oh SHITE and i am literally dry heaving too

Senate Confirms Alito To High Court

ok ok one more blog of note and that's IT, i CANNOT read any more!

mercy please

thumping the tub

coretta scott king has passed

Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Widow, Dies
POSTED: 7:27 am EST January 31, 2006
UPDATED: 7:38 am EST January 31, 2006
Civil rights leader Coretta Scott King, the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has died, according to former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young.
She was 78 years old.
King is survived by four children. ........









(the estate of martin luther king, jr)

you know i just HAD to post this story!

nbc30.com
Dominatrix Not Guilty In Dismemberment Case
Woman Charged In Man's Death
POSTED: 4:08 pm EST January 30, 2006
UPDATED: 5:31 pm EST January 30, 2006
BOSTON -- A Massachussetts jury on Monday found a dominatrix not guilty of manslaughter and dismemberment in the death of one of her clients who prosecutors argued had a heart attack during a bondage session.
Barbara Asher, 56, of Quincy, was charged in connection with the July 2000 death of Mike Lord, of North Hampton, N.H. Officials said that Lord died of a heart attack while restrained in the defendant's so-called dungeon as a paying client.
During closing arguments last week, prosecutor Robert Nelson put on a black latex mask and re-enacted Lord's death before the judge ordered him to move on.
Officials claimed that Asher and her boyfriend cut up Lord's body and dumped it in Maine, but Lord's remains were never found.
Asher pleaded not guilty to the charges, but prosecutors alleged that Asher told police what happened to Lord during a taped interview in August 2000. It was while the tape was off that, police said, Asher told officials that Lord died while suspended by his wrists during a bondage session.
Asher's lawyer, Stephanie Page, argued that because Lord's body was never found, there was no evidence that he was dead.
"No body. No blood. No DNA. No evidence. That's how I started this case, and I suggest to you that nothing has changed," Page said.

goodbye wendy, the lights on broadway will be dimmed for you!

55 is WAY too young to leave this earth

Playwright Wendy Wasserstein Dies


By MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Writer Mon Jan 30, 6:04 PM ET
Playwright Wendy Wasserstein, who chronicled the feminist struggles and successes of the baby-boomer generation in such wryly observant works as "The Heidi Chronicles" and "The Sisters Rosensweig," has died of lymphoma at the age of 55.
Wasserstein died Monday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, said Andre Bishop, head of Lincoln Center Theater and Wasserstein's close friend and mentor. She had been ill for several months.
Broadway theaters will dim their lights Tuesday in honor of Wasserstein.
"Wendy had a voice like no other and a great sense of the absurd," said Swoosie Kurtz, who appeared in "Uncommon Women and Others," Wasserstein's first stage success. "She could take something that was sad or somber in life, wrap her words around it and somehow make it light and not so disturbing."
Wasserstein's writing was known for its sharp, often comedic look about what women had to do to succeed in a world dominated by men.
"She was an extraordinary human being whose work and whose life were extremely intertwined," said Bishop, who produced most of her works, first at Playwrights Horizons and later at Lincoln Center Theater. "She was not unlike the heroines of most of her plays — a strong-minded, independent, serious good person who happened to have a wicked sense of humor."........

get our your burkas

Women of Gaza fear for their freedoms under new religious regime
By Donald Macintyre
Published: 30 January 2006
Naila Ayesh, a secular married woman who frequently goes about Gaza in Western clothes, has already noticed a subtle change since Hamas's election victory last Wednesday.
"You will hear even kids saying to you, 'your head isn't covered now but it will be. You can drive now but you won't be able to later." She relates, too, how a woman friend described telling a neighbour that her child attended Gaza City's American school. "What, you send her to the crusader school?" the shocked neighbour replied. "Why don't you send her to the Sheikh Ahmed Yassin school [named after the late Hamas founder] where she can learn languages as well as the Koran?" Ms Ayesh added: "All this happened before but it's been happening more since the election."
Ms Ayesh is a staunch Palestinian nationalist - both she and her husband have served severe terms in Israeli prisons for their politics. But her worries about the rippling internal effects of Hamas's victory go further than these relatively trivial omens.
For Ms Ayesh runs the Women's Affairs Centre, a brave oasis of progressive feminism in fiercely conservative Gaza. The Islamic faction and its allies in the mosques do not warm to many of its causes; the centre has campaigned for a shelter for battered women here, but its campaign has been in vain because of fears that a shelter would encourage women to leave their husbands..........

two new blogs i've fallen in love with

in addition to discovering verb-ops i discovered two more amazing blogs. neil shakespeare's blog (and neil's web site featuring his art neil shakespeare)and roryshock's blog (and rory's web site featuring his art, his stories and much more rory shock).

i'm really NEVER going to get anything done reading these sites and skippy's site of course

and so many others...........

the three new blogs/websites above feature incredible artwork. please check that out too. i consider myself lucky for each of them sharing their words with the cosmos (and me).

(photos of me by vincenzo, doctoring by moi. i can be artistic too ya know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

will we have to go back to dark alleys and coat hangers?

not if i can help it! we CANNOT let this happen. i respect a woman's right to CHOOSE

Bush To Abortion Opponents: 'We Shall Prevail'
(CBS) CHICAGO President Bush had a message for abortion opponents Monday, marking the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. He told them: "We shall prevail."As CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports, the president's tone appears to have changed.The anniversary of Roe vs. Wade always sparks debate. The 33rd anniversary of the abortion rights ruling was no different -- with one exception. By phone, President Bush told a group of abortion opponents, "we're working to persuade more of our fellow Americans of the rightness of our cause.""And history tells us that with such a cause, we will prevail," he added.The statements drew cheers from anti-abortion activists in Washington and little surprise from activists here."At least in terms of recollection from previous years it seems to me that his message was very similar," said Bill Beckman, president of the Illinois Right To Life Committee. But the CEO of Planned Parenthood Chicago, an abortion rights organization, says Bush's statements were bolder than in the past and potentially more revealing in light of his recent nominee to the Supreme Court, conservative Judge Samuel Alito.

and here's a little somethin' somethin' from the daily kos

i hate bugs, i HATE them with a passion

i am phobic about bugs (see this entry from my connecticut blog what is the date today? )

and i KNEW what cochineal was (there was an issue a few years ago with a popular juice using this as coloring agent. once i read about it and found out what it was, i checked EVERYTHING before i ate or wore it on my face) but i didn't know what carmine was nor e120 OR the simple 'color added' tag. i am also a vegan (well as close to being one as i can be. i'm not a saint. i use wool and silk and i'm sure i have eaten the occasional item with milk or an egg in it. i'm guilty enough so stop heaping abuse on me, OK!). anyway, along comes this article on cnn's website

FDA: You're eating crushed bug juice
Cochineal extract, carmine should be listed on labels, officials say
WASHINGTON (AP) -- That ice cream you're eating or the lipstick you're wearing just might contain extract from crushed bugs. On purpose.
And the government thinks you should know.
The Food and Drug Administration proposed Friday requiring food and cosmetic labels to list cochineal extract or carmine if a product's ingredients include either of the two red colorings that have been extracted from the ground bodies of an insect known since the time of the Aztecs.
Release of the proposed rule came after the FDA received 35 reports of hypersensitivity to the colorings, the agency said. A 1998 petition by the Center for Science in the Public Interest asked that the FDA take action.
The widespread use of the dyes in everything from yogurt to lipstick hasn't exactly been well-disclosed: The ingredients typically are listed as "color added" or "E120," the FDA said.
Carmine puts the red in ice cream, strawberry milk, fake crab and lobster, fruit cocktail cherries, port wine cheese, lumpfish eggs and liqueurs like Campari, according to the FDA. Carmine is also used in lipstick, makeup base, eye shadow, eyeliners, nail polishes and baby products, the agency said. Meanwhile, cochineal extract shows up in fruit drinks, candy, yogurt and some processed foods.
That can upset vegetarians, Jews trying to keep kosher and anyone who might blanch at learning their blush is made from bugs........

