Phillipe Sands interview

as always....

Indiana Purge covered by Brad here:

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5955

Melina
www.RIPCoco.com
www.BrilliantatBreakfast.blogspot.com
www.SweetJesusIHateChrisMatthews.blogspot.com

ima let you slide too--but tell me again where you were born, shit had me in stitches for hours

Submitted by SEDER on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 6:23pm.
Anybody a transcriptist?
-----
Make that "transcriptionist."

A transcriptist (if it is a real word) would have a penchant for reading transcripts.

Rachel's showSubmitted by
Submitted by M the a-c on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 6:49pm.
Rachel's show
Submitted by smnoll on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 6:18pm.
How come only 1 of the 3 hours is actually Rachel's show?

Rachel said
new
Submitted by mo lib on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 6:35pm.

At least that was my understanding.
____________

My understanding is (just based on intuition) she wants to pull a Don Imus-like thing with MSNBC. I think that she prefers TV.
...for whatever reason
...she isn't really good on TV. I watched Scarborough destroy her last week. It was rather painful-- especially considering the fact that he was such a child when he walked off the set when she interrupted him.
Edit: actually, I should write
"when he tried to interrupt her then she interrupted him."

www.sigzone.blogspot.com

even if i get ignored (am used to it by now)

WHO THE FUCK IS DO-CARCURSE? AND WHY DOES HIZ NAME CUM UP WHITH OBAMA???

anyone?

In a special election at the weekend in Louisiana, Democrat Don Cazayoux won a congressional seat that had been in Republican hands for more than 33 years. ...google news....he is an obama supporter....

http://airamerica.com/american-afternoon/blog/2008/may/05/american-after...

I tried it and it takes you right there...they should be deluged with comments....

there are only 29 comments right now....that is not enough

so who votes tomorrow? states?

vote tomorrow PARTY TIME!!!

Just home from Emergency room about my knee.The ER Doc said I should think seriously about getting replacement. I knew that. They gave me a pain pill at the hospital and I am still light headed from it.

I missed the show! Hope the vod is up soon. Was it a good show?

PLEDGED DELEGATES ONLY

CNN..............................(OB)1493.......(CL)1336 = +157 OBAMA

REALCLEARPOL.........(OB)1491.......(CL)1337 = +154 OBAMA

AP..................................(OB)1490.......(CL)1338 = +152 OBAMA

DEMCONWATCH.......(OB)1490.5.......(CL)1339.5 = +151 OBAMA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INCLUDING UN-PLEDGED super-DELEGATES

ABCNEWS....................(OB)1748......(CL)1604 = +144 OBAMA

CNN..............................(OB)1745......(CL)1602 = +143 OBAMA

CBSNEWS....................(OB)1745.......(CL)1603 = +142 OBAMA

REALCLEARPOL.........(OB)1747......(CL)1608 = +139 OBAMA

AP..................................(OB)1745......(CL)1607 = +138 OBAMA

MSNBC.........................(OB)1746.......(CL)1611 = +135 OBAMA

DEMCONWATCH.......(OB)1742.5......(CL)1609 = +133.5 OBAMA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(AP) 4048 total delegates: 3253 Pledged, 795 Super

(AP) Pledged Delegates remaining: 405 (1/2 = 202.5) 1490.5 OBAMA - 1338.5 CLINTON

(AP) Super-Delegates remaining: 271 (1/2 = 135.5) 255 OBAMA - 269 CLINTON

(AP) Total Remaining: 676 (1/2 = 338)

OBAMA needs 41.3%(279) of total remaining to reach 2024.5 delegates,
CLINTON needs 61.4%(417) of total remaining to reach 2024.5 delegates

POPULAR VOTE......(OB) 14,755,641...(CL) 14,144,005 = +611,636 OBAMA

31 contests OBAMA
15 contests CLINTON

Elizabeth Edwards likes Hillary Clinton's plan for universal health insurance. Husband John Edwards doesn't much care for Clinton's "old politics."

So goes the his-and-her debate in the Edwards household (their kitchen, to be specific), as they spoke exclusively to PEOPLE Monday on the eve of primary voting in their homestate of North Carolina – the latest must-win state in this year's protracted Democratic presidental nomination fight between Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.

In their first joint interview since John, the Democratic former senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee, dropped out of the race in January, the couple named what they liked and disliked about each of the remaining Democrats – and Mrs. Edwards didn't hesitate: "I like Hillary's health care plan."

What doesn't she like about the senator from New York and former first lady? "The lobbyist money," she adds.

On Obama, she says: "The fact that he has motivated so many young people to be involved, I think is fantastic."

But, she adds: "I don't like his health care plan or his advertising on health care, which I think is misleading."

John Edwards Speaks Out
Her husband, who said he got yet another phone call from Obama as recently as last week (both Clinton and Obama have heavily courted the Edwardses' endorsement, and Mrs. Edwards said she had an email from one of the campaigns that very morning), also weighed in on the pros and cons.

On Clinton: "I like something different about Hillary. I think her tenacity shows a real strength that's inside her."

What doesn't he like about Clinton? "Um, still a lot of the old politics," John Edwards said.

As for Obama, he says: "Sometimes I want to see more substance under the rhetoric."

But he cited two things he likes about the charismatic young senator from Illinois: "One is, I think he really does want to bring about serious change and a different way of doing things. And secondly, I think it's a great symbolic thing to have an African-American who could be president."

Differing Opinions?
At that, Mrs. Edwards rolled her eyes and, gripping the arms of her kitchen chair with some exaggeration, seemed about to lunge from her seat. "What about the great symbolic thing about a woman ..."

"It's important. It's important," her husband said. "I know it."

Bottom line: the couple said they will not endorse either remaining candidate, saving their political capital for their own causes – his, fighting poverty; hers, fighting for universal health care.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20197952,00.html

To end the primary/caucus season with a majority of selected (pledged) delegates, Senator Clinton must win 71.1% of the vote in ALL NINE REMAINING contests. Something she has yet to do in any of the previous 46 contests.

On the other hand, Senator Obama has only to win 33.6% in ALL REMAINING contest to win.

Let's play Clinton's best dream case out mathematically.

She wins by 62% to 38% in NC, IN, NE, WV, OR, KY, MT, SD, PR. Something inconceivable as possible. But lets set the bar out there.

She would still have to convince the majority(62%) of the remaining super-delegates to NOT nominate the candidate who won the primary/caucus delegate count. Remember she would have to win over 71% of the next nine primaries to win the primary/caucus delegate count, something she cannot do in any universe.

More than likely she is going to have to convince more that 80% of the remaining super-delegates to NOT nominate the candidate who won the primary/caucus delegate count.

Senator Clinton needs to take a card from Mike Huckabee about how to respectfully stay in a race after you have clearly lost the number count. For the good or for the better Barack Obama is our nominee for 2008.

sleeping already??? how about sleeping enough when you are dead???

http://lumpinprollie.blogspot.com/

Kurtz: Media won’t cover Pentagon propaganda ‘because they are embarrassed.’
In a washingtonpost.com online chat today, the Post’s media critic Howard Kurtz was asked why the television news media have largely failed to report on the Pentagon propaganda operation revealed recently by the New York Times. Kurtz said the media is too embarrassed to report the story:

Toronto: Hi Howard — kudos for last Sunday’s focus on the New York Times’s Pentagon propaganda story. Why do you think the networks still are silent on this? The comments on Brian Williams’s blog are at a boiling point — I’m surprised NBC hasn’t shut it down yet!

Howard Kurtz: I can only conclude that the networks are staying away from what would otherwise be a legitimate news story because they are embarrassed about what some of their military analysts did or don’t want to give the controversy more prominence.

Later in the same online chat, Kurtz said, “The networks are ducking this one, big time.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/05/kurtz-media-won%e2%80%99t-cover-pent...

Kyl Shackles Justice Department Watchdog To Bush Administration’s Whims
On April 23, the Senate unanimously approved the Inspector General Reform Act (S. 2324), a bill meant to enhance the independence of federal agency watchdogs.

