Advil and Ben & Jerry’s before the store closed)
No doubt we will hear about cheney soon when he falls down and breaks his heart.
Time for me to go ransack the closet lookin for that Jamie Lee Curtis little black dress like in True Lies.
g’nite all and i’ll see ya’ll here tomorrow nite, same bat time, same bat channel
spiderpaws @ 260
Cheney has a heart?
anyone see darkblack lately? he did a very nice post about jaco pastorius over at his place. I have stories about jaco…
newspaperbrat @ 262
Cyborg.
spiderpaws @ 259
SPIDEY!!! we were talking about you uptread – i’ll look for that dress in a little bit.. how ya been
spiderpaws @ 260
Can you refresh for us what is in the cards(stars) for cheney? People were asking earlier.
…pretty good over in this area, nice up the hill tonight…what did you say about me?
suzanne said at 253
consultants have expertise and insights into their field(s) and charge consultants’ fees.
do we have clients for consultations?
as a spouse, we are considered noncombatants.
i do presume to speak for all spouses.
we were talking about cheney and i mentioned how i thought i remembered you saying that october was not going to be a good month for him
We need a media expose of how all the GOP talking heads in TV, Print, the Blogs etc all seem to have the same response to any question. Sure Rove is probably handing out talking points, but to EVERYBODY? Does not one GOPer have an original take on an issue?
A ranking of how often any talking head repeats the same talking points the other talking heads say would be interesting Kathleen Parker at lets say 99%, Pat Buchannon at 95% etc.
The myth of an independent (liberal ) media reporting “cough” the facts would be replaced by the idea that the MSM is all state run propaganda written by Rove, argued with fake liberals like Juan Williams who suspiciosly always take a dive before the government approved Talking Head.
A loss of confidence in the media is dangerous to society and media profits. The media is identified with cheerleading the Iraq war for the government and most importantly the GOP.
I think we can steal the Media is biased issue from the GOP and use MoDo as our whipping girl.
ydj, then it is good that i am without spouse :)
Suzanne @ 269
we would only want what suzanne felt was best for suzanne.
i poke fun at the spousal culture.
Cheney’s first house is now being visited by Saturn, sometimes called a bummer, and this could portend a health issue for mr VP. We mightn’t hear about it until October however BUT we will hear about it. Saturn snuggles into his first house for 2 1/2 years. ; (((((((
what does saturn snuggling into cheeney’s first house mean, spidey – is that a good thing or a bad thing for him and/or us?
Hi Spiderpaws! I told everyone up thread about how you told me once Darth has a blackhole in his chart and I was wondering if you could expand on that point if your prepared.
sorry that spam got in folks, refresh the page and it be gone
my consultant just said i had to go to bed.
bye!
laughing.. g’nite ydj
well i can only speak from personal experience and that is enough to convince me it is not something i look forward to ever happening again – although of course it will in a little over 7 years…if I’m still on planet earth. It is considered a time to go inward as it is entirely about self, health, who one is on a very personal basis. Saturn in the first house forces us to look inside and see who we are and digest it and deal with whatever has been going on for us.
Saturn represents not only limitations and difficulties but an essential reigning in of all energies – a forced contraction into a disciplined and appropriate stance.
spiderpaws @ 280
so saturn sitting in cheeney’s first house means that his karma will be doing some payback for what he has been doing?
…don’t get me going on black holes, please ; (
Saturn in the first – it is very personal in that it happens entirely inside so you all won’t get to gloat over it cause you won’t really know. It will happen in his own private place. But I can say unequivicably that it is most unpleasant, sad and a big huge bummer. All fun is gone. period. just a bunch of serious shit all day every day.
ok, time to head off to bed… g’nite all
Genaral Petraeus needs to answer one question how does fighting Al Quieda in Iraq get us Ossama?
thanks, spidey and it was nice to see ya at the lake again – clouds here covering my stars at the little cottage by the creek in the redwoods but a very pleasant 54 – good sleeping weather….
…and I didn’t even have a health problem…
…goodnite sleeptite and dont let the bedbugs gnaw on ya suzi…or in my case rats…and by the way the Bounce is working – at least for now. I scattered it over the attic and the little devils haven’t been up there since. I know it won’t last but I got a great night sleep last night.
