Post show post-- anon free

:)

can't get enough of good radio

Off to finish my cookies

Yeah,Fresh Air !!

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Janice Brown

Where there's smoke, there's mirrors.

effect government by activism. I have a very bad feeling about what is happening to this country. If we don't elect a Democratic President, we may not be able to do exactly what we're doing right now--believe that! I signed. Good on you.
Janice Brown

CALL TO DIRECT ACTION: Subject: No more Rupert Murdoch!
Submitted by greenpagan on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 6:01pm.
Congress: Stop Media Consolidation

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Congress: Stop Media Consolidation

Hi, For those of us who don't want a few big companies deciding what we see, hear, and read in the news, it's a bad day.

The Bush-appointed FCC just voted to loosen media ownership rules so media titans like Rupert Murdoch can swallow up more local news outlets. They did this despite a huge public outcry--when the FCC asked for public comments, 99% opposed media consolidation!

The last thing our democracy needs is fewer independent media voices and more news outlets like FOX. Congress has the power to reverse this rule change, and I just signed this petition asking Congress to do that. This issue is very important. Can you join me at the fricken link below? JOIN ME! Or be damned unto the 10th generation!

http://civ.moveon.org/mediaconsolidation/?r_by=11825-6752852-Fb1GEG&rc=p...

Thanks!

----

My loyalty is reserved for the country with the most generous social safety net.

====

:)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

THINK PROGRESS

After Attorney General Mike Mukasey blocked CIA officials from appearing at a closed hearing before Congress last week, the House Intelligence Committee “said Wednesday it has prepared subpoenas to force CIA officials to testify about the agency’s secret destruction of interrogation videotapes.” The Committee’s threat marks “the second challenge to a White House attempt to shut down independent investigations,” after “a federal judge rejected an administration effort to keep the courts out of the investigation.”

Free Democracy

would you please post it. Thanks in advance.

I'm already wondering what's burned up in the Cheney "ceremonial office" fire. Now I have to wonder what Annette's editing?

Nuttin' much... ;-)

All women have penises. Didn't anyone tell you?

Muah ha ha ha ha...

PD don't talk to me. I'm too...what? Young? Unknown? New?

Ah, oh well. Back to wrapping up and getting the flock outta here.

Have a great after-evenin'. :-)

That was funny Annette. Yep....I'm The Ignorer.

with the blog?

Cool, Annette. any time.

(I love the ribbbon thingie, too.)

TI isn't as fun to say.

I'm such a fucking addict.

Good God.

Although I notice that when I clean out my temp files, it knocks me out of being signed in and I have to re-sign in, which is a total pain in the ass, because I always have to go elsewheres and look up the password, which is buried now on page 10 of my inbox at another site.

*sigh* Lots of signing in, page-flipping... window flipping...

One of these days I'll come up with a streamlined way of doing things.

*snark* Yeah, right...

I noticed that the surreal one used a pic of mine on a blog he posted in his most recent Open Mic. Not that it was 'mine'...but tres cool! He's been visitin', I reckon. :-)

Still haven't made it to the bookstore. *sigh*

So, what section would they have those in? Would they be at the library? Hmmm...maybe I should check - they have an online catalog at both of the libraries in my area.

I'm a Sederblogoholic.

Submitted by Peter Dragon on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 7:08pm.
...I'm The Ignorer.
--------------
If you were a really good Ignorerer, you'd...well...never mind.

if you use FireFox and save your password, all you have to do is double click the empty user name sign in box and your nic will appear, then just click it and hit enter.

I see you over there CB. I'm working on a bumper sticker, but so far this is all I've got for a mugshot.

http://www.pbase.com/ssmithx/image/27169475

Ya got anything better?

I somehow got it here at work but not at home. Haven't gotten around to it yet. :-)

Any reasonable person must suspend belief (pun intended) to accept Huckabee's claim that the brightly glowing cross which slides into view over his right shoulder went unnoticed during the editing process.

He might pay dearly for lying about it. At the least, he insults the intelligence of the viewer.

You're right! Oh shit....another thing I'm bad at.

I went out to shoot hoops with my friend's five year old grandson today.

I fired up my first shot in twenty years from a good thirty feet away.

It bounced up off the top of the backboard, went up and over the garage

roof, bounced over the back fence, rolled down the back neighbors

driveway and got hit by a car on the next street over.

Can't win for losing!! Haha!

Taking a break from making cookies. It's hot in that kitchen!

Submitted by Annette on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 7:25pm.
...I'm working on a bumper sticker, but so far this is all I've got for a mugshot.
---------------------
Annette,

It looks like a campaign logo to me. I recommend a companion campaign song:

Fishin' Blues by Taj Mahal

Betcha' goin' fishin' all o' da' time
Baby goin' fishin' too.
Bet yo' life, Yo' sweet wife
Catch mo' fish than you.

Many fish bites if ya' got good bait,
Here's a little tip that I would like to relate.
Many fish bites if ya' got good bait.
I'ma goin fishin', Yes I'm goin' fishin,
And my baby goin' fishin' too.
------------
The rest of the lyrics are here:

http://www.lyricsdrive.com/lyrics/taj-mahal/618518/fishin-blues/

THIS JUST IN: Reid to again block controversial Bush holiday recess appointments
by John Aravosis (DC) · 12/19/2007 06:28:00 PM ET · Link
Discuss this post here: Comments (109) · reddit · FARK ·· Digg It!

Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid is on the Senate floor right now announcing that he will be keeping the Senate in a pro forma session throughout the Christmas and New Years holiday in order to block Bush from making recess appointments of controversial nominees that couldn't make their way through the appropriate Senate committees. Reid will, however, (I believe) be letting a large number of non-controversial Republican nominees be confirmed. This is good. It doesn't make up for being on the verge of passing a domestic spying bill and continuing to fund the war, but appointments are very important, and anything that can be done to stop Bush from thwarting the Senate's constitutional role in confirming presidential appointees is a good thing. (Reid's statement after the jump.)
[continue reading...]

http://www.americablog.com/2007/12/this-just-in-reid-to-again-block.html

After Senate conservatives “filibustered an omnibus budget bill” yesterday, they set “a modern-day record for blocking the most legislation during a congressional session,” according to a new report by the Campaign for America’s Future. In just the first year of the 110th Congress, conservatives have used the filibuster 62 times, topping the record set by the entire 107th Congress. Bill Scher notes some of the legislation conservatives have worked to block.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/12/19/senate-conservatives-break-all-time-...

Taj Mahal - Fishin' Blues

Love that shit. :-)

http://lessons.ctaponline.org/~rgimbel/Copy%20of%20Fishin’%20Blues_Mahal,%20Taj.mp3

Weird that I can't get this link to work but I'm typin it just as I sees it!!!

Oh well. Maybe my eyes are tired.

Here's the link to the page if anyone can do it better :)

http://lessons.ctaponline.org/~rgimbel/student/index.htm

can you edit that sucker?

I shouldn't be forced to imagine an ancient Peter Dragon and dribblin'.

I still can't figure out why they weren't doing this for the past several years.

turtles over here?

My computer went on a rampage at Americablog for some reason then the browser decided to close. I had to dump cookies and sign back in before I could see the post.

The gremlins are here tonight!!

Do you belong to the turtle club?

OLD GUY'S RULE!

The older I get...the better I was.

Does that have anything to do with submarine races or snipe fishing?

tomorrow and will have the keys on Friday.

Will you move in before Christmas?

Sorry, Peter. I am compulsively compelled to make wordplay with your punny name. Dribbling is a natural.

