It's On

An hour away

and everyone :)

no action on the cam yet - don't you guys need to connect at least 15 mins prior to make sure you're ready this time without having to go through the opening labor pains every time

I'm not getting either sam or marc

Let the fun begin

morning all

Hello all

I overslept. Gotta make coffee!

Got the small cam up

just fired up

sam looking like he just fell out of bed (hope on the right side)

go for it!

nice blues intro!

I was skeptical at first, but you've shown me that Maron is actually smarter than he usually lets on.

and clear----groovy! morning

I've caught up with the blog...So I've a couple of things to respond to...

I do not ever post "anonymously", feeling that there should be some identity, some context with which to judge my statements.

I did not get in a fight with my neighbor (he was a very pleasant old hillbilly), I sold my house and no I didn't make as much as I thought I would on it. Chide me on this if you will.

I'm not likely to be arrested for anything at any time, although I'm sure that is one of the dearest wishes of those that have been undone by my efforts.

"Quantum Physics dictates that something does not exist in its physical form until it is actually observed by someone. It is only a possibility, or more specifically, an infinite number of possibilities. And once it is observed, all of those possibilities collapse into one physical manifestation, which is what we actually see."

Actually, Quantum physics states that something can not be "proven" to exist till it's observed...It's very much like the question "if a tree falls in a forest and there's no one to hear..."

This line of thinking is demonstratably false in its assumptions...The universe was here before humankind was.

However, there is a small truth in quanta not having an "identity" until it is effected by an outside influence...but this brings up another paradox...

"The bad news is that this means you are 100% responsible for every single thing, relationship, job, sad and happy event in your life. So the first step in understanding this science is taking full responsibility for having created your life as you know it."

This would be true if YOU were the only outside force...You are not...You say it is true...I say it is false...Null.

Please try and grasp this.

And also...You can not seperate the metaphysical from the physical...Your senses are what make intelligence possible in the first place...Always you try and rewrite reality...build a seperate place...Some nirvana, some heaven...when they are all but the same place...As if the physical reality were one glass...and the metaphysical another...each full and sitting in a room you fail to name.

You look out and do not see the face of god and so you deny your senses for failing to find what you seek...You seek to find something in yourselve that ends all questions when the universe itself is nothing but a question...God does not know.

And so anyways...that's what all bugged me over the last week...Let the games begin.

nice effin echo...

sheesh!

sam's empire ah!

It's Seth Romney-Levinson with Marc Maron!

ah!

about Maron being smarter than I thought...jury's out again.

Can't hear Sam that well.

did you cross your legs or cover your ears?

maron is eating out of the cat dish!

to the right thread :-)

easily worth a $20 subscription fee!

had two sammy cams up.

Please post if you are having problems getting both cams up or they freeze up etc.

Thanks,

Garet

and tell him to turn his sound up please?

Maron is shouting and Sam is whispering.

too bad we can't channel 1 to the left speaker and 1 to the right, and adjust the vol's accordingly.

Clean cut and cute - the three c's of radio rather than the three c's of bowling.....

at 11 am on tuesdays....he is making me mad!

maron froze up and then came back on.

don't know how synced they are yet.

maron crackling when he leans forward.

tell em to speak past the mike instead of into it and the crackling will go away.

House Panel Holds Hearing on Voting Rights Section
By Paul Kiel - October 30, 2007, 10:20AM
The hearing, broadcast on C-SPAN 3 and streaming on the House Judiciary Committee's website, just got under way. Voting rights section chief John "They Die First" Tanner is, of course, the star witness.

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) kicked it off with, "We're in a crisis, and it's the duty of this committee to determine what went wrong."

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004595.php

I have adjusted Maron's sound slider lower and Sam's higher but I still cannot hear Sam that well.

From a recent John Edwards email: finally anti corporate is out in the open... will it kill Edwards?

We, you and I, are the guardians of what America is and what it will be.

The choice is ours.

Down one path, we trade corporate Democrats for corporate Republicans; our cronies for their cronies; one political dynasty for another dynasty; and all we are left with is a Democratic version of the Republican corruption machine.

It is the easier path. It is the path of the status quo. But, it is a path that perpetuates a corrupt system that has not only failed to deliver the change the American people demand, but has divided America into two -- one America for the very greedy, and one America for everybody else.

And it is that divided America -- the direct result of this corrupt system -- which may very well lead to the suicide Lincoln warned us of -- the poison that continues to seep into our system while none notice.

Or we can choose a different path. The path that generations of Americans command us to take. And be the guardians that kept the faith.

I run for president for my father who worked in a mill his entire life and never got to go to college the way I did.

I run for president for all those who worked in that mill with my father.

I run for president for all those who lost their jobs when that mil was shut down.

I run for president for all the women who have come up to Elizabeth and me and told us the like Elizabeth they had breast cancer -- but unlike Elizabeth they did not have health care.

I run for president for twenty generations of Americans who made sure that their children had a better life than they did.

As Americans we are blessed -- for our ancestors are not dead, they occupy the corridors of our conscience. And, as long we keep the faith -- they live. And so too the America of idealism and hope that was their gift to us.

I carry the promise of America in my heart, where my parents placed it. Like them, like you, I believe in people, hard work, and the sacred obligation of each generation to the next.

This is our time now. It falls to us to redeem our democracy, reclaim our government and relight the promise of America for our children.

Let us blaze a new path together, grounded in the values from which America was forged, still reaching toward the greatness of our ideals. We can do it. We can cast aside the bankrupt ways of Washington and replace them with the timeless values of the American people. We can liberate our government from the shackles of corporate money that bind it to corporate will, and restore the voices of our people to its halls.

This is the cause of my life. This is the cause of our time. Join me. Together, we cannot fail.

We will keep faith with those who have gone before us, strong and proud in the knowledge that we too rose up to guard the promise of America in our day, and that, because we did, America's best days still lie ahead.

about his volume. (I think) We'll see...

i think i am falling in love

The sound works OK, at least on Maron's side as long as he is talking in long form but yours is breaking up and you sort of get that speakerphone cut out when you talk back and forth. Camera also stutters a lot, esp the non speaking side

It would be just peachy if there was an live audio only edition of this so maybe those who can't watch can enjoy and since I am missing about 10-20 % anyway and the video sputters even more than the sound, maybe I would rather just listen and hear the whole thing.

Sunday I tried to watch on two different PCs and an iMac and all were equally crappy.

Finally, Sam keeps promising an MP3 of the show but it never happens. Is he expecting someone out here to take care of that because 'taint happening.

OK it's time for vid... screw the boss (kidding)

Marc's mic is ca-ca. He REALLY needs a thick, dense foam wind bubble to mitigate his loud peaks (check-out Sammer's mic!).

Either that, or we put him in a fixed head brace to keep him from jumping the mic. : )

The feeds are near-perfect...very few drops...buffer stays high.

Today's show is so relevant, so far, to my life at this moment in time. Thanks for your perspectives guys. I'll be considering them in some current dilemmas.

Building a Global Southern Coalition: the competing approaches of Brazil’s Lula and Venezuela’s Chávez

The following article, “Building a Global Southern Coalition: the competing approaches of Brazil’s Lula and Venezuela’s Chávez,” by COHA Senior Research Fellow Sean W. Burges, originally appeared in the Third World Quarterly Vol. 28, No. 7, 2007, pp. 1343-1358. From time to time, COHA issues scholarly articles by members of its intellectual community. Their viewpoints and interpretations we feel are of importance and deserve to be presented to fellow Latin Americanists–even though they may on occasion be at variance on certain points with the viewpoint of COHA’s editorial board. We welcome submissions on regional issues, such as addressed here by Dr. Burges, or on other inter-American subjects of concern to other scholars and activists.

refresh the cam

Sammer's saying "pragmatic"...