i need to go outside and scream

in a 'perfect' (note, not MY definition of perfect by any means) world, everyone would be abstinent until marriage and everyone would be faithful in that marriage. there would be no hunger, no lack of shelter, no abortions, no child abuse, we would study how the dinosaurs were corralled and broken so that the macho men of the clans could ride them.....

well we DON'T live in a perfect world and abstinence will NEVER work in ANY country. people get aids through unprotected sex and intravenous drug use. part of aids funding SHOULD go to education AND protection (i.e. condoms and the like). you can give 'faith based' organizations their share of the pie too, but be real and don't have them ONLY teaching abstinence. have them doling out condoms on the side as well. people are going to continue to have s - e - x. that is just how it is out in the real world. if that is ignored, aids (and other illnesses as well as PREGNANCIES) will occur. people will get sick, people will die, people will have abortions and people will give birth to unwanted children. help people help themselves EDUCATE THEM

Religious Groups Get Chunk of AIDS Money
By RITA BEAMISH

New groups are springing up to win a piece of President Bush's $15 billion AIDS program, with traditional players and religious groups joining forces to improve their chances in a competition that already has targeted nearly a quarter of its grants for faith-based organizations.
The administration is putting out a call for new community and church groups to get involved in HIV prevention and care in 15 target countries, most in sub-Saharan Africa. It is reserving $200 million specifically for groups with little or no government grant experience.
Groups that have deep local ties in the countries and focus on abstinence and fidelity - instead of just condoms - are faring well.
"The notion that because people have always received aid money that they'll get money needs to end," Deputy Global AIDS coordinator Mark Dybul said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.............

is he afraid of being photographed with the 'wrong' person?

Photogs Slam White House Use of Staged Pictures
By Joe Strupp Published: January 30, 2006 12:05 AM ET
NEW YORK-- White House photographers aren't looking for a handout these days. In fact, they've gotten far too many.While the practice of providing news organizations with staged photos of events involving the president goes back decades, veteran shooters at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue say it has become almost a regular occurrence with the Bush Administration. A review of Associated Press archives found that during the entire eight years of the Clinton administration, only 100 handout photos of events were released to the press. During the first five years of Bush's presidency, more than 500 have been distributed.The key is that each of these events were closed to news photographers."They average about two per week," said Susan Walsh, an AP photojournalist and president of the White House News Photographers Association, after directing that review. "The White House staff photographer's role is to document the president. They have now crossed the line and become public relations photographers for the administration."She added: "I don't know the rationale behind it, but there are [handout] events that could clearly include press coverage. The problem with the [photo] releases is that they are often of events that could accommodate press coverage and that previous administrations had allowed press to cover."Bush Press Secretary Scott McClellan did not return several calls seeking comment...........

when the men are gone: women taking care of women

men killing men over land, power, religion or whatever. yes, there are women who kill too, but certainly NOT in the numbers men do.

Southern Thailand's 'Widow Farm'
By Will Baxter In Narathiwat, southern Thailand
Nisah Dooramean has a new home and a new life in southern Thailand, but it is no compensation for what she has lost.
Nisah's husband Nima, a local fish merchant, was killed in December 2004 in a shooting blamed on Muslim insurgents.
Such incidents have become daily events in Thailand's south, where more than 1,000 people have been killed over the last two years in violence blamed on insurgents and the security forces.
Nisah, a Thai Muslim and mother of five, now lives in a village for widows near Rotan Batu in Muang district, Narathiwat province.
The village, dubbed the 'Widow Farm' by locals, is sponsored by the Thai royal family and is currently home to the widows of 103 men killed during the insurgency in three Muslim-majority southern provinces - Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani.
The project was launched in September 2004 by Thailand's Queen Sirikit, who donated 20m baht ($514,000) of her own money to purchase the land on which the village is now located.
The primary purpose of the village is to provide the widows - who would struggle to make a living by themselves - with housing and independence.
The village, covering 271 acres, is now self-sufficient, with residents living off the land and profits from fruit and vegetables they sell at local markets.
In addition to a house, the women receive two rai (less than one acre) of land, on which many grow fruits, vegetables, herbs and rice, or raise ducks and chickens.
A demonstration farm has also been developed so the widows and their children can learn about cultivation.
Although the widows' village is not seen as a particular target for insurgents, it is guarded 24 hours a day by Thai military personnel, with multiple check-points to give the residents peace of mind.
As a precautionary measure, the families - all but one or two of whom are Muslim - also do not do business on Fridays. This is because suspected militants threatened traders with reprisals if they worked on the Muslim holy day.
'Solidarity'
Janjira Prasatsin, whose police officer husband Kanook was shot and killed on 8 October, 2004, was positive about her new home.
"There is a feeling of solidarity... unity," she said.
The village is located along the Bang Nara River, about 20 minutes from Narathiwat town, and stands out from the rural setting.
Set against a backdrop of mangroves, rubber plantations and dense jungle, the uniform white homes are built duplex-style, with a concrete foundation, living quarters upstairs and a carport and open-air kitchen area downstairs.
The final goal of the project is to build 150 homes, and these are due to be completed soon..............

i'm shocked i tell ya, SHOCKED

NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!! the rich get richer, the fat get fatter (figuratively) and the peasants have to eat cake Halliburton swings to $1.1 billion profit, cites 2005 as company's best
By Steve Quinn
ASSOCIATED PRESS
5:45 p.m. January 26, 2006
DALLAS – Oilfield services conglomerate Halliburton Co. swung to a profit in its fourth quarter on robust sales and increased rig activity, and called last year the best in its 86-year history.
The income reversed a loss from a year earlier for Houston-based Halliburton, the company once led by Vice President Dick Cheney. Its KBR unit has become known for its support work for troops stationed in the Middle East.
Net income was $1.1 billion, or $2.08 a share, including a gain of $540 million or $1.02 a share, for a future tax allowance. That compared to a net loss of $203 million, or 46 cents a share last year, which included a $384 million loss from discontinued operations.
Fourth quarter revenue rose 12 percent to $5.8 billion, largely from the performance of its energy services group, which saw sales increase 31 percent..........

see i KNEW it, there ARE conservatives with a conscience!

did you notice how bushwhacked started reorganizing some of the people in appointed posts? did you notice how many (of course some with questionable qualifications)? i am sorry some lost their jobs or were denied promotions or were shunned. it makes my heart sing though to know some DO know right from wrong.

Newsweek: Bush appointees revolted over executive branch 'overreach'
01/29/2006 @ 3:24 am Filed by RAW STORY

Excerpted from Monday's Newsweek (to highlight central themes in a long article), titled "Palace Revolt: They were loyal conservatives, and Bush appointees. They fought a quiet battle to rein in the president's power in the war on terror. And they paid a price for it. A NEWSWEEK investigation. By Daniel Klaidman, Stuart Taylor Jr. and Evan Thomas." Full article here

Feb. 6, 2006 issue - James Comey, a lanky, 6-foot-8 former prosecutor who looks a little like Jimmy Stewart, resigned as deputy attorney general in the summer of 2005. The press and public hardly noticed. Comey's farewell speech, delivered in the Great Hall of the Justice Department, contained all the predictable, if heartfelt, appreciations. But mixed in among the platitudes was an unusual passage. Comey thanked "people who came to my office, or my home, or called my cell phone late at night, to quietly tell me when I was about to make a mistake; they were the people committed to getting it right—and to doing the right thing—whatever the price. These people," said Comey, "know who they are. Some of them did pay a price for their commitment to right, but they wouldn't have it any other way."...........

stolen stolen

ok, i haven't read roxy's world in a while. her latest entry was 'stolen', america's 50 MOST loathsome people

the beast's 50 most loathsome people in america

it's quite the little list - and for the most part, RIGHT ON

who are these 28%?

and what drugs are they on?

