The struggle to find beauty in a broken world, the search for hope and love, and the traveling musician scenes in this video all appeal to me.
This song goes on first thing in the morning to get the blood stirring, to lift my spirits for the new day.
“I know I’m not a hopeless case….” See, right there is reason enough to wake up to this every morning. Just need a little reminder from time to time.
A toast to you all: brave and beautiful, hopeful and loving, traveling and grounded, wonderful firepups.
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egregious!!
Hey!
EG!
Hey eg.
Started to read “Outsourced” earlier today. What a fantastic page-turner.
And … there is a new Easy Rawlins novel!
Joy!!!
Neuro [I worked neuro dpt at Mass General], Suzanne, burns,
Good evening.
Hi, eg!
For CT and Mrs CT’s anniversary
Hello egregious! How are you this evening?
A toast to egregious!
There is also a new series of DVDs of classic filmed or televised jazz performances. I grabbed three: Monk, Wes, and Coltrane. Going to put the Coltrane disc in the computer momentarily.
burnspbesq @ 5
was a great read – and after reading it, i now understand why she had to write it as fiction – there is no way the boosh administration would have let her write it as non-fiction
egregious, may your sweetness fill the world. Everybody should work for goodness the way you do. Kudos. Thanks. May you live a thousand years in happiness.
Suzanne @ 9
That wasn’t what I was expecting.
I was expecting a certain old Jimmy Buffet song.
You know the one.
Teddy! Hey TexBetsy!
Is it CT’s anniversary? irrc # 17?
itwasntme @ 13
Wow. Thank you :)
This one is for CT & Mrs Ct, but I’ve ordered enough for all of us to have a slice.
TexBetsy @ 17
that looks positively yummy
TexBetsy @ 17
It’s almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
I stand corrected. This is the cake for us non-CT’s.
Suzanne @ 9
Mahalo Nui Loa, Suz, the better half has awakened and she enjoyed the video…!!!
I went to Westside Progressives today and our town hall meeting with Jane Harman. (LA). On the bad side, she reiterated Pelosi’s “impeachement off the table” remark to cat calls and boos (about 100-125 attended). Also not good, her support of HR 118 on oversight of elections.
On the good side, she encouraged us all to take the two weeks they managed to get by postponing SCHIP to harass those voting against it. She feels they will cave if we give ‘em hell. She recommended the book by Jack Goldsmith “The Terror Presidency” which she had in her hand.
She says that targeted sanctions ARE working on Iran, and we should keep doing that as opposed to, say, nuking them, so when you call/write about that, say you know they’re working and take no BS about it. She’s working to close Guantanamo and restore Habeas. So we had a good meeting. She knows where the progressives stand.
itwasntme @ 22
thanks for the update – did she talk at all about the ‘threat’ that was issued to lawmakers of an attack in dc right before the last fisa vote?
TexBetsy @ 17
Thanx, she’s enjoying the love being expressed by the Lake now…!!! *g*
CTuttle @ 21
Offer her a piece of cake!
CTuttle @ 21
Video, heck, we hope she is enjoying *you*
i made the first 35 or so!
egregious @ 26
yeah, ct, what the hell are you still here for?
Suzanne, no she didn’t mention it. I didn’t know about it either. I’m sure she’s wise to the idiot tricks BushCo uses, tho. Lots of people lined up to ask her questions, and she had to leave too soon, of course, but we got our message across.
Anyone heard the new John Fogerty “Revival” disc?Some good stuff, including a couple of furious rips at our boy-king and his evil war. Cut #5 “River is Waiting” gives me goose-bumps.
She’s being reluctant to type a response folks, I told her ‘no worries’ they’ll recognize it’s not me when ya’ll don’t see the obligatory 3 exclamation marks…!!! *g*
Oh, and I met Jody Evans, co-founder of Code Pink. Nice.
CONGRATULATIONS!!
to mr and mrs. CT.
seventeen CT years.
well done.
Tech @ 30
cool.
thnx
CTuttle @ 31
ya gotta move away from the keyboard so she can type, ct…
Code Pink is heavily working for the “shared sacrifice” tax to make every dimwit righty aware that, actually, there’s a real war on with, like, people dying and all…
Suzanne @ 35
*sigh* Too shy! The food is being reheated as I type and it will be an early eve…!
Not yet, tho… we have teeny boppers to negotiate…!!! *g*
Tiptoeing out the door, have a good one pups :)
sleep well e.
sleep well, eg (hugs)
egregious @ 38
Mahalo, Egregious!!!
A Nation of Christians Is Not a Christian Nation
The founders wanted faith to be one thread in the country’s tapestry, not the whole tapestry.
OMG, this Coltrane DVD is un-flippin’-BELIEVABLE!
larue, you got the dirty boogie on with the pig tonight?