...a lot.

*big goofy grin*

"Marc's mic is ca-ca. He REALLY needs a thick, dense foam wind bubble to mitigate his loud peaks"

we reccomended this last week...

simple cheap fix.

or he could just move his mike further away...

it is very uncomfortable to keep adjusting the volumn down for Maron and up for Sam.

Maron, for cry pete, back off! we can see you well and you sound like you are shouting. Move back, damn it!

and his "stalker paranoia"

he pretty much ignores his bloggers on his site.

(sam too, lately, in terms of having a dialog. though he popped in a little bit last week.)

Go Sam-Maron!

When you lower the slider under Marc, Sam's volume goes down as well. Maybe Sam could change his output to overmodulate also, then we can lower our volume for both.

by Andrew Sullivan

A reader writes:

Full disclosure: I'm 33, white, male, married, a dad and left-of-center supporter of Obama.

I think I've stumbled onto something that might explain why Obama doesn't have more support from traditional Democrats, and it is actually somewhat disturbing.

...cont at link...

Please IM Sammer to tell Marc to stop jumping the mic!

Had to turn off my woofer. When Marc spoke, my ears rattled.

his handlers have'nt got their act together.

Mic and it would sound better.

That tinny loudness is very annoying!

which means SOS DD.

is that you don't really listen to what he has to say because the sound is annoying.

is deff hard on the ears.

"is that you don't really listen to what he has to say because the sound is annoying"

noticed that myself.

by Stephen Lendman

...
The Banco del Sur will replace these repressive institutions with $7 billion in startup capital when it begins operating in 2008. It will be under "a new financial architecture" for regional investment with the finance ministers of each member nation sitting on the bank's administrative council with equal authority over its operations as things now stand. Venezuelan Finance Minister Rodrigo Cabeza stressed the banks Latin roots saying: "The idea is to rely on a development agency for us, led by us" to finance public and private development and regional integration projects. He added: "There will not be credit subjected to economic policies. There will not be credit that produces a calamity for our people and as a result, it will not be a tool of domination" like the international lending agencies.
...

but beggars sometimes can't be choosers. Sam is clearly trying.

"If Maron has to lean into the camera and distort the sound, perhaps he can set his mic further away"

He could also reduce the mic output. These adjustments would be nice to be done maybe 3o minutes before the show rather than at 6 after the hour.

On a sad note, it seems that all of this crap is reducing interest in this effort.

...a presidential candidate from senate has never won a presidency. If this holds true, Clinton or Obama could lose to Guiliani or more likely the candidate who is gaining momentum at the right time-- Huckabee.

i have a crush on you!
i wish i was your holloweentine

are not dedicated to the video above so when you tone down Marc, Seder whispers.

or something to that effect....in this country, i believe his fame (good or bad), especially combined with his involvement in 911 is enough to win him the election....

and for the record....protesting is still an action that agrees with the overall situation/ it is part of the circle/cycle, but best wishes and good luck to all who put themselves out there...hope you are having a fun and meaningful time...

Mii

heehee

Mii

Move the hell back!!!!!!!!

Sibel Edmonds agrees to tell all

EXCLUSIVE: FBI Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds Will Now Tell All - and Face Charges if Necessary - to Any Major Television Network That Will Let Her.

Obama is the "Howard Dean" of this election. I am with Maron on this one, Clinton is gonna get the nomination, AND ALL THE DANCIN' the Dems have done not to ruffle anyone's feathers in the last two years will have been in vain. And we will have a Republican for another 4-8 years. We can kiss the US Constitution and America.

CeeCee

i fuckin love this show

Kennedy and Harding did.

I'm gonna send Sammy some manilla folders

son of a bitch---will enjoy tomorrow too...

I liked!

what horrible tease what does that mean??

Let's work on the volume control for next week. :)

Thanks to the Unshaven ones.

the dam show - caught the last 10 minutes of it.
Got home from work late & slept in a little.

Good morning & noon to all!!
Whats up in the world we live in??

Awesome show today!

WOW ! ! !
I like him either way.

;)
Boo ;

hard to get away with listening on the clock at that rate.

Sam, love the smooth look. Now, about that hair...

;-)

Boo to you, Ms_Anthrope :-)

I don't give a flying f--- about that ex-gay minister and Obama's campaign. Sorry. I just don't care. Maybe he wasn't gay to begin with. Who am I to say? I don't know the guy.

Obama's going down in the polls because Bill Clinton is on Hillary's campaign. Bill's still wildly popular and there's a feeling that if Hillary's elected, we get Bill again. And even if Bill and Hillary are "corporate Democrats", or too conservative for my own tastes - I still like them and think they'd do a better job in the White House than any of the Republican candidates.

Would I prefer John Edwards? Sure. But if he's not going to get the nomination, I'm ok with Hillary winning it. Obama actually has the most liberal/progressive voting record.... but Hillary's voting record is just as liberal/progressive as Dennis Kucinich's even if she presents herself as a centrist. If she wins, that's fine with me.

Now if we could just get Maron to get a new Mic and not lean into the camera all the time.

It's distracting!

No technical problems although Sam's mic could be a little louder and there seems to some delay in transmission when both are answering each other in rapid succession.

Marc, more prepared and confidant, was on his game.

Sam was terrific as usual.

Loved it and would prefer to have at least two hours with them.

Thought that metaphyics discussion would pique your interest.

I could see Edmonds being preemptively detained, eh?

Like when she was walking into a studio.

Then the DOJ playing habeous games till after next Nov.

State secrets are at stake, after all.

Can't remember where I read about the above hypothetical, but it's been put out there.

Tuesday is becoming my favorite work day. The only problem is I am missing some great chinook fishing.

From Times Online
October 30, 2007
Saudi King jeered as controversial visit begins

King Abdullah II of Saudi Arabia was greeted by jeers and placards as he began his state visit to Britain this afternoon as dozens of demonstrators turned out to protest at his country's human rights record.

About 50 human rights protestors and anti-arms trade activists mingled with the crowds lining The Mall as the monarch accompanied the Queen in a carriage on their way to Buckingham Palace.

King Abdullah’s visit has been shrouded in controversy over oppressive policies against women and gays in the Middle Eastern kingdom and the war on terror.

Protesters, including Peter Tatchell, the gay rights activist, chanted "King Abdullah, torturer, murderer" and held banners marked “Put human rights before BAe profits” and “You can’t do this in Riyadh” as the procession went past.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article2771570.ece

"presidential candidate from senate has never won a presidency"
new
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 10/30/2007 - 12:10pm.
Kennedy and Harding did.

Stand corrected. (Thanks!) In that case, my scary thought is diminished somewhat

Would it be too much to ask for Marc to get up to speed on mic-ing & such?

Really good. Getting more natural every time. and a sweet ending.

THANKS FOR GIVIVG A SHIT!!!!

Do it yourselferism.

Developing heights
The angry american VS. telecomunnicado.
Clearview.Protect your family

Nothing to do with the state really...more to do with the illegal activities of those that work for it...but the caveat is already out there..."to Any Major Television Network That Will Let Her."

Doing pretty good really...getting spoiled with hotel life...I get my coffee delivered...son of a bitch!

long time!!HELL-O!

that the cage door is open.

Flu Lab Set to Open for 1918 Pandemic Virus Reconstruction

America’s Armageddonites

Utopian fantasies have long transfixed the human race. Yet today a much rarer fantasy has become popular in the United States. Millions of Americans, the richest people in history, have a death wish. They are the new “Armageddonites,” fundamentalist evangelicals who have moved from forecasting Armageddon to actually trying to bring it about.