Yet it passed only after Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) inserted a little-noticed amendment to water down the bill. His amendment deleted a provision giving the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) jurisdiction to investigate misconduct amongst senior officials. The National Law Journal reports:

Unlike all other OIGs who can investigate misconduct within their entire agency, Justice’s OIG must refer allegations against department attorneys to the department’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). The latter office, unlike the OIG, is not statutorily independent and reports directly to the attorney general and the deputy attorney general.

In October, the House passed a similar IG bill, except that it eliminated the requirement that the Justice Department’s IG refer misconduct allegations to OPR. The White House had threatened to veto the House bill, and the Kyl amendment “was seen by many as a vehicle for the White House’s objections.”

In the past, the White House has repeatedly used OPR to block investigations. Last year, then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales directed OPR to investigate the U.S. attorney scandal, even though it would face a conflict-of-interest by having to look into its two bosses — the attorney general and the deputy attorney general. Justice Department IG Glenn Fine objected, and eventually a joint OPR-OIG investigation was conducted.

More significantly, President Bush personally stepped in and blocked OPR from investigating the administration’s wiretapping program in 2006. CBS News reported:

The memos from OPR chief H. Marshall Jarrett to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, in February, March and April of this year show that while Gonzales publicly told the Senate that OPR was investigating, Jarrett was complaining to higher-ups that he was “unable to move forward” because of the lack of security clearances for himself and six staff members.

At the time, Gonzales attempted to defend the stonewalling, stating, “The president of the United States makes decisions about who is ultimately given access.” This rationale is precisely why IGs, who are statutorily independent, need the power to investigate misconduct.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/05/kyl-inspector-general/

Getting to like writing to your blog? I have one that is very neglected. Maybe some day, I'll renew it.

http://airamerica.com/american-afternoon/blog/2008/may/05/american-after...

Thanks Toni!
Do your blog! This blog is full of talented, smart, journalistic people. I just saw Amy Goodman and her Bro in Manchester VT and she said every thing you do has an effect. You don't have to be "Great" you have to speak the truth, that is all. If you get an inspiration to do something- all the better. I always tell my kids that

please remember you are a radio station. Not a celebrity vaudeville. The fill in hosts for randy rhodes the last couple of weeks have been quite painful to listen to, the most atrocious being roseanne barr, with her quacky voice and gossipy tone - but the whole idea of a celebrity carousel is truly offensive. These people may be celebrity in something or other, but none of them were good at radio

Now with Sam Seder you have a true radio professional - one of the best - a gem that frankly sometimes I wonder may even be too good for air america, but hey, if you give him a daily slot I'll listen, I'll renew the membership I cancelled when you cancelled one after the other all my favorite shows breaking my heart over and over again each time(MorningSedition,Mike Malloy, the majority report, too many sorrows to even want to dwell on them)

Looking forward to the next few days of Sam! I hope against hope that somehow AirAmericaRadio will make the right choice and give Sam the platform he deserves: a solid three hours daily!

by James Petras

May 5th, 2008

General Petraeus: President Ahmadinejad and other Iranian leaders promised to end their support for the special groups but the nefarious activities of the Quds Force have continued.

Senator Joseph Lieberman: Is it fair to say that the Iranian-backed special groups are responsible for the murder of hundreds of American soldiers and thousands of Iraqi soldiers and civilians?

General Petraeus: It certainly is… That is correct.

– General Petraeus testimony to the US Senate, April 8-9, 2008.

‘The Israeli flag is proudly displayed above the Sacred Ark alongside the American flag…’ ( in an orthodox synagogue in wealthy Georgetown, Washington DC. The entrance fee to the synagogue is $1000 for a single holiday.) ‘On each Sabbath the prayers include the benediction for the Israeli Jewish soldiers and the prayer for the welfare of the Israeli government and its officials. Many Jewish American Administration pray there. They not only don’t try to conceal their religious affiliation, but go to great lengths to demonstrate their Judaism since it may help their careers greatly. The enormous Jewish influence in Washington is not limited to the government. In the Washingtonian, media’s a very significant part of the most important personages and of the presenters of the most popular programs on the TV are warm Jews… and let us not forget, in this context, the Jewish predominance in the Washingtonian academic institutions.’

– Avinoam Bar-Yosef (the Israeli daily newspaper) Ma’riv September 2, 1994 (translated by Israel Shahak).

Introduction

When President Bush appointed General David Petraeus Commander (head) of the Multinational Forces in Iraq, his appointment was hailed by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post as a brilliant decision: A general of impeccable academic and battlefield credentials and a warrior and counter-insurgency (terrorist) intellectual. The media and the President, the Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and Congress, described his appointment as ‘America’s last best hope for salvation in Iraq’. Senator Hilary Clinton joined the chorus of pro-war politicians in praise and support of Petraeus’ ‘professionalism and war record’ in Northern Iraq. In contrast, Admiral William Fallon, his predecessor and former commander, had called Petraeus’ briefings ‘a piece of brown-nosing chicken shit.’
...

42 comments on an AAR blog is a post meltdown (after Flanders, Maron were axed and Franken left) record. Yes, it's a groundswell for Sam!

Still, there should be many many more posts.

___
bluerootsradio

Hmmmm...I was just over at the Air America web site trying to see if Sam's show from this afternoon is ready to download (it's not - there's only the Sands clip) but I noticed that they have ALL of the archives for the past several weeks highlighted in little boxes with a photo of Sam, and the show's title given as "American Afternoon with Sam Seder." Is there something to be made from this, or have they been doing this with all of the fill-in hosts these last few weeks? Last week did we have "American Afternoon with Roseanne and Her Sidekick"? But they have the "with Sam Seder" icon plastered on top of every archive.

Then I was thinking maybe Sam himself had preemptively renamed the afternoon program, since I know he's been heavily involved with the web site development. :)

that sucks...

I'm watching the Chomsky's now too..glad you liked em...

I'm glad he is bright enough to see through the two-party FARCE...

vote for the person who I think will best represent me...

I've been emailing, sending letters, sending certified letters to the CA Sec of State to aska specific question about my last vote...I received a letter back that still manages to avoid my question, yet assure my vote was counted...

I give up..I will not be voting again...ever...I'm done...These people who allegedly serve us are fucking useless...And why should I spend my free time wading through useless a-holes, only to vote for another useless a-hole... I quit. (& I feel lighter already)....

Wake me up when there are more than two choices and they aren't shoved down the public's throat...

I'm tired of dealing with it, truth be told. I hate the idea of an operation but at least the pain would be gone.

The good thing is that I got the hospital to fax a doctor's note to get out of jury duty. I called this AM and told them I needed a wheel chair and they don't have Wheel Chairs so I told her I would be unable to walk the long distances from the Jury lounge to the court rooms. She told me what to do and gave me the Fax number. So I don't have to go tomorrow.

I was there last year! Let someone else do it this time.

Uh Oh... McCain forces are going all out for the hispanic vote...
____________________________________________________

McCain woos Hispanics and launches Spanish web site

Mon May 5, 2008 4:19pm EDT

PHOENIX (Reuters) - John McCain reached out to Hispanic voters on Monday as he sought to win over a constituency that has moved away from his Republican Party but could prove key in swing states in a close U.S. presidential election in November.

The Arizona senator's campaign launched a Spanish language Web site to mark the Mexican Cinco de Mayo festival and McCain told reporters that "everything about our Hispanic voters is tailor-made to the Republican message."...

Continues:

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0541135620080505?feedTy...

-

seder on sunday page....there are only a few there...I looked at all the other shows and by far sam has the most comments...

http://airamerica.com/samseder/blog/2008/may/05/sams-interview-canadian-...