The answer is:

You bet your sweet ass I do!!

Maybe it was a Chicago thing!

And yes, the insinuation was similar to submarine races.

We'll start moving stuff over there....it's about seven miles.

By the end of January, we'll be moved and then we can get this house ready

to sell.

Hope your house sells quick!!

Submitted by Peter Dragon on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 7:56pm.
We'll start moving stuff over there....it's about seven miles.
-------------
Maybe you'll find the kid's basketball in the yard?

We've paid off the mortgage on this place. It's a pretty decent house on

a triple lot so there's privacy.

looks beat.

House panel prepares subpoenas for CIA officials. After Attorney General Mike Mukasey blocked CIA officials from appearing at a closed hearing before Congress last week, the House Intelligence Committee “said Wednesday it has prepared subpoenas to force CIA officials to testify about the agency’s secret destruction of interrogation videotapes.” The Committee’s threat marks “the second challenge to a White House attempt to shut down independent investigations,” after “a federal judge rejected an administration effort to keep the courts out of the investigation.”

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=645073&category=&BCCo...

Fishin'
Blues Song                       

I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to seeing Marc and Sam wearing their Mexican Wrestling Masks on the Sammycam tomorrow.

in your new home, Peter!

Enjoy it in good health!

Later

you and your well-meaning compliments

"oh, pete - may you never die"
"oh, pete - may you win the lottery"
"and oh pete - may you never feel 'orrible"

anyway, 'ello all

"the system is working"

Senate conservatives break all-time obstructionism record
Submitted by Kevin © on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 7:42pm.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/12/19/senate-conservatives-break-all-time-...

The perfect gift for the family Christmas party. The die-hards happen to be prevalent there.

god be praised

"the system is working"

how phat is our NSA dossier?

Anyway... I'm having a senior moment. What was the name of the admiral or general that came out early last century and admitted his work was all gangsta?

I'm not in the mood to research my question. In fact, I don't care enough to research it, so I'm counting on a memory other than mine to remember.

Didn't Tancredo quit the race once before?

I could swear that he announced that he was bowing out over a month ago. Then I was surprised to see him in a debate (in Colorado, I think?) shortly thereafter.

Now he's announced that he's out again...if it's the second time for the same announcement?

Did I dream the first announcement?

Smedley Butler

http://www.doublestandards.org/butler2.html

In the fall of 2002, Senator Clinton sought to discredit those questioning Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Vice-President Dick Cheney, and others who were making hyperbolic statements about Iraq's supposed military prowess by insisting that Iraq's possession of such weapons "are not in doubt" and was "undisputed." Similarly, Clinton insisted that Secretary of State Colin Powell's February 2005 speech at the UN was "compelling" although UN officials and arms control experts roundly denounced its false claims that Iraq had reconstituted these proscribed weapons, weapons programs, and delivery systems. In addition, although top strategic analysts correctly informed her that there were no links between Saddam Hussein's secular nationalist regime and the radical Islamist al-Qaeda, Senator Clinton insisted that Saddam "has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members." http://www.alternet.org/audits/70416/?page=1

I think I mis-remembered Tancredo's announcement last October that he would not seek re-election to the 6th District seat.

long time no see

i'm multi-tasking...

i got the clippers out and i'm half-way through giving myself a haicut

listening to the vid i posted

trying not to step on frank koukourarchi (the cockatiel)

trying not to lose my grip of the clippers and a terrible accident befalls onto franks head and crushing it

and 'avin' a smoke

(so put that in your pipe)

I usually look at the links and I actually downloaded those and they were fine. I think the station had a problem earlier that day but I can't find that I posted then. In the future, I won't bother.

As the political season reaches its Iowa caucus climax, momentum is building for Sen. Chris Dodd to parlay his presidential campaign into a bid to challenge Sen. Harry Reid, D-NV, for Majority Leader.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/71123/#more

Hello I'm Jayson and
new
Submitted by mystic23 on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 7:19pm.
I'm a Sederblogoholic.
*******
:)

Malloy's on !

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

How the hell are you my little kolokithi!

Yea but,Yesterdays Seder for Randi(on Green 960)was all screwed up..
It was titled Seder for Randi but,had a 60 minutes podcast on it !
I was pissed !

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

dude, he needs to be the veep at the very least. I'm still hopeful. Don't mess with my dream of seeing him be President.

Santa Claus knocked cold

SPOKANE, Washington (AP) -- A man dressed as Santa Claus was knocked unconscious by a thrown object that hit his face while he was riding on the back of a truck decorated as a sleigh.

Kevin Smith was riding on a sleigh-themed truck as Santa when something hit him in the face and knocked him out.

Kevin Smith says he never saw what hit him Saturday. Whatever it was, it broke his nose and gave him a concussion and two black eyes.

"One second I was up there waving to people, and the next minute I wasn't," Smith said.

He was taking part in Santa Run, sponsored by the firefighters union, which features off-duty firefighters who dress up as Santa and ride through residential areas handing out candy to children.

Other volunteers realized something was wrong after they hadn't heard from Smith for a few minutes. They stopped the truck and found him lying unconscious.

"It pretty much cold-cocked him," fire Lt. Scott Himelspach said.

Smith awoke in the back of the sleigh.

"They thought I'd spilled my hot chocolate, but then they realized it was blood," Smith said. "The rest of the night was kind of hazy."

Smith, a firefighter for eight years, said he hoped to return to work on Christmas Day.

Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said an assault report was filed with police but that no witnesses have come forward.

CNN

had National Secrets per Malloy.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush does a little business with a New York bank. Next thing you know, Florida taxpayers are holding the bag for billions.

Corruption, thy name is Bush! This story has the makings of another Carl Hiaasen novel. All it still needs is a sexy blonde and a fisherman who finds his bone-fishing grounds occupied by a politician fellating a banker.

Remarkably, it appeared here on Bloomberg.com.

The nub of it

Here are a few choice excerpts from the Bloomberg News story:

Jeb Bush, who incorporated Jeb Bush & Associates in February 2007, a month after completing his second term [as Governor], had been hired as a consultant to Lehman Brothers in June. Bush is the brother of President George W. Bush.

`Do Something Quickly'

In November, school districts and local agencies that kept their cash in the state pool rushed to withdraw $12 billion, or 46 percent, of the money in the fund. On Nov. 29, the state froze the fund to stop all withdrawals. ``If we don't do something quickly, we're not going to have an investment pool,'' [Carl] Stipanovich [executive director of the state board of administration] told the board that day.

Until November, the Florida pool was the largest public money market fund in the U.S. It held cash for about 1,000 school districts, towns and local agencies in Florida.

Stipanovich resigned on Dec. 4. He declined to comment.

http://thenewyorkcrank.blogspot.com/2007/12/former-florida-governor-jeb-...

air-ono: "Can you say 'antidisestablishmentarianism'? Antidisestablishmentarianism. Antidisestablishmentarianism. Ant-i-diss-ess-tab-lish-ment-air-ee-an-is-um!"

cockatiel: "Stop it. You are embarrassing yourself."

but i'm not a pumpkin

and anyway...

who are you and!

as bad as in great as bill's

(well, almost)

I think Malloy just called Perino a little trick. Loved it.

wrote a 40 page financial budget plan

chapter 14.1
(or sub-section 4:3:9 dash/slash clause who cares)

it's entitled "hey, honey! where's the cash flow!?"...

don't need one
(heh)

*

[short'n'sharp was the order of the day]

a Zucchini!

The Tancredo Yo-Yo
Submitted by Crank Bait on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 8:36pm.

