(Cartoon by Mike Keefe, 2/15/08)

In the past two weeks, the Bush administration has finally admitted to torturing prisoners. We’ve seen artful dodges from Attorney General Mukasey and shameless and vile hackdom from many other Bush allies. Some exceptional news articles and commentary have been produced, but sadly and unsurprisingly, they have yet to be rewarded with congressional action.

Torture, due process, intelligence and related issues will continue to play a prominent role in politics for the rest of the year. This piece is intended as a resource in those essential (and tragically, necessary) battles. This is a long post because of all the links and excerpts; it’s essentially several posts in one. Please feel free to skim over sections as needed.

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JUDGE ORDERS WIKILEAKS WEBSITE SHUT

OKINAWA TROOPS CONFINED TO BASE AFTER RAPE CASE ( read Chalmers Johnson if you want a true picture of what foreigners put up with when the U.S. builds military bases overseas.)

U.S. TROOPS LIKELY TO SEE SHORTER TOURS

AUSTRALIA: OUR TROOPS JOB IS DONE IN IRAQ

MYSTERIOUS CREATURES FOUND IN ANTARCTICA

PENTAGON CONTRACTOR GETS 12 YEARS FOR BRIBING CUNNINGHAM

SENATOR KENNEDY CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL ON ANY IRAQ AGREEMENT

CNN CALLS OBAMA WIN IN WISCONSIN

EVIDENCE QUESTIONED IN EXPLOSIVES CASE

I’ve been watching and watching in the hopes they will find Eric Hall alive and well. This is the first news I’ve seen ………

An underground spiderhole discovered off Loveland Boulevard in Port Charlotte Monday is believed to have been the temporary shelter of a missing disabled former Marine.

Ret. Army Sgt. 1st Class Tim Baker said he believes the shelter was used as recently as Monday morning, suggesting 24-year-old Eric W. Hall may not be far away.

Hall fled from his aunt’s Deep Creek home Feb. 3, apparently from phantom enemies during a flashback. Monday’s discovery is a sign to the search party and members of Hall’s family that the Iraq War veteran remains in the area.

Led by a bloodhound, Ret. Army Sgt. 1st Class Tim Baker and the Southwest Florida K-9 Search Unit scoped out the makeshift campsite they said was created with military training experience within the last two to three days. The scent given to the bloodhound, Clark, from a shirt confirmed that the Marine was at the location.

Baker said he believed Hall was at the site, located near Harold Avenue Park, as recently as Monday morning.

The spiderhole was dug in the ground with a rake, and was covered by dirt-covered plywood panels taken on each side to provide the inhabitant discreet view of the surroundings. Between the plywood covers was a large sleeping area, covered with a plastic truck bed liner.

Near the spiderhole were a “cat hole,” or toilet dug in the ground downwind from the sleeping area, and an unused fire pit with pinecones and papers.

More at the Sun Herald

Patsy Cline
“Three Cigarettes in the Ashtray”

This video is from the Iraq Veterans Against the War website.

From March 13-16th, U.S. veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan will testify to what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground in these occupations. To provide a preview, we’ve created this short film. The film features three members who will be testifying at Winter Soldier and includes videos and photographs of Iraq from their deployments. This video contains graphic content. We need your support to help make Winter Soldier a success. Find out more about Winter Soldier.

OMG is this dog adorable or what???? And on another Bro note, I just have to post this from the comments on the Scarborough video post…..because he’s so funny I can’t stand it. Thing is, I don’t think he’s laughing when he writes this shit.

What up with this shit? Who’s the Willie kid? Is he supposed to be the wannabe yuppie prep school kid in this nucaler family? He sits there doing his homework and is not allowed to talk while Mom and Dad bicker endlessly about meaningless things. Why is he sitting there if he isn-t going to say anything? He’s just a stage prop? Where is Tucker, his prep school and ivy league grad older brother? He must be off shopping for bow ties. Where is Uncle TweetyBird? He must be busy writing apologies for saying stupid, offensive things about Hillary while he’s drooling on the copy. Where’s the patriarch of the nucalur family, grandpa Chuckles Buchanon? He must be rehearsing his patented chuckle that always follows his expert analysis because even he, himself, knows nobody could possibly take what he says seriously. Ya know, MSNBC has a perfect opportunity to offer a real alternative to CNN and Faux News and this is the best they can come up with, an alternative to Regis and Kelly? What up with their seemingly endless primetime prison shows? Haven-t they run out of prisons yet? If it’s ratings based and Olberman’s ratings are good, why not more of the same? Oh ya that’s right, MSNBC is owned by GE, nevermind. Come on MSNBC, morning joe is just as big an idiot as evening joe was. Ya can take the idiot out of primetime but you can-t take the idiot out of joe. What next? Happy hour joe? That might work, considering being intoxicated might be the only way anybody could possibly find joe entertaining or informative. Ok forget the informative part, idiots aren-t capable of being informative regardless of the time of day or your level of intoxication. Next.

I’m reading through the news today and come across this story at Stars & Stripes:

Sentencing has been scheduled for April 18 for Steven G. Potoski, who in December 2006 pleaded guilty to taking bribes in exchange for awarding Army contracts to build the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch, Germany.

Potoski, 47, was arrested in September 2005 after serving for seven years as director of contracting for Armed Forces Recreation Center Europe.

He later admitted in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York to accepting more than $350,000 in bribes from 15 contractors or subcontractors.

And I’m wondering to myself, what the heck is the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort and what does it have to do with the military? So I look it up and I find this:

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Joe Scaborough has his magic sweater on ……. you know, the one that makes him an idiot. He goes off on Michelle Obama here.

Short of Castro dying, there won’t be much celebration among the Cubans in South Florida at the news of him stepping down.

Many Cuban Americans expressed optimism tempered by caution Tuesday after awakening to news that Fidel Castro is stepping down as Cuba’s official leader after nearly a half century.

”In a year or so, I think, we will see some change,” Luis Garcia, 75, said as he stood in front of the Versailles Restaurant, a landmark in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. “Fidel no longer has the ability to run a country. He’s very ill.”

Regina Botello, another customer at the restaurant, said: “It’s the best thing that could have happened on this 19th of February. It’s the first step toward real change.”

More at the Miami Herald

This is too funny. It’s been reported that the Science Museum of Minnesota will be closed for the Republican National Convention in September. But here’s the kicker……the Republican Party will rent the museum and party delegates will be offered complimentary tours of the museum’s exhibits.

More at the Minnesota Monitor