The Framers' Fear

English merchant capitalists who arrived in America found that whatever wealth was to be had would come from the hard labor of mining, cutting down forests, planting and harvesting crops, and constructing buildings, roads, and bridges. Investors, therefore, arranged to bring "new hands" to the "new world" to exploit its resources. A vast propaganda campaign was launched to lure the poor of Europe to America. Roughly half the immigrants to colonial America were indentured servants. At the time of the War of Independence, three out of four persons in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia were or had been indentured servants. Of the 250,000 indentured servants that had arrived by 1770, more than a 100,000 had been either kidnapped or released from their prison sentences. And by this time, roughly 20 percent of the colonial population was in slavery. Jefferson was clear about this when he said that "our ancestors who migrated here were laborers not lawyers."

In the hundred years or so prior to the War of Independence, the rich had gotten richer, and the poor, poorer. For example, in 1687 in Boston, the top 1 percent owned about 25 percent of the wealth. By 1770, the top 1 percent owned 44 percent of the wealth. During this same period, the percentage of adult males who were poor, "perhaps rented a room, or slept in the back of a tavern, owned no property, doubled from 14 percent of the adult males to 29 percent." It was during this time that the rich introduced property qualifications for voting in order to disenfranchise the poor and protect their privileges. In Pennsylvania in 1750, for example, white males had to have fifty pounds of "lawful money" or own fifty acres of land. This meant that only 8 percent of the rural population and 2 percent of the population of Philadelphia could vote. Similar situations existed in the other states. It is important to note the way in which voting qualification requirements can be used to curb political expression. Keep in mind also that voting has never been guaranteed in this country, or made a right ...

Common people were not taking this abuse sitting down. During the last quarter of the seventeenth century, militant confrontations brought down the established governments of Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. In Virginia, in a dispute over land distribution and Indian policy, white frontiersmen, together with slaves and servants forced the governor to flee the burning capital of Jamestown. England was forced to quickly dispatch 1,000 soldiers to Virginia to put down the armed insurrection. By 1760, there had been eighteen rebellions aimed at overthrowing colonial governments, six black rebellions, and forty major riots protesting a variety of unfair conditions. In addition, women were beginning to speak and write about their inequality and would soon begin fighting the "irresponsibility of men" in family matters, and the denigration of the status of women in the public world.
(Toward an American Revolution)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Democracy/ConstituDisrespects_TAR.html

Do you know anyone who has had knee replacement? Everyone I know says they are so glad they had it done.

Don't let 'em know down at the courthouse if you have the operation or they'll have you on jury duty permanently. ;-)
___
bluerootsradio

In fact, it's people like Noam Chomsky, Rachael Maddow, Sam Seder, etc... that makes it so much more appealing that I might be moving to the New England area. Which is a bit scary for me; i've never felt like i fit in as i do here in the San Francisco area. I know i'm making gross generalizations, but I know so little about the northeast that it's still daunting. It's the little reminders i get like this that makes me feel like i might just find a niche there.

[end ramble] :-)

Which is precisely what we need a hell of a lot more of right now.

___
bluerootsradio

AMAZING! I didn't even know that Saddam was gay.
_________________________________________________

Diaries show Saddam feared getting AIDS in prison

May 5 05:07 PM US/Eastern
By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Saddam Hussein feared catching AIDS or other diseases during his U.S.- supervised captivity, a leading Arab newspaper said Monday in publishing excerpts of his prison writings.

The London-based Al-Hayat said the comments came in portions of Saddam's prison dairies that it obtained from U.S. authorities. The U.S. military confirmed some of the late Iraqi leader's writings had been released.

When Saddam found out his U.S. military guards were also using his laundry line to dry clothes, he wrote that he demanded they stop, according to the excerpts.

"I explained to them that they are young and they could have young people's diseases," Saddam wrote. "My main concern was to not catch a venereal disease, an HIV disease, in this place." He said some soldiers ignored his request...

Continues:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D90FNFF80&show_article=1

-

Crissie Hynde on Friends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6YXISe1Fbs
The Pretenders- Angel of the Morning

German Parade Float Features ‘Obama’ Dog Biting Hillary’s Posterior

Video:

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=90203

-

Common people were not taking this abuse sitting down.
Submitted by maggiesboy on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 9:21pm.
Which is precisely what we need a hell of a lot more of right now.

It is because we do not look at the Constitution with a critical eye. It was designed to maintain the disparity between the wealthy classes, whom the Framers represented, and the vast majority. The two party system is an example of this, as is the electoral college. But there have been some victories. The Bill of Rights, and other amendments help make things bearable. Provide space.
*TLL*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQvCcRiem9c&feature=related

Brazilian Football Star Ronaldo Caught in Transvestite Scandal: "I’m So Ashamed"

Reuters: Ronaldo is caught up in a rather embarrasing affair. The Brazilian football star, recovering from an injury in Rio, ended up on the frontpage of every newspaper after -- nearly -- spending a night with transvestites:

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=89913

-

if you haven't already. :)

AAR Blog

And,Put Food On Your Family

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

The folk singer guy? He's your kinda people.

Once, long ago, he was hauled in on some kind of vagrancy/loitering charge. When he got into court the judge asked how did he plea?

"Anarchy" he replied.

The judge, not being able to find any reason to keep him, let him go!

So, if you ever get pulled over for a traffic violation, just plead anarchy!

Worked for Utah Phillips

Here he tells the funniest story ever told .

___
bluerootsradio

As media pounces on Obama relationships, McCain gets a pass

by Nick Juliano, Published: Monday May 5, 2008

Mastermind of Nixon's Watergate break-in calls McCain an 'old friend'

It's a classic pattern in politics, isn't it? A young, fresh, charismatic, upstart candidate bursts onto the campaign trail to glowing reviews from the press that covers him only to have those same reporters and pundits aim their BB guns toward his rising balloon just as it's ready to crest the horizon.

While that arc seems to be playing out now for Barack Obama, whose faced relentless recrimination over his associations with controversial pastors and former radicals in recent weeks, the media largely let John McCain float by unscathed.

Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman explores McCain's "own radical friend."

"Obama has been justly criticized for his ties to former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers, who in 1995 hosted a campaign event for Obama and in 2001 gave him a $200 contribution," Chapman wrote. "The two have also served together on the board of a foundation. When their connection became known, McCain minced no words: 'I think not only a repudiation but an apology for ever having anything to do with an unrepentant terrorist is due the American people.'"

"What McCain didn't mention," Chapman adds, "is that he has his own Bill Ayers—in the form of G. Gordon Liddy. Now a conservative radio talk-show host, Liddy spent more than 4 years in prison for his role in the 1972 Watergate burglary. That was just one element of what Liddy did, and proposed to do, in a secret White House effort to subvert the Constitution. Far from repudiating him, McCain has embraced him."

Liddy didn't just have a role: he was the chief operative for Nixon's White House "plumbers" unit, who, along with E. Howard Hunt, masterminded the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate hotel in 1972...

Continues:

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/McCains_questionable_associations_remain_u...

-

toniD,

If you ever figure out how to finance those new knees, spend a few more bucks for the Tina Turner model.

The complexion shade is wrong but the action is terrific.

Jessbus Toni..That sucks..

I hope you feel better real soon..
Hang in there ! :)

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

I've only lived in Chicago..no more East than that...sorry to see ya leave our fine coast :)

-- Noam Chomsky, Rachael Maddow, Sam Seder--

Personally, I wouldn't put these three in the same sentence...but I think I see what you're saying...Sam told me once he sees a more 'radical' future for himself...but I don't see it occuring at AAR...I don't watch or listen to Rachel so I can't speak about her...

What's waiting for you in the East? Just curious...you don't have to say...

when I told him the director was retiring...

*wipes lips* *makes Snoopy BLEEEEH sound*

mos? No? That's how it is here... P's dad had a hip replacement and that took many months of recovery...a knee seems like it would be quicker and yeah you're right about the pain being gone - which would be great....But surgeries are scary too..(I assume...I've never had one)....I noticed my right knee hurts lately when I shelve books on low shelves...I hope you have someone close to care for you at home as you recover if you get the knew replaced...You'll be Bionic-ToniD... :)

The only thing I know that works for joint pain is accupuncture, You need to go to a real one- not american trained. It takes maybe three visits. You will most likely have to pay as insurance doesn't cover doctors who aren't MDs here. My accupuncturist charged me like 120.00 for the first visit then 50 for each visit after that. I had a frozen shoulder and in three sessions I did not have the problem anymore. and so it wasnt a lot of money in the end especially since i don;t have to take meds and no surgery!