American fundamentalists strongly supported the decision to invade Iraq in 2003. They consistently support Israel’s hard-line policies. And they are beating the drums for war against Iran. Thanks to these end-timers, American foreign policy has turned much of the world against us, including most Muslims, nearly a quarter of the human race.

with highlights!

"Edits" does not even come close to describing the grammatical massacre the White House undertook with CDC Director Julie Gerberding's Senate testimony on the public health effects of climate change.

These were not minor edits the White House PR spin machine would like us to believe. The word-count for the CDC Director's Senate testimony went from 3,107 to 1,500 after the White House got through with it.

Whole sections on health related effects to extreme weather, air pollution-related health effect, allergic diseases, water and food-borne infectious diseases, food and water scarcity and the long term impacts of chronic diseases and other health effects were completely wiped out of the testimony.

Here's the unedited testimony, with the "edits" in highlighted in red:

Climate Change and Public Health Statement of Julie L. Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H. Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Administrator, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

TESTIMONY BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS UNITED STATES SENATE

http://www.desmogblog.com/full-version-of-white-house-edited-cdc-climate...

but i cannot live with a hillary winning the nomination - I enjoyed the show. It was good and spot on on the issues but it depressed me - Sam is very perceptive in his analysis and I'm afraid hemight be right on obama and hillary and edwards. Marc had quite a lot to say that made sense and somewhat funny and tender touches like about his banana bread baking, plumbing problems and all. The sound problems were not too bad here. All I had to do is lower the volume swotch on the speaker - do not share the audio-based frustration others have expressed and to say that these technical glitches diminish the enthusiasm for the show is a little overblown

"I'm sorry you tazed me, bro!"-----LOL!

Univ. of Florida "Alligator"---

Andrew Meyer has addressed an apology letter to UF students, UF President Bernie Machen and Student Government for his "failure to act calmly" during a Sept. 17 forum with Sen. John Kerry.

In a letter released to the Alligator on Monday afternoon, Meyer wrote that he "stepped out of line" and felt he had tarnished UF's image.

"For that again, I am truly sorry," Meyer wrote.

Meyer, a UF telecommunication senior, was tackled, Tasered and arrested by University Police Department officers during a question-and-answer session following the speech from Kerry, a Democrat who represents Massachusetts.

Meyer was charged with a third-degree felony for resisting arrest with violence and a second-degree misdemeanor for disturbing the peace.

CREW doesn't want you to forget about Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). That's why they've compiled a list of reasons why the Minority Leader made their recent list of the 22 most corrupt politicians. Check it out here. (CREW)

http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/30344

Hey Lucille...

it did me too very much, though I did enjoy!

with all your K-nowledge I await---

Bush to nominate James Peake as VA Secretary. Three months after Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Jim Nicholson announced his resignation, President Bush plans to announce a replacement. In a press conference at 1:05 PM EST today, he will nominate Dr. James Peake, who previously served as the U.S. Army surgeon general for four years.

UPDATE: When Peake left the post of Surgeon General in 2004, he was replaced by Maj. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, who oversaw the Walter Reed scandal.

UPDATE II: Yesterday, the Senate leadership, frustrated with Bush’s delay in naming a new secretary, “demanded” that he nominate a permanent head:

Much has been said over the last six years about honoring the service and the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. But what matters to those who are fighting these wars is not the talk, but the actions we take. The lack of a qualified VA nominee more than three months after the resignation of the previous Secretary signals to our troops fighting today, to the veterans of wars past, and to the entire nation, that the Department of Veterans Affairs is not a priority for your administration.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/10/30/bush-to-nominate-james-peake-as-va-s...

Because one must never display emotion...Emotion is too hard to fake...If everyone was to do it then the sociopaths would stand out like sore thumbs...

Good to see that Gare is still doing his part to dehumanize us one and all...

Which reminds me...Yeah, there will be a bifurcation of the species...Between the left and the right...

On our side we have creativity and all things progressive and on theirs blind obedience and soulless manipulators...

We must save them from themselves...Fuck a wingnut today!

Bend over Gare...Poppas home.

AEI: How did Jews get so smart? “For two hours yesterday,” the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank writes, “two AEI scholars and a visiting bioethicist kibbitzed about a pressing cause: Why Jews are so doggone smart.” In the panel, AEI’s John Entine and Charles Murray discussed Entine’s new book, Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People:

Murray suggested that the rigors of Talmudic study drove out the dull Jews centuries ago. “If you were dumb and a Jew,” said the philo-Semitic Murray, “it was a lot easier to be a Christian.” Murray, best known for his incendiary book about race and intelligence, “The Bell Curve,” explored Jewish smarts in an April article in Commentary titled “Jewish Genius.”

Brought in to rebut the two scholars, Laurie Zoloth of Northwestern University floated an alternative notion: that “Jews are smart because we value learning.” […]

Murray suggested that Jews got smarter by urbanization (”the elevated Jewish IQ was making people money”), flight from Babylon (”they took the smart ones into exile”) and what he called “the ultimate hypothesis” that Jews are really “God’s chosen people.”

Milbank adds, “Left unchallenged was the question of whether Jews are indeed smarter than others — even though it would have only required a walk down the hall to the office of new AEI visiting fellow Paul Wolfowitz, whose leadership on the Iraq war and conflicts of interest as head of the World Bank demonstrate that Jews are capable of questionable judgment.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/10/30/aei-how-did-jews-get-so-smart/

Hillary "Troubled" By Mukasey On Torture, But Won't Rule Out Supporting Him
By Greg Sargent - October 30, 2007, 10:55AM

Tonight the Dem Presidential candidates are set for another debate, and it seems likely that one question that will come up is whether the Dems support AG nominee Michael Mukasey in light of his refusal to condemn waterboarding and other techniques as torture.

As noted here yesterday, two of the Dem Senators running for President -- Chris Dodd and Barack Obama -- have ruled out voting to confirm him. And Hillary? Where does she stand on Mukasey? Well, it remains unclear:

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/10/_hillary_troubled_by_mukasey_on_to...

"Bend over Gare...Poppas home."

I don't need ta see *that* shit. Take it out back.

:-)

without vaseline---

What was this show about? I'm not a wonk, just a normal person. I couldn't follow this show at all, save for the water heater story...that! I liked very much. :-) Seems like this show in particular, was geered more for the politically nerdy who know what "net roots" are. So lost! Normally I enjoy the show and am still glad it's there even though I don't know what the heck this one was about. Oh well.

I disagree. I think the audience is dropping because of the frustration. Of course the hard core base is still around but face it, they need to expand beyond that.

I have my own name for the show now, "Son of a Glitch!"

BTW, Did you see the story on Salon and Brilliant at Breakfast about the brass band in NOLa that got touched up by the cops

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/10/29/treme/

Band on the run in New Orleans

Police have cracked down on funeral processions, a time-honored cultural tradition in the historic black neighborhood of Treme. But musicians vow to play on.

http://brilliantatbreakfast.blogspot.com/2007/10/in-case-you-thought-kat...

taking lunch!

That's why I put the bag on his head.

vegetable medley for me and I'm not afraid of butter either...

The mystery of the missing $2.9 trillion

Like most people, economists love a mystery – especially if it involves not a missing person but a missing $2.9 trillion in United States debt.

That's $2.9 with 11 zeros after it.

ome words of explanation: Every quarter the Department of Commerce comes up with the US "International Investment Position." At the end of 2006, for instance, the US had a net negative position – by this measurement of international assets and liabilities – of $2.6 trillion. In other words, the country is by far the world's biggest debtor nation.

that would be you and everyone on the net interested in politics...