---------

Tancredo Quits Twice
Submitted by Crank Bait on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 8:45pm.

____________________________

Do you got the world on a string, Crank Bait?

The sport is off-string, but it's not with a yo-yo.

I think The Tancredo Curveball or Tancredo, Strike Two would have been better subject titles.

n.b. I am not referring to Rafid Ahmed Alwan, the CIA Curveball.

Link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Tancredo_presidential_campaign,_2008

--------------------

I've Got The World On A String

Sarah Vaughan -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZV0_YztT10

---------

Diana Krall and Tony Bennett -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgoUK8Ng1Jk

Former Florida Governor Jeb
Submitted by toniD on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 9:25pm.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush does a little business with a New York bank. Next thing you know, Florida taxpayers are holding the bag for billions.

They are insidious.

Behind every sinister event, there is a Bush.

SAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! How's that commune coming?

Morgan Stanley secures $5bn from China
By Philip Aldrick, Banking Editor
Last Updated: 12:40am GMT 20/12/2007

Morgan Stanley has become the latest global investment bank to resort to a foreign state bail-out after the Wall Street giant revealed its sub-prime related losses had ballooned to $9.4bn.

The latest news and views on the credit crisis
In a further sign of the shift in power to the Far East and Middle East, China's sovereign wealth fund - China Investment Corp (CIC) - is injecting $5bn to shore up the Wall Street giant's capital position in return for equity units that will convert into as much as 9.9pc of Morgan Stanley stock.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/12/19/bcnmor...

Huckabee’s Latest Iowa Commercials Broadcast From a Manger
By Don Davis

“I’M JUST WAITING FOR THE THREE WISE MEN TO SHOW UP, SINCE I SURE AS HELL DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK I’M TALKING ABOUT.”

http://satiricalpolitical.com/?p=1297

Santa copter shot at in Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- Not even Santa is safe in Rio de Janeiro.

A helicopter carrying a Santa Claus to distribute gifts at a Christmas party came under fire when it flew over a Rio shantytown, authorities said Wednesday.

The chopper was hit by two rifle shots Sunday, but no one was injured and the aircraft returned safely to its base, police inspector Aldari Vianna said by telephone.

Gang members apparently attacked the helicopter thinking it belonged to the police, Vianna said.

It's not unusual for gangs to shoot at police helicopters in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most violent cities in the world, with a homicide rate of about 50 per 100,000 people.

The Santa Claus, who did not want to identify himself, was later transported by car to the party -- for children in another poor neighborhood -- where he distributed about 700 gifts.

"As a Santa Claus, I was very sad to see the children frustrated," he said, according to the Agencia Estado news service. "They were expecting Santa to arrive by helicopter and that didn't happen."

Police did not identify the Santa.

CNN

screen politicians for their "recollection" ability prior to their running for office?

bank broker: "you'll need a cash flow"
loan applicant: "why do i need a fucking! cash flow"

(true story)

i said "fucking"

"look! i even wrote a chapter explaining why one would be extraneous"

anyway, it was cool

he later checked out my swish budget narrative (it was fleshed out in codes and notes) and he said, "that's your cash flow right there"

phew!

Chertoff Concealed Role in Tape Destruction
By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t | Report

Wednesday 19 December 2007

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff advised the CIA between 2002 and 2003 that its agents had the legal authority to use techniques that included waterboarding on one of the agency's so-called "high level detainees," according to a little-known report published in January 2005.

That interrogation was videotaped and the tape later was destroyed

Chertoff was head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division when CIA officials inquired whether its agents could be charged with violating the federal anti-torture statute for employing interrogation methods such as waterboarding. The tactic causes detainees to slowly drown, and is generally terminated before the detainees die.

"The CIA was seeking to determine the legal limits of interrogation practices for use in cases like that of Abu Zubaydah, the Qaeda lieutenant who was captured in March 2002," says a January 29, 2005, New York Times story. That story quoted unnamed sources who told the newspaper that "Chertoff was directly involved in these discussions, in effect evaluating the legality of techniques proposed by the CIA by advising the agency whether its employees could go ahead with proposed interrogation methods without fear of prosecution."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/121907J.shtml

true
: )

i nearly always get those two confused

been as busy as 14 bees

Submitted by air-ono on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 9:46pm.

wrote a 40 page financial budget plan

___________________

Ace,

Good to hear you buzzing around here.

It sounds like you bee well.

Good luck with your plan.

"the star system is working"

Any chance we could...
new
Submitted by CeeCee on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 9:57pm.
screen politicians for their "recollection" ability prior to their running for office?

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

San Diego's Diebold Election Software 'Lost In Transit' Two cardboard shipping tubes containing more than 174 EPROMs loaded with voting machine software were sent via Federal Express from the secretary of state's office in Sacramento last week to election officials in more than a dozen California counties that use optical-scan voting machines made by Diebold Election Systems. But two shipping tubes arrived empty to one county on Monday.

http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/link.php?id=47862

With Bush in their pocket, the Carlyle Group buys the "Birth Certificate of Democracy" --the Magna Carta (2 comments) Freedom's most valuable document, the Magna Carta, has been sold at auction to David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, a web of Bush supporters if not co-conspirators. This sale of the very origins of our democratic heritage to the Carlyle Group is symbolic of the GOP sell out to the Military Industrial Complex, the merchants of war and death.

http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/link.php?id=47839

How about "Reflection" ability too !
new
Submitted by MMRules on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 10:04pm.

(things are great)

yesterday i got confused between a shark and a flower

"LOOK OUT! IT'S A SHARK!"

"awww, that's nice"

With Bush in their pocket,
Submitted by toniD on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 10:08pm

It was loaned out to the museum for a long time.

♦♦♦♦
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true; by the wise as false; and by the rulers as useful." -Seneca 4-65 CE
♦♦♦♦
One election at a time...

With Bush in their pocket,
Submitted by toniD on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 10:08pm.
...the Carlyle Group buys the "Birth Certificate of Democracy" --the Magna Carta (2 comments) Freedom's most valuable document...

"Just a damn piece of paper." And poof it is gone.

We have 2 Ex-Diebold Election Systems Officers running our Elections here in San Diego !!
The Registrar of Voters and her assistant..Pretty Pathetic !

I forward a bunch of stories about it to my Congresswoman..Davis D-CA..

She sent me a email about the stupid Holt Bill !
You can lead them to water but,ya can't make them drink !! :(

I've been voting by Mail for about the last 3 to 4 elections !

Probably wasn't counted though..

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Look out MMR....
Submitted by toniD on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 10:04pm.
San Diego's Diebold Election Software 'Lost In Transit'...two shipping tubes arrived empty to one county on Monday.
http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/link.php?id=47862

With Bush in their pocket,
Submitted by toniD on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 10:08pm.
the Carlyle Group buys the "Birth Certificate of Democracy" --the Magna Carta (2 comments) Freedom's most valuable document...

...those Alarm bells.

--Many Fish Bites If Ya Gots Crank Bait--

Submitted by Crank Bait on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 7:38pm.

I recommend a companion campaign song:

Fishin' Blues by Taj Mahal

...

http://www.lyricsdrive.com/lyrics/taj-mahal/618518/fishin-blues/

______________

If a body goes to the link above sayin' "Fishin' Blues" were written by Taj Mahal, he wouldn't have no clue that "Fishin' Blues" warn't written by Taj Mahal t'all 'n preceded their cover by some good deal. ('Nuther testament for the need to step lightly w/them inkernets.) It were wrote in '29 'n anthologized on the American Anthology of Folk Music compiled by Harry Smith.