Kyl Shackles Justice
Submitted by toniD on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 7:59pm.
Kyl Shackles Justice Department Watchdog To Bush Administration’s Whims
On April 23, the Senate unanimously approved the Inspector General Reform Act (S. 2324), a bill meant to enhance the independence of federal agency watchdogs.

Yet it passed only after Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) inserted a little-noticed amendment to water down the bill. His amendment deleted a provision giving the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) jurisdiction to investigate misconduct amongst senior officials. The National Law Journal reports:
*******
Who says we don't live in a Banana Republic ? !
Fascism R Us !
Thanks Kyl ya little Desert Nazi !

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

Does he do that "what'r we fighting for" song? I'm not sure...I know his name but not what he is famous for...I'm d/l the vid now and can watch when I get home...

Obama on Cinco de Mayo
By Sam Graham-Felsen - May 5th, 2008 at 2:54 pm EDT

Chicago, IL -- Senator Obama released the following statement today marking Cinco de Mayo.

"As Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo, we’re reminded that while Mexico’s cultural traditions are an important part of who we are as Americans, the American dream is still out of reach for too many Latinos. Only eleven percent of Latinos obtain a college degree, which is why we need to make college affordable for all. Nearly a third of America’s uninsured are Latino, which is why we need to provide universal health care for every American. And our broken immigration system works for neither the immigrant families who are being torn apart nor the workers who are concerned about unfair competition, which is why we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform once and for all. So while I hope that all Americans are enjoying this Cinco de Mayo, I also hope that when the celebrations come to an end, we’ll take up the cause of coming together as Americans to solve our common challenges and put the American dream within reach for every family in this country."

oops..no not that guy...

one of the most interesting and creative men I have come across. Described by himself as the Golden Voice of the Great Southwest, he is described by others as a true eclectic, archivist, historian, activist, philosopher, hobo, tramp, member of the IWW, and just about everything in between. Utah's memory contains a wide ranging wealth of lore, which he lets us romp through by way of his shows and recordings. U. Utah Phillips is a nationally known folk artist, singer/story teller, Grammy Award Nominee for his work with Ani Difranco, and hosts his own weekly radio show - Loafer's Glory: The Hobo Jungle of the Mind. He gets out now and then to do a live concert or program, and if he should be appearing in your area, you absolutely have to go see him, as it will be a memorable night.

Is why McCain puts out Spanish language appeals. The use of religion is especially disturbing.

Got a phone call.

Crank, would love Tina type knees.

Alice, had a hip replaced already in 1999. RA really does a job on the joints! Yes operations are scary but... I am already partly bionic. It took 6 month to recoop from hip surgery. 14 inch long scar. The new knee surgeries are les invasive and a smaller scar, I'm told.

treebu, I've had accupuncture. My Rheumatologist is in to some natural meds and has an accupuncturist in his office. The problem is RA is an auto-immune disease and it only helps so far. I wish it would have helped more.

The MSM is having a puke session tonight. Ed Schultz was on in place of Rachel tonight and he was also on Larry King.

Another weasel: Lanny Davis. Gawd I hate that little twerp!

everyone was complaining on her blog that she was not even on Race to the white house...she wasn't on Kieth either...maybe they are fucking her over too...

Clinton disclosures didn't list $24 million of Bill's income
By Greg Gordon | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Clinton excluded nearly $24 million of her husband's earnings from Senate financial statements from 2004 through 2006, capitalizing on rules that permit senators to limit disclosures of some of their spouses' income.

Her decision, while fully consistent with Senate rules and norms, delayed the release of financial information about former President Clinton's soaring income until the couple released their tax returns in early April, under pressure from Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama. By then, about 40 states had completed their Democratic primaries and caucuses, meaning that those voters didn't get a clear look at Bill Clinton's finances.

Like Clinton, Obama listed his wife Michelle's salary and directors' fees only as ``over $1,000,'' which complies with Senate rules. Obama and his wife, a Chicago lawyer, aren't as wealthy as the Clintons, however, and their finances are less murky.

GOP candidate John McCain's wife, Cindy, is the heiress to a beer distributorship and has owned stock in oil and pharmaceutical companies, but the specifics are elusive. McCain has declined to release his wife's tax returns, saying they keep their finances separately.

Watchdogs say these scenarios not only raise issues about the candidates' openness, but also point to shortcomings in government ethics requirements.

Bill Buzenberg, the executive director of the Washington-based Center for Public Integrity, said that the disclosures by the Clintons and McCain were ``inadequate.''

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/35929.html

Palfrey Described 'Exit Strategy'
Suicide Note Calls Trial a 'Modern Day Lynching'

By Petula Dvorak
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; B03

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the Washington escort service operator who hanged herself last week, left behind two suicide notes, including one that described her recent racketeering trial as a "modern day lynching."

Palfrey, 52, who faced a likely prison term for running a call-girl ring, viewed suicide as her only "exit strategy," according to notes left at her mother's residence in Tarpon Springs, Fla., where her body was found Thursday. She had been free pending sentencing July 24 in U.S. District Court.

Officials released the suicide notes yesterday. Written in looping, large capital letters on yellow legal paper, they were found on a nightstand in the Sun Valley Estates Mobile Home Park. One note had "Do not revive, do not feed under any circumstance" written on the back, signed and dated April 25.

Palfrey's mother found her body in a storage shed behind the home. The Pinellas County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a suicide. It will issue a final report once toxicology tests are finished. Detectives from the Tarpon Springs Police Department followed several investigative avenues but found no evidence that "would indicate anything other than suicide by hanging," Capt. Jeffrey P. Young said.

Palfrey's mother and sister identified Palfrey's handwriting.

The note to Palfrey's mother, Blanche Palfrey, 76, asked for forgiveness:

"Mom, I want you to know how very much I love and appreciate you," the note began. "I sincerely apologize for any pain which I have caused you in this lifetime. Additionally, I can't sufficiently express to you how badly I feel for this burden I am leaving you with here.

"However, I cannot live the next 6-8 years behind bars for what both you and I have come to regard as this 'modern day lynching,' only to come out of prison in my late 50s a broken, penniless and very much alone woman," she wrote.

Palfrey had been staying with her mother in Florida since a jury convicted her last month of running a prostitution ring that masqueraded as a high-end erotic fantasy service. Palfrey argued that for 13 years she had no idea that the call girls working for her were getting paid $250 an hour for sex.

Palfrey, who did not testify during her trial, had said she insisted that her employees -- socially polished, college-educated women -- engage in only legal, "quasi-sexual" fantasies. Her case drew national attention when, shortly after her indictment last year, Palfrey provided volumes of phone records to ABC News. ABC posted them on the Internet, resulting in public identification of some prominent clients.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/05/AR200805...

i get to vote tomorrow... but i'm still undecided.... who should i vote for???? I just don't know....

just said Hillary went right at a person with a sign that read "Gas Tax is shameless pandering". Had she done that in front of me I would have yelled back the definition of pander. Then I'd schooled her and her crowd on the fact that the price of gas wouldn't actually drop for them. Its a give away to oil companies.

teaser you dirty dirty teaser

Later

My eyes are closing.

Yeah, those are three names that aren't normally together, but then neither are many of my other favorite thoughts of the the area.

Well, the short version is that my wife is from Maine and dearly misses it. I'm an animator/3D artist, and my industry is based on the left coast. So as the Boston tech industry grows, the more possible it becomes. I've already switched from film to the games industry (far more stable when you have a family), so it's more possible as more game companies grow in and around Boston. As with most things it's more complicated than that, but there's the sound-byte version. :-) It's possible it will pull us apart, but it's possible we'll find something to make everyone happy.

