can't stop bbq'ing!

*

http://thisishell.com/

Saturday, July 5th, This is Hell! airs a live and completely unedited four hour broadcast beginning at 9 AM (central) on WNUR 89.3 FM Chicago, and streaming live around the world at http://www.wnur.org. And every show is podcast, just visit our Archives.

Our guests this weekend include:

* this week, Pervez Hoodbhoy wrote the article, "Anti-Americanism in Pakistan and the Taliban Menace." Pervez is chairman of the Department of Physics at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad. He is chairman of Mashal, a non-profit organization which publishes books in Urdu on women’s rights, education, environmental issues, philosophy, and modern thought. He is author of "Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality", now in 5 languages. In 2003, Dr. Hoodbhoy was awarded UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize for popularizing science in Pakistan with TV serials, and his film "The Bell Tolls for Planet Earth" won honorable mention at the Paris Film Festival.

* Rick Shenkman is the author of "Just How Stupid Are We? Facing the Truth about the American Voter" (Basic Books), the second chapter of which was excerpted at TomDispatch.com as the article, "How Ignorant Are We?: The Voters Choose… but on the Basis of What?." Rick is an Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter, New York Times bestselling author, and associate professor of history at George Mason university is also the founder and editor of History News Network, a web site that features articles by historians on current events. He also blogs at "How Stupid?"

* Rami Khouri's most recent articles include, "Winds of Diplomacy," "Pretzels and Policies with Mohammad Khatami," "The US War of Ideas at Home," "Israel’s New Diplomacy Needs Palestinians' New Unity," and "Washington’s Grim Performance in the Middle East." All of these can be read by clicking here. Rami is the Director of the Issam Fares Institute of Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut as well as editor-at-large of the Beirut-based Daily Star newspaper, published throughout the Middle East with the International Herald Tribune. In November 2006, he was the co-recipient of the Pax Christi International Peace Award for his efforts to bring peace and reconciliation to the Middle East.

* Patrick Cockburn is the the author of “Muqtada: Muqtada Al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq.” His most recent writing includes, "Who's Actually Winning in Iraq?"

Download the new This is Hell! poster by clicking here!!

Free Democracy

whats the "talker" of the day?

I can't wait...

Hope all are well..

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

Progressive news for minds that matter..

"Johnson" lets fly with the facts you need and the music you enjoy.
New show every Saturday night.

Blue Roots Radio

It starts.....
new
Submitted by toniD on Sat, 07/05/2008 - 9:58am.
Companies begin quest for oil, gas off Fla. coast By MELISSA NELSON, Associated Press Writer
59 minutes ago

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Oil companies once viewed drilling in the deep waters off Florida as cost prohibitive. Politicians feared even the slightest sign of support would be career suicide.

No more. Record crude oil prices are fueling support for oil and natural gas exploration off the nation's shores. In Florida, movement was underway even before President Bush called on Congress last month to lift a federal moratorium that's barred new offshore drilling since 1981.

The early activity here stems from a 2006 Congressional compromise that allows drilling on 8.3 million acres more than 125 miles off the Panhandle — an area that had been covered by the moratorium, which was enacted out of environmental concerns. In exchange, the state got a no-drilling buffer along the rest of its beaches.

Florida may turn out to be a prelude for other coastal states. If oil or natural gas deposits are found in the newly opened region, experts say it could further the push to explore other once-protected areas everywhere. It also could be a rallying point for critics, who say the new exploration isn't a license to expand exploration.

With gas topping $4 a gallon, recent polls show Americans, Floridians included, more supportive of drilling in protected areas. Some politicians — including Gov. Charlie Crist — have switched sides.

"We think the public is way out ahead of the politicians on these issues. People are more open to (offshore drilling) now," said Tom Moskitis, spokesman for the American Gas Association, a trade group.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080705/ap_on_bi_ge/drilling_off_florida_11

Employers use federal law to deny benefits
By MARK SHERMAN
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Dying of cancer, Thomas Amschwand did everything he was told to make sure his wife would collect on the life insurance policy he had through his employer. "He was obsessed with dotting every `i' and crossing every `t'," Melissa Amschwand-Bellinger recalled about her husband, who died in 2001 at age 30. But Spherion Corp., the temporary staffing company where Amschwand worked, told Amschwand-Bellinger she would not receive any of the $426,000 in benefits she believed she was due. When she went to court, Spherion succeeded in getting her lawsuit thrown out. The Supreme Court on June 27 refused to review the case.

Amschwand-Bellinger received a refund of the few thousand dollars in insurance premiums she and her husband dutifully had paid. The total, she said, would not cover the costs of his funeral. The story has played out often under the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Designed to protect employee benefits, the law has been used by employers as a shield against suits.

Federal appeals courts, interpreting Supreme Court decisions dating to 1993, consistently have said companies that offer health, life and retirement benefits under ERISA cannot be sued for large amounts of money, or damages. Instead, they can be sued only for typically smaller sums such as Amschwand's insurance premiums.

Several federal judges have bemoaned the unfairness even as they have felt constrained to rule in favor of employers.

Read more: link

Contractors oppose move to end immunity from Iraqi law
By Joseph Giordono, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, July 5, 2008

Contractors working for the U.S. military in Iraq say a move to end their immunity from Iraqi law would make many leave their jobs instead of face a justice system they do not trust.

Earlier this week, the Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, said the immunity issue was one of the American concessions made in ongoing negotiations over a long-term security agreement. Since the announcement, contractors — both current and former workers in Iraq — have been buzzing about its implications. There are an estimated 180,000 foreign contractors working in Iraq, more than there are U.S. troops in the country. More than 1,000 have been killed.

"Having worked for two years and two months in Iraq, I can tell you without a doubt, I would in no way work if I fell under Iraqi Law," a deputy sheriff who trains Iraqi police said in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes. "Are you kidding? You wouldn’t be able to get but the most desperate people to work if they fell under their ridiculous laws."

Like almost all contractors working in Iraq, he is not allowed to do media interviews without approval from his company, so he asked that his name not be used.

Read more: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=...

BUTTE - For his first task as president, Barack Obama said Friday he'll call in the nation's top military officials and “tell them we have a new mission” - end the war in Iraq.

Next on the list is reforming the nation's health-care system, so everyone in the United States has basic health care and costs are reduced for families and businesses.

And, third, craft a new energy policy that “requires a shift away from the sort of wasteful energy usage of the past, and to develop alternative fuels like solar, wind and biodiesel,” Obama said in an interview on his campaign bus near the Montana Tech campus.