..back to lurking
I wonder if there is any information about the Iraqi’s capturing American weapons and using them against Americans? You would think that by now they would have captured a bunch of weapons but have they captured anything big?
“the Communist strategy was succeeding. The guerillas were capturing more and more weapons, which enabled them to launch more and bigger attacks.” pg 67 “A Bright Shining Lie”
I’m sure Bush is trying to keep this information from the press, but its a little hard to believe the Iraqis have not captured anything big by now.
Vietnam helped cause the economic problems of the Seventies I wonder if the Bush economy and its problems will cause the war to end?
One question still outstanding at the Spook’s site is how a ground crewman at Barksdale could have discovered that the missiles carried real bombs, not dummies, without necessarily being able to see the warhead. The answer is simple — fake bombs aren’t (very) radioactive! It’s reasonable to assume that anyone working around nuclear material would be issued a personal radiation dosimeter, allowing someone to notice an unexpectedly high radiation exposure.
What follows is merely conjecture:
Because the crews at Minot “knew” they were handling dummy bombs, they either didn’t use dosimeters, or dismissed the readings as impossible. If the procedures at Barksdale (prudently) assume every cruise missile on an arriving aircraft has a real warhead, the crews should have had dosimeters.
But, the fellow(s) with the elevated radiation exposure would be hard pressed to convince anyone that it came from a “dummy” bomb — hence the investigative delay on that end.
Advice for the economy if Bush says anything about the economy expect and invest in the opposite.
Not For Attribution @ 289
i actually address this upthread. bear in mind my sources are “rumors” and cannot/will not be attributed. Going forward on that basis, you might not know that W80’s are fitted ENTIRELY inside the ACM, they are not visible from outside at all in the ready to fly state. When an ACM is to be flown on the hardpoints of a B52, it is fitted with a “dummy” or inert warhead that has the same color, physical appearance and weight of the real nuclear weapon. It is however, differentiated by stickers all over it saying “inert, non-nuclear”. (W80’s DO NOT EMIT RADIATION. that is a core breach (can’t reveal the code on that one but it may come out if this goes on) and would be fatal to those around it asap.) When the crew at Minot went to load up the dummies they say dummies, stickers and all, in the lockers where such things are stored. low security, but why not? they are completely intert, just lumps of metal. And thus the B52 crew had no awareness of what they were carrying either. (note : there are obviously avionics packages used with real nuclear weapons used to arm and and fire the weapon. These are covered by metal panels which are only opened if the W80’s are going to be flown into combat. the “dummy” warheads have the same panels, but with nothing under them.)
At Barksdale, word had reached the ground crews that a “bent spear” had happened at Minot. Everyone assumed the nukes would be found there. But an alert crew chief saw that this B-52 had come from Minot and was carrying ACM’s. So he slid open a compartment and looked. The sticker said “inert, non nuclear” and he was about to close the compartment when he noticed THE STICKER WAS PEELING OFF. He pulled it all the way off and saw the red “nuclear weapon” warning.
The rest is, as they say, history. (I cannot put this on the main blog because it is a sourced blog and I cannot attribute without revealing my sources. so it must remain “rumor” for now.)
Not For Attribution @ 290
Good point workers at nuclear plants have/had? badges that I believe change color when you get your daily allowed dose of radiation. If badges or personal dosimeters were in use then your scenerio adds one more nail to support the idea that this was an inside job.
The next question is who did this! Obviously someone high up but I refuse to believe this was a rogue action because all high level things like this have plausiblie denibilty as a protection for the President.
But why would an Iran hater go Rogue when Cheney is pushing for war with Iraq? Since Cheney always gets his way in the end I find it hard to believe that Iran haters would find it necesary to steal nukes because Darth is to soft on Iran.
Sorry Althespook thought you went to sleep I knew you could answer this better than me. But nobody has any way to measure radiation at a nuclear missle site? I won’t doubt you if you say otherwise I just think its kinda dangerous.
things come undone @ 292
The reason the nukes were ATTEMPTED to be stolen may be this:
a) bush wants an air only campaign against iran. he has no troops to send there except a few marines in amphibious landing units.
b) the navy is unwilling to do what he wants, namely a ‘throw everything we have’ campaign because it will 1) cost many airmen’s lives 2) lose many airplanes and 3) expose the carriers to attack by small boat swarms and exocet type missiles from shore. (if you don’t think that can happen go read up on what happened to the brits in the falklands war.) Fallon in particular is dead set against it and he has swayed the JCOS.