To the Tuttles.. much love on your 17th anniversary….love and coziness to you!!! (shhhh…and ya’know….) Have a great dinner!!
LS @ 45
Ya’ll are the greatest!!! I shall bid another fond adieu, bon apetit! Aloha Oe!!! *g*
Deaf Karaoke Live
from the Secret Policemen’s Ball.
which i found at the Group News Blog
yellowdog jim @ 47
TGNB impressed me more and more every day. The stuff on stalking – spot on. I read it and feel the spirit of gilly smiling down on tgnb, saying good job.
I’ve sometimes wondered what it would be like to live in the paradise of something like “the Islands”….seems that ultimately one inevitably brings oneself along on the migration, which ultimately reflects in the manifestation of one’s reality….even in paradise.
Same crap happens everywhere else.
Suzanne @ 48
steve gilliard lives
We Fight Back, ydj
Suzanne @ 51
we will fight them on the radio.
we will fight them on the cable.
we will fight them in cyberspace.
we will fight them at the ballot box.
we will NEVER surrender.
ok folks, all that f*cking housework most of last night has taken its toll on my old body… i’m off to soak in a hot bath and then crawl into bed
g’nite all
Time for me to feed the jukebox
g’nite suz and all
Here;s a fun story:
HPD: Stinky feet led to fatal stabbing
via HoustonChronicle.com — Houston & Texas News on 10/6/07
A man allegedly stabbed his roomate to death Saturday night during a drunken argument over smelly feet, Houston police said.
nite suzanne
Sleep well suzanne. Hope the hot suds help.
TexBetsy @ 42
strange how the righties always twist the good american ideas so completely.
america’s freedom of religion is based on the government being secular.
devoutly secular.
benignly secular.
but a secular republic.
theocracies oppose religious freedom.
egregious @ 7
What I learned tonight: The word “gregarious” is from a greek word that means “herd of sheep.” “Egregious” is from a word for the sheep that stands out from the herd.
Who knew?
Suzanne @ 44
I got mah pig ears on, yes ma’am!!!
CTuttle @ 46
I’m sorry hoss, I was having so much fun reading your posts and the others, I forgot to congratulate you AND your bride for 17!!! Many moreto both!
BigMitch @ 60
BigMitch, can you please clarify for me exactly what you are trying to accomplish via your comments at FDL?
larue @ 62
woo hoo !
Securities case could impact Enron bank lawsuit
via HoustonChronicle.com — Houston & Texas News on 10/6/07
Defrauded Enron investors suing banks pin their hopes on a similar securities case coming up before the Supreme Court.
Message From Congress: Don’t Touch White Collar Criminals
via Crooks and Liars by Logan Murphy on 10/6/07
lay_in_cuffs.jpg Via Bloomberg: (h/t BillW)
U.S. businesses, with the help of civil libertarians, are on the verge of outmaneuvering federal prosecutors and persuading Congress to limit the government’s power to pursue corporate fraud.
Lawmakers are considering a measure that would, among other things, bar the government from demanding that companies reveal confidential talks with their lawyers in order to win leniency in plea deals. It would also prohibit federal agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, from demanding that companies fire or cut off legal support for employees under investigation.
“Pre-Enron, U.S. attorneys never brought these cases, and after this bill is passed, they will quit bringing them again,” says Lynn Turner, a former SEC accounting chief. “This is a very clear message from Congress: Don’t touch white-collar criminals.” Read more…
Contact your reps in the House and Senate and tell them what you think. Remember, be polite.
Valley Girl @ 63
well, this was posted when egregious was still here. I actually learned it tonight, just as it says in the post. I thought it was interesting: it tickled my synapses. I also thought someone else, say someone whose name is “egregious” would find it entertaining. I guess that’s what I was trying to accomplish. Some harmless, entertaining, maybe even amusing conversation with some people I consider friends. Why do you ask?
Night y’all. I’ve had enough lake-surfing and news-hounding for one day
TexBetsy @ 64
This sounds promising for We the People. Thanks TexBetsy.
TexBetsy @ 66
may you have sweet dreams and restful sleep.
newspaperbrat @ 67
NPB, have you had a chance to check out my news & blog post site?
Nite all. Really late here on the East Coast. Best wishes to all.
Valley Girl @ 72
Too bad my answer to your question was held in moderation until you left.
BigMitch @ 60
Now that is interesting.
Mitch, you might like this site, The Word Detective (.com i think).
Mitch – my skewering of B***y B***s rub you wrong last night?
Margot @ 74
Valley Girl thought it was part of my hidden agenda. I must be a etymology troll, and not know it. Thanks for the link.