Gallup Asks the Classic Reagan Question: Finds Most Say Things Have Not Improved Under Bush

By E&P Staff Published: January 27, 2006 1:15 PM ET
NEW YORK On the eve of the State of the Union message, Gallup pollsters last week posed the question Ronald Reagan asked in 1980 when he was running against Jimmy Carter for president: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"The reply from Americans represents "a strong rebuke of the Bush era," Gallup declared today, with nearly two-thirds saying things have gotten worse in the past five years. Only 28% say things have improved.In reply to another question, 35% said they were "satisfied" with the direction of the country, and 65% are dissatisfied. Does this represent merely the lingering fallout from 9/11? Not likely, since only 3% cited "terrorism" and 2% "homeland security" as a main reason for offerign negative views. Most often cited as evidence that things have gotten worse: Iraq (cited by 26%) and "the economy" (24%)...........

what global warming, what pollution, what greenhouse gas?

why is it the bushwhacked administration either sweeps it under the rug or denies it's existance? do they believe 'the raputure' will happen so it doesn't matter if we kill our earth or not? well i DON'T believe in the rapture and i DO care what we do to our earth.

from editor and publisher

Two Top Papers Ask: Is the World on a Path to Doom--With an Assist from the White House?

NEW YORK
While most Americans remain preoccupied with war, terrorism, high gas prices--or the coming Pitt-Jolie baby--an issue that may dwarf all of those concerns receives major attention in the Sunday editions of The New York Times and The Washington Post.One story raises a nightmare scenario for the end of the world, at least as we know it, while the other suggests that the Bush administration doesn't want anyone to know about that.Here are the opening paragraphs of the two stories.*From The Washington Post article by Juliet Eilperin:Now that most scientists agree human activity is causing Earth to warm, the central debate has shifted to whether climate change is progressing so rapidly that, within decades, humans may be helpless to slow or reverse the trend.This "tipping point" scenario has begun to consume many prominent researchers in the United States and abroad, because the answer could determine how drastically countries need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years. While scientists remain uncertain when such a point might occur, many say it is urgent that policymakers cut global carbon dioxide emissions in half over the next 50 years or risk the triggering of changes that would be irreversible.There are three specific events that these scientists describe as especially worrisome and potentially imminent, although the time frames are a matter of dispute: widespread coral bleaching that could damage the world's fisheries within three decades; dramatic sea level rise by the end of the century that would take tens of thousands of years to reverse; and, within 200 years, a shutdown of the ocean current that moderates temperatures in northern Europe.........

and this from the nyt

Climate Expert Says NASA Tried to Silence Him
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
The top climate scientist at NASA says the Bush administration has tried to stop him from speaking out since he gave a lecture last month calling for prompt reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases linked to global warming.
The scientist, James E. Hansen, longtime director of the agency's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said in an interview that officials at NASA headquarters had ordered the public affairs staff to review his coming lectures, papers, postings on the Goddard Web site and requests for interviews from journalists.
Dr. Hansen said he would ignore the restrictions. "They feel their job is to be this censor of information going out to the public," he said.
Dean Acosta, deputy assistant administrator for public affairs at the space agency, said there was no effort to silence Dr. Hansen. "That's not the way we operate here at NASA," Mr. Acosta said. "We promote openness and we speak with the facts."
He said the restrictions on Dr. Hansen applied to all National Aeronautics and Space Administration personnel. He added that government scientists were free to discuss scientific findings, but that policy statements should be left to policy makers and appointed spokesmen.
Mr. Acosta said other reasons for requiring press officers to review interview requests were to have an orderly flow of information out of a sprawling agency and to avoid surprises. "This is not about any individual or any issue like global warming," he said. "It's about coordination."............

happy new year!

jimmy carter never got the props he deserved

commentary from oped news

Jimmy Carter: the Anti-Bush
By Mick Youther
Former President Jimmy Carter’s latest book, Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis, expresses his concerns about the increasing influence of the Christian Right on politics, and where this is taking America. (Note: page nos. refer to this book)• “During the last quarter century, there has been a parallel right-wing movement within American politics, often directly tied to the attributes of like-minded Christian groups. The revolutionary new political principles involve special favors for the powerful at the expense of others, abandonment of social justice, denigration of those who differ, failure to protect the environment, attempts to exclude those who refuse to conform, a tendency toward unilateral diplomatic action and away from international agreements, an excessive inclination toward conflict, and reliance on fear as a means of persuasion.” (pp. 43-44)• “…almost every decision made in Washington since 2000 has favored the wealthy, often at the expense of middle-class working families and the needy, and fundamental legislation on taxation and expenditures has been designed to perpetuate these trends.” (p. 191)..........

so, who was the one who found the GAY PORNO

in the first place? and is it someone's particular job to scan the net for gay porno featuring military (alleged) members? do they volunteer for that tough assignment? what would happen if they found military members on NON GAY porn sites, the same thing? would it cause the same ruckus?

i say:
DON'T ASK
DON'T TELL (unless you WANT to)

Army to Investigate Gay Porn Allegations
By ESTES THOMPSON
Press Writer January 27, 2006, 10:32 PM ESTRALEIGH, N.C. -- Army officials are investigating allegations that members of the celebrated 82nd Airborne Division appear on a gay pornography Web site, a spokeswoman said Friday. Authorities at Fort Bragg have begun an inquiry into whether the paratroopers' actions violated the military conduct code. Division spokeswoman Maj. Amy Hannah declined to say how many paratroopers are involved or identify their unit within the division. A defense official speaking on condition of anonymity said up to seven soldiers are involved. Hannah said soldiers questioned will be allowed to seek legal assistance, but she declined to say if any one had been charged. ................

maybe he had to pee

from think progress via buzzflash

VIDEO: Bush Mine Safety Administrator Walks Out of Senate Hearing

On Monday, the Bush administration’s top mine safety official, David Dye, appeared before a Senate subcommittee to explain the administration’s response to the Sago mining disaster. Specifically, senators wanted to know why mine safety has been consistently underfunded under President Bush, and why regulations have been rolled back or weakly enforced.

Unfortunately, David Dye has a busy schedule. After an hour of questioning, Dye announced he had “some really pressing matters” to attend to, and asked to leave the hearing. Committee chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) urged him not to: “Your presence will be required here for at least one more hour.”

But Dye insisted:

We have been diverted, dealing with these matters. We were happy to prepare for the hearing, but we really need to get back and attend to all this. There’s 15,000 mines in the United States, and we’ve got some really pressing matters.

The New York Times describes what occured next:

After Mr. Specter added, “That’s the committee’s request, but you’re not under subpoena,” Mr. Dye got up and walked out.

“I can’t recollect it ever happening before,” Mr. Specter said of the departure. “We’ll find a way to take appropriate note of it.”

Watch the video. (click on the think progress link above to watch the video)

............

when the hell will people learn?

i keep telling them vegetarians and vegans are NOT nice people. as a matter of fact, they're evil. they're terrorists, they don't stop at red lights, they spit on the old and infirm, they wear rubber shoes (well some DO get off on that don't they?), they don't call their elderly parents on sunday afternoon, they don't like football, they burn babies in their basements, yes, they worship the devil, they all like stevie nicks and yanni (is he still around i wonder), none of them own a tv, they all drive ten year old saabs. i never met one i liked OR trusted. oh wait a moment, i AM one!

so i have NO problems with the fbi, homeland security, the nsa and all of the OTHER agencies of this type spending their time spying on vegans and vegetarians because they are a threat to the united states instead of the agencies spying on oh let's say the followers of osama

ACLU Releases Government Photos

The ACLU of Georgia released copies of government files on Wednesday that illustrate the extent to which the FBI, the DeKalb County Division of Homeland Security and other government agencies have gone to compile information on Georgians suspected of being threats simply for expressing controversial opinions. Two documents relating to anti-war and anti-government protests, and a vegan rally, prove the agencies have been "spying" on Georgia residents unconstitutionally, the ACLU said. (Related: ACLU Complaint -- PDF file) For example, more than two dozen government surveillance photographs show 22-year-old Caitlin Childs of Atlanta, a strict vegetarian, and other vegans picketing against meat eating, in December 2003. They staged their protest outside a HoneyBaked Ham store on Buford Highway in DeKalb County. An undercover DeKalb County Homeland Security detective was assigned to conduct surveillance of the protest and the protestors, and take the photographs. The detective arrested Childs and another protester after he saw Childs approach him and write down, on a piece of paper, the license plate number of his unmarked government car."They told me if I didn't give over the piece of paper I would go to jail and I refused and I went to jail, and the piece of paper was taken away from me at the jail and the officer who transferred me said that was why I was arrested," Childs said on Wednesday..................

hell, i would have done it for HALF the price!