I listent to the Taj Mahal version 'n liked it, but I is got a soft spot for Henry Thomas 'n his quills.

...............

Henry Thomas (blues musician)

From Wikipedia:

Henry Thomas (1874-1950s?[1]). Henry (Ragtime Texas) Thomas was a major pre-war country blues singer and musician. Thomas, born in Big Sandy, Texas, began his musical career as an itinerant songster (minstrel), and recorded twenty-three songs from 1927 to 1929. He accompanied himself with the guitar and the quills, a folk instrument made from cane reeds that sound similar to the quena used by musicians in Peru and Bolivia. Some of his songs are difficult to categorize — they sound more like precursors to blues than like what is now called "blues." They are, therefore, a rare testimony of the kind of music which preceded the establishment of the blues around 1900.

His best-known influence has been through two songs. "Fishin' Blues" was covered by Taj Mahal and The Lovin' Spoonful, and "Bull Doze Blues", was recorded by Canned Heat as "Going Up The Country".

Post columnist compares 'Christianized' GOP to hypocrisy of KKK
Jason Rhyne
Published: Wednesday December 19, 2007

The GOP's clamor to identify itself as a party of Christian piety has failed to include some key elements of the faith -- namely Christian principles, according to a Washington Post columnist who says modern Republicans recall the hypocrisy of the Ku Klux Klan.

"As Christians across the world prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, it's a fitting moment to contemplate the mountain of moral, and mortal, hypocrisy that is our Christianized Republican Party," writes the Post's Harold Meyerson, who is also executive editor of The American Prospect. "My concern isn't the rift that has opened between Republican political practice and the vision of the nation's Founders...it's the gap between the teaching of the Gospels and the preachings of the Gospel's Own Party that has widened past the point of absurdity..."

That gap, according to Meyerson, is particularly visible when it comes to GOP stances on torture.

"Virtually the entire Republican House delegation opposed the ban on waterboarding," he writes. "Among the Republican presidential candidates, only Huckabee and the not-very-religious John McCain have come out against torture, while only libertarian Ron Paul has questioned the doctrine of preemptive war."

But the columnist says that the issue of illegal immigration most profoundly highlights what he believes is a vast disconnect between Republicans' proclaimed faith and their real-world policy positions.

"The Bible isn't big on immigrant documentation," he continues. "'Thou shalt neither vex a stranger nor oppress him,' Exodus says the Lord told Moses on Mount Sinai, 'for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.'"

Yet, Meyerson writes, "the distinctive cry coming from the Republican base this year isn't simply to control the flow of immigrants across our borders but to punish the undocumented immigrants already here, children and parents alike."

Beliefs of the universally Christian membership of the Ku Klux Klan were similarly at odds with Bibilical teaching, he says.

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

i've only had time to sneak in some music & comedy.

the music vid above features ghastly celebs in a big brother special from the u.k.

(and yes that is george galloway)

anyway, it's great

because they're all getting into it and the women are sexy

and if that guy singing wasn't a bloke... well, you know

i'd find him sexy, too

What's your business going to be ?

Good Luck with it ! :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

happening to OUR country????
We are being SCREWED - literally.

Malloy is on -

Official reveals Justice Dept. stalled probe into NH phone-jamming
Mike Sheehan

The prosecution of a Republican official for phone-jamming in New Hampshire was slowed by the Justice Department until after the 2004 election, an unnamed official alleges.

Senior Justice officials delayed the probe "until after the 2004 election, protecting top GOP officials from the scandal until the voting was over," writes Greg Gordon for McClatchy Newspapers.

"An official with detailed knowledge of the investigation into the 2002 Election-Day scheme said the inquiry sputtered for months," Gordon continues, "after a prosecutor sought approval to indict James Tobin, the northeast regional coordinator for the Republican National Committee."

The phone-jamming was apparently "aimed at preventing New Hampshire Democrats from rounding up voters" to participate in the Senate race between GOP Rep. John Sununu and Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D). Sununu won, helping Republicans regain Senate control at the time.

Excerpts from the McClatchy article, available in full here, follow...

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Official_reveals_Justice_Dept._stalled_pro...

What is
new
Submitted by smcgee43 on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 10:41pm.
happening to OUR country????
We are being SCREWED - literally.

DID YOU SEE THIS ? it gets worse...

51% of C-SPAN is right wing think tanks !!!!!!!!!

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccckkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kill me.

been so busy
Submitted by air-ono on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 10:26pm.

...for bringin' the tunes

CIA will release videotape documents

Under Subpoena Threat, CIA Agrees to Release Documents on Videotape Destruction

PAMELA HESS
AP News

Dec 19, 2007 22:18 EST

The CIA said Wednesday it would begin handing over documents to Congress about the destruction of videotapings showing the harsh interrogation of two terror suspects after the House Intelligence Committee threatened to subpoena two agency officials.

Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, said Wednesday he had prepared subpoenas for former and current CIA officials and attorneys if they won't appear before the committee voluntarily. The panel rejected a Bush administration request that it defer to an executive branch preliminary inquiry and has launched its own investigation into the videotape destruction.

Reyes wants acting CIA general counsel John Rizzo and Jose Rodriguez, the former head of the National Clandestine Service, to testify to the committee on Jan. 16. Rodriguez is the official who directed that the tapes, which document the interrogation of two al-Qaida suspects in 2002, be destroyed.

He told reporters the CIA had agreed to begin providing documents regarding the 2005 destruction of the tapes this week. That could be as early as Thursday, according to senior intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the legal inquiries. If that doesn't happen, the committee will subpoena them too, Reyes said. The document request includes records related to the 9/11 Commission and to al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, whose attorneys were seeking interrogation videos.

Rizzo will testify, though the CIA has not committed to a date. Rodriguez has his own lawyer, so his arrangements were being made separately.

The committee's announcement is another sign of increasing tensions between Congress, the judiciary and the White House over the interrogation tapes. Congressional overseers are angry they were not fully informed of the tapes and their destruction, and want to know what else they have not been told. A federal judge has summoned Justice Department lawyers to his courtroom Friday to determine whether the destruction of the tapes violated a court order to preserve evidence about detainees.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/mochila.php?articleId=11137432&channelId=76...

Yer alive!!!!

Good to see ya down-unda-thunda!

In An Interview With TPM, Krugman Ramps Up Case Against Obama
By Greg Sargent - December 19, 2007, 3:52PM
One of the more intriguing subplots of Campaign 2008 has been the ongoing battle between the Obama campaign and liberal NYT columnist Paul Krugman. In an interview with TPM Election Central, Krugman reiterated his critique of Obama, which centers largely but not exclusively on health care policy, and added a whole lot more.

Here's a quick sample of Krugman quotes from the interview:

On health care Obama is behaving as kind of, "Let's make a deal." The idea that he would be talking even in the primary campaign about the big table is suggesting that he is not all that committed to taking on special interests.
On the big problems there's a fundamental, deep-seated difference between the parties. I've always just felt that his tone was one suggesting that his inclination is to believe that we can somehow resolve these things through a kind of outbreak of good feeling...

Among the Dems he seems to be the least attuned to what progressives think.

A full transcript of an edited version of our conversation is after the jump.

ELECTION CENTRAL: A lot of liberal activists view Barack Obama as a liberal standard bearer. As the closest thing to an establishment voice that these activists have, were you surprised to find yourself battling Obama?