Two VA hospitals forced to turn away patients

Two Tampa Bay veterans hospitals turn away critically ill patients for huge chunks of the year because of an overloaded veterans’ health care system.

James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa and Bay Pines VA Medical Center in St. Petersburg are the nation’s busiest and fourth-busiest Veterans Affairs hospitals, respectively.

Since 2000, Bay Pines has diverted patients far more frequently than any other hospital in Pinellas County. Last year, it diverted veterans during 1,150 hours about 48 days, or 13 percent of the time, Pinellas paramedic records show.

on your way into battle...and ignore you if you dare survive it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zisvf7Ci70Y

.. upon Light {aka Energy) ... ;)
Boo ;)
Have to "fly" C-Ya later, perhaps *poof*

You're not the sharpest tool in the shed are you...

Baiting people in is never a good idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zisvf7Ci70Y

And what is it that you're doing?

Here, I think Bait-ing means fixing one's grammatical errors.

We could all use a little more of that, myself included. :-)

Sho' 'nough.

I knew about it - just another sign of the times, of how the city is changing, not for the better i'm afraid; lot of non-natives have taken over native neighborhoods and not understanding the traditions that make the place great - the police corps especially, was fired en masse after katrina - not unlike the bremer disbanding of the army in Iraq - and the new guys I don't know where they got them from they don't seem to be from n'awlins

Sho' 'nuff...

Tuesday is becoming my favorite work day. The only problem is I am missing some great chinook fishing.

As our government shifts towards privatization (i.e. contractors) of everything from Customs, to the delivery of our US Mail, to our military, and states do the same thing, with for example the licensing bureaus and security, and cities do the same thing, with services provided municipally, suddenly companies become immune from prosecution.

Blackwater immune? Telecommunications companies immune? Is this fair? Hell no. Why should they be immune?

Just my 2 cents worth, (worth less today than they were yesterday).

Thanks, Nobody! "Sho' 'nuff."

The 'Orwellian' Bush administration

In its report, the Constitution Project gets to the dangerous core of the government's claim that it alone can and should decide how to define "state secrets." The answer from these constitutionalists is: "Unless claims about state secrets evidence are subjected to independent judicial scrutiny, the executive branch is at liberty to violate legal and constitutional rights with impunity. By accepting these claims as valid on their face, courts undermine the principle of judicial independence, the adversary process, fairness in the courtroom, and our constitutional system of checks and balances." Since this particular administration has violated so many legal and constitutional rights, its assurance that we must "trust" it to close courtrooms requires a suspension of disbelief that responsible American citizens should not provide.

I believe that there is something in the constitution about ex post facto laws...

That is you can't make something legal or illegal after the fact...if it was illegal or legal at the time the act was commited the law of that time stands.

Don't buy the idea that they can grant immunity...The only way that could be possible is for the president to grant them official pardons...and those things don't/can't come in the "blanket" form...

They just drafted legislation lifting Blackwater's immunity.

http://www.star-telegram.com/190/story/285443.html

Ex Post Facto

An ex post facto law (from the Latin for "from something done afterward") or retrospective law, is a law that retrospectively changes the legal consequences of acts committed or the legal status of facts and relationships that existed prior to the enactment of the law.

Ex post facto laws are prohibited in federal law by Article I, section 9 of the U.S. Constitution and in state law by section 10. Over the years, when deciding ex post facto cases, the United States Supreme Court has referred repeatedly to its ruling in the Calder v. Bull case of 1798, in which Justice Chase established four categories of unconstitutional ex post facto laws.

Nobody, you're right on that point. However, I'm sure this administration would find a way.

Once an asshole always an asshole.

on theocracy

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/theocracy-now_b_70314.html

enjoy - the next michael moore + (jewish) brains the dna thing :) and somewhat better looks :)

...To convince everyone that they had done so...After all it's all too easy thanks to the gutted educational system in this country to fool people...

30% of Americans Don't Know When 9/11 Attacks Occurred!!

and there you are in all your glorious anonymity proving the statement.

Could you aim a little lower or think any less of the intelligence of your peers?

U.S. Holds Britain’s First Muslim Minister at Dulles on Suspicion in Major Diplomatic Flap
Published October 29th, 2007 Bizarre , Justice , Society

It appears that even being a government minister is not enough to protect you from being pulled aside for ‘flying while Muslim.”

Britain’s International Development Minister Shahid Malik was visiting the United States to discuss counter terrorism efforts. However, he was detained for about 40 minutes at Washington Dulles airport on Sunday by the Department of Homeland Security and had his luggage pulled for inspection. Malik said the same thing happened to him last year at JFK airport in New York.

It is such incidents that have served to fulfill the stereotype of the United States as a prejudiced and clown-like government in the war on terror. For the full story, click here

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071029121104.dh6a9n7w&show_artic...

Every time you feed a troll, a kitten dies.

Save the kittens!!!

‘I Caution Some in Our Party’
Harold Ford Jr. on the struggle for the Democrats' soul
By Jeffrey Bartholet
Newsweek Web Exclusive
Updated: 4:12 PM ET Oct 29, 2007
Liberal activists tend to dominate the Democratic Party's nominating process, but it's the centrists who help the party win national elections. Harold Ford Jr., the former congressman from Tennessee, is a leading voice of the latter camp. He narrowly lost a race for a Senate seat in 2006. If he had won, Ford would have been the first African-American senator from the South since Reconstruction. After his loss, he signed on as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council—the policy group that is closely associated with Bill Clinton's presidency and that has counted Sen. Hillary Clinton among its leaders. (She no longer has a formal role, the chairman says.) Ford argues that Democrats need to win swing voters and worries that combative "netroots" types could alienate independents and moderate Democrats in 2008. But the activists argue that the DLC has become irrelevant and that the days of compromise are over. NEWSWEEK's Jeffrey Bartholet spoke to Ford about the struggle for the soul of his party. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: You've warned your fellow Democrats that the '08 election will not be a cakewalk. Are you worried?
Harold Ford Jr.: Unless your opponent's name is "unopposed," you should always be concerned. And I think in this next election there are three things the Democrats have to do in order to win. First is to demonstrate that we can be trusted to defend and protect the country, that we can be trusted to care and tend to the needs of our military, and that we can be trusted to engage in a powerful and robust diplomacy, unlike we've seen in the last six or seven years. Second, we've got to demonstrate that we can be trusted with people's tax dollars, that we won't overtax people, and that we will look for every way to cut taxes and be fiscally responsible at the same time. Finally, we've got to demonstrate that we're squarely in the mainstream in the country when it comes to people's values. I caution some in our party, particularly some of the organizations and constituency groups who make up the party—particularly to the left—that this campaign will not be about George Bush; it will not be about how poorly he managed the war. It will be about how we will do it differently.

When the DLC held its annual convention in August, none of the candidates showed up. Yet most of the Democratic candidates attended the Daily Kos convention of netroots activists a few days later. Why?
You'd have to ask the candidates. I can only surmise that if you look at how Democratic and Republican primaries happen, they are really efforts to appeal to the far-right and the far-left wings of the party. But I take vindication as much as comfort in the fact that if you look at recent polling, the majority are rejecting the extremes of both parties. I'll make you one promise: next year the Democratic nominee will be at our convention.

The war is an important issue, and the DLC was pro-war.
I wouldn't call it pro-war.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/65772/output/print

He calls himself the alpha liberal, you must submit yourself to him.

Mukasey Won’t Say Waterboarding Is Torture But in 1947 the U.S. Called It a War Crime, Sentenced Enemy Officer to 15 Years Hard Labor

I just think you all should know what he's saying and the platform he has to say it.

Funny how time changes things; like the opinions of those in charge.

Think they read history/laws?