(and my number is; beechwood 4 5 7 8 9 - you can call me up and have a date, any old time......)

this is ONE expensive photo! let's face it the bushwhacked administration could piss on the constitution (literally, they're already doing it figuaratively) and no one would raise an effing eyebrow it seems.

Studio that scrubbed Abramoff/Bush photo earned $140,000 from 2004 campaign
01/26/2006 @ 4:48 pmFiled by Ron Brynaert
A photograpy studio which admitted to scrubbing at least one photograph of President George Bush and disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff was paid more that $140,000 by the Bush/Cheney campaign in 2004, RAW STORY has learned.


Reflections Photography president Joanne Amos told Joshua Micah Marshall of Talking Points Memo that a "business decision" led the company to remove a photograph taken in late 2003 that is believed to

Another blog reported that Amos donated $2,000 to President Bush. The studio owner also gave $4,000 to the Republican National Committee in 2004. Steven Amos, vice president of Reflections, has contributed $2,000 to Bush and $4150 to the RNC. According to Political Money Line, each gave the RNC $750 on the same day last April.
A press release from July of 2003 shows that the photography studio was awarded a contract with the Bush/Cheney 2004 campaign. "We are, of course, extremely pleased about this contract," said Joanne Amos in the press release. "This is an incredible opportunity for our company."
Two years ago, The Washington Post reported that the studio was paid over $140,000. feature Bush and Abramoff together. According to Amos, the photograph is "not relevant.".......

my grandfather had a name for it

a newsbag. that is to say someone who minds everyone else's bid-nez BUT their own. remind you of anyone? hint: the bushwhacked administration.

once again i ask thee, how the HELL can you determine how old someone is who looks at porn online from search engine records? the answer is YOU CANNOT. GET THE EFF OUT OF MY PRIVATE LIFE

another story from the nation

by Robert Scheer

You've Got Jail
[posted online on January 25, 2006]
In case someone in the Justice Department is reading this, let me hasten to explain why I just clicked on the Victoria's Secret online catalog photo featuring a certain "Very Sexy Lace & Mesh Garter Belt." AOL made me do it.
Yes, the very same AOL which, like Yahoo and MSN, but not Google, has readily agreed to let you government snoops scrutinize the search words and results from their online search engine data archives. If AOL is going to let the government know where I've been, they should admit they entrapped me!
(Honestly, officer, I heard that perky voice say, "You've got mail," and then this ad popped up, and there was this lady in her undergarments, and anyway it was just research.)
OK, so for the time being, the Bush Administration claims that it won't try to connect my name, or yours, with the massive bits of raw data they are demanding from the companies with the most popular search engines. Apparently they are seeking evidence to prove that online porn is very popular and easily accessible as part of a last-ditch lawsuit to implement the Child Online Protection Act blocked by the courts.
I'm not sure that proving the popularity of pornography is going to make the case for censoring it, but the point here today is my extreme discomfort with the Justice Department's cozy relationship with online giants like Microsoft and AOL, companies that already know way, way too much about how we as individuals use the Internet. Why should I trust the Justice Department any more than I trust the NSA bugging phone calls and scanning e-mails without warrants, or Homeland Security looking for terrorists by scrutinizing bookstore purchases and library check-outs?
Bottom line is these guys in the Bush Administration are obsessed voyeurs, poking their noses into everyone's business, whether the excuse is squelching pornography or preventing terrorism. They simply do not believe civil liberties and privacy are important. It is an executive branch power trip, and completely anti-democratic. ...........

i too have this very same question

this from medea benjamin for the nation asks the same question i ask: When Will US Women Demand Peace?

by MEDEA BENJAMIN
[posted online on January 24, 2006]
Whenever I travel to international gatherings to talk about the war in Iraq, economic development and women's rights, the question I get asked most frequently is: "Where are the women in the United States? Why aren't they rising up?"
I hear it from women in Africa, who have lost funding for their health clinics because of the Bush Administration's ban on even talking about abortion; from Iraqi women, who are suffering the double oppression of occupation and rising fundamentalism; from European women, who wonder how we can tolerate the crumbling of our meager social services; and from Latina women opposed to unresponsive governments that represent a tiny elite.
The question is variously posed with anger, contempt, curiosity or sympathy. But always, there is a sense of disappointment. What happened to the proud suffragettes who chained themselves to the White House fence for the right to vote? What happened to the garment workers, whose struggles for decent working conditions inspired the first International Women's Day in 1910? What about those who emulated Rosa Parks, risking their lives or livelihoods to confront the evils of racism? Given their tradition of activism, why aren't American women today rising up against a government that dragged them into war with lies, that spies on their peaceful activities and diverts money from their children's schools or their mothers' nursing homes to pay for an immoral war? ........

who better to serve our nation, than those who have served our nation?

THE NATION
New PAC to Back Antiwar Veterans
The group will work to elect candidates who can promote a change of strategy for Iraq.By Ronald BrownsteinTimes Staff Writer January 26, 2006 WASHINGTON —

An organization of veterans disillusioned with President Bush's handling of the Iraq war plans to launch a political action committee today dedicated to electing antiwar veterans to Congress.The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America PAC hopes to raise as much as $10 million this year to support veterans seeking House and Senate seats on platforms promoting a change of strategy in Iraq, said Jon Soltz, the group's executive director."These are people we want to send to Washington to articulate a better understanding of the war," said Soltz, who served as an Army captain with the 1st Armored Division in Iraq. "We need credible knowledge inside Washington to change the course of this war."So far, eight Iraq war veterans are seeking House seats as Democrats in various states, including Illinois, Pennsylvania and Maryland.Paul Hackett, a Marine reservist who served in Iraq, is seeking the Democratic Senate nomination in Ohio. The seat is held by Republican Mike DeWine, who is seeking reelection. Hackett narrowly lost a special election for a House seat to Republican Jean Schmidt last year.One Iraq veteran, Van Taylor, is seeking a House seat in Texas as a Republican. Although the leaders of the new PAC say it will support candidates from both parties, their pedigree and agenda lean strongly toward Democrats......

i have been called many things including a traitor

and i'm sick of it. because i do NOT support this (unjust) war does NOT mean i'm anti-american or a traitor or a terrorist or a fan of osamas (osama is NOT in iraq people). so i've decided to put a link to

an open letter to chris mattews on my sidebar. it calls for an APOLOGY from him for comparing someone who has politics similar to mine, to osama.

and this from seeing the forest - for the trees

January 25, 2006
The Chris Matthews "Democrats=Terrorists" Fight Escalates
At the Open Letter To Chris Matthews blog there is a new push, asking readers to contact MSNBC, and a few of their advertisers, asking Chris Matthews for an apology for comparing people like us to Osama bin Laden.
This Frequently Asked Questions post expains why we are so upset, what Matthews said, what we want, and how readers can help pressure for an apology.
6. What will it take for you to call off your protest?
Chris Matthews and the senior management of MSNBC need to publicly apologize for comparing American critics of the war in Iraq to terrorist Osama bin Laden, and both must commit to stop functioning as an adjunct of the right-wing noise machine and to start acting like objective journalists. We are trying to stop this "Democrats = Terrorists" mantra now, before it becomes even more dangerous. ..................

uh oh (but no one SHOULD be surprised WHEN this happens, not if, WHEN)

this talk was at MY town hall and i had NO idea it was going on nor did i have any idea the group west hartford citizens for peace and justice existed (i'm going to cross-post this on my connecticut blog the nutmeg grater