c) To get around the JCOS objections, cheney has suggested tactical nuclear weapons. (1 to 5 kiloton yields). The problems with this approach are 1) crossing the nuclear threshold 2) no likelihood of success against hardened iranian targets 3) attacks on carriers as per (b)
d) for this reason the JCOS have refused totally to sign off on a tac nuking of iran. Bush and cheney are stuck.
e) wurmser (cheney’s pet serial killer) has suggested THEATER level nuclear attacks be used. Only six to twelve nukes would be needed at the 150 Kiloton level (ten times hiroshima). Iran would cease to exist as a viable nation state for the next few centuries. They would have little ability to attack us carriers or the straits or hormuz.
f) the JCOS said HELL NO when presented with this option. Fallon personally told cheney that if cheney ordered this he would refuse and mutiny and most of the navy would follow him as would the army.
g) The AF, on the other hand, has a lot of xtianists and other folks who are into doomsday scenarios. it is entirely possible that cheney or bush ordered their sychophants in the AF to remove six or twelve nukes from the COC and hide them at Barksdale. Then fitted on the wings of a B-52 they could be first standoff into Iran with no one the wiser. When they went off, it would all be over in an instant. The “cheney policy” at its finest.
h) they failed THIS time. what about next time?
things come undone @ 293
Its not a nuclear missile site it is an air force base. the nukes live in compounds ringed by guards, fences, mines, attack dogs, the works. Those places have rad detectors out the yin yang. other places don’t, because if the rad gets out people are largely dead anyways.
Althespook A core breach that is fatal ASAP. What is in the core Plutonium? If its top secret don’t worry I’ll just make an educated guess with the help of google.
things come undone @ 296
no can talkee about eet. but google is your friend. it will tell you what you want to know.
spook go bye bye. see all firepups manana.
(poof)
Rogues can’t be the fall guy if American nukes are used on Iran, Cheney can’t be the fall guy, the plauseable deniabilty excuse will not be believed the buck will stop at Bush if this happens.
Martial law will have to be declared or else a nuclear gulf of Tonkin incident will have to be faked to justify this.
I’d tend to trust The Spook’s sources over my speculation.
I was working under the assumption that the receiving ground crews didn’t know what they had and hadn’t gotten around to looking into the missiles yet.
If I’d seen the previous post I wouldn’t have put this out there.
In other words, “nevermind”.
Thanks for the quick response.
Goodnite Althespook stay Spooky! you know before you and Valerie Palme I never had a good thing to say about government spooks its amazing how things change as you get older.
Doing a little snooping around the Iran/Iraq border area 100 km or so from where I’ve done fieldwork, and came across this snippet (you gotta scroll way down):
Now, I’ve been to Ahwaz, but never mind. What’s interesting here is that several years ago some U.S./British agent got caught trying to make trouble on the Iranian side of the border. Do you suppose that just maybe there are a lot of “special forces” folks operating inside Iran? I do. I don’t know what they’re up to, but I’ll bet Darth Cheney does.
Bob in HI
Well, that was a rather inauspicious de-lurking on my part. *sigh*
Another day, perhaps.
Not For Attribution @ 304
Your idea got people talking without it I would not have gone to google and found out that the w80 is a fusion warhead which means Electro Magnetic Pulses.
Which makes sense EMPs stop electical devices from working, which gives me more to worry about. But if Darth were to try and cripple Iran ussing them makes more sense than ussing fission nukes because all things electric in the EMP blast area would stop working.
Good morning from Fabulous Blue Ridge Ga.
It poured Friday (I got over 4 inches of rain) and the well came back up. (Seems some kid had allowed a stuck toilet valve to run all night). It’s 58 and gloriously clear. Good Glenn Greenwald on Mukasey ..http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/index.html
things come undone @ 305
I thought EMP explosions needed to be above the atmosphere to work. And would Iran’s neighbors
(Iraq
Dang lost it there, and can’t edit comment, so..
I thought EMP explosions needed to be above the atmosphere to work. And wouldn’t Iran’s neighbors
(Iraq, Pakistan) get the bad effects too?
Finally, but they did ban all watering down here.