‘Don't Tase me, bro’ student won't be charged
He apologizes for his actions during questioning of Sen. Kerry

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21541335/

Not sure of the gender...It's sort of an Anne Coulter type of ambiguity...However, as you can see they despise me much more than they do you ;)

Full Version of White House "Edited" CDC Climate Report

Submitted by toniD on Tue, 10/30/2007 - 12:33pm.

http://www.desmogblog.com/full-version-of-white-house-edited-cdc-climate...

I think we are talking about Iraq, however and not the US. Apparently, it must not be in their constitution that I believe was crafted by our Justice Department. The Gonzo US DoJ must have wet themselves regularly with the dream of crafting that document to get rid of some of those pesky things like habeas corpus.

The centrists didn't help Gore one bit...As a matter of fact the turncoats convinced both he and Kerry to bail when it got dicey.

Liebermann was all and all considered hugely detrimental to his numbers and he was put in there just to appease the "centrists"...

It is also illegal under the Geneva Accords which by being a signatory to the US has made "the law of the land" that it's illegal for an occupying power to change the laws of any occupied country.

Basically, Everything that Bremer did in Iraq is a war crime and none of the contracters there ever had immunity.

Desmond Tutu Likens Israeli Actions to Apartheid

"There is a cry of anguish from the depth of my heart, to my spiritual relatives. Please, please hear the call, the noble call of our scripture," Tutu said of Israelis.

"Don’t be found fighting against this god, your god, our god, who hears the cry of the oppressed," Tutu said.

When you look at the number of contractors in Iraq who have died...you know they hate the Iraqis.

Our own soldiers are struggling with that.

Legal Toxins in Toys May Disrupt Male Sexual Development
Mark Schapiro, The Nation
Health and Wellness: Toxic chemicals in toys can interrupt the production of testosterone, the hormone that helps determine everything from gender-based behavior to sex drive to sperm count.

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/65975/

Because it's not really natural to kill...As much as some would argue that it is, most people need to be trained to do it unless they're driven to it by extreme circumstance...

Good lord.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gkx-3oYeFwuWKCusr2jrojs98w8wD8SJHN9O0

Fred Thompson Confuses Civil Unions With the Soviet Union
Pam Spaulding: Freeper fantasy candidate Thompson's pre-programmed answers on same-sex marriage didn't exactly help him out this time.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/#66514

US accused of torture

THE United States's willingness to resort to harsh interrogation techniques in its so-called war on terror undermined human rights and the international ban on torture, a United Nations spokesman says.

Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on torture, said the US's standing and importance meant it was a model to other countries which queried why they were subject to scrutiny when the US resorted to measures witnessed at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prison.

Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In U.S. War On Iraq 1,096,367

How high does the number have to be before you call it genocide?

Time to go have a smoke...Might stop back in...Might not...

If there's something you miss when I'm gone...find it within yourselves...I can assure you that it's there.

Take care of each other...

in that AP story?

I found another site: www.iraqbodycount.org - with different numbers. Lower.

the US of A does NOT TORTURE!!! its against our beliefs!!!

Hillary to Oppose Mukasey
By Jane Hamsher on Tue Oct 30, 2007 at 09:46 am

hillary.jpgHillary Clinton will follow Chris Dodd’s lead and oppose the Mukasey nomination:

We need an Attorney General who has the strength to challenge this Administration when it is wrong, who is committed to reestablishing the independence of the Department of Justice and to restoring respect for the Constitution and the rule of law. I am deeply troubled by Judge Mukasey’s continued unwillingness to clearly state his views on torture and unchecked Executive power.

The Attorney General is the chief defender of the rule of law in our country. After Alberto Gonzales’s troubled tenure, we cannot send a signal that the next Attorney General in any way condones torture or believes that the President is unconstrained by law. When we leave any doubt about our nation’s policy on torture, we send a terrible message to the rest of the world. Judge Mukasey has been given ample opportunity – both at his confirmation hearings and in his subsequent submission to the Judiciary Committee – to clarify his answers and categorically oppose the unacceptable interrogation techniques employed by this Administration. His failure to do so leaves me no choice but to oppose his nomination.

We need to restore the nation’s confidence in the Department of Justice. The Department must once again defend our Constitution and the rule of law without regard to ideology and partisanship. And we need to protect the country from terrorism while also respecting Americans’ civil liberties.

Responding to the threat of several Democrats to block the Mukasey nomination unless he gave a straight answer about waterboarding, Paul Powertool said:

[T]he case for not taking waterboarding off the table is sound, and a potential political winner, so it might make sense to call their bluff.

Looks like it wasn’t a “bluff” any more than it was a “political winner.”

Time’s blog of the year, ladies and gentlemen.

but dang....i just pissed my pants!

http://goleft.tv/view.asp?v=653

Bomb Iran, majority of Americans says in new poll

Despite President Bush's perpetually abysmal approval ratings, it appears his increasingly hostile rhetoric against Iran has drummed up enough fear of a "nuclear holocaust" or a World War III that a majority of Americans are in favor of a US strike against the country aimed a curtailing its apparent nuclear ambitions, a new poll shows.

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Bomb_Iran_majority_of_Americans_says_1030....
The Zogby International survey shows 52 percent of Americans would support a strike on Iran, while 53 percent expect President Bush to launch such an attack before the end of his second term. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is voters' No. 1 choice to deal with Iran, with 21 percent saying they would like to see her take on Tehran from the White House. Republican Rudy Giuliani was voters' second choice, with 15 percent.

Snow says 'people ought to learn' from Fox News
Ron Brynaert

According to former White House spokesman Tony Snow, critics of Fox News would be better off "learning" from the controversial 24-hour news network than sniping at it.

The former Fox pundit's comments came during a conversation with People Magazine's managing editor Larry Hacket at the American Magazine Conference in Boca Raton, Florida on Sunday, as related by Conde Nast blogger Jeff Bercovici.

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Snow_says_people_ought_to_learn_1030.html

Positive Steps on the FISA Fight
by: Matt Stoller
Tue Oct 30, 2007 at 12:56:26 PM EDT
I spent some time today collecting the list of 19k people who signed the noretroactiveimmunity.com petition to hand in with the letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Last week was really quite a stunning outburst, and with all petitions in from various groups at least three hundred thousand people have petitioned their government not to grant amnesty to corporate interests who spy on us.

It's working. Here's an article from The Hill a DC insider publication.

The Senate Intelligence panel has approved a bill that would establish new procedures for court warrants for foreign-intelligence surveillance on Americans, but some of those provisions did not go far enough to satisfy some liberal Democrats and civil liberties groups.

Most controversial, however, was the measure's inclusion of a provision that would grant retroactive immunity for telecommunications firms that participated in the National Security Agency's warrantless eavesdropping program after the September 2001 terrorist attacks. Although the Intelligence panel saw the internal White House documents on the NSA program before it voted on the bill, most freshmen are unlikely to see those papers. That puts them in a tough spot as they decide whether to support a Bush-backed provision to wipe away about 40 lawsuits accusing the companies of giving away private information to the government.

"I'm a little bit concerned ... of fear-mongering and politics by the Bush administration and an enormous amount of confusion kicked up around this," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

Whitehouse joined 12 of his colleagues in voting for the Intelligence panel's bill earlier this month. He signaled that there would likely be efforts to alter that language when the Judiciary Committee considers the bill in coming weeks.

Whitehouse is one of the people who voted for retroactive immunity in the Senate Intelligence committee, so it's good he's having second thoughts. It looks like various freshmen understand that the Republicans are going to throw the terrorism card at them no matter what they do.

"Republicans are going to say we're weak on terror - that's their rhetoric, that's what they're going to say," said freshman Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.), who voted for the PAA and is planning on supporting the leading House bill.