... Obama said Friday he believes in “common-sense gun laws” that allow law-abiding citizens to purchase and own firearms, including items such as background checks when buying guns.

“There is not a sportsman or hunter in Montana who is a legal possessor of firearms that has anything to worry about from me,” he said.

Read more: http://missoulian.com/articles/2008/07/05/news/local/ne...

Betancourt, 46, told French TV she was treated abominably. "I wouldn't have given the treatment I had to an animal, perhaps not even to a plant." If the guerrillas were in a bad mood they would tighten the chain around her neck so it was difficult to breathe, she said.

The former presidential candidate fell sick from jungle maladies and would often vomit when she ate. She bathed in rivers fully dressed because male guards would stare. Asked if she had been raped, she said: "I have had painful experiences ... but I don't want to talk about this here, now at this time of happiness."

Luis Hernando Pena Bonilla, kidnapped in 1998, was shot five years ago because the guerrillas found his behaviour unpredictable. They also shot his dog, Laika, who had seldom left his side. The news devastated his mother, Leonor.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/05/colombia.te...

Panama says no to U.S. military base
Fri Jul 4, 2008 4:38pm EDT
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panama has ruled out hosting a U.S. military base to replace one in Ecuador which is being reclaimed by the Quito government, a senior Panamanian official said on Friday.

Panama -- along with Peru and Colombia -- had been tipped as a possible site to replace the Manta air base in western Ecuador, a key strategic asset in Washington's campaign to stop Latin American cocaine from reaching the United States.

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, a close ally of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, has vowed to cut off his arm before allowing Washington to retain the base when the current lease runs out in 2009.

The U.S. military has said it would like to find another site to retain counter-narcotics capabilities.

Panama's Justice Minister Daniel Delgado said his country's often turbulent history with the United States made the establishment of new bases impossible.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN043834...

Employers use federal law to
Submitted by toniD on Sat, 07/05/2008 - 10:15am.
*******
But,this link doesn't work..

Can you fix,please ? Thanks :)

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

said no to US bases, heard it as a quick blip on the italian news channel so i don't know the details, they mentioned something about reagan and the missile shield and that putin wasn't happy about us bases in their backyard

also possibly these bases were supposed to serve as launchpad for war against iran

the us is not very popular these days, it seems, i wonder why :) too much warmongering maybe and diminished clout with the diminished dollar

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BENEFIT_BATTLES?SITE=MIDTN&SECTIO...

thats a strange link. on my first click thru it took me to an ap site where i had to pick a state and then a paper within that state. it then redirected me to the papers main site. if you go back to the link and then click it again, you get taken to the article as reported by the paper that you chose.

that sorta stuff is just plain wrong. it falls into the same shameful category as cancelling peoples health insurance when they get sick. thanks george, you're doing a heckuva job.

I got those news clips from Democratic Underground.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/

Today's America would disappoint founding fathers
by Robin Elliot | July 4, 2008 - 12:45pm | permalink

This isn't your grandmother's America.

I was lamenting the state of our "news" media, and as an extension, the state of our country. As I witness the disintegration of the quality of journalism, and how non-news stories are endlessly looped and forced down the throats of gullible viewers, I am reminded of how things used to be.

Would Walter Cronkite froth over an Obama campaign nuance? Would David Brinkley rabidly salivate over an uncorroborated, biased mantra? Would Chet Huntley engage in undignified distortions? Journalistic Swiftboating didn't exist. It would have been unthinkable. Maybe I'm romanticizing, and I'm sure there had to have been exceptions, but my perception is that there was a gravitas and a reverence for facts that have since been replaced by a cacophony of memes and a servility to shout fests. The depths into which TV news has devolved is not only repugnant, but unconscionable.

As Americans celebrate the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, an overwhelming majority say the 56 signers of that document would be displeased at how the country has turned out. According to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, close to 70 percent say that if the signers of the Declaration of Independence could see America today they would be disappointed, while just under 30 percent say the founding founders would be happy with the country 232 years later.

» article continues...
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/15666

Hunkering Down in Afghanistan: "We are watching NATO bleed to death on the Afghan plains"
by Mike Whitney | July 4, 2008 - 12:39pm

Afghanistan was supposed to be the "good war"; a "just response" to the attacks of September 11. It was supposed to bring Bin Laden to justice and quash the threat of terrorism where it originated. 95 per cent of the American people supported the invasion of Afghanistan. Now less than half think the U.S. will prevail. The war was promoted as a way to replace a repressive fundamentalist regime with a democratic government based on western ideals. Bush promised to rebuild war-torn country, transform its feudal system into a free market economy, and liberate its women from the oppression of Islamic extremism. But none of the promises have been kept and none of the goals have been achieved. The "good war" has turned out to be--what Tariq Ali calls--"a brutal war of revenge."

» article continues...
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/15664

Remember Afghanistan is what brought down the Soviet Union.

Submitted by Kevin © on Sat, 07/05/2008 - 9:29am.
...this week, Pervez Hoodbhoy wrote...
------
Sorry, Kevin. I've been writing parodies too long to believe that the name "Hoodbhoy" actually exists.

Don't tell me. Let me guess. He's from Broville, right?

having gone thru their "registration" process your link takes me to the local cincinnati paper. i suspect that at one time you set a cookie binding ap news to democratic underground.

For fixing that link..

Stuff like that story makes you want to Scream !

Fu*ck, the system is so rigged alot of the time..

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

"It is illegal in Germany to show Nazi symbols and art glorifying Hitler and the exhibit was cordoned off to stop visitors posing with him."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080705/en_nm/germany_hitler_head_dc
_________________________

I've read this before when Malloy claimed that it was a Jewish conspiracy back in early '05.

Wouldn't it be cool if we outlawed confederate flags and symbols? They want to outlaw flag burning. I believe that confederate paraphenilia is much worse.

www.sigzone.blogspot.com

County is very republican. Here's some of the shinanigans going on...

"GOP fails to keep Cullerton off ballot"

Apparently, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a donkey.

Republicans trying to keep a Democratic state Senate challenger off the Nov. 4 ballot because he voted Republican in the February primary were unable to convince a judge Thursday that it's against the law to do that. They used the duck analogy to no avail.

A judge's ruling puts Tom Cullerton's name back on the ballot, overturning A DuPage County Election Commission decision. Cullerton is trying to unseat incumbent Carole Pankau, a Roselle Republican. Cullerton is currently a Villa Park trustee.

