Someone should pay for these deaths…..BIG TIME!

In October 2004, the United States Army issued an urgent bulletin to commanders across Iraq, warning them of a deadly new threat to American soldiers. Because of flawed electrical work by contractors, the bulletin stated, soldiers at American bases in Iraq had received severe electrical shocks, and some had even been electrocuted.

The bulletin, with the headline “The Unexpected Killer,” was issued after the horrific deaths of two soldiers who were caught in water - one in a shower, the other in a swimming pool - that was suddenly electrified after poorly grounded wiring short-circuited.

“We-ve had several shocks in showers and near misses here in Baghdad, as well as in other parts of the country,” Frank Trent, an expert with the Army Corps of Engineers, wrote in the bulletin. “As we install temporary and permanent power on our projects, we must ensure that we require contractors to properly ground electrical systems.”

Since that warning, at least two more American soldiers have been electrocuted in similar circumstances. In all, at least a dozen American military personnel have been electrocuted in Iraq, according to the Pentagon and Congressional investigators.

More at the NYTimes

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Rev. Wright… WHO?

Via Wonkette:

In steps Mickey Kantor, the chairman of Bill [Clinton’s] campaign, to express his views on the good blue-collars of Indiana. They are not only the pride and soul of America, according to the subtitles, but they are also “shit” and “white niggers.”

(emphasis mine)

What Clinton’s People Really Think About Indiana

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Note: Kantor denies claim

** UPDATE **

Some progressive sites, (one in particular which I won’t link to), are saying that it is wrong to show this video… that we should be taking the high road. Well I’m tired of taking the high road. Look what the high road got us in 2000 and 2004.

So many people in politics love to fling poo. The Rev. Wright story is a prime example. In no way does this man dictate what Barack Obama does, yet for weeks we were told it mattered. IT DOES NOT MATTER! Just poo-flinging to make Obama look bad.

But, congratulations. It worked as planned.

** UPDATE II **

Maybe it is a hoax after all:

In an interview with the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein, Kantor said, “I’ve never used that word in my entire life, ever, under any circumstance, ever … If you look at The War Room, this is not the way [James] Carville or George [Stephanopoulos] interpreted my statement. This is frankly libelous … My parents would come from the grave and kill me if I used that word.” In his report on the interview, Stein concluded, “A review of the original copy … is virtually inaudible. The sound suggests, if anything, that instead of saying ‘How would you like to be a worthless white n****r?’ Kantor says, ‘How would you like to be in the White House right now?’”

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Call me crazy but this isn’t the way to make friends and influence people. Another scapegoat. The Air Force. Gee, that’s nice. Hey Bobby…. if you’re not happy with the leaders, can’t you change them???? Isn’t that your job? And if they are dragging their feet, maybe there’s a reason. Maybe it’s time to GET OUT!!!! Talk about a dumb thing to say.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday the Air Force is not doing enough to help in the Iraq and Afghanistan war effort, complaining that some military leaders are “stuck in old ways of doing business.”

Gates said in a speech at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., that getting the Air Force to send more surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to Iraq and Afghanistan has been “like pulling teeth.”

More at Yahoo News

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When the U.S. Postal Service rang up a $13,500 tab at an Orlando steakhouse, it spared no expense during a five-hour meal that government investigators are calling “abusive” in its extravagance.

The order — charged to government credit cards — included more than $3,000 for drinks, more than $500 for shrimp cocktails and almost $900 for mini crab cakes, according to the Government Accountability Office, the investigate arm of Congress.

And then there’s the steak.

“The better question is probably what they didn’t order,” GAO investigator Gregory Kutz said Wednesday. He counted 81 entrees — including just about every kind of steak — from the 2006 feast at Ruth’s Chris Steak House on Sand Lake Road.

More at the Sun Sentinel

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So stop bothering us already!

White House: Computer hard drives tossed

WASHINGTON - Older White House computer hard drives have been destroyed, the White House disclosed to a federal court Friday in a controversy over millions of possibly missing e-mails from 2003 to 2005.

The White House revealed new information about how it handles its computers in an effort to persuade a federal magistrate it would be fruitless to undertake an e-mail recovery plan that the court proposed.

“When workstations are at the end of their lifecycle and retired … the hard drives are generally sent offsite to another government entity for physical destruction,” the White House said in a sworn declaration filed with U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola.