Altmire is one of the more conservative House freshmen, a 'Bush Dog', so it's a positive sign that he's aware of the fearmongering going on and the strategic stupidity of knuckling under to it for political expediency.

I'd be impressed if Congress managed to hold firm on this. I don't know if they will, but activism works.

On [the left] side we have creativity and all things progressive and on the[ right side,] blind obedience and soulless manipulators...

We must save them from themselves...Fuck a wingnut today!

Bend over Gare...Poppas home.

*

The universe is in alignment. *snark*

----------

psssst...can I have this one?

http://www.turndupageblue.com/

Tonight they are having a meet the candidate soiree.

Local Candidates and Guests:

Candidates expected to be in attendance:
Gary Nowak (Rep 46)
Scott Harper (Congress 13) (this is my district)
Jill Morgenthaler (Congress 6)
Dianne McGuire (Rep 96)
Stan Jagla (6th Congressional),
Broc Montgomery (IL Rep Distict #55),
State Rep. Paul Froelich (IL Senate #56),
State Senators Linda Holmes and Don Harmon,
Bill Foster,Jotham Stein and John Laesch (Congressional 14), (Hastert's district)
and many County Board and County-wide office seekers and presidential
delegate aspirants as well.

Freshman Democrats key in debate over wiretapping
By Manu Raju
October 30, 2007

An unpredictable group of House and Senate freshman Democrats could determine the outcome of the latest debate over President Bush’s foreign-intelligence surveillance program, after they backed a six-month interim bill in August and are now torn over supporting new bills moving through Congress.

Most of these Democrats hail from conservative-leaning districts and states, where there is the perception that Democrats are weaker on national security issues than Republicans. After supporting the White House-backed interim bill last summer, however, a number of the freshmen encountered a strong backlash from Democratic voters and groups concerned over the new authority that the Bush administration won to wiretap Americans without court warrants.

“They’re vulnerable because they’re from red states, and they got elected by two percent, one percent, three percent,” said Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), the Judiciary Committee chairman and cosponsor of the House Democrats’ foreign intelligence surveillance bill. The measure could hit the House floor this week.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/freshman-democrats-key-in-debate-ove...

Practice bomb dropped from a Nvy F-18 hit a wharehouse area in Virginia Beach per CNN

now now lets not get too picky....we dont want to hurt lionel's feelings here!

Democrats likely to give
Bush more money for wars

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Democrats are debating whether to approve $50 billion to $70 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan, less than half of President Bush's $196 billion request but enough to keep the wars afloat for several more months.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071030/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq;_ylt=Al8SymwRmnG...

I guess HE might enjoy that.

But I'll stick w/ blondes, if I have my druthers. ; )

Bush chides Congress on spending bills
By BEN FELLER Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 10/30/2007 06:53:29 AM PDT

WASHINGTON—President Bush scolded lawmakers on Tuesday, saying the Democratic-led Congress hasn't "seen a bill they could not solve without shoving a tax hike into it."

Bush, who has been criticized himself for government spending increases, chided Congress for failing to send him any appropriations bills even though the government started a new budget year on Oct. 1.

"The leadership that's on the hill now can't get that done," Bush said, standing outside the White House with Republican leaders.

Bush also warned Congress not to bother sending him another version of a children's health insurance bill that he will not sign. Bush vetoed the legislation once; the House has passed a revamped version that he does not support, and the Senate is expected to take it up soon.

http://www.mercurynews.com/natbreakingnews/ci_7320722?nclick_check=1

"might"? or will---teeheeheeheehheee!

oh boo on them...they missed their target again...dang thought it was Iran they were aiming at.......oops sorry they were just playing this time!

Wiccan lottery winner plans to open witch school
David Edwards and Muriel Kane

Wiccan high priest Elwood "Bunky" Bartlett, who won an estimated $49 million in the Maryland lottery last month, intends to use his money to set up a school for witches -- a real-life Hogwarts.

Bartlett, who formerly operated a bookkeeping service, says the winning ticket came to him after he promised "the powers that be" that he would use his winnings to quit his job and teach full-time.

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Wiccan_lottery_winner_plans_to_open_1030.h...

Please don't blame us: OPEC

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPEC has no power over many of the factors buffeting oil markets and the group is worried by record high prices.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071030/bs_nm/opec_oil_dc;_ylt=ArAmMfHZNU2M_...

Edwards shifts focus to
Clinton's integrity (or lack thereof)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Democrat John Edwards is trying to turn the Democratic presidential race into a referendum on honesty and integrity, areas where polling has shown that voters are divided about Hillary Rodham Clinton.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071030/ap_po/edwards_ap_interview;_ylt=Atoa...

And this is a scary thought...
Submitted by CeeCee on Tue, 10/30/2007 - 11:53am.

...a presidential candidate from senate has never won a presidency. If this holds true, Clinton or Obama could lose to Guiliani or more likely the candidate who is gaining momentum at the right time-- Huckabee.

--

I always knew you were all closet Hillary fans in here.

well some will be happy about this!
Submitted by Lucille on Tue, 10/30/2007 - 3:10pm.

Wiccan lottery winner plans to open witch school
David Edwards and Muriel Kane

Wiccan high priest Elwood "Bunky" Bartlett, who won an estimated $49 million in the Maryland lottery last month, intends to use his money to set up a school for witches -- a real-life Hogwarts.

--

It'll be hillarious to watch their frustration when after four years at the school, they still won't be able to fly around on brooms.

Democrats likely to give Bush more money for wars

==================================================

Funny how Democrats turn out to be Real Americans. But i coulda told ya that! Ya see there is no 3rd party for the 3%. They just seem to wonder around and everyone ignores them.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1272014152/bctid1279702876

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003982533_acorn30m.html

By Keith Ervin
Seattle Times staff reporter

Three of seven defendants in the biggest voter-registration fraud scheme in Washington history have pleaded guilty and one has been sentenced, prosecutors said Monday.

The defendants were all temporary employees of ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, when they allegedly filled out and submitted more than 1,800 fictitious voter-registration cards during a 2006 registration drive in King and Pierce counties.

No votes were cast in the names of the phony voters. Prosecutors said the defendants committed fraud in order to keep their jobs without actually registering voters.

King County election workers brought the fraud to the attention of prosecutors last October, after noticing that signatures on many registration forms looked like they had been written by the same person.

Ryan Olson, 28, of Needles, Calif., was the first to be sentenced. He pleaded guilty Thursday in King County Superior Court to two counts of providing false information on a voter-registration application, a felony. Court Commissioner Kenneth Comstock sentenced him to 30 days in jail or in electronic home detention, the sentence recommended by prosecutors, said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the King County Prosecutor's Office.

Tina Johnson, 24, of Tacoma, and Jayson Woods, 20, of Elkridge, Md., also have pleaded guilty to eight counts each of registration fraud. Donohoe said prosecutors have recommended 120 days of jail for each of them using the same formula applied to Olson: 15 days for each count.

Brianna Debwa, 35, of Tacoma; Robert Greene, 56, of Tacoma; and Clifton Mitchell, 45, of Lakewood, Pierce County, have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to appear in court in November. Kendra Thill, 19, no known address, was charged with voter fraud and is wanted for failure to appear in court.

US: No objection to Egyptian nuclear program

The White House on Monday said it had little information about Egypt's plans to relaunch its nuclear power program but declared itself "generally supportive" of civilian atomic power.

"I don't know a lot about it. In general, we are supportive of countries pursuing civil nuclear energy. It's clean burning. It provides electricity in a clean-burning and affordable way for citizens," said spokeswoman Dana Perino.