Trouble sleeping tonight for some reason. As long as I’m awake, I thought I’d go ahead and share this link, which I found just before turning in a few hours ago. It’s “God” at the computer keyboard, typing in creation commands. I thought it was kind of funny–especially the failed attempts to “delete free will”.
newtonusr @ 75
Not at all. What has me in a rather negative mood is the fact that I have been condemned to moderation purgatory because of something I said. As a result, it is impossible for me to enjoy the privileges of free speech here.
newtonusr @ 75
As I recall you reminded me of a news conference in which B**B** used his son as “a shield and a dull lance.” Which confirmed for me that he is an a-hole.
However, your asterisks made me call him Bobby by mistake.
itwasntme @ 22
There is supposed to be a inherent opposition between the opposition party and the party in power. How does it help that function for the opposition party to voluntarily and under no duress take their ultimate forego their ultimate weapon? I don’t fucking get it!
So far as I can tell, we already have one-party rule in this country.
BTW — I am watching the Bill Moyer Journal from last evening now. Very interesting.
BigMitch @ 78
I’m not sure about Bobby – Bay Area lore has it that Bobby was no picnic, either. But he was friends with Mays, so what the hell…
any Formula 1 fans?
thanks for the video.
my kids and i love the song — trade lyrics back and forth from it when we’re on road trips.
next month my 10-year-old son is gonna do a karaoke version of it for his fifth grade talent show — he’s got the shades and black tshirt, the lyric sheet. now all i need to do is get him the right karaoke version for his voice range….
this song never fails to inspire, in that “i can’t go on i’ll go on” way. god bless bono and the lads. and may edge’s guitar always ring out.
TexBetsy @ 66
The white-collar people create jobs. If we jail them, all our jobs will go away. ;-)
yellowdog jim @ 81
Yup!
BigMitch @ 78
No, your continued free speech is made possible by FDL’s tireless moderation team. Glass half full, Mitch….
I may be old fashioned, but I think stripping someone, even a corporation, of its right to an attorney, including the right to speak confidentially, is not a good thing. I think that making a corporation withdraw legal support for an employee is not necessarily a good thing. I guess I am just a fan of the 6th Ammendment to the Constitution.
Well, I have taken unpopular positions before.
persiflage @ 84
hamilton is out.
went off going into the pits.
BigMitch @ 88
I agree to a point. Where I am shaky on this is when the attorneys become part of the corporate conspiracy. Recall ChimpCo making reporters actual members of a smear? When the media actually participates in the “conspiracy”, that’s what Fitz was doing. Sometimes the corporate lawyers are parties to the corporate criminality and wouldn’t you think that that pierces confidentiality?
IANAL, just asking.
BigMitch @ 88
I thought that there’s a general principle of treating corporations as individuals for legal purposes. I don’t necessarily agree with that policy, but I’m surprised that corporations don’t have attorney/client privacy and the right to pay employees’ legal fees for job-related legal actions. In fact, I’m not only surprised, I’m dubious.
yellowdog jim @ 87
Farck! It won’t be shown here until tonight. Is Webber sill there?
yellowdog jim @ 87
shanghai china grand prix
alonso in second at about half way.
56 laps total.
kubica (bmw) has pulled over while leading.
newtonusr @ 90
Every large corporation I’ve worked for has in-house lawyers. They are essentially corporate consiglieris. Everything was presumed to be confidential vis a vis the other side.
There was a recent case in which a US Attorney negotiated with a corporation. As part of his plea negotiations, he made the corporation do certain things, including give up its confidentiality ( I think. I am going from memory, here.) For sure, he made the corporation withdraw its financial support for an attorney to represent an executive who was also a target. Again, I am not certain of my recollection, but as I recall the government won the appeal though a vigorous dissent argued that the U.S. Attorney had over-reached. This bill seems to be a response to this case.
20 of 56 laps left to go.
it’s been raining.
raikonnen leads.
alonso’s still 2nd.
weber is not in the top 6.
with hamilton out,
should they finish like this,
there will be 7 points
between louis, alonso and raikonnen,
for the championship,
going into the last race in Brazil.
hamilton’s 1st DNF.
17 laps left now.
weber’s 8th
Raikkonen.
apologies.
newtonusr @ 81
Bobby Bonds was a 5 time 30-30 player during a period when there were only 6 seasons of the sort, and he was 5 of them! 1969-1978.
And he did it in BOTH leagues!!!
And he had a CANNON of an arm, unlike his son. One HELL of a dynamic player in his years. And he played 14 seasons . . . I got to see him play more than a few times at The Stick. He was electrifying, like I recall Clemente was (I was much younger, hard to recall).
Attitude? Sure, he was black and proud, in a white man’s owned game. I never cared, he played ball from start of the game to the end, at his best.
Drink? Yeah, smoked, too. And stayed out late. Kept his own rules. Management and him rubbed each other wrong a lot. The papers would write it up, and I STILL didn’t care!
He played ball, HARD ball. *G*
When Senna died, whole different sport. And now that Michael is retired, same thing.
yellowdog jim @ 82
Uh, that’s the racing where it’s REAL racing? They turn the wheel BOTH ways?
