Wow. A group of republicans involved in illegal activities. The sky must be falling!

Actually, news like this is getting old. Does the author of this report really think anything will come of it? Does he believe justice will be served? We all know it won’t. Oh, sure, Wexler or Reid will write a letter of purse-clutching proportions, but it will end there.

To combat evil, there has to be good. To combat those that would do evil, there has to be an empowered group that gives a damn. And since we don’t have any of those, we simple folk are shit outta luck.

Justice Weeds Out Liberals, Report Says

WASHINGTON (June 24) - Ivy Leaguers and other top law students were rejected for plum Justice Department jobs two years ago because of their liberal leanings or objections to Bush administration politics, a government report concluded Tuesday.

In one case, a Harvard Law student was passed over after criticizing the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. In another, a Georgetown University student who had previously worked for a Democratic senator and congressman didn’t make the cut.

Even senior Justice Department officials flinched at what appeared to be hiring decisions based — improperly and illegally — on politics, according to the internal report.

“Individuals at the department were rejecting any of our candidates who could be construed as left-wing or who were perceived, based on their appearances and resumes and so forth, as being more liberal,” Kevin Ohlson, deputy director of the department’s executive office of immigration review, complained to Justice investigators.

PS: To all those everyday little people out there who still insist republicans are the way to go; the next time someone robs you of all of your possessions, burns down your house, and kidnaps your children, please don’t ask me to give a damn about your plight, okay? For I won’t. I refuse to. The rules of the game have changed and you clearly condone it. So, FU!

PPS: Another thought to consider (if you haven’t already); If this shit is allowed to continue in government, how long before we start seeing it in our places of business? Will you lie on your application?

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Well of course he says there’s no conflict! WTF did they think he’d say? This is wrong? There is a conflict? Geezzzzzz. These crooks do any damn thing they want, legal or illegal, conflict or no conflict and they get away with it time and time and time and time again. Why ask the slime bag who has the conflict if it’s a conflict? He says there isn’t, so that makes it all A-ok, eh congress? How stupid can they be? How stupid do they think we are?

Former attorney general John D. Ashcroft today strenuously defended a government’sanctioned contract that could earn his consulting firm more than $50 million, saying there is no conflict of interest in the appointment made by one of his former U.S. attorneys.

Ashcroft has come under scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers since he accepted a no-bid contract to oversee the operations of an Indiana medical equipment company which is accused of giving kickbacks to doctors. He was chosen by U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie of New Jersey, a Republican who once worked for Ashcroft.

“There is not a conflict,” Ashcroft said. “There is not an appearance of conflict.”

More at the Washington Post

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And yet we continue to throw money at them and NOT collect taxes from them.

Dozens of U.S. troops in Iraq fell sick at bases using “unmonitored and potentially unsafe” water supplied by the military and a contractor once owned by Vice President Dick Cheney’s former company, the Pentagon’s internal watchdog says.

A report obtained by The Associated Press said soldiers experienced skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections, diarrhea and other illnesses after using discolored, smelly water for personal hygiene and laundry at five U.S. military sites in Iraq.

The Pentagon’s inspector general found water quality problems between March 2004 and February 2006 at three sites run by contractor KBR Inc., and between January 2004 and December 2006 at two military-operated locations.

It was impossible to link the dirty water definitively to all the illnesses, according to the report. But it said KBR’s water quality “was not maintained in accordance with field water sanitary standards” and the military-run sites “were not performing all required quality control tests.”

“Therefore, water suppliers exposed U.S. forces to unmonitored and potentially unsafe water,” the report said.

More here

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A little common sense, please?! People, in general, do not want to pay more, (much more!), for something that produces the same results, even if it saves them money in the long run.

Writing a law and forcing it upon the masses is something we should all hate. It’s “slippery’slope” ideology, like high-taxation on cigarettes or the coming change in the way television is broadcasted.