Arms Expert Sees Iran War Ahead
By TOM PULEO Courant Staff Writer January 25 2006
WEST HARTFORD -- Weapons expert Scott Ritter said Tuesday that President Bush is using the Iraq conflict to rush the nation to war with Iran."The Bush administration has its sights set firmly on Tehran," Ritter told a group of more than 200 people. "The same deception is taking place right before our eyes and most Americans remain blind. It is going to happen. It is happening as we speak."A former U.S. Marine officer and ballistic missile expert, Ritter said only a reinvigorated U.S. Congress can stop Bush from going into Iran. The Bush administration has said in recent days that Iran is using an energy program as a cover for developing atomic weapons - something Ritter said is not borne out by the facts on the ground. Iran has insisted its uranium enrichment research will be used only to produce electrical power."Unless we can find a way to get people elected to Congress who respect the Constitution," Ritter said, "we're headed to war in Iran, ladies and gentlemen."Ritter received a prolonged standing ovation after his one-hour talk in the town hall auditorium sponsored by West Hartford Citizens for Peace and Justice.Ritter called Bush an "imperial president" who holds himself above the law in a misguided attempt to spread U.S. influence in the Middle East. Ritter said Iraq is not better off today than before the 2003 invasion."It's worse off economically, educationally, with health care, and worse off because 138,000 American citizens are illegally occupying a sovereign state.".....

why would they (well it's really US) spend money on an inquiry

we know they f**ked up, we know they'll blame everyone but themselves, we know they'll continue to f**k up and we know that BROWNIE DID A HECK OF A JOB!
(tell me why they don't use every single bit of money they have on helping the displaced victims of katrina? yet another thing i just don't get)

White House slowing Katrina inquiry, senators say
By Lara Jakes Jordan, Associated Press Writer January 24, 2006
WASHINGTON --The White House is crippling a Senate inquiry into the government's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina by barring administration officials from answering questions and failing to hand over documents, senators leading the investigation said Tuesday.
In some cases, staff at the White House and other federal agencies have refused to be interviewed by congressional investigators, said the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In addition, agency officials won't answer seemingly innocuous questions about times and dates of meetings and telephone calls with the White House, the senators said.
A White House spokesman said the administration is committed to working with separate Senate and House investigations of the Katrina response but wants to protect the confidentiality of presidential advisers.
"No one believes that the government responded adequately," said Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn. "And we can't put that story together if people feel they're under a gag order from the White House."
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the committee's Republican chair, said she respects the White House's reluctance to reveal advice to President Bush from his top aides, which is generally covered by executive privilege........

more bullshite

except it appears SOME of these students are NOT buying the party line.......
(do you remember when the people of the ussr weren't allowed to talk to the press, were being spied upon, were jailed for no reason................) back in the ussr, ya don't know how lucky you are boy..........back in back in back in the ussr


Gonzales Says Criticism of NSA Misleading
Gonzales Defends Warrantless Surveillance, Says Critics and Media Mischaracterize NSA Program
By PETE YOST
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales defended the Bush administration's domestic spying program Tuesday and suggested that some critics and news reports have misled Americans about the breadth of the National Security Agency's surveillance.
Gonzales said the warrantless surveillance is critical to prevent another terrorist attack within the United States and falls within President Bush's constitutional authority and the powers granted by Congress immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
At a Georgetown Law School Forum, Gonzales said the nation needs "to remember that ... it's imperative for national security reasons that we can detect reliably, immediately and without delay" any al-Qaida related communication entering or leaving the United States.
As he spoke, more than a dozen students stood silently with their backs turned to the attorney general. Outside the classroom where Gonzales was to speak, a pair of protesters held up a sheet that said, "Don't torture the Constitution."
Gonzales cautioned his listeners about critics and journalists who have mischaracterized details about the program. "Unfortunately, they have caused concern over the potential breadth of what the President has actually authorized," he said.
The attorney general's appearance at the law school is part of a campaign by the Bush administration to overcome criticism, often by attempting to redefine the program..........

i know this YOU know this, even THEY know this

THEY just won't say it aloud or admit it. if we pretend it's ok then it WILL be ok.....
NOT
remember that song from back in the day, 'where have all the flowers gone?' (when will they ever learn, when WILL THEY ever learn?)

Study: Army Stretched to Breaking Point


By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer Tue Jan 24, 6:43 PM ET
Stretched by frequent troop rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army has become a "thin green line" that could snap unless relief comes soon, according to a study for the Pentagon.
Andrew Krepinevich, a retired Army officer who wrote the report under a Pentagon contract, concluded that the Army cannot sustain the pace of troop deployments to Iraq long enough to break the back of the insurgency. He also suggested that the Pentagon's decision, announced in December, to begin reducing the force in Iraq this year was driven in part by a realization that the Army was overextended.
As evidence, Krepinevich points to the Army's 2005 recruiting slump — missing its recruiting goal for the first time since 1999 — and its decision to offer much bigger enlistment bonuses and other incentives.
"You really begin to wonder just how much stress and strain there is on the Army, how much longer it can continue," he said in an interview. He added that the Army is still a highly effective fighting force and is implementing a plan that will expand the number of combat brigades available for rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 136-page report represents a more sobering picture of the Army's condition than military officials offer in public. While not released publicly, a copy of the report was provided in response to an Associated Press inquiry.
Illustrating his level of concern about strain on the Army, Krepinevich titled one of his report's chapters, "The Thin Green Line."
He wrote that the Army is "in a race against time" to adjust to the demands of war "or risk `breaking' the force in the form of a catastrophic decline" in recruitment and re-enlistment.
Col. Lewis Boone, spokesman for Army Forces Command, which is responsible for providing troops to war commanders, said it would be "a very extreme characterization" to call the Army broken. He said his organization has been able to fulfill every request for troops that it has received from field commanders..........

how the F**K does an eight year old get his hands on a loaded gun stuff it in his backpack and bring it to daycare and shoot a seven year old girl?

it happened this morning and the article is in the washington post

way to go brownie!

Report: Gov't Forewarned Of Potential Katrina Damage
POSTED: 7:40 pm EST January 23, 2006
WASHINGTON -- There is more documentation that the federal government knew in advance of the catastrophic potential Hurricane Katrina could have in New Orleans.
New documents released Monday show the Homeland Security Department was warned a day before Katrina struck that the storm's surge could breach levees and leave New Orleans flooded for weeks or months.
The Aug. 28 report was produced by the department's National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center. It concluded that a category 4 or 5 hurricane would cause severe damage in the city and a direct economic hit of up to $10 billion for the first week. The report called those estimates "conservative."

moon over the capital

i couldn't quite capture it in pictures but the crescent moon over the capital this morning was stunning. (if you peek through the bottom branches of that tree to the left, that tiny white dot is the moon)

hats

just fooling around with some hats. lower left is noro yarn (love that stuff) lower right is me experimenting with two colors knit as one and top is a hat for baby sofia - which i've yet to give to her

and now for something completely different

wow, i am sitting here enjoying a bowl of annie chun's udon soup (a noodle bowl meal). it is VERY good. you can actually recognize HUNKS of vegetables and the noodles are thick and good. it's a nice sized serving too.

the three best parts are;

it only takes a couple of minutes in the microwave
the bowl (which looks and feels like plastic) is mostly made out of corn starch and is biodegradable
AND
the broth is NOT salty (you know how every quick broth really isn't broth, it's JUST pure salt and water ewwwwwwwwwww)

it's GOOD, VERY GOOD

are you automatically a terrorist if you are an islamic egyptian?

the real answer is OF COURSE NOT. i don't know if these men did anything to get 'detained' other than be egyptian muslims. could be they did, as i said, i don't know. HOWEVER, they were detained for MONTHS after being declared NON-TERRORIST or NON-TERRORIST THREATS. why?