*G*
LOVE that racing!!! ;-)
newtonusr @ 97
we were watching live when senna was killed.
watched when dale earnhardt died too.
i love motogp and superbikes, but the casualty rate is even higher.
it is a blood sport.
Geeez,yellowdog. I can barely stand to watch NFL because people get carried off in stretchers too often for my tastes. Well, as they say, different strokes for different folks.
Chinese Grand Prix Live!
ydj
I didn’t see either live, but I’ve seen the famous vid from Monza. But the bike sports are clearly not for the faint-hearted. Just being a spectator is white knuckle.
In fact, I got sick when all those bugs showed up at Jacobs Fields. But it wasn’t because of the bugs.
McLaren fined $100 MILLION and stripped of constructors’ points
BigMitch @ 103
i saw the bugs.
heard they were “Canadian Soldiers” bugs.
i can guess how you got sick.
webber’s 10th with 2 laps to go
risk exists.
if you go faster, your risk increases.
at high enough velocities, the physics become potentially lethal.
f1 cars are very safe.
safer since senna died.
the most dangerous thing we do on a regular basis is driving in traffic.
racing is safer.
racers are the same mass, trying to go in the same direction and are professionally licensed.
they are not on cell phones.
yellowdog jim @ 107
Wow!! McLaren really pissed somebody off.
raikkonen wins.
alonso 2nd.
webber finishes 12th.
hamilton could have wrapped up the championship.newtonusr @ 102
kenny roberts
kevin schwantz
gene romero
mert lawill
barry sheen
jay springsteen
malcolm smith
steve mcqueen
mick doohan
Alaska’s lone congressman getting some of the attention he so richly deserves. ET will like this.
wigwam @ 108
well,
“through their possession of confidential technical data belonging to rivals Ferrari“
amounts to ‘performance enhancing drugs’ in F1
AND
it is spying and cheating of the Bill Belichek sort.
Back from a late dinner party/campfire up in the foothills of the Chugach Mountains with close friends, who, like us, are in the first weeks of having all the kids finally gone off to college. The kids did come by for dinner, and we sang Beatles songs around the campfire together, with two guitars and fiddle. The kids then headed back to Anchorage. Our friends just discovered Jon Stewart and Colbert in the past couple of months. Laughed a lot, as the campfire dimmed and we watched the first snowflakes begin to fall.
world driver championship points
lewis hamilton 107
fernando alonso 103
k. raikkonen 100
the title is on the line.
Interlagos
Grande Prêmio do Brasil october 19 through the 21st
wear your seatbelts.
A riveting article by ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern. He begins by talking about dismissing Walt and Mearsheimer’s book at a recent lecture, but moves on to having asked questions of people in the audience. A man stands up:
“Sir, Sergeant Bryce Lockwood, United States Marine Corps, retired. I am a member of the USS Liberty crew, Sir.”
Catching my breath, I asked him if he would be willing to tell us what happened.
“Sir, I have not been able to do that. It is hard. But it has been almost 40 years, and I would like to try this evening, Sir.”
You could hear a pin drop for the next 15 minutes, as Lockwood gave us his personal account of what happened to him, his colleagues, and his ship on the afternoon of June 8, 1967.
Ed*ard Teller @ 117
I read that earlier. I remember the incident and I am appalled to realize it was no accident.
Ed*ard Teller @ 117
Ray’s ultimate point is that those who accuse Walt and Mearsheimer of overstating the Israel Lobby’s influence are incorrect.
Earlier, Israeli journalist Uri Avnery made a similar point: http://www.antiwar.com/avnery/?articleid=11718
Lindy @ 118
I was in the Army at the time, on leave. I spent the 6-Day War on the beaches of Hood Canal, WA, diving for oysters and fishing with my best friend, who was on leave from the Navy. I’ll never forget the way he said “That was no accident!” when we heard about it on our transistor radio.
Ed*ard Teller @ 120
It’s far worse:
Emphasis added.
The person trotted out most often by apologists as most authoritative on this incident is Michael Oren. He’s participated in a couple of on-line forums about this, but his timeline of the attacks never includes accurate data of the surveillance of the Liberty before the attack, and doesn’t even include the torpedo boats’ presence. When I’ve questioned him about this, he’s disappeared from the chat.
Other than issues like the Liberty, Oren is a decent historian, and his “Six Days of War” is worth reading.
Ed*ard Teller @ 122
The usual counter-argument is the lack of proven motivation for the attack: “Why would the Israelis attack their major patron?” But per Ray McGovern:
I doubt we’ll ever know the why.
Ed*ard Teller @ 124
I doubt we’ll ever try to find out.
Good morning?
morning, egregious.
ET, you here? I need to talk blue america with you. Bottom line: my page is down so use another vehicle for Benson at blue am.