Don’t get me wrong. The eventual outcomes of the above-mentioned are good! I object to the use of force in obtaining the results. Laws should be written to protect us, not bash us over the head. Remember ‘freedom’? Freedom to choose?

Our government could do a lot in the way of reducing the high price of the new bulb. They could also do a better job of informing the masses as to why they should be buying the new bulb. Handcuffing us is not the answer!

From light bulbs to clothes washers, the energy law passed by Congress and signed by President Bush in December will change many of the appliances in the average American home.

[...]If every American household replaced just one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, the country would conserve enough energy to light 3 million homes and save more than $600 million annually. It would be as if 800,000 cars were taken off the road, according to a Web site maintained by the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency.
[...]

Homeowners’ reluctance prompted lawmakers to illuminate the path forward. The new energy law says that in 2012, any bulb emitting the amount of light a 100-watt bulb does today must use only 72 watts. In 2014, 40-, 60- and 75-watt bulbs will have to cut energy consumption by similar percentages.

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I received the link to this website from a woman who runs a pet rescue center. Needless to say, she was appalled. I don’t know if this is for real, but I don’t know why anyone would go to the trouble of setting it up if it’s not for real. Sickening. C O L D! I think some emails are in order………

Ibuystrays.com

From the site:

There are many reasons one may wish to no longer be a pet owner.

-Say you’re moving and can’t take tabby with you.
-Say your expensive hound just had a litter of mutts.
-Say your pooch isn’t friendly, won’t potty train, destroys your possessions, etc., etc., etc.

You can enjoy their wonderful puppy / kitten stage and then reap a cash reward for having grown such a fine specimen. Start over with a new kitten every six months! Win,Win, and Win!

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“Republicans sharply limited Democrats’ influence“?

I think the word they should have used here is ‘annihilated’. And with good reason. If Republicans had maintained their majority in ‘06, there wouldn’t have been much difference this past year. Oh, maybe a lot of time would have been saved on investigations - that ultimately went no where! Sure, Gonzo stepped down. But did that really change anything?

Majority Democrats’ Power Checked by GOP

The look of failure

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats running Congress for the first time in more than a decade faltered at key points this year as they grudgingly passed important bills that many, or even most, of their House members opposed. When Republicans were in charge, they pledged to avoid such a fate.

Republican solidarity also forced House Democrats to abandon a campaign promise to pay for new programs with tax increases or budget cuts, and thereby not resort to new deficit spending.

In the Senate, Republicans repeatedly used their filibuster powers to block or weaken Democratic proposals. Backed by President Bush’s veto threats, the minority party managed to sharply limit the Democrats’ influence on a range of issues throughout the year.

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So the New York Police Department is to blame, eh Rudy? I’m sure that’s going to go over well. Unless Rudy has some high-up willing scapegoats, look for a response from the dept. by tomorrow morning.

“…because of threats against him and his loved ones, including Nathan.”

Really?! Why is this the first we’ve heard of this, Rudy? Coming up with a (not so) good excuse takes time, I suppose.

It’s really all academic anyways. Once the republican party finds out that Rudy had an extramarital affair while holding political office, the shit’s gonna really hit the fan! [snark]

Giuliani defends questionable expenses

WASHINGTON - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Sunday defended the expenses incurred by his security detail as he was beginning an extramarital affair with current wife Judith Nathan, saying police made the decision after she received threats.
[...]

Smiling broadly and laughing at some of the tougher questions put to him on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Giuliani did not directly answer when asked why the security expenses were billed to obscure city offices, making their detection more difficult. He responded that the NYPD had deemed the security detail necessary because of threats against him and his loved ones, including Nathan.

One more thing. After digesting this article, am I still supposed to believe Rudy is the fearless leader he’s made himself out to be during, and following, the 9-11 tragedy?

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Bur$atil alerted us to this story. I googled it and this is what I came up with. It seems they sprayed Checkmate OLR-F over the area prior to testing it for potential harmful effects to humans. Later tested, they claim it is harmless to humans, although many people reported respiratory problems. Who do you believe. Let’s see…..I’ll believe the people who got sick.