"We are working with some countries in order to help them get there. But in regards to the Egyptian program, that report just came across. I don't know any more specifics about it," Perino told reporters.

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/US_No_objection_to_Egyptian_nuclear_1029200...

Blackwater got immunity?
By: Steve Benen @ 8:45 AM - PDT Dan Froomkin noted today, “In the wake of last month’s shooting of 17 civilians by Blackwater gunmen in Baghdad, the Bush administration is finally acknowledging — more than four years late — that private security contractors in Iraq should operate under the law.”

But as it turns out, it might be more scandalous than just a giant loophole in the law.

The State Department promised Blackwater USA bodyguards immunity from prosecution in its investigation of last month’s deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians, The Associated Press has learned.

As a result, it will likely be months before the United States can _ if ever _ bring criminal charges in the case that has infuriated the Iraqi government.

“Once you give immunity, you can’t take it away,” said a senior law enforcement official familiar with the investigation.

A State Department spokesman did not have an immediate comment Monday.

Stay tuned.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/10/30/blackwater-got-immunity/

MALLOY (23 October 2007): It's being manipulated, we're all being manipulated, we are being shifted, refocused, not to minimize what's going on in California at all. But you know, the thought hit me today, God help me for this, or somebody help me, but the thought hit me today, um, all those fires, I had a thought, what the hell is causing the fires? They're all over the place, they're 40, 50, 60, 100, 150 fires, boom boom boom boom, what's causing that?!

They're not having electrical storms out there, they're not having any storms at all. What's causing it? But then the answer popped into my head, as easily as the answer about torture. The fires are being set, the fires are being set by elements of the Bush crime family. It's a great distraction, it's a wonderful distraction. And then I thought to myself, Jesus God! Did you really have that thought?! And the answer came back - yeah, loud and 'effing clear."

RHODES: I started just doing Google searches to try and figure out. You know, arson, arson, it was like crazy trying to figure out why is that being downplayed? Why is that, you know, just a small part of the story? And you know, every time I look for it what comes up, believe it or not, is that Blackwater wants to move to San Diego and build this giant complex in San Diego right where most of the evacuations are taking place and you know.

You just know wherever there is fire, this administration will be out there doing what it does best and that is fanning the flames, you know. It just spooks me, I can’t explain to you how creepy this whole thing is that you know, you’ve got these fires. Some of them are thought to be the work of arsonists and in the same breath you’ve got a community that’s on fire that just recently protested Blackwater West.

Just recently said no to Blackwater and apparently you don’t do that. I mean, I don’t even know what to think. You know, nobody is saying Blackwater set the fires, that is nobody that doesn’t want their house burned down. Nobody is saying that, but it is all so bizarre that this is America and you have to sort of sit there and wonder … arson, same place Blackwater West wants to be, people protesting. And then you find out that some of the guys that used to work for Blackwater are now in Schwarzenegger’s administration. It’s all so creepy.

Chairman Waxman Writes to Secretary Rice on Blackwater Immunity
October 30th, 2007 by Jesse Lee

Today Chairman Henry Waxman of the Oversight Committee wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to ask who conferred immunity on the Blackwater security guards involved in the September 16 shooting, who authorized the grant of immunity, and when did Secretary Rice and other senior State Department officials learn about the immunity.

Full text of the letter:

Dear Madam Secretary:

I am writing about reports that State Department officials conferred immunity on the Blackwater guards involved in the September 16 shooting incident at Nisoor Square in Baghdad that resulted in the deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians.

Multiple news reports are asserting that the State Department compromised the investigation into the shootings and the potential for prosecutions of Blackwater personnel by offering immunity to the Blackwater guards. According to one report, agents of the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security promised Blackwater personnel “immunity from prosecution” in order to elicit statements. Another report stated that the State Department offered “limited-use immunity” without authority to do so and without consulting with the Justice Department. According to these accounts, prosecution of Blackwater personnel has become, at a minimum, “a lot more complicated and difficult.”

http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=895

Brett

WTH now I cant see I'm blinded!! At least I'm getting my hearing back from listing to the first and only day of his show .

When Lucille brought up torture naturally one thing came to mind.

Blame this jerk...

He made me do it!

Submitted by Nobody on Tue, 10/30/2007 - 12:43pm.

I'M trying to "dehumanize you"...yet YOU use a homophobic reference to attack me??!?!?!?

Maybe I missed Hypocrisy 101 at Nobody University?

LOL---Gare

Looks like the "politics of hope" are dead with Obama....and Edwards is going to try to not appear desperate, as he despearately attacks Hillary at the debate tonight!

Maybe this is just the break that Dennis Kucinich is looking for?!!?!?

LOL!---Gare

Mark Green and Arianna Huffington mmmpppphh! saturday night show---thats his theme song!!

your stance again---

yourll!

Data add to gloom on US economy
FT.com - 2 hours, 52 minutes ago
A raft of bearish data fuelled fears of a US economic slowdown on Tuesday as consumer confidence slumped to a two-year low and house prices in major cities suffered the biggest drop in 16 years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ft/20071030/bs_ft/fto103020071434591055;_ylt=Ave...

View of the day: US dollar
FT.com - Tue Oct 30, 1:45 PM ET

The dollar's fall will be driven primarily by a slowing US economy rather than by developing nations' reserve diversification, according to Julian Jessop at Capital Economics.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ft/20071030/bs_ft/fto103020071404011051;_ylt=Aml...

Consumers gloomiest since Katrina aftermath
Reuters - Tue Oct 30, 1:23 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Consumer confidence weakened for a third month in October to its lowest since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as gasoline costs rose and the housing slump worsened.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071030/bs_nm/usa_economy_tuesday_dc;_ylt=Aq...

Consumer confidence hits 2-year low in October
Reuters - Tue Oct 30, 10:02 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Consumer confidence declined for the third month in a row in October to its lowest level in two years on growing concerns about weakening business conditions and the impact that could have on the job market.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071030/bs_nm/usa_economy_confidence_dc;_ylt...

Breaking: Mukasey Refuses to Call Waterboarding Torture
The AG nominee has responded to the Senate Judiciary Committee, but his answer isn't likely to make him new friends.

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004605.php

Leahy to White House: Thanks for Nothing
By Paul Kiel - October 30, 2007, 4:53PM
Last week, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) pronounced himself pleased that the administration had handed over four "previously undisclosed documents" relating to the administration's interrogation policies. As he wrote to White House counsel Fred Fielding in a letter: "The release of these documents restarts the incremental process of providing necessary information to Congress and to the American people about the Administration’s legal justifications and policies with regard to torture and interrogation." After months of stonewalling, it was a new day!

Well, not so much. Apparently three of the four documents, called "previously undisclosed," in the committee's press release at the time, were already in the public domain.

For instance, Leahy could have gone to the ACLU's website to read the February 4, 2005 letter from Acting Assistant Attorney General Daniel Levin that the administration handed over. And the December 30, 2004, memo (pdf) from Levin that famously redefined torture? The Justice Department released that publicly itself at the time. The third document Leahy cites is private testimony (pdf) by a former Justice Department official back in July, 2004, to the House intelligence committee. That, too, is in the public record.

And the fourth? It remains classified, although it's general contents have already been widely reported.

Keep in mind that the administration has still not turned over any of the memos during Alberto Gonzales' tenure as attorney general, such as the ones reported by The New York Times earlier this month.

Leahy's statement is below.

“I was encouraged when the White House provided four documents for review concerning this Administration’s position on torture. Now we learn that three of those long-delayed documents have already been in the public domain. I am again calling on the White House to provide a declassified version of the memorandum of March 13, 2003, and to promptly fulfill my longstanding requests for documents relating to this Administration’s policies, both past and present, on torture.”