Hey Lindy :)
egregious @ 126
Good morning to you, egregious. And G’nite all from me.
Wigwam,
Goodbye Hello
newtonusr @ 90
It’s called the Crime-Fraud Exception to the Attorney-Client Privilege. When an attorney ENABLES or ENCOURAGES criminal activity by his client he oversteps his role as an advisor of LEGAL rights and becomes a criminal conspirator. I believe this was discussed between Judge Walton and Fitz regarding whether Rove’s lawyer might have to testify before the Grand Jury after Viveca Novak basically told the lawyer that Bob Novak had outed Rove as one of his sources to the Grand Jury.
Interestingly, this may be something that John Woo and Gonzalez could be zapped on when it comes to the “advice” they gave the Bush Administration – if they encoraged or abetted criminal acts with unsound lrgal advice they could be charged with Conspiracy.
egregious @ 128
OK. Are you east or west coast today? BTW – {{{{{egregious}}}}} – for this post, for doing late-late-late night, and, uh, because you’re really cool.
Diane is running an incredibly disciplined and active campaign. Her primary opponent is on the verge of meltdown, and Don just keeps on being better and better at being Don. I spent a couple of hours with her today at an event supporting Alaska Veterans Aviation Outreach, a group that flies Vets from small villages to the VA hospital in Anchorage for free.
Supposedly up to 15 indictments coming down in Anchorage this week on the GOP corruption scandal, as the 18-month GJ concludes. Supposedly, more than one has the name “Stevens” at the top.
Thanks ET. I’ll still work to support her but I don’t have a blue am page at this point.
East coast, mighty early.
Morning, egregious. I’m an enthusiastic member of the eg fan club too.. Your post tonight (errr last night) hit the spot.
Thanks Sunny!
Anybody know what that bright thing is next to the moon, is it Venus? The man in the moon putting on his tinfoil?
Around the campfire this evening, I heard “Saturn.” It isn’t up yet here.
Eg @ 136
Anybody know what that bright thing is next to the moon, is it Venus? The man in the moon putting on his tinfoil?
————-
My vote’s for tinfoil.
It’s Venus!
Good Morning all!
I made it to egregious’s party and egregious is still up! or back up or something.
Hey egregious…nice to see you in this late owl slot.
You can check Sky & Telescope’s sight for an interactive sky chart, will tell you what that celestial object is. You can also check their article, This Week’s Sky at a Glance.
Morning Rayne,
how’s work? miss you.
Alabama’s own Richard Shelby shows up unexpectedly in Marcy’s Spying on Your Friends and Enemies. I sent the link to mooncat over at Left in Alabama and she found it of interest too. Shades of J. Edgar Hoover.
Hey Elliott! nice to see you, miss you and all the ‘pups here, too. Work’s been far more demanding than I expected, although I do expect it to slow down a bit over the next month once my team gets into its groove.
How’s things with you?
Mornin’, all -
ET said, “Supposedly up to 15 indictments coming down in Anchorage this week on the GOP corruption scandal, as the 18-month GJ concludes. Supposedly, more than one has the name “Stevens” at the top.”
One can only hope the ‘Stevens’ to which he refers is “Ted” and not just his son.
Guess by now everyone has read the 15 Oct. issue of Time on the AL former-gov investigation. Anyone reading it who still believes there is no politicization at Justice is brain dead. Boy, would it be lovely to see Sessions taken out with this one. Sorry, no linky; I borrowed a neighbor’s dead tree copy.
Rayne @ 143
Good!
Good morning, pups. Today MoDo and Frank Rich give us their thoughts on Justice Thomas and his new book. Ouch. Thomas Friedman explains to Democrats who want to levy a surtax to pay for the war in Iraq that it’s the tooth fairy’s job to do that.
http://mgpaquin.wordpress.com/
The coffee and tea are ready, and I’ve got waffles with maple syrup all ready. Have a grand Sunday.
Mornin’ all!
Hey twolf!
Elliott @ 139
“something”
Pinched this from C&L :)
Meet the Neocons
http://www.blimptv.net/farrightv4.html
egregious @ 149
apparently so!
laughing
Noted with interest:
Scandal brewing at Oral Roberts University
Why am I not surprised?
Afghan bomb kills British major
Roberts, 32, was serving with the 1st Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles, a well-regarded unit in the British army. His death — which brings the number of British troop deaths in the Afghan war to 82 — prompted many tributes.
Hi, Marion. How’s Sunday?
morning all!
… from another member of the eg fan club.
Morning, selise.
Thank you selise! Mutual, of course.
Petraeus says Iran stoking Iraq violence
Washington accuses the force, the elite unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, of inciting bloodshed in Iraq and of training and equipping militias who have attacked U.S. troops.
General David Petraeus, speaking at a U.S. military base about 30 km (20 miles) from the Iranian border on Saturday, said Iran was giving advanced weaponry to militias in Iraq.
