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Gender: female Member Since: June 30, 2006 Last Signed In: December 04, 2008 Profile Views: 8139 Blog Views: 24158 Odetta~ RIP After 30 Years~~ The Rape of Europa~ Redux Charlie Wilson's War Point Counter Point~ are we all this nuts? Keith Olbermann~ Special Comment on Prop.8 God on Trial~ My Search to not be Pathetic OP~Ed From the NY TIMES: A Political Manners Manual To nobama08 *delete this* July 06 August 06 September 06 October 06 November 06 December 06 January 07 February 07 March 07 April 07 May 07 June 07 July 07 August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 "Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats." Diane Arbus My life seems to operate sideways~ backwards almost~ and I have come to see thats right for me. A rain of snakes,disruption that cause's growth ,the world split in two.Everyone has there own path,mine has been one of thought,mostly of things folks today seem to disregard. Truth, personal integrity,politeness,...not all eschew these things.For me its been the easiest way to be~ any other way leads me to more trouble..and a sense of humor,above all about myself. Laughter keeps a person sane,and I enjoy seeing the coyote in myself~ the eternal trickster 
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White House emails,Gonzales:Can it get any worse?
http://news.com.com/8301-10... . Follow this link and read the back stories about the emails the White House says it "deleted".One question comes to my mind.With the Vice Presidents claim to be "not part of the executive branch" and this story...Just when will the American people wake up and cry "Impeach"? These folks are clearly hiding something,and I will bet none of us will like what it is. 18 comments from 6 users
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posted by
GrpThink
on Jun 25, 2007 at 11:38 AM
It's about to get a whole lot worse.
Abu Ghraib Cover-up About to Explode Every American should read Sy Hersh's long and important piece in the current issue of The New Yorker, about Abu Ghraib. Gen. Antonio Taguba is one of America's most respected senior officers, was put in charge of the Abu Ghraib investigation, and has now leveled a series of powerful public charges that will soon blow this case sky-high. Gen. Taguba went public early this week in long on-the-record interviews with Sy Hersh reported in his New Yorker piece now on newsstands. Among other things, Taguba says: 1. He was ordered not to investigate higher-ups in the chain of command, which means there was (is) a cover-up protecting the highest-ranking Bush administration officials who might have criminal liability. 2. Early in his investigation he was threatened with career retribution if he dared to seek the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. 3. After his investigation he was punished by being forced into early retirement. 4. He suggests that Don Rumsfeld might have lied when he testified before Congress, which would be a criminal offense. 5. He details meetings in which Rumsfeld spoke to him in terms that were sarcastic, rude and unprofessional shortly before Rumsfeld would publicly say how much he supported the investigation and wanted the truth to come out. 6. He reveals specific acts of torture that are beyond what was publicly known, and videos of Abu Ghraib torture have not been released that provide strong evidence that the crimes of Abu Ghraib were known earlier and far higher up than previously reported. 7. He expresses serious concern that the same forms of torture used at Abu Ghraib were (are?) also used at Guantanamo Bay, which remains open and the subject of world-wide condemnation. At some point Gen. Taguba will be called to testify publicly and will prove one of the most explosive witnesses in six years, while investigative reporters and almost certainly congressional committees are currently looking into Abu Ghraib. The implications of this are enormous because they go to potential perjury and giving false testimony to Congress and investigators, and lead outward throughout the dark side of the Bush years. There is a high probability that investigation of the Abu Ghraib crimes and cover-up will lead upward to Donald Rumsfeld and his coterie of neoconservative aides and their shadow CIA run through the Department of Defense. There is a substantial possibility this leads to the role of Alberto Gonzales on the range of torture issues at the Department of Justice and during his years as White House Counsel. There is significant possibility this leads to Vice President Cheney, the most aggressive advocate of what the world considers torture of any senior official anywhere in the free world. Gen. Taguba should be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his honor, integrity and courage throughout this shameful episode and for having the honor to speak out publicly, visibly and unequivocally now. The stakes are high and the storm clouds are gathering for those who committed, ordered or covered up crimes of torture. posted by
mattloch
on Jun 25, 2007 at 11:49 AM
Until Congress starts moving seriously on investigations into the Administration's illegal acts (warrantless wiretapping, torture, extraordinary rendition, presidential records, etc.) their approval ratings will continue to fall into the basement. Why they continue on their cautious ways is beyond me. The American public isn't punishing them for moving too fast on Iraq; they're being punished for moving too slowly. They need to dominate the evening news in every way. Subpoenas, investigations, charges. The American public has nothing if not a well-developed sense of justice and of equality. The public isn't suffering from scandal fatigue, they suffering from spineless fatigue. Hearing about scandals fatigues you if nothing is being done about it.The Democrats may be one-legged men at as ass-kicking contest, but they won't win just by staying upright. Moral victories mean nothing when you're competing against people without morals. posted by
dusty1215
on Jun 25, 2007 at 01:18 PM
The hearings are just stalls imho, the Dem's don't want to do anything. They want to wait out the Repubs hoping all this evilness is kept in the forefront of the news and people shake their heads and automatically vote Democratic in 08. I think it might backfire on them. ITMFA! posted by
mattloch
on Jun 25, 2007 at 01:38 PM
Dusty, Congress could do nothing legislatively and simply schedule hearings into each of these scandals, have nothing but subpoenas issued, and cases handed over to Justice and the courts between today and Jan 2009, and they would run out of days before they ran out of cases and co-conspirators. This is one area where slow-playing and caution will actually hurt them. The American public cries out for heads on pikes, and the Dems are looking like they're afraid of tripping over their own feet. Put the screws to the criminals! Strap on the golf shoes, it's about to get slippery in here! The only thing these dumb brutes understand is violence and pain, so it's about time to start speaking their language. Like Turley said on Olbermann, we're way past the point of if they've broken the law (and violated the Constitution), it's a matter of which charges to we impeach them on. I said it before, I'll say it again (and again, and again): you can't slow-play against the rope-a-dope. You hammer them before they can turn on you. You tke the opportunity to knock the living hell out of them. If you do that, they'll never lay a hand on you. They're trying to run the clock out, and they're shredding the evidence between now and Jan 2009. We need to burn them, hard. We want them to be begging to undo their plans before we burn them to the ground. Trust me, this is an opportunity to hurt them for the next generation, and the Dems are blowing it. The "Know-Nothings" were burned because they were the do-nothings. Unless the Dems step up, they'll be consigning themselves to history's dustbin for allowing the Republicans to get away with their shenanigans..... posted by
dusty1215
on Jun 25, 2007 at 01:43 PM
First off..I had a boo-boo in my last comment..I had "vote Republican" and meant "Democratic"..so much for multi-tasking :p Now Mattloch, I agree with your basic contention Sir, and I too think this will bite the Dem's in the behind in the next election.