Associate Judge Paul Fullerton concluded there is no provision in state election law that prevents a person from voting for one party and then later becoming a candidate in a different primary during the same election cycle.

"It is not the law," Fullerton said. "Election code does not define qualified primary voter."

The judge also ruled that "it's clear" the date appearing on Cullerton's nominating papers is the date when Democrats met and selected the candidate as required by state law. The election commission voted 2-1 to reject Cullerton's candidacy, ruling the nominating date was vague.

"It indicates the date the document was dated and notarized," argued Pat Bond, the commission's attorney. "We have no indication when that (nominating) committee met."

Attorneys for the Republican objectors said they would appeal the judge's ruling to a higher court. Attorney Burt Odelson said they would file the appeal next week. Bond said the commission will decide later whether to be a party to the appeal.

"The commission always has an interest that properly qualified candidates appear on the ballot," he said. "It protects the integrity of the process."

Bond's role in the case came under fire from Democrats recently after it was discovered he and his law firm had donated nearly $1,000 to Pankau's campaign over the past several years.

"It's perfectly legal," Bond said. "Carole is not a party in this case."

Bond said he would not step aside.

DuPage Democratic Party Chairman Bob Peickert called Bond's continued involvement "disturbing."

"He's supposed to represent a bi-partisan board, which this court case concludes it is not and neither is Pat Bond," Peickert said. "If Pat Bond doesn't know election law well enough, maybe he shouldn't be advising the commission. He certainly shouldn't be advising it because of his partisan views."

Cullerton isn't the only candidate in the race Republicans are fighting these days. Addison resident Kevin Allen recently filed to run as an independent only to have his nominating papers questioned. Commission officials said a hearing is slated for 11 a.m. Tuesday to hear the objection. Odelson is handling that case as well.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=214645&src=2

Submitted by Kevin © on Sat, 07/05/2008 - 9:29am.
http://thisishell.com/

Download the new This is Hell! poster by clicking here!!

Full Size = 800x1230 pixels

Realstupidpolitik is quite another.

~-~-~

Running to the middle in an attempt to attract undecided swing voters didn't work for Al Gore in 2000. It didn't work for John Kerry in 2004. And it didn't work when Mark Penn (obsessed with his "microtrends" and missing the megatrend) convinced Hillary Clinton to do it in 2008.

Fixating on -- and pandering to -- this fickle crowd is all about messaging tailored to avoid offending rather than to inspire and galvanize. And isn't galvanizing the electorate to demand fundamental change the raison d'etre of the Obama campaign in the first place?

Old but still a swinger
The Tribune's Michael Martinez catches up to Cheeta, who outlived Tarzan for Guinness record but has no Hollywood Walk of Fame star
By Michael Martinez | Tribune correspondent
9:51 AM CDT, July 5, 2008
PALM SPRINGS, Calif.—At last, I was about to meet a star from Hollywood's golden era, one of the greats from the black-and-white films of the 1930s.

Keep your distance, I was told. Five feet back.

This is common with celebrities.

"He likes his space," said aide Dan Westfall. "He's very territorial."

Last of the line So old is this performer that he holds a Guinness world record.

But this legend gets no respect.

He has yet to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—rejected last month for the fifth consecutive year, for a grand total of seven times in 20 years.

He goes by just one name.

Cheeta.

Tarzan and Jane may be dead, but their chimpanzee companion lives.

The ape is the last of four Cheetas who starred in the old Tarzan movies. Hollywood often used many look-alike animals for one role, such as Lassie.

Because of his extraordinary longevity, this Cheeta is now considered The Cheeta. He's believed to be 76 years old, earning a Guinness certificate as the world's oldest living non-human primate. Chimps in captivity can live up to 60 years; in the wild, up to 40.

Today Cheeta is semiretired and living in Palm Springs, as many of the old entertainers do.

Moving more slowly now but still strong, the 150-pound chimp lives in a private, non-profit sanctuary at the home of Westfall, 63, a retired performer himself who sang, danced and played for laughs at the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. The sanctuary, a cage for primates, runs from inside the house to the backyard, next to the pool.

With the San Jacinto Mountains as a stunning backdrop, "Casa de Cheeta," as Westfall's house is labeled, even features a lifelike statue of a chimp at the front door.

Tarzan's old sidekick keeps busy, recently completing a music video and appearing in a low-budget black-and-white movie.

"The granddaddy of all Hollywood animals" will even have a book published next February, "Me, Cheeta: My Life in Hollywood" by Cheeta the Chimp, ghostwritten by an author in England. The 320-page book, to be published by the Ecco imprint of HarpersCollins Publishers, is a fictionalized memoir on such moments as when Cheeta starred with Johnny Weissmuller in 1934's "Tarzan and His Mate" and infamously stole the clothes of a naked Maureen O'Sullivan in a swimming scene, an Ecco spokesman said.

Though Cheeta worked steadily in films and TV until 1967, when he appeared in the movie "Doctor Dolittle," he's still second banana to the 2,365 stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

"They turned us down two weeks ago and gave it to Tinkerbell," a dejected Westfall said last week, despite 11,000 fans signing an online petition at gocheeta.com.

Spokeswoman Ana Martinez-Holler of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the keeper of the Walk, said she's gotten a lot of complaints.

"I will tell you I got a lot of e-mails. Fans were upset," Martinez-Holler said, adding that about 25 winners are chosen each year from more than 200 nominees. "This is not a Pulitzer Prize. This is a tourist attraction. The least favorite part of my job is telling these people that they aren't selected. I get called all kinds of things, and I don't even vote."

Cheeta spends his days watching cartoons, animal shows and, yes, old Tarzan movies, often on a TV set in his cage. He has diabetes now, and when Westfall gets out the needle to inject insulin twice a day, Cheeta obliges by raising his arm.

He's also an artist, painting in his own trademarked genre called "Ape-Stract." Hundreds of his painted swirls and long strokes have been sent to admirers in more than 30 countries in exchange for a $135 donation ($150 outside the U.S.) used to protect endangered and threatened apes.

Jay Leno has called twice asking for an appearance, but Westfall declined because Cheeta doesn't like getting into a travel box anymore, he said. But Cheeta does like occasional car rides with Westfall.

"He's my life, he's my best buddy, he's my everything," said Westfall, who is divorced with no children.

Cheeta's only surviving offspring, 20-year-old grandson Jeeter, also lives in the sanctuary that's a small animal kingdom of four parrots, a tarantula, two orangutans, a rhesus monkey and five dogs. But Cheeta and Jeeter no longer play together because the kid once bit grandpa's lip in a fight.