Deported Muslims return to sue US govt for abuseMon Jan 23, 2006 01:38 PM ET By Claudia Parsons
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Muslim man detained for months without charge after September 11 and then deported to Egypt gave a deposition in New York on Monday in a suit against the U.S. government for unlawful imprisonment and abuse.
Yasser Ebrahim was one of four Muslim men who are being allowed to return to participate in the case under strict conditions including confinement to their hotel rooms for the duration of their stay.
The men, who were cleared of any connection to terrorism, say they suffered inhumane and degrading treatment in a Brooklyn detention center, including solitary confinement, severe beatings, incessant verbal abuse and a total blackout on communications with their families and attorneys.
Ebrahim's attorneys said the men will be deposed over the next two weeks in a class action suit against the government over the treatment of more than 1,200 Muslim and South Asian men rounded up after the September 11 attacks blamed on al Qaeda.
The Center for Constitutional Rights -- a civil rights group handling the case -- said the conditions for their return to the United States include a ban on their speaking to anybody outside the case and confinement to their hotel room.
Ebrahim's brother Hany Ibrahim was due to arrive in New York on Monday, CCR legal director Bill Goodman said, and the other two would arrive at some point in the next two weeks.
Goodman said the restrictions on the four men were highly unusual in a civil case and a sign of what he called government "paranoia over Muslim and Middle Eastern men."
They are among eight named plaintiffs in the case that names former Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert Mueller, immigration officials and prison officers among the defendants. The suit, originally filed in 2002, seeks compensation and punitive damages......

a portrait of william as taken by his roommate jean

a wonderful read from frank rich

from the nyt via buzz flash
it goes from oprah's book club to the wizard of oz to a supreme court nomination. man, i wish i could write!

Truthiness 101: From Frey to Alito
by Frank Rich The New York Times January 22, 2006

IF James Frey hadn't made up his own life, Tom Wolfe would have had to invent it for him. The fraudulent memoirist is to the early 21st century what Mr. Wolfe's radical-chic revelers were to the late 1960's and his Wall Street "masters of the universe" were to the go-go 1980's: a perfect embodiment of the most fashionable American excess of an era.
As Oprah Winfrey, the ultimate arbiter of our culture, has made clear, no one except pesky nitpickers much cares whether Mr. Frey's autobiography is true or not, or whether it sits on a fiction or nonfiction shelf at Barnes & Noble. Such distinctions have long since washed away in much of our public life. What matters most now is whether a story can be sold as truth, preferably on television. The mock Comedy Central pundit Stephen Colbert's slinging of the word "truthiness" caught on instantaneously last year precisely because we live in the age of truthiness.
At its silliest level, this is manifest in show-biz phenomena like Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, juvenile pop stars who merchandised the joy of their new marriage as a lucrative MTV reality series before heading to divorce court to divvy up the booty. But if suckers want to buy fictional nonfiction like "Newlyweds" or "A Million Little Pieces" as if they were real, that's just harmless diversion. .........

.......The selling of Samuel Alito is a perfect illustration of how our world works. From the moment Judge Alito emerged from Harriet Miers's penumbra, his supporters' story line was clear: he'd be presented as a humble exemplar of American values too mainstream to be labeled "out of the mainstream" by his opponents. In his first courtesy calls on Capitol Hill in November, we learned, Judge Alito often cited his father as a proud immigrant who instilled in him empathy for minorities and the poor - an empathy not remotely apparent in the judge's legal record. A particularly poignant anecdote had it that his father had once defended a black basketball player from discrimination in college. ........

even if this story was NOT true (but i believe it is), why aren't we putting up a stink about halliburton being in iraq?

isn't it UNETHICAL because of the chaney ties? even if it isn't they have a HORRID track record and that should be enough of a reason to boot their sorry asses not only out of iraq, BUT HERE TOO

AP Enterprise: U.S. troops exposed to contaminated water in Iraq, Halliburton documents say
WASHINGTON (AP) - Troops and civilians at a U.S. military base in Iraq were exposed to contaminated water last year and employees for the responsible contractor, Halliburton, couldn't get their company to inform camp residents, according to interviews and internal company documents. Halliburton, the company formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, disputes the allegations about water problems at Camp Junction City, in Ramadi, even though they were made by its own employees and documented in company e-mails. "We exposed a base camp population (military and civilian) to a water source that was not treated," said a July 15, 2005, memo written by William Granger, the official for Halliburton's KBR subsidiary who was in charge of water quality in Iraq and Kuwait. "The level of contamination was roughly 2x the normal contamination of untreated water from the Euphrates River," Granger wrote in one of several documents. The Associated Press obtained the documents from Senate Democrats who are holding a public inquiry into the allegations Monday. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who will chair the session, held a number of similar inquiries last year on contracting abuses in Iraq. He said Democrats were acting on their own because they had not been able to persuade Republican committee chairmen to investigate. The company's former water treatment expert at Camp Junction City said that he discovered the problem last March, a statement confirmed by his e-mail the day after he tested the water.....

is it really VITAL to national security

to spy on TEN people passing out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as a form of (legal) protest? i'm guessing there was no lsd in those sandwiches or the protesters would be in jail.......

The Other Big Brother
The Pentagon has its own domestic spying program. Even its leaders say the outfit may have gone too far.

..............Last Thursday, Cheney called the program "vital" to the country's defense against Al Qaeda. "Either we are serious about fighting this war on terror or not," he said in a speech to the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. But as the new information about CIFA shows, the scope of the U.S. government's spying on Americans may be far more extensive than the public realizes................

oh not me, i KNOW it's extensive and overreaching....


By Michael Isikoff
Newsweek
Jan. 30, 2006 issue - The demonstration seemed harmless enough. Late on a June afternoon in 2004, a motley group of about 10 peace activists showed up outside the Houston headquarters of Halliburton, the giant military contractor once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney. They were there to protest the corporation's supposed "war profiteering." The demonstrators wore papier-mache masks and handed out free peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches to Halliburton employees as they left work. The idea, according to organizer Scott Parkin, was to call attention to allegations that the company was overcharging on a food contract for troops in Iraq. "It was tongue-in-street political theater," Parkin says..............

i'm not the biggest michael moore fan, but this IS funny

"I find it the safest course of action to always let Osama have a strike, even when he throws a gutter ball."

(and there's more on the website - link above in post title)

the madness of dictator

george .............................
and this from intervention magazine
George Bush is promising security and protection in exchange for our freedom and civil rights. By Michael Coblenz

Most Republicans have been curiously silent about the recent news
reports that President Bush has engaged in warrant-less eavesdropping on
American citizens. This is surprising given their general hostility towards
government power, and stands in stark contrast to their outrage over the Supreme
Court’s Kelo v. City of New London decision this past summer. That case held
that the government could take private property for use by other private
entities as long as the government determined that there was some public
benefit. After the Kelo ruling, prominent Republicans took to the floor of
Congress and demanded immediate action to prevent such an egregious usurpation
of individual rights. The contrast between the Republicans’ furor over the
Supreme Court’s eminent domain decision and their nonchalance towards President
Bush’s (possible) misuse of power is bizarre. It’s almost as if Republicans
believe that dictators rise to power and strip citizens of their rights through
zoning decisions. It's almost as if they never read any history.

favorite bumpersticker:

from media matters via daily kos WAY more facts and figures on both of those sites. give them a read ..................We've been over it all again and again here in blogotopia. Using the Oval Office to having extramarital, consensual sex trumps using the Oval Office to falsify intelligence to take the country to war. It trumps using the Oval Office to engineer the outing of CIA operatives. And now we also know it trumps using the Oval Office to orchestrate the illegal, warrantless wiretapping of thousands of American citizens. Well, gee. I think we just really need to work on getting our priorities straight.................

what ARE credible threats?