General Betrayus is back claiming that the Iranians are supplying the parts for the EFP’s. “They only come from Iran and they are only used by militias so it’s a sort of a signature trademark of militia extremists. The other case the suspicion is the same, we just don’t have the same quality of forensics.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/200…..etraeus_dc
Betrayus asserts that the two Shiite Provincial heads were assassinated by Iranians or militias backed by them.
But, although the Pentagon have kept the actual data about EFP attacks out of scrutiny I have been able to piece together data from elsewhere, particularly the Iraq Coalition Casualty Website
http://icasualties.org/oif/Details.aspx
I found that the Pentagon MUST BE deliberately misleading the public on the Explosively Formed Projectiles coming from Iran, as well as other claims about them. In Newsweek (Aug 20-27, 2007) Evasn Thomas presented some details that the Pentagon provided him about July attacks by EFP’s. “According to the Military EFP’s accounted for 1/3rd of all combat deaths in July. Looking at the database above we find that 69 troops died from all causes which means that @ 23 died as a result of EFP’s. The database reveals that 41 troops were killed by Improvised Explosive devices (IED’s) in July. So that means that 17 were killed by non-EFP explosive bombs.
Now lets examine the assertion that ONLY IRAN supplies these, and ONLY SHIITE militias are planting them. We can do this because many of the locations of the IED attacks are actually given…and we find that a mininum of 14 IED attacks that caused deaths were in EXCLUSIVELY Sunni areas…like Ramadi, Baquba, Balad and elsewhere in Anbar Province. If we believe the Pentagon’s logic NONE of these were from the deadlier EFP’s since no sane Shiite militiaman would stray into these areas and wait about for a US patrol to attack.
That means virtually all the other attacks would have to be EFP’s. These are virtually all the IED attacks vaguely attributed to neighborhoods in Baghdad…and ALL of these would have to be performed by Shiite Militias supplied by Iran. But many of these areas are Shiite neighborhoods, or mixed ethnically. Yet it’s clear that all of these the Pentagon have attributed to Shiite forces.
That flies in the face of credulity! It would require that not a single Sunni fatal attack using IED’s occurred in Baghdad. And all the IED attacks that resulted in fatalities in Baghdad were EFP’s and performed by the Shiites.
It’s pretty clear what Petraeus’ statisticans have done here…each and every IED attack that can’t be pinned down to a Sunni area is attributed to Shiite militias and EFP’s.That;s the only way they can justify their calculus that EFP’s ONLY come from Iran…and are ONLY used by Shiite militias.
there are even more odd assertions about the dealiness of these EFP’s. On December 31, 2006 the Pentagon held its famous news conference in the KURDISH city of Irbil asserting that they had captured Iranian EFP’s. At that time the Pentagon asserted that Explosively Formed Projectiles caused 170 US deaths and 620 casuaklties since they first appeared on the scene in Spring 2004. Yet at this same Press Conference they asserted that EFP’s were now causing 75-85% of the casualties from IED attacks. I haven’t been able to obtain figures for wounded but since these EFP’s are supposedly far more deadly than other IED’s we should be able to use deaths to establish if these figures are reasonable.
There were 1540 troop deaths attributed to IED’s through Dec 31st 2006…yet only a tad over 13% (170) were caused by EFP’s. Almost 90% were killed by roadside bombs made from pillaged explosives and shells looted from ungaurded Baathist arms bunkers (see al QaaQaa).
And the Pentagon provided some figures for wounded to reporters in their July efforts to build traction for the Administrations sword-rattling towards Iran. But when we look at the total July wounded (614) we find that only 89 of these were from IED attacks. That’s less than 12.9% of the total injured in combat. The wounded from EFP’s would be some smaller percent of that 12.9% figure. There is simply no way that these “deadlier” EFP’s constitute 75-85% of the IED casualties!
In sum, the Pentagon is doing their utmost to obscure the fact that many of these EFP’s must be attributed to non-Shiites. Ironically the rationale given to concealing the location and dates of EFP attacks is to keep the effectiveness of these weapons from the knowledge of the enemy. Yet by inflating the deadliness of these EFP’s in their own briefings the Pentagon is doing precisely what they assert they want to prevent. They are “cheerleading” the use of these weapons…despite the fact that they aren’t that much more deadly than conventional IED’s that actually work.
The real reason for preventing access to EFP attack data is that it would show cases of attacks that clearly CANNOT be laid at the hands of Shiite insurgents. It would show that Sunnis also have sources for these weapons…or even worse, that any individual with steel cooking utensiles and a welding torch can jerry-rig an EFP “projectile”. It doesn’t take machine-precision tools to make these parts.
Rayne @ 140
SunnyNobility @ 138
It’s actually the conjunction of the planets Venus and Saturn, along with the bright star, Regulus. Makes for a really bright “object”.