PAUL KRUGMAN: What started it on my end was Obama's health care plan. It was weaker than the Edwards plan. It drives me crazy when people try to assess candidates on the basis of how they look and sound, and there was all this enthusiasm for Obama as a multicultural symbol, but I was waiting to see some policy proposals.

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/12/krugman_speaks_about_his_battle_wi...

I said something stupid the other day and wanted to apologize.

I expressed my exasperation w/the petition mania. Guess I'm just frustrated that so few have made any differnce in the non-stop parade of Republican criminality and excess, but what's a body to do?

Petitioning is gotta long and storied hist'ry of expressing the discontent of the populace, course, and I gots no objections to the ideer and is added my name to quite a few.

Was just bein' churlish for no good reason.

red I did not see that. Yikes!!!!!
Really I am so frustrated with all of this shit going on.
Is this crime family going to be held accountable for anything??

in my back yard right now.

T (not toniD) came over devestated 3 years ago. He had discovered a condom inside his girl friend (L). She had been cheating on him. We knew it wouldn't take long. They broke up.

Another bud (m) came over and told of L showing up at his work today. He is a waiter. Anyway, she didn't leave b/4 every patron knew. Everyone scowled at her.

Beware cheaters. People talk.

Submitted by dr on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 10:22pm.

If a body goes to the link above sayin' "Fishin' Blues" were written by Taj Mahal, he wouldn't have no clue that "Fishin' Blues" warn't written by Taj Mahal t'all 'n preceded their cover by some good deal. ('Nuther testament for the need to step lightly w/them inkernets.) It were wrote in '29 'n anthologized on the American Anthology of Folk Music compiled by Harry Smith.

I listent to the Taj Mahal version 'n liked it, but I is got a soft spot for Henry Thomas 'n his quills.

...............

Henry Thomas (blues musician)

_____________________________

Interesting post, mi caballero!

I don't think that I have heard Henry Thomas before.

I am listening to the blues now.

It’s a special blues holiday program tonight and I am enjoying it.

We all get frustrated here !
It's the nature of this political beast,the Bush Crime Family/Spineless Democratic Leadership..
It's enough to make anyone cranky..

You ought to read me some mornings !! Mostly though,I take it out on the Trolls ! :)

But,thanks for saying something back..
I was going to say something snarky to you then
but,I figured you were just abit burnt out on petitions and politics..
Can't say I blame ya.. :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

wanna bet that request won't go anywhere? I do not trust Reyes. Lets just say we need to keep an eye on that.

In An Interview With TPM,

Submitted by toniD on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 10:52pm.

In An Interview With TPM, Krugman Ramps Up Case Against Obama

By Greg Sargent - December 19, 2007, 3:52PM

One of the more intriguing subplots of Campaign 2008 has been the ongoing battle between the Obama campaign and liberal NYT columnist Paul Krugman.

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/12/krugman_speaks_about_his_battle_wi...

_______________

Obama might could learn the wisdom of picking yer enemies carefully.

In An Interview With TPM,
Submitted by toniD on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 10:52pm.
http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2007/12/krugman_speaks_about_his_battle_wi...

EC: But surely there's something to the argument that the skills to build coalitions, to win over moderates on the other side, aren't without any importance. Should we really take tone and rhetorical skills out of the equation entirely?

PK: No, but there aren't any moderates on the other side. And as far as sounding moderate goes, the reality is that if the Democrats nominated Joe Lieberman, a month into the general election Republicans would be portraying him as Josef Stalin. Obama's actually been positioning himself to the right of both Clinton and Edwards on domestic policy and has been attacking them from the right.

...we are in a battle not just for our country but democracy (the true one, not Bush's doublespeak). No more nice guys.

Love ya

yellow ribbon that Annette put up earlier
on the thread. I wouldn't mind having one of those on my p/up.(V6)

All the fucks driving around in their Hummers & Yukons - Just makes me sick to my stomach.

Np dr !

Submitted by MMRules on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 11:12pm.

We all get frustrated here !
It's the nature of this political beast,the Bush Crime Family/Spineless Democratic Leadership..

But,thanks for saying something back..
I was going to say something snarky to you then
but,I figured you were just abit burnt out on petitions and politics..
Can't say I blame ya.. :)

________________

The worst of it is, 'long as I'm inna confessin' mood 'bout my churlish stupidity, I hadn't even looked over what the petition was for.

And to wrap it up and put a bow onnit, I'm in agreement w/it.

Would love to see Dodd replace Reid, e.g., and I don't care how "liberal" Pelosi is s'posed to be, there's gotta be somebody in the House that's inna safe blue district that warn't apprised that we was torturing people and hadn't no problem w/it.

do for now..
Now sign it,Ya Bastid ! ;)

Dump the Democratic Leadership 2008--Sign Petition Please !

Description:

By signing here, I agree to do my best efforts to dump Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Steny Hoyer, who have failed miserably to challenge the law-breaking activities of the Cheney-Bush Regime and have morphed into "Republican Right-Lite".

Having resigned themselves to enacting bills with Republicans, instead of standing their moral ground, these three have betrayed the party, more interested in keeping their power base, than doing the bidding of those of us who put them there.

If we wanted mushy, spineless leaders, we would have re-elected mental defects like Armey, Boehner, Gingrich, Hastert & Lott. If we wanted mountains of new, irresponsible debt, we would have resurrected Ronnie Reagan.

If we sought a "War without End, Conquest without Victory", we would have resurrected Ghengas Khan.

I will work in my community, my 'personal sphere of influence' (business & neighbors), also to encourage elected Dems for my district, to "Dump the Leadership", start local efforts to encourage others in this effort and commit to forcing the party to return to its base of "Free Speech, Pro-Peace, Civil Liberties" advocacy and defense.

http://www.youchoose.net/campaign/dump_the_democratic_leadership_2008

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Wore myself out baking today.

Later

Submitted by Fernando on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 10:59pm.

T (not toniD) came over devastated 3 years ago. He had discovered a condom inside his girl friend (L). She had been cheating on him. We knew it wouldn't take long. They broke up.

_______________________

And the rubber hits the road.

"We can come together by Sistah Soljahing liberal columnists!"
Submitted by dr on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 11:07pm.

Obama might could learn the wisdom of picking yer enemies carefully.

________________________

It's especially sad since Krugman is not the enemy.

The response from Obama's campaign was dirty.

Obama says that his campaign will demonstrate how Prez Obama would run business if he were in the White House.

"We can come together by Sistah Soljahing liberal columnists when I'm in the White House!"

p.s. dr, nicely done apology.

Have a good one.. :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

dr,
Not that it matters but I knew that Fishin' Blues was not penned by Taj Mahal and that Goin' Up To The Country was not penned by Canned Heat. I could not have said that they are Henry Thomas tunes, though.

I understand how a musically-erudite Taj Mahal finds old music: He's a learned old fart and I'm pretty certain that he has revisited several obscure old tunes.

But Canned Heat was young longhairs of the 1960's, if I'm not mistaken? And there's the young John Mayall and Eric Clapton and several other youthful, self-taught musicians who (somehow?) combed the past for music that no one else was listening to at the time.

I've never been able to understand how they resisted the peer-pressured-pull of the music of their time in favor of scouring bins for old, used records and their scratchy oddities. In some cases only sheet music existed.

Even weirder, a lot of the young John Mayall-types were English blokes enamored with old American Negro music. When I was twenty years old, I wasn't that clever.

(The Canned Heat name comes from the tune Canned Heat Blues, about drinkin' Sterno, by Tommy Johnson in 1928.)

So I can read the context for this excerpt:

"We can come together by Sistah Soljahing liberal columnists when I'm in the White House!"