are the quakers? are the catholic workers? are peace activists? are liberal college professors? are YOU? am I? no, i'm not a terrorist. i disagree with almost everything bushwhacked's administration has done and is proposing to do, but no, i'm NOT a terrorist OR a crebible threat. i've said it before and i'll say it again. i work, i pay my taxes. i do jury duty when called (i was called AGAIN for the seventh or eighth time but i got notification yesterday i do not have to serve, since my last service was within the past year). my car is registered and it is insured. hell i don't even call in sick to work and unlike someone else i have NOT had a vacation in over four years. are some of these groups being 'spyed' on because they are called credible threats? YOU BET THEY ARE and if you deny it you are so very blind to reality. U.S. accused of spying on those who disagree with Bush policies BY WILLIAM E. GIBSON
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
WASHINGTON - While the White House defended domestic surveillance as a safeguard against terrorism, a Florida peace activist and several Democrats in Congress accused the Bush administration on Friday of spying on Americans who disagree with President Bush's policies.
Richard Hersh, of Boca Raton, Fla., director of Truth Project Inc. of Palm Beach County, told an ad hoc panel of House Democrats that his group and others in South Florida have been infiltrated and spied upon despite having no connections to terrorists.
"Agents rummaged through the trash, snooped into e-mails, packed Web sites and listened in on phone conversations," Hersh charged. "We know that address books and activist meeting lists have disappeared."
The Truth Project gained national attention when NBC News reported last month that it was described as a "credible threat" in a database of suspicious activity compiled by the Pentagon's Talon program. The listing cited the group's gathering a year ago at a Quaker meeting house in Lake Worth, Fla., to talk about ways to counter military recruitment at high schools.
Talon is separate from the controversial domestic-surveillance program conducted by the National Security Agency. Bush has acknowledged signing orders that allow the NSA to eavesdrop without the usual court warrants, prompting an outcry from many in Congress.
Bush plans to tour the NSA on Wednesday as part of a campaign to defend his handling of the program.
"This is a critical tool that helps us save lives and prevent attacks," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said on Friday. "It is limited and targeted to al-Qaida communications, with the focus being on detection and prevention."..............

i don't get very many comments on my blog

but when i do and there is a link to the commenter's blog, i click that link. i found the most wonderful blog this way.

verb-ops by blogger (artist, poet, humorist, every day run of the mill renaissance man) vanx.

if you happen to read this post by me, click on his link and read HIS blog. read the archives as well.

i just can't understand why people are NOT outraged

at this blatantly illegal activity. there are checks and balances set up for our government. there ARE rules to be followed. this is america. land of the FREE and home of the BRAVE. why would someone think it is acceptable for our government to trample on our rights simply because they are a member of the SAME political party? why won't they admit the administration LIED in order to get us into this war? why do they continue to insist iraq was in some way responsible for 9/11 (they WERE NOT) why would someone think it acceptable for a political party to ATTACK someone's service records when most of those doing the attacking NEVER SERVED? is everyone following the pied pier? aren't they seeing where this pied piper is leading us? why would someone support 'intelligent' design when of course it is simply creationism? why would someone think it is acceptable for someone's mail to be opened because they are corresponding with someone in a foreign land (i'm thinking of the elderly american professor who was corresponding with a professor in the philippines and had been for THIRTY YEARS)? why would someone think it acceptable for our government to ask for search engine records under the pretext of protecting our children against pornography (when search engine records do NOT include the ages of the people doing the web surfing)? i read an entry on one of the blogs off of ctweblogs and this person so very naively thinks our government is ONLY snooping on people with KNOWN terrorist ties (believe me i KNOW surveillance MUST go on and i accept it in order to protect our citizens and our country. i just KNOW it must be done LEGALLY). why isn't anyone saying anything about the price of gasoline and home heating oil and prescription drugs? why isn't anyone saying anything about our wounded and maimed soldiers coming home ... to WHAT? why don't our deployed soldiers have the proper equipment to better protect themselves? why do they keep raising the age of enlistment? why are the good old boys in power getting richer and richer off of this war? why are we going to allow someone on the supreme court who will most certainly reverse roe v wade? i am neither republican or democrat. i am a registered independent (i think i am going to switch to a party, i think you know which one, so i can vote in primaries). however, i have a message for both - republicans WAKE UP, please use your MINDS and your hearts will follow. democrats GROW A SET AND DO SOMETHING about these travesties. Bush launching aggressive defense of eavesdropping
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The White House is launching an aggressive effort to defend a domestic eavesdropping program prior to congressional hearings that are to delve into whether President George W. Bush overstepped his authority.
White House officials said on Friday that Bush will visit the National Security Agency next Wednesday as part of the effort. Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, former head of the NSA, will give a speech at the National Press Club on Monday and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will speak on Tuesday.
The highly classified program allows the government to bypass warrant requirements and monitor communications, such as e-mail and telephone calls, into and out of the United States by persons linked to al Qaeda or related terrorist groups.
Disclosure last month of the program sparked an outcry by Democrats and Republicans, with many lawmakers questioning whether it violated the U.S. Constitution. Civil liberties groups filed lawsuits challenging the program's legality.
"I think it's important for the American people to have a clear understanding of this vital tool and how it fits into our overall efforts and prevent attacks and prevail in the war on terror," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
Gonzales plans to testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Feb. 6.
Polls show a split among the public. A Washington Post-ABC News poll last week found 51 percent favored the program as a way to fight terrorism, while 47 percent did not. A Pew Research Center poll found 48 percent of respondents thought Bush's actions were generally right, and 47 percent thought they were generally wrong. .............

the wicked wicked pickett

wilson, i'll wait till the midnight hour for you!
(gotta LOVE that suit!!!)

bbc entertainment news
Soul singer Wilson Pickett dies
Veteran US soul singer Wilson Pickett has died aged 64 after suffering a heart attack in Virginia.
His management company said that he had been in poor health for the past year, and last performed in 2004.
Born in Alabama, Pickett shot to fame in the 1960s, with hits including In The Midnight Hour and Mustang Sally.
Pickett had continued performing on a regular basis until he became ill, and had been inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
He moved to Detroit as a teenager, after early beginnings as a gospel singer in Alabama.

from the nyt

Wilson Pickett, 64, Soul Singer of Great Passion, Dies
By JEFF LEEDS
Wilson Pickett, the soul music pioneer whose insistent wail turned songs like "In the Midnight Hour" into hits, died yesterday in Virginia. He was 64.
The cause was a heart attack, Margo Lewis, his manager, said. She added that Mr. Pickett had spent the twilight of his career playing dozens of concert dates a year, but had finally started an extended hiatus last year as his health began to worsen.
Still, Mr. Pickett, who lived in Ashburn, Va., had enjoyed a series of accolades as he approached retirement. His first album in more than a decade - 1999's "It's Harder Now" - was honored with a Grammy nomination for best traditional rhythm and blues vocal performance. In 2000, he picked up three W. C. Handy Awards from the Blues Foundation, including one for comeback album of the year.
At the close of 2004, however, "we sort just said, 'Let's take a year off,' and eased him out of the responsibility of having to think about gigging," Ms. Lewis said. "It wasn't necessary for him financially."
Mr. Pickett had long since cemented his legacy; his shift from gospel music to rhythm and blues and soul led to a string of 1960's classics, including "Mustang Sally," "Land of 1,000 Dances" and "634-5789."
Born in Prattville, Ala., Mr. Pickett was one of 11 children; he told interviewers that he had suffered an abusive childhood. As a teenager he moved to Detroit, where he formed a gospel band, the Violinaires, that performed in local churches. .........

it's filibuster friday

from oped news
January 20, 2006
Urgent Phone Action: IT'S FILIBUSTER FRIDAY To Stop Alito
Instantly lookup your senators' local district phone and fax numbers
By thepen
CALL ALL YOUR SENATORS LOCAL DISTRICT OFFICES NOW TO OPPOSE ALITOINSTANTLY LOOKUP ALL THEIR LOCAL PHONE AND FAX NUMBERS AT THIS SITE:
http://www.nocrony.com

We have gotten many emails from our participants, asking "what more can we do?" Some have reported senators arbitrarily turning off their answering machines at night, or long waits on hold. Are they trying to hide from the thousands and thousands of their constituents who are raising their voices to demand that they filibuster the evasive Alito? Even if you have already sent your personal message by email or made some phone calls, we have added a FABULOUS extra function to the main action page where you can instantly lookup all your senators local district offices phone and fax numbers with just one click. http://www.nocrony.com SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT FILIBUSTER FRIDAY
If the other side can have a so-called "Justice Sunday", we can have our own "Filibuster Friday", and that day is today. In just the last 24 hours we have seen a major shift in momentum. Yesterday, Senator Leahy came out with a very strong statement that he recognizes the immense threat to our freedom and democracy in allowing a dangerous and unpopular president to install a fifth and controlling vote to hold that our Constitution actually intended to create an executive dictatorship. Today we need to show our support for those senators who are standing up now by hitting every phone they've got right down to the district level with our phone calls and faxes. Get all your numbers with one easy click at: http://www.nocrony.com ..........