"When we're alone, between me and my animals, it's a very spiritual—if you want to call it spiritual—connection," Westfall said. "They're still creatures that feel happy, sad and glad, and we try to maintain that mood around here."

Michael Martinez, the Tribune's West Coast correspondent, says art collectors can order a Cheeta original at cheetathechimp.org.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-cheeta-letter_bdjul06...

Crumbling Pompeii site
in 'state of emergency'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Italian government declared a state of emergency at the Pompeii archaeological site on Friday to try to rescue one of the world's most important cultural treasures from decades of neglect.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/italy_pompeii_dc;_ylt=AjocHiyhjdJqhu_gb4cHYMg...

Fountain of youth?
Red wine gives up secrets

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A compound in red wine may ward off a variety of medical conditions related to aging, providing heart benefits, stronger bones and preventing eye cataracts, researchers said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080703/lf_nm_life/wine_health_dc;_ylt=AqyzP...

John McCain's campaign has accepted millions of dollars from Carl Linger Jr., who has knowingly given money to internationally recognized Columbian terrorist groups the AUC and FARC.

The mainstream media, not surprisingly, is looking the other way on this one. Do you think the same would be happening if Obama's campaign had accepted money from such a contributer?

But, they're not ARAB terrorists, so it's okay...

Iran warns of Gulf blitzkrieg, Hormuz closure

Iran warns of Gulf blitzkrieg, Hormuz closure
Published: Saturday July 5, 2008

Iran's military chiefs warned on Saturday that the Islamic republic would shut down the Strait of Hormuz vital for oil exports and use "blitzkrieg tactics" in the Gulf if it came under attack.

"All the countries should know that if Iran's interests in the region are ignored, it is natural that we will not allow others to use it (the strait)," said army chief General Hassan Firouzabadi, quoted by the Fars news agency.

However, Iran's armed forces joint chief of staff stressed his country's priority was that the Strait of Hormuz remain open.

Speculation has been rife that Israel could be planning a military strike against Iranian nuclear sites, using force to halt Tehran's controversial atomic activities.

The chief of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards militia, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, meanwhile, warned that his forces would use "blitzkrieg tactics" in the Gulf if his country came under attack.

"The Guards are equipped with the most advanced missiles that can strike the enemies' vessels and naval equipment with fatal blows," Fars quoted the Guards chief as saying.

In case of attack, "blitzkrieg tactics and operations of the Guards' boats will not leave a chance for the enemies to run away."

"These words do not mean that the prerequisites of war are being set but these are the strategies that our alert armed forces have prepared for any hypothesis," he added.

The new commander of the US Fifth Fleet, Vice Admiral William Gortney, said on Saturday that the American naval presence in the region was "a very clear message that we are here to maintain security and to provide stability."

"The chief of naval operations wanted me here, I think, because of my experience," Gortney, who was navy chief during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, told reporters in Bahrain where the fleet is based.

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Iran_warns_of_Gulf_blitzkrieg_Hormu_0705200...

I'm off to reorganize my office. :/

Tiptoeing on Bush and Convention
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
WASHINGTON — What if your family was planning a big end-of-summer bash (a Grand Old Party, you might call it) but preferred that you not be seen — or heard?

That is the question hanging over President Bush, with eight weeks to go until Republicans gather in St. Paul to nominate Senator John McCain as his successor. Convention planners, the White House and the McCain campaign are wrestling with how to choreograph a proper send-off for Mr. Bush — sure, his poll numbers are in the tank, but he is still the party leader and president of the United States — while hustling him out the door in time for Mr. McCain to look like his own man.

“It’s a very delicate situation,” said Brian Jones, a former communications director for Mr. McCain’s campaign who also was a top communications strategist during Mr. Bush’s 2004 run for re-election. “Even though the president is the president, this is going to be John McCain’s convention, and you want it to be about John McCain and what his presidency would be.”

A convention is a pivot point, and the theatrics and imagery are often more important than the words. For Mr. McCain, of Arizona, the convention imagery will be especially important, because he must show that he wants to take the nation in a new direction, away from Mr. Bush, yet he cannot escape Mr. Bush’s dominance of Republican Party politics for the last eight years.

The last time Republicans dealt with the passing-of-the-torch question, in 1988, the circumstances were very different. President Ronald Reagan was surging in popularity, and the big fear was that he would overshadow the nominee, the first George Bush, at the convention in New Orleans. So their aides worked out a plan intended to let Mr. Reagan “give oomph to the Bush candidacy,” without stealing the show, said Kenneth W. Duberstein, Mr. Reagan’s chief of staff.

Twenty years later, Mr. Duberstein still describes the plan with relish:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/05/us/politics/05memo.html?adxnnl=1&pagew...

Tropical Storm Bertha may become Atlantic hurricane 05 Jul 2008 15:42:16 GMT
Source: Reuters
MIAMI, July 5 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Bertha was expected to become the 2008 Atlantic storm season's first hurricane as it steamed toward the United States over open waters between Bermuda and the Caribbean islands, U.S. weather forecasters said on Saturday.

The second tropical storm of what is predicted to be an above-average hurricane season had not strengthened from Friday, when its top sustained winds reached 50 miles per hour (85 km per hour), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

But sea surface temperatures and atmospheric conditions were expected to be "more conducive" in about 72 hours for Bertha to reach hurricane strength, with winds of at least 74 mph (119 kph), the Miami-based center said.

The storm's projected path as a hurricane remained uncertain so far out, with the majority of computer models used to predict storm tracks suggesting Bertha would turn to the north-west toward Bermuda. One model, however, predicted the storm would keep on going straight toward the Caribbean.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N05358951.htm

caught a story about the wildfires in california and was depressed to hear them state in a matter of fact way that they will burn thru the month of july because they can.

its hard to believe that this isn't viewed as being important enough to put together a fleet of fire fighting airplanes that could make short order of this .

did i mention new orleans?

Secretive Agency Under the Spotlight
Chief Tries to Repair CIA as Scrutiny Grows

By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 5, 2008; Page A01

Soon after accepting the post of CIA director two years ago, Michael V. Hayden set an unusual goal for his scandal-beset agency: virtual invisibility.

"CIA needs to get out of the news as source or subject," he said in an internal memo to his staff in 2006.