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Sounds like Congressman Liston has an upclose and personal view of how things used to be. Ugh…..

A Republican state representative in Colorado has apologized for calling unmarried teenage parents “sluts.”

Larry Liston of Colorado Springs was talking at a GOP caucus meeting about teenagers who have babies and expect the government to support them.

“In my parents’ day and age, they were sent away, they were shunned, they were called what they are,” Liston told the caucus. “There was at least a sense of shame.” He then used the word “slut,” adding, “I don’t mean just the women. I mean the men, too.”

Full story at Raw Story

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Horse Shit Cigarettes are made from the finest grade of domestic and imported horse shit obtainable. Only fresh midd horse shit is used. NOT MULE SHIT. And they are roasted to keep that mild, sweet taste.

(Okay, the second paragraph doesn’t appear on the package. But it should.)

The problem with a horse race is that it produces a lot of horse shit. Sure, it’s fun to mock the boastful swells in the press box for losing all their bets on New Hampshire, but they’ve been wrong plenty of times before in this election season alone, and it’s not as if they all learn their lesson. A day after Chris Matthews said he’d “never underestimate Hillary Clinton again,” he said that the reason she was elected senator was because “her husband messed around.” Of course, in addition to peddling his own special brand of horse shit, Matthews is virulently anti-Clinton, a sexist and often seems delusional. But he’s far from the only prominent pundit with a short memory or no shame. As one of Matthews’ colleagues observed:

“The pirouettes are amazing,” says Brokaw, who was analyzing the campaign on MSNBC. “The utter confidence with which everyone had been wrong 20 minutes earlier, they have the same utter confidence about what produced this surprise. It’s intellectually dishonest.”

Read more »

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Our congress must have all business taken care of for the year, as they are now passing the most ridiculous legislation you can imagine. You just can’t make this shit up. Today the House passed H.Res. 847, 379-9 with 10 members also voting “Present,” meaning they took no position on the legislation, and 40 not voting. One of the “Present” votes was cast by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.). More Democrats -195 - voted for the bill than Republicans, 177. What was this resolution you ask? A resolution declaring Christmas and the Christian faith are important. Like I said, you just can’t make this shit up.

Here’s the text of H.Res. 847, just so you know how important Christianity and Xmas are:

“Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith.

Whereas Christmas, a holiday of great significance to Americans and many other cultures and nationalities, is celebrated annually by Christians throughout the United States and the world;

Whereas there are approximately 225,000,000 Christians in the United States, making Christianity the religion of over three-fourths of the American population;

Whereas there are approximately 2,000,000,000 Christians throughout the world, making Christianity the largest religion in the world and the religion of about one-third of the world population;

Whereas Christians identify themselves as those who believe in the salvation from sin offered to them through the sacrifice of their savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and who, out of gratitude for the gift of salvation, commit themselves to living their lives in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Bible;

Whereas Christians and Christianity have contributed greatly to the development of western civilization;

Whereas the United States, being founded as a constitutional republic in the traditions of western civilization, finds much in its history that points observers back to its roots in Christianity;

Whereas on December 25 of each calendar year, American Christians observe Christmas, the holiday celebrating the birth of their savior, Jesus Christ;

Whereas for Christians, Christmas is celebrated as a recognition of God’s redemption, mercy, and Grace; and

Whereas many Christians and non-Christians throughout the United States and the rest of the world, celebrate Christmas as a time to serve others: Now, therefore be it

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WASHINGTON - GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said Sunday he won’t run from his statement 15 years ago that AIDS patients should have been isolated.

Huckabee acknowledged the prevailing scientific view then, and since, that the virus that causes AIDS is not spread through casual contact, but said that was not certain. He cited revelations in 1991 that a dentist had infected a patient in an extraordinary case that highlighted the risk of infection through contact with blood or bodily fluids.

“I still believe this today,” he said in a broadcast interview, that “we were acting more out of political correctness” in responding to the AIDS crisis. “I don’t run from it, I don’t recant it,” he said of his position in 1992. Yet he said he would state his view differently in retrospect. (emphasis mine)

The article also states:

Huckabee stated his 1992 positions in an AP questionnaire in which he also called homosexuality “an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle.”

Strong words, coming from an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful person! I mean, Mike is aberrant in that his Christian faith is on the decline, (departing from the usual course), unnatural in that he pushes for ID over Darwin, and sinful in that his own religion states “judge not lest ye be judged“. And poor ol’ Mike has done a lot of judging in his time!