Christy has talking heads up for us.
Sunday Talking Head Thread
cinnamonape @ 159
thanks for all that analysis, wow!
Elliott @ 162
wow indeed!
Good morning Everybody,
I have read and will reread the links given to us from Ed*ard Teller. His knowledge about the attack on the USS Liberty by Israel and the links to Ray McGovern are educational.
It is emphasized that Israels attack on the USS Liberty is a war crime.
Coupled with the the revelations of a war crime enacted against US citizens by Israelis is Ray McGovern’s critique of a book by John Mearsheimer and John Walt, The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy.
What concerns me is the way in which this information is presented.
Ed*ard Teller says that Ray McGovern begins by dismissing the work of Mearsheimer and Walt but moves on to “having asked questions of people in the audience. A man stands up:”
The account of the attack by Israel on the USS Liberty is told to a shocked room.
This is what Ray McGovern says about his opinions of the work by Mearsheimer and Walt:
I had read that piece carefully and found it an unusual act of courage as well as scholarship. That’s what I told the questioner, adding that I did have two problems with the study:
First, it seemed to me the authors erred in attributing virtually all the motivation for the U.S. attack on Iraq to the Israel Lobby and the so-called “neoconservatives” running our policy and armed forces. Was Israel an important factor? Indeed. But of equal importance, in my view, was the oil factor and what the Pentagon now calls the “enduring” military bases in Iraq, which the White House and Pentagon decided were needed for the U.S. to dominate that part of the Middle East.
Second, I was intrigued by the fact that Mearsheimer and Walt made no mention of what I believe to be, if not the most telling, then perhaps the most sensational proof of the power the Lobby knows it can exert over our government and Congress. In sum, in June 1967, after deliberately using fighter-bombers and torpedo boats to attack the USS Liberty for over two hours in an attempt to sink it and kill its entire crew, and then getting the U.S. government, the Navy, and the Congress to cover up what happened, the Israeli government learned that it could – literally – get away with murder.
I found myself looking out at 400 blank stares. The USS Liberty? And so I asked how many in the audience had heard of the attack on the Liberty on June 8, 1967. Three hands went up; I called on the gentleman nearest me.
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The information in this article speaks of war crimes against the United States by Israel and discusses the power of the Israeli Lobby in influencing the United States.
Ray McGovern did not dismiss the work of Mearsheim and Walt. He challenges their assertion that the War in Iraq was motivated entirely by the Israeli lobby.
Ray McGovern states that his views are that the war is not attributable to the Israeli lobby only but to the neoconservatives in the US government. Equally important is the US government’s quest for oil and enduring military bases.
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The material presented here was meant to be provocative and incendiary. It is extremely important.
Edward T*ller appears to have a wealth of information on the subject of Israel and the Israeli lobby.
I will be reading his and other’s remarks carefully. To leave out Ray McGovern’s remarks that Mearsheim and Walt seemed to be attributing ALL the motivation for the attack on Iraq to the Iraeli lobby, and that Ray McGovern does not agree with that assertion, is significant.
The 9.11 “truth movement” has raised the notion of false flag operations. That is things of powerful impact which are not what they appear to be… that they are blamed on “the enemy” who was not involved the attack.
This IS a well established pattern when some group has an agenda to stir up support for their cause.
The Italian SISMI infiltrated the Red Bragades in the 60s and were the people who actually blew up the Bologna train station which fueled the clamor to stomp out the radical left in Italy.
The sinking of The Maine was a false flag op, as was the Gulf of Tonkin incident which led to the resolution and hundreds of thousands of troops in Nam and bombing etc.
There may be no smoking gun or hard evidence about the events of 9.11, but it appears to be yet another false flag operation.
PNAC has even stated in their literature that a “Pearl Harbor” like event was needed to get the US public behind the “long war” or the GWOT. Whether it was false flag or not… it certainly worked and enabled the USA to get support of the people to ILLEGALLY attack Afghanistan and then Iraq. You will recall all the flag pins, yellow ribbons, flags and bumper stickers. Americans were fired up and wanted “revenge.”
The trouble is that no proof has been established as to what actually happened, and who was behind it. The boogie man Osama was trotted out and the PR campaign was relentless. All reason went out the doors from every level of our society, the media, the pundits and only a few people said… hey we need a real investigation. They were branded nut case conspiratorial tin foil hat wearers.
The truth movement, for those who have managed to weed through it has revealed that the conventional conspiracy theory of 19 Arabs with box cutters did not cause the events of 9.11. The suppposed “facts” simply don’t support that.
Six of the 19 identified as the hijackers are alive today. And not one arab was on the flight manifests.
There is a lot of psychic numbing at work and people just don’t want to believe it. The thought that such a incredible horrible thing was done and … who could be behind this???