From the 9/6/07Mcweekly.com:

Mr. Unpopularity: State Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura got an earful at last week’s meeting about unpopular plans to spray pheromones over the Peninsula.

Under pressure from three mayors, an Assemblyman, local nonprofits and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), the State has postponed plans to aerially spray the Peninsula with a synthetic pheromone designed to disrupt the light brown apple moth’s mating pattern - but only for four days. The spray, originally scheduled for Sept. 5-7, has been moved to Sept. 9-11.

On Aug. 29, California Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura and members of his staff presented their case to more than 200 residents at the Monterey Conference Center. They emphasized the need to eradicate the invasive moth, which can damage more than 250 plant varieties, before it spreads.

During public comment, about 50 speakers questioned the health impacts of coating the area with pheromone products. Members of Helping Our Peninsula’s Environment cited a federal designation of the products as “moderately toxic” to marine invertebrates.

From a 10/25/07 article: An 11 month old child nearly died from breathing difficulties. A six year old child developed asthma as a result of the aerial spraying. Over one hundred people signed affidavits stating that they got sick from the spraying. Hundreds of people had symptoms like; shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness, burning lungs, nausea, and muscle aches.

Allen Roland claims he experienced respiratory problems while visiting the area, and after investigating, found out the spraying was the cause.

From a 10/25/07 article, some people left town for fear of respiratory problems.

From an 11/2//07 article: The Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors sued the California Department of Food and Agriculture to stop the treatmentsI, to no avail.

From an 11/3/07 article: It seems they went ahead, and OVERSPRAYED.

From an 11/4/07 article: They are now going to spray North County, where residents are quieter about it.

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If I had a child that died in war and these assholes showed up at the funeral, somebody would get hurt and it wouldn’t be me.

A grieving father won a $2.9 million verdict today against a fundamentalist Kansas church that pickets military funerals out of a belief that the war in Iraq is a punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality.

Albert Snyder of York, Pa., sued the Westboro Baptist Church for unspecified damages after members staged a demonstration at the March 2006 funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq.

Church members routinely picket funerals of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, carrying signs such as “Thank God for dead soldiers” and “God hates fags.”

More at Bostonherald.com

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I’ve been watching a case down here in Florida. Martin Lee Anderson was a 14 year old youth who was struggling. His parents were strugging, also, to straighten him out. Martin was sent to a boot camp because of a probation violation, and his parents thought the people there were going to help them with their son. Instead, their son ended up dead at the hands of the guards at the boot camp.

The reason this case has been of special interest to me is because I have a son. He’s 26 now, but at the age of 14 he was having some emotional problems. We struggled so. I took him to therapy and put him on anti-depressants (which he hated me for). I made an appointment with the school psychologist. I asked for any help he might be able to give me. Any suggestions. His suggestion was to send my son to a boot camp. He had never had any discipline problems. None. But this was the psychologists answer. Needless to say, I walked out of the guy’s office never to return. I think there’s alot of kids in so called “boot camps” who don’t belong there, but in their struggle to find help for their children, parents go along with this idea. Because they are desperate.

Back to Martin. When Martin Lee Anderson ended up dead, the medical examiner claimed he died from internal bleeding caused by sickle cell anemia. The problem was, there was a videotape of Martin being beaten…….a 30 minute beating. A second autopsy determined Martin’s death was not caused by sickle cell, nor was it from natural causes.

There were calls to shut down the Florida Juvenile Justice systems boot camps but then governor Jeb Bush said no. Eventually the Florida legislature called for the closing of the camps.

Eight of the boot camp guards and a nurse were eventually charged with aggravated manslaughter, and it was a good day for Martin’s parents. They thought justice would be served. They were wrong.

This month, it took an all white jury in Panama City, Florida (redneck riviera) 90 minutes to decide to acquit all those charged. The day I heard that verdict I about died. I can’t imagine in my wildest dreams the anger, disappointment and sadness Martin’s parents must have felt that day.