Opps, it's late. Better get outa the office. Toodles!!

Perscuted For Wearing The Beard

...
Joseph Palmer achieved national celebrity status at the time, and used his position to contribute time and money to the Temperance and Abolitionist movements. He would go on to circulate in New England intellectual circles with Transcendentalists like Emerson and Thoreau, and even appears as the character, Moses White in the Louisa May Alcott’s Transcendental Wild Oats.

Palmer died in 1873 at the age of 84, and on his grave in Leominster, Massachusetts is a picture of a man with long, flowing beard and the words, “Persecuted for wearing the beard”. He was one of the most ridiculed and persecuted men of his time simply because he chose to stand up against the herd in support of his right to wear a beard. Not ten years before Palmer’s death, Abraham Lincoln would be the first president of the United States to wear a beard in office.

The next time you’re feeling like a freak and thinking about giving up your individuality for a spot in the herd, remember: resistance is not futile, and sometimes freaks are only freaks because they’re ahead of their time.

...thanks for the link Annette :)

Its fascinating to see the Clintons outmanuever the media as it tries desperately to put its boy Obama in the White House.

The most recent bit of political judo the Clintons have used is the gas tax holiday.

Although it is probably a not a good idea in and of itself there is a a larger issue which makes it a good idea.People nowadays feel utterly powerless. The economy is dying. The rich are almost all powerful.

By supporting this tax holiday Hillary is essentially saying to all the know it alls that got us into this mess (and I agree that it is curious that economist invariably conclude that the rich need to get richer) go fuck yourself-I'm giving people a break on gas prices.

Its essentially a statement more than anything-and the statement is-I'm on the side of the working class and I'm willing to take any amount of abuse from the power elite to be on your side.

Obama as usual is so in love with himself and his ideas that he does not see the danger his position is putting him in.

Zena Warrior princess (a favorite of wolves everywhere) had it right when she said "The most powerful mind always wins"-or in this case minds. Going down Obama?

I hope so.... hope you're both very happy...

Toodles to you too... :)

...fyi...

is wearing a serape

>>sometimes freaks are only freaks because they’re ahead of their time.

that's really some consolation: I'll fit in,people will finally like me...but I'll have to be dead a few years first

WASHINGTON, May 5 (IPS) - Three weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks, former U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld established an official military objective of not only removing the Saddam Hussein regime by force but overturning the regime in Iran, as well as in Syria and four other countries in the Middle East, according to a document quoted extensively in then Undersecretary of Defence for Policy Douglas Feith's recently published account of the Iraq war decisions.

Feith's account further indicates that this aggressive aim of remaking the map of the Middle East by military force and the threat of force was supported explicitly by the country's top military leaders.

Feith's book, "War and Decision", released last month, provides excerpts of the paper Rumsfeld sent to President George W. Bush on Sep. 30, 2001 calling for the administration to focus not on taking down Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network but on the aim of establishing "new regimes" in a series of states by "aiding local peoples to rid themselves of terrorists and to free themselves of regimes that support terrorism."

In quoting from that document, Feith deletes the names of all of the states to be targeted except Afghanistan, inserting the phrase "some other states" in brackets. In a facsimile of a page from a related Pentagon "campaign plan" document, the Taliban and Saddam Hussein regimes are listed as "state regimes" against which "plans and operations" might be mounted, but the names of four other states are blacked out "for security reasons".

Gen. Wesley Clark, who commanded the NATO bombing campaign in the Kosovo War, recalls in his 2003 book "Winning Modern Wars" being told by a friend in the Pentagon in November 2001 that the list of states that Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz wanted to take down included Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan and Somalia.

Clark writes that the list also included Lebanon. Feith reveals that Rumsfeld's paper called for getting "Syria out of Lebanon" as a major goal of U.S. policy......

Free Democracy

Jason Taverner is a Six, the product of top secret government experiments forty years earlier which produced a handful of unnaturally bright and beautiful people. He is also a TV star, the prime-time idol of millions... until, inexplicably, all record of him disappears from the data banks. Now he is a man with no identity, in a police state where everybody's records are monitored. Can he ever be rich and famous again... if, indeed, those memories are not illusions.
Minor spoilers in post here (and major at the image link)

*

--my beer
Submitted by Fernando on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 1:03am.
is wearing a serape-

I'm going to need a further explanation for this one, Fernando...I'm imagining a Tecate with a blanket...but I'm just sure I'm missing something :)

Did anyone claim the calico that you know of? That was really cool what you did...I am not brave enough to approach a dead cat...I did it for a half dead squirrel and I still think about the squirrel everytime I drive by the spot...I'm also happy it wasn't Rufus or Rusty...that would be devastating...

about the Kali Yuga

...
"We are living in a time of disintegration and iconoclasm which the Hindus call Kali Yuga. It hurts and frightens us, but is not essentially evil. It is rather a universal passion in which man cries, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' But it is the prelude to a Resurrection, because spiritual growth depends upon ceasing to cling to any form of life for security. Forms are not contrary to the Spirit, but it is their nature to die: their transience is their very life, and a permanent form would be a monstrosity- a finite thing aping God."

-Alan Watts

American Experience on PBS tonight...?

World Focus (Office of the Americas), with Noam Chomsky. KPFK. February 24, 2008

El GATO de CALICO -- MANUAL CON CAMPANA --ENCONTRO el GOLPE EN COCHE 5 de mayo 10AM ***-**** lo siento para su
pérdida

brb..off to the translator I go...

ok...hot language usage twist...not so hot translation...

but still...

*

It was a lot less time ago than I orgiginally thought that the Democrat name and the Republican name meant nearly the opposite that they seem to now...

No. I'm printing the spanish version of the flyer right now.

Kinda dumb not to do it first. this area is at least 1/2 hispanic.

the reverse translation:

The CAT of the CALICO I FIND the CAR BY BLOW

20th Century.No. 507.

UIC Library’s Special Collections department has launched an online interpretive exhibit on how the residents of seven Chicago settlement houses worked to improve the lives of people living in poor neighborhoods during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Henry Booth House,
Bethlehem-Howell Neighborhood Center,
Off-The-Street Club,
Marcy Newberry Center,
Firman House,
Hyde Park Neighborhood Club,
Hull-House.

next to my cocaine...

...you're a good egg Charlie Brown.. :)

I'm going to sleep...nite nite.. xox

I'll try the spanish in the morning ...

I getting horrible translations:

The CAT of the CALICO I FIND DEAD PERSON on the ROAD

The CAT of the CALICO I FIND the CAR BY BLOW

which is worse?

the edwards' are pissing me off....

Submitted by mhappenow on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 7:25pm.

Bottom line: the couple said they will not endorse either remaining candidate, saving their political capital for their own causes – his, fighting poverty; hers, fighting for universal health care.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20197952,00.html

____________________________

Generally, I agree with the views expressed by John and Elizabeth Edwards in the article.

While Obama and Clinton have been working on their own campaigns, John and Elizabeth Edwards have been focusing on electing more Democrats in Congress and effectively campaigning against McCain (possibly the best use of the media to point out the flaws in McCain's plan for healthcare).

I think Elizabeth Edwards would be great in an official ad pointing out the weaknesses of McCain's plan -- while advocating for universal healthcare.

I recommend the excerpt from Moyers this week (regarding John and Elizabeth Edwards).

Here's an excerpt from the transcript:

BILL MOYERS: Interesting reemergence on the political scene in the last few days of Elizabeth Edwards. What's going on there?

KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON: News media are trying to get her to endorse.

BILL MOYERS: They want her to endorse either--

KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON: They want her to en--

BILL MOYERS: --Obama or Clinton?

KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON: And they want Senator Edwards to endorse, because his endorsement is the single most important endorsement out there other than Al Gore's.

BILL MOYERS: Let's look at this.

MEREDITH VIEIRA: Let's talk about John McCain's health care plan, because you have been very critical of it. He says he is the only one who has a plan to control cost, but you say that under his plan people with pre-existing conditions, like you with breast cancer or he having had melanoma, would not be able to get any health insurance. What do you mean by that, that you'd be left outside the clinic door?