Hey Raven I wrote some comments up thread on a Bright Shining Lie
Raven it’s sorta pathetic when we have to hope for a hurricane or tropical storm to get rain.
The book you recomened is still on order but I’m highlighting and writing all over the margins on this one.
MR. Bill @ 311
Yea, it’s ugly.
IN further rosy news
NYT
And here ( http://www.docstrangelove.com/…..9_2007.jpg ) is a devastating graph of the ‘troops of 36 countries lie that Bush was selling..
Mr Bill even if the w80s are used as bunker busting bombs that detonate underground there still would be an EMP but how far will the EMP go will it effect other countries?
I think that information is classified but if it does effect Saudia Arabia then US deposits of oil would skyrocket in value. I wonder if any Bushies are buying lots of stock in American oil companies recently.
Good morning, pups. Today in the NYT Roger Cohen is in Stockholm and has a piece on their new finance minister and the Swedish economy. Paul Krugman titled his column “Sad Alan’s Lament,” and says that if Alan Greenspan had doubts about the Bush tax cuts he should have said something years ago.
http://mgpaquin.wordpress.com/
The coffee and tea are ready, and the biscuits are out of the oven. It got cool enough last evening that we could open the windows! Have a great day.
raven @ 313
Maybe thats why Rove left
things come undone @ 310
Great! Glad to be able to contribute. I just finished Bernard Falls bio written by his wife. More good stuff by the mentor of Shehan and Halberstam.
Ok Going in early. Y’all take it easy…
raven @ 318
Sheehan
MR. Bill @ 319
Watch yer topknot.
raven @ 318
Heck I should be thanking you for providing me such good material. Comparing Iraq to Viet Nam is something I should have been doing from the begining.
Later Mr Bill good talking to you!
Marion in Savannah I can’t believe the Swedes want to change a system that has us beat.
things come undone @ 322
In Pharaoh’s Army: memories of a lost war, by Tobias Wolff. London: Bloomsbury, 1994.
Army
Good Mornin’, Firepups!
It’s clear and pretty chilly for September–only 43° here in central Jersey this morning. Marion, I’d love a couple of hot biscuits this morning–thank you. I brought my own coffee, thanks.
Many thanks to the Late Late shift for kind words and suggestions about how to deal with Mr. NJP’s mother. She had her colon removed in late May, but she has not been able to recover from the surgery, and has been officially designated a FTT [failure to thrive] case. Her surgeon told Mr. NJP’s sister that he doesn’t expect her to last six months in her current condition. Mr. NJP’s father is quite frail, no longer drives, and needing assistance [thank goodness for home health aides] but is still mentally alert, and has a wonderfully optimistic outlook. The contrast between Mr. NJP’s parents couldn’t be more striking.
Work for peace, every day.
njprogressive @ 326
We just went through this with our last parent, my wife’s pop. Please try to take of yourself too.
Greenspan is being awful hard on Bush in his attempts to seperate himself from our current economic problems what do you want to bet that things are going to get much worst?
After all his latest comments will adversly effect his wife’s career by cutting off her access to White House leaks. Rove makes sure only loyal reporters who toe the line get rewarded.
So the question is just how bad does the economy have to get for Greenspan to hurt his wife’s career?
Heck anyone familar with Greenspeak is probably wondering just how bad it is to scare Greenspan into speaking in clear sentences!
things come undone @ 328
LOL! Actually, more 7O7!!
More on the use of contractors in Iraq, from Pincus:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..c-politics
P. S.- if anyone at home base is listening:
I now sorta know what’s in that blasted video but, for somebody on dial-up, the load time to get into FDL is just flat out misery. FWIW, it took more than 5 minutes to completely load. Now, if I want to spend the rest of the morning watching it in 3 second intervals………. :-(
And yes, I did leave and come back just to clock it; always was a glutton for punishment. *g* Dmac, lhp and I had a conversation about this yesterday afternoon.
Want to go look at MR. Bill’s linky and read Marion’s stuff but I’m not gonna go thru’ reload hell again to accomplish that end.
OT,
when do we hear from losheadprop on the nominee for AG? An update on http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..g-nominee/
would be very helpful.
And how would the idea of demanding subpoena-ed documents in return for confirmation hearings or a Special prosecutor play out in all these?
Or getting something about the past DOJ out of the future one? Jerrilyn@TalkLeft wants a rebuilt Civil Rights Division. Does that preclude investigation and judgment of those who destroyed it? Brought fraudulent voter fraud cases?