Two years later, that goal is far from met, as Hayden has tacitly acknowledged. In a retirement ceremony last month marking the end of his military career, the Air Force general stressed the need for the agency to "stay in the shadows" while ignoring what he called the "sometimes shrill and uninformed voices of criticism."

The comment reflected the difficulties that Hayden's CIA faces in trying to turn the corner on six years of controversy at the same time that it attempts sweeping internal changes. While the agency's leadership has sought a return to normal and has launched initiatives intended to improve ties with lawmakers and foreign allies, it finds itself in the cross hairs of a Congress determined to force a reckoning over the agency's past intelligence failures and its conduct in the fight against terrorism.

In recent weeks, both the House and the Senate have intensified their scrutiny of the CIA's treatment of detainees, with Senate investigators launching new inquiries into whether agency lawyers influenced the Defense Department's decision to use harsh interrogation techniques in the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Both Congress and the Justice Department are examining whether top CIA officers broke the law in ordering the destruction of videotapes that recorded the waterboarding of al-Qaeda suspects.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/04/AR200807...

Poland rejects US missile shield offer

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Poland_rejects_U.S._missile_shield_offer_0...

Graham's role growing as McCain political confidant
"There’s nobody I trust more than Lindsey Graham," McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, said by phone Thursday from Mexico City. "I'm honored to have him travel with me and give me the counsel I need."
The senators' friendship, grounded in Graham's support for McCain's first White House run in 2000, has sparked reports that Graham could be attorney general or fill another senior post in a McCain administration.
"The best thing I can do for my state and my country is to help John McCain become president," Graham said from Mexico. "That is one of the most important responsibilities I will ever undertake. If John wins, the country will go in a completely different direction than Senator (Barack) Obama would take it. I can't tell you how important it is to me."
If McCain defeats the presumptive Democratic nominee in November, Graham said, "we’re going to have more conservative judges, we're going to have our taxes lowered, we're going to become more energy independent and we're going to win this (Iraq) war."
Graham isn't the only lawmaker accompanying McCain on his campaign trips. Sen. Joe Lieberman, in particular, has also been a frequent traveler.
"What Senator Lieberman is doing is heroic," Graham said

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/43205.html

Submitted by ellwort on Sat, 07/05/2008 - 12:44am.
...As a linguist, I think I yearn for the days way before we were born when the only media for conversation and memory were orality and fingers...
----------
Deductive reasoning leads me to believe that the media for conversation in the days before we were born was bubble-blowing and kicking and maybe making underarm fart noises now and then to embarrass our mothers.

god almighty, do we need more seder or what?

i can't fathom lindsay graham in a position of power like attorney general.

The following caption appears beneath a picture in an AP article:
---
Venus Williams reacts as she defeats her sister Venus to win the Women's Singles Championship on the Centre Court at Wimbledon, Saturday, July 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
---
(Apparently Serena couldn't make it.)

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i0099BjC_GidfbnjmjMFDXAq0FiwD91NP9V81

Large crowds of Iraqi Shiites gather to protest security agreement with U.S.
American and Iraqi officials are no longer optimistic that a long-term security agreement will soon be reached because “negotiations are complicated by political currents in both countries.” AFP reports that “large crowds of Shiites” gathered yesterday to denounce the security pact that the Iraqi government is debating:

“No, no to colonization! Out, out you occupier!” the crowd shouted in the centre of Sadr City where fierce battles raged in March and April between Shiite militants and US forces in which hundreds of people were killed. […]

In the central town of Kufa, protesters chanted anti-US and anti-Israel slogans. “No to America! No to Israel! We reject signing the agreement with the occupation,” shouted devotees.

In the city of Karbala, an aide of revered Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged Baghdad to refrain from signing a deal that would compromise national interests.

“If the government signs the deal it has to preserve the interests of the people, not compromise sovereignty and not permit Iraq to be used as a base for attacks on neighboring countries,” said Sheikh Abdul al-Mahdi al-Karbalae.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080704/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestussecurity...

Considerably.

As you are never to fly a flag in the rain, tattered, or ever let them touch the ground; if any of these fates befall a U.S. Flag, there is only one proper method of disposal.

Burn it. U.S. Flags are never discarded or thrown away. They must be burned.

"...even if...McCain gets in power. It would be worth it."
Submitted by ghettodefender on Sat, 07/05/2008 - 12:18pm.
*******
Sorry but,

Frustration and being Myopic are one thing..

But,being unrealistic and moronic is another..

Nobody's perfect..But,

Lindsey Graham as Attorney General ? !

We might as all call it a day and Move Out Of The Country !

I'll go South..I don't like the cold..See ya on the road !

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

>>He's from Broville, right?

which is just outta Compton, if I'm not right?

>>Old but still a swinger

right on sister!

Speak the truth to power, the people have the right to know!

Power to the people, right-on!

Submitted by Chubby Bubba on Sat, 07/05/2008 - 1:13pm.
>>He's from Broville, right?

which is just outta Compton, if I'm not right?
-------
Solid. Exit high five.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/tpc/ARS_linktous_120_01

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

Government warehouse's use remains an unsolved mystery

A few new clues have emerged regarding the history of a government-owned warehouse in a remote corner of Southwest Washington. Here's what we know:...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008034426_warehouse05m....

By Erik Robinson

The Columbian

A few new clues have emerged regarding the history of a government-owned warehouse in a remote corner of Southwest Washington.

Here's what we know: Employees of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest think the Chelatchie Prairie warehouse is a potential emergency command center, an understanding apparently passed down for two decades through bureaucratic oral tradition.

"We're under agreement to evacuate within 48 hours if requested by FEMA," Ron Freeman, the forest's public-services staff officer, told The Columbian newspaper for a story published May 14. That came as news to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, whose regional command staff had never heard of it. Intrigued, the newspaper tried to get the lowdown on the building by calling numerous current and retired Forest Service employees.

Was it intended to be a fallout shelter in case of another volcanic eruption? An out-of-the-way repository for the X-Files? An undisclosed location for high government officials?

No one knew.

The mystery amused Mike Merrill, the Vancouver general contractor who said he received the contract to build the warehouse.

"Maybe it's a sign of old age to see some of the buildings I've built become mysterious," Merrill said.

Merrill remembered that the warehouse cost around $2 million to build in 1988. That's more than the $1.75 million spent by Forest Service last year to build a new headquarters office for the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Merrill said he remembered building the warehouse atop a concrete floor 9 inches thick, sturdy enough to accommodate the future maintenance needs of a robust timber program as well as a "Grand Canyonesque" visitor attraction envisioned for Mount St. Helens.