ELIZABETH EDWARDS: What that means, of course, is that maybe we can get a policy, but it'd be incredibly expensive. Now, John McCain and I can afford it, but the vast number of Americans, the people that I'm going to see this morning when I go over to the clinic for my treatment, a lot of those people will not be able to get coverage, and that is enormously important.

BILL MOYERS: I see that. How do I read it?

KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON: That is a more effective statement of attack against the McCain healthcare proposal than any ad could ever be. Here is a woman with a great deal of credibility arguing very effectively that there is, in his- the earlier version of his plan, a fatal flaw.

One, Elizabeth Edwards wouldn't be able to get coverage. Senator McCain wouldn't be able to get coverage. This week, in his health proposal, he put in place an answer to that objection, before that objection could get into attack ads by the Democrats.

I believe Elizabeth Edwards' effectiveness in using many different news interviews to make the point about that difference, changed the nature of the debate between the Democrats and the Republicans-

BILL MOYERS: This week?

KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON: --about pre-existing conditions.

BILL MOYERS: You think so? This week?

KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON: This week. The proposal that Senator McCain offered this week now has--

BILL MOYERS: Do you think he was paying attention to her?

KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON: I think that the political I'd never say that I can read candidates minds. I think the campaign communication people on the Republican side, realized that there was a very effective sound-byte there that could be plausibly argued about his proposal.

And instead of taking it on directly in the general election against a Democratic candidate, created a facet of his proposal, when he offered his major speech this past week that would create a response.

-------
(For the record, I am not in the Obama or Clinton camp now. I am focusing on state and local races with progressive candidates at the present time.)

-----------
Link:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/05022008/transcript.html

to the rest of the blog, too!

Mwah HaHa You know I soooooo disagree with most you say about Sen. soon President (teehee) Hillary R. Clinton. I hope to be back to Fight Again Soon... ;)
...until then Merry ...

closed minds when it comes to listening to anything from the `other side'.

whether it be a right-winger being interviewed (especially on a AAR show) or anything good about their favorite candidate's opponent.

has bugs crawling all over her dress!

>>Did anyone claim the calico that you know of?
Submitted by Chubby Bubba on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 1:54am.
No. I'm printing the spanish version of the flyer right now.

____________________

Chubby Bubba,
I hope your day is better tomorrow. Sorry to hear about the cat.

I think the owner will appreciate your efforts.

Thoughtful and nicely done!

------

For more information:

http://www.responsibleplan.com/

it's best to find the good.

Obama has now been vetted. Now how mature are the voters?

Simple voters will vote on optics and Repukes will vote like a Pavlovian mutt.

In Sick Around the World, FRONTLINE teams up with veteran Washington Post foreign correspondent T.R. Reid to find out how five other capitalist democracies -- the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland -- deliver health care, and what the United States might learn from their successes and their failures.

(The following charts draw upon data from a 2007 report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which collects economic statistics on its 30 member countries.

Taiwan, one of the five countries featured in FRONTLINE's report, is not included because neither the OECD nor the U.N.-based World Health Organization (WHO) track statistics for the island nation).

Informative program that is worth watching.

The United States should do better (esp. considering how much money is spent in delivering health care in the American system).
----------

Watch the full program online:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/

Clinton in 2005: "I Agree With McCain" on Long-Term Iraq Presence:

Three years ago, during an appearance on CBS, Sen. Hillary Clinton stated that she agreed with the overarching premise of John McCain's Iraq policy: that America's commitment to the war shouldn't be based on time frames but rather on the level of troop casualties. She even cited, as McCain now regularly does, that the United States would be well suited to follow a model for troop presence based on South Korea, Japan, or Germany.

"Senator McCain made the point earlier today, which I agree with, and that is, it's not so much a question of time when it comes to American military presence for the average American; I include myself in this. But it is a question of casualties," said Clinton. "We don't want to see our young men and women dying and suffering these grievous injuries that so many of them have. We've been in South Korea for 50-plus years. We've been in Europe for 50-plus. We're still in Okinawa with respect to protection there coming out of World War II."........

Free Democracy

airing now on AAR.

Both Candidates. Especially Hillary.

All talk, no action.

Hillary's after Opec now. So what can she really do about Opec? And alot of not to smart people are going to fall for what she is saying. Hillary is just throwing stuff out there to make it sound like she will change all this. She can't. Not alone. And fat chance on changing or breaking up Opec.

And Obama still has to talk about what he would like to do to change things. He's been too busy defending himself against the Media and Hillary.

I'm really sick of this and it has to stop soon. I'm tired of politicians! And it's about time we start holding them to their promises. But people get so involved with the person and not what they do.

But I am really tired of this whole thing. I have a preference but will vote for either one, who ever wins to run in the general election. Wake up people!! McCain is not a viable second choice if your man or woman doesn't win.

Get the change in congress and we might have a chance at some of the changes we want. And the State and Local offices.

morning...one Sam spoke of yesterday

morning yourll

Spectral 5 (11-0.0.0.5)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

white cosmic mirror ~ kin 78

ENDURE in order to REFLECT,
TRANSCENDING ORDER
seal the MATRIX of ENDLESSNESS
with the COSMIC tone of PRESENCE.
guided by the power of SPIRIT.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
◄ 12.19.15.5.10 ≈ can oc ►

should be on C-Span.org.

Have a beautiful day in this New York City of ours!

Jamie O'Brien

I usually like wathing Letterman's top 10 on huffpost, but i don't think i could stomach sitting thru Clinton's after seeing the topic:

10 Reasons Hillary Loves America

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

how pander-perfect...... you've only made it so clear.... i'm voting for Obama in about 30 minutes....

She finally said the truth, with a little spin.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton admitted on Monday it would be tough to lift the federal gasoline tax this summer as she has proposed because of a likely veto from President George W. Bush.

Clinton, a New York senator, and rival Barack Obama, a senator from Illinois, have sparred over the gasoline tax before primary elections on Tuesday in Indiana and North Carolina.

Obama has accused the former first lady of political pandering with a proposal that would not save consumers much money in the end.

Clinton says the legislation would save the average driver about $70 over the summer and should be advocated even if chances of passage are slim.

"Realistically, it's tough. I know that," she told reporters on her campaign plane on Monday.

"Do I think we can get it done, past a veto by President Bush as the ultimate blocker?" she said. "It's obviously a very difficult challenge. But that doesn't mean you don't try."

Obama leads Clinton in the race for their party's White House nomination, but she has been more successful in gaining support from working-class voters in big states such as Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Indiana and North Carolina, with a combined 187 delegates to the August nominating convention at stake, are the biggest prizes remaining in the tight nominating race.

Clinton has painted economists -- and Obama -- who have panned the proposal, as being out of touch with working-class voters. She repeated that theme on Monday.

"We've got to produce results for working people. They've got to feel that Democrats are on their side," she said.

"Folks really respect it if you get up and fight. Even if you can't on the first, second or third time produce all the results that you would like."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080506/ts_nm/usa_politics_clinton_tax_dc&pr...

Don't know if it's a House or Senate hearing. I didn't hear the show yeterday.

Here's the Senate Schedule:

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/committees/b_three_sections_with_teaser...

And the House:

http://www.house.gov/daily/comlist.html

'Gas tax holiday' would cost state $126 milion plus 4300 jobs
by Chris in Paris · 5/06/2008 04:50:00 AM ET · Link
Discuss this post here: 11 Comments · reddit · FARK ·· Digg It!

And the benefit to consumers? About $28. We can't afford more Republican economics like this. This article is only for the state of Washington so imagine this across the US.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Appropriations subcommittee and has endorsed Clinton. She doesn't support a federal gas tax suspension.

"She has a firsthand look at what's going on with our transportation systems, our roads and our bridges, and from her perspective, this is bad idea," said her spokeswoman, Alex Glass.

There's no guarantee that the plan would result in lower gas prices, but it would deteriorate highway funding, Glass said.