holy s**t

Rep. Tom Brinkman
Bill seeks abortion's end in Ohio Backers say it could help overturn Roe v. Wade
By Jon Craig Enquirer Columbus Bureau COLUMBUS - A Cincinnati legislator's bill to ban abortion in Ohio drew widespread support here Wednesday from a dozen groups eager to trigger a review of Roe v. Wade by what they see as an increasingly conservative U.S. Supreme Court.
At a Statehouse news conference marking this week's 33rd anniversary of the landmark 1973 decision, opponents called on the Ohio General Assembly to debate a bill banning all abortions.
Introduced nine months ago by Rep. Tom Brinkman, R-Mount Lookout, House Bill 228 would make it a felony to carry out abortions or transport a woman across state lines to have one. It would allow abortions only to save the life of a mother.
Nancy Keenan, president of Naral Pro-Choice America, warned that anti-abortion advocates "are using the states as laboratories" in their efforts to overturn Roe. Indiana, too, is considering a ban on abortions, and other states are adding restrictions to when abortions are allowed.
Mark Harrington, executive director for the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform Midwest, called Brinkman's bill a test case. Anti-abortion groups say that a Supreme Court reshaped by President Bush - with new justices John Roberts and, expected soon, Samuel Alito - will be inclined to overturn Roe.
"House Bill 228 provides the necessary constitutional challenge to strike down Roe versus Wade," Harrington said. "It will immediately be challenged in the courts, and that's the strategy. House Bill 228 is a trigger law. The U.S. Supreme Court needs a law to trigger a review of Roe versus Wade."...............

i'm NOT a child and if i want to surf for porn i will

and i don't want the bushwhacked extended family sticking their noses into MY PERSONAL BID-NEZ
someone please pinch me. every day when i wake up i think i'm in communist china, or cuba or north korea or russia in 1975.

Bush Administration Demands Search Data; Google Says No; AOL, MSN & Yahoo Said Yes
NOTE: We're continuing to update this news through postscripts below the original story.
Via John Battelle and Google Morning Silicon Valley, the San Jose Mercury News article "Feds want Google search records" covers the Bush administration demanding last year that Google and other search engines turn over aggregate search information to help revive a child protection law. Google has refused to comply with the subpoena. A motion has been filed this week by US Department Of Justice to force Google to hand over the data.
In particular, the Bush administration wanted one million random web addresses and records of all Google searches for a one week period. The government apparently wants to estimate how much pornography shows up in the searches that children do.
Here's a thought. If you want to measure how much porn is showing up in searches, try searching for it yourself rather than issuing privacy alarm sounding subpoenas. It would certainly be more accurate.
Getting a list of all searches in one week definitely would let US federal government dig deep into the long tail of porn searches. But then again, the sheer amount of data would be overwhelming. Do you know every variation of a term someone might use, that you're going to dig out of the hundreds of millions of searches you'd get? Oh, and be sure you filter out all the automated queries coming in from rank checking tools, while you're add it. They won't skew the data at all, nope.
Moreover, since the data is divorced from user info, you have no idea what searches are being done by children or not. In the end, you've asked for a lot of data that's not really going to help you estimate anything at all.
Far better would be to do some searches that you think children and teens are actually doing, such as by doing a survey of them. Then just go start searching on Google and the other search engines yourselves. See what actually comes up, especially when the filtering protection each service offers is enabled. That would give you plenty of data, plus it would be useful for everyone to have someone rigorously test the filtering systems that are offered. Serving subpoenas to get the data isn't necessary.........

there's a song called 'the runaraound'

and boy did WE THE PEOPLE get it on this. we're screwed, no ifs ands or buts. we're never going to see 'justice' on this one babies

from raw story

....................The following can be attributed to Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Executive Director:
“President Bush and Attorney General Gonzales can manufacture all of the legal justifications they want, but the facts and laws show that this warrantless surveillance violates the First and Fourth Amendment and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. ....................

i knew this went on

An American woman with a leopard shot in August, 2003 during a Buffalo Range Safari in Zimbabwe

and is still going on, not just in zimbabwe either but all over the globe. it makes me sick to think of someone shooting (for fun) leopards and elephants and all sorts of animals it's illegal to kill (or bring back the dead carcass or parts of the dead carcass of) to or in america. i can't help it but i think there is something just downright WRONG with these people who get off on the blood of these exotic animals. i have had many a discussion with many a hunter (the latest of which was yoga korunta. i'm know i pissed yoga off but i wanted to say i do NOT lump someone like yoga, a hunter yes, but a HUMAN, in with these exotic animal hunters). look at the picture above. look at that woman smiling with a once beautiful DEAD ANIMAL SLUNG OVER HER SHOULDERS. an animal it is ILLEGAL TO HUNT in the us (and other places). note that blood running down over her breast onto her trousers. go back up to her face again...........look at that grin

Shoot to Kill
Inside the hidden links between American big-game hunters and Zimbabwe’s Mugabe dictatorship.
By Joshua Hammer
Newsweek
Updated: 5:58 p.m. ET Jan. 13, 2006
Jan. 13, 2006 - Jocelyn Chiwenga is not a woman to be taken lightly. The wife of Gen. Constantine Chiwenga, commander-in-chief of Zimbabwe’s army, Mrs. Chiwenga has earned a reputation in her own right as a vicious enforcer for President Robert Mugabe and his ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Popular Front (ZANU-PF). In April 2002 she reportedly showed up at a farm outside Harare, the capital, with an armed gang and ordered the farm’s white owner to turn over his property to her or be killed, according to documents filed in a Zimbabwean court. One year later, Chiwenga accosted Gugulethu Moyo, an attorney for a pro-opposition newspaper, and beat her so severely that she had to seek medical attention. “Your paper wants to encourage anarchy in this country,” Chiwenga reportedly shouted as she punched and slapped the 28-year-old lawyer on a Harare street. “Chiwenga is as close to the center of power as you get,” says David Coltart, a parliamentarian and leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, the country’s main opposition party.
She also knows how to use her power. About three years ago, Chiwenga won an auction for a coveted lease on a 220-square-mile tract of bush, owned by Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Authority, located just outside Hwange National Park in southwest Zimbabwe. Abounding in the Big Five—lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard, and black rhino—Chiwenga’s property has since become a choice destination for professional hunters, particularly well-heeled Americans.
Now, Chiwenga’s business ambitions—as well as her political clout—have brought her to the attention of the U.S. government. Last November, the Treasury Department added Chiwenga, 50, to a list of 128 Mugabe relatives and cronies who are “undermining democratic processes or institutions in Zimbabwe.” The Treasury Department has blocked the assets of those on the list and established penalties of up to $250,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment for anyone who does business with them. And that executive order has put dozens, if not hundreds, of Americans who hunt on her land in legal jeopardy............

to me THIS is a more true portrait of iraq (than what the bushwhacked team is feeding us)

we stormed their country unannounced, uninvited and unwelcome (by most, granted not all). we stirred the pot up not with a spoon but with an egg beater. now what the hell are we going to do?

Official US agency paints dire picture of 'out-of-control' Iraq · Analysis issued by USAid in reconstruction effort · Account belies picture painted by White House

Julian Borger in Washington Wednesday January 18, 2006 The Guardian

An official assessment drawn up by the US foreign aid agency depicts the security situation in Iraq as dire, amounting to a "social breakdown" in which criminals have "almost free rein".
The "conflict assessment" is an attachment to an invitation to contractors to bid on a project rehabilitating Iraqi cities published earlier this month by the US Agency for International Development (USAid).
The picture it paints is not only darker than the optimistic accounts from the White House and the Pentagon, it also gives a more complex profile of the insurgency than the straightforward "rejectionists, Saddamists and terrorists" described by George Bush.
The USAid analysis talks of an "internecine conflict" involving religious, ethnic, criminal and tribal groups. "It is increasingly common for tribesmen to 'turn in' to the authorities enemies as insurgents - this as a form of tribal revenge," the paper says, casting doubt on the efficacy of counter-insurgent sweeps by coalition and Iraqi forces.
Meanwhile, foreign jihadist groups are growing in strength, the report said.....