We need to learn the truth… sooner than later. I suspect that W and his buds know something are not letting on. I don’t presume to know what they know.
I do know that they have an established history of lying… about everything.
Egregious! Yes, this song is a motivator for sure. I was so glad the Democrats used it as their victory song last year. To me, as an Atheist, this song moves my innards like no other, you know, kind of like a religious experience but without the religion! Very positive reaction to it. Could be better than sex which depends on the partner, of course. :-)
“What you don’t have you don’t need it now…” is my favorite line from this song. So true.
This may not be beautiful music, but it’s beautiful to me. That’s my 16 yr old nephew singing…
http://www.myspace.com/pistolpistolmusic
scroll down the page to play the video
Ed*ard Teller has brought up the canard that Israel intentionally attacked the U.S.S. Liberty 60 years ago, although that claim has been thoroughly debunked. There is a reason why this libel has some currency, namely, the embrace of it by Ray McGovern, an apologist for the latest anti-Israel screed, The Israel Lobby.
Here’s a link to the Navy Times summary of the U.S.S. Liberty issue.
The above referenced article presents both sides of the argument.
A U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry completed 10 days after the attack concluded it was a case of mistaken identity. Ten subsequent inquiries by Congress, the CIA and the Pentagon found no evidence pointing to a deliberate attack.
Notably, it points out that the USS Liberty was 14 miles off shore on the day of the attack, in a zone that the Egyptians had declared closed to neutral traffic. According to a State Department summary, the Liberty had been sent to the area by the National Security Agency to find out whether Soviet personnel were operating with Egyptian forces. Messages sent to the Liberty instructing it to remain 100 miles offshore were never received.
Since we all love a good conspiracy, let’s just assume that the Israeli intelligence had intercepted the instructions to the USS Liberty to remain 100 miles offshore, and then encountered a ship 14 miles offshore, viz, 86 miles away from where the Liberty was supposed to be, in a zone closed to neutral traffic. Is it impossible to believe that they would conclude that it was a different ship?
It is, to say the least, ironic, that everyone at FDL is tolerant of “false flag” theories regarding the World Trade Center, but if Israel makes a mistake – a justified mistake, as we have seen – about a false flag theory, they are accused of the most heinous and stupid war crimes. Note: I am not accepting that the Israelis attacked the ship on the theory that it was flying a false flag.
The idea that the Israelis would intentionally shoot at an American ship is bizarre. Ed Teller says “I doubt we will ever know the why.” Of course, the “why” is the difference between a tragic, though understandable, mistake committed in the fog of war, vs. a grievous crime, for which Israel’s only ally would have been right to sever all relations.
Not only do we not know the “why,” but no plausible hypothesis has ever been suggested. If you want speculation, here’s a bit for you: if anything the U.S. spy ship was supplying intelligence to the Israelis. Sound reasonable to you? It does to me. But for Israel to shoot the source of its intelligence for no apparent reason, well, not so much reasonable.
A key part of the “Israel intentionally shot up an American ship and the government kept it all hidden in spite of a dozen investigations that unanimously agree there was no evidence to support the allegation” conspiracy theory is that all of the evidence has been destroyed. But it is not so. The Navy Times article referenced at the start of this comment mentions a website that contains the actual transcripts of NSA captured transmissions by the Israeli Air Force. Clearly, the pilots thought the Liberty was an Egyptian ship.
They are difficult to read, being pdfs of 40 year old Xerox copies. You can check them out for yourself here.
For a minute by minute complete recounting of what occurred, the interested reader is referred to this web site. It is necessarily long and slow reading, and only recommended to people who have an interest in being fair about this.
ET makes an especially vile claim which is rebutted in the website, to wit:
ET has previously posted stuff in defense of Patrick Buchanan who was called an anti-Semite by someone you would naturally expect to defend his fellow conservative, namely, William F. Buckley. Well, that is within the grounds of legitimate debate. However, the stuff he posted was intended to show that Jewish Americans are less patriotic than others as evidenced by our lower representation in the military. To say he didn’t understand this is to insult his intelligence.
The other night, I got drunk and went onto a thread that had been quiet for two hours. On it I said, “I outlasted the fucking anti-Semites.” Drunkeness has a well documented capability of interfering with someone’s ability to judge his own funniness. Be that as it may, I have been effectively barred from political debate on the Lake.
It is okay to call Israel and her supporters Nazis. It is okay to call anyone who agrees with some small part of the Republican agenda a rascist. It is just fine to use expressions like “Israel-uber-alles” and heaven protect anyone who would dare to draw attention to some of Reverend Tutu’s most controversial statements. (Of course, it is just fine to attack religion in general, using the most condescending, inaccurate, and disdainful tones, but Desmond Tutu, is revered as a saint, in no small part because he is an Archbishop.)
All I want to know is when is it okay to call a spade a fucking shovel.