"The gas tax funds the Highway Trust Fund, and there are a number of critical infrastructure needs -- roads and bridges across the country -- that need to be maintained and repaired," she said. "We just can't afford to have crumbling infrastructure."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/361912_gastax06.html

Bernanke, the genious
by Chris in Paris · 5/06/2008 03:03:00 AM ET · Link
Discuss this post here: 7 Comments · reddit · FARK ·· Digg It!

No, you don't say?
"High rates of delinquency and foreclosure can have substantial spillover effects on the housing market, the financial markets, and the broader economy," Bernanke said in remarks prepared for delivery to the Columbia University School of Business in New York.
Naturally none of this prevents him from a strict whatever-Wall-Street-wants policy of cushy bailouts and rate cuts. What next? Is Bernanke going to boldly state that interest rate cuts to banks don't transfer to individuals or that when the dollar goes down, gas prices go up with each rate cut?

Where the heck were Bernanke and Greenspan, the Fed, and the Republicans when this fragile system was being built up? They're all supposed to be so smart, so how did they honestly think that real estate would always increase? Have they never studied bubble economies before? How did we get stuck with such an incompetent bunch?

http://www.cnbc.com/id/24474134

Funny as hell
by John Aravosis (DC) · 5/05/2008 05:57:00 PM ET · Link
Discuss this post here: 14 Comments · reddit · FARK ·· Digg It!

From GasTaxScam.com (hat tip, Open Left):
CONFIDENTIAL/URGENT POLITICAL PROPOSAL

Dear Sir

First we must solicit your confidence in this issue. This is by virtue as being utterly confidential and "top secret".

We are SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON, the wife of the former United States head of state, PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, and also SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN, friend and associate of current head of state PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH. We got your contact through business inquiries as we were searching for contacts of a citizen who can help save our and our family's political careers since our country has been frustrating us.

We are top officials of the United States Senate Government who are interested in importation of oil into our country with funds that are presently trapped in the FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND dedicated to improving transportation. We wish to send this money to overseas accounts in the MIDDLE EAST but cannot due to restrictions in Congress Transportation Equity Act requiring that this money must be spent to build roads, bridges and high speed trains.

If you accept we will deliver to your a sum of 30 DOLLARS in the summer 2008 in form of a "GAS TAX HOLIDAY". You will then deliver this money to accounts of our friends in Middle East by taking it to your nearby gasoline station where they have information to forward the money. Please supply your bank account, social security number, address and your vote in DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES AND NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION.

But bear in mind that this transaction requires absolute confidentiality. Do not visit WWW.GASTAXSCAM.COM where there is information about dangers of our proposal and a petition to stop us from this diversion of funds.

PLEASE NOTIFY US URGENTLY OF YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS PROPOSAL

Awaiting your rapid response

Yours truly

SENATORS HILLARY CLINTON AND JOHN MCCAIN

http://gastaxscam.com/

written by the lost daughter of a nigerian prince...

McCain castigates Obama for voting against chief justice By LIBBY QUAID, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 21 minutes ago

Republican John McCain castigated Democrat Barack Obama for voting against John Roberts as Supreme Court chief justice in a speech about the kind of judges McCain would nominate.

McCain offered an olive branch to the Christian right in a speech planned for Tuesday at Wake Forest University. The far right has been deeply suspicious of McCain, the expected GOP presidential nominee, because he has clashed with its leaders and worked against them on issues like campaign finance reform.

McCain promised to appoint judges who, in the mold of Roberts and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, are likely to limit the reach of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

"They would serve as the model for my own nominees if that responsibility falls to me," McCain said in his prepared speech.

Obama likes to talk up his image as someone who works with Republicans to get things done, McCain said. Yet Obama "went right along with the partisan crowd, and was among the 22 senators to vote against this highly qualified nominee," McCain said.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama's rival, also voted against Roberts, although McCain focused his criticism on Obama.

Tuesday's primaries North Carolina and Indiana, the biggest prizes left in the nomination battle between Clinton and Obama, were likely to overshadow McCain's address. His advisers said the timing was not deliberate and that they accepted the invitation for him to speak several weeks ago.

McCain often is viewed as an independent because he antagonizes fellow Republicans and likes to work with Democrats. Some conservatives dislike his decision to join the "Gang of 14," a group of senators — seven Republicans and seven Democrats — who averted a Senate showdown over whether filibusters could be used against Bush judicial nominees.

On Monday, McCain told reporters he didn't know whether conservatives would forgive him for that decision.

"You'll have to ask them, but I think I was right to do it; we got all but two of the president's nominees through the Senate," McCain said.

Despite the controversy, his actual record is very conservative, particularly on social issues like abortion, gay rights and gun control. However, he said once, in 1999, that the landmark Roe v. Wade decision allowing abortion should not be overturned.

But that was a blip in an otherwise unbroken record of opposing abortion rights for women. McCain has repeatedly voted against federal funding for abortion; he has opposed federal Medicaid funds for abortion even in cases of rape or incest.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080506/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_judges_6&printer=...

House Highways and Transit Subcommittee re: Diesel fuel will be on c-span 2 today.

but there is nothing like being in NYC in the summertime. it is just beautiful out there, am wearing short sleeves today

JUDICIARY 9:30-Open

The All-White Elephant in the Room
By Frank Rich
The New York Times

Sunday 04 May 2008

Bored by those endless replays of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright? If so, go directly to YouTube, search for "John Hagee Roman Church Hitler," and be recharged by a fresh jolt of clerical jive.

What you'll find is a white televangelist, the Rev. John Hagee, lecturing in front of an enormous diorama. Wielding a pointer, he pokes at the image of a woman with Pamela Anderson-sized breasts, her hand raising a golden chalice. The woman is "the Great Whore," Mr. Hagee explains, and she is drinking "the blood of the Jewish people." That's because the Great Whore represents "the Roman Church," which, in his view, has thirsted for Jewish blood throughout history, from the Crusades to the Holocaust.

Mr. Hagee is not a fringe kook but the pastor of a Texas megachurch. On Feb. 27, he stood with John McCain and endorsed him over the religious conservatives' favorite, Mike Huckabee, who was then still in the race.

Are we really to believe that neither Mr. McCain nor his camp knew anything then about Mr. Hagee's views? This particular YouTube video - far from the only one - was posted on Jan. 1, nearly two months before the Hagee-McCain press conference. Mr. Hagee appears on multiple religious networks, including twice daily on the largest, Trinity Broadcasting, which reaches 75 million homes. Any 12-year-old with a laptop could have vetted this preacher in 30 seconds, tops.

Since then, Mr. McCain has been shocked to learn that his clerical ally has made many other outrageous statements. Mr. Hagee, it's true, did not blame the American government for concocting AIDS. But he did say that God created Hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans for its sins, particularly a scheduled "homosexual parade there on the Monday that Katrina came."

Mr. Hagee didn't make that claim in obscure circumstances, either. He broadcast it on one of America's most widely heard radio programs, "Fresh Air" on NPR, back in September 2006. He reaffirmed it in a radio interview less than two weeks ago. Only after a reporter asked Mr. McCain about this Katrina homily on April 24 did the candidate brand it as "nonsense" and the preacher retract it.

Mr. McCain says he does not endorse any of Mr. Hagee's calumnies, any more than Barack Obama endorses Mr. Wright's. But those who try to give Mr. McCain a pass for his embrace of a problematic preacher have a thin case. It boils down to this: Mr. McCain was not a parishioner for 20 years at Mr. Hagee's church.

That defense implies, incorrectly, that Mr. McCain was a passive recipient of this bigot's endorsement. In fact, by his own account, Mr. McCain sought out Mr. Hagee, who is perhaps best known for trying to drum up a pre-emptive "holy war" with Iran. (This preacher's rantings may tell us more about Mr. McCain's policy views than Mr. Wright's tell us about Mr. Obama's.) Even after Mr. Hagee's Catholic bashing bubbled up in the mainstream media, Mr. McCain still did not reject and denounce him, as Mr. Obama did an unsolicited endorser, Louis Farrakhan, at the urging of Tim Russert and Hillary Clinton. Mr. McCain instead told George Stephanopoulos two Sundays ago that while he condemns any "anti-anything" remarks by Mr. Hagee, he is still "glad to have his endorsement."