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004603.php

Davis Grills Tanner on Minorities "Die First" Comment
By Paul Kiel - October 30, 2007, 12:30PM
If there's been a more brutal examination of a witness in a Congressional hearing since the days of Alberto Gonzales, I haven't seen it.

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) laid into voting section chief John Tanner during the hearing today over his comment earlier this month that "our society is such that minorities don't become elderly the way white people do. They die first." Tanner made the remarks as justification for his conviction that voter ID laws actually discriminate against whites. In Tanner's calculus, since minorities don't age "the way white people do," the effect of voter ID laws on the elderly means that whites are disproportionately affected. And since younger African-Americans frequently carry IDs because of racial profiling and the need to cash checks at "a check cashing business," voter ID laws actually favor African-Americans.

Tanner kicked off the hearing by repeating his apology for the comment, regretting that his "explanation of the data came across in a hurtful way."

But Davis wasn't mollified. I'm "not sure what you’re apologizing for," he said. Did he still think the statement was correct? "It is a sad fact..." Tanner began. Is that accurate? Davis pressed. Tanner began to say that he believed census data in Georgia (the subject of the most controversial voter ID law) showed that life expectancy among minorities was lower.

More here:

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004598.php

State Defends Immunity Deal for Blackwater Guards
By Paul Kiel - October 30, 2007, 3:25PM
Since news broke yesterday that the State Department had offered immunity deals to the Blackwater guards involved in the September 16th Nisour Square shooting, which left seventeen Iraqis dead, inquiries from Democrats have mounted, and the State Department has evidently been scrambling to respond.

And it's evident what their response is: at least we didn't offer absolute, blanket immunity to the guards from prosecution. As part of the PR offensive, two "senior State officials" stressed just that point to CNN earlier today. But the AP, which broke the story, never reported any such thing.

The type of immunity offered the guards was "use" immunity, meaning that the guards were offered the ability to talk with the promise that their statements couldn't be used in a criminal prosecution. ABC got a hold of the statements today and confirms this.

So State Department spokesman Sean McCormack tried to look on the bright side in a press briefing:

"The kinds of, quote, 'immunity' that I've seen reported in the press would not preclude a successful criminal prosecution," he insisted.
"The Department of State cannot immunize an individual from federal criminal prosecution," he added.

There are a couple of problems with that, however.

While State certainly doesn't have the ability to absolutely bar a criminal investigation, they also didn't have the authority to offer the "use" immunity officials offered the guards, as The New York Times, citing "government officials," reported this morning.

And while the Department's choice to offer immunity certainly "cannot immunize an individual from federal prosecution," it makes things a lot harder for FBI agents and Justice Department lawyers who are trying to build an already incredibly difficult case. As the AP put it today:

The immunity deal will not prevent the Blackwater guards from ever being prosecuted. However, it forces prosecutors to prove that they did not use the information gleaned from the bodyguards' statements — or anything related to them — when seeking criminal charges. That means investigators will have to find other credible witnesses or evidence to make their case.
It remains unclear who was responsible for authorizing the immunity deal. A "senior State Department official" whispered to ABC that "If anyone gave such immunity it was done so without consulting senior leadership at State." The AP gave a hint yesterday when it reported that last week's resignation of Assistant Secretary of State Richard Griffin was "directly related to his oversight of Blackwater contractors."

The inquiries, unfortunately for State, have only just begun. Today House oversight committee chair Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent a list of questions to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about the immunity deal, calling it "an egregious misjudgment."

Ed.Note: Thanks to all the TPM legal eagle readers who wrote in with their takes on this.

Update: ABC adds a cautionary note to all this, noting the difficulty Blackwater's lawless position offers prosecutors:

Even without immunity, however, it would be extremely difficult to prosecute the Blackwater security guards in U.S. courts.
Shortly after the Sept. 16 Blackwater incident, Secretary Rice dispatched a panel of experts to Iraq to examine the use of private security contractors.

The panel's report, drafted by Ambassador Patrick Kennedy, concluded that even if a private security guard committed cold-blooded murder, there may be no legal basis for prosecuting the guard in U.S. courts under current law.

"The panel is unaware of any basis for holding non-Department of Defense contractors accountable under U.S. law," the report concluded.

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004602.php

Kucinich: Is it time to question Bush's mental health?Ron Brynaert
Published: Tuesday October 30, 2007

Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, a dark horse contender for the the Democratic presidential nomination, questioned President Bush's mental health on Tuesday, according to a Philadelphia newspaper.

"I seriously believe we have to start asking questions about his mental health," Kucinich told The Inquirer's editorial board. "There's something wrong. He does not seem to understand his words have real impact."

Kucinich was referring to President Bush's warning of dire consequences if Iran acquires nuclear weapons during a press conference earlier this month. Bush said that he had told world leaders the country must be prevented from achieving nuclear capability "if you're interested in avoiding World War III."

"We've got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel," Bush said, responding to Russia's stated cautioning against military action targeting Tehran's suspected atomic program.

"So I've told people that, if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," said Bush.

In a press release sent to RAW STORY last week, Kucinich took Bush and other Administration officials to task for trying "to deceive Americans into yet another war—this time with Iran."

"After the lies and deception used to lead us to war in Iraq, the belligerent Bush Administration cannot be given leeway with statements that suggest a preemptive attack on Iran is necessary," Kucinich stated. "We are systematically destroying every available route to restoring peace and security in the Middle East. Congress must take back its exclusive authority to declare war from the Bush Administration."

Further excerpts from Inquirer article:

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Kucinich_questions_Bushs_mental_health_103...

No Bruce For You

Clear Channel sends out memo telling stations not to place new Springsteen.

Doesn't need my - or their - help, but in any case.

-Atrios 16:04

http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2007/10/clear-channel-republican-pro...

Deep Thought of The Day

Our very serious policy debate is driven by impotent racist old men.

-Atrios 13:47

http://www.samsedershow.com/node/1628

Thanks up there for explaining "net roots". Todays show remains as clear as mud though. Maybe next time Sam could pop a few buttons on his shirt or something to keep things interesting next time the show is deep in the trenches sort of wonky. I just couldn't follow at all. But, hey I know what a lawn tractor is, so we all have our base of knowledge lol.

"Hmmm?.....ol' pal Gare-
new
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 10/30/2007 - 4:19pm.

LOL---Gare"

So Gare...What exactly is "homophobic" about telling you to bend over?...What exactly did you think was gonna happen next?

If anything Gare I wouldn't be afraid of gays at all...I'd be sounding as if I was gay myself with that comment...One thing is for sure though...You'd never go back to sneaking peaks into moms underwear drawer there sweety...

Buhahahahaha.

It would be great if someone could actually produce a memo telling stations not to play Springsteen. However, to the best of anyone knowledge - this has not actually happened.

I gave up on "regular" radio listening about 10 years ago .. and whilst watching "Shut Up & Sing" last weekend .. was wondering exactly how one would go about setting up an internet or - better yet - pirate radio station.

Check out the new thread!

Poll: Majority of Voters Support Iran Strike

Rick Moran

A new Zogby poll out today shows that 52% of likely voters would support a strike against Iran to prevent them from building nuclear weapons. Another 53% believe it "likely" that such an attack will take place before the next election:

Democrats (63%) are most likely to believe a U.S. military strike against Iran could take place in the relatively near future, but independents (51%) and Republicans (44%) are less likely to agree. Republicans, however, are much more likely to be supportive of a strike (71%), than Democrats (41%) or independents (44%). Younger likely voters are more likely than those who are older to say a strike is likely to happen before the election and women (58%) are more likely than men (48%) to say the same – but there is little difference in support for a U.S. strike against Iran among these groups.

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