posted by
adampayne
on Jun 25, 2007 at 02:14 PM
I'm ready, sagefever. Enough is enough. Throw the bums out. I'm thinking maybe we should just acknowledge that two four-year terms are too much. Give one six year term to move the winner's agenda, and then goodbye and good luck. Have a two term limit for Senators and a four term limit for House Representatives. Stop the lobby carousel and make these folks get real jobs, not as influence peddlers.
posted by
sagefever
on Jun 25, 2007 at 02:29 PM
It may well take a petition drive to light a fire under these bozo's~everybody is so worried about who is going to get elected.They need to worry about our country right now and do some governing!
posted by
dusty1215
on Jun 25, 2007 at 02:35 PM
Governing? Surely you jest Sagefever :P They don't govern, they fight and choose sides..like corporations vs individuals..Petitions will do nothing. I sign lots of those every week. I know they do little, but I still sign them anyway. Protests and Marches will make people feel attached to a cause but as for actually promoting change, I do not see it in most cases. The best we can hope for is that the public wakes up to what the new games are and they don't buy into them. posted by
mattloch
on Jun 25, 2007 at 02:36 PM
Sure Adam, but we should keep the funding rules so that the only people that can be elected under your term limits are party puppets or million/billionaires that would twist governmental regulation to fit their needs.Right now we just need people with spines and a working knowledge of the whole "checks-and-balances" -thing.... posted by
mattloch
on Jun 25, 2007 at 02:37 PM
Who was it the other week talking about "neuticals"? What do those things cost, and what's the shipping? I believe I can come up with the names of a few people in DC with a need for those......
posted by
dusty1215
on Jun 25, 2007 at 03:02 PM
RF or H4F?
posted by
Hardliner4freedom
on Jun 25, 2007 at 03:14 PM
What? posted by
dusty1215
on Jun 25, 2007 at 03:25 PM
Mattloch asked a question..I was responding ..sorry.
posted by
mattloch
on Jun 25, 2007 at 04:08 PM
Who's on first?
posted by
adampayne
on Jun 25, 2007 at 04:25 PM
The Supreme Court's on first. They just ruled that portions of McCain Feingold are unconstitutional, which will now allow more privately funded attack ads closer to elections to happen. They ruled students have virtually no free speech rights, even if the speech occurrs at times outside of the classroom. This case will be remembered as the Bong Hit on the First Amendment.And if that were not enough, the Court ruled you cannot sue the government over this Administration's faith based plan. Today might have been the worst set of rulings to come down since the Dred Scott casein the mid 1850s. posted by
mattloch
on Jun 25, 2007 at 04:50 PM
The only hope I have Adam is that both the first and last decisions (you mentioned) have legislative (or potentially Executive) remedies. Meaning that they can be fixed in two years when we have a Dem president and super-majority in Congress. The "Bong Hits" case is the one that has me really scared. As soon as they start controlling unpopular speech at school (that has absolutely no disruptive component) is when the Thought Police gain their footing.
posted by
adampayne
on Jun 25, 2007 at 05:18 PM
These are all terrible decisions from my humble pov. This is a very dangerous time for people and their civil rights. These cases only confirm, for me, that big money is putting the hammer down on peaceful dissent and the efforts to restrain the selling of public office to the highest bidder. It is hard to believe in the rule of law when it has obviously been so politicized and biased. We watch our Justice Department sell out with Alberto Gonzales and the firing of just-not-with-us-enough Republicans in the name of these agenda driven pursuits. With the very recent revelations regarding Dick Cheney, and the confirmation that Cheney has really run the show for the Bush Administration all these years, it is now apparent our government and all those constitutional protections, balances and checks don't mean squat, because Dick Cheney is king. He's not part of the Executive Branch, and he's not part of Congress. He doesn't have to obey any laws, even when he blasts friends in the face, tells a Senator, "to go f@#* himself", creates his own surveillance and spy network while drafting all our policies on energy, war and torture. I can't think of a crueler monarch than King Cheney. He makes Richard III look like a saint in comparison. posted by
Hardliner4freedom
on Jun 25, 2007 at 05:30 PM
"These are all terrible decisions from my humble pov. " Whatever it takes to give more power to the powerful -- because unchecked power rarely accumulates in benevolent hands.
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