On the Malloy show..She's great.. :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Submitted by Crank Bait on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 11:41pm.

dr,
Not that it matters but I knew that Fishin' Blues was not penned by Taj Mahal and that Goin' Up To The Country was not penned by Canned Heat. I could not have said that they are Henry Thomas tunes, though.

_________________

Kinda thought you might, but I confess I is gettin' payback for you sloppily makin' me explain "wrote" re: an obvious (to you, me 'n ever'one but POT97) Candide satire to a hyperventilating bedwetter what don't deserve the consideration.

http://tinyurl.com/ysjpoc

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Does anyone have a link?

Submitted by CeeCee on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 11:45pm.
So I can read the context for this excerpt:

"We can come together by Sistah Soljahing liberal columnists when I'm in the White House!"

____________________________

Obama Attacking Paul Krugman's Credibility

by Jerome Armstrong

Excerpt:

Every 4 years in December, Robert Gibbs, Obama's communications director, seems to morph into some sort of a zombie that turns on progressives... or maybe he's always that way. During the last Presidential cycle at this time, Robert Gibbs was the face and spokesperson for the front group that attacked Howard Dean in Iowa with one of the most dispicable TV ads of our times. This cycle, he's out trashing the credibility of Paul Krugman on behalf of Barack Obama.

But it's not right to pinpoint Gibbs as the disaster behind this attack on Krugman's credibility. The fault is with Obama. It's obvious that Obama feels comfortable attempting to trash the credibility of progressives like Krugman. It's even more disturbing when coupled with the admiration that Obama holds for Republicans in his post-partisan quest. But this is just plain stupid.

Link:

http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/12/7/22374/8663

-----------

On Krugman and Shark-Jumping

Link:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/12/8/21620/0620/385/419630

----------------

Krugman from "The Conscience of a Liberal"

Oy, Obama

Excerpt:

But then Obama started attacking his rivals from the right, denouncing their proposals using exactly the same false claims that conservatives will use to try to derail reform in the future.

And now, having been caught out on the facts, the Obama people respond with a personal attack, lifting quotes out of context to pretend that I never had problems with the plan. Something is very wrong here.

Link:

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/07/oy-obama/

Does anyone have a link?

Submitted by CeeCee on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 11:45pm.

So I can read the context for this excerpt:

"We can come together by Sistah Soljahing liberal columnists when I'm in the White House!"

______________

Visit virtually any entry in the Daily Howler for nigh onto a decade.

I can't read "Candide" without thinking of yeast infections.

Dam....I love her..she is very cool.

Sandy

life ticking along just fine.

waiting for parts, listening to this all go down.

making cookies, having folks drop by.

I hope to be that cool some day.. :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

: )

That's a copy of a link Tonid posted up thread,man !

What's up with Firefox?
It sounds great in so many ways,except threads..

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

It's not a big stretch this time, but it does not wrap like in Opera or IE, don't know why right off. I'll have to look it up sometime.

Submitted by Crank Bait on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 11:41pm.

... I understand how a musically-erudite Taj Mahal finds old music: He's a learned old fart and I'm pretty certain that he has revisited several obscure old tunes.

But Canned Heat was young longhairs of the 1960's, if I'm not mistaken? And there's the young John Mayall and Eric Clapton and several other youthful, self-taught musicians who (somehow?) combed the past for music that no one else was listening to at the time.

I've never been able to understand how they resisted the peer-pressured-pull of the music of their time in favor of scouring bins for old, used records and their scratchy oddities. In some cases only sheet music existed.

Even weirder, a lot of the young John Mayall-types were English blokes enamored with old American Negro music.
_________________

Chalk it up to the anxiety of influence, but I find this sorta natural.

Artists is always wantin' to rip-off and out-do e/o, and the search for something more meaningful was natural inna age of bubble-gum pop rock havin' a dialectic w/a burgeoning folk movement.

Shakespeare ripped off Marlowe (and ever'body else he could lay a quill to), fer chrissakes.

Bach goes in eclipse, Bach comes back. The eternal verities don't change, but the sources of inspiration a body can rip off on the sly do.

Here's a great comment, posted by populistindependent on a thread called "Who's Afraid of John Edwards?" at the RI forum. It kind of says some things I've been thiking recently.
I wouldn't recommend everything at RI to folks here, but this thread is alright for this blog. I'm linking directly to the comment, though the entire thread is worth reading as well.

--

I think Edwards and Huckabee are the two most feared candidates because they both threaten the coalitions that hold the two parties together with the things they are saying. Words have power - words are the most powerful things in politics - and certain ideas are very dangerous to those in power merely by them being uttered in public.

The success of the Republican party has depended upon an alliance between the corporate interests and the religious right.

Huckabee is splitting those two constituencies apart.

The success of the Democratic party has depended upon a alliance between upscale cultural war liberals, who are deeply authoritarian and conservative on everything except the handful of hot-button cultural issues, and those supporting workers rights and labor.

Edwards is splitting those two constituencies apart.

Only one of these four groups can gain political power on its own - in the absence of a phony and cobbled together alliance with one of the other groups. The religious right cannot; the corporate worshippers and appeasers cannot; and the upscale lifestyle liberals cannot. Most of the people in the country are suffering at the hands of the powerful people in those three groups.

There now exists the possibility of the most important election in a century. To understand this, you have to put aside all of the phony cultural war lifestyle issues and focus on power and economics - which is all politics is about anyway. Then consider a Clinton-Huckabee race. In that contest, the Democratic candidate would be far to the right of the Republican candidate.

http://www.rigorousintuition.ca/board/viewtopic.php?p=155399#155399

evening!

one of the stretchy things is when

the box comes along with a picture post.

copying the link address of the actual picture cures that

Submitted by Star Vox on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 11:35pm.

p.s. dr, nicely done apology.

____________

It were kind of you to sez I makes nice nice, caballera mia, but truth is, sometimes I is just an asshole that's gotta own up.

I think that everyone here would - or should - welcome a threat to the two parties the way that they are presently configured.

On the Democratic side, Obama and Clinton represent the duopoly as presently configured. On the Republican side Paul and Romney represent the best hope for propping up the duopoly. Those four candidates do not threaten the unholy alliances that keep the two parties together. All of the other candidates are straying from the line to some degree - speaking heresy - and of those other candidates the two who most threaten the political status quo are Edwards and Huckabee because their appeal is slicing at a ninety degree angle to the current phony liberal-conservative divide.

Libertarians and modern liberals have dominated our political discussion for 30 years. They each represent perhaps 10% of the population, but they are upscale and domineering and have controlled the discussion. The people, the everyday people, don't agree with either and are fed up with both.

Both the libertarians and the liberals are authoritarian and are covertly promoting aristocracy. They disagree as to the make up of the aristocracy the want to see in power.

With a Paul presidency corporations will be completely free to ravage the country, and the super-wealthy will be further entrenched as an aristocracy. Paul is also firmly in the camp of the religious right. That combination, that alliance - the religious right and corporate interests - is Republican party business-as-usual and perpetuates the duopoly and the power of the few over the rest of us.

With a Clinton presidency, the "for your own good" busybody authoritarianism of the upscale liberals will be vindicated. Corporate power will not be seriously challenged, it will be "guided" to "do the right thing." Clinton is business-as-usual Democratic party politics.

Clinton or Obama- everything the people hate about modern liberalism.

Romney or Paul - everything that has failed in modern conservatism.

Things are unraveling. We should all be glad to see that happen.

From one asshole to another, dr...