"That building is seriously well-built," he said.

National forest timber sales have fizzled since the Endangered Species Act's listing of the Northern spotted owl, and monument managers last year permanently shuttered the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center because of chronic budget shortfalls.

These days, forest managers cling to the notion that the warehouse could be turned into an emergency command center on short notice.

Much of the material is stored on pallets to hasten a quick exit. The warehouse includes a shop to repair picnic tables, parking for a pair of firefighting rigs and work space for enforcement officers. It also includes plenty of oddities such as a single ski and boxes full of softball trophies.

The newspaper subsequently filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking contract documents related to the construction of the warehouse. In theory, such a document would specify the building's purpose.

This week, we received our answer from Gifford Pinchot's acting forest supervisor, Lynn Burditt.

Burditt could confirm only that the warehouse was constructed in 1988.

"We are required to retain files for only six years and six months after the final payment is made," Burditt wrote. "Consequently, the file has been destroyed."

1.) The full name is Escherichia coli, which explains why it's called E. coli.

2.) It is found in the gut of all warm-blooded animals, which doesn't explain why eating it is harmful to all warm-blooded animals.

3.) A small portion of your vitamin K needs are supplied by E. coli if the E. coli hasn't killed you first.

4.) If you accidentally ingest E. coli while it is lurking on your jalapenos, you are really going to hate it when you blow lunch.

5.) One of the symptoms of E. coli poisoning is prodigious diarrhea which, in turn, contains more E. coli. It is eerily similar to the 1958 film, The Blob, starring Steve McQueen.

150 party balloons carry Oregon man toward Idaho

Riding in a green lawn chair rigged with a rainbow array of more than 150 giant party balloons, Kent Couch took off with the sun today...

By Jeff Barnard

The Associated Press

BEND, Ore. — Riding in a green lawn chair rigged with a rainbow array of more than 150 giant party balloons, Kent Couch took off with the sun today, hoping to ride the wind from his gas station in Central Oregon all the way to Idaho.

Clutching a big mug of coffee, Couch kissed his wife and kids goodbye, and patted their shivering Chihuahua, Isabella, on the head.

With a push from the ground crew so he could clear surrounding light poles and a cheer from the crowd, he soared over a coffee cart from the parking lot of his gas station, over U.S. Highway 20, and into the bright blue sky.

"If I had the time and money and people, I'd do this every weekend," Couch said before getting into the chair. "Things just look different from up there. You're moving so slowly. The best thing is the peace, the serenity.

"You can hear a dog bark at 15,000 feet."

Couch had to spill some of the 45 gallons of cherry Kool-Aid he carried as ballast in three drums, but then he quickly disappeared into the distance.

He hoped to ride prevailing winds to the area of McCall, Idaho, about 230 miles east. He travels at about 20 mph.

"He's crazy," said his wife, Susan. "It's never been a dull moment since I married him.

"I did tell him next time he went up he had to take me, but he said no, he didn't want anything to happen to me."

This was Couch's third balloon flight. He was inspired by a TV show about the 1982 lawn chair flight over Los Angeles of truck driver Larry Walters, who gained folk hero fame, but was fined $1,500 for violating air traffic rules.

In 2006, Couch had to parachute out after popping too many balloons. And last year he flew 193 miles to the sagebrush of northeastern Oregon, short of his goal.

"I'm not stopping till I get out of state," he said.

To that end, he ordered more balloons. Dozens of volunteers wearing fluorescent green T-shirts with the slogan "Dream Big" filled latex balloons 5 feet in diameter, tied them to strings with a zip tie, and tied clusters of six balloons each to a tiny carabiner clip. A few popped, and one got away before they could be tied on.

"I think it's wonderful he's got guts enough to do it," said retired commercial pilot Bob Banta. "I've owned 12 little airplanes, but I've never done anything like this."

Each balloon gives 4 pounds of lift. The chair was about 400 pounds, and Couch and his parachute 200 more.

"I'd go to 30,000 feet if I didn't shoot a balloon down periodically," Couch said.

For that job he carried a Red Ryder BB gun and a blow gun equipped with steel darts. He also had a pole with a hook for pulling in balloons, a parachute in case anything went wrong, a handheld Global Positioning System device with altimeter, a satellite phone, and two GPS tracking devices. One was one for him, the other for the chair, which got away in the wind as he landed last year.

Each cluster of balloons was clipped by a heavier line to the aluminum tube frame underneath the chair. The ballast tanks filled with the cherry Kool-Aid were attached to the bottom of the frame.

"We wanted some color, and it kind of reminded me of kid days," Couch said.

For food he had some boiled eggs, jerky and chocolate.

Couch flew hang gliders and sky-dived before taking up lawn-chair flights. He said he imagined being a child holding a balloon and taking off.

Couch estimated the rig cost about $6,000, mostly for helium. Costs were defrayed by corporate sponsors.

Hook up the Balloons Myrtle,we're out of here ! !

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

of Independence

[This article is from an anonymous woman now living in South Africa. It was sent to me by a third party, and I have no reason to believe that it’s bogus. In any case, I believe its relevance to the present moment is stunning.–Carolyn Baker, Editor in Chief of Speaking Truth to Power]

Supreme Court encouraging safety shortcuts
Chris in Paris · 7/05/2008 02:46:00 PM ET · Link

Hooray! Best democracy in the world! So the lesson learned is that Big Oil knows they pretty much own the government and can do as they damn well please. Safety? Screw you. Fines? Not on your life. It's not just in distant lands where anything goes, it's right there at home. Nobody is arguing against business, but is it really so hard to find a middle ground between what business wants and what humans wants? As the GOP does the dirty work for Big Oil and their dreams of drilling in ANWR and off the Florida coast, keep in mind how much money industry is investing in legal battles to make it easier for them to ditch safety regulations.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/369710_exxon05.html

July 3-6, 2008 -- Anthrax attacks -- the US Army attacked its own citizens in a biowar assault

WMR has received follow-up information, first reported by Fox News on March 28, 2008, that the US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) was the source for the aerosolized anthrax attacks launched against Congress and the news media in late 2001. The attacks were designed to maintain the siege mentality of the American people and ensure quick passage by Congress of the USA PATRIOT Act.