The state has awarded Martin’s parents $5 million for wrongful death. But this is not the ultimate justice they were seeking.

Yesterday, the NAACP lead about 700 protesters at the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, demanding justice. I watched the protest on the television and all I could think of is ……..where are the white people? Why are there only black people protesting this injustice? There’s something very very wrong with this picture. While I do believe it is a black/white issue as far as the jury and acquittal are concerned (the panhandle of Florida is filled with redneck morons), I also believe people of all races should be screaming about this case. It’s just soooooooooooo wrong.

The Department of Justice in Washington and the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida are going to review the state’s prosecution of this case. Let’s hope they do the right thing and these murderers go to jail.

Anyone who thinks race is not an issue in America is sadly mistaken. Read the comments in the local newspapers down here and you can see racism is alive and well. It just seems to me that we’re moving backwards. And with everything else that is wrong in this country right now, we should be united, not divided. People should unite and let the justice system know we’re not going to put up with this kind of injustice, no matter what color the victim!

C’mon people!!!

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“line up well with the national priorities of the administration”? Say what? I suppose if it doesn’t fit into the mold of the Bush administration’s talking-points echo chamber, then it’s a huge waste of time. They do, after all, admit to only watching FOX News.

Nope. I am NOT surprised.

Sources: White House cut testimony

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House severely edited congressional testimony given Tuesday by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the impact of climate change on health, removing specific scientific references to potential health risks, according to two sources familiar with the documents.
[...]

But [Dr. Julie Gerberding’s] prepared testimony was devoted entirely to the CDC’s preparation, with few details on what effects climate change could have on the spread of disease. Only during questioning did she describe some specific diseases that likely would be affected, again without elaboration.
[...]

“It was eviscerated,” said a CDC official, familiar with both versions, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the review process.

The official said that while it is customary for testimony to be changed in a White House review, these changes were particularly “heavy-handed,” with the document cut from its original 14 pages to four. It was six pages as presented to the Senate committee.

Associated Press

CNN.com

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The right-wingers’ attacks on twelve-year old Graeme Frost and his family have been despicable, and a new low even for them (let’s hope it takes them a long time to outdo this one). It’s not as if their poor arguments, distortions, outright lies and personal attacks are anything new, but their true inner ugliness has been on full display, more blatantly than usual. To date, I haven’t seen any conservative say anything like, “We all feel bad for Graeme and Gemma Frost and their entire family, but this law would still be bad because…” Of course, arguing against health care for poor and middle-class children is hard on the merits, and arguing anything on the merits isn’t the conservative style anyway. More pointedly, such a statement would require an expression of compassion, an acknowledgement of humanity, and perhaps some slight recognition that bad things happen to good people, the same thing could happen to any of us or our kids, and we’re all in this together. But all of those are pretty antithetical to conservatism.

While the right-wing machine - and Michelle Malkin especially - have been at their most rabid and contemptible, many of the challenges to them have been superb. Outrage over how the Frosts have been treated doesn’t make up for how they’ve been treated, of course, and sadly, they and other families continue to be targeted by the right-wing. It can’t be easy, especially given everything else they’ve been forced to handle. Perhaps, though, enough exposure and outrage can help pass some good legislation and push these far right extremists a little further to the fringe, where they belong.

In case you missed any of the hubbub, here’s a recap of some of the outpouring. It’s a long post whose main use is to skim over as a resource. Feel free to add any related links in the comments, since of course I missed or skipped many worthy pieces, and unfortunately, the attacks are ongoing.
Read more »

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This is one scarey looking woman…..or is she dressed early for Halloween????

From Global Research:
Seems the Global Research link isn’t working for some of us. Here’s another link to the story in the Daily Mail

Britsh MPs visiting the Pentagon to discuss America’s stance on Iran and Iraq were shocked to be told by one of President Bush’s senior women officials: “I hate all Iranians.”

And she also accused Britain of “dismantling” the Anglo-US-led coalition in Iraq by pulling troops out of Basra too soon.