Merry Christmas!

speaking heresy

Submitted by dada on Thu, 12/20/2007 - 12:15am.

... Things are unraveling. We should all be glad to see that happen.

_______________

Ralph Nader: "Told you it'd work!"

(Not a shot at Nader, more an observation of where we're at.)

MMRules, I did not mean to be grumpy or anything, just tired over here and need sleep. Talk to you tomorrow. ;)

Alice, you is been "online and active!" and yet curiously quiet.

What chords is bein' fretted in yer mind?

Thanks for the help with the link to the song earlier. Still don't know where I messed up on that one...

document the atrocities
Submitted by dr on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 11:54pm.

Obama Attacking Krugman
Submitted by Star Vox on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 11:55pm.

CeeCee
Submitted by MMRules on Thu, 12/20/2007 - 12:11am.

__________________________________

I am still siding with Krugman on this one. Clearly, the 110th Congress has been the petriedish on how "hope-compromise-going along to get along-sitting down at the table" works for the Republicans and doesn't for the rest of us.

We don't have to become like them but we sure as heck have to stand up to them.

Yes, MMRules, I did sign the petition; and, encourage others to do so too.

http://www.youchoose.net/campaign/dump_the_democratic_leadership_2008

Submitted by Annette on Thu, 12/20/2007 - 12:28am.

From one asshole to another, dr...

Merry Christmas!

_______________

That won't do.

Like all good libruls, I is bizily wagin' a war on Critmas.

which don't mean I don't 'ppreciate you sayin' it
Submitted by dr on Thu, 12/20/2007 - 12:14am.

________________

It's nice to see sincere apologies on the blog.

Since I happened to be posting at the time, I also am aware of the context and reason for the apology.

No worries, mi caballero!

That's what makes it so perfect. Muah ha ha!!!

No actually, I racked my brain and it's all I could come up with. *sigh* I gotta quit listening to the 24/7 Christmas song station...

Like the other day when I was listening to Karen Carpenter singing about chestnuts roasting and all I could think about was how sucky her life was. Anexoria, controlling brother who made her life miserable... sad sometimes when you think about the real lives of the 'actors.'

G'night
new
Submitted by Brett on Thu, 12/20/2007 - 12:29am.
MMRules, I did not mean to be grumpy or anything, just tired over here and need sleep. Talk to you tomorrow. ;)
*******
I looked back at Toni original post link and,she had made it smaller somehow..
Because if you just copied link it wouldn't work..
But,if you copied the shortcut like I did,link would work but,it was kinda of a big sucka..
So I fix my copied short cut link..
I hope that makes some sense..
On IE it looks cool so it's easy to do.. :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

The petition can't hurt ! :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Yeah, I know! :-)
Submitted by Annette on Thu, 12/20/2007 - 12:41am.

Like the other day when I was listening to Karen Carpenter singing about chestnuts roasting and all I could think about was how sucky her life was. Anexoria, controlling brother who made her life miserable... sad sometimes when you think about the real lives of the 'actors.'

__________________

The real lives of too many women.

but I never participate in them. Or surveys. Or protests. Nor do I buy stickers for my car. Or signs for my yard. I'm too quiet, I guess...

But, I do vote. However, I guess by the time I get around to doing that little meaningless act, the electorate are through listening.

I was trying to get my husband to agree to us all going here for NYE.

http://www.littleapplenewyears.com/

It's an hour's drive and the only ball drop to be found in these parts. And he won't go, has never gone, will never agree to go. Would rather sit on his ass and stare at the television.

Oh well. Dick Clark it is.

Woo Hoo ! ;)

Just kidding :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Can you believe all everyone else does is balloons? Balloons. Who gives a shit about balloons? I wanna see a ball...

Maybe I'll get a festivus tree and some aluminum foil, or sumpin.'

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

An Interview with a Solipsist
The only interview. Ever.

Q: Well, yes, but this is for the benefit of the readers, some of whom don't know what solipsism is.

A: It can't benefit them. The readers don't really exist.

Q: Fine, point taken, but just for a moment, pretend they do, and that they want to know what solipsism is. Solipsism isn't the belief that readers dont exist, is it?

A: No, of course not. It's the much broader belief that no one but me exists. It's the belief that no other minds exist, to be exact.

sol·ip·sism:
-noun
1. Philosophy. the theory that only the self exists, or can be proved to exist.
2. extreme preoccupation with and indulgence of one's feelings, desires, etc.; egoistic self-absorption.

http://blog.wired.com

"At the end of 2006, the FBI's Telecommunications Intercept and Collection Technology Unit compiled an end-of-the-year report touting its accomplishments to management, a report that was recently unearthed via an open government request from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Strikingly, the report said that the FBI's software for recording telephone surveillance of suspected spies and terrorists intercepted 27,728,675 sessions.

Twenty-seven million is a staggering number given that the FBI only got 2,176 FISA court orders in 2006 from a secret spy court using the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

According to the math that means each court order resulted in 12,742 "sessions," all in regards to phone, not internet, surveillance.".......

Free Democracy

Just scratchin the surface too,I bet !
Makes me so mad !

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Shoot, I gotta go...but check this chair out. Speaking of ideal furniture...

There is going to be so much stuff that comes out after Bush leaves .... I heard an Attorney today that is representing those Gitmo guys that were released today to Britian .... he is going to sue Rumsfeld and Bush for the next "generation" for torture and everything he can come up with ... he want's to make those two pay everything they have.

I'll take 5 of them ... no make that 7

;D

Submitted by Annette on Thu, 12/20/2007 - 1:52am.
Shoot, I gotta go...but check this chair out.

Speaking of ideal furniture...

________________

Just curious, what's ideal about it?

Ideal or Ironic?

ST. LOUIS, MO -- Late Wednesday night, former New York governor and Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani went to Barnes-Jewish hospital after feeling ill.

Giuliani had traveled across Missouri Wednesday by car after mechanical problems on his aircraft left him without a plane for his stumping.

The statement from the Giuliani campaign reads:

"ST. LOUIS - Rudy Giuliani Communications Director Katie Levinson released the following statement this morning:

Earlier today, Mayor Giuliani experienced flu-like symptoms campaigning in Missouri. The symptoms worsened as the day wore on and shortly after taking off from Chesterfield, Missouri for New York the Mayor became uncomfortable enough that our plane returned to the airport in Chesterfield. To be on the safe side, the Mayor consulted with his personal physician in New York and made the decision to go to the Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis for routine tests.

"The Mayor will spend the night in St. Louis and we will provide another update in the morning."

On 12/14, Democrats.com was excited to announce Rep. Robert Wexler's campaign to demand impeachment hearings for Dick Cheney. Wexler's goal was 50,000 signatures but with your support, Wexler's petition passed 100,000!
http://www.wexlerwantshearings.com

But that leaves 13 Judiciary Committee Democrats who have NOT called for impeachment hearings. These 6 voted to send Kucinich's bill to Judiciary on 11/6, so they should publicly support Wexler's efforts: John Conyers (MI-14), Bobby Scott (VA-03), Brad Sherman (CA-27), Betty Sutton (OH-13), Mel Watt (NC-12), and Anthony Weiner (NY-09).

These 7 voted to kill Kucinich's bill on 11/6, so they need to CHANGE their positions and fulfill their oath of office to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign AND domestic: Howard Berman (CA-28), Artur Davis (AL-07), William Delahunt (MA-10), Zoe Lofgren (CA-16), Jerrold Nadler (NY-08), Linda Sanchez (CA-39), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20).