Fox reported in March that "The FBI has narrowed its focus to 'about four' suspects in the 6 1/2-year investigation of the deadly anthrax attacks of 2001, and at least three of those suspects are linked to the Army’s bioweapons research facility at Fort Detrick in Maryland . . . Among the pool of suspects are three scientists — a former deputy commander, a leading anthrax scientist and a microbiologist — linked to the research facility, known as USAMRIID. The FBI has collected writing samples from the three scientists in an effort to match them to the writer of anthrax-laced letters that were mailed to two U.S. senators and at least two news outlets in the fall of 2001, a law enforcement source confirmed."

USAMRIID denied it produced or maintained the type of powdered anthrax sent through the mail, an operation that killed two US postal employees at the Brentwood facility in Washington and sickened scores of others and also killed US postal customers around the country. However, Fox News obtained an email from a USAMRIID employee describing how he was surprised to learn the powdered anthrax was produced at Fort Detrick. The e-mail written by the employee who had been asked to compare the anthrax sent through the mail with that produced at Fort Detrick read in part: "Then he said he had to look at a lot of samples that the FBI had prepared . . . to duplicate the letter material . . . Then the bombshell. He said that the best duplication of the material was the stuff made by [name redacted]. He said that it was almost exactly the same . . . his knees got shaky and he sputtered, 'But I told the General we didn't make spore powder!'"

WMR has now learned from an informed source in Frederick, Maryland, the location of Fort Detrick, that the author of the email was in the highest echelons at USAMRIID. Previously, WMR learned from an official of the National Guard Bureau in Provo, Utah that the aerosolized anthrax used in the attacks was originally produced at the US Army's Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, the location of the government's only aerosolized anthrax production facility in the country, and sent to Fort Detrick for use in the postal system attacks in 2001.

WMR has also learned from a source close to the anthrax case that the recent out-of-court settlement by the Justice Department with one-time US government scientist Steven Hatfill was an attempt by the Justice Department to get out from under the anthrax case and a potentially embarrassing production of documents implicating the govenrment through the discovery process. Hatfill sued the government for being named a "person of interest" in the anthrax case. Under the settlement agreement, Hatfill will receive $2.825 million paid out in a yearly annuity of $150,000. The overall settlement by the government with Hatfill and his lawyers is in excess of $5 million.

Former FBI agent Brad Gannon wrote the following on ABC News' website: "The anthrax investigation, almost from the beginning, was hampered by top-heavy leadership from high ranking, but inexperienced FBI officials, which led to a close-minded focus on just one suspect and amateurish investigative techniques that robbed agents in the field the ability to operate successfully."

Even with the proof that Fort Detrick was the source of the anthrax used in the bio-terrorism attack on Congress, the postal system, and the news media, USAMRIID is expanding its BSL (Biosafety Level) -3 and BSL-4 biocontainment laboratories at Fort Detrick, a move that has the citizens of the city of Frederick and Frederick County up in arms. There is now a move to reject the Army's own Environmental Impact Statement on the safety of the expansion and have the National Academy of Sciences review and approve or reject the safety measures being taken by the Army at Fort Detrick. The National Academy of Sciences already rejected a National Institutes of Health (NIH) risk analysis on a proposed BSL-4 lab at Boston University as “not sound and credible."

The history of Fort Detrick and accidents have nearby residents of the bio-warfare lab nervous. In 2002, USAMRIID scientists revealed that over 24 biological agents, including anthrax and Ebola virus, went missing during the 1990s from the Fort Detrick facility. In April 2002, anthrax spores were released into a USAMRIID office and hallway and a USAMRIID scientist tested positive for exposure to anthrax at the facility. In 2003, vials of anthrax and brucellosis were found buried in landfills at Fort Detrick.

A BSL-4 lab is the most secure but most dangerous. BSL-4 labs contain cultures for deadly diseases for which there are no vaccines and no cures. BSL-3 labs are less secure but contain highly-contagious disease cultures that are species-threatening.

Although the United States is a party to international treaties banning the production of biological weapons, the US government is funding the expansion of BSL-3 and BSL-4 biolabs across the country, from Boston University to the University of Texas in Galveston, the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland, Battelle Memorial Institute in West Jefferson, Ohio to the University of Illinois in Chicago, Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, and Lawrence Livermore Labs in California to Los Alamos in New Mexico. All are being funded under the rubric of "bio defenses" and are part of "homeland security" and "national defense" funding by the Bush administration.

http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/articles/20080703

It's good to be the king
Chris in Paris · 7/05/2008 01:01:00 PM ET · Link

At least we can finally move past those crazy ideas of the past, when we bothered to show interest in expanding the middle class. It's best that we care more about making the rich even richer and forget about everyone else. As long as we have yacht workers (preferably at or near minimum wage), that's all that matters. Sure it's a shame that 50% of the buyers are from overseas but at least we're still creating enough yacht owners at home.
According to Camper & Nicholsons International, a broker of yacht sales and charter contracts, there are about 3,800 yachts over 80 feet in service around the world now. About 1,800 of those have been built since 2000. The study predicts that that by 2010, there will be 5,000 such yachts on the water.

"There's not enough supply," said Ed Slack, editor of International Boat Industry. "It takes two years to build some of these yachts and the demand hasn't slowed down."

So far, Trinity's largest vessel has been a 192-foot yacht that would carry a replacement price of $60 million to $65 million. The company is working a 242-footer that will have a price tag in excess of $90 million.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080705/ap_on_re_us/super_yachts;_ylt=Av4ibU...

July 3-6, 2008 -- More on impact on Africa with Obama's current foreign policy team

In a follow-up to WMR's July 2, 2008 article on Susan Rice, Barack Obama's chief foreign policy adviser, and her past in bringing about turmoil in Africa, WMR received the following from a specialist on African affairs:

"[Uganda's Yoweri] Museveni started out as a Marxist politician like so many of the late 60s, early 1970s rebel leaders. Most of them were colleagues and shared military strategy with each other once they took power. Add to your list Laurent Kabila and Blaise Compaore. Meles Zenawi was also a professed Marxist. A number of West African militia leaders trained at Gaddafi's World Revolutionary Headquarters. Laurent Kabila, Blaise Compaore, Charles Taylor, Ibrahim Bah, and Foday Sankoh to name but a few.

In West Africa, Gaddafi helped all of them succeed in their endeavors. Compaore (by providing arms and an airport for flying out diamonds) and Bah (by fighting and recruiting fighters) aided Taylor and Sankoh in Liberia and Sierra Leone respectively. It was Museveni who suggested to [Rwandan President Paul] Kagame to enlist Kabila as a Congolese face to a Rwandan invasion of Zaire in 1996 to give the international community the false impression it was a civil war.