Thoughts,anyone?
Good morning!
(((((Happy birthday Teddy!!!)))))
Twas yesterday, but still the birthday threads, yes?
BlueStateRedHead -
[snip]
And how would the idea of demanding subpoena-ed documents in return for confirmation hearings or a Special prosecutor play out in all these?
Or getting something about the past DOJ out of the future one? Jerrilyn@TalkLeft wants a rebuilt Civil Rights Division. Does that preclude investigation and judgment of those who destroyed it? Brought fraudulent voter fraud cases?
Thoughts,anyone?
The MSM is already running with “the Democrats like him” story. If that’s already out there, it would seem the horse has left the barn so far as any hope of holding bushco’s feet to the fire.
Anyone know anything about this regarding Mukasey? Just popped up in a quick search:
http://www.politicalfriendster…..el-Mukasey
BlueStateRedHead @331
I want everything that Gonzo has been hiding from us. I want Harriet to testify. I want this Executive Priviledge stuff to stop and an end to White House signing statements.
After all what do we have to lose Gonzo has shown us that having the wrong guy for AG is worst than not having an AG.
We should hold out for everything after all not getting an AG confirmed only embarrasses Bush.
Our base is not going to care if GOPers given their record of holding up presidential appointments get cranky. We don’t need and are never going to get the 30%er vote so why give in?
Washington Journal’s first call-in segment is dealing with the confirmation: Sould a battle be avoided?
(((((njprogressive)))))
and good morning to all!
things come undone @ 335
amen to that!
in the mean time… they give us scraps and hope we don’t notice.
bonkers @ 334
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Mukasey
-”In 1987, Mukasey was nominated as a federal judge in Manhattan by President Ronald Reagan.”
-”Mukasey also was the judge in the litigation between developer Larry Silverstein and several insurance companies arising from the destruction of the World Trade Center.”
-”In June 2003, Democratic New York Senator Charles Schumer submitted Mukasey’s name, along with four other Republicans or Republican appointees, as a suggestion for President George W. Bush to consider for nomination to the Supreme Court.”
Selise@338 yeah but its the Democrats who keep screwing us!
things come undone @ 340
just call me charlie brown! :(
here’s a early peek at this week’s list of congressional hearings – three on FISA, and a bunch of other stuff (i will post more in the comments of the next thread)
Good Morning!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEDDY!! Sorry I missed your party!
Thanks again, folks. This is a great community. Now it’s off to work and delivering two proposals and three report today.
Work for peace, every day.
Morning wisdom from Scarecrow.
Morning Cuppa Doin’ The Math
I don’t think the right cares about Iraq and her people. They want the oil and want to go after Iran for the hostage humiliation and of course their oil. That appears to be what they want to keep troops in the region… to stage attacks and to keep the locals intimidated and make sure the oil goes where it’s supposed to… USA.
We have long tolerated and fueled what were called “low level” warfare between groups. It’s good the the WIC as long as it doesn’t get out of control. I think that is the approach in Iraq… let them kill each other forever… which we take the prize.
Americans are so prideful and easily manipulated by patriotic sentiments and the notion what the USA must be the world’s leader blah blah blah.
We need to disabuse Americans that WE need to lead the world. Our leadership is rather violent and not making the world a more peaceful place. The rest of the world knows this.
Just the 99% of ill informed Americans don’t. We have revived the ugly American in the 21st century
I think you are so right about the USA misuse of power. We have become the bully; we do not own the world and its resources. We do not even act right about the arms limiations.
But I seriously do not care who is impeaced first: just do it. Have someone like Greenspan and now Hagel to get out there and talk about the lies, dirty tricks, war for oil that these people have given us. THey are world class murderers: let the Dems speak out and follow with action for saying we’ve had enough, time for accountability.
wigwam @ 200
Watch out for Kirk Murphy the new OT policeman but only when this topic comes up
Ziggy B. was so good on the NewHour the other evening after the speech. He simply said this is a sad time for our country where the leaders/W have to regard for the will of the American people. He may have also said something about disregard for the rule of law, but Im trying to be careful. He was so candid and thoughtful. I felt sad that I used not to like the guy. Wow, have I changed my mind.
jane, you are an idiot!
testing testing 1,2,3