Please email all House Judiciary Democrats through this petition:
http://www.democrats.com/topelosiandjudiciary

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Anyone watch the Ralph Nader documentary on PBS
Submitted by Alice on Wed, 12/19/2007 - 2:23pm.
last night?

_______________________

Do you think that Ralph Nader is an unreasonable man?

Did you enjoy the documentary?

-------------

An Unreasonable Man

by Stephen Skrovan and Henriette Mandel

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/unreasonableman/

---------------

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US passes tighter gun control law
The US Congress has approved the first major gun control law since 1994, improving background checks on buyers.
The bill was prompted by the deaths of 32 people at Virginia Tech University in April, when a mentally ill student used two guns he had been able to buy.

The law clarifies what mental health records must be included in checks and gives funds to states to help automate the processing of records.

It has been widely welcomed but critics say it will do "more harm than good".

The shooting rampage by student Cho Seung-hui on the campus at Virginia Tech in April shocked Americans.

That shock was all the greater when it emerged that a judge had ruled that Cho was a danger to himself and should receive mental health treatment.

But because of concerns over privacy laws, the judge's report never made it into federal records.

This meant Cho was able legally to buy the guns he used to kill 32 people and himself.

"A credible...federal database to provide accurate background checks benefits everyone," said Sen Patrick Leahy, a co-sponsor of the bill.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7153339.stm

CIA to turn over videotape documents By PAMELA HESS, Associated Press Writer
50 minutes ago

Under a subpoena threat, the CIA is expected to quickly begin turning over to Congress documents related to the destruction of videotapes showing the harsh interrogation of two terror suspects.

The agency could begin producing the material as early as Thursday, according to senior intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of ongoing investigations into the destruction of the tapes in 2005.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, said Wednesday the CIA had agreed to turn over the documents sometime this week after he prepared subpoenas for former and current CIA officials and attorneys if they don't voluntarily come before the committee to testify about the tapes. The document request includes records related to the 9/11 Commission and to al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, whose attorneys were seeking interrogation videos.

The panel rejected a Bush administration request that it defer to an executive branch preliminary inquiry and has launched its own investigation into the videotape destruction.

Reyes wants acting CIA general counsel John Rizzo and Jose Rodriguez, the former head of the National Clandestine Service, to testify to the committee on Jan. 16. Rodriguez is the official who directed that the tapes, which document the interrogation of two al-Qaida suspects in 2002, be destroyed.

Rizzo will testify, though the CIA has not committed to a date. Rodriguez has his own lawyer, so his arrangements were being made separately.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071220/ap_on_go_co/cia_videotapes&printer=1...

Torture center found in northern Iraq By BRADLEY BROOKS, Associated Press Writer
27 minutes ago

U.S. soldiers found mass graves north of Baghdad next to a torture center where chains were attached to blood-spattered walls and a metal bed frame was still connected to an electrical shock system, the military said Thursday.

Separately, at least 13 Iraqis were killed when a suicide bomber targeted a group of people who had gathered around U.S. soldiers handing out holiday gifts, local authorities said. It was not immediately known if any soldiers were killed or wounded.

The grisly discoveries of the mass graves and torture center near Muqdadiyah, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, came during a Dec. 8-11 operation.

The torture center, which the U.S. military said it suspected was run by al-Qaida in Iraq, was found based on tips from Iraqis in the area, where the al-Qaida insurgents are very active. Graves containing 26 bodies were found nearby.

"We discovered several (weapons) caches, a torture facility that had chains, a bed — an iron bed that was still connected to a battery — knives and swords that were still covered in blood as we went in to go after the terrorists in that area," said Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, the top U.S. commander in northern Iraq.

Soldiers found a total of nine caches containing a surface-to-air missile launcher, sniper rifles, 130 pounds of homemade explosives and numerous mortar tubes and rounds, among other weapons.

The Dec. 8-11 operation also saw multiple battles between American troops and militants. The military said it killed 24 insurgents and detained 37 others during the operation.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071220/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_071218202074&pri...

Bear Stearns sued for fraud and deception on subprime "coverup"
by Chris in Paris · 12/20/2007 05:32:00 AM ET · Link
Discuss this post here: Comments (10) · reddit · FARK ·· Digg It!

And the feeding frenzy begins. CYA lawsuits should start flooding the market soon enough. If anyone believes that buyers and sellers alike were not aware of what was going on, they are nuts and only kidding themselves. If the banks failed to understand what they were buying - despite teams of lawyers and supposed financial experts - well, tough. Isn't that why these companies are (were) raking in the big bucks?

Fortunately for the banks (unfortunately for everyone else) Paulson and the Bush administration are doing their best to bail out them out. This way, banks win even when they're losing. Just add the costs to the taxpayers and worry about it later. Nice work, if you can find it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/dec/20/barclaysbusiness.subprime...

Bush administration blocks California emissions law
by Chris in Paris · 12/20/2007 04:13:00 AM ET · Link
Discuss this post here: Comments (19) · reddit · FARK ·· Digg It!

Leave it to a Bush-led EPA to shoot down efforts to clean up the environment. Only a GOP team could pull off such a ridiculous stunt, using the old "we would really like to have a better system, so let's not take any action until we get there" routine. Please. This administration has no interest whatsoever in doing anything positive about the environment. Big Oil and Detroit might not like it. The Bush plan is to push the issue into the Washington bureaucracy and let it die on the vine, with a little help from dinosaurs such as Rep. Dingell (D - General Motors.)

Maybe our next president will care about an EPA that is focused on the environment and not polluting special interests. If only trees and air could pay lobbyists... If only we had a democracy that was actually about people and not the most powerful lobbyists.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22332983/

morning toni. any cookies left? i'm still waiting on my baker (too be fair i do all the meal cooking, takeout ordering, and an ocassional dessert).

Merrill Lynch preparing for a few billion more in write-downs
by Chris in Paris · 12/19/2007 11:56:00 PM ET · Link
Discuss this post here: Comments (59) · reddit · FARK ·· Digg It!

Well, at least their previous CEO Stanley O'Neil still has his $160 million thank-you gift for his efforts. It's only fair since he was at the helm during the period of massive failures by the bank. I'm sure that he is very, very, very sorry about your losses. With this new announcement, they are going to write-down at least $16 billion, probably more. See, in the banking industry, you are judged and compensated based on your success. You should have seen what O'Neil would have made if Merrill didn't lose billions! Fair is fair, after all.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/22313560

Government regulation is too expensive
by Chris in Paris · 12/19/2007 10:13:00 PM ET · Link
Discuss this post here: Comments (242) · reddit · FARK ·· Digg It!

With Morgan Stanley announcing another $9.4 billion write-down, due to the subprime lending crash, the US Federal Reserve is extending $20 billion in loans to the banks. Europe is even worse, with $500 billion thrown in, though the US may be adding more as more losses hit the street.

As you can see, between the lives ruined when houses were lost, the healthy bonuses and exit packages based on voodoo economics, creating a real estate bubble and inflating prices, job losses in the tens of thousands and now more government intervention, this hands off policy is a real winner. Boy did we save money or what? The Republicans wanted laissez faire economics for decades and this is a direct result of those policies. Don't forget to thank Greenspan and the GOP for making this all possible.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071219/ap_on_bi_ge/fed_credit_crunch;_ylt=A...

The long links will wrap on the AAR blog, and I use Firefox. It is all in the set-up, and I haven't found the preferences settings here yet. Have you?

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"Religion is regarded by the common people as true; by the wise as false; and by the rulers as useful." -Seneca 4-65 CE
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One election at a time...

Janice Brown