When [Sudan rebel leader John] Garang, Kabila, Kagame, and Museveni were all chums in the 1970s, they cut a deal to help each other take power. Kagame fought alongside Museveni to take Kampala. Museveni provided arms, soldiers, and intelligence to Kagame during his war to take Kigali. Uganda did the same for Garang's SPLA in the late 1990s, and there is reason to believe he is still doing it today. In turn, the SPLA is supplying these weapons to the Fur factions in Darfur, particularly al-Nur's SLA. Compaore reportedly hosted Kagame and his High Command for military planning meetings in early 1994. Recently, Burkina Faso's judiciary was one of the few African states to publicly denounce the Spanish arrest warrants.

Gaddafi also acted as a political adviser to Kagame during the Rwandan War 1990-1994 on a few occasions. According to sources in the Diaspora, it was Gaddafi's idea to have Rwandan Chief of Staff Deogratias Nsabiyimana in the plane with him. Gaddafi reportedly thought he was an able commander and leader, and the Rwandan Army could rally around him after [assassinated Rwandan Hutu President Juvenal] Habyarimana was gone. So a man in the Rwandan government who was working for the RPF [Rwandan Patriotic Front], Enoch Ruhigira, added Nsabiyimana's name to the passenger list and told him the reason was that it was for Habyarimana's security.

You will also notice that Gaddafi went to Uganda earlier this year, despite Uganda's majority Christians being very angry with him over some comments he made. Libya's partially-state owned oil company Tamoil holds the contract to build and maintain the Eldoret (Kenya) to Kampala oil pipeline. It is no coincidence that the individuals in that group who clinged to their Marxist beliefs and actually put them into practice when they took power are now dead (Kabila, Garang).

If Obama is elected, Sudan and Chad will go up in flames."

---------

Of course, that is if Obama puts people like Susan Rice, Tony Lake, Howard Wolpe, Rep. Donald Payne, and James Steinberg into senior foreign policy positions. All have innocent blood on their hands from their time in the Clinton administration. If John McCain is elected president, the entire world will go up in flames.

http://usuallydonewhilenaked.blogspot.com/

...

sometimes maybe it's appropriate to get mad...

Alice

Me and edna ellen chain ourselves naked to the whitehouse? Or you and dada and me and p and treebu and ellwort and nobody and somebody and mr and mrs ICEKNIFE and mhappenow and gbasin do....things...? ;)

Your wish came true..ellwort and treebu inspire me...

on 9/11

FLASHBACK: Ten Years Ago, Bin Laden Demanded Barrel Of Oil Should Cost $144

In a 1998 interview, Osama bin Laden — the terrorist organizer of 9/11 who still roams free — listed as one of his many grievances against the U.S. that Americans “have stolen $36 trillion from Muslims” by purchasing oil from Persian Gulf countries at low prices. The real price of a barrel of oil should be $144, bin Laden demanded.

Ten years ago today, the price of a barrel of oil was just $11. Heading into this holiday weekend, the price of a barrel of oil rested at $144 — a thirteen-fold increase.

One month after 9/11, the New York Times wrote of possible “nightmare” scenarios that would deliver bin Laden’s goal. Neela Banerjee warned that among the “misguided decisions” that would put oil supplies at risk would be “that the United States attacks Iraq.” The Times included this quote in its story:

“If bin Laden takes over and becomes king of Saudi Arabia, he’d turn off the tap,” said Roger Diwan, a managing director of the Petroleum Finance Company, a consulting firm in Washington. “He said at one point that he wants oil to be $144 a barrel” — about six times what it sells for now.

Bin Laden didn’t have to become king of Saudi Arabia to achieve his goal; in fact, Bush’s policies delivered it for him. The Bush administration’s catastrophic decision to invade Iraq, sink the nation into debt to pay for that war, and consequently, weaken the dollar have all caused oil prices to soar astronomically.

Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee last May, Anne Korin, the co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, reminded Congress about bin Laden’s goal:

[A]bout ten years ago, Osama bin Laden stated that his target price for oil is $144 a barrel and that the American people, who allegedly robbed the Muslim people of their oil, owe each Muslim man, woman, and child $30,000 in back payments. At the time, $144 a barrel seemed farfetched to most. […]

I would like to impress upon this Committee that $144 a barrel oil will be perceived as a victory for the Jihadist movement and a reaffirmation that the economic warfare component of its campaign against the West is a resounding success. There is no need to elaborate on the implications of such a victory in terms of loss of U.S. prestige and our ability to prevail in the Long War of the 21st century.

Indeed, ten years later, a mission accomplished for bin Laden.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/05/bin-laden-144-oil/

Yeah..then what?

Submitted by Alice on Sat, 07/05/2008 - 4:32pm.

***

hey...

Why not?!

do you realize what a genius george carlin was?

Gas prices set 6th straight record
Posted: 06:42 AM ET
NEW YORK (CNN) — Retail gas prices in the United States rose overnight to a record high for the sixth day in a row, and the eighth consecutive daily rise, a daily survey by motorist group AAA showed Saturday.

The national average price for a gallon of regular gas rose to an all-time high of $4.103 from $4.101 the day before, the survey said.

Gas prices are 3 percent higher than they were last month and nearly 39 percent higher, or $1.15 more, than a year ago.

AAA reported Saturday’s national average for higher-octane premium gas was $4.514, up from $4.511 on Friday. The survey also showed the national average price for diesel fuel rose to $4.782 a gallon, up from Friday’s $4.769. The Saturday price for diesel was not a record.

http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2008/07/05/gas-prices-set-6th-straight-reco...

U.S. halts some Mexican food imports
Posted: 10:00 PM ET
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Food and Drug Administration has told growers and the brokers who handle their products that, starting Monday, health inspectors will halt the shipment from Mexico to the United States of ingredients common to Mexican cuisine, sources familiar with the investigation into salmonella poisoning said.

“At the border, what they do is they take samples of these and they send them to their laboratories and the labs examine them for any possible salmonella or E. coli,” said Tommy Thompson, former secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, who said he has been informed of the plan.

Thompson and others told CNN that the probe, which initially focused solely on tomatoes, has been broadened to include scrutiny of cilantro, jalapeno peppers, Serrano peppers, scallions and bulb onions.

http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2008/07/04/us-halts-some-mexican-food-impor...

I am celebrating his life!

Brilliant commentary.

Get him on it, then tell us... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqITJFGyq4s

omg I'm dead..that's all I eat..

Does The White Queen Rule?