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Ok, the guy is FORCED to resign from the World Bank because of his shady shennanigans and we’re gonna place him as the chair of an advisory committee on arms control? And nevermind that…..Wolfowitz was a major architect of President Bush’s Iraq policy and, within the Administration, its most passionate and compelling advocate, and we all know how that turned out. WTF……these people have no fucking shame.

Paul Wolfowitz, forced to resign from the World Bank because of his role in obtaining a high-paying promotion for his companion, is slated to chair a U.S. State Department advisory panel on arms control, a U.S. official said on Monday.

The official, who spoke on condition that he not be named because of the appointment has not yet been made public, said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice planned to name the former deputy defense secretary and an architect of the Iraq war to chair the International Security Advisory Board.

The board gives the State Department independent advice on arms control, disarmament, international security and other matters and its members include two former directors of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

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What have we become? What would we call it if the head of a U.S. corporation were kidnapped because he committed crimes in another country? What happened to extradition? That isn’t good enough for us but it should be good enough for everyone else?

AMERICA has told Britain that it can “kidnap” British citizens if they are wanted for crimes in the United States.

A senior lawyer for the American government has told the Court of Appeal in London that kidnapping foreign citizens is permissible under American law because the US Supreme Court has sanctioned it.

The admission will alarm the British business community after the case of the so-called NatWest Three, bankers who were extradited to America on fraud charges. More than a dozen other British executives, including senior managers at British Airways and BAE Systems, are under investigation by the US authorities and could face criminal charges in America. extraordinary rendition

Until now it was commonly assumed that US law permitted kidnapping only in the “” of terrorist suspects.

The American government has for the first time made it clear in a British court that the law applies to anyone, British or otherwise, suspected of a crime by Washington.

More at the Times Online

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It pisses me off to no end that whoever has the most money wins elections. People, that’s not democracy! We all know it too. But where the hell is the outrage?

THIS CREEP NEEDS TO BE KICKED TO THE CURB!

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) — For someone accustomed to being a political aggressor, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has a bull’s eye on his back at the beginning of what may be his toughest re-election campaign in years.
[...]

But McConnell’s Democratic opponent likely will face an uphill climb to compete financially in what is expected to be an expensive race. As of September 30, McConnell had raised more than $9 million and had nearly $7 million on hand for the 2008 campaign.

“Obviously, it will be a difficult race because he is the champion of fundraising,” said Gov.-elect Steve Beshear, a Democrat who won a lopsided victory this month over first-term Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher.
[...]

Former U.S. Sen. Wendell Ford, a Democrat, said Beshear’s election makes it a tougher race for McConnell. One thing is for sure, he said: The Democratic nominee can expect McConnell to run a hard-hitting campaign.

“Before you get started, the people will already know who you are, what you are,” Ford said, “because he’s already framed you.”

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‘Repugnant’, but legal, eh Michael? Not really sure where to stand, Michael? Why not test it out on yourself! Go ahead, give it a whirl… then get back with us, mkay?

Mukasey unsure on waterboarding legality

Attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey “expected to be approved without significant objection.”

Attorney general nominee vows to follow law, calls technique A-repugnant-

WASHINGTON - President Bush’s nominee for attorney general told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that he does not know whether it is legal for interrogators to use waterboarding, a technique that simulates drowning.

In an effort to satisfy senators from both parties who question his views on terrorism-related matters, Michael Mukasey pledged to study the waterboarding issue. He called the technique “repugnant to me.”

“If, after such a review, I determine that any technique is unlawful, I will not hesitate to so advise the president and will rescind or correct any legal opinion of the Department of Justice that supports the use of the technique,” Mukasey wrote to the committee’s 10 Democrats.

MSNBC.com

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From CNN’s Political Ticker:

McClurkin claims “homosexuality is a choice and that he overcame homosexual desires through prayer.”

Of course this is pure hogwash! McClurkin is not gay and never has been. He’s obviously bisexual, and is repressing strong inner desires to do the nasty dance with big, burly men. Repressing is never good though. He’ll become more and more bitter over time until, one day, a security guard will arrest his ass in some public bathroom sting operation.

Mark my words.

Until that day, grit your teeth and try to come to terms with the fact that bigotry and christian idiocy (which are mostly one and the same) are protected rights in our country.

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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.
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