I wonder if Mr. McCain would have given the same answer had Mr. Stephanopoulos confronted him with the graphic video of the pastor in full "Great Whore" glory. But Mr. McCain didn't have to fear so rude a transgression. Mr. Hagee's videos have never had the same circulation on television as Mr. Wright's. A sonorous white preacher spouting venom just doesn't have the telegenic zing of a theatrical black man.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/050508K.shtml

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/05/hillary-clintons-top-10-r_n_100...

Tuesday 05/06/2008 - 9:30 AM
2141
Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights,
and Civil Liberties

Meeting to consider: To consider a resolution authorizing the Chairman of
the Committee to issue subpoenas to David Addington and John C. Yoo

By Direction of the Chairman


Tuesday 05/06/2008 - 10:00 AM
2141 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
Hearing on: From the Department of Justice to Guantanamo Bay: Administration Lawyers and Administration Interrogation Rules, Part I

By Direction of the Chairman


Philippe Sands, QC
Professor of Law University College London 

Barrister Matrix Chambers Marjorie Cohn

Professor of Law Thomas Jefferson School of Law 

President National Lawyers Guild David B. Rivkin, Jr.
Partner Baker & Hostetler, LLP David J. Luban
Professor of Law Georgetown University Law Center

Washington U. to honor anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly.

Washington University in St. Louis has announced that it will award right-wing activist Phyllis Schlafly an honorary degree at its upcoming graduation ceremony. Schlafly is well-known for her outspoken belief that women should be homemakers and her opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment for women. The university, however, lauded her as a “leader“:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/05/washington-u-to-honor-anti-feminist-...

McCain vs. McCain
By Fareed Zakaria
Newsweek

Sunday 26 April 2008

He seems to think he can magically unite the two main strands in the foreign-policy establishment. He can't.

Amid the din of the dueling democrats, people seem to have forgotten about that other guy in the presidential race-you know, John McCain. McCain is said to be benefiting from this politically because his rivals are tearing each other apart. In fact, few people are paying much attention to what the Republican nominee is saying, or subjecting it to any serious scrutiny.

On March 26, McCain gave a speech on foreign policy in Los Angeles that was billed as his most comprehensive statement on the subject. It contained within it the most radical idea put forward by a major candidate for the presidency in 25 years. Yet almost no one noticed.

In his speech McCain proposed that the United States expel Russia from the G8, the group of advanced industrial countries. Moscow was included in this body in the 1990s to recognize and reward it for peacefully ending the cold war on Western terms, dismantling the Soviet empire and withdrawing from large chunks of the old Russian Empire as well. McCain also proposed that the United States should expand the G8 by taking in India and Brazil-but pointedly excluded China from the councils of power.

We have spent months debating Barack Obama's suggestion that he might, under some circumstances, meet with Iranians and Venezuelans. It is a sign of what is wrong with the foreign-policy debate that this idea is treated as a revolution in U.S. policy while McCain's proposal has barely registered. What McCain has announced is momentous-that the United States should adopt a policy of active exclusion and hostility toward two major global powers. It would reverse a decades-old bipartisan American policy of integrating these two countries into the global order, a policy that began under Richard Nixon (with Beijing) and continued under Ronald Reagan (with Moscow). It is a policy that would alienate many countries in Europe and Asia who would see it as an attempt by Washington to begin a new cold war.

I write this with sadness because I greatly admire John McCain, a man of intelligence, honor and enormous personal and political courage. I also agree with much of what else he said in that speech in Los Angeles. But in recent years, McCain has turned into a foreign-policy schizophrenic, alternating between neoconservative posturing and realist common sense. His speech reads like it was written by two very different people, each one given an allotment of a few paragraphs on every topic.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042908E.shtml

Fernando just posted it..thank you all

ugh... morning is tough. I want to sleep.

________________________________

I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.
-Thomas Jefferson

Iraqi alleges Abu Ghraib torture, sues US contractors

Iraqi alleges torture at Abu Ghraib in federal lawsuit against US military contractors in L.A.

An Iraqi man sued two U.S. military contractors Monday, claiming he was repeatedly tortured while being held at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison for more than 10 months.

Emad al-Janabi's federal lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, claims that employees of CACI International Inc. and L-3 Communications punched him, slammed him into walls, hung from a bed frame and kept him naked and handcuffed in his cell beginning in September 2003.

Also named as a defendant is CACI interrogator Steven Stefanowicz, known as "Big Steve." The suit claims he directed some of the torture tactics.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/05/iraqi_alleges_abu_ghraib_tortu...

tomorrow morning this time Hillary withdraws from the race

LAND O' LAKES - The telephone call that spelled the end of Jim Piculas' career as a substitute teacher in Pasco came on a January day about a week after he performed the disappearing-toothpick trick for a group of rapt middle school students.

Pat Sinclair, who oversees substitute teachers in the Pasco County School District, was on the phone. She told Piculas there had been a complaint about his performance at Rushe Middle School in Land O' Lakes.

He asked what she meant.

"She said, 'You've been accused of wizardry,' " Piculas said.

He said the statement seemed bizarre to him, like something out of Harry Potter.

Piculas said he replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He said he also told Sinclair, "It's not black magic. It's a toothpick."

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/may/05/substitute-teacher-says-wizardry...

Clinton To Put Gravity Under Scrutiny
What is Hillary talking about? She's going to break up the OPEC oil cartel? Because we have such a strong hand to play now with the OPEC member states? And isn't the main issue here a matter of rising demand, principally for rapidly expanding economies in Asia, not monopoly pricing?

Hillary is certainly not the first candidate to bash the oil producing states or oil companies around election time. And the polls seem to show it's working for her. But I'm concerned about the widening gap between reality and her campaign trail statements. First with the pledge to obliterate Iran if they attack Israel, then the rebellion against economists and now this.

Where are we going here?

--Josh Marshall

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/Clinton_OPEC_can_no_longer_b...

Yeah, that' s absurd.

________________________________

I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.
-Thomas Jefferson

A Challenge for the U.S.: Sun Rising on the East

In a 2003 article in Newsweek, written on the eve of the invasion of Iraq, Fareed Zakaria — a columnist for the magazine and the editor of its international edition — wrote: “It is now clear that the current era can really have only one name, the unipolar world — an age with only one global power. America’s position today is unprecedented.” He went on to declare that “American dominance is not simply military. The U.S. economy is as large as the next three — Japan, Germany and Britain — put together,” adding that “it is more dynamic economically, more youthful demographically and more flexible culturally than any other part of the world.” What worries people around the world above all else, he wrote, “is living in a world shaped and dominated by one country — the United States.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/books/06kaku.html?_r=1&ref=washington&...

He's talking about his article "the Post-American World"

just called Mika a Marxist. She looked offended but he kept teasing that way. Then he said her Uncle started WWII.

She just walked away.

Joe is a pig. I wish he could see himself through my eyes.

blog feels kind of normal today...yesterday was weird and slow...watching Fareed now.....very interesting...today is PARTY DAY...I am with you Lu' maybe she will drop out after this....

Obama enjoys a strong final day of polling before the elections

http://zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1499

*THREAD

TLL*

http://www.samsedershow.com/node/3027

Submitted by Chubby Bubba on Tue, 05/06/2008 - 2:05am.
I'll try the spanish in the morning ...
I getting horrible translations:
The CAT of the CALICO I FIND DEAD PERSON on the ROAD
The CAT of the CALICO I FIND the CAR BY BLOW
which is worse?
-------------------
Suggested copy:

¿Por qué el gato no cruzó el camino? Coche. Encuentro.

Translation:

Why did not the cat cross the road? Car. I find.

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