The all-party group of MPs say Debra Cagan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Coalition Affairs to Defence Secretary Robert Gates, made the comments this month.

The six MPs were taken aback by the hardline approach of the Pentagon and in particular Ms Cagan, one of Mr Bush’s foreign policy advisers.

She made it clear that although the US had no plans to attack Iran, it did not rule out doing so if the Iranians ignored warnings not to develop a nuclear bomb.

It was her tone when they met her on September 11 that shocked them most.

The MPs say that at one point she said: “In any case, I hate all Iranians.”

Although it was an aside, it was not out of keeping with her general demeanour.

“She seemed more keen on saying she didn’t like Iranians than that the US had no plans to attack Iran,” said one MP. “She did say there were no plans for an attack but the tone did not fit the words.”

Another MP said: “I formed the impression that some in America are looking for an excuse to attack Iran. It was very alarming.”

Tory Stuart Graham, who was on the ten-day trip, would not discuss Ms Cagan but said: “It was very sobering to hear from the horse’s mouth how the US sees the situation.”

Ms Cagan, whose job involves keeping the coalition in Iraq together, also criticised Britain for pulling out troops.

“She said if we leave the south of Iraq, the Iranians will take it over,” said one MP.

Another said: “She is very forceful and some of my colleagues were intimidated by her muscular style.”

The MPs also saw Henry Worcester, Deputy Director of the Office of Iranian Affairs, who said he favoured talks with Iran.

The Pentagon denied Ms Cagan said she “hated” Iranians.

“She doesn’t speak that way,” said an official.

But when The Mail on Sunday spoke to four of the six MPs, three confirmed privately that she made the remark and one declined to comment. The other two could not be contacted.

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from Save The Internet.Com

We-ve just been handed another view of Verizon’s gatekeeper tendencies with a report Wednesday night that the company’s wireless arm is blocking pro-choice text messages.

According to the New York Times, Verizon Wireless has rejected Naral Pro-Choice America efforts to use Verizon’s mobile text-message program to communicate to its membership.

Such text messaging is an important new tool for advocacy organizations seeking to educate and alert their members. Verizon decision to block this new form of political speech interferes with its users- right to get information that they choose to receive.

The move gives off a familiar scent - and puts Verizon in the same league with its cohorts at AT&T, who in August censored the live Webcast of a Pearl Jam performance that included criticism of President George Bush.

The truth is that whenever given the choice, phone companies will opt to discriminate against content they don-t like. Such efforts to stem the free flow of information should be a wake up call for anyone concerned about phone company plans to begin filtering Internet content.

Verizon and AT&T routinely rail against Net Neutrality as a “solution in search of a problem.” They swarm Washington with lobbyists offering promises never to interfere with the free flow of online content. And then they lobby for new laws that will allow them to do just that.

AT&T and Verizon share a history of breaking trust with the public, including handing over customer phone records to the government - and then seeking immunity from prosecution for doing so; promising to deliver services to underserved communities and then skipping town; pledging never to interfere with the free flow of information while hatching plans with the likes of Cisco and Viacom to build and deploy technology that will spy on online traffic.

read more at SAVETHEINTERNET.COM

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Oh gee, the guy gets out 13 days early. There are just way too many of these cases. Again I point you to the Innocence Project. Jim did an interview with them, which you can find in the Blue Herald Radio archives. I hope Mr. Bostic is able to enjoy life!!

After more than 19 years in prison, Larry Bostic on Friday walked out of a Broward County courtroom a free man.

Bostic, now 51, was happy and philosophical about his release on a rape charge after test results showed his DNA does not match evidence from the crime.

“I’m lucky. My family stuck with me through this ordeal,” said Bostic before heading to the jail to have an electronic monitoring device removed from his ankle.

Earlier Friday morning, Broward Circuit Judge Marc Gold vacated the remaining 13 days left on his state prison sentence.

The prosecutor, Morgan Rood, wished Bostic good luck.

More at the